Aerobic Fitness Level Affects Cardiovascular and Salivary Alpha Amylase Responses to Acute Psychosocial Stress.

PubMed

Wyss, Thomas; Boesch, Maria; Roos, Lilian; Tschopp, Céline; Frei, Klaus M; Annen, Hubert; La Marca, Roberto

2016-12-01

Good physical fitness seems to help the individual to buffer the potential harmful impact of psychosocial stress on somatic and mental health. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of physical fitness levels on the autonomic nervous system (ANS; i.e. heart rate and salivary alpha amylase) responses to acute psychosocial stress, while controlling for established factors influencing individual stress reactions. The Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) was executed with 302 male recruits during their first week of Swiss Army basic training. Heart rate was measured continuously, and salivary alpha amylase was measured twice, before and after the stress intervention. In the same week, all volunteers participated in a physical fitness test and they responded to questionnaires on lifestyle factors and personal traits. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine ANS responses to acute psychosocial stress from physical fitness test performances, controlling for personal traits, behavioural factors, and socioeconomic data. Multiple linear regression revealed three variables predicting 15 % of the variance in heart rate response (area under the individual heart rate response curve during TSST-G) and four variables predicting 12 % of the variance in salivary alpha amylase response (salivary alpha amylase level immediately after the TSST-G) to acute psychosocial stress. A strong performance at the progressive endurance run (high maximal oxygen consumption) was a significant predictor of ANS response in both models: low area under the heart rate response curve during TSST-G as well as low salivary alpha amylase level after TSST-G. Further, high muscle power, non-smoking, high extraversion, and low agreeableness were predictors of a favourable ANS response in either one of the two dependent variables. Good physical fitness, especially good aerobic endurance capacity, is an important protective factor against health-threatening reactions to acute psychosocial stress.

Evolution of diffraction and self-diffraction phenomena in thin films of Gelite Bloom/Hibiscus Sabdariffa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cano-Lara, Miroslava; Severiano-Carrillo, Israel; Trejo-Durán, Mónica; Alvarado-Méndez, Edgar

2017-09-01

In this work, we present a study of non-linear optical response in thin films elaborated with Gelite Bloom and extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa. Non-linear refraction and absorption effects were studied experimentally (Z-scan technique) and numerically, by considering the transmittance as non-linear absorption and refraction contribution. We observe large phase shifts to far field, and diffraction due to self-phase modulation of the sample. Diffraction and self-diffraction effects were observed as time function. The aim of studying non-linear optical properties in thin films is to eliminate thermal vortex effects that occur in liquids. This is desirable in applications such as non-linear phase contrast, optical limiting, optics switches, etc. Finally, we find good agreement between experimental and theoretical results.

A method for the analysis of nonlinearities in aircraft dynamic response to atmospheric turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sidwell, K.

1976-01-01

An analytical method is developed which combines the equivalent linearization technique for the analysis of the response of nonlinear dynamic systems with the amplitude modulated random process (Press model) for atmospheric turbulence. The method is initially applied to a bilinear spring system. The analysis of the response shows good agreement with exact results obtained by the Fokker-Planck equation. The method is then applied to an example of control-surface displacement limiting in an aircraft with a pitch-hold autopilot.

A wide range and highly sensitive optical fiber pH sensor using polyacrylamide hydrogel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Akhilesh Kumar; Singh, Vinod Kumar

2017-12-01

In the present study we report the fabrication and characterization of no-core fiber sensor (NCFS) using smart hydrogel coating for pH measurement. The no-core fiber (NCF) is stubbed between two single-mode fibers with SMA connector before immobilizing of smart hydrogel. The wavelength interrogation technique is used to calculate the sensitivity of the proposed sensor. The result shows a high sensitivity of 1.94 nm/pH for a wide range of pH values varied from 3 to 10 with a good linear response. In addition to high sensitivity, the fabricated sensor provides a fast response time with a good stability, repeatability and reproducibility.

Control Surface Interaction Effects of the Active Aeroelastic Wing Wind Tunnel Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heeg, Jennifer

2006-01-01

This paper presents results from testing the Active Aeroelastic Wing wind tunnel model in NASA Langley s Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The wind tunnel test provided an opportunity to study aeroelastic system behavior under combined control surface deflections, testing for control surface interaction effects. Control surface interactions were observed in both static control surface actuation testing and dynamic control surface oscillation testing. The primary method of evaluating interactions was examination of the goodness of the linear superposition assumptions. Responses produced by independently actuating single control surfaces were combined and compared with those produced by simultaneously actuating and oscillating multiple control surfaces. Adjustments to the data were required to isolate the control surface influences. Using dynamic data, the task increases, as both the amplitude and phase have to be considered in the data corrections. The goodness of static linear superposition was examined and analysis of variance was used to evaluate significant factors influencing that goodness. The dynamic data showed interaction effects in both the aerodynamic measurements and the structural measurements.

ZnO Nanorods Based Enzymatic Biosensor for Selective Determination of Penicillin

PubMed Central

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Ali, Syed Muhammad Usman; Khun, Kimleang; Chey, Chan Oeurn; Nur, Omer; Willander, Magnus

2011-01-01

In this study, we have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of a biosensor based on well aligned single-crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods which were grown on gold coated glass substrate using a low temperature aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method. The ZnO nanorods were immobilized with penicillinase enzyme using the physical adsorption approach in combination with N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide (ANB-NOS) as cross linking molecules. The potentiometric response of the sensor configuration revealed good linearity over a large logarithmic concentration range from 100 µM to 100 mM. During the investigations, the proposed sensor showed a good stability with high sensitivity of ~121 mV/decade for sensing of penicillin. A quick electrochemical response of less than 5 s with a good selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and a negligible response to common interferents such as Na1+, K1+, d-glucose, l-glucose, ascorbic acid, uric acid, urea, sucrose, lactose, glycine, penicilloic acid and cephalosporins, was observed. PMID:25585565

ZnO Nanorods Based Enzymatic Biosensor for Selective Determination of Penicillin.

PubMed

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Ali, Syed Muhammad Usman; Khun, Kimleang; Chey, Chan Oeurn; Nur, Omer; Willander, Magnus

2011-10-27

In this study, we have successfully demonstrated the fabrication of a biosensor based on well aligned single-crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods which were grown on gold coated glass substrate using a low temperature aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method. The ZnO nanorods were immobilized with penicillinase enzyme using the physical adsorption approach in combination with N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide (ANB-NOS) as cross linking molecules. The potentiometric response of the sensor configuration revealed good linearity over a large logarithmic concentration range from 100 µM to 100 mM. During the investigations, the proposed sensor showed a good stability with high sensitivity of ~121 mV/decade for sensing of penicillin. A quick electrochemical response of less than 5 s with a good selectivity, repeatability, reproducibility and a negligible response to common interferents such as Na1+, K1+, d-glucose, l-glucose, ascorbic acid, uric acid, urea, sucrose, lactose, glycine, penicilloic acid and cephalosporins, was observed.

The determination of third order linear models from a seventh order nonlinear jet engine model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lalonde, Rick J.; Hartley, Tom T.; De Abreu-Garcia, J. Alex

1989-01-01

Results are presented that demonstrate how good reduced-order models can be obtained directly by recursive parameter identification using input/output (I/O) data of high-order nonlinear systems. Three different methods of obtaining a third-order linear model from a seventh-order nonlinear turbojet engine model are compared. The first method is to obtain a linear model from the original model and then reduce the linear model by standard reduction techniques such as residualization and balancing. The second method is to identify directly a third-order linear model by recursive least-squares parameter estimation using I/O data of the original model. The third method is to obtain a reduced-order model from the original model and then linearize the reduced model. Frequency responses are used as the performance measure to evaluate the reduced models. The reduced-order models along with their Bode plots are presented for comparison purposes.

Performance of Al2O3:C optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters for clinical radiation therapy applications.

PubMed

Hu, B; Wang, Y; Zealey, W

2009-12-01

A commercial Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dosimetry system developed by Landauer was tested to analyse the possibility of using OSL dosimetry for external beam radiotherapy planning checks. Experiments were performed to determine signal sensitivity, dose response range, beam type/energy dependency, reproducibility and linearity. Optical annealing processes to test OSL material reusability were also studied. In each case the measurements were converted into absorbed dose. The experimental results show that OSL dosimetry provides a wide dose response range, good linearity and reproducibility for the doses up to 800cGy. The OSL output is linear with dose up to 600cGy range showing a maximum deviation from linearity of 2.0% for the doses above 600cGy. The standard deviation in response of 20 dosimeters was 3.0%. After optical annealing using incandescent light, the readout intensity decreased by approximately 98% in the first 30 minutes. The readout intensity, I, decreased after repeated optical annealing as a power law, given by I infinity t (-1.3). This study concludes that OSL dosimetry can provide an alternative dosimetry technique for use in in-vivo dosimetry if rigorous measurement protocols are established.

Embodied linearity of speed control in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Medici, V; Fry, S N

2012-12-07

Fruitflies regulate flight speed by adjusting their body angle. To understand how low-level posture control serves an overall linear visual speed control strategy, we visually induced free-flight acceleration responses in a wind tunnel and measured the body kinematics using high-speed videography. Subsequently, we reverse engineered the transfer function mapping body pitch angle onto flight speed. A linear model is able to reproduce the behavioural data with good accuracy. Our results show that linearity in speed control is realized already at the level of body posture-mediated speed control and is therefore embodied at the level of the complex aerodynamic mechanisms of body and wings. Together with previous results, this study reveals the existence of a linear hierarchical control strategy, which can provide relevant control principles for biomimetic implementations, such as autonomous flying micro air vehicles.

Embodied linearity of speed control in Drosophila melanogaster

PubMed Central

Medici, V.; Fry, S. N.

2012-01-01

Fruitflies regulate flight speed by adjusting their body angle. To understand how low-level posture control serves an overall linear visual speed control strategy, we visually induced free-flight acceleration responses in a wind tunnel and measured the body kinematics using high-speed videography. Subsequently, we reverse engineered the transfer function mapping body pitch angle onto flight speed. A linear model is able to reproduce the behavioural data with good accuracy. Our results show that linearity in speed control is realized already at the level of body posture-mediated speed control and is therefore embodied at the level of the complex aerodynamic mechanisms of body and wings. Together with previous results, this study reveals the existence of a linear hierarchical control strategy, which can provide relevant control principles for biomimetic implementations, such as autonomous flying micro air vehicles. PMID:22933185

Frequency Modulation and Absorption Improvement of THz Micro-bolometer with Micro-bridge Structure by Spiral-Type Antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gou, Jun; Niu, Qingchen; Liang, Kai; Wang, Jun; Jiang, Yadong

2018-03-01

Antenna-coupled micro-bridge structure is proven to be a good solution to extend infrared micro-bolometer technology for THz application. Spiral-type antennas are proposed in 25 μm × 25 μm micro-bridge structure with a single separate linear antenna, two separate linear antennas, or two connected linear antennas on the bridge legs, in addition to traditional spiral-type antenna on the support layer. The effects of structural parameters of each antenna on THz absorption of micro-bridge structure are discussed for optimized absorption of 2.52 THz wave radiated by far infrared CO2 lasers. The design of spiral-type antenna with two separate linear antennas for wide absorption peak and spiral-type antenna with two connected linear antennas for relatively stable absorption are good candidates for high absorption at low absorption frequency with a rotation angle of 360* n ( n = 1.6). Spiral-type antenna with extended legs also provides a highly integrated micro-bridge structure with fast response and a highly compatible, process-simplified way to realize the structure. This research demonstrates the design of several spiral-type antenna-coupled micro-bridge structures and provides preferred schemes for potential device applications in room temperature sensing and real-time imaging.

Frequency Modulation and Absorption Improvement of THz Micro-bolometer with Micro-bridge Structure by Spiral-Type Antennas.

PubMed

Gou, Jun; Niu, Qingchen; Liang, Kai; Wang, Jun; Jiang, Yadong

2018-03-05

Antenna-coupled micro-bridge structure is proven to be a good solution to extend infrared micro-bolometer technology for THz application. Spiral-type antennas are proposed in 25 μm × 25 μm micro-bridge structure with a single separate linear antenna, two separate linear antennas, or two connected linear antennas on the bridge legs, in addition to traditional spiral-type antenna on the support layer. The effects of structural parameters of each antenna on THz absorption of micro-bridge structure are discussed for optimized absorption of 2.52 THz wave radiated by far infrared CO 2 lasers. The design of spiral-type antenna with two separate linear antennas for wide absorption peak and spiral-type antenna with two connected linear antennas for relatively stable absorption are good candidates for high absorption at low absorption frequency with a rotation angle of 360*n (n = 1.6). Spiral-type antenna with extended legs also provides a highly integrated micro-bridge structure with fast response and a highly compatible, process-simplified way to realize the structure. This research demonstrates the design of several spiral-type antenna-coupled micro-bridge structures and provides preferred schemes for potential device applications in room temperature sensing and real-time imaging.

Black phosphorus nanosheets for rapid microRNA detection.

PubMed

Zhou, Jie; Li, Zhongjun; Ying, Ming; Liu, Maixian; Wang, Xiaomei; Wang, Xianyou; Cao, Liwei; Zhang, Han; Xu, Gaixia

2018-03-15

Herein, for the first time, a sensitive sensing platform for rapid detection of microRNA was developed by employing black phosphorus nanosheets as the fluorescence quenching material. The biosensor displayed a good linear response to microRNA ranging from 10 nM to 1000 nM. Moreover, the biosensor could distinguish triple nucleotide polymorphism.

Monitoring of Low Levels of Furfural in Power Transformer Oil with a Sensor System Based on a POF-MIP Platform

PubMed Central

Cennamo, Nunzio; De Maria, Letizia; D’Agostino, Girolamo; Zeni, Luigi; Pesavento, Maria

2015-01-01

In this work an innovative, miniaturized and low cost optical chemical sensor (POF-MIP platform), based on a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) and surface plasmon resonance in a plastic optical fiber (POF), is presented and preliminarily tested for monitoring of furfural (furan-2-carbaldehyde) in transformer oil. To this end, the optical platform was coupled to an MIP layer, highly selective for furfural. The ability of the developed sensor to directly detect furfural in the insulating oil was investigated. The detection limit of the sensor has been found to be 9 ppb, with a linear response up to about 30 ppb. However there is a sensible response up to 0.15 ppm. Because of the small linearity range, the Hill equation is suggested for the quantification. The sensor has been effectively tested in real oil samples collected from aged electrical equipment removed from service. The assessed concentration of furfural is in good agreement with that evaluated by a high pressure liquid chromatography (HLPC) method, confirming the good selectivity of the proposed sensor. PMID:25871719

Monitoring of low levels of furfural in power transformer oil with a sensor system based on a POF-MIP platform.

PubMed

Cennamo, Nunzio; De Maria, Letizia; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Zeni, Luigi; Pesavento, Maria

2015-04-13

In this work an innovative, miniaturized and low cost optical chemical sensor (POF-MIP platform), based on a molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) and surface plasmon resonance in a plastic optical fiber (POF), is presented and preliminarily tested for monitoring of furfural (furan-2-carbaldehyde) in transformer oil. To this end, the optical platform was coupled to an MIP layer, highly selective for furfural. The ability of the developed sensor to directly detect furfural in the insulating oil was investigated. The detection limit of the sensor has been found to be 9 ppb, with a linear response up to about 30 ppb. However there is a sensible response up to 0.15 ppm. Because of the small linearity range, the Hill equation is suggested for the quantification. The sensor has been effectively tested in real oil samples collected from aged electrical equipment removed from service. The assessed concentration of furfural is in good agreement with that evaluated by a high pressure liquid chromatography (HLPC) method, confirming the good selectivity of the proposed sensor.

Modelling the isometric force response to multiple pulse stimuli in locust skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Wilson, Emma; Rustighi, Emiliano; Mace, Brian R; Newland, Philip L

2011-02-01

An improved model of locust skeletal muscle will inform on the general behaviour of invertebrate and mammalian muscle with the eventual aim of improving biomedical models of human muscles, embracing prosthetic construction and muscle therapy. In this article, the isometric response of the locust hind leg extensor muscle to input pulse trains is investigated. Experimental data was collected by stimulating the muscle directly and measuring the force at the tibia. The responses to constant frequency stimulus trains of various frequencies and number of pulses were decomposed into the response to each individual stimulus. Each individual pulse response was then fitted to a model, it being assumed that the response to each pulse could be approximated as an impulse response and was linear, no assumption were made about the model order. When the interpulse frequency (IPF) was low and the number of pulses in the train small, a second-order model provided a good fit to each pulse. For moderate IPF or for long pulse trains a linear third-order model provided a better fit to the response to each pulse. The fit using a second-order model deteriorated with increasing IPF. When the input comprised higher IPFs with a large number of pulses the assumptions that the response was linear could not be confirmed. A generalised model is also presented. This model is second-order, and contains two nonlinear terms. The model is able to capture the force response to a range of inputs. This includes cases where the input comprised of higher frequency pulse trains and the assumption of quasi-linear behaviour could not be confirmed.

Characterization of a synthetic single crystal diamond Schottky diode for radiotherapy electron beam dosimetry.

PubMed

Di Venanzio, C; Marinelli, Marco; Milani, E; Prestopino, G; Verona, C; Verona-Rinati, G; Falco, M D; Bagalà, P; Santoni, R; Pimpinella, M

2013-02-01

To investigate the dosimetric properties of synthetic single crystal diamond based Schottky diodes under irradiation with therapeutic electron beams from linear accelerators. A single crystal diamond detector was fabricated and tested under 6, 8, 10, 12, and 15 MeV electron beams. The detector performances were evaluated using three types of commercial detectors as reference dosimeters: an Advanced Markus plane parallel ionization chamber, a Semiflex cylindrical ionization chamber, and a p-type silicon detector. Preirradiation, linearity with dose, dose rate dependence, output factors, lateral field profiles, and percentage depth dose profiles were investigated and discussed. During preirradiation the diamond detector signal shows a weak decrease within 0.7% with respect to the plateau value and a final signal stability of 0.1% (1σ) is observed after about 5 Gy. A good linear behavior of the detector response as a function of the delivered dose is observed with deviations below ±0.3% in the dose range from 0.02 to 10 Gy. In addition, the detector response is dose rate independent, with deviations below 0.3% in the investigated dose rate range from 0.17 to 5.45 Gy∕min. Percentage depth dose curves obtained from the diamond detector are in good agreement with the ones from the reference dosimeters. Lateral beam profile measurements show an overall good agreement among detectors, taking into account their respective geometrical features. The spatial resolution of solid state detectors is confirmed to be better than that of ionization chambers, being the one from the diamond detector comparable to that of the silicon diode. A good agreement within experimental uncertainties was also found in terms of output factor measurements between the diamond detector and reference dosimeters. The observed dosimetric properties indicate that the tested diamond detector is a suitable candidate for clinical electron beam dosimetry.

ARPA/NRL X-Ray Laser Program - Semiannual Technical Report to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-03-01

10 J. The beam divergence was 8 mrad. A beam splitter and an S-l response photodlode were used to monitor the laser pulse signal shape and the...laser beams on a cylinder [231] to compress a material to the necessary inversion density will be plagued by the non -uniform gain that these focused...of 30 psec and a good beam divergence can emerge after the non -linear stages as a 1773, 1182, or 887 k pulse still possessing good beam quality

Systematic study of doping dependence on linear magnetoresistance in p-PbTe

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

Schneider, J. M.; Chitta, V. A.; Oliveira, N. F.

2014-10-20

We report on a large linear magnetoresistance effect observed in doped p-PbTe films. While undoped p-PbTe reveals a sublinear magnetoresistance, p-PbTe films doped with BaF{sub 2} exhibit a transition to a nearly perfect linear magnetoresistance behaviour that is persistent up to 30 T. The linear magnetoresistance slope ΔR/ΔB is to a good approximation, independent of temperature. This is in agreement with the theory of Quantum Linear Magnetoresistance. We also performed magnetoresistance simulations using a classical model of linear magnetoresistance. We found that this model fails to explain the experimental data. A systematic study of the doping dependence reveals that the linearmore » magnetoresistance response has a maximum for small BaF{sub 2} doping levels and diminishes rapidly for increasing doping levels. Exploiting the huge impact of doping on the linear magnetoresistance signal could lead to new classes of devices with giant magnetoresistance behavior.« less

Linear response to long wavelength fluctuations using curvature simulations

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

Baldauf, Tobias; Zaldarriaga, Matias; Seljak, Uroš

2016-09-01

We study the local response to long wavelength fluctuations in cosmological N -body simulations, focusing on the matter and halo power spectra, halo abundance and non-linear transformations of the density field. The long wavelength mode is implemented using an effective curved cosmology and a mapping of time and distances. The method provides an alternative, more direct, way to measure the isotropic halo biases. Limiting ourselves to the linear case, we find generally good agreement between the biases obtained from the curvature method and the traditional power spectrum method at the level of a few percent. We also study the responsemore » of halo counts to changes in the variance of the field and find that the slope of the relation between the responses to density and variance differs from the naïve derivation assuming a universal mass function by approximately 8–20%. This has implications for measurements of the amplitude of local non-Gaussianity using scale dependent bias. We also analyze the halo power spectrum and halo-dark matter cross-spectrum response to long wavelength fluctuations and derive second order halo bias from it, as well as the super-sample variance contribution to the galaxy power spectrum covariance matrix.« less

Influence of dynamic inflow on the helicopter vertical response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Robert T. N.; Hindson, William S.

1986-01-01

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of dynamic inflow on rotor-blade flapping and vertical motion of the helicopter in hover. Linearized versions of two dynamic inflow models, one developed by Carpenter and Fridovich and the other by Pitt and Peters, were incorporated in simplified rotor-body models and were compared for variations in thrust coefficient and the blade Lock number. In addition, a comparison was made between the results of the linear analysis, and the transient and frequency responses measured in flight on the CH-47B variable-stability helicopter. Results indicate that the correlations are good, considering the simplified model used. The linear analysis also shows that dynamic inflow plays a key role in destabilizing the flapping mode. The destabilized flapping mode, along with the inflow mode that the dynamic inflow introduces, results in a large initial overshoot in the vertical acceleration response to an abrupt input in the collective pitch. This overshoot becomes more pronounced as either the thrust coefficient or the blade Lock number is reduced. Compared with Carpenter's inflow model, Pitt's model tends to produce more oscillatory responses because of the less stable flapping mode predicted by it.

Linear-scaling implementation of molecular response theory in self-consistent field electronic-structure theory.

PubMed

Coriani, Sonia; Høst, Stinne; Jansík, Branislav; Thøgersen, Lea; Olsen, Jeppe; Jørgensen, Poul; Reine, Simen; Pawłowski, Filip; Helgaker, Trygve; Sałek, Paweł

2007-04-21

A linear-scaling implementation of Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham self-consistent field theories for the calculation of frequency-dependent molecular response properties and excitation energies is presented, based on a nonredundant exponential parametrization of the one-electron density matrix in the atomic-orbital basis, avoiding the use of canonical orbitals. The response equations are solved iteratively, by an atomic-orbital subspace method equivalent to that of molecular-orbital theory. Important features of the subspace method are the use of paired trial vectors (to preserve the algebraic structure of the response equations), a nondiagonal preconditioner (for rapid convergence), and the generation of good initial guesses (for robust solution). As a result, the performance of the iterative method is the same as in canonical molecular-orbital theory, with five to ten iterations needed for convergence. As in traditional direct Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham theories, the calculations are dominated by the construction of the effective Fock/Kohn-Sham matrix, once in each iteration. Linear complexity is achieved by using sparse-matrix algebra, as illustrated in calculations of excitation energies and frequency-dependent polarizabilities of polyalanine peptides containing up to 1400 atoms.

Response of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters subjected to X-rays in diagnostic energy range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musa, Y.; Hashim, S.; Karim, M. K. A.; Bakar, K. A.; Ang, W. C.; Salehhon, N.

2017-05-01

The use of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) for dosimetry applications has recently increased considerably due to availability of commercial OSL dosimeters (nanoDots) for clinical use. The OSL dosimeter has a great potential to be used in clinical dosimetry because of its prevailing advantages in both handling and application. However, utilising nanoDot OSLDs for dose measurement in diagnostic radiology can only be guaranteed when the performance and characteristics of the dosimeters are apposite. In the present work, we examined the response of commercially available nanoDot OSLD (Al2O3:C) subjected to X-rays in general radiography. The nanoDots response with respect to reproducibility, dose linearity and signal depletion were analysed using microStar reader (Landauer, Inc., Glenwood, IL). Irradiations were performed free-in-air using 70, 80 and 120 kV tube voltages and tube currents ranging from 10 - 100 mAs. The results showed that the nanoDots exhibit good linearity and reproducibility when subjected to diagnostic X-rays, with coefficient of variations (CV) ranging between 2.3% to 3.5% representing a good reproducibility. The results also indicated average of 1% signal reduction per readout. Hence, the nanoDots showed a promising potential for dose measurement in general X-ray procedure.

Hydrogel-coated fiber Bragg grating sensor for pH monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pabbisetti, Vayu Nandana Kishore; Madhuvarasu, Sai Shankar

2016-06-01

We present a fiber-optic wavelength-modulated sensor for pH applications. Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is functionalized with a stimulus-responsive hydrogel that induces a strain on FBG due to mechanical expansion of the gel in response to ambient pH changes. The gel is synthesized from the blends of poly (vinyl alcohol)/poly (acrylic acid). The induced strain results in a shift of FBG reflected peak that is monitored by an interrogator. The sensor system shows good linearity in the acidic pH range of 3 to 7 with a sensitivity of 12.16 pm/pH. In addition, it shows good repeatability and oscillator behavior, which proves it to be fit for pH sensing applications.

Pyroelectric effect in tryglicyne sulphate single crystals - Differential measurement method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trybus, M.

2018-06-01

A simple mathematical model of the pyroelectric phenomenon was used to explain the electric response of the TGS (triglycine sulphate) samples in the linear heating process in ferroelectric and paraelectric phases. Experimental verification of mathematical model was realized. TGS single crystals were grown and four electrode samples were fabricated. Differential measurements of the pyroelectric response of two different regions of the samples were performed and the results were compared with data obtained from the model. Experimental results are in good agreement with model calculations.

Time dependent density functional calculation of plasmon response in clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Feng; Zhang, Feng-Shou; Eric, Suraud

2003-02-01

We have introduced a theoretical scheme for the efficient description of the optical response of a cluster based on the time-dependent density functional theory. The practical implementation is done by means of the fully fledged time-dependent local density approximation scheme, which is solved directly in the time domain without any linearization. As an example we consider the simple Na2 cluster and compute its surface plasmon photoabsorption cross section, which is in good agreement with the experiments.

Color line scan camera technology and machine vision: requirements to consider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paernaenen, Pekka H. T.

1997-08-01

Color machine vision has shown a dynamic uptrend in use within the past few years as the introduction of new cameras and scanner technologies itself underscores. In the future, the movement from monochrome imaging to color will hasten, as machine vision system users demand more knowledge about their product stream. As color has come to the machine vision, certain requirements for the equipment used to digitize color images are needed. Color machine vision needs not only a good color separation but also a high dynamic range and a good linear response from the camera used. Good dynamic range and linear response is necessary for color machine vision. The importance of these features becomes even more important when the image is converted to another color space. There is always lost some information when converting integer data to another form. Traditionally the color image processing has been much slower technique than the gray level image processing due to the three times greater data amount per image. The same has applied for the three times more memory needed. The advancements in computers, memory and processing units has made it possible to handle even large color images today cost efficiently. In some cases he image analysis in color images can in fact even be easier and faster than with a similar gray level image because of more information per pixel. Color machine vision sets new requirements for lighting, too. High intensity and white color light is required in order to acquire good images for further image processing or analysis. New development in lighting technology is bringing eventually solutions for color imaging.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THERMOLUMINESCENCE LiF:Mg,Cu,Ag NANOPHOSPHOR.

PubMed

Yahyaabadi, A; Torkzadeh, F; Rezaei-Ochbelagh, D

2018-04-23

A nanophosphor of LiF:Mg,Cu,Ag was prepared by planetary ball milling for the first time in the laboratory. The size and shape of the nanophosphor were confirmed by XRD and SEM, which showed that it was cubic in shape and ~53 nm in size. The thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of this nanophosphor were then investigated. It was found that the optimum annealing condition was 250°C for 10 min. The TL sensitivity of the prepared nanopowder was less than that of its micropowder counterpart and the TL glow curve structure exhibited several peaks. The LiF:Mg,Cu,Ag nanophosphor exhibited a linear response over a range of doses from 1 Gy to ~10 kGy. From this study, it appears that LiF:Mg,Cu,Ag nanophosphor is a good candidate for dosimetry because of its linearity over a range of doses, low tendency to fade, good repeatability and simple glow curve structure.

Detection of Thrombin Based on Fluorescence Energy Transfer between Semiconducting Polymer Dots and BHQ-Labelled Aptamers.

PubMed

Liu, Yizhang; Jiang, Xuekai; Cao, Wenfeng; Sun, Junyong; Gao, Feng

2018-02-14

Carboxyl-functionalized semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) were synthesized as an energy donor by the nanoprecipitation method. A black hole quenching dye (BHQ-labelled thrombin aptamers) was used as the energy acceptor, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the aptamers and Pdots was used for fluorescence quenching of the Pdots. The addition of thrombin restored the fluorescence intensity. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the fluorescence of the system was restored to the maximum when the concentration of thrombin reached 130 nM, with a linear range of 0-50 nM (R² = 0.990) and a detection limit of 0.33 nM. This sensor was less disturbed by impurities, showing good specificity and signal response to thrombin, with good application in actual samples. The detection of human serum showed good linearity in the range of 0-30 nM (R² = 0.997), with a detection limit of 0.56 nM and a recovery rate of 96.2-104.1%, indicating that this fluorescence sensor can be used for the detection of thrombin content in human serum.

Mutations induced in Tradescantia by small doses of X-rays and neutrons - Analysis of dose-response curves.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sparrow, A. H.; Underbrink, A. G.; Rossi, H. H.

1972-01-01

Dose-response curves for pink somatic mutations in Tradescantia stamen hairs were analyzed after neutron and X-ray irradiation with doses ranging from a fraction of a rad to the region of saturation. The dose-effect relation for neutrons indicates a linear dependence from 0.01 to 8 rads; between 0.25 and 5 rads, a linear dependence is indicated for X-rays also. As a consequence the relative biological effectiveness reaches a constant value (about 50) at low doses. The observations are in good agreement with the predictions of the theory of dual radiation action and support its interpretation of the effects of radiation on higher organisms. The doubling dose of X-rays was found to be nearly 1 rad.

Automated design and optimization of flexible booster autopilots via linear programming, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hauser, F. D.

1972-01-01

A nonlinear programming technique was developed for the automated design and optimization of autopilots for large flexible launch vehicles. This technique, which resulted in the COEBRA program, uses the iterative application of linear programming. The method deals directly with the three main requirements of booster autopilot design: to provide (1) good response to guidance commands; (2) response to external disturbances (e.g. wind) to minimize structural bending moment loads and trajectory dispersions; and (3) stability with specified tolerances on the vehicle and flight control system parameters. The method is applicable to very high order systems (30th and greater per flight condition). Examples are provided that demonstrate the successful application of the employed algorithm to the design of autopilots for both single and multiple flight conditions.

Linear and nonlinear analysis of fluid slosh dampers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayar, B. A.; Baumgarten, J. R.

1982-11-01

A vibrating structure and a container partially filled with fluid are considered coupled in a free vibration mode. To simplify the mathematical analysis, a pendulum model to duplicate the fluid motion and a mass-spring dashpot representing the vibrating structure are used. The equations of motion are derived by Lagrange's energy approach and expressed in parametric form. For a wide range of parametric values the logarithmic decrements of the main system are calculated from theoretical and experimental response curves in the linear analysis. However, for the nonlinear analysis the theoretical and experimental response curves of the main system are compared. Theoretical predictions are justified by experimental observations with excellent agreement. It is concluded finally that for a proper selection of design parameters, containers partially filled with viscous fluids serve as good vibration dampers.

Comparison of thermoluminescence response of different sized Ge-doped flat fibers as a dosimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begum, Mahfuza; Mizanur Rahman, A. K. M.; Abdul-Rashid, H. A.; Yusoff, Z.; Mat-Sharif, K. A.; Zulkifli, M. I.; Muhamad-Yasin, S. Z.; Ung, N. M.; Kadir, A. B. A.; Amin, Y. M.; Bradley, D. A.

2015-11-01

Prime dosimetric properties, including dose-response, linearity with dose, energy response, fading and threshold doses were investigated for three different dimension Ge-doped flat fibers. The results of measurement were also compared with two of the more commonly used standard TLD media, TLD-100 (LiF:Mg,Ti-7.5%6LiF) and TLD-700 (7LiF:Mg,Ti-99.9%7LiF) chips. The flat cross-section samples (60×180) μm2, (100×350) μm2 and (200×750) μm2 were fabricated using the Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD) process and pulled from the same "preform." In the study, all flat fiber samples provided good linear dose-response for the photon and electron beams generated using a medical linear accelerator (LINAC), for doses in the range 0.5-8 Gy. Among the samples, the smallest dimension flat fiber provided the best response, with a sensitivity of some 61% and 54%, respectively of that of the TLD-100 and TLD-700 chips. The energy responses of the samples were studied for various photon (6 MV, 10 MV) and electron (6 MeV, 9 MeV) beam energies. TL fading of around 20% was observed over a period of thirty (30) days. These favorable TL characteristics point towards promising development of Ge-doped flat fibers for use in radiotherapy dosimetry.

Responsivity drop due to conductance modulation in GaN metal-semiconductor-metal Schottky based UV photodetectors on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravikiran, L.; Radhakrishnan, K.; Dharmarasu, N.; Agrawal, M.; Wang, Zilong; Bruno, Annalisa; Soci, Cesare; Lihuang, Tng; Kian Siong, Ang

2016-09-01

GaN Schottky metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) UV photodetectors were fabricated on a 600 nm thick GaN layer, grown on 100 mm Si (111) substrate using an ammonia-MBE growth technique. In this report, the effect of device dimensions, applied bias and input power on the linearity of the GaN Schottky-based MSM photodetectors on Si substrate were investigated. Devices with larger interdigitated spacing, ‘S’ of 9.0 μm between the fingers resulted in good linearity and flat responsivity characteristics as a function of input power with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of ˜33% at an applied bias of 15 V and an input power of 0.8 W m-2. With the decrease of ‘S’ to 3.0 μm, the EQE was found to increase to ˜97%. However, devices showed non linearity and drop in responsivity from flatness at higher input power. Moreover, the position of dropping from flatter responsivity was found to shift to lower powers with increased bias. The drop in the responsivity was attributed to the modulation of conductance in the MSM due to the trapping of electrons at the dislocations, resulting in the formation of depletion regions around them. In devices with lower ‘S’, both the image force reduction and the enhanced collection efficiency increased the photocurrent as well as the charging of the dislocations. This resulted in the increased depletion regions around the dislocations leading to the modulation of conductance and non-linearity.

[The application of non-annealing thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD)].

PubMed

Wu, J M; Chen, C S; Lan, R H

1993-06-01

Conventional use of Thermoluminescence (TL) in radiation dosimetry is very time-consuming. It requires repeating the procedures of preheating and annealing. In an attempt to simplify these procedures, we conducted an experiment of non-annealing TL dosimetry. This article reports the experiment's results. We adopted Lithium Fluoride (LiF) chip (TLD-100) in polystyrene under the exposure of Co-60, and the result was taken by HAR-SHAW-4000 TL reading system. The TL response was analyzed, including linearity, reproducibility and fading test. Because non-annealing TL response was greatly influenced by residual electron, TLD calibration curves were separated into two parts: (1) high dose region (HDR, 50-1500 cGy); (2) low dose region (LDR, 0-50 cGy). When TL dosimeters were exposed to a single high does (about 500 cGy), the HDR could be reproduced within 3% and fit a good linearity. For LDR, we had to give up the tail of glow curve in the high temperature region. We could then get good linearity and reproducibility. Furthermore, fading of non-annealing was apparently larger than annealing. We could control the fading of non-annealing was apparently larger than annealing. We could control the fading influence within 1% by taking the TL reading one hour after exposure. On the other hand, a combination of photon and electron exposure was also performed by non-annealing TL dosimetry. The results were compatible with Co-60 exposure in the same system.

Dynamics of a linear system coupled to a chain of light nonlinear oscillators analyzed through a continuous approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charlemagne, S.; Ture Savadkoohi, A.; Lamarque, C.-H.

2018-07-01

The continuous approximation is used in this work to describe the dynamics of a nonlinear chain of light oscillators coupled to a linear main system. A general methodology is applied to an example where the chain has local nonlinear restoring forces. The slow invariant manifold is detected at fast time scale. At slow time scale, equilibrium and singular points are sought around this manifold in order to predict periodic regimes and strongly modulated responses of the system. Analytical predictions are in good accordance with numerical results and represent a potent tool for designing nonlinear chains for passive control purposes.

AlN based piezoelectric micromirror.

PubMed

Shao, Jian; Li, Qi; Feng, Chuhuan; Li, Wei; Yu, Hongbin

2018-03-01

Aiming to pursue a micromirror possessing many desired characteristics, such as linear control, low power consumption, fast response, and easy fabrication, a new piezoelectric actuation strategy is presented. Different from conventional piezoelectric actuation cases, we first propose using AlN film as the active layer for actuating the micromirror. Owing to its good CMOS compatible deposition and patterning techniques, the AlN based piezoelectric micromirror has been successfully fabricated with a modified silicon-on-insulator-based microelectromechanical system (MEMS) process. At the same time, various mirror movement modes operating at high frequencies and excellent linear relationship between the movement and the control signal both have been experimentally demonstrated.

Effect of initial strain and material nonlinearity on the nonlinear static and dynamic response of graphene sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Sandeep; Patel, B. P.

2018-06-01

Computationally efficient multiscale modelling based on Cauchy-Born rule in conjunction with finite element method is employed to study static and dynamic characteristics of graphene sheets, with/without considering initial strain, involving Green-Lagrange geometric and material nonlinearities. The strain energy density function at continuum level is established by coupling the deformation at continuum level to that at atomic level through Cauchy-Born rule. The atomic interactions between carbon atoms are modelled through Tersoff-Brenner potential. The governing equation of motion obtained using Hamilton's principle is solved through standard Newton-Raphson method for nonlinear static response and Newmark's time integration technique to obtain nonlinear transient response characteristics. Effect of initial strain on the linear free vibration frequencies, nonlinear static and dynamic response characteristics is investigated in detail. The present multiscale modelling based results are found to be in good agreement with those obtained through molecular mechanics simulation. Two different types of boundary constraints generally used in MM simulation are explored in detail and few interesting findings are brought out. The effect of initial strain is found to be greater in linear response when compared to that in nonlinear response.

Dissolution and subsequent re-crystallization as zeroing mechanism, thermal properties and component resolved dose response of salt (NaCl) for retrospective dosimetry.

PubMed

Polymeris, George S; Kitis, George; Kiyak, Nafiye G; Sfamba, Ioanna; Subedi, Bhagawan; Pagonis, Vasilis

2011-09-01

In the present study we report dosimetric properties of iodized salt aiming at using it as an accidental luminescent dosimeter. It was found that the very good sensitivity of its main dosimetric peak is strongly affected by thermal treatments. This is also the case for OSL emission. The sensitivity loss due to heating implies that caution should be exercised while applying single aliquot protocols for dose evaluation. The sequence of dissolution and subsequent re-crystallization was established to be an extremely effective zeroing mechanism for the TL signal. The linearity in the dose response was also monitored in the case of dissolved and subsequently re-crystallized salt. In the case of naturally occurring salt, zeroing of the TL signal due to dissolution as well as the linearity of dose response up to doses as large as 100 Gy were found to be very promising features for dating applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of fMRI analysis methods for heterogeneous BOLD responses in block design studies

PubMed Central

Bernal-Casas, David; Fang, Zhongnan; Lee, Jin Hyung

2017-01-01

A large number of fMRI studies have shown that the temporal dynamics of evoked BOLD responses can be highly heterogeneous. Failing to model heterogeneous responses in statistical analysis can lead to significant errors in signal detection and characterization and alter the neurobiological interpretation. However, to date it is not clear that, out of a large number of options, which methods are robust against variability in the temporal dynamics of BOLD responses in block-design studies. Here, we used rodent optogenetic fMRI data with heterogeneous BOLD responses and simulations guided by experimental data as a means to investigate different analysis methods’ performance against heterogeneous BOLD responses. Evaluations are carried out within the general linear model (GLM) framework and consist of standard basis sets as well as independent component analysis (ICA). Analyses show that, in the presence of heterogeneous BOLD responses, conventionally used GLM with a canonical basis set leads to considerable errors in the detection and characterization of BOLD responses. Our results suggest that the 3rd and 4th order gamma basis sets, the 7th to 9th order finite impulse response (FIR) basis sets, the 5th to 9th order B-spline basis sets, and the 2nd to 5th order Fourier basis sets are optimal for good balance between detection and characterization, while the 1st order Fourier basis set (coherence analysis) used in our earlier studies show good detection capability. ICA has mostly good detection and characterization capabilities, but detects a large volume of spurious activation with the control fMRI data. PMID:27993672

Enantioselective piezoelectric quartz crystal sensor for d-methamphetamine based on a molecularly imprinted polymer.

PubMed

Arenas, Leveriza F; Ebarvia, Benilda S; Sevilla, Fortunato B

2010-08-01

A piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) has been developed for enantioselective and quantitative analysis of d-(+)-methamphetamine (d(+)-MA). The sensor was produced by bulk polymerization and the resulting MIP was then coated on the gold electrode of an AT-cut quartz crystal. Conditions such as volume of polymer coating, curing time, type of PQC, baseline solvent, pH, and buffer type were found to affect the sensor response and were therefore optimized. The PQC-MIP gave a stable response to different concentrations of d(+)-MA standard solutions (response time = 10 to 100 s) with good repeatability (RSD = 0.03 to 3.09%; n = 3), good reproducibility (RSD = 3.55%; n = 5), and good reversibility (RSD = 0.36%; n = 3). The linear range of the sensor covered five orders of magnitude of analyte concentration, ranging from 10(-5) to 10(-1) microg mL(-1), and the limit of detection was calculated as 11.9 pg d(+)-MA mL(-1) . The sensor had a highly enantioselective response to d(+)-MA compared with its response to l(-)-MA, racemic MA, and phentermine. The developed sensor was validated by applying it to human urine samples from drug-free individuals spiked with standard d(+)-MA and from a confirmed MA user. Use of the standard addition method (SAM) and samples spiked with d(+)-MA at levels ranging from 1 x 10(-3) to 1 x 10(-2) microg mL(-1) showed recovery was good (95.3 to 110.9%).

Non-linear dynamic analysis of geared systems, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Rajendra; Houser, Donald R.; Kahraman, Ahmet

1990-01-01

A good understanding of the steady state dynamic behavior of a geared system is required in order to design reliable and quiet transmissions. This study focuses on a system containing a spur gear pair with backlash and periodically time-varying mesh stiffness, and rolling element bearings with clearance type non-linearities. A dynamic finite element model of the linear time-invariant (LTI) system is developed. Effects of several system parameters, such as torsional and transverse flexibilities of the shafts and prime mover/load inertias, on free and force vibration characteristics are investigated. Several reduced order LTI models are developed and validated by comparing their eigen solution with the finite element model results. Several key system parameters such as mean load and damping ratio are identified and their effects on the non-linear frequency response are evaluated quantitatively. Other fundamental issues such as the dynamic coupling between non-linear modes, dynamic interactions between component non-linearities and time-varying mesh stiffness, and the existence of subharmonic and chaotic solutions including routes to chaos have also been examined in depth.

Immobilization and direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase on a tetragonal pyramid-shaped porous ZnO nanostructure for a glucose biosensor.

PubMed

Dai, Zhihui; Shao, Guojian; Hong, Jianmin; Bao, Jianchun; Shen, Jian

2009-01-01

A tetragonal pyramid-shaped porous ZnO (TPSP-ZnO) nanostructure is used for the immobilization, direct electrochemistry and biosensing of proteins. The prepared ZnO has a large surface area and good biocompatibility. Using glucose oxidase (GOD) as a model, this shaped ZnO is tested for immobilization of proteins and the construction of electrochemical biosensors with good electrochemical performances. The interaction between GOD and TPSP-ZnO is examined by using AFM, N(2) adsorption isotherms and electrochemical methods. The immobilized GOD at a TPSP-ZnO-modified glassy carbon electrode shows a good direct electrochemical behavior, which depends on the properties of the TPSP-ZnO. Based on a decrease of the electrocatalytic response of the reduced form of GOD to dissolved oxygen, the proposed biosensor exhibits a linear response to glucose concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 8.2mM with a detection limit of 0.01mM at an applied potential of -0.50V which has better biosensing properties than those from other morphological ZnO nanoparticles. The biosensor shows good stability, reproducibility, low interferences and can diagnose diabetes very fast and sensitively. Such the TPSP-ZnO nanostructure provides a good matrix for protein immobilization and biosensor preparation.

Design of linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control system for flight stability of LSU-05

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purnawan, Heri; Mardlijah; Budi Purwanto, Eko

2017-09-01

Lapan Surveillance UAV-05 (LSU-05) is an unmanned aerial vehicle designed to cruise time in 6 hours and cruise velocity about 30 m/s. Mission of LSU-05 is surveillance for researchs and observations such as traffics and disaster investigations. This paper aims to design a control system on the LSU-05 to fly steadily. The methods used to stabilize LSU-05 is Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR). Based on LQR controller, there is obtained transient response for longitudinal motion, td = 0.221s, tr = 0.419s, ts = 0.719s, tp = 1.359s, and Mp = 0%. In other hand, transient response for lateral-directional motion showed that td = 0.186s, tr = 0.515s, ts = 0.87s, tp = 2.02s, and Mp = 0%. The result of simulation showed a good performance for this method.

Multiple regression for physiological data analysis: the problem of multicollinearity.

PubMed

Slinker, B K; Glantz, S A

1985-07-01

Multiple linear regression, in which several predictor variables are related to a response variable, is a powerful statistical tool for gaining quantitative insight into complex in vivo physiological systems. For these insights to be correct, all predictor variables must be uncorrelated. However, in many physiological experiments the predictor variables cannot be precisely controlled and thus change in parallel (i.e., they are highly correlated). There is a redundancy of information about the response, a situation called multicollinearity, that leads to numerical problems in estimating the parameters in regression equations; the parameters are often of incorrect magnitude or sign or have large standard errors. Although multicollinearity can be avoided with good experimental design, not all interesting physiological questions can be studied without encountering multicollinearity. In these cases various ad hoc procedures have been proposed to mitigate multicollinearity. Although many of these procedures are controversial, they can be helpful in applying multiple linear regression to some physiological problems.

Fourier functional analysis for unsteady aerodynamic modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lan, C. Edward; Chin, Suei

1991-01-01

A method based on Fourier analysis is developed to analyze the force and moment data obtained in large amplitude forced oscillation tests at high angles of attack. The aerodynamic models for normal force, lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients are built up from a set of aerodynamic responses to harmonic motions at different frequencies. Based on the aerodynamic models of harmonic data, the indicial responses are formed. The final expressions for the models involve time integrals of the indicial type advocated by Tobak and Schiff. Results from linear two- and three-dimensional unsteady aerodynamic theories as well as test data for a 70-degree delta wing are used to verify the models. It is shown that the present modeling method is accurate in producing the aerodynamic responses to harmonic motions and the ramp type motions. The model also produces correct trend for a 70-degree delta wing in harmonic motion with different mean angles-of-attack. However, the current model cannot be used to extrapolate data to higher angles-of-attack than that of the harmonic motions which form the aerodynamic model. For linear ramp motions, a special method is used to calculate the corresponding frequency and phase angle at a given time. The calculated results from modeling show a higher lift peak for linear ramp motion than for harmonic ramp motion. The current model also shows reasonably good results for the lift responses at different angles of attack.

A diffusion-free and linear-energy-transfer-independent nanocomposite Fricke gel dosimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeyama, T.; Fukunishi, N.; Ishikawa, K. L.; Furuta, T.; Fukasaku, K.; Takagi, S.; Noda, S.; Himeno, R.; Fukuda, S.

2014-03-01

We report a new magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) based nanocomposite Fricke gel (NC-FG) dosimeter system, which is free from two main drawbacks of conventional Fricke gel dosimeters, namely, the diffusion of the radiation products and the linear-energy-transfer (LET) dependence of the radiation sensitivity when used for ion beams. The NC-FG dosimeter was prepared by incorporating 1% (w/w) clay nanoparticles into deaerated Fricke gel. We have dosimetrically characterized the NC-FG by using MRI measurements after irradiation with a monoenergetic 290 MeV/nucleon carbon beam. No diffusion of the radiation products was observed during nine days after the irradiation. Moreover, its response faithfully reproduced the depth-dose distribution measured by an ionization chamber, which indicates the absence of the LET dependence. Also, the NC-FG dosimeter exhibited a good linearity up to 800 Gy.

Investigation of absolute and relative response for three different liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry systems; the impact of ionization and detection saturation.

PubMed

Nilsson, Lars B; Skansen, Patrik

2012-06-30

The investigations in this article were triggered by two observations in the laboratory; for some liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) systems it was possible to obtain linear calibration curves for extreme concentration ranges and for some systems seemingly linear calibration curves gave good accuracy at low concentrations only when using a quadratic regression function. The absolute and relative responses were tested for three different LC/MS/MS systems by injecting solutions of a model compound and a stable isotope labeled internal standard. The analyte concentration range for the solutions was 0.00391 to 500 μM (128,000×), giving overload of the chromatographic column at the highest concentrations. The stable isotope labeled internal standard concentration was 0.667 μM in all samples. The absolute response per concentration unit decreased rapidly as higher concentrations were injected. The relative response, the ratio for the analyte peak area to the internal standard peak area, per concentration unit was calculated. For system 1, the ionization process was found to limit the response and the relative response per concentration unit was constant. For systems 2 and 3, the ion detection process was the limiting factor resulting in decreasing relative response at increasing concentrations. For systems behaving like system 1, simple linear regression can be used for any concentration range while, for systems behaving like systems 2 and 3, non-linear regression is recommended for all concentration ranges. Another consequence is that the ionization capacity limited systems will be insensitive to matrix ion suppression when an ideal internal standard is used while the detection capacity limited systems are at risk of giving erroneous results at high concentrations if the matrix ion suppression varies for different samples in a run. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Humidity sensor based on intracavity sensing of fiber ring laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jia; Xu, Wei; Xu, Degang; Wang, Yuye; Zhang, Chao; Yan, Chao; Yan, Dexian; He, Yixin; Tang, Longhuang; Zhang, Weihong; Yao, Jianquan

2017-10-01

A humidity sensor based on the intracavity sensing of a fiber ring laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. In the fiber ring laser, a humidity-sensitive fiber-optic multimode interferometer (MMI), fabricated by the single-mode-no-core-single-mode (SNCS) fiber coated with Agarose, works as the wavelength-selective filter for intracavity wavelength-modulated humidity sensing. The experiment shows that the lasing wavelength of the fiber laser has a good linear response to ambient humidity from 35%RH to 95%RH. The humidity sensitivity of -68 pm/%RH is obtained with a narrow 3 dB bandwidth less than 0.09 nm and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)  ˜60 dB. The time response of the sensor has been measured to be as fast as 93 ms. The proposed sensor possesses a good stability and low temperature cross-sensitivity.

Dynamic Analysis Method for Electromagnetic Artificial Muscle Actuator under PID Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakata, Yoshihiro; Ishiguro, Hiroshi; Hirata, Katsuhiro

We have been studying an interior permanent magnet linear actuator for an artificial muscle. This actuator mainly consists of a mover and stator. The mover is composed of permanent magnets, magnetic cores and a non-magnetic shaft. The stator is composed of 3-phase coils and a back yoke. In this paper, the dynamic analysis method under PID control is proposed employing the 3-D finite element method (3-D FEM) to compute the dynamic response and current response when the positioning control is active. As a conclusion, computed results show good agreement with measured ones of a prototype.

Fatigueless response of spider draglines in cyclic torsion facilitated by reversible molecular deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Bhupesh; Singh, Kamal P.

2014-11-01

We demonstrate that spider draglines exhibit a fatigueless response in extreme cyclic torsion up to its breaking limit. The well defined Raman bands at 1095 and 1245 cm-1 shifted linearly towards lower wavenumbers versus increasing twist in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. Under thousands of continuous loading cycles of twist strain approaching its breaking limit, all the Raman bands were preserved and the characteristic Raman peak shifts were found to be reversible. Besides, nanoscale surface profile of the worked silk appeared as good as the pristine silk. This unique fatigueless twist response of draglines, facilitated by reversible deformation of protein molecules, could find applications in durable miniatured devices.

Comparison of fMRI analysis methods for heterogeneous BOLD responses in block design studies.

PubMed

Liu, Jia; Duffy, Ben A; Bernal-Casas, David; Fang, Zhongnan; Lee, Jin Hyung

2017-02-15

A large number of fMRI studies have shown that the temporal dynamics of evoked BOLD responses can be highly heterogeneous. Failing to model heterogeneous responses in statistical analysis can lead to significant errors in signal detection and characterization and alter the neurobiological interpretation. However, to date it is not clear that, out of a large number of options, which methods are robust against variability in the temporal dynamics of BOLD responses in block-design studies. Here, we used rodent optogenetic fMRI data with heterogeneous BOLD responses and simulations guided by experimental data as a means to investigate different analysis methods' performance against heterogeneous BOLD responses. Evaluations are carried out within the general linear model (GLM) framework and consist of standard basis sets as well as independent component analysis (ICA). Analyses show that, in the presence of heterogeneous BOLD responses, conventionally used GLM with a canonical basis set leads to considerable errors in the detection and characterization of BOLD responses. Our results suggest that the 3rd and 4th order gamma basis sets, the 7th to 9th order finite impulse response (FIR) basis sets, the 5th to 9th order B-spline basis sets, and the 2nd to 5th order Fourier basis sets are optimal for good balance between detection and characterization, while the 1st order Fourier basis set (coherence analysis) used in our earlier studies show good detection capability. ICA has mostly good detection and characterization capabilities, but detects a large volume of spurious activation with the control fMRI data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The asymmetric response of Yangtze river basin summer rainfall to El Niño/La Niña

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardiman, Steven C.; Dunstone, Nick J.; Scaife, Adam A.; Bett, Philip E.; Li, Chaofan; Lu, Bo; Ren, Hong-Li; Smith, Doug M.; Stephan, Claudia C.

2018-02-01

The Yangtze river basin, in South East China, experiences anomalously high precipitation in summers following El Niño. This can lead to extensive flooding and loss of life. However, the response following La Niña has not been well documented. In this study, the response of Yangtze summer rainfall to El Niño/La Niña is found to be asymmetric, with no significant response following La Niña. The nature of this asymmetric response is found to be in good agreement with that simulated by the Met Office seasonal forecast system. Yangtze summer rainfall correlates positively with spring sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean and northwest Pacific. Indian Ocean sea surface temperatures are found to respond linearly to El Niño/La Niña, and to have a linear impact on Yangtze summer rainfall. However, northwest Pacific sea surface temperatures respond much more strongly following El Niño and, further, correlate more strongly with positive rainfall years. It is concluded that, whilst delayed Indian Ocean signals may influence summer Yangtze rainfall, it is likely that they do not lead to the asymmetric nature of the rainfall response to El Niño/La Niña.

Dosimetric characterization of a single crystal diamond detector in X-ray beams for preclinical research.

PubMed

Kampfer, Severin; Cho, Nathan; Combs, Stephanie E; Wilkens, Jan J

2018-05-29

The aim of this study was to investigate a single crystal diamond detector, the microDiamond detector from PTW (PTW-Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany), concerning the particular requirements in the set-up and energy range used in small animal radiotherapy (RT) research (around 220kV). We tested it to find out the minimal required pre-irradiation dose, the dose linearity, dose rate dependency and the angular response as well as usability in the small animal radiation research platform, SARRP (Xstrahl Ltd., Camberley, UK). For a stable signal in the range of energies used in the study, we found a required pre-irradiation dose of 10Gy. The dose linearity and dose rate dependence measurements showed a very good performance of the microDiamond detector. Regarding the effect of angular dependency, the variation of the response signal is less than 0.5% within the first 15° of the polar angle. In the azimuthal angle, however, there are differences in detector response up to 20%, depending on the range of energies used in the study. In addition, we compared the detector to a radiosensitive film for a profile measurement of a 5×5mm 2 irradiation field. Both methods showed a good accordance with the field size, however, the film has a steeper dose gradient in the penumbra region but also a higher noise than the microDiamond detector. We demonstrated that the microDiamond detector is a useful measurement tool for small animal RT research due to its small size. Nevertheless, it seems to be very important to verify the response of the detector in the given set-up and energy range. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Self-optimizing Pitch Control for Large Scale Wind Turbine Based on ADRC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Anjun; Hu, Guoqing; Li, Zheng; Huang, Dongxiao; Wang, Fengxiang

2018-01-01

Since wind turbine is a complex nonlinear and strong coupling system, traditional PI control method can hardly achieve good control performance. A self-optimizing pitch control method based on the active-disturbance-rejection control theory is proposed in this paper. A linear model of the wind turbine is derived by linearizing the aerodynamic torque equation and the dynamic response of wind turbine is transformed into a first-order linear system. An expert system is designed to optimize the amplification coefficient according to the pitch rate and the speed deviation. The purpose of the proposed control method is to regulate the amplification coefficient automatically and keep the variations of pitch rate and rotor speed in proper ranges. Simulation results show that the proposed pitch control method has the ability to modify the amplification coefficient effectively, when it is not suitable, and keep the variations of pitch rate and rotor speed in proper ranges

Noise levels of operational helicopters of the OH-6 type designed to meet the LOH mission. [acoustic properties for various helicopter configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagner, R. A.

1973-01-01

Formulas relating overall sound pressure level (OASPL) to parameters such as horsepower required, tip speed, and thrust for main and tail rotors are presented for standard and quieted helicopters. Formulas relating OASPL to engine parameters such as horsepower output and percent power turbine rpm are presented for unmuffled and muffled engines. The linear scale was used in preference to any of the weighted scales because it resulted in more consistent agreement with the test data when the SPL is expressed in the usual parameters of tip speed, thrust generated and power required. It is recognized that the linear scale does not adequately reflect hearing response, and hence is not a good absolute measure for detection by humans. However, linear OASPL is believed to be useful as a relative means of comparing noise level variations of individual components in similar helicopters with reasonably modest design changes.

Surface plasmon resonance sensor for antibiotics detection based on photo-initiated polymerization molecularly imprinted array.

PubMed

Luo, Qiaohui; Yu, Neng; Shi, Chunfei; Wang, Xiaoping; Wu, Jianmin

2016-12-01

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor combined with nanoscale molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film as recognition element was developed for selective detection of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP). The MIP film on SPR sensor chip was prepared by in situ photo-initiated polymerization method which has the advantages of short polymerization time, controllable thickness and good uniformity. The surface wettability and thickness of MIP film on SPR sensor chip were characterized by static contact angle measurement and stylus profiler. The MIP-SPR sensor exhibited high selectivity, sensitivity and good stability for ciprofloxacin. The imprinting factors of the MIP-SPR sensor to ciprofloxacin and its structural analogue ofloxacin were 2.63 and 3.80, which is much higher than those to azithromycin, dopamine and penicillin. The SPR response had good linear relation with CIP concentration over the range 10 -11 -10 -7 molL -1 . The MIP-SPR sensor also showed good repeatability and stability during cyclic detections. On the basis of the photo-initiated polymerization method, a surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) chip modified with three types of MIP sensing spots was fabricated. The MIPs-SPRi sensor shows different response patterns to ciprofloxacin and azithromycin, revealing the ability to recognize different antibiotic molecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic pressure probe response tests for robust measurements in periodic flows close to probe resonating frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceyhun Şahin, Fatma; Schiffmann, Jürg

2018-02-01

A single-hole probe was designed to measure steady and periodic flows with high fluctuation amplitudes and with minimal flow intrusion. Because of its high aspect ratio, estimations showed that the probe resonates at a frequency two orders of magnitude lower than the fast response sensor cut-off frequencies. The high fluctuation amplitudes cause a non-linear behavior of the probe and available models are neither adequate for a quantitative estimation of the resonating frequencies nor for predicting the system damping. Instead, a non-linear data correction procedure based on individual transfer functions defined for each harmonic contribution is introduced for pneumatic probes that allows to extend their operating range beyond the resonating frequencies and linear dynamics. This data correction procedure was assessed on a miniature single-hole probe of 0.35 mm inner diameter which was designed to measure flow speed and direction. For the reliable use of such a probe in periodic flows, its frequency response was reproduced with a siren disk, which allows exciting the probe up to 10 kHz with peak-to-peak amplitudes ranging between 20%-170% of the absolute mean pressure. The effect of the probe interior design on the phase lag and amplitude distortion in periodic flow measurements was investigated on probes with similar inner diameters and different lengths or similar aspect ratios (L/D) and different total interior volumes. The results suggest that while the tube length consistently sets the resonance frequency, the internal total volume affects the non-linear dynamic response in terms of varying gain functions. A detailed analysis of the introduced calibration methodology shows that the goodness of the reconstructed data compared to the reference data is above 75% for fundamental frequencies up to twice the probe resonance frequency. The results clearly suggest that the introduced procedure is adequate to capture non-linear pneumatic probe dynamics and to reproduce time-resolved data far above probe resonant frequency.

Treatment Planning and Volumetric Response Assessment for Yttrium-90 Radioembolization: Semiautomated Determination of Liver Volume and Volume of Tumor Necrosis in Patients with Hepatic Malignancy

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

Monsky, Wayne L., E-mail: wayne.monsky@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu; Garza, Armando S.; Kim, Isaac

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to demonstrate intraobserver/interobserver reproducibility for novel semiautomated measurements of hepatic volume used for Yttrium-90 dose calculations as well as whole-liver and necrotic-liver (hypodense/nonenhancing) tumor volume after radioembolization. The secondary aim was to provide initial comparisons of tumor volumetric measurements with linear measurements, as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria, and survival outcomes. Methods: Between 2006 and 2009, 23 consecutive radioembolization procedures were performed for 14 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 9 cases of hepatic metastases. Baseline and follow-up computed tomography obtained 1 month after treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Threemore » observers measured liver, whole-tumor, and tumor-necrosis volumes twice using semiautomated software. Results: Good intraobserver/interobserver reproducibility was demonstrated (intraclass correlation [ICC] > 0.9) for tumor and liver volumes. Semiautomated measurements of liver volumes were statistically similar to those obtained with manual tracing (ICC = 0.868), but they required significantly less time to perform (p < 0.0001, ICC = 0.088). There was a positive association between change in linear tumor measurements and whole-tumor volume (p < 0.0001). However, linear measurements did not correlate with volume of necrosis (p > 0.05). Dose, change in tumor diameters, tumor volume, and necrotic volume did not correlate with survival (p > 0.05 in all instances). However, Kaplan-Meier curves suggest that a >10% increase in necrotic volume correlated with survival (p = 0.0472). Conclusion: Semiautomated volumetric analysis of liver, whole-tumor, and tumor-necrosis volume can be performed with good intraobserver/interobserver reproducibility. In this small retrospective study, measurements of tumor necrosis were suggested to correlate with survival.« less

Linear score tests for variance components in linear mixed models and applications to genetic association studies.

PubMed

Qu, Long; Guennel, Tobias; Marshall, Scott L

2013-12-01

Following the rapid development of genome-scale genotyping technologies, genetic association mapping has become a popular tool to detect genomic regions responsible for certain (disease) phenotypes, especially in early-phase pharmacogenomic studies with limited sample size. In response to such applications, a good association test needs to be (1) applicable to a wide range of possible genetic models, including, but not limited to, the presence of gene-by-environment or gene-by-gene interactions and non-linearity of a group of marker effects, (2) accurate in small samples, fast to compute on the genomic scale, and amenable to large scale multiple testing corrections, and (3) reasonably powerful to locate causal genomic regions. The kernel machine method represented in linear mixed models provides a viable solution by transforming the problem into testing the nullity of variance components. In this study, we consider score-based tests by choosing a statistic linear in the score function. When the model under the null hypothesis has only one error variance parameter, our test is exact in finite samples. When the null model has more than one variance parameter, we develop a new moment-based approximation that performs well in simulations. Through simulations and analysis of real data, we demonstrate that the new test possesses most of the aforementioned characteristics, especially when compared to existing quadratic score tests or restricted likelihood ratio tests. © 2013, The International Biometric Society.

Air density dependence of the response of the PTW SourceCheck 4pi ionization chamber for 125I brachytherapy seeds.

PubMed

Torres Del Río, J; Tornero-López, A M; Guirado, D; Pérez-Calatayud, J; Lallena, A M

2017-06-01

To analyze the air density dependence of the response of the new SourceCheck 4pi ionization chamber, manufactured by PTW. The air density dependence of three different SourceCheck 4pi chambers was studied by measuring 125 I sources. Measurements were taken by varying the pressure from 746.6 to 986.6hPa in a pressure chamber. Three different HDR 1000 Plus ionization chambers were also analyzed under similar conditions. A linear and a potential-like function of the air density were fitted to experimental data and their achievement in describing them was analyzed. SourceCheck 4pi chamber response showed a residual dependence on the air density once the standard pressure and temperature factor was applied. The chamber response was overestimated when the air density was below that under normal atmospheric conditions. A similar dependence was found for the HDR 1000 Plus chambers analyzed. A linear function of the air density permitted a very good description of this residual dependence, better than with a potential function. No significant variability between the different specimens of the same chamber model studied was found. The effect of overestimation observed in the chamber responses once they are corrected for the standard pressure and temperature may represent a non-negligible ∼4% overestimation in high altitude cities as ours (700m AMSL). This overestimation behaves linearly with the air density in all cases analyzed. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Refinements of Stout’s Procedure for Assessing Latent Trait Unidimensionality

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-08-01

in the presence of guessing when coupled with many high-discriminating items. A revision of DIMTEST is proposed to overcome this limitation. Also, an...used for factor analysis. When guessing is present in the responses to items, however, linear factor analysis of tetrachoric correlations can produce...significance when d=1 and maintaining good power when d=2, even when the correlation between the abilities is as high as .7. The present study provides a

Highly Sensitive Temperature Sensors Based on Fiber-Optic PWM and Capacitance Variation Using Thermochromic Sensing Membrane.

PubMed

Khan, Md Rajibur Rahaman; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-07-09

In this paper, we propose a temperature/thermal sensor that contains a Rhodamine-B sensing membrane. We applied two different sensing methods, namely, fiber-optic pulse width modulation (PWM) and an interdigitated capacitor (IDC)-based temperature sensor to measure the temperature from 5 °C to 100 °C. To the best of our knowledge, the fiber-optic PWM-based temperature sensor is reported for the first time in this study. The proposed fiber-optic PWM temperature sensor has good sensing ability; its sensitivity is ~3.733 mV/°C. The designed temperature-sensing system offers stable sensing responses over a wide dynamic range, good reproducibility properties with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of ~0.021, and the capacity for a linear sensing response with a correlation coefficient of R² ≈ 0.992 over a wide sensing range. In our study, we also developed an IDC temperature sensor that is based on the capacitance variation principle as the IDC sensing element is heated. We compared the performance of the proposed temperature-sensing systems with different fiber-optic temperature sensors (which are based on the fiber-optic wavelength shift method, the long grating fiber-optic Sagnac loop, and probe type fiber-optics) in terms of sensitivity, dynamic range, and linearity. We observed that the proposed sensing systems have better sensing performance than the above-mentioned sensing system.

Synthesis of nonlinear frequency responses with experimentally extracted nonlinear modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, Simon; Scheel, Maren; Krack, Malte; Leine, Remco I.

2018-02-01

Determining frequency response curves is a common task in the vibration analysis of nonlinear systems. Measuring nonlinear frequency responses is often challenging and time consuming due to, e.g., coexisting stable or unstable vibration responses and structure-exciter-interaction. The aim of the current paper is to develop a method for the synthesis of nonlinear frequency responses near an isolated resonance, based on data that can be easily and automatically obtained experimentally. The proposed purely experimental approach relies on (a) a standard linear modal analysis carried out at low vibration levels and (b) a phase-controlled tracking of the backbone curve of the considered forced resonance. From (b), the natural frequency and vibrational deflection shape are directly obtained as a function of the vibration level. Moreover, a damping measure can be extracted by power considerations or from the linear modal analysis. In accordance with the single nonlinear mode assumption, the near-resonant frequency response can then be synthesized using this data. The method is applied to a benchmark structure consisting of a cantilevered beam attached to a leaf spring undergoing large deflections. The results are compared with direct measurements of the frequency response. The proposed approach is fast, robust and provides a good estimate for the frequency response. It is also found that direct frequency response measurement is less robust due to bifurcations and using a sine sweep excitation with a conventional force controller leads to underestimation of maximum vibration response.

Permethylated-β-Cyclodextrin Capped CdTe Quantum Dot and its Sensitive Fluorescence Analysis of Malachite Green.

PubMed

Cao, Yujuan; Wei, Jiongling; Wu, Wei; Wang, Song; Hu, Xiaogang; Yu, Ying

2015-09-01

In the present work, the CdTe quantum dots were covalently conjugated with permethylated-β-cyclodextrin (OMe-β-CD) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride as cross-linking reagent. The obtained functional quantum dots (OMe-β-CD/QDs) showed highly luminescent, water solubility and photostability as well as good inclusion ability to malachite green. A sensitive fluorescence method was developed for the analysis of malachite green in different samples. The good linearity was 2.0 × 10(-7)-1.0 × 10(-5) mol/L and the limit of detect was 1.7 × 10(-8) mol/L. The recoveries for three environmental water samples were 92.0-108.2 % with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.24-1.87 %, while the recovery for the fish sample was 94.3 % with RSD of 1.04 %. The results showed that the present method was sensitive and convenient to determine malachite green in complex samples. Graphical Abstract The analytical mechanism of OMe-β-CD/QDs and its linear response to MG.

Should the SCOPA-COG be modified? A Rasch analysis perspective.

PubMed

Forjaz, M J; Frades-Payo, B; Rodriguez-Blazquez, C; Ayala, A; Martinez-Martin, P

2010-02-01

The SCales for Outcomes in PArkinson's disease-Cognition (SCOPA-COG) is a specific measure of cognitive function for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Previous studies, under the frame of the classic test theory, indicate satisfactory psychometric properties. The Rasch model, an item response theory approach, provides new information about the scale, as well as results in a linear scale. This study aims at analysing the SCOPA-COG according to the Rasch model and, on the basis of results, suggesting modification to the SCOPA-COG. Fit to the Rasch model was analysed using a sample of 384 PD patients. A good fit was obtained after rescoring for disordered thresholds. The person separation index, a reliability measure, was 0.83. Differential item functioning was observed by age for three items and by gender for one item. The SCOPA-COG is a unidimensional measure of global cognitive function in PD patients, with good scale targeting and no empirical evidence for use of the subscale scores. Its adequate reliability and internal construct validity were supported. The SCOPA-COG, with the proposed scoring scheme, generates true linear interval scores.

Stability of a pH-sensitive polymer matrix

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

Northrup, M.A.; Langry, K.; Angel, S.M.

1990-03-01

A ratiometric pH-sensitive fluorescent dye (hydroxypyrenetrisulfonic acid) was covalently attached to an acrylamide polymer. These pH-sensitive copolymers were either covalently bonded to the end of an optical fiber or polymerized into separate gels. Long-term, accelerated aging studies were performed on the fibers and gels in 43{degree}C distilled H{sub 2}O. The fiber-immobilized optrodes gave good pH responses for up to 2 months. The pH-sensitive gels were physically attached to optical fibers and gave very good pH responses for over one year. These physically immobilized, one-year-old, pH-sensitive copolymers provided optrodes with linear pH responses between pH 6 and 8 and resolution greatermore » than 0.25 pH unit. A simple photostability experiment on these optrodes showed that they were very photostable. The results of this study indicate that pH-sensitive copolymers in a simple optrode design can be employed as pH sensors with useful lifetimes exceeding one year. 11 refs., 6 figs.« less

Characterization of OSL dosimeters for use in dose assessment in Computed Tomography procedures.

PubMed

Giansante, Louise; Santos, Josilene C; Umisedo, Nancy K; Terini, Ricardo A; Costa, Paulo R

2018-03-01

This study describes the characterization of an Al 2 O 3 :C OSLD (Landauer's Luxel™ tape) for dose evaluation in Computed Tomography. The irradiations were conducted using both a constant potential X-ray equipment and a 64-slice clinical CT scanner, and the readouts were performed using a Risø TL/OSL reader. The following aspects were studied: batch homogeneity, energy response, linearity of dose response, reproducibility, reusability, and effect of uncertainties with the normalization of OSL signals per their response to beta radiation. A group of 330 dosimeters from the 452 irradiated with the same dose presented OSL signals within the interval of 4.7% from the average. The dosimeters presented energy-dependent response in good agreement with results found in the literature. The air kerma response of the OSL signal showed a linear trend for both the constant potential X-ray device and the clinical CT scanner, with differences in their slopes of approximately 10%. Reproducibility, reusability, and effect of beta normalization were analyzed by separating 72 dosimeters in 3 groups. The results obtained in this study together with those of previous works indicate that this type of dosimeter is adequate for dose evaluation in CT clinical applications. Copyright © 2018 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-perceived health in older Europeans: Does the choice of survey matter?

PubMed Central

Croezen, Simone; Burdorf, Alex

2016-01-01

Abstract Background: Cross-national comparisons of health in European countries provide crucial information to monitor health and disease within and between countries and to inform policy and research priorities. However, variations in estimates might occur when information from cross-national European surveys with different characteristics are used. We compared the prevalence of very good or good self-perceived health across 10 European countries according to three European surveys and investigated which survey characteristics contributed to differences in prevalence estimates. Methods: We used aggregate data from 2004 to 2005 of respondents aged 55–64 years from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the European Social Survey (ESS). Across the surveys, self-perceived health was assessed by the same question with response options ranging from very good to very bad. Results: Despite a good correlation between the surveys (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.77), significant differences were found in prevalence estimates of very good or good self-perceived health. The survey response, sample size and survey mode contributed statistically significantly to the differences between the surveys. Multilevel linear regression analyses, adjusted for survey characteristics, showed a higher prevalence for SHARE (+6.96, 95% CIs: 3.14 to 10.8) and a lower prevalence (−3.12; 95% CIs: −7.11 to 0.86) for ESS, with EU-SILC as the reference survey. Conclusion: Three important health surveys in Europe showed substantial differences for presence of very good or good self-perceived health. These differences limit the usefulness for direct comparisons across studies in health policies for Europe. PMID:26989125

Blade loss transient dynamic analysis of turbomachinery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stallone, M. J.; Gallardo, V.; Storace, A. F.; Bach, L. J.; Black, G.; Gaffney, E. F.

1982-01-01

This paper reports on work completed to develop an analytical method for predicting the transient non-linear response of a complete aircraft engine system due to the loss of a fan blade, and to validate the analysis by comparing the results against actual blade loss test data. The solution, which is based on the component element method, accounts for rotor-to-casing rubs, high damping and rapid deceleration rates associated with the blade loss event. A comparison of test results and predicted response show good agreement except for an initial overshoot spike not observed in test. The method is effective for analysis of large systems.

Visible Light Responsive Liquid Crystal Polymers Containing Reactive Moieties with Good Processability.

PubMed

Liu, Yuyun; Wu, Wei; Wei, Jia; Yu, Yanlei

2017-01-11

Two types of novel reactive linear liquid crystal polymers (LLCPs) with different azotolene concentrations have been synthesized and processed into films and fibers by solution and melting processing methods. Then, the LLCPs in the obtained monodomain fiber and polydomain film were easily cross-linked with difunctional primary amines. The resulted cross-linked liquid crystal polymers (CLCPs) underwent reversible photoinduced bending and unbending behaviors in response to 445 and 530 nm visible light at room temperature, respectively. The post-cross-linking method provides a facile way to prepare the CLCP films and fibers with different shapes from LLCPs, which can be processed by traditional melting and solution methods.

The Effect of the Thickness of the Sensitive Layer on the Performance of the Accumulating NOx Sensor

PubMed Central

Groß, Andrea; Richter, Miriam; Kubinski, David J.; Visser, Jacobus H.; Moos, Ralf

2012-01-01

A novel and promising method to measure low levels of NOx utilizes the accumulating sensor principle. During an integration cycle, incoming NOx molecules are stored in a sensitive layer based on an automotive lean NOx trap (LNT) material that changes its electrical resistivity proportional to the amount of stored NOx, making the sensor suitable for long-term detection of low levels of NOx. In this study, the influence of the thickness of the sensitive layer, prepared by multiple screen-printing, is investigated. All samples show good accumulating sensing properties for both NO and NO2. In accordance to a simplified model, the base resistance of the sensitive layer and the sensitivity to NOx decrease with increasing thickness. Contrarily, the sensor response time increases. The linear measurement range of all samples ends at a sensor response of about 30% resulting in an increase of the linearly detectable amount with the thickness. Hence, the variation of the thickness of the sensitive layer is a powerful tool to adapt the linear measurement range (proportional to the thickness) as well as the sensitivity (proportional to the inverse thickness) to the application requirements. Calculations combining the sensor model with the measurement results indicate that for operation in the linear range, about 3% of the LNT material is converted to nitrate.

High-performance linear arrays of YBa2Cu3O7 superconducting infrared microbolometers on silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Burgess R.; Foote, Marc C.; Marsh, Holly A.

1995-06-01

Single detectors and linear arrays of microbolometers utilizing the superconducting transition edge of YBa(subscript 2)Cu(subscript 3)O(subscript 7) have been fabricated by micromachining on silicon wafers. A D* of 8 +/- 2 X 10(superscript 9) cm Hz(superscript 1/2)/watt has been measured on a single detector. This is the highest D* reported on any superconducting microbolometer operating at temperatures higher than about 70 K. The NEP of this device was 1.5 X 10(superscript -12) watts/Hz(superscript HLF) at 2 Hz, at a temperature of 80.7 K. The thermal time constant was 105 msec, and the detector area was 140 micrometers X 105 micrometers . The use of batch silicon processing makes fabrication of linear arrays of these detectors relatively straightforward. The measured responsivity of detectors in one such array varied by less than 20% over the 6 mm length of the 64-element linear array. This measurement shows that good uniformity can be achieved at a single operating temperature in a superconductor microbolometer array, even when the superconducting resistive transition is a sharp function of temperature. The thermal detection mechanism of these devices gives them broadband response. This makes them especially useful at long wavelengths (e.g. (lambda) > 20 micrometers ), where they provide very high sensitivity at relatively high operating temperatures.

A Converse Approach to NMR Chemical Shifts for Norm-Conserving Pseudopotentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, Graham; Ceresoli, Davide; Marzari, Nicola; Thonhauser, Timo

2010-03-01

Building on the recently developed converse approach for the ab-initio calculation of NMR chemical shifts [1], we present a corresponding framework that is suitable in connection with norm-conserving pseudopotentials. Our approach uses the GIPAW transformation [2] to set up a formalism where the derivative of the orbital magnetization [3] is taken with respect to a microscopic, localized magnetic dipole in the presence of pseudopotentials. The advantages of our method are that it is conceptually simple, the need for a linear-response framework is avoided, and it is applicable to large systems. We present results for calculations of several well-studied systems, including the carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, and phosphorus shifts in various molecules and solids. Our results are in very good agreement with both linear-response calculations and experimental results.[4pt] [1] T. Thonhauser et al., J. Chem. Phys. 131, 101101 (2009).[2] C. J. Pickard and F. Mauri, Phys. Rev. B 63, 245101 (2001).[3] T. Thonhauser et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 137205 (2005).

Real-time biodetection using a smartphone-based dual-color surface plasmon resonance sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qiang; Yuan, Huizhen; Liu, Yun; Wang, Jiabin; Jing, Zhenguo; Peng, Wei

2018-04-01

We proposed a compact and cost-effective red-green dual-color fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on the smartphone. Inherent color selectivity of phone cameras was utilized for real-time monitoring of red and green color channels simultaneously, which can reduce the chance of false detection and improve the sensitivity. Because there are no external prisms, complex optical lenses, or diffraction grating, simple optical configuration is realized. It has a linear response in a refractive index range of 1.326 to 1.351 (R2 = 0.991) with a resolution of 2.3 × 10 - 4 RIU. We apply it for immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration measurement. Experimental results demonstrate that a linear SPR response was achieved for IgG concentrations varying from 0.02 to 0.30 mg / ml with good repeatability. It may find promising applications in the fields of public health and environment monitoring owing to its simple optics design and applicability in real-time, label-free biodetection.

Non-Linear Steady State Vibrations of Beams Excited by Vortex Shedding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LEWANDOWSKI, R.

2002-05-01

In this paper the non-linear vibrations of beams excited by vortex-shedding are considered. In particular, the steady state responses of beams near the synchronization region are taken into account. The main aerodynamic properties of wind are described by using the semi-empirical model proposed by Hartlen and Currie. The finite element method and the strip method are used to formulate the equation of motion of the system treated. The harmonic balance method is adopted to derive the amplitude equations. These equations are solved with the help of the continuation method which is very convenient to perform the parametric studies of the problem and to determine the response curve in the synchronization region. Moreover, the equations of motion are also integrated using the Newmark method. The results of calculations of several example problems are also shown to confirm the efficiency and accuracy of the presented method. The results obtained by the harmonic balance method and by the Newmark methods are in good agreement with each other.

Enzymatic-induced upconversion photoinduced electron transfer for sensing tyrosine in human serum.

PubMed

Wu, Qiongqiong; Fang, Aijin; Li, Haitao; Zhang, Youyu; Yao, Shouzhuo

2016-03-15

This paper reports a novel nanosensor for tyrosine based on photoinduced electron-transfer (PET) between NaYF4:Yb, Tm upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and melanin-like polymers. Melanin-like films were obtained from catalytic oxidation of tyrosine by tyrosinase, and deposited on the surface of UCNPs, and then quenched the fluorescence of UCNPs. Under the optimized conditions, the fluorescence quenching of UCNPs showed a good linear response to tyrosine concentration in the range of 0.8-100 μΜ with a detection limit of 1.1 μΜ. Meanwhile, it showed good sensitivity, stability and has been successfully applied to the detection of tyrosine in human serum. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical sensing of bisphenol using a multilayer graphene nanobelt modified photolithography patterned platinum electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karthick Kannan, Padmanathan; Hu, Chunxiao; Morgan, Hywel; Moshkalev, Stanislav A.; Sekhar Rout, Chandra

2016-09-01

An electrochemical sensor has been developed for the detection of Bisphenol-A (BPA) using photolithographically patterned platinum electrodes modified with multilayer graphene nanobelts (GNB). Compared to bare electrodes, the GNB modified electrode exhibited enhanced BPA oxidation current, due to the high effective surface area and high adsorption capacity of the GNB. The sensor showed a linear response over the concentration range from 0.5 μM-9 μM with a very low limit of detection = 37.33 nM. In addition, the sensor showed very good stability and reproducibility with good specificity, demonstrating that GNB is potentially a new material for the development of a practical BPA electrochemical sensor with application in both industrial and plastic industries.

Dual-Phase Lock-In Amplifier Based on FPGA for Low-Frequencies Experiments

PubMed Central

Macias-Bobadilla, Gonzalo; Rodríguez-Reséndiz, Juvenal; Mota-Valtierra, Georgina; Soto-Zarazúa, Genaro; Méndez-Loyola, Maurino; Garduño-Aparicio, Mariano

2016-01-01

Photothermal techniques allow the detection of characteristics of material without invading it. Researchers have developed hardware for some specific Phase and Amplitude detection (Lock-In Function) applications, eliminating space and unnecessary electronic functions, among others. This work shows the development of a Digital Lock-In Amplifier based on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for low-frequency applications. This system allows selecting and generating the appropriated frequency depending on the kind of experiment or material studied. The results show good frequency stability in the order of 1.0 × 10−9 Hz, which is considered good linearity and repeatability response for the most common Laboratory Amplitude and Phase Shift detection devices, with a low error and standard deviation. PMID:26999138

Dual-Phase Lock-In Amplifier Based on FPGA for Low-Frequencies Experiments.

PubMed

Macias-Bobadilla, Gonzalo; Rodríguez-Reséndiz, Juvenal; Mota-Valtierra, Georgina; Soto-Zarazúa, Genaro; Méndez-Loyola, Maurino; Garduño-Aparicio, Mariano

2016-03-16

Photothermal techniques allow the detection of characteristics of material without invading it. Researchers have developed hardware for some specific Phase and Amplitude detection (Lock-In Function) applications, eliminating space and unnecessary electronic functions, among others. This work shows the development of a Digital Lock-In Amplifier based on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for low-frequency applications. This system allows selecting and generating the appropriated frequency depending on the kind of experiment or material studied. The results show good frequency stability in the order of 1.0 × 10(-9) Hz, which is considered good linearity and repeatability response for the most common Laboratory Amplitude and Phase Shift detection devices, with a low error and standard deviation.

A method for computing ion energy distributions for multifrequency capacitive discharges

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

Wu, Alan C. F.; Lieberman, M. A.; Verboncoeur, J. P.

2007-03-01

The ion energy distribution (IED) at a surface is an important parameter for processing in multiple radio frequency driven capacitive discharges. An analytical model is developed for the IED in a low pressure discharge based on a linear transfer function that relates the time-varying sheath voltage to the time-varying ion energy response at the surface. This model is in good agreement with particle-in-cell simulations over a wide range of single, dual, and triple frequency driven capacitive discharge excitations.

Cross-beam energy transfer: On the accuracy of linear stationary models in the linear kinetic regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debayle, A.; Masson-Laborde, P.-E.; Ruyer, C.; Casanova, M.; Loiseau, P.

2018-05-01

We present an extensive numerical study by means of particle-in-cell simulations of the energy transfer that occurs during the crossing of two laser beams. In the linear regime, when ions are not trapped in the potential well induced by the laser interference pattern, a very good agreement is obtained with a simple linear stationary model, provided the laser intensity is sufficiently smooth. These comparisons include different plasma compositions to cover the strong and weak Landau damping regimes as well as the multispecies case. The correct evaluation of the linear Landau damping at the phase velocity imposed by the laser interference pattern is essential to estimate the energy transfer rate between the laser beams, once the stationary regime is reached. The transient evolution obtained in kinetic simulations is also analysed by means of a full analytical formula that includes 3D beam energy exchange coupled with the ion acoustic wave response. Specific attention is paid to the energy transfer when the laser presents small-scale inhomogeneities. In particular, the energy transfer is reduced when the laser inhomogeneities are comparable with the Landau damping characteristic length of the ion acoustic wave.

Dynamical heterogeneities and mechanical non-linearities: Modeling the onset of plasticity in polymer in the glass transition.

PubMed

Masurel, R J; Gelineau, P; Lequeux, F; Cantournet, S; Montes, H

2017-12-27

In this paper we focus on the role of dynamical heterogeneities on the non-linear response of polymers in the glass transition domain. We start from a simple coarse-grained model that assumes a random distribution of the initial local relaxation times and that quantitatively describes the linear viscoelasticity of a polymer in the glass transition regime. We extend this model to non-linear mechanics assuming a local Eyring stress dependence of the relaxation times. Implementing the model in a finite element mechanics code, we derive the mechanical properties and the local mechanical fields at the beginning of the non-linear regime. The model predicts a narrowing of distribution of relaxation times and the storage of a part of the mechanical energy --internal stress-- transferred to the material during stretching in this temperature range. We show that the stress field is not spatially correlated under and after loading and follows a Gaussian distribution. In addition the strain field exhibits shear bands, but the strain distribution is narrow. Hence, most of the mechanical quantities can be calculated analytically, in a very good approximation, with the simple assumption that the strain rate is constant.

A GEM readout with radial zigzag strips and linear charge-sharing response

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Aiwu; Hohlmann, Marcus; Azmoun, Babak; ...

2018-01-10

Here, we study the position sensitivity of radial zigzag strips intended to read out large GEM detectors for tracking at future experiments. Zigzag strips can cover a readout area with fewer strips than regular straight strips while maintaining good spatial resolution. Consequently, they can reduce the number of required electronic channels and related cost for large-area GEM detector systems. A non-linear relation between incident particle position and hit position measured from charge sharing among zigzag strips was observed in a previous study. We significantly reduce this non-linearity by improving the interleaving of adjacent physical zigzag strips. Zigzag readout structures aremore » implemented on PCBs and on a flexible foil and are tested using a 10 cm × 10 cm triple-GEM detector scanned with a strongly collimated X-ray gun on a 2D motorized stage. Lastly, angular resolutions of 60–84 μrad are achieved with a 1.37 mrad angular strip pitch at a radius of 784 mm. On a linear scale this corresponds to resolutions below 100 μm.« less

A GEM readout with radial zigzag strips and linear charge-sharing response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Aiwu; Hohlmann, Marcus; Azmoun, Babak; Purschke, Martin L.; Woody, Craig

2018-04-01

We study the position sensitivity of radial zigzag strips intended to read out large GEM detectors for tracking at future experiments. Zigzag strips can cover a readout area with fewer strips than regular straight strips while maintaining good spatial resolution. Consequently, they can reduce the number of required electronic channels and related cost for large-area GEM detector systems. A non-linear relation between incident particle position and hit position measured from charge sharing among zigzag strips was observed in a previous study. We significantly reduce this non-linearity by improving the interleaving of adjacent physical zigzag strips. Zigzag readout structures are implemented on PCBs and on a flexible foil and are tested using a 10 cm × 10 cm triple-GEM detector scanned with a strongly collimated X-ray gun on a 2D motorized stage. Angular resolutions of 60-84 μrad are achieved with a 1.37 mrad angular strip pitch at a radius of 784 mm. On a linear scale this corresponds to resolutions below 100 μm.

A dose-response curve for biodosimetry from a 6 MV electron linear accelerator

PubMed Central

Lemos-Pinto, M.M.P.; Cadena, M.; Santos, N.; Fernandes, T.S.; Borges, E.; Amaral, A.

2015-01-01

Biological dosimetry (biodosimetry) is based on the investigation of radiation-induced biological effects (biomarkers), mainly dicentric chromosomes, in order to correlate them with radiation dose. To interpret the dicentric score in terms of absorbed dose, a calibration curve is needed. Each curve should be constructed with respect to basic physical parameters, such as the type of ionizing radiation characterized by low or high linear energy transfer (LET) and dose rate. This study was designed to obtain dose calibration curves by scoring of dicentric chromosomes in peripheral blood lymphocytes irradiated in vitro with a 6 MV electron linear accelerator (Mevatron M, Siemens, USA). Two software programs, CABAS (Chromosomal Aberration Calculation Software) and Dose Estimate, were used to generate the curve. The two software programs are discussed; the results obtained were compared with each other and with other published low LET radiation curves. Both software programs resulted in identical linear and quadratic terms for the curve presented here, which was in good agreement with published curves for similar radiation quality and dose rates. PMID:26445334

Nonlinear system identification technique validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudko, M.; Bussgang, J. J.

1982-01-01

This final technical report describes the results obtained by SIGNATRON, Inc. of Lexington MA on Air Force Contract F30602-80-C-0104 for Rome Air Development Center. The objective of this effort is to develop a technique for identifying system response of nonlinear circuits by measurements of output response to known inputs. The report describes results of a study into the system identification technique based on the pencil-of-function method previously explored by Jain (1974) and Ewen (1979). The procedure identified roles of the linear response and is intended as a first step in nonlinear response and is intended as a first step in nonlinear circuit identification. There are serious implementation problems associated with the original approach such as loss of accuracy due to repeated integrations, lack of good measures of accuracy and computational iteration to identify the number of poles.

Improved staff procedure skills lead to improved managment skills: an observational study in an educational setting.

PubMed

Rüter, Anders; Vikstrom, Tore

2009-01-01

Good staff procedure skills in a management group during incidents and disasters are believed to be a prerequisite for good management of the situation. However, this has not been demonstrated scientifically. Templates for evaluation results from performance indicators during simulation exercises have previously been tested. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the possibility that these indicators can be used as a tool for studying the relationship between good management skills and good staff procedure skills. Good and structured work (staff procedure skills) in a hospital management group during simulation exercises in disaster medicine is related to good and timely decisions (good management skills). Results from 29 consecutive simulation exercises in which staff procedure skills and management skills were evaluated using quantitative measurements were included. The statistical analysis method used was simple linear regression with staff procedure skills as the response variable and management skills as the predictor variable. An overall significant relationship was identified between staff procedure skills and management skills (p(2)0.05). This study suggests that there is a relationship between staff procedure skills and management skills in the educational setting used. Future studies are needed to demonstrate if this also can be observed during actual incidents.

Enzymes immobilized on amine-terminated ionic liquid-functionalized carbon nanotube for hydrogen peroxide determination.

PubMed

Liu, Xiuhui; Bu, Caihong; Nan, Zhihan; Zheng, Lichun; Qiu, Yu; Lu, Xiaoquan

2013-02-15

We report on a new approach for the electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) based on Cytochrome C (Cyt c) immobilized ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) modified glass carbon electrode (GCE). Functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotube with amine-terminated ionic liquid materials was characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis spectra, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the results showed that the covalent modification of MWCNTs with ILs exhibited a high surface area for enzyme immobilization and provided a good microenvironment for Cyt c to retain its bioelectrocatalytic activity toward H2O2. Amperometry was used to evaluate the catalytic activity of the cyt c towards H2O2. The proposed biosensor exhibited a wide linear response range nearly 4 orders of magnitude of H2O2 (4.0 × 10(-8)M-1.0 × 10(-4)M) with a good linearity (0.9980) and a low detection limit of 1.3 × 10(-8)M (based on S/N=3). Furthermore, the biosensor also displays some other excellent characteristics such as high selectivity, good reproducibility and long-term stability. Thus, the biosensor constructed in this study has great potential for detecting H2O2 in the complex biosystems. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Liu, Hongying, E-mail: liuhongying@hdu.edu.cn; Gu, Chunchuan; Li, Dujuan

Graphical abstract: A non-enzymatic H{sub 2}O{sub 2} sensor with high selectivity and sensitivity based on rose-shaped FeMoO{sub 4} synthesized by the convenient microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, was fabricated. - Highlights: • Rose-shaped FeMoO{sub 4} is synthesized within 10 min via microwave-assisted hydrothermal approach. • Non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on FeMoO{sub 4} nanomaterials is fabricated. • The biosensor exhibits good performance. - Abstract: In this work, we demonstrated a simple, rapid and reliable microwave-assisted hydrothermal approach to synthesize the uniform rose-shaped FeMoO{sub 4} within 10 min. The morphologies of the synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electronmore » microscopy. Moreover, a non-enzymatic amperometric sensor for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) was fabricated on the basis of the FeMoO{sub 4} as electrocatalysis. The resulting FeMoO{sub 4} exhibited high sensitivity and good stability for the detection of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, which may be attributed to the rose-shaped structure of the material and the catalytic property of FeMoO{sub 4}. Amperometric response showed that the modified electrode had a good response for H{sub 2}O{sub 2} with a linear range from 1 μM to 1.6 mM, a detection limit of 0.5 μM (S/N = 3), high selectivity and short response time. Additionally, good recoveries of analytes in real milk samples confirm the reliability of the prepared sensor in practical applications.« less

Review: Game theory of public goods in one-shot social dilemmas without assortment.

PubMed

Archetti, Marco; Scheuring, István

2012-04-21

We review the theory of public goods in biology. In the N-person prisoner's dilemma, where the public good is a linear function of the individual contributions, cooperation requires some form of assortment, for example due to kin discrimination, population viscosity or repeated interactions. In most social species ranging from bacteria to humans, however, public goods are usually a non-linear function of the contributions, which makes cooperation possible without assortment. More specifically, a polymorphic state can be stable in which cooperators and non-cooperators coexist. The existence of mixed equilibria in public goods games is a fundamental result in the study of cooperation that has been overlooked so far, because of the disproportionate attention given to the two- and N-person prisoner's dilemma. Methods and results from games with pairwise interactions or linear benefits cannot, in general, be extended to the analysis of public goods. Game theory helps explain the production of public goods in one-shot, N-person interactions without assortment, it leads to predictions that can be easily tested and allows a prescriptive approach to cooperation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of current meters used for stream gaging

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fulford, Janice M.; Thibodeaux, Kirk G.; Kaehrle, William R.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is field and laboratory testing the performance of several current meters used throughout the world for stream gaging. Meters tested include horizontal-axis current meters from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China, and vertical-axis and electromagnetic current meters from the United States. Summarized are laboratory test results for meter repeatability, linearity, and response to oblique flow angles and preliminary field testing results. All current meters tested were found to under- and over-register velocities; errors usually increased as the velocity and angle of the flow increased. Repeatability and linearity of all meters tested were good. In the field tests, horizontal-axis meters, except for the two meters from the People's Republic of China, registered higher velocity than did the vertical-axis meters.

Predictions of the electro-mechanical response of conductive CNT-polymer composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matos, Miguel A. S.; Tagarielli, Vito L.; Baiz-Villafranca, Pedro M.; Pinho, Silvestre T.

2018-05-01

We present finite element simulations to predict the conductivity, elastic response and strain-sensing capability of conductive composites comprising a polymeric matrix and carbon nanotubes. Realistic representative volume elements (RVE) of the microstructure are generated and both constituents are modelled as linear elastic solids, with resistivity independent of strain; the electrical contact between nanotubes is represented by a new element which accounts for quantum tunnelling effects and captures the sensitivity of conductivity to separation. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted and the sensitivity of the predictions to RVE size is explored. Predictions of modulus and conductivity are found in good agreement with published results. The strain-sensing capability of the material is explored for multiaxial strain states.

Binary recursive partitioning: background, methods, and application to psychology.

PubMed

Merkle, Edgar C; Shaffer, Victoria A

2011-02-01

Binary recursive partitioning (BRP) is a computationally intensive statistical method that can be used in situations where linear models are often used. Instead of imposing many assumptions to arrive at a tractable statistical model, BRP simply seeks to accurately predict a response variable based on values of predictor variables. The method outputs a decision tree depicting the predictor variables that were related to the response variable, along with the nature of the variables' relationships. No significance tests are involved, and the tree's 'goodness' is judged based on its predictive accuracy. In this paper, we describe BRP methods in a detailed manner and illustrate their use in psychological research. We also provide R code for carrying out the methods.

Surface acoustic-wave piezoelectric crystal aerosol mass microbalance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowers, W. D.; Chuan, R. L.

1989-01-01

The development of a particulate mass-sensing instrument based on a quartz-crystal microbalance and enhanced with the new surface acoustic-wave (SAW) technology is reported. Mass sensitivity comparisons of a 158-MHz SAW piezoelectric microbalance and a conventional 10-MHz quartz-crystal microbalance show that the SAW crystal is 266 times more sensitive, in good agreement with the theoretical value of 250. The frequency stability of a single SAW resonator is 6 parts in 10 to the 8th over 1 min. The response to temperature changes is found to be very linear over the range +30 to -30 C. A strong response to 15 ppm SO2 has been demonstrated on a chemically coated SAW crystal.

Saliency detection algorithm based on LSC-RC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wei; Tian, Weiye; Wang, Ding; Luo, Xin; Wu, Yingfei; Zhang, Yu

2018-02-01

Image prominence is the most important region in an image, which can cause the visual attention and response of human beings. Preferentially allocating the computer resources for the image analysis and synthesis by the significant region is of great significance to improve the image area detecting. As a preprocessing of other disciplines in image processing field, the image prominence has widely applications in image retrieval and image segmentation. Among these applications, the super-pixel segmentation significance detection algorithm based on linear spectral clustering (LSC) has achieved good results. The significance detection algorithm proposed in this paper is better than the regional contrast ratio by replacing the method of regional formation in the latter with the linear spectral clustering image is super-pixel block. After combining with the latest depth learning method, the accuracy of the significant region detecting has a great promotion. At last, the superiority and feasibility of the super-pixel segmentation detection algorithm based on linear spectral clustering are proved by the comparative test.

Effects of joints in truss structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ikegami, R.

1988-01-01

The response of truss-type structures for future space applications, such as Large Deployable Reflector (LDR), will be directly affected by joint performance. Some of the objectives of research at BAC were to characterize structural joints, establish analytical approaches that incorporate joint characteristics, and experimentally establish the validity of the analytical approaches. The test approach to characterize joints for both erectable and deployable-type structures was based upon a Force State Mapping Technique. The approach pictorially shows how the nonlinear joint results can be used for equivalent linear analysis. Testing of the Space Station joints developed at LaRC (a hinged joint at 2 Hz and a clevis joint at 2 Hz) successfully revealed the nonlinear characteristics of the joints. The Space Station joints were effectively linear when loaded to plus or minus 500 pounds with a corresponding displacement of about plus or minus 0.0015 inch. It was indicated that good linear joints exist which are compatible with errected structures, but that difficulty may be encountered if nonlinear-type joints are incorporated in the structure.

Using NCAP to predict RFI effects in linear bipolar integrated circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, T.-F.; Whalen, J. J.; Chen, G. K. C.

1980-11-01

Applications of the Nonlinear Circuit Analysis Program (NCAP) to calculate RFI effects in electronic circuits containing discrete semiconductor devices have been reported upon previously. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the computer program NCAP also can be used to calcuate RFI effects in linear bipolar integrated circuits (IC's). The IC's reported upon are the microA741 operational amplifier (op amp) which is one of the most widely used IC's, and a differential pair which is a basic building block in many linear IC's. The microA741 op amp was used as the active component in a unity-gain buffer amplifier. The differential pair was used in a broad-band cascode amplifier circuit. The computer program NCAP was used to predict how amplitude-modulated RF signals are demodulated in the IC's to cause undesired low-frequency responses. The predicted and measured results for radio frequencies in the 0.050-60-MHz range are in good agreement.

Bifurcations and Chaos of AN Immersed Cantilever Beam in a Fluid and Carrying AN Intermediate Mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AL-QAISIA, A. A.; HAMDAN, M. N.

2002-06-01

The concern of this work is the local stability and period-doubling bifurcations of the response to a transverse harmonic excitation of a slender cantilever beam partially immersed in a fluid and carrying an intermediate lumped mass. The unimodal form of the non-linear dynamic model describing the beam-mass in-plane large-amplitude flexural vibration, which accounts for axial inertia, non-linear curvature and inextensibility condition, developed in Al-Qaisia et al. (2000Shock and Vibration7 , 179-194), is analyzed and studied for the resonance responses of the first three modes of vibration, using two-term harmonic balance method. Then a consistent second order stability analysis of the associated linearized variational equation is carried out using approximate methods to predict the zones of symmetry breaking leading to period-doubling bifurcation and chaos on the resonance response curves. The results of the present work are verified for selected physical system parameters by numerical simulations using methods of the qualitative theory, and good agreement was obtained between the analytical and numerical results. Also, analytical prediction of the period-doubling bifurcation and chaos boundaries obtained using a period-doubling bifurcation criterion proposed in Al-Qaisia and Hamdan (2001 Journal of Sound and Vibration244, 453-479) are compared with those of computer simulations. In addition, results of the effect of fluid density, fluid depth, mass ratio, mass position and damping on the period-doubling bifurcation diagrams are studies and presented.

Single-layer MnO2 nanosheets for sensitive and selective detection of glutathione by a colorimetric method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di, Weihua; Zhang, Xiang; Qin, Weiping

2017-04-01

The rapid, sensitive and selective detection of glutathione (GSH) is of great importance in the biological systems. In this work, a template-free and one-step method was used to synthesize the single-layer MnO2 nanosheets via a redox reaction. The resulting product was characterized by XRD, TEM, FTIR, XPS and UV-vis absorption. The addition of GSH results in the change of solution color depth owing to the occurrence of a redox reaction between MnO2 and GSH, enabling colorimetric detection of GSH. At a pH of 3.6, the proposed sensor gives a linear calibration over a GSH concentration range of 10-100 μM, with a rapid response of less than 2 min and a low detection limit of 0.5 μM. The relative standard deviation for seven repeated determinations of GSH is lower than 5.6%. Furthermore, the chemical response of the synthesized MnO2 nanosheets toward GSH is selective. Owing to the advantages with good water solubility, rapid response, high sensitivity, good biocompatibility and operation simplicity, this two-dimensional MnO2-based sensing material might be potential for detecting GSH in biological applications.

Quantifying interactions between accommodation and vergence in a binocularly normal population.

PubMed

Sweeney, Laura E; Seidel, Dirk; Day, Mhairi; Gray, Lyle S

2014-12-01

Stimulation of the accommodation system results in a response in the vergence system via accommodative vergence cross-link interactions, and stimulation of the vergence system results in an accommodation response via vergence accommodation cross-link interactions. Cross-link interactions are necessary in order to ensure simultaneous responses in the accommodation and vergence systems. The crosslink interactions are represented most comprehensively by the response AC/A (accommodative vergence) and CA/C (vergence accommodation) ratios, although the stimulus AC/A ratio is measured clinically, and the stimulus CA/C ratio is seldom measured in clinical practice. The present study aims to quantify both stimulus and response AC/A and CA/C ratios in a binocularly normal population, and determine the relationship between them. 25 Subjects (mean ± SD age 21.0 ± 1.9 years) were recruited from the university population. A significant linear relationship was found between the stimulus and response ratios, for both AC/A (r² = 0.96, p < 0.001) and CA/C ratios (r² = 0.40, p < 0.05). Good agreement was found between the stimulus and response AC/A ratios (95% CI -0.06 to 0.24 MA/D). Stimulus and response CA/C ratios are linearly related. Stimulus CA/C ratios were higher than response ratios at low values, and lower than response ratios at high values (95% CI -0.46 to 0.42 D/MA). Agreement between stimulus and response CA/C ratios is poorer than that found for AC/A ratios due to increased variability in vergence responses when viewing the Gaussian blurred target. This study has shown that more work is needed to refine the methodology of CA/C ratio measurement.

Optically stimulated Al2O3:C luminescence dosimeters for teletherapy: Hp(10) performance evaluation.

PubMed

Hashim, S; Musa, Y; Ghoshal, S K; Ahmad, N E; Hashim, I H; Yusop, M; Bradley, D A; Kadir, A B A

2018-05-01

The performance of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs, Al 2 O 3 :C) was evaluated in terms of the operational quantity of H P (10) in Co-60 external beam teletherapy unit. The reproducibility, signal depletion, and dose linearity of each dosimeter was investigated. For ten repeated readouts, each dosimeter exposed to 50mSv was found to be reproducible below 1.9 ± 3% from the mean value, indicating good reader stability. Meanwhile, an average signal reduction of 0.5% per readout was found. The dose response revealed a good linearity within the dose range of 5-50mSv having nearly perfect regression line with R 2 equals 0.9992. The accuracy of the measured doses were evaluated in terms of operational quantity H P (10), wherein the trumpet curve method was used respecting the 1990 International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) standard. The accuracy of the overall measurements from all dosimeters was discerned to be within the trumpet curve and devoid of outlier. It is established that the achieved OSL Al 2 O 3 :C dosimeters are greatly reliable for equivalent dose assessment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of Amperometric Glucose Sensor Using Glucose Oxidase-Cellulose Nanofiber Aqueous Solution.

PubMed

Yasuzawa, Mikito; Omura, Yuya; Hiura, Kentaro; Li, Jiang; Fuchiwaki, Yusuke; Tanaka, Masato

2015-01-01

Cellulose nanofiber aqueous solution, which remained virtually transparent for more than one week, was prepared by using the clear upper layer of diluted cellulose nanofiber solution produced by wet jet milling. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was easily dissolved in this solution and GOx-immobilized electrode was easily fabricated by simple repetitious drops of GOx-cellulose solution on the surface of a platinum-iridium electrode. Glucose sensor properties of the obtained electrodes were examined in phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.4 at 40°C. The obtained electrode provided a glucose sensor response with significantly high response speed and good linear relationship between glucose concentration and response current. After an initial decrease of response sensitivity for a few days, relatively constant sensitivity was obtained for about 20 days. Nevertheless, the influence of electroactive compounds such as ascorbic acid, uric acid and acetoaminophen were not negletable.

Characterisation of TruView™: a new 3-D reusable radiochromic MethylThymolBlue based gel dosimeter for ionising radiations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colnot, J.; Huet, C.; Clairand, I.

2017-05-01

TruView™ is a new water-equivalent reusable Fricke gel dosimeter based on MethylThymolBlue reactive dye. Details of the characterisation of the TruView™ MTB gel dosimeter by spectrophotometric measurements and of its reading with the Optical-CT Scanner Vista™ are described. In this study, the different parameters influencing TruView™ dose response have been studied and its performances have been compared to chamber and diodes measurements. This gel presents a linear response with dose up to 20 Gy, independent in the investigated range of photon beam energy and dose rate and also a good intra-batch uniformity. Ions diffusion into the matrix homogenizes the gel after a week, losing dosimetric information but allowing a new irradiation to be performed. However, auto-oxidation happens before and after irradiation, degrading the dosimeter response and stability. Storage and reading conditions affect the response as well.

On optimal infinite impulse response edge detection filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarkar, Sudeep; Boyer, Kim L.

1991-01-01

The authors outline the design of an optimal, computationally efficient, infinite impulse response edge detection filter. The optimal filter is computed based on Canny's high signal to noise ratio, good localization criteria, and a criterion on the spurious response of the filter to noise. An expression for the width of the filter, which is appropriate for infinite-length filters, is incorporated directly in the expression for spurious responses. The three criteria are maximized using the variational method and nonlinear constrained optimization. The optimal filter parameters are tabulated for various values of the filter performance criteria. A complete methodology for implementing the optimal filter using approximating recursive digital filtering is presented. The approximating recursive digital filter is separable into two linear filters operating in two orthogonal directions. The implementation is very simple and computationally efficient, has a constant time of execution for different sizes of the operator, and is readily amenable to real-time hardware implementation.

Disease Severity and Progression in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Multiple System Atrophy: Validation of the NNIPPS – PARKINSON PLUS SCALE

PubMed Central

Payan, Christine A. M.; Viallet, François; Landwehrmeyer, Bernhard G.; Bonnet, Anne-Marie; Borg, Michel; Durif, Franck; Lacomblez, Lucette; Bloch, Frédéric; Verny, Marc; Fermanian, Jacques; Agid, Yves; Ludolph, Albert C.

2011-01-01

Background The Natural History and Neuroprotection in Parkinson Plus Syndromes (NNIPPS) study was a large phase III randomized placebo-controlled trial of riluzole in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP, n = 362) and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA, n = 398). To assess disease severity and progression, we constructed and validated a new clinical rating scale as an ancillary study. Methods and Findings Patients were assessed at entry and 6-montly for up to 3 years. Evaluation of the scale's psychometric properties included reliability (n = 116), validity (n = 760), and responsiveness (n = 642). Among the 85 items of the initial scale, factor analysis revealed 83 items contributing to 15 clinically relevant dimensions, including Activity of daily Living/Mobility, Axial bradykinesia, Limb bradykinesia, Rigidity, Oculomotor, Cerebellar, Bulbar/Pseudo-bulbar, Mental, Orthostatic, Urinary, Limb dystonia, Axial dystonia, Pyramidal, Myoclonus and Tremor. All but the Pyramidal dimension demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach α≥0.70). Inter-rater reliability was high for the total score (Intra-class coefficient = 0.94) and 9 dimensions (Intra-class coefficient = 0.80–0.93), and moderate (Intra-class coefficient = 0.54–0.77) for 6. Correlations of the total score with other clinical measures of severity were good (rho≥0.70). The total score was significantly and linearly related to survival (p<0.0001). Responsiveness expressed as the Standardized Response Mean was high for the total score slope of change (SRM = 1.10), though higher in PSP (SRM = 1.25) than in MSA (SRM = 1.0), indicating a more rapid progression of PSP. The slope of change was constant with increasing disease severity demonstrating good linearity of the scale throughout disease stages. Although MSA and PSP differed quantitatively on the total score at entry and on rate of progression, the relative contribution of clinical dimensions to overall severity and progression was similar. Conclusions The NNIPPS-PPS has suitable validity, is reliable and sensitive, and therefore is appropriate for use in clinical studies with PSP or MSA. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00211224 PMID:21829612

Linear-scaling time-dependent density-functional theory beyond the Tamm-Dancoff approximation: Obtaining efficiency and accuracy with in situ optimised local orbitals.

PubMed

Zuehlsdorff, T J; Hine, N D M; Payne, M C; Haynes, P D

2015-11-28

We present a solution of the full time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) eigenvalue equation in the linear response formalism exhibiting a linear-scaling computational complexity with system size, without relying on the simplifying Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA). The implementation relies on representing the occupied and unoccupied subspaces with two different sets of in situ optimised localised functions, yielding a very compact and efficient representation of the transition density matrix of the excitation with the accuracy associated with a systematic basis set. The TDDFT eigenvalue equation is solved using a preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm that is very memory-efficient. The algorithm is validated on a small test molecule and a good agreement with results obtained from standard quantum chemistry packages is found, with the preconditioner yielding a significant improvement in convergence rates. The method developed in this work is then used to reproduce experimental results of the absorption spectrum of bacteriochlorophyll in an organic solvent, where it is demonstrated that the TDA fails to reproduce the main features of the low energy spectrum, while the full TDDFT equation yields results in good qualitative agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, the need for explicitly including parts of the solvent into the TDDFT calculations is highlighted, making the treatment of large system sizes necessary that are well within reach of the capabilities of the algorithm introduced here. Finally, the linear-scaling properties of the algorithm are demonstrated by computing the lowest excitation energy of bacteriochlorophyll in solution. The largest systems considered in this work are of the same order of magnitude as a variety of widely studied pigment-protein complexes, opening up the possibility of studying their properties without having to resort to any semiclassical approximations to parts of the protein environment.

Preparing cuprous oxide nanomaterials by electrochemical method for non-enzymatic glucose biosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thu-Thuy; Huy, Bui The; Hwang, Seo-Young; Vuong, Nguyen Minh; Pham, Quoc-Thai; Nghia, Nguyen Ngoc; Kirtland, Aaron; Lee, Yong-Ill

2018-05-01

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanostructure has been synthesized using an electrochemical method with a two-electrode system. Cu foils were used as electrodes and NH2(OH) was utilized as the reducing agent. The effects of pH and applied voltages on the morphology of the product were investigated. The morphology and optical properties of Cu2O particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and diffuse reflectance spectra. The synthesized Cu2O nanostructures that formed in the vicinity of the anode at 2 V and pH = 11 showed high uniform distribution, small size, and good electrochemical sensing. These Cu2O nanoparticles were coated on an Indium tin oxide substrate and applied to detect non-enzyme glucose as excellent biosensors. The non-enzyme glucose biosensors exhibited good performance with high response, good selectivity, wide linear detection range, and a low detection limit at 0.4 μM. Synthesized Cu2O nanostructures are potential materials for a non-enzyme glucose biosensor.

Preparing cuprous oxide nanomaterials by electrochemical method for non-enzymatic glucose biosensor.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thu-Thuy; Huy, Bui The; Hwang, Seo-Young; Vuong, Nguyen Minh; Pham, Quoc-Thai; Nghia, Nguyen Ngoc; Kirtland, Aaron; Lee, Yong-Ill

2018-05-18

Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) nanostructure has been synthesized using an electrochemical method with a two-electrode system. Cu foils were used as electrodes and NH 2 (OH) was utilized as the reducing agent. The effects of pH and applied voltages on the morphology of the product were investigated. The morphology and optical properties of Cu 2 O particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and diffuse reflectance spectra. The synthesized Cu 2 O nanostructures that formed in the vicinity of the anode at 2 V and pH = 11 showed high uniform distribution, small size, and good electrochemical sensing. These Cu 2 O nanoparticles were coated on an Indium tin oxide substrate and applied to detect non-enzyme glucose as excellent biosensors. The non-enzyme glucose biosensors exhibited good performance with high response, good selectivity, wide linear detection range, and a low detection limit at 0.4 μM. Synthesized Cu 2 O nanostructures are potential materials for a non-enzyme glucose biosensor.

Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams with basalt-based FRP sheets: An analytical assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nerilli, Francesca; Vairo, Giuseppe

2016-06-01

In this paper the effectiveness of the flexural strengthening of RC beams through basalt fiber-reinforced sheets is investigated. The non-linear flexural response of RC beams strengthened with FRP composites applied at the traction side is described via an analytical formulation. Validation results and some comparative analyses confirm soundness and consistency of the proposed approach, and highlight the good mechanical performances (in terms of strength and ductility enhancement of the beam) produced by basalt-based reinforcements in comparison with traditional glass or carbon FRPs.

The analysis on nonlinear control of the aircraft arresting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jinchun; Du, Tianrong

2005-12-01

The aircraft arresting system is a complicated nonlinear system. This paper analyzes the mechanical-hydraulic structure of aircraft arresting system composed of electro hydraulic valve and establishes the dynamic equation of the aircraft arresting system. Based on the state-feedback linearization of nonlinear system, a PD-based controller is synthesized. Simulation studies indicate, while arresting the different type aircraft, the proposed controller has fast response, good tracking performance and strong robustness. By tuning the parameters of the PD controller, a satisfactory control performance can be guaranteed.

Dipolar correlations and the dielectric permittivity of water.

PubMed

Sharma, Manu; Resta, Raffaele; Car, Roberto

2007-06-15

The static dielectric properties of liquid and solid water are investigated within linear response theory in the context of ab initio molecular dynamics. Using maximally localized Wannier functions to treat the macroscopic polarization we formulate a first-principles, parameter-free, generalization of Kirkwood's phenomenological theory. Our calculated static permittivity is in good agreement with experiment. Two effects of the hydrogen bonds, i.e., a significant increase of the average local moment and a local alignment of the molecular dipoles, contribute in almost equal measure to the unusually large dielectric constant of water.

Strengthening of reinforced concrete beams with basalt-based FRP sheets: An analytical assessment

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

Nerilli, Francesca; Vairo, Giuseppe

2016-06-08

In this paper the effectiveness of the flexural strengthening of RC beams through basalt fiber-reinforced sheets is investigated. The non-linear flexural response of RC beams strengthened with FRP composites applied at the traction side is described via an analytical formulation. Validation results and some comparative analyses confirm soundness and consistency of the proposed approach, and highlight the good mechanical performances (in terms of strength and ductility enhancement of the beam) produced by basalt-based reinforcements in comparison with traditional glass or carbon FRPs.

Upstream ionization instability associated with a current-free double layer.

PubMed

Aanesland, A; Charles, C; Lieberman, M A; Boswell, R W

2006-08-18

A low frequency instability has been observed using various electrostatic probes in a low-pressure expanding helicon plasma. The instability is associated with the presence of a current-free double layer (DL). The frequency of the instability increases linearly with the potential drop of the DL, and simultaneous measurements show their coexistence. A theory for an upstream ionization instability has been developed, which shows that electrons accelerated through the DL increase the ionization upstream and are responsible for the observed instability. The theory is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Interaction function of oscillating coupled neurons

PubMed Central

Dodla, Ramana; Wilson, Charles J.

2013-01-01

Large scale simulations of electrically coupled neuronal oscillators often employ the phase coupled oscillator paradigm to understand and predict network behavior. We study the nature of the interaction between such coupled oscillators using weakly coupled oscillator theory. By employing piecewise linear approximations for phase response curves and voltage time courses, and parameterizing their shapes, we compute the interaction function for all such possible shapes and express it in terms of discrete Fourier modes. We find that reasonably good approximation is achieved with four Fourier modes that comprise of both sine and cosine terms. PMID:24229210

Fabrication and Performance of All-Solid-State Chloride Sensors in Synthetic Concrete Pore Solutions

PubMed Central

Gao, Xiaojian; Zhang, Jian; Yang, Yingzi; Deng, Hongwei

2010-01-01

One type of all-solid-state chloride sensor was fabricated using a MnO2 electrode and a Ag/AgCl electrode. The potentiometric response of the sensor to chloride in synthetic concrete pore solutions was systematically studied, and the polarization performance was also evaluated. The results show a good linear relationship between the potential reading of the sensor and the logarithm of chloride activity (concentration ranges from 0.05 to 5.0 M), and the potential value remains stable with increasing immersion time. The existence of K+, Ca2+, Na+ and SO42− ions have little influence on the potentiometric response of the sensor to chloride, but the pH has a significant influence on the potential value of the sensor at low chloride concentration. The potential reading of the sensor increases linearly with the solution temperature over the range from 5 to 45 °C. Meanwhile, an excellent polarization behavior is proven by galvanostatic and potentiodynamic tests. All of the results reveal that the developed sensor has a great potential for monitoring chloride ions in concrete environments. PMID:22163467

Fabrication and performance of all-solid-state chloride sensors in synthetic concrete pore solutions.

PubMed

Gao, Xiaojian; Zhang, Jian; Yang, Yingzi; Deng, Hongwei

2010-01-01

One type of all-solid-state chloride sensor was fabricated using a MnO(2) electrode and a Ag/AgCl electrode. The potentiometric response of the sensor to chloride in synthetic concrete pore solutions was systematically studied, and the polarization performance was also evaluated. The results show a good linear relationship between the potential reading of the sensor and the logarithm of chloride activity (concentration ranges from 0.05 to 5.0 M), and the potential value remains stable with increasing immersion time. The existence of K(+), Ca(2+), Na(+) and SO(4) (2-) ions have little influence on the potentiometric response of the sensor to chloride, but the pH has a significant influence on the potential value of the sensor at low chloride concentration. The potential reading of the sensor increases linearly with the solution temperature over the range from 5 to 45 °C. Meanwhile, an excellent polarization behavior is proven by galvanostatic and potentiodynamic tests. All of the results reveal that the developed sensor has a great potential for monitoring chloride ions in concrete environments.

Nanoscale linear permittivity imaging based on scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiranaga, Yoshiomi; Chinone, Norimichi; Cho, Yasuo

2018-05-01

A nanoscale linear permittivity imaging method based on scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM) was developed. The ∂C/∂z-mode SNDM (∂C/∂z-SNDM) technique described herein employs probe-height modulation to suppress disturbances originating from stray capacitance and to improve measurement stability. This method allows local permittivity distributions to be examined with extremely low noise levels (approximately 0.01 aF) by virtue of the highly sensitive probe. A cross-section of a multilayer oxide film was visualized using ∂C/∂z-SNDM as a demonstration, and numerical simulations of the response signals were conducted to gain additional insights. The experimental signal intensities were found to be in a good agreement with the theoretical values, with the exception of the background components, demonstrating that absolute sample permittivity values could be determined. The signal profiles near the boundaries between different dielectrics were calculated using various vibration amplitudes and the boundary transition widths were obtained. The beneficial aspects of higher-harmonic response imaging are discussed herein, taking into account assessments of spatial resolution and quantitation.

Nanoscale linear permittivity imaging based on scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy.

PubMed

Hiranaga, Yoshiomi; Chinone, Norimichi; Cho, Yasuo

2018-05-18

A nanoscale linear permittivity imaging method based on scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy (SNDM) was developed. The ∂C/∂z-mode SNDM (∂C/∂z-SNDM) technique described herein employs probe-height modulation to suppress disturbances originating from stray capacitance and to improve measurement stability. This method allows local permittivity distributions to be examined with extremely low noise levels (approximately 0.01 aF) by virtue of the highly sensitive probe. A cross-section of a multilayer oxide film was visualized using ∂C/∂z-SNDM as a demonstration, and numerical simulations of the response signals were conducted to gain additional insights. The experimental signal intensities were found to be in a good agreement with the theoretical values, with the exception of the background components, demonstrating that absolute sample permittivity values could be determined. The signal profiles near the boundaries between different dielectrics were calculated using various vibration amplitudes and the boundary transition widths were obtained. The beneficial aspects of higher-harmonic response imaging are discussed herein, taking into account assessments of spatial resolution and quantitation.

HPTLC Determination of Artemisinin and Its Derivatives in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Suraj P.; Ahuja, Shipra

A simple, selective, accurate, and precise high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been established and validated for the analysis of artemisinin and its derivatives (artesunate, artemether, and arteether) in the bulk drugs and formulations. The artemisinin, artesunate, artemether, and arteether were separated on aluminum-backed silica gel 60 F254 plates with toluene:ethyl acetate (10:1), toluene: ethyl acetate: acetic acid (2:8:0.2), toluene:butanol (10:1), and toluene:dichloro methane (0.5:10) mobile phase, respectively. The linear detector response for concentrations between 100 and 600 ng/spot showed good linear relationship with r value 0.9967, 0.9989, 0.9981 and 0.9989 for artemisinin, artesunate, artemether, and arteether, respectively. Statistical analysis proves that the method is precise, accurate, and reproducible and hence can be employed for the routine analysis.

Experimental validation of a linear model for data reduction in chirp-pulse microwave CT.

PubMed

Miyakawa, M; Orikasa, K; Bertero, M; Boccacci, P; Conte, F; Piana, M

2002-04-01

Chirp-pulse microwave computerized tomography (CP-MCT) is an imaging modality developed at the Department of Biocybernetics, University of Niigata (Niigata, Japan), which intends to reduce the microwave-tomography problem to an X-ray-like situation. We have recently shown that data acquisition in CP-MCT can be described in terms of a linear model derived from scattering theory. In this paper, we validate this model by showing that the theoretically computed response function is in good agreement with the one obtained from a regularized multiple deconvolution of three data sets measured with the prototype of CP-MCT. Furthermore, the reliability of the model as far as image restoration in concerned, is tested in the case of space-invariant conditions by considering the reconstruction of simple on-axis cylindrical phantoms.

Graphite nanocomposites sensor for multiplex detection of antioxidants in food.

PubMed

Ng, Khan Loon; Tan, Guan Huat; Khor, Sook Mei

2017-12-15

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) are synthetic antioxidants used in the food industry. Herein, we describe the development of a novel graphite nanocomposite-based electrochemical sensor for the multiplex detection and measurement of BHA, BHT, and TBHQ levels in complex food samples using a linear sweep voltammetry technique. Moreover, our newly established analytical method exhibited good sensitivity, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, and selectivity. The accuracy and reliability of analytical results were challenged by method validation and comparison with the results of the liquid chromatography method, where a linear correlation of more than 0.99 was achieved. The addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate as supporting additive further enhanced the LSV response (anodic peak current, I pa ) of BHA and BHT by 2- and 20-times, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dose-response association between leisure time physical activity and work ability: Cross-sectional study among 3000 workers.

PubMed

Calatayud, Joaquin; Jakobsen, Markus D; Sundstrup, Emil; Casaña, Jose; Andersen, Lars L

2015-12-01

Regular physical activity is important for longevity and health, but knowledge about the optimal dose of physical activity for maintaining good work ability is unknown. This study investigates the association between intensity and duration of physical activity during leisure time and work ability in relation to physical demands of the job. From the 2010 round of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, currently employed wage earners with physically demanding work (n = 2952) replied to questions about work, lifestyle and health. Excellent (100 points), very good (75 points), good (50 points), fair (25 points) and poor (0 points) work ability in relation to the physical demands of the job was experienced by 18%, 40%, 30%, 10% and 2% of the respondents, respectively. General linear models that controlled for gender, age, physical and psychosocial work factors, lifestyle and chronic disease showed that the duration of high-intensity physical activity during leisure was positively associated with work ability, in a dose-response fashion (p < 0.001). Those performing ⩾ 5 hours of high-intensity physical activity per week had on average 8 points higher work ability than those not performing such activities. The duration of low-intensity leisure-time physical activity was not associated with work ability (p = 0.5668). The duration of high-intensity physical activity during leisure time is associated in a dose-response fashion with work ability, in workers with physically demanding jobs. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

A Pole-Zero Filter Cascade Provides Good Fits to Human Masking Data and to Basilar Membrane and Neural Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyon, Richard F.

2011-11-01

A cascade of two-pole-two-zero filters with level-dependent pole and zero dampings, with few parameters, can provide a good match to human psychophysical and physiological data. The model has been fitted to data on detection threshold for tones in notched-noise masking, including bandwidth and filter shape changes over a wide range of levels, and has been shown to provide better fits with fewer parameters compared to other auditory filter models such as gammachirps. Originally motivated as an efficient machine implementation of auditory filtering related to the WKB analysis method of cochlear wave propagation, such filter cascades also provide good fits to mechanical basilar membrane data, and to auditory nerve data, including linear low-frequency tail response, level-dependent peak gain, sharp tuning curves, nonlinear compression curves, level-independent zero-crossing times in the impulse response, realistic instantaneous frequency glides, and appropriate level-dependent group delay even with minimum-phase response. As part of exploring different level-dependent parameterizations of such filter cascades, we have identified a simple sufficient condition for stable zero-crossing times, based on the shifting property of the Laplace transform: simply move all the s-domain poles and zeros by equal amounts in the real-s direction. Such pole-zero filter cascades are efficient front ends for machine hearing applications, such as music information retrieval, content identification, speech recognition, and sound indexing.

nonlinMIP contribution to CMIP6: model intercomparison project for non-linear mechanisms: physical basis, experimental design and analysis principles (v1.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Good, Peter; Andrews, Timothy; Chadwick, Robin; Dufresne, Jean-Louis; Gregory, Jonathan M.; Lowe, Jason A.; Schaller, Nathalie; Shiogama, Hideo

2016-11-01

nonlinMIP provides experiments that account for state-dependent regional and global climate responses. The experiments have two main applications: (1) to focus understanding of responses to CO2 forcing on states relevant to specific policy or scientific questions (e.g. change under low-forcing scenarios, the benefits of mitigation, or from past cold climates to the present day), or (2) to understand the state dependence (non-linearity) of climate change - i.e. why doubling the forcing may not double the response. State dependence (non-linearity) of responses can be large at regional scales, with important implications for understanding mechanisms and for general circulation model (GCM) emulation techniques (e.g. energy balance models and pattern-scaling methods). However, these processes are hard to explore using traditional experiments, which explains why they have had so little attention in previous studies. Some single model studies have established novel analysis principles and some physical mechanisms. There is now a need to explore robustness and uncertainty in such mechanisms across a range of models (point 2 above), and, more broadly, to focus work on understanding the response to CO2 on climate states relevant to specific policy/science questions (point 1). nonlinMIP addresses this using a simple, small set of CO2-forced experiments that are able to separate linear and non-linear mechanisms cleanly, with a good signal-to-noise ratio - while being demonstrably traceable to realistic transient scenarios. The design builds on the CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) and CMIP6 DECK (Diagnostic, Evaluation and Characterization of Klima) protocols, and is centred around a suite of instantaneous atmospheric CO2 change experiments, with a ramp-up-ramp-down experiment to test traceability to gradual forcing scenarios. In all cases the models are intended to be used with CO2 concentrations rather than CO2 emissions as the input. The understanding gained will help interpret the spread in policy-relevant scenario projections. Here we outline the basic physical principles behind nonlinMIP, and the method of establishing traceability from abruptCO2 to gradual forcing experiments, before detailing the experimental design, and finally some analysis principles. The test of traceability from abruptCO2 to transient experiments is recommended as a standard analysis within the CMIP5 and CMIP6 DECK protocols.

Superconducting High Energy Resolution Gamma-ray Spectrometers

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

Chow, D T

2002-02-22

We have demonstrated that a bulk absorber coupled to a TES can serve as a good gamma-ray spectrometer. Our measured energy resolution of 70 eV at 60 keV is among the best measurements in this field. We have also shown excellent agreement between the noise predictions and measured noise. Despite this good result, we noted that our detector design has shortcomings with a low count rate and vulnerabilities with the linearity of energy response. We addressed these issues by implementation of an active negative feedback bias. We demonstrated the effects of active bias such as additional pulse shortening, reduction ofmore » TES change in temperature during a pulse, and linearization of energy response at low energy. Linearization at higher energy is possible with optimized heat capacities and thermal conductivities of the microcalorimeter. However, the current fabrication process has low control and repeatability over the thermal properties. Thus, optimization of the detector performance is difficult until the fabrication process is improved. Currently, several efforts are underway to better control the fabrication of our gamma-ray spectrometers. We are developing a full-wafer process to produce TES films. We are investigating the thermal conductivity and surface roughness of thicker SiN membranes. We are exploring alternative methods to couple the absorber to the TES film for reproducibility. We are also optimizing the thermal conductivities within the detector to minimize two-element phonon noise. We are experimenting with different absorber materials to optimize absorption efficiency and heat capacity. We are also working on minimizing Johnson noise from the E S shunt and SQUID amplifier noise. We have shown that our performance, noise, and active bias models agree very well with measured data from several microcalorimeters. Once the fabrication improvements have been implemented, we have no doubt that our gamma-ray spectrometer will achieve even more spectacular results.« less

Optically stimulated luminescence of natural NaCl mineral from Dead Sea exposed to gamma radiation.

PubMed

Roman-Lopez, J; Piña López, Y I; Cruz-Zaragoza, E; Marcazzó, J

2018-08-01

In this work, the continuous wave - optically stimulated luminescence (CW-OSL) emissions of natural salt minerals, collected from Dead Sea in summer of 2015, were studied. The CW-OSL dose response of natural salt showed a linear range between 0.5Gy and 10Gy of gamma radiation of 60 Co. Samples exposed at 3Gy exhibited good repeatability with a variation coefficient of 4.6%. The CW-OSL response as function of the preheating temperature (50-250°C) was analyzed. An increase of 15% of the CW-OSL response was observed in NaCl samples during storage period of 336h. The results showed that the natural Dead Sea salt minerals could be applied as natural dosimeter of gamma radiation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of zero bias responsivity in MBE grown β-Ga2O3 lateral deep-UV photodetector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh Pratiyush, Anamika; Krishnamoorthy, Sriram; Kumar, Sandeep; Xia, Zhanbo; Muralidharan, Rangarajan; Rajan, Siddharth; Nath, Digbijoy N.

2018-06-01

We demonstrate zero-bias spectral responsivity in MBE-grown β-Ga2O3 planar UV-C detector with good linearity up to optical power density of 4.6 mW cm‑2. Devices with asymmetrical metal contacts were realized on 150 nm thick β-Ga2O3 films on sapphire. The device exhibited a spectral responsivity of 1.4 mA W‑1 at 255 nm under zero-bias condition, dark current <10 nA at 15 V and UV-to-visible rejection ratio ∼105 at 5 V. The demonstrated UV-C detector exhibited an estimated high detectivity of 2.0 × 1012 Jones at 1 V and were found to be very stable and repeatable, suggesting its potential use for focal plane arrays.

On the Response of Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) Stratospheric Oxone and Temperature to the 11-yr Solar Cycle Forcing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remsberg, E. E.

2008-01-01

Results are presented on responses in 14-yr time series of stratospheric ozone and temperature from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) to a solar cycle (SC-like) variation. The ozone time series are for ten, 20-degree wide, latitude bins from 45S to 45N and for thirteen "half-Umkehr" layers of about 2.5 km thickness and extending from 63 hPa to 0.7 hPa. The temperature time series analyses were restricted to pressure levels in the range of 2 hPa to 0.7 hPa. Multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques were applied to each of the 130 time series of zonally-averaged, sunrise plus sunset ozone points over that latitude/pressure domain. A simple, 11-yr periodic term and a linear trend term were added to the final MLR models after their seasonal and interannual terms had been determined. Where the amplitudes of the 11-yr terms were significant, they were in-phase with those of the more standard proxies for the solar uv-flux. The max minus min response for ozone is of order 2 to 3% from about 2 to 5 hPa and for the latitudes of 45S to 45N. There is also a significant max minus min response of order 1 K for temperature between 15S and 15N and from 2 to 0.7 hPa. The associated linear trends for ozone are near zero in the upper stratosphere. Negative ozone trends of 4 to 6%/decade were found at 10 to 20 hPa across the low to middle latitudes of both hemispheres. It is concluded that the analyzed responses from the HALOE data are of good quality and can be used to evaluate the responses of climate/chemistry models to a solar cycle forcing.

A Three-Dimensional Linearized Unsteady Euler Analysis for Turbomachinery Blade Rows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, Matthew D.; Verdon, Joseph M.

1996-01-01

A three-dimensional, linearized, Euler analysis is being developed to provide an efficient unsteady aerodynamic analysis that can be used to predict the aeroelastic and aeroacoustic response characteristics of axial-flow turbomachinery blading. The field equations and boundary conditions needed to describe nonlinear and linearized inviscid unsteady flows through a blade row operating within a cylindrical annular duct are presented. In addition, a numerical model for linearized inviscid unsteady flow, which is based upon an existing nonlinear, implicit, wave-split, finite volume analysis, is described. These aerodynamic and numerical models have been implemented into an unsteady flow code, called LINFLUX. A preliminary version of the LINFLUX code is applied herein to selected, benchmark three-dimensional, subsonic, unsteady flows, to illustrate its current capabilities and to uncover existing problems and deficiencies. The numerical results indicate that good progress has been made toward developing a reliable and useful three-dimensional prediction capability. However, some problems, associated with the implementation of an unsteady displacement field and numerical errors near solid boundaries, still exist. Also, accurate far-field conditions must be incorporated into the FINFLUX analysis, so that this analysis can be applied to unsteady flows driven be external aerodynamic excitations.

Modal testing for model validation of structures with discrete nonlinearities.

PubMed

Ewins, D J; Weekes, B; delli Carri, A

2015-09-28

Model validation using data from modal tests is now widely practiced in many industries for advanced structural dynamic design analysis, especially where structural integrity is a primary requirement. These industries tend to demand highly efficient designs for their critical structures which, as a result, are increasingly operating in regimes where traditional linearity assumptions are no longer adequate. In particular, many modern structures are found to contain localized areas, often around joints or boundaries, where the actual mechanical behaviour is far from linear. Such structures need to have appropriate representation of these nonlinear features incorporated into the otherwise largely linear models that are used for design and operation. This paper proposes an approach to this task which is an extension of existing linear techniques, especially in the testing phase, involving only just as much nonlinear analysis as is necessary to construct a model which is good enough, or 'valid': i.e. capable of predicting the nonlinear response behaviour of the structure under all in-service operating and test conditions with a prescribed accuracy. A short-list of methods described in the recent literature categorized using our framework is given, which identifies those areas in which further development is most urgently required. © 2015 The Authors.

Modal testing for model validation of structures with discrete nonlinearities

PubMed Central

Ewins, D. J.; Weekes, B.; delli Carri, A.

2015-01-01

Model validation using data from modal tests is now widely practiced in many industries for advanced structural dynamic design analysis, especially where structural integrity is a primary requirement. These industries tend to demand highly efficient designs for their critical structures which, as a result, are increasingly operating in regimes where traditional linearity assumptions are no longer adequate. In particular, many modern structures are found to contain localized areas, often around joints or boundaries, where the actual mechanical behaviour is far from linear. Such structures need to have appropriate representation of these nonlinear features incorporated into the otherwise largely linear models that are used for design and operation. This paper proposes an approach to this task which is an extension of existing linear techniques, especially in the testing phase, involving only just as much nonlinear analysis as is necessary to construct a model which is good enough, or ‘valid’: i.e. capable of predicting the nonlinear response behaviour of the structure under all in-service operating and test conditions with a prescribed accuracy. A short-list of methods described in the recent literature categorized using our framework is given, which identifies those areas in which further development is most urgently required. PMID:26303924

Hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on hemoglobin immobilized at graphene, flower-like zinc oxide, and gold nanoparticles nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode.

PubMed

Xie, Lingling; Xu, Yuandong; Cao, Xiaoyu

2013-07-01

In this work, a highly sensitive hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) biosensor based on immobilization of hemoglobin (Hb) at Au nanoparticles (AuNPs)/flower-like zinc oxide/graphene (AuNPs/ZnO/Gr) composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was constructed, where ZnO and Au nanoparticles were modified through layer-by-layer onto Gr/GCE. Flower-like ZnO nanoparticles could be easily prepared by adding ethanol to the precursor solution having higher concentration of hydroxide ions. The Hb/AuNPs/ZnO/Gr composite film showed a pair of well-defined, quasi-reversible redox peaks with a formal potential (E(0)) of -0.367 V, characteristic features of heme redox couple of Hb. The electron transfer rate constant (k(s)) of immobilized Hb was 1.3 s(-1). The developed biosensor showed a very fast response (<2 s) toward H2O2 with good sensitivity, wide linear range, and low detection limit of 0.8 μM. The fabricated biosensor showed interesting features, including high selectivity, acceptable stability, good reproducibility, and repeatability along with excellent conductivity, facile electron mobility of Gr, and good biocompatibility of ZnO and AuNPs. The fabrication method of this biosensor was simple and effective for determination of H2O2 in real samples with quick response, good sensitivity, high selectivity, and acceptable recovery. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor for ricin detection and kinetic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhi-Wei; Tong, Zhao-Yang; Liu, Bing; Hao, Lan-Qun; Mu, Xi-Hui; Zhang, Jin-Ping; Gao, Chuan

2015-04-01

Up to now, there has been no report on target molecules detection by a piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor. In order to evaluate the test performance and investigate the response dynamic characteristics of a piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor, a novel method for ricin detection and kinetic analysis based on a piezoresistive microcantilever aptasensor was proposed, where ricin aptamer was immobilised on the microcantilever surface by biotin-avidin binding system. Results showed that the detection limit of ricin was 0.04μg L-1 (S/N ≥ 3). A linear relationship between the response voltage and the concentration of ricin in the range of 0.2μg L-1-40μg L-1 was obtained, with the linear regression equation of ΔUe = 0.904C + 5.852 (n = 5, R = 0.991, p < 0.001). The sensor showed no response for abrin, BSA, and could overcome the influence of complex environmental disruptors, indicating high specificity and good selectivity. Recovery and reproducibility in the result of simulated samples (simulated water, soil, and flour sample) determination met the analysis requirements, which was 90.5˜95.5% and 7.85%˜9.39%, respectively. On this basis, a reaction kinetic model based on ligand-receptor binding and the relationship with response voltage was established. The model could well reflect the dynamic response of the sensor. The correlation coefficient (R) was greater than or equal to 0.9456 (p < 0.001). Response voltage (ΔUe) and response time (t0) obtained from the fitting equation on different concentrations of ricin fitted well with the measured values.

Non-enzymatic detection of glucose using poly(azure A)-nickel modified glassy carbon electrode.

PubMed

Liu, Tong; Luo, Yiqun; Zhu, Jiaming; Kong, Liyan; Wang, Wen; Tan, Liang

2016-08-15

A simple, sensitive and selective non-enzymatic glucose sensor was constructed in this paper. The poly(azure A)-nickel modified glassy carbon electrode was successfully fabricated by the electropolymerization of azure A and the adsorption of Ni(2+). The Ni modified electrode, which was characterized by scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, respectively, displayed well-defined current responses of the Ni(III)/Ni(II) couple and showed a good activity for electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline medium. Under the optimized conditions, the developed sensor exhibited a broad linear calibration range of 5 μM-12mM for quantification of glucose and a low detection limit of 0.64μM (3σ). The excellent analytical performance including simple structure, fast response time, good anti-interference ability, satisfying stability and reliable reproducibility were also found from the proposed amperometric sensor. The results were satisfactory for the determination of glucose in human serum samples as comparison to those from a local hospital. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermoluminescence responses of photon- and electron-irradiated lithium potassium borate co-doped with Cu+Mg or Ti+Mg.

PubMed

Alajerami, Y S M; Hashim, S; Ramli, A T; Saleh, M A; Saripan, M I; Alzimami, K; Min Ung, Ngie

2013-08-01

New glasses Li2CO3-K2CO3-H3BO3 (LKB) co-doped with CuO and MgO, or with TiO2 and MgO, were synthesized by the chemical quenching technique. The thermoluminescence (TL) responses of LKB:Cu,Mg and LKB:Ti,Mg irradiated with 6 MV photons or 6 MeV electrons were compared in the dose range 0.5-4.0 Gy. The standard commercial dosimeter LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) was used to calibrate the TL reader and as a reference in comparison of the TL properties of the new materials. The dependence of the responses of the new materials on (60)Co dose is linear in the range of 1-1000 Gy. The TL yields of both of the co-doped glasses and TLD-100 are greater for electron irradiation than for photon irradiation. The TL sensitivity of LKB:Ti,Mg is 1.3 times higher than the sensitivity of LKB:Cu,Mg and 12 times less than the sensitivity of TLD-100. The new TL dosimetric materials have low effective atomic numbers, good linearity of the dose responses, excellent signal reproducibility, and a simple glow curve structure. This combination of properties makes them suitable for radiation dosimetry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A rapid and selective fluorescent probe with a large Stokes shift for the detection of hydrogen sulfide.

PubMed

Chen, Song; Hou, Peng; Wang, Jing; Fu, Shuang; Liu, Lei

2018-05-28

We have successfully developed a new green-emitting H 2 S fluorescence probe employing a 2,4-dinitrophenyl ether moiety as the sensing group based on 3'-formyl-4'-hydroxybiphenyl-4-carbonitrile. This probe displayed a rapid (2 min), sensitive (the detection limit was 0.18 μM) and selective with a large Stokes shift (183 nm) in response to H 2 S, which was beneficial for fluorescence sensing and cell imaging studies. Moreover, this probe can qualitatively and quantitatively detect H 2 S with a good linearity (R 2  = 0.9991). Importantly, this probe had been used for the detection of H 2 S in living MDA-MB-231 cells with good performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dosimetric characterization of a microDiamond detector in clinical scanned carbon ion beams.

PubMed

Marinelli, Marco; Prestopino, G; Verona, C; Verona-Rinati, G; Ciocca, M; Mirandola, A; Mairani, A; Raffaele, L; Magro, G

2015-04-01

To investigate for the first time the dosimetric properties of a new commercial synthetic diamond detector (PTW microDiamond) in high-energy scanned clinical carbon ion beams generated by a synchrotron at the CNAO facility. The detector response was evaluated in a water phantom with actively scanned carbon ion beams ranging from 115 to 380 MeV/u (30-250 mm Bragg peak depth in water). Homogeneous square fields of 3 × 3 and 6 × 6 cm(2) were used. Short- and medium-term (2 months) detector response stability, dependence on beam energy as well as ion type (carbon ions and protons), linearity with dose, and directional and dose-rate dependence were investigated. The depth dose curve of a 280 MeV/u carbon ion beam, scanned over a 3 × 3 cm(2) area, was measured with the microDiamond detector and compared to that measured using a PTW Advanced Markus ionization chamber, and also simulated using fluka Monte Carlo code. The detector response in two spread-out-Bragg-peaks (SOBPs), respectively, centered at 9 and 21 cm depths in water and calculated using the treatment planning system (TPS) used at CNAO, was measured. A negligible drift of detector sensitivity within the experimental session was seen, indicating that no detector preirradiation was needed. Short-term response reproducibility around 1% (1 standard deviation) was found. Only 2% maximum variation of microDiamond sensitivity was observed among all the evaluated proton and carbon ion beam energies. The detector response showed a good linear behavior. Detector sensitivity was found to be dose-rate independent, with a variation below 1.3% in the evaluated dose-rate range. A very good agreement between measured and simulated Bragg curves with both microDiamond and Advanced Markus chamber was found, showing a negligible LET dependence of the tested detector. A depth dose curve was also measured by positioning the microDiamond with its main axis oriented orthogonally to the beam direction. A strong distortion in Bragg peak measurement was observed, confirming manufacturer recommendation on avoiding such configuration. Very good results were obtained for SOBP measurements, with a difference below 1% between measured and TPS-calculated doses. The stability of detector sensitivity in the observation period was within the experimental uncertainty. Dosimetric characterization of a PTW microDiamond detector in high-energy scanned carbon ion beams was performed. The results of the present study showed that this detector is suitable for dosimetry of clinical carbon ion beams, with a negligible LET and dose-rate dependence.

Validation of high throughput screening of human sera for detection of anti-PA IgG by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) as an emergency response to an anthrax incident

PubMed Central

Semenova, Vera A.; Steward-Clark, Evelene; Maniatis, Panagiotis; Epperson, Monica; Sabnis, Amit; Schiffer, Jarad

2017-01-01

To improve surge testing capability for a response to a release of Bacillus anthracis, the CDC anti-Protective Antigen (PA) IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was re-designed into a high throughput screening format. The following assay performance parameters were evaluated: goodness of fit (measured as the mean reference standard r2), accuracy (measured as percent error), precision (measured as coefficient of variance (CV)), lower limit of detection (LLOD), lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), dilutional linearity, diagnostic sensitivity (DSN) and diagnostic specificity (DSP). The paired sets of data for each sample were evaluated by Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) analysis. The goodness of fit was 0.999; percent error between the expected and observed concentration for each sample ranged from −4.6% to 14.4%. The coefficient of variance ranged from 9.0% to 21.2%. The assay LLOQ was 2.6 μg/mL. The regression analysis results for dilutional linearity data were r2 = 0.952, slope = 1.02 and intercept = −0.03. CCC between assays was 0.974 for the median concentration of serum samples. The accuracy and precision components of CCC were 0.997 and 0.977, respectively. This high throughput screening assay is precise, accurate, sensitive and specific. Anti-PA IgG concentrations determined using two different assays proved high levels of agreement. The method will improve surge testing capability 18-fold from 4 to 72 sera per assay plate. PMID:27814939

Validation of high throughput screening of human sera for detection of anti-PA IgG by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) as an emergency response to an anthrax incident.

PubMed

Semenova, Vera A; Steward-Clark, Evelene; Maniatis, Panagiotis; Epperson, Monica; Sabnis, Amit; Schiffer, Jarad

2017-01-01

To improve surge testing capability for a response to a release of Bacillus anthracis, the CDC anti-Protective Antigen (PA) IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was re-designed into a high throughput screening format. The following assay performance parameters were evaluated: goodness of fit (measured as the mean reference standard r 2 ), accuracy (measured as percent error), precision (measured as coefficient of variance (CV)), lower limit of detection (LLOD), lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), dilutional linearity, diagnostic sensitivity (DSN) and diagnostic specificity (DSP). The paired sets of data for each sample were evaluated by Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) analysis. The goodness of fit was 0.999; percent error between the expected and observed concentration for each sample ranged from -4.6% to 14.4%. The coefficient of variance ranged from 9.0% to 21.2%. The assay LLOQ was 2.6 μg/mL. The regression analysis results for dilutional linearity data were r 2  = 0.952, slope = 1.02 and intercept = -0.03. CCC between assays was 0.974 for the median concentration of serum samples. The accuracy and precision components of CCC were 0.997 and 0.977, respectively. This high throughput screening assay is precise, accurate, sensitive and specific. Anti-PA IgG concentrations determined using two different assays proved high levels of agreement. The method will improve surge testing capability 18-fold from 4 to 72 sera per assay plate. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Strain accumulation in bituminous binders under repeated creep-recovery loading predicted from small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laukkanen, Olli-Ville; Winter, H. Henning

2017-11-01

The creep-recovery (CR) test starts out with a period of shearing at constant stress (creep) and is followed by a period of zero-shear stress where some of the accumulated shear strain gets reversed. Linear viscoelasticity (LVE) allows one to predict the strain response to repeated creep-recovery (RCR) loading from measured small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) data. Only the relaxation and retardation time spectra of a material need to be known and these can be determined from SAOS data. In an application of the Boltzmann superposition principle (BSP), the strain response to RCR loading can be obtained as a linear superposition of the strain response to many single creep-recovery tests. SAOS and RCR data were collected for several unmodified and modified bituminous binders, and the measured and predicted RCR responses were compared. Generally good agreement was found between the measured and predicted strain accumulation under RCR loading. However, in the case of modified binders, the strain accumulation was slightly overestimated (≤20% relative error) due to the insufficient SAOS information at long relaxation times. Our analysis also demonstrates that the evolution in the strain response under RCR loading, caused by incomplete recovery, can be reasonably well predicted by the presented methodology. It was also shown that the outlined modeling framework can be used, as a first approximation, to estimate the rutting resistance of bituminous binders by predicting the values of the Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR) test parameters.

Thermoluminescence characteristics of flat optical fiber in radiation dosimetry under different electron irradiation conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alawiah, A.; Intan, A. M.; Bauk, S.; Abdul-Rashid, H. A.; Yusoff, Z.; Mokhtar, M. R.; Wan Abdullah, W. S.; Mat Sharif, K. A.; Mahdiraji, G. A.; Mahamd Adikan, F. R.; Tamchek, N.; Noor, N. M.; Bradley, D. A.

2013-05-01

Thermoluminescence (TL) flat optical fibers (FF) have been proposed as radiation sensor in medical dosimetry for both diagnostic and radiotherapy applications. A flat optical fiber with nominal dimensions of (3.226 × 3.417 × 0.980) mm3 contains pure silica SiO2 was selected for this research. The FF was annealed at 400°C for 1 h before irradiated. Kinetic parameters and dosimetric glow curve of TL response were studied in FF with respect to electron irradiation of 6 MeV, 15 MeV and 21 MeV using linear accelerator (LINAC) in the dose range of 2.0-10.0 Gy. The TL response was read using a TLD reader Harshaw Model 3500. The Time-Temperature-Profile (TTP) of the reader used includes; initial preheat temperature of 80°C, maximum readout temperature is 400°C and the heating rate of 30°Cs-1. The proposed FF shows excellent linear radiation response behavior within the clinical relevant dose range for all of these energies, good reproducibility, independence of radiation energy, independence of dose rate and exhibits a very low thermal fading. From these results, the proposed FF can be used as radiation dosimeter and favorably compares with the widely used of LiF:MgTi dosimeter in medical radiotherapy application.

Analyses of Field Test Data at the Atucha-1 Spent Fuel Pools

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

Sitaraman, S.

A field test was conducted at the Atucha-1 spent nuclear fuel pools to validate a software package for gross defect detection that is used in conjunction with the inspection tool, Spent Fuel Neutron Counter (SFNC). A set of measurements was taken with the SFNC and the software predictions were compared with these data and analyzed. The data spanned a wide range of cooling times and a set of burnup levels leading to count rates from the several hundreds to around twenty per second. The current calibration in the software using linear fitting required the use of multiple calibration factors tomore » cover the entire range of count rates recorded. The solution to this was to use power regression data fitting to normalize the predicted response and derive one calibration factor that can be applied to the entire set of data. The resulting comparisons between the predicted and measured responses were generally good and provided a quantitative method of detecting missing fuel in virtually all situations. Since the current version of the software uses the linear calibration method, it would need to be updated with the new power regression method to make it more user-friendly for real time verification and fieldable for the range of responses that will be encountered.« less

The Influence of Preferential Flow on Pressure Propagation and Landslide Triggering of the Rocca Pitigliana Landslide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, W.; Bogaard, T.; Bakker, M.; Berti, M.; Savenije, H. H. G.

2016-12-01

The fast pore water pressure response to rain events is an important triggering factor for slope instability. The fast pressure response may be caused by preferential flow that bypasses the soil matrix. Currently, most of the hydro-mechanical models simulate pore water pressure using a single-permeability model, which cannot quantify the effects of preferential flow on pressure propagation and landslide triggering. Previous studies showed that a model based on the linear-diffusion equation can simulate the fast pressure propagation in near-saturated landslides such as the Rocca Pitigliana landslide. In such a model, the diffusion coefficient depends on the degree of saturation, which makes it difficult to use the model for predictions. In this study, the influence of preferential flow on pressure propagation and slope stability is investigated with a 1D dual-permeability model coupled with an infinite-slope stability approach. The dual-permeability model uses two modified Darcy-Richards equations to simultaneously simulate the matrix flow and preferential flow in hillslopes. The simulated pressure head is used in an infinite-slope stability analysis to identify the influence of preferential flow on the fast pressure response and landslide triggering. The dual-permeability model simulates the height and arrival of the pressure peak reasonably well. Performance of the dual-permeability model is as good as or better than the linear-diffusion model even though the dual-permeability model is calibrated for two single pulse rain events only, while the linear-diffusion model is calibrated for each rain event separately.

Analysis of dynamic cerebral autoregulation using an ARX model based on arterial blood pressure and middle cerebral artery velocity simulation.

PubMed

Liu, Y; Allen, R

2002-09-01

The study aimed to model the cerebrovascular system, using a linear ARX model based on data simulated by a comprehensive physiological model, and to assess the range of applicability of linear parametric models. Arterial blood pressure (ABP) and middle cerebral arterial blood flow velocity (MCAV) were measured from 11 subjects non-invasively, following step changes in ABP, using the thigh cuff technique. By optimising parameters associated with autoregulation, using a non-linear optimisation technique, the physiological model showed a good performance (r=0.83+/-0.14) in fitting MCAV. An additional five sets of measured ABP of length 236+/-154 s were acquired from a subject at rest. These were normalised and rescaled to coefficients of variation (CV=SD/mean) of 2% and 10% for model comparisons. Randomly generated Gaussian noise with standard deviation (SD) from 1% to 5% was added to both ABP and physiologically simulated MCAV (SMCAV), with 'normal' and 'impaired' cerebral autoregulation, to simulate the real measurement conditions. ABP and SMCAV were fitted by ARX modelling, and cerebral autoregulation was quantified by a 5 s recovery percentage R5% of the step responses of the ARX models. The study suggests that cerebral autoregulation can be assessed by computing the R5% of the step response of an ARX model of appropriate order, even when measurement noise is considerable.

Enzymatic biosensor based on entrapment of d-amino acid oxidase on gold nanofilm/MWCNTs nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode by sol-gel network: Analytical applications for d-alanine in human serum.

PubMed

Shoja, Yalda; Rafati, Amir Abbas; Ghodsi, Javad

2017-05-01

Sensing and determination of d-alanine is studied by using an enzymatic biosensor which was constructed on the basis of d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) immobilization by sol-gel film onto glassy carbon electrode surface modified with nanocomposite of gold nanofilm (Au-NF) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The Au-NF/MWCNT nanocomposite was prepared by applying the potentiostatic technique for electrodeposition of Au-NF on the MWCNT immobilized on glassy carbon electrode surface. The modified electrode is investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and cyclic voltammetry(CV) techniques. The linear sweep voltammetry was used for determination of d-alanine and the results showed an excellent linear relationship between biosensor response and d-alanine concentration ranging from 0.25μM to 4.5μM with correction coefficient of 0.999 (n=20). Detection limit for the fabricated sensor was calculated about 20nM (for S/N=3) and sensitivity was about 56.1μAμM -1 cm -2 . The developed biosensor exhibited rapid and accurate response to d-alanine, a good stability (4 weeks) and an average recovery of 98.9% in human serum samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A survey of packages for large linear systems

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

Wu, Kesheng; Milne, Brent

2000-02-11

This paper evaluates portable software packages for the iterative solution of very large sparse linear systems on parallel architectures. While we cannot hope to tell individual users which package will best suit their needs, we do hope that our systematic evaluation provides essential unbiased information about the packages and the evaluation process may serve as an example on how to evaluate these packages. The information contained here include feature comparisons, usability evaluations and performance characterizations. This review is primarily focused on self-contained packages that can be easily integrated into an existing program and are capable of computing solutions to verymore » large sparse linear systems of equations. More specifically, it concentrates on portable parallel linear system solution packages that provide iterative solution schemes and related preconditioning schemes because iterative methods are more frequently used than competing schemes such as direct methods. The eight packages evaluated are: Aztec, BlockSolve,ISIS++, LINSOL, P-SPARSLIB, PARASOL, PETSc, and PINEAPL. Among the eight portable parallel iterative linear system solvers reviewed, we recommend PETSc and Aztec for most application programmers because they have well designed user interface, extensive documentation and very responsive user support. Both PETSc and Aztec are written in the C language and are callable from Fortran. For those users interested in using Fortran 90, PARASOL is a good alternative. ISIS++is a good alternative for those who prefer the C++ language. Both PARASOL and ISIS++ are relatively new and are continuously evolving. Thus their user interface may change. In general, those packages written in Fortran 77 are more cumbersome to use because the user may need to directly deal with a number of arrays of varying sizes. Languages like C++ and Fortran 90 offer more convenient data encapsulation mechanisms which make it easier to implement a clean and intuitive user interface. In addition to reviewing these portable parallel iterative solver packages, we also provide a more cursory assessment of a range of related packages, from specialized parallel preconditioners to direct methods for sparse linear systems.« less

Nutrient profiling can help identify foods of good nutritional quality for their price: a validation study with linear programming.

PubMed

Maillot, Matthieu; Ferguson, Elaine L; Drewnowski, Adam; Darmon, Nicole

2008-06-01

Nutrient profiling ranks foods based on their nutrient content. They may help identify foods with a good nutritional quality for their price. This hypothesis was tested using diet modeling with linear programming. Analyses were undertaken using food intake data from the nationally representative French INCA (enquête Individuelle et Nationale sur les Consommations Alimentaires) survey and its associated food composition and price database. For each food, a nutrient profile score was defined as the ratio between the previously published nutrient density score (NDS) and the limited nutrient score (LIM); a nutritional quality for price indicator was developed and calculated from the relationship between its NDS:LIM and energy cost (in euro/100 kcal). We developed linear programming models to design diets that fulfilled increasing levels of nutritional constraints at a minimal cost. The median NDS:LIM values of foods selected in modeled diets increased as the levels of nutritional constraints increased (P = 0.005). In addition, the proportion of foods with a good nutritional quality for price indicator was higher (P < 0.0001) among foods selected (81%) than among foods not selected (39%) in modeled diets. This agreement between the linear programming and the nutrient profiling approaches indicates that nutrient profiling can help identify foods of good nutritional quality for their price. Linear programming is a useful tool for testing nutrient profiling systems and validating the concept of nutrient profiling.

Relationship Between Time Consumption and Quality of Responses to Drug-related Queries: A Study From Seven Drug Information Centers in Scandinavia.

PubMed

Amundstuen Reppe, Linda; Lydersen, Stian; Schjøtt, Jan; Damkier, Per; Rolighed Christensen, Hanne; Peter Kampmann, Jens; Böttiger, Ylva; Spigset, Olav

2016-07-01

The aims of this study were to assess the quality of responses produced by drug information centers (DICs) in Scandinavia, and to study the association between time consumption processing queries and the quality of the responses. We posed six identical drug-related queries to seven DICs in Scandinavia, and the time consumption required for processing them was estimated. Clinical pharmacologists (internal experts) and general practitioners (external experts) reviewed responses individually. We used mixed model linear regression analyses to study the associations between time consumption on one hand and the summarized quality scores and the overall impression of the responses on the other hand. Both expert groups generally assessed the quality of the responses as "satisfactory" to "good." A few responses were criticized for being poorly synthesized and less relevant, of which none were quality-assured using co-signatures. For external experts, an increase in time consumption was statistically significantly associated with a decrease in common quality score (change in score, -0.20 per hour of work; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.06; P = 0.004), and overall impression (change in score, -0.05 per hour of work; 95% CI, -0.08 to -0.01; P = 0.005). No such associations were found for the internal experts' assessment. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the association between time consumption and quality of responses to drug-related queries in DICs. The quality of responses were in general good, but time consumption and quality were only weakly associated in this setting. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-linear effects and thermoelectric efficiency of quantum dot-based single-electron transistors.

PubMed

Talbo, Vincent; Saint-Martin, Jérôme; Retailleau, Sylvie; Dollfus, Philippe

2017-11-01

By means of advanced numerical simulation, the thermoelectric properties of a Si-quantum dot-based single-electron transistor operating in sequential tunneling regime are investigated in terms of figure of merit, efficiency and power. By taking into account the phonon-induced collisional broadening of energy levels in the quantum dot, both heat and electrical currents are computed in a voltage range beyond the linear response. Using our homemade code consisting in a 3D Poisson-Schrödinger solver and the resolution of the Master equation, the Seebeck coefficient at low bias voltage appears to be material independent and nearly independent on the level broadening, which makes this device promising for metrology applications as a nanoscale standard of Seebeck coefficient. Besides, at higher voltage bias, the non-linear characteristics of the heat current are shown to be related to the multi-level effects. Finally, when considering only the electronic contribution to the thermal conductance, the single-electron transistor operating in generator regime is shown to exhibit very good efficiency at maximum power.

Actively targeted delivery of anticancer drug to tumor cells by redox-responsive star-shaped micelles.

PubMed

Shi, Chunli; Guo, Xing; Qu, Qianqian; Tang, Zhaomin; Wang, Yi; Zhou, Shaobing

2014-10-01

In cancer therapy nanocargos based on star-shaped polymer exhibit unique features such as better stability, smaller size distribution and higher drug capacity in comparison to linear polymeric micelles. In this study, we developed a multifunctional star-shaped micellar system by combination of active targeting ability and redox-responsive behavior. The star-shaped micelles with good stability were self-assembled from four-arm poly(ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer. The redox-responsive behaviors of these micelles triggered by glutathione were evaluated from the changes of micellar size, morphology and molecular weight. In vitro drug release profiles exhibited that in a stimulated normal physiological environment, the redox-responsive star-shaped micelles could maintain good stability, whereas in a reducing and acid environment similar with that of tumor cells, the encapsulated agent was promptly released. In vitro cellular uptake and subcellular localization of these micelles were further studied with confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry against the human cervical cancer cell line HeLa. In vivo and ex vivo DOX fluorescence imaging displayed that these FA-functionalized star-shaped micelles possessed much better specificity to target solid tumor. Both the qualitative and quantitative results of the antitumor effect in 4T1 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice demonstrated that these redox-responsive star-shaped micelles have a high therapeutic efficiency to artificial solid tumor. Therefore, the multifunctional star-shaped micelles are a potential platform for targeted anticancer drug delivery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Sensing Properties of a Highly Stable and Reproducible Ozone Gas Sensor Based on Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O Thin Film.

PubMed

Wu, Chiu-Hsien; Jiang, Guo-Jhen; Chang, Kai-Wei; Deng, Zu-Yin; Li, Yu-Ning; Chen, Kuen-Lin; Jeng, Chien-Chung

2018-01-09

In this study, the sensing properties of an amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin film at ozone concentrations from 500 to 5 ppm were investigated. The a-IGZO thin film showed very good reproducibility and stability over three test cycles. The ozone concentration of 60-70 ppb also showed a good response. The resistance change (Δ R ) and sensitivity ( S ) were linearly dependent on the ozone concentration. The response time ( T 90-res ), recovery time ( T 90-rec ), and time constant (τ) showed first-order exponential decay with increasing ozone concentration. The resistance-time curve shows that the maximum resistance change rate (dRg/dt) is proportional to the ozone concentration during the adsorption. The results also show that it is better to sense rapidly and stably at a low ozone concentration using a high light intensity. The ozone concentration can be derived from the resistance change, sensitivity, response time, time constant (τ), and first derivative function of resistance. However, the time of the first derivative function of resistance is shorter than other parameters. The results show that a-IGZO thin films and the first-order differentiation method are promising candidates for use as ozone sensors for practical applications.

Analysis of the Sensing Properties of a Highly Stable and Reproducible Ozone Gas Sensor Based on Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O Thin Film

PubMed Central

Wu, Chiu-Hsien; Jiang, Guo-Jhen; Chang, Kai-Wei; Deng, Zu-Yin; Li, Yu-Ning; Chen, Kuen-Lin; Jeng, Chien-Chung

2018-01-01

In this study, the sensing properties of an amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin film at ozone concentrations from 500 to 5 ppm were investigated. The a-IGZO thin film showed very good reproducibility and stability over three test cycles. The ozone concentration of 60–70 ppb also showed a good response. The resistance change (ΔR) and sensitivity (S) were linearly dependent on the ozone concentration. The response time (T90-res), recovery time (T90-rec), and time constant (τ) showed first-order exponential decay with increasing ozone concentration. The resistance–time curve shows that the maximum resistance change rate (dRg/dt) is proportional to the ozone concentration during the adsorption. The results also show that it is better to sense rapidly and stably at a low ozone concentration using a high light intensity. The ozone concentration can be derived from the resistance change, sensitivity, response time, time constant (τ), and first derivative function of resistance. However, the time of the first derivative function of resistance is shorter than other parameters. The results show that a-IGZO thin films and the first-order differentiation method are promising candidates for use as ozone sensors for practical applications. PMID:29315218

Thermo-responsive polymer tethered metal-organic framework core-shell magnetic microspheres for magnetic solid-phase extraction of alkylphenols from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Jia, Yuqian; Su, Hao; Wong, Y-L Elaine; Chen, Xiangfeng; Dominic Chan, T-W

2016-07-22

In this work, the thermo-responsive polymer PNIPAM tethered to Fe3O4@SiO2@MOF core-shell magnetic microspheres was first synthesized by a surface-selective post-synthetic strategy and underwent highly efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of alkylphenols from aqueous samples. Alkylphenols, including 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and 4-n-nonylphenol (NP), were selected as target compounds. The sample quantification was carried out using LC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitor (MRM) mode. Under optimal working conditions, the developed method showed good linearity in the range of 5-1000ngL(-1), a low limit of detection (1.5ngL(-1)), and good repeatability (relative standard deviation, <8%, n=5) for NP and OP. Owning to the hydrophilic/hydrophobic switchable properties of the nanocomposite, high recoveries (78.7-104.3%) of alkylphenols were obtained under different extraction conditions. The levels of OP and NP in environmental samples collected from local river, lake and pond waters were analyzed using the developed method. It was believed that the synthesized material with the thermo-responsive coating, large surface areas and magnetic properties should have great potential in the extraction and removal of alkylphenols from environmental samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parameter recovery, bias and standard errors in the linear ballistic accumulator model.

PubMed

Visser, Ingmar; Poessé, Rens

2017-05-01

The linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) model (Brown & Heathcote, , Cogn. Psychol., 57, 153) is increasingly popular in modelling response times from experimental data. An R package, glba, has been developed to fit the LBA model using maximum likelihood estimation which is validated by means of a parameter recovery study. At sufficient sample sizes parameter recovery is good, whereas at smaller sample sizes there can be large bias in parameters. In a second simulation study, two methods for computing parameter standard errors are compared. The Hessian-based method is found to be adequate and is (much) faster than the alternative bootstrap method. The use of parameter standard errors in model selection and inference is illustrated in an example using data from an implicit learning experiment (Visser et al., , Mem. Cogn., 35, 1502). It is shown that typical implicit learning effects are captured by different parameters of the LBA model. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

The Hindmarsh-Rose neuron model: bifurcation analysis and piecewise-linear approximations.

PubMed

Storace, Marco; Linaro, Daniele; de Lange, Enno

2008-09-01

This paper provides a global picture of the bifurcation scenario of the Hindmarsh-Rose model. A combination between simulations and numerical continuations is used to unfold the complex bifurcation structure. The bifurcation analysis is carried out by varying two bifurcation parameters and evidence is given that the structure that is found is universal and appears for all combinations of bifurcation parameters. The information about the organizing principles and bifurcation diagrams are then used to compare the dynamics of the model with that of a piecewise-linear approximation, customized for circuit implementation. A good match between the dynamical behaviors of the models is found. These results can be used both to design a circuit implementation of the Hindmarsh-Rose model mimicking the diversity of neural response and as guidelines to predict the behavior of the model as well as its circuit implementation as a function of parameters. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Novel Signal-Amplified Fenitrothion Electrochemical Assay, Based on Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Dispersed Graphene Oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Limin; Dong, Jinbo; Wang, Yulong; Cheng, Qi; Yang, Mingming; Cai, Jia; Liu, Fengquan

2016-03-01

A novel signal-amplified electrochemical assay for the determination of fenitrothion was developed, based on the redox behaviour of organophosphorus pesticides on a glassy carbon working electrode. The electrode was modified using graphene oxide dispersion. The electrochemical response of fenitrothion at the modified electrode was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, current-time curves, and square-wave voltammetry. Experimental parameters, namely the accumulation conditions, pH value, and volume of dispersed material, were optimised. Under the optimum conditions, a good linear relationship was obtained between the oxidation peak current and the fenitrothion concentration. The linear range was 1-400 ng·mL-1, with a detection limit of 0.1 ng·mL-1 (signal-to-nose ratio = 3). The high sensitivity of the sensor was demonstrated by determining fenitrothion in pakchoi samples.

Sustained modelling ability of artificial neural networks in the analysis of two pharmaceuticals (dextropropoxyphene and dipyrone) present in unequal concentrations.

PubMed

Cámara, María S; Ferroni, Félix M; De Zan, Mercedes; Goicoechea, Héctor C

2003-07-01

An improvement is presented on the simultaneous determination of two active ingredients present in unequal concentrations in injections. The analysis was carried out with spectrophotometric data and non-linear multivariate calibration methods, in particular artificial neural networks (ANNs). The presence of non-linearities caused by the major analyte concentrations which deviate from Beer's law was confirmed by plotting actual vs. predicted concentrations, and observing curvatures in the residuals for the estimated concentrations with linear methods. Mixtures of dextropropoxyphene and dipyrone have been analysed by using linear and non-linear partial least-squares (PLS and NPLSs) and ANNs. Notwithstanding the high degree of spectral overlap and the occurrence of non-linearities, rapid and simultaneous analysis has been achieved, with reasonably good accuracy and precision. A commercial sample was analysed by using the present methodology, and the obtained results show reasonably good agreement with those obtained by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a UV-spectrophotometric comparative methods.

Two-photon momentum density in La2-xSrxCuO4 and Nd2-xCexCuO4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blandin, P.; Massidda, S.; Barbiellini, B.; Jarlborg, T.; Lerch, P.; Manuel, A. A.; Hoffmann, L.; Gauthier, M.; Sadowski, W.; Walker, E.; Peter, M.; Yu, Jaejun; Freeman, A. J.

1992-07-01

We present calculations of the electron-positron momentum density for the high-Tc superconductors La2-xSrxCuO4 and Nd2-xCexCuO4, together with experimental two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation (2D-ACAR) for Nd2-xCexCuO4. The calculations are based on first-principles electronic structure obtained using the full-potential linearized augmented-plane-wave and the linear muffin-tin orbital methods. Our results indicate a non-negligible overlap of the positron wave function with the CuO2 plane electrons responsible for the Fermi surfaces in these compounds. Therefore, these compounds may be well suited for investigating Fermi-surface-related effects. After the folding of umklapp terms according to Lock, Crisp, and West, the predicted Fermi-surface breaks are mixed with strong effects induced by the positron wave function in La2-xSrxCuO4, while their resolution is better in Nd2-xCexCuO4. A comparison of our calculations with the most recent experimental results for La2-xSrxCuO4 shows good agreement. For Nd2-xCexCuO4 good agreement is observed between theoretical and experimental 2D-ACAR profiles.

Dosimetric evaluation of a new OneDose MOSFET for Ir-192 energy.

PubMed

Kinhikar, Rajesh A; Sharma, Pramod K; Tambe, Chandrashekhar M; Deshpande, Deepak D

2006-03-07

The purpose of this study was to investigate dosimetry (reproducibility, energy correction, relative response with distance from source, linearity with threshold dose, rate of fading, temperature and angular dependence) of a newly designed OneDosetrade mark MOSFET patient dosimetry system for use in HDR brachytherapy with Ir-192 energy. All measurements were performed with a MicroSelectron HDR unit and OneDose MOSFET detectors. All dosimeters were normalized to 3 min post-irradiation to minimize fading effects. All dosimeters gave reproducible readings with mean deviation of 1.8% (SD 0.4) and 2.4% (SD 0.6) for 0 degrees and 180 degrees incidences, respectively. The mean energy correction factor was found to be 1.1 (range 1.06-1.12). Overall, there was 60% and 40% mean response of the MOSFET at 2 and 3 cm, respectively, from the source. MOSFET results showed good agreement with TLD and parallel plate ion chamber. Linear dose response with threshold voltage shift was observed with applied doses of 0.3 Gy-5 Gy with Ir-192 energy. Linearity (R2 = 1) was observed in the MOSFET signal with the applied dose range of 0.3 Gy-5 Gy with Ir-192 energy. Fading effects were less than 1% after 10 min and the MOSFET detectors stayed stable (within 5%) over a period of 1 month. The MOSFET response was found to be decreased by approximately 1.5% at 37 degrees C compared to 20 degrees C. The isotropic response of the MOSFET was found to be within +/-6%. A maximum deviation of 5.5% was obtained between 0 degrees and 180 degrees for both the axes and this should be considered in clinical applications. The small size, cable-less, instant readout, permanent storage of dose and ease of use make the MOSFET a novel dosimeter and beneficial to patients for skin dose measurements with HDRBT using an Ir-192 source compared to the labour demanding and time-consuming TLDs.

Oxygen detection using evanescent fields

DOEpatents

Duan, Yixiang [Los Alamos, NM; Cao, Weenqing [Los Alamos, NM

2007-08-28

An apparatus and method for the detection of oxygen using optical fiber based evanescent light absorption. Methylene blue was immobilized using a sol-gel process on a portion of the exterior surface of an optical fiber for which the cladding has been removed, thereby forming an optical oxygen sensor. When light is directed through the optical fiber, transmitted light intensity varies as a result of changes in the absorption of evanescent light by the methylene blue in response to the oxygen concentration to which the sensor is exposed. The sensor was found to have a linear response to oxygen concentration on a semi-logarithmic scale within the oxygen concentration range between 0.6% and 20.9%, a response time and a recovery time of about 3 s, ant to exhibit good reversibility and repeatability. An increase in temperature from 21.degree. C. to 35.degree. C. does not affect the net absorption of the sensor.

Conditioning of Model Identification Task in Immune Inspired Optimizer SILO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojdan, K.; Swirski, K.; Warchol, M.; Maciorowski, M.

2009-10-01

Methods which provide good conditioning of model identification task in immune inspired, steady-state controller SILO (Stochastic Immune Layer Optimizer) are presented in this paper. These methods are implemented in a model based optimization algorithm. The first method uses a safe model to assure that gains of the process's model can be estimated. The second method is responsible for elimination of potential linear dependences between columns of observation matrix. Moreover new results from one of SILO implementation in polish power plant are presented. They confirm high efficiency of the presented solution in solving technical problems.

Conductivity detection for monitoring mixing reactions in microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Liu, Y; Wipf, D O; Henry, C S

2001-08-01

A conductivity detector was coupled to poly(dimethylsiloxane)-glass capillary electrophoresis microchips to monitor microfluidic flow. Electroosmotic flow was investigated with both conductivity detection (CD) and the current monitoring method. No significant variation was observed between these methods, but CD showed a lower relative standard deviation. Gradient mixing experiments were employed to investigate the relationship between the electrolyte conductivity and the electrolyte concentration. A good linear response of conductivity to concentration was obtained for solutions whose difference in concentrations were less than 27 mM. The new system holds great promise for precision mixing in microfluidic devices using electrically driven flows.

Quantitative determination for cytotoxic Friedo-nor-oleanane derivatives from five morphological types of Maytenus ilicifolia (Celastraceae) by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Buffa Filho, Waldemar; Corsino, Joaquim; Bolzani, da Silva Vanderlan; Furlan, Maysa; Pereira, Ana Maria S; França, Suzelei Castro

2002-01-01

Five different morphological types of Maytenus ilicifolia of the same age and harvested under the same conditions showed distinct accumulations of some friedo-nor-oleananes. A rapid, sensitive and reliable reverse-phase HPLC method (employing an external standard) was used for the determination of the cytotoxic triterpenoids, 20 alpha-hydroxymaytenin, 22 beta-hydroxymaytenin, maytenin, celastrol and pristimerin in each of the five types. Well resolved peaks with good detection response and linearity in the range 1.0-100 micrograms/mL were obtained.

Client perception of service quality at the outpatient clinics of a General hospital in Lagos, Nigeria.

PubMed

Ogunnowo, Babatunde Enitan; Olufunlayo, Tolulope Florence; Sule, Salami Suberu

2015-01-01

Service quality assessments have assumed increasing importance in the last two decades. They are useful in identifying gaps in services been provided with the ultimate aim of guaranteeing quality assurance. The objective of this study was to assess the client perception of service quality at the outpatient clinics of Randle General hospital, Lagos. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from March to May 2013. A multistage sampling technique was used to select respondents and data was collected with the aid of modified SERVQUAL questionnaires. The data was analysed with aid of EPI-INFO 2002 and statistical significance was set at a P value 0.05 for statistical significance. Total of 400 respondents were interviewed. The mean age was 40 years with a standard deviation of 15.2 yrs. The highest mean score of 4.35 out of a possible maximum of 5 was recorded in assurance domain while the lowest mean score of 4.00 was recorded in the responsiveness domain. The overall mean score of all the domains was 4.20 with standard deviation of 0.51. Overall majority (80.8%) of respondents rated the overall service quality as good/ very good. After linear regression, the assurance domain was the most important predictor of the overall perceived service quality (p< 0.001). The overall perceived service quality was good. The major deficiencies were in the responsiveness domain and especially the waiting time. The hospital management should implement measures to improve the responsiveness of services by ensuring prompt delivery of services.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of dopamine based on non-covalent functionalization of manganese tetraphenylporphyrin/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite.

PubMed

Sakthinathan, Subramanian; Lee, Hsin Fang; Chen, Shen-Ming; Tamizhdurai, P

2016-04-15

In the present work, a reduced graphene oxide (RGO) supported manganese tetraphenylporphyrin (Mn-TPP) nanocomposite was electrochemically synthesized and used for the highly selective and sensitive detection of dopamine (DA). The nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis were confirmed the successful formation of RGO/Mn-TPP nanocomposite. The prepared RGO/Mn-TPP nanocomposite modified electrode exhibited an enhanced electrochemical response to DA with less oxidation potential and enhanced response current. The electrochemical studies revealed that the oxidation of the DA at the composite electrode is a surface controlled process. The cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and amperometry methods were enable to detect DA. The working linear range of the electrode was observed from 0.3 to 188.8 μM, limit of detection was 8 nM and the sensitivity was 2.606 μA μM(-1) cm(-2). Here, the positively charged DA and negatively charged porphyrin modified RGO can accelerate the electrocatalysis of DA via electrostatic attraction, while the negatively charged ascorbic acid (AA) repulsed by the negatively charged electrode surface which supported for good selectivity. The good recovery results obtained for the determination of DA present in DA injection samples and human pathological sample further revealed the good practicality of RGO/Mn-TPP nanocomposite film modified electrode. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of a brain-computer interface for person authentication using EEG responses to photo stimuli.

PubMed

Mu, Zhendong; Yin, Jinhai; Hu, Jianfeng

2018-01-01

In this paper, a person authentication system that can effectively identify individuals by generating unique electroencephalogram signal features in response to self-face and non-self-face photos is presented. In order to achieve a good stability performance, the sequence of self-face photo including first-occurrence position and non-first-occurrence position are taken into account in the serial occurrence of visual stimuli. In addition, a Fisher linear classification method and event-related potential technique for feature analysis is adapted to yield remarkably better outcomes than that by most of the existing methods in the field. The results have shown that the EEG-based person authentications via brain-computer interface can be considered as a suitable approach for biometric authentication system.

Ordinary dielectric function of corundumlike α -Ga2O3 from 40 meV to 20 eV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feneberg, Martin; Nixdorf, Jakob; Neumann, Maciej D.; Esser, Norbert; Artús, Lluis; Cuscó, Ramon; Yamaguchi, Tomohiro; Goldhahn, Rüdiger

2018-04-01

The linear optical response of metastable α -Ga2O3 is investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry. We determine the ordinary dielectric function from lattice vibrations up to the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range at room temperature for a sample with a (0001 ) surface. Three out of four Eu infrared-active phonon modes are unambiguously determined, and their frequencies are in good agreement with density functional theory calculations. The dispersion of the refractive index in the visible and ultraviolet part of the spectrum is determined. High-energy interband transitions are characterized up to 20 eV . By comparison with the optical response of α -Al2O3 and with theoretical results, a tentative assignment of interband transitions is proposed.

Interaction of trace elements and welding parameters on GTA weld shape. [Variation with penetration and tip angle

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

Burgardt, P.; Heiple, C.R.

1985-01-01

Good penetration and poor penetration steels have different responses to changes in temperature distribution on the weld pool surface. Penetration of 304 SS was varied using S and Se dopants. The weld parameter investigated was the electrode tip angle. Results of bead-on-plate GTA welds show that there is a difference in response of weld pool shape to tip angle depending on penetration: Low penetration base metal showed no dependence, intermediate penetration steel showed a small linear decrease of weld depth-to-width ratio (d/w) with tip angle, while high penetration steel showed an increase of d/w up to a maximum at aboutmore » 50/sup 0/, followed by a decrease in d/w. (DLC)« less

A selective optical sensor for picric acid assay based on photopolymerization of 3-(N-methacryloyl) amino-9-ethylcarbazole.

PubMed

Hu, Yan-Jun; Tan, Shu-Zhen; Shen, Guo-Li; Yu, Ru-Qin

2006-06-16

A novel optical sensor based on covalent immobilization for picric acid assay has been described. To improve the stability of the sensor, a terminal double bond was attached to the fluorescent compound, 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole (AEC), via methacryloyl chloride. The resultant compound, 3-(N-methacryloyl) amino-9-ethylcarbazole (MAEC) was copolymerized with 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate on surface-modified quartz glass plates by UV irradiation. The resulting optical sensor (optode membrane) was used to determine picric acid based on fluorescence quenching. It shows a linear response toward picric acid in the concentration range of 9.33 x 10(-8) to 9.33 x 10(-5) mol l(-1), with rapid response, high stability and good selectivity to picric acid.

Achieving direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase by one step electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide and its use in glucose sensing.

PubMed

Shamsipur, Mojtaba; Tabrizi, Mahmoud Amouzadeh

2014-12-01

In this paper, the direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase (GOD) was accomplished at a glassy carbon electrode modified with electrochemically reduced graphene oxide/sodium dodecyl sulfate (GCE/ERGO/SDS). A pair of reversible peaks is exhibited on GCE/ERGO/SDS/GOD by cyclic voltammetry. The peak-to-peak potential separation of immobilized GOD is 28 mV in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH7.0) with a scan rate of 50 mV/s. The average surface coverage is 2.62×10(-10) mol cm(-2). The resulting biosensor exhibited a good response to glucose with linear range from 1 to 8 mM (R(2)=0.9878), good reproducibility and detection limit of 40.8 μM. The results from the biosensor were similar (±5%) to those obtained from the clinical analyzer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid sucrose monitoring in green coffee samples using multienzymatic biosensor.

PubMed

Stredansky, Miroslav; Redivo, Luca; Magdolen, Peter; Stredansky, Adam; Navarini, Luciano

2018-07-15

Amperometric biosensor utilizing FAD-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (FAD-GDH) for a specific sucrose monitoring in green coffee is described. FAD-GDH was co-immobilized with invertase and mutarotase on a thin-layer gold planar electrode using chitosan. The biosensor showed a wide linearity (from 10 to 1200 μM), low detection limit (8.4 μM), fast response time (50 s), and appeared to be O2 independent. In addition the biosensors exhibited a good operational (3 days) and storage (1 year) stability. Finally, the results achieved from the biosensor measurements of sucrose in 17 samples of green coffee (Coffea arabica, C. canephora and C. liberica) were compared with those obtained by the standard HPLC method. The good correlation among results of real samples, satisfactory analytical performance and simple use of the presented biosensor make it suitable for application in coffee industry. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Determination of the Large-Scale Circulation of the Pacific Ocean from Satellite Altimetry using Model Green's Functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stammer, Detlef; Wunsch, Carl

1996-01-01

A Green's function method for obtaining an estimate of the ocean circulation using both a general circulation model and altimetric data is demonstrated. The fundamental assumption is that the model is so accurate that the differences between the observations and the model-estimated fields obey a linear dynamics. In the present case, the calculations are demonstrated for model/data differences occurring on very a large scale, where the linearization hypothesis appears to be a good one. A semi-automatic linearization of the Bryan/Cox general circulation model is effected by calculating the model response to a series of isolated (in both space and time) geostrophically balanced vortices. These resulting impulse responses or 'Green's functions' then provide the kernels for a linear inverse problem. The method is first demonstrated with a set of 'twin experiments' and then with real data spanning the entire model domain and a year of TOPEX/POSEIDON observations. Our present focus is on the estimate of the time-mean and annual cycle of the model. Residuals of the inversion/assimilation are largest in the western tropical Pacific, and are believed to reflect primarily geoid error. Vertical resolution diminishes with depth with 1 year of data. The model mean is modified such that the subtropical gyre is weakened by about 1 cm/s and the center of the gyre shifted southward by about 10 deg. Corrections to the flow field at the annual cycle suggest that the dynamical response is weak except in the tropics, where the estimated seasonal cycle of the low-latitude current system is of the order of 2 cm/s. The underestimation of observed fluctuations can be related to the inversion on the coarse spatial grid, which does not permit full resolution of the tropical physics. The methodology is easily extended to higher resolution, to use of spatially correlated errors, and to other data types.

Amperometric Glucose Biosensor Based on Effective Self-Assembly Technology for Preparation of Poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/Au Nanoparticles Multilayers.

PubMed

Ye, Yuhang; Xie, Hangqing; Shao, Xiaobao; Wei, Yuan; Liu, Yuhong; Zhao, Wenbo; Xia, Xinyi

2016-03-01

Novel nanomaterials and nanotechnology for use in bioassay applications represent a rapidly advancing field. This study developed a novel method to fabricate the glucose biosensor with good gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) fixed efficiency based on effective self-assembly technology for preparation of multilayers composed of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and AuNPs. The electrochemical properties of the biosensor based on (AuNPs/PAH)n/AuNPs/glucose oxide (GOD) with different multilayers were systematically investigated. Among the resulting glucose biosensors, electrochemical properties of the biosensor with three times self-assembly processes ((AuNPs/PAH)3/AuNPs/GOD) is best. The GOD biosensor exhibited a fast amperometric response (5 s) to glucose, a good linear current-time relation over a wide range of glucose concentrations from 0.05 to 162 mM, and a low detection limit of 0.029 mM. The GOD biosensor modified with (AuNPs/PAH)n layers will have essential significance and practical application in future owing to the simple method of fabrication and good performance.

Preparation of highly stable fullerene C60 decorated graphene oxide nanocomposite and its sensitive electrochemical detection of dopamine in rat brain and pharmaceutical samples.

PubMed

Thirumalraj, Balamurugan; Palanisamy, Selvakumar; Chen, Shen-Ming; Lou, Bih-Show

2016-01-15

The research community has continuously paid much attention on the preparation of hybrid of carbon nanomaterials owing to combine their unique properties. Herein, we report the preparation of highly stable fullerene C60 (C60) wrapped graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite by using a simple sonication method. The fabricated GO-C60 nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode shows a good sensitivity and lower oxidation overpotential towards dopamine (DA) than that of pristine GO and C60. The fabricated sensor detects the DA in the linear response range of 0.02-73.5μM. The limit of detection is estimated to be 0.008μM based on 3σ with a sensitivity of 4.23μAμM(-1)cm(-2). The fabricated sensor also exhibits other features such as good selectivity, stability, reproducibility and repeatability. The proposed sensor exhibits good practicality towards the detection of DA in rat brain and commercial DA injection samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Research on pressure tactile sensing technology based on fiber Bragg grating array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jinxue; Jiang, Qi; Huang, Yuanyang; Li, Yibin; Jia, Yuxi; Rong, Xuewen; Song, Rui; Liu, Hongbin

2015-09-01

A pressure tactile sensor based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array is introduced in this paper, and the numerical simulation of its elastic body was implemented by finite element software (ANSYS). On the basis of simulation, fiber Bragg grating strings were implanted in flexible silicone to realize the sensor fabrication process, and a testing system was built. A series of calibration tests were done via the high precision universal press machine. The tactile sensor array perceived external pressure, which is demodulated by the fiber grating demodulation instrument, and three-dimension pictures were programmed to display visually the position and size. At the same time, a dynamic contact experiment of the sensor was conducted for simulating robot encountering other objects in the unknown environment. The experimental results show that the sensor has good linearity, repeatability, and has the good effect of dynamic response, and its pressure sensitivity was 0.03 nm/N. In addition, the sensor also has advantages of anti-electromagnetic interference, good flexibility, simple structure, low cost and so on, which is expected to be used in the wearable artificial skin in the future.

Parameter estimation procedure for complex non-linear systems: calibration of ASM No. 1 for N-removal in a full-scale oxidation ditch.

PubMed

Abusam, A; Keesman, K J; van Straten, G; Spanjers, H; Meinema, K

2001-01-01

When applied to large simulation models, the process of parameter estimation is also called calibration. Calibration of complex non-linear systems, such as activated sludge plants, is often not an easy task. On the one hand, manual calibration of such complex systems is usually time-consuming, and its results are often not reproducible. On the other hand, conventional automatic calibration methods are not always straightforward and often hampered by local minima problems. In this paper a new straightforward and automatic procedure, which is based on the response surface method (RSM) for selecting the best identifiable parameters, is proposed. In RSM, the process response (output) is related to the levels of the input variables in terms of a first- or second-order regression model. Usually, RSM is used to relate measured process output quantities to process conditions. However, in this paper RSM is used for selecting the dominant parameters, by evaluating parameters sensitivity in a predefined region. Good results obtained in calibration of ASM No. 1 for N-removal in a full-scale oxidation ditch proved that the proposed procedure is successful and reliable.

HCPCF-based in-line fiber Fabry-Perot refractometer and high sensitivity signal processing method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaohui; Jiang, Mingshun; Sui, Qingmei; Geng, Xiangyi; Song, Furong

2017-12-01

An in-line fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) based on the hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HCPCF) for refractive index (RI) measurement is proposed in this paper. The FPI is formed by splicing both ends of a short section of the HCPCF to single mode fibers (SMFs) and cleaving the SMF pigtail to a proper length. The RI response of the sensor is analyzed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. The results show that the FPI sensor has linear response to external RI and good repeatability. The sensitivity calculated from the maximum fringe contrast is -136 dB/RIU. A new spectrum differential integration (SDI) method for signal processing is also presented in this study. In this method, the RI is obtained from the integrated intensity of the absolute difference between the interference spectrum and its smoothed spectrum. The results show that the sensitivity obtained from the integrated intensity is about -1.34×105 dB/RIU. Compared with the maximum fringe contrast method, the new SDI method can provide the higher sensitivity, better linearity, improved reliability, and accuracy, and it's also convenient for automatic and fast signal processing in real-time monitoring of RI.

Estimation of median growth curves for children up two years old based on biresponse local linear estimator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamidah, Nur; Rifada, Marisa

2016-03-01

There is significant of the coeficient correlation between weight and height of the children. Therefore, the simultaneous model estimation is better than partial single response approach. In this study we investigate the pattern of sex difference in growth curve of children from birth up to two years of age in Surabaya, Indonesia based on biresponse model. The data was collected in a longitudinal representative sample of the Surabaya population of healthy children that consists of two response variables i.e. weight (kg) and height (cm). While a predictor variable is age (month). Based on generalized cross validation criterion, the modeling result based on biresponse model by using local linear estimator for boy and girl growth curve gives optimal bandwidth i.e 1.41 and 1.56 and the determination coefficient (R2) i.e. 99.99% and 99.98%,.respectively. Both boy and girl curves satisfy the goodness of fit criterion i.e..the determination coefficient tends to one. Also, there is difference pattern of growth curve between boy and girl. The boy median growth curves is higher than those of girl curve.

An electrochemical approach to monitor pH change in agar media during plant tissue culture.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Ha, Yang

2007-05-15

In this work, metal oxide microelectrodes were developed to monitor pH change in agar media during plant tissue culture. An antimony wire was produced by a new approach "capillary melt method". The surface of the obtained antimony wire was oxidized in a potassium nitrate melt to fabricate an antimony oxide film for pH sensing. Characterization results show that the oxide layer grown on the wire surface consists of Sb(2)O(3) crystal phase. The sensing response, open-circuit potential, of the electrode has a good linear relationship (R(2)=1.00) with pH value of the test solution. Adding organic compounds into the test media would not affect the linear relationship, although the slope of the lines varied with different ingredients added. The antimony oxide electrodes were employed to continuously monitor pH change of agar culture media during a 2-week plant tissue culture of Dendrobium candidum. The antimony oxide electrode fabricated this way has the advantages of low cost, easy fabrication, fast response, and almost no contamination introduced into the system. It would be suitable for in situ and continuous pH measurement in many bio applications.

Broadband photodetector based on carbon nanotube thin film/single layer graphene Schottky junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Teng-Fei; Li, Zhi-Peng; Wang, Jiu-Zhen; Kong, Wei-Yu; Wu, Guo-An; Zheng, Yu-Zhen; Zhao, Yuan-Wei; Yao, En-Xu; Zhuang, Nai-Xi; Luo, Lin-Bao

2016-12-01

In this study, we present a broadband nano-photodetector based on single-layer graphene (SLG)-carbon nanotube thin film (CNTF) Schottky junction. It was found that the as-fabricated device exhibited obvious sensitivity to a wide range of illumination, with peak sensitivity at 600 and 920 nm. In addition, the SLG-CNTF device had a fast response speed (τr = 68 μs, τf = 78 μs) and good reproducibility in a wide range of switching frequencies (50-5400 Hz). The on-off ratio, responsivity, and detectivity of the device were estimated to be 1 × 102, 209 mAW-1 and 4.87 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W-1, respectively. What is more, other device parameters including linear performance θ and linear dynamic range (LDR) were calculated to be 0.99 and 58.8 dB, respectively, which were relatively better than other carbon nanotube based devices. The totality of the above study signifies that the present SLG-CNTF Schottky junction broadband nano-photodetector may have promising application in future nano-optoelectronic devices and systems.

The role of a microDiamond detector in the dosimetry of proton pencil beams.

PubMed

Gomà, Carles; Marinelli, Marco; Safai, Sairos; Verona-Rinati, Gianluca; Würfel, Jan

2016-03-01

In this work, the performance of a microDiamond detector in a scanned proton beam is studied and its potential role in the dosimetric characterization of proton pencil beams is assessed. The linearity of the detector response with the absorbed dose and the dependence on the dose-rate were tested. The depth-dose curve and the lateral dose profiles of a proton pencil beam were measured and compared to reference data. The feasibility of calibrating the beam monitor chamber with a microDiamond detector was also studied. It was found the detector reading is linear with the absorbed dose to water (down to few cGy) and the detector response is independent of both the dose-rate (up to few Gy/s) and the proton beam energy (within the whole clinically-relevant energy range). The detector showed a good performance in depth-dose curve and lateral dose profile measurements; and it might even be used to calibrate the beam monitor chambers-provided it is cross-calibrated against a reference ionization chamber. In conclusion, the microDiamond detector was proved capable of performing an accurate dosimetric characterization of proton pencil beams. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

High-Alpha Research Vehicle Lateral-Directional Control Law Description, Analyses, and Simulation Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davidson, John B.; Murphy, Patrick C.; Lallman, Frederick J.; Hoffler, Keith D.; Bacon, Barton J.

1998-01-01

This report contains a description of a lateral-directional control law designed for the NASA High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). The HARV is a F/A-18 aircraft modified to include a research flight computer, spin chute, and thrust-vectoring in the pitch and yaw axes. Two separate design tools, CRAFT and Pseudo Controls, were integrated to synthesize the lateral-directional control law. This report contains a description of the lateral-directional control law, analyses, and nonlinear simulation (batch and piloted) results. Linear analysis results include closed-loop eigenvalues, stability margins, robustness to changes in various plant parameters, and servo-elastic frequency responses. Step time responses from nonlinear batch simulation are presented and compared to design guidelines. Piloted simulation task scenarios, task guidelines, and pilot subjective ratings for the various maneuvers are discussed. Linear analysis shows that the control law meets the stability margin guidelines and is robust to stability and control parameter changes. Nonlinear batch simulation analysis shows the control law exhibits good performance and meets most of the design guidelines over the entire range of angle-of-attack. This control law (designated NASA-1A) was flight tested during the Summer of 1994 at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Broadband photodetector based on carbon nanotube thin film/single layer graphene Schottky junction

PubMed Central

Zhang, Teng-Fei; Li, Zhi-Peng; Wang, Jiu-Zhen; Kong, Wei-Yu; Wu, Guo-An; Zheng, Yu-Zhen; Zhao, Yuan-Wei; Yao, En-Xu; Zhuang, Nai-Xi; Luo, Lin-Bao

2016-01-01

In this study, we present a broadband nano-photodetector based on single-layer graphene (SLG)-carbon nanotube thin film (CNTF) Schottky junction. It was found that the as-fabricated device exhibited obvious sensitivity to a wide range of illumination, with peak sensitivity at 600 and 920 nm. In addition, the SLG-CNTF device had a fast response speed (τr = 68 μs, τf = 78 μs) and good reproducibility in a wide range of switching frequencies (50–5400 Hz). The on-off ratio, responsivity, and detectivity of the device were estimated to be 1 × 102, 209 mAW−1 and 4.87 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1, respectively. What is more, other device parameters including linear performance θ and linear dynamic range (LDR) were calculated to be 0.99 and 58.8 dB, respectively, which were relatively better than other carbon nanotube based devices. The totality of the above study signifies that the present SLG-CNTF Schottky junction broadband nano-photodetector may have promising application in future nano-optoelectronic devices and systems. PMID:27929053

Indirectly sensing accelerator beam currents for limiting maximum beam current magnitude

DOEpatents

Bogaty, J.M.; Clifft, B.E.; Bollinger, L.M.

1995-08-08

A beam current limiter is disclosed for sensing and limiting the beam current in a particle accelerator, such as a cyclotron or linear accelerator, used in scientific research and medical treatment. A pair of independently operable capacitive electrodes sense the passage of charged particle bunches to develop an RF signal indicative of the beam current magnitude produced at the output of a bunched beam accelerator. The RF signal produced by each sensing electrode is converted to a variable DC voltage indicative of the beam current magnitude. The variable DC voltages thus developed are compared to each other to verify proper system function and are further compared to known references to detect beam currents in excess of pre-established limits. In the event of a system malfunction, or if the detected beam current exceeds pre-established limits, the beam current limiter automatically inhibits further accelerator operation. A high Q tank circuit associated with each sensing electrode provides a narrow system bandwidth to reduce noise and enhance dynamic range. System linearity is provided by injecting, into each sensing electrode, an RF signal that is offset from the bunching frequency by a pre-determined beat frequency to ensure that subsequent rectifying diodes operate in a linear response region. The system thus provides a large dynamic range in combination with good linearity. 6 figs.

Indirectly sensing accelerator beam currents for limiting maximum beam current magnitude

DOEpatents

Bogaty, John M.; Clifft, Benny E.; Bollinger, Lowell M.

1995-01-01

A beam current limiter for sensing and limiting the beam current in a particle accelerator, such as a cyclotron or linear accelerator, used in scientific research and medical treatment. A pair of independently operable capacitive electrodes sense the passage of charged particle bunches to develop an RF signal indicative of the beam current magnitude produced at the output of a bunched beam accelerator. The RF signal produced by each sensing electrode is converted to a variable DC voltage indicative of the beam current magnitude. The variable DC voltages thus developed are compared to each other to verify proper system function and are further compared to known references to detect beam currents in excess of pre-established limits. In the event of a system malfunction, or if the detected beam current exceeds pre-established limits, the beam current limiter automatically inhibits further accelerator operation. A high Q tank circuit associated with each sensing electrode provides a narrow system bandwidth to reduce noise and enhance dynamic range. System linearity is provided by injecting, into each sensing electrode, an RF signal that is offset from the bunching frequency by a pre-determined beat frequency to ensure that subsequent rectifying diodes operate in a linear response region. The system thus provides a large dynamic range in combination with good linearity.

Linear response theory for long-range interacting systems in quasistationary states.

PubMed

Patelli, Aurelio; Gupta, Shamik; Nardini, Cesare; Ruffo, Stefano

2012-02-01

Long-range interacting systems, while relaxing to equilibrium, often get trapped in long-lived quasistationary states which have lifetimes that diverge with the system size. In this work, we address the question of how a long-range system in a quasistationary state (QSS) responds to an external perturbation. We consider a long-range system that evolves under deterministic Hamilton dynamics. The perturbation is taken to couple to the canonical coordinates of the individual constituents. Our study is based on analyzing the Vlasov equation for the single-particle phase-space distribution. The QSS represents a stable stationary solution of the Vlasov equation in the absence of the external perturbation. In the presence of small perturbation, we linearize the perturbed Vlasov equation about the QSS to obtain a formal expression for the response observed in a single-particle dynamical quantity. For a QSS that is homogeneous in the coordinate, we obtain an explicit formula for the response. We apply our analysis to a paradigmatic model, the Hamiltonian mean-field model, which involves particles moving on a circle under Hamiltonian dynamics. Our prediction for the response of three representative QSSs in this model (the water-bag QSS, the Fermi-Dirac QSS, and the Gaussian QSS) is found to be in good agreement with N-particle simulations for large N. We also show the long-time relaxation of the water-bag QSS to the Boltzmann-Gibbs equilibrium state. © 2012 American Physical Society

General radiographic attributes of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters: A basic insight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musa, Y.; Hashim, S.; Ghoshal, S. K.; Bradley, D. A.; Ahmad, N. E.; Karim, M. K. A.; Hashim, A.; Kadir, A. B. A.

2018-06-01

We report the ubiquitous radiographic characteristics of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLD) so called nanoDot OSLDs (Landauer Inc., Glendwood, IL). The X-ray irradiations were performed in free air ambiance to inspect the repeatability, the reproducibility, the signal depletion, the element correction factors (ECFs), the dose response and the energy dependence. Repeatability of multiple readouts after single irradiation to 10 mGy revealed a coefficient of variation below 3%, while the reproducibility in repeated irradiation-readout-annealing cycles was above 2%. The OSL signal depletion for three nanoDots with simultaneous irradiation to 20 mGy and sequential readouts of 25 times displayed a consistent signal reduction ≈0.5% per readout with R2 values over 0.98. ECFs for individual OSLDs were varied from 0.97 to 1.03. In the entire dose range under 80 kV, a good linearity with an R2 exceeding 0.99 was achieved. Besides, the percentage difference between OSLD and ion-chamber dose was less than 5%, which was superior to TLD. The X-ray photon irradiated energy response factors (between 0.76 and 1.12) in the range of 40-150 kV (26.1-61.2 keV) exhibited significant energy dependence. Indeed, the nanoDot OSLDs disclosed good repeatability, reproducibility and linearity. The OSLDs measured doses were closer to ion-chamber doses than that of TLD. It can be further improved up to ≈3% by applying the individual dosimeter ECF. On top, the energy dependent uncertainties can be minimized using the energy correction factors. It is established that the studied nanoDot OSLDs are prospective for measuring entrance dose in general radiographic practices.

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) gold-nanoparticle-doped titanium dioxide (GTD) photonic crystals modified electrodes for hydrogen peroxide biosensor.

PubMed

Li, Jianlin; Han, Tao; Wei, Nannan; Du, Jiangyan; Zhao, Xiangwei

2009-12-15

Gold nanoparticles have been introduced into the wall framework of titanium dioxide photonic crystals by the colloidal crystal template technique. The three-dimensionally ordered macroporous gold-nanoparticle-doped titanium dioxide (3DOM GTD) film was modified on the indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode surface and used for the hydrogen peroxide biosensor. The direct electron transfer and electrocatalysis of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilized on this film have been investigated. The 3DOM GTD film could provide a good microenvironment for retaining the biological bioactivity, large internal area, and superior conductivity. The HRP/3DOM GTD/ITO electrode exhibited two couples of redox peaks corresponding to the HRP intercalated in the mesopores and adsorbed on the external surface of the film with the formal potential of -0.19 and -0.52V in 0.1M PBS (pH 7.4), respectively. The HRP intercalated in the mesopores showed a surface-controlled process with a single proton transfer. The direct electron transfer between the adsorbed HRP and the electrode is achieved without the aid of an electron mediator. The H(2)O(2) biosensor displayed a rapid eletrocatalytic response (less than 3s), a wide linear range from 0.5 microM to 1.4mM with a detection limit of 0.2 microM, high sensitivity (179.9 microAmM(-1)), good stability and reproducibility. Compared with the free-Au doped titanium dioxide photonic crystals modified electrode, the GTD modified electrode could greatly enhance the response current signal, linear detection range and higher sensitivity. The 3DOM GTD provided a new matrix for protein immobilization and direct transfer study and opened a way for low conductivity electrode biosensor.

Measurement of nonlinear normal modes using multi-harmonic stepped force appropriation and free decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehrhardt, David A.; Allen, Matthew S.

2016-08-01

Nonlinear Normal Modes (NNMs) offer tremendous insight into the dynamic behavior of a nonlinear system, extending many concepts that are familiar in linear modal analysis. Hence there is interest in developing methods to experimentally and numerically determine a system's NNMs for model updating or simply to characterize its dynamic response. Previous experimental work has shown that a mono-harmonic excitation can be used to isolate a system's dynamic response in the neighborhood of a NNM along the main backbones of a system. This work shows that a multi-harmonic excitation is needed to isolate a NNM when well separated linear modes of a structure couple to produce an internal resonance. It is shown that one can tune the multiple harmonics of the input excitation using a plot of the input force versus the response velocity until the area enclosed by the force-velocity curve is minimized. Once an appropriated NNM is measured, one can increase the force level and retune the frequency to obtain a NNM at a higher amplitude or remove the excitation and measure the structure's decay down a NNM backbone. This work explores both methods using simulations and measurements of a nominally-flat clamped-clamped beam excited at a single point with a magnetic force. Numerical simulations are used to validate the method in a well defined environment and to provide comparison with the experimentally measured NNMs. The experimental results seem to produce a good estimate of two NNMs along their backbone and part of an internal resonance branch. Full-field measurements are then used to further explore the couplings between the underlying linear modes along the identified NNMs.

The influence of preferential flow on pressure propagation and landslide triggering of the Rocca Pitigliana landslide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Wei; Bogaard, Thom; Bakker, Mark; Berti, Matteo

2016-12-01

The fast pore water pressure response to rain events is an important triggering factor for slope instability. The fast pressure response may be caused by preferential flow that bypasses the soil matrix. Currently, most of the hydro-mechanical models simulate pore water pressure using a single-permeability model, which cannot quantify the effects of preferential flow on pressure propagation and landslide triggering. Previous studies showed that a model based on the linear-diffusion equation can simulate the fast pressure propagation in near-saturated landslides such as the Rocca Pitigliana landslide. In such a model, the diffusion coefficient depends on the degree of saturation, which makes it difficult to use the model for predictions. In this study, the influence of preferential flow on pressure propagation and slope stability is investigated with a 1D dual-permeability model coupled with an infinite-slope stability approach. The dual-permeability model uses two modified Darcy-Richards equations to simultaneously simulate the matrix flow and preferential flow in hillslopes. The simulated pressure head is used in an infinite-slope stability analysis to identify the influence of preferential flow on the fast pressure response and landslide triggering. The dual-permeability model simulates the height and arrival of the pressure peak reasonably well. Performance of the dual-permeability model is as good as or better than the linear-diffusion model even though the dual-permeability model is calibrated for two single pulse rain events only, while the linear-diffusion model is calibrated for each rain event separately. In conclusion, the 1D dual-permeability model is a promising tool for landslides under similar conditions.

A new method to approximate load-displacement relationships of spinal motion segments for patient-specific multi-body models of scoliotic spine.

PubMed

Jalalian, Athena; Tay, Francis E H; Arastehfar, Soheil; Liu, Gabriel

2017-06-01

Load-displacement relationships of spinal motion segments are crucial factors in characterizing the stiffness of scoliotic spine models to mimic the spine responses to loads. Although nonlinear approach to approximation of the relationships can be superior to linear ones, little mention has been made to deriving personalized nonlinear load-displacement relationships in previous studies. A method is developed for nonlinear approximation of load-displacement relationships of spinal motion segments to assist characterizing in vivo the stiffness of spine models. We propose approximation by tangent functions and focus on rotational displacements in lateral direction. The tangent functions are characterized using lateral bending test. A multi-body model was characterized to 18 patients and utilized to simulate four spine positions; right bending, left bending, neutral, and traction. The same was done using linear functions to assess the performance of the proposed tangent function in comparison with the linear function. Root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the displacements estimated by the tangent functions was 44 % smaller than the linear functions. This shows the ability of our tangent function in approximation of the relationships for a range of infinitesimal to large displacements involved in the spine movement to the four positions. In addition, the models based on the tangent functions yielded 67, 55, and 39 % smaller RMSEs of Ferguson angles, locations of vertebrae, and orientations of vertebrae, respectively, implying better estimates of spine responses to loads. Overall, it can be concluded that our method for approximating load-displacement relationships of spinal motion segments can offer good estimates of scoliotic spine stiffness.

Efficient Algorithms for Estimating the Absorption Spectrum within Linear Response TDDFT

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

Brabec, Jiri; Lin, Lin; Shao, Meiyue

We present two iterative algorithms for approximating the absorption spectrum of molecules within linear response of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) framework. These methods do not attempt to compute eigenvalues or eigenvectors of the linear response matrix. They are designed to approximate the absorption spectrum as a function directly. They take advantage of the special structure of the linear response matrix. Neither method requires the linear response matrix to be constructed explicitly. They only require a procedure that performs the multiplication of the linear response matrix with a vector. These methods can also be easily modified to efficiently estimate themore » density of states (DOS) of the linear response matrix without computing the eigenvalues of this matrix. We show by computational experiments that the methods proposed in this paper can be much more efficient than methods that are based on the exact diagonalization of the linear response matrix. We show that they can also be more efficient than real-time TDDFT simulations. We compare the pros and cons of these methods in terms of their accuracy as well as their computational and storage cost.« less

An electrochemical dopamine sensor based on the ZnO/CuO nanohybrid structures.

PubMed

Khun, K; Ibupoto, Z H; Liu, X; Mansor, N A; Turner, A P F; Beni, V; Willander, M

2014-09-01

The selective detection of dopamine (DA) is of great importance in the modern medicine because dopamine is one of the main regulators in human behaviour. In this study, ZnO/CuO nanohybrid structures, grown on the gold coated glass substrate, have been investigated as a novel electrode material for the electrochemical detection of dopamine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were used for the material characterization and the obtained results are in good agreement. The selective determination of dopamine was demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometric experiments. The amperometric response was linear for dopamine concentrations between 1.0 x 10(-3) and 8.0 mM with a sensitivity of 90.9 μA mM(-1) cm(-2). The proposed dopamine biosensor is very stable, selective over common interferents as glucose, uric acid and ascorbic acid, and also good reproducibility was observed for seven electrodes. Moreover, the dopamine sensor exhibited a fast response time of less than 10 s. The wide range and acceptable sensitivity of the presented dopamine sensor provide the possible application in analysing the dopamine from the real samples.

Attenuation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence by marine invertebrate-derived Streptomyces sp.

PubMed

Naik, D N; Wahidullah, S; Meena, R M

2013-03-01

The study aimed to discover quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors from marine sponge-derived actinomycetes and analyse its inhibitory activities against QS-mediated virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Seventy-two actinomycetes isolated from marine invertebrates collected from the western coast of India were screened against the QS indicator strain Chromobacterium violaceum CV12472. Methanol extracts of 12 actinomycetes showing inhibition of violacein production were accessed for downregulation of QS-mediated virulence factors like swarming, biofilm formation, pyocyanin, rhamnolipid and LasA production in Ps. aeruginosa ATCC 27853. The isolates NIO 10068, NIO 10058 and NIO 10090 exhibited very good anti-QS activity, with NIO 10068 being the most promising one. Mass spectrometric analysis of NIO 10068 methanol extract revealed the presence of cinnamic acid and linear dipeptides proline-glycine and N-amido-α-proline in the active extract. Detailed investigation suggested that although linear dipeptide Pro-Gly is to some extent responsible for the observed biological activity, cinnamic acid seems to be the main compound responsible for it. Marine-derived actinomycetes are a potential storehouse for QS inhibitors. This is the first report not only on marine sponge-associated Streptomyces for anti-QS in Ps. aeruginosa but also on cinnamic acid and proline-derived linear dipeptides proline-glycine as QS inhibitors. The results reveal that marine-derived actinomycetes may not only play a role in the defensive mechanism of their host but also lead to new molecules useful in the development of novel antivirulence drugs. © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Construction and Characterization of a Chitosan-Immobilized-Enzyme and β-Cyclodextrin-Included-Ferrocene-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for H₂O₂ Detection.

PubMed

Dong, Wenbo; Wang, Kaiyin; Chen, Yu; Li, Weiping; Ye, Yanchun; Jin, Shaohua

2017-07-28

An electrochemical detection biosensor was prepared with the chitosan-immobilized-enzyme (CTS-CAT) and β-cyclodextrin-included-ferrocene (β-CD-FE) complex for the determination of H₂O₂. Ferrocene (FE) was included in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to increase its stability. The structure of the β-CD-FE was characterized. The inclusion amount, inclusion rate, and electrochemical properties of inclusion complexes were determined to optimize the reaction conditions for the inclusion. CTS-CAT was prepared by a step-by-step immobilization method, which overcame the disadvantages of the conventional preparation methods. The immobilization conditions were optimized to obtain the desired enzyme activity. CTS-CAT/β-CD-FE composite electrodes were prepared by compositing the CTS-CAT with the β-CD-FE complex on a glassy carbon electrode and used for the electrochemical detection of H₂O₂. It was found that the CTS-CAT could produce a strong reduction peak current in response to H₂O₂ and the β-CD-FE could amplify the current signal. The peak current exhibited a linear relationship with the H₂O₂ concentration in the range of 1.0 × 10 -7 -6.0 × 10 -3 mol/L. Our work provided a novel method for the construction of electrochemical biosensors with a fast response, good stability, high sensitivity, and a wide linear response range based on the composite of chitosan and cyclodextrin.

Highly Sensitive and Wide-Dynamic-Range Multichannel Optical-Fiber pH Sensor Based on PWM Technique.

PubMed

Khan, Md Rajibur Rahaman; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-11-09

In this study, we propose a highly sensitive multichannel pH sensor that is based on an optical-fiber pulse width modulation (PWM) technique. According to the optical-fiber PWM method, the received sensing signal's pulse width changes when the optical-fiber pH sensing-element of the array comes into contact with pH buffer solutions. The proposed optical-fiber PWM pH-sensing system offers a linear sensing response over a wide range of pH values from 2 to 12, with a high pH-sensing ability. The sensitivity of the proposed pH sensor is 0.46 µs/pH, and the correlation coefficient R² is approximately 0.997. Additional advantages of the proposed optical-fiber PWM pH sensor include a short/fast response-time of about 8 s, good reproducibility properties with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of about 0.019, easy fabrication, low cost, small size, reusability of the optical-fiber sensing-element, and the capability of remote sensing. Finally, the performance of the proposed PWM pH sensor was compared with that of potentiometric, optical-fiber modal interferometer, and optical-fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer pH sensors with respect to dynamic range width, linearity as well as response and recovery times. We observed that the proposed sensing systems have better sensing abilities than the above-mentioned pH sensors.

Highly Sensitive and Wide-Dynamic-Range Multichannel Optical-Fiber pH Sensor Based on PWM Technique

PubMed Central

Khan, Md. Rajibur Rahaman; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-01-01

In this study, we propose a highly sensitive multichannel pH sensor that is based on an optical-fiber pulse width modulation (PWM) technique. According to the optical-fiber PWM method, the received sensing signal’s pulse width changes when the optical-fiber pH sensing-element of the array comes into contact with pH buffer solutions. The proposed optical-fiber PWM pH-sensing system offers a linear sensing response over a wide range of pH values from 2 to 12, with a high pH-sensing ability. The sensitivity of the proposed pH sensor is 0.46 µs/pH, and the correlation coefficient R2 is approximately 0.997. Additional advantages of the proposed optical-fiber PWM pH sensor include a short/fast response-time of about 8 s, good reproducibility properties with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of about 0.019, easy fabrication, low cost, small size, reusability of the optical-fiber sensing-element, and the capability of remote sensing. Finally, the performance of the proposed PWM pH sensor was compared with that of potentiometric, optical-fiber modal interferometer, and optical-fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer pH sensors with respect to dynamic range width, linearity as well as response and recovery times. We observed that the proposed sensing systems have better sensing abilities than the above-mentioned pH sensors. PMID:27834865

Linear-scaling time-dependent density-functional theory beyond the Tamm-Dancoff approximation: Obtaining efficiency and accuracy with in situ optimised local orbitals

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

Zuehlsdorff, T. J., E-mail: tjz21@cam.ac.uk; Payne, M. C.; Hine, N. D. M.

2015-11-28

We present a solution of the full time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) eigenvalue equation in the linear response formalism exhibiting a linear-scaling computational complexity with system size, without relying on the simplifying Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA). The implementation relies on representing the occupied and unoccupied subspaces with two different sets of in situ optimised localised functions, yielding a very compact and efficient representation of the transition density matrix of the excitation with the accuracy associated with a systematic basis set. The TDDFT eigenvalue equation is solved using a preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm that is very memory-efficient. The algorithm is validated on amore » small test molecule and a good agreement with results obtained from standard quantum chemistry packages is found, with the preconditioner yielding a significant improvement in convergence rates. The method developed in this work is then used to reproduce experimental results of the absorption spectrum of bacteriochlorophyll in an organic solvent, where it is demonstrated that the TDA fails to reproduce the main features of the low energy spectrum, while the full TDDFT equation yields results in good qualitative agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, the need for explicitly including parts of the solvent into the TDDFT calculations is highlighted, making the treatment of large system sizes necessary that are well within reach of the capabilities of the algorithm introduced here. Finally, the linear-scaling properties of the algorithm are demonstrated by computing the lowest excitation energy of bacteriochlorophyll in solution. The largest systems considered in this work are of the same order of magnitude as a variety of widely studied pigment-protein complexes, opening up the possibility of studying their properties without having to resort to any semiclassical approximations to parts of the protein environment.« less

Transient responses of phosphoric acid fuel cell power plant system. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, Cheng-Yi

1983-01-01

An analytical and computerized study of the steady state and transient response of a phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) system was completed. Parametric studies and sensitivity analyses of the PAFC system's operation were accomplished. Four non-linear dynamic models of the fuel cell stack, reformer, shift converters, and heat exchangers were developed based on nonhomogeneous non-linear partial differential equations, which include the material, component, energy balance, and electrochemical kinetic features. Due to a lack of experimental data for the dynamic response of the components only the steady state results were compared with data from other sources, indicating reasonably good agreement. A steady state simulation of the entire system was developed using, nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The finite difference method and trial-and-error procedures were used to obtain a solution. Using the model, a PAFC system, that was developed under NASA Grant, NCC3-17, was improved through the optimization of the heat exchanger network. Three types of cooling configurations for cell plates were evaluated to obtain the best current density and temperature distributions. The steady state solutions were used as the initial conditions in the dynamic model. The transient response of a simplified PAFC system, which included all of the major components, subjected to a load change was obtained. Due to the length of the computation time for the transient response calculations, analysis on a real-time computer was not possible. A simulation of the real-time calculations was developed on a batch type computer. The transient response characteristics are needed for the optimization of the design and control of the whole PAFC system. All of the models, procedures and simulations were programmed in Fortran and run on IBM 370 computers at Cleveland State University and the NASA Lewis Research Center.

A novel acidic pH fluorescent probe based on a benzothiazole derivative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Qiujuan; Li, Xian; Feng, Suxiang; Liang, Beibei; Zhou, Tiqiang; Xu, Min; Ma, Zhuoyi

2017-04-01

A novel acidic pH fluorescent probe 1 based on a benzothiazole derivative has been designed, synthesized and developed. The linear response range covers the acidic pH range from 3.44 to 6.46, which is valuable for pH researches in acidic environment. The evaluated pKa value of the probe 1 is 4.23. The fluorescence enhancement of the studied probe 1 with an increase in hydrogen ions concentration is based on the hindering of enhanced photo-induced electron transfer (PET) process. Moreover, the pH sensor possesses a highly selective response to H+ in the presence of metal ions, anions and other bioactive small molecules which would be interfere with its fluorescent pH response. Furthermore, the probe 1 responds to acidic pH with short response time that was less than 1 min. The probe 1 has been successfully applied to confocal fluorescence imaging in live HeLa cells and can selectively stain lysosomes. All of such good properties prove it can be used to monitoring pH fluctuations in acidic environment with high sensitivity, pH dependence and short response time.

A Novel Highly Sensitive NO2 Sensor Based on Perovskite Na0.5+xBi0.5TiO3-δ Electrolyte.

PubMed

Xiao, Yihong; Zhang, Chufan; Zhang, Xu; Cai, Guohui; Zheng, Yong; Zheng, Ying; Zhong, Fulan; Jiang, Lilong

2017-07-10

NO x is one of dangerous air pollutants, and the demands for reliable sensors to detect NO x are extremely urgent recently. Conventional fluorite-phase YSZ used for NO x sensor requires higher operating temperature to obtain desirable oxygen ion conductivity. In this work, perovskite-phase Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 (NBT) oxygen conductor was chosen as the solid electrolyte to fabricate a novel highly sensitive NO 2 sensor with CuO as the sensing electrode and Pt as reference electrode. Na dopped Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 greatly improved the sensing performance of this sensor. The optimal sensor based on Na 0.51 Bi 0.50 TiO 3-δ exhibited good response-recovery characteristics to NO 2 and the response current values were almost linear to NO 2 concentrations in the range of 50-500 ppm at 400-600 °C. The response current value towards NO 2 reached maximum 11.23 μA at 575 °C and the value on NO 2 is much higher than other gases (CH 4 , C 2 H 4 , C 3 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , CO), indicating good selectivity for detecting NO 2 . The response signals of the sensor were slightly affected by coexistent O 2 varying from 2 to 21 vol% at 575 °C. The response current value decreased only 4.9% over 2 months, exhibiting the potential application in motor vehicles.

Hypothesis testing in functional linear regression models with Neyman's truncation and wavelet thresholding for longitudinal data.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaowei; Nie, Kun

2008-03-15

Longitudinal data sets in biomedical research often consist of large numbers of repeated measures. In many cases, the trajectories do not look globally linear or polynomial, making it difficult to summarize the data or test hypotheses using standard longitudinal data analysis based on various linear models. An alternative approach is to apply the approaches of functional data analysis, which directly target the continuous nonlinear curves underlying discretely sampled repeated measures. For the purposes of data exploration, many functional data analysis strategies have been developed based on various schemes of smoothing, but fewer options are available for making causal inferences regarding predictor-outcome relationships, a common task seen in hypothesis-driven medical studies. To compare groups of curves, two testing strategies with good power have been proposed for high-dimensional analysis of variance: the Fourier-based adaptive Neyman test and the wavelet-based thresholding test. Using a smoking cessation clinical trial data set, this paper demonstrates how to extend the strategies for hypothesis testing into the framework of functional linear regression models (FLRMs) with continuous functional responses and categorical or continuous scalar predictors. The analysis procedure consists of three steps: first, apply the Fourier or wavelet transform to the original repeated measures; then fit a multivariate linear model in the transformed domain; and finally, test the regression coefficients using either adaptive Neyman or thresholding statistics. Since a FLRM can be viewed as a natural extension of the traditional multiple linear regression model, the development of this model and computational tools should enhance the capacity of medical statistics for longitudinal data.

An extended harmonic balance method based on incremental nonlinear control parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khodaparast, Hamed Haddad; Madinei, Hadi; Friswell, Michael I.; Adhikari, Sondipon; Coggon, Simon; Cooper, Jonathan E.

2017-02-01

A new formulation for calculating the steady-state responses of multiple-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) non-linear dynamic systems due to harmonic excitation is developed. This is aimed at solving multi-dimensional nonlinear systems using linear equations. Nonlinearity is parameterised by a set of 'non-linear control parameters' such that the dynamic system is effectively linear for zero values of these parameters and nonlinearity increases with increasing values of these parameters. Two sets of linear equations which are formed from a first-order truncated Taylor series expansion are developed. The first set of linear equations provides the summation of sensitivities of linear system responses with respect to non-linear control parameters and the second set are recursive equations that use the previous responses to update the sensitivities. The obtained sensitivities of steady-state responses are then used to calculate the steady state responses of non-linear dynamic systems in an iterative process. The application and verification of the method are illustrated using a non-linear Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) subject to a base harmonic excitation. The non-linear control parameters in these examples are the DC voltages that are applied to the electrodes of the MEMS devices.

Amperometric Immunosensors for screening of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, A.; Paschero, A.; Moore, E.

2011-08-01

An amperometric immunosensor with low limit detection was developed for the screening of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water. The system was based on detecting the specific substance using an immunological reaction by measuring the chemical responses to specific antibodies. An integrated biochip with a three electrode system was fabricated. Gold was used as the working electrode with platinum was used as the counter electrode. A modified Ag/AgCl reference electrode was employed to enhance the stability of the immunosensors. Indirect competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out within the electrode using alkaline phosphatase (AP) as the labelled-enzyme. The system shows acceptable reproducibility and good stability. The immunosensor exhibited a wide linear response to PAHs. A limit of detection for this sensor was in the range of 1 to 10 ng ml-1 in aqueous sample.

Thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeter of dysprosium doped strontium borate glass for different glass modifiers (Na, Li, Ca) subjected from 1 to 9 Gy doses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamzah, S. A.; Saeed, M. A.; Wagiran, H.; Hashim, I. H.

2017-10-01

This article reports TL response for different glass modifier and doping concentration. Alkali oxides (Na2O and Li2O) and alkali earth oxide (CaO) will be used as a glass modifier for strontium borate based glass. The samples were prepared by melt quenching technique. Dy2O3 concentrations ranging from 0.00 to 0.70 mol% and exposure doses of 1 to 9 Gy will be varied. All glass samples exhibit the prominent peak temperature positioned at 186 oC to 232 oC. From all the samples, one of the samples shows an excellent linearity dose response, higher TL and show good reproducibility after 5 cycles exposure which is sodium strontium borate doped with 0.1 mol% Dy2O3 (optimum concentration).

Testing the dose-response specification in epidemiology: public health and policy consequences for lead.

PubMed

Rothenberg, Stephen J; Rothenberg, Jesse C

2005-09-01

Statistical evaluation of the dose-response function in lead epidemiology is rarely attempted. Economic evaluation of health benefits of lead reduction usually assumes a linear dose-response function, regardless of the outcome measure used. We reanalyzed a previously published study, an international pooled data set combining data from seven prospective lead studies examining contemporaneous blood lead effect on IQ (intelligence quotient) of 7-year-old children (n = 1,333). We constructed alternative linear multiple regression models with linear blood lead terms (linear-linear dose response) and natural-log-transformed blood lead terms (log-linear dose response). We tested the two lead specifications for nonlinearity in the models, compared the two lead specifications for significantly better fit to the data, and examined the effects of possible residual confounding on the functional form of the dose-response relationship. We found that a log-linear lead-IQ relationship was a significantly better fit than was a linear-linear relationship for IQ (p = 0.009), with little evidence of residual confounding of included model variables. We substituted the log-linear lead-IQ effect in a previously published health benefits model and found that the economic savings due to U.S. population lead decrease between 1976 and 1999 (from 17.1 microg/dL to 2.0 microg/dL) was 2.2 times (319 billion dollars) that calculated using a linear-linear dose-response function (149 billion dollars). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention action limit of 10 microg/dL for children fails to protect against most damage and economic cost attributable to lead exposure.

Ultrasensitive sliver nanorods array SERS sensor for mercury ions.

PubMed

Song, Chunyuan; Yang, Boyue; Zhu, Yu; Yang, Yanjun; Wang, Lianhui

2017-01-15

With years of outrageous mercury emissions, there is an urgent need to develop convenient and sensitive methods for detecting mercury ions in response to increasingly serious mercury pollution in water. In the present work, a portable, ultrasensitive SERS sensor is proposed and utilized for detecting trace mercury ions in water. The SERS sensor is prepared on an excellent sliver nanorods array SERS substrate by immobilizing T-component oligonucleotide probes labeled with dye on the 3'-end and -SH on the 5'-end. The SERS sensor responses to the specific chemical bonding between thymine and mercury ions, which causes the previous flexible single strand of oligonucleotide probe changing into rigid and upright double chain structure. Such change in the structure drives the dyes far away from the excellent SERS substrate and results in a SERS signal attenuation of the dye. Therefore, by monitoring the decay of SERS signal of the dye, mercury ions in water can be detected qualitatively and quantitatively. The experimental results indicate that the proposed optimal SERS sensor owns a linear response with wide detecting range from 1pM to 1μM, and a detection limit of 0.16pM is obtained. In addition, the SERS sensor demonstrates good specificity for Hg 2+ , which can accurately identify trace mercury ions from a mixture of ten kinds of other ions. The SERS sensor has been further executed to analyze the trace mercury ions in tap water and lake water respectively, and good recovery rates are obtained for sensing both kinds of water. With its high selectivity and good portability, the ultrasensitive SERS sensor is expected to be a promising candidate for discriminating mercury ions in the fields of environmental monitoring and food safety. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exponential increase in postprandial blood-glucose exposure with increasing carbohydrate loads using a linear carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio.

PubMed

Marran, K J; Davey, B; Lang, A; Segal, D G

2013-04-10

Postprandial glucose excursions contribute significantly to average blood glucose, glycaemic variability and cardiovascular risk. Carbohydrate counting is a method of insulin dosing that balances carbohydrate load to insulin dose using a fixed ratio. Many patients and current insulin pumps calculate insulin delivery for meals based on a linear carbohydrate-to-insulin relationship. It is our hypothesis that a non-linear relationship exists between the amounts of carbohydrate consumed and the insulin required to cover it. To document blood glucose exposure in response to increasing carbohydrate loads on fixed carbohydrate-to-insulin ratios. Five type 1 diabetic subjects receiving insulin pump therapy with good control were recruited. Morning basal rates and carbohydrate- to-insulin ratios were optimised. A Medtronic glucose sensor was used for 5 days to collect data for area-under-the-curve (AUC) analysis, during which standardised meals of increasing carbohydrate loads were consumed. Increasing carbohydrate loads using a fixed carbohydrate-to-insulin ratio resulted in increasing glucose AUC. The relationship was found to be exponential rather than linear. Late postprandial hypoglycaemia followed carbohydrate loads of >60 g and this was often followed by rebound hyperglycaemia that lasted >6 hours. A non-linear relationship exists between carbohydrates consumed and the insulin required to cover them. This has implications for control of postprandial blood sugars, especially when consuming large carbohydrate loads. Further studies are required to look at the optimal ratios, duration and type of insulin boluses required to cover increasing carbohydrate loads.

A nonlinear model for analysis of slug-test data

USGS Publications Warehouse

McElwee, C.D.; Zenner, M.A.

1998-01-01

While doing slug tests in high-permeability aquifers, we have consistently seen deviations from the expected response of linear theoretical models. Normalized curves do not coincide for various initial heads, as would be predicted by linear theories, and are shifted to larger times for higher initial heads. We have developed a general nonlinear model based on the Navier-Stokes equation, nonlinear frictional loss, non-Darcian flow, acceleration effects, radius changes in the well bore, and a Hvorslev model for the aquifer, which explains these data features. The model produces a very good fit for both oscillatory and nonoscillatory field data, using a single set of physical parameters to predict the field data for various initial displacements at a given well. This is in contrast to linear models which have a systematic lack of fit and indicate that hydraulic conductivity varies with the initial displacement. We recommend multiple slug tests with a considerable variation in initial head displacement to evaluate the possible presence of nonlinear effects. Our conclusion is that the nonlinear model presented here is an excellent tool to analyze slug tests, covering the range from the underdamped region to the overdamped region.

Progesterone concentration as an indicator of ovarian response to superovulation in Chios ewes.

PubMed

Amiridis, G S; Rekkas, C A; Fthenakis, G C; Vainas, E; Lymberopoulos, A; Christodoulou, V; Belibasaki, S

2002-02-01

We investigated the prediction of the ovarian response to superovulation using progesterone (P4) determination in Chios ewes. During the estrus period. estrus synchronization and multiple ovulations were induced in 100 non-pregnant, non-lactating Chios ewes by a combination of FGA-impregnated intravaginal sponges and 8.8 mg of ovine FSH. Laparoscopic insemination was conducted 24-28 h after the onset of estrus. A concentration of P4 was determined on Day 5 of the estrous cycle and on Day 6 the ovarian response was evaluated by counting the corpus lutea (CL); subsequently, embryo collection was performed. According to the response of their ovaries, ewes were allocated into four groups: A (n = 30); B (n = 37); C (n = 22); D (n = 11), with minimal (0-3 CL), moderate (4-8 CL), good (9-13 CL) or extreme (> 13 CL) ovarian response, respectively. In groups C and D, the mean blood serum P4 concentration (23.2 and 27.3 ng/ml, respectively) was higher (P < 0.001) than that in groups A and B (4.6 and 13.1 ng/ml, respectively); no difference was detected in blood P4 concentration between groups C and D. A strong linear relation (F < 0.00005) was found between blood P4 concentration and the number of CL, as well as between blood P4 and a dummy variable corresponding to poor (< 4 CL) or moderate/good/extreme ovarian response (>3 CL). Our results indicate that based on blood P4 measurement, it is feasible to identify ewes that should show the highest embryo recovery, while it is impossible to predict the exact number of CL formed.

Factors associated to clinical learning in nursing students in primary health care: an analytical cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Serrano-Gallardo, Pilar; Martínez-Marcos, Mercedes; Espejo-Matorrales, Flora; Arakawa, Tiemi; Magnabosco, Gabriela Tavares; Pinto, Ione Carvalho

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the students' perception about the quality of clinical placements and asses the influence of the different tutoring processes in clinical learning. Methods: analytical cross-sectional study on second and third year nursing students (n=122) about clinical learning in primary health care. The Clinical Placement Evaluation Tool and a synthetic index of attitudes and skills were computed to give scores to the clinical learning (scale 0-10). Univariate, bivariate and multivariate (multiple linear regression) analyses were performed. Results: the response rate was 91.8%. The most commonly identified tutoring process was "preceptor-professor" (45.2%). The clinical placement was assessed as "optimal" by 55.1%, relationship with team-preceptor was considered good by 80.4% of the cases and the average grade for clinical learning was 7.89. The multiple linear regression model with more explanatory capacity included the variables "Academic year" (beta coefficient = 1.042 for third-year students), "Primary Health Care Area (PHC)" (beta coefficient = 0.308 for Area B) and "Clinical placement perception" (beta coefficient = - 0.204 for a suboptimal perception). Conclusions: timeframe within the academic program, location and clinical placement perception were associated with students' clinical learning. Students' perceptions of setting quality were positive and a good team-preceptor relationship is a matter of relevance. PMID:27627124

A quantitative structure-activity relationship to predict efficacy of granular activated carbon adsorption to control emerging contaminants.

PubMed

Kennicutt, A R; Morkowchuk, L; Krein, M; Breneman, C M; Kilduff, J E

2016-08-01

A quantitative structure-activity relationship was developed to predict the efficacy of carbon adsorption as a control technology for endocrine-disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, and components of personal care products, as a tool for water quality professionals to protect public health. Here, we expand previous work to investigate a broad spectrum of molecular descriptors including subdivided surface areas, adjacency and distance matrix descriptors, electrostatic partial charges, potential energy descriptors, conformation-dependent charge descriptors, and Transferable Atom Equivalent (TAE) descriptors that characterize the regional electronic properties of molecules. We compare the efficacy of linear (Partial Least Squares) and non-linear (Support Vector Machine) machine learning methods to describe a broad chemical space and produce a user-friendly model. We employ cross-validation, y-scrambling, and external validation for quality control. The recommended Support Vector Machine model trained on 95 compounds having 23 descriptors offered a good balance between good performance statistics, low error, and low probability of over-fitting while describing a wide range of chemical features. The cross-validated model using a log-uptake (qe) response calculated at an aqueous equilibrium concentration (Ce) of 1 μM described the training dataset with an r(2) of 0.932, had a cross-validated r(2) of 0.833, and an average residual of 0.14 log units.

Reefal petroleum prospects possible in Pakistan

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

Quadri, V.N.; Quadri, S.M.G.J.

1996-03-25

Carbonate buildups including reefs and banks have proven to be prolific hydrocarbon reservoirs in the US, Canada, Mexico, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Seismic interpretation, particularly of high quality marine data, and geological analyses, including petrographic studies of selected formations, reveal a broad spectrum of possible reefal prospects in formations of different ages in Pakistan. However, the region with good seismic that provides good recognition of possible reefal buildups remains to date devoid of well confirmation. Oil and Gas Development Corp. of Pakistan formed the technical services department in 1976 for a systematic scientific review of allmore » exploration data and basin analysis. In 1985 this department was renamed offshore department, with responsibility for all offshore exploration. This article is based on the department`s work in collaboration with geoscientists from Russia, the US, Norway, and Canada covering the area shown. Four major types of carbonate buildups, easily recognized from seismic interpretation, include: barrier buildups that are linear with relatively deep water on both sides during deposition; pinnacle buildups that are roughly equidimensional and were surrounded by deep water during deposition; shelf margin buildups that are linear with deep water on one side and shallow water on the other; and patch buildups that form in shallow water either in close proximity to shelf margins, or over broad shallow seas.« less

How linear response shaped models of neural circuits and the quest for alternatives.

PubMed

Herfurth, Tim; Tchumatchenko, Tatjana

2017-10-01

In the past decades, many mathematical approaches to solve complex nonlinear systems in physics have been successfully applied to neuroscience. One of these tools is the concept of linear response functions. However, phenomena observed in the brain emerge from fundamentally nonlinear interactions and feedback loops rather than from a composition of linear filters. Here, we review the successes achieved by applying the linear response formalism to topics, such as rhythm generation and synchrony and by incorporating it into models that combine linear and nonlinear transformations. We also discuss the challenges encountered in the linear response applications and argue that new theoretical concepts are needed to tackle feedback loops and non-equilibrium dynamics which are experimentally observed in neural networks but are outside of the validity regime of the linear response formalism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical As(III) whole-cell based biochip sensor.

PubMed

Cortés-Salazar, Fernando; Beggah, Siham; van der Meer, Jan Roelof; Girault, Hubert H

2013-09-15

The development of a whole-cell based sensor for arsenite detection coupling biological engineering and electrochemical techniques is presented. This strategy takes advantage of the natural Escherichia coli resistance mechanism against toxic arsenic species, such as arsenite, which consists of the selective intracellular recognition of arsenite and its pumping out from the cell. A whole-cell based biosensor can be produced by coupling the intracellular recognition of arsenite to the generation of an electrochemical signal. Hereto, E. coli was equipped with a genetic circuit in which synthesis of beta-galactosidase is under control of the arsenite-derepressable arsR-promoter. The E. coli reporter strain was filled in a microchip containing 16 independent electrochemical cells (i.e. two-electrode cell), which was then employed for analysis of tap and groundwater samples. The developed arsenic-sensitive electrochemical biochip is easy to use and outperforms state-of-the-art bacterial bioreporters assays specifically in its simplicity and response time, while keeping a very good limit of detection in tap water, i.e. 0.8ppb. Additionally, a very good linear response in the ranges of concentration tested (0.94ppb to 3.75ppb, R(2)=0.9975 and 3.75 ppb to 30ppb, R(2)=0.9991) was obtained, complying perfectly with the acceptable arsenic concentration limits defined by the World Health Organization for drinking water samples (i.e. 10ppb). Therefore, the proposed assay provides a very good alternative for the portable quantification of As (III) in water as corroborated by the analysis of natural groundwater samples from Swiss mountains, which showed a very good agreement with the results obtained by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A reusable OSL-film for 2D radiotherapy dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wouter, Crijns; Dirk, Vandenbroucke; Paul, Leblans; Tom, Depuydt

2017-11-01

Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) combines reusability, sub-mm resolution, and a linear dose response in a single radiation detection technology. Such a combination is currently lacking in radiotherapy dosimetry. But OSL-films have a strong energy dependent response to keV photons due to a relative high effective atomic number (Z eff). The current work studied the applicability of a 2D OSL-film with a reduced Z eff as (IMRT/VMAT) dosimeter. Based on their commercial OSL-film experience, Agfa Healthcare N.V. produced a new experimental OSL-film for RT dosimetry. This film had a lower effective atomic number compared to the films used in radiology. Typical 2D dosimeter requirements such as uniformity, dose response, signal stability with time, and angular dependence were evaluated. Additionally, the impact of a possible residual energy dependence was assessed for the infield as well as the out-of-field region of both static beams and standard intensity modulated patterns (chair and pyramid). The OSL-film’s reusable nature allowed for a film specific absolute and linear calibration including a flood-field uniformity correction. The OSL-film was scanned with a CR-15X engine based reader using a strict timing (i.e. 4 min after ‘beam on’ or as soon as possible) to account for spontaneous recombination. The OSL-film had good basic response properties: non-uniformities  ⩽2.6%, a linear dose response (0-32 Gy), a linear signal decay (0.5% min-1) over the 20 min measured, and limited angular dependence  ⩽2.6%. Due to variations of the energy spectrum, larger dose differences were noted outside the central region of the homogenous phantom and outside both static and IMRT fields. However, the OSL-film’s measured dose differences of the IMRT patterns were lower than those of Gafchromic EBT measurements ([-1.6%, 2.1%] versus [-2.9%, 3.6%]). The current OSL-film could be used as a reusable high resolution dosimeter with read-out immediately after irradiation. Inside the (IMRT) treatment fields residual energy dependent effects were not observed. Novelty and significance: Implementing a reusable optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) film for radiotherapy dosimetry would enable user-friendly, sub(mm) resolution 2D dosimetry with instantaneous read-out. Radiology OSL-films have a strong energy dependent response which hampers accurate dosimetry. The current work reports measurements with a first 2D OSL-film tailored to the radiotherapy needs: including an improved water equivalent composition. The dosimeter adds the ability for sub-mm resolution repeated measurements to the portfolio of radiotherapy dosimetry.

A reusable OSL-film for 2D radiotherapy dosimetry.

PubMed

Wouter, Crijns; Dirk, Vandenbroucke; Paul, Leblans; Tom, Depuydt

2017-10-19

Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) combines reusability, sub-mm resolution, and a linear dose response in a single radiation detection technology. Such a combination is currently lacking in radiotherapy dosimetry. But OSL-films have a strong energy dependent response to keV photons due to a relative high effective atomic number (Z eff ). The current work studied the applicability of a 2D OSL-film with a reduced Z eff as (IMRT/VMAT) dosimeter. Based on their commercial OSL-film experience, Agfa Healthcare N.V. produced a new experimental OSL-film for RT dosimetry. This film had a lower effective atomic number compared to the films used in radiology. Typical 2D dosimeter requirements such as uniformity, dose response, signal stability with time, and angular dependence were evaluated. Additionally, the impact of a possible residual energy dependence was assessed for the infield as well as the out-of-field region of both static beams and standard intensity modulated patterns (chair and pyramid). The OSL-film's reusable nature allowed for a film specific absolute and linear calibration including a flood-field uniformity correction. The OSL-film was scanned with a CR-15X engine based reader using a strict timing (i.e. 4 min after 'beam on' or as soon as possible) to account for spontaneous recombination. The OSL-film had good basic response properties: non-uniformities  ⩽2.6%, a linear dose response (0-32 Gy), a linear signal decay (0.5% min -1 ) over the 20 min measured, and limited angular dependence  ⩽2.6%. Due to variations of the energy spectrum, larger dose differences were noted outside the central region of the homogenous phantom and outside both static and IMRT fields. However, the OSL-film's measured dose differences of the IMRT patterns were lower than those of Gafchromic EBT measurements ([-1.6%, 2.1%] versus [-2.9%, 3.6%]). The current OSL-film could be used as a reusable high resolution dosimeter with read-out immediately after irradiation. Inside the (IMRT) treatment fields residual energy dependent effects were not observed. Novelty and significance: Implementing a reusable optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) film for radiotherapy dosimetry would enable user-friendly, sub(mm) resolution 2D dosimetry with instantaneous read-out. Radiology OSL-films have a strong energy dependent response which hampers accurate dosimetry. The current work reports measurements with a first 2D OSL-film tailored to the radiotherapy needs: including an improved water equivalent composition. The dosimeter adds the ability for sub-mm resolution repeated measurements to the portfolio of radiotherapy dosimetry.

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

PubMed

Khan, M Ismail; Tahir, Farooq A

2017-11-22

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

A 4.8 kbps code-excited linear predictive coder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tremain, Thomas E.; Campbell, Joseph P., Jr.; Welch, Vanoy C.

1988-01-01

A secure voice system STU-3 capable of providing end-to-end secure voice communications (1984) was developed. The terminal for the new system will be built around the standard LPC-10 voice processor algorithm. The performance of the present STU-3 processor is considered to be good, its response to nonspeech sounds such as whistles, coughs and impulse-like noises may not be completely acceptable. Speech in noisy environments also causes problems with the LPC-10 voice algorithm. In addition, there is always a demand for something better. It is hoped that LPC-10's 2.4 kbps voice performance will be complemented with a very high quality speech coder operating at a higher data rate. This new coder is one of a number of candidate algorithms being considered for an upgraded version of the STU-3 in late 1989. The problems of designing a code-excited linear predictive (CELP) coder to provide very high quality speech at a 4.8 kbps data rate that can be implemented on today's hardware are considered.

Primitive chain network simulations for entangled DNA solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masubuchi, Yuichi; Furuichi, Kenji; Horio, Kazushi; Uneyama, Takashi; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Ianniruberto, Giovanni; Greco, Francesco; Marrucci, Giuseppe

2009-09-01

Molecular theories for polymer rheology are based on conformational dynamics of the polymeric chain. Hence, measurements directly related to molecular conformations appear more appealing than indirect ones obtained from rheology. In this study, primitive chain network simulations are compared to experimental data of entangled DNA solutions [Teixeira et al., Macromolecules 40, 2461 (2007)]. In addition to rheological comparisons of both linear and nonlinear viscoelasticities, a molecular extension measure obtained by Teixeira et al. through fluorescent microscopy is compared to simulations, in terms of both averages and distributions. The influence of flow on conformational distributions has never been simulated for the case of entangled polymers, and how DNA molecular individualism extends to the entangled regime is not known. The linear viscoelastic response and the viscosity growth curve in the nonlinear regime are found in good agreement with data for various DNA concentrations. Conversely, the molecular extension measure shows significant departures, even under equilibrium conditions. The reason for such discrepancies remains unknown.

Return current instability driven by a temperature gradient in ICF plasmas

DOE PAGES

Rozmus, W.; Brantov, A. V.; Sherlock, M.; ...

2017-10-12

Here, hot plasmas with strong temperature gradients in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments are examined for ion acoustic instabilities produced by electron heat flow. The return current instability (RCI) due to a neutralizing current of cold electrons arising in response to a large electron heat flux has been considered. First, the linear threshold and growth rates are derived in the nonlocal regime of thermal transport. They are compared with the results of Vlasov-Fokker-Planck (VFP) simulations in one spatial dimension. Very good agreement has been found between kinetic VFP simulations and the linear theory of the RCI. A quasi-stationary state ofmore » ion acoustic turbulence produced by the RCI is achieved in the VFP simulations. Saturation of the RCI involves heating of ions in the tail of the ion distribution function and convection of the enhanced ion acoustic fluctuations from the unstable region of the plasma. Further evolution of the ion acoustic turbulence and its effects on absorption and transport are also discussed.« less

Development and Validation of RP-LC Method for the Determination of Cinnarizine/Piracetam and Cinnarizine/Heptaminol Acefyllinate in Presence of Cinnarizine Reported Degradation Products

PubMed Central

EL-Houssini, Ola M.; Zawilla, Nagwan H.; Mohammad, Mohammad A.

2013-01-01

Specific stability indicating reverse-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) assay method (SIAM) was developed for the determination of cinnarizine (Cinn)/piracetam (Pira) and cinnarizine (Cinn)/heptaminol acefyllinate (Hept) in the presence of the reported degradation products of Cinn. A C18 column and gradient mobile phase was applied for good resolution of all peaks. The detection was achieved at 210 nm and 254 nm for Cinn/Pira and Cinn/Hept, respectively. The responses were linear over concentration ranges of 20–200, 20–1000 and 25–1000 μgmL−1 for Cinn, Pira, and Hept respectively. The proposed method was validated for linearity, accuracy, repeatability, intermediate precision, and robustness via statistical analysis of the data. The method was shown to be precise, accurate, reproducible, sensitive, and selective for the analysis of Cinn/Pira and Cinn/Hept in laboratory prepared mixtures and in pharmaceutical formulations. PMID:24137049

TL and OSL characterization of Eu3+ doped Y2O3: Application in dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shivaramu, N. J.; Coetsee, E.; Swart, H. C.

2018-05-01

Thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) properties of beta irradiated Eu3+ doped Y2O3 nanophosphor have been investigated in this paper. The Eu3+ doped Y2O3 nanophosphor was synthesized by solution combustion technique and synthesized material was annealed at 900°C. The annealed materials were exposed to β-ray for various dose. TL glow with prominent peak at 403 K and weak glow peak at 660 K were observed in all irradiated samples. It is found that TL glow peaks intensity linearly increases with increase in β-dose from 8.125 - 40.625 Gy. The TL kinetic parameters were calculated using glow curve deconvoluted (GCD) and peak shape methods. The TL glows exhibits general order kinetics. Intense continuous wave optical stimulated luminescence (CW-OSL) was observed in the sample. These material exhibits linearity at low dose, good reproducibility and response of intense OSL and hence, these results suggests that this material may be suitable for dosimetry applications.

Return current instability driven by a temperature gradient in ICF plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozmus, W.; Brantov, A. V.; Sherlock, M.; Bychenkov, V. Yu

2018-01-01

Hot plasmas with strong temperature gradients in inertial confinement fusion experiments are examined for ion acoustic instabilities produced by electron heat flow. The return current instability (RCI) due to a neutralizing current of cold electrons arising in response to a large electron heat flux has been considered. First, the linear threshold and growth rates are derived in the non-local regime of thermal transport. They are compared with the results of Vlasov-Fokker-Planck (VFP) simulations in one spatial dimension. Very good agreement has been found between kinetic VFP simulations and the linear theory of the RCI. A quasi-stationary state of ion acoustic turbulence (IAT) produced by the RCI is achieved in the VFP simulations. Saturation of the RCI involves heating of ions in the tail of the ion distribution function and convection of the enhanced ion acoustic fluctuations from the unstable region of the plasma. Further evolution of the IAT and its effects on absorption and transport are also discussed.

5-HMF and carbohydrates content in stingless bee honey by CE before and after thermal treatment.

PubMed

Biluca, Fabíola C; Della Betta, Fabiana; de Oliveira, Gabriela Pirassol; Pereira, Lais Morilla; Gonzaga, Luciano Valdemiro; Costa, Ana Carolina Oliveira; Fett, Roseane

2014-09-15

This study aimed to assess 5-hydroximethylfurfural and carbohydrates (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) in 13 stingless bee honey samples before and after thermal treatment using a capillary electrophoresis method. The methods were validated for the parameters of linearity, matrix effects, precision, and accuracy. A factorial design was implemented to determine optimal thermal treatment conditions and then verify the postprocedural 5-HMF formation, but once 5-HMF were

Transition properties from the Hermitian formulation of the coupled cluster polarization propagator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucholska, Aleksandra M.; Modrzejewski, Marcin; Moszynski, Robert

2014-09-01

Theory of one-electron transition density matrices has been formulated within the time-independent coupled cluster method for the polarization propagator [R. Moszynski, P. S. Żuchowski, and B. Jeziorski, Coll. Czech. Chem. Commun. 70, 1109 (2005)]. Working expressions have been obtained and implemented with the coupled cluster method limited to single, double, and linear triple excitations (CC3). Selected dipole and quadrupole transition probabilities of the alkali earth atoms, computed with the new transition density matrices are compared to the experimental data. Good agreement between theory and experiment is found. The results obtained with the new approach are of the same quality as the results obtained with the linear response coupled cluster theory. The one-electron density matrices for the ground state in the CC3 approximation have also been implemented. The dipole moments for a few representative diatomic molecules have been computed with several variants of the new approach, and the results are discussed to choose the approximation with the best balance between the accuracy and computational efficiency.

Enhanced Sensitivity of Wireless Chemical Sensor Based on Love Wave Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wen; Oh, Haekwan; Lee, Keekeun; Yang, Sangsik

2008-09-01

A 440 MHz wireless and passive Love-wave-based chemical sensor was developed for CO2 detection. The developed device was composed of a reflective delay line patterned on 41° YX LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate, a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) waveguide layer, and Teflon AF 2400 sensitive film. A theoretical model is presented to describe wave propagation in Love wave devices with large piezoelectricity and to allow the design of an optimized structure. In wireless device testing using a network analyzer, infusion of CO2 into the testing chamber induced large phase shifts of the reflection peaks owing to the interaction between the sensing film and the test gas (CO2). Good linearity and repeatability were observed at CO2 concentrations of 0-350 ppm. The obtained sensitivity from the Love wave device was approximately 7.07° ppm-1. The gas response properties of the fabricated Love-wave sensor in terms of linearity and sensitivity were provided, and a comparison to surface acoustic wave devices was also discussed.

Super-Nernstian pH sensors based on WO3 nanosheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Chao-Yin; Wang, Shui-Jinn; Ko, Rong-Ming; Tseng, Hung-Hao

2018-04-01

The effects of the surface morphology of hydrothermally grown WO3 nanosheets (NSs) and sputtering WO3 film on the performance of pH sensing electrodes are presented and compared in the pH range of 2–12. Using a separated electrode of an extended-gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) configuration, the WO3 nanosheet (NS) pH sensor shows a sensitivity of 63.37 mV/pH, a good linearity of 0.9973, a low voltage hysteresis of 4.79 mV, and a low drift rate of 3.18 mV/h. In contrast, the film-type one shows a typical sensitivity of only 50.08 mV/pH and a linearity of 0.9932. The super-Nernstian response could be attributed to the significant increase in the number of surface ion adsorption sites of the NS structure and the occurrence of local electric field enhancement over the sharp edges and corners of WO3 NSs.

On Asymptotically Good Ramp Secret Sharing Schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geil, Olav; Martin, Stefano; Martínez-Peñas, Umberto; Matsumoto, Ryutaroh; Ruano, Diego

Asymptotically good sequences of linear ramp secret sharing schemes have been intensively studied by Cramer et al. in terms of sequences of pairs of nested algebraic geometric codes. In those works the focus is on full privacy and full reconstruction. In this paper we analyze additional parameters describing the asymptotic behavior of partial information leakage and possibly also partial reconstruction giving a more complete picture of the access structure for sequences of linear ramp secret sharing schemes. Our study involves a detailed treatment of the (relative) generalized Hamming weights of the considered codes.

The Statistics of Visual Representation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jobson, Daniel J.; Rahman, Zia-Ur; Woodell, Glenn A.

2002-01-01

The experience of retinex image processing has prompted us to reconsider fundamental aspects of imaging and image processing. Foremost is the idea that a good visual representation requires a non-linear transformation of the recorded (approximately linear) image data. Further, this transformation appears to converge on a specific distribution. Here we investigate the connection between numerical and visual phenomena. Specifically the questions explored are: (1) Is there a well-defined consistent statistical character associated with good visual representations? (2) Does there exist an ideal visual image? And (3) what are its statistical properties?

The passage of an infinite swept airfoil through an oblique gust. [approximate solution for aerodynamic response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamczyk, J. L.

1974-01-01

An approximate solution is reported for the unsteady aerodynamic response of an infinite swept wing encountering a vertical oblique gust in a compressible stream. The approximate expressions are of closed form and do not require excessive computer storage or computation time, and further, they are in good agreement with the results of exact theory. This analysis is used to predict the unsteady aerodynamic response of a helicopter rotor blade encountering the trailing vortex from a previous blade. Significant effects of three dimensionality and compressibility are evident in the results obtained. In addition, an approximate solution for the unsteady aerodynamic forces associated with the pitching or plunging motion of a two dimensional airfoil in a subsonic stream is presented. The mathematical form of this solution approaches the incompressible solution as the Mach number vanishes, the linear transonic solution as the Mach number approaches one, and the solution predicted by piston theory as the reduced frequency becomes large.

Using absolute gravimeter data to determine vertical gravity gradients

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robertson, D.S.

2001-01-01

The position versus time data from a free-fall absolute gravimeter can be used to estimate the vertical gravity gradient in addition to the gravity value itself. Hipkin has reported success in estimating the vertical gradient value using a data set of unusually good quality. This paper explores techniques that may be applicable to a broader class of data that may be contaminated with "system response" errors of larger magnitude than were evident in the data used by Hipkin. This system response function is usually modelled as a sum of exponentially decaying sinusoidal components. The technique employed here involves combining the x0, v0 and g parameters from all the drops made during a site occupation into a single least-squares solution, and including the value of the vertical gradient and the coefficients of system response function in the same solution. The resulting non-linear equations must be solved iteratively and convergence presents some difficulties. Sparse matrix techniques are used to make the least-squares problem computationally tractable.

Electrochemical l-Lactic Acid Sensor Based on Immobilized ZnO Nanorods with Lactate Oxidase

PubMed Central

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Ali Shah, Syed Muhammad Usman; Khun, Kimleang; Willander, Magnus

2012-01-01

In this work, fabrication of gold coated glass substrate, growth of ZnO nanorods and potentiometric response of lactic acid are explained. The biosensor was developed by immobilizing the lactate oxidase on the ZnO nanorods in combination with glutaraldehyde as a cross linker for lactate oxidase enzyme. The potentiometric technique was applied for the measuring the output (EMF) response of l-lactic acid biosensor. We noticed that the present biosensor has wide linear detection range of concentration from 1 × 10−4–1 × 100 mM with acceptable sensitivity about 41.33 ± 1.58 mV/decade. In addition, the proposed biosensor showed fast response time less than 10 s, a good selectivity towards l-lactic acid in presence of common interfering substances such as ascorbic acid, urea, glucose, galactose, magnesium ions and calcium ions. The present biosensor based on immobilized ZnO nanorods with lactate oxidase sustained its stability for more than three weeks. PMID:22736960

Electrochemical L-lactic acid sensor based on immobilized ZnO nanorods with lactate oxidase.

PubMed

Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Shah, Syed Muhammad Usman Ali; Khun, Kimleang; Willander, Magnus

2012-01-01

In this work, fabrication of gold coated glass substrate, growth of ZnO nanorods and potentiometric response of lactic acid are explained. The biosensor was developed by immobilizing the lactate oxidase on the ZnO nanorods in combination with glutaraldehyde as a cross linker for lactate oxidase enzyme. The potentiometric technique was applied for the measuring the output (EMF) response of l-lactic acid biosensor. We noticed that the present biosensor has wide linear detection range of concentration from 1 × 10(-4)-1 × 10(0) mM with acceptable sensitivity about 41.33 ± 1.58 mV/decade. In addition, the proposed biosensor showed fast response time less than 10 s, a good selectivity towards l-lactic acid in presence of common interfering substances such as ascorbic acid, urea, glucose, galactose, magnesium ions and calcium ions. The present biosensor based on immobilized ZnO nanorods with lactate oxidase sustained its stability for more than three weeks.

Inertia-Controlled Twinning in Ni-Mn-Ga Actuators: A Discrete Twin-Boundary Dynamics Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faran, Eilon; Riccardi, Leonardo; Shilo, Doron

2017-09-01

A discrete twin-boundary modeling approach is applied for simulating the dynamic magnetomechanical response of a Ni-Mn-Ga actuator over a wide frequency range. The model is based on experimentally measured kinetic relation of individual twin boundaries and takes into account inertial forces due to acceleration of the actuator's mass. The calculated results show good agreement with experimental measurements performed on a specially designed Ni-Mn-Ga linear spring-mass actuator. In addition, the simulation reveals several new effects that have not been considered before and can be applied to the design of improved actuators. It is identified that the demagnetization effect plays a role of an "effective spring" and results in a resonance-type response. The effects of the actuator's mass and the twin-boundary density on the resonance response and the actuator performance are explored numerically. In particular, it is shown that mass-inertia poses an inherent upper limit over the actuator's bandwidth, which is approximately constant and equals to about 200 Hz.

A large response range reflectometric urea biosensor made from silica-gel nanoparticles.

PubMed

Alqasaimeh, Muawia; Heng, Lee Yook; Ahmad, Musa; Raj, A S Santhana; Ling, Tan Ling

2014-07-22

A new silica-gel nanospheres (SiO2NPs) composition was formulated, followed by biochemical surface functionalization to examine its potential in urea biosensor development. The SiO2NPs were basically synthesized based on sol-gel chemistry using a modified Stober method. The SiO2NPs surfaces were modified with amine (-NH2) functional groups for urease immobilization in the presence of glutaric acid (GA) cross-linker. The chromoionophore pH-sensitive dye ETH 5294 was physically adsorbed on the functionalized SiO2NPs as pH transducer. The immobilized urease determined urea concentration reflectometrically based on the colour change of the immobilized chromoionophore as a result of the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea. The pH changes on the biosensor due to the catalytic enzyme reaction of immobilized urease were found to correlate with the urea concentrations over a linear response range of 50-500 mM (R2 = 0.96) with a detection limit of 10 mM urea. The biosensor response time was 9 min with reproducibility of less than 10% relative standard deviation (RSD). This optical urea biosensor did not show interferences by Na+, K+, Mg2+ and NH4+ ions. The biosensor performance has been validated using urine samples in comparison with a non-enzymatic method based on the use of p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMAB) reagent and demonstrated a good correlation between the two different methods (R2 = 0.996 and regression slope of 1.0307). The SiO2NPs-based reflectometric urea biosensor showed improved dynamic linear response range when compared to other nanoparticle-based optical urea biosensors.

Response of Demographic Rates of Tropical Trees to Light Availability: Can Position-Based Competition Indices Replace Information from Canopy Census Data?

PubMed Central

Grote, Steffi; Condit, Richard; Hubbell, Stephen; Wirth, Christian; Rüger, Nadja

2013-01-01

For trees in tropical forests, competition for light is thought to be a central process that offers opportunities for niche differentiation through light gradient partitioning. In previous studies, a canopy index based on three-dimensional canopy census data has been shown to be a good predictor of species-specific demographic rates across the entire tree community on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, and has allowed quantifying between-species variation in light response. However, almost all other forest census plots lack data on the canopy structure. Hence, this study aims at assessing whether position-based neighborhood competition indices can replace information from canopy census data and produce similar estimates of the interspecific variation of light responses. We used inventory data from the census plot at Barro Colorado Island and calculated neighborhood competition indices with varying relative effects of the size and distance of neighboring trees. Among these indices, we selected the one that was most strongly correlated with the canopy index. We then compared outcomes of hierarchical Bayesian models for species-specific recruitment and growth rates including either the canopy index or the selected neighborhood competition index as predictor. Mean posterior estimates of light response parameters were highly correlated between models (r>0.85) and indicated that most species regenerate and grow better in higher light. Both light estimation approaches consistently found that the interspecific variation of light response was larger for recruitment than for growth rates. However, the classification of species into different groups of light response, e.g. weaker than linear (decelerating) vs. stronger than linear (accelerating) differed between approaches. These results imply that while the classification into light response groups might be biased when using neighborhood competition indices, they may be useful for determining species rankings and between-species variation of light response and therefore enable large comparative studies between different forest census plots. PMID:24324723

Monitoring the contents of six steroidal and phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals in chicken, fish and aquaculture pond water samples using pre-column derivatization and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with the aid of experimental design methodology.

PubMed

Wu, Hongliang; Li, Guoliang; Liu, Shucheng; Hu, Na; Geng, Dandan; Chen, Guang; Sun, Zhiwei; Zhao, Xianen; Xia, Lian; You, Jinmao

2016-02-01

This research established a sensitive and efficient pre-column derivatization HPLC method based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) for the simultaneous determination of six steroidal and phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). In this study, EDCs were firstly labeled by the derivatization reagent 2-(11H-benzo[a]carbazol-11-yl) ethyl carbonochloridate (BCEC-Cl) and then extracted by DLLME. The response surface methodology was employed to investigate the key parameters of pre-column derivatization and DLLME. Under the optimal conditions, a good linear relationship between the peak area and the concentration of analytes was observed with correlation coefficients of >0.9991. Limits of detection for all EDCs derivatives were achieved within the range of 0.02-0.07 μg L(-1). The proposed method has the advantages of simple operation, low consumption of organic solvent, saving time, low output limit and good selectivity. When applied to several food and water samples analysis, it demonstrated good applicability for the determination of EDCs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct detection of cysteine using functionalized BaTiO3 nanoparticles film based self-powered biosensor.

PubMed

Selvarajan, Sophia; Alluri, Nagamalleswara Rao; Chandrasekhar, Arunkumar; Kim, Sang-Jae

2017-05-15

Simple, novel, and direct detection of clinically important biomolecules have continuous demand among scientific community as well as in market. Here, we report the first direct detection and facile fabrication of a cysteine-responsive, film-based, self-powered device. NH 2 functionalized BaTiO 3 nanoparticles (BT-NH 2 NPs) suspended in a three-dimensional matrix of an agarose (Ag) film, were used for cysteine detection. BaTiO 3 nanoparticles (BT NPs) semiconducting as well as piezoelectric properties were harnessed in this study. The changes in surface charge properties of the film with respect to cysteine concentrations were determined using a current-voltage (I-V) technique. The current response increased with cysteine concentration (linear concentration range=10µM-1mM). Based on the properties of the composite (BT/Ag), we created a self-powered cysteine sensor in which the output voltage from a piezoelectric nanogenerator was used to drive the sensor. The potential drop across the sensor was measured as a function of cysteine concentrations. Real-time analysis of sensor performance was carried out on urine samples by non-invasive method. This novel sensor demonstrated good selectivity, linear concentration range and detection limit of 10µM; acceptable for routine analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Otake, M.; Schull, W.J.

This paper investigates the quantitative relationship of ionizing radiation to the occurrence of posterior lenticular opacities among the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki suggested by the DS86 dosimetry system. DS86 doses are available for 1983 (93.4%) of the 2124 atomic bomb survivors analyzed in 1982. The DS86 kerma neutron component for Hiroshima survivors is much smaller than its comparable T65DR component, but still 4.2-fold higher (0.38 Gy at 6 Gy) than that in Nagasaki (0.09 Gy at 6 Gy). Thus, if the eye is especially sensitive to neutrons, there may yet be some useful information onmore » their effects, particularly in Hiroshima. The dose-response relationship has been evaluated as a function of the separately estimated gamma-ray and neutron doses. Among several different dose-response models without and with two thresholds, we have selected as the best model the one with the smallest x2 or the largest log likelihood value associated with the goodness of fit. The best fit is a linear gamma-linear neutron relationship which assumes different thresholds for the two types of radiation. Both gamma and neutron regression coefficients for the best fitting model are positive and highly significant for the estimated DS86 eye organ dose.« less

Development of Cu nanoflowers modified the flexible needle-type microelectrode and its application in continuous monitoring glucose in vivo.

PubMed

Fang, Yuxin; Wang, Shenjun; Liu, Yangyang; Xu, Zhifang; Zhang, Kuo; Guo, Yi

2018-07-01

A minimally invasive glucose microbiosensor based the flexibly integrated electrode for continuous monitoring glucose in vivo has been developed in this study. This was achieved by coating needle-type microelectrode with Cu nanoflowers, nafion, glucose oxidase (GOD) and polyurethane (PU) membranes, successfully prepared with layer-by-layer deposition. The Cu nanomaterials provided a large specific surface area and electrocatalytic activity for glucose detection. The PU layers as mass-transport limiting membranes significantly enhanced the linearity and stability of sensors. The resulting biosensor exhibited a wide linear range of 0-20 mM, with a good sensitivity of 42.38 nA mM -1 (correlation coefficient r 2 was 0.99) and a fast response time of less than 15 s. In vivo implantable experiments using anesthetized rats showed excellent real-time response to the variation of blood glucose concentration. And the variation tendency of sensor output was consistent with that using the glucose meter. Overall, the results supported the suitability of this microsensor for measuring rapid changes of glucose in vivo. This work offers a promising approach in implantable device applications related to diabetes management as well as other medical diagnosis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of sensitive enzymatic biosensor based on multi-layered reduced graphene oxide added PtAu nanoparticles-modified hybrid electrode

PubMed Central

Hossain, Md Faruk; Park, Jae Y.

2017-01-01

A highly sensitive amperometric glucose sensor was developed by immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) onto multi-layer reduced graphene oxide (MRGO) sheets decorated with platinum and gold flower-like nanoparticles (PtAuNPs) modified Au substrate electrode. The fabricated MRGO/PtAuNPs modified hybrid electrode demonstrated high electrocatalytic activities toward oxidation of H2O2, to which it had a wide linear response that ranged from 0.5 to 8 mM (R2 = 0.997), and high sensitivity of 506.25 μA/mMcm2. Furthermore, glucose oxidase-chitosan composite and cationic polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) were assembled by a casting method on the surface of MRGO/PtAuNPs modified electrode. This as-fabricated hybrid biosensor electrode exhibited high electrocatalytic activity for the detection of glucose in PBS. It demonstrated good analytical properties in terms of a low detection limit of 1 μM (signal-to-noise ratio of 3), short response time (3 s), high sensitivity (17.85 μA/mMcm2), and a wide linear range (0.01–8 mM) for glucose sensing. These results reveal that the newly developed sensing electrode offers great promise for new type enzymatic biosensor applications. PMID:28333943

Event terms in the response spectra prediction equation and their deviation due to stress drop variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawase, H.; Nakano, K.

2015-12-01

We investigated the characteristics of strong ground motions separated from acceleration Fourier spectra and acceleration response spectra of 5% damping calculated from weak and moderate ground motions observed by K-NET, KiK-net, and the JMA Shindokei Network in Japan using the generalized spectral inversion method. The separation method used the outcrop motions at YMGH01 as reference where we extracted site responses due to shallow weathered layers. We include events with JMA magnitude equal to or larger than 4.5 observed from 1996 to 2011. We find that our frequency-dependent Q values are comparable to those of previous studies. From the corner frequencies of Fourier source spectra, we calculate Brune's stress parameters and found a clear magnitude dependence, in which smaller events tend to spread over a wider range while maintaining the same maximum value. We confirm that this is exactly the case for several mainshock-aftershock sequences. The average stress parameters for crustal earthquakes are much smaller than those of subduction zone, which can be explained by their depth dependence. We then compared the strong motion characteristics based on the acceleration response spectra and found that the separated characteristics of strong ground motions are different, especially in the lower frequency range less than 1Hz. These differences comes from the difference between Fourier spectra and response spectra found in the observed data; that is, predominant components in high frequency range of Fourier spectra contribute to increase the response in lower frequency range with small Fourier amplitude because strong high frequency component acts as an impulse to a Single-Degree-of-Freedom system. After the separation of the source terms for 5% damping response spectra we can obtain regression coefficients with respect to the magnitude, which lead to a new GMPE as shown in Fig.1 on the left. Although stress drops for inland earthquakes are 1/7 of the subduction-zone earthquakes, we can see linear regression works quite well. After this linear regression we correlate residuals as a function of Brune's stress parameters of corresponding events as shown in Fig.1 on the right for the case of 1Hz. We found quite good linear correlation, which makes aleatoric uncertainty 40 to 60 % smaller than the original.

A Novel Method to Increase LinLog CMOS Sensors’ Performance in High Dynamic Range Scenarios

PubMed Central

Martínez-Sánchez, Antonio; Fernández, Carlos; Navarro, Pedro J.; Iborra, Andrés

2011-01-01

Images from high dynamic range (HDR) scenes must be obtained with minimum loss of information. For this purpose it is necessary to take full advantage of the quantification levels provided by the CCD/CMOS image sensor. LinLog CMOS sensors satisfy the above demand by offering an adjustable response curve that combines linear and logarithmic responses. This paper presents a novel method to quickly adjust the parameters that control the response curve of a LinLog CMOS image sensor. We propose to use an Adaptive Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller to adjust the exposure time of the sensor, together with control algorithms based on the saturation level and the entropy of the images. With this method the sensor’s maximum dynamic range (120 dB) can be used to acquire good quality images from HDR scenes with fast, automatic adaptation to scene conditions. Adaptation to a new scene is rapid, with a sensor response adjustment of less than eight frames when working in real time video mode. At least 67% of the scene entropy can be retained with this method. PMID:22164083

A novel method to increase LinLog CMOS sensors' performance in high dynamic range scenarios.

PubMed

Martínez-Sánchez, Antonio; Fernández, Carlos; Navarro, Pedro J; Iborra, Andrés

2011-01-01

Images from high dynamic range (HDR) scenes must be obtained with minimum loss of information. For this purpose it is necessary to take full advantage of the quantification levels provided by the CCD/CMOS image sensor. LinLog CMOS sensors satisfy the above demand by offering an adjustable response curve that combines linear and logarithmic responses. This paper presents a novel method to quickly adjust the parameters that control the response curve of a LinLog CMOS image sensor. We propose to use an Adaptive Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller to adjust the exposure time of the sensor, together with control algorithms based on the saturation level and the entropy of the images. With this method the sensor's maximum dynamic range (120 dB) can be used to acquire good quality images from HDR scenes with fast, automatic adaptation to scene conditions. Adaptation to a new scene is rapid, with a sensor response adjustment of less than eight frames when working in real time video mode. At least 67% of the scene entropy can be retained with this method.

Predicting musically induced emotions from physiological inputs: linear and neural network models.

PubMed

Russo, Frank A; Vempala, Naresh N; Sandstrom, Gillian M

2013-01-01

Listening to music often leads to physiological responses. Do these physiological responses contain sufficient information to infer emotion induced in the listener? The current study explores this question by attempting to predict judgments of "felt" emotion from physiological responses alone using linear and neural network models. We measured five channels of peripheral physiology from 20 participants-heart rate (HR), respiration, galvanic skin response, and activity in corrugator supercilii and zygomaticus major facial muscles. Using valence and arousal (VA) dimensions, participants rated their felt emotion after listening to each of 12 classical music excerpts. After extracting features from the five channels, we examined their correlation with VA ratings, and then performed multiple linear regression to see if a linear relationship between the physiological responses could account for the ratings. Although linear models predicted a significant amount of variance in arousal ratings, they were unable to do so with valence ratings. We then used a neural network to provide a non-linear account of the ratings. The network was trained on the mean ratings of eight of the 12 excerpts and tested on the remainder. Performance of the neural network confirms that physiological responses alone can be used to predict musically induced emotion. The non-linear model derived from the neural network was more accurate than linear models derived from multiple linear regression, particularly along the valence dimension. A secondary analysis allowed us to quantify the relative contributions of inputs to the non-linear model. The study represents a novel approach to understanding the complex relationship between physiological responses and musically induced emotion.

Highly selective dopamine electrochemical sensor based on electrochemically pretreated graphite and nafion composite modified screen printed carbon electrode.

PubMed

Ku, Shuhao; Palanisamy, Selvakumar; Chen, Shen-Ming

2013-12-01

Herein, we report a highly selective dopamine electrochemical sensor based on electrochemically pretreated graphite/nafion composite modified screen printed carbon (SPC) electrode. Electrochemically activated graphite/nafion composite was prepared by using a simple electrochemical method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) used to characterize the surface morphology of the fabricated composite electrode. The SEM result clearly indicates that the graphitic basal planes were totally disturbed and leads to the formation of graphite nanosheets. The composite modified electrode showed an enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of DA when compared with either electrochemical pretreated graphite or nafion SPC electrodes. The fabricated composite electrode exhibits a good electrocatalytic oxidation toward DA in the linear response range from 0.5 to 70 μM with the detection limit of 0.023 μM. The proposed sensor also exhibits very good selectivity and stability, with the appreciable sensitivity. In addition, the proposed sensor showed satisfactory recovery results toward the commercial pharmaceutical DA samples. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous voltammetric determination of prednisone and prednisolone in human body fluids.

PubMed

Goyal, Rajendra N; Bishnoi, Sunita

2009-08-15

A sensitive, rapid and reliable electrochemical method based on voltammetry at single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) modified edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode (EPPGE) is proposed for the simultaneous determination of prednisolone and prednisone in human body fluids and pharmaceutical preparations. The electrochemical response of both the drugs was evaluated by osteryoung square wave voltammetry (OSWV) in phosphate buffer medium of pH 7.2. The modified electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic properties towards prednisone and prednisolone reduction with a peak potential of approximately -1230 and approximately -1332 mV respectively. The concentration versus peak current plots were linear for both the analytes in the range 0.01-100 microM and the detection limit (3 sigma/slope) observed for prednisone and prednisolone were 0.45 x 10(-8), 0.90 x 10(-8)M, respectively. The results of the quantitative estimation of prednisone and prednisolone in biological fluids were also compared with HPLC and the results were in good agreement.

The BGO Calorimeter of BGO-OD Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bantes, B.; Bayadilov, D.; Beck, R.; Becker, M.; Bella, A.; Bielefeldt, P.; Bieling, J.; Bleckwenn, M.; Böse, S.; Braghieri, A.; Brinkmann, K.-Th; Burdeynyi, D.; Curciarello, F.; De Leo, V.; Di Salvo, R.; Dutz, H.; Elsner, D.; Fantini, A.; Freyermuth, O.; Friedrich, S.; Frommberger, F.; Ganenko, V.; Geffers, D.; Gervino, G.; Ghio, F.; Giardina, G.; Girolami, B.; Glazier, D.; Goertz, S.; Gridnev, A.; Gutz, E.; Hammann, D.; Hannappel, J.; Hartmann, P.-F.; Hillert, W.; Ignatov, A.; Jahn, R.; Joosten, R.; Jude, T. C.; Klein, F.; Koop, K.; Krusche, B.; Lapik, A.; Levi Sandri, P.; Lopatin, I.; Mandaglio, G.; Mei, P.; Messi, F.; Messi, R.; Metag, V.; Moricciani, D.; Nanova, M.; Nedorezov, V.; Novinskiy, D.; Pedroni, P.; Romaniuk, M.; Rostomyan, T.; Rudnev, N.; Schaerf, C.; Scheluchin, G.; Schmieden, H.; Sumachev, V.; Tarakanov, V.; Vegna, V.; Walther, D.; Watts, D.; Zaunick, H.-G.; Zimmermann, T.

2015-02-01

The BGO Rugby Ball is a large solid angle electromagnetic calorimeter now installed in the ELSA Facility in Bonn. The BGO is operating in the BGO-OD experiment aiming to study meson photoproduction off proton and neutron induced by a Bremsstrahlung polarized gamma beam of energies from 0.2 to 3.2 GeV and an intensity of 5 × 107 photons per second. The scintillating material characteristics and the photomultiplier read-out make this detector particularly suited for the detection of medium energy photons and electrons with very good energy resolution. The detector has been equipped with a new electronics read-out system, consisting of 30 sampling ADC Wie-Ne-R modules which perform the off-line reconstruction of the signal start-time allowing for a good timing resolution. Performances in linearity, resolution and time response have been carefully tested at the Beam Test Facility of the INFN National Laboratories in Frascati by using a matrix of 7 BGO crystals coupled to photomultipliers and equipped with the Wie-Ne-R sampling ADCs.

Diffusion and viscosity of liquid tin: Green-Kubo relationship-based calculations from molecular dynamics simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouas, Mohamed; Gasser, Jean-Georges; Hellal, Slimane; Grosdidier, Benoît; Makradi, Ahmed; Belouettar, Salim

2012-03-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of liquid tin between its melting point and 1600 °C have been performed in order to interpret and discuss the ionic structure. The interactions between ions are described by a new accurate pair potential built within the pseudopotential formalism and the linear response theory. The calculated structure factor that reflects the main information on the local atomic order in liquids is compared to diffraction measurements. Having some confidence in the ability of this pair potential to give a good representation of the atomic structure, we then focused our attention on the investigation of the atomic transport properties through the MD computations of the velocity autocorrelation function and stress autocorrelation function. Using the Green-Kubo formula (for the first time to our knowledge for liquid tin) we determine the macroscopic transport properties from the corresponding microscopic time autocorrelation functions. The selfdiffusion coefficient and the shear viscosity as functions of temperature are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.

An improved biosensor for acetaldehyde determination using a bienzymatic strategy at poly(neutral red) modified carbon film electrodes.

PubMed

Ghica, Mariana Emilia; Pauliukaite, Rasa; Marchand, Nicolas; Devic, Eric; Brett, Christopher M A

2007-05-15

Improved biosensors for acetaldehyde determination have been developed using a bienzymatic strategy, based on a mediator-modified carbon film electrode and co-immobilisation of NADH oxidase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. Modification of the carbon film electrode with poly(neutral red) mediator resulted in a sensitive, low-cost and reliable NADH detector. Immobilisation of the enzymes was performed using encapsulation in a sol-gel matrix or cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. The bienzymatic biosensors were characterized by studying the influence of pH, applied potential and co-factors. The sol-gel and glutaraldehyde biosensors showed a linear response up to 60 microM and 100 microM, respectively, with detection limits of 2.6 microM and 3.3 microM and sensitivities were 1.7 microA mM(-1) and 5.6 microA mM(-1). The optimised biosensors showed good stability and good selectivity and have been tested for application for the determination of acetaldehyde in natural samples such as wine.

ZnS nanoparticles electrodeposited onto ITO electrode as a platform for fabrication of enzyme-based biosensors of glucose.

PubMed

Du, Jian; Yu, Xiuping; Wu, Ying; Di, Junwei

2013-05-01

The electrochemical and photoelectrochemical biosensors based on glucose oxidase (GOD) and ZnS nanoparticles modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode were investigated. The ZnS nanoparticles were electrodeposited directly on the surface of ITO electrode. The enzyme was immobilized on ZnS/ITO electrode surface by sol-gel method to fabricate glucose biosensor. GOD could electrocatalyze the reduction of dissolved oxygen, which resulted in a great increase of the reduction peak current. The reduction peak current decreased linearly with the addition of glucose, which could be used for glucose detection. Moreover, ZnS nanoparticles deposited on ITO electrode surface showed good photocurrent response under illumination. A photoelectrochemical biosensor for the detection of glucose was also developed by monitoring the decreases in the cathodic peak photocurrent. The results indicated that ZnS nanoparticles deposited on ITO substrate were a good candidate material for the immobilization of enzyme in glucose biosensor construction. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization of Friction Stir Welding Tool Advance Speed via Monte-Carlo Simulation of the Friction Stir Welding Process

PubMed Central

Fraser, Kirk A.; St-Georges, Lyne; Kiss, Laszlo I.

2014-01-01

Recognition of the friction stir welding process is growing in the aeronautical and aero-space industries. To make the process more available to the structural fabrication industry (buildings and bridges), being able to model the process to determine the highest speed of advance possible that will not cause unwanted welding defects is desirable. A numerical solution to the transient two-dimensional heat diffusion equation for the friction stir welding process is presented. A non-linear heat generation term based on an arbitrary piecewise linear model of friction as a function of temperature is used. The solution is used to solve for the temperature distribution in the Al 6061-T6 work pieces. The finite difference solution of the non-linear problem is used to perform a Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS). A polynomial response surface (maximum welding temperature as a function of advancing and rotational speed) is constructed from the MCS results. The response surface is used to determine the optimum tool speed of advance and rotational speed. The exterior penalty method is used to find the highest speed of advance and the associated rotational speed of the tool for the FSW process considered. We show that good agreement with experimental optimization work is possible with this simplified model. Using our approach an optimal weld pitch of 0.52 mm/rev is obtained for 3.18 mm thick AA6061-T6 plate. Our method provides an estimate of the optimal welding parameters in less than 30 min of calculation time. PMID:28788627

Optimization of Friction Stir Welding Tool Advance Speed via Monte-Carlo Simulation of the Friction Stir Welding Process.

PubMed

Fraser, Kirk A; St-Georges, Lyne; Kiss, Laszlo I

2014-04-30

Recognition of the friction stir welding process is growing in the aeronautical and aero-space industries. To make the process more available to the structural fabrication industry (buildings and bridges), being able to model the process to determine the highest speed of advance possible that will not cause unwanted welding defects is desirable. A numerical solution to the transient two-dimensional heat diffusion equation for the friction stir welding process is presented. A non-linear heat generation term based on an arbitrary piecewise linear model of friction as a function of temperature is used. The solution is used to solve for the temperature distribution in the Al 6061-T6 work pieces. The finite difference solution of the non-linear problem is used to perform a Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS). A polynomial response surface (maximum welding temperature as a function of advancing and rotational speed) is constructed from the MCS results. The response surface is used to determine the optimum tool speed of advance and rotational speed. The exterior penalty method is used to find the highest speed of advance and the associated rotational speed of the tool for the FSW process considered. We show that good agreement with experimental optimization work is possible with this simplified model. Using our approach an optimal weld pitch of 0.52 mm/rev is obtained for 3.18 mm thick AA6061-T6 plate. Our method provides an estimate of the optimal welding parameters in less than 30 min of calculation time.

Optimal Linear Responses for Markov Chains and Stochastically Perturbed Dynamical Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antown, Fadi; Dragičević, Davor; Froyland, Gary

2018-03-01

The linear response of a dynamical system refers to changes to properties of the system when small external perturbations are applied. We consider the little-studied question of selecting an optimal perturbation so as to (i) maximise the linear response of the equilibrium distribution of the system, (ii) maximise the linear response of the expectation of a specified observable, and (iii) maximise the linear response of the rate of convergence of the system to the equilibrium distribution. We also consider the inhomogeneous, sequential, or time-dependent situation where the governing dynamics is not stationary and one wishes to select a sequence of small perturbations so as to maximise the overall linear response at some terminal time. We develop the theory for finite-state Markov chains, provide explicit solutions for some illustrative examples, and numerically apply our theory to stochastically perturbed dynamical systems, where the Markov chain is replaced by a matrix representation of an approximate annealed transfer operator for the random dynamical system.

Linear and nonlinear winter atmospheric responses to extreme phases of low frequency Pacific sea surface temperature variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Dandan; Wu, Qigang; Hu, Aixue; Yao, Yonghong; Liu, Shizuo; Schroeder, Steven R.; Yang, Fucheng

2018-02-01

This study examines Northern Hemisphere winter (DJFM) atmospheric responses to opposite strong phases of interdecadal (low frequency, LF) Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) forcing, which resembles El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on a longer time scale, in observations and GFDL and CAM4 model simulations. Over the Pacific-North America (PNA) sector, linear observed responses of 500-hPa height (Z500) anomalies resemble the PNA teleconnection pattern, but show a PNA-like nonlinear response because of a westward Z500 shift in the negative (LF-) relative to the positive LF (LF+) phase. Significant extratropical linear responses include a North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-like Z500 anomaly, a dipole-like Z500 anomaly over northern Eurasia associated with warming over mid-high latitude Eurasia, and a Southern Annular anomaly pattern associated with warming in southern land areas. Significant nonlinear Z500 responses also include a NAO-like anomaly pattern. Models forced by LF+ and LF- SST anomalies reproduce many aspects of observed linear and nonlinear responses over the Pacific-North America sector, and linear responses over southern land, but not in the North Atlantic-European sector and Eurasia. Both models simulate PNA-like linear responses in the North Pacific-North America region similar to observed, but show larger PNA-like LF+ responses, resulting in a PNA nonlinear response. The nonlinear PNA responses result from both nonlinear western tropical Pacific rainfall changes and extratropical transient eddy feedbacks. With LF tropical Pacific forcing only (LFTP+ and LFTP-, climatological SST elsewhere), CAM4 simulates a significant NAO response to LFTP-, including a linear negative and nonlinear positive NAO response.

Comparison of stream invertebrate response models for bioassessment metric

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waite, Ian R.; Kennen, Jonathan G.; May, Jason T.; Brown, Larry R.; Cuffney, Thomas F.; Jones, Kimberly A.; Orlando, James L.

2012-01-01

We aggregated invertebrate data from various sources to assemble data for modeling in two ecoregions in Oregon and one in California. Our goal was to compare the performance of models developed using multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques with models developed using three relatively new techniques: classification and regression trees (CART), random forest (RF), and boosted regression trees (BRT). We used tolerance of taxa based on richness (RICHTOL) and ratio of observed to expected taxa (O/E) as response variables and land use/land cover as explanatory variables. Responses were generally linear; therefore, there was little improvement to the MLR models when compared to models using CART and RF. In general, the four modeling techniques (MLR, CART, RF, and BRT) consistently selected the same primary explanatory variables for each region. However, results from the BRT models showed significant improvement over the MLR models for each region; increases in R2 from 0.09 to 0.20. The O/E metric that was derived from models specifically calibrated for Oregon consistently had lower R2 values than RICHTOL for the two regions tested. Modeled O/E R2 values were between 0.06 and 0.10 lower for each of the four modeling methods applied in the Willamette Valley and were between 0.19 and 0.36 points lower for the Blue Mountains. As a result, BRT models may indeed represent a good alternative to MLR for modeling species distribution relative to environmental variables.

Vertically grown zinc oxide nanorods functionalized with ferric oxide for in vivo and non-enzymatic glucose detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marie, Mohammed; Manoharan, Anishkumar; Kuchuk, Andrian; Ang, Simon; Manasreh, M. O.

2018-03-01

An enzyme-free glucose sensor based on vertically grown zinc oxide nanorods (NRs) functionalized with ferric oxide (Fe2O3) is investigated. The well-aligned and high density ZnO NRs were synthesized on an FTO/glass substrate by a sol-gel and hydrothermal growth method. A dip-coating technique was utilized to modify the surface of the as-grown ZnO NRs with Fe2O3. The immobilized surface was coated with a layer of nafion membrane. The fabricated glucose sensor was characterized amperometrically at room temperature using three electrodes stationed in the phosphate buffer solution, where ZnO NRs/Fe2O3/nafion membrane was the sensing or working electrode, and platinum plate and silver/silver chloride were used as the counter and reference electrodes, respectively. The proposed non-enzymatic and modified glucose sensor exhibited a high sensitivity in the order of 0.052 μA cm-2 (mg/dL)-1, a lower detection limit of around 0.95 mmol L-1, a sharp and fast response time of ˜1 s, and a linear response to changes in glucose concentrations from 100-400 mg dL-1. The linear amperometric response of the sensor covers the physiological and clinical interest of glucose levels for diabetic patients. The device continues to function accurately after multiple measurements with a good reproducibility. The proposed glucose sensor is expected to be used clinically for in vivo monitoring of glucose.

Characterization of an organic phase peroxide biosensor based on horseradish peroxidase immobilized in Eastman AQ.

PubMed

Konash, Anastassija; Magner, Edmond

2006-07-15

Due to their frequent occurrence in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, and their poor solubility in water, the detection of peroxides in organic solvents has aroused significant interest. For diagnostics or on-site testing, a fast and specific experimental approach is required. Although aqueous peroxide biosensors are well known, they are usually not suitable for nonaqueous applications due to their instability. Here we describe an organic phase biosensor for hydrogen peroxide based on horseradish peroxidase immobilized in an Eastman AQ 55 polymer matrix. Rotating disc amperometry was used to examine the effect of the solvent properties, the amount and pH of added buffer, the concentration of peroxide and ferrocene dimethanol, and the amount of Eastman AQ 55 and of enzyme on the response of the biosensor to hydrogen peroxide. The response of the biosensor was limited by diffusion. Linear responses (with detection limits to hydrogen peroxide given in parentheses) were obtained in methanol (1.2 microM), ethanol (0.6 microM), 1-propanol (2.8 microM), acetone (1.4 microM), acetonitrile (2.6 microM), and ethylene glycol (13.6 microM). The rate of diffusion of ferrocene dimethanol was more constrained than the rate of diffusion of hydrogen peroxide, resulting in a comparatively narrow linear range. The main advantages of the sensor are its ease of use and a high degree of reproducibility, together with good operational and storage stability.

Construction and Characterization of a Chitosan-Immobilized-Enzyme and β-Cyclodextrin-Included-Ferrocene-Based Electrochemical Biosensor for H2O2 Detection

PubMed Central

Dong, Wenbo; Wang, Kaiyin; Chen, Yu; Li, Weiping; Ye, Yanchun; Jin, Shaohua

2017-01-01

An electrochemical detection biosensor was prepared with the chitosan-immobilized-enzyme (CTS-CAT) and β-cyclodextrin-included-ferrocene (β-CD-FE) complex for the determination of H2O2. Ferrocene (FE) was included in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to increase its stability. The structure of the β-CD-FE was characterized. The inclusion amount, inclusion rate, and electrochemical properties of inclusion complexes were determined to optimize the reaction conditions for the inclusion. CTS-CAT was prepared by a step-by-step immobilization method, which overcame the disadvantages of the conventional preparation methods. The immobilization conditions were optimized to obtain the desired enzyme activity. CTS-CAT/β-CD-FE composite electrodes were prepared by compositing the CTS-CAT with the β-CD-FE complex on a glassy carbon electrode and used for the electrochemical detection of H2O2. It was found that the CTS-CAT could produce a strong reduction peak current in response to H2O2 and the β-CD-FE could amplify the current signal. The peak current exhibited a linear relationship with the H2O2 concentration in the range of 1.0 × 10−7–6.0 × 10−3 mol/L. Our work provided a novel method for the construction of electrochemical biosensors with a fast response, good stability, high sensitivity, and a wide linear response range based on the composite of chitosan and cyclodextrin. PMID:28773229

Amperometric sensor for ethanol based on one-step electropolymerization of thionine-carbon nanofiber nanocomposite containing alcohol oxidase.

PubMed

Wu, Lina; McIntosh, Mike; Zhang, Xueji; Ju, Huangxian

2007-12-15

Thionine had strong interaction with carbon nanofiber (CNF) and was used in the non-covalent functionalization of carbon nanofiber for the preparation of stable thionine-CNF nanocomposite with good dispersion. With a simple one-step electrochemical polymerization of thionine-CNF nanocomposite and alcohol oxidase (AOD), a stable poly(thionine)-CNF/AOD biocomposite film was formed on electrode surface. Based on the excellent catalytic activity of the biocomposite film toward reduction of dissolved oxygen, a sensitive ethanol biosensor was proposed. The ethanol biosensor could monitor ethanol ranging from 2.0 to 252 microM with a detection limit of 1.7 microM. It displayed a rapid response, an expanded linear response range as well as excellent reproducibility and stability. The combination of catalytic activity of CNF and the promising feature of the biocomposite with one-step non-manual technique favored the sensitive determination of ethanol with improved analytical capabilities.

Design of a Selective and Sensitive PVC-Membrane Potentiometric Sensor for Strontium Ion Based on 1,10-Diaza-5,6-benzo-4,7-dioxacyclohexadecane-2,9-dione as a Neutral Ionophore

PubMed Central

Shamsipur, Mojtaba; Kazemi, Sayed Yahya; Sharghi, Hashem

2007-01-01

A novel PVC membrane sensor for the Sr2+ ion based on 1,10-diaza-5,6-benzo-4,7-dioxacyclohexadecane-2,9-dione has been prepared. The sensor possesses a Nernstian slope of 30.0 ± 0.6 mV decade-1 over a wide linear concentration range of 1.6 × 10-6-3.0 ×10-3 M with a detection limit of 6.3 ×10-7 M. It has a fast response time of <15 s and can be used for at least two months without any considerable divergence in potential. The potentiometric response is independent of the pH of test solution in the pH range 4.3-9.4. The proposed electrode shows good selectivities over a variety of alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal ions.

Mechanical characterization and modeling of non-linear deformation and fracture of a fiber reinforced metal matrix composite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jansson, S.

1991-01-01

The nonlinear anisotropic mechanical behavior of an aluminum alloy metal matrix composite reinforced with continuous alumina fibers was determined experimentally. The mechanical behavior of the composite were modeled by assuming that the composite has a periodical microstructure. The resulting unit cell problem was solved with the finite element method. Excellent agreement was found between theoretically predicted and measured stress-strain responses for various tensile and shear loadings. The stress-strain responses for transverse and inplane shear were found to be identical and this will provide a simplification of the constitutive equations for the composite. The composite has a very low ductility in transverse tension and a limited ductility in transverse shear that was correlated to high hydrostatic stresses that develop in the matrix. The shape of the initial yield surface was calculated and good agreement was found between the calculated shape and the experimentally determined shape.

Electrocatalytic response of poly(cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes-Nafion modified electrode toward sulfadiazine in urine*

PubMed Central

Hong, Xiao-ping; Zhu, Yan; Zhang, Yan-zhen

2012-01-01

A highly sensitive amperometric sulfadiazine sensor fabricated by electrochemical deposition of poly(cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine) (poly(CoIITAPc)) on the surface of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes-Nafion (MWCNTs-Nafion) modified electrode is described. This electrode showed a very attractive performance by combining the advantages of CoIITAPc, MWCNTs, and Nafion. Compared with the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and the MWCNTs-Nafion modified electrode, the electrocatalytic activity of poly(CoIITAPc)-coated MWCNTs-Nafion GCE generated greatly improved electrochemical detections toward sulfadiazine including low oxidation potential, high current responses, and good anti-fouling performance. The oxidation peak currents of sulfadiazine obtained on the new modified electrode increased linearly while increasing the concentration of sulfadiazine from 0.5 to 43.5 μmol/L with the detection limit of 0.17 μmol/L. PMID:22661213

Determination of phenolic constituents of biological interest in red wine by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection.

PubMed

Peng, Youyuan; Chu, Qingcui; Liu, Fanghua; Ye, Jiannong

2004-01-28

A simultaneous determination of trans-resveratrol, (-)-epicatechin, and (+)-catechin in red wine by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection (CE-ED) is reported. The effects of the potential of the working electrode, pH and concentration of running buffer, separation voltage, and injection time on CE-ED were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the analytes could be separated in a 100 mmol/L borate buffer (pH 9.2) within 20 min. A 300 microm diameter carbon disk electrode has a good response at +0.85 V (vs SCE) for all analytes. The response was linear over 3 orders of magnitude with detection limit (S/N = 3) ranging from 2 x 10(-7) to 5 x 10(-7) g/mL for all analytes. This method has been used for the determination of these analytes in red wine without enrichment, and the assay result was satisfactory.

;Turn-on; fluorescent probe detection of Ca2 + ions and applications to bioimaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Huifang; Yin, Caixia; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Yongbin; Huo, Fangjun

2017-06-01

Ca2 + is intracellular divalent cation with the largest concentration variations and involved in many biological phenomena and often acted as a second messenger in signaling pathway. Therefore, the development of probes for specific Ca2 + detection is of great importance. Herein, a novel turn-on fluorescent probe for the detection of Ca2 + in MeCN-aqueous medium was designed and synthesized. The probe displayed responses to Ca2 + with a fluorescence enhancement at 525 nm, accompanying with a distinct fluorescence change from nearly colorless to bright yellow-green. Besides, the probe exhibited a rapid signal response time (within 25 s), a good linearity range and a lower detection limit (2.70 × 10- 7 M). In addition, the ability of the probe to detect Ca2 + in living cells (HeLa cells) via an enhancement of the fluorescence has also been demonstrated.

Quantum Kramers model: Corrections to the linear response theory for continuous bath spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rips, Ilya

2017-01-01

Decay of the metastable state is analyzed within the quantum Kramers model in the weak-to-intermediate dissipation regime. The decay kinetics in this regime is determined by energy exchange between the unstable mode and the stable modes of thermal bath. In our previous paper [Phys. Rev. A 42, 4427 (1990), 10.1103/PhysRevA.42.4427], Grabert's perturbative approach to well dynamics in the case of the discrete bath [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 1683 (1988), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.1683] has been extended to account for the second order terms in the classical equations of motion (EOM) for the stable modes. Account of the secular terms reduces EOM for the stable modes to those of the forced oscillator with the time-dependent frequency (TDF oscillator). Analytic expression for the characteristic function of energy loss of the unstable mode has been derived in terms of the generating function of the transition probabilities for the quantum forced TDF oscillator. In this paper, the approach is further developed and applied to the case of the continuous frequency spectrum of the bath. The spectral density functions of the bath of stable modes are expressed in terms of the dissipative properties (the friction function) of the original bath. They simplify considerably for the one-dimensional systems, when the density of phonon states is constant. Explicit expressions for the fourth order corrections to the linear response theory result for the characteristic function of the energy loss and its cumulants are obtained for the particular case of the cubic potential with Ohmic (Markovian) dissipation. The range of validity of the perturbative approach in this case is determined (γ /ωb<0.26 ), which includes the turnover region. The dominant correction to the linear response theory result is associated with the "work function" and leads to reduction of the average energy loss and its dispersion. This reduction increases with the increasing dissipation strength (up to ˜10 % ) within the range of validity of the approach. We have also calculated corrections to the depopulation factor and the escape rate for the quantum and for the classical Kramers models. Results for the classical escape rate are in very good agreement with the numerical simulations for high barriers. The results can serve as an additional proof of the robustness and accuracy of the linear response theory.

Quantum Kramers model: Corrections to the linear response theory for continuous bath spectrum.

PubMed

Rips, Ilya

2017-01-01

Decay of the metastable state is analyzed within the quantum Kramers model in the weak-to-intermediate dissipation regime. The decay kinetics in this regime is determined by energy exchange between the unstable mode and the stable modes of thermal bath. In our previous paper [Phys. Rev. A 42, 4427 (1990)PLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.42.4427], Grabert's perturbative approach to well dynamics in the case of the discrete bath [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 1683 (1988)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.61.1683] has been extended to account for the second order terms in the classical equations of motion (EOM) for the stable modes. Account of the secular terms reduces EOM for the stable modes to those of the forced oscillator with the time-dependent frequency (TDF oscillator). Analytic expression for the characteristic function of energy loss of the unstable mode has been derived in terms of the generating function of the transition probabilities for the quantum forced TDF oscillator. In this paper, the approach is further developed and applied to the case of the continuous frequency spectrum of the bath. The spectral density functions of the bath of stable modes are expressed in terms of the dissipative properties (the friction function) of the original bath. They simplify considerably for the one-dimensional systems, when the density of phonon states is constant. Explicit expressions for the fourth order corrections to the linear response theory result for the characteristic function of the energy loss and its cumulants are obtained for the particular case of the cubic potential with Ohmic (Markovian) dissipation. The range of validity of the perturbative approach in this case is determined (γ/ω_{b}<0.26), which includes the turnover region. The dominant correction to the linear response theory result is associated with the "work function" and leads to reduction of the average energy loss and its dispersion. This reduction increases with the increasing dissipation strength (up to ∼10%) within the range of validity of the approach. We have also calculated corrections to the depopulation factor and the escape rate for the quantum and for the classical Kramers models. Results for the classical escape rate are in very good agreement with the numerical simulations for high barriers. The results can serve as an additional proof of the robustness and accuracy of the linear response theory.

COED Transactions, Vol. XI, No. 3, March 1979. LSSP: An Educational Aid to the Study of Linear System Dynamics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Eugene E., Ed.

The study of the dynamics of physical systems is of importance to all engineering students. LSSP, a Linear System Simulation Program, is used to study the behavior of physical phenomena and systems which may be represented to a good degree of approximation by linear models. Emphasis is placed upon the unity resulting from the mathematical…

Linear oscillation of gas bubbles in a viscoelastic material under ultrasound irradiation

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

Hamaguchi, Fumiya; Ando, Keita, E-mail: kando@mech.keio.ac.jp

2015-11-15

Acoustically forced oscillation of spherical gas bubbles in a viscoelastic material is studied through comparisons between experiments and linear theory. An experimental setup has been designed to visualize bubble dynamics in gelatin gels using a high-speed camera. A spherical gas bubble is created by focusing an infrared laser pulse into (gas-supersaturated) gelatin gels. The bubble radius (up to 150 μm) under mechanical equilibrium is controlled by gradual mass transfer of gases across the bubble interface. The linearized bubble dynamics are studied from the observation of spherical bubble oscillation driven by low-intensity, planar ultrasound driven at 28 kHz. It follows frommore » the experiment for an isolated bubble that the frequency response in its volumetric oscillation was shifted to the high frequency side and its peak was suppressed as the gelatin concentration increases. The measurement is fitted to the linearized Rayleigh–Plesset equation coupled with the Voigt constitutive equation that models the behavior of linear viscoelastic solids; the fitting yields good agreement by tuning unknown values of the viscosity and rigidity, indicating that more complex phenomena including shear thinning, stress relaxation, and retardation do not play an important role for the small-amplitude oscillations. Moreover, the cases for bubble-bubble and bubble-wall systems are studied. The observed interaction effect on the linearized dynamics can be explained as well by a set of the Rayleigh–Plesset equations coupled through acoustic radiation among these systems. This suggests that this experimental setup can be applied to validate the model of bubble dynamics with more complex configuration such as a cloud of bubbles in viscoelastic materials.« less

A Bivariate Generalized Linear Item Response Theory Modeling Framework to the Analysis of Responses and Response Times.

PubMed

Molenaar, Dylan; Tuerlinckx, Francis; van der Maas, Han L J

2015-01-01

A generalized linear modeling framework to the analysis of responses and response times is outlined. In this framework, referred to as bivariate generalized linear item response theory (B-GLIRT), separate generalized linear measurement models are specified for the responses and the response times that are subsequently linked by cross-relations. The cross-relations can take various forms. Here, we focus on cross-relations with a linear or interaction term for ability tests, and cross-relations with a curvilinear term for personality tests. In addition, we discuss how popular existing models from the psychometric literature are special cases in the B-GLIRT framework depending on restrictions in the cross-relation. This allows us to compare existing models conceptually and empirically. We discuss various extensions of the traditional models motivated by practical problems. We also illustrate the applicability of our approach using various real data examples, including data on personality and cognitive ability.

A high-performance nonenzymatic glucose sensor made of CuO-SWCNT nanocomposites.

PubMed

Quoc Dung, Nguyen; Patil, Dewyani; Jung, Hyuck; Kim, Dojin

2013-04-15

Nanocomposites of CuO and single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were synthesized using an arc-discharging graphite rod that contained copper wires. Simultaneous arc discharges produced a CuO-SWCNT composite network. The crystalline structure and morphology of the CuO-SWCNT composite films were investigated using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM and TEM. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammogram and amperometric measurements in a 0.1 M NaOH solution. The CuO content in the CuO-SWCNT nanocomposites was optimized for nonenzymatic glucose detection. The glucose sensing properties of the optimized CuO-SWCNT electrode showed good stability, selectivity, and linear glucose detection that ranged from 0.05 to 1800 μM with a higher sensitivity of 1610 μA cm⁻² mM⁻¹, a quick response time of 1-2 s, and the lowest limit of detection at 50 nM. The sensing performance was better than the pure CuO and SWCNT sensors, and the synergetic effect of the composite sensor was attributed to the high conductivity network of highly porous nanowires. The sensor also showed a good response in a human serum sample, which proves its high potential towards a commercial nonenzymatic glucose sensor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Linearity Analysis and Efficiency Testing of The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) Science Cameras for Flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, S. C.; Rachmeler, L.; Winebarger, A. R.; Champey, P. R.; Bethge, C.

2017-12-01

To unveil the complexity of the solar atmosphere, measurement of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region is fundamentally important, as this is where the forces transition from plasma to magnetic field dominated. Measurements of the field are also needed to shed light on the energy transport from the lower atmospheric regions to the corona beyond. Such an advance in heliospheric knowledge became possible with the first flight of the international solar sounding rocket mission, CLASP. For the first time, linear polarization was measured in H Lyman-Alpha at 121.60 nm in September 2015. For linear polarization measurements in this line, high sensitivity is required due to the relatively weak polarization signal compared to the intensity. To achieve this high sensitivity, a low-noise sensor is required with good knowledge of its characterization, including linearity. This work presents further refinement of the linearity characterization of the cameras flown in 2015. We compared the current from a photodiode in the light path to the digital response of the detectors. Pre-flight CCD linearity measurements were taken for all three flight cameras and calculations of the linear fits and residuals were performed. However, the previous calculations included a smearing pattern and a digital saturation region on the detectors which were not properly taken into account. The calculations have been adjusted and were repeated for manually chosen sub-regions on the detectors that were found not to be affected. We present a brief overview of the instrument, the calibration data and procedures, and a comparison of the old and new linearity results. The CLASP cameras will be reused for the successor mission, CLASP2, which will measure the Mg II h & k lines between 279.45 nm and 280.35 nm. The new approach will help to better prepare for and to improve the camera characterization for CLASP2.

Linearity Analysis and Efficiency Testing of The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) Science Cameras for Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Salma C.; Rachmeler, Laurel; Winebarger, Amy; Champey, Patrick; Bethge, Christian

2017-01-01

To unveil the complexity of the solar atmosphere, measurement of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region is fundamentally important, as this is where the forces transition from plasma to magnetic field dominated. Measurements of the field are also needed to elucidate the energy transport from the lower atmospheric regions to the corona beyond. Such an advance in heliospheric knowledge became possible with the first flight of the international solar sounding rocket mission, CLASP. For the first time, linear polarization was measured in Hydrogen Lyman-Alpha at 121.60 nm in September 2015. For linear polarization measurements in this emission line, high sensitivity is required due to the relatively weak polarization signal compared to the intensity. To achieve this high sensitivity, a low-noise sensor is required with good knowledge of its characterization, including linearity. This work presents further refinement of the linearity characterization of the cameras flown in 2015. We compared the current from a photodiode in the light path to the digital response of the detectors. Pre-flight CCD linearity measurements were taken for all three flight cameras and calculations of the linear fits and residuals were performed. However, the previous calculations included a smearing pattern and a digital saturation region on the detectors which were not properly taken into account. The calculations have been adjusted and were repeated for manually chosen sub-regions on the detectors that were found not to be affected. We present a brief overview of the instrument, the calibration data and procedures, and a comparison of the old and new linearity results. The CLASP cameras will be reused for the successor mission, CLASP2, which will measure the Magnesium II h & k emission lines between 279.45 nm and 280.35 nm. The new approach will help to better prepare for and to improve the camera characterization for CLASP2.

Linearity Analysis and Efficiency Testing of The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) Science Cameras for Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Salma C.; Rachmeler, Laurel; Winebarger, Amy; Champey, Patrick; Bethge, Christian

2018-01-01

To unveil the complexity of the solar atmosphere, measurement of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region is fundamentally important, as this is where the forces transition from plasma to magnetic field dominated. Measurements of the field are also needed to elucidate the energy transport from the lower atmospheric regions to the corona beyond. Such an advance in heliospheric knowledge became possible with the first flight of the international solar sounding rocket mission, CLASP. For the first time, linear polarization was measured in Hydrogen Lyman-Alpha at 121.60 nm in September 2015. For linear polarization measurements in this emission line, high sensitivity is required due to the relatively weak polarization signal compared to the intensity. To achieve this high sensitivity, a low-noise sensor is required with good knowledge of its characterization, including linearity. This work presents further refinement of the linearity characterization of the cameras flown in 2015. We compared the current from a photodiode in the light path to the digital response of the detectors. Pre-flight CCD linearity measurements were taken for all three flight cameras and calculations of the linear fits and residuals were performed. However, the previous calculations included a smearing pattern and a digital saturation region on the detectors which were not properly taken into account. The calculations have been adjusted and were repeated for manually chosen sub-regions on the detectors that were found not to be affected. We present a brief overview of the instrument, the calibration data and procedures, and a comparison of the old and new linearity results. The CLASP cameras will be reused for the successor mission, CLASP2, which will measure the Magnesium II h & k emission lines between 279.45 nm and 280.35 nm. The new approach will help to better prepare for and to improve the camera characterization for CLASP2.

Genetic parameters for racing records in trotters using linear and generalized linear models.

PubMed

Suontama, M; van der Werf, J H J; Juga, J; Ojala, M

2012-09-01

Heritability and repeatability and genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated for trotting race records with linear and generalized linear models using 510,519 records on 17,792 Finnhorses and 513,161 records on 25,536 Standardbred trotters. Heritability and repeatability were estimated for single racing time and earnings traits with linear models, and logarithmic scale was used for racing time and fourth-root scale for earnings to correct for nonnormality. Generalized linear models with a gamma distribution were applied for single racing time and with a multinomial distribution for single earnings traits. In addition, genetic parameters for annual earnings were estimated with linear models on the observed and fourth-root scales. Racing success traits of single placings, winnings, breaking stride, and disqualifications were analyzed using generalized linear models with a binomial distribution. Estimates of heritability were greatest for racing time, which ranged from 0.32 to 0.34. Estimates of heritability were low for single earnings with all distributions, ranging from 0.01 to 0.09. Annual earnings were closer to normal distribution than single earnings. Heritability estimates were moderate for annual earnings on the fourth-root scale, 0.19 for Finnhorses and 0.27 for Standardbred trotters. Heritability estimates for binomial racing success variables ranged from 0.04 to 0.12, being greatest for winnings and least for breaking stride. Genetic correlations among racing traits were high, whereas phenotypic correlations were mainly low to moderate, except correlations between racing time and earnings were high. On the basis of a moderate heritability and moderate to high repeatability for racing time and annual earnings, selection of horses for these traits is effective when based on a few repeated records. Because of high genetic correlations, direct selection for racing time and annual earnings would also result in good genetic response in racing success.

Effects of Initial Geometric Imperfections On the Non-Linear Response of the Space Shuttle Superlightweight Liquid-Oxygen Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemeth, Michael P.; Young, Richard D.; Collins, Timothy J.; Starnes, James H., Jr.

2002-01-01

The results of an analytical study of the elastic buckling and nonlinear behavior of the liquid-oxygen tank for the new Space Shuttle superlightweight external fuel tank are presented. Selected results that illustrate three distinctly different types of non-linear response phenomena for thin-walled shells which are subjected to combined mechanical and thermal loads are presented. These response phenomena consist of a bifurcation-type buckling response, a short-wavelength non-linear bending response and a non-linear collapse or "snap-through" response associated with a limit point. The effects of initial geometric imperfections on the response characteristics are emphasized. The results illustrate that the buckling and non-linear response of a geometrically imperfect shell structure subjected to complex loading conditions may not be adequately characterized by an elastic linear bifurcation buckling analysis, and that the traditional industry practice of applying a buckling-load knock-down factor can result in an ultraconservative design. Results are also presented that show that a fluid-filled shell can be highly sensitive to initial geometric imperfections, and that the use a buckling-load knock-down factor is needed for this case.

Competitive inhibition can linearize dose-response and generate a linear rectifier

PubMed Central

Savir, Yonatan; Tu, Benjamin P.; Springer, Michael

2015-01-01

Summary Many biological responses require a dynamic range that is larger than standard bi-molecular interactions allow, yet the also ability to remain off at low input. Here we mathematically show that an enzyme reaction system involving a combination of competitive inhibition, conservation of the total level of substrate and inhibitor, and positive feedback can behave like a linear rectifier—that is, a network motif with an input-output relationship that is linearly sensitive to substrate above a threshold but unresponsive below the threshold. We propose that the evolutionarily conserved yeast SAGA histone acetylation complex may possess the proper physiological response characteristics and molecular interactions needed to perform as a linear rectifier, and we suggest potential experiments to test this hypothesis. One implication of this work is that linear responses and linear rectifiers might be easier to evolve or synthetically construct than is currently appreciated. PMID:26495436

Competitive inhibition can linearize dose-response and generate a linear rectifier.

PubMed

Savir, Yonatan; Tu, Benjamin P; Springer, Michael

2015-09-23

Many biological responses require a dynamic range that is larger than standard bi-molecular interactions allow, yet the also ability to remain off at low input. Here we mathematically show that an enzyme reaction system involving a combination of competitive inhibition, conservation of the total level of substrate and inhibitor, and positive feedback can behave like a linear rectifier-that is, a network motif with an input-output relationship that is linearly sensitive to substrate above a threshold but unresponsive below the threshold. We propose that the evolutionarily conserved yeast SAGA histone acetylation complex may possess the proper physiological response characteristics and molecular interactions needed to perform as a linear rectifier, and we suggest potential experiments to test this hypothesis. One implication of this work is that linear responses and linear rectifiers might be easier to evolve or synthetically construct than is currently appreciated.

Electrochemical glucose biosensor based on nickel oxide nanoparticle-modified carbon paste electrode.

PubMed

Erdem, Ceren; Zeybek, Derya Koyuncu; Aydoğdu, Gözde; Zeybek, Bülent; Pekyardımcı, Sule; Kılıç, Esma

2014-08-01

In the present work, we designed an amperometric glucose biosensor based on nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs)-modified carbon paste electrode. The biosensor was prepared by incorporation of glucose oxidase and NiONPs into a carbon paste matrix. It showed good analytical performances such as high sensitivity (367 μA mmolL(-1)) and a wide linear response from 1.9×10(-3) mmolL(-1) to 15.0 mmolL(-1) with a limit of detection (0.11 μmolL(-1)). The biosensor was used for the determination of glucose in human serum samples. The results illustrate that NiONPs have enormous potential in the construction of biosensor for determination of glucose.

Design and implementation of fuzzy-PD controller based on relation models: A cross-entropy optimization approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisimov, D. N.; Dang, Thai Son; Banerjee, Santo; Mai, The Anh

2017-07-01

In this paper, an intelligent system use fuzzy-PD controller based on relation models is developed for a two-wheeled self-balancing robot. Scaling factors of the fuzzy-PD controller are optimized by a Cross-Entropy optimization method. A linear Quadratic Regulator is designed to bring a comparison with the fuzzy-PD controller by control quality parameters. The controllers are ported and run on STM32F4 Discovery Kit based on the real-time operating system. The experimental results indicate that the proposed fuzzy-PD controller runs exactly on embedded system and has desired performance in term of fast response, good balance and stabilize.

Monolithically integrated bacteriorhodopsin/semiconductor opto-electronic integrated circuit for a bio-photoreceiver.

PubMed

Xu, J; Bhattacharya, P; Váró, G

2004-03-15

The light-sensitive protein, bacteriorhodopsin (BR), is monolithically integrated with an InP-based amplifier circuit to realize a novel opto-electronic integrated circuit (OEIC) which performs as a high-speed photoreceiver. The circuit is realized by epitaxial growth of the field-effect transistors, currently used semiconductor device and circuit fabrication techniques, and selective area BR electro-deposition. The integrated photoreceiver has a responsivity of 175 V/W and linear photoresponse, with a dynamic range of 16 dB, with 594 nm photoexcitation. The dynamics of the photochemical cycle of BR has also been modeled and a proposed equivalent circuit simulates the measured BR photoresponse with good agreement.

A micromachined electrochemical sensor for free chlorine monitoring in drinking water.

PubMed

Mehta, A; Shekhar, H; Hyun, S H; Hong, S; Cho, H J

2006-01-01

In this work, we designed, fabricated and tested a disposable, flow-through amperometric sensor for free chlorine determination in water. The sensor is based on the principle of an electrochemical cell. The substrate, as well as the top microfluidic layer, is made up of a polymer material. The advantages include; (a) disposability from low cost; (b) stable operation range from three-electrode design; (c) fluidic interconnections that provide on line testing capabilities; and (d) transparent substrate which provides for future integration of on-chip optics. The sensor showed a good response and linearity in the chlorine concentration ranging from 0.3 to 1.6 ppm, which applies to common chlorination process for drinking water purification.

Numerical Analysis of Deflections of Multi-Layered Beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biliński, Tadeusz; Socha, Tomasz

2015-03-01

The paper concerns the rheological bending problem of wooden beams reinforced with embedded composite bars. A theoretical model of the behaviour of a multi-layered beam is presented. The component materials of this beam are described with equations for the linear viscoelastic five-parameter rheological model. Two numerical analysis methods for the long-term response of wood structures are presented. The first method has been developed with SCILAB software. The second one has been developed with the finite element calculation software ABAQUS and user subroutine UMAT. Laboratory investigations were conducted on sample beams of natural dimensions in order to validate the proposed theoretical model and verify numerical simulations. Good agreement between experimental measurements and numerical results is observed.

Hybrid Structure Multichannel All-Fiber Current Sensor.

PubMed

Jiang, Junzhen; Zhang, Hao; He, Youwu; Qiu, Yishen

2017-08-02

We have experimentally developed a hybrid-structure multi-channel all-fiber current sensor with ordinary silica fiber using fiber loop architecture. According to the rationale of time division multiplexing, the sensor combines parallel and serial structures. The purpose of the hybrid-structure multi-channel all-fiber current sensor is to get more information from the different measured points simultaneously. In addition, the hybrid-structure fiber current sensor exhibited a good linear response for each channel. A three-channel experiment was performed in the study and showed that the system could detect different current positions. Each channel could individually detect the current and needed a separate calibration system. Furthermore, the three channels will not affect each other.

Selective fluorescent detection of aspartic acid and glutamic acid employing dansyl hydrazine dextran conjugate.

PubMed

Nasomphan, Weerachai; Tangboriboonrat, Pramuan; Tanapongpipat, Sutipa; Smanmoo, Srung

2014-01-01

Highly water soluble polymer (DD) was prepared and evaluated for its fluorescence response towards various amino acids. The polymer consists of dansyl hydrazine unit conjugated into dextran template. The conjugation enhances higher water solubility of dansyl hydrazine moiety. Of screened amino acids, DD exhibited selective fluorescence quenching in the presence of aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu). A plot of fluorescence intensity change of DD against the concentration of corresponding amino acids gave a good linear relationship in the range of 1 × 10(-4) M to 25 × 10(-3) M. This establishes DD as a potential polymeric sensor for selective sensing of Asp and Glu.

All high Tc edge-geometry weak links utilizing Y-Ba-Cu-O barrier layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, B. D.; Foote, M. C.; Bajuk, L. J.

1991-01-01

High quality YBa2Cu3O(7-x) normal-metal/YBa2Cu3O(7-x) edge-geometry weak links have been fabricated using nonsuperconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O barrier layers deposited by laser ablation at reduced growth temperatures. Devices incorporating 25-100 A thick barrier layers exhibit current-voltage characteristics consistent with the resistively shunted junction model, with strong microwave and magnetic field response at temperatures up to 85 K. The critical currents vary exponentially with barrier thickness, and the resistances scale linearly with Y-Ba-Cu-O interlayer thickness and device area, indicating good barrier uniformity, with an effective mormal metal coherence length of 20 A.

Lupus erythematosus and localized scleroderma coexistent at the same sites: a rare presentation of overlap syndrome of connective-tissue diseases.

PubMed

Pascucci, Anabella; Lynch, Peter J; Fazel, Nasim

2016-05-01

Overlap syndromes are known to occur with connective-tissue diseases (CTDs). Rarely, the overlap occurs at the same tissue site. We report the case of a patient with clinical and histopathologic findings consistent with the presence of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and localized scleroderma within the same lesions. Based on our case and other reported cases in the literature, the following features are common in patients with an overlap of lupus erythematosus (LE) and localized scleroderma: predilection for young women, photodistributed lesions, DLE, linear morphology clinically, and positivity along the dermoepidermal junction on direct immunofluorescence. Most patients showed good response to antimalarials, topical steroids, or systemic steroids.

Infrared spectroscopy of copper-resveratrol complexes: A joint experimental and theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiavarino, B.; Crestoni, M. E.; Fornarini, S.; Taioli, S.; Mancini, I.; Tosi, P.

2012-07-01

Infrared multiple-photon dissociation spectroscopy has been used to record vibrational spectra of charged copper-resveratrol complexes in the 3500-3700 cm-1 and 1100-1900 cm-1 regions. Minimum energy structures have been determined by density functional theory calculations using plane waves and pseudopotentials. In particular, the copper(I)-resveratrol complex presents a tetra-coordinated metal bound with two carbon atoms of the alkenyl moiety and two closest carbons of the adjoining resorcinol ring. For these geometries vibrational spectra have been calculated by using linear response theory. The good agreement between experimental and calculated IR spectra for the selected species confirms the overall reliability of the proposed geometries.

Quasi-particle energies and optical excitations of hydrogenated and fluorinated germanene.

PubMed

Shu, Huabing; Li, Yunhai; Wang, Shudong; Wang, Jinlan

2015-02-14

Using density functional theory, the G0W0 method and Bethe-Salpeter equation calculations, we systematically explore the structural, electronic and optical properties of hydrogenated and fluorinated germanene. The hydrogenated/fluorinated germanene tends to form chair and zigzag-line configurations and its electronic and optical properties show close geometry dependence. The chair hydrogenated/fluorinated and zigzag-line fluorinated germanene are direct band-gap semiconductors, while the zigzag-line hydrogenated germanene owns an indirect band-gap. Moreover, the quasi-particle corrections are significant and strong excitonic effects with large exciton binding energies are observed. Moreover, the zigzag-line hydrogenated/fluorinated germanene shows highly anisotropic optical responses, which may be used as a good optical linear polarizer.

Design considerations and analysis planning of a phase 2a proof of concept study in rheumatoid arthritis in the presence of possible non-monotonicity.

PubMed

Liu, Feng; Walters, Stephen J; Julious, Steven A

2017-10-02

It is important to quantify the dose response for a drug in phase 2a clinical trials so the optimal doses can then be selected for subsequent late phase trials. In a phase 2a clinical trial of new lead drug being developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a U-shaped dose response curve was observed. In the light of this result further research was undertaken to design an efficient phase 2a proof of concept (PoC) trial for a follow-on compound using the lessons learnt from the lead compound. The planned analysis for the Phase 2a trial for GSK123456 was a Bayesian Emax model which assumes the dose-response relationship follows a monotonic sigmoid "S" shaped curve. This model was found to be suboptimal to model the U-shaped dose response observed in the data from this trial and alternatives approaches were needed to be considered for the next compound for which a Normal dynamic linear model (NDLM) is proposed. This paper compares the statistical properties of the Bayesian Emax model and NDLM model and both models are evaluated using simulation in the context of adaptive Phase 2a PoC design under a variety of assumed dose response curves: linear, Emax model, U-shaped model, and flat response. It is shown that the NDLM method is flexible and can handle a wide variety of dose-responses, including monotonic and non-monotonic relationships. In comparison to the NDLM model the Emax model excelled with higher probability of selecting ED90 and smaller average sample size, when the true dose response followed Emax like curve. In addition, the type I error, probability of incorrectly concluding a drug may work when it does not, is inflated with the Bayesian NDLM model in all scenarios which would represent a development risk to pharmaceutical company. The bias, which is the difference between the estimated effect from the Emax and NDLM models and the simulated value, is comparable if the true dose response follows a placebo like curve, an Emax like curve, or log linear shape curve under fixed dose allocation, no adaptive allocation, half adaptive and adaptive scenarios. The bias though is significantly increased for the Emax model if the true dose response follows a U-shaped curve. In most cases the Bayesian Emax model works effectively and efficiently, with low bias and good probability of success in case of monotonic dose response. However, if there is a belief that the dose response could be non-monotonic then the NDLM is the superior model to assess the dose response.

Mutual information and the fidelity of response of gene regulatory models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabbaa, Omar P.; Jayaprakash, C.

2014-08-01

We investigate cellular response to extracellular signals by using information theory techniques motivated by recent experiments. We present results for the steady state of the following gene regulatory models found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells: a linear transcription-translation model and a positive or negative auto-regulatory model. We calculate both the information capacity and the mutual information exactly for simple models and approximately for the full model. We find that (1) small changes in mutual information can lead to potentially important changes in cellular response and (2) there are diminishing returns in the fidelity of response as the mutual information increases. We calculate the information capacity using Gillespie simulations of a model for the TNF-α-NF-κ B network and find good agreement with the measured value for an experimental realization of this network. Our results provide a quantitative understanding of the differences in cellular response when comparing experimentally measured mutual information values of different gene regulatory models. Our calculations demonstrate that Gillespie simulations can be used to compute the mutual information of more complex gene regulatory models, providing a potentially useful tool in synthetic biology.

Log-normal frailty models fitted as Poisson generalized linear mixed models.

PubMed

Hirsch, Katharina; Wienke, Andreas; Kuss, Oliver

2016-12-01

The equivalence of a survival model with a piecewise constant baseline hazard function and a Poisson regression model has been known since decades. As shown in recent studies, this equivalence carries over to clustered survival data: A frailty model with a log-normal frailty term can be interpreted and estimated as a generalized linear mixed model with a binary response, a Poisson likelihood, and a specific offset. Proceeding this way, statistical theory and software for generalized linear mixed models are readily available for fitting frailty models. This gain in flexibility comes at the small price of (1) having to fix the number of pieces for the baseline hazard in advance and (2) having to "explode" the data set by the number of pieces. In this paper we extend the simulations of former studies by using a more realistic baseline hazard (Gompertz) and by comparing the model under consideration with competing models. Furthermore, the SAS macro %PCFrailty is introduced to apply the Poisson generalized linear mixed approach to frailty models. The simulations show good results for the shared frailty model. Our new %PCFrailty macro provides proper estimates, especially in case of 4 events per piece. The suggested Poisson generalized linear mixed approach for log-normal frailty models based on the %PCFrailty macro provides several advantages in the analysis of clustered survival data with respect to more flexible modelling of fixed and random effects, exact (in the sense of non-approximate) maximum likelihood estimation, and standard errors and different types of confidence intervals for all variance parameters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing TCV experimental VDE responses with DINA code simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favez, J.-Y.; Khayrutdinov, R. R.; Lister, J. B.; Lukash, V. E.

2002-02-01

The DINA free-boundary equilibrium simulation code has been implemented for TCV, including the full TCV feedback and diagnostic systems. First results showed good agreement with control coil perturbations and correctly reproduced certain non-linear features in the experimental measurements. The latest DINA code simulations, presented in this paper, exploit discharges with different cross-sectional shapes and different vertical instability growth rates which were subjected to controlled vertical displacement events (VDEs), extending previous work with the DINA code on the DIII-D tokamak. The height of the TCV vessel allows observation of the non-linear evolution of the VDE growth rate as regions of different vertical field decay index are crossed. The vertical movement of the plasma is found to be well modelled. For most experiments, DINA reproduces the S-shape of the vertical displacement in TCV with excellent precision. This behaviour cannot be modelled using linear time-independent models because of the predominant exponential shape due to the unstable pole of any linear time-independent model. The other most common equilibrium parameters like the plasma current Ip, the elongation κ, the triangularity δ, the safety factor q, the ratio between the averaged plasma kinetic pressure and the pressure of the poloidal magnetic field at the edge of the plasma βp, and the internal self inductance li also show acceptable agreement. The evolution of the growth rate γ is estimated and compared with the evolution of the closed-loop growth rate calculated with the RZIP linear model, confirming the origin of the observed behaviour.

Linear frequency tuning in an LC-resonant system using a C-V response controllable MEMS varactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Chang-Hoon; Yoon, Yong-Hoon; Ko, Seung-Deok; Seo, Min-Ho; Yoon, Jun-Bo

2017-12-01

This paper proposes a device level solution to achieve linear frequency tuning with respect to a tuning voltage ( V tune ) sweep in an inductor ( L)-capacitor ( C) resonant system. Since the linearity of the resonant frequency vs. tuning voltage ( f- V) relationship in an LC-resonant system is closely related to the C- V response characteristic of the varactor, we propose a C- V response tunable varactor to realize the linear frequency tuning. The proposed varactor was fabricated using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) surface micromachining. The fabricated MEMS varactor has the ability to dynamically change the C- V response characteristic according to a curve control voltage ( V curve- control ). When V curve- control was increased from zero to 9 V, the C- V response curve was changed from a linear to a concave form (i.e., the capacitance decreased quickly in the low tuning voltage region and slowly in the high tuning voltage region). This change in the C- V response characteristic resulted in a change in the f- V relationship, and we successfully demonstrated almost perfectly linear frequency tuning in the LC-resonant system, with a linearity factor of 99.95%.

Parabrachial nucleus neuronal responses to off-vertical axis rotation in macaques

PubMed Central

McCandless, Cyrus H.; Balaban, Carey D.

2010-01-01

The caudal aspect of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) contains neurons responsive to whole body, periodic rotational stimulation in alert monkeys. This study characterizes the angular and linear motion-sensitive response properties of PBN unit responses during off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) and position trapezoid stimulation. The OVAR responses displayed a constant firing component which varied from the firing rate at rest. Nearly two-thirds of the units also modulated their discharges with respect to head orientation (re: gravity) during constant velocity OVAR stimulation. The modulated response magnitudes were equal during ipsilateral and contralateral OVARs, indicative of a one-dimensional accelerometer. These response orientations during OVAR divided the units into three spatially tuned populations, with peak modulation responses centered in the ipsilateral ear down, contralateral anterior semicircular canal down, and occiput down orientations. Because the orientation of the OVAR modulation response was opposite in polarity to the orientation of the static tilt component of responses to position trapezoids for the majority of units, the linear acceleration responses were divided into colinear dynamic linear and static tilt components. The orientations of these unit responses formed two distinct population response axes: (1) units with an interaural linear response axis and (2) units with an ipsilateral anterior semicircular canal-contralateral posterior semicircular canal plane linear response axis. The angular rotation sensitivity of these units is in a head-vertical plane that either contains the linear acceleration response axis or is perpendicular to the linear acceleration axis. Hence, these units behave like head-based (‘strap-down’) inertial guidance sensors. Because the PBN contributes to sensory and interoceptive processing, it is suggested that vestibulo-recipient caudal PBN units may detect potentially dangerous anomalies in control of postural stability during locomotion. In particular, these signals may contribute to the range of affective and emotional responses that include panic associated with falling, malaise associated with motion sickness and mal-de-debarquement, and comorbid balance and anxiety disorders. PMID:20039027

Vector Adaptive/Predictive Encoding Of Speech

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Juin-Hwey; Gersho, Allen

1989-01-01

Vector adaptive/predictive technique for digital encoding of speech signals yields decoded speech of very good quality after transmission at coding rate of 9.6 kb/s and of reasonably good quality at 4.8 kb/s. Requires 3 to 4 million multiplications and additions per second. Combines advantages of adaptive/predictive coding, and code-excited linear prediction, yielding speech of high quality but requires 600 million multiplications and additions per second at encoding rate of 4.8 kb/s. Vector adaptive/predictive coding technique bridges gaps in performance and complexity between adaptive/predictive coding and code-excited linear prediction.

Origin of the Ultrafast Response of the Lateral Photovoltaic Effect in Amorphous MoS2/Si Junctions.

PubMed

Hu, Chang; Wang, Xianjie; Miao, Peng; Zhang, Lingli; Song, Bingqian; Liu, Weilong; Lv, Zhe; Zhang, Yu; Sui, Yu; Tang, Jinke; Yang, Yanqiang; Song, Bo; Xu, Ping

2017-05-31

The lateral photovoltaic (LPV) effect has attracted much attention for a long time because of its application in position-sensitive detectors (PSD). Here, we report the ultrafast response of the LPV in amorphous MoS 2 /Si (a-MoS 2 /Si) junctions prepared by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Different orientations of the built-in field and the breakover voltages are observed for a-MoS 2 films deposited on p- and n-type Si wafers, resulting in the induction of positive and negative voltages in the a-MoS 2 /n-Si and a-MoS 2 /p-Si junctions upon laser illumination, respectively. The dependence of the LPV on the position of the illumination shows very high sensitivity (183 mV mm -1 ) and good linearity. The optical relaxation time of LPV with a positive voltage was about 5.8 μs in a-MoS 2 /n-Si junction, whereas the optical relaxation time of LPV with a negative voltage was about 2.1 μs in a-MoS 2 /p-Si junction. Our results clearly suggested that the inversion layer at the a-MoS 2 /Si interface made a good contribution to the ultrafast response of the LPV in a-MoS 2 /Si junctions. The large positional sensitivity and ultrafast relaxation of LPV may promise the a-MoS 2 /Si junction's applications in fast position-sensitive detectors.

Circulating miRNAs in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Show Promise as Biomarkers of Vascular Function

PubMed Central

Sucharov, Carmen C.; Truong, Uyen; Dunning, Jamie; Ivy, Dunbar; Miyamoto, Shelley; Shandas, Robin

2017-01-01

Background/Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of vascular function in pediatric pulmonary hypertension. Method Fourteen pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension patients underwent simultaneous right heart catheterization (RHC) and blood biochemical analysis. Univariate and stepwise multivariate linear regression was used to identify and correlate measures of reactive and resistive afterload with circulating miRNA levels. Furthermore, circulating miRNA candidates that classified patients according to a 20% decrease in resistive afterload in response to oxygen (O2) or inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) were identified using receiver-operating curves. Results Thirty-two circulating miRNAs correlated with the pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRi), pulmonary arterial distensibility, and PVRi decrease in response to O2 and/or iNO. Multivariate models, combining the predictive capability of multiple promising miRNA candidates, revealed a good correlation with resistive (r = 0.97, P2−tailed < 0.0001) and reactive (r = 0.86, P2−tailed < 0.005) afterloads. Bland-Altman plots showed that 95% of the differences between multivariate models and RHC would fall within 0.13 (mmHg−min/L)m2 and 0.0085/mmHg for resistive and reactive afterloads, respectively. Circulating miR-663 proved to be a good classifier for vascular responsiveness to acute O2 and iNO challenges. Conclusion This study suggests that circulating miRNAs may be biomarkers to phenotype vascular function in pediatric PAH. PMID:28819545

Superradiance Effects in the Linear and Nonlinear Optical Response of Quantum Dot Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sitek, A.; Machnikowski, P.

2008-11-01

We calculate the linear optical response from a single quantum dot molecule and the nonlinear, four-wave-mixing response from an inhomogeneously broadened ensemble of such molecules. We show that both optical signals are affected by the coupling-dependent superradiance effect and by optical interference between the two polarizations. As a result, the linear and nonlinear responses are not identical.

A linear model fails to predict orientation selectivity of cells in the cat visual cortex.

PubMed Central

Volgushev, M; Vidyasagar, T R; Pei, X

1996-01-01

1. Postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) evoked by visual stimulation in simple cells in the cat visual cortex were recorded using in vivo whole-cell technique. Responses to small spots of light presented at different positions over the receptive field and responses to elongated bars of different orientations centred on the receptive field were recorded. 2. To test whether a linear model can account for orientation selectivity of cortical neurones, responses to elongated bars were compared with responses predicted by a linear model from the receptive field map obtained from flashing spots. 3. The linear model faithfully predicted the preferred orientation, but not the degree of orientation selectivity or the sharpness of orientation tuning. The ratio of optimal to non-optimal responses was always underestimated by the model. 4. Thus non-linear mechanisms, which can include suppression of non-optimal responses and/or amplification of optimal responses, are involved in the generation of orientation selectivity in the primary visual cortex. PMID:8930828

Evaluation of the dosimetric properties of a synthetic single crystal diamond detector in high energy clinical proton beams.

PubMed

Mandapaka, A K; Ghebremedhin, A; Patyal, B; Marinelli, Marco; Prestopino, G; Verona, C; Verona-Rinati, G

2013-12-01

To investigate the dosimetric properties of a synthetic single crystal diamond Schottky diode for accurate relative dose measurements in large and small field high-energy clinical proton beams. The dosimetric properties of a synthetic single crystal diamond detector were assessed by comparison with a reference Markus parallel plate ionization chamber, an Exradin A16 microionization chamber, and Exradin T1a ion chamber. The diamond detector was operated at zero bias voltage at all times. Comparative dose distribution measurements were performed by means of Fractional depth dose curves and lateral beam profiles in clinical proton beams of energies 155 and 250 MeV for a 14 cm square cerrobend aperture and 126 MeV for 3, 2, and 1 cm diameter circular brass collimators. ICRU Report No. 78 recommended beam parameters were used to compare fractional depth dose curves and beam profiles obtained using the diamond detector and the reference ionization chamber. Warm-up∕stability of the detector response and linearity with dose were evaluated in a 250 MeV proton beam and dose rate dependence was evaluated in a 126 MeV proton beam. Stem effect and the azimuthal angle dependence of the diode response were also evaluated. A maximum deviation in diamond detector signal from the average reading of less than 0.5% was found during the warm-up irradiation procedure. The detector response showed a good linear behavior as a function of dose with observed deviations below 0.5% over a dose range from 50 to 500 cGy. The detector response was dose rate independent, with deviations below 0.5% in the investigated dose rates ranging from 85 to 300 cGy∕min. Stem effect and azimuthal angle dependence of the diode signal were within 0.5%. Fractional depth dose curves and lateral beam profiles obtained with the diamond detector were in good agreement with those measured using reference dosimeters. The observed dosimetric properties of the synthetic single crystal diamond detector indicate that its behavior is proton energy independent and dose rate independent in the investigated energy and dose rate range and it is suitable for accurate relative dosimetric measurements in large as well as in small field high energy clinical proton beams.

A surface enhanced Raman scattering quantitative analytical platform for detection of trace Cu coupled the catalytic reaction and gold nanoparticle aggregation with label-free Victoria blue B molecular probe.

PubMed

Li, Chongning; Ouyang, Huixiang; Tang, Xueping; Wen, Guiqing; Liang, Aihui; Jiang, Zhiliang

2017-01-15

With development of economy and society, there is an urgent need to develop convenient and sensitive methods for detection of Cu 2+ pollution in water. In this article, a simple and sensitive SERS sensor was proposed to quantitative analysis of trace Cu 2+ in water. The SERS sensor platform was prepared a common gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-SiO 2 sol substrate platform by adsorbing HSA, coupling with the catalytic reaction of Cu 2+ -ascorbic acid (H 2 A)-dissolved oxygen, and using label-free Victoria blue B (VBB) as SERS molecular probes. The SERS sensor platform response to the AuNP aggregations by hydroxyl radicals (•OH) oxidizing from the Cu 2+ catalytic reaction, which caused the SERS signal enhancement. Therefore, by monitoring the increase of SERS signal, Cu 2+ in water can be determined accurately. The results show that the SERS sensor platforms owns a linear response with a range from 0.025 to 25μmol/L Cu 2+ , and with a detection limit of 0.008μmol/L. In addition, the SERS method demonstrated good specificity for Cu 2+ , which can determined accurately trace Cu 2+ in water samples, and good recovery and accuracy are obtained for the water samples. With its high selectivity and good accuracy, the sensitive SERS quantitative analysis method is expected to be a promising candidate for determining copper ions in environmental monitoring and food safety. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Systematic assessment of survey scan and MS2-based abundance strategies for label-free quantitative proteomics using high-resolution MS data.

PubMed

Tu, Chengjian; Li, Jun; Sheng, Quanhu; Zhang, Ming; Qu, Jun

2014-04-04

Survey-scan-based label-free method have shown no compelling benefit over fragment ion (MS2)-based approaches when low-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) was used, the growing prevalence of high-resolution analyzers may have changed the game. This necessitates an updated, comparative investigation of these approaches for data acquired by high-resolution MS. Here, we compared survey scan-based (ion current, IC) and MS2-based abundance features including spectral-count (SpC) and MS2 total-ion-current (MS2-TIC), for quantitative analysis using various high-resolution LC/MS data sets. Key discoveries include: (i) study with seven different biological data sets revealed only IC achieved high reproducibility for lower-abundance proteins; (ii) evaluation with 5-replicate analyses of a yeast sample showed IC provided much higher quantitative precision and lower missing data; (iii) IC, SpC, and MS2-TIC all showed good quantitative linearity (R(2) > 0.99) over a >1000-fold concentration range; (iv) both MS2-TIC and IC showed good linear response to various protein loading amounts but not SpC; (v) quantification using a well-characterized CPTAC data set showed that IC exhibited markedly higher quantitative accuracy, higher sensitivity, and lower false-positives/false-negatives than both SpC and MS2-TIC. Therefore, IC achieved an overall superior performance than the MS2-based strategies in terms of reproducibility, missing data, quantitative dynamic range, quantitative accuracy, and biomarker discovery.

Systematic Assessment of Survey Scan and MS2-Based Abundance Strategies for Label-Free Quantitative Proteomics Using High-Resolution MS Data

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Survey-scan-based label-free method have shown no compelling benefit over fragment ion (MS2)-based approaches when low-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) was used, the growing prevalence of high-resolution analyzers may have changed the game. This necessitates an updated, comparative investigation of these approaches for data acquired by high-resolution MS. Here, we compared survey scan-based (ion current, IC) and MS2-based abundance features including spectral-count (SpC) and MS2 total-ion-current (MS2-TIC), for quantitative analysis using various high-resolution LC/MS data sets. Key discoveries include: (i) study with seven different biological data sets revealed only IC achieved high reproducibility for lower-abundance proteins; (ii) evaluation with 5-replicate analyses of a yeast sample showed IC provided much higher quantitative precision and lower missing data; (iii) IC, SpC, and MS2-TIC all showed good quantitative linearity (R2 > 0.99) over a >1000-fold concentration range; (iv) both MS2-TIC and IC showed good linear response to various protein loading amounts but not SpC; (v) quantification using a well-characterized CPTAC data set showed that IC exhibited markedly higher quantitative accuracy, higher sensitivity, and lower false-positives/false-negatives than both SpC and MS2-TIC. Therefore, IC achieved an overall superior performance than the MS2-based strategies in terms of reproducibility, missing data, quantitative dynamic range, quantitative accuracy, and biomarker discovery. PMID:24635752

A Highly-Sensitive Picric Acid Chemical Sensor Based on ZnO Nanopeanuts.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Ahmed A; Tiwari, Preeti; Al-Assiri, M S; Al-Salami, A E; Umar, Ahmad; Kumar, Rajesh; Kim, S H; Ansari, Z A; Baskoutas, S

2017-07-13

Herein, we report a facile synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical sensing application of ZnO nanopeanuts synthesized by a simple aqueous solution process and characterized by various techniques in order to confirm the compositional, morphological, structural, crystalline phase, and optical properties of the synthesized material. The detailed characterizations revealed that the synthesized material possesses a peanut-shaped morphology, dense growth, and a wurtzite hexagonal phase along with good crystal and optical properties. Further, to ascertain the useful properties of the synthesized ZnO nanopeanut as an excellent electron mediator, electrochemical sensors were fabricated based on the form of a screen printed electrode (SPE). Electrochemical and current-voltage characteristics were studied for the determination of picric acid sensing characteristics. The electrochemical sensor fabricated based on the SPE technique exhibited a reproducible and reliable sensitivity of ~1.2 μA/mM (9.23 μA·mM -1 ·cm -2 ), a lower limit of detection at 7.8 µM, a regression coefficient ( R ²) of 0.94, and good linearity over the 0.0078 mM to 10.0 mM concentration range. In addition, the sensor response was also tested using simple I-V techniques, wherein a sensitivity of 493.64 μA·mM -1 ·cm -2 , an experimental Limit of detection (LOD) of 0.125 mM, and a linear dynamic range (LDR) of 1.0 mM-5.0 mM were observed for the fabricated picric acid sensor.

A Highly-Sensitive Picric Acid Chemical Sensor Based on ZnO Nanopeanuts

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Ahmed A.; Tiwari, Preeti; Al-Assiri, M. S.; Al-Salami, A. E.; Umar, Ahmad; Kumar, Rajesh; Kim, S. H.; Ansari, Z. A.; Baskoutas, S.

2017-01-01

Herein, we report a facile synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical sensing application of ZnO nanopeanuts synthesized by a simple aqueous solution process and characterized by various techniques in order to confirm the compositional, morphological, structural, crystalline phase, and optical properties of the synthesized material. The detailed characterizations revealed that the synthesized material possesses a peanut-shaped morphology, dense growth, and a wurtzite hexagonal phase along with good crystal and optical properties. Further, to ascertain the useful properties of the synthesized ZnO nanopeanut as an excellent electron mediator, electrochemical sensors were fabricated based on the form of a screen printed electrode (SPE). Electrochemical and current-voltage characteristics were studied for the determination of picric acid sensing characteristics. The electrochemical sensor fabricated based on the SPE technique exhibited a reproducible and reliable sensitivity of ~1.2 μA/mM (9.23 μA·mM−1·cm−2), a lower limit of detection at 7.8 µM, a regression coefficient (R2) of 0.94, and good linearity over the 0.0078 mM to 10.0 mM concentration range. In addition, the sensor response was also tested using simple I-V techniques, wherein a sensitivity of 493.64 μA·mM−1·cm−2, an experimental Limit of detection (LOD) of 0.125 mM, and a linear dynamic range (LDR) of 1.0 mM–5.0 mM were observed for the fabricated picric acid sensor. PMID:28773151

A higher order panel method for linearized supersonic flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ehlers, F. E.; Epton, M. A.; Johnson, F. T.; Magnus, A. E.; Rubbert, P. E.

1979-01-01

The basic integral equations of linearized supersonic theory for an advanced supersonic panel method are derived. Methods using only linear varying source strength over each panel or only quadratic doublet strength over each panel gave good agreement with analytic solutions over cones and zero thickness cambered wings. For three dimensional bodies and wings of general shape, combined source and doublet panels with interior boundary conditions to eliminate the internal perturbations lead to a stable method providing good agreement experiment. A panel system with all edges contiguous resulted from dividing the basic four point non-planar panel into eight triangular subpanels, and the doublet strength was made continuous at all edges by a quadratic distribution over each subpanel. Superinclined panels were developed and tested on s simple nacelle and on an airplane model having engine inlets, with excellent results.

The Simplest Complete Model of Choice Response Time: Linear Ballistic Accumulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Scott D.; Heathcote, Andrew

2008-01-01

We propose a linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) model of decision making and reaction time. The LBA is simpler than other models of choice response time, with independent accumulators that race towards a common response threshold. Activity in the accumulators increases in a linear and deterministic manner. The simplicity of the model allows…

Using crosscorrelation techniques to determine the impulse response of linear systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dallabetta, Michael J.; Li, Harry W.; Demuth, Howard B.

1993-01-01

A crosscorrelation method of measuring the impulse response of linear systems is presented. The technique, implementation, and limitations of this method are discussed. A simple system is designed and built using discrete components and the impulse response of a linear circuit is measured. Theoretical and software simulation results are presented.

Controllable synthesis of green and blue fluorescent carbon nanodots for pH and Cu(2+) sensing in living cells.

PubMed

Shi, Lihong; Li, Yanyan; Li, Xiaofeng; Zhao, Bo; Wen, Xiangping; Zhang, Guomei; Dong, Chuan; Shuang, Shaomin

2016-03-15

We report a controllable strategy for fabrication of green and blue fluorescent carbon nanodots (CDs), and demonstrate their applications for pH and Cu(2+) sensing in living cells. Green and blue fluorescent CDs have been synthesized by hydrothermal method and pyrolysis of leeks, respectively, providing an easy way for the production of CDs without the request of tedious synthetic methodology or the use of toxic/expensive solvents and starting materials. Green fluorescent CDs (G-CDs) exhibit high tolerance to pH values and external cations. Blue fluorescent CDs (B-CDs) can be applied to pH and Cu(2+) sensing. The linear range of Cu(2+) detection is 0.01-10.00 μM and the detection limit is 0.05 μM. For pH detection, there is a good linearity in the pH range of 3.5-10.0. The linear and rapid response of B-CDs to Cu(2+) and pH is valuable for Cu(2+) and pH sensing in living cells. Confocal fluorescent imaging of human cervical carcinoma cells indicates that B-CDs could visualize Cu(2+) and pH fluctuations in living cells with negligible autofluorescence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling the effect of orientation on the shock response of a damageable composite material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukyanov, Alexander A.

2012-10-01

A carbon fiber-epoxy composite (CFEC) shock response in the through thickness orientation and in one of the fiber directions is significantly different. The hydrostatic pressure inside anisotropic materials depends on deviatoric strain components as well as volumetric strain. Non-linear effects, such as shock effects, can be incorporated through the volumetric straining in the material. Thus, a new basis is required to couple the anisotropic material stiffness and strength with anisotropic shock effects, associated energy dependence, and damage softening process. This article presents these constitutive equations for shock wave modeling of a damageable carbon fiber-epoxy composite. Modeling the effect of fiber orientation on the shock response of a CFEC has been performed using a generalized decomposition of the stress tensor [A. A. Lukyanov, Int. J. Plast. 24, 140 (2008)] and Mie-Grüneisen's extrapolation of high-pressure shock Hugoniot states to other thermodynamics states for shocked CFEC materials. The three-wave structure (non-linear anisotropic, fracture, and isotropic elastic waves) that accompanies damage softening process is also proposed in this work for describing CFEC behavior under shock loading which allows to remove any discontinuities observed in the linear case for relation between shock velocities and particle velocities [A. A. Lukyanov, Eur. Phys. J. B 74, 35 (2010)]. Different Hugoniot stress levels are obtained when the material is impacted in different directions; their good agreement with the experiment demonstrates that the anisotropic equation of state, strength, and damage model are adequate for the simulation of shock wave propagation within damageable CFEC material. Remarkably, in the through thickness orientation, the material behaves similar to a simple polymer whereas in the fiber direction, the proposed in this paper model explains an initial ramp, before at sufficiently high stresses, and a much faster rising shock above it. The numerical results for shock wave modeling using proposed constitutive equations are presented, discussed, and future studies are outlined.

An accuracy improvement method for the topology measurement of an atomic force microscope using a 2D wavelet transform.

PubMed

Yoon, Yeomin; Noh, Suwoo; Jeong, Jiseong; Park, Kyihwan

2018-05-01

The topology image is constructed from the 2D matrix (XY directions) of heights Z captured from the force-feedback loop controller. For small height variations, nonlinear effects such as hysteresis or creep of the PZT-driven Z nano scanner can be neglected and its calibration is quite straightforward. For large height variations, the linear approximation of the PZT-driven Z nano scanner fail and nonlinear behaviors must be considered because this would cause inaccuracies in the measurement image. In order to avoid such inaccuracies, an additional strain gauge sensor is used to directly measure displacement of the PZT-driven Z nano scanner. However, this approach also has a disadvantage in its relatively low precision. In order to obtain high precision data with good linearity, we propose a method of overcoming the low precision problem of the strain gauge while its feature of good linearity is maintained. We expect that the topology image obtained from the strain gauge sensor showing significant noise at high frequencies. On the other hand, the topology image obtained from the controller output showing low noise at high frequencies. If the low and high frequency signals are separable from both topology images, the image can be constructed so that it is represented with high accuracy and low noise. In order to separate the low frequencies from high frequencies, a 2D Haar wavelet transform is used. Our proposed method use the 2D wavelet transform for obtaining good linearity from strain gauge sensor and good precision from controller output. The advantages of the proposed method are experimentally validated by using topology images. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two Aspects of the Simplex Model: Goodness of Fit to Linear Growth Curve Structures and the Analysis of Mean Trends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandys, Frantisek; Dolan, Conor V.; Molenaar, Peter C. M.

1994-01-01

Studied the conditions under which the quasi-Markov simplex model fits a linear growth curve covariance structure and determined when the model is rejected. Presents a quasi-Markov simplex model with structured means and gives an example. (SLD)

Use of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Enhancement of Biosensor Response to the Herbicide 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid

PubMed Central

Loh, Kee-Shyuan; Lee, Yook Heng; Musa, Ahmad; Salmah, Abdul Aziz; Zamri, Ishak

2008-01-01

Magnetic nanoparticles of Fe3O4 were synthesized and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were found to have an average diameter of 5.48 ±1.37 nm. An electrochemical biosensor based on immobilized alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Fe3O4 nanoparticles was studied. The amperometric biosensor was based on the reaction of ALP with the substrate ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AA2P). The incorporation of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles together with ALP into a sol gel/chitosan biosensor membrane has led to the enhancement of the biosensor response, with an improved linear response range to the substrate AA2P (5-120 μM) and increased sensitivity. Using the inhibition property of the ALP, the biosensor was applied to the determination of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The use of Fe3O4 nanoparticles gives a two-fold improvement in the sensitivity towards 2,4-D, with a linear response range of 0.5-30 μgL-1. Exposure of the biosensor to other toxicants such as heavy metals demonstrated only slight interference from metals such as Hg2+, Cu2+, Ag2+ and Pb2+. The biosensor was shown to be useful for the determination of the herbicide 2, 4-D because good recovery of 95-100 percent was obtained, even though the analysis was performed in water samples with a complex matrix. Furthermore, the results from the analysis of 2,4-D in water samples using the biosensor correlated well with a HPLC method. PMID:27873839

A visco-hyperelastic-damage constitutive model for the analysis of the biomechanical response of the periodontal ligament.

PubMed

Natali, Arturo N; Carniel, Emanuele L; Pavan, Piero G; Sander, Franz G; Dorow, Christina; Geiger, Martin

2008-06-01

The periodontal ligament (PDL), as other soft biological tissues, shows a strongly non-linear and time-dependent mechanical response and can undergo large strains under physiological loads. Therefore, the characterization of the mechanical behavior of soft tissues entails the definition of constitutive models capable of accounting for geometric and material non-linearity. The microstructural arrangement determines specific anisotropic properties. A hyperelastic anisotropic formulation is adopted as the basis for the development of constitutive models for the PDL and properly arranged for investigating the viscous and damage phenomena as well to interpret significant aspects pertaining to ordinary and degenerative conditions. Visco-hyperelastic models are used to analyze the time-dependent mechanical response, while elasto-damage models account for the stiffness and strength decrease that can develop under significant loading or degenerative conditions. Experimental testing points out that damage response is affected by the strain rate associated with loading, showing a decrease in the damage limits as the strain rate increases. These phenomena can be investigated by means of a model capable of accounting for damage phenomena in relation to viscous effects. The visco-hyperelastic-damage model developed is defined on the basis of a Helmholtz free energy function depending on the strain-damage history. In particular, a specific damage criterion is formulated in order to evaluate the influence of the strain rate on damage. The model can be implemented in a general purpose finite element code. The accuracy of the formulation is evaluated by using results of experimental tests performed on animal model, accounting for different strain rates and for strain states capable of inducing damage phenomena. The comparison shows a good agreement between numerical results and experimental data.

High sensitivity radiochromic film dosimetry using an optical common-mode rejection and a reflective-mode flatbed color scanner.

PubMed

Ohuchi, Hiroko

2007-11-01

A novel method that can greatly improve the dosimetric sensitivity limit of a radiochromic film (RCF) through use of a set of color components, e.g., red and green, outputs from a RGB color scanner has been developed. RCFs are known to have microscopic and macroscopic nonuniformities, which come from the thickness variations in the film's active radiochromic layer and coating. These variations in the response make the optical signal-to-noise ratio lower, resulting in lower film sensitivity. To mitigate the effects of RCF nonuniform response, an optical common-mode rejection (CMR) was developed. The CMR compensates nonuniform response by creating a ratio of the two signals where the factors common to both numerator and denominator cancel out. The CMR scheme was applied to the mathematical operation of creating a ratio using two components, red and green outputs from a scanner. The two light component lights are neighboring wavebands about 100 nm apart and suffer a common fate, with the exception of wavelength-dependent events, having passed together along common attenuation paths. Two types of dose-response curves as a function of delivered dose ranging from 3.7 mGy to 8.1 Gy for 100 kV x-ray beams were obtained with the optical CMR scheme and the conventional analysis method using red component, respectively. In the range of 3.7 mGy to 81 mGy, the optical densities obtained with the optical CMR showed a good consistency among eight measured samples and an improved consistency with a linear fit within 1 standard deviation of each measured optical densities, while those with the conventional analysis exhibited a large discrepancy among eight samples and did not show a consistency with a linear fit.

A Large Response Range Reflectometric Urea Biosensor Made from Silica-Gel Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Alqasaimeh, Muawia; Heng, Lee Yook; Ahmad, Musa; Raj, A.S. Santhana; Ling, Tan Ling

2014-01-01

A new silica-gel nanospheres (SiO2NPs) composition was formulated, followed by biochemical surface functionalization to examine its potential in urea biosensor development. The SiO2NPs were basically synthesized based on sol–gel chemistry using a modified Stober method. The SiO2NPs surfaces were modified with amine (-NH2) functional groups for urease immobilization in the presence of glutaric acid (GA) cross-linker. The chromoionophore pH-sensitive dye ETH 5294 was physically adsorbed on the functionalized SiO2NPs as pH transducer. The immobilized urease determined urea concentration reflectometrically based on the colour change of the immobilized chromoionophore as a result of the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea. The pH changes on the biosensor due to the catalytic enzyme reaction of immobilized urease were found to correlate with the urea concentrations over a linear response range of 50–500 mM (R2 = 0.96) with a detection limit of 10 mM urea. The biosensor response time was 9 min with reproducibility of less than 10% relative standard deviation (RSD). This optical urea biosensor did not show interferences by Na+, K+, Mg2+ and NH4+ ions. The biosensor performance has been validated using urine samples in comparison with a non-enzymatic method based on the use of p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DMAB) reagent and demonstrated a good correlation between the two different methods (R2 = 0.996 and regression slope of 1.0307). The SiO2NPs-based reflectometric urea biosensor showed improved dynamic linear response range when compared to other nanoparticle-based optical urea biosensors. PMID:25054632

Structural Dynamic Analyses And Test Predictions For Spacecraft Structures With Non-Linearities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergniaud, Jean-Baptiste; Soula, Laurent; Newerla, Alfred

2012-07-01

The overall objective of the mechanical development and verification process is to ensure that the spacecraft structure is able to sustain the mechanical environments encountered during launch. In general the spacecraft structures are a-priori assumed to behave linear, i.e. the responses to a static load or dynamic excitation, respectively, will increase or decrease proportionally to the amplitude of the load or excitation induced. However, past experiences have shown that various non-linearities might exist in spacecraft structures and the consequences of their dynamic effects can significantly affect the development and verification process. Current processes are mainly adapted to linear spacecraft structure behaviour. No clear rules exist for dealing with major structure non-linearities. They are handled outside the process by individual analysis and margin policy, and analyses after tests to justify the CLA coverage. Non-linearities can primarily affect the current spacecraft development and verification process on two aspects. Prediction of flights loads by launcher/satellite coupled loads analyses (CLA): only linear satellite models are delivered for performing CLA and no well-established rules exist how to properly linearize a model when non- linearities are present. The potential impact of the linearization on the results of the CLA has not yet been properly analyzed. There are thus difficulties to assess that CLA results will cover actual flight levels. Management of satellite verification tests: the CLA results generated with a linear satellite FEM are assumed flight representative. If the internal non- linearities are present in the tested satellite then there might be difficulties to determine which input level must be passed to cover satellite internal loads. The non-linear behaviour can also disturb the shaker control, putting the satellite at risk by potentially imposing too high levels. This paper presents the results of a test campaign performed in the frame of an ESA TRP study [1]. A bread-board including typical non-linearities has been designed, manufactured and tested through a typical spacecraft dynamic test campaign. The study has demonstrate the capabilities to perform non-linear dynamic test predictions on a flight representative spacecraft, the good correlation of test results with respect to Finite Elements Model (FEM) prediction and the possibility to identify modal behaviour and to characterize non-linearities characteristics from test results. As a synthesis for this study, overall guidelines have been derived on the mechanical verification process to improve level of expertise on tests involving spacecraft including non-linearity.

Testing the Dose–Response Specification in Epidemiology: Public Health and Policy Consequences for Lead

PubMed Central

Rothenberg, Stephen J.; Rothenberg, Jesse C.

2005-01-01

Statistical evaluation of the dose–response function in lead epidemiology is rarely attempted. Economic evaluation of health benefits of lead reduction usually assumes a linear dose–response function, regardless of the outcome measure used. We reanalyzed a previously published study, an international pooled data set combining data from seven prospective lead studies examining contemporaneous blood lead effect on IQ (intelligence quotient) of 7-year-old children (n = 1,333). We constructed alternative linear multiple regression models with linear blood lead terms (linear–linear dose response) and natural-log–transformed blood lead terms (log-linear dose response). We tested the two lead specifications for nonlinearity in the models, compared the two lead specifications for significantly better fit to the data, and examined the effects of possible residual confounding on the functional form of the dose–response relationship. We found that a log-linear lead–IQ relationship was a significantly better fit than was a linear–linear relationship for IQ (p = 0.009), with little evidence of residual confounding of included model variables. We substituted the log-linear lead–IQ effect in a previously published health benefits model and found that the economic savings due to U.S. population lead decrease between 1976 and 1999 (from 17.1 μg/dL to 2.0 μg/dL) was 2.2 times ($319 billion) that calculated using a linear–linear dose–response function ($149 billion). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention action limit of 10 μg/dL for children fails to protect against most damage and economic cost attributable to lead exposure. PMID:16140626

A quartz nanopillar hemocytometer for high-yield separation and counting of CD4+ T lymphocytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Joo; Seol, Jin-Kyeong; Wu, Yu; Ji, Seungmuk; Kim, Gil-Sung; Hyung, Jung-Hwan; Lee, Seung-Yong; Lim, Hyuneui; Fan, Rong; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2012-03-01

We report the development of a novel quartz nanopillar (QNP) array cell separation system capable of selectively capturing and isolating a single cell population including primary CD4+ T lymphocytes from the whole pool of splenocytes. Integrated with a photolithographically patterned hemocytometer structure, the streptavidin (STR)-functionalized-QNP (STR-QNP) arrays allow for direct quantitation of captured cells using high content imaging. This technology exhibits an excellent separation yield (efficiency) of ~95.3 +/- 1.1% for the CD4+ T lymphocytes from the mouse splenocyte suspensions and good linear response for quantitating captured CD4+ T-lymphoblasts, which is comparable to flow cytometry and outperforms any non-nanostructured surface capture techniques, i.e. cell panning. This nanopillar hemocytometer represents a simple, yet efficient cell capture and counting technology and may find immediate applications for diagnosis and immune monitoring in the point-of-care setting.We report the development of a novel quartz nanopillar (QNP) array cell separation system capable of selectively capturing and isolating a single cell population including primary CD4+ T lymphocytes from the whole pool of splenocytes. Integrated with a photolithographically patterned hemocytometer structure, the streptavidin (STR)-functionalized-QNP (STR-QNP) arrays allow for direct quantitation of captured cells using high content imaging. This technology exhibits an excellent separation yield (efficiency) of ~95.3 +/- 1.1% for the CD4+ T lymphocytes from the mouse splenocyte suspensions and good linear response for quantitating captured CD4+ T-lymphoblasts, which is comparable to flow cytometry and outperforms any non-nanostructured surface capture techniques, i.e. cell panning. This nanopillar hemocytometer represents a simple, yet efficient cell capture and counting technology and may find immediate applications for diagnosis and immune monitoring in the point-of-care setting. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr11338d

Cochlear microphonic responses to acoustic clicks in guinea pig and their relation with microphonic responses to pure tones.

PubMed

Echeverría, E L; Robles, L W

1983-02-01

Cochlear microphonic (CM) responses to acoustic transient stimuli were studied at the three more basal turns of the cochlea in the guinea pig. The responses to rarefaction and condensation pressure pulses of less than 100-mus duration were recorded using the differential electrode technique. In some animals the CM response to pure tones was recorded at the same position at which the transient response was obtained. The transient responses recorded at the three turns of the cochlea displayed a damped oscillation at a frequency consistent with the values of cutoff frequency already known for the electrode positions. Some of the responses were significantly less damped than click responses previously reported. There was a good correlation between the cutoff frequency in the frequency response curve and the frequency of oscillation in the transient response for recordings obtained at the same position in the cochlea. A nonlinear effect was observed for changes in stimulus intensity. There was a less than proportional decrease in amplitude of the initial part of the damped oscillation for a decrease of the stimulus intensity, while the late part of the response behaved almost linearly. This nonlinearity observed in the CM transient response could not be explained by a nonlinear characteristic of the sort reported in the basilar membrane of the squirrel monkey by Robles et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 59, 926-939 (1976)]; rather it seems to be a saturation nonlinearity similar to the one known for sinusoidal stimulation.

Use of Subsonic Kernel Function in an Influence-Coefficient Method of Aeroelastic Analysis and some Comparisons with Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sewall, John L.; Herr, Robert W.; Watkins, Charles E.

1960-01-01

This paper illustrates the development and application of an influence-coefficient method of analysis for calculating the response of a flexible wing in an airstream to an oscillating disturbing force and for treating such aeroelastic instabilities as flutter and divergence. Aerodynamic coefficients are derived on the basis of lifting - surface theory for subsonic compressible flow by use of the method presented in NASA Technical Report R-48. Application of the analysis is made to a uniform cantilever wing- tip tank configuration for which responses to a sinusoidal disturbing force and flutter speeds were measured over a range of subsonic Mach numbers and densities. Calculated responses and flutter speeds based on flexibility influence coefficients measured at nine stations are in good agreement with experiment, provided the aerodynamic load is distributed over the wing so that local centers of pressure very nearly coincide with these nine influence stations. The use of experimental values of bending and torsional structural damping coefficients in the analysis generally improved the agreement between calculated and experimental responses. Some calculations were made to study the effects on density on responses near the flutter conditions, and linear response trends were obtained over a wide range of densities.

A heteroscedastic generalized linear model with a non-normal speed factor for responses and response times.

PubMed

Molenaar, Dylan; Bolsinova, Maria

2017-05-01

In generalized linear modelling of responses and response times, the observed response time variables are commonly transformed to make their distribution approximately normal. A normal distribution for the transformed response times is desirable as it justifies the linearity and homoscedasticity assumptions in the underlying linear model. Past research has, however, shown that the transformed response times are not always normal. Models have been developed to accommodate this violation. In the present study, we propose a modelling approach for responses and response times to test and model non-normality in the transformed response times. Most importantly, we distinguish between non-normality due to heteroscedastic residual variances, and non-normality due to a skewed speed factor. In a simulation study, we establish parameter recovery and the power to separate both effects. In addition, we apply the model to a real data set. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

A distributed lag approach to fitting non-linear dose-response models in particulate matter air pollution time series investigations.

PubMed

Roberts, Steven; Martin, Michael A

2007-06-01

The majority of studies that have investigated the relationship between particulate matter (PM) air pollution and mortality have assumed a linear dose-response relationship and have used either a single-day's PM or a 2- or 3-day moving average of PM as the measure of PM exposure. Both of these modeling choices have come under scrutiny in the literature, the linear assumption because it does not allow for non-linearities in the dose-response relationship, and the use of the single- or multi-day moving average PM measure because it does not allow for differential PM-mortality effects spread over time. These two problems have been dealt with on a piecemeal basis with non-linear dose-response models used in some studies and distributed lag models (DLMs) used in others. In this paper, we propose a method for investigating the shape of the PM-mortality dose-response relationship that combines a non-linear dose-response model with a DLM. This combined model will be shown to produce satisfactory estimates of the PM-mortality dose-response relationship in situations where non-linear dose response models and DLMs alone do not; that is, the combined model did not systemically underestimate or overestimate the effect of PM on mortality. The combined model is applied to ten cities in the US and a pooled dose-response model formed. When fitted with a change-point value of 60 microg/m(3), the pooled model provides evidence for a positive association between PM and mortality. The combined model produced larger estimates for the effect of PM on mortality than when using a non-linear dose-response model or a DLM in isolation. For the combined model, the estimated percentage increase in mortality for PM concentrations of 25 and 75 microg/m(3) were 3.3% and 5.4%, respectively. In contrast, the corresponding values from a DLM used in isolation were 1.2% and 3.5%, respectively.

Permafrost Hazards and Linear Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanilovskaya, Julia; Sergeev, Dmitry

2014-05-01

The international experience of linear infrastructure planning, construction and exploitation in permafrost zone is being directly tied to the permafrost hazard assessment. That procedure should also consider the factors of climate impact and infrastructure protection. The current global climate change hotspots are currently polar and mountain areas. Temperature rise, precipitation and land ice conditions change, early springs occur more often. The big linear infrastructure objects cross the territories with different permafrost conditions which are sensitive to the changes in air temperature, hydrology, and snow accumulation which are connected to climatic dynamics. One of the most extensive linear structures built on permafrost worldwide are Trans Alaskan Pipeline (USA), Alaska Highway (Canada), Qinghai-Xizang Railway (China) and Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean Oil Pipeline (Russia). Those are currently being influenced by the regional climate change and permafrost impact which may act differently from place to place. Thermokarst is deemed to be the most dangerous process for linear engineering structures. Its formation and development depend on the linear structure type: road or pipeline, elevated or buried one. Zonal climate and geocryological conditions are also of the determining importance here. All the projects are of the different age and some of them were implemented under different climatic conditions. The effects of permafrost thawing have been recorded every year since then. The exploration and transportation companies from different countries maintain the linear infrastructure from permafrost degradation in different ways. The highways in Alaska are in a good condition due to governmental expenses on annual reconstructions. The Chara-China Railroad in Russia is under non-standard condition due to intensive permafrost response. Standards for engineering and construction should be reviewed and updated to account for permafrost hazards caused by the climate change. Extra maintenance activity is needed for existence infrastructure to stay operable. Engineers should run climate models under the most pessimistic scenarios when planning new infrastructure projects. That would allow reducing the potential shortcomings related to the permafrost thawing.

Quantification and parametrization of non-linearity effects by higher-order sensitivity terms in scattered light differential optical absorption spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puķīte, Jānis; Wagner, Thomas

2016-05-01

We address the application of differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) of scattered light observations in the presence of strong absorbers (in particular ozone), for which the absorption optical depth is a non-linear function of the trace gas concentration. This is the case because Beer-Lambert law generally does not hold for scattered light measurements due to many light paths contributing to the measurement. While in many cases linear approximation can be made, for scenarios with strong absorptions non-linear effects cannot always be neglected. This is especially the case for observation geometries, for which the light contributing to the measurement is crossing the atmosphere under spatially well-separated paths differing strongly in length and location, like in limb geometry. In these cases, often full retrieval algorithms are applied to address the non-linearities, requiring iterative forward modelling of absorption spectra involving time-consuming wavelength-by-wavelength radiative transfer modelling. In this study, we propose to describe the non-linear effects by additional sensitivity parameters that can be used e.g. to build up a lookup table. Together with widely used box air mass factors (effective light paths) describing the linear response to the increase in the trace gas amount, the higher-order sensitivity parameters eliminate the need for repeating the radiative transfer modelling when modifying the absorption scenario even in the presence of a strong absorption background. While the higher-order absorption structures can be described as separate fit parameters in the spectral analysis (so-called DOAS fit), in practice their quantitative evaluation requires good measurement quality (typically better than that available from current measurements). Therefore, we introduce an iterative retrieval algorithm correcting for the higher-order absorption structures not yet considered in the DOAS fit as well as the absorption dependence on temperature and scattering processes.

Ecosystem response to climatic variables - air temperature and precipitation: How can these variables alter plant productions in C4-grass dominant ecosystem?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, C. G.; Jiang, L.; Luo, Y.

2017-12-01

Understanding net primary production (NPP) response to the key climatic variables, temperature and precipitation, is essential since the response could be represented by one of future consequences from ecosystem responses. Under future climatic warming, fluctuating precipitation is expected. In addition, NPP solely could not explain whole ecosystem response; therefore, not only NPP, but also above- and below-ground NPP (ANPP and BNPP, respectively) need to be examined. This examination needs to include how the plant productions response along temperature and precipitation gradients. Several studies have examined the response of NPP against each of single climatic variable, but understanding the response of ANPP and BNPP to the multiple variables is notably poor. In this study, we used the plant productions data (NPP, ANPP, and BNPP) with climatic variables, i.e., air temperature and precipitation, from 1999 to 2015 under warming and clipping treatments (mimicking hay-harvesting) in C4-grass dominant ecosystem located in central Oklahoma, United States. Firstly, we examined the nonlinear relationships with the climatic variables for NPP, ANPP and BNPP; and then predicted possible responses in the temperature - precipitation space by using a linear mixed effect model. Nonlinearities of NPP, ANPP and BNPP to the climatic variables have been found to show unimodal curves, and nonlinear models have better goodness of fit as shown lower Akaike information criterion (AIC) than linear models. Optimum condition for NPP is represented at high temperature and precipitation level whereas BNPP is maximized at moderate precipitation levels while ANPP has same range of NPP's optimum condition. Clipping significantly reduced ANPP while there was no clipping effect on NPP and BNPP. Furthermore, inclining NPP and ANPP have shown in a range from moderate to high precipitation level with increasing temperature while inclining pattern for BNPP was observed in moderate precipitation level. Overall, the C4-grass dominant ecosystem has a potential for considerable increases in NPP in hotter and wetter conditions as shown a range from moderate to high temperature and precipitation levels; ANPP has peaked at the high temperature and precipitation level, but maximum BNPP needs moderate precipitation level and high temperature.

Reflexion on linear regression trip production modelling method for ensuring good model quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suprayitno, Hitapriya; Ratnasari, Vita

2017-11-01

Transport Modelling is important. For certain cases, the conventional model still has to be used, in which having a good trip production model is capital. A good model can only be obtained from a good sample. Two of the basic principles of a good sampling is having a sample capable to represent the population characteristics and capable to produce an acceptable error at a certain confidence level. It seems that this principle is not yet quite understood and used in trip production modeling. Therefore, investigating the Trip Production Modelling practice in Indonesia and try to formulate a better modeling method for ensuring the Model Quality is necessary. This research result is presented as follows. Statistics knows a method to calculate span of prediction value at a certain confidence level for linear regression, which is called Confidence Interval of Predicted Value. The common modeling practice uses R2 as the principal quality measure, the sampling practice varies and not always conform to the sampling principles. An experiment indicates that small sample is already capable to give excellent R2 value and sample composition can significantly change the model. Hence, good R2 value, in fact, does not always mean good model quality. These lead to three basic ideas for ensuring good model quality, i.e. reformulating quality measure, calculation procedure, and sampling method. A quality measure is defined as having a good R2 value and a good Confidence Interval of Predicted Value. Calculation procedure must incorporate statistical calculation method and appropriate statistical tests needed. A good sampling method must incorporate random well distributed stratified sampling with a certain minimum number of samples. These three ideas need to be more developed and tested.

Magnitude and Temporal Variability of Inter-stimulus EEG Modulate the Linear Relationship Between Laser-Evoked Potentials and Fast-Pain Perception

PubMed Central

Li, Linling; Huang, Gan; Lin, Qianqian; Liu, Jia; Zhang, Shengli; Zhang, Zhiguo

2018-01-01

The level of pain perception is correlated with the magnitude of pain-evoked brain responses, such as laser-evoked potentials (LEP), across trials. The positive LEP-pain relationship lays the foundation for pain prediction based on single-trial LEP, but cross-individual pain prediction does not have a good performance because the LEP-pain relationship exhibits substantial cross-individual difference. In this study, we aim to explain the cross-individual difference in the LEP-pain relationship using inter-stimulus EEG (isEEG) features. The isEEG features (root mean square as magnitude and mean square successive difference as temporal variability) were estimated from isEEG data (at full band and five frequency bands) recorded between painful stimuli. A linear model was fitted to investigate the relationship between pain ratings and LEP response for fast-pain trials on a trial-by-trial basis. Then the correlation between isEEG features and the parameters of LEP-pain model (slope and intercept) was evaluated. We found that the magnitude and temporal variability of isEEG could modulate the parameters of an individual's linear LEP-pain model for fast-pain trials. Based on this, we further developed a new individualized fast-pain prediction scheme, which only used training individuals with similar isEEG features as the test individual to train the fast-pain prediction model, and obtained improved accuracy in cross-individual fast-pain prediction. The findings could help elucidate the neural mechanism of cross-individual difference in pain experience and the proposed fast-pain prediction scheme could be potentially used as a practical and feasible pain prediction method in clinical practice. PMID:29904336

Evaluation of job satisfaction and working atmosphere of dental nurses in Germany.

PubMed

Goetz, Katja; Hasse, Philipp; Campbell, Stephen M; Berger, Sarah; Dörfer, Christof E; Hahn, Karolin; Szecsenyi, Joachim

2016-02-01

The purpose of the study was to assess the level of job satisfaction of dental nurses in ambulatory care and to explore the impact of aspects of working atmosphere on and their association with job satisfaction. This cross-sectional study was based on a job satisfaction survey. Data were collected from 612 dental nurses working in 106 dental care practices. Job satisfaction was measured with the 10-item Warr-Cook-Wall job satisfaction scale. Working atmosphere was measured with five items. Linear regression analyses were performed in which each item of the job satisfaction scale was handled as dependent variables. A stepwise linear regression analysis was performed with overall job satisfaction and the five items of working atmosphere, job satisfaction, and individual characteristics. The response rate was 88.3%. Dental nurses were satisfied with 'colleagues' and least satisfied with 'income.' Different aspects of job satisfaction were mostly associated with the following working atmosphere issues: 'responsibilities within the practice team are clear,' 'suggestions for improvement are taken seriously,' 'working atmosphere in the practice team is good,' and 'made easier to admit own mistakes.' Within the stepwise linear regression analysis, the aspect 'physical working condition' (β = 0.304) showed the highest association with overall job satisfaction. The total explained variance of the 14 associated variables was 0.722 with overall job satisfaction. Working atmosphere within this discrete sample of dental care practice seemed to be an important influence on reported working condition and job satisfaction for dental nurses. Because of the high association of job satisfaction with physical working condition, the importance of paying more attention to an ergonomic working position for dental nurses to ensure optimal quality of care is highlighted. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Normalization of cell responses in cat striate cortex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heeger, D. J.

1992-01-01

Simple cells in the striate cortex have been depicted as half-wave-rectified linear operators. Complex cells have been depicted as energy mechanisms, constructed from the squared sum of the outputs of quadrature pairs of linear operators. However, the linear/energy model falls short of a complete explanation of striate cell responses. In this paper, a modified version of the linear/energy model is presented in which striate cells mutually inhibit one another, effectively normalizing their responses with respect to stimulus contrast. This paper reviews experimental measurements of striate cell responses, and shows that the new model explains a significantly larger body of physiological data.

Descriptive Linear modeling of steady-state visual evoked response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levison, W. H.; Junker, A. M.; Kenner, K.

1986-01-01

A study is being conducted to explore use of the steady state visual-evoke electrocortical response as an indicator of cognitive task loading. Application of linear descriptive modeling to steady state Visual Evoked Response (VER) data is summarized. Two aspects of linear modeling are reviewed: (1) unwrapping the phase-shift portion of the frequency response, and (2) parsimonious characterization of task-loading effects in terms of changes in model parameters. Model-based phase unwrapping appears to be most reliable in applications, such as manual control, where theoretical models are available. Linear descriptive modeling of the VER has not yet been shown to provide consistent and readily interpretable results.

Cooperation among cancer cells as public goods games on Voronoi networks.

PubMed

Archetti, Marco

2016-05-07

Cancer cells produce growth factors that diffuse and sustain tumour proliferation, a form of cooperation that can be studied using mathematical models of public goods in the framework of evolutionary game theory. Cell populations, however, form heterogeneous networks that cannot be described by regular lattices or scale-free networks, the types of graphs generally used in the study of cooperation. To describe the dynamics of growth factor production in populations of cancer cells, I study public goods games on Voronoi networks, using a range of non-linear benefits that account for the known properties of growth factors, and different types of diffusion gradients. The results are surprisingly similar to those obtained on regular graphs and different from results on scale-free networks, revealing that network heterogeneity per se does not promote cooperation when public goods diffuse beyond one-step neighbours. The exact shape of the diffusion gradient is not crucial, however, whereas the type of non-linear benefit is an essential determinant of the dynamics. Public goods games on Voronoi networks can shed light on intra-tumour heterogeneity, the evolution of resistance to therapies that target growth factors, and new types of cell therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amperometric determination of nitrite using natural fibers as template for titanium dioxide nanotubes with immobilized hemin as electron transfer mediator.

PubMed

Ranjani, Balasubramanian; Kalaiyarasi, Jayaprakasham; Pavithra, Loganathan; Devasena, Thiyagarajan; Pandian, Kannaiyan; Gopinath, Subash C B

2018-02-23

A sensing device was constructed for the amperometric determination of nitrite. It is based on the use of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanotubes template with natural fibers and carrying hemin acting as the electron mediator. A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with the hemin/TNT nanocomposite. The electrochemical response to nitrite was characterized by impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. An amperometric study, performed at a working potential of + 0.75 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), showed the sensor to enable determination of nitrite with a linear response in the 0.6 to 130 μM concentration range and with a 59 nM limit of detection. Corresponding studies by differential study voltammetry (E p  = 0.75 V) exhibited a linear range from 0.6 × 10 -6 to 7.3 × 10 -5  M with a limit of detection of 84 nM. The sensing device was applied to the determination of nitrite in spiked tap and lake water samples. Graphical abstract Natural fibers templated synthesis of TNT immobilized hemin as electron transfer mediator for quantitative detection of nitrite with detection limit of 59 nM and good electrochemical sensitivity and the method can be used for quantitative determination of nitrite in water samples.

Reduced SHARPIN and LUBAC Formation May Contribute to CCl₄- or Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Cirrhosis in Mice.

PubMed

Yamamotoya, Takeshi; Nakatsu, Yusuke; Matsunaga, Yasuka; Fukushima, Toshiaki; Yamazaki, Hiroki; Kaneko, Sunao; Fujishiro, Midori; Kikuchi, Takako; Kushiyama, Akifumi; Tokunaga, Fuminori; Asano, Tomoichiro; Sakoda, Hideyuki

2017-02-04

Linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), composed of SHARPIN (SHANK-associated RH domain-interacting protein), HOIL-1L (longer isoform of heme-oxidized iron-regulatory protein 2 ubiquitin ligase-1), and HOIP (HOIL-1L interacting protein), forms linear ubiquitin on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) essential modulator (NEMO) and induces NF-κB pathway activation. SHARPIN expression and LUBAC formation were significantly reduced in the livers of mice 24 h after the injection of either carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) or acetaminophen (APAP), both of which produced the fulminant hepatitis phenotype. To elucidate its pathological significance, hepatic SHARPIN expression was suppressed in mice by injecting shRNA adenovirus via the tail vein. Seven days after this transduction, without additional inflammatory stimuli, substantial inflammation and fibrosis with enhanced hepatocyte apoptosis occurred in the livers. A similar but more severe phenotype was observed with suppression of HOIP, which is responsible for the E3 ligase activity of LUBAC. Furthermore, in good agreement with these in vivo results, transduction of Hepa1-6 hepatoma cells with SHARPIN, HOIL-1L, or HOIP shRNA adenovirus induced apoptosis of these cells in response to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) stimulation. Thus, LUBAC is essential for the survival of hepatocytes, and it is likely that reduction of LUBAC is a factor promoting hepatocyte death in addition to the direct effect of drug toxicity.

Buckling Testing and Analysis of Honeycomb Sandwich Panel Arc Segments of a Full-Scale Fairing Barrel: Comparison of In- and Out-of-Autoclave Facesheet Configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan Jorge; Myers, David E.; Kosareo, Daniel N.; Zalewski, Bart F.; Kellas, Sotiris; Dixon, Genevieve D.; Krivanek, Thomas M.; Gyekenyesi, Thomas G.

2014-01-01

Four honeycomb sandwich panels, representing 1/16th arc segments of a 10-m diameter barrel section of the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle, were manufactured and tested under the NASA Composites for Exploration and the NASA Constellation Ares V programs. Two configurations were chosen for the panels: 6-ply facesheets with 1.125 in. honeycomb core and 8-ply facesheets with 1.0 in. honeycomb core. Additionally, two separate carbon fiber/epoxy material systems were chosen for the facesheets: in-autoclave IM7/977-3 and out-of-autoclave T40-800b/5320-1. Smaller 3 ft. by 5 ft. panels were cut from the 1/16th barrel sections and tested under compressive loading. Furthermore, linear eigenvalue and geometrically nonlinear finite element analyses were performed to predict the compressive response of each 3 ft. by 5 ft. panel. To improve the robustness of the geometrically nonlinear finite element model, measured surface imperfections were included in the geometry of the model. Both the linear and nonlinear models yielded good qualitative and quantitative predictions. Additionally, it was correctly predicted that the panel would fail in buckling prior to failing in strength. Furthermore, several imperfection studies were performed to investigate the influence of geometric imperfections, fiber angle misalignments, and three-dimensional effects on the compressive response of the panel.

Design and characterization of a plastic optical fiber pH sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Licínio; Simões, Pedro; Carvalho, Rui S.; Lopes, Paulo; Ferreira, Mário

2013-11-01

In this paper are present the design and characterization of a pH sensor using plastic optical fiber (POF) technology and a material produced by the sol-gel process with TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) to immobilize universal indicator of pH (comprised of Thymol Blue, Methyl Red, Bromothymol Blue and Phenolphthalein) inside the silica matrix. This matrix is positioned between two extensions of plastic optical fiber tightly positioned at each side with both fibers aligned and sharing a common optical axis. This set will work as a pH sensor since the matrix embedded with indicator and in the presence of a solution (basic or acid solution) will change the optical transmittance properties. The optical source is a superluminescent white LED and the receiver is a photodiode having a good and linear responsivity in the visible spectrum. This pH sensitive matrix has large pores which allow the diffusion of the surrounding fluid molecules into the matrix and thus the close contact of these to the indicator molecules. This contact causes the change of color of the whole matrix allowing proper colorimetric detection by the photodiode. This variation of color associated with the detector wavelength linear response is the base of operation of the proposed device. This pH sensor presents many advantages over the standard and commercial pH meters namely, lightweight, portability and a low cost.

Is the negative evaluation of dental services among the Brazilian elderly population associated with the type of service?

PubMed

Martins, Andréa Maria Eleutério de Barros Lima; Jardim, Lorena Amaral; Souza, João Gabriel Silva; Rodrigues, Carlos Alberto Quintão; Ferreira, Raquel Conceição; Pordeus, Isabela Almeida

2014-01-01

This study aimed at identifying the prevalence of the negative evaluation of dental services among elderly Brazilians and at investigating whether the prevalence was higher among those using public or philanthropic provider services than among those paying privately or using private health plans. Additionally, factors associated with this negative assessment were identified. Interview and survey data were collected in the residences of participants by trained and calibrated examiners as part of a national epidemiological survey of oral health conditions of the Brazilian population in 2002/2003. The dependent variable was obtained in response to questions regarding whether the participant had ever used dental services, the frequency of use, and the quality of this service. Potential responses to the questions regarding the quality of service were very poor or poor, fair, and good or very good. The main independent variable was the system of health care used with potential responses being health plan or private, public, and philanthropic services. We conducted univariate (linear tendency χ2 test) and multiple descriptive analyses, and the partial proportional Odds model for ordinal logistic regression. Among the elderly, 196 (3.7%) evaluated the provided services negatively (very poor or poor). Participants with the following responses were more likely to evaluate the services negatively: those who had used public or philanthropic services, men, those with higher education, the ones who had not received information about preventing dental problems, those who perceived pain in their teeth and gums in the last six months, and those who self-reported their oral health and speech was poor. In conclusion, elderly Brazilian users of public and philanthropic services were more likely than users of private or insurance-based plans to evaluate their dental services negatively, regardless of the other investigated variables.

Calculation of Electronic and Optical Properties of AgGaO2 Polymorphs Using Many-Body Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadsetani, Mehrdad; Nejatipour, Reihan

2018-02-01

Ab initio calculations based on many-body perturbation theory have been used to study the electronic and optical properties of AgGaO2 in rhombohedral, hexagonal, and orthorhombic phases. GW calculations showed that AgGaO2 is an indirect-bandgap semiconductor in all three phases with energy bandgap of 2.35 eV, 2.23 eV, and 2.07 eV, in good agreement with available experimental values. By solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave basis, optical properties of the AgGaO2 polymorphs were calculated and compared with those obtained using the GW-corrected random phase approximation (RPA) and with existing experimental data. Strong anisotropy in the optical absorption spectra was observed, and the excitonic structures which were absent in the RPA calculations were reproduced in GWBSE calculations, in good agreement with the optical absorption spectrum of the rhombohedral phase. While modifying peak positions and intensities of the absorption spectra, the GWBSE gave rise to the redistribution of oscillator strengths. In comparison with the z-polarized response, excitonic effects in the x-polarized response were dominant. In the x- (and y-) polarized responses of r- and h-AgGaO2, spectral features and excitonic effects occur at the lower energies, but in the case of o-AgGaO2, the spectral structures of the z-polarized response occur at lower energies. In addition, the low-energy loss functions of AgGaO2 were calculated and compared using the GWBSE approach. Spectral features in the energy loss function components near the bandgap region were attributed to corresponding excitonic structures in the imaginary part of the dielectric function.

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry assay to quantify camphor extracted from goat serum.

PubMed

Lee, Kyung-Min; Dai, Susie Y; Herrman, Timothy J; Musser, Jeffrey M B

2012-09-15

A sensitive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for quantification and pharmacokinetics of camphor, a major monoterpene of juniper plant, in goat serum. Camphor and internal standard (terpinolene) eluates from solid phase extraction (SPE) with ethyl acetate yielded well resolved peaks and were clearly identified in total and selected ion chromatograms. The elution and injection volumes were optimized for improved detection and quantification of camphor based on peak shape, signal to noise ratio, recoveries, and repeatability. The matrix calibration curve with the good linearity (R(2)=0.998) and response in the range of 0.005-10.0 μg/mL was used to determine camphor concentration in goat serum. The GC-MS method offered sufficiently low limits of detection (1 ng/mL) and quantitation (3 ng/mL) for camphor concentration in goat serum for the pharmacokinetic study. The proposed method showed good intra- and inter-day variation with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.2-7.7% and produced good recovery (96.0-111.6%) and reproducibility (1.6-6.1%) at all spiked levels. Using this method on serum samples obtained from two goats orally dosed with camphor confirmed that the method is suitable for camphor studies in animals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel ''donor-π-acceptor'' type fluorescence probe for sensing pH: mechanism and application in vivo.

PubMed

Chao, Jianbin; Wang, Huijuan; Zhang, Yongbin; Yin, Caixia; Huo, Fangjun; Song, Kailun; Li, Zhiqing; Zhang, Ting; Zhao, Yaqin

2017-11-01

A novel pH fluorescent probe 1-(pyren-1-yl)-3-(6-methoxypridin-3-yl)-acrylketone, (PMPA), which had a pyrene structure attached to methoxypyridine, was synthesized for monitoring extremely acidic and alkaline pH. The pH titrations indicated that PMPA displayed a remarkable emission enhancement with a pK a of 2.70 and responded linearly to minor pH fluctuations within the extremely acidic range of 1.26-3.97. Interestingly, PMPA also exhibited strong pH-dependent characteristics with pK a 9.32 and linear response to extreme-alkalinity range of 8.54-10.36. In addition, PMPA displayed a good selectivity, excellent photostability and large Stokes shift (167nm). Furthermore, the probe PMPA had excellent cell membrane permeability and was applied successfully to rapidly detect pH in living cells. pH value in these organs was closely related to many diseases, so these findings suggested that the probe had potential application in pH detecting for disease diagnosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Locating hydrothermal acoustic sources at Old Faithful Geyser using Matched Field Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cros, E.; Roux, P.; Vandemeulebrouck, J.; Kedar, S.

2011-10-01

In 1992, a large and dense array of geophones was placed around the geyser vent of Old Faithful, in the Yellowstone National Park, to determine the origin of the seismic hydrothermal noise recorded at the surface of the geyser and to understand its dynamics. Old Faithful Geyser (OFG) is a small-scale hydrothermal system where a two-phase flow mixture erupts every 40 to 100 min in a high continuous vertical jet. Using Matched Field Processing (MFP) techniques on 10-min-long signal, we localize the source of the seismic pulses recorded at the surface of the geyser. Several MFP approaches are compared in this study, the frequency-incoherent and frequency-coherent approach, as well as the linear Bartlett processing and the non-linear Minimum Variance Distorsionless Response (MVDR) processing. The different MFP techniques used give the same source position with better focalization in the case of the MVDR processing. The retrieved source position corresponds to the geyser conduit at a depth of 12 m and the localization is in good agreement with in situ measurements made at Old Faithful in past studies.

A Novel Transient Fault Current Sensor Based on the PCB Rogowski Coil for Overhead Transmission Lines

PubMed Central

Liu, Yadong; Xie, Xiaolei; Hu, Yue; Qian, Yong; Sheng, Gehao; Jiang, Xiuchen

2016-01-01

The accurate detection of high-frequency transient fault currents in overhead transmission lines is the basis of malfunction detection and diagnosis. This paper proposes a novel differential winding printed circuit board (PCB) Rogowski coil for the detection of transient fault currents in overhead transmission lines. The interference mechanism of the sensor surrounding the overhead transmission line is analyzed and the guideline for the interference elimination is obtained, and then a differential winding printed circuit board (PCB) Rogowski coil is proposed, where the branch and return line of the PCB coil were designed to be strictly symmetrical by using a joining structure of two semi-rings and collinear twisted pair differential windings in each semi-ring. A serial test is conducted, including the frequency response, linearity, and anti-interference performance as well as a comparison with commercial sensors. Results show that a PCB Rogowski coil has good linearity and resistance to various external magnetic field interferences, thus enabling it to be widely applied in fault-current-collecting devices. PMID:27213402

Optimization of thermo-alkaline disintegration of sewage sludge for enhanced biogas yield.

PubMed

Shehu, Muhammad Sani; Abdul Manan, Zainuddin; Alwi, Sharifah Rafidah Wan

2012-06-01

Optimization of thermo-alkaline disintegration of sewage sludge for enhanced biogas yield was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) and Box-Behnken design of experiment. The individual linear and quadratic effects as well as the interactive effects of temperature, NaOH concentration and time on the degree of disintegration were investigated. The optimum degree of disintegration achieved was 61.45% at 88.50 °C, 2.29 M NaOH (24.23%w/w total solids) and 21 min retention time. Linear and quadratic effects of temperature are most significant in affecting the degree of disintegration. The coefficient of determination (R(2)) of 99.5% confirms that the model used in predicting the degree of disintegration process has a very good fitness with the experimental variables. The disintegrated sludge increased the biogas yield by 36%v/v compared to non-disintegrated sludge. The RSM with Box-Behnken design is an effective tool in predicting the optimum degree of disintegration of sewage sludge for increased biogas yield. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnetic levitation-based electromagnetic energy harvesting: a semi-analytical non-linear model for energy transduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soares Dos Santos, Marco P.; Ferreira, Jorge A. F.; Simões, José A. O.; Pascoal, Ricardo; Torrão, João; Xue, Xiaozheng; Furlani, Edward P.

2016-01-01

Magnetic levitation has been used to implement low-cost and maintenance-free electromagnetic energy harvesting. The ability of levitation-based harvesting systems to operate autonomously for long periods of time makes them well-suited for self-powering a broad range of technologies. In this paper, a combined theoretical and experimental study is presented of a harvester configuration that utilizes the motion of a levitated hard-magnetic element to generate electrical power. A semi-analytical, non-linear model is introduced that enables accurate and efficient analysis of energy transduction. The model predicts the transient and steady-state response of the harvester a function of its motion (amplitude and frequency) and load impedance. Very good agreement is obtained between simulation and experiment with energy errors lower than 14.15% (mean absolute percentage error of 6.02%) and cross-correlations higher than 86%. The model provides unique insight into fundamental mechanisms of energy transduction and enables the geometric optimization of harvesters prior to fabrication and the rational design of intelligent energy harvesters.

A single pH fluorescent probe for biosensing and imaging of extreme acidity and extreme alkalinity.

PubMed

Chao, Jian-Bin; Wang, Hui-Juan; Zhang, Yong-Bin; Li, Zhi-Qing; Liu, Yu-Hong; Huo, Fang-Jun; Yin, Cai-Xia; Shi, Ya-Wei; Wang, Juan-Juan

2017-07-04

A simple tailor-made pH fluorescent probe 2-benzothiazole (N-ethylcarbazole-3-yl) hydrazone (Probe) is facilely synthesized by the condensation reaction of 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole with N-ethylcarbazole-3-formaldehyde, which is a useful fluorescent probe for monitoring extremely acidic and alkaline pH, quantitatively. The pH titrations indicate that Probe displays a remarkable emission enhancement with a pK a of 2.73 and responds linearly to minor pH fluctuations within the extremely acidic range of 2.21-3.30. Interestingly, Probe also exhibits strong pH-dependent characteristics with pK a 11.28 and linear response to extreme-alkalinity range of 10.41-12.43. In addition, Probe shows a large Stokes shift of 84 nm under extremely acidic and alkaline conditions, high selectivity, excellent sensitivity, good water-solubility and fine stability, all of which are favorable for intracellular pH imaging. The probe is further successfully applied to image extremely acidic and alkaline pH values fluctuations in E. coli cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A finite difference solution for the propagation of sound in near sonic flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hariharan, S. I.; Lester, H. C.

1983-01-01

An explicit time/space finite difference procedure is used to model the propagation of sound in a quasi one-dimensional duct containing high Mach number subsonic flow. Nonlinear acoustic equations are derived by perturbing the time-dependent Euler equations about a steady, compressible mean flow. The governing difference relations are based on a fourth-order, two-step (predictor-corrector) MacCormack scheme. The solution algorithm functions by switching on a time harmonic source and allowing the difference equations to iterate to a steady state. The principal effect of the non-linearities was to shift acoustical energy to higher harmonics. With increased source strengths, wave steepening was observed. This phenomenon suggests that the acoustical response may approach a shock behavior at at higher sound pressure level as the throat Mach number aproaches unity. On a peak level basis, good agreement between the nonlinear finite difference and linear finite element solutions was observed, even through a peak sound pressure level of about 150 dB occurred in the throat region. Nonlinear steady state waveform solutions are shown to be in excellent agreement with a nonlinear asymptotic theory.

Double-time correlation functions of two quantum operations in open systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ban, Masashi

2017-10-01

A double-time correlation function of arbitrary two quantum operations is studied for a nonstationary open quantum system which is in contact with a thermal reservoir. It includes a usual correlation function, a linear response function, and a weak value of an observable. Time evolution of the correlation function can be derived by means of the time-convolution and time-convolutionless projection operator techniques. For this purpose, a quasidensity operator accompanied by a fictitious field is introduced, which makes it possible to derive explicit formulas for calculating a double-time correlation function in the second-order approximation with respect to a system-reservoir interaction. The derived formula explicitly shows that the quantum regression theorem for calculating the double-time correlation function cannot be used if a thermal reservoir has a finite correlation time. Furthermore, the formula is applied for a pure dephasing process and a linear dissipative process. The quantum regression theorem and the the Leggett-Garg inequality are investigated for an open two-level system. The results are compared with those obtained by exact calculation to examine whether the formula is a good approximation.

Measurement of non-instantaneous contribution to the χ(3) in different liquids using femtosecond chirped pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langot, P.; Montant, S.; Freysz, E.

2000-04-01

In the Born-Oppenheimer approximation and considering a Debye nuclear motion, a theoretical computation of pump-probe two-beam coupling in liquids using femtosecond chirped pulses is proposed. This technique makes it possible to specifically evidence the non-instantaneous contribution to the third-order susceptibility χ(3). Our model, which is an extension at the femtosecond scale of the one proposed by Dogariu et al., describes the temporal evolution of the probe signal as a function of different parameters such as the linear laser chirp, the ratio between the pulse duration and the nuclear response time. Experimentally, this method is applied to characterize the non-instantaneous χ(3) contribution in transparent liquids such as CS 2, benzene and toluene. Time resolved pump-probe coupling data using parallel and perpendicular linear polarizations fit well with the model developed. The experimental ratio R between both fast and slow non-instantaneous χ(3)XXXX and χ(3)XYYX elements of the tensor is equal to 1.33±0.01 in all the liquids studied, and is in good agreement with the expected liquid nuclear symmetry.

Sensitivity of control-augmented structure obtained by a system decomposition method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sobieszczanskisobieski, Jaroslaw; Bloebaum, Christina L.; Hajela, Prabhat

1988-01-01

The verification of a method for computing sensitivity derivatives of a coupled system is presented. The method deals with a system whose analysis can be partitioned into subsets that correspond to disciplines and/or physical subsystems that exchange input-output data with each other. The method uses the partial sensitivity derivatives of the output with respect to input obtained for each subset separately to assemble a set of linear, simultaneous, algebraic equations that are solved for the derivatives of the coupled system response. This sensitivity analysis is verified using an example of a cantilever beam augmented with an active control system to limit the beam's dynamic displacements under an excitation force. The verification shows good agreement of the method with reference data obtained by a finite difference technique involving entire system analysis. The usefulness of a system sensitivity method in optimization applications by employing a piecewise-linear approach to the same numerical example is demonstrated. The method's principal merits are its intrinsically superior accuracy in comparison with the finite difference technique, and its compatibility with the traditional division of work in complex engineering tasks among specialty groups.

Stationary Waves of the Ice Age Climate.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Kerry H.; Held, Isaac M.

1988-08-01

A linearized, steady state, primitive equation model is used to simulate the climatological zonal asymmetries (stationary eddies) in the wind and temperature fields of the 18 000 YBP climate during winter. We compare these results with the eddies simulated in the ice age experiments of Broccoli and Manabe, who used CLIMAP boundary conditions and reduced atmospheric CO2 in an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) coupled with a static mixed layer ocean model. The agreement between the models is good, indicating that the linear model can be used to evaluate the relative influences of orography, diabatic heating, and transient eddy heat and momentum transports in generating stationary waves. We find that orographic forcing dominates in the ice age climate. The mechanical influence of the continental ice sheets on the atmosphere is responsible for most of the changes between the present day and ice age stationary eddies. This concept of the ice age climate is complicated by the sensitivity of the stationary eddies to the large increase in the magnitude of the zonal mean meridional temperature gradient simulated in the ice age GCM.

Magnetic levitation-based electromagnetic energy harvesting: a semi-analytical non-linear model for energy transduction

PubMed Central

Soares dos Santos, Marco P.; Ferreira, Jorge A. F.; Simões, José A. O.; Pascoal, Ricardo; Torrão, João; Xue, Xiaozheng; Furlani, Edward P.

2016-01-01

Magnetic levitation has been used to implement low-cost and maintenance-free electromagnetic energy harvesting. The ability of levitation-based harvesting systems to operate autonomously for long periods of time makes them well-suited for self-powering a broad range of technologies. In this paper, a combined theoretical and experimental study is presented of a harvester configuration that utilizes the motion of a levitated hard-magnetic element to generate electrical power. A semi-analytical, non-linear model is introduced that enables accurate and efficient analysis of energy transduction. The model predicts the transient and steady-state response of the harvester a function of its motion (amplitude and frequency) and load impedance. Very good agreement is obtained between simulation and experiment with energy errors lower than 14.15% (mean absolute percentage error of 6.02%) and cross-correlations higher than 86%. The model provides unique insight into fundamental mechanisms of energy transduction and enables the geometric optimization of harvesters prior to fabrication and the rational design of intelligent energy harvesters. PMID:26725842

Testing and linearity calibration of films of phenol compounds exposed to thermal neutron field for EPR dosimetry.

PubMed

Gallo, S; Panzeca, S; Longo, A; Altieri, S; Bentivoglio, A; Dondi, D; Marconi, R P; Protti, N; Zeffiro, A; Marrale, M

2015-12-01

This paper reports the preliminary results obtained by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) measurements on films of IRGANOX® 1076 phenols with and without low content (5% by weight) of gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3) exposed in the thermal column of the Triga Mark II reactor of LENA (Laboratorio Energia Nucleare Applicata) of Pavia (Italy). Thanks to their size, the phenolic films here presented are good devices for the dosimetry of beams with high dose gradient and which require accurate knowledge of the precise dose delivered. The dependence of EPR signal as function of neutron dose was investigated in the fluence range between 10(11) cm(-2) and 10(14) cm(-2). Linearity of EPR response was found and the signal was compared with that of commercial alanine films. Our analysis showed that gadolinium oxide (5% by weight) can enhance the thermal neutron sensitivity more than 18 times. Irradiated dosimetric films of phenolic compound exhibited EPR signal fading of about 4% after 10 days from irradiation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The detection of formaldehyde using microelectromechanical acoustic resonator with multiwalled carbon nanotubes-polyethyleneimine composite coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jingjing; Zhan, Da; Wang, Ke; Hang, Weiwei

2018-01-01

A micro-scale gas sensor based on mass-sensitive film bulk acoustic resonator is demonstrated for the detection of trace formaldehyde at room temperature. The composites mixed with multiwalled carbon nanotubes and polyethyleneimine (MWNTs-PEI) were coated on the resonator surface as the sensitive layer to specifically absorb formaldehyde molecules using a facile spray process. The influence of spraying processes on the formaldehyde sensing properties were investigated. Different response behaviors were determined by both the chemical absorption between formaldehyde molecules and the amine functional groups on PEI and the increase of absorption surface came from the nanostructure. The combination of high frequency of the film bulk acoustic resonator (~4.3 GHz) and the specific absorbability of MWNTs-PEI composites provided a high sensitivity in the detections of trace formaldehyde. The obtained ultra-low limit of detection was as low as 60 ppb with linear response, quick response/recovery time, good reproducibility and selectivity. The proposed sensor shows potential as a portable and convenient gas-sensing system for monitoring the low-level concentration of indoor air pollution.

Feasibility of a semiconductor dosimeter to monitor skin dose in interventional radiology.

PubMed

Meyer, P; Regal, R; Jung, M; Siffert, P; Mertz, L; Constantinesco, A

2001-10-01

The design and preliminary test results of a semiconductor silicon dosimeter are presented in this article. Use of this dosimeter is foreseen for real-time skin dose control in interventional radiology. The strong energy dependence of this kind of radiation detector is well overcome by filtering the silicon diode. Here, the optimal filter features have been calculated by numerical Monte Carlo simulations. A prototype has been built and tested in a radiological facility. The first experimental results show a good match between the filtered semiconductor diode response and an ionization chamber response, within 2% fluctuation in a 2.2 to 4.1 mm Al half-value layer (HVL) energy range. Moreover, the semiconductor sensor response is linear from 0.02 Gy/min to at least 6.5 Gy/min, covering the whole dose rate range found in interventional radiology. The results show that a semiconductor dosimeter could be used to monitor skin dose during the majority of procedures using x-rays below 150 keV. The use of this device may assist in avoiding radiation-induced skin injuries and lower radiation levels during interventional procedures.

TWO NEW SINGLE-EXPOSURE, MULTI-DETECTOR NEUTRON SPECTROMETERS FOR RADIATION PROTECTION APPLICATIONS IN WORKPLACE MONITORING.

PubMed

Gómez-Ros, J M; Bedogni, R; Bortot, D; Domingo, C; Esposito, A; Introini, M V; Lorenzoli, M; Mazzitelli, G; Moraleda, M; Pola, A; Sacco, D

2017-04-01

This communication describes two new instruments, based on multiple active thermal neutron detectors arranged within a single moderator, that permit to unfold the neutron spectrum (from thermal to hundreds of MeV) and to determine the corresponding integral quantities with only one exposure. This makes them especially advantageous for neutron field characterisation and workplace monitoring in neutron-producing facilities. One of the devices has spherical geometry and nearly isotropic response, the other one has cylindrical symmetry and it is only sensitive to neutrons incident along the cylinder axis. In both cases, active detectors have been specifically developed looking for the criteria of miniaturisation, high sensitivity, linear response and good photon rejection. The calculated response matrix has been validated by experimental irradiations in neutron reference fields with a global uncertainty of 3%. The measurements performed in realistic neutron fields permitted to determine the neutron spectra and the integral quantities, in particular H*(10). © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Static response of deformable microchannels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christov, Ivan C.; Sidhore, Tanmay C.

2017-11-01

Microfluidic channels manufactured from PDMS are a key component of lab-on-a-chip devices. Experimentally, rectangular microchannels are found to deform into a non-rectangular cross-section due to fluid-structure interactions. Deformation affects the flow profile, which results in a nonlinear relationship between the volumetric flow rate and the pressure drop. We develop a framework, within the lubrication approximation (l >> w >> h), to self-consistently derive flow rate-pressure drop relations. Emphasis is placed on handling different types of elastic response: from pure plate-bending, to half-space deformation, to membrane stretching. The ``simplest'' model (Stokes flow in a 3D rectangular channel capped with a linearly elastic Kirchhoff-Love plate) agrees well with recent experiments. We also simulate the static response of such microfluidic channels under laminar flow conditions using ANSYSWorkbench. Simulations are calibrated using experimental flow rate-pressure drop data from the literature. The simulations provide highly resolved deformation profiles, which are difficult to measure experimentally. By comparing simulations, experiments and our theoretical models, we show good agreement in many flow/deformation regimes, without any fitting parameters.

A novel CuO-N-doped graphene nanocomposite-based hybrid electrode for the electrochemical detection of glucose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felix, Sathiyanathan; Kollu, Pratap; Jeong, Soon Kwan; Grace, Andrews Nirmala

2017-10-01

We report a catalyst of N-doped graphene CuO nanocomposite, for the non-enzymatic electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose. The hybrid nanocomposite was synthesized by copper sulfate, cetyl ammonium bromide and graphite as starting materials. The synthesized composites were characterized with the techniques like X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope to study the crystalline phase and morphological structure. Based on this composite, a non-enzymatic glucose sensor was constructed. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods were done to investigate the electrocatalytic properties of glucose in alkaline medium. For glucose detection, the fabricated sensor showed a linear response over a wide range of concentration from 3 to 1000 µM, with sensitivity of 2365.7 µA mM-1 cm-2 and a fast response time of 5 s. The designed sensor exhibited negligible current response to the normal concentration of common interferents in the presence of glucose. All these favorable advantages of the fabricated glucose sensor suggest that it may have good potential application in biological samples, food and other related areas.

Plasmonic detection of mercury via amalgam formation on surface-immobilized single Au nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schopf, Carola; Martín, Alfonso; Iacopino, Daniela

2017-12-01

Au nanorods were used as plasmonic transducers for investigation of mercury detection through a mechanism of amalgam formation at the nanorod surfaces. Marked scattering color transitions and associated blue shifts of the surface plasmon resonance peak wavelengths (λmax) were measured in individual nanorods by darkfield microscopy upon chemical reduction of Hg(II). Such changes were related to compositional changes occurring as a result of Hg-Au amalgam formation as well as morphological changes in the nanorods' aspect ratios. The plot of λmax shifts vs. Hg(II) concentration showed a linear response in the 10-100 nM concentration range. The sensitivity of the system was ascribed to the narrow width of single nanorod scattering spectra, which allowed accurate determination of peak shifts. The system displayed good selectivity as the optical response obtained for mercury was one order of magnitude higher than the response obtained with competitor ions. Analysis of mercury content in river and tap water were also performed and highlighted both the potential and limitation of the developed method for real sensing applications.

Competition Experiments as a Means of Evaluating Linear Free Energy Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mullins, Richard J.; Vedernikov, Andrei; Viswanathan, Rajesh

2004-01-01

The use of competition experiments as a means of evaluating linear free energy relationship in the undergraduate teaching laboratory is reported. The use of competition experiments proved to be a reliable method for the construction of Hammett plots with good correlation providing great flexibility with regard to the compounds and reactions that…

Caffeine Increases the Linearity of the Visual BOLD Response

PubMed Central

Liu, Thomas T.; Liau, Joy

2009-01-01

Although the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal used in most functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies has been shown to exhibit nonlinear characteristics, most analyses assume that the BOLD signal responds in a linear fashion to stimulus. This assumption of linearity can lead to errors in the estimation of the BOLD response, especially for rapid event-related fMRI studies. In this study, we used a rapid event-related design and Volterra kernel analysis to assess the effect of a 200 mg oral dose of caffeine on the linearity of the visual BOLD response. The caffeine dose significantly (p < 0.02) increased the linearity of the BOLD response in a sample of 11 healthy volunteers studied on a 3 Tesla MRI system. In addition, the agreement between nonlinear and linear estimates of the hemodynamic response function was significantly increased (p= 0.013) with the caffeine dose. These findings indicate that differences in caffeine usage should be considered as a potential source of bias in the analysis of rapid event-related fMRI studies. PMID:19854278

Dose response evaluation of a low-density normoxic polymer gel dosimeter using MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haraldsson, P.; Karlsson, A.; Wieslander, E.; Gustavsson, H.; Bäck, S. Å. J.

2006-02-01

A low-density (~0.6 g cm-3) normoxic polymer gel, containing the antioxidant tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosponium (THP), has been investigated with respect to basic absorbed dose response characteristics. The low density was obtained by mixing the gel with expanded polystyrene spheres. The depth dose data for 6 and 18 MV photons were compared with Monte Carlo calculations. A large volume phantom was irradiated in order to study the 3D dose distribution from a 6 MV field. Evaluation of the gel was carried out using magnetic resonance imaging. An approximately linear response was obtained for 1/T2 versus dose in the dose range of 2 to 8 Gy. A small decrease in the dose response was observed for increasing concentrations of THP. A good agreement between measured and Monte Carlo calculated data was obained, both for test tubes and the larger 3D phantom. It was shown that a normoxic polymer gel with a reduced density could be obtained by adding expanded polystyrene spheres. In order to get reliable results, it is very important to have a uniform distribution of the gel and expanded polystyrene spheres in the phantom volume.

Monte Carlo simulation for Neptun 10 PC medical linear accelerator and calculations of output factor for electron beam

PubMed Central

Bahreyni Toossi, Mohammad Taghi; Momennezhad, Mehdi; Hashemi, Seyed Mohammad

2012-01-01

Aim Exact knowledge of dosimetric parameters is an essential pre-requisite of an effective treatment in radiotherapy. In order to fulfill this consideration, different techniques have been used, one of which is Monte Carlo simulation. Materials and methods This study used the MCNP-4Cb to simulate electron beams from Neptun 10 PC medical linear accelerator. Output factors for 6, 8 and 10 MeV electrons applied to eleven different conventional fields were both measured and calculated. Results The measurements were carried out by a Wellhofler-Scanditronix dose scanning system. Our findings revealed that output factors acquired by MCNP-4C simulation and the corresponding values obtained by direct measurements are in a very good agreement. Conclusion In general, very good consistency of simulated and measured results is a good proof that the goal of this work has been accomplished. PMID:24377010

Fast secant methods for the iterative solution of large nonsymmetric linear systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deuflhard, Peter; Freund, Roland; Walter, Artur

1990-01-01

A family of secant methods based on general rank-1 updates was revisited in view of the construction of iterative solvers for large non-Hermitian linear systems. As it turns out, both Broyden's good and bad update techniques play a special role, but should be associated with two different line search principles. For Broyden's bad update technique, a minimum residual principle is natural, thus making it theoretically comparable with a series of well known algorithms like GMRES. Broyden's good update technique, however, is shown to be naturally linked with a minimum next correction principle, which asymptotically mimics a minimum error principle. The two minimization principles differ significantly for sufficiently large system dimension. Numerical experiments on discretized partial differential equations of convection diffusion type in 2-D with integral layers give a first impression of the possible power of the derived good Broyden variant.

Development and validation of reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography method for determination of dexpanthenol in pharmaceutical formulations.

PubMed

Kulikov, A U; Zinchenko, A A

2007-02-19

This paper describes the validation of an isocratic HPLC method for the assay of dexpanthenol in aerosol and gel. The method employs the Vydac Proteins C4 column with a mobile phase of aqueous solution of trifluoroacetic acid and UV detection at 206 nm. A linear response (r>0.9999) was observed in the range of 13.0-130 microg mL(-1). The method shows good recoveries and intra and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 1.0%. Validation parameters as specificity, accuracy and robustness were also determined. The method can be used for dexpanthenol assay of panthenol aerosol and gel with dexpanthenol as the method separates dexpanthenol from aerosol or gel excipients.

Using Cf-252 for single event upset testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, J. W.; Chen, R.; Block, R. C.; Becker, M.; Costantine, A. G.; Smith, L. S.; Soli, G. A.; Stauber, M. C.

An improved system using Cf-252 and associated nuclear instrumentation has been used to determine single event upset (SEU) cross section versus linear energy transfer (LET) curve for several static random access memory (SRAM) devices. Through the use of a thin-film scintillator, providing energy information on each fission fragment, individual SEU's and ion energy can be associated to calculate the cross section curves. Results are presented from tests of several SRAM's over the 17-43 MeV-cm squared/mg LET range. Values obtained for SEU cross sections and LET thresholds are in good agreement with the results from accelerator testing. The equipment is described, the theory of thin-film scintillation detector response is summarized, experimental procedures are reviewed, and the test results are discussed.

The Fabrication and Characterization of Ni/4H-SiC Schottky Diode Radiation Detectors with a Sensitive Area of up to 4 cm².

PubMed

Liu, Lin-Yue; Wang, Ling; Jin, Peng; Liu, Jin-Liang; Zhang, Xian-Peng; Chen, Liang; Zhang, Jiang-Fu; Ouyang, Xiao-Ping; Liu, Ao; Huang, Run-Hua; Bai, Song

2017-10-13

Silicon carbide (SiC) detectors of an Ni/4H-SiC Schottky diode structure and with sensitive areas of 1-4 cm² were fabricated using high-quality lightly doped epitaxial 4H-SiC material, and were tested in the detection of alpha particles and pulsed X-rays/UV-light. A linear energy response to alpha particles ranging from 5.157 to 5.805 MeV was obtained. The detectors were proved to have a low dark current, a good energy resolution, and a high neutron/gamma discrimination for pulsed radiation, showing the advantages in charged particle detection and neutron detection in high-temperature and high-radiation environments.

Noise spectra in balanced optical detectors based on transimpedance amplifiers.

PubMed

Masalov, A V; Kuzhamuratov, A; Lvovsky, A I

2017-11-01

We present a thorough theoretical analysis and experimental study of the shot and electronic noise spectra of a balanced optical detector based on an operational amplifier connected in a transimpedance scheme. We identify and quantify the primary parameters responsible for the limitations of the circuit, in particular, the bandwidth and shot-to-electronic noise clearance. We find that the shot noise spectrum can be made consistent with the second-order Butterworth filter, while the electronic noise grows linearly with the second power of the frequency. Good agreement between the theory and experiment is observed; however, the capacitances of the operational amplifier input and the photodiodes appear significantly higher than those specified in manufacturers' datasheets. This observation is confirmed by independent tests.

Noise spectra in balanced optical detectors based on transimpedance amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masalov, A. V.; Kuzhamuratov, A.; Lvovsky, A. I.

2017-11-01

We present a thorough theoretical analysis and experimental study of the shot and electronic noise spectra of a balanced optical detector based on an operational amplifier connected in a transimpedance scheme. We identify and quantify the primary parameters responsible for the limitations of the circuit, in particular, the bandwidth and shot-to-electronic noise clearance. We find that the shot noise spectrum can be made consistent with the second-order Butterworth filter, while the electronic noise grows linearly with the second power of the frequency. Good agreement between the theory and experiment is observed; however, the capacitances of the operational amplifier input and the photodiodes appear significantly higher than those specified in manufacturers' datasheets. This observation is confirmed by independent tests.

Relativistic and thermal effects on the magnon spectrum of a ferromagnetic monolayer.

PubMed

Rózsa, L; Udvardi, L; Szunyogh, L

2013-12-18

A spin model including magnetic anisotropy terms and Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interactions is studied for the case of a ferromagnetic monolayer with C2v symmetry like Fe/W(110). Using the quasiclassical stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equations, the magnon spectrum of the system is derived using linear response theory. The Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction leads to asymmetry in the spectrum, while the anisotropy terms induce a gap. It is shown that, in the presence of lattice defects, both the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interactions and the two-site anisotropy lead to a softening of the magnon energies. Two methods are developed to investigate the magnon spectrum at finite temperatures. The theoretical results are compared to atomistic spin dynamics simulations and good agreement is found between them.

Fast BIA-amperometric determination of isoniazid in tablets.

PubMed

Quintino, Maria S M; Angnes, Lúcio

2006-09-26

This paper proposes a new, fast and precise method to analyze isoniazid based on the electrochemical oxidation of the analyte at a glassy carbon electrode in 0.1M NaOH. The quantification was performed utilizing amperometry associated with batch injection analysis (BIA) technique. Fast sequential analysis (60 determinations h(-1)) in an unusually wide linear dynamic range (from 2.5 x 10(-8) to 1.0 x 10(-3)M), with high sensitivity and low limits of detection (4.1 x 10(-9)M) and quantification (1.4 x 10(-8)M), was achieved. Such characteristics allied to a good repeatability of the current responses (relative standard deviation of 0.79% for 30 measurements), were explored for the specific determination of isoniazid in isoniazid-rifampin tablet.

Coupled cluster calculations for static and dynamic polarizabilities of C60

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Karol; Hammond, Jeff R.; de Jong, Wibe A.; Sadlej, Andrzej J.

2008-12-01

New theoretical predictions for the static and frequency dependent polarizabilities of C60 are reported. Using the linear response coupled cluster approach with singles and doubles and a basis set especially designed to treat the molecular properties in external electric field, we obtained 82.20 and 83.62 Å3 for static and dynamic (λ =1064 nm) polarizabilities. These numbers are in a good agreement with experimentally inferred data of 76.5±8 and 79±4 Å3 [R. Antoine et al., J. Chem. Phys.110, 9771 (1999); A. Ballard et al., J. Chem. Phys.113, 5732 (2000)]. The reported results were obtained with the highest wave function-based level of theory ever applied to the C60 system.

Experimental investigation of gravity wave turbulence and of non-linear four wave interactions..

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berhanu, Michael

2017-04-01

Using the large basins of the Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France), non-linear interactions of gravity surface waves are experimentally investigated. In a first part we study statistical properties of a random wave field regarding the insights from the Wave Turbulence Theory. In particular freely decaying gravity wave turbulence is generated in a closed basin. No self-similar decay of the spectrum is observed, whereas its Fourier modes decay first as a time power law due to nonl-inear mechanisms, and then exponentially due to linear viscous damping. We estimate the linear, non-linear and dissipative time scales to test the time scale separation. By estimation of the mean energy flux from the initial decay of wave energy, the Kolmogorov-Zakharov constant of the weak turbulence theory is evaluated. In a second part, resonant interactions of oblique surface gravity waves in a large basin are studied. We generate two oblique waves crossing at an acute angle. These mother waves mutually interact and give birth to a resonant wave whose properties (growth rate, resonant response curve and phase locking) are fully characterized. All our experimental results are found in good quantitative agreement with four-wave interaction theory. L. Deike, B. Miquel, P. Gutiérrez, T. Jamin, B. Semin, M. Berhanu, E. Falcon and F. Bonnefoy, Role of the basin boundary conditions in gravity wave turbulence, Journal of Fluid Mechanics 781, 196 (2015) F. Bonnefoy, F. Haudin, G. Michel, B. Semin, T. Humbert, S. Aumaître, M. Berhanu and E. Falcon, Observation of resonant interactions among surface gravity waves, Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Rapids) 805, R3 (2016)

Frequency Response of Synthetic Vocal Fold Models with Linear and Nonlinear Material Properties

PubMed Central

Shaw, Stephanie M.; Thomson, Scott L.; Dromey, Christopher; Smith, Simeon

2014-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to create synthetic vocal fold models with nonlinear stress-strain properties and to investigate the effect of linear versus nonlinear material properties on fundamental frequency during anterior-posterior stretching. Method Three materially linear and three materially nonlinear models were created and stretched up to 10 mm in 1 mm increments. Phonation onset pressure (Pon) and fundamental frequency (F0) at Pon were recorded for each length. Measurements were repeated as the models were relaxed in 1 mm increments back to their resting lengths, and tensile tests were conducted to determine the stress-strain responses of linear versus nonlinear models. Results Nonlinear models demonstrated a more substantial frequency response than did linear models and a more predictable pattern of F0 increase with respect to increasing length (although range was inconsistent across models). Pon generally increased with increasing vocal fold length for nonlinear models, whereas for linear models, Pon decreased with increasing length. Conclusions Nonlinear synthetic models appear to more accurately represent the human vocal folds than linear models, especially with respect to F0 response. PMID:22271874

Frequency response of synthetic vocal fold models with linear and nonlinear material properties.

PubMed

Shaw, Stephanie M; Thomson, Scott L; Dromey, Christopher; Smith, Simeon

2012-10-01

The purpose of this study was to create synthetic vocal fold models with nonlinear stress-strain properties and to investigate the effect of linear versus nonlinear material properties on fundamental frequency (F0) during anterior-posterior stretching. Three materially linear and 3 materially nonlinear models were created and stretched up to 10 mm in 1-mm increments. Phonation onset pressure (Pon) and F0 at Pon were recorded for each length. Measurements were repeated as the models were relaxed in 1-mm increments back to their resting lengths, and tensile tests were conducted to determine the stress-strain responses of linear versus nonlinear models. Nonlinear models demonstrated a more substantial frequency response than did linear models and a more predictable pattern of F0 increase with respect to increasing length (although range was inconsistent across models). Pon generally increased with increasing vocal fold length for nonlinear models, whereas for linear models, Pon decreased with increasing length. Nonlinear synthetic models appear to more accurately represent the human vocal folds than do linear models, especially with respect to F0 response.

A composite microdose Adaptive Response (AR) and Bystander Effect (BE) model-application to low LET and high LET AR and BE data.

PubMed

Leonard, Bobby E

2008-08-01

It has been suggested that Adaptive Response (AR) may reduce risk of adverse health effects due to ionizing radiation. But very low dose Bystander Effects (BE) may impose dominant deleterious human risks. These conflicting behaviors have stimulated controversy regarding the Linear No-Threshold human risk model. A dose and dose rate-dependent microdose model, to examine AR behavior, was developed in prior work. In the prior work a number of in vitro and in vivo dose response data were examined with the model. Recent new data show AR behavior with some evidence of very low dose BE. The purpose of this work is to supplement the microdose model to encompass the Brenner and colleagues BaD (Bystander and Direct Damage) model and apply this composite model to obtain new knowledge regarding AR and BE and illustrate the use of the model to plan radio-biology experiments. The biophysical composite AR and BE Microdose Model quantifies the accumulation of hits (Poisson distributed, microdose specific energy depositions) to cell nucleus volumes. This new composite AR and BE model provides predictions of dose response at very low dose BE levels, higher dose AR levels and even higher dose Direct (linear-quadratic) Damage radiation levels. We find good fits of the model to both BE data from the Columbia University microbeam facility and combined AR and BE data for low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) and high LET data. A Bystander Factor of about 27,000 and an AR protection factor of 0.61 are obtained for the low LET in vivo mouse spleen exposures. A Bystander Factor of 317 and an AR protection factor of 0.53 are obtained for high LET radon alpha particles in human lymphocytes. In both cases the AR is activated at most by one or two radiation induced charged particle traversals through the cell nucleus. The results of the model analysis is consistent with a premise that both Bystander damage and Adaptive Response radioprotection can occur in the same cell type, derived from the same cell species. The model provides an analytical tool to biophysically study the combined effects of BE and AR.

Comparative study of microwave radiation-induced magnetoresistive oscillations induced by circularly- and linearly- polarized photo-excitation

PubMed Central

Ye, Tianyu; Liu, Han-Chun; Wang, Zhuo; Wegscheider, W.; Mani, Ramesh G.

2015-01-01

A comparative study of the radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure two dimensional electron system (2DES) under linearly- and circularly- polarized microwave excitation indicates a profound difference in the response observed upon rotating the microwave launcher for the two cases, although circularly polarized microwave radiation induced magnetoresistance oscillations observed at low magnetic fields are similar to the oscillations observed with linearly polarized radiation. For the linearly polarized radiation, the magnetoresistive response is a strong sinusoidal function of the launcher rotation (or linear polarization) angle, θ. For circularly polarized radiation, the oscillatory magnetoresistive response is hardly sensitive to θ. PMID:26450679

Comparative study of microwave radiation-induced magnetoresistive oscillations induced by circularly- and linearly- polarized photo-excitation.

PubMed

Ye, Tianyu; Liu, Han-Chun; Wang, Zhuo; Wegscheider, W; Mani, Ramesh G

2015-10-09

A comparative study of the radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure two dimensional electron system (2DES) under linearly- and circularly- polarized microwave excitation indicates a profound difference in the response observed upon rotating the microwave launcher for the two cases, although circularly polarized microwave radiation induced magnetoresistance oscillations observed at low magnetic fields are similar to the oscillations observed with linearly polarized radiation. For the linearly polarized radiation, the magnetoresistive response is a strong sinusoidal function of the launcher rotation (or linear polarization) angle, θ. For circularly polarized radiation, the oscillatory magnetoresistive response is hardly sensitive to θ.

Equivalent linearization for fatigue life estimates of a nonlinear structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miles, R. N.

1989-01-01

An analysis is presented of the suitability of the method of equivalent linearization for estimating the fatigue life of a nonlinear structure. Comparisons are made of the fatigue life of a nonlinear plate as predicted using conventional equivalent linearization and three other more accurate methods. The excitation of the plate is assumed to be Gaussian white noise and the plate response is modeled using a single resonant mode. The methods used for comparison consist of numerical simulation, a probabalistic formulation, and a modification of equivalent linearization which avoids the usual assumption that the response process is Gaussian. Remarkably close agreement is obtained between all four methods, even for cases where the response is significantly linear.

Potentiometric Zinc Ion Sensor Based on Honeycomb-Like NiO Nanostructures

PubMed Central

Abbasi, Mazhar Ali; Ibupoto, Zafar Hussain; Hussain, Mushtaque; Khan, Yaqoob; Khan, Azam; Nur, Omer; Willander, Magnus

2012-01-01

In this study honeycomb-like NiO nanostructures were grown on nickel foam by a simple hydrothermal growth method. The NiO nanostructures were characterized by field emission electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The characterized NiO nanostructures were uniform, dense and polycrystalline in the crystal phase. In addition to this, the NiO nanostructures were used in the development of a zinc ion sensor electrode by functionalization with the highly selective zinc ion ionophore 12-crown-4. The developed zinc ion sensor electrode has shown a good linear potentiometric response for a wide range of zinc ion concentrations, ranging from 0.001 mM to 100 mM, with sensitivity of 36 mV/decade. The detection limit of the present zinc ion sensor was found to be 0.0005 mM and it also displays a fast response time of less than 10 s. The proposed zinc ion sensor electrode has also shown good reproducibility, repeatability, storage stability and selectivity. The zinc ion sensor based on the functionalized NiO nanostructures was also used as indicator electrode in potentiometric titrations and it has demonstrated an acceptable stoichiometric relationship for the determination of zinc ion in unknown samples. The NiO nanostructures-based zinc ion sensor has potential for analysing zinc ion in various industrial, clinical and other real samples. PMID:23202217

A novel enzymatic glucose sensor based on Pt nanoparticles-decorated hollow carbon spheres-modified glassy carbon electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luhana, Charles; Bo, Xiang-Jie; Ju, Jian; Guo, Li-Ping

2012-10-01

A new glucose biosensor was developed based on hollow carbon spheres decorated with platinum nanoparticles (Pt/HCSs)-modified glassy carbon electrode immobilized with glucose oxidase (GOx) with the help of Nafion. The Pt nanoparticles were well dispersed on the HCSs with an average size of 2.29 nm. The detection of glucose was achieved via electrochemical detection of the enzymatically liberated H2O2 at +0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl at physiologic pH of 7.4. The Pt/HCSs-modified electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activities toward both the oxidation and reduction of H2O2. The glucose biosensor showed good electrocatalytic performance in terms of high sensitivity (4.1 μA mM-1), low detection limit (1.8 μM), fast response time <3 s, and wide linear range (0.04-8.62 mM). The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant ( K m) and the maximum current density ( i max) values for the biosensor were 10.94 mM and 887 μA cm-2 respectively. Furthermore, this biosensor showed an acceptable reproducibility and high stability. The interfering signals from ascorbic acid and uric acid at concentration levels normally found in human blood were not much compared with the response to glucose. Blood serum samples were also tested with this biosensor and a good recovery was achieved for the two spiked serum samples.

Glucose biosensor from covalent immobilization of chitosan-coupled carbon nanotubes on polyaniline-modified gold electrode.

PubMed

Wan, Dong; Yuan, Shaojun; Li, G L; Neoh, K G; Kang, E T

2010-11-01

An amperometric glucose biosensor was prepared using polyaniline (PANI) and chitosan-coupled carbon nanotubes (CS-CNTs) as the signal amplifiers and glucose oxidase (GOD) as the glucose detector on a gold electrode (the Au-g-PANI-c-(CS-CNTs)-GOD biosensor). The PANI layer was prepared via oxidative graft polymerization of aniline from the gold electrode surface premodified by self-assembled monolayer of 4-aminothiophenol. CS-CNTs were covalently coupled to the PANI-modified gold substrate using glutaradehyde as a bifunctional linker. GOD was then covalently bonded to the pendant hydroxyl groups of chitosan using 1,4-carbonyldiimidazole as the bifunctional linker. The surface functionalization processes were ascertained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images of the Au-g-PANI-c-(CS-CNTs) electrode revealed the formation of a three-dimensional surface network structure. The electrode could thus provide a more spatially biocompatible microenvironment to enhance the amount and biocatalytic activity of the immobilized enzyme and to better mediate the electron transfer. The resulting Au-g-PANI-c-(CS-CNTs)-GOD biosensor exhibited a linear response to glucose in the concentration range of 1-20 mM, good sensitivity (21 μA/(mM·cm(2))), good reproducibility, and retention of >80% of the initial response current after 2 months of storage.

Construction of novel xanthine biosensor by using polymeric mediator/MWCNT nanocomposite layer for fish freshness detection.

PubMed

Dervisevic, Muamer; Custiuc, Esma; Çevik, Emre; Şenel, Mehmet

2015-08-15

A novel nanocomposite host matrix for enzyme immobilization of xanthine oxidase was developed by incorporating MWCNT in poly(GMA-co-VFc) copolymer film. In the food industry fish is a product with a very low commercial life, and a high variability as well elevated level of xanthine is an important biomarker as a sign of spoilage. The fabricated process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemical behaviors of the biosensor were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The prepared enzyme electrodes exhibited maximum response at pH 7.0 and 45°C +0.35 V and reached 95% of steady-state current in about ∼ 4 s and its sensitivity was 16 mAM(-1). Linear ranges (2-28 μM, 28-46 and 46-86 μM), analytical performance and a low detection limit 0.12 μM obtained from the xanthine biosensor gives reliable results in measuring xanthine concentration in the fish meat. All the results indicating that the resulting biosensor exhibited a good response to xanthine that was related to the addition of MWCNT in the polymeric mediator film which played an important role in the biosensor performance. In addition, the biosensor exhibited high good storage stability and satisfactory anti-interference ability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aluminum nitride coatings using response surface methodology to optimize the thermal dissipated performance of light-emitting diode modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, Ming-Der; Lei, Peng-Da; Kong, Ling-Hua; Liu, Cheng-Wu

2018-05-01

This study optimizes the thermal dissipation ability of aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics to increase the thermal performance of light-emitting diode (LED) modulus. AlN powders are deposited on heat sink as a heat interface material, using an electrostatic spraying process. The junction temperature of the heat sink is developed by response surface methodology based on Taguchi methods. In addition, the structure and properties of the AlN coating are examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the XPS analysis, the AlN sub-peaks are observed at 72.79 eV for Al2p and 398.88 eV for N1s, and an N1s sub-peak is assigned to N-O at 398.60eV and Al-N bonding at 395.95eV, which allows good thermal properties. The results have shown that the use of AlN ceramic material on a heat sink can enhance the thermal performance of LED modules. In addition, the percentage error between the predicted and experimental results compared the quadric model with between the linear and he interaction models was found to be within 7.89%, indicating that it was a good predictor. Accordingly, RSM can effectively enhance the thermal performance of an LED, and the beneficial heat dissipation effects for AlN are improved by electrostatic spraying.

An ATMND/SGI based label-free and fluorescence ratiometric aptasensor for rapid and highly sensitive detection of cocaine in biofluids.

PubMed

Wang, Jiamian; Song, Jie; Wang, Xiuyun; Wu, Shuo; Zhao, Yanqiu; Luo, Pinchen; Meng, Changgong

2016-12-01

A label-free ratiometric fluorescence aptasensor has been developed for the rapid and sensitive detection of cocaine in complex biofluids. The fluorescent aptasensor is composed of a non-labeled GC-38 cocaine aptamer which serves as a basic sensing unit and two fluorophores, 2-amino-5,6,7-trimethyl-1,8-naphthyridine (ATMND) and SYBR Green I (SGI) which serves as a signal reporter and a build-in reference, respectively. The detection principle is based on a specific cocaine mediated ATMND displacement reaction and the corresponding change in the fluorescence ratio of ATMND to SGI. Due to the high affinity of the non-labeled aptamer, the good precision originated from the ratiometric method, and the good fluorescence quantum yield of the fluorophore, the aptasensor shows good analytical performance with respect to cocaine detection. Under optimal conditions, the aptasensor shows a linear range of 0.10-10μM and a low limit of detection of 56nM, with a fast response of 20s. The low limit of detection is comparable to most of the fluorescent aptasensors with signal amplification strategies and much lower than all of the unamplified cocaine aptasensors. Practical sample analysis in a series of complex biofluids, including urine, saliva and serum, also indicates the good precision, stability, and high sensitivity of the aptasensor, which may have great potential for the point-of-care screening of cocaine in complex biofluids. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a liquid chromatography method for compound-specific δ13C analysis of plant carbohydrates in alkaline media.

PubMed

Rinne, Katja T; Saurer, Matthias; Streit, Kathrin; Siegwolf, Rolf T W

2012-09-30

Isotope analysis of carbohydrates is important for improved understanding of plant carbon metabolism and plant physiological response to the environment. High-performance liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (HPLC/IRMS) for direct compound-specific δ(13)C measurements of soluble carbohydrates has recently been developed, but the still challenging sample preparation and the fact that no single method is capable of separating all compounds of interest hinder its wide-spread application. Here we tested in detail a chromatography method in alkaline media. We examined the most suitable chromatographic conditions for HPLC/IRMS analysis of carbohydrates in aqueous conifer needle extracts using a CarboPac PA20 anion-exchange column with NaOH eluent, paying specific attention to compound yields, carbon isotope fractionation processes and the reproducibility of the method. Furthermore, we adapted and calibrated sample preparation methods for HPLC/IRMS analysis. OnGuard II cartridges were used for sample purification. Good peak separation and highly linear and reproducible concentration and δ(13)C measurements were obtained. The alkaline eluent was observed to induce isomerization of hexoses, detected as reduced yields and (13)C fractionation of the affected compounds. A reproducible pre-purification method providing ~100% yield for the carbohydrate compounds of interest was calibrated. The good level of peak separation obtained in this study is reflected in the good precision and linearity of concentration and δ(13)C results. The data provided crucial information on the behaviour of sugars in LC analysis with alkaline media. The observations highlight the importance for the application of compound-matched standard solution for the detection and correction of instrumental biases in concentration and δ(13)C analysis performed under identical chromatographic conditions. The calibrated pre-purification method is well suited for studies with complex matrices that disable the use of a spiked internal standard for the detection of procedural losses. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Photoelectric angle converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podzharenko, Volodymyr A.; Kulakov, Pavlo I.

2001-06-01

The photo-electric angle transmitter of rotation is offered, at which the output voltage is linear function of entering magnitude. In a transmitter the linear phototransducer is used on the basis of pair photo diode -- operating amplifier, which output voltage is linear function of the area of an illuminated photosensitive stratum, and modulator of a light stream of the special shape, which ensures a linear dependence of this area from an angle of rotation. The transmitter has good frequent properties and can be used for dynamic measurements of an angular velocity and angle of rotation, in systems of exact drives and systems of autocontrol.

Carbon nanohorn sensitized electrochemical immunosensor for rapid detection of microcystin-LR.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Lei, Jianping; Xu, Chuanlai; Ding, Lin; Ju, Huangxian

2010-02-01

A sensitive electrochemical immunosensor was proposed by functionalizing single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWNHs) with analyte for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) detection. The functionalization of SWNHs was performed by covalently binding MC-LR to the abundant carboxylic groups on the cone-shaped tips of SWNHs in the presence of linkage reagents and characterized with Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and a transmission electron micrograph. Compared with single-walled carbon nanotubes, SWNHs as immobilization matrixes showed a better sensitizing effect. Using home-prepared horseradish peroxidase-labeled MC-LR antibody for the competitive immunoassay, under optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited a wide linear response to MC-LR ranging from 0.05 to 20 microg/L with a detection limit of 0.03 microg/L at a signal-to-noise of 3. This method showed good accuracy, acceptable precision, and reproducibility. The assay results of MC-LR in polluted water were in a good agreement with the reference values. The proposed strategy provided a biocompatible immobilization and sensitized recognition platform for analytes as small antigens and possessed promising application in food and environmental monitoring.

Carbon paste electrode with covalently immobilized thionine for electrochemical sensing of hydrogen peroxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thenmozhi, K.; Sriman Narayanan, S.

2017-11-01

A water-soluble redox mediator, thionin was covalently immobilized to the functionalized graphite powder and a carbon paste electrode was fabricated from this modified graphite powder. The immobilization procedure proved to be effective in anchoring the thionin mediator in the graphite electrode setup without any leakage problem during the electrochemical studies. The covalent immobilization of the thionin mediator was studied with FT-IR and the electrochemical response of the thionin carbon paste electrode was optimized on varying the supporting electrolyte, pH and scan rate. The modified electrode exhibited well-defined electrocatalytic activity towards the reduction of H2O2 at a lower potential of -0.266 V with good sensitivity. The developed amperometric sensor was efficient towards H2O2 in the linear range from 2.46 × 10-5 M to 4.76 × 10-3 M, with a detection limit of 1.47 × 10-5 M respectively. Important advantages of this sensor are its excellent electrochemical performance, simple fabrication, easy renewability, reproducible analytical results, acceptable accuracy and good operational and long-term stability.

An optical chemical sensor for thorium (IV) determination based on thorin.

PubMed

Rastegarzadeh, S; Pourreza, N; Saeedi, I

2010-01-15

A selective method for the determination of thorium (IV) using an optical sensor is described. The sensing membrane is prepared by immobilization of thorin-methyltrioctylammonium ion pair on triacetylcellulose polymer. The sensor produced a linear response for thorium (IV) concentration in the range of 6.46 x 10(-6) to 9.91 x 10(-5)mol L(-1) with detection limit of 1.85 x 10(-6)mol L(-1). The regeneration of optode was accomplished completely at a short time (less than 20s) with 0.1 mol L(-1) of oxalate ion solution. The relative standard deviation for ten replicate measurements of 2.15 x 10(-5) and 8.62 x 10(-5)mol L(-1) of thorium was 2.71 and 1.65%, respectively. The optode membrane exhibits good selectivity for thorium (IV) over several other ionic species and are comparable to those obtained in case of spectrophotometric determination of thorium using thorin in solution. A good agreement with the ICP-MS and spiked method was achieved when the proposed optode was applied to the determination of thorium (IV) in dust and water samples.

Decoration of gold nanoparticles on thin multiwall carbon nanotubes and their use as a glucose sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangwar, Rajesh K.; Dhumale, Vinayak A.; Date, Kalyani S.; Alegaonkar, Prashant; Sharma, Rishi B.; Datar, Suwarna

2016-03-01

Thin multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been decorated with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with polyaniline (PANI) as an inter-linker by a simple wet chemical method. The synthesized AuNPs:MWCNT:PANI composite was studied with UV-vis, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Conducting AFM (C-AFM) images of the composite reveal the role played by the two components in electrochemical reactions. The size of the Au NPs was found to be 13 ± 2 nm in the composite as observed from TEM. The synthesized AuNPs:MWCNT:PANI composite was further drop casted onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for electrocatalytic study. The resulting composite exhibits good electrocatalytic activity towards reduction of H2O2 and O2. A glucose biosensor was developed by immobilizing glucose oxidase into AuNPs:MWCNT:PANI composite film on GCE. The fabricated sensor demonstrates good linear response to glucose (i.e. R = 0.9975) in the range of 2 to 12 mM.

Highly efficient biosensors by using well-ordered ZnO/ZnS core/shell nanotube arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarish, Samar; Xu, Yang; Wang, Zhijie; Mate, Faten; Al-Haddad, Ahmed; Wang, Wenxin; Lei, Yong

2017-10-01

We have studied the fabrication of highly efficient glucose sensors using well-ordered heterogeneous ZnO/ZnS core/shell nanotube arrays (CSNAs). The modified electrodes exhibit a superior electrochemical response towards ferrocyanide/ferricyanide and in glucose sensing. Further, the fabricated glucose biosensor exhibited good performance over an acceptable linear range from 2.39 × 10-5 to 2.66 × 10-4 mM, with a sensitivity of 188.34 mA mM-1 cm-2, which is higher than that of the ZnO nanotube array counterpart. A low limit of detection was realized (24 μM), which is good compared with electrodes based on conventional structures. In addition, the enhanced direct electrochemistry of glucose oxidase indicates the fast electron transfer of ZnO/ZnS CSNA electrodes, with a heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (K s) of 1.69 s-1. The fast electron transfer is attributed to the high conductivity of the modified electrodes. The presented ZnS shell can facilitate the construction of future sensors and enhance the ZnO surface in a biological environment.

Flower-like Copper Cobaltite Nanosheets on Graphite Paper as High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes and Enzymeless Glucose Sensors.

PubMed

Liu, Shude; Hui, K S; Hui, K N

2016-02-10

Flower-like copper cobaltite (CuCo2O4) nanosheets anchored on graphite paper have been synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method followed by a postannealing treatment. Supercapacitor electrodes employing CuCo2O4 nanosheets exhibit an enhanced capacitance of 1131 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) compared with previously reported supercapacitor electrodes. The CuCo2O4 electrode delivers a specific capacitance of up to 409 F g(-1) at a current density of as high as 50 A g(-1), and a good long-term cycling stability, with 79.7% of its specific capacitance retained after 5000 cycles at 10 A g(-1). Furthermore, the as-prepared CuCo2O4 nanosheets on graphite paper can be fabricated as electrodes and used as enzymeless glucose sensors, which exhibit good sensitivity (3.625 μA μM(-1) cm(-2)) and an extraordinary linear response ranging up to 320 μM with a low detection limit (5 μM).

A ruthenium(II) complex as turn-on Cu(II) luminescent sensor based on oxidative cyclization mechanism and its application in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunfei; Liu, Zonglun; Yang, Kui; Zhang, Yi; Xu, Yongqian; Li, Hongjuan; Wang, Chaoxia; Lu, Aiping; Sun, Shiguo

2015-02-01

Copper ions play a vital role in a variety of fundamental physiological processes not only in human beings and plants, but also for extensive insects and microorganisms. In this paper, a novel water-soluble ruthenium(II) complex as a turn-on copper(II) ions luminescent sensor based on o-(phenylazo)aniline was designed and synthesized. The azo group would undergo a specific oxidative cyclization reaction with copper(II) ions and turn into high luminescent benzotriazole, triggering significant luminescent increasements which were linear to the concentrations of copper(II) ions. The sensor distinguished by its high sensitivity (over 80-fold luminescent switch-on response), good selectivity (the changes of the emission intensity in the presence of other metal ions or amino acids were negligible) and low detection limit (4.42 nM) in water. Moreover, the copper(II) luminescent sensor exhibited good photostability under light irradiation. Furthermore, the applicability of the proposed sensor in biological samples assay was also studied and imaged copper(II) ions in living pea aphids successfully.

Ultrathin-shell boron nitride hollow spheres as sorbent for dispersive solid-phase extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls from environmental water samples.

PubMed

Fu, Meizhen; Xing, Hanzhu; Chen, Xiangfeng; Chen, Fan; Wu, Chi-Man Lawrence; Zhao, Rusong; Cheng, Chuange

2014-11-21

Boron nitride hollow spheres with ultrathin-shells were synthesized and used as sorbents for dispersive solid-phase extraction of aromatic pollutants at trace levels from environmental water samples. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were selected as target compounds. Sample quantification and detection were performed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Extraction parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were optimized through response surface methodology using the Box-Behnken design. The proposed method achieved good linearity within the concentration range of 0.15-250 ng L(-1) PCBs, low limits of detection (0.04-0.09 ng L(-1), S/N=3:1), good repeatability of the extractions (relative standard deviation, <12%, n=6), and satisfactory recoveries between 84.9% and 101.0% under optimal conditions. Real environmental samples collected from rivers, local lakes, rain and spring waters were analyzed using the developed method. Results demonstrated that the hexagonal boron nitride-based material has significant potential as a sorbent for organic pollutant extraction from environmental water samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Green synthesis of carbon quantum dots from lignite coal and the application in Fe3+ detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xuexia; Hao, Juanyuan; Liu, Jianhui; Tao, Hongcai

2018-02-01

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) had attracted much attention due to their unique structures and excellent properties. Their green preparation was one of the research frontiers. However, most of the CQDs were prepared by strong acid oxidation, the way of which was not friendly to the environment. In this study, CQDs were prepared by green ozone oxidation of lignite coal, which is abundant and inexpensive. The CQDs were well dispersed, the size distribution of the obtained CQDs centralized from 2 to 4 nm with the average diameter of about 2.8 nm. In addition, the as-prepared CQDs containing rich oxygen functional groups exhibited good water-solubility and optical properties with yield reached 35%. The CQDs showed a highly sensitive and selective quenching effect to Fe3+ with desirable anti-interference performance. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of CQDs had a good linear response to the Fe3+ concentration ranging from 10 to 150 µmol/L with the detection limit of 0.26 µmol/L. This green and facile synthesis method had the prospect of large-scale preparation of CQDs.

Surface Plasmon Resonance Investigations of Bioselective Element Based on the Recombinant Protein A for Immunoglobulin Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhmachuk, A.; Gorbatiuk, O.; Rachkov, A.; Dons'koi, B.; Khristosenko, R.; Ushenin, I.; Peshkova, V.; Soldatkin, A.

2017-02-01

The developed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on the recombinant Staphylococcal protein A with an additional cysteine residue (SPA-Cys) used as a biorecognition component showed a good selectivity and sensitivity for the immunoglobulin detection. The developed biosensor with SPA-Cys-based bioselective element can also be used as a first step of immunosensor creation. The successful immobilization of SPA-Cys on the nanolayer gold sensor surface of the SPR spectrometer was performed. The efficiency of blocking nonspecific sorption sites on the sensor surface with milk proteins, gelatin, BSA, and HSA was studied, and a rather high efficiency of using gelatin was confirmed. The SPR biosensor selectively interacted with IgG and did not interact with the control proteins. The linear dependence of the sensor response on the IgG concentration in the range from 2 to 10 μg/ml was shown. Using the calibration curve, the IgG concentration was measured in the model samples. The determined concentrations are in good agreement ( r 2 = 0.97) with the given concentration of IgG.

Fabrication and Characterization of Flexible and Miniaturized Humidity Sensors Using Screen-Printed TiO2 Nanoparticles as Sensitive Layer

PubMed Central

Dubourg, Georges; Segkos, Apostolos; Katona, Jaroslav; Radović, Marko; Savić, Slavica; Crnojević-Bengin, Vesna

2017-01-01

This paper describes the fabrication and the characterization of an original example of a miniaturized resistive-type humidity sensor, printed on flexible substrate in a large-scale manner. The fabrication process involves laser ablation for the design of interdigitated electrodes on PET (Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate) substrate and a screen-printing process for the deposition of the sensitive material, which is based on TiO2 nanoparticles. The laser ablation process was carefully optimized to obtain micro-scale and well-resolved electrodes on PET substrate. A functional paste based on cellulose was prepared in order to allow the precise screen-printing of the TiO2 nanoparticles as sensing material on the top of the electrodes. The current against voltage (I–V) characteristic of the sensor showed good linearity and potential for low-power operation. The results of a humidity-sensing investigation and mechanical testing showed that the fabricated miniaturized sensors have excellent mechanical stability, sensing characteristics, good repeatability, and relatively fast response/recovery times operating at room temperature. PMID:28800063

Fabrication of 3D honeycomb-like porous polyurethane-functionalized reduced graphene oxide for detection of dopamine.

PubMed

Vilian, A T Ezhil; An, Suyeong; Choe, Sang Rak; Kwak, Cheol Hwan; Huh, Yun Suk; Lee, Jonghwi; Han, Young-Kyu

2016-12-15

A three dimensional reduced graphene oxide/polyurethane (RGO-PU) porous material with connected pores was prepared by physical adsorption of RGO onto the surface of porous PU. The porous PU was prepared by directional melt crystallization of a solvent, which produced high pores with controlled orientation. The prepared RGO-PU was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, spectroscopy and electro-chemical methods. The RGO-PU porous material revealed better electrochemical performance, which might be attributed to the robust structure, superior conductivity, large surface area, and good flexibility. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) analysis of DA using the RGO-PU exhibited a linear response range over a wide DA concentration of 100-1150pM, with the detection limit of 1pM. This sensor exhibited outstanding anti-interference ability towards co-existing molecules with good stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Furthermore, the fabricated sensor was successfully applied for the quantitative analysis of DA in human serum and urine samples with acceptable recovery, which indicates its feasibility for practical application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Spectral characteristics of refractive index based on nanocoated optical fiber F-P sensor].

PubMed

Jiang, Ming-Shun; Li, Qiu-Shun; Sui, Qing-Mei; Jia, Lei; Peng, Peng

2013-01-01

An optical fiber Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometer end surface was modified using layer-by-layer assembly and chemical covalent cross linking method, and the refractive index (RI) response characteristics of coated optical fiber F-P sensor were experimentally studied. Poly diallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) and sodium polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) were chosen as nano-film materials. With the numbers of layers increasing, the reflection spectral contrast of optical fiber F-P sensor presents from high to low, then to high regularity. And the reflection spectral contrast has good temperature stability. The reflection spectra of the optical F-P sensor coated with 20 bilayers for a series of concentration of sucrose and inorganic solution were measured. Experimental results show that the inflection point extends from 1.457 to 1.462 3, and the reflection spectral contrast sensitivity to low RI material and high RI material is 24.53 and 3.60 dB x RI(-1), respectively, with good linearity. The results demonstrate that the functional coated optical F-P sensor provides a new method for biology and chemical material test.

An Amperometric Biosensor Utilizing a Ferrocene-Mediated Horseradish Peroxidase Reaction for the Determination of Capsaicin (Chili Hotness)

PubMed Central

Mohammad, Rosmawani; Ahmad, Musa; Heng, Lee Yook

2013-01-01

Chili hotness is very much dependent on the concentration of capsaicin present in the chili fruit. A new biosensor based on a horseradish peroxidase enzyme-capsaicin reaction mediated by ferrocene has been successfully developed for the amperometric determination of chili hotness. The amperometric biosensor is fabricated based on a single-step immobilization of both ferrocene and horseradish peroxidase in a photocurable hydrogel membrane, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). With mediation by ferrocene, the biosensor could measure capsaicin concentrations at a potential 0.22 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which prevented potential interference from other electroactive species in the sample. Thus a good selectivity towards capsaicin was demonstrated. The linear response range of the biosensor towards capsaicin was from 2.5–99.0 μM with detection limit of 1.94 μM. A good relative standard deviation (RSD) for reproducibility of 6.4%–9.9% was obtained. The capsaicin biosensor demonstrated long-term stability for up to seven months. The performance of the biosensor has been validated using a standard method for the analysis of capsaicin based on HPLC. PMID:23921830

Mesoporous Nickel Oxide (NiO) Nanopetals for Ultrasensitive Glucose Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Suryakant; Yogi, Priyanka; Sagdeo, P. R.; Kumar, Rajesh

2018-01-01

Glucose sensing properties of mesoporous well-aligned, dense nickel oxide (NiO) nanostructures (NSs) in nanopetals (NPs) shape grown hydrothermally on the FTO-coated glass substrate has been demonstrated. The structural study based investigations of NiO-NPs has been carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron and atomic force microscopies, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and X-ray photospectroscopy (XPS). Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements, employed for surface analysis, suggest NiO's suitability for surface activity based glucose sensing applications. The glucose sensor, which immobilized glucose on NiO-NPs@FTO electrode, shows detection of wide range of glucose concentrations with good linearity and high sensitivity of 3.9 μA/μM/cm2 at 0.5 V operating potential. Detection limit of as low as 1 μΜ and a fast response time of less than 1 s was observed. The glucose sensor electrode possesses good anti-interference ability, stability, repeatability & reproducibility and shows inert behavior toward ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA) and dopamine acid (DA) making it a perfect non-enzymatic glucose sensor.

Automatic flow-batch system for cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy determination of mercury in honey from Argentina using online sample treatment.

PubMed

Domínguez, Marina A; Grünhut, Marcos; Pistonesi, Marcelo F; Di Nezio, María S; Centurión, María E

2012-05-16

An automatic flow-batch system that includes two borosilicate glass chambers to perform sample digestion and cold vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy determination of mercury in honey samples was designed. The sample digestion was performed by using a low-cost halogen lamp to obtain the optimum temperature. Optimization of the digestion procedure was done using a Box-Behnken experimental design. A linear response was observed from 2.30 to 11.20 μg Hg L(-1). The relative standard deviation was 3.20% (n = 11, 6.81 μg Hg L(-1)), the sample throughput was 4 sample h(-1), and the detection limit was 0.68 μg Hg L(-1). The obtained results with the flow-batch method are in good agreement with those obtained with the reference method. The flow-batch system is simple, allows the use of both chambers simultaneously, is seen as a promising methodology for achieving green chemistry goals, and is a good proposal to improving the quality control of honey.

Reagent-less amperometric glucose biosensor based on a graphite rod electrode layer-by-layer modified with 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione and glucose oxidase.

PubMed

Kausaite-Minkstimiene, Asta; Simanaityte, Ruta; Ramanaviciene, Almira; Glumbokaite, Laura; Ramanavicius, Arunas

2017-08-15

A reagent-less amperometric glucose biosensor operating in not-stirred sample solution was developed. A working electrode of the designed biosensor was based on a graphite rod (GR) electrode, which was modified with 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (PD) and glucose oxidase (GOx). The PD and the GOx were layer-by-layer adsorbed on the GR electrode surface with subsequent drying followed by chemical cross-linking of the adsorbed GOx with glutaraldehyde (GA). Optimal preparation conditions of the working electrode (GR/PD/GOx) were achieved with 12.6μg and 0.24mg loading amount of PD and GOx, respectively and 25min lasting cross-linking of the GOx with GA. A current response to glucose of the GR/PD/GOx electrode was measured at +200mV potential vs Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Maximum current response was registered when the pH of the buffer solution was 6.0. The registered current response to glucose was linear in the concentration range of 0.1-76mmolL -1 (R 2 =0.9985) and a detection limit was 0.025mmolL -1 . The GR/PD/GOx electrode demonstrated good reproducibility and repeatability with the relative standard deviation of 6.2% and 1.8% (at 4.0mmolL -1 of glucose), respectively, high anti-interference ability to uric and ascorbic acids. It was highly selective to glucose and demonstrated good accuracy in the analysis of human serum samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A 3D Chemically Modified Graphene Hydrogel for Fast, Highly Sensitive, and Selective Gas Sensor.

PubMed

Wu, Jin; Tao, Kai; Guo, Yuanyuan; Li, Zhong; Wang, Xiaotian; Luo, Zhongzhen; Feng, Shuanglong; Du, Chunlei; Chen, Di; Miao, Jianmin; Norford, Leslie K

2017-03-01

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) has proved to be a promising candidate in high-performance gas sensing in ambient conditions. However, trace detection of different kinds of gases with simultaneously high sensitivity and selectivity is challenging. Here, a chemiresistor-type sensor based on 3D sulfonated RGO hydrogel (S-RGOH) is reported, which can detect a variety of important gases with high sensitivity, boosted selectivity, fast response, and good reversibility. The NaHSO 3 functionalized RGOH displays remarkable 118.6 and 58.9 times higher responses to NO 2 and NH 3 , respectively, compared with its unmodified RGOH counterpart. In addition, the S-RGOH sensor is highly responsive to volatile organic compounds. More importantly, the characteristic patterns on the linearly fitted response-temperature curves are employed to distinguish various gases for the first time. The temperature of the sensor is elevated rapidly by an imbedded microheater with little power consumption. The 3D S-RGOH is characterized and the sensing mechanisms are proposed. This work gains new insights into boosting the sensitivity of detecting various gases by combining chemical modification and 3D structural engineering of RGO, and improving the selectivity of gas sensing by employing temperature dependent response characteristics of RGO for different gases.

Correlation between ultrasonographic findings and the response to corticosteroid injection in pes anserinus tendinobursitis syndrome in knee osteoarthritis patients.

PubMed

Yoon, Ho Sung; Kim, Sung Eun; Suh, Young Ran; Seo, Young-Il; Kim, Hyun Ah

2005-02-01

The objectives of this study were to assess the ultrasonographic (US) findings in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) with pes anserinus tendinitis or bursitis (PATB) syndrome and to determine the correlation between the US findings and the response to local corticosteroid injection. We prospectively studied 26 patients with knee OA with clinically diagnosed PATB syndrome. A linear array 7 MHz transducer was used for US examination of the knee. Seventeen patients were injected locally with tramcinolone acetonide in the anserine bursa area. Response to local corticosteroid injection was evaluated by pain visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and MacMaster (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index and Global patient/physician assessment using Likert scale. On US examination, only 2 patients (8.7%) showed evidence of PATB. Pain VAS, WOMAC pain index and WOMAC physical function index improved significantly after corticosteroid injection. Global patient assessment revealed that 2 patients showed best response, 6 good, 1 fair, 8 the same, and none worse. It is of note that the 2 patients who showed the best response were those who showed US evidence of PATB. This finding shows that US can serve as a useful diagnostic tool for guiding treatment in PATB syndrome of OA patients.

Correlation between Ultrasonographic Findings and The Response to Corticosteroid Injection in Pes Anserinus Tendinobursitis Syndrome in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients

PubMed Central

Yoon, Ho Sung; Kim, Sung Eun; Suh, Young Ran; Seo, Young-Il

2005-01-01

The objectives of this study were to assess the ultrasonographic (US) findings in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) with pes anserinus tendinitis or bursitis (PATB) syndrome and to determine the correlation between the US findings and the response to local corticosteroid injection. We prospectively studied 26 patients with knee OA with clinically diagnosed PATB syndrome. A linear array 7 MHz transducer was used for US examination of the knee. Seventeen patients were injected locally with tramcinolone acetonide in the anserine bursa area. Response to local corticosteroid injection was evaluated by pain visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and MacMaster (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index and Global patient/physician assessment using Likert scale. On US examination, only 2 patients (8.7%) showed evidence of PATB. Pain VAS, WOMAC pain index and WOMAC physical function index improved significantly after corticosteroid injection. Global patient assessment revealed that 2 patients showed best response, 6 good, 1 fair, 8 the same, and none worse. It is of note that the 2 patients who showed the best response were those who showed US evidence of PATB. This finding shows that US can serve as a useful diagnostic tool for guiding treatment in PATB syndrome of OA patients. PMID:15716614

Performance of a GM tube based environmental dose rate monitor operating in the Time-To-Count mode

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

Zickefoose, J.; Kulkarni, T.; Martinson, T.

The events at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in the aftermath of a natural disaster underline the importance of a large array of networked environmental monitors to cover areas around nuclear power plants. These monitors should meet a few basic criteria: have a uniform response over a wide range of gamma energies, have a uniform response over a wide range of incident angles, and have a large dynamic range. Many of these criteria are met if the probe is qualified to the international standard IEC 60532 (Radiation protection instrumentation - Installed dose rate meters, warning assemblies and monitors - Xmore » and gamma radiation of energy between 50 keV and 7 MeV), which specifically deals with energy response, angle of incidence, dynamic range, response time, and a number of environmental characteristics. EcoGamma is a dual GM tube environmental gamma radiation monitor designed specifically to meet the requirements of IEC 60532 and operate in the most extreme conditions. EcoGamma utilizes two energy compensated GM tubes operating with a Time-To-Count (TTC) collection algorithm. The TTC algorithm extends the lifetime and range of a GM tube significantly and allows the dual GM tube probe to achieve linearity over approximately 10 decades of gamma dose rate (from the Sv/hr range to 100 Sv/hr). In the TTC mode of operation, the GM tube is not maintained in a biased condition continuously. This is different from a traditional counting system where the GM tube is held at a constant bias continuously and the total number of strikes that the tube registers are counted. The traditional approach allows for good sensitivity, but does not lend itself to a long lifetime of the tube and is susceptible to linearity issues at high count rates. TTC on the other hand only biases the tube for short periods of time and in effect measures the time between events, which is statistically representative of the total strike rate. Since the tube is not continually biased, the life of the tube is extended and the linearity is greatly improved. Testing has been performed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the USA and confirms compliance to IEC 60532 as well as linearity (± 10%) up to 100 Sv/hr. Furthermore, a network of EcoGamma probes may be linked through available supervisory software to provide a dose rate map of an area. This allows for real time monitoring of dose rates from one (or multiple) remote locations. (authors)« less

Design and development of amperometric biosensor for the detection of lead and mercury ions in water matrix-a permeability approach.

PubMed

Gumpu, Manju Bhargavi; Krishnan, Uma Maheswari; Rayappan, John Bosco Balaguru

2017-07-01

Intake of water contaminated with lead (Pb 2+ ) and mercury (Hg 2+ ) ions leads to various toxic effects and health issues. In this context, an amperometric urease inhibition-based biosensor was developed to detect Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ ions in water matrix. The modified Pt/CeO 2 /urease electrode was fabricated by immobilizing CeO 2 nanoparticles and urease using a semi-permeable adsorption layer of nafion. With urea as a substrate, urease catalytic activity was examined through cyclic voltammetry. Further, maximum amperometric inhibitive response of the modified Pt/CeO 2 /urease electrode was observed in the presence of Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ ions due to the urease inhibition at specific potentials of -0.03 and 0 V, respectively. The developed sensor exhibited a detection limit of 0.019 ± 0.001 μM with a sensitivity of 89.2 × 10 -3  μA μM -1 for Pb 2+ ions. A detection limit of 0.018 ± 0.003 with a sensitivity of 94.1 × 10 -3  μA μM -1 was achieved in detecting Hg 2+ ions. The developed biosensor showed a fast response time (<1 s) with a linear range of 0.5-2.2 and 0.02-0.8 μM for Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ ions, respectively. The modified electrode offered a good stability for 20 days with a good repeatability and reproducibility. The developed sensor was used to detect Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ ions contaminating Cauvery river water and the observed results were in good co-ordination with atomic absorption spectroscopic data.

Microcalorimetry and the transition-edge sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindeman, Mark Anton

2000-10-01

Many scientific and industrial applications call for quantum-efficient high-energy-resolution microcalorimeters for the measurement of x rays. The applications driving the development of these detectors involve the measurement of faint sources of x rays in which few photons reach the detector. Interesting astrophysical applications for these microcalorimeters include the measurement of composition and temperatures of stellar atmospheres and diffuse interstellar plasmas. Other applications of microcalorimeter technology include x-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements of industrial or scientific samples. We are attempting to develop microcalorimeters with energy resolutions of several eV because many sources (such as celestial plasmas) contain combinations of elements producing emission lines spaced only a few eV apart. Our microcalorimeters consist of a metal-film absorber (250mum x 250mum x 3mum of copper) coupled to a superconducting transition-edge-sensor (TES) thermometer. This microcalorimeter demonstrated an energy resolution of 42 eV (FWHM) at 6 keV, excellent linearity, and showed no evidence of position dependent response. The response of our microcalorimeters depends both on the temperature of the microcalorimeter and on the electrical current conducted through the TES thermometer. We present a microcalorimeter model that extends previous microcalorimeter theory to include additional current dependent effects. The model makes predictions about the effects of various forms of noise. In addition, the model helps us to understand what measurements are useful for characterizing TES microcalorimeters. While the energy resolution we obtained was quite good (twice as good as conventional semiconductor-based x-ray detectors), the obtained resolution was not as good as expected, due to excess noise from fluctuations in the TES thermometer. The energy resolution of future TES microcalorimeters can be improved by redesigning the calorimeters to minimize the noise due to these fluctuations.

TD-CI simulation of the electronic optical response of molecules in intense fields II: comparison of DFT functionals and EOM-CCSD.

PubMed

Sonk, Jason A; Schlegel, H Bernhard

2011-10-27

Time-dependent configuration interaction (TD-CI) simulations can be used to simulate molecules in intense laser fields. TD-CI calculations use the excitation energies and transition dipoles calculated in the absence of a field. The EOM-CCSD method provides a good estimate of the field-free excited states but is rather expensive. Linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is an inexpensive alternative for computing the field-free excitation energies and transition dipoles needed for TD-CI simulations. Linear-response TD-DFT calculations were carried out with standard functionals (B3LYP, BH&HLYP, HSE2PBE (HSE03), BLYP, PBE, PW91, and TPSS) and long-range corrected functionals (LC-ωPBE, ωB97XD, CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, LC-PBE, LC-PW91, and LC-TPSS). These calculations used the 6-31G(d,p) basis set augmented with three sets of diffuse sp functions on each heavy atom. Butadiene was employed as a test case, and 500 excited states were calculated with each functional. Standard functionals yield average excitation energies that are significantly lower than the EOM-CC, while long-range corrected functionals tend to produce average excitation energies slightly higher. Long-range corrected functionals also yield transition dipoles that are somewhat larger than EOM-CC on average. The TD-CI simulations were carried out with a three-cycle Gaussian pulse (ω = 0.06 au, 760 nm) with intensities up to 1.26 × 10(14) W cm(-2) directed along the vector connecting the end carbons. The nonlinear response as indicated by the residual populations of the excited states after the pulse is far too large with standard functionals, primarily because the excitation energies are too low. The LC-ωPBE, LC-PBE, LC-PW91, and LC-TPSS long-range corrected functionals produce responses comparable to EOM-CC.

Dietary exposure of PBDEs resulting from a subsistence diet in three First Nation communities in the James Bay Region of Canada.

PubMed

Liberda, Eric N; Wainman, Bruce C; Leblanc, Alain; Dumas, Pierre; Martin, Ian; Tsuji, Leonard J S

2011-04-01

Concerns regarding the persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and adverse health effects of polybrominated dipheyl ethers (PBDEs) have recently come to light. PBDEs may potentially be of concern to indigenous (First Nations) people of Canada who subsist on traditional foods, but there is a paucity of information on this topic. To investigate whether the traditional diet is a major source of PBDEs in sub-Arctic First Nations populations of the Hudson Bay Lowlands (James and Hudson Bay),Ontario, Canada, a variety of tissues from wild game and fish were analyzed for PBDE content (n=147) and dietary exposure assessed and compared to the US EPA reference doses (RfDs). In addition, to examine the effect of isolation/industrialization on PBDE body burdens, the blood plasma from three First Nations (Cree Nation of Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec; Fort Albany First Nation, Ontario; and Weenusk First Nation [Peawanuck], Ontario, Canada) were collected (n=54) and analyzed using a log-linear contingency model. The mean values of PBDEs in wild meats and fish adjusted for standard consumption values and body weight, did not exceed the US EPA RfD. Log linear modeling of the human PBDE body burden showed that PBDE body burden increases as access to manufactured goods increases. Thus, household dust from material goods containing PBDEs is likely responsible for the human exposure; the traditional First Nations diet appears to be a minor source of PBDEs. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Good News for Borehole Climatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rath, Volker; Fidel Gonzalez-Rouco, J.; Goosse, Hugues

2010-05-01

Though the investigation of observed borehole temperatures has proved to be a valuable tool for the reconstruction of ground surface temperature histories, there are many open questions concerning the significance and accuracy of the reconstructions from these data. In particular, the temperature signal of the warming after the Last glacial Maximum (LGM) is still present in borehole temperature profiles. It influences the relatively shallow boreholes used in current paleoclimate inversions to estimate temperature changes in the last centuries. This is shown using Monte Carlo experiments on past surface temperature change, using plausible distributions for the most important parameters, i.e.,amplitude and timing of the glacial-interglacial transition, the prior average temperature, and petrophysical properties. It has been argued that the signature of the last glacial-interglacial transition could be responsible for the high amplitudes of millennial temperature reconstructions. However, in shallow boreholes the additional effect of past climate can reasonably approximated by a linear variation of temperature with depth, and thus be accommodated by a "biased" background heat flow. This is good news for borehole climate, but implies that the geological heat flow values have to be interpreted accordingly. Borehole climate reconstructions from these shallow are most probably underestimating past variability due to the diffusive character of the heat conduction process, and the smoothness constraints necessary for obtaining stable solutions of this ill-posed inverse problem. A simple correction based on subtracting an appropriate prior surface temperature history shows promising results reducing these errors considerably, also with deeper boreholes, where the heat flow signal can not be approximated linearly, and improves the comparisons with AOGCM modeling results.

Investigation of Super Learner Methodology on HIV-1 Small Sample: Application on Jaguar Trial Data.

PubMed

Houssaïni, Allal; Assoumou, Lambert; Marcelin, Anne Geneviève; Molina, Jean Michel; Calvez, Vincent; Flandre, Philippe

2012-01-01

Background. Many statistical models have been tested to predict phenotypic or virological response from genotypic data. A statistical framework called Super Learner has been introduced either to compare different methods/learners (discrete Super Learner) or to combine them in a Super Learner prediction method. Methods. The Jaguar trial is used to apply the Super Learner framework. The Jaguar study is an "add-on" trial comparing the efficacy of adding didanosine to an on-going failing regimen. Our aim was also to investigate the impact on the use of different cross-validation strategies and different loss functions. Four different repartitions between training set and validations set were tested through two loss functions. Six statistical methods were compared. We assess performance by evaluating R(2) values and accuracy by calculating the rates of patients being correctly classified. Results. Our results indicated that the more recent Super Learner methodology of building a new predictor based on a weighted combination of different methods/learners provided good performance. A simple linear model provided similar results to those of this new predictor. Slight discrepancy arises between the two loss functions investigated, and slight difference arises also between results based on cross-validated risks and results from full dataset. The Super Learner methodology and linear model provided around 80% of patients correctly classified. The difference between the lower and higher rates is around 10 percent. The number of mutations retained in different learners also varys from one to 41. Conclusions. The more recent Super Learner methodology combining the prediction of many learners provided good performance on our small dataset.

Experimental issues related to frequency response function measurements for frequency-based substructuring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicgorski, Dana; Avitabile, Peter

2010-07-01

Frequency-based substructuring is a very popular approach for the generation of system models from component measured data. Analytically the approach has been shown to produce accurate results. However, implementation with actual test data can cause difficulties and cause problems with the system response prediction. In order to produce good results, extreme care is needed in the measurement of the drive point and transfer impedances of the structure as well as observe all the conditions for a linear time invariant system. Several studies have been conducted to show the sensitivity of the technique to small variations that often occur during typical testing of structures. These variations have been observed in actual tested configurations and have been substantiated with analytical models to replicate the problems typically encountered. The use of analytically simulated issues helps to clearly see the effects of typical measurement difficulties often observed in test data. This paper presents some of these common problems observed and provides guidance and recommendations for data to be used for this modeling approach.

High-throughput trace analysis of explosives in water by laser diode thermal desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Badjagbo, Koffi; Sauvé, Sébastien

2012-07-03

Harmful explosives can accumulate in natural waters in the long term during their testing, usage, storage, and dumping and can pose a health risk to humans and the environment. For the first time, attachment of small anions to neutral molecules in laser diode thermal desorption/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization was systematically investigated for the direct determination of trace nitroaromatics, nitrate esters, and nitramine explosives in water. Using ammonium chloride as an additive improved the instrument response for all the explosives tested and promoted the formation of several characteristic adduct ions. The method performs well achieving good linearity over at least 2 orders of magnitude, with coefficients of determination greater than 0.995. The resulting limits of detection are in the range of 0.009-0.092 μg/L. River water samples were successfully analyzed by the proposed method with accuracy in the range of 96-98% and a response time of 15 s, without any further pretreatment or chromatographic separation.

Remediation of groundwater contaminated with the lead-phenol binary system by granular dead anaerobic sludge-permeable reactive barrier.

PubMed

Faisal, Ayad A H; Abd Ali, Ziad T

2017-10-01

Computer solutions (COMSOL) Multiphysics 3.5a software was used for simulating the one-dimensional equilibrium transport of the lead-phenol binary system including the sorption process through saturated sandy soil as the aquifer and granular dead anaerobic sludge (GDAS) as the permeable reactive barrier. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis proved that the carboxylic and alcohol groups are responsible for the bio-sorption of lead onto GDAS, while phosphines, aromatic and alkane are the functional groups responsible for the bio-sorption of phenol. Batch tests have been performed to characterize the equilibrium sorption properties of the GDAS and sandy soil in lead and/or phenol containing aqueous solutions. Numerical and experimental results proved that the barrier plays a potential role in the restriction of the contaminant plume migration and there is a linear relationship between longevity and thickness of the barrier. A good agreement between these results was recognized with root mean squared error not exceeding 0.04.

DAMIC at SNOLAB

DOE PAGES

Chavarria, Alvaro E.; Tiffenberg, Javier; Aguilar-Arevalo, Alexis; ...

2015-03-24

We introduce the fully-depleted charge-coupled device (CCD) as a particle detector. We demonstrate its low energy threshold operation, capable of detecting ionizing energy depositions in a single pixel down to 50 eV ee. We present results of energy calibrations from 0.3 keV ee to 60 ke Vee, showing that the CCD is a fully active detector with uniform energy response throughout the silicon target, good resolution (Fano ~0.16), and remarkable linear response to electron energy depositions. We show the capability of the CCD to localize the depth of particle interactions within the silicon target. We discuss the mode of operationmore » and unique imaging capabilities of the CCD, and how they may be exploited to characterize and suppress backgrounds. We present the first results from the deployment of 250 μm thick CCDs in SNOLAB, a prototype for the upcoming DAMIC100. DAMIC100 will have a target mass of 0.1 kg and should be able to directly test the CDMS-Si signal within a year of operation.« less

The Total Synthesis Problem of linear multivariable control. II - Unity feedback and the design morphism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sain, M. K.; Antsaklis, P. J.; Gejji, R. R.; Wyman, B. F.; Peczkowski, J. L.

1981-01-01

Zames (1981) has observed that there is, in general, no 'separation principle' to guarantee optimality of a division between control law design and filtering of plant uncertainty. Peczkowski and Sain (1978) have solved a model matching problem using transfer functions. Taking into consideration this investigation, Peczkowski et al. (1979) proposed the Total Synthesis Problem (TSP), wherein both the command/output-response and command/control-response are to be synthesized, subject to the plant constraint. The TSP concept can be subdivided into a Nominal Design Problem (NDP), which is not dependent upon specific controller structures, and a Feedback Synthesis Problem (FSP), which is. Gejji (1980) found that NDP was characterized in terms of the plant structural matrices and a single, 'good' transfer function matrix. Sain et al. (1981) have extended this NDP work. The present investigation is concerned with a study of FSP for the unity feedback case. NDP, together with feedback synthesis, is understood as a Total Synthesis Problem.

Determination of dopamine in pharmaceutical formulation using enhanced luminescence from europium complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wabaidur, Saikh Mohammad; ALOthman, Zeid Abdullah; Naushad, Mu.

Biologically important compound dopamine plays an important role in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Insufficient dopamine level due to the loss of dopamine producing cells may lead to disease called Schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. Hence, a simple and fast detection of dopamine is necessary to study in the fields of neurophysiology and clinical medicine. An enhanced fluorimetric determination of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid is achieved using photoluminescence of europium complex, Eu(III)-dipicolinic acid. In order to obtain better responses, several operational parameters have been investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the method showed good stability and reproducibility. The application of this method for the determination of dopamine neurotransmitters was satisfactory. Linear response was found down to 3.0 × 10-7 M with limit of detection 1.0 × 10-8 M. The relative standard deviation was found to be 3.33% from 20 independent measurements for 1.0 × 10-5 M of dopamine.

Sparse partial least squares regression for simultaneous dimension reduction and variable selection

PubMed Central

Chun, Hyonho; Keleş, Sündüz

2010-01-01

Partial least squares regression has been an alternative to ordinary least squares for handling multicollinearity in several areas of scientific research since the 1960s. It has recently gained much attention in the analysis of high dimensional genomic data. We show that known asymptotic consistency of the partial least squares estimator for a univariate response does not hold with the very large p and small n paradigm. We derive a similar result for a multivariate response regression with partial least squares. We then propose a sparse partial least squares formulation which aims simultaneously to achieve good predictive performance and variable selection by producing sparse linear combinations of the original predictors. We provide an efficient implementation of sparse partial least squares regression and compare it with well-known variable selection and dimension reduction approaches via simulation experiments. We illustrate the practical utility of sparse partial least squares regression in a joint analysis of gene expression and genomewide binding data. PMID:20107611

Dynamics of unforced and vertically forced rocking elliptical and semi-elliptical disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xue-She; Mazzoleni, Michael J.; Mann, Brian P.

2018-03-01

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the dynamics of unforced and vertically forced rocking elliptical and semi-elliptical disks. The full equation of motion for both rocking disks is derived from first principles. For unforced behavior, Lamb's method is used to derive the linear natural frequency of both disks, and harmonic balance is used to determine their amplitude-dependent rocking frequencies. A stability analysis then reveals that the equilibria and stability of the two disks are considerably different, as the semi-elliptical disk has a super-critical pitchfork bifurcation that enables it to exhibit bistable rocking behavior. Experimental studies were conducted to verify the trends. For vertically forced behavior, numerical investigations show the disk's responses to forward and reverse frequency sweeps. Three modes of periodicity were observed for the steady state behavior. Experiments were performed to verify the frequency responses and the presence of the three rocking modes. Comparisons between the experiments and numerical investigations show good agreement.

Very long stripe-filters for a multispectral detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laubier, D.; Mercier Ythier, Renaud

2017-11-01

In order to simplify instrument design, a new linear area CCD sensor has been developed under CNES responsibility. This detector has four lines 6000 13-μm square pixels long with four stripe filters, one in front of each of them. The detector itself was manufactured and mounted by ATMEL, and the filters were made by SAGEM/REOSC. Assembly was done in two ways, one by ATMEL, the other by SESO. CNES was responsible for the overall design and mechanical/optical interfaces. This paper reports the optical part of this work, including filters placement strategy and line spacing. It will be shown how these two features are closely linked to straylight performance. First, a trade-off study was conducted between several concepts: the results of this study will be presented, as well as the filter design and manufacturing results. They show good transmission and excellent rejection. Final performance of the complete prototypes has been measured, and it will be compared to theoretical models.

Finite magnetic relaxation in x-space magnetic particle imaging: Comparison of measurements and ferrohydrodynamic models.

PubMed

Dhavalikar, R; Hensley, D; Maldonado-Camargo, L; Croft, L R; Ceron, S; Goodwill, P W; Conolly, S M; Rinaldi, C

2016-08-03

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an emerging tomographic imaging technology that detects magnetic nanoparticle tracers by exploiting their non-linear magnetization properties. In order to predict the behavior of nanoparticles in an imager, it is possible to use a non-imaging MPI relaxometer or spectrometer to characterize the behavior of nanoparticles in a controlled setting. In this paper we explore the use of ferrohydrodynamic magnetization equations for predicting the response of particles in an MPI relaxometer. These include a magnetization equation developed by Shliomis (Sh) which has a constant relaxation time and a magnetization equation which uses a field-dependent relaxation time developed by Martsenyuk, Raikher and Shliomis (MRSh). We compare the predictions from these models with measurements and with the predictions based on the Langevin function that assumes instantaneous magnetization response of the nanoparticles. The results show good qualitative and quantitative agreement between the ferrohydrodynamic models and the measurements without the use of fitting parameters and provide further evidence of the potential of ferrohydrodynamic modeling in MPI.

Fiber-ring laser-based intracavity photoacoustic spectroscopy for trace gas sensing.

PubMed

Wang, Qiang; Wang, Zhen; Chang, Jun; Ren, Wei

2017-06-01

We demonstrated a novel trace gas sensing method based on fiber-ring laser intracavity photoacoustic spectroscopy. This spectroscopic technique is a merging of photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) with a fiber-ring cavity for sensitive and all-fiber gas detection. A transmission-type PAS gas cell (resonant frequency f₀=2.68  kHz) was placed inside the fiber-ring laser to fully utilize the intracavity laser power. The PAS signal was excited by modulating the laser wavelength at f₀/2 using a custom-made fiber Bragg grating-based modulator. We used this spectroscopic technique to detect acetylene (C₂H₂) at 1531.6 nm as a proof of principle. With a low Q-factor (4.9) of the PAS cell, our sensor achieved a good linear response (R²=0.996) to C₂H₂ concentration and a minimum detection limit of 390 ppbv at 2-s response time.

Step responses of a torsional system with multiple clearances: Study of vibro-impact phenomenon using experimental and computational methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oruganti, Pradeep Sharma; Krak, Michael D.; Singh, Rajendra

2018-01-01

Recently Krak and Singh (2017) proposed a scientific experiment that examined vibro-impacts in a torsional system under a step down excitation and provided preliminary measurements and limited non-linear model studies. A major goal of this article is to extend the prior work with a focus on the examination of vibro-impact phenomena observed under step responses in a torsional system with one, two or three controlled clearances. First, new measurements are made at several locations with a higher sampling frequency. Measured angular accelerations are examined in both time and time-frequency domains. Minimal order non-linear models of the experiment are successfully constructed, using piecewise linear stiffness and Coulomb friction elements; eight cases of the generic system are examined though only three are experimentally studied. Measured and predicted responses for single and dual clearance configurations exhibit double sided impacts and time varying periods suggest softening trends under the step down torque. Non-linear models are experimentally validated by comparing results with new measurements and with those previously reported. Several metrics are utilized to quantify and compare the measured and predicted responses (including peak to peak accelerations). Eigensolutions and step responses of the corresponding linearized models are utilized to better understand the nature of the non-linear dynamic system. Finally, the effect of step amplitude on the non-linear responses is examined for several configurations, and hardening trends are observed in the torsional system with three clearances.

Ferroelectric KNbO3 nanofibers: synthesis, characterization and their application as a humidity nanosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganeshkumar, Rajasekaran; Sopiha, Kostiantyn V.; Wu, Ping; Cheah, Chin Wei; Zhao, Rong

2016-09-01

By virtue of its non-toxicity, high T c, and non-linear optical and ferroelectric properties, one-dimensional (1D) potassium niobate (KNbO3) may enable the development of numerous nanoscale devices. Despite the progress in 1D perovskite materials, preparing high aspect ratio KNbO3 nanostructures is still a concern. This report presents the successful synthesis of ultra-long KNbO3 nanofibers using a simple sol-gel assisted far-field electrospinning process. At optimized conditions, centimeters long, orthorhombic KNbO3 nanofibers with an average diameter of 100 nm have been obtained. The nanofibers are composed of uniform grains densely stacked along the direction of the nanofiber axis. Due to large surface-volume ratio, a high sensitive humidity nanosensor based on KNbO3 nanofibers displaying a logarithmic-linear dependence behavior of the conductance with the relative humidity (RH) was demonstrated. The conductance increases dramatically from 10-10 ℧ to 10-6 ℧ while RH varies from 15% to 95% at room temperature. In addition, the nanosensor exhibits excellent sensing performance, including ultrafast response (≤2 s) and recovery times (≤10 s), good linearity and reproducibility. Furthermore, the change in ferroelectric coercivity with respect to the RH and its effect in the sensing behavior were unveiled. This work could enable broad applications in the fields of environmental sensing and nano-electrical-mechanical systems.

Anodic voltammetric behavior and determination of rosiglitazone in pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological fluids on solid electrode.

PubMed

Dogan-Topal, Burcu; Tuncel, Secil; Ozkan, Sibel A

2010-09-01

The anodic voltammetric behavior and electroanalytical determination of rosiglitazone was studied using cyclic, linear sweep, differential pulse and square wave voltammetric techniques on glassy carbon electrode. The oxidation of rosiglitazone was irreversible and exhibited diffusion controlled process depending on pH. Different parameters were tested to optimize the conditions for the determination of the oxidation mechanism of rosiglitazone. The dependence of current intensities and potentials on pH, concentration, scan rate, nature of the buffer was also investigated. According to the linear relationship between the peak current and the concentration, differential pulse and square wave voltammetric methods for rosiglitazone assay in pharmaceutical dosage forms and biological fluids were developed. A linear response was obtained within the range of 1x10-6M - 6x10-5M in 0.1 M H2SO4 and acetate buffer at pH 5.70 for both voltammetric methods in human serum samples. The practical analytical value of the method is demonstrated by quantitative determination of rosiglitazon in pharmaceutical formulation and human serum, without the need for separation or complex sample preparation, since there was no interference from the excipients and endogenous substances. The methods were fully validated and successfully applied to the high throughput determination of the drug in tablets and human serum with good recoveries.

Patterns of medicinal plant use: an examination of the Ecuadorian Shuar medicinal flora using contingency table and binomial analyses.

PubMed

Bennett, Bradley C; Husby, Chad E

2008-03-28

Botanical pharmacopoeias are non-random subsets of floras, with some taxonomic groups over- or under-represented. Moerman [Moerman, D.E., 1979. Symbols and selectivity: a statistical analysis of Native American medical ethnobotany, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1, 111-119] introduced linear regression/residual analysis to examine these patterns. However, regression, the commonly-employed analysis, suffers from several statistical flaws. We use contingency table and binomial analyses to examine patterns of Shuar medicinal plant use (from Amazonian Ecuador). We first analyzed the Shuar data using Moerman's approach, modified to better meet requirements of linear regression analysis. Second, we assessed the exact randomization contingency table test for goodness of fit. Third, we developed a binomial model to test for non-random selection of plants in individual families. Modified regression models (which accommodated assumptions of linear regression) reduced R(2) to from 0.59 to 0.38, but did not eliminate all problems associated with regression analyses. Contingency table analyses revealed that the entire flora departs from the null model of equal proportions of medicinal plants in all families. In the binomial analysis, only 10 angiosperm families (of 115) differed significantly from the null model. These 10 families are largely responsible for patterns seen at higher taxonomic levels. Contingency table and binomial analyses offer an easy and statistically valid alternative to the regression approach.

Comparative study of microwave radiation-induced magnetoresistive oscillations induced by circularly- and linearly- polarized photo-excitation

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

Ye, Tianyu; Liu, Han -Chun; Wang, Zhuo

A comparative study of the radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure two dimensional electron system (2DES) under linearly- and circularly- polarized microwave excitation indicates a profound difference in the response observed upon rotating the microwave launcher for the two cases, although circularly polarized microwave radiation induced magnetoresistance oscillations observed at low magnetic fields are similar to the oscillations observed with linearly polarized radiation. For the linearly polarized radiation, the magnetoresistive response is a strong sinusoidal function of the launcher rotation (or linear polarization) angle, θ. As a result, for circularly polarized radiation, the oscillatory magnetoresistive response ismore » hardly sensitive to θ.« less

Comparative study of microwave radiation-induced magnetoresistive oscillations induced by circularly- and linearly- polarized photo-excitation

DOE PAGES

Ye, Tianyu; Liu, Han -Chun; Wang, Zhuo; ...

2015-10-09

A comparative study of the radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations in the high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure two dimensional electron system (2DES) under linearly- and circularly- polarized microwave excitation indicates a profound difference in the response observed upon rotating the microwave launcher for the two cases, although circularly polarized microwave radiation induced magnetoresistance oscillations observed at low magnetic fields are similar to the oscillations observed with linearly polarized radiation. For the linearly polarized radiation, the magnetoresistive response is a strong sinusoidal function of the launcher rotation (or linear polarization) angle, θ. As a result, for circularly polarized radiation, the oscillatory magnetoresistive response ismore » hardly sensitive to θ.« less

Field measurements of the linear and nonlinear shear moduli of cemented alluvium using dynamically loaded surface footings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Kwangsoo

In this dissertation, a research effort aimed at development and implementation of a direct field test method to evaluate the linear and nonlinear shear modulus of soil is presented. The field method utilizes a surface footing that is dynamically loaded horizontally. The test procedure involves applying static and dynamic loads to the surface footing and measuring the soil response beneath the loaded area using embedded geophones. A wide range in dynamic loads under a constant static load permits measurements of linear and nonlinear shear wave propagation from which shear moduli and associated shearing strains are evaluated. Shear wave velocities in the linear and nonlinear strain ranges are calculated from time delays in waveforms monitored by geophone pairs. Shear moduli are then obtained using the shear wave velocities and the mass density of a soil. Shear strains are determined using particle displacements calculated from particle velocities measured at the geophones by assuming a linear variation between geophone pairs. The field test method was validated by conducting an initial field experiment at sandy site in Austin, Texas. Then, field experiments were performed on cemented alluvium, a complex, hard-to-sample material. Three separate locations at Yucca Mountain, Nevada were tested. The tests successfully measured: (1) the effect of confining pressure on shear and compression moduli in the linear strain range and (2) the effect of strain on shear moduli at various states of stress in the field. The field measurements were first compared with empirical relationships for uncemented gravel. This comparison showed that the alluvium was clearly cemented. The field measurements were then compared to other independent measurements including laboratory resonant column tests and field seismic tests using the spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves method. The results from the field tests were generally in good agreement with the other independent test results, indicating that the proposed method has the ability to directly evaluate complex material like cemented alluvium in the field.

Patients’ conceptions of their own influence on good treatment response to biological therapy in chronic inflammatory arthritis

PubMed Central

Larsson, Ingrid

2017-01-01

Background Biological therapies are common in the treatment of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis (CIA). However, despite the fact that many patients respond well to their biological therapies, there are still a number of nonresponders. In order to design the best care for patients, it is important to understand how they conceive their own role in their treatment response. Objective To explore how patients with CIA conceive their own influence on a good treatment response to biological therapy. Methods This study had an exploratory and descriptive design with a phenomenographic approach. Interviews were conducted with 25 patients (11 women and 14 men) aged 17–79 years, with CIA who were undergoing biological therapy and who had low disease activity or were in remission. Results Patients with CIA undergoing biological therapy conceived their own influence on good treatment response in terms of adherence, physical activity, mental attitude, social support, and self-awareness. Adherence was described as the foundation for the patients’ own influence on good treatment response. Physical activity, mental attitude, and social support reflected three essential ways of understanding patients’ influence on good treatment response where the patients spoke about physical strength, mental strength, and social strength. Self-awareness reflected a comprehensive way of influencing good treatment response in which patients balanced their physical, mental, and social resources in partnership with health care professionals. Conclusion Patients conceived that they had a responsibility for adhering to the treatment as well as achieving balance in life in order to ensure good treatment response. Self-awareness was essential for maintaining a good treatment response, and this reflected the patients’ awareness of the complexity of living their lives with a chronic illness. PMID:28706444

Patients' conceptions of their own influence on good treatment response to biological therapy in chronic inflammatory arthritis.

PubMed

Larsson, Ingrid

2017-01-01

Biological therapies are common in the treatment of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis (CIA). However, despite the fact that many patients respond well to their biological therapies, there are still a number of nonresponders. In order to design the best care for patients, it is important to understand how they conceive their own role in their treatment response. To explore how patients with CIA conceive their own influence on a good treatment response to biological therapy. This study had an exploratory and descriptive design with a phenomenographic approach. Interviews were conducted with 25 patients (11 women and 14 men) aged 17-79 years, with CIA who were undergoing biological therapy and who had low disease activity or were in remission. Patients with CIA undergoing biological therapy conceived their own influence on good treatment response in terms of adherence, physical activity, mental attitude, social support, and self-awareness. Adherence was described as the foundation for the patients' own influence on good treatment response. Physical activity, mental attitude, and social support reflected three essential ways of understanding patients' influence on good treatment response where the patients spoke about physical strength, mental strength, and social strength. Self-awareness reflected a comprehensive way of influencing good treatment response in which patients balanced their physical, mental, and social resources in partnership with health care professionals. Patients conceived that they had a responsibility for adhering to the treatment as well as achieving balance in life in order to ensure good treatment response. Self-awareness was essential for maintaining a good treatment response, and this reflected the patients' awareness of the complexity of living their lives with a chronic illness.

Skull fracture

MedlinePlus

Basilar skull fracture; Depressed skull fracture; Linear skull fracture ... Skull fractures may occur with head injuries . The skull provides good protection for the brain. However, a severe impact ...

A Linear Variable-[theta] Model for Measuring Individual Differences in Response Precision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrando, Pere J.

2011-01-01

Models for measuring individual response precision have been proposed for binary and graded responses. However, more continuous formats are quite common in personality measurement and are usually analyzed with the linear factor analysis model. This study extends the general Gaussian person-fluctuation model to the continuous-response case and…

ADME evaluation in drug discovery. 1. Applications of genetic algorithms to the prediction of blood-brain partitioning of a large set of drugs.

PubMed

Hou, Tingjun; Xu, Xiaojie

2002-12-01

In this study, the relationships between the brain-blood concentration ratio of 96 structurally diverse compounds with a large number of structurally derived descriptors were investigated. The linear models were based on molecular descriptors that can be calculated for any compound simply from a knowledge of its molecular structure. The linear correlation coefficients of the models were optimized by genetic algorithms (GAs), and the descriptors used in the linear models were automatically selected from 27 structurally derived descriptors. The GA optimizations resulted in a group of linear models with three or four molecular descriptors with good statistical significance. The change of descriptor use as the evolution proceeds demonstrates that the octane/water partition coefficient and the partial negative solvent-accessible surface area multiplied by the negative charge are crucial to brain-blood barrier permeability. Moreover, we found that the predictions using multiple QSPR models from GA optimization gave quite good results in spite of the diversity of structures, which was better than the predictions using the best single model. The predictions for the two external sets with 37 diverse compounds using multiple QSPR models indicate that the best linear models with four descriptors are sufficiently effective for predictive use. Considering the ease of computation of the descriptors, the linear models may be used as general utilities to screen the blood-brain barrier partitioning of drugs in a high-throughput fashion.

CFORM- LINEAR CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS: CLOSED FORM SOLUTION AND TRANSIENT RESPONSE OF THE LINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jamison, J. W.

1994-01-01

CFORM was developed by the Kennedy Space Center Robotics Lab to assist in linear control system design and analysis using closed form and transient response mechanisms. The program computes the closed form solution and transient response of a linear (constant coefficient) differential equation. CFORM allows a choice of three input functions: the Unit Step (a unit change in displacement); the Ramp function (step velocity); and the Parabolic function (step acceleration). It is only accurate in cases where the differential equation has distinct roots, and does not handle the case for roots at the origin (s=0). Initial conditions must be zero. Differential equations may be input to CFORM in two forms - polynomial and product of factors. In some linear control analyses, it may be more appropriate to use a related program, Linear Control System Design and Analysis (KSC-11376), which uses root locus and frequency response methods. CFORM was written in VAX FORTRAN for a VAX 11/780 under VAX VMS 4.7. It has a central memory requirement of 30K. CFORM was developed in 1987.

The question of nonlinearity in the dose-response relation between particulate matter air pollution and mortality: can Akaike's Information Criterion be trusted to take the right turn?

PubMed

Roberts, Steven; Martin, Michael A

2006-12-15

The shape of the dose-response relation between particulate matter air pollution and mortality is crucial for public health assessment, and departures of this relation from linearity could have important regulatory consequences. A number of investigators have studied the shape of the particulate matter-mortality dose-response relation and concluded that the relation could be adequately described by a linear model. Some of these researchers examined the hypothesis of linearity by comparing Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) values obtained under linear, piecewise linear, and spline alternative models. However, at the current time, the efficacy of the AIC in this context has not been assessed. The authors investigated AIC as a means of comparing competing dose-response models, using data from Cook County, Illinois, for the period 1987-2000. They found that if nonlinearities exist, the AIC is not always successful in detecting them. In a number of the scenarios considered, AIC was equivocal, picking the correct simulated dose-response model about half of the time. These findings suggest that further research into the shape of the dose-response relation using alternative model selection criteria may be warranted.

21-nm-range wavelength-tunable L-band Er-doped fiber linear-cavity laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shiquan; Zhao, Chunliu; Li, Zhaohui; Ding, Lei; Yuan, Shuzhong; Dong, Xiaoyi

2001-10-01

A novel method, which utilizes amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) as a secondary pump source, is presented for implanting a linear cavity erbium-doped fiber laser operating in L-Band. The output wavelength tuned from 1566 nm to 1587 nm, about 21 nm tuning range, was obtained in the experiment and the stability of the laser is very good.

Protograph based LDPC codes with minimum distance linearly growing with block size

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, Dariush; Jones, Christopher; Dolinar, Sam; Thorpe, Jeremy

2005-01-01

We propose several LDPC code constructions that simultaneously achieve good threshold and error floor performance. Minimum distance is shown to grow linearly with block size (similar to regular codes of variable degree at least 3) by considering ensemble average weight enumerators. Our constructions are based on projected graph, or protograph, structures that support high-speed decoder implementations. As with irregular ensembles, our constructions are sensitive to the proportion of degree-2 variable nodes. A code with too few such nodes tends to have an iterative decoding threshold that is far from the capacity threshold. A code with too many such nodes tends to not exhibit a minimum distance that grows linearly in block length. In this paper we also show that precoding can be used to lower the threshold of regular LDPC codes. The decoding thresholds of the proposed codes, which have linearly increasing minimum distance in block size, outperform that of regular LDPC codes. Furthermore, a family of low to high rate codes, with thresholds that adhere closely to their respective channel capacity thresholds, is presented. Simulation results for a few example codes show that the proposed codes have low error floors as well as good threshold SNFt performance.

Boundary-Layer Linear Stability Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

give aa aapllfieatloa rate that Is 151 too high. This ia an iaproveaeat over the 2D results, but »till net as good as the result obtsleed whoa only th...useful to say about the origin of turbulence, whi ch is inherently nonlinear. A good idea of the low repute of the theory can be gained by reading the...engineering studies of laminar flow control [see, e.g., Hefner and Bushnell ( 1979) ]. A good introduction to the complexities of transition and the

Optimal non-linear health insurance.

PubMed

Blomqvist, A

1997-06-01

Most theoretical and empirical work on efficient health insurance has been based on models with linear insurance schedules (a constant co-insurance parameter). In this paper, dynamic optimization techniques are used to analyse the properties of optimal non-linear insurance schedules in a model similar to one originally considered by Spence and Zeckhauser (American Economic Review, 1971, 61, 380-387) and reminiscent of those that have been used in the literature on optimal income taxation. The results of a preliminary numerical example suggest that the welfare losses from the implicit subsidy to employer-financed health insurance under US tax law may be a good deal smaller than previously estimated using linear models.

A single-degree-of-freedom model for non-linear soil amplification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Erdik, Mustafa Ozder

1979-01-01

For proper understanding of soil behavior during earthquakes and assessment of a realistic surface motion, studies of the large-strain dynamic response of non-linear hysteretic soil systems are indispensable. Most of the presently available studies are based on the assumption that the response of a soil deposit is mainly due to the upward propagation of horizontally polarized shear waves from the underlying bedrock. Equivalent-linear procedures, currently in common use in non-linear soil response analysis, provide a simple approach and have been favorably compared with the actual recorded motions in some particular cases. Strain compatibility in these equivalent-linear approaches is maintained by selecting values of shear moduli and damping ratios in accordance with the average soil strains, in an iterative manner. Truly non-linear constitutive models with complete strain compatibility have also been employed. The equivalent-linear approaches often raise some doubt as to the reliability of their results concerning the system response in high frequency regions. In these frequency regions the equivalent-linear methods may underestimate the surface motion by as much as a factor of two or more. Although studies are complete in their methods of analysis, they inevitably provide applications pertaining only to a few specific soil systems, and do not lead to general conclusions about soil behavior. This report attempts to provide a general picture of the soil response through the use of a single-degree-of-freedom non-linear-hysteretic model. Although the investigation is based on a specific type of nonlinearity and a set of dynamic soil properties, the method described does not limit itself to these assumptions and is equally applicable to other types of nonlinearity and soil parameters.

Differential adaptation of the linear and nonlinear components of the horizontal vestibuloocular reflex in squirrel monkeys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clendaniel, Richard A.; Lasker, David M.; Minor, Lloyd B.; Shelhamer, M. J. (Principal Investigator)

2002-01-01

Previous work in squirrel monkeys has demonstrated the presence of linear and nonlinear components to the horizontal vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) evoked by high-acceleration rotations. The nonlinear component is seen as a rise in gain with increasing velocity of rotation at frequencies more than 2 Hz (a velocity-dependent gain enhancement). We have shown that there are greater changes in the nonlinear than linear component of the response after spectacle-induced adaptation. The present study was conducted to determine if the two components of the response share a common adaptive process. The gain of the VOR, in the dark, to sinusoidal stimuli at 4 Hz (peak velocities: 20-150 degrees /s) and 10 Hz (peak velocities: 20 and 100 degrees /s) was measured pre- and postadaptation. Adaptation was induced over 4 h with x0.45 minimizing spectacles. Sum-of-sines stimuli were used to induce adaptation, and the parameters of the stimuli were adjusted to invoke only the linear or both linear and nonlinear components of the response. Preadaptation, there was a velocity-dependent gain enhancement at 4 and 10 Hz. In postadaptation with the paradigms that only recruited the linear component, there was a decrease in gain and a persistent velocity-dependent gain enhancement (indicating adaptation of only the linear component). After adaptation with the paradigm designed to recruit both the linear and nonlinear components, there was a decrease in gain and no velocity-dependent gain enhancement (indicating adaptation of both components). There were comparable changes in the response to steps of acceleration. We interpret these results to indicate that separate processes drive the adaptation of the linear and nonlinear components of the response.

Pressure wave propagation studies for oscillating cascades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huff, Dennis L.

1992-01-01

The unsteady flow field around an oscillating cascade of flat plates is studied using a time marching Euler code. Exact solutions based on linear theory serve as model problems to study pressure wave propagation in the numerical solution. The importance of using proper unsteady boundary conditions, grid resolution, and time step is demonstrated. Results show that an approximate non-reflecting boundary condition based on linear theory does a good job of minimizing reflections from the inflow and outflow boundaries and allows the placement of the boundaries to be closer than cases using reflective boundary conditions. Stretching the boundary to dampen the unsteady waves is another way to minimize reflections. Grid clustering near the plates does a better job of capturing the unsteady flow field than cases using uniform grids as long as the CFL number is less than one for a sufficient portion of the grid. Results for various stagger angles and oscillation frequencies show good agreement with linear theory as long as the grid is properly resolved.

Sedimentation of knotted polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piili, J.; Marenduzzo, D.; Kaski, K.; Linna, R. P.

2013-01-01

We investigate the sedimentation of knotted polymers by means of stochastic rotation dynamics, a molecular dynamics algorithm that takes hydrodynamics fully into account. We show that the sedimentation coefficient s, related to the terminal velocity of the knotted polymers, increases linearly with the average crossing number nc of the corresponding ideal knot. This provides direct computational confirmation of this relation, postulated on the basis of sedimentation experiments by Rybenkov [J. Mol. Biol.10.1006/jmbi.1996.0876 267, 299 (1997)]. Such a relation was previously shown to hold with simulations for knot electrophoresis. We also show that there is an accurate linear dependence of s on the inverse of the radius of gyration Rg-1, more specifically with the inverse of the Rg component that is perpendicular to the direction along which the polymer sediments. When the polymer sediments in a slab, the walls affect the results appreciably. However, Rg-1 remains to a good precision linearly dependent on nc. Therefore, Rg-1 is a good measure of a knot's complexity.

Colombeau algebra as a mathematical tool for investigating step load and step deformation of systems of nonlinear springs and dashpots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Průša, Vít; Řehoř, Martin; Tůma, Karel

2017-02-01

The response of mechanical systems composed of springs and dashpots to a step input is of eminent interest in the applications. If the system is formed by linear elements, then its response is governed by a system of linear ordinary differential equations. In the linear case, the mathematical method of choice for the analysis of the response is the classical theory of distributions. However, if the system contains nonlinear elements, then the classical theory of distributions is of no use, since it is strictly limited to the linear setting. Consequently, a question arises whether it is even possible or reasonable to study the response of nonlinear systems to step inputs. The answer is positive. A mathematical theory that can handle the challenge is the so-called Colombeau algebra. Building on the abstract result by Průša and Rajagopal (Int J Non-Linear Mech 81:207-221, 2016), we show how to use the theory in the analysis of response of nonlinear spring-dashpot and spring-dashpot-mass systems.

SU-G-BRB-14: Uncertainty of Radiochromic Film Based Relative Dose Measurements

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

Devic, S; Tomic, N; DeBlois, F

2016-06-15

Purpose: Due to inherently non-linear dose response, measurement of relative dose distribution with radiochromic film requires measurement of absolute dose using a calibration curve following previously established reference dosimetry protocol. On the other hand, a functional form that converts the inherently non-linear dose response curve of the radiochromic film dosimetry system into linear one has been proposed recently [Devic et al, Med. Phys. 39 4850–4857 (2012)]. However, there is a question what would be the uncertainty of such measured relative dose. Methods: If the relative dose distribution is determined going through the reference dosimetry system (conversion of the response bymore » using calibration curve into absolute dose) the total uncertainty of such determined relative dose will be calculated by summing in quadrature total uncertainties of doses measured at a given and at the reference point. On the other hand, if the relative dose is determined using linearization method, the new response variable is calculated as ζ=a(netOD)n/ln(netOD). In this case, the total uncertainty in relative dose will be calculated by summing in quadrature uncertainties for a new response function (σζ) for a given and the reference point. Results: Except at very low doses, where the measurement uncertainty dominates, the total relative dose uncertainty is less than 1% for the linear response method as compared to almost 2% uncertainty level for the reference dosimetry method. The result is not surprising having in mind that the total uncertainty of the reference dose method is dominated by the fitting uncertainty, which is mitigated in the case of linearization method. Conclusion: Linearization of the radiochromic film dose response provides a convenient and a more precise method for relative dose measurements as it does not require reference dosimetry and creation of calibration curve. However, the linearity of the newly introduced function must be verified. Dave Lewis is inventor and runs a consulting company for radiochromic films.« less

Design and application of fiber optic evanescent wave biosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Huijie; Zhai, Junhui; Zhao, Yongkai; Yang, Ruifu; Ren, Bingqiang; Cheng, Zhaogu; Du, Longlong; Lu, Dunwu

2003-12-01

A fiber-optic biosensor is developed based on the principle of evanescent wave while light propagates in optical fiber. The biosensor uses a red laser diode at 636.85 nm for exciting Cy5 fluorescent dye. Sensitivity limit of 0.01 nnmol/l is obtained from the detection of serial Cy5 solutions with various concentrations. In log-to-log plot, excellent linear response characteristic is seen in the Cy5 concentrations ranging from 0.01 nmlo/l to 100 nmol/l. And a good result of signal-to-noise ratio of 4.61 is obtained when the biosensor is used to measure Legionella pneumophila solution of 0.01 μmol/l. All the results are comparable with those that are obtained by a commercial biochip scanner GeneTAC 1000.

A strategy for optical properties investigation in ABe2BO3F2 (A=K, Rb, Cs) using finite field methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mushahali, Hahaer; Mu, Baoxia; Wang, Qian; Mamat, Mamatrishat; Cao, Haibin; Yang, Guang; Jing, Qun

2018-07-01

The finite-field methods can be used to intuitively learn about the optical response and find out the atomic contributions to the birefringence and SHG tensors. In this paper, the linear and second-order nonlinear optical properties of ABe2BO3F2 family (A = K, Rb, Cs) compounds are investigated using the finite-field methods within different exchange-correlation functionals. The results show that the obtained birefringence and SHG tensors are in good agreement with the experimental values. The atomic contribution to the total birefringence was further investigated using the variation of the atomic charges, and the Born effective charges. The results show that the boron-oxygen groups give main contribution to the anisotropic birefringence.

MEMS Fabry-Perot sensor interrogated by optical system-on-a-chip for simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing.

PubMed

Pang, Cheng; Bae, Hyungdae; Gupta, Ashwani; Bryden, Kenneth; Yu, Miao

2013-09-23

We present a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based Fabry-Perot (FP) sensor along with an optical system-on-a-chip (SOC) interrogator for simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing. The sensor employs a simple structure with an air-backed silicon membrane cross-axially bonded to a 45° polished optical fiber. This structure renders two cascaded FP cavities, enabling simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing in close proximity along the optical axis. The optical SOC consists of a broadband source, a MEMS FP tunable filter, a photodetector, and the supporting circuitry, serving as a miniature spectrometer for retrieving the two FP cavity lengths. Within the measured pressure and temperature ranges, experimental results demonstrate that the sensor exhibits a good linear response to external pressure and temperature changes.

Novel Low-Cost Sensor for Human Bite Force Measurement

PubMed Central

Fastier-Wooller, Jarred; Phan, Hoang-Phuong; Dinh, Toan; Nguyen, Tuan-Khoa; Cameron, Andrew; Öchsner, Andreas; Dao, Dzung Viet

2016-01-01

This paper presents the design and development of a low cost and reliable maximal voluntary bite force sensor which can be manufactured in-house by using an acrylic laser cutting machine. The sensor has been designed for ease of fabrication, assembly, calibration, and safe use. The sensor is capable of use within an hour of commencing production, allowing for rapid prototyping/modifications and practical implementation. The measured data shows a good linear relationship between the applied force and the electrical resistance of the sensor. The output signal has low drift, excellent repeatability, and a large measurable range of 0 to 700 N. A high signal-to-noise response to human bite forces was observed, indicating the high potential of the proposed sensor for human bite force measurement. PMID:27509496

Development of MMC Gamma Detectors for Precise Characterization of Uranium Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, G. B.; Flynn, C. C.; Kempf, S.; Gastaldo, L.; Fleischmann, A.; Enss, C.; Friedrich, S.

2018-06-01

Precise nuclear data from radioactive decays are important for the accurate non-destructive assay of fissile materials in nuclear safeguards. We are developing high energy resolution gamma detectors based on metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs) to accurately measure gamma-ray energies and branching ratios of uranium isotopes. Our MMC gamma detectors exhibit good linearity, reproducibility and a consistent response function for low energy gamma-rays. We illustrate the capabilities of MMCs to improve literature values of nuclear data with an analysis of gamma spectra of U-233. In this context, we also improve the value of the energy for the single gamma-ray of the U-233 daughter Ra-225 by over an order of magnitude from 40.09 ± 0.05 to 40.0932 ± 0.0007 keV.

Low-level wind response to mesoscale pressure systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garratt, J. R.; Physick, W. L.

1983-09-01

Observations are presented which show a strong correlation between low-level wind behaviour (e.g., rotation near the surface) and the passage of mesoscale pressure systems. The latter are associated with frontal transition zones, are dominated by a pressure-jump line and a mesoscale high pressure area, and produce locally large horizontal pressure gradients. The wind observations are simulated by specifying a time sequence of perturbation pressure gradient and subsequently solving the vertically-integrated momentum equations with appropriate initial conditions. Very good agreement is found between observed and calculated winds; in particular, (i) a 360 ° rotation in wind on passage of the mesoscale high; (ii) wind-shift lines produced dynamically by the pressure-jump line; (iii) rapid linear increase in wind speed on passage of the pressure jump.

Determination of limonin in grapefruit juice and other citrus juices by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Van Beek, T A; Blaakmeer, A

1989-03-03

A method has been developed for the quantitation of the bitter component limonin in grapefruit juice and other citrus juices. The sample clean-up consisted of centrifugation, filtration and a selective, rapid and reproducible purification with a C2 solid-phase extraction column. The limonin concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography on a C18 column with UV detection at 210 nm. A linear response was obtained from 0.0 to 45 ppm limonin. The minimum detectable amount was 2 ng. The minimum concentration which was detected without concentration with good precision was 0.1 ppm. The method was also used for the determination of limonin in different types of oranges, including navel oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, pomelos and uglis.

Flower colours through the lens: quantitative measurement with visible and ultraviolet digital photography.

PubMed

Garcia, Jair E; Greentree, Andrew D; Shrestha, Mani; Dorin, Alan; Dyer, Adrian G

2014-01-01

The study of the signal-receiver relationship between flowering plants and pollinators requires a capacity to accurately map both the spectral and spatial components of a signal in relation to the perceptual abilities of potential pollinators. Spectrophotometers can typically recover high resolution spectral data, but the spatial component is difficult to record simultaneously. A technique allowing for an accurate measurement of the spatial component in addition to the spectral factor of the signal is highly desirable. Consumer-level digital cameras potentially provide access to both colour and spatial information, but they are constrained by their non-linear response. We present a robust methodology for recovering linear values from two different camera models: one sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation and another to visible wavelengths. We test responses by imaging eight different plant species varying in shape, size and in the amount of energy reflected across the UV and visible regions of the spectrum, and compare the recovery of spectral data to spectrophotometer measurements. There is often a good agreement of spectral data, although when the pattern on a flower surface is complex a spectrophotometer may underestimate the variability of the signal as would be viewed by an animal visual system. Digital imaging presents a significant new opportunity to reliably map flower colours to understand the complexity of these signals as perceived by potential pollinators. Compared to spectrophotometer measurements, digital images can better represent the spatio-chromatic signal variability that would likely be perceived by the visual system of an animal, and should expand the possibilities for data collection in complex, natural conditions. However, and in spite of its advantages, the accuracy of the spectral information recovered from camera responses is subject to variations in the uncertainty levels, with larger uncertainties associated with low radiance levels.

A Theoretical Investigation of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) Mechanics Applied to NASA Full Scale Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thesken, John C.; Murthy, Pappu L. N.; Phoenix, S. L.; Greene, N.; Palko, Joseph L.; Eldridge, Jeffrey; Sutter, James; Saulsberry, R.; Beeson, H.

2009-01-01

A theoretical investigation of the factors controlling the stress rupture life of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) continues. Kevlar (DuPont) fiber overwrapped tanks are of particular concern due to their long usage and the poorly understood stress rupture process in Kevlar filaments. Existing long term data show that the rupture process is a function of stress, temperature and time. However due to the presence of a load sharing liner, the manufacturing induced residual stresses and the complex mechanical response, the state of actual fiber stress in flight hardware and test articles is not clearly known. This paper is a companion to a previously reported experimental investigation and develops a theoretical framework necessary to design full-scale pathfinder experiments and accurately interpret the experimentally observed deformation and failure mechanisms leading up to static burst in COPVs. The fundamental mechanical response of COPVs is described using linear elasticity and thin shell theory and discussed in comparison to existing experimental observations. These comparisons reveal discrepancies between physical data and the current analytical results and suggest that the vessel s residual stress state and the spatial stress distribution as a function of pressure may be completely different from predictions based upon existing linear elastic analyses. The 3D elasticity of transversely isotropic spherical shells demonstrates that an overly compliant transverse stiffness relative to membrane stiffness can account for some of this by shifting a thin shell problem well into the realm of thick shell response. The use of calibration procedures are demonstrated as calibrated thin shell model results and finite element results are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results. The successes reported here have lead to continuing work with full scale testing of larger NASA COPV hardware.

Measurement and simulation of lineal energy distribution at the CERN high energy facility with a tissue equivalent proportional counter.

PubMed

Rollet, S; Autischer, M; Beck, P; Latocha, M

2007-01-01

The response of a tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) in a mixed radiation field with a neutron energy distribution similar to the radiation field at commercial flight altitudes has been studied. The measurements have been done at the CERN-EU High-Energy Reference Field (CERF) facility where a well-characterised radiation field is available for intercomparison. The TEPC instrument used by the ARC Seibersdorf Research is filled with pure propane gas at low pressure and can be used to determine the lineal energy distribution of the energy deposition in a mass of gas equivalent to a 2 microm diameter volume of unit density tissue, of similar size to the nuclei of biological cells. The linearity of the detector response was checked both in term of dose and dose rate. The effect of dead-time has been corrected. The influence of the detector exposure location and orientation in the radiation field on the dose distribution was also studied as a function of the total dose. The microdosimetric distribution of the absorbed dose as a function of the lineal energy has been obtained and compared with the same distribution simulated with the FLUKA Monte Carlo transport code. The dose equivalent was calculated by folding this distribution with the quality factor as a function of linear energy transfer. The comparison between the measured and simulated distributions show that they are in good agreement. As a result of this study the detector is well characterised, thanks also to the numerical simulations the instrument response is well understood, and it's currently being used onboard the aircrafts to evaluate the dose to aircraft crew caused by cosmic radiation.

Performance of the PROMIS in Patients After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Scott, Elizabeth J.; Westermann, Robert; Glass, Nathalie A.; Hettrich, Carolyn; Wolf, Brian R.; Bollier, Matthew J.

2018-01-01

Background: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is designed to advance patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments by utilizing question banks for major health domains. Purpose: To compare the responsiveness and construct validity of the PROMIS physical function computer adaptive test (PF CAT) with current PRO instruments for patients before and up to 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Initially, 157 patients completed the PROMIS PF CAT, Short Form–36 Health Survey (SF-36 physical function [PF] and general health [GH]), Marx Activity Rating Scale (MARS), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS activities of daily living [ADL], sport, and quality of life [QOL]), and EuroQol–5 dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 2 years after ACL reconstruction. Correlations between instruments, ceiling and floor effects, effect sizes (Cohen d), and standardized response means to describe responsiveness were evaluated. Subgroup analyses compared participants with and without additional arthroscopic procedures using linear mixed models. Results: At baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months, the PROMIS PF CAT showed excellent or excellent-good correlations with the SF-36 PF (r = 0.75-0.80, P < .01), KOOS-ADL (r = 0.63-0.70, P < .01), and KOOS-sport (r = 0.32-0.69, P < .01); excellent-good correlation with the EQ-5D (r = 0.60-0.71, P < .01); and good correlation with the KOOS-QOL (r = 0.52-0.58, P < .01). As expected, there were poor correlations with the MARS (r = 0.00-0.24, P < .01) and SF-36 GH (r = 0.16-0.34, P < .01 ). At 2 years, the PROMIS PF CAT showed good to excellent correlations with all PRO instruments (r = 0.42-0.72, P < .01), including the MARS (r = 0.42, P < .01), indicating frequent return to preinjury function. The PROMIS PF CAT had the fewest ceiling or floor effects of all instruments tested, and patients answered, on average, 4 questions. There was no significant difference in baseline physical function scores between subgroups; at follow-up, all groups showed improvements in scores that were not statistically different. Conclusion: The PROMIS PF CAT is a valid tool to assess outcomes after ACL reconstruction up to 2 years after surgery, demonstrating the highest responsiveness to change with the fewest ceiling and floor effects and a low time burden among all instruments tested. The PROMIS PF CAT is a beneficial alternative for assessing physical function in adults before and after ACL reconstruction. PMID:29854864

Performance of the PROMIS in Patients After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

PubMed

Scott, Elizabeth J; Westermann, Robert; Glass, Nathalie A; Hettrich, Carolyn; Wolf, Brian R; Bollier, Matthew J

2018-05-01

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is designed to advance patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments by utilizing question banks for major health domains. To compare the responsiveness and construct validity of the PROMIS physical function computer adaptive test (PF CAT) with current PRO instruments for patients before and up to 2 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Initially, 157 patients completed the PROMIS PF CAT, Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36 physical function [PF] and general health [GH]), Marx Activity Rating Scale (MARS), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS activities of daily living [ADL], sport, and quality of life [QOL]), and EuroQol-5 dimensions questionnaire (EQ-5D) at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 2 years after ACL reconstruction. Correlations between instruments, ceiling and floor effects, effect sizes (Cohen d ), and standardized response means to describe responsiveness were evaluated. Subgroup analyses compared participants with and without additional arthroscopic procedures using linear mixed models. At baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months, the PROMIS PF CAT showed excellent or excellent-good correlations with the SF-36 PF ( r = 0.75-0.80, P < .01), KOOS-ADL ( r = 0.63-0.70, P < .01), and KOOS-sport ( r = 0.32-0.69, P < .01); excellent-good correlation with the EQ-5D ( r = 0.60-0.71, P < .01); and good correlation with the KOOS-QOL ( r = 0.52-0.58, P < .01). As expected, there were poor correlations with the MARS ( r = 0.00-0.24, P < .01) and SF-36 GH ( r = 0.16-0.34, P < .01 ). At 2 years, the PROMIS PF CAT showed good to excellent correlations with all PRO instruments ( r = 0.42-0.72, P < .01), including the MARS ( r = 0.42, P < .01), indicating frequent return to preinjury function. The PROMIS PF CAT had the fewest ceiling or floor effects of all instruments tested, and patients answered, on average, 4 questions. There was no significant difference in baseline physical function scores between subgroups; at follow-up, all groups showed improvements in scores that were not statistically different. The PROMIS PF CAT is a valid tool to assess outcomes after ACL reconstruction up to 2 years after surgery, demonstrating the highest responsiveness to change with the fewest ceiling and floor effects and a low time burden among all instruments tested. The PROMIS PF CAT is a beneficial alternative for assessing physical function in adults before and after ACL reconstruction.

Linear and non-linear infrared response of one-dimensional vibrational Holstein polarons in the anti-adiabatic limit: Optical and acoustical phonon models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falvo, Cyril

2018-02-01

The theory of linear and non-linear infrared response of vibrational Holstein polarons in one-dimensional lattices is presented in order to identify the spectral signatures of self-trapping phenomena. Using a canonical transformation, the optical response is computed from the small polaron point of view which is valid in the anti-adiabatic limit. Two types of phonon baths are considered: optical phonons and acoustical phonons, and simple expressions are derived for the infrared response. It is shown that for the case of optical phonons, the linear response can directly probe the polaron density of states. The model is used to interpret the experimental spectrum of crystalline acetanilide in the C=O range. For the case of acoustical phonons, it is shown that two bound states can be observed in the two-dimensional infrared spectrum at low temperature. At high temperature, analysis of the time-dependence of the two-dimensional infrared spectrum indicates that bath mediated correlations slow down spectral diffusion. The model is used to interpret the experimental linear-spectroscopy of model α-helix and β-sheet polypeptides. This work shows that the Davydov Hamiltonian cannot explain the observations in the NH stretching range.

Rational design of binder-free noble metal/metal oxide arrays with nanocauliflower structure for wide linear range nonenzymatic glucose detection

PubMed Central

Li, Zhenzhen; Xin, Yanmei; Zhang, Zhonghai; Wu, Hongjun; Wang, Peng

2015-01-01

One-dimensional nanocomposites of metal-oxide and noble metal were expected to present superior performance for nonenzymatic glucose detection due to its good conductivity and high catalytic activity inherited from noble metal and metal oxide respectively. As a proof of concept, we synthesized gold and copper oxide (Au/CuO) composite with unique one-dimensional nanocauliflowers structure. Due to the nature of the synthesis method, no any foreign binder was needed in keeping either Au or CuO in place. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt in combining metal oxide and noble metal in a binder-free style for fabricating nonenzymatic glucose sensor. The Au/CuO nanocauliflowers with large electrochemical active surface and high electrolyte contact area would promise a wide linear range and high sensitive detection of glucose with good stability and reproducibility due to its good electrical conductivity of Au and high electrocatalytic activity of CuO. PMID:26068705

A methodological approach to understand functional relationships between ecological indices and human-induced pressures: the case of the Posidonia oceanica meadows.

PubMed

Bacci, Tiziano; Rende, Sante Francesco; Penna, Marina; Trabucco, Benedetta; Montefalcone, Monica; Cicero, Anna Maria; Giovanardi, Franco

2013-11-15

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC requests the achievement of the Good Status for all surface waters, including the coastal waters, by 2015. In order to check compliance with the needs of Directive, Italian national monitoring data on Posidonia oceanica meadows have been explored and the relationships among the Posidonia Rapid and Easy Index (PREI), and human-induced pressures have been analyzed along the Italian coasts. The aim of this work is to establish functional relationships between a response variable (i.e. the PREI) and a set of potential pressure (i.e. land use, potential organic and nutrient loading, pesticides) and status (i.e. transparency, trophic level and stability of the water column) indicators in a quantitative way. The ecological responses of coastal marine environment have been evaluated using appropriate statistical tools, such as the multiple linear regression analyses and "linear programming" techniques. Results show that more than 70% of the variability of the P. oceanica meadows status, expressed as PREI value, is significantly explained only by a few pressure/status indicators (namely: potential organic load, specific nitrogen load, natural areas extent, water column transparency), among all those initially considered in the model. The application of the proposed model could allow decision makers to better address remedial actions and to achieve the environmental targets proposed by the EU Directives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bio-assay guided isolation of α-glucosidase inhibitory constituents from Hibiscus mutabilis leaves.

PubMed

Kumar, Deepak; Kumar, Hemanth; Vedasiromoni, J R; Pal, Bikas C

2012-01-01

The increasing demand for natural-product-based medicines and health-care products for the management of diabetes encouraged investigation of this commonly available Indian plant. To establish the anti-diabetic (α-glucosidase inhibitory) activity of H. mutabilis leaf extract, isolate and identify the constituents responsible for the activity, and validate a HPLC method for quantification of the active constituents for standardisation of the extract. The methanolic extract of leaves was partitioned between water, n-butanol and ethyl acetate. Bio-assay guided fractionation, based on inhibition of α-glucosidase, allowed isolation and identification of the active components. The active components were quantified using RP-HPLC-DAD validated for linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, accuracy and robustness for this plant extract and the partitioned fractions. Ferulic acid and caffeic acid were identified as the α-glucosidase inhibitors present in H. mutabilis. They were partitioned into an ethyl acetate fraction. The HPLC-DAD calibration curve showed good linearity (r² > 0.99). For the recovery studies the %RSD was less than 2%. The interday and intraday variations were found to be less than 4% RSD for retention time and response. The identification of α-glucosidase inhibition activity in H. mutabilis supports further investigations into the possible use of the plant for the management of diabetes. The HPLC method validated for these extracts will be useful in future research with the plant. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Coupled-cluster and density functional theory studies of the electronic 0-0 transitions of the DNA bases.

PubMed

Ovchinnikov, Vasily A; Sundholm, Dage

2014-04-21

The 0-0 transitions of the electronic excitation spectra of the lowest tautomers of the four nucleotide (DNA) bases have been studied using linear-response approximate coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CC2) calculations. Excitation energies have also been calculated at the linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) level using the B3LYP functional. Large basis sets have been employed for ensuring that the obtained excitation energies are close to the basis-set limit. Zero-point vibrational energy corrections have been calculated at the B3LYP and CC2 levels for the ground and excited states rendering direct comparisons with high-precision spectroscopy measurements feasible. The obtained excitation energies for the 0-0 transitions of the first excited states of guanine tautomers are in good agreement with experimental values confirming the experimental assignment of the energetic order of the tautomers of the DNA bases. For the experimentally detected guanine tautomers, the first excited state corresponds to a π→π* transition, whereas for the tautomers of adenine, thymine, and the lowest tautomer of cytosine the transition to the first excited state has n →π* character. The calculations suggest that the 0-0 transitions of adenine, thymine, and cytosine are not observed in the absorption spectrum due to the weak oscillator strength of the formally symmetry-forbidden transitions, while 0-0 transitions of thymine have been detected in fluorescence excitation spectra.

Ultrasensitive Determination of Malathion Using Acetylcholinesterase Immobilized on Chitosan-Functionalized Magnetic Iron Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Rodrigues, Núbia Fernanda Marinho; Neto, Sakae Yotsumoto; Luz, Rita de Cássia Silva; Yamanaka, Hideko

2018-01-01

A renewable, disposable, low cost, and sensitive sensor for the detection of organophosphorus pesticides was constructed by immobilizing the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE), via glutaraldehyde, on magnetic iron nanoparticles (Fe3O4) previously synthesized and functionalized with chitosan (CS). The sensor was denoted AChE/CS/Fe3O4. The magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Acetylthiocholine (ATCh) was incubated with AChE/CS/Fe3O4 and attached to a screen-printed electrode using a magnet. The oxidation of thiocholine (from ATCh hydrolysis) was monitored at an applied potential of +0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl(KClsat) in 0.1 mol L−1 phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.5) as the supporting electrolyte. A mixture of the pesticide malathion and ATCh was investigated using the same procedure, and the results were compared and expressed as inhibition percentages. For determination of malathion, the proposed sensor presented a linear response in the range from 0.5 to 20 nmol L−1 (R = 0.9942). The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.3 and 0.8 nmol L−1, respectively. Real samples were also investigated, with recovery values of 96.0% and 108.3% obtained for tomato and pond water samples, respectively. The proposed sensor is a feasible option for malathion detection, offering a linear response, good sensitivity, and a low detection limit. PMID:29438301

Diffusive Public Goods and Coexistence of Cooperators and Cheaters on a 1D Lattice

PubMed Central

Scheuring, István

2014-01-01

Many populations of cells cooperate through the production of extracellular materials. These materials (enzymes, siderophores) spread by diffusion and can be applied by both the cooperator and cheater (non-producer) cells. In this paper the problem of coexistence of cooperator and cheater cells is studied on a 1D lattice where cooperator cells produce a diffusive material which is beneficial to the individuals according to the local concentration of this public good. The reproduction success of a cell increases linearly with the benefit in the first model version and increases non-linearly (saturates) in the second version. Two types of update rules are considered; either the cooperative cell stops producing material before death (death-production-birth, DpB) or it produces the common material before it is selected to die (production-death-birth, pDB). The empty space is occupied by its neighbors according to their replication rates. By using analytical and numerical methods I have shown that coexistence of the cooperator and cheater cells is possible although atypical in the linear version of this 1D model if either DpB or pDB update rule is assumed. While coexistence is impossible in the non-linear model with pDB update rule, it is one of the typical behaviors in case of the non-linear model with DpB update rule. PMID:25025985

Linear and nonlinear methods in modeling the aqueous solubility of organic compounds.

PubMed

Catana, Cornel; Gao, Hua; Orrenius, Christian; Stouten, Pieter F W

2005-01-01

Solubility data for 930 diverse compounds have been analyzed using linear Partial Least Square (PLS) and nonlinear PLS methods, Continuum Regression (CR), and Neural Networks (NN). 1D and 2D descriptors from MOE package in combination with E-state or ISIS keys have been used. The best model was obtained using linear PLS for a combination between 22 MOE descriptors and 65 ISIS keys. It has a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.935 and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.468 log molar solubility (log S(w)). The model validated on a test set of 177 compounds not included in the training set has r2 0.911 and RMSE 0.475 log S(w). The descriptors were ranked according to their importance, and at the top of the list have been found the 22 MOE descriptors. The CR model produced results as good as PLS, and because of the way in which cross-validation has been done it is expected to be a valuable tool in prediction besides PLS model. The statistics obtained using nonlinear methods did not surpass those got with linear ones. The good statistic obtained for linear PLS and CR recommends these models to be used in prediction when it is difficult or impossible to make experimental measurements, for virtual screening, combinatorial library design, and efficient leads optimization.

Forming limit strains for non-linear strain path of AA6014 aluminium sheet deformed at room temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bressan, José Divo; Liewald, Mathias; Drotleff, Klaus

2017-10-01

Forming limit strain curves of conventional aluminium alloy AA6014 sheets after loading with non-linear strain paths are presented and compared with D-Bressan macroscopic model of sheet metal rupture by critical shear stress criterion. AA6014 exhibits good formability at room temperature and, thus, is mainly employed in car body external parts by manufacturing at room temperature. According to Weber et al., experimental bi-linear strain paths were carried out in specimens with 1mm thickness by pre-stretching in uniaxial and biaxial directions up to 5%, 10% and 20% strain levels before performing Nakajima testing experiments to obtain the forming limit strain curves, FLCs. In addition, FLCs of AA6014 were predicted by employing D-Bressan critical shear stress criterion for bi-linear strain path and comparisons with the experimental FLCs were analyzed and discussed. In order to obtain the material coefficients of plastic anisotropy, strain and strain rate hardening behavior and calibrate the D-Bressan model, tensile tests, two different strain rate on specimens cut at 0°, 45° and 90° to the rolling direction and also bulge test were carried out at room temperature. The correlation of experimental bi-linear strain path FLCs is reasonably good with the predicted limit strains from D-Bressan model, assuming equivalent pre-strain calculated by Hill 1979 yield criterion.

Linear Ordinary Differential Equations with Constant Coefficients. Revisiting the Impulsive Response Method Using Factorization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camporesi, Roberto

2011-01-01

We present an approach to the impulsive response method for solving linear constant-coefficient ordinary differential equations based on the factorization of the differential operator. The approach is elementary, we only assume a basic knowledge of calculus and linear algebra. In particular, we avoid the use of distribution theory, as well as of…

Stochastic Swift-Hohenberg Equation with Degenerate Linear Multiplicative Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Marco; Ong, Kiah Wah

2018-03-01

We study the dynamic transition of the Swift-Hohenberg equation (SHE) when linear multiplicative noise acting on a finite set of modes of the dominant linear flow is introduced. Existence of a stochastic flow and a local stochastic invariant manifold for this stochastic form of SHE are both addressed in this work. We show that the approximate reduced system corresponding to the invariant manifold undergoes a stochastic pitchfork bifurcation, and obtain numerical evidence suggesting that this picture is a good approximation for the full system as well.

Highly sensitive chemiluminescence immunoassay on chitosan membrane modified paper platform using TiO2 nanoparticles/multiwalled carbon nanotubes as label.

PubMed

Li, Weiping; Ge, Shenguang; Wang, Shoumei; Yan, Mei; Ge, Lei; Yu, Jinghua

2013-01-01

A highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) immunoassay was incorporated into a low-cost microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μ-PAD) to fabricate a facile paper-based CL immunodevice (denoted as μ-PCLI). This μ-PCLI was constructed by covalently immobilizing capture antibody on a chitosan membrane modified μ-PADs, which was developed by simple wax printing methodology. TiO2 nanoparticles coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (TiO2/MWCNTs) were synthesized as an amplification catalyst tag to label signal antibody (Ab2). After sandwich-type immunoreactions, the TiO2/MWCNTs were captured on the surface of μ-PADs to catalyze the luminol-p-iodophenol-H2O2 CL system, which produced an enhanced CL emission. Using prostate-specific antigen as a model analyte, the approach provided a good linear response range from 0.001 to 20 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 0.8 pg/mL under optimal conditions. This μ-PCLI showed good reproducibility, selectivity and stability. The assay results of prostate-specific antigen in clinical serum samples were in good agreement with that obtained by commercially used electrochemiluminescence methods at the Cancer Research Center of Shandong Tumor Hospital (Jinan, Shandong Province, China). This μ-PCLI could be very useful to realize highly sensitive, qualitative point-of-care testing in developing or developed countries. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Two New Preyssler-Type Polyoxometalate-Based Coordination Polymers and Their Application in Horseradish Peroxidase Immobilization.

PubMed

Du, Jing; Cao, Mei-Da; Feng, Shu-Li; Su, Fang; Sang, Xiao-Jing; Zhang, Lan-Cui; You, Wan-Sheng; Yang, Mei; Zhu, Zai-Ming

2017-10-17

Enzyme immobilization is of increasing importance for biocatalysis, for which good supports are critical. Herein, two new Preyssler-type polyoxometalate (POM)-based coordination polymers, namely, {[Cu(H 2 biim) 2 ][{Cu(H 2 biim) 2 (μ-H 2 O)} 2 Cu(H 2 biim)(H 2 O) 2 ]H[({Cu(H 2 biim)(H 2 O) 2 } 0.5 ) 2 ((μ-C 3 HN 2 Cl 2 ){Cu(H 2 biim)} 2 ){Z(H 2 O)P 5 W 30 O 110 }]⋅x H 2 O} n (1: Z=Na, x=9; 2: Z=Ag, x=10; H 2 biim=2,2'-biimidazole) were designed and synthesized. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit the same skeletons, which contain multiple Cu II complex fragments and penta-supported {ZP 5 W 30 } (Z=Na, Ag) clusters. They were first employed to immobilize horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Results show that compounds 1 and 2 are good supports for HRP immobilization, and exhibit higher enzyme loading, lower loading times, and excellent reusability. The immobilized HRP (HRP/1 or HRP/2) was further applied to detect H 2 O 2 , and good sensitivity, wide linear range, low detection limit, and fast response were achieved. This work shows that POM-based hybrid materials are a new kind of promising support for enzyme immobilization. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A facile photoelectrochemical sensor for high sensitive ROS and AA detection based on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets.

PubMed

Motaghed Mazhabi, Robabeh; Ge, Liqin; Jiang, Hui; Wang, Xuemei

2018-06-01

Photoactive material is one of the main challenges for fabrication of sensitive and selective photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor. Herein, a facile PEC sensor is constructed using graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (g-C 3 N 4 NSs) coated on the surface of ITO electrode, where electron donor properties of potassium ferrocyanide and ascorbic acid is utilized for the tracing of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hypochlorite (ClO - ), and ascorbic acid (AA). Our designed PEC sensor exhibits a good linear range to H 2 O 2 concentrations from 12.5 to 875 µM in pH = 7.4 and 2.5-400 µM in pH = 10, while that for AA is in the range from 0.25 to 100 µM in pH = 7.4, and with the same pH for ClO - concentrations in the range from 0.5 to 19 × 10 -3 % (V/V) in a bleach sample. Owing to the good responses towards the traces of H 2 O 2 , AA, and ClO - , our designed system may be used as H 2 O 2, ClO - , and AA sensor for outdoor applications with high specificity, long-time stability and good reproducibility. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolution of optimal Hill coefficients in nonlinear public goods games.

PubMed

Archetti, Marco; Scheuring, István

2016-10-07

In evolutionary game theory, the effect of public goods like diffusible molecules has been modelled using linear, concave, sigmoid and step functions. The observation that biological systems are often sigmoid input-output functions, as described by the Hill equation, suggests that a sigmoid function is more realistic. The Michaelis-Menten model of enzyme kinetics, however, predicts a concave function, and while mechanistic explanations of sigmoid kinetics exist, we lack an adaptive explanation: what is the evolutionary advantage of a sigmoid benefit function? We analyse public goods games in which the shape of the benefit function can evolve, in order to determine the optimal and evolutionarily stable Hill coefficients. We find that, while the dynamics depends on whether output is controlled at the level of the individual or the population, intermediate or high Hill coefficients often evolve, leading to sigmoid input-output functions that for some parameters are so steep to resemble a step function (an on-off switch). Our results suggest that, even when the shape of the benefit function is unknown, biological public goods should be modelled using a sigmoid or step function rather than a linear or concave function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizing driver-response relationships in marine pelagic ecosystems for improved ocean management.

PubMed

Hunsicker, Mary E; Kappel, Carrie V; Selkoe, Kimberly A; Halpern, Benjamin S; Scarborough, Courtney; Mease, Lindley; Amrhein, Alisan

2016-04-01

Scientists and resource managers often use methods and tools that assume ecosystem components respond linearly to environmental drivers and human stressors. However, a growing body of literature demonstrates that many relationships are-non-linear, where small changes in a driver prompt a disproportionately large ecological response. We aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationships between drivers and ecosystem components to identify where and when non-linearities are likely to occur. We focused our analyses on one of the best-studied marine systems, pelagic ecosystems, which allowed us to apply robust statistical techniques on a large pool of previously published studies. In this synthesis, we (1) conduct a wide literature review on single driver-response relationships in pelagic systems, (2) use statistical models to identify the degree of non-linearity in these relationships, and (3) assess whether general patterns exist in the strengths and shapes of non-linear relationships across drivers. Overall we found that non-linearities are common in pelagic ecosystems, comprising at least 52% of all driver-response relation- ships. This is likely an underestimate, as papers with higher quality data and analytical approaches reported non-linear relationships at a higher frequency (on average 11% more). Consequently, in the absence of evidence for a linear relationship, it is safer to assume a relationship is non-linear. Strong non-linearities can lead to greater ecological and socioeconomic consequences if they are unknown (and/or unanticipated), but if known they may provide clear thresholds to inform management targets. In pelagic systems, strongly non-linear relationships are often driven by climate and trophodynamic variables but are also associated with local stressors, such as overfishing and pollution, that can be more easily controlled by managers. Even when marine resource managers cannot influence ecosystem change, they can use information about threshold responses to guide how other stressors are managed and to adapt to new ocean conditions. As methods to detect and reduce uncertainty around threshold values improve, managers will be able to better understand and account for ubiquitous non-linear relationships.