Sample records for kasokugata seibutsu kino

  1. KinoHaptics: An Automated, Wearable, Haptic Assisted, Physio-therapeutic System for Post-surgery Rehabilitation and Self-care.

    PubMed

    Rajanna, Vijay; Vo, Patrick; Barth, Jerry; Mjelde, Matthew; Grey, Trevor; Oduola, Cassandra; Hammond, Tracy

    2016-03-01

    A carefully planned, structured, and supervised physiotherapy program, following a surgery, is crucial for the successful diagnosis of physical injuries. Nearly 50 % of the surgeries fail due to unsupervised, and erroneous physiotherapy. The demand for a physiotherapist for an extended period is expensive to afford, and sometimes inaccessible. Researchers have tried to leverage the advancements in wearable sensors and motion tracking by building affordable, automated, physio-therapeutic systems that direct a physiotherapy session by providing audio-visual feedback on patient's performance. There are many aspects of automated physiotherapy program which are yet to be addressed by the existing systems: a wide classification of patients' physiological conditions to be diagnosed, multiple demographics of the patients (blind, deaf, etc.), and the need to pursue patients to adopt the system for an extended period for self-care. In our research, we have tried to address these aspects by building a health behavior change support system called KinoHaptics, for post-surgery rehabilitation. KinoHaptics is an automated, wearable, haptic assisted, physio-therapeutic system that can be used by a wide variety of demographics and for various physiological conditions of the patients. The system provides rich and accurate vibro-haptic feedback that can be felt by the user, irrespective of the physiological limitations. KinoHaptics is built to ensure that no injuries are induced during the rehabilitation period. The persuasive nature of the system allows for personal goal-setting, progress tracking, and most importantly life-style compatibility. The system was evaluated under laboratory conditions, involving 14 users. Results show that KinoHaptics is highly convenient to use, and the vibro-haptic feedback is intuitive, accurate, and has shown to prevent accidental injuries. Also, results show that KinoHaptics is persuasive in nature as it supports behavior change and habit building

  2. Provenance and tectonic settings of sands from Puerto Peñasco, Desemboque and Bahia Kino beaches, Gulf of California, Sonora, México

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madhavaraju, J.; Tom, Milu; Lee, Yong IL; Balaram, V.; Ramasamy, S.; Carranza-Edwards, A.; Ramachandran, A.

    2016-11-01

    Textural, heavy minerals and geochemical (major, trace and rare earth elements) studies were undertaken on the sands from Puerto Peñasco, Desemboque and Bahia Kino beaches to determine the provenance and tectonic settings. Puerto Peñasco and Bahia Kino sands are coarse grained to fine grained, while Desemboque sands are fine grained. Geochemically, these sands are classified as arkose. The sands are depleted in most of the trace elements relative to upper continental crust (UCC), except for few trace elements (Sr, Rb and Ba), which are slightly enriched. High ΣREE content are observed in the Desemboque sands (94.43 ± 6.9) than in the Puerto Peñasco and Bahia Kino sands (51.58 ± 17.06; 72.38 ± 9.27; respectively). The chemical index of alteration (CIA) values of Puerto Peñasco, Desemboque and Bahia Kino sands (PP: 42 to 50; DE: 48 to 50; BK: 44 to 50: respectively) indicate the low intensity of chemical weathering in the source rocks. The tectonic discriminant-function-based multidimensional diagram shows arc and rift settings for Puerto Peñasco sands whereas rift setting for both Desemboque and Bahia Kino sands. The heavy mineral assemblage, immobile trace elements, REE patterns, elemental ratios such Eu/Eu*, (La/Lu)cn, La/Sc, Th/Sc, La/Co, Th/Co, and Cr/Th, various bivariate and ternary plots indicate the contribution of sediments from felsic composition. This interpretation is supported by the comparison of REE patterns of the Puerto Peñasco, Desemboque and Bahia Kino sands with the potential source rocks exposed nearby the study areas.

  3. Adaptable mission planning for kino-dynamic systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bush, Lawrence A. M.; Jimenez, Tony R.; Williams, Brian C.

    Autonomous systems can perform tasks that are dangerous, monotonous, or even impossible for humans. To approach the problem of planning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) we present a hierarchical method that combines a high-level planner with a low-level planner. We pose the problem of high-level planning as a Selective Traveling Salesman Problem (STSP) and select the order in which to visit our science sites. We then use a kino-dynamic path planner to create a large number of intermediate waypoints. This is a complete system that combines high and low level planning to achieve a goal. This paper demonstrates the benefits gained by adaptable high-level plans versus static and greedy plans.

  4. Management Implications of the Biodiversity and Socio-Economic Impacts of Shrimp Trawler By-Catch in Bahía de Kino, Sonora, México

    PubMed Central

    Meltzer, Lorayne; Blinick, Naomi S.; Fleishman, Abram B.

    2012-01-01

    The shrimp fishery is the most economically important fishery in Mexico. The trawler-based portion of this fishery results in high rates of by-catch. This study quantifies and describes the biodiversity of by-catch associated with trawling in the Bahía de Kino region of Sonora, Mexico. Data were collected from 55 trawls, on six boats, over 14 nights, during November of 2003, 2004, 2006–2009. By-catch rates within trawl samples averaged 85.9% measured by weight. A total of 183 by-catch species were identified during the course of this study, including 97 species of bony fish from 43 families, 19 species of elasmobranchs from 12 families, 66 species of invertebrates from eight phyla, and one species of marine turtle; seven of the documented by-catch species are listed on the IUCN Red List, CITES, or the Mexican NOM-059-ECOL-2010; 35 species documented in the by-catch are also targeted by local artisanal fishers. Some of the species frequently captured as juveniles in the by-catch are economically important to small-scale fishers in the region, and are particularly sensitive to overexploitation due to their life histories. This study highlights the need for further research quantifying the impacts of high levels of by-catch upon small-scale fishing economies in the region and presents strong ecological and economic rationale for by-catch management within the shrimp fishery of the Gulf of California. Site-specific by-catch management plans should be piloted in the Bahía de Kino region to address the growing momentum in national and international fisheries policy regimes toward the reduction of by-catch in shrimp fisheries. PMID:22719827

  5. Management implications of the biodiversity and socio-economic impacts of shrimp trawler by-catch in Bahía de Kino, Sonora, México.

    PubMed

    Meltzer, Lorayne; Blinick, Naomi S; Fleishman, Abram B

    2012-01-01

    The shrimp fishery is the most economically important fishery in Mexico. The trawler-based portion of this fishery results in high rates of by-catch. This study quantifies and describes the biodiversity of by-catch associated with trawling in the Bahía de Kino region of Sonora, Mexico. Data were collected from 55 trawls, on six boats, over 14 nights, during November of 2003, 2004, 2006-2009. By-catch rates within trawl samples averaged 85.9% measured by weight. A total of 183 by-catch species were identified during the course of this study, including 97 species of bony fish from 43 families, 19 species of elasmobranchs from 12 families, 66 species of invertebrates from eight phyla, and one species of marine turtle; seven of the documented by-catch species are listed on the IUCN Red List, CITES, or the Mexican NOM-059-ECOL-2010; 35 species documented in the by-catch are also targeted by local artisanal fishers. Some of the species frequently captured as juveniles in the by-catch are economically important to small-scale fishers in the region, and are particularly sensitive to overexploitation due to their life histories. This study highlights the need for further research quantifying the impacts of high levels of by-catch upon small-scale fishing economies in the region and presents strong ecological and economic rationale for by-catch management within the shrimp fishery of the Gulf of California. Site-specific by-catch management plans should be piloted in the Bahía de Kino region to address the growing momentum in national and international fisheries policy regimes toward the reduction of by-catch in shrimp fisheries.

  6. "None Excel Them in Virtue and Honesty"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeJong, David H.

    2005-01-01

    Written accounts of the agricultural skill, settled nature, and moral fortitude of the Pima abound, extending back to 1694 when Jesuit priest Francisco Eusebio Kino made the first recorded observations of the Indians. These accounts concluded that the industriousness of the Pima was made possible by the river and was responsible for their…

  7. "The Pearl" as Tragedy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bates, Barclay W.

    1970-01-01

    Despite reservations about the significance of "The Pearl" in relation to John Steinbeck's other works, a case can be made for the novel as an effective exemplification of the Greek tragic form, which Steinbeck has adapted for his own realistic purposes. Although the protagonist Kino lacks high rank and eloquence, he possesses the tragic…

  8. Breeding Double-crested Cormorants and Wading Birds on Isla Alcatraz, Sonora, México

    Treesearch

    Jennifer N. Duberstein; Virginia Jimenez-Serrania; Tad A. Pfister; Kirsten E. Lindquist; Lorayne Meltzer

    2005-01-01

    Isla Alcatraz is a small volcanic island in the Eastern Midriff Island region of the Gulf of California, approximately 1.4 km from the fishing community of Bahía de Kino, Sonora, México. The island falls under the protection of the Gulf Island Reserve system for wildlife and migratory birds. Isla Alcatraz is home to one of the largest Double-crested Cormorant (

  9. New Leader: a Documentary on the Orleans ROTC Battalion.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-05-01

    Robert Flaherty’s Non-Preconception, Italian Neo- Realism , French Nouvelle Vague, England’s free cinema, and electronic news gathering for television...Kino-Eye has been a relentless struggle to modify the course 38 of world cinema, to place in cinematic production a new emphasis of the "unplayed...diverted from the conventional style to a cinematic presentation that showed audiences as true a portrait of themselves and their surroundings as

  10. Chemical signatures of fossilized resins and recent plant exudates.

    PubMed

    Lambert, Joseph B; Santiago-Blay, Jorge A; Anderson, Ken B

    2008-01-01

    Amber is one of the few gemstones based on an organic structure. Found over most of the world, it is the fossil form of sticky plant exudates called resins. Investigation of amber by modern analytical techniques provides structural information and insight into the identity of the ancient plants that produced the source resin. Mass spectrometric analysis of materials separated by gas chromatography has identified specific compounds that are the basis of a reliable classification of the different types of amber. NMR spectroscopy of bulk, solid amber provides a complementary classification. NMR spectroscopy also can be used to characterize modern resins as well as other types of plant exudates such as gums, gum resins, and kinos, which strongly resemble resins in appearance but have very different molecular constitutions.

  11. Palynostratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene Deposits in the South of Western Siberia by Example of Russkaya Polyana Boreholes, Omsk Trough

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebedeva, N. K.; Kuz'mina, O. B.

    2018-01-01

    The detailed study of Boreholes 8, 10, and 2 in the Russkaya Polyana district (Omsk Trough) made it possible to reveal the complex structure of the Upper Cretaceous sediments formed in unstable conditions of the marginal part of the Western Siberian basin. The Pokur, Kuznetsovo, Ipatovo, Slavgorod, and Gan'kino formations were subjected to palynological analysis and substantiation of their Late Cretaceous age. Eight biostratigraphic units with dinocysts and five units with spores and pollen from the Albian to the Maastrichtian were identified. The joint application of biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic methods made it possible to reveal the stratigraphic breaks in the studied sedimentary stratum and to estimate their scope. The age of the Lower Lyulinvor Subformation was specified in the marginal part of the Omsk Trough. The ingression traces of the Western Siberian basin in the Albian were found for the first time in the considered region.

  12. Concentrations of heavy metals in sediment and organisms during a harmful algal bloom (HAB) at Kun Kaak Bay, Sonora, Mexico.

    PubMed

    García-Hernández, Jaqueline; García-Rico, Leticia; Jara-Marini, Martin E; Barraza-Guardado, Ramón; Hudson Weaver, Amy

    2005-07-01

    In early April 2003, fishermen from Kino Bay Sonora alerted us about a massive die-off of fish and mollusks occurring at Kun Kaak Bay. Phytoplankton samples taken on 17 May 2003 reported the presence of a harmful algal bloom composed of Chatonella marina, Chatonella cf. ovata, Gymnodinium catenatum and Gymnodinium sanguineum. On 22 of May, we collected samples of water, sediment and organisms at the affected area. Physicochemical parameters and nutrients were measured in water samples from different depths. Sediment and benthic organisms were analyzed for Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Hg. We found concentrations of heavy metals higher than background levels for this area. Cadmium and Lead concentrations in sediment from the HAB area were up to 6x greater than background levels and Cd in mollusks was 8x greater than regulations allow. A relationship between elevated Cd and Pb concentrations in sediment and the survival of toxic dinoflagellates is suspected.

  13. Improvement of ion thruster design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carpenter, R. T.

    1986-01-01

    Two types of measurements were performed on ion thrustors equipped with SmCo magnets in either ring cusp or line cusp arrangements. Langmuir probes were used to measure plasma potential, electron density, and electron temperture in all regions inside the thruster. Loss fluxes to various surfaces were determined by measuring the currents to foils attached to or imbedded in the surface. Data were obtained for several sets of discharge voltages and currents. The loss currents were determined from current vs voltage characteristics observed on a transistor curve tracer oscilloscope. Both ion and electron currents were measured to all parts of the walls and to all parts of the cathode assembly using collecting plates. These measurement were also made for various parameter sets. In line cusp configuration the plasma density is essentially as predicted by existing calculations. In the ring cusp arrangement the interior of the plasma contains an inhomogeneous and relatively large magnetic field so the geometry is decidely two-dimensional and the models of Self (1967) and of Kino and Sham (1966) do not agree.

  14. Stratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits of the Bakchar iron ore deposit (southwestern Siberia): New data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lebedeva, N. K.; Kuzmina, O. B.; Sobolev, E. S.; Khazina, I. V.

    2017-01-01

    The results of complex palynological and microfaunistic studies of Upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits of the Bakchar iron ore deposit are presented. Geochronologically, the age of the deposits varies from Campanian to Quaternary. It was established that the Slavgorod, Gan'kino, and Jurki (?) formations contain four biostratons in the rank of beds with dinocysts and three biostratons in the rank of beds with spores and pollen. The Cenozoic continental deposits contain four biostratons in the rank of beds, containing spores and pollen. As a result of the study, a large stratigraphic gap in the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary deposits, covering a significant part of the Maastrichtian, Paleocene, Ypresian, and Lutetian stages of the Eocene, was established. The remnants of a new morphotype of heteromorphic ammonites of genus Baculites were first described in deposits of the Slavgorod Formation (preliminarily, upper Campanian). The distribution features of the different palynomorph groups in the Upper Cretaceous-Cenozoic deposits in the area of study due to transgressive-regressive cycles and climate fluctuations were revealed.

  15. Kino'jib'alil ri Qati't Qamam--El Pensamiento de Nuestros Abuelos (Our Grandparents' Thinking). [CD-ROM].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC.

    This CD-ROM is part of an interactive and dynamic multimedia package of information and games for learning K'iche' and Ixil. Groups of students from each of the four teacher training schools re-enacted various Mayan traditions and documented them in this multimedia CD-ROM. The following presentations are included on the CD-ROM: Uxe'al nutinamit…

  16. Compositional variation of glauconites in Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene sedimentary iron-ore deposits in South-eastern Western Siberia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rudmin, Maxim; Banerjee, Santanu; Mazurov, Aleksey

    2017-06-01

    Glauconite occurs either as unaltered greenish or as altered brownish variety in Upper Cretaceous-Palaeocene sediments in the southeastern corner of Western Siberia. Studied section within the Bakchar iron-ore deposit includes Ipatovo, Slavgorod, Gan'kino and Lyulinvor formations, which are represented by sandstones, siltstones, claystones and oolitic ironstones of coastal-marine facies. The origin of unaltered glauconite is explained by the ;verdissement theory;. Transgressions during Lower Coniacian, Santonian and Campanian favored the formation of unaltered glauconites in dysoxic to anoxic conditions. Subaerial exposure of glauconite resulted in leaching of potassium, oxidation of iron and formation of iron hydroxides in Upper Coniacian, Maastrichtian and Palaeocene. Glauconite ultimately converts to leptochlorite and hydrogoethite by this alteration. Abundant microscopic gold inclusions, besides sulphides, sulphates, oxides and silicates characterize this glauconite. Mineral inclusions include precious, rare metals and non-ferrous metals. The concentration of gold in glauconite may be as high as 42.9 ppb. Abundant inclusions of various compositions in glauconites indicate enrichment of marine sediments in precious and non-precious metals. While major element composition of glauconites is affected by subaerial exposure, the broadly similar micro-inclusions in both altered and unaltered varieties are possibly related to the comparatively immobile nature of REE and trace elements.

  17. Loss of genetic diversity in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) associated with the fur trade of the 18th and 19th centuries

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Larson, S.; Jameson, R.; Etnier, M.; Flemings, M.; Bentzen, P.

    2002-01-01

    During 1969 and 1970, surveys of the endangered Yuma Clapper Rail were conducted using taped calls to elicit responses from the birds. During the two summers, more than 158 Yuma clappers were located in cattailtule marshes along the Colorado River south of Needles, California, to the International Boundary, a distance of about 240 miles. Clappers (probably of the same race) were also found in estuarian marshes of the Colorado River Delta of Mexico; in the Salton Sea; in two freshwater marsh areas near Phoenix, Arizona; and in two freshwater marshes adjacent to the lower Gila River near Tacna, Arizona.....Populations of Sonora Clapper Rails were discovered as permanent residents in five separate mangrove swamps along the west coast of Mexico in the vicinity of Kino Bay, Sonora. These observations were farther north than any heretofore reported for the race R. l. rhizophorae, and the swamps also represent the extreme northward limit of mangroves in Sonora.....During the winter, Yuma clappers did not respond to taped calls north of the International Boundary, whereas clappers along the coast of Sonora readily answered the calls during the same period of time. We conclude that most Yuma Clapper Rails migrate from their summer habitat along the Colorado River in September and do not return to the breeding areas until late April.

  18. Distribution of two western clapper rail races as determined by responses to taped calls

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tomlinson, R.E.; Todd, R.L.

    1973-01-01

    During 1969 and 1970, surveys of the endangered Yuma Clapper Rail were conducted using taped calls to elicit responses from the birds. During the two summers, more than 158 Yuma clappers were located in cattailtule marshes along the Colorado River south of Needles, California, to the International Boundary, a distance of about 240 miles. Clappers (probably of the same race) were also found in estuarian marshes of the Colorado River Delta of Mexico; in the Salton Sea; in two freshwater marsh areas near Phoenix, Arizona; and in two freshwater marshes adjacent to the lower Gila River near Tacna, Arizona.....Populations of Sonora Clapper Rails were discovered as permanent residents in five separate mangrove swamps along the west coast of Mexico in the vicinity of Kino Bay, Sonora. These observations were farther north than any heretofore reported for the race R. l. rhizophorae, and the swamps also represent the extreme northward limit of mangroves in Sonora.....During the winter, Yuma clappers did not respond to taped calls north of the International Boundary, whereas clappers along the coast of Sonora readily answered the calls during the same period of time. We conclude that most Yuma Clapper Rails migrate from their summer habitat along the Colorado River in September and do not return to the breeding areas until late April.

  19. Path planning for persistent surveillance applications using fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keller, James F.

    This thesis addresses coordinated path planning for fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) engaged in persistent surveillance missions. While uniquely suited to this mission, fixed wing vehicles have maneuver constraints that can limit their performance in this role. Current technology vehicles are capable of long duration flight with a minimal acoustic footprint while carrying an array of cameras and sensors. Both military tactical and civilian safety applications can benefit from this technology. We make three main contributions: C1 A sequential path planner that generates a C 2 flight plan to persistently acquire a covering set of data over a user designated area of interest. The planner features the following innovations: • A path length abstraction that embeds kino-dynamic motion constraints to estimate feasible path length. • A Traveling Salesman-type planner to generate a covering set route based on the path length abstraction. • A smooth path generator that provides C 2 routes that satisfy user specified curvature constraints. C2 A set of algorithms to coordinate multiple UAVs, including mission commencement from arbitrary locations to the start of a coordinated mission and de-confliction of paths to avoid collisions with other vehicles and fixed obstacles. C3 A numerically robust toolbox of spline-based algorithms tailored for vehicle routing validated through flight test experiments on multiple platforms. A variety of tests and platforms are discussed. The algorithms presented are based on a technical approach with approximately equal emphasis on analysis, computation, dynamic simulation, and flight test experimentation. Our planner (C1) directly takes into account vehicle maneuverability and agility constraints that could otherwise render simple solutions infeasible. This is especially important when surveillance objectives elevate the importance of optimized paths. Researchers have developed a diverse range of solutions for persistent

  20. Nullspace Sampling with Holonomic Constraints Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Gαs.

    PubMed

    Pachov, Dimitar V; van den Bedem, Henry

    2015-07-01

    Proteins perform their function or interact with partners by exchanging between conformational substates on a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Structurally characterizing these exchanges is challenging, both experimentally and computationally. Large, diffusional motions are often on timescales that are difficult to access with molecular dynamics simulations, especially for large proteins and their complexes. The low frequency modes of normal mode analysis (NMA) report on molecular fluctuations associated with biological activity. However, NMA is limited to a second order expansion about a minimum of the potential energy function, which limits opportunities to observe diffusional motions. By contrast, kino-geometric conformational sampling (KGS) permits large perturbations while maintaining the exact geometry of explicit conformational constraints, such as hydrogen bonds. Here, we extend KGS and show that a conformational ensemble of the α subunit Gαs of heterotrimeric stimulatory protein Gs exhibits structural features implicated in its activation pathway. Activation of protein Gs by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is associated with GDP release and large conformational changes of its α-helical domain. Our method reveals a coupled α-helical domain opening motion while, simultaneously, Gαs helix α5 samples an activated conformation. These motions are moderated in the activated state. The motion centers on a dynamic hub near the nucleotide-binding site of Gαs, and radiates to helix α4. We find that comparative NMA-based ensembles underestimate the amplitudes of the motion. Additionally, the ensembles fall short in predicting the accepted direction of the full activation pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that nullspace sampling with explicit, holonomic constraints yields ensembles that illuminate molecular mechanisms involved in GDP release and protein Gs activation, and further establish conformational coupling between key structural

  1. Nullspace Sampling with Holonomic Constraints Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Gαs

    PubMed Central

    Pachov, Dimitar V.; van den Bedem, Henry

    2015-01-01

    Proteins perform their function or interact with partners by exchanging between conformational substates on a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Structurally characterizing these exchanges is challenging, both experimentally and computationally. Large, diffusional motions are often on timescales that are difficult to access with molecular dynamics simulations, especially for large proteins and their complexes. The low frequency modes of normal mode analysis (NMA) report on molecular fluctuations associated with biological activity. However, NMA is limited to a second order expansion about a minimum of the potential energy function, which limits opportunities to observe diffusional motions. By contrast, kino-geometric conformational sampling (KGS) permits large perturbations while maintaining the exact geometry of explicit conformational constraints, such as hydrogen bonds. Here, we extend KGS and show that a conformational ensemble of the α subunit Gαs of heterotrimeric stimulatory protein Gs exhibits structural features implicated in its activation pathway. Activation of protein Gs by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is associated with GDP release and large conformational changes of its α-helical domain. Our method reveals a coupled α-helical domain opening motion while, simultaneously, Gαs helix α5 samples an activated conformation. These motions are moderated in the activated state. The motion centers on a dynamic hub near the nucleotide-binding site of Gαs, and radiates to helix α4. We find that comparative NMA-based ensembles underestimate the amplitudes of the motion. Additionally, the ensembles fall short in predicting the accepted direction of the full activation pathway. Taken together, our findings suggest that nullspace sampling with explicit, holonomic constraints yields ensembles that illuminate molecular mechanisms involved in GDP release and protein Gs activation, and further establish conformational coupling between key structural

  2. Techniques and software tools for estimating ultrasonic signal-to-noise ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiou, Chien-Ping; Margetan, Frank J.; McKillip, Matthew; Engle, Brady J.; Roberts, Ronald A.

    2016-02-01

    At Iowa State University's Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (ISU CNDE), the use of models to simulate ultrasonic inspections has played a key role in R&D efforts for over 30 years. To this end a series of wave propagation models, flaw response models, and microstructural backscatter models have been developed to address inspection problems of interest. One use of the combined models is the estimation of signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) in circumstances where backscatter from the microstructure (grain noise) acts to mask sonic echoes from internal defects. Such S/N models have been used in the past to address questions of inspection optimization and reliability. Under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center at ISU, an effort was recently initiated to improve existing research-grade software by adding graphical user interface (GUI) to become user friendly tools for the rapid estimation of S/N for ultrasonic inspections of metals. The software combines: (1) a Python-based GUI for specifying an inspection scenario and displaying results; and (2) a Fortran-based engine for computing defect signal and backscattered grain noise characteristics. The latter makes use of several models including: the Multi-Gaussian Beam Model for computing sonic fields radiated by commercial transducers; the Thompson-Gray Model for the response from an internal defect; the Independent Scatterer Model for backscattered grain noise; and the Stanke-Kino Unified Model for attenuation. The initial emphasis was on reformulating the research-grade code into a suitable modular form, adding the graphical user interface and performing computations rapidly and robustly. Thus the initial inspection problem being addressed is relatively simple. A normal-incidence pulse/echo immersion inspection is simulated for a curved metal component having a non-uniform microstructure, specifically an equiaxed, untextured microstructure in which the average

  3. PREFACE: Preface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takahashi, Masahiko; Ueda, Kiyoshi

    2011-03-01

    The 17th edition of the International Conference on Many Particle Spectroscopy of Atoms, Molecules, Clusters, and Surfaces (MPS) was held in Sendai, Japan, from September 4-7, 2010. It was the first time that a meeting of this series of biennial conferences was hosted in a non-European country. The conference was attended by 110 researchers (90 regular participants and 20 students) from 15 different countries around the world. The themes that the conference covered can be divided into three broad areas: lepton impact, photon impact and heavy-particle impact. A total of 43 oral presentations - including 2 plenary talks, 29 progress reports and 12 hot topics - and 87 poster presentations were held during the course of the program. Rapid progress both in experimental and theoretical techniques has led to discussions across a broad range of currently hot topics, such as many-body dynamics and electron correlation effects in excitation processes, as well as in single and multiple ionization processes for various kinds of targets including atoms, molecules, clusters, solid state and even biological systems. A snapshot of the present status of many particle spectroscopy is given in this proceedings. The chairs of the conference gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Morino Foundation for Molecular Science, Iwatani Naoji Foundation, Sendai Tourism and Convention Bureau, and Intelligent Cosmos Academic Foundation. They are indebted to the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, for co-hosting the conference, as well as to the international advisory board members for their extremely helpful suggestions to make the program attractive. The united effort of the local organizing committee, involving N Watanabe (Secretary), M Okunishi (Treasurer), H Fukuzawa, M Yamazaki, Y Kino, and N Kishimoto, is also gratefully acknowledged. Without the help of these institutions and individuals it would have been impossible to organize