Weakly electric fish for biomonitoring water quality.

PubMed

Clausen, Juergen; van Wijk, Roeland; Albrecht, Henning

2012-06-01

Environmental pollution is a major issue that calls for suitable monitoring systems. The number of possible pollutants of municipal and industrial water grows annually as new chemicals are developed. Technical devices for pollutant detection are constructed in a way to detect a specific and known array of pollutants. Biological systems react to lethal or non-lethal environmental changes without pre-adjustment, and a wide variety have been employed as broad-range monitors for water quality. Weakly electric fish have proven particularly useful for the purpose of biomonitoring municipal and industrial waters. The frequency of their electric organ discharges directly correlates with the quality of the surrounding water and, in this way, concentrations of toxicants down to the nanomolar range have been successfully detected by these organisms. We have reviewed the literature on biomonitoring studies to date, comparing advantages and disadvantages of this test system and summarizing the lowest concentrations of various toxicants tested. Eighteen publications were identified investigating 35 different chemical substances and using six different species of weakly electric fish.

Mathematical modelling of the electric sense of fish: the role of multi-frequency measurements and movement.

PubMed

Ammari, Habib; Boulier, Thomas; Garnier, Josselin; Wang, Han

2017-01-31

Understanding active electrolocation in weakly electric fish remains a challenging issue. In this article we propose a mathematical formulation of this problem, in terms of partial differential equations. This allows us to detail two algorithms: one for localizing a target using the multi-frequency aspect of the signal, and another one for identifying the shape of this target. Shape recognition is designed in a machine learning point of view, and takes advantage of both the multi-frequency setup and the movement of the fish around its prey. Numerical simulations are shown for the computation of the electric field emitted and sensed by the fish; they are then used as an input for the two algorithms.

Nonlinear theory for axisymmetric self-similar two-dimensional oscillations of electrons in cold plasma with constant proton background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osherovich, V. A.; Fainberg, J.

2018-01-01

We consider simultaneous oscillations of electrons moving both along the axis of symmetry and also in the direction perpendicular to the axis. We derive a system of three nonlinear ordinary differential equations which describe self-similar oscillations of cold electrons in a constant proton density background (np = n0 = constant). These three equations represent an exact class of solutions. For weak nonlinear conditions, the frequency spectra of electric field oscillations exhibit split frequency behavior at the Langmuir frequency ωp0 and its harmonics, as well as presence of difference frequencies at low spectral values. For strong nonlinear conditions, the spectra contain peaks at frequencies with values ωp0(n +m √{2 }) , where n and m are integer numbers (positive and negative). We predict that both spectral types (weak and strong) should be observed in plasmas where axial symmetry may exist. To illustrate possible applications of our theory, we present a spectrum of electric field oscillations observed in situ in the solar wind by the WAVES experiment on the Wind spacecraft during the passage of a type III solar radio burst.

Rescue of Moribund Chicken Embryos by Extremely Low-Frequency Electric Fields.

PubMed

Cooper, Peter D

Modern living is awash with low-frequency electromagnetic radiation raising concern over health effects, birth defects, and infant cancers especially leukemias. Medical/scientific opinion is ambivalent, especially regarding possible mechanisms of action despite our bodies׳ many electric currents. Are some cancers induced by morphogenetic changes rather than direct mutation? We wished to see if morphogenetic effects of weak, extremely low-frequency electric (ELF) fields in embryonated hen׳s eggs could induce cancers, knowing that such treatment is usually deleterious. We report a pilot study intended to reveal a promising cell source in which to search for cancer cells by established methods and then to check for DNA damage. Stored (5°C for 1-36 days) fresh, fertile hens׳ eggs were incubated (38°C, total five or six days) in presence or absence of a weak ELF oscillating electric field (1-40V/cm, 1-50Hz and two to six days). Separated embryos were assessed for development stage. Storage of untreated eggs (>12 days, 5°C) allows a steady loss of normal embryo formation at 38°C (few viable by 25 days, half-life ~18 days). Surprisingly, incubation in a weak ELF field during the period of declining viability significantly (P: 0.03-0.0001) improved viability and condition of the embryos (new half-life ~21 days), rather than the expected converse. Thus for a few days, the field could keep viable some embryos that would otherwise not have survived. The rescued embryos and their untreated controls seem the most promising place to seek any carcinogenic effects of ELF fields. The nature of the presumed critical component keeping them viable during 5°C storage is at least of equal interest. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plasma waves downstream of weak collisionless shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coroniti, F. V.; Greenstadt, E. W.; Moses, S. L.; Smith, E. J.; Tsurutani, B. T.

1993-01-01

In September 1983 the International Sun Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE 3) International Cometary Explorer (ICE) spacecraft made a long traversal of the distant dawnside flank region of the Earth's magnetosphere and had many encounters with the low Mach number bow shock. These weak shocks excite plasma wave electric field turbulence with amplitudes comparable to those detected in the much stronger bow shock near the nose region. Downstream of quasi-perpendicular (quasi-parallel) shocks, the E field spectra exhibit a strong peak (plateau) at midfrequencies (1 - 3 kHz); the plateau shape is produced by a low-frequency (100 - 300 Hz) emission which is more intense behind downstream of two quasi-perpendicular shocks show that the low frequency signals are polarized parallel to the magnetic field, whereas the midfrequency emissions are unpolarized or only weakly polarized. A new high frequency (10 - 30 kHz) emission which is above the maximum Doppler shift exhibit a distinct peak at high frequencies; this peak is often blurred by the large amplitude fluctuations of the midfrequency waves. The high-frequency component is strongly polarized along the magnetic field and varies independently of the lower-frequency waves.

Holographic Floquet states I: a strongly coupled Weyl semimetal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Koji; Kinoshita, Shunichiro; Murata, Keiju; Oka, Takashi

2017-05-01

Floquet states can be realized in quantum systems driven by continuous time-periodic perturbations. It is known that a state known as the Floquet Weyl semimetal can be realized when free Dirac fermions are placed in a rotating electric field. What will happen if strong interaction is introduced to this system? Will the interaction wash out the characteristic features of Weyl semimetals such as the Hall response? Is there a steady state and what is its thermodynamic behavior? We answer these questions using AdS/CFT correspondence in the N = 2 supersymmetric massless QCD in a rotating electric field in the large N c limit realizing the first example of a "holographic Floquet state". In this limit, gluons not only mediate interaction, but also act as an energy reservoir and stabilize the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS). We obtain the electric current induced by a rotating electric field: in the high frequency region, the Ohm's law is satisfied, while we recover the DC nonlinear conductivity at low frequency, which was obtained holographically in a previous work. The thermodynamic properties of the NESS, e.g., fluctuation-dissipation relation, is characterized by the effective Hawking temperature that is defined from the effective horizon giving a holographic meaning to the "periodic thermodynamic" concept. In addition to the strong (pump) rotating electric field, we apply an additional weak (probe) electric field in the spirit of the pump-probe experiments done in condensed matter experiments. Weak DC and AC probe analysis in the background rotating electric field shows Hall currents as a linear response, therefore the Hall response of Floquet Weyl semimetals survives at the strong coupling limit. We also find frequency mixed response currents, i.e., a heterodyning effect, characteristic to periodically driven Floquet systems.

Bioelectric fields of marine organisms: voltage and frequency contributions to detectability by electroreceptive predators.

PubMed

Bedore, Christine N; Kajiura, Stephen M

2013-01-01

Behavioral responses of elasmobranch fishes to weak electric fields have been well studied. These studies typically employ a stimulator that produces a dipole electric field intended to simulate the natural electric field of prey items. However, the characteristics of bioelectric fields have not been well described. The magnitude and frequency of the electric field produced by 11 families of marine organisms were quantified in this study. Invertebrate electric potentials ranged from 14 to 28 μV and did not differ from those of elasmobranchs, which ranged from 18 to 30 μV. Invertebrates and elasmobranchs produced electric potentials smaller than those of teleost fishes, which ranged from 39 to 319 μV. All species produced electric fields within the frequency range that is detectable by elasmobranch predators (<16 Hz), with the highest frequencies produced by the penaeids (10.3 Hz) and the gerreids (4.6 Hz). Although voltage differed by family, there was no relationship between voltage and mass or length of prey. Differences in prey voltage may be related to osmoregulatory strategies; invertebrates and elasmobranchs are osmoconformers and have less ion exchange with the surrounding seawater than teleosts species, which are hyposmotic. As predicted, voltage production was greatest at the mucous membrane-lined mouth and gills, which are sites of direct ion exchange with the environment.

Extremely Low Frequency Vertical, 45-Hz Electric Field Exposure of Rats: A Search for Growth, Food, and Water Consumption, Blood Metabolite, Hematological, and Pathological Changes

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-06-01

radiation having frequencies’from a few hertz (sometimes including zero hertz or de) to several hundred hertz. The natural or ambient levels of ELF...that sharks and rays can locate prey by the weak ELF electric fields they produce, and that some fish may also be able to use terrestrial fields in...fixed level if a real effect is present. The field strength of 20 V/rn (RMS) was chosen because this value produced the effects observed by Noval et

A long- and short-run analysis of electricity demand in Ciudad Juarez

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendez-Carrillo, Ericka Cecilia

Economic growth and appliance saturation are increasing electricity consumption in Mexico. Annual frequency data from 1990 to 2012 are utilized to develop an error correction framework that sheds light on short- and long-run electricity consumption behavior in Ciudad Juarez, a large Mexican metropolitan economy at the border with the United States. The results for this study reveal that electricity is an inelastic normal good in this market. Moreover, natural gas is found to be a weak complement to electricity. With regards to the customer base in this urban economy, population, employment, and income exercise positive and statistically significant impacts on the demand for electricity hook-ups.

Electrostatic ion instabilities in the presence of parallel currents and transverse electric fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ganguli, G.; Palmadesso, P. J.

1988-01-01

The electrostatic ion instabilities are studied for oblique propagation in the presence of magnetic field-aligned currents and transverse localized electric fields in a weakly collisional plasma. The presence of transverse electric fields result in mode excitation for magnetic field aligned current values that are otherwise stable. The electron collisions enhance the growth while ion collisions have a damping effect. These results are discussed in the context of observations of low frequency ion modes in the auroral ionosphere by radar and rocket experiments.

Characterisation of CFRP adhesive bonds by electromechanical impedance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinowski, Pawel H.; Wandowski, Tomasz; Ostachowicz, Wieslaw M.

2014-03-01

In aircraft industry the Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) elements are joint using rivets and adhesive bonding. The reliability of the bonding limits the use of adhesive bonding for primary aircraft structures, therefore it is important to assess the bond quality. The performance of adhesive bonds depends on the physico-chemical properties of the adhered surfaces. The contamination leading to weak bonds may have various origin and be caused by moisture, release agent, hydraulic fluid, fuel, poor curing of adhesive and so on. In this research three different causes of possible weak bonds were selected for the investigation: 1. Weak bond due to release agent contamination, 2. Weak bond due to moisture contamination, 3. Weak bond due to poor curing of the adhesive. In order to assess the bond quality electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique was selected and investigation was focused on the influence of bond quality on electrical impedance of piezoelectric transducer. The piezoelectric transducer was mounted at the middle of each sample surface. Measurements were conducted using HIOKI Impedance Analyzer IM3570. Using the impedance analyzer the electrical parameters were measured for wide frequency band. Due to piezoelectric effect the electrical response of a piezoelectric transducer is related to mechanical response of the sample to which the transducers is attached. The impedance spectra were investigated in order to find indication of the weak bonds. These spectra were compared with measurements for reference sample using indexes proposed in order to assess the bond quality.

Near Surface Investigation of Agricultural Soils using a Multi-Frequency Electromagnetic Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadatcharam, K.; Unc, A.; Krishnapillai, M.; Cheema, M.; Galagedara, L.

2017-12-01

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors have been used as precision agricultural tools over decades. They are being used to measure spatiotemporal variability of soil properties and soil stratification in the sense of apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). We mapped the ECa variability by horizontal coplanar (HCP) and by vertical coplanar (VCP) orientation of a multi-frequency EMI sensor and identified its interrelation with physical properties of soil. A broadband, multi-frequency handheld EMI sensor (GEM-2) was used on a loamy sand soil cultivated with silage-corn in western Newfoundland, Canada. Log and line spaced, three frequency ranges (weak, low, and high), based on the factory calibration were tested using HCP and VCP orientation to produce spatiotemporal data of ECa. In parallel, we acquired data on soil moisture content, texture and bulk density. We then assessed the statistical significance of the relationship between ECa and soil physical properties. The test site had three areas of distinct soil properties corresponding to the elevation, in particular. The same spatial variability was also identified by ECa mapping at different frequencies and the two modes of coil orientations. Data analysis suggested that the high range frequency (38 kHz (log-spaced) and 49 kHz (line-spaced)) for both HCP and VCP orientations produced accurate ECa maps, better than the weak and low range frequencies tested. Furthermore, results revealed that the combined effects of soil texture, moisture content and bulk density affect ECameasurements as obtained by both frequencies and two coil orientations. Keywords: Apparent electrical conductivity, Electromagnetic induction, Horizontal coplanar, Soil properties, Vertical coplanar

Co-adaptation of Electric Organ Discharges and Chirps in South American Ghost Knifefishes (Apteronotidae)

PubMed Central

Petzold, Jacquelyn M.; Marsat, Gary; Smith, G. Troy

2016-01-01

Animal communication signals that simultaneously share the same sensory channel are likely to coevolve to maximize the transmission of each signal component. Weakly electric fish continuously produce a weakly electric field that functions in communication. Fish modulate the electric organ discharge (EOD) on short timescales to produce context-specific signals called chirps. EODs and chirps are simultaneously detected by electroreceptors and processed in the electrosensory system. We analyzed these signals, first to explore whether EOD waveform is encoded in the signal received by electroreceptors and then to examine how EODs and chirps interact to influence conspicuousness. Our findings show that gross discrimination of sinusoidal from complex EOD waveforms is feasible for all species, but fine discrimination of waveform may be possible only for species with waveforms of intermediate complexity. The degree of chirp frequency modulation and chirp relative decay strongly influenced chirp conspicuousness, but other chirp parameters were less influential. The frequency difference between the interacting EODs also strongly impacted chirp conspicuousness. Finally, we developed a method for creating hybrid chirp/EOD combinations to independently analyze the impact of chirp species, EOD species, and EOD difference frequency on chirp conspicuousness. All three components and their interactions strongly influenced chirp conspicuousness, which suggests that evolutionary changes in parameters of either chirps or EODs are likely to influence chirp detection. Examining other environmental factors such as noise created by fish movement and species-typical patterns of sociality may enrich our understanding of how interacting EODs affect the detection and discrimination of chirps across species. PMID:27989653

A Radio Frequency Electric Current Enhances Antibiotic Efficacy against Bacterial Biofilms

PubMed Central

Caubet, R.; Pedarros-Caubet, F.; Chu, M.; Freye, E.; de Belém Rodrigues, M.; Moreau, J. M.; Ellison, W. J.

2004-01-01

Bacterial biofilms are notably resistant to antibiotic prophylaxis. The concentration of antibiotic necessary to significantly reduce the number of bacteria in the biofilm matrix can be several hundred times the MIC for the same bacteria in a planktonic phase. It has been observed that the addition of a weak continuous direct electric current to the liquid surrounding the biofilm can dramatically increase the efficacy of the antibiotic. This phenomenon, known as the bioelectric effect, has only been partially elucidated, and it is not certain that the electrical parameters are optimal. We confirm here the bioelectric effect for Escherichia coli biofilms treated with gentamicin and with oxytetracycline, and we report a new bioelectric effect with a radio frequency alternating electric current (10 MHz) instead of the usual direct current. None of the proposed explanations (transport of ions within the biofilm, production of additional biocides by electrolysis, etc.) of the direct current bioelectric effect are applicable to the radio frequency bioelectric effect. We suggest that this new phenomenon may be due to a specific action of the radio frequency electromagnetic field upon the polar parts of the molecules forming the biofilm matrix. PMID:15561841

Thermal acclimation and thyroxine treatment modify the electric organ discharge frequency in an electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus.

PubMed

Dunlap, K D; Ragazzi, M A

2015-11-01

In ectotherms, the rate of many neural processes is determined externally, by the influence of the thermal environment on body temperature, and internally, by hormones secreted from the thyroid gland. Through thermal acclimation, animals can buffer the influence of the thermal environment by adjusting their physiology to stabilize certain processes in the face of environmental temperature change. The electric organ discharge (EOD) used by weak electric fish for electrocommunication and electrolocation is highly temperature sensitive. In some temperate species that naturally experience large seasonal fluctuations in environmental temperature, the thermal sensitivity (Q10) of the EOD shifts after long-term temperature change. We examined thermal acclimation of EOD frequency in a tropical electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus that naturally experiences much less temperature change. We transferred fish between thermal environments (25.3 and 27.8 °C) and measured EOD frequency and its thermal sensitivity (Q10) over 11 d. After 6d, fish exhibited thermal acclimation to both warming and cooling, adjusting the thermal dependence of EOD frequency to partially compensate for the small change (2.5 °C) in water temperature. In addition, we evaluated the thyroid influence on EOD frequency by treating fish with thyroxine or the anti-thyroid compound propylthiouricil (PTU) to stimulate or inhibit thyroid activity, respectively. Thyroxine treatment significantly increased EOD frequency, but PTU had no effect. Neither thyroxine nor PTU treatment influenced the thermal sensitivity (Q10) of EOD frequency during acute temperature change. Thus, the EOD of Apteronotus shows significant thermal acclimation and responds to elevated thyroxine. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Frequency analysis of tangential force measurements on a vertical axis wind turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossander, Morgan; Goude, Anders; Bernhoff, Hans; Eriksson, Sandra

2016-09-01

This paper presents experimental results of the torque ripple obtained from a three bladed 12 kW experimental H-rotor prototype. The measurements are performed by means of load cells installed on the base of the struts and by electrical measurements on the generator. The resulting torques are analysed in terms of frequency spectrum and order spectrum (synchronized with rotation). The measurements are compared to aerodynamic simulations of the turbine. The expected large torque ripple at three times the rotational speed (3 p) is only weakly represented at the hub and in the generator. This suggests that the system is filtering the ripple and/or that the simulations are overestimating the 3 p component. The torque ripple loads on the drive train are therefore lower than anticipated. Even if highly attenuated, most of the low frequencies correlating to aerodynamics are still represented in the generator electrical torque. Given a certain baseline, this opens for possible online monitoring of unbalances in the turbine by electrical measurements.

Radio-frequency-modulated Rydberg states in a vapor cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, S. A.; Anderson, D. A.; Raithel, G.

2016-05-01

We measure strong radio-frequency (RF) electric fields using rubidium Rydberg atoms prepared in a room-temperature vapor cell as field sensors. Electromagnetically induced transparency is employed as an optical readout. We RF-modulate the 60{{{S}}}1/2 and 58{{{D}}}5/2 Rydberg states with 50 and 100 MHz fields, respectively. For weak to moderate RF fields, the Rydberg levels become Stark-shifted, and sidebands appear at even multiples of the driving frequency. In high fields, the adjacent hydrogenic manifold begins to intersect the shifted levels, providing rich spectroscopic structure suitable for precision field measurements. A quantitative description of strong-field level modulation and mixing of S and D states with hydrogenic states is provided by Floquet theory. Additionally, we estimate the shielding of DC electric fields in the interior of the glass vapor cell.

Repeated regulatory failures: British electric utilities, 1919--1937

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Werf, Ysbrand John

This dissertation uses previously unexamined firm-level data to look at British electric utilities during the 1919--1937 period. The persistent influence of the 1882 and 1888 Electric Lighting Acts had a significant role in perpetuating the inefficient market structure and high costs of the industry. First, I examine factors that influence costs in 1919 and compare the relative cost efficiency of municipally-owned and investor-owned utilities (munis and IOUs). Scale and load factor are found to be more important than ownership in influencing costs, although IOUs enjoy a scale advantage. Given costs, there is no difference in prices between IOUs and munis, and on average prices were 20 percent below monopoly prices. Looking at the 1919--1928 period and examining changes in the industry as measured by the firms' choices in frequency, current, and interconnections with other utilities shows evidence for a great deal of change, which occurred in statistically predictable ways. Utilities are standardizing the type of current produced, and the eventual localized standard frequencies were selected by 1907. There is little in the way of market rivalry between mum's and IOUs but large munis are less likely to build networks and sell in the wholesale market. Finally, I compare the changes that occurred during the 1919--1928 period, under the weak intervention of the Electricity Commissioners, with those of the 1928--1937 period, under the strong intervention of the Central Electricity Board. Without the CEB localized frequency standards would likely have remained in place. The CEB intervened directly in the wholesale market, but contrary to common perceptions, this strong intervention had relatively little impact on trends observed in the industry under the weak intervention of the 1919--1928 period: the CEB reduced prices and costs by no more than about 15 percent and was responsible for at most a quarter of their decline during the 1928--37 period.

Atom-Based Sensing of Weak Radio Frequency Electric Fields Using Homodyne Readout

PubMed Central

Kumar, Santosh; Fan, Haoquan; Kübler, Harald; Sheng, Jiteng; Shaffer, James P.

2017-01-01

We utilize a homodyne detection technique to achieve a new sensitivity limit for atom-based, absolute radio-frequency electric field sensing of 5 μV cm−1 Hz−1/2. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used for the homodyne detection. With the increased sensitivity, we investigate the dominant dephasing mechanisms that affect the performance of the sensor. In particular, we present data on power broadening, collisional broadening and transit time broadening. Our results are compared to density matrix calculations. We show that photon shot noise in the signal readout is currently a limiting factor. We suggest that new approaches with superior readout with respect to photon shot noise are needed to increase the sensitivity further. PMID:28218308

Neuroethology and life history adaptations of the elasmobranch electric sense.

PubMed

Sisneros, Joseph A; Tricas, Timothy C

2002-01-01

The electric sense of elasmobranch fishes (sharks and rays) is an important sensory modality known to mediate the detection of bioelectric stimuli. Although the best known function for the use of the elasmobranch electric sense is prey detection, relatively few studies have investigated other possible biological functions. Here, we review recent studies that demonstrate the elasmobranch electrosensory system functions in a wide number of behavioral contexts including social, reproductive and anti-predator behaviors. Recent work on non-electrogenic stingrays demonstrates that the electric sense is used during reproduction and courtship for conspecific detection and localization. Electrogenic skates may use their electrosensory encoding capabilities and electric organ discharges for communication during social and reproductive interactions. The electric sense may also be used to detect and avoid predators during early life history stages in many elasmobranch species. Embryonic clearnose skates demonstrate a ventilatory freeze response when a weak low-frequency electric field is imposed upon the egg capsule. Peak frequency sensitivity of the peripheral electrosensory system in embryonic skates matches the low frequencies of phasic electric stimuli produced by natural fish egg-predators. Neurophysiology experiments reveal that electrosensory tuning changes across the life history of a species and also seasonally due to steroid hormone changes during the reproductive season. We argue that the ontogenetic and seasonal variation in electrosensory tuning represent an adaptive electrosensory plasticity that may be common to many elasmobranchs to enhance an individual's fitness throughout its life history.

Measurements of Induced-Charge Electroosmotic Flow Around a Metallic Rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beskok, Ali; Canpolat, Cetin

2012-11-01

A cylindrical gold-coated stainless steel rod was positioned at the center of a straight microchannel connecting two fluid reservoirs on either end. The microchannel was filled with 1 mM KCl containing 0.5 micron diameter carboxylate-modified spherical particles. Induced-charge electro-osmotic (ICEO) flow occurred around the metallic rod under a sinusoidal AC electric field applied using two platinum electrodes. The ICEO flows around the metallic rod were measured using micro particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) technique as functions of the AC electric field strength and frequency. The present study provides experimental data about ICEO flow in the weakly nonlinear limit of thin double layers, in which, the charging dynamics of the double layer cannot be presented analytically. Flow around the rod is quadrupolar, driving liquid towards the rod along the electric field and forcing it away from the rod in the direction perpendicular to the imposed electric field. The measured ICEO flow velocity is proportional to the square of the electric field strength, and depends on the applied AC frequency.

Modeling and analysis of Galfenol cantilever vibration energy harvester with nonlinear magnetic force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Shuying; Sun, Shuaishuai; Zheng, Jiaju; Wang, Bowen; Wan, Lili; Pan, Ruzheng; Zhao, Ran; Zhang, Changgeng

2018-05-01

Galfenol traditional cantilever energy harvesters (TCEHs) have bigger electrical output only at resonance and exhibit nonlinear mechanical-magnetic-electric coupled (NMMEC) behaviors. To increase low-frequency broadband performances of a TCEH, an improved CEH (ICEH) with magnetic repulsive force is studied. Based on the magnetic dipole model, the nonlinear model of material, the Faraday law and the dynamic principle, a lumped parameter NMMEC model of the devices is established. Comparisons between the calculated and measured results show that the proposed model can provide reasonable data trends of TCEH under acceleration, bias field and different loads. Simulated results show that ICEH exhibits low-frequency resonant, hard spring and bistable behaviors, thus can harvest more low-frequency broadband vibration energy than TCEH, and can elicit snap-through and generate higher voltage even under weak noise. The proposed structure and model are useful for improving performances of the devices.

The Nature of the Dielectric Response of Methanol Revealed by the Terahertz Kerr Effect.

PubMed

Kampfrath, Tobias; Campen, R Kramer; Wolf, Martin; Sajadi, Mohsen

2018-03-15

The dielectric response of liquids in the terahertz (THz) and sub-THz frequency range arises from low-energy collective molecular motions, which are often strongly influenced by intermolecular interactions. To shed light on the microscopic origin of the THz dielectric response of the simplest alcohol, methanol, we resonantly excite this liquid with an intense THz electric-field pulse and monitor the relaxation of the induced optical birefringence. We find a unipolar THz-Kerr-effect signal which, in contrast to aprotic polar liquids, shows a weak coupling between the THz electric field and the permanent molecular dipole moment of the liquid. We assign this weak coupling to the restricted translational rather than rotational nature of the excited mode. Our approach opens a new avenue to the assignment of the dielectric spectrum of liquids to a microscopic origin.

Electrical Motor Current Signal Analysis using a Modulation Signal Bispectrum for the Fault Diagnosis of a Gearbox Downstream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haram, M.; Wang, T.; Gu, F.; Ball, A. D.

2012-05-01

Motor current signal analysis has been an effective way for many years of monitoring electrical machines themselves. However, little work has been carried out in using this technique for monitoring their downstream equipment because of difficulties in extracting small fault components in the measured current signals. This paper investigates the characteristics of electrical current signals for monitoring the faults from a downstream gearbox using a modulation signal bispectrum (MSB), including phase effects in extracting small modulating components in a noisy measurement. An analytical study is firstly performed to understand amplitude, frequency and phase characteristics of current signals due to faults. It then explores the performance of MSB analysis in detecting weak modulating components in current signals. Experimental study based on a 10kw two stage gearbox, driven by a three phase induction motor, shows that MSB peaks at different rotational frequencies can be based to quantify the severity of gear tooth breakage and the degrees of shaft misalignment. In addition, the type and location of a fault can be recognized based on the frequency at which the change of MSB peak is the highest among different frequencies.

Inward transport of a toroidally confined plasma subject to strong radial electric fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, J. R.; Krawczonek, W. M.; Powers, E. J.; Hong, J.; Kim, Y.

1977-01-01

The paper aims at showing that the density and confinement time of a toroidal plasma can be enhanced by radial electric fields far stronger than the ambipolar values, and that, if such electric fields point into the plasma, radially inward transport can result. The investigation deals with low-frequency fluctuation-induced transport using digitally implemented spectral analysis techniques and with the role of strong applied radial electric fields and weak vertical magnetic fields on plasma density and particle confinement times in a Bumpy Torus geometry. Results indicate that application of sufficiently strong radially inward electric fields results in radially inward fluctuation-induced transport into the toroidal electrostatic potential well; this inward transport gives rise to higher average electron densities and longer particle confinement times in the toroidal plasma.

Statistics of Natural Communication Signals Observed in the Wild Identify Important Yet Neglected Stimulus Regimes in Weakly Electric Fish.

PubMed

Henninger, Jörg; Krahe, Rüdiger; Kirschbaum, Frank; Grewe, Jan; Benda, Jan

2018-06-13

Sensory systems evolve in the ecological niches that each species is occupying. Accordingly, encoding of natural stimuli by sensory neurons is expected to be adapted to the statistics of these stimuli. For a direct quantification of sensory scenes, we tracked natural communication behavior of male and female weakly electric fish, Apteronotus rostratus , in their Neotropical rainforest habitat with high spatiotemporal resolution over several days. In the context of courtship, we observed large quantities of electrocommunication signals. Echo responses, acknowledgment signals, and their synchronizing role in spawning demonstrated the behavioral relevance of these signals. In both courtship and aggressive contexts, we observed robust behavioral responses in stimulus regimes that have so far been neglected in electrophysiological studies of this well characterized sensory system and that are well beyond the range of known best frequency and amplitude tuning of the electroreceptor afferents' firing rate modulation. Our results emphasize the importance of quantifying sensory scenes derived from freely behaving animals in their natural habitats for understanding the function and evolution of neural systems. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The processing mechanisms of sensory systems have evolved in the context of the natural lives of organisms. To understand the functioning of sensory systems therefore requires probing them in the stimulus regimes in which they evolved. We took advantage of the continuously generated electric fields of weakly electric fish to explore electrosensory stimulus statistics in their natural Neotropical habitat. Unexpectedly, many of the electrocommunication signals recorded during courtship, spawning, and aggression had much smaller amplitudes or higher frequencies than stimuli used so far in neurophysiological characterizations of the electrosensory system. Our results demonstrate that quantifying sensory scenes derived from freely behaving animals in their natural habitats is essential to avoid biases in the choice of stimuli used to probe brain function. Copyright © 2018 the authors 0270-6474/18/385456-11$15.00/0.

Harvesting wind energy to detect weak signals using mechanical stochastic resonance.

PubMed

Breen, Barbara J; Rix, Jillian G; Ross, Samuel J; Yu, Yue; Lindner, John F; Mathewson, Nathan; Wainwright, Elliot R; Wilson, Ian

2016-12-01

Wind is free and ubiquitous and can be harnessed in multiple ways. We demonstrate mechanical stochastic resonance in a tabletop experiment in which wind energy is harvested to amplify weak periodic signals detected via the movement of an inverted pendulum. Unlike earlier mechanical stochastic resonance experiments, where noise was added via electrically driven vibrations, our broad-spectrum noise source is a single flapping flag. The regime of the experiment is readily accessible, with wind speeds ∼20 m/s and signal frequencies ∼1 Hz. We readily obtain signal-to-noise ratios on the order of 10 dB.

Geometric properties-dependent neural synchrony modulated by extracellular subthreshold electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xile; Si, Kaili; Yi, Guosheng; Wang, Jiang; Lu, Meili

2016-07-01

In this paper, we use a reduced two-compartment neuron model to investigate the interaction between extracellular subthreshold electric field and synchrony in small world networks. It is observed that network synchronization is closely related to the strength of electric field and geometric properties of the two-compartment model. Specifically, increasing the electric field induces a gradual improvement in network synchrony, while increasing the geometric factor results in an abrupt decrease in synchronization of network. In addition, increasing electric field can make the network become synchronous from asynchronous when the geometric parameter is set to a given value. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that network synchrony can also be affected by the firing frequency and dynamical bifurcation feature of single neuron. These results highlight the effect of weak field on network synchrony from the view of biophysical model, which may contribute to further understanding the effect of electric field on network activity.

Impedance Spectrum in Cortical Tissue: Implications for Propagation of LFP Signals on the Microscopic Level

PubMed Central

Miceli, Stéphanie

2017-01-01

Brain research investigating electrical activity within neural tissue is producing an increasing amount of physiological data including local field potentials (LFPs) obtained via extracellular in vivo and in vitro recordings. In order to correctly interpret such electrophysiological data, it is vital to adequately understand the electrical properties of neural tissue itself. An ongoing controversy in the field of neuroscience is whether such frequency-dependent effects bias LFP recordings and affect the proper interpretation of the signal. On macroscopic scales and with large injected currents, previous studies have found various grades of frequency dependence of cortical tissue, ranging from negligible to strong, within the frequency band typically considered relevant for neuroscience (less than a few thousand hertz). Here, we performed a detailed investigation of the frequency dependence of the conductivity within cortical tissue at microscopic distances using small current amplitudes within the typical (neuro)physiological micrometer and sub-nanoampere range. We investigated the propagation of LFPs, induced by extracellular electrical current injections via patch-pipettes, in acute rat brain slice preparations containing the somatosensory cortex in vitro using multielectrode arrays. Based on our data, we determined the cortical tissue conductivity over a 100-fold increase in signal frequency (5–500 Hz). Our results imply at most very weak frequency-dependent effects within the frequency range of physiological LFPs. Using biophysical modeling, we estimated the impact of different putative impedance spectra. Our results indicate that frequency dependencies of the order measured here and in most other studies have negligible impact on the typical analysis and modeling of LFP signals from extracellular brain recordings. PMID:28197543

Impedance Spectrum in Cortical Tissue: Implications for Propagation of LFP Signals on the Microscopic Level.

PubMed

Miceli, Stéphanie; Ness, Torbjørn V; Einevoll, Gaute T; Schubert, Dirk

2017-01-01

Brain research investigating electrical activity within neural tissue is producing an increasing amount of physiological data including local field potentials (LFPs) obtained via extracellular in vivo and in vitro recordings. In order to correctly interpret such electrophysiological data, it is vital to adequately understand the electrical properties of neural tissue itself. An ongoing controversy in the field of neuroscience is whether such frequency-dependent effects bias LFP recordings and affect the proper interpretation of the signal. On macroscopic scales and with large injected currents, previous studies have found various grades of frequency dependence of cortical tissue, ranging from negligible to strong, within the frequency band typically considered relevant for neuroscience (less than a few thousand hertz). Here, we performed a detailed investigation of the frequency dependence of the conductivity within cortical tissue at microscopic distances using small current amplitudes within the typical (neuro)physiological micrometer and sub-nanoampere range. We investigated the propagation of LFPs, induced by extracellular electrical current injections via patch-pipettes, in acute rat brain slice preparations containing the somatosensory cortex in vitro using multielectrode arrays. Based on our data, we determined the cortical tissue conductivity over a 100-fold increase in signal frequency (5-500 Hz). Our results imply at most very weak frequency-dependent effects within the frequency range of physiological LFPs. Using biophysical modeling, we estimated the impact of different putative impedance spectra. Our results indicate that frequency dependencies of the order measured here and in most other studies have negligible impact on the typical analysis and modeling of LFP signals from extracellular brain recordings.

Electromagnetic cyclotron-loss-cone instability associated with weakly relativistic electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, H. K.; Wu, C. S.; Ke, F. J.; Schneider, R. S.; Ziebell, L. F.

1982-01-01

The amplification of fast extraordinary mode waves at frequencies very close to the electron cyclotron frequency, due to the presence of a population of energetic electrons with a loss-cone type distribution, is studied. Low-energy background electrons are included in the analysis. Two types of loss-cone distribution functions are considered, and it is found that the maximum growth rates for both distribution functions are of the same order of magnitude. When the thermal effects of the energetic electrons are included in the dispersion equation, the real frequencies of the waves are lower than those obtained by using the cold plasma approximation. This effect tends to enhance the growth rate. An idealized case including a parallel electric field such that the distribution function of the trapped energetic electrons is modified is also considered. It is assumed that the parallel electric field can remove the low-energy background electrons away from the source region of radiation. Both these effects increase the growth rate.

Measurement of macroscopic plasma parameters with a radio experiment: Interpretation of the quasi-thermal noise spectrum observed in the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Couturier, P.; Hoang, S.; Meyer-Vernet, N.; Steinberg, J. L.

1983-01-01

The ISEE-3 SBH radio receiver has provided the first systematic observations of the quasi-thermal (plasma waves) noise in the solar wind plasma. The theoretical interpretation of that noise involves the particle distribution function so that electric noise measurements with long antennas provide a fast and independent method of measuring plasma parameters: densities and temperatures of a two component (core and halo) electron distribution function have been obtained in that way. The polarization of that noise is frequency dependent and sensitive to the drift velocity of the electron population. Below the plasma frequency, there is evidence of a weak noise spectrum with spectral index -1 which is not yet accounted for by the theory. The theoretical treatment of the noise associated with the low energy (thermal) proton population shows that the moving electrical antenna radiates in the surrounding plasma by Carenkov emission which becomes predominant at the low frequencies, below about 0.1 F sub P.

Electrical Versus Optical: Comparing Methods for Detecting Terahertz Radiation Using Neon Lamps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slocombe, L. L.; Lewis, R. A.

2018-05-01

Terahertz radiation impinging on a lit neon tube causes additional ionization of the encapsulated gas. As a result, the electrical current flowing between the electrodes increases and the glow discharge in the tube brightens. These dual phenomena suggest two distinct modes of terahertz sensing. The electrical mode simply involves measuring the electrical current. The optical mode involves monitoring the brightness of the weakly ionized plasma glow discharge. Here, we directly compare the two detection modes under identical experimental conditions. We measure 0.1-THz radiation modulated at frequencies in the range 0.1-10 kHz, for lamp currents in the range 1-10 mA. We find that electrical detection provides a superior signal-to-noise ratio while optical detection has a faster response. Either method serves as the basis of a compact, robust, and inexpensive room-temperature detector of terahertz radiation.

Electrically driven spin qubit based on valley mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wister; Veldhorst, Menno; Zimmerman, Neil M.; Dzurak, Andrew S.; Culcer, Dimitrie

2017-02-01

The electrical control of single spin qubits based on semiconductor quantum dots is of great interest for scalable quantum computing since electric fields provide an alternative mechanism for qubit control compared with magnetic fields and can also be easier to produce. Here we outline the mechanism for a drastic enhancement in the electrically-driven spin rotation frequency for silicon quantum dot qubits in the presence of a step at a heterointerface. The enhancement is due to the strong coupling between the ground and excited states which occurs when the electron wave function overcomes the potential barrier induced by the interface step. We theoretically calculate single qubit gate times tπ of 170 ns for a quantum dot confined at a silicon/silicon-dioxide interface. The engineering of such steps could be used to achieve fast electrical rotation and entanglement of spin qubits despite the weak spin-orbit coupling in silicon.

Optical probing of electric fields with an electro-acoustic effect toward integrated circuit diagnosis.

PubMed

Jin, Ru-Long; Yang, Han; Zhao, Di; Chen, Qi-Dai; Yan, Zhao-Xu; Yi, Mao-Bin; Sun, Hong-Bo

2010-02-15

Electro-optic probing of electric fields has been considered as a promising approach for integrated circuit diagnosis. However, the method is subject to relatively weak voltage sensitivity. In this Letter, we solve the problems with electro-acoustic effect. In contrast to the general electro-optic effect, the light phase modulation induced by the acoustic effect is 2 orders of magnitude stronger at its resonant frequency, as we observed in a GaAs thin film probe. Furthermore, this what we believe to be a novel method shows a highly reproducible linearity between the detected signals and the input voltages, which facilitates the voltage calibration.

Feedback control of persistent-current oscillation based on the atomic-clock technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Deshui; Dumke, Rainer

2018-05-01

We propose a scheme of stabilizing the persistent-current Rabi oscillation based on the flux qubit-resonator-atom hybrid structure. The low-Q L C resonator weakly interacts with the flux qubit and maps the persistent-current Rabi oscillation of the flux qubit onto the intraresonator electric field. This oscillating electric field is further coupled to a Rydberg-Rydberg transition of the 87Rb atoms. The Rabi-frequency fluctuation of the flux qubit is deduced from measuring the atomic population via the fluorescence detection and stabilized by feedback controlling the external flux bias. Our numerical simulation indicates that the feedback-control method can efficiently suppress the background fluctuations in the flux qubit, especially in the low-frequency limit. This technique may be extensively applicable to different types of superconducting circuits, paving a way to long-term-coherence superconducting quantum information processing.

Antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in the half-Heusler semimetal HoPdBi

PubMed Central

Pavlosiuk, Orest; Kaczorowski, Dariusz; Fabreges, Xavier; Gukasov, Arsen; Wiśniewski, Piotr

2016-01-01

We observed the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetic order in the single-crystalline ternary pnictide HoPdBi, a plausible topological semimetal. The compound orders antiferromagnetically at TN = 1.9 K and exhibits superconductivity below Tc = 0.7 K, which was confirmed by magnetic, electrical transport and specific heat measurements. The specific heat shows anomalies corresponding to antiferromagnetic ordering transition and crystalline field effect, but not to superconducting transition. Single-crystal neutron diffraction indicates that the antiferromagnetic structure is characterized by the propagation vector. Temperature variation of the electrical resistivity reveals two parallel conducting channels of semiconducting and metallic character. In weak magnetic fields, the magnetoresistance exhibits weak antilocalization effect, while in strong fields and temperatures below 50 K it is large and negative. At temperatures below 7 K Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations with two frequencies appear in the resistivity. These oscillations have non-trivial Berry phase, which is a distinguished feature of Dirac fermions. PMID:26728755

Dynamical Properties of Disordered Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-05-21

34Frequency dependence of the conductivity in presence of an electric field in one dimension: Weak disorder limit", by B. Derrida and R. Orbach, Phys...strips) of B. Derrida and J. Vannimenus (submitted for publication, 1982) finds t = 1.28, in close accord with the above consequence (t = 1.264) of...obtained ver’ glasses should exhibit such a length, roughly independent recently for percolating networks by B. Derrida . R. Or- of the character of their

Adaptive Fractional-order Control for Synchronization of Two Coupled Neurons in the External Electrical Stimulation

PubMed Central

Mehdiabadi, M. R. Rahmani; Rouhani, E.; Mashhadi, S. K. Mousavi; Jalali, A. A.

2014-01-01

This paper addresses synchronizing two coupled chaotic FitzHugh–Nagumo (FHN) neurons with weakly gap junction under external electrical stimulation (EES). To transmit information among coupled neurons, by generalization of the integer-order FHN equations of the coupled system into the fractional-order in frequency domain using Crone approach, the behavior of each coupled neuron relies on its past behavior and the memorized system can be a better fit for the neuron response. An adaptive fractional-order controller based on the Lyaponuv stability theory was designed to synchronize two neurons electrically coupled with gap junction in EES. The proposed controller is also robust to the inevitable random noise such as disturbances of ionic channels. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the control scheme. PMID:25337373

Active superconducting devices formed of thin films

DOEpatents

Martens, Jon S.; Beyer, James B.; Nordman, James E.; Hohenwarter, Gert K. G.

1991-05-28

Active superconducting devices are formed of thin films of superconductor which include a main conduction channel which has an active weak link region. The weak link region is composed of an array of links of thin film superconductor spaced from one another by voids and selected in size and thickness such that magnetic flux can propagate across the weak link region when it is superconducting. Magnetic flux applied to the weak link region will propagate across the array of links causing localized loss of superconductivity in the links and changing the effective resistance across the links. The magnetic flux can be applied from a control line formed of a superconducting film deposited coplanar with the main conduction channel and weak link region on a substrate. The devices can be formed of any type to superconductor but are particularly well suited to the high temperature superconductors since the devices can be entirely formed from coplanar films with no overlying regions. The devices can be utilized for a variety of electrical components, including switching circuits, amplifiers, oscillators and modulators, and are well suited to microwave frequency applications.

High-frequency, transient magnetic susceptibility of ferroelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimes, Craig A.

1996-10-01

A significant high-frequency magnetic susceptibility was measured both in weakly polarized and nonpolarized samples of barium titanate, lead zirconate titanate, and carnauba wax. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were made from 10 to 500 MHz using a thin film permeameter at room temperature; initial susceptibilities ranged from 0.1 to 2.5. These values are larger than expected for paramagnets and smaller than expected for ferromagnets. It was found that the magnetic susceptibility decreases rapidly with exposure to the exciting field. The origin of the magnetic susceptibility is thought to originate with the applied time varying electric field associated with the susceptibility measurements. An electric field acts to rotate an electric dipole, creating a magnetic quadrupole if the two moments are balanced, and a net magnetic dipole moment if imbalanced. It is thought that local electrostatic fields created at ferroelectric domain discontinuities associated with grain boundaries create an imbalance in the anion rotation that results in a net, measurable, magnetic moment. The origin of the magnetic aftereffect may be due to the local heating of the material through the moving charges associated with the magnetic moment.

Transcranial Electrical Currents to Probe EEG Brain Rhythms and Memory Consolidation during Sleep in Humans

PubMed Central

Marshall, Lisa; Kirov, Roumen; Brade, Julian; Mölle, Matthias; Born, Jan

2011-01-01

Previously the application of a weak electric anodal current oscillating with a frequency of the sleep slow oscillation (∼0.75 Hz) during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NonREM) sleep boosted endogenous slow oscillation activity and enhanced sleep-associated memory consolidation. The slow oscillations occurring during NonREM sleep and theta oscillations present during REM sleep have been considered of critical relevance for memory formation. Here transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) oscillating at 5 Hz, i.e., within the theta frequency range (theta-tDCS) is applied during NonREM and REM sleep. Theta-tDCS during NonREM sleep produced a global decrease in slow oscillatory activity conjoint with a local reduction of frontal slow EEG spindle power (8–12 Hz) and a decrement in consolidation of declarative memory, underlining the relevance of these cortical oscillations for sleep-dependent memory consolidation. In contrast, during REM sleep theta-tDCS appears to increase global gamma (25–45 Hz) activity, indicating a clear brain state-dependency of theta-tDCS. More generally, results demonstrate the suitability of oscillating-tDCS as a tool to analyze functions of endogenous EEG rhythms and underlying endogenous electric fields as well as the interactions between EEG rhythms of different frequencies. PMID:21340034

Dispersion of Dielectric Permittivity in a Nanocrystalline Cellulose-Triglycine Sulfate Composite at Low and Ultralow Frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thu'o'ng, Nguyen Hoai; Sidorkin, A. S.; Milovidova, S. D.

2018-03-01

The dispersion of dielectric permittivity in nanocrystalline cellulose-triglycine sulfate composites is studied in the range of frequencies from 10-3 to 106 Hz, at temperatures varying from room temperature to the temperature of phase transition in this composite (54°C), in weak electric fields (1 V cm-1). Two behaviors for the dielectric dispersion are identified in the studied frequency range: at ultralow frequencies (10-3-10 Hz), the dispersion is due to Maxwell-Wagner polarization, while at higher frequencies (10-106 Hz), the dispersion is due to the movement of domain walls in the embedded triglycine sulfate crystallites. An additional peak in the temperature-dependent profiles of dielectric permittivity is detected at lower temperatures in freshly prepared samples of the considered composite; we associate it with the presence of residual water in these samples.

The Electric Field of a Weakly Electric Fish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasnow, Brian K.

Freshwater fish of the genus Apteronotus (family Gymnotidae) generate a weak, high frequency electric field (<100 mV/cm, 0.5-10 kHz) which permeates their local environment. These nocturnal fish are acutely sensitive to perturbations in their electric field caused by other electric fish, and nearby objects whose impedance is different from the surrounding water. This thesis presents high temporal and spatial resolution maps of the electric potential and field on and near Apteronotus. The fish's electric field is a complicated and highly stable function of space and time. Its characteristics, such as spectral composition, timing, and rate of attenuation, are examined in terms of physical constraints, and their possible functional roles in electroreception. Temporal jitter of the periodic field is less than 1 musec. However, electrocyte activity is not globally synchronous along the fish's electric organ. The propagation of electrocyte activation down the fish's body produces a rotation of the electric field vector in the caudal part of the fish. This may assist the fish in identifying nonsymmetrical objects, and could also confuse electrosensory predators that try to locate Apteronotus by following its fieldlines. The propagation also results in a complex spatiotemporal pattern of the EOD potential near the fish. Visualizing the potential on the same and different fish over timescales of several months suggests that it is stable and could serve as a unique signature for individual fish. Measurements of the electric field were used to calculate the effects of simple objects on the fish's electric field. The shape of the perturbation or "electric image" on the fish's skin is relatively independent of a simple object's size, conductivity, and rostrocaudal location, and therefore could unambiguously determine object distance. The range of electrolocation may depend on both the size of objects and their rostrocaudal location. Only objects with very large dielectric constants cause appreciable phase shifts, and these are strongly dependent on the water conductivity.

Analog gravity by an optical vortex: Resonance enhancement of Hawking radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ornigotti, Marco; Bar-Ad, Shimshon; Szameit, Alexander; Fleurov, Victor

2018-01-01

Propagation of coherent light in a Kerr nonlinear medium can be mapped onto a flow of an equivalent fluid. Here we use this mapping to model the conditions in the vicinity of a rotating black hole as a Laguerre-Gauss vortex beam. We describe weak fluctuations of the phase and amplitude of the electric field by wave equations in curved space, with a metric that is similar to the Kerr metric. We find the positions of event horizons and ergoregion boundaries, and the conditions for the onset of superradiance, which are simultaneously the conditions for a resonance in the analog Hawking radiation. The resonance strongly enhances the otherwise exponentially weak Hawking radiation at certain frequencies and makes its experimental observation feasible.

AC-electric field dependent electroformation of giant lipid vesicles.

PubMed

Politano, Timothy J; Froude, Victoria E; Jing, Benxin; Zhu, Yingxi

2010-08-01

Giant vesicles of larger than 5 microm, which have been of intense interest for their potential as drug delivery vehicles and as a model system for cell membranes, can be rapidly formed from a spin-coated lipid thin film under an electric field. In this work, we explore the AC-field dependent electroformation of giant lipid vesicles in aqueous media over a wide range of AC-frequency from 1 Hz to 1 MHz and peak-to-peak field strength from 0.212 V/mm to 40 V/mm between two parallel conducting electrode surfaces. By using fluorescence microscopy, we perform in-situ microscopic observations of the structural evolution of giant vesicles formed from spin-coated lipid films under varied uniform AC-electric fields. The real-time observation of bilayer bulging from the lipid film, vesicle growth and fusing further examine the critical role of AC-induced electroosmotic flow of surrounding fluids for giant vesicle formation. A rich AC-frequency and field strength phase diagram is obtained experimentally to predict the AC-electroformation of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) of l-alpha-phosphatidylcholine, where a weak dependence of vesicle size on AC-frequency is observed at low AC-field voltages, showing decreased vesicle size with a narrowed size distribution with increased AC-frequency. Formation of vesicles was shown to be constrained by an upper field strength of 10 V/mm and an upper AC-frequency of 10 kHz. Within these parameters, giant lipid vesicles were formed predominantly unilamellar and prevalent across the entire electrode surfaces. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing human exposure to power-frequency electric and magnetic fields.

PubMed Central

Kaune, W T

1993-01-01

This paper reviews published literature and current problems relating to the assessment of occupational and residential human exposures to power-frequency electric and magnetic fields. Available occupational exposure data suggest that the class of job titles known as electrical workers may be an effective surrogate for time-weighted-average (TWA) magnetic-field (but not electric-field) exposure. Current research in occupational-exposure assessment is directed to the construction of job-exposure matrices based on electric- and magnetic-field measurements and estimates of worker exposures to chemicals and other factors of interest. Recent work has identified five principal sources of residential magnetic fields: electric power transmission lines, electric power distribution lines, ground currents, home wiring, and home appliances. Existing residential-exposure assessments have used one or more of the following techniques: questionnaires, wiring configuration coding, theoretical field calculations, spot electric- and magnetic-field measurements, fixed-site magnetic-field recordings, personal- exposure measurements, and geomagnetic-field measurements. Available normal-power magnetic-field data for residences differ substantially between studies. It is not known if these differences are due to geographical differences, differences in measurement protocols, or instrumentation differences. Wiring codes and measured magnetic fields (but not electric fields) are associated weakly. Available data suggest, but are far from proving, that spot measurements may be more effective than wire codes as predictors of long-term historical magnetic-field exposure. Two studies find that away-from-home TWA magnetic-field exposures are less variable than at-home exposures. The importance of home appliances as contributors to total residential magnetic-field exposure is not known at this time. It also is not known what characteristics (if any) of residential electric and magnetic fields are determinants of human health effects. PMID:8206021

Processing on weak electric signals by the autoregressive model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Jinli; Zhao, Jiayin; Wang, Lanzhou; Li, Qiao

2008-10-01

A model of the autoregressive model of weak electric signals in two plants was set up for the first time. The result of the AR model to forecast 10 values of the weak electric signals is well. It will construct a standard set of the AR model coefficient of the plant electric signal and the environmental factor, and can be used as the preferences for the intelligent autocontrol system based on the adaptive characteristic of plants to achieve the energy saving on agricultural productions.

Electrical transport and low-frequency noise in chemical vapor deposited single-layer MoS2 devices.

PubMed

Sharma, Deepak; Amani, Matin; Motayed, Abhishek; Shah, Pankaj B; Birdwell, A Glen; Najmaei, Sina; Ajayan, Pulickel M; Lou, Jun; Dubey, Madan; Li, Qiliang; Davydov, Albert V

2014-04-18

We have studied temperature-dependent (77-300 K) electrical characteristics and low-frequency noise (LFN) in chemical vapor deposited (CVD) single-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) based back-gated field-effect transistors (FETs). Electrical characterization and LFN measurements were conducted on MoS2 FETs with Al2O3 top-surface passivation. We also studied the effect of top-surface passivation etching on the electrical characteristics of the device. Significant decrease in channel current and transconductance was observed in these devices after the Al2O3 passivation etching. For passivated devices, the two-terminal resistance variation with temperature showed a good fit to the activation energy model, whereas for the etched devices the trend indicated a hopping transport mechanism. A significant increase in the normalized drain current noise power spectral density (PSD) was observed after the etching of the top passivation layer. The observed channel current noise was explained using a standard unified model incorporating carrier number fluctuation and correlated surface mobility fluctuation mechanisms. Detailed analysis of the gate-referred noise voltage PSD indicated the presence of different trapping states in passivated devices when compared to the etched devices. Etched devices showed weak temperature dependence of the channel current noise, whereas passivated devices exhibited near-linear temperature dependence.

Food deprivation reduces and leptin increases the amplitude of an active sensory and communication signal in a weakly electric fish.

PubMed

Sinnett, Philip M; Markham, Michael R

2015-05-01

Energetic demands of social communication signals can constrain signal duration, repetition, and magnitude. The metabolic costs of communication signals are further magnified when they are coupled to active sensory systems that require constant signal generation. Under such circumstances, metabolic stress incurs additional risk because energy shortfalls could degrade sensory system performance as well as the social functions of the communication signal. The weakly electric fish Eigenmannia virescens generates electric organ discharges (EODs) that serve as both active sensory and communication signals. These EODs are maintained at steady frequencies of 200-600Hz throughout the lifespan, and thus represent a substantial metabolic investment. We investigated the effects of metabolic stress (food deprivation) on EOD amplitude (EODa) and EOD frequency (EODf) in E. virescens and found that only EODa decreases during food deprivation and recovers after restoration of feeding. Cortisol did not alter EODa under any conditions, and plasma cortisol levels were not changed by food deprivation. Both melanocortin hormones and social challenges caused transient EODa increases in both food-deprived and well-fed fish. Intramuscular injections of leptin increased EODa in food-deprived fish but not well-fed fish, identifying leptin as a novel regulator of EODa and suggesting that leptin mediates EODa responses to metabolic stress. The sensitivity of EODa to dietary energy availability likely arises because of the extreme energetic costs of EOD production in E. virescens and also could reflect reproductive strategies of iteroparous species that reduce social signaling and reproduction during periods of stress to later resume reproductive efforts when conditions improve. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A model for studying the energetics of sustained high frequency firing

PubMed Central

Morris, Catherine E.

2018-01-01

Regulating membrane potential and synaptic function contributes significantly to the energetic costs of brain signaling, but the relative costs of action potentials (APs) and synaptic transmission during high-frequency firing are unknown. The continuous high-frequency (200-600Hz) electric organ discharge (EOD) of Eigenmannia, a weakly electric fish, underlies its electrosensing and communication. EODs reflect APs fired by the muscle-derived electrocytes of the electric organ (EO). Cholinergic synapses at the excitable posterior membranes of the elongated electrocytes control AP frequency. Based on whole-fish O2 consumption, ATP demand per EOD-linked AP increases exponentially with AP frequency. Continual EOD-AP generation implies first, that ion homeostatic processes reliably counteract any dissipation of posterior membrane ENa and EK and second that high frequency synaptic activation is reliably supported. Both of these processes require energy. To facilitate an exploration of the expected energy demands of each, we modify a previous excitability model and include synaptic currents able to drive APs at frequencies as high as 600 Hz. Synaptic stimuli are modeled as pulsatile cation conductance changes, with or without a small (sustained) background conductance. Over the full species range of EOD frequencies (200–600 Hz) we calculate frequency-dependent “Na+-entry budgets” for an electrocyte AP as a surrogate for required 3Na+/2K+-ATPase activity. We find that the cost per AP of maintaining constant-amplitude APs increases nonlinearly with frequency, whereas the cost per AP for synaptic input current is essentially constant. This predicts that Na+ channel density should correlate positively with EOD frequency, whereas AChR density should be the same across fish. Importantly, calculated costs (inferred from Na+-entry through Nav and ACh channels) for electrocyte APs as frequencies rise are much less than expected from published whole-fish EOD-linked O2 consumption. For APs at increasingly high frequencies, we suggest that EOD-related costs external to electrocytes (including packaging of synaptic transmitter) substantially exceed the direct cost of electrocyte ion homeostasis. PMID:29708986

Different Classes of Glutamate Receptors Mediate Distinct Behaviors in a Single Brainstem Nucleus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dye, John; Heiligenberg, Walter; Keller, Clifford H.; Kawasaki, Masashi

1989-11-01

We have taken advantage of the increasing understanding of glutamate neuropharmacology to probe mechanisms of well-defined vertebrate behaviors. Here we report a set of experiments that suggests distinct roles for two major classes of glutamate receptors in a discrete premotor nucleus of the brainstem. The medullary pacemaker nucleus of weakly electric fish is an endogenous oscillator that controls the electric organ discharge (EOD). Its regular frequency of firing is modulated during several distinct behaviors. The pacemaker nucleus continues firing regularly when isolated in vitro, and modulatory behaviors can be reproduced by stimulating the descending input pathway. Glutamate agonists applied to the pacemaker in vitro produced increases in frequency, while glutamate antagonists selectively blocked stimulus-induced modulations. Experiments with glutamate antagonists in the intact animal resulted in specific effects on two well-characterized behaviors. Our data indicate that these behaviors are separately mediated in the pacemaker by receptors displaying characteristics of the kainate/quisqualate and N-methyl-D-aspartate subtypes of glutamate receptor, respectively.

Research and Implementation of Heart Sound Denoising

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Feng; Wang, Yutai; Wang, Yanxiang

Heart sound is one of the most important signals. However, the process of getting heart sound signal can be interfered with many factors outside. Heart sound is weak electric signal and even weak external noise may lead to the misjudgment of pathological and physiological information in this signal, thus causing the misjudgment of disease diagnosis. As a result, it is a key to remove the noise which is mixed with heart sound. In this paper, a more systematic research and analysis which is involved in heart sound denoising based on matlab has been made. The study of heart sound denoising based on matlab firstly use the powerful image processing function of matlab to transform heart sound signals with noise into the wavelet domain through wavelet transform and decomposition these signals in muli-level. Then for the detail coefficient, soft thresholding is made using wavelet transform thresholding to eliminate noise, so that a signal denoising is significantly improved. The reconstructed signals are gained with stepwise coefficient reconstruction for the processed detail coefficient. Lastly, 50HZ power frequency and 35 Hz mechanical and electrical interference signals are eliminated using a notch filter.

The Design and Characterization of a Prototype Wideband Voltage Sensor Based on a Resistive Divider

PubMed Central

Garnacho, Fernando; Khamlichi, Abderrahim; Rovira, Jorge

2017-01-01

The most important advantage of voltage dividers over traditional voltage transformers is that voltage dividers do not have an iron core with non-linear hysteresis characteristics. The voltage dividers have a linear behavior with respect to over-voltages and a flat frequency response larger frequency range. The weak point of a voltage divider is the influence of external high-voltage (HV) and earth parts in its vicinity. Electrical fields arising from high voltages in neighboring phases and from ground conductors and structures are one of their main sources for systematic measurement errors. This paper describes a shielding voltage divider for a 24 kV medium voltage network insulated in SF6 composed of two resistive-capacitive dividers, one integrated within the other, achieving a flat frequency response up to 10 kHz for ratio error and up to 5 kHz for phase displacement error. The metal shielding improves its immunity against electric and magnetic fields. The characterization performed on the built-in voltage sensor shows an accuracy class of 0.2 for a frequency range from 20 Hz to 5 kHz and a class of 0.5 for 1 Hz up to 20 Hz. A low temperature effect is also achieved for operation conditions of MV power grids. PMID:29149085

The Design and Characterization of a Prototype Wideband Voltage Sensor Based on a Resistive Divider.

PubMed

Garnacho, Fernando; Khamlichi, Abderrahim; Rovira, Jorge

2017-11-17

The most important advantage of voltage dividers over traditional voltage transformers is that voltage dividers do not have an iron core with non-linear hysteresis characteristics. The voltage dividers have a linear behavior with respect to over-voltages and a flat frequency response larger frequency range. The weak point of a voltage divider is the influence of external high-voltage (HV) and earth parts in its vicinity. Electrical fields arising from high voltages in neighboring phases and from ground conductors and structures are one of their main sources for systematic measurement errors. This paper describes a shielding voltage divider for a 24 kV medium voltage network insulated in SF6 composed of two resistive-capacitive dividers, one integrated within the other, achieving a flat frequency response up to 10 kHz for ratio error and up to 5 kHz for phase displacement error. The metal shielding improves its immunity against electric and magnetic fields. The characterization performed on the built-in voltage sensor shows an accuracy class of 0.2 for a frequency range from 20 Hz to 5 kHz and a class of 0.5 for 1 Hz up to 20 Hz. A low temperature effect is also achieved for operation conditions of MV power grids.

Monitoring and Characterizing Crop Root Systems Using Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weigand, M.; Kemna, A.

2016-12-01

A better understanding of root-soil interactions and associated processes is essential to achieve progress in crop breeding and management, prompting the need for high-resolution and non-destructive characterization methods. Such methods are still lacking, in particular for characterizing root growth and function in the field. A promising technique in this respect is electrical impedance tomography (EIT), which provides images of the low-frequency electrical conduction and polarization properties and thus can be used to investigate polarization processes occurring within and in the direct vicinity of roots under the influence of an external alternating electric field. This approach takes advantage of the well-known polarization properties associated with electrical double layers forming at membranes of cells and cell clusters. However, upscaling these processes to the scale of an impedance, or complex conductivity, spectrum of the whole root system is not trivial given the lack of electrical root models, the complexity of root systems, and the occurrence of additional larger-scale, ion-selective, and therefore polarizable, structures such as the Casparian strip. We here present results from several EIT laboratory studies on rhizotrons with crop root systems in aqueous solutions. Based on optimized experimental and data analysis procedures, enabling the imaging of the weak signals encountered in our studies, we found systematic spatial and temporal changes of both the magnitude and the shape of the spectral polarization signatures during nutrient deprivation and in response to the decapitation of plants. Consistent, but relatively weak, spectral impedance changes were also observed over diurnal cycles. Our results provide evidence for the capability of EIT to non-invasively image and monitor root systems at the rhizotron scale. They further suggest that EIT is a promising tool for imaging, characterizing, and monitoring crop roots at the field scale.

Dipole interaction of the Quincke rotating particles.

PubMed

Dolinsky, Yu; Elperin, T

2012-02-01

We study the behavior of particles having a finite electric permittivity and conductivity in a weakly conducting fluid under the action of the external electric field. We consider the case when the strength of the external electric field is above the threshold, and particles rotate due to the Quincke effect. We determine the magnitude of the dipole interaction of the Quincke rotating particles and the shift of frequency of the Quincke rotation caused by the dipole interaction between the particles. It is demonstrated that depending on the mutual orientation of the vectors of angular velocities of particles, vector-directed along the straight line between the centers of the particles and the external electric field strength vector, particles can attract or repel each other. In contrast to the case of nonrotating particles when the magnitude of the dipole interaction increases with the increase of the strength of the external electric field, the magnitude of the dipole interaction of the Quincke rotating particles either does not change or decreases with the increase of the strength of the external electric field depending on the strength of the external electric field and electrodynamic parameters of the particles.

Dipole interaction of the Quincke rotating particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolinsky, Yu.; Elperin, T.

2012-02-01

We study the behavior of particles having a finite electric permittivity and conductivity in a weakly conducting fluid under the action of the external electric field. We consider the case when the strength of the external electric field is above the threshold, and particles rotate due to the Quincke effect. We determine the magnitude of the dipole interaction of the Quincke rotating particles and the shift of frequency of the Quincke rotation caused by the dipole interaction between the particles. It is demonstrated that depending on the mutual orientation of the vectors of angular velocities of particles, vector-directed along the straight line between the centers of the particles and the external electric field strength vector, particles can attract or repel each other. In contrast to the case of nonrotating particles when the magnitude of the dipole interaction increases with the increase of the strength of the external electric field, the magnitude of the dipole interaction of the Quincke rotating particles either does not change or decreases with the increase of the strength of the external electric field depending on the strength of the external electric field and electrodynamic parameters of the particles.

Guided-mode interactions in thin films with surface corrugation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seshadri, S. R.

1994-12-01

The guided modes in a thin-film planar dielectric waveguide sandwiched between a cover and a substrate (two different dielectrics) are considered. The interface between the cover and the film has a smooth corrugation in the longitudinal direction. For weak corrugations, the guided-mode interactions are investigated using the expansion in terms of ideal normal modes. A corresponding treament is given for the not-so-weak corrugations using the expansion in terms of local normal modes. The coupling coefficients are evaluated and reduced to simple forms. The theories are specialized for the treatment of contradirectional coupling between two guided modes taking place selectively in the neighborhood of the Bragg frequency. The coupled-mode equations governing the contradirectional interaction obtained from the local normal mode expansion procedure, in the limit of weak periodic corrugations, are identical to those deduced directly using the ideal normal mode expansion technique. The treatments for both the transverse electric and the transvers magnetic modes are included.

Effect of Electric Discharge on Properties of Nano-Particulate Catalyst for Plasma-Catalysis.

PubMed

Lee, Chung Jun; Kim, Jip; Kim, Taegyu

2016-02-01

Heterogeneous catalytic processes have been used to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbons. However, high reforming temperature caused serious catalyst deteriorations and low energy efficiency. Recently, a plasma-catalyst hybrid process was used to reduce the reforming temperature and to improve the stability and durability of reforming catalysts. Effect of electric discharges on properties of nanoparticulate catalysts for plasma-catalysis was investigated in the present study. Catalyst-bed porosity was varied by packing catalyst beads with the different size in a reactor. Discharge power and onset voltage of the plasma were measured as the catalyst-bed porosity was varied. The effect of discharge voltage, frequency and voltage waveforms such as the sine, pulse and square was investigated. We found that the optimal porosity of the catalyst-bed exists to maximize the electric discharge. At a low porosity, the electric discharge was unstable to be sustained because the space between catalysts got narrow nearly close to the sheath region. On the other hand, at a high porosity, the electric discharge became weak because the plasma was not sufficient to interact with the surface of catalysts. The discharge power increased as the discharge voltage and frequency increased. The square waveform was more efficient than the sine and pulse one. At a high porosity, however, the effect of the voltage waveform was not considerable because the space between catalysts was too large for plasma to interact with the surface of catalysts.

A tail of two voltages: Proteomic comparison of the three electric organs of the electric eel

PubMed Central

Traeger, Lindsay L.; Sabat, Grzegorz; Barrett-Wilt, Gregory A.; Wells, Gregg B.; Sussman, Michael R.

2017-01-01

The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) is unusual among electric fishes because it has three pairs of electric organs that serve multiple biological functions: For navigation and communication, it emits continuous pulses of weak electric discharge (<1 V), but for predation and defense, it intermittently emits lethal strong electric discharges (10 to 600 V). We hypothesized that these two electrogenic outputs have different energetic demands reflected by differences in their proteome and phosphoproteome. We report the use of isotope-assisted quantitative mass spectrometry to test this hypothesis. We observed novel phosphorylation sites in sodium transporters and identified a potassium channel with unique differences in protein concentration among the electric organs. In addition, we found transcription factors and protein kinases that show differential abundance in the strong versus weak electric organs. Our findings support the hypothesis that proteomic differences among electric organs underlie differences in energetic needs, reflecting a trade-off between generating weak voltages continuously and strong voltages intermittently. PMID:28695212

Preceding weak noise sharpens the frequency tuning and elevates the response threshold of the mouse inferior collicular neurons through GABAergic inhibition.

PubMed

Wang, Xin; Jen, Philip H-S; Wu, Fei-Jian; Chen, Qi-Cai

2007-09-05

In acoustic communication, animals must extract biologically relevant signals that are embedded in noisy environment. The present study examines how weak noise may affect the auditory sensitivity of neurons in the central nucleus of the mouse inferior colliculus (IC) which receives convergent excitatory and inhibitory inputs from both lower and higher auditory centers. Specifically, we studied the frequency sensitivity and minimum threshold of IC neurons using a pure tone probe and a weak white noise masker under forward masking paradigm. For most IC neurons, probe-elicited response was decreased by a weak white noise that was presented at a specific gap (i.e. time window). When presented within this time window, weak noise masking sharpened the frequency tuning curve and increased the minimum threshold of IC neurons. The degree of weak noise masking of these two measurements increased with noise duration. Sharpening of the frequency tuning curve and increasing of the minimum threshold of IC neurons during weak noise masking were mostly mediated through GABAergic inhibition. In addition, sharpening of frequency tuning curve by the weak noise masker was more effective at the high than at low frequency limb. These data indicate that in the real world the ambient noise may improve frequency sensitivity of IC neurons through GABAergic inhibition while inevitably decrease the frequency response range and sensitivity of IC neurons.

Pharmacological characterization of ionic currents that regulate high-frequency spontaneous activity of electromotor neurons in the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus.

PubMed

Smith, G Troy

2006-01-01

The neural circuit that controls the electric organ discharge (EOD) of the brown ghost knifefish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus) contains two spontaneous oscillators. Both pacemaker neurons in the medulla and electromotor neurons (EMNs) in the spinal cord fire spontaneously at frequencies of 500-1,000 Hz to control the EOD. These neurons continue to fire in vitro at frequencies that are highly correlated with in vivo EOD frequency. Previous studies used channel blocking drugs to pharmacologically characterize ionic currents that control high-frequency firing in pacemaker neurons. The goal of the present study was to use similar techniques to investigate ionic currents in EMNs, the other type of spontaneously active neuron in the electromotor circuit. As in pacemaker neurons, high-frequency firing of EMNs was regulated primarily by tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium currents and by potassium currents that were sensitive to 4-aminopyridine and kappaA-conotoxin SIVA, but resistant to tetraethylammonium. EMNs, however, differed from pacemaker neurons in their sensitivity to some channel blocking drugs. Alpha-dendrotoxin, which blocks a subset of Kv1 potassium channels, increased firing rates in EMNs, but not pacemaker neurons; and the sodium channel blocker muO-conotoxin MrVIA, which reduced firing rates of pacemaker neurons, had no effect on EMNs. These results suggest that similar, but not identical, ionic currents regulate high-frequency firing in EMNs and pacemaker neurons. The differences in the ionic currents expressed in pacemaker neurons and EMNs might be related to differences in the morphology, connectivity, or function of these two cell types.

Potential for electropositive metal to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear.

PubMed

Bouyoucos, Ian; Bushnell, Peter; Brill, Richard

2014-02-01

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) populations have been declared either endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Effective measures to repel sturgeon from fishing gear would be beneficial to both fish and fishers because they could reduce both fishery-associated mortality and the need for seasonal and area closures of specific fisheries. Some chondrostean fishes (e.g., sturgeons and paddlefishes) can detect weak electric field gradients (possibly as low as 5 Μv/cm) due to arrays of electroreceptors (ampullae of Lorenzini) on their snout and gill covers. Weak electric fields, such as those produced by electropositive metals (typically mixtures of the lanthanide elements), could therefore potentially be used as a deterrent. To test this idea, we recorded the behavioral responses of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (31-43 cm fork length) to electropositive metal (primarily a mixture of the lanthanide elements neodymium and praseodymium) both in the presence and absence of food stimuli. Trials were conducted in an approximately 2.5 m diameter × 0.3 m deep tank, and fish behaviors were recorded with an overhead digital video camera. Video records were subsequently digitized (x, y coordinate system), the distance between the fish and the electropositive metal calculated, and data summarized by compiling frequency distributions with 5-cm bins. Juvenile sturgeon showed clear avoidance of electropositive metal but only when food was present. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the electropositive metals, or other sources of weak electric fields, may eventually be used to reduce the interactions of Atlantic sturgeon with fishing gear, but further investigation is needed. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Signal conditioning units for vibration measurement in HUMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Kaizhi; Liu, Tingting; Yu, Zirong; Chen, Lijuan; Huang, Xinjie

2018-03-01

A signal conditioning units for vibration measurement in HUMS is proposed in the paper. Due to the frequency of vibrations caused by components in helicopter are different, two steps amplifier and programmable anti-aliasing filter are designed to meet the measurement of different types of helicopter. Vibration signals are converted into measurable electrical signals combing with ICP driver firstly. Then pre-amplifier and programmable gain amplifier is applied to magnify the weak electrical signals. In addition, programmable anti-aliasing filter is utilized to filter the interference of noise. The units were tested using function signal generator and oscilloscope. The experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed method in quantitatively and qualitatively. The method presented in this paper can meet the measurement requirement for different types of helicopter.

Static and low frequency noise characterization of ultra-thin body InAs MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karatsori, T. A.; Pastorek, M.; Theodorou, C. G.; Fadjie, A.; Wichmann, N.; Desplanque, L.; Wallart, X.; Bollaert, S.; Dimitriadis, C. A.; Ghibaudo, G.

2018-05-01

A complete static and low frequency noise characterization of ultra-thin body InAs MOSFETs is presented. Characterization techniques, such as the well-known Y-function method established for Si MOSFETs, are applied in order to extract the electrical parameters and study the behavior of these research grade devices. Additionally, the Lambert-W function parameter extraction methodology valid from weak to strong inversion is also used in order to verify its applicability in these experimental level devices. Moreover, a low-frequency noise characterization of the UTB InAs MOSFETs is presented, revealing carrier trapping/detrapping in slow oxide traps and remote Coulomb scattering as origin of 1/f noise, which allowed for the extraction of the oxide trap areal density. Finally, Lorentzian-like noise is also observed in the sub-micron area devices and attributed to both Random Telegraph Noise from oxide individual traps and g-r noise from the semiconductor interface.

Broadband EIT borehole measurements with high phase accuracy using numerical corrections of electromagnetic coupling effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Zimmermann, E.; Huisman, J. A.; Treichel, A.; Wolters, B.; van Waasen, S.; Kemna, A.

2013-08-01

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is gaining importance in the field of geophysics and there is increasing interest for accurate borehole EIT measurements in a broad frequency range (mHz to kHz) in order to study subsurface properties. To characterize weakly polarizable soils and sediments with EIT, high phase accuracy is required. Typically, long electrode cables are used for borehole measurements. However, this may lead to undesired electromagnetic coupling effects associated with the inductive coupling between the double wire pairs for current injection and potential measurement and the capacitive coupling between the electrically conductive shield of the cable and the electrically conductive environment surrounding the electrode cables. Depending on the electrical properties of the subsurface and the measured transfer impedances, both coupling effects can cause large phase errors that have typically limited the frequency bandwidth of field EIT measurements to the mHz to Hz range. The aim of this paper is to develop numerical corrections for these phase errors. To this end, the inductive coupling effect was modeled using electronic circuit models, and the capacitive coupling effect was modeled by integrating discrete capacitances in the electrical forward model describing the EIT measurement process. The correction methods were successfully verified with measurements under controlled conditions in a water-filled rain barrel, where a high phase accuracy of 0.8 mrad in the frequency range up to 10 kHz was achieved. The corrections were also applied to field EIT measurements made using a 25 m long EIT borehole chain with eight electrodes and an electrode separation of 1 m. The results of a 1D inversion of these measurements showed that the correction methods increased the measurement accuracy considerably. It was concluded that the proposed correction methods enlarge the bandwidth of the field EIT measurement system, and that accurate EIT measurements can now be made in the mHz to kHz frequency range. This increased accuracy in the kHz range will allow a more accurate field characterization of the complex electrical conductivity of soils and sediments, which may lead to the improved estimation of saturated hydraulic conductivity from electrical properties. Although the correction methods have been developed for a custom-made EIT system, they also have potential to improve the phase accuracy of EIT measurements made with commercial systems relying on multicore cables.

Probing long-range carrier-pair spin–spin interactions in a conjugated polymer by detuning of electrically detected spin beating

PubMed Central

van Schooten, Kipp J.; Baird, Douglas L.; Limes, Mark E.; Lupton, John M.; Boehme, Christoph

2015-01-01

Weakly coupled electron spin pairs that experience weak spin–orbit interaction can control electronic transitions in molecular and solid-state systems. Known to determine radical pair reactions, they have been invoked to explain phenomena ranging from avian magnetoreception to spin-dependent charge-carrier recombination and transport. Spin pairs exhibit persistent spin coherence, allowing minute magnetic fields to perturb spin precession and thus recombination rates and photoreaction yields, giving rise to a range of magneto-optoelectronic effects in devices. Little is known, however, about interparticle magnetic interactions within such pairs. Here we present pulsed electrically detected electron spin resonance experiments on poly(styrene-sulfonate)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT:PSS) devices, which show how interparticle spin–spin interactions (magnetic-dipolar and spin-exchange) between charge-carrier spin pairs can be probed through the detuning of spin-Rabi oscillations. The deviation from uncoupled precession frequencies quantifies both the exchange (<30 neV) and dipolar (23.5±1.5 neV) interaction energies responsible for the pair's zero-field splitting, implying quantum mechanical entanglement of charge-carrier spins over distances of 2.1±0.1 nm. PMID:25868686

Probing long-range carrier-pair spin–spin interactions in a conjugated polymer by detuning of electrically detected spin beating

DOE PAGES

van Schooten, Kipp J.; Baird, Douglas L.; Limes, Mark E.; ...

2015-04-14

Here, weakly coupled electron spin pairs that experience weak spin–orbit interaction can control electronic transitions in molecular and solid-state systems. Known to determine radical pair reactions, they have been invoked to explain phenomena ranging from avian magnetoreception to spin-dependent charge-carrier recombination and transport. Spin pairs exhibit persistent spin coherence, allowing minute magnetic fields to perturb spin precession and thus recombination rates and photoreaction yields, giving rise to a range of magneto-optoelectronic effects in devices. Little is known, however, about interparticle magnetic interactions within such pairs. Here we present pulsed electrically detected electron spin resonance experiments on poly(styrene-sulfonate)-doped poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT:PSS) devices,more » which show how interparticle spin–spin interactions (magnetic-dipolar and spin-exchange) between charge-carrier spin pairs can be probed through the detuning of spin-Rabi oscillations. The deviation from uncoupled precession frequencies quantifies both the exchange (<30 neV) and dipolar (23.5±1.5 neV) interaction energies responsible for the pair’s zero-field splitting, implying quantum mechanical entanglement of charge-carrier spins over distances of 2.1±0.1 nm.« less

Three species one-dimensional kinetic model for weakly ionized plasmas

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

Gonzalez, J., E-mail: jorge.gonzalez@upm.es; Donoso, J. M.; Tierno, S. P.

2016-06-15

A three species one-dimensional kinetic model is presented for a spatially homogeneous weakly ionized plasma subjected to the action of a time varying electric field. Planar geometry is assumed, which means that the plasma evolves in the privileged direction of the field. The energy transmitted to the electric charges is channelized to the neutrals thanks to collisions, a mechanism that influences the plasma dynamics. Charge-charge interactions have been designed as a one-dimensional collision term equivalent to the Landau operator used for fully ionized plasmas. Charge-neutral collisions are modelled by a conservative drift-diffusion operator in the Dougherty's form. The resulting setmore » of coupled integro-differential equations is solved with the stable and robust propagator integral method. This semi–analytical method feasibility accounts for non–linear effects without appealing to linearisation or simplifications, providing conservative physically meaningful solutions even for initial or emerging sharp velocity distribution function profiles. It is found that charge-neutral collisions exert a significant effect since a quite different plasma evolution arises if compared to the collisionless limit. In addition, substantial differences in the system motion are found for constant and temperature dependent collision frequencies cases.« less

Analytic non-Maxwellian electron velocity distribution function in a Hall discharge plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shagayda, Andrey; Tarasov, Alexey

2017-10-01

The electron velocity distribution function in the low-pressure discharges with the crossed electric and magnetic fields, which occur in magnetrons, plasma accelerators, and Hall thrusters with a closed electron drift, is not Maxwellian. A deviation from equilibrium is caused by a large electron mean free path relative to the Larmor radius and the size of the discharge channel. In this study, we derived in the relaxation approximation the analytical expression of the electron velocity distribution function in a weakly ionized Lorentz plasma with the crossed electric and magnetic fields in the presence of the electron density and temperature gradients in the direction of the electric field. The solution was obtained in the stationary approximation far from boundary surfaces, when diffusion and mobility are determined by the classical effective collision frequency of electrons with ions and atoms. The moments of the distribution function including the average velocity, the stress tensor, and the heat flux were calculated and compared with the classical hydrodynamic expressions. It was shown that a kinetic correction to the drift velocity stems from a contribution of the off-diagonal component of the stress tensor. This correction becomes essential if the drift velocity in the crossed electric and magnetic fields would be comparable to the thermal velocity of electrons. The electron temperature has three different components at a nonzero effective collision frequency and two different components in the limit when the collision frequency tends to zero. It is shown that, in the presence of ionization collisions, the components of the heat flux have additives that are not related to the temperature gradient, and arise because of the electron drift.

Quasi-optical frequency selective surface with phase compensation structure correcting the beam distortion.

PubMed

Yao, Xiayuan; Liang, Bingyuan; Bai, Ming

2017-09-18

In space-borne quasi-optical feed system, frequency selective surface (FSS) should meet both electrical properties and mechanical requirements. In the paper, we design and fabricate three FSSs to achieve these goals. We present a novel FFS with phase compensation structure correcting the beam distortion. The phase compensation structure consists of short-ended circular waveguide array, inspired by the idea of reflect array antenna. The first FSS meets the need of electrical performance, however, which is too weak to pass the mechanical test. The second one overcomes the former problem, but brings the aberration in reflection beam, due to the discontinuity of the reflection phase. The third one with phase compensation structure meets all the demands. The insertion phase of the unit cell compensates 119 and 183 GHz two reflection bands, reconfigures the field distributions on the cross section of beam waist simultaneously. What' more, this FSS extends the functionality of the original FSS. To some extent, the FSS with phase compensation structure shares the ellipsoidal reflector's pressure to adjust the beam.

Evolution of electric communication signals in the South American ghost knifefishes (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae): A phylogenetic comparative study using a sequence-based phylogeny

PubMed Central

Smith, Adam R.; Proffitt, Melissa R.; Ho, Winnie W.; Mullaney, Claire B.; Maldonado-Ocampo, Javier A.; Lovejoy, Nathan R.; Alves-Gomes, José A.; Smith, G. Troy

2018-01-01

The electric communication signals of weakly electric ghost knifefishes (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae) provide a valuable model system for understanding the evolution and physiology of behavior. Apteronotids produce continuous wave-type electric organ discharges (EODs) that are used for electrolocation and communication. The frequency and waveform of EODs, as well as the structure of transient EOD modulations (chirps), vary substantially across species. Understanding how these signals have evolved, however, has been hampered by the lack of a well-supported phylogeny for this family. We constructed a molecular phylogeny for the Apteronotidae by using sequence data from three genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, recombination activating gene 2, and cytochrome oxidase B) in 32 species representing 13 apteronotid genera. This phylogeny and an extensive database of apteronotid signals allowed us to examine signal evolution by using ancestral state reconstruction (ASR) and phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models. Our molecular phylogeny largely agrees with another recent sequence-based phylogeny and identified five robust apteronotid clades: (i) Sternarchorhamphus + Orthosternarchus, (ii) Adontosternarchus, (iii) Apteronotus + Parapteronotus, (iv) Sternarchorhynchus, and (v) a large clade including Porotergus, ‘Apteronotus’, Compsaraia, Sternarchogiton, Sternarchella, and Magosternarchus. We analyzed novel chirp recordings from two apteronotid species (Orthosternarchus tamandua and Sternarchorhynchus mormyrus), and combined data from these species with that from previously recorded species in our phylogenetic analyses. Some signal parameters in O. tamandua were plesiomorphic (e.g., low frequency EODs and chirps with little frequency modulation that nevertheless interrupt the EOD), suggesting that ultra-high frequency EODs and ‘‘big” chirps evolved after apteronotids diverged from other gymnotiforms. In contrast to previous studies, our PGLS analyses using the new phylogeny indicated the presence of phylogenetic signals in the relationships between some EOD and chirp parameters. The ASR demonstrated that most EOD and chirp parameters are evolutionarily labile and have often diversified even among closely related species. PMID:27769924

Evolution of electric communication signals in the South American ghost knifefishes (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae): A phylogenetic comparative study using a sequence-based phylogeny.

PubMed

Smith, Adam R; Proffitt, Melissa R; Ho, Winnie W; Mullaney, Claire B; Maldonado-Ocampo, Javier A; Lovejoy, Nathan R; Alves-Gomes, José A; Smith, G Troy

2016-10-01

The electric communication signals of weakly electric ghost knifefishes (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae) provide a valuable model system for understanding the evolution and physiology of behavior. Apteronotids produce continuous wave-type electric organ discharges (EODs) that are used for electrolocation and communication. The frequency and waveform of EODs, as well as the structure of transient EOD modulations (chirps), vary substantially across species. Understanding how these signals have evolved, however, has been hampered by the lack of a well-supported phylogeny for this family. We constructed a molecular phylogeny for the Apteronotidae by using sequence data from three genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, recombination activating gene 2, and cytochrome oxidase B) in 32 species representing 13 apteronotid genera. This phylogeny and an extensive database of apteronotid signals allowed us to examine signal evolution by using ancestral state reconstruction (ASR) and phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models. Our molecular phylogeny largely agrees with another recent sequence-based phylogeny and identified five robust apteronotid clades: (i) Sternarchorhamphus+Orthosternarchus, (ii) Adontosternarchus, (iii) Apteronotus+Parapteronotus, (iv) Sternarchorhynchus, and (v) a large clade including Porotergus, 'Apteronotus', Compsaraia, Sternarchogiton, Sternarchella, and Magosternarchus. We analyzed novel chirp recordings from two apteronotid species (Orthosternarchus tamandua and Sternarchorhynchus mormyrus), and combined data from these species with that from previously recorded species in our phylogenetic analyses. Some signal parameters in O. tamandua were plesiomorphic (e.g., low frequency EODs and chirps with little frequency modulation that nevertheless interrupt the EOD), suggesting that ultra-high frequency EODs and "big" chirps evolved after apteronotids diverged from other gymnotiforms. In contrast to previous studies, our PGLS analyses using the new phylogeny indicated the presence of phylogenetic signals in the relationships between some EOD and chirp parameters. The ASR demonstrated that most EOD and chirp parameters are evolutionarily labile and have often diversified even among closely related species. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Sensor/amplifier for weak light sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desmet, D. J.; Jason, A. J.; Parr, A. C.

1980-01-01

Light sensor/amplifier circuit detects weak light converts it into strong electrical signal in electrically noisy environment. Circuit is relatively simple and uses inexpensive, readily available components. Device is useful in such applications as fire detection and photographic processing.

Numerical correction of the phase error due to electromagnetic coupling effects in 1D EIT borehole measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Zimmermann, E.; Huisman, J. A.; Treichel, A.; Wolters, B.; van Waasen, S.; Kemna, A.

2012-12-01

Spectral Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) allows obtaining images of the complex electrical conductivity for a broad frequency range (mHz to kHz). It has recently received increased interest in the field of near-surface geophysics and hydrogeophysics because of the relationships between complex electrical properties and hydrogeological and biogeochemical properties and processes observed in the laboratory with Spectral Induced Polarization (SIP). However, these laboratory results have also indicated that a high phase accuracy is required for surface and borehole EIT measurements because many soils and sediments are only weakly polarizable and show phase angles between 1 and 20 mrad. In the case of borehole EIT measurements, long cables and electrode chains (>10 meters) are typically used, which leads to undesired inductive coupling between the electric loops for current injection and potential measurement and capacitive coupling between the electrically conductive cable shielding and the soil. Depending on the electrical properties of the subsurface and the measured transfer impedances, both coupling effects can cause large phase errors that have typically limited the frequency bandwidth of field EIT measurement to the mHz to Hz range. The aim of this study is i) to develop correction procedures for these coupling effects to extend the applicability of EIT to the kHz range and ii) to validate these corrections using controlled laboratory measurements and field measurements. In order to do so, the inductive coupling effect was modeled using electronic circuit models and the capacitive coupling effect was modeled by integrating discrete capacitances in the electrical forward model describing the EIT measurement process. The correction methods were successfully verified with measurements under controlled conditions in a water-filled rain barrel, where a high phase accuracy of 2 mrad in the frequency range up to 10 kHz was achieved. In a field demonstration using a 25 m borehole chain with 8 electrodes with 1 m electrode separation, the corrections were also applied within a 1D inversion of the borehole EIT measurements. The results show that the correction methods increased the measurement accuracy considerably.

Anisotropy of synthetic quartz electrical conductivity at high pressure and temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Duojun; Li, Heping; Yi, Li; Matsuzaki, Takuya; Yoshino, Takashi

2010-09-01

AC measurements of the electrical conductivity of synthetic quartz along various orientations were made between 0.1 and 1 MHz, at ˜855˜1601 K and at 1.0 GPa. In addition, the electrical conductivity of quartz along the c axis has been studied at 1.0-3.0 GPa. The impedance arcs representing bulk conductivity occur in the frequency range of 103-106 Hz, and the electrical responses of the interface between the sample and the electrode occur in the 0.1˜103 Hz range. The pressure has a weak effect on the electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity experiences no abrupt change near the α - β phase transition point. The electrical conductivity of quartz is highly anisotropic; the electrical conductivity along the c axis is strongest and several orders of magnitude larger than in other directions. The activation enthalpies along various orientations are determined to be 0.6 and 1.2 eV orders of magnitude, respectively. The interpretation of the former is based on the contribution of alkali ions, while the latter effect is attributed to additional unassociated aluminum ions. Comparison of determined anisotropic conductivity of quartz determined with those from field geophysical models shows that the quartz may potentially provide explanations for the behavior of electrical conductivity of anisotropy in the crust that are inferred from the transverse magnetic mode.

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the linear and nonlinear impulse responses from a magnetoplasma column

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grody, N. C.

1973-01-01

Linear and nonlinear responses of a magnetoplasma resulting from inhomogeneity in the background plasma density are studied. The plasma response to an impulse electric field was measured and the results are compared with the theory of an inhomogeneous cold plasma. Impulse responses were recorded for the different plasma densities, static magnetic fields, and neutral pressures and generally appeared as modulated, damped oscillations. The frequency spectra of the waveforms consisted of two separated resonance peaks. For weak excitation, the results correlate with the linear theory of a cold, inhomogeneous, cylindrical magnetoplasma. The damping mechanism is identified with that of phase mixing due to inhomogeneity in plasma density. With increasing excitation voltage, the nonlinear impulse responses display stronger damping and a small increase in the frequency of oscillation.

A Low noise, Non-contact Capacitive Cardiac Sensor*

PubMed Central

Peng, GuoChen; Bocko, Mark F.

2014-01-01

The development of sensitive, non-contact electric field sensors to measure weak bioelectric signals will be useful for the development of a number of unobtrusive health sensors. In this paper we summarize our recent work on a number of specific challenges in the development of non-contact ECG sensors. First, we considered the design of a low noise sensor preamplifier. We have adapted circuit designs that incorporate a double feedback loop to cancel the input transistor leakage current while providing stable operation, fast settling time and good low frequency response without the need for ultrahigh value resistors. The measured input referred noise of the preamplifier in the frequency band 0.05–100 Hz is 0.76 μVrms, which is several times lower than existing ECG preamplifiers. PMID:23367049

A low noise, non-contact capacitive cardiac sensor.

PubMed

Peng, GuoChen; Bocko, Mark F

2012-01-01

The development of sensitive, non-contact electric field sensors to measure weak bioelectric signals will be useful for the development of a number of unobtrusive health sensors. In this paper we summarize our recent work on a number of specific challenges in the development of non-contact ECG sensors. First, we considered the design of a low noise sensor preamplifier. We have adapted circuit designs that incorporate a double feedback loop to cancel the input transistor leakage current while providing stable operation, fast settling time and good low frequency response without the need for ultrahigh value resistors. The measured input referred noise of the preamplifier in the frequency band 0.05-100 Hz is 0.76 µV(rms), which is several times lower than existing ECG preamplifiers.

Circular-polarization-sensitive metamaterial based on triple-quantum-dot molecules.

PubMed

Kotetes, Panagiotis; Jin, Pei-Qing; Marthaler, Michael; Schön, Gerd

2014-12-05

We propose a new type of chiral metamaterial based on an ensemble of artificial molecules formed by three identical quantum dots in a triangular arrangement. A static magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the plane breaks mirror symmetry, rendering the molecules sensitive to the circular polarization of light. By varying the orientation and magnitude of the magnetic field one can control the polarization and frequency of the emission spectrum. We identify a threshold frequency Ω, above which we find strong birefringence. In addition, Kerr rotation and circular-polarized lasing action can be implemented. We investigate the single-molecule lasing properties for different energy-level arrangements and demonstrate the possibility of circular-polarization conversion. Finally, we analyze the effect of weak stray electric fields or deviations from the equilateral triangular geometry.

Electroperception.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moller, Peter

1980-01-01

Describes electroreceptivity in fishes, including information on electric signals in water, electroreceptors, electric organs, electric sense in weak-electric fishes, electrolocation, electrocommunication, and evolutionary considerations. (CS)

Isotropy of Angular Frequencies and Weak Chimeras with Broken Symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bick, Christian

2017-04-01

The notion of a weak chimeras provides a tractable definition for chimera states in networks of finitely many phase oscillators. Here, we generalize the definition of a weak chimera to a more general class of equivariant dynamical systems by characterizing solutions in terms of the isotropy of their angular frequency vector—for coupled phase oscillators the angular frequency vector is given by the average of the vector field along a trajectory. Symmetries of solutions automatically imply angular frequency synchronization. We show that the presence of such symmetries is not necessary by giving a result for the existence of weak chimeras without instantaneous or setwise symmetries for coupled phase oscillators. Moreover, we construct a coupling function that gives rise to chaotic weak chimeras without symmetry in weakly coupled populations of phase oscillators with generalized coupling.

A loop-gap resonator for chirality-sensitive nuclear magneto-electric resonance (NMER)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garbacz, Piotr; Fischer, Peer; Krämer, Steffen

2016-09-01

Direct detection of molecular chirality is practically impossible by methods of standard nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) that is based on interactions involving magnetic-dipole and magnetic-field operators. However, theoretical studies provide a possible direct probe of chirality by exploiting an enantiomer selective additional coupling involving magnetic-dipole, magnetic-field, and electric field operators. This offers a way for direct experimental detection of chirality by nuclear magneto-electric resonance (NMER). This method uses both resonant magnetic and electric radiofrequency (RF) fields. The weakness of the chiral interaction though requires a large electric RF field and a small transverse RF magnetic field over the sample volume, which is a non-trivial constraint. In this study, we present a detailed study of the NMER concept and a possible experimental realization based on a loop-gap resonator. For this original device, the basic principle and numerical studies as well as fabrication and measurements of the frequency dependence of the scattering parameter are reported. By simulating the NMER spin dynamics for our device and taking the 19F NMER signal of enantiomer-pure 1,1,1-trifluoropropan-2-ol, we predict a chirality induced NMER signal that accounts for 1%-5% of the standard achiral NMR signal.

Analytical and experimental comparisons of electromechanical vibration response of a piezoelectric bimorph beam for power harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumentut, M. F.; Howard, I. M.

2013-03-01

Power harvesters that extract energy from vibrating systems via piezoelectric transduction show strong potential for powering smart wireless sensor devices in applications of health condition monitoring of rotating machinery and structures. This paper presents an analytical method for modelling an electromechanical piezoelectric bimorph beam with tip mass under two input base transverse and longitudinal excitations. The Euler-Bernoulli beam equations were used to model the piezoelectric bimorph beam. The polarity-electric field of the piezoelectric element is excited by the strain field caused by base input excitation, resulting in electrical charge. The governing electromechanical dynamic equations were derived analytically using the weak form of the Hamiltonian principle to obtain the constitutive equations. Three constitutive electromechanical dynamic equations based on independent coefficients of virtual displacement vectors were formulated and then further modelled using the normalised Ritz eigenfunction series. The electromechanical formulations include both the series and parallel connections of the piezoelectric bimorph. The multi-mode frequency response functions (FRFs) under varying electrical load resistance were formulated using Laplace transformation for the multi-input mechanical vibrations to provide the multi-output dynamic displacement, velocity, voltage, current and power. The experimental and theoretical validations reduced for the single mode system were shown to provide reasonable predictions. The model results from polar base excitation for off-axis input motions were validated with experimental results showing the change to the electrical power frequency response amplitude as a function of excitation angle, with relevance for practical implementation.

Prebreakdown characteristics of weakly ionized liquid and gaseous media in the strongly nonuniform electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apfelbaum, M. S.; Syrovatka, R. A.; Vladimirov, V. I.

2018-01-01

A theoretical model of electrohydrodynamic prebreakdown phenomena in slightly ionized (weakly conductive) media is proposed. The electric high voltage conduction of weakly conductive liquids and slightly ionized gases in intense electric fields using this model is considered. The formula for the calculations of volt-ampere characteristics under high voltage spherical capacitor field is analytically obtained. The experimental corona discharge volt-ampere characteristics of air are presented. It was found that the size of the ionization region in the case of corona discharge in air increases monotonically with increasing discharge voltage.

Electrical Conductivity Mechanism in Unconventional Lead Vanadate Glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Wahab, F.; Merazga, A.; Montaser, A. A.

2017-03-01

Lead vanadate glasses of the system (V2O5)_{1-x}(PbO)x with x = 0.4, 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6 have been prepared by the press-quenching technique. The dc (σ (0)) and ac (σ (ω )) electrical conductivities were measured in the temperature range from 150 to 420 K and the frequency range from 102 to 106 Hz. The electrical properties are shown to be sensitive to composition. The experimental results have been analyzed within the framework of different models. The dc conductivity is found to be proportional to Tp with the exponent p ranging from 8.2 to 9.8, suggesting that the transport is determined by a multi-phonon process of weak electron-lattice coupling. The ac conductivity is explained by the percolation path approximation (PPA). In this model, σ (ω ) is closely related to the σ (0) and fitting the experimental data produces a dielectric relaxation time τ in good agreement with the expected value in both magnitude and temperature dependence.

Electric Organ Discharges of Mormyrid Fish as a Possible Cue for Predatory Catfish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanika, S.; Kramer, B.

During reproductive migration the electroreceptive African sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Siluriformes), preys mainly on a weakly electric fish, the bulldog Marcusenius macrolepidotus (Mormyridae; Merron 1993). This is puzzling because the electric organ discharges of known Marcusenius species are pulses of a duration (<1ms) too short for being detected by the catfishes' low-frequency electroreceptive system (optimum sensitivity, 10-30Hz Peters and Bretschneider 1981). On the recent discovery that M. macrolepidotus males emit discharges lasting approximately ten times longer than those of females (Kramer 1997a) we determined behavioral thresholds for discharges of both sexes, using synthetic playbacks of field-recorded discharges. C. gariepinus detected M. macrolepidotus male discharges down to a field gradient of 103μVpeak-peak/cm and up to a distance of 1.5m at natural field conditions. In contrast, thresholds for female discharges were not reached with our setup, and we presume the bulldogs eaten by catfish are predominantly male.

Capacitively coupled hydrogen plasmas sustained by tailored voltage waveforms: excitation dynamics and ion flux asymmetry

DOE PAGES

Bruneau, B.; Diomede, P.; Economou, D. J.; ...

2016-06-08

Parallel plate capacitively coupled plasmas in hydrogen at relatively high pressure (~1 Torr) are excited with tailored voltage waveforms containing up to five frequencies. Predictions of a hybrid model combining a particle-in-cell simulation with Monte Carlo collisions and a fluid model are compared to phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy measurements, yielding information on the dynamics of the excitation rate in these discharges. When the discharge is excited with amplitude asymmetric waveforms, the discharge becomes electrically asymmetric, with different ion energies at each of the two electrodes. Unexpectedly, large differences in themore » $$\\text{H}_{2}^{+}$$ fluxes to each of the two electrodes are caused by the different $$\\text{H}_{3}^{+}$$ energies. When the discharge is excited with slope asymmetric waveforms, only weak electrical asymmetry of the discharge is observed. In this case, electron power absorption due to fast sheath expansion at one electrode is balanced by electron power absorption at the opposite electrode due to a strong electric field reversal.« less

Electric organ discharge diversification in mormyrid weakly electric fish is associated with differential expression of voltage-gated ion channel genes.

PubMed

Nagel, Rebecca; Kirschbaum, Frank; Tiedemann, Ralph

2017-03-01

In mormyrid weakly electric fish, the electric organ discharge (EOD) is used for species recognition, orientation and prey localization. Produced in the muscle-derived adult electric organ, the EOD exhibits a wide diversity across species in both waveform and duration. While certain defining EOD characteristics can be linked to anatomical features of the electric organ, many factors underlying EOD differentiation are yet unknown. Here, we report the differential expression of 13 Kv1 voltage-gated potassium channel genes, two inwardly rectifying potassium channel genes, two previously studied sodium channel genes and an ATPase pump in two sympatric species of the genus Campylomormyrus in both the adult electric organ and skeletal muscle. Campylomormyrus compressirostris displays a basal EOD, largely unchanged during development, while C. tshokwe has an elongated, putatively derived discharge. We report an upregulation in all Kv1 genes in the electric organ of Campylomormyrus tshokwe when compared to both skeletal muscle and C. compressirostris electric organ. This pattern of upregulation in a species with a derived EOD form suggests that voltage-gated potassium channels are potentially involved in the diversification of the EOD signal among mormyrid weakly electric fish.

Binding and release of brain calcium by low-level electromagnetic fields: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adey, W. R.; Bawin, S. M.

Evidence has accumulated that sensitivity of brain tissue to specific weak oscillating electromagnetic fields occurs in the absence of significant tissue heating (less than 0.1°C). This review focuses on the ‘windowed’ character of sensitivities of calcium binding and electrical activity in brain tissue to low-frequency modulation and intensity characteristics of impressed RF fields. ELF fields decrease calcium efflux from isolated chick and cat cerebral tissue by about 15% only in narrow amplitude and frequency ‘windows,’ between 6 and 20 Hz and between 10 and 100 V/m (approximate tissue gradient, 10-7 V/cm). VHF (147 MHz) and UHF (450 MHz) fields increase calcium efflux from isolated chick brain by about 15% when amplitude modulated between 6 and 20 Hz, but only for incident fields in the vicinity of 1.0 mW/cm2. We have now shown that this increased efflux in response to 16-Hz amplitude-modulated 450-MHz, 0.75-mW/cm2 field exposure is insensitive to variations in calcium concentration from 0 to 4.16 mM in the testing solution but is enhanced by addition of hydrogen ions (0.108 mM 0.1 N HCl) and inhibited in the absence of normal bicarbonate ion levels (2.4 mM). In the presence of lanthanum ions (2.0 mM), which block transmembrane movement of calcium, exposure to these EM fields decreases the 45Ca2 + efflux. Low-frequency gradients may be transduced in a specific class of extracellular binding sites, normally occupied by calcium ions and susceptible to competitive hydrogen ion binding. Transductive coupling may involve coherent charge states between anionic sites on membrane surface glycoproteins, with longrange cooperative interactions triggered by weak extracellular electric fields. Proton ‘tunneling’ may occur at boundaries between coherent and noncoherent charge zones.

Inversion of multi-frequency electromagnetic induction data for 3D characterization of hydraulic conductivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brosten, Troy R.; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Schultz, Gregory M.; Curtis, Gary P.; Lane, John W.

2011-01-01

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) instruments provide rapid, noninvasive, and spatially dense data for characterization of soil and groundwater properties. Data from multi-frequency EMI tools can be inverted to provide quantitative electrical conductivity estimates as a function of depth. In this study, multi-frequency EMI data collected across an abandoned uranium mill site near Naturita, Colorado, USA, are inverted to produce vertical distribution of electrical conductivity (EC) across the site. The relation between measured apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) and hydraulic conductivity (K) is weak (correlation coefficient of 0.20), whereas the correlation between the depth dependent EC obtained from the inversions, and K is sufficiently strong to be used for hydrologic estimation (correlation coefficient of − 0.62). Depth-specific EC values were correlated with co-located K measurements to develop a site-specific ln(EC)–ln(K) relation. This petrophysical relation was applied to produce a spatially detailed map of K across the study area. A synthetic example based on ECa values at the site was used to assess model resolution and correlation loss given variations in depth and/or measurement error. Results from synthetic modeling indicate that optimum correlation with K occurs at ~ 0.5 m followed by a gradual correlation loss of 90% at 2.3 m. These results are consistent with an analysis of depth of investigation (DOI) given the range of frequencies, transmitter–receiver separation, and measurement errors for the field data. DOIs were estimated at 2.0 ± 0.5 m depending on the soil conductivities. A 4-layer model, with varying thicknesses, was used to invert the ECa to maximize available information within the aquifer region for improved correlations with K. Results show improved correlation between K and the corresponding inverted EC at similar depths, underscoring the importance of inversion in using multi-frequency EMI data for hydrologic estimation.

Inversion of multi-frequency electromagnetic induction data for 3D characterization of hydraulic conductivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brosten, T.R.; Day-Lewis, F. D.; Schultz, G.M.; Curtis, G.P.; Lane, J.W.

2011-01-01

Electromagnetic induction (EMI) instruments provide rapid, noninvasive, and spatially dense data for characterization of soil and groundwater properties. Data from multi-frequency EMI tools can be inverted to provide quantitative electrical conductivity estimates as a function of depth. In this study, multi-frequency EMI data collected across an abandoned uranium mill site near Naturita, Colorado, USA, are inverted to produce vertical distribution of electrical conductivity (EC) across the site. The relation between measured apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) and hydraulic conductivity (K) is weak (correlation coefficient of 0.20), whereas the correlation between the depth dependent EC obtained from the inversions, and K is sufficiently strong to be used for hydrologic estimation (correlation coefficient of -0.62). Depth-specific EC values were correlated with co-located K measurements to develop a site-specific ln(EC)-ln(K) relation. This petrophysical relation was applied to produce a spatially detailed map of K across the study area. A synthetic example based on ECa values at the site was used to assess model resolution and correlation loss given variations in depth and/or measurement error. Results from synthetic modeling indicate that optimum correlation with K occurs at ~0.5m followed by a gradual correlation loss of 90% at 2.3m. These results are consistent with an analysis of depth of investigation (DOI) given the range of frequencies, transmitter-receiver separation, and measurement errors for the field data. DOIs were estimated at 2.0??0.5m depending on the soil conductivities. A 4-layer model, with varying thicknesses, was used to invert the ECa to maximize available information within the aquifer region for improved correlations with K. Results show improved correlation between K and the corresponding inverted EC at similar depths, underscoring the importance of inversion in using multi-frequency EMI data for hydrologic estimation. ?? 2011.

The vestibulomyogenic balance response is elevated following high-intensity lengthening contractions of the lower limb.

PubMed

McIntosh, Emily I; Power, Geoffrey A; Dalton, Brian H

2018-05-14

The purpose was to investigate whether exercise-induced muscle weakness of the plantar and dorsiflexors through high-intensity lengthening contractions increases the vestibulomyogenic balance response. Nine males (∼25 years) participated in three experimental testing days to evaluate the vestibular control of standing balance and neuromuscular function of the plantar and dorsiflexors pre- and post (30 min, and 1 and 7 days) high-intensity lengthening plantar and dorsiflexions. To evaluate the vestibular-evoked balance response, participants stood quietly on a force plate while exposed to continuous, random electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) for two 90-s trials. Relationships between EVS-antero-posterior (AP) forces and EVS-medial gastrocnemius electromyography (EMG) were estimated in the frequency domain (i.e., coherence). Weakness of the right plantar and dorsiflexors were assessed using maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque. The lengthening contractions induced a 13 and 24% reduction in plantar and dorsiflexor MVC torque, respectively (p < 0.05) of the exercised leg, which did not recover by 1 day post. The EVS-EMG coherence increased over a range of frequencies up to 7 days post compared to pre-lengthening contractions. Conversely, EVS-AP forces coherence exhibited limited changes. The greater EVS-EMG coherence post exercise-induced muscle weakness may be a compensatory mechanism to maintain the whole-body vestibular-evoked balance response when muscle strength is reduced. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

¹⁴N Quadrupole Resonance line broadening due to the earth magnetic field, occuring only in the case of an axially symmetric electric field gradient tensor.

PubMed

Aissani, Sarra; Guendouz, Laouès; Marande, Pierre-Louis; Canet, Daniel

2015-01-01

As demonstrated before, the application of a weak static B0 magnetic field (less than 10 G) may produce definite effects on the ¹⁴N Quadrupole Resonance line when the electric field gradient tensor at the nitrogen nucleus level is of axial symmetry. Here, we address more precisely the problem of the relative orientation of the two magnetic fields (the static field and the radio-frequency field of the pure NQR experiment). For a field of 6G, the evolution of the signal intensity, as a function of this relative orientation, is in very good agreement with the theoretical predictions. There is in particular an intensity loss by a factor of three when going from the parallel configuration to the perpendicular configuration. By contrast, when dealing with a very weak magnetic field (as the earth field, around 0.5 G), this effect drops to ca. 1.5 in the case Hexamethylenetetramine (HMT).This is explained by the fact that the Zeeman shift (due to the very weak magnetic field) becomes comparable to the natural line-width. The latter can therefore be determined by accounting for this competition. Still in the case of HMT, the estimated natural line-width is half the observed line-width. The extra broadening is thus attributed to earth magnetic field. The latter constitutes therefore the main cause of the difference between the natural transverse relaxation time (T₂) and the transverse relaxation time derived from the observed line-width (T₂(⁎)). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compatibility of photomultiplier tube operation with SQUIDs for a neutron EDM experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libersky, Matthew; nEDM Collaboration

2013-10-01

An experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the goal of reducing the experimental limit on the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron will measure the precession frequencies of neutrons when a strong electric field is applied parallel and anti-parallel to a weak magnetic field. A difference in these frequencies would indicate a nonzero neutron EDM. To correct for drifts of the magnetic field in the measurement volume, polarized 3He will be used as a co-magnetometer. In one of the two methods built into the apparatus, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) will be used to read out the 3He magnetization. Photomultiplier tubes will be used concurrently to measure scintillation light from neutron capture by 3He. However, the simultaneous noise-sensitive magnetic field measurement by the SQUIDs makes conventional PMT operation problematic due to the alternating current involved in generating the high voltages needed. Tests were carried out at Los Alamos National Laboratory to study the compatibility of simultaneous SQUID and PMT operation, using a custom battery-powered high-voltage power supply developed by Meyer and Smith (NIM A 647.1) to operate the PMT. The results of these tests will be presented.

Electromagnetic Scattering Analysis of Large Size Asteroids/Comets for Reflection/Transmission Tomography (RTT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deshpande, Manohar

2011-01-01

A precise knowledge of the interior structure of asteroids, comets, and Near Earth Objects (NEO) is important to assess the consequences of their impacts with the Earth and develop efficient mitigation strategies. Knowledge of their interior structure also provides opportunities for extraction of raw materials for future space activities. Low frequency radio sounding is often proposed for investigating interior structures of asteroids and NEOs. For designing and optimizing radio sounding instrument it is advantageous to have an accurate and efficient numerical simulation model of radio reflection and transmission through large size bodies of asteroid shapes. In this presentation we will present electromagnetic (EM) scattering analysis of electrically large size asteroids using (1) a weak form formulation and (2) also a more accurate hybrid finite element method/method of moments (FEM/MOM) to help estimate their internal structures. Assuming the internal structure with known electrical properties of a sample asteroid, we first develop its forward EM scattering model. From the knowledge of EM scattering as a function of frequency and look angle we will then present the inverse scattering procedure to extract its interior structure image. Validity of the inverse scattering procedure will be presented through few simulation examples.

Comparative studies of the structure, morphology and electrical conductivity of polyaniline weakly doped with chlorocarboxylic acids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gmati, Fethi; Fattoum, Arbi; Bohli, Nadra; Dhaoui, Wadia; Belhadj Mohamed, Abdellatif

2007-08-01

We report the results of studies on two series of polyaniline (PANI), doped with dichloroacetic (DCA) and trichloroacetic (TCA) acids, respectively, at various doping rates and obtained by the in situ polymerization method. Samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and conductivity measurements. The direct current (dc) and alternating current (ac) electrical conductivities of PANI salts have been investigated in the temperature range 100-310 K and frequency range 7-106 Hz. The results of this study indicate better chain ordering and higher conductivity for PANI doped with TCA. The dc conductivity of all samples is suitably fitted to Mott's three-dimensional variable-range hopping (VRH) model. Different Mott parameters such as characteristic temperature T0, density of states at the Fermi level (N(EF)), average hopping energy (W) and the average hopping distance (R) have been evaluated. The dependence of such values on the dopant acid used is discussed. At high frequencies, the ac conductivity follows the power law σac(ω,T) = A(T)ωs(T,ω), which is characteristic for charge transport in disordered materials by hopping or tunnelling processes. The observed increase in the frequency exponent s with temperature suggests that the small-polaron tunnelling model best describes the dominant ac conduction mechanism. A direct correlation between conductivity, structure and morphology was obtained in our systems.

Electron Information in Single- and Dual-Frequency Capacitive Discharges at Atmospheric Pressure.

PubMed

Park, Sanghoo; Choe, Wonho; Moon, Se Youn; Shi, Jian Jun

2018-05-14

Determining the electron properties of weakly ionized gases, particularly in a high electron-neutral collisional condition, is a nontrivial task; thus, the mechanisms underlying the electron characteristics and electron heating structure in radio-frequency (rf) collisional discharges remain unclear. Here, we report the electrical characteristics and electron information in single-frequency (4.52 MHz and 13.56 MHz) and dual-frequency (a combination of 4.52 MHz and 13.56 MHz) capacitive discharges within the abnormal α-mode regime at atmospheric pressure. A continuum radiation-based electron diagnostic method is employed to estimate the electron density (n e ) and temperature (T e ). Our experimental observations reveal that time-averaged n e (7.7-14 × 10 11  cm -3 ) and T e (1.75-2.5 eV) can be independently controlled in dual-frequency discharge, whereas such control is nontrivial in single-frequency discharge, which shows a linear increase in n e and little to no change in T e with increases in the rf input power. Furthermore, the two-dimensional spatiotemporal evolution of neutral bremsstrahlung and associated electron heating structures is demonstrated. These results reveal that a symmetric structure in electron heating becomes asymmetric (via a local suppression of electron temperature) as two-frequency power is simultaneously introduced.

Role of random electric fields in relaxors

PubMed Central

Phelan, Daniel; Stock, Christopher; Rodriguez-Rivera, Jose A.; Chi, Songxue; Leão, Juscelino; Long, Xifa; Xie, Yujuan; Bokov, Alexei A.; Ye, Zuo-Guang; Ganesh, Panchapakesan; Gehring, Peter M.

2014-01-01

PbZr1–xTixO3 (PZT) and Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)1–xTixO3 (PMN-xPT) are complex lead-oxide perovskites that display exceptional piezoelectric properties for pseudorhombohedral compositions near a tetragonal phase boundary. In PZT these compositions are ferroelectrics, but in PMN-xPT they are relaxors because the dielectric permittivity is frequency dependent and exhibits non-Arrhenius behavior. We show that the nanoscale structure unique to PMN-xPT and other lead-oxide perovskite relaxors is absent in PZT and correlates with a greater than 100% enhancement of the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient in PMN-xPT relative to that in PZT. By comparing dielectric, structural, lattice dynamical, and piezoelectric measurements on PZT and PMN-xPT, two nearly identical compounds that represent weak and strong random electric field limits, we show that quenched (static) random fields establish the relaxor phase and identify the order parameter. PMID:24449912

Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling during substorm onset

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maynard, N. C.; Burke, W. J.; Erickson, G. M.; Basinka, E. M.; Yahnin, A. G.

1996-01-01

Through the analysis of a combination of CRRES satellite measurements and ground-based measurements, an empirical scenario was developed for the onset of substorms. The process develops from ripples at the inner edge of the plasma sheet associated with dusk to dawn excursions of the electric field, prior to the beginning of dipolarization. The importance of Poynting flux is considered. Substorms develop when significant amounts of energy flow in both directions with the second cycle stronger than the initial cycle. Pseudobreakups occur when the energy flowing in both directions is weak or out of phase. The observations indicate that the dusk to dawn excursions of the cross-tail electric field correlate with changes in currents and particle energies observed by CRRES, and with ultra low frequency wave activity observed on the ground. Magnetic signatures of field aligned current filaments, associated with the substorm current wedge were observed to be initiated by the process.

Electromagnetic perturbations of black holes in general relativity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toshmatov, Bobir; Stuchlík, Zdeněk; Schee, Jan; Ahmedov, Bobomurat

2018-04-01

The electromagnetic (EM) perturbations of the black hole solutions in general relativity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics (NED) are studied for both electrically and magnetically charged black holes, assuming that the EM perturbations do not alter the spacetime geometry. It is shown that the effective potentials of the electrically and magnetically charged black holes related to test perturbative NED EM fields are related to the effective metric governing the photon motion, contrary to the effective potential of the linear electrodynamic (Maxwell) field that is related to the spacetime metric. Consequently, corresponding quasinormal (QN) frequencies differ as well. As a special case, we study new family of the NED black hole solutions which tend in the weak field limit to the Maxwell field, giving the Reissner-Nordström (RN) black hole solution. We compare the NED Maxwellian black hole QN spectra with the RN black hole QN spectra.

Quantum optics in a high impedance environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puertas, Javier; Gheeraert, Nicolas; Krupko, Yuriy; Dassonneville, Remy; Planat, Luca; Foroughui, Farshad; Naud, Cecile; Guichard, Wiebke; Buisson, Olivier; Florens, Serge; Roch, Nicolas; Snyman, Izak

Understanding light matter interaction remains a key topic in fundamental physics. Its strength is imposed by the fine structure constant, α. For most atomic and molecular systems α =e2/ℏc 4 πɛo = 1 / 137 << 1 , giving weak interactions. When dealing with superconducting artificial atoms, α is either proportional to 1 /Zc (magnetic coupling) or Zc (electric coupling), where Zc is the characteristic impedance of the environment. Recent experiments followed the first approach, coupling a flux qubit to a low impedance environment, demonstrating strong interaction (α 1). In our work, we reached the large α regime, following a complementary approach: we couple electrically a transmon qubit to an array of 5000 SQUIDs. This metamaterial provides high characteristic impedance ( 3 kΩ), in-situ flux tunability and full control over its dispersion relation. In this new regime, all usual approximations break down and new phenomena such as frequency conversion at the single photon level are expected.

Laser-assisted electron tunneling in a STM junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Shunhua Thomas

2000-10-01

Since its introduction in 1981, the Nobel prize-winning scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been developed into a powerful yet conceptually simple instrument, replacing traditional scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM/TEM) in many of the microscopic surface phenomenon studies. The strength of the STM stems from the sensitive tunneling current-potential barrier width relationship of the electron tunneling process, and has been used to re-examine the frequency-mixing and harmonic generation properties of an non-linear metal- oxide-metal (MOM) tunneling junction. In this research, electron-tunneling events under polarized laser radiation at 514.5-nm argon and 10.6-μm carbon dioxide laser wavelengths were investigated. The objective is to understand the underlying interactive mechanisms between the tunneling junction and the external laser excitation. A commercial scanning tunneling microscope head and controller were incorporated into the experimental setup. Operation characteristics and the electrical properties of the STM junction were determined. Tunneling current and distance responses with respect to different laser polarization, modulation frequency, incident power, and tunneling distance were also conducted. From the experimental results it is shown that thermal expansion effect was the dominant source of response for laser modulation frequency up to about 100 kHz, in quantitative agreement with theoretical calculations. Different laser polarizations as the experiments demonstrated did not contribute significantly to the STM response in the investigated frequency range. The electric field induced by the laser beam was calculated to be one to two order of magnitudes lower than the field required to initiate field emission where the tunneling junction I- V curve is most non-linear. Also, the electrical coupling of the incident laser at the STM junction was determined to be non-critical at visible laser wavelength, and the reflected laser energy from the sample re-entering the junction was shown to be weak and did not influence the ongoing electron tunneling process. In conclusion, the thermal expansion of the physical tunneling junction was found to be responsible to the tunneling current modulation in a laser - STM setup for laser modulation frequencies in the lower frequency range.

Structural, electrical and magnetic properties of (Fe, Co) co-doped SnO2 diluted magnetic semiconductor nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehraj, Sumaira; Ansari, M. Shahnawaze; Alimuddin

2015-01-01

Nanostructures (NSs) of basic composition Sn1-xFex/2Cox/2O2 with x=0.00, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1 were synthesized by citrate-gel route and characterized to understand their structural, electrical and magnetic properties. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to confirm the formation of single phase rutile type tetragonal structure. The crystallite sizes calculated by using Williamson Hall were found to decrease with increasing doping level. In addition to the fundamental Raman peaks of rutile SnO2, the other three weak Raman peaks at about 505, 537 and 688 cm-1 were also observed. Field emission scanning electron microscopy studies showed the emergence of structural transformation. Electric properties such as dc electrical resistivity as a function of temperature and ac conductivity as a function of frequency were also studied. The variation of dielectric properties with frequency reveals that the dispersion is due to Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization in general. Hysteresis loops were clearly observed in M-H curves of Fe and Co co-doped SnO2 NSs. However, pure SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) showed paramagnetic behaviour which vanished at higher values of magnetic field. The grain and grain boundary contribution in the conduction process is estimated through complex impedance plot fitted with non-linear least square (NLLS) approach which shows that the role of grain boundaries increases rapidly as compared to the grain volume with the increase of Fe and Co ions in to system.

Nonequilibrium electrophoresis of an ion-selective microgranule for weak and moderate external electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frants, E. A.; Ganchenko, G. S.; Shelistov, V. S.; Amiroudine, S.; Demekhin, E. A.

2018-02-01

Electrokinetics and the movement of charge-selective micro-granules in an electrolyte solution under the influence of an external electric field are investigated theoretically. Straightforward perturbation analysis is applied to a thin electric double layer and a weak external field, while a numerical solution is used for moderate electric fields. The asymptotic solution enables the determination of the salt concentration, electric charge distribution, and electro-osmotic velocity fields. It may also be used to obtain a simple analytical formula for the electrophoretic velocity in the case of quasi-equilibrium electrophoresis (electrophoresis of the first kind). This formula differs from the famous Helmholtz-Smoluchowski relation, which applies to dielectric microparticles, but not to ion-selective granules. Numerical calculations are used to validate the derived formula for weak external electric fields, but for moderate fields, nonlinear effects lead to a significant increase in electrophoretic mobility and to a transition from quasi-equilibrium electrophoresis of the first kind to nonequilibrium electrophoresis of the second kind. Theoretical results are successfully compared with experimental data.

Inhibition Potentiates the Synchronizing Action of Electrical Synapses

PubMed Central

Pfeuty, Benjamin; Golomb, David; Mato, Germán; Hansel, David

2007-01-01

In vivo and in vitro experimental studies have found that blocking electrical interactions connecting GABAergic interneurons reduces oscillatory activity in the γ range in cortex. However, recent theoretical works have shown that the ability of electrical synapses to promote or impede synchrony, when alone, depends on their location on the dendritic tree of the neurons, the intrinsic properties of the neurons and the connectivity of the network. The goal of the present paper is to show that this versatility in the synchronizing ability of electrical synapses is greatly reduced when the neurons also interact via inhibition. To this end, we study a model network comprising two-compartment conductance-based neurons interacting with both types of synapses. We investigate the effect of electrical synapses on the dynamical state of the network as a function of the strength of the inhibition. We find that for weak inhibition, electrical synapses reinforce inhibition-generated synchrony only if they promote synchrony when they are alone. In contrast, when inhibition is sufficiently strong, electrical synapses improve synchrony even if when acting alone they would stabilize asynchronous firing. We clarify the mechanism underlying this cooperative interplay between electrical and inhibitory synapses. We show that it is relevant in two physiologically observed regimes: spike-to-spike synchrony, where neurons fire at almost every cycle of the population oscillations, and stochastic synchrony, where neurons fire irregularly and at a rate which is substantially lower than the frequency of the global population rhythm. PMID:18946530

The Use of Sparse Direct Solver in Vector Finite Element Modeling for Calculating Two Dimensional (2-D) Magnetotelluric Responses in Transverse Electric (TE) Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yihaa Roodhiyah, Lisa’; Tjong, Tiffany; Nurhasan; Sutarno, D.

2018-04-01

The late research, linear matrices of vector finite element in two dimensional(2-D) magnetotelluric (MT) responses modeling was solved by non-sparse direct solver in TE mode. Nevertheless, there is some weakness which have to be improved especially accuracy in the low frequency (10-3 Hz-10-5 Hz) which is not achieved yet and high cost computation in dense mesh. In this work, the solver which is used is sparse direct solver instead of non-sparse direct solverto overcome the weaknesses of solving linear matrices of vector finite element metod using non-sparse direct solver. Sparse direct solver will be advantageous in solving linear matrices of vector finite element method because of the matrix properties which is symmetrical and sparse. The validation of sparse direct solver in solving linear matrices of vector finite element has been done for a homogen half-space model and vertical contact model by analytical solution. Thevalidation result of sparse direct solver in solving linear matrices of vector finite element shows that sparse direct solver is more stable than non-sparse direct solver in computing linear problem of vector finite element method especially in low frequency. In the end, the accuracy of 2D MT responses modelling in low frequency (10-3 Hz-10-5 Hz) has been reached out under the efficient allocation memory of array and less computational time consuming.

Underwater electric field detection system based on weakly electric fish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Wei; Wang, Tianyu; Wang, Qi

2018-04-01

Weakly electric fish sense their surroundings in complete darkness by their active electric field detection system. However, due to the insufficient detection capacity of the electric field, the detection distance is not enough, and the detection accuracy is not high. In this paper, a method of underwater detection based on rotating current field theory is proposed to improve the performance of underwater electric field detection system. First of all, we built underwater detection system based on the theory of the spin current field mathematical model with the help of the results of previous researchers. Then we completed the principle prototype and finished the metal objects in the water environment detection experiments, laid the foundation for the further experiments.

Interplanetary scintillation observations with the Cocoa Cross radio telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cronyn, W. M.; Shawhan, S. D.; Erskine, F. T.; Huneke, A. H.; Mitchell, D. G.

1976-01-01

Physical and electrical parameters for the 34.3-MHz Cocoa Cross radio telescope are given. The telescope is dedicated to the determination of solar-wind characteristics in and out of the ecliptic plane through measurement of electron-density irregularity structure as determined from IPS (interplanetary scintillation) of natural radio sources. The collecting area (72,000 sq m), angular resolution (0.4 deg EW by 0.6 deg NS), and spatial extent (1.3 km EW by 0.8 km NS) make the telescope well suited for measurements of IPS index and frequency scale for hundreds of weak radio sources without serious confusion effects.

Imaging electrical conductivity, permeability, and/or permittivity contrasts using the Born Scattering Inversion (BSI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darrh, A.; Downs, C. M.; Poppeliers, C.

2017-12-01

Born Scattering Inversion (BSI) of electromagnetic (EM) data is a geophysical imaging methodology for mapping weak conductivity, permeability, and/or permittivity contrasts in the subsurface. The high computational cost of full waveform inversion is reduced by adopting the First Born Approximation for scattered EM fields. This linearizes the inverse problem in terms of Born scattering amplitudes for a set of effective EM body sources within a 3D imaging volume. Estimation of scatterer amplitudes is subsequently achieved by solving the normal equations. Our present BSI numerical experiments entail Fourier transforming real-valued synthetic EM data to the frequency-domain, and minimizing the L2 residual between complex-valued observed and predicted data. We are testing the ability of BSI to resolve simple scattering models. For our initial experiments, synthetic data are acquired by three-component (3C) electric field receivers distributed on a plane above a single point electric dipole within a homogeneous and isotropic wholespace. To suppress artifacts, candidate Born scatterer locations are confined to a volume beneath the receiver array. Also, we explore two different numerical linear algebra algorithms for solving the normal equations: Damped Least Squares (DLS), and Non-Negative Least Squares (NNLS). Results from NNLS accurately recover the source location only for a large dense 3C receiver array, but fail when the array is decimated, or is restricted to horizontal component data. Using all receiver stations and all components per station, NNLS results are relatively insensitive to a sub-sampled frequency spectrum, suggesting that coarse frequency-domain sampling may be adequate for good target resolution. Results from DLS are insensitive to diminishing array density, but contain spatially oscillatory structure. DLS-generated images are consistently centered at the known point source location, despite an abundance of surrounding structure.

Static weak dipole moments of the τ lepton via renormalizable scalar leptoquark interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolaños, A.; Moyotl, A.; Tavares-Velasco, G.

2014-03-01

The weak dipole moments of elementary fermions are calculated at the one-loop level in the framework of a renormalizable scalar leptoquark model that forbids baryon number violating processes and so is free from the strong constraints arising from experimental data. In this model there are two scalar leptoquarks accommodated in a SUL(2)×UY(1) doublet: One of these leptoquarks is nonchiral and has electric charge of 5/3e, whereas the other one is chiral and has electric charge 2/3e. In particular, a nonchiral leptoquark contributes to the weak properties of an up fermion via a chirality-flipping term proportional to the mass of the virtual fermion, and can also induce a nonzero weak electric dipole moment provided that the leptoquark couplings are complex. The numerical analysis is focused on the weak properties of the τ lepton since they offer good prospects for experimental study. The constraints on leptoquark couplings are briefly discussed for a nonchiral leptoquark with nondiagonal couplings to the second and third fermion generations, a third-generation nonchiral leptoquark, and a third-generation chiral leptoquark. It is found that although the chirality-flipping term can enhance the weak properties of the τ lepton via the top quark contribution, such an enhancement would be offset by the strong constraints on the leptoquark couplings. So, the contribution of scalar leptoquarks to the weak magnetic dipole moment of the τ lepton are smaller than the standard model (SM) contributions but can be of similar size to those arising in some SM extensions. A nonchiral leptoquark can also give contributions to the weak electric dipole moment larger than the SM one but well below the experimental limit. We also discuss the case of the off-shell weak dipole moments and, for completeness, analyze the behavior of the τ electromagnetic properties.

Lower Hybrid Oscillations in Multicomponent Space Plasmas Subjected to Ion Cyclotron Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Krivorutsky, E. N.; Moore, T. E.; Liemohn, M. W.; Horwitz, J. L.

1997-01-01

It is found that in multicomponent plasmas subjected to Alfven or fast magnetosonic waves, such as are observed in regions of the outer plasmasphere and ring current-plasmapause overlap, lower hybrid oscillations are generated. The addition of a minor heavy ion component to a proton-electron plasma significantly lowers the low-frequency electric wave amplitude needed for lower hybrid wave excitation. It is found that the lower hybrid wave energy density level is determined by the nonlinear process of induced scattering by ions and electrons; hydrogen ions in the region of resonant velocities are accelerated; and nonresonant particles are weakly heated due to the induced scattering. For a given example, the light resonant ions have an energy gain factor of 20, leading to the development of a high-energy tail in the H(+) distribution function due to low-frequency waves.

Multi-frequency ICRF diagnostic of Tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lafonteese, David James

This thesis explores the diagnostic possibilities of a fast wave-based method for measuring the ion density and temperature profiles of tokamak plasmas. In these studies fast waves are coupled to the plasma at frequencies at the second harmonic of the ion gyrofrequency, at which wave energy is absorbed by the finite-temperature ions. As the ion gyrofrequency is dependent upon the local magnetic field, which varies as l/R in a tokamak, this power absorption is radially localized. The simultaneous launching of multiple frequencies, all resonating at different plasma positions, allows local measurements of the ion density and temperature. To investigate the profile applications of wave damping measurements in a simulated tokamak, an inhouse slab-model ICRF code is developed. A variety of analysis methods are presented, and ion density and temperature profiles are reconstructed for hydrogen plasmas for the Electric Tokamak (ET) and ITER parameter spaces. These methods achieve promising results in simulated plasmas featuring bulk ion heating, off-axis RF heating, and density ramps. The experimental results of similar studies on the Electric Tokamak, a high aspect ratio (R/a = 5), low toroidal field (2.2 kG) device are then presented. In these studies, six fast wave frequencies were coupled using a single-strap, low-field-side antenna to ET plasmas. The frequencies were variable, and could be tuned to resonate at different radii for different experiments. Four magnetic pickup loops were used to measure of the toroidal component of the wave magnetic field. The expected greater eigenmode damping of center-resonant frequencies versus edge-resonant frequencies is consistently observed. Comparison of measured aspects of fast wave behavior in ET is made with the slab code predictions, which validate the code simulations under weakly-damped conditions. A density profile is measured for an ET discharge through analysis of the fast wave measurements, and is compared to an electron density profile derived from Thomson scattering data. The methodology behind a similar measurement of the ion temperature profile is also presented.

Asymmetric photon transport in organic semiconductor nanowires through electrically controlled exciton diffusion

PubMed Central

Cui, Qiu Hong; Peng, Qian; Luo, Yi; Jiang, Yuqian; Yan, Yongli; Wei, Cong; Shuai, Zhigang; Sun, Cheng; Yao, Jiannian; Zhao, Yong Sheng

2018-01-01

The ability to steer the flow of light toward desired propagation directions is critically important for the realization of key functionalities in optical communication and information processing. Although various schemes have been proposed for this purpose, the lack of capability to incorporate an external electric field to effectively tune the light propagation has severely limited the on-chip integration of photonics and electronics. Because of the noninteractive nature of photons, it is only possible to electrically control the flow of light by modifying the refractive index of materials through the electro-optic effect. However, the weak optical effects need to be strongly amplified for practical applications in high-density photonic integrations. We show a new strategy that takes advantage of the strong exciton-photon coupling in active waveguides to effectively manipulate photon transport by controlling the interaction between excitons and the external electric field. Single-crystal organic semiconductor nanowires were used to generate highly stable Frenkel exciton polaritons with strong binding and diffusion abilities. By making use of directional exciton diffusion in an external electric field, we have realized an electrically driven asymmetric photon transport and thus directional light propagation in a single nanowire. With this new concept, we constructed a dual-output single wire–based device to build an electrically controlled single-pole double-throw optical switch with fast temporal response and high switching frequency. Our findings may lead to the innovation of concepts and device architectures for optical information processing. PMID:29556529

Monitoring method and apparatus using high-frequency carrier

DOEpatents

Haynes, Howard D.

1996-01-01

A method and apparatus for monitoring an electrical-motor-driven device by injecting a high frequency carrier signal onto the power line current. The method is accomplished by injecting a high frequency carrier signal onto an AC power line current. The AC power line current supplies the electrical-motor-driven device with electrical energy. As a result, electrical and mechanical characteristics of the electrical-motor-driven device modulate the high frequency carrier signal and the AC power line current. The high frequency carrier signal is then monitored, conditioned and demodulated. Finally, the modulated high frequency carrier signal is analyzed to ascertain the operating condition of the electrical-motor-driven device.

Late administration of high-frequency electrical stimulation increases nerve regeneration without aggravating neuropathic pain in a nerve crush injury.

PubMed

Su, Hong-Lin; Chiang, Chien-Yi; Lu, Zong-Han; Cheng, Fu-Chou; Chen, Chun-Jung; Sheu, Meei-Ling; Sheehan, Jason; Pan, Hung-Chuan

2018-06-25

High-frequency transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is currently used for the administration of electrical current in denervated muscle to alleviate muscle atrophy and enhance motor function; however, the time window (i.e. either immediate or delayed) for achieving benefit is still undetermined. In this study, we conducted an intervention of sciatic nerve crush injury using high-frequency TENS at different time points to assess the effect of motor and sensory functional recovery. Animals with left sciatic nerve crush injury received TENS treatment starting immediately after injury or 1 week later at a high frequency(100 Hz) or at a low frequency (2 Hz) as a control. In SFI gait analysis, either immediate or late admission of high-frequency electrical stimulation exerted significant improvement compared to either immediate or late administration of low-frequency electrical stimulation. In an assessment of allodynia, immediate high frequency electrical stimulation caused a significantly decreased pain threshold compared to late high-frequency or low-frequency stimulation at immediate or late time points. Immunohistochemistry staining and western blot analysis of S-100 and NF-200 demonstrated that both immediate and late high frequency electrical stimulation showed a similar effect; however the effect was superior to that achieved with low frequency stimulation. Immediate high frequency electrical stimulation resulted in significant expression of TNF-α and synaptophysin in the dorsal root ganglion, somatosensory cortex, and hippocampus compared to late electrical stimulation, and this trend paralleled the observed effect on somatosensory evoked potential. The CatWalk gait analysis also showed that immediate electrical stimulation led to a significantly high regularity index. In primary dorsal root ganglion cells culture, high-frequency electrical stimulation also exerted a significant increase in expression of TNF-α, synaptophysin, and NGF in accordance with the in vivo results. Immediate or late transcutaneous high-frequency electrical stimulation exhibited the potential to stimulate the motor nerve regeneration. However, immediate electrical stimulation had a predilection to develop neuropathic pain. A delay in TENS initiation appears to be a reasonable approach for nerve repair and provides the appropriate time profile for its clinical application.

Conductivity of molten sodium chloride in an arbitrarily weak dc electric field.

PubMed

Delhommelle, Jerome; Cummings, Peter T; Petravic, Janka

2005-09-15

We use nonequilibrium molecular-dynamics (NEMD) simulations to characterize the response of a fluid subjected to an electric field. We focus on the response for very weak fields. Fields accessible by conventional NEMD methods are typically of the order of 10(9) V m(-1), i.e., several orders of magnitude larger than those typically used in experiments. Using the transient time-correlation function, we show how NEMD simulations can be extended to study systems subjected to a realistic dc electric field. We then apply this approach to study the response of molten sodium chloride for a wide range of dc electric fields.

Electric Field Detection in Sawfish and Shovelnose Rays

PubMed Central

Wueringer, Barbara E.; Jnr, Lyle Squire; Kajiura, Stephen M.; Tibbetts, Ian R.; Hart, Nathan S.; Collin, Shaun P.

2012-01-01

In the aquatic environment, living organisms emit weak dipole electric fields, which spread in the surrounding water. Elasmobranchs detect these dipole electric fields with their highly sensitive electroreceptors, the ampullae of Lorenzini. Freshwater sawfish, Pristis microdon, and two species of shovelnose rays, Glaucostegus typus and Aptychotrema rostrata were tested for their reactions towards weak artificial electric dipole fields. The comparison of sawfishes and shovelnose rays sheds light on the evolution and function of the elongated rostrum (‘saw’) of sawfish, as both groups evolved from a shovelnose ray-like ancestor. Electric stimuli were presented both on the substrate (to mimic benthic prey) and suspended in the water column (to mimic free-swimming prey). Analysis of around 480 behavioural sequences shows that all three species are highly sensitive towards weak electric dipole fields, and initiate behavioural responses at median field strengths between 5.15 and 79.6 nVcm−1. The response behaviours used by sawfish and shovelnose rays depended on the location of the dipoles. The elongation of the sawfish’s rostrum clearly expanded their electroreceptive search area into the water column and enables them to target free-swimming prey. PMID:22848543

Modelling and simulation of high-frequency (100 MHz) ultrasonic linear arrays based on single crystal LiNbO3.

PubMed

Zhang, J Y; Xu, W J; Carlier, J; Ji, X M; Nongaillard, B; Queste, S; Huang, Y P

2012-01-01

High-frequency ultrasonic transducer arrays are essential for high resolution imaging in clinical analysis and Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE). However, the fabrication of conventional backing-layer structure, which requires a pitch (distance between the centers of two adjacent elements) of half wavelength in medium, is really a great challenge. Here we present an alternative buffer-layer structure with a silicon lens for volumetric imaging. The requirement for the size of the pitch is less critical for this structure, making it possible to fabricate high-frequency (100MHz) ultrasonic linear array transducers. Using silicon substrate also makes it possible to integrate the arrays with IC (Integrated Circuit). To compare with the conventional backing-layer structure, a finite element tool, COMSOL, is employed to investigate the performances of acoustic beam focusing, the influence of pitch size for the buffer-layer configuration, and to calculate the electrical properties of the arrays, including crosstalk effect and electrical impedance. For a 100MHz 10-element array of buffer-layer structure, the ultrasound beam in azimuth plane in water could be electronically focused to obtain a spatial resolution (a half-amplitude width) of 86μm at the focal depth. When decreasing from half wavelength in silicon (42μm) to half wavelength in water (7.5μm), the pitch sizes weakly affect the focal resolution. The lateral spatial resolution is increased by 4.65% when the pitch size decreases from 42μm to 7.5μm. The crosstalk between adjacent elements at the central frequency is, respectively, -95dB, -39.4dB, and -60.5dB for the 10-element buffer, 49-element buffer and 49-element backing arrays. Additionally, the electrical impedance magnitudes for each structure are, respectively, 4kΩ, 26.4kΩ, and 24.2kΩ, which is consistent with calculation results using Krimholtz, Leedom, and Matthaei (KLM) model. These results show that the buffer-layer configuration is a promising alternative for the fabrication of high-frequency ultrasonic linear arrays dedicated to volumetric imaging. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Weak stability of the plasma-vacuum interface problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catania, Davide; D'Abbicco, Marcello; Secchi, Paolo

2016-09-01

We consider the free boundary problem for the two-dimensional plasma-vacuum interface in ideal compressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). In the plasma region, the flow is governed by the usual compressible MHD equations, while in the vacuum region we consider the Maxwell system for the electric and the magnetic fields. At the free interface, driven by the plasma velocity, the total pressure is continuous and the magnetic field on both sides is tangent to the boundary. We study the linear stability of rectilinear plasma-vacuum interfaces by computing the Kreiss-Lopatinskiĭ determinant of an associated linearized boundary value problem. Apart from possible resonances, we obtain that the piecewise constant plasma-vacuum interfaces are always weakly linearly stable, independently of the size of tangential velocity, magnetic and electric fields on both sides of the characteristic discontinuity. We also prove that solutions to the linearized problem obey an energy estimate with a loss of regularity with respect to the source terms, both in the interior domain and on the boundary, due to the failure of the uniform Kreiss-Lopatinskiĭ condition, as the Kreiss-Lopatinskiĭ determinant associated with this linearized boundary value problem has roots on the boundary of the frequency space. In the proof of the a priori estimates, a crucial part is played by the construction of symmetrizers for a reduced differential system, which has poles at which the Kreiss-Lopatinskiĭ condition may fail simultaneously.

Omnidirectional Sensory and Motor Volumes in Electric Fish

PubMed Central

Snyder, James B; Nelson, Mark E; Burdick, Joel W; MacIver, Malcolm A

2007-01-01

Active sensing organisms, such as bats, dolphins, and weakly electric fish, generate a 3-D space for active sensation by emitting self-generated energy into the environment. For a weakly electric fish, we demonstrate that the electrosensory space for prey detection has an unusual, omnidirectional shape. We compare this sensory volume with the animal's motor volume—the volume swept out by the body over selected time intervals and over the time it takes to come to a stop from typical hunting velocities. We find that the motor volume has a similar omnidirectional shape, which can be attributed to the fish's backward-swimming capabilities and body dynamics. We assessed the electrosensory space for prey detection by analyzing simulated changes in spiking activity of primary electrosensory afferents during empirically measured and synthetic prey capture trials. The animal's motor volume was reconstructed from video recordings of body motion during prey capture behavior. Our results suggest that in weakly electric fish, there is a close connection between the shape of the sensory and motor volumes. We consider three general spatial relationships between 3-D sensory and motor volumes in active and passive-sensing animals, and we examine hypotheses about these relationships in the context of the volumes we quantify for weakly electric fish. We propose that the ratio of the sensory volume to the motor volume provides insight into behavioral control strategies across all animals. PMID:18001151

Introduction to power-frequency electric and magnetic fields.

PubMed Central

Kaune, W T

1993-01-01

This paper introduces the reader to electric and magnetic fields, particularly those fields produced by electric power systems and other sources using frequencies in the power-frequency range. Electric fields are produced by electric charges; a magnetic field also is produced if these charges are in motion. Electric fields exert forces on other charges; if in motion, these charges will experience magnetic forces. Power-frequency electric and magnetic fields induce electric currents in conducting bodies such as living organisms. The current density vector is used to describe the distribution of current within a body. The surface of the human body is an excellent shield for power-frequency electric fields, but power-frequency magnetic fields penetrate without significant attenuation; the electric fields induced inside the body by either exposure are comparable in magnitude. Electric fields induced inside a human by most environmental electric and magnetic fields appear to be small in magnitude compared to levels naturally occurring in living tissues. Detection of such fields thus would seem to require the existence of unknown biological mechanisms. Complete characterization of a power-frequency field requires measurement of the magnitudes and electrical phases of the fundamental and harmonic amplitudes of its three vector components. Most available instrumentation measures only a small subset, or some weighted average, of these quantities. Hand-held survey meters have been used widely to measure power-frequency electric and magnetic fields. Automated data-acquisition systems have come into use more recently to make electric- and magnetic-field recordings, covering periods of hours to days, in residences and other environments.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID:8206045

Purely hopping conduction in c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shandilya, Swati; Tomar, Monika; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

2009-05-01

Dielectric constant and ac conductivity of highly c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin film grown by pulsed laser deposition were studied in a metal-insulator-metal configuration over a wide temperature (200 to 450 K) and frequency (100 Hz to 1 MHz) range. The preferred oriented Al (1%) doped ZnO film with electrical conductivity 1.1×103 Ω-1 cm-1 was deposited for dual purpose: (1) to serve as nucleating center for LiNbO3 crystallites along preferred c-axis growth direction, and (2) to act as a suitable bottom electrode for electrical studies. The room temperature dc conductivity (σdc) of LiNbO3 film was about 5.34×10-10 Ω-1 cm-1 with activation energy ˜0.3 eV, indicating extrinsic conduction. The ac conductivity σac was found to be much higher in comparison to σdc in the low temperature region (<300 K) and exhibits a power law behavior due to the hopping of charge carriers. In higher temperature region (>300 K), σac shows a weak frequency dependence, whereas dielectric constant exhibits a strong frequency dispersion. The dielectric dispersion data has been discussed in the light of theoretical models based on Debye type mixed conduction and purely hopping conduction. The dominant conduction in c-axis oriented LiNbO3 thin film is attributed to the purely hopping where both σdc and σac arise due to same mechanism.

Monitoring method and apparatus using high-frequency carrier

DOEpatents

Haynes, H.D.

1996-04-30

A method and apparatus for monitoring an electrical-motor-driven device by injecting a high frequency carrier signal onto the power line current. The method is accomplished by injecting a high frequency carrier signal onto an AC power line current. The AC power line current supplies the electrical-motor-driven device with electrical energy. As a result, electrical and mechanical characteristics of the electrical-motor-driven device modulate the high frequency carrier signal and the AC power line current. The high frequency carrier signal is then monitored, conditioned and demodulated. Finally, the modulated high frequency carrier signal is analyzed to ascertain the operating condition of the electrical-motor-driven device. 6 figs.

Experimental Evidence for Space-Charge Effects between Ions of the Same Mass-to-Charge in Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

PubMed Central

Wong, Richard L.; Amster, I. Jonathan

2009-01-01

It is often stated that ions of the same mass-to-charge do not induce space-charge frequency shifts among themselves in an ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry measurement. Here, we demonstrate space-charge induced frequency shifts for ions of a single mass-to-charge. The monoisotopic atomic ion, Cs+, was used for this study. The measured frequency is observed to decrease linearly with an increase in the number of ions, as has been reported previously for space-charge effects between ions of different mass-to-charge. The frequency shift between ions of the same m/z value are compared to that induced between ions of different m/z value, and is found to be 7.5 times smaller. Control experiments were performed to ensure that the observed space-charge effects are not artifacts of the measurement or of experimental design. The results can be rationalized by recognizing that the electric forces between ions in a magnetic field conform to the weak form of the Newton's third law, where the action and reaction forces do not cancel exactly. PMID:19562102

Complex magnetic susceptibility setup for spectroscopy in the extremely low-frequency range.

PubMed

Kuipers, B W M; Bakelaar, I A; Klokkenburg, M; Erné, B H

2008-01-01

A sensitive balanced differential transformer was built to measure complex initial parallel magnetic susceptibility spectra in the 0.01-1000 Hz range. The alternating magnetic field can be chosen sufficiently weak that the magnetic structure of the samples is only slightly perturbed and the low frequencies make it possible to study the rotational dynamics of large magnetic colloidal particles or aggregates dispersed in a liquid. The distinguishing features of the setup are the novel multilayered cylindrical coils with a large sample volume and a large number of secondary turns (55 000) to measure induced voltages with a good signal-to-noise ratio, the use of a dual channel function generator to provide an ac current to the primary coils and an amplitude- and phase-adjusted compensation voltage to the dual phase differential lock-in amplifier, and the measurement of several vector quantities at each frequency. We present the electrical impedance characteristics of the coils, and we demonstrate the performance of the setup by measurement on magnetic colloidal dispersions covering a wide range of characteristic relaxation frequencies and magnetic susceptibilities, from chi approximately -10(-5) for pure water to chi>1 for concentrated ferrofluids.

High-performance combination method of electric network frequency and phase for audio forgery detection in battery-powered devices.

PubMed

Savari, Maryam; Abdul Wahab, Ainuddin Wahid; Anuar, Nor Badrul

2016-09-01

Audio forgery is any act of tampering, illegal copy and fake quality in the audio in a criminal way. In the last decade, there has been increasing attention to the audio forgery detection due to a significant increase in the number of forge in different type of audio. There are a number of methods for forgery detection, which electric network frequency (ENF) is one of the powerful methods in this area for forgery detection in terms of accuracy. In spite of suitable accuracy of ENF in a majority of plug-in powered devices, the weak accuracy of ENF in audio forgery detection for battery-powered devices, especially in laptop and mobile phone, can be consider as one of the main obstacles of the ENF. To solve the ENF problem in terms of accuracy in battery-powered devices, a combination method of ENF and phase feature is proposed. From experiment conducted, ENF alone give 50% and 60% accuracy for forgery detection in mobile phone and laptop respectively, while the proposed method shows 88% and 92% accuracy respectively, for forgery detection in battery-powered devices. The results lead to higher accuracy for forgery detection with the combination of ENF and phase feature. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Balanced ionotropic receptor dynamics support signal estimation via voltage-dependent membrane noise.

PubMed

Marcoux, Curtis M; Clarke, Stephen E; Nesse, William H; Longtin, Andre; Maler, Leonard

2016-01-01

Encoding behaviorally relevant stimuli in a noisy background is critical for animals to survive in their natural environment. We identify core biophysical and synaptic mechanisms that permit the encoding of low-frequency signals in pyramidal neurons of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus, an animal that can accurately encode even miniscule amplitude modulations of its self-generated electric field. We demonstrate that slow NMDA receptor (NMDA-R)-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) are able to summate over many interspike intervals (ISIs) of the primary electrosensory afferents (EAs), effectively eliminating the baseline EA ISI correlations from the pyramidal cell input. Together with a dynamic balance of NMDA-R and GABA-A-R currents, this permits stimulus-evoked changes in EA spiking to be transmitted efficiently to target electrosensory lobe (ELL) pyramidal cells, for encoding low-frequency signals. Interestingly, AMPA-R activity is depressed and appears to play a negligible role in the generation of action potentials. Instead, we hypothesize that cell-intrinsic voltage-dependent membrane noise supports the encoding of perithreshold sensory input; this noise drives a significant proportion of pyramidal cell spikes. Together, these mechanisms may be sufficient for the ELL to encode signals near the threshold of behavioral detection. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Born in weak fields: below-threshold photoelectron dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, J. B.; Saalmann, U.; Trinter, F.; Schöffler, M. S.; Weller, M.; Burzynski, P.; Goihl, C.; Henrichs, K.; Janke, C.; Griffin, B.; Kastirke, G.; Neff, J.; Pitzer, M.; Waitz, M.; Yang, Y.; Schiwietz, G.; Zeller, S.; Jahnke, T.; Dörner, R.

2017-02-01

We investigate the dynamics of ultra-low kinetic energy photoelectrons. Many experimental techniques employed for the detection of photoelectrons require the presence of (more or less) weak electric extraction fields in order to perform the measurement. Our studies show that ultra-low energy photoelectrons exhibit a characteristic shift in their apparent measured momentum when the target system is exposed to such static electric fields. Already fields as weak as 1 V cm-1 have an observable influence on the detected electron momentum. This apparent shift is demonstrated by an experiment on zero energy photoelectrons emitted from He and explained through theoretical model calculations.

10 K high frequency pulse tube cryocooler with precooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Sixue; Chen, Liubiao; Wu, Xianlin; Zhou, Yuan; Wang, Junjie

2016-07-01

A high frequency pulse tube cryocooler with precooling (HPTCP) has been developed and tested to meet the requirement of weak magnetic signals measurement, and the performance characteristics are presented in this article. The HPTCP is a two-stage pulse tube cryocooler with the precooling-stage replaced by liquid nitrogen. Two regenerators completely filled with stainless steel (SS) meshes are used in the cooler. Together with cold inertance tubes and cold gas reservoir, a cold double-inlet configuration is used to control the phase relationship of the HPTCP. The experimental result shows that the cold double-inlet configuration has improved the performance of the cooler obviously. The effects of operation parameters on the performance of the cooler are also studied. With a precooling temperature of 78.5 K, the maximum refrigeration capacity is 0.26 W at 15 K and 0.92 W at 20 K when the input electric power are 174 W and 248 W respectively, and the minimum no-load temperature obtained is 10.3 K, which is a new record on refrigeration temperature for high frequency pulse tube cryocooler reported with SS completely used as regenerative matrix.

High-frequency vibration energy harvesting from impulsive excitation utilizing intentional dynamic instability caused by strong nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remick, Kevin; Dane Quinn, D.; Michael McFarland, D.; Bergman, Lawrence; Vakakis, Alexander

2016-05-01

The authors investigate a vibration-based energy harvesting system utilizing essential (nonlinearizable) nonlinearities and electromagnetic coupling elements. The system consists of a grounded, weakly damped linear oscillator (primary system) subjected to a single impulsive load. This primary system is coupled to a lightweight, damped oscillating attachment (denoted as nonlinear energy sink, NES) via a neodymium magnet and an inductance coil, and a piano wire, which generates an essential geometric cubic stiffness nonlinearity. Under impulsive input, the transient damped dynamics of this system exhibit transient resonance captures (TRCs) causing intentional large-amplitude and high-frequency instabilities in the response of the NES. These TRCs result in strong energy transfer from the directly excited primary system to the light-weight attachment. The energy is harvested by the electromagnetic elements in the coupling and, in the present case, dissipated in a resistive element in the electrical circuit. The primary goal of this work is to numerically, analytically, and experimentally demonstrate the efficacy of employing this type of intentional high-frequency dynamic instability to achieve enhanced vibration energy harvesting under impulsive excitation.

Large-Amplitude High-Frequency Waves at Earth's Magnetopause

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, D. B.; Vaivads, A.; Khotyaintsev, Yu. V.; André, M.; Le Contel, O.; Malaspina, D. M.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Wilder, F. D.; Ergun, R. E.; Gershman, D. J.; Giles, B. L.; Magnes, W.; Russell, C. T.; Burch, J. L.; Torbert, R. B.

2018-04-01

Large-amplitude waves near the electron plasma frequency are found by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission near Earth's magnetopause. The waves are identified as Langmuir and upper hybrid (UH) waves, with wave vectors either close to parallel or close to perpendicular to the background magnetic field. The waves are found all along the magnetopause equatorial plane, including both flanks and close to the subsolar point. The waves reach very large amplitudes, up to 1 V m-1, and are thus among the most intense electric fields observed at Earth's magnetopause. In the magnetosphere and on the magnetospheric side of the magnetopause the waves are predominantly UH waves although Langmuir waves are also found. When the plasma is very weakly magnetized only Langmuir waves are likely to be found. Both Langmuir and UH waves are shown to have electromagnetic components, which are consistent with predictions from kinetic wave theory. These results show that the magnetopause and magnetosphere are often unstable to intense wave activity near the electron plasma frequency. These waves provide a possible source of radio emission at the magnetopause.

Synaptic Effects of Electric Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Asif

Learning and sensory processing in the brain relies on the effective transmission of information across synapses. The strength and efficacy of synaptic transmission is modifiable through training and can be modulated with noninvasive electrical brain stimulation. Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES), specifically, induces weak intensity and spatially diffuse electric fields in the brain. Despite being weak, electric fields modulate spiking probability and the efficacy of synaptic transmission. These effects critically depend on the direction of the electric field relative to the orientation of the neuron and on the level of endogenous synaptic activity. TES has been used to modulate a wide range of neuropsychiatric indications, for various rehabilitation applications, and cognitive performance in diverse tasks. How can a weak and diffuse electric field, which simultaneously polarizes neurons across the brain, have precise changes in brain function? Designing therapies to maximize desired outcomes and minimize undesired effects presents a challenging problem. A series of experiments and computational models are used to define the anatomical and functional factors leading to specificity of TES. Anatomical specificity derives from guiding current to targeted brain structures and taking advantage of the direction-sensitivity of neurons with respect to the electric field. Functional specificity originates from preferential modulation of neuronal networks that are already active. Diffuse electric fields may recruit connected brain networks involved in a training task and promote plasticity along active synaptic pathways. In vitro, electric fields boost endogenous synaptic plasticity and raise the ceiling for synaptic learning with repeated stimulation sessions. Synapses undergoing strong plasticity are preferentially modulated over weak synapses. Therefore, active circuits that are involved in a task could be more susceptible to stimulation than inactive circuits. Moreover, stimulation polarity has asymmetric effects on synaptic strength making it easier to enhance ongoing plasticity. These results suggest that the susceptibility of brain networks to an electric field depends on the state of synaptic activity. Combining a training task, which activates specific circuits, with TES may lead to functionally-specific effects. Given the simplicity of TES and the complexity of brain function, understanding the mechanisms leading to specificity is fundamental to the rational advancement of TES.

Improving Balance Function Using Low Levels of Electrical Stimulation of the Balance Organs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, Jacob; Reschke, Millard; Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Wood, Scott; Serrador, Jorge; Fiedler, Matthew; Kofman, Igor; Peters, Brian T.; Cohen, Helen

2012-01-01

Crewmembers returning from long-duration space flight face significant challenges due to the microgravity-induced inappropriate adaptations in balance/sensorimotor function. The Neuroscience Laboratory at JSC is developing a method based on stochastic resonance to enhance the brain's ability to detect signals from the balance organs of the inner ear and use them for rapid improvement in balance skill, especially when combined with balance training exercises. This method involves a stimulus delivery system that is wearable/portable and provides imperceptible electrical stimulation to the balance organs of the human body. Stochastic resonance (SR) is a phenomenon whereby the response of a nonlinear system to a weak periodic input signal is optimized by the presence of a particular non-zero level of noise. This phenomenon of SR is based on the concept of maximizing the flow of information through a system by a non-zero level of noise. Application of imperceptible SR noise coupled with sensory input in humans has been shown to improve motor, cardiovascular, visual, hearing, and balance functions. SR increases contrast sensitivity and luminance detection; lowers the absolute threshold for tone detection in normal hearing individuals; improves homeostatic function in the human blood pressure regulatory system; improves noise-enhanced muscle spindle function; and improves detection of weak tactile stimuli using mechanical or electrical stimulation. SR noise has been shown to improve postural control when applied as mechanical noise to the soles of the feet, or when applied as electrical noise at the knee and to the back muscles. SR using imperceptible stochastic electrical stimulation of the vestibular system (stochastic vestibular stimulation, SVS) applied to normal subjects has shown to improve the degree of association between the weak input periodic signals introduced via venous blood pressure receptors and the heart-rate responses. Also, application of SVS over 24 hours improves the long-term heart-rate dynamics and motor responsiveness as indicated by daytime trunk activity measurements in patients with multi-system atrophy, Parkinson s disease, or both, including patients who were unresponsive to standard therapy for Parkinson s disease. Recent studies conducted at the NASA JSC Neurosciences Laboratories showed that imperceptible SVS, when applied to normal young healthy subjects, leads to significantly improved balance performance during postural disturbances on unstable compliant surfaces. These studies have shown the benefit of SR noise characteristic optimization with imperceptible SVS in the frequency range of 0-30 Hz, and amplitudes of stimulation have ranged from 100 to 400 microamperes.

Electron transport properties of bis[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-pyridine]beryllium investigated by impedance spectroscopy

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

Wang, Yanping; Chen, Jiangshan; Huang, Jinying

2014-06-14

The electron transport properties of bis[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-pyridine] beryllium (Bepp{sub 2}) are investigated by impedance spectroscopy over a frequency range of 10 Hz to 13 MHz. The Cole-Cole plots demonstrate that the Bepp{sub 2}-based device can be represented by a single parallel resistance R{sub p} and capacitance C{sub p} network with a series resistance R{sub s}. The current-voltage characteristics and the variation of R{sub p} with applied bias voltage indicate the electron conduction of space-charge-limited current with exponential trap distributions in Bepp{sub 2}. It can be seen that the electron mobility exhibits strong field-dependence in low electric field region and almost saturate in highmore » electric field region. It is experimentally found that Bepp{sub 2} shows dispersion transport and becomes weak as the electric field increases. The activation energy is determined to be 0.043 eV by temperature-dependent conductivity, which is consistent with the result obtained from the temperature-dependent current density characteristics. The electron mobility reaches the orders of 10{sup −6}–10{sup −5} cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}, depending on the electric field.« less

Periodic variations of atmospheric electric field on fair weather conditions at YBJ, Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Bin; Zou, Dan; Chen, Ben Yuan; Zhang, Jin Ye; Xu, Guo Wang

2013-05-01

Observations of atmospheric electric field on fair weather conditions from the plateau station, YBJ, Tibet (90°31‧50″ E, 30°06‧38″ N), over the period from 2006 to 2011, are presented in this work. Its periodic modulations are analyzed in frequency-domain by Lomb-Scargle Periodogram method and in time-domain by folding method. The results show that the fair weather atmospheric electric field intensity is modulated weakly by annual cycle, solar diurnal cycle and its several harmonic components. The modulating amplitude of annual cycle is bigger than that of solar diurnal cycle. The annual minimum/maximum nearly coincides with spring/autumn equinox. The detailed spectrum analysis show that the secondary peaks (i.e. sidereal diurnal cycle and semi-sidereal diurnal cycle) nearly disappear along with their primary peaks when the primary signals are subtracted from electric field data sequence. The average daily variation curve exhibits dual-fluctuations, and has obviously seasonal dependence. The mean value is bigger in summer and autumn, but smaller in spring and winter. The daytime fluctuation is affected by the sunrise and sunset effect, the occurring time of which have a little shift with seasons. However, the nightly one has a great dependence on season conditions.

Aircraft electromagnetic compatibility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, Clifton A.; Larsen, William E.

1987-01-01

Illustrated are aircraft architecture, electromagnetic interference environments, electromagnetic compatibility protection techniques, program specifications, tasks, and verification and validation procedures. The environment of 400 Hz power, electrical transients, and radio frequency fields are portrayed and related to thresholds of avionics electronics. Five layers of protection for avionics are defined. Recognition is given to some present day electromagnetic compatibility weaknesses and issues which serve to reemphasize the importance of EMC verification of equipment and parts, and their ultimate EMC validation on the aircraft. Proven standards of grounding, bonding, shielding, wiring, and packaging are laid out to help provide a foundation for a comprehensive approach to successful future aircraft design and an understanding of cost effective EMC in an aircraft setting.

Gradiometry and gravitomagnetic field detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mashhoon, Bahram

1989-01-01

Gravitomagnetism was apparently first introduced into physics about 120 years ago when major developments in electrodynamics and the strong similarity between Coulomb's law of electricity and Newton's law of gravity led to the hypothesis that mass current generates a fundamental force of gravitational origin analogous to the magnetic force caused by charge current. According to general relativity, the rotation of a body leads to the dragging of the local inertial frames. In the weak-field approximation, the dragging frequency can be interpreted, up to a constant proportionality factor, as a gravitational magnetic field. There is, as yet, no direct evidence regarding the existence of such a field. The possibility is examined of detecting the gravitomagnetic field of the Earth by gravity gradiometry.

Radio for hidden-photon dark matter detection

DOE PAGES

Chaudhuri, Saptarshi; Graham, Peter W.; Irwin, Kent; ...

2015-10-08

We propose a resonant electromagnetic detector to search for hidden-photon dark matter over an extensive range of masses. Hidden-photon dark matter can be described as a weakly coupled “hidden electric field,” oscillating at a frequency fixed by the mass, and able to penetrate any shielding. At low frequencies (compared to the inverse size of the shielding), we find that the observable effect of the hidden photon inside any shielding is a real, oscillating magnetic field. We outline experimental setups designed to search for hidden-photon dark matter, using a tunable, resonant LC circuit designed to couple to this magnetic field. Ourmore » “straw man” setups take into consideration resonator design, readout architecture and noise estimates. At high frequencies, there is an upper limit to the useful size of a single resonator set by 1/ν. However, many resonators may be multiplexed within a hidden-photon coherence length to increase the sensitivity in this regime. Hidden-photon dark matter has an enormous range of possible frequencies, but current experiments search only over a few narrow pieces of that range. As a result, we find the potential sensitivity of our proposal is many orders of magnitude beyond current limits over an extensive range of frequencies, from 100 Hz up to 700 GHz and potentially higher.« less

Relay protection features of frequency-adjustable electric drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuprienko, V. V.

2018-03-01

The features of relay protection of high-voltage electric motors in composition of the frequency-adjustable electric drive are considered in the article. The influence of frequency converters on the stability of the operation of various types of relay protection used on electric motors is noted. Variants of circuits for connecting relay protection devices are suggested. The need to develop special relay protection devices for a frequency-adjustable electric drive is substantiated.

Microscopic Behavior Of Colloidal Particles Under The Effect Of Acoustic Stimulations In The Ultrasonic To Megasonic Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Fattah, Amr I.; Roberts, Peter M.

2006-05-01

It is well known that colloid attachment and detachment at solid surfaces are influenced strongly by physico-chemical conditions controlling electric double layer (EDL) and solvation-layer effects. We present experimental observations demonstrating that, in addition, acoustic waves can produce strong effects on colloid/surface interactions that can alter the behavior of colloid and fluid transport in porous media. Microscopic colloid visualization experiments were performed with polystyrene micro-spheres suspended in water in a parallel-plate glass flow cell. When acoustic energy was applied to the cell at frequencies from 500 kHz to 5 MHz, changes in colloid attachment to and detachment from the glass cell surfaces were observed. Quantitative measurements of acoustically-induced detachment of 300-nm microspheres in 0.1M NaCl solution demonstrated that roughly 30% of the colloids that were attached to the glass cell wall during flow alone could be detached rapidly by applying acoustics at frequencies in the range of 0.7 to 1.2 MHz. The remaining attached colloids could not be detached by acoustics. This implies the existence of both "strong" and "weak" attachment sites at the cell surface. Subsequent re-attachment of colloids with acoustics turned off occurred only at new, previously unoccupied sites. Thus, acoustics appears to accelerate simultaneously both the deactivation of existing weak sites where colloids are already attached, and the activation of new weak sites where future attachments can occur. Our observations indicate that acoustics (and, in general, dynamic stress) can influence colloid-colloid and colloid-surface interactions in ways that could cause significant changes in porous-media permeability and mass transport. This would occur due to either buildup or release of colloids present in the porous matrix.

Characterization of real objects by an active electrolocation sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzen, Michael G.; Al Ghouz, Imène; Krueger, Sandra; Bousack, Herbert; von der Emde, Gerhard

2012-04-01

Weakly electric fish use a process called 'active electrolocation' to orientate in their environment and to localize objects based on their electrical properties. To do so, the fish discharge an electric organ which emits brief electrical current pulses (electric organ discharge, EOD) and in return sense the generated electric field which builds up surrounding the animal. Caused by the electrical properties of nearby objects, fish measure characteristic signal modulations with an array of electroreceptors in their skin. The fish are able to gain important information about the geometrical properties of an object as well as its complex impedance and its distance. Thus, active electrolocation is an interesting feature to be used in biomimetic approaches. We used this sensory principle to identify different insertions in the walls of Plexiglas tubes. The insertions tested were composed of aluminum, brass and graphite in sizes between 3 and 20 mm. A carrier signal was emitted and perceived with the poles of a commercial catheter for medical diagnostics. Measurements were performed with the poles separated by 6.3 to 55.3 mm. Depending on the length of the insertion in relation to the sender-receiver distance, we observed up to three peaks in the measured electric images. The first peak was affected by the material of the insertion, while the distance between the second and third peak strongly correlated with the length of the insertion. In a second experiment we tested whether various materials could be detected by using signals of different frequency compositions. Based on their electric images we were able to discriminate between objects having different resistive properties, but not between objects of complex impedances.

Comparable Ages for the Independent Origins of Electrogenesis in African and South American Weakly Electric Fishes

PubMed Central

Lavoué, Sébastien; Miya, Masaki; Arnegard, Matthew E.; Sullivan, John P.; Hopkins, Carl D.; Nishida, Mutsumi

2012-01-01

One of the most remarkable examples of convergent evolution among vertebrates is illustrated by the independent origins of an active electric sense in South American and African weakly electric fishes, the Gymnotiformes and Mormyroidea, respectively. These groups independently evolved similar complex systems for object localization and communication via the generation and reception of weak electric fields. While good estimates of divergence times are critical to understanding the temporal context for the evolution and diversification of these two groups, their respective ages have been difficult to estimate due to the absence of an informative fossil record, use of strict molecular clock models in previous studies, and/or incomplete taxonomic sampling. Here, we examine the timing of the origins of the Gymnotiformes and the Mormyroidea using complete mitogenome sequences and a parametric Bayesian method for divergence time reconstruction. Under two different fossil-based calibration methods, we estimated similar ages for the independent origins of the Mormyroidea and Gymnotiformes. Our absolute estimates for the origins of these groups either slightly postdate, or just predate, the final separation of Africa and South America by continental drift. The most recent common ancestor of the Mormyroidea and Gymnotiformes was found to be a non-electrogenic basal teleost living more than 85 millions years earlier. For both electric fish lineages, we also estimated similar intervals (16–19 or 22–26 million years, depending on calibration method) between the appearance of electroreception and the origin of myogenic electric organs, providing rough upper estimates for the time periods during which these complex electric organs evolved de novo from skeletal muscle precursors. The fact that the Gymnotiformes and Mormyroidea are of similar age enhances the comparative value of the weakly electric fish system for investigating pathways to evolutionary novelty, as well as the influences of key innovations in communication on the process of species radiation. PMID:22606250

Multiscaling statistics of high frequency global solar radiation data in the Guadeloupean Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calif, R.; Schmitt, F. G.; Huang, Y.; Soubdhan, T.

2013-12-01

The part of the solar power production from photovoltaiccs systems is constantly increasing in the electric grids. Solar energy converter devices such as photovoltaic cells are very sensitive to instantaneous solar radiation fluctuations. Thus rapid variation of solar radiation due to changes in the local meteorological condition can induce large amplitude fluctuations of the produced electrical power and reduce the overall efficiency of the system. When large amount of photovoltaic electricity is send into a weak or small electricity network such as island network, the electric grid security can be in jeopardy due to these power fluctuations. The integration of this energy into the electrical network remains a major challenge, due to the high variability of solar radiation in time and space. To palliate these difficulties, it is essential to identify the characteristic of these fluctuations in order to anticipate the eventuality of power shortage or power surge. A good knowledge of the intermittency of global solar radiation is crucial for selecting the location of a solar power plant and predicting the generation of electricity. This work presents a multifractal analysis study of 367 daily global solar radiation sequences measured with a sampling rate of 1 Hz over one year at Guadeloupean Archipelago (French West Indies) located at 16o15'N latitude and 60o30'W longitude. The mean power spectrum computed follows a power law behaviour close to the Kolmogorov spectrum. The intermittent and multifractal properties of global solar radiation data are investigated using several methods. Under this basis, a characterization for each day using three multifractal parameters is proposed.

Multipactor susceptibility on a dielectric with two carrier frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Asif; Verboncoeur, John; Zhang, Peng

2018-04-01

This work investigates multipactor discharge on a single dielectric surface with two carrier frequencies of an rf electric field. We use Monte Carlo simulations and analytical calculations to obtain susceptibility diagrams in terms of the rf electric field and normal electric field due to the residual charge on the dielectric. It is found that in contrast to the single frequency case, in general, the presence of a second carrier frequency of the rf electric field increases the threshold of the magnitude of the rf electric field to initiate multipactor. The effects of the relative strength and phase, and the frequency separation of the two carrier frequencies are examined. The conditions to minimize mulitpactor are derived.

Energy harvesting based on piezoelectric Ericsson cycles in a piezoceramic material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, B.; Ducharne, B.; Guyomar, D.; Sebald, G.

2013-09-01

The possibility of recycling ambient energies with electric generators instead of using batteries with limited life spans has stimulated important research efforts over the past years. The integration of such generators into mainly autonomous low-power systems, for various industrial or domestic applications is envisioned. In particular, the present work deals with energy harvesting from mechanical vibrations. It is shown here that direct piezoelectric energy harvesting (short circuiting on an adapted resistance, for example) leads to relatively weak energy levels that are insufficient for an industrial development. By coupling an electric field and mechanical excitation on Ericsson-based cycles, the amplitude of the harvested energy can be highly increased, and can reach a maximum close to 100 times its initial value. To obtain such a gain, one needs to employ high electrical field levels (high amplitude, high frequency), which induce a non-linearity through the piezoceramic. A special dynamic hysteresis model has been developed to correctly take into account the material properties, and to provide a real estimation of the harvested energy. A large number of theoretical predictions and experimental results have been compared and are discussed herein, in order to validate the proposed solution.

Electrical control of a long-lived spin qubit in a Si/SiGe quantum dot.

PubMed

Kawakami, E; Scarlino, P; Ward, D R; Braakman, F R; Savage, D E; Lagally, M G; Friesen, Mark; Coppersmith, S N; Eriksson, M A; Vandersypen, L M K

2014-09-01

Nanofabricated quantum bits permit large-scale integration but usually suffer from short coherence times due to interactions with their solid-state environment. The outstanding challenge is to engineer the environment so that it minimally affects the qubit, but still allows qubit control and scalability. Here, we demonstrate a long-lived single-electron spin qubit in a Si/SiGe quantum dot with all-electrical two-axis control. The spin is driven by resonant microwave electric fields in a transverse magnetic field gradient from a local micromagnet, and the spin state is read out in the single-shot mode. Electron spin resonance occurs at two closely spaced frequencies, which we attribute to two valley states. Thanks to the weak hyperfine coupling in silicon, a Ramsey decay timescale of 1 μs is observed, almost two orders of magnitude longer than the intrinsic timescales in GaAs quantum dots, whereas gate operation times are comparable to those reported in GaAs. The spin echo decay time is ~40 μs, both with one and four echo pulses, possibly limited by intervalley scattering. These advances strongly improve the prospects for quantum information processing based on quantum dots.

Influence of small DC bias field on the electrical behaviour of Sr- and Mg-doped lanthanum gallate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raghvendra; Singh, Rajesh Kumar; Singh, Prabhakar

2014-09-01

One of the promising electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells application, Sr- and Mg-doped lanthanum gallate La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-δ (LSGM), is synthesized by conventional solid state ceramic route. X-ray Rietveld analysis confirms the formation of main orthorhombic phase at room temperature along with a few minor secondary phases. SEM micrograph reveals the grain and grainboundary morphology of the system. Electrical conductivity of the LSGM sample is measured in the temperature range 573-873 K and in the frequency range 20 Hz-1 MHz at a few small DC bias fields (at 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 V). The conductivity spectra show power-law behaviour. Electrical conductivity of the sample is found to be weakly dependent on DC bias field. This is attributed to field-dependent bulk and grainboundary conduction processes. In the present system, under investigated bias field range, the possibility of formation of Schottky barrier is ruled out. The concept of grainboundary channel (pathway) modulation on the application of bias field is proposed.

Enhancement of conduction noise absorption by hybrid absorbers composed of indium-tin-oxide thin film and magnetic composite sheet on a microstrip line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sun-Hong; Kim, Sung-Soo

2014-05-01

In order to develop wide-band noise absorbers with a focused design for low frequency performance, this study investigates hybrid absorbers that are composed of conductive indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film and magnetic composite sheets. The ITO films prepared via reactive sputtering exhibit a typical value of electrical resistivity of ≃10-4 Ω m. Rubber composites with flaky Fe-Si-Al particles are used as the magnetic sheet with a high permeability and high permittivity. For the ITO film with a low surface resistance and covered by the magnetic sheet, approximately 90% power absorption can be obtained at 1 GHz, which is significantly higher than that of the original magnetic sheet or ITO film. The high power absorption of the hybrid absorber is attributed to the enhanced ohmic loss of the ITO film through increased electric field strength bounded by the upper magnetic composite sheet. However, for the reverse layering sequence of the ITO film, the electric field experienced by ITO film is very weak due to the electromagnetic shielding by the under layer of magnetic sheet, which does not result in enhanced power absorption.

Application of the stochastic resonance algorithm to the simultaneous quantitative determination of multiple weak peaks of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Deng, Haishan; Shang, Erxin; Xiang, Bingren; Xie, Shaofei; Tang, Yuping; Duan, Jin-ao; Zhan, Ying; Chi, Yumei; Tan, Defei

2011-03-15

The stochastic resonance algorithm (SRA) has been developed as a potential tool for amplifying and determining weak chromatographic peaks in recent years. However, the conventional SRA cannot be applied directly to ultra-performance liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/TOFMS). The obstacle lies in the fact that the narrow peaks generated by UPLC contain high-frequency components which fall beyond the restrictions of the theory of stochastic resonance. Although there already exists an algorithm that allows a high-frequency weak signal to be detected, the sampling frequency of TOFMS is not fast enough to meet the requirement of the algorithm. Another problem is the depression of the weak peak of the compound with low concentration or weak detection response, which prevents the simultaneous determination of multi-component UPLC/TOFMS peaks. In order to lower the frequencies of the peaks, an interpolation and re-scaling frequency stochastic resonance (IRSR) is proposed, which re-scales the peak frequencies via linear interpolating sample points numerically. The re-scaled UPLC/TOFMS peaks could then be amplified significantly. By introducing an external energy field upon the UPLC/TOFMS signals, the method of energy gain was developed to simultaneously amplify and determine weak peaks from multi-components. Subsequently, a multi-component stochastic resonance algorithm was constructed for the simultaneous quantitative determination of multiple weak UPLC/TOFMS peaks based on the two methods. The optimization of parameters was discussed in detail with simulated data sets, and the applicability of the algorithm was evaluated by quantitative analysis of three alkaloids in human plasma using UPLC/TOFMS. The new algorithm behaved well in the improvement of signal-to-noise (S/N) compared to several normally used peak enhancement methods, including the Savitzky-Golay filter, Whittaker-Eilers smoother and matched filtration. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Eddy currents in the measurement of magnetic susceptibility of rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ježek, Josef; Hrouda, František

2018-01-01

The in-phase and out-of-phase susceptibility of rocks is determined by the magnetic permeability of minerals, their viscous relaxation, and by eddy currents in electrically conductive minerals induced by the applied field. The last effect has been modelled by analytical solution of Maxwell equations for a conductive sphere immersed in a homogeneous, non-conductive medium with given permeability, in presence of an alternating field. The solution is a complex function of parameters describing the sphere (its size, conductivity and permeability), surrounding medium (permeability) and applied field (frequency). Without numerical evaluations, it is difficult to distinguish in-phase and out-of-phase (OPS) susceptibility. In this paper, approximate equations are derived for both susceptibility components, which depend only on the permeability contrast between the sphere and the surrounding medium, and the skin ratio, defined as the ratio between sphere radius and skin depth of the induced currents. These equations are used to obtain a systematic assessment of the role of electrical conductivity in determining the susceptibility of rock samples. The contribution of eddy currents to the susceptibility of diluted (<5%) magnetite particle dispersions is negligible at 1 kHz, but not at higher frequencies. Common rock-forming paramagnetic and diamagnetic minerals with weak electrical conductivity and magnetic permeability are characterized by negligible OPS at 1 kHz. Theoretically, measurable OPS and high phase angles can be produced by paramagnetic conductive minerals in certain combinations with a diamagnetic matrix. This can be excluded from practical point of view for paramagnetic minerals with susceptibilities >0.003 and conductivities not exceeding 5000 S/m.

Neurological complication after low-voltage electric injury: a case report.

PubMed

Kim, Ha Min; Ko, Yeong-A; Kim, Joon Sung; Lim, Seong Hoon; Hong, Bo Young

2014-04-01

Electrical shock can result in neurological complications, involving both peripheral and central nervous systems, which may present immediately or later on. However, delayed neurological complications caused by low-voltage electric shock are rarely reported. Here, a case of a man suffering from weakness and aphasia due to the delayed-onset of the peripheral nerve injury and ischemic stroke following an electrical shock is presented. Possible mechanisms underlying the neurological complications include thermal injury to perineural tissue, overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, vascular injury, and histological or electrophysiological changes. Moreover, vasospasms caused by low-voltage alternating current may predispose individuals to ischemic stroke. Therefore, clinicians should consider the possibility of neurological complications, even if the onset of the symptoms is delayed, and should perform diagnostic tests, such as electrophysiology or imaging, when patients present with weakness following an electric injury.

Behavioral Stochastic Resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freund, Jan A.; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz; Beisner, Beatrix; Neiman, Alexander; Russell, David F.; Yakusheva, Tatyana; Moss, Frank

2001-03-01

Zooplankton emit weak electric fields into the surrounding water that originate from their own muscular activities associated with swimming and feeding. Juvenile paddlefish prey upon single zooplankton by detecting and tracking these weak electric signatures. The passive electric sense in the fish is provided by an elaborate array of electroreceptors, Ampullae Lorenzini, spread over the surface of an elongated rostrum. We have previously shown that the fish use stochastic resonance to enhance prey capture near the detection threshold of their sensory system. But stochastic resonance requires an external source of electrical noise in order to function. The required noise can be provided by a swarm of plankton, for example Daphnia. Thus juvenile paddlefish can detect and attack single Daphnia as outliers in the vicinity of the swarm by making use of noise from the swarm itself. From the power spectral density of the noise plus the weak signal from a single Daphnia we calculate the signal-to-noise ratio and the Fisher information at the surface of the paddlefish's rostrum. The results predict a specific attack pattern for the paddlefish that appears to be experimentally testable.

[Modulating effect of weak combined magnetic fields on duration of mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor metamorphosis stage].

PubMed

Novikov, V V; Sheĭman, I M; Iablokova, E V; Fesenko, E E

2014-01-01

It is shown that an exposure of pupae of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor to the combined static (42 μT) and very weak alternating (250 nT) magnetic fields exerts different influence, depending on the frequency of the alternating magnetic field, on duration of metamorphosis processes in these insects. For instance, an exposure of pupae to weak combined magnetic fields, adjusted to the frequency of ion cyclotron resonance for glutaminic acid (4,4 Hz), stimulates metamorphosis process--a transitional stage from pupae to imago lasts shorter. An inhibiting effect was observed when adjusted to the frequency of ion cyclotron resonance for Ca2 (32,2 Hz). At some frequencies this effect is not seen. For instance, an exposure at a frequency of ion cyclotron resonance for K+ (16,5 Hz) exerts no noticeable effect on the duration of the pupal metamorphosis stage.

Helical water wires.

PubMed

Liboff, A R; Poggi, C; Pratesi, P

2017-01-01

A helitetrahedral model has been proposed to help explain reports of low-frequency oscillations in pure water following electromagnetic excitation at the hydronium ion cyclotron resonance frequency. The Lorentz force and the intrinsic structure constrain the motion of the H 3 O + ion so that it enjoys a unique form of proton-hopping, one whose path is helical. This model may also explain the numerous previously observed cyclotron resonance (ICR) biological couplings for cations other than hydronium by merely substituting hydrogen-bonded versions of these for hydronium in the tetrahedral structure. Thus the effectiveness of resonance stimulation in biological systems is explained in terms of the enhanced conductivity and reduced scattering associated with proton-hopping. It is further shown that the addition of charge-balancing hydroxyl ions act to enable oscillatory electric dipole moments that propagate along the helical axis, giving rise to weak power (≈ femtoWatts) radiation patterns. It is conceivable that the radiation associated with this process may play a role in the interactions at the interface between water and living matter.

Stimulus background influences phase invariant coding by correlated neural activity

PubMed Central

Metzen, Michael G; Chacron, Maurice J

2017-01-01

Previously we reported that correlations between the activities of peripheral afferents mediate a phase invariant representation of natural communication stimuli that is refined across successive processing stages thereby leading to perception and behavior in the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus (Metzen et al., 2016). Here, we explore how phase invariant coding and perception of natural communication stimuli are affected by changes in the sinusoidal background over which they occur. We found that increasing background frequency led to phase locking, which decreased both detectability and phase invariant coding. Correlated afferent activity was a much better predictor of behavior as assessed from both invariance and detectability than single neuron activity. Thus, our results provide not only further evidence that correlated activity likely determines perception of natural communication signals, but also a novel explanation as to why these preferentially occur on top of low frequency as well as low-intensity sinusoidal backgrounds. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.24482.001 PMID:28315519

Structural, magnetic and impedance spectroscopic analysis of LaFeO3 nano-particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, T. Lakshmana; Pradhan, M. K.; Dash, S.

2018-04-01

Physical properties are known to be drastically varied with crystallite size and in a multifunctional material this size reduction is seem to be interesting. One such material is chosen as LaFeO3 nanoparticles which have been prepared by wet-chemical route. The average particle size found to be in the order of 45nm in which the chemical content of the unit cell has been verified. A distorted orthorhombic structure with Pbnm space group is possessed by this nanoparticle. From the bifurcation of ZFC and FC in low field, behavior of inverse susceptibility and the small hysteresis loop favors the material to be in a weak FM state well below the Neel temperature. The electrical behavior and the conduction mechanism above room temperature have been studied by cole-cole plot of the Impedance spectra. The high frequency depressed semi circles represent the grain conduction while the intermediate frequency semi circles appear may be due to grain boundary effect.

[Effect of low-intensity electromagnetic fields of industrial frequency on the ultrastructure and proliferative activity of rat's thymus cells].

PubMed

Zhitkevich, T I; Bokut', T B; Netukova, N I

2001-01-01

Effects of two types of low-intensity electromagnetic fields (EMF) of industrial frequency (50 Hz) on the fine structure and proliferative activity of thymic cells in white rats were studied. It was found that a weak EMF with a prevailing electrical component (380-480 V/m, 120-140 nT1) did not affect the DNA synthesis intensity. An EMF with a stronger magnetic induction (10-15 V/m, 800-1500 nT1) diminished the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and proliferative processes in cultured stimulated lymphocytes. Electron microscopic investigation of the thymus after both types of exposure revealed an accumulation of lymphocytes with pyknotic nuclei and electron-dense cytoplasm, as well as hypoplasia of the vascular endothelium. At the same time, EMF with a prevailing magnetic component produced a more marked negative effect on the ultrastructure of thymic cells, which indicated a lowered secretory activity of epitheliocytes.

Ephemeral Electric Potential and Electric Field Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Generazio, Edward R. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments provide for the minimization of the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic leakage electrical currents enabling true measurements of electric potentials and electric fields. In an embodiment, an ephemeral electric potential and electric field sensor system may have at least one electric field sensor and a rotator coupled to the electric field sensor and be configured to rotate the electric field sensor at a quasi-static frequency. In an embodiment, ephemeral electric potential and electric field measurements may be taken by rotating at least one electric field sensor at a quasi-static frequency, receiving electrical potential measurements from the electric field sensor when the electric field sensor is rotating at the quasi-static frequency, and generating and outputting images based at least in part on the received electrical potential measurements.

Electrical conductivity of a locked fault: investigation of the Ganos segment of the North Anatolian Fault using three-dimensional magnetotellurics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaş, Mustafa; Tank, Sabri Bülent; Özaydın, Sinan

2017-08-01

This study attempts to reveal the fault zone characteristics of the locked Ganos Fault based on electrical resistivity studies including audio-frequency (AMT: 10,400-1 Hz) and wide-band (MT: 360-0.000538 Hz) magnetotellurics near the epicenter of the last major event, that is, the 1912 Mürefte Earthquake ( M w 7.4). The AMT data were collected at twelve stations, closely spaced from north to south, to resolve the shallow resistivity structure to 1 km depth. Subsequently, 13 wide-band MT stations were arranged to form a grid enclosing the AMT profile to decipher the deeper structure. Three-dimensional inverse modeling indicates highly conductive anomalies representing fault zone conductors along the Ganos Fault. Subsidiary faults around the Ganos Fault, which are conductive structures with individual mechanically weak features, merge into a greater damage zone, creating a wide fluid-bearing environment. This damage zone is located on the southern side of the fault and defines an asymmetry around the main fault strand, which demonstrates distributed conduit behavior of fluid flow. Ophiolitic basement occurs as low-conductivity block beneath younger formations at a depth of 2 km, where the mechanically weak to strong transition occurs. Resistive structures on both sides of the fault beneath this transition suggest that the lack of seismicity might be related to the absence of fluid pathways in the seismogenic zone.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Perceived neighborhood walkability and physical exercise: An examination of casual communication in a social process.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Masahiro; Jo, Hyerim

2018-05-01

Despite the accumulated evidence for the environmental correlates of physical activity, social processes underlying this association are not entirely clear. This study positions communication characterized by weak ties as a social mechanism linking neighborhood walkability with physical exercise. Data from a survey of Chicago residents show that perceived neighborhood walkability is positively related to frequency of weak-tie communication. Frequency of weak-tie communication is related positively to perceived social cohesion and negatively to anonymity, both of which are significantly related to frequency of physical exercise in the neighborhood. Data also show a sequential indirect relationship involving perceived neighborhood walkability, weak-tie communication, anonymity, and physical exercise. Implications are discussed in terms of the role of communication in promoting locality-based physical exercise. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Modified Differential Coherent Bit Synchronization Algorithm for BeiDou Weak Signals with Large Frequency Deviation.

PubMed

Han, Zhifeng; Liu, Jianye; Li, Rongbing; Zeng, Qinghua; Wang, Yi

2017-07-04

BeiDou system navigation messages are modulated with a secondary NH (Neumann-Hoffman) code of 1 kbps, where frequent bit transitions limit the coherent integration time to 1 millisecond. Therefore, a bit synchronization algorithm is necessary to obtain bit edges and NH code phases. In order to realize bit synchronization for BeiDou weak signals with large frequency deviation, a bit synchronization algorithm based on differential coherent and maximum likelihood is proposed. Firstly, a differential coherent approach is used to remove the effect of frequency deviation, and the differential delay time is set to be a multiple of bit cycle to remove the influence of NH code. Secondly, the maximum likelihood function detection is used to improve the detection probability of weak signals. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to analyze the detection performance of the proposed algorithm compared with a traditional algorithm under the CN0s of 20~40 dB-Hz and different frequency deviations. The results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the traditional method with a frequency deviation of 50 Hz. This algorithm can remove the effect of BeiDou NH code effectively and weaken the influence of frequency deviation. To confirm the feasibility of the proposed algorithm, real data tests are conducted. The proposed algorithm is suitable for BeiDou weak signal bit synchronization with large frequency deviation.

Magneto-electric transition in nickel-gallium arsenide-nickel multiferroic structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galichyan, T. A.; Filippov, D. A.; Laletin, V. M.; Firsova, T. O.; Poddubnaya, N. N.

2018-04-01

Experimental studies of the magnetoelectric effect are presented in structures manufactured by electrolytic deposition of nickel on a substrate of gallium arsenide. It is shown that the use of gold-germanium-nickel sublayer, when sprayed on a substrate, significantly improves the adhesion between electrolytically deposited nickel and substrate. Linear and nonlinear magnetoelectric effects on the alternating magnetic field are observed in these structures. Both effects have resonant character and the resonance frequency of the nonlinear effect is twice less than that of the linear effect. In weak fields, the value of the nonlinear magnetoelectric effect is in quadratic dependence on the alternating magnetic field and unlike the linear magnetoelectric effect, it does not depend on the bias field.

The effect of an electric field on the morphological stability of the crystal-melt interface of a binary alloy. III - Weakly nonlinear theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheeler, A. A.; Mcfadden, G. B.; Coriell, S. R.; Hurle, D. T. J.

1990-01-01

The effect of a constant electric current on the crystal-melt interface morphology during directional solidification at constant velocity of a binary alloy is considered. A linear temperature field is assumed, and thermoelectric effects and Joule heating are neglected; electromigration and differing electrical conductivities of crystal and melt are taken into account. A two-dimensional weakly nonlinear analysis is carried out to third order in the interface amplitude, resulting in a cubic amplitude equation that describes whether the bifurcation from the planar state is supercritical or subcritical. For wavelengths corresponding to the most dangerous mode of linear theory, the demarcation between supercritical and subcritical behavior is calculated as a function of processing conditions and material parameters. The bifurcation behavior is a sensitive function of the magnitude and direction of the electric current and of the electrical conductivity ratio.

Delayed excitatory and inhibitory feedback shape neural information transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chacron, Maurice J.; Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2005-11-01

Feedback circuitry with conduction and synaptic delays is ubiquitous in the nervous system. Yet the effects of delayed feedback on sensory processing of natural signals are poorly understood. This study explores the consequences of delayed excitatory and inhibitory feedback inputs on the processing of sensory information. We show, through numerical simulations and theory, that excitatory and inhibitory feedback can alter the firing frequency response of stochastic neurons in opposite ways by creating dynamical resonances, which in turn lead to information resonances (i.e., increased information transfer for specific ranges of input frequencies). The resonances are created at the expense of decreased information transfer in other frequency ranges. Using linear response theory for stochastically firing neurons, we explain how feedback signals shape the neural transfer function for a single neuron as a function of network size. We also find that balanced excitatory and inhibitory feedback can further enhance information tuning while maintaining a constant mean firing rate. Finally, we apply this theory to in vivo experimental data from weakly electric fish in which the feedback loop can be opened. We show that it qualitatively predicts the observed effects of inhibitory feedback. Our study of feedback excitation and inhibition reveals a possible mechanism by which optimal processing may be achieved over selected frequency ranges.

Application of AWE for RCS Frequency Response Calculations Using Method of Moments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C. J.; Deshpande, M. D.

1996-01-01

An implementation of the Asymptotic Waveform Evaluation (AWE) technique is presented for obtaining the frequency response of the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of arbitrarily shaped, three-dimensional perfect electric conductor (PEC) bodies. An Electric Field Integral Equation (EFIE) is solved using the Method of Moments (MoM) to compute the RCS. The electric current, thus obtained, is expanded in a Taylor series around the frequency of interest. The coefficients of the Taylor series (called 'moments') are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the EFIE. Using the moments, the electric current on the PEC body is obtained over a frequency band. Using the electric current at different frequencies, RCS of the PEC body is obtained over a wide frequency band. Numerical results for a square plate, a cube, and a sphere are presented over a bandwidth. A good agreement between AWE and the exact solution over the bandwidth is observed.

Extinction-ratio-independent electrical method for measuring chirp parameters of Mach-Zehnder modulators using frequency-shifted heterodyne.

PubMed

Zhang, Shangjian; Wang, Heng; Zou, Xinhai; Zhang, Yali; Lu, Rongguo; Liu, Yong

2015-06-15

An extinction-ratio-independent electrical method is proposed for measuring chirp parameters of Mach-Zehnder electric-optic intensity modulators based on frequency-shifted optical heterodyne. The method utilizes the electrical spectrum analysis of the heterodyne products between the intensity modulated optical signal and the frequency-shifted optical carrier, and achieves the intrinsic chirp parameters measurement at microwave region with high-frequency resolution and wide-frequency range for the Mach-Zehnder modulator with a finite extinction ratio. Moreover, the proposed method avoids calibrating the responsivity fluctuation of the photodiode in spite of the involved photodetection. Chirp parameters as a function of modulation frequency are experimentally measured and compared to those with the conventional optical spectrum analysis method. Our method enables an extinction-ratio-independent and calibration-free electrical measurement of Mach-Zehnder intensity modulators by using the high-resolution frequency-shifted heterodyne technique.

Coupling optical and electrical gating for electronic readout of quantum dot dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasudevan, Smitha; Walczak, Kamil; Ghosh, Avik W.

2010-08-01

We explore the coherent transfer of electronic signatures from a strongly correlated, optically gated nanoscale quantum dot to a weakly interacting, electrically backgated microscale channel. In this unique side-coupled “ T ” geometry for transport, we predict a mechanism for detecting Rabi oscillations induced in the dot through quantum, rather than electrostatic means. This detection shows up directly in the dc conductance-voltage spectrum as a field-tunable split in the Fano lineshape arising due to interference between the dipole coupled dot states and the channel continuum. The split is further modified by the Coulomb interactions within the dot that influence the detuning of the Rabi oscillations. Furthermore, time resolving the signal we see clear beats when the Rabi frequencies approach the intrinsic Bohr frequencies in the dot. Capturing these coupled dynamics requires attention to memory effects and quantum interference in the channel as well as many-body effects in the dot. We accomplish this coupling by combining a Fock-space master equation for the dot dynamics with the phase-coherent, non-Markovian time-dependent nonequilibrium Green’s function transport formalism in the channel through a properly evaluated self-energy and a Coulomb integral. The strength of the interactions can further be modulated using a backgate that controls the degree of hybridization and charge polarization at the transistor surface.

Electrical and contractile activities of the human rectosigmoid.

PubMed Central

Sarna, S; Latimer, P; Campbell, D; Waterfall, W E

1982-01-01

Electrical and mechanical activities were recorded from the rectosigmoid of normal subjects using an intraluminal recording tube with two sets of bipolar electrodes and strain gauges. Four distinct types of electrical activities were recorded. (1) Electrical control activity (ECA). This activity varied in amplitude and frequency over time and the control waves were not phase-locked. The means of dominant frequency components in the lower and higher frequency ranges were 3.86 +/- 0.18 SD and 10.41 +/- 0.46 SD c/min, respectively. The overall dominant frequency component was mostly in the lower frequency range of 2.0-9.0 c/min. (2) Discrete electrical response activity (DERA). This activity appeared as short duration bursts (less than 10 s) of response potentials whose repetition rate was in the total colonic electrical control activity frequency range of 2.0-13.0 c/min. The mean duration of this activity was 2.24 +/- 1.30 SD s. (3) Continuous electrical response activity (CERA). This activity appeared as long duration bursts (greater than 10 s) of response potentials which were not related to electrical control activity. Its mean duration was 14.78 +/- 3.68 SD s. This activity generally did not propagate. (4) Contractile electrical complex (CEC). This activity appeared as oscillations in the frequency range of 25-40 c/min and was also not related to electrical control activity. This activity propagated, sometimes proximally and sometimes distally. Its mean duration was 18.87 +/- 9.22 SD s. The latter three types of electrical activities were all associated with different types of contractions. These contractions, however, did not always occlude the lumen. Colonic electrical control activity controls the appearance of discrete electrical response activity in time and space. The mechanism of generation of continuous electrical response activity and contractile electrical complex is not yet known. PMID:7095566

Experimental observation of ion-cyclotron turbulence in the presence of transverse-velocity shear. Ph.D. Thesis

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

Amatucci, W.E.

1994-01-01

This laboratory investigation documents the influence of transverse, localized, dc electric fields (TLE) on the excitation of ion-cyclotron waves driven by magnetic field-aligned current (FAC) in a Q-machine plasma device. A segmented disk electrode, located on axis at the end of the plasma column, is used to independently control TLE and FAC in the plasma (potassium plasma, n approximately equals 10(exp 9) cm(exp {minus}3), rho(i) approximately equals 0.2 cm, T(e) = T(i) approximately equals 0.2 eV). Ion-cyclotron waves have been characterized in both the weak-TLE and large-FAC regime and the strong-TLE and small-FAC regime. The existence of a new categorymore » of oscillation identified as the inhomogeneous energy-density driven (IEDD) instability is verified based on the properties of the waves in the latter regime. In the weak-TLE regime, current-driven electrostatic ion-cyclotron (CDEIC) waves with features in qualitative agreement with previous laboratory results have been observed at sufficiently large FAC. These waves have a frequency spectrum with a single narrow spectral feature located slightly above the ion-cyclotron frequency (omega approximately equals 1.2 Omega(i)). The waves are standing in the radial direction with peak oscillation amplitude located in the center of the FAC channel and are azimuthally symmetric (m = 0). Small magnitude TLE were found to have negligible effect on the characteristics of the waves. In the strong-TLE regime, a decrease in the threshold FAC level is observed. This transition in the instability threshold is accompanied by changes in the frequency spectra, propagation characteristics, and mode amplitude profiles. In the presence of strong-TLE, the ion-cyclotron waves propagate azimuthally in the E x B direction with k(theta) rho(i) = 0.4 and m = 1. The frequency spectrum becomes broadband and spiky, and shifts with the applied TLE strength.« less

Weak Fault Feature Extraction of Rolling Bearings Based on an Improved Kurtogram.

PubMed

Chen, Xianglong; Feng, Fuzhou; Zhang, Bingzhi

2016-09-13

Kurtograms have been verified to be an efficient tool in bearing fault detection and diagnosis because of their superiority in extracting transient features. However, the short-time Fourier Transform is insufficient in time-frequency analysis and kurtosis is deficient in detecting cyclic transients. Those factors weaken the performance of the original kurtogram in extracting weak fault features. Correlated Kurtosis (CK) is then designed, as a more effective solution, in detecting cyclic transients. Redundant Second Generation Wavelet Packet Transform (RSGWPT) is deemed to be effective in capturing more detailed local time-frequency description of the signal, and restricting the frequency aliasing components of the analysis results. The authors in this manuscript, combining the CK with the RSGWPT, propose an improved kurtogram to extract weak fault features from bearing vibration signals. The analysis of simulation signals and real application cases demonstrate that the proposed method is relatively more accurate and effective in extracting weak fault features.

Frequency-specific insight into short-term memory capacity.

PubMed

Feurra, Matteo; Galli, Giulia; Pavone, Enea Francesco; Rossi, Alessandro; Rossi, Simone

2016-07-01

The digit span is one of the most widely used memory tests in clinical and experimental neuropsychology for reliably measuring short-term memory capacity. In the forward version, sequences of digits of increasing length have to be reproduced in the order in which they are presented, whereas in the backward version items must be reproduced in the reversed order. Here, we assessed whether transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) increases the memory span for digits of young and midlife adults. Imperceptibly weak electrical currents in the alpha (10 Hz), beta (20 Hz), theta (5 Hz), and gamma (40 Hz) range, as well as a sham stimulation, were delivered over the left posterior parietal cortex, a cortical region thought to sustain maintenance processes in short-term memory through oscillatory brain activity in the beta range. We showed a frequency-specific effect of beta-tACS that robustly increased the forward memory span of young, but not middle-aged, healthy individuals. The effect correlated with age: the younger the subjects, the greater the benefit arising from parietal beta stimulation. Our results provide evidence of a short-term memory capacity improvement in young adults by online frequency-specific tACS application. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

[Research on electricity frequency property of blood].

PubMed

Hu, Maoqing; Huang, Hua; Yuan, Zirun; Chen, Huaiqing; Den, Lihua

2006-02-01

On the basis of our previous work, the electric frequency property of human blood in different components, in physiological state and in pathological state (diabetes) are tested and analyzed in the range of 1Hz-20MHz progressively. Among the different components of blood; the lowest electrical impedance is serum; the plasma and the whole blood gradually become larger, the blood corpuscle is the largest one. Otherwise, the negative phase of serum is the largest, the plasma and the whole blood are lower, and the blood corpuscle is the lowest. Here, the question is why the effect of the electric capacity of serum and plasma is the biggest in the condition of no cell and cell membrane; diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disorder in which blood changes obviously, the electric frequency property of the blood of diabetic patients changes markedly; the electrical impedance of blood decreases (more obviously with low frequency), the negative phase increases (more obviously with high frequency). These indicate that the increase of electric conductivity in diabetic patients' blood is due to electric capacitance conductivity that is related to the changes of cell membrane, deformation abilities and aggregation of RBC. Related experiments demonstrate again that with the progressing of research in the electric frequency property of blood, we may use the theory and method of electricity to examine some important characters of blood in a different way, and so to corroborate other tests and analyses.

Courseware Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Risley, John S.

1983-01-01

Describes computer program (available on diskette for Apple IIe/II-plus, Commodore PET/CBM, or Commodore 64) providing drill/practice on concepts of electric charge, electric current, and electric potential difference. A second diskette provides a test of fifteen multiple-choice questions, with option to print score and areas of weakness. (JM)

Ampullary sense organs, peripheral, central and behavioral electroreception in chimeras (Hydrolagus, Holocephali, Chondrichthyes).

PubMed

Fields, R D; Bullock, T H; Lange, G D

1993-01-01

Ampullary sense organs are distributed in groups over the head of Hydrolagus colliei with their pores in clusters and innervated by the buccal, hyomandibular and superficial ophthalmic branches of the anterior lateral line nerve. The ampullae contain ciliated sense cells in an alveolate-shaped epithelium, which communicates to the surface through a jelly-filled tube. The sense cells synapse at their bases with the afferent nerve fibers that terminate in the dorsal nucleus of the anterior lateral line lobe of the medulla. The anatomy and ultrastructure support the homology with the ampullae of Lorenzini of elasmobranchs. Single units recorded from the buccal branch of the anterior lateral line nerve are either lateral line or ampullary in character, the former being sensitive only to mechanical stimuli, the latter to both mechanical and to weak electric stimuli. They are also distinguished by the positions of their receptive fields. The electroreceptive units are spontaneously active and are excited by a cathode placed near the opening of their pore and inhibited by an anode. Compound evoked potentials are recorded from beneath the lateral aspect of the tectum in response to weak electric fields in the bath. Each recording locus has a best position and orientation of the electric field. The electric fields are effective if their duration is longer than ca. 2 ms; longer than 10 ms makes no difference until an OFF effect becomes distinct at ca. 50 ms. The reception is tuned to low frequencies but is not sensitive to maintained current (DC). Evoked potentials summating moderate numbers of responses are clear at < 1 microV/cm. Ratfish were conditioned in a ring-shaped tank to reverse the direction of swimming when an electric field was switched ON. The stimulus was a 5 Hz square wave or the onset of a DC of 1-10 microA between a pair of electrodes on the floor of the tank. The fish responded to fields as weak as 0.2 microV/cm. A specialized sense modality for electroreception, similar to that in elasmobranchs and most other groups of nonteleost fishes, except for Myxini and Neopterygii (holosteans), is present in the subclass Holocephali. The notion is supported that this modality and its central as well as peripheral apparatus arose early in the evolution of vertebrates. Only two losses of the whole system need be hypothesized, on this idea, once in the ancestors of the hagfishes and once in the ancestors of the neopterygians, which include the teleosts. Some orders of teleosts then evolved a new system of electroreception independently. The ciliary receptor cells are probably primitive; microvillar sense cells evolved independently.

46 CFR 111.01-17 - Voltage and frequency variations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

....01-17 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-17 Voltage and frequency variations. Unless otherwise stated, electrical equipment must function at variations of at least ±5 percent of rated frequency...

46 CFR 111.01-17 - Voltage and frequency variations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....01-17 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-17 Voltage and frequency variations. Unless otherwise stated, electrical equipment must function at variations of at least ±5 percent of rated frequency...

46 CFR 111.01-17 - Voltage and frequency variations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

....01-17 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-17 Voltage and frequency variations. Unless otherwise stated, electrical equipment must function at variations of at least ±5 percent of rated frequency...

46 CFR 111.01-17 - Voltage and frequency variations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

....01-17 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-17 Voltage and frequency variations. Unless otherwise stated, electrical equipment must function at variations of at least ±5 percent of rated frequency...

46 CFR 111.01-17 - Voltage and frequency variations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

....01-17 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ELECTRIC SYSTEMS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS General § 111.01-17 Voltage and frequency variations. Unless otherwise stated, electrical equipment must function at variations of at least ±5 percent of rated frequency...

Local time distribution of the SSC-associated HF-Doppler frequency shifts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kikuchi, T.; Sugiuchi, H.; Ishimine, T.

1985-01-01

The HF-Doppler frequency shift observed at the storm's sudden commencement is composed of a frequency increase (+) and decrease (-), and classified into four types, SCF(+ -), SCF(- +), SCF(+) and SCF(-). Since the latter two types are special cases of the former two types, two different kinds of electrical field exist in the F region and cause the ExB drift motion of plasma. HUANG (1976) interpreted the frequency increase of SCF(+ -) as due to the westward induction electric field proportional to delta H/ delta t and the succeeding frequency decrease due to the eastward conduction electric field which produces ionospheric currents responsible for the magnetic increase on the ground. In spite of his success in interpreting the SCF(+ -), some other interpretations are needed for the explanation of the whole set of SCF's, particularly SCF(- +). Local time distributions of the SCF's are derived from 41 SCF's which are observed on the HF standard signal (JJY) as received in Okinawa (path length =1600 km) and Kokubunji (60 km). It is shown that the SCF(+ -) appears mainly during the day, whereas the SCF(- +) is observed during the night. The results indicate that the preliminary frequency shift (+) of SCF(+ -) and (-) of SCF(- +) is caused by a westward electric field in the dayside hemisphere, while by an eastward electric field in the nightside hemisphere. The main frequency shift (-) of SCF(+ -) and (+) of SCF(- +) is caused by the reversed electric field. Consequently, the preliminary frequency shift is caused by the dusk-to-dawn electric field, while the main frequency shift by the dawn-to-dusk electric field.

Electrical stimulation treatment for facial palsy after revision pleomorphic adenoma surgery

PubMed Central

Goldie, Simon; Sandeman, Jack; Cole, Richard; Dennis, Simon; Swain, Ian

2016-01-01

Surgery for pleomorphic adenoma recurrence presents a significant risk of facial nerve damage that can result in facial weakness effecting patients’ ability to communicate, mental health and self-image. We report two case studies that had marked facial weakness after resection of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma and their progress with electrical stimulation. Subjects received electrical stimulation twice daily for 24 weeks during which photographs of expressions, facial measurements and Sunnybrook scores were recorded. Both subjects recovered good facial function demonstrating Sunnybrook scores of 54 and 64 that improved to 88 and 96, respectively. Neither subjects demonstrated adverse effects of treatment. We conclude that electrical stimulation is a safe treatment and may improve facial palsy in patients after resection of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Larger studies would be difficult to pursue due to the low incidence of cases. PMID:27106613

Detecting technology of biophotons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Junfu; Zhu, Zhaohui; Zhu, Yanbin

2002-03-01

A key technique of detecting the ultra-weak photon emission from biological system (UPE) is to change the light signal of an extremely weak level into electric signal of a considerable level when the photo-electric detecting system were be applied. This paper analyzed the difficult for detecting the ultra-weak photon emission from biological system (UPE) mainly is in the absence of high sensitivity detector in UV-visible-infra spectra region. An experimental setup for testing UPE in different spectral region was designed. Using the experimental setup the test data of different several spectral regions from 300 nm to 1060 nm has were tested. The test result show the UPE of living biological system exists in wide spectra region from UV- visible to infrared.

Application of Model Based Parameter Estimation for RCS Frequency Response Calculations Using Method of Moments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C. J.

1998-01-01

An implementation of the Model Based Parameter Estimation (MBPE) technique is presented for obtaining the frequency response of the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of arbitrarily shaped, three-dimensional perfect electric conductor (PEC) bodies. An Electric Field Integral Equation (EFTE) is solved using the Method of Moments (MoM) to compute the RCS. The electric current is expanded in a rational function and the coefficients of the rational function are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the EFIE. Using the rational function, the electric current on the PEC body is obtained over a frequency band. Using the electric current at different frequencies, RCS of the PEC body is obtained over a wide frequency band. Numerical results for a square plate, a cube, and a sphere are presented over a bandwidth. Good agreement between MBPE and the exact solution over the bandwidth is observed.

Exfoliated BN shell-based high-frequency magnetic core-shell materials.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Patel, Ketan; Ren, Shenqiang

2017-09-14

The miniaturization of electric machines demands high frequency magnetic materials with large magnetic-flux density and low energy loss to achieve a decreased dimension of high rotational speed motors. Herein, we report a solution-processed high frequency magnetic composite (containing a nanometal FeCo core and a boron nitride (BN) shell) that simultaneously exhibits high electrical resistivity and magnetic permeability. The frequency dependent complex initial permeability and the mechanical robustness of nanocomposites are intensely dependent on the content of BN insulating phase. The results shown here suggest that insulating magnetic nanocomposites have potential for application in next-generation high-frequency electric machines with large electrical resistivity and permeability.

Distal gap junctions and active dendrites can tune network dynamics.

PubMed

Saraga, Fernanda; Ng, Leo; Skinner, Frances K

2006-03-01

Gap junctions allow direct electrical communication between CNS neurons. From theoretical and modeling studies, it is well known that although gap junctions can act to synchronize network output, they can also give rise to many other dynamic patterns including antiphase and other phase-locked states. The particular network pattern that arises depends on cellular, intrinsic properties that affect firing frequencies as well as the strength and location of the gap junctions. Interneurons or GABAergic neurons in hippocampus are diverse in their cellular characteristics and have been shown to have active dendrites. Furthermore, parvalbumin-positive GABAergic neurons, also known as basket cells, can contact one another via gap junctions on their distal dendrites. Using two-cell network models, we explore how distal electrical connections affect network output. We build multi-compartment models of hippocampal basket cells using NEURON and endow them with varying amounts of active dendrites. Two-cell networks of these model cells as well as reduced versions are explored. The relationship between intrinsic frequency and the level of active dendrites allows us to define three regions based on what sort of network dynamics occur with distal gap junction coupling. Weak coupling theory is used to predict the delineation of these regions as well as examination of phase response curves and distal dendritic polarization levels. We find that a nonmonotonic dependence of network dynamic characteristics (phase lags) on gap junction conductance occurs. This suggests that distal electrical coupling and active dendrite levels can control how sensitive network dynamics are to gap junction modulation. With the extended geometry, gap junctions located at more distal locations must have larger conductances for pure synchrony to occur. Furthermore, based on simulations with heterogeneous networks, it may be that one requires active dendrites if phase-locking is to occur in networks formed with distal gap junctions.

Alternating-Current Motor Drive for Electric Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krauthamer, S.; Rippel, W. E.

1982-01-01

New electric drive controls speed of a polyphase as motor by varying frequency of inverter output. Closed-loop current-sensing circuit automatically adjusts frequency of voltage-controlled oscillator that controls inverter frequency, to limit starting and accelerating surges. Efficient inverter and ac motor would give electric vehicles extra miles per battery charge.

Calculations of low-frequency radio emission by cosmic-ray-induced particle showers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Fernández, Daniel; Revenu, Benoît; Charrier, Didier; Dallier, Richard; Escudie, Antony; Martin, Lilian

2018-05-01

The radio technique for the detection of high-energy cosmic rays consists in measuring the electric field created by the particle showers created inside a medium by the primary cosmic ray. The electric field is then used to infer the properties of the primary particle. Nowadays, the radio technique is a standard, well-established technique. While most current experiments measure the field at frequencies above 20 MHz, several experiments have reported a large emission at low frequencies, below 10 MHz. The EXTASIS experiment aims at measuring again and understanding this low-frequency electric field. Since at low frequencies the standard far-field approximation for the calculation of the electric field does not necessarily hold, in order to comprehend the low-frequency emission we need to go beyond the far-field approximation. We present in this work a formula for the electric field created by a particle track inside a dielectric medium that is valid for all frequencies. We then implement this formula in the SELFAS Monte Carlo code and calculate the low-frequency electric field of the extensive air shower (EAS). We also study the electric field of a special case of the transition radiation mechanism when the EAS particles cross the air-soil boundary. We introduce the sudden death pulse, the direct emission caused by the coherent deceleration of the shower front at the boundary, as a first approximation to the whole electric field for the air-soil transition, and study its properties. We show that at frequencies larger than 20 MHz and distances larger than 100 m, the standard far-field approximation for the horizontal polarizations of the field is always accurate at the 1% level.

Enhanced sub-micron colloidal particle separation with interdigitated microelectrode arrays using mixed AC/DC dielectrophoretic scheme.

PubMed

Swaminathan, Vikhram V; Shannon, Mark A; Bashir, Rashid

2015-04-01

Dielectrophoretic separation of particles finds a variety of applications in the capture of species such as cells, viruses, proteins, DNA from biological systems, as well as other organic and inorganic contaminants from water. The ability to capture particles is constrained by poor volumetric scaling of separation force with respect to particle diameter, as well as the weak penetration of electric fields in the media. In order to improve the separation of sub-micron colloids, we present a scheme based on multiple interdigitated electrode arrays under mixed AC/DC bias. The use of high frequency longitudinal AC bias breaks the shielding effects through electroosmotic micromixing to enhance electric fields through the electrolyte, while a transverse DC bias between the electrode arrays enables penetration of the separation force to capture particles from the bulk of the microchannel. We determine the favorable biasing conditions for field enhancement with the help of analytical models, and experimentally demonstrate the improved capture from sub-micron colloidal suspensions with the mixed AC/DC electrostatic excitation scheme over conventional AC-DEP methods.

Feedback and feedforward control of frequency tuning to naturalistic stimuli.

PubMed

Chacron, Maurice J; Maler, Leonard; Bastian, Joseph

2005-06-08

Sensory neurons must respond to a wide variety of natural stimuli that can have very different spatiotemporal characteristics. Optimal responsiveness to subsets of these stimuli can be achieved by devoting specialized neural circuitry to different stimulus categories, or, alternatively, this circuitry can be modulated or tuned to optimize responsiveness to current stimulus conditions. This study explores the mechanisms that enable neurons within the initial processing station of the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish to shift their tuning properties based on the spatial extent of the stimulus. These neurons are tuned to low frequencies when the stimulus is restricted to a small region within the receptive field center but are tuned to higher frequencies when the stimulus impinges on large regions of the sensory epithelium. Through a combination of modeling and in vivo electrophysiology, we reveal the respective contributions of the filtering characteristics of extended dendritic structures and feedback circuitry to this shift in tuning. Our results show that low-frequency tuning can result from the cable properties of an extended dendrite that conveys receptor-afferent information to the cell body. The shift from low- to high-frequency tuning, seen in response to spatially extensive stimuli, results from increased wide-band input attributable to activation of larger populations of receptor afferents, as well as the activation of parallel fiber feedback from the cerebellum. This feedback provides a cancellation signal with low-pass characteristics that selectively attenuates low-frequency responsiveness. Thus, with spatially extensive stimuli, these cells preferentially respond to the higher-frequency components of the receptor-afferent input.

Efficacy of intraoperative monitoring of transcranial electrical stimulation-induced motor evoked potentials and spontaneous electromyography activity to identify acute-versus delayed-onset C-5 nerve root palsy during cervical spine surgery: clinical article.

PubMed

Bhalodia, Vidya M; Schwartz, Daniel M; Sestokas, Anthony K; Bloomgarden, Gary; Arkins, Thomas; Tomak, Patrick; Gorelick, Judith; Wijesekera, Shirvinda; Beiner, John; Goodrich, Isaac

2013-10-01

Deltoid muscle weakness due to C-5 nerve root injury following cervical spine surgery is an uncommon but potentially debilitating complication. Symptoms can manifest upon emergence from anesthesia or days to weeks following surgery. There is conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of spontaneous electromyography (spEMG) monitoring in detecting evolving C-5 nerve root compromise. By contrast, transcranial electrical stimulation-induced motor evoked potential (tceMEP) monitoring has been shown to be highly sensitive and specific in identifying impending C-5 injury. In this study the authors sought to 1) determine the frequency of immediate versus delayed-onset C-5 nerve root injury following cervical spine surgery, 2) identify risk factors associated with the development of C-5 palsies, and 3) determine whether tceMEP and spEMG neuromonitoring can help to identify acutely evolving C-5 injury as well as predict delayed-onset deltoid muscle paresis. The authors retrospectively reviewed the neuromonitoring and surgical records of all patients who had undergone cervical spine surgery involving the C-4 and/or C-5 level in the period from 2006 to 2008. Real-time tceMEP and spEMG monitoring from the deltoid muscle was performed as part of a multimodal neuromonitoring protocol during all surgeries. Charts were reviewed to identify patients who had experienced significant changes in tceMEPs and/or episodes of neurotonic spEMG activity during surgery, as well as those who had shown new-onset deltoid weakness either immediately upon emergence from the anesthesia or in a delayed fashion. Two hundred twenty-nine patients undergoing 235 cervical spine surgeries involving the C4-5 level served as the study cohort. The overall incidence of perioperative C-5 nerve root injury was 5.1%. The incidence was greatest (50%) in cases with dual corpectomies at the C-4 and C-5 spinal levels. All patients who emerged from anesthesia with deltoid weakness had significant and unresolved changes in tceMEPs during surgery, whereas only 1 had remarkable spEMG activity. Sensitivity and specificity of tceMEP monitoring for identifying acute-onset deltoid weakness were 100% and 99%, respectively. By contrast, sensitivity and specificity for spEMG were only 20% and 92%, respectively. Neither modality was effective in identifying patients who demonstrated delayed-onset deltoid weakness. The risk of new-onset deltoid muscle weakness following cervical spine surgery is greatest for patients undergoing 2-level corpectomies involving C-4 and C-5. Transcranial electrical stimulation-induced MEP monitoring is a highly sensitive and specific technique for detecting C-5 radiculopathy that manifests immediately upon waking from anesthesia. While the absence of sustained spEMG activity does not rule out nerve root irritation, the presence of excessive neurotonic discharges serves both to alert the surgeon of such potentially injurious events and to prompt neuromonitoring personnel about the need for additional tceMEP testing. Delayed-onset C-5 nerve root injury cannot be predicted by intraoperative neuromonitoring via either modality.

Nonpharmacologic Pain Management and Muscle Strengthening following Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Chughtai, Morad; Elmallah, Randa D K; Mistry, Jaydev B; Bhave, Anil; Cherian, Jeffrey Jai; McGinn, Tanner L; Harwin, Steven F; Mont, Michael A

2016-04-01

Despite technological advances in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), management of postoperative muscle weakness and pain continue to pose challenges for both patients and health care providers. Nonpharmacologic therapies, such as neuromodulation in the form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and other modalities, such as cryotherapy and prehabilitation, have been highlighted as possible adjuncts to standard-of-care pharmacologic management to treat postoperative pain and muscle weakness. The aim of this review was to discuss existing evidence for neuromodulation in the treatment of pain and muscular weakness following TKA, and to shed light on other noninvasive and potential future modalities. Our review of the literature demonstrated that NMES, prehabilitation, and some specialized exercises are beneficial for postoperative muscle weakness, and TENS, cooling therapies, and compression may help to alleviate post-TKA pain. However, there are no clear guidelines for the use of these modalities. Further studies should be aimed at developing guidelines or delineating indications for neuromodulation and other nonpharmacologic therapies in the management of post-TKA pain and muscle weakness. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Simultaneous masking between electric and acoustic stimulation in cochlear implant users with residual low-frequency hearing.

PubMed

Krüger, Benjamin; Büchner, Andreas; Nogueira, Waldo

2017-09-01

Ipsilateral electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is becoming increasingly important in cochlear implant (CI) treatment. Improvements in electrode designs and surgical techniques have contributed to improved hearing preservation during implantation. Consequently, CI implantation criteria have been expanded toward people with significant residual low-frequency hearing, who may benefit from the combined use of both the electric and acoustic stimulation in the same ear. However, only few studies have investigated the mutual interaction between electric and acoustic stimulation modalities. This work characterizes the interaction between both stimulation modalities using psychophysical masking experiments and cone beam computer tomography (CBCT). Two psychophysical experiments for electric and acoustic masking were performed to measure the hearing threshold elevation of a probe stimulus in the presence of a masker stimulus. For electric masking, the probe stimulus was an acoustic tone while the masker stimulus was an electric pulse train. For acoustic masking, the probe stimulus was an electric pulse train and the masker stimulus was an acoustic tone. Five EAS users, implanted with a CI and ipsilateral residual low-frequency hearing, participated in the study. Masking was determined at different electrodes and different acoustic frequencies. CBCT scans were used to determine the individual place-pitch frequencies of the intracochlear electrode contacts by using the Stakhovskaya place-to-frequency transformation. This allows the characterization of masking as a function of the difference between electric and acoustic stimulation sites, which we term the electric-acoustic frequency difference (EAFD). The results demonstrate a significant elevation of detection thresholds for both experiments. In electric masking, acoustic-tone thresholds increased exponentially with decreasing EAFD. In contrast, for the acoustic masking experiment, threshold elevations were present regardless of the tested EAFDs. Based on the present findings, we conclude that there is an asymmetry between the electric and the acoustic masker modalities. These observations have implications for the design and fitting of EAS sound-coding strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Controlling Explosive Sensitivity of Energy-Related Materials by Means of Production and Processing in Electromagnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodzevich, A. P.; Gazenaur, E. G.; Kuzmina, L. V.; Krasheninin, V. I.; Sokolov, P. N.

2016-08-01

The present work is one of the world first attempts to develop effective methods for controlling explosive sensitivity of energy-related materials with the help of weak electric (up to 1 mV/cm) and magnetic (0.001 T) fields. The resulting experimental data can be used for purposeful alternation of explosive materials reactivity, which is of great practical importance. The proposed technology of producing and processing materials in a weak electric field allows forecasting long-term stability of these materials under various energy impacts.

Discovery of the Electronic Spectra of Hps and Dps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimminger, Robert A.; Wei, Jie; Ellis, Blaine; Clouthier, Dennis J.; Wang, Zhong; Sears, Trevor

2009-06-01

The hitherto unknown electronic spectrum of the closed shell transient molecule HPS has been observed in the 685 - 846 nm region by laser-induced fluorescence and single vibronic level emission techniques. HPS (and DPS) were produced in a pulsed electric discharge jet using a precursor mixture of 3% PH_3 and 1% H_2S (or PD_3 and D_2S) in high pressure argon. The weak set of observed bands are assigned to the à ^1A^''-X˜ ^1A^' electronic transition on the basis of chemical evidence, isotope shifts and the correspondence of the vibrational frequencies, excitation energy, and band contours with predictions based on our own high level ab initio calculations. Theory predicts that the HPS bond angle decreases on electronic excitation, contrary to expectations based on Walsh diagrams.

Motor monitoring method and apparatus using high frequency current components

DOEpatents

Casada, D.A.

1996-05-21

A motor current analysis method and apparatus for monitoring electrical-motor-driven devices are disclosed. The method and apparatus utilize high frequency portions of the motor current spectra to evaluate the condition of the electric motor and the device driven by the electric motor. The motor current signal produced as a result of an electric motor is monitored and the low frequency components of the signal are removed by a high-pass filter. The signal is then analyzed to determine the condition of the electrical motor and the driven device. 16 figs.

Motor monitoring method and apparatus using high frequency current components

DOEpatents

Casada, Donald A.

1996-01-01

A motor current analysis method and apparatus for monitoring electrical-motor-driven devices. The method and apparatus utilize high frequency portions of the motor current spectra to evaluate the condition of the electric motor and the device driven by the electric motor. The motor current signal produced as a result of an electric motor is monitored and the low frequency components of the signal are removed by a high-pass filter. The signal is then analyzed to determine the condition of the electrical motor and the driven device.

Automatic control in multidrive electrotechnical complexes with semiconductor converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilev, B. U.; Mardashov, D. V.

2017-01-01

The frequency convertor and the automatic control system, which can be used in the multi-drive electromechanical system with a few induction motions, are considered. The paper presents the structure of existing modern multi-drive electric drives inverters, namely, electric drives with a total frequency converter and few electric motions, and an electric drive, in which the converter is used for power supply and control of the independent frequency. It was shown that such technical solutions of frequency converters possess a number of drawbacks. The drawbacks are given. It was shown that the control of technological processes using the electric drive of this structure may be provided under very limited conditions, as the energy efficiency and the level of electromagnetic compatibility of electric drives is low. The authors proposed using a multi-inverter structure with an active rectifier in multidrive electric drives with induction motors frequency converters. The application of such frequency converter may solve the problem of electromagnetic compatibility, namely, consumption of sinusoidal currents from the network and the maintenance of a sinusoidal voltage and energy compatibility, namely, consumption of practically active energy from the network. Also, the paper proposes the use of the automatic control system, which by means of a multi-inverter frequency converter provides separate control of drive machines and flexible regulation of technological processes. The authors present oscillograms, which confirm the described characteristics of the developed electrical drive. The possible subsequent ways to improve the multi-motor drives are also described.

(abstract) High-T(sub c) SNS Weak Links Using Oxide Normal Metals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, B. D.; Barner, J. B.; Foote, M. C.; Vasquez, R. P.

1993-01-01

This work examines device results for edge-geometry SNS weak links utilizing a variety of oxide normal metals. A comparison of the electrical properties of fabricated devices and the magnetic field response will be presented. Device reproducibility will also be discussed. This talk will also examine recent progress in fabrication of epitaxial SNS weak links on silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) substrates. SNS weak links fabricated recently are under investigation, and preliminary results on these devices will be discussed.

Schwinger pair production by electric field coupled to inflaton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geng, Jia-Jia; Li, Bao-Fei; Soda, Jiro; Wang, Anzhong; Wu, Qiang; Zhu, Tao

2018-02-01

We analytically investigate the Schwinger pair production in the de Sitter background by using the uniform asymptotic approximation method, and show that the equation of motion in general has two turning points, and the nature of these points could be single, double, real or complex, depending on the choice of the free parameters involved in the theory. Different natures of these points lead to different electric currents. In particular, when β ≡ m2/H2‑9/4 is positive, both turning points are complex, and the electric current due to the Schwinger process is highly suppressed, where m and H denote, respectively, the mass of the particle and the Hubble parameter. For the turning points to be real, it is necessary to have β < 0, and the more negative of β, the easier to produce particles. In addition, when β < 0, we also study the particle production when the electric field E is very weak. We find that the electric current in this case is proportional to E1/2 ‑ √|β|, which is strongly enhanced in the weak electric field limit when m < √2 H.

Remote tire pressure sensing technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Howard H. (Inventor); Mcginnis, Timothy A. (Inventor); Daugherty, Robert H. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A remote tire pressure sensing technique is provided which uses vibration frequency to determine tire pressure. A vibration frequency measuring device is attached to the external surface of a tire which is then struck with an object, causing the tire to vibrate. The frequency measuring device measures the vibrations and converts the vibrations into corresponding electrical impulses. The electrical impulses are then fed into the frequency analyzing system which uses the electrical impulses to determine the relative peaks of the vibration frequencies as detected by the frequency measuring device. The measured vibration frequency peaks are then compared to predetermined data describing the location of vibration frequency peaks for a given pressure, thereby determining the air pressure of the tire.

Giant Linear Nonreciprocity, Zero Reflection, and Zero Band Gap in Equilibrated Space-Time-Varying Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taravati, Sajjad

2018-06-01

This article presents a class of space-time-varying media with giant linear nonreciprocity, zero space-time local reflections, and zero photonic band gap. This is achieved via equilibrium in the electric and magnetic properties of unidirectionally space-time-modulated media. The enhanced nonreciprocity is accompanied by a larger sonic regime interval which provides extra design freedom for achieving strong nonreciprocity by a weak pumping strength. We show that the width of photonic band gaps in general periodic space-time permittivity- and permeability-modulated media is proportional to the absolute difference between the electric and magnetic pumping strengths. We derive a rigorous analytical solution for investigation of wave propagation and scattering from general periodic space-time permittivity- and permeability-modulated media. In contrast with weak photonic transitions, from the excited mode to its two adjacent modes, in conventional space-time permittivity-modulated media, in an equilibrated space-time-varying medium, strong photonic transitions occur from the excited mode to its four adjacent modes. We study the enhanced nonreciprocity and zero band gap in equilibrated space-time-modulated media by analysis of their dispersion diagrams. In contrast to conventional space-time permittivity-modulated media, equilibrated space-time media exhibit different phase and group velocities for forward and backward harmonics. Furthermore, the numerical simulation scheme of general space-time permittivity- and permeability-modulated media is presented, which is based on the finite-difference time-domain technique. Our analytical and numerical results provide insights into general space-time refractive-index-modulated media, paving the way toward optimal isolators, nonreciprocal integrated systems, and subharmonic frequency generators.

Use of electroreception during foraging by the Australian lungfish.

PubMed

Watt; Evans; Joss

1999-11-01

A diverse range of animals, including elasmobranchs and nonteleost fish, use passive electroreception to locate hidden prey. The Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (Krefft 1870), has ampullary organs analogous in form to the electroreceptors of other nonteleost fish. Afferents from these ampullae project to regions in the brain that are known to process electrosensory information in other species, suggesting that N. forsteri possesses an electric sense that may be used during prey location. To explore this hypothesis directly, we first characterized food-locating behaviour in N. forsteri and then conducted an experiment designed to quantify the effects of manipulating electrical and olfactory stimuli from live prey. A small crayfish, Cherax destructor, was housed in a specially constructed chamber hidden beneath the substrate, which prevented emission of chemical, mechanical and visual cues, but allowed transmission of bioelectric fields. Control treatments included presentation of electrically shielded prey, a dead crayfish and an empty chamber. In some treatments, a competing olfactory signal was presented simultaneously at the other end of the test tank to assess the relative salience of this sensory modality. The lungfish responded to the crayfish in the unshielded chamber with accurate and sustained feeding movements, even with a competing olfactory signal. By contrast, the abolition of electrical cues in the three control treatments reduced the accuracy and frequency of feeding movements in the vicinity of the target chamber. These results show that N. forsteri is capable of perceiving the weak electric fields surrounding living animals, and suggest that it uses this information when foraging to locate prey hidden from view. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Electrical stimulation treatment for facial palsy after revision pleomorphic adenoma surgery.

PubMed

Goldie, Simon; Sandeman, Jack; Cole, Richard; Dennis, Simon; Swain, Ian

2016-04-22

Surgery for pleomorphic adenoma recurrence presents a significant risk of facial nerve damage that can result in facial weakness effecting patients' ability to communicate, mental health and self-image. We report two case studies that had marked facial weakness after resection of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma and their progress with electrical stimulation. Subjects received electrical stimulation twice daily for 24 weeks during which photographs of expressions, facial measurements and Sunnybrook scores were recorded. Both subjects recovered good facial function demonstrating Sunnybrook scores of 54 and 64 that improved to 88 and 96, respectively. Neither subjects demonstrated adverse effects of treatment. We conclude that electrical stimulation is a safe treatment and may improve facial palsy in patients after resection of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Larger studies would be difficult to pursue due to the low incidence of cases. Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016.

Study of Frequency of Errors and Areas of Weaknesses in Business Communications Classes at Kapiolani Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uehara, Soichi

This study was made to determine the most prevalent errors, areas of weakness, and their frequency in the writing of letters so that a course in business communications classes at Kapiolani Community College (Hawaii) could be prepared that would help students learn to write effectively. The 55 participating students were divided into two groups…

Weak Fault Feature Extraction of Rolling Bearings Based on an Improved Kurtogram

PubMed Central

Chen, Xianglong; Feng, Fuzhou; Zhang, Bingzhi

2016-01-01

Kurtograms have been verified to be an efficient tool in bearing fault detection and diagnosis because of their superiority in extracting transient features. However, the short-time Fourier Transform is insufficient in time-frequency analysis and kurtosis is deficient in detecting cyclic transients. Those factors weaken the performance of the original kurtogram in extracting weak fault features. Correlated Kurtosis (CK) is then designed, as a more effective solution, in detecting cyclic transients. Redundant Second Generation Wavelet Packet Transform (RSGWPT) is deemed to be effective in capturing more detailed local time-frequency description of the signal, and restricting the frequency aliasing components of the analysis results. The authors in this manuscript, combining the CK with the RSGWPT, propose an improved kurtogram to extract weak fault features from bearing vibration signals. The analysis of simulation signals and real application cases demonstrate that the proposed method is relatively more accurate and effective in extracting weak fault features. PMID:27649171

Electrical Behavior of Copper Mine Tailings During EKR with Modified Electric Fields.

PubMed

Rojo, Adrian; Hansen, Henrik K; Monárdez, Omara; Jorquera, Carlos; Santis, Paulina; Inostroza, Paula

2017-03-01

Electro-kinetic remediation (EKR) with sinusoidal electric field obtained simultaneously with DC/AC voltage reduce the polarization of the EKR with DC voltage. The DC voltage value defines the presence of a periodic polarity reversal of the cell and the electrical charge for electro-kinetic transport. In this case, the AC frequency favors the breaking of polarization conditions resulting from the EKR with DC voltage. However, with high frequencies a negative effect occurs where the tailings behave as a filter circuit, discriminating frequencies of an electric signal. The goal of this work is to analyse the electrical behaviour of tailings in EKR experiments. The conditions selected were: DC/AC voltages: 10/15 and 20/25 V (peak values), and AC voltage frequencies 50-2000 Hz. When the AC frequency reaches 2000 Hz, the copper removal tends to zero, indicating that the tailing behaves as a high-pass filter in which the DC voltage was filtered out.

High-frequency electric field measurement using a toroidal antenna

DOEpatents

Lee, Ki Ha

2002-01-01

A simple and compact method and apparatus for detecting high frequency electric fields, particularly in the frequency range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz, uses a compact toroidal antenna. For typical geophysical applications the sensor will be used to detect electric fields for a wide range of spectrum starting from about 1 MHz, in particular in the frequency range between 1 to 100 MHz, to detect small objects in the upper few meters of the ground. Time-varying magnetic fields associated with time-varying electric fields induce an emf (voltage) in a toroidal coil. The electric field at the center of (and perpendicular to the plane of) the toroid is shown to be linearly related to this induced voltage. By measuring the voltage across a toroidal coil one can easily and accurately determine the electric field.

Self-assembly of metal nanowires induced by alternating current electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Sánchez, Pablo; Arcenegui, Juan J.; Morgan, Hywel; Ramos, Antonio

2015-01-01

We describe the reversible assembly of an aqueous suspension of metal nanowires into two different 2-dimensional stable configurations. The assembly is induced by an AC electric field of magnitude around 10 kV/m. It is known that single metal nanowires orientate parallel to the electric field for all values of applied frequency, according to two different mechanisms depending on the frequency. These different mechanisms also govern the mutual interaction between nanowires, which leads to directed-assembly into distinctive structures, the shape of which depends on the frequency of the applied field. We show that for frequencies higher than the typical frequency for charging the electrical double layer at the metal-electrolyte interface, dipole-dipole interaction leads to the formation of chains of nanowires. For lower frequencies, the nanowires form wavy bands perpendicular to the electric field direction. This behavior appears to be driven by the electroosmotic flow induced on the metal surface of the nanowires. Remarkably, no similar structures have been reported in previous studies of nanowires.

Electric toothbrushes induce electric current in fixed dental appliances by creating magnetic fields.

PubMed

Kameda, Takashi; Ohkuma, Kazuo; Ishii, Nozomu; Sano, Natsuki; Ogura, Hideo; Terada, Kazuto

2012-01-01

Magnetic fields can represent a health problem, especially low frequency electromagnetic fields sometimes induced by electric current in metallic objects worn or used in or on the body (as opposed to high frequency electromagnetic fields that produce heat). Electric toothbrushes are widely used because of their convenience, but the electric motors that power them may produce electromagnetic waves. In this study, we showed that electric toothbrushes generate low frequency (1-2000 Hz) magnetic fields and induce electric current in dental appliances (e. g. orthodontic and prosthetic appliances and dental implants). Current induced by electric toothbrushes might be dependent on the quantity and types of metals used, and the shape of the appliances. Furthermore, these induced currents in dental appliances could impact upon human oral health, producing pain and discomfort.

On the effect of addition of carbon nanotubes on the electric conductivity of alkali-activated slag mortars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusak, I.; Lunak, M.

2017-09-01

This paper presents basic electric properties of laboratory prepared alkali-activated composite materials on the basis of finely ground granular high furnace slag to which various quantities of carbon nanotubes (CNT) have been added. Impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 40 Hz to 1 MHz was used to measure the specimens. Electric resistivity ρ versus frequency and electric resistivity ρ versus CNT content relationships were examined on our specimens R&S ZNC vector analyser with DAK-12 coaxial probe (made by Speag) was used to carry out the measurements at higher frequencies (from 100 MHz to 3 GHz). Electric conductivity σ as a function of the frequency and as a function of the specimen CNT content was studied in this frequency range. Up-to-date instruments and a unique approach have evidently been employed to carry out non-destructive measurement of mortar materials.

High frequency vibration characteristics of electric wheel system under in-wheel motor torque ripple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Yu; Zuo, Shuguang; Wu, Xudong; Duan, Xianglei

2017-07-01

With the introduction of in-wheel motor, the electric wheel system encounters new vibration problems brought by motor torque ripple excitation. In order to analyze new vibration characteristics of electric wheel system, torque ripple of in-wheel motor based on motor module and vector control system is primarily analyzed, and frequency/order features of the torque ripple are discussed. Then quarter vehicle-electric wheel system (QV-EWS) dynamics model based on the rigid ring tire assumption is established and the main parameters of the model are identified according to tire free modal test. Modal characteristics of the model are further analyzed. The analysis indicates that torque excitation of in-wheel motor is prone to arouse horizontal vibration, in which in-phase rotational, anti-phase rotational and horizontal translational modes of electric wheel system mainly participate. Based on the model, vibration responses of the QV-EWS under torque ripple are simulated. The results show that unlike vertical low frequency (lower than 20 Hz) vibration excited by road roughness, broadband torque ripple will arouse horizontal high frequency (50-100 Hz) vibration of electric wheel system due to participation of the three aforementioned modes. To verify the theoretical analysis, the bench experiment of electric wheel system is conducted and vibration responses are acquired. The experiment demonstrates the high frequency vibration phenomenon of electric wheel system and the measured order features as well as main resonant frequencies agree with simulation results. Through theoretical modeling, analysis and experiments this paper reveals and explains the high frequency vibration characteristics of electric wheel system, providing references for the dynamic analysis, optimal design of QV-EWS.

Mutual 3:1 subharmonic synchronization in a micromachined silicon disk resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taheri-Tehrani, Parsa; Guerrieri, Andrea; Defoort, Martial; Frangi, Attilio; Horsley, David A.

2017-10-01

We demonstrate synchronization between two intrinsically coupled oscillators that are created from two distinct vibration modes of a single micromachined disk resonator. The modes have a 3:1 subharmonic frequency relationship and cubic, non-dissipative electromechanical coupling between the modes enables their two frequencies to synchronize. Our experimental implementation allows the frequency of the lower frequency oscillator to be independently controlled from that of the higher frequency oscillator, enabling study of the synchronization dynamics. We find close quantitative agreement between the experimental behavior and an analytical coupled-oscillator model as a function of the energy in the two oscillators. We demonstrate that the synchronization range increases when the lower frequency oscillator is strongly driven and when the higher frequency oscillator is weakly driven. This result suggests that synchronization can be applied to the frequency-selective detection of weak signals and other mechanical signal processing functions.

Studies on impact of electron cyclotron wave injection on the internal transport barriers in JT-60U weak shear plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ide, S.; Takenaga, H.; Isayama, A.; Sakamoto, Y.; Yoshida, M.; Gormezano, C.

2007-11-01

Impact of the electron cyclotron range of frequency wave (ECRF) on the internal transport barriers (ITBs) in a weak shear (WS) plasma has been investigated in JT-60U. The fundamental O-mode ECRF of 110 GHz injected obliquely (co-current drive) from the low field side is used. It is observed that the ion temperature (Ti) ITB in a WS plasma can be degraded by ECRF. It is clarified for the first time that the degradation depends increasingly on the EC power (PEC) but decreasingly on the plasma current (Ip). Moreover it is confirmed that ECRF affects the toroidal rotation (Vt) indirectly and results in the flattening of Vt(ρ) and therefore the radial electric field (Er) profiles regardless of the direction of the target Vt(ρ), peaking co or counter direction (relative to the Ip direction). Furthermore, it is recently found that Ti and Vt in the whole ITB region are affected with almost no delay from the EC onset even with off-axis EC deposition. These results indicate that EC injection unveiled a semi-global structure that characterizes Ti ITB in a WS plasma.

Quantum mechanical expansion of variance of a particle in a weakly non-uniform electric and magnetic field

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

Chan, Poh Kam; Kosaka, Wataru; Oikawa, Shun-ichi

We have solved the Heisenberg equation of motion for the time evolution of the position and momentum operators for a non-relativistic spinless charged particle in the presence of a weakly non-uniform electric and magnetic field. It is shown that the drift velocity operator obtained in this study agrees with the classical counterpart, and that, using the time dependent operators, the variances in position and momentum grow with time. The expansion rate of variance in position and momentum are dependent on the magnetic gradient scale length, however, independent of the electric gradient scale length. In the presence of a weakly non-uniformmore » electric and magnetic field, the theoretical expansion rates of variance expansion are in good agreement with the numerical analysis. It is analytically shown that the variance in position reaches the square of the interparticle separation, which is the characteristic time much shorter than the proton collision time of plasma fusion. After this time, the wavefunctions of the neighboring particles would overlap, as a result, the conventional classical analysis may lose its validity. The broad distribution of individual particle in space means that their Coulomb interactions with other particles become weaker than that expected in classical mechanics.« less

A weak electric field-assisted ultrafast electrical switching dynamics in In3SbTe2 phase-change memory devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Shivendra Kumar; Manivannan, Anbarasu

2017-07-01

Prefixing a weak electric field (incubation) might enhance the crystallization speed via pre-structural ordering and thereby achieving faster programming of phase change memory (PCM) devices. We employed a weak electric field, equivalent to a constant small voltage (that is incubation voltage, Vi of 0.3 V) to the applied voltage pulse, VA (main pulse) for a systematic understanding of voltage-dependent rapid threshold switching characteristics and crystallization (set) process of In3SbTe2 (IST) PCM devices. Our experimental results on incubation-assisted switching elucidate strikingly one order faster threshold switching, with an extremely small delay time, td of 300 ps, as compared with no incubation voltage (Vi = 0 V) for the same VA. Also, the voltage dependent characteristics of incubation-assisted switching dynamics confirm that the initiation of threshold switching occurs at a lower voltage of 0.82 times of VA. Furthermore, we demonstrate an incubation assisted ultrafast set process of IST device for a low VA of 1.7 V (˜18 % lesser compared to without incubation) within a short pulse-width of 1.5 ns (full width half maximum, FWHM). These findings of ultrafast switching, yet low power set process would immensely be helpful towards designing high speed PCM devices with low power operation.

Male-mediated species recognition among African weakly electric fishes

PubMed Central

Nagel, Rebecca; Kirschbaum, Frank; Engelmann, Jacob; Hofmann, Volker; Pawelzik, Felix

2018-01-01

Effective communication among sympatric species is often instrumental for behavioural isolation, where the failure to successfully discriminate between potential mates could lead to less fit hybrid offspring. Discrimination between con- and heterospecifics tends to occur more often in the sex that invests more in offspring production, i.e. females, but males may also mediate reproductive isolation. In this study, we show that among two Campylomormyrus African weakly electric fish species, males preferentially associate with conspecific females during choice tests using live fish as stimuli, i.e. when all sensory modalities potentially used for communication were present. We then conducted playback experiments to determine whether the species-specific electric organ discharge (EOD) used for electrocommunication serves as the cue for this conspecific association preference. Interestingly, only C. compressirostris males associated significantly more with the conspecific EOD waveform when playback stimuli were provided, while no such association preference was observed in C. tamandua males. Given our results, the EOD appears to serve, in part, as a male-mediated pre-zygotic isolation mechanism among sympatric species. However, the failure of C. tamandua males to discriminate between con- and heterospecific playback discharges suggests that multiple modalities may be necessary for species recognition in some African weakly electric fish species. PMID:29515818

Bioelectrical Impedance and The Frequency Dependent Current Conduction Through Biological Tissues: A Short Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanti Bera, Tushar

2018-03-01

Biological tissues are developed with biological cells which exhibit complex electrical impedance called electrical bioimpedance. Under an alternating electrical excitation the bioimpedance varies with the tissue anatomy, composition and the signal frequency. The current penetration and conduction paths vary with frequency of the applied signal. Bioimpedance spectroscopy is used to study the frequency response of the electrical impedance of biological materials noninvasively. In bioimpedance spectroscopy, a low amplitude electrical signal is injected to the tissue sample or body parts to characterization the sample in terms of its bioimpedance. The electrical current conduction phenomena, which is highly influenced by the tissue impedance and the signal frequency, is an important phenomena which should be studied to understand the bioimpedance techniques like bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), EIS, or else. In this paper the origin of bioelectrical impedance and current conduction phenomena has been reviewed to present a brief summary of bioelectrical impedance and the frequency dependent current conduction through biological tissues. Simulation studies are conducted with alternation current injection through a two dimensional model of biological tissues containing finite number of biological cells suspended in extracellular fluid. The paper demonstrates the simulation of alternating current conduction through biological tissues conducted by COMSOL Multiphysics. Simulation studies also show the frequency response of the tissue impedance for different tissue compositions.

Analysis of a piezoelectric power harvester with adjustable frequency by precise electric field method.

PubMed

Wang, Yujue; Lian, Ziyang; Yao, Mingge; Wang, Ji; Hu, Hongping

2013-10-01

A power harvester with adjustable frequency, which consists of a hinged-hinged piezoelectric bimorph and a concentrated mass, is studied by the precise electric field method (PEFM), taking into account a distribution of the electric field over the thickness. Usually, using the equivalent electric field method (EEFM), the electric field is approximated as a constant value in the piezoelectric layer. Charge on the upper electrode (UEC) of the bimorph is often assumed as output charge. However, different output charge can be obtained by integrating on electric displacement over the electrode with different thickness coordinates. Therefore, an average charge (AC) on thickness is often assumed as the output value. This method is denoted EEFM AC. The flexural vibration of the bimorph is calculated by the three methods and their results are compared. Numerical results illustrate that EEFM UEC overestimates resonant frequency, output power, and efficiency. EEFM AC can accurately calculate the output power and efficiency, but underestimates resonant frequency. The performance of the harvester, which depends on concentrated mass weight, position, and circuit load, is analyzed using PEFM. The resonant frequency can be modulated 924 Hz by moving the concentrated mass along the bimorph. This feature suggests that the natural frequency of the harvester can be adjusted conveniently to adapt to frequency fluctuation of the ambient vibration.

Long-range monostatic remote sensing of geomaterial structure weak vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heifetz, Alexander; Bakhtiari, Sasan; Gopalsami, Nachappa; Elmer, Thomas W.; Mukherjee, Souvik

2018-04-01

We study analytically and numerically signal sensitivity in remote sensing measurements of weak mechanical vibration of structures made of typical construction geomaterials, such as concrete. The analysis includes considerations of electromagnetic beam atmospheric absorption, reflection, scattering, diffraction and losses. Comparison is made between electromagnetic frequencies of 35GHz (Ka-band), 94GHz (W-band) and 260GHz (WR-3 waveguide band), corresponding to atmospheric transparency windows of the electromagnetic spectrum. Numerical simulations indicate that 94GHz frequency is optimal in terms of signal sensitivity and specificity for long-distance (>1.5km) sensing of weak multi-mode vibrations.

Control of Ferromagnetic Resonance Frequency and Frequency Linewidth by Electrical Fields in FeCo/[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]0.68-[PbTiO3]0.32(011) Heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phuoc, Nguyen N.; Ong, C. K.

2016-10-01

We report our detailed investigation of the electrical tuning of the ferromagnetic resonance frequency and frequency linewidth in multiferroic heterostructures consisting of FeCo thin films grown onto [Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3) O3]0.68-[PbTiO3]0.32 (PMN-PT) substrates with NiFe underlayers. Our study shows that the electrical tuning range of both ferromagnetic resonance frequency and frequency linewidth in this FeCo/PMN-PT heterostructure can be very large. Specifically, the resonance frequency can be tuned from 1.8 GHz to 10.3 GHz, and the frequency linewidth can be changed from 1.6 GHz to 7.3 GHz. The electrical tuning of these microwave properties is discussed in conjunction with the result from the static magnetic characterization and is explained based on the strain-driven magnetoelectric heterostructured effect.

[The algorithm based on wavelet for canceling muscle electricity and wide range frequency of power line hum in ECG].

PubMed

Zhao, Jie; Hua, Mei

2004-06-01

To develop a wavelet noise canceller that cancels muscle electricity and power line hum in wide range of frequency. According to the feature that the QRS complex has higher frequency components, and the T, P wave have lower frequency components, the biorthogonal wavelet was selected to decompose the original signals. An interference-eliminated signal ECG was formed by reconstruction from the changed coefficients of wavelet. By using the canceller, muscle electricity and power line interference between 49 Hz and 61 Hz were eliminated from the ECG signals. This canceller works well in canceling muscle electricity, and basic and harmonic frequencies of power line hum. The canceller is also insensitive to the frequency change of power line, the same procedure is good for both 50 and 60 Hz power line hum.

SKA weak lensing- II. Simulated performance and survey design considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonaldi, Anna; Harrison, Ian; Camera, Stefano; Brown, Michael L.

2016-12-01

We construct a pipeline for simulating weak lensing cosmology surveys with the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), taking as inputs telescope sensitivity curves; correlated source flux, size and redshift distributions; a simple ionospheric model; source redshift and ellipticity measurement errors. We then use this simulation pipeline to optimize a 2-yr weak lensing survey performed with the first deployment of the SKA (SKA1). Our assessments are based on the total signal to noise of the recovered shear power spectra, a metric that we find to correlate very well with a standard dark energy figure of merit. We first consider the choice of frequency band, trading off increases in number counts at lower frequencies against poorer resolution; our analysis strongly prefers the higher frequency Band 2 (950-1760 MHz) channel of the SKA-MID telescope to the lower frequency Band 1 (350-1050 MHz). Best results would be obtained by allowing the centre of Band 2 to shift towards lower frequency, around 1.1 GHz. We then move on to consider survey size, finding that an area of 5000 deg2 is optimal for most SKA1 instrumental configurations. Finally, we forecast the performance of a weak lensing survey with the second deployment of the SKA. The increased survey size (3π steradian) and sensitivity improves both the signal to noise and the dark energy metrics by two orders of magnitude.

Complex-Spectrum Magnetic Environment enhances and/or modifies Bioeffects of Hypokinetic Stress Condition: an Animal Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temuriantz, N. A.; Martinyuk, V. S.; Ptitsyna, N. G.; Villoresi, G.; Iucci, N.; Tyasto, M. I.; Dorman, L. I.

During last decades it was shown by many authors that ultra-low and extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields ULF 0-10 Hz ELF 10-1000 Hz may produce biological effects and consequently may be a possible source for health problems Spaceflight electric and magnetic environments are characterized by complex combination of static and time-varying components in ULF-ELF range and by high variability The objective of this study was to investigate the possible influence of such magnetic fields on rats to understand the pathway regarding functional state of cardiovascular system Magnetic field MF pattern with variable complex spectra in 0-150 Hz frequency range was simulated using 3-axial Helmholtz coils and special computer-based equipment The effect of the real world MF exposure on rats was also tested in combination with hypokinetic stress condition which is typical for spaceflights It was revealed that variable complex-spectrum MF acts as a weak or moderate stress-like factor which amplifies and or modifies the functional shifts caused by other stress-factors The value and direction of the functional shifts caused by MF exposure significantly depend on gender individual-typological constitutional features and also on the physiological state norm stress of organism Our results support the idea that variable complex-spectrum MF action involves sympathetic activation overload in cholesterol transport in blood and also secretor activation of tissue basophyls mast cells that can influence the regional haemodynamics These

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

Liu, Zhen; Chen, Xuefeng; Peng, Wei

The dielectric properties and electrical hysteresis behaviors of Pb{sub 0.97}La{sub 0.02}(Zr{sub 0.58}Sn{sub 0.335}Ti{sub 0.085})O{sub 3} antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics were investigated in this work with an emphasis on energy storage properties. Three phase transition points can be detected as temperature increases. AFE and paraelectric phases are found to coexist from 100 °C to 170 °C. The room temperature recoverable energy density is 1.37 J/cm{sup 3} at 8.6 kV/mm. With increasing temperature (from 20 °C to 100 °C) and frequency (from 0.01 to 100 Hz) under 8.6 kV/mm, the variation of recoverable energy density was less than 15%, all higher than 1.2 J/cm{sup 3}. All the corresponding energy efficiencies were nomore » less than 75%. The high energy density, high energy efficiency, and their weak dependence on temperature and frequency during a wide scope indicate that these antiferroelectric ceramics are quite promising to be used for pulse power capacitors applications.« less

Map of low-frequency electromagnetic noise in the sky

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Füllekrug, Martin; Mezentsev, Andrew; Watson, Robert; Gaffet, Stéphane; Astin, Ivan; Smith, Nathan; Evans, Adrian

2015-06-01

The Earth's natural electromagnetic environment is disturbed by anthropogenic electromagnetic noise. Here we report the first results from an electromagnetic noise survey of the sky. The locations of electromagnetic noise sources are mapped on the hemisphere above a distributed array of wideband receivers that operate in a small aperture configuration. It is found that the noise sources can be localized at elevation angles up to ˜60° in the sky, well above the horizon. The sky also exhibits zones with little or no noise that are found toward the local zenith and the southwest of the array. These results are obtained by a rigorous analysis of the residuals from the classic dispersion relation for electromagnetic waves using an array analysis of electric field measurements in the frequency range from ˜20 to 250 kHz. The observed locations of the noise sources enable detailed observations of ionospheric modification, for example, caused by particle precipitation and lightning discharges, while the observed exclusion zones enable the detection of weak natural electromagnetic emissions, for example, from streamers in transient luminous events above thunderclouds.

Highly Sensitive Electro-Optic Modulators

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

DeVore, Peter S

2015-10-26

There are very important diagnostic and communication applications that receive faint electrical signals to be transmitted over long distances for capture. Optical links reduce bandwidth and distance restrictions of metal transmission lines; however, such signals are only weakly imprinted onto the optical carrier, resulting in low fidelity transmission. Increasing signal fidelity often necessitates insertion of radio-frequency (RF) amplifiers before the electro-optic modulator, but (especially at high frequencies) RF amplification results in large irreversible distortions. We have investigated the feasibility of a Sensitive and Linear Modulation by Optical Nonlinearity (SALMON) modulator to supersede RF-amplified modulators. SALMON uses cross-phase modulation, a manifestationmore » of the Kerr effect, to enhance the modulation depth of an RF-modulated optical wave. This ultrafast process has the potential to result in less irreversible distortions as compared to a RF-amplified modulator due to the broadband nature of the Kerr effect. Here, we prove that a SALMON modulator is a feasible alternative to an RFamplified modulator, by demonstrating a sensitivity enhancement factor greater than 20 and significantly reduced distortion.« less

High Voltage Hybrid Electric Propulsion - Multilayered Functional Insulation System (MFIS) NASA-GRC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lizcano, M.

2017-01-01

High power transmission cables pose a key challenge in future Hybrid Electric Propulsion Aircraft. The challenge arises in developing safe transmission lines that can withstand the unique environment found in aircraft while providing megawatts of power. High voltage AC, variable frequency cables do not currently exist and present particular electrical insulation challenges since electrical arcing and high heating are more prevalent at higher voltages and frequencies. Identifying and developing materials that maintain their dielectric properties at high voltage and frequencies is crucial.

Frequency and voltage dependent profile of dielectric properties, electric modulus and ac electrical conductivity in the PrBaCoO nanofiber capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demirezen, S.; Kaya, A.; Yerişkin, S. A.; Balbaşı, M.; Uslu, İ.

In this study, praseodymium barium cobalt oxide nanofiber interfacial layer was sandwiched between Au and n-Si. Frequency and voltage dependence of ε‧, ε‧, tanδ, electric modulus (M‧ and M″) and σac of PrBaCoO nanofiber capacitor have been investigated by using impedance spectroscopy method. The obtained experimental results show that the values of ε‧, ε‧, tanδ, M‧, M″ and σac of the PrBaCoO nanofiber capacitor are strongly dependent on frequency of applied bias voltage. The values of ε‧, ε″ and tanδ show a steep decrease with increasing frequency for each forward bias voltage, whereas the values of σac and the electric modulus increase with increasing frequency. The high dispersion in ε‧ and ε″ values at low frequencies may be attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner and space charge polarization. The high values of ε‧ may be due to the interfacial effects within the material, PrBaCoO nanofibers interfacial layer and electron effect. The values of M‧ and M″ reach a maximum constant value corresponding to M∞ ≈ 1/ε∞ due to the relaxation process at high frequencies, but both the values of M‧ and M″ approach almost to zero at low frequencies. The changes in the dielectric and electrical properties with frequency can be also attributed to the existence of Nss and Rs of the capacitors. As a result, the change in the ε‧, ε″, tanδ, M‧, M″ and ac electric conductivity (σac) is a result of restructuring and reordering of charges at the PrBaCoO/n-Si interface under an external electric field or voltage and interface polarization.

Mode detuning in systems of weakly coupled oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Ross L.; Robertson, Richard D.

2001-11-01

A system of weakly magnetically coupled oscillating blades is studied experimentally, computationally, and theoretically. It is found that when the uncoupled natural frequencies of the blades are nearly equal, the normal modes produced by the coupling are almost impossible to find experimentally if the random variation level in the system parameters is on the order of (or larger than) the relative differences between mode frequencies. But if the uncoupled natural frequencies are made to vary (detuned) in a smooth way such that the total relative spread in natural frequency exceeds the random variations, normal modes are rather easy to find. And if the detuned uncoupled frequencies of the system are parabolically distributed, the modes are found to be shaped like Hermite functions.

Frequency modulation detection in cochlear implant subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hongbin; Zeng, Fan-Gang

2004-10-01

Frequency modulation (FM) detection was investigated in acoustic and electric hearing to characterize cochlear-implant subjects' ability to detect dynamic frequency changes and to assess the relative contributions of temporal and spectral cues to frequency processing. Difference limens were measured for frequency upward sweeps, downward sweeps, and sinusoidal FM as a function of standard frequency and modulation rate. In electric hearing, factors including electrode position and stimulation level were also studied. Electric hearing data showed that the difference limen increased monotonically as a function of standard frequency regardless of the modulation type, the modulation rate, the electrode position, and the stimulation level. In contrast, acoustic hearing data showed that the difference limen was nearly a constant as a function of standard frequency. This difference was interpreted to mean that temporal cues are used only at low standard frequencies and at low modulation rates. At higher standard frequencies and modulation rates, the reliance on the place cue is increased, accounting for the better performance in acoustic hearing than for electric hearing with single-electrode stimulation. The present data suggest a speech processing strategy that encodes slow frequency changes using lower stimulation rates than those typically employed by contemporary cochlear-implant speech processors. .

A combined approach for weak fault signature extraction of rolling element bearing using Hilbert envelop and zero frequency resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Keshav; Shukla, Sumitra; Singh, Sachin Kumar

2018-04-01

Periodic impulses arise due to localised defects in rolling element bearing. At the early stage of defects, the weak impulses are immersed in strong machinery vibration. This paper proposes a combined approach based upon Hilbert envelop and zero frequency resonator for the detection of the weak periodic impulses. In the first step, the strength of impulses is increased by taking normalised Hilbert envelop of the signal. It also helps in better localization of these impulses on time axis. In the second step, Hilbert envelope of the signal is passed through the zero frequency resonator for the exact localization of the periodic impulses. Spectrum of the resonator output gives peak at the fault frequency. Simulated noisy signal with periodic impulses is used to explain the working of the algorithm. The proposed technique is verified with experimental data also. A comparison of the proposed method with Hilbert-Haung transform (HHT) based method is presented to establish the effectiveness of the proposed method.

[Analysis of acid rain characteristics of Lin'an Regional Background Station using long-term observation data].

PubMed

Li, Zheng-Quan; Ma, Hao; Mao, Yu-Ding; Feng, Tao

2014-02-01

Using long-term observation data of acid rain at Lin'an Regional Background Station (Lin'an RBS), this paper studied the interannual and monthly variations of acid rain, the reasons for the variations, and the relationships between acid rain and meteorological factors. The results showed that interannual variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS had a general increasing trend in which there were two obvious intensifying processes and two distinct weakening processes, during the period ranging from 1985 to 2012. In last two decades, the monthly variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS indicated that rain acidity and frequency of severe acid rain were increasing but the frequency of weak acid rain was decreasing when moving towards bilateral side months of July. Acid rain occurrence was affected by rainfall intensity, wind speed and wind direction. High frequency of severe acid rain and low frequency of weak acid rain were on days with drizzle, but high frequency of weak acid rain and low frequency of severe acid rain occurred on rainstorm days. With wind speed upgrading, the frequency of acid rain and the proportion of severe acid rain were declining, the pH value of precipitation was reducing too. Another character is that daily dominant wind direction of weak acid rain majorly converged in S-W section ,however that of severe acid rain was more likely distributed in N-E section. The monthly variation of acid rain at Lin'an RBS was mainly attributed to precipitation variation, the increasing and decreasing of monthly incoming wind from SSE-WSW and NWN-ENE sections of wind direction. The interannual variation of acid rain could be due to the effects of energy consumption raising and significant green policies conducted in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai.

Calibration-free absolute frequency response measurement of directly modulated lasers based on additional modulation.

PubMed

Zhang, Shangjian; Zou, Xinhai; Wang, Heng; Zhang, Yali; Lu, Rongguo; Liu, Yong

2015-10-15

A calibration-free electrical method is proposed for measuring the absolute frequency response of directly modulated semiconductor lasers based on additional modulation. The method achieves the electrical domain measurement of the modulation index of directly modulated lasers without the need for correcting the responsivity fluctuation in the photodetection. Moreover, it doubles measuring frequency range by setting a specific frequency relationship between the direct and additional modulation. Both the absolute and relative frequency response of semiconductor lasers are experimentally measured from the electrical spectrum of the twice-modulated optical signal, and the measured results are compared to those obtained with conventional methods to check the consistency. The proposed method provides calibration-free and accurate measurement for high-speed semiconductor lasers with high-resolution electrical spectrum analysis.

High-frequency matrix converter with square wave input

DOEpatents

Carr, Joseph Alexander; Balda, Juan Carlos

2015-03-31

A device for producing an alternating current output voltage from a high-frequency, square-wave input voltage comprising, high-frequency, square-wave input a matrix converter and a control system. The matrix converter comprises a plurality of electrical switches. The high-frequency input and the matrix converter are electrically connected to each other. The control system is connected to each switch of the matrix converter. The control system is electrically connected to the input of the matrix converter. The control system is configured to operate each electrical switch of the matrix converter converting a high-frequency, square-wave input voltage across the first input port of the matrix converter and the second input port of the matrix converter to an alternating current output voltage at the output of the matrix converter.

Axion monodromy and the weak gravity conjecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hebecker, Arthur; Rompineve, Fabrizio; Westphal, Alexander

2016-04-01

Axions with broken discrete shift symmetry (axion monodromy) have recently played a central role both in the discussion of inflation and the `relaxion' approach to the hierarchy problem. We suggest a very minimalist way to constrain such models by the weak gravity conjecture for domain walls: while the electric side of the conjecture is always satisfied if the cosine-oscillations of the axion potential are sufficiently small, the magnetic side imposes a cutoff, Λ3 ˜ mf M pl, independent of the height of these `wiggles'. We compare our approach with the recent related proposal by Ibanez, Montero, Uranga and Valenzuela. We also discuss the non-trivial question which version, if any, of the weak gravity conjecture for domain walls should hold. In particular, we show that string compactifications with branes of different dimensions wrapped on different cycles lead to a `geometric weak gravity conjecture' relating volumes of cycles, norms of corresponding forms and the volume of the compact space. Imposing this `geometric conjecture', e.g. on the basis of the more widely accepted weak gravity conjecture for particles, provides at least some support for the (electric and magnetic) conjecture for domain walls.

Particle beam injector system and method

DOEpatents

Guethlein, Gary

2013-06-18

Methods and devices enable coupling of a charged particle beam to a radio frequency quadrupole accelerator. Coupling of the charged particle beam is accomplished, at least in-part, by relying on of sensitivity of the input phase space acceptance of the radio frequency quadrupole to the angle of the input charged particle beam. A first electric field across a beam deflector deflects the particle beam at an angle that is beyond the acceptance angle of the radio frequency quadrupole. By momentarily reversing or reducing the established electric field, a narrow portion of the charged particle beam is deflected at an angle within the acceptance angle of the radio frequency quadrupole. In another configuration, beam is directed at an angle within the acceptance angle of the radio frequency quadrupole by the first electric field and is deflected beyond the acceptance angle of the radio frequency quadrupole due to the second electric field.

The role of service areas in the optimization of FSS orbital and frequency assignments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levis, C. A.; Wang, C. W.; Yamamura, Y.; Reilly, C. H.; Gonsalvez, D. J.

1985-01-01

A relationship is derived, on a single-entry interference basis, for the minimum allowable spacing between two satellites as a function of electrical parameters and service-area geometries. For circular beams, universal curves relate the topocentric satellite spacing angle to the service-area separation angle measured at the satellite. The corresponding geocentric spacing depends only weakly on the mean longitude of the two satellites, and this is true also for alliptical antenna beams. As a consequence, if frequency channels are preassigned, the orbital assignment synthesis of a satellite system can be formulated as a mixed-integer programming (MIP) problem or approximated by a linear programming (LP) problem, with the interference protection requirements enforced by constraints while some linear function is optimized. Possible objective-function choices are discussed and explicit formulations are presented for the choice of the sum of the absolute deviations of the orbital locations from some prescribed ideal location set. A test problem is posed consisting of six service areas, each served by one satellite, all using elliptical antenna beams and the same frequency channels. Numerical results are given for the three ideal location prescriptions for both the MIP and LP formulations. The resulting scenarios also satisfy reasonable aggregate interference protection requirements.

Origin of the colossal dielectric response of Pr0.6 Ca0.4 Mn O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biškup, N.; de Andrés, A.; Martinez, J. L.; Perca, C.

2005-07-01

We report the detailed study of dielectric response of Pr0.6Ca0.4MnO3 (PCMO), a member of the manganite family showing colossal magnetoresistance. Measurements have been performed on four polycrystalline samples and four single crystals, allowing us to compare and extract the essence of dielectric response in the material. High-frequency dielectric function is found to be ɛHF=30 , as expected for the perovskite material. Dielectric relaxation is found in the frequency window of 20Hzto1MHz at temperatures of 50-200K that yields to colossal low-frequency dielectric function, i.e., the static dielectric constant. The static dielectric constant is always colossal, but varies considerably in different samples from ɛ(0)=103to105 . The measured data can be simulated very well by blocking (surface barrier) capacitance in series with sample resistance. This indicates that the large dielectric constant in PCMO arises from the Schottky barriers at electrical contacts. Measurements in magnetic field and with dc bias support this interpretation. Colossal magnetocapacitance observed in the title compound is thus attributed to extrinsic effects. Weak anomaly at the charge ordering temperature can also be attributed to interplay of sample and contact resistance. We comment on our results in the framework of related studies by other groups.

Computational IR spectroscopy of water: OH stretch frequencies, transition dipoles, and intermolecular vibrational coupling constants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jun-Ho; Cho, Minhaeng

2013-05-01

The Hessian matrix reconstruction method initially developed to extract the basis mode frequencies, vibrational coupling constants, and transition dipoles of the delocalized amide I, II, and III vibrations of polypeptides and proteins from quantum chemistry calculation results is used to obtain those properties of delocalized O-H stretch modes in liquid water. Considering the water symmetric and asymmetric O-H stretch modes as basis modes, we here develop theoretical models relating vibrational frequencies, transition dipoles, and coupling constants of basis modes to local water configuration and solvent electric potential. Molecular dynamics simulation was performed to generate an ensemble of water configurations that was in turn used to construct vibrational Hamiltonian matrices. Obtaining the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the matrices and using the time-averaging approximation method, which was developed by the Skinner group, to calculating the vibrational spectra of coupled oscillator systems, we could numerically simulate the O-H stretch IR spectrum of liquid water. The asymmetric line shape and weak shoulder bands were quantitatively reproduced by the present computational procedure based on vibrational exciton model, where the polarization effects on basis mode transition dipoles and inter-mode coupling constants were found to be crucial in quantitatively simulating the vibrational spectra of hydrogen-bond networking liquid water.

Soliton self-frequency shift controlled by a weak seed laser in tellurite photonic crystal fibers.

PubMed

Liu, Lai; Meng, Xiangwei; Yin, Feixiang; Liao, Meisong; Zhao, Dan; Qin, Guanshi; Ohishi, Yasutake; Qin, Weiping

2013-08-01

We report the first demonstration of soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) controlled by a weak continuous-wave (CW) laser, from a tellurite photonic crystal fiber pumped by a 1560 nm femtosecond fiber laser. The control of SSFS is performed by the cross-gain modulation of the 1560 nm femtosecond laser. By varying the input power of the weak CW laser (1560 nm) from 0 to 1.17 mW, the soliton generated in the tellurite photonic crystal fiber blue shifts from 1935 to 1591 nm. The dependence of the soliton wavelength on the operation wavelength of the weak CW laser is also measured. The results show the CW laser with a wavelength tunable range of 1530-1592 nm can be used to control the SSFS generation.

Theory and experimental verifications of the resonator Q and equivalent electrical parameters due to viscoelastic and mounting supports losses.

PubMed

Yong, Yook-Kong; Patel, Mihir S; Tanaka, Masako

2010-08-01

A novel analytical/numerical method for calculating the resonator Q and its equivalent electrical parameters due to viscoelastic, conductivity, and mounting supports losses is presented. The method presented will be quite useful for designing new resonators and reducing the time and costs of prototyping. There was also a necessity for better and more realistic modeling of the resonators because of miniaturization and the rapid advances in the frequency ranges of telecommunication. We present new 3-D finite elements models of quartz resonators with viscoelasticity, conductivity, and mounting support losses. The losses at the mounting supports were modeled by perfectly matched layers (PMLs). A previously published theory for dissipative anisotropic piezoelectric solids was formulated in a weak form for finite element (FE) applications. PMLs were placed at the base of the mounting supports to simulate the energy losses to a semi-infinite base substrate. FE simulations were carried out for free vibrations and forced vibrations of quartz tuning fork and AT-cut resonators. Results for quartz tuning fork and thickness shear AT-cut resonators were presented and compared with experimental data. Results for the resonator Q and the equivalent electrical parameters were compared with their measured values. Good equivalences were found. Results for both low- and high-Q AT-cut quartz resonators compared well with their experimental values. A method for estimating the Q directly from the frequency spectrum obtained for free vibrations was also presented. An important determinant of the quality factor Q of a quartz resonator is the loss of energy from the electrode area to the base via the mountings. The acoustical characteristics of the plate resonator are changed when the plate is mounted onto a base substrate. The base affects the frequency spectra of the plate resonator. A resonator with a high Q may not have a similarly high Q when mounted on a base. Hence, the base is an energy sink and the Q will be affected by the shape and size of this base. A lower-bound Q will be obtained if the base is a semi-infinite base because it will absorb all acoustical energies radiated from the resonator.

Status-Dependent Vasotocin Modulation of Dominance and Subordination in the Weakly Electric Fish Gymnotus omarorum.

PubMed

Perrone, Rossana; Silva, Ana C

2018-01-01

Dominant-subordinate status emerges from agonistic encounters. The weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum , displays a clear-cut example of non-breeding territorial aggression. The asymmetry in the behavior of dominants and subordinates is outstanding. Dominants are highly aggressive and subordinates signal submission in a precise sequence of locomotor and electric traits: retreating, decreasing their electric organ discharge rate, and emitting transient electric signals. The hypothalamic neuropeptide arginine-vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homolog arginine-vasopressin, are key modulators of social behavior, known to adapt their actions to different contexts. By analyzing the effects of pharmacological manipulations of the AVT system in both dominants and subordinates, we show evidence of distinct status-dependent actions of AVT. We demonstrate an endogenous effect of AVT on dominants' aggression levels: blocking the V1a AVT receptor induced a significant decrease in dominants' attack rate. AVT administered to subordinates enhanced the expression of the electric signals of submission, without affecting subordinates' locomotor displays. This study contributes a clear example of status-dependent AVT modulation of agonistic behavior in teleosts, and reveals distinctive activation patterns of the AVT system between dominants and subordinates.

Electricity resonance-induced fast transport of water through nanochannels.

PubMed

Kou, Jianlong; Lu, Hangjun; Wu, Fengmin; Fan, Jintu; Yao, Jun

2014-09-10

We performed molecular dynamics simulations to study water permeation through a single-walled carbon nanotube with electrical interference. It was found that the water net flux across the nanochannel is greatly affected by the external electrical interference, with the maximal net flux occurred at an electrical interference frequency of 16670 GHz being about nine times as high as the net flux at the low or high frequency range of (<1000 GHz or >80,000 GHz). The above phenomena can be attributed to the breakage of hydrogen bonds as the electrical interference frequency approaches to the inherent resonant frequency of hydrogen bonds. The new mechanism of regulating water flux across nanochannels revealed in this study provides an insight into the water transportation through biological water channels and has tremendous potential in the design of high-flux nanofluidic systems.

An electrohydrodynamic flow in ac electrowetting.

PubMed

Lee, Horim; Yun, Sungchan; Ko, Sung Hee; Kang, Kwan Hyoung

2009-12-17

In ac electrowetting, hydrodynamic flows occur within a droplet. Two distinct flow patterns were observed, depending on the frequency of the applied electrical signal. The flow at low-frequency range was explained in terms of shape oscillation and a steady streaming process in conjunction with contact line oscillation. The origin of the flow at high-frequency range has not yet been explained. We suggest that the high-frequency flow originated mainly from the electrothermal effect, in which electrical charge is generated due to the gradient of electrical conductivity and permittivity, which is induced by the Joule heating of fluid medium. To support our argument, we analyzed the flow field numerically while considering the electrical body force generated by the electrothermal effect. We visualized the flow pattern and measured the flow velocity inside the droplet. The numerical results show qualitative agreement with experimental results with respect to electric field and frequency dependence of flow velocity. The effects of induced-charge electro-osmosis, natural convection, and the Marangoni flow are discussed.

Neutron spectroscopic study of crystalline electric field excitations in stoichiometric and lightly stuffed Yb 2 Ti 2 O 7

DOE PAGES

Gaudet, J.; Maharaj, D. D.; Sala, G.; ...

2015-10-27

Time-of-flight neutron spectroscopy has been used to determine the crystalline electric field Hamiltonian, eigenvalues and eigenvectors appropriate to the J=7/2 Yb 3+ ion in the candidate quantum spin ice pyrochlore magnet Yb 2Ti 2O 7. The precise ground state of this exotic, geometrically frustrated magnet is known to be sensitive to weak disorder associated with the growth of single crystals from the melt. Such materials display weak “stuffing,” wherein a small proportion, approximately 2%, of the nonmagnetic Ti 4+ sites are occupied by excess Yb 3+. We have carried out neutron spectroscopic measurements on a stoichiometric powder sample of Ybmore » 2Ti 2O 7, as well as a crushed single crystal with weak stuffing and an approximate composition of Yb 2+xTi 2–xO 7+y with x = 0.046. All samples display three crystalline electric field transitions out of the ground state, and the ground state doublet itself is identified as primarily composed of m J = ±1/2, as expected. However, stuffing at low temperatures in Yb 2+xTi 2–xO 7+y induces a similar finite crystalline electric field lifetime as is induced in stoichiometric Yb 2Ti 2O 7 by elevated temperature. In conclusion, an extended strain field exists about each local “stuffed” site, which produces a distribution of random crystalline electric field environments in the lightly stuffed Yb 2+xTi 2–xO 7+y, in addition to producing a small fraction of Yb ions in defective environments with grossly different crystalline electric field eigenvalues and eigenvectors.« less

Frequency Response Calculations of Input Characteristics of Cavity-Backed Aperture Antennas Using AWE with Hybrid FEM/MoM Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C. J.; Deshpande, M. D.

1997-01-01

Application of Asymptotic Waveform Evaluation (AWE) is presented in conjunction with a hybrid Finite Element Method (FEM)/Method of Moments (MoM) technique to calculate the input characteristics of cavity-backed aperture antennas over a frequency range. The hybrid FEM/MoM technique is used to form an integro-partial-differential equation to compute the electric field distribution of the cavity-backed aperture antenna. The electric field, thus obtained, is expanded in a Taylor series around the frequency of interest. The coefficients of 'Taylor series (called 'moments') are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the integro-partial-differential Equation formed by the hybrid FEM/MoM technique. Using the moments, the electric field in the cavity is obtained over a frequency range. Using the electric field at different frequencies, the input characteristics of the antenna are obtained over a wide frequency band. Numerical results for an open coaxial line, probe fed cavity, and cavity-backed microstrip patch antennas are presented. Good agreement between AWE and the exact solution over the frequency range is observed.

MEASUREMENT OF SMALL MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OF BRAIN TISSUE EXPOSED TO EXTREMELY-LOW-FREQUENCY ELECTRIC FIELDS

EPA Science Inventory

Electromagnetic fields can interact with biological tissue both electrically and mechanically. This study investigated the mechanical interaction between brain tissue and an extremely-low-frequency (ELF) electric field by measuring the resultant vibrational amplitude. The exposur...

Electric fish as natural models for technical sensor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von der Emde, Gerhard; Bousack, Herbert; Huck, Christina; Mayekar, Kavita; Pabst, Michael; Zhang, Yi

2009-05-01

Instead of vision, many animals use alternative senses for object detection. Weakly electric fish employ "active electrolocation", during which they discharge an electric organ emitting electrical current pulses (electric organ discharges, EOD). Local EODs are sensed by electroreceptors in the fish's skin, which respond to changes of the signal caused by nearby objects. Fish can gain information about attributes of an object, such as size, shape, distance, and complex impedance. When close to the fish, each object projects an 'electric image' onto the fish's skin. In order to get information about an object, the fish has to analyze the object's electric image by sampling its voltage distribution with the electroreceptors. We now know a great deal about the mechanisms the fish use to gain information about objects in their environment. Inspired by the remarkable capabilities of weakly electric fish in detecting and recognizing objects with their electric sense, we are designing technical sensor systems that can solve similar sensing problems. We applied the principles of active electrolocation to devices that produce electrical current pulses in water and simultaneously sense local current densities. Depending on the specific task, sensors can be designed which detect an object, localize it in space, determine its distance, and measure certain object properties such as material properties, thickness, or material faults. We present first experiments and FEM simulations on the optimal sensor arrangement regarding the sensor requirements e. g. localization of objects or distance measurements. Different methods of the sensor read-out and signal processing are compared.

A REVIEW OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND ITS EFFECT ON LINGUAL, LABIAL AND BUCCAL MUSCLE STRENGTH.

PubMed

Safi, Mohammed F; Wright-Harp, Wilhelmina; Lucker, Jay R; Payne, Joan C; Harris, Ovetta

2014-11-01

Lingual, labial and buccal weakness (LLBW) is a widespread consequence of several neurological insults. LLBW impact on oral motor functions such as speech production and swallowing is well documented in the literature. Therefore, it is important for the speech-language pathologists to have access to evidence-based approaches for treatment. Thus, it is imperative that the speech-language pathology field search for effective treatment approaches and explore new treatment modalities that can improve therapy outcomes. One relatively new modality in this field is neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). The purpose of this paper is fivefold: (a) to provide an overview of the general effects of NMES on skeletal muscles; (b) to review the effect of NMES on orofacial musculature evaluating the potential appropriateness of NMES for use in strengthening lingual, labial and buccal muscles; (c) to identify future directions for research with consideration of its potential role in improving speech intelligibility and the oral preparatory phase of swallowing in patients with oral motor weakness; (d) to provide a brief anatomic and physiologic bases of LLBW; (e) to provide background information for orofacial myologists who may encounter individuals with LLBW. NMES is a modality that is commonly used in physical therapy and occupational therapy fields that assists in treating several motor and sensory muscular disorders including muscular weakness. The literature reviewed demonstrate that very limited data related to the use of NMES on orofacial muscles exist despite the fact that these muscles can be easily accessed by electrical stimulation from the surface. This review of the research using electrical stimulation of muscles highlights the need for experimental treatment studies that investigate the effect of NMES on orofacial weakness.

[Application of high frequency electric welding in adrenal surgery. Current state and prospects].

PubMed

Kvacheniuk, A N; Suprun, I S; Negrienko, K V; Barenfel'd, A I; Datta, M R; Datta, L R; Nelep, A D

2012-07-01

In 14 patients underwent open adrenalectomy with high-frequency electric welding application (I group), in 8 - open adrenalectomy (II group). The two groups were compared: duration of surgery, blood loss, postoperative pain intensity, duration of postoperative hospitalization, the frequency of intra-and postoperative complications, histological changes in tissues. The advantages of open adrenalectomy with high-frequency electric welding application feel less duration of surgery and estimated blood loss, lack of necrosis in the surrounding tissues and foreign bodies in the wound, reducing the trauma of surgery, improving rehabilitation.

Radio frequency detection assembly and method for detecting radio frequencies

DOEpatents

Cown, Steven H.; Derr, Kurt Warren

2010-03-16

A radio frequency detection assembly is described and which includes a radio frequency detector which detects a radio frequency emission produced by a radio frequency emitter from a given location which is remote relative to the radio frequency detector; a location assembly electrically coupled with the radio frequency detector and which is operable to estimate the location of the radio frequency emitter from the radio frequency emission which has been received; and a radio frequency transmitter electrically coupled with the radio frequency detector and the location assembly, and which transmits a radio frequency signal which reports the presence of the radio frequency emitter.

Gap solitons in a nonlinear quadratic negative-index cavity.

PubMed

Scalora, Michael; de Ceglia, Domenico; D'Aguanno, Giuseppe; Mattiucci, Nadia; Akozbek, Neset; Centini, Marco; Bloemer, Mark J

2007-06-01

We predict the existence of gap solitons in a nonlinear, quadratic Fabry-Pérot negative index cavity. A peculiarity of a single negative index layer is that if magnetic and electric plasma frequencies are different it forms a photonic band structure similar to that of a multilayer stack composed of ordinary, positive index materials. This similarity also results in comparable field localization and enhancement properties that under appropriate conditions may be used to either dynamically shift the band edge, or for efficient energy conversion. We thus report that an intense, fundamental pump pulse is able to shift the band edge of a negative index cavity, and make it possible for a weak second harmonic pulse initially tuned inside the gap to be transmitted, giving rise to a gap soliton. The process is due to cascading, a well-known phenomenon that occurs far from phase matching conditions that limits energy conversion rates, it resembles a nonlinear third-order process, and causes pulse compression due to self-phase modulation. The symmetry of the equations of motion under the action of either an electric or a magnetic nonlinearity suggests that both nonlinear polarization and magnetization, or a combination of both, can lead to solitonlike pulses. More specifically, the antisymmetric localization properties of the electric and magnetic fields cause a nonlinear polarization to generate a dark soliton, while a nonlinear magnetization spawns a bright soliton.

Structural and electrical properties of AlN layers grown on silicon by reactive RF magnetron sputtering

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

Bazlov, N., E-mail: n.bazlov@spbu.ru; Pilipenko, N., E-mail: nelly.pilipenko@gmail.com; Vyvenko, O.

2016-06-17

AlN films of different thicknesses were deposited on n-Si (100) substrates by reactive radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering. Dependences of structure and electrical properties on thickness of deposited films were researched. The structures of the films were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and with transmitting electron microscopy (TEM). Electrical properties of the films were investigated on Au-AlN-(n-Si) structures by means of current-voltage (I-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) techniques. Electron microscopy investigations had shown that structure and chemical composition of the films were thickness stratified. Near silicon surface layer was amorphous aluminum oxide one contained trapsmore » of positive charges with concentration of about 4 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3}. Upper layers were nanocrystalline ones consisted of both wurzite AlN and cubic AlON nanocrystals. They contained traps both positive and negative charges which were situated within 30 nm distance from silicon surface. Surface densities of these traps were about 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2}. Electron traps with activation energies of (0.2 ÷ 0.4) eV and densities of about 10{sup 10} cm{sup −2} were revealed on interface between aluminum oxide layer and silicon substrate. Their densities varied weakly with the film thickness.« less

Competition between winds and electric fields in the formation of blanketing sporadic E layers at equatorial regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resende, Laysa Cristina Araújo; Batista, Inez Staciarini; Denardini, Clezio Marcos; Carrasco, Alexander José; de Fátima Andrioli, Vânia; Moro, Juliano; Batista, Paulo Prado; Chen, Sony Su

2016-12-01

In the present work, we analyze the competition between tidal winds and electric fields in the formation of blanketing sporadic E layers (Esb) over São Luís, Brazil (2° 31' S, 44° 16' W), a quasi-equatorial station. To investigate this competition, we have used an ionospheric E region model (MIRE) that is able to model the Esb layers taking into account the E region winds and electric fields. The model calculates the densities for the main molecular and metallic ions by solving the continuity and momentum equations for each of the species. Thus, the main purpose of this analysis is to verify the electric fields role in the occurrence or disruption of Esb layers through simulations. The first results of the simulations show that the Esb layer is usually present when only the tidal winds were considered. In addition, when the zonal component of the electric field is introduced in the simulation, the Esb layers do not show significant changes. However, the simulations show the disruption of the Esb layers when the vertical electric field is included. In this study, we present two specific cases in which Esb layers appear during some hours over São Luís. We can see that these layers appear when the vertical electric field was weak, which means that the tidal components were more effective during these hours. Therefore, the vertical component of the electric field is the main agent responsible for the Esb layer disruption. [Figure not available: see fulltext. Caption: Ionograms from São Luís on January 5, 2005, show a clear case of the competition between electric fields and wind effects in the Es layer formation. In ionograms, the Esq trace is clearly seen and identified by a blue arrow. Besides the Esq, we can identify another Es trace at 1415 UT (identified by a black arrow) that persists until 1600 UT. This layer becomes stronger in each ionogram, as can be seen by its effect on partially blocking the reflection from the low-frequency end of F region above. This is indicated in the ionograms by a black vertical line, and the corresponding minimum frequency reflected from the F layer, f minF, is listed in the right upper corner of each frame of Figure. This minimum frequency increases from 3.62 MHz at 1415 UT to 3.7 MHz, at 1500 UT, after which it can be considered a blanketing Es layer (indicated by the red arrow). The fminF reaches a maximum value of 3.93 MHz at 1545 UT after which it decreases until the Esb layer vanishes at 1615 UT. Therefore, this day is an interesting case because São Luís lies in a transition region, since the geomagnetic equator is being driven away due to the secular variation of the Earth's magnetic field. This drift, in turn, provides an apparent northwestward movement of the geomagnetic equator at a rate of 9'/year ( 16 km/year). Therefore, in this event, we can observe two different types of Es layers: a diffuse, Esq; and the Esb layers formed by wind shear. This competition was simulated using an E region model, MIRE, for which the input parameters, winds and electric fields, for the equatorial region were included.

Generation of electric fields and currents by neutral flows in weakly ionized plasmas through collisional dynamos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimant, Y. S.; Oppenheim, M. M.; Fletcher, A. C.

2016-08-01

In weakly ionized plasmas neutral flows drag plasma across magnetic field lines generating intense electric fields and currents. An example occurs in the Earth's ionosphere near the geomagnetic equator. Similar processes take place in the Solar chromosphere and magnetohydrodynamic generators. This paper argues that not all convective neutral flows generate electric fields and currents and it introduces the corresponding universal criterion for their formation, ∇×(U ×B )≠∂B /∂t , where U is the neutral flow velocity, B is the magnetic field, and t is time. This criterion does not depend on the conductivity tensor, σ ̂ . For many systems, the displacement current, ∂B /∂t , is negligible making the criterion even simpler. This theory also shows that the neutral-dynamo driver that generates E-fields and currents plays the same role as the DC electric current plays for the generation of the magnetic field in the Biot-Savart law.

Aromatic Polythiourea Dielectrics with High Energy Density, High Breakdown Strength, and Low Dielectric Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shan; Burlingame, Quinn; Lin, Minren; Zhang, Qiming

2013-03-01

There is an increasing demand on dielectric materials with high electric energy density and low loss for a broad range of applications in modern electronics and electrical power systems such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), medical defibrillators, filters, and switched-mode power supplies. One major challenge in developing dielectric polymers is how to achieve high energy density Ue while maintaining low dielectric loss, even at very high-applied electric fields. Here we show that amorphous polar-polymers with very low impurity concentration can be promising for realizing such a dielectric polymer. Polar-polymer with high dipole moment and weak dipole coupling can provide relatively high dielectric constant for high Ue, eliminate polarization and conduction losses due to weak dipolar coupling and strong polar-scattering to charge carriers. Indeed, an aromatic polythiourea thin film can maintain low loss to high fields (>1 GV/m) with a high Ue (~ 24 J/cm3) , which is very attractive for energy storage capacitors.

Electrical and absorption properties of fresh cassava tubers and cassava starch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harnsoongnoen, S.; Siritaratiwat, A.

2015-09-01

The objective of this study was to analyze the electrical and absorption properties of fresh cassava tubers and cassava starch at various frequencies using electric impedance spectroscopy and near-infrared spectroscopy, as well as determine the classification of the electrical parameters of both materials using the principle component analysis (PCA) method. All samples were measured at room temperature. The electrical and absorption parameters consisted of dielectric constant, dissipation factor, parallel capacitance, resistance, reactance, impedance and absorbance. It was found that the electrical and absorption properties of fresh cassava tubers and cassava starch were a function of frequency, and there were significant differences between the materials. The dielectric constant, parallel capacitance, resistance and impedance of fresh cassava tubers and cassava starch had similar dramatic decreases with increasing frequency. However, the reactance of both materials increased with an increasing frequency. The electrical parameters of both materials could be classified into two groups. Moreover, the dissipation factor and phase of impedance were the parameters that could be used in the separation of both materials. According to the absorbance patterns of the fresh cassava tubers and cassava starch, there were significant differences.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Networks Induced by Intracranial Stimulation May Help Defining the Epileptogenic Zone

PubMed Central

Zhang, Myron; Avitsian, Rafi; Bhattacharyya, Pallab; Bulacio, Juan; Cendes, Fernando; Enatsu, Rei; Lowe, Mark; Najm, Imad; Nair, Dileep; Phillips, Michael; Gonzalez-Martinez, Jorge

2014-01-01

Abstract Patients with medically intractable epilepsy often undergo invasive evaluation and surgery, with a 50% success rate. The low success rate is likely due to poor identification of the epileptogenic zone (EZ), the brain area causing seizures. This work introduces a new method using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with simultaneous direct electrical stimulation of the brain that could help localize the EZ, performed in five patients with medically intractable epilepsy undergoing invasive evaluation with intracranial depth electrodes. Stimulation occurred in a location near the hypothesized EZ and a location away. Electrical recordings in response to stimulation were recorded and compared to fMRI. Multiple stimulation parameters were varied, like current and frequency. The brain areas showing fMRI response were compared with the areas resected and the success of surgery. Robust fMRI maps of activation networks were easily produced, which also showed a significant but weak positive correlation between quantitative measures of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activity and measures of electrical activity in response to direct electrical stimulation (mean correlation coefficient of 0.38 for all acquisitions that produced a strong BOLD response). For four patients with outcome data at 6 months, successful surgical outcome is consistent with the resection of brain areas containing high local fMRI activity. In conclusion, this method demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous direct electrical stimulation and fMRI in humans, which allows the study of brain connectivity with high resolution and full spatial coverage. This innovative technique could be used to better define the localization and extension of the EZ in intractable epilepsies, as well as for other functional neurosurgical procedures. PMID:24735069

Microwave absorption in powders of small conducting particles for heating applications.

PubMed

Porch, Adrian; Slocombe, Daniel; Edwards, Peter P

2013-02-28

In microwave chemistry there is a common misconception that small, highly conducting particles heat profusely when placed in a large microwave electric field. However, this is not the case; with the simple physical explanation that the electric field (which drives the heating) within a highly conducting particle is highly screened. Instead, it is the magnetic absorption associated with induction that accounts for the large experimental heating rates observed for small metal particles. We present simple principles for the effective heating of particles in microwave fields from calculations of electric and magnetic dipole absorptions for a range of practical values of particle size and conductivity. For highly conducting particles, magnetic absorption dominates electric absorption over a wide range of particle radii, with an optimum absorption set by the ratio of mean particle radius a to the skin depth δ (specifically, by the condition a = 2.41δ). This means that for particles of any conductivity, optimized magnetic absorption (and hence microwave heating by magnetic induction) can be achieved by simple selection of the mean particle size. For weakly conducting samples, electric dipole absorption dominates, and is maximized when the conductivity is approximately σ ≈ 3ωε(0) ≈ 0.4 S m(-1), independent of particle radius. Therefore, although electric dipole heating can be as effective as magnetic dipole heating for a powder sample of the same volume, it is harder to obtain optimized conditions at a fixed frequency of microwave field. The absorption of sub-micron particles is ineffective in both magnetic and electric fields. However, if the particles are magnetic, with a lossy part to their complex permeability, then magnetic dipole losses are dramatically enhanced compared to their values for non-magnetic particles. An interesting application of this is the use of very small magnetic particles for the selective microwave heating of biological samples.

Oxygen consumption in weakly electric Neotropical fishes.

PubMed

Julian, David; Crampton, William G R; Wohlgemuth, Stephanie E; Albert, James S

2003-12-01

Weakly electric gymnotiform fishes with wave-type electric organ discharge (EOD) are less hypoxia-tolerant and are less likely to be found in hypoxic habitats than weakly electric gymnotiforms with pulse-type EOD, suggesting that differences in metabolism resulting from EOD type affects habitat choice. Although gymnotiform fishes are common in most Neotropical freshwaters and represent the dominant vertebrates in some habitats, the metabolic rates of these unique fishes have never been determined. In this study, O(2) consumption rates during EOD generation are reported for 34 gymnotiforms representing 23 species, all five families and 17 (59%) of the 28 genera. Over the size range sampled (0.4 g to 125 g), O(2) consumption of gymnotiform fishes was dependent on body mass, as expected, fitting a power function with a scaling exponent of 0.74, but the O(2) consumption rate was generally about 50% of that expected by extrapolation of temperate teleost metabolic rates to a similar ambient temperature (26 degrees C). O(2) consumption rate was not dependent on EOD type, but maintenance of "scan swimming" (continuous forwards and backwards swimming), which is characteristic only of gymnotiforms with wave-type EODs, increased O(2) consumption 2.83+/-0.49-fold (mean+/-SD). This suggests that the increased metabolic cost of scan swimming could restrict gymnotiforms with wave-type EODs from hypoxic habitats.

Electrical switching and oscillations in vanadium dioxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pergament, Alexander; Velichko, Andrey; Belyaev, Maksim; Putrolaynen, Vadim

2018-05-01

We have studied electrical switching with S-shaped I-V characteristics in two-terminal MOM devices based on vanadium dioxide thin films. The switching effect is associated with the metal-insulator phase transition. Relaxation oscillations are observed in circuits with VO2-based switches. Dependences of the oscillator critical frequency Fmax, threshold power and voltage, as well as the time of current rise, on the switching structure size are obtained by numerical simulation. The empirical dependence of the threshold voltage on the switching region dimensions and film thickness is found. It is shown that, for the VO2 channel sizes of 10 × 10 nm, Fmax can reach the value of 300 MHz at a film thickness of 20 nm. Next, it is shown that oscillatory neural networks can be implemented on the basis of coupled VO2 oscillators. For the weak capacitive coupling, we revealed the dependence of the phase difference upon synchronization on the coupling capacitance value. When the switches are scaled down, the limiting time of synchronization is reduced to Ts 13 μs, and the number of oscillation periods for the entering to the synchronization mode remains constant, Ns 17. In the case of weak thermal coupling in the synchronization mode, we observe in-phase behavior of oscillators, and there is a certain range of parameters of the supply current, in which the synchronization effect becomes possible. With a decrease in dimensions, a decrease in the thermal coupling action radius is observed, which can vary in the range from 0.5 to 50 μm for structures with characteristic dimensions of 0.1-5 μm, respectively. Thermal coupling may have a promising effect for realization of a 3D integrated oscillatory neural network.

The electrical properties of auditory hair cells in the frog amphibian papilla.

PubMed

Smotherman, M S; Narins, P M

1999-07-01

The amphibian papilla (AP) is the principal auditory organ of the frog. Anatomical and neurophysiological evidence suggests that this hearing organ utilizes both mechanical and electrical (hair cell-based) frequency tuning mechanisms, yet relatively little is known about the electrophysiology of AP hair cells. Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we have investigated the electrical properties and ionic currents of isolated hair cells along the rostrocaudal axis of the AP. Electrical resonances were observed in the voltage response of hair cells harvested from the rostral and medial, but not caudal, regions of the AP. Two ionic currents, ICa and IK(Ca), were observed in every hair cell; however, their amplitudes varied substantially along the epithelium. Only rostral hair cells exhibited an inactivating potassium current (IA), whereas an inwardly rectifying potassium current (IK1) was identified only in caudal AP hair cells. Electrically tuned hair cells exhibited resonant frequencies from 50 to 375 Hz, which correlated well with hair cell position and the tonotopic organization of the papilla. Variations in the kinetics of the outward current contribute substantially to the determination of resonant frequency. ICa and IK(Ca) amplitudes increased with resonant frequency, reducing the membrane time constant with increasing resonant frequency. We conclude that a tonotopically organized hair cell substrate exists to support electrical tuning in the rostromedial region of the frog amphibian papilla and that the cellular mechanisms for frequency determination are very similar to those reported for another electrically tuned auditory organ, the turtle basilar papilla.

Effect of ultrasonic cavitation on measurement of sound pressure using hydrophone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thanh Nguyen, Tam; Asakura, Yoshiyuki; Okada, Nagaya; Koda, Shinobu; Yasuda, Keiji

2017-07-01

Effect of ultrasonic cavitation on sound pressure at the fundamental, second harmonic, and first ultraharmonic frequencies was investigated from low to high ultrasonic intensities. The driving frequencies were 22, 304, and 488 kHz. Sound pressure was measured using a needle-type hydrophone and ultrasonic cavitation was estimated from the broadband integrated pressure (BIP). With increasing square root of electric power applied to a transducer, the sound pressure at the fundamental frequency linearly increased initially, dropped at approximately the electric power of cavitation inception, and afterward increased again. The sound pressure at the second harmonic frequency was detected just below the electric power of cavitation inception. The first ultraharmonic component appeared at around the electric power of cavitation inception at 304 and 488 kHz. However, at 22 kHz, the first ultraharmonic component appeared at a higher electric power than that of cavitation inception.

Spatial Acuity and Prey Detection in Weakly Electric Fish

PubMed Central

Babineau, David; Lewis, John E; Longtin, André

2007-01-01

It is well-known that weakly electric fish can exhibit extreme temporal acuity at the behavioral level, discriminating time intervals in the submicrosecond range. However, relatively little is known about the spatial acuity of the electrosense. Here we use a recently developed model of the electric field generated by Apteronotus leptorhynchus to study spatial acuity and small signal extraction. We show that the quality of sensory information available on the lateral body surface is highest for objects close to the fish's midbody, suggesting that spatial acuity should be highest at this location. Overall, however, this information is relatively blurry and the electrosense exhibits relatively poor acuity. Despite this apparent limitation, weakly electric fish are able to extract the minute signals generated by small prey, even in the presence of large background signals. In fact, we show that the fish's poor spatial acuity may actually enhance prey detection under some conditions. This occurs because the electric image produced by a spatially dense background is relatively “blurred” or spatially uniform. Hence, the small spatially localized prey signal “pops out” when fish motion is simulated. This shows explicitly how the back-and-forth swimming, characteristic of these fish, can be used to generate motion cues that, as in other animals, assist in the extraction of sensory information when signal-to-noise ratios are low. Our study also reveals the importance of the structure of complex electrosensory backgrounds. Whereas large-object spacing is favorable for discriminating the individual elements of a scene, small spacing can increase the fish's ability to resolve a single target object against this background. PMID:17335346

Electrically protected resonant exchange qubits in triple quantum dots.

PubMed

Taylor, J M; Srinivasa, V; Medford, J

2013-08-02

We present a modulated microwave approach for quantum computing with qubits comprising three spins in a triple quantum dot. This approach includes single- and two-qubit gates that are protected against low-frequency electrical noise, due to an operating point with a narrowband response to high frequency electric fields. Furthermore, existing double quantum dot advances, including robust preparation and measurement via spin-to-charge conversion, are immediately applicable to the new qubit. Finally, the electric dipole terms implicit in the high frequency coupling enable strong coupling with superconducting microwave resonators, leading to more robust two-qubit gates.

Anomalous transport from holography: part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, Yanyan; Lublinsky, Michael; Sharon, Amir

2017-03-01

This is a second study of chiral anomaly-induced transport within a holographic model consisting of anomalous U(1)_V× U(1)_A Maxwell theory in Schwarzschild-AdS_5 spacetime. In the first part, chiral magnetic/separation effects (CME/CSE) are considered in the presence of a static spatially inhomogeneous external magnetic field. Gradient corrections to CME/CSE are analytically evaluated up to third order in the derivative expansion. Some of the third order gradient corrections lead to an anomaly-induced negative B^2-correction to the diffusion constant. We also find modifications to the chiral magnetic wave nonlinear in B. In the second part, we focus on the experimentally interesting case of the axial chemical potential being induced dynamically by a constant magnetic and time-dependent electric fields. Constitutive relations for the vector/axial currents are computed employing two different approximations: (a) derivative expansion (up to third order) but fully nonlinear in the external fields, and (b) weak electric field limit but resuming all orders in the derivative expansion. A non-vanishing nonlinear axial current (CSE) is found in the first case. The dependence on magnetic field and frequency of linear transport coefficient functions is explored in the second.

Dynamical encoding of looming, receding, and focussing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longtin, Andre; Clarke, Stephen Elisha; Maler, Leonard; CenterNeural Dynamics Collaboration

This talk will discuss a non-conventional neural coding task that may apply more broadly to many senses in higher vertebrates. We ask whether and how a non-visual sensory system can focus on an object. We present recent experimental and modeling work that shows how the early sensory circuitry of electric sense can perform such neuronal focusing that is manifested behaviorally. This sense is the main one used by weakly electric fish to navigate, locate prey and communicate in the murky waters of their natural habitat. We show that there is a distance at which the Fisher information of a neuron's response to a looming and receding object is maximized, and that this distance corresponds to a behaviorally relevant one chosen by these animals. Strikingly, this maximum occurs at a bifurcation between tonic firing and bursting. We further discuss how the invariance of this distance to signal attributes can arise, a process that first involves power-law spike frequency adaptation. The talk will also highlight the importance of expanding the classic dual neural encoding of contrast using ON and OFF cells in the context of looming and receding stimuli. The authors acknowledge support from CIHR and NSERC.

Essays on electricity theft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steadman, Keva Ullanda

Electricity theft is a relatively unknown crime with high economic costs. In this dissertation, I try to identify the factors that motivate persons to steal electricity. First, I use a panel dataset of 97 countries spanning the five year period 2003--2007 to estimate a model that describes the effect of the unemployment rate, GDP per capita, male population and urbanization on theft, robbery and homicide rates. The results are consistent with previous empirical work on crime and economic opportunity. The second and main contribution of this paper is to estimate the same model using distribution loss as a proxy for electricity theft. The results show that the unemployment rate, a key explanatory economic factor for crime, cannot explain variation in electricity theft, although there is some evidence, albeit weak, supporting correlation in rich countries. Therefore, policies that target the reduction of property crime through a reduction in unemployment will have no effect on electricity theft. The third contribution relates to the role that political institutions play in the incentives to steal electricity. After control for socioeconomic factors, I find that there is no relationship between political governance indicators and electricity theft. In the second and third chapters, I compare the United States, a high income, low electricity theft country with Jamaica, a middle income, high electricity theft country. The effect of unemployment on electricity theft mirrors the results found in the first chapter. In the United States, electricity theft is affected by changes in economic conditions but in Jamaica, it is not. These results suggest that the state of institutions plays a role in how social norms are determined. Poor countries will be more likely than rich countries to have weak institutions with social norms that encourage electricity theft.

Power supplies for dual-frequency induction melting of metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lusgin, V. I.; Koptyakov, A. S.; Petrov, A. U.; Zinovev, K. A.; Kamaev, D. A.

2018-02-01

The article discusses the benefits of multi frequency induction melting in the production of synthetic cast iron, structural (electric circuit) principles of dual frequency Power supplies of melting systems. The ways of electric power regulation of low frequency and high frequency components of the current in the inductor sections of furnace are demonstrated, namely power rescheduling at the metal melting stage, alloying stage and decarburizing of synthetic cast iron.

Oscillatory electrostatic potential on graphene induced by group IV element decoration

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

Du, Chunyan; Yu, Liwei; Liu, Xiaojie

The structures and electronic properties of partial C, Si and Ge decorated graphene were investigated by first-principles calculations. The calculations show that the interaction between graphene and the decoration patches is weak and the semiconductor patches act as agents for weak electron doping without much disturbing graphene electronic π-bands. Redistribution of electrons due to the partial decoration causes the electrostatic potential lower in the decorated graphene areas, thus induced an electric field across the boundary between the decorated and non-decorated domains. Such an alternating electric field can change normal stochastic adatom diffusion to biased diffusion, leading to selective mass transport.

Oscillatory electrostatic potential on graphene induced by group IV element decoration

DOE PAGES

Du, Chunyan; Yu, Liwei; Liu, Xiaojie; ...

2017-10-13

The structures and electronic properties of partial C, Si and Ge decorated graphene were investigated by first-principles calculations. The calculations show that the interaction between graphene and the decoration patches is weak and the semiconductor patches act as agents for weak electron doping without much disturbing graphene electronic π-bands. Redistribution of electrons due to the partial decoration causes the electrostatic potential lower in the decorated graphene areas, thus induced an electric field across the boundary between the decorated and non-decorated domains. Such an alternating electric field can change normal stochastic adatom diffusion to biased diffusion, leading to selective mass transport.

Neural hijacking: action of high-frequency electrical stimulation on cortical circuits.

PubMed

Cheney, P D; Griffin, D M; Van Acker, G M

2013-10-01

Electrical stimulation of the brain was one of the first experimental methods applied to understanding brain organization and function and it continues as a highly useful method both in research and clinical applications. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) involves applying electrical stimuli through a microelectrode suitable for recording the action potentials of single neurons. ICMS can be categorized into single-pulse stimulation; high-frequency, short-duration stimulation; and high-frequency, long-duration stimulation. For clinical and experimental reasons, considerable interest focuses on the mechanism of neural activation by electrical stimuli. In this article, we discuss recent results suggesting that action potentials evoked in cortical neurons by high-frequency electrical stimulation do not sum with the natural, behaviorally related background activity; rather, high-frequency stimulation eliminates and replaces natural activity. We refer to this as neural hijacking. We propose that a major component of the mechanism underlying neural hijacking is excitation of axons by ICMS and elimination of natural spikes by antidromic collision with stimulus-driven spikes evoked at high frequency. Evidence also supports neural hijacking as an important mechanism underlying the action of deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus and its therapeutic effect in treating Parkinson's disease.

Grid regulation services for energy storage devices based on grid frequency

DOEpatents

Pratt, Richard M; Hammerstrom, Donald J; Kintner-Meyer, Michael C.W.; Tuffner, Francis K

2013-07-02

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for charging and discharging an energy storage device connected to an electrical power distribution system. In one exemplary embodiment, a controller monitors electrical characteristics of an electrical power distribution system and provides an output to a bi-directional charger causing the charger to charge or discharge an energy storage device (e.g., a battery in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)). The controller can help stabilize the electrical power distribution system by increasing the charging rate when there is excess power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid exceeds an average value), or by discharging power from the energy storage device to stabilize the grid when there is a shortage of power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid is below an average value).

Grid regulation services for energy storage devices based on grid frequency

DOEpatents

Pratt, Richard M.; Hammerstrom, Donald J.; Kintner-Meyer, Michael C. W.; Tuffner, Francis K.

2017-09-05

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for charging and discharging an energy storage device connected to an electrical power distribution system. In one exemplary embodiment, a controller monitors electrical characteristics of an electrical power distribution system and provides an output to a bi-directional charger causing the charger to charge or discharge an energy storage device (e.g., a battery in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)). The controller can help stabilize the electrical power distribution system by increasing the charging rate when there is excess power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid exceeds an average value), or by discharging power from the energy storage device to stabilize the grid when there is a shortage of power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid is below an average value).

Grid regulation services for energy storage devices based on grid frequency

DOEpatents

Pratt, Richard M; Hammerstrom, Donald J; Kintner-Meyer, Michael C.W.; Tuffner, Francis K

2014-04-15

Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for charging and discharging an energy storage device connected to an electrical power distribution system. In one exemplary embodiment, a controller monitors electrical characteristics of an electrical power distribution system and provides an output to a bi-directional charger causing the charger to charge or discharge an energy storage device (e.g., a battery in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)). The controller can help stabilize the electrical power distribution system by increasing the charging rate when there is excess power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid exceeds an average value), or by discharging power from the energy storage device to stabilize the grid when there is a shortage of power in the electrical power distribution system (e.g., when the frequency of an AC power grid is below an average value).

Application of Model Based Parameter Estimation for Fast Frequency Response Calculations of Input Characteristics of Cavity-Backed Aperture Antennas Using Hybrid FEM/MoM Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy C. J.

1998-01-01

Model Based Parameter Estimation (MBPE) is presented in conjunction with the hybrid Finite Element Method (FEM)/Method of Moments (MoM) technique for fast computation of the input characteristics of cavity-backed aperture antennas over a frequency range. The hybrid FENI/MoM technique is used to form an integro-partial- differential equation to compute the electric field distribution of a cavity-backed aperture antenna. In MBPE, the electric field is expanded in a rational function of two polynomials. The coefficients of the rational function are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the integro-partial-differential equation formed by the hybrid FEM/ MoM technique. Using the rational function approximation, the electric field is obtained over a frequency range. Using the electric field at different frequencies, the input characteristics of the antenna are obtained over a wide frequency range. Numerical results for an open coaxial line, probe-fed coaxial cavity and cavity-backed microstrip patch antennas are presented. Good agreement between MBPE and the solutions over individual frequencies is observed.

On nonlinear evolution of low-frequency Alfvén waves in weakly-expanding solar wind plasmas

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

Nariyuki, Y.

A multi-dimensional nonlinear evolution equation for Alfvén waves in weakly-expanding solar wind plasmas is derived by using the reductive perturbation method. The expansion of solar wind plasma parcels is modeled by an expanding box model, which includes the accelerating expansion. It is shown that the resultant equation agrees with the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin prediction of the low-frequency Alfvén waves in the linear limit. In the cold and one-dimensional limit, a modified derivative nonlinear Schrodinger equation is obtained. Direct numerical simulations are carried out to discuss the effect of the expansion on the modulational instability of monochromatic Alfvén waves and the propagation ofmore » Alfvén solitons. By using the instantaneous frequency, it is quantitatively shown that as far as the expansion rate is much smaller than wave frequencies, effects of the expansion are almost adiabatic. It is also confirmed that while shapes of Alfvén solitons temporally change due to the expansion, some of them can stably propagate after their collision in weakly-expanding plasmas.« less

Inhibition of brain tumor cell proliferation by alternating electric fields

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

Jeong, Hyesun; Oh, Seung-ick; Hong, Sunghoi, E-mail: shong21@korea.ac.kr, E-mail: radioyoon@korea.ac.kr

2014-11-17

This study was designed to investigate the mechanism by which electric fields affect cell function, and to determine the optimal conditions for electric field inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Low-intensity (<2 V/cm) and intermediate-frequency (100–300 kHz) alternating electric fields were applied to glioblastoma cell lines. These electric fields inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest and abnormal mitosis due to the malformation of microtubules. These effects were significantly dependent on the intensity and frequency of applied electric fields.

Overdamping by weakly coupled environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Massimiliano; Haake, Fritz

2005-12-01

A quantum system weakly interacting with a fast environment usually undergoes a relaxation with complex frequencies whose imaginary parts are damping rates quadratic in the coupling to the environment in accord with Fermi’s “golden rule.” We show for various models (spin damped by harmonic-oscillator or random-matrix baths, quantum diffusion, and quantum Brownian motion) that upon increasing the coupling up to a critical value still small enough to allow for weak-coupling Markovian master equations, a different relaxation regime can occur. In that regime, complex frequencies lose their real parts such that the process becomes overdamped. Our results call into question the standard belief that overdamping is exclusively a strong coupling feature.

Static length changes of cochlear outer hair cells can tune low-frequency hearing

PubMed Central

Ciganović, Nikola; Warren, Rebecca L.; Keçeli, Batu; Jacob, Stefan

2018-01-01

The cochlea not only transduces sound-induced vibration into neural spikes, it also amplifies weak sound to boost its detection. Actuators of this active process are sensory outer hair cells in the organ of Corti, whereas the inner hair cells transduce the resulting motion into electric signals that propagate via the auditory nerve to the brain. However, how the outer hair cells modulate the stimulus to the inner hair cells remains unclear. Here, we combine theoretical modeling and experimental measurements near the cochlear apex to study the way in which length changes of the outer hair cells deform the organ of Corti. We develop a geometry-based kinematic model of the apical organ of Corti that reproduces salient, yet counter-intuitive features of the organ’s motion. Our analysis further uncovers a mechanism by which a static length change of the outer hair cells can sensitively tune the signal transmitted to the sensory inner hair cells. When the outer hair cells are in an elongated state, stimulation of inner hair cells is largely inhibited, whereas outer hair cell contraction leads to a substantial enhancement of sound-evoked motion near the hair bundles. This novel mechanism for regulating the sensitivity of the hearing organ applies to the low frequencies that are most important for the perception of speech and music. We suggest that the proposed mechanism might underlie frequency discrimination at low auditory frequencies, as well as our ability to selectively attend auditory signals in noisy surroundings. PMID:29351276

Recent Developments in Microwave Ion Clocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prestage, John D.; Tjoelker, Robert L.; Maleki, Lute

We review the development of microwave-frequency standards based on trapped ions. Following two distinct paths, microwave ion clocks have evolved greatly in the last twenty years since the earliest Paul-trap-based units. Laser-cooled ion frequency standards reduce the second-order Doppler shift from ion micromotion and thermal secular motion achieving good signal-to-noise ratios via cycling transitions where as many as ~10^8 photons per second per ion may be scattered. Today, laser-cooled ion standards are based on linear Paul traps which hold ions near the node line of the trapping electric field, minimizing micromotion at the trapping-field frequency and the consequent second-order Doppler frequency shift. These quadrupole (radial) field traps tightly confine tens of ions to a crystalline single-line structure. As more ions are trapped, space charge forces some ions away from the node-line axis and the second-order Doppler effect grows larger, even at negligibly small secular temperatures. Buffer-gas-cooled clocks rely on large numbers of ions, typically ~10^7, optically pumped by a discharge lamp at a scattering rate of a few photons per second per ion. To reduce the second-order Doppler shift from space charge repulsion of ions from the trap node line, novel multipole ion traps are now being developed where ions are weakly bound with confining fields that are effectively zero through the trap interior and grow rapidly near the trap electrode ``walls''.

Ephaptic coupling rescues conduction failure in weakly coupled cardiac tissue with voltage-gated gap junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinberg, S. H.

2017-09-01

Electrical conduction in cardiac tissue is usually considered to be primarily facilitated by gap junctions, providing a pathway between the intracellular spaces of neighboring cells. However, recent studies have highlighted the role of coupling via extracellular electric fields, also known as ephaptic coupling, particularly in the setting of reduced gap junction expression. Further, in the setting of reduced gap junctional coupling, voltage-dependent gating of gap junctions, an oft-neglected biophysical property in computational studies, produces a positive feedback that promotes conduction failure. We hypothesized that ephaptic coupling can break the positive feedback loop and rescue conduction failure in weakly coupled cardiac tissue. In a computational tissue model incorporating voltage-gated gap junctions and ephaptic coupling, we demonstrate that ephaptic coupling can rescue conduction failure in weakly coupled tissue. Further, ephaptic coupling increased conduction velocity in weakly coupled tissue, and importantly, reduced the minimum gap junctional coupling necessary for conduction, most prominently at fast pacing rates. Finally, we find that, although neglecting gap junction voltage-gating results in negligible differences in well coupled tissue, more significant differences occur in weakly coupled tissue, greatly underestimating the minimal gap junctional coupling that can maintain conduction. Our study suggests that ephaptic coupling plays a conduction-preserving role, particularly at rapid heart rates.

Ultrafast phosphate hydration dynamics in bulk H{sub 2}O

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

Costard, Rene, E-mail: costard@mbi-berlin.de; Tyborski, Tobias; Fingerhut, Benjamin P., E-mail: fingerhut@mbi-berlin.de

2015-06-07

Phosphate vibrations serve as local probes of hydrogen bonding and structural fluctuations of hydration shells around ions. Interactions of H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}{sup −} ions and their aqueous environment are studied combining femtosecond 2D infrared spectroscopy, ab-initio calculations, and hybrid quantum-classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Two-dimensional infrared spectra of the symmetric (ν{sub S}(PO{sub 2}{sup −})) and asymmetric (ν{sub AS}(PO{sub 2}{sup −})) PO{sub 2}{sup −} stretching vibrations display nearly homogeneous lineshapes and pronounced anharmonic couplings between the two modes and with the δ(P-(OH){sub 2}) bending modes. The frequency-time correlation function derived from the 2D spectra consists of a predominant 50 fs decaymore » and a weak constant component accounting for a residual inhomogeneous broadening. MD simulations show that the fluctuating electric field of the aqueous environment induces strong fluctuations of the ν{sub S}(PO{sub 2}{sup −}) and ν{sub AS}(PO{sub 2}{sup −}) transition frequencies with larger frequency excursions for ν{sub AS}(PO{sub 2}{sup −}). The calculated frequency-time correlation function is in good agreement with the experiment. The ν(PO{sub 2}{sup −}) frequencies are mainly determined by polarization contributions induced by electrostatic phosphate-water interactions. H{sub 2}PO{sub 4}{sup −}/H{sub 2}O cluster calculations reveal substantial frequency shifts and mode mixing with increasing hydration. Predicted phosphate-water hydrogen bond (HB) lifetimes have values on the order of 10 ps, substantially longer than water-water HB lifetimes. The ultrafast phosphate-water interactions observed here are in marked contrast to hydration dynamics of phospholipids where a quasi-static inhomogeneous broadening of phosphate vibrations suggests minor structural fluctuations of interfacial water.« less

Predicting threshold and location of laser damage on optical surfaces

DOEpatents

Siekhaus, Wigbert

1987-01-01

An apparatus useful in the prediction of the damage threshold of various optical devices, the location of weak spots on such devices and the location, identification, and elimination of optical surface impurities comprising, a focused and pulsed laser, an photo electric detector/imaging means, and a timer. The weak spots emit photoelectrons when subjected to laser intensities that are less than the intensity actually required to produce the damage. The weak spots may be eliminated by sustained exposure to the laser beam.

Relationships between electrical properties and petrography of El-Maghara sandstone formations, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kassab, Mohamed A.; Gomaa, Mohamed M.; Lala, Amir M. S.

2017-06-01

Realization of electrical and petrography of rocks is absolutely necessary for geophysical investigations. The petrographical, petrophysical and electrical properties of sandstone rocks (El-Maghara Formation, North Sinai, Egypt) will be discussed in the present work. The goal of this paper was to highlight interrelations between electrical properties in terms of frequency (conductivity, permittivity and impedance) and petrography, as well as mineral composition. Electrical properties including (conductivity and dielectric constant) were measured at room temperature and humidity of (∼35%). The frequency range used will be from 10 Hz to 100 kHz. Slight changes between samples in electrical properties were found to result from changes in composition and texture. Electrical properties generally change with grain size, shape, sorting, mineralogy and mineral composition. The dielectric constant decreases with frequency and increases with increasing clay content. The conductivity increases with the increase in conductor channels among electrodes. Many parameters can combine together to lead to the same electrical properties. The samples are mainly composed of sand with clay and carbonate.

Double Layers in Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Alton C. (Editor); Moorehead, Tauna W. (Editor)

1987-01-01

Topics addressed include: laboratory double layers; ion-acoustic double layers; pumping potential wells; ion phase-space vortices; weak double layers; electric fields and double layers in plasmas; auroral double layers; double layer formation in a plasma; beamed emission from gamma-ray burst source; double layers and extragalactic jets; and electric potential between plasma sheet clouds.

Classical Conditioning of Eyelid and Mystacial Vibrissae Responses in Conscious Mice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgado-Garcia, Jose Maria; Troncoso, Julieta; Munera, Alejandro

2004-01-01

The murine vibrissae sensorimotor system has been scrutinized as a target of motor learning through trace classical conditioning. Conditioned eyelid responses were acquired by using weak electrical whisker-pad stimulation as conditioned stimulus (CS) and strong electrical periorbital stimulation as unconditioned stimulus (US). In addition,…

Investigations on structural and multiferroic properties of artificially engineered lead zirconate titanate-cobalt iron oxide layered nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega Achury, Nora Patricia

Mutiferroics are a novel class of next generation multifunctional materials, which display simultaneous magnetic, electric, and ferroelastic ordering, have drawn increasing interest due to their multi-functionality for a variety of device applications. Since, very rare single phase materials exist in nature this kind of properties, an intensive research activity is being pursued towards the development of new engineered materials with strong magneto-electric (ME) coupling. In the present investigation, we have fabricated polycrystalline and highly oriented PbZr0.53,Ti0.47O3--CoFe 2O4 (PZT/CFO) artificially multilayers (MLs) engineered nanostructures thin films which were grown on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si and La 0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSCO) coated (001) MgO substrates respectively, using the pulsed laser deposition technique. The effect of various PZT/CFO sandwich configurations having 3, 5, and 9 layers, while maintaining similar total PZT and CFO thickness, has been systematically investigated. The first part of this thesis is devoted to the analysis of structural and microstructure properties of the PZT/CFO MLs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro Raman analysis revealed that PZT and CFO were in the perovskite and spinel phases respectively in the all layered nanostructure, without any intermediate phase. The TEM and STEM line scan of the ML thin films showed that the layered structure was maintained with little inter-diffusion near the interfaces at nano-metric scale without any impurity phase, however better interface was observed in highly oriented films. Second part of this dissertation was dedicated to study of the dielectric, impedance, modulus, and conductivity spectroscopies. These measurements were carried out over a wide range of temperatures (100 K to 600 K) and frequencies (100 Hz to 1 MHz) to investigate the grain and grain boundary effects on electrical properties of MLs. The temperature dependent dielectric and loss tangent illustrated step-like behavior and relaxation peaks near the step-up characteristic respectively. The Cole-Cole plots indicate that the most of the dielectric response came from the bulk (grains) MLs below 300 K, whereas grain boundaries and electrode-MLs effects prominent at elevated temperature. The dielectric loss relaxation peaks shifted to higher frequency side with increase in temperature, finally above 300 K, it went out experimental frequency window. Our Cole-Cole fitting of dielectric loss spectra indicated marked deviation from the ideal Debye type of relaxation which is more prominent at elevated temperature. Master modulus spectra support the observation from impedance spectra, it also indicate that the difference between C g and Cgb are higher compared to polycrystalline MLs indicating less effects of grain boundary in highly oriented MLs. We have explained these electrical properties of MLs by Maxwell-Wagner type contributions arising from the interfacial charge at the interface of the MLs structure. Three different types of frequency dependent conduction process were observed at elevated temperature (>300 K), which well fitted with the double power law, sigma(o) = sigma(0) + A 1on1 + A 2on2, it indicates conduction at: Low frequency (<1 kHz) may be due to long range ordering (frequency independent), mid frequency (<10 kHz) may be due to short range hopping, and high frequency (<1 MHz) due to the localized relaxation hopping mechanism. The last part of the thesis is devoted to the study of the multiferroic and magnetoelectric properties of the ML thin films. Both polycrystalline and highly oriented films showed well saturated ferroelectric and ferromagnetic hysteresis loops at room temperature. Temperature dependence of ferroelectric properties showed that polarization slowly decreases from 300 K to 200 K, with complete collapse of polarization at ˜ 100 K, but there was complete recovery of the polarization during heating, which was repeatable over many different experiments. At the same time, in the same temperature interval the remanent magnetization of the MLs showed slow enhancement in the magnitude till 200 K with three fold increase at 100 K compared to room temperature. This enhancement in remanent magnetization and decrease in remanent ferroelectric polarization on lowering the temperature indicate temperature dependent dynamic switching of ferroelectric polarization. Frequencies and temperatures dependence of the ferroelectric hysteresis loop showed weak frequency dependence for highly oriented MLs, while significant dependence was observed for polycrystalline MLs. The fatigue test showed almost 0-20% deterioration in polarization. The fatigue and strong temperature and frequency dependent magneto-electric coupling suggest the utility of MLs for Dynamic Magneto-Electric Random Access Memory (DMERAM) and magnetic field sensor devices.

Temperature-Dependent Electrical Conductivity of GeTe-Based RF Switches

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-31

Short, high temperature pulses result in a melt -quench cycle, amorphizing the GeTe and leaving the switch in the electrically insulating OFF state...Longer, lower temperature pulses result in the recrystallization of the GeTe, leaving the switch in the electrically conductive ON state. The...shown to vary only weakly with temperature. OFF-state S-parameters also exhibit slight temperature variation, with an inflection point of ~175

Original electric-vertex formulation of the symmetric eight-vertex model on the square lattice is fully nonuniversal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krčmár, Roman; Šamaj, Ladislav

2018-01-01

The partition function of the symmetric (zero electric field) eight-vertex model on a square lattice can be formulated either in the original "electric" vertex format or in an equivalent "magnetic" Ising-spin format. In this paper, both electric and magnetic versions of the model are studied numerically by using the corner transfer matrix renormalization-group method which provides reliable data. The emphasis is put on the calculation of four specific critical exponents, related by two scaling relations, and of the central charge. The numerical method is first tested in the magnetic format, the obtained dependencies of critical exponents on the model's parameters agree with Baxter's exact solution, and weak universality is confirmed within the accuracy of the method due to the finite size of the system. In particular, the critical exponents η and δ are constant as required by weak universality. On the other hand, in the electric format, analytic formulas based on the scaling relations are derived for the critical exponents ηe and δe which agree with our numerical data. These exponents depend on the model's parameters which is evidence for the full nonuniversality of the symmetric eight-vertex model in the original electric formulation.

Analysis of DE-1 PWI electric field data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weimer, Daniel

1994-01-01

The measurement of low frequency electric field oscillations may be accomplished with the Plasma Wave Instrument (PWI) on DE 1. Oscillations at a frequency around 1 Hz are below the range of the conventional plasma wave receivers, but they can be detected by using a special processing of the quasi-static electric field data. With this processing it is also possible to determine if the electric field oscillations are predominately parallel or perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. The quasi-static electric field in the DE 1 spin/orbit plane is measured with a long-wire 'double probe'. This antenna is perpendicular to the satellite spin axis, which in turn is approximately perpendicular to the geomagnetic field in the polar magnetosphere. The electric field data are digitally sampled at a frequency of 16 Hz. The measured electric field signal, which has had phase reversals introduced by the rotating antenna, is multiplied by the sine of the rotation angle between the antenna and the magnetic field. This is called the 'perpendicular' signal. The measured time series is also multiplied with the cosine of the angle to produce a separate 'parallel' signal. These two separate time series are then processed to determine the frequency power spectrum.

Optical rotation based chirality detection of enantiomers via weak measurement in frequency domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dongmei; Guan, Tian; Liu, Fang; Yang, Anping; He, Yonghong; He, Qinghua; Shen, Zhiyuan; Xin, Meiguo

2018-05-01

A transmission optical rotation detection scheme based on a weak measurement was proposed for the chirality detection of enantiomers. In this transmission weak measurement system in the frequency domain, the optical activity of the chiral liquid sample was estimated with the central wavelength shift, by modifying the preselected polarization state with the optical rotation (OR). The central wavelength shift of output spectra is sensitive to the OR angle but immune to the interference of the refractive index change caused by measuring circumstances. Two isomers of chiral amino acid acquired opposite responses with this system, and a resolution of 2.17 × 10-9 mol/ml for Proline detection could be obtained. Such a resolution is about 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of common methods, which shows a high sensitivity. This proposed weak measurement scenario suggested an approach to polarimetry and provided a way to accurately assess molecular chirality.

Solution pH change in non-uniform alternating current electric fields at frequencies above the electrode charging frequency

PubMed Central

An, Ran; Massa, Katherine

2014-01-01

AC Faradaic reactions have been reported as a mechanism inducing non-ideal phenomena such as flow reversal and cell deformation in electrokinetic microfluidic systems. Prior published work described experiments in parallel electrode arrays below the electrode charging frequency (fc), the frequency for electrical double layer charging at the electrode. However, 2D spatially non-uniform AC electric fields are required for applications such as in plane AC electroosmosis, AC electrothermal pumps, and dielectrophoresis. Many microscale experimental applications utilize AC frequencies around or above fc. In this work, a pH sensitive fluorescein sodium salt dye was used to detect [H+] as an indicator of Faradaic reactions in aqueous solutions within non-uniform AC electric fields. Comparison experiments with (a) parallel (2D uniform fields) electrodes and (b) organic media were employed to deduce the electrode charging mechanism at 5 kHz (1.5fc). Time dependency analysis illustrated that Faradaic reactions exist above the theoretically predicted electrode charging frequency. Spatial analysis showed [H+] varied spatially due to electric field non-uniformities and local pH changed at length scales greater than 50 μm away from the electrode surface. Thus, non-uniform AC fields yielded spatially varied pH gradients as a direct consequence of ion path length differences while uniform fields did not yield pH gradients; the latter is consistent with prior published data. Frequency dependence was examined from 5 kHz to 12 kHz at 5.5 Vpp potential, and voltage dependency was explored from 3.5 to 7.5 Vpp at 5 kHz. Results suggest that Faradaic reactions can still proceed within electrochemical systems in the absence of well-established electrical double layers. This work also illustrates that in microfluidic systems, spatial medium variations must be considered as a function of experiment time, initial medium conditions, electric signal potential, frequency, and spatial position. PMID:25553200

Electric-field control of magnetic properties for α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Bin; Qin, Hongwei; Liu, Liang; Xie, Jihao; Zhou, Guangjun; Chen, Lubin; Hu, Jifan

2018-06-01

α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 films can exhibit weak ferromagnetism at room temperature. The saturation magnetization of the thinner film is larger than that of the thick one deposited at the same temperature of 500 °C, which implies that the weak ferromagnetism at room temperature comes not only from the intrinsic canted magnetic structure, but also from the effects of interface between α-Fe2O3/Al2O3, such as the effect of Al diffusion into α-Fe2O3 film. Perpendicular electric field upon α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 film at room temperature could adjust the magnetic properties (saturation magnetization, magnetic remanence, coercivity and saturation magnetizing field). The positive electric field can enhance the magnetism of α-Fe2O3/Al2O3 thin film, while negative electric field can reduce it. The change induced by electric field may be connected with the migration effects of Al3+ ions. The steps of curve for saturation magnetization versus the electric field may reflect these complicated processes. The magnetization of the film deposited at a higher temperature can be changed by electric field more easily. This study may inspire more in-depth research and lead to an alternative approach to future magneto-electronic devices.

Automatic Realistic Real Time Stimulation/Recording in Weakly Electric Fish: Long Time Behavior Characterization in Freely Swimming Fish and Stimuli Discrimination

PubMed Central

Forlim, Caroline G.; Pinto, Reynaldo D.

2014-01-01

Weakly electric fish are unique model systems in neuroethology, that allow experimentalists to non-invasively, access, central nervous system generated spatio-temporal electric patterns of pulses with roles in at least 2 complex and incompletely understood abilities: electrocommunication and electrolocation. Pulse-type electric fish alter their inter pulse intervals (IPIs) according to different behavioral contexts as aggression, hiding and mating. Nevertheless, only a few behavioral studies comparing the influence of different stimuli IPIs in the fish electric response have been conducted. We developed an apparatus that allows real time automatic realistic stimulation and simultaneous recording of electric pulses in freely moving Gymnotus carapo for several days. We detected and recorded pulse timestamps independently of the fish’s position for days. A stimulus fish was mimicked by a dipole electrode that reproduced the voltage time series of real conspecific according to previously recorded timestamp sequences. We characterized fish behavior and the eletrocommunication in 2 conditions: stimulated by IPIs pre-recorded from other fish and random IPI ones. All stimuli pulses had the exact Gymontus carapo waveform. All fish presented a surprisingly long transient exploratory behavior (more than 8 h) when exposed to a new environment in the absence of electrical stimuli. Further, we also show that fish are able to discriminate between real and random stimuli distributions by changing several characteristics of their IPI distribution. PMID:24400122

Theoretical analysis of optical poling and frequency doubling effect based on classical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xi; Li, Fuquan; Lin, Aoxiang; Wang, Fang; Chai, Xiangxu; Wang, Zhengping; Zhu, Qihua; Sun, Xun; Zhang, Sen; Sun, Xibo

2018-03-01

Optical poling and frequency doubling effect is one of the effective manners to induce second order nonlinearity and realize frequency doubling in glass materials. The classical model believes that an internal electric field is built in glass when it's exposed by fundamental and frequency-doubled light at the same time, and second order nonlinearity appears as a result of the electric field and the orientation of poles. The process of frequency doubling in glass is quasi phase matched. In this letter, the physical process of poling and doubling process in optical poling and frequency doubling effect is deeply discussed in detail. The magnitude and direction of internal electric field, second order nonlinear coefficient and its components, strength and direction of frequency doubled output signal, quasi phase matched coupled wave equations are given in analytic expression. Model of optical poling and frequency doubling effect which can be quantitatively analyzed are constructed in theory, which set a foundation for intensive study of optical poling and frequency doubling effect.

Dispersion of electron Bernstein waves including weakly relativistic and electromagnetic effects. Part 2. Extraordinary modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, P. A.

1987-06-01

Extraordinary solutions of the weakly relativistic, electromagnetic dispersion relation are investigated for waves propagating perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field in a Maxwellian plasma. As in a companion paper, which treated ordinary modes, weakly relativistic effects are found to modify dramatically the dispersion predicted by strictly non-relativistic ‘classical’ theory in the neighbourhood of harmonics of the cyclotron frequency Ωe. The infinite families of classical Gross-Bernstein and Dnestrovskii-Kostomarov modes are truncated to include only harmonics s satisfying s (ω2p mc2/4kB TΩ2e)⅓ and s (ωp/Ωe)⅔/8 respectively where ωp is the plasma frequency and T the temperature. All classical cut-offs and resonances are removed apart from the x- and z- mode cut-offs. The only coupling between large- and small-wave-vector modes is between the z mode and a Gross-Bernstein mode near the upper-hybrid frequency and between the x mode and the second Gross-Bernstein mode near 2Ωe. Dispersion of the weakly relativistic counterpart of the x mode departs only slightly from that predicted by cold plasma theory except near Ωe and 2Ωe.

Local time asymmetries and toroidal field line resonances: Global magnetospheric modeling in SWMF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellington, S. M.; Moldwin, M. B.; Liemohn, M. W.

2016-03-01

We present evidence of resonant wave-wave coupling via toroidal field line resonance (FLR) signatures in the Space Weather Modeling Framework's (SWMF) global, terrestrial magnetospheric model in one simulation driven by a synthetic upstream solar wind with embedded broadband dynamic pressure fluctuations. Using in situ, stationary point measurements of the radial electric field along the 1500 LT meridian, we show that SWMF reproduces a multiharmonic, continuous distribution of FLRs exemplified by 180° phase reversals and amplitude peaks across the resonant L shells. By linearly increasing the amplitude of the dynamic pressure fluctuations in time, we observe a commensurate increase in the amplitude of the radial electric and azimuthal magnetic field fluctuations, which is consistent with the solar wind driver being the dominant source of the fast mode energy. While we find no discernible local time changes in the FLR frequencies despite large-scale, monotonic variations in the dayside equatorial mass density, in selectively sampling resonant points and examining spectral resonance widths, we observe significant radial, harmonic, and time-dependent local time asymmetries in the radial electric field amplitudes. A weak but persistent local time asymmetry exists in measures of the estimated coupling efficiency between the fast mode and toroidal wave fields, which exhibits a radial dependence consistent with the coupling strength examined by Mann et al. (1999) and Zhu and Kivelson (1988). We discuss internal structural mechanisms and additional external energy sources that may account for these asymmetries as we find that local time variations in the strength of the compressional driver are not the predominant source of the FLR amplitude asymmetries. These include resonant mode coupling of observed Kelvin-Helmholtz surface wave generated Pc5 band ultralow frequency pulsations, local time differences in local ionospheric dampening rates, and variations in azimuthal mode number, which may impact the partitioning of spectral energy between the toroidal and poloidal wave modes.

Assignment of Pre-edge Features in the Ru K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectra of Organometallic Ruthenium Complexes

PubMed Central

Getty, Kendra; Delgado-Jaime, Mario Ulises

2010-01-01

The nature of the lowest energy bound-state transition in the Ru K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectra for a series of Grubbs-type ruthenium complexes was investigated. The pre-edge feature was unambiguously assigned as resulting from formally electric dipole forbidden Ru 4d←1s transitions. The intensities of these transitions are extremely sensitive to the ligand environment and the symmetry of the metal centre. In centrosymmetric complexes the pre-edge is very weak since it is limited by the weak electric quadrupole intensity mechanism. By contrast, upon breaking centrosymmetry, Ru 5p-4d mixing allows for introduction of electric dipole allowed character resulting in a dramatic increase in the pre-edge intensity. The information content of this approach is explored as it relates to complexes of importance in olefin metathesis and its relevance as a tool for the study of reactive intermediates. PMID:20151030

Rotation Detection Using the Precession of Molecular Electric Dipole Moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Yi; Deng, Xiao-Bing; Hu, Zhong-Kun

2017-11-01

We present a method to detect the rotation by using the precession of molecular electric dipole moment in a static electric field. The molecular electric dipole moments are polarized under the static electric field and a nonzero electric polarization vector emerges in the molecular gas. A resonant radio-frequency pulse electric field is applied to realize a 90° flip of the electric polarization vector of a particular rotational state. After the pulse electric field, the electric polarization vector precesses under the static electric field. The rotation induces a shift in the precession frequency which is measured to deduce the angular velocity of the rotation. The fundamental sensitivity limit of this method is estimated. This work is only a proposal and does not involve experimental results.

Electrohydrodynamics of a particle-covered drop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouriemi, Malika; Vlahovska, Petia

2014-11-01

We study the dynamics of a drop nearly-completely covered with a particle monolayer in a uniform DC electric field. The weakly conducting fluid system consists of a silicon oil drop suspended in castor oil. A broad range of particle sizes, conductivities, and shapes is explored. In weak electric fields, the presence of particles increases drop deformation compared to a particle-free drop and suppresses the electrohydrodynamic flow. Very good agreement is observed between the measured drop deformation and the small deformation theory derived for surfactant-laden drops (Nganguia et al., 2013). In stronger electric fields, where drops are expected to undergo Quincke rotation (Salipante and Vlahovska, 2010), the presence of the particles greatly decreases the threshold for rotation and the stationary tilted drop configuration observed for clean drop is replaced by a spinning drop with either a wobbling inclination or a very low inclination. These behaviors resemble the predicted response of rigid ellipsoids in uniform electric fields. At even stronger electric fields, the particles can form dynamic wings or the drop implodes. The similar behavior of particle-covered and surfactant-laden drops provides new insights into understanding stability of Pickering emulsions. Supported by NSF-CBET 1437545.

Spiral waves in driven dusty plasma medium: Generalized hydrodynamic fluid description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sandeep; Patel, Bhavesh; Das, Amita

2018-04-01

Spiral waves are observed in many natural phenomena. They have been extensively represented by the mathematical FitzHugh-Nagumo model [Barkley et al., Phys. Rev. A 42, 2489 (1990)] of excitable media. Also, in incompressible fluid simulations, the excitation of thermal spiral waves has been reported by Li et al. [Phys. of Fluids 22, 011701 (2010)]. In the present paper, the spatiotemporal development of spiral waves in the context of weak and strong coupling limits has been shown. While the weakly coupled medium has been represented by a simple fluid description, for strong coupling, a generalized visco-elastic fluid description has been employed. The medium has been driven by an external force in the form of a rotating electric field. It is shown that when the amplitude of force is small, the density perturbations in the medium are also small. In this case, the excitations do not develop as a spiral wave. Only when the amplitude of force is high so as to drive the density perturbations to nonlinear amplitudes does the spiral density wave formation occurs. The role of the forcing frequency and the effect of strong coupling and the sound velocity of medium in the formation and evolution of spiral waves have been investigated in detail.

3D Polyaniline Architecture by Concurrent Inorganic and Organic Acid Doping for Superior and Robust High Rate Supercapacitor Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gawli, Yogesh; Banerjee, Abhik; Dhakras, Dipti; Deo, Meenal; Bulani, Dinesh; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Shelke, Manjusha; Ogale, Satishchandra

2016-02-01

A good high rate supercapacitor performance requires a fine control of morphological (surface area and pore size distribution) and electrical properties of the electrode materials. Polyaniline (PANI) is an interesting material in supercapacitor context because it stores energy Faradaically. However in conventional inorganic (e.g. HCl) acid doping, the conductivity is high but the morphological features are undesirable. On the other hand, in weak organic acid (e.g. phytic acid) doping, interesting and desirable 3D connected morphological features are attained but the conductivity is poorer. Here the synergy of the positive quality factors of these two acid doping approaches is realized by concurrent and optimized strong-inorganic (HCl) and weak-organic (phytic) acid doping, resulting in a molecular composite material that renders impressive and robust supercapacitor performance. Thus, a nearly constant high specific capacitance of 350 F g-1 is realized for the optimised case of binary doping over the entire range of 1 A g-1 to 40 A g-1 with stability of 500 cycles at 40 A g-1. Frequency dependant conductivity measurements show that the optimized co-doped case is more metallic than separately doped materials. This transport property emanates from the unique 3D single molecular character of such system.

3D Polyaniline Architecture by Concurrent Inorganic and Organic Acid Doping for Superior and Robust High Rate Supercapacitor Performance.

PubMed

Gawli, Yogesh; Banerjee, Abhik; Dhakras, Dipti; Deo, Meenal; Bulani, Dinesh; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Shelke, Manjusha; Ogale, Satishchandra

2016-02-12

A good high rate supercapacitor performance requires a fine control of morphological (surface area and pore size distribution) and electrical properties of the electrode materials. Polyaniline (PANI) is an interesting material in supercapacitor context because it stores energy Faradaically. However in conventional inorganic (e.g. HCl) acid doping, the conductivity is high but the morphological features are undesirable. On the other hand, in weak organic acid (e.g. phytic acid) doping, interesting and desirable 3D connected morphological features are attained but the conductivity is poorer. Here the synergy of the positive quality factors of these two acid doping approaches is realized by concurrent and optimized strong-inorganic (HCl) and weak-organic (phytic) acid doping, resulting in a molecular composite material that renders impressive and robust supercapacitor performance. Thus, a nearly constant high specific capacitance of 350 F g(-1) is realized for the optimised case of binary doping over the entire range of 1 A g(-1) to 40 A g(-1) with stability of 500 cycles at 40 A g(-1). Frequency dependant conductivity measurements show that the optimized co-doped case is more metallic than separately doped materials. This transport property emanates from the unique 3D single molecular character of such system.

Effect of combined opioid receptor and α2-adrenoceptor blockade on anxiety and electrically evoked startle responses.

PubMed

Vo, Lechi; Drummond, Peter D

2017-06-01

The R3 component of the electrically evoked blink reflex may form part of a startle reaction. Acoustic startle responses are augmented by yohimbine, an α 2 -adrenoceptor antagonist that blocks α 2 -autoreceptors, and are potentiated by opioid receptor blockade. To investigate these influences on electrically evoked startle responses, 16 mg yohimbine, with (16 participants) or without 50 mg naltrexone (23 participants), was administered in separate double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over experiments. In each experiment, R3 (a probable component of the startle response) was examined before and after high-frequency electrical stimulation of the forearm, a procedure that initiates inhibitory pain controls. Anxiety and somatic symptoms were greater after yohimbine than placebo, and were potentiated by naltrexone. Pain ratings for the electrically evoked startle stimuli decreased after high-frequency electrical stimulation in the placebo session but remained stable after drug administration. Yohimbine with naltrexone, but not yohimbine alone, also blocked an inhibitory effect of high-frequency electrical stimulation on electrically evoked sharp sensations and R3. Together, the findings suggest that adding naltrexone to yohimbine potentiated anxiety and blocked inhibitory influences of high-frequency electrical stimulation on electrically evoked sensations and startle responses. Thus, opioid peptides could reduce activity in nociceptive and startle-reflex pathways, or inhibit crosstalk between these pathways. Failure of this inhibitory opioid influence might be important in chronically painful conditions that are aggravated by startle stimuli.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Skeletal Muscle Function

PubMed Central

Doucet, Barbara M.; Lam, Amy; Griffin, Lisa

2012-01-01

Lack of neural innervation due to neurological damage renders muscle unable to produce force. Use of electrical stimulation is a medium in which investigators have tried to find a way to restore movement and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Different methods of applying electrical current to modify neuromuscular activity are electrical stimulation (ES), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and functional electrical stimulation (FES). This review covers the aspects of electrical stimulation used for rehabilitation and functional purposes. Discussed are the various parameters of electrical stimulation, including frequency, pulse width/duration, duty cycle, intensity/amplitude, ramp time, pulse pattern, program duration, program frequency, and muscle group activated, and how they affect fatigue in the stimulated muscle. PMID:22737049

Extracellular Electrophysiological Measurements of Cooperative Signals in Astrocytes Populations

PubMed Central

Mestre, Ana L. G.; Inácio, Pedro M. C.; Elamine, Youssef; Asgarifar, Sanaz; Lourenço, Ana S.; Cristiano, Maria L. S.; Aguiar, Paulo; Medeiros, Maria C. R.; Araújo, Inês M.; Ventura, João; Gomes, Henrique L.

2017-01-01

Astrocytes are neuroglial cells that exhibit functional electrical properties sensitive to neuronal activity and capable of modulating neurotransmission. Thus, electrophysiological recordings of astroglial activity are very attractive to study the dynamics of glial signaling. This contribution reports on the use of ultra-sensitive planar electrodes combined with low noise and low frequency amplifiers that enable the detection of extracellular signals produced by primary cultures of astrocytes isolated from mouse cerebral cortex. Recorded activity is characterized by spontaneous bursts comprised of discrete signals with pronounced changes on the signal rate and amplitude. Weak and sporadic signals become synchronized and evolve with time to higher amplitude signals with a quasi-periodic behavior, revealing a cooperative signaling process. The methodology presented herewith enables the study of ionic fluctuations of population of cells, complementing the single cells observation by calcium imaging as well as by patch-clamp techniques. PMID:29109679

Acoustically Generated Flows in Flexural Plate Wave Sensors: a Multifield Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayar, Ersin; Farouk, Bakhtier

2011-11-01

Acoustically excited flows in a microchannel flexural plate wave device are explored numerically with a coupled solid-fluid mechanics model. The device can be exploited to integrate micropumps with microfluidic chips. A comprehensive understanding of the device requires the development of coupled two or three-dimensional fluid structure interactive (FSI) models. The channel walls are composed of layers of ZnO, Si3N4 and Al. An isothermal equation of state for the fluid (water) is employed. The flexural motions of the channel walls and the resulting flowfields are solved simultaneously. A parametric analysis is performed by varying the values of the driving frequency, voltage of the electrical signal and the channel height. The time averaged axial velocity is found to be proportional to the square of the wave amplitude. The present approach is superior to the method of successive approximations where the solid-liquid coupling is weak.

Extracellular Electrophysiological Measurements of Cooperative Signals in Astrocytes Populations.

PubMed

Mestre, Ana L G; Inácio, Pedro M C; Elamine, Youssef; Asgarifar, Sanaz; Lourenço, Ana S; Cristiano, Maria L S; Aguiar, Paulo; Medeiros, Maria C R; Araújo, Inês M; Ventura, João; Gomes, Henrique L

2017-01-01

Astrocytes are neuroglial cells that exhibit functional electrical properties sensitive to neuronal activity and capable of modulating neurotransmission. Thus, electrophysiological recordings of astroglial activity are very attractive to study the dynamics of glial signaling. This contribution reports on the use of ultra-sensitive planar electrodes combined with low noise and low frequency amplifiers that enable the detection of extracellular signals produced by primary cultures of astrocytes isolated from mouse cerebral cortex. Recorded activity is characterized by spontaneous bursts comprised of discrete signals with pronounced changes on the signal rate and amplitude. Weak and sporadic signals become synchronized and evolve with time to higher amplitude signals with a quasi-periodic behavior, revealing a cooperative signaling process. The methodology presented herewith enables the study of ionic fluctuations of population of cells, complementing the single cells observation by calcium imaging as well as by patch-clamp techniques.

Terahertz metamaterial based on dual-band graphene ring resonator for modulating and sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chenxi; Liu, Peiguo; Yang, Cheng; Bian, Lian

2017-11-01

A new design of terahertz (THz) metamaterial is proposed for modulating and sensing purposes. The metamaterial consists of two resonators based on periodical arrays of graphene rings with different radii. For each small ring, it is surrounded by four large rings, and vice versa. By varying the Fermi level through electrostatically gating, the transmission of the graphene metamaterial can be controlled dynamically and the maximum modulation depths can reach up to 86% and 73%. Especially, an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like phenomenon can be generated, which results from the weak hybridization between two nearest neighbor rings performed as bright modes induced by electric dipole. Consequently, frequency sensitivity of 830 GHz per refractive index unit and figure-of-merit of 17 can be realized at the transparency peak. Our work offers an additional opportunity to achieve an EIT-like effect and potential applications in designing active THz modulators and sensors.

Subcycle engineering of laser filamentation in gas by harmonic seeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béjot, P.; Karras, G.; Billard, F.; Doussot, J.; Hertz, E.; Lavorel, B.; Faucher, O.

2015-11-01

Manipulating at will the propagation dynamics of high power laser pulses is a long-standing dream whose accomplishment would lead to the control of fascinating physical phenomena emerging from laser-matter interaction. The present work represents a significant step towards such a control by manipulating the nonlinear optical response of the gas medium. This is accomplished by shaping an intense laser pulse experiencing filamentation at the subcycle level with a relatively weak (≃1 % ) third-harmonic radiation. The control results from quantum interference between a single- and a two-color (mixing the fundamental frequency with its third-harmonic) ionization channel. This mechanism, which depends on the relative phase between the two electric fields, is responsible for wide refractive index modifications in relation with significant enhancement or suppression of the ionization rate. As a first application, we demonstrate the production and control of an axially modulated plasma channel.

Investigation of an Oscillating Surface Plasma for Turbulent Drag Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkinson, Stephen P.

2003-01-01

An oscillating, weakly ionized surface plasma has been investigated for use in turbulent boundary layer viscous drag reduction. The study was based on reports showing that mechanical spanwise oscillations of a wall can reduce viscous drag due to a turbulent boundary layer by up to 40%. It was hypothesized that the plasma induced body force in high electric field gradients of a surface plasma along strip electrodes could also be configured to oscillate the flow. Thin dielectric panels with millimeter-scale, flush- mounted, triad electrode arrays with one and two-phase high voltage excitation were tested. Results showed that while a small oscillation could be obtained, the effect was lost at a low frequency (less than 100Hz). Furthermore, a mean flow was generated during the oscillation that complicates the effect. Hot-wire and pitot probe diagnostics are presented along with phase-averaged images revealing plasma structure.

Frequency- and doping-level influence on electric and dielectric properties of PolySi/SiO2/cSi (MOS) structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doukhane, N.; Birouk, B.

2018-03-01

The electric and dielectric characteristics of PolySi/SiO2/cSi (MOS) structure, such as series resistance ( R s), dielectric constants ( ɛ') and ( ɛ″), dielectric losses (tan δ), and the ac electric conductivity ( σ ac), were studied in the frequency range 100 kHz-1 MHz for various doping levels and two thicknesses for the polysilicon layer (100 and 175 nm). The experimental results show that the C and G/ ω characteristics are very sensitive to the frequency due to the presence of interface states. Series resistance R s is deduced from C and G/ ω measurements and is plotted as a function of the frequency for various doping levels. It is found to decrease with frequency and doping level. To determine {ɛ ^' }, ɛ″, tan δ, and {σ _{{ac}}}, the admittance technique was used. An interesting behavior of the constants, {ɛ ^' } and ɛ″, was noticed. The {ɛ ^' } values fit led to relations between {ɛ ^' } and the frequency, on one hand, and between {ɛ ^' } and the electric conductivity of the polysilicon layers on the other. These relations make it possible to interpolate directly between two experimental points for a given frequency. The analysis of the results shows that the values of {ɛ ^' }, ɛ″, and tan δ decrease with increasing frequency. This is due to the fact that in the region of low frequencies, interfacial polarization occurs easily, and the interface states between Si and SiO2 contribute to the improvement of the dielectric properties of the PolySi/SiO2/cSi structures. The study also emphasizes that the ac electric conductivity increases with the increase in frequency and doping level; this causes to the reduction in series resistance.

Bleeding Efficiency, Microbiological Quality and Oxidative Stability of Meat from Goats Subjected to Slaughter without Stunning in Comparison with Different Methods of Pre-Slaughter Electrical Stunning

PubMed Central

Sabow, Azad Behnan; Zulkifli, Idrus; Goh, Yong Meng; Ab Kadir, Mohd Zainal Abidin; Kaka, Ubedullah; Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres; Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar; Adeyemi, Kazeem Dauda; Sazili, Awis Qurni

2016-01-01

The influence of pre-slaughter electrical stunning techniques and slaughter without stunning on bleeding efficiency and shelf life of chevon during a 14 d postmortem aging were assessed. Thirty two Boer crossbred bucks were randomly assigned to four slaughtering techniques viz slaughter without stunning (SWS), low frequency head-only electrical stunning (LFHO; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz), low frequency head-to-back electrical stunning (LFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz) and high frequency head-to-back electrical stunning (HFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 850 Hz). The SWS, LFHO and HFHB goats had higher (p<0.05) blood loss and lower residual hemoglobin in muscle compared to LFHB. The LFHB meat had higher (p<0.05) TBARS value than other treatments on d 7 and 14 d postmortem. Slaughtering methods had no effect on protein oxidation. Higher bacterial counts were observed in LFHB meat compared to those from SWS, LFHO and HFHB after 3 d postmortem. Results indicate that the low bleed-out in LFHB lowered the lipid oxidative stability and microbiological quality of chevon during aging. PMID:27035716

Bleeding Efficiency, Microbiological Quality and Oxidative Stability of Meat from Goats Subjected to Slaughter without Stunning in Comparison with Different Methods of Pre-Slaughter Electrical Stunning.

PubMed

Sabow, Azad Behnan; Zulkifli, Idrus; Goh, Yong Meng; Ab Kadir, Mohd Zainal Abidin; Kaka, Ubedullah; Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres; Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar; Adeyemi, Kazeem Dauda; Sazili, Awis Qurni

2016-01-01

The influence of pre-slaughter electrical stunning techniques and slaughter without stunning on bleeding efficiency and shelf life of chevon during a 14 d postmortem aging were assessed. Thirty two Boer crossbred bucks were randomly assigned to four slaughtering techniques viz slaughter without stunning (SWS), low frequency head-only electrical stunning (LFHO; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz), low frequency head-to-back electrical stunning (LFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz) and high frequency head-to-back electrical stunning (HFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 850 Hz). The SWS, LFHO and HFHB goats had higher (p<0.05) blood loss and lower residual hemoglobin in muscle compared to LFHB. The LFHB meat had higher (p<0.05) TBARS value than other treatments on d 7 and 14 d postmortem. Slaughtering methods had no effect on protein oxidation. Higher bacterial counts were observed in LFHB meat compared to those from SWS, LFHO and HFHB after 3 d postmortem. Results indicate that the low bleed-out in LFHB lowered the lipid oxidative stability and microbiological quality of chevon during aging.

Detached rock evaluation device

DOEpatents

Hanson, David R.

1986-01-01

A rock detachment evaluation device (10) having an energy transducer unit 1) for sensing vibrations imparted to a subject rock (172) for converting the sensed vibrations into electrical signals, a low band pass filter unit (12) for receiving the electrical signal and transmitting only a low frequency segment thereof, a high band pass filter unit (13) for receiving the electrical signals and for transmitting only a high frequency segment thereof, a comparison unit (14) for receiving the low frequency and high frequency signals and for determining the difference in power between the signals, and a display unit (16) for displaying indicia of the difference, which provides a quantitative measure of rock detachment.

AC Electric-Field-Induced Fluid Flow in Microelectrodes.

PubMed

Ramos; Morgan; Green; Castellanos

1999-09-15

During the AC electrokinetic manipulation of particles in suspension on microelectrode structures, strong frequency-dependent fluid flow is observed. The fluid movement is predominant at frequencies below the reciprocal charge relaxation time, with a reproducible pattern occurring close to and across the electrode surface. This paper reports measurements of the fluid velocity as a function of frequency and position across the electrode. Evidence is presented indicating that the flow occurs due to electroosmotic stress arising from the interaction of the electric field and the electrical double layer on the electrodes. The electrode polarization plays a significant role in controlling the frequency dependence of the flow. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

A Novel Detection Method for Underwater Moving Targets by Measuring Their ELF Emissions with Inductive Sensors

PubMed Central

Li, Bin; Chen, Lianping; Li, Li

2017-01-01

In this article, we propose a novel detection method for underwater moving targets by detecting their extremely low frequency (ELF) emissions with inductive sensors. The ELF field source of the targets is modeled by a horizontal electric dipole at distances more than several times of the targets’ length. The formulas for the fields produced in air are derived with a three-layer model (air, seawater and seafloor) and are evaluated with a complementary numerical integration technique. A proof of concept measurement is presented. The ELF emissions from a surface ship were detected by inductive electronic and magnetic sensors as the ship was leaving a harbor. ELF signals are of substantial strength and have typical characteristic of harmonic line spectrum, and the fundamental frequency has a direct relationship with the ship’s speed. Due to the high sensitivity and low noise level of our sensors, it is capable of resolving weak ELF signals at long distance. In our experiment, a detection distance of 1300 m from the surface ship above the sea surface was realized, which shows that this method would be an appealing complement to the usual acoustic detection and magnetic anomaly detection capability. PMID:28788097

Thermally induced ultrasonic emission from porous silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinoda, H.; Nakajima, T.; Ueno, K.; Koshida, N.

1999-08-01

The most common mechanism for generating ultrasound in air is via a piezoelectric transducer, whereby an electrical signal is converted directly into a mechanical vibration. But the acoustic pressure so generated is usually limited to less than 10Pa, the frequency bandwidth of most piezoelectric ceramics is narrow, and it is difficult to assemble such transducers into a fine-scale phase array with no crosstalk,. An alternative strategy using micromachined electrostatic diaphragms is showing some promise,, but the high voltages required and the mechanical weakness of the diaphragms may prove problematic for applications. Here we show that simple heat conduction from porous silicon to air results in high-intensity ultrasound without the need for any mechanical vibrational system. Our non-optimized device generates an acoustic pressure of 0.1Pa at a power consumption of 1Wcm-2, and exhibits a flat frequency response up to at least 100kHz. We expect that substantial improvements in efficiency should be possible. Moreover, as this material lends itself to integration with conventional electronic circuitry, it should be relatively straightforward to develop finely structured phase arrays of these devices, which would give control over the wavefront of the acoustic emissions.

Feasibility study of tuned liquid column damper for ocean wave energy extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Yihong; King, Yeong-Jin; Lai, An-Chow; Chong, Kok-Keong; Lim, Boon-Han

2017-04-01

Intermittent nature and low efficiency are the major issues in renewable energy supply. To overcome these issues, one of the possible methods is through a hybrid system where multiple sources of renewable energy are combined to compensate each other's weaknesses. The hybrid of solar energy and wave energy becomes possible through the introduction of a stable floating platform which enables solar energy generation above it and wave energy harvesting underneath it. This paper is intended to study the feasibility of harnessing ocean wave energy using a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD), a type of passive damping device that is designed to suppress externally induced vibration force at a specific frequency range. The proposed TLCD is to be implemented within a floating offshore structure to serve as a vibration mitigating mechanism by reducing the dynamic response of the structure and simultaneously utilize the flowing motion of liquid within the TLCD for generating electricity. The constructed TLCD prototype is tuned according to theoretical study and tested using a shaking table with a predetermined frequency range. The oscillating motion of water within the TLCD and the potential of installation of hydro turbine generator in term of recoverable amount of energy are studied.

Shape oscillations of acoustically levitated drops in water: Early research with Bob Apfel on modulated radiation pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marston, Philip L.

2004-05-01

In 1976, research in collaboration with Bob Apfel demonstrated that low-frequency shape oscillations of hydrocarbon drops levitated in water could be driven using modulated radiation pressure. While that response to modulated ultrasound was subsequently extended to a range of systems, the emphasis here is to recall the initial stages of development in Bob Apfel's laboratory leading to some publications [P. L. Marston and R. E. Apfel, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 68, 280-286 (1979); J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 67, 27-37 (1980)]. The levitation technology used at that time was such that it was helpful to develop a sensitive method for detecting weak oscillations using the interference pattern in laser light scattered by levitated drops. The initial experiments to verify this scattering method used shape oscillations induced by modulated electric fields within the acoustic levitator. Light scattering was subsequently used to detect shape oscillations induced by amplitude modulating a carrier having a high frequency (around 680 kHz) at a resonance of the transducer. Methods were also developed for quantitative measurements of the drop's response and with improved acoustic coupling drop fission was observed. The connection with research currently supported by NASA will also be noted.

Turbulence-induced anomalous electron diffusion in the plume of the VASIMR VX-200

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, Christopher; Ballenger, Maxwell; Squire, Jared; Longmier, Benjamin; Carter, Mark; Glover, Tim

2012-10-01

The separation of electrons from magnetic nozzles is critical to the function of the VASIMR engine and is of general importance to the field of electric propulsion. Separation of electrons by means of anomalous cross field diffusion is considered. Plume measurements using spectral analysis of custom high frequency probes characterizes the nature of oscillating electric fields in the expanding magnetic nozzle. The oscillating electric field results in frequency dependent density variations that can lead to anomalously high transport in the absence of collisions mimicking collisional transport. The spatial structure of the fluctuating fields is consistent with turbulence caused by separation of energetic (> 100 eV) non-magnetized ions and low energy magnetized electrons via the modified two-stream instability (MTSI) and generalized lower hybrid drift instability (GLHDI). Electric fields as high as 300 V/m are observed at frequencies up to an order of magnitude above the lower hybrid frequency. The electric field fluctuations dissipate with increasing axial distance consistent with changes in ion flux streamlines as plasma detachment occurs.

Imaging of the interaction of low frequency electric fields with biological tissues by optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña, Adrian F.; Devine, Jack; Doronin, Alexander; Meglinski, Igor

2014-03-01

We report the use of conventional Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for visualization of propagation of low frequency electric field in soft biological tissues ex vivo. To increase the overall quality of the experimental images an adaptive Wiener filtering technique has been employed. Fourier domain correlation has been subsequently applied to enhance spatial resolution of images of biological tissues influenced by low frequency electric field. Image processing has been performed on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) utilizing Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) framework in the frequencydomain. The results show that variation in voltage and frequency of the applied electric field relates exponentially to the magnitude of its influence on biological tissue. The magnitude of influence is about twice more for fresh tissue samples in comparison to non-fresh ones. The obtained results suggest that OCT can be used for observation and quantitative evaluation of the electro-kinetic changes in biological tissues under different physiological conditions, functional electrical stimulation, and potentially can be used non-invasively for food quality control.

Quasi-elastic light scattering of carnauba wax in the liquid phase: dynamics 2.

PubMed

de Almeida, F J; Barbosa, G A

1983-12-01

Quasi-elastic light scattering of carnauba wax in the liquid phase is obtained in a heterodyne setup, and dynamic processes are analyzed through electrophoresis. Nonspherical polar clusters are found, containing a net electrical charge. An applied square-wave electric field induces drift and rotation of these clusters.These effects are dependent on strength and frequency of the applied electric field. At 373 K and in the low frequency limit the local electric field strength is approximately 70 times the strength of the applied one. This enhancement is believed to be caused by collective orientation of the clusters. The electrophoretic mobility is 1.1 X 10(-12) m2/V sec in the high frequency limit and 7.4 X 10(-11) m2/V sec in the low frequency limit. The electric dipole moment is 6.3 X 10(-16) N(-1/2) m(-1/2) where N is the cluster density/cubic meter and the net charge is about one or two elementary charges.

Bead-on-string structure printed by electrohydrodynamic jet under alternating current electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Juan; Lin, Yihuang; Jiang, Jiaxin; Liu, Haiyan; Zhao, Yang; Zheng, Gaofeng

2016-09-01

Electrohydrodynamic printing (EHDP) under alternating current (AC) electric field provides a novel way for the precise micro-/nano-droplet printing. The AC electric field induces the free charge to reciprocate along the EHDP jet and changes the electric field force on the jet periodically. The stability of jet can be enhanced by increasing the voltage frequency, and the regular bead-on-string structure is direct-written along the trajectory of collector. The deposition frequency of bead structure increases with the increasing of voltage frequency, due to the short period of AC electric field. As the voltage frequency is increased from 10 to 60 Hz, the diameter of bead structure decreases from 200 to 110 µm. As the duty ration increased from 10 to 60 %, the diameter of bead structure increased from 100 to 140 µm. This work would accelerate the development and the application of micro-/nano-printing technology in the fields of flexible electronic and micro-/nano-system.

Measuring Electric Fields in Biological Matter Using the Vibrational Stark Effect of Nitrile Probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slocum, Joshua D.; Webb, Lauren J.

2018-04-01

Measurement of the electrostatic interactions that give rise to biological functions has been a longstanding challenge in biophysics. Advances in spectroscopic techniques over the past two decades have allowed for the direct measurement of electric fields in a wide variety of biological molecules and systems via the vibrational Stark effect (VSE). The frequency of the nitrile stretching oscillation has received much attention as an electric field reporter because of its sensitivity to electric fields and its occurrence in a relatively transparent region of the infrared spectrum. Despite these advantages and its wide use as a VSE probe, the nitrile stretching frequency is sensitive to hydrogen bonding in a way that complicates the straightforward relationship between measured frequency and environmental electric field. Here we highlight recent applications of nitrile VSE probes with an emphasis on experiments that have helped shape our understanding of the determinants of nitrile frequencies in both hydrogen bonding and nonhydrogen bonding environments.

Penetration of Nonstationary Ionospheric Electric Fields into Lower Atmospheric Layers in the Global Electric Circuit Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morozov, V. N.

2018-01-01

The problem of the penetration of nonstationary ionospheric electric fields into the lower atmospheric layers is considered based on the model of the global electric circuit in the Earth's atmosphere. For the equation of the electric field potential, a solution that takes into account exponential variation in the electrical conductivity with height has been obtained. Analysis of the solution made it possible to reveal three cases of the dependence of the solution on height. The first case (the case of high frequencies) corresponds to the Coulomb approximation, when the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere can be neglected. In the case of low frequencies (when the frequency of changes in the ionosphere potential is less than the quantity reciprocal to the time of electric relaxation of the atmosphere), a quasi-stationary regime, in which the variation in the electric potential of the atmosphere is determined by the electric conduction currents, occurs. In the third case, due to the increase in the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere, two spherical regions appear: with the Coulomb approximation in the lower region and conduction currents in the upper one. For these three cases, formulas for estimating the electric field strength near the Earth's surface have been obtained.

Electric-field control of a hydrogenic donor's spin in a semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de, Amrit; Pryor, Craig E.; Flatté, Michael E.

2009-03-01

The orbital wave function of an electron bound to a single donor in a semiconductor can be modulated by an applied AC electric field, which affects the electron spin dynamics via the spin-orbit interaction. Numerical calculations of the spin dynamics of a single hydrogenic donor (Si) using a real-space multi-band k.p formalism show that in addition to breaking the high symmetry of the hydrogenic donor state, the g-tensor has a strong nonlinear dependence on the applied fields. By explicitly integrating the time dependent Schr"odinger equation it is seen that Rabi oscillations can be obtained for electric fields modulated at sub-harmonics of the Larmor frequency. The Rabi frequencies obtained from sub-harmonic modulation depend on the magnitudes of the AC and DC components of the electric field. For a purely AC field, the highest Rabi frequency is obtained when E is driven at the 2nd sub-harmonic of the Larmor frequency. Apart from suggesting ways to measure g-tensor anisotropies and nonlinearities, these results also suggest the possibility of direct frequency domain measurements of Rabi frequencies.

The slow collisional E×B ion drift characterized as the major instability mechanism of a poorly magnetized plasma column with an inward-directed radial electric field

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

Pierre, Thiéry

2016-04-15

The low-frequency instability of a cylindrical poorly magnetized plasma with an inward-directed radial electric field is studied changing the gas pressure and the ion cyclotron frequency. The unstable frequency always decreases when the gas pressure is increased indicating collisional effects. At a fixed pressure, the unstable frequency increases with the magnetic field when the B-field is low and decreases at larger magnetic field strength. We find that the transition between these two regimes is obtained when the ion cyclotron frequency equals the ion-neutrals collision frequency. This is in agreement with the theory of the slow-ion drift instability induced by themore » collisional slowing of the electric ion drift [A. Simon, Phys. Fluids 6, 382 (1963)].« less

Clinical features of children and adults with a muscular dystrophy using powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs: disease features, comorbidities and complications of disability.

PubMed

Frank, Andrew Oliver; De Souza, Lorraine H

2018-05-01

To describe the clinical features of electric powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair users with a muscular dystrophy, likely to influence optimal prescription; reflecting features of muscular dystrophies, conditions secondary to disability, and comorbidities impacting on equipment provision. Cross-sectional retrospective case note review of recipients of electric powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs provided by a specialist regional wheelchair service. Data on demography, diagnostic/clinical, and wheelchair prescription were systematically extracted. Fifty-one men and 14 women, mean age 23.7 (range 10-67, s.d. 12.95) years, were studied. Forty had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, 22 had other forms of muscular dystrophy, and three were unclassified. Twenty-seven were aged under 19. Notable clinical features included problematic pain (10), cardiomyopathy (5), and ventilatory failure (4). Features related to disability were (kypho)scoliosis (20) and edema/cellulitis (3) whilst comorbidities included back pain (5). Comparison of younger with older users revealed younger users had more features of muscular dystrophy affecting electric powered chair provision (56%) whilst older users had more comorbidity (37%). Tilt-in-space was prescribed for 81% of users, specialized seating for 55% and complex controls for 16%. Muscular dystrophy users were prescribed electric powered indoor/outdoor chairs with many additional features reflecting the consequences of profound muscle weakness. In addition to facilitating independence and participation, electric powered indoor/outdoor chairs have major therapeutic benefits. Implications for rehabilitation Powered wheelchairs have therapeutic benefits in managing muscular dystrophy pain and weakness. The use of specialized seating needs careful consideration in supporting progressive muscle weakness and the management of scoliosis. Pain, discomfort, pressure risk, and muscle fatigue may be reduced by use of tilt-in-space.

Covert laser remote sensing and vibrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maleki, Lutfollah (Inventor); Yu, Nan (Inventor); Matsko, Andrey B. (Inventor); Savchenkov, Anatoliy (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Designs of single-beam laser vibrometry systems and methods. For example, a method for detecting vibrations of a target based on optical sensing is provided to include operating a laser to produce a laser probe beam at a laser frequency and modulated at a modulation frequency onto a target; collecting light at or near the laser to collect light from the target while the target is being illuminated by the laser probe beam through an optical receiver aperture; using a narrow-band optical filter centered at the laser frequency to filter light collected from the optical receiver aperture to transmit light at the laser frequency while blocking light at other frequencies; using an optical detector to convert filtered light from the narrow-band optical filter to produce a receiver electrical signal; using a lock-in amplifier to detect and amplify the receiver electrical signal at the modulation frequency while rejecting signal components at other frequencies to produce an amplified receiver electrical signal; processing the amplified receiver electrical signal to extract information on vibrations of the target carried by reflected laser probe beam in the collected light; and controlling optical power of the laser probe beam at the target to follow optical power of background illumination at the target.

Application of AWE Along with a Combined FEM/MoM Technique to Compute RCS of a Cavity-Backed Aperture in an Infinite Ground Plane Over a Frequency Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reddy, C.J.; Deshpande, M.D.

1997-01-01

A hybrid Finite Element Method (FEM)/Method of Moments (MoM) technique in conjunction with the Asymptotic Waveform Evaluation (AWE) technique is applied to obtain radar cross section (RCS) of a cavity-backed aperture in an infinite ground plane over a frequency range. The hybrid FEM/MoM technique when applied to the cavity-backed aperture results in an integro-differential equation with electric field as the unknown variable, the electric field obtained from the solution of the integro-differential equation is expanded in Taylor series. The coefficients of the Taylor series are obtained using the frequency derivatives of the integro-differential equation formed by the hybrid FEM/MoM technique. The series is then matched via the Pade approximation to a rational polynomial, which can be used to extrapolate the electric field over a frequency range. The RCS of the cavity-backed aperture is calculated using the electric field at different frequencies. Numerical results for a rectangular cavity, a circular cavity, and a material filled cavity are presented over a frequency range. Good agreement between AWE and the exact solution over the frequency range is obtained.

Apparatus and method for generating mechanical waves

DOEpatents

Allensworth, Dwight L.; Chen, Peter J.

1985-01-01

Mechanical waves are generated in a medium by subjecting an electromechanical element to an alternating electric field having a frequency which induces mechanical resonance therein and is below any electrical resonance frequency thereof.

Apparatus and method for generating mechanical waves

DOEpatents

Allensworth, D.L.; Chen, P.J.

1982-10-25

Mechanical waves are generated in a medium by subjecting an electromechanical element to an alternating electric field having a frequency which induces mechanical resonance therein and is below any electrical resonance frequency thereof.

[Methods of brain stimulation based on weak electric current--future tool for the clinician?].

PubMed

Kotilainen, Tuukka; Lehto, Soili M

2016-01-01

Methods of brain stimulation based on a weak electric current are non-invasive neuromodulation techniques. They include transcranial direct current, alternating current and random noise stimulation. These methods modify the membrane potential of neurons without triggering the action potential, and have been successfully utilized to influence cognition and regulation of emotions in healthy experimental subjects. In clinical studies, indications of the efficacy of these techniques have been obtained in the treatment of depression, schizophrenia, memory disorders and pain as well as in stroke rehabilitation. It is hoped that these techniques will become established as part of the care and rehabilitation of psychiatric and neurologic patients in the future.

Bose-Einstein condensate of rigid rotor molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Evan; Smith, Joseph; Rittenhouse, Seth; Peden, Brandon; Wilson, Ryan

2017-04-01

We study the ground state phases of a quasi-two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of dipolar rigid rotor molecules subject to a DC electric field. In the high-field limit, this system acquires the properties of the fully polarized dipolar BEC, which exhibits a roton-maxon excitation spectrum, and has been thoroughly studied in the theoretical literature. In the weak-field limit, however, qualitatively new physics emerges due to the competition between the (weak) applied field and internal electric fields, which are produced by the molecules themselves. We characterize the ground states of this system, and study its unique dielectric properties. We gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHYS-1516421.

Photoinduced High-Frequency Charge Oscillations in Dimerized Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yonemitsu, Kenji

2018-04-01

Photoinduced charge dynamics in dimerized systems is studied on the basis of the exact diagonalization method and the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a one-dimensional spinless-fermion model at half filling and a two-dimensional model for κ-(bis[ethylenedithio]tetrathiafulvalene)2X [κ-(BEDT-TTF)2X] at three-quarter filling. After the application of a one-cycle pulse of a specifically polarized electric field, the charge densities at half of the sites of the system oscillate in the same phase and those at the other half oscillate in the opposite phase. For weak fields, the Fourier transform of the time profile of the charge density at any site after photoexcitation has peaks for finite-sized systems that correspond to those of the steady-state optical conductivity spectrum. For strong fields, these peaks are suppressed and a new peak appears on the high-energy side, that is, the charge densities mainly oscillate with a single frequency, although the oscillation is eventually damped. In the two-dimensional case without intersite repulsion and in the one-dimensional case, this frequency corresponds to charge-transfer processes by which all the bonds connecting the two classes of sites are exploited. Thus, this oscillation behaves as an electronic breathing mode. The relevance of the new peak to a recently found reflectivity peak in κ-(BEDT-TTF)2X after photoexcitation is discussed.

Emergence of periodic order in electric-field-driven planar nematic liquid crystals: An exclusive ac effect absent in static fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnamurthy, K. S.; Kumar, Pramoda

2007-11-01

We report, for a nematic liquid crystal with a low conductivity anisotropy, an ac field generated transition from a uniformly planar to a periodically modulated director configuration with the wave vector parallel to the initial director. Significantly, with unblocked electrodes, this instability is not excited by dc fields. Additionally, in very low frequency square wave fields, it occurs transiently after each polarity reversal, vanishing completely during field constancy. The time of occurrence of maximum distortion after polarity reversal decreases exponentially with voltage. The time dependence of optical phase change during transient distortion is nearly Gaussian. The pattern threshold Vc is linear in f , f denoting the frequency; the critical wave number qc of the modulation scales nearly linearly as f to a peak at ˜50Hz before falling slightly thereafter. The observed Vc(f) and qc(f) characteristics differ from the predictions of the standard model (SM). The instability may be interpreted as a special case of the Carr-Helfrich distortion suppressed in static fields due to weak charge focusing and strong charge injection. Its transient nature in the low frequency regime is suggestive of the possible role of gradient flexoelectric effect in its occurrence. The study includes measurement of certain elastic and viscosity parameters relevant to the application of the SM.

Performance of denitrifying microbial fuel cell subjected to variation in pH, COD concentration and external resistance.

PubMed

Li, Jin-Tao; Zhang, Shao-Hui; Hua, Yu-Mei

2013-01-01

The effects of pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and external resistance on denitrifying microbial fuel cell were evaluated in terms of electricity generation characteristics and pollutant removal performance. The results showed that anodic influent with weakly alkaline or neutral pH and cathodic influent with weakly acidic pH favored pollutant removal and electricity generation. The suitable influent pH of the anode and cathode were found to be 7.5-8.0 and 6.0-6.5, respectively. In the presence of sufficient nitrate in the cathode, higher influent COD concentration led to more electricity generation and greater pollutant removal rates. With an anodic influent pH of 8.0 and a cathodic influent pH of 6.0, an influent COD concentration of 400 mg/L was deemed to be appropriate. Low external resistance favored nitrate and COD removal. The results suggest that operation of denitrifying microbial fuel cell at a lower external resistance would be desirable for pollutant removal but not electricity generation.

Process weakness assessment by profiling all incoming design components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Linda; Cai, MengFeng; Zhu, Annie; Zhang, Yifan; Sweis, Jason; Lai, Ya-Chieh

2017-03-01

Foundries normally receive a large number of designs from different customers every day. It is desired to automatically profile each incoming design to quantify certain metrics like 1) the number of polygons per GDS layers 2) what kind of electrical components the design contains 3) what the dimensions of each electrical component are 4) how frequently any size of components have been used and their physical locations. This paper will present a novel method of how to generate a complete profile of components for any particular design. The component checking flow need to be completed within hours so it will have very little impact on the tape-out time. A pre-layer checking method is also run to group commonly used layers for different electrical components and then employ different layout profiling flows. The foundry does this design chip analysis in order to find potentially weak devices due to their size or special size requirements for particular electrical components. The foundry can then take pre-emptive action to avoid yield loss or make an unnecessary mask for new incoming products before fab processing starts.

Electrical Conduction of Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3-δ Ceramic at High Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zi-De; Chen, Xiao-Ming

2018-03-01

BaTiO3 and Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3-δ ceramics with dense microstructure have been synthesized by a solid-state reaction method, and their electrical conduction investigated by broadband electrical impedance spectroscopy at frequencies from 0.05 Hz to 3 × 106 Hz and temperatures from 200°C to 400°C. Compared with BaTiO3, the real part of the permittivity and the phase-transition temperature of Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3-δ decreased. Relaxation peaks appeared in the curves of the imaginary part of the permittivity as a function of frequency. With increase in frequency, the peaks gradually shifted towards higher frequency and their height increased. Conductivity was closely related to frequency and temperature. Frequency-dependent conductivity was analyzed using the Jonscher double power law. Compared with BaTO3, Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3-δ exhibited high impedance at given frequency and temperature. Impedance Cole-Cole plots displayed two semicircles, which could be well fit using two parallel RC equivalent circuit models. The conductivity activation energy was found to be around 1 eV. For Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3-δ , the electrical modulus curve versus frequency displayed two peaks.

Electrical Conduction of Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3- δ Ceramic at High Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zi-De; Chen, Xiao-Ming

2018-07-01

BaTiO3 and Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3- δ ceramics with dense microstructure have been synthesized by a solid-state reaction method, and their electrical conduction investigated by broadband electrical impedance spectroscopy at frequencies from 0.05 Hz to 3 × 106 Hz and temperatures from 200°C to 400°C. Compared with BaTiO3, the real part of the permittivity and the phase-transition temperature of Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3- δ decreased. Relaxation peaks appeared in the curves of the imaginary part of the permittivity as a function of frequency. With increase in frequency, the peaks gradually shifted towards higher frequency and their height increased. Conductivity was closely related to frequency and temperature. Frequency-dependent conductivity was analyzed using the Jonscher double power law. Compared with BaTO3, Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3- δ exhibited high impedance at given frequency and temperature. Impedance Cole-Cole plots displayed two semicircles, which could be well fit using two parallel RC equivalent circuit models. The conductivity activation energy was found to be around 1 eV. For Ba(Ti0.99Fe0.01)O3- δ , the electrical modulus curve versus frequency displayed two peaks.

Electrical conductivity and dielectric relaxation of 2-(antipyrin-4-ylhydrazono)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)acetonitrile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Menyawy, E. M.; Zedan, I. T.; Nawar, H. H.

2014-03-01

The electrical and dielectric properties of the synthesized 2-(antipyrin-4-ylhydrazono)-2-(4-nitrophenyl)acetonitrile (AHNA) have been studied. The direct and alternating current (DC and AC) conductivities and complex dielectric constant were investigated in temperature range 303-403 K. The AC conductivity and dielectric properties of AHNA were investigated over frequency range 100 Hz-5 MHz. From DC and AC measurements, electrical conduction is found to be a thermally activated process. The frequency-dependent AC conductivity obeys Jonscher's universal power law in which the frequency exponent decreases with increasing temperature. The correlated barrier hopping (CBH) is the predominant model for describing the charge carrier transport in which the electrical parameters are evaluated. The activation energy is found to decrease with increasing frequency. The behaviors of dielectric and dielectric loss are discussed in terms of a polarization mechanism. The dielectric loss shows frequency power law from which the maximum barrier height is determined as 0.19 eV in terms of the Guintini model.

Atmospheric Electric Field Measurements at 100 Hz and High Frequency Electric Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conceição, Ricardo; Gonçalves da Silva, Hugo; Matthews, James; Bennett, Alec; Chubb, John

2016-04-01

Spectral response of Atmospheric Electric Potential Gradient (PG), symmetric to the Atmospheric Electric Field, gives important information about phenomena affecting these measurements with characteristic time-scales that appear in the spectra as specific periodicities. This is the case of urban pollution that has a clear weekly dependence and reveals itself on PG measurements by a ~7 day periodicity (Silva et al., 2014). While long-term time-scales (low frequencies) have been exhaustively explored in literature, short-term time-scales (high frequencies), above 1 Hz, have comparatively received much less attention (Anisimov et al., 1999). This is mainly because of the technical difficulties related with the storage of such a huge amount of data (for 100 Hz sampling two days of data uses a ~1 Gb file) and the response degradation of the field-meters at such frequencies. Nevertheless, important Electric Phenomena occurs for frequencies above 1 Hz that are worth pursuing, e.g. the Schumann Resonances have a signature of worldwide thunderstorm activity at frequencies that go from ~8 up to ~40 Hz. To that end the present work shows preliminary results on PG measurements at 100 Hz that took place on two clear-sky days (17th and 18th June 2015) on the South of Portugal, Évora (38.50° N, 7.91° W). The field-mill used is a JCI 131F installed in the University of Évora campus (at 2 m height) with a few trees and two buildings in its surroundings (~50 m away). This device was developed by John Chubb (Chubb, 2014) and manufactured by Chilworth (UK). It was calibrated in December 2013 and recent work by the author (who is honored in this study for his overwhelming contribution to atmospheric electricity) reveals basically a flat spectral response of the device up to frequencies of 100 Hz (Chubb, 2015). This makes this device suitable for the study of High Frequency Electric Phenomena. Anisimov, S.V., et al. (1999). On the generation and evolution of aeroelectric structures in the surface layer. J. Geophys. Res., 104(D12), 14359-14367. Chubb, J. (2014). The measurement of atmospheric electric fields using pole mounted electrostatic fieldmeters. Journal of Electrostatics 72, 295-300. Chubb, J. (2015). Limitations on the performance of 'field mill' fieldmeters with alternating electric fields. Journal of Electrostatics 78, 1-3. Silva, H.G. et al. (2014). Atmospheric electric field measurements in urban environment and the pollutant aerosol weekly dependence. Environment Research Letters, 9, 114025.

Effects of electrical stimulus composition on cardiac electrophysiology in a rodent model of electroconvulsive therapy.

PubMed

Singh, Nagendra Madan; Sathyaprabha, T N; Thirthalli, Jagadisha; Andrade, Chittaranjan

2018-01-01

No electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) study on humans or in animal models has so far examined whether differently composed electrical stimuli exert different cardiac electrophysiological effects at constant electrical dose. The subject is important because cardiac electrophysiological changes may provide indirect information about ECT seizure quality as modulated by stimulus composition. Adult female Wistar rats ( n = 20/group) received fixed, moderately suprathreshold (18 mC) electrical stimuli. This stimulus in each of eight groups was formed by varying pulse amplitude, pulse width, pulse frequency, and stimulus duration. The electrocardiogram was recorded, and time and frequency domain variables were examined in 30 s epochs in preictal (30 s before electroconvulsive shock [ECS]), early postictal (starting 15 s after stimulation), and late postictal (5 h after ECS) periods. Alpha for statistical significance was set at P < 0.01 to adjust for multiple hypothesis testing. Cardiac electrophysiological indices in the eight groups did not differ significantly at baseline. At both early and late postictal time points, almost no analysis yielded statistically significant differences between groups for four time domain variables, including heart rate and standard deviation of R-R intervals, and for six frequency domain variables, including low-frequency power, high-frequency power, and total power. Cardiac electrophysiological measures may not be helpful to identify differences in seizure quality that are driven by differences in the composition of electrical stimuli at constant, moderately suprathreshold electrical dose. The generalization of this conclusion to threshold electrical doses and to human contexts requires a study.

The relationship between hippocampal EEG theta activity and locomotor behaviour in freely moving rats: effects of vigabatrin.

PubMed

Bouwman, B M; van Lier, H; Nitert, H E J; Drinkenburg, W H I M; Coenen, A M L; van Rijn, C M

2005-01-30

The relationship between hippocampal electroencephalogram (EEG) theta activity and locomotor speed in both spontaneous and forced walking conditions was studied in rats after vigabatrin injection (500 mg/kg i.p.). Vigabatrin increased the percentage of time that rats spent being immobile. During spontaneous walking in the open field, the speed of locomotion was increased by vigabatrin, while theta peak frequency was decreased. Vigabatrin also reduced the theta peak frequency during forced (speed controlled) walking. There was only a weak positive correlation (r=0.22) between theta peak frequency and locomotor speed for the saline condition. Furthermore, vigabatrin abolishes the weak relationship between speed of locomotion and theta peak frequency. Vigabatrin and saline did not differ in the slope of the regression line, but showed different offset points at the theta peak frequency axis. Thus, other factors than speed of locomotion seem to be involved in determination of the theta peak frequency.

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

Bertram, Christoph; Johnson, Nils; Luderer, Gunnar

Stringent long-term climate targets necessitate a strict limit on cumulative emissions in this century for which sufficient policy signals are so far lacking. Based on an ensemble of ten energy-economy models, we explore how long-term transformation pathways depend on policies pursued during the next two decades. We find that weak GHG emission targets for 2030 lead, in that year alone, to excess carbon dioxide emissions of nearly half of the annual emissions in 2010, mainly through coal electricity generation. Furthermore, by consuming more of the long-term cumulative emissions budget in the first two decades, weak policy increases the likelihood ofmore » overshooting the budget and the urgency of reducing GHG emissions. Therefore, to be successful under weak policies, models must prematurely retire much of the additional coal capacity post-2030 and remove large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the latter half of the century. While increased energy efficiency lowers mitigation costs considerably, even with weak near-term policies, it does not substantially reduce the short term reliance on coal electricity. However, increased energy efficiency does allow the energy system more flexibility in mitigating emissions and, thus, makes the post-2030 transition easier.« less

The relation between temperature distribution for lung RFA and electromagnetic wave frequency dependence of electrical conductivity with changing a lung's internal air volumes.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Nozomu; Watanabe, Hiroki; Lu, Xiaowei; Isobe, Yosuke; Kobayashi, Yo; Miyashita, Tomoyuki; Fujie, Masakatsu G

2013-01-01

Radio frequency ablation (RFA) for lung cancer has increasingly been used over the past few years because it is a minimally invasive treatment. As a feature of RFA for lung cancer, lung contains air during operation. Air is low thermal and electrical conductivity. Therefore, RFA for this cancer has the advantage that only the cancer is coagulated, and it is difficult for operators to control the precise formation of coagulation lesion. In order to overcome this limitation, we previously proposed a model-based robotic ablation system using finite element method. Creating an accurate thermo physical model and constructing thermal control method were a challenging problem because the thermal properties of the organ are complex. In this study, we measured electromagnetic wave frequency dependence of lung's electrical conductivity that was based on lung's internal air volumes dependence with in vitro experiment. In addition, we validated the electromagnetic wave frequency dependence of lung's electrical conductivity using temperature distribution simulator. From the results of this study, it is confirmed that the electromagnetic wave frequency dependence of lung's electrical conductivity effects on heat generation of RFA.

Respiratory analysis system and method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, F. F. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

A system is described for monitoring the respiratory process in which the gas flow rate and the frequency of respiration and expiration cycles can be determined on a real time basis. A face mask is provided with one-way inlet and outlet valves where the gas flow is through independent flowmeters and through a mass spectrometer. The opening and closing of a valve operates an electrical switch, and the combination of the two switches produces a low frequency electrical signal of the respiratory inhalation and exhalation cycles. During the time a switch is operated, the corresponsing flowmeter produces electric pulses representative of the flow rate; the electrical pulses being at a higher frequency than that of the breathing cycle and combined with the low frequency signal. The high frequency pulses are supplied to conventional analyzer computer which also receives temperature and pressure inputs and computes mass flow rate and totalized mass flow of gas. From the mass spectrometer, components of the gas are separately computed as to flow rate. The electrical switches cause operation of up-down inputs of a reversible counter. The respective up and down cycles can be individually monitored and combined for various respiratory measurements.

Hot-electron effect in spin relaxation of electrically injected electrons in intrinsic Germanium.

PubMed

Yu, T; Wu, M W

2015-07-01

The hot-electron effect in the spin relaxation of electrically injected electrons in intrinsic germanium is investigated by the kinetic spin Bloch equations both analytically and numerically. It is shown that in the weak-electric-field regime with E ≲ 0.5 kV cm(-1), our calculations have reasonable agreement with the recent transport experiment in the hot-electron spin-injection configuration (2013 Phys. Rev. Lett. 111 257204). We reveal that the spin relaxation is significantly enhanced at low temperature in the presence of weak electric field E ≲ 50 V cm(-1), which originates from the obvious center-of-mass drift effect due to the weak electron-phonon interaction, whereas the hot-electron effect is demonstrated to be less important. This can explain the discrepancy between the experimental observation and the previous theoretical calculation (2012 Phys. Rev. B 86 085202), which deviates from the experimental results by about two orders of magnitude at low temperature. It is further shown that in the strong-electric-field regime with 0.5 ≲ E ≲ 2 kV cm(-1), the spin relaxation is enhanced due to the hot-electron effect, whereas the drift effect is demonstrated to be marginal. Finally, we find that when 1.4 ≲ E ≲ 2 kV cm(-1) which lies in the strong-electric-field regime, a small fraction of electrons (≲5%) can be driven from the L to Γ valley, and the spin relaxation rates are the same for the Γ and L valleys in the intrinsic sample without impurity. With the negligible influence of the spin dynamics in the Γ valley to the whole system, the spin dynamics in the L valley can be measured from the Γ valley by the standard direct optical transition method.

Scattering characteristics of electromagnetic waves in time and space inhomogeneous weakly ionized dusty plasma sheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Li-xin; Chen, Wei; Li, Jiang-ting; Ren, Yi; Liu, Song-hua

2018-05-01

The dielectric coefficient of a weakly ionised dusty plasma is used to establish a three-dimensional time and space inhomogeneous dusty plasma sheath. The effects of scattering on electromagnetic (EM) waves in this dusty plasma sheath are investigated using the auxiliary differential equation finite-difference time-domain method. Backward radar cross-sectional values of various parameters, including the dust particle radius, charging frequency of dust particles, dust particle concentration, effective collision frequency, rate of the electron density variation with time, angle of EM wave incidence, and plasma frequency, are analysed within the time and space inhomogeneous plasma sheath. The results show the noticeable effects of dusty plasma parameters on EM waves.

Coexistence of Weak Ferromagnetism and Ferroelectricity in the High Pressure LiNbO3-Type Phase of FeTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varga, T.; Kumar, A.; Vlahos, E.; Denev, S.; Park, M.; Hong, S.; Sanehira, T.; Wang, Y.; Fennie, C. J.; Streiffer, S. K.; Ke, X.; Schiffer, P.; Gopalan, V.; Mitchell, J. F.

2009-07-01

We report the magnetic and electrical characteristics of polycrystalline FeTiO3 synthesized at high pressure that is isostructural with acentric LiNbO3 (LBO). Piezoresponse force microscopy, optical second harmonic generation, and magnetometry demonstrate ferroelectricity at and below room temperature and weak ferromagnetism below ˜120K. These results validate symmetry-based criteria and first-principles calculations of the coexistence of ferroelectricity and weak ferromagnetism in a series of transition metal titanates crystallizing in the LBO structure.

Coexistence of weak ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity in the high pressure LiNbO3-type phase of FeTiO3.

PubMed

Varga, T; Kumar, A; Vlahos, E; Denev, S; Park, M; Hong, S; Sanehira, T; Wang, Y; Fennie, C J; Streiffer, S K; Ke, X; Schiffer, P; Gopalan, V; Mitchell, J F

2009-07-24

We report the magnetic and electrical characteristics of polycrystalline FeTiO_{3} synthesized at high pressure that is isostructural with acentric LiNbO_{3} (LBO). Piezoresponse force microscopy, optical second harmonic generation, and magnetometry demonstrate ferroelectricity at and below room temperature and weak ferromagnetism below approximately 120 K. These results validate symmetry-based criteria and first-principles calculations of the coexistence of ferroelectricity and weak ferromagnetism in a series of transition metal titanates crystallizing in the LBO structure.

Predicting threshold and location of laser damage on optical surfaces

DOEpatents

Siekhaus, W.

1985-02-04

Disclosed is an apparatus useful in the prediction of the damage threshold of various optical devices, the location of weak spots on such devices and the location, identification, and elimination of optical surface impurities. The apparatus comprises a focused and pulsed laser, a photo electric detector/imaging means, and a timer. The weak spots emit photoelectrons when subjected to laser intensities that are less than the intensity actually required to produce the damage. The weak spots may be eliminated by sustained exposure to the laser beam.

Primary Multi-frequency Data Analyze in Electrical Impedance Scanning.

PubMed

Liu, Ruigang; Dong, Xiuzhen; Fu, Feng; Shi, Xuetao; You, Fusheng; Ji, Zhenyu

2005-01-01

This paper deduced the Cole-Cole arc equation in form of admittance by the traditional Cole-Cole equation in form of impedance. Comparing to the latter, the former is more adaptive to the electrical impedance scanning which using lower frequency region. When using our own electrical impedance scanning device at 50-5000Hz, the measurement data separated on the arc of the former, while collected near the direct current resistor on the arc of the latter. The four parameters of the former can be evaluated by the least square method. The frequency of the imaginary part of admittance reaching maximum can be calculated by the Cole-Cole parameters. In conclusion, the Cole-Cole arc in form of admittance is more effective to multi-frequency data analyze at lower frequency region, like EIS.

A coupled electro-thermal Discontinuous Galerkin method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homsi, L.; Geuzaine, C.; Noels, L.

2017-11-01

This paper presents a Discontinuous Galerkin scheme in order to solve the nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations of coupled electro-thermal problems. In this paper we discuss the fundamental equations for the transport of electricity and heat, in terms of macroscopic variables such as temperature and electric potential. A fully coupled nonlinear weak formulation for electro-thermal problems is developed based on continuum mechanics equations expressed in terms of energetically conjugated pair of fluxes and fields gradients. The weak form can thus be formulated as a Discontinuous Galerkin method. The existence and uniqueness of the weak form solution are proved. The numerical properties of the nonlinear elliptic problems i.e., consistency and stability, are demonstrated under specific conditions, i.e. use of high enough stabilization parameter and at least quadratic polynomial approximations. Moreover the prior error estimates in the H1-norm and in the L2-norm are shown to be optimal in the mesh size with the polynomial approximation degree.

Weak, Quiet Magnetic Fields Seen in the Venus Atmosphere

PubMed Central

Zhang, T. L.; Baumjohann, W.; Russell, C. T.; Luhmann, J. G.; Xiao, S. D.

2016-01-01

The existence of a strong internal magnetic field allows probing of the interior through both long term changes of and short period fluctuations in that magnetic field. Venus, while Earth’s twin in many ways, lacks such a strong intrinsic magnetic field, but perhaps short period fluctuations can still be used to probe the electrical conductivity of the interior. Toward the end of the Venus Express mission, an aerobraking campaign took the spacecraft below the ionosphere into the very weakly electrically conducting atmosphere. As the spacecraft descended from 150 to 140 km altitude, the magnetic field became weaker on average and less noisy. Below 140 km, the median field strength became steady but the short period fluctuations continued to weaken. The weakness of the fluctuations indicates they might not be useful for electromagnetic sounding of the atmosphere from a high altitude platform such as a plane or balloon, but possibly could be attempted on a lander. PMID:27009234

Controller for controlling operation of at least one electrical load operating on an AC supply, and a method thereof

DOEpatents

Cantin, Luc; Deschenes, Mario; D'Amours, Mario

1995-08-15

A controller is provided for controlling operation of at least one electrical load operating on an AC supply having a typical frequency, the AC supply being provided via power transformers by an electrical power distribution grid. The controller is associated with the load and comprises an input interface for coupling the controller to the grid, a frequency detector for detecting the frequency of the AC supply and producing a signal indicative of the frequency, memory modules for storing preprogrammed commands, a frequency monitor for reading the signal indicative of the frequency and producing frequency data derived thereof, a selector for selecting at least one of the preprogrammed commands with respect to the frequency data, a control unit for producing at least one command signal representative of the selected preprogrammed commands, and an output interface including a device responsive to the command signal for controlling the load. Therefore, the load can be controlled by means of the controller depending on the frequency of the AC supply.

Fast semi-analytical method for precise prediction of ion energy distribution functions and sheath electric field in multi-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wencong; Zhang, Xi; Diao, Dongfeng

2018-05-01

We propose a fast semi-analytical method to predict ion energy distribution functions and sheath electric field in multi-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas, which are difficult to measure in commercial plasma reactors. In the intermediate frequency regime, the ion density within the sheath is strongly modulated by the low-frequency sheath electric field, making the time-independent ion density assumption employed in conventional models invalid. Our results are in a good agreement with experimental measurements and computer simulations. The application of this method will facilitate the understanding of ion–material interaction mechanisms and development of new-generation plasma etching devices.

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Phase 3A: Low Levels of Synchronous Generation

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

Miller, Nicholas W.; Leonardi, Bruno; D'Aquila, Robert

The stability of the North American electric power grids under conditions of high penetrations of wind and solar is a significant concern and possible impediment to reaching renewable energy goals. The 33% wind and solar annual energy penetration considered in this study results in substantial changes to the characteristics of the bulk power system. This includes different power flow patterns, different commitment and dispatch of existing synchronous generation, and different dynamic behavior from wind and solar generation. The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (WWSIS), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, is one of the largest regional solar andmore » wind integration studies to date. In multiple phases, it has explored different aspects of the question: Can we integrate large amounts of wind and solar energy into the electric power system of the West? The work reported here focused on the impact of low levels of synchronous generation on the transient stability performance in one part of the region in which wind generation has displaced synchronous thermal generation under highly stressed, weak system conditions. It is essentially an extension of WWSIS-3. Transient stability, the ability of the power system to maintain synchronism among all elements following disturbances, is a major constraint on operations in many grids, including the western U.S. and Texas systems. These constraints primarily concern the performance of the large-scale bulk power system. But grid-wide stability concerns with high penetrations of wind and solar are still not thoroughly understood. This work focuses on 'traditional' fundamental frequency stability issues, such as maintaining synchronism, frequency, and voltage. The objectives of this study are to better understand the implications of low levels of synchronous generation and a weak grid on overall system performance by: 1) Investigating the Western Interconnection under conditions of both high renewable generation (e.g., wind and solar) and low synchronous generation (e.g., significant coal power plant decommitment or retirement); and 2) Analyzing both the large-scale stability of the Western Interconnection and regional stability issues driven by more geographically dispersed renewable generation interacting with a transmission grid that evolved with large, central station plants at key nodes. As noted above, the work reported here is an extension of the research performed in WWSIS-3.« less

Tunable terahertz wave-plate based on dual-frequency liquid crystal controlled by alternating electric field.

PubMed

Yu, Jian-Ping; Chen, Sai; Fan, Fei; Cheng, Jie-Rong; Xu, Shi-Tong; Wang, Xiang-Hui; Chang, Sheng-Jiang

2018-01-22

In this work, the optically anisotropic property of dual-frequency liquid crystals (DFLC) in terahertz (THz) regime has been experimentally investigated, which indicates that the refractive index and birefringence of DFLC can be continuously modulated by both the alternating frequency and intensity of the alternating electric field. This tunability originates from the rotation of DFLC molecules induced by alternating electric fields. The results show that by modulating the alternating frequency from 1 kHz to 100 kHz under 30 kV/m electric field, the 600 μm thickness DFLC cell can play as a tunable quarter-wave plate above 0.68 THz, or a half-wave plate above 1.33 THz. Besides, it can be viewed as a tunable THz phase shifter from 0 to π. Therefore, due to its novel tuning mechanism, DFLC will be of great significance in dynamic manipulating on THz phase and polarization.

Investigation of the Relationship Between Electrical Stimulation Frequency and Muscle Frequency Response Under Submaximal Contractions.

PubMed

Papcke, Caluê; Krueger, Eddy; Olandoski, Marcia; Nogueira-Neto, Guilherme Nunes; Nohama, Percy; Scheeren, Eduardo Mendonça

2018-03-25

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a common tool that is used in clinical and laboratory experiments and can be combined with mechanomyography (MMG) for biofeedback in neuroprostheses. However, it is not clear if the electrical current applied to neuromuscular tissues influences the MMG signal in submaximal contractions. The objective of this study is to investigate whether the electrical stimulation frequency influences the mechanomyographic frequency response of the rectus femoris muscle during submaximal contractions. Thirteen male participants performed three maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) recorded in isometric conditions to determine the maximal force of knee extensors. This was followed by the application of nine modulated NMES frequencies (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, and 100 Hz) to evoke 5% MVIC. Muscle behavior was monitored by the analysis of MMG signals, which were decomposed into frequency bands by using a Cauchy wavelet transform. For each applied electrical stimulus frequency, the mean MMG spectral/frequency response was estimated for each axis (X, Y, and Z axes) of the MMG sensor with the values of the frequency bands used as weights (weighted mean). Only with respect to the Z (perpendicular) axis of the MMG signal, the stimulus frequency of 20 Hz did not exhibit any difference with the weighted mean (P = 0.666). For the frequencies of 20 and 25 Hz, the MMG signal displayed the bands between 12 and 16 Hz in the three axes (P < 0.050). In the frequencies from 30 to 100 Hz, the muscle presented a higher concentration of the MMG signal between the 22 and 29 Hz bands for the X and Z axes, and between 16 and 34 Hz bands for the Y axis (P < 0.050 for all cases). We observed that MMG signals are not dependent on the applied NMES frequency, because their frequency contents tend to mainly remain between the 20- and 25-Hz bands. Hence, NMES does not interfere with the use of MMG in neuroprosthesis. © 2018 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Effects of Electrical Stimuli on Calcium Change and Histamine Release in Rat Basophilic Leukemia Mast Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Dan; Wu, Zu-Hui; Chen, Ji-Yao; Zhou, Lu-Wei

2013-06-01

We apply electric fields at different frequencies of 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 kHz to the rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) mast cells in calcium-containing or calcium-free buffers. The stimuli cause changes of the intracellular calcium ion concentration [Ca2+]i as well as the histamine. The [Ca2+]i increases when the frequency of the external electric field increases from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, and then decreases when the frequency further increases from 10 kHz to 100 kHz, showing a peak at 100 kHz. A similar frequency dependence of the histamine release is also found. The [Ca2+]i and the histamine releases at 100 Hz are about the same as the values of the control group with no electrical stimulation. The ruthenium red (RR), an inhibitor to the TRPV (transient receptor potential (TRP) family V) channels across the cell membrane, is used in the experiment to check whether the electric field stimuli act on the TRPV channels. Under an electric field of 10 kHz, the [Ca2+]i in a calcium-concentration buffer is about 3.5 times as much as that of the control group with no electric stimulation, while the [Ca2+]i in a calcium-free buffer is only about 2.2 times. Similar behavior is also found for the histamine release. RR blockage effect on the [Ca2+]i decrease is statistically significant (~75%) when mast cells in the buffer with calcium are stimulated with a 10 kHz electric field in comparison with the result without the RR treatment. This proves that TRPVs are the channels that calcium ions inflow through from the extracellular environment under electrical stimuli. Under this condition, the histamine is also released following a similar way. We suggest that, as far as an electric stimulation is concerned, an application of ac electric field of 10 kHz is better than other frequencies to open TRPV channels in mast cells, and this would cause a significant calcium influx resulting in a significant histamine release, which could be one of the mechanisms for electric therapy.

Low-frequency electric muscle stimulation combined with physical therapy after total hip arthroplasty for hip osteoarthritis in elderly patients: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Gremeaux, Vincent; Renault, Julien; Pardon, Laurent; Deley, Gaelle; Lepers, Romuald; Casillas, Jean-Marie

2008-12-01

To assess the effects of low-frequency electric muscle stimulation associated with usual physiotherapy on functional outcome after total hip arthroplasty (THA) for hip osteoarthritis (OA) in elderly subjects. Randomized controlled trial; pre- and posttreatment measurements. Hospital rehabilitation department. Subjects (N=29) referred to the rehabilitation department after THA for hip OA. The intervention group (n=16; 78+/-8 y) received simultaneous low-frequency electric muscle stimulation of bilateral quadriceps and calf muscles (highest tolerated intensity, 1h session, 5 d/wk, for 5 weeks) associated with conventional physical therapy including resistance training. The control group (n=13; 76+/-10 y) received conventional physical therapy alone (25 sessions). Maximal isometric strength of knee extensors, FIM instrument, before and after; a six-minute walk test and a 200 m fast walk test, after; length of stay (LOS). Low-frequency electric muscle stimulation was well tolerated. It resulted in a greater improvement in strength of knee extensors on the operated side (77% vs 23%; P<.01), leading to a better balance of muscle strength between the operated and nonoperated limb. The low-frequency electric muscle stimulation group also showed a greater improvement in FIM scores, though improvements in the walk tests were similar for the 2 groups, as was LOS. Low-frequency electric muscle stimulation is a safe, well-tolerated therapy after THA for hip OA. It improves knee extensor strength, which is one of the factors leading to greater functional independence after THA.

Electrical injury in relation to voltage, "no-let-go" phenomenon, symptoms and perceived safety culture: a survey of Swedish male electricians.

PubMed

Rådman, Lisa; Nilsagård, Ylva; Jakobsson, Kristina; Ek, Åsa; Gunnarsson, Lars-Gunnar

2016-02-01

Professional electricians are highly subjected to electrical injuries. Previous studies describing symptoms after electrical injury have not included people with less severe initial injuries. The purpose of the present study was to describe symptoms at different time points after electrical injury, the impact of "no-let-go" phenomenon and different electrical potential [high voltage (HV) vs. low voltage (LV)], and the safety culture at the workplace. A retrospective survey was conducted with 523 Swedish electricians. Two questionnaires were issued: the first to identify electricians who had experienced electrical injury and the second to gain information about symptoms and safety culture. Self-reported symptoms were described at different time points following injury. Symptoms for HV and LV accidents were compared. Occurrence or nonoccurrence of "no-let-go" phenomenon was analysed using two-tailed Chi-2. Safety culture was assessed with a validated questionnaire. Nearly all reported having symptoms directly after the injury, mainly paraesthesia and pain. For the first weeks after injury, pain and muscle weakness dominated. The most frequently occurring symptoms at follow-up were pain, muscle weakness and loss of sensation. HV injuries and "no-let go" phenomenon were associated with more sustained symptoms. Deficiencies in the reporting routines were present, as well as shortage of preventive measures. The results indicate that symptoms are reported also long time after an electrical injury and that special attention should be paid to HV injuries and "no-let go" accidents. The workplace routines to reduce the number of work-related electrical injuries for Swedish electricians can be improved.

Apparatus and method for prevention of cracking in welded brittle alloys

DOEpatents

Kronberg, James W.; Younkins, Robert M.

2000-01-01

An apparatus and method for reducing cracking in a heated material as the material cools. The apparatus includes a variable frequency electric signal generator that is coupled to a transducer. The transducer produces a variable frequency acoustic signal in response to the variable frequency electric signal, which is applied to the heated material to reduce cracking as the material cools.

13. EAST FACADE OF THE FREQUENCY CHANGER HOUSE. IT WAS ...

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

13. EAST FACADE OF THE FREQUENCY CHANGER HOUSE. IT WAS IN THIS BUILDING THAT 60 CYCLE AC POWER WAS CONVERTED TO 25 CYCLE DC POWER FOR USE IN CHICAGO'S TRANSIT SYSTEM; THE FREQUENCY CHANGER HOUSE IS PRESENTLY USED FOR STORAGE. LOOKING WEST. - Commonwealth Electric Company, Fisk Street Electrical Generating Station, 1111 West Cermak Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, IL

Drive Train Normal Modes Analysis for the ERDA/NASA 100-Kilowatt Wind Turbine Generator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sullivan, T. L.; Miller, D. R.; Spera, D. A.

1977-01-01

Natural frequencies, as a function of power were determined using a finite element model. Operating conditions investigated were operation with a resistive electrical load and operation synchronized to an electrical utility grid. The influence of certain drive train components on frequencies and mode shapes is shown. An approximate method for obtaining drive train natural frequencies is presented.

Research of frequency converters energy characteristics of drilling rigs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasiliev, B. Y.; Kalashnikov, O. V.; Oleynikova, A. M.; Ivanovsky, A. I.; Grudinin, N. N.

2017-10-01

The investigation deals with multi-motor electric drives with frequency converters of various structures: with a common converter, with an individual converter, with a multi-inverter frequency converter. Their shortcomings and advantages were analyzed and there were drawn conclusions about the expediency of using each structure. Expediency of using multi-inverter frequency converters with an active frond end was shown to ensure the highest power characteristics of multi-motor electric drives of drilling rigs’ main mechanisms.

Critical frequency for coalescence of emulsions in an AC electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhou; Ali, Faizi Hammad; Shum, Ho Cheung

2017-11-01

Applying an electric field to trigger the coalescence of emulsions has been applied in various applications which include crude oil recovery, emulsion stability characterization as well as pico-injection and droplet-based chemical reaction in microfluidics. In this work, we systematically investigated the responses of surfactant-stabilized emulsions to a controlled AC electric field using a customer-built chip. At a given amplitude of the AC voltage, we found a critical frequency beyond which the emulsions remain stable. When the frequency is decreased to below the critical value, emulsions coalesce immediately. Such critical frequency is found to be dependent of amplitude of the AC voltage, viscosity of the fluids, concentration and type of the surfactant as well as the electric conductivity of the droplet phase. Using a model based on the drainage of thin film, we have explored the mechanism behind and interpret this phenomenon systematically. Our work extends the understanding of the electro-coalescence of emulsions and can be beneficial for any applications involve the coalescence of droplets in an AC electric field.

Effects of electrical stimulus composition on cardiac electrophysiology in a rodent model of electroconvulsive therapy

PubMed Central

Singh, Nagendra Madan; Sathyaprabha, T. N.; Thirthalli, Jagadisha; Andrade, Chittaranjan

2018-01-01

Background: No electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) study on humans or in animal models has so far examined whether differently composed electrical stimuli exert different cardiac electrophysiological effects at constant electrical dose. The subject is important because cardiac electrophysiological changes may provide indirect information about ECT seizure quality as modulated by stimulus composition. Materials and Methods: Adult female Wistar rats (n = 20/group) received fixed, moderately suprathreshold (18 mC) electrical stimuli. This stimulus in each of eight groups was formed by varying pulse amplitude, pulse width, pulse frequency, and stimulus duration. The electrocardiogram was recorded, and time and frequency domain variables were examined in 30 s epochs in preictal (30 s before electroconvulsive shock [ECS]), early postictal (starting 15 s after stimulation), and late postictal (5 h after ECS) periods. Alpha for statistical significance was set at P < 0.01 to adjust for multiple hypothesis testing. Results: Cardiac electrophysiological indices in the eight groups did not differ significantly at baseline. At both early and late postictal time points, almost no analysis yielded statistically significant differences between groups for four time domain variables, including heart rate and standard deviation of R-R intervals, and for six frequency domain variables, including low-frequency power, high-frequency power, and total power. Conclusions: Cardiac electrophysiological measures may not be helpful to identify differences in seizure quality that are driven by differences in the composition of electrical stimuli at constant, moderately suprathreshold electrical dose. The generalization of this conclusion to threshold electrical doses and to human contexts requires a study. PMID:29736058

The Electron Drift Technique for Measuring Electric and Magnetic Fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paschmann, G.; McIlwain, C. E.; Quinn, J. M.; Torbert, R. B.; Whipple, E. C.; Christensen, John (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

The electron drift technique is based on sensing the drift of a weak beam of test electrons that is caused by electric fields and/or gradients in the magnetic field. These quantities can, by use of different electron energies, in principle be determined separately. Depending on the ratio of drift speed to magnetic field strength, the drift velocity can be determined either from the two emission directions that cause the electrons to gyrate back to detectors placed some distance from the emitting guns, or from measurements of the time of flight of the electrons. As a by-product of the time-of-flight measurements, the magnetic field strength is also determined. The paper describes strengths and weaknesses of the method as well as technical constraints.

Dispersion, mode-mixing and the electron-phonon interaction in nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyson, A.; Ridley, B. K.

2018-03-01

The electron-phonon interaction with polar optical modes in nanostructures is re-examined in the light of phonon dispersion relations and the role of the Fuchs-Kliewer (FK) mode. At an interface between adjacent polar materials the frequencies of the FK mode are drawn from the dielectric constants of the adjacent materials and are significantly smaller than the corresponding frequencies of the longitudinal optic (LO) modes at the zone centre. The requirement that all polar modes satisfy mechanical and electrical boundary conditions forces the modes to become hybrids. For a hybrid to have both FK and LO components the LO mode must have the FK frequency, which can only come about through the reduction associated with phonon dispersion relations. We illustrate the effect of phonon dispersion relations on the Fröhlich interaction by considering a simple linear-chain model of the zincblende lattice. Optical and acoustic modes become mixed towards short wavelengths in both optical and acoustic branches. A study of GaAs, InP and cubic GaN and AlN shows that the polarity of the optical branch and the acousticity of the acoustic branch are reduced by dispersion in equal measures, but the effect is relatively weak. Coupling coefficients quantifying the strengths of the interaction with electrons for optical and acoustic components of mixed modes in the optical branch show that, in most cases, the polar interaction dominates the acoustic interaction, and it is reduced from the long-wavelength result towards the zone boundary by only a few percent. The effect on the lower-frequency FK mode can be large.

On corrected formula for irradiated graphene quantum conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firsova, N. E.

2017-09-01

Graphene membrane irradiated by weak activating periodic electric field in terahertz range is considered. The corrected formula for the graphene quantum conductivity is found. The obtained formula gives complex conjugate results when radiation polarization direction is clockwise or it is opposite clockwise. The found formula allows us to see that the graphene membrane is an oscillating contour. Its eigen frequency coincides with a singularity point of the conductivity and depends on the electrons concentration. So the graphene membrane could be used as an antenna or a transistor and its eigen frequency could be tuned by doping in a large terahertz-infrared frequency range. The obtained formula allows us also to calculate the graphene membrane quantum inductivity and capacitance. The found dependence on electrons concentration is consistent with experiments. The method of the proof is based on study of the time-dependent density matrix. The exact solution of von Neumann equation for density matrix is found for our case in linear approximation on the external field. On this basis the induced current is studied and then the formula for quantum conductivity as a function of external field frequency and temperature is obtained. The method of the proof suggested in this paper could be used to study other problems. The found formula for quantum conductivity can be used to correct the SPPs Dispersion Relation and for the description of radiation process. It would be useful to take the obtained results into account when constructing devices containing graphene membrane nanoantenna. Such project could make it possible to create wireless communications among nanosystems. This would be promising research area of energy harvesting applications.

Long-term Behavioral Tracking of Freely Swimming Weakly Electric Fish

PubMed Central

Jun, James J.; Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2014-01-01

Long-term behavioral tracking can capture and quantify natural animal behaviors, including those occurring infrequently. Behaviors such as exploration and social interactions can be best studied by observing unrestrained, freely behaving animals. Weakly electric fish (WEF) display readily observable exploratory and social behaviors by emitting electric organ discharge (EOD). Here, we describe three effective techniques to synchronously measure the EOD, body position, and posture of a free-swimming WEF for an extended period of time. First, we describe the construction of an experimental tank inside of an isolation chamber designed to block external sources of sensory stimuli such as light, sound, and vibration. The aquarium was partitioned to accommodate four test specimens, and automated gates remotely control the animals' access to the central arena. Second, we describe a precise and reliable real-time EOD timing measurement method from freely swimming WEF. Signal distortions caused by the animal's body movements are corrected by spatial averaging and temporal processing stages. Third, we describe an underwater near-infrared imaging setup to observe unperturbed nocturnal animal behaviors. Infrared light pulses were used to synchronize the timing between the video and the physiological signal over a long recording duration. Our automated tracking software measures the animal's body position and posture reliably in an aquatic scene. In combination, these techniques enable long term observation of spontaneous behavior of freely swimming weakly electric fish in a reliable and precise manner. We believe our method can be similarly applied to the study of other aquatic animals by relating their physiological signals with exploratory or social behaviors. PMID:24637642

System and method for islanding detection and prevention in distributed generation

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

Bhowmik, Shibashis; Mazhari, Iman; Parkhideh, Babak

Various examples are directed to systems and methods for detecting an islanding condition at an inverter configured to couple a distributed generation system to an electrical grid network. A controller may determine a command frequency and a command frequency variation. The controller may determine that the command frequency variation indicates a potential islanding condition and send to the inverter an instruction to disconnect the distributed generation system from the electrical grid network. When the distributed generation system is disconnected from the electrical grid network, the controller may determine whether the grid network is valid.

Considerations on the Design of a Molecular Frequency Standard Based on the Molecular Beam Electric Resonance Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, Vernon W.

1959-01-01

The use of a rotational state transition as observed by the molecular beam electric resonance method is discussed as a possible frequency standard particularly in the millimeter wavelength range. As a promising example the 100 kMc transition between the J = 0 and J = 1 rotational states of Li 6F19 is considered. The relative insensitivity of the transition frequency to external electric and magnetic fields and the low microwave power requirements appear favorable; the small fraction of the molecular beam that is in a single rotational state is a limiting factor.

Room temperature antiferroelectric-phase stability in BNT-BT lead-free ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerra, J. D. S.; Peláiz-Barranco, A.; Calderón-Piñar, F.; Mendez-González, Y.

2017-11-01

In this work the electric field dependence of electrical polarization (hysteresis loop) has been investigated as a function of the frequency in the (Bi0.500Na0.500)0.920Ba0.065La0.010TiO3 ceramic system. Results, not previously reported in the current literature, revealed that the magnitude of the electric field, necessary to obtain true domain switching, is strongly dependent of the frequency of the applied electric field. The structural properties, studied from x-ray diffraction and Rietveld's refinement, showed the coexistence of both antiferroelectric (AFE) and ferroelectric (FE) phases at room temperature, confirming the major contribution for the AFE phase. A strong contribution of the AFE phase on the electric field dependence of the polarization has been also evaluated, even at higher frequencies, considering a non-power-law dependence for the coercive field.

Red blood cells aggregability measurement of coagulating blood in extracorporeal circulation system with multiple-frequency electrical impedance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Li, Jianping; Sapkota, Achyut; Kikuchi, Daisuke; Sakota, Daisuke; Maruyama, Osamu; Takei, Masahiro

2018-07-30

Red blood cells (RBCs) aggregability A G of coagulating blood in extracorporeal circulation system has been investigated under the condition of pulsatile flow. Relaxation frequency f c from the multiple-frequency electrical impedance spectroscopy is utilized to obtain RBCs aggregability A G . Compared with other methods, the proposed multiple-frequency electrical impedance method is much easier to obtain non-invasive measurement with high speed and good penetrability performance in biology tissues. Experimental results show that, RBCs aggregability A G in coagulating blood falls down with the thrombus formation while that in non-coagulation blood almost keeps the same value, which has a great agreement with the activated clotting time (ACT) fibrinogen concertation (F bg ) tests. Modified Hanai formula is proposed to quantitatively analyze the influence of RBCs aggregation on multiple-frequency electrical impedance measurement. The reduction of RBCs aggregability A G is associated with blood coagulation reaction, which indicates the feasibility of the high speed, compact and cheap on-line thrombus measurement biosensors in extracorporeal circulation systems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A copper-coated fiber Bragg grating current sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Danping; Zhao, Limin; Lin, Yingwen

2005-01-01

Conventional current transformer (CT) is based on the principles of electric magnetic induction with copper wire windings and iron cores, it is widely used in power systems. But it emerges more weakness as the applied voltage and power capacity more and more increase. Over the past 20 years optical current sensors have received significant attention by a number of groups around the world as next generation high voltage measurement devices, with a view to replacing iron-corn current transformers in the electric power industry. In the opposite side of conventional current transformer, optical fiber current sensor provides a solution of the existed problems. It brings the significant advantages that they are non-conductive and lightweight, which can allow for much simpler insulation and mounting designs as the application voltage increase to1000kV or more to day. In addition, optical sensors do not exhibit hysteresis and provide a much large dynamic range and frequency response than iron-core CT. Optical fiber Bragg grating current sensor is the most potential important one among the optical current sensors, but its current transferred sensibility and the capability of anti-variance of temperature and stress still in a lower level. In this paper, a copper coated Bragg grating current sensor are described. The sensibility is improved significantly.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Characteristics of alternating current hopping conductivity in DNA sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Song-Shan; Xu, Hui; Wang, Huan-You; Guo, Rui

2009-08-01

This paper presents a model to describe alternating current (AC) conductivity of DNA sequences, in which DNA is considered as a one-dimensional (1D) disordered system, and electrons transport via hopping between localized states. It finds that AC conductivity in DNA sequences increases as the frequency of the external electric field rises, and it takes the form of øac(ω) ~ ω2 ln2(1/ω). Also AC conductivity of DNA sequences increases with the increase of temperature, this phenomenon presents characteristics of weak temperature-dependence. Meanwhile, the AC conductivity in an off-diagonally correlated case is much larger than that in the uncorrelated case of the Anderson limit in low temperatures, which indicates that the off-diagonal correlations in DNA sequences have a great effect on the AC conductivity, while at high temperature the off-diagonal correlations no longer play a vital role in electric transport. In addition, the proportion of nucleotide pairs p also plays an important role in AC electron transport of DNA sequences. For p < 0.5, the conductivity of DNA sequence decreases with the increase of p, while for p >= 0.5, the conductivity increases with the increase of p.

Nature of Dielectric Properties, Electric Modulus and AC Electrical Conductivity of Nanocrystalline ZnIn2Se4 Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Nahass, M. M.; Attia, A. A.; Ali, H. A. M.; Salem, G. F.; Ismail, M. I.

2018-02-01

The structural characteristics of thermally deposited ZnIn2Se4 thin films were indexed utilizing x-ray diffraction as well as scanning electron microscopy techniques. Dielectric properties, electric modulus and AC electrical conductivity of ZnIn2Se4 thin films were examined in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 106 Hz. The capacitance, conductance and impedance were measured at different temperatures. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss decrease with an increase in frequency. The maximum barrier height was determined from the analysis of the dielectric loss depending on the Giuntini model. The real part of the electric modulus revealed a constant maximum value at higher frequencies and the imaginary part of the electric modulus was characterized by the appearance of dielectric relaxation peaks. The AC electrical conductivity obeyed the Jonscher universal power law. Correlated barrier hopping model was the appropriate mechanism for AC conduction in ZnIn2Se4 thin films. Estimation of the density of states at the Fermi level and activation energy, for AC conduction, was carried out based on the temperature dependence of AC electrical conductivity.

On optimization of energy harvesting from base-excited vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, Wei-Che; Zuo, Lei

2017-12-01

This paper re-examines and clarifies the long-believed optimization conditions of electromagnetic and piezoelectric energy harvesting from base-excited vibration. In terms of electromagnetic energy harvesting, it is typically believed that the maximum power is achieved when the excitation frequency and electrical damping equal the natural frequency and mechanical damping of the mechanical system respectively. We will show that this optimization condition is only valid when the acceleration amplitude of base excitation is constant and an approximation for small mechanical damping when the excitation displacement amplitude is constant. To this end, a two-variable optimization analysis, involving the normalized excitation frequency and electrical damping ratio, is performed to derive the exact optimization condition of each case. When the excitation displacement amplitude is constant, we analytically show that, in contrast to the long-believed optimization condition, the optimal excitation frequency and electrical damping are always larger than the natural frequency and mechanical damping ratio respectively. In particular, when the mechanical damping ratio exceeds a critical value, the optimization condition is no longer valid. Instead, the average power generally increases as the excitation frequency and electrical damping ratio increase. Furthermore, the optimization analysis is extended to consider parasitic electrical losses, which also shows different results when compared with existing literature. When the excitation acceleration amplitude is constant, on the other hand, the exact optimization condition is identical to the long-believed one. In terms of piezoelectric energy harvesting, it is commonly believed that the optimal power efficiency is achieved when the excitation and the short or open circuit frequency of the harvester are equal. Via a similar two-variable optimization analysis, we analytically show that the optimal excitation frequency depends on the mechanical damping ratio and does not equal the short or open circuit frequency. Finally, the optimal excitation frequencies and resistive loads are derived in closed-form.

Iontophoresis

MedlinePlus

... Iontophoresis URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007293.htm Iontophoresis To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Iontophoresis involves passing a weak electrical current through ...

Modelling and assessment of the electric field strength caused by mobile phone to the human head.

PubMed

Buckus, Raimondas; Strukcinskiene, Birute; Raistenskis, Juozas; Stukas, Rimantas

2016-06-01

Electromagnetic field exposure is the one of the most important physical agents that actively affects live organisms and environment. Active use of mobile phones influences the increase of electromagnetic field radiation. The aim of the study was to measure and assess the electric field strength caused by mobile phones to the human head. In this paper the software "COMSOL Multiphysics" was used to establish the electric field strength created by mobile phones around the head. The second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile (GSM) phones that operate in the frequency band of 900 MHz and reach the power of 2 W have a stronger electric field than (2G) GSM mobile phones that operate in the higher frequency band of 1,800 MHz and reach the power up to 1 W during conversation. The third generation of (3G) UMTS smart phones that effectively use high (2,100 MHz) radio frequency band emit the smallest electric field strength values during conversation. The highest electric field strength created by mobile phones is around the ear, i.e. the mobile phone location. The strength of mobile phone electric field on the phantom head decreases exponentially while moving sidewards from the center of the effect zone (the ear), and constitutes 1-12% of the artificial head's surface. The highest electric field strength values of mobile phones are associated with their higher power, bigger specific energy absorption rate (SAR) and lower frequency of mobile phone. The stronger electric field emitted by the more powerful mobile phones takes a higher percentage of the head surface. The highest electric field strength created by mobile phones is distributed over the user's ear.

Electroosmotic Flow Driven by DC and AC Electric Fields in Curved Microchannels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jia-Kun; Luo, Win-Jet; Yang, Ruey-Jen

2006-10-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate electroosmotic flows driven by externally applied DC and AC electric fields in curved microchannels. For the DC electric driving field, the velocity distribution and secondary flow patterns are investigated in microchannels with various curvature ratios. We use the Dean number to describe the curvature effect of the flow field in DC electric field. The result implies that the effect of curvatures and the strength of the secondary flows become get stronger when the curvature ratio of C/A (where C is the radius of curvature of the microchannel and A is the half-height of rectangular curved tube.) is smaller. For the AC electric field, the velocity distribution and secondary flow patterns are investigated for driving frequencies in the range of 2.0 kHz (\\mathit{Wo}=0.71) to 11 kHz (\\mathit{Wo}=1.66). The numerical results reveal that the velocity at the center of the microchannel becomes lower at higher frequencies of the AC electric field and the strength of the secondary flow decreases. When the applied frequency exceeds 3.0 kHz (\\mathit{Wo}=0.87), vortices are no longer observed at the corners of the microchannel. Therefore, it can be concluded that the secondary flow induced at higher AC electric field frequencies has virtually no effect on the axial flow field in the microchannel.

Kinetic Analysis of Weakly ionized Plasmas in presence of collecting walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, J.; Donoso, J. M.

2018-02-01

Description of plasmas in contact with a wall able to collecting or emitting charged particles is a research topic of great importance. This situation arises in a great variety of phenomena such as the characterization of plasmas by means of electric probes, in the surface treatment of materials and in the service-life of coatings in electric thrusters. In particular, in this work we devote attention to the dynamics of an argon weakly ionized plasma in the presence of a collecting wall. It is proposed a kinetic model in a 1D1V planar phase-space geometry. The model accounts for the electric field coupled to the system by solving the associated Poisson’s equation. To solve numerically the resulting non-linear system of equations, the Propagator Integral Method is used in conjunction with a slabbing method. On each interrelating plasma slab the integral advancing scheme operates in velocity space, in such a way that the all the species dynamics dominating the system evolution are kinetically described.

Phase-coherent elastic scattering of electromagnetic waves from a random array of resonant dielectric ridges on a dielectric substrate: Weak roughness limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danila, B.; McGurn, A. R.

2005-03-01

A theoretical discussion is given of the diffuse scattering of p -polarized electromagnetic waves from a vacuum-dielectric interface characterized by a one-dimensional disorder in the form of parallel, Gaussian shaped, dielectric ridges positioned at random on a planar semi-infinite dielectric substrate. The parameters of the surface roughness are chosen so that the surface is characterized as weakly rough with a low ridge concentration. The emphasis is on phase coherent features in the speckle pattern of light scattered from the surface. These features are determined from the intensity-intensity correlation function of the speckle pattern and are studied as functions of the frequency of light for frequencies near the dielectric frequency resonances of the ridge material. In the first part of the study, the ridges on the substrate are taken to be identical, made from either GaAs, NaF, or ZnS. The substrate for all cases is CdS. In a second set of studies, the heights and widths of the ridges are statistically distributed. The effects of these different types of randomness on the scattering from the random array of dielectric ridges is determined near the dielectric resonance frequency of the ridge material. The work presented is an extension of studies [A. B. McGurn and R. M. Fitzgerald, Phys. Rev. B 65, 155414 (2002)] that originally treated only the differential reflection coefficient of the diffuse scattering of light (not speckle correlation functions) from a system of identical ridges. The object of the present work is to demonstrate the effects of the dielectric frequency resonances of the ridge materials on the phase coherent features found in the speckle patterns of the diffusely scattered light. The dielectric frequency resonances are shown to enhance the observation of the weak localization of electromagnetic surface waves at the random interface. The frequencies treated in this work are in the infrared. Previous weak localization studies have concentrated mainly on the visible and ultraviolet.

Simulating the electrohydrodynamics of a viscous droplet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theillard, Maxime; Saintillan, David

2016-11-01

We present a novel numerical approach for the simulation of viscous drop placed in an electric field in two and three spatial dimensions. Our method is constructed as a stable projection method on Quad/Octree grids. Using a modified pressure correction we were able to alleviate the standard time step restriction incurred by capillary forces. In weak electric fields, our results match remarkably well with the predictions from the Taylor-Melcher leaky dielectric model. In strong electric fields the so-called Quincke rotation is correctly reproduced.

Hot Carriers in Semiconductors 6, Scottsdale, Arizona

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-01

34Autosolitons in electron-hole plasma weakly heated by an electric field," M. N. IVinosiavskii, B. S. Kerner, V V. Osipov, and C. G. Sarbei, Kiev I TuP...neasur d at 0.3 K was In a many-valley semiconductor subject to an electric found to decrease with increasing input power , which field strength above a...work was supported by the Air Force Office of with the heating of an electron gas, e.g., by electric Scientific Research, the U. S. Army Research Office

Robust analysis of an underwater navigational strategy in electrically heterogeneous corridors.

PubMed

Dimble, Kedar D; Ranganathan, Badri N; Keshavan, Jishnu; Humbert, J Sean

2016-08-01

Obstacles and other global stimuli provide relevant navigational cues to a weakly electric fish. In this work, robust analysis of a control strategy based on electrolocation for performing obstacle avoidance in electrically heterogeneous corridors is presented and validated. Static output feedback control is shown to achieve the desired goal of reflexive obstacle avoidance in such environments in simulation and experimentation. The proposed approach is computationally inexpensive and readily implementable on a small scale underwater vehicle, making underwater autonomous navigation feasible in real-time.

Prediction of the Seizure Suppression Effect by Electrical Stimulation via a Computational Modeling Approach.

PubMed

Ahn, Sora; Jo, Sumin; Jun, Sang Beom; Lee, Hyang Woon; Lee, Seungjun

2017-01-01

In this paper, we identified factors that can affect seizure suppression via electrical stimulation by an integrative study based on experimental and computational approach. Preferentially, we analyzed the characteristics of seizure-like events (SLEs) using our previous in vitro experimental data. The results were analyzed in two groups classified according to the size of the effective region, in which the SLE was able to be completely suppressed by local stimulation. However, no significant differences were found between these two groups in terms of signal features or propagation characteristics (i.e., propagation delays, frequency spectrum, and phase synchrony). Thus, we further investigated important factors using a computational model that was capable of evaluating specific influences on effective region size. In the proposed model, signal transmission between neurons was based on two different mechanisms: synaptic transmission and the electrical field effect. We were able to induce SLEs having similar characteristics with differentially weighted adjustments for the two transmission methods in various noise environments. Although the SLEs had similar characteristics, their suppression effects differed. First of all, the suppression effect occurred only locally where directly received the stimulation effect in the high noise environment, but it occurred in the entire network in the low noise environment. Interestingly, in the same noise environment, the suppression effect was different depending on SLE propagation mechanism; only a local suppression effect was observed when the influence of the electrical field transmission was very weak, whereas a global effect was observed with a stronger electrical field effect. These results indicate that neuronal activities synchronized by a strong electrical field effect respond more sensitively to partial changes in the entire network. In addition, the proposed model was able to predict that stimulation of a seizure focus region is more effective for suppression. In conclusion, we confirmed the possibility of a computational model as a simulation tool to analyze the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and investigated the key factors that determine the size of an effective region in seizure suppression via electrical stimulation.

Signal variation and its morphological correlates in Paramormyrops kingsleyae provide insight into the evolution of electrogenic signal diversity in mormyrid electric fish.

PubMed

Gallant, Jason R; Arnegard, Matthew E; Sullivan, John P; Carlson, Bruce A; Hopkins, Carl D

2011-08-01

We describe patterns of geographic variation in electric signal waveforms among populations of the mormyrid electric fish species Paramormyrops kingsleyae. This analysis includes study of electric organs and electric organ discharge (EOD) signals from 553 specimens collected from 12 localities in Gabon, West-Central Africa from 1998 to 2009. We measured time, slope, and voltage values from nine defined EOD "landmarks" and determined peak spectral frequencies from each waveform; these data were subjected to principal components analysis. The majority of variation in EODs is explained by two factors: the first related to EOD duration, the second related to the magnitude of the weak head-negative pre-potential, P0. Both factors varied clinally across Gabon. EODs are shorter in eastern Gabon and longer in western Gabon. Peak P0 is slightly larger in northern Gabon and smaller in southern Gabon. P0 in the EOD is due to the presence of penetrating-stalked (Pa) electrocytes in the electric organ while absence is due to the presence of non-penetrating stalked electrocytes (NPp). Across Gabon, the majority of P. kingsleyae populations surveyed have only individuals with P0-present EODs and Pa electrocytes. We discovered two geographically distinct populations, isolated from others by barriers to migration, where all individuals have P0-absent EODs with NPp electrocytes. At two sites along a boundary between P0-absent and P0-present populations, P0-absent and P0-present individuals were found in sympatry; specimens collected there had electric organs of intermediate morphology. This pattern of geographic variation in EODs is considered in the context of current phylogenetic work. Multiple independent paedomorphic losses of penetrating stalked electrocytes have occurred within five Paramormyrops species and seven genera of mormyrids. We suggest that this key anatomical feature in EOD signal evolution may be under a simple mechanism of genetic control, and may be easily influenced by selection or drift throughout the evolutionary history of mormyrids.

Frequency shifts of an electric-dipole resonance near a conducting surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holland, W. R.; Hall, D. G.

1984-01-01

The resonance frequency of an electric dipole placed near a conducting surface is shifted by the dipole-surface interaction. The observation and measurement of these shifts at optical frequencies is reported for an experimental system that consists of a metal-island film spaced a distance d from a continuous Ag film. The dependence of the shift in the frequency of the island resonance on d shows good agreement with that predicted by a classical theory of the dipole-surface interaction.

Electrical stimulation of the midbrain excites the auditory cortex asymmetrically.

PubMed

Quass, Gunnar Lennart; Kurt, Simone; Hildebrandt, Jannis; Kral, Andrej

2018-05-17

Auditory midbrain implant users cannot achieve open speech perception and have limited frequency resolution. It remains unclear whether the spread of excitation contributes to this issue and how much it can be compensated by current-focusing, which is an effective approach in cochlear implants. The present study examined the spread of excitation in the cortex elicited by electric midbrain stimulation. We further tested whether current-focusing via bipolar and tripolar stimulation is effective with electric midbrain stimulation and whether these modes hold any advantage over monopolar stimulation also in conditions when the stimulation electrodes are in direct contact with the target tissue. Using penetrating multielectrode arrays, we recorded cortical population responses to single pulse electric midbrain stimulation in 10 ketamine/xylazine anesthetized mice. We compared monopolar, bipolar, and tripolar stimulation configurations with regard to the spread of excitation and the characteristic frequency difference between the stimulation/recording electrodes. The cortical responses were distributed asymmetrically around the characteristic frequency of the stimulated midbrain region with a strong activation in regions tuned up to one octave higher. We found no significant differences between monopolar, bipolar, and tripolar stimulation in threshold, evoked firing rate, or dynamic range. The cortical responses to electric midbrain stimulation are biased towards higher tonotopic frequencies. Current-focusing is not effective in direct contact electrical stimulation. Electrode maps should account for the asymmetrical spread of excitation when fitting auditory midbrain implants by shifting the frequency-bands downward and stimulating as dorsally as possible. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Apparatus for Use in Determining Surface Conductivity at Microwave Frequencies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hearn, Chase P. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

An apparatus is provided for use in determining surface conductivity of a flat or shaped conductive material at microwave frequencies. A plate has an electrically conductive surface with first and second holes passing through the plate. An electrically conductive material under test (MUT) is maintained in a spaced apart relationship with the electrically conductive surface of the plate by one or more nonconductive spacers. A first coupling loop is electrically shielded within the first hole while a second coupling loop is electrically shielded within the second hole. A dielectric resonator element is positioned between the first and second coupling loops, while also being positioned closer to the MUT than the electrically conductive surface of the plate. Microwave energy at an operating frequency f is supplied from a signal source to the first coupling loop while microwave energy received at the second coupling loop is measured. The apparatus is capable of measuring the Q-factor of the dielectric resonator situated in the 'cavity' existing between the electrically conductive surface of the plate and the MUT. Surface conductivity of the electrically conductive surface can be determined via interpolation using: 1 ) the measured Q-factor with the electrically conductive surface in place, and 2) the measured Q-factor when the MUT is replaced with reference standards having known surface conductivities.

Frequency and Temperature Dependence of Fabrication Parameters in Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Devices.

PubMed

Torres, Juan C; Vergaz, Ricardo; Barrios, David; Sánchez-Pena, José Manuel; Viñuales, Ana; Grande, Hans Jürgen; Cabañero, Germán

2014-05-02

A series of polymer dispersed liquid crystal devices using glass substrates have been fabricated and investigated focusing on their electrical properties. The devices have been studied in terms of impedance as a function of frequency. An electric equivalent circuit has been proposed, including the influence of the temperature on the elements into it. In addition, a relevant effect of temperature on electrical measurements has been observed.

Impact of the interaction of material production and mechanical processing on the magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leuning, Nora; Steentjes, Simon; Stöcker, Anett; Kawalla, Rudolf; Wei, Xuefei; Dierdorf, Jens; Hirt, Gerhard; Roggenbuck, Stefan; Korte-Kerzel, Sandra; Weiss, Hannes A.; Volk, Wolfram; Hameyer, Kay

2018-04-01

Thin laminations of non-grain oriented (NO) electrical steels form the magnetic core of rotating electrical machines. The magnetic properties of these laminations are therefore key elements for the efficiency of electric drives and need to be fully utilized. Ideally, high magnetization and low losses are realized over the entire polarization and frequency spectrum at reasonable production and processing costs. However, such an ideal material does not exist and thus, achievable magnetic properties need to be deduced from the respective application requirements. Parameters of the electrical steel such as lamination thickness, microstructure and texture affect the magnetic properties as well as their polarization and frequency dependence. These structural features represent possibilities to actively alter the magnetic properties, e.g., magnetization curve, magnetic loss or frequency dependence. This paper studies the influence of production and processing on the resulting magnetic properties of a 2.4 wt% Si electrical steel. Aim is to close the gap between production influence on the material properties and its resulting effect on the magnetization curves and losses at different frequencies with a strong focus on occurring interdependencies between production and mechanical processing. The material production is realized on an experimental processing route that comprises the steps of hot rolling, cold rolling, annealing and punching.

Sonic spectrometer and treatment system

DOEpatents

Slomka, B.J.

1997-06-03

A novel system and method is developed for treating an object with sonic waveforms. A traveling broad-band sonic waveform containing a broad-band of sonic frequencies is radiated at the object. A traveling reflected sonic waveform containing sonic frequencies reflected by the object is received in response to the traveling broad-band sonic waveform. A traveling transmitted sonic waveform containing sonic frequencies transmitted through the object is also received in response to the traveling broad-band sonic waveform. In a resonance mode, the frequency spectra of the broad-band and reflected sonic waveforms is analyzed so as to select one or more sonic frequencies that cause the object to resonate. An electrical resonance treatment sonic waveform containing the sonic frequencies that cause the object to resonate is then radiated at the object so as to treat the object. In an absorption mode, the frequency spectra of the electrical broad-band, reflected, and transmitted sonic waveforms is compared so as to select one or more sonic frequencies that are absorbed by the object. An electrical absorption treatment sonic waveform containing the sonic frequencies that are absorbed by the object is then radiated at the object so as to treat the object. 1 fig.

Sonic spectrometer and treatment system

DOEpatents

Slomka, Bogdan J.

1997-06-03

A novel system and method for treating an object with sonic waveforms. A traveling broad-band sonic waveform containing a broad-band of sonic frequencies is radiated at the object. A traveling reflected sonic waveform containing sonic frequencies reflected by the object is received in response to the traveling broad-band sonic waveform. A traveling transmitted sonic waveform containing sonic frequencies transmitted through the object is also received in response to the traveling broad-band sonic waveform. In a resonance mode, the frequency spectra of the broad-band and reflected sonic waveforms is analyzed so as to select one or more sonic frequencies that cause the object to resonate. An electrical resonance treatment sonic waveform containing the sonic frequencies that cause the object to resonate is then radiated at the object so as to treat the object. In an absorption mode, the frequency spectra of the electrical broad-band, reflected, and transmitted sonic waveforms is compared so as to select one or more sonic frequencies that are absorbed by the object. An electrical absorption treatment sonic waveform containing the sonic frequencies that are absorbed by the object is then radiated at the object so as to treat the object.

Electroreception in the ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei).

PubMed

Fields, R D; Lange, G D

1980-02-01

Behavioral and neurophysiological experiments and anatomical work indicate that the ampullar structures on the head of fish of the subclass Holocephali are sense organs responsive to weak electric fields and are functionally and structurally homologous to the ampullae of Lorenzini in elasmobranchs. It is concluded that, as in elasmobranchs, these organs are used to detect bioelectric and other natural electric phenomena in the environment.

A novel model of interaction between high frequency electromagnetic non-ionizing fields and microtubules viewed as coupled two-degrees of freedom harmonic oscillators.

PubMed

Caligiuri, Luigi Maxmilian

2015-01-01

The question regarding the potential biological and adverse health effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on living organisms is of primary importance in biophysics and medicine. Despite the several experimental evidences showing such occurrence in a wide frequency range from extremely low frequency to microwaves, a definitive theoretical model able to explain a possible mechanism of interaction between electromagnetic fields and living matter, especially in the case of weak and very weak intensities, is still missing. In this paper it has been suggested a possible mechanism of interaction involving the resonant absorption of electromagnetic radiation by microtubules. To this aim these have been modeled as non-dissipative forced harmonic oscillators characterized by two coupled "macroscopic" degrees of freedom, respectively describing longitudinal and transversal vibrations induced by the electromagnetic field. We have shown that the proposed model, although at a preliminary stage, is able to explain the ability of even weak electromagnetic radiating electromagnetic fields to transfer high quantities of energy to living systems by means of a resonant mechanism, so capable to easily damage microtubules structure.

Wireless Temperature Sensor Having No Electrical Connections and Sensing Method for Use Therewith

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodard, Marie (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A wireless temperature sensor includes an electrical conductor and a dielectric material on the conductor. The conductor is electrically unconnected and is shaped for storage of an electric field and a magnetic field. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the conductor resonates to generate harmonic electric and magnetic field responses, each of which has a frequency associated therewith. The material is selected such that it experiences changes in either dielectric or magnetic permeability attributes in the presence of a temperature change. Shifts from the sensor's baseline frequency response indicate that the material has experienced a temperature change.

CRIT II electric, magnetic, and density measurements within an ionizing neutral stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swenson, C. M.; Kelley, M. C.; Primdahl, F.; Baker, K. D.

1990-01-01

Measurements from rocket-borne sensors inside a high-velocity neutral barium beam show a-factor-of-six increase in plasma density in a moving ionizing front. This region was colocated with intense fluctuating electric fields at frequencies well under the lower hybrid frequency for a barium plasma. Large quasi-dc electric and magnetic field fluctuations were also detected with a large component of the current and the electric field parallel to B(0). An Alfven wave with a finite electric field component parallel to the geomagnetic field was observed to propagate along B(0), where it was detected by an instrumented subpayload.

Electrically reversible cracks in an intermetallic film controlled by an electric field

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

Liu, Z. Q.; Liu, J. H.; Biegalski, M. D.

Cracks in solid-state materials are typically irreversible. We report electrically reversible opening and closing of nanoscale cracks in an intermetallic thin film grown on a ferroelectric substrate driven by a small electric field (~0.83 kV/cm). Accordingly, a nonvolatile colossal electroresistance on-off ratio of more than 10 8 is measured across the cracks in the intermetallic film at room temperature. Cracks are easily formed with low-frequency voltage cycling and remain stable when the device is operated at high frequency, which offers intriguing potential for next-generation high-frequency memory applications. Moreover, endurance testing demonstrates that the opening and closing of such cracks canmore » reach over 10 7 cycles under 10-μs pulses, without catastrophic failure of the film.« less

Electromagnetic Emission from Electric Propulsions under Ground Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, S. V.; Vazhenin, N. A.; Plokhikh, A. P.; Popov, G. A.

2017-12-01

Analysis and methodological generalization of available methods used for determining characteristics of intrinsic emission from electric propulsions (EP) in a radio-frequency range that can be the interference for the "Earth-spacecraft (SC)" channel of the space communication system are the subjects of this paper. Intrinsic emission from the electric propulsion in a radio-frequency range is examined in detail by the example of a measuring complex developed in RIAME MAI and the measurement results are presented. The electric field intensity distribution in a radio-frequency range for the vertical and horizontal polarizations of the received emission is considered as the main characteristics. Measurements performed for the EP intrinsic emission by using the developed complex and measurements performed in metal vacuum chambers are compared and comparative results are presented in the paper.

Electrically reversible cracks in an intermetallic film controlled by an electric field

DOE PAGES

Liu, Z. Q.; Liu, J. H.; Biegalski, M. D.; ...

2018-01-03

Cracks in solid-state materials are typically irreversible. We report electrically reversible opening and closing of nanoscale cracks in an intermetallic thin film grown on a ferroelectric substrate driven by a small electric field (~0.83 kV/cm). Accordingly, a nonvolatile colossal electroresistance on-off ratio of more than 10 8 is measured across the cracks in the intermetallic film at room temperature. Cracks are easily formed with low-frequency voltage cycling and remain stable when the device is operated at high frequency, which offers intriguing potential for next-generation high-frequency memory applications. Moreover, endurance testing demonstrates that the opening and closing of such cracks canmore » reach over 10 7 cycles under 10-μs pulses, without catastrophic failure of the film.« less

Depoling and fatigue behavior of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 single crystal at megahertz frequencies under bipolar electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhaojiang; Li, Shiyang; Zhang, Yang; Cao, Wenwu

2017-05-01

Bipolar electric field induced degradation in [001]c poled Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.29PbTiO3 (PMN-0.29PT) single crystals was investigated at megahertz frequencies. The electromechanical coupling factor kt, dielectric constant ɛr, dielectric loss D, and piezoelectric constant d33 were measured as a function of amplitude, frequency, and number of cycles of the applied electric field. Our results showed that samples degrade rapidly when the field amplitude is larger than a critical value due to the onset of domain switching. We define this critical value as the effective coercive field Ec at high frequencies, which increases drastically with frequency. We also demonstrate an effective counter-depoling method by using a dc bias, which could help the design of high field driven devices based on PMN-PT single crystals and operated at megahertz frequencies.

Weak signal amplification and detection by higher-order sensory neurons

PubMed Central

Longtin, Andre; Maler, Leonard

2016-01-01

Sensory systems must extract behaviorally relevant information and therefore often exhibit a very high sensitivity. How the nervous system reaches such high sensitivity levels is an outstanding question in neuroscience. Weakly electric fish (Apteronotus leptorhynchus/albifrons) are an excellent model system to address this question because detailed background knowledge is available regarding their behavioral performance and its underlying neuronal substrate. Apteronotus use their electrosense to detect prey objects. Therefore, they must be able to detect electrical signals as low as 1 μV while using a sensory integration time of <200 ms. How these very weak signals are extracted and amplified by the nervous system is not yet understood. We studied the responses of cells in the early sensory processing areas, namely, the electroreceptor afferents (EAs) and pyramidal cells (PCs) of the electrosensory lobe (ELL), the first-order electrosensory processing area. In agreement with previous work we found that EAs cannot encode very weak signals with a spike count code. However, PCs can encode prey mimic signals by their firing rate, revealing a huge signal amplification between EAs and PCs and also suggesting differences in their stimulus encoding properties. Using a simple leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) model we predict that the target neurons of PCs in the midbrain torus semicircularis (TS) are able to detect very weak signals. In particular, TS neurons could do so by assuming biologically plausible convergence rates as well as very simple decoding strategies such as temporal integration, threshold crossing, and combining the inputs of PCs. PMID:26843601

REGENERATION AND REACTIVATION OF CARBON ADSORBENTS BY RADIO FREQUENCY INDUCTION HEATING

EPA Science Inventory

1. Electrical Properties of Adsorbents: We measured the electric permittivity of four commercially available carbon adsorbents (supplied by Wesvaco Inc) over the radio frequency range (1 to 40 MHz). Westvaco is by far the largest volume supplier of activated carbon...

Torque shudder protection device and method

DOEpatents

King, Robert D.; De Doncker, Rik W. A. A.; Szczesny, Paul M.

1997-01-01

A torque shudder protection device for an induction machine includes a flux command generator for supplying a steady state flux command and a torque shudder detector for supplying a status including a negative status to indicate a lack of torque shudder and a positive status to indicate a presence of torque shudder. A flux adapter uses the steady state flux command and the status to supply a present flux command identical to the steady state flux command for a negative status and different from the steady state flux command for a positive status. A limiter can receive the present flux command, prevent the present flux command from exceeding a predetermined maximum flux command magnitude, and supply the present flux command to a field oriented controller. After determining a critical electrical excitation frequency at which a torque shudder occurs for the induction machine, a flux adjuster can monitor the electrical excitation frequency of the induction machine and adjust a flux command to prevent the monitored electrical excitation frequency from reaching the critical electrical excitation frequency.

Torque shudder protection device and method

DOEpatents

King, R.D.; Doncker, R.W.A.A. De.; Szczesny, P.M.

1997-03-11

A torque shudder protection device for an induction machine includes a flux command generator for supplying a steady state flux command and a torque shudder detector for supplying a status including a negative status to indicate a lack of torque shudder and a positive status to indicate a presence of torque shudder. A flux adapter uses the steady state flux command and the status to supply a present flux command identical to the steady state flux command for a negative status and different from the steady state flux command for a positive status. A limiter can receive the present flux command, prevent the present flux command from exceeding a predetermined maximum flux command magnitude, and supply the present flux command to a field oriented controller. After determining a critical electrical excitation frequency at which a torque shudder occurs for the induction machine, a flux adjuster can monitor the electrical excitation frequency of the induction machine and adjust a flux command to prevent the monitored electrical excitation frequency from reaching the critical electrical excitation frequency. 5 figs.

A study of some features of ac and dc electric power systems for a space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanania, J. I.

1983-01-01

This study analyzes certain selected topics in rival dc and high frequency ac electric power systems for a Space Station. The interaction between the Space Station and the plasma environment is analyzed, leading to a limit on the voltage for the solar array and a potential problem with resonance coupling at high frequencies. Certain problems are pointed out in the concept of a rotary transformer, and further development work is indicated in connection with dc circuit switching, special design of a transmission conductor for the ac system, and electric motors. The question of electric shock hazards, particularly at high frequency, is also explored. and a problem with reduced skin resistance and therefore increased hazard with high frequency ac is pointed out. The study concludes with a comparison of the main advantages and disadvantages of the two rival systems, and it is suggested that the choice between the two should be made after further studies and development work are completed.

Alternating frequencies of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation: does it produce greater analgesic effects on mechanical and thermal pain thresholds?

PubMed

Tong, K C; Lo, Sing Kai; Cheing, Gladys L

2007-10-01

To determine whether alternating frequency transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) at 2 and 100Hz (2/100Hz) has a more potent hypoalgesic effect than a fixed frequency at 2 or 100Hz in healthy participants. A single-blind randomized controlled trial with a convenience sample. University physiotherapy department. Sixty-four healthy volunteers (32 men [mean age, 28.1+/-5.9y], 32 women [mean age, 27.7+/-5.6y]) were recruited and randomly divided into 4 groups. The 4 groups received TENS delivered at (1) 2Hz; (2) 100Hz; (3) 2/100Hz alternating frequency; and (4) no treatment (control group), respectively. Electric stimulation was applied over the anterior aspect of the dominant forearm for 30 minutes. Mechanical pain thresholds (MPTs) and heat pain thresholds (HPTs) were recorded before, during, and after TENS stimulation. The data were analyzed using linear mixed models, with group treated as a between-subject factor and time a within-subject factor. During and shortly after electric stimulation, HPT increased significantly in the alternating frequency stimulation group (P=.024). MPT increased significantly in both the 100Hz (P=.008) and the alternating frequency groups (P=.012), but the increase was substantially larger in the 100Hz group. Alternating frequency stimulation produced a greater elevation in the HPT, but a greater increase in the MPT was achieved using 100Hz stimulation.

Geophysical investigations of the Umm ar Rummf copper prospect, Al Qunfudhah Quadrangle, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sadek, Hamdy S.; Blank, H. Richard

1983-01-01

The Umm ar Rummf copper prospect, located about 30 km east of Al Qunfudhah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, consists of zones of malachite disseminations and fracture fillings in outcrops of north-trending impure quartzite of the Bahah group. Systematic Crone electromagnetic and self-potential surveys indicate that weakly conductive tabular bodies having a weak to moderate self-potential effect extend downdip from two discontinuously exposed, parallel ridges of mineralized quartzite. Crone electromagnetic data were quantitatively interpreted using characteristic parameter lines adapted for use at 1830 and 5010 Hz, the frequencies employed at Umm ar Rummf. Depths to the top of the conductors were computed to be from 20 to 40 m or about the thickness of the oxidized zone, which behaves as a variably conductive overburden. Both tabular conductors can also be traced geophysically to the north and south of the copper-bearing outcrops. The association of the geophysical anomalies with copper-mineralized rocks has been proved by drilling. Reconnaissance MAXMIN electromagnetic profiles across the target using a wide coil separation show broad, low-amplitude anomalies that may indicate mineralized rocks at depth, and reconnaissance ground-magnetic profiles show strong total-field intensity anomalies associated with basaltic dikes of probable Tertiary age. In the central part of the area of investigation, these dikes produce large disturbances of the electrical fields.

3D Polyaniline Architecture by Concurrent Inorganic and Organic Acid Doping for Superior and Robust High Rate Supercapacitor Performance

PubMed Central

Gawli, Yogesh; Banerjee, Abhik; Dhakras, Dipti; Deo, Meenal; Bulani, Dinesh; Wadgaonkar, Prakash; Shelke, Manjusha; Ogale, Satishchandra

2016-01-01

A good high rate supercapacitor performance requires a fine control of morphological (surface area and pore size distribution) and electrical properties of the electrode materials. Polyaniline (PANI) is an interesting material in supercapacitor context because it stores energy Faradaically. However in conventional inorganic (e.g. HCl) acid doping, the conductivity is high but the morphological features are undesirable. On the other hand, in weak organic acid (e.g. phytic acid) doping, interesting and desirable 3D connected morphological features are attained but the conductivity is poorer. Here the synergy of the positive quality factors of these two acid doping approaches is realized by concurrent and optimized strong-inorganic (HCl) and weak-organic (phytic) acid doping, resulting in a molecular composite material that renders impressive and robust supercapacitor performance. Thus, a nearly constant high specific capacitance of 350 F g−1 is realized for the optimised case of binary doping over the entire range of 1 A g−1 to 40 A g−1 with stability of 500 cycles at 40 A g−1. Frequency dependant conductivity measurements show that the optimized co-doped case is more metallic than separately doped materials. This transport property emanates from the unique 3D single molecular character of such system. PMID:26867570

Stability of horizontal viscous fluid layers in a vertical arbitrary time periodic electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandopadhyay, Aditya; Hardt, Steffen

2017-12-01

The stability of a horizontal interface between two viscous fluids, one of which is conducting and the other is dielectric, acted upon by a vertical time-periodic electric field is considered theoretically. The two fluids are bounded by electrodes separated by a finite distance. For an applied ac electric field, the unstable interface deforms in a time periodic manner, owing to the time dependent Maxwell stress, and is characterized by the oscillation frequency which may or may not be the same as the frequency of the ac electric field. The stability curve, which relates the critical voltage, manifested through the Mason number—the ratio of normal electric stress and viscous stress, and the instability wavenumber at the onset of the instability, is obtained by means of the Floquet theory for a general arbitrary time periodic electric field. The limit of vanishing viscosities is shown to be in excellent agreement with the marginal stability curves predicted by means of a Mathieu equation. The influence of finite viscosity and electrode separation is discussed in relation to the ideal case of inviscid fluids. The methodology to obtain the marginal stability curves developed here is applicable to any arbitrary but time periodic signal, as demonstrated for the case of a signal with two different frequencies, and four different frequencies with a dc offset. The mode coupling in the interfacial normal stress leads to appearance of harmonic and subharmonic modes, characterized by the frequency of the oscillating interface at an integral or half-integral multiple of the applied frequency, respectively. This is in contrast to the application of a voltage with a single frequency which always leads to a harmonic mode oscillation of the interface. Whether a harmonic or subharmonic mode is the most unstable one depends on details of the excitation signal.

Electric Dipolar Kondo Effect Emerging from a Vibrating Magnetic Ion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotta, Takashi; Ueda, Kazuo

2012-06-01

When a magnetic ion vibrates in a metal, it inevitably introduces a new channel of hybridization with conduction electrons, and in general, the vibrating ion induces an electric dipole moment. In such a situation, we find that magnetic and nonmagnetic Kondo effects alternatively occur due to the screening of the spin moment and electric dipole moment of the vibrating ion. In particular, the electric dipolar two-channel Kondo effect is found to occur for a weak Coulomb interaction. We also show that a magnetically robust heavy-electron state appears near the fixed point of the electric dipolar two-channel Kondo effect. We believe that the vibrating magnetic ion opens a new door in Kondo physics.

Electrochemical system and method for electropolishing superconductive radio frequency cavities

DOEpatents

Taylor, E. Jennings; Inman, Maria E.; Hall, Timothy

2015-04-14

An electrochemical finishing system for super conducting radio frequency (SCRF) cavities including a low viscosity electrolyte solution that is free of hydrofluoric acid, an electrode in contact with the electrolyte solution, the SCRF cavity being spaced apart from the electrode and in contact with the electrolyte solution and a power source including a first electrical lead electrically coupled to the electrode and a second electrical lead electrically coupled to the cavity, the power source being configured to pass an electric current between the electrode and the workpiece, wherein the electric current includes anodic pulses and cathodic pulses, and wherein the cathodic pulses are interposed between at least some of the anodic pulses. The SCRF cavity may be vertically oriented during the finishing process.

Passively Damped Laminated Piezoelectric Shell Structures with Integrated Electric Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saravanos, Dimitris A.

1999-01-01

Multi-field mechanics are presented for curvilinear piezoelectric laminates interfaced with distributed passive electric components. The equations of motion for laminated piezoelectric shell structures with embedded passive electric networks are directly formulated and solved using a finite element methodology. The modal damping and frequencies of the piezoelectric shell are calculated from the poles of the system. Experimental and numerical results are presented for the modal damping and frequency of composite beams with a resistively shunted piezoceramic patch. The modal damping and frequency of plates, cylindrical shells and cylindrical composite blades with piezoelectric-resistor layers are predicted. Both analytical and experimental studies illustrate a unique dependence of modal damping and frequencies on the shunting resistance and show the effect of structural shape and curvature on piezoelectric damping.

Low-frequency electrical properties.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olhoeft, G.R.

1985-01-01

In the interpretation of induced polarization data, it is commonly assumed that metallic mineral polarization dominantly or solely causes the observed response. However, at low frequencies, there is a variety of active chemical processes which involve the movement or transfer of electrical charge. Measurements of electrical properties at low frequencies (such as induced polarization) observe such movement of charge and thus monitor many geochemical processes at a distance. Examples in which this has been done include oxidation-reduction of metallic minerals such as sulfides, cation exchange on clays, and a variety of clay-organic reactions relevant to problems in toxic waste disposal and petroleum exploration. By using both the frequency dependence and nonlinear character of the complex resistivity spectrum, these reactions may be distinguished from each other and from barren or reactionless materials.-Author

High-Performance Power-Semiconductor Packages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Renz, David; Hansen, Irving; Berman, Albert

1989-01-01

A 600-V, 50-A transistor and 1,200-V, 50-A diode in rugged, compact, lightweight packages intended for use in inverter-type power supplies having switching frequencies up to 20 kHz. Packages provide low-inductance connections, low loss, electrical isolation, and long-life hermetic seal. Low inductance achieved by making all electrical connections to each package on same plane. Also reduces high-frequency losses by reducing coupling into inherent shorted turns in packaging material around conductor axes. Stranded internal power conductors aid conduction at high frequencies, where skin effect predominates. Design of packages solves historical problem of separation of electrical interface from thermal interface of high-power semiconductor device.

A sub-μs thermal time constant electrically driven Pt nanoheater: thermo-dynamic design and frequency characterization

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

Ottonello Briano, Floria, E-mail: floria@kth.se; Sohlström, Hans; Forsberg, Fredrik

2016-05-09

Metal nanowires can emit coherent polarized thermal radiation, work as uncooled bolometers, and provide localized heating. In this paper, we engineer the temperature dynamics of electrically driven Pt nanoheaters on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. We present three designs and we electrically characterize and model their thermal impedance in the frequency range from 3 Hz to 3 MHz. Finally, we show a temperature modulation of 300 K while consuming less than 5 mW of power, up to a frequency of 1.3 MHz. This result can lead to significant advancements in thermography and absorption spectroscopy.

Frequency combs with weakly lasing exciton-polariton condensates.

PubMed

Rayanov, K; Altshuler, B L; Rubo, Y G; Flach, S

2015-05-15

We predict the spontaneous modulated emission from a pair of exciton-polariton condensates due to coherent (Josephson) and dissipative coupling. We show that strong polariton-polariton interaction generates complex dynamics in the weak-lasing domain way beyond Hopf bifurcations. As a result, the exciton-polariton condensates exhibit self-induced oscillations and emit an equidistant frequency comb light spectrum. A plethora of possible emission spectra with asymmetric peak distributions appears due to spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry. The lasing dynamics is affected by the shot noise arising from the influx of polaritons. That results in a complex inhomogeneous line broadening.

Weakly-tunable transmon qubits in a multi-qubit architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertzberg, Jared; Bronn, Nicholas; Corcoles, Antonio; Brink, Markus; Keefe, George; Takita, Maika; Hutchings, M.; Plourde, B. L. T.; Gambetta, Jay; Chow, Jerry

Quantum error-correction employing a 2D lattice of qubits requires a strong coupling between adjacent qubits and consistently high gate fidelity among them. In such a system, all-microwave cross-resonance gates offer simplicity of setup and operation. However, the relative frequencies of adjacent qubits must be carefully arranged in order to optimize gate rates and eliminate unwanted couplings. We discuss the incorporation of weakly-flux-tunable transmon qubits into such an architecture. Using DC tuning through filtered flux-bias lines, we adjust qubit frequencies while minimizing the effects of flux noise on decoherence.

Frequency and Temperature Dependence of Fabrication Parameters in Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Devices

PubMed Central

Torres, Juan C.; Vergaz, Ricardo; Barrios, David; Sánchez-Pena, José Manuel; Viñuales, Ana; Grande, Hans Jürgen; Cabañero, Germán

2014-01-01

A series of polymer dispersed liquid crystal devices using glass substrates have been fabricated and investigated focusing on their electrical properties. The devices have been studied in terms of impedance as a function of frequency. An electric equivalent circuit has been proposed, including the influence of the temperature on the elements into it. In addition, a relevant effect of temperature on electrical measurements has been observed. PMID:28788632

Frequency and voltage dependent electrical responses of poly(triarylamine) thin film-based organic Schottky diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anuar Mohamad, Khairul; Tak Hoh, Hang; Alias, Afishah; Ghosh, Bablu Kumar; Fukuda, Hisashi

2017-11-01

A metal-organic-metal (MOM) type Schottky diode based on poly (triarylamine) (PTAA) thin films has been fabricated by using the spin coating method. Investigation of the frequency dependent conductance-voltage (G-V-f) and capacitance-voltage (C-V-f) characteristics of the ITO/PTAA/Al MOM type diode were carried out in the frequency range from 12 Hz to 100 kHz using an LCR meter at room temperature. The frequency and bias voltage dependent electrical response were determined by admittance-based measured method in terms of an equivalent circuit model of the parallel combination of resistance and capacitance (RC circuit). Investigation revealed that the conductance is frequency and a bias voltage dependent in which conductance continuous increase as the increasing frequency, respectively. Meanwhile, the capacitance is dependent on frequency up to a certain value of frequency (100 Hz) but decreases at high frequency (1 - 10 kHz). The interface state density in the Schottky diode was determined from G-V and C-V characteristics. The interface state density has values almost constant of 2.8 x 1012 eV-1cm-2 with slightly decrease by increasing frequencies. Consequently, both series resistance and interface trap density were found to decrease with increasing frequency. The frequency dependence of the electrical responses is attributed the distribution density of interface states that could follow the alternating current (AC) signal.

Modelling of a Double-Track Railway Contact System Electric Field Intensity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belinsky, Stanislav; Khanzhina, Olga; Sidorov, Alexander

2017-12-01

Working conditions of personnel that serves contact system (CS) are affected by factors including health and safety, security and working hours (danger of rolling stock accidents, danger of electric shock strokes, work at height, severity and tension of work, increased noise level, etc.) Low frequency electromagnetic fields as part of both electric and magnetic fields are among of the most dangerous and harmful factors. These factors can affect not only the working personnel, but also a lot of people, who do not work with the contact system itself, but could be influenced by electromagnetic field as the result of their professional activity. People, who use public transport or live not far from the electrified lines, are endangered by these factors as well. There are results of the theoretical researches in which low frequency electric fields of railway contact system were designed with the use of mathematical and computer modelling. Significant features of electric field distribution near double-track railway in presence or absence of human body were established. The studies showed the dependence of low frequency electric field parameters on the distance to the track axis, height, and presence or absence of human body. The obtained data were compared with permissible standards established in the Russian Federation and other countries with advanced electrified railway system. Evaluation of low frequency electric fields harmful effect on personnel is the main result of this work. It is also established, that location of personnel, voltage and current level, amount of tracks and other factors influence electric fields of contact systems.

AC and DC electrical behavior of MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposite near percolation threshold: Equivalent circuits and percolation limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alizadeh Sahraei, Abolfazl; Ayati, Moosa; Baniassadi, Majid; Rodrigue, Denis; Baghani, Mostafa; Abdi, Yaser

2018-03-01

This study attempts to comprehensively investigate the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the AC and DC electrical conductivity of epoxy nanocomposites. The samples (0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 wt. % MWCNT) were produced using a combination of ultrason and shear mixing methods. DC measurements were performed by continuous measurement of the current-voltage response and the results were analyzed via a numerical percolation approach, while for the AC behavior, the frequency response was studied by analyzing phase difference and impedance in the 10 Hz to 0.2 MHz frequency range. The results showed that the dielectric parameters, including relative permittivity, impedance phase, and magnitude, present completely different behaviors for the frequency range and MWCNT weight fractions studied. To better understand the nanocomposites electrical behavior, equivalent electric circuits were also built for both DC and AC modes. The DC equivalent networks were developed based on the current-voltage curves, while the AC equivalent circuits were proposed by using an optimization problem according to the impedance magnitude and phase at different frequencies. The obtained equivalent electrical circuits were found to be highly useful tools to understand the physical mechanisms involved in MWCNT filled polymer nanocomposites.

Structures of Xishan village landslide in Li County, Sichuan, China, inferred from high-frequency receiver functions of local earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Z.; Chu, R.

2017-12-01

Teleseismic receiver function methods are widely used to study the deep structural information beneath the seismic station. However, teleseismic waveforms are difficult to extract the high-frequency receiver function, which are insufficient to constrain the shallow structure because of the inelastic attenuation effect of the earth. In this study, using the local earthquake waveforms collected from 3 broadband stations deployed on the Xishan village landslide in Li County in Sichuan Province, we used the high-frequency receiver function method to study the shallow structure beneath the landslide. We developed the Vp-k (Vp/Vs) staking method of receiver functions, and combined with the H-k stacking and waveform inversion methods of receiver functions to invert the landslide's thickness, S-wave velocity and average Vp/Vs ratio beneath these stations, and compared the thickness with the borehole results. Our results show small-scale lateral variety of velocity structure, a 78-143m/s lower S-wave velocity in the bottom layer and 2.4-3.1 Vp/Vs ratio in the landslide. The observed high Vp/Vs ratio and low S-wave velocity in the bottom layer of the landslide are consistent with low electrical resistivity and water-rich in the bottom layer, suggesting a weak shear strength and potential danger zone in landslide h1. Our study suggest that the local earthquake receiver function can obtain the shallow velocity structural information and supply some seismic constrains for the landslide catastrophe mitigation.

Search for a Neutron Electric Dipole Moment

PubMed Central

Golub, R.; Huffman, P. R.

2005-01-01

The possible existence of a nonzero electric dipole moment (EDM) of the neutron is of great fundamental interest in itself and directly impacts our understanding of the nature of electro-weak and strong interactions. The experimental search for this moment has the potential to reveal new sources of T and CP violation and to challenge calculations that propose extensions to the Standard Model. The goal of the current experiment is to significantly improve the measurement sensitivity to the neutron EDM over what is reported in the literature. The experiment has the potential to either measure the magnitude of the neutron EDM or to lower the current experimental limit by two orders of magnitude. Achieving these objectives will have a major impact on our understanding of the physics of both weak and strong interactions. PMID:27308116

Weak values of a quantum observable and the cross-Wigner distribution.

PubMed

de Gosson, Maurice A; de Gosson, Serge M

2012-01-09

We study the weak values of a quantum observable from the point of view of the Wigner formalism. The main actor here is the cross-Wigner transform of two functions, which is in disguise the cross-ambiguity function familiar from radar theory and time-frequency analysis. It allows us to express weak values using a complex probability distribution. We suggest that our approach seems to confirm that the weak value of an observable is, as conjectured by several authors, due to the interference of two wavefunctions, one coming from the past, and the other from the future.

A single-cell correlative nanoelectromechanosensing approach to detect cancerous transformation: monitoring the function of F-actin microfilaments in the modulation of the ion channel activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AbdolahadThe Authors With Same Contributions., Mohammad; Saeidi, Ali; Janmaleki, Mohsen; Mashinchian, Omid; Taghinejad, Mohammad; Taghinejad, Hossein; Azimi, Soheil; Mahmoudi, Morteza; Mohajerzadeh, Shams

2015-01-01

Cancerous transformation may be dependent on correlation between electrical disruptions in the cell membrane and mechanical disruptions of cytoskeleton structures. Silicon nanotube (SiNT)-based electrical probes, as ultra-accurate signal recorders with subcellular resolution, may create many opportunities for fundamental biological research and biomedical applications. Here, we used this technology to electrically monitor cellular mechanosensing. The SiNT probe was combined with an electrically activated glass micropipette aspiration system to achieve a new cancer diagnostic technique that is based on real-time correlation between mechanical and electrical behaviour of single cells. Our studies demonstrated marked changes in the electrical response following increases in the mechanical aspiration force in healthy cells. In contrast, such responses were extremely weak for malignant cells. Confocal microscopy results showed the impact of actin microfilament remodelling on the reduction of the electrical response for aspirated cancer cells due to the significant role of actin in modulating the ion channel activity in the cell membrane.Cancerous transformation may be dependent on correlation between electrical disruptions in the cell membrane and mechanical disruptions of cytoskeleton structures. Silicon nanotube (SiNT)-based electrical probes, as ultra-accurate signal recorders with subcellular resolution, may create many opportunities for fundamental biological research and biomedical applications. Here, we used this technology to electrically monitor cellular mechanosensing. The SiNT probe was combined with an electrically activated glass micropipette aspiration system to achieve a new cancer diagnostic technique that is based on real-time correlation between mechanical and electrical behaviour of single cells. Our studies demonstrated marked changes in the electrical response following increases in the mechanical aspiration force in healthy cells. In contrast, such responses were extremely weak for malignant cells. Confocal microscopy results showed the impact of actin microfilament remodelling on the reduction of the electrical response for aspirated cancer cells due to the significant role of actin in modulating the ion channel activity in the cell membrane. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06102k

Roles of frequency, attitudes, and multiple intelligence modality surrounding Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosier, Julie Winchester

Integration of subjects is something elementary teachers must do to insure required objectives are covered. Science-based Reader's Theatre is one way to weave reading into science. This study examined the roles of frequency, attitudes, and Multiple Intelligence modalities surrounding Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre. This study used quasi-experimental, repeated measures ANOVA with time as a factor design. A convenience sample of two fifth-grade classrooms participated in the study for eighteen weeks. Five Electricity Achievement Tests were given throughout the study to assess students' growth. A Student Reader's Theatre Attitudinal Survey revealed students' attitudes before and after Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre treatment. The Multiple Intelligence Inventory for Kids (Faris, 2007) examined whether Multiple Intelligence modality played a role in achievement on Electricity Test 4, the post-treatment test. Analysis using repeated measures ANOVA and an independent t-test found that students in the experimental group, which practiced its student-created Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre skits ten times versus two times for the for control group, did significantly better on Electricity Achievement Test 4, t(76) = 3.018, p = 0.003. Dependent t-tests did not find statistically significant differences between students' attitudes about Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre before and after treatment. A Kruskal-Wallis test found no statistically significant difference between the various Multiple Intelligence modalities score mean ranks (x2 = 5.57, df = 2, alpha = .062). Qualitative data do, however, indicate students had strong positive feelings about Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre after treatment. Students indicated it to be motivating, confidence-building, and a fun way to learn about science; however, they disliked writing their own scripts. Examining the frequency, attitudes, and Multiple Intelligence modalities lead to the conclusion that the role of frequency had the greatest impact on the success of Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre. The participating teachers, students, and research found integrating science and reading through Electricity Content-Based Reader's Theatre beneficial.

Signal characteristics of electroseismic conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Rong; Di, Bangrang; Wei, Jianxin; Ding, Pinbo; Liu, Zichun; Guan, Bingyan; Huang, Shiqi

2018-04-01

Electric fields applying on the fluid-filled porous materials can induce small relative pore-fluid motions due to electroseismic conversions. In order to characterize the electroseismic propagation phenomena, we have designed an experimental apparatus to acquire the electroseismic (ES) signals. The electroseismic measurements on different samples have been conducted to confirm the origin of the recorded signals. We find that a strong acoustic signal generates around the electrode and affects the identification of ES signals. To further confirm and distinguish the ES signal as well as the acoustic signal around the electrode, we have analyzed records obtained with regular movements of the receiver, the sample and the source. Analysis has been made on the characteristics of the traveltime, polarity and frequency of ES signals. Our results show that the traveltime of ES signal relates to the distance between the rock sample and the receiver, the location of the exciting electrode has little impact on the traveltime. The applied electric field influences the polarity of ES signal, the polarity of ES signal reverses along with the changes of the electric field direction. While it has no polarity effects on the acoustic signal generated around the electrode. The frequency spectrum of ES signal is absolutely different with that of the acoustic signal generated around the electrode. The acoustic signal around the electrode has multiple dominant frequencies which are mainly in low-frequency range without being affected by the frequency of the electric field. The ES signal has only one dominant frequency which closely relates to the frequency of the electric field. The understanding of the signal characteristics on electroseismic conversion can contribute to a better application and interpretation of ES exploration.

Sub-nano tesla magnetic imaging based on room-temperature magnetic flux sensors with vibrating sample magnetometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adachi, Yoshiaki; Oyama, Daisuke

2017-05-01

We developed a two-dimensional imaging method for weak magnetic charge distribution using a commercially available magnetic impedance sensor whose magnetic field resolution is 10 pT/Hz1/2 at 10 Hz. When we applied the vibrating sample magnetometry, giving a minute mechanical vibration to the sample and detecting magnetic signals modulated by the vibration frequency, the effects of 1/f noise and the environmental low-frequency band noise were suppressed, and a weak magnetic charge distribution was obtained without magnetic shielding. Furthermore, improvement in the spatial resolution was also expected when the signals were demodulated at the second harmonic frequency of the vibration. In this paper, a preliminary magnetic charge imaging using the vibrating sample magnetometry and its results are demonstrated.

Cyclic voltammetry of apple fruits: Memristors in vivo.

PubMed

Volkov, Alexander G; Nyasani, Eunice K; Tuckett, Clayton; Blockmon, Avery L; Reedus, Jada; Volkova, Maya I

2016-12-01

A memristor is a resistor with memory that exhibits a pinched hysteretic relationship in cyclic voltammetry. Recently, we have found memristors in the electrical circuitry of plants and seeds. There are no publications in literature about the possible existence of memristors and electrical differentiators in fruits. Here we found that the electrostimulation of Golden Delicious or Arkansas Black apple fruits by bipolar periodic waves induces hysteresis loops with pinched points in cyclic voltammograms at low frequencies between 0.1MHz and 1MHz. At high frequencies of 1kHz, the pinched hysteresis loop transforms to a non-pinched hysteresis loop instead of a single line I=V/R for ideal memristors because the amplitude of electrical current depends on capacitance of a fruit's tissue and electrodes, frequency and direction of scanning. Electrostimulation of electrical circuits in apple fruits by periodic voltage waves also induces electrotonic potential propagation due to cell-to-cell electrical coupling with electrical differentiators. A differentiator is an electrical circuit in which the output of the circuit is approximately directly proportional to the rate of change of the input. The information gained from electrostimulation can be used to elucidate and to observe electrochemical and electrophysiological properties of electrical circuits in fruits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radio Frequency Power Load and Associated Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srinivasan, V. Karthik (Inventor); Freestone, Todd M. (Inventor); Sims, William Herbert, III (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A radio frequency power load and associated method. A radio frequency power load apparatus may include a container with an ionized fluid therein. The apparatus may include one conductor immersed in a fluid and another conductor electrically connected to the container. A radio frequency transmission system may include a radio frequency transmitter, a radio frequency amplifier connected to the transmitter and a radio frequency power load apparatus connected to the amplifier. The apparatus may include a fluid having an ion source therein, one conductor immersed in a fluid, and another conductor electrically connected to the container. A method of dissipating power generated by a radio frequency transmission system may include constructing a waveguide with ionized fluid in a container and connecting the waveguide to an amplifier of the transmission system.

Mach-Zehnder interferometry method for acoustic shock wave measurements in air and broadband calibration of microphones.

PubMed

Yuldashev, Petr; Karzova, Maria; Khokhlova, Vera; Ollivier, Sébastien; Blanc-Benon, Philippe

2015-06-01

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to measure spherically diverging N-waves in homogeneous air. An electrical spark source is used to generate high-amplitude (1800 Pa at 15 cm from the source) and short duration (50 μs) N-waves. Pressure waveforms are reconstructed from optical phase signals using an Abel-type inversion. It is shown that the interferometric method allows one to reach 0.4 μs of time resolution, which is 6 times better than the time resolution of a 1/8-in. condenser microphone (2.5 μs). Numerical modeling is used to validate the waveform reconstruction method. The waveform reconstruction method provides an error of less than 2% with respect to amplitude in the given experimental conditions. Optical measurement is used as a reference to calibrate a 1/8-in. condenser microphone. The frequency response function of the microphone is obtained by comparing the spectra of the waveforms resulting from optical and acoustical measurements. The optically measured pressure waveforms filtered with the microphone frequency response are in good agreement with the microphone output voltage. Therefore, an optical measurement method based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer is a reliable tool to accurately characterize evolution of weak shock waves in air and to calibrate broadband acoustical microphones.

Dielectric relaxation in complex perovskite oxide In(Ni{sub 1/2}Zr{sub 1/2})O{sub 3}

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

Agrawal, Lata, E-mail: lata_agrawal84@yahoo.com; Singh, B.P.; Sinha, T.P.

2009-09-15

The dielectric study of indium nickel zirconate, In(Ni{sub 1/2}Zr{sub 1/2})O{sub 3} (INZ) synthesized by solid state reaction technique is performed in a frequency range from 500 Hz to 1 MHz and in a temperature range from 303 to 493 K. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the compound is monoclinic. A relaxation is observed in the entire temperature range as a gradual decrease in {epsilon}'({omega}) and as a broad peak in {epsilon}''({omega}) in the frequency dependent real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant, respectively. The frequency dependent electrical data are analyzed in the framework of conductivity and electric modulus formalisms.more » The frequencies corresponding to the maxima of the imaginary electric modulus at various temperatures are found to obey an Arrhenius law with activation energy of 0.66 eV. The Cole-Cole model is used to study the dielectric relaxation of INZ. The scaling behaviour of imaginary part of electric modulus suggests that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra follow the universal power law.« less

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Laser Powered Carbon Nanotube Gears

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Deepak; Globus, Al; Han, Jie; Chancellor, Marisa K. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Dynamics of laser powered carbon nanotube gears is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations with Brenner's hydrocarbon potential. We find that when the frequency of the laser electric field is much less than the intrinsic frequency of the carbon nanotube, the tube exhibits an oscillatory pendulam behavior. However, a unidirectional rotation of the gear with oscillating frequency is observed under conditions of resonance between the laser field and intrinsic gear frequencies. The operating conditions for stable rotations of the nanotube gears, powered by laser electric fields are explored, in these simulations.

Electrically Guided Assembly of Colloidal Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ristenpart, W. D.; Aksay, I. A.; Saville, D. A.

2002-11-01

In earlier work it was shown that the strength and frequency of an applied electric field alters the dynamic arrangement of particles on an electrode. Two-dimensional 'gas,' 'liquid' and 'solid' arrangements were formed, depending on the field strength and frequency. Since the particles are similarly charged, yet migrate over large distances under the influence of steady or oscillatory fields, it is clear that both hydrodynamic and electrical processes are involved. Here we report on an extensive study of electrically induced ordering in a parallel electrode cell. First, we discuss the kinetics of aggregation in a DC field as measured using video microscopy and digital image analysis. Rate constants were determined as a function of applied electric field strength and particle zeta potential. The kinetic parameters are compared to models based on electrohydrodynamic and electroosmotic fluid flow mechanisms Second, using monodisperse micron-sized particles, we examined the average interparticle spacing over a wide range of applied frequencies and field strengths. Variation of these parameters allows formation of closely-spaced arrangements and ordered arrays of widely separated particles. We find that there is a strong dependence on frequency, but there is surprisingly little influence of the electric field strength past a small threshold. Last, we present experiments with binary suspensions of similarly sized particles with negative but unequal surface potentials. A long-range lateral attraction is observed in an AC field. Depending on the frequency, this attractive interaction results in a diverse set of aggregate morphologies, including superstructured hexagonal lattices. These results are discussed in terms of induced dipole-dipole interactions and electrohydrodynamic flow. Finally, we explore the implications for practical applications.

Weak photoacoustic signal detection based on the differential duffing oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chenjing; Xu, Xuemei; Ding, Yipeng; Yin, Linzi; Dou, Beibei

2018-04-01

In view of photoacoustic spectroscopy theory, the relationship between weak photoacoustic signal and gas concentration is described. The studies, on the principle of Duffing oscillator for identifying state transition as well as determining the threshold value, have proven the feasibility of applying the Duffing oscillator in weak signal detection. An improved differential Duffing oscillator is proposed to identify weak signals with any frequency and ameliorate the signal-to-noise ratio. The analytical methods and numerical experiments of the novel model are introduced in detail to confirm its superiority. Then the signal detection system of weak photoacoustic based on differential Duffing oscillator is constructed, it is the first time that the weak signal detection method with differential Duffing oscillator is applied triumphantly in photoacoustic spectroscopy gas monitoring technology.

Frequency dependence 3.0: an attempt at codifying the evolutionary ecology perspective.

PubMed

Metz, Johan A J; Geritz, Stefan A H

2016-03-01

The fitness concept and perforce the definition of frequency independent fitnesses from population genetics is closely tied to discrete time population models with non-overlapping generations. Evolutionary ecologists generally focus on trait evolution through repeated mutant substitutions in populations with complicated life histories. This goes with using the per capita invasion speed of mutants as their fitness. In this paper we develop a concept of frequency independence that attempts to capture the practical use of the term by ecologists, which although inspired by population genetics rarely fits its strict definition. We propose to call the invasion fitnesses of an eco-evolutionary model frequency independent when the phenotypes can be ranked by competitive strength, measured by who can invade whom. This is equivalent to the absence of weak priority effects, protected dimorphisms and rock-scissor-paper configurations. Our concept differs from that of Heino et al. (TREE 13:367-370, 1998) in that it is based only on the signs of the invasion fitnesses, whereas Heino et al. based their definitions on the structure of the feedback environment, summarising the effect of all direct and indirect interactions between individuals on fitness. As it turns out, according to our new definition an eco-evolutionary model has frequency independent fitnesses if and only if the effect of the feedback environment on the fitness signs can be summarised by a single scalar with monotonic effect. This may be compared with Heino et al.'s concept of trivial frequency dependence defined by the environmental feedback influencing fitness, and not just its sign, in a scalar manner, without any monotonicity restriction. As it turns out, absence of the latter restriction leaves room for rock-scissor-paper configurations. Since in 'realistic' (as opposed to toy) models frequency independence is exceedingly rare, we also define a concept of weak frequency dependence, which can be interpreted intuitively as almost frequency independence, and analyse in which sense and to what extent the restrictions on the potential model outcomes of the frequency independent case stay intact for models with weak frequency dependence.

Weak interactions in Graphane/BN systems under static electric fields—A periodic ab-initio study.

PubMed

Steinkasserer, Lukas Eugen Marsoner; Gaston, Nicola; Paulus, Beate

2015-04-21

Ab-initio calculations via periodic Hartree-Fock (HF) and local second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (LMP2) are used to investigate the adsorption properties of combined Graphane/boron nitride systems and their response to static electric fields. It is shown how the latter can be used to alter both structural as well as electronic properties of these systems.

Low losses left-handed materials with optimized electric and magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xin; Liu, Yahong; Zhao, Xiaopeng

2010-03-01

We propose that the losses in left-handed materials (LHMs) can be significantly affected by changing the coupling relationship between electric and magnetic resonance. A double bowknot shaped structure (DBS) is used to construct the LHMs. And the magnetic resonance of the DBS, which resonated in the case of lower and higher frequencies than the electric resonant dip, is studied in simulation and experiment by tailoring the structural parameters. The case of magnetic resonance located at low electric resonance frequencies band is confirmed to have relatively low losses. Using full wave simulation of prism shaped structure composed of DBS unit cells, we prove the negative refraction behavior in such a frame. This study can serve as a guide for designing other similar metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) in low losses at terahertz or higher frequencies.

[Mobilization of the stomach and colon using high-frequency electric welding of tissues apparatus].

PubMed

Sukhin, I A; Ostapenko, O M; Kachan, S H; Bilylovets', O M; Honchar, I V

2012-08-01

The experience of the native high-frequency electrical generator 300M EC-1 "Patonmed" for mobilization of advanced vascular network, particularly stomach and colon are presented. The variants of modes depending on the diameter of blood vessels and accompanied diseases are suggested.

Inactivation of Lactobacillus plantarum in apple cider using radio frequency electric fields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Radio frequency electric fields (RFEF) processing is effective at inactivating Gram negative bacteria in fruit juices at moderately low temperatures, but has yet to be shown to be effective at reducing Gram positive bacteria. Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 49445, a Gram positive bacterium, was inocula...

EQUALIZING THE ELECTRIC FIELD INTENSITY WITHIN CHICK BRAIN IMMERSED IN BUFFER SOLUTION AT DIFFERENT CARRIER FREQUENCIES

EPA Science Inventory

Presented here are the numerical relationships between incident power densities that produce the same average electric field intensity within a chick brain half immersed in buffered saline solution and exposed to a uniform electromagnetic field at carrier frequencies of 50, 147, ...

Dielectric-spectroscopy approach to ferrofluid nanoparticle clustering induced by an external electric field.

PubMed

Rajnak, Michal; Kurimsky, Juraj; Dolnik, Bystrik; Kopcansky, Peter; Tomasovicova, Natalia; Taculescu-Moaca, Elena Alina; Timko, Milan

2014-09-01

An experimental study of magnetic colloidal particles cluster formation induced by an external electric field in a ferrofluid based on transformer oil is presented. Using frequency domain isothermal dielectric spectroscopy, we study the influence of a test cell electrode separation distance on a low-frequency relaxation process. We consider the relaxation process to be associated with an electric double layer polarization taking place on the particle surface. It has been found that the relaxation maximum considerably shifts towards lower frequencies when conducting the measurements in the test cells with greater electrode separation distances. As the electric field intensity was always kept at a constant value, we propose that the particle cluster formation induced by the external ac electric field accounts for that phenomenon. The increase in the relaxation time is in accordance with the Schwarz theory of electric double layer polarization. In addition, we analyze the influence of a static electric field generated by dc bias voltage on a similar shift in the relaxation maximum position. The variation of the dc electric field for the hysteresis measurements purpose provides understanding of the development of the particle clusters and their decay. Following our results, we emphasize the utility of dielectric spectroscopy as a simple, complementary method for detection and study of clusters of colloidal particles induced by external electric field.

Fetal exposure to low frequency electric and magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cech, R.; Leitgeb, N.; Pediaditis, M.

2007-02-01

To investigate the interaction of low frequency electric and magnetic fields with pregnant women and in particular with the fetus, an anatomical voxel model of an 89 kg woman at week 30 of pregnancy was developed. Intracorporal electric current density distributions due to exposure to homogeneous 50 Hz electric and magnetic fields were calculated and results were compared with basic restrictions recommended by ICNIRP guidelines. It could be shown that the basic restriction is met within the central nervous system (CNS) of the mother at exposure to reference level of either electric or magnetic fields. However, within the fetus the basic restriction is considerably exceeded. Revision of reference levels might be necessary.

Extremely Low-Frequency Waves Inside the Diamagnetic Cavity of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, B.; Wedlund, C. Simon; Eriksson, A.; Goetz, C.; Karlsson, T.; Gunell, H.; Spicher, A.; Henri, P.; Vallières, X.; Miloch, W. J.

2018-05-01

The European Space Agency/Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has provided several hundred observations of the cometary diamagnetic cavity induced by the interaction between outgassed cometary particles, cometary ions, and the solar wind magnetic field. Here we present the first electric field measurements of four preperihelion and postperihelion cavity crossings on 28 May 2015 and 17 February 2016, using the dual-probe electric field mode of the Langmuir probe (LAP) instrument of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium. We find that on large scales, variations in the electric field fluctuations capture the cavity and boundary regions observed in the already well-studied magnetic field, suggesting the electric field mode of the LAP instrument as a reliable tool to image cavity crossings. In addition, the LAP electric field mode unravels for the first time extremely low-frequency waves within two cavities. These low-frequency electrostatic waves are likely triggered by lower-hybrid waves observed in the surrounding magnetized plasma.

Effects of Lightning in the Upper Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sentman, Davis D.; Pasko, Victor P.; Morrill, Jeff S.

2010-02-01

AGU Chapman Conference on Effects of Thunderstorms and Lightning in the Upper Atmosphere; University Park, Pennsylvania, 10-14 May 2009; The serendipitous observation in 1989 of electrical discharge in the high atmosphere induced by thundercloud lightning launched a new field of geophysical investigation. From this single unexpected observation sprang a vigorous and fertile new research field that simultaneously encompasses geophysical disciplines that are normally pursued independently, such as meteorology and lightning, plasma and gas discharge physics, atmospheric chemistry, ionospheric physics, and energetic particle physics. Transient electrical discharge in the upper atmosphere spans the full range of altitudes between the tropopause and the ionosphere and takes a variety of forms that carry the whimsical names red sprites, blue jets, gigantic jets, elves (emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations from electromagnetic pulse sources), and sprite halos, collectively known as transient luminous events (TLEs). To date, TLEs have been observed from ground and airborne or spaceborne platforms above thunderstorm systems worldwide, and radio observations made concomitantly with optical observations have shown that they are produced by the transient far fields of thundercloud lightning. TLEs appear to be large-scale (tens of kilometers in dimension), upper atmospheric versions of conventional gas discharge akin to weakly ionized, collision-dominated systems found in laboratory discharge devices (millimeter-centimeter dimensions), with characteristic energies of a few electron volts. The dominant physical processes have been identified as described by the familiar kinetic theory of the photochemistry of the upper atmosphere, but with electric field-driven electron impact ionization playing the role of photolysis or energetic precipitating particle-induced ionization.

[Experience of high frequency electric welding in endocrine surgery].

PubMed

Nychytaĭlo, M Iu; Lytvynenko, O M; Hul'ko, O M; Kvacheniuk, A M; Suprun, I S; Negriienko, K V; Kvacheniuk, D A

2013-08-01

The comparative analsis of the effectiveness of surgical interventions performed by the standard method and using electric welding technology in endocrine surgery was hold. Compared duration of surgery, amount of intraoperatve blood loss, frequency of intra- and early postoperative complications. Found that the use of weding technology ensures shorter duration of surgery, on average by 30%, amount of blood loss--by 20-50%, the frequency of intra- and early postoperative complications.

Realization of pure frequency modulation of DFB laser via combined optical and electrical tuning.

PubMed

Tian, Chao; Chen, I-Chun Anderson; Park, Seong-Wook; Martini, Rainer

2013-04-08

In this paper we present a novel approach to convert AM signal into FM signal in semiconductor lasers via off resonance optical pumping and report on experimental results obtained with a commercial DFB laser. Aside of demonstrating discrete and fast frequency modulation, we achieve pure frequency modulation through combination with electrical modulation suppressing the associated amplitude modulation, which is detrimental to application such as spectroscopy and communication.

Improvement of coda phase detectability and reconstruction of global seismic data using frequency-wavenumber methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Simon; Thomas, Christine; Dokht, Ramin M. H.; Gu, Yu Jeffrey; Chen, Yunfeng

2018-02-01

Due to uneven earthquake source and receiver distributions, our abilities to isolate weak signals from interfering phases and reconstruct missing data are fundamental to improving the resolution of seismic imaging techniques. In this study, we introduce a modified frequency-wavenumber (fk) domain based approach using a `Projection Onto Convex Sets' (POCS) algorithm. POCS takes advantage of the sparsity of the dominating energies of phase arrivals in the fk domain, which enables an effective detection and reconstruction of the weak seismic signals. Moreover, our algorithm utilizes the 2-D Fourier transform to perform noise removal, interpolation and weak-phase extraction. To improve the directional resolution of the reconstructed data, we introduce a band-stop 2-D Fourier filter to remove the energy of unwanted, interfering phases in the fk domain, which significantly increases the robustness of the signal of interest. The effectiveness and benefits of this method are clearly demonstrated using both simulated and actual broadband recordings of PP precursors from an array located in Tanzania. When used properly, this method could significantly enhance the resolution of weak crust and mantle seismic phases.

Wireless Sensing System Using Open-circuit, Electrically-conductive Spiral-trace Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodard, Stanley E. (Inventor); Taylor, Bryant D. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A wireless sensing system includes a sensor made from an electrical conductor shaped to form an open-circuit, electrically-conductive spiral trace having inductance and capacitance. In the presence of a time-varying magnetic field, the sensor resonates to generate a harmonic response having a frequency, amplitude and bandwidth. A magnetic field response recorder wirelessly transmits the time-varying magnetic field to the sensor and wirelessly detects the sensor's response frequency, amplitude and bandwidth.

Determination of the electric field gradient in RbCaF3 near the phase transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hepp, M. A.; Man, P. P.; Trokiner, A.; Zanni, H.; Fraissard, J.

1992-12-01

The fluoroperovskite, RbCaF 3 undergoes a phase transition at 195.5K from a cubic to a tetragonal phase. The order parameter for this transition is directly related to the electric field gradient which arises in the tetragonal phase. In this work, we have used three NMR methods to measure the electric field gradient at the 87Rb site in a single crystal of RbCaF 3, very near this transition. These experiments are based on recent theoretical developments which allow the measurement of quadrupole parameters even for nuclei in a weak electric field gradient.

The Effect of Electric Field on the Explosive Sensitivity of Silver Azide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodzevich, A. P.; Gazenaur, E. G.; Kuzmina, L. V.; Krasheninin, V. I.; Gazenaur, N. V.

2017-05-01

The effect of a constant contactless electric field on the rate of a chemical reaction in silver azide is explored in this paper. The technology of growing and processing silver azide whiskers in the constant contactless electric field (field intensity was varied in the range from 10-3 V/m to 100 V/m) allows supervising their explosive sensitivity, therefore, the results of experiments can be relevant for purposeful controlling the resistance of explosive materials. This paper is one of the first attempts to develop efficient methods to affect the explosive sensitivity of energy-related materials in a weak electric field (up to 10-3 V/m).

Psychotropics and weak opioid analgesics in plasma samples of older hip fracture patients - detection frequencies and consistency with drug records.

PubMed

Waade, Ragnhild Birkeland; Molden, Espen; Martinsen, Mette Irene; Hermann, Monica; Ranhoff, Anette Hylen

2017-07-01

To determine use of psychotropic drugs and weak opioids in hip fracture patients by analysing plasma samples at admission, and compare detected drug frequencies with prescription registry data and drug records. Plasma from 250 hip fracture patients aged ≥65 years sampled at hospital admission were analysed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods for detection of psychotropic drugs and weak opioid analgesics (alcohol also determined). Odds ratios for drugs detected in plasma of hip fracture patients vs. prescription frequencies of the same drugs in an age-, time- and region-matched reference population were calculated. Moreover, recorded and measured drugs were compared. Psychotropic drugs and/or weak opioid analgesics were detected in 158 (63%) of the patients (median age 84 years; 76% females), while alcohol was found in 19 patients (7.6%). The occurrence of diazepam (odds ratio 1.6; 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.4), nitrazepam (2.3; 1.3-4.1), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (1.9; 1.3-2.9) and mirtazapine (2.3; 1.2-4.3) was significantly higher in plasma samples of hip fracture patients than in prescription data from the reference population. Poor consistency between recorded and measured drugs was disclosed for z-hypnotics and benzodiazepines; e.g. diazepam was detected in 29 (11.6%), but only recorded in six (2.4%) of the patients. Plasma analysis shows that use of antidepressants and benzodiazepines in hip fracture patients is significantly more frequent than respective prescription frequencies in the general elderly population. Moreover, consistency between recorded and actual use of psychotropic fall-risk drugs is poor at hospital admission of hip fracture patients. © 2017 The British Pharmacological Society.

Local shear instabilities in weakly ionized, weakly magnetized disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaes, Omer M.; Balbus, Steven A.

1994-01-01

We extend the analysis of axisymmetric magnetic shear instabilities from ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows to weakly ionized plasmas with coupling between ions and neutrals caused by collisions, ionization, and recombination. As part of the analysis, we derive the single-fluid MHD dispersion relation without invoking the Boussinesq approximation. This work expands the range of applications of these instabilities from fully ionized accretion disks to molecular disks in galaxies and, with somewhat more uncertainty, to protostellar disks. Instability generally requires the angular velocity to decrease outward, the magnetic field strengths to be subthermal, and the ions and neutrals to be sufficiently well coupled. If ionization and recombination processes can be neglected on an orbital timescale, adequate coupling is achieved when the collision frequency of a given neutral with the ions exceeds the local epicyclic freqency. When ionization equilibrium is maintained on an orbital timescale, a new feature is present in the disk dynamics: in contrast to a single-fluid system, subthermal azimuthal fields can affect the axisymmetric stability of weakly ionized two-fluid systems. We discuss the underlying causes for this behavior. Azimuthal fields tend to be stabilizing under these circumstances, and good coupling between the neutrals and ions requires the collision frequency to exceed the epicyclic frequency by a potentially large secant factor related to the magnetic field geometry. When the instability is present, subthermal azimuthal fields may also reduce the growth rate unless the collision frequency is high, but this is important only if the field strengths are very subthermal and/or the azimuthal field is the dominant field component. We briefly discuss our results in the context of the Galactic center circumnuclear disk, and suggest that the shear instability might be present there, and be responsible for the observed turbulent motions.

Electric-field-ratio profiling at the Silsilah tin-bearing greisen deposit, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kamilli, R.J.; Zablocki, C.J.

1993-01-01

Buried, possibly mineralized granite cupolas at the Silsilah tin deposit in Saudi Arabia have been successfully located using a closely spaced electric-field-ratio profiling technique. In this study electrical fields at 27 and 270 Hz across grounded electrodes spaced 50m apart were measured along six traverses. The technique allowed the authors to identify and distinguish among unroofed granite cupolas, cupolas with their aplite-pegmatite apical contact zones intact, strong and weak greisens, dikes, faults, and pervasively argillized rocks. -from Authors

Experimental control of sea lampreys with electricity on the south shore of Lake Superior, 1953-60

USGS Publications Warehouse

McLain, Alberton L.; Smith, Bernard R.; Moore, Harry H.

1965-01-01

Electric devices of the type and design used are capable of blocking entire runs of adult sea lampreys. An accurate appraisal of the effectiveness of the barrier system is impossible, however. Most of the barriers were not operated long enough to reduce the contribution of parasites from the streams. Furthermore, a complete system of efficient electric barriers was never realized. The greatest weakness of this method of control lies in maintenance of the units in continuous, uninterrupted operation through consecutive migratory seasons.

Forecasting electricity usage using univariate time series models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hock-Eam, Lim; Chee-Yin, Yip

2014-12-01

Electricity is one of the important energy sources. A sufficient supply of electricity is vital to support a country's development and growth. Due to the changing of socio-economic characteristics, increasing competition and deregulation of electricity supply industry, the electricity demand forecasting is even more important than before. It is imperative to evaluate and compare the predictive performance of various forecasting methods. This will provide further insights on the weakness and strengths of each method. In literature, there are mixed evidences on the best forecasting methods of electricity demand. This paper aims to compare the predictive performance of univariate time series models for forecasting the electricity demand using a monthly data of maximum electricity load in Malaysia from January 2003 to December 2013. Results reveal that the Box-Jenkins method produces the best out-of-sample predictive performance. On the other hand, Holt-Winters exponential smoothing method is a good forecasting method for in-sample predictive performance.

Electrically rotating suspended films of polar liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirsavar, R.; Amjadi, A.; Tonddast-Navaei, A.; Ejtehadi, M. R.

2011-02-01

Controlled rotation of a suspended soap water film, simply generated by applying an electric field, has been reported recently. The film rotates when the applied electric field exceeds a certain threshold. In this study, we investigate the phenomenon in films made of a number of other liquids with various physical and chemical properties. Our measurements show that the intrinsic electrical dipole moments of the liquid molecules seems to be vital for the corresponding film rotation. All the investigated rotating liquids have a molecular electric dipole moment of above 1 Debye, while weakly polar liquids do not rotate. However, the liquids investigated here cover a wide range of physical parameters (e.g. viscosity, density, conductivity, etc.). So far, no significant correlation has been observed between the electric field thresholds and macroscopic properties of the liquids.

Giant electric-field-induced strain in lead-free piezoelectric materials

PubMed Central

Chen, Lan; Yang, Yurong; Meng, X. K.

2016-01-01

First-principles calculations are performed to investigate the structures, electrical, and magnetic properties of compressive BiFeO3 films under electric-field and pressure perpendicular to the films. A reversible electric-field-induced strain up 10% is achieved in the compressive BiFeO3 films. The giant strain originates from rhombohedral-tetragonal (R-T) phase transition under electric-filed, and is recoverable from tetragonal-rhombohedral (T-R) phase transition by compressive stress. Additionally, the weak ferromagnetism in BiFeO3 films is largely changed in R-T phase transition under electric-filed and T-R phase transition under pressure – reminiscent of magnetoelectric effect and magnetoelastic effect. These results suggest exciting device opportunities arising from the giant filed-induced strain, large magnetoelectric effect and magnetoelastic effect. PMID:27139526

Basic Restriction and Reference Level in Anatomically-based Japanese Models for Low-Frequency Electric and Magnetic Field Exposures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takano, Yukinori; Hirata, Akimasa; Fujiwara, Osamu

Human exposed to electric and/or magnetic fields at low frequencies may cause direct effect such as nerve stimulation and excitation. Therefore, basic restriction is regulated in terms of induced current density in the ICNIRP guidelines and in-situ electric field in the IEEE standard. External electric or magnetic field which does not produce induced quantities exceeding the basic restriction is used as a reference level. The relationship between the basic restriction and reference level for low-frequency electric and magnetic fields has been investigated using European anatomic models, while limited for Japanese model, especially for electric field exposures. In addition, that relationship has not well been discussed. In the present study, we calculated the induced quantities in anatomic Japanese male and female models exposed to electric and magnetic fields at reference level. A quasi static finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method was applied to analyze this problem. As a result, spatially averaged induced current density was found to be more sensitive to averaging algorithms than that of in-situ electric field. For electric and magnetic field exposure at the ICNIRP reference level, the maximum values of the induced current density for different averaging algorithm were smaller than the basic restriction for most cases. For exposures at the reference level in the IEEE standard, the maximum electric fields in the brain were larger than the basic restriction in the brain while smaller for the spinal cord and heart.

[Modeling and experimental study on frequency-domain electricity properties of biological materials].

PubMed

Tian, Hua; Luo, Shiqiang; Zhang, Rui; Yang, Gang; Huang, Hua

2009-12-01

Frequency-domain electricity properties of four objects, including bullfrog skin, bullfrog muscle, triply distilled water and 0.9% NaCl, were tested in the range of 100Hz-10MHz using home-made electrode and measuring system. The experimental results showed that the resistance of 0.9% NaCl decreased dramatically, that the amplitude frequency characteristics of bullfrog's muscle and skin were similar, but that of triply distilled water did not change significantly. The frequency dependence of 0.9% NaCl showed that the electrode had great influence on the measuring system, so a new equivalent circuit model based on the electrode system was needed. These findings suggest that the new five-parameter equivalent circuit model, which embodies considerations on the interaction between electrodes and tissues, is a reasonable equivalent circuit for studying the electrical characteristics of biological materials.

Weak-light Phase-locking for LISA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McNamara, Paul W.

2004-01-01

The long armlengths of the LISA interferometer, and the finite aperture of the telescope, leads to an optical power attenuation of approximately equal to 10(exp -10) of the transmitted to received light. Simple reflection at the end of the arm is therefore not an optimum interferometric design. Instead, a local laser is offset phase-locked to the weak incoming beam, transferring the phase information of the incoming to the outgoing light. This paper reports on an experiment to characterize a weak light phase-locking scheme suitable for LISA in which a diode-pumped, Nd:YAG, non-planar ring oscillator (NPRO) is offset phase-locked to a low power (13pW) frequency stabilised master NPRO. Preliminary results of the relative phase noise of the slave laser shows shot noise limited performance above 0.4 Hz. Excess noise is observed at lower frequencies, most probably due to thermal effects in the optical arrangement and phase sensing electronics.

Universal dependence on the channel conductivity of the competing weak localization and antilocalization in amorphous InGaZnO4 thin-film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei-Hsiang; Lyu, Syue-Ru; Heredia, Elica; Liu, Shu-Hao; Jiang, Pei-hsun; Liao, Po-Yung; Chang, Ting-Chang

2017-05-01

We investigate the gate-voltage dependence of the magnetoconductivity of several amorphous InGaZnO4 (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The magnetoconductivity exhibits gate-voltage-controlled competitions between weak localization (WL) and weak antilocalization (WAL), and the respective weights of WL and WAL contributions demonstrate an intriguing universal dependence on the channel conductivity regardless of the difference in the electrical characteristics of the a-IGZO TFTs. Our findings help build a theoretical interpretation of the competing WL and WAL observed in the electron systems in a-IGZO TFTs.

Design of current source for multi-frequency simultaneous electrical impedance tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Bing; Xu, Yanbin; Dong, Feng

2017-09-01

Multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography has been evolving from the frequency-sweep approach to the multi-frequency simultaneous measurement technique which can reduce measuring time and will be increasingly attractive for time-varying biological applications. The accuracy and stability of the current source are the key factors determining the quality of the image reconstruction. This article presents a field programmable gate array-based current source for a multi-frequency simultaneous electrical impedance tomography system. A novel current source circuit was realized by combining the classic current mirror based on the feedback amplifier AD844 with a differential topology. The optimal phase offsets of harmonic sinusoids were obtained through the crest factor analysis. The output characteristics of this current source were evaluated by simulation and actual measurement. The results include the following: (1) the output impedance was compared with one of the Howland pump circuit in simulation, showing comparable performance at low frequencies. However, the proposed current source makes lower demands for resistor tolerance but performs even better at high frequencies. (2) The output impedance in actual measurement below 200 kHz is above 1.3 MΩ and can reach 250 KΩ up to 1 MHz. (3) An experiment based on a biological RC model has been implemented. The mean error for the demodulated impedance amplitude and phase are 0.192% and 0.139°, respectively. Therefore, the proposed current source is wideband, biocompatible, and high precision, which demonstrates great potential to work as a sub-system in the multi-frequency electrical impedance tomography system.

Fixation probability in a two-locus intersexual selection model.

PubMed

Durand, Guillermo; Lessard, Sabin

2016-06-01

We study a two-locus model of intersexual selection in a finite haploid population reproducing according to a discrete-time Moran model with a trait locus expressed in males and a preference locus expressed in females. We show that the probability of ultimate fixation of a single mutant allele for a male ornament introduced at random at the trait locus given any initial frequency state at the preference locus is increased by weak intersexual selection and recombination, weak or strong. Moreover, this probability exceeds the initial frequency of the mutant allele even in the case of a costly male ornament if intersexual selection is not too weak. On the other hand, the probability of ultimate fixation of a single mutant allele for a female preference towards a male ornament introduced at random at the preference locus is increased by weak intersexual selection and weak recombination if the female preference is not costly, and is strong enough in the case of a costly male ornament. The analysis relies on an extension of the ancestral recombination-selection graph for samples of haplotypes to take into account events of intersexual selection, while the symbolic calculation of the fixation probabilities is made possible in a reasonable time by an optimizing algorithm. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Magnetotelluric studies of the Caldas Novas geothermal reservoir, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Lugão, Patricia Pastana; LaTerra, Emanuele Francesco; Kriegshäuser, Berthold; Fontes, Sergio L.

2002-01-01

A magnetotelluric (MT) survey was conducted on the Caldas Novas geothermal reservoir located in the state of Goiás, Central Brazil. The region of Caldas Novas is a popular tourist spot because of the occurrence of hot water springs. The purpose of the first MT survey in this area is to provide more information on the geoelectrical structure of this important geothermal reservoir. The MT method is a frequency domain technique that utilizes naturally occurring magnetic and electric signals as source to obtain a resistivity map of the subsurface. Since temperature and permeability are some of the factors controlling electrical resistivity, MT is widely utilized for surveying geothermal areas such as Caldas Novas. Data were acquired along two profiles crossing the Serra de Caldas (Caldas Mountains) with a total of 25 MT stations. Frequencies of acquisition were in the range from 0.008 to 176 Hz. Spacing between stations were usually around 5 km. Apparent resistivity and phase data from the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes were computed for both profiles. Very high (100,000 Ω m) apparent resistivity values in the TM mode indicate distortion, possibly caused by 3-D resistive structures. In this work, we focus on Profile 2, which was acquired aligned at N40°E, approximately following the direction of weakness N50°E. Two-dimensional (2-D) inversion suggests a basin-like model with very high-resistivity block structures associated with concentric faulting below the Caldas Mountains inside a resistive basin that extends to depths of approximately 25-30 km. This model is in good agreement with gravity data and the available geological information in the area and can help delineate areas of new geothermal reservoirs. The high resistivity associated with the depression in the MT model can be interpreted as caused by the low-permeability quartzites that form the Caldas Mountains. Although the survey configuration does not allow for a full three-dimensional (3-D) interpretation, a 3-D resistivity model was constructed and the MT responses computed. The 3-D synthetic data explains the behavior of both the TE and TM modes in this faulted resistive environment.

Analysis of Drop Oscillations Excited by an Electrical Point Force in AC EWOD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Jung Min; Ko, Sung Hee; Kang, Kwan Hyoung

2008-03-01

Recently, a few researchers have reported the oscillation of a sessile drop in AC EWOD (electrowetting on dielectrics), and some of its consequences. The drop oscillation problem in AC EWOD is associated with various applications based on electrowetting such as LOC (lab-on-a-chip), liquid lens, and electronic display. However, no theoretical analysis of the problem has been attempted yet. In the present paper, we propose a theoretical model to analyze the oscillation by applying the conventional method to analyze the drop oscillation. The domain perturbation method is used to derive the shape mode equations under the assumptions of weak viscous flow and small deformation. The Maxwell stress is exerted on the three-phase contact line of the droplet like a point force. The force is regarded as a delta function, and is decomposed into the driving forces of each shape mode. The theoretical results on the shape and the frequency responses are compared with experiments, which shows a qualitative agreement.

Novel method for detecting weak magnetic fields at low frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Martínez, S.; Castillo-Torres, J.; Mendoza-Santos, J. C.; Zamorano-Ulloa, R.

2005-06-01

A low-level-intensity magnetic field detection system has been designed and developed based on the amplification-selection process of signals. This configuration is also very sensitive to magnetic field changes produced by harmonic-like electrical currents transported in finite-length wires. Experimental and theoretical results of magnetic fields detection as low as 10-9T at 120Hz are also presented with an accuracy of around 13%. The assembled equipment is designed to measure an electromotive force induced in a free-magnetic-core coil in order to recover signals which are previously selected, despite the fact that their intensities are much lower than the environment electromagnetic radiation. The prototype has a signal-to-noise ratio of 60dB. This system also presents the advantage for using it as a portable unit of measurement. The concept and prototype may be applied, for example, as a nondestructive method to analyze any corrosion formation in metallic oil pipelines which are subjected to cathodic protection.

Sub-THz Imaging Using Non-Resonant HEMT Detectors.

PubMed

Delgado-Notario, Juan A; Velazquez-Perez, Jesus E; Meziani, Yahya M; Fobelets, Kristel

2018-02-10

Plasma waves in gated 2-D systems can be used to efficiently detect THz electromagnetic radiation. Solid-state plasma wave-based sensors can be used as detectors in THz imaging systems. An experimental study of the sub-THz response of II-gate strained-Si Schottky-gated MODFETs (Modulation-doped Field-Effect Transistor) was performed. The response of the strained-Si MODFET has been characterized at two frequencies: 150 and 300 GHz: The DC drain-to-source voltage transducing the THz radiation (photovoltaic mode) of 250-nm gate length transistors exhibited a non-resonant response that agrees with theoretical models and physics-based simulations of the electrical response of the transistor. When imposing a weak source-to-drain current of 5 μA, a substantial increase of the photoresponse was found. This increase is translated into an enhancement of the responsivity by one order of magnitude as compared to the photovoltaic mode, while the NEP (Noise Equivalent Power) is reduced in the subthreshold region. Strained-Si MODFETs demonstrated an excellent performance as detectors in THz imaging.

An adaptive randomized trial of dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy for binge-eating.

PubMed

Chen, E Y; Cacioppo, J; Fettich, K; Gallop, R; McCloskey, M S; Olino, T; Zeffiro, T A

2017-03-01

Early weak treatment response is one of the few trans-diagnostic, treatment-agnostic predictors of poor outcome following a full treatment course. We sought to improve the outcome of clients with weak initial response to guided self-help cognitive behavior therapy (GSH). One hundred and nine women with binge-eating disorder (BED) or bulimia nervosa (BN) (DSM-IV-TR) received 4 weeks of GSH. Based on their response, they were grouped into: (1) early strong responders who continued GSH (cGSH), and early weak responders randomized to (2) dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), or (3) individual and additional group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT+). Baseline objective binge-eating-day (OBD) frequency was similar between DBT, CBT+ and cGSH. During treatment, OBD frequency reduction was significantly slower in DBT and CBT+ relative to cGSH. Relative to cGSH, OBD frequency was significantly greater at the end of DBT (d = 0.27) and CBT+ (d = 0.31) although these effects were small and within-treatment effects from baseline were large (d = 1.41, 0.95, 1.11, respectively). OBD improvements significantly diminished in all groups during 12 months follow-up but were significantly better sustained in DBT relative to cGSH (d = -0.43). At 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments, DBT, CBT and cGSH did not differ in OBD. Early weak response to GSH may be overcome by additional intensive treatment. Evidence was insufficient to support superiority of either DBT or CBT+ for early weak responders relative to early strong responders in cGSH; both were helpful. Future studies using adaptive designs are needed to assess the use of early response to efficiently deliver care to large heterogeneous client groups.

Electromagnetic earthquake triggering phenomena: State-of-the-art research and future developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeigarnik, Vladimir; Novikov, Victor

2014-05-01

Developed in the 70s of the last century in Russia unique pulsed power systems based on solid propellant magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) generators with an output of 10-500 MW and operation duration of 10 to 15 s were applied for an active electromagnetic monitoring of the Earth's crust to explore its deep structure, oil and gas electrical prospecting, and geophysical studies for earthquake prediction due to their high specific power parameters, portability, and a capability of operation under harsh climatic conditions. The most interesting and promising results were obtained during geophysical experiments at the test sites located at Pamir and Northern Tien Shan mountains, when after 1.5-2.5 kA electric current injection into the Earth crust through an 4 km-length emitting dipole the regional seismicity variations were observed (increase of number of weak earthquakes within a week). Laboratory experiments performed by different teams of the Institute of Physics of the Earth, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, and Research Station of Russian Academy of Sciences on observation of acoustic emission behavior of stressed rock samples during their processing by electric pulses demonstrated similar patterns - a burst of acoustic emission (formation of cracks) after application of current pulse to the sample. Based on the field and laboratory studies it was supposed that a new kind of earthquake triggering - electromagnetic initiation of weak seismic events has been observed, which may be used for the man-made electromagnetic safe release of accumulated tectonic stresses and, consequently, for earthquake hazard mitigation. For verification of this hypothesis some additional field experiments were carried out at the Bishkek geodynamic proving ground with application of pulsed ERGU-600 facility, which provides 600 A electric current in the emitting dipole. An analysis of spatio-temporal redistribution of weak regional seismicity after ERGU-600 pulses, as well as a response of geoacoustic emission recorded in the wells at a distance of 7-12 km from the emitting dipole to the ERGU-600 pulses confirmed the effects of an influence of electromagnetic field on the deformation processes in the Earth crust and the real existence of electromagnetic triggering phenomena. For verification of results of field observations laboratory studies of behavior of rock samples under critical stress-strain state and external electric actions were carried out at the spring and lever presses, as well as at the stick-slip models simulated the seismic cycle (stress accumulation and discharge) in the seismogenic geological fault. Various possible mechanisms of weak electrical stimulation (electric current density 10-7-10-8 mA/cm2 at a depth of earthquake epicenters of 5 to10 km) of deformation processes in the Earth crust, including increased fluid pore pressure, electrokinetic phenomena, magnetostriction, electrical stimulation of fluid migration into the fault area are considered. However, the mechanism of electromagnetic earthquake triggering phenomena is still open. Based on the field observations of electromagnetic triggering of weak seismicity resulting in a partial safe release of stresses in the Earth crust a possibility of control of seismic process is considered for risk reduction of catastrophic earthquakes. The results obtained from field and laboratory experiments on electromagnetic initiation of seismic events allow to consider a problem of lithosphere-ionosphere relations from another point of view. Keeping in mind that the current density generated in the Earth crust by artificial electric source is comparable with the density of telluric currents induced during severe ionospheric disturbances (e.g., magnetic storms) it may be possible under certain favorable conditions in lithosphere to initiate earthquakes by electromagnetic disturbances in ionosphere. A possibility of application of these triggering phenomena for short-term earthquake prediction is discussed.