Biodegradation of BOD and ammonia-free using bacterial consortium in aerated fixed film bioreactor (AF2B)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prayitno, Rulianah, Sri; Saroso, Hadi; Meilany, Diah

2017-06-01

BOD and Ammonia-free (NH3-N) are pollutants of hospital wastewater which often exceed the quality standards. It is because biological processes in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) have not been effective in degrading BOD and NH3-N. Therefore, a study on factors that influence the biodegradation of BOD and NH3-N by choosing the type of bacteria to improve the mechanisms of biodegradation processes is required. Bacterial consortium is a collection of several types of bacteria obtained from isolation process, which is known to be more effective than a single bacterial in degrading pollutants. On the other hand, AF2B is a type of reactor in wastewater treatment system. The AF2B contains a filter media that has a large surface area so that the biodegradation process of pollutants by microorganism can be improved. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of volume of starter and air supplies on decreasing BOD and NH3-N in hospital wastewater using bacterial consortium in the AF2B on batch process. The research was conducted in three stages: the making of the growth curve of the bacterial consortium, bacterial consortium acclimatization, and hospital wastewater treatment in the AF2B with batch process. The variables used are the volume of starter (65%, 75%, and 85% in volume) and air supplies (2.5, 5, and 7.5 L/min). Meanwhile, the materials used are hospital wastewater, bacterial consortium (Pseudomonas diminuta, Pseudomonas capica, Bacillius sp, and Nitrobacter sp), blower, and AF2B. AF2B is a plastic basin containing a filter media with a wasp-nest shape used as a medium for growing the bacterial consortium. In the process of making the growth curve, a solid form of bacterial consortium was dissolved in sterilized water, then grown in a nutrient broth (NB). Then, shaking and sampling were done at any time to determine the path growth of bacterial consortium. In the acclimatization process, bacterial isolates were grown using hospital wastewater as a media that was added gradually, followed by the addition of nutrients and aeration. Furthermore, in the biodegradation process of AF2B, the result of acclimatization (as a starter) was fed into the AF2B, then added to the hospital wastewater at a certain volume (as variables), and followed by aeration at a certain flow rate (as variables). Sampling was done at any time to determine the decrease of the concentration of BOD, NH3-N, and MLSS (Mixed Liqour Suspended Solid). BOD and Ammonia-free analyses were conducted using winkler bottle titration and spectrophotometry method. MLSS analysis used gravimetric methods. The results of the research shos that the volume of starter 85% (v) and air supplies of 7.5 L/min can reduce BOD and NH3-N of 92% and 76% respectively. Besides that, AF2B and bacterial consortium have a great ability and are very fast in degrading BOD and NH3-N.

Uncertainty Concerning the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Red Clay's Data Management and Processing Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ammann, Charles

2010-01-01

For twenty-nine years, Red Clay Consolidated School District has managed data processing in a unique manner. Red Clay participates in the Data Service Center consortium to provide data management and processing services. This consortium is more independent than a department in the district but not as autonomous as an outsourced arrangement. While…

Pushing the boundaries of high power lasers: low loss, large area CVD diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wickham, Benjamin; Schoofs, Frank; Olsson-Robbie, Stefan; Bennett, Andrew; Balmer, Richard

2018-02-01

Synthetic CVD diamond has exceptional properties, including broad spectral transmission, physical and chemical robustness, and the highest thermal conductivity of any known material, making diamond an attractive material for medium to high power optical and laser applications, minimizing the detrimental effects of thermal lensing and radiation damage. Example applications include ATR prisms, Raman laser crystals, extra- and intra-cavity laser cooling. In each case the demands on the fundamental material properties and fabrication routes are slightly different. In recent years, there has been good progress in the development of low-loss, single crystal diamond, suitable for higher power densities, higher pulse rates and more demanding intra- and extra-cavity thermal management. The adoption of single crystal diamond in this area has however, been hindered by the availability of large area, low birefringence plates. To address this, we report a combination of CVD growth and processing methods that have enabled the manufacture of large, low defect substrates. A final homoepitaxial, low absorption synthesis stage has produced plates with large area (up to 16 mm edge length), low absorption (α<0.005 cm-1 at 1064 nm), and low birefringence (Δn <10-5), suitable for double-sided intra-cavity cooling. We demonstrate the practical advances in synthesis, including increasing the size while reducing in-use losses compared to previous generations of single crystal material, and practical developments in processing and implementation of the single crystal diamond parts, optimizing them for use in a state-of-the-art femto-second pulsed Ti:Sa thin disk gain module, all made in collaboration with the wider European FP7 funded Ti:Sa TD consortium.

24 CFR 943.126 - What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What is the relationship between... § 943.126 What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium? HUD has a direct relationship with the consortium through the PHA Plan process and through one or more payment agreements, executed in a form...

24 CFR 943.126 - What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false What is the relationship between... § 943.126 What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium? HUD has a direct relationship with the consortium through the PHA Plan process and through one or more payment agreements, executed in a form...

24 CFR 943.126 - What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What is the relationship between... § 943.126 What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium? HUD has a direct relationship with the consortium through the PHA Plan process and through one or more payment agreements, executed in a form...

24 CFR 943.126 - What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What is the relationship between... § 943.126 What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium? HUD has a direct relationship with the consortium through the PHA Plan process and through one or more payment agreements, executed in a form...

24 CFR 943.126 - What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is the relationship between... § 943.126 What is the relationship between HUD and a consortium? HUD has a direct relationship with the consortium through the PHA Plan process and through one or more payment agreements, executed in a form...

Third Progress and Information Report of the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Connie W.; And Others

This description of major activities and accomplishments of the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of the States (V-TECS) since the second progress report of May, 1975, is designed to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the processes and procedures used by the consortium in achieving its major goal: The production of catalogs…

Consolidated Bio-Processing of Cellulosic Biomass for Efficient Biofuel Production Using Yeast Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goyal, Garima

Fossil fuels have been the major source for liquid transportation fuels for ages. However, decline in oil reserves and environmental concerns have raised a lot of interest in alternative and renewable energy sources. One promising alternative is the conversion of plant biomass into ethanol. The primary biomass feed stocks currently being used for the ethanol industry have been food based biomass (corn and sugar cane). However, interest has recently shifted to replace these traditional feed-stocks with more abundant, non-food based cellulosic biomass such as agriculture wastes (corn stover) or crops (switch grass). The use of cellulosic biomass as feed stock for the production of ethanol via bio-chemical routes presents many technical challenges not faced with the use of corn or sugar-cane as feed-stock. Recently, a new process called consolidated Bio-processing (CBP) has been proposed. This process combines simultaneous saccharification of lignocellulose with fermentation of the resulting sugars into a single process step mediated by a single microorganism or microbial consortium. Although there is no natural microorganism that possesses all properties of lignocellulose utilization and ethanol production desired for CBP, some bacteria and fungi exhibit some of the essential traits. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most attractive host organism for the usage of this strategy due to its high ethanol productivity at close to theoretical yields (0.51g ethanol/g glucose consumed), high osmo- and ethanol- tolerance, natural robustness in industrial processes, and ease of genetic manipulation. Introduction of the cellulosome, found naturally in microorganisms, has shown new directions to deal with recalcitrant biomass. In this case enzymes work in synergy in order to hydrolyze biomass more effectively than in case of free enzymes. A microbial consortium has been successfully developed, which ensures the functional assembly of minicellulosome on the yeast surface composed of four yeast populations. These yeast populations include: one displaying scaffoldin on its surface and three populations secreting three different cellulases in the medium to hydrolyze the cellulose. The modular nature of the consortium system allows for the fine-tuning of each population by changing their initial inoculum ratio, thereby optimizing the cellulose hydrolysis and hence ethanol production. When comparing the optimized consortium with equal ratio consortium, the optimized one produced almost double the amount of ethanol (1.87 g/l) with a yield of 0.475 g ethanol/g cellulose. To further evaluate the feasibility of using consortium for CBP, it was grown at very low optical density (OD) under anaerobic conditions. Under stressful conditions like low OD and no oxygen, the consortium system was proficient in assembling the cellulosome on its surface and growing on the PAS-avicel as sole carbon source and concomitantly producing ethanol with a yield of 87% of the theoretical value. For the dynamic study of yeast consortium system, quantitative real time PCR was used to enumerate the individual yeast population in the mixed culture. At the end of the cultivation, ratios of each population in this consortium maintained similar number as the initial inoculums ratios, which further confirms the consortium system is suitable for the application of CBP.

German national femtosecond technology project (FST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dausinger, Friedrich

2002-06-01

The German federal government started the funding of a national project intended to exploit the potential of femtosecond technology. In a forgoing competition five research consortia had been successful and have started now together with an adjoin research consortium their investigations in the following fields: (i) micro-machining of technical materials for microstructuring and drilling, (ii) medical therapy in: ophthalmology, dentistry, neurology and ear surgery, (iii) metrology, (iv) laser safety, (v) x- ray generation. Lasers, systems and technologies required in these potential fields of applications will be investigated. The program aims at industrial success and is dominated by industrial partners, therefore. The more fundamental research is done in university institutes and research centers.

Fault Scarp Detection Beneath Dense Vegetation Cover: Airborne Lidar Mapping of the Seattle Fault Zone, Bainbridge Island, Washington State

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, David J.; Berghoff, Gregory S.

2000-01-01

The emergence of a commercial airborne laser mapping industry is paying major dividends in an assessment of earthquake hazards in the Puget Lowland of Washington State. Geophysical observations and historical seismicity indicate the presence of active upper-crustal faults in the Puget Lowland, placing the major population centers of Seattle and Tacoma at significant risk. However, until recently the surface trace of these faults had never been identified, neither on the ground nor from remote sensing, due to cover by the dense vegetation of the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforests and extremely thick Pleistocene glacial deposits. A pilot lidar mapping project of Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound, contracted by the Kitsap Public Utility District (KPUD) and conducted by Airborne Laser Mapping in late 1996, spectacularly revealed geomorphic features associated with fault strands within the Seattle fault zone. The features include a previously unrecognized fault scarp, an uplifted marine wave-cut platform, and tilted sedimentary strata. The United States Geologic Survey (USGS) is now conducting trenching studies across the fault scarp to establish ages, displacements, and recurrence intervals of recent earthquakes on this active fault. The success of this pilot study has inspired the formation of a consortium of federal and local organizations to extend this work to a 2350 square kilometer (580,000 acre) region of the Puget Lowland, covering nearly the entire extent (approx. 85 km) of the Seattle fault. The consortium includes NASA, the USGS, and four local groups consisting of KPUD, Kitsap County, the City of Seattle, and the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC). The consortium has selected Terrapoint, a commercial lidar mapping vendor, to acquire the data.

A Perspective from the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonds, Crystal

2016-01-01

This article addresses the role of National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools in the process of data-informed decision-making for both improving and addressing achievement gaps in participatory specialized STEM high schools.

A novel process for synthesis of spherical nanocellulose by controlled hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose using anaerobic microbial consortium.

PubMed

Satyamurthy, P; Vigneshwaran, N

2013-01-10

Degradation of cellulose by anaerobic microbial consortium is brought about either by an exocellular process or by secretion of extracellular enzymes. In this work, a novel route for synthesis of nanocellulose is described where in an anaerobic microbial consortium enriched for cellulase producers is used for hydrolysis. Microcrystalline cellulose derived from cotton fibers was subjected to controlled hydrolysis by the anaerobic microbial consortium and the resultant nanocellulose was purified by differential centrifugation technique. The nanocellulose had a bimodal size distribution (43±13 and 119±9 nm) as revealed by atomic force microscopy. A maximum nanocellulose yield of 12.3% was achieved in a span of 7 days. While the conventional process of nanocellulose preparation using 63.5% (w/w) sulfuric acid resulted in the formation of whisker shaped nanocellulose with surface modified by sulfation, controlled hydrolysis by anaerobic microbial consortium yielded spherical nanocellulose also referred to as nano crystalline cellulose (NCC) without any surface modification as evidenced from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Also, it scores over chemo-mechanical production of nanofibrillated cellulose by consuming less energy due to enzyme (cellulase) assisted catalysis. This implies the scope for use of microbial prepared nanocellulose in drug delivery and bio-medical applications requiring bio-compatibility. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decolorization and biogas production by an anaerobic consortium: effect of different azo dyes and quinoid redox mediators.

PubMed

Alvarez, L H; Valdez-Espinoza, R; García-Reyes, R B; Olivo-Alanis, D; Garza-González, M T; Meza-Escalante, E R; Gortáres-Moroyoqui, P

2015-01-01

The inhibitory effect of azo dyes and quinoid compounds on an anaerobic consortium was evaluated during a decolorization process and biogas production. In addition, the impact of quinoid compounds such as lawsone (LAW) and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) on the rate of decolorization of Direct Blue 71 (DB71) was assessed. The anaerobic consortium was not completely inhibited under all tested dye concentrations (0.1-2 mmol l(-1)), evidenced by an active decolorization process and biogas production. The presence of quinoid compounds at different concentrations (4, 8, and 12 mmol l(-1)) also inhibited biogas production compared to the control incubated without the quinoid compounds. In summary, the anaerobic consortium was affected to a greater extent by increasing the quantity of azo dyes or quinoid compounds. Nevertheless, at a lower concentration (1 mmol l(-1)) of quinoid compounds, the anaerobic consortium effectively decolorized 2 mmol l(-1) of DB71, increasing up to 5.2- and 20.4-fold the rate of decolorization with AQDS and LAW, respectively, compared to the control lacking quinoid compounds.

Breaking barriers through collaboration: the example of the Cell Migration Consortium.

PubMed

Horwitz, Alan Rick; Watson, Nikki; Parsons, J Thomas

2002-10-15

Understanding complex integrated biological processes, such as cell migration, requires interdisciplinary approaches. The Cell Migration Consortium, funded by a Large-Scale Collaborative Project Award from the National Institute of General Medical Science, develops and disseminates new technologies, data, reagents, and shared information to a wide audience. The development and operation of this Consortium may provide useful insights for those who plan similarly large-scale, interdisciplinary approaches.

Degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and treatment of refinery wastewater under saline condition by a halophilic bacterial consortium enriched from marine environment (Red Sea), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Jamal, Mamdoh T; Pugazhendi, Arulazhagan

2018-06-01

A halophilic bacterial consortium was enriched from Red Sea saline water and sediment samples collected from Abhor, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The consortium potentially degraded different low (above 90% for phenanthrene and fluorene) and high (69 ± 1.4 and 56 ± 1.8% at 50 and 100 mg/L of pyrene) molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at different concentrations under saline condition (40 g/L NaCl concentration). The cell hydrophobicity (91° ± 1°) and biosurfactant production (30 mN/m) confirmed potential bacterial cell interaction with PAHs to facilitate biodegradation process. Co-metabolic study with phenanthrene as co-substrate during pyrene degradation recorded 90% degradation in 12 days. The consortium in continuous stirred tank reactor with petroleum refinery wastewater showed complete and 90% degradation of low and high molecular weight PAHs, respectively. The reactor study also revealed 94 ± 1.8% chemical oxygen demand removal by the halophilic consortium under saline condition (40 g/L NaCl concentration). The halophilic bacterial strains present in the consortium were identified as Ochrobactrum halosaudis strain CEES1 (KX377976), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain CEES2 (KX377977), Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain CEES3 (KX377978) and Mesorhizobium halosaudis strain CEES4 (KX377979). Thus, the promising halophilic consortium was highly recommended to be employed in petroleum saline wastewater treatment process.

25 CFR 1000.73 - Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process...

25 CFR 1000.73 - Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process...

25 CFR 1000.73 - Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process...

25 CFR 1000.73 - Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process...

The project office of the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mercier, E.; Els, S.; Gracia, G.; O'Mullane, W.; Lock, T.; Comoretto, G.

2010-07-01

Gaia is Europe's future astrometry satellite which is currently under development. The data collected by Gaia will be treated and analyzed by the "Data Processing and Analysis Consortium" (DPAC). DPAC consists of over 400 scientists in more than 22 countries, which are currently developing the required data reduction, analysis and handling algorithms and routines. DPAC is organized in Coordination Units (CU's) and Data Processing Centres (DPCs). Each of these entities is individually responsible for the development of software for the processing of the different data. In 2008, the DPAC Project Office (PO) has been set-up with the task to manage the day-to-day activities of the consortium including implementation, development and operations. This paper describes the tasks DPAC faces and the role of the DPAC PO in the Gaia framework and how it supports the DPAC entities in their effort to fulfill the Gaia promise.

25 CFR 1000.211 - Will the bureau contact the Tribe/Consortium before initiating public consultation process for a...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Will the bureau contact the Tribe/Consortium before initiating public consultation process for a non-BIA AFA under negotiation? 1000.211 Section 1000.211 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT...

Construction and Characterization of a Cellulolytic Consortium Enriched from the Hindgut of Holotrichia parallela Larvae.

PubMed

Sheng, Ping; Huang, Jiangli; Zhang, Zhihong; Wang, Dongsheng; Tian, Xiaojuan; Ding, Jiannan

2016-09-30

Degradation of rice straw by cooperative microbial activities is at present the most attractive alternative to fuels and provides a basis for biomass conversion. The use of microbial consortia in the biodegradation of lignocelluloses could reduce problems such as incomplete synergistic enzymes, end-product inhibition, and so on. In this study, a cellulolytic microbial consortium was enriched from the hindgut of Holotrichia parallela larvae via continuous subcultivation (20 subcultures in total) under static conditions. The degradation ratio for rice straw was about 83.1% after three days of cultivation, indicating its strong cellulolytic activity. The diversity analysis results showed that the bacterial diversity and richness decreased during the consortium enrichment process, and the consortium enrichment process could lead to a significant enrichment of phyla Proteobacteria and Spirochaetes, classes Clostridia, Epsilonproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria, and genera Arcobacter , Treponema , Comamonas , and Clostridium . Some of these are well known as typical cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic microorganisms. Our results revealed that the microbial consortium identified herein is a potential candidate for use in the degradation of waste lignocellulosic biomass and further highlights the hindgut of the larvae as a reservoir of extensive and specific cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic microbes.

Recovery of valuable metals from polymetallic mine tailings by natural microbial consortium.

PubMed

Vardanyan, Narine; Sevoyan, Garegin; Navasardyan, Taron; Vardanyan, Arevik

2018-05-28

Possibilities for the recovery of non-ferrous and precious metals from Kapan polymetallic mine tailings (Armenia) were studied. The aim of this paper was to study the possibilities of bioleaching of samples of concentrated tailings by the natural microbial consortium of drainage water. The extent of extraction of metals from the samples of concentrated tailings by natural microbial consortium reached 41-55% and 53-73% for copper and zinc, respectively. Metal leaching efficiencies of pure culture Leptospirillum ferrooxidans Teg were higher, namely 47-93% and 73-81% for copper and zinc, respectively. The content of gold in solid phase of tailings increased about 7-16% and 2-9% after bio-oxidation process by L. ferrooxidans Teg and natural microbial consortium, respectively. It was shown that bioleaching of the samples of tailings could be performed using the natural consortium of drainage water. However, to increase the intensity of the recovery of valuable metals, natural consortium of drainage water combined with iron-oxidizing L. ferrooxidans Teg has been proposed.

Pretreatment of piggery wastewater by a stable constructed microbial consortium for improving the methane production.

PubMed

Cai, Jian; Mo, Xiwei; Cheng, Guojun; Du, Dongyun

2015-01-01

A stable aerobic microbial consortium, established by successive subcultivation, was employed to solubilize the solid organic fraction in swine wastewater. In the 30 days' successive biological pretreatments, 30-38% of volatile solids and 19-28% total solids in raw slurry were solubilized after 10 hours at 37 °C. Meanwhile, soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile fatty acid increased by 48%-56% and 600%-750%, respectively. Furthermore, the molecular microbial profile of the consortium in successive pretreatment was conducted by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results indicated that bacterial species of the consortium rapidly overgrew the indigenous microbial community of raw water, and showed a stable predominance at the long-term treatment. As a consequence of biological pretreatment, pretreatment shortened digestion time by 50% and increased biogas production by 45% compared to raw water in the anaerobic process. The microbial consortium constructed herein is a potential candidate consortium for biological pretreatment of swine wastewater to enhance biogas production.

The Solaris-Panoptes Global Network of Robotic Telescopes and the Borowiec Satellite Laser Ranging System for SST: A Progress Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konacki, M.; Lejba, P.; Sybilski, P.; Pawłaszek, R.; Kozłowski, S.; Suchodolski, T.; Słonina, M.; Litwicki, M.; Sybilska, A.; Rogowska, B.; Kolb, U.; Burwitz, V.; Baader, J.; Groot, P.; Bloemen, S.; Ratajczak, M.; Hełminiak, K.; Borek, R.; Chodosiewicz, P.; Chimicz, A.

We present an update on the preparation of our assets that consists of a robotic network of eight optical telescopes and a laser ranging station for regular services in the SST domain. We report the development of new optical assets that include a double telescope system, Panoptes-1AB, and a new astrograph on our Solaris-3 telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. Progress in the software development necessary for smooth SST operation includes a web based portal and an XML Azure Queue scheduling for the network giving easy access to our sensors. Astrometry24.net our new prototype cloud service for fast astrometry, streak detection and measurement with precision and performance results is also described. In the laser domain, for more than a year, Space Research Centre Borowiec laser station has regularly tracked space debris cooperative and uncooperative targets. The efforts of the stations’ staff have been focused on the tracking of typical rocket bodies from the LEO regime. Additionally, a second independent laser system fully dedicated to SST activities is under development. It will allow for an increased pace of operation of our consortium in the global SST laser domain.

25 CFR 1000.68 - May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its planning...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.68 May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its...

25 CFR 1000.68 - May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its planning...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.68 May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its...

25 CFR 1000.69 - How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or selection documents received or utilized after OSG...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.69 How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or...

25 CFR 1000.68 - May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its planning...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.68 May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its...

25 CFR 1000.69 - How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or selection documents received or utilized after OSG...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.69 How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or...

25 CFR 1000.69 - How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or selection documents received or utilized after OSG...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.69 How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or...

25 CFR 1000.69 - How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or selection documents received or utilized after OSG...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.69 How can a Tribe/Consortium obtain comments or...

25 CFR 1000.68 - May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its planning...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.68 May non-BIA bureaus provide technical assistance to a Tribe/Consortium in drafting its...

Verification and Validation Process for Progressive Damage and Failure Analysis Methods in the NASA Advanced Composites Consortium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wanthal, Steven; Schaefer, Joseph; Justusson, Brian; Hyder, Imran; Engelstad, Stephen; Rose, Cheryl

2017-01-01

The Advanced Composites Consortium is a US Government/Industry partnership supporting technologies to enable timeline and cost reduction in the development of certified composite aerospace structures. A key component of the consortium's approach is the development and validation of improved progressive damage and failure analysis methods for composite structures. These methods will enable increased use of simulations in design trade studies and detailed design development, and thereby enable more targeted physical test programs to validate designs. To accomplish this goal with confidence, a rigorous verification and validation process was developed. The process was used to evaluate analysis methods and associated implementation requirements to ensure calculation accuracy and to gage predictability for composite failure modes of interest. This paper introduces the verification and validation process developed by the consortium during the Phase I effort of the Advanced Composites Project. Specific structural failure modes of interest are first identified, and a subset of standard composite test articles are proposed to interrogate a progressive damage analysis method's ability to predict each failure mode of interest. Test articles are designed to capture the underlying composite material constitutive response as well as the interaction of failure modes representing typical failure patterns observed in aerospace structures.

Worldwide Report, Arms Control.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-30

reports that a two-million watt laser will soon be tested at the missile testing range of White Sands, New Mexico , in accordance with the Pentagon’s plan...European program dubbed "Eureka." The consortium will develop research in the area of software for high-speed computers, radar, electro-optics and...Excerpts] The PUERTO RICO LIBRE journal, published in New York by the Committee in Solidarity With Puerto Rico, has published an article in which the

The orbital debris detector consortium: Suppliers of instruments for in-situ measurements of small-particles in the space environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, C. G.; Muenzenmeyer, R.; Tanner, W. G., Jr.; Uy, O. M.; Skrivanek, R. A.; Tuzzolino, A. J.; Maag, C.; Wortman, J. J.

1995-01-01

Industry and university participants have joined together to form the IMPA:Ct consortium (In-situ Monitors of the Particulate Ambient: Circumterrestrial) which offers a broad range of flight qualified instruments for monitoring the small particle (0.1 micron to 10 cm) environment in space. Instruments are available in 12 months or less at costs ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 million dollars (US) for the total program. Detector technologies represented by these groups are: impact-induced capacitor-discharge (MOS, metal-oxide-silicon), cratering or penetration of electroactive thin film (polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)), impact-plasma detection, acoustic detection, CCD tracking of optical scatter of sunlight, and photodiode detection of optical scatter of laser light. The operational characteristics, general spacecraft interface and resource requirements (mass/power/telemetry), cost and delivery schedules, and points of contact for seven different instruments are presented.

Reuse at the Software Productivity Consortium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiss, David M.

1989-01-01

The Software Productivity Consortium is sponsored by 14 aerospace companies as a developer of software engineering methods and tools. Software reuse and prototyping are currently the major emphasis areas. The Methodology and Measurement Project in the Software Technology Exploration Division has developed some concepts for reuse which they intend to develop into a synthesis process. They have identified two approaches to software reuse: opportunistic and systematic. The assumptions underlying the systematic approach, phrased as hypotheses, are the following: the redevelopment hypothesis, i.e., software developers solve the same problems repeatedly; the oracle hypothesis, i.e., developers are able to predict variations from one redevelopment to others; and the organizational hypothesis, i.e., software must be organized according to behavior and structure to take advantage of the predictions that the developers make. The conceptual basis for reuse includes: program families, information hiding, abstract interfaces, uses and information hiding hierarchies, and process structure. The primary reusable software characteristics are black-box descriptions, structural descriptions, and composition and decomposition based on program families. Automated support can be provided for systematic reuse, and the Consortium is developing a prototype reuse library and guidebook. The software synthesis process that the Consortium is aiming toward includes modeling, refinement, prototyping, reuse, assessment, and new construction.

Response surface methodology for optimization of medium for decolorization of textile dye Direct Black 22 by a novel bacterial consortium.

PubMed

Mohana, Sarayu; Shrivastava, Shalini; Divecha, Jyoti; Madamwar, Datta

2008-02-01

Decolorization and degradation of polyazo dye Direct Black 22 was carried out by distillery spent wash degrading mixed bacterial consortium, DMC. Response surface methodology (RSM) involving a central composite design (CCD) in four factors was successfully employed for the study and optimization of decolorization process. The hyper activities and interactions between glucose concentration, yeast extract concentration, dye concentration and inoculum size on dye decolorization were investigated and modeled. Under optimized conditions the bacterial consortium was able to decolorize the dye almost completely (>91%) within 12h. Bacterial consortium was able to decolorize 10 different azo dyes. The optimum combination of the four variables predicted through RSM was confirmed through confirmatory experiments and hence this bacterial consortium holds potential for the treatment of industrial waste water. Dye degradation products obtained during the course of decolorization were analyzed by HPTLC.

Impeller flow field characterization with a laser two-focus velocimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brozowski, L. A.; Ferguson, T. V.; Rojas, L.

1993-07-01

Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes, prevalent in the rocket engine turbomachinery industry, necessitates data of sufficient quality and quantity to benchmark computational codes. Existing data bases for typical rocket engine configurations, in particular impellers, are limited. In addition, traditional data acquisition methods have several limitations: typically transducer uncertainties are 0.5% of transducer full scale and traditional pressure probes are unable to provide flow characteristics in the circumferential (blade-to-blade) direction. Laser velocimetry circumvents these limitations by providing +0.5% uncertainty in flow velocity and +0.5% uncertainty in flow angle. The percent of uncertainty in flow velocity is based on the measured value, not full range capability. The laser electronics multiple partitioning capability allows data acquired between blades as the impeller rotates, to be analyzed separately, thus providing blade-to-blade flow characterization. Unlike some probes, the non-intrusive measurements made with the laser velocimeter does not disturb the flow. To this end,, and under Contract (NAS8-38864) to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), an extensive test program was undertaken at Rocketdyne. Impellers from two different generic rocket engine pump configurations were examined. The impellers represent different spectrums of pump design: the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) high pressure fuel turbopump (HPFTP) impeller was designed in the 1 1970's the Consortium for CFD application in Propulsion Technology Pump Stage Technology Team (Pump Consortium) optimized impeller was designed with the aid of modern computing techniques. The tester configuration for each of the impellers consisted of an axial inlet, an inducer, a diffuser, and a crossover discharge. While the tested configurations were carefully chosen to be representative of generic rocket engine pumps, several features of both testers were intentionally atypical. A crossover discharge, downstream of the impeller, rather than a volute discharge was used to minimize asymmetric flow conditions that might be reflected in the impeller discharge flow data. Impeller shroud wear ring radial clearances were purposely close to minimize leakage flow, thus increasing confidence in using the inlet data as an input to CFD programs. The empirical study extensively examined the flow fields of the two impellers via performance of laser two-focus velocimeter surveys in an axial plane upstream of the impellers and in multiple radial planes downstream of the impellers. Both studies were performed at the impeller design flow coefficients. Inlet laser surveys that provide CFD code inlet boundary conditions were performed in one axial plane, with ten radial locations surveyed. Three wall static pressures, positioned circumferentially around the impeller inlet, were used to identify asymmetrical pressure distributions in the inlet survey plane.

An Analysis of the Processes of Developing a Consortium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagan, Edgar L.

This report provides some basic guidelines for planning and establishing a consortium. Systems analysis was used to study 5 consortia, determine their objectives, identify applicable system variables, and ascertain the contribution each variable must make to achieve organizational objectives. The consortia were the Central States College…

Origins of Sinuous and Braided Channels on Ascraeus Mons, Mars — A Keck Geology Consortium Undergraduate Research Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Wet, A. P.; Bleacher, J. E.; Garry, W. B.

2012-03-01

This Keck Geology Consortium project, involving four undergrad geology students, mapped and analyzed sinuous channel features on Ascraeus Mons, Mars, to better understand the role of volcanic and fluvial processes in the geological evolution of Mars.

Biodegradability of fluoxetine, mefenamic acid, and metoprolol using different microbial consortiums.

PubMed

Velázquez, Yolanda Flores; Nacheva, Petia Mijaylova

2017-03-01

The biodegradation of fluoxetine, mefenamic acid, and metoprolol using ammonium-nitrite-oxidizing consortium, nitrite-oxidizing consortium, and heterotrophic biomass was evaluated in batch tests applying different retention times. The ammonium-nitrite-oxidizing consortium presented the highest biodegradation percentages for mefenamic acid and metoprolol, of 85 and 64% respectively. This consortium was also capable to biodegrade 79% of fluoxetine. The heterotrophic consortium showed the highest ability to biodegrade fluoxetine reaching 85%, and it also had a high potential for biodegrading mefenamic acid and metoprolol, of 66 and 58% respectively. The nitrite-oxidizing consortium presented the lowest biodegradation of the three pharmaceuticals, of less than 48%. The determination of the selected pharmaceuticals in the dissolved phase and in the biomass indicated that biodegradation was the major removal mechanism of the three compounds. Based on the obtained results, the biodegradation kinetics was adjusted to pseudo-first-order for the three pharmaceuticals. The values of k biol for fluoxetine, mefenamic acid, and metoprolol determined with the three consortiums indicated that ammonium-nitrite-oxidizing and heterotrophic biomass allow a partial biodegradation of the compounds, while no substantial biodegradation can be expected using nitrite-oxidizing consortium. Metoprolol was the less biodegradable compound. The sorption of fluoxetine and mefenamic acid onto biomass had a significant contribution for their removal (6-14%). The lowest sorption coefficients were obtained for metoprolol indicating that the sorption onto biomass is poor (3-4%), and the contribution of this process to the global removal can be neglected.

Sustainability for the Americas: Building the American Network of Sustainability Consortia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motloch, John; Pacheco, Pedro; Vann, John

2007-01-01

Purpose: To build awareness of an emergent global network of sustainability consortia, the network's Sustainability for the Americas (SFTA) regional cluster, its pilot US-Brazil Sustainability Consortium (USBSC), its subsequent North American Sustainability, Housing and Community Consortium (NASHCC), the process through which these consortia are…

25 CFR 1000.424 - Does a Tribe/Consortium have a right to an informal conference to resolve any disputes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Appeals § 1000.424 Does a Tribe/Consortium have... informal conference (a non-binding alternative dispute resolution process). An informal conference is a way... for a formal appeal. ...

25 CFR 1000.424 - Does a Tribe/Consortium have a right to an informal conference to resolve any disputes?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Appeals § 1000.424 Does a Tribe/Consortium have... informal conference (a non-binding alternative dispute resolution process). An informal conference is a way... for a formal appeal. ...

Institutionalization of Reduction of Total Ownership Costs (R-TOC) Principles. Part 1: Lessons Learned from Special Interest Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

Life Cycle Cost Process Model (Austin, TX: The Consortium for Advanced Management International) 6 November 2009. 8 The framework begins with...Hendricks, James R. Involving the Extended Value Chain in a Target Costing/ Life Cycle Cost Process Model. Austin, TX: The Consortium for Advanced ...can have on reducing ownership costs in hundreds of other DOD programs. The early life -cycle phases (requirements/concept development) are often the

Oil-Water Flow Investigations using Planar-Laser Induced Fluorescence and Particle Velocimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra, Roberto; Matar, Omar K.; Markides, Christos N.

2017-11-01

The study of the complex behaviour of immiscible liquid-liquid flow in pipes requires the implementation of advanced measurement techniques in order to extract detailed in situ information. Laser-based diagnostic techniques allow the extraction of high-resolution space- and time resolve phase and velocity information, which aims to improve the fundamental understanding of these flows and to validate closure relations for advanced multiphase flow models. This work shows a novel simultaneous planar-laser induced fluorescence and particle velocimetry in stratified oil-water flows using two laser light sheets at two different wavelengths for fluids with different refractive indices at horizontal and upward pipe inclinations (<5°) in stratified flow conditions (i.e. separated layers). Complex flow structures are extracted from 2-D instantaneous velocity fields, which are strongly dependent on the pipe inclination at low velocities. The analysis of mean wall-normal velocity profiles and velocity fluctuations suggests the presence of single- and counter-rotating vortices in the azimuthal direction, especially in the oil layer, which can be attributed to the influence of the interfacial waves. Funding from BP, and the TMF Consortium is gratefully acknowledged.

Biohydrogen and methane production via a two-step process using an acid pretreated native microalgae consortium.

PubMed

Carrillo-Reyes, Julian; Buitrón, Germán

2016-12-01

A native microalgae consortium treated under thermal-acidic hydrolysis was used to produce hydrogen and methane in a two-step sequential process. Different acid concentrations were tested, generating hydrogen and methane yields of up to 45mLH 2 gVS -1 and 432mLCH 4 gVS -1 , respectively. The hydrogen production step solubilized the particulate COD (chemical oxygen demand) up to 30%, creating considerable amounts of volatile fatty acids (up to 10gCODL -1 ). It was observed that lower acid concentration presented higher hydrogen and methane production potential. The results revealed that thermal acid hydrolysis of a native microalgae consortium is a simple but effective strategy for producing hydrogen and methane in the sequential process. In addition to COD removal (50-70%), this method resulted in an energy recovery of up to 15.9kJ per g of volatile solids of microalgae biomass, one of the highest reported. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioleaching of multiple metals from contaminated sediment by moderate thermophiles.

PubMed

Gan, Min; Jie, Shiqi; Li, Mingming; Zhu, Jianyu; Liu, Xinxing

2015-08-15

A moderately thermophilic consortium was applied in bioleaching multiple metals from contaminated sediment. The consortium got higher acidification and metals soubilization efficiency than that of the pure strains. The synergistic effect of the thermophilic consortium accelerated substrates utilization. The utilization of substrate started with sulfur in the early stage, and then the pH declined, giving rise to making use of the pyrite. Community dynamic showed that A. caldus was the predominant bacteria during the whole bioleaching process while the abundance of S. thermotolerans increased together with pyrite utilization. Solubilization efficiency of Zn, Cu, Mn and Cd reached 98%, 94%, 95%, and 89% respectively, while As, Hg, Pb was only 45%, 34%, 22%. Logistic model was used to simulate the bioleaching process, whose fitting degree was higher than 90%. Correlation analysis revealed that metal leaching was mainly an acid solubilization process. Fraction analysis revealed that metals decreased in mobility and bioavailability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Academic Decision Making: The Consortium of Knox, Franklin and Monmouth Colleges; Volumes I and II. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Melville, George L.

This consortium of liberal arts colleges was instrumental in developing and coordinating their research capability through data processing. Forty research and academic development projects were undertaken. Of special importance: The Pass-Fail System, Study Habits in the Three-three calendar, Changing Trends in Attrition, The Weighing of High…

78 FR 58559 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-U.S. Photovoltaic...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-24

... Production Act of 1993--U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on..., 15 U.S.C. 4301 et seq. (``the Act''), U.S. Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium, Inc. (``USPVMC...; Spire Solar, Bedford, MA; Process Research, Trenton, NJ; and Sinton Instruments, Boulder, CO, have been...

Results From the John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium. A Success Story for NASA and Northeast Ohio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nall, Marsha M.; Barna, Gerald J.

2009-01-01

The John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium was established by NASA in 2002 to formulate and implement an integrated, interdisciplinary research program to address risks faced by astronauts during long-duration space missions. The consortium is comprised of a preeminent team of Northeast Ohio institutions that include Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, The National Center for Space Exploration Research, and the NASA Glenn Research Center. The John Glenn Biomedical Engineering Consortium research is focused on fluid physics and sensor technology that addresses the critical risks to crew health, safety, and performance. Effectively utilizing the unique skills, capabilities and facilities of the consortium members is also of prime importance. Research efforts were initiated with a general call for proposals to the consortium members. The top proposals were selected for funding through a rigorous, peer review process. The review included participation from NASA's Johnson Space Center, which has programmatic responsibility for NASA's Human Research Program. The projects range in scope from delivery of prototype hardware to applied research that enables future development of advanced technology devices. All of the projects selected for funding have been completed and the results are summarized. Because of the success of the consortium, the member institutions have extended the original agreement to continue this highly effective research collaboration through 2011.

National Institutes of Health-Sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium Phase 3 Trial: Manufacture of a Complex Cellular Product at Eight Processing Facilities.

PubMed

Ricordi, Camillo; Goldstein, Julia S; Balamurugan, A N; Szot, Gregory L; Kin, Tatsuya; Liu, Chengyang; Czarniecki, Christine W; Barbaro, Barbara; Bridges, Nancy D; Cano, Jose; Clarke, William R; Eggerman, Thomas L; Hunsicker, Lawrence G; Kaufman, Dixon B; Khan, Aisha; Lafontant, David-Erick; Linetsky, Elina; Luo, Xunrong; Markmann, James F; Naji, Ali; Korsgren, Olle; Oberholzer, Jose; Turgeon, Nicole A; Brandhorst, Daniel; Chen, Xiaojuan; Friberg, Andrew S; Lei, Ji; Wang, Ling-Jia; Wilhelm, Joshua J; Willits, Jamie; Zhang, Xiaomin; Hering, Bernhard J; Posselt, Andrew M; Stock, Peter G; Shapiro, A M James; Chen, Xiaojuan

2016-11-01

Eight manufacturing facilities participating in the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation (CIT) Consortium jointly developed and implemented a harmonized process for the manufacture of allogeneic purified human pancreatic islet (PHPI) product evaluated in a phase 3 trial in subjects with type 1 diabetes. Manufacturing was controlled by a common master production batch record, standard operating procedures that included acceptance criteria for deceased donor organ pancreata and critical raw materials, PHPI product specifications, certificate of analysis, and test methods. The process was compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practices and Current Good Tissue Practices. This report describes the manufacturing process for 75 PHPI clinical lots and summarizes the results, including lot release. The results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a harmonized process at multiple facilities for the manufacture of a complex cellular product. The quality systems and regulatory and operational strategies developed by the CIT Consortium yielded product lots that met the prespecified characteristics of safety, purity, potency, and identity and were successfully transplanted into 48 subjects. No adverse events attributable to the product and no cases of primary nonfunction were observed. © 2016 by the American Diabetes Association.

National Institutes of Health–Sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium Phase 3 Trial: Manufacture of a Complex Cellular Product at Eight Processing Facilities

PubMed Central

Balamurugan, A.N.; Szot, Gregory L.; Kin, Tatsuya; Liu, Chengyang; Czarniecki, Christine W.; Barbaro, Barbara; Bridges, Nancy D.; Cano, Jose; Clarke, William R.; Eggerman, Thomas L.; Hunsicker, Lawrence G.; Kaufman, Dixon B.; Khan, Aisha; Lafontant, David-Erick; Linetsky, Elina; Luo, Xunrong; Markmann, James F.; Naji, Ali; Korsgren, Olle; Oberholzer, Jose; Turgeon, Nicole A.; Brandhorst, Daniel; Chen, Xiaojuan; Friberg, Andrew S.; Lei, Ji; Wang, Ling-jia; Wilhelm, Joshua J.; Willits, Jamie; Zhang, Xiaomin; Hering, Bernhard J.; Posselt, Andrew M.; Stock, Peter G.; Shapiro, A.M. James

2016-01-01

Eight manufacturing facilities participating in the National Institutes of Health–sponsored Clinical Islet Transplantation (CIT) Consortium jointly developed and implemented a harmonized process for the manufacture of allogeneic purified human pancreatic islet (PHPI) product evaluated in a phase 3 trial in subjects with type 1 diabetes. Manufacturing was controlled by a common master production batch record, standard operating procedures that included acceptance criteria for deceased donor organ pancreata and critical raw materials, PHPI product specifications, certificate of analysis, and test methods. The process was compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practices and Current Good Tissue Practices. This report describes the manufacturing process for 75 PHPI clinical lots and summarizes the results, including lot release. The results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a harmonized process at multiple facilities for the manufacture of a complex cellular product. The quality systems and regulatory and operational strategies developed by the CIT Consortium yielded product lots that met the prespecified characteristics of safety, purity, potency, and identity and were successfully transplanted into 48 subjects. No adverse events attributable to the product and no cases of primary nonfunction were observed. PMID:27465220

Retinal Disease in Marfan Syndrome: From the Marfan Eye Consortium of Chicago.

PubMed

Rahmani, Safa; Lyon, Alice T; Fawzi, Amani A; Maumenee, Irene H; Mets, Marilyn B

2015-10-01

To study the prevalence of peripheral retinal disease in patients with Marfan Syndrome (MFS). In this observational, cross-sectional case series, patients with MFS were recruited by the Marfan Eye Consortium of Chicago during the National Marfan Foundation's annual conference. Patients underwent a fully dilated exam by vitreoretinal specialists in addition to ultra-widefield fundus photography using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (Optos 200Tx; Optos PLC, Dunfermline, Scotland, United Kingdom). Clinical examination revealed posterior segment pathology in 18% of eyes with increased incidence to 70% in patients with a subluxed lens. In six out of 10 subjects in whom the clinical exam was suboptimal (young age, small pupil, and limited cooperation), the Optos provided a superior view of the peripheral retina compared to clinical exam alone. Clinical exam of MFS patients revealed similar posterior segment pathology as noted in previous literature, with improved detection of peripheral retinal disease with the use of ultra-widefield imaging. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

NRA8-21 Cycle 2 RBCC Turbopump Risk Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferguson, Thomas V.; Williams, Morgan; Marcu, Bogdan

2004-01-01

This project was composed of three sub-tasks. The objective of the first task was to use the CFD code INS3D to generate both on- and off-design predictions for the consortium optimized impeller flowfield. The results of the flow simulations are given in the first section. The objective of the second task was to construct a turbomachinery testing database comprised of measurements made on several different impellers, an inducer and a diffuser. The data was in the form of static pressure measurements as well as laser velocimeter measurements of velocities and flow angles within the stated components. Several databases with this information were created for these components. The third subtask objective was two-fold: first, to validate the Enigma CFD code for pump diffuser analysis, and secondly, to perform steady and unsteady analyses on some wide flow range diffuser concepts using Enigma. The code was validated using the consortium optimized impeller database and then applied to two different concepts for wide flow diffusers.

Drew/Meharry/Morehouse Consortium Cancer Center: an approach to targeted research in minority institutions.

PubMed Central

Haynes, M. A.; Bernard, L. J.

1992-01-01

This article describes the process by which three private minority medical schools planned and developed a consortium cancer research center focusing on the prevention of cancer in the African-American population. Several lessons were learned that may have relevance as minority schools search for ways to improve the health status of blacks. PMID:1608062

Using Research Evidence to Reframe the Policy Debate Around Mental Illness and Guns: Process and Recommendations

PubMed Central

Frattaroli, Shannon; Appelbaum, Paul S.; Bonnie, Richard J.; Grilley, Anna; Horwitz, Joshua; Swanson, Jeffrey W.; Webster, Daniel W.

2014-01-01

Recent mass shootings have prompted a national dialogue around mental illness and gun policy. To advance an evidence-informed policy agenda on this controversial issue, we formed a consortium of national gun violence prevention and mental health experts. The consortium agreed on a guiding principle for future policy recommendations: restricting firearm access on the basis of certain dangerous behaviors is supported by the evidence; restricting access on the basis of mental illness diagnoses is not. We describe the group’s process and recommendations. PMID:25211757

Using research evidence to reframe the policy debate around mental illness and guns: process and recommendations.

PubMed

McGinty, Emma E; Frattaroli, Shannon; Appelbaum, Paul S; Bonnie, Richard J; Grilley, Anna; Horwitz, Joshua; Swanson, Jeffrey W; Webster, Daniel W

2014-11-01

Recent mass shootings have prompted a national dialogue around mental illness and gun policy. To advance an evidence-informed policy agenda on this controversial issue, we formed a consortium of national gun violence prevention and mental health experts. The consortium agreed on a guiding principle for future policy recommendations: restricting firearm access on the basis of certain dangerous behaviors is supported by the evidence; restricting access on the basis of mental illness diagnoses is not. We describe the group's process and recommendations.

Evaluation of NASA space grant consortia programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eisenberg, Martin A.

1990-01-01

The meaningful evaluation of the NASA Space Grant Consortium and Fellowship Programs must overcome unusual difficulties: (1) the program, in its infancy, is undergoing dynamic change; (2) the several state consortia and universities have widely divergent parochial goals that defy a uniform evaluative process; and (3) the pilot-sized consortium programs require that the evaluative process be economical in human costs less the process of evaluation comprise the effectiveness of the programs they are meant to assess. This paper represents an attempt to assess the context in which evaluation is to be conducted, the goals and limitations inherent to the evaluation, and to recommend appropriate guidelines for evaluation.

Mechanism of uranium (VI) removal by two anaerobic bacterial communities.

PubMed

Martins, Mónica; Faleiro, Maria Leonor; da Costa, Ana M Rosa; Chaves, Sandra; Tenreiro, Rogério; Matos, António Pedro; Costa, Maria Clara

2010-12-15

The mechanism of uranium (VI) removal by two anaerobic bacterial consortia, recovered from an uncontaminated site (consortium A) and other from an uranium mine (consortium U), was investigated. The highest efficiency of U (VI) removal by both consortia (97%) occurred at room temperature and at pH 7.2. Furthermore, it was found that U (VI) removal by consortium A occurred by enzymatic reduction and bioaccumulation, while the enzymatic process was the only mechanism involved in metal removal by consortium U. FTIR analysis suggested that after U (VI) reduction, U (IV) could be bound to carboxyl, phosphate and amide groups of bacterial cells. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA showed that community A was mainly composed by bacteria closely related to Sporotalea genus and Rhodocyclaceae family, while community U was mainly composed by bacteria related to Clostridium genus and Rhodocyclaceae family. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Degradation of raw corn stover powder (RCSP) by an enriched microbial consortium and its community structure.

PubMed

Feng, Yujie; Yu, Yanling; Wang, Xin; Qu, Youpeng; Li, Dongmei; He, Weihua; Kim, Byung Hong

2011-01-01

A microbial consortium with a high cellulolytic activity was enriched to degrade raw corn stover powder (RCSP). This consortium degraded more than 51% of non-sterilized RCSP or 81% of non-sterilized filter paper within 8 days at 40°C under facultative anoxic conditions. Cellulosome-like structures were observed in scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of RCSP degradation residue. The high cellulolytic activity was maintained during 40 subcultures in a medium containing cellulosic substrate. Small ribosomal gene sequence analyses showed the consortium contains uncultured and cultured bacteria with or without cellulolytic activities. Among these bacteria, some are anaerobic others aerobic. Analyses of the culture filtrate showed a typical anoxic polysaccharide fermentation during the culturing process. Reducing sugar concentration increased at early stage followed by various fermentation products that were consumed at the late stage. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient anaerobic transformation of raw wheat straw by a robust cow rumen-derived microbial consortium.

PubMed

Lazuka, Adèle; Auer, Lucas; Bozonnet, Sophie; Morgavi, Diego P; O'Donohue, Michael; Hernandez-Raquet, Guillermina

2015-11-01

A rumen-derived microbial consortium was enriched on raw wheat straw as sole carbon source in a sequential batch-reactor (SBR) process under strict mesophilic anaerobic conditions. After five cycles of enrichment the procedure enabled to select a stable and efficient lignocellulolytic microbial consortium, mainly constituted by members of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla. The enriched community, designed rumen-wheat straw-derived consortium (RWS) efficiently hydrolyzed lignocellulosic biomass, degrading 55.5% w/w of raw wheat straw over 15days at 35°C and accumulating carboxylates as main products. Cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic activities, mainly detected on the cell bound fraction, were produced in the earlier steps of degradation, their production being correlated with the maximal lignocellulose degradation rates. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential of RWS to convert unpretreated lignocellulosic substrates into useful chemicals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanometer-scale characterization of laser-driven plasmas, compression, shocks and phase transitions, by coherent small angle x-ray scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kluge, Thomas

2015-11-01

Combining ultra-intense short-pulse and high-energy long-pulse lasers, with brilliant coherent hard X-ray FELs, such as the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields (HIBEF) under construction at the HED Instrument of European XFEL, or MEC at LCLS, holds the promise to revolutionize our understanding of many High Energy Density Physics phenomena. Examples include the relativistic electron generation, transport, and bulk plasma response, and ionization dynamics and heating in relativistic laser-matter interactions, or the dynamics of laser-driven shocks, quasi-isentropic compression, and the kinetics of phase transitions at high pressure. A particularly promising new technique is the use of coherent X-ray diffraction to characterize electron density correlations, and by resonant scattering to characterize the distribution of specific charge-state ions, either on the ultrafast time scale of the laser interaction, or associated with hydrodynamic motion. As well one can image slight density changes arising from phase transitions inside of shock-compressed high pressure matter. The feasibility of coherent diffraction techniques in laser-driven matter will be discussed. including recent results from demonstration experiments at MEC. Among other things, very sharp density changes from laser-driven compression are observed, having an effective step width of 10 nm or smaller. This compares to a resolution of several hundred nm achievedpreviously with phase contrast imaging. and on behalf of HIBEF User Consortium, for the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields at the European XFEL.

GeoSAR: A Radar Terrain Mapping System for the New Millennium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Thomas; vanZyl, Jakob; Hensley, Scott; Reis, James; Munjy, Riadh; Burton, John; Yoha, Robert

2000-01-01

GeoSAR Geographic Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a new 3 year effort to build a unique, dual-frequency, airborne Interferometric SAR for mapping of terrain. This is being pursued via a Consortium of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Calgis, Inc., and the California Department of Conservation. The airborne portion of this system will operate on a Calgis Gulfstream-II aircraft outfitted with P- and X-band Interferometric SARs. The ground portions of this system will be a suite of Flight Planning Software, an IFSAR Processor and a Radar-GIS Workstation. The airborne P-band and X-band radars will be constructed by JPL with the goal of obtaining foliage penetration at the longer P-band wavelengths. The P-band and X-band radar will operate at frequencies of 350 Mhz and 9.71 Ghz with bandwidths of either 80 or 160 Mhz. The airborne radars will be complemented with airborne laser system for measuring antenna positions. Aircraft flight lines and radar operating instructions will be computed with the Flight Planning Software The ground processing will be a two-step step process. First, the raw radar data will be processed into radar images and interferometer derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Second, these radar images and DEMs will be processed with a Radar GIS Workstation which performs processes such as Projection Transformations, Registration, Geometric Adjustment, Mosaicking, Merging and Database Management. JPL will construct the IFSAR Processor and Calgis, Inc. will construct the Radar GIS Workstation. The GeoSAR Project was underway in November 1996 with a goal of having the radars and laser systems fully integrated onto the Calgis Gulfstream-II aircraft in early 1999. Then, Engineering Checkout and Calibration-Characterization Flights will be conducted through November 1999. The system will be completed at the end of 1999 and ready for routine operations in the year 2000.

Evaluation of a Community-Based Participatory Research Consortium from the Perspective of Academics and Community Service Providers Focused on Child Health and Well-Being

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pivik, Jayne R.; Goelman, Hillel

2011-01-01

A process evaluation of a consortium of academic researchers and community-based service providers focused on the health and well-being of children and families provides empirical and practice-based evidence of those factors important for community-based participatory research (CBPR). This study draws on quantitative ratings of 33 factors…

Understanding Gulf War Illness: An Integrative Modeling Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

Southeastern University, 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314 Centers for Disease Control, NIOSH, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505...SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT The goal of the GWI consortium is to develop a better understanding of GWI and identify specific disease targets to...find treatments that will address the cause of the disease . The consortium will integrate our clinical understanding of the disease process with

The TV Development Concept Papers. Preliminary Working Draft. Occasional Papers, Vol. 1, No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

To Educate the People Consortium, Detroit, MI.

This working paper is an intermediary stage in the development of a new telecurriculum for the To Educate the People Consortium. Section 1 is an introduction to the process. Section 2 contains the outlines of 18 courses in the telecurriculum based on concept papers submitted by teams from the consortium. Each course is in the format of six 1-hour…

Bioaugmentation of rapid sand filters by microbiome priming with a nitrifying consortium will optimize production of drinking water from groundwater.

PubMed

Albers, Christian Nyrop; Ellegaard-Jensen, Lea; Hansen, Lars Hestbjerg; Sørensen, Sebastian R

2018-02-01

Ammonium oxidation to nitrite and then to nitrate (nitrification) is a key process in many waterworks treating groundwater to make it potable. In rapid sand filters, nitrifying microbial communities may evolve naturally from groundwater bacteria entering the filters. However, in new filters this may take several months, and in some cases the nitrification process is never sufficiently rapid to be efficient or is only performed partially, with nitrite as an undesired end product. The present study reports the first successful priming of nitrification in a rapid sand filter treating groundwater. It is shown that nitrifying communities could be enriched by microbiomes from well-functioning rapid sand filters in waterworks and that the enriched nitrifying consortium could be used to inoculate fresh filters, significantly shortening the time taken for the nitrification process to start. The key nitrifiers in the enrichment were different from those in the well-functioning filter, but similar to those that initiated the nitrification process in fresh filters without inoculation. Whether or not the nitrification was primed with the enriched nitrifying consortium, the bacteria performing the nitrification process during start-up appeared to be slowly outcompeted by Nitrospira, the dominant nitrifying bacterium in well-functioning rapid sand filters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Federating clinical data from six pediatric hospitals: process and initial results for microbiology from the PHIS+ consortium.

PubMed

Gouripeddi, Ramkiran; Warner, Phillip B; Mo, Peter; Levin, James E; Srivastava, Rajendu; Shah, Samir S; de Regt, David; Kirkendall, Eric; Bickel, Jonathan; Korgenski, E Kent; Precourt, Michelle; Stepanek, Richard L; Mitchell, Joyce A; Narus, Scott P; Keren, Ron

2012-01-01

Microbiology study results are necessary for conducting many comparative effectiveness research studies. Unlike core laboratory test results, microbiology results have a complex structure. Federating and integrating microbiology data from six disparate electronic medical record systems is challenging and requires a team of varied skills. The PHIS+ consortium which is partnership between members of the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings (PRIS) network, the Children's Hospital Association and the University of Utah, have used "FURTHeR' for federating laboratory data. We present our process and initial results for federating microbiology data from six pediatric hospitals.

The conception of administrators regarding the formation of a healthcare consortium in Pernambuco, Brazil: a case study.

PubMed

e Silva, Keila S Brito; Bezerra, Adriana Falangola B

2011-01-01

The formation of healthcare consortia is a management strategy adopted by a number of cities in Brazil in order to minimize the difficulties the population has in access to services of greater technological complexity. As administrators are the main governmental actors in the promotion of this strategy, the aim of the present study was to identify the motives, expectations and difficulties faced by the mayors, and secretaries of health that make up a healthcare consortium undergoing a formation process in the rural, coastal zone of the state of Pernambuco. A descriptive, qualitative, case study was conducted. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews held with mayors and secretaries of health of the municipalities participating in the consortium. Data were analyzed by means of content analysis, using the NVivo 2.0 software program. The administrators cited difficulty in access to specialized services and the high cost of transporting patients to distant locations for treatment as motives for the formation of the consortium. With the implantation of this healthcare strategy, the expectations are a reduction in costs regarding patient transportation, an increase in access to services of greater complexity, and negotiations with other spheres of government. The main difficulties faced are political-partisan conflicts and excessive bureaucracy. Although there were no considerable divergences in the administrators' perceptions, it was evident that those who initiated the formation of the consortium offered a deeper, more detailed discourse, thereby demonstrating greater involvement when compared to those who offered continuity to the process. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mineralization and Detoxification of the Carcinogenic Azo Dye Congo Red and Real Textile Effluent by a Polyurethane Foam Immobilized Microbial Consortium in an Upflow Column Bioreactor.

PubMed

Lade, Harshad; Govindwar, Sanjay; Paul, Diby

2015-06-16

A microbial consortium that is able to grow in wheat bran (WB) medium and decolorize the carcinogenic azo dye Congo red (CR) was developed. The microbial consortium was immobilized on polyurethane foam (PUF). Batch studies with the PUF-immobilized microbial consortium showed complete removal of CR dye (100 mg·L-1) within 12 h at pH 7.5 and temperature 30 ± 0.2 °C under microaerophilic conditions. Additionally, 92% American Dye Manufactureing Institute (ADMI) removal for real textile effluent (RTE, 50%) was also observed within 20 h under the same conditions. An upflow column reactor containing PUF-immobilized microbial consortium achieved 99% CR dye (100 mg·L-1) and 92% ADMI removal of RTE (50%) at 35 and 20 mL·h-l flow rates, respectively. Consequent reduction in TOC (83 and 79%), COD (85 and 83%) and BOD (79 and 78%) of CR dye and RTE were also observed, which suggested mineralization. The decolorization process was traced to be enzymatic as treated samples showed significant induction of oxidoreductive enzymes. The proposed biodegradation pathway of the dye revealed the formation of lower molecular weight compounds. Toxicity studies with a plant bioassay and acute tests indicated that the PUF-immobilized microbial consortium favors detoxification of the dye and textile effluents.

Mineralization and Detoxification of the Carcinogenic Azo Dye Congo Red and Real Textile Effluent by a Polyurethane Foam Immobilized Microbial Consortium in an Upflow Column Bioreactor

PubMed Central

Lade, Harshad; Govindwar, Sanjay; Paul, Diby

2015-01-01

A microbial consortium that is able to grow in wheat bran (WB) medium and decolorize the carcinogenic azo dye Congo red (CR) was developed. The microbial consortium was immobilized on polyurethane foam (PUF). Batch studies with the PUF-immobilized microbial consortium showed complete removal of CR dye (100 mg·L−1) within 12 h at pH 7.5 and temperature 30 ± 0.2 °C under microaerophilic conditions. Additionally, 92% American Dye Manufactureing Institute (ADMI) removal for real textile effluent (RTE, 50%) was also observed within 20 h under the same conditions. An upflow column reactor containing PUF-immobilized microbial consortium achieved 99% CR dye (100 mg·L−1) and 92% ADMI removal of RTE (50%) at 35 and 20 mL·h−l flow rates, respectively. Consequent reduction in TOC (83 and 79%), COD (85 and 83%) and BOD (79 and 78%) of CR dye and RTE were also observed, which suggested mineralization. The decolorization process was traced to be enzymatic as treated samples showed significant induction of oxidoreductive enzymes. The proposed biodegradation pathway of the dye revealed the formation of lower molecular weight compounds. Toxicity studies with a plant bioassay and acute tests indicated that the PUF-immobilized microbial consortium favors detoxification of the dye and textile effluents. PMID:26086710

Bioremediation and reclamation of soil contaminated with petroleum oil hydrocarbons by exogenously seeded bacterial consortium: a pilot-scale study.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Ashis K; Bordoloi, Naba K

2011-03-01

Spillage of petroleum hydrocarbons causes significant environmental pollution. Bioremediation is an effective process to remediate petroleum oil contaminant from the ecosystem. The aim of the present study was to reclaim a petroleum oil-contaminated soil which was unsuitable for the cultivation of crop plants by using petroleum oil hydrocarbon-degrading microbial consortium. Bacterial consortium consisting of Bacillus subtilis DM-04 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa M and NM strains were seeded to 20% (v/w) petroleum oil-contaminated soil, and bioremediation experiment was carried out for 180 days under laboratory condition. The kinetics of hydrocarbon degradation was analyzed using biochemical and gas chromatographic (GC) techniques. The ecotoxicity of the elutriates obtained from petroleum oil-contaminated soil before and post-treatment with microbial consortium was tested on germination and growth of Bengal gram (Cicer aretinum) and green gram (Phaseolus mungo) seeds. Bacterial consortium showed a significant reduction in total petroleum hydrocarbon level in contaminated soil (76% degradation) as compared to the control soil (3.6% degradation) 180 days post-inoculation. The GC analysis confirmed that bacterial consortium was more effective in degrading the alkane fraction compared to aromatic fraction of crude petroleum oil hydrocarbons in soil. The nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen compounds fraction was least degraded. The reclaimed soil supported the germination and growth of crop plants (C. aretinum and P. mungo). In contrast, seeds could not be germinated in petroleum oil-contaminated soil. The present study reinforces the application of bacterial consortium rather than individual bacterium for the effective bioremediation and reclamation of soil contaminated with petroleum oil.

Roll-to-Roll Advanced Materials Manufacturing DOE Lab Consortium - FY16 Annual Report

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

Daniel, Claus; Wood, III, David L.; Krumdick, Gregory

2016-12-01

A DOE laboratory consortium comprised of ORNL, ANL, NREL and LBNL, coordinating with Kodak’s Eastman Business Park (Kodak) and other selected industry partners, was formed to address enhancing battery electrode performance and R2R manufacturing challenges. The objective of the FY 2016 seed project was to develop a materials genome synthesis process amenable to R2R manufacturing and to provide modeling, simulation, processing, and manufacturing techniques that demonstrate the feasibility of process controls and scale-up potential for improved battery electrodes. The research efforts were to predict and measure changes and results in electrode morphology and performance based on process condition changes; tomore » evaluate mixed, active, particle size deposition and drying for novel electrode materials; and to model various process condition changes and the resulting morphology and electrode performance.« less

Ability of sea-water bacterial consortium to produce electricity and denitrify water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruvada, Nagasamrat V. V.; Tommasi, Tonia; Kaza, Kesava Rao; Ruggeri, Bernardo

Sea is a store house for varied types of microbes with an ability to reduce and oxidize substances like iron, sulphur, carbon dioxide, etc. Most of these processes happen in the sea water environment, but can be applied for purification of wastewater. In the present paper, we discuss the use of a consortium of seawater bacteria in a fuel cell to produce electricity by oxidizing organic matter and reducing nitrates. We also discuss how the growth of the bacterial consortium can lead to an increased electricity production and decreased diffusional resistance in the cell. The analysis was done using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). Here, we use bicarbonate buffered solution, which is the natural buffering agent found in sea. We show that the seawater bacterial consortium can be used in both the anode and cathode parts of the cell. The results confirm the adaptability of the seawater bacteria to different environments and can be used for various applications. Heritage, Erasmus Mundus Programme, European Commission.

Federating Clinical Data from Six Pediatric Hospitals: Process and Initial Results for Microbiology from the PHIS+ Consortium

PubMed Central

Gouripeddi, Ramkiran; Warner, Phillip B.; Mo, Peter; Levin, James E.; Srivastava, Rajendu; Shah, Samir S.; de Regt, David; Kirkendall, Eric; Bickel, Jonathan; Korgenski, E. Kent; Precourt, Michelle; Stepanek, Richard L.; Mitchell, Joyce A.; Narus, Scott P.; Keren, Ron

2012-01-01

Microbiology study results are necessary for conducting many comparative effectiveness research studies. Unlike core laboratory test results, microbiology results have a complex structure. Federating and integrating microbiology data from six disparate electronic medical record systems is challenging and requires a team of varied skills. The PHIS+ consortium which is partnership between members of the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings (PRIS) network, the Children’s Hospital Association and the University of Utah, have used “FURTHeR’ for federating laboratory data. We present our process and initial results for federating microbiology data from six pediatric hospitals. PMID:23304298

Biomarker Evidence for Widespread Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in Mediterranean Sediments by a Consortium of Methanogenic Archaea and Bacteria†

PubMed Central

Pancost, Richard D.; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.; de Lint, Saskia; van der Maarel, Marc J. E. C.; Gottschal, Jan C.

2000-01-01

Although abundant geochemical data indicate that anaerobic methane oxidation occurs in marine sediments, the linkage to specific microorganisms remains unclear. In order to examine processes of methane consumption and oxidation, sediment samples from mud volcanoes at two distinct sites on the Mediterranean Ridge were collected via the submersible Nautile. Geochemical data strongly indicate that methane is oxidized under anaerobic conditions, and compound-specific carbon isotope analyses indicate that this reaction is facilitated by a consortium of archaea and bacteria. Specifically, these methane-rich sediments contain high abundances of methanogen-specific biomarkers that are significantly depleted in 13C (δ13C values are as low as −95‰). Biomarkers inferred to derive from sulfate-reducing bacteria and other heterotrophic bacteria are similarly depleted. Consistent with previous work, such depletion can be explained by consumption of 13C-depleted methane by methanogens operating in reverse and as part a consortium of organisms in which sulfate serves as the terminal electron acceptor. Moreover, our results indicate that this process is widespread in Mediterranean mud volcanoes and in some localized settings is the predominant microbiological process. PMID:10698781

Simultaneous biodegradation of three mononitrophenol isomers by a tailor-made microbial consortium immobilized in sequential batch reactors.

PubMed

Fu, H; Zhang, J-J; Xu, Y; Chao, H-J; Zhou, N-Y

2017-03-01

The ortho-nitrophenol (ONP)-utilizing Alcaligenes sp. strain NyZ215, meta-nitrophenol (MNP)-utilizing Cupriavidus necator JMP134 and para-nitrophenol (PNP)-utilizing Pseudomonas sp. strain WBC-3 were assembled as a consortium to degrade three nitrophenol isomers in sequential batch reactors. Pilot test was conducted in flasks to demonstrate that a mixture of three mononitrophenols at 0·5 mol l -1 each could be mineralized by this microbial consortium within 84 h. Interestingly, neither ONP nor MNP was degraded until PNP was almost consumed by strain WBC-3. By immobilizing this consortium into polyurethane cubes, all three mononitrophenols were continuously degraded in lab-scale sequential reactors for six batch cycles over 18 days. Total concentrations of ONP, MMP and PNP that were degraded were 2·8, 1·5 and 2·3 mol l -1 during this time course respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that each member in the microbial consortium was relatively stable during the entire degradation process. This study provides a novel approach to treat polluted water, particularly with a mixture of co-existing isomers. Nitroaromatic compounds are readily spread in the environment and pose great potential toxicity concerns. Here, we report the simultaneous degradation of three isomers of mononitrophenol in a single system by employing a consortium of three bacteria, both in flasks and lab-scale sequential batch reactors. The results demonstrate that simultaneous biodegradation of three mononitrophenol isomers can be achieved by a tailor-made microbial consortium immobilized in sequential batch reactors, providing a pilot study for a novel approach for the bioremediation of mixed pollutants, especially isomers present in wastewater. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

The Bridging Advanced Developments for Exceptional Rehabilitation (BADER) Consortium: Reaching in Partnership for Optimal Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Outcomes.

PubMed

Stanhope, Steven J; Wilken, Jason M; Pruziner, Alison L; Dearth, Christopher L; Wyatt, Marilynn; Ziemke, Gregg W; Strickland, Rachel; Milbourne, Suzanne A; Kaufman, Kenton R

2016-11-01

The Bridging Advanced Developments for Exceptional Rehabilitation (BADER) Consortium began in September 2011 as a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program. A partnership was formed with DoD Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Centers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), academia, and industry to rapidly conduct innovative, high-impact, and sustainable clinically relevant research. The BADER Consortium has a unique research capacity-building focus that creates infrastructures and strategically connects and supports research teams to conduct multiteam research initiatives primarily led by MTF and VA investigators.BADER relies on strong partnerships with these agencies to strengthen and support orthopaedic rehabilitation research. Its focus is on the rapid forming and execution of projects focused on obtaining optimal functional outcomes for patients with limb loss and limb injuries. The Consortium is based on an NIH research capacity-building model that comprises essential research support components that are anchored by a set of BADER-funded and initiative-launching studies. Through a partnership with the DoD/VA Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence, the BADER Consortium's research initiative-launching program has directly supported the identification and establishment of eight BADER-funded clinical studies. BADER's Clinical Research Core (CRC) staff, who are embedded within each of the MTFs, have supported an additional 37 non-BADER Consortium-funded projects. Additional key research support infrastructures that expedite the process for conducting multisite clinical trials include an omnibus Cooperative Research and Development Agreement and the NIH Clinical Trials Database. A 2015 Defense Health Board report highlighted the Consortium's vital role, stating the research capabilities of the DoD Advanced Rehabilitation Centers are significantly enhanced and facilitated by the BADER Consortium. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Biotransformation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by a prospective consortium and its most effective isolate Serratia marcescens

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

Young, D.M.; Ogden, K.L.; Unkefer, P.J.

1997-03-05

The biotransformation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5 triazine (RDX) has been observed in liquid culture by a consortium of bacteria found in horse manure. Five types of bacteria were found to predominate in the consortium and were isolated. The most effective of these isolates at transforming RDX was Serratia marcescens. The biotransformation of RDX by all of these bacteria was found to occur only in the anoxic stationary phase. The process of bacterial growth and RDX biotransformation was quantified for the purpose of developing a predictive type model. Cell growth was assumed to follow Monod kinetics. All of the aerobic and anoxid growthmore » parameters were determined: {mu}{sub max}, K{sub s}, and Y{sub x/s}. RDX was found to competitively inhibit cell growth in both atmospheres. Degradation of RDX by Serratia marcescens was found to proceed through the stepwise reduction of the three nitro groups to nitroso groups. Each of these reductions was found to be first order in both component and cell concentrations. The degradation rate constant for the first step in this reduction process by the consortium was 0.022 L/g cells {center_dot} h compared to 0.033 L/g cells {center_dot} h for the most efficient isolate.« less

The anatomy of a cluster IDP. Part 1: Carbon abundance, bulk chemistry, and mineralogy of fragments from L2008#5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, K. L.; Keller, L. P.; Klock, W.; Warren, J.; Blanford, G. E.; Mckay, David S.

1994-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether or not cluster particles are sufficiently homogeneous to enable observations from one fragment of the cluster to be extrapolated to the entire cluster. We report on the results of a consortium study of the fragments of a large cluster particle. Multiple fragments from one large cluster were distributed to several research groups and were subjected to a variety of mineralogical and chemical analyses including: SEM, TEM, ion probe, SXRF, noble gas measurements, and microprobe laser mass spectrometry of individual fragments.

Electro-optical characterization system develped for ATLIDCAS AIV: flat field and collimated beam injections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, G.; Laguna, H.; Torres, J.; Belenguer, T.

2017-11-01

In the framework of the ESA EarthCare Mission, an atmospheric LIDAR (ATLID) was included as a payload. CAS is the co-alignment system of such a LIDAR instrument, the system responsible of guaranteeing the proper alignment of the projected laser beam and the reflected light collected. Within CAS, in which a consortium leaded by ASTRIUM France is working in, as well as CRISA (electronics) and LIDAX (mechanical engineering), INTA is in charge of the development of the instrumentation to be used on ground (on ground support equipments, OGSEs) needed for the proper electro-optical characterization.

Status and future prospects of laser fusion and high power laser applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mima, Kunioki

2010-08-01

In Asia, there are many institutes for the R&D of high power laser science and applications. They are 5 major institutes in Japan, 4 major institutes in China, 2 institutes in Korea, and 3 institutes in India. The recent achievements and future prospects of those institutes will be over viewed. In the laser fusion research, the FIREX-I project in Japan has been progressing. The 10kJ short pulse LFEX laser has completed and started the experiments with a single beam. About 1kJ pulse energy will be injected into a cone target. The experimental results of the FIREX experiments will be presented. As the target design for the experiments, a new target, namely, a double cone target was proposed, in which the high energy electrons are well confined and the heating efficiency is significantly improved. Together with the fusion experiments, Osaka University has carried out laboratory astrophysics experiments on photo ionizing plasmas to observe a unique X-ray spectrum from non-LTE plasmas. In 2008, Osaka university has started a new Photon research center in relation with the new program: Consortium for Photon Science and Technology: C-PhoST, in which ultra intense laser plasmas research and related education will be carried out for 10 years. At APRI, JAEA, the fundamental science on the relativistic laser plasmas and the applications of laser particle acceleration has been developed. The application of laser ion acceleration has been investigated on the beam cancer therapy since 2007. In China, The high power glass laser: Shenguan-II and a peta watt beam have been operated to work on radiation hydro dynamics at SIOFM Shanghai. The laser material and optics are developed at SIOFM and LFRC. The IAPCM and the IOP continued the studies on radiation hydrodynamics and on relativistic laser plasmas interactions. At LFRC in China, the construction of Shenguan III glass laser of 200kJ in blue has progressed and will be completed in 2012. Together with the Korean program, I will overview the above Asian programs.

Development of a microbial process for the recovery of petroleum oil from depleted reservoirs at 91-96°C.

PubMed

Arora, Preeti; Ranade, Dilip R; Dhakephalkar, Prashant K

2014-08-01

A consortium of bacteria growing at 91°C and above (optimally at 96°C) was developed for the recovery of crude oil from declining/depleted oil reservoirs having temperature of more than 91°C. PCR-DGGE-Sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragments of NJS-4 consortium revealed the presence of four strains identified as members of the genus Clostridium. The metabolites produced by NJS-4 consortium included volatile fatty acids, organic acids, surfactants, exopolysaccarides and CO2, which reduced viscosity, emulsified crude oil and increased the pressure that facilitated displacement of emulsified oil towards the surface. NJS-4 enhanced oil recovery by 26.7% and 10.1% in sand pack trials and core flood studies respectively in optimized nutrient medium comprised of sucrose and sodium acetate as carbon/energy source and urea as nitrogen source (pH 7-9, 96°C, and 4% salinity). Nutrient medium for MEOR was constituted using commercial grade cheap nutrients to improve the economic viability of MEOR process. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The CNES Gaia Data Processing Center: A Challenge and its Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaoul, Laurence; Valette, Veronique

2011-08-01

After a brief reminder of the ESA Gaia project, this paper presents the data processing consortium (DPAC) and then the CNES data processing centre (DPCC). We focus on the challenge in terms of organisational aspects, processing capabilities, databases volumetry, and how we deal with these topics.

The Future of Postgraduate Medical Education in Canada.

PubMed

Busing, Nick; Harris, Ken; MacLellan, Anne-Marie; Moineau, Geneviève; Oandasan, Ivy; Rourke, James; Saxena, Anurag

2015-09-01

The Future of Medical Education in Canada Postgraduate (FMEC PG) Project was launched in 2010 by a consortium of four organizations: the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the Collège des Médecins du Québec, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The FMEC PG study set out to review the state of the Canadian postgraduate medical education (PGME) system and make recommendations for improvements and changes. The extensive process included literature reviews, commissioned papers, stakeholder interviews, international consultations, and dialogue with the public and learners. The resulting key findings and 10 recommendations, published in a report in 2012, represent the collective vision of the consortium partner organizations for PGME in Canada. Implementation of the recommendations began in 2013 and will continue beyond 2016.In this article, the authors describe the complex process of developing the recommendations, highlight several recommendations, consider implementation processes and issues, and share lessons learned to date. They reflect on the ways in which the transformation of a very complex and complicated PGME system has required many stakeholders to work together on multiple interventions simultaneously. Notwithstanding the challenges for the participating organizations, changes have been introduced and sustainability is being forged. Throughout this process, the consortium partners and other stakeholders have continued to address the social accountability role of all physicians with respect to the public they serve.

Consortium for materials development in space interaction with Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lundquist, Charles A.; Seaquist, Valerie

1992-01-01

The Consortium for Materials Development in Space (CMDS) is one of seventeen Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) sponsored by the Office of Commercial Programs of NASA. The CMDS formed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the fall of 1985. The Consortium activities therefore will have progressed for over a decade by the time Space Station Freedom (SSF) begins operation. The topic to be addressed here is: what are the natural, mutually productive relationships between the CMDS and SSF? For management and planning purposes, the Consortium organizes its activities into a number of individual projects. Normally, each project has a team of personnel from industry, university, and often government organizations. This is true for both product-oriented materials projects and for infrastructure projects. For various projects Space Station offers specific mutually productive relationships. First, SSF can provide a site for commercial operations that have evolved as a natural stage in the life cycle of individual projects. Efficiency and associated cost control lead to another important option. With SSF in place, there is the possibility to leave major parts of processing equipment in SSF, and only bring materials to SSF to be processed and return to earth the treated materials. This saves the transportation costs of repeatedly carrying heavy equipment to orbit and back to the ground. Another generic feature of commercial viability can be the general need to accomplish large through-put or large scale operations. The size of SSF lends itself to such needs. Also in addition to processing equipment, some of the other infrastructure capabilities developed in CCDS projects may be applied on SSF to support product activities. The larger SSF program may derive mutual benefits from these infrastructure abilities.

Review of the cultivation program within the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts

DOE PAGES

Lammers, Peter J.; Huesemann, Michael; Boeing, Wiebke; ...

2016-12-12

The cultivation efforts within the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) were developed to provide four major goals for the consortium, which included biomass production for downstream experimentation, development of new assessment tools for cultivation, development of new cultivation reactor technologies, and development of methods for robust cultivation. The NAABB consortium testbeds produced over 1500 kg of biomass for downstream processing. The biomass production included a number of model production strains, but also took into production some of the more promising strains found through the prospecting efforts of the consortium. Cultivation efforts at large scale are intensive andmore » costly, therefore the consortium developed tools and models to assess the productivity of strains under various environmental conditions, at lab scale, and validated these against scaled outdoor production systems. Two new pond-based bioreactor designs were tested for their ability to minimize energy consumption while maintaining, and even exceeding, the productivity of algae cultivation compared to traditional systems. Also, molecular markers were developed for quality control and to facilitate detection of bacterial communities associated with cultivated algal species, including the Chlorella spp. pathogen, Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus, which was identified in at least two test site locations in Arizona and New Mexico. Finally, the consortium worked on understanding methods to utilize compromised municipal wastewater streams for cultivation. In conclusion, this review provides an overview of the cultivation methods and tools developed by the NAABB consortium to produce algae biomass, in robust low energy systems, for biofuel production.« less

Simulation studies on the effect of positioning tolerances on optical coupling efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pamidighantam, Ramana V.; Yeo, Yongkee; Sudharsanam, Krishnamachari; Lee, Sik Pong; Iyer, Mahadevan K.

2002-08-01

The development of Optoelectronic components for communications is converging towards access networks where device cost makes a significant impact on the market acceptance. Thus, the device design engineer needs to input assembly, fabrication and process constraints into the design at an early stage. The present study is part of a Project on Packaging of Optical Components that IME, Singapore has initiated as part of an ongoing Electronics Packaging Research Consortium with industry partnership. In the present study, the coupling of optical radiation from a laser diode to optical fiber is simulated for a fiber optic transmitter component development project. Different optical configurations based on direct coupling, spherical ball lenses, integral lensed fibers and thermally expanded fibers are created within the commercially available transmitter package space. The effect of optical element variables on the placement tolerance is analyzed and will be reported. The effect of alignment tolerances on the optical coupling is analyzed. Simulation results are presented recommending realizable alignment and placement tolerances to develop a low cost short range link distance transmitter.

Evaluating efforts to diversify the biomedical workforce: the role and function of the Coordination and Evaluation Center of the Diversity Program Consortium.

PubMed

McCreath, Heather E; Norris, Keith C; Calderόn, Nancy E; Purnell, Dawn L; Maccalla, Nicole M G; Seeman, Teresa E

2017-01-01

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Diversity Program Consortium (DPC) includes a Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC) to conduct a longitudinal evaluation of the two signature, national NIH initiatives - the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) and the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN) programs - designed to promote diversity in the NIH-funded biomedical, behavioral, clinical, and social sciences research workforce. Evaluation is central to understanding the impact of the consortium activities. This article reviews the role and function of the CEC and the collaborative processes and achievements critical to establishing empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of federally-funded, quasi-experimental interventions across multiple sites. The integrated DPC evaluation is particularly significant because it is a collaboratively developed Consortium Wide Evaluation Plan and the first hypothesis-driven, large-scale systemic national longitudinal evaluation of training programs in the history of NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences. To guide the longitudinal evaluation, the CEC-led literature review defined key indicators at critical training and career transition points - or Hallmarks of Success. The multidimensional, comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the DPC framed by these Hallmarks is described. This evaluation uses both established and newly developed common measures across sites, and rigorous quasi-experimental designs within novel multi-methods (qualitative and quantitative). The CEC also promotes shared learning among Consortium partners through working groups and provides technical assistance to support high-quality process and outcome evaluation internally of each program. Finally, the CEC is responsible for developing high-impact dissemination channels for best practices to inform peer institutions, NIH, and other key national and international stakeholders. A strong longitudinal evaluation across programs allows the summative assessment of outcomes, an understanding of factors common to interventions that do and do not lead to success, and elucidates the processes developed for data collection and management. This will provide a framework for the assessment of other training programs and have national implications in transforming biomedical research training.

Metagenomic Analysis of a Biphenyl-Degrading Soil Bacterial Consortium Reveals the Metabolic Roles of Specific Populations

PubMed Central

Garrido-Sanz, Daniel; Manzano, Javier; Martín, Marta; Redondo-Nieto, Miguel; Rivilla, Rafael

2018-01-01

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are widespread persistent pollutants that cause several adverse health effects. Aerobic bioremediation of PCBs involves the activity of either one bacterial species or a microbial consortium. Using multiple species will enhance the range of PCB congeners co-metabolized since different PCB-degrading microorganisms exhibit different substrate specificity. We have isolated a bacterial consortium by successive enrichment culture using biphenyl (analog of PCBs) as the sole carbon and energy source. This consortium is able to grow on biphenyl, benzoate, and protocatechuate. Whole-community DNA extracted from the consortium was used to analyze biodiversity by Illumina sequencing of a 16S rRNA gene amplicon library and to determine the metagenome by whole-genome shotgun Illumina sequencing. Biodiversity analysis shows that the consortium consists of 24 operational taxonomic units (≥97% identity). The consortium is dominated by strains belonging to the genus Pseudomonas, but also contains betaproteobacteria and Rhodococcus strains. whole-genome shotgun (WGS) analysis resulted in contigs containing 78.3 Mbp of sequenced DNA, representing around 65% of the expected DNA in the consortium. Bioinformatic analysis of this metagenome has identified the genes encoding the enzymes implicated in three pathways for the conversion of biphenyl to benzoate and five pathways from benzoate to tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, allowing us to model the whole biodegradation network. By genus assignment of coding sequences, we have also been able to determine that the three biphenyl to benzoate pathways are carried out by Rhodococcus strains. In turn, strains belonging to Pseudomonas and Bordetella are the main responsible of three of the benzoate to TCA pathways while the benzoate conversion into TCA cycle intermediates via benzoyl-CoA and the catechol meta-cleavage pathways are carried out by beta proteobacteria belonging to genera such as Achromobacter and Variovorax. We have isolated a Rhodococcus strain WAY2 from the consortium which contains the genes encoding the three biphenyl to benzoate pathways indicating that this strain is responsible for all the biphenyl to benzoate transformations. The presented results show that metagenomic analysis of consortia allows the identification of bacteria active in biodegradation processes and the assignment of specific reactions and pathways to specific bacterial groups. PMID:29497412

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

Carl Irwin; Rakesh Gupta; Richard Turton

The Mid-Atlantic Recycling Center for End-of-Life Electronics (MARCEE) was set up in 1999 in response to a call from Congressman Alan Mollohan, who had a strong interest in this subject. A consortium was put together which included the Polymer Alliance Zone (PAZ) of West Virginia, West Virginia University (WVU), DN American and Ecolibrium. The consortium developed a set of objectives and task plans, which included both the research issues of setting up facilities to demanufacture End-of-Life Electronics (EoLE), the economics of the demanufacturing process, and the infrastructure development necessary for a sustainable recycling industry to be established in West Virginia.more » This report discusses the work of the MARCEE Project Consortium from November 1999 through March 2005. While the body of the report is distributed in hard-copy form the Appendices are being distributed on CD's.« less

The Science of Sustaining Health Behavior Change: The Health Maintenance Consortium

PubMed Central

Ory, Marcia G.; Smith, Matthew Lee; Mier, Nelda; Wernicke, Meghan M.

2013-01-01

Objective The Health Maintenance Consortium (HMC) is a multisite Grantee Consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health from 2004–2009. The goal of HMC is to enhance understanding of the long-term maintenance of behavior change, as well as effective strategies for achieving sustainable health promotion and disease prevention. Methods This introductory research synthesis prepared by the Resource Center gives context to this theme issue by providing an overview of the HMC and the articles in this journal. Results It explores the contributions to our conceptualization of behavior change processes and intervention strategies, the trajectory of effectiveness of behavioral and social interventions, and factors influencing the long-term maintenance of behavioral and social interventions. Conclusions Future directions for furthering the science of maintaining behavior change and reducing the gaps between research and practice are recommended. PMID:20604691

Salinity effect on the metabolic pathway and microbial function in phenanthrene degradation by a halophilic consortium.

PubMed

Wang, Chongyang; Huang, Yong; Zhang, Zuotao; Wang, Hui

2018-04-25

With the close relationship between saline environments and industry, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) accumulate in saline/hypersaline environments. Therefore, PAHs degradation by halotolerant/halophilic bacteria has received increasing attention. In this study, the metabolic pathway of phenanthrene degradation by halophilic consortium CY-1 was first studied which showed a single upstream pathway initiated by dioxygenation at the C1 and C2 positions, and at several downstream pathways, including the catechol pathway, gentisic acid pathway and protocatechuic acid pathway. The effects of salinity on the community structure and expression of catabolic genes were further studied by a combination of high-throughput sequencing, catabolic gene clone library and real-time PCR. Pure cultures were also isolated from consortium CY-1 to investigate the contribution made by different microbes in the PAH-degrading process. Marinobacter is the dominant genus that contributed to the upstream degradation of phenanthrene especially in high salt content. Genus Halomonas made a great contribution in transforming intermediates in the subsequent degradation of catechol by using catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (C12O). Other microbes were predicted to be mediating bacteria that were able to utilize intermediates via different downstream pathways. Salinity was investigated to have negative effects on both microbial diversity and activity of consortium CY-1 and consortium CY-1 was found with a high degree of functional redundancy in saline environments.

Efficient degradation of lube oil by a mixed bacterial consortium.

PubMed

Wang, Haifeng; Xu, Ran; Li, Fengting; Qiao, Junlian; Zhang, Bingru

2010-01-01

A laboratory study was performed to assess the biodegradation of lube oil in bio-reactor with 304# stainless steel as a biofilm carrier. Among 164 oil degrading bacterial cultures isolated from oil contaminated soil samples, Commaonas acidovorans Pxl, Bacillus sp. Px2, Pseudomonas sp. Px3 were selected to prepare a mixed consortium for the study based on the efficiency of lube oil utilization. The percentage of oil degraded by the mixed bacterial consortium decreased slightly from 99% to 97.2% as the concentration of lube oil was increased from 2000 to 10,000 mg/L. The degradation of TDOC (total dissolved organic carbon) showed a similar tendency compared with lube oil removal, which indicated that the intermediates in degradation process hardly accumulated. Selected mixed bacterial consortium showed their edge compared to activated sludge. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photos showed that biofilms on stainless steel were robust and with a dimensional framework constructed by EPS (extracellular polymeric substances), which could promote the biodegradation of hydrocarbons. The increase of biofilm followed first-order kinetics with rate of 0.216 microg glucose/(cm2-day) in logarithm phase. With analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with removal of lube oil and TDOC, mixed bacterial consortium could degrade benzene and its derivatives, aromatic ring organic matters with a percentage over 97%.

Professional Development Priorities Process (Needs Assessment). Leader's Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southeast Idaho Teacher Center Consortium, Twin Falls.

Step-by-step instructions are provided for implementing the Professional Development Priorities Process (PDPP), an educational needs assessment process, by a school faculty member with groups of eight peers or more. The essence of PDPP, which was designed at the Southeast Idaho Teacher Center Consortium, is a dynamic group process in which needs…

Semisolid Metal Processing Consortium

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

Apelian,Diran

Mathematical modeling and simulations of semisolid filling processes remains a critical issue in understanding and optimizing the process. Semisolid slurries are non-Newtonian materials that exhibit complex rheological behavior. There the way these slurries flow in cavities is very different from the way liquid in classical casting fills cavities. Actually filling in semisolid processing is often counter intuitive

Influence of overconsolidated condition on permeability evolution in silica sand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, S.; Kaneko, H.; Ito, T.; Nishimura, O.; Minagawa, H.

2013-12-01

Permeability of sediments is important factors for production of natural gas from natural gas hydrate bearing layers. Methane-hydrate is regarded as one of the potential resources of natural gas. As results of coring and logging, the existence of a large amount of methane-hydrate is estimated in the Nankai Trough, offshore central Japan, where many folds and faults have been observed. In the present study, we investigate the permeability of silica sand specimen forming the artificial fault zone after large displacement shear in the ring-shear test under two different normal consolidated and overconsolidated conditions. The significant influence of overconsolidation ratio (OCR) on permeability evolution is not found. The permeability reduction is influenced a great deal by the magnitude of normal stress during large displacement shearing. The grain size distribution and structure observation in the shear zone of specimen after shearing at each normal stress level are analyzed by laser scattering type particle analyzer and scanning electron microscope, respectively. It is indicated that the grain size and porosity reduction due to the particle crushing are the factor of the permeability reduction. This study is financially supported by METI and Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources in Japan (the MH21 Research Consortium).

Laser peening with fiber optic delivery

DOEpatents

Friedman, Herbert W.; Ault, Earl R.; Scheibner, Karl F.

2004-11-16

A system for processing a workpiece using a laser. The laser produces at least one laser pulse. A laser processing unit is used to process the workpiece using the at least one laser pulse. A fiber optic cable is used for transmitting the at least one laser pulse from the laser to the laser processing unit.

ALADIN: the first european lidar in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morançais, Didier; Fabre, Frédéric; Schillinger, Marc; Barthès, Jean-Claude; Endemann, Martin; Culoma, Alain; Durand, Yannig

2017-11-01

The Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument (ALADIN) is the payload of the ESA's ADMAEOLUS mission, which aims at measuring wind profiles as required by the climatology and meteorology users. ALADIN belongs to a new class of Earth Observation payloads and will be the first European Lidar in space. The instrument comprises a diode-pumped high energy Nd:YAG laser and a direct detection receiver operating on aerosol and molecular backscatter signals in parallel. In addition to the Proto- Flight Model (PFM)., two instrument models are developed: a Pre-development Model (PDM) and an Opto-Structure-Thermal Model (OSTM). The flight instrument design and the industrial team has been finalised and the major equipment are now under development. This paper describes the instrument design and performance as well as the development and verification approach. The main results obtained during the PDM programme are also reported. The ALADIN instrument is developed under prime contractorship from EADS Astrium SAS with a consortium of thirty European companies.

ExoMars Raman laser spectrometer for Exomars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rull, F.; Sansano, A.; Díaz, E.; Canora, C. P.; Moral, A. G.; Tato, C.; Colombo, M.; Belenguer, T.; Fernández, M.; Manfredi, J. A. R.; Canchal, R.; Dávila, B.; Jiménez, A.; Gallego, P.; Ibarmia, S.; Prieto, J. A. R.; Santiago, A.; Pla, J.; Ramos, G.; Díaz, C.; González, C.

2011-10-01

The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is one of the Pasteur Payload instruments, within the ESA's Aurora Exploration Programme, ExoMars mission. ExoMars 2018 main Scientific objective is "Searching for evidence of past and present life on Mars". Raman Spectroscopy is used to analyze the vibrational modes of a substance either in the solid, liquid or gas state. It relies on the inelastic scattering (Raman Scattering) of monochromatic light produced by atoms and molecules. The radiation-matter interaction results in the energy of the exciting photons to be shifted up or down. The shift in energy appears as a spectral distribution and therefore provides an unique fingerprint by which the substances can be identified and structurally analyzed. The RLS is being developed by an European Consortium composed by Spanish, French, German and UK partners. It will perform Raman spectroscopy on crushed powdered samples inside the Rover's Analytical Laboratory Drawer. Instrument performances are being evaluated by means of simulation tools and development of an instrument prototype.

ICALEO '91 - Laser materials processing; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Jose, CA, Nov. 3-8, 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metzbower, Edward A.; Beyer, Eckhard; Matsunawa, Akira

Consideration is given to new developments in LASERCAV technology, modeling of deep penetration laser welding, the theory of radiative transfer in the plasma of the keyhole in penetration laser welding, a synchronized laser-video camera system study of high power laser material interactions, laser process monitoring with dual wavelength optical sensors, new devices for on-line process diagnostics during laser machining, and the process development for a portable Nd:YAG laser materials processing system. Attention is also given to laser welding of alumina-reinforced 6061 aluminum alloy composite, the new trend of laser materials processing, optimization of the laser cutting process for thin section stainless steels, a new nozzle concept for cutting with high power lasers, rapid solidification effects during laser welding, laser surface modification of a low carbon steel with tungsten carbide and carbon, absorptivity of a polarized beam during laser hardening, and laser surface melting of 440 C tool steel. (No individual items are abstracted in this volume)

Study on the biodegradation of crude oil by free and immobilized bacterial consortium in marine environment.

PubMed

Chen, Qingguo; Li, Jingjing; Liu, Mei; Sun, Huiling; Bao, Mutai

2017-01-01

Five strains of bacteria, namely, Exiguobacterium sp. ASW-1, Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ASW-2, Alcaligenes sp. ASW-3, Alcaligenes sp. ASS-1, and Bacillus sp. ASS-2, were isolated from the Zhejiang coast in China. The mixed flora of the five strains performed well with degrading 75.1% crude oil (1%, w/v) in 7 days. The calcium alginate-activated carbon embedding carrier was used to immobilize bacterial consortium. Immobilized cells performed better than free ones in variations of environmental factors containing incubated temperature, initial pH, salinity of the medium and crude oil concentration. The degradation process of crude oil by immobilized bacteria was accelerated compared with that of the free ones. Bacterial consortium showed better performance on biodegradation of normal alkanes than that of PAHs. Improvement of immobilization on the biodegradation efficiency of normal alkanes (31.9%) was apparently high than that of PAHs (1.9%).

A novel production process for optically pure L-lactic acid from kitchen refuse using a bacterial consortium at high temperatures.

PubMed

Tashiro, Yukihiro; Matsumoto, Hiroko; Miyamoto, Hirokuni; Okugawa, Yuki; Pramod, Poudel; Miyamoto, Hisashi; Sakai, Kenji

2013-10-01

We investigated L-lactic acid production in static batch fermentation of kitchen refuse using a bacterial consortium from marine-animal-resource (MAR) composts at temperatures ranging from 30 to 65 °C. At relatively low temperatures butyric acid accumulated, whereas at higher temperatures L-lactic acid was produced. In particular, fermentation at 50 °C produced 34.5 g L(-1) L-lactic acid with 90% lactic acid selectivity and 100% optical purity. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis indicated that dominant bacteria present in the original MAR composts diminished rapidly and Bacillus coagulans strains became the dominant contributors to L-lactic acid production at 45, 50 and 55 °C. This is the first report of the achievement of 100% optical purity of L-lactic acid using a bacterial consortium. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Column bioleaching of uranium embedded in granite porphyry by a mesophilic acidophilic consortium.

PubMed

Qiu, Guanzhou; Li, Qian; Yu, Runlan; Sun, Zhanxue; Liu, Yajie; Chen, Miao; Yin, Huaqun; Zhang, Yage; Liang, Yili; Xu, Lingling; Sun, Limin; Liu, Xueduan

2011-04-01

A mesophilic acidophilic consortium was enriched from acid mine drainage samples collected from several uranium mines in China. The performance of the consortium in column bioleaching of low-grade uranium embedded in granite porphyry was investigated. The influences of several chemical parameters on uranium extraction in column reactor were also investigated. A uranium recovery of 96.82% was achieved in 97 days column leaching process including 33 days acid pre-leaching stage and 64 days bioleaching stage. It was reflected that indirect leaching mechanism took precedence over direct. Furthermore, the bacterial community structure was analyzed by using Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis. The results showed that microorganisms on the residual surface were more diverse than that in the solution. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was the dominant species in the solution and Leptospirillum ferriphilum on the residual surface. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on the biodegradation of crude oil by free and immobilized bacterial consortium in marine environment

PubMed Central

Li, Jingjing; Liu, Mei; Sun, Huiling; Bao, Mutai

2017-01-01

Five strains of bacteria, namely, Exiguobacterium sp. ASW-1, Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ASW-2, Alcaligenes sp. ASW-3, Alcaligenes sp. ASS-1, and Bacillus sp. ASS-2, were isolated from the Zhejiang coast in China. The mixed flora of the five strains performed well with degrading 75.1% crude oil (1%, w/v) in 7 days. The calcium alginate—activated carbon embedding carrier was used to immobilize bacterial consortium. Immobilized cells performed better than free ones in variations of environmental factors containing incubated temperature, initial pH, salinity of the medium and crude oil concentration. The degradation process of crude oil by immobilized bacteria was accelerated compared with that of the free ones. Bacterial consortium showed better performance on biodegradation of normal alkanes than that of PAHs. Improvement of immobilization on the biodegradation efficiency of normal alkanes (31.9%) was apparently high than that of PAHs (1.9%). PMID:28346510

The CTSA Consortium's Catalog of Assets for Translational and Clinical Health Research (CATCHR)

PubMed Central

Mapes, Brandy; Basford, Melissa; Zufelt, Anneliese; Wehbe, Firas; Harris, Paul; Alcorn, Michael; Allen, David; Arnim, Margaret; Autry, Susan; Briggs, Michael S.; Carnegie, Andrea; Chavis‐Keeling, Deborah; De La Pena, Carlos; Dworschak, Doris; Earnest, Julie; Grieb, Terri; Guess, Marilyn; Hafer, Nathaniel; Johnson, Tesheia; Kasper, Amanda; Kopp, Janice; Lockie, Timothy; Lombardo, Vincetta; McHale, Leslie; Minogue, Andrea; Nunnally, Beth; O'Quinn, Deanna; Peck, Kelly; Pemberton, Kieran; Perry, Cheryl; Petrie, Ginny; Pontello, Andria; Posner, Rachel; Rehman, Bushra; Roth, Deborah; Sacksteder, Paulette; Scahill, Samantha; Schieri, Lorri; Simpson, Rosemary; Skinner, Anne; Toussant, Kim; Turner, Alicia; Van der Put, Elaine; Wasser, June; Webb, Chris D.; Williams, Maija; Wiseman, Lori; Yasko, Laurel; Pulley, Jill

2014-01-01

Abstract The 61 CTSA Consortium sites are home to valuable programs and infrastructure supporting translational science and all are charged with ensuring that such investments translate quickly to improved clinical care. Catalog of Assets for Translational and Clinical Health Research (CATCHR) is the Consortium's effort to collect and make available information on programs and resources to maximize efficiency and facilitate collaborations. By capturing information on a broad range of assets supporting the entire clinical and translational research spectrum, CATCHR aims to provide the necessary infrastructure and processes to establish and maintain an open‐access, searchable database of consortium resources to support multisite clinical and translational research studies. Data are collected using rigorous, defined methods, with the resulting information made visible through an integrated, searchable Web‐based tool. Additional easy‐to‐use Web tools assist resource owners in validating and updating resource information over time. In this paper, we discuss the design and scope of the project, data collection methods, current results, and future plans for development and sustainability. With increasing pressure on research programs to avoid redundancy, CATCHR aims to make available information on programs and core facilities to maximize efficient use of resources. PMID:24456567

Understanding Kombucha Tea Fermentation: A Review.

PubMed

Villarreal-Soto, Silvia Alejandra; Beaufort, Sandra; Bouajila, Jalloul; Souchard, Jean-Pierre; Taillandier, Patricia

2018-03-01

Kombucha is a beverage of probable Manchurian origins obtained from fermented tea by a microbial consortium composed of several bacteria and yeasts. This mixed consortium forms a powerful symbiosis capable of inhibiting the growth of potentially contaminating bacteria. The fermentation process also leads to the formation of a polymeric cellulose pellicle due to the activity of certain strains of Acetobacter sp. The tea fermentation process by the microbial consortium was able to show an increase in certain biological activities which have been already studied; however, little information is available on the characterization of its active components and their evolution during fermentation. Studies have also reported that the use of infusions from other plants may be a promising alternative. Kombucha is a traditional fermented tea whose consumption has increased in the recent years due to its multiple functional properties such as anti-inflammatory potential and antioxidant activity. The microbiological composition of this beverage is quite complex and still more research is needed in order to fully understand its behavior. This study comprises the chemical and microbiological composition of the tea and the main factors that may affect its production. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Meta-analysis of human genome-microbiome association studies: the MiBioGen consortium initiative.

PubMed

Wang, Jun; Kurilshikov, Alexander; Radjabzadeh, Djawad; Turpin, Williams; Croitoru, Kenneth; Bonder, Marc Jan; Jackson, Matthew A; Medina-Gomez, Carolina; Frost, Fabian; Homuth, Georg; Rühlemann, Malte; Hughes, David; Kim, Han-Na; Spector, Tim D; Bell, Jordana T; Steves, Claire J; Timpson, Nicolas; Franke, Andre; Wijmenga, Cisca; Meyer, Katie; Kacprowski, Tim; Franke, Lude; Paterson, Andrew D; Raes, Jeroen; Kraaij, Robert; Zhernakova, Alexandra

2018-06-08

In recent years, human microbiota, especially gut microbiota, have emerged as an important yet complex trait influencing human metabolism, immunology, and diseases. Many studies are investigating the forces underlying the observed variation, including the human genetic variants that shape human microbiota. Several preliminary genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been completed, but more are necessary to achieve a fuller picture. Here, we announce the MiBioGen consortium initiative, which has assembled 18 population-level cohorts and some 19,000 participants. Its aim is to generate new knowledge for the rapidly developing field of microbiota research. Each cohort has surveyed the gut microbiome via 16S rRNA sequencing and genotyped their participants with full-genome SNP arrays. We have standardized the analytical pipelines for both the microbiota phenotypes and genotypes, and all the data have been processed using identical approaches. Our analysis of microbiome composition shows that we can reduce the potential artifacts introduced by technical differences in generating microbiota data. We are now in the process of benchmarking the association tests and performing meta-analyses of genome-wide associations. All pipeline and summary statistics results will be shared using public data repositories. We present the largest consortium to date devoted to microbiota-GWAS. We have adapted our analytical pipelines to suit multi-cohort analyses and expect to gain insight into host-microbiota cross-talk at the genome-wide level. And, as an open consortium, we invite more cohorts to join us (by contacting one of the corresponding authors) and to follow the analytical pipeline we have developed.

From vision to reality--managing change in the provision of library and information services to nurses, midwives, health visitors and PAMs: (professions allied to medicine) a case study of the North Thames experience with the Inner London Consortium.

PubMed

Godbolt, S; Williamson, J; Wilson, A

1997-06-01

One of the North Thames' pioneering consortia, the Inner London Consortium (ILC) is a complex body which includes NHS Trusts with teaching hospital university connections, community-based Trusts and general hospital acute Trusts. Within the consortium there are 12,000 trained nurses, midwives, health visitors and other professional staff working in the professions allied to medicine (PAMs), all of whom require access to and provision of appropriate library information services. In 1994, taking into account experiences elsewhere in the Region and nationally, it became clear that library issues were complex and would become acute with the move of nursing libraries from ILC Trust sites over a very short timescale. A report on the issues commissioned by the Consortium recommended that a library project, which built on existing NHS Trust PGMDE funded library resources and moved these to a multidisciplinary base to serve the consortium membership, be implemented. The objective of providing access to library information services for nurses and PAMs was achieved. Successes that emerged from the implementation included: The registration in Trust libraries of almost 12 000 new members within the initial 6-month monitoring period. The development of service level agreements and standards for the delivery of services to these new user groups. This paper describes the processes behind these significant and complex changes.

Proteome Characterization Centers - TCGA

Cancer.gov

The centers, a component of NCI’s Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium, will analyze a subset of TCGA samples to define proteins translated from cancer genomes and their related biological processes.

25 CFR 1000.73 - Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information from a non-BIA bureau? 1000.73 Section 1000.73 Indians OFFICE OF THE... § 1000.73 Once a Tribe/Consortium has been awarded a grant, may the Tribe/Consortium obtain information...

Defensive aids suite prototype for light armored vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantin, Andre; Fortin, Jean; Venter, Johan; Philip, Brian G.; Hagen, Russell; Krieger, Dietmar; Greenley, Mike

2001-09-01

The Defence Research Establishment Valcartier has initiated in 1998 R&D work to investigate and to demonstrate key technologies required for future Defensive Aid Suite to protect Light Armoured Vehicles. A basic Defensive Aid Suite demonstrator (Phase I) was built and integrated into the LAV vetronics by Litton Systems Canada and his consortium. The Defensive Aid Suite consisted of a 2-band HARLIDTM-based laser detection head, a processor capable to control and deploy countermeasures and a DAS touch-screen display all integrated in a Light Armored Vehicle. The crew was able to select the operation mode for direct fire or smoke deployment by pushing one of the pair of buttons available at the bottom of the display. This system was successfully demonstrated in October 1999 during an international trial. This article gives an overview of the results obtained in the field as well as some of the lessons learnt. It also describes laboratory and field measurements made on the Laser Warning Receiver unit itself. The results of the DAS tactical use and of Human factor evaluation will illustrate its performance within typical laser threat scenarios. This work will serve as the basis for the recommendation of a future DAS demonstrator (Phase II) integrating more sensors and countermeasures.

Possibilities of Laser Processing of Paper Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, Alexander; Saukkonen, Esa; Piili, Heidi

Nowadays, lasers are applied in many industrial processes: the most developed technologies include such processes as laser welding, hybrid welding, laser cutting of steel, etc. In addition to laser processing of metallic materials, there are also many industrial applications of laser processing of non-metallic materials, like laser welding of polymers, laser marking of glass and laser cutting of wood-based materials. It is commonly known that laser beam is suitable for cutting of paper materials as well as all natural wood-fiber based materials. This study reveals the potential and gives overview of laser application in processing of paper materials. In 1990's laser technology increased its volume in papermaking industry; lasers at paper industry gained acceptance for different perforating and scoring applications. Nowadays, with reduction in the cost of equipment and development of laser technology (especially development of CO2 technology), laser processing of paper material has started to become more widely used and more efficient. However, there exists quite little published research results and reviews about laser processing of paper materials. In addition, forest industry products with pulp and paper products in particular are among major contributors for the Finnish economy with 20% share of total exports in the year 2013. This has been the standpoint of view and motivation for writing this literature review article: when there exists more published research work, knowledge of laser technology can be increased to apply it for processing of paper materials.

The Bologna Process and Its Impact on University-Level Chemical Education in Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinto, Gabriel

2010-01-01

This article describes the Bologna Process, an effort by a consortium of nearly 50 European countries trying to standardize the higher education system in Europe. Starting from a nonbinding agreement (the 1999 Bologna Declaration), the Bologna Process involves a voluntary joint venture for the construction of a European higher education area…

An innovative symbiotic microalgae-IFAS process for nutrient removal and photo-oxygenation: Multi-scale investigations using microelectrodes and next-generation molecular tools

EPA Science Inventory

A consortium of algae and bacteria is known to be effective in removing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from wastewater; however, the concept has largely been limited to suspended processes and fixed filmed (biofilm) processes have not fully been explored. Here we demonstrate the...

Visible-IR and Raman micro-spectroscopic investigation of three Itokawa particles collected by Hayabusa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunetto, R.; Bonal, L.; Beck, P.; Dartois, E.; Dionnet, Z.; Djouadi, Z.; Füri, E.; Kakazu, Y.; Oudayer, P.; Quirico, E.; Engrand, C.

2014-07-01

HAYABUSA grains offer a unique perspective to better understand the link between asteroids and cosmomaterials available in the laboratory and to get an insight on the early stages of surface space weathering. The scientific objectives of our consortium are threefold: (i) the characterization of asteroidal surface processes (e.g., space weathering alteration); (ii) the assessment of parent-body alteration processes; (iii) the search for a possible association between S-type asteroids and micrometeorites. To this aim, our strategy is based on a combination of analytical techniques. Here we report a first series of results obtained through Visible-Infrared and Raman spectroscopy of three Itokawa particles (RA-QD02-0163, -0174, and -0213) collected by the Hayabusa spacecraft and provided by JAXA for our consortium. In a first step, our main objective was to collect maximum information without altering the particles. Reported results were thus obtained on the raw particles, both (i) in their original containers, and (ii) deposited on diamond windows. Raman and IR confocal spectra were acquired at the SMIS beamline of the French national synchrotron facility SOLEIL and at the Lyon Raman national facility using spots of 2 μ m for the Raman, and 10--20 μ m for the IR analyses. Point analyses and automatic mapping were performed. Analytical parameters (e.g., laser power on the sample) were optimized to prevent any damage. Diffuse reflectance spectra (i=45°, e=0°) in the visible and near-IR wavelengths were obtained with an IAS-CSNSM in-home system coupling a fiber spectrometer to an optical microscope, providing a 20-μ m spot on sample. In the case of particle -0163, Raman and IR results reveal a heterogeneous mixing of minerals, mostly olivine (Fo76), and Ca-rich (En50, Wo50) and Ca-poor (En85) pyroxenes. The modal distribution of these minerals is determined based on the spectral maps. The mineral compositions of -0163 are consistent with those previously reported on distinct Hayabusa particles [e.g., 1]. The Itokawa materials are compatible with an LL4-6 chondrite classification based on O isotopes and chemical compositions of minerals (e.g., [1,2]). In particular, -0163 might be related to the least metamorphosed particles (LL4), based on the high Fo content of the olivine [1]. The diffuse reflectance VIS-NIR spectra are consistent with the presence of the mineral groups detected via Raman and IR. In particular, the spectra of particles -0163 and -0213 are also compatible with the ground-based observations of the asteroid Itokawa [3] both in terms of the 1-μ m band depth and the spectral slope. Particle -0174 has a similar 1-μ m band depth but higher (redder) spectral slope, possibly indicative of the presence of a larger amount of nanophase metallic iron, a by-product of space weathering induced by solar wind, similarly to what has been detected on other Itokawa particles [4]. Future work: A noble gas study of the particles will be performed. We will determine the noble gas (He-Ne-Ar) and nitrogen abundance and isotope characteristics of the two grains by CO_2 laser heating or UV laser ablation. By identifying and quantifying the proportion of solar and cosmogenic volatiles in Itokawa samples, we will be able to better constrain the residence time of dust particles on the surface of the asteroid, and to determine if any primordial volatile component has survived in the regolith material.

Teaching Practise Utilising Embedded Indigenous Cultural Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Stephanie

2017-01-01

The Wollotuka Institute, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, is the first university or organisation to enter into the accreditation process with the World Indigenous Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC). Part of that process includes identifying the local cultural standards and protocols that drive and shape our work as a cultural entity.…

Reading, Pa.: Training Local People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connell, Eileen

1978-01-01

Describes the training process for the local takeover of the New York University--Reading (Pennsylvania) Consortium interactive cable television project for the delivery of social services to senior citizens. The process included hiring and training of staff, training of users, and creation and staffing of the organization needed to operate the…

Fermentation and recovery process for lactic acid production

DOEpatents

Tsai, S.P.; Moon, S.H.; Coleman, R.

1995-11-07

A method is described for converting starch to glucose and fermenting glucose to lactic acid, including simultaneous saccharification and fermentation through use of a novel consortium of bacterial strains. 2 figs.

Characterization of the biodegradation, bioremediation and detoxification capacity of a bacterial consortium able to degrade the fungicide thiabendazole.

PubMed

Perruchon, Chiara; Pantoleon, Anastasios; Veroutis, Dimitrios; Gallego-Blanco, Sara; Martin-Laurent, F; Liadaki, Kalliopi; Karpouzas, Dimitrios G

2017-12-01

Thiabendazole (TBZ) is a persistent fungicide used in the post-harvest treatment of fruits. Its application results in the production of contaminated effluents which should be treated before their environmental discharge. In the absence of efficient treatment methods in place, biological systems based on microbial inocula with specialized degrading capacities against TBZ could be a feasible treatment approach. Only recently the first bacterial consortium able to rapidly transform TBZ was isolated. This study aimed to characterize its biodegradation, bioremediation and detoxification potential. The capacity of the consortium to mineralize 14 C-benzyl-ring labelled TBZ was initially assessed. Subsequent tests evaluated its degradation capacity under various conditions (range of pH, temperatures and TBZ concentration levels) and relevant practical scenarios (simultaneous presence of other postharvest compounds) and its bioaugmentation potential in soils contaminated with increasing TBZ levels. Finally cytotoxicity assays explored its detoxification potential. The consortium effectively mineralized the benzoyl ring of the benzimidazole moiety of TBZ and degraded spillage level concentrations of the fungicide in aqueous cultures (750 mg L -1 ) and in soil (500 mg kg -1 ). It maintained its high degradation capacity in a wide range of pH (4.5-7.5) and temperatures (15-37 °C) and in the presence of other pesticides (ortho-phenylphenol and diphenylamine). Toxicity assays using the human liver cancer cell line HepG2 showed a progressive decrease in cytotoxicity, concomitantly with the biodegradation of TBZ, pointing to a detoxification process. Overall, the bacterial consortium showed high potential for future implementation in bioremediation and biodepuration applications.

Improving Undergraduate Research Experiences With An Intentional Mentoring Program: Lessons Learned Through Assessment of Keck Geology Consortium Programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirth, K. R.; Garver, J. I.; Greer, L.; Pollock, M.; Varga, R. J.; Davidson, C. M.; Frey, H. M.; Hubbard, D. K.; Peck, W. H.; Wobus, R. A.

2015-12-01

The Keck Geology Consortium, with support from the National Science Foundation (REU Program) and ExxonMobil, is a collaborative effort by 18 colleges to improve geoscience education through high-quality research experiences. Since its inception in 1987 more than 1350 undergraduate students and 145 faculty have been involved in 189 yearlong research projects. This non-traditional REU model offers exceptional opportunities for students to address research questions at a deep level, to learn and utilize sophisticated analytical methods, and to engage in authentic collaborative research that culminates in an undergraduate research symposium and published abstracts volume. The large numbers of student and faculty participants in Keck projects also affords a unique opportunity to study the impacts of program design on undergraduate research experiences in the geosciences. Students who participate in Keck projects generally report significant gains in personal and professional dimensions, as well as in clarification of educational and career goals. Survey data from student participants, project directors, and campus advisors identify mentoring as one of the most critical and challenging elements of successful undergraduate research experiences. Additional challenges arise from the distributed nature of Keck projects (i.e., participants, project directors, advisors, and other collaborators are at different institutions) and across the span of yearlong projects. In an endeavor to improve student learning about the nature and process of science, and to make mentoring practices more intentional, the Consortium has developed workshops and materials to support both project directors and campus research advisors (e.g., best practices for mentoring, teaching ethical professional conduct, benchmarks for progress, activities to support students during research process). The Consortium continues to evolve its practices to better support students from underrepresented groups.

Geodesy and the UNAVCO Consortium: Three Decades of Innovations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowan, L. R.; Miller, M. M.; Meertens, C. M.; Mattioli, G. S.

2015-12-01

UNAVCO, a non-profit, university consortium that supports geoscience research using geodesy, began with the ingenious recognition that the nascent Global Positioning System constellation (GPS) could be used to investigate earth processes. The consortium purchased one of the first commercially available GPS receivers, Texas Instrument's TI-4100 NAVSTAR Navigator, in 1984 to measure plate deformation. This early work was highlighted in a technology magazine, GPSWorld, in 1990. Over a 30-year period, UNAVCO and the community have helped advance instrument design for mobility, flexibility, efficiency and interoperability, so research could proceed with higher precision and under ever challenging conditions. Other innovations have been made in data collection, processing, analysis, management and archiving. These innovations in tools, methods and data have had broader impacts as they have found greater utility beyond research for timing, precise positioning, safety, communication, navigation, surveying, engineering and recreation. Innovations in research have expanded the utility of geodetic tools beyond the solid earth science through creative analysis of the data and the methods. For example, GPS sounding of the atmosphere is now used for atmospheric and space sciences. GPS reflectrometry, another critical advance, supports soil science, snow science and ecological research. Some research advances have had broader impacts for society by driving innovations in hazards risk reduction, hazards response, resource management, land use planning, surveying, engineering and other uses. Furthermore, the geodetic data is vital for the design of space missions, testing and advancing communications, and testing and dealing with interference and GPS jamming. We will discuss three decades (and counting) of advances by the National Science Foundation's premiere geodetic facility, consortium and some of the many geoscience principal investigators that have driven innovations in research, instrumentation, data management, cyberinfrastructure and other applications.

Bacterial community dynamic associated with autochthonous bioaugmentation for enhanced Cu phytoremediation of salt-marsh sediments.

PubMed

Almeida, C Marisa R; Oliveira, Tânia; Reis, Izabela; Gomes, Carlos R; Mucha, Ana P

2017-12-01

Autochthonous bioaugmentation for metal phytoremediation is still little explored, particularly its application to estuarine salt marshes, but results obtained so far are promising. Nevertheless, understanding the behaviour of the microbial communities in the process of bioaugmentation and their role in improving metal phytoremediation is very important to fully validate the application of this biological technology. This study aimed to characterize the bacterial community dynamic associated with the application of autochthonous bioaugmentation in an experimentation which showed that Phragmites australis rhizosphere microorganisms could increase this salt marsh plant potential to phytoremediate Cu contaminated sediments. Bacterial communities present in the autochthonous microbial consortium resistant to Cu added to the medium and in the sediment at the beginning and at the end of the experiment were characterized by ARISA. Complementarily, the consortium and the sediment used for its production were characterized by next generation sequencing using the pyrosequencing platform 454. The microbial consortium resistant to Cu obtained from non-vegetated sediment was dominated by the genus Lactococcus (46%), Raoultella (25%), Bacillus (12%) and Acinetobacter (11%), whereas the one obtained form rhizosediment was dominated by the genus Gluconacetobacter (77%), Bacillus (17%) and Dyella (3%). Results clearly showed that, after two months of experiment, Cu caused a shift in the bacterial community structure of sediments, an effect that was observed either with or without addition of the metal resistant microbial consortium. Therefore, bioaugmentation application improved the process of phytoremediation (metal translocation by the plant was increased) without inducing long term changes in the bacterial community structure of the sediments. So, phytoremediation combined with autochthonous bioaugmentation can be a suitable technology for the recovery of estuarine areas, contributing for an efficient risk management strategy of these coastal zones. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A natural macroalgae consortium for biosorption of copper from aqueous solution: Optimization, modeling and design studies.

PubMed

Deniz, Fatih; Ersanli, Elif Tezel

2018-03-21

In this study, the capacity of a natural macroalgae consortium consisting of Chaetomorpha sp., Polysiphonia sp., Ulva sp. and Cystoseira sp. species for the removal of copper ions from aqueous environment was investigated at different operating conditions, such as solution pH, copper ion concentration and contact time. These environmental parameters affecting the biosorption process were optimized on the basis of batch experiments. The experimentally obtained data for the biosorption of copper ions onto the macroalgae-based biosorbent were modeled using the isotherm models of Freundlich, Langmuir, Sips and Dubinin-Radushkevich and the kinetic models of pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and Weber and Morris. The pseudo-first-order and Sips equations were the most suitable models to describe the copper biosorption from aqueous solution. The thermodynamic data revealed the feasibility, spontaneity and physical nature of biosorption process. Based on the data of Sips isotherm model, the biosorption capacity of biosorbent for copper ions was calculated as 105.370 mg g -1 under the optimum operating conditions. A single-stage batch biosorption system was developed to predict the real-scale-based copper removal performance of biosorbent. The results of this investigation showed the potential utility of macroalgae consortium for the biosorption of copper ions from aqueous medium.

UNAVCO Data Center Initiatives in CyberInfrastructure for Discovery, Services, and Distribution of Data and Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boler, F.; Meertens, C.

2012-04-01

The UNAVCO Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, archives for preservation and distributes geodesy data and products in the GNSS, InSAR, and LiDAR domains to the scientific and education community. The GNSS data, which in addition to geodesy are useful for tectonic, volcanologic, ice mass, glacial isostatic adjustment, meteorological and other studies, come from 2,500 continuously operating stations and 8000 survey-mode observation points around the globe that are operated by over 100 U.S. and international members of the UNAVCO consortium. SAR data, which are in many ways complementary to the GNSS data collection have been acquired in concert with the WInSAR Consortium activities and with EarthScope, with a focus on the western United States. UNAVCO also holds a growing collection of terrestrial laser scanning data. Several partner US geodesy data centers, along with UNAVCO, have developed and are in the process of implementing the Geodesy Seamless Archive Centers, a web services based technology to facilitate the exchange of metadata and delivery of data and products to users. These services utilize a repository layer implemented at each data center, and a service layer to identify and present any data center-specific services and capabilities, allowing simplified vertical federation of metadata from independent data centers. UNAVCO also has built web services for SAR data discovery and delivery, and will partner with other SAR data centers and institutions to provide access for the InSAR scientist to SAR data and ancillary data sets, web services to produce interferograms, and mechanisms to archive and distribute resulting higher level products. Improved access to LiDAR data from space-based, airborne, and terrestrial platforms through utilization of web services is similarly currently under development. These efforts in cyberinfrastructure, while initially aimed at intra-domain data sharing and providing products for research and education, are envisioned as potentially serving as the basis for leveraging integrated access across a broad set of Earth science domains.

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

NONE

ARCTECH has developed a novel process (MicGAS) for direct, anaerobic biomethanation of coals. Biomethanation potential of coals of different ranks (Anthracite, bitumious, sub-bitumious, and lignites of different types), by various microbial consortia, was investigated. Studies on biogasification of Texas Lignite (TxL) were conducted with a proprietary microbial consortium, Mic-1, isolated from hind guts of soil eating termites (Zootermopsis and Nasutitermes sp.) and further improved at ARCTECH. Various microbial populations of the Mic-1 consortium carry out the multi-step MicGAS Process. First, the primary coal degraders, or hydrolytic microbes, degrade the coal to high molecular weight (MW) compounds. Then acedogens ferment themore » high MW compounds to low MW volatile fatty acids. The volatile fatty acids are converted to acetate by acetogens, and the methanogens complete the biomethanation by converting acetate and CO{sub 2} to methane.« less

The Bridging Advanced Developments for Exceptional Rehabilitation (BADER) Consortium: Reaching in Partnership for Optimal Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Outcomes

PubMed Central

Stanhope, Steven J.; Wilken, Jason M.; Pruziner, Alison L.; Dearth, Christopher L.; Wyatt, Marilynn; Ziemke, CAPT Gregg W.; Strickland, Rachel; Milbourne, Suzanne A.; Kaufman, Kenton R.

2017-01-01

The Bridging Advanced Developments for Exceptional Rehabilitation (BADER) Consortium began in September 2011 as a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program. A partnership was formed with DoD Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Centers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), academia, and industry to rapidly conduct innovative, high-impact, and sustainable clinically relevant research. The BADER Consortium has a unique research capacity-building focus that creates infrastructures and strategically connects and supports research teams to conduct multiteam research initiatives primarily led by MTF and VA investigators. BADER relies on strong partnerships with these agencies to strengthen and support orthopaedic rehabilitation research. Its focus is on the rapid forming and execution of projects focused on obtaining optimal functional outcomes for patients with limb loss and limb injuries. The Consortium is based on an NIH research capacity-building model that comprises essential research support components that are anchored by a set of BADER-funded and initiative-launching studies. Through a partnership with the DoD/VA Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence, the BADER Consortium’s research initiative-launching program has directly supported the identification and establishment of eight BADER-funded clinical studies. BADER’s Clinical Research Core (CRC) staff, who are embedded within each of the MTFs, have supported an additional 37 non-BADER Consortium-funded projects. Additional key research support infrastructures that expedite the process for conducting multisite clinical trials include an omnibus Cooperative Research and Development Agreement and the NIH Clinical Trials Database. A 2015 Defense Health Board report highlighted the Consortium’s vital role, stating the research capabilities of the DoD Advanced Rehabilitation Centers are significantly enhanced and facilitated by the BADER Consortium. PMID:27849456

Assigning ecological roles to the populations belonging to a phenanthrene-degrading bacterial consortium using omic approaches

PubMed Central

Coppotelli, Bibiana Marina; Madueño, Laura; Loviso, Claudia Lorena; Macchi, Marianela; Neme Tauil, Ricardo Martin; Valacco, María Pía; Morelli, Irma Susana

2017-01-01

The present study describes the behavior of a natural phenanthrene-degrading consortium (CON), a synthetic consortium (constructed with isolated strains from CON) and an isolated strain form CON (Sphingobium sp. AM) in phenanthrene cultures to understand the interactions among the microorganisms present in the natural consortium during phenanthrene degradation as a sole carbon and energy source in liquid cultures. In the contaminant degradation assay, the defined consortium not only achieved a major phenanthrene degradation percentage (> 95%) but also showed a more efficient elimination of the intermediate metabolite. The opposite behavior occurred in the CON culture where the lowest phenanthrene degradation and the highest HNA accumulation were observed, which suggests the presence of positive and also negative interaction in CON. To consider the uncultured bacteria present in CON, a metagenomic library was constructed with total CON DNA. One of the resulting scaffolds (S1P3) was affiliated with the Betaproteobacteria class and resulted in a significant similarity with a genome fragment from Burkholderia sp. HB1 chromosome 1. A complete gene cluster, which is related to one of the lower pathways (meta-cleavage of catechol) involved in PAH degradation (ORF 31–43), mobile genetic elements and associated proteins, was found. These results suggest the presence of at least one other microorganism in CON besides Sphingobium sp. AM, which is capable of degrading PAH through the meta-cleavage pathway. Burkholderiales order was further found, along with Sphingomonadales order, by a metaproteomic approach, which indicated that both orders were metabolically active in CON. Our results show the presence of negative interactions between bacterial populations found in a natural consortium selected by enrichment techniques; moreover, the synthetic syntrophic processing chain with only one microorganism with the capability of degrading phenanthrene was more efficient in contaminant and intermediate metabolite degradation than a generalist strain (Sphingobium sp. AM). PMID:28886166

Cancer drug funding decisions in Scotland: impact of new end-of-life, orphan and ultra-orphan processes.

PubMed

Morrell, Liz; Wordsworth, Sarah; Fu, Howell; Rees, Sian; Barker, Richard

2017-08-30

The Scottish Medicines Consortium evaluates new drugs for use in the National Health Service in Scotland. Reforms in 2014 to their evaluation process aimed to increase patient access to new drugs for end-of-life or rare conditions; the changes include additional steps in the process to gain further information from patients and clinicians, and for revised commercial agreements. This study examines the extent of any impact of the reforms on funding decisions. Data on the Scottish Medicines Consortium's funding decisions during 24 months post-reform were extracted from published Advice, for descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Comparison data were extracted for the 24 months pre-reform. Data on decisions for England by the National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence for the same drugs were extracted from published Technology Appraisals. The new process was used by 90% (53/59) of cancer submissions. It is triggered if the initial advice is not to recommend, and this risk-of-rejection level is higher than in the pre-period. Thirty-eight cancer drugs obtained some level of funding through the new process, but there was no significant difference in the distribution of decision types compared to the pre-reform period. Thematic analysis of patient and clinician input showed no clear relationship between issues raised and funding decision. Differences between SMC's and NICE's definitions of End-of-Life did not fully explain differences in funding decisions. The Scottish Medicines Consortium's reforms have allowed funding of up to 38 cancer drugs that might previously have been rejected. However, the contribution of specific elements of the reforms to the final decision is unclear. The process could be improved by increased transparency in how the non-quantitative inputs influence decisions. Some disparities in funding decisions between England and Scotland are likely to remain despite recent process convergence.

Laser Processing of Multilayered Thermal Spray Coatings: Optimal Processing Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tewolde, Mahder; Zhang, Tao; Lee, Hwasoo; Sampath, Sanjay; Hwang, David; Longtin, Jon

2017-12-01

Laser processing offers an innovative approach for the fabrication and transformation of a wide range of materials. As a rapid, non-contact, and precision material removal technology, lasers are natural tools to process thermal spray coatings. Recently, a thermoelectric generator (TEG) was fabricated using thermal spray and laser processing. The TEG device represents a multilayer, multimaterial functional thermal spray structure, with laser processing serving an essential role in its fabrication. Several unique challenges are presented when processing such multilayer coatings, and the focus of this work is on the selection of laser processing parameters for optimal feature quality and device performance. A parametric study is carried out using three short-pulse lasers, where laser power, repetition rate and processing speed are varied to determine the laser parameters that result in high-quality features. The resulting laser patterns are characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and electrical isolation tests between patterned regions. The underlying laser interaction and material removal mechanisms that affect the feature quality are discussed. Feature quality was found to improve both by using a multiscanning approach and an optional assist gas of air or nitrogen. Electrically isolated regions were also patterned in a cylindrical test specimen.

Titanium nitride formation by a dual-stage femtosecond laser process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammouti, S.; Holybee, B.; Zhu, W.; Allain, J. P.; Jurczyk, B.; Ruzic, D. N.

2018-06-01

Formation of TiN by femtosecond laser processing in controlled gas atmosphere is reported. A dual-stage process was designed and aimed to first remove and restructure the native oxide layer of titanium surface through laser irradiation under an argon-controlled atmosphere, and then to maximize titanium nitride formation through an irradiation under a nitrogen reactive environment. An extensive XPS study was performed to identify and quantify laser-induced titanium surface chemistry modifications after a single-stage laser process (Ar and N2 individually), and a dual-stage laser process. The importance of each step that composes the dual-stage laser process was demonstrated and leads to the dual-stage laser process for the formation of TiO, Ti2O3 and TiN. In this study, the largest nitride formation occurs for the dual stage process with laser conditions at 4 W/1.3 J cm-2 under argon and 5 W/1.6 J cm-2 under nitrogen, yielding a total TiN composition of 8.9%. Characterization of both single-stage and dual-stage laser process-induced surface morphologies has been performed as well, leading to the observation of a wide range of hierarchical surface structures such as high-frequency ripples, grooves, protuberances and pillow-like patterns. Finally, water wettability was assessed by means of contact angle measurements on untreated titanium surface, and titanium surfaces resulting from either single-stage laser process or dual-stage laser process. Dual-stage laser process allows a transition of titanium surface, from phobic (93°) to philic (35°), making accessible both hydrophilic and chemically functionalized hierarchical surfaces.

Laser Micro and Nano Processing of Metals , Ceramics , and Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfleging, Wilhelm; Kohler, Robert; Südmeyer, Isabelle; Rohde, Magnus

Laser -based material processing is well investigated for structuring , modification , and bonding of metals , ceramics , glasses, and polymers . Especially for material processing on micrometer, and nanometer scale laser-assisted processes will very likely become more prevalent as lasers offer more cost-effective solutions for advanced material research, and application. Laser ablation , and surface modification are suitable for direct patterning of materials and their surface properties. Lasers allow rapid prototyping and small-batch manufacturing . They can also be used to pattern moving substrates, permitting fly-processing of large areas at reasonable speed. Different types of laser processes such as ablation, modification, and welding can be successfully combined in order to enable a high grade of bulk and surface functionality. Ultraviolet lasers favored for precise and debris-free patterns can be generated without the need for masks, resist materials, or chemicals. Machining of materials, for faster operation, thermally driven laser processes using NIR and IR laser radiation, could be increasingly attractive for a real rapid manufacturing.

News | Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Consortium aims to accelerate drug discovery process(Physics Today) Why big pharma and biotech are betting big on AI(NBC News) Scientists launch SF-based effort to dramatically cut cancer drug discovery time(SF Chronicle

Get on Board the Cost Effective Way: A Tech Prep Replication Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Wayne A.; Szul, Linda F.; Rivosecchi, Karen

1997-01-01

The Northwestern Pennsylvania Tech Prep Consortium model for replicating tech prep programs includes these steps: fact finding, local industry analysis, curriculum development, detailed description, marketing strategies, implementation, and program evaluation. (SK)

Strategic planning by the palliative care steering committee of the Middle East Cancer Consortium.

PubMed

Moore, Shannon Y; Pirrello, Rosene D; Christianson, Sonya K; Ferris, Frank D

2011-04-01

High quality comprehensive palliative care is a critical need for millions of patients and families, but remains only a dream in many parts of the world. The failure to do a strategic planning process is one obstacle to advancing education and pain prevention and relief. The Middle Eastern Cancer Consortium Steering Committee attendees completed an initial strategic planning process and identified "developmental steps" to advance palliative care. Underscoring the multi-disciplinary nature of comprehensive palliative care, discipline-specific planning was done (adult and pediatric cancer and medicine, pharmacy, nursing) in a separate process from country-specific planning. Delineating the layers of intersection and differences between disciplines and countries was very powerful. Finding the common strengths and weaknesses in the status quo creates the potential for a more powerful regional response to the palliative care needs. Implementing and refining these preliminary strategic plans will augment and align the efforts to advance palliative care education and pain management in the Middle East. The dream to prevent and relieve suffering for millions of patients with advanced disease will become reality with a powerful strategic planning process well implemented.

Biohythane system using two steps of POME fermentation process for supplying electrical energi : economic evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuldian, P.; Hastuti, Z. D.; Murti, S. D. S.; Adiarso

2018-03-01

Indonesia as the largest producer of palm oil in the world has the prospective to generate additional benefits such as electricity by utilizing Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME). The high Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) content of 35,000 ppm POME is a great potential for conversion to hydrogen and methane through a fermentation process. In this study, two stages of fermentation using a microbial consortium have been performed in the 1 m3 BioHythane reactor system to produce biohydrogen and biomethane. After two-stage fermentation process for 24 hours in this system, the microbial consortium succeeds in producing biohydrogen and biomethane of 32 and 60 vol. %, respectively. This gas product after the purification process could be converted to electricity to be 0.02 and 0.75 kWe, respectively. Furthermore, as result of economic calculation analysis, this biohythane system showed up the value of Capital Expenditures (CAPEX) of US 26,39540 and Operating Expenses (OPEX) of US 14,712 per year, and resulted total generated electricity cost of US 2.478 / kWh.

Precision laser processing for micro electronics and fiber optic manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Andrew; Osborne, Mike; Foster-Turner, Gideon; Dinkel, Duane W.

2008-02-01

The application of laser based materials processing for precision micro scale manufacturing in the electronics and fiber optic industry is becoming increasingly widespread and accepted. This presentation will review latest laser technologies available and discuss the issues to be considered in choosing the most appropriate laser and processing parameters. High repetition rate, short duration pulsed lasers have improved rapidly in recent years in terms of both performance and reliability enabling flexible, cost effective processing of many material types including metal, silicon, plastic, ceramic and glass. Demonstrating the relevance of laser micromachining, application examples where laser processing is in use for production will be presented, including miniaturization of surface mount capacitors by applying a laser technique for demetalization of tracks in the capacitor manufacturing process and high quality laser machining of fiber optics including stripping, cleaving and lensing, resulting in optical quality finishes without the need for traditional polishing. Applications include telecoms, biomedical and sensing. OpTek Systems was formed in 2000 and provide fully integrated systems and sub contract services for laser processes. They are headquartered in the UK and are establishing a presence in North America through a laser processing facility in South Carolina and sales office in the North East.

Effect of the temporal laser pulse asymmetry on pair production processes during intense laser-electron scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hojbota, C. I.; Kim, Hyung Taek; Kim, Chul Min; Pathak, V. B.; Nam, Chang Hee

2018-06-01

We investigate the effects of laser pulse shape on strong-field quantum electrodynamics (QED) processes during the collision between a relativistic electron beam and an intense laser pulse. The interplay between high-energy photon emission and two pair production processes, i.e. nonlinear Breit–Wheeler (BW) and Trident, was investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. We found that the temporal evolution of these two processes could be controlled by using laser pulses with different degrees of asymmetry. The temporal envelope of the laser pulse can significantly affect the number of pairs coming from the Trident process, while the nonlinear BW process is less sensitive to it. This study shows that the two QED processes can be examined with state-of-the-art petawatt lasers and the discrimination of the two pair creation processes is feasible by adjusting the temporal asymmetry of the colliding laser pulse.

PanScan, the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium, and the Pancreatic Cancer Case-Control Consortium

Cancer.gov

The Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium consists of more than a dozen prospective epidemiologic cohort studies within the NCI Cohort Consortium, whose leaders work together to investigate the etiology and natural history of pancreatic cancer.

A Process Research Framework: The International Process Research Consortium

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

projects ? 52 Theme P | IPRC Framework 5 P-30 How should a process for collaborative development be formulated? The development at different companies...requires some process for the actual collaboration . How should it be handled? P-31 How do we handle change? Requirements change during development ...source projects employ a single-site development model in which there is no large community of testers but rather a single-site small group

Degradation alternatives for a commercial fungicide in water: biological, photo-Fenton, and coupled biological photo-Fenton processes.

PubMed

López-Loveira, Elsa; Ariganello, Federico; Medina, María Sara; Centrón, Daniela; Candal, Roberto; Curutchet, Gustavo

2017-11-01

Imazalil (IMZ) is a widely used fungicide for the post-harvest treatment of citrus, classified as "likely to be carcinogenic in humans" for EPA, that can be only partially removed by conventional biological treatment. Consequently, specific or combined processes should be applied to prevent its release to the environment. Biological treatment with adapted microorganism consortium, photo-Fenton, and coupled biological photo-Fenton processes were tested as alternatives for the purification of water containing high concentration of the fungicide and the coadjutants present in the commercial formulation. IMZ-resistant consortium with the capacity to degrade IMZ in the presence of a C-rich co-substrate was isolated from sludge coming from a fruit packaging company wastewater treatment plant. This consortium was adapted to resist and degrade the organics present in photo-Fenton-oxidized IMZ water solution. Bacteria colonies from the consortia were isolated and identified. The effect of H 2 O 2 initial concentration and dosage on IMZ degradation rate, average oxidation state (AOS), organic acid concentration, oxidation, and mineralization percentage after photo-Fenton process was determined. The application of biological treatment to the oxidized solutions notably decreased the total organic carbon (TOC) in solution. The effect of the oxidation degree, limited by H 2 O 2 concentration and dosage, on the percentage of mineralization obtained after the biological treatment was determined and explained in terms of changes in AOS. The concentration of H 2 O 2 necessary to eliminate IMZ by photo-Fenton and to reduce TOC and chemical oxygen demand (COD) by biological treatment, in order to allow the release of the effluents to rivers with different flows, was estimated.

Comparisons of guardianship laws and surrogate decision-making practices in China, Japan, Thailand and Australia: a review by the Asia Consortium, International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) capacity taskforce.

PubMed

Tsoh, Joshua; Peisah, Carmelle; Narumoto, Jin; Wongpakaran, Nahathai; Wongpakaran, Tinakon; O'Neill, Nick; Jiang, Tao; Ogano, Shoichi; Mimura, Masaru; Kato, Yuka; Chiu, Helen

2015-06-01

The International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) capacity taskforce was established to promote the autonomy, proper access to care, and dignity of persons with decision-making disabilities (DMDs) across nations. The Asia Consortium of the taskforce was established to pursue these goals in the Asia-Pacific region. This paper is part of the Asia Consortium's initiative to promote understanding and advocacy in regard to surrogate decision-making across the region. The current guardianship laws are compared, and jurisdictional variations in the processes for proxy decision-making to support persons with DMDs and other health and social needs in China, Japan, Thailand, and Australia are explored. The different Asia-Pacific countries have various proxy decision-making mechanisms in place for persons with DMDs, which are both formalized according to common law, civil law, and other legislation, and shaped by cultural practices. Various processes for guardianship and mechanisms for medical decision-making and asset management exist across the region. Processes that are still evolving across the region include those that facilitate advanced planning as a result of the paucity of legal structures for enduring powers of attorney (EPA) and guardianship in some regions, and the struggle to achieve consensual positions in regard to end-of-life decision-making. Formal processes for supporting decision-making are yet to be developed. The diverse legal approaches to guardianship and administration must be understood to meet the challenges of the rapidly ageing population in the Asia-Pacific region. Commonalities in the solutions and difficulties faced in encountering these challenges have global significance.

First-principles modeling of laser-matter interaction and plasma dynamics in nanosecond pulsed laser shock processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhongyang; Nian, Qiong; Doumanidis, Charalabos C.; Liao, Yiliang

2018-02-01

Nanosecond pulsed laser shock processing (LSP) techniques, including laser shock peening, laser peen forming, and laser shock imprinting, have been employed for widespread industrial applications. In these processes, the main beneficial characteristic is the laser-induced shockwave with a high pressure (in the order of GPa), which leads to the plastic deformation with an ultrahigh strain rate (105-106/s) on the surface of target materials. Although LSP processes have been extensively studied by experiments, few efforts have been put on elucidating underlying process mechanisms through developing a physics-based process model. In particular, development of a first-principles model is critical for process optimization and novel process design. This work aims at introducing such a theoretical model for a fundamental understanding of process mechanisms in LSP. Emphasis is placed on the laser-matter interaction and plasma dynamics. This model is found to offer capabilities in predicting key parameters including electron and ion temperatures, plasma state variables (temperature, density, and pressure), and the propagation of the laser shockwave. The modeling results were validated by experimental data.

Monitoring of laser material processing using machine integrated low-coherence interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunze, Rouwen; König, Niels; Schmitt, Robert

2017-06-01

Laser material processing has become an indispensable tool in modern production. With the availability of high power pico- and femtosecond laser sources, laser material processing is advancing into applications, which demand for highest accuracies such as laser micro milling or laser drilling. In order to enable narrow tolerance windows, a closedloop monitoring of the geometrical properties of the processed work piece is essential for achieving a robust manufacturing process. Low coherence interferometry (LCI) is a high-precision measuring principle well-known from surface metrology. In recent years, we demonstrated successful integrations of LCI into several different laser material processing methods. Within this paper, we give an overview about the different machine integration strategies, that always aim at a complete and ideally telecentric integration of the measurement device into the existing beam path of the processing laser. Thus, highly accurate depth measurements within machine coordinates and a subsequent process control and quality assurance are possible. First products using this principle have already found its way to the market, which underlines the potential of this technology for the monitoring of laser material processing.

Northern New Jersey Nursing Education Consortium: a partnership for graduate nursing education.

PubMed

Quinless, F W; Levin, R F

1998-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the evolution and implementation of the Northern New Jersey Nursing Education consortium--a consortium of seven member institutions established in 1992. Details regarding the specific functions of the consortium relative to cross-registration of students in graduate courses, financial disbursement of revenue, faculty development activities, student services, library privileges, and institutional research review board mechanisms are described. The authors also review the administrative organizational structure through which the work conducted by the consortium occurs. Both the advantages and disadvantages of such a graduate consortium are explored, and specific examples of recent potential and real conflicts are fully discussed. The authors detail governance and structure of the consortium as a potential model for replication in other environments.

On the Need to Establish an International Soil Modeling Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vereecken, H.; Vanderborght, J.; Schnepf, A.

2014-12-01

Soil is one of the most critical life-supporting compartments of the Biosphere. Soil provides numerous ecosystem services such as a habitat for biodiversity, water and nutrients, as well as producing food, feed, fiber and energy. To feed the rapidly growing world population in 2050, agricultural food production must be doubled using the same land resources footprint. At the same time, soil resources are threatened due to improper management and climate change. Despite the many important functions of soil, many fundamental knowledge gaps remain, regarding the role of soil biota and biodiversity on ecosystem services, the structure and dynamics of soil communities, the interplay between hydrologic and biotic processes, the quantification of soil biogeochemical processes and soil structural processes, the resilience and recovery of soils from stress, as well as the prediction of soil development and the evolution of soils in the landscape, to name a few. Soil models have long played an important role in quantifying and predicting soil processes and related ecosystem services. However, a new generation of soil models based on a whole systems approach comprising all physical, mechanical, chemical and biological processes is now required to address these critical knowledge gaps and thus contribute to the preservation of ecosystem services, improve our understanding of climate-change-feedback processes, bridge basic soil science research and management, and facilitate the communication between science and society. To meet these challenges an international community effort is required, similar to initiatives in systems biology, hydrology, and climate and crop research. Our consortium will bring together modelers and experimental soil scientists at the forefront of new technologies and approaches to characterize soils. By addressing these aims, the consortium will contribute to improve the role of soil modeling as a knowledge dissemination instrument in addressing key global issues and stimulate the development of translational research activities. This presentation will provide a compelling case for this much-needed effort, with a focus on tangible benefits to the scientific and food security communities.

Simplification of the laser absorption process in the particle simulation for the laser-induced shockwave processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimamura, Kohei

2016-09-01

To reduce the computational cost in the particle method for the numerical simulation of the laser plasma, we examined the simplification of the laser absorption process. Because the laser frequency is sufficiently larger than the collision frequency between the electron and heavy particles, we assumed that the electron obtained the constant value from the laser irradiation. First of all, the simplification of the laser absorption process was verified by the comparison of the EEDF and the laser-absorptivity with PIC-FDTD method. Secondary, the laser plasma induced by TEA CO2 laser in Argon atmosphere was modeled using the 1D3V DSMC method with the simplification of the laser-absorption. As a result, the LSDW was observed with the typical electron and neutral density distribution.

CO2 lasers and applications II; Proceedings of the Third European Congress on Optics, The Hague, Netherlands, Mar. 12-14, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Opower, Hans (Editor)

1990-01-01

Recent advances in CO2 laser technology and its applications are examined. Topics discussed include the excitation of CO2 lasers by microwave discharge, a compact RF-excited 12-kW CO2 laser, a robotic laser for three-dimensional cutting and welding, three-dimensional CO2-laser material processing with gantry machine systems, and a comparison of hollow metallic waveguides and optical fibers for transmitting CO2-laser radiation. Consideration is given to an aerodynamic window with a pump cavity and a supersonic jet, cutting and welding Al using a high-repetition-rate pulsed CO2 laser, speckle reduction in CO2 heterodyne laser radar systems, high-power-laser float-zone crystal growth, melt dynamics in surface processing with laser radiation, laser hardfacing, surface melting of AlSi10Mg with CO2 laser radiation, material processing with Cu-vapor lasers, light-induced flow at a metal surface, and absorption measurements in high-power CW CO2-laser processing of materials.

Caspian games: A dynamic bargaining game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michaud, Dennis Wright

This Dissertation was written under the direction of Professor P.Terrence Hopmann. In this work, the author seeks to identify the independent variables affecting the outcome of three key decisions required of the international consortiums constructing Caspian oil export pipelines. The first of involves whether or not the enterprises developing the pipelines to export Kazakh oil, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium ("CPC"), and Azeri oil, the Azerbaijan International Operating Consortium ("CPC"), cooperate by utilizing the same route or utilize separate energy export corridors. Second, I analyzed how the actual Main Export Pipeline route ("MEP") for Azeri oil was selected by the AIOC. Finally, I tried to understand the factors driving the residual equity positions in each consortium. I was particularly interested in the equity position of Russian state and commercial interests in each consortium. I approached the puzzle as a multilevel bargaining problem. Hence, the preferences of each relevant actor (state and corporate levels) were assessed. The covering theory utilized was rational choice. An application of game theoretic modeling, particularly Bayesian analysis (used as a metaphor), accounted for the learning process resulting from the strategic interaction between actors. I sought to understand greater the refinement of each actor's perception of counterpart preferences. Additionally, the Gordon Constant Growth Model ("CGM") and the Sharp's Capital Asset Pricing Model ("CAPM") were utilized to relate multinational actors preferences, achieving a cost of capital based hurdle rate, to political risk. My end findings demonstrate this interrelationship and provide a clear argument for great power states to persuade newly developing Caspian states to adopt a more transparent, and credible approach to corporate governance. This revised state strategy will reduce multinationals' perception of political risk, lower firms' cost of capital (hurdle rate), and increase the funding of major energy development projects, which will stimulate economic and political development.

The Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science (VALUABLES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwayama, Y.; Mabee, B.; Wulf Tregar, S.

2017-12-01

National and international organizations are placing greater emphasis on the societal and economic benefits that can be derived from applications of Earth observations, yet improvements are needed to connect to the decision processes that produce actions with direct societal benefits. There is a need to substantiate the benefits of Earth science applications in socially and economically meaningful terms in order to demonstrate return on investment and to prioritize investments across data products, modeling capabilities, and information systems. However, methods and techniques for quantifying the value proposition of Earth observations are currently not fully established. Furthermore, it has been challenging to communicate the value of these investments to audiences beyond the Earth science community. The Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science (VALUABLES), a cooperative agreement between Resources for the Future (RFF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has the goal of advancing methods for the valuation and communication of the applied benefits linked with Earth observations. The VALUABLES Consortium will focus on three pillars: (a) a research pillar that will apply existing and innovative methods to quantify the socioeconomic benefits of information from Earth observations; (b) a capacity building pillar to catalyze interdisciplinary linkages between Earth scientists and social scientists; and (c) a communications pillar that will convey the value of Earth observations to stakeholders in government, universities, the NGO community, and the interested public. In this presentation, we will describe ongoing and future activities of the VALUABLES Consortium, provide a brief overview of frameworks to quantify the socioeconomic value of Earth observations, and describe how Earth scientists and social scientist can get involved in the Consortium's activities.

Laser assisted processing; Proceedings of the Meeting, Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany, Sept. 19, 20, 1988

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laude, Lucien D.; Rauscher, Gerhard

The use of lasers in industrial material processing is discussed in reviews and reports. Sections are devoted to high-precision laser machining, deposition methods, ablation and polymers, and synthesis and oxidation. Particular attention is given to laser cutting of steel sheets, laser micromachining of material surfaces, process control in laser soldering, laser-induced CVD of doped Si stripes on SOS and their characterization by piezoresistivity measurements, laser CVD of Pt spots on glass, laser deposition of GaAs, UV-laser photoablation of polymers, ArF excimer-laser ablation of HgCdTe semiconductor, pulsed laser synthesis of Ti silicides and nitrides, the kinetics of laser-assisted oxidation of metallic films, and excimer-laser-assisted etching of solids for microelectronics.

10 CFR 603.515 - Qualification of a consortium.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business Evaluation Recipient Qualification § 603.515 Qualification of a consortium. (a) A consortium that... under the agreement. (b) If the prospective recipient of a TIA is a consortium that is not formally...

10 CFR 603.515 - Qualification of a consortium.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business Evaluation Recipient Qualification § 603.515 Qualification of a consortium. (a) A consortium that... under the agreement. (b) If the prospective recipient of a TIA is a consortium that is not formally...

10 CFR 603.515 - Qualification of a consortium.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business Evaluation Recipient Qualification § 603.515 Qualification of a consortium. (a) A consortium that... under the agreement. (b) If the prospective recipient of a TIA is a consortium that is not formally...

25 CFR 1000.33 - What amount of funding is to be removed from the Consortium's AFA for the withdrawing Tribe?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Participation in Tribal Self-Governance Withdrawal from A Consortium Annual Funding Agreement § 1000.33 What... the Consortium agreement is reduced if: (1) The Consortium, Tribe, OSG, and bureau agree it is...

Functional consortium for denitrifying sulfide removal process.

PubMed

Chen, Chuan; Ren, Nanqi; Wang, Aijie; Liu, Lihong; Lee, Duu-Jong

2010-03-01

Denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) process simultaneously converts sulfide, nitrate, and chemical oxygen demand from industrial wastewaters to elemental sulfur, nitrogen gas, and carbon dioxide, respectively. This investigation utilizes a dilution-to-extinction approach at 10(-2) to 10(-6) dilutions to elucidate the correlation between the composition of the microbial community and the DSR performance. In the original suspension and in 10(-2) dilution, the strains Stenotrophomonas sp., Thauera sp., and Azoarcus sp. are the heterotrophic denitrifiers and the strains Paracoccus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. are the sulfide-oxidizing denitrifers. The 10(-4) dilution is identified as the functional consortium for the present DSR system, which comprises two functional strains, Stenotrophomonas sp. strain Paracoccus sp. At 10(-6) dilution, all DSR performance was lost. The functions of the constituent cells in the DSR granules were discussed based on data obtained using the dilution-to-extinction approach.

Inaugural Maximum Values for Sodium in Processed Food Products in the Americas.

PubMed

Campbell, Norm; Legowski, Barbara; Legetic, Branka; Nilson, Eduardo; L'Abbé, Mary

2015-08-01

Reducing dietary salt/sodium is one of the most cost-effective interventions to improve population health. There are five initiatives in the Americas that independently developed targets for reformulating foods to reduce salt/sodium content. Applying selection criteria, recommended by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on Dietary Salt/Sodium Reduction, a consortium of governments, civil society, and food companies (the Salt Smart Consortium) agreed to an inaugural set of regional maximum targets (upper limits) for salt/sodium levels for 11 food categories, to be achieved by December 2016. Ultimately, to substantively reduce dietary salt across whole populations, targets will be needed for the majority of processed and pre-prepared foods. Cardiovascular and hypertension organizations are encouraged to utilize the regional targets in advocacy and in monitoring and evaluation of progress by the food industry. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass to lactic acid by a synthetic fungal-bacterial consortium.

PubMed

Shahab, Robert L; Luterbacher, Jeremy S; Brethauer, Simone; Studer, Michael H

2018-05-01

Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of lignocellulosic feedstocks to platform chemicals requires complex metabolic processes, which are commonly executed by single genetically engineered microorganisms. Alternatively, synthetic consortia can be employed to compartmentalize the required metabolic functions among different specialized microorganisms as demonstrated in this work for the direct production of lactic acid from lignocellulosic biomass. We composed an artificial cross-kingdom consortium and co-cultivated the aerobic fungus Trichoderma reesei for the secretion of cellulolytic enzymes with facultative anaerobic lactic acid bacteria. We engineered ecological niches to enable the formation of a spatially structured biofilm. Up to 34.7 gL -1 lactic acid could be produced from 5% (w/w) microcrystalline cellulose. Challenges in converting pretreated lignocellulosic biomass include the presence of inhibitors, the formation of acetic acid and carbon catabolite repression. In the CBP consortium hexoses and pentoses were simultaneously consumed and metabolic cross-feeding enabled the in situ degradation of acetic acid. As a result, superior product purities were achieved and 19.8 gL -1 (85.2% of the theoretical maximum) of lactic acid could be produced from non-detoxified steam-pretreated beech wood. These results demonstrate the potential of consortium-based CBP technologies for the production of high value chemicals from pretreated lignocellulosic biomass in a single step. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Progress in ultrafast laser processing and future prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugioka, Koji

2017-03-01

The unique characteristics of ultrafast lasers have rapidly revolutionized materials processing after their first demonstration in 1987. The ultrashort pulse width of the laser suppresses heat diffusion to the surroundings of the processed region, which minimizes the formation of a heat-affected zone and thereby enables ultrahigh precision micro- and nanofabrication of various materials. In addition, the extremely high peak intensity can induce nonlinear multiphoton absorption, which extends the diversity of materials that can be processed to transparent materials such as glass. Nonlinear multiphoton absorption enables three-dimensional (3D) micro- and nanofabrication by irradiation with tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses inside transparent materials. Thus, ultrafast lasers are currently widely used for both fundamental research and practical applications. This review presents progress in ultrafast laser processing, including micromachining, surface micro- and nanostructuring, nanoablation, and 3D and volume processing. Advanced technologies that promise to enhance the performance of ultrafast laser processing, such as hybrid additive and subtractive processing, and shaped beam processing are discussed. Commercial and industrial applications of ultrafast laser processing are also introduced. Finally, future prospects of the technology are given with a summary.

25 CFR 1000.310 - What information must the Tribe's/Consortium's response contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What information must the Tribe's/Consortium's response... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Reassumption § 1000.310 What information must the Tribe's/Consortium's response contain? (a) The Tribe's/Consortium's response must indicate the specific measures that...

25 CFR 1000.255 - May a Tribe/Consortium reallocate funds among construction programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false May a Tribe/Consortium reallocate funds among... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Construction § 1000.255 May a Tribe/Consortium reallocate funds among construction programs? Yes, a Tribe/Consortium may reallocate funds among construction...

25 CFR 1000.310 - What information must the Tribe's/Consortium's response contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What information must the Tribe's/Consortium's response... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Reassumption § 1000.310 What information must the Tribe's/Consortium's response contain? (a) The Tribe's/Consortium's response must indicate the specific measures that...

25 CFR 1000.255 - May a Tribe/Consortium reallocate funds among construction programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false May a Tribe/Consortium reallocate funds among... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Construction § 1000.255 May a Tribe/Consortium reallocate funds among construction programs? Yes, a Tribe/Consortium may reallocate funds among construction...

24 CFR 943.124 - What elements must a consortium agreement contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What elements must a consortium agreement contain? 943.124 Section 943.124 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and... elements must a consortium agreement contain? (a) The consortium agreement among the participating PHAs...

24 CFR 943.124 - What elements must a consortium agreement contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What elements must a consortium agreement contain? 943.124 Section 943.124 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND... elements must a consortium agreement contain? (a) The consortium agreement among the participating PHAs...

24 CFR 943.124 - What elements must a consortium agreement contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false What elements must a consortium agreement contain? 943.124 Section 943.124 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND... elements must a consortium agreement contain? (a) The consortium agreement among the participating PHAs...

24 CFR 943.124 - What elements must a consortium agreement contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What elements must a consortium agreement contain? 943.124 Section 943.124 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND... elements must a consortium agreement contain? (a) The consortium agreement among the participating PHAs...

24 CFR 943.124 - What elements must a consortium agreement contain?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What elements must a consortium agreement contain? 943.124 Section 943.124 Housing and Urban Development REGULATIONS RELATING TO HOUSING AND... elements must a consortium agreement contain? (a) The consortium agreement among the participating PHAs...

Bio-hydrogen production from tempeh and tofu processing wastes via fermentation process using microbial consortium: A mini-review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rengga, Wara Dyah Pita; Wati, Diyah Saras; Siregar, Riska Yuliana; Wulandari, Ajeng Riswanti; Lestari, Adela Ayu; Chafidz, Achmad

2017-03-01

One of alternative energies that can replace fossil fuels is hydrogen. Hydrogen can be used to generate electricity and to power combustion engines for transportation. Bio-hydrogen produced from tempeh and tofu processing waste can be considered as a renewable energy. Bio-hydrogen produced from tempeh and tofu processing waste is beneficial because the waste of soybean straw and tofu processing waste is plentiful, cheap, renewable and biodegradable. Specification of tempeh and tofu processing waste were soybean straw and sludge of tofu processing. They contain carbohydrates (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) and methane. This paper reviews the optimal condition to produce bio-hydrogen from tempeh and tofu processing waste. The production of bio-hydrogen used microbial consortium which were enriched from cracked cereals and mainly dominated by Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium roseum. The production process of bio-hydrogen from tempeh and tofu processing waste used acid pre-treatment with acid catalyzed hydrolysis to cleave the bond of hemicellulose and cellulose chains contained in biomass. The optimal production of bio-hydrogen has a yield of 6-6.8 mL/g at 35-60 °C, pH 5.5-7 in hydraulic retention time (HRT) less than 16 h. The production used a continuous system in an anaerobic digester. This condition can be used as a reference for the future research.

Actinobacteria consortium as an efficient biotechnological tool for mixed polluted soil reclamation: Experimental factorial design for bioremediation process optimization.

PubMed

Aparicio, Juan Daniel; Raimondo, Enzo Emanuel; Gil, Raúl Andrés; Benimeli, Claudia Susana; Polti, Marta Alejandra

2018-01-15

The objective of the present work was to establish optimal biological and physicochemical parameters in order to remove simultaneously lindane and Cr(VI) at high and/or low pollutants concentrations from the soil by an actinobacteria consortium formed by Streptomyces sp. M7, MC1, A5, and Amycolatopsis tucumanensis AB0. Also, the final aim was to treat real soils contaminated with Cr(VI) and/or lindane from the Northwest of Argentina employing the optimal biological and physicochemical conditions. In this sense, after determining the optimal inoculum concentration (2gkg -1 ), an experimental design model with four factors (temperature, moisture, initial concentration of Cr(VI) and lindane) was employed for predicting the system behavior during bioremediation process. According to response optimizer, the optimal moisture level was 30% for all bioremediation processes. However, the optimal temperature was different for each situation: for low initial concentrations of both pollutants, the optimal temperature was 25°C; for low initial concentrations of Cr(VI) and high initial concentrations of lindane, the optimal temperature was 30°C; and for high initial concentrations of Cr(VI), the optimal temperature was 35°C. In order to confirm the model adequacy and the validity of the optimization procedure, experiments were performed in six real contaminated soils samples. The defined actinobacteria consortium reduced the contaminants concentrations in five of the six samples, by working at laboratory scale and employing the optimal conditions obtained through the factorial design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bacterial diversity and reductive dehalogenase redundancy in a 1,2-dichloroethane-degrading bacterial consortium enriched from a contaminated aquifer

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Bacteria possess a reservoir of metabolic functionalities ready to be exploited for multiple purposes. The use of microorganisms to clean up xenobiotics from polluted ecosystems (e.g. soil and water) represents an eco-sustainable and powerful alternative to traditional remediation processes. Recent developments in molecular-biology-based techniques have led to rapid and accurate strategies for monitoring and identification of bacteria and catabolic genes involved in the degradation of xenobiotics, key processes to follow up the activities in situ. Results We report the characterization of the response of an enriched bacterial community of a 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA) contaminated aquifer to the spiking with 5 mM lactate as electron donor in microcosm studies. After 15 days of incubation, the microbial community structure was analyzed. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone library showed that the most represented phylogenetic group within the consortium was affiliated with the phylum Firmicutes. Among them, known degraders of chlorinated compounds were identified. A reductive dehalogenase genes clone library showed that the community held four phylogenetically-distinct catalytic enzymes, all conserving signature residues previously shown to be linked to 1,2-DCA dehalogenation. Conclusions The overall data indicate that the enriched bacterial consortium shares the metabolic functionality between different members of the microbial community and is characterized by a high functional redundancy. These are fundamental features for the maintenance of the community's functionality, especially under stress conditions and suggest the feasibility of a bioremediation treatment with a potential prompt dehalogenation and a process stability over time. PMID:20170484

Operational Marine Data Acquisition and Delivery Powered by Web and Geospatial Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, R.; Buck, J. J. H.

2015-12-01

As novel sensor types and new platforms are deployed to monitor the global oceans, the volumes of scientific and environmental data collected in the marine context are rapidly growing. In order to use these data in both the traditional operational modes and in innovative "Big Data" applications the data must be readily understood by software agents. One approach to achieving this is the application of both World Wide Web and Open Geospatial Consortium standards: namely Linked Data1 and Sensor Web Enablement2 (SWE). The British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) is adopting this strategy in a number of European Commission funded projects (NETMAR; SenseOCEAN; Ocean Data Interoperability Platform - ODIP; and AtlantOS) to combine its existing data archiving architecture with SWE components (such as Sensor Observation Services) and a Linked Data interface. These will evolve the data management and data transfer from a process that requires significant manual intervention to an automated operational process enabling the rapid, standards-based, ingestion and delivery of data. This poster will show the current capabilities of BODC and the status of on-going implementation of this strategy. References1. World Wide Web Consortium. (2013). Linked Data. Available:http://www.w3.org/standards/semanticweb/data. Last accessed 7th April 20152. Open Geospatial Consortium. (2014). Sensor Web Enablement (SWE). Available:http://www.opengeospatial.org/ogc/markets-technologies/swe. Last accessed 8th October 2014

The ALADIN System and its canonical model configurations AROME CY41T1 and ALARO CY40T1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Termonia, Piet; Fischer, Claude; Bazile, Eric; Bouyssel, François; Brožková, Radmila; Bénard, Pierre; Bochenek, Bogdan; Degrauwe, Daan; Derková, Mariá; El Khatib, Ryad; Hamdi, Rafiq; Mašek, Ján; Pottier, Patricia; Pristov, Neva; Seity, Yann; Smolíková, Petra; Španiel, Oldřich; Tudor, Martina; Wang, Yong; Wittmann, Christoph; Joly, Alain

2018-01-01

The ALADIN System is a numerical weather prediction (NWP) system developed by the international ALADIN consortium for operational weather forecasting and research purposes. It is based on a code that is shared with the global model IFS of the ECMWF and the ARPEGE model of Météo-France. Today, this system can be used to provide a multitude of high-resolution limited-area model (LAM) configurations. A few configurations are thoroughly validated and prepared to be used for the operational weather forecasting in the 16 partner institutes of this consortium. These configurations are called the ALADIN canonical model configurations (CMCs). There are currently three CMCs: the ALADIN baseline CMC, the AROME CMC and the ALARO CMC. Other configurations are possible for research, such as process studies and climate simulations. The purpose of this paper is (i) to define the ALADIN System in relation to the global counterparts IFS and ARPEGE, (ii) to explain the notion of the CMCs, (iii) to document their most recent versions, and (iv) to illustrate the process of the validation and the porting of these configurations to the operational forecast suites of the partner institutes of the ALADIN consortium. This paper is restricted to the forecast model only; data assimilation techniques and postprocessing techniques are part of the ALADIN System but they are not discussed here.

The role of expert searching in the Family Physicians' Inquiries Network (FPIN)*

PubMed Central

Ward, Deborah; Meadows, Susan E.; Nashelsky, Joan E.

2005-01-01

Objective: This article describes the contributions of medical librarians, as members of the Family Physicians' Inquiries Network (FPIN), to the creation of a database of clinical questions and answers that allows family physicians to practice evidence-based medicine using high-quality information at the point of care. The medical librarians have contributed their evidence-based search expertise and knowledge of information systems that support the processes and output of the consortium. Methods: Since its inception, librarians have been included as valued members of the FPIN community. FPIN recognizes the search expertise of librarians, and each FPIN librarian must meet qualifications demonstrating appropriate experience and training in evidence-based medicine. The consortium works collaboratively to produce the Clinical Inquiries series published in family medicine publications. Results: Over 170 Clinical Inquiries have appeared in Journal of Family Practice (JFP) and American Family Physician (AFP). Surveys have shown that this series has become the most widely read part of the JFP Website. As a result, FPIN has formalized specific librarian roles that have helped build the organizational infrastructure. Conclusions: All of the activities of the consortium are highly collaborative, and the librarian community reflects that. The FPIN librarians are valuable and equal contributors to the process of creating, updating, and maintaining high-quality clinical information for practicing primary care physicians. Of particular value is the skill of expert searching that the librarians bring to FPIN's products. PMID:15685280

Quality improvement of polymer parts by laser welding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puetz, Heidrun; Treusch, Hans-Georg; Welz, M.; Petring, Dirk; Beyer, Eckhard; Herziger, Gerd

1994-09-01

The growing significance of laser technology in industrial manufacturing is also observed in case of plastic industry. Laser cutting and marking are established processes. Laser beam welding is successfully practiced in processes like joining foils or winding reinforced prepregs. Laser radiation and its significant advantages of contactless and local heating could even be an alternative to conventional welding processes using heating elements, vibration or ultrasonic waves as energy sources. Developments in the field of laser diodes increase the interest in laser technology for material processing because in the near future they will represent an inexpensive energy source.

Development of high-power CO2 lasers and laser material processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, Ashish K.; Choudhary, Praveen; Kumar, Manoj; Kaul, R.

2000-02-01

Scaling laws to determine the physical dimensions of the active medium and optical resonator parameters for designing convective cooled CO2 lasers have been established. High power CW CO2 lasers upto 5 kW output power and a high repetition rate TEA CO2 laser of 500 Hz and 500 W average power incorporated with a novel scheme for uniform UV pre- ionization have been developed for material processing applications. Technical viability of laser processing of several engineering components, for example laser surface hardening of fine teeth of files, laser welding of martensitic steel shroud and titanium alloy under-strap of turbine, laser cladding of Ni super-alloy with stellite for refurbishing turbine blades were established using these lasers. Laser alloying of pre-placed SiC coating on different types of aluminum alloy, commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and laser curing of thermosetting powder coating have been also studied. Development of these lasers and results of some of the processing studies are briefly presented here.

Kinetic processes determining attainable pulse repetition rate in pulsed metal vapor lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrash, Gueorgii G.

1998-06-01

A review of the investigations of the main processes determining the attainable pulse repetition rate of elemental metal vapor pulsed gas discharge self-terminating lasers, such as copper vapor laser, gold vapor laser, lead vapor laser, is given. Kinetic processes during an excitation pulse and interpulse period are considered as well as experiments with lasers operating at high repetition rate.

Stabilizing laser energy density on a target during pulsed laser deposition of thin films

DOEpatents

Dowden, Paul C.; Jia, Quanxi

2016-05-31

A process for stabilizing laser energy density on a target surface during pulsed laser deposition of thin films controls the focused laser spot on the target. The process involves imaging an image-aperture positioned in the beamline. This eliminates changes in the beam dimensions of the laser. A continuously variable attenuator located in between the output of the laser and the imaged image-aperture adjusts the energy to a desired level by running the laser in a "constant voltage" mode. The process provides reproducibility and controllability for deposition of electronic thin films by pulsed laser deposition.

Biodegradation and detoxification of textile azo dyes by bacterial consortium under sequential microaerophilic/aerobic processes

PubMed Central

Lade, Harshad; Kadam, Avinash; Paul, Diby; Govindwar, Sanjay

2015-01-01

Release of textile azo dyes to the environment is an issue of health concern while the use of microorganisms has proved to be the best option for remediation. Thus, in the present study, a bacterial consortium consisting of Providencia rettgeri strain HSL1 and Pseudomonas sp. SUK1 has been investigated for degradation and detoxification of structurally different azo dyes. The consortium showed 98-99 % decolorization of all the selected azo dyes viz. Reactive Black 5 (RB 5), Reactive Orange 16 (RO 16), Disperse Red 78 (DR 78) and Direct Red 81 (DR 81) within 12 to 30 h at 100 mg L-1 concentration at 30 ± 0.2 °C under microaerophilic, sequential aerobic/microaerophilic and microaerophilic/aerobic processes. However, decolorization under microaerophilic conditions viz. RB 5 (0.26 mM), RO 16 (0.18 mM), DR 78 (0.20 mM) and DR 81 (0.23 mM) and sequential aerobic/microaerophilic processes viz. RB 5 (0.08 mM), RO 16 (0.06 mM), DR 78 (0.07 mM) and DR 81 (0.09 mM) resulted into the formation of aromatic amines. In distinction, sequential microaerophilic/ aerobic process doesn’t show the formation of amines. Additionally, 62-72 % reduction in total organic carbon content was observed in all the dyes decolorized broths under sequential microaerophilic/aerobic processes suggesting the efficacy of method in mineralization of dyes. Notable induction within the levels of azoreductase and NADH-DCIP reductase (97 and 229 % for RB 5, 55 and 160 % for RO 16, 63 and 196 % for DR 78, 108 and 258 % for DR 81) observed under sequential microaerophilic/aerobic processes suggested their critical involvements in the initial breakdown of azo bonds, whereas, a slight increase in the levels of laccase and veratryl alcohol oxidase confirmed subsequent oxidation of formed amines. Also, the acute toxicity assay with Daphnia magna revealed the nontoxic nature of the dye-degraded metabolites under sequential microaerophilic/aerobic processes. As biodegradation under sequential microaerophilic/aerobic process completely detoxified all the selected textile azo dyes, further efforts should be made to implement such methods for large scale dye wastewater treatment technologies. PMID:26417357

25 CFR 1000.396 - Does a Tribe/Consortium have additional ongoing requirements to maintain minimum standards for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... requirements to maintain minimum standards for Tribe/Consortium management systems? 1000.396 Section 1000.396... AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT... minimum standards for Tribe/Consortium management systems? Yes, the Tribe/Consortium must maintain...

25 CFR 1000.169 - How does a Tribe/Consortium initiate the information phase?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium initiate the information... of Initial Annual Funding Agreements § 1000.169 How does a Tribe/Consortium initiate the information phase? A Tribe/Consortium initiates the information phase by submitting a letter of interest to the...

25 CFR 1000.169 - How does a Tribe/Consortium initiate the information phase?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium initiate the information... of Initial Annual Funding Agreements § 1000.169 How does a Tribe/Consortium initiate the information phase? A Tribe/Consortium initiates the information phase by submitting a letter of interest to the...

77 FR 8252 - The International Consortium of Energy Managers; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-14

... International Consortium of Energy Managers; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and... Consortium of Energy Managers filed an application, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA...: Rexford Wait, International Consortium of Energy Managers, 2416 Cades Way, Vista, CA 92083; (760) 599-0086...

Biodegradation of phenanthrene in bioaugmented microcosm by consortium ASP developed from coastal sediment of Alang-Sosiya ship breaking yard.

PubMed

Patel, Vilas; Patel, Janki; Madamwar, Datta

2013-09-15

A phenanthrene-degrading bacterial consortium (ASP) was developed using sediment from the Alang-Sosiya shipbreaking yard at Gujarat, India. 16S rRNA gene-based molecular analyses revealed that the bacterial consortium consisted of six bacterial strains: Bacillus sp. ASP1, Pseudomonas sp. ASP2, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain ASP3, Staphylococcus sp. ASP4, Geobacillus sp. ASP5 and Alcaligenes sp. ASP6. The consortium was able to degrade 300 ppm of phenanthrene and 1000 ppm of naphthalene within 120 h and 48 h, respectively. Tween 80 showed a positive effect on phenanthrene degradation. The consortium was able to consume maximum phenanthrene at the rate of 46 mg/h/l and degrade phenanthrene in the presence of other petroleum hydrocarbons. A microcosm study was conducted to test the consortium's bioremediation potential. Phenanthrene degradation increased from 61% to 94% in sediment bioaugmented with the consortium. Simultaneously, bacterial counts and dehydrogenase activities also increased in the bioaugmented sediment. These results suggest that microbial consortium bioaugmentation may be a promising technology for bioremediation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Repurposing mainstream CNC machine tools for laser-based additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Jason B.

2016-04-01

The advent of laser technology has been a key enabler for industrial 3D printing, known as Additive Manufacturing (AM). Despite its commercial success and unique technical capabilities, laser-based AM systems are not yet able to produce parts with the same accuracy and surface finish as CNC machining. To enable the geometry and material freedoms afforded by AM, yet achieve the precision and productivity of CNC machining, hybrid combinations of these two processes have started to gain traction. To achieve the benefits of combined processing, laser technology has been integrated into mainstream CNC machines - effectively repurposing them as hybrid manufacturing platforms. This paper reviews how this engineering challenge has prompted beam delivery innovations to allow automated changeover between laser processing and machining, using standard CNC tool changers. Handling laser-processing heads using the tool changer also enables automated change over between different types of laser processing heads, further expanding the breadth of laser processing flexibility in a hybrid CNC. This paper highlights the development, challenges and future impact of hybrid CNCs on laser processing.

Multiple Syntrophic Interactions in a Terephthalate-Degrading Methanogenic Consortium

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

Lykidis, Athanasios; Chen, Chia-Lung; Tringe, Susannah G.

2010-08-05

Terephthalate (TA) is one of the top 50 chemicals produced worldwide. Its production results in a TA-containing wastewater that is treated by anaerobic processes through a poorly understood methanogenic syntrophy. Using metagenomics, we characterized the methanogenic consortium tinside a hyper-mesophilic (i.e., between mesophilic and thermophilic), TA-degrading bioreactor. We identified genes belonging to dominant Pelotomaculum species presumably involved in TA degradation through decarboxylation, dearomatization, and modified ?-oxidation to H{sub 2}/CO{sub 2} and acetate. These intermediates are converted to CH{sub 4}/CO{sub 2} by three novel hyper-mesophilic methanogens. Additional secondary syntrophic interactions were predicted in Thermotogae, Syntrophus and candidate phyla OP5 and WWE1more » populations. The OP5 encodes genes capable of anaerobic autotrophic butyrate production and Thermotogae, Syntrophus and WWE1 have the genetic potential to oxidize butyrate to COsub 2}/H{sub 2} and acetate. These observations suggest that the TA-degrading consortium consists of additional syntrophic interactions beyond the standard H{sub 2}-producing syntroph ? methanogen partnership that may serve to improve community stability.« less

Biodegradation of crude oil using an efficient microbial consortium in a simulated marine environment.

PubMed

Bao, Mu-tai; Wang, Li-na; Sun, Pei-yan; Cao, Li-xin; Zou, Jie; Li, Yi-ming

2012-06-01

Ochrobactrum sp. N1, Brevibacillus parabrevis N2, B. parabrevis N3 and B. parabrevis N4 were selected when preparing a mixed bacterial consortium based on the efficiency of crude oil utilization. A crude oil degradation rate of the N-series microbial consortium reached upwards of 79% at a temperature of 25 °C in a 3.0% NaCl solution in the shake flask trial. In the mesocosm experiment, a specially designed device was used to simulate the marine environment. The internal tank size was 1.5 m (L)×0.8 m (W)×0.7 m (H). The microbial growth conditions, nutrient utilization and environmental factors were thoroughly investigated. Over 51.1% of the crude oil was effectively removed from the simulated water body. The escalation process (from flask trials to the mesocosm experiment), which sought to represent removal under conditions more similar to the field, proved the high efficiency of using N-series bacteria in crude oil degradation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines in the Choice of Parameters for Hybrid Laser Arc Welding with Fiber Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriksson, I.; Powell, J.; Kaplan, A.

Laser arc hybrid welding has been a promising technology for three decades and laser welding in combination with gas metal arc welding (GMAW) has shown that it is an extremely promising technique. On the other hand the process is often considered complicated and difficult to set up correctly. An important factor in setting up the hybrid welding process is an understanding of the GMAW process. It is especially important to understand how the wire feed rate and the arc voltage (the two main parameters) affect the process. In this paper the authors show that laser hybrid welding with a 1 μm laser is similar to ordinary GMAW, and several guidelines are therefore inherited by the laser hybrid process.

The VUELCO project consortium: new interdisciplinary research for improved risk mitigation and management during volcanic unrest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gottsmann, J.

2012-04-01

Volcanic unrest is a complex multi-hazard phenomenon of volcanism. The fact that unrest may, but not necessarily must lead to an imminent eruption contributes significant uncertainty to short-term hazard assessment of volcanic activity world-wide. Although it is reasonable to assume that all eruptions are associated with precursory activity of some sort, the knowledge of the causative links between subsurface processes, resulting unrest signals and imminent eruption is, today, inadequate to deal effectively with crises of volcanic unrest. This results predominantly from the uncertainties in identifying the causative processes of unrest and as a consequence in forecasting its short-term evolution. However, key for effective risk mitigation and management during unrest is the early and reliable identification of changes in the subsurface dynamics of a volcano and their assessment as precursors to an impending eruption. The VUELCO project consortium has come together for a multi-disciplinary attack on the origin, nature and significance of volcanic unrest from the scientific contributions generated by collaboration of ten partners in Europe and Latin America. Dissecting the science of monitoring data from unrest periods at six type volcanoes in Italy, Spain, the West Indies, Mexico and Ecuador the consortium will create global strategies for 1) enhanced monitoring capacity and value, 2) mechanistic data interpretation and 3) identification of reliable eruption precursors; all from the geophysical, geochemical and geodetic fingerprints of unrest episodes. Experiments will establish a mechanistic understanding of subsurface processes capable of inducing unrest and aid in identifying key volcano monitoring parameters indicative of the nature of unrest processes. Numerical models will help establish a link between the processes and volcano monitoring data to inform on the causes of unrest and its short-term evolution. Using uncertainty assessment and new short-term probabilistic hazard forecasting tools the scientific knowledge base will provide the crucial parameters for a comprehensive and best-practice approach to 1) risk mitigation, 2) communication, 3) decision-making and 4) crisis management during unrest periods. The VUELCO project consortium efforts will generate guidance in the definition and implementation of strategic options for effective risk mitigation, management and governance during unrest episodes. Such a mechanistic platform of understanding, impacting on the synergy of scientists, policy-makers, civil protection authorities, decision-makers, and the public, will place volcanic unrest management on a new basis, with European expertise at its peak. The project is financed by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, Area "Environment".

25 CFR 1000.425 - How does a Tribe/Consortium request an informal conference?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium request an informal... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Appeals § 1000.425 How does a Tribe/Consortium request an informal conference? The Tribe/Consortium shall file its request for an informal conference with the office...

25 CFR 1000.396 - Does a Tribe/Consortium have additional ongoing requirements to maintain minimum standards for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Does a Tribe/Consortium have additional ongoing requirements to maintain minimum standards for Tribe/Consortium management systems? 1000.396 Section 1000.396... Miscellaneous Provisions § 1000.396 Does a Tribe/Consortium have additional ongoing requirements to maintain...

25 CFR 1000.222 - How does a Tribe/Consortium obtain a waiver?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium obtain a waiver? 1000.222...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Waiver of Regulations § 1000.222 How does a Tribe/Consortium obtain a waiver? To obtain a waiver, the Tribe/Consortium must: (a) Submit a written request from the designated Tribal...

25 CFR 1000.333 - How does a Tribe/Consortium retrocede a program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium retrocede a program? 1000.333...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Retrocession § 1000.333 How does a Tribe/Consortium retrocede a program? The Tribe/Consortium must submit: (a) A written notice to: (1) The Office of Self-Governance for BIA...

25 CFR 1000.425 - How does a Tribe/Consortium request an informal conference?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium request an informal... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Appeals § 1000.425 How does a Tribe/Consortium request an informal conference? The Tribe/Consortium shall file its request for an informal conference with the office...

25 CFR 1000.400 - Can a Tribe/Consortium retain savings from programs?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Can a Tribe/Consortium retain savings from programs? 1000...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Miscellaneous Provisions § 1000.400 Can a Tribe/Consortium retain savings from programs? Yes, for BIA programs, the Tribe/Consortium may retain savings for each fiscal year during which...

25 CFR 1000.315 - When must the Tribe/Consortium return funds to the Department?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false When must the Tribe/Consortium return funds to the... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Reassumption § 1000.315 When must the Tribe/Consortium return funds to the Department? The Tribe/Consortium must repay funds to the Department as soon as practical...

25 CFR 1000.333 - How does a Tribe/Consortium retrocede a program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false How does a Tribe/Consortium retrocede a program? 1000.333...-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Retrocession § 1000.333 How does a Tribe/Consortium retrocede a program? The Tribe/Consortium must submit: (a) A written notice to: (1) The Office of Self-Governance for BIA...

25 CFR 1000.315 - When must the Tribe/Consortium return funds to the Department?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false When must the Tribe/Consortium return funds to the... INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Reassumption § 1000.315 When must the Tribe/Consortium return funds to the Department? The Tribe/Consortium must repay funds to the Department as soon as practical...

Metro-Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology Program (MM-CCOP) | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

The Metro-Minnesota Community Clinical Oncology (MMCCOP) program has a long-standing history which clearly demonstrates the success of the consortium, as demonstrated by both the ongoing commitment of the original consortium members and the growth of the consortium from 1979 through 2014. The MMCCOP consortium represents an established community program base which began in

76 FR 1138 - Enhanced Assessment Instruments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-07

... priorities: (a) Collaborating with institutions of higher education, other research institutions, or other... a member State may hold); (2) The consortium's method and process (e.g., consensus, majority) for... available on an ongoing basis for research, including for prospective linking, validity, and program...

The choice: Welding with CO2 or Nd:YAG lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leong, Keng H.

The recent commercial availability of multi-kilowatt Nd:YAG lasers has opened new avenues for rapid laser processing as well as intensified the competition (cost effectiveness) between CO2 and Nd:YAG laser systems. Vendors offering Nd:YAG laser systems may claim lower operating costs (than CO2) and fiberoptic beam delivery flexibility while CO2 systems vendors may emphasize lower capital cost and well established processing requirements and experience. The capital and operating costs of a laser system are impacted by demand and supply economics and technological advances. Frequently the total cost of a workcell using a laser for processing has to be considered rather than the laser system alone. Consequently it is not very practical to approach the selection of a laser system based on its capital cost and estimated operating cost only. This presentation describes a more pragmatic approach to aid the user in the selection of the optimal multi-kilowatt laser system for a particular processing requirement with emphasis on welding. CO2 laser systems are well established on the factory floor. Consequently, emphasis is given to the comparative application of Nd:YAG lasers, process requirements and performance. Requirements for the laser welding of different metals are examined in the context of hardware (laser system and beam delivery) selection and examples of welding speeds that can be achieved using CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers are examined.

Laser cutting: industrial relevance, process optimization, and laser safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haferkamp, Heinz; Goede, Martin; von Busse, Alexander; Thuerk, Oliver

1998-09-01

Compared to other technological relevant laser machining processes, up to now laser cutting is the application most frequently used. With respect to the large amount of possible fields of application and the variety of different materials that can be machined, this technology has reached a stable position within the world market of material processing. Reachable machining quality for laser beam cutting is influenced by various laser and process parameters. Process integrated quality techniques have to be applied to ensure high-quality products and a cost effective use of the laser manufacturing plant. Therefore, rugged and versatile online process monitoring techniques at an affordable price would be desirable. Methods for the characterization of single plant components (e.g. laser source and optical path) have to be substituted by an omnivalent control system, capable of process data acquisition and analysis as well as the automatic adaptation of machining and laser parameters to changes in process and ambient conditions. At the Laser Zentrum Hannover eV, locally highly resolved thermographic measurements of the temperature distribution within the processing zone using cost effective measuring devices are performed. Characteristic values for cutting quality and plunge control as well as for the optimization of the surface roughness at the cutting edges can be deducted from the spatial distribution of the temperature field and the measured temperature gradients. Main influencing parameters on the temperature characteristic within the cutting zone are the laser beam intensity and pulse duration in pulse operation mode. For continuous operation mode, the temperature distribution is mainly determined by the laser output power related to the cutting velocity. With higher cutting velocities temperatures at the cutting front increase, reaching their maximum at the optimum cutting velocity. Here absorption of the incident laser radiation is drastically increased due to the angle between the normal of the cutting front and the laser beam axis. Beneath process optimization and control further work is focused on the characterization of particulate and gaseous laser generated air contaminants and adequate safety precautions like exhaust and filter systems.

Micro-processing of polymers and biological materials using high repetition rate femtosecond laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Li

High repetition rate femtosecond laser micro-processing has been applied to ophthalmological hydrogel polymers and ocular tissues to create novel refractive and diffractive structures. Through the optimization of laser irradiation conditions and material properties, this technology has become feasible for future industrial applications and clinical practices. A femtosecond laser micro-processing workstation has been designed and developed. Different experimental parameters of the workstation such as laser pulse duration, focusing lens, and translational stages have been described and discussed. Diffractive gratings and three-dimensional waveguides have been fabricated and characterized in hydrogel polymers, and refractive index modifications as large as + 0.06 have been observed within the laser-irradiated region. Raman spectroscopic studies have shown that our femtosecond laser micro-processing induces significant thermal accumulation, resulting in a densification of the polymer network and increasing the localized refractive index of polymers within the laser irradiated region. Different kinds of dye chromophores have been doped in hydrogel polymers to enhance the two-photon absorption during femtosecond laser micro-processing. As the result, laser scanning speed can be greatly increased while the large refractive index modifications remain. Femtosecond laser wavelength and pulse energy as well as water and dye concentration of the hydrogels are optimized. Lightly fixed ocular tissues such as corneas and lenses have been micro-processed by focused femtosecond laser pulses, and refractive index modifications without any tissue-breakdown are observed within the stromal layer of the corneas and the cortex of the lenses. Living corneas are doped with Sodium Fluorescein to increase the two-photon absorption during the laser micro-processing, and laser scanning speed can be greatly increased while inducing large refractive index modifications. No evidence of cell death has been observed in or around the laser-induced refractive index modification regions. These results support the notion that femtosecond laser micro-processing method may be an excellent means of altering the refraction or higher order aberration content of corneal tissue without cell death and short-term tissue damage, and has been named as Intra-tissue Refractive Index Shaping (IRIS). The femtosecond laser micro-processing workstation has also been employed for laser transfection of single defined cells. Some preliminary results suggest that this method can be used to trace individual cells and record their biological and morphological evolution, which is quite promising in many biomedical applications especially in immunology science. In conclusion, high repetition rate femtosecond laser micro-processing has been employed to fabricate microstructures in ophthalmological hydrogels and ocular tissues. Its unique three-dimensional capability over transparent materials and biological media makes it a powerful tool and will greatly impact the future of laser material-processing.

Lasers '81

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

Collins, C.B.

1982-01-01

Progress in lasers is discussed. The subjects addressed include: excimer lasers, surface spectroscopy, modern laser spectroscopy, free electron lasers, cavities and propagation, lasers in medicine, X-ray and gamma ray lasers, laser spectroscopy of small molecules and clusters, optical bistability, excitons, nonlinear optics in the X-ray and gamma ray regions, collective atomic phenomena, tunable IR lasers, far IR/submillimeter lasers, and laser-assisted collisions. Also treated are: special applications, multiphoton processes in atoms and small molecules, nuclear pumped lasers, material processing and applications, polarization, high energy lasers, laser chemistry, IR molecular lasers, laser applications of collision and dissociation phenomena, solid state laser materials,more » phase conjugation, advances in laser technology for fusion, metal vapor lasers, picosecond phenomena, laser ranging and geodesy, and laser photochemistry of complex molecules.« less

International Lymphoma Epidemiology Consortium

Cancer.gov

The InterLymph Consortium, or formally the International Consortium of Investigators Working on Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Epidemiologic Studies, is an open scientific forum for epidemiologic research in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Rapid mineralisation of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste.

PubMed

Martínez-Valdez, F J; Martínez-Ramírez, C; Martínez-Montiel, L; Favela-Torres, E; Soto-Cruz, N O; Ramírez-Vives, F; Saucedo-Castañeda, G

2015-03-01

The effect of pH, C/N ratio, addition of a microbial consortium (MC) and temperature upon mineralisation of Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW) was studied; mineralisation was measured through the CO2 production rate and total CO2 formation. Through this process up to 432.9mg of CO2g(-1) initial dry matter (IDM) after 2days of treatment was obtained. It was found that under a slightly acidic pH (5-6) and C/N of 30, the mineralisation process was accelerated. Moreover, temperature (27-50°C) had no effect on the total CO2 produced. The highest CO2 production rate (5.28d(-1)) was observed at 27°C, C/N ratio of 30 and 8% of microbial consortium; it is at least 3.52 times higher than that reported (1.5d(-1)). The highest release of reducing sugars was determined at 50°C, possibly due to an increase in hydrolytic enzymes. Results suggest the potential use of rapid mineralisation of OFMSW for further friendly environmental processes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moringa oleifera-mediated coagulation of textile wastewater and its biodegradation using novel consortium-BBA grown on agricultural waste substratum.

PubMed

Bedekar, Priyanka A; Bhalkar, Bhumika N; Patil, Swapnil M; Govindwar, Sanjay P

2016-10-01

Generation of secondary sludge is a major concern of textile dye removal by coagulation process. Combinatorial coagulation-biodegradation treatment system has been found efficient in degradation of coagulated textile dye sludge. Moringa oleifera seed powder (700 mg L -1 ) was able to coagulate textile dyestuff from real textile wastewater with 98 % color removal. Novel consortium-BBA was found to decolorize coagulated dye sludge. Parameters that significantly affect coagulation process were optimized using response surface methodology. The bench-scale stirred tank reactor (50-L capacity) designed with optimized parameters for coagulation process could efficiently remove 98, 89, 78, and 67 % of American Dye Manufacturer's Institute (ADMI) in four repetitive cycles, respectively. Solid-state fermentation composting reactor designed to treat coagulated dye sludge showed 96 % removal of dye within 10 days. Coagulation of dyes from textile wastewater and degradation of coagulated dye sludge were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. Cell morphology assay, comet assay, and phytotoxicity confirmed the formation of less toxic products after coagulation and degradation mechanism.

Material processing with fiber based ultrafast pulse delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumbach, S.; Stockburger, R.; Führa, B.; Zoller, S.; Thum, S.; Moosmann, J.; Maier, D.; Kanal, F.; Russ, S.; Kaiser, E.; Budnicki, A.; Sutter, D. H.; Pricking, S.; Killi, A.

2018-02-01

We report on TRUMPF's ultrafast laser systems equipped with industrialized hollow core fiber laser light cables. Beam guidance in general by means of optical fibers, e.g. for multi kilowatt cw laser systems, has become an integral part of laser-based material processing. One advantage of fiber delivery, among others, is the mechanical separation between laser and processing head. An equally important benefit is given by the fact that the fiber end acts as an opto-mechanical fix-point close to successive optical elements in the processing head. Components like lenses, diffractive optical elements etc. can thus be designed towards higher efficiency which results in better material processing. These aspects gain increasing significance when the laser system operates in fundamental mode which is usually the case for ultrafast lasers. Through the last years beam guidance of ultrafast laser pulses by means of hollow core fiber technology established very rapidly. The combination of TRUMPF's long-term stable ultrafast laser sources, passive fiber coupling, connector and packaging forms a flexible and powerful system for laser based material processing well suited for an industrial environment. In this article we demonstrate common material processing applications with ultrafast lasers realized with TRUMPF's hollow core fiber delivery. The experimental results are contrasted and evaluated against conventional free space propagation in order to illustrate the performance of flexible ultrafast beam delivery.

Improving Usage Statistics Processing for a Library Consortium: The Virtual Library of Virginia's Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Tansy E.

2009-01-01

This article describes the development of the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA). The VIVA statistics-processing system remains a work in progress. Member libraries will benefit from the ability to obtain the actual data from the VIVA site, rather than just the summaries, so a project to make these data available is currently being planned. The…

Gaia DR2 documentation Chapter 1: Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Abreu, A.; Brown, A. G. A.; Castañeda, J.; Cheek, N.; Crowley, C.; De Angeli, F.; Drimmel, R.; Fabricius, C.; Fleitas, J.; Gracia-Abril, G.; Guerra, R.; Hutton, A.; Messineo, R.; Mora, A.; Nienartowicz, K.; Panem, C.; Siddiqui, H.

2018-04-01

This chapter of the Gaia DR2 documentation describes the Gaia mission, the Gaia spacecraft, and the organisation of the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC), which is responsible for the processing and analysis of the Gaia data. Furthermore, various properties of the data release are summarised, including statistical properties, object statistics, completeness, selection and filtering criteria, and limitations of the data.

A Study of Entry-Level Employment Technological Competencies for the Junior College Graduates Majoring in Electronic Engineering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Woei-Kae; Chang, Liang-Te

A study examined the technological competencies of the electronic engineering departments of junior colleges in Taiwan. It used a combination of two methods--a revised DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) process and a revised V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States) process--to analyze the duty/task profile and task/element list of…

Novel Approach to Increase the Energy-related Process Efficiency and Performance of Laser Brazing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittelstädt, C.; Seefeld, T.; Radel, T.; Vollertsen, F.

Although laser brazing is well established, the energy-related efficiency of this joining method is quite low. That is because of low absorptivity of solid-state laser radiation, especially when copper base braze metals are used. Conventionally the laser beam is set close to the vertical axis and the filler wire is delivered under a flat angle. Therefore, the most of the utilized laser power is reflected and thus left unexploited. To address this situation an alternative processing concept for laser brazing, where the laser beam is leading the filler wire, has been investigated intending to make use of reflected shares of the laser radiation. Process monitoring shows, that the reflection of the laser beam can be used purposefully to preheat the substrate which is supporting the wetting and furthermore increasing the efficiency of the process. Experiments address a standard application from the automotive industry joining zinc coated steels using CuSi3Mn1 filler wire. Feasibility of the alternative processing concept is demonstrated, showing that higher processing speeds can be attained, reducing the required energy per unit length while maintaining joint properties.

Interaction of both plasmas in CO2 laser-MAG hybrid welding of carbon steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutsuna, Muneharu; Chen, Liang

2003-03-01

Researches and developments of laser and arc hybrid welding has been curried out since in 1978. Especially, CO2 laser and TIG hybrid welding has been studied for increasing the penetration depth and welding speed. Recently laser and MIG/MAG/Plasma hybrid welding processes have been developed and applied to industries. It was recognized as a new welding process that promote the flexibility of the process for increasing the penetration depth, welding speed and allowable joint gap and improving the quality of the welds. In the present work, CO2 Laser-MAG hybrid welding of carbon steel (SM490) was investigated to make clear the phenomenon and characteristics of hybrid welding process comparing with laser welding and MAG process. The effects of many process parameters such as welding current, arc voltage, welding speed, defocusing distance, laser-to-arc distance on penetration depth, bead shape, spatter, arc stability and plasma formation were investigated in the present work. Especially, the interaction of laser plasma and MAG arc plasma was considered by changing the laser to arc distance (=DLA).

High power lasers: Sources, laser-material interactions, high excitations, and fast dynamics in laser processing and industrial applications; Proceedings of the Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands, Mar. 31-Apr. 3, 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreutz, E. W. (Editor); Quenzer, Alain (Editor); Schuoecker, Dieter (Editor)

1987-01-01

The design and operation of high-power lasers for industrial applications are discussed in reviews and reports. Topics addressed include the status of optical technology in the Netherlands, laser design, the deposition of optical energy, laser diagnostics, nonmetal processing, and energy coupling and plasma formation. Consideration is given to laser-induced damage to materials, fluid and gas flow dynamics, metal processing, and manufacturing. Graphs, diagrams, micrographs, and photographs are provided.

Impact of different cleaning processes on the laser damage threshold of antireflection coatings for Z-Backlighter optics at Sandia National Laboratories

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

Field, Ella; Bellum, John; Kletecka, Damon

We have examined how different cleaning processes affect the laser-induced damage threshold of antireflection coatings for large dimension, Z-Backlighter laser optics at Sandia National Laboratories. Laser damage thresholds were measured after the coatings were created, and again 4 months later to determine which cleaning processes were most effective. There is a nearly twofold increase in laser-induced damage threshold between the antireflection coatings that were cleaned and those that were not cleaned. Aging of the coatings after 4 months resulted in even higher laser-induced damage thresholds. Also, the laser-induced damage threshold results revealed that every antireflection coating had a high defectmore » density, despite the cleaning process used, which indicates that improvements to either the cleaning or deposition processes should provide even higher laser-induced damage thresholds.« less

Impact of different cleaning processes on the laser damage threshold of antireflection coatings for Z-Backlighter optics at Sandia National Laboratories

DOE PAGES

Field, Ella; Bellum, John; Kletecka, Damon

2014-11-06

We have examined how different cleaning processes affect the laser-induced damage threshold of antireflection coatings for large dimension, Z-Backlighter laser optics at Sandia National Laboratories. Laser damage thresholds were measured after the coatings were created, and again 4 months later to determine which cleaning processes were most effective. There is a nearly twofold increase in laser-induced damage threshold between the antireflection coatings that were cleaned and those that were not cleaned. Aging of the coatings after 4 months resulted in even higher laser-induced damage thresholds. Also, the laser-induced damage threshold results revealed that every antireflection coating had a high defectmore » density, despite the cleaning process used, which indicates that improvements to either the cleaning or deposition processes should provide even higher laser-induced damage thresholds.« less

Laser processing for manufacturing nanocarbon materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van, Hai Hoang

CNTs have been considered as the excellent candidate to revolutionize a broad range of applications. There have been many method developed to manipulate the chemistry and the structure of CNTs. Laser with non-contact treatment capability exhibits many processing advantages, including solid-state treatment, extremely fast processing rate, and high processing resolution. In addition, the outstanding monochromatic, coherent, and directional beam generates the powerful energy absorption and the resultant extreme processing conditions. In my research, a unique laser scanning method was developed to process CNTs, controlling the oxidation and the graphitization. The achieved controllability of this method was applied to address the important issues of the current CNT processing methods for three applications. The controllable oxidation of CNTs by laser scanning method was applied to cut CNT films to produce high-performance cathodes for FE devices. The production method includes two important self-developed techniques to produce the cold cathodes: the production of highly oriented and uniformly distributed CNT sheets and the precise laser trimming process. Laser cutting is the unique method to produce the cathodes with remarkable features, including ultrathin freestanding structure (~200 nm), greatly high aspect ratio, hybrid CNT-GNR emitter arrays, even emitter separation, and directional emitter alignment. This unique cathode structure was unachievable by other methods. The developed FE devices successfully solved the screening effect issue encounter by current FE devices. The laser-control oxidation method was further developed to sequentially remove graphitic walls of CNTs. The laser oxidation process was directed to occur along the CNT axes by the laser scanning direction. Additionally, the oxidation was further assisted by the curvature stress and the thermal expansion of the graphitic nanotubes, ultimately opening (namely unzipping) the tubular structure to produce GNRs. Therefore the developed laser scanning method optimally exploited the thermal laser-CNT interaction, successfully transforming CNTs into 2D GNRs. The solid-state laser unzipping process effectively addressed the issues of contamination and scalability encountered by the current unzipping methods. Additionally, the produced GNRs were uniquely featured with the freestanding structure and the smooth surfaces. If the scanning process was performed in an inert environment without the appearance of oxygen, the oxidation of CNTs would not happen. Instead, the greatly mobile carbon atoms of the heated CNTs would reorganize the crystal structure, inducing the graphitization process to improve the crystallinity. Many observations showing the structural improvement of CNTs under laser irradiation has been reported, confirming the capability of laser to heal graphitic defects. Laser methods were more time-efficient and energy-efficient than other annealing methods because laser can quickly heat CNTs to generate graphitization in less than one second. This subsecond heating process of laser irradiation was more effective than other heating methods because it avoided the undesired coalescence of CNTs. In my research, the laser scanning method was applied to generate the graphitization, healing the structural defects of CNTs. Different from the reported laser methods, the laser scanning directed the locally annealed areas to move along the CNT axes, migrating and coalescencing the graphitic defects to achieve better healing results. The critical information describing the CNT structural transformation caused by the moving laser irradiation was explored from the successful applications of the developed laser method. This knowledge inspires an important method to modifiy the general graphitic structure for important applications, such as carbon fiber production, CNT self-assembly process and CNT welding. This method will be effective, facile, versatile, and adaptable for laboratory and industrial facilities.

Laser surface texturing of cast iron steel: dramatic edge burr reduction and high speed process optimisation for industrial production using DPSS picosecond lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruneel, David; Kearsley, Andrew; Karnakis, Dimitris

2015-07-01

In this work we present picosecond DPSS laser surface texturing optimisation of automotive grade cast iron steel. This application attracts great interest, particularly in the automotive industry, to reduce friction between moving piston parts in car engines, in order to decrease fuel consumption. This is accomplished by partially covering with swallow microgrooves the inner surface of a piston liner and is currently a production process adopting much longer pulse (microsecond) DPSS lasers. Lubricated interface conditions of moving parts require from the laser process to produce a very strictly controlled surface topography around the laser formed grooves, whose edge burr height must be lower than 100 nm. To achieve such a strict tolerance, laser machining of cast iron steel was investigated using an infrared DPSS picosecond laser (10ps duration) with an output power of 16W and a repetition rate of 200 kHz. The ultrashort laser is believed to provide a much better thermal management of the etching process. All studies presented here were performed on flat samples in ambient air but the process is transferrable to cylindrical geometry engine liners. We will show that reducing significantly the edge burr below an acceptable limit for lubricated engine production is possible using such lasers and remarkably the process window lies at very high irradiated fluences much higher that the single pulse ablation threshold. This detailed experimental work highlights the close relationship between the optimised laser irradiation conditions as well as the process strategy with the final size of the undesirable edge burrs. The optimised process conditions are compatible with an industrial production process and show the potential for removing extra post)processing steps (honing, etc) of cylinder liners on the manufacturing line saving time and cost.

High Power Laser Processing Of Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martyr, D. R.; Holt, T.

1987-09-01

The first practical demonstration of a laser device was in 1960 and in the following years, the high power carbon dioxide laser has matured as an industrial machine tool. Modern carbon dioxide gas lasers can be used for cutting, welding, heat treatment, drilling, scribing and marking. Since their invention over 25 years ago they are now becoming recognised as highly reliable devices capable of achieving huge savings in production costs in many situations. This paper introduces the basic laser processing techniques of cutting, welding and heat treatment as they apply to the most common engineering materials. Typical processing speeds achieved with a wide range of laser powers are reported. Accuracies achievable and fit-up tolerances required are presented. Methods of integrating lasers with machine tools are described and their suitability in a wide range of manufacturing industries is described by reference to recent installations. Examples from small batch manufacturing, high volume production using dedicated laser welding equipment, and high volume manufacturing using 'flexible' automated laser welding equipment are described Future applications of laser processing are suggested by reference to current process developments.

Technology Assessment of Laser-Assisted Materials Processing in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagarathnam, Karthik; Taminger, Karen M. B.

2001-01-01

Lasers are useful for performing operations such as joining, machining, built-up freeform fabrication, shock processing, and surface treatments. These attributes are attractive for the supportability of longer-term missions in space due to the multi-functionality of a single tool and the variety of materials that can be processed. However, current laser technology also has drawbacks for space-based applications, specifically size, power efficiency, lack of robustness, and problems processing highly reflective materials. A review of recent laser developments will be used to show how these issues may be reduced and indicate where further improvement is necessary to realize a laser-based materials processing capability in space. The broad utility of laser beams in synthesizing various classes of engineering materials will be illustrated using state-of-the art processing maps for select lightweight alloys typically found on spacecraft. With the advent of recent breakthroughs in diode-pumped solid-state lasers and fiber optic technologies, the potential to perform multiple processing techniques is increasing significantly. Lasers with suitable wavelengths and beam properties have tremendous potential for supporting future space missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

Enhanced solvent production by metabolic engineering of a twin-clostridial consortium.

PubMed

Wen, Zhiqiang; Minton, Nigel P; Zhang, Ying; Li, Qi; Liu, Jinle; Jiang, Yu; Yang, Sheng

2017-01-01

The efficient fermentative production of solvents (acetone, n-butanol, and ethanol) from a lignocellulosic feedstock using a single process microorganism has yet to be demonstrated. Herein, we developed a consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) based on a twin-clostridial consortium composed of Clostridium cellulovorans and Clostridium beijerinckii capable of producing cellulosic butanol from alkali-extracted, deshelled corn cobs (AECC). To accomplish this a genetic system was developed for C. cellulovorans and used to knock out the genes encoding acetate kinase (Clocel_1892) and lactate dehydrogenase (Clocel_1533), and to overexpress the gene encoding butyrate kinase (Clocel_3674), thereby pulling carbon flux towards butyrate production. In parallel, to enhance ethanol production, the expression of a putative hydrogenase gene (Clocel_2243) was down-regulated using CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). Simultaneously, genes involved in organic acids reassimilation (ctfAB, cbei_3833/3834) and pentose utilization (xylR, cbei_2385 and xylT, cbei_0109) were engineered in C. beijerinckii to enhance solvent production. The engineered twin-clostridia consortium was shown to decompose 83.2g/L of AECC and produce 22.1g/L of solvents (4.25g/L acetone, 11.5g/L butanol and 6.37g/L ethanol). This titer of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) approximates to that achieved from a starchy feedstock. The developed twin-clostridial consortium serves as a promising platform for ABE fermentation from lignocellulose by CBP. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2) collaborative quality improvement initiative in percutaneous coronary interventions.

PubMed

Moscucci, Mauro; Share, David; Kline-Rogers, Eva; O'Donnell, Michael; Maxwell-Eward, Ann; Meengs, William L; Clark, Vivian L; Kraft, Phillip; De Franco, Anthony C; Chambers, James L; Patel, Kirit; McGinnity, John G; Eagle, Kim A

2002-10-01

The past decade has been characterized by increased scrutiny of outcomes of surgical and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). This increased scrutiny has led to the development of regional, state, and national databases for outcome assessment and for public reporting. This report describes the initial development of a regional, collaborative, cardiovascular consortium and the progress made so far by this collaborative group. In 1997, a group of hospitals in the state Michigan agreed to create a regional collaborative consortium for the development of a quality improvement program in interventional cardiology. The project included the creation of a comprehensive database of PCIs to be used for risk assessment, feedback on absolute and risk-adjusted outcomes, and sharing of information. To date, information from nearly 20,000 PCIs have been collected. A risk prediction tool for death in the hospital and additional risk prediction tools for other outcomes have been developed from the data collected, and are currently used by the participating centers for risk assessment and for quality improvement. As the project enters into year 5, the participating centers are deeply engaged in the quality improvement phase, and expansion to a total of 17 hospitals with active PCI programs is in process. In conclusion, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium is an example of a regional collaborative effort to assess and improve quality of care and outcomes that overcome the barriers of traditional market and academic competition.

Absorptivity Measurements and Heat Source Modeling to Simulate Laser Cladding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirth, Florian; Eisenbarth, Daniel; Wegener, Konrad

The laser cladding process gains importance, as it does not only allow the application of surface coatings, but also additive manufacturing of three-dimensional parts. In both cases, process simulation can contribute to process optimization. Heat source modeling is one of the main issues for an accurate model and simulation of the laser cladding process. While the laser beam intensity distribution is readily known, the other two main effects on the process' heat input are non-trivial. Namely the measurement of the absorptivity of the applied materials as well as the powder attenuation. Therefore, calorimetry measurements were carried out. The measurement method and the measurement results for laser cladding of Stellite 6 on structural steel S 235 and for the processing of Inconel 625 are presented both using a CO2 laser as well as a high power diode laser (HPDL). Additionally, a heat source model is deduced.

Wood pallets wasted no more

Treesearch

J. D. Piland

2004-01-01

A consortium of national and Southeast regional agencies took almost two years perfecting a new use for discarded wooden pallets. And as of the beginning of July, 2004, Oaks Unlimited of Waynesville, NC, became the first company to employ the pallet-to-hardwood flooring process.

Development of on-line laser power monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Chien-Fang; Lee, Meng-Shiou; Li, Kuan-Ming

2016-03-01

Since the laser was invented, laser has been applied in many fields such as material processing, communication, measurement, biomedical engineering, defense industries and etc. Laser power is an important parameter in laser material processing, i.e. laser cutting, and laser drilling. However, the laser power is easily affected by the environment temperature, we tend to monitor the laser power status, ensuring there is an effective material processing. Besides, the response time of current laser power meters is too long, they cannot measure laser power accurately in a short time. To be more precisely, we can know the status of laser power and help us to achieve an effective material processing at the same time. To monitor the laser power, this study utilize a CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) camera to develop an on-line laser power monitoring system. The CMOS camera captures images of incident laser beam after it is split and attenuated by beam splitter and neutral density filter. By comparing the average brightness of the beam spots and measurement results from laser power meter, laser power can be estimated. Under continuous measuring mode, the average measuring error is about 3%, and the response time is at least 3.6 second shorter than thermopile power meters; under trigger measuring mode which enables the CMOS camera to synchronize with intermittent laser output, the average measuring error is less than 3%, and the shortest response time is 20 millisecond.

Atomic vapor laser isotope separation process

DOEpatents

Wyeth, R.W.; Paisner, J.A.; Story, T.

1990-08-21

A laser spectroscopy system is utilized in an atomic vapor laser isotope separation process. The system determines spectral components of an atomic vapor utilizing a laser heterodyne technique. 23 figs.

Laser Materials Processing for NASA's Aerospace Structural Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagarathnam, Karthik; Hunyady, Thomas A.

2001-01-01

Lasers are useful for performing operations such as joining, machining, built-up freeform fabrication, and surface treatment. Due to the multifunctional nature of a single tool and the variety of materials that can be processed, these attributes are attractive in order to support long-term missions in space. However, current laser technology also has drawbacks for space-based applications. Specifically, size, power efficiency, lack of robustness, and problems processing highly reflective materials are all concerns. With the advent of recent breakthroughs in solidstate laser (e.g., diode-pumped lasers) and fiber optic technologies, the potential to perform multiple processing techniques in space has increased significantly. A review of the historical development of lasers from their infancy to the present will be used to show how these issues may be addressed. The review will also indicate where further development is necessary to realize a laser-based materials processing capability in space. The broad utility of laser beams in synthesizing various classes of engineering materials will be illustrated using state-of-the art processing maps for select lightweight alloys typically found on spacecraft. Both short- and long-term space missions will benefit from the development of a universal laser-based tool with low power consumption, improved process flexibility, compactness (e.g., miniaturization), robustness, and automation for maximum utility with a minimum of human interaction. The potential advantages of using lasers with suitable wavelength and beam properties for future space missions to the moon, Mars and beyond will be discussed. The laser processing experiments in the present report were performed using a diode pumped, pulsed/continuous wave Nd:YAG laser (50 W max average laser power), with a 1064 nm wavelength. The processed materials included Ti-6AI-4V, Al-2219 and Al-2090. For Phase I of this project, the laser process conditions were varied and optimized to see the effects on melt-quenching, cladding/alloying (using the pre-placed powder technique), and cutting. Key parameters such laser power, pulse repetition frequency, process speed, and shield gas flow and the observed process characteristics such as plasma formation during laser/material interaction, have been reported for all experimental runs. Preliminary materials characterization of select samples was carried out using various microscopy, diffraction, spectroscopy and microhardness test methods, and reported. Select nitridation results of Ti-6AI-4V using nitrogen assist gas indicated the successful formation of hard titanium nitrides with much higher hardness (2180 kg/sq mm). A cost-effective and simple powder delivery system has been successfully fabricated for the further experimentation in Phase H.

Finite Element Analysis of Interaction of Laser Beam with Material in Laser Metal Powder Bed Fusion Process.

PubMed

Fu, Guang; Zhang, David Z; He, Allen N; Mao, Zhongfa; Zhang, Kaifei

2018-05-10

A deep understanding of the laser-material interaction mechanism, characterized by laser absorption, is very important in simulating the laser metal powder bed fusion (PBF) process. This is because the laser absorption of material affects the temperature distribution, which influences the thermal stress development and the final quality of parts. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element analysis model of heat transfer taking into account the effect of material state and phase changes on laser absorption is presented to gain insight into the absorption mechanism, and the evolution of instantaneous absorptance in the laser metal PBF process. The results showed that the instantaneous absorptance was significantly affected by the time of laser radiation, as well as process parameters, such as hatch space, scanning velocity, and laser power, which were consistent with the experiment-based findings. The applicability of this model to temperature simulation was demonstrated by a comparative study, wherein the peak temperature in fusion process was simulated in two scenarios, with and without considering the effect of material state and phase changes on laser absorption, and the simulated results in the two scenarios were then compared with experimental data respectively.

Laser materials processing of complex components: from reverse engineering via automated beam path generation to short process development cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Görgl, Richard; Brandstätter, Elmar

2017-01-01

The article presents an overview of what is possible nowadays in the field of laser materials processing. The state of the art in the complete process chain is shown, starting with the generation of a specific components CAD data and continuing with the automated motion path generation for the laser head carried by a CNC or robot system. Application examples from laser cladding and laser-based additive manufacturing are given.

Simulation based analysis of laser beam brazing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobler, Michael; Wiethop, Philipp; Schmid, Daniel; Schmidt, Michael

2016-03-01

Laser beam brazing is a well-established joining technology in car body manufacturing with main applications in the joining of divided tailgates and the joining of roof and side panels. A key advantage of laser brazed joints is the seam's visual quality which satisfies highest requirements. However, the laser beam brazing process is very complex and process dynamics are only partially understood. In order to gain deeper knowledge of the laser beam brazing process, to determine optimal process parameters and to test process variants, a transient three-dimensional simulation model of laser beam brazing is developed. This model takes into account energy input, heat transfer as well as fluid and wetting dynamics that lead to the formation of the brazing seam. A validation of the simulation model is performed by metallographic analysis and thermocouple measurements for different parameter sets of the brazing process. These results show that the multi-physical simulation model not only can be used to gain insight into the laser brazing process but also offers the possibility of process optimization in industrial applications. The model's capabilities in determining optimal process parameters are exemplarily shown for the laser power. Small deviations in the energy input can affect the brazing results significantly. Therefore, the simulation model is used to analyze the effect of the lateral laser beam position on the energy input and the resulting brazing seam.

Predictive modeling, simulation, and optimization of laser processing techniques: UV nanosecond-pulsed laser micromachining of polymers and selective laser melting of powder metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Criales Escobar, Luis Ernesto

One of the most frequently evolving areas of research is the utilization of lasers for micro-manufacturing and additive manufacturing purposes. The use of laser beam as a tool for manufacturing arises from the need for flexible and rapid manufacturing at a low-to-mid cost. Laser micro-machining provides an advantage over mechanical micro-machining due to the faster production times of large batch sizes and the high costs associated with specific tools. Laser based additive manufacturing enables processing of powder metals for direct and rapid fabrication of products. Therefore, laser processing can be viewed as a fast, flexible, and cost-effective approach compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Two types of laser processing techniques are studied: laser ablation of polymers for micro-channel fabrication and selective laser melting of metal powders. Initially, a feasibility study for laser-based micro-channel fabrication of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) via experimentation is presented. In particular, the effectiveness of utilizing a nanosecond-pulsed laser as the energy source for laser ablation is studied. The results are analyzed statistically and a relationship between process parameters and micro-channel dimensions is established. Additionally, a process model is introduced for predicting channel depth. Model outputs are compared and analyzed to experimental results. The second part of this research focuses on a physics-based FEM approach for predicting the temperature profile and melt pool geometry in selective laser melting (SLM) of metal powders. Temperature profiles are calculated for a moving laser heat source to understand the temperature rise due to heating during SLM. Based on the predicted temperature distributions, melt pool geometry, i.e. the locations at which melting of the powder material occurs, is determined. Simulation results are compared against data obtained from experimental Inconel 625 test coupons fabricated at the National Institute for Standards & Technology via response surface methodology techniques. The main goal of this research is to develop a comprehensive predictive model with which the effect of powder material properties and laser process parameters on the built quality and integrity of SLM-produced parts can be better understood. By optimizing process parameters, SLM as an additive manufacturing technique is not only possible, but also practical and reproducible.

Southeast Clinical Oncology Research Consortium, Inc. (SCOR) | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

The SCCC-Upstate is a merger of two successful legacy CCOPs known as Southeast Cancer Control Consortium, Inc. (SCCC) and Upstate Carolina (hereafter the Consortium) comprised of 23 components and 63 sub-components, located in a five-state area of the Southeast US (GA, NC, SC, TN, and VA) with a nonclinical Administrative Office (AO) in Winston-Salem, NC. The Consortium

25 CFR 1000.390 - How can a Tribe/Consortium hire a Federal employee to help implement an AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false How can a Tribe/Consortium hire a Federal employee to help implement an AFA? 1000.390 Section 1000.390 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN... Tribe/Consortium hire a Federal employee to help implement an AFA? If a Tribe/Consortium chooses to hire...

25 CFR 1000.390 - How can a Tribe/Consortium hire a Federal employee to help implement an AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How can a Tribe/Consortium hire a Federal employee to help implement an AFA? 1000.390 Section 1000.390 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN... Tribe/Consortium hire a Federal employee to help implement an AFA? If a Tribe/Consortium chooses to hire...

45 CFR 287.25 - May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2014-10-01 2012-10-01 true May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW... SERVICES THE NATIVE EMPLOYMENT WORKS (NEW) PROGRAM Eligible Tribes § 287.25 May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW Program? (a) Yes, as long as each Tribe forming the consortium is an “eligible Indian tribe...

45 CFR 287.25 - May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2013-10-01 2012-10-01 true May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW... SERVICES THE NATIVE EMPLOYMENT WORKS (NEW) PROGRAM Eligible Tribes § 287.25 May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW Program? (a) Yes, as long as each Tribe forming the consortium is an “eligible Indian tribe...

45 CFR 287.25 - May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW... SERVICES THE NATIVE EMPLOYMENT WORKS (NEW) PROGRAM Eligible Tribes § 287.25 May Tribes form a consortium to operate a NEW Program? (a) Yes, as long as each Tribe forming the consortium is an “eligible Indian tribe...

AFT-QuEST Consortium Yearbook. Proceedings of the QuEST Consortium (April 2-6, 1972).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Teachers, Washington, DC.

This book contains the proceedings from the QuEST Consortium held on April 2-6, 1972, which focused on problems of method and technique in teaching as well as on resource organization. The program schedule for the Consortium is presented with the following goals: (a) investigation of educational policy issues, action programs, and projects and (b)…

Could petroleum biodegradation be a joint achievement of aerobic and anaerobic microrganisms in deep sea reservoirs?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Several studies suggest that petroleum biodegradation can be achieved by either aerobic or anaerobic microorganisms, depending on oxygen input or other electron acceptors and appropriate nutrients. Evidence from in vitro experiments with samples of petroleum formation water and oils from Pampo Field indicate that petroleum biodegradation is more likely to be a joint achievement of both aerobic and anaerobic bacterial consortium, refining our previous observations of aerobic degradation. The aerobic consortium depleted, in decreasing order, hydrocarbons > hopanes > steranes > tricyclic terpanes while the anaerobic consortium depleted hydrocarbons > steranes > hopanes > tricyclic terpanes. The oxygen content of the mixed consortia was measured from time to time revealing alternating periods of microaerobicity (O2 ~0.8 mg.L-1) and of aerobicity (O2~6.0 mg.L-1). In this experiment, the petroleum biodegradation changed from time to time, alternating periods of biodegradation similar to the aerobic process and periods of biodegradation similar to the anaerobic process. The consortia showed preferences for metabolizing hydrocarbons > hopanes > steranes > tricyclic terpanes during a 90-day period, after which this trend changed and steranes were more biodegraded than hopanes. The analysis of aerobic oil degrading microbiota by the 16S rRNA gene clone library detected the presence of Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Mesorhizobium and Achromobacter, and the analysis of the anaerobic oil degrading microbiota using the same technique detected the presence of Bacillus and Acinetobacter (facultative strains). In the mixed consortia Stenotrophomonas, Brevibacterium, Bacillus, Rhizobium, Achromobacter and 5% uncultured bacteria were detected. This is certainly a new contribution to the study of reservoir biodegradation processes, combining two of the more important accepted hypotheses. PMID:22196374

The Climate Impacts Research Consortium: Lessons Learned from the Evaluation of Co-production projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolovska, I.; Andrepont, J. A.; Lach, D.

2017-12-01

The Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Research Consortium (CIRC) is a climate-science-to-climate-action team funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), member of NOAA's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program. The internal evaluation of the last 6 years of CIRC's work focused on the co-production of knowledge process. The evaluation was based on CIRC's Reflection and Logic model and used a mixed methods design. During regular monthly meetings in 2014/15, all CIRC PIs reflected on the co-production process and presented their evaluation of the projects they worked on. Additionally, we conducted semi-structured interviews with CIRC participants, purposefully targeting key informants. The Climate Impacts Research Consortium teams also administered surveys to assess participants' experiences of the coproduction process as they were engaging in it. Identifying and cultivating an informant from the local stakeholder group with deep, accessible roots within the target community can lead to better coproduction results than having to build those relationships from naught. Across projects, most participants agreed that the project increased their understanding of their area's hazards and by the end of the project most participants were confident the project would produce useful results for themselves. Finally, most participants intended to share what they had learned from this experience with their colleagues and we found that co-production built capacities necessary for communities to incorporate climate change in discussions even after the end of CIRC's participation. During the projects, the involvement of non-traditional participants along with experts was critical to success and a lot of work and preparation needs to be put into the planning of any co-production meeting to overcome various barriers to communication and build trust.

Material Processing with High Power CO2-Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakowsky, Lothar

1986-10-01

After a period of research and development lasertechnique now is regarded as an important instrument for flexible, economic and fully automatic manufacturing. Especially cutting of flat metal sheets with high power C02-lasers and CNC controlled two or three axes handling systems is a wide spread. application. Three dimensional laser cutting, laser-welding and -heat treatment are just at the be ginning of industrial use in production lines. The main. advantages of laser technology. are - high. accuracy - high, processing velocity - law thermal distortion. - no tool abrasion. The market for laser material processing systems had 1985 a volume of 300 Mio S with growth rates between, 20 % and 30 %. The topic of this lecture are hiTrh. power CO2-lasers. Besides this systems two others are used as machining tools, Nd-YAG- and Eximer lasers. All applications of high. power CO2-lasers to industrial material processing show that high processing velocity and quality are only guaranteed in case of a stable intensity. profile on the workpiece. This is only achieved by laser systems without any power and mode fluctuations and by handling systems of high accuracy. Two applications in the automotive industry are described, below as examples for laser cutting and laser welding of special cylindrical motor parts.

Computational Astrophysics Consortium 3 - Supernovae, Gamma-Ray Bursts and Nucleosynthesis

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

Woosley, Stan

Final project report for UCSC's participation in the Computational Astrophysics Consortium - Supernovae, Gamma-Ray Bursts and Nucleosynthesis. As an appendix, the report of the entire Consortium is also appended.

Illustrative case studies in the return of exome and genome sequencing results

PubMed Central

Amendola, Laura M; Lautenbach, Denise; Scollon, Sarah; Bernhardt, Barbara; Biswas, Sawona; East, Kelly; Everett, Jessica; Gilmore, Marian J; Himes, Patricia; Raymond, Victoria M; Wynn, Julia; Hart, Ragan; Jarvik, Gail P

2015-01-01

Whole genome and exome sequencing tests are increasingly being ordered in clinical practice, creating a need for research exploring the return of results from these tests. A goal of the Clinical Sequencing and Exploratory Research (CSER) consortium is to gain experience with this process to develop best practice recommendations for offering exome and genome testing and returning results. Genetic counselors in the CSER consortium have an integral role in the return of results from these genomic sequencing tests and have gained valuable insight. We present seven emerging themes related to return of exome and genome sequencing results accompanied by case descriptions illustrating important lessons learned, counseling challenges specific to these tests and considerations for future research and practice. PMID:26478737

A simple approach to industrial laser safety.

PubMed

Lewandowski, Michael A; Hinz, Michael W

2005-02-01

Industrial applications of lasers include marking, welding, cutting, and other material processing. Lasers used in these ways have significant power output but are generally designed to limit operator exposure to direct or scattered laser radiation to harmless levels in order to meet the Federal Laser Product Performance Standard (21CFR1040) for Class 1 laser products. Interesting challenges occur when companies integrate high power lasers into manufacturing or process control equipment. A significant part of the integration process is developing engineering and administrative controls to produce an acceptable level of laser safety while balancing production, maintenance, and service requirements. 3M Company uses a large number of high power lasers in numerous manufacturing processes. Whether the laser is purchased as a Class 1 laser product or whether it is purchased as a Class 4 laser and then integrated into a manufacturing application, 3M Company has developed an industrial laser safety program that maintains a high degree of laser safety while facilitating the rapid and economical integration of laser technology into the manufacturing workplace. This laser safety program is based on the requirements and recommendations contained in the American National Standard for Safe Use of Lasers, ANSI Z136.1. The fundamental components of the 3M program include hazard evaluation, engineering, administrative, and procedural controls, protective equipment, signs and labels, training, and re-evaluation upon change. This program is implemented in manufacturing facilities and has resulted in an excellent history of laser safety and an effective and efficient use of laser safety resources.

CO2-laser-assisted processing of glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brecher, Christian; Emonts, Michael; Schares, Richard Ludwig; Stimpfl, Joffrey

2013-02-01

To fully exploit the potential of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (FRTC) and to achieve a broad industrial application, automated manufacturing systems are crucial. Investigations at Fraunhofer IPT have proven that the use of laser system technology in processing FRTC allows to achieve high throughput, quality, flexibility, reproducibility and out-of-autoclave processing simultaneously. As 90% of the FRP in Europe1 are glass fiber-reinforced a high impact can be achieved by introducing laser-assisted processing with all its benefits to glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (GFRTC). Fraunhofer IPT has developed the diode laser-assisted tape placement (laying and winding) to process carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTC) for years. However, this technology cannot be transferred unchanged to process milky transparent GFRTC prepregs (preimpregnated fibers). Due to the short wavelength (approx. 980 nm) and therefore high transmission less than 20% of the diode laser energy is absorbed as heat into non-colored GFRTC prepregs. Hence, the use of a different wave length, e.g. CO2-laser (10.6 μm) with more than 90% laser absorption, is required to allow the full potential of laser-assisted processing of GFRTC. Also the absorption of CO2-laser radiation at the surface compared to volume absorption of diode laser radiation is beneficial for the interlaminar joining of GFRTC. Fraunhofer IPT is currently developing and investigating the CO2-laser-assisted tape placement including new system, beam guiding, process and monitoring technology to enable a resource and energy efficient mass production of GFRP composites, e.g. pipes, tanks, masts. The successful processing of non-colored glass fiber-reinforced Polypropylene (PP) and Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) has already been proven.

Laser Material Processing for Microengineering Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helvajian, H.

1995-01-01

The processing of materials via laser irradiation is presented in a brief survey. Various techniques currently used in laser processing are outlined and the significance to the development of space qualified microinstrumentation are identified. In general the laser processing technique permits the transferring of patterns (i.e. lithography), machining (i.e. with nanometer precision), material deposition (e.g., metals, dielectrics), the removal of contaminants/debris/passivation layers and the ability to provide process control through spectroscopy.

Single Step Laser Transfer and Laser Curing of Ag NanoWires: A Digital Process for the Fabrication of Flexible and Transparent Microelectrodes.

PubMed

Zacharatos, Filimon; Karvounis, Panagiotis; Theodorakos, Ioannis; Hatziapostolou, Antonios; Zergioti, Ioanna

2018-06-19

Ag nanowire (NW) networks have exquisite optical and electrical properties which make them ideal candidate materials for flexible transparent conductive electrodes. Despite the compatibility of Ag NW networks with laser processing, few demonstrations of laser fabricated Ag NW based components currently exist. In this work, we report on a novel single step laser transferring and laser curing process of micrometer sized pixels of Ag NW networks on flexible substrates. This process relies on the selective laser heating of the Ag NWs induced by the laser pulse energy and the subsequent localized melting of the polymeric substrate. We demonstrate that a single laser pulse can induce both transfer and curing of the Ag NW network. The feasibility of the process is confirmed experimentally and validated by Finite Element Analysis simulations, which indicate that selective heating is carried out within a submicron-sized heat affected zone. The resulting structures can be utilized as fully functional flexible transparent electrodes with figures of merit even higher than 100. Low sheet resistance (<50 Ohm/sq) and high visible light transparency (>90%) make the reported process highly desirable for a variety of applications, including selective heating or annealing of nanocomposite materials and laser processing of nanostructured materials on a large variety of optically transparent substrates, such as Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

Building a Prototype of LHC Analysis Oriented Computing Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagliesi, G.; Boccali, T.; Della Ricca, G.; Donvito, G.; Paganoni, M.

2012-12-01

A Consortium between four LHC Computing Centers (Bari, Milano, Pisa and Trieste) has been formed in 2010 to prototype Analysis-oriented facilities for CMS data analysis, profiting from a grant from the Italian Ministry of Research. The Consortium aims to realize an ad-hoc infrastructure to ease the analysis activities on the huge data set collected at the LHC Collider. While “Tier2” Computing Centres, specialized in organized processing tasks like Monte Carlo simulation, are nowadays a well established concept, with years of running experience, site specialized towards end user chaotic analysis activities do not yet have a defacto standard implementation. In our effort, we focus on all the aspects that can make the analysis tasks easier for a physics user not expert in computing. On the storage side, we are experimenting on storage techniques allowing for remote data access and on storage optimization on the typical analysis access patterns. On the networking side, we are studying the differences between flat and tiered LAN architecture, also using virtual partitioning of the same physical networking for the different use patterns. Finally, on the user side, we are developing tools and instruments to allow for an exhaustive monitoring of their processes at the site, and for an efficient support system in case of problems. We will report about the results of the test executed on different subsystem and give a description of the layout of the infrastructure in place at the site participating to the consortium.

Results Oriented Benchmarking: The Evolution of Benchmarking at NASA from Competitive Comparisons to World Class Space Partnerships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, Michael A.

1999-01-01

Informal benchmarking using personal or professional networks has taken place for many years at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recognized early on, the need to formalize the benchmarking process for better utilization of resources and improved benchmarking performance. The need to compete in a faster, better, cheaper environment has been the catalyst for formalizing these efforts. A pioneering benchmarking consortium was chartered at KSC in January 1994. The consortium known as the Kennedy Benchmarking Clearinghouse (KBC), is a collaborative effort of NASA and all major KSC contractors. The charter of this consortium is to facilitate effective benchmarking, and leverage the resulting quality improvements across KSC. The KBC acts as a resource with experienced facilitators and a proven process. One of the initial actions of the KBC was to develop a holistic methodology for Center-wide benchmarking. This approach to Benchmarking integrates the best features of proven benchmarking models (i.e., Camp, Spendolini, Watson, and Balm). This cost-effective alternative to conventional Benchmarking approaches has provided a foundation for consistent benchmarking at KSC through the development of common terminology, tools, and techniques. Through these efforts a foundation and infrastructure has been built which allows short duration benchmarking studies yielding results gleaned from world class partners that can be readily implemented. The KBC has been recognized with the Silver Medal Award (in the applied research category) from the International Benchmarking Clearinghouse.

77 FR 43237 - Genome in a Bottle Consortium-Work Plan Review Workshop

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-24

... in human whole genome variant calls. A principal motivation for this consortium is to enable... principal motivation for this consortium is to enable science-based regulatory oversight of clinical...

Midwest Transportation Consortium : 2003-2004 annual report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

Introduction: The Midwest Transportation Consortium (MTC) recently completed its fifth year : of operation. In doing so, the consortium has established itself as an effective : network that promotes the education of future transportation professional...

Consortium for military LCD display procurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echols, Gregg

2002-08-01

International Display Consortium (IDC) is the joining together of display companies to combined their buying power and obtained favorable terms with a major LCD manufacturer. Consolidating the buying power and grouping the demand enables the rugged display industry of avionics, ground vehicles, and ship based display manufacturers to have unencumbered access to high performance AMLCDs while greatly reducing risk and lowering cost. With an unrestricted supply of AMLCD displays, the consortium members have total control of their risk, cost, deliveries and added value partners. Every display manufacturer desires a very close relationship with a display vender. With IDC each consortium member achieves a close relationship. Consortium members enjoy cost effective access to high performance, industry standard sized LCD panels, and modified commercial displays with 100 degree C clearing points and portrait configurations. Consortium members also enjoy proposal support, technical support and long-term support.

Process Parameter Optimization for Wobbling Laser Spot Welding of Ti6Al4V Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vakili-Farahani, F.; Lungershausen, J.; Wasmer, K.

Laser beam welding (LBW) coupled with "wobble effect" (fast oscillation of the laser beam) is very promising for high precision micro-joining industry. For this process, similarly to the conventional LBW, the laser welding process parameters play a very significant role in determining the quality of a weld joint. Consequently, four process parameters (laser power, wobble frequency, number of rotations within a single laser pulse and focused position) and 5 responses (penetration, width, heat affected zone (HAZ), area of the fusion zone, area of HAZ and hardness) were investigated for spot welding of Ti6Al4V alloy (grade 5) using a design of experiments (DoE) approach. This paper presents experimental results showing the effects of variating the considered most important process parameters on the spot weld quality of Ti6Al4V alloy. Semi-empirical mathematical models were developed to correlate laser welding parameters to each of the measured weld responses. Adequacies of the models were then examined by various methods such as ANOVA. These models not only allows a better understanding of the wobble laser welding process and predict the process performance but also determines optimal process parameters. Therefore, optimal combination of process parameters was determined considering certain quality criteria set.

ICONE: An International Consortium of Neuro Endovascular Centres.

PubMed

Raymond, J; White, P; Kallmes, D F; Spears, J; Marotta, T; Roy, D; Guilbert, F; Weill, A; Nguyen, T; Molyneux, A J; Cloft, H; Cekirge, S; Saatci, I; Bracard, S; Meder, J F; Moret, J; Cognard, C; Qureshi, A I; Turk, A S; Berenstein, A

2008-06-30

The proliferation of new endovascular devices and therapeutic strategies calls for a prudentand rational evaluation of their clinical benefit. This evaluation must be done in an effective manner and in collaboration with industry. Such research initiative requires organisation a land methodological support to survive and thrive in a competitive environment. We propose the formation of an international consortium, an academic alliance committed to the pursuit of effective neurovascular therapies. Such a consortium would be dedicated to the designand execution of basic science, device developmentand clinical trials. The Consortium is owned and operated by its members. Members are international leaders in neurointerventional research and clinical practice. The Consortium brings competency, knowledge, and expertise to industry as well as to its membership across aspectrum of research initiatives such as: expedited review of clinical trials, protocol development, surveys and systematic reviews; laboratory expertise and support for research design and grant applications to public agencies. Once objectives and protocols are approved, the Consortium provides a stable network of centers capable of timely realization of clinical trials or pre clinical investigations in an optimal environment. The Consortium is a non-profit organization. The potential revenue generated from clientsponsored financial agreements will be redirected to the academic and research objectives of the organization. The Consortium wishes to work inconcert with industry, to support emerging trends in neurovascular therapeutic development. The Consortium is a realistic endeavour optimally structured to promote excellence through scientific appraisal of our treatments, and to accelerate technical progress while maximizing patients' safety and welfare.

The effect of optical system design for laser micro-hole drilling process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Chien-Fang; Lan, Yin-Te; Chien, Yu-Lun; Young, Hong-Tsu

2017-08-01

Lasers are a promising high accuracy tool to make small holes in composite or hard material. They offer advantages over the conventional machining process, which is time consuming and has scaling limitations. However, the major downfall in laser material processing is the relatively large heat affect zone or number of molten burrs it generates, even when using nanosecond lasers over high-cost ultrafast lasers. In this paper, we constructed a nanosecond laser processing system with a 532 nm wavelength laser source. In order to enhance precision and minimize the effect of heat generation with the laser drilling process, we investigated the geometric shape of optical elements and analyzed the images using the modulation transfer function (MTF) and encircled energy (EE) by using optical software Zemax. We discuss commercial spherical lenses, including plano-convex lenses, bi-convex lenses, plano-concave lenses, bi-concave lenses, best-form lenses, and meniscus lenses. Furthermore, we determined the best lens configuration by image evaluation, and then verified the results experimentally by carrying out the laser drilling process on multilayer flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL). The paper presents the drilling results obtained with different lens configurations and found the best configuration had a small heat affect zone and a clean edge along laser-drilled holes.

Patterning of organic photovoltaic on R2R processed thin film barriers using IR laser sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fledderus, H.; Akkerman, H. B.; Salem, A.; Friedrich Schilling, N.; Klotzbach, U.

2017-02-01

We present the development of laser processes for flexible OPV on roll-to-roll (RR2R) produced thin film barrier with indium tin oxide (ITO) as transparent conductive (TC) bottom electrode. Direct laser structuring of ITO on such barrier films (so-called P1 process) is very challenging since the layers are all transparent, a complete electrical isolation is required, and the laser process should not influence the barrier performance underneath the scribes. Based on the optical properties off the SiN and ITTO, ultra-short pulse lasers inn picosecond and femtosecond regime with standard infrared (IR) wavelength as well as lasers with new a wavelength (22 μm regime) are tested for this purpose. To determine a process window for a specific laser a fixed methodology is adopted. Single pulse ablation tests were followed by scribing experiments where the pulse overlap was tuned by varying laser pulse fluence, writing speed and frequency. To verify that the laser scribing does not result inn barrier damage underneath, a new test method was developed based on the optical Ca-test. This method shows a clear improvement in damage analysis underneath laser scribes over normal optical inspection methods (e.g. microscope, optical profiler, SEM). This way clear process windows can be obtained for IR TC patterning.

Evaluation of laser cutting process with auxiliary gas pressure by soft computing approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazov, Lyubomir; Nikolić, Vlastimir; Jovic, Srdjan; Milovančević, Miloš; Deneva, Heristina; Teirumenieka, Erika; Arsic, Nebojsa

2018-06-01

Evaluation of the optimal laser cutting parameters is very important for the high cut quality. This is highly nonlinear process with different parameters which is the main challenge in the optimization process. Data mining methodology is one of most versatile method which can be used laser cutting process optimization. Support vector regression (SVR) procedure is implemented since it is a versatile and robust technique for very nonlinear data regression. The goal in this study was to determine the optimal laser cutting parameters to ensure robust condition for minimization of average surface roughness. Three cutting parameters, the cutting speed, the laser power, and the assist gas pressure, were used in the investigation. As a laser type TruLaser 1030 technological system was used. Nitrogen as an assisted gas was used in the laser cutting process. As the data mining method, support vector regression procedure was used. Data mining prediction accuracy was very high according the coefficient (R2) of determination and root mean square error (RMSE): R2 = 0.9975 and RMSE = 0.0337. Therefore the data mining approach could be used effectively for determination of the optimal conditions of the laser cutting process.

Laser 3D micro-manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piqué, Alberto; Auyeung, Raymond C. Y.; Kim, Heungsoo; Charipar, Nicholas A.; Mathews, Scott A.

2016-06-01

Laser-based materials processing techniques are gaining widespread use in micro-manufacturing applications. The use of laser microfabrication techniques enables the processing of micro- and nanostructures from a wide range of materials and geometries without the need for masking and etching steps commonly associated with photolithography. This review aims to describe the broad applications space covered by laser-based micro- and nanoprocessing techniques and the benefits offered by the use of lasers in micro-manufacturing processes. Given their non-lithographic nature, these processes are also referred to as laser direct-write and constitute some of the earliest demonstrations of 3D printing or additive manufacturing at the microscale. As this review will show, the use of lasers enables precise control of the various types of processing steps—from subtractive to additive—over a wide range of scales with an extensive materials palette. Overall, laser-based direct-write techniques offer multiple modes of operation including the removal (via ablative processes) and addition (via photopolymerization or printing) of most classes of materials using the same equipment in many cases. The versatility provided by these multi-function, multi-material and multi-scale laser micro-manufacturing processes cannot be matched by photolithography nor with other direct-write microfabrication techniques and offer unique opportunities for current and future 3D micro-manufacturing applications.

25 CFR 1000.54 - How will a Tribe/Consortium know whether or not it has been selected to receive an advance...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Planning and Negotiation Grants Advance Planning Grant Funding § 1000.54 How will a Tribe/Consortium know... Director will notify the Tribe/Consortium by letter whether it has been selected to receive an advance... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How will a Tribe/Consortium know whether or not it has...

2005 5th Annual CMMI Technology Conference and User Group. Volume 4: Thursday

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-11-17

Identification and Involvement in the CMMI, Mr. James R. Armstrong , Systems and Software Consortium Ensuring the Right Process is Deployed Right...Customer-Driven Organization Chart Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control Philip Kotler © Prentice Hall Being Customer

Reliability and paste process optimization of eutectic and lead-free for mixed packaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramkumar, S. M.; Ganeshan, V.; Thenalur, K.; Ghaffarian, R.

2002-01-01

This paper reports the results of an experiment that utilized the JPL's area array consortium test vehicle design, containing a myriad of mixed technology components with an OSP finish. The details of the reliability study are presented in this paper.

An international network of magnetic observatories

USGS Publications Warehouse

Love, Jeffrey J.; Chulliat, A.

2013-01-01

Since its formation in the late 1980s, the International Real-Time Magnetic Observatory Network (INTERMAGNET), a voluntary consortium of geophysical institutes from around the world, has promoted the operation of magnetic observatories according to modern standards [eg. Rasson, 2007]. INTERMAGNET institutes have cooperatively developed infrastructure for data exchange and management ads well as methods for data processing and checking. INTERMAGNET institute have also helped to expand global geomagnetic monitoring capacity, most notably by assisting magnetic observatory institutes in economically developing countries by working directly with local geophysicists. Today the INTERMAGNET consortium encompasses 57 institutes from 40 countries supporting 120 observatories (see Figures 1a and 1b). INTERMAGNET data record a wide variety of time series signals related to a host of different physical processes in the Earth's interiors and in the Earth's surrounding space environment [e.g., Love, 2008]. Observatory data have always had a diverse user community, and to meet evolving demand, INTERMAGNET has recently coordinated the introduction of several new data services.

Providing a Science Base for the Evaluation of Tobacco Products

PubMed Central

Berman, Micah L.; Connolly, Greg; Cummings, K. Michael; Djordjevic, Mirjana V.; Hatsukami, Dorothy K.; Henningfield, Jack E.; Myers, Matthew; O'Connor, Richard J.; Parascandola, Mark; Rees, Vaughan; Rice, Jerry M.

2015-01-01

Objective Evidence-based tobacco regulation requires a comprehensive scientific framework to guide the evaluation of new tobacco products and health-related claims made by product manufacturers. Methods The Tobacco Product Assessment Consortium (TobPRAC) employed an iterative process involving consortia investigators, consultants, a workshop of independent scientists and public health experts, and written reviews in order to develop a conceptual framework for evaluating tobacco products. Results The consortium developed a four-phased framework for the scientific evaluation of tobacco products. The four phases addressed by the framework are: (1) pre-market evaluation, (2) pre-claims evaluation, (3) post-market activities, and (4) monitoring and re-evaluation. For each phase, the framework proposes the use of validated testing procedures that will evaluate potential harms at both the individual and population level. Conclusions While the validation of methods for evaluating tobacco products is an ongoing and necessary process, the proposed framework need not wait for fully validated methods to be used in guiding tobacco product regulation today. PMID:26665160

Improved fermentation performance in an expanded ectopic fermentation system inoculated with thermophilic bacteria.

PubMed

Guo, Hui; Zhu, Changxiong; Geng, Bing; Liu, Xue; Ye, Jing; Tian, Yunlong; Peng, Xiawei

2015-12-01

Previous research showed that ectopic fermentation system (EFS) inoculated with thermophilic bacteria is an excellent alternative for cow wastewater treatment. In this study, the effects of thermophilic bacterial consortium on the efficiency and quality of the fermentation process in EFS were evaluated by measuring physicochemical and environmental factors and the changes in organic matter composition. In parallel, the microbial communities correlated with fermentation performance were identified. Inoculation of EFS with thermophilic bacterial consortium led to higher temperatures, increased wastewater requirements for continuous fermentation, and improved quality of the litters in terms of physicochemical factors, security test, functional group analysis, and bacterial community composition. The relationship between the transformation of organic component and the dominant bacteria species indicated that environmental factors contributed to strain growth, which subsequently promoted the fermentation process. The results highlight the great potential of EFS model for wide application in cow wastewater treatment and re-utilization as bio-fertilizer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Some recent developments in sheet metal forming for production of lightweight automotive parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tisza, M.; Lukács, Zs; Kovács, P.; Budai, D.

2017-09-01

Low cost manufacturing in the automotive industry is one of the main targets due to the ever increasing global competition among car manufacturers all over the World. Sheet metal forming is one of the most important key technologies in the automotive industry; therefore the elaboration of new, innovative low cost manufacturing processes is one of the main objectives in sheet metal forming as well. In 2015 with the initiative of the Imperial College London a research consortium was established under the umbrella Low Cost Materials Processing Technologies for Mass Production of Lightweight Vehicles. The primary aim of this project is to provide affordable low cost weight reduction in mass production of vehicles considering the entire life-cycle. In this project, 19 European Institutions (Universities and Research Institutions) from 9 European countries are participating with the above targets. The University of Miskolc is one of the members of this research Consortium. In this paper, some preliminary results with the contributions of the University of Miskolc will be introduced.

Simultaneous pretreatment and saccharification: green technology for enhanced sugar yields from biomass using a fungal consortium.

PubMed

Dhiman, Saurabh Sudha; Haw, Jung-Rim; Kalyani, Dayanand; Kalia, Vipin C; Kang, Yun Chan; Lee, Jung-Kul

2015-03-01

Two different biomasses were subjected to simultaneous pretreatment and saccharification (SPS) using a cocktail of hydrolytic and oxidizing enzymes. Application of a novel laccase as a detoxifying agent caused the removal of 49.8% and 32.6% of phenolic contents from the soaked rice straw and willow, respectively. Hydrolysis of soaked substrates using a newly developed fungal consortium resulted in saccharification yield of up to 74.2% and 63.6% for rice straw and willow, respectively. A high saccharification yield was obtained with soaked rice straw and willow without using any hazardous chemicals. The efficiency of each step related to SPS was confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The suitability of the developed SPS process was further confirmed by converting the hydrolysate from the process into bioethanol with 72.4% sugar conversion efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the development of a less tedious, single-pot, and eco-friendly SPS methodology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-Mission Laser Altimeter Data Processing and Co-Registration of Image and Laser Data at DLR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stark, A.; Matz, K.-D.; Roatsch, T.

2018-04-01

We designed a system for the processing and storage of large laser altimeter data sets for various past and operating laser altimeter instruments. Furthermore, we developed a technique to accurately co-register multi-mission laser and image data.

Study on the high-frequency laser measurement of slot surface difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bing, Jia; Lv, Qiongying; Cao, Guohua

2017-10-01

In view of the measurement of the slot surface difference in the large-scale mechanical assembly process, Based on high frequency laser scanning technology and laser detection imaging principle, This paragraph designs a double galvanometer pulse laser scanning system. Laser probe scanning system architecture consists of three parts: laser ranging part, mechanical scanning part, data acquisition and processing part. The part of laser range uses high-frequency laser range finder to measure the distance information of the target shape and get a lot of point cloud data. Mechanical scanning part includes high-speed rotary table, high-speed transit and related structure design, in order to realize the whole system should be carried out in accordance with the design of scanning path on the target three-dimensional laser scanning. Data processing part mainly by FPGA hardware with LAbVIEW software to design a core, to process the point cloud data collected by the laser range finder at the high-speed and fitting calculation of point cloud data, to establish a three-dimensional model of the target, so laser scanning imaging is realized.

Lasers for industrial production processing: tailored tools with increasing flexibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rath, Wolfram

2012-03-01

High-power fiber lasers are the newest generation of diode-pumped solid-state lasers. Due to their all-fiber design they are compact, efficient and robust. Rofin's Fiber lasers are available with highest beam qualities but the use of different process fiber core sizes enables the user additionally to adapt the beam quality, focus size and Rayleigh length to his requirements for best processing results. Multi-mode fibers from 50μm to 600μm with corresponding beam qualities of 2.5 mm.mrad to 25 mm.mrad are typically used. The integrated beam switching modules can make the laser power available to 4 different manufacturing systems or can share the power to two processing heads for parallel processing. Also CO2 Slab lasers combine high power with either "single-mode" beam quality or higher order modes. The wellestablished technique is in use for a large number of industrial applications, processing either metals or non-metallic materials. For many of these applications CO2 lasers remain the best choice of possible laser sources either driven by the specific requirements of the application or because of the cost structure of the application. The actual technical properties of these lasers will be presented including an overview over the wavelength driven differences of application results, examples of current industrial practice as cutting, welding, surface processing including the flexible use of scanners and classical optics processing heads.

Laser materials processing facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haggerty, J. S.

1982-01-01

The laser materials processing facility and its capabilities are described. A CO2 laser with continuous wave, repetitive pulse, and shaped power-time cycles is employed. The laser heated crystal growth station was used to produce metal and metal oxide single crystals and for cutting and shaping experiments using Si3N4 to displace diamond shaping processes.

Optimisation Of Cutting Parameters Of Composite Material Laser Cutting Process By Taguchi Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lokesh, S.; Niresh, J.; Neelakrishnan, S.; Rahul, S. P. Deepak

2018-03-01

The aim of this work is to develop a laser cutting process model that can predict the relationship between the process input parameters and resultant surface roughness, kerf width characteristics. The research conduct is based on the Design of Experiment (DOE) analysis. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is used in this work. It is one of the most practical and most effective techniques to develop a process model. Even though RSM has been used for the optimization of the laser process, this research investigates laser cutting of materials like Composite wood (veneer)to be best circumstances of laser cutting using RSM process. The input parameters evaluated are focal length, power supply and cutting speed, the output responses being kerf width, surface roughness, temperature. To efficiently optimize and customize the kerf width and surface roughness characteristics, a machine laser cutting process model using Taguchi L9 orthogonal methodology was proposed.

The Mixed Processing Models Development Of Thermal Fracture And Laser Ablation On Glass Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Kuo-Cheng; Wu, Wen-Hong; Tseng, Shih-Feng; Hwang, Chi-Hung

2011-01-01

As the industries of cell phone and LCD TV were vigorously flourishing and the manufacturing requirements for LCD glass substrate were getting higher, the thermal fracture cutting technology (TFCT) has progressively become the main technology for LCD glass substrate cutting. Due to using laser as the heat source, the TFCT has many advantages, such as uniform heating, small heat effect zone, and high cutting speed, smooth cutting surface and low residual stress, etc. Moreover, a general laser ablation processing or traditional diamond wheel cutting does not have the last two advantages. The article presents a mixed processing of glass substrate, which consists of TFCT and laser ablation mechanisms, and how to enhance the cutting speed with little ablation laser energy. In this study, a 10W Nd:YAG laser and a 40W CO2 laser are used as the heat source of TFCT and laser ablation processing, respectively. The result indicates that the speed of the mixed processing is more than twice the speed of TFCT. Furthermore, after the mixed processing, the residual stresses in the glass substrates are also smaller.

Development of a water-jet assisted laser paint removal process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madhukar, Yuvraj K.; Mullick, Suvradip; Nath, Ashish K.

2013-12-01

The laser paint removal process usually leaves behind traces of combustion product i.e. ashes on the surface. An additional post-processing such as light-brushing or wiping by some mechanical means is required to remove the residual ash. In order to strip out the paint completely from the surface in a single step, a water-jet assisted laser paint removal process has been investigated. The 1.07 μm wavelength of Yb-fiber laser radiation has low absorption in water; therefore a high power fiber laser was used in the experiment. The laser beam was delivered on the paint-surface along with a water jet to remove the paint and residual ashes effectively. The specific energy, defined as the laser energy required removing a unit volume of paint was found to be marginally more than that for the gas-jet assisted laser paint removal process. However, complete paint removal was achieved with the water-jet assist only. The relatively higher specific energy in case of water-jet assist is mainly due to the scattering of laser beam in the turbulent flow of water-jet.

A Qualitative Case Study on the Qualities of Effective Teacher Research in Teacher Screening and Interviewing Processes in Four Central Pennsylvania Public School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treese, Matthew Paul

2012-01-01

Public school districts in Pennsylvania use varying teacher screening and interviewing processes for hiring teachers. In order to hire the best teacher candidates for vacancies, the qualities of effective teachers such as those cited by the Council of Chief State School Officers Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model…

Oil Production by a Consortium of Oleaginous Microorganisms grown on primary effluent wastewater

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

Hall, Jacqueline; Hetrick, Mary; French, Todd

Municipal wastewater could be a potential growth medium that has not been considered for cultivating oleaginous microorganisms. This study is designed to determine if a consortium of oleaginous microorganism can successfully compete for carbon and other nutrients with the indigenous microorganisms contained in primary effluent wastewater. RESULTS: The oleaginous consortium inoculated with indigenous microorganisms reached stationary phase within 24 h, reaching a maximum cell concentration of 0.58 g L -1. Water quality post-oleaginous consortium growth reached a maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of approximately 81%, supporting the consumption of the glucose within 8 h. The oleaginous consortium increased themore » amount of oil produced per gram by 13% compared with indigenous microorganisms in raw wastewater. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results show a substantial population increase in bacteria within the first 24 h when the consortium is inoculated into raw wastewater. This result, along with the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) results, suggests that conditions tested were not sufficient for the oleaginous consortium to compete with the indigenous microorganisms.« less

Biostimulation of metal-resistant microbial consortium to remove zinc from contaminated environments.

PubMed

Mejias Carpio, Isis E; Franco, Diego Castillo; Zanoli Sato, Maria Inês; Sakata, Solange; Pellizari, Vivian H; Seckler Ferreira Filho, Sidney; Frigi Rodrigues, Debora

2016-04-15

Understanding the diversity and metal removal ability of microorganisms associated to contaminated aquatic environments is essential to develop metal remediation technologies in engineered environments. This study investigates through 16S rRNA deep sequencing the composition of a biostimulated microbial consortium obtained from the polluted Tietê River in São Paulo, Brazil. The bacterial diversity of the biostimulated consortium obtained from the contaminated water and sediment was compared to the original sample. The results of the comparative sequencing analyses showed that the biostimulated consortium and the natural environment had γ-Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and uncultured bacteria as the major classes of microorganisms. The consortium optimum zinc removal capacity, evaluated in batch experiments, was achieved at pH=5 with equilibrium contact time of 120min, and a higher Zn-biomass affinity (KF=1.81) than most pure cultures previously investigated. Analysis of the functional groups found in the consortium demonstrated that amine, carboxyl, hydroxyl, and phosphate groups present in the consortium cells were responsible for zinc uptake. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seismology in the United States, 1983-1986 (Paper 7R0264)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanks, Thomas C.

1987-07-01

Any seismologist trying even to carry, let alone read, the EOS abstract volumes for recent AGU Meetings knows full well of the substantial growth in seismological research during this reporting period, the four years of 1983 through 1986. Indeed, the number of Seismology Section abstracts has grown from 188 (Fall, 1982) to about 320 (Fall, 1986), to be more or less precise. At a time when research monies seem to be no better than stable (and declining in real terms) and when job opportunities for seismologists seem to have never been worse, at least in the professional lifetimes of most of us, something must be amiss, but certainly this is not the great vitality and diversity in seismological research during the past four years. The current reporting period saw the consortium approach brought to full flower in several fields of seismology, and these include CALCRUST, a consortium of California universities to investigate the crustal structure of the southwestern United States with seismic reflection data; DOSECC (Deep Observation and Sampling of the Earth's Continental Crust), a consortium to drill and make measurements within scientifically dedicated deep holes to sample active processes that make and remake the continents; EDGE, a consortium of university, government, and private industry scientists intent on exploring the oceanic/continental transitions along U.S. continental margins, using seismic and potential field methods; and IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology), whose prospectus includes a major upgrading of the global seismic network, an advanced portable array of 1000 seismic units for a host of active and passive experiments, and a data management center to store and utilize the vast quantities of data forthcoming from the first two activities. Each of these fledglings can trace their basic nature and motivation, if not their specific scientific agendas, to COCORP (Consortium for Continental Reflection Profiling), now a teenager, whose activities were summarized by Phinney and Odom[1983] for the last reporting period and by W. D. Mooney for the current one.

Modelling and control for laser based welding processes: modern methods of process control to improve quality of laser-based joining methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zäh, Ralf-Kilian; Mosbach, Benedikt; Hollwich, Jan; Faupel, Benedikt

2017-02-01

To ensure the competitiveness of manufacturing companies it is indispensable to optimize their manufacturing processes. Slight variations of process parameters and machine settings have only marginally effects on the product quality. Therefore, the largest possible editing window is required. Such parameters are, for example, the movement of the laser beam across the component for the laser keyhole welding. That`s why it is necessary to keep the formation of welding seams within specified limits. Therefore, the quality of laser welding processes is ensured, by using post-process methods, like ultrasonic inspection, or special in-process methods. These in-process systems only achieve a simple evaluation which shows whether the weld seam is acceptable or not. Furthermore, in-process systems use no feedback for changing the control variables such as speed of the laser or adjustment of laser power. In this paper the research group presents current results of the research field of Online Monitoring, Online Controlling and Model predictive controlling in laser welding processes to increase the product quality. To record the characteristics of the welding process, tested online methods are used during the process. Based on the measurement data, a state space model is ascertained, which includes all the control variables of the system. Depending on simulation tools the model predictive controller (MPC) is designed for the model and integrated into an NI-Real-Time-System.

Enhancement of low power CO2 laser cutting process for injection molded polycarbonate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradi, Mahmoud; Mehrabi, Omid; Azdast, Taher; Benyounis, Khaled Y.

2017-11-01

Laser cutting technology is a non-contact process that typically is used for industrial manufacturing applications. Laser cut quality is strongly influenced by the cutting processing parameters. In this research, CO2 laser cutting specifications have been investigated by using design of experiments (DOE) with considering laser cutting speed, laser power and focal plane position as process input parameters and kerf geometry dimensions (i.e. top and bottom kerf width, ratio of the upper kerf to lower kerf, upper heat affected zone (HAZ)) and surface roughness of the kerf wall as process output responses. A 60 Watts CO2 laser cutting machine is used for cutting the injection molded samples of polycarbonate sheet with the thickness of 3.2 mm. Results reveal that by decreasing the laser focal plane position and laser power, the bottom kerf width will be decreased. Also the bottom kerf width decreases by increasing the cutting speed. As a general result, locating the laser spot point in the depth of the workpiece the laser cutting quality increases. Minimum value of the responses (top kerf, heat affected zone, ratio of the upper kerf to lower kerf, and surface roughness) are considered as optimization criteria. Validating the theoretical results using the experimental tests is carried out in order to analyze the results obtained via software.

Component-Level Selection and Qualification for the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Laser Altimeter Transmitter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frese, Erich A.; Chiragh, Furqan L.; Switzer, Robert; Vasilyev, Aleksey A.; Thomes, Joe; Coyle, D. Barry; Stysley, Paul R.

2018-01-01

Flight quality solid-state lasers require a unique and extensive set of testing and qualification processes, both at the system and component levels to insure the laser's promised performance. As important as the overall laser transmitter design is, the quality and performance of individual subassemblies, optics, and electro-optics dictate the final laser unit's quality. The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) laser transmitters employ all the usual components typical for a diode-pumped, solid-state laser, yet must each go through their own individual process of specification, modeling, performance demonstration, inspection, and destructive testing. These qualification processes and results for the laser crystals, laser diode arrays, electro-optics, and optics, will be reviewed as well as the relevant critical issues encountered, prior to their installation in the GEDI flight laser units.

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2007 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-02-02

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2006 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-04-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2009 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-03-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 1996 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

Midwest Transportation Consortium : 2006-2007 annual report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

Introduction: The Midwest Transportation Consortium (MTC) began year 8 by having the funding it receives from the Research and Innovative Technology Administration doubled, and by losing its regional grant to a consortium led by the University of Neb...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2008 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2002 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-11-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2003 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-22

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2004 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-12-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2001 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-12-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

ANNUAL REPORT For Calendar Year 2005 : NEW ENGLAND TRANSPORTATION CONSORTIUM

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-08-01

The New England Transportation Consortium (NETC) is a cooperative effort of the transportation agencies of the six New England States. Through the Consortium, the states pool professional, academic and financial resources for transportation research ...

Establishing a Consortium for the Study of Rare Diseases: The Urea Cycle Disorders Consortium

PubMed Central

Seminara, Jennifer; Tuchman, Mendel; Krivitzky, Lauren; Krischer, Jeffrey; Lee, Hye-Seung; LeMons, Cynthia; Baumgartner, Matthias; Cederbaum, Stephen; Diaz, George A.; Feigenbaum, Annette; Gallagher, Renata C.; Harding, Cary O.; Kerr, Douglas S.; Lanpher, Brendan; Lee, Brendan; Lichter-Konecki, Uta; McCandless, Shawn E.; Merritt, J. Lawrence; Oster-Granite, Mary Lou; Seashore, Margretta R.; Stricker, Tamar; Summar, Marshall; Waisbren, Susan; Yudkoff, Marc; Batshaw, Mark L.

2010-01-01

The Urea Cycle Disorders Consortium (UCDC) was created as part of a larger network established by the National Institutes of Health to study rare diseases. This paper reviews the UCDC’s accomplishments over the first six years, including how the Consortium was developed and organized, clinical research studies initiated, and the importance of creating partnerships with patient advocacy groups, philanthropic foundations and biotech and pharmaceutical companies. PMID:20188616

Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAIC) Review of Technical Tasks. Volume 2, Part 2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-01

A-A19 774 NORTHEAST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CONSORTIUN (MIC) 1/5 YVIEN OF TEOICR. T.. (U) NORTHEAST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CONSORTIUM SYRACUSE MY J...NORTHEAST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CONSORTIUM (NAIC) *p,* ~ Review of Technical Tasks ,.. 12 PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) (See reverse) . P VI J.F. Allen, P.B. Berra...See reverse) /" I ABSTRACT (Coninue on ’.wrse if necessary and identify by block number) % .. *. -. ’ The Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium

Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium Annual Report. 1988 Interference Techniques for Knowledge Base Maintenance Using Logic Programming Methodologies. Volume 11

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-01

Northeast Aritificial Intelligence Consortium (NAIC). i Table of Contents Execu tive Sum m ary...o g~nIl ’vLr COPY o~ T- RADC-TR-89-259, Vol XI (of twelve) N Interim Report SOctober 1989 NORTHEAST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CONSORTIUM ANNUAL REPORT...ORGANIZATION 6b. OFFICE SYMBOL 7a. NAME OF MONITORING ORGANIZATION Northeast Artificial (If applicable) Intelligence Consortium (NAIC) . Rome Air Development

Lasers in Materials Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukreja, L. M.; Paul, C. P.; Kumar, Atul; Kaul, R.; Ganesh, P.; Rao, B. T.

Laser is undoubtedly one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century. Today, it is widely deployed for a cornucopia of applications including materials processing. Different lasers such as CO2, Nd:YAG, excimer, copper vapor, diode, fiber lasers, etc., are being used extensively for various materials processing applications like cutting, welding, brazing, surface treatment, peening, and rapid manufacturing by adopting conventional and unconventional routes with unprecedented precision. In view of its potential for providing solution to the emerging problems of the industrial materials processing and manufacturing technologies, a comprehensive program on laser materials processing and allied technologies was initiated at our laboratory. A novel feature-based design and additive manufacturing technologies facilitated the laser rapid manufacturing of complex engineering components with superior performance. This technology is being extended for the fabrication of anatomically shaped prosthetics with internal heterogeneous architectures. Laser peening of spring steels brought significant improvement in its fatigue life. Laser surface treatments resulted in enhanced intergranular corrosion resistance of AISI 316(N) and 304 stainless steel. Parametric dependence of laser welding of dissimilar materials, AISI 316M stainless steel with alloy D9, was established for avoiding cracks under optimum processing conditions. In the domain of laser cutting and piercing, the development of a power ramped pulsed mode with high pulse repetition frequency and low duty cycle scheme could produce highly circular, narrow holes with minimum spattered pierced holes. A review of these experimental and some theoretical studies is presented and discussed in this chapter. These studies have provided deeper insight of fascinating laser-based materials processing application for industrial manufacturing technologies.

Traditional Chinese medicine research in the post-genomic era: good practice, priorities, challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Uzuner, Halil; Bauer, Rudolf; Fan, Tai-Ping; Guo, De-An; Dias, Alberto; El-Nezami, Hani; Efferth, Thomas; Williamson, Elizabeth M; Heinrich, Michael; Robinson, Nicola; Hylands, Peter J; Hendry, Bruce M; Cheng, Yung-Chi; Xu, Qihe

2012-04-10

GP-TCM is the 1st EU-funded Coordination Action consortium dedicated to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. This paper aims to summarise the objectives, structure and activities of the consortium and introduces the position of the consortium regarding good practice, priorities, challenges and opportunities in TCM research. Serving as the introductory paper for the GP-TCM Journal of Ethnopharmacology special issue, this paper describes the roadmap of this special issue and reports how the main outputs of the ten GP-TCM work packages are integrated, and have led to consortium-wide conclusions. Literature studies, opinion polls and discussions among consortium members and stakeholders. By January 2012, through 3 years of team building, the GP-TCM consortium had grown into a large collaborative network involving ∼200 scientists from 24 countries and 107 institutions. Consortium members had worked closely to address good practice issues related to various aspects of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) and acupuncture research, the focus of this Journal of Ethnopharmacology special issue, leading to state-of-the-art reports, guidelines and consensus on the application of omics technologies in TCM research. In addition, through an online survey open to GP-TCM members and non-members, we polled opinions on grand priorities, challenges and opportunities in TCM research. Based on the poll, although consortium members and non-members had diverse opinions on the major challenges in the field, both groups agreed that high-quality efficacy/effectiveness and mechanistic studies are grand priorities and that the TCM legacy in general and its management of chronic diseases in particular represent grand opportunities. Consortium members cast their votes of confidence in omics and systems biology approaches to TCM research and believed that quality and pharmacovigilance of TCM products are not only grand priorities, but also grand challenges. Non-members, however, gave priority to integrative medicine, concerned on the impact of regulation of TCM practitioners and emphasised intersectoral collaborations in funding TCM research, especially clinical trials. The GP-TCM consortium made great efforts to address some fundamental issues in TCM research, including developing guidelines, as well as identifying priorities, challenges and opportunities. These consortium guidelines and consensus will need dissemination, validation and further development through continued interregional, interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaborations. To promote this, a new consortium, known as the GP-TCM Research Association, is being established to succeed the 3-year fixed term FP7 GP-TCM consortium and will be officially launched at the Final GP-TCM Congress in Leiden, the Netherlands, in April 2012. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Controllable laser thermal cleavage of sapphire wafers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jiayu; Hu, Hong; Zhuang, Changhui; Ma, Guodong; Han, Junlong; Lei, Yulin

2018-03-01

Laser processing of substrates for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offers advantages over other processing techniques and is therefore an active research area in both industrial and academic sectors. The processing of sapphire wafers is problematic because sapphire is a hard and brittle material. Semiconductor laser scribing processing suffers certain disadvantages that have yet to be overcome, thereby necessitating further investigation. In this work, a platform for controllable laser thermal cleavage was constructed. A sapphire LED wafer was modeled using the finite element method to simulate the thermal and stress distributions under different conditions. A guide groove cut by laser ablation before the cleavage process was observed to guide the crack extension and avoid deviation. The surface and cross section of sapphire wafers processed using controllable laser thermal cleavage were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy, and their morphology was compared to that of wafers processed using stealth dicing. The differences in luminous efficiency between substrates prepared using these two processing methods are explained.

Advanced optic fabrication using ultrafast laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Lauren L.; Qiao, Jun; Qiao, Jie

2016-03-01

Advanced fabrication and finishing techniques are desired for freeform optics and integrated photonics. Methods including grinding, polishing and magnetorheological finishing used for final figuring and polishing of such optics are time consuming, expensive, and may be unsuitable for complex surface features while common photonics fabrication techniques often limit devices to planar geometries. Laser processing has been investigated as an alternative method for optic forming, surface polishing, structure writing, and welding, as direct tuning of laser parameters and flexible beam delivery are advantageous for complex freeform or photonics elements and material-specific processing. Continuous wave and pulsed laser radiation down to the nanosecond regime have been implemented to achieve nanoscale surface finishes through localized material melting, but the temporal extent of the laser-material interaction often results in the formation of a sub-surface heat affected zone. The temporal brevity of ultrafast laser radiation can allow for the direct vaporization of rough surface asperities with minimal melting, offering the potential for smooth, final surface quality with negligible heat affected material. High intensities achieved in focused ultrafast laser radiation can easily induce phase changes in the bulk of materials for processing applications. We have experimentally tested the effectiveness of ultrafast laser radiation as an alternative laser source for surface processing of monocrystalline silicon. Simulation of material heating associated with ultrafast laser-material interaction has been performed and used to investigate optimized processing parameters including repetition rate. The parameter optimization process and results of experimental processing will be presented.

Laser-shock damage of iron-based materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Jinn P.; Banas, Grzegorz; Lawrence, Frederick V.; Rigsbee, James M.; Elsayed-Ali, Hani E.

1993-05-01

The effects of laser shock processing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the manganese (1 percent C and 14 percent Mn) steels have been low carbon (0.04 wt. percent C) and Hadfield studied. Laser shock processing was performed with a 1.054 micrometers wavelength Nd-phosphate laser operating in a pulse mode (600 ps pulse length and up to 200 J energy) with power densities above 10 to the 11th power W/cm2. Shock waves were generated by volume expansion of the plasma formed when the material was laser irradiated. Maximum shock wave intensities were obtained using an energy-absorbing black paint coating without a plasma-confining overlay. Maximum modification of compressive residual stresses were achieved when laser shock processing induced deformation occurred without melting. Mechanical properties were improved through modifying the microstructure by laser shock processing. High density arrays of dislocations (greater than 10 to the 11th power/cm2) were generated in low carbon steel by high strain-rate deformation of laser shock processing, resulting in surface hardness increases of 30 to 80 percent. In austenitic Hadfield steel, laser shock processing caused extensive formation of Epsilon-hcp martensite (35 vol. percent), producing increases of 50 to 130 percent in surface hardness. The laser shock processing strengthening effect in Hadfield steel was attributed to the combined effects of the partial dislocation/stacking fault arrays and the grain refinement due to presence of the Epsilon-hcp martensite.

Managing the replacement cycle of laser inventory.

PubMed

Davis, C E

1992-01-01

Medical lasers are quickly moving into the replacement phase of technology management. Barnes Hospital (St. Louis, MO) is using its laser team to define a process of planned laser replacement using the experience gained from traditional medical equipment replacement cycles, quality improvement principles and tools, and other formalized interdisciplinary teams. The process described in this paper has six basic steps: (1) A decision is made to request a replacement laser. (2) An appropriation request form is completed and submitted with the clinical and/or technical justifications. (3) Those requests initiated outside of the Clinical Engineering Department are reviewed by the Clinical Engineer/Medical Laser Safety Officer (CE/MLSO). (4) The CE/MLSO presents the requests to the hospital Laser Committee, and (5) then to the Laser Users' Group. (6) Finally, an Expenditure Authorization Committee reviews all capital expense requests, including those for replacement lasers, and allocates funds for the next fiscal year. This paper illustrates and evaluates the process, using an example from the review process for 1993 equipment purchases at Barnes Hospital.

Femtosecond pulse laser-oriented recording on dental prostheses: a trial introduction.

PubMed

Ichikawa, Tetsuo; Hayasaki, Yoshio; Fujita, Keiji; Nagao, Kan; Murata, Masayo; Kawano, Takanori; Chen, JianRong

2006-12-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a femtosecond pulse laser processing technique to store information on a dental prosthesis. Commercially pure titanium plates were processed by a femtosecond pulse laser system. The processed surface structure was observed with a reflective illumination microscope, scanning electron microscope, and atomic force microscope. Processed area was an almost conical pit with a clear boundary. When laser pulse energy was 2 microJ, the diameter and depth were approximately 10microm and 0.2 microm respectively--whereby both increased with laser pulse energy. Further, depth of pit increased with laser pulse number without any thermal effect. This study showed that the femtosecond pulse processing system was capable of recording personal identification and optional additional information on a dental prosthesis.

Fabricating solar cells with silicon nanoparticles

DOEpatents

Loscutoff, Paul; Molesa, Steve; Kim, Taeseok

2014-09-02

A laser contact process is employed to form contact holes to emitters of a solar cell. Doped silicon nanoparticles are formed over a substrate of the solar cell. The surface of individual or clusters of silicon nanoparticles is coated with a nanoparticle passivation film. Contact holes to emitters of the solar cell are formed by impinging a laser beam on the passivated silicon nanoparticles. For example, the laser contact process may be a laser ablation process. In that case, the emitters may be formed by diffusing dopants from the silicon nanoparticles prior to forming the contact holes to the emitters. As another example, the laser contact process may be a laser melting process whereby portions of the silicon nanoparticles are melted to form the emitters and contact holes to the emitters.

25 CFR 1000.64 - How does the Tribe/Consortium know when and how to apply to OSG for a planning and negotiation...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.64 How does...

25 CFR 1000.64 - How does the Tribe/Consortium know when and how to apply to OSG for a planning and negotiation...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.64 How does...

25 CFR 1000.64 - How does the Tribe/Consortium know when and how to apply to OSG for a planning and negotiation...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.64 How does...

25 CFR 1000.64 - How does the Tribe/Consortium know when and how to apply to OSG for a planning and negotiation...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Other Financial Assistance for Planning and Negotiation Grants for Non-BIA Programs Eligibility and Application Process § 1000.64 How does...

25 CFR 1000.212 - What is the role of the Tribe/Consortium when a bureau initiates a public meeting?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Public Consultation Process § 1000.212 What is... prohibited by law, to co-sponsor or co-facilitate the meeting. (c) When possible, the bureau and the Tribe...

Process observation in fiber laser-based selective laser melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thombansen, Ulrich; Gatej, Alexander; Pereira, Milton

2015-01-01

The process observation in selective laser melting (SLM) focuses on observing the interaction point where the powder is processed. To provide process relevant information, signals have to be acquired that are resolved in both time and space. Especially in high-power SLM, where more than 1 kW of laser power is used, processing speeds of several meters per second are required for a high-quality processing results. Therefore, an implementation of a suitable process observation system has to acquire a large amount of spatially resolved data at low sampling speeds or it has to restrict the acquisition to a predefined area at a high sampling speed. In any case, it is vitally important to synchronously record the laser beam position and the acquired signal. This is a prerequisite that allows the recorded data become information. Today, most SLM systems employ f-theta lenses to focus the processing laser beam onto the powder bed. This report describes the drawbacks that result for process observation and suggests a variable retro-focus system which solves these issues. The beam quality of fiber lasers delivers the processing laser beam to the powder bed at relevant focus diameters, which is a key prerequisite for this solution to be viable. The optical train we present here couples the processing laser beam and the process observation coaxially, ensuring consistent alignment of interaction zone and observed area. With respect to signal processing, we have developed a solution that synchronously acquires signals from a pyrometer and the position of the laser beam by sampling the data with a field programmable gate array. The relevance of the acquired signals has been validated by the scanning of a sample filament. Experiments with grooved samples show a correlation between different powder thicknesses and the acquired signals at relevant processing parameters. This basic work takes a first step toward self-optimization of the manufacturing process in SLM. It enables the addition of cognitive functions to the manufacturing system to the extent that the system could track its own process. The results are based on analyzing and redesigning the optical train, in combination with a real-time signal acquisition system which provides a solution to certain technological barriers.

Effect of Laser Power and Gas Flow Rate on Properties of Directed Energy Deposition of Titanium Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahamood, Rasheedat M.

2018-03-01

Laser metal deposition (LMD) process belongs to the directed energy deposition class of additive manufacturing processes. It is an important manufacturing technology with lots of potentials especially for the automobile and aerospace industries. The laser metal deposition process is fairly new, and the process is very sensitive to the processing parameters. There is a high level of interactions among these process parameters. The surface finish of part produced using the laser metal deposition process is dependent on the processing parameters. Also, the economy of the LMD process depends largely on steps taken to eliminate or reduce the need for secondary finishing operations. In this study, the influence of laser power and gas flow rate on the microstructure, microhardness and surface finish produced during the laser metal deposition of Ti6Al4V was investigated. The laser power was varied between 1.8 kW and 3.0 kW, while the gas flow rate was varied between 2 l/min and 4 l/min. The microstructure was studied under an optical microscope, the microhardness was studied using a Metkon microhardness indenter, while the surface roughness was studied using a Jenoptik stylus surface analyzer. The results showed that better surface finish was produced at a laser power of 3.0 kW and a gas flow rate of 4 l/min.

Saccharification of sunflower stalks using lignocellulases from a fungal consortium comprising Pholiota adiposa and Armillaria gemina.

PubMed

Ramachandran, Priyadharshini; Kim, Tae-Su; Dhiman, Saurabh Sudha; Li, Jinglin; Park, Ji-Hyun; Choi, Joon-Ho; Kim, Jae Young; Kim, Dongwook; Lee, Jung-Kul

2015-09-01

Lignocellulases from Armillaria gemina and Pholiota adiposa are efficient in hydrolyzing aspen and poplar biomass, respectively. In the present study, lignocellulosic enzymes obtained from a fungal consortium comprising P. adiposa and A. gemina were used for the saccharification of sunflower stalks. Sunflower stalks were thermochemically pretreated using 2 % NaOH at 50 °C for 24 h. The saccharification process parameters including substrate concentration, enzyme loading, pH, and temperature were optimized using response surface methodology to improve the saccharification yield. The highest enzymatic hydrolysis (84.3 %) was obtained using the following conditions: enzyme loading 10 FPU/g-substrate, substrate 5.5 %, temperature 50 °C, and pH 4.5. The hydrolysis yield obtained using the enzymes from the fungal consortium was equivalent to that obtained using a mixture of commercial enzymes Celluclast and Novozyme β-glucosidase. Addition of up to 500 ppm of heavy metal ions (As, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) during saccharification did not significantly affect the saccharification yield. Thus, the biomass grown for phytoremediation of heavy metals can be used for the production of reducing sugars followed by ethanol fermentation.

Aspergillus oryzae–Saccharomyces cerevisiae Consortium Allows Bio-Hybrid Fuel Cell to Run on Complex Carbohydrates

PubMed Central

Jahnke, Justin P.; Hoyt, Thomas; LeFors, Hannah M.; Sumner, James J.; Mackie, David M.

2016-01-01

Consortia of Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are examined for their abilities to turn complex carbohydrates into ethanol. To understand the interactions between microorganisms in consortia, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is used to follow the concentrations of various metabolites such as sugars (e.g., glucose, maltose), longer chain carbohydrates, and ethanol to optimize consortia conditions for the production of ethanol. It is shown that with proper design A. oryzae can digest food waste simulants into soluble sugars that S. cerevisiae can ferment into ethanol. Depending on the substrate and conditions used, concentrations of 13% ethanol were achieved in 10 days. It is further shown that a direct alcohol fuel cell (FC) can be coupled with these A. oryzae-enabled S. cerevisiae fermentations using a reverse osmosis membrane. This “bio-hybrid FC” continually extracted ethanol from an ongoing consortium, enhancing ethanol production and allowing the bio-hybrid FC to run for at least one week. Obtained bio-hybrid FC currents were comparable to those from pure ethanol—water mixtures, using the same FC. The A. oryzae–S. cerevisiae consortium, coupled to a bio-hybrid FC, converted food waste simulants into electricity without any pre- or post-processing. PMID:27681904

Aspergillus oryzae-Saccharomyces cerevisiae Consortium Allows Bio-Hybrid Fuel Cell to Run on Complex Carbohydrates.

PubMed

Jahnke, Justin P; Hoyt, Thomas; LeFors, Hannah M; Sumner, James J; Mackie, David M

2016-02-04

Consortia of Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are examined for their abilities to turn complex carbohydrates into ethanol. To understand the interactions between microorganisms in consortia, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is used to follow the concentrations of various metabolites such as sugars (e.g., glucose, maltose), longer chain carbohydrates, and ethanol to optimize consortia conditions for the production of ethanol. It is shown that with proper design A. oryzae can digest food waste simulants into soluble sugars that S. cerevisiae can ferment into ethanol. Depending on the substrate and conditions used, concentrations of 13% ethanol were achieved in 10 days. It is further shown that a direct alcohol fuel cell (FC) can be coupled with these A. oryzae-enabled S. cerevisiae fermentations using a reverse osmosis membrane. This "bio-hybrid FC" continually extracted ethanol from an ongoing consortium, enhancing ethanol production and allowing the bio-hybrid FC to run for at least one week. Obtained bio-hybrid FC currents were comparable to those from pure ethanol-water mixtures, using the same FC. The A. oryzae-S. cerevisiae consortium, coupled to a bio-hybrid FC, converted food waste simulants into electricity without any pre- or post-processing.

Laser-induced transfer of gel microdroplets for cell printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusupov, V. I.; Zhigar'kov, V. S.; Churbanova, E. S.; Chutko, E. A.; Evlashin, S. A.; Gorlenko, M. V.; Cheptsov, V. S.; Minaev, N. V.; Bagratashvili, V. N.

2017-12-01

We study thermal and transport processes involved in the transfer of gel microdroplets under the conditions of laser cell microprinting. The specific features of the interaction of pulsed laser radiation ( λ = 1.064 µm, pulse duration 4 - 200 ns, energy 2 µJ - 1 mJ) with the absorbing gold film deposited on the glass donor substrate are determined. The investigation of the dynamics of transport processes by means of fast optical video recording and optoacoustic methods makes it possible to determine the characteristics of the produced gel jets as functions of the laser operation regimes. The hydrodynamic process of interaction between the laser radiation and the gold coating with the hydrogel layer on it is considered and the temperature in the region of the laser pulse action is estimated. It is shown that in the mechanism of laser-induced transfer a significant role is played by the processes of explosive boiling of water (in gel) and gold. The amount of gold nanoparticles arriving at the acceptor plate in the process of the laser transfer is determined. For the laser pulse duration 8 ns and small energies (less than 10 µJ), the fraction of gold nanoparticles in the gel microdroplets is negligibly small, and their quantity linearly grows with increasing pulse energy. The performed studies offer a base for optimising the processes of laser transfer of gel microdroplets in the rapidly developing technologies of cell microprinting.

Experimental investigation of the laser ablation process on wood surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panzner, M.; Wiedemann, G.; Henneberg, K.; Fischer, R.; Wittke, Th.; Dietsch, R.

1998-05-01

Processing of wood by conventional mechanical tools like saws or planes leaves behind a layer of squeezed wood only slightly adhering to the solid wood surface. Laser ablation of this layer could improve the durability of coatings and glued joints. For technical applications, thorough knowledge about the laser ablation process is necessary. Results of ablation experiments by excimer lasers, Nd:YAG lasers, and TEA-CO 2 lasers on surfaces of different wood types and cut orientations are shown. The process of ablation was observed by a high-speed camera system and optical spectroscopy. The influence of the experimental parameters are demonstrated by SEM images and measurement of the ablation rate depending on energy density. Thermal effects like melting and also carbonizing of cellulose were found for IR- and also UV-laser wavelengths. Damage of the wood surface after laser ablation was weaker for excimer lasers and CO 2-TEA lasers. This can be explained by the high absorption of wood in the ultraviolet and middle infrared spectral range. As an additional result, this technique provides an easy way for preparing wood surfaces with excellently conserved cellular structure.

TruMicro Series 2000 sub-400 fs class industrial fiber lasers: adjustment of laser parameters to process requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanal, Florian; Kahmann, Max; Tan, Chuong; Diekamp, Holger; Jansen, Florian; Scelle, Raphael; Budnicki, Aleksander; Sutter, Dirk

2017-02-01

The matchless properties of ultrashort laser pulses, such as the enabling of cold processing and non-linear absorption, pave the way to numerous novel applications. Ultrafast lasers arrived in the last decade at a level of reliability suitable for the industrial environment.1 Within the next years many industrial manufacturing processes in several markets will be replaced by laser-based processes due to their well-known benefits: These are non-contact wear-free processing, higher process accuracy or an increase of processing speed and often improved economic efficiency compared to conventional processes. Furthermore, new processes will arise with novel sources, addressing previously unsolved challenges. One technical requirement for these exciting new applications will be to optimize the large number of available parameters to the requirements of the application. In this work we present an ultrafast laser system distinguished by its capability to combine high flexibility and real time process-inherent adjustments of the parameters with industry-ready reliability. This industry-ready reliability is ensured by a long experience in designing and building ultrashort-pulse lasers in combination with rigorous optimization of the mechanical construction, optical components and the entire laser head for continuous performance. By introducing a new generation of mechanical design in the last few years, TRUMPF enabled its ultrashort-laser platforms to fulfill the very demanding requirements for passively coupling high-energy single-mode radiation into a hollow-core transport fiber. The laser architecture presented here is based on the all fiber MOPA (master oscillator power amplifier) CPA (chirped pulse amplification) technology. The pulses are generated in a high repetition rate mode-locked fiber oscillator also enabling flexible pulse bursts (groups of multiple pulses) with 20 ns intra-burst pulse separation. An external acousto-optic modulator (XAOM) enables linearization and multi-level quad-loop stabilization of the output power of the laser.2 In addition to the well-established platform latest developments addressed single-pulse energies up to 50 μJ and made femtosecond pulse durations available for the TruMicro Series 2000. Beyond these stabilization aspects this laser architecture together with other optical modules and combined with smart laser control software enables process-driven adjustments of the parameters (e. g. repetition rate, multi-pulse functionalities, pulse energy, pulse duration) by external signals, which will be presented in this work.

Laser Brazing of High Temperature Braze Alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Y. P.; Seaman, R. F.; McQuillan, T. J.; Martiens, R. F.

2000-01-01

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) consists of 1080 conical tubes, which are furnace brazed themselves, manifolds, and surrounding structural jacket making almost four miles of braze joints. Subsequent furnace braze cycles are performed due to localized braze voids between the coolant tubes. SSME nozzle experiences extremely high heat flux (180 mW/sq m) during hot fire. Braze voids between coolant tubes may result in hot combustion gas escape causing jacket bulges. The nozzle can be disqualified for flight or result in mission failure if the braze voids exceed the limits. Localized braze processes were considered to eliminate braze voids, however, damage to the parent materials often prohibited use of such process. Being the only manned flight reusable rocket engine, it has stringent requirement on the braze process. Poor braze quality or damage to the parent materials limits the nozzle service life. The objective of this study was to develop a laser brazing process to provide quality, localized braze joints without adverse affect on the parent materials. Gold (Au-Cu-Ni-Pd-Mn) based high temperature braze alloys were used in both powder and wire form. Thin section iron base superalloy A286 tube was used as substrate materials. Different Laser Systems including CO2 (10.6 micrometers, 1kW), ND:YAG (1.06 micrometers, 4kW). and direct diode laser (808nm. 150W) were investigated for brazing process. The laser process variables including wavelength. laser power, travel speed and angle of inclination were optimized according to bead geometry and braze alloy wetting at minimum heat input level, The properties of laser brazing were compared to that of furnace brazing. Microhardness profiles were used for braze joint property comparison between laser and furnace brazing. The cooling rate of laser brazing was compared to furnace brazing based on secondary dendritic arm spacing, Both optical and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to evaluate the microstructures of the braze materials and tube substrate. Metallography of the laser braze joint was compared to the furnace braze. SEM Energy Disperse X-Ray Spectra (EDX) and back scattered imaging were used to analyze braze alloy segregation. Although all of the laser systems, CO2, ND:YAG, and direct diode laser produced good braze joint, the direct diode laser was selected for its system simplicity, compactness and portability. Excellent laser and braze alloy coupling is observed with powder alloy compared to braze alloy wire. Good wetting is found with different gold based braze alloys. The laser brazing process can be optimized so that the adverse affect on the parent materials can be eliminated. Metallography of the laser braze joint has shown that quality braze joint was produced with laser brazing process. Penetration of the laser braze to the substrate is at neglectable level. Zero penetration is observed. Microstructure examinations shown that no observable changes of the microstructure (grain structure and precipitation) in the HAZ area between laser braze and furnace braze. Wide gaps can be laser brazed with single pass for up to 0.024 inches. Finer dendritic structure is observed in laser brazing compared with equiaxial and coarser grain of the furnace brazing microstructure. Greater segregation is also found in the furnace braze. Higher hardness of the laser braze joint comparing to furnace braze is observed due to the fast cooling rate and Finer microstructure in the laser brazing. Laser braze joint properties meet or exceed the furnace joint properties. Direct diode laser for thin section tube brazing with high temperature braze alloys have been successfully demonstrated. The laser's high energy density and precise control has shown significant advantages in reducing process heat input to the substrates and provide high quality braze joints comparing to other localized braze process such as torch, TIG, and MPTA processes. Significant cost savings can be realized particularly with localized braze comparing to a full furnace braze cycle.

Laser micro-processing of amorphous and partially crystalline Cu45Zr48Al7 alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aqida, S. N.; Brabazon, D.; Naher, S.; Kovacs, Z.; Browne, D. J.

2010-11-01

This paper presents a microstructural study of laser micro-processed high-purity Cu45Zr48Al7 alloys prepared by arc melting and Cu-mould casting. Microprocessing of the Cu45Zr48Al7 alloy was performed using a Rofin DC-015 diffusion-cooled CO2 slab laser system with 10.6-μm wavelength. The laser was defocused to a spot size of 0.2 mm on the sample surface. The laser parameters were set to give 300- and 350-W peak power, 30% duty cycle and a 3000-Hz laser pulse repetition frequency (PRF). About 100-micrometer-wide channels were scribed on the surfaces of disk-shaped amorphous and partially crystalline samples at traverse speeds of 500 and 5000 mm/min. These channels were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 2D stylus profilometry. The metallographic study and profile of these processed regions are discussed in terms of the applied laser processing parameters. The SEM micrographs showed that striation marks developed at the edge and inside these regions as a result of the laser processing. The results from this work showed that microscale features can be produced on the surface of amorphous Cu-Zr-Al alloys by CO2 laser processing.

Ecotoxicological effects of enrofloxacin and its removal by monoculture of microalgal species and their consortium.

PubMed

Xiong, Jiu-Qiang; Kurade, Mayur B; Jeon, Byong-Hun

2017-07-01

Enrofloxacin (ENR), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, has gained big scientific concern due to its ecotoxicity on aquatic microbiota. The ecotoxicity and removal of ENR by five individual microalgae species and their consortium were studied to correlate the behavior and interaction of ENR in natural systems. The individual microalgal species (Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlamydomonas mexicana, Chlorella vulgaris, Ourococcus multisporus, Micractinium resseri) and their consortium could withstand high doses of ENR (≤1 mg L -1 ). Growth inhibition (68-81%) of the individual microalgae species and their consortium was observed in ENR (100 mg L -1 ) compared to control after 11 days of cultivation. The calculated 96 h EC 50 of ENR for individual microalgae species and microalgae consortium was 9.6-15.0 mg ENR L -1 . All the microalgae could recover from the toxicity of high concentrations of ENR during cultivation. The biochemical characteristics (total chlorophyll, carotenoid, and malondialdehyde) were significantly influenced by ENR (1-100 mg L -1 ) stress. The individual microalgae species and microalgae consortium removed 18-26% ENR at day 11. Although the microalgae consortium showed a higher sensitivity (with lower EC 50 ) toward ENR than the individual microalgae species, the removal efficiency of ENR by the constructed microalgae consortium was comparable to that of the most effective microalgal species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The advances and characteristics of high-power diode laser materials processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lin

2000-10-01

This paper presents a review of the direct applications of high-power diode lasers for materials processing including soldering, surface modification (hardening, cladding, glazing and wetting modifications), welding, scribing, sheet metal bending, marking, engraving, paint stripping, powder sintering, synthesis, brazing and machining. The specific advantages and disadvantages of diode laser materials processing are compared with CO 2, Nd:YAG and excimer lasers. An effort is made to identify the fundamental differences in their beam/material interaction characteristics and materials behaviour. Also an appraisal of the future prospects of the high-power diode lasers for materials processing is given.

25 CFR 1000.283 - If the Tribe/Consortium or Tribe's/Consortium's employee receives a summons and/or a complaint...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

.../Consortium should immediately: (a) Inform the Assistant Solicitor, Procurement and Patents, Office of the...? 1000.283 Section 1000.283 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE...

24 CFR 943.128 - How does a consortium carry out planning and reporting functions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY CONSORTIA AND JOINT VENTURES... the consortium agreement, the consortium must submit joint five-year Plans and joint Annual Plans for... the joint PHA Plan. ...

THE FEDERAL INTEGRATED BIOTREATMENT RESEARCH CONSORTIUM (FLASK TO FIELD)

EPA Science Inventory

The Federal Integrated Biotreatment Research Consortium (Flask to Field) represented a 7-year concerted effort by several research laboratories to develop bioremediation technologies for contaminated DoD sites. The consortium structure consisted of a director and four thrust are...

25 CFR 1000.283 - If the Tribe/Consortium or Tribe's/Consortium's employee receives a summons and/or a complaint...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

.../Consortium should immediately: (a) Inform the Assistant Solicitor, Procurement and Patents, Office of the...? 1000.283 Section 1000.283 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE...

25 CFR 1000.283 - If the Tribe/Consortium or Tribe's/Consortium's employee receives a summons and/or a complaint...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

.../Consortium should immediately: (a) Inform the Assistant Solicitor, Procurement and Patents, Office of the...? 1000.283 Section 1000.283 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE...

25 CFR 1000.283 - If the Tribe/Consortium or Tribe's/Consortium's employee receives a summons and/or a complaint...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

.../Consortium should immediately: (a) Inform the Assistant Solicitor, Procurement and Patents, Office of the...? 1000.283 Section 1000.283 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE...

25 CFR 1000.283 - If the Tribe/Consortium or Tribe's/Consortium's employee receives a summons and/or a complaint...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

.../Consortium should immediately: (a) Inform the Assistant Solicitor, Procurement and Patents, Office of the...? 1000.283 Section 1000.283 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE...

Developing a mesophilic co-culture for direct conversion of cellulose to butanol in consolidated bioprocess.

PubMed

Wang, Zhenyu; Cao, Guangli; Zheng, Ju; Fu, Defeng; Song, Jinzhu; Zhang, Junzheng; Zhao, Lei; Yang, Qian

2015-01-01

Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) of butanol production from cellulosic biomass is a promising strategy for cost saving compared to other processes featuring dedicated cellulase production. CBP requires microbial strains capable of hydrolyzing biomass with enzymes produced on its own with high rate and high conversion and simultaneously produce a desired product at high yield. However, current reported butanol-producing candidates are unable to utilize cellulose as a sole carbon source and energy source. Consequently, developing a co-culture system using different microorganisms by taking advantage of their specific metabolic capacities to produce butanol directly from cellulose in consolidated bioprocess is of great interest. This study was mainly undertaken to find complementary organisms to the butanol producer that allow simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose to butanol in their co-culture under mesophilic condition. Accordingly, a highly efficient and stable consortium N3 on cellulose degradation was first developed by multiple subcultures. Subsequently, the functional microorganisms with 16S rRNA sequences identical to the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profile were isolated from consortium N3. The isolate Clostridium celevecrescens N3-2 exhibited higher cellulose-degrading capability was thus chosen as the partner strain for butanol production with Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC824. Meanwhile, the established stable consortium N3 was also investigated to produce butanol by co-culturing with C. acetobutylicum ATCC824. Butanol was produced from cellulose when C. acetobutylicum ATCC824 was co-cultured with either consortium N3 or C. celevecrescens N3-2. Co-culturing C. acetobutylicum ATCC824 with the stable consortium N3 resulted in a relatively higher butanol concentration, 3.73 g/L, and higher production yield, 0.145 g/g of glucose equivalent. The newly isolated microbial consortium N3 and strain C. celevecrescens N3-2 displayed effective degradation of cellulose and produced considerable amounts of butanol when they were co-cultured with C. acetobutylicum ATCC824. This is the first report of application of co-culture to produce butanol directly from cellulose under mesophilic condition. Our results indicated that co-culture of mesophilic cellulolytic microbe and butanol-producing clostridia provides a technically feasible and more simplified way for producing butanol directly from cellulose.

GAS STORAGE TECHNOLGOY CONSORTIUM

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

Robert W. Watson

2004-04-23

Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission and distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services, and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feetmore » (TCF) over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is critical in meeting the needs of these new markets. In order to address the gas storage needs of the natural gas industry, an industry-driven consortium was created--the Gas Storage Technology Consortium (GSTC). The objective of the GSTC is to provide a means to accomplish industry-driven research and development designed to enhance operational flexibility and deliverability of the Nation's gas storage system, and provide a cost effective, safe, and reliable supply of natural gas to meet domestic demand. To accomplish this objective, the project is divided into three phases that are managed and directed by the GSTC Coordinator. Base funding for the consortium is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In addition, funding is anticipated from the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). The first phase, Phase 1A, was initiated on September 30, 2003, and is scheduled for completion on March 31, 2004. Phase 1A of the project includes the creation of the GSTC structure, development of constitution (by-laws) for the consortium, and development and refinement of a technical approach (work plan) for deliverability enhancement and reservoir management. This report deals with the first 3-months of the project and encompasses the period September 30, 2003, through December 31, 2003. During this 3-month period, the first meeting of individuals representing the storage industry, universities and the Department of energy was held. The purpose of this meeting was to initiate the dialogue necessary to for the creation and adoption of a constitution that would be used to govern the activities of the consortium.« less

GAS STORAGE TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM

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

Robert W. Watson

2004-04-17

Gas storage is a critical element in the natural gas industry. Producers, transmission and distribution companies, marketers, and end users all benefit directly from the load balancing function of storage. The unbundling process has fundamentally changed the way storage is used and valued. As an unbundled service, the value of storage is being recovered at rates that reflect its value. Moreover, the marketplace has differentiated between various types of storage services, and has increasingly rewarded flexibility, safety, and reliability. The size of the natural gas market has increased and is projected to continue to increase towards 30 trillion cubic feetmore » (TCF) over the next 10 to 15 years. Much of this increase is projected to come from electric generation, particularly peaking units. Gas storage, particularly the flexible services that are most suited to electric loads, is critical in meeting the needs of these new markets. In order to address the gas storage needs of the natural gas industry, an industry-driven consortium was created--the Gas Storage Technology Consortium (GSTC). The objective of the GSTC is to provide a means to accomplish industry-driven research and development designed to enhance operational flexibility and deliverability of the Nation's gas storage system, and provide a cost effective, safe, and reliable supply of natural gas to meet domestic demand. To accomplish this objective, the project is divided into three phases that are managed and directed by the GSTC Coordinator. Base funding for the consortium is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In addition, funding is anticipated from the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). The first phase, Phase 1A, was initiated on September 30, 2003, and is scheduled for completion on March 31, 2004. Phase 1A of the project includes the creation of the GSTC structure, development of constitution (by-laws) for the consortium, and development and refinement of a technical approach (work plan) for deliverability enhancement and reservoir management. This report deals with the second 3-months of the project and encompasses the period December 31, 2003, through March 31, 2003. During this 3-month, the dialogue of individuals representing the storage industry, universities and the Department of energy was continued and resulted in a constitution for the operation of the consortium and a draft of the initial Request for Proposals (RFP).« less

Laser welding of polymers: phenomenological model for a quick and reliable process quality estimation considering beam shape influences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timpe, Nathalie F.; Stuch, Julia; Scholl, Marcus; Russek, Ulrich A.

2016-03-01

This contribution presents a phenomenological, analytical model for laser welding of polymers which is suited for a quick process quality estimation for the practitioner. Besides material properties of the polymer and processing parameters like welding pressure, feed rate and laser power the model is based on a simple few parameter description of the size and shape of the laser power density distribution (PDD) in the processing zone. The model allows an estimation of the weld seam tensile strength. It is based on energy balance considerations within a thin sheet with the thickness of the optical penetration depth on the surface of the absorbing welding partner. The joining process itself is modelled by a phenomenological approach. The model reproduces the experimentally known process windows for the main process parameters correctly. Using the parameters describing the shape of the laser PDD the critical dependence of the process windows on the PDD shape will be predicted and compared with experiments. The adaption of the model to other laser manufacturing processes where the PDD influence can be modelled comparably will be discussed.

Spike processing with a graphene excitable laser

PubMed Central

Shastri, Bhavin J.; Nahmias, Mitchell A.; Tait, Alexander N.; Rodriguez, Alejandro W.; Wu, Ben; Prucnal, Paul R.

2016-01-01

Novel materials and devices in photonics have the potential to revolutionize optical information processing, beyond conventional binary-logic approaches. Laser systems offer a rich repertoire of useful dynamical behaviors, including the excitable dynamics also found in the time-resolved “spiking” of neurons. Spiking reconciles the expressiveness and efficiency of analog processing with the robustness and scalability of digital processing. We demonstrate a unified platform for spike processing with a graphene-coupled laser system. We show that this platform can simultaneously exhibit logic-level restoration, cascadability and input-output isolation—fundamental challenges in optical information processing. We also implement low-level spike-processing tasks that are critical for higher level processing: temporal pattern detection and stable recurrent memory. We study these properties in the context of a fiber laser system and also propose and simulate an analogous integrated device. The addition of graphene leads to a number of advantages which stem from its unique properties, including high absorption and fast carrier relaxation. These could lead to significant speed and efficiency improvements in unconventional laser processing devices, and ongoing research on graphene microfabrication promises compatibility with integrated laser platforms. PMID:26753897

Laser patterning of laminated structures for electroplating

DOEpatents

Mayer, Steven T.; Evans, Leland B.

1993-01-01

A process for laser patterning of a substrate so that it can be subsequently electroplated or electrolessly plated. The process utilizes a laser to treat an inactive (inert) layer formed over an active layer to either combine or remove the inactive layer to produce a patterned active layer on which electrodeposition can occur. The process is carried out by utilizing laser alloying and laser etching, and involves only a few relatively high yield steps and can be performed on a very small scale.

Laser patterning of laminated structures for electroplating

DOEpatents

Mayer, S.T.; Evans, L.B.

1993-11-23

A process for laser patterning of a substrate so that it can be subsequently electroplated or electrolessly plated. The process utilizes a laser to treat an inactive (inert) layer formed over an active layer to either combine or remove the inactive layer to produce a patterned active layer on which electrodeposition can occur. The process is carried out by utilizing laser alloying and laser etching, and involves only a few relatively high yield steps and can be performed on a very small scale. 9 figures.

Evaluating robustness of a diesel-degrading bacterial consortium isolated from contaminated soil.

PubMed

Sydow, Mateusz; Owsianiak, Mikołaj; Szczepaniak, Zuzanna; Framski, Grzegorz; Smets, Barth F; Ławniczak, Łukasz; Lisiecki, Piotr; Szulc, Alicja; Cyplik, Paweł; Chrzanowski, Łukasz

2016-12-25

It is not known whether diesel-degrading bacterial communities are structurally and functionally robust when exposed to different hydrocarbon types. Here, we exposed a diesel-degrading consortium to model either alkanes, cycloalkanes or aromatic hydrocarbons as carbon sources to study its structural resistance. The structural resistance was low, with changes in relative abundances of up to four orders of magnitude, depending on hydrocarbon type and bacterial taxon. This low resistance is explained by the presence of hydrocarbon-degrading specialists in the consortium and differences in growth kinetics on individual hydrocarbons. However, despite this low resistance, structural and functional resilience were high, as verified by re-exposing the hydrocarbon-perturbed consortium to diesel fuel. The high resilience is either due to the short exposure time, insufficient for permanent changes in consortium structure and function, or the ability of some consortium members to be maintained during exposure on degradation intermediates produced by other members. Thus, the consortium is expected to cope with short-term exposures to narrow carbon feeds, while maintaining its structural and functional integrity, which remains an advantage over biodegradation approaches using single species cultures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prebiotics Mediate Microbial Interactions in a Consortium of the Infant Gut Microbiome.

PubMed

Medina, Daniel A; Pinto, Francisco; Ovalle, Aline; Thomson, Pamela; Garrido, Daniel

2017-10-04

Composition of the gut microbiome is influenced by diet. Milk or formula oligosaccharides act as prebiotics, bioactives that promote the growth of beneficial gut microbes. The influence of prebiotics on microbial interactions is not well understood. Here we investigated the transformation of prebiotics by a consortium of four representative species of the infant gut microbiome, and how their interactions changed with dietary substrates. First, we optimized a culture medium resembling certain infant gut parameters. A consortium containing Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis , Bacteroides vulgatus , Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus acidophilus was grown on fructooligosaccharides (FOS) or 2'-fucosyllactose (2FL) in mono- or co-culture. While Bi. infantis and Ba. vulgatus dominated growth on 2FL, their combined growth was reduced. Besides, interaction coefficients indicated strong competition, especially on FOS. While FOS was rapidly consumed by the consortium, B. infantis was the only microbe displaying significant consumption of 2FL. Acid production by the consortium resembled the metabolism of microorganisms dominating growth in each substrate. Finally, the consortium was tested in a bioreactor, observing similar predominance but more pronounced acid production and substrate consumption. This study indicates that the chemical nature of prebiotics modulate microbial interactions in a consortium of infant gut species.

An investigation on co-axial water-jet assisted fiber laser cutting of metal sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madhukar, Yuvraj K.; Mullick, Suvradip; Nath, Ashish K.

2016-02-01

Water assisted laser cutting has received significant attention in recent times with assurance of many advantages than conventional gas assisted laser cutting. A comparative study between co-axial water-jet and gas-jet assisted laser cutting of thin sheets of mild steel (MS) and titanium (Ti) by fiber laser is presented. Fiber laser (1.07 μm wavelength) was utilised because of its low absorption in water. The cut quality was evaluated in terms of average kerf, projected dross height, heat affected zone (HAZ) and cut surface roughness. It was observed that a broad range process parameter could produce consistent cut quality in MS. However, oxygen assisted cutting could produce better quality only with optimised parameters at high laser power and high cutting speed. In Ti cutting the water-jet assisted laser cutting performed better over the entire range of process parameters compared with gas assisted cutting. The specific energy, defined as the amount of laser energy required to remove unit volume of material was found more in case of water-jet assisted laser cutting process. It is mainly due to various losses associated with water assisted laser processing such as absorption of laser energy in water and scattering at the interaction zone.

Silver-free solar cell interconnection by laser spot welding of thin aluminum layers: analysis of process limits for ns- and μs-lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulte-Huxel, H.; Blankemeyer, S.; Kajari-Schröder, S.; Brendel, R.

2014-03-01

We investigate a laser welding process for contacting aluminum metallized crystalline silicon solar cells to a 10-μm-thick aluminum layers on a glass substrate. The reduction of the solar cell metallization thickness is analyzed with respect to laser induced damage using SiNx passivated silicon wafers. Additionally, we measure the mechanical stress of the laser welds by perpendicular tear-off as well as the electrical contact resistance. We apply two types of laser processes; one uses one to eight 20-ns-laser pulses at 355 nm with fluences between 12 and 40 J/cm2 and the other single 1.2-μs-laser pulses at 1064 nm with 33 to 73 J/cm2. Ns laser pulses can contact down to 1-μm-thick aluminum layers on silicon without inducing laser damage to the silicon and lead to sufficient strong mechanical contact. In case of μs laser pulses the limiting thickness is 2 μm.

Clinical terminology support for a national ambulatory practice outcomes research network.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Thomas N; Lieberman, Michael I; Kahn, Michael G; Masarie, F E

2005-01-01

The Medical Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) is a nationwide collaboration of 74 healthcare delivery systems, consisting of 3755 clinicians, who contribute de-identified clinical data from the same commercial electronic medical record (EMR) for quality reporting, outcomes research and clinical research in public health and practice benchmarking. Despite the existence of a common, centrally-managed, shared terminology for core concepts (medications, problem lists, observation names), a substantial "back-end" information management process is required to ensure terminology and data harmonization for creating multi-facility clinically-acceptable queries and comparable results. We describe the information architecture created to support terminology harmonization across this data-sharing consortium and discuss the implications for large scale data sharing envisioned by proponents for the national adoption of ambulatory EMR systems.

Clinical Terminology Support for a National Ambulatory Practice Outcomes Research Network

PubMed Central

Ricciardi, Thomas N.; Lieberman, Michael I.; Kahn, Michael G.; Masarie, F.E. “Chip”

2005-01-01

The Medical Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) is a nationwide collaboration of 74 healthcare delivery systems, consisting of 3755 clinicians, who contribute de-identified clinical data from the same commercial electronic medical record (EMR) for quality reporting, outcomes research and clinical research in public health and practice benchmarking. Despite the existence of a common, centrally-managed, shared terminology for core concepts (medications, problem lists, observation names), a substantial “back-end” information management process is required to ensure terminology and data harmonization for creating multi-facility clinically-acceptable queries and comparable results. We describe the information architecture created to support terminology harmonization across this data-sharing consortium and discuss the implications for large scale data sharing envisioned by proponents for the national adoption of ambulatory EMR systems. PMID:16779116

Observing laser ablation dynamics with sub-picosecond temporal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tani, Shuntaro; Kobayashi, Yohei

2017-04-01

Laser ablation is one of the most fundamental processes in laser processing, and the understanding of its dynamics is of key importance for controlling and manipulating the outcome. In this study, we propose a novel way of observing the dynamics in the time domain using an electro-optic sampling technique. We found that an electromagnetic field was emitted during the laser ablation process and that the amplitude of the emission was closely correlated with the ablated volume. From the temporal profile of the electromagnetic field, we analyzed the motion of charged particles with subpicosecond temporal resolution. The proposed method can provide new access to observing laser ablation dynamics and thus open a new way to optimize the laser processing.

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Environmental Technology Consortium annual report, 1991--1992

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

NONE

1992-12-31

The member institutions of the Consortium continue to play a significant role in increasing the number of African Americans who enter the environmental professions through the implementation of the Consortium`s RETT Plan for Research, Education, and Technology Transfer. The four major program areas identified in the RETT Plan are as follows: (1) minority outreach and precollege education; (2) undergraduate education and postsecondary training; (3) graduate and postgraduate education and research; and (4) technology transfer.

25 CFR 1000.84 - Does a Tribe/Consortium have the right to include provisions of Title I of Pub. L. 93-638 in an AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Does a Tribe/Consortium have the right to include.../Consortium have the right to include provisions of Title I of Pub. L. 93-638 in an AFA? Yes, under Pub. L. 104-109, a Tribe/Consortium has the right to include any provision of Title I of Pub. L. 93-638 in an...

Migrating from Informal to Formal Consortium — COSTLI Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birdie, C.; Patil, Y. M.

2010-10-01

There are many models of library consortia which have come into existence due to various reasons and compulsions. FORSA (Forum for Resource Sharing in Astronomy) is an informal consortium born from the links between academic institutions specializing in astronomy in India. FORSA is a cooperative venture initiated by library professionals. Though this consortium was formed mainly for inter-lending activities and bibliographic access, it has matured over the years to adopt the consortium approach on cooperative acquisitions, due to increased requirements.

Michael Ulsh | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Michael Ulsh Photo of Michael Ulsh Michael Ulsh Manufacturing R&D Project Lead Michael.Ulsh -line quality control, the study of the performance and durability effects of manufacturing defects, and lead for a multi-lab consortium on solution processing and roll-to-roll manufacturing, and is involved

Sequencing the genome of the Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) as a model for studying extreme adaptations in snakes.

PubMed

Castoe, Todd A; de Koning, Jason A P; Hall, Kathryn T; Yokoyama, Ken D; Gu, Wanjun; Smith, Eric N; Feschotte, Cédric; Uetz, Peter; Ray, David A; Dobry, Jason; Bogden, Robert; Mackessy, Stephen P; Bronikowski, Anne M; Warren, Wesley C; Secor, Stephen M; Pollock, David D

2011-07-28

The Consortium for Snake Genomics is in the process of sequencing the genome and creating transcriptomic resources for the Burmese python. Here, we describe how this will be done, what analyses this work will include, and provide a timeline.

25 CFR 1000.171 - When should a Tribe/Consortium submit a letter of interest?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... interest? 1000.171 Section 1000.171 Indians OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY, INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ACT Negotiation Process for Annual Funding Agreements Negotiation...

Definition of Intervener Services and Interveners in Educational Settings. Technical Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness, 2013

2013-01-01

This technical report synthesizes the process and information used by National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) in the development of a consistently applied definition of intervener services. It addresses challenges and questions, provides comparisons between interveners and paraprofessionals, and offers definitions, roles and concepts used by…

Three CCR accomplishments receive Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer has recognized three CCR accomplishments with Excellence in Technology Transfer Awards. This award category honors employees of FLC member laboratories and non-laboratory staff who have accomplished outstanding work in the process of transferring federally developed technology. Read more…

USAID Assistance to Afghanistan Reconstruction: $13.3 Billion Obligated Between 2002 and 2013

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

Development Group 274 TAF -The Asia Foundation 157 AED-Academy for Educational Development 146 CEPPS-Consortium For Elections and Political Process...United Nations Development Program 268,825 WHO 107,337 IFDC-International Fertilizer Development Center 32,531 TAF -The Asia Foundation 24,122 DANIDA

LARC2: Integrated Children's Services and the CAF Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Easton, Claire; Morris, Marian; Gee, Geoff

2010-01-01

The local authority research consortium (LARC), established in 2007, supports children's service authorities in using and conducting research to evaluate progress, to inform practice, share findings and make recommendations locally and nationally. This summary reports the collective findings of the 24 authorities involved in the LARC2 project…

Parity in Designing, Conducting, and Evaluating Teacher Education Programs: A Conceptual Definition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, Joseph J.

Individuals, agencies, and institutions involved in the education and employment of teachers conceptually defined parity relevant to the decision-making process in planning, conducting, and evaluating teacher education programs and translated the conceptual definition into an instrument for describing parity in consortium-centered teacher…

The Structuring of Shared Voluntary Standards in the U.S. Semiconductor Industry: Communicating to Reach Agreement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browning, Larry D.; Beyer, Janice M.

1998-01-01

Contributes to scholarship on organizational communication by tracing how voluntary cooperative standards were developed for the semiconductor industry through reflexive communication processes initiated by the SEMATECH consortium. Analyzes seven pivotal incidents that show how increased communication produced new provinces of meaning, actions,…

SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CONSORTIUM. PUBLICATION 122, MORALITY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SCRIVEN, MICHAEL

THIS POSITION PAPER PRESENTS AN APPROACH TO THE VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEM OF HANDLING VALUES IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, PARTICULARLY IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT DISCUSSES THE FOUNDATIONS OF ETHICS AND THE METHODOLOGICAL BASIS FOR MORAL VALUE JUDGMENTS. THE DISCUSSIONS ARE PRESENTED UNDER THREE GENERAL TOPIC AREAS--(1) "PRELIMINARIES" WHICH…

Visualization of nanosecond laser-induced dewetting, ablation and crystallization processes in thin silicon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Dongfeng; Zhang, Zifeng; Yu, Xiaohan; Zhang, Yawen

2018-06-01

In the present work, nanosecond pulsed laser crystallization, dewetting and ablation of thin amorphous silicon films are investigated by time-resolved imaging. Laser pulses of 532 nm wavelength and 7 ns temporal width are irradiated on silicon film. Below the dewetting threshold, crystallization process happens after 400 ns laser irradiation in the spot central region. With the increasing of laser fluence, it is observed that the dewetting process does not conclude until 300 ns after the laser irradiation, forming droplet-like particles in the spot central region. At higher laser intensities, ablative material removal occurs in the spot center. Cylindrical rims are formed in the peripheral dewetting zone due to solidification of transported matter at about 500 ns following the laser pulse exposure.

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

Hohimer, J.P.

The use of laser-based analytical methods in nuclear-fuel processing plants is considered. The species and locations for accountability, process control, and effluent control measurements in the Coprocessing, Thorex, and reference Purex fuel processing operations are identified and the conventional analytical methods used for these measurements are summarized. The laser analytical methods based upon Raman, absorption, fluorescence, and nonlinear spectroscopy are reviewed and evaluated for their use in fuel processing plants. After a comparison of the capabilities of the laser-based and conventional analytical methods, the promising areas of application of the laser-based methods in fuel processing plants are identified.

Thermal effect of laser ablation on the surface of carbon fiber reinforced plastic during laser processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohkubo, Tomomasa; Sato, Yuji; Matsunaga, Ei-ichi; Tsukamoto, Masahiro

2018-02-01

Although laser processing is widely used for many applications, the cutting quality of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) decreases around the heat-affected zone (HAZ) during laser processing. Carbon fibers are exposed around the HAZ, and tensile strength decreases with increasing length of the HAZ. Some theoretical studies of thermal conductions that do not consider fluid dynamics have been performed; however, theoretical considerations that include the dynamics of laser ablation are scarce. Using removed mass and depth observed from experiments, the dynamics of laser ablation of CFRP with high-temperature and high-pressure of compressive gas is simulated herein. In this calculation, the mushroom-like shape of laser ablation is qualitatively simulated compared with experiments using a high-speed camera. Considering the removal temperature of the resin and the temperature distribution at each point on the surface, the simulation results suggest that a wide area of the resin is removed when the processing depth is shallow, and a rounded kerf is generated as the processing depth increases.

Laser Cladding of TiAl Intermetallic Alloy on Ti6Al4V -Process Optimization and Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cárcel, B.; Serrano, A.; Zambrano, J.; Amigó, V.; Cárcel, A. C.

In order to improve Ti6Al4V high-temperature resistance and its tribological properties, the deposition of TiAl intermetallic (Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb) coating on a Ti6Al4V substrate by coaxial laser cladding has been investigated. Laser cladding by powder injection is an emerging laser material processing technique that allows the deposition of thick protective coatings on substrates,using a high power laser beam as heat source. Laser cladding is a multiple-parameter-dependent process. The main process parameters involved (laser power, powder feeding rate, scanning speed and preheating temperature) has been optimized. The microstructure and geometrical quantities (clad area and dilution) of the coating was characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition the cooling rate of the clad during the process was measured by a dual-color pyrometer. This result has been related to defectology and mechanical coating properties.

Laser Structuring of Thin Layers for Flexible Electronics by a Shock Wave-induced Delamination Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, Pierre; Ehrhardt, Martin; Zimmer, Klaus

The defect-free laser-assisted structuring of thin films on flexible substrates is a challenge for laser methods. However, solving this problem exhibits an outstanding potential for a pioneering development of flexible electronics. Thereby, the laser-assisted delamination method has a great application potential. At the delamination process: the localized removal of the layer is induced by a shock wave which is produced by a laser ablation process on the rear side of the substrate. In this study, the thin-film patterning process is investigated for different polymer substrates dependent on the material and laser parameters using a KrF excimer laser. The resultant structures were studied by optical microscopy and white light interferometry (WLI). The delamination process was tested at different samples (indium tin oxide (ITO) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), epoxy-based negative photoresist (SU8) on polyimide (PI) and indium tin oxide/copper indium gallium selenide/molybdenum (ITO/CIGS/Mo) on PI.

Effect of process parameters on the density and porosity of laser melted AlSi10Mg/SiC metal matrix composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Famodimu, Omotoyosi H.; Stanford, Mark; Oduoza, Chike F.; Zhang, Lijuan

2018-06-01

Laser melting of aluminium alloy—AlSi10Mg has increasingly been used to create specialised products in various industrial applications, however, research on utilising laser melting of aluminium matrix composites in replacing specialised parts have been slow on the uptake. This has been attributed to the complexity of the laser melting process, metal/ceramic feedstock for the process and the reaction of the feedstock material to the laser. Thus, an understanding of the process, material microstructure and mechanical properties is important for its adoption as a manufacturing route of aluminium metal matrix composites. The effects of several parameters of the laser melting process on the mechanical blended composite were thus investigated in this research. This included single track formations of the matrix alloy and the composite alloyed with 5% and 10% respectively for their reaction to laser melting and the fabrication of density blocks to investigate the relative density and porosity over different scan speeds. The results from these experiments were utilised in determining a process window in fabricating near-fully dense parts.

3-D laser patterning process utilizing horizontal and vertical patterning

DOEpatents

Malba, Vincent; Bernhardt, Anthony F.

2000-01-01

A process which vastly improves the 3-D patterning capability of laser pantography (computer controlled laser direct-write patterning). The process uses commercially available electrodeposited photoresist (EDPR) to pattern 3-D surfaces. The EDPR covers the surface of a metal layer conformally, coating the vertical as well as horizontal surfaces. A laser pantograph then patterns the EDPR, which is subsequently developed in a standard, commercially available developer, leaving patterned trench areas in the EDPR. The metal layer thereunder is now exposed in the trench areas and masked in others, and thereafter can be etched to form the desired pattern (subtractive process), or can be plated with metal (additive process), followed by a resist stripping, and removal of the remaining field metal (additive process). This improved laser pantograph process is simpler, faster, move manufacturable, and requires no micro-machining.

Real-time laser cladding control with variable spot size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arias, J. L.; Montealegre, M. A.; Vidal, F.; Rodríguez, J.; Mann, S.; Abels, P.; Motmans, F.

2014-03-01

Laser cladding processing has been used in different industries to improve the surface properties or to reconstruct damaged pieces. In order to cover areas considerably larger than the diameter of the laser beam, successive partially overlapping tracks are deposited. With no control over the process variables this conduces to an increase of the temperature, which could decrease mechanical properties of the laser cladded material. Commonly, the process is monitored and controlled by a PC using cameras, but this control suffers from a lack of speed caused by the image processing step. The aim of this work is to design and develop a FPGA-based laser cladding control system. This system is intended to modify the laser beam power according to the melt pool width, which is measured using a CMOS camera. All the control and monitoring tasks are carried out by a FPGA, taking advantage of its abundance of resources and speed of operation. The robustness of the image processing algorithm is assessed, as well as the control system performance. Laser power is decreased as substrate temperature increases, thus maintaining a constant clad width. This FPGA-based control system is integrated in an adaptive laser cladding system, which also includes an adaptive optical system that will control the laser focus distance on the fly. The whole system will constitute an efficient instrument for part repair with complex geometries and coating selective surfaces. This will be a significant step forward into the total industrial implementation of an automated industrial laser cladding process.

Increasing Sales by Developing Production Consortiums.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Christopher A.; Russo, Robert

Intended to help rehabilitation facility administrators increase organizational income from manufacturing and/or contracted service sources, this document provides a decision-making model for the development of a production consortium. The document consists of five chapters and two appendices. Chapter 1 defines the consortium concept, explains…

14 CFR 1274.205 - Consortia as recipients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... agreement with a consortium is the consortium's Articles of Collaboration, which is a definitive description of the roles and responsibilities of the consortium's members. The Articles of Collaboration must... the Articles of Collaboration only if they are inclusive of all of the required information. (e) An...

10 CFR 603.515 - Qualification of a consortium.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... is not formally incorporated must provide a collaboration agreement, commonly referred to as the articles of collaboration, which sets out the rights and responsibilities of each consortium member. This... the consortium's collaboration agreement to ensure that the management plan is sound and that it...

10 CFR 603.515 - Qualification of a consortium.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... is not formally incorporated must provide a collaboration agreement, commonly referred to as the articles of collaboration, which sets out the rights and responsibilities of each consortium member. This... the consortium's collaboration agreement to ensure that the management plan is sound and that it...

14 CFR 1274.205 - Consortia as recipients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... agreement with a consortium is the consortium's Articles of Collaboration, which is a definitive description of the roles and responsibilities of the consortium's members. The Articles of Collaboration must... the Articles of Collaboration only if they are inclusive of all of the required information. (e) An...

25 CFR 1000.21 - When does a Tribe/Consortium have a “material audit exception”?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...-Governance Eligibility § 1000.21 When does a Tribe/Consortium have a “material audit exception”? A Tribe/Consortium has a material audit exception if any of the audits that it submitted under § 1000.17(c...

Consortium List of African-American Materials.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Casper L., Ed.

A bibliography is provided of the materials identified by the consortium participating in the African-American Materials Project. Members of the consortium include: Atlanta University, Fisk University, Hampton Institute, North Carolina Central University, South Carolina State College, and Tuskegee Institute. The materials listed were located in…

76 FR 66040 - Announcement of Meeting To Explore Feasibility of Establishing a NIST/Industry Consortium on...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-25

... Explore Feasibility of Establishing a NIST/Industry Consortium on ``Concrete Rheology: Enabling Metrology... meeting. SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invites interested parties to attend a pre-consortium meeting on November 8, [[Page 66041

Laser microprocessing and nanoengineering of large-area functional micro/nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, M.; Xie, X. Z.; Yang, J.; Chen, Z. C.; Xu, L.; Choo, Y. S.; Hong, M. H.

2011-12-01

Laser microprocessing and nanoengineering are of great interest to both scientists and engineers, since the inspired properties of functional micro/nanostructures over large areas can lead to numerous unique applications. Currently laser processing systems combined with high speed automation ensure the focused laser beam to process various materials at a high throughput and a high accuracy over large working areas. UV lasers are widely used in both laser microprocessing and nanoengineering. However by improving the processing methods, green pulsed laser is capable of replacing UV lasers to make high aspect ratio micro-grooves on fragile and transparent sapphire substrates. Laser micro-texturing can also tune the wetting property of metal surfaces from hydrophilic to super-hydrophobic at a contact angle of 161° without chemical coating. Laser microlens array (MLA) can split a laser beam into multiple laser beams and reduce the laser spot size down to sub-microns. It can be applied to fabricate split ring resonator (SRR) meta-materials for THz sensing, surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) structures for NIR and molding tools for soft lithography. Furthermore, laser interference lithography combined with thermal annealing can obtain a large area of sub-50nm nano-dot clusters used for SPR applications.

Laser beam temporal and spatial tailoring for laser shock processing

DOEpatents

Hackel, Lloyd; Dane, C. Brent

2001-01-01

Techniques are provided for formatting laser pulse spatial shape and for effectively and efficiently delivering the laser energy to a work surface in the laser shock process. An appropriately formatted pulse helps to eliminate breakdown and generate uniform shocks. The invention uses a high power laser technology capable of meeting the laser requirements for a high throughput process, that is, a laser which can treat many square centimeters of surface area per second. The shock process has a broad range of applications, especially in the aerospace industry, where treating parts to reduce or eliminate corrosion failure is very important. The invention may be used for treating metal components to improve strength and corrosion resistance. The invention has a broad range of applications for parts that are currently shot peened and/or require peening by means other than shot peening. Major applications for the invention are in the automotive and aerospace industries for components such as turbine blades, compressor components, gears, etc.

Effect analysis of material properties of picosecond laser ablation for ABS/PVC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Y. H.; Ho, C. Y.; Chiou, Y. J.

2017-06-01

This paper analytically investigates the picosecond laser ablation of ABS/PVC. Laser-pulsed ablation is a wellestablished tool for polymer. However the ablation mechanism of laser processing for polymer has not been thoroughly understood yet. This study utilized a thermal transport model to analyze the relationship between the ablation rate and laser fluences. This model considered the energy balance at the decomposition interface and Arrhenius law as the ablation mechanisms. The calculated variation of the ablation rate with the logarithm of the laser fluence agrees with the measured data. It is also validated in this work that the variation of the ablation rate with the logarithm of the laser fluence obeys Beer's law for low laser fluences. The effects of material properties and processing parameters on the ablation depth per pulse are also discussed for picosecond laser processing of ABS/PVC.

Improve the material absorption of light and enhance the laser tube bending process utilizing laser softening heat treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imhan, Khalil Ibraheem; Baharudin, B. T. H. T.; Zakaria, Azmi; Ismail, Mohd Idris Shah B.; Alsabti, Naseer Mahdi Hadi; Ahmad, Ahmad Kamal

2018-02-01

Laser forming is a flexible control process that has a wide spectrum of applications; particularly, laser tube bending. It offers the perfect solution for many industrial fields, such as aerospace, engines, heat exchangers, and air conditioners. A high power pulsed Nd-YAG laser with a maximum average power of 300 W emitting at 1064 nm and fiber-coupled is used to irradiate stainless steel 304 (SS304) tubes of 12.7 mm diameter, 0.6 mm thickness and 70 mm length. Moreover, a motorized rotation stage with a computer controller is employed to hold and rotate the tube. In this paper, an experimental investigation is carried out to improve the laser tube bending process by enhancing the absorption coefficient of the material and the mechanical formability using laser softening heat treatment. The material surface is coated with an oxidization layer; hence, the material absorption of laser light is increased and the temperature rapidly rises. The processing speed is enhanced and the output bending angle is increased to 1.9° with an increment of 70% after the laser softening heat treatment.

Effect of Cut Quality on Hybrid Laser Arc Welding of Thick Section Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrokhi, F.; Nielsen, S. E.; Schmidt, R. H.; Pedersen, S. S.; Kristiansen, M.

From an industrial point of view, in a laser cutting-welding production chain, it is of great importance to know the influence of the attainable laser cut quality on the subsequent hybrid laser arc welding process. Many studies have been carried out in the literature to obtain lower surface roughness values on the laser cut edge. However, in practice, the cost and reliability of the cutting process is crucial and it does not always comply with obtaining the highest surface quality. In this study, a number of experiments on 25 mm steel plates were carried out to evaluate the influence of cut surface quality on the final quality of the subsequent hybrid laser welded joints. The different cut surfaces were obtained by different industrial cutting methods including laser cutting, abrasive water cutting, plasma cutting, and milling. It was found that the mentioned cutting methods could be used as preparation processes for the subsequent hybrid laser arc welding. However, cut quality could determine the choice of process parameters of the following hybrid laser arc welding.

Mimicking lizard-like surface structures upon ultrashort laser pulse irradiation of inorganic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermens, U.; Kirner, S. V.; Emonts, C.; Comanns, P.; Skoulas, E.; Mimidis, A.; Mescheder, H.; Winands, K.; Krüger, J.; Stratakis, E.; Bonse, J.

2017-10-01

Inorganic materials, such as steel, were functionalized by ultrashort laser pulse irradiation (fs- to ps-range) to modify the surface's wetting behavior. The laser processing was performed by scanning the laser beam across the surface of initially polished flat sample material. A systematic experimental study of the laser processing parameters (peak fluence, scan velocity, line overlap) allowed the identification of different regimes associated with characteristic surface morphologies (laser-induced periodic surface structures, grooves, spikes, etc.). Analyses of the surface using optical as well as scanning electron microscopy revealed morphologies providing the optimum similarity to the natural skin of lizards. For mimicking skin structures of moisture-harvesting lizards towards an optimization of the surface wetting behavior, additionally a two-step laser processing strategy was established for realizing hierarchical microstructures. In this approach, micrometer-scaled capillaries (step 1) were superimposed by a laser-generated regular array of small dimples (step 2). Optical focus variation imaging measurements finally disclosed the three dimensional topography of the laser processed surfaces derived from lizard skin structures. The functionality of these surfaces was analyzed in view of wetting properties.

Higher Order Chemistry Models in the CFD Simulation of Laser-Ablated Carbon Plumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greendyke, R. B.; Creel, J. R.; Payne, B. T.; Scott, C. D.

2005-01-01

Production of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) has taken place for a number of years and by a variety of methods such as laser ablation, chemical vapor deposition, and arc-jet ablation. Yet, little is actually understood about the exact chemical kinetics and processes that occur in SWNT formation. In recent time, NASA Johnson Space Center has devoted a considerable effort to the experimental evaluation of the laser ablation production process for SWNT originally developed at Rice University. To fully understand the nature of the laser ablation process it is necessary to understand the development of the carbon plume dynamics within the laser ablation oven. The present work is a continuation of previous studies into the efforts to model plume dynamics using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The ultimate goal of the work is to improve understanding of the laser ablation process, and through that improved understanding, refine the laser ablation production of SWNT.

Thermoreflectance spectroscopy—Analysis of thermal processes in semiconductor lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierścińska, D.

2018-01-01

This review focuses on theoretical foundations, experimental implementation and an overview of experimental results of the thermoreflectance spectroscopy as a powerful technique for temperature monitoring and analysis of thermal processes in semiconductor lasers. This is an optical, non-contact, high spatial resolution technique providing high temperature resolution and mapping capabilities. Thermoreflectance is a thermometric technique based on measuring of relative change of reflectivity of the surface of laser facet, which provides thermal images useful in hot spot detection and reliability studies. In this paper, principles and experimental implementation of the technique as a thermography tool is discussed. Some exemplary applications of TR to various types of lasers are presented, proving that thermoreflectance technique provides new insight into heat management problems in semiconductor lasers and in particular, that it allows studying thermal degradation processes occurring at laser facets. Additionally, thermal processes and basic mechanisms of degradation of the semiconductor laser are discussed.

Computer Processing Of Tunable-Diode-Laser Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, Randy D.

1991-01-01

Tunable-diode-laser spectrometer measuring transmission spectrum of gas operates under control of computer, which also processes measurement data. Measurements in three channels processed into spectra. Computer controls current supplied to tunable diode laser, stepping it through small increments of wavelength while processing spectral measurements at each step. Program includes library of routines for general manipulation and plotting of spectra, least-squares fitting of direct-transmission and harmonic-absorption spectra, and deconvolution for determination of laser linewidth and for removal of instrumental broadening of spectral lines.

[Activity of NTDs Drug-discovery Research Consortium].

PubMed

Namatame, Ichiji

2016-01-01

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are an extremely important issue facing global health care. To improve "access to health" where people are unable to access adequate medical care due to poverty and weak healthcare systems, we have established two consortiums: the NTD drug discovery research consortium, and the pediatric praziquantel consortium. The NTD drug discovery research consortium, which involves six institutions from industry, government, and academia, as well as an international non-profit organization, is committed to developing anti-protozoan active compounds for three NTDs (Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and African sleeping sickness). Each participating institute will contribute their efforts to accomplish the following: selection of drug targets based on information technology, and drug discovery by three different approaches (in silico drug discovery, "fragment evolution" which is a unique drug designing method of Astellas Pharma, and phenotypic screening with Astellas' compound library). The consortium has established a brand new database (Integrated Neglected Tropical Disease Database; iNTRODB), and has selected target proteins for the in silico and fragment evolution drug discovery approaches. Thus far, we have identified a number of promising compounds that inhibit the target protein, and we are currently trying to improve the anti-protozoan activity of these compounds. The pediatric praziquantel consortium was founded in July 2012 to develop and register a new praziquantel pediatric formulation for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Astellas Pharma has been a core member in this consortium since its establishment, and has provided expertise and technology in the area of pediatric formulation development and clinical development.

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

Downing, M.

America's desire for energy independence places a new demand on alternative fuel production. Additional interest and emphasis are being placed on alternatives such as solar, wind, biofuels and nuclear energy. The nuclear fuel production option brings a new look at risk and residual waste management for a number of communities that have traditionally remained outside the energy debate. With the Federal requirements for environmental justice and public participation in energy and environmental decision-making, proponents of alternative energy production facilities will find themselves participating in discussions of risk, production, storage and disposal of hazardous materials and waste matters with low incomemore » and minority members in communities where these facilities are located or wish to locate. The fundamental principal of environmental justice is that all residents should have meaningful and intelligent participation in all aspects of environmental decision-making that could affect their community. Impacted communities must have the resources and ability to effectively marshall data and other information in order to make informed and intelligent decisions. Traditionally, many low-income and minority communities have lacked access to the required information, decision-makers and technical advisers to make informed decisions with respect to various risks that accompany alternative energy production, hazardous materials storage and nuclear waste management. In order to provide the necessary assistance to these communities, the Departments of Energy and Agriculture have teamed with others to cerate the Alternative Energy Consortium. The Alternative Energy Consortium is a collaboration of non-profit organizations, Federal agencies, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (HBCU/MSIs), and private sector corporations (energy industry specialists) designed to explore and develop opportunities that empower minorities to own and work in all aspects of the field of alternative energy. The Consortium's primary objectives are to find ways to: - Include minorities in the development and ownership of infrastructure in the alternative energy industry; - Promote research and education programs to inform the public about risks and benefits of various forms of alternative energy; - Build a Mentor/Protege Program between HBCU/MSIs and industry leaders to enhance minority participation in ownership and career success in alternative energy production and distribution. The Consortium will work together to create a process whereby minorities and low income individuals will be recruited, educated, and mentored to maximize alternative energy ownership and job opportunities. Industry specialists and government representatives will work with academicians and others to: 1. research areas and methods where minorities and rural communities can engage in the industry; 2. invest in minorities by serving as mentors to minority serving institutions by offering hands-on experience through apprenticeships; 3. work to identify ownership opportunities for minorities; and 4. work to develop legislation that supports economic development and participation for minorities and rural communities in the industry. To accomplish this goal, the Consortium has set out a three-phase plan. Phase I organized a meeting of professionals to discuss the concept, explore the fundamentals, identify key players, and draft next steps. The group took a critical look at the energy industry: 1) trends, 2) economics, 3) limited number of minorities; and 4) infrastructure. Through that process the group identified four areas that would greatly impact economic development for minorities and rural communities: I Energy; II Broadband Communications; III Education; IV Labor Resources. Phase II presented a roundtable panel discussion that continued to refine the Consortium. The goal of these discussions is to produce a well-balanced Consortium committed to working together to produce effective solutions that bridge the gap between alternative energy and minorities and rural communities. Phase III is the implementation stage that will put the consortium plans into action. This will include the Mentor/Protege Program between HBCU/MSIs and industry leaders, and any additional actions that come from the Phase II roundtable discussion. Phase III will also include a panel discussion at the State of Environmental Justice in America 2008 Conference in Washington, DC in March, 2008. The Consortium's work should facilitate the siting and management of alternative energy production facilities in communities that include a significant number of minority and/or low income individuals. This effort should increase America's prospects for energy independence. (authors)« less

LungMAP: The Molecular Atlas of Lung Development Program

PubMed Central

Ardini-Poleske, Maryanne E.; Ansong, Charles; Carson, James P.; Corley, Richard A.; Deutsch, Gail H.; Hagood, James S.; Kaminski, Naftali; Mariani, Thomas J.; Potter, Steven S.; Pryhuber, Gloria S.; Warburton, David; Whitsett, Jeffrey A.; Palmer, Scott M.; Ambalavanan, Namasivayam

2017-01-01

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is funding an effort to create a molecular atlas of the developing lung (LungMAP) to serve as a research resource and public education tool. The lung is a complex organ with lengthy development time driven by interactive gene networks and dynamic cross talk among multiple cell types to control and coordinate lineage specification, cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, morphogenesis, and injury repair. A better understanding of the processes that regulate lung development, particularly alveologenesis, will have a significant impact on survival rates for premature infants born with incomplete lung development and will facilitate lung injury repair and regeneration in adults. A consortium of four research centers, a data coordinating center, and a human tissue repository provides high-quality molecular data of developing human and mouse lungs. LungMAP includes mouse and human data for cross correlation of developmental processes across species. LungMAP is generating foundational data and analysis, creating a web portal for presentation of results and public sharing of data sets, establishing a repository of young human lung tissues obtained through organ donor organizations, and developing a comprehensive lung ontology that incorporates the latest findings of the consortium. The LungMAP website (www.lungmap.net) currently contains more than 6,000 high-resolution lung images and transcriptomic, proteomic, and lipidomic human and mouse data and provides scientific information to stimulate interest in research careers for young audiences. This paper presents a brief description of research conducted by the consortium, database, and portal development and upcoming features that will enhance the LungMAP experience for a community of users. PMID:28798251

Activation of inoculum microorganism from dairy cattle feces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayuningtyas, Widya D.; Ridwan, Roni; Joni, I. M.; Marlina, E. T.; Harlia, Ellin

2018-02-01

Coal produces Coal Bed Methane (CBM) which is formed both biogenically and thermogenically. Lignite is not utilized optimally because it has low heat content and productivity time limit that decreases CBM production. In order to utilize lignite waste, adding inoculum consortium microorganism from dairy cattle waste as starter for biogas process can be a solution. This study aimed to produce inoculum consortium microorganism as biogas starter from dairy cattle feces through in vitro activation process by Theoudorou modification method. The research used complete randomized design with 3 replications. The treatments were blank (R0), 100% concentrate (R1), 70% concentrate+30% grass (R2), 70% grass+30% concentrate (R3) and 100% grass (R4). All treatments were added by buffer solution and feces with ratio of 2:1 into 100 ml serum injection bottle with anaerobic conditions. The parameters observed were gas production, pH and gas kinetics (orskov's equation) for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24 and 48 hours. The results showed that the treatment had significant effect (P <0.05) on the observed parameters. The highest total gas production was for R2 and R3 treatments with total production of 91.17 ml and 101.17 ml, pH (6.62 and 6.57), maximum gas production (94.03 and 97.62 ml), speed of gas production (0.066 and 0.084 ml/hour). There is not a significant difference for both the treatments. The source of inoculum consortium microorganisms for biogas starter selected based on the observed parameters and potential availability of proteolytic and fibrocytic microorganisms is R2 (70% concentrate +30% grass).

Management of laser welding based on analysis informative signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zvezdin, V. V.; Rakhimov, R. R.; Saubanov, Ruz R.; Israfilov, I. H.; Akhtiamov, R. F.

2017-09-01

Features of formation precision weld of metal were presented. It has been shown that the quality of the welding process depends not only on the energy characteristics of the laser processing facility, the temperature of the surface layer, but also on the accuracy of positioning laser focus relative to seam and the workpiece surface. So the laser focus positioning accuracy is an estimate of the quality of the welding process. This approach allows to build a system automated control of the laser technological complex with the stabilization of the setpoint accuracy of of positioning of the laser beam relative to the workpiece surface.

Parametric Study and Multi-Criteria Optimization in Laser Cladding by a High Power Direct Diode Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farahmand, Parisa; Kovacevic, Radovan

2014-12-01

In laser cladding, the performance of the deposited layers subjected to severe working conditions (e.g., wear and high temperature conditions) depends on the mechanical properties, the metallurgical bond to the substrate, and the percentage of dilution. The clad geometry and mechanical characteristics of the deposited layer are influenced greatly by the type of laser used as a heat source and process parameters used. Nowadays, the quality of fabricated coating by laser cladding and the efficiency of this process has improved thanks to the development of high-power diode lasers, with power up to 10 kW. In this study, the laser cladding by a high power direct diode laser (HPDDL) as a new heat source in laser cladding was investigated in detail. The high alloy tool steel material (AISI H13) as feedstock was deposited on mild steel (ASTM A36) by a HPDDL up to 8kW laser and with new design lateral feeding nozzle. The influences of the main process parameters (laser power, powder flow rate, and scanning speed) on the clad-bead geometry (specifically layer height and depth of the heat affected zone), and clad microhardness were studied. Multiple regression analysis was used to develop the analytical models for desired output properties according to input process parameters. The Analysis of Variance was applied to check the accuracy of the developed models. The response surface methodology (RSM) and desirability function were used for multi-criteria optimization of the cladding process. In order to investigate the effect of process parameters on the molten pool evolution, in-situ monitoring was utilized. Finally, the validation results for optimized process conditions show the predicted results were in a good agreement with measured values. The multi-criteria optimization makes it possible to acquire an efficient process for a combination of clad geometrical and mechanical characteristics control.

Low-Temperature Oxidation-Free Selective Laser Sintering of Cu Nanoparticle Paste on a Polymer Substrate for the Flexible Touch Panel Applications.

PubMed

Kwon, Jinhyeong; Cho, Hyunmin; Eom, Hyeonjin; Lee, Habeom; Suh, Young Duk; Moon, Hyunjin; Shin, Jaeho; Hong, Sukjoon; Ko, Seung Hwan

2016-05-11

Copper nanomaterials suffer from severe oxidation problem despite the huge cost effectiveness. The effect of two different processes for conventional tube furnace heating and selective laser sintering on copper nanoparticle paste is compared in the aspects of chemical, electrical and surface morphology. The thermal behavior of the copper thin films by furnace and laser is compared by SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and XPS analysis. The selective laser sintering process ensures low annealing temperature, fast processing speed with remarkable oxidation suppression even in air environment while conventional tube furnace heating experiences moderate oxidation even in Ar environment. Moreover, the laser-sintered copper nanoparticle thin film shows good electrical property and reduced oxidation than conventional thermal heating process. Consequently, the proposed selective laser sintering process can be compatible with plastic substrate for copper based flexible electronics applications.

40 CFR 35.6010 - Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium... for Superfund Response Actions General § 35.6010 Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility. (a) Indian Tribes are eligible to receive Superfund Cooperative Agreements only when they are...

40 CFR 35.6010 - Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium... for Superfund Response Actions General § 35.6010 Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility. (a) Indian Tribes are eligible to receive Superfund Cooperative Agreements only when they are...

40 CFR 35.6010 - Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium... for Superfund Response Actions General § 35.6010 Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility. (a) Indian Tribes are eligible to receive Superfund Cooperative Agreements only when they are...

40 CFR 35.6010 - Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium... for Superfund Response Actions General § 35.6010 Indian Tribe and intertribal consortium eligibility. (a) Indian Tribes are eligible to receive Superfund Cooperative Agreements only when they are...

Role of laser beam radiance in different ceramic processing: A two wavelengths comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Pratik; Lawrence, Jonathan

2013-12-01

Effects of laser beam radiance (brightness) of the fibre and the Nd3+:YAG laser were investigated during surface engineering of the ZrO2 and Si3N4 advanced ceramics with respect to dimensional size and microstructure of both of the advanced ceramics. Using identical process parameters, the effects of radiance of both the Nd3+:YAG laser and a fibre laser were compared thereon the two selected advanced ceramics. Both the lasers showed differences in each of the ceramics employed in relation to the microstructure and grain size as well as the dimensional size of the laser engineered tracks-notwithstanding the use of identical process parameters namely spot size; laser power; traverse speed; Gaussian beam modes; gas flow rate and gas composition as well the wavelengths. From this it was evident that the difference in the laser beam radiance between the two lasers would have had much to do with this effect. The high radiance fibre laser produced larger power per unit area in steradian when compared to the lower radiance of the Nd3+:YAG laser. This characteristically produced larger surface tracks through higher interaction temperature at the laser-ceramic interface. This in turn generated bigger melt-zones and different cooling rates which then led to the change in the microstructure of both the Si3N4 and ZrO2 advance ceramics. Owing to this, it was indicative that lasers with high radiance would result in much cheaper and cost effective laser assisted surface engineering processes, since lower laser power, faster traverse speeds, larger spot sizes could be used in comparison to lasers with lower radiance which require much slower traverse speed, higher power levels and finer spot sizes to induce the same effect thereon materials such as the advanced ceramics.

Dimensional processing of composite materials by picosecond pulsed ytterbium fiber laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotov, S. A.

2017-12-01

In this paper, an experimental study of laser dimensional processing of thermoset carbon fiber reinforced plastics with a thickness of 2 and 3 mm was performed. In the process of work test rig setup based on picosecond pulsed fiber laser with 1.06 microns wavelength and 30 W average power was developed. Experimental tests were carried out at the maximum average power, with laser beam moved by a galvanometric mirrors system. Cutting tests were executed with different scanning velocity, using different laser modes, number of repetitions, hatching distance and focal plane position without process gas. As a result of the research recommendations for the selection processing mode parameters, providing minimal heat affected zone, good kerf geometry and high cutting speed were produced.

Precision and resolution in laser direct microstructuring with bursts of picosecond pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mur, Jaka; Petkovšek, Rok

2018-01-01

Pulsed laser sources facilitate various applications, including efficient material removal in different scientific and industrial applications. Commercially available laser systems in the field typically use a focused laser beam of 10-20 μm in diameter. In line with the ongoing trends of miniaturization, we have developed a picosecond fiber laser-based system combining fast beam deflection and tight focusing for material processing and optical applications. We have predicted and verified the system's precision, resolution, and minimum achievable feature size for material processing applications. The analysis of the laser's performance requirements for the specific applications of high-precision laser processing is an important aspect for further development of the technique. We have predicted and experimentally verified that maximal edge roughness of single-micrometer-sized features was below 200 nm, including the laser's energy and positioning stability, beam deflection, the effect of spot spacing, and efficient isolation of mechanical vibrations. We have demonstrated that a novel fiber laser operating regime in bursts of pulses increases the laser energy stability. The results of our research improve the potential of fiber laser sources for material processing applications and facilitate their use through enabling the operation at lower pulse energies in bursts as opposed to single pulse regimes.

Laser Cladding of Ultra-Thin Nickel-Based Superalloy Sheets.

PubMed

Gabriel, Tobias; Rommel, Daniel; Scherm, Florian; Gorywoda, Marek; Glatzel, Uwe

2017-03-10

Laser cladding is a well-established process to apply coatings on metals. However, on substrates considerably thinner than 1 mm it is only rarely described in the literature. In this work 200 µm thin sheets of nickel-based superalloy 718 are coated with a powder of a cobalt-based alloy, Co-28Cr-9W-1.5Si, by laser cladding. The process window is very narrow, therefore, a precisely controlled Yb fiber laser was used. To minimize the input of energy into the substrate, lines were deposited by setting single overlapping points. In a design of experiments (DoE) study, the process parameters of laser power, laser spot area, step size, exposure time, and solidification time were varied and optimized by examining the clad width, weld penetration, and alloying depth. The microstructure of the samples was investigated by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Similarly to laser cladding of thicker substrates, the laser power shows the highest influence on the resulting clad. With a higher laser power, the clad width and alloying depth increase, and with a larger laser spot area the weld penetration decreases. If the process parameters are controlled precisely, laser cladding of such thin sheets is manageable.

Laser Cladding of Ultra-Thin Nickel-Based Superalloy Sheets

PubMed Central

Gabriel, Tobias; Rommel, Daniel; Scherm, Florian; Gorywoda, Marek; Glatzel, Uwe

2017-01-01

Laser cladding is a well-established process to apply coatings on metals. However, on substrates considerably thinner than 1 mm it is only rarely described in the literature. In this work 200 µm thin sheets of nickel-based superalloy 718 are coated with a powder of a cobalt-based alloy, Co–28Cr–9W–1.5Si, by laser cladding. The process window is very narrow, therefore, a precisely controlled Yb fiber laser was used. To minimize the input of energy into the substrate, lines were deposited by setting single overlapping points. In a design of experiments (DoE) study, the process parameters of laser power, laser spot area, step size, exposure time, and solidification time were varied and optimized by examining the clad width, weld penetration, and alloying depth. The microstructure of the samples was investigated by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Similarly to laser cladding of thicker substrates, the laser power shows the highest influence on the resulting clad. With a higher laser power, the clad width and alloying depth increase, and with a larger laser spot area the weld penetration decreases. If the process parameters are controlled precisely, laser cladding of such thin sheets is manageable. PMID:28772639

The Herschel Data Processing System - Hipe And Pipelines - During The Early Mission Phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardila, David R.; Herschel Science Ground Segment Consortium

2010-01-01

The Herschel Space Observatory, the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science program, was launched 14th of May 2009. With a 3.5 m telescope, it is the largest space telescope ever launched. Herschel's three instruments (HIFI, PACS, and SPIRE) perform photometry and spectroscopy in the 55 - 672 micron range and will deliver exciting science for the astronomical community during at least three years of routine observations. Here we summarize the state of the Herschel Data Processing System and give an overview about future development milestones and plans. The development of the Herschel Data Processing System started seven years ago to support the data analysis for Instrument Level Tests. Resources were made available to implement a freely distributable Data Processing System capable of interactively and automatically reduce Herschel data at different processing levels. The system combines data retrieval, pipeline execution and scientific analysis in one single environment. The software is coded in Java and Jython to be platform independent and to avoid the need for commercial licenses. The Herschel Interactive Processing Environment (HIPE) is the user-friendly face of Herschel Data Processing. The first PACS preview observation of M51 was processed with HIPE, using basic pipeline scripts to a fantastic image within 30 minutes of data reception. Also the first HIFI observations on DR-21 were successfully reduced to high quality spectra, followed by SPIRE observations on M66 and M74. The Herschel Data Processing System is a joint development by the Herschel Science Ground Segment Consortium, consisting of ESA, the NASA Herschel Science Center, and the HIFI, PACS and SPIRE consortium members.

Studies on laser material processing with nanosecond and sub-nanosecond and picosecond and sub-picosecond pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jie; Tao, Sha; Wang, Brian; Zhao, Jay

2016-03-01

In this paper, laser ablation of widely used metal (Al, Cu. stainless-steel), semiconductor (Si), transparent material (glass, sapphire), ceramic (Al2O3, AlN) and polymer (PI, PMMA) in industry were systematically studied with pulse width from nanosecond (5-100ns), picosecond (6-10ps) to sub-picosecond (0.8-0.95ps). A critical damage zone (CDZ) of up to 100um with ns laser, <=50um with ps laser, and <=20um with sub-ps laser, respectively was observed as a criteria of selecting the laser pulse width. The effects of laser processing parameters on speed and efficiency were also investigated. This is to explore how to provide industry users the best laser solution for device micro-fabrication with best price. Our studies of cutting and drilling with ns, ps, and sub-ps lasers indicate that it is feasible to achieve user accepted quality and speed with cost-effective and reliable laser by optimizing processing conditions.

High-powered CO2 -lasers and noise control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honkasalo, Antero; Kuronen, Juhani

High-power CO2 -lasers are being more and more widely used for welding, drilling and cutting in machine shops. In the near future, different kinds of surface treatments will also become routine practice with laser units. The industries benefitting most from high power lasers will be: the automotive industry, shipbuilding, the offshore industry, the aerospace industry, the nuclear and the chemical processing industries. Metal processing lasers are interesting from the point of view of noise control because the working tool is a laser beam. It is reasonable to suppose that the use of such laser beams will lead to lower noise levels than those connected with traditional metal processing methods and equipment. In the following presentation, the noise levels and possible noise-control problems attached to the use of high-powered CO2 -lasers are studied.

Experience of the Paris Research Consortium Climate-Environment-Society

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joussaume, Sylvie; Pacteau, Chantal; Vanderlinden, Jean Paul

2016-04-01

It is now widely recognized that the complexity of climate change issues translates itself into a need for interdisciplinary approaches to science. This allows to first achieve a more comprehensive vision of climate change and, second, to better inform the decision-making processes. However, it seems that willingness alone is rarely enough to implement interdisciplinarity. The purpose of this presentation is to mobilize reflexivity to revisit and analyze the experience of the Paris Consortium for Climate-Environment-Society. The French Consortium Climate-Environment-Society aims to develop, fund and coordinate interdisciplinary research into climate change and its impacts on society and environment. Launched in 2007, the consortium relies on the research expertise of 17 laboratories and federation in the Paris area working mainly in the fields of climatology, hydrology, ecology, health sciences, and the humanities and social sciences. As examples, economists and climatologists have studied greenhouse gas emission scenarios compatible with climate stabilization goals. Historical records have provided both knowledge about past climate change and vulnerability of societies. Some regions, as the Mediterranean and the Sahel, are particularly vulnerable and already have to cope with water availability, agricultural production and even health issues. A project showed that millet production in West Africa is expected to decline due to warming in a higher proportion than observed in recent decades. Climate change also raises many questions concerning health: combined effects of warming and air quality, impacts on the production of pollens and allergies, impacts on infectious diseases. All these issues lead to a need for approaches integrating different disciplines. Furthermore, climate change impacts many ecosystems which, in turn, affect its evolution. Our experience shows that interdisciplinarity supposes, in order to take shape, the conjunction between programming choices, supporting this kind of approach, and autonomy given to experimenting with interdisciplinary practices. The interdisciplinary approach does not put itself in place and requires a collective reflection on the objectives and practices. Many tools exist to support this process, in particular to mature interdisciplinarity. This incubation period allows the various disciplines to learn to know each other and to build a common conceptual and methodological basis.

Optical radiation hazards of laser welding processes. Part II: CO2 laser.

PubMed

Rockwell, R J; Moss, C E

1989-08-01

There has been an extensive growth within the last five years in the use of high-powered lasers in various metalworking processes. The two types of lasers used most frequently for laser welding/cutting processes are the Neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) and the carbon dioxide (CO2) systems. When such lasers are operated in an open beam configuration, they are designated as a Class IV laser system. Class IV lasers are high-powered lasers that may present an eye and skin hazard under most common exposure conditions, either directly or when the beam has been diffusely scattered. Significant control measures are required for unenclosed (open beam), Class IV laser systems since workers may be exposed to scattered or reflected beams during the operation, maintenance, and service of these lasers. In addition to ocular and/or skin exposure hazards, such lasers also may present a multitude of nonlaser beam occupational concerns. Radiant energy measurements are reported for both the scattered laser radiation and the plasma-related plume radiations released during typical high-powered CO2 laser-target interactions. In addition, the application of the nominal hazard zone (NHZ) and other control measures also are discussed with special emphasis on Class IV industrial CO2 laser systems.

15 CFR 918.5 - Eligibility, qualifications, and responsibilities-Sea Grant Regional Consortia.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... qualifying areas which are pertinent to the Consortium's program: (1) Leadership. The Sea Grant Regional... Consortium candidate must have created the management organization to carry on a viable and productive... assistance as the consortium may offer, and (iii) to assist others in developing research and management...

International Arid Lands Consortium: A synopsis of accomplishments

Treesearch

Peter F. Ffolliott; Jeffrey O. Dawson; James T. Fisher; Itshack Moshe; Timothy E. Fulbright; W. Carter Johnson; Paul Verburg; Muhammad Shatanawi; Jim P. M. Chamie

2003-01-01

The International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC) was established in 1990 to promote research, education, and training activities related to the development, management, and reclamation of arid and semiarid lands in the Southwestern United States, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world. The Consortium supports the ecological sustainability and environmentally sound...

32 CFR 37.515 - Must I do anything additional to determine the qualification of a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DoD GRANT AND AGREEMENT REGULATIONS TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS Pre-Award Business... relationship is essential to increase the research project's chances of success. (b) The collaboration... things, the consortium's: (1) Management structure. (2) Method of making payments to consortium members...

Consortia: A Challenge to Institutional Autonomy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Herbert H.

The kinds of impact a consortium might have on the operations of its member institutions are presented following an overview of the consortium's challenge to institutional autonomy. Ten attitudinal forms of consortium impact challenging autonomy include: (1) the rest are going ahead so do it anyway, (2) infiltration and multiple loyalities of…

The Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium

PubMed Central

Saper, Clifford B; Maunsell, John HR

2009-01-01

As the Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium (NPRC) ends its first year, it is worth looking back to see how the experiment has worked. In order to encourage dissemination of the details outlined in this Editorial, it will also be published in other journals in the Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium. PMID:19284614

Policy Report of the Physician Consortium on Substance Abuse Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, David C.; Faggett, Walter L.

This report contains the recommendations of the Physician Consortium for significantly improving medical education and training to enhance the physician's role in early identification, treatment, and prevention of substance abuse. In addition, the consortium subcommittees report on their examination of substance abuse treatment needs of ethnic and…

77 FR 38770 - Notice of Consortium on “nSoft Consortium”

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-29

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Institute of Standards and Technology Notice of Consortium on ``n...: NIST will form the ``nSoft Consortium'' to advance and transfer neutron based measurement methods for soft materials manufacturing. The goals of nSoft are to develop neutron- based measurements that...

78 FR 47674 - Genome in a Bottle Consortium-Progress and Planning Workshop

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-06

... quantitative performance metrics for confidence in variant calling. These standards and quantitative..., reproducible research and regulated applications in the clinic. On April 13, 2012, NIST convened the workshop... consortium. No proprietary information will be shared as part of the consortium, and all research results...

Targets of Opportunity: Strategies for Managing a Staff Development Consortium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Michael H.

The Appalachian Staff Development Consortium, comprised of three community colleges and the state college located in Appalachian Maryland, attempts to integrate staff development activities into the operational framework of the sponsoring agencies. The consortium, which is managed by a steering committee composed of one teaching faculty member and…

Cohort Profile: The International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort (i3C) Consortium

PubMed Central

Dwyer, Terence; Sun, Cong; Magnussen, Costan G; Raitakari, Olli T; Schork, Nicholas J; Venn, Alison; Burns, Trudy L; Juonala, Markus; Steinberger, Julia; Sinaiko, Alan R; Prineas, Ronald J; Davis, Patricia H; Woo, Jessica G; Morrison, John A; Daniels, Stephen R; Chen, Wei; Srinivasan, Sathanur R; Viikari, Jorma SA; Berenson, Gerald S

2013-01-01

This is a consortium of large children's cohorts that contain measurements of major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in childhood and had the ability to follow those cohorts into adulthood. The purpose of this consortium is to enable the pooling of data to increase power, most importantly for the follow-up of CVD events in adulthood. Within the consortium, we hope to be able to obtain data on the independent effects of childhood and early adult levels of CVD risk factors on subsequent CVD occurrence. PMID:22434861

Laser material processing system

DOEpatents

Dantus, Marcos

2015-04-28

A laser material processing system and method are provided. A further aspect of the present invention employs a laser for micromachining. In another aspect of the present invention, the system uses a hollow waveguide. In another aspect of the present invention, a laser beam pulse is given broad bandwidth for workpiece modification.

Continuum simulation of heat transfer and solidification behavior of AlSi10Mg in Direct Metal Laser Sintering Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ojha, Akash; Samantaray, Mihir; Nath Thatoi, Dhirendra; Sahoo, Seshadev

2018-03-01

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process is a laser based additive manufacturing process, which built complex structures from powder materials. Using high intensity laser beam, the process melts and fuse the powder particles makes dense structures. In this process, the laser beam in terms of heat flux strikes the powder bed and instantaneously melts and joins the powder particles. The partial solidification and temperature distribution on the powder bed endows a high cooling rate and rapid solidification which affects the microstructure of the build part. During the interaction of the laser beam with the powder bed, multiple modes of heat transfer takes place in this process, that make the process very complex. In the present research, a comprehensive heat transfer and solidification model of AlSi10Mg in direct metal laser sintering process has been developed on ANSYS 17.1.0 platform. The model helps to understand the flow phenomena, temperature distribution and densification mechanism on the powder bed. The numerical model takes into account the flow, heat transfer and solidification phenomena. Simulations were carried out for sintering of AlSi10Mg powders in the powder bed having dimension 3 mm × 1 mm × 0.08 mm. The solidification phenomena are incorporated by using enthalpy-porosity approach. The simulation results give the fundamental understanding of the densification of powder particles in DMLS process.

Establishing an International Soil Modelling Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vereecken, Harry; Schnepf, Andrea; Vanderborght, Jan

2015-04-01

Soil is one of the most critical life-supporting compartments of the Biosphere. Soil provides numerous ecosystem services such as a habitat for biodiversity, water and nutrients, as well as producing food, feed, fiber and energy. To feed the rapidly growing world population in 2050, agricultural food production must be doubled using the same land resources footprint. At the same time, soil resources are threatened due to improper management and climate change. Soil is not only essential for establishing a sustainable bio-economy, but also plays a key role also in a broad range of societal challenges including 1) climate change mitigation and adaptation, 2) land use change 3) water resource protection, 4) biotechnology for human health, 5) biodiversity and ecological sustainability, and 6) combating desertification. Soils regulate and support water, mass and energy fluxes between the land surface, the vegetation, the atmosphere and the deep subsurface and control storage and release of organic matter affecting climate regulation and biogeochemical cycles. Despite the many important functions of soil, many fundamental knowledge gaps remain, regarding the role of soil biota and biodiversity on ecosystem services, the structure and dynamics of soil communities, the interplay between hydrologic and biotic processes, the quantification of soil biogeochemical processes and soil structural processes, the resilience and recovery of soils from stress, as well as the prediction of soil development and the evolution of soils in the landscape, to name a few. Soil models have long played an important role in quantifying and predicting soil processes and related ecosystem services. However, a new generation of soil models based on a whole systems approach comprising all physical, mechanical, chemical and biological processes is now required to address these critical knowledge gaps and thus contribute to the preservation of ecosystem services, improve our understanding of climate-change-feedback processes, bridge basic soil science research and management, and facilitate the communication between science and society . To meet these challenges an international community effort is required, similar to initiatives in systems biology, hydrology, and climate and crop research. We therefore propose to establish an international soil modelling consortium with the aims of 1) bringing together leading experts in modelling soil processes within all major soil disciplines, 2) addressing major scientific gaps in describing key processes and their long term impacts with respect to the different functions and ecosystem services provided by soil, 3) intercomparing soil model performance based on standardized and harmonized data sets, 4) identifying interactions with other relevant platforms related to common data formats, protocols and ontologies, 5) developing new approaches to inverse modelling, calibration, and validation of soil models, 6) integrating soil modelling expertise and state of the art knowledge on soil processes in climate, land surface, ecological, crop and contaminant models, and 7) linking process models with new observation, measurement and data evaluation technologies for mapping and characterizing soil properties across scales. Our consortium will bring together modelers and experimental soil scientists at the forefront of new technologies and approaches to characterize soils. By addressing these aims, the consortium will contribute to improve the role of soil modeling as a knowledge dissemination instrument in addressing key global issues and stimulate the development of translational research activities. This presentation will provide a compelling case for this much-needed effort, with a focus on tangible benefits to the scientific and food security communities.

Laser Processing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics - Release of Carbon Fiber Segments During Short-pulsed Laser Processing of CFRP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, Juergen; Brodesser, Alexander; Hustedt, Michael; Bluemel, Sven; Jaeschke, Peter; Kaierle, Stefan

Cutting and ablation using short-pulsed laser radiation are promising technologies to produce or repair CFRP components with outstanding mechanical properties e.g. for automotive and aircraft industry. Using sophisticated laser processing strategies and avoiding excessive heating of the workpiece, a high processing quality can be achieved. However, the interaction of laser radiation and composite material causes a notable release of hazardous substances from the process zone, amongst others carbon fiber segments or fibrous particles. In this work, amounts and geometries of the released fiber segments are analyzed and discussed in terms of their hazardous potential. Moreover, it is investigated to what extent gaseous organic process emissions are adsorbed at the fiber segments, similar to an adsorption of volatile organic compounds at activated carbon, which is typically used as filter material.

High power CO II lasers and their material processing applications at Centre for Advanced Technology, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, A. K.; Paul, C. P.; Rao, B. T.; Kau, R.; Raghu, T.; Mazumdar, J. Dutta; Dayal, R. K.; Mudali, U. Kamachi; Sastikumar, D.; Gandhi, B. K.

2006-01-01

We have developed high power transverse flow (TF) CW CO II lasers up to 15kW, a high repetition rate TEA CO II laser of 500Hz, 500W average power and a RF excited fast axial flow CO II laser at the Centre for Advanced Technology and have carried out various material processing applications with these lasers. We observed very little variation of discharge voltage with electrode gap in TF CO II lasers. With optimally modulated laser beam we obtained better results in laser piercing and cutting of titanium and resolidification of 3 16L stainless steel weld-metal for improving intergranular corrosion resistance. We carried out microstructure and phase analysis of laser bent 304 stainless steel sheet and optimum process zones were obtained. We carried out laser cladding of 316L stainless steel and Al-alloy substrates with Mo, WC, and Cr IIC 3 powder to improve their wear characteristics. We developed a laser rapid manufacturing facility and fabricated components of various geometries with minimum surface roughness of 5-7 microns Ra and surface waviness of 45 microns between overlapped layers using Colmonoy-6, 3 16L stainless steel and Inconel powders. Cutting of thick concrete blocks by repeated laser glazing followed by mechanical scrubbing process and drilling holes on a vertical concrete with laser beam incident at an optimum angle allowing molten material to flow out under gravity were also done. Some of these studies are briefly presented here.

Laser assisted deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dutta, S.

1983-01-01

Applications of laser-based processing techniques to solar cell metallization are discussed. Laser-assisted thermal or photolytic maskless deposition from organometallic vapors or solutions may provide a viable alternative to photovoltaic metallization systems currently in use. High power, defocused excimer lasers may be used in conjunction with masks as an alternative to direct laser writing to provide higher throughput. Repeated pulsing with excimer lasers may eliminate the need for secondary plating techniques for metal film buildup. A comparison between the thermal and photochemical deposition processes is made.

Heterodyne laser spectroscopy system

DOEpatents

Wyeth, Richard W.; Paisner, Jeffrey A.; Story, Thomas

1990-01-01

A heterodyne laser spectroscopy system utilizes laser heterodyne techniques for purposes of laser isotope separation spectroscopy, vapor diagnostics, processing of precise laser frequency offsets from a reference frequency, and provides spectral analysis of a laser beam.

The Border Health Consortium of the Californias—Forming a Binational (California–Baja California) Entity to Address the Health of a Border Region: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Kozo, Justine; Zapata-Garibay, Rogelio; Rangel-Gomez, María Gudelia; Fernandez, April; Hirata-Okamoto, Ricardo; Wooten, Wilma; Vargas-Ojeda, Adriana; Jiménez, Barbara; Zepeda-Cisneros, Hector; Matthews, Charles Edwards

2018-01-01

The California–Baja California border region is one of the most frequently traversed areas in the world with a shared population, environment, and health concerns. The Border Health Consortium of the Californias (the “Consortium”) was formed in 2013 to bring together leadership working in the areas of public health, health care, academia, government, and the non-profit sector, with the goal of aligning efforts to improve health outcomes in the region. The Consortium utilizes a Collective Impact framework which supports a shared vision for a healthy border region, mutually reinforcing activities among member organizations and work groups, and a binational executive committee that ensures continuous communication and progress toward meeting its goals. The Consortium is comprised of four binational work groups which address human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, obesity, and mental health, all mutual priorities in the border region. The Consortium holds two general binational meetings each year alternating between California and Baja California. The work groups meet regularly to share information, resources and provide binational training opportunities. Since inception, the Consortium has been successful in strengthening binational communication, coordination, and collaboration by providing an opportunity for individuals to meet one another, learn about each other systems, and foster meaningful relationships. With binational leadership support and commitment, the Consortium could certainly be replicated in other border jurisdictions both nationally and internationally. The present article describes the background, methodology, accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned in forming the Consortium. PMID:29404318

Hipe, Hipe, Hooray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ott, Stephan; Herschel Science Ground Segment Consortium

2010-05-01

The Herschel Space Observatory, the fourth cornerstone mission in the ESA science program, was launched 14th of May 2009. With a 3.5 m telescope, it is the largest space telescope ever launched. Herschel's three instruments (HIFI, PACS, and SPIRE) perform photometry and spectroscopy in the 55 - 672 micron range and will deliver exciting science for the astronomical community during at least three years of routine observations. Since 2nd of December 2009 Herschel has been performing and processing observations in routine science mode. The development of the Herschel Data Processing System started eight years ago to support the data analysis for Instrument Level Tests. To fulfil the expectations of the astronomical community, additional resources were made available to implement a freely distributable Data Processing System capable of interactively and automatically reducing Herschel data at different processing levels. The system combines data retrieval, pipeline execution and scientific analysis in one single environment. The Herschel Interactive Processing Environment (HIPE) is the user-friendly face of Herschel Data Processing. The software is coded in Java and Jython to be platform independent and to avoid the need for commercial licenses. It is distributed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), permitting everyone to access and to re-use its code. We will summarise the current capabilities of the Herschel Data Processing System and give an overview about future development milestones and plans, and how the astronomical community can contribute to HIPE. The Herschel Data Processing System is a joint development by the Herschel Science Ground Segment Consortium, consisting of ESA, the NASA Herschel Science Center, and the HIFI, PACS and SPIRE consortium members.

"Drop-In" Biofuels Solve Integration Issues? - Continuum Magazine | NREL

Science.gov Websites

NREL's ReFUEL Lab. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL "Drop-In" Biofuels Solve Integration Issues by Dennis Schroeder, NREL The National Advanced Biofuels Consortium (NABC), which NREL and Pacific . Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL The second process the NABC is investigating is the catalytic conversion

Implementing the Indiana Model. Indiana Leadership Consortium: Equity through Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana Leadership Consortium.

This guide, which was developed as a part of a multi-year, statewide effort to institutionalize gender equity in various educational settings throughout Indiana, presents a step-by-step process model for achieving gender equity in the state's secondary- and postsecondary-level vocational programs through coalition building and implementation of a…

From Baccalaureate to the Professoriate: Cooperating to Increase Access to Graduate Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Barbara McFadden; Zepeda, Yolanda

2007-01-01

The Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), the academic consortium of twelve research universities located in eight midwestern states, piloted the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) in 1986 to encourage minority students to consider graduate education and help them prepare for the graduate admissions process. In addition to SROP,…

Brain-Immune Interactions as the Basis of Gulf War Illness: Consortium Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

advancements regarding the role of glia in chronic pain processing (Watkins et al., 2007; Watkins et al., 2009), axonal transport deficits in...cytokine signaling) Behavioral Effects (fatigue, pain , cognitive problems) Astrocyte Activation (cytokine signaling) mutually exclusive and once...K. Sullivan, Ph.D. 12 characterized by persistent pain , cognitive dysfunction, and fatigue

The 23rd Annual Consortium of Geologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronin, Jim

2008-01-01

Today's scientific theories are the result of a long collaborative process, sometimes over centuries, among many different scientists from various parts of the world. To communicate this concept to middle school students and introduce them to the theory of plate tectonics and continental drift, they are placed in the role of geologists attending a…

Linking Agent's Tool Kit. Part Two: Selected Background Readings. Consortium Report Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, John J., III, Ed.; Hergert, Leslie F., Ed.

The second part of a 3-part guide developed as a resource for people involved in the selection and implementation of new programs in school settings, this collection of articles covers such topics as consultation, educational change, and linking processes. The following readings are included: "Behavior of Innovative Personnel," by Gary…

Supporting Transitions: Cultural Connections for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Aliza; Levinsky-Raskin, Sheri

2017-01-01

Museums are well-positioned to engage adults with autism and other developmental differences both as visitors and employees. This article recounts the Museum Access Consortium's process to design and implement the project Supporting Transitions: Cultural Connections for People with Autism with the goal of calling attention to a large opportunity…

A Multimedia Telematics Network for On-the-Job Training, Tutoring and Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferreira, J. M. Martins; MacKinnon, Lachlan; Desmulliez, Marc; Foulk, Patrick

This paper describes an educational multimedia network developed in Advanced Software for Training and Evaluation of Processes (ASTEP). ASTEP started in February 1998 and was set up by a mixed industry-academia consortium with the objective of meeting the educational/training demands of the highly competitive microelectronics/semiconductor…

Improved efficiency of hybrid organic photovoltaics by pulsed laser sintering of silver nanowire network transparent electrode.

PubMed

Spechler, Joshua A; Nagamatsu, Ken A; Sturm, James C; Arnold, Craig B

2015-05-20

In this Research Article, we demonstrate pulsed laser processing of a silver nanowire network transparent conductor on top of an otherwise complete solar cell. The macroscopic pulsed laser irradiation serves to sinter nanowire-nanowire junctions on the nanoscale, leading to a much more conductive electrode. We fabricate hybrid silicon/organic heterojunction photovoltaic devices, which have ITO-free, solution processed, and laser processed transparent electrodes. Furthermore, devices which have high resistive losses show up to a 35% increase in power conversion efficiency after laser processing. We perform this study over a range of laser fluences, and a range of nanowire area coverage to investigate the sintering mechanism of nanowires inside of a device stack. The increase in device performance is modeled using a simple photovoltaic diode approach and compares favorably to the experimental data.

Femtosecond laser patterning, synthesis, defect formation, and structural modification of atomic layered materials

DOE PAGES

Yoo, Jae-Hyuck; Kim, Eunpa; Hwang, David J.

2016-12-06

This article summarizes recent research on laser-based processing of twodimensional (2D) atomic layered materials, including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). Ultrafast lasers offer unique processing routes that take advantage of distinct interaction mechanisms with 2D materials to enable extremely localized energy deposition. Experiments have shown that ablative direct patterning of graphene by ultrafast lasers can achieve resolutions of tens of nanometers, as well as single-step pattern transfer. Ultrafast lasers also induce non-thermal excitation mechanisms that are useful for the thinning of TMDCs to tune the 2D material bandgap. Laser-assisted site-specific doping was recently demonstrated where ultrafast laser radiation undermore » ambient air environment could be used for the direct writing of high-quality graphene patterns on insulating substrates. This article concludes with an outlook towards developing further advanced laser processing with scalability, in situ monitoring strategies and potential applications.« less

Dynamic laser piercing of thick section metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pocorni, Jetro; Powell, John; Frostevarg, Jan; Kaplan, Alexander F. H.

2018-01-01

Before a contour can be laser cut the laser first needs to pierce the material. The time taken to achieve piercing should be minimised to optimise productivity. One important aspect of laser piercing is the reliability of the process because industrial laser cutting machines are programmed for the minimum reliable pierce time. In this work piercing experiments were carried out in 15 mm thick stainless steel sheets, comparing a stationary laser and a laser which moves along a circular trajectory with varying processing speeds. Results show that circular piercing can decrease the pierce duration by almost half compared to stationary piercing. High speed imaging (HSI) was employed during the piercing process to understand melt behaviour inside the pierce hole. HSI videos show that circular rotation of the laser beam forces melt to eject in opposite direction of the beam movement, while in stationary piercing the melt ejects less efficiently in random directions out of the hole.

Excimer laser decontamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sentis, Marc L.; Delaporte, Philippe C.; Marine, Wladimir; Uteza, Olivier P.

2000-04-01

The application of excimer laser ablation process to the decontamination of radioactive surfaces is discussed. This technology is very attractive because it allows to efficiently remove the contaminated particles without secondary waste production. To demonstrate the capability of such technology to efficiently decontaminate large area, we studied and developed a prototype which include a XeCl laser, an optical fiber delivery system and an ablated particles collection cell. The main physical processes taking place during UV laser ablation will be explained. The influence of laser wavelength, pulse duration and absorption coefficient of material will be discussed. Special studies have been performed to understand the processes which limit the transmission of high average power excimer laser through optical fiber, and to determine the laser conditions to optimize the value of this transmission. An in-situ spectroscopic analysis of laser ablation plasma allows the real time control of the decontamination. The results obtained for painting or metallic oxides removal from stainless steel surfaces will be presented.

Respirometric response and microbial succession of nitrifying sludge to m-cresol pulses in a sequencing batch reactor.

PubMed

Ordaz, Alberto; Sánchez, Mariana; Rivera, Rodrigo; Rojas, Rafael; Zepeda, Alejandro

2017-02-01

A nitrifying consortium was kinetically, stoichiometrically and molecularly characterized via the in situ pulse respirometric method and pyrosequencing analysis before and after the addition of m-cresol (25 mg C L -1 ) in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Five important kinetic and stoichiometric parameters were determined: the maximum oxygen uptake rate, the maximum nitrification rate, the oxidation yield, the biomass growth yield, and the substrate affinity constant. An inhibitory effect was observed in the nitrification process with a recovery of this by up to eight SBR cycles after m-cresol was added to the system. However, full recovery of the nitrification process was not observed, as the maximum oxygen uptake rate was 25% lower than that of the previous operation without m-cresol addition. Furthermore, the pyrosequencing analyses of the nitrifying consortium after the addition of only two pulses of 25 mg C L -1 m-cresol showed an important microbial community change represented by a decrease in the nitrifying populations and an increase in the populations degrading phenolic compounds.

Sustainable data and metadata management at the BD2K-LINCS Data Coordination and Integration Center

PubMed Central

Stathias, Vasileios; Koleti, Amar; Vidović, Dušica; Cooper, Daniel J.; Jagodnik, Kathleen M.; Terryn, Raymond; Forlin, Michele; Chung, Caty; Torre, Denis; Ayad, Nagi; Medvedovic, Mario; Ma'ayan, Avi; Pillai, Ajay; Schürer, Stephan C.

2018-01-01

The NIH-funded LINCS Consortium is creating an extensive reference library of cell-based perturbation response signatures and sophisticated informatics tools incorporating a large number of perturbagens, model systems, and assays. To date, more than 350 datasets have been generated including transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, cell phenotype and competitive binding profiling assays. The large volume and variety of data necessitate rigorous data standards and effective data management including modular data processing pipelines and end-user interfaces to facilitate accurate and reliable data exchange, curation, validation, standardization, aggregation, integration, and end user access. Deep metadata annotations and the use of qualified data standards enable integration with many external resources. Here we describe the end-to-end data processing and management at the DCIC to generate a high-quality and persistent product. Our data management and stewardship solutions enable a functioning Consortium and make LINCS a valuable scientific resource that aligns with big data initiatives such as the BD2K NIH Program and concords with emerging data science best practices including the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) principles. PMID:29917015

Parallel processing of embossing dies with ultrafast lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarczynski, Manfred; Mitra, Thomas; Brüning, Stephan; Du, Keming; Jenke, Gerald

2018-02-01

Functionalization of surfaces equips products and components with new features like hydrophilic behavior, adjustable gloss level, light management properties, etc. Small feature sizes demand diffraction-limited spots and adapted fluence for different materials. Through the availability of high power fast repeating ultrashort pulsed lasers and efficient optical processing heads delivering diffraction-limited small spot size of around 10μm it is feasible to achieve fluences higher than an adequate patterning requires. Hence, parallel processing is becoming of interest to increase the throughput and allow mass production of micro machined surfaces. The first step on the roadmap of parallel processing for cylinder embossing dies was realized with an eight- spot processing head based on ns-fiber laser with passive optical beam splitting, individual spot switching by acousto optical modulation and an advanced imaging. Patterning of cylindrical embossing dies shows a high efficiency of nearby 80%, diffraction-limited and equally spaced spots with pitches down to 25μm achieved by a compression using cascaded prism arrays. Due to the nanoseconds laser pulses the ablation shows the typical surrounding material deposition of a hot process. In the next step the processing head was adapted to a picosecond-laser source and the 500W fiber laser was replaced by an ultrashort pulsed laser with 300W, 12ps and a repetition frequency of up to 6MHz. This paper presents details about the processing head design and the analysis of ablation rates and patterns on steel, copper and brass dies. Furthermore, it gives an outlook on scaling the parallel processing head from eight to 16 individually switched beamlets to increase processing throughput and optimized utilization of the available ultrashort pulsed laser energy.

Hybrid micromachining using a nanosecond pulsed laser and micro EDM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sanha; Kim, Bo Hyun; Chung, Do Kwan; Shin, Hong Shik; Chu, Chong Nam

2010-01-01

Micro electrical discharge machining (micro EDM) is a well-known precise machining process that achieves micro structures of excellent quality for any conductive material. However, the slow machining speed and high tool wear are main drawbacks of this process. Though the use of deionized water instead of kerosene as a dielectric fluid can reduce the tool wear and increase the machine speed, the material removal rate (MRR) is still low. In contrast, laser ablation using a nanosecond pulsed laser is a fast and non-wear machining process but achieves micro figures of rather low quality. Therefore, the integration of these two processes can overcome the respective disadvantages. This paper reports a hybrid process of a nanosecond pulsed laser and micro EDM for micromachining. A novel hybrid micromachining system that combines the two discrete machining processes is introduced. Then, the feasibility and characteristics of the hybrid machining process are investigated compared to conventional EDM and laser ablation. It is verified experimentally that the machining time can be effectively reduced in both EDM drilling and milling by rapid laser pre-machining prior to micro EDM. Finally, some examples of complicated 3D micro structures fabricated by the hybrid process are shown.

A Report on the Oregon Consortium for Student Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keyser, John S.; And Others

This report provides an overview of the activities and outcomes of the Oregon Consortium for Student Success during 1980-81. As introductory material notes, the 13 community colleges involved in the consortium were charged with organizing a task force to improve advising and retention strategies for high risk students. The report emphasizes…

The West Virginia Consortium for Faculty and Course Development in International Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Sophia; Maxwell, John

The West Virginia Consortium for Faculty and Course Development in International Studies (FACDIS) is described in this report. FACDIS, a consortium of 21 West Virginia institutions of higher education, assists in international studies course development, revision, and enrichment. It also helps faculty remain current in their fields and in new…

The Columbia-Willamette Skill Builders Consortium. Final Performance Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Portland Community Coll., OR.

The Columbia-Willamette Skill Builders Consortium was formed in early 1988 in response to a growing awareness of the need for improved workplace literacy training and coordinated service delivery in Northwest Oregon. In June 1990, the consortium received a National Workplace Literacy Program grant to develop and demonstrate such training. The…

24 CFR 943.118 - What is a consortium?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY CONSORTIA AND JOINT VENTURES Consortia § 943.118 What is a consortium? A... consortium also submits a joint PHA Plan. The lead agency collects the assistance funds from HUD that would... same fiscal year so that the applicable periods for submission and review of the joint PHA Plan are the...

15 CFR 918.6 - Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Duration of Sea Grant Regional... REGULATIONS SEA GRANTS § 918.6 Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation. Designation will be made... consistent with the goals of the Act. Continuation of the Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation is...

15 CFR 918.6 - Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Duration of Sea Grant Regional... REGULATIONS SEA GRANTS § 918.6 Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation. Designation will be made... consistent with the goals of the Act. Continuation of the Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation is...

15 CFR 918.6 - Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Duration of Sea Grant Regional... REGULATIONS SEA GRANTS § 918.6 Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation. Designation will be made... consistent with the goals of the Act. Continuation of the Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation is...

15 CFR 918.6 - Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Duration of Sea Grant Regional... REGULATIONS SEA GRANTS § 918.6 Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation. Designation will be made... consistent with the goals of the Act. Continuation of the Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation is...

15 CFR 918.6 - Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Duration of Sea Grant Regional... REGULATIONS SEA GRANTS § 918.6 Duration of Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation. Designation will be made... consistent with the goals of the Act. Continuation of the Sea Grant Regional Consortium designation is...

The Consortium for Higher Education Tax Reform Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, 2014

2014-01-01

This White Paper presents the work of the Consortium for Higher Education Tax Reform, a partnership funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the second phase of its Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery (RADD) initiative. Consortium partners are the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP, the Education Trust, New…

76 FR 63659 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993; IMS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-13

... Production Act of 1993; IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on September 6....C. 4301 et seq. (``the Act''), INS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications... Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to file additional written notifications disclosing all changes in...

76 FR 34252 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993; IMS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-13

... Production Act of 1993; IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on May 9, 2011... seq. (``the Act''), IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications... in this group research project remains open, and IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to file...

75 FR 31816 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-INS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-04

... Production Act of 1993--INS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on April 26, 2010... seq. (``the Act''), INS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications... Global Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to file additional written notifications disclosing all changes...

76 FR 79217 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-IMS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-21

... Production Act of 1993--IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on November 28....C. 4301 et seq. (``the Act''), IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications... Global Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to file additional written notifications disclosing all changes...

77 FR 12881 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-IMS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-02

... Production Act of 1993--IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on February 6, 2012... seq. (``the Act''), IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications... Global Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to file additional written notifications disclosing all changes...

77 FR 34069 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-IMS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-08

... Production Act of 1993--IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on May 2, 2012... seq. (``the Act''), IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications... remains open, and IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to file additional written notifications...

77 FR 54611 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-IMS Global...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-05

... Production Act of 1993--IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. Notice is hereby given that, on July 16, 2012... seq. (``the Act''), IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. has filed written notifications.... Membership in this group research project remains open, and IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc. intends to...

United States Participation in the Pacific Circle Consortium. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

The goal of the Pacific Circle Project is to improve international and intercultural understanding among the people and nations of the Pacific. Consortium member countries are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. Within the countries are chosen member institutions. Two major types of activities of the consortium are the exchange…

Bioremediation of high molecular weight polyaromatic hydrocarbons co-contaminated with metals in liquid and soil slurries by metal tolerant PAHs degrading bacterial consortium.

PubMed

Thavamani, Palanisami; Megharaj, Mallavarapu; Naidu, Ravi

2012-11-01

Bioremediation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contaminated soils in the presence of heavy metals have proved to be difficult and often challenging due to the ability of toxic metals to inhibit PAH degradation by bacteria. In this study, a mixed bacterial culture designated as consortium-5 was isolated from a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) site. The ability of this consortium to utilise HMW PAHs such as pyrene and BaP as a sole carbon source in the presence of toxic metal Cd was demonstrated. Furthermore, this consortium has proven to be effective in degradation of HMW PAHs even from the real long term contaminated MGP soil. Thus, the results of this study demonstrate the great potential of this consortium for field scale bioremediation of PAHs in long term mix contaminated soils such as MGP sites. To our knowledge this is the first study to isolate and characterize metal tolerant HMW PAH degrading bacterial consortium which shows great potential in bioremediation of mixed contaminated soils such as MGP.

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions Environmental Technology Consortium annual report 1994--1995

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

NONE

1998-07-01

The HBCU/MI ET Consortium was established in January 1990, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among its member institutions. This group of research oriented Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MIs) agreed to work together to initiate or revise education programs, develop research partnerships with public and private sector organizations, and promote technology development to address the nation`s critical environmental contamination problems. The Consortium`s Research, Education and Technology Transfer (RETT) Plan became the working agenda. The Consortium is a resource for collaboration among the member institutions and with federal an state agencies, national and federal laboratories, industries, (includingmore » small businesses), majority universities, and two and four-year technical colleges. As a group of 17 institutions geographically located in the southern US, the Consortium is well positioned to reach a diverse group of women and minority populations of African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians. This Report provides a status update on activities and achievements in environmental curriculum development, outreach at the K--12 level, undergraduate and graduate education, research and development, and technology transfer.« less

Synthetic Klebsiella pneumoniae-Shewanella oneidensis Consortium Enables Glycerol-Fed High-Performance Microbial Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Li, Feng; Yin, Changji; Sun, Liming; Li, Yuanxiu; Guo, Xuewu; Song, Hao

2018-05-01

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an eco-friendly bio-electrochemical sys-tem that uses microorganism as biocatalyst to convert biomass into electricity. Glycerol, as a waste in the biodiesel refinery processes, is an appealing substrate for MFC. Nevertheless, glycerol cannot be utilized as carbon source by well-known exoelectrogens such as Shewanella oneidensis. Herein, to generate electricity by rapidly harnessing glycerol, the authors rationally constructed a Klebsiella pneumoniae-Shewanella oneidensis microbial consortium to efficiently harvest electricity from glyc-erol, in which K. pneumoniae converted glycerol into lactate, fed to S. oneidensis as carbon source and electron donor. To improve electricity output, the authors systematically engineered the consortium in terms of carbon flux distribution and efficiency of extracellular electron transfer (EET). To direct more carbon flux to lactate biosynthesis in K. pneumoniae, the authors eliminated the ethanol pathway by knocking out the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (adhE), and enhanced lactate biosynthesis by heterologously expressing a lactate dehydrogen-ase gene (ldhD) from Lactobacillus bulgaricus and a lactate transporter gene (lldP) from Escherichia coli. To facilitate EET between S. oneidensis and anode surfaces, a biosynthetic flavins pathway from Bacillus subtilis is introduced into S. oneidensis. The author further optimized the glycerol concentration, thus S. oneidensis could be continuously fed with lactate synthesized from K. pneumoniae at a constant rate. Our glycerol-fed MFC generated a maximum power density of 19.9 mW/m 2 , significantly higher than that of the wild-type consor-tium. This work suggested that engineering microbial consortia is an effi-cient strategy to expand the spectrum of usable carbon sources and promote electricity power production in MFCs. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Genetics of Endophenotypes of Neurofunction to Understand Schizophrenia (GENUS) consortium: A collaborative cognitive and neuroimaging genetics project.

PubMed

Blokland, Gabriëlla A M; Del Re, Elisabetta C; Mesholam-Gately, Raquelle I; Jovicich, Jorge; Trampush, Joey W; Keshavan, Matcheri S; DeLisi, Lynn E; Walters, James T R; Turner, Jessica A; Malhotra, Anil K; Lencz, Todd; Shenton, Martha E; Voineskos, Aristotle N; Rujescu, Dan; Giegling, Ina; Kahn, René S; Roffman, Joshua L; Holt, Daphne J; Ehrlich, Stefan; Kikinis, Zora; Dazzan, Paola; Murray, Robin M; Di Forti, Marta; Lee, Jimmy; Sim, Kang; Lam, Max; Wolthusen, Rick P F; de Zwarte, Sonja M C; Walton, Esther; Cosgrove, Donna; Kelly, Sinead; Maleki, Nasim; Osiecki, Lisa; Picchioni, Marco M; Bramon, Elvira; Russo, Manuela; David, Anthony S; Mondelli, Valeria; Reinders, Antje A T S; Falcone, M Aurora; Hartmann, Annette M; Konte, Bettina; Morris, Derek W; Gill, Michael; Corvin, Aiden P; Cahn, Wiepke; Ho, New Fei; Liu, Jian Jun; Keefe, Richard S E; Gollub, Randy L; Manoach, Dara S; Calhoun, Vince D; Schulz, S Charles; Sponheim, Scott R; Goff, Donald C; Buka, Stephen L; Cherkerzian, Sara; Thermenos, Heidi W; Kubicki, Marek; Nestor, Paul G; Dickie, Erin W; Vassos, Evangelos; Ciufolini, Simone; Reis Marques, Tiago; Crossley, Nicolas A; Purcell, Shaun M; Smoller, Jordan W; van Haren, Neeltje E M; Toulopoulou, Timothea; Donohoe, Gary; Goldstein, Jill M; Seidman, Larry J; McCarley, Robert W; Petryshen, Tracey L

2018-05-01

Schizophrenia has a large genetic component, and the pathways from genes to illness manifestation are beginning to be identified. The Genetics of Endophenotypes of Neurofunction to Understand Schizophrenia (GENUS) Consortium aims to clarify the role of genetic variation in brain abnormalities underlying schizophrenia. This article describes the GENUS Consortium sample collection. We identified existing samples collected for schizophrenia studies consisting of patients, controls, and/or individuals at familial high-risk (FHR) for schizophrenia. Samples had single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data or genomic DNA, clinical and demographic data, and neuropsychological and/or brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Data were subjected to quality control procedures at a central site. Sixteen research groups contributed data from 5199 psychosis patients, 4877 controls, and 725 FHR individuals. All participants have relevant demographic data and all patients have relevant clinical data. The sex ratio is 56.5% male and 43.5% female. Significant differences exist between diagnostic groups for premorbid and current IQ (both p<1×10 -10 ). Data from a diversity of neuropsychological tests are available for 92% of participants, and 30% have structural MRI scans (half also have diffusion-weighted MRI scans). SNP data are available for 76% of participants. The ancestry composition is 70% European, 20% East Asian, 7% African, and 3% other. The Consortium is investigating the genetic contribution to brain phenotypes in a schizophrenia sample collection of >10,000 participants. The breadth of data across clinical, genetic, neuropsychological, and MRI modalities provides an important opportunity for elucidating the genetic basis of neural processes underlying schizophrenia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Developing a university-workforce partnership to address rural and frontier MCH training needs: the Rocky Mountain Public Health Education Consortium (RMPHEC).

PubMed

Taren, Douglas L; Varela, Frances; Dotson, Jo Ann W; Eden, Joan; Egger, Marlene; Harper, John; Johnson, Rhonda; Kennedy, Kathy; Kent, Helene; Muramoto, Myra; Peacock, Jane C; Roberts, Richard; Sjolander, Sheila; Streeter, Nan; Velarde, Lily; Hill, Anne

2011-10-01

The objective of the article is to provide the socio-cultural, political, economic, and geographic conditions that justified a regional effort for training maternal and child health (MCH) professionals in the Rocky Mountain region, describe a historical account of factors that led to the development of the Rocky Mountain Public Health Education Consortium (RMPHEC), and present RMPHEC as a replicable model developed to enhance practice/academic partnerships among state, tribal, and public health agencies and universities to enhance public health capacity and MCH outcomes. This article provides a description of the development of the RMPHEC, the impetus that drove the Consortium's development, the process used to create it, and its management and programs. Beginning in 1997, local, regional, and federal efforts encouraged stronger MCH training and continuing education in the Rocky Mountain Region. By 1998, the RMPHEC was established to respond to the growing needs of MCH professionals in the region by enhancing workforce development through various programs, including the MCH Certificate Program, MCH Institutes, and distance learning products as well as establishing a place for professionals and MCH agencies to discuss new ideas and opportunities for the region. Finally over the last decade local, state, regional, and federal efforts have encouraged a synergy of MCH resources, opportunities, and training within the region because of the health disparities among MCH populations in the region. The RMPHEC was founded to provide training and continuing education to MCH professionals in the region and as a venue to bring regional MCH organizations together to discuss current opportunities and challenges. RMPHEC is a consortium model that can be replicated in other underserved regions, looking to strengthen MCH training and continuing education.

Consortium inoculum of five thermo-tolerant phosphate solubilizing Actinomycetes for multipurpose biofertilizer preparation

PubMed Central

Nandimath, Arusha P.; Karad, Dilip D.; Gupta, Shantikumar G.; Kharat, Arun S.

2017-01-01

Background and Objectives: Alkaline pH of the soil facilitates the conversion of phosphate present in phosphate fertilizer applied in the field to insoluble phosphate which is not available to plants. Problem of soluble phosphate deficiency arises, primarily due to needless use of phosphate fertilizer. We sought to biofertilizer with the thermo-tolerant phosphate solubilizing actinomycetes consortium that could convert insoluble phosphate to soluble phosphate at wider temperature range. Materials and Methods: In the present investigation consortium of five thermo-tolerant phosphate solubilizing actinomycetes was applied for preparation of inoculum to produce multipurpose bio-fertilizer. Phosphates solubilizing thermo-tolerant 32 actinomycetes strains were processed for identification with the use of PIBWIN software and were screened for phosphate solubilizing activity. Results: Amongst these five actinomycetes were selected on the basis of their ability to produce cellulase, chitinase, pectinase, protease, lipase, amylase and phosphate solubilizing enzymes. Ability to produce these enzymes at 28°C and 50°C were examined. Biofertilizer was prepared by using agricultural waste as a raw material. While preparation of bio-fertilizer the pH decreased from 7.5 to 4.3 and temperature increased up to 74°C maximum at the end of 4th week and in subsequent week it started to decline gradually till it reached around 50°C, which was found to be stable up to eighth week. This thermo-tolerant actinomycetes consortium released soluble phosphate of up to 46.7 μg ml−1. Conclusion: As the mesophilic organisms die out at high temperature of composting hence thormo-tolerant actinomycetes would be the better substitute for preparation of phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizer with added potential to degrade complex macromolecules in composting. PMID:29296275

Consortium inoculum of five thermo-tolerant phosphate solubilizing Actinomycetes for multipurpose biofertilizer preparation.

PubMed

Nandimath, Arusha P; Karad, Dilip D; Gupta, Shantikumar G; Kharat, Arun S

2017-10-01

Alkaline pH of the soil facilitates the conversion of phosphate present in phosphate fertilizer applied in the field to insoluble phosphate which is not available to plants. Problem of soluble phosphate deficiency arises, primarily due to needless use of phosphate fertilizer. We sought to biofertilizer with the thermo-tolerant phosphate solubilizing actinomycetes consortium that could convert insoluble phosphate to soluble phosphate at wider temperature range. In the present investigation consortium of five thermo-tolerant phosphate solubilizing actinomycetes was applied for preparation of inoculum to produce multipurpose bio-fertilizer. Phosphates solubilizing thermo-tolerant 32 actinomycetes strains were processed for identification with the use of PIBWIN software and were screened for phosphate solubilizing activity. Amongst these five actinomycetes were selected on the basis of their ability to produce cellulase, chitinase, pectinase, protease, lipase, amylase and phosphate solubilizing enzymes. Ability to produce these enzymes at 28°C and 50°C were examined. Biofertilizer was prepared by using agricultural waste as a raw material. While preparation of bio-fertilizer the pH decreased from 7.5 to 4.3 and temperature increased up to 74°C maximum at the end of 4 th week and in subsequent week it started to decline gradually till it reached around 50°C, which was found to be stable up to eighth week. This thermo-tolerant actinomycetes consortium released soluble phosphate of up to 46.7 μg ml -1 . As the mesophilic organisms die out at high temperature of composting hence thormo-tolerant actinomycetes would be the better substitute for preparation of phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizer with added potential to degrade complex macromolecules in composting.

The Tri-lab Tantalum Strength Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flicker, Dawn G.; Arsenlis, Thomas A.; Austin, Ryan; Barton, Nathan R.; Benage, John F.; Bronkhorst, Curt A.; Brown, Justin L.; Brown, Staci L.; Buttler, William T.; Shen, Shuh-Rong; Dattelbaum, Dana M.; Fensin, Sayu J.; Gray, George T., III; Lane, J. Matthew D.; Lim, Hojun; Luscher, D. J.; Mattsson, Thomas R.; McNabb, Dennis P.; Remington, Bruce A.; Park, Hye-Sook; Prisbrey, Shon T.; Prime, Michael B.; Scharff, Robert J.; Schraad, Mark W.; Sun, Amy C.

2017-06-01

A Tri-lab consortium of experimentalists and theorists at SNL, LLNL, and LANL is joining forces to better understand tantalum strength across an unprecedented range of loading conditions. The team is collecting and comparing tantalum strength data from Hopkinson bar, Taylor cylinder, guns, Z, Omega and the NIF. These experiments, all using Ta from a single lot, span pressures from tenths to hundreds of GPa and strain rates from 103 to 107. New experiments are underway to provide more overlap between the platforms. The experiments are being simulated with a variety of models in order to determine which processes are important under which conditions. The presentation will show results to date. Sandia is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Collaboration in a Wireless Grid Innovation Testbed by Virtual Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treglia, Joseph; Ramnarine-Rieks, Angela; McKnight, Lee

This paper describes the formation of the Wireless Grid Innovation Testbed (WGiT) coordinated by a virtual consortium involving academic and non-academic entities. Syracuse University and Virginia Tech are primary university partners with several other academic, government, and corporate partners. Objectives include: 1) coordinating knowledge sharing, 2) defining key parameters for wireless grids network applications, 3) dynamically connecting wired and wireless devices, content and users, 4) linking to VT-CORNET, Virginia Tech Cognitive Radio Network Testbed, 5) forming ad hoc networks or grids of mobile and fixed devices without a dedicated server, 6) deepening understanding of wireless grid application, device, network, user and market behavior through academic, trade and popular publications including online media, 7) identifying policy that may enable evaluated innovations to enter US and international markets and 8) implementation and evaluation of the international virtual collaborative process.

Comparison of retina damage thresholds simulating the femtosecond-laser in situ keratomileusis (fs-LASIK) process with two laser systems in the CW- and fs-regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sander, M.; Minet, O.; Zabarylo, U.; Müller, M.; Tetz, M. R.

2012-04-01

The femtosecond-laser in situ keratomileusis procedure affords the opportunity to correct ametropia by cutting transparent corneal tissue with ultra-short laser pulses. Thereby the tissue cut is generated by a laser-induced optical breakdown in the cornea with ultra-short laser pulses in the near-infrared range. Compared to standard procedures such as photorefractive keratectomy and laser in-situ keratomileusis with the excimer laser, where the risk potential for the eye is low due to the complete absorption of ultraviolet irradiation from corneal tissue, only a certain amount of the pulse energy is deposited in the cornea during the fs-LASIK process. The remaining energy propagates through the eye and interacts with the retina and the strong absorbing tissue layers behind. The objective of the presented study was to determine and compare the retina damage thresholds during the fs-LASIK process simulated with two various laser systems in the CW- and fs-regime.

Post-processing of 3D-printed parts using femtosecond and picosecond laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mingareev, Ilya; Gehlich, Nils; Bonhoff, Tobias; Meiners, Wilhelm; Kelbassa, Ingomar; Biermann, Tim; Richardson, Martin C.

2014-03-01

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D-printing, is a near-net shape manufacturing approach, delivering part geometry that can be considerably affected by various process conditions, heat-induced distortions, solidified melt droplets, partially fused powders, and surface modifications induced by the manufacturing tool motion and processing strategy. High-repetition rate femtosecond and picosecond laser radiation was utilized to improve surface quality of metal parts manufactured by laser additive techniques. Different laser scanning approaches were utilized to increase the ablation efficiency and to reduce the surface roughness while preserving the initial part geometry. We studied post-processing of 3D-shaped parts made of Nickel- and Titanium-base alloys by utilizing Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) as additive manufacturing techniques. Process parameters such as the pulse energy, the number of layers and their spatial separation were varied. Surface processing in several layers was necessary to remove the excessive material, such as individual powder particles, and to reduce the average surface roughness from asdeposited 22-45 μm to a few microns. Due to the ultrafast laser-processing regime and the small heat-affected zone induced in materials, this novel integrated manufacturing approach can be used to post-process parts made of thermally and mechanically sensitive materials, and to attain complex designed shapes with micrometer precision.

[The Spectral Analysis of Laser-Induced Plasma in Laser Welding with Various Protecting Conditions].

PubMed

Du, Xiao; Yang, Li-jun; Liu, Tong; Jiao, Jiao; Wang, Hui-chao

2016-01-01

The shielding gas plays an important role in the laser welding process and the variation of the protecting conditions has an obvious effect on the welding quality. This paper studied the influence of the change of protecting conditions on the parameters of laser-induced plasma such as electron temperature and electron density during the laser welding process by designing some experiments of reducing the shielding gas flow rate step by step and simulating the adverse conditions possibly occurring in the actual Nd : YAG laser welding process. The laser-induced plasma was detected by a fiber spectrometer to get the spectral data. So the electron temperature of laser-induced plasma was calculated by using the method of relative spectral intensity and the electron density by the Stark Broadening. The results indicated that the variation of protecting conditions had an important effect on the electron temperature and the electron density in the laser welding. When the protecting conditions were changed, the average electron temperature and the average electron density of the laser-induced plasma would change, so did their fluctuation range. When the weld was in a good protecting condition, the electron temperature, the electron density and their fluctuation were all low. Otherwise, the values would be high. These characteristics would have contribution to monitoring the process of laser welding.

Beam shaping as an enabler for new applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guertler, Yvonne; Kahmann, Max; Havrilla, David

2017-02-01

For many years, laser beam shaping has enabled users to achieve optimized process results as well as manage challenging applications. The latest advancements in industrial lasers and processing optics have taken this a step further as users are able to adapt the beam shape to meet specific application requirements in a very flexible way. TRUMPF has developed a wide range of experience in creating beam profiles at the work piece for optimized material processing. This technology is based on the physical model of wave optics and can be used with ultra short pulse lasers as well as multi-kW cw lasers. Basically, the beam shape can be adapted in all three dimensions in space, which allows maximum flexibility. Besides adaption of intensity profile, even multi-spot geometries can be produced. This approach is very cost efficient, because a standard laser source and (in the case of cw lasers) a standard fiber can be used without any special modifications. Based on this innovative beam shaping technology, TRUMPF has developed new and optimized processes. Two of the most recent application developments using these techniques are cutting glass and synthetic sapphire with ultra-short pulse lasers and enhanced brazing of hot dip zinc coated steel for automotive applications. Both developments lead to more efficient and flexible production processes, enabled by laser technology and open the door to new opportunities. They also indicate the potential of beam shaping techniques since they can be applied to both single-mode laser sources (TOP Cleave) and multi-mode laser sources (brazing).

Heterodyne laser spectroscopy system

DOEpatents

Wyeth, Richard W.; Paisner, Jeffrey A.; Story, Thomas

1989-01-01

A heterodyne laser spectroscopy system utilizes laser heterodyne techniques for purposes of laser isotope separation spectroscopy, vapor diagnostics, processing of precise laser frequency offsets from a reference frequency and the like, and provides spectral analysis of a laser beam.

New site characterization and monitoring technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, Bruce J.; Gillispie, Gregory D.; Bohne, David A.; Lindstrom, David R.

1995-10-01

The cost of characterizing and monitoring U.S. government hazardous waste sites could exceed $500 billion utilizing traditional methods and technology. New sensor technologies are being developed to meet the nation's environmental remediation and compliance programs. In 1993, the U.S. Air Force Armstrong Laboratory and Loral Defense System, Eagan (formerly a division of Unisys Corporation) signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) to commercialize fiber optic laser-induced fluorescence technology that had been developed with U.S. Air Force funding a North Dakota State University (NDSU). A consortium consisting of the CRDA partners (USAF and Loral), Dakota Technologies Inc., and NDSU submitted a proposal to the advanced Research Projects Agency, Technology Reinvestment Project and won an award to fund the commercialization. The result, the Rapid Optical Screening Tool or ROST is a state-of-the-art laser spectroscopy system for analysis of aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil and groundwater. With ROST, environmental investigators are able to find, classify, and map the distribution of many hazardous chemicals in the field instead of waiting for reports to come back from the analytical laboratory. The research and development program leading to prototype laser spectrometers is summarized along with results from laboratory and field demonstrations illustrating system performance and benefits for site characterization. The technology has recently been demonstrated in Europe in Germany, the Netherlands, France an several sites in the United Kingdom having light, medium, and heavy aromatic hydrocarbon contamination from fuel spills and refinery or chemical plant operations. The use of the ROST system to find hydrocarbon contamination is now being offered as a service by Loral Corporation.

Glass and glass-ceramic photonic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zur, Lidia; Thi Ngoc Tran, Lam; Meneghetti, Marcello; Varas, Stefano; Armellini, Cristina; Ristic, Davor; Chiasera, Alessandro; Scotognella, Francesco; Pelli, Stefano; Nunzi Conti, Gualtiero; Boulard, Brigitte; Zonta, Daniele; Dorosz, Dominik; Lukowiak, Anna; Righini, Giancarlo C.; Ramponi, Roberta; Ferrari, Maurizio

2017-02-01

The development of optically confined structure is a major topic in both basic and applied physics not solely ICT oriented but also concerning lighting, laser, sensing, energy, environment, biological and medical sciences, and quantum optics. Glasses and glass-ceramics activated by rare earth ions are the bricks of such structures. Glass-ceramics are nanocomposite systems that exhibit specific morphologic, structural and spectroscopic properties allowing developing new physical concepts, for instance the mechanism related to the transparency, as well as novel photonic devices based on the enhancement of the luminescence. The dependence of the final product on the specific parent glass and on the fabrication protocol still remain an important task of the research in material science. Looking to application, the enhanced spectroscopic properties typical of glass ceramic in respect to those of the amorphous structures constitute an important point for the development of integrated optics devices, including optical amplifiers, monolithic waveguide laser, novel sensors, coating of spherical microresonators, and up and down converters. This paper presents some results obtained by our consortium regarding glass-based photonics systems. We will comment the energy transfer mechanism in transparent glass ceramics taking as examples the up and down conversion systems and the role of SnO2 nanocrystals as sensitizers. Coating of spherical resonators by glass ceramics, 1D-Photonic Crystals for luminescence enhancement, laser action and disordered 1-D photonic structures will be also discussed. Finally, RF-Sputtered rare earth doped P2O5- SiO2-Al2O3-Na2O-Er2O3 planar waveguides, will be presented.

The Influence of Interfering Substances on the Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Quaternary Ammonium Compounds

PubMed Central

Araújo, Paula A.; Lemos, Madalena; Mergulhão, Filipe; Melo, Luís; Simões, Manuel

2013-01-01

Standard cleaning processes may not remove all the soiling typically found in food industry, such as carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. Contaminants have a high impact in disinfection as their presence may reduce the activity of disinfectants. The influence of alginic acid, bovine serum albumin, yeast extract, and humic acids was assessed on the antimicrobial activities of benzalkonium chloride and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide against Bacillus cereus vegetative cells and Pseudomonas fluorescens. The bacteria (single and consortium) were exposed to surfactants (single and combined) in the absence and presence of potential disinfection interfering substances. The antimicrobial effects of the surfactants were assessed based on the bacterial respiratory activity measured by oxygen uptake rate due to glucose oxidation. The tested surfactants were efficient against both bacteria (single and consortium) with minimum bactericidal concentrations ranging from 3 to 35 mg·L−1. The strongest effect was caused by humic acids that severely quenched antimicrobial action, increasing the minimum bactericidal concentration of the surfactants on P. fluorescens and the consortium. The inclusion of the other interfering substances resulted in mild interferences in the antibacterial activity. This study clearly demonstrates that humic acids should be considered as an antimicrobial interfering substance in the development of disinfection strategies. PMID:26904590

Proteogenomic Analysis of a Thermophilic Bacterial Consortium Adapted to Deconstruct Switchgrass

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

D'haeseleer, Patrik; Gladden, John M.; Allgaier, Martin

2013-07-19

Thermophilic bacteria are a potential source of enzymes for the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. However, the complement of proteins used to deconstruct biomass and the specific roles of different microbial groups in thermophilic biomass deconstruction are not well-explored. Here we report on the metagenomic and proteogenomic analyses of a compost-derived bacterial consortium adapted to switchgrass at elevated temperature with high levels of glycoside hydrolase activities. Near-complete genomes were reconstructed for the most abundant populations, which included composite genomes for populations closely related to sequenced strains of Thermus thermophilus and Rhodothermus marinus, and for novel populations that are related to thermophilicmore » Paenibacilli and an uncultivated subdivision of the littlestudied Gemmatimonadetes phylum. Partial genomes were also reconstructed for a number of lower abundance thermophilic Chloroflexi populations. Identification of genes for lignocellulose processing and metabolic reconstructions suggested Rhodothermus, Paenibacillus and Gemmatimonadetes as key groups for deconstructing biomass, and Thermus as a group that may primarily metabolize low molecular weight compounds. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of the consortium was used to identify .3000 proteins in fractionated samples from the cultures, and confirmed the importance of Paenibacillus and Gemmatimonadetes to biomass deconstruction. These studies also indicate that there are unexplored proteins with important roles in bacterial lignocellulose deconstruction.« less

Biochemical and Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Agriculturally Useful Association of a Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacterium and Nodule Sinorhizobium with Medicago sativa L.

PubMed Central

Karaushu, E. V.; Kravzova, T. R.; Vorobey, N. A.; Kiriziy, D. A.; Olkhovich, O. P.; Taran, N. Yu.; Kots, S. Ya.; Omarova, E.

2015-01-01

Seed inoculation with bacterial consortium was found to increase legume yield, providing a higher growth than the standard nitrogen treatment methods. Alfalfa plants were inoculated by mono- and binary compositions of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Their physiological and biochemical properties were estimated. Inoculation by microbial consortium of Sinorhizobium meliloti T17 together with a new cyanobacterial isolate Nostoc PTV was more efficient than the single-rhizobium strain inoculation. This treatment provides an intensification of the processes of biological nitrogen fixation by rhizobia bacteria in the root nodules and an intensification of plant photosynthesis. Inoculation by bacterial consortium stimulates growth of plant mass and rhizogenesis and leads to increased productivity of alfalfa and to improving the amino acid composition of plant leaves. The full nucleotide sequence of the rRNA gene cluster and partial sequence of the dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene of Nostoc PTV were deposited to GenBank (JQ259185.1, JQ259186.1). Comparison of these gene sequences of Nostoc PTV with all sequences present at the GenBank shows that this cyanobacterial strain does not have 100% identity with any organisms investigated previously. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this cyanobacterium clustered with high credibility values with Nostoc muscorum. PMID:26114100

Biochemical and Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Agriculturally Useful Association of a Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacterium and Nodule Sinorhizobium with Medicago sativa L.

PubMed

Karaushu, E V; Lazebnaya, I V; Kravzova, T R; Vorobey, N A; Lazebny, O E; Kiriziy, D A; Olkhovich, O P; Taran, N Yu; Kots, S Ya; Popova, A A; Omarova, E; Koksharova, O A

2015-01-01

Seed inoculation with bacterial consortium was found to increase legume yield, providing a higher growth than the standard nitrogen treatment methods. Alfalfa plants were inoculated by mono- and binary compositions of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Their physiological and biochemical properties were estimated. Inoculation by microbial consortium of Sinorhizobium meliloti T17 together with a new cyanobacterial isolate Nostoc PTV was more efficient than the single-rhizobium strain inoculation. This treatment provides an intensification of the processes of biological nitrogen fixation by rhizobia bacteria in the root nodules and an intensification of plant photosynthesis. Inoculation by bacterial consortium stimulates growth of plant mass and rhizogenesis and leads to increased productivity of alfalfa and to improving the amino acid composition of plant leaves. The full nucleotide sequence of the rRNA gene cluster and partial sequence of the dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene of Nostoc PTV were deposited to GenBank (JQ259185.1, JQ259186.1). Comparison of these gene sequences of Nostoc PTV with all sequences present at the GenBank shows that this cyanobacterial strain does not have 100% identity with any organisms investigated previously. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this cyanobacterium clustered with high credibility values with Nostoc muscorum.

A Novel Approach for High Deposition Rate Cladding with Minimal Dilution with an Arc - Laser Process Combination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barroi, A.; Hermsdorf, J.; Prank, U.; Kaierle, S.

First results of the process development of a novel approach for a high deposition rate cladding process with minimal dilution are presented. The approach will combine the enormous melting potential of an electrical arc that burns between two consumable wire electrodes with the precision of a laser process. Separate test for the plasma melting and for the laser based surface heating have been performed. A steadily burning arc between the electrodes could be established and a deposition rate of 10 kg/h could be achieved. The laser was able to apply the desired heat profile, needed for the combination of the processes. Process problems were analyzed and solutions proposed.

Laser Hot Wire Process: A Novel Process for Near-Net Shape Fabrication for High-Throughput Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kottman, Michael; Zhang, Shenjia; McGuffin-Cawley, James; Denney, Paul; Narayanan, Badri K.

2015-03-01

The laser hot wire process has gained considerable interest for additive manufacturing applications, leveraging its high deposition rate, low dilution, thermal stability, and general metallurgical control including the ability to introduce and preserve desired meta-stable phases. Recent advancements in closed-loop process control and laser technology have increased productivity, process stability, and control of deposit metallurgy. The laser hot wire process has shown success in several applications: repairing and rejuvenating casting dies, depositing a variety of alloys including abrasion wear-resistant overlays with solid and tubular wires, and producing low-dilution (<5%) nickel alloy overlays for corrosion applications. The feasibility of fabricating titanium buildups is being assessed for aerospace applications.

Precision Control Module For UV Laser 3D Micromachining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Wen-Hong; Hung, Min-Wei; Chang, Chun-Li

2011-01-01

UV laser has been widely used in various micromachining such as micro-scribing or patterning processing. At present, most of the semiconductors, LEDs, photovoltaic solar panels and touch panels industries need the UV laser processing system. However, most of the UV laser processing applications in the industries utilize two dimensional (2D) plane processing. And there are tremendous business opportunities that can be developed, such as three dimensional (3D) structures of micro-electromechanical (MEMS) sensor or the precision depth control of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films edge insulation in touch panels. This research aims to develop a UV laser 3D micromachining module that can create the novel applications for industries. By special designed beam expender in optical system, the focal point of UV laser can be adjusted quickly and accurately through the optical path control lens of laser beam expender optical system. Furthermore, the integrated software for galvanometric scanner and focal point adjustment mechanism is developed as well, so as to carry out the precise 3D microstructure machining.

New Polymer Materials for the Laser Sintering Process: Polypropylene and Others

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegner, Andreas

Laser sintering of polymers gets more and more importance for small series production. However, there is only a little number of materials available for the process. In most cases parts are build up using polyamide 12 or polyamide 11. Reasons for that are high prices, a restricted availability, poor mechanical part properties or an insufficient understanding of the processing of other materials. These problems result from the complex processing conditions in laser sintering with high requirements on the material's characteristics. Within this area, at the chair for manufacturing technology fundamental knowledge was established. Aim of the presented study was to qualify different polymers for the laser sintering process. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide 6, polyoxymethylene as well as polybutylene terephthalate were analyzed. Within the study problems of qualifying new materials are discussed using some examples. Furthermore, the processing conditions as well as mechanical properties of a new polypropylene compound are shown considering also different laser sintering machines.