EPOS-WP16: A Platform for European Multi-scale Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiers, Chris; Drury, Martyn; Kan-Parker, Mirjam; Lange, Otto; Willingshofer, Ernst; Funiciello, Francesca; Rosenau, Matthias; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Sagnotti, Leonardo; W16 Participants

2016-04-01

The participant countries in EPOS embody a wide range of world-class laboratory infrastructures ranging from high temperature and pressure experimental facilities, to electron microscopy, micro-beam analysis, analogue modeling and paleomagnetic laboratories. Most data produced by the various laboratory centres and networks are presently available only in limited "final form" in publications. As such many data remain inaccessible and/or poorly preserved. However, the data produced at the participating laboratories are crucial to serving society's need for geo-resources exploration and for protection against geo-hazards. Indeed, to model resource formation and system behaviour during exploitation, we need an understanding from the molecular to the continental scale, based on experimental data. This contribution will describe the work plans that the laboratories community in Europe is making, in the context of EPOS. The main objectives are: - To collect and harmonize available and emerging laboratory data on the properties and processes controlling rock system behaviour at multiple scales, in order to generate products accessible and interoperable through services for supporting research activities. - To co-ordinate the development, integration and trans-national usage of the major solid Earth Science laboratory centres and specialist networks. The length scales encompassed by the infrastructures included range from the nano- and micrometer levels (electron microscopy and micro-beam analysis) to the scale of experiments on centimetre sized samples, and to analogue model experiments simulating the reservoir scale, the basin scale and the plate scale. - To provide products and services supporting research into Geo-resources and Geo-storage, Geo-hazards and Earth System Evolution.

30 CFR 14.21 - Laboratory-scale flame test apparatus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Laboratory-scale flame test apparatus. 14.21 Section 14.21 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING... Technical Requirements § 14.21 Laboratory-scale flame test apparatus. The principal parts of the apparatus...

30 CFR 14.21 - Laboratory-scale flame test apparatus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Laboratory-scale flame test apparatus. 14.21 Section 14.21 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR TESTING... Technical Requirements § 14.21 Laboratory-scale flame test apparatus. The principal parts of the apparatus...

LABORATORY SCALE STEAM INJECTION TREATABILITY STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

Laboratory scale steam injection treatability studies were first developed at The University of California-Berkeley. A comparable testing facility has been developed at USEPA's Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center. Experience has already shown that many volatile organic...

Comparison of coal/solid recovered fuel (SRF) with coal/refuse derived fuel (RDF) in a fluidised bed reactor

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

Wagland, S.T.; Kilgallon, P.; Coveney, R.

2011-06-15

An experimental study was undertaken to compare the differences between municipal solid waste (MSW) derived solid recovered fuel (SRF) (complying with CEN standards) and refuse derived fuel (RDF). Both fuels were co-combusted with coal in a 50 kW fluidised bed combustor and the metal emissions were compared. Synthetic SRF was prepared in the laboratory by grinding major constituents of MSW such as paper, plastic, textile and wood. RDF was obtained from a local mechanical treatment plant. Heavy metal emissions in flue gas and ash samples from the (coal + 10% SRF) fuel mixture were found to be within the acceptablemore » range and were generally lower than that obtained for coal + 10% RDF fuel mixture. The relative distribution of heavy metals in ash components and the flue gas stream shows the presence of a large fraction (up to 98%) of most of the metals in the ash (except Hg and As). Thermo-gravimetric (TG) analysis of SRF constituents was performed to understand the behaviour of fuel mixtures in the absence and presence of air. The results obtained from the experimental study will enhance the confidence of fuel users towards using MSW-derived SRF as an alternative fuel.« less

Hydrolysis, acidification and methanogenesis during low-temperature anaerobic digestion of dilute dairy wastewater in an inverted fluidised bioreactor.

PubMed

Bialek, Katarzyna; Cysneiros, Denise; O'Flaherty, Vincent

2014-10-01

The application of low-temperature (10 °C) anaerobic digestion (LtAD) for the treatment of complex dairy-based wastewater in an inverted fluidised bed (IFB) reactor was investigated. Inadequate mixing intensity provoked poor hydrolysis of the substrate (mostly protein), which resulted in low chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency throughout the trial, averaging ~69 % at the best operational period. Overgrowth of the attached biomass to the support particles (Extendospheres) induced bed stratification by provoking agglutination of the particles and supporting their washout by sedimentation, which contributed to unstable bioprocess performance at the organic loading rates (OLRs) between 0.5 and 5 kg COD m(-3) day(-1). An applied OLR above 2 kg COD m(-3) day(-1) additionally promoted acidification and strongly influenced the microbial composition and dynamics. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens appeared to be the mostly affected group by the Extendospheres particle washout as a decrease in their abundance was observed by quantitative PCR analysis towards the end of the trial, although the specific methanogenic activity and maximum substrate utilisation rate on H2/CO2 indicated high metabolic activity and preference towards hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis of the reactor biomass at this stage. The bacterial community in the bioreactor monitored via denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) also suggested an influence of OLR stress on bacterial community structure and population dynamics. The data presented in this work can provide useful information in future optimisation of fluidised reactors intended for digestion of complex industrial wastewaters during LtAD.

Building a Laboratory-Scale Biogas Plant and Verifying its Functionality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boleman, Tomáš; Fiala, Jozef; Blinová, Lenka; Gerulová, Kristína

2011-01-01

The paper deals with the process of building a laboratory-scale biogas plant and verifying its functionality. The laboratory-scale prototype was constructed in the Department of Safety and Environmental Engineering at the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava, of the Slovak University of Technology. The Department has already built a solar laboratory to promote and utilise solar energy, and designed SETUR hydro engine. The laboratory is the next step in the Department's activities in the field of renewable energy sources and biomass. The Department is also involved in the European Union project, where the goal is to upgrade all existed renewable energy sources used in the Department.

Computational simulation of laboratory-scale volcanic jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovitz, S.; Van Eaton, A. R.; Mastin, L. G.; Herzog, M.

2017-12-01

Volcanic eruptions produce ash clouds that may travel great distances, significantly impacting aviation and communities downwind. Atmospheric hazard forecasting relies partly on numerical models of the flow physics, which incorporate data from eruption observations and analogue laboratory tests. As numerical tools continue to increase in complexity, they must be validated to fine-tune their effectiveness. Since eruptions are relatively infrequent and challenging to observe in great detail, analogue experiments can provide important insights into expected behavior over a wide range of input conditions. Unfortunately, laboratory-scale jets cannot easily attain the high Reynolds numbers ( 109) of natural volcanic eruption columns. Comparisons between the computational models and analogue experiments can help bridge this gap. In this study, we investigate a 3-D volcanic plume model, the Active Tracer High-resolution Atmospheric Model (ATHAM), which has been used to simulate a variety of eruptions. However, it has not been previously validated using laboratory-scale data. We conducted numerical simulations of three flows that we have studied in the laboratory: a vertical jet in a quiescent environment, a vertical jet in horizontal cross flow, and a particle-laden jet. We considered Reynolds numbers from 10,000 to 50,000, jet-to-cross flow velocity ratios of 2 to 10, and particle mass loadings of up to 25% of the exit mass flow rate. Vertical jet simulations produce Gaussian velocity profiles in the near exit region by 3 diameters downstream, matching the mean experimental profiles. Simulations of air entrainment are of the correct order of magnitude, but they show decreasing entrainment with vertical distance from the vent. Cross flow simulations reproduce experimental trajectories for the jet centerline initially, although confinement appears to impact the response later. Particle-laden simulations display minimal variation in concentration profiles between cases with

MHD scaling: from astrophysics to the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryutov, Dmitri

2000-10-01

During the last few years, considerable progress has been made in simulating astrophysical phenomena in laboratory experiments with high power lasers [1]. Astrophysical phenomena that have drawn particular interest include supernovae explosions; young supernova remnants; galactic jets; the formation of fine structures in late supernova remnants by instabilities; and the ablation driven evolution of molecular clouds illuminated by nearby bright stars, which may affect star formation. A question may arise as to what extent the laser experiments, which deal with targets of a spatial scale 0.01 cm and occur at a time scale of a few nanoseconds, can reproduce phenomena occurring at spatial scales of a million or more kilometers and time scales from hours to many years. Quite remarkably, if dissipative processes (like, e.g., viscosity, Joule dissipation, etc.) are subdominant in both systems, and the matter behaves as a polytropic gas, there exists a broad hydrodynamic similarity (the ``Euler similarity" of Ref. [2]) that allows a direct scaling of laboratory results to astrophysical phenomena. Following a review of relevant earlier work (in particular, [3]-[5]), discussion is presented of the details of the Euler similarity related to the presence of shocks and to a special case of a strong drive. After that, constraints stemming from possible development of small-scale turbulence are analyzed. Generalization of the Euler similarity to the case of a gas with spatially varying polytropic index is presented. A possibility of scaled simulations of ablation front dynamics is one more topic covered in this paper. It is shown that, with some additional constraints, a simple similarity exists. This, in particular, opens up the possibility of scaled laboratory simulation of the aforementioned ablation (photoevaporation) fronts. A nonlinear transformation [6] that establishes a duality between implosion and explosion processes is also discussed in the paper. 1. B.A. Remington et

A comparison of refuse attenuation in laboratory and field scale lysimeters.

PubMed

Youcai, Zhao; Luochun, Wang; Renhua, Hua; Dimin, Xu; Guowei, Gu

2002-01-01

For this study, small and middle scale laboratory lysimeters, and a large scale field lysimeter in situ in Shanghai Refuse Landfill, with refuse weights of 187,600 and 10,800,000 kg, respectively, were created. These lysimeters are compared in terms of leachate quality (pH, concentrations of COD, BOD and NH3-N), refuse composition (biodegradable matter and volatile solid) and surface settlement for a monitoring period of 0-300 days. The objectives of this study were to explore both the similarities and disparities between laboratory and field scale lysimeters, and to compare degradation behaviors of refuse at the intensive reaction phase in the different scale lysimeters. Quantitative relationships of leachate quality and refuse composition with placement time show that degradation behaviors of refuse seem to depend heavily on the scales of the lysimeters and the parameters of concern, especially in the starting period of 0-6 months. However, some similarities exist between laboratory and field lysimeters after 4-6 months of placement because COD and BOD concentrations in leachate in the field lysimeter decrease regularly in a parallel pattern with those in the laboratory lysimeters. NH3-N, volatile solid (VS) and biodegradable matter (BDM) also gradually decrease in parallel in this intensive reaction phase for all scale lysimeters as refuse ages. Though the concrete data are different among the different scale lysimeters, it may be considered that laboratory lysimeters with sufficient scale are basically applicable for a rough simulation of a real landfill, especially for illustrating the degradation pattern and mechanism. Settlement of refuse surface is roughly proportional to the initial refuse height.

Comparative simulation of a fluidised bed reformer using industrial process simulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashiri, Hamed; Sotudeh-Gharebagh, Rahmat; Sarvar-Amini, Amin; Haghtalab, Ali; Mostoufi, Navid

2016-08-01

A simulation model is developed by commercial simulators in order to predict the performance of a fluidised bed reformer. As many physical and chemical phenomena take place in the reformer, two sub-models (hydrodynamic and reaction sub-models) are needed. The hydrodynamic sub-model is based on the dynamic two-phase model and the reaction sub-model is derived from the literature. In the overall model, the bed is divided into several sections. In each section, the flow of the gas is considered as plug flow through the bubble phase and perfectly mixed through the emulsion phase. Experimental data from the literature were used to validate the model. Close agreement was found between the model of both ASPEN Plus (ASPEN PLUS 2004 ©) and HYSYS (ASPEN HYSYS 2004 ©) and the experimental data using various sectioning of the reactor ranged from one to four. The experimental conversion lies between one and four sections as expected. The model proposed in this work can be used as a framework in developing the complicated models for non-ideal reactors inside of the process simulators.

Design of a laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wikström, E.; Andersson, P.; Marklund, S.

1998-04-01

The aim of this project was to construct a laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor that simulates the behavior of full scale municipal solid waste combustors. The design of this reactor is thoroughly described. The size of the laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor is 5 kW, which corresponds to a fuel-feeding rate of approximately 1 kg/h. The reactor system consists of four parts: a bed section, a freeboard section, a convector (postcombustion zone), and an air pollution control (APC) device system. The inside diameter of the reactor is 100 mm at the bed section and it widens to 200 mm in diameter in the freeboard section; the total height of the reactor is 1760 mm. The convector part consists of five identical sections; each section is 2700 mm long and has an inside diameter of 44.3 mm. The reactor is flexible regarding the placement and number of sampling ports. At the beginning of the first convector unit and at the end of each unit there are sampling ports for organic micropollutants (OMP). This makes it possible to study the composition of the flue gases at various residence times. Sampling ports for inorganic compounds and particulate matter are also placed in the convector section. All operating parameters, reactor temperatures, concentrations of CO, CO2, O2, SO2, NO, and NO2 are continuously measured and stored at selected intervals for further evaluation. These unique features enable full control over the fuel feed, air flows, and air distribution as well as over the temperature profile. Elaborate details are provided regarding the configuration of the fuel-feeding systems, the fluidized bed, the convector section, and the APC device. This laboratory reactor enables detailed studies of the formation mechanisms of OMP, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated benzenes (PCBzs). With this system formation mechanisms of OMP occurring in both the combustion

Fracture induced electromagnetic emissions: extending laboratory findings by observations at the geophysical scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potirakis, Stelios M.; Contoyiannis, Yiannis; Kopanas, John; Kalimeris, Anastasios; Antonopoulos, George; Peratzakis, Athanasios; Eftaxias, Konstantinos; Nomicos, Constantinos

2014-05-01

Under natural conditions, it is practically impossible to install an experimental network on the geophysical scale using the same instrumentations as in laboratory experiments for understanding, through the states of stress and strain and their time variation, the laws that govern the friction during the last stages of EQ generation, or to monitor (much less to control) the principal characteristics of a fracture process. Fracture-induced electromagnetic emissions (EME) in a wide range of frequency bands are sensitive to the micro-structural chances. Thus, their study constitutes a nondestructive method for the monitoring of the evolution of damage process at the laboratory scale. It has been suggested that fracture induced MHz-kHz electromagnetic (EM) emissions, which emerge from a few days up to a few hours before the main seismic shock occurrence permit a real time monitoring of the damage process during the last stages of earthquake preparation, as it happens at the laboratory scale. Since the EME are produced both in the case of the laboratory scale fracture and the EQ preparation process (geophysical scale fracture) they should present similar characteristics in these two scales. Therefore, both the laboratory experimenting scientists and the experimental scientists studying the pre-earthquake EME could benefit from each- other's results. Importantly, it is noted that when studying the fracture process by means of laboratory experiments, the fault growth process normally occurs violently in a fraction of a second. However, a major difference between the laboratory and natural processes is the order-of-magnitude differences in scale (in space and time), allowing the possibility of experimental observation at the geophysical scale for a range of physical processes which are not observable at the laboratory scale. Therefore, the study of fracture-induced EME is expected to reveal more information, especially for the last stages of the fracture process, when it

Simultaneous organic nitrogen and sulfate removal in an anaerobic GAC fluidised bed reactor.

PubMed

Fdz-Polanco, F; Fdz-Polanco, M; Fernandez, N; Urueña, M A; García, P A; Villaverde, S

2001-01-01

A granular activated carbon (GAC) anaerobic fluidised bed reactor treating vinasse from an ethanol distillery of sugar beet molasses was operated for 250 days under three different organic loading rates. The reactor showed good performance in terms of organic matter removal and methane production but an anomalous behaviour in terms of unusual high concentrations of molecular nitrogen and low concentration of hydrogen sulphide in the biogas. The analysis of the different nitrogenous and sulphur compounds and the mass balances of these species in the liquid and gas phases clearly indicated an uncommon evolution of nitrogen and sulphur in the reactor. Up to 55% of the TKN and up to 80% of the sulphur disappear in the liquid phase. This is the opposite to any previously reported results in the bibliography. The new postulated anaerobic process of ammonia and sulphate removal seems to follow the mechanism: SO4 = +2 NH4+-->S + N2 + 4H2O (delta G degree = -47.8 kJ/mol).

Beyond-laboratory-scale prediction for channeling flows through subsurface rock fractures with heterogeneous aperture distributions revealed by laboratory evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishibashi, Takuya; Watanabe, Noriaki; Hirano, Nobuo; Okamoto, Atsushi; Tsuchiya, Noriyoshi

2015-01-01

The present study evaluates aperture distributions and fluid flow characteristics for variously sized laboratory-scale granite fractures under confining stress. As a significant result of the laboratory investigation, the contact area in fracture plane was found to be virtually independent of scale. By combining this characteristic with the self-affine fractal nature of fracture surfaces, a novel method for predicting fracture aperture distributions beyond laboratory scale is developed. Validity of this method is revealed through reproduction of the results of laboratory investigation and the maximum aperture-fracture length relations, which are reported in the literature, for natural fractures. The present study finally predicts conceivable scale dependencies of fluid flows through joints (fractures without shear displacement) and faults (fractures with shear displacement). Both joint and fault aperture distributions are characterized by a scale-independent contact area, a scale-dependent geometric mean, and a scale-independent geometric standard deviation of aperture. The contact areas for joints and faults are approximately 60% and 40%. Changes in the geometric means of joint and fault apertures (µm), em, joint and em, fault, with fracture length (m), l, are approximated by em, joint = 1 × 102 l0.1 and em, fault = 1 × 103 l0.7, whereas the geometric standard deviations of both joint and fault apertures are approximately 3. Fluid flows through both joints and faults are characterized by formations of preferential flow paths (i.e., channeling flows) with scale-independent flow areas of approximately 10%, whereas the joint and fault permeabilities (m2), kjoint and kfault, are scale dependent and are approximated as kjoint = 1 × 10-12 l0.2 and kfault = 1 × 10-8 l1.1.

EFFECTS OF LARVAL STOCKING DENSITY ON LABORATORY-SCALE AND COMMERICAL-SCALE PRODUCTION OF SUMMER FLOUNDER, PARALICHTHYS DENTATUS

EPA Science Inventory

Three experiments investigating larval stocking densities of summer flounder from hatch to metamorphosis, Paralichthys dentatus, were conducted at laboratory-scale (75-L aquaria) and at commercial scale (1,000-L tanks). Experiments 1 and 2 at commercial scale tested the densities...

Dry formulations of the biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 using fluidised bed drying to control the main postharvest diseases on fruits.

PubMed

Carbó, Anna; Torres, Rosario; Usall, Josep; Fons, Estanislau; Teixidó, Neus

2017-08-01

The biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 is effective against several diseases. Consequently, the optimisation of a dry formulation of C. sake to improve its shelf life and manipulability is essential for increasing its potential with respect to future commercial applications. The present study aimed to optimise the conditions for making a dry formulation of C. sake using a fluidised bed drying system and then to determine the shelf life of the optimised formulation and its efficacy against Penicillium expansum on apples. The optimal conditions for the drying process were found to be 40 °C for 45 min and the use of potato starch as the carrier significantly enhanced the viability. However, none of the protective compounds tested increased the viability of the dried cells. A temperature of 25 °C for 10 min in phosphate buffer was considered as the optimum condition to recover the dried formulations. The dried formulations should be stored at 4 °C and air-packaged; moreover, shelf life assays indicated good results after 12 months of storage. The formulated products maintained their biocontrol efficacy. A fluidised bed drying system is a suitable process for dehydrating C. sake cells; moreover, the C. sake formulation is easy to pack, store and transport, and is a cost-effective process. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-04-01

Laboratory facilities are an integral part of Earth Science research. The diversity of methods employed in such infrastructures reflects the multi-scale nature of the Earth system and is essential for the understanding of its evolution, for the assessment of geo-hazards and for the sustainable exploitation of geo-resources. In the frame of EPOS (European Plate Observing System), the Working Package 16 represents a developing community of European Geoscience Multi-scale laboratories. The participant and collaborating institutions (Utrecht University, GFZ, RomaTre University, INGV, NERC, CSIC-ICTJA, CNRS, LMU, C4G-UBI, ETH, CNR*) embody several types of laboratory infrastructures, engaged in different fields of interest of Earth Science: from high temperature and pressure experimental facilities, to electron microscopy, micro-beam analysis, analogue tectonic and geodynamic modelling and paleomagnetic laboratories. The length scales encompassed by these infrastructures range from the nano- and micrometre levels (electron microscopy and micro-beam analysis) to the scale of experiments on centimetres-sized samples, and to analogue model experiments simulating the reservoir scale, the basin scale and the plate scale. The aim of WP16 is to provide two services by the year 2019: first, providing virtual access to data from laboratories (data service) and, second, providing physical access to laboratories (transnational access, TNA). Regarding the development of a data service, the current status is such that most data produced by the various laboratory centres and networks are available only in limited "final form" in publications, many data remain inaccessible and/or poorly preserved. Within EPOS the TCS Multi-scale laboratories is collecting and harmonizing available and emerging laboratory data on the properties and process controlling rock system behaviour at all relevant scales, in order to generate products accessible and interoperable through services for supporting

Fate of estrone in laboratory-scale constructed wetlands

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A horizontal, subsurface, laboratory-scale constructed wetland (CW) consisting of four cells in series was used to determine the attenuation of the steroid hormone estrone (E1) present in animal wastewater. Liquid swine manure diluted 1:80 with farm pond water and dosed with [14C]E1 flowed through ...

Characterization of seismic properties across scales: from the laboratory- to the field scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grab, Melchior; Quintal, Beatriz; Caspari, Eva; Maurer, Hansruedi; Greenhalgh, Stewart

2016-04-01

When exploring geothermal systems, the main interest is on factors controlling the efficiency of the heat exchanger. This includes the energy state of the pore fluids and the presence of permeable structures building part of the fluid transport system. Seismic methods are amongst the most common exploration techniques to image the deep subsurface in order to evaluate such a geothermal heat exchanger. They make use of the fact that a seismic wave caries information on the properties of the rocks in the subsurface through which it passes. This enables the derivation of the stiffness and the density of the host rock from the seismic velocities. Moreover, it is well-known that the seismic waveforms are modulated while propagating trough the subsurface by visco-elastic effects due to wave induced fluid flow, hence, delivering information about the fluids in the rock's pore space. To constrain the interpretation of seismic data, that is, to link seismic properties with the fluid state and host rock permeability, it is common practice to measure the rock properties of small rock specimens in the laboratory under in-situ conditions. However, in magmatic geothermal systems or in systems situated in the crystalline basement, the host rock is often highly impermeable and fluid transport predominately takes place in fracture networks, consisting of fractures larger than the rock samples investigated in the laboratory. Therefore, laboratory experiments only provide the properties of relatively intact rock and an up-scaling procedure is required to characterize the seismic properties of large rock volumes containing fractures and fracture networks and to study the effects of fluids in such fractured rock. We present a technique to parameterize fractured rock volumes as typically encountered in Icelandic magmatic geothermal systems, by combining laboratory experiments with effective medium calculations. The resulting models can be used to calculate the frequency-dependent bulk

SIMILARITY PROPERTIES AND SCALING LAWS OF RADIATION HYDRODYNAMIC FLOWS IN LABORATORY ASTROPHYSICS

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

Falize, E.; Bouquet, S.; Michaut, C., E-mail: emeric.falize@cea.fr

The spectacular recent development of modern high-energy density laboratory facilities which concentrate more and more energy in millimetric volumes allows the astrophysical community to reproduce and to explore, in millimeter-scale targets and during very short times, astrophysical phenomena where radiation and matter are strongly coupled. The astrophysical relevance of these experiments can be checked from the similarity properties and especially scaling law establishment, which constitutes the keystone of laboratory astrophysics. From the radiating optically thin regime to the so-called optically thick radiative pressure regime, we present in this paper, for the first time, a complete analysis of the main radiatingmore » regimes that we encountered in laboratory astrophysics with the same formalism based on Lie group theory. The use of the Lie group method appears to be a systematic method which allows us to construct easily and systematically the scaling laws of a given problem. This powerful tool permits us to unify the recent major advances on scaling laws and to identify new similarity concepts that we discuss in this paper, and suggests important applications for present and future laboratory astrophysics experiments. All these results enable us to demonstrate theoretically that astrophysical phenomena in such radiating regimes can be explored experimentally thanks to powerful facilities. Consequently, the results presented here are a fundamental tool for the high-energy density laboratory astrophysics community in order to quantify the astrophysics relevance and justify laser experiments. Moreover, relying on Lie group theory, this paper constitutes the starting point of any analysis of the self-similar dynamics of radiating fluids.« less

Characteristics of ash and particle emissions during bubbling fluidised bed combustion of three types of residual forest biomass.

PubMed

Ribeiro, João Peres; Vicente, Estela Domingos; Alves, Célia; Querol, Xavier; Amato, Fulvio; Tarelho, Luís A C

2017-04-01

Combustion of residual forest biomass (RFB) derived from eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus), pine (Pinus pinaster) and golden wattle (Acacia longifolia) was evaluated in a pilot-scale bubbling fluidised bed reactor (BFBR). During the combustion experiments, monitoring of temperature, pressure and exhaust gas composition has been made. Ash samples were collected at several locations along the furnace and flue gas treatment devices (cyclone and bag filter) after each combustion experiment and were analysed for their unburnt carbon content and chemical composition. Total suspended particles (TSP) in the combustion flue gas were evaluated at the inlet and outlet of cyclone and baghouse filter and further analysed for organic and elemental carbon, carbonates and 57 chemical elements. High particulate matter collection efficiencies in the range of 94-99% were observed for the baghouse, while removal rates of only 1.4-17% were registered for the cyclone. Due to the sand bed, Si was the major element in bottom ashes. Fly ashes, in particular those from eucalypt combustion, were especially rich in CaO, followed by relevant amounts of SiO 2 , MgO and K 2 O. Ash characteristics varied among experiments, showing that their inorganic composition strongly depends on both the biomass composition and combustion conditions. Inorganic constituents accounted for TSP mass fractions up to 40 wt%. Elemental carbon, organic matter and carbonates contributed to TSP mass fractions in the ranges 0.58-44%, 0.79-78% and 0.01-1.7%, respectively.

Origin and hydrology of a large, intact Early Cambrian paleocave system and its role in overlying fluidisation structures, Arctic Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathieu, Jordan; Turner, Elizabeth C.; Rainbird, Robert H.

2017-04-01

Paleokarst is most commonly expressed as subtle stratigraphic surfaces rather than large void systems penetrating deeply into the paleo-subsurface. In contrast, a regional Precambrian-Cambrian unconformity on Victoria Island (NWT, Canada), is associated with exceptional exposure of large, intact Cambrian paleocaverns (100 m diameter; tens of m high). The paleocaves are distributed along a paleo-horizontal plane, and an associated gryke network is present in the 30-60 m of Neoproterozoic dolostone between cave rooves and the base of overlying Cambrian sandstone; both are filled by Cambrian sandstone. The formation and preservation of such karst features require aggressive dissolution along a stable paleo-water-table shortly before transgression and deposition of shallow-marine sand over the dolostone. During the transgression, the karst network acted as a conduit for flowing groundwater that was discharged through overlying, unconsolidated Cambrian shallow-marine sand, producing water-escape structures (sand volcanoes and their conduits). The conduits are preserved as cylindrical remnants of the sand volcanoes' feeder pipes. Sediment fluidisation was probably caused by variations in the hydraulic-head gradient in a meteoric lens near the Cambrian coastline under a tropical climate with abundant, probably seasonally variable rainfall that caused pulses in subsurface fluid flow. Spatial distribution of the paleocaves and sand volcanoes suggests their formation on the southeast side of a recently faulted horst of Proterozoic carbonate bedrock that formed a nearshore island during early Cambrian sea-level rise. Fluidisation structures such as those reported here have generally been difficult to interpret owing to a lack of data on the fluid hydraulics of the underlying aquifer. This is the first report linking the hydraulics of a well-characterised paleokarst to development of fluid-escape structures. Such structures are widely known from sandstones overlying the sub

Nutrients removal in hybrid fluidised bed bioreactors operated with aeration cycles.

PubMed

Martin, Martin; Enríquez, L López; Fernández-Polanco, M; Villaverde, S; Garcia-Encina, P A

2007-01-01

Abstract Two hybrid fluidised bed reactors filled with sepiolite and granular activated carbon (GAC) were operated with short cycled aeration for removing organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorous, respectively. Both reactors were continuously operated with synthetic and/or industrial wastewater containing 350-500 mg COD/L, 110-130 mg NKT/L, 90-100 mg NH3-N/L and 12-15 mg P/L for 8 months. The reactor filled with sepiolite, treating only synthetic wastewater, removed COD, ammonia, total nitrogen and phosphorous up to 88, 91, 55 and 80% with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 h, respectively. These efficiencies correspond to removal rates of 0.95 kgCODm(-3)d(-1) and 0.16 kg total N m(-3)d(-1). The reactor filled with GAC was operated for 4 months with synthetic wastewater and 4 months with industrial wastewater, removing 98% of COD, 96% of ammonia, and 66% of total nitrogen, with an HRT of 13.6 h. No significant phosphorous removing activity was observed in this reactor. Microbial communities growing with both reactors were followed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques. The microbial fingerprints, i.e. DGGE profiles, indicated that biological communities in both reactors were stable along the operational period even when the operating conditions were changed.

Bioreactor Scalability: Laboratory-Scale Bioreactor Design Influences Performance, Ecology, and Community Physiology in Expanded Granular Sludge Bed Bioreactors

PubMed Central

Connelly, Stephanie; Shin, Seung G.; Dillon, Robert J.; Ijaz, Umer Z.; Quince, Christopher; Sloan, William T.; Collins, Gavin

2017-01-01

Studies investigating the feasibility of new, or improved, biotechnologies, such as wastewater treatment digesters, inevitably start with laboratory-scale trials. However, it is rarely determined whether laboratory-scale results reflect full-scale performance or microbial ecology. The Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) bioreactor, which is a high-rate anaerobic digester configuration, was used as a model to address that knowledge gap in this study. Two laboratory-scale idealizations of the EGSB—a one-dimensional and a three- dimensional scale-down of a full-scale design—were built and operated in triplicate under near-identical conditions to a full-scale EGSB. The laboratory-scale bioreactors were seeded using biomass obtained from the full-scale bioreactor, and, spent water from the distillation of whisky from maize was applied as substrate at both scales. Over 70 days, bioreactor performance, microbial ecology, and microbial community physiology were monitored at various depths in the sludge-beds using 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V4 region), specific methanogenic activity (SMA) assays, and a range of physical and chemical monitoring methods. SMA assays indicated dominance of the hydrogenotrophic pathway at full-scale whilst a more balanced activity profile developed during the laboratory-scale trials. At each scale, Methanobacterium was the dominant methanogenic genus present. Bioreactor performance overall was better at laboratory-scale than full-scale. We observed that bioreactor design at laboratory-scale significantly influenced spatial distribution of microbial community physiology and taxonomy in the bioreactor sludge-bed, with 1-D bioreactor types promoting stratification of each. In the 1-D laboratory bioreactors, increased abundance of Firmicutes was associated with both granule position in the sludge bed and increased activity against acetate and ethanol as substrates. We further observed that stratification in the sludge-bed in 1-D laboratory-scale

A comparison of relative toxicity rankings by some small-scale laboratory tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilado, C. J.; Cumming, H. J.

1977-01-01

Small-scale laboratory tests for fire toxicity, suitable for use in the average laboratory hood, are needed for screening and ranking materials on the basis of relative toxicity. The performance of wool, cotton, and aromatic polyamide under several test procedures is presented.

Laboratory and pilot-scale bioremediation of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) contaminated soil.

PubMed

Zhuang, Li; Gui, Lai; Gillham, Robert W; Landis, Richard C

2014-01-15

PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate), a munitions constituent, is commonly encountered in munitions-contaminated soils, and pose a serious threat to aquatic organisms. This study investigated anaerobic remediation of PETN-contaminated soil at a site near Denver Colorado. Both granular iron and organic carbon amendments were used in both laboratory and pilot-scale tests. The laboratory results showed that, with various organic carbon amendments, PETN at initial concentrations of between 4500 and 5000mg/kg was effectively removed within 84 days. In the field trial, after a test period of 446 days, PETN mass removal of up to 53,071mg/kg of PETN (80%) was achieved with an organic carbon amendment (DARAMEND) of 4% by weight. In previous laboratory studies, granular iron has shown to be highly effective in degrading PETN. However, for both the laboratory and pilot-scale tests, granular iron was proven to be ineffective. This was a consequence of passivation of the iron surfaces caused by the very high concentrations of nitrate in the contaminated soil. This study indicated that low concentration of organic carbon was a key factor limiting bioremediation of PETN in the contaminated soil. Furthermore, the addition of organic carbon amendments such as the DARAMEND materials or brewers grain, proved to be highly effective in stimulating the biodegradation of PETN and could provide the basis for full-scale remediation of PETN-contaminated sites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Replicating the microbial community and water quality performance of full-scale slow sand filters in laboratory-scale filters.

PubMed

Haig, Sarah-Jane; Quince, Christopher; Davies, Robert L; Dorea, Caetano C; Collins, Gavin

2014-09-15

Previous laboratory-scale studies to characterise the functional microbial ecology of slow sand filters have suffered from methodological limitations that could compromise their relevance to full-scale systems. Therefore, to ascertain if laboratory-scale slow sand filters (L-SSFs) can replicate the microbial community and water quality production of industrially operated full-scale slow sand filters (I-SSFs), eight cylindrical L-SSFs were constructed and were used to treat water from the same source as the I-SSFs. Half of the L-SSFs sand beds were composed of sterilized sand (sterile) from the industrial filters and the other half with sand taken directly from the same industrial filter (non-sterile). All filters were operated for 10 weeks, with the microbial community and water quality parameters sampled and analysed weekly. To characterize the microbial community phyla-specific qPCR assays and 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were used in conjunction with an array of statistical techniques. The results demonstrate that it is possible to mimic both the water quality production and the structure of the microbial community of full-scale filters in the laboratory - at all levels of taxonomic classification except OTU - thus allowing comparison of LSSF experiments with full-scale units. Further, it was found that the sand type composing the filter bed (non-sterile or sterile), the water quality produced, the age of the filters and the depth of sand samples were all significant factors in explaining observed differences in the structure of the microbial consortia. This study is the first to the authors' knowledge that demonstrates that scaled-down slow sand filters can accurately reproduce the water quality and microbial consortia of full-scale slow sand filters. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal treatment of electronic waste in a fluidised bed and chemical digestion of solid products.

PubMed

Woynarowska, Amelia; Żukowski, Witold; Żelazny, Sylwester

2016-07-01

The article presents the results of e-waste thermal treatment in a fluidised bed reactor and solid products digestion under acidic conditions. During the processes, measurements of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen bromide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, phenol, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, hydrogen fluoride and phosgene were carried out. Several digestion tests of the solid residue in sulphuric acid (VI) at 25 °C-65 °C, for 55 min-24 h were conducted. In each case, the dilution method was used, i.e. preliminary digestion in concentrated sulphuric acid (VI) (95%) for 40 min, and then dilution to expected concentrations (30%-50%). Most preferred results were obtained using sulphuric acid (VI) with a target concentration of 40% at 65 °C, where the leaching degrees were 76.56% for copper, 71.67% for iron, 91.89% for zinc and 97.40% for tin. The time necessary to effectively carry out the digestion process was 220 min. © The Author(s) 2016.

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

PubMed Central

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

2001-01-01

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

High-rate sulphidogenic fluidised-bed treatment of metal-containing wastewater at high temperature.

PubMed

Sahinkaya, E; Ozkaya, B; Kaksonen, A H; Puhakka, J A

2007-01-01

The applicability of fluidised-bed reactor (FBR) based sulphate reducing bioprocess was investigated for the treatment of iron containing (40-90 mg/L) acidic wastewater at 65 degrees C. The FBR was inoculated with sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) originally enriched from a hot mining environment. Ethanol or acetate was supplemented as carbon and electron source for the SRB. A rapid startup with 99.9, 46 and 29% ethanol, sulphate and acetate removals, in respective order, was observed even after 6 days. Iron was almost completely removed with a rate of 90 mg/L.d. The feed pH was decreased gradually from its initial value of 6 to around 3.7 during 100 days of operation. The wastewater pH of 4.3-4.4 was neutralised by the alkalinity produced in acetate oxidation and the average effluent pH was 7.8 +/- 0.8. Although ethanol removal was complete, acetate accumulated. Later the FBR was fed with acetate only. Although acetate was present in the reactor for 295 days, its oxidation rates did not improve, which may be due to low growth rate and poor attachment ability of acetate oxidising SRB. Hence, the oxidation of acetate is the rate limiting step in the sulphidogenic ethanol oxidation by the thermophilic SRB.

Scale-Up of GRCop: From Laboratory to Rocket Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, David L.

2016-01-01

GRCop is a high temperature, high thermal conductivity copper-based series of alloys designed primarily for use in regeneratively cooled rocket engine liners. It began with laboratory-level production of a few grams of ribbon produced by chill block melt spinning and has grown to commercial-scale production of large-scale rocket engine liners. Along the way, a variety of methods of consolidating and working the alloy were examined, a database of properties was developed and a variety of commercial and government applications were considered. This talk will briefly address the basic material properties used for selection of compositions to scale up, the methods used to go from simple ribbon to rocket engines, the need to develop a suitable database, and the issues related to getting the alloy into a rocket engine or other application.

Bio-oil production via fast pyrolysis of biomass residues from cassava plants in a fluidised-bed reactor.

PubMed

Pattiya, Adisak

2011-01-01

Biomass residues from cassava plants, namely cassava stalk and cassava rhizome, were pyrolysed in a fluidised-bed reactor for production of bio-oil. The aims of this work were to investigate the yields and properties of pyrolysis products produced from both feedstocks as well as to identify the optimum pyrolysis temperature for obtaining the highest organic bio-oil yields. Results showed that the maximum yields of the liquid bio-oils derived from the stalk and rhizome were 62 wt.% and 65 wt.% on dry basis, respectively. The pyrolysis temperatures that gave highest bio-oil yields for both feedstocks were in the range of 475-510 °C. According to the analysis of the bio-oils properties, the bio-oil derived from cassava rhizome showed better quality than that derived from cassava stalk as the former had lower oxygen content, higher heating value and better storage stability. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of laboratory-scale recycling test method of paper PSA label products

Treesearch

Carl Houtman; Karen Scallon; Richard Oldack

2008-01-01

Starting with test methods and a specification developed by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Environmentally Benign Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Postage Stamp Program, a laboratory-scale test method and a specification were developed and validated for pressure-sensitive adhesive labels, By comparing results from this new test method and pilot-scale tests, which have been...

Predicting the performance uncertainty of a 1-MW pilot-scale carbon capture system after hierarchical laboratory-scale calibration and validation

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

Xu, Zhijie; Lai, Canhai; Marcy, Peter William

2017-05-01

A challenging problem in designing pilot-scale carbon capture systems is to predict, with uncertainty, the adsorber performance and capture efficiency under various operating conditions where no direct experimental data exist. Motivated by this challenge, we previously proposed a hierarchical framework in which relevant parameters of physical models were sequentially calibrated from different laboratory-scale carbon capture unit (C2U) experiments. Specifically, three models of increasing complexity were identified based on the fundamental physical and chemical processes of the sorbent-based carbon capture technology. Results from the corresponding laboratory experiments were used to statistically calibrate the physical model parameters while quantifying some of theirmore » inherent uncertainty. The parameter distributions obtained from laboratory-scale C2U calibration runs are used in this study to facilitate prediction at a larger scale where no corresponding experimental results are available. In this paper, we first describe the multiphase reactive flow model for a sorbent-based 1-MW carbon capture system then analyze results from an ensemble of simulations with the upscaled model. The simulation results are used to quantify uncertainty regarding the design’s predicted efficiency in carbon capture. In particular, we determine the minimum gas flow rate necessary to achieve 90% capture efficiency with 95% confidence.« less

Potential for improved radiation thermometry measurement uncertainty through implementing a primary scale in an industrial laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willmott, Jon R.; Lowe, David; Broughton, Mick; White, Ben S.; Machin, Graham

2016-09-01

A primary temperature scale requires realising a unit in terms of its definition. For high temperature radiation thermometry in terms of the International Temperature Scale of 1990 this means extrapolating from the signal measured at the freezing temperature of gold, silver or copper using Planck’s radiation law. The difficulty in doing this means that primary scales above 1000 °C require specialist equipment and careful characterisation in order to achieve the extrapolation with sufficient accuracy. As such, maintenance of the scale at high temperatures is usually only practicable for National Metrology Institutes, and calibration laboratories have to rely on a scale calibrated against transfer standards. At lower temperatures it is practicable for an industrial calibration laboratory to have its own primary temperature scale, which reduces the number of steps between the primary scale and end user. Proposed changes to the SI that will introduce internationally accepted high temperature reference standards might make it practicable to have a primary high temperature scale in a calibration laboratory. In this study such a scale was established by calibrating radiation thermometers directly to high temperature reference standards. The possible reduction in uncertainty to an end user as a result of the reduced calibration chain was evaluated.

Laboratory formation of a scaled protostellar jet by coaligned poloidal magnetic field.

PubMed

Albertazzi, B; Ciardi, A; Nakatsutsumi, M; Vinci, T; Béard, J; Bonito, R; Billette, J; Borghesi, M; Burkley, Z; Chen, S N; Cowan, T E; Herrmannsdörfer, T; Higginson, D P; Kroll, F; Pikuz, S A; Naughton, K; Romagnani, L; Riconda, C; Revet, G; Riquier, R; Schlenvoigt, H-P; Skobelev, I Yu; Faenov, A Ya; Soloviev, A; Huarte-Espinosa, M; Frank, A; Portugall, O; Pépin, H; Fuchs, J

2014-10-17

Although bipolar jets are seen emerging from a wide variety of astrophysical systems, the issue of their formation and morphology beyond their launching is still under study. Our scaled laboratory experiments, representative of young stellar object outflows, reveal that stable and narrow collimation of the entire flow can result from the presence of a poloidal magnetic field whose strength is consistent with observations. The laboratory plasma becomes focused with an interior cavity. This gives rise to a standing conical shock from which the jet emerges. Following simulations of the process at the full astrophysical scale, we conclude that it can also explain recently discovered x-ray emission features observed in low-density regions at the base of protostellar jets, such as the well-studied jet HH 154. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Note: Measurement system for the radiative forcing of greenhouse gases in a laboratory scale.

PubMed

Kawamura, Yoshiyuki

2016-01-01

The radiative forcing of the greenhouse gases has been studied being based on computational simulations or the observation of the real atmosphere meteorologically. In order to know the greenhouse effect more deeply and to study it from various viewpoints, the study on it in a laboratory scale is important. We have developed a direct measurement system for the infrared back radiation from the carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. The system configuration is similar with that of the practical earth-atmosphere-space system. Using this system, the back radiation from the CO2 gas was directly measured in a laboratory scale, which roughly coincides with meteorologically predicted value.

Improving laboratory efficiencies to scale-up HIV viral load testing.

PubMed

Alemnji, George; Onyebujoh, Philip; Nkengasong, John N

2017-03-01

Viral load measurement is a key indicator that determines patients' response to treatment and risk for disease progression. Efforts are ongoing in different countries to scale-up access to viral load testing to meet the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS target of achieving 90% viral suppression among HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy. However, the impact of these initiatives may be challenged by increased inefficiencies along the viral load testing spectrum. This will translate to increased costs and ineffectiveness of scale-up approaches. This review describes different parameters that could be addressed across the viral load testing spectrum aimed at improving efficiencies and utilizing test results for patient management. Though progress is being made in some countries to scale-up viral load, many others still face numerous challenges that may affect scale-up efficiencies: weak demand creation, ineffective supply chain management systems; poor specimen referral systems; inadequate data and quality management systems; and weak laboratory-clinical interface leading to diminished uptake of test results. In scaling up access to viral load testing, there should be a renewed focus to address efficiencies across the entire spectrum, including factors related to access, uptake, and impact of test results.

Formulation and development of tablets based on Ludipress and scale-up from laboratory to production scale.

PubMed

Heinz, R; Wolf, H; Schuchmann, H; End, L; Kolter, K

2000-05-01

In spite of the wealth of experience available in the pharmaceutical industry, tablet formulations are still largely developed on an empirical basis, and the scale-up from laboratory to production is a time-consuming and costly process. Using Ludipress greatly simplifies formulation development and the manufacturing process because only the active ingredient Ludipress and a lubricant need to be mixed briefly before being compressed into tablets. The studies described here were designed to investigate the scale-up of Ludipress-based formulations from laboratory to production scale, and to predict changes in tablet properties due to changes in format, compaction pressure, and the use of different tablet presses. It was found that the tensile strength of tablets made of Ludipress increased linearly with compaction pressures up to 300 MPa. It was also independent of the geometry of the tablets (diameter, thickness, shape). It is therefore possible to give an equation with which the compaction pressure required to achieve a given hardness can be calculated for a given tablet form. The equation has to be modified slightly to convert from a single-punch press to a rotary tableting machine. Tablets produced in the rotary machine at the same pressure have a slightly higher tensile strength. The rate of increase in pressure, and therefore the throughput, has no effect on the tensile strength of Ludipress tablets. It is thought that a certain minimum dwell time is responsible for this difference. The production of tablets based on Ludipress can be scaled up from one rotary press to another without problem if the powder mixtures are prepared with the same mixing energy. The tensile strength curve determined for tablets made with Ludipress alone can also be applied to tablets with a small quantity (< 10%) of an active ingredient.

Full-scale and laboratory-scale anaerobic treatment of citric acid production wastewater.

PubMed

Colleran, E; Pender, S; Philpott, U; O'Flaherty, V; Leahy, B

1998-01-01

This paper reviews the operation of a full-scale, fixed-bed digester treating a citric acid production wastewater with a COD:sulphate ratio of 3-4:1. Support matrix pieces were removed from the digester at intervals during the first 5 years of operation in order to quantify the vertical distribution of biomass within the digester. Detailed analysis of the digester biomass after 5 years of operation indicated that H2 and propionate-utilising SRB had outcompeted hydrogenophilic methanogens and propionate syntrophs. Acetoclastic methanogens were shown to play the dominant role in acetate conversion. Butyrate and ethanol-degrading syntrophs also remained active in the digester after 5 years of operation. Laboratory-scale hybrid reactor treatment at 55 degrees C of a diluted molasses influent, with and without sulphate supplementation, showed that the reactors could be operated with high stability at volumetric loading rates of 24 kgCOD.m-3.d-1 (12 h HRT). In the presence of sulphate (2 g/l-1; COD/sulphate ratio of 6:1), acetate conversion was severely inhibited, resulting in effluent acetate concentrations of up to 4000 mg.l-1.

Fluid dynamics structures in a fire environment observed in laboratory-scale experiments

Treesearch

J. Lozano; W. Tachajapong; D.R. Weise; S. Mahalingam; M. Princevac

2010-01-01

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements were performed in laboratory-scale experimental fires spreading across horizontal fuel beds composed of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) excelsior. The continuous flame, intermittent flame, and thermal plume regions of a fire were investigated. Utilizing a PIV system, instantaneous velocity fields for...

On the dominant noise components of tactical aircraft: Laboratory to full scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Christopher K. W.; Aubert, Allan C.; Spyropoulos, John T.; Powers, Russell W.

2018-05-01

This paper investigates the dominant noise components of a full-scale high performance tactical aircraft. The present study uses acoustic measurements of the exhaust jet from a single General Electric F414-400 turbofan engine installed in a Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft operating from flight idle to maximum afterburner. The full-scale measurements are to the ANSI S12.75-2012 standard employing about 200 microphones. By comparing measured noise spectra with those from hot supersonic jets observed in the laboratory, the dominant noise components specific to the F/A-18E aircraft at different operating power levels are identified. At intermediate power, it is found that the dominant noise components of an F/A-18E aircraft are essentially the same as those of high temperature supersonic laboratory jets. However, at military and afterburner powers, there are new dominant noise components. Their characteristics are then documented and analyzed. This is followed by an investigation of their origin and noise generation mechanisms.

Effect of nacelle on wake meandering in a laboratory scale wind turbine using LES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foti, Daniel; Yang, Xiaolei; Guala, Michele; Sotiropoulos, Fotis

2015-11-01

Wake meandering, large scale motion in the wind turbine wakes, has considerable effects on the velocity deficit and turbulence intensity in the turbine wake from the laboratory scale to utility scale wind turbines. In the dynamic wake meandering model, the wake meandering is assumed to be caused by large-scale atmospheric turbulence. On the other hand, Kang et al. (J. Fluid Mech., 2014) demonstrated that the nacelle geometry has a significant effect on the wake meandering of a hydrokinetic turbine, through the interaction of the inner wake of the nacelle vortex with the outer wake of the tip vortices. In this work, the significance of the nacelle on the wake meandering of a miniature wind turbine previously used in experiments (Howard et al., Phys. Fluid, 2015) is demonstrated with large eddy simulations (LES) using immersed boundary method with fine enough grids to resolve the turbine geometric characteristics. The three dimensionality of the wake meandering is analyzed in detail through turbulent spectra and meander reconstruction. The computed flow fields exhibit wake dynamics similar to those observed in the wind tunnel experiments and are analyzed to shed new light into the role of the energetic nacelle vortex on wake meandering. This work was supported by Department of Energy DOE (DE-EE0002980, DE-EE0005482 and DE-AC04-94AL85000), and Sandia National Laboratories. Computational resources were provided by Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Minnesota Supercomputing.

A Simple Laboratory Scale Model of Iceberg Dynamics and its Role in Undergraduate Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, J. C.; MacAyeal, D. R.; Nakamura, N.

2011-12-01

Lab-scale models of geophysical phenomena have a long history in research and education. For example, at the University of Chicago, Dave Fultz developed laboratory-scale models of atmospheric flows. The results from his laboratory were so stimulating that similar laboratories were subsequently established at a number of other institutions. Today, the Dave Fultz Memorial Laboratory for Hydrodynamics (http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~nnn/LAB/) teaches general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans to hundreds of students each year. Following this tradition, we have constructed a lab model of iceberg-capsize dynamics for use in the Fultz Laboratory, which focuses on the interface between glaciology and physical oceanography. The experiment consists of a 2.5 meter long wave tank containing water and plastic "icebergs". The motion of the icebergs is tracked using digital video. Movies can be found at: http://geosci.uchicago.edu/research/glaciology_files/tsunamigenesis_research.shtml. We have had 3 successful undergraduate interns with backgrounds in mathematics, engineering, and geosciences perform experiments, analyze data, and interpret results. In addition to iceberg dynamics, the wave-tank has served as a teaching tool in undergraduate classes studying dam-breaking and tsunami run-up. Motivated by the relatively inexpensive cost of our apparatus (~1K-2K dollars) and positive experiences of undergraduate students, we hope to serve as a model for undergraduate research and education that other universities may follow.

The design of dapog rice seeder model for laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purba, UI; Rizaldi, T.; Sumono; Sigalingging, R.

2018-02-01

The dapog system is seeding rice seeds using a special nursery tray. Rice seedings with dapog systems can produce seedlings in the form of higher quality and uniform seed rolls. This study aims to reduce the cost of making large-scale apparatus by designing models for small-scale and can be used for learning in the laboratory. Parameters observed were soil uniformity, seeds and fertilizers, soil looses, seeds and fertilizers, effective capacity of apparatus, and power requirements. The results showed a high uniformity in soil, seed and fertilizer respectively 92.8%, 1-3 seeds / cm2 and 82%. The scattered materials for soil, seed and fertilizer were respectively 6.23%, 2.7% and 2.23%. The effective capacity of apparatus was 360 boxes / hour with 237.5 kWh of required power.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-09-01

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

Laboratory and Pilot Scale Evaluation of Coagulation, Clarification, and Filtration for Upgrading Sewage Lagoon Effluents.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

AD-AGAB 906 ARMY ENGINEER WATERWAYS EXPERIMENT STATION VICKSBURG--ETC FIG 14/2 LABORATORY AND PILOT SCALE EVALUATION OF COAGULATION, CLARIFICA -ETC U...FILTRATION FOR LWGRADING JEWAGE LAGOON EFFLUENTS~ w IL j0 ( M John ullinane, Jr., Richard A. hafer (0 Environmental Laboratory gel U. S. Army Engineer ...Shafer 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADORESS SO. PROGRAM ELEMENT, PROJECT, TASK AREA a WORK UNIT NUMBERS U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment

Dual fluidized bed design for the fast pyrolysis of biomass

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A mechanism for the transport of solids between fluidised beds in dual fluidised bed systems for the fast pyrolysis of biomass process was selected. This mechanism makes use of an overflow standpipe to transport solids from the fluidised bed used for the combustion reactions to a second fluidised be...

Laboratory Scale Coal And Biomass To Drop-In Fuels (CBDF) Production And Assessment

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

Lux, Kenneth; Imam, Tahmina; Chevanan, Nehru

This Final Technical Report describes the work and accomplishments of the project entitled, “Laboratory Scale Coal and Biomass to Drop-In Fuels (CBDF) Production and Assessment.” The main objective of the project was to fabricate and test a lab-scale liquid-fuel production system using coal containing different percentages of biomass such as corn stover and switchgrass at a rate of 2 liters per day. The system utilizes the patented Altex fuel-production technology, which incorporates advanced catalysts developed by Pennsylvania State University. The system was designed, fabricated, tested, and assessed for economic and environmental feasibility relative to competing technologies.

Data Services and Transnational Access for European Geosciences Multi-Scale Laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funiciello, Francesca; Rosenau, Matthias; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Tesei, Telemaco; Trippanera, Daniele; Spires, Chris; Drury, Martyn; Kan-Parker, Mirjam; Lange, Otto; Willingshofer, Ernst

2016-04-01

The EC policy for research in the new millennium supports the development of european-scale research infrastructures. In this perspective, the existing research infrastructures are going to be integrated with the objective to increase their accessibility and to enhance the usability of their multidisciplinary data. Building up integrating Earth Sciences infrastructures in Europe is the mission of the Implementation Phase (IP) of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) project (2015-2019). The integration of european multiscale laboratories - analytical, experimental petrology and volcanology, magnetic and analogue laboratories - plays a key role in this context and represents a specific task of EPOS IP. In the frame of the WP16 of EPOS IP working package 16, European geosciences multiscale laboratories aims to be linked, merging local infrastructures into a coherent and collaborative network. In particular, the EPOS IP WP16-task 4 "Data services" aims at standardize data and data products, already existing and newly produced by the participating laboratories, and made them available through a new digital platform. The following data and repositories have been selected for the purpose: 1) analytical and properties data a) on volcanic ash from explosive eruptions, of interest to the aviation industry, meteorological and government institutes, b) on magmas in the context of eruption and lava flow hazard evaluation, and c) on rock systems of key importance in mineral exploration and mining operations; 2) experimental data describing: a) rock and fault properties of importance for modelling and forecasting natural and induced subsidence, seismicity and associated hazards, b) rock and fault properties relevant for modelling the containment capacity of rock systems for CO2, energy sources and wastes, c) crustal and upper mantle rheology as needed for modelling sedimentary basin formation and crustal stress distributions, d) the composition, porosity, permeability, and

Validation of mathematical model for CZ process using small-scale laboratory crystal growth furnace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergfelds, Kristaps; Sabanskis, Andrejs; Virbulis, Janis

2018-05-01

The present material is focused on the modelling of small-scale laboratory NaCl-RbCl crystal growth furnace. First steps towards fully transient simulations are taken in the form of stationary simulations that deal with the optimization of material properties to match the model to experimental conditions. For this purpose, simulation software primarily used for the modelling of industrial-scale silicon crystal growth process was successfully applied. Finally, transient simulations of the crystal growth are presented, giving a sufficient agreement to experimental results.

Simulation of large scale motions and small scale structures in planetary atmospheres and oceans: From laboratory to space experiments on ISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egbers, Christoph; Futterer, Birgit; Zaussinger, Florian; Harlander, Uwe

2014-05-01

Baroclinic waves are responsible for the transport of heat and momentum in the oceans, in the Earth's atmosphere as well as in other planetary atmospheres. The talk will give an overview on possibilities to simulate such large scale as well as co-existing small scale structures with the help of well defined laboratory experiments like the baroclinic wave tank (annulus experiment). The analogy between the Earth's atmosphere and the rotating cylindrical annulus experiment only driven by rotation and differential heating between polar and equatorial regions is obvious. From the Gulf stream single vortices seperate from time to time. The same dynamics and the co-existence of small and large scale structures and their separation can be also observed in laboratory experiments as in the rotating cylindrical annulus experiment. This experiment represents the mid latitude dynamics quite well and is part as a central reference experiment in the German-wide DFG priority research programme ("METSTRÖM", SPP 1276) yielding as a benchmark for lot of different numerical methods. On the other hand, those laboratory experiments in cylindrical geometry are limited due to the fact, that the surface and real interaction between polar and equatorial region and their different dynamics can not be really studied. Therefore, I demonstrate how to use the very successful Geoflow I and Geoflow II space experiment hardware on ISS with future modifications for simulations of small and large scale planetary atmospheric motion in spherical geometry with differential heating between inner and outer spheres as well as between the polar and equatorial regions. References: Harlander, U., Wenzel, J., Wang, Y., Alexandrov, K. & Egbers, Ch., 2012, Simultaneous PIV- and thermography measurements of partially blocked flow in a heated rotating annulus, Exp. in Fluids, 52 (4), 1077-1087 Futterer, B., Krebs, A., Plesa, A.-C., Zaussinger, F., Hollerbach, R., Breuer, D. & Egbers, Ch., 2013, Sheet-like and

EPOS Multi-Scale Laboratory platform: a long-term reference tool for experimental Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-04-01

With continuous progress on scientific research, a large amount of datasets has been and will be produced. The data access and sharing along with their storage and homogenization within a unique and coherent framework is a new challenge for the whole scientific community. This is particularly emphasized for geo-scientific laboratories, encompassing the most diverse Earth Science disciplines and typology of data. To this aim the "Multiscale Laboratories" Work Package (WP16), operating in the framework of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS), is developing a virtual platform of geo-scientific data and services for the worldwide community of laboratories. This long-term project aims at merging the top class multidisciplinary laboratories in Geoscience into a coherent and collaborative network, facilitating the standardization of virtual access to data, data products and software. This will help our community to evolve beyond the stage in which most of data produced by the different laboratories are available only within the related scholarly publications (often as print-version only) or they remain unpublished and inaccessible on local devices. The EPOS multi-scale laboratory platform will provide the possibility to easily share and discover data by means of open access, DOI-referenced, online data publication including long-term storage, managing and curation services and to set up a cohesive community of laboratories. The WP16 is starting with three pilot cases laboratories: (1) rock physics, (2) palaeomagnetic, and (3) analogue modelling. As a proof of concept, first analogue modelling datasets have been published via GFZ Data Services (http://doidb.wdc-terra.org/search/public/ui?&sort=updated+desc&q=epos). The datasets include rock analogue material properties (e.g. friction data, rheology data, SEM imagery), as well as supplementary figures, images and movies from experiments on tectonic processes. A metadata catalogue tailored to the specific communities

Wellbore Completion Systems Containment Breach Solution Experiments at a Large Scale Underground Research Laboratory : Sealant placement & scale-up from Lab to Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, H.

2017-12-01

This investigation seeks to develop sealant technology that can restore containment to completed wells that suffer CO2 gas leakages currently untreatable using conventional technologies. Experimentation is performed at the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory (MT-URL) located in NW Switzerland. The laboratory affords investigators an intermediate-scale test site that bridges the gap between the laboratory bench and full field-scale conditions. Project focus is the development of CO2 leakage remediation capability using sealant technology. The experimental concept includes design and installation of a field scale completion package designed to mimic well systems heating-cooling conditions that may result in the development of micro-annuli detachments between the casing-cement-formation boundaries (Figure 1). Of particular interest is to test novel sealants that can be injected in to relatively narrow micro-annuli flow-paths of less than 120 microns aperture. Per a special report on CO2 storage submitted to the IPCC[1], active injection wells, along with inactive wells that have been abandoned, are identified as one of the most probable sources of leakage pathways for CO2 escape to the surface. Origins of pressure leakage common to injection well and completions architecture often occur due to tensile cracking from temperature cycles, micro-annulus by casing contraction (differential casing to cement sheath movement) and cement sheath channel development. This discussion summarizes the experiment capability and sealant testing results. The experiment concludes with overcoring of the entire mock-completion test site to assess sealant performance in 2018. [1] IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (September 2005), section 5.7.2 Processes and pathways for release of CO2 from geological storage sites, page 244

Anaerobic treatment of animal byproducts from slaughterhouses at laboratory and pilot scale.

PubMed

Edström, Mats; Nordberg, Ake; Thyselius, Lennart

2003-01-01

Different mixtures of animal byproducts, other slaughterhouse waste (i.e., rumen, stomach and intestinal content), food waste, and liquid manure were codigested at mesophilic conditions (37 degrees C) at laboratory and pilot scale. Animal byproducts, including blood, represent 70-80% of the total biogas potential from waste generated during slaughter of animals. The total biogas potential from waste generated during slaughter is about 1300 MJ/cattle and about 140 MJ/pig. Fed-batch digestion of pasteurized (70 degrees C, 1 h) animal byproducts resulted in a fourfold increase in biogas yield (1.14 L/g of volatile solids [VS]) compared with nonpasteurized animal byproducts (0.31 L/g of VS). Mixtures with animal byproducts representing 19-38% of the total dry matter were digested in continuous-flow stirred tank reactors at laboratory and pilot scale. Stable processes at organic loading rates (OLRs) exceeding 2.5 g of VS/(L.d) and hydraulic retention times (HRTs) less than 40 d could be obtained with total ammonia nitrogen concentrations (NH4-N + NH3-N) in the range of 4.0-5.0 g/L. After operating one process for more than 1.5 yr at total ammonia nitrogen concentrations >4 g/L, an increase in OLR to 5 g of VS/(L.d) and a decrease in HRT to 22 d was possible without accumulation of volatile fatty acids.

Non-destructive evaluation of laboratory scale hydraulic fracturing using acoustic emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampton, Jesse Clay

The primary objective of this research is to develop techniques to characterize hydraulic fractures and fracturing processes using acoustic emission monitoring based on laboratory scale hydraulic fracturing experiments. Individual microcrack AE source characterization is performed to understand the failure mechanisms associated with small failures along pre-existing discontinuities and grain boundaries. Individual microcrack analysis methods include moment tensor inversion techniques to elucidate the mode of failure, crack slip and crack normal direction vectors, and relative volumetric deformation of an individual microcrack. Differentiation between individual microcrack analysis and AE cloud based techniques is studied in efforts to refine discrete fracture network (DFN) creation and regional damage quantification of densely fractured media. Regional damage estimations from combinations of individual microcrack analyses and AE cloud density plotting are used to investigate the usefulness of weighting cloud based AE analysis techniques with microcrack source data. Two granite types were used in several sample configurations including multi-block systems. Laboratory hydraulic fracturing was performed with sample sizes ranging from 15 x 15 x 25 cm3 to 30 x 30 x 25 cm 3 in both unconfined and true-triaxially confined stress states using different types of materials. Hydraulic fracture testing in rock block systems containing a large natural fracture was investigated in terms of AE response throughout fracture interactions. Investigations of differing scale analyses showed the usefulness of individual microcrack characterization as well as DFN and cloud based techniques. Individual microcrack characterization weighting cloud based techniques correlated well with post-test damage evaluations.

Laboratory and theoretical models of planetary-scale instabilities and waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, John E.; Toomre, Juri

1990-01-01

Meteorologists and planetary astronomers interested in large-scale planetary and solar circulations recognize the importance of rotation and stratification in determining the character of these flows. In the past it has been impossible to accurately model the effects of sphericity on these motions in the laboratory because of the invariant relationship between the uni-directional terrestrial gravity and the rotation axis of an experiment. Researchers studied motions of rotating convecting liquids in spherical shells using electrohydrodynamic polarization forces to generate radial gravity, and hence centrally directed buoyancy forces, in the laboratory. The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) experiments performed on Spacelab 3 in 1985 were analyzed. Recent efforts at interpretation led to numerical models of rotating convection with an aim to understand the possible generation of zonal banding on Jupiter and the fate of banana cells in rapidly rotating convection as the heating is made strongly supercritical. In addition, efforts to pose baroclinic wave experiments for future space missions using a modified version of the 1985 instrument led to theoretical and numerical models of baroclinic instability. Rather surprising properties were discovered, which may be useful in generating rational (rather than artificially truncated) models for nonlinear baroclinic instability and baroclinic chaos.

Cross-flow turbines: progress report on physical and numerical model studies at large laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wosnik, Martin; Bachant, Peter

2016-11-01

Cross-flow turbines show potential in marine hydrokinetic (MHK) applications. A research focus is on accurately predicting device performance and wake evolution to improve turbine array layouts for maximizing overall power output, i.e., minimizing wake interference, or taking advantage of constructive wake interaction. Experiments were carried with large laboratory-scale cross-flow turbines D O (1 m) using a turbine test bed in a large cross-section tow tank, designed to achieve sufficiently high Reynolds numbers for the results to be Reynolds number independent with respect to turbine performance and wake statistics, such that they can be reliably extrapolated to full scale and used for model validation. Several turbines of varying solidity were employed, including the UNH Reference Vertical Axis Turbine (RVAT) and a 1:6 scale model of the DOE-Sandia Reference Model 2 (RM2) turbine. To improve parameterization in array simulations, an actuator line model (ALM) was developed to provide a computationally feasible method for simulating full turbine arrays inside Navier-Stokes models. Results are presented for the simulation of performance and wake dynamics of cross-flow turbines and compared with experiments and body-fitted mesh, blade-resolving CFD. Supported by NSF-CBET Grant 1150797, Sandia National Laboratories.

Scaling of Sediment Dynamics in a Reach-Scale Laboratory Model of a Sand-Bed Stream with Riparian Vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorrick, S.; Rodriguez, J. F.

2011-12-01

A movable bed physical model was designed in a laboratory flume to simulate both bed and suspended load transport in a mildly sinuous sand-bed stream. Model simulations investigated the impact of different vegetation arrangements along the outer bank to evaluate rehabilitation options. Preserving similitude in the 1:16 laboratory model was very important. In this presentation the scaling approach, as well as the successes and challenges of the strategy are outlined. Firstly a near-bankfull flow event was chosen for laboratory simulation. In nature, bankfull events at the field site deposit new in-channel features but cause only small amounts of bank erosion. Thus the fixed banks in the model were not a drastic simplification. Next, and as in other studies, the flow velocity and turbulence measurements were collected in separate fixed bed experiments. The scaling of flow in these experiments was simply maintained by matching the Froude number and roughness levels. The subsequent movable bed experiments were then conducted under similar hydrodynamic conditions. In nature, the sand-bed stream is fairly typical; in high flows most sediment transport occurs in suspension and migrating dunes cover the bed. To achieve similar dynamics in the model equivalent values of the dimensionless bed shear stress and the particle Reynolds number were important. Close values of the two dimensionless numbers were achieved with lightweight sediments (R=0.3) including coal and apricot pips with a particle size distribution similar to that of the field site. Overall the moveable bed experiments were able to replicate the dominant sediment dynamics present in the stream during a bankfull flow and yielded relevant information for the analysis of the effects of riparian vegetation. There was a potential conflict in the strategy, in that grain roughness was exaggerated with respect to nature. The advantage of this strategy is that although grain roughness is exaggerated, the similarity of

Application of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) from viscosity reducing of raw sweet potato for bioethanol production at laboratory, pilot and industrial scales.

PubMed

Zhang, Liang; Zhao, Hai; Gan, Mingzhe; Jin, Yanlin; Gao, Xiaofeng; Chen, Qian; Guan, Jiafa; Wang, Zhongyan

2011-03-01

The aim of this work was to research a bioprocess for bioethanol production from raw sweet potato by Saccharomyces cerevisiae at laboratory, pilot and industrial scales. The fermentation mode, inoculum size and pressure from different gases were determined in laboratory. The maximum ethanol concentration, average ethanol productivity rate and yield of ethanol after fermentation in laboratory scale (128.51 g/L, 4.76 g/L/h and 91.4%) were satisfactory with small decrease at pilot scale (109.06 g/L, 4.89 g/L/h and 91.24%) and industrial scale (97.94 g/L, 4.19 g/L/h and 91.27%). When scaled up, the viscosity caused resistance to fermentation parameters, 1.56 AUG/g (sweet potato mash) of xylanase decreased the viscosity from approximately 30000 to 500 cp. Overall, sweet potato is a attractive feedstock for be bioethanol production from both the economic standpoints and environmentally friendly. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Subsurface Flow and Transport Laboratory: A New Department of Energy User's Facility for Intermediate-Scale Experimentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wietsma, T. W.; Oostrom, M.; Foster, N. S.

2003-12-01

Intermediate-scale experiments (ISEs) for flow and transport are a valuable tool for simulating subsurface features and conditions encountered in the field at government and private sites. ISEs offer the ability to study, under controlled laboratory conditions, complicated processes characteristic of mixed wastes and heterogeneous subsurface environments, in multiple dimensions and at different scales. ISEs may, therefore, result in major cost savings if employed prior to field studies. A distinct advantage of ISEs is that researchers can design physical and/or chemical heterogeneities in the porous media matrix that better approximate natural field conditions and therefore address research questions that contain the additional complexity of processes often encountered in the natural environment. A new Subsurface Flow and Transport Laboratory (SFTL) has been developed for ISE users in the Environmental Spectroscopy & Biogeochemistry Facility in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The SFTL offers a variety of columns and flow cells, a new state-of-the-art dual-energy gamma system, a fully automated saturation-pressure apparatus, and analytical equipment for sample processing. The new facility, including qualified staff, is available for scientists interested in collaboration on conducting high-quality flow and transport experiments, including contaminant remediation. Close linkages exist between the SFTL and numerical modelers to aid in experimental design and interpretation. This presentation will discuss the facility and outline the procedures required to submit a proposal to use this unique facility for research purposes. The W. R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Fabrication Method for Laboratory-Scale High-Performance Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Sassin, Megan B; Garsany, Yannick; Gould, Benjamin D; Swider-Lyons, Karen E

2017-01-03

Custom catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs) and membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) are necessary for the evaluation of advanced electrocatalysts, gas diffusion media (GDM), ionomers, polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs), and electrode structures designed for use in next-generation fuel cells, electrolyzers, or flow batteries. This Feature provides a reliable and reproducible fabrication protocol for laboratory scale (10 cm 2 ) fuel cells based on ultrasonic spray deposition of a standard Pt/carbon electrocatalyst directly onto a perfluorosulfonic acid PEM.

Laboratory-Scale Internal Wave Apparatus for Studying Copepod Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, S.; Webster, D. R.; Haas, K. A.; Yen, J.

2016-02-01

Internal waves are ubiquitous features in coastal marine environments and have been observed to mediate vertical distributions of zooplankton in situ. Internal waves create fine-scale hydrodynamic cues that copepods and other zooplankton are known to sense, such as fluid density gradients and velocity gradients (quantified as shear deformation rate). The role of copepod behavior in response to cues associated with internal waves is largely unknown. The objective is to provide insight to the bio-physical interaction and the role of biological versus physical forcing in mediating organism distributions. We constructed a laboratory-scale internal wave apparatus to facilitate fine-scale observations of copepod behavior in flows that replicate in situ conditions of internal waves in two-layer stratification. Two cases were chosen with density jump of 1 and 1.5 sigma-t units. Analytical analysis of the two-layer system provided guidance to the target forcing frequency needed to generate a standing internal wave with a single dominate frequency of oscillation. Flow visualization and signal processing of the interface location were used to quantify the wave characteristics. The results show a close match to the target wave parameters. Marine copepod (mixed population of Acartia tonsa, Temora longicornis, and Eurytemora affinis) behavior assays were conducted for three different physical arrangements: (1) no density stratification, (2) stagnant two-layer density stratification, and (3) two-layer density stratification with internal wave motion. Digitized trajectories of copepod swimming behavior indicate that in the control (case 1) the animals showed no preferential motion in terms of direction. In the stagnant density jump treatment (case 2) copepods preferentially moved horizontally, parallel to the density interface. In the internal wave treatment (case 3) copepods demonstrated orbital trajectories near the density interface.

Transitioning glass-ceramic scintillators for diagnostic x-ray imaging from the laboratory to commercial scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckert, M. Brooke; Gallego, Sabrina; Elder, Eric; Nadler, Jason

2016-10-01

This study sought to mitigate risk in transitioning newly developed glass-ceramic scintillator technology from a laboratory concept to commercial product by identifying the most significant hurdles to increased scale. These included selection of cost effective raw material sources, investigation of process parameters with the most significant impact on performance, and synthesis steps that could see the greatest benefit from participation of an industry partner that specializes in glass or optical component manufacturing. Efforts focused on enhancing the performance of glass-ceramic nanocomposite scintillators developed specifically for medical imaging via composition and process modifications that ensured efficient capture of incident X-ray energy and emission of scintillation light. The use of cost effective raw materials and existing manufacturing methods demonstrated proof-of-concept for economical viable alternatives to existing benchmark materials, as well as possible disruptive applications afforded by novel geometries and comparatively lower cost per volume. The authors now seek the expertise of industry to effectively navigate the transition from laboratory demonstrations to pilot scale production and testing to evince the industry of the viability and usefulness of composite-based scintillators.

Streamlining workflow and automation to accelerate laboratory scale protein production.

PubMed

Konczal, Jennifer; Gray, Christopher H

2017-05-01

Protein production facilities are often required to produce diverse arrays of proteins for demanding methodologies including crystallography, NMR, ITC and other reagent intensive techniques. It is common for these teams to find themselves a bottleneck in the pipeline of ambitious projects. This pressure to deliver has resulted in the evolution of many novel methods to increase capacity and throughput at all stages in the pipeline for generation of recombinant proteins. This review aims to describe current and emerging options to accelerate the success of protein production in Escherichia coli. We emphasize technologies that have been evaluated and implemented in our laboratory, including innovative molecular biology and expression vectors, small-scale expression screening strategies and the automation of parallel and multidimensional chromatography. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laboratory study of sonic booms and their scaling laws. [ballistic range simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toong, T. Y.

1974-01-01

This program undertook to seek a basic understanding of non-linear effects associated with caustics, through laboratory simulation experiments of sonic booms in a ballistic range and a coordinated theoretical study of scaling laws. Two cases of superbooms or enhanced sonic booms at caustics have been studied. The first case, referred to as acceleration superbooms, is related to the enhanced sonic booms generated during the acceleration maneuvers of supersonic aircrafts. The second case, referred to as refraction superbooms, involves the superbooms that are generated as a result of atmospheric refraction. Important theoretical and experimental results are briefly reported.

FLARE: A New User Facility for Laboratory Studies of Multiple-Scale Physics of Magnetic Reconnection and Related Phenomena in Heliophysics and Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-10-01

The FLARE device (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments; flare.pppl.gov) is a new laboratory experiment under construction at Princeton with first plasmas expected in the fall of 2017, based on the design of Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX; mrx.pppl.gov) with much extended parameter ranges. Its main objective is to provide an experimental platform for the studies of magnetic reconnection and related phenomena in the multiple X-line regimes directly relevant to space, solar, astrophysical and fusion plasmas. The main diagnostics is an extensive set of magnetic probe arrays, simultaneously covering multiple scales from local electron scales ( 2 mm), to intermediate ion scales ( 10 cm), and global MHD scales ( 1 m). Specific example space physics topics which can be studied on FLARE will be discussed.

Indomethacin nanocrystals prepared by different laboratory scale methods: effect on crystalline form and dissolution behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martena, Valentina; Censi, Roberta; Hoti, Ela; Malaj, Ledjan; Di Martino, Piera

2012-12-01

The objective of this study is to select very simple and well-known laboratory scale methods able to reduce particle size of indomethacin until the nanometric scale. The effect on the crystalline form and the dissolution behavior of the different samples was deliberately evaluated in absence of any surfactants as stabilizers. Nanocrystals of indomethacin (native crystals are in the γ form) (IDM) were obtained by three laboratory scale methods: A (Batch A: crystallization by solvent evaporation in a nano-spray dryer), B (Batch B-15 and B-30: wet milling and lyophilization), and C (Batch C-20-N and C-40-N: Cryo-milling in the presence of liquid nitrogen). Nanocrystals obtained by the method A (Batch A) crystallized into a mixture of α and γ polymorphic forms. IDM obtained by the two other methods remained in the γ form and a different attitude to the crystallinity decrease were observed, with a more considerable decrease in crystalline degree for IDM milled for 40 min in the presence of liquid nitrogen. The intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) revealed a higher dissolution rate for Batches A and C-40-N, due to the higher IDR of α form than γ form for the Batch A, and the lower crystallinity degree for both the Batches A and C-40-N. These factors, as well as the decrease in particle size, influenced the IDM dissolution rate from the particle samples. Modifications in the solid physical state that may occur using different particle size reduction treatments have to be taken into consideration during the scale up and industrial development of new solid dosage forms.

Laboratory Scale Electrodeposition. Practice and Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruno, Thomas J.

1986-01-01

Discusses some aspects of electrodeposition and electroplating. Emphasizes the materials, techniques, and safety precautions necessary to make electrodeposition work reliably in the chemistry laboratory. Describes some problem-solving applications of this process. (TW)

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

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

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

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

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

DOE PAGES

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

2016-10-07

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

Laboratory and theoretical models of planetary-scale instabilities and waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hart, John E.; Toomre, Juri

1991-01-01

Meteorologists and planetary astronomers interested in large-scale planetary and solar circulations recognize the importance of rotation and stratification in determining the character of these flows. The two outstanding problems of interest are: (1) the origins and nature of chaos in baroclinically unstable flows; and (2) the physical mechanisms responsible for high speed zonal winds and banding on the giant planets. The methods used to study these problems, and the insights gained, are useful in more general atmospheric and climate dynamic settings. Because the planetary curvature or beta-effect is crucial in the large scale nonlinear dynamics, the motions of rotating convecting liquids in spherical shells were studied using electrohydrodynamic polarization forces to generate radial gravity and centrally directed buoyancy forces in the laboratory. The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell (GFFC) experiments performed on Spacelab 3 in 1985 were analyzed. The interpretation and extension of these results have led to the construction of efficient numerical models of rotating convection with an aim to understand the possible generation of zonal banding on Jupiter and the fate of banana cells in rapidly rotating convection as the heating is made strongly supercritical. Efforts to pose baroclinic wave experiments for future space missions using a modified version of the 1985 instrument have led us to develop theoretical and numerical models of baroclinic instability. Some surprising properties of both these models were discovered.

Countercurrent fixed-bed gasification of biomass at laboratory scale

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

Di Blasi, C.; Signorelli, G.; Portoricco, G.

1999-07-01

A laboratory-scale countercurrent fixed-bed gasification plant has been designed and constructed to produce data for process modeling and to compare the gasification characteristics of several biomasses (beechwood, nutshells, olive husks, and grape residues). The composition of producer gas and spatial temperature profiles have been measured for biomass gasification at different air flow rates. The gas-heating value always attains a maximum as a function of this operating variable, associated with a decrease of the air-to-fuel ratio. Optical gasification conditions of wood and agricultural residues give rise to comparable gas-heating values, comprised in the range 5--5.5 MJ/Nm{sup 3} with 28--30% CO, 5--7%more » CO{sub 2}, 6--8% H{sub 2}, 1--2% CH{sub 4}, and small amounts of C{sub 2}- hydrocarbons (apart from nitrogen). However, gasification of agricultural residues is more difficult because of bed transport, partial ash sintering, nonuniform flow distribution, and the presence of a muddy phase in the effluents, so that proper pretreatments are needed for largescale applications.« less

Numerical Investigation of Earthquake Nucleation on a Laboratory-Scale Heterogeneous Fault with Rate-and-State Friction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, N.; Lapusta, N.

2014-12-01

Many large earthquakes on natural faults are preceded by smaller events, often termed foreshocks, that occur close in time and space to the larger event that follows. Understanding the origin of such events is important for understanding earthquake physics. Unique laboratory experiments of earthquake nucleation in a meter-scale slab of granite (McLaskey and Kilgore, 2013; McLaskey et al., 2014) demonstrate that sample-scale nucleation processes are also accompanied by much smaller seismic events. One potential explanation for these foreshocks is that they occur on small asperities - or bumps - on the fault interface, which may also be the locations of smaller critical nucleation size. We explore this possibility through 3D numerical simulations of a heterogeneous 2D fault embedded in a homogeneous elastic half-space, in an attempt to qualitatively reproduce the laboratory observations of foreshocks. In our model, the simulated fault interface is governed by rate-and-state friction with laboratory-relevant frictional properties, fault loading, and fault size. To create favorable locations for foreshocks, the fault surface heterogeneity is represented as patches of increased normal stress, decreased characteristic slip distance L, or both. Our simulation results indicate that one can create a rate-and-state model of the experimental observations. Models with a combination of higher normal stress and lower L at the patches are closest to matching the laboratory observations of foreshocks in moment magnitude, source size, and stress drop. In particular, we find that, when the local compression is increased, foreshocks can occur on patches that are smaller than theoretical critical nucleation size estimates. The additional inclusion of lower L for these patches helps to keep stress drops within the range observed in experiments, and is compatible with the asperity model of foreshock sources, since one would expect more compressed spots to be smoother (and hence have

Simulating flow in karst aquifers at laboratory and sub-regional scales using MODFLOW-CFP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallegos, Josue Jacob; Hu, Bill X.; Davis, Hal

2013-12-01

Groundwater flow in a well-developed karst aquifer dominantly occurs through bedding planes, fractures, conduits, and caves created by and/or enlarged by dissolution. Conventional groundwater modeling methods assume that groundwater flow is described by Darcian principles where primary porosity (i.e. matrix porosity) and laminar flow are dominant. However, in well-developed karst aquifers, the assumption of Darcian flow can be questionable. While Darcian flow generally occurs in the matrix portion of the karst aquifer, flow through conduits can be non-laminar where the relation between specific discharge and hydraulic gradient is non-linear. MODFLOW-CFP is a relatively new modeling program that accounts for non-laminar and laminar flow in pipes, like karst caves, within an aquifer. In this study, results from MODFLOW-CFP are compared to those from MODFLOW-2000/2005, a numerical code based on Darcy's law, to evaluate the accuracy that CFP can achieve when modeling flows in karst aquifers at laboratory and sub-regional (Woodville Karst Plain, Florida, USA) scales. In comparison with laboratory experiments, simulation results by MODFLOW-CFP are more accurate than MODFLOW 2005. At the sub-regional scale, MODFLOW-CFP was more accurate than MODFLOW-2000 for simulating field measurements of peak flow at one spring and total discharges at two springs for an observed storm event.

Chapter 1.1 Process Scale-Up of Cellulose Nanocrystal Production to 25 kg per Batch at the Forest Products Laboratory

Treesearch

Richard S. Reiner; Alan W. Rudie

2013-01-01

The Fiber and Chemical Sciences Research Work Unit at the Forest Products Laboratory began working out the preparation of cellulose nanocrystals in 2006, using the method of Dong, Revol, and Gray. Initial samples were provided to several scientists within the Forest Service. Continued requests for this material forced scale-up from the initial 20 g scale to kg...

Impact decapitation from laboratory to basin scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, P. H.; Gault, D. E.

1991-01-01

Although vertical hypervelocity impacts result in the annihilation (melting/vaporization) of the projectile, oblique impacts (less than 15 deg) fundamentally change the partitioning of energy with fragments as large as 10 percent of the original projectile surviving. Laboratory experiments reveal that both ductile and brittle projectiles produce very similar results where limiting disruption depends on stresses proportional to the vertical velocity component. Failure of the projectile at laboratory impact velocities (6 km/s) is largely controlled by stresses established before the projectile has penetrated a significant distance into the target. The planetary surface record exhibits numerous examples of oblique impacts with evidence fir projectile failure and downrange sibling collisions.

LABORATORY-SCALE ANALYSIS OF AQUIFER REMEDIATION BY IN-WELL VAPOR STRIPPING 2. MODELING RESULTS. (R825689C061)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

The removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from groundwater through in-well vapor stripping has been demonstrated by Gonen and Gvirtzman (1997, J. Contam. Hydrol., 00: 000-000) at the laboratory scale. The present study compares experimental breakthrough...

LOW OZONE-DEPLETING HALOCARBONS AS TOTAL-FLOOD AGENTS: VOLUME 2. LABORATORY-SCALE FIRE SUPPRESSION AND EXPLOSION PREVENTION TESTING

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results from (1) flame suppression testing of potential Halon-1301 (CF3Br) replacement chemicals in a laboratory cup burner using n-heptane fuel and (2) explosion prevention (inertion) testing in a small-scale explosion sphere using propane and methane as fuels. ...

Laboratory meter-scale seismic monitoring of varying water levels in granular media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasquet, S.; Bodet, L.; Bergamo, P.; Guérin, R.; Martin, R.; Mourgues, R.; Tournat, V.

2016-12-01

Laboratory physical modelling and non-contacting ultrasonic techniques are frequently proposed to tackle theoretical and methodological issues related to geophysical prospecting. Following recent developments illustrating the ability of seismic methods to image spatial and/or temporal variations of water content in the vadose zone, we developed laboratory experiments aimed at testing the sensitivity of seismic measurements (i.e., pressure-wave travel times and surface-wave phase velocities) to water saturation variations. Ultrasonic techniques were used to simulate typical seismic acquisitions on small-scale controlled granular media presenting different water levels. Travel times and phase velocity measurements obtained at the dry state were validated with both theoretical models and numerical simulations and serve as reference datasets. The increasing water level clearly affects the recorded wave field in both its phase and amplitude, but the collected data cannot yet be inverted in the absence of a comprehensive theoretical model for such partially saturated and unconsolidated granular media. The differences in travel time and phase velocity observed between the dry and wet models show patterns that are interestingly coincident with the observed water level and depth of the capillary fringe, thus offering attractive perspectives for studying soil water content variations in the field.

CORRELATIONS BETWEEN HOMOLOGUE CONCENTRATIONS OF PCDD/FS AND TOXIC EQUIVALENCY VALUES IN LABORATORY-, PACKAGE BOILER-, AND FIELD-SCALE INCINERATORS

EPA Science Inventory

The toxic equivalency (TEQ) values of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are predicted with a model based on the homologue concentrations measured from a laboratory-scale reactor (124 data points), a package boiler (61 data points), and ...

Acoustic Emission Patterns and the Transition to Ductility in Sub-Micron Scale Laboratory Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaffari, H.; Xia, K.; Young, R.

2013-12-01

We report observation of a transition from the brittle to ductile regime in precursor events from different rock materials (Granite, Sandstone, Basalt, and Gypsum) and Polymers (PMMA, PTFE and CR-39). Acoustic emission patterns associated with sub-micron scale laboratory earthquakes are mapped into network parameter spaces (functional damage networks). The sub-classes hold nearly constant timescales, indicating dependency of the sub-phases on the mechanism governing the previous evolutionary phase, i.e., deformation and failure of asperities. Based on our findings, we propose that the signature of the non-linear elastic zone around a crack tip is mapped into the details of the evolutionary phases, supporting the formation of a strongly weak zone in the vicinity of crack tips. Moreover, we recognize sub-micron to micron ruptures with signatures of 'stiffening' in the deformation phase of acoustic-waveforms. We propose that the latter rupture fronts carry critical rupture extensions, including possible dislocations faster than the shear wave speed. Using 'template super-shear waveforms' and their network characteristics, we show that the acoustic emission signals are possible super-shear or intersonic events. Ref. [1] Ghaffari, H. O., and R. P. Young. "Acoustic-Friction Networks and the Evolution of Precursor Rupture Fronts in Laboratory Earthquakes." Nature Scientific reports 3 (2013). [2] Xia, Kaiwen, Ares J. Rosakis, and Hiroo Kanamori. "Laboratory earthquakes: The sub-Rayleigh-to-supershear rupture transition." Science 303.5665 (2004): 1859-1861. [3] Mello, M., et al. "Identifying the unique ground motion signatures of supershear earthquakes: Theory and experiments." Tectonophysics 493.3 (2010): 297-326. [4] Gumbsch, Peter, and Huajian Gao. "Dislocations faster than the speed of sound." Science 283.5404 (1999): 965-968. [5] Livne, Ariel, et al. "The near-tip fields of fast cracks." Science 327.5971 (2010): 1359-1363. [6] Rycroft, Chris H., and Eran Bouchbinder

Laboratory studies of 2H evaporator scale dissolution in dilute nitric acid

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

Oji, L.

The rate of 2H evaporator scale solids dissolution in dilute nitric acid has been experimentally evaluated under laboratory conditions in the SRNL shielded cells. The 2H scale sample used for the dissolution study came from the bottom of the evaporator cone section and the wall section of the evaporator cone. The accumulation rate of aluminum and silicon, assumed to be the two principal elemental constituents of the 2H evaporator scale aluminosilicate mineral, were monitored in solution. Aluminum and silicon concentration changes, with heating time at a constant oven temperature of 90 deg C, were used to ascertain the extent ofmore » dissolution of the 2H evaporator scale mineral. The 2H evaporator scale solids, assumed to be composed of mostly aluminosilicate mineral, readily dissolves in 1.5 and 1.25 M dilute nitric acid solutions yielding principal elemental components of aluminum and silicon in solution. The 2H scale dissolution rate constant, based on aluminum accumulation in 1.5 and 1.25 M dilute nitric acid solution are, respectively, 9.21E-04 ± 6.39E-04 min{sup -1} and 1.07E-03 ± 7.51E-05 min{sup -1}. Silicon accumulation rate in solution does track the aluminum accumulation profile during the first few minutes of scale dissolution. It however diverges towards the end of the scale dissolution. This divergence therefore means the aluminum-to-silicon ratio in the first phase of the scale dissolution (non-steady state conditions) is different from the ratio towards the end of the scale dissolution. Possible causes of this change in silicon accumulation in solution as the scale dissolution progresses may include silicon precipitation from solution or the 2H evaporator scale is a heterogeneous mixture of aluminosilicate minerals with several impurities. The average half-life for the decomposition of the 2H evaporator scale mineral in 1.5 M nitric acid is 12.5 hours, while the half-life for the decomposition of the 2H evaporator scale in 1.25 M nitric acid is

Biological treatment of whey by Tetrahymena pyriformis and impact study on laboratory-scale wastewater lagoon process.

PubMed

Bonnet, J L; Bogaerts, P; Bohatier, J

1999-06-01

A procedure based on a biological treatment of whey was tested as part of research on waste treatment at the scale of small cheesemaking units. We studied the potential biodegradation of whey by a protozoan ciliate, Tetrahymena pyriformis, and evaluated the functional, microbiological and physiological disturbances caused by crude whey and the biodegraded whey in laboratory-scale pilots mimicking a natural lagoon treatment. The results show that T. pyriformis can strongly reduce the pollutant load of whey. In the lagoon pilots serving as example of receptor media, crude whey gradually but completely arrested operation, whereas with the biodegraded whey adverse effects were only temporary, and normal operation versus a control was gradually recovered in a few days.

Hydrogen Production by Sorption Enhanced Steam Reforming (SESR) of Biomass in a Fluidised-Bed Reactor Using Combined Multifunctional Particles

PubMed Central

Zheng, Liya; Zhang, Zili; Fennell, Paul S.

2018-01-01

The performance of combined CO2-sorbent/catalyst particles for sorption enhanced steam reforming (SESR), prepared via a simple mechanical mixing protocol, was studied using a spout-fluidised bed reactor capable of continuous solid fuel (biomass) feeding. The influence of particle size (300–500 and 710–1000 µm), CaO loading (60–100 wt %), Ni-loading (10–40 wt %) and presence of dicalcium silicate support (22.6 wt %) on SESR process performance were investigated. The combined particles were characterised by their density, porosity and CO2 carrying capacity with the analysis by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). All experiments were conducted with continuous oak biomass feeding at a rate of 0.9 g/min ± 10%, and the reactor was operated at 660 ± 5 °C, 1 atm and 20 ± 2 vol % steam which corresponds to a steam-to-carbon ratio of 1.2:1. Unsupported combined particles containing 21.0 wt % Ni and 79 wt % CaO were the best performing sorbent/catalyst particle screened in this study, when accounting for the cost of Ni and the improvement in H2 produced by high Ni content particles. SESR tests with these combined particles produced 61 mmol H2/gbiomass (122 g H2/kgbiomass) at a purity of 61 vol %. Significant coke formation within the feeding tube and on the surfaces of the particles was observed which was attributed to the low steam to carbon ratio utilised. PMID:29883427

Characterising boiler ash from a circulating fluidised bed municipal solid waste incinerator and distribution of PCDD/F and PCB.

PubMed

Zhang, Mengmei; Buekens, Alfons; Li, Xiaodong

2018-05-31

In this study, ash samples were collected from five locations situated in the boiler of a circulating fluidised bed municipal solid waste incinerator (high- and low-temperature superheater, evaporator tubes and upper and lower economiser). These samples represent a huge range of flue gas temperatures and were characterised for their particle size distribution, surface characteristics, elemental composition, chemical forms of carbon and chlorine and distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), dibenzofurans (PCDF) and biphenyls (PCB). Enrichment of chlorine, one of the main elements of organochlorinated pollutants, and copper, zinc and lead, major catalytic metals for dioxin-like compounds, was observed in lower-temperature ash deposits. The speciation of carbon and chlorine on ash surfaces was established, showing a positive correlation between organic chlorine and oxygen-containing carbon functional groups. The load of PCDD/F and PCB (especially dioxin-like PCB) tends to rise rapidly with falling temperature of flue gas, reaching their highest value in economiser ashes. The formation of PCDD/F congeners through the chlorophenol precursor route apparently was enhanced downstream the boiler. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to study the links between the ash characteristics and distribution of chloro-aromatics. The primary purpose of this study is improving the understanding of any links between the characteristics of ash from waste heat systems and its potential to form PCDD/F and PCB. The question is raised whether further characterisation of fly ash may assist to establish a diagnosis of poor plant operation, inclusive the generation, destruction and eventual emission of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Modelling high Reynolds number wall–turbulence interactions in laboratory experiments using large-scale free-stream turbulence

PubMed Central

Dogan, Eda; Hearst, R. Jason

2017-01-01

A turbulent boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence is investigated in order to ascertain the scale interactions that dominate the near-wall region. The results are discussed in relation to a canonical high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer because previous studies have reported considerable similarities between these two flows. Measurements were acquired simultaneously from four hot wires mounted to a rake which was traversed through the boundary layer. Particular focus is given to two main features of both canonical high Reynolds number boundary layers and boundary layers subjected to free-stream turbulence: (i) the footprint of the large scales in the logarithmic region on the near-wall small scales, specifically the modulating interaction between these scales, and (ii) the phase difference in amplitude modulation. The potential for a turbulent boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence to ‘simulate’ high Reynolds number wall–turbulence interactions is discussed. The results of this study have encouraging implications for future investigations of the fundamental scale interactions that take place in high Reynolds number flows as it demonstrates that these can be achieved at typical laboratory scales. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Toward the development of high-fidelity models of wall turbulence at large Reynolds number’. PMID:28167584

Modelling high Reynolds number wall-turbulence interactions in laboratory experiments using large-scale free-stream turbulence.

PubMed

Dogan, Eda; Hearst, R Jason; Ganapathisubramani, Bharathram

2017-03-13

A turbulent boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence is investigated in order to ascertain the scale interactions that dominate the near-wall region. The results are discussed in relation to a canonical high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer because previous studies have reported considerable similarities between these two flows. Measurements were acquired simultaneously from four hot wires mounted to a rake which was traversed through the boundary layer. Particular focus is given to two main features of both canonical high Reynolds number boundary layers and boundary layers subjected to free-stream turbulence: (i) the footprint of the large scales in the logarithmic region on the near-wall small scales, specifically the modulating interaction between these scales, and (ii) the phase difference in amplitude modulation. The potential for a turbulent boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence to 'simulate' high Reynolds number wall-turbulence interactions is discussed. The results of this study have encouraging implications for future investigations of the fundamental scale interactions that take place in high Reynolds number flows as it demonstrates that these can be achieved at typical laboratory scales.This article is part of the themed issue 'Toward the development of high-fidelity models of wall turbulence at large Reynolds number'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Slurry spray distribution within a simulated laboratory scale spray dryer

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

Bertone, P.C.

1979-12-20

It was found that the distribution of liquid striking the sides of a simulated room temperature spray dryer was not significantly altered by the choice of nozles, nor by a variation in nozzle operating conditions. Instead, it was found to be a function of the spray dryer's configuration. A cocurrent flow of air down the drying cylinder, not possible with PNL's closed top, favorably altered the spray distribution by both decreasing the amount of liquid striking the interior of the cylinder from 72 to 26% of the feed supplied, and by shifting the zone of maximum impact from 1.0 tomore » 1.7 feet from the nozzle. These findings led to the redesign of the laboratory scale spray dryer to be tested at the Savannah River Plant. The diameter of the drying chamber was increased from 5 to 8 inches, and a cocurrent flow of air was established with a closed recycle. Finally, this investigation suggested a drying scheme which offers all the advantages of spray drying without many of its limitations.« less

Oxy-acetylene driven laboratory scale shock tubes for studying blast wave effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courtney, Amy C.; Andrusiv, Lubov P.; Courtney, Michael W.

2012-04-01

This paper describes the development and characterization of modular, oxy-acetylene driven laboratory scale shock tubes. Such tools are needed to produce realistic blast waves in a laboratory setting. The pressure-time profiles measured at 1 MHz using high-speed piezoelectric pressure sensors have relevant durations and show a true shock front and exponential decay characteristic of free-field blast waves. Descriptions are included for shock tube diameters of 27-79 mm. A range of peak pressures from 204 kPa to 1187 kPa (with 0.5-5.6% standard error of the mean) were produced by selection of the driver section diameter and distance from the shock tube opening. The peak pressures varied predictably with distance from the shock tube opening while maintaining both a true blast wave profile and relevant pulse duration for distances up to about one diameter from the shock tube opening. This shock tube design provides a more realistic blast profile than current compression-driven shock tubes, and it does not have a large jet effect. In addition, operation does not require specialized personnel or facilities like most blast-driven shock tubes, which reduces operating costs and effort and permits greater throughput and accessibility. It is expected to be useful in assessing the response of various sensors to shock wave loading; assessing the reflection, transmission, and absorption properties of candidate armor materials; assessing material properties at high rates of loading; assessing the response of biological materials to shock wave exposure; and providing a means to validate numerical models of the interaction of shock waves with structures. All of these activities have been difficult to pursue in a laboratory setting due in part to lack of appropriate means to produce a realistic blast loading profile.

Experimental and operational modal analysis of a laboratory scale model of a tripod support structure.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luczak, M. M.; Mucchi, E.; Telega, J.

2016-09-01

The goal of the research is to develop a vibration-based procedure for the identification of structural failures in a laboratory scale model of a tripod supporting structure of an offshore wind turbine. In particular, this paper presents an experimental campaign on the scale model tested in two stages. Stage one encompassed the model tripod structure tested in air. The second stage was done in water. The tripod model structure allows to investigate the propagation of a circumferential representative crack of a cylindrical upper brace. The in-water test configuration included the tower with three bladed rotor. The response of the structure to the different waves loads were measured with accelerometers. Experimental and operational modal analysis was applied to identify the dynamic properties of the investigated scale model for intact and damaged state with different excitations and wave patterns. A comprehensive test matrix allows to assess the differences in estimated modal parameters due to damage or as potentially introduced by nonlinear structural response. The presented technique proves to be effective for detecting and assessing the presence of representative cracks.

Estimation of waste component-specific landfill decay rates using laboratory-scale decomposition data.

PubMed

De la Cruz, Florentino B; Barlaz, Morton A

2010-06-15

The current methane generation model used by the U.S. EPA (Landfill Gas Emissions Model) treats municipal solid waste (MSW) as a homogeneous waste with one decay rate. However, component-specific decay rates are required to evaluate the effects of changes in waste composition on methane generation. Laboratory-scale rate constants, k(lab), for the major biodegradable MSW components were used to derive field-scale decay rates (k(field)) for each waste component using the assumption that the average of the field-scale decay rates for each waste component, weighted by its composition, is equal to the bulk MSW decay rate. For an assumed bulk MSW decay rate of 0.04 yr(-1), k(field) was estimated to be 0.298, 0.171, 0.015, 0.144, 0.033, 0.02, 0.122, and 0.029 yr(-1), for grass, leaves, branches, food waste, newsprint, corrugated containers, coated paper, and office paper, respectively. The effect of landfill waste diversion programs on methane production was explored to illustrate the use of component-specific decay rates. One hundred percent diversion of yard waste and food waste reduced the year 20 methane production rate by 45%. When a landfill gas collection schedule was introduced, collectable methane was most influenced by food waste diversion at years 10 and 20 and paper diversion at year 40.

Experimental methods for the simulation of supercritical CO2 injection at laboratory scale aimed to investigate capillary trapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trevisan, L.; Illangasekare, T. H.; Rodriguez, D.; Sakaki, T.; Cihan, A.; Birkholzer, J. T.; Zhou, Q.

2011-12-01

Geological storage of carbon dioxide in deep geologic formations is being considered as a technical option to reduce greenhouse gas loading to the atmosphere. The processes associated with the movement and stable trapping are complex in deep naturally heterogeneous formations. Three primary mechanisms contribute to trapping; capillary entrapment due to immobilization of the supercritical fluid CO2 within soil pores, liquid CO2 dissolving in the formation water and mineralization. Natural heterogeneity in the formation is expected to affect all three mechanisms. A research project is in progress with the primary goal to improve our understanding of capillary and dissolution trapping during injection and post-injection process, focusing on formation heterogeneity. It is expected that this improved knowledge will help to develop site characterization methods targeting on obtaining the most critical parameters that capture the heterogeneity to design strategies and schemes to maximize trapping. This research combines experiments at the laboratory scale with multiphase modeling to upscale relevant trapping processes to the field scale. This paper presents the results from a set of experiments that were conducted in an intermediate scale test tanks. Intermediate scale testing provides an attractive alternative to investigate these processes under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Conducting these types of experiments is highly challenging as methods have to be developed to extrapolate the data from experiments that are conducted under ambient laboratory conditions to high temperatures and pressures settings in deep geologic formations. We explored the use of a combination of surrogate fluids that have similar density, viscosity contrasts and analogous solubility and interfacial tension as supercritical CO2-brine in deep formations. The extrapolation approach involves the use of dimensionless numbers such as Capillary number (Ca) and the Bond number (Bo). A set of

Chemical and ecotoxicological characterization of ashes obtained from sewage sludge combustion in a fluidised-bed reactor.

PubMed

Lapa, N; Barbosa, R; Lopes, M H; Mendes, B; Abelha, P; Boavida, D; Gulyurtlu, I; Oliveira, J Santos

2007-08-17

In 1999, the DEECA/INETI and the UBiA/FCT/UNL started a researching project on the partition of heavy metals during the combustion of stabilised sewage sludge (Biogran), in a fluidised-bed reactor, and on the quality of the bottom ashes and fly ashes produced. This project was entitled Bimetal and was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. In this paper only the results on the combustion of Biogran are reported. The combustion process was performed in two different trials, in which different amounts of sewage sludge and time of combustion were applied. Several ash samples were collected from the bed (bottom ashes) and from two cyclones (first cyclone and second cyclone ashes). Sewage sludge, bed material (sand) and ash samples were submitted to the leaching process defined in the European leaching standard EN 12457-2. The eluates were characterized for a set of inorganic chemical species. The ecotoxicological levels of the eluates were determined for two biological indicators (Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna). The results were compared with the limit values of the CEMWE French Regulation. The samples were also ranked according to an index based on the chemical characterization of the eluates. It was observed an increase of the concentration of metals along the combustion system. The ashes trapped in the second cyclone, for both combustion trials, showed the highest concentration of metals in the eluates. Chemically, the ashes of the second cyclone were the most different ones. In the ecotoxicological point of view, the ecotoxicity levels of the eluates of the ashes, for both combustion cycles, did not follow the same pattern as observed for the chemical characterization. The ashes of the first cyclone showed the highest ecotoxicity levels for V. fischeri and D. magna. This difference on chemical and ecotoxicological results proves the need for performing both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of the sub-products of such type

Scaling of metabolic rate on body mass in small laboratory mammals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pace, N.; Rahlmann, D. F.; Smith, A. H.

1980-01-01

The scaling of metabolic heat production rate on body mass is investigated for five species of small laboratory mammal in order to define selection of animals of metabolic rates and size range appropriate for the measurement of changes in the scaling relationship upon exposure to weightlessness in Shuttle/Spacelab experiment. Metabolic rates were measured according to oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production for individual male and female Swiss-Webster mice, Syrian hamsters, Simonsen albino rats, Hartley guinea pigs and New Zealand white rabbits, which range in mass from 0.05 to 5 kg mature body size, at ages of 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 18 and 24 months. The metabolic intensity, defined as the heat produced per hour per kg body mass, is found to decrease dramatically with age until the animals are 6 to 8 months old, with little or no sex difference. When plotted on a logarithmic graph, the relation of metabolic rate to total body mass is found to obey a power law of index 0.676, which differs significantly from the classical value of 0.75. When the values for the mice are removed, however, an index of 0.749 is obtained. It is thus proposed that six male animals, 8 months of age, of each of the four remaining species be used to study the effects of gravitational loading on the metabolic energy requirements of terrestrial animals.

Full-scale laboratory validation of a wireless MEMS-based technology for damage assessment of concrete structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trapani, Davide; Zonta, Daniele; Molinari, Marco; Amditis, Angelos; Bimpas, Matthaios; Bertsch, Nicolas; Spiering, Vincent; Santana, Juan; Sterken, Tom; Torfs, Tom; Bairaktaris, Dimitris; Bairaktaris, Manos; Camarinopulos, Stefanos; Frondistou-Yannas, Mata; Ulieru, Dumitru

2012-04-01

This paper illustrates an experimental campaign conducted under laboratory conditions on a full-scale reinforced concrete three-dimensional frame instrumented with wireless sensors developed within the Memscon project. In particular it describes the assumptions which the experimental campaign was based on, the design of the structure, the laboratory setup and the results of the tests. The aim of the campaign was to validate the performance of Memscon sensing systems, consisting of wireless accelerometers and strain sensors, on a real concrete structure during construction and under an actual earthquake. Another aspect of interest was to assess the effectiveness of the full damage recognition procedure based on the data recorded by the sensors and the reliability of the Decision Support System (DSS) developed in order to provide the stakeholders recommendations for building rehabilitation and the costs of this. With these ends, a Eurocode 8 spectrum-compatible accelerogram with increasing amplitude was applied at the top of an instrumented concrete frame built in the laboratory. MEMSCON sensors were directly compared with wired instruments, based on devices available on the market and taken as references, during both construction and seismic simulation.

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

PubMed Central

Li, C. K.; Tzeferacos, P.; Lamb, D.; Gregori, G.; Norreys, P. A.; Rosenberg, M. J.; Follett, R. K.; Froula, D. H.; Koenig, M.; Seguin, F. H.; Frenje, J. A.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Sio, H.; Zylstra, A. B.; Petrasso, R. D.; Amendt, P. A.; Park, H. S.; Remington, B. A.; Ryutov, D. D.; Wilks, S. C.; Betti, R.; Frank, A.; Hu, S. X.; Sangster, T. C.; Hartigan, P.; Drake, R. P.; Kuranz, C. C.; Lebedev, S. V.; Woolsey, N. C.

2016-01-01

The remarkable discovery by the Chandra X-ray observatory that the Crab nebula's jet periodically changes direction provides a challenge to our understanding of astrophysical jet dynamics. It has been suggested that this phenomenon may be the consequence of magnetic fields and magnetohydrodynamic instabilities, but experimental demonstration in a controlled laboratory environment has remained elusive. Here we report experiments that use high-power lasers to create a plasma jet that can be directly compared with the Crab jet through well-defined physical scaling laws. The jet generates its own embedded toroidal magnetic fields; as it moves, plasma instabilities result in multiple deflections of the propagation direction, mimicking the kink behaviour of the Crab jet. The experiment is modelled with three-dimensional numerical simulations that show exactly how the instability develops and results in changes of direction of the jet. PMID:27713403

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

PubMed

Li, C K; Tzeferacos, P; Lamb, D; Gregori, G; Norreys, P A; Rosenberg, M J; Follett, R K; Froula, D H; Koenig, M; Seguin, F H; Frenje, J A; Rinderknecht, H G; Sio, H; Zylstra, A B; Petrasso, R D; Amendt, P A; Park, H S; Remington, B A; Ryutov, D D; Wilks, S C; Betti, R; Frank, A; Hu, S X; Sangster, T C; Hartigan, P; Drake, R P; Kuranz, C C; Lebedev, S V; Woolsey, N C

2016-10-07

The remarkable discovery by the Chandra X-ray observatory that the Crab nebula's jet periodically changes direction provides a challenge to our understanding of astrophysical jet dynamics. It has been suggested that this phenomenon may be the consequence of magnetic fields and magnetohydrodynamic instabilities, but experimental demonstration in a controlled laboratory environment has remained elusive. Here we report experiments that use high-power lasers to create a plasma jet that can be directly compared with the Crab jet through well-defined physical scaling laws. The jet generates its own embedded toroidal magnetic fields; as it moves, plasma instabilities result in multiple deflections of the propagation direction, mimicking the kink behaviour of the Crab jet. The experiment is modelled with three-dimensional numerical simulations that show exactly how the instability develops and results in changes of direction of the jet.

Chlor-Alkali Industry: A Laboratory Scale Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez-Sanchez, C. M.; Exposito, E.; Frias-Ferrer, A.; Gonzalez-Garaia, J.; Monthiel, V.; Aldaz, A.

2004-01-01

A laboratory experiment for students in the last year of degree program in chemical engineering, chemistry, or industrial chemistry is presented. It models the chlor-alkali process, one of the most important industrial applications of electrochemical technology and the second largest industrial consumer of electricity after aluminium industry.

Fate of Salmonella Typhimurium in laboratory-scale drinking water biofilms.

PubMed

Schaefer, L M; Brözel, V S; Venter, S N

2013-12-01

Investigations were carried out to evaluate and quantify colonization of laboratory-scale drinking water biofilms by a chromosomally green fluorescent protein (gfp)-tagged strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. Gfp encodes the green fluorescent protein and thus allows in situ detection of undisturbed cells and is ideally suited for monitoring Salmonella in biofilms. The fate and persistence of non-typhoidal Salmonella in simulated drinking water biofilms was investigated. The ability of Salmonella to form biofilms in monoculture and the fate and persistence of Salmonella in a mixed aquatic biofilm was examined. In monoculture S. Typhimurium formed loosely structured biofilms. Salmonella colonized established multi-species drinking water biofilms within 24 hours, forming micro-colonies within the biofilm. S. Typhimurium was also released at high levels from the drinking water-associated biofilm into the water passing through the system. This indicated that Salmonella could enter into, survive and grow within, and be released from a drinking water biofilm. The ability of Salmonella to survive and persist in a drinking water biofilm, and be released at high levels into the flow for recolonization elsewhere, indicates the potential for a persistent health risk to consumers once a network becomes contaminated with this bacterium.

Numerical modeling of seismic anomalies at impact craters on a laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wuennemann, K.; Grosse, C. U.; Hiermaier, S.; Gueldemeister, N.; Moser, D.; Durr, N.

2011-12-01

Almost all terrestrial impact craters exhibit a typical geophysical signature. The usually observed circular negative gravity anomaly and reduced seismic velocities in the vicinity of crater structures are presumably related to an approximately hemispherical zone underneath craters where rocks have experienced intense brittle plastic deformation and fracturing during formation (see Fig.1). In the framework of the "MEMIN" (multidisciplinary experimental and modeling impact crater research network) project we carried out hypervelocity cratering experiments at the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics on a decimeter scale to study the spatiotemporal evolution of the damage zone using ultrasound, acoustic emission techniques, and numerical modeling of crater formation. 2.5-10 mm iron projectiles were shot at 2-5.5 km/s on dry and water-saturated sandstone targets. The target material was characterized before, during and after the impact with high spatial resolution acoustic techniques to detect the extent of the damage zone, the state of rocks therein and to record the growth of cracks. The ultrasound measurements are applied analog to seismic surveys at natural craters but used on a different - i.e. much smaller - scale. We compare the measured data with dynamic models of crater formation, shock, plastic and elastic wave propagation, and tensile/shear failure of rocks in the impacted sandstone blocks. The presence of porosity and pore water significantly affects the propagation of waves. In particular the crushing of pores due to shock compression has to be taken into account. We present preliminary results showing good agreement between experiments and numerical model. In a next step we plan to use the numerical models to upscale the results from laboratory dimensions to the scale of natural impact craters.

Scale-up considerations for surface collecting agent assisted in-situ burn crude oil spill response experiments in the Arctic: Laboratory to field-scale investigations.

PubMed

Bullock, Robin J; Aggarwal, Srijan; Perkins, Robert A; Schnabel, William

2017-04-01

In the event of a marine oil spill in the Arctic, government agencies, industry, and the public have a stake in the successful implementation of oil spill response. Because large spills are rare events, oil spill response techniques are often evaluated with laboratory and meso-scale experiments. The experiments must yield scalable information sufficient to understand the operability and effectiveness of a response technique under actual field conditions. Since in-situ burning augmented with surface collecting agents ("herders") is one of the few viable response options in ice infested waters, a series of oil spill response experiments were conducted in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the use of herders to assist in-situ burning and the role of experimental scale. This study compares burn efficiency and herder application for three experimental designs for in-situ burning of Alaska North Slope crude oil in cold, fresh waters with ∼10% ice cover. The experiments were conducted in three project-specific constructed venues with varying scales (surface areas of approximately 0.09 square meters, 9 square meters and 8100 square meters). The results from the herder assisted in-situ burn experiments performed at these three different scales showed good experimental scale correlation and no negative impact due to the presence of ice cover on burn efficiency. Experimental conclusions are predominantly associated with application of the herder material and usability for a given experiment scale to make response decisions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Rat Grimace Scale: A partially automated method for quantifying pain in the laboratory rat via facial expressions

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

We recently demonstrated the utility of quantifying spontaneous pain in mice via the blinded coding of facial expressions. As the majority of preclinical pain research is in fact performed in the laboratory rat, we attempted to modify the scale for use in this species. We present herein the Rat Grimace Scale, and show its reliability, accuracy, and ability to quantify the time course of spontaneous pain in the intraplantar complete Freund's adjuvant, intraarticular kaolin-carrageenan, and laparotomy (post-operative pain) assays. The scale's ability to demonstrate the dose-dependent analgesic efficacy of morphine is also shown. In addition, we have developed software, Rodent Face Finder®, which successfully automates the most labor-intensive step in the process. Given the known mechanistic dissociations between spontaneous and evoked pain, and the primacy of the former as a clinical problem, we believe that widespread adoption of spontaneous pain measures such as the Rat Grimace Scale might lead to more successful translation of basic science findings into clinical application. PMID:21801409

Potential Electrokinetic Remediation Technologies of Laboratory Scale into Field Application- Methodology Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayuni Suied, Anis; Tajudin, Saiful Azhar Ahmad; Nizam Zakaria, Muhammad; Madun, Aziman

2018-04-01

Heavy metal in soil possesses high contribution towards soil contamination which causes to unbalance ecosystem. There are many ways and procedures to make the electrokinetic remediation (EKR) method to be efficient, effective, and potential as a low cost soil treatment. Electrode compartment for electrolyte is expected to treat the contaminated soil through electromigration and enhance metal ions movement. The electrokinetic is applicable for many approaches such as electrokinetic remediation (EKR), electrokinetic stabilization (EKS), electrokinetic bioremediation and many more. This paper presents a critical review on comparison of laboratory scale between EKR, EKS and EK bioremediation treatment by removing the heavy metal contaminants. It is expected to propose one framework of contaminated soil mapping. Electrical Resistivity Method (ERM) is one of famous indirect geophysical tools for surface mapping and subsurface profiling. Hence, ERM is used to mapping the migration of heavy metal ions by electrokinetic.

Supplementing the Braden scale for pressure ulcer risk among medical inpatients: the contribution of self-reported symptoms and standard laboratory tests.

PubMed

Skogestad, Ingrid Johansen; Martinsen, Liv; Børsting, Tove Elisabet; Granheim, Tove Irene; Ludvigsen, Eirin Sigurdssøn; Gay, Caryl L; Lerdal, Anners

2017-01-01

To evaluate medical inpatients' symptom experience and selected laboratory blood results as indicators of their pressure ulcer risk as measured by the Braden scale. Pressure ulcers reduce quality of life and increase treatment costs. The prevalence of pressure ulcers is 6-23% in hospital populations, but literature suggests that most pressure ulcers are avoidable. Prospective, cross-sectional survey. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients admitted to medical wards in an acute hospital in Oslo, Norway consented to participate. Data were collected on 10 days between 2012-2014 by registered nurses and nursing students. Pressure ulcer risk was assessed using the Braden scale, and scores <19 indicated pressure ulcer risk. Skin examinations were categorised as normal or stages I-IV using established definitions. Comorbidities were collected by self-report. Self-reported symptom occurrence and distress were measured with 15 items from the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and pain was assessed using two numeric rating scales. Admission laboratory data were collected from medical records. Prevalence of pressure ulcers was 11·9, and 20·4% of patients were identified as being at risk for developing pressure ulcers. Multivariable analysis showed that pressure ulcer risk was positively associated with age ≥80 years, vomiting, severe pain at rest, urination problems, shortness of breath and low albumin and was negatively associated with nervousness. Our study indicates that using patient-reported symptoms and standard laboratory results as supplemental indicators of pressure ulcer risk may improve identification of vulnerable patients, but replication of these findings in other study samples is needed. Nurses play a key role in preventing pressure ulcers during hospitalisation. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms may improve the quality of care. Knowledge about symptoms associated with pressure ulcer risk may contribute to a faster clinical judgment of

Embedding measurement within existing computerized data systems: scaling clinical laboratory and medical records heart failure data to predict ICU admission.

PubMed

Fisher, William P; Burton, Elizabeth C

2010-01-01

This study employs existing data sources to develop a new measure of intensive care unit (ICU) admission risk for heart failure patients. Outcome measures were constructed from laboratory, accounting, and medical record data for 973 adult inpatients with primary or secondary heart failure. Several scoring interpretations of the laboratory indicators were evaluated relative to their measurement and predictive properties. Cases were restricted to tests within first lab draw that included at least 15 indicators. After optimizing the original clinical observations, a satisfactory heart failure severity scale was calibrated on a 0-1000 continuum. Patients with unadjusted CHF severity measures of 550 or less were 2.7 times more likely to be admitted to the ICU than those with higher measures. Patients with low HF severity measures (550 or less) adjusted for demographic and diagnostic risk factors are about six times more likely to be admitted to the ICU than those with higher adjusted measures. A nomogram facilitates routine clinical application. Existing computerized data systems could be programmed to automatically structure clinical laboratory reports using the results of studies like this one to reduce data volume with no loss of information, make laboratory results more meaningful to clinical end users, improve the quality of care, reduce errors and unneeded tests, prevent unnecessary ICU admissions, lower costs, and improve patient satisfaction. Existing data typically examined piecemeal form a coherent scale measuring heart failure severity sensitive to increased likelihood of ICU admission. Marked improvements in ROC curves were found for the aggregate measures relative to individual clinical indicators.

Preparing Laboratory and Real-World EEG Data for Large-Scale Analysis: A Containerized Approach

PubMed Central

Bigdely-Shamlo, Nima; Makeig, Scott; Robbins, Kay A.

2016-01-01

Large-scale analysis of EEG and other physiological measures promises new insights into brain processes and more accurate and robust brain–computer interface models. However, the absence of standardized vocabularies for annotating events in a machine understandable manner, the welter of collection-specific data organizations, the difficulty in moving data across processing platforms, and the unavailability of agreed-upon standards for preprocessing have prevented large-scale analyses of EEG. Here we describe a “containerized” approach and freely available tools we have developed to facilitate the process of annotating, packaging, and preprocessing EEG data collections to enable data sharing, archiving, large-scale machine learning/data mining and (meta-)analysis. The EEG Study Schema (ESS) comprises three data “Levels,” each with its own XML-document schema and file/folder convention, plus a standardized (PREP) pipeline to move raw (Data Level 1) data to a basic preprocessed state (Data Level 2) suitable for application of a large class of EEG analysis methods. Researchers can ship a study as a single unit and operate on its data using a standardized interface. ESS does not require a central database and provides all the metadata data necessary to execute a wide variety of EEG processing pipelines. The primary focus of ESS is automated in-depth analysis and meta-analysis EEG studies. However, ESS can also encapsulate meta-information for the other modalities such as eye tracking, that are increasingly used in both laboratory and real-world neuroimaging. ESS schema and tools are freely available at www.eegstudy.org and a central catalog of over 850 GB of existing data in ESS format is available at studycatalog.org. These tools and resources are part of a larger effort to enable data sharing at sufficient scale for researchers to engage in truly large-scale EEG analysis and data mining (BigEEG.org). PMID:27014048

Continuous microalgal cultivation in a laboratory-scale photobioreactor under seasonal day-night irradiation: experiments and simulation.

PubMed

Bertucco, Alberto; Beraldi, Mariaelena; Sforza, Eleonora

2014-08-01

In this work, the production of Scenedesmus obliquus in a continuous flat-plate laboratory-scale photobioreactor (PBR) under alternated day-night cycles was tested both experimentally and theoretically. Variation of light intensity according to the four seasons of the year were simulated experimentally by a tunable LED lamp, and effects on microalgal growth and productivity were measured to evaluate the conversion efficiency of light energy into biomass during the different seasons. These results were used to validate a mathematical model for algae growth that can be applied to simulate a large-scale production unit, carried out in a flat-plate PBR of similar geometry. The cellular concentration in the PBR was calculated in both steady-state and transient conditions, and the value of the maintenance kinetic term was correlated to experimental profiles. The relevance of this parameter was finally outlined.

Synthetic spider silk production on a laboratory scale.

PubMed

Hsia, Yang; Gnesa, Eric; Pacheco, Ryan; Kohler, Kristin; Jeffery, Felicia; Vierra, Craig

2012-07-18

As society progresses and resources become scarcer, it is becoming increasingly important to cultivate new technologies that engineer next generation biomaterials with high performance properties. The development of these new structural materials must be rapid, cost-efficient and involve processing methodologies and products that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Spiders spin a multitude of different fiber types with diverse mechanical properties, offering a rich source of next generation engineering materials for biomimicry that rival the best manmade and natural materials. Since the collection of large quantities of natural spider silk is impractical, synthetic silk production has the ability to provide scientists with access to an unlimited supply of threads. Therefore, if the spinning process can be streamlined and perfected, artificial spider fibers have the potential use for a broad range of applications ranging from body armor, surgical sutures, ropes and cables, tires, strings for musical instruments, and composites for aviation and aerospace technology. In order to advance the synthetic silk production process and to yield fibers that display low variance in their material properties from spin to spin, we developed a wet-spinning protocol that integrates expression of recombinant spider silk proteins in bacteria, purification and concentration of the proteins, followed by fiber extrusion and a mechanical post-spin treatment. This is the first visual representation that reveals a step-by-step process to spin and analyze artificial silk fibers on a laboratory scale. It also provides details to minimize the introduction of variability among fibers spun from the same spinning dope. Collectively, these methods will propel the process of artificial silk production, leading to higher quality fibers that surpass natural spider silks.

Synthetic Spider Silk Production on a Laboratory Scale

PubMed Central

Hsia, Yang; Gnesa, Eric; Pacheco, Ryan; Kohler, Kristin; Jeffery, Felicia; Vierra, Craig

2012-01-01

As society progresses and resources become scarcer, it is becoming increasingly important to cultivate new technologies that engineer next generation biomaterials with high performance properties. The development of these new structural materials must be rapid, cost-efficient and involve processing methodologies and products that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Spiders spin a multitude of different fiber types with diverse mechanical properties, offering a rich source of next generation engineering materials for biomimicry that rival the best manmade and natural materials. Since the collection of large quantities of natural spider silk is impractical, synthetic silk production has the ability to provide scientists with access to an unlimited supply of threads. Therefore, if the spinning process can be streamlined and perfected, artificial spider fibers have the potential use for a broad range of applications ranging from body armor, surgical sutures, ropes and cables, tires, strings for musical instruments, and composites for aviation and aerospace technology. In order to advance the synthetic silk production process and to yield fibers that display low variance in their material properties from spin to spin, we developed a wet-spinning protocol that integrates expression of recombinant spider silk proteins in bacteria, purification and concentration of the proteins, followed by fiber extrusion and a mechanical post-spin treatment. This is the first visual representation that reveals a step-by-step process to spin and analyze artificial silk fibers on a laboratory scale. It also provides details to minimize the introduction of variability among fibers spun from the same spinning dope. Collectively, these methods will propel the process of artificial silk production, leading to higher quality fibers that surpass natural spider silks. PMID:22847722

Source Code Analysis Laboratory (SCALe)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

Versus Flagged Nonconformities (FNC) Software System TP/FNC Ratio Mozilla Firefox version 2.0 6/12 50% Linux kernel version 2.6.15 10/126 8...is inappropriately tuned for analysis of the Linux kernel, which has anomalous results. Customizing SCALe to work with software for a particular...servers support a collection of virtual machines (VMs) that can be configured to support analysis in various environments, such as Windows XP and Linux . A

Physical Properties of Granulates Used in Analogue Experiments of Caprock Failure and Sediment Remobilisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukowski, N.; Warsitzka, M.; May, F.

2014-12-01

Geological systems consisting of a porous reservoir and a low-permeable caprock are prone to hydraulic fracturing, if pore pressure rises to the effective stress. Under certain conditions, hydraulic fracturing is associated with sediment remobilisation, e.g. sand injections or pipes, leading to reduced seal capacity of the caprock. In dynamically scaled analogue experiments using granular materials and air pressure, we intent to investigate strain patterns and deformation mechanisms during caprock failure and fluidisation of shallow over-pressured reservoirs. The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of leakage potential of a sealing formation and the fluidisation potential of a reservoir formation depending on rock properties and effective stress. For reliable interpretation of analogue experiments, physical properties of analogue materials, e.g. frictional strength, cohesion, density, permeability etc., have to be correctly scaled according to those of their natural equivalents. The simulation of caprock requires that the analogue material possess a low permeability and is capable to shear failure and tensional failure. In contrast, materials representing the reservoir have to possess high porosity and low shear strength. In order to find suitable analogue materials, we measured the stress-strain behaviour and the permeability of over 25 different types of natural and artificial granular materials, e.g. glass powder, siliceous microspheres, diatomite powder, loess, or plastic granulate. Here, we present data of frictional parameters, compressibility and permeability of these granular materials characterized as a function of sphericity, grain size, and density. The repertoire of different types of granulates facilitates the adjustment of accurate mechanical properties in the analogue experiments. Furthermore, conditions during seal failure and fluidisation can be examined depending on the wide range of varying physical properties.

Fluidised-bed spray-drying formulations of Candida sake CPA-1 by adding biodegradable coatings to enhance their survival under stress conditions.

PubMed

Carbó, Anna; Torres, Rosario; Usall, Josep; Solsona, Cristina; Teixidó, Neus

2017-11-01

The biocontrol agent Candida sake CPA-1 has demonstrated to be effective against several diseases on fruit. However, for application of CPA-1 under field conditions, it was necessary to mix it with a food coating to improve survival under stress conditions, as well as adherence and distribution on fruit surfaces. The objective of this study was to obtain a more competitive formulation under field conditions to be applied independently of any product. To achieve this purpose, the drying process of CPA-1 by a fluidised-bed spray-drying system together with biodegradable coatings was optimised. This approach is novel for the drying system used and the formulation obtained which was able to form a film or coating on fruit surfaces. Several substances were tested as carriers and binders, and drying temperature was optimised. The addition of protective compounds was also tested to improve survival of CPA-1 during the dehydration process. Product shelf life, biocontrol efficacy on grapes against Botrytis cinerea, and the improvement of C. sake behaviour under stress conditions were tested. The optimal temperature of drying was 55 °C and two formulations that were able to develop a coating on fruit surfaces were obtained. One of the formulations was created by using a combination of native and pregelatinised potato starch; the other formulation was obtained using maltodextrin and by adding skimmed milk and sucrose as protectant compounds. The formulated products reduced the incidence and severity of B. cinerea, and CPA-1 survival rate was increased under stress conditions of temperature and humidity.

Assessment of elemental mobility in soil using a fluidised bed approach with on-line ICP-MS analysis.

PubMed

Beeston, Michael Philip; Glass, Hylke Jan; van Elteren, Johannes Teun; Slejkovec, Zdenka

2007-09-19

A new method has been developed to analyse the mobility of elements within soils employing counter-current flow soil contacting in a fluidised bed (FB) column. This method alleviates the problem of irreproducible peaks suffered by state-of-the-art micro-column techniques as a result of particle compaction. Reproducible extraction profiles are produced through the leaching of soil with a linear gradient of 0.05 mol L(-1) ammonium sulphate to 0.11 mol L(-1) acetic acid using a high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) quaternary pump, and the continuous monitoring of the elements in the leachate with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Quantification of the procedure is achieved with an external flow injection (FI) calibration method. Flow rate and FB column length were investigated as critical parameters to the efficiency of the extraction methodology. It was found that an increase in the column length from 10 to 20 cm using a flow rate of 0.15 mL min(-1) produced the same increase in extracted elemental concentration as an increase in flow rate from 0.15 to 0.30 mL min(-1). In both examples, the increase in the concentration of elements leached from the soil may be ascribed to the increase in the concentration gradient between the solid and liquid. The exhaustive nature of the technique defines the maximum leachable concentration within the operationally defined leaching parameters of the exchangeable phase, providing a more accurate assessment of the risk associated with the elements in the soil for the phase providing the greatest risk to the environment. The multi-elemental high sensitivity nature of the on-line detector provides an accurate determination of the associations present between the elements in the soil, and the identification of multiple phases within the exchangeable phase through the presence of multiple peaks in the extraction profiles. It is possible through the deconvolution of these extraction profiles that the

Manufacturing Laboratory | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Manufacturing Laboratory Manufacturing Laboratory Researchers in the Energy Systems Integration Facility's Manufacturing Laboratory develop methods and technologies to scale up renewable energy technology manufacturing capabilities. Photo of researchers and equipment in the Manufacturing Laboratory. Capability Hubs

Evaluation of Surface Runoff Generation Processes Using a Rainfall Simulator: A Small Scale Laboratory Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danáčová, Michaela; Valent, Peter; Výleta, Roman

2017-12-01

of 5 mm/min was used to irrigate a corrupted soil sample. The experiment was undertaken for several different slopes, under the condition of no vegetation cover. The results of the rainfall simulation experiment complied with the expectations of a strong relationship between the slope gradient, and the amount of surface runoff generated. The experiments with higher slope gradients were characterised by larger volumes of surface runoff generated, and by shorter times after which it occurred. The experiments with rainfall simulators in both laboratory and field conditions play an important role in better understanding of runoff generation processes. The results of such small scale experiments could be used to estimate some of the parameters of complex hydrological models, which are used to model rainfall-runoff and erosion processes at catchment scale.

A laboratory scale model of abrupt ice-shelf disintegration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macayeal, D. R.; Boghosian, A.; Styron, D. D.; Burton, J. C.; Amundson, J. M.; Cathles, L. M.; Abbot, D. S.

2010-12-01

An important mode of Earth’s disappearing cryosphere is the abrupt disintegration of ice shelves along the Peninsula of Antarctica. This disintegration process may be triggered by climate change, however the work needed to produce the spectacular, explosive results witnessed with the Larsen B and Wilkins ice-shelf events of the last decade comes from the large potential energy release associated with iceberg capsize and fragmentation. To gain further insight into the underlying exchanges of energy involved in massed iceberg movements, we have constructed a laboratory-scale model designed to explore the physical and hydrodynamic interactions between icebergs in a confined channel of water. The experimental apparatus consists of a 2-meter water tank that is 30 cm wide. Within the tank, we introduce fresh water and approximately 20-100 rectangular plastic ‘icebergs’ having the appropriate density contrast with water to mimic ice. The blocks are initially deployed in a tight pack, with all blocks arranged in a manner to represent the initial state of an integrated ice shelf or ice tongue. The system is allowed to evolve through time under the driving forces associated with iceberg hydrodynamics. Digitized videography is used to quantify how the system of plastic icebergs evolves between states of quiescence to states of mobilization. Initial experiments show that, after a single ‘agitator’ iceberg begins to capsize, an ‘avalanche’ of capsizing icebergs ensues which drives horizontal expansion of the massed icebergs across the water surface, and which stimulates other icebergs to capsize. A surprise initially evident in the experiments is the fact that the kinetic energy of the expanding mass of icebergs is only a small fraction of the net potential energy released by the rearrangement of mass via capsize. Approximately 85 - 90 % of the energy released by the system goes into water motion modes, including a pervasive, easily observed seich mode of the tank

Identification of oxidative coupling products of xylenols arising from laboratory-scale phytoremediation.

PubMed

Poerschmann, J; Schultze-Nobre, L; Ebert, R U; Górecki, T

2015-01-01

Oxidative coupling reactions take place during the passage of xylenols through a laboratory-scale helophyte-based constructed wetland system. Typical coupling product groups including tetramethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl] diols and tetramethyl diphenylether monools as stable organic intermediates could be identified by a combination of pre-chromatographic derivatization and GC/MS analysis. Structural assignment of individual analytes was performed by an increment system developed by Zenkevich to pre-calculate retention sequences. The most abundant analyte turned out to be 3,3',5,5'-tetramethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diol, which can be formed by a combination of radicals based on 2,6-xylenol or by an attack of a 2,6-xylenol-based radical on 2,6-xylenol. Organic intermediates originating from oxidative coupling could also be identified in anaerobic constructed wetland systems. This finding suggested the presence of (at least partly) oxic conditions in the rhizosphere. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Persistence in soil of Miscanthus biochar in laboratory and field conditions

PubMed Central

Budai, Alice; O’Toole, Adam; Ma, Xingzhu; Rumpel, Cornelia; Abiven, Samuel

2017-01-01

Evaluating biochars for their persistence in soil under field conditions is an important step towards their implementation for carbon sequestration. Current evaluations might be biased because the vast majority of studies are short-term laboratory incubations of biochars produced in laboratory-scale pyrolyzers. Here our objective was to investigate the stability of a biochar produced with a medium-scale pyrolyzer, first through laboratory characterization and stability tests and then through field experiment. We also aimed at relating properties of this medium-scale biochar to that of a laboratory-made biochar with the same feedstock. Biochars were made of Miscanthus biomass for isotopic C-tracing purposes and produced at temperatures between 600 and 700°C. The aromaticity and degree of condensation of aromatic rings of the medium-scale biochar was high, as was its resistance to chemical oxidation. In a 90-day laboratory incubation, cumulative mineralization was 0.1% for the medium-scale biochar vs. 45% for the Miscanthus feedstock, pointing to the absence of labile C pool in the biochar. These stability results were very close to those obtained for biochar produced at laboratory-scale, suggesting that upscaling from laboratory to medium-scale pyrolyzers had little effect on biochar stability. In the field, the medium-scale biochar applied at up to 25 t C ha-1 decomposed at an estimated 0.8% per year. In conclusion, our biochar scored high on stability indices in the laboratory and displayed a mean residence time > 100 years in the field, which is the threshold for permanent removal in C sequestration projects. PMID:28873471

Measuring ignitability for in situ burning of oil spills weathered under Arctic conditions: from laboratory studies to large-scale field experiments.

PubMed

Fritt-Rasmussen, Janne; Brandvik, Per Johan

2011-08-01

This paper compares the ignitability of Troll B crude oil weathered under simulated Arctic conditions (0%, 50% and 90% ice cover). The experiments were performed in different scales at SINTEF's laboratories in Trondheim, field research station on Svalbard and in broken ice (70-90% ice cover) in the Barents Sea. Samples from the weathering experiments were tested for ignitability using the same laboratory burning cell. The measured ignitability from the experiments in these different scales showed a good agreement for samples with similar weathering. The ice conditions clearly affected the weathering process, and 70% ice or more reduces the weathering and allows a longer time window for in situ burning. The results from the Barents Sea revealed that weathering and ignitability can vary within an oil slick. This field use of the burning cell demonstrated that it can be used as an operational tool to monitor the ignitability of oil spills. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory and field scale bioremediation of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contaminated soils by means of bioaugmentation and biostimulation.

PubMed

Garg, Nidhi; Lata, Pushp; Jit, Simran; Sangwan, Naseer; Singh, Amit Kumar; Dwivedi, Vatsala; Niharika, Neha; Kaur, Jasvinder; Saxena, Anjali; Dua, Ankita; Nayyar, Namita; Kohli, Puneet; Geueke, Birgit; Kunz, Petra; Rentsch, Daniel; Holliger, Christof; Kohler, Hans-Peter E; Lal, Rup

2016-06-01

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contaminated soils were treated for a period of up to 64 days in situ (HCH dumpsite, Lucknow) and ex situ (University of Delhi) in line with three bioremediation approaches. The first approach, biostimulation, involved addition of ammonium phosphate and molasses, while the second approach, bioaugmentation, involved addition of a microbial consortium consisting of a group of HCH-degrading sphingomonads that were isolated from HCH contaminated sites. The third approach involved a combination of biostimulation and bioaugmentation. The efficiency of the consortium was investigated in laboratory scale experiments, in a pot scale study, and in a full-scale field trial. It turned out that the approach of combining biostimulation and bioaugmentation was most effective in achieving reduction in the levels of α- and β-HCH and that the application of a bacterial consortium as compared to the action of a single HCH-degrading bacterial strain was more successful. Although further degradation of β- and δ-tetrachlorocyclohexane-1,4-diol, the terminal metabolites of β- and δ-HCH, respectively, did not occur by the strains comprising the consortium, these metabolites turned out to be less toxic than the parental HCH isomers.

Reduction of product-related species during the fermentation and purification of a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist at the laboratory and pilot scale.

PubMed

Schirmer, Emily B; Golden, Kathryn; Xu, Jin; Milling, Jesse; Murillo, Alec; Lowden, Patricia; Mulagapati, Srihariraju; Hou, Jinzhao; Kovalchin, Joseph T; Masci, Allyson; Collins, Kathryn; Zarbis-Papastoitsis, Gregory

2013-08-01

Through a parallel approach of tracking product quality through fermentation and purification development, a robust process was designed to reduce the levels of product-related species. Three biochemically similar product-related species were identified as byproducts of host-cell enzymatic activity. To modulate intracellular proteolytic activity, key fermentation parameters (temperature, pH, trace metals, EDTA levels, and carbon source) were evaluated through bioreactor optimization, while balancing negative effects on growth, productivity, and oxygen demand. The purification process was based on three non-affinity steps and resolved product-related species by exploiting small charge differences. Using statistical design of experiments for elution conditions, a high-resolution cation exchange capture column was optimized for resolution and recovery. Further reduction of product-related species was achieved by evaluating a matrix of conditions for a ceramic hydroxyapatite column. The optimized fermentation process was transferred from the 2-L laboratory scale to the 100-L pilot scale and the purification process was scaled accordingly to process the fermentation harvest. The laboratory- and pilot-scale processes resulted in similar process recoveries of 60 and 65%, respectively, and in a product that was of equal quality and purity to that of small-scale development preparations. The parallel approach for up- and downstream development was paramount in achieving a robust and scalable clinical process. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Exoplanet Coronagraph Shaped Pupil Masks and Laboratory Scale Star Shade Masks: Design, Fabrication and Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatha; White, Victor; Yee, Karl; Echternach, Pierre; Muller, Richard; Dickie, Matthew; Cady, Eric; Mejia Prada, Camilo; Ryan, Daniel; Poberezhskiy, Ilya;

Exoplanet coronagraph shaped pupil masks and laboratory scale star shade masks: design, fabrication and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; White, Victor; Yee, Karl; Echternach, Pierre; Muller, Richard; Dickie, Matthew; Cady, Eric; Mejia Prada, Camilo; Ryan, Daniel; Poberezhskiy, Ilya; Zhou, Hanying; Kern, Brian; Riggs, A. J.; Zimmerman, Neil T.; Sirbu, Dan; Shaklan, Stuart; Kasdin, Jeremy

2015-09-01

Star light suppression technologies to find and characterize faint exoplanets include internal coronagraph instruments as well as external star shade occulters. Currently, the NASA WFIRST-AFTA mission study includes an internal coronagraph instrument to find and characterize exoplanets. Various types of masks could be employed to suppress the host star light to about 10-9 level contrast over a broad spectrum to enable the coronagraph mission objectives. Such masks for high contrast internal coronagraphic imaging require various fabrication technologies to meet a wide range of specifications, including precise shapes, micron scale island features, ultra-low reflectivity regions, uniformity, wave front quality, achromaticity, etc. We present the approaches employed at JPL to produce pupil plane and image plane coronagraph masks by combining electron beam, deep reactive ion etching, and black silicon technologies with illustrative examples of each, highlighting milestone accomplishments from the High Contrast Imaging Testbed (HCIT) at JPL and from the High Contrast Imaging Lab (HCIL) at Princeton University. We also present briefly the technologies applied to fabricate laboratory scale star shade masks.

Design and process aspects of laboratory scale SCF particle formation systems.

PubMed

Vemavarapu, Chandra; Mollan, Matthew J; Lodaya, Mayur; Needham, Thomas E

2005-03-23

Consistent production of solid drug materials of desired particle and crystallographic morphologies under cGMP conditions is a frequent challenge to pharmaceutical researchers. Supercritical fluid (SCF) technology gained significant attention in pharmaceutical research by not only showing a promise in this regard but also accommodating the principles of green chemistry. Given that this technology attained commercialization in coffee decaffeination and in the extraction of hops and other essential oils, a majority of the off-the-shelf SCF instrumentation is designed for extraction purposes. Only a selective few vendors appear to be in the early stages of manufacturing equipment designed for particle formation. The scarcity of information on the design and process engineering of laboratory scale equipment is recognized as a significant shortcoming to the technological progress. The purpose of this article is therefore to provide the information and resources necessary for startup research involving particle formation using supercritical fluids. The various stages of particle formation by supercritical fluid processing can be broadly classified into delivery, reaction, pre-expansion, expansion and collection. The importance of each of these processes in tailoring the particle morphology is discussed in this article along with presenting various alternatives to perform these operations.

Scaling methane oxidation: From laboratory incubation experiments to landfill cover field conditions

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

Abichou, Tarek, E-mail: abichou@eng.fsu.edu; Mahieu, Koenraad; Chanton, Jeff

2011-05-15

Evaluating field-scale methane oxidation in landfill cover soils using numerical models is gaining interest in the solid waste industry as research has made it clear that methane oxidation in the field is a complex function of climatic conditions, soil type, cover design, and incoming flux of landfill gas from the waste mass. Numerical models can account for these parameters as they change with time and space under field conditions. In this study, we developed temperature, and water content correction factors for methane oxidation parameters. We also introduced a possible correction to account for the different soil structure under field conditions.more » These parameters were defined in laboratory incubation experiments performed on homogenized soil specimens and were used to predict the actual methane oxidation rates to be expected under field conditions. Water content and temperature corrections factors were obtained for the methane oxidation rate parameter to be used when modeling methane oxidation in the field. To predict in situ measured rates of methane with the model it was necessary to set the half saturation constant of methane and oxygen, K{sub m}, to 5%, approximately five times larger than laboratory measured values. We hypothesize that this discrepancy reflects differences in soil structure between homogenized soil conditions in the lab and actual aggregated soil structure in the field. When all of these correction factors were re-introduced into the oxidation module of our model, it was able to reproduce surface emissions (as measured by static flux chambers) and percent oxidation (as measured by stable isotope techniques) within the range measured in the field.« less

CFD analysis of laboratory scale phase equilibrium cell operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jama, Mohamed Ali; Nikiforow, Kaj; Qureshi, Muhammad Saad; Alopaeus, Ville

2017-10-01

For the modeling of multiphase chemical reactors or separation processes, it is essential to predict accurately chemical equilibrium data, such as vapor-liquid or liquid-liquid equilibria [M. Šoóš et al., Chem. Eng. Process.: Process Intensif. 42(4), 273-284 (2003)]. The instruments used in these experiments are typically designed based on previous experiences, and their operation verified based on known equilibria of standard components. However, mass transfer limitations with different chemical systems may be very different, potentially falsifying the measured equilibrium compositions. In this work, computational fluid dynamics is utilized to design and analyze laboratory scale experimental gas-liquid equilibrium cell for the first time to augment the traditional analysis based on plug flow assumption. Two-phase dilutor cell, used for measuring limiting activity coefficients at infinite dilution, is used as a test case for the analysis. The Lagrangian discrete model is used to track each bubble and to study the residence time distribution of the carrier gas bubbles in the dilutor cell. This analysis is necessary to assess whether the gas leaving the cell is in equilibrium with the liquid, as required in traditional analysis of such apparatus. Mass transfer for six different bio-oil compounds is calculated to determine the approach equilibrium concentration. Also, residence times assuming plug flow and ideal mixing are used as reference cases to evaluate the influence of mixing on the approach to equilibrium in the dilutor. Results show that the model can be used to predict the dilutor operating conditions for which each of the studied gas-liquid systems reaches equilibrium.

CFD analysis of laboratory scale phase equilibrium cell operation.

PubMed

Jama, Mohamed Ali; Nikiforow, Kaj; Qureshi, Muhammad Saad; Alopaeus, Ville

2017-10-01

For the modeling of multiphase chemical reactors or separation processes, it is essential to predict accurately chemical equilibrium data, such as vapor-liquid or liquid-liquid equilibria [M. Šoóš et al., Chem. Eng. Process Intensif. 42(4), 273-284 (2003)]. The instruments used in these experiments are typically designed based on previous experiences, and their operation verified based on known equilibria of standard components. However, mass transfer limitations with different chemical systems may be very different, potentially falsifying the measured equilibrium compositions. In this work, computational fluid dynamics is utilized to design and analyze laboratory scale experimental gas-liquid equilibrium cell for the first time to augment the traditional analysis based on plug flow assumption. Two-phase dilutor cell, used for measuring limiting activity coefficients at infinite dilution, is used as a test case for the analysis. The Lagrangian discrete model is used to track each bubble and to study the residence time distribution of the carrier gas bubbles in the dilutor cell. This analysis is necessary to assess whether the gas leaving the cell is in equilibrium with the liquid, as required in traditional analysis of such apparatus. Mass transfer for six different bio-oil compounds is calculated to determine the approach equilibrium concentration. Also, residence times assuming plug flow and ideal mixing are used as reference cases to evaluate the influence of mixing on the approach to equilibrium in the dilutor. Results show that the model can be used to predict the dilutor operating conditions for which each of the studied gas-liquid systems reaches equilibrium.

Laboratory Applications of the Vortex Tube.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruno, Thomas J.

1987-01-01

Discussed are a brief explanation of the function of the vortex tube and some applications for the chemistry laboratory. It is a useful and inexpensive solution to many small-scale laboratory heating and cooling applications. (RH)

Some relevant parameters for assessing fire hazards of combustible mine materials using laboratory scale experiments

PubMed Central

Litton, Charles D.; Perera, Inoka E.; Harteis, Samuel P.; Teacoach, Kara A.; DeRosa, Maria I.; Thomas, Richard A.; Smith, Alex C.

2018-01-01

When combustible materials ignite and burn, the potential for fire growth and flame spread represents an obvious hazard, but during these processes of ignition and flaming, other life hazards present themselves and should be included to ensure an effective overall analysis of the relevant fire hazards. In particular, the gases and smoke produced both during the smoldering stages of fires leading to ignition and during the advanced flaming stages of a developing fire serve to contaminate the surrounding atmosphere, potentially producing elevated levels of toxicity and high levels of smoke obscuration that render the environment untenable. In underground mines, these hazards may be exacerbated by the existing forced ventilation that can carry the gases and smoke to locations far-removed from the fire location. Clearly, materials that require high temperatures (above 1400 K) and that exhibit low mass loss during thermal decomposition, or that require high heat fluxes or heat transfer rates to ignite represent less of a hazard than materials that decompose at low temperatures or ignite at low levels of heat flux. In order to define and quantify some possible parameters that can be used to assess these hazards, small-scale laboratory experiments were conducted in a number of configurations to measure: 1) the toxic gases and smoke produced both during non-flaming and flaming combustion; 2) mass loss rates as a function of temperature to determine ease of thermal decomposition; and 3) mass loss rates and times to ignition as a function of incident heat flux. This paper describes the experiments that were conducted, their results, and the development of a set of parameters that could possibly be used to assess the overall fire hazard of combustible materials using small scale laboratory experiments. PMID:29599565

Some relevant parameters for assessing fire hazards of combustible mine materials using laboratory scale experiments.

PubMed

Litton, Charles D; Perera, Inoka E; Harteis, Samuel P; Teacoach, Kara A; DeRosa, Maria I; Thomas, Richard A; Smith, Alex C

2018-04-15

When combustible materials ignite and burn, the potential for fire growth and flame spread represents an obvious hazard, but during these processes of ignition and flaming, other life hazards present themselves and should be included to ensure an effective overall analysis of the relevant fire hazards. In particular, the gases and smoke produced both during the smoldering stages of fires leading to ignition and during the advanced flaming stages of a developing fire serve to contaminate the surrounding atmosphere, potentially producing elevated levels of toxicity and high levels of smoke obscuration that render the environment untenable. In underground mines, these hazards may be exacerbated by the existing forced ventilation that can carry the gases and smoke to locations far-removed from the fire location. Clearly, materials that require high temperatures (above 1400 K) and that exhibit low mass loss during thermal decomposition, or that require high heat fluxes or heat transfer rates to ignite represent less of a hazard than materials that decompose at low temperatures or ignite at low levels of heat flux. In order to define and quantify some possible parameters that can be used to assess these hazards, small-scale laboratory experiments were conducted in a number of configurations to measure: 1) the toxic gases and smoke produced both during non-flaming and flaming combustion; 2) mass loss rates as a function of temperature to determine ease of thermal decomposition; and 3) mass loss rates and times to ignition as a function of incident heat flux. This paper describes the experiments that were conducted, their results, and the development of a set of parameters that could possibly be used to assess the overall fire hazard of combustible materials using small scale laboratory experiments.

Laboratory-Scale Simulation and Real-Time Tracking of a Microbial Contamination Event and Subsequent Shock-Chlorination in Drinking Water

PubMed Central

Besmer, Michael D.; Sigrist, Jürg A.; Props, Ruben; Buysschaert, Benjamin; Mao, Guannan; Boon, Nico; Hammes, Frederik

2017-01-01

Rapid contamination of drinking water in distribution and storage systems can occur due to pressure drop, backflow, cross-connections, accidents, and bio-terrorism. Small volumes of a concentrated contaminant (e.g., wastewater) can contaminate large volumes of water in a very short time with potentially severe negative health impacts. The technical limitations of conventional, cultivation-based microbial detection methods neither allow for timely detection of such contaminations, nor for the real-time monitoring of subsequent emergency remediation measures (e.g., shock-chlorination). Here we applied a newly developed continuous, ultra high-frequency flow cytometry approach to track a rapid pollution event and subsequent disinfection of drinking water in an 80-min laboratory scale simulation. We quantified total (TCC) and intact (ICC) cell concentrations as well as flow cytometric fingerprints in parallel in real-time with two different staining methods. The ingress of wastewater was detectable almost immediately (i.e., after 0.6% volume change), significantly changing TCC, ICC, and the flow cytometric fingerprint. Shock chlorination was rapid and detected in real time, causing membrane damage in the vast majority of bacteria (i.e., drop of ICC from more than 380 cells μl-1 to less than 30 cells μl-1 within 4 min). Both of these effects as well as the final wash-in of fresh tap water followed calculated predictions well. Detailed and highly quantitative tracking of microbial dynamics at very short time scales and for different characteristics (e.g., concentration, membrane integrity) is feasible. This opens up multiple possibilities for targeted investigation of a myriad of bacterial short-term dynamics (e.g., disinfection, growth, detachment, operational changes) both in laboratory-scale research and full-scale system investigations in practice. PMID:29085343

Pilot-scale laboratory waste treatment by supercritical water oxidation.

PubMed

Oshima, Yoshito; Hayashi, Rumiko; Yamamoto, Kazuo

2006-01-01

Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is a reaction in which organics in an aqueous solution can be oxidized by O2 to CO2 and H2O at a very high reaction rate. In 2003, The University of Tokyo constructed a facility for the SCWO process, the capacity of which is approximately 20 kl/year, for the purpose of treating organic laboratory waste. Through the operation of this facility, we have demonstrated that most of the organics in laboratory waste including halogenated organic compounds can be successfully treated without the formation of dioxines, suggesting that SCWO is useful as an alternative technology to the conventional incineration process.

Comparing field investigations with laboratory models to predict landfill leachate emissions

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

Fellner, Johann; Doeberl, Gernot; Allgaier, Gerhard

2009-06-15

Investigations into laboratory reactors and landfills are used for simulating and predicting emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. We examined water flow and solute transport through the same waste body for different volumetric scales (laboratory experiment: 0.08 m{sup 3}, landfill: 80,000 m{sup 3}), and assessed the differences in water flow and leachate emissions of chloride, total organic carbon and Kjeldahl nitrogen. The results indicate that, due to preferential pathways, the flow of water in field-scale landfills is less uniform than in laboratory reactors. Based on tracer experiments, it can be discerned that in laboratory-scale experiments around 40% of pore watermore » participates in advective solute transport, whereas this fraction amounts to less than 0.2% in the investigated full-scale landfill. Consequences of the difference in water flow and moisture distribution are: (1) leachate emissions from full-scale landfills decrease faster than predicted by laboratory experiments, and (2) the stock of materials remaining in the landfill body, and thus the long-term emission potential, is likely to be underestimated by laboratory landfill simulations.« less

Laboratory simulation of space plasma phenomena*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amatucci, B.; Tejero, E. M.; Ganguli, G.; Blackwell, D.; Enloe, C. L.; Gillman, E.; Walker, D.; Gatling, G.

2017-12-01

Laboratory devices, such as the Naval Research Laboratory's Space Physics Simulation Chamber, are large-scale experiments dedicated to the creation of large-volume plasmas with parameters realistically scaled to those found in various regions of the near-Earth space plasma environment. Such devices make valuable contributions to the understanding of space plasmas by investigating phenomena under carefully controlled, reproducible conditions, allowing for the validation of theoretical models being applied to space data. By working in collaboration with in situ experimentalists to create realistic conditions scaled to those found during the observations of interest, the microphysics responsible for the observed events can be investigated in detail not possible in space. To date, numerous investigations of phenomena such as plasma waves, wave-particle interactions, and particle energization have been successfully performed in the laboratory. In addition to investigations such as plasma wave and instability studies, the laboratory devices can also make valuable contributions to the development and testing of space plasma diagnostics. One example is the plasma impedance probe developed at NRL. Originally developed as a laboratory diagnostic, the sensor has now been flown on a sounding rocket, is included on a CubeSat experiment, and will be included on the DoD Space Test Program's STP-H6 experiment on the International Space Station. In this presentation, we will describe several examples of the laboratory investigation of space plasma waves and instabilities and diagnostic development. *This work supported by the NRL Base Program.

The reuse of spent mushroom compost and coal tailings for energy recovery: comparison of thermal treatment technologies.

PubMed

Finney, Karen N; Ryu, Changkook; Sharifi, Vida N; Swithenbank, Jim

2009-01-01

Thermal treatment technologies were compared to determine an appropriate method of recovering energy from two wastes - spent mushroom compost and coal tailings. The raw compost and pellets of these wastes were combusted in a fluidised-bed and a packed-bed, and contrasted to pyrolysis and gasification. Quantitative combustion parameters were compared to assess the differences in efficiency between the technologies. Fluidised-bed combustion was more efficient than the packed-bed in both instances and pellet combustion was superior to that of the compost alone. Acid gas emissions (NO(x), SO(x) and HCl) were minimal for the fluidised-bed, thus little gas cleaning would be required. The fuels' high ash content (34%) also suggests fluidised-bed combustion would be preferred. The Alkali Index of the ash indicates the possibility of fouling/slagging within the system, caused by the presence of alkali metal oxides. Pyrolysis produced a range of low-calorific value-products, while gasification was not successful.

Development of a large-scale isolation chamber system for the safe and humane care of medium-sized laboratory animals harboring infectious diseases*

PubMed Central

Pan, Xin; Qi, Jian-cheng; Long, Ming; Liang, Hao; Chen, Xiao; Li, Han; Li, Guang-bo; Zheng, Hao

2010-01-01

The close phylogenetic relationship between humans and non-human primates makes non-human primates an irreplaceable model for the study of human infectious diseases. In this study, we describe the development of a large-scale automatic multi-functional isolation chamber for use with medium-sized laboratory animals carrying infectious diseases. The isolation chamber, including the transfer chain, disinfection chain, negative air pressure isolation system, animal welfare system, and the automated system, is designed to meet all biological safety standards. To create an internal chamber environment that is completely isolated from the exterior, variable frequency drive blowers are used in the air-intake and air-exhaust system, precisely controlling the filtered air flow and providing an air-barrier protection. A double door transfer port is used to transfer material between the interior of the isolation chamber and the outside. A peracetic acid sterilizer and its associated pipeline allow for complete disinfection of the isolation chamber. All of the isolation chamber parameters can be automatically controlled by a programmable computerized menu, allowing for work with different animals in different-sized cages depending on the research project. The large-scale multi-functional isolation chamber provides a useful and safe system for working with infectious medium-sized laboratory animals in high-level bio-safety laboratories. PMID:20872984

Coupled numerical modeling of gas hydrates bearing sediments from laboratory to field-scale conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, M. J.; Santamarina, C.; Gai, X., Sr.; Teymouri, M., Sr.

2017-12-01

Stability and behavior of Hydrate Bearing Sediments (HBS) are characterized by the metastable character of the gas hydrate structure which strongly depends on thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical (THCM) actions. Hydrate formation, dissociation and methane production from hydrate bearing sediments are coupled THCM processes that involve, amongst other, exothermic formation and endothermic dissociation of hydrate and ice phases, mixed fluid flow and large changes in fluid pressure. The analysis of available data from past field and laboratory experiments, and the optimization of future field production studies require a formal and robust numerical framework able to capture the very complex behavior of this type of soil. A comprehensive fully coupled THCM formulation has been developed and implemented into a finite element code to tackle problems involving gas hydrates sediments. Special attention is paid to the geomechanical behavior of HBS, and particularly to their response upon hydrate dissociation under loading. The numerical framework has been validated against recent experiments conducted under controlled conditions in the laboratory that challenge the proposed approach and highlight the complex interaction among THCM processes in HBS. The performance of the models in these case studies is highly satisfactory. Finally, the numerical code is applied to analyze the behavior of gas hydrate soils under field-scale conditions exploring different features of material behavior under possible reservoir conditions.

The Tanzania experience: clinical laboratory testing harmonization and equipment standardization at different levels of a tiered health laboratory system.

PubMed

Massambu, Charles; Mwangi, Christina

2009-06-01

The rapid scale-up of the care and treatment programs in Tanzania during the preceding 4 years has greatly increased the demand for quality laboratory services for diagnosis of HIV and monitoring patients during antiretroviral therapy. Laboratory services were not in a position to cope with this demand owing to poor infrastructure, lack of human resources, erratic and/or lack of reagent supply and commodities, and slow manual technologies. With the limited human resources in the laboratory and the need for scaling up the care and treatment program, it became necessary to install automated equipment and train personnel for the increased volume of testing and new tests across all laboratory levels. With the numerous partners procuring equipment, the possibility of a multitude of equipment platforms with attendant challenges for procurement of reagents, maintenance of equipment, and quality assurance arose. Tanzania, therefore, had to harmonize laboratory tests and standardize laboratory equipment at different levels of the laboratory network. The process of harmonization of tests and standardization of equipment included assessment of laboratories, review of guidelines, development of a national laboratory operational plan, and stakeholder advocacy. This document outlines this process.

The Relationships between University Students' Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurbanoglu, N. Izzet; Akin, Ahmet

2010-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between chemistry laboratory anxiety, chemistry attitudes, and self-efficacy. Participants were 395 university students. Participants completed the Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety Scale, the Chemistry Attitudes Scale, and the Self-efficacy Scale. Results showed that chemistry laboratory anxiety…

A classroom activity and laboratory on astronomical scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LoPresto, Michael

2017-10-01

The four basics "scales" at which astronomy is studied, that of (1) the Earth-Moon system, (2) the solar system, (3) the galaxy, and (4) the universe (Fig. 1), are a common place to start an intro astronomy course. In fact, courses and textbooks are often divided into approximately four sections based on these scales.

Large-Scale Laboratory Experiments of Incipient Motion, Transport, and Fate of Underwater Munitions Under Waves, Currents, and Combined Flows

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

little or no sediment cover (e.g., such as on coral reefs ) versus a sandy or muddy bottom. However, there is a dearth of direct observations made under...where there is little or no sediment cover (e.g., such as on coral reefs ) versus a sandy or muddy bottom. However, there is a dearth of direct...INTERIM REPORT Large-Scale Laboratory Experiments of Incipient Motion, Transport, and Fate of Underwater Munitions under Waves , Currents, and

Multiscale Laboratory Infrastructure and Services to users: Plans within EPOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spiers, Chris; Willingshofer, Ernst; Drury, Martyn; Funiciello, Francesca; Rosenau, Matthias; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Sagnotti, Leonardo; EPOS WG6, Corrado Cimarelli

2015-04-01

The participant countries in EPOS embody a wide range of world-class laboratory infrastructures ranging from high temperature and pressure experimental facilities, to electron microscopy, micro-beam analysis, analogue modeling and paleomagnetic laboratories. Most data produced by the various laboratory centres and networks are presently available only in limited "final form" in publications. Many data remain inaccessible and/or poorly preserved. However, the data produced at the participating laboratories are crucial to serving society's need for geo-resources exploration and for protection against geo-hazards. Indeed, to model resource formation and system behaviour during exploitation, we need an understanding from the molecular to the continental scale, based on experimental data. This contribution will describe the plans that the laboratories community in Europe is making, in the context of EPOS. The main objectives are: • To collect and harmonize available and emerging laboratory data on the properties and processes controlling rock system behaviour at multiple scales, in order to generate products accessible and interoperable through services for supporting research activities. • To co-ordinate the development, integration and trans-national usage of the major solid Earth Science laboratory centres and specialist networks. The length scales encompassed by the infrastructures included range from the nano- and micrometer levels (electron microscopy and micro-beam analysis) to the scale of experiments on centimetre sized samples, and to analogue model experiments simulating the reservoir scale, the basin scale and the plate scale. • To provide products and services supporting research into Geo-resources and Geo-storage, Geo-hazards and Earth System Evolution. If the EPOS Implementation Phase proposal presently under construction is successful, then a range of services and transnational activities will be put in place to realize these objectives.

Anaerobic Digestion of Laminaria japonica Waste from Industrial Production Residues in Laboratory- and Pilot-Scale.

PubMed

Barbot, Yann Nicolas; Thomsen, Claudia; Thomsen, Laurenz; Benz, Roland

2015-09-18

The cultivation of macroalgae to supply the biofuel, pharmaceutical or food industries generates a considerable amount of organic residue, which represents a potential substrate for biomethanation. Its use optimizes the total resource exploitation by the simultaneous disposal of waste biomaterials. In this study, we explored the biochemical methane potential (BMP) and biomethane recovery of industrial Laminaria japonica waste (LJW) in batch, continuous laboratory and pilot-scale trials. Thermo-acidic pretreatment with industry-grade HCl or industrial flue gas condensate (FGC), as well as a co-digestion approach with maize silage (MS) did not improve the biomethane recovery. BMPs between 172 mL and 214 mL g(-1) volatile solids (VS) were recorded. We proved the feasibility of long-term continuous anaerobic digestion with LJW as sole feedstock showing a steady biomethane production rate of 173 mL g(-1) VS. The quality of fermentation residue was sufficient to serve as biofertilizer, with enriched amounts of potassium, sulfur and iron. We further demonstrated the upscaling feasibility of the process in a pilot-scale system where a CH₄ recovery of 189 L kg(-1) VS was achieved and a biogas composition of 55% CH₄ and 38% CO₂ was recorded.

OB's high voltage laboratory

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

Not Available

1966-01-01

The January issue of Hi-Tension News provides a detailed description of the advanced surge test facilities and procedures in daily operation at the OB High Voltage Laboratory in Barberton, Ohio. Technical competences achieved in this laboratory contribute to the essential factors of design confirmation to basic studies of ehv insulation systems, conductor and hardware performance, and optimum tower construction. Known throughout the industry for authenticity of its full scale, all weather outdoor testing, OB's High Voltage Laboratory is a full-fledged participant in the NEMA-sponsored program to make testing facilities available on a cooperative basis.

Proteotyping of laboratory-scale biogas plants reveals multiple steady-states in community composition.

PubMed

Kohrs, F; Heyer, R; Bissinger, T; Kottler, R; Schallert, K; Püttker, S; Behne, A; Rapp, E; Benndorf, D; Reichl, U

2017-08-01

Complex microbial communities are the functional core of anaerobic digestion processes taking place in biogas plants (BGP). So far, however, a comprehensive characterization of the microbiomes involved in methane formation is technically challenging. As an alternative, enriched communities from laboratory-scale experiments can be investigated that have a reduced number of organisms and are easier to characterize by state of the art mass spectrometric-based (MS) metaproteomic workflows. Six parallel laboratory digesters were inoculated with sludge from a full-scale BGP to study the development of enriched microbial communities under defined conditions. During the first three month of cultivation, all reactors (R1-R6) were functionally comparable regarding biogas productions (375-625 NL L reactor volume -1 d -1 ), methane yields (50-60%), pH values (7.1-7.3), and volatile fatty acids (VFA, <5 mM). Nevertheless, a clear impact of the temperature (R3, R4) and ammonia (R5, R6) shifts was observed for the respective reactors. In both reactors operated under thermophilic regime, acetic and propionic acid (10-20 mM) began to accumulate. While R4 recovered quickly from acidification, the levels of VFA remained to be high in R3 resulting in low pH values of 6.5-6.9. The digesters R5 and R6 operated under the high ammonia regime (>1 gNH 3 L -1 ) showed an increase to pH 7.5-8.0, accumulation of acetate (>10 mM), and decreasing biogas production (<125 NL L reactor volume -1 d -1 ). Tandem MS (MS/MS)-based proteotyping allowed the identification of taxonomic abundances and biological processes. Although all reactors showed similar performances, proteotyping and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) fingerprinting revealed significant differences in the composition of individual microbial communities, indicating multiple steady-states. Furthermore, cellulolytic enzymes and cellulosomal proteins of Clostridium thermocellum were identified to be specific

Laboratory development and testing of spacecraft diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amatucci, William; Tejero, Erik; Blackwell, Dave; Walker, Dave; Gatling, George; Enloe, Lon; Gillman, Eric

2017-10-01

The Naval Research Laboratory's Space Chamber experiment is a large-scale laboratory device dedicated to the creation of large-volume plasmas with parameters scaled to realistic space plasmas. Such devices make valuable contributions to the investigation of space plasma phenomena under controlled, reproducible conditions, allowing for the validation of theoretical models being applied to space data. However, in addition to investigations such as plasma wave and instability studies, such devices can also make valuable contributions to the development and testing of space plasma diagnostics. One example is the plasma impedance probe developed at NRL. Originally developed as a laboratory diagnostic, the sensor has now been flown on a sounding rocket, is included on a CubeSat experiment, and will be included on the DoD Space Test Program's STP-H6 experiment on the International Space Station. In this talk, we will describe how the laboratory simulation of space plasmas made this development path possible. Work sponsored by the US Naval Research Laboratory Base Program.

Quantifying the role that laboratory experiment sample scale has on observed material properties and mechanistic behaviors that cause well systems to fail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta, N. J.; Fahrman, B.; Rod, K. A.; Fernandez, C. A.; Crandall, D.; Moore, J.

2017-12-01

Laboratory experiments provide a robust method to analyze well integrity. Experiments are relatively cheap, controlled, and repeatable. However, simplifying assumptions, apparatus limitations, and scaling are ubiquitous obstacles for translating results from the bench to the field. We focus on advancing the correlation between laboratory results and field conditions by characterizing how failure varies with specimen geometry using two experimental approaches. The first approach is designed to measure the shear bond strength between steel and cement in a down-scaled (< 3" diameter) well geometry. We use several cylindrical casing-cement-casing geometries that either mimic the scaling ratios found in the field or maximize the amount of metal and cement in the sample. We subject the samples to thermal shock cycles to simulate damage to the interfaces from operations. The bond was then measured via a push-out test. We found that not only did expected parameters, e.g. curing time, play a role in shear-bond strength but also that scaling of the geometry was important. The second approach is designed to observe failure of the well system due to pressure applied on the inside of a lab-scale (1.5" diameter) cylindrical casing-cement-rock geometry. The loading apparatus and sample are housed within an industrial X-ray CT scanner capable of imaging the system while under pressure. Radial tension cracks were observed in the cement after an applied internal pressure of 3000 psi and propagated through the cement and into the rock as pressure was increased. Based on our current suite of tests we find that the relationship between sample diameters and thicknesses is an important consideration when observing the strength and failure of well systems. The test results contribute to our knowledge of well system failure, evaluation and optimization of new cements, as well as the applicability of using scaled-down tests as a proxy for understanding field-scale conditions.

FLARE: a New User Facility for Studies of Magnetic Reconnection Through Simultaneous, in-situ Measurements on MHD Scales, Ion Scales and Electron Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

The FLARE device (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments; flare.pppl.gov) is a new laboratory experiment under construction at Princeton for the studies of magnetic reconnection in the multiple X-line regimes directly relevant to space, solar, astrophysical, and fusion plasmas, as guided by a reconnection phase diagram [Ji & Daughton, (2011)]. The whole device has been successfully assembled with rough leak check completed. The first plasmas are expected in the fall to winter. The main diagnostic is an extensive set of magnetic probe arrays to cover multiple scales from local electron scales ( ˜2 mm), to intermediate ion scales ( ˜10 cm), and global MHD scales ( ˜1 m), simultaneously providing in-situ measurements over all these relevant scales. By using these laboratory data, not only the detailed spatial profiles around each reconnecting X-line are available for direct comparisons with spacecraft data, but also the global conditions and consequences of magnetic reconnection, which are often difficult to quantify in space, can be controlled or studied systematically. The planned procedures and example topics as a user facility will be discussed in detail.

Theory and laboratory astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schramm, David N.; Mckee, Christopher F.; Alcock, Charles; Allamandola, Lou; Chevalier, Roger A.; Cline, David B.; Dalgarno, Alexander; Elmegreen, Bruce G.; Fall, S. Michael; Ferland, Gary J.

1991-01-01

Science opportunities in the 1990's are discussed. Topics covered include the large scale structure of the universe, galaxies, stars, star formation and the interstellar medium, high energy astrophysics, and the solar system. Laboratory astrophysics in the 1990's is briefly surveyed, covering such topics as molecular, atomic, optical, nuclear and optical physics. Funding recommendations are given for the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy. Recommendations for laboratory astrophysics research are given.

Scaling up Effects in the Organic Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Persson, Anna; Lindstrom, Ulf M.

2004-01-01

A simple and effective way of exposing chemistry students to some of the effects of scaling up an organic reaction is described. It gives the student an experience that may encounter in an industrial setting.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory Annual Report 2013

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

A small-scale demonstration FPGA is currently being fabricated in the Microelectronics Laboratory, and a larger array is being designed for fabri ...year, the first Friday of February is a day to call attention to heart disease . Efforts of the six-member team, MIT Lincoln Laboratory for the Heart

Decomposition and carbon storage of selected paper products in laboratory-scale landfills.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoming; De la Cruz, Florentino B; Ximenes, Fabiano; Barlaz, Morton A

2015-11-01

The objective of this study was to measure the anaerobic biodegradation of different types of paper products in laboratory-scale landfill reactors. The study included (a) measurement of the loss of cellulose, hemicellulose, organic carbon, and (b) measurement of the methane yields for each paper product. The test materials included two samples each of newsprint (NP), copy paper (CP), and magazine paper (MG), and one sample of diaper (DP). The methane yields, carbon storage factors and the extent of cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition all consistently show that papers made from mechanical pulps (e.g., NPs) are less degradable than those made from chemical pulps where essentially all lignin was chemically removed (e.g., CPs). The diaper, which is not only made from chemical pulp but also contains some gel and plastic, exhibited limited biodegradability. The extent of biogenic carbon conversion varied from 21 to 96% among papers, which contrasts with the uniform assumption of 50% by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for all degradable materials discarded in landfills. Biochemical methane potential tests also showed that the solids to liquid ratio used in the test can influence the results. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrologic control on the root growth of Salix cuttings at the laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bau', Valentina; Calliari, Baptiste; Perona, Paolo

2017-04-01

Riparian plant roots contribute to the ecosystem functioning and, to a certain extent, also directly affect fluvial morphodynamics, e.g. by influencing sediment transport via mechanical stabilization and trapping. There is much both scientific and engineering interest in understanding the complex interactions among riparian vegetation and river processes. For example, to investigate plant resilience to uprooting by flow, one should quantify the probability that riparian plants may be uprooted during specific flooding event. Laboratory flume experiments are of some help to this regard, but are often limited to use grass (e.g., Avena and Medicago sativa) as vegetation replicate with a number of limitations due to fundamental scaling problems. Hence, the use of small-scale real plants grown undisturbed in the actual sediment and within a reasonable time frame would be particularly helpful to obtain more realistic flume experiments. The aim of this work is to develop and tune an experimental technique to control the growth of the root vertical density distribution of small-scale Salix cuttings of different sizes and lengths. This is obtained by controlling the position of the saturated water table in the sedimentary bed according to the sediment size distribution and the cutting length. Measurements in the rhizosphere are performed by scanning and analysing the whole below-ground biomass by means of the root analysis software WinRhizo, from which root morphology statistics and the empirical vertical density distribution are obtained. The model of Tron et al. (2015) for the vertical density distribution of the below-ground biomass is used to show that experimental conditions that allow to develop the desired root density distribution can be fairly well predicted. This augments enormously the flexibility and the applicability of the proposed methodology in view of using such plants for novel flow erosion experiments. Tron, S., Perona, P., Gorla, L., Schwarz, M., Laio, F

Novel laboratory methods for determining the fine scale electrical resistivity structure of core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haslam, E. P.; Gunn, D. A.; Jackson, P. D.; Lovell, M. A.; Aydin, A.; Prance, R. J.; Watson, P.

2014-12-01

High-resolution electrical resistivity measurements are made on saturated rocks using novel laboratory instrumentation and multiple electrical voltage measurements involving in principle a four-point electrode measurement but with a single, moving electrode. Flat, rectangular core samples are scanned by varying the electrode position over a range of hundreds of millimetres with an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre. Two approaches are tested involving a contact electrode and a non-contact electrode arrangement. The first galvanic method uses balanced cycle switching of a floating direct current (DC) source to minimise charge polarisation effects masking the resistivity distribution related to fine scale structure. These contacting electrode measurements are made with high common mode noise rejection via differential amplification with respect to a reference point within the current flow path. A computer based multifunction data acquisition system logs the current through the sample and voltages along equipotentials from which the resistivity measurements are derived. Multiple measurements are combined to create images of the surface resistivity structure, with variable spatial resolution controlled by the electrode spacing. Fine scale sedimentary features and open fractures in saturated rocks are interpreted from the measurements with reference to established relationships between electrical resistivity and porosity. Our results successfully characterise grainfall lamination and sandflow cross-stratification in a brine saturated, dune bedded core sample representative of a southern North Sea reservoir sandstone, studied using the system in constant current, variable voltage mode. In contrast, in a low porosity marble, identification of open fracture porosity against a background very low matrix porosity is achieved using the constant voltage, variable current mode. This new system is limited by the diameter of the electrode that for practical reasons can only be

Scaling ice microstructures from the laboratory to nature: cryo-EBSD on large samples.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prior, David; Craw, Lisa; Kim, Daeyeong; Peyroux, Damian; Qi, Chao; Seidemann, Meike; Tooley, Lauren; Vaughan, Matthew; Wongpan, Pat

2017-04-01

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has extended significantly our ability to conduct detailed quantitative microstructural investigations of rocks, metals and ceramics. EBSD on ice was first developed in 2004. Techniques have improved significantly in the last decade and EBSD is now becoming more common in the microstructural analysis of ice. This is particularly true for laboratory-deformed ice where, in some cases, the fine grain sizes exclude the possibility of using a thin section of the ice. Having the orientations of all axes (rather than just the c-axis as in an optical method) yields important new information about ice microstructure. It is important to examine natural ice samples in the same way so that we can scale laboratory observations to nature. In the case of ice deformation, higher strain rates are used in the laboratory than those seen in nature. These are achieved by increasing stress and/or temperature and it is important to assess that the microstructures produced in the laboratory are comparable with those observed in nature. Natural ice samples are coarse grained. Glacier and ice sheet ice has a grain size from a few mm up to several cm. Sea and lake ice has grain sizes of a few cm to many metres. Thus extending EBSD analysis to larger sample sizes to include representative microstructures is needed. The chief impediments to working on large ice samples are sample exchange, limitations on stage motion and temperature control. Large ice samples cannot be transferred through a typical commercial cryo-transfer system that limits sample sizes. We transfer through a nitrogen glove box that encloses the main scanning electron microscope (SEM) door. The nitrogen atmosphere prevents the cold stage and the sample from becoming covered in frost. Having a long optimal working distance for EBSD (around 30mm for the Otago cryo-EBSD facility) , by moving the camera away from the pole piece, enables the stage to move without crashing into either the

Direct geoelectrical evidence of mass transfer at the laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanson, Ryan D.; Singha, Kamini; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Binley, Andrew; Keating, Kristina; Haggerty, Roy

2012-10-01

Previous field-scale experimental data and numerical modeling suggest that the dual-domain mass transfer (DDMT) of electrolytic tracers has an observable geoelectrical signature. Here we present controlled laboratory experiments confirming the electrical signature of DDMT and demonstrate the use of time-lapse electrical measurements in conjunction with concentration measurements to estimate the parameters controlling DDMT, i.e., the mobile and immobile porosity and rate at which solute exchanges between mobile and immobile domains. We conducted column tracer tests on unconsolidated quartz sand and a material with a high secondary porosity: the zeolite clinoptilolite. During NaCl tracer tests we collected nearly colocated bulk direct-current electrical conductivity (σb) and fluid conductivity (σf) measurements. Our results for the zeolite show (1) extensive tailing and (2) a hysteretic relation between σf and σb, thus providing evidence of mass transfer not observed within the quartz sand. To identify best-fit parameters and evaluate parameter sensitivity, we performed over 2700 simulations of σf, varying the immobile and mobile domain and mass transfer rate. We emphasized the fit to late-time tailing by minimizing the Box-Cox power transformed root-mean square error between the observed and simulated σf. Low-field proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements provide an independent quantification of the volumes of the mobile and immobile domains. The best-fit parameters based on σf match the NMR measurements of the immobile and mobile domain porosities and provide the first direct electrical evidence for DDMT. Our results underscore the potential of using electrical measurements for DDMT parameter inference.

Direct geoelectrical evidence of mass transfer at the laboratory scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swanson, Ryan D.; Singha, Kamini; Day-Lewis, Frederick D.; Binley, Andrew; Keating, Kristina; Haggerty, Roy

2012-01-01

Previous field-scale experimental data and numerical modeling suggest that the dual-domain mass transfer (DDMT) of electrolytic tracers has an observable geoelectrical signature. Here we present controlled laboratory experiments confirming the electrical signature of DDMT and demonstrate the use of time-lapse electrical measurements in conjunction with concentration measurements to estimate the parameters controlling DDMT, i.e., the mobile and immobile porosity and rate at which solute exchanges between mobile and immobile domains. We conducted column tracer tests on unconsolidated quartz sand and a material with a high secondary porosity: the zeolite clinoptilolite. During NaCl tracer tests we collected nearly colocated bulk direct-current electrical conductivity (σb) and fluid conductivity (σf) measurements. Our results for the zeolite show (1) extensive tailing and (2) a hysteretic relation between σf and σb, thus providing evidence of mass transfer not observed within the quartz sand. To identify best-fit parameters and evaluate parameter sensitivity, we performed over 2700 simulations of σf, varying the immobile and mobile domain and mass transfer rate. We emphasized the fit to late-time tailing by minimizing the Box-Cox power transformed root-mean square error between the observed and simulated σf. Low-field proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements provide an independent quantification of the volumes of the mobile and immobile domains. The best-fit parameters based on σf match the NMR measurements of the immobile and mobile domain porosities and provide the first direct electrical evidence for DDMT. Our results underscore the potential of using electrical measurements for DDMT parameter inference.

Laboratory Modelling of Volcano Plumbing Systems: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galland, Olivier; Holohan, Eoghan P.; van Wyk de Vries, Benjamin; Burchardt, Steffi

2015-04-01

Earth scientists have, since the XIX century, tried to replicate or model geological processes in controlled laboratory experiments. In particular, laboratory modelling has been used study the development of volcanic plumbing systems, which sets the stage for volcanic eruptions. Volcanic plumbing systems involve complex processes that act at length scales of microns to thousands of kilometres and at time scales from milliseconds to billions of years, and laboratory models appear very suitable to address them. This contribution reviews laboratory models dedicated to study the dynamics of volcano plumbing systems (Galland et al., Accepted). The foundation of laboratory models is the choice of relevant model materials, both for rock and magma. We outline a broad range of suitable model materials used in the literature. These materials exhibit very diverse rheological behaviours, so their careful choice is a crucial first step for the proper experiment design. The second step is model scaling, which successively calls upon: (1) the principle of dimensional analysis, and (2) the principle of similarity. The dimensional analysis aims to identify the dimensionless physical parameters that govern the underlying processes. The principle of similarity states that "a laboratory model is equivalent to his geological analogue if the dimensionless parameters identified in the dimensional analysis are identical, even if the values of the governing dimensional parameters differ greatly" (Barenblatt, 2003). The application of these two steps ensures a solid understanding and geological relevance of the laboratory models. In addition, this procedure shows that laboratory models are not designed to exactly mimic a given geological system, but to understand underlying generic processes, either individually or in combination, and to identify or demonstrate physical laws that govern these processes. From this perspective, we review the numerous applications of laboratory models to

Anaerobic Digestion of Laminaria japonica Waste from Industrial Production Residues in Laboratory- and Pilot-Scale

PubMed Central

Barbot, Yann Nicolas; Thomsen, Claudia; Thomsen, Laurenz; Benz, Roland

2015-01-01

The cultivation of macroalgae to supply the biofuel, pharmaceutical or food industries generates a considerable amount of organic residue, which represents a potential substrate for biomethanation. Its use optimizes the total resource exploitation by the simultaneous disposal of waste biomaterials. In this study, we explored the biochemical methane potential (BMP) and biomethane recovery of industrial Laminaria japonica waste (LJW) in batch, continuous laboratory and pilot-scale trials. Thermo-acidic pretreatment with industry-grade HCl or industrial flue gas condensate (FGC), as well as a co-digestion approach with maize silage (MS) did not improve the biomethane recovery. BMPs between 172 mL and 214 mL g−1 volatile solids (VS) were recorded. We proved the feasibility of long-term continuous anaerobic digestion with LJW as sole feedstock showing a steady biomethane production rate of 173 mL g−1 VS. The quality of fermentation residue was sufficient to serve as biofertilizer, with enriched amounts of potassium, sulfur and iron. We further demonstrated the upscaling feasibility of the process in a pilot-scale system where a CH4 recovery of 189 L kg−1 VS was achieved and a biogas composition of 55% CH4 and 38% CO2 was recorded. PMID:26393620

H2@Scale Workshop Report

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

Pivovar, Bryan

2017-03-31

Final report from the H2@Scale Workshop held November 16-17, 2016, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory hosted a technology workshop to identify the current barriers and research needs of the H2@Scale concept. H2@Scale is a concept regarding the potential for wide-scale impact of hydrogen produced from diverse domestic resources to enhance U.S. energy security and enable growth of innovative technologies and domestic industries. Feedback received from a diverse set of stakeholders at the workshop will guide the development of an H2@Scale roadmap for research, development, and early stagemore » demonstration activities that can enable hydrogen as an energy carrier at a national scale.« less

Environmental Response Laboratory Network

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The ERLN as a national network of laboratories that can be ramped up as needed to support large scale environmental responses. It integrates capabilities of existing public and private sector labs, providing consistent capacity and quality data.

Fermentative lactic acid production from coffee pulp hydrolysate using Bacillus coagulans at laboratory and pilot scales.

PubMed

Pleissner, Daniel; Neu, Anna-Katrin; Mehlmann, Kerstin; Schneider, Roland; Puerta-Quintero, Gloria Inés; Venus, Joachim

2016-10-01

In this study, the lignocellulosic residue coffee pulp was used as carbon source in fermentative l(+)-lactic acid production using Bacillus coagulans. After thermo-chemical treatment at 121°C for 30min in presence of 0.18molL(-1) H2SO4 and following an enzymatic digestion using Accellerase 1500 carbon-rich hydrolysates were obtained. Two different coffee pulp materials with comparable biomass composition were used, but sugar concentrations in hydrolysates showed variations. The primary sugars were (gL(-1)) glucose (20-30), xylose (15-25), sucrose (5-11) and arabinose (0.7-10). Fermentations were carried out at laboratory (2L) and pilot (50L) scales in presence of 10gL(-1) yeast extract. At pilot scale carbon utilization and lactic acid yield per gram of sugar consumed were 94.65% and 0.78gg(-1), respectively. The productivity was 4.02gL(-1)h(-1). Downstream processing resulted in a pure formulation containing 937gL(-1)l(+)-lactic acid with an optical purity of 99.7%. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Linking the Grain Scale to Experimental Measurements and Other Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogler, Tracy

2017-06-01

A number of physical processes occur at the scale of grains that can have a profound influence on the behavior of materials under shock loading. Examples include inelastic deformation, pore collapse, fracture, friction, and internal wave reflections. In some cases such as the initiation of energetics and brittle fracture, these processes can have first order effects on the behavior of materials: the emergent behavior from the grain scale is the dominant one. In other cases, many aspects of the bulk behavior can be described by a continuum description, but some details of the behavior are missed by continuum descriptions. The multi-scale model paradigm envisions flow of information from smaller scales (atomic, dislocation, etc.) to the grain or mesoscale and the up to the continuum scale. A significant challenge in this approach is the need to validate each step. For the grain scale, diagnosing behavior is challenging because of the small spatial and temporal scales involved. Spatially resolved diagnostics have begun to shed light on these processes, and, more recently, advanced light sources have started to be used to probe behavior at the grain scale. In this talk, I will discuss some interesting phenomena that occur at the grain scale in shock loading, experimental approaches to probe the grain scale, and efforts to link the grain scale to smaller and larger scales. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE.

Smoothing analysis of slug tests data for aquifer characterization at laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aristodemo, Francesco; Ianchello, Mario; Fallico, Carmine

2018-07-01

The present paper proposes a smoothing analysis of hydraulic head data sets obtained by means of different slug tests introduced in a confined aquifer. Laboratory experiments were performed through a 3D large-scale physical model built at the University of Calabria. The hydraulic head data were obtained by a pressure transducer placed in the injection well and subjected to a processing operation to smooth out the high-frequency noise occurring in the recorded signals. The adopted smoothing techniques working in time, frequency and time-frequency domain are the Savitzky-Golay filter modeled by third-order polynomial, the Fourier Transform and two types of Wavelet Transform (Mexican hat and Morlet). The performances of the filtered time series of the hydraulic heads for different slug volumes and measurement frequencies were statistically analyzed in terms of optimal fitting of the classical Cooper's equation. For practical purposes, the hydraulic heads smoothed by the involved techniques were used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. The energy contents and the frequency oscillations of the hydraulic head variations in the aquifer were exploited in the time-frequency domain by means of Wavelet Transform as well as the non-linear features of the observed hydraulic head oscillations around the theoretical Cooper's equation.

Effect of Feed Composition on Cold-Cap Formation in Laboratory-Scale Melter

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

Dixon, Derek R.; Schweiger, Michael J.; Lee, Seung Min

The development of advanced glass formulations are a part of the plan for reducing the cost and time for treatment and vitrification of the 210,000 m3 of nuclear waste at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. One property of interest in this development is melt viscosity, which has a decisive influence on the rate of glass production. In an electric melter, the conversion process from feed-to-glass above the melt pool occurs in the cold cap. At the final stage of conversion when the glass-forming melt becomes connected, gas evolving reactions cause foaming. The melt viscosity affects foam stability. Threemore » glasses were formulated with viscosities of 1.5, 3.5, and 9.5 Pa s at 1150°C by varying the SiO2 content at the expense of B2O3, Li2O, and Na2O kept at constant proportions. Cold caps were produced by charging simulated high-alumina, high-level waste feeds in a laboratory-scale melter (LSM). The spread of the feed on the cold cap during charging and the cross-sectional structure of the final cold caps were compared. The amount of the foam and the size of the bubbles increased as the viscosity increased.« less

Infrared thermography applied to the study of heated and solar pavement: from numerical modeling to small scale laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Touz, N.; Toullier, T.; Dumoulin, J.

2017-05-01

The present study addresses the thermal behaviour of a modified pavement structure to prevent icing at its surface in adverse winter time conditions or overheating in hot summer conditions. First a multi-physic model based on infinite elements method was built to predict the evolution of the surface temperature. In a second time, laboratory experiments on small specimen were carried out and the surface temperature was monitored by infrared thermography. Results obtained are analyzed and performances of the numerical model for real scale outdoor application are discussed. Finally conclusion and perspectives are proposed.

Intermediate Scale Laboratory Testing to Understand Mechanisms of Capillary and Dissolution Trapping during Injection and Post-Injection of CO 2 in Heterogeneous Geological Formations

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

Illangasekare, Tissa; Trevisan, Luca; Agartan, Elif

2015-03-31

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) represents a technology aimed to reduce atmospheric loading of CO 2 from power plants and heavy industries by injecting it into deep geological formations, such as saline aquifers. A number of trapping mechanisms contribute to effective and secure storage of the injected CO 2 in supercritical fluid phase (scCO 2) in the formation over the long term. The primary trapping mechanisms are structural, residual, dissolution and mineralization. Knowledge gaps exist on how the heterogeneity of the formation manifested at all scales from the pore to the site scales affects trapping and parameterization of contributing mechanismsmore » in models. An experimental and modeling study was conducted to fill these knowledge gaps. Experimental investigation of fundamental processes and mechanisms in field settings is not possible as it is not feasible to fully characterize the geologic heterogeneity at all relevant scales and gathering data on migration, trapping and dissolution of scCO 2. Laboratory experiments using scCO 2 under ambient conditions are also not feasible as it is technically challenging and cost prohibitive to develop large, two- or three-dimensional test systems with controlled high pressures to keep the scCO 2 as a liquid. Hence, an innovative approach that used surrogate fluids in place of scCO 2 and formation brine in multi-scale, synthetic aquifers test systems ranging in scales from centimeter to meter scale developed used. New modeling algorithms were developed to capture the processes controlled by the formation heterogeneity, and they were tested using the data from the laboratory test systems. The results and findings are expected to contribute toward better conceptual models, future improvements to DOE numerical codes, more accurate assessment of storage capacities, and optimized placement strategies. This report presents the experimental and modeling methods and research results.« less

Development of analytical methodologies to assess recalcitrant pesticide bioremediation in biobeds at laboratory scale.

PubMed

Rivero, Anisleidy; Niell, Silvina; Cerdeiras, M Pía; Heinzen, Horacio; Cesio, María Verónica

2016-06-01

To assess recalcitrant pesticide bioremediation it is necessary to gradually increase the complexity of the biological system used in order to design an effective biobed assembly. Each step towards this effective biobed design needs a suitable, validated analytical methodology that allows a correct evaluation of the dissipation and bioconvertion. Low recovery yielding methods could give a false idea of a successful biodegradation process. To address this situation, different methods were developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of endosulfan, its main three metabolites, and chlorpyrifos in increasingly complex matrices where the bioconvertor basidiomycete Abortiporus biennis could grow. The matrices were culture media, bran, and finally a laboratory biomix composed of bran, peat and soil. The methodology for the analysis of the first evaluated matrix has already been reported. The methodologies developed for the other two systems are presented in this work. The targeted analytes were extracted from fungi growing over bran in semisolid media YNB (Yeast Nitrogen Based) with acetonitrile using shaker assisted extraction, The salting-out step was performed with MgSO4 and NaCl, and the extracts analyzed by GC-ECD. The best methodology was fully validated for all the evaluated analytes at 1 and 25mgkg(-1) yielding recoveries between 72% and 109% and RSDs <11% in all cases. The application of this methodology proved that A. biennis is able to dissipate 94% of endosulfan and 87% of chlorpyrifos after 90 days. Having assessed that A. biennis growing over bran can metabolize the studied pesticides, the next step faced was the development and validation of an analytical procedure to evaluate the analytes in a laboratory scale biobed composed of 50% of bran, 25% of peat and 25% of soil together with fungal micelium. From the different procedures assayed, only ultrasound assisted extraction with ethyl acetate allowed recoveries between 80% and 110% with RSDs

Simulation of the 3-D Evolution of Electron Scale Magnetic Reconnection - Motivated by Laboratory Experiments Predictions for MMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buechner, J.; Jain, N.; Sharma, A.

2013-12-01

The four s/c of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, to be launched in 2014, will use the Earth's magnetosphere as a laboratory to study the microphysics of three fundamental plasma processes. One of them is magnetic reconnection, an essentially multi-scale process. While laboratory experiments and past theoretical investigations have shown that important processes necessary to understand magnetic reconnection take place at electron scales the MMS mission for the first time will be able to resolve these scales by in space observations. For the measurement strategy of MMS it is important to make specific predictions of the behavior of current sheets with a thickness of the order of the electron skin depth which play an important role in the evolution of collisionless magnetic reconnection. Since these processes are highly nonlinear and non-local numerical simulation is needed to specify the current sheet evolution. Here we present new results about the nonlinear evolution of electron-scale current sheets starting from the linear stage and using 3-D electron-magnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) simulations. The growth rates of the simulated instabilities compared well with the growth rates obtained from linear theory. Mechanisms and conditions of the formation of flux ropes and of current filamentation will be discussed in comparison with the results of fully kinetic simulations. In 3D the X- and O-point configurations of the magnetic field formed in reconnection planes alternate along the out-of-reconnection-plane direction with the wavelength of the unstable mode. In the presence of multiple reconnection sites, the out-of-plane magnetic field can develop nested structure of quadrupoles in reconnection planes, similar to the 2-D case, but now with variations in the out-of-plane direction. The structures of the electron flow and magnetic field in 3-D simulations will be compared with those in 2-D simulations to discriminate the essentially 3D features. We also discuss

The effect of handling method on the mouse grimace scale in two strains of laboratory mice

PubMed Central

Leach, Matthew C

2015-01-01

Pain assessment in laboratory animals is an ethical and legal requirement. The mouse grimace scale (MGS) is a new method of pain assessment deemed to be both accurate and reliable, and observers can be rapidly trained to use it. In order for a new pain assessment technique to be effective, we must ensure that the score awarded by the technique is only influenced by pain and not by other husbandry or non-painful but integral aspects of research protocols. Here, we studied 16 male mice, housed under standard laboratory conditions. Eight mice were randomly assigned to tail handling and eight to tube handling on arrival at the unit. On each occasion the mice were removed from their cage for routine husbandry, they were picked up using their assigned handling method. Photographs of the mouse faces were then scored by treatment-blind observers as per the MGS manual (see Nature Methods 2010, Vol. 7, pp 447–449), and scores from the two groups were compared. There was no significant difference in MGS scores between the mice that had been handled using a tube compared with the tail. Consequently, these methods of handling did not influence the baseline grimace score given, suggesting that these handling techniques are not confounding factors when establishing baseline MGS scores, further validating this technique. PMID:26657061

The effect of handling method on the mouse grimace scale in two strains of laboratory mice.

PubMed

Miller, Amy L; Leach, Matthew C

2016-08-01

Pain assessment in laboratory animals is an ethical and legal requirement. The mouse grimace scale (MGS) is a new method of pain assessment deemed to be both accurate and reliable, and observers can be rapidly trained to use it. In order for a new pain assessment technique to be effective, we must ensure that the score awarded by the technique is only influenced by pain and not by other husbandry or non-painful but integral aspects of research protocols. Here, we studied 16 male mice, housed under standard laboratory conditions. Eight mice were randomly assigned to tail handling and eight to tube handling on arrival at the unit. On each occasion the mice were removed from their cage for routine husbandry, they were picked up using their assigned handling method. Photographs of the mouse faces were then scored by treatment-blind observers as per the MGS manual (see Nature Methods 2010, Vol. 7, pp 447-449), and scores from the two groups were compared. There was no significant difference in MGS scores between the mice that had been handled using a tube compared with the tail. Consequently, these methods of handling did not influence the baseline grimace score given, suggesting that these handling techniques are not confounding factors when establishing baseline MGS scores, further validating this technique. © The Author(s) 2015.

Laboratory-scale bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil of Kuwait with soil amendment materials.

PubMed

Cho, B H; Chino, H; Tsuji, H; Kunito, T; Nagaoka, K; Otsuka, S; Yamashita, K; Matsumoto, S; Oyaizu, H

1997-10-01

A huge amount of oil-contaminated soil remains unremediated in the Kuwait desert. The contaminated oil has the potentiality to cause pollution of underground water and to effect the health of people in the neighborhood. In this study, laboratory scale bioremediation experiments were carried out. Hyponex (Hyponex, Inc.) and bark manure were added as basic nutrients for microorganisms, and twelve kinds of materials (baked diatomite, microporous glass, coconut charcoal, an oil-decomposing bacterial mixture (Formula X from Oppenheimer, Inc.), and eight kinds of surfactants) were applied to accelerate the biodegradation of oil hydrocarbons. 15% to 33% of the contaminated oil was decomposed during 43 weeks' incubation. Among the materials tested, coconut charcoal enhanced the biodegradation. On the contrary, the addition of an oil-decomposing bacterial mixture impeded the biodegradation. The effects of the other materials were very slight. The toxicity of the biodegraded compounds was estimated by the Ames test and the tea pollen tube growth test. Both of the hydrophobic (dichloromethane extracts) and hydrophilic (methanol extracts) fractions showed a very slight toxicity in the Ames test. In the tea pollen tube growth test, the hydrophobic fraction was not toxic and enhanced the growth of pollen tubes.

Development of a method for reliable power input measurements in conventional and single‐use stirred bioreactors at laboratory scale

PubMed Central

Werner, Sören; Jossen, Valentin; Kraume, Matthias; Eibl, Dieter

2016-01-01

Power input is an important engineering and scale‐up/down criterion in stirred bioreactors. However, reliably measuring power input in laboratory‐scale systems is still challenging. Even though torque measurements have proven to be suitable in pilot scale systems, sensor accuracy, resolution, and errors from relatively high levels of friction inside bearings can become limiting factors at smaller scales. An experimental setup for power input measurements was developed in this study by focusing on stainless steel and single‐use bioreactors in the single‐digit volume range. The friction losses inside the air bearings were effectively reduced to less than 0.5% of the measurement range of the torque meter. A comparison of dimensionless power numbers determined for a reference Rushton turbine stirrer (N P = 4.17 ± 0.14 for fully turbulent conditions) revealed good agreement with literature data. Hence, the power numbers of several reusable and single‐use bioreactors could be determined over a wide range of Reynolds numbers between 100 and >104. Power numbers of between 0.3 and 4.5 (for Re = 104) were determined for the different systems. The rigid plastic vessels showed similar power characteristics to their reusable counterparts. Thus, it was demonstrated that the torque‐based technique can be used to reliably measure power input in stirred reusable and single‐use bioreactors at the laboratory scale. PMID:28579937

HalX: an open-source LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) for small- to large-scale laboratories.

PubMed

Prilusky, Jaime; Oueillet, Eric; Ulryck, Nathalie; Pajon, Anne; Bernauer, Julie; Krimm, Isabelle; Quevillon-Cheruel, Sophie; Leulliot, Nicolas; Graille, Marc; Liger, Dominique; Trésaugues, Lionel; Sussman, Joel L; Janin, Joël; van Tilbeurgh, Herman; Poupon, Anne

2005-06-01

Structural genomics aims at the establishment of a universal protein-fold dictionary through systematic structure determination either by NMR or X-ray crystallography. In order to catch up with the explosive amount of protein sequence data, the structural biology laboratories are spurred to increase the speed of the structure-determination process. To achieve this goal, high-throughput robotic approaches are increasingly used in all the steps leading from cloning to data collection and even structure interpretation is becoming more and more automatic. The progress made in these areas has begun to have a significant impact on the more 'classical' structural biology laboratories, dramatically increasing the number of individual experiments. This automation creates the need for efficient data management. Here, a new piece of software, HalX, designed as an 'electronic lab book' that aims at (i) storage and (ii) easy access and use of all experimental data is presented. This should lead to much improved management and tracking of structural genomics experimental data.

Slow Slip and Earthquake Nucleation in Meter-Scale Laboratory Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mclaskey, G.

2017-12-01

The initiation of dynamic rupture is thought to be preceded by a quasistatic nucleation phase. Observations of recent earthquakes sometimes support this by illuminating slow slip and foreshocks in the vicinity of the eventual hypocenter. I describe laboratory earthquake experiments conducted on two large-scale loading machines at Cornell University that provide insight into the way earthquake nucleation varies with normal stress, healing time, and loading rate. The larger of the two machines accommodates a 3 m long granite sample, and when loaded to 7 MPa stress levels, we observe dynamic rupture events that are preceded by a measureable nucleation zone with dimensions on the order of 1 m. The smaller machine accommodates a 0.76 m sample that is roughly the same size as the nucleation zone. On this machine, small variations in nucleation properties result in measurable differences in slip events, and we generate both dynamic rupture events (> 0.1 m/s slip rates) and slow slip events ( 0.001 to 30 mm/s slip rates). Slow events occur when instability cannot fully nucleate before reaching the sample ends. Dynamic events occur after long healing times or abrupt increases in loading rate which suggests that these factors shrink the spatial and temporal extents of the nucleation zone. Arrays of slip, strain, and ground motion sensors installed on the sample allow us to quantify seismic coupling and study details of premonitory slip and afterslip. The slow slip events we observe are primarily aseismic (less than 1% of the seismic coupling of faster events) and produce swarms of very small M -6 to M -8 events. These mechanical and seismic interactions suggest that faults with transitional behavior—where creep, small earthquakes, and tremor are often observed—could become seismically coupled if loaded rapidly, either by a slow slip front or dynamic rupture of an earthquake that nucleated elsewhere.

Practices for Identifying and Rejecting Hemolyzed Specimens Are Highly Variable in Clinical Laboratories.

PubMed

Howanitz, Peter J; Lehman, Christopher M; Jones, Bruce A; Meier, Frederick A; Horowitz, Gary L

2015-08-01

Hemolysis is an important clinical laboratory quality attribute that influences result reliability. To determine hemolysis identification and rejection practices occurring in clinical laboratories. We used the College of American Pathologists Survey program to distribute a Q-Probes-type questionnaire about hemolysis practices to Chemistry Survey participants. Of 3495 participants sent the questionnaire, 846 (24%) responded. In 71% of 772 laboratories, the hemolysis rate was less than 3.0%, whereas in 5%, it was 6.0% or greater. A visual scale, an instrument scale, and combination of visual and instrument scales were used to identify hemolysis in 48%, 11%, and 41% of laboratories, respectively. A picture of the hemolysis level was used as an aid to technologists' visual interpretation of hemolysis levels in 40% of laboratories. In 7.0% of laboratories, all hemolyzed specimens were rejected; in 4% of laboratories, no hemolyzed specimens were rejected; and in 88% of laboratories, some specimens were rejected depending on hemolysis levels. Participants used 69 different terms to describe hemolysis scales, with 21 terms used in more than 10 laboratories. Slight and moderate were the terms used most commonly. Of 16 different cutoffs used to reject hemolyzed specimens, moderate was the most common, occurring in 30% of laboratories. For whole blood electrolyte measurements performed in 86 laboratories, 57% did not evaluate the presence of hemolysis, but for those that did, the most common practice in 21 laboratories (24%) was centrifuging and visually determining the presence of hemolysis in all specimens. Hemolysis practices vary widely. Standard assessment and consistent reporting are the first steps in reducing interlaboratory variability among results.

Laboratory challenges in the scaling up of HIV, TB, and malaria programs: The interaction of health and laboratory systems, clinical research, and service delivery.

PubMed

Birx, Deborah; de Souza, Mark; Nkengasong, John N

2009-06-01

Strengthening national health laboratory systems in resource-poor countries is critical to meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Despite strong commitment from the international community to fight major infectious diseases, weak laboratory infrastructure remains a huge rate-limiting step. Some major challenges facing laboratory systems in resource-poor settings include dilapidated infrastructure; lack of human capacity, laboratory policies, and strategic plans; and limited synergies between clinical and research laboratories. Together, these factors compromise the quality of test results and impact patient management. With increased funding, the target of laboratory strengthening efforts in resource-poor countries should be the integrating of laboratory services across major diseases to leverage resources with respect to physical infrastructure; types of assays; supply chain management of reagents and equipment; and maintenance of equipment.

A large scale laboratory cage trial of Aedes densonucleosis virus (AeDNV).

PubMed

Wise de Valdez, Megan R; Suchman, Erica L; Carlson, Jonathan O; Black, William C

2010-05-01

Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) the primary vector of dengue viruses (DENV1-4), oviposit in and around human dwellings, including sites difficult to locate, making control of this mosquito challenging. We explored the efficacy and sustainability of Aedes Densonucleosis Virus (AeDNV) as a biocontrol agent for Ae. aegypti in and among oviposition sites in large laboratory cages (> 92 m3) as a prelude to field trials. Select cages were seeded with AeDNV in a single oviposition site (OPS) with unseeded OPSs established at varied distances. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to track dispersal and accumulation of AeDNV among OPSs. All eggs were collected weekly from each cage and counted. We asked: (1) Is AeDNV dispersed over varying distances and can it accumulate and persist in novel OPSs? (2) Are egg densities reduced in AeDNV treated populations? AeDNV was dispersed to and sustained in novel OPSs. Virus accumulation in OPSs was positively correlated with egg densities and proximity to the initial infection source affected the timing of dispersal and maintenance of viral titers. AeDNV did not significantly reduce Ae. aegypti egg densities. The current study documents that adult female Ae. aegypti oviposition behavior leads to successful viral dispersal from treated to novel containers in large-scale cages; however, the AeDNV titers reached were not sufficient to reduce egg densities.

Evaluation of malodor for automobile air conditioner evaporator by using laboratory-scale test cooling bench.

PubMed

Kim, Kyung Hwan; Kim, Sun Hwa; Jung, Young Rim; Kim, Man Goo

2008-09-12

As one of the measures to improve the environment in an automobile, malodor caused by the automobile air-conditioning system evaporator was evaluated and analyzed using laboratory-scale test cooling bench. The odor was simulated with an evaporator test cooling bench equipped with an airflow controller, air temperature and relative humidity controller. To simulate the same odor characteristics that occur from automobiles, one previously used automobile air conditioner evaporator associated with unpleasant odors was selected. The odor was evaluated by trained panels and collected with aluminum polyester bags. Collected samples were analyzed by thermal desorption into a cryotrap and subsequent gas chromatographic separation, followed by simultaneous olfactometry, flame ionization detector and identified by atomic emission detection and mass spectrometry. Compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes, and organic acids were identified as responsible odor-active compounds. Gas chromatography/flame ionization detection/olfactometry combined sensory method with instrumental analysis was very effective as an odor evaluation method in an automobile air-conditioning system evaporator.

Effects of cadmium on the performance and microbiology of laboratory-scale lagoons treating domestic sewage.

PubMed

Bonnet, J L; Bohatier, J; Pépin, D

1999-06-01

Two experiments were performed to assess the impact of cadmium on the sewage lagoon wastewater treatment process. For each one, three laboratory-scale pilot plants with one tank receiving the same raw effluent were used; one plant served as control and the other two were contaminated once only with cadmium. In the first study, the effects of a shock load of two concentrations of cadmium chloride (60 and 300 micrograms/l) on the plant performance, microbial populations (protists and bacteria) and enzyme activities were determined. Initially, most of the performance parameters were affected concentration-dependently. A reduction in the protist population density and some influence on the total bacterial population were observed, and the potential enzymatic activities were also modified. A second experiment with a lower cadmium concentration (30 micrograms/l), supplied as chloride or sulphate, still perturbed most of the parameters studied, and the effects of the two cadmium salts were identical.

Enabling UAS Research at the NASA EAV Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ippolito, Corey A.

2015-01-01

The Exploration Aerial Vehicles (EAV) Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center leads research into intelligent autonomy and advanced control systems, bridging the gap between simulation and full-scale technology through flight test experimentation on unmanned sub-scale test vehicles.

H2@Scale Laboratory CRADA Call | Hydrogen and Fuel Cells | NREL

Science.gov Websites

research and development agreement (CRADA) projects with the Hydrogen at Scale (H2@Scale) national CRADA Call H2@Scale CRADA Agreement Template Responses to CRADA Call Questions: Part 1 (includes

Web-Based Virtual Laboratory for Food Analysis Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, M. N.; Khoerunnisa, I.; Sugiarti, Y.

2018-02-01

Implementation of learning on food analysis course in Program Study of Agro-industrial Technology Education faced problems. These problems include the availability of space and tools in the laboratory that is not comparable with the number of students also lack of interactive learning tools. On the other hand, the information technology literacy of students is quite high as well the internet network is quite easily accessible on campus. This is a challenge as well as opportunities in the development of learning media that can help optimize learning in the laboratory. This study aims to develop web-based virtual laboratory as one of the alternative learning media in food analysis course. This research is R & D (research and development) which refers to Borg & Gall model. The results showed that assessment’s expert of web-based virtual labs developed, in terms of software engineering aspects; visual communication; material relevance; usefulness and language used, is feasible as learning media. The results of the scaled test and wide-scale test show that students strongly agree with the development of web based virtual laboratory. The response of student to this virtual laboratory was positive. Suggestions from students provided further opportunities for improvement web based virtual laboratory and should be considered for further research.

Nutrient removal by up-scaling a hybrid floating treatment bed (HFTB) using plant and periphyton: From laboratory tank to polluted river.

PubMed

Liu, Junzhuo; Wang, Fengwu; Liu, Wei; Tang, Cilai; Wu, Chenxi; Wu, Yonghong

2016-05-01

Planted floating treatment bed (FTB) is an innovative technique of removing nutrients from polluted water but limited in deep water and cold seasons. Periphyton was integrated into FTB for a hybrid floating treatment bed (HFTB) to improve its nutrient removal capacity. To assess its potential for treating nutrient-polluted rivers, HFTB was up-scaled from 5L laboratory tanks to 350L outdoor tanks and then to a commercial-scale 900m section of polluted river. Plants and periphyton interacted in HFTB with periphyton limiting plant root growth and plants having shading effects on periphyton. Non-overlapping distribution of plants and periphyton can minimize the negative interactions in HFTB. HFTB successfully kept TN and TP of the river at less than 2.0 and 0.02mgL(-1), respectively. This study indicates that HFTB can be easily up-scaled for nutrients removal from polluted rivers in different seasons providing a long-term, environmentally-friendly method to remediate polluted ecosystems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Activated carbon enhanced anaerobic digestion of food waste - Laboratory-scale and Pilot-scale operation.

PubMed

Zhang, Le; Zhang, Jingxin; Loh, Kai-Chee

2018-05-01

Effects of activated carbon (AC) supplementation on anaerobic digestion (AD) of food waste were elucidated in lab- and pilot-scales. Lab-scale AD was performed in 1 L and 8 L digesters, while pilot-scale AD was conducted in a 1000 L digester. Based on the optimal dose of 15 g AC per working volume derived from the 1 L digester, for the same AC dosage in the 8 L digester, an improved operation stability coupled with a higher methane yield was achieved even when digesters without AC supplementation failed after 59 days due to accumulation of substantial organic intermediates. At the same time, color removal from the liquid phase of the digestate was dramatically enhanced and the particle size of the digestate solids was increased by 53% through AC supplementation after running for 59 days. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene showed the abundance of predominant phyla Firmicutes, Elusimicrobia and Proteobacteria selectively enhanced by 1.7-fold, 2.9-fold and 2.1-fold, respectively. Pilot-scale digester without AC gave an average methane yield of 0.466 L⋅(gVS) -1 ⋅d -1 at a composition of 53-61% v/v methane. With AC augmentation, an increase of 41% in methane yield was achieved in the 1000 L digester under optimal organic loading rate (1.6 g VS FW ·L -1 ·d -1 ). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality Assessment of Physical and Organoleptic Instant Corn Rice on Scale-Up Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumalasari, R.; Ekafitri, R.; Indrianti, N.

2017-12-01

Development of instant corn rice product has been successfully conducted on a laboratory scale. Corn has high carbohydrate content but low in fiber. The addition of fiber in instant corn rice, intended to improve the functioning of the product, and replace fiber loss during the process. Scale up process of Instant corn rice required to increase the production capacity. Scale up was the process to get identic output on a larger scale based on predetermined production scale. This study aimed to assess the changes and differences in the quality of instant corn rice during scale up. Instant corn rice scale up was done on production capacity 3 kg, 4 kg and 5 kg. Results showed that scale up of instant corn rice producing products with rehydration ratio ranges between 514% - 570%, the absorption rate ranged between 414% - 470%, swelling rate ranging between 119% - 134%, bulk density ranged from 0.3661 to 0.4745 (g/ml) and porosity ranging between 30-37%. The physical quality of instant corn rice on scale up were stable from the ones at laboratory scale on swelling rate, rehydration ratio, and absorption rate but not stable on bulk density and porosity. Organoleptic qualities were stable at increased scale compared on a laboratory scale. Bulk density was higher than those at laboratory scale, and the porosity was lower than those at laboratory scale.

Biodegradation modelling of a dissolved gasoline plume applying independent laboratory and field parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schirmer, Mario; Molson, John W.; Frind, Emil O.; Barker, James F.

2000-12-01

Biodegradation of organic contaminants in groundwater is a microscale process which is often observed on scales of 100s of metres or larger. Unfortunately, there are no known equivalent parameters for characterizing the biodegradation process at the macroscale as there are, for example, in the case of hydrodynamic dispersion. Zero- and first-order degradation rates estimated at the laboratory scale by model fitting generally overpredict the rate of biodegradation when applied to the field scale because limited electron acceptor availability and microbial growth are not considered. On the other hand, field-estimated zero- and first-order rates are often not suitable for predicting plume development because they may oversimplify or neglect several key field scale processes, phenomena and characteristics. This study uses the numerical model BIO3D to link the laboratory and field scales by applying laboratory-derived Monod kinetic degradation parameters to simulate a dissolved gasoline field experiment at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden. All input parameters were derived from independent laboratory and field measurements or taken from the literature a priori to the simulations. The simulated results match the experimental results reasonably well without model calibration. A sensitivity analysis on the most uncertain input parameters showed only a minor influence on the simulation results. Furthermore, it is shown that the flow field, the amount of electron acceptor (oxygen) available, and the Monod kinetic parameters have a significant influence on the simulated results. It is concluded that laboratory-derived Monod kinetic parameters can adequately describe field scale degradation, provided all controlling factors are incorporated in the field scale model. These factors include advective-dispersive transport of multiple contaminants and electron acceptors and large-scale spatial heterogeneities.

Flow-sediment-large woody debris interplay: Introducing an appropriately scaled laboratory experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, H.; Spreitzer, G.; Tunnicliffe, J. F.

2017-12-01

The morphology of steep (>0.01 m/m) forested streams is governed not only by water-sediment interplay, but also by accumulations of coarse and fine organic debris. In this project we look at the jamming dynamics (formation, persistence and hydraulic feedbacks) of large woody debris with the help of scaled laboratory experiments. In New Zealand, the recruitment of wood from both natural tree-fall and forest harvesting has led to obstruction of culverts, bridges and other river constrictions. Understanding the dynamics of jam formation and persistence is important for harvest practice guidelines, management of sediment accumulation, as well as establishing impacts to habitat and infrastructure. In this study, we provide the context of our work, present our experimental setup for studying the complex flow-sediment-wood interactions and present some initial results. In our experimental setup, we varied feed rates of sediment and organic fine material in order to establish concentration thresholds for jam formation, and development of sediment retention capacity upstream of the jam. Large woody debris accumulation is studied for different blocking scenarios, and the effect on sediment transport is measured. Sediment quantities and changes in channel bed morphology upstream of the critical cross section are evaluated, together with resulting backwater effects, and associated energy losses. In the long term, our results will inform our understanding of the processes that take place from the mobilization of woody debris to accumulation.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2015-04-01

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

The effect of entrapped nonaqueous phase liquids on tracer transport in heterogeneous porous media: Laboratory experiments at the intermediate scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barth, Gilbert R.; Illangasekare, T.H.; Rajaram, H.

2003-01-01

This work considers the applicability of conservative tracers for detecting high-saturation nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) entrapment in heterogeneous systems. For this purpose, a series of experiments and simulations was performed using a two-dimensional heterogeneous system (10??1.2 m), which represents an intermediate scale between laboratory and field scales. Tracer tests performed prior to injecting the NAPL provide the baseline response of the heterogeneous porous medium. Two NAPL spill experiments were performed and the entrapped-NAPL saturation distribution measured in detail using a gamma-ray attenuation system. Tracer tests following each of the NAPL spills produced breakthrough curves (BTCs) reflecting the impact of entrapped NAPL on conservative transport. To evaluate significance, the impact of NAPL entrapment on the conservative-tracer breakthrough curves was compared to simulated breakthrough curve variability for different realizations of the heterogeneous distribution. Analysis of the results reveals that the NAPL entrapment has a significant impact on the temporal moments of conservative-tracer breakthrough curves. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of combustion temperature on PCDD/Fs formation in laboratory-scale fluidized-bed incineration.

PubMed

Hatanaka, T; Imagawa, T; Kitajima, A; Takeuchi, M

2001-12-15

Combustion experiments in a laboratory-scale fluidized-bed reactor were performed to elucidate the effects of combustion temperature on PCDD/Fs formation during incineration of model wastes with poly(vinyl chloride) or sodium chloride as a chlorine source and copper chloride as a catalyst. Each temperature of primary and secondary combustion zones in the reactor was set independently to 700, 800, and 900 degrees C using external electric heaters. The PCDD/Fs concentration is reduced as the temperature of the secondary combustion zone increases. It is effective to keep the temperature of the secondary combustion zone high enough to reduce their release during the waste incineration. On the other hand, as the temperature of the primary combustion zone rises, the PCDD/Fs concentration also increases. Lower temperature of the primary combustion zone results in less PCDD/Fs concentration in these experimental conditions. This result is probably related to the devolatilization rate of the solid waste in the primary combustion zone. The temperature decrease slows the devolatilization rate and promotes mixing of oxygen and volatile matters from the solid waste. This contributes to completing combustion reactions, resulting in reducing the PCDD/Fs concentration.

Students' motivation toward laboratory work in physiology teaching.

PubMed

Dohn, Niels Bonderup; Fago, Angela; Overgaard, Johannes; Madsen, Peter Teglberg; Malte, Hans

2016-09-01

The laboratory has been given a central role in physiology education, and teachers report that it is motivating for students to undertake experimental work on live animals or measuring physiological responses on the students themselves. Since motivation is a critical variable for academic learning and achievement, then we must concern ourselves with questions that examine how students engage in laboratory work and persist at such activities. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how laboratory work influences student motivation in physiology. We administered the Lab Motivation Scale to assess our students' levels of interest, willingness to engage (effort), and confidence in understanding (self-efficacy). We also asked students about the role of laboratory work for their own learning and their experience in the physiology laboratory. Our results documented high levels of interest, effort, and self-efficacy among the students. Correlation analyses were performed on the three motivation scales and exam results, yet a significant correlation was only found between self-efficacy in laboratory work and academic performance at the final exam. However, almost all students reported that laboratory work was very important for learning difficult concepts and physiological processes (e.g., action potential), as the hands-on experiences gave a more concrete idea of the learning content and made the content easier to remember. These results have implications for classroom practice as biology students find laboratory exercises highly motivating, despite their different personal interests and subject preferences. This highlights the importance of not replacing laboratory work by other nonpractical approaches, for example, video demonstrations or computer simulations. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Development opportunities for hospital clinical laboratory joint ventures.

PubMed

Van Riper, J A

1995-01-01

Regional health-care providers are being given the opportunity to collaborate in specialty health-care services. Collaboration to achieve superior economies of scale is very effective in the clinical laboratory industry. National laboratory chains are consolidating and enhancing their control of the industry to ensure their historic profitability. National companies have closed many laboratory facilities and have laid off substantial numbers of laboratory personnel. Health-care providers can regain control of their locally generated laboratory health-care dollars by joining forces with clinical laboratory joint ventures. Laboratorians can assist the healthcare providers in bringing laboratory services and employment back to the local community. New capital for operational development and laboratory information systems will help bring the laboratory to the point of care. The independent regional laboratory is focused on supporting the medical needs of the community. The profit generated from a laboratory joint venture is shared among local health-care providers, supporting their economic viability. The laboratories' ability to contribute to the development of profit-making ventures will provide capital for new laboratory development. All of the above will ensure the clinical laboratories' role in providing quality health care to our communities and employment opportunities for laboratory personnel.

Trajectory Reconstruction and Uncertainty Analysis Using Mars Science Laboratory Pre-Flight Scale Model Aeroballistic Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lugo, Rafael A.; Tolson, Robert H.; Schoenenberger, Mark

2013-01-01

As part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) trajectory reconstruction effort at NASA Langley Research Center, free-flight aeroballistic experiments of instrumented MSL scale models was conducted at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The models carried an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a flush air data system (FADS) similar to the MSL Entry Atmospheric Data System (MEADS) that provided data types similar to those from the MSL entry. Multiple sources of redundant data were available, including tracking radar and on-board magnetometers. These experimental data enabled the testing and validation of the various tools and methodologies that will be used for MSL trajectory reconstruction. The aerodynamic parameters Mach number, angle of attack, and sideslip angle were estimated using minimum variance with a priori to combine the pressure data and pre-flight computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data. Both linear and non-linear pressure model terms were also estimated for each pressure transducer as a measure of the errors introduced by CFD and transducer calibration. Parameter uncertainties were estimated using a "consider parameters" approach.

Laboratory Scale X-ray Fluorescence Tomography: Instrument Characterization and Application in Earth and Environmental Science.

PubMed

Laforce, Brecht; Vermeulen, Bram; Garrevoet, Jan; Vekemans, Bart; Van Hoorebeke, Luc; Janssen, Colin; Vincze, Laszlo

2016-03-15

A new laboratory scale X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging instrument, based on an X-ray microfocus tube equipped with a monocapillary optic, has been developed to perform XRF computed tomography experiments with both higher spatial resolution (20 μm) and a better energy resolution (130 eV @Mn-K(α)) than has been achieved up-to-now. This instrument opens a new range of possible applications for XRF-CT. Next to the analytical characterization of the setup by using well-defined model/reference samples, demonstrating its capabilities for tomographic imaging, the XRF-CT microprobe has been used to image the interior of an ecotoxicological model organism, Americamysis bahia. This had been exposed to elevated metal (Cu and Ni) concentrations. The technique allowed the visualization of the accumulation sites of copper, clearly indicating the affected organs, i.e. either the gastric system or the hepatopancreas. As another illustrative application, the scanner has been employed to investigate goethite spherules from the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, revealing the internal elemental distribution of these valuable distal ejecta layer particles.

Coulombic faulting from the grain scale to the geophysical scale: lessons from ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Jérôme; Schulson, Erland M.

2009-11-01

Coulombic faulting, a concept formulated more than two centuries ago, still remains pertinent in describing the brittle compressive failure of various materials, including rocks and ice. Many questions remain, however, about the physical processes underlying this macroscopic phenomenology. This paper reviews the progress made in these directions during the past few years through the study of ice and its mechanical behaviour in both the laboratory and the field. Fault triggering is associated with the formation of specific features called comb-cracks and involves frictional sliding at the micro(grain)-scale. Similar mechanisms are observed at geophysical scales within the sea ice cover. This scale-independent physics is expressed by the same Coulombic phenomenology from laboratory to geophysical scales, with a very similar internal friction coefficient (μ ≈ 0.8). On the other hand, the cohesion strongly decreases with increasing spatial scale, reflecting the role of stress concentrators on fault initiation. Strong similarities also exist between ice and other brittle materials such as rocks and minerals and between faulting of the sea ice cover and Earth's crust, arguing for the ubiquitous nature of the underlying physics.

Experimental investigation on gaseous emissions from the combustion of date palm residues in laboratory scale furnace.

PubMed

El may, Yassine; Jeguirim, Mejdi; Dorge, Sophie; Trouvé, Gwenaelle; Said, Rachid

2013-03-01

Emissions characteristics from the combustion of five date palm residues, DPR, (Date Palm Leaflets, Date Palm Rachis, Date Palm Trunk, Date Stones and fruitstalk prunings) in a laboratory scale furnace were investigated. Release of gaseous products such as CO2, CO, VOC, NOx and SO2 were measured at 600-800°C. The main goal was to analyze thermal behaviors and gaseous emissions in order to select the most convenient biofuel for an application in domestic boiler installations. Regards to biofuel characteristics, date stone have the highest energy density (11.4GJ/m(3)) and the lowest ash content (close to 1.2%). Combustion tests show that among the tested date palm residues, date stone may be the promising biofuel for the design of combustion processing system. However, a special attention to the design of the secondary air supply should be given to prevent high emissions of CO and volatile matters. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of Electron-scale Dissipation near the X-line During Magnetic Reconnection in a Laboratory Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, H.; Yoo, J.; Dorfman, S. E.; Jara-Almonte, J.; Yamada, M.; Swanson, C.; Daughton, W. S.; Roytershteyn, V.; Kuwahata, A.; Ii, T.; Inomoto, M.; Ono, Y.; von Stechow, A.; Grulke, O.; Phan, T.; Mozer, F.; Bale, S. D.

2013-12-01

Despite its disruptive influences on the large-scale structures of space and solar plasmas, the crucial topological changes and associated dissipation during magnetic reconnection take place only near an X-line within thin singular layers. In the modern collisionless models where electrons and ions are allowed to move separately, it has been predicted that ions exhaust efficiently through a thicker, ion-scale dissipative layer while mobile electrons can evacuate through a thinner, electron-scale dissipation layer, allowing for efficient release of magnetic energy. While ion dissipation layers have been frequently detected, the existence of election layers near the X-line and the associated dissipation structures and mechanisms are still an open question, and will be a main subject of the coming MMS mission. In this presentation, we will summarize our efforts in the past a few years to study electron-scale dissipation in a well-controlled and well-diagnosed reconnecting current sheet in a laboratory plasma, with close comparisons with the state-of-the-art, 2D and 3D fully kinetic simulations. Key results include: (1) positive identification of electromagnetic waves detected at the current sheet center as long wave-length, lower-hybrid drift instabilities (EM-LHDI), (2) however, there is strong evidence that this EM-LHDI cannot provide the required force to support the reconnection electric field, (3) detection of 3D flux-rope-like magnetic structures during impulsive reconnection events, and (4) electrons are heated through non-classical mechanisms near the X-line with a small but clear temperature anisotropy. These results, unfortunately, do not resolve the outstanding discrepancies on electron layer thickness between best available experiments and fully kinetic simulations. To make further progress, we are continuously pushing in the both experimental and numerical frontiers. Experimentally, we started investigations on EM-LHDI and electron heating as a function

Novel laboratory simulations of astrophysical jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brady, Parrish Clawson

This thesis was motivated by the promise that some physical aspects of astrophysical jets and collimation processes can be scaled to laboratory parameters through hydrodynamic scaling laws. The simulation of astrophysical jet phenomena with laser-produced plasmas was attractive because the laser- target interaction can inject energetic, repeatable plasma into an external environment. Novel laboratory simulations of astrophysical jets involved constructing and using the YOGA laser, giving a 1064 nm, 8 ns pulse laser with energies up to 3.7 + 0.2 J . Laser-produced plasmas were characterized using Schlieren, interferometry and ICCD photography for their use in simulating jet and magnetosphere physics. The evolution of the laser-produced plasma in various conditions was compared with self-similar solutions and HYADES computer simulations. Millimeter-scale magnetized collimated outflows were produced by a centimeter scale cylindrically symmetric electrode configuration triggered by a laser-produced plasma. A cavity with a flared nozzle surrounded the center electrode and the electrode ablation created supersonic uncollimated flows. This flow became collimated when the center electrode changed from an anodeto a cathode. The plasma jets were in axially directed permanent magnetic fields with strengths up to 5000 Gauss. The collimated magnetized jets were 0.1-0. 3 cm wide, up to 2.0 cm long, and had velocities of ~4.0 × 10 6 cm/s. The dynamics of the evolution of the jet were compared qualitatively and quantitatively with fluxtube simulations from Bellan's formulation [6] giving a calculated estimate of ~2.6 × 10 6 cm/s for jet evolution velocity and evidence for jet rotation. The density measured with interferometry was 1.9 ± 0.2 × 10 17 cm -3 compared with 2.1 × 10 16 cm -3 calculated with Bellan's pressure balance formulation. Kinks in the jet column were produced consistent with the Kruskal-Shafranov condition which allowed stable and symmetric jets to form with

Investigating the dynamics of Vulcanian explosions using scaled laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2005-12-01

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

Numerical modeling of laboratory-scale surface-to-crown fire transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castle, Drew Clayton

Understanding the conditions leading to the transition of fire spread from a surface fuel to an elevated (crown) fuel is critical to effective fire risk assessment and management. Surface fires that successfully transition to crown fires can be very difficult to suppress, potentially leading to damages in the natural and built environments. This is relevant to chaparral shrub lands which are common throughout parts of the Southwest U.S. and represent a significant part of the wildland urban interface. The ability of the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Dynamic Simulator (WFDS) to model surface-to-crown fire transition was evaluated through comparison to laboratory experiments. The WFDS model is being developed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The experiments were conducted at the USFS Forest Fire Laboratory in Riverside, California. The experiments measured the ignition of chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) crown fuel held above a surface fire spreading through excelsior fuel. Cases with different crown fuel bulk densities, crown fuel base heights, and imposed wind speeds were considered. Cold-flow simulations yielded wind speed profiles that closely matched the experimental measurements. Next, fire simulations with only the surface fuel were conducted to verify the rate of spread while factors such as substrate properties were varied. Finally, simulations with both a surface fuel and a crown fuel were completed. Examination of specific surface fire characteristics (rate of spread, flame angle, etc.) and the corresponding experimental surface fire behavior provided a basis for comparison of the factors most responsible for transition from a surface fire to the raised fuel ignition. The rate of spread was determined by tracking the flame in the Smokeview animations using a tool developed for tracking an actual flame in a video. WFDS simulations produced results in both surface fire spread and raised fuel bed

Application of lab derived kinetic biodegradation parameters at the field scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schirmer, M.; Barker, J. F.; Butler, B. J.; Frind, E. O.

2003-04-01

Estimating the intrinsic remediation potential of an aquifer typically requires the accurate assessment of the biodegradation kinetics, the level of available electron acceptors and the flow field. Zero- and first-order degradation rates derived at the laboratory scale generally overpredict the rate of biodegradation when applied to the field scale, because limited electron acceptor availability and microbial growth are typically not considered. On the other hand, field estimated zero- and first-order rates are often not suitable to forecast plume development because they may be an oversimplification of the processes at the field scale and ignore several key processes, phenomena and characteristics of the aquifer. This study uses the numerical model BIO3D to link the laboratory and field scale by applying laboratory derived Monod kinetic degradation parameters to simulate a dissolved gasoline field experiment at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden. All additional input parameters were derived from laboratory and field measurements or taken from the literature. The simulated results match the experimental results reasonably well without having to calibrate the model. An extensive sensitivity analysis was performed to estimate the influence of the most uncertain input parameters and to define the key controlling factors at the field scale. It is shown that the most uncertain input parameters have only a minor influence on the simulation results. Furthermore it is shown that the flow field, the amount of electron acceptor (oxygen) available and the Monod kinetic parameters have a significant influence on the simulated results. Under the field conditions modelled and the assumptions made for the simulations, it can be concluded that laboratory derived Monod kinetic parameters can adequately describe field scale degradation processes, if all controlling factors are incorporated in the field scale modelling that are not necessarily observed at the lab scale. In this way

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LABORATORY AND PILOT-SCALE COMBUSTION OF SOME CHLORINATED HYDROCARBONS

EPA Science Inventory

Factors governing the occurence of trace amounts of residual organic substance emmissions (ROSEs) in full-scale incierators are not fully understood. Pilot-scale spray combustion expereiments involving some liquid chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) and their dilute mixtures with hy...

The Sheep Grimace Scale as an indicator of post-operative distress and pain in laboratory sheep

PubMed Central

Buettner, M.; Glage, S.; Keubler, L. M.; Held, N.; Bleich, E. M.; Otto, K.; Müller, C. W.; Decker, S.; Talbot, S. R.; Bleich, A.

2017-01-01

The EU Directive 2010/63/EU changed the requirements regarding the use of laboratory animals and raised important issues related to assessing the severity of all procedures undertaken on laboratory animals. However, quantifiable parameters to assess severity are rare, and improved assessment strategies need to be developed. Hence, a Sheep Grimace Scale (SGS) was herein established by observing and interpreting sheep facial expressions as a consequence of pain and distress following unilateral tibia osteotomy. The animals were clinically investigated and scored five days before surgery and at 1, 3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 days afterwards. Additionally, cortisol levels in the saliva of the sheep were determined at the respective time points. For the SGS, video recording was performed, and pictures of the sheep were randomized and scored by blinded observers. Osteotomy in sheep resulted in an increased clinical severity score from days 1 to 17 post-surgery and elevated salivary cortisol levels one day post-surgery. An analysis of facial expressions revealed a significantly increased SGS on the day of surgery until day 3 post-surgery; this elevated level was sustained until day 17. Clinical severity and SGS scores correlated positively with a Pearson´s correlation coefficient of 0.47. Further investigations regarding the applicability of the SGS revealed a high inter-observer reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.92 and an accuracy of 68.2%. In conclusion, the SGS represents a valuable approach for severity assessment that may help support and refine a widely used welfare assessment for sheep during experimental procedures, thereby meeting legislation requirements and minimizing the occurrence of unrecognized distress in animal experimentation. PMID:28422994

The Sheep Grimace Scale as an indicator of post-operative distress and pain in laboratory sheep.

PubMed

Häger, C; Biernot, S; Buettner, M; Glage, S; Keubler, L M; Held, N; Bleich, E M; Otto, K; Müller, C W; Decker, S; Talbot, S R; Bleich, A

2017-01-01

The EU Directive 2010/63/EU changed the requirements regarding the use of laboratory animals and raised important issues related to assessing the severity of all procedures undertaken on laboratory animals. However, quantifiable parameters to assess severity are rare, and improved assessment strategies need to be developed. Hence, a Sheep Grimace Scale (SGS) was herein established by observing and interpreting sheep facial expressions as a consequence of pain and distress following unilateral tibia osteotomy. The animals were clinically investigated and scored five days before surgery and at 1, 3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 days afterwards. Additionally, cortisol levels in the saliva of the sheep were determined at the respective time points. For the SGS, video recording was performed, and pictures of the sheep were randomized and scored by blinded observers. Osteotomy in sheep resulted in an increased clinical severity score from days 1 to 17 post-surgery and elevated salivary cortisol levels one day post-surgery. An analysis of facial expressions revealed a significantly increased SGS on the day of surgery until day 3 post-surgery; this elevated level was sustained until day 17. Clinical severity and SGS scores correlated positively with a Pearson´s correlation coefficient of 0.47. Further investigations regarding the applicability of the SGS revealed a high inter-observer reliability with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.92 and an accuracy of 68.2%. In conclusion, the SGS represents a valuable approach for severity assessment that may help support and refine a widely used welfare assessment for sheep during experimental procedures, thereby meeting legislation requirements and minimizing the occurrence of unrecognized distress in animal experimentation.

The Mars Science Laboratory Touchdown Test Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Christopher; Frankovich, John; Yates, Phillip; Wells Jr, George H.; Losey, Robert

2009-01-01

In the Touchdown Test Program for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, a facility was developed to use a full-scale rover vehicle and an overhead winch system to replicate the Skycrane landing event.

Correlations between homologue concentrations of PCDD/Fs and toxic equivalency values in laboratory-, package boiler-, and field-scale incinerators.

PubMed

Iino, Fukuya; Takasuga, Takumi; Touati, Abderrahmane; Gullett, Brian K

2003-01-01

The toxic equivalency (TEQ) values of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are predicted with a model based on the homologue concentrations measured from a laboratory-scale reactor (124 data points), a package boiler (61 data points), and operating municipal waste incinerators (114 data points). Regardless of the three scales and types of equipment, the different temperature profiles, sampling emissions and/or solids (fly ash), and the various chemical and physical properties of the fuels, all the PCDF plots showed highly linear correlations (R(2)>0.99). The fitting lines of the reactor and the boiler data were almost linear with slope of unity, whereas the slope of the municipal waste incinerator data was 0.86, which is caused by higher predicted values for samples with high measured TEQ. The strong correlation also implies that each of the 10 toxic PCDF congeners has a constant concentration relative to its respective total homologue concentration despite a wide range of facility types and combustion conditions. The PCDD plots showed significant scatter and poor linearity, which implies that the relative concentration of PCDD TEQ congeners is more sensitive to variations in reaction conditions than that of the PCDF congeners.

Efficiency of different air filter types for pig facilities at laboratory scale.

PubMed

Wenke, Cindy; Pospiech, Janina; Reutter, Tobias; Truyen, Uwe; Speck, Stephanie

2017-01-01

Air filtration has been shown to be efficient in reducing pathogen burden in circulating air. We determined at laboratory scale the retention efficiency of different air filter types either composed of a prefilter (EU class G4) and a secondary fiberglass filter (EU class F9) or consisting of a filter mat (EU class M6 and F8-9). Four filter prototypes were tested for their capability to remove aerosol containing equine arteritis virus (EAV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), bovine enterovirus 1 (BEV), Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP), and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus from air. Depending on the filter prototype and utilisation, the airflow was set at 1,800 m3/h (combination of upstream prefilter and fiberglass filter) or 80 m3/h (filter mat). The pathogens were aerosolized and their concentration was determined in front of and behind the filter by culture or quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, survival of the pathogens over time in the filter material was determined. Bacteria were most efficiently filtered with a reduction rate of up to 99.9% depending on the filter used. An approximately 98% reduction was achieved for the viruses tested. Viability or infectivity of APP or PRRSV in the filter material decreased below the detection limit after 4 h and 24 h, respectively, whereas S. aureus was still culturable after 4 weeks. Our results demonstrate that pathogens can efficiently be reduced by air filtration. Consequently, air filtration combined with other strict biosecurity measures markedly reduces the risk of introducing airborne transmitted pathogens to animal facilities. In addition, air filtration might be useful in reducing bioaerosols within a pig barn, hence improving respiratory health of pigs.

New scale-down methodology from commercial to lab scale to optimize plant-derived soft gel capsule formulations on a commercial scale.

PubMed

Oishi, Sana; Kimura, Shin-Ichiro; Noguchi, Shuji; Kondo, Mio; Kondo, Yosuke; Shimokawa, Yoshiyuki; Iwao, Yasunori; Itai, Shigeru

2018-01-15

A new scale-down methodology from commercial rotary die scale to laboratory scale was developed to optimize a plant-derived soft gel capsule formulation and eventually manufacture superior soft gel capsules on a commercial scale, in order to reduce the time and cost for formulation development. Animal-derived and plant-derived soft gel film sheets were prepared using an applicator on a laboratory scale and their physicochemical properties, such as tensile strength, Young's modulus, and adhesive strength, were evaluated. The tensile strength of the animal-derived and plant-derived soft gel film sheets was 11.7 MPa and 4.41 MPa, respectively. The Young's modulus of the animal-derived and plant-derived soft gel film sheets was 169 MPa and 17.8 MPa, respectively, and both sheets showed a similar adhesion strength of approximately 4.5-10 MPa. Using a D-optimal mixture design, plant-derived soft gel film sheets were prepared and optimized by varying their composition, including variations in the mass of κ-carrageenan, ι-carrageenan, oxidized starch and heat-treated starch. The physicochemical properties of the sheets were evaluated to determine the optimal formulation. Finally, plant-derived soft gel capsules were manufactured using the rotary die method and the prepared soft gel capsules showed equivalent or superior physical properties compared with pre-existing soft gel capsules. Therefore, we successfully developed a new scale-down methodology to optimize the formulation of plant-derived soft gel capsules on a commercial scale. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pilot-Scale Laboratory Instruction for Chemical Engineering: The Specific Case of the Pilot-Unit Leading Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billet, Anne-Marie; Camy, Severine; Coufort-Saudejaud, Carole

2010-01-01

This paper presents an original approach for Chemical Engineering laboratory teaching that is currently applied at INP-ENSIACET (France). This approach, referred to as "pilot-unit leading group" is based on a partial management of the laboratories by the students themselves who become temporarily in charge of one specific laboratory. In…

Solvent-free microwave extraction of essential oil from aromatic herbs: from laboratory to pilot and industrial scale.

PubMed

Filly, Aurore; Fernandez, Xavier; Minuti, Matteo; Visinoni, Francesco; Cravotto, Giancarlo; Chemat, Farid

2014-05-01

Solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) has been proposed as a green method for the extraction of essential oil from aromatic herbs that are extensively used in the food industry. This technique is a combination of microwave heating and dry distillation performed at atmospheric pressure without any added solvent or water. The isolation and concentration of volatile compounds is performed in a single stage. In this work, SFME and a conventional technique, hydro-distillation HD (Clevenger apparatus), are used for the extraction of essential oil from rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and are compared. This preliminary laboratory study shows that essential oils extracted by SFME in 30min were quantitatively (yield and kinetics profile) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained using conventional hydro-distillation in 2h. Experiments performed in a 75L pilot microwave reactor prove the feasibility of SFME up scaling and potential industrial applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnetic resonance imaging in laboratory petrophysical core analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, J.; Chandrasekera, T. C.; Holland, D. J.; Gladden, L. F.; Fordham, E. J.

2013-05-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a well-known technique in medical diagnosis and materials science. In the more specialized arena of laboratory-scale petrophysical rock core analysis, the role of MRI has undergone a substantial change in focus over the last three decades. Initially, alongside the continual drive to exploit higher magnetic field strengths in MRI applications for medicine and chemistry, the same trend was followed in core analysis. However, the spatial resolution achievable in heterogeneous porous media is inherently limited due to the magnetic susceptibility contrast between solid and fluid. As a result, imaging resolution at the length-scale of typical pore diameters is not practical and so MRI of core-plugs has often been viewed as an inappropriate use of expensive magnetic resonance facilities. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the use of MRI in laboratory-scale core analysis. The focus is now on acquiring data in the laboratory that are directly comparable to data obtained from magnetic resonance well-logging tools (i.e., a common physics of measurement). To maintain consistency with well-logging instrumentation, it is desirable to measure distributions of transverse (T2) relaxation time-the industry-standard metric in well-logging-at the laboratory-scale. These T2 distributions can be spatially resolved over the length of a core-plug. The use of low-field magnets in the laboratory environment is optimal for core analysis not only because the magnetic field strength is closer to that of well-logging tools, but also because the magnetic susceptibility contrast is minimized, allowing the acquisition of quantitative image voxel (or pixel) intensities that are directly scalable to liquid volume. Beyond simple determination of macroscopic rock heterogeneity, it is possible to utilize the spatial resolution for monitoring forced displacement of oil by water or chemical agents, determining capillary pressure curves, and estimating

Standardization of Terminology in Laboratory Medicine II

PubMed Central

Lee, Kap No; Yoon, Jong-Hyun; Min, Won Ki; Lim, Hwan Sub; Song, Junghan; Chae, Seok Lae; Jang, Seongsoo; Ki, Chang-Seok; Bae, Sook Young; Kim, Jang Su; Kwon, Jung-Ah; Lee, Chang Kyu

2008-01-01

Standardization of medical terminology is essential in data transmission between health care institutes and in maximizing the benefits of information technology. The purpose of this study was to standardize medical terms for laboratory observations. During the second year of the study, a standard database of concept names for laboratory terms that covered those used in tertiary health care institutes and reference laboratories was developed. The laboratory terms in the Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC) database were adopted and matched with the electronic data interchange (EDI) codes in Korea. A public hearing and a workshop for clinical pathologists were held to collect the opinions of experts. The Korean standard laboratory terminology database containing six axial concept names, components, property, time aspect, system (specimen), scale type, and method type, was established for 29,340 test observations. Short names and mapping tables for EDI codes and UMLS were added. Synonym tables were prepared to help match concept names to common terms used in the fields. We herein described the Korean standard laboratory terminology database for test names, result description terms, and result units encompassing most of the laboratory tests in Korea. PMID:18756062

Implementation science: the laboratory as a command centre.

PubMed

Boeras, Debrah I; Nkengasong, John N; Peeling, Rosanna W

2017-03-01

Recent advances in point-of-care technologies to ensure universal access to affordable quality-assured diagnostics have the potential to transform patient management, surveillance programmes, and control of infectious diseases. Decentralization of testing can put tremendous stresses on fragile health systems if the laboratory is not involved in the planning, introduction, and scale-up strategies. The impact of investments in novel technologies can only be realized if these tests are evaluated, adopted, and scaled up within the healthcare system with appropriate planning and understanding of the local contexts in which these technologies will be used. In this digital age, the laboratory needs to take on the role of the Command Centre for technology introduction and implementation. Implementation science is needed to understand the political, cultural, economic, and behavioural context for technology introduction. The new paradigm should include: building a comprehensive system of laboratories and point-of-care testing sites to provide quality-assured diagnostic services with good laboratory-clinic interface to build trust in test results and linkage to care; building and coordinating a comprehensive national surveillance and communication system for disease control and global health emergencies; conducting research to monitor the impact of new tools and interventions on improving patient care.

Goethite Bench-scale and Large-scale Preparation Tests

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

Josephson, Gary B.; Westsik, Joseph H.

2011-10-23

The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is the keystone for cleanup of high-level radioactive waste from our nation's nuclear defense program. The WTP will process high-level waste from the Hanford tanks and produce immobilized high-level waste glass for disposal at a national repository, low activity waste (LAW) glass, and liquid effluent from the vitrification off-gas scrubbers. The liquid effluent will be stabilized into a secondary waste form (e.g. grout-like material) and disposed on the Hanford site in the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) along with the low-activity waste glass. The major long-term environmental impact at Hanford results from technetiummore » that volatilizes from the WTP melters and finally resides in the secondary waste. Laboratory studies have indicated that pertechnetate ({sup 99}TcO{sub 4}{sup -}) can be reduced and captured into a solid solution of {alpha}-FeOOH, goethite (Um 2010). Goethite is a stable mineral and can significantly retard the release of technetium to the environment from the IDF. The laboratory studies were conducted using reaction times of many days, which is typical of environmental subsurface reactions that were the genesis of this new process. This study was the first step in considering adaptation of the slow laboratory steps to a larger-scale and faster process that could be conducted either within the WTP or within the effluent treatment facility (ETF). Two levels of scale-up tests were conducted (25x and 400x). The largest scale-up produced slurries of Fe-rich precipitates that contained rhenium as a nonradioactive surrogate for {sup 99}Tc. The slurries were used in melter tests at Vitreous State Laboratory (VSL) to determine whether captured rhenium was less volatile in the vitrification process than rhenium in an unmodified feed. A critical step in the technetium immobilization process is to chemically reduce Tc(VII) in the pertechnetate (TcO{sub 4}{sup -}) to Tc(Iv)by reaction with the

Large-scale laboratory observations of wave forces on a highway bridge superstructure.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-10-01

The experimental setup and data are presented for a laboratory experiment conducted to examine realistic wave forcing on a highway bridge : superstructure. The experiments measure wave conditions along with the resulting forces, pressures, and struct...

Vacuum packing: a model system for laboratory-scale silage fermentations.

PubMed

Johnson, H E; Merry, R J; Davies, D R; Kell, D B; Theodorou, M K; Griffith, G W

2005-01-01

To determine the utility of vacuum-packed polythene bags as a convenient, flexible and cost-effective alternative to fixed volume glass vessels for lab-scale silage studies. Using perennial ryegrass or red clover forage, similar fermentations (as assessed by pH measurement) occurred in glass tube and vacuum-packed silos over a 35-day period. As vacuum-packing devices allow modification of initial packing density, the effect of four different settings (initial packing densities of 0.397, 0.435, 0.492 and 0.534 g cm(-3)) on the silage fermentation over 16 days was examined. Significant differences in pH decline and lactate accumulation were observed at different vacuum settings. Gas accumulation was apparent within all bags and changes in bag volume with time was observed to vary according to initial packing density. Vacuum-packed silos do provide a realistic model system for lab-scale silage fermentations. Use of vacuum-packed silos holds potential for lab-scale evaluations of silage fermentations, allowing higher throughput of samples, more consistent packing as well as the possibility of investigating the effects of different initial packing densities and use of different wrapping materials.

Some Problems of Industrial Scale-Up.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, A. T.

1985-01-01

Scientific ideas of the biological laboratory are turned into economic realities in industry only after several problems are solved. Economics of scale, agitation, heat transfer, sterilization of medium and air, product recovery, waste disposal, and future developments are discussed using aerobic respiration as the example in the scale-up…

Consolidated clinical microbiology laboratories.

PubMed

Sautter, Robert L; Thomson, Richard B

2015-05-01

The manner in which medical care is reimbursed in the United States has resulted in significant consolidation in the U.S. health care system. One of the consequences of this has been the development of centralized clinical microbiology laboratories that provide services to patients receiving care in multiple off-site, often remote, locations. Microbiology specimens are unique among clinical specimens in that optimal analysis may require the maintenance of viable organisms. Centralized laboratories may be located hours from patient care settings, and transport conditions need to be such that organism viability can be maintained under a variety of transport conditions. Further, since the provision of rapid results has been shown to enhance patient care, effective and timely means for generating and then reporting the results of clinical microbiology analyses must be in place. In addition, today, increasing numbers of patients are found to have infection caused by pathogens that were either very uncommon in the past or even completely unrecognized. As a result, infectious disease specialists, in particular, are more dependent than ever on access to high-quality diagnostic information from clinical microbiology laboratories. In this point-counterpoint discussion, Robert Sautter, who directs a Charlotte, NC, clinical microbiology laboratory that provides services for a 40-hospital system spread over 3 states in the southeastern United States explains how an integrated clinical microbiology laboratory service has been established in a multihospital system. Richard (Tom) Thomson of the NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL, discusses some of the problems and pitfalls associated with large-scale laboratory consolidation. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A refuge for inorganic chemistry: Bunsen's Heidelberg laboratory.

PubMed

Nawa, Christine

2014-05-01

Immediately after its opening in 1855, Bunsen's Heidelberg laboratory became iconic as the most modern and best equipped laboratory in Europe. Although comparatively modest in size, the laboratory's progressive equipment made it a role model for new construction projects in Germany and beyond. In retrospect, it represents an intermediate stage of development between early teaching facilities, such as Liebig's laboratory in Giessen, and the new 'chemistry palaces' that came into existence with Wöhler's Göttingen laboratory of 1860. As a 'transition laboratory,' Bunsen's Heidelberg edifice is of particular historical interest. This paper explores the allocation of spaces to specific procedures and audiences within the laboratory, and the hierarchies and professional rites of passage embedded within it. On this basis, it argues that the laboratory in Heidelberg was tailored to Bunsen's needs in inorganic and physical chemistry and never aimed at a broad-scale representation of chemistry as a whole. On the contrary, it is an example of early specialisation within a chemical laboratory preceding the process of differentiation into chemical sub-disciplines. Finally, it is shown that the relatively small size of this laboratory, and the fact that after ca. 1860 no significant changes were made within the building, are inseparably connected to Bunsen's views on chemistry teaching.

Target detection and localization in shallow water: an experimental demonstration of the acoustic barrier problem at the laboratory scale.

PubMed

Marandet, Christian; Roux, Philippe; Nicolas, Barbara; Mars, Jérôme

2011-01-01

This study demonstrates experimentally at the laboratory scale the detection and localization of a wavelength-sized target in a shallow ultrasonic waveguide between two source-receiver arrays at 3 MHz. In the framework of the acoustic barrier problem, at the 1/1000 scale, the waveguide represents a 1.1-km-long, 52-m-deep ocean acoustic channel in the kilohertz frequency range. The two coplanar arrays record in the time-domain the transfer matrix of the waveguide between each pair of source-receiver transducers. Invoking the reciprocity principle, a time-domain double-beamforming algorithm is simultaneously performed on the source and receiver arrays. This array processing projects the multireverberated acoustic echoes into an equivalent set of eigenrays, which are defined by their launch and arrival angles. Comparison is made between the intensity of each eigenray without and with a target for detection in the waveguide. Localization is performed through tomography inversion of the acoustic impedance of the target, using all of the eigenrays extracted from double beamforming. The use of the diffraction-based sensitivity kernel for each eigenray provides both the localization and the signature of the target. Experimental results are shown in the presence of surface waves, and methodological issues are discussed for detection and localization.

Consecutive anaerobic-aerobic treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and lignocellulosic materials in laboratory-scale landfill-bioreactors.

PubMed

Pellera, Frantseska-Maria; Pasparakis, Emmanouil; Gidarakos, Evangelos

2016-10-01

The scope of this study is to evaluate the use of laboratory-scale landfill-bioreactors, operated consecutively under anaerobic and aerobic conditions, for the combined treatment of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) with two different co-substrates of lignocellulosic nature, namely green waste (GW) and dried olive pomace (DOP). According to the results such a system would represent a promising option for eventual larger scale applications. Similar variation patterns among bioreactors indicate a relatively defined sequence of processes. Initially operating the systems under anaerobic conditions would allow energetic exploitation of the substrates, while the implementation of a leachate treatment system ultimately aiming at nutrient recovery, especially during the anaerobic phase, could be a profitable option for the whole system, due to the high organic load that characterizes this effluent. In order to improve the overall effectiveness of such a system, measures towards enhancing methane contents of produced biogas, such as substrate pretreatment, should be investigated. Moreover, the subsequent aerobic phase should have the goal of stabilizing the residual materials and finally obtain an end material eventually suitable for other purposes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficiency of different air filter types for pig facilities at laboratory scale

PubMed Central

Wenke, Cindy; Pospiech, Janina; Reutter, Tobias; Truyen, Uwe

2017-01-01

Air filtration has been shown to be efficient in reducing pathogen burden in circulating air. We determined at laboratory scale the retention efficiency of different air filter types either composed of a prefilter (EU class G4) and a secondary fiberglass filter (EU class F9) or consisting of a filter mat (EU class M6 and F8-9). Four filter prototypes were tested for their capability to remove aerosol containing equine arteritis virus (EAV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), bovine enterovirus 1 (BEV), Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP), and Staphylococcus (S.) aureus from air. Depending on the filter prototype and utilisation, the airflow was set at 1,800 m3/h (combination of upstream prefilter and fiberglass filter) or 80 m3/h (filter mat). The pathogens were aerosolized and their concentration was determined in front of and behind the filter by culture or quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Furthermore, survival of the pathogens over time in the filter material was determined. Bacteria were most efficiently filtered with a reduction rate of up to 99.9% depending on the filter used. An approximately 98% reduction was achieved for the viruses tested. Viability or infectivity of APP or PRRSV in the filter material decreased below the detection limit after 4 h and 24 h, respectively, whereas S. aureus was still culturable after 4 weeks. Our results demonstrate that pathogens can efficiently be reduced by air filtration. Consequently, air filtration combined with other strict biosecurity measures markedly reduces the risk of introducing airborne transmitted pathogens to animal facilities. In addition, air filtration might be useful in reducing bioaerosols within a pig barn, hence improving respiratory health of pigs. PMID:29028843

Who Should Join the Environmental Response Laboratory Network

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Laboratories that analyze biological samples, chemical warfare agents, radiological, or toxic industrial chemical samples can join the ERLN. Members make up a critical infrastructure that delivers data necessary for responses to large scale emergencies.

Rationale for cost-effective laboratory medicine.

PubMed Central

Robinson, A

1994-01-01

There is virtually universal consensus that the health care system in the United States is too expensive and that costs need to be limited. Similar to health care costs in general, clinical laboratory expenditures have increased rapidly as a result of increased utilization and inflationary trends within the national economy. Economic constraints require that a compromise be reached between individual welfare and limited societal resources. Public pressure and changing health care needs have precipitated both subtle and radical laboratory changes to more effectively use allocated resources. Responsibility for excessive laboratory use can be assigned primarily to the following four groups: practicing physicians, physicians in training, patients, and the clinical laboratory. The strategies to contain escalating health care costs have ranged from individualized physician education programs to government intervention. Laboratories have responded to the fiscal restraints imposed by prospective payment systems by attempting to reduce operational costs without adversely impacting quality. Although cost containment directed at misutilization and overutilization of existing services has conserved resources, to date, an effective cost control mechanism has yet to be identified and successfully implemented on a grand enough scale to significantly impact health care expenditures in the United States. PMID:8055467

Translating a National Laboratory Strategic Plan into action through SLMTA in a district hospital laboratory in Botswana.

PubMed

Ntshambiwa, Keoratile; Ntabe-Jagwer, Winnie; Kefilwe, Chandapiwa; Samuel, Fredrick; Moyo, Sikhulile

2014-01-01

The Ministry of Health (MOH) of Botswana adopted Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA), a structured quality improvement programme, as a key tool for the implementation of quality management systems in its public health laboratories. Coupled with focused mentorship, this programme aimed to help MOH achieve the goals of the National Laboratory Strategic Plan to provide quality and timely clinical diagnoses. This article describes the impact of implementing SLMTA in Sekgoma Memorial Hospital Laboratory (SMHL) in Serowe, Botswana. SLMTA implementation in SMHL included trainings, improvement projects, site visits and focused mentorship. To measure progress, audits using the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist were conducted at baseline and exit of the programme, with scores corresponding to a zero- to five-star scale. Turnaround times, customer satisfaction, and several other health service indicators were tracked. The laboratory scored 53% (zero stars) at the baseline audit and 80% (three stars) at exit. Nearly three years later, the laboratory scored 85% (four stars) in an official audit conducted by the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. Turnaround times became shorter after SLMTA implementation, with reductions ranging 19% to 52%; overall patient satisfaction increased from 56% to 73%; and clinician satisfaction increased from 41% to 72%. Improvements in inventory management led to decreases in discarded reagents, reducing losses from US $18 000 in 2011 to $40 in 2013. The SLMTA programme contributed to enhanced performance of the laboratory, which in turn yielded potential positive impacts for patient care at the hospital.

Solar Cells in the School Physics Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikulski, Kazimeirz

1996-01-01

Discusses the goals of experiments which show examples of the use of solar energy on a scale suitable for a school laboratory. Highlights the history of discoveries and developments in photoelectricity. Presents investigations and experiments, that can be performed by students. (JRH)

Deicer scaling resistance of concrete mixtures containing slag cement. Phase 2 : evaluation of different laboratory scaling test methods.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-07-01

With the use of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) in concrete mixtures, salt scaling tests such as ASTM C672 have been found to be overly aggressive and do correlate well with field scaling performance. The reasons for this are thought to be b...

Effects of process parameters on solid self-microemulsifying particles in a laboratory scale fluid bed.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Tusharmouli; Plakogiannis, Fotios M

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to select the critical process parameters of the fluid bed processes impacting the quality attribute of a solid self-microemulsifying (SME) system of albendazole (ABZ). A fractional factorial design (2(4-1)) with four parameters (spray rate, inlet air temperature, inlet air flow, and atomization air pressure) was created by MINITAB software. Batches were manufactured in a laboratory top-spray fluid bed at 625-g scale. Loss on drying (LOD) samples were taken throughout each batch to build the entire moisture profiles. All dried granulation were sieved using mesh 20 and analyzed for particle size distribution (PSD), morphology, density, and flow. It was found that as spray rate increased, sauter-mean diameter (D(s)) also increased. The effect of inlet air temperature on the peak moisture which is directly related to the mean particle size was found to be significant. There were two-way interactions between studied process parameters. The main effects of inlet air flow rate and atomization air pressure could not be found as the data were inconclusive. The partial least square (PLS) regression model was found significant (P < 0.01) and predictive for optimization. This study established a design space for the parameters for solid SME manufacturing process.

Plant and mycorrhizal weathering at the laboratory mesocosm scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, M. Y.; Leake, J.; Banwart, S. A.; Beerling, D. J.

2011-12-01

The evolutionary development of large vascular land plants in the Paleozoic is hypothesized to have enhanced weathering of Ca and Mg silicate minerals. This plant-centric view overlooks the fact that plants and their associated mycorrhizal fungi co-evolved. Many weathering processes usually ascribed to plants may actually be driven by the combined activities of roots and mycorrhizal fungi. This study focuses on two key evolutionary events in plant and fungal evolution: 1) the transition from gymnosperm-only to mixed angiosperm-gymnosperm forests in the Mesozoic and 2) the similarly timed rise of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EM) in a previously arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) only world. Here we present results from a novel mesocosm-scale laboratory experiment designed to allow investigation of plant- and mycorrhizae-driven carbon fluxes and mineral weathering at different soil depths, and under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (1500 ppm) atmospheric CO2. To test our hypothesis that photosynthetic carbon flux from the plant to the roots and fungal partner drives biological weathering of minerals, we studied five mycorrhizal plant species: the gymnosperms Sequoia sempervirens (AM), Pinus sylvestris (EM) and Ginkgo biloba (AM), and two angiosperms, Magnolia grandiflora (AM) and Betula pendula (EM). This long term (7-9 months) experiment was grown in controlled environment chambers, with replicated systems at two atmospheric CO2 levels. Each mycorrhizal plant had access to isolated horizontal mesh cores containing crushed granite and basalt at three depths, in a compost:sand (50:50 vol:vol) bulk substrate, with appropriate plant-free and mineral-free controls. 14CO2 pulse-labeling provided a snapshot of the magnitude, timing, and allocation of carbon through the atmosphere-plant-fungi-soil system and also measured mycorrhizal fungal activity associated with the target granite and basalt. Total plant and fungal biomass were also assessed in relation to +/- mineral treatments and

Spatiotemporal variability in biogenic gas dynamics in a subtropical peat soil at the laboratory scale is revealed using high-resolution ground-penetrating radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustasaar, Mario; Comas, Xavier

2017-09-01

The importance of peatlands as sources of greenhouse gas emissions has been demonstrated in many studies during the last two decades. While most studies have shown the heterogeneous distribution of biogenic gas in peat soils at the field scale (sampling volumes in the order of meters), little information exists for submeter scales, particularly relevant to properly capture the dynamics of hot spots for gas accumulation and release when designing sampling routines with methods that use smaller (i.e., submeter) sampling volumes like flux chambers. In this study, ground-penetrating radar is used at the laboratory scale to evaluate biogenic gas dynamics at high spatial resolution (i.e., cm) in a peat monolith from the Everglades. The results indicate sharp changes (both spatially and temporally) in the dynamics of gas accumulation and release, representing hot spots for production and release of biogenic gases with surface areas ranging between 5 to 10 cm diameter and are associated with increases in porosity. Furthermore, changes in gas composition and inferred methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes also displayed a high spatiotemporal variability associated with hot spots, resulting in CH4 and CO2 flux estimates showing differences up to 1 order of magnitude during the same day for different parts of the sample. This work follows on recent studies in the Everglades and questions the appropriateness of spatial and temporal scales of measurement when defining gas dynamics by showing how flux values may change both spatially and temporarily even when considering submeter spatial scales.

On the viability of supporting institutional sharing of remote laboratory facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowe, David; Dang, Bridgette; Daniel, Keith; Murray, Stephen; Lindsay, Euan

2015-11-01

Laboratories are generally regarded as critical to engineering education, and yet educational institutions face significant challenges in developing and maintaining high-quality laboratory facilities. Remote laboratories are increasingly being explored as a partial solution to this challenge, with research showing that - for the right learning outcomes - they can be viable adjuncts or alternatives to conventional hands-on laboratories. One consequential opportunity arising from the inherent support for distributed access is the possibility of cross-institutional shared facilities. While both technical feasibility and pedagogic implications of remote laboratories have been well studied within the literature, the organisational and logistical issues associated with shared facilities have received limited consideration. This paper uses an existing national-scale laboratory sharing initiative, along with a related survey and laboratory sharing data, to analyse a range of factors that can affect engagement in laboratory sharing. The paper also discusses the implications for supporting ongoing laboratory sharing.

Strategies for laboratory cost containment and for pathologist shortage: centralised pathology laboratories with microwave-stimulated histoprocessing and telepathology.

PubMed

Leong, Anthony S Y; Leong, F Joel W M

2005-02-01

The imposition of laboratory cost containment, often from external forces, dictates the necessity to develop strategies to meet laboratory cost savings. In addition, the national and worldwide shortage of anatomical pathologists makes it imperative to examine our current practice and laboratory set-ups. Some of the strategies employed in other areas of pathology and laboratory medicine include improvements in staff productivity and the adoption of technological developments that reduce manual intervention. However, such opportunities in anatomical pathology are few and far between. Centralisation has been an effective approach in bringing economies of scale, the adoption of 'best practices' and the consolidation of pathologists, but this has not been possible in anatomical pathology because conventional histoprocessing takes a minimum of 14 hours and clinical turnaround time requirements necessitate that the laboratory and pathologist be in proximity and on site. While centralisation of laboratories for clinical chemistry, haematology and even microbiology has been successful in Australia and other countries, the essential requirements for anatomical pathology laboratories are different. In addition to efficient synchronised courier networks, a method of ultra-rapid tissue processing and some expedient system of returning the prepared tissue sections to the remote laboratory are essential to maintain the turnaround times mandatory for optimal clinical management. The advent of microwave-stimulated tissue processing that can be completed in 30-60 minutes and the immediate availability of compressed digital images of entire tissue sections via telepathology completes the final components of the equation necessary for making centralised anatomical pathology laboratories a reality.

Acoustic Treatment Design Scaling Methods. Volume 3; Test Plans, Hardware, Results, and Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yu, J.; Kwan, H. W.; Echternach, D. K.; Kraft, R. E.; Syed, A. A.

1999-01-01

The ability to design, build, and test miniaturized acoustic treatment panels on scale-model fan rigs representative of the full-scale engine provides not only a cost-savings, but an opportunity to optimize the treatment by allowing tests of different designs. To be able to use scale model treatment as a full-scale design tool, it is necessary that the designer be able to reliably translate the scale model design and performance to an equivalent full-scale design. The primary objective of the study presented in this volume of the final report was to conduct laboratory tests to evaluate liner acoustic properties and validate advanced treatment impedance models. These laboratory tests include DC flow resistance measurements, normal incidence impedance measurements, DC flow and impedance measurements in the presence of grazing flow, and in-duct liner attenuation as well as modal measurements. Test panels were fabricated at three different scale factors (i.e., full-scale, half-scale, and one-fifth scale) to support laboratory acoustic testing. The panel configurations include single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) perforated sandwich panels, SDOF linear (wire mesh) liners, and double-degree-of-freedom (DDOF) linear acoustic panels.

Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS): A case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crandall, Karen S.; Auping, Judith V.; Megargle, Robert G.

1987-01-01

In the late 70's, a refurbishment of the analytical laboratories serving the Materials Division at NASA Lewis Research Center was undertaken. As part of the modernization efforts, a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was to be included. Preliminary studies indicated a custom-designed system as the best choice in order to satisfy all of the requirements. A scaled down version of the original design has been in operation since 1984. The LIMS, a combination of computer hardware, provides the chemical characterization laboratory with an information data base, a report generator, a user interface, and networking capabilities. This paper is an account of the processes involved in designing and implementing that LIMS.

A laboratory-scale pretreatment and hydrolysis assay for determination of reactivity in cellulosic biomass feedstocks.

PubMed

Wolfrum, Edward J; Ness, Ryan M; Nagle, Nicholas J; Peterson, Darren J; Scarlata, Christopher J

2013-11-14

The rapid determination of the release of structural sugars from biomass feedstocks is an important enabling technology for the development of cellulosic biofuels. An assay that is used to determine sugar release for large numbers of samples must be robust, rapid, and easy to perform, and must use modest amounts of the samples to be tested.In this work we present a laboratory-scale combined pretreatment and saccharification assay that can be used as a biomass feedstock screening tool. The assay uses a commercially available automated solvent extraction system for pretreatment followed by a small-scale enzymatic hydrolysis step. The assay allows multiple samples to be screened simultaneously, and uses only ~3 g of biomass per sample. If the composition of the biomass sample is known, the results of the assay can be expressed as reactivity (fraction of structural carbohydrate present in the biomass sample released as monomeric sugars). We first present pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis experiments on a set of representative biomass feedstock samples (corn stover, poplar, sorghum, switchgrass) in order to put the assay in context, and then show the results of the assay applied to approximately 150 different feedstock samples covering 5 different materials. From the compositional analysis data we identify a positive correlation between lignin and structural carbohydrates, and from the reactivity data we identify a negative correlation between both carbohydrate and lignin content and total reactivity. The negative correlation between lignin content and total reactivity suggests that lignin may interfere with sugar release, or that more mature samples (with higher structural sugars) may have more recalcitrant lignin. The assay presented in this work provides a robust and straightforward method to measure the sugar release after pretreatment and saccharification that can be used as a biomass feedstock screening tool. We demonstrated the utility of the assay by

Developments of Spent Nuclear Fuel Pyroprocessing Technology at Idaho National Laboratory

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

Michael F. Simpson

This paper summarizes research in used fuel pyroprocessing that has been published by Idaho National Laboratory over the last decade. It includes work done both on treatment of Experimental Breeder Reactor-II and development of advanced technology for potential scale-up and commercialization. Collaborations with universities and other laboratories is included in the cited work.

Source Code Analysis Laboratory (SCALe) for Energy Delivery Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

the software for reevaluation. Once the ree- valuation process is completed, CERT provides the client a report detailing the software’s con - formance...Flagged Nonconformities (FNC) Software System TP/FNC Ratio Mozilla Firefox version 2.0 6/12 50% Linux kernel version 2.6.15 10/126 8% Wine...inappropriately tuned for analysis of the Linux kernel, which has anomalous results. Customizing SCALe to work with energy system software will help

A Laboratory Scale Vortex Generator for Simulation of Martian Dust Devils.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balme, M.; Greeley, R.; Mickelson, B.; Iversen, J.; Beardmore, G.; Metzger, S.

2001-12-01

Martian dust particles are a few microns in diameter. Current Martian ambient wind speeds appear to be insufficient to lift such fine particles and are marginal to entrain even the optimum particles sizes for threshold (100-160mm diameter). Instead, dust devils were suggested as a local source of airborne particles and have been observed on Mars both from orbit and from lander data. Dust devils lift particles through enhanced local wind speeds and by a pressure drop often associated with the vortex which provides `lift'. This study seeks to 1) quantify the relative importance of enhanced wind speed versus pressure drop lift in dust devil entrainment threshold; 2) measure the mass transport potential of dust devils; 3) investigate the effects of surface roughness and topography on dust devil morphology; 4) quantify the overall effects of low atmospheric pressure on the formation, structure and entrainment processes of dust devils. To investigate the particle lifting properties of dust devils, a laboratory vortex generator was fabricated. It consists of a large vertical cylinder (45 and 75cm in diameter) containing a motor-driven rotor comprised of four vertical blades. Beneath the cylinder is a 2.4 by 2.4 m tabletop containing 14 differential pressure transducer ports used to measure the surface pressure structure of the vortex. Both the distance between the cylinder and the tabletop and the height of the blades within the cylinder can be varied. By controlling these variables and the angular velocity of the blades, a wide range of geometries and intensities of atmospheric vortices can be achieved. The apparatus is portable for use both under terrestrial atmospheric conditions and in the NASA-Ames Research Center Mars Surface Wind Tunnel facility to simulate Martian atmospheric conditions. The laboratory simulation is preferable to a numerical model because direct measurements of dust lifting threshold can be made and holds several advantages over terrestrial field

Evidence of Biot Slow Waves in Electroseismic Measurementss on Laboratory-Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devi, M. S.

2015-12-01

Electroseismic methods which are the opposite of seismo-electric methods have only been little investigated up to now especially in the near surface scale. These methods can generate the solid-fluid relative movement induced by the electric potential in fluid-filled porous media. These methods are the response of electro-osmosis due to the presence of the electrical double layer. Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations of electroseismic studies have been performed. Electroseismic measurements conducted in micro glass beads saturated with demineralized water. Pair of 37 x 37 mm square aluminium grids with 2 mm of aperture and 4 mm of spacing is used as the electric dipole that connected to the electric power source with the voltage output 150 V. A laser doppler vibrometer is the system used to measure velocity of vibrating objects during measurements by placing a line of reflective paper on the surface of media that scattered back a helium-neon laser. The results in homogeneous media shows that the compressional waves induced by an electric signal. We confirm that the results are not the effects of thermal expansion. We also noticed that there are two kinds of the compressional waves are recorded: fast and slow P-waves. The latter, Biot slow waves, indicate the dominant amplitude. Moreover, we found that the transition frequency (ωc) of Biot slow waves depends on mechanical parameters such as porosity and permeability. The ωc is not affected when varying conductivity of the fluid from 25 - 320 μS/cm, although the amplitude slightly changed. For the results in two layer media by placing a sandstone as a top layer shows that a large amount of transmission seismic waves (apparently as Biot slow waves) rather than converted electromagnetic-to-seismic waves. These properties have also been simulated with full waveform numerical simulations relying on Pride's (1994) using our computer code (Garambois & Dietrich, 2002). If it is true that the electric source in

Nano iron particles transport in fractured rocks: laboratory and field scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Meirav; Weisbrod, Noam

2017-04-01

Our study deals with the transport potential of nano iron particles (NIPs) in fractured media. Two different systemswere used to investigate transport on two scales: (1 )a laboratory flow system of a naturally discrete fractured chalk core, 0.43 and 0.18 m in length and diamater, respectively; and (2) a field system of hydraulically connected boreholes located 47 m apart which penetrate a fractured chalk aquifer. We started by testing the transport potential of various NIPs under different conditions. Particle stability experiments were conducted using various NIPs and different stabilizersat two ionic strengths. Overall, four different NIPs and three stabilizers were tested. Particles and solution properties (stability, aggregate/particle size, viscosity and density) were tested in batch experiments, and transport experiments (breakthrough curves (BTCs) and recovery) were conduted in the fractured chalk core. We have learned that the key parameters controlling particle transport are the particle/aggregate size and stability, which govern NIP settling rates and ultimately their migration distance. The governing mechanism controlling NIP transport was found to be sedimentation, and to a much lesser extent, processes such as diffusion, straining or interception. On the basis of these experiments, Carbo-Iron® particles ( 800 nm activated carbon particles doped with nano zero valent iron particles) and Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) stabilizer were selected for the field test injection. In the field, Carbo-Iron particles were initially injected into the fractured aquifer using an excess of stabilizer in order to ensure maximum recovery. This resulted in high particle recovery and fast arrival time, similar to the ideal tracer (iodide). The high recovery of the stable particle solution emphasized the importance of particle stability for transport in fractures. To test mobility manipulation potential of the particles and simulate more realistic scenarios, a second field

Development of an Environmental Virtual Field Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramasundaram, V.; Grunwald, S.; Mangeot, A.; Comerford, N. B.; Bliss, C. M.

2005-01-01

Laboratory exercises, field observations and field trips are a fundamental part of many earth science and environmental science courses. Field observations and field trips can be constrained because of distance, time, expense, scale, safety, or complexity of real-world environments. Our objectives were to develop an environmental virtual field…

Building laboratory capacity to support HIV care in Nigeria: Harvard/APIN PEPFAR, 2004-2012.

PubMed

Hamel, Donald J; Sankalé, Jean-Louis; Samuels, Jay Osi; Sarr, Abdoulaye D; Chaplin, Beth; Ofuche, Eke; Meloni, Seema T; Okonkwo, Prosper; Kanki, Phyllis J

From 2004-2012, the Harvard/AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, funded through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief programme, scaled up HIV care and treatment services in Nigeria. We describe the methodologies and collaborative processes developed to improve laboratory capacity significantly in a resource-limited setting. These methods were implemented at 35 clinic and laboratory locations. Systems were established and modified to optimise numerous laboratory processes. These included strategies for clinic selection and management, equipment and reagent procurement, supply chains, laboratory renovations, equipment maintenance, electronic data management, quality development programmes and trainings. Over the eight-year programme, laboratories supported 160 000 patients receiving HIV care in Nigeria, delivering over 2.5 million test results, including regular viral load quantitation. External quality assurance systems were established for CD4+ cell count enumeration, blood chemistries and viral load monitoring. Laboratory equipment platforms were improved and standardised and use of point-of-care analysers was expanded. Laboratory training workshops supported laboratories toward increasing staff skills and improving overall quality. Participation in a World Health Organisation-led African laboratory quality improvement system resulted in significant gains in quality measures at five laboratories. Targeted implementation of laboratory development processes, during simultaneous scale-up of HIV treatment programmes in a resource-limited setting, can elicit meaningful gains in laboratory quality and capacity. Systems to improve the physical laboratory environment, develop laboratory staff, create improvements to reduce costs and increase quality are available for future health and laboratory strengthening programmes. We hope that the strategies employed may inform and encourage the development of other laboratories in resource-limited settings.

Introductory Physics Laboratories for Life Scientists - Hands on Physics of Complex Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losert, Wolfgang; Moore, Kim

2015-03-01

We have developed a set of laboratories and hands on activities to accompany a new two-semester interdisciplinary physics course that has been successfully implemented as the required physics course for premeds at the University of Maryland. The laboratories include significant content on physics relevant to cellular scales, from chemical interactions to random motion and charge screening in fluids. We also introduce the students to research-grade equipment and modern physics analysis tools in contexts relevant to biology, while maintaining the pedagogically valuable open-ended laboratory structure of reformed laboratories.

Development of performance assessment instrument based contextual learning for measuring students laboratory skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susilaningsih, E.; Khotimah, K.; Nurhayati, S.

2018-04-01

The assessment of laboratory skill in general hasn’t specific guideline in assessment, while the individual assessment of students during a performance and skill in performing laboratory is still not been observed and measured properly. Alternative assessment that can be used to measure student laboratory skill is use performance assessment. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the performance assessment instrument that the result of research can be used to assess basic skills student laboratory. This research was conducted by the Research and Development. The result of the data analysis performance assessment instruments developed feasible to implement and validation result 62.5 with very good categories for observation sheets laboratory skills and all of the components with the very good category. The procedure is the preliminary stages of research and development stages. Preliminary stages are divided in two, namely the field studies and literature studies. The development stages are divided into several parts, namely 1) development of the type instrument, 2) validation by an expert, 3) a limited scale trial, 4) large-scale trials and 5) implementation of the product. The instrument included in the category of effective because 26 from 29 students have very high laboratory skill and high laboratory skill. The research of performance assessment instrument is standard and can be used to assess basic skill student laboratory.

Predictive modelling of flow in a two-dimensional intermediate-scale, heterogeneous porous media

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barth, Gilbert R.; Hill, M.C.; Illangasekare, T.H.; Rajaram, H.

2000-01-01

To better understand the role of sedimentary structures in flow through porous media, and to determine how small-scale laboratory-measured values of hydraulic conductivity relate to in situ values this work deterministically examines flow through simple, artificial structures constructed for a series of intermediate-scale (10 m long), two-dimensional, heterogeneous, laboratory experiments. Nonlinear regression was used to determine optimal values of in situ hydraulic conductivity, which were compared to laboratory-measured values. Despite explicit numerical representation of the heterogeneity, the optimized values were generally greater than the laboratory-measured values. Discrepancies between measured and optimal values varied depending on the sand sieve size, but their contribution to error in the predicted flow was fairly consistent for all sands. Results indicate that, even under these controlled circumstances, laboratory-measured values of hydraulic conductivity need to be applied to models cautiously.To better understand the role of sedimentary structures in flow through porous media, and to determine how small-scale laboratory-measured values of hydraulic conductivity relate to in situ values this work deterministically examines flow through simple, artificial structures constructed for a series of intermediate-scale (10 m long), two-dimensional, heterogeneous, laboratory experiments. Nonlinear regression was used to determine optimal values of in situ hydraulic conductivity, which were compared to laboratory-measured values. Despite explicit numerical representation of the heterogeneity, the optimized values were generally greater than the laboratory-measured values. Discrepancies between measured and optimal values varied depending on the sand sieve size, but their contribution to error in the predicted flow was fairly consistent for all sands. Results indicate that, even under these controlled circumstances, laboratory-measured values of hydraulic

The small-scale treatability study sample exemption

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

Coalgate, J.

1991-01-01

In 1981, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an interim final rule that conditionally exempted waste samples collected solely for the purpose of monitoring or testing to determine their characteristics or composition'' from RCRA Subtitle C hazardous waste regulations. This exemption (40 CFR 261.4(d)) apples to the transportation of samples between the generator and testing laboratory, temporary storage of samples at the laboratory prior to and following testing, and storage at a laboratory for specific purposes such as an enforcement action. However, the exclusion did not include large-scale samples used in treatability studies or other testing at pilot plants ormore » other experimental facilities. As a result of comments received by the EPA subsequent to the issuance of the interim final rule, the EPA reopened the comment period on the interim final rule on September 18, 1987, and specifically requested comments on whether or not the sample exclusion should be expanded to include waste samples used in small-scale treatability studies. Almost all responders commented favorably on such a proposal. As a result, the EPA issued a final rule (53 FR 27290, July 19, 1988) conditionally exempting waste samples used in small-scale treatability studies from full regulation under Subtitle C of RCRA. The question of whether or not to extend the exclusion to larger scale as proposed by the Hazardous Waste Treatment Council was deferred until a later date. This information Brief summarizes the requirements of the small-scale treatability exemption.« less

Argonne National Laboratory Annual Report of Laboratory Directed Research and Development program activities FY 2011.

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

Office of The Director)

As a national laboratory Argonne concentrates on scientific and technological challenges that can only be addressed through a sustained, interdisciplinary focus at a national scale. Argonne's eight major initiatives, as enumerated in its strategic plan, are Hard X-ray Sciences, Leadership Computing, Materials and Molecular Design and Discovery, Energy Storage, Alternative Energy and Efficiency, Nuclear Energy, Biological and Environmental Systems, and National Security. The purposes of Argonne's Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program are to encourage the development of novel technical concepts, enhance the Laboratory's research and development (R and D) capabilities, and pursue its strategic goals. projects are selectedmore » from proposals for creative and innovative R and D studies that require advance exploration before they are considered to be sufficiently developed to obtain support through normal programmatic channels. Among the aims of the projects supported by the LDRD Program are the following: establishment of engineering proof of principle, assessment of design feasibility for prospective facilities, development of instrumentation or computational methods or systems, and discoveries in fundamental science and exploratory development.« less

Impact of the addition of chicken litter on mercury speciation and emissions from coal combustion in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed combustor

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

Songgeng Li; Shuang Deng; Andy Wu

Co-combustion of chicken litter with coal was performed in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed combustor to investigate the effect of chicken litter addition on the partitioning behavior of mercury. Gaseous total and elemental mercury concentrations in the flue gas were measured online, and ash was analyzed for particle-bound mercury along with other elemental and surface properties. The mercury mass balance was between 85 and 105%. The experimental results show that co-combustion of chicken litter decreases the amount of elemental and total mercury in the gas phase. Mercury content in fly ash increases with an increasing chicken litter share. 22 refs., 6more » figs., 5 tabs.« less

Laboratory Observations of Dune Erosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maddux, T. B.; Ruggiero, P.; Palmsten, M.; Holman, R.; Cox, D. T.

2006-12-01

Coastal dunes are an important feature along many coastlines, owing to their input to the sediment supply, use as habitat, and ability to protect onshore resources from wave attack. Correct predictions of the erosion and overtopping rates of these features are needed to develop improved responses to coastal dune damage events, and to determining the likelihood and magnitude of future erosion and overtopping on different beaches. We have conducted a large-scale laboratory study at Oregon State University's O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory (HWRL) with the goal of producing a comprehensive, near prototype-scale, physical model data set of hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and morphological evolution during extreme dune erosion events. The two goals of this work are (1) to develop a better understanding of swash/dune dynamics and (2) to evaluate and guide further development of dune erosion models. We present initial results from the first phase of the experimental program. An initial beach and dune profile was selected based on field LIDAR-based observations of various U.S. east coast and Gulf coast dune systems. The laboratory beach was brought to equilibrium with pre-storm random wave conditions. It was subsequently subjected to attack from steadily increasing water level and offshore wave heights. Observations made include inner surf zone and swash free surface and velocities as well as wave-by-wave estimates of topographical change at high spatial resolution through the use of stereo video imagery. Future work will include studies of fluid overtopping of the dune and sediment overwash and assessment of the resilience of man-made "push-up" dunes to wave attack in comparison with their more-compacted "natural" cousins.

Using Interorganizational Partnerships to Strengthen Public Health Laboratory Systems

PubMed Central

Kimsey, Paul; Buehring, Gertrude

2013-01-01

Due to the current economic environment, many local and state health departments are faced with budget reductions. Health department administrators and public health laboratory (PHL) directors need to assess strategies to ensure that their PHLs can provide the same level of service with decreased funds. Exploratory case studies of interorganizational partnerships among local PHLs in California were conducted to determine the impact on local PHL testing services and capacity. Our findings suggest that interorganizational forms of cooperation among local PHLs can help bolster laboratory capacity by capturing economies of scale, leveraging scarce resources, and ensuring access to affordable, timely, and quality laboratory testing services. Interorganizational partnerships will help local and state public health departments continue to maintain a strong and robust laboratory system that supports their role in communicable disease surveillance. PMID:23997305

Microbial Community Shifts due to Hydrofracking: Observations from Field-Scale Observations and Laboratory-Scale Incubations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouser, P. J.; Ansari, M.; Hartsock, A.; Lui, S.; Lenhart, J.

2012-12-01

The use of fluids containing chemicals and variable water sources during the hydrofracking of unconventional shale is the source of considerable controversy due to perceived risks from altered subsurface biogeochemistry and the potential for contaminating potable water supplies. Rapid shifts in subsurface biogeochemistry are often driven by available macronutrients combined with the abundance and metabolic condition of the subsurface microbiota. While the depth that fracturing occurs in the Marcellus formation is reasonably deep to pose little risk to groundwater supplies, no published studies have systematically characterized the indigenous microbial population and how this community is altered through variable fluid management practices (e.g., chemical composition, source water makeup). In addition, limited information is available on how shallower microbial communities and geochemical conditions might be affected through the accidental release of these fluids to groundwater aquifers. Our measurements indicate field-applied and laboratory-generated fracking fluids contain levels of organic carbon greater than 300 mg/l and nitrogen concentrations greater than 80 mg/l that may differentially stimulate microbial growth in subsurface formations. In contrast to certain inorganic constituents (e.g., chloride) which increase in concentration through the flowback period; dissolved organic carbon levels decrease with time after the fracturing process through multiple attenuation processes (dilution, sorption, microbial utilization). Pyrosequencing data of the 16S rRNA gene indicate a shift from a more diverse source water microbial community to a less diverse community typical of a brine formation as time after fracturing increases. The introduction of varying percentages of a laboratory-generated fracking fluid to microcosm bottles containing groundwater and aquifer media stimulated biogeochemical changes similar to the introduction of landfill leachate, another

Validation of Radiometric Standards for the Laboratory Calibration of Reflected-Solar Earth Observing Satellite Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butler, James J.; Johnson, B. Carol; Rice, Joseph P.; Brown, Steven W.; Barnes, Robert A.

2007-01-01

Historically, the traceability of the laboratory calibration of Earth-observing satellite instruments to a primary radiometric reference scale (SI units) is the responsibility of each instrument builder. For the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS), a program has been developed using laboratory transfer radiometers, each with its own traceability to the primary radiance scale of a national metrology laboratory, to independently validate the radiances assigned to the laboratory sources of the instrument builders. The EOS Project Science Office also developed a validation program for the measurement of onboard diffuse reflecting plaques, which are also used as radiometric standards for Earth-observing satellite instruments. Summarized results of these validation campaigns, with an emphasis on the current state-of-the-art uncertainties in laboratory radiometric standards, will be presented. Future mission uncertainty requirements, and possible enhancements to the EOS validation program to ensure that those uncertainties can be met, will be presented.

Complementarity of Laboratory and Space Experiments on Reconnexion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, T. E.; Chen, L. J.

2017-12-01

Reconnection research has for some time been focused upon understanding the electron scale physics in the electron diffusion region (EDR), both in space and in the laboratory. Ren et al. [2008 PRL] reported identification and resolution of the EDR in the MRX laboratory experiment. More recently, Burch et al. [2016] reported identification of the EDR in reconnection at the magnetopause. Space observations from MMS have also provided the first capability to resolve and measure the full electron VDF within and around the EDR, making it possible to observe electron acceleration by the reconnection electric field and revealing new features of the EDR. Laboratory and space explorations of EDR physics may complement and inspire each other in other ways to be discussed by the panel.

Microseismicity of an Unstable Rock Mass: From Field Monitoring to Laboratory Testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colombero, C.; Comina, C.; Vinciguerra, S.; Benson, P. M.

2018-02-01

The field-scale microseismic (MS) activity of an unstable rock mass is known to be an important tool to assess damage and cracking processes eventually leading to macroscopic failures. However, MS-event rates alone may not be enough for a complete understanding of the trigger mechanisms of mechanical instabilities. Acoustic Emission (AE) techniques at the laboratory scale can be used to provide complementary information. In this study, we report a MS/AE comparison to assess the stability of a granitic rock mass in the northwestern Italian Alps (Madonna del Sasso). An attempt to bridge the gap between the two different scales of observation, and the different site and laboratory conditions, is undertaken to gain insights on the rock mass behavior as a function of external governing factors. Time- and frequency-domain parameters of the MS/AE waveforms are compared and discussed with this aim. At the field scale, special attention is devoted to the correlation of the MS-event rate with meteorological parameters (air temperature and rainfalls). At the laboratory scale, AE rates, waveforms, and spectral content, recorded under controlled temperature and fluid conditions, are analyzed in order to better constrain the physical mechanisms responsible for the observed field patterns. The factors potentially governing the mechanical instability at the site were retrieved from the integration of the results. Abrupt thermal variations were identified as the main cause of the site microsesimicity, without highlighting irreversible acceleration in the MS-event rate potentially anticipating the rock mass collapse.

COMPARISON OF FIELD AEROBIC BIODEGRADATION RATES TO LABORATORY

EPA Science Inventory

It is common to use bioventing as a polishing step for soil vapor extraction. It was originally planned to use soil vapor extraction and bioventing at a former landfill site in Delaware but laboratory scale biodegradation studies indicated that most of the volatile organic compou...

Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Spores during Laboratory-Scale Composting of Feedlot Cattle Manure

PubMed Central

Xu, Shanwei; Harvey, Amanda; Barbieri, Ruth; Reuter, Tim; Stanford, Kim; Amoako, Kingsley K.; Selinger, Leonard B.; McAllister, Tim A.

2016-01-01

Anthrax outbreaks in livestock have social, economic and health implications, altering farmer’s livelihoods, impacting trade and posing a zoonotic risk. Our study investigated the survival of Bacillus thuringiensis and B. anthracis spores sporulated at 15, 20, or 37°C, over 33 days of composting. Spores (∼7.5 log10 CFU g-1) were mixed with manure and composted in laboratory scale composters. After 15 days, the compost was mixed and returned to the composter for a second cycle. Temperatures peaked at 71°C on day 2 and remained ≥55°C for an average of 7 days in the first cycle, but did not exceed 55°C in the second. For B. thuringiensis, spores generated at 15 and 21°C exhibited reduced (P < 0.05) viability of 2.7 and 2.6 log10 CFU g-1 respectively, as compared to a 0.6 log10 CFU g-1 reduction for those generated at 37°C. For B. anthracis, sporulation temperature did not impact spore survival as there was a 2.5, 2.2, and 2.8 log10 CFU g-1 reduction after composting for spores generated at 15, 21, and 37°C, respectively. For both species, spore viability declined more rapidly (P < 0.05) in the first as compared to the second composting cycle. Our findings suggest that the duration of thermophilic exposure (≥55°C) is the main factor influencing survival of B. anthracis spores in compost. As sporulation temperature did not influence survival of B. anthracis, composting may lower the viability of spores associated with carcasses infected with B. anthracis over a range of sporulation temperatures. PMID:27303388

Impact Load Behavior between Different Charge and Lifter in a Laboratory-Scale Mill

PubMed Central

Yin, Zixin; Zhu, Zhencai; Yu, Zhangfa; Li, Tongqing

2017-01-01

The impact behavior between the charge and lifter has significant effect to address the mill processing, and is affected by various factors including mill speed, mill filling, lifter height and media shape. To investigate the multi-body impact load behavior, a series of experiments and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations were performed on a laboratory-scale mill, in order to improve the grinding efficiency and prolong the life of the lifter. DEM simulation hitherto has been extensively applied as a leading tool to describe diverse issues in granular processes. The research results shown as follows: The semi-empirical power draw of Bond model in this paper does not apply very satisfactorily for the ball mills, while the power draw determined by DEM simulation show a good approximation for the measured power draw. Besides, the impact force on the lifter was affected by mill speed, grinding media filling, lifter height and iron ore particle. The maximum percent of the impact force between 600 and 1400 N is at 70–80% of critical speed. The impact force can be only above 1400 N at the grinding media filling of 20%, and the maximum percent of impact force between 200 and 1400 N is obtained at the grinding media filling of 20%. The percent of impact force ranging from 0 to 200 N decreases with the increase of lifter height. However, this perfect will increase above 200 N. The impact force will decrease when the iron ore particles are added. Additionally, for the 80% of critical speed, the measured power draw has a maximum value. Increasing the grinding media filling increases the power draw and increasing the lifter height does not lead to any variation in power draw. PMID:28773243

Impact Load Behavior between Different Charge and Lifter in a Laboratory-Scale Mill.

PubMed

Yin, Zixin; Peng, Yuxing; Zhu, Zhencai; Yu, Zhangfa; Li, Tongqing

2017-07-31

The impact behavior between the charge and lifter has significant effect to address the mill processing, and is affected by various factors including mill speed, mill filling, lifter height and media shape. To investigate the multi-body impact load behavior, a series of experiments and Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations were performed on a laboratory-scale mill, in order to improve the grinding efficiency and prolong the life of the lifter. DEM simulation hitherto has been extensively applied as a leading tool to describe diverse issues in granular processes. The research results shown as follows: The semi-empirical power draw of Bond model in this paper does not apply very satisfactorily for the ball mills, while the power draw determined by DEM simulation show a good approximation for the measured power draw. Besides, the impact force on the lifter was affected by mill speed, grinding media filling, lifter height and iron ore particle. The maximum percent of the impact force between 600 and 1400 N is at 70-80% of critical speed. The impact force can be only above 1400 N at the grinding media filling of 20%, and the maximum percent of impact force between 200 and 1400 N is obtained at the grinding media filling of 20%. The percent of impact force ranging from 0 to 200 N decreases with the increase of lifter height. However, this perfect will increase above 200 N. The impact force will decrease when the iron ore particles are added. Additionally, for the 80% of critical speed, the measured power draw has a maximum value. Increasing the grinding media filling increases the power draw and increasing the lifter height does not lead to any variation in power draw.

The use of laboratory-determined ion exchange parameters in the predictive modelling of field-scale major cation migration in groundwater over a 40-year period.

PubMed

Carlyle, Harriet F; Tellam, John H; Parker, Karen E

2004-01-01

An attempt has been made to estimate quantitatively cation concentration changes as estuary water invades a Triassic Sandstone aquifer in northwest England. Cation exchange capacities and selectivity coefficients for Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) were measured in the laboratory using standard techniques. Selectivity coefficients were also determined using a method involving optimized back-calculation from flushing experiments, thus permitting better representation of field conditions; in all cases, the Gaines-Thomas/constant cation exchange capacity (CEC) model was found to be a reasonable, though not perfect, first description. The exchange parameters interpreted from the laboratory experiments were used in a one-dimensional reactive transport mixing cell model, and predictions compared with field pumping well data (Cl and hardness spanning a period of around 40 years, and full major ion analyses in approximately 1980). The concentration patterns predicted using Gaines-Thomas exchange with calcite equilibrium were similar to the observed patterns, but the concentrations of the divalent ions were significantly overestimated, as were 1980 sulphate concentrations, and 1980 alkalinity concentrations were underestimated. Including representation of sulphate reduction in the estuarine alluvium failed to replicate 1980 HCO(3) and pH values. However, by including partial CO(2) degassing following sulphate reduction, a process for which there is 34S and 18O evidence from a previous study, a good match for SO(4), HCO(3), and pH was attained. Using this modified estuary water and averaged values from the laboratory ion exchange parameter determinations, good predictions for the field cation data were obtained. It is concluded that the Gaines-Thomas/constant exchange capacity model with averaged parameter values can be used successfully in ion exchange predictions in this aquifer at a regional scale and over extended time scales, despite the numerous assumptions inherent in

The use of laboratory-determined ion exchange parameters in the predictive modelling of field-scale major cation migration in groundwater over a 40-year period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlyle, Harriet F.; Tellam, John H.; Parker, Karen E.

2004-01-01

An attempt has been made to estimate quantitatively cation concentration changes as estuary water invades a Triassic Sandstone aquifer in northwest England. Cation exchange capacities and selectivity coefficients for Na +, K +, Ca 2+, and Mg 2+ were measured in the laboratory using standard techniques. Selectivity coefficients were also determined using a method involving optimized back-calculation from flushing experiments, thus permitting better representation of field conditions; in all cases, the Gaines-Thomas/constant cation exchange capacity (CEC) model was found to be a reasonable, though not perfect, first description. The exchange parameters interpreted from the laboratory experiments were used in a one-dimensional reactive transport mixing cell model, and predictions compared with field pumping well data (Cl and hardness spanning a period of around 40 years, and full major ion analyses in ˜1980). The concentration patterns predicted using Gaines-Thomas exchange with calcite equilibrium were similar to the observed patterns, but the concentrations of the divalent ions were significantly overestimated, as were 1980 sulphate concentrations, and 1980 alkalinity concentrations were underestimated. Including representation of sulphate reduction in the estuarine alluvium failed to replicate 1980 HCO 3 and pH values. However, by including partial CO 2 degassing following sulphate reduction, a process for which there is 34S and 18O evidence from a previous study, a good match for SO 4, HCO 3, and pH was attained. Using this modified estuary water and averaged values from the laboratory ion exchange parameter determinations, good predictions for the field cation data were obtained. It is concluded that the Gaines-Thomas/constant exchange capacity model with averaged parameter values can be used successfully in ion exchange predictions in this aquifer at a regional scale and over extended time scales, despite the numerous assumptions inherent in the approach; this

Construction of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory No. 1 and 2

NASA Image and Video Library

1951-01-21

Construction of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory No. 1 and 2 at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. When it began operation in late 1952, the Propulsion Systems Laboratory was the NACA’s most powerful facility for testing full-scale engines at simulated flight altitudes. The facility contained two altitude simulating test chambers which were a technological combination of the static sea-level test stands and the complex Altitude Wind Tunnel, which recreated actual flight conditions on a larger scale. NACA Lewis began designing the new facility in 1947 as part of a comprehensive plan to improve the altitude testing capabilities across the lab. The exhaust, refrigeration, and combustion air systems from all the major test facilities were linked. In this way, different facilities could be used to complement the capabilities of one another. Propulsion Systems Laboratory construction began in late summer 1949 with the installation of an overhead exhaust pipe connecting the facility to the Altitude Wind Tunnel and Engine Research Building. The large test section pieces arriving in early 1951, when this photograph was taken. The two primary coolers for the altitude exhaust are in place within the framework near the center of the photograph.

Evaluation of validation of a fully instrumented Hüttlin HKC 05-TJ laboratory-scale fluidized bed granulator.

PubMed

Wöstheinrich, K; Schmidt, P C

2000-06-01

The instrumentation and validation of a laboratory-scale fluidized bed apparatus is described. For continuous control of the process, the apparatus is instrumented with sensors for temperature, relative humidity (RH), and air velocity. Conditions of inlet air, fluidizing air, product, and exhaust air were determined. The temperature sensors were calibrated at temperatures of 0.0 degree C and 99.9 degrees C. The calibration of the humidity sensors covered the range from 12% RH to 98% RH using saturated electrolyte solutions. The calibration of the anemometer took place in a wind tunnel at defined air velocities. The calibrations led to satisfying results concerning sensitivity and precision. To evaluate the reproducibility of the process, 15 granules were prepared under identical conditions. The influence of the type of pump used for delivering the granulating liquid was investigated. Particle size distribution, bulk density, and tapped density were determined. Granules were tableted on a rotary press at four different compression force levels, followed by determination of tablet properties such as weight, crushing strength, and disintegration time. The apparatus was found to produce granules with good reproducibility concerning the granule and tablet properties.

New Experimental Technique for Nodularity and Mg Fading Control in Compacted Graphite Iron Production on Laboratory Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernando, Juan Carlos; Domeij, Björn; González, Daniel; Amieva, José Manuel; Diószegi, Attila

2017-11-01

The narrow production window for compacted graphite iron material (CGI) drastically reduces the possibilities to produce it in small batches outside an industrial environment. This fact hinders laboratory-scale investigations on CGI solidification. This work presents a solution to that issue by introducing an experimental technique to produce graphitic cast iron of the main three families. Samples of a base hypereutectic spheroidal graphite iron (SGI) were re-melted in a resistance furnace under Ar atmosphere. Varying the holding time at 1723 K (1450 °C), graphitic irons ranging from spheroidal to lamellar were produced. Characterization of the graphite morphology evolution, in terms of nodularity as a function of holding time, is presented. The nodularity decay for the SGI region suggests a linear correlation with the holding time. In the CGI region, nodularity deterioration shows a slower rate, concluding with the sudden appearance of lamellar graphite. The fading process of magnesium, showing agreement with previous researchers, is described by means of empirical relations as a function of holding time and nodularity. The results on nodularity fade and number of nodules per unit area fade suggest that both phenomena occur simultaneously during the fading process of magnesium.

Detecting Tsunami Source Energy and Scales from GNSS & Laboratory Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y. T.; Yim, S. C.; Mohtat, A.

2016-12-01

Historically, tsunami warnings based on the earthquake magnitude have not been very accurate. According to the 2006 U.S. Government Accountability Office report, an unacceptable 75% false alarm rate has prevailed in the Pacific Ocean (GAO-06-519). One of the main reasons for those inaccurate warnings is that an earthquake's magnitude is not the scale or power of the resulting tsunami. For the last 10 years, we have been developing both theories and algorithms to detect tsunami source energy and scales, instead of earthquake magnitudes per se, directly from real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations along coastlines for early warnings [Song 2007; Song et al., 2008; Song et al., 2012; Xu and Song 2013; Titov et al, 2016]. Here we will report recent progress on two fronts: 1) Examples of using GNSS in detecting the tsunami energy scales for the 2004 Sumatra M9.1 earthquake, the 2005 Nias M8.7 earthquake, the 2010 M8.8 Chilean earthquake, the 2011 M9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, and the 2015 M8.3 Illapel earthquake. 2) New results from recent state-of-the-art wave-maker experiments and comparisons with GNSS data will also be presented. Related reference: Titov, V., Y. T. Song, L. Tang, E. N. Bernard, Y. Bar-Sever, and Y. Wei (2016), Consistent estimates of tsunami energy show promise for improved early warning, Pur Appl. Geophs., DOI: 10.1007/s00024-016-1312-1. Xu, Z. and Y. T. Song (2013), Combining the all-source Green's functions and the GPS-derived source for fast tsunami prediction - illustrated by the March 2011 Japan tsunami, J. Atmos. Oceanic Tech., jtechD1200201. Song, Y. T., I. Fukumori, C. K. Shum, and Y. Yi (2012), Merging tsunamis of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake detected over the open ocean, Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2011GL050767. Song, Y. T., L.-L. Fu, V. Zlotnicki, C. Ji, V. Hjorleifsdottir, C.K. Shum, and Y. Yi, 2008: The role of horizontal impulses of the faulting continental slope in generating the 26 December 2004 Tsunami (2007

[Standardization of terminology in laboratory medicine I].

PubMed

Yoon, Soo Young; Yoon, Jong Hyun; Min, Won Ki; Lim, Hwan Sub; Song, Junghan; Chae, Seok Lae; Lee, Chang Kyu; Kwon, Jung Ah; Lee, Kap No

2007-04-01

Standardization of medical terminology is essential for data transmission between health-care institutions or clinical laboratories and for maximizing the benefits of information technology. Purpose of our study was to standardize the medical terms used in the clinical laboratory, such as test names, units, terms used in result descriptions, etc. During the first year of the study, we developed a standard database of concept names for laboratory terms, which covered the terms used in government health care centers, their branch offices, and primary health care units. Laboratory terms were collected from the electronic data interchange (EDI) codes from National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC), Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC) database, community health centers and their branch offices, and clinical laboratories of representative university medical centers. For standard expression, we referred to the English-Korean/ Korean-English medical dictionary of Korean Medical Association and the rules for foreign language translation. Programs for mapping between LOINC DB and EDI code and for translating English to Korean were developed. A Korean standard laboratory terminology database containing six axial concept names such as components, property, time aspect, system (specimen), scale type, and method type was established for 7,508 test observations. Short names and a mapping table for EDI codes and Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) were added. Synonym tables for concept names, words used in the database, and six axial terms were prepared to make it easier to find the standard terminology with common terms used in the field of laboratory medicine. Here we report for the first time a Korean standard laboratory terminology database for test names, result description terms, result units covering most laboratory tests in primary healthcare centers.

Customer Satisfaction Assessment at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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

Anderson, Dale N.; Sours, Mardell L.

2000-03-20

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing and implementing a customer satisfaction assessment program (CSAP) to assess the quality of research and development provided by the laboratory. We present the customer survey component of the PNNL CSAP. The customer survey questionnaire is composed of 2 major sections, Strategic Value and Project Performance. The Strategic Value section of the questionnaire consists of 5 questions that can be answered with a 5 point Likert scale response. These questions are designed to determine if a project is directly contributing to critical future national needs. The Project Performance section of the questionnaire consistsmore » of 9 questions that can be answered with a 5 point Likert scale response. These questions determine PNNL performance in meeting customer expectations. Many approaches could be used to analyze customer survey data. We present a statistical model that can accurately capture the random behavior of customer survey data. The properties of this statistical model can be used to establish a "gold standard'' or performance expectation for the laboratory, and then assess progress. The gold standard is defined from input from laboratory management --- answers to 4 simple questions, in terms of the information obtained from the CSAP customer survey, define the standard: *What should the average Strategic Value be for the laboratory project portfolio? *What Strategic Value interval should include most of the projects in the laboratory portfolio? *What should average Project Performance be for projects with a Strategic Value of about 2? *What should average Project Performance be for projects with a Strategic Value of about 4? We discuss how to analyze CSAP customer survey data with this model. Our discussion will include "lessons learned" and issues that can invalidate this type of assessment.« less

Laboratory-scale column study for remediation of TCE-contaminated aquifers using three-section controlled-release potassium permanganate barriers.

PubMed

Yuan, Baoling; Li, Fei; Chen, Yanmei; Fu, Ming-Lai

2013-05-01

A laboratory-scale study with a sand column was designed to simulate trichloroethylene (TCE) pollution in the aquifer environment with three-section controlled-release potassium permanganate (CRP) barriers. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of CRP barriers in remediation of TCE in aquifers in a long-term and controlled manner. CRP particles with a 1:3 molar ratio of KMnO4 to stearic acid showed the best controlled-release properties in pure water, and the theoretical release time was 138.5 days. The results of TCE removal in the test column indicated that complete removal efficiency of TCE in a sand column by three-section CRP barriers could be reached within 15 days. The molar ratio of KMnO4 to TCE in the three-section CRP barriers was 16:1, which was much lower than 82:1 as required when KMnO4 solution is used directly to achieve complete destruction of TCE. This result revealed that the efficiency of CRP for remediation of TCE was highly improved after encapsulation.

Building laboratory capacity to support HIV care in Nigeria: Harvard/APIN PEPFAR, 2004–2012

PubMed Central

Hamel, Donald J.; Sankalé, Jean-Louis; Samuels, Jay Osi; Sarr, Abdoulaye D.; Chaplin, Beth; Ofuche, Eke; Meloni, Seema T.; Okonkwo, Prosper; Kanki, Phyllis J.

2015-01-01

Introduction From 2004–2012, the Harvard/AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, funded through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief programme, scaled up HIV care and treatment services in Nigeria. We describe the methodologies and collaborative processes developed to improve laboratory capacity significantly in a resource-limited setting. These methods were implemented at 35 clinic and laboratory locations. Methods Systems were established and modified to optimise numerous laboratory processes. These included strategies for clinic selection and management, equipment and reagent procurement, supply chains, laboratory renovations, equipment maintenance, electronic data management, quality development programmes and trainings. Results Over the eight-year programme, laboratories supported 160 000 patients receiving HIV care in Nigeria, delivering over 2.5 million test results, including regular viral load quantitation. External quality assurance systems were established for CD4+ cell count enumeration, blood chemistries and viral load monitoring. Laboratory equipment platforms were improved and standardised and use of point-of-care analysers was expanded. Laboratory training workshops supported laboratories toward increasing staff skills and improving overall quality. Participation in a World Health Organisation-led African laboratory quality improvement system resulted in significant gains in quality measures at five laboratories. Conclusions Targeted implementation of laboratory development processes, during simultaneous scale-up of HIV treatment programmes in a resource-limited setting, can elicit meaningful gains in laboratory quality and capacity. Systems to improve the physical laboratory environment, develop laboratory staff, create improvements to reduce costs and increase quality are available for future health and laboratory strengthening programmes. We hope that the strategies employed may inform and encourage the development of other

Preliminary Evaluation of the Control of Microbial Fouling by Laboratory and Pilot-Scale Air-Stripping Columns

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-01

used to remove trichloroethylene (TCE) from contaminated well water. 7 MATERIALS Chemicals: Trichloroethylene (Aldrich chemical, Milwaukee, WI), sodium ...Cleveland, OH), sodium hydrcxide (J.T. Baker, Phillipsburg, NJ), potassium dichloroisocyanurate (Dorex Inc., Frankfort, IL), potassium iodide starch...NJ). Media and Reagents: Plate count agar (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, MI), lauryl tryptose broth (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, MI), motility medium

SCALE Code System

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

Rearden, Bradley T.; Jessee, Matthew Anderson

The SCALE Code System is a widely-used modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design that is developed, maintained, tested, and managed by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor and lattice physics, radiation shielding, spent fuel and radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Since 1980, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for safety analysis and design. SCALE provides an integrated framework with dozens of computational modules including three deterministicmore » and three Monte Carlo radiation transport solvers that are selected based on the desired solution strategy. SCALE includes current nuclear data libraries and problem-dependent processing tools for continuous-energy (CE) and multigroup (MG) neutronics and coupled neutron-gamma calculations, as well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE includes unique capabilities for automated variance reduction for shielding calculations, as well as sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization of nuclear data, and convenient access to desired results.« less

Physical barriers formed from gelling liquids: 1. numerical design of laboratory and field experiments

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

Finsterle, S.; Moridis, G.J.; Pruess, K.

1994-01-01

The emplacement of liquids under controlled viscosity conditions is investigated by means of numerical simulations. Design calculations are performed for a laboratory experiment on a decimeter scale, and a field experiment on a meter scale. The purpose of the laboratory experiment is to study the behavior of multiple gout plumes when injected in a porous medium. The calculations for the field trial aim at designing a grout injection test from a vertical well in order to create a grout plume of a significant extent in the subsurface.

Laboratory studies on tropospheric iodine chemistry: bridging the atomic, molecular and particle scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez Martin, J.; Saunders, R. W.; Blitz, M. A.; Mahajan, A. S.; Plane, J. M.

2008-12-01

High mixing ratios of the iodine oxides IO and OIO have been observed in the polar, mid-latitude and tropical marine boundary layer (MBL). The impact of the iodine chemistry on the oxidizing capacity of the MBL is well documented. Moreover, there is evidence showing that the bursts of new particles measured in coastal regions are produced by the biogenic emission of iodine containing precursors, followed by the photochemical production and condensation of iodine oxide vapours. Airborne measurements of particle growth rates show that these particles can reach significant sizes where they can contribute to the regional aerosol loading, thus suggesting a potential impact on climate on a regional or global scale. Within the frame of the INSPECT project (INorganic Secondary Particle Evolution, Chemistry and Transport) we wish to understand at a fundamental level the tendency for the iodine oxides formed from IO and OIO recombination to condense into particles. Elemental analysis of iodine oxide particles (IOP) made in the laboratory shows that they have the empirical formula I2O5. The major question is how this happens: through formation of I2O5 in the gas phase, followed by polymerization, or by condensation of various IxOy to form amorphous iodine oxides, which subsequently rearrange to I2O5. We are studying the gas phase photochemistry leading to nucleation of IOP, their growth kinetics, aspects of their heterogeneous chemistry, and their properties as ice condensation nuclei. In order to bridge the molecular and the particle scales, a wide variety of techniques are being used, including CRDS, ARAS, LIF, UV-VIS spectroscopy, PI-TOF-MS and mobility particle size scanning. The results obtained so far provide new and interesting insights to the problem. From the gas phase point of view, a unit iodine atom quantum yield from OIO photolysis has been now established across its strong visible spectral bands. This result implies a short lifetime of OIO and explains why in

Virtually-Enhanced Fluid Laboratories for Teaching Meteorology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, J.; Illari, L.

2015-12-01

The Weather in a Tank (WIAT) project aims to offer instructors a repertoire of rotating tank experiments, and a curriculum in fluid dynamics, to better assist students in learning how to move between phenomena in the real world and basic principles of rotating fluid dynamics which play a central role in determining the climate of the planet. Despite the increasing use of laboratory experiments in teaching meteorology, however, we are aware that many teachers and students do not have access to suitable apparatus and so cannot benefit from them. Here we describe a 'virtually-enhanced' laboratory that we hope could be very effective in getting across a flavor of the experiments and bring them to a wider audience. In the pedagogical spirit of WIAT we focus on how simple underlying principles, illustrated through laboratory experiments, shape the observed structure of the large-scale atmospheric circulation.

Cold-Cap Temperature Profile Comparison between the Laboratory and Mathematical Model

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

Dixon, Derek R.; Schweiger, Michael J.; Riley, Brian J.

2015-06-01

The rate of waste vitrification in an electric melter is connected to the feed-to-glass conversion process, which occurs in the cold cap, a layer of reacting feed on top of molten glass. The cold cap consists of two layers: a low temperature (~100°C – ~800°C) region of unconnected feed and a high temperature (~800°C – ~1100°C) region of foam with gas bubbles and cavities mixed in the connected glass melt. A recently developed mathematical model describes the effect of the cold cap on glass production. For verification of the mathematical model, a laboratory-scale melter was used to produce a coldmore » cap that could be cross-sectioned and polished in order to determine the temperature profile related to position in the cold cap. The cold cap from the laboratory-scale melter exhibited an accumulation of feed ~400°C due to radiant heat from the molten glass creating dry feed conditions in the melter, which was not the case in the mathematical model where wet feed conditions were calculated. Through the temperature range from ~500°C – ~1100°C, there was good agreement between the model and the laboratory cold cap. Differences were observed between the two temperature profiles due to the temperature of the glass melts and the lack of secondary foam, large cavities, and shrinkage of the primary foam bubbles upon the cooling of the laboratory-scale cold cap.« less

Laboratories | NREL

Science.gov Websites

| Z A Accelerated Exposure Testing Laboratory Advanced Optical Materials Laboratory Advanced Thermal Laboratory Structural Testing Laboratory Surface Analysis Laboratory Systems Performance Laboratory T Thermal Storage Materials Laboratory Thermal Storage Process and Components Laboratory Thin-Film Deposition

Waste Disposal in the Laboratory: Teaching Responsibility and Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Ralph O.

1983-01-01

Discusses the generation, collection, and disposal of hazardous and other wastes in the chemistry laboratory. Offers suggestions related to these three areas to provide a safe teaching environment, including minimizing amounts of reagents used (and potentially wasted) by scaling down experiments. (JN)

Scaling and pedotransfer in numerical simulations of flow and transport in soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Flow and transport parameters of soils in numerical simulations need to be defined at the support scale of computational grid cells. Such support scale can substantially differ from the support scale in laboratory or field measurements of flow and transport parameters. The scale-dependence of flow a...

The chemistry teaching laboratory: The student perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polles, John Steven

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

The generation and amplification of intergalactic magnetic fields in analogue laboratory experiments with high power lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregori, G.; Reville, B.; Miniati, F.

2015-11-01

The advent of high-power laser facilities has, in the past two decades, opened a new field of research where astrophysical environments can be scaled down to laboratory dimensions, while preserving the essential physics. This is due to the invariance of the equations of magneto-hydrodynamics to a class of similarity transformations. Here we review the relevant scaling relations and their application in laboratory astrophysics experiments with a focus on the generation and amplification of magnetic fields in cosmic environment. The standard model for the origin of magnetic fields is a multi stage process whereby a vanishing magnetic seed is first generated by a rotational electric field and is then amplified by turbulent dynamo action to the characteristic values observed in astronomical bodies. We thus discuss the relevant seed generation mechanisms in cosmic environment including resistive mechanism, collision-less and fluid instabilities, as well as novel laboratory experiments using high power laser systems aimed at investigating the amplification of magnetic energy by magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. Future directions, including efforts to model in the laboratory the process of diffusive shock acceleration are also discussed, with an emphasis on the potential of laboratory experiments to further our understanding of plasma physics on cosmic scales.

The influence of hydrocarbons in changing the mechanical and acoustic properties of a carbonate reservoir: implications of laboratory results on larger scale processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trippetta, Fabio; Ruggieri, Roberta; Geremia, Davide; Brandano, Marco

2017-04-01

bitumen. In order to compare our laboratory results at larger scale we selected 11 outcrops of the same lithofacies of laboratory samples both clean and bitumen-saturated. Fractures orientations, from the scan-line method, are similar for the two types of outcrops and they follow the same trends of literature data collected on older rocks. On the other hand, spacing data show very lower fracture density for bitumen-saturated outcrops confirming laboratory observations. In conclusion, laboratory experiments highlight a more elastic behaviour for bitumen-bearing samples and saturated outcrops are less prone to fracture respect to clean outcrops. Presence of bitumen has, thus, a positive influence on mechanical properties of the reservoir while acoustic model suggests that lighter oils should have an opposite effect. Geologically, this suggests that hydrocarbons migration in the study area predates the last stage of deformation giving also clues about a relatively high density of the oil when deformation began.

Comparative evaluation of laboratory-scale silages using standard glass jar silages or vacuum-packed model silages.

PubMed

Hoedtke, Sandra; Zeyner, Annette

2011-03-30

The objective of this study was to compare the fermentation variables of laboratory-scale silages made in glass preserving jars (GLASS) and vacuum-packed plastic bags (Rostock model silages, ROMOS). Silages were prepared from perennial ryegrass (fresh and wilted, 151 g kg(-1) and 286 g kg(-1) dry matter (DM), respectively) and remoistened coarsely ground rye grain (650 g kg(-1) DM) either with or without the addition of a lactic acid bacteria inoculant (3×10(5) colony forming units (cfu) g(-1) , LAB). Quintuplicate silos were opened on days 2, 4, 8, 49 and 90. Silage pH (P=0.073), acetic acid content (P=0.608) and ethanol content (P=0.223) were not influenced by the ensiling method. The contents of DM (P<0.001) and propionic acid (P=0.008) were affected by the ensiling method, but mean differences were only marginal. In ROMOS the concentration of lactic acid was increased (P=0.007) whereas butyric acid was produced less (P=0.001) when compared to GLASS. This suggested slightly better ensiling conditions for ROMOS. ROMOS represents a reasonable alternative to glass jar silages and opens the possibility for further investigations, e.g. studying the impact of packing density as well as the quantitative and qualitative analysis of fermentation gases. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bench-scale synthesis of nanoscale materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, M. F.; Darab, J. G.; Matson, D. W.; Linehan, J. C.

1994-01-01

A novel flow-through hydrothermal method used to synthesize nanoscale powders is introduced by Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The process, Rapid Thermal Decomposition of precursors in Solution (RTDS), uniquely combines high-pressure and high-temperature conditions to rapidly form nanoscale particles. The RTDS process was initially demonstrated on a laboratory scale and was subsequently scaled up to accommodate production rates attractive to industry. The process is able to produce a wide variety of metal oxides and oxyhydroxides. The powders are characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopic methods, surface-area measurements, and x-ray diffraction. Typical crystallite sizes are less than 20 nanometers, with BET surface areas ranging from 100 to 400 sq m/g. A description of the RTDS process is presented along with powder characterization results. In addition, data on the sintering of nanoscale ZrO2 produced by RTDS are included.

Russian national time scale long-term stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alshina, A. P.; Gaigerov, B. A.; Koshelyaevsky, N. B.; Pushkin, S. B.

1994-05-01

The Institute of Metrology for Time and Space NPO 'VNIIFTRI' generates the National Time Scale (NTS) of Russia -- one of the most stable time scales in the world. Its striking feature is that it is based on a free ensemble of H-masers only. During last two years the estimations of NTS longterm stability based only on H-maser intercomparison data gives a flicker floor of about (2 to 3) x 10(exp -15) for averaging times from 1 day to 1 month. Perhaps the most significant feature for a time laboratory is an extremely low possible frequency drift -- it is too difficult to estimate it reliably. The other estimations, free from possible inside the ensemble correlation phenomena, are available based on the time comparison of NTS relative to the stable enough time scale of outer laboratories. The data on NTS comparison relative to the time scale of secondary time and frequency standards at Golitzino and Irkutsk in Russia and relative to NIST, PTB and USNO using GLONASS and GPS time transfer links gives stability estimations which are close to that based on H-maser intercomparisons.

Russian national time scale long-term stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alshina, A. P.; Gaigerov, B. A.; Koshelyaevsky, N. B.; Pushkin, S. B.

1994-01-01

The Institute of Metrology for Time and Space NPO 'VNIIFTRI' generates the National Time Scale (NTS) of Russia -- one of the most stable time scales in the world. Its striking feature is that it is based on a free ensemble of H-masers only. During last two years the estimations of NTS longterm stability based only on H-maser intercomparison data gives a flicker floor of about (2 to 3) x 10(exp -15) for averaging times from 1 day to 1 month. Perhaps the most significant feature for a time laboratory is an extremely low possible frequency drift -- it is too difficult to estimate it reliably. The other estimations, free from possible inside the ensemble correlation phenomena, are available based on the time comparison of NTS relative to the stable enough time scale of outer laboratories. The data on NTS comparison relative to the time scale of secondary time and frequency standards at Golitzino and Irkutsk in Russia and relative to NIST, PTB and USNO using GLONASS and GPS time transfer links gives stability estimations which are close to that based on H-maser intercomparisons.

Special Issue on Time Scale Algorithms

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

are currently Two Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer ( TWSTFT ) and GPS carrier phase time transfer. The interest in time scale algorithms and...laboratory-specific innovations and practices, GNSS applications, UTC generation, TWSTFT applications, GPS applications, small-ensemble applications

Mother Earth Chemistry: A Laboratory Course for Nonmajors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, J. L.; And Others

1996-01-01

Describes a laboratory course that introduces students to chemistry using examples commonly encountered in the supermarket and on the dinner table. Acquaints students with simple chemical tasks that can be practiced at home, including the making of wine, ale, soap, cheese, and yogurt, and introduces them to the small-scale production of…

CALIBRATION OF FULL-SCALE OZONATION SYSTEMS WITH CONSERVATIVE AND REACTIVE TRACERS

EPA Science Inventory

A full-scale ozonation reactor was characterized with respect to the overall oxidation budget by coupling laboratory kinetics with reactor hydraulics. The ozone decomposition kinetics and the ratio of the OH radical to the ozone concentration were determined in laboratory batch ...

Competition between Naegleria fowleri and Free Living Amoeba Colonizing Laboratory Scale and Operational Drinking Water Distribution Systems.

PubMed

Miller, Haylea C; Wylie, Jason T; Kaksonen, Anna H; Sutton, David; Puzon, Geoffrey J

2018-03-06

Free living amoebae (FLA), including pathogenic Naegleria fowleri, can colonize and grow within pipe wall biofilms of drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs). Studies on the interactions between various FLA species in biofilms are limited. Understanding the interaction between FLA and the broader biofilm ecology could help better predict DWDS susceptibility to N. fowleri colonization. The aim of this study was to determine if N. fowleri and other FLAs ( Naegleria, Vermamoeba, Willaertia, and Vahlkampfia spp.) cocolonize DWDS biofilm. FLAs commonly isolated from DWDSs ( N. fowleri, V. vermiformis, and N. lovaniensis) were introduced into laboratory-scale biomonitors to determine the impact of these amoebae on N. fowleri's presence and viability. Over 18 months, a single viable amoebae ( N. fowleri, N. lovaniensis, or V. vermiformis) was detected in each biofilm sample, with the exception of N. lovaniensis and N. fowleri, which briefly cocolonized biofilm following their coinoculation. The analysis of biofilm and bulk water samples from operational DWDSs revealed a similar lack of cocolonization with a single FLA detected in 99% ( n = 242) of samples. Interestingly, various Naegleria spp. did colonize the same DWDS locations but at different times. This knowledge furthers the understanding of ecological factors which enable N. fowleri to colonize and survive within operational DWDSs and could aid water utilities to control its occurrence.

Passive flux meter measurement of water and nutrient flux in saturated porous media: bench-scale laboratory tests.

PubMed

Cho, Jaehyun; Annable, Michael D; Jawitz, James W; Hatfield, Kirk

2007-01-01

The passive nutrient flux meter (PNFM) is introduced for simultaneous measurement of both water and nutrient flux through saturated porous media. The PNFM comprises a porous sorbent pre-equilibrated with a suite of alcohol tracers, which have different partitioning coefficients. Water flux was estimated based on the loss of loaded resident tracers during deployment, while nutrient flux was quantified based on the nutrient solute mass captured on the sorbent. An anionic resin, Lewatit 6328 A, was used as a permeable sorbent and phosphate (PO4(3-)) was the nutrient studied. The phosphate sorption capacity of the resin was measured in batch equilibration tests as 56 mg PO4(3-) g(-1), which was determined to be adequate capacity to retain PO4(3-) loads intercepted over typical PNFM deployment periods in most natural systems. The PNFM design was validated with bench-scale laboratory tests for a range of 9.8 to 28.3 cm d(-1) Darcy velocities and 6 to 43 h deployment durations. Nutrient and water fluxes measured by the PNFM averaged within 6 and 12% of the applied values, respectively, indicating that the PNFM shows promise as a tool for simultaneous measurement of water and nutrient fluxes.

Laboratory and scaled up evaluation of cis-permethrin applied as a new ultra low volume formulation against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

PubMed

Seccacini, Emilia; Masuh, Héctor; Licastro, Susana A; Zerba, Eduardo Nicolás

2006-01-01

Ultra low volume (ULV) aerial spraying is a common methodology for spatial treatments for Aedes aegypti (L.) control. Previous studies from our laboratory indicated that the cis isomer of permethrin has an excellent efficacy for vector control, in particular for Triatoma infestans. It was of interest to determine the efficacy of this pure isomer in a ULV water-based formulation for adult A. aegypti control, since both vectors usually are found together in South America. A method is presented to make a quick measure at laboratory level of the knock down effect (KT50) of a new EC water-based formulation of cis-permethrin, in a small Peet Grady chamber of 0.34 m3, with a specially designed glass sprayer. A deltamethrin standard ULV formulation "CISLIN" was used for comparison. cis-Permethrin showed a significantly lower KT50 value than deltamethrin (7.50 and 9.65 min, respectively). When the mosquitoes were introduced into the chamber 10 min after spraying KT50 values were almost equal (15.59 and 15.88 min, respectively). In scaled up bioassays the ULV formulation of cis-permethrin showed 100% mortality of A. aegypti adult mosquitoes at the beginning of the treatment (t=0) and some mortality at 1h post treatment of freshly introduced mosquitoes. It was concluded that cis-permethrin could be an excellent tool for control of A. aegypti and other vectors of medical importance, with fewer side effects and better cost-effectiveness than with the cyanopyrethroids.

A Survey of the Practices, Procedures, and Techniques in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Christopher B.; Schmidt, Monica; Soniat, Michael

2011-01-01

A survey was conducted of four-year institutions that teach undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories in the United States. The data include results from over 130 schools, describes the current practices at these institutions, and discusses the statistical results such as the scale of the laboratories performed, the chemical techniques applied,…

Molecular microbial and chemical investigation of the bioremediation of two-phase olive mill waste using laboratory-scale bioreactors.

PubMed

Morillo, J A; Aguilera, M; Antízar-Ladislao, B; Fuentes, S; Ramos-Cormenzana, A; Russell, N J; Monteoliva-Sánchez, M

2008-05-01

Two-phase olive mill waste (TPOMW) is a semisolid effluent that is rich in contaminating polyphenols and is produced in large amounts by the industry of olive oil production. Laboratory-scale bioreactors were used to investigate the biodegradation of TPOMW by its indigenous microbiota. The effect of nutrient addition (inorganic N and P) and aeration of the bioreactors was studied. Microbial changes were investigated by PCR-temperature time gradient electrophoresis (TTGE) and following the dynamics of polar lipid fatty acids (PLFA). The greatest decrease in the polyphenolic and organic matter contents of bioreactors was concomitant with an increase in the PLFA fungal/bacterial ratio. Amplicon sequences of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and 16S rDNA allowed identification of fungal and bacterial types, respectively, by comparative DNA sequence analyses. Predominant fungi identified included members of the genera Penicillium, Candida, Geotrichum, Pichia, Cladosporium, and Aschochyta. A total of 14 bacterial genera were detected, with a dominance of organisms that have previously been associated with plant material. Overall, this work highlights that indigenous microbiota within the bioreactors through stimulation of the fungal fraction, is able to degrade the polyphenolic content without the inoculation of specific microorganisms.

Response of removal rates to various organic carbon and ammonium loads in laboratory-scale constructed wetlands treating artificial wastewater.

PubMed

Wu, Shubiao; Kuschk, Peter; Wiessner, Arndt; Kästner, Matthias; Pang, Changle; Dong, Renjie

2013-01-01

High levels (92 and 91%) of organic carbon were successfully removed from artificial wastewater by a laboratory-scale constructed wetland under inflow loads of 670 mg/m2 x d (100 mg/d) and 1600 mg/m2d (240 mg/d), respectively. Acidification to pH 3.0 was observed at the low organic carbon load, which further inhibited the denitrification process. An increase in carbon load, however, was associated with a significant elevation of pH to 6.0. In general, sulfate and nitrate reduction were relatively high, with mean levels of 87 and 90%, respectively. However, inhibition of nitrification was initiated with an increase in carbon loads. This effect was probably a result of competition for oxygen by heterotrophic bacteria and an inhibitory effect of sulfide (S2) toxicity (concentration approximately 3 mg/L). In addition, numbers of healthy stalks of Juncus effusus (common rush) decreased from 14 000 to 10 000/m2 with an increase of sulfide concentration, indicating the negative effect of sulfide toxicity on the wetland plants.

Intrawave sand suspension in the shoaling and surf zone of a field-scale laboratory beach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinkkemper, J. A.; de Bakker, A. T. M.; Ruessink, B. G.

2017-01-01

Short-wave sand transport in morphodynamic models is often based solely on the near-bed wave-orbital motion, thereby neglecting the effect of ripple-induced and surface-induced turbulence on sand transport processes. Here sand stirring was studied using measurements of the wave-orbital motion, turbulence, ripple characteristics, and sand concentration collected on a field-scale laboratory beach under conditions ranging from irregular nonbreaking waves above vortex ripples to plunging waves and bores above subdued bed forms. Turbulence and sand concentration were analyzed as individual events and in a wave phase-averaged sense. The fraction of turbulence events related to suspension events is relatively high (˜50%), especially beneath plunging waves. Beneath nonbreaking waves with vortex ripples, the sand concentration close to the bed peaks right after the maximum positive wave-orbital motion and shows a marked phase lag in the vertical, although the peak in concentration at higher elevations does not shift to beyond the positive to negative flow reversal. Under plunging waves, concentration peaks beneath the wavefront without any notable phase lags in the vertical. In the inner-surf zone (bores), the sand concentration remains phase coupled to positive wave-orbital motion, but the concentration decreases with distance toward the shoreline. On the whole, our observations demonstrate that the wave-driven suspended load transport is onshore and largest beneath plunging waves, while it is small and can also be offshore beneath shoaling waves. To accurately predict wave-driven sand transport in morphodynamic models, the effect of surface-induced turbulence beneath plunging waves should thus be included.

Error identification in a high-volume clinical chemistry laboratory: Five-year experience.

PubMed

Jafri, Lena; Khan, Aysha Habib; Ghani, Farooq; Shakeel, Shahid; Raheem, Ahmed; Siddiqui, Imran

2015-07-01

Quality indicators for assessing the performance of a laboratory require a systematic and continuous approach in collecting and analyzing data. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of errors utilizing the quality indicators in a clinical chemistry laboratory and to convert errors to the Sigma scale. Five-year quality indicator data of a clinical chemistry laboratory was evaluated to describe the frequency of errors. An 'error' was defined as a defect during the entire testing process from the time requisition was raised and phlebotomy was done until the result dispatch. An indicator with a Sigma value of 4 was considered good but a process for which the Sigma value was 5 (i.e. 99.977% error-free) was considered well controlled. In the five-year period, a total of 6,792,020 specimens were received in the laboratory. Among a total of 17,631,834 analyses, 15.5% were from within hospital. Total error rate was 0.45% and of all the quality indicators used in this study the average Sigma level was 5.2. Three indicators - visible hemolysis, failure of proficiency testing and delay in stat tests - were below 5 on the Sigma scale and highlight the need to rigorously monitor these processes. Using Six Sigma metrics quality in a clinical laboratory can be monitored more effectively and it can set benchmarks for improving efficiency.

A new laboratory-scale experimental facility for detailed aerothermal characterizations of volumetric absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez-Garcia, Fabrisio; Santiago, Sergio; Luque, Salvador; Romero, Manuel; Gonzalez-Aguilar, Jose

2016-05-01

This paper describes a new modular laboratory-scale experimental facility that was designed to conduct detailed aerothermal characterizations of volumetric absorbers for use in concentrating solar power plants. Absorbers are generally considered to be the element with the highest potential for efficiency gains in solar thermal energy systems. The configu-ration of volumetric absorbers enables concentrated solar radiation to penetrate deep into their solid structure, where it is progressively absorbed, prior to being transferred by convection to a working fluid flowing through the structure. Current design trends towards higher absorber outlet temperatures have led to the use of complex intricate geometries in novel ceramic and metallic elements to maximize the temperature deep inside the structure (thus reducing thermal emission losses at the front surface and increasing efficiency). Although numerical models simulate the conjugate heat transfer mechanisms along volumetric absorbers, they lack, in many cases, the accuracy that is required for precise aerothermal validations. The present work aims to aid this objective by the design, development, commissioning and operation of a new experimental facility which consists of a 7 kWe (1.2 kWth) high flux solar simulator, a radiation homogenizer, inlet and outlet collector modules and a working section that can accommodate volumetric absorbers up to 80 mm × 80 mm in cross-sectional area. Experimental measurements conducted in the facility include absorber solid temperature distributions along its depth, inlet and outlet air temperatures, air mass flow rate and pressure drop, incident radiative heat flux, and overall thermal efficiency. In addition, two windows allow for the direct visualization of the front and rear absorber surfaces, thus enabling full-coverage surface temperature measurements by thermal imaging cameras. This paper presents the results from the aerothermal characterization of a siliconized silicon

Non-Fickian dispersive transport of strontium in laboratory-scale columns: Modelling and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dongxu; Jivkov, Andrey P.; Wang, Lichun; Si, Gaohua; Yu, Jing

2017-06-01

In the context of environmental remediation of contaminated sites and safety assessment of nuclear waste disposal in the near-surface zone, we investigate the leaching and non-Fickian dispersive migration with sorption of strontium (mocking strontium-90) through columns packed with sand and clay. Analysis is based on breakthrough curves (BTCs) from column experiments, which simulated rainfall infiltration and source term release scenario, rather than applying constant tracer solution at the inlet as commonly used. BTCs are re-evaluated and transport parameters are estimated by inverse modelling using two approaches: (1) equilibrium advection-dispersion equation (ADE); and (2) continuous time random walk (CTRW). Firstly, based on a method for calculating leach concentration, the inlet condition with an exponential decay input is identified. Secondly, the results show that approximately 39%-58% of Br- and 16%-49% of Sr2+ are eluted from the columns at the end of the breakthrough experiments. This suggests that trapping mechanisms, including diffusion into immobile zones and attachment of tracer on mineral surfaces, are more pronounced for Sr2+ than for Br-. Thirdly, we demonstrate robustness of CTRW-based truncated power-law (TPL) model in capturing non-Fickian reactive transport with 0 < β < 2, and Fickian transport with β > 2. The non-Fickian dispersion observed experimentally is explained by variations of local flow field from preferential flow paths due to physical heterogeneities. Particularly, the additional sorption process of strontium on clay minerals contributes to the delay of the peak concentration and the tailing features, which leads to an enhanced non-Fickian transport for strontium. Finally, the ADE and CTRW approaches to environmental modelling are evaluated. It is shown that CTRW with a sorption term can describe non-Fickian dispersive transport of strontium at laboratory scale by identifying appropriate parameters, while the traditional ADE with

Modeling Soil Organic Carbon at Regional Scale by Combining Multi-Spectral Images with Laboratory Spectra.

PubMed

Peng, Yi; Xiong, Xiong; Adhikari, Kabindra; Knadel, Maria; Grunwald, Sabine; Greve, Mogens Humlekrog

2015-01-01

There is a great challenge in combining soil proximal spectra and remote sensing spectra to improve the accuracy of soil organic carbon (SOC) models. This is primarily because mixing of spectral data from different sources and technologies to improve soil models is still in its infancy. The first objective of this study was to integrate information of SOC derived from visible near-infrared reflectance (Vis-NIR) spectra in the laboratory with remote sensing (RS) images to improve predictions of topsoil SOC in the Skjern river catchment, Denmark. The second objective was to improve SOC prediction results by separately modeling uplands and wetlands. A total of 328 topsoil samples were collected and analyzed for SOC. Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT5), Landsat Data Continuity Mission (Landsat 8) images, laboratory Vis-NIR and other ancillary environmental data including terrain parameters and soil maps were compiled to predict topsoil SOC using Cubist regression and Bayesian kriging. The results showed that the model developed from RS data, ancillary environmental data and laboratory spectral data yielded a lower root mean square error (RMSE) (2.8%) and higher R2 (0.59) than the model developed from only RS data and ancillary environmental data (RMSE: 3.6%, R2: 0.46). Plant-available water (PAW) was the most important predictor for all the models because of its close relationship with soil organic matter content. Moreover, vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), were very important predictors in SOC spatial models. Furthermore, the 'upland model' was able to more accurately predict SOC compared with the 'upland & wetland model'. However, the separately calibrated 'upland and wetland model' did not improve the prediction accuracy for wetland sites, since it was not possible to adequately discriminate the vegetation in the RS summer images. We conclude that laboratory Vis

Modeling Soil Organic Carbon at Regional Scale by Combining Multi-Spectral Images with Laboratory Spectra

PubMed Central

Peng, Yi; Xiong, Xiong; Adhikari, Kabindra; Knadel, Maria; Grunwald, Sabine; Greve, Mogens Humlekrog

2015-01-01

There is a great challenge in combining soil proximal spectra and remote sensing spectra to improve the accuracy of soil organic carbon (SOC) models. This is primarily because mixing of spectral data from different sources and technologies to improve soil models is still in its infancy. The first objective of this study was to integrate information of SOC derived from visible near-infrared reflectance (Vis-NIR) spectra in the laboratory with remote sensing (RS) images to improve predictions of topsoil SOC in the Skjern river catchment, Denmark. The second objective was to improve SOC prediction results by separately modeling uplands and wetlands. A total of 328 topsoil samples were collected and analyzed for SOC. Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT5), Landsat Data Continuity Mission (Landsat 8) images, laboratory Vis-NIR and other ancillary environmental data including terrain parameters and soil maps were compiled to predict topsoil SOC using Cubist regression and Bayesian kriging. The results showed that the model developed from RS data, ancillary environmental data and laboratory spectral data yielded a lower root mean square error (RMSE) (2.8%) and higher R2 (0.59) than the model developed from only RS data and ancillary environmental data (RMSE: 3.6%, R2: 0.46). Plant-available water (PAW) was the most important predictor for all the models because of its close relationship with soil organic matter content. Moreover, vegetation indices, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), were very important predictors in SOC spatial models. Furthermore, the ‘upland model’ was able to more accurately predict SOC compared with the ‘upland & wetland model’. However, the separately calibrated ‘upland and wetland model’ did not improve the prediction accuracy for wetland sites, since it was not possible to adequately discriminate the vegetation in the RS summer images. We conclude that laboratory

The effect of impeller type on silica sol formation in laboratory scale agitated tank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurtono, Tantular; Suprana, Yayang Ade; Latif, Abdul; Dewa, Restu Mulya; Machmudah, Siti; Widiyastuti, Winardi, Sugeng

2016-02-01

The multiphase polymerization reaction of the silica sol formation produced from silicic acid and potassium hydroxide solutions in laboratory scale agitated tank was studied. The reactor is equipped with four segmental baffle and top entering impeller. The inside diameter of reactor is 9 cm, the baffle width is 0.9 cm, and the impeller position is 3 cm from tank bottom. The diameter of standard six blades Rushton and three blades marine propeller impellers are 5 cm. The silicic acid solution was made from 0.2 volume fraction of water glass (sodium silicate) solution in which the sodium ion was exchanged by hydrogen ion from cation resin. The reactor initially filled with 286 ml silicic acid solution was operated in semi batch mode and the temperature was kept constant in 60 °C. The 3 ml/minute of 1 M potassium hydroxide solution was added into stirred tank and the solution was stirred. The impeller rotational speed was varied from 100 until 700 rpm. This titration was stopped if the solution in stirred tank had reached the pH of 10-The morphology of the silica particles in the silica sol product was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The size of silica particles in silica sol was measured based on the SEM image. The silica particle obtained in this research was amorphous particle and the shape was roughly cylinder. The flow field generated by different impeller gave significant effect on particle size and shape. The smallest geometric mean of length and diameter of particle (4.92 µm and 2.42 µm, respectively) was generated in reactor with marine propeller at 600 rpm. The reactor with Rushton impeller produced particle which the geometric mean of length and diameter of particle was 4.85 µm and 2.36 µm, respectively, at 150 rpm.

Partitioning dynamics of unsaturated flows in fractured porous media: Laboratory studies and three-dimensional multi-scale smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of gravity-driven flow in fractures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kordilla, J.; Bresinsky, L. T.; Shigorina, E.; Noffz, T.; Dentz, M.; Sauter, M.; Tartakovsky, A. M.

2017-12-01

Preferential flow dynamics in unsaturated fractures remain a challenging topic on various scales. On pore- and fracture-scales the highly erratic gravity-driven flow dynamics often provoke a strong deviation from classical volume-effective approaches. Against the common notion that flow in fractures (or macropores) can only occur under equilibrium conditions, i.e., if the surrounding porous matrix is fully saturated and capillary pressures are high enough to allow filling of the fracture void space, arrival times suggest the existence of rapid preferential flow along fractures, fracture networks, and fault zones, even if the matrix is not fully saturated. Modeling such flows requires efficient numerical techniques to cover various flow-relevant physics, such as surface tension, static and dynamic contact angles, free-surface (multi-phase) interface dynamics, and formation of singularities. Here we demonstrate the importance of such flow modes on the partitioning dynamics at simple fracture intersections, with a combination of laboratory experiments, analytical solutions and numerical simulations using our newly developed massively parallel smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code. Flow modes heavily influence the "bypass" behavior of water flowing along a fracture junction. Flows favoring the formation of droplets exhibit a much stronger bypass capacity compared to rivulet flows, where nearly the whole fluid mass is initially stored within the horizontal fracture. This behavior is demonstrated for a multi-inlet laboratory setup where the inlet-specific flow rate is chosen so that either a droplet or rivulet flow persists. The effect of fluid buffering within the horizontal fracture is presented in terms of dimensionless fracture inflow so that characteristic scaling regimes can be recovered. For both cases (rivulets and droplets), flow within the horizontal fracture transitions into a Washburn regime until a critical threshold is reached and the bypass efficiency

End-effects-regime in full scale and lab scale rocket nozzles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojo, Raymundo; Tinney, Charles; Baars, Woutijn; Ruf, Joseph

2014-11-01

Modern rockets utilize a thrust-optimized parabolic-contour design for their nozzles for its high performance and reliability. However, the evolving internal flow structures within these high area ratio rocket nozzles during start up generate a powerful amount of vibro-acoustic loads that act on the launch vehicle. Modern rockets must be designed to accommodate for these heavy loads or else risk a catastrophic failure. This study quantifies a particular moment referred to as the ``end-effects regime,'' or the largest source of vibro-acoustic loading during start-up [Nave & Coffey, AIAA Paper 1973-1284]. Measurements from full scale ignitions are compared with aerodynamically scaled representations in a fully anechoic chamber. Laboratory scale data is then matched with both static and dynamic wall pressure measurements to capture the associating shock structures within the nozzle. The event generated during the ``end-effects regime'' was successfully reproduced in the both the lab-scale models, and was characterized in terms of its mean, variance and skewness, as well as the spectral properties of the signal obtained by way of time-frequency analyses.

Laboratory studies of scales for measuring helicopter noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ollerhead, J. B.

1982-01-01

The adequacy of the effective perceived noise level (EPNL) procedure for rating helicopter noise annoyance was investigated. Recordings of 89 helicopters and 30 fixed wing aircraft (CTOL) flyover sounds were rated with respect to annoyance by groups of approximately 40 subjects. The average annoyance scores were transformed to annoyance levels defined as the equally annoying sound levels of a fixed reference sound. The sound levels of the test sounds were measured on various scales, with and without corrections for duration, tones, and impulsiveness. On average, the helicopter sounds were judged equally annoying to CTOL sounds when their duration corrected levels are approximately 2 dB higher. Multiple regression analysis indicated that, provided the helicopter/CTOL difference of about 2 dB is taken into account, the particular linear combination of level, duration, and tone corrections inherent in EPNL is close to optimum. The results reveal no general requirement for special EPNL correction terms to penalize helicopter sounds which are particularly impulsive; impulsiveness causes spectral and temporal changes which themselves adequately amplify conventionally measured sound levels.

A laboratory-scale comparison of rate of spread model predictions using chaparral fuel beds – preliminary results

Treesearch

D.R. Weise; E. Koo; X. Zhou; S. Mahalingam

2011-01-01

Observed fire spread rates from 240 laboratory fires in horizontally-oriented single-species live fuel beds were compared to predictions from various implementations and modifications of the Rothermel rate of spread model and a physical fire spread model developed by Pagni and Koo. Packing ratio of the laboratory fuel beds was generally greater than that observed in...

Four Argonne National Laboratory scientists receive Early Career Research

Science.gov Websites

Media Contacts Social Media Photos Videos Fact Sheets, Brochures and Reports Summer Science Writing Writing Internship Four Argonne National Laboratory scientists receive Early Career Research Program economic impact of cascading shortages. He will also seek to enable scaling on high-performance computing

Laboratory Astrophysics: Enabling Scientific Discovery and Understanding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirby, K.

2006-01-01

NASA's Science Strategic Roadmap for Universe Exploration lays out a series of science objectives on a grand scale and discusses the various missions, over a wide range of wavelengths, which will enable discovery. Astronomical spectroscopy is arguably the most powerful tool we have for exploring the Universe. Experimental and theoretical studies in Laboratory Astrophysics convert "hard-won data into scientific understanding". However, the development of instruments with increasingly high spectroscopic resolution demands atomic and molecular data of unprecedented accuracy and completeness. How to meet these needs, in a time of severe budgetary constraints, poses a significant challenge both to NASA, the astronomical observers and model-builders, and the laboratory astrophysics community. I will discuss these issues, together with some recent examples of productive astronomy/lab astro collaborations.

Improving Drinking Water Quality by Remineralisation.

PubMed

Luptáková, Anna; Derco, Ján

2015-01-01

The reason of low mineral content in source water is its origin in poorly soluble mineral geological structures. There are many areas with very soft low-mineralised water around the world. All people involved in drinking water treatment as well as some public health experts and producers of chemicals used for water treatment may be interested in the study. Enrichment of drinking water by minerals including calcium and magnesium is very important particularly in regions where drinking water is prepared by desalination. The aim of this work was to study and intensify the recarbonization process. Half-calcined dolomite in combination with carbon dioxide constitutes the chemistry of the applied method. Advantages of using a fluidised bed reactor contributed also significantly to the process efficiency enhancement. Continuous input of carbon dioxide into the fluidised bed recarbonization reactor resulted in an increase in the recarbonization rate by about one order of magnitude compared with the process in without carbon dioxide addition. Very good fit of experimental data for hydrodynamic characteristics of fluidised bed was obtained using simple model based on the Richardson and Zaki expansion equation. The first order model describes kinetic data from the recarbonization process with a good accuracy. Higher recarbonization rates were observed with smaller particles of half-calcined dolomite.

Principles of an enhanced MBR-process with mechanical cleaning.

PubMed

Rosenberger, S; Helmus, F P; Krause, S; Bareth, A; Meyer-Blumenroth, U

2011-01-01

Up to date, different physical and chemical cleaning protocols are necessary to limit membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors. This paper deals with a mechanical cleaning process, which aims at the avoidance of hypochlorite and other critical chemicals in MBR with submerged flat sheet modules. The process basically consists of the addition of plastic particles into the loop circulation within submerged membrane modules. Investigations of two pilot plants are presented: Pilot plant 1 is equipped with a 10 m(2) membrane module and operated with a translucent model suspension; pilot plant 2 is equipped with four 50 m(2) membrane modules and operated with pretreated sewage. Results of pilot plant 1 show that the establishment of a fluidised bed with regular particle distribution is possible for a variety of particles. Particles with maximum densities of 1.05 g/cm(3) and between 3 and 5 mm diameter form a stable fluidised bed almost regardless of activated sludge concentration, viscosity and reactor geometry. Particles with densities between 1.05 g/cm(3) and 1.2 g/cm(3) form a stable fluidised bed, if the velocity at the reactor bottom is sufficiently high. Activities within pilot plant 2 focused on plant optimisation and the development of an adequate particle retention system.

Zero-valent iron/biotic treatment system for perchlorate-contaminated water: lab-scale performance, modeling, and full-scale implications

EPA Science Inventory

The computer program AQUASIM was used to model biological treatment of perchlorate-contaminated water using zero-valent iron corrosion as the hydrogen gas source. The laboratory-scale column was seeded with an autohydrogenotrophic microbial consortium previously shown to degrade ...

A Cryogenic Detector Characterization Facility in the Shallow Underground Laboratory at the Technical University of Munich

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langenkämper, A.; Defay, X.; Ferreiro Iachellini, N.; Kinast, A.; Lanfranchi, J.-C.; Lindner, E.; Mancuso, M.; Mondragón, E.; Münster, A.; Ortmann, T.; Potzel, W.; Schönert, S.; Strauss, R.; Ulrich, A.; Wawoczny, S.; Willers, M.

2018-04-01

The Physics Department of the Technical University of Munich operates a shallow underground detector laboratory in Garching, Germany. It provides ˜ 160 {m^2} of laboratory space which is shielded from cosmic radiation by ˜ 6 m of gravel and soil, corresponding to a shielding of ˜ 15 {m.w.e.} . The laboratory also houses a cleanroom equipped with work- and wetbenches, a chemical fumehood as well as a spin-coater and a mask-aligner for photolithographic processing of semiconductor detectors. Furthermore, the shallow underground laboratory runs two high-purity germanium detector screening stations, a liquid argon cryostat and a ^3 He-^4 He dilution refrigerator with a base temperature of ≤ 12-14 mK . The infrastructure provided by the shallow laboratory is particularly relevant for the characterization of CaWO_4 target crystals for the CRESST-III experiment, detector fabrication and assembly for rare event searches. Future applications of the laboratory include detector development in the framework of coherent neutrino nucleus scattering experiments (ν -cleus) and studying its potential as a site to search for MeV-scale dark matter with gram-scale cryogenic detectors.

Bench scale demonstration and conceptual engineering for DETOX{sup SM} catalyzed wet oxidation

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

Moslander, J.; Bell, R.; Robertson, D.

1994-06-01

Laboratory and bench scale studies of the DETOX{sup SM} catalyzed wet oxidation process have been performed with the object of developing the process for treatment of hazardous and mixed wastes. Reaction orders, apparent rates, and activation energies have been determined for a range of organic waste surrogates. Reaction intermediates and products have been analyzed. Metals` fates have been determined. Bench scale units have been designed, fabricated, and tested with solid and liquid organic waste surrogates. Results from the laboratory and bench scale studies have been used to develop conceptual designs for application of the process to hazardous and mixed wastes.

Effects of Cohesive Sediment on Estuarine Morphology in Laboratory Scale Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braat, L.; Leuven, J.; Lokhorst, I.; Kleinhans, M. G.

2017-12-01

Mud plays a major role in forming and filling of river estuaries. River estuaries are typically build of sand and flanked by mudflats, which affect channel-shoal dynamics on time scales of centuries to millennia. In our research we aim to study the effects of mud on the shape and evolution of estuaries and where the largest effects occur. Recently a 20 m by 3 m flume (the Metronome) was developed at Utrecht University for tidal experiments. Complete estuaries are simulated in the Metronome by driving tidal flow by periodically tilting of the flume to counteract scaling problems. To simulate the effects of cohesive mud we supply nutshell grains to the system together with the river discharge. Three scenarios were tested, one with only sand, one with a low supply concentration of nutshell and one with a high concentration (left to right in figure).Estuaries that developed from an initial convergent shape are self-formed through bank erosion, continuous channel-shoal migration and bar and mud flat sedimentation (figure shows development over 15000 tilting cycles). The cohesive sediment deposits occur mainly on bars, but also on the flanks of the estuary and in abandoned channels. Due to its different erosional and depositional characteristics, the nutshell increases the elevation of the bars, which reduces storage and ebb-dominance and causes reduction of bar mobility and short cuts. These results agree with numerical model results. The large-scale effect is less widening of the estuary in the presence of mud and a decrease in channel-shoal migration, suggesting that mud confines estuary width in a similar manner as river floodplains.

A process for creating multimetric indices for large-scale aquatic surveys

EPA Science Inventory

Differences in sampling and laboratory protocols, differences in techniques used to evaluate metrics, and differing scales of calibration and application prohibit the use of many existing multimetric indices (MMIs) in large-scale bioassessments. We describe an approach to develop...

Munition Burial by Local Scour and Sandwaves: large-scale laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M. H.

2017-12-01

Our effort has been the direct observation and monitoring of the burial process of munitions induced by the combined action of waves, currents and pure oscillatory flows. The experimental conditions have made it possible to observe the burial process due to both local scour around model munitions as well as the passage of sandwaves. One experimental facility is the Large Oscillating Water Sediment Tunnel (LOWST) constructed with DURIP support. LOWST can reproduce field-like conditions near the sea bed. The second facility is a multipurpose wave-current flume which is 4 feet (1.20 m) deep, 6 feet (1.8 m) wide, and 161 feet (49.2 m) long. More than two hundred experiments were carried out in the wave-current flume. The main task completed within this effort has been the characterization of the burial process induced by local scour as well in the presence of dynamic sandwaves with superimposed ripples. It is found that the burial of a finite-length model munition (cylinder) is determined by local scour around the cylinder and by a more global process associated with the formation and evolution of sandwaves having superimposed ripples on them. Depending on the ratio of the amplitude of these features and the body's diameter (D), a model munition can progressively get partially or totally buried as such bedforms migrate. Analysis of the experimental data indicates that existing semi-empirical formulae for prediction of equilibrium-burial-depth, geometry of the scour hole around a cylinder, and time-scales developed for pipelines are not suitable for the case of a cylinder of finite length. Relative burial depth (Bd / D) is found to be mainly a function of two parameters. One is the Keulegan-Carpenter number, KC, and the Shields parameter, θ. Munition burial under either waves or combined flow, is influenced by two different processes. One is related to the local scour around the object, which takes place within the first few hundred minutes of flow action (i.e. short

An automated laboratory-scale methodology for the generation of sheared mammalian cell culture samples.

PubMed

Joseph, Adrian; Goldrick, Stephen; Mollet, Michael; Turner, Richard; Bender, Jean; Gruber, David; Farid, Suzanne S; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel

2017-05-01

Continuous disk-stack centrifugation is typically used for the removal of cells and cellular debris from mammalian cell culture broths at manufacturing-scale. The use of scale-down methods to characterise disk-stack centrifugation performance enables substantial reductions in material requirements and allows a much wider design space to be tested than is currently possible at pilot-scale. The process of scaling down centrifugation has historically been challenging due to the difficulties in mimicking the Energy Dissipation Rates (EDRs) in typical machines. This paper describes an alternative and easy-to-assemble automated capillary-based methodology to generate levels of EDRs consistent with those found in a continuous disk-stack centrifuge. Variations in EDR were achieved through changes in capillary internal diameter and the flow rate of operation through the capillary. The EDRs found to match the levels of shear in the feed zone of a pilot-scale centrifuge using the experimental method developed in this paper (2.4×10 5 W/Kg) are consistent with those obtained through previously published computational fluid dynamic (CFD) studies (2.0×10 5 W/Kg). Furthermore, this methodology can be incorporated into existing scale-down methods to model the process performance of continuous disk-stack centrifuges. This was demonstrated through the characterisation of culture hold time, culture temperature and EDRs on centrate quality. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koepke, Mark

2008-07-01

The premise of investigating basic plasma phenomena relevant to space is that an alliance exists between both basic plasma physicists, using theory, computer modelling and laboratory experiments, and space science experimenters, using different instruments, either flown on different spacecraft in various orbits or stationed on the ground. The intent of this special issue on interrelated phenomena in laboratory and space plasmas is to promote the interpretation of scientific results in a broader context by sharing data, methods, knowledge, perspectives, and reasoning within this alliance. The desired outcomes are practical theories, predictive models, and credible interpretations based on the findings and expertise available. Laboratory-experiment papers that explicitly address a specific space mission or a specific manifestation of a space-plasma phenomenon, space-observation papers that explicitly address a specific laboratory experiment or a specific laboratory result, and theory or modelling papers that explicitly address a connection between both laboratory and space investigations were encouraged. Attention was given to the utility of the references for readers who seek further background, examples, and details. With the advent of instrumented spacecraft, the observation of waves (fluctuations), wind (flows), and weather (dynamics) in space plasmas was approached within the framework provided by theory with intuition provided by the laboratory experiments. Ideas on parallel electric field, magnetic topology, inhomogeneity, and anisotropy have been refined substantially by laboratory experiments. Satellite and rocket observations, theory and simulations, and laboratory experiments have contributed to the revelation of a complex set of processes affecting the accelerations of electrons and ions in the geospace plasma. The processes range from meso-scale of several thousands of kilometers to micro-scale of a few meters to kilometers. Papers included in this

10. MOVABLE BED SEDIMENTATION MODELS. DOGTOOTH BEND MODEL (MODEL SCALE: ...

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

10. MOVABLE BED SEDIMENTATION MODELS. DOGTOOTH BEND MODEL (MODEL SCALE: 1' = 400' HORIZONTAL, 1' = 100' VERTICAL), AND GREENVILLE BRIDGE MODEL (MODEL SCALE: 1' = 360' HORIZONTAL, 1' = 100' VERTICAL). - Waterways Experiment Station, Hydraulics Laboratory, Halls Ferry Road, 2 miles south of I-20, Vicksburg, Warren County, MS

The role of the independent clinical laboratory in new assay development and commercialization.

PubMed

Ellis, David G

2003-01-01

Most would agree that these are exciting times in the field of laboratory medicine. As the body of scientific knowledge expands and research activities, such as those catalyzed by the sequencing of the human genome, bring us closer to the promise of personalized medicine, the clinical laboratory industry will have increasing opportunities to partner with owners of intellectual property to develop and commercialize new diagnostic tests. The large, independent clinical laboratories are particularly well positioned to commercialize important new tests, with their broad market penetration, infrastructure, and the scale to run esoteric tests cost-effectively.

Laboratory simulation of rocket-borne D-region blunt probe flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, L. B.

1977-01-01

The flow of weakly ionized plasmas that is similar to the flow that occurs over rocket-borne blunt probes as they pass through the lower ionosphere has been simulated in a scaled laboratory environment, and electron collection D region blunt probe theories have been evaluated.

A Shallow Underground Laboratory for Low-Background Radiation Measurements and Materials Development

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

Aalseth, Craig E.; Bonicalzi, Ricco; Cantaloub, Michael G.

Abstract: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently commissioned a new shallow underground laboratory, located at a depth of approximately 30 meters water-equivalent. This new addition to the small class of radiation measurement laboratories located at modest underground depths worldwide houses the latest generation of custom-made, high-efficiency, low-background gamma-ray spectrometers and gas proportional counters. This manuscript describes the unique capabilities present in the shallow underground laboratory; these include large-scale ultra-pure materials production and a suite of radiation detection systems. Reported data characterize the degree of background reduction achieved through a combination of underground location, graded shielding, and rejection of cosmic-ray events. Wemore » conclude by presenting measurement targets and future opportunities.« less

Hardwood log grading scale stick improved

Treesearch

M. D. Ostrander; G. H. Englerth

1953-01-01

In February 1952 the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station described ( Research Note 13) a new log-grading scale stick developed by the Station for use as a visual aid in grading hardwood factory logs. It was based on the U. S. Forest Products Laboratory's log-grade specifications.

Freeze-Drying Process Development and Scale-Up: Scale-Up of Edge Vial Versus Center Vial Heat Transfer Coefficients, Kv.

PubMed

Pikal, Michael J; Bogner, Robin; Mudhivarthi, Vamsi; Sharma, Puneet; Sane, Pooja

2016-11-01

This report presents calculations of the difference between the vial heat transfer coefficient of the "edge vial" and the "center vial" at all scales. The only scale-up adjustment for center vials is for the contribution of radiation from the shelf upon which the vial sits by replacing the emissivity of the laboratory dryer shelf with the emissivity of the production dryer shelf. With edge vials, scales-up adjustments are more complex. While convection is not important, heat transfer from the wall to the bands (surrounding the vial array) by radiation and directly from the band to the vials by both radiation and conduction is important; this radiation heat transfer depends on the emissivity of the vial and the bands and is nearly independent of the emissivity of the dryer walls. Differences in wall temperatures do impact the edge vial effect and scale-up, and estimates for wall temperatures are needed for both laboratory and manufacturing dryers. Auto-loading systems (no bands) may give different edge vial heat transfer coefficients than when operating with bands. Satisfactory agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental values of the edge vial effect indicate that results calculated from the theory are of useful accuracy. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Large-scale laboratory testing of bedload-monitoring technologies: overview of the StreamLab06 Experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marr, Jeffrey D.G.; Gray, John R.; Davis, Broderick E.; Ellis, Chris; Johnson, Sara; Gray, John R.; Laronne, Jonathan B.; Marr, Jeffrey D.G.

2010-01-01

A 3-month-long, large-scale flume experiment involving research and testing of selected conventional and surrogate bedload-monitoring technologies was conducted in the Main Channel at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory under the auspices of the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics. These experiments, dubbed StreamLab06, involved 25 researchers and volunteers from academia, government, and the private sector. The research channel was equipped with a sediment-recirculation system and a sediment-flux monitoring system that allowed continuous measurement of sediment flux in the flume and provided a data set by which samplers were evaluated. Selected bedload-measurement technologies were tested under a range of flow and sediment-transport conditions. The experiment was conducted in two phases. The bed material in phase I was well-sorted siliceous sand (0.6-1.8 mm median diameter). A gravel mixture (1-32 mm median diameter) composed the bed material in phase II. Four conventional bedload samplers – a standard Helley-Smith, Elwha, BLH-84, and Toutle River II (TR-2) sampler – were manually deployed as part of both experiment phases. Bedload traps were deployed in study Phase II. Two surrogate bedload samplers – stationarymounted down-looking 600 kHz and 1200 kHz acoustic Doppler current profilers – were deployed in experiment phase II. This paper presents an overview of the experiment including the specific data-collection technologies used and the ambient hydraulic, sediment-transport and environmental conditions measured as part of the experiment. All data collected as part of the StreamLab06 experiments are, or will be available to the research community.

Laboratory tests on heat treatment of ballast water using engine waste heat.

PubMed

Balaji, Rajoo; Lee Siang, Hing; Yaakob, Omar; Koh, Kho King; Adnan, Faizul Amri Bin; Ismail, Nasrudin Bin; Ahmad, Badruzzaman Bin; Ismail, Mohd Arif Bin; Wan Nik, W B

2018-05-01

Waste heat recovery from shipboard machineries could be a potential source for heat treatment of ballast water. Similar to a shipboard schematic arrangement, a laboratory-scale engine-heat exchanger set-up harvesting waste heat from jacket water and exhaust gases was erected to test the level of species' mortalities. Mortalities were also assessed under experimental conditions for cultured and natural plankton communities at laboratory level. Effect of pump impellers on species' mortalities were also tested. Exposures between 60°C and 70°C for 60 sec resulted in 80-100% mortalities. Mortalities due to pump impeller effects were observed in the range of 70-100% for zooplankton. On the laboratory-scale arrangement, >95% mortalities of phytoplankton, zooplankton and bacteria were recorded. It was demonstrated that the temperature of tropical sea waters used as secondary coolant can be raised to cause species' mortalities, employing engine exhaust gases. The results also indicated that pump impeller effects will enhance species' mortalities. The limitations of the shipboard application of this method would be the large ballast volumes, flow rates and time for treatment.

Comparison of laboratory-scale thermophilic biofilm and activated sludge processes integrated with a mesophilic activated sludge process.

PubMed

Suvilampi, J; Lehtomäki, A; Rintala, J

2003-07-01

A combined thermophilic-mesophilic wastewater treatment was studied using a laboratory-scale thermophilic activated sludge process (ASP) followed by mesophilic ASP or a thermophilic suspended carrier biofilm process (SCBP) followed by mesophilic ASP, both systems treating diluted molasses (dilution factor 1:500 corresponding GF/A-filtered COD (COD(filt)) of 1900+/-190 mgl(-1)). With hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 12-18 h the thermophilic ASP and thermophilic SCBP removed 60+/-13% and 62+/-7% of COD(filt), respectively, with HRT of 8 h the removals were 48+/-1% and 69+/-4%. The sludge volume index (SVI) was notably lower in the thermophilic SCBP (measured from suspended sludge) than in the thermophilic ASP. Under the lowest HRT the mesophilic ASP gave better performance (as SVI, COD(filt), and COD(tot) removals) after the thermophilic SCBP than after the thermophilic ASP. Measured sludge yields were low (less than 0.1 kg suspended solids (SS) kg COD(filt removed)(-1)) in all processes. Both thermophilic treatments removed 80-85% of soluble COD (COD(sol)) whereas suspended COD (COD(susp)) and colloidal COD (COD(col)) were increased. Both mesophilic post-treatments removed all COD(col) and most of the COD(susp) from the thermophilic effluents. In conclusion, combined thermophilic-mesophilic treatment appeared to be easily operable and produced high effluent quality.

Fumigation of a laboratory-scale HVAC system with hydrogen peroxide for decontamination following a biological contamination incident.

PubMed

Meyer, K M; Calfee, M W; Wood, J P; Mickelsen, L; Attwood, B; Clayton, M; Touati, A; Delafield, R

2014-03-01

To evaluate hydrogen peroxide vapour (H2 O2 ) for its ability to inactivate Bacillus spores within a laboratory-scale heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) duct system. Experiments were conducted in a closed-loop duct system, constructed of either internally lined or unlined galvanized metal. Bacterial spores were aerosol-deposited onto 18-mm-diameter test material coupons and strategically placed at several locations within the duct environment. Various concentrations of H2 O2 and exposure times were evaluated to determine the sporicidal efficacy and minimum exposure needed for decontamination. For the unlined duct, high variability was observed in the recovery of spores between sample locations, likely due to complex, unpredictable flow patterns within the ducts. In comparison, the lined duct exhibited a significant desorption of the H2 O2 following the fumigant dwell period and thus resulted in complete decontamination at all sampling locations. These findings suggest that decontamination of Bacillus spore-contaminated unlined HVAC ducts by hydrogen peroxide fumigation may require more stringent conditions (higher concentrations, longer dwell duration) than internally insulated ductwork. These data may help emergency responders when developing remediation plans during building decontamination. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

Transformation of pristine and citrate-functionalized CeO2 nanoparticles in a laboratory-scale activated sludge reactor.

PubMed

Barton, Lauren E; Auffan, Melanie; Bertrand, Marie; Barakat, Mohamed; Santaella, Catherine; Masion, Armand; Borschneck, Daniel; Olivi, Luca; Roche, Nicolas; Wiesner, Mark R; Bottero, Jean-Yves

2014-07-01

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are used to enhance the properties of many manufactured products and technologies. Increased use of ENMs will inevitably lead to their release into the environment. An important route of exposure is through the waste stream, where ENMs will enter wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), undergo transformations, and be discharged with treated effluent or biosolids. To better understand the fate of a common ENM in WWTPs, experiments with laboratory-scale activated sludge reactors and pristine and citrate-functionalized CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were conducted. Greater than 90% of the CeO2 introduced was observed to associate with biosolids. This association was accompanied by reduction of the Ce(IV) NPs to Ce(III). After 5 weeks in the reactor, 44 ± 4% reduction was observed for the pristine NPs and 31 ± 3% for the citrate-functionalized NPs, illustrating surface functionality dependence. Thermodynamic arguments suggest that the likely Ce(III) phase generated would be Ce2S3. This study indicates that the majority of CeO2 NPs (>90% by mass) entering WWTPs will be associated with the solid phase, and a significant portion will be present as Ce(III). At maximum, 10% of the CeO2 will remain in the effluent and be discharged as a Ce(IV) phase, governed by cerianite (CeO2).

Unstable infiltration fronts in porous media on laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuetz, Cindi; Neuweiler, Insa

2014-05-01

Water flow and transport of substances in the unsaturated zone are important processes for the quality and quantity of water in the hydrologic cycle. The water movement through preferential paths is often much faster than standard models (e. g. Richards equation in homogeneous porous media) predict. One type/phenomenon of preferential flow can occur during water infiltration into coarse and/or dry porous media: the so-called gravity-driven fingering flow. To upscale the water content and to describe the averaged water fluxes in order to couple models of different spheres it is necessary to understand and to quantify the behavior of flow instabilities. We present different experiments of unstable infiltration in homogeneous and heterogeneous structures to analyze development and morphology of gravity-driven fingering flow on the laboratory scale. Experiments were carried out in two-dimensional and three-dimensional sand tanks as well as in larger two-dimensional sand tanks with homogeneous and heterogeneous filling of sand and glass beads. In the small systems, water content in the medium was measured at different times. We compare the experiments to prediction of theoretical approaches (e.g. Saffman and Taylor, 1958; Chuoke et al., 1959; Philip 1975a; White et al., 1976; Parlange and Hill, 1976a; Glass et al., 1989a; Glass et al., 1991; Wang et al., 1998c) that quantify properties of the gravity-driven fingers. We use hydraulic parameters needed for the theoretical predictions (the water-entry value (hwe), van Genuchten parameter (Wang et al., 1997, Wang et al., 2000) and saturated conductivity (Ks), van Genuchten parameter (Guarracino, 2007) to simplify the prediction of the finger properties and if necessary to identify a constant correction factor. We find in general that the finger properties correspond well to theoretical predictions. In heterogeneous settings, where fine inclusions are embedded into a coarse material, the finger properties do not change much

Dissociation in the laboratory: a comparison of strategies.

PubMed

Leonard, K N; Telch, M J; Harrington, P J

1999-01-01

Several methods for inducing dissociation in the laboratory were examined in a sample of 78 undergraduate students. Participants scoring high or low on the Dissociative Experiences Scale participated in three dissociation challenge conditions: (a) dot-staring task, (b) administration of pulsed photic and audio stimulation and (c) stimulus deprivation. Participants recorded their dissociative experiences both before and after each of the three challenge conditions. Across conditions, high DES participants reported significantly more dissociative sensations than low DES participants, even after controlling for pre-challenge dissociation. Moreover, regardless of DES status, pulsed photo and audio stimulation produced the greatest level of dissociative symptoms. The findings suggest that the induction of dissociative symptoms in a nonclinical sample is easily accomplished in the laboratory and that those who report more dissociative symptoms in their day-to-day life exhibit more pronounced dissociative symptoms when undergoing dissociative challenge in the laboratory. Implications for the study and treatment of dissociative symptoms are discussed.

High Resolution ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements at the laboratory scale to model porosity and permeability in the Miami Limestone in South Florida.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mount, G. J.; Comas, X.

2015-12-01

Subsurface water flow within the Biscayne aquifer is controlled by the heterogeneous distribution of porosity and permeability in the karst Miami Limestone and the presence of numerous dissolution and mega-porous features. The dissolution features and other high porosity areas can create preferential flow paths and direct recharge to the aquifer, which may not be accurately conceptualized in groundwater flow models. As hydrologic conditions are undergoing restoration in the Everglades, understanding the distribution of these high porosity areas within the subsurface would create a better understanding of subsurface flow. This research utilizes ground penetrating radar to estimate the spatial variability of porosity and dielectric permittivity of the Miami Limestone at centimeter scale resolution at the laboratory scale. High frequency GPR antennas were used to measure changes in electromagnetic wave velocity through limestone samples under varying volumetric water contents. The Complex Refractive Index Model (CRIM) was then applied in order to estimate porosity and dielectric permittivity of the solid phase of the limestone. Porosity estimates ranged from 45.2-66.0% from the CRIM model and correspond well with estimates of porosity from analytical and digital image techniques. Dielectric permittivity values of the limestone solid phase ranged from 7.0 and 13.0, which are similar to values in the literature. This research demonstrates the ability of GPR to identify the cm scale spatial variability of aquifer properties that influence subsurface water flow which could have implications for groundwater flow models in the Biscayne and potentially other shallow karst aquifers.

Pharmaceutical process chemistry: evolution of a contemporary data-rich laboratory environment.

PubMed

Caron, Stéphane; Thomson, Nicholas M

2015-03-20

Over the past 20 years, the industrial laboratory environment has gone through a major transformation in the industrial process chemistry setting. In order to discover and develop robust and efficient syntheses and processes for a pharmaceutical portfolio with growing synthetic complexity and increased regulatory expectations, the round-bottom flask and other conventional equipment familiar to a traditional organic chemistry laboratory are being replaced. The new process chemistry laboratory fosters multidisciplinary collaborations by providing a suite of tools capable of delivering deeper process understanding through mechanistic insights and detailed kinetics translating to greater predictability at scale. This transformation is essential to the field of organic synthesis in order to promote excellence in quality, safety, speed, and cost efficiency in synthesis.

Giant fluctuations and structural effects in a flocking epithelium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giavazzi, Fabio; Malinverno, Chiara; Corallino, Salvatore; Ginelli, Francesco; Scita, Giorgio; Cerbino, Roberto

2017-09-01

Epithelial cells cultured in a monolayer are very motile in isolation but reach a near-jammed state when mitotic division increases their number above a critical threshold. We have recently shown that a monolayer can be reawakened by over-expression of a single protein, RAB5A, a master regulator of endocytosis. This reawakening of motility was explained in terms of a flocking transition that promotes the emergence of a large-scale collective migratory pattern. Here we focus on the impact of this reawakening on the structural properties of the monolayer. We find that the unjammed monolayer is characterised by a fluidisation at the single cell level, and by enhanced non-equilibrium large-scale number fluctuations at a larger length scale. Also, with the help of numerical simulations, we trace back the origin of these fluctuations to the self-propelled active nature of the constituents, and to the existence of a local alignment mechanism, leading to the spontaneous breaking of the orientational symmetry.

Impact of Time Lapse on ASCP Board of Certification Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) Examination Scores.

PubMed

Brown, Karen A; Fenn, JoAnn P; Freeman, Vicki S; Fisher, Patrick B; Genzen, Jonathan R; Goodyear, Nancy; Houston, Mary Lunz; O'Brien, Mary Elizabeth; Tanabe, Patricia A

2015-01-01

Research in several professional fields has demonstrated that delays (time lapse) in taking certification examinations may result in poorer performance by examinees. Thirteen states and/or territories require licensure for laboratory personnel. A core component of licensure is passing a certification exam. Also, many facilities in states that do not require licensure require certification for employment or preferentially hire certified individuals. To analyze examinee performance on the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) certification examinations to determine whether delays in taking the examination from the time of program completion are associated with poorer performance. We obtained examination data from April 2013 through December 2014 to look for changes in mean (SD) exam scaled scores and overall pass/fail rates. First-time examinees (MLS: n = 6037; MLT, n = 3920) were divided into 3-month categories based on the interval of time between date of program completion and taking the certification exam. We observed significant decreases in mean (SD) scaled scores and pass rates after the first quarter in MLS and MLT examinations for applicants who delayed taking their examination until the second, third, and fourth quarter after completing their training programs. Those who take the ASCP BOC MLS and MLT examinations are encouraged to do so shortly after completion of their educational training programs. Delays in taking an exam are generally not beneficial to the examinee and result in poorer performance on the exam. Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

Three years experience of operating and selling recovered struvite from full-scale plant.

PubMed

Ueno, Y; Fujii, M

2001-11-01

The adoption of phosphorus removal at sewage treatment works (STW) creates two main problems. Firstly large amounts of sludge are produced and secondly the quantity of the effluent deteriorates due to the increase in the phosphorus load of the sidestream. Furthermore, these processes do not remove phosphorus in a form that would enable it to be recycled. Therefore in order to control these process difficulties and produce a recyclable phosphorus product a sidestream struvite crystallisation reactor was developed. The struvite was produced in a fluidised bed reactor using dewatered filtrate from anaerobic sludge digestion. Magnesium hydroxide was added in a magnesium to phosphate ratio of 1:1 and the pH was adjusted to between 8.2-8.8 with the addition of sodium hydroxide. A retention time of 10 days alowed the growth of pellets between 0.5-1.0 mm in size. The recovered struvite contained only minute traces of toxic substances and was sold to fertiliser companies for 27,000 yen tonne(-1). It is used to enhance existing fertilisers, which are widely used on paddy rice, vegetables and flowers.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2014-12-01

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

Parachute Testing for Mars Science Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

The team developing the landing system for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory tested the deployment of an early parachute design in mid-October 2007 inside the world's largest wind tunnel, at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.

In this image, an engineer is dwarfed by the parachute, which holds more air than a 280-square-meter (3,000-square-foot) house and is designed to survive loads in excess of 36,000 kilograms (80,000 pounds).

The parachute, built by Pioneer Aerospace, South Windsor, Connecticut, has 80 suspension lines, measures more than 50 meters (165 feet) in length, and opens to a diameter of nearly 17 meters (55 feet). It is the largest disk-gap-band parachute ever built and is shown here inflated in the test section with only about 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) of clearance to both the floor and ceiling.

The wind tunnel, which is 24 meters (80 feet) tall and 37 meters (120 feet) wide and big enough to house a Boeing 737, is part of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex, operated by the U.S. Air Force, Arnold Engineering Development Center.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, is building and testing the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft for launch in 2009. The mission will land a roving analytical laboratory on the surface of Mars in 2010. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.

Laboratory scale studies on gaseous emissions generated by the incineration of an artificial automotive shredder residue presenting a critical composition

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

Lanoir, D.; Trouve, G.; Delfosse, L.

1998-09-01

Car manufacturers must eliminate automotive shredder residues (ASR). Two ways of incineration are of interest: at 850 C in municipal waste incinerators or at higher temperatures, above 1,100 C in cement plants. These processes reduce the mass and the volume of waste to be disposed of in landfills and energy recovery might be possible. Regulations govern the emission of gaseous effluents to control environmental risk. To determine gaseous effluents from a pilot scale or an industrial incineration plant, an artificial ASR was made by mixing three representative organic polymers present in the real ASR, namely polyvinylchloride, polyurethane and rubber. Thismore » mixture was incinerated at 850 and 1,100 C in laboratory experiments and the analyses of the principal gaseous effluents such as carbon oxides, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, hydrochloric and hydrocyanic acids and sulfur compounds are presented and discussed. Lastly, in order to simulate artificial ASR behavior, the composition of the combustion gases at equilibrium was calculated using a Gibbs energy minimization code.« less

UV/TiO2 photocatalytic disinfection of carbon-bacteria complexes in activated carbon-filtered water: Laboratory and pilot-scale investigation.

PubMed

Zhao, Jin Hui; Chen, Wei; Zhao, Yaqian; Liu, Cuiyun; Liu, Ranbin

2015-01-01

The occurrence of carbon-bacteria complexes in activated carbon filtered water has posed a public health problem regarding the biological safety of drinking water. The application of combined process of ultraviolet radiation and nanostructure titanium dioxide (UV/TiO2) photocatalysis for the disinfection of carbon-bacteria complexes were assessed in this study. Results showed that a 1.07 Lg disinfection rate can be achieved using a UV dose of 20 mJ cm(-2), while the optimal UV intensity was 0.01 mW cm(-2). Particle sizes ≥8 μm decreased the disinfection efficiency, whereas variation in particle number in activated carbon-filtered water did not significantly affect the disinfection efficiency. Photoreactivation ratio was reduced from 12.07% to 1.69% when the UV dose was increased from 5 mJ cm(-2) to 20 mJ cm(-2). Laboratory and on-site pilot-scale experiments have demonstrated that UV/TiO2 photocatalytic disinfection technology is capable of controlling the risk posed by carbon-bacteria complexes and securing drinking water safety.

Regeneration of Exhausted Arsenic Adsorptive media of a Full Scale Treatment System

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will describe the method and results of laboratory tests showing the feasibility of regenerating exhausted, iron-based, adsorptive media and the results of a follow up regeneration test at a full scale system in Twentynine Palms CA. The laboratory studies on se...

A plasma deflagration accelerator as a platform for laboratory astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Underwood, Thomas C.; Loebner, Keith T. K.; Cappelli, Mark A.

2017-06-01

The replication of astrophysical flows in the laboratory is critical for isolating particular phenomena and dynamics that appear in complex, highly-coupled natural systems. In particular, plasma jets are observed in astrophysical contexts at a variety of scales, typically at high magnetic Reynolds number and driven by internal currents. In this paper, we present detailed measurements of the plasma parameters within deflagration-produced plasma jets, the scaling of these parameters against both machine operating conditions and the corresponding astrophysical phenomena. Using optical and spectroscopic diagnostics, including Schlieren cinematography, we demonstrate the production of current-driven plasma jets of ∼100 km/s and magnetic Reynolds numbers of ∼100, and discuss the dynamics of their acceleration into vacuum. The results of this study will contribute to the reproduction of various types of astrophysical jets in the laboratory and indicate the ability to further probe active research areas such as jet collimation, stability, and interaction.

An overview of Laser-Produced Relativistic Positrons in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edghill, Brandon; Williams, Gerald; Chen, Hui; Beg, Farhat

2017-10-01

The production of relativistic positrons using ultraintense lasers can facilitate studies of fundamental pair plasma science in the relativistic regime and laboratory studies of scaled energetic astrophysical mechanisms such as gamma ray bursts. The positron densities and spatial scales required for these applications, however, are larger than current capabilities. Here, we present an overview of the experimental laser-produced positron results and their respective modeling for both the direct laser-irradiated process and the indirect process (laser wakefield accelerated electrons irradiating a high-Z converter). Conversion efficiency into positrons and positron beam characteristics are compared, including total pair yield, mean energy, angular divergence, and inferred pair density for various laser and target conditions. Prospects towards increasing positron densities and beam repetition rates will also be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, and funded by LDRD (#17-ERD-010).

Extreme-Scale Computing Project Aims to Advance Precision Oncology | Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Two government agencies and five national laboratories are collaborating to develop extremely high-performance computing capabilities that will analyze mountains of research and clinical data to improve scientific understanding of cancer, predict dru

US Highway 84 chip seal field trials and laboratory test results.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-23

This report contains laboratory and field testing of US Highway 84 in Lincoln county Mississippi. A full scale field test consisting of seven polymer modified asphalt emulsions and a CRS-2 control emulsion was constructed in September of 1989 and sub...

Stress drop with constant, scale independent seismic efficiency and overshoot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beeler, N.M.

2001-01-01

To model dissipated and radiated energy during earthquake stress drop, I calculate dynamic fault slip using a single degree of freedom spring-slider block and a laboratory-based static/kinetic fault strength relation with a dynamic stress drop proportional to effective normal stress. The model is scaled to earthquake size assuming a circular rupture; stiffness varies inversely with rupture radius, and rupture duration is proportional to radius. Calculated seismic efficiency, the ratio of radiated to total energy expended during stress drop, is in good agreement with laboratory and field observations. Predicted overshoot, a measure of how much the static stress drop exceeds the dynamic stress drop, is higher than previously published laboratory and seismic observations and fully elasto-dynamic calculations. Seismic efficiency and overshoot are constant, independent of normal stress and scale. Calculated variation of apparent stress with seismic moment resembles the observational constraints of McGarr [1999].

Assessment of released heavy metals from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) existing in shipwrecks through laboratory-scale simulation reactor.

PubMed

Hahladakis, John N; Stylianos, Michailakis; Gidarakos, Evangelos

2013-04-15

In a passenger ship, the existence of EEE is obvious. In time, under shipwreck's conditions, all these materials will undergo an accelerated severe corrosion, due to salt water, releasing, consequently, heavy metals and other hazardous substances in the aquatic environment. In this study, a laboratory-scale reactor was manufactured in order to simulate the conditions under which the "Sea Diamond" shipwreck lies (14 bars of pressure and 16°C of temperature) and remotely observe and assess any heavy metal release that would occur, from part of the EEE present in the ship, into the sea. Ten metals were examined and the results showed that zinc, mercury and copper were abundant in the water samples taken from the reactor and in significantly higher concentrations compared to the US EPA CMC (criterion maximum concentration) criterion. Moreover, nickel and lead were found in concentrations higher than the CCC (criterion constant concentration) criterion set by the US EPA for clean seawater. The rest of the elements were measured in concentrations within the permissible limits. It is therefore of environmental benefit to salvage the wreck and recycle all the WEEE found in it. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pyrolysis of waste tyres: A review

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

Williams, Paul T., E-mail: p.t.williams@leeds.ac.uk

2013-08-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Pyrolysis of waste tyres produces oil, gas and char, and recovered steel. • Batch, screw kiln, rotary kiln, vacuum and fluidised-bed are main reactor types. • Product yields are influenced by reactor type, temperature and heating rate. • Pyrolysis oils are complex and can be used as chemical feedstock or fuel. • Research into higher value products from the tyre pyrolysis process is reviewed. - Abstract: Approximately 1.5 billion tyres are produced each year which will eventually enter the waste stream representing a major potential waste and environmental problem. However, there is growing interest inmore » pyrolysis as a technology to treat tyres to produce valuable oil, char and gas products. The most common reactors used are fixed-bed (batch), screw kiln, rotary kiln, vacuum and fluidised-bed. The key influence on the product yield, and gas and oil composition, is the type of reactor used which in turn determines the temperature and heating rate. Tyre pyrolysis oil is chemically very complex containing aliphatic, aromatic, hetero-atom and polar fractions. The fuel characteristics of the tyre oil shows that it is similar to a gas oil or light fuel oil and has been successfully combusted in test furnaces and engines. The main gases produced from the pyrolysis of waste tyres are H{sub 2}, C{sub 1}–C{sub 4} hydrocarbons, CO{sub 2}, CO and H{sub 2}S. Upgrading tyre pyrolysis products to high value products has concentrated on char upgrading to higher quality carbon black and to activated carbon. The use of catalysts to upgrade the oil to a aromatic-rich chemical feedstock or the production of hydrogen from waste tyres has also been reported. Examples of commercial and semi-commercial scale tyre pyrolysis systems show that small scale batch reactors and continuous rotary kiln reactors have been developed to commercial scale.« less

Pilot-scale production of fuel ethanol from concentrated food waste hydrolysates using Saccharomyces cerevisiae H058.

PubMed

Yan, Shoubao; Chen, Xiangsong; Wu, Jingyong; Wang, Pingchao

2013-07-01

The aim of this study was to develop a bioprocess to produce ethanol from food waste at laboratory, semipilot and pilot scales. Laboratory tests demonstrated that ethanol fermentation with reducing sugar concentration of 200 g/L, inoculum size of 2 % (Initial cell number was 2 × 10⁶ CFU/mL) and addition of YEP (3 g/L of yeast extract and 5 g/L of peptone) was the best choice. The maximum ethanol concentration in laboratory scale (93.86 ± 1.15 g/L) was in satisfactory with semipilot scale (93.79 ± 1.11 g/L), but lower than that (96.46 ± 1.12 g/L) of pilot-scale. Similar ethanol yield and volumetric ethanol productivity of 0.47 ± 0.02 g/g, 1.56 ± 0.03 g/L/h and 0.47 ± 0.03 g/g, 1.56 ± 0.03 g/L/h after 60 h of fermentation in laboratory and semipilot fermentors, respectively, however, both were lower than that (0.48 ± 0.02 g/g, 1.79 ± 0.03 g/L/h) of pilot reactor. In addition, simple models were developed to predict the fermentation kinetics during the scale-up process and they were successfully applied to simulate experimental results.

An investigation into the effectiveness of problem-based learning in a physical chemistry laboratory course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürses, Ahmet; Açıkyıldız, Metin; Doğar, Çetin; Sözbilir, Mustafa

2007-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach in a physical chemistry laboratory course. The parameters investigated were students’ attitudes towards a chemistry laboratory course, scientific process skills of students and their academic achievement. The design of the study was one group pre-test post-test. Four experiments, covering the topics adsorption, viscosity, surface tension and conductivity were performed using a PBL approach in the fall semester of the 2003/04 academic year at Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty of Atatürk University. Each experiment was done over a three week period. A total of 40 students, 18 male and 22 female, participated in the study. Students took the Physical Chemistry Laboratory Concept Test (PCLCT), Attitudes towards Chemistry Laboratory (ATCL) questionnaire and Science Process Skills Test (SPST) as pre and post-tests. In addition, the effectiveness of the PBL approach was also determined through four different scales; Scales Specific to Students’ Views of PBL. A statistically significant difference between the students’ academic achievement and scientific process skills at p

Spatial structure and scaling of macropores in hydrological process at small catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silasari, Rasmiaditya; Broer, Martine; Blöschl, Günter

2013-04-01

During rainfall events, the formation of overland flow can occur under the circumstances of saturation excess and/or infiltration excess. These conditions are affected by the soil moisture state which represents the soil water content in micropores and macropores. Macropores act as pathway for the preferential flows and have been widely studied locally. However, very little is known about their spatial structure and conductivity of macropores and other flow characteristic at the catchment scale. This study will analyze these characteristics to better understand its importance in hydrological processes. The research will be conducted in Petzenkirchen Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL), a 64 ha catchment located 100 km west of Vienna. The land use is divided between arable land (87%), pasture (5%), forest (6%) and paved surfaces (2%). Video cameras will be installed on an agricultural field to monitor the overland flow pattern during rainfall events. A wireless soil moisture network is also installed within the monitored area. These field data will be combined to analyze the soil moisture state and the responding surface runoff occurrence. The variability of the macropores spatial structure of the observed area (field scale) then will be assessed based on the topography and soil data. Soil characteristics will be supported with laboratory experiments on soil matrix flow to obtain proper definitions of the spatial structure of macropores and its variability. A coupled physically based distributed model of surface and subsurface flow will be used to simulate the variability of macropores spatial structure and its effect on the flow behaviour. This model will be validated by simulating the observed rainfall events. Upscaling from field scale to catchment scale will be done to understand the effect of macropores variability on larger scales by applying spatial stochastic methods. The first phase in this study is the installation and monitoring configuration of video

Laboratory scale micro-seismic monitoring of rock faulting and injection-induced fault reactivation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarout, J.; Dautriat, J.; Esteban, L.; Lumley, D. E.; King, A.

2017-12-01

The South West Hub CCS project in Western Australia aims to evaluate the feasibility and impact of geosequestration of CO2 in the Lesueur sandstone formation. Part of this evaluation focuses on the feasibility and design of a robust passive seismic monitoring array. Micro-seismicity monitoring can be used to image the injected CO2plume, or any geomechanical fracture/fault activity; and thus serve as an early warning system by measuring low-level (unfelt) seismicity that may precede potentially larger (felt) earthquakes. This paper describes laboratory deformation experiments replicating typical field scenarios of fluid injection in faulted reservoirs. Two pairs of cylindrical core specimens were recovered from the Harvey-1 well at depths of 1924 m and 2508 m. In each specimen a fault is first generated at the in situ stress, pore pressure and temperature by increasing the vertical stress beyond the peak in a triaxial stress vessel at CSIRO's Geomechanics & Geophysics Lab. The faulted specimen is then stabilized by decreasing the vertical stress. The freshly formed fault is subsequently reactivated by brine injection and increase of the pore pressure until slip occurs again. This second slip event is then controlled in displacement and allowed to develop for a few millimeters. The micro-seismic (MS) response of the rock during the initial fracturing and subsequent reactivation is monitored using an array of 16 ultrasonic sensors attached to the specimen's surface. The recorded MS events are relocated in space and time, and correlate well with the 3D X-ray CT images of the specimen obtained post-mortem. The time evolution of the structural changes induced within the triaxial stress vessel is therefore reliably inferred. The recorded MS activity shows that, as expected, the increase of the vertical stress beyond the peak led to an inclined shear fault. The injection of fluid and the resulting increase in pore pressure led first to a reactivation of the pre

Screening biological methods for laboratory scale stabilization of fine fraction from landfill mining.

PubMed

Mönkäre, Tiina J; Palmroth, Marja R T; Rintala, Jukka A

2017-02-01

Increasing interest for the landfill mining and the amount of fine fraction (FF) in landfills (40-70% (w/w) of landfill content) mean that sustainable treatment and utilization methods for FF are needed. For this study FF (<20mm) was mined from a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill operated from 1967 to 1989. FF, which resembles soil, was stabilized in laboratory scale reactors in two phases: first, anaerobically for 101days and second, for 72days using four different methods: anaerobic with the addition of moisture (water) or inoculum (sewage sludge) and aerobic with continuous water washing, with, or without, bulking material. The aim was to evaluate the effect on the stability of mined FF, which has been rarely reported, and to study the quality and quantity of gas and leachate produced during the stabilization experiment. The study showed that aerobic treatment reduced respiration activity (final values 0.9-1.1mgO 2 /gTS) and residual methane potential (1.1LCH 4 /kgTS) better than anaerobic methods (1.8-2.3mg O 2 /g TS and 1.3-2.4L CH 4 /kg TS, respectively). Bulking material mixed in FF in one aerobic reactor had no effect on the stability of FF. The benefit of anaerobic treatment was the production of methane, which could be utilized as energy. Even though the inoculum addition increased methane production from FF about 30%, but the methane production was still relatively low (in total 1.5-1.7L CH 4 /kg TS). Continuous water washing was essential to remove leachable organic matter and soluble nutrients from FF, while increasing the volume of leachate collected. In the aerobic treatment, nitrogen was oxidized into nitrite and nitrate and then washed out in the leachate. Both anaerobic and aerobic methods could be used for FF stabilization. The use of FF, in landscaping for example, is possible because its nutrient content (4gN/kg TS and 1g P/kg TS) can increase the nutrient content of soil, but this may have limitations due to the possible presence of heavy

A Comparison of Crater-Size Scaling and Ejection-Speed Scaling During Experimental Impacts in Sand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, J. L. B.; Cintala, M. J.; Johnson, M. K.

2014-01-01

Non-dimensional scaling relationships are used to understand various cratering processes including final crater sizes and the excavation of material from a growing crater. The principal assumption behind these scaling relationships is that these processes depend on a combination of the projectile's characteristics, namely its diameter, density, and impact speed. This simplifies the impact event into a single point-source. So long as the process of interest is beyond a few projectile radii from the impact point, the point-source assumption holds. These assumptions can be tested through laboratory experiments in which the initial conditions of the impact are controlled and resulting processes measured directly. In this contribution, we continue our exploration of the congruence between crater-size scaling and ejection-speed scaling relationships. In particular, we examine a series of experimental suites in which the projectile diameter and average grain size of the target are varied.

Detector Based Realisation of Illuminance Scale at NML-SIRIM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Mohd Nizam; Abidin, Mohd Nasir Zainal; Abidin, Abdul Rashid Zainal; Shaari, Sahbudin

2009-07-01

Illuminance scale is one of the fundamentals in the realisation of candela in optical radiation. The en route of the realisation is based on the fundamental process from the unbroken chain of traceability which includes from the primary standard disseminated to working standard and lastly the end user. There are many variations towards this realisation even though some of the national metrology institutes (NMI) does not have the primary standard but their traceability still valid. The realisation of National Metrology Laboratory SIRIM (NML-SIRIM), Malaysia illuminance scale is based on detector. The scale is traceable to National Physical Labortaory (NPL), United Kingdom (UK) by annually calibrating photometers and luminous intensity lamp. This paper describes measurement method and the system set-up was previously crosschecked with Korea Research Institute Standards and Science (KRISS), Republic of Korea. The agreement between both laboratories is within 0.5% the uncertainty maintained at NML-SIRIM. Furthermore, the basic measurement equation for illuminance realisation is also derived.

Risk assessment for safety laboratories in Politeknik Negeri Medan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viyata Sundawa, Bakti; Hutajulu, Elferida; Sirait, Regina; Banurea, Waldemar; Indrayadi; Mulyadi, Sangap

2017-09-01

International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated 2.34 million people die each year because accidents and diseases in workplace. It also impact to economic losses in some countries. It need to do safety and healthy in working environment especially in laboratory. Identification of potential hazards and risks must be done in Telecommunication Laboratory Politeknik Negeri Medan. Therefore, this study was assessed 5 of potential hazards and risks in our laboratory by Likert Scale. This object was divided into 2 assessment namely likelihood of hazards and severity of consequences. Collecting data is taken from questionnaire who involved 100 students at random academic level. The result showed The highest score is chemical hazards 73.2% in likelihood of hazards and electrical hazards 85% in severity of consequences. This condition is classified as “high” state. Big attention must be given to “high” state because it can help us to determine mitigate action.

Sub-scale Inverse Wind Turbine Blade Design Using Bound Circulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Christopher; Berg, Jonathan

2014-11-01

A goal of the National Rotor Testbed project at Sandia is to design a sub-scale wind turbine blade that has similitude to a modern, commercial size blade. However, a smaller diameter wind turbine operating at the same tip-speed-ratio exhibits a different range of operating Reynolds numbers across the blade span, thus changing the local lift and drag coefficients. Differences to load distribution also affect the wake dynamics and stability. An inverse wind turbine blade design tool has been implemented which uses a target, dimensionless circulation distribution from a full-scale blade to find the chord and twist along a sub-scale blade. In addition, airfoil polar data are interpolated from a few specified span stations leading to a smooth, manufacturable blade. The iterative process perturbs chord and twist, after running a blade element momentum theory code, to reduce the residual sum of the squares between the modeled sub-scale circulation and the target full-scale circulation. It is shown that the converged sub-scale design also leads to performance similarity in thrust and power coefficients. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

The effect of impeller type on silica sol formation in laboratory scale agitated tank

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

Nurtono, Tantular; Suprana, Yayang Ade; Latif, Abdul

2016-02-08

The multiphase polymerization reaction of the silica sol formation produced from silicic acid and potassium hydroxide solutions in laboratory scale agitated tank was studied. The reactor is equipped with four segmental baffle and top entering impeller. The inside diameter of reactor is 9 cm, the baffle width is 0.9 cm, and the impeller position is 3 cm from tank bottom. The diameter of standard six blades Rushton and three blades marine propeller impellers are 5 cm. The silicic acid solution was made from 0.2 volume fraction of water glass (sodium silicate) solution in which the sodium ion was exchanged by hydrogen ion from cationmore » resin. The reactor initially filled with 286 ml silicic acid solution was operated in semi batch mode and the temperature was kept constant in 60 °C. The 3 ml/minute of 1 M potassium hydroxide solution was added into stirred tank and the solution was stirred. The impeller rotational speed was varied from 100 until 700 rpm. This titration was stopped if the solution in stirred tank had reached the pH of 10-The morphology of the silica particles in the silica sol product was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The size of silica particles in silica sol was measured based on the SEM image. The silica particle obtained in this research was amorphous particle and the shape was roughly cylinder. The flow field generated by different impeller gave significant effect on particle size and shape. The smallest geometric mean of length and diameter of particle (4.92 µm and 2.42 µm, respectively) was generated in reactor with marine propeller at 600 rpm. The reactor with Rushton impeller produced particle which the geometric mean of length and diameter of particle was 4.85 µm and 2.36 µm, respectively, at 150 rpm.« less

Manual versus automated γ-H2AX foci analysis across five European laboratories: can this assay be used for rapid biodosimetry in a large scale radiation accident?

PubMed

Rothkamm, Kai; Barnard, Stephen; Ainsbury, Elizabeth A; Al-Hafidh, Jenna; Barquinero, Joan-Francesc; Lindholm, Carita; Moquet, Jayne; Perälä, Marjo; Roch-Lefèvre, Sandrine; Scherthan, Harry; Thierens, Hubert; Vral, Anne; Vandersickel, Veerle

2013-08-30

The identification of severely exposed individuals and reassurance of the 'worried well' are of prime importance for initial triage following a large scale radiation accident. We aim to develop the γ-H2AX foci assay into a rapid biomarker tool for use in accidents. Here, five laboratories established a standard operating procedure and analysed 100 ex vivo γ-irradiated, 4 or 24h incubated and overnight-shipped lymphocyte samples from four donors to generate γ-H2AX reference data, using manual and/or automated foci scoring strategies. In addition to acute, homogeneous exposures to 0, 1, 2 and 4Gy, acute simulated partial body (4Gy to 50% of cells) and protracted exposures (4Gy over 24h) were analysed. Data from all laboratories could be satisfactorily fitted with linear dose response functions. Average yields observed at 4h post exposure were 2-4 times higher than at 24h and varied considerably between laboratories. Automated scoring caused larger uncertainties than manual scoring and was unable to identify partial exposures, which were detectable in manually scored samples due to their overdispersed foci distributions. Protracted exposures were detectable but doses could not be accurately estimated with the γ-H2AX assay. We conclude that the γ-H2AX assay may be useful for rapid triage following a recent acute radiation exposure. The potentially higher speed and convenience of automated relative to manual foci scoring needs to be balanced against its compromised accuracy and inability to detect partial body exposures. Regular re-calibration or inclusion of reference samples may be necessary to ensure consistent results between laboratories or over long time periods. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reliability and validity of job content questionnaire for university research laboratory staff in Malaysia.

PubMed

Nehzat, F; Huda, B Z; Tajuddin, S H Syed

2014-03-01

Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) has been proven a reliable and valid instrument to assess job stress in many countries and among various occupations. In Malaysia, both English and Malay versions of the JCQ have been administered to automotive workers, schoolteachers, and office workers. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the instrument with research laboratory staff in a university. A cross sectional study was conducted among 258 research laboratory staff in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Malaysian laboratory staff who have worked for at least one year were randomly selected from nine faculties and institutes in the university that have research laboratory. A self-administered English and Malay version of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was used. Three major scales of JCQ: decision latitude, psychological job demands, and social support were assessed. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of two scales were acceptable, decision latitude and psychological job demands (0.70 and 0.72, respectively), while Cronbach's alpha coefficient for social support (0.86) was good. Exploratory factor analysis showed five factors that correspond closely to the theoretical construct of the questionnaire. The results of this research suggest that the JCQ is reliable and valid for examining psychosocial work situations and job strain among research laboratory staff. Further studies should be done for confirmative results, and further evaluation is needed on the decision authority subscale for this occupation.

An algorithm for the Italian atomic time scale

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cordara, F.; Vizio, G.; Tavella, P.; Pettiti, V.

1994-01-01

During the past twenty years, the time scale at the IEN has been realized by a commercial cesium clock, selected from an ensemble of five, whose rate has been continuously steered towards UTC to maintain a long term agreement within 3 x 10(exp -13). A time scale algorithm, suitable for a small clock ensemble and capable of improving the medium and long term stability of the IEN time scale, has been recently designed taking care of reducing the effects of the seasonal variations and the sudden frequency anomalies of the single cesium clocks. The new time scale, TA(IEN), is obtained as a weighted average of the clock ensemble computed once a day from the time comparisons between the local reference UTC(IEN) and the single clocks. It is foreseen to include in the computation also ten cesium clocks maintained in other Italian laboratories to further improve its reliability and its long term stability. To implement this algorithm, a personal computer program in Quick Basic has been prepared and it has been tested at the IEN time and frequency laboratory. Results obtained using this algorithm on the real clocks data relative to a period of about two years are presented.

Multiple-Scale Physics During Magnetic Reconnection

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

Jara-Almonte, Jonathan

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

A surgical skills laboratory improves residents' knowledge and performance of episiotomy repair.

PubMed

Banks, Erika; Pardanani, Setul; King, Mary; Chudnoff, Scott; Damus, Karla; Freda, Margaret Comerford

2006-11-01

This study was undertaken to assess whether a surgical skills laboratory improves residents' knowledge and performance of episiotomy repair. Twenty-four first- and second-year residents were randomly assigned to either a surgical skills laboratory on episiotomy repair or traditional teaching alone. Pre- and posttests assessed basic knowledge. Blinded attending physicians assessed performance, evaluating residents on second-degree laceration/episiotomy repairs in the clinical setting with 3 validated tools: a task-specific checklist, global rating scale, and a pass-fail grade. Postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) residents participating in the laboratory scored significantly better on all 3 surgical assessment tools: the checklist, the global score, and the pass/fail analysis. All the residents who had the teaching laboratory demonstrated significant improvements on knowledge and the skills checklist. PGY-2 residents did not benefit as much as PGY-1 residents. A surgical skills laboratory improved residents' knowledge and performance in the clinical setting. Improvement was greatest for PGY-1 residents.

Development of a parallel FE simulator for modeling the whole trans-scale failure process of rock from meso- to engineering-scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gen; Tang, Chun-An; Liang, Zheng-Zhao

2017-01-01

Multi-scale high-resolution modeling of rock failure process is a powerful means in modern rock mechanics studies to reveal the complex failure mechanism and to evaluate engineering risks. However, multi-scale continuous modeling of rock, from deformation, damage to failure, has raised high requirements on the design, implementation scheme and computation capacity of the numerical software system. This study is aimed at developing the parallel finite element procedure, a parallel rock failure process analysis (RFPA) simulator that is capable of modeling the whole trans-scale failure process of rock. Based on the statistical meso-damage mechanical method, the RFPA simulator is able to construct heterogeneous rock models with multiple mechanical properties, deal with and represent the trans-scale propagation of cracks, in which the stress and strain fields are solved for the damage evolution analysis of representative volume element by the parallel finite element method (FEM) solver. This paper describes the theoretical basis of the approach and provides the details of the parallel implementation on a Windows - Linux interactive platform. A numerical model is built to test the parallel performance of FEM solver. Numerical simulations are then carried out on a laboratory-scale uniaxial compression test, and field-scale net fracture spacing and engineering-scale rock slope examples, respectively. The simulation results indicate that relatively high speedup and computation efficiency can be achieved by the parallel FEM solver with a reasonable boot process. In laboratory-scale simulation, the well-known physical phenomena, such as the macroscopic fracture pattern and stress-strain responses, can be reproduced. In field-scale simulation, the formation process of net fracture spacing from initiation, propagation to saturation can be revealed completely. In engineering-scale simulation, the whole progressive failure process of the rock slope can be well modeled. It is

Probing the frontiers of particle physics with tabletop-scale experiments.

PubMed

DeMille, David; Doyle, John M; Sushkov, Alexander O

2017-09-08

The field of particle physics is in a peculiar state. The standard model of particle theory successfully describes every fundamental particle and force observed in laboratories, yet fails to explain properties of the universe such as the existence of dark matter, the amount of dark energy, and the preponderance of matter over antimatter. Huge experiments, of increasing scale and cost, continue to search for new particles and forces that might explain these phenomena. However, these frontiers also are explored in certain smaller, laboratory-scale "tabletop" experiments. This approach uses precision measurement techniques and devices from atomic, quantum, and condensed-matter physics to detect tiny signals due to new particles or forces. Discoveries in fundamental physics may well come first from small-scale experiments of this type. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Dispersal scaling from the world's rivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warrick, J.A.; Fong, D.A.

2004-01-01

Although rivers provide important biogeochemical inputs to oceans, there are currently no descriptive or predictive relationships of the spatial scales of these river influences. Our combined satellite, laboratory, field and modeling results show that the coastal dispersal areas of small, mountainous rivers exhibit remarkable self-similar scaling relationships over many orders of magnitude. River plume areas scale with source drainage area to a power significantly less than one (average = 0.65), and this power relationship decreases significantly with distance offshore of the river mouth. Observations of plumes from large rivers reveal that this scaling continues over six orders of magnitude of river drainage basin areas. This suggests that the cumulative area of coastal influence for many of the smallest rivers of the world is greater than that of single rivers of equal watershed size. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.

Service Quality and Patient Satisfaction: An Exploratory Study of Pathology Laboratories in Jaipur.

PubMed

Agarwal, Anuradha; Singh, Maithili R P

2016-01-01

One of the most important parts of healthcare system is diagnostics. Nowadays, Indians have become more aware of their health, due to improved and better availability of health related information, increase in medical tourism, and expanding health insurance. The demand for better diagnostic facilities have increased with the increase in lifestyle related diseases, excesses use of chemicals in agriculture practices and change in food habits. It is expected that the Indian diagnostic market will grow from USD $5 billion in the year 2012 to USD $32 billion by the year 2020 with 20% CAGR (India Brand Equity Foundation 2015 ). Today patients have easy access of information regarding the health services and they have become more concerned about it as they look forward to receiving the maximum value for their money. To win the confidence of the patients and to maintain that trust, it is required to deliver the right services to the right person at the right time. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the service quality at pathology laboratory. A thorough review of literature revealed that there are studies related to healthcare service quality but there is no such established scale to measure service quality of pathology laboratory. Thus, the authors strived to develop a reliable and valid instrument to measure the patients' perception toward pathology laboratory service quality. For this exploratory study was conducted on the sample of 80 patients of the laboratories in Jaipur city. The reliability and factor structures were tested to purify the scale. The findings revealed 13 items, comprising of three dimensions of service quality: responsiveness, tangibility, and reliability.

Barriers to Implementation of Optimal Laboratory Biosafety Practices in Pakistan

PubMed Central

Shafaq, Humaira; Hasan, Rumina; Qureshi, Shahida M.; Dojki, Maqboola; Hughes, Molly A.; Zaidi, Anita K. M.; Khan, Erum

2016-01-01

The primary goal of biosafety education is to ensure safe practices among workers in biomedical laboratories. Despite several educational workshops by the Pakistan Biological Safety Association (PBSA), compliance with safe practices among laboratory workers remains low. To determine barriers to implementation of recommended biosafety practices among biomedical laboratory workers in Pakistan, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey of participants attending 2 workshops focusing on biosafety practices in Karachi and Lahore in February 2015. Questionnaires were developed by modifying the BARRIERS scale in which respondents are required to rate barriers on a 1-4 scale. Nineteen of the original 29 barriers were included and subcategorized into 4 groups: awareness, material quality, presentation, and workplace barriers. Workshops were attended by 64 participants. Among barriers that were rated as moderate to great barriers by at least 50% of respondents were: lack of time to read biosafety guidelines (workplace subscale), lack of staff authorization to change/improve practice (workplace subscale), no career or self-improvement advantages to the staff for implementing optimal practices (workplace subscale), and unclear practice implications (presentation subscale). A lack of recognition for employees' rights and benefits in the workplace was found to be a predominant reason for a lack of compliance. Based on perceived barriers, substantial improvement in work environment, worker facilitation, and enabling are needed for achieving improved or optimal biosafety practices in Pakistan. PMID:27400192

50 Years of ``Scaling'' Jack Kilby's Invention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doering, Robert

2008-03-01

This year is the 50th anniversary of Jack Kilby's 1958 invention of the integrated circuit (IC), for which he won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics. Since that invention in a laboratory at Texas Instruments, IC components have been continuously miniaturized, which has resulted in exponential improvement trends in their performance, energy efficiency, and cost per function. These improvements have created a semiconductor industry that has grown to over 250B in annual sales. The process of reducing integrated-circuit component size and associated parameters in a coordinated fashion is traditionally called ``feature-size scaling.'' Kilby's original circuit had active (transistor) and passive (resistor, capacitor) components with dimensions of a few millimeters. Today, the minimum feature sizes on integrated circuits are less than 30 nanometers for patterned line widths and down to about one nanometer for film thicknesses. Thus, we have achieved about five orders of magnitude in linear-dimension scaling over the past fifty years, which has resulted in about ten orders of magnitude increase in the density of IC components, a representation of ``Moore's Law.'' As IC features are approaching atomic dimensions, increasing emphasis is now being given to the parallel effort of further diversifying the types of components in integrated circuits. This is called ``functional scaling'' and ``more then Moore.'' Of course, the enablers for both types of scaling have been developed at many laboratories around the world. This talk will review a few of the highlights in scaling and its applications from R&D projects at Texas Instruments.

Large-scale laboratory study of breaking wave hydrodynamics over a fixed bar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der A, Dominic A.; van der Zanden, Joep; O'Donoghue, Tom; Hurther, David; Cáceres, Iván.; McLelland, Stuart J.; Ribberink, Jan S.

2017-04-01

A large-scale wave flume experiment has been carried out involving a T = 4 s regular wave with H = 0.85 m wave height plunging over a fixed barred beach profile. Velocity profiles were measured at 12 locations along the breaker bar using LDA and ADV. A strong undertow is generated reaching magnitudes of 0.8 m/s on the shoreward side of the breaker bar. A circulation pattern occurs between the breaking area and the inner surf zone. Time-averaged turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is largest in the breaking area on the shoreward side of the bar where the plunging jet penetrates the water column. At this location, and on the bar crest, TKE generated at the water surface in the breaking process reaches the bottom boundary layer. In the breaking area, TKE does not reduce to zero within a wave cycle which leads to a high level of "residual" turbulence and therefore lower temporal variation in TKE compared to previous studies of breaking waves on plane beach slopes. It is argued that this residual turbulence results from the breaker bar-trough geometry, which enables larger length scales and time scales of breaking-generated vortices and which enhances turbulence production within the water column compared to plane beaches. Transport of TKE is dominated by the undertow-related flux, whereas the wave-related and turbulent fluxes are approximately an order of magnitude smaller. Turbulence production and dissipation are largest in the breaker zone and of similar magnitude, but in the shoaling zone and inner surf zone production is negligible and dissipation dominates.

Cost evaluation of clinical laboratory in Taiwan's National Health System by using activity-based costing.

PubMed

Su, Bin-Guang; Chen, Shao-Fen; Yeh, Shu-Hsing; Shih, Po-Wen; Lin, Ching-Chiang

2016-11-01

To cope with the government's policies to reduce medical costs, Taiwan's healthcare service providers are striving to survive by pursuing profit maximization through cost control. This article aimed to present the results of cost evaluation using activity-based costing performed in the laboratory in order to throw light on the differences between costs and the payment system of National Health Insurance (NHI). This study analyzed the data of costs and income of the clinical laboratory. Direct costs belong to their respective sections of the department. The department's shared costs, including public expenses and administrative assigned costs, were allocated to the department's respective sections. A simple regression equation was created to predict profit and loss, and evaluate the department's break-even point, fixed cost, and contribution margin ratio. In clinical chemistry and seroimmunology sections, the cost per test was lower than the NHI payment and their major laboratory tests had revenues with the profitability ratio of 8.7%, while the other sections had a higher cost per test than the NHI payment and their major tests were in deficit. The study found a simple linear regression model as follows: "Balance=-84,995+0.543×income (R2=0.544)". In order to avoid deficit, laboratories are suggested to increase test volumes, enhance laboratory test specialization, and become marginal scale. A hospital could integrate with regional medical institutions through alliances or OEM methods to increase volumes to reach marginal scale and reduce laboratory costs, enhancing the level and quality of laboratory medicine.

Estimating porosity and solid dielectric permittivity in the Miami Limestone using high-frequency ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements at the laboratory scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mount, Gregory J.; Comas, Xavier

2014-10-01

Subsurface water flow in South Florida is largely controlled by the heterogeneous nature of the karst limestone in the Biscayne aquifer and its upper formation, the Miami Limestone. These heterogeneities are amplified by dissolution structures that induce changes in the aquifer's material and physical properties (i.e., porosity and dielectric permittivity) and create preferential flow paths. Understanding such patterns are critical for the development of realistic groundwater flow models, particularly in the Everglades, where restoration of hydrological conditions is intended. In this work, we used noninvasive ground penetrating radar (GPR) to estimate the spatial variability in porosity and the dielectric permittivity of the solid phase of the limestone at centimeter-scale resolution to evaluate the potential for field-based GPR studies. A laboratory setup that included high-frequency GPR measurements under completely unsaturated and saturated conditions was used to estimate changes in electromagnetic wave velocity through Miami Limestone samples. The Complex Refractive Index Model was used to derive estimates of porosity and dielectric permittivity of the solid phase of the limestone. Porosity estimates of the samples ranged between 45.2 and 66.0% and showed good correspondence with estimates of porosity using analytical and digital image techniques. Solid dielectric permittivity values ranged between 7.0 and 13.0. This study shows the ability of GPR to image the spatial variability of porosity and dielectric permittivity in the Miami Limestone and shows potential for expanding these results to larger scales and other karst aquifers.

Motion sickness in cats - A symptom rating scale used in laboratory and flight tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suri, K. B.; Daunton, N. G.; Crampton, G. H.

1979-01-01

The cat is proposed as a model for the study of motion and space sickness. Development of a scale for rating the motion sickness severity in the cat is described. The scale is used to evaluate an antimotion sickness drug, d-amphetamine plus scopolamine, and to determine whether it is possible to predict sickness susceptibility during parabolic flight, including zero-G maneuvers, from scores obtained during ground based trials.

Surge capacity for response to bioterrorism in hospital clinical microbiology laboratories.

PubMed

Shapiro, Daniel S

2003-12-01

Surge capacity is the ability to rapidly mobilize to meet an increased demand. While large amounts of federal funding have been allocated to public health laboratories, little federal funding has been allocated to hospital microbiology laboratories. There are concerns that hospital laboratories may have inadequate surge capacities to deal with a significant bioterrorism incident. A workflow analysis of a clinical microbiology laboratory that serves an urban medical center was performed to identify barriers to surge capacity in the setting of a bioterrorism event and to identify solutions to these problems. Barriers include a national shortage of trained medical technologists, the inability of clinical laboratories to deal with a dramatic increase in the number of blood cultures, a delay while manufacturers increase production of critical products and then transport and deliver these products to clinical laboratories, and a shortage of class II biological safety cabinets. Federal funding could remedy staffing shortages by making the salaries of medical technologists comparable to those of similarly educated health care professionals and by providing financial incentives for students to enroll in clinical laboratory science programs. Blood culture bottles, and possibly continuous-monitoring blood culture instruments, should be added to the national antibiotic stockpile. Federal support must ensure that companies that manufacture essential laboratory supplies are capable of rapidly scaling up production. Hospitals must provide increased numbers of biological safety cabinets and amounts of space dedicated to clinical microbiology laboratories. Laboratories should undertake limited cross-training of technologists, ensure that adequate packaging supplies are available, and be able to move to a 4-day blood culture protocol.

A tide prediction and tide height control system for laboratory mesocosms

PubMed Central

Long, Jeremy D.

2015-01-01

Experimental mesocosm studies of rocky shore and estuarine intertidal systems may benefit from the application of natural tide cycles to better replicate variation in immersion time, water depth, and attendant fluctuations in abiotic and edaphic conditions. Here we describe a stand-alone microcontroller tide prediction open-source software program, coupled with a mechanical tidal elevation control system, which allows continuous adjustment of aquarium water depths in synchrony with local tide cycles. We used this system to monitor the growth of Spartina foliosa marsh cordgrass and scale insect herbivores at three simulated shore elevations in laboratory mesocosms. Plant growth decreased with increasing shore elevation, while scale insect population growth on the plants was not strongly affected by immersion time. This system shows promise for a range of laboratory mesocosm studies where natural tide cycling could impact organism performance or behavior, while the tide prediction system could additionally be utilized in field experiments where treatments need to be applied at certain stages of the tide cycle. PMID:26623195

Looking for scaling laws, or physics with nuts and shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheets, H. David; Lauffenburger, James C.

1999-09-01

Scaling laws relating the volume of a class of objects to a characteristic dimension of the object appear commonly in physics, chemistry, and biology. In this laboratory exercise for an introductory physics course scaling laws are derived for machine nuts and clam shells. In addition to covering a standard problem in physics, determining volume of the object by measuring the buoyant force on it, the biologically interesting idea of scaling laws are incorporated into the same lab.

SLIPTA e-Tool improves laboratory audit process in Vietnam and Cambodia.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thuong T; McKinney, Barbara; Pierson, Antoine; Luong, Khue N; Hoang, Quynh T; Meharwal, Sandeep; Carvalho, Humberto M; Nguyen, Cuong Q; Nguyen, Kim T; Bond, Kyle B

2014-01-01

The Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist is used worldwide to drive quality improvement in laboratories in developing countries and to assess the effectiveness of interventions such as the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme. However, the paper-based format of the checklist makes administration cumbersome and limits timely analysis and communication of results. In early 2012, the SLMTA team in Vietnam developed an electronic SLIPTA checklist tool. The e-Tool was pilot tested in Vietnam in mid-2012 and revised. It was used during SLMTA implementation in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2012 and 2013 and further revised based on auditors' feedback about usability. The SLIPTA e-Tool enabled rapid turn-around of audit results, reduced workload and language barriers and facilitated analysis of national results. Benefits of the e-Tool will be magnified with in-country scale-up of laboratory quality improvement efforts and potential expansion to other countries.

SLIPTA e-Tool improves laboratory audit process in Vietnam and Cambodia

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Thuong T.; McKinney, Barbara; Pierson, Antoine; Luong, Khue N.; Hoang, Quynh T.; Meharwal, Sandeep; Carvalho, Humberto M.; Nguyen, Cuong Q.; Nguyen, Kim T.

2014-01-01

Background The Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA) checklist is used worldwide to drive quality improvement in laboratories in developing countries and to assess the effectiveness of interventions such as the Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme. However, the paper-based format of the checklist makes administration cumbersome and limits timely analysis and communication of results. Development of e-Tool In early 2012, the SLMTA team in Vietnam developed an electronic SLIPTA checklist tool. The e-Tool was pilot tested in Vietnam in mid-2012 and revised. It was used during SLMTA implementation in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2012 and 2013 and further revised based on auditors’ feedback about usability. Outcomes The SLIPTA e-Tool enabled rapid turn-around of audit results, reduced workload and language barriers and facilitated analysis of national results. Benefits of the e-Tool will be magnified with in-country scale-up of laboratory quality improvement efforts and potential expansion to other countries. PMID:29043190

Pair plasma relaxation time scales.

PubMed

Aksenov, A G; Ruffini, R; Vereshchagin, G V

2010-04-01

By numerically solving the relativistic Boltzmann equations, we compute the time scale for relaxation to thermal equilibrium for an optically thick electron-positron plasma with baryon loading. We focus on the time scales of electromagnetic interactions. The collisional integrals are obtained directly from the corresponding QED matrix elements. Thermalization time scales are computed for a wide range of values of both the total-energy density (over 10 orders of magnitude) and of the baryonic loading parameter (over 6 orders of magnitude). This also allows us to study such interesting limiting cases as the almost purely electron-positron plasma or electron-proton plasma as well as intermediate cases. These results appear to be important both for laboratory experiments aimed at generating optically thick pair plasmas as well as for astrophysical models in which electron-positron pair plasmas play a relevant role.

The role of total laboratory automation in a consolidated laboratory network.

PubMed

Seaberg, R S; Stallone, R O; Statland, B E

2000-05-01

In an effort to reduce overall laboratory costs and improve overall laboratory efficiencies at all of its network hospitals, the North Shore-Long Island Health System recently established a Consolidated Laboratory Network with a Core Laboratory at its center. We established and implemented a centralized Core Laboratory designed around the Roche/Hitachi CLAS Total Laboratory Automation system to perform the general and esoteric laboratory testing throughout the system in a timely and cost-effective fashion. All remaining STAT testing will be performed within the Rapid Response Laboratories (RRLs) at each of the system's hospitals. Results for this laboratory consolidation and implementation effort demonstrated a decrease in labor costs and improved turnaround time (TAT) at the core laboratory. Anticipated system savings are approximately $2.7 million. TATs averaged 1.3 h within the Core Laboratory and less than 30 min in the RRLs. When properly implemented, automation systems can reduce overall laboratory expenses, enhance patient services, and address the overall concerns facing the laboratory today: job satisfaction, decreased length of stay, and safety. The financial savings realized are primarily a result of labor reductions.

NH4+ ad-/desorption in sequencing batch reactors: simulation, laboratory and full-scale studies.

PubMed

Schwitalla, P; Mennerich, A; Austermann-Haun, U; Müller, A; Dorninger, C; Daims, H; Holm, N C; Rönner-Holm, S G E

2008-01-01

Significant NH4-N balance deficits were found during the measurement campaigns for the data collection for dynamic simulation studies at five full-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) waste water treatment plants (WWTPs), as well as during subsequent calibrations at the investigated plants. Subsequent lab scale investigations showed high evidence for dynamic, cycle-specific NH4+ ad-/desorption to the activated flocs as one reason for this balance deficit. This specific dynamic was investigated at five full-scale SBR plants for the search of the general causing mechanisms. The general mechanism found was a NH4+ desorption from the activated flocs at the end of the nitrification phase with subsequent nitrification and a chemical NH4+ adsorption at the flocs in the course of the filling phases. This NH4+ ad-/desorption corresponds to an antiparallel K+ ad/-desorption.One reasonable full-scale application was investigated at three SBR plants, a controlled filling phase at the beginning of the sedimentation phase. The results indicate that this kind of filling event must be specifically hydraulic controlled and optimised in order to prevent too high waste water break through into the clear water phase, which will subsequently be discarded. IWA Publishing 2008.

Design, experimental analysis, and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulation of laboratory-scale counter-rotating vertical-axis turbines in marine environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doan, Minh; Padricelli, Claudrio; Obi, Shinnosuke; Totsuka, Yoshitaka

2017-11-01

We present the torque and power measurement of laboratory-scale counter-rotating vertical-axis hydrokinetic turbines, built around a magnetic hysteresis brake as the speed controller and a Hall-effect sensor as the rotational speed transducer. A couple of straight-three-bladed turbines were linked through a transmission of spur gears and timing pulleys and coupled to the electronic instrumentation via flexible shaft couplers. A total of 8 experiments in 2 configurations were conducted in the water channel facility (4-m long, 0.3-m wide, and 0.15-m deep). Power generation of the turbines (0.06-m rotor diameter) was measured and compared with that of single turbines of the same size. The wakes generated by these experiments were also measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV) and numerically simulated by unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) simulation using OpenFOAM. Preliminary results from wake measurement indicated the mechanism of enhanced power production behind the counter-rotating configuration of vertical-axis turbines. Current address: Politecnico di Milano.

Emergent dynamics of laboratory insect swarms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, Douglas H.; Ouellette, Nicholas T.

2013-01-01

Collective animal behaviour occurs at nearly every biological size scale, from single-celled organisms to the largest animals on earth. It has long been known that models with simple interaction rules can reproduce qualitative features of this complex behaviour. But determining whether these models accurately capture the biology requires data from real animals, which has historically been difficult to obtain. Here, we report three-dimensional, time-resolved measurements of the positions, velocities, and accelerations of individual insects in laboratory swarms of the midge Chironomus riparius. Even though the swarms do not show an overall polarisation, we find statistical evidence for local clusters of correlated motion. We also show that the swarms display an effective large-scale potential that keeps individuals bound together, and we characterize the shape of this potential. Our results provide quantitative data against which the emergent characteristics of animal aggregation models can be benchmarked.

Evaluation of a laboratory-scale bioreactive in situ sediment cap for the treatment of organic contaminants.

PubMed

Himmelheber, David W; Pennell, Kurt D; Hughes, Joseph B

2011-11-01

The development of bioreactive sediment caps, in which microorganisms capable of contaminant transformation are placed within an in situ cap, provides a potential remedial design that can sustainably treat sediment and groundwater contaminants. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability and limitations of a mixed, anaerobic dechlorinating consortium to treat chlorinated ethenes within a sand-based cap. Results of batch experiments demonstrate that a tetrachloroethene (PCE)-to-ethene mixed consortium was able to completely dechlorinate dissolved-phase PCE to ethene when supplied only with sediment porewater obtained from a sediment column. To simulate a bioreactive cap, laboratory-scale sand columns inoculated with the mixed culture were placed in series with an upflow sediment column and directly supplied sediment effluent and dissolved-phase chlorinated ethenes. The mixed consortium was not able to sustain dechlorination activity at a retention time of 0.5 days without delivery of amendments to the sediment effluent, evidenced by the loss of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) dechlorination to vinyl chloride. When soluble electron donor was supplied to the sediment effluent, complete dechlorination of cis-DCE to ethene was observed at retention times of 0.5 days, suggesting that sediment effluent lacked sufficient electron donor to maintain active dechlorination within the sediment cap. Introduction of elevated contaminant concentrations also limited biotransformation performance of the dechlorinating consortium within the cap. These findings indicate that in situ bioreactive capping can be a feasible remedial approach, provided that residence times are adequate and that appropriate levels of electron donor and contaminant exist within the cap. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimation of small-scale soil erosion in laboratory experiments with Structure from Motion photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaguer-Puig, Matilde; Marqués-Mateu, Ángel; Lerma, José Luis; Ibáñez-Asensio, Sara

2017-10-01

The quantitative estimation of changes in terrain surfaces caused by water erosion can be carried out from precise descriptions of surfaces given by means of digital elevation models (DEMs). Some stages of water erosion research efforts are conducted in the laboratory using rainfall simulators and soil boxes with areas less than 1 m2. Under these conditions, erosive processes can lead to very small surface variations and high precision DEMs are needed to account for differences measured in millimetres. In this paper, we used a photogrammetric Structure from Motion (SfM) technique to build DEMs of a 0.5 m2 soil box to monitor several simulated rainfall episodes in the laboratory. The technique of DEM of difference (DoD) was then applied using GIS tools to compute estimates of volumetric changes between each pair of rainfall episodes. The aim was to classify the soil surface into three classes: erosion areas, deposition areas, and unchanged or neutral areas, and quantify the volume of soil that was eroded and deposited. We used a thresholding criterion of changes based on the estimated error of the difference of DEMs, which in turn was obtained from the root mean square error of the individual DEMs. Experimental tests showed that the choice of different threshold values in the DoD can lead to volume differences as large as 60% when compared to the direct volumetric difference. It turns out that the choice of that threshold was a key point in this method. In parallel to photogrammetric work, we collected sediments from each rain episode and obtained a series of corresponding measured sediment yields. The comparison between computed and measured sediment yields was significantly correlated, especially when considering the accumulated value of the five simulations. The computed sediment yield was 13% greater than the measured sediment yield. The procedure presented in this paper proved to be suitable for the determination of sediment yields in rainfall-driven soil

A Different Laboratory Tale: Fifty Years of Mössbauer Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westfall, Catherine

2006-05-01

I explore the fifty-year development of Mössbauer spectroscopy by focusing on three episodes in its development at Argonne National Laboratory: work by nuclear physicists using radioactive sources in the early 1960s, work by solid-state physicists using radioactive resources from the mid- 1960s through the 1970s,and work by solid-state physicists using the Advanced Photon Source from the 1980s to 2005. These episodes show how knowledge about the properties of matter was produced in a national-laboratory context and highlights the web of connections that allow nationallaboratory scientists working at a variety of scales to produce both technological and scientific innovations.

Patient satisfaction with clinical laboratory services at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Abera, Rodas Getachew; Abota, Boaz Arka; Legese, Melese Hailu; Negesso, Abebe Edao

2017-01-01

Background Monitoring patient satisfaction is an important and useful quality improvement tool for clinical laboratories in particular and health care organizations in general. Thus, this study aimed to assess patient satisfaction toward clinical laboratory services at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted and a convenient sampling technique was applied to recruit study participants. A total of 210 patients who had received laboratory services were included. A self-administered predesigned, pretested, structured questionnaire was used, and data were collected through face-to-face interviews. A 5-point Likert scale with 1 and 5 indicating the lowest and highest levels of satisfaction, respectively, was used and their weighted average was used to categorize the satisfaction level of the patients. Chi square test was used (taking P≤0.05 as the statistically significant level) to find out if any association existed between the level of satisfaction and different attributes. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results The overall level of patient satisfaction toward clinical laboratory services in this study was 59.7% with a response rate of 210 (100%). The Likert scale results of patient satisfaction of the laboratory services revealed that the mean rating values ranged from 3.05 (±1.12) to 4.12 (±1.08) out of a possible 5. Among the different indicators, patients were highly satisfied with the cleanliness of facility (82%), maintenance of privacy and confidentiality (83.2%), and the cost of the laboratory service (86.5%), while they were dissatisfied with the location of the laboratory (56%), latrine accessibility and availability (58.4%), and latrine cleanness and comfort (63.8%). Conclusion The whole availability of requested tests, availability of place in blood drawing room to put personal things, and waiting time for specimen collection were found to have a

Role of Skill Laboratory Training in Medical Education - Students’ Perspective.

PubMed

Hashim, Rizwan; Qamar, Khadija; Khan, Muhammad Alamgir; Rehman, Sabah

2016-03-01

To evaluate the perceptions of medical students regarding their training utilizing facilities provided in the skill laboratory of a public sector medical college. Cross-sectional study. Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, from October to December 2014. Students of final year MBBS who had underwent skill laboratory training were recruited through convenience purposive sampling. Students not exposed to skill laboratory training were excluded. Data collection tool was a questionnaire having 23 questions with responses on Likert Scale as strongly disagree, disagree, agree and strongly agree coded as 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Data was analysed on SPSS version 22. There were 78 (57%) male and 59 (43%) female students out of 137, with mean age of 22.59 ±0.74 years. The response rate was 68.5%. Cronbach's Alpha test was 0.84 showing high reliability. The mean of sum of all the 23 items was 63.85 ±8.71, whereas item means was 2.78 ±0.38, reflecting a high inclination of students towards skill laboratory training. Frequency of students responding in favour of skill laboratory training was significantly high (p < 0.05). Medical students perceived skill laboratory training as a favoured learning strategy as compared to practising on real patients for acquisition of various aspects of clinical skills, knowledge and attitude.

Residual Strength Analysis Methodology: Laboratory Coupons to Structural Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dawicke, D. S.; Newman, J. C., Jr.; Starnes, J. H., Jr.; Rose, C. A.; Young, R. D.; Seshadri, B. R.

2000-01-01

The NASA Aircraft Structural Integrity (NASIP) and Airframe Airworthiness Assurance/Aging Aircraft (AAA/AA) Programs have developed a residual strength prediction methodology for aircraft fuselage structures. This methodology has been experimentally verified for structures ranging from laboratory coupons up to full-scale structural components. The methodology uses the critical crack tip opening angle (CTOA) fracture criterion to characterize the fracture behavior and a material and a geometric nonlinear finite element shell analysis code to perform the structural analyses. The present paper presents the results of a study to evaluate the fracture behavior of 2024-T3 aluminum alloys with thickness of 0.04 inches to 0.09 inches. The critical CTOA and the corresponding plane strain core height necessary to simulate through-the-thickness effects at the crack tip in an otherwise plane stress analysis, were determined from small laboratory specimens. Using these parameters, the CTOA fracture criterion was used to predict the behavior of middle crack tension specimens that were up to 40 inches wide, flat panels with riveted stiffeners and multiple-site damage cracks, 18-inch diameter pressurized cylinders, and full scale curved stiffened panels subjected to internal pressure and mechanical loads.

Animal Galloping and Human Hopping: An Energetics and Biomechanics Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindstedt, Stan L.; Mineo, Patrick M.; Schaeffer, Paul J.

2013-01-01

This laboratory exercise demonstrates fundamental principles of mammalian locomotion. It provides opportunities to interrogate aspects of locomotion from biomechanics to energetics to body size scaling. It has the added benefit of having results with robust signal to noise so that students will have success even if not "meticulous" in…

Earthquake stress drop and laboratory-inferred interseismic strength recovery

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beeler, N.M.; Hickman, S.H.; Wong, T.-F.

2001-01-01

We determine the scaling relationships between earthquake stress drop and recurrence interval tr that are implied by laboratory-measured fault strength. We assume that repeating earthquakes can be simulated by stick-slip sliding using a spring and slider block model. Simulations with static/kinetic strength, time-dependent strength, and rate- and state-variable-dependent strength indicate that the relationship between loading velocity and recurrence interval can be adequately described by the power law VL ??? trn, where n=-1. Deviations from n=-1 arise from second order effects on strength, with n>-1 corresponding to apparent time-dependent strengthening and n<-1 corresponding to weakening. Simulations with rate and state-variable equations show that dynamic shear stress drop ????d scales with recurrence as d????d/dlntr ??? ??e(b-a), where ??e is the effective normal stress, ??=??/??e, and (a-b)=d??ss/dlnV is the steady-state slip rate dependence of strength. In addition, accounting for seismic energy radiation, we suggest that the static shear stress drop ????s scales as d????s/dlntr ??? ??e(1+??)(b-a), where ?? is the fractional overshoot. The variation of ????s with lntr for earthquake stress drops is somewhat larger than implied by room temperature laboratory values of ?? and b-a. However, the uncertainty associated with the seismic data is large and the discrepancy between the seismic observations and the rate of strengthening predicted by room temperature experiments is less than an order of magnitude. Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union.

Laboratory and pilot-scale field experiments for application of iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded chitosan composites to phosphate removal from natural water.

PubMed

Kim, Jae-Hyun; Kim, Song-Bae; Lee, Sang-Hyup; Choi, Jae-Woo

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to apply iron oxide nanoparticle-chitosan (ION-chitosan) composites to phosphate removal from natural water collected from the Seoho Stream in Suwon, Republic of Korea. Laboratory batch experiments showed that phosphate removal by the ION-chitosan composites was not sensitive to pH changes between pH values of 5.0 and 9.0. During six cycles of adsorption-desorption, the composites could be successfully regenerated with 5 mM NaOH solution and reused for phosphate removal. Laboratory fixed-bed column experiments (column height = 10 and 20 cm, inner diameter = 2.5 cm, flow rate = 8.18 and 16.36 mL/min) demonstrated that the composites could be successfully applied for phosphate removal under dynamic flow conditions. A pilot-scale field experiment was performed in a pilot plant, which was mainly composed of chemical reactor/dissolved air flotation and an adsorption tower, built nearby the Seoho Stream. The natural water was pumped from the Seoho Stream into the pilot plant, passed through the chemical reactor/dissolved air flotation process, and then introduced into the adsorption tower (height = 100 cm, inner diameter = 45 cm, flow rate = 7.05 ± 0.18 L/min) for phosphate removal via the composites (composite volume = 80 L, composite weight = 85.74 kg). During monitoring of the adsorption tower (33 days), the influent total phosphorus (T-P) concentration was in the range of 0.020-0.046 mgP/L, whereas the effluent T-P concentration was in the range of 0.010-0.028 mgP/L. The percent removal of T-P in the adsorption tower was 52.3% with a phosphate removal capacity of 0.059 mgP/g.

Effect of Aperture Field Variability, Flow Rate, and Ionic Strength on Colloid Transport in Single Fractures: Laboratory-Scale Experiments and Numerical Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Q.; Dickson, S.; Guo, Y.

2007-12-01

A good understanding of the physico-chemical processes (i.e., advection, dispersion, attachment/detachment, straining, sedimentation etc.) governing colloid transport in fractured media is imperative in order to develop appropriate bioremediation and/or bioaugmentation strategies for contaminated fractured aquifers, form management plans for groundwater resources to prevent pathogen contamination, and identify suitable radioactive waste disposal sites. However, research in this field is still in its infancy due to the complex heterogeneous nature of fractured media and the resulting difficulty in characterizing this media. The goal of this research is to investigate the effects of aperture field variability, flow rate and ionic strength on colloid transport processes in well characterized single fractures. A combination of laboratory-scale experiments, numerical simulations, and imaging techniques were employed to achieve this goal. Transparent replicas were cast from natural rock fractures, and a light transmission technique was employed to measure their aperture fields directly. The surface properties of the synthetic fractures were characterized by measuring the zeta-potential under different ionic strengths. A 33 (3 increased to the power of 3) factorial experiment was implemented to investigate the influence of aperture field variability, flow rate, and ionic strength on different colloid transport processes in the laboratory-scale fractures, specifically dispersion and attachment/detachment. A fluorescent stain technique was employed to photograph the colloid transport processes, and an analytical solution to the one-dimensional transport equation was fit to the colloid breakthrough curves to calculate the average transport velocity, dispersion coefficient, and attachment/detachment coefficient. The Reynolds equation was solved to obtain the flow field in the measured aperture fields, and the random walk particle tracking technique was employed to model the

Laboratory Response to Ebola - West Africa and United States.

PubMed

Sealy, Tara K; Erickson, Bobbie R; Taboy, Céline H; Ströher, Ute; Towner, Jonathan S; Andrews, Sharon E; Rose, Laura E; Weirich, Elizabeth; Lowe, Luis; Klena, John D; Spiropoulou, Christina F; Rayfield, Mark A; Bird, Brian H

2016-07-08

The 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) epidemic in West Africa highlighted the need to maintain organized laboratory systems or networks that can be effectively reorganized to implement new diagnostic strategies and laboratory services in response to large-scale events. Although previous Ebola outbreaks enabled establishment of critical laboratory practice safeguards and diagnostic procedures, this Ebola outbreak in West Africa highlighted the need for planning and preparedness activities that are better adapted to emerging pathogens or to pathogens that have attracted little commercial interest. The crisis underscored the need for better mechanisms to streamline development and evaluation of new diagnostic assays, transfer of material and specimens between countries and organizations, and improved processes for rapidly deploying health workers with specific laboratory expertise. The challenges and events of the outbreak forced laboratorians to examine not only the comprehensive capacities of existing national laboratory systems to recognize and respond to events, but also their sustainability over time and the mechanisms that need to be pre-established to ensure effective response. Critical to this assessment was the recognition of how response activities (i.e., infrastructure support, logistics, and workforce supplementation) can be used or repurposed to support the strengthening of national laboratory systems during the postevent transition to capacity building and recovery. This report compares CDC's domestic and international laboratory response engagements and lessons learned that can improve future responses in support of the International Health Regulations and Global Health Security Agenda initiatives.The activities summarized in this report would not have been possible without collaboration with many U.S. and international partners (http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/partners.html).

A Future State for NASA Laboratories - Working in the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kegelman, Jerome T.; Harris, Charles E.; Antcliff, Richard R.; Bushnell, Dennis M.; Dwoyer, Douglas L.

2009-01-01

The name "21 st Century Laboratory" is an emerging concept of how NASA (and the world) will conduct research in the very near future. Our approach is to carefully plan for significant technological changes in products, organization, and society. The NASA mission can be the beneficiary of these changes, provided the Agency prepares for the role of 21st Century laboratories in research and technology development and its deployment in this new age. It has been clear for some time now that the technology revolutions, technology "mega-trends" that we are in the midst of now, all have a common element centered around advanced computational modeling of small scale physics. Whether it is nano technology, bio technology or advanced computational technology, all of these megatrends are converging on science at the very small scale where it is profoundly important to consider the quantum effects at play with physics at that scale. Whether it is the bio-technology creation of "nanites" designed to mimic our immune system or the creation of nanoscale infotechnology devices, allowing an order of magnitude increase in computational capability, all involve quantum physics that serves as the heart of these revolutionary changes.

Laboratory Needs for Interstellar Ice Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boogert, Abraham C. A.

2012-05-01

A large fraction of the molecules in dense interstellar and circumstellar environments is stored in icy grain mantles. The mantles are formed by a complex interplay between chemical and physical processes. Key questions on the accretion and desorption processes and the chemistry on the grain surfaces and within the icy mantles can only be answered by laboratory experiments. Recent infrared (2-30 micron) spectroscopic surveys of large samples of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) and background stars tracing quiescent cloud material have shown that the ice band profiles and depths vary considerably as a function of environment. Using laboratory spectra in the identification process, it is clear that a rather complex mixture of simple species (CH3OH, CO2, H2O, CO) exists even in the quiescent cloud phase. Variations of the local physical conditions (CO freeze out) and time scales (CH3OH formation) appear to be key factors in the observed variations. Sublimation and thermal processing dominate as YSOs heat their environments. The identification of several ice absorption features is still disputed. I will outline laboratory work (e.g., on salts, PAHs, and aliphatic hydrocarbons) needed to further constrain the ice band identification as well as the thermal and chemical history of the carriers. Such experiments will also be essential to interpret future high spectral resolution SOFIA and JWST observations.

Measured acoustic characteristics of ducted supersonic jets at different model scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, R. R., III; Ahuja, K. K.; Tam, Christopher K. W.; Abdelwahab, M.

1993-01-01

A large-scale (about a 25x enlargement) model of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) hardware was installed and tested in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory of the NASA Lewis Research Center. Acoustic measurements made in these two facilities are compared and the similarity in acoustic behavior over the scale range under consideration is highlighted. The study provide the acoustic data over a relatively large-scale range which may be used to demonstrate the validity of scaling methods employed in the investigation of this phenomena.

Quality assurance of reference standards from nine European solar-ultraviolet monitoring laboratories.

PubMed

Gröbner, Julian; Rembges, Diana; Bais, Alkiviadis F; Blumthaler, Mario; Cabot, Thierry; Josefsson, Weine; Koskela, Tapani; Thorseth, Trond M; Webb, Ann R; Wester, Ulf

2002-07-20

A program for quality assurance of reference standards has been initiated among nine solar-UV monitoring laboratories. By means of a traveling lamp package that comprises several 1000-W ANSI code DXW-type quartz-halogen lamps, a 0.1-ohm shunt, and a 6-1/2 digit voltmeter, the irradiance scales used by the nine laboratories were compared with one another; a relative uncertainty of 1.2% was found. The comparison of 15 reference standards yielded differences of as much as 9%; the average difference was less than 3%.

Laboratory Animal Facilities. Laboratory Design Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonas, Albert M.

1965-01-01

Design of laboratory animal facilities must be functional. Accordingly, the designer should be aware of the complex nature of animal research and specifically the type of animal research which will be conducted in a new facility. The building of animal-care facilities in research institutions requires special knowledge in laboratory animal…

Fate of Methane Emitted from Dissociating Marine Hydrates: Modeling, Laboratory, and Field Constraints

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

Juanes, Ruben

The overall goals of this research are: (1) to determine the physical fate of single and multiple methane bubbles emitted to the water column by dissociating gas hydrates at seep sites deep within the hydrate stability zone or at the updip limit of gas hydrate stability, and (2) to quantitatively link theoretical and laboratory findings on methane transport to the analysis of real-world field-scale methane plume data placed within the context of the degrading methane hydrate province on the US Atlantic margin. The project is arranged to advance on three interrelated fronts (numerical modeling, laboratory experiments, and analysis of field-basedmore » plume data) simultaneously. The fundamental objectives of each component are the following: Numerical modeling: Constraining the conditions under which rising bubbles become armored with hydrate, the impact of hydrate armoring on the eventual fate of a bubble’s methane, and the role of multiple bubble interactions in survival of methane plumes to very shallow depths in the water column. Laboratory experiments: Exploring the parameter space (e.g., bubble size, gas saturation in the liquid phase, “proximity” to the stability boundary) for formation of a hydrate shell around a free bubble in water, the rise rate of such bubbles, and the bubble’s acoustic characteristics using field-scale frequencies. Field component: Extending the results of numerical modeling and laboratory experiments to the field-scale using brand new, existing, public-domain, state-of-the-art real world data on US Atlantic margin methane seeps, without acquiring new field data in the course of this particular project. This component quantitatively analyzes data on Atlantic margin methane plumes and place those new plumes and their corresponding seeps within the context of gas hydrate degradation processes on this margin.« less

Characterization and Scaling of Heave Plates for Ocean Wave Energy Converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, Brian; Mundon, Timothy

2016-11-01

Ocean waves present a tremendous, untapped source of renewable energy, capable of providing half of global electricity demand by 2040. Devices developed to extract this energy are known as wave energy converters (WECs) and encompass a wide range of designs. A somewhat common archetype is a two-body point-absorber, in which a surface float reacts against a submerged "heave" plate to extract energy. Newer WEC's are using increasingly complex geometries for the submerged plate and an emerging challenge in creating low-order models lies in accurately determining the hydrodynamic coefficients (added mass and drag) in the corresponding oscillatory flow regime. Here we present experiments in which a laboratory-scale heave plate is sinusoidally forced in translation (heave) and rotation (pitch) to characterize the hydrodynamic coefficients as functions of the two governing nondimensional parameters, Keulegan-Carpenter number (amplitude) and Reynolds number. Comparisons against CFD simulations are offered. As laboratory-scale physical model tests remain the standard for testing wave energy devices, effects and implications of scaling (with respect to a full-scale device) are also investigated.

The Sulfuric Acid Leaching of the Venta de Cardena (Cordoba) Mineral. I. Study on a Laboratory Scale; LA LIXIVIACION CON ACIDO SULFURICO DEL MINERAL DE VENTA DE CARDENA (CORDOBA). I. ESTUDIO EN ESCALA DE LABORATORIO

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

None

1957-01-01

The conditions affecting the sulfuric acid leaching of uranium ores from Venta de Cardena were studied on a laboratory scale. The effects of grain size, acid concentration, liquid-solid ratio, temperature, presence of oxidizing agents, and agitation time were investigated. The results led to the establishments of the conditions for the selective leaching of the ores, and these conditions are tabulated. (J.S.R.)

DESIGN OF A SURFACTANT REMEDIATION FIELD DEMONSTRATION BASED ON LABORATORY AND MODELINE STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

Surfactant-enhanced subsurface remediation is being evaluated as an innovative technology for expediting ground-water remediation. This paper reports on laboratory and modeling studies conducted in preparation for a pilot-scale field test of surfactant-enhanced subsurface remedia...

Laboratory for Atmospheres 2008 Technical Highlights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cote, Charles E.

2009-01-01

The 2008 Technical Highlights describes the efforts of all members of the Laboratory for Atmospheres. Their dedication to advancing Earth Science through conducting research, developing and running models, designing instruments, managing projects, running field campaigns, and numerous other activities, is highlighted in this report. The Laboratory for Atmospheres (Code 613) is part of the Earth Sciences Division (Code 610), formerly the Earth Sun Exploration Division, under the Sciences and Exploration Directorate (Code 600) based at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. In line with NASA s Exploration Initiative, the Laboratory executes a comprehensive research and technology development program dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the atmospheres of Earth and other planets. The research program is aimed at understanding the influence of solar variability on the Earth s climate; predicting the weather and climate of Earth; understanding the structure, dynamics, and radiative properties of precipitation, clouds, and aerosols; understanding atmospheric chemistry, especially the role of natural and anthropogenic trace species on the ozone balance in the stratosphere and the troposphere; and advancing our understanding of physical properties of Earth s atmosphere. The research program identifies problems and requirements for atmospheric observations via satellite missions. Laboratory scientists conceive, design, develop, and implement ultraviolet, infrared, optical, radar, laser, and lidar technology for remote sensing of the atmosphere. Laboratory members conduct field measurements for satellite data calibration and validation, and carry out numerous modeling activities. These modeling activities include climate model simulations, modeling the chemistry and transport of trace species on regional-to-global scales, cloud-resolving models, and development of next-generation Earth system models. Interdisciplinary research is carried

Chemistry as the defining science: discipline and training in nineteenth-century chemical laboratories.

PubMed

Jackson, Catherine M

2011-06-01

The institutional revolution has become a major landmark of late-nineteenth century science, marking the rapid construction of large, institutional laboratories which transformed scientific training and practice. Although it has served historians of physics well, the institutional revolution has proved much more contentious in the case of chemistry. I use published sources, mainly written by chemists and largely focused on laboratories built in German-speaking lands between about 1865 and 1900, to show that chemical laboratory design was inextricably linked to productive practice, large-scale pedagogy and disciplinary management. I argue that effective management of the novel risks inherent in teaching and doing organic synthesis was significant in driving and shaping the construction of late-nineteenth century institutional chemical laboratories, and that these laboratories were essential to the disciplinary development of chemistry. Seen in this way, the laboratory necessarily becomes part of the material culture of late-nineteenth century chemistry, and I show how this view leads not only to a revision of what is usually known as the laboratory revolution in chemistry but also to a new interpretation of the institutional revolution in physics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NETL Extreme Drilling Laboratory Studies High Pressure High Temperature Drilling Phenomena

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

Lyons, K.D.; Honeygan, S.; Moroz, T.H.

2008-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) established the Extreme Drilling Laboratory to engineer effective and efficient drilling technologies viable at depths greater than 20,000 ft. This paper details the challenges of ultradeep drilling, documents reports of decreased drilling rates as a result of increasing fluid pressure and temperature, and describes NETL's research and development activities. NETL is invested in laboratory-scale physical simulation. Its physical simulator will have capability of circulating drilling fluids at 30,000 psi and 480°F around a single drill cutter. This simulator is not yet operational; therefore, the results will be limited to themore » identification of leading hypotheses of drilling phenomena and NETL's test plans to validate or refute such theories. Of particular interest to the Extreme Drilling Laboratory's studies are the combinatorial effects of drilling fluid pressure, drilling fluid properties, rock properties, pore pressure, and drilling parameters, such as cutter rotational speed, weight on bit, and hydraulics associated with drilling fluid introduction to the rock-cutter interface. A detailed discussion of how each variable is controlled in a laboratory setting will be part of the conference paper and presentation.« less

Validity of thermally-driven small-scale ventilated filling box models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partridge, Jamie L.; Linden, P. F.

2013-11-01

The majority of previous work studying building ventilation flows at laboratory scale have used saline plumes in water. The production of buoyancy forces using salinity variations in water allows dynamic similarity between the small-scale models and the full-scale flows. However, in some situations, such as including the effects of non-adiabatic boundaries, the use of a thermal plume is desirable. The efficacy of using temperature differences to produce buoyancy-driven flows representing natural ventilation of a building in a small-scale model is examined here, with comparison between previous theoretical and new, heat-based, experiments.

SCALE Code System 6.2.2

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

Rearden, Bradley T.; Jessee, Matthew Anderson

The SCALE Code System is a widely used modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design that is developed, maintained, tested, and managed by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor physics, radiation shielding, radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Since 1980, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for safety analysis and design. SCALE provides an integrated framework with dozens of computational modules including 3 deterministic and 3 Monte Carlomore » radiation transport solvers that are selected based on the desired solution strategy. SCALE includes current nuclear data libraries and problem-dependent processing tools for continuous-energy (CE) and multigroup (MG) neutronics and coupled neutron-gamma calculations, as well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE includes unique capabilities for automated variance reduction for shielding calculations, as well as sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization of nuclear data, and convenient access to desired results. SCALE 6.2 represents one of the most comprehensive revisions in the history of SCALE, providing several new capabilities and significant improvements in many existing features.« less

The total laboratory solution: a new laboratory E-business model based on a vertical laboratory meta-network.

PubMed

Friedman, B A

2001-08-01

Major forces are now reshaping all businesses on a global basis, including the healthcare and clinical laboratory industries. One of the major forces at work is information technology (IT), which now provides the opportunity to create a new economic and business model for the clinical laboratory industry based on the creation of an integrated vertical meta-network, referred to here as the "total laboratory solution" (TLS). Participants at the most basic level of such a network would include a hospital-based laboratory, a reference laboratory, a laboratory information system/application service provider/laboratory portal vendor, an in vitro diagnostic manufacturer, and a pharmaceutical/biotechnology manufacturer. It is suggested that each of these participants would add value to the network primarily in its area of core competency. Subvariants of such a network have evolved over recent years, but a TLS comprising all or most of these participants does not exist at this time. Although the TLS, enabled by IT and closely akin to the various e-businesses that are now taking shape, offers many advantages from a theoretical perspective over the current laboratory business model, its success will depend largely on (a) market forces, (b) how the collaborative networks are organized and managed, and (c) whether the network can offer healthcare organizations higher quality testing services at lower cost. If the concept is successful, new demands will be placed on hospital-based laboratory professionals to shift the range of professional services that they offer toward clinical consulting, integration of laboratory information from multiple sources, and laboratory information management. These information management and integration tasks can only increase in complexity in the future as new genomic and proteomics testing modalities are developed and come on-line in clinical laboratories.

Scaled-up remediation of CCA-treated wood

Treesearch

Carol A. Clausen; William R. Kenealy

2004-01-01

Bioremediation is a novel approach to recycling waste wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). Remediating CCA-treated waste wood diverts this fiber source from our landfills and provides tangible secondary products from the cleaned fiber. On a laboratory scale, this method, which utilizes oxalic acid extraction and bioleaching with a metal- tolerant...

Marburg biosafety and biosecurity scale (MBBS): a framework for risk assessment and risk communication.

PubMed

Dickmann, Petra; Apfel, Franklin; Biedenkopf, Nadine; Eickmann, Markus; Becker, Stephan

2015-01-01

Current risk assessment and risk communication of biosafety and biosecurity concerns lack a convenient metric and conceptual framework. The absence of such a systematic tool makes communication more difficult and can lead to ambiguous public perception of and response to laboratory biosafety incidents and biosecurity threats. A new 7-category scoring scale is proposed for incidents and situations in laboratories related to the handling of human and animal pathogens. The scale aims to help clarify risk categories, facilitate coordination and communication, and improve public understanding of risk related to biosafety and biosecurity.

Scaling up of renewable chemicals.

PubMed

Sanford, Karl; Chotani, Gopal; Danielson, Nathan; Zahn, James A

2016-04-01

The transition of promising technologies for production of renewable chemicals from a laboratory scale to commercial scale is often difficult and expensive. As a result the timeframe estimated for commercialization is typically underestimated resulting in much slower penetration of these promising new methods and products into the chemical industries. The theme of 'sugar is the next oil' connects biological, chemical, and thermochemical conversions of renewable feedstocks to products that are drop-in replacements for petroleum derived chemicals or are new to market chemicals/materials. The latter typically offer a functionality advantage and can command higher prices that result in less severe scale-up challenges. However, for drop-in replacements, price is of paramount importance and competitive capital and operating expenditures are a prerequisite for success. Hence, scale-up of relevant technologies must be interfaced with effective and efficient management of both cell and steel factories. Details involved in all aspects of manufacturing, such as utilities, sterility, product recovery and purification, regulatory requirements, and emissions must be managed successfully. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scaling up microbial fuel cells and other bioelectrochemical systems.

PubMed

Logan, Bruce E

2010-02-01

Scientific research has advanced on different microbial fuel cell (MFC) technologies in the laboratory at an amazing pace, with power densities having reached over 1 kW/m(3) (reactor volume) and to 6.9 W/m(2) (anode area) under optimal conditions. The main challenge is to bring these technologies out of the laboratory and engineer practical systems for bioenergy production at larger scales. Recent advances in new types of electrodes, a better understanding of the impact of membranes and separators on performance of these systems, and results from several new pilot-scale tests are all good indicators that commercialization of the technology could be possible within a few years. Some of the newest advances and future challenges are reviewed here with respect to practical applications of these MFCs for renewable energy production and other applications.

2017 GTO Project review Laboratory Evaluation of EGS Shear Stimulation.

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

Bauer, Stephen J.

The objectives and purpose of this research has been to produce laboratory-based experimental and numerical analyses to provide a physics-based understanding of shear stimulation phenomena (hydroshearing) and its evolution during stimulation. Water was flowed along fractures in hot and stressed fractured rock, to promote slip. The controlled laboratory experiments provide a high resolution/high quality data resource for evaluation of analysis methods developed by DOE to assess EGS “behavior” during this stimulation process. Segments of the experimental program will provide data sets for model input parameters, i.e., material properties, and other segments of the experimental program will represent small scale physicalmore » models of an EGS system, which may be modeled. The coupled lab/analysis project has been a study of the response of a fracture in hot, water-saturated fractured rock to shear stress experiencing fluid flow. Under this condition, the fracture experiences a combination of potential pore pressure changes and fracture surface cooling, resulting in slip along the fracture. The laboratory work provides a means to assess the role of “hydroshearing” on permeability enhancement in reservoir stimulation. Using the laboratory experiments and results to define boundary and input/output conditions of pore pressure, thermal stress, fracture shear deformation and fluid flow, and models were developed and simulations completed by the University of Oklahoma team. The analysis methods are ones used on field scale problems. The sophisticated numerical models developed contain parameters present in the field. The analysis results provide insight into the role of fracture slip on permeability enhancement-“hydroshear” is to be obtained. The work will provide valuable input data to evaluate stimulation models, thus helping design effective EGS.« less

Errors in clinical laboratories or errors in laboratory medicine?

PubMed

Plebani, Mario

2006-01-01

Laboratory testing is a highly complex process and, although laboratory services are relatively safe, they are not as safe as they could or should be. Clinical laboratories have long focused their attention on quality control methods and quality assessment programs dealing with analytical aspects of testing. However, a growing body of evidence accumulated in recent decades demonstrates that quality in clinical laboratories cannot be assured by merely focusing on purely analytical aspects. The more recent surveys on errors in laboratory medicine conclude that in the delivery of laboratory testing, mistakes occur more frequently before (pre-analytical) and after (post-analytical) the test has been performed. Most errors are due to pre-analytical factors (46-68.2% of total errors), while a high error rate (18.5-47% of total errors) has also been found in the post-analytical phase. Errors due to analytical problems have been significantly reduced over time, but there is evidence that, particularly for immunoassays, interference may have a serious impact on patients. A description of the most frequent and risky pre-, intra- and post-analytical errors and advice on practical steps for measuring and reducing the risk of errors is therefore given in the present paper. Many mistakes in the Total Testing Process are called "laboratory errors", although these may be due to poor communication, action taken by others involved in the testing process (e.g., physicians, nurses and phlebotomists), or poorly designed processes, all of which are beyond the laboratory's control. Likewise, there is evidence that laboratory information is only partially utilized. A recent document from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommends a new, broader definition of the term "laboratory error" and a classification of errors according to different criteria. In a modern approach to total quality, centered on patients' needs and satisfaction, the risk of errors and mistakes

Laboratory Information Systems.

PubMed

Henricks, Walter H

2015-06-01

Laboratory information systems (LISs) supply mission-critical capabilities for the vast array of information-processing needs of modern laboratories. LIS architectures include mainframe, client-server, and thin client configurations. The LIS database software manages a laboratory's data. LIS dictionaries are database tables that a laboratory uses to tailor an LIS to the unique needs of that laboratory. Anatomic pathology LIS (APLIS) functions play key roles throughout the pathology workflow, and laboratories rely on LIS management reports to monitor operations. This article describes the structure and functions of APLISs, with emphasis on their roles in laboratory operations and their relevance to pathologists. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling hexavalent chromium reduction in groundwater in field-scale transport and laboratory batch experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedly, J.C.; Davis, J.A.; Kent, D.B.

1995-01-01

A plausible and consistent model is developed to obtain a quantitative description of the gradual disappearance of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from groundwater in a small-scale field tracer test and in batch kinetic experiments using aquifer sediments under similar chemical conditions. The data exhibit three distinct timescales. Fast reduction occurs in well-stirred batch reactors in times much less than 1 hour and is followed by slow reduction over a timescale of the order of 2 days. In the field, reduction occurs on a timescale of the order of 8 days. The model is based on the following hypotheses. The chemical reduction reaction occurs very fast, and the longer timescales are caused by diffusion resistance. Diffusion into the secondary porosity of grains causes the apparent slow reduction rate in batch experiments. In the model of the field experiments, the reducing agent, heavy Fe(II)-bearing minerals, is heterogeneously distributed in thin strata located between larger nonreducing sand lenses that comprise the bulk of the aquifer solids. It is found that reducing strata of the order of centimeters thick are sufficient to contribute enough diffusion resistance to cause the observed longest timescale in the field. A one-dimensional advection/dispersion model is formulated that describes the major experimental trends. Diffusion rates are estimated in terms of an elementary physical picture of flow through a stratified medium containing identically sized spherical grains. Both reduction and sorption reactions are included. Batch simulation results are sensitive to the fraction of reductant located at or near the surface of grains, which controls the amount of rapid reduction, and the secondary porosity, which controls the rate of slow reduction observed in batch experiments. Results of Cr(VI) transport simulations are sensitive to the thickness and relative size of the reducing stratum. Transport simulation results suggest that nearly all of the reductant must be

Measuring Pilot Knowledge in Training: The Pathfinder Network Scaling Technique

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Network Scaling Technique Leah J. Rowe Roger W. Schvaneveldt L -3 Communications Arizona State University Mesa, AZ Mesa, AZ leah.rowe...7293 Page 2 of 8 Measuring Pilot Knowledge in Training: The Pathfinder Network Scaling Technique Leah J. Rowe Roger W. Schvaneveldt L -3...training. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Leah J. Rowe is a Training Research Specialist with L -3 Communications at the Air Force Research Laboratory

The COBRA demonstrator at the LNGS underground laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, J.; Fritts, M.; Gehre, D.; Gößling, C.; Göpfert, T.; Hagner, C.; Heidrich, N.; Klingenberg, R.; Köttig, T.; Kröninger, K.; Michel, T.; Neddermann, T.; Nitsch, C.; Oldorf, C.; Quante, T.; Rajek, S.; Rebber, H.; Reinecke, O.; Rohatsch, K.; Schulz, O.; Sörensen, A.; Stekl, I.; Tebrügge, J.; Temminghoff, R.; Theinert, R.; Timm, J.; Wester, T.; Wonsak, B.; Zatschler, S.; Zuber, K.

2016-01-01

The COBRA demonstrator, a prototype for a large-scale experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta-decay, was built at the underground laboratory Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It consists of an array of 64 monolithic, calorimetric CdZnTe semiconductor detectors with a coplanar-grid design and a total mass of 380 g. It is used to investigate the experimental challenges faced when operating CdZnTe detectors in low-background mode, to identify potential background sources and to show the long-term stability of the detectors. The first data-taking period started in 2011 with a subset of the detectors, while the demonstrator was completed in November 2013. To date, more than 250 kg d of data have been collected. This paper describes the technical details of the experimental setup and the hardware components.

PEP Support: Laboratory Scale Leaching and Permeate Stability Tests

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

Russell, Renee L.; Peterson, Reid A.; Rinehart, Donald E.

2010-05-21

This report documents results from a variety of activities requested by the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The activities related to caustic leaching, oxidative leaching, permeate precipitation behavior of waste as well as chromium (Cr) leaching are: • Model Input Boehmite Leaching Tests • Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) Support Leaching Tests • PEP Parallel Leaching Tests • Precipitation Study Results • Cr Caustic and Oxidative Leaching Tests. Leaching test activities using the PEP simulant provided input to a boehmite dissolution model and determined the effect of temperature on mass loss during caustic leaching, the reaction rate constantmore » for the boehmite dissolution, and the effect of aeration in enhancing the chromium dissolution during caustic leaching. Other tests were performed in parallel with the PEP tests to support the development of scaling factors for caustic and oxidative leaching. Another study determined if precipitate formed in the wash solution after the caustic leach in the PEP. Finally, the leaching characteristics of different chromium compounds under different conditions were examined to determine the best one to use in further testing.« less

Secondary standards laboratories for ionizing radiation calibrations: The national laboratory interests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberson, P. I.; Campbell, G. W.

1984-11-01

The national laboratories are probable candidates to serve as secondary standards laboratories for the federal sector. Representatives of the major Department of Energy laboratories were polled concerning attitudes toward a secondary laboratory structure. Generally, the need for secondary laboratories was recognized and the development of such a program was encouraged. The secondary laboratories should be reviewed and inspected by the National Bureau of Standards. They should offer all of the essential, and preferably additional, calibration services in the field of radiological health protection. The selection of secondary laboratories should be based on economic and geographic criteria and/or be voluntary.

Roles of laboratories and laboratory systems in effective tuberculosis programmes.

PubMed

Ridderhof, John C; van Deun, Armand; Kam, Kai Man; Narayanan, P R; Aziz, Mohamed Abdul

2007-05-01

Laboratories and laboratory networks are a fundamental component of tuberculosis (TB) control, providing testing for diagnosis, surveillance and treatment monitoring at every level of the health-care system. New initiatives and resources to strengthen laboratory capacity and implement rapid and new diagnostic tests for TB will require recognition that laboratories are systems that require quality standards, appropriate human resources, and attention to safety in addition to supplies and equipment. To prepare the laboratory networks for new diagnostics and expanded capacity, we need to focus efforts on strengthening quality management systems (QMS) through additional resources for external quality assessment programmes for microscopy, culture, drug susceptibility testing (DST) and molecular diagnostics. QMS should also promote development of accreditation programmes to ensure adherence to standards to improve both the quality and credibility of the laboratory system within TB programmes. Corresponding attention must be given to addressing human resources at every level of the laboratory, with special consideration being given to new programmes for laboratory management and leadership skills. Strengthening laboratory networks will also involve setting up partnerships between TB programmes and those seeking to control other diseases in order to pool resources and to promote advocacy for quality standards, to develop strategies to integrate laboratories functions and to extend control programme activities to the private sector. Improving the laboratory system will assure that increased resources, in the form of supplies, equipment and facilities, will be invested in networks that are capable of providing effective testing to meet the goals of the Global Plan to Stop TB.

Advances in time-scale algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, S. R.

1993-01-01

The term clock is usually used to refer to a device that counts a nearly periodic signal. A group of clocks, called an ensemble, is often used for time keeping in mission critical applications that cannot tolerate loss of time due to the failure of a single clock. The time generated by the ensemble of clocks is called a time scale. The question arises how to combine the times of the individual clocks to form the time scale. One might naively be tempted to suggest the expedient of averaging the times of the individual clocks, but a simple thought experiment demonstrates the inadequacy of this approach. Suppose a time scale is composed of two noiseless clocks having equal and opposite frequencies. The mean time scale has zero frequency. However if either clock fails, the time-scale frequency immediately changes to the frequency of the remaining clock. This performance is generally unacceptable and simple mean time scales are not used. First, previous time-scale developments are reviewed and then some new methods that result in enhanced performance are presented. The historical perspective is based upon several time scales: the AT1 and TA time scales of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the A.1(MEAN) time scale of the US Naval observatory (USNO), the TAI time scale of the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM), and the KAS-1 time scale of the Naval Research laboratory (NRL). The new method was incorporated in the KAS-2 time scale recently developed by Timing Solutions Corporation. The goal is to present time-scale concepts in a nonmathematical form with as few equations as possible. Many other papers and texts discuss the details of the optimal estimation techniques that may be used to implement these concepts.

Evaluation of laboratory-scale in situ capping sediments with purple parent rock to control the eutrophication.

PubMed

Huang, Xuejiao; Shi, Wenhao; Ni, Jiupai; Li, Zhenlun

2017-03-01

In this study, the effectiveness of controlling the eutrophication using purple parent rock to cap the sediments was evaluated in the laboratory scale. Sediments were collected from Sanxikou reservoir (China) in July 2013. Then, three types of purple parent rock (T 1 f, J 3 p, and J 2 s) which are distributed widely in southwest China were used to cap the sediments. Limestone and calcite were used as the contrast group, because they had been reported as effective controls on eutrophication. Then, they were incubated at 20 °C for 46 days. The results indicated that the application of purple parent rock as a barrier material can effectively inhibit the release of nutrient elements in sediments, and the inhibition rates of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium (NH 4 -N), and nitrate (NO 3 -N) were much better than that of limestone and calcite. Among the three types of purple parent rock, J 3 p exhibited the best inhibitory effect on the release of nitrogen in sediments, and the inhibition efficiency of TN, NH 4 -N, and NO 3 -N was 59.7, 77.6, and 45.1%, respectively. As for T 1 f, it exhibited the best inhibitory effect on the release of TP in sediments with the inhibition rate of 94.4%. Whereas all these capping materials showed weak inhibition on release of organic matter in sediments, and the inhibition efficiencies were less than 20%. Moreover, these treatments could also cause distinct changes in the microbial community in sediments and overlying water, and the contents of TN and TP in all capping materials increased. All results demonstrated that purple parent rock could inhibit the release of nutrient in sediments through mechanical interception, physical adsorption, and chemical absorption as well as changing the microbial activity in the covering layer, sediments, or overlying water.

Changing needs, opportunities and constraints for the 21st century microbiology laboratory.

PubMed

Van Eldere, J

2005-04-01

Clinical microbiologists and microbiology laboratories are experiencing changes due to evolving views on 'healthcare delivery' as an economic activity, due to changes in the medical environment and the demographics of the workforce, and technical evolution. Cost-effectiveness of laboratory procedures has been achieved through consolidation and integration of laboratories. Consolidation offers economy of scale and reduction in numbers of on-site staff, but also leads to separation of microbiologists from their clinical colleagues. Integration puts different laboratory disciplines under a single management, and leads to reorganisation of laboratories along common work-lines. Cost-savings combined with on-site availability of laboratories are achieved at the expense of a reduction in the influence of microbiologists in the daily running of the laboratory. Medically, there is growing emphasis on evidence-based diagnostics. Because of time-delays inherent in culturing, microbiology through rapid testing is mandatory. There is an increasing shortage in Europe and the USA of trained microbiology laboratory technicians and microbiologists. This reinforces the trend towards more automation and integration. Technological advances, particularly in molecular diagnostics, offer the possibility of rapid reporting and improvement of the impact of clinical microbiology on patient management. Molecular tests, however, fit perfectly the concept of an integrated laboratory and may further loosen the link between microbiologist and microbiology tests. The challenge for clinical microbiology will be to use new techniques to improve its cost-effectiveness and impact on infectious disease management. The future organisation of microbiology laboratories must support this but is itself of secondary importance. The training of future microbiologist must prepare them for this changing environment.

Performance of nanoscale zero-valent iron in nitrate reduction from water using a laboratory-scale continuous-flow system.

PubMed

Khalil, Ahmed M E; Eljamal, Osama; Saha, Bidyut Baran; Matsunaga, Nobuhiro

2018-04-01

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) is a versatile treatment reagent that should be utilized in an effective application for nitrate remediation in water. For this purpose, a laboratory-scale continuous-flow system (LSCFS) was developed to evaluate nZVI performance in removal of nitrate in different contaminated-water bodies. The equipment design (reactor, settler, and polisher) and operational parameters of the LSCFS were determined based on nZVI characterization and nitrate reduction kinetics. Ten experimental runs were conducted at different dosages (6, 10 and 20 g) of nZVI-based reagents (nZVI, bimetallic nZVI-Cu, CuCl 2 -added nZVI). Effluent concentrations of nitrogen and iron compounds were measured, and pH and ORP values were monitored. The major role exhibited by the recirculation process of unreacted nZVI from the settler to the reactor succeeded in achieving overall nitrate removal efficiency (RE) of >90%. The similar performance of both nZVI and copper-ions-modified nZVI in contaminated distilled water was an indication of LSCFS reliability in completely utilizing iron nanoparticles. In case of treating contaminated river water and simulated groundwater, the nitrate reduction process was sensitive towards the presence of interfering substances that dropped the overall RE drastically. However, the addition of copper ions during the treatment counteracted the retardation effect and greatly enhanced the nitrate RE. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scaling up HIV viral load - lessons from the large-scale implementation of HIV early infant diagnosis and CD4 testing.

PubMed

Peter, Trevor; Zeh, Clement; Katz, Zachary; Elbireer, Ali; Alemayehu, Bereket; Vojnov, Lara; Costa, Alex; Doi, Naoko; Jani, Ilesh

2017-11-01

The scale-up of effective HIV viral load (VL) testing is an urgent public health priority. Implementation of testing is supported by the availability of accurate, nucleic acid based laboratory and point-of-care (POC) VL technologies and strong WHO guidance recommending routine testing to identify treatment failure. However, test implementation faces challenges related to the developing health systems in many low-resource countries. The purpose of this commentary is to review the challenges and solutions from the large-scale implementation of other diagnostic tests, namely nucleic-acid based early infant HIV diagnosis (EID) and CD4 testing, and identify key lessons to inform the scale-up of VL. Experience with EID and CD4 testing provides many key lessons to inform VL implementation and may enable more effective and rapid scale-up. The primary lessons from earlier implementation efforts are to strengthen linkage to clinical care after testing, and to improve the efficiency of testing. Opportunities to improve linkage include data systems to support the follow-up of patients through the cascade of care and test delivery, rapid sample referral networks, and POC tests. Opportunities to increase testing efficiency include improvements to procurement and supply chain practices, well connected tiered laboratory networks with rational deployment of test capacity across different levels of health services, routine resource mapping and mobilization to ensure adequate resources for testing programs, and improved operational and quality management of testing services. If applied to VL testing programs, these approaches could help improve the impact of VL on ART failure management and patient outcomes, reduce overall costs and help ensure the sustainable access to reduced pricing for test commodities, as well as improve supportive health systems such as efficient, and more rigorous quality assurance. These lessons draw from traditional laboratory practices as well as fields

SCALE Code System 6.2.1

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

Rearden, Bradley T.; Jessee, Matthew Anderson

The SCALE Code System is a widely-used modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design that is developed, maintained, tested, and managed by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor and lattice physics, radiation shielding, spent fuel and radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Since 1980, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for safety analysis and design. SCALE provides an integrated framework with dozens of computational modules including three deterministicmore » and three Monte Carlo radiation transport solvers that are selected based on the desired solution strategy. SCALE includes current nuclear data libraries and problem-dependent processing tools for continuous-energy (CE) and multigroup (MG) neutronics and coupled neutron-gamma calculations, as well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE includes unique capabilities for automated variance reduction for shielding calculations, as well as sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization of nuclear data, and convenient access to desired results.« less

On the use of a laser ablation as a laboratory seismic source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Chengyi; Brito, Daniel; Diaz, Julien; Zhang, Deyuan; Poydenot, Valier; Bordes, Clarisse; Garambois, Stéphane

2017-04-01

Mimic near-surface seismic imaging conducted in well-controlled laboratory conditions is potentially a powerful tool to study large scale wave propagations in geological media by means of upscaling. Laboratory measurements are indeed particularly suited for tests of theoretical modellings and comparisons with numerical approaches. We have developed an automated Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) platform, which is able to detect and register broadband nano-scale displacements on the surface of various materials. This laboratory equipment has already been validated in experiments where piezoelectric transducers were used as seismic sources. We are currently exploring a new seismic source in our experiments, a laser ablation, in order to compensate some drawbacks encountered with piezoelectric sources. The laser ablation source is considered to be an interesting ultrasound wave generator since the 1960s. It was believed to have numerous potential applications such as the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and the measurements of velocities and attenuations in solid samples. We aim at adapting and developing this technique into geophysical experimental investigations in order to produce and explore complete micro-seismic data sets in the laboratory. We will first present the laser characteristics including its mechanism, stability, reproducibility, and will evaluate in particular the directivity patterns of such a seismic source. We have started by applying the laser ablation source on the surfaces of multi-scale homogeneous aluminum samples and are now testing it on heterogeneous and fractured limestone cores. Some other results of data processing will also be shown, especially the 2D-slice V P and V S tomographic images obtained in limestone samples. Apart from the experimental records, numerical simulations will be carried out for both the laser source modelling and the wave propagation in different media. First attempts will be done to compare quantitatively the

Establishment of National Laboratory Standards in Public and Private Hospital Laboratories

PubMed Central

ANJARANI, Soghra; SAFADEL, Nooshafarin; DAHIM, Parisa; AMINI, Rana; MAHDAVI, Saeed; MIRAB SAMIEE, Siamak

2013-01-01

In September 2007 national standard manual was finalized and officially announced as the minimal quality requirements for all medical laboratories in the country. Apart from auditing laboratories, Reference Health Laboratory has performed benchmarking auditing of medical laboratory network (surveys) in provinces. 12th benchmarks performed in Tehran and Alborz provinces, Iran in 2010 in three stages. We tried to compare different processes, their quality and accordance with national standard measures between public and private hospital laboratories. The assessment tool was a standardized checklist consists of 164 questions. Analyzing process show although in most cases implementing the standard requirements are more prominent in private laboratories, there is still a long way to complete fulfillment of requirements, and it takes a lot of effort. Differences between laboratories in public and private sectors especially in laboratory personnel and management process are significant. Probably lack of motivation, plays a key role in obtaining less desirable results in laboratories in public sectors. PMID:23514840

Customer satisfaction assessment at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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

DN Anderson; ML Sours

2000-03-23

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing and implementing a customer satisfaction assessment program (CSAP) to assess the quality of research and development provided by the laboratory. This report presents the customer survey component of the PNNL CSAP. The customer survey questionnaire is composed of two major sections: Strategic Value and Project Performance. Both sections contain a set of questions that can be answered with a 5-point Likert scale response. The strategic value section consists of five questions that are designed to determine if a project directly contributes to critical future national needs. The project Performance section consists ofmore » nine questions designed to determine PNNL performance in meeting customer expectations. A statistical model for customer survey data is developed and this report discusses how to analyze the data with this model. The properties of the statistical model can be used to establish a gold standard or performance expectation for the laboratory, and then to assess progress. The gold standard is defined using laboratory management input--answers to four questions, in terms of the information obtained from the customer survey: (1) What should the average Strategic Value be for the laboratory project portfolio? (2) What Strategic Value interval should include most of the projects in the laboratory portfolio? (3) What should average Project Performance be for projects with a Strategic Value of about 2? (4) What should average Project Performance be for projects with a Strategic Value of about 4? To be able to provide meaningful answers to these questions, the PNNL customer survey will need to be fully implemented for several years, thus providing a link between management perceptions of laboratory performance and customer survey data.« less

Validating the Equilibrium Stage Model for an Azeotropic System in a Laboratorial Distillation Column

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duarte, B. P. M.; Coelho Pinheiro, M. N.; Silva, D. C. M.; Moura, M. J.

2006-01-01

The experiment described is an excellent opportunity to apply theoretical concepts of distillation, thermodynamics of mixtures and process simulation at laboratory scale, and simultaneously enhance the ability of students to operate, control and monitor complex units.

Study of Multiple Scale Physics of Magnetic Reconnection on the FLARE (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2015-12-01

The FLARE device (flare.pppl.gov) is a new intermediate-scale plasma experiment under construction at Princeton to study magnetic reconnection in regimes directly relevant to space, solar and astrophysical plasmas. The existing small-scale experiments have been focusing on the single X-line reconnection process either with small effective sizes or at low Lundquist numbers, but both of which are typically very large in natural plasmas. The configuration of the FLARE device is designed to provide experimental access to the new regimes involving multiple X-lines, as guided by a reconnection "phase diagram" [Ji & Daughton, PoP (2011)]. Most of major components of the FLARE device have been designed and are under construction. The device will be assembled and installed in 2016, followed by commissioning and operation in 2017. The planned research on FLARE as a user facility will be discussed on topics including the multiple scale nature of magnetic reconnection from global fluid scales to ion and electron kinetic scales. Results from scoping simulations based on particle and fluid codes and possible comparative research with space measurements will be presented.

Piloting laboratory quality system management in six health facilities in Nigeria.

PubMed

Mbah, Henry; Ojo, Emmanuel; Ameh, James; Musuluma, Humphrey; Negedu-Momoh, Olubunmi Ruth; Jegede, Feyisayo; Ojo, Olufunmilayo; Uwakwe, Nkem; Ochei, Kingsley; Dada, Michael; Udah, Donald; Chiegil, Robert; Torpey, Kwasi

2014-01-01

Achieving accreditation in laboratories is a challenge in Nigeria like in most African countries. Nigeria adopted the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa Stepwise Laboratory (Quality) Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (WHO/AFRO- SLIPTA) in 2010. We report on FHI360 effort and progress in piloting WHO-AFRO recognition and accreditation preparedness in six health facility laboratories in five different states of Nigeria. Laboratory assessments were conducted at baseline, follow up and exit using the WHO/AFRO- SLIPTA checklist. From the total percentage score obtained, the quality status of laboratories were classified using a zero to five star rating, based on the WHO/AFRO quality improvement stepwise approach. Major interventions include advocacy, capacity building, mentorship and quality improvement projects. At baseline audit, two of the laboratories attained 1- star while the remaining four were at 0- star. At follow up audit one lab was at 1- star, two at 3-star and three at 4-star. At exit audit, four labs were at 4- star, one at 3-star and one at 2-star rating. One laboratory dropped a 'star' at exit audit, while others consistently improved. The two weakest elements at baseline; internal audit (4%) and occurrence/incidence management (15%) improved significantly, with an exit score of 76% and 81% respectively. The elements facility and safety was the major strength across board throughout the audit exercise. This effort resulted in measurable and positive impact on the laboratories. We recommend further improvement towards a formal international accreditation status and scale up of WHO/AFRO- SLIPTA implementation in Nigeria.

Laboratory Investigation of Astrophysical Collimated Jets with Intense Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Dawei; Li, Yutong; Tao, Tao; Wei, Huigang; Zhong, Jiayong; Zhu, Baojun; Li, Yanfei; Zhao, Jiarui; Li, Fang; Han, Bo; Zhang, Zhe; Liang, Guiyun; Wang, Feilu; Hu, Guangyue; Zheng, Jian; Jiang, Shaoen; Du, Kai; Ding, Yongkun; Zhou, Shenlei; Zhu, Baoqiang; Zhu, Jianqiang; Zhao, Gang; Zhang, Jie

2018-06-01

One of the remarkable dynamic features of the Herbig–Haro (HH) object is its highly collimated propagation far away from the accretion disk. Different factors are proposed to give us a clearly physical explanation behind these fascinating phenomena, including magnetic field, radiation cooling, surrounding medium, and so on. Laboratory astrophysics, as a new complementary method of studying astrophysical issues, can provide an insight into these behaviors in a similar and controllable laboratory environment. Here we report the scaled laboratory experiments that a well-collimated radiative jet with high Mach number is successfully created to mimic the evolution of HH objects. According to our results, we find that the radiation cooling effect within the jet and the outer rare surrounding plasmas from the X-ray (>keV) photoionized target contribute to the jet collimation. The local nonuniform density structures along the collimated radiative jet axis are caused by the pressure competition between the inner jet and the outer plasmas. The corresponding simulations performed with radiation-hydrodynamic codes FLASH reveal how the radiative jet evolves.

Controlled mixed fermentation at winery scale using Zygotorulaspora florentina and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Lencioni, Livio; Romani, Cristina; Gobbi, Mirko; Comitini, Francesca; Ciani, Maurizio; Domizio, Paola

2016-10-03

Over the last few years the use of multi-starter inocula has become an attractive biotechnological practice in the search for wine with high flavour complexity or distinctive characters. This has been possible through exploiting the particular oenological features of some non-Saccharomyces yeast strains, and the effects that derive from their specific interactions with Saccharomyces. In the present study, we evaluated the selected strain Zygotorulaspora florentina (formerly Zygosaccharomyces florentinus) in mixed culture fermentations with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, from the laboratory scale to the winery scale. The scale-up fermentation and substrate composition (i.e., white or red musts) influenced the analytical composition of the mixed fermentation. At the laboratory scale, mixed fermentation with Z. florentina exhibited an enhancement of polysaccharides and 2-phenylethanol content and a reduction of volatile acidity. At the winery scale, different fermentation characteristics of Z. florentina were observed. Using Sangiovese red grape juice, sequential fermentation trials showed a significantly higher concentration of glycerol and esters while the sensorial analysis of the resulting wines showed higher floral notes and lower perception of astringency. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this yeasts association has been evaluated at the winery scale indicating the potential use of this mixed culture in red grape varieties. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Language Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, John P.

Concepts pertaining to the language laboratory are clarified for the layman unfamiliar with recent educational developments in foreign language instruction. These include discussion of: (1) language laboratory components and functions, (2) techniques used in the laboratory, (3) new linguistic methods, (4) laboratory exercises, (5) traditional…

Effects of C/N ratio on nitrous oxide production from nitrification in a laboratory-scale biological aerated filter reactor.

PubMed

He, Qiang; Zhu, Yinying; Fan, Leilei; Ai, Hainan; Huangfu, Xiaoliu; Chen, Mei

2017-03-01

Emission of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) during biological wastewater treatment is of growing concern. This paper reports findings of the effects of carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio on N 2 O production rates in a laboratory-scale biological aerated filter (BAF) reactor, focusing on the biofilm during nitrification. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and microelectrode technology were utilized to evaluate the mechanisms associated with N 2 O production during wastewater treatment using BAF. Results indicated that the ability of N 2 O emission in biofilm at C/N ratio of 2 was much stronger than at C/N ratios of 5 and 8. PCR-DGGE analysis showed that the microbial community structures differed completely after the acclimatization at tested C/N ratios (i.e., 2, 5, and 8). Measurements of critical parameters including dissolved oxygen, oxidation reduction potential, NH 4 + -N, NO 3 - -N, and NO 2 - -N also demonstrated that the internal micro-environment of the biofilm benefit N 2 O production. DNA analysis showed that Proteobacteria comprised the majority of the bacteria, which might mainly result in N 2 O emission. Based on these results, C/N ratio is one of the parameters that play an important role in the N 2 O emission from the BAF reactors during nitrification.

Teaching Discrete and Programmable Logic Design Techniques Using a Single Laboratory Board

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Debiec, P.; Byczuk, M.

2011-01-01

Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are used at many universities in introductory digital logic laboratories, where kits containing a single high-capacity PLD replace "standard" sets containing breadboards, wires, and small- or medium-scale integration (SSI/MSI) chips. From the pedagogical point of view, two problems arise in these…

Hypersonic Glider Model in Full Scale Tunnel 1957

NASA Image and Video Library

1957-09-07

L57-1439 A model based on Langley s concept of a hypersonic glider was test flown on an umbilical cord inside the Full Scale Tunnel in 1957. Photograph published in Engineer in Charge: A History of the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory, 1917-1958 by James R. Hansen. Page 374.

Characterization and scaling of anisotropy of fabrics and fractures at laboratory scales: insights from volumetric analysis using computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ketcham, Richard A.

2017-04-01

Anisotropy in three-dimensional quantities such as geometric shape and orientation is commonly quantified using principal components analysis, in which a second order tensor determines the orientations of orthogonal components and their relative magnitudes. This approach has many advantages, such as simplicity and ability to accommodate many forms of data, and resilience to data sparsity. However, when data are sufficiently plentiful and precise, they sometimes show that aspects of the principal components approach are oversimplifications that may affect how the data are interpreted or extrapolated for mathematical or physical modeling. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) can effectively extract thousands of measurements from a single sample, providing a data density sufficient to examine the ways in which anisotropy on the hand-sample scale and smaller can be quantified, and the extent to which the ways the data are simplified are faithful to the underlying distributions. Features within CT data can be considered as discrete objects or continuum fabrics; the latter can be characterized using a variety of metrics, such as the most commonly used mean intercept length, and also the more specialized star length and star volume distributions. Each method posits a different scaling among components that affects the measured degree of anisotropy. The star volume distribution is the most sensitive to anisotropy, and commonly distinguishes strong fabric components that are not orthogonal. Although these data are well-presented using a stereoplot, 3D rose diagrams are another visualization option that can often help identify these components. This talk presents examples from a number of cases, starting with trabecular bone and extending to geological features such as fractures and brittle and ductile fabrics, in which non-orthogonal principal components identified using CT provide some insight into the origin of the underlying structures, and how they should be

Roles of laboratories and laboratory systems in effective tuberculosis programmes

PubMed Central

van Deun, Armand; Kam, Kai Man; Narayanan, PR; Aziz, Mohamed Abdul

2007-01-01

Abstract Laboratories and laboratory networks are a fundamental component of tuberculosis (TB) control, providing testing for diagnosis, surveillance and treatment monitoring at every level of the health-care system. New initiatives and resources to strengthen laboratory capacity and implement rapid and new diagnostic tests for TB will require recognition that laboratories are systems that require quality standards, appropriate human resources, and attention to safety in addition to supplies and equipment. To prepare the laboratory networks for new diagnostics and expanded capacity, we need to focus efforts on strengthening quality management systems (QMS) through additional resources for external quality assessment programmes for microscopy, culture, drug susceptibility testing (DST) and molecular diagnostics. QMS should also promote development of accreditation programmes to ensure adherence to standards to improve both the quality and credibility of the laboratory system within TB programmes. Corresponding attention must be given to addressing human resources at every level of the laboratory, with special consideration being given to new programmes for laboratory management and leadership skills. Strengthening laboratory networks will also involve setting up partnerships between TB programmes and those seeking to control other diseases in order to pool resources and to promote advocacy for quality standards, to develop strategies to integrate laboratories’ functions and to extend control programme activities to the private sector. Improving the laboratory system will assure that increased resources, in the form of supplies, equipment and facilities, will be invested in networks that are capable of providing effective testing to meet the goals of the Global Plan to Stop TB. PMID:17639219

The Protein Information Management System (PiMS): a generic tool for any structural biology research laboratory

PubMed Central

Morris, Chris; Pajon, Anne; Griffiths, Susanne L.; Daniel, Ed; Savitsky, Marc; Lin, Bill; Diprose, Jonathan M.; Wilter da Silva, Alan; Pilicheva, Katya; Troshin, Peter; van Niekerk, Johannes; Isaacs, Neil; Naismith, James; Nave, Colin; Blake, Richard; Wilson, Keith S.; Stuart, David I.; Henrick, Kim; Esnouf, Robert M.

2011-01-01

The techniques used in protein production and structural biology have been developing rapidly, but techniques for recording the laboratory information produced have not kept pace. One approach is the development of laboratory information-management systems (LIMS), which typically use a relational database schema to model and store results from a laboratory workflow. The underlying philosophy and implementation of the Protein Information Management System (PiMS), a LIMS development specifically targeted at the flexible and unpredictable workflows of protein-production research laboratories of all scales, is described. PiMS is a web-based Java application that uses either Postgres or Oracle as the underlying relational database-management system. PiMS is available under a free licence to all academic laboratories either for local installation or for use as a managed service. PMID:21460443

The Protein Information Management System (PiMS): a generic tool for any structural biology research laboratory.

PubMed

Morris, Chris; Pajon, Anne; Griffiths, Susanne L; Daniel, Ed; Savitsky, Marc; Lin, Bill; Diprose, Jonathan M; da Silva, Alan Wilter; Pilicheva, Katya; Troshin, Peter; van Niekerk, Johannes; Isaacs, Neil; Naismith, James; Nave, Colin; Blake, Richard; Wilson, Keith S; Stuart, David I; Henrick, Kim; Esnouf, Robert M

2011-04-01

The techniques used in protein production and structural biology have been developing rapidly, but techniques for recording the laboratory information produced have not kept pace. One approach is the development of laboratory information-management systems (LIMS), which typically use a relational database schema to model and store results from a laboratory workflow. The underlying philosophy and implementation of the Protein Information Management System (PiMS), a LIMS development specifically targeted at the flexible and unpredictable workflows of protein-production research laboratories of all scales, is described. PiMS is a web-based Java application that uses either Postgres or Oracle as the underlying relational database-management system. PiMS is available under a free licence to all academic laboratories either for local installation or for use as a managed service.

Pulverized solid injection system. Application to laboratory burners and pyrometric temperature measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Therssen, E.; Delfosse, L.

1995-08-01

The design and setting up of a pulverized solid injection system for use in laboratory burners is presented. The original dual system consists of a screw feeder coupled to an acoustic sower. This laboratory device allows a good regularity and stability of the particle-gas mixture transported to the burner in a large scale of mass powder and gas vector rate flow. The thermal history of the particles has been followed by optical measurements. The quality of the particle cloud injected in the burner has been validated by the good agreement between experimental and modeling particle temperature.

A laboratory nanoseismological study on deep-focus earthquake micromechanics

DOE PAGES

Wang, Yanbin; Zhu, Lupei; Shi, Feng; ...

2017-07-21

Global earthquake occurring rate displays an exponential decay down to ~300 km and then peaks around 550 to 600 km before terminating abruptly near 700 km. How fractures initiate, nucleate, and propagate at these depths remains one of the greatest puzzles in earth science, as increasing pressure inhibits fracture propagation. We report nanoseismological analysis on high-resolution acoustic emission (AE) records obtained during ruptures triggered by partial transformation from olivine to spinel in Mg 2GeO 4, an analog to the dominant mineral (Mg,Fe) 2SiO 4 olivine in the upper mantle, using state-of-the-art seismological techniques, in the laboratory. AEs’ focal mechanisms, asmore » well as their distribution in both space and time during deformation, are carefully analyzed. Microstructure analysis shows that AEs are produced by the dynamic propagation of shear bands consisting of nanograined spinel. These nanoshear bands have a near constant thickness (~100 nm) but varying lengths and self-organize during deformation. This precursory seismic process leads to ultimate macroscopic failure of the samples. Several source parameters of AE events were extracted from the recorded waveforms, allowing close tracking of event initiation, clustering, and propagation throughout the deformation/transformation process. AEs follow the Gutenberg-Richter statistics with a well-defined b value of 1.5 over three orders of moment magnitudes, suggesting that laboratory failure processes are self-affine. The seismic relation between magnitude and rupture area correctly predicts AE magnitude at millimeter scales. A rupture propagation model based on strain localization theory is proposed. Future numerical analyses may help resolve scaling issues between laboratory AE events and deep-focus earthquakes.« less

A laboratory nanoseismological study on deep-focus earthquake micromechanics

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

Wang, Yanbin; Zhu, Lupei; Shi, Feng

Global earthquake occurring rate displays an exponential decay down to ~300 km and then peaks around 550 to 600 km before terminating abruptly near 700 km. How fractures initiate, nucleate, and propagate at these depths remains one of the greatest puzzles in earth science, as increasing pressure inhibits fracture propagation. We report nanoseismological analysis on high-resolution acoustic emission (AE) records obtained during ruptures triggered by partial transformation from olivine to spinel in Mg2GeO4, an analog to the dominant mineral (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine in the upper mantle, using state-of-the-art seismological techniques, in the laboratory. AEs’ focal mechanisms, as well as their distributionmore » in both space and time during deformation, are carefully analyzed. Microstructure analysis shows that AEs are produced by the dynamic propagation of shear bands consisting of nanograined spinel. These nanoshear bands have a near constant thickness (~100 nm) but varying lengths and self-organize during deformation. This precursory seismic process leads to ultimate macroscopic failure of the samples. Several source parameters of AE events were extracted from the recorded waveforms, allowing close tracking of event initiation, clustering, and propagation throughout the deformation/transformation process. AEs follow the Gutenberg-Richter statistics with a well-defined b value of 1.5 over three orders of moment magnitudes, suggesting that laboratory failure processes are self-affine. The seismic relation between magnitude and rupture area correctly predicts AE magnitude at millimeter scales. A rupture propagation model based on strain localization theory is proposed. Future numerical analyses may help resolve scaling issues between laboratory AE events and deep-focus earthquakes.« less

A laboratory nanoseismological study on deep-focus earthquake micromechanics

PubMed Central

Wang, Yanbin; Zhu, Lupei; Shi, Feng; Schubnel, Alexandre; Hilairet, Nadege; Yu, Tony; Rivers, Mark; Gasc, Julien; Addad, Ahmed; Deldicque, Damien; Li, Ziyu; Brunet, Fabrice

2017-01-01

Global earthquake occurring rate displays an exponential decay down to ~300 km and then peaks around 550 to 600 km before terminating abruptly near 700 km. How fractures initiate, nucleate, and propagate at these depths remains one of the greatest puzzles in earth science, as increasing pressure inhibits fracture propagation. We report nanoseismological analysis on high-resolution acoustic emission (AE) records obtained during ruptures triggered by partial transformation from olivine to spinel in Mg2GeO4, an analog to the dominant mineral (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine in the upper mantle, using state-of-the-art seismological techniques, in the laboratory. AEs’ focal mechanisms, as well as their distribution in both space and time during deformation, are carefully analyzed. Microstructure analysis shows that AEs are produced by the dynamic propagation of shear bands consisting of nanograined spinel. These nanoshear bands have a near constant thickness (~100 nm) but varying lengths and self-organize during deformation. This precursory seismic process leads to ultimate macroscopic failure of the samples. Several source parameters of AE events were extracted from the recorded waveforms, allowing close tracking of event initiation, clustering, and propagation throughout the deformation/transformation process. AEs follow the Gutenberg-Richter statistics with a well-defined b value of 1.5 over three orders of moment magnitudes, suggesting that laboratory failure processes are self-affine. The seismic relation between magnitude and rupture area correctly predicts AE magnitude at millimeter scales. A rupture propagation model based on strain localization theory is proposed. Future numerical analyses may help resolve scaling issues between laboratory AE events and deep-focus earthquakes. PMID:28776024

A laboratory nanoseismological study on deep-focus earthquake micromechanics