Myocardial Drug Distribution Generated from Local Epicardial Application: Potential Impact of Cardiac Capillary Perfusion in a Swine Model Using Epinephrine

PubMed Central

Maslov, Mikhail Y.; Edelman, Elazer R.; Pezone, Matthew J.; Wei, Abraham E.; Wakim, Matthew G.; Murray, Michael R.; Tsukada, Hisashi; Gerogiannis, Iraklis S.; Groothuis, Adam; Lovich, Mark A.

2014-01-01

Prior studies in small mammals have shown that local epicardial application of inotropic compounds drives myocardial contractility without systemic side effects. Myocardial capillary blood flow, however, may be more significant in larger species than in small animals. We hypothesized that bulk perfusion in capillary beds of the large mammalian heart enhances drug distribution after local release, but also clears more drug from the tissue target than in small animals. Epicardial (EC) drug releasing systems were used to apply epinephrine to the anterior surface of the left heart of swine in either point-sourced or distributed configurations. Following local application or intravenous (IV) infusion at the same dose rates, hemodynamic responses, epinephrine levels in the coronary sinus and systemic circulation, and drug deposition across the ventricular wall, around the circumference and down the axis, were measured. EC delivery via point-source release generated transmural epinephrine gradients directly beneath the site of application extending into the middle third of the myocardial thickness. Gradients in drug deposition were also observed down the length of the heart and around the circumference toward the lateral wall, but not the interventricular septum. These gradients extended further than might be predicted from simple diffusion. The circumferential distribution following local epinephrine delivery from a distributed source to the entire anterior wall drove drug toward the inferior wall, further than with point-source release, but again, not to the septum. This augmented drug distribution away from the release source, down the axis of the left ventricle, and selectively towards the left heart follows the direction of capillary perfusion away from the anterior descending and circumflex arteries, suggesting a role for the coronary circulation in determining local drug deposition and clearance. The dominant role of the coronary vasculature is further suggested by the elevated drug levels in the coronary sinus effluent. Indeed, plasma levels, hemodynamic responses, and myocardial deposition remote from the point of release were similar following local EC or IV delivery. Therefore, the coronary vasculature shapes the pharmacokinetics of local myocardial delivery of small catecholamine drugs in large animal models. Optimal design of epicardial drug delivery systems must consider the underlying bulk capillary perfusion currents within the tissue to deliver drug to tissue targets and may favor therapeutic molecules with better potential retention in myocardial tissue. PMID:25234821

Contaminant point source localization error estimates as functions of data quantity and model quality

DOE PAGES

Hansen, Scott K.; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov

2016-10-01

We develop empirically-grounded error envelopes for localization of a point contamination release event in the saturated zone of a previously uncharacterized heterogeneous aquifer into which a number of plume-intercepting wells have been drilled. We assume that flow direction in the aquifer is known exactly and velocity is known to within a factor of two of our best guess from well observations prior to source identification. Other aquifer and source parameters must be estimated by interpretation of well breakthrough data via the advection-dispersion equation. We employ high performance computing to generate numerous random realizations of aquifer parameters and well locations, simulatemore » well breakthrough data, and then employ unsupervised machine optimization techniques to estimate the most likely spatial (or space-time) location of the source. Tabulating the accuracy of these estimates from the multiple realizations, we relate the size of 90% and 95% confidence envelopes to the data quantity (number of wells) and model quality (fidelity of ADE interpretation model to actual concentrations in a heterogeneous aquifer with channelized flow). We find that for purely spatial localization of the contaminant source, increased data quantities can make up for reduced model quality. For space-time localization, we find similar qualitative behavior, but significantly degraded spatial localization reliability and less improvement from extra data collection. Since the space-time source localization problem is much more challenging, we also tried a multiple-initial-guess optimization strategy. Furthermore, this greatly enhanced performance, but gains from additional data collection remained limited.« less

Non-contact local temperature measurement inside an object using an infrared point detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hisaka, Masaki

2017-04-01

Local temperature measurement in deep areas of objects is an important technique in biomedical measurement. We have investigated a non-contact method for measuring temperature inside an object using a point detector for infrared (IR) light. An IR point detector with a pinhole was constructed and the radiant IR light emitted from the local interior of the object is photodetected only at the position of pinhole located in imaging relation. We measured the thermal structure of the filament inside the miniature bulb using the IR point detector, and investigated the temperature dependence at approximately human body temperature using a glass plate positioned in front of the heat source.

Localization of Interference Fringes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, J. M.; Comastri, Silvia A.

1980-01-01

Discusses a proof for determining the localized fringes position arrived at when one considers the interference of two extended sources when one is able to observe fringes only at certain points in space. Shows how the localized fringes may be found in a device used to observe Newton's rings. (Author/CS)

Strategies for lidar characterization of particulates from point and area sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojcik, Michael D.; Moore, Kori D.; Martin, Randal S.; Hatfield, Jerry

2010-10-01

Use of ground based remote sensing technologies such as scanning lidar systems (light detection and ranging) has gained traction in characterizing ambient aerosols due to some key advantages such as wide area of regard (10 km2), fast response time, high spatial resolution (<10 m) and high sensitivity. Energy Dynamics Laboratory and Utah State University, in conjunction with the USDA-ARS, has developed a three-wavelength scanning lidar system called Aglite that has been successfully deployed to characterize particle motion, concentration, and size distribution at both point and diffuse area sources in agricultural and industrial settings. A suite of massbased and size distribution point sensors are used to locally calibrate the lidar. Generating meaningful particle size distribution, mass concentration, and emission rate results based on lidar data is dependent on strategic onsite deployment of these point sensors with successful local meteorological measurements. Deployment strategies learned from field use of this entire measurement system over five years include the characterization of local meteorology and its predictability prior to deployment, the placement of point sensors to prevent contamination and overloading, the positioning of the lidar and beam plane to avoid hard target interferences, and the usefulness of photographic and written observational data.

THE CHANDRA SURVEY OF THE COSMOS FIELD. II. SOURCE DETECTION AND PHOTOMETRY

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

Puccetti, S.; Vignali, C.; Cappelluti, N.

2009-12-01

The Chandra COSMOS Survey (C-COSMOS) is a large, 1.8 Ms, Chandra program that covers the central contiguous {approx}0.92 deg{sup 2} of the COSMOS field. C-COSMOS is the result of a complex tiling, with every position being observed in up to six overlapping pointings (four overlapping pointings in most of the central {approx}0.45 deg{sup 2} area with the best exposure, and two overlapping pointings in most of the surrounding area, covering an additional {approx}0.47 deg{sup 2}). Therefore, the full exploitation of the C-COSMOS data requires a dedicated and accurate analysis focused on three main issues: (1) maximizing the sensitivity when themore » point-spread function (PSF) changes strongly among different observations of the same source (from {approx}1 arcsec up to {approx}10 arcsec half-power radius); (2) resolving close pairs; and (3) obtaining the best source localization and count rate. We present here our treatment of four key analysis items: source detection, localization, photometry, and survey sensitivity. Our final procedure consists of a two step procedure: (1) a wavelet detection algorithm to find source candidates and (2) a maximum likelihood PSF fitting algorithm to evaluate the source count rates and the probability that each source candidate is a fluctuation of the background. We discuss the main characteristics of this procedure, which was the result of detailed comparisons between different detection algorithms and photometry tools, calibrated with extensive and dedicated simulations.« less

Detection prospects for high energy neutrino sources from the anisotropic matter distribution in the local Universe

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

Mertsch, Philipp; Rameez, Mohamed; Tamborra, Irene, E-mail: mertsch@nbi.ku.dk, E-mail: mohamed.rameez@nbi.ku.dk, E-mail: tamborra@nbi.ku.dk

Constraints on the number and luminosity of the sources of the cosmic neutrinos detected by IceCube have been set by targeted searches for point sources. We set complementary constraints by using the 2MASS Redshift Survey (2MRS) catalogue, which maps the matter distribution of the local Universe. Assuming that the distribution of the neutrino sources follows that of matter, we look for correlations between ''warm'' spots on the IceCube skymap and the 2MRS matter distribution. Through Monte Carlo simulations of the expected number of neutrino multiplets and careful modelling of the detector performance (including that of IceCube-Gen2), we demonstrate that sourcesmore » with local density exceeding 10{sup −6} Mpc{sup −3} and neutrino luminosity L {sub ν} ∼< 10{sup 42} erg s{sup −1} (10{sup 41} erg s{sup −1}) will be efficiently revealed by our method using IceCube (IceCube-Gen2). At low luminosities such as will be probed by IceCube-Gen2, the sensitivity of this analysis is superior to requiring statistically significant direct observation of a point source.« less

Reducing the barriers against analytical epidemiological studies in investigations of local foodborne disease outbreaks in Germany - a starter kit for local health authorities.

PubMed

Werber, D; Bernard, H

2014-02-27

Thousands of infectious food-borne disease outbreaks (FBDO) are reported annually to the European Food Safety Authority within the framework of the zoonoses Directive (2003/99/EC). Most recognised FBDO occur locally following point source exposure, but only few are investigated using analytical epidemiological studies. In Germany, and probably also in other countries of the European Union, this seems to be particularly true for those investigated by local health authorities. Analytical studies, usually cohort studies or case–control studies, are a powerful tool to identify suspect food vehicles. Therefore, from a public health and food safety perspective, their more frequent usage is highly desirable. We have developed a small toolbox consisting of a strategic concept and a simple software tool for data entry and analysis, with the objective to increase the use of analytical studies in the investigation of local point source FBDO in Germany.

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

Aartsen, M. G.; Abraham, K.; Ackermann, M.

Observation of a point source of astrophysical neutrinos would be a “smoking gun” signature of a cosmic-ray accelerator. While IceCube has recently discovered a diffuse flux of astrophysical neutrinos, no localized point source has been observed. Previous IceCube searches for point sources in the southern sky were restricted by either an energy threshold above a few hundred TeV or poor neutrino angular resolution. Here we present a search for southern sky point sources with greatly improved sensitivities to neutrinos with energies below 100 TeV. By selecting charged-current ν{sub μ} interacting inside the detector, we reduce the atmospheric background while retainingmore » efficiency for astrophysical neutrino-induced events reconstructed with sub-degree angular resolution. The new event sample covers three years of detector data and leads to a factor of 10 improvement in sensitivity to point sources emitting below 100 TeV in the southern sky. No statistically significant evidence of point sources was found, and upper limits are set on neutrino emission from individual sources. A posteriori analysis of the highest-energy (∼100 TeV) starting event in the sample found that this event alone represents a 2.8 σ deviation from the hypothesis that the data consists only of atmospheric background.« less

Development and application of a reactive plume-in-grid model: evaluation over Greater Paris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korsakissok, I.; Mallet, V.

2010-02-01

Emissions from major point sources are badly represented by classical Eulerian models. An overestimation of the horizontal plume dilution, a bad representation of the vertical diffusion as well as an incorrect estimate of the chemical reaction rates are the main limitations of such models in the vicinity of major point sources. The plume-in-grid method is a multiscale modeling technique that couples a local-scale Gaussian puff model with an Eulerian model in order to better represent these emissions. We present the plume-in-grid model developed in the air quality modeling system Polyphemus, with full gaseous chemistry. The model is evaluated on the metropolitan Île-de-France region, during six months (summer 2001). The subgrid-scale treatment is used for 89 major point sources, a selection based on the emission rates of NOx and SO2. Results with and without the subgrid treatment of point emissions are compared, and their performance by comparison to the observations at measurement stations is assessed. A sensitivity study is also carried out, on several local-scale parameters as well as on the vertical diffusion within the urban area. Primary pollutants are shown to be the most impacted by the plume-in-grid treatment, with a decrease in RMSE by up to about -17% for SO2 and -7% for NO at measurement stations. SO2 is the most impacted pollutant, since the point sources account for an important part of the total SO2 emissions, whereas NOx emissions are mostly due to traffic. The spatial impact of the subgrid treatment is localized in the vicinity of the sources, especially for reactive species (NOx and O3). Reactive species are mostly sensitive to the local-scale parameters, such as the time step between two puff emissions which influences the in-plume chemical reactions, whereas the almost-passive species SO2 is more sensitive to the injection time, which determines the duration of the subgrid-scale treatment. Future developments include an extension to handle aerosol chemistry, and an application to the modeling of line sources in order to use the subgrid treatment with road emissions. The latter is expected to lead to more striking results, due to the importance of traffic emissions for the pollutants of interest.

One Source Training: Iowa Community Colleges Leverage Resources through Statewide Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saylor, Collette

2006-01-01

Locally governed Iowa Community Colleges are very effective at meeting the needs of local constituencies. However, this focus on local needs can hinder collaborative efforts. The Iowa Associations of Community College Trustees and Presidents determined there was a need for a single point of contact for the development and purchase of training…

Lung motion estimation using dynamic point shifting: An innovative model based on a robust point matching algorithm

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

Yi, Jianbing, E-mail: yijianbing8@163.com; Yang, Xuan, E-mail: xyang0520@263.net; Li, Yan-Ran, E-mail: lyran@szu.edu.cn

2015-10-15

Purpose: Image-guided radiotherapy is an advanced 4D radiotherapy technique that has been developed in recent years. However, respiratory motion causes significant uncertainties in image-guided radiotherapy procedures. To address these issues, an innovative lung motion estimation model based on a robust point matching is proposed in this paper. Methods: An innovative robust point matching algorithm using dynamic point shifting is proposed to estimate patient-specific lung motion during free breathing from 4D computed tomography data. The correspondence of the landmark points is determined from the Euclidean distance between the landmark points and the similarity between the local images that are centered atmore » points at the same time. To ensure that the points in the source image correspond to the points in the target image during other phases, the virtual target points are first created and shifted based on the similarity between the local image centered at the source point and the local image centered at the virtual target point. Second, the target points are shifted by the constrained inverse function mapping the target points to the virtual target points. The source point set and shifted target point set are used to estimate the transformation function between the source image and target image. Results: The performances of the authors’ method are evaluated on two publicly available DIR-lab and POPI-model lung datasets. For computing target registration errors on 750 landmark points in six phases of the DIR-lab dataset and 37 landmark points in ten phases of the POPI-model dataset, the mean and standard deviation by the authors’ method are 1.11 and 1.11 mm, but they are 2.33 and 2.32 mm without considering image intensity, and 1.17 and 1.19 mm with sliding conditions. For the two phases of maximum inhalation and maximum exhalation in the DIR-lab dataset with 300 landmark points of each case, the mean and standard deviation of target registration errors on the 3000 landmark points of ten cases by the authors’ method are 1.21 and 1.04 mm. In the EMPIRE10 lung registration challenge, the authors’ method ranks 24 of 39. According to the index of the maximum shear stretch, the authors’ method is also efficient to describe the discontinuous motion at the lung boundaries. Conclusions: By establishing the correspondence of the landmark points in the source phase and the other target phases combining shape matching and image intensity matching together, the mismatching issue in the robust point matching algorithm is adequately addressed. The target registration errors are statistically reduced by shifting the virtual target points and target points. The authors’ method with consideration of sliding conditions can effectively estimate the discontinuous motion, and the estimated motion is natural. The primary limitation of the proposed method is that the temporal constraints of the trajectories of voxels are not introduced into the motion model. However, the proposed method provides satisfactory motion information, which results in precise tumor coverage by the radiation dose during radiotherapy.« less

Lung motion estimation using dynamic point shifting: An innovative model based on a robust point matching algorithm.

PubMed

Yi, Jianbing; Yang, Xuan; Chen, Guoliang; Li, Yan-Ran

2015-10-01

Image-guided radiotherapy is an advanced 4D radiotherapy technique that has been developed in recent years. However, respiratory motion causes significant uncertainties in image-guided radiotherapy procedures. To address these issues, an innovative lung motion estimation model based on a robust point matching is proposed in this paper. An innovative robust point matching algorithm using dynamic point shifting is proposed to estimate patient-specific lung motion during free breathing from 4D computed tomography data. The correspondence of the landmark points is determined from the Euclidean distance between the landmark points and the similarity between the local images that are centered at points at the same time. To ensure that the points in the source image correspond to the points in the target image during other phases, the virtual target points are first created and shifted based on the similarity between the local image centered at the source point and the local image centered at the virtual target point. Second, the target points are shifted by the constrained inverse function mapping the target points to the virtual target points. The source point set and shifted target point set are used to estimate the transformation function between the source image and target image. The performances of the authors' method are evaluated on two publicly available DIR-lab and POPI-model lung datasets. For computing target registration errors on 750 landmark points in six phases of the DIR-lab dataset and 37 landmark points in ten phases of the POPI-model dataset, the mean and standard deviation by the authors' method are 1.11 and 1.11 mm, but they are 2.33 and 2.32 mm without considering image intensity, and 1.17 and 1.19 mm with sliding conditions. For the two phases of maximum inhalation and maximum exhalation in the DIR-lab dataset with 300 landmark points of each case, the mean and standard deviation of target registration errors on the 3000 landmark points of ten cases by the authors' method are 1.21 and 1.04 mm. In the EMPIRE10 lung registration challenge, the authors' method ranks 24 of 39. According to the index of the maximum shear stretch, the authors' method is also efficient to describe the discontinuous motion at the lung boundaries. By establishing the correspondence of the landmark points in the source phase and the other target phases combining shape matching and image intensity matching together, the mismatching issue in the robust point matching algorithm is adequately addressed. The target registration errors are statistically reduced by shifting the virtual target points and target points. The authors' method with consideration of sliding conditions can effectively estimate the discontinuous motion, and the estimated motion is natural. The primary limitation of the proposed method is that the temporal constraints of the trajectories of voxels are not introduced into the motion model. However, the proposed method provides satisfactory motion information, which results in precise tumor coverage by the radiation dose during radiotherapy.

Detection of localized inclusions of gold nanoparticles in Intralipid-1% by point-radiance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabtchak, Serge; Palmer, Tyler J.; Whelan, William M.

2011-07-01

Interstitial fiber-optic-based approaches used in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications rely on localized light-tissue interactions. We present an optical technique to identify spectrally and spatially specific exogenous chromophores in highly scattering turbid media. Point radiance spectroscopy is based on directional light collection at a single point with a side-firing fiber that can be rotated up to 360 deg. A side firing fiber accepts light within a well-defined, solid angle, thus potentially providing an improved spatial resolution. Measurements were performed using an 800-μm diameter isotropic spherical diffuser coupled to a halogen light source and a 600 μm, ~43 deg cleaved fiber (i.e., radiance detector). The background liquid-based scattering phantom was fabricated using 1% Intralipid. Light was collected with 1 deg increments through 360 deg-segment. Gold nanoparticles , placed into a 3.5-mm diameter capillary tube were used as localized scatterers and absorbers introduced into the liquid phantom both on- and off-axis between source and detector. The localized optical inhomogeneity was detectable as an angular-resolved variation in the radiance polar plots. This technique is being investigated as a potential noninvasive optical modality for prostate cancer monitoring.

Detection of localized inclusions of gold nanoparticles in Intralipid-1% by point-radiance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Grabtchak, Serge; Palmer, Tyler J; Whelan, William M

2011-07-01

Interstitial fiber-optic-based approaches used in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications rely on localized light-tissue interactions. We present an optical technique to identify spectrally and spatially specific exogenous chromophores in highly scattering turbid media. Point radiance spectroscopy is based on directional light collection at a single point with a side-firing fiber that can be rotated up to 360 deg. A side firing fiber accepts light within a well-defined, solid angle, thus potentially providing an improved spatial resolution. Measurements were performed using an 800-μm diameter isotropic spherical diffuser coupled to a halogen light source and a 600 μm, ∼43 deg cleaved fiber (i.e., radiance detector). The background liquid-based scattering phantom was fabricated using 1% Intralipid. Light was collected with 1 deg increments through 360 deg-segment. Gold nanoparticles , placed into a 3.5-mm diameter capillary tube were used as localized scatterers and absorbers introduced into the liquid phantom both on- and off-axis between source and detector. The localized optical inhomogeneity was detectable as an angular-resolved variation in the radiance polar plots. This technique is being investigated as a potential noninvasive optical modality for prostate cancer monitoring.

Development and application of a reactive plume-in-grid model: evaluation over Greater Paris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korsakissok, I.; Mallet, V.

2010-09-01

Emissions from major point sources are badly represented by classical Eulerian models. An overestimation of the horizontal plume dilution, a bad representation of the vertical diffusion as well as an incorrect estimate of the chemical reaction rates are the main limitations of such models in the vicinity of major point sources. The plume-in-grid method is a multiscale modeling technique that couples a local-scale Gaussian puff model with an Eulerian model in order to better represent these emissions. We present the plume-in-grid model developed in the air quality modeling system Polyphemus, with full gaseous chemistry. The model is evaluated on the metropolitan Île-de-France region, during six months (summer 2001). The subgrid-scale treatment is used for 89 major point sources, a selection based on the emission rates of NOx and SO2. Results with and without the subgrid treatment of point emissions are compared, and their performance by comparison to the observations on measurement stations is assessed. A sensitivity study is also carried out, on several local-scale parameters as well as on the vertical diffusion within the urban area. Primary pollutants are shown to be the most impacted by the plume-in-grid treatment. SO2 is the most impacted pollutant, since the point sources account for an important part of the total SO2 emissions, whereas NOx emissions are mostly due to traffic. The spatial impact of the subgrid treatment is localized in the vicinity of the sources, especially for reactive species (NOx and O3). Ozone is mostly sensitive to the time step between two puff emissions which influences the in-plume chemical reactions, whereas the almost-passive species SO2 is more sensitive to the injection time, which determines the duration of the subgrid-scale treatment. Future developments include an extension to handle aerosol chemistry, and an application to the modeling of line sources in order to use the subgrid treatment with road emissions. The latter is expected to lead to more striking results, due to the importance of traffic emissions for the pollutants of interest.

Quantitative evaluation of software packages for single-molecule localization microscopy.

PubMed

Sage, Daniel; Kirshner, Hagai; Pengo, Thomas; Stuurman, Nico; Min, Junhong; Manley, Suliana; Unser, Michael

2015-08-01

The quality of super-resolution images obtained by single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) depends largely on the software used to detect and accurately localize point sources. In this work, we focus on the computational aspects of super-resolution microscopy and present a comprehensive evaluation of localization software packages. Our philosophy is to evaluate each package as a whole, thus maintaining the integrity of the software. We prepared synthetic data that represent three-dimensional structures modeled after biological components, taking excitation parameters, noise sources, point-spread functions and pixelation into account. We then asked developers to run their software on our data; most responded favorably, allowing us to present a broad picture of the methods available. We evaluated their results using quantitative and user-interpretable criteria: detection rate, accuracy, quality of image reconstruction, resolution, software usability and computational resources. These metrics reflect the various tradeoffs of SMLM software packages and help users to choose the software that fits their needs.

Information Theoretic Studies and Assessment of Space Object Identification

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-24

localization are contained in Ref. [5]. 1.7.1 A Bayesian MPE Based Analysis of 2D Point-Source-Pair Superresolution In a second recently submitted paper [6], a...related problem of the optical superresolution (OSR) of a pair of equal-brightness point sources separated spatially by a distance (or angle) smaller...1403.4897 [physics.optics] (19 March 2014). 6. S. Prasad, “Asymptotics of Bayesian error probability and 2D pair superresolution ,” submitted to Opt. Express

Measuring Spatial Variability of Vapor Flux to Characterize Vadose-zone VOC Sources: Flow-cell Experiments

DOE PAGES

Mainhagu, Jon; Morrison, C.; Truex, Michael J.; ...

2014-08-05

A method termed vapor-phase tomography has recently been proposed to characterize the distribution of volatile organic contaminant mass in vadose-zone source areas, and to measure associated three-dimensional distributions of local contaminant mass discharge. The method is based on measuring the spatial variability of vapor flux, and thus inherent to its effectiveness is the premise that the magnitudes and temporal variability of vapor concentrations measured at different monitoring points within the interrogated area will be a function of the geospatial positions of the points relative to the source location. A series of flow-cell experiments was conducted to evaluate this premise. Amore » well-defined source zone was created by injection and extraction of a non-reactive gas (SF6). Spatial and temporal concentration distributions obtained from the tests were compared to simulations produced with a mathematical model describing advective and diffusive transport. Tests were conducted to characterize both areal and vertical components of the application. Decreases in concentration over time were observed for monitoring points located on the opposite side of the source zone from the local–extraction point, whereas increases were observed for monitoring points located between the local–extraction point and the source zone. We found that the results illustrate that comparison of temporal concentration profiles obtained at various monitoring points gives a general indication of the source location with respect to the extraction and monitoring points.« less

Mercury in mosses Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. and Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. from Poland and Alaska: Understanding the origin of pollution sources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Migaszewski, Z.M.; Galuszka, A.; Dole, ogonekgowska S.; Crock, J.G.; Lamothe, P.J.

2010-01-01

This report shows baseline concentrations of mercury in the moss species Hylocomium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi from the Kielce area and the remaining Holy Cross Mountains (HCM) region (south-central Poland), and Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska) and Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska). Like mosses from many European countries, Polish mosses were distinctly elevated in Hg, bearing a signature of cross-border atmospheric transport combined with local point sources. In contrast, Alaskan mosses showed lower Hg levels, reflecting mostly the underlying geology. Compared to HCM, Alaskan and Kielce mosses exhibited more uneven spatial distribution patterns of Hg. This variation is linked to topography and location of local point sources (Kielce) and underlying geology (Alaska). Both H. splendens and P. schreberi showed similar bioaccumulative capabilities of Hg in all four study areas. ?? 2010 Elsevier Inc.

Spatial distribution of pollutants in the area of the former CHP plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cichowicz, Robert

2018-01-01

The quality of atmospheric air and level of its pollution are now one of the most important issues connected with life on Earth. The frequent nuisance and exceedance of pollution standards often described in the media are generated by both low emission sources and mobile sources. Also local organized energy emission sources such as local boiler houses or CHP plants have impact on air pollution. At the same time it is important to remember that the role of local power stations in shaping air pollution immission fields depends on the height of emitters and functioning of waste gas treatment installations. Analysis of air pollution distribution was carried out in 2 series/dates, i.e. 2 and 10 weeks after closure of the CHP plant. In the analysis as a reference point the largest intersection of streets located in the immediate vicinity of the plant was selected, from which virtual circles were drawn every 50 meters, where 31 measuring points were located. As a result, the impact of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia levels could be observed and analyzed, depending on the distance from the street intersection.

Development of Precision Pointing Controllers with and Without Vibration Suppression for the NPS Precision Pointing Hexapod

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-12-01

applications, vibration sources are numerous such as: ! Launch Loading ! Man-induced accelerations like on the Shuttle or space station ! Solar ...However, the lack of significant tracking errors during times when other actuators were stationary, and the fact that the local maximum tracking...

BEAMLINE-CONTROLLED STEERING OF SOURCE-POINT ANGLE AT THE ADVANCED PHOTON SOURCE

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

Emery, L.; Fystro, G.; Shang, H.

An EPICS-based steering software system has been implemented for beamline personnel to directly steer the angle of the synchrotron radiation sources at the Advanced Photon Source. A script running on a workstation monitors "start steering" beamline EPICS records, and effects a steering given by the value of the "angle request" EPICS record. The new system makes the steering process much faster than before, although the older steering protocols can still be used. The robustness features of the original steering remain. Feedback messages are provided to the beamlines and the accelerator operators. Underpinning this new steering protocol is the recent refinementmore » of the global orbit feedback process whereby feedforward of dipole corrector set points and orbit set points are used to create a local steering bump in a rapid and seamless way.« less

Estimation of source location and ground impedance using a hybrid multiple signal classification and Levenberg-Marquardt approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Kai-Chung; Lau, Siu-Kit; Tang, Shiu-Keung

2016-07-01

A microphone array signal processing method for locating a stationary point source over a locally reactive ground and for estimating ground impedance is examined in detail in the present study. A non-linear least square approach using the Levenberg-Marquardt method is proposed to overcome the problem of unknown ground impedance. The multiple signal classification method (MUSIC) is used to give the initial estimation of the source location, while the technique of forward backward spatial smoothing is adopted as a pre-processer of the source localization to minimize the effects of source coherence. The accuracy and robustness of the proposed signal processing method are examined. Results show that source localization in the horizontal direction by MUSIC is satisfactory. However, source coherence reduces drastically the accuracy in estimating the source height. The further application of Levenberg-Marquardt method with the results from MUSIC as the initial inputs improves significantly the accuracy of source height estimation. The present proposed method provides effective and robust estimation of the ground surface impedance.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: M31 center emission-line point-like sources (Martin+, 2018)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, T. B.; Drissen, L.; Melchior, A.-L.

2017-11-01

We present a catalogue of the point-like sources in the central 11'x11' part of M31 obtained with SITELLE. For each source we report the radial velocity as long as the spectrophotmetric flux of H-alpha, [NII]6584 and the sum of the [SII]6717,6731 doublet. The ID of the sources cross-matched with the catalogues from Merrett et al. (2006MNRAS.369..120M, J/MNRAS/369/120) and Halliday et al. (2006MNRAS.369...97H, J/MNRAS/369/97) are also indicated. We also report the detection of the sources in the images of the Local Group Galaxies Survey (Massey et al., 2006, 2006AJ....131.2478M). (1 data file).

Distributed least-squares estimation of a remote chemical source via convex combination in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Cao, Meng-Li; Meng, Qing-Hao; Zeng, Ming; Sun, Biao; Li, Wei; Ding, Cheng-Jun

2014-06-27

This paper investigates the problem of locating a continuous chemical source using the concentration measurements provided by a wireless sensor network (WSN). Such a problem exists in various applications: eliminating explosives or drugs, detecting the leakage of noxious chemicals, etc. The limited power and bandwidth of WSNs have motivated collaborative in-network processing which is the focus of this paper. We propose a novel distributed least-squares estimation (DLSE) method to solve the chemical source localization (CSL) problem using a WSN. The DLSE method is realized by iteratively conducting convex combination of the locally estimated chemical source locations in a distributed manner. Performance assessments of our method are conducted using both simulations and real experiments. In the experiments, we propose a fitting method to identify both the release rate and the eddy diffusivity. The results show that the proposed DLSE method can overcome the negative interference of local minima and saddle points of the objective function, which would hinder the convergence of local search methods, especially in the case of locating a remote chemical source.

Reaching nearby sources: comparison between real and virtual sound and visual targets

PubMed Central

Parseihian, Gaëtan; Jouffrais, Christophe; Katz, Brian F. G.

2014-01-01

Sound localization studies over the past century have predominantly been concerned with directional accuracy for far-field sources. Few studies have examined the condition of near-field sources and distance perception. The current study concerns localization and pointing accuracy by examining source positions in the peripersonal space, specifically those associated with a typical tabletop surface. Accuracy is studied with respect to the reporting hand (dominant or secondary) for auditory sources. Results show no effect on the reporting hand with azimuthal errors increasing equally for the most extreme source positions. Distance errors show a consistent compression toward the center of the reporting area. A second evaluation is carried out comparing auditory and visual stimuli to examine any bias in reporting protocol or biomechanical difficulties. No common bias error was observed between auditory and visual stimuli indicating that reporting errors were not due to biomechanical limitations in the pointing task. A final evaluation compares real auditory sources and anechoic condition virtual sources created using binaural rendering. Results showed increased azimuthal errors, with virtual source positions being consistently overestimated to more lateral positions, while no significant distance perception was observed, indicating a deficiency in the binaural rendering condition relative to the real stimuli situation. Various potential reasons for this discrepancy are discussed with several proposals for improving distance perception in peripersonal virtual environments. PMID:25228855

Localization of self-potential sources in volcano-electric effect with complex continuous wavelet transform and electrical tomography methods for an active volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saracco, Ginette; Labazuy, Philippe; Moreau, Frédérique

2004-06-01

This study concerns the fluid flow circulation associated with magmatic intrusion during volcanic eruptions from electrical tomography studies. The objective is to localize and characterize the sources responsible for electrical disturbances during a time evolution survey between 1993 and 1999 of an active volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise. We have applied a dipolar probability tomography and a multi-scale analysis on synthetic and experimental SP data. We show the advantage of the complex continuous wavelet transform which allows to obtain directional information from the phase without a priori information on sources. In both cases, we point out a translation of potential sources through the upper depths during periods preceding a volcanic eruption around specific faults or structural features. The set of parameters obtained (vertical and horizontal localization, multipolar degree and inclination) could be taken into account as criteria to define volcanic precursors.

Self-Similar Spin Images for Point Cloud Matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulido, Daniel

The rapid growth of Light Detection And Ranging (Lidar) technologies that collect, process, and disseminate 3D point clouds have allowed for increasingly accurate spatial modeling and analysis of the real world. Lidar sensors can generate massive 3D point clouds of a collection area that provide highly detailed spatial and radiometric information. However, a Lidar collection can be expensive and time consuming. Simultaneously, the growth of crowdsourced Web 2.0 data (e.g., Flickr, OpenStreetMap) have provided researchers with a wealth of freely available data sources that cover a variety of geographic areas. Crowdsourced data can be of varying quality and density. In addition, since it is typically not collected as part of a dedicated experiment but rather volunteered, when and where the data is collected is arbitrary. The integration of these two sources of geoinformation can provide researchers the ability to generate products and derive intelligence that mitigate their respective disadvantages and combine their advantages. Therefore, this research will address the problem of fusing two point clouds from potentially different sources. Specifically, we will consider two problems: scale matching and feature matching. Scale matching consists of computing feature metrics of each point cloud and analyzing their distributions to determine scale differences. Feature matching consists of defining local descriptors that are invariant to common dataset distortions (e.g., rotation and translation). Additionally, after matching the point clouds they can be registered and processed further (e.g., change detection). The objective of this research is to develop novel methods to fuse and enhance two point clouds from potentially disparate sources (e.g., Lidar and crowdsourced Web 2.0 datasets). The scope of this research is to investigate both scale and feature matching between two point clouds. The specific focus of this research will be in developing a novel local descriptor based on the concept of self-similarity to aid in the scale and feature matching steps. An open problem in fusion is how best to extract features from two point clouds and then perform feature-based matching. The proposed approach for this matching step is the use of local self-similarity as an invariant measure to match features. In particular, the proposed approach is to combine the concept of local self-similarity with a well-known feature descriptor, Spin Images, and thereby define "Self-Similar Spin Images". This approach is then extended to the case of matching two points clouds in very different coordinate systems (e.g., a geo-referenced Lidar point cloud and stereo-image derived point cloud without geo-referencing). The use of Self-Similar Spin Images is again applied to address this problem by introducing a "Self-Similar Keyscale" that matches the spatial scales of two point clouds. Another open problem is how best to detect changes in content between two point clouds. A method is proposed to find changes between two point clouds by analyzing the order statistics of the nearest neighbors between the two clouds, and thereby define the "Nearest Neighbor Order Statistic" method. Note that the well-known Hausdorff distance is a special case as being just the maximum order statistic. Therefore, by studying the entire histogram of these nearest neighbors it is expected to yield a more robust method to detect points that are present in one cloud but not the other. This approach is applied at multiple resolutions. Therefore, changes detected at the coarsest level will yield large missing targets and at finer levels will yield smaller targets.

A model of the 8-25 micron point source infrared sky

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wainscoat, Richard J.; Cohen, Martin; Volk, Kevin; Walker, Helen J.; Schwartz, Deborah E.

1992-01-01

We present a detailed model for the IR point-source sky that comprises geometrically and physically realistic representations of the Galactic disk, bulge, stellar halo, spiral arms (including the 'local arm'), molecular ring, and the extragalactic sky. We represent each of the distinct Galactic components by up to 87 types of Galactic source, each fully characterized by scale heights, space densities, and absolute magnitudes at BVJHK, 12, and 25 microns. The model is guided by a parallel Monte Carlo simulation of the Galaxy at 12 microns. The content of our Galactic source table constitutes a good match to the 12 micron luminosity function in the simulation, as well as to the luminosity functions at V and K. We are able to produce differential and cumulative IR source counts for any bandpass lying fully within the IRAS Low-Resolution Spectrometer's range (7.7-22.7 microns as well as for the IRAS 12 and 25 micron bands. These source counts match the IRAS observations well. The model can be used to predict the character of the point source sky expected for observations from IR space experiments.

Detection of spatial fluctuations of non-point source fecal pollution in coral reef surrounding waters in southwestern Puerto Rico using PCR-based assays.

PubMed

Bonkosky, M; Hernández-Delgado, E A; Sandoz, B; Robledo, I E; Norat-Ramírez, J; Mattei, H

2009-01-01

Human fecal contamination of coral reefs is a major cause of concern. Conventional methods used to monitor microbial water quality cannot be used to discriminate between different fecal pollution sources. Fecal coliforms, enterococci, and human-specific Bacteroides (HF183, HF134), general Bacteroides-Prevotella (GB32), and Clostridium coccoides group (CP) 16S rDNA PCR assays were used to test for the presence of non-point source fecal contamination across the southwestern Puerto Rico shelf. Inshore waters were highly turbid, consistently receiving fecal pollution from variable sources, and showing the highest frequency of positive molecular marker signals. Signals were also detected at offshore waters in compliance with existing microbiological quality regulations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most isolates were of human fecal origin. The geographic extent of non-point source fecal pollution was large and impacted extensive coral reef systems. This could have deleterious long-term impacts on public health, local fisheries and in tourism potential if not adequately addressed.

Interferometric superlocalization of two incoherent optical point sources.

PubMed

Nair, Ranjith; Tsang, Mankei

2016-02-22

A novel interferometric method - SLIVER (Super Localization by Image inVERsion interferometry) - is proposed for estimating the separation of two incoherent point sources with a mean squared error that does not deteriorate as the sources are brought closer. The essential component of the interferometer is an image inversion device that inverts the field in the transverse plane about the optical axis, assumed to pass through the centroid of the sources. The performance of the device is analyzed using the Cramér-Rao bound applied to the statistics of spatially-unresolved photon counting using photon number-resolving and on-off detectors. The analysis is supported by Monte-Carlo simulations of the maximum likelihood estimator for the source separation, demonstrating the superlocalization effect for separations well below that set by the Rayleigh criterion. Simulations indicating the robustness of SLIVER to mismatch between the optical axis and the centroid are also presented. The results are valid for any imaging system with a circularly symmetric point-spread function.

A fast and fully automatic registration approach based on point features for multi-source remote-sensing images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Le; Zhang, Dengrong; Holden, Eun-Jung

2008-07-01

Automatic registration of multi-source remote-sensing images is a difficult task as it must deal with the varying illuminations and resolutions of the images, different perspectives and the local deformations within the images. This paper proposes a fully automatic and fast non-rigid image registration technique that addresses those issues. The proposed technique performs a pre-registration process that coarsely aligns the input image to the reference image by automatically detecting their matching points by using the scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) method and an affine transformation model. Once the coarse registration is completed, it performs a fine-scale registration process based on a piecewise linear transformation technique using feature points that are detected by the Harris corner detector. The registration process firstly finds in succession, tie point pairs between the input and the reference image by detecting Harris corners and applying a cross-matching strategy based on a wavelet pyramid for a fast search speed. Tie point pairs with large errors are pruned by an error-checking step. The input image is then rectified by using triangulated irregular networks (TINs) to deal with irregular local deformations caused by the fluctuation of the terrain. For each triangular facet of the TIN, affine transformations are estimated and applied for rectification. Experiments with Quickbird, SPOT5, SPOT4, TM remote-sensing images of the Hangzhou area in China demonstrate the efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed technique for multi-source remote-sensing image registration.

Quantum Theory of Three-Dimensional Superresolution Using Rotating-PSF Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, S.; Yu, Z.

The inverse of the quantum Fisher information (QFI) matrix (and extensions thereof) provides the ultimate lower bound on the variance of any unbiased estimation of a parameter from statistical data, whether of intrinsically quantum mechanical or classical character. We calculate the QFI for Poisson-shot-noise-limited imagery using the rotating PSF that can localize and resolve point sources fully in all three dimensions. We also propose an experimental approach based on the use of computer generated hologram and projective measurements to realize the QFI-limited variance for the problem of super-resolving a closely spaced pair of point sources at a highly reduced photon cost. The paper presents a preliminary analysis of quantum-limited three-dimensional (3D) pair optical super-resolution (OSR) problem with potential applications to astronomical imaging and 3D space-debris localization.

Study of Heavy Metals in a Wetland Area Adjacent to a Waste Disposal Site Near Resolute Bay, Canadian High Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lund, K. E.; Young, K. L.

2004-05-01

Heavy metal contamination in High Arctic systems is of growing concern. Studies have been conducted measuring long range and large point source pollutants, but little research has been done on small point sources such as municipal waste disposal sites. Many Arctic communities are coastal, and local people consume marine wildlife in which concentrations of heavy metals can accumulate. Waste disposal sites are often located in very close proximity to the coastline and leaching of these metals could contaminate food sources on a local scale. Cadmium and lead are the metals focussed on by this study, as the Northern Contaminants Program recognizes them as metals of concern. During the summer of 2003 a study was conducted near Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, to determine the extent of cadmium and lead leaching from a local dumpsite to an adjacent wetland. The ultimate fate of these contaminants is approximately 1 km downslope in the ocean. Transects covering an area of 0.3 km2 were established downslope from the point of disposal and water and soil samples were collected and analyzed for cadmium and lead. Only trace amounts of cadmium and lead were found in the water samples. In the soil samples, low uniform concentrations of cadmium were found that were slightly above background levels, except for adjacent to the point of waste input where higher concentrations were found. Lead soil concentrations were higher than cadmium and varied spatially with soil material and moisture. Overall, excessive amounts of cadmium and lead contamination do not appear to be entering the marine ecosystem. However, soil material and moisture should be considered when establishing waste disposal sites in the far north

Aeroacoustic catastrophes: upstream cusp beaming in Lilley's equation.

PubMed

Stone, J T; Self, R H; Howls, C J

2017-05-01

The downstream propagation of high-frequency acoustic waves from a point source in a subsonic jet obeying Lilley's equation is well known to be organized around the so-called 'cone of silence', a fold catastrophe across which the amplitude may be modelled uniformly using Airy functions. Here we show that acoustic waves not only unexpectedly propagate upstream, but also are organized at constant distance from the point source around a cusp catastrophe with amplitude modelled locally by the Pearcey function. Furthermore, the cone of silence is revealed to be a cross-section of a swallowtail catastrophe. One consequence of these discoveries is that the peak acoustic field upstream is not only structurally stable but also at a similar level to the known downstream field. The fine structure of the upstream cusp is blurred out by distributions of symmetric acoustic sources, but peak upstream acoustic beaming persists when asymmetries are introduced, from either arrays of discrete point sources or perturbed continuum ring source distributions. These results may pose interesting questions for future novel jet-aircraft engine designs where asymmetric source distributions arise.

Quantum Change Point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sentís, Gael; Bagan, Emilio; Calsamiglia, John; Chiribella, Giulio; Muñoz-Tapia, Ramon

2016-10-01

Sudden changes are ubiquitous in nature. Identifying them is crucial for a number of applications in biology, medicine, and social sciences. Here we take the problem of detecting sudden changes to the quantum domain. We consider a source that emits quantum particles in a default state, until a point where a mutation occurs that causes the source to switch to another state. The problem is then to find out where the change occurred. We determine the maximum probability of correctly identifying the change point, allowing for collective measurements on the whole sequence of particles emitted by the source. Then, we devise online strategies where the particles are measured individually and an answer is provided as soon as a new particle is received. We show that these online strategies substantially underperform the optimal quantum measurement, indicating that quantum sudden changes, although happening locally, are better detected globally.

Characterization and source apportionment of health risks from ambient PM10 in Hong Kong over 2000-2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhiyuan; Yuan, Zibing; Li, Ying; Lau, Alexis K. H.; Louie, Peter K. K.

2015-12-01

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) pollution is a major public health concern in Hong Kong. In this study, the spatiotemporal variations of health risks from ambient PM10 from seven air quality monitoring stations between 2000 and 2011 were analyzed. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was adopted to identify major source categories of ambient PM10 and quantify their contributions. Afterwards, a point-estimated risk model was used to identify the inhalation cancer and non-cancer risks of PM10 sources. The long-term trends of the health risks from classified local and non-local sources were explored. Furthermore, the reason for the increase of health risks during high PM10 days was discussed. Results show that vehicle exhaust source was the dominant inhalation cancer risk (ICR) contributor (72%), whereas trace metals and vehicle exhaust sources contributed approximately 27% and 21% of PM10 inhalation non-cancer risk (INCR), respectively. The identified local sources accounted for approximately 80% of the ICR in Hong Kong, while contribution percentages of the non-local and local sources for INCR are comparable. The clear increase of ICR at high PM days was mainly attributed to the increase of contributions from coal combustion/biomass burning and secondary sulfate, while the increase of INCR at high PM days was attributed to the increase of contributions from the sources coal combustion/biomass burning, secondary nitrate, and trace metals. This study highlights the importance of health risk-based source apportionment in air quality management with protecting human health as the ultimate target.

Non-Point Source Pollutant Load Variation in Rapid Urbanization Areas by Remote Sensing, Gis and the L-THIA Model: A Case in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China.

PubMed

Li, Tianhong; Bai, Fengjiao; Han, Peng; Zhang, Yuanyan

2016-11-01

Urban sprawl is a major driving force that alters local and regional hydrology and increases non-point source pollution. Using the Bao'an District in Shenzhen, China, a typical rapid urbanization area, as the study area and land-use change maps from 1988 to 2014 that were obtained by remote sensing, the contributions of different land-use types to NPS pollutant production were assessed with a localized long-term hydrologic impact assessment (L-THIA) model. The results show that the non-point source pollution load changed significantly both in terms of magnitude and spatial distribution. The loads of chemical oxygen demand, total suspended substances, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were affected by the interactions between event mean concentration and the magnitude of changes in land-use acreages and the spatial distribution. From 1988 to 2014, the loads of chemical oxygen demand, suspended substances and total phosphorus showed clearly increasing trends with rates of 132.48 %, 32.52 % and 38.76 %, respectively, while the load of total nitrogen decreased by 71.52 %. The immigrant population ratio was selected as an indicator to represent the level of rapid urbanization and industrialization in the study area, and a comparison analysis of the indicator with the four non-point source loads demonstrated that the chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus and total nitrogen loads are linearly related to the immigrant population ratio. The results provide useful information for environmental improvement and city management in the study area.

Non-Point Source Pollutant Load Variation in Rapid Urbanization Areas by Remote Sensing, Gis and the L-THIA Model: A Case in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tianhong; Bai, Fengjiao; Han, Peng; Zhang, Yuanyan

2016-11-01

Urban sprawl is a major driving force that alters local and regional hydrology and increases non-point source pollution. Using the Bao'an District in Shenzhen, China, a typical rapid urbanization area, as the study area and land-use change maps from 1988 to 2014 that were obtained by remote sensing, the contributions of different land-use types to NPS pollutant production were assessed with a localized long-term hydrologic impact assessment (L-THIA) model. The results show that the non-point source pollution load changed significantly both in terms of magnitude and spatial distribution. The loads of chemical oxygen demand, total suspended substances, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were affected by the interactions between event mean concentration and the magnitude of changes in land-use acreages and the spatial distribution. From 1988 to 2014, the loads of chemical oxygen demand, suspended substances and total phosphorus showed clearly increasing trends with rates of 132.48 %, 32.52 % and 38.76 %, respectively, while the load of total nitrogen decreased by 71.52 %. The immigrant population ratio was selected as an indicator to represent the level of rapid urbanization and industrialization in the study area, and a comparison analysis of the indicator with the four non-point source loads demonstrated that the chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus and total nitrogen loads are linearly related to the immigrant population ratio. The results provide useful information for environmental improvement and city management in the study area.

National Emissions Inventory (NEI), County-Level, US, 2008, 2011, 2014, EPA OAR, OAPQS

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This US EPA Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Air Quality Assessment Division, Air Quality Analysis Group (OAR, OAQPS, AQAD, AQAG) web service contains the following layers created from the 2008, 2011 and 2014 National Emissions Inventory (NEI): Carbon Monoxide (CO), Lead, Ammonia (NH3), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Each of these layers conatin county level emissions for 2008, 2011, and 2014. Layers are drawn at all scales. The National Emission Inventory (NEI) is a comprehensive and detailed estimate of air emissions of criteria pollutants, criteria precursors, and hazardous air pollutants from air emissions sources. The NEI is released every three years based primarily upon data provided by State, Local, and Tribal air agencies for sources in their jurisdictions and supplemented by data developed by the US EPA. The NEI is built using the Emissions Inventory System (EIS) first to collect the data from State, Local, and Tribal air agencies and then to blend that data with other data sources.NEI point sources include emissions estimates for larger sources that are located at a fixed, stationary location. Point sources in the NEI include large industrial facilities and electric power plants, airports, and smaller industrial, non-industrial and commercial facilities. A small number of portable sources such as s

Lightning on Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarf, F. L.

1985-01-01

On the night side of Venus, the plasma wave instrument on the Pioneer-Venus Orbiter frequently detects strong and impulsive low-frequency noise bursts when the local magnetic field is strong and steady and when the field is oriented to point down to the ionosphere. The signals have characteristics of lightning whistlers, and an attempt was made to identify the sources by tracing rays along the B-field from the Orbiter down toward the surface. An extensive data set strongly indicates a clustering of lightning sources near the Beta and Phoebe Regios, with additional significant clustering near the Atla Regio at the eastern edge of Aphrodite Terra. These results suggest that there are localized lightning sources at or near the planetary surface.

Sound source localization on an axial fan at different operating points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zenger, Florian J.; Herold, Gert; Becker, Stefan; Sarradj, Ennes

2016-08-01

A generic fan with unskewed fan blades is investigated using a microphone array method. The relative motion of the fan with respect to the stationary microphone array is compensated by interpolating the microphone data to a virtual rotating array with the same rotational speed as the fan. Hence, beamforming algorithms with deconvolution, in this case CLEAN-SC, could be applied. Sound maps and integrated spectra of sub-components are evaluated for five operating points. At selected frequency bands, the presented method yields sound maps featuring a clear circular source pattern corresponding to the nine fan blades. Depending on the adjusted operating point, sound sources are located on the leading or trailing edges of the fan blades. Integrated spectra show that in most cases leading edge noise is dominant for the low-frequency part and trailing edge noise for the high-frequency part. The shift from leading to trailing edge noise is strongly dependent on the operating point and frequency range considered.

Relativistic effects in local inertial frames including parametrized-post-Newtonian effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahid-Saless, Bahman; Ashby, Neil

1988-09-01

We use the concept of a generalized Fermi frame to describe relativistic effects, due to local and distant sources of gravitation, on a body placed in a local inertial frame of reference. In particular we have considered a model of two spherically symmetric gravitating point sources, moving in circular orbits around a common barycenter where one of the bodies is chosen to be the local and the other the distant one. This has been done using the slow-motion, weak-field approximation and including four of the parametrized-post-Newtonian (PPN) parameters. The position of the classical center of mass must be modified when the PPN parameter ζ2 is included. We show that the main relativistic effect on a local satellite is described by the Schwarzschild field of the local body and the nonlinear term corresponding to the self-interaction of the local source with itself. There are also much smaller terms that are proportional, respectively, to the product of the potentials of local and distant bodies and to the distant body's self-interactions. The spatial axes of the local frame undergo geodetic precession. In addition we have an acceleration of the order of 10-11 cm sec-2 that vanish in the case of general relativity, which is discussed in detail.

Multi-angle Indicators System of Non-point Pollution Source Assessment in Rural Areas: A Case Study Near Taihu Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Lei; Ban, Jie; Han, Yu Ting; Yang, Jie; Bi, Jun

2013-04-01

This study aims to identify key environmental risk sources contributing to water eutrophication and to suggest certain risk management strategies for rural areas. The multi-angle indicators included in the risk source assessment system were non-point source pollution, deficient waste treatment, and public awareness of environmental risk, which combined psychometric paradigm methods, the contingent valuation method, and personal interviews to describe the environmental sensitivity of local residents. Total risk values of different villages near Taihu Lake were calculated in the case study, which resulted in a geographic risk map showing which village was the critical risk source of Taihu eutrophication. The increased application of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), loss vulnerability of pollutant, and a lack of environmental risk awareness led to more serious non-point pollution, especially in rural China. Interesting results revealed by the quotient between the scores of objective risk sources and subjective risk sources showed what should be improved for each study village. More environmental investments, control of agricultural activities, and promotion of environmental education are critical considerations for rural environmental management. These findings are helpful for developing targeted and effective risk management strategies in rural areas.

Tokamak startup using point-source dc helicity injection.

PubMed

Battaglia, D J; Bongard, M W; Fonck, R J; Redd, A J; Sontag, A C

2009-06-05

Startup of a 0.1 MA tokamak plasma is demonstrated on the ultralow aspect ratio Pegasus Toroidal Experiment using three localized, high-current density sources mounted near the outboard midplane. The injected open field current relaxes via helicity-conserving magnetic turbulence into a tokamaklike magnetic topology where the maximum sustained plasma current is determined by helicity balance and the requirements for magnetic relaxation.

The local density of optical states of a metasurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunnemann, Per; Koenderink, A. Femius

2016-02-01

While metamaterials are often desirable for near-field functions, such as perfect lensing, or cloaking, they are often quantified by their response to plane waves from the far field. Here, we present a theoretical analysis of the local density of states near lattices of discrete magnetic scatterers, i.e., the response to near field excitation by a point source. Based on a pointdipole theory using Ewald summation and an array scanning method, we can swiftly and semi-analytically evaluate the local density of states (LDOS) for magnetoelectric point sources in front of an infinite two-dimensional (2D) lattice composed of arbitrary magnetoelectric dipole scatterers. The method takes into account radiation damping as well as all retarded electrodynamic interactions in a self-consistent manner. We show that a lattice of magnetic scatterers evidences characteristic Drexhage oscillations. However, the oscillations are phase shifted relative to the electrically scattering lattice consistent with the difference expected for reflection off homogeneous magnetic respectively electric mirrors. Furthermore, we identify in which source-surface separation regimes the metasurface may be treated as a homogeneous interface, and in which homogenization fails. A strong frequency and in-plane position dependence of the LDOS close to the lattice reveals coupling to guided modes supported by the lattice.

Environmental Education: Non-point Source Pollution

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This activity is designed to demonstrate to students what an average storm drain collects during a rainfall event and how the water from storm drains can impact the water quality and aquatic environments of local streams, rivers, and bays.

Clinton River Sediment Transport Modeling Study

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The U.S. ACE develops sediment transport models for tributaries to the Great Lakes that discharge to AOCs. The models developed help State and local agencies to evaluate better ways for soil conservation and non-point source pollution prevention.

Error assessment of local tie vectors in space geodesy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkenberg, Jana; Heinkelmann, Robert; Schuh, Harald

2014-05-01

For the computation of the ITRF, the data of the geometric space-geodetic techniques on co-location sites are combined. The combination increases the redundancy and offers the possibility to utilize the strengths of each technique while mitigating their weaknesses. To enable the combination of co-located techniques each technique needs to have a well-defined geometric reference point. The linking of the geometric reference points enables the combination of the technique-specific coordinate to a multi-technique site coordinate. The vectors between these reference points are called "local ties". The realization of local ties is usually reached by local surveys of the distances and or angles between the reference points. Identified temporal variations of the reference points are considered in the local tie determination only indirectly by assuming a mean position. Finally, the local ties measured in the local surveying network are to be transformed into the ITRF, the global geocentric equatorial coordinate system of the space-geodetic techniques. The current IERS procedure for the combination of the space-geodetic techniques includes the local tie vectors with an error floor of three millimeters plus a distance dependent component. This error floor, however, significantly underestimates the real accuracy of local tie determination. To fullfill the GGOS goals of 1 mm position and 0.1 mm/yr velocity accuracy, an accuracy of the local tie will be mandatory at the sub-mm level, which is currently not achievable. To assess the local tie effects on ITRF computations, investigations of the error sources will be done to realistically assess and consider them. Hence, a reasonable estimate of all the included errors of the various local ties is needed. An appropriate estimate could also improve the separation of local tie error and technique-specific error contributions to uncertainties and thus access the accuracy of space-geodetic techniques. Our investigations concern the simulation of the error contribution of each component of the local tie definition and determination. A closer look into the models of reference point definition, of accessibility, of measurement, and of transformation is necessary to properly model the error of the local tie. The effect of temporal variations on the local ties will be studied as well. The transformation of the local survey into the ITRF can be assumed to be the largest error contributor, in particular the orientation of the local surveying network to the ITRF.

Sources and transport of phosphorus to rivers in California and adjacent states, U.S., as determined by SPARROW modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Domagalski, Joseph L.; Saleh, Dina

2015-01-01

The SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes) model was used to simulate annual phosphorus loads and concentrations in unmonitored stream reaches in California, U.S., and portions of Nevada and Oregon. The model was calibrated using de-trended streamflow and phosphorus concentration data at 80 locations. The model explained 91% of the variability in loads and 51% of the variability in yields for a base year of 2002. Point sources, geological background, and cultivated land were significant sources. Variables used to explain delivery of phosphorus from land to water were precipitation and soil clay content. Aquatic loss of phosphorus was significant in streams of all sizes, with the greatest decay predicted in small- and intermediate-sized streams. Geological sources, including volcanic rocks and shales, were the principal control on concentrations and loads in many regions. Some localized formations such as the Monterey shale of southern California are important sources of phosphorus and may contribute to elevated stream concentrations. Many of the larger point source facilities were located in downstream areas, near the ocean, and do not affect inland streams except for a few locations. Large areas of cultivated land result in phosphorus load increases, but do not necessarily increase the loads above those of geological background in some cases because of local hydrology, which limits the potential of phosphorus transport from land to streams.

Local spectrum analysis of field propagation in an anisotropic medium. Part II. Time-dependent fields.

PubMed

Tinkelman, Igor; Melamed, Timor

2005-06-01

In Part I of this two-part investigation [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 22, 1200 (2005)], we presented a theory for phase-space propagation of time-harmonic electromagnetic fields in an anisotropic medium characterized by a generic wave-number profile. In this Part II, these investigations are extended to transient fields, setting a general analytical framework for local analysis and modeling of radiation from time-dependent extended-source distributions. In this formulation the field is expressed as a superposition of pulsed-beam propagators that emanate from all space-time points in the source domain and in all directions. Using time-dependent quadratic-Lorentzian windows, we represent the field by a phase-space spectral distribution in which the propagating elements are pulsed beams, which are formulated by a transient plane-wave spectrum over the extended-source plane. By applying saddle-point asymptotics, we extract the beam phenomenology in the anisotropic environment resulting from short-pulsed processing. Finally, the general results are applied to the special case of uniaxial crystal and compared with a reference solution.

"Closing the Loop": Overcoming barriers to locally sourcing food in Fort Collins, Colorado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeMets, C. M.

2012-12-01

Environmental sustainability has become a focal point for many communities in recent years, and restaurants are seeking creative ways to become more sustainable. As many chefs realize, sourcing food locally is an important step towards sustainability and towards building a healthy, resilient community. Review of literature on sustainability in restaurants and the local food movement revealed that chefs face many barriers to sourcing their food locally, but that there are also many solutions for overcoming these barriers that chefs are in the early stages of exploring. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify barriers to local sourcing and investigate how some restaurants are working to overcome those barriers in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. To do this, interviews were conducted with four subjects who guide purchasing decisions for restaurants in Fort Collins. Two of these restaurants have created successful solutions and are able to source most of their food locally. The other two are interested in and working towards sourcing locally but have not yet been able to overcome barriers, and therefore only source a few local items. Findings show that there are four barriers and nine solutions commonly identified by each of the subjects. The research found differences between those who source most of their food locally and those who have not made as much progress in local sourcing. Based on these results, two solution flowcharts were created, one for primary barriers and one for secondary barriers, for restaurants to assess where they are in the local food chain and how they can more successfully source food locally. As there are few explicit connections between this research question and climate change, it is important to consider the implicit connections that motivate and justify this research. The question of whether or not greenhouse gas emissions are lower for locally sourced food is a topic of much debate, and while there are major developments for quantitatively determining a generalized answer, it is "currently impossible to state categorically whether or not local food systems emit fewer greenhouse gases than non-local food systems" (Edwards-Jones et al, 2008). Even so, numerous researchers have shown that "83 percent of emissions occur before food even leaves the farm gate" (Weber and Matthews, Garnett, cited in DeWeerdt, 2011); while this doesn't provide any information in terms of local vs. non-local, it is significant when viewed in light of the fact that local farmers tend to have much greater transparency and accountability in their agricultural practices. In other words, "a farmer who sells in the local food economy might be more likely to adopt or continue sustainable practices in order to meet…customer demand" (DeWeerdt, 2011), among other reasons such as environmental concern and desire to support the local economy (DeWeerdt, 2009). In identifying solutions to barriers to locally sourcing food, this research will enable restaurants to overcome these barriers and source their food locally, thereby supporting farmers and their ability to maintain sustainable practices.

Local spectrum analysis of field propagation in an anisotropic medium. Part I. Time-harmonic fields.

PubMed

Tinkelman, Igor; Melamed, Timor

2005-06-01

The phase-space beam summation is a general analytical framework for local analysis and modeling of radiation from extended source distributions. In this formulation, the field is expressed as a superposition of beam propagators that emanate from all points in the source domain and in all directions. In this Part I of a two-part investigation, the theory is extended to include propagation in anisotropic medium characterized by a generic wave-number profile for time-harmonic fields; in a companion paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 22, 1208 (2005)], the theory is extended to time-dependent fields. The propagation characteristics of the beam propagators in a homogeneous anisotropic medium are considered. With use of Gaussian windows for the local processing of either ordinary or extraordinary electromagnetic field distributions, the field is represented by a phase-space spectral distribution in which the propagating elements are Gaussian beams that are formulated by using Gaussian plane-wave spectral distributions over the extended source plane. By applying saddle-point asymptotics, we extract the Gaussian beam phenomenology in the anisotropic environment. The resulting field is parameterized in terms of the spatial evolution of the beam curvature, beam width, etc., which are mapped to local geometrical properties of the generic wave-number profile. The general results are applied to the special case of uniaxial crystal, and it is found that the asymptotics for the Gaussian beam propagators, as well as the physical phenomenology attached, perform remarkably well.

Analyzing Variability in Landscape Nutrient Loading Using Spatially-Explicit Maps in the Great Lakes Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamlin, Q. F.; Kendall, A. D.; Martin, S. L.; Whitenack, H. D.; Roush, J. A.; Hannah, B. A.; Hyndman, D. W.

2017-12-01

Excessive loading of nitrogen and phosphorous to the landscape has caused biologically and economically damaging eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes Basin (GLB) and across the world. We mapped source-specific loads of nitrogen and phosphorous to the landscape using broadly available data across the GLB. SENSMap (Spatially Explicit Nutrient Source Map) is a 30m resolution snapshot of nutrient loads ca. 2010. We use these maps to study variable nutrient loading and provide this information to watershed managers through NOAA's GLB Tipping Points Planner. SENSMap individually maps nutrient point sources and six non-point sources: 1) atmospheric deposition, 2) septic tanks, 3) non-agricultural chemical fertilizer, 4) agricultural chemical fertilizer, 5) manure, and 6) nitrogen fixation from legumes. To model source-specific loads at high resolution, SENSMap synthesizes a wide range of remotely sensed, surveyed, and tabular data. Using these spatially explicit nutrient loading maps, we can better calibrate local land use-based water quality models and provide insight to watershed managers on how to focus nutrient reduction strategies. Here we examine differences in dominant nutrient sources across the GLB, and how those sources vary by land use. SENSMap's high resolution, source-specific approach offers a different lens to understand nutrient loading than traditional semi-distributed or land use based models.

GC-MS analyses and chemometric processing to discriminate the local and long-distance sources of PAHs associated to atmospheric PM2.5.

PubMed

Masiol, Mauro; Centanni, Elena; Squizzato, Stefania; Hofer, Angelika; Pecorari, Eliana; Rampazzo, Giancarlo; Pavoni, Bruno

2012-09-01

This study presents a procedure to differentiate the local and remote sources of particulate-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Data were collected during an extended PM(2.5) sampling campaign (2009-2010) carried out for 1 year in Venice-Mestre, Italy, at three stations with different emissive scenarios: urban, industrial, and semirural background. Diagnostic ratios and factor analysis were initially applied to point out the most probable sources. In a second step, the areal distribution of the identified sources was studied by applying the discriminant analysis on factor scores. Third, samples collected in days with similar atmospheric circulation patterns were grouped using a cluster analysis on wind data. Local contributions to PM(2.5) and PAHs were then assessed by interpreting cluster results with chemical data. Results evidenced that significantly lower levels of PM(2.5) and PAHs were found when faster winds changed air masses, whereas in presence of scarce ventilation, locally emitted pollutants were trapped and concentrations increased. This way, an estimation of pollutant loads due to local sources can be derived from data collected in days with similar wind patterns. Long-range contributions were detected by a cluster analysis on the air mass back-trajectories. Results revealed that PM(2.5) concentrations were relatively high when air masses had passed over the Po Valley. However, external sources do not significantly contribute to the PAHs load. The proposed procedure can be applied to other environments with minor modifications, and the obtained information can be useful to design local and national air pollution control strategies.

The Green's functions for peridynamic non-local diffusion.

PubMed

Wang, L J; Xu, J F; Wang, J X

2016-09-01

In this work, we develop the Green's function method for the solution of the peridynamic non-local diffusion model in which the spatial gradient of the generalized potential in the classical theory is replaced by an integral of a generalized response function in a horizon. We first show that the general solutions of the peridynamic non-local diffusion model can be expressed as functionals of the corresponding Green's functions for point sources, along with volume constraints for non-local diffusion. Then, we obtain the Green's functions by the Fourier transform method for unsteady and steady diffusions in infinite domains. We also demonstrate that the peridynamic non-local solutions converge to the classical differential solutions when the non-local length approaches zero. Finally, the peridynamic analytical solutions are applied to an infinite plate heated by a Gauss source, and the predicted variations of temperature are compared with the classical local solutions. The peridynamic non-local diffusion model predicts a lower rate of variation of the field quantities than that of the classical theory, which is consistent with experimental observations. The developed method is applicable to general diffusion-type problems.

Sampling Singular and Aggregate Point Sources of Carbon Dioxide from Space Using OCO-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, F. M.; Gunson, M. R.; Eldering, A.; Miller, C. E.; Nguyen, H.; Osterman, G. B.; Taylor, T.; O'Dell, C.; Carn, S. A.; Kahn, B. H.; Verhulst, K. R.; Crisp, D.; Pieri, D. C.; Linick, J.; Yuen, K.; Sanchez, R. M.; Ashok, M.

2016-12-01

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) sources increasingly tip the natural balance between natural carbon sources and sinks. Space-borne measurements offer opportunities to detect and analyze point source emission signals anywhere on Earth. Singular continuous point source plumes from power plants or volcanoes turbulently mix into their proximal background fields. In contrast, plumes of aggregate point sources such as cities, and transportation or fossil fuel distribution networks, mix into each other and may therefore result in broader and more persistent excess signals of total column averaged CO2 (XCO2). NASA's first satellite dedicated to atmospheric CO2observation, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), launched in July 2014 and now leads the afternoon constellation of satellites (A-Train). While continuously collecting measurements in eight footprints across a narrow ( < 10 km) wide swath it occasionally cross-cuts coincident emission plumes. For singular point sources like volcanoes and coal fired power plants, we have developed OCO-2 data discovery tools and a proxy detection method for plumes using SO2-sensitive TIR imaging data (ASTER). This approach offers a path toward automating plume detections with subsequent matching and mining of OCO-2 data. We found several distinct singular source CO2signals. For aggregate point sources, we investigated whether OCO-2's multi-sounding swath observing geometry can reveal intra-urban spatial emission structures in the observed variability of XCO2 data. OCO-2 data demonstrate that we can detect localized excess XCO2 signals of 2 to 6 ppm against suburban and rural backgrounds. Compared to single-shot GOSAT soundings which detected urban/rural XCO2differences in megacities (Kort et al., 2012), the OCO-2 swath geometry opens up the path to future capabilities enabling urban characterization of greenhouse gases using hundreds of soundings over a city at each satellite overpass. California Institute of Technology

Point-Source Contributions to the Water Quality of an Urban Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, S. F. B.; Young, M.; Lowry, C.

2014-12-01

Scajaquada Creek, which runs through the heart of the city of Buffalo, is a prime example of the ways in which human intervention and local geomorphology can impact water quality and urban hydrology. Beginning in the 1920's, the Creek has been partially channelized and connected to Buffalo's combined sewer system (CSS). At Forest Lawn Cemetery, where this study takes place, Scajaquada Creek emerges from a 3.5-mile tunnel built to route stream flow under the city. Collocated with the tunnel outlet is a discharge point for Buffalo's CSS, combined sewer outlet (CSO) #53. It is at this point that runoff and sanitary sewage discharge regularly during rain events. Initially, this study endeavored to create a spatial and temporal picture for this portion of the Creek, monitoring such parameters as conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and turbidity, in addition to measuring Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations. As expected, these factors responded directly to seasonality, local geomorphology, and distance from the point source (CSO #53), displaying a overall, linear response. However, the addition of nitrate and phosphate testing to the study revealed an entirely separate signal from that previously observed. Concentrations of these parameters did not respond to location in the same manner as E. coli. Instead of decreasing with distance from the CSO, a distinct periodicity was observed, correlating with a series of outflow pipes lining the stream banks. It is hypothesized that nitrate and phosphate occurring in this stretch of Scajaquada Creek originate not from the CSO, but from fertilizers used to maintain the lawns within the subwatershed. These results provide evidence of the complexity related to water quality issues in urban streams as a result of point- and nonpoint-source hydrologic inputs.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-03-01

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

The feasibility of effluent trading in the energy industries

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

Veil, J.A.

1997-05-01

In January 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a policy statement endorsing effluent trading in watersheds, hoping to spur additional interest in the subject. The policy describes five types of effluent trades - point source/point source, point source/nonpoint source, pretreatment, intraplant, and nonpoint source/nonpoint source. This report evaluates the feasibility of effluent trading for facilities in the oil and gas industry (exploration and production, refining, and distribution and marketing segments), electric power industry, and the coal industry (mines and preparation plants). Nonpoint source/nonpoint source trades are not considered since the energy industry facilities evaluated here are all pointmore » sources. EPA has administered emission trading programs in its air quality program for many years. Programs for offsets, bubbles, banking, and netting are supported by federal regulations, and the 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) amendments provide a statutory basis for trading programs to control ozone and acid rain. Different programs have had varying degrees of success, but few have come close to meeting their expectations. Few trading programs have been established under the Clean Water Act (CWA). One intraplant trading program was established by EPA in its effluent limitation guidelines (ELGs) for the iron and steel industry. The other existing effluent trading programs were established by state or local governments and have had minimal success.« less

Time domain localization technique with sparsity constraint for imaging acoustic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padois, Thomas; Doutres, Olivier; Sgard, Franck; Berry, Alain

2017-09-01

This paper addresses source localization technique in time domain for broadband acoustic sources. The objective is to accurately and quickly detect the position and amplitude of noise sources in workplaces in order to propose adequate noise control options and prevent workers hearing loss or safety risk. First, the generalized cross correlation associated with a spherical microphone array is used to generate an initial noise source map. Then a linear inverse problem is defined to improve this initial map. Commonly, the linear inverse problem is solved with an l2 -regularization. In this study, two sparsity constraints are used to solve the inverse problem, the orthogonal matching pursuit and the truncated Newton interior-point method. Synthetic data are used to highlight the performances of the technique. High resolution imaging is achieved for various acoustic sources configurations. Moreover, the amplitudes of the acoustic sources are correctly estimated. A comparison of computation times shows that the technique is compatible with quasi real-time generation of noise source maps. Finally, the technique is tested with real data.

Chandra and Swift Observations of Unidentified Fermi-LAT Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donato, Davide; Cheung, T.; Gehrels, N.

2010-03-01

In the last year we targeted some of the unidentified Fermi-LAT objects (UFOs) at high Galactic latitude with Chandra and Swift in order to determine the basic properties (positions, fluxes, hardness ratios) of all X-ray sources within the Fermi-LAT localization circles. These satellites enable us to detect the X-ray conterparts with a flux limit that is at least an order of magnitude lower than achieved in extant RASS data and to further follow-up at other wavelengths, with the ultimate goal to reveal the nature of these enigmatic gamma-ray sources. Here we present the results obtained with 5 Chandra pointings of high Galactic latitude UFOs in the Fermi-LAT 3-months bright source list. The association of detected X-ray sources within the improved 11-months Fermi-LAT localization circles with available optical and radio observations is discussed.

State-Level Point-of-Sale Tobacco News Coverage and Policy Progression Over a 2-Year Period.

PubMed

Myers, Allison E; Southwell, Brian G; Ribisl, Kurt M; Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Bowling, J Michael; Lytle, Leslie A

2018-01-01

Mass media content may play an important role in policy change. However, the empirical relationship between media advocacy efforts and tobacco control policy success has rarely been studied. We examined the extent to which newspaper content characteristics (volume, slant, frame, source, use of evidence, and degree of localization) that have been identified as important in past descriptive studies were associated with policy progression over a 2-year period in the context of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco control. We used regression analyses to test the relationships between newspaper content and policy progression from 2012 to 2014. The dependent variable was the level of implementation of state-level POS tobacco control policies at Time 2. Independent variables were newspaper article characteristics (volume, slant, frame, source, use of evidence, and degree of localization) and were collected via content analysis of the articles. State-level policy environment contextual variables were examined as confounders. Positive, significant bivariate relationships exist between characteristics of news content (e.g., high overall volume, public health source present, local quote and local angle present, and pro-tobacco control slant present) and Time 2 POS score. However, in a multivariate model controlling for other factors, significant relationships did not hold. Newspaper coverage can be a marker of POS policy progression. Whether media can influence policy implementation remains an important question. Future work should continue to tease out and confirm the unique characteristics of media content that are most associated with subsequent policy progression, in order to inform media advocacy efforts.

Local Perspectives on Environmental Insecurity and Its Influence on Illegal Biodiversity Exploitation

PubMed Central

Gore, Meredith L.; Lute, Michelle L.; Ratsimbazafy, Jonah H.; Rajaonson, Andry

2016-01-01

Environmental insecurity is a source and outcome of biodiversity declines and social conflict. One challenge to scaling insecurity reduction policies is that empirical evidence about local attitudes is overwhelmingly missing. We set three objectives: determine how local people rank risk associated with different sources of environmental insecurity; assess perceptions of environmental insecurity, biodiversity exploitation, myths of nature and risk management preferences; and explore relationships between perceptions and biodiversity exploitation. We conducted interviews (N = 88) with residents of Madagascar’s Torotorofotsy Protected Area, 2014. Risk perceptions had a moderate effect on perceptions of environmental insecurity. We found no effects of environmental insecurity on biodiversity exploitation. Results offer one if not the first exploration of local perceptions of illegal biodiversity exploitation and environmental security. Local people’s perception of risk seriousness associated with illegal biodiversity exploitation such as lemur hunting (low overall) may not reflect perceptions of policy-makers (considered to be high). Discord is a key entry point for attention. PMID:27082106

Local Perspectives on Environmental Insecurity and Its Influence on Illegal Biodiversity Exploitation.

PubMed

Gore, Meredith L; Lute, Michelle L; Ratsimbazafy, Jonah H; Rajaonson, Andry

2016-01-01

Environmental insecurity is a source and outcome of biodiversity declines and social conflict. One challenge to scaling insecurity reduction policies is that empirical evidence about local attitudes is overwhelmingly missing. We set three objectives: determine how local people rank risk associated with different sources of environmental insecurity; assess perceptions of environmental insecurity, biodiversity exploitation, myths of nature and risk management preferences; and explore relationships between perceptions and biodiversity exploitation. We conducted interviews (N = 88) with residents of Madagascar's Torotorofotsy Protected Area, 2014. Risk perceptions had a moderate effect on perceptions of environmental insecurity. We found no effects of environmental insecurity on biodiversity exploitation. Results offer one if not the first exploration of local perceptions of illegal biodiversity exploitation and environmental security. Local people's perception of risk seriousness associated with illegal biodiversity exploitation such as lemur hunting (low overall) may not reflect perceptions of policy-makers (considered to be high). Discord is a key entry point for attention.

Implementation of Phased Array Antenna Technology Providing a Wireless Local Area Network to Enhance Port Security and Maritime Interdiction Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

boarding team, COTS, WLAN, smart antenna, OpenVPN application, wireless base station, OFDM, latency, point-to-point wireless link. 16. PRICE CODE 17...16 c. SSL/TLS .................................17 2. OpenVPN ......................................17 III. EXPERIMENT METHODOLOGY...network frame at Layer 2 has already been secured by encryption at a higher level. 2. OpenVPN OpenVPN is open source software that provides a VPN

Speech Understanding and Sound Source Localization by Cochlear Implant Listeners Using a Pinna-Effect Imitating Microphone and an Adaptive Beamformer.

PubMed

Dorman, Michael F; Natale, Sarah; Loiselle, Louise

2018-03-01

Sentence understanding scores for patients with cochlear implants (CIs) when tested in quiet are relatively high. However, sentence understanding scores for patients with CIs plummet with the addition of noise. To assess, for patients with CIs (MED-EL), (1) the value to speech understanding of two new, noise-reducing microphone settings and (2) the effect of the microphone settings on sound source localization. Single-subject, repeated measures design. For tests of speech understanding, repeated measures on (1) number of CIs (one, two), (2) microphone type (omni, natural, adaptive beamformer), and (3) type of noise (restaurant, cocktail party). For sound source localization, repeated measures on type of signal (low-pass [LP], high-pass [HP], broadband noise). Ten listeners, ranging in age from 48 to 83 yr (mean = 57 yr), participated in this prospective study. Speech understanding was assessed in two noise environments using monaural and bilateral CIs fit with three microphone types. Sound source localization was assessed using three microphone types. In Experiment 1, sentence understanding scores (in terms of percent words correct) were obtained in quiet and in noise. For each patient, noise was first added to the signal to drive performance off of the ceiling in the bilateral CI-omni microphone condition. The other conditions were then administered at that signal-to-noise ratio in quasi-random order. In Experiment 2, sound source localization accuracy was assessed for three signal types using a 13-loudspeaker array over a 180° arc. The dependent measure was root-mean-score error. Both the natural and adaptive microphone settings significantly improved speech understanding in the two noise environments. The magnitude of the improvement varied between 16 and 19 percentage points for tests conducted in the restaurant environment and between 19 and 36 percentage points for tests conducted in the cocktail party environment. In the restaurant and cocktail party environments, both the natural and adaptive settings, when implemented on a single CI, allowed scores that were as good as, or better, than scores in the bilateral omni test condition. Sound source localization accuracy was unaltered by either the natural or adaptive settings for LP, HP, or wideband noise stimuli. The data support the use of the natural microphone setting as a default setting. The natural setting (1) provides better speech understanding in noise than the omni setting, (2) does not impair sound source localization, and (3) retains low-frequency sensitivity to signals from the rear. Moreover, bilateral CIs equipped with adaptive beamforming technology can engender speech understanding scores in noise that fall only a little short of scores for a single CI in quiet. American Academy of Audiology

Volatile organic compound emissions from the oil and natural gas industry in the Uinta Basin, Utah: point sources compared to ambient air composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warneke, C.; Geiger, F.; Edwards, P. M.; Dube, W.; Pétron, G.; Kofler, J.; Zahn, A.; Brown, S. S.; Graus, M.; Gilman, J.; Lerner, B.; Peischl, J.; Ryerson, T. B.; de Gouw, J. A.; Roberts, J. M.

2014-05-01

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with oil and natural gas production in the Uinta Basin, Utah were measured at a ground site in Horse Pool and from a NOAA mobile laboratory with PTR-MS instruments. The VOC compositions in the vicinity of individual gas and oil wells and other point sources such as evaporation ponds, compressor stations and injection wells are compared to the measurements at Horse Pool. High mixing ratios of aromatics, alkanes, cycloalkanes and methanol were observed for extended periods of time and short-term spikes caused by local point sources. The mixing ratios during the time the mobile laboratory spent on the well pads were averaged. High mixing ratios were found close to all point sources, but gas wells using dry-gas collection, which means dehydration happens at the well, were clearly associated with higher mixing ratios than other wells. Another large source was the flowback pond near a recently hydraulically re-fractured gas well. The comparison of the VOC composition of the emissions from the oil and natural gas wells showed that wet gas collection wells compared well with the majority of the data at Horse Pool and that oil wells compared well with the rest of the ground site data. Oil wells on average emit heavier compounds than gas wells. The mobile laboratory measurements confirm the results from an emissions inventory: the main VOC source categories from individual point sources are dehydrators, oil and condensate tank flashing and pneumatic devices and pumps. Raw natural gas is emitted from the pneumatic devices and pumps and heavier VOC mixes from the tank flashings.

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

Kobulnicky, Henry A.; Alexander, Michael J.; Babler, Brian L.

We characterize the completeness of point source lists from Spitzer Space Telescope surveys in the four Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bandpasses, emphasizing the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) programs (GLIMPSE I, II, 3D, 360; Deep GLIMPSE) and their resulting point source Catalogs and Archives. The analysis separately addresses effects of incompleteness resulting from high diffuse background emission and incompleteness resulting from point source confusion (i.e., crowding). An artificial star addition and extraction analysis demonstrates that completeness is strongly dependent on local background brightness and structure, with high-surface-brightness regions suffering up to five magnitudes of reduced sensitivity to pointmore » sources. This effect is most pronounced at the IRAC 5.8 and 8.0 {mu}m bands where UV-excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission produces bright, complex structures (photodissociation regions). With regard to diffuse background effects, we provide the completeness as a function of stellar magnitude and diffuse background level in graphical and tabular formats. These data are suitable for estimating completeness in the low-source-density limit in any of the four IRAC bands in GLIMPSE Catalogs and Archives and some other Spitzer IRAC programs that employ similar observational strategies and are processed by the GLIMPSE pipeline. By performing the same analysis on smoothed images we show that the point source incompleteness is primarily a consequence of structure in the diffuse background emission rather than photon noise. With regard to source confusion in the high-source-density regions of the Galactic Plane, we provide figures illustrating the 90% completeness levels as a function of point source density at each band. We caution that completeness of the GLIMPSE 360/Deep GLIMPSE Catalogs is suppressed relative to the corresponding Archives as a consequence of rejecting stars that lie in the point-spread function wings of saturated sources. This effect is minor in regions of low saturated star density, such as toward the Outer Galaxy; this effect is significant along sightlines having a high density of saturated sources, especially for Deep GLIMPSE and other programs observing closer to the Galactic center using 12 s or longer exposure times.« less

Adjustable long duration high-intensity point light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krehl, P.; Hagelweide, J. B.

1981-06-01

A new long duration high-intensity point light source with adjustable light duration and a small light spot locally stable in time has been developed. The principle involved is a stationary high-temperature plasma flow inside a partly constrained capillary of a coaxial spark gap which is viewed end on through a terminating Plexiglas window. The point light spark gap is operated via a resistor by an artificial transmission line. Using two exchangeable inductance sets in the line, two ranges of photoduration 10-130 μs and 100-600 μs can be covered. For a light spot size of 1.5 mm diameter the corresponding peak light output amounts to 5×106 and 1.6×106 candelas, respectively. Within these ranges the duration is controlled by an ignitron crowbar to extinguish the plasma. The adjustable photoduration is very useful for the application of continuous writing rotating mirror cameras, thus preventing multiple exposures. The essentially uniform exposure within the visible spectral range makes the new light source suitable for color cinematography.

Scalp and Source Power Topography in Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors: A High-Density EEG Study

PubMed Central

Castelnovo, Anna; Riedner, Brady A.; Smith, Richard F.; Tononi, Giulio; Boly, Melanie; Benca, Ruth M.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: To examine scalp and source power topography in sleep arousals disorders (SADs) using high-density EEG (hdEEG). Methods: Fifteen adult subjects with sleep arousal disorders (SADs) and 15 age- and gender-matched good sleeping healthy controls were recorded in a sleep laboratory setting using a 256 channel EEG system. Results: Scalp EEG analysis of all night NREM sleep revealed a localized decrease in slow wave activity (SWA) power (1–4 Hz) over centro-parietal regions relative to the rest of the brain in SADs compared to good sleeping healthy controls. Source modelling analysis of 5-minute segments taken from N3 during the first half of the night revealed that the local decrease in SWA power was prominent at the level of the cingulate, motor, and sensori-motor associative cortices. Similar patterns were also evident during REM sleep and wake. These differences in local sleep were present in the absence of any detectable clinical or electrophysiological sign of arousal. Conclusions: Overall, results suggest the presence of local sleep differences in the brain of SADs patients during nights without clinical episodes. The persistence of similar topographical changes in local EEG power during REM sleep and wakefulness points to trait-like functional changes that cross the boundaries of NREM sleep. The regions identified by source imaging are consistent with the current neurophysiological understanding of SADs as a disorder caused by local arousals in motor and cingulate cortices. Persistent localized changes in neuronal excitability may predispose affected subjects to clinical episodes. Citation: Castelnovo A, Riedner BA, Smith RF, Tononi G, Boly M, Benca RM. Scalp and source power topography in sleepwalking and sleep terrors: a high-density EEG study. SLEEP 2016;39(10):1815–1825. PMID:27568805

Method for determining size of inhomogeneity localization region based on analysis of secondary wave field of second harmonic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernov, N. N.; Zagray, N. P.; Laguta, M. V.; Varenikova, A. Yu

2018-05-01

The article describes the research of the method of localization and determining the size of heterogeneity in biological tissues. The equation for the acoustic harmonic wave, which propagates in the positive direction, is taken as the main one. A three-dimensional expression that describes the field of secondary sources at the observation point is obtained. The simulation of the change of the amplitude values of the vibrational velocity of the second harmonic of the acoustic wave at different coordinates of the inhomogeneity location in three-dimensional space is carried out. For the convenience of mathematical calculations, the area of heterogeneity is reduced to a point.

The usability of the optical parametric amplification of light for high-angular-resolution imaging and fast astrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurek, A. R.; Stachowski, A.; Banaszek, K.; Pollo, A.

2018-05-01

High-angular-resolution imaging is crucial for many applications in modern astronomy and astrophysics. The fundamental diffraction limit constrains the resolving power of both ground-based and spaceborne telescopes. The recent idea of a quantum telescope based on the optical parametric amplification (OPA) of light aims to bypass this limit for the imaging of extended sources by an order of magnitude or more. We present an updated scheme of an OPA-based device and a more accurate model of the signal amplification by such a device. The semiclassical model that we present predicts that the noise in such a system will form so-called light speckles as a result of light interference in the optical path. Based on this model, we analysed the efficiency of OPA in increasing the angular resolution of the imaging of extended targets and the precise localization of a distant point source. According to our new model, OPA offers a gain in resolved imaging in comparison to classical optics. For a given time-span, we found that OPA can be more efficient in localizing a single distant point source than classical telescopes.

Developing a system for blind acoustic source localization and separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, Raghavendra

This dissertation presents innovate methodologies for locating, extracting, and separating multiple incoherent sound sources in three-dimensional (3D) space; and applications of the time reversal (TR) algorithm to pinpoint the hyper active neural activities inside the brain auditory structure that are correlated to the tinnitus pathology. Specifically, an acoustic modeling based method is developed for locating arbitrary and incoherent sound sources in 3D space in real time by using a minimal number of microphones, and the Point Source Separation (PSS) method is developed for extracting target signals from directly measured mixed signals. Combining these two approaches leads to a novel technology known as Blind Sources Localization and Separation (BSLS) that enables one to locate multiple incoherent sound signals in 3D space and separate original individual sources simultaneously, based on the directly measured mixed signals. These technologies have been validated through numerical simulations and experiments conducted in various non-ideal environments where there are non-negligible, unspecified sound reflections and reverberation as well as interferences from random background noise. Another innovation presented in this dissertation is concerned with applications of the TR algorithm to pinpoint the exact locations of hyper-active neurons in the brain auditory structure that are directly correlated to the tinnitus perception. Benchmark tests conducted on normal rats have confirmed the localization results provided by the TR algorithm. Results demonstrate that the spatial resolution of this source localization can be as high as the micrometer level. This high precision localization may lead to a paradigm shift in tinnitus diagnosis, which may in turn produce a more cost-effective treatment for tinnitus than any of the existing ones.

Improved source inversion from joint measurements of translational and rotational ground motions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donner, S.; Bernauer, M.; Reinwald, M.; Hadziioannou, C.; Igel, H.

2017-12-01

Waveform inversion for seismic point (moment tensor) and kinematic sources is a standard procedure. However, especially in the local and regional distances a lack of appropriate velocity models, the sparsity of station networks, or a low signal-to-noise ratio combined with more complex waveforms hamper the successful retrieval of reliable source solutions. We assess the potential of rotational ground motion recordings to increase the resolution power and reduce non-uniquenesses for point and kinematic source solutions. Based on synthetic waveform data, we perform a Bayesian (i.e. probabilistic) inversion. Thus, we avoid the subjective selection of the most reliable solution according the lowest misfit or other constructed criterion. In addition, we obtain unbiased measures of resolution and possible trade-offs. Testing different earthquake mechanisms and scenarios, we can show that the resolution of the source solutions can be improved significantly. Especially depth dependent components show significant improvement. Next to synthetic data of station networks, we also tested sparse-network and single station cases.

A comprehensive dose assessment of irradiated hand by iridium-192 source in industrial radiography.

PubMed

Hosseini Pooya, S M; Dashtipour, M R; Paydar, R; Mianji, F; Pourshahab, B

2017-09-01

Among the various incidents in industrial radiography, inadvertent handling of sources by hands is one of the most frequent incidents in which some parts of the hands may be locally exposed to high doses. An accurate assessment of extremity dose assists medical doctors in selecting appropriate treatments, preventing the injury expansion in the region. In this study, a phantom was designed to simulate a fisted hand of a radiographer when the worker holds a radioactive source in their hands. The local doses were measured using implanted TLDs in the phantom at different distances from a source. Furthermore, skin dose distribution was measured by Gaf-chromic films in the palm region of the phantom. The reliability of the measurements has been studied via analytical as well as Monte-Carlo simulation methods. The results showed that the new phantom design can be used reliably in extremity dose assessments, particularly at the points next to the source.

High dose rate brachytherapy source measurement intercomparison.

PubMed

Poder, Joel; Smith, Ryan L; Shelton, Nikki; Whitaker, May; Butler, Duncan; Haworth, Annette

2017-06-01

This work presents a comparison of air kerma rate (AKR) measurements performed by multiple radiotherapy centres for a single HDR 192 Ir source. Two separate groups (consisting of 15 centres) performed AKR measurements at one of two host centres in Australia. Each group travelled to one of the host centres and measured the AKR of a single 192 Ir source using their own equipment and local protocols. Results were compared to the 192 Ir source calibration certificate provided by the manufacturer by means of a ratio of measured to certified AKR. The comparisons showed remarkably consistent results with the maximum deviation in measurement from the decay-corrected source certificate value being 1.1%. The maximum percentage difference between any two measurements was less than 2%. The comparisons demonstrated the consistency of well-chambers used for 192 Ir AKR measurements in Australia, despite the lack of a local calibration service, and served as a valuable focal point for the exchange of ideas and dosimetry methods.

In-time source tracking of watershed loads of Taihu Lake Basin, China based on spatial relationship modeling.

PubMed

Wang, Ce; Bi, Jun; Zhang, Xu-Xiang; Fang, Qiang; Qi, Yi

2018-05-25

Influent river carrying cumulative watershed load plays a significant role in promoting nuisance algal bloom in river-fed lake. It is most relevant to discern in-stream water quality exceedance and evaluate the spatial relationship between risk location and potential pollution sources. However, no comprehensive studies of source tracking in watershed based on management grid have been conducted for refined water quality management, particularly for plain terrain with complex river network. In this study, field investigations were implemented during 2014 in Taige Canal watershed of Taihu Lake Basin. A Geographical Information System (GIS)-based spatial relationship model was established to characterize the spatial relationships of "point (point-source location and monitoring site)-line (river segment)-plane (catchment)." As a practical exemplification, in-time source tracking was triggered on April 15, 2015 at Huangnianqiao station, where TN and TP concentration violated the water quality standard (TN 4.0 mg/L, TP 0.15 mg/L). Of the target grid cells, 53 and 46 were identified as crucial areas having high pollution intensity for TN and TP pollution, respectively. The estimated non-point source load in each grid cell could be apportioned into different source types based on spatial pollution-related entity objects. We found that the non-point source load derived from rural sewage and livestock and poultry breeding accounted for more than 80% of total TN or TP load than another source type of crop farming. The approach in this study would be of great benefit to local authorities for identifying the serious polluted regions and efficiently making environmental policies to reduce watershed load.

Time-Domain Filtering for Spatial Large-Eddy Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pruett, C. David

1997-01-01

An approach to large-eddy simulation (LES) is developed whose subgrid-scale model incorporates filtering in the time domain, in contrast to conventional approaches, which exploit spatial filtering. The method is demonstrated in the simulation of a heated, compressible, axisymmetric jet, and results are compared with those obtained from fully resolved direct numerical simulation. The present approach was, in fact, motivated by the jet-flow problem and the desire to manipulate the flow by localized (point) sources for the purposes of noise suppression. Time-domain filtering appears to be more consistent with the modeling of point sources; moreover, time-domain filtering may resolve some fundamental inconsistencies associated with conventional space-filtered LES approaches.

Source to point of use drinking water changes and knowledge, attitude and practices in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onabolu, B.; Jimoh, O. D.; Igboro, S. B.; Sridhar, M. K. C.; Onyilo, G.; Gege, A.; Ilya, R.

In many Sub-Saharan countries such as Nigeria, inadequate access to safe drinking water is a serious problem with 37% in the region and 58% of rural Nigeria using unimproved sources. The global challenge to measuring household water quality as a determinant of safety is further compounded in Nigeria by the possibility of deterioration from source to point of use. This is associated with the use of decentralised water supply systems in rural areas which are not fully reticulated to the household taps, creating a need for an integrated water quality monitoring system. As an initial step towards establishing the system in the north west and north central zones of Nigeria, The Katsina State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency, responsible for ensuring access to safe water and adequate sanitation to about 6 million people carried out a three pronged study with the support of UNICEF Nigeria. Part 1 was an assessment of the legislative and policy framework, institutional arrangements and capacity for drinking water quality monitoring through desk top reviews and Key Informant Interviews (KII) to ascertain the institutional capacity requirements for developing the water quality monitoring system. Part II was a water quality study in 700 households of 23 communities in four local government areas. The objectives were to assess the safety of drinking water, compare the safety at source and household level and assess the possible contributory role of end users’ Knowledge Attitudes and Practices. These were achieved through water analysis, household water quality tracking, KII and questionnaires. Part III was the production of a visual documentary as an advocacy tool to increase awareness of the policy makers of the linkages between source management, treatment and end user water quality. The results indicate that except for pH, conductivity and manganese, the improved water sources were safe at source. However there was a deterioration in water quality between source and point of use in 18%, 12.5%, 27% and 50% of hand pump fitted boreholes, motorised boreholes, hand dug wells and streams respectively. Although no statistical correlation could be drawn between water management practices and water quality deterioration, the survey of the study households gave an indication of the possible contributory role of their knowledge, attitudes and practices to water contamination after provision. Some of the potential water related sources of contamination were poor source protection and location, use of unimproved water source and poor knowledge and practice of household water treatment methods, poor hand washing practices in terms of percentage that wash hands and use soap. Consequently 34 WASH departments have been created at the local government level towards establishment of a community based monitoring system and piloting has begun in Kaita local government area.

Natural convection in symmetrically heated vertical parallel plates with discrete heat sources

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

Manca, O.; Nardini, S.; Naso, V.

Laminar air natural convection in a symmetrically heated vertical channel with uniform flush-mounted discrete heat sources has been experimentally investigated. The effects of heated strips location and of their number are pointed out in terms of the maximum wall temperatures. A flow visualization in the entrance region of the channel was carried out and air temperatures and velocities in two cross sections have been measured. Dimensionless local heat transfer coefficients have been evaluated and monomial correlations among relevant parameters have bee derived in the local Rayleigh number range 10--10{sup 6}. Channel Nusselt number has been correlated in a polynomial formmore » in terms of channel Rayleigh number.« less

Elastic interactions between two-dimensional geometric defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moshe, Michael; Sharon, Eran; Kupferman, Raz

2015-12-01

In this paper, we introduce a methodology applicable to a wide range of localized two-dimensional sources of stress. This methodology is based on a geometric formulation of elasticity. Localized sources of stress are viewed as singular defects—point charges of the curvature associated with a reference metric. The stress field in the presence of defects can be solved using a scalar stress function that generalizes the classical Airy stress function to the case of materials with nontrivial geometry. This approach allows the calculation of interaction energies between various types of defects. We apply our methodology to two physical systems: shear-induced failure of amorphous materials and the mechanical interaction between contracting cells.

The Green’s functions for peridynamic non-local diffusion

PubMed Central

Wang, L. J.; Xu, J. F.

2016-01-01

In this work, we develop the Green’s function method for the solution of the peridynamic non-local diffusion model in which the spatial gradient of the generalized potential in the classical theory is replaced by an integral of a generalized response function in a horizon. We first show that the general solutions of the peridynamic non-local diffusion model can be expressed as functionals of the corresponding Green’s functions for point sources, along with volume constraints for non-local diffusion. Then, we obtain the Green’s functions by the Fourier transform method for unsteady and steady diffusions in infinite domains. We also demonstrate that the peridynamic non-local solutions converge to the classical differential solutions when the non-local length approaches zero. Finally, the peridynamic analytical solutions are applied to an infinite plate heated by a Gauss source, and the predicted variations of temperature are compared with the classical local solutions. The peridynamic non-local diffusion model predicts a lower rate of variation of the field quantities than that of the classical theory, which is consistent with experimental observations. The developed method is applicable to general diffusion-type problems. PMID:27713658

Scalp and Source Power Topography in Sleepwalking and Sleep Terrors: A High-Density EEG Study.

PubMed

Castelnovo, Anna; Riedner, Brady A; Smith, Richard F; Tononi, Giulio; Boly, Melanie; Benca, Ruth M

2016-10-01

To examine scalp and source power topography in sleep arousals disorders (SADs) using high-density EEG (hdEEG). Fifteen adult subjects with sleep arousal disorders (SADs) and 15 age- and gender-matched good sleeping healthy controls were recorded in a sleep laboratory setting using a 256 channel EEG system. Scalp EEG analysis of all night NREM sleep revealed a localized decrease in slow wave activity (SWA) power (1-4 Hz) over centro-parietal regions relative to the rest of the brain in SADs compared to good sleeping healthy controls. Source modelling analysis of 5-minute segments taken from N3 during the first half of the night revealed that the local decrease in SWA power was prominent at the level of the cingulate, motor, and sensori-motor associative cortices. Similar patterns were also evident during REM sleep and wake. These differences in local sleep were present in the absence of any detectable clinical or electrophysiological sign of arousal. Overall, results suggest the presence of local sleep differences in the brain of SADs patients during nights without clinical episodes. The persistence of similar topographical changes in local EEG power during REM sleep and wakefulness points to trait-like functional changes that cross the boundaries of NREM sleep. The regions identified by source imaging are consistent with the current neurophysiological understanding of SADs as a disorder caused by local arousals in motor and cingulate cortices. Persistent localized changes in neuronal excitability may predispose affected subjects to clinical episodes. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Integrated watershed approach in controlling point and non-point source pollution within Zelivka drinking water reservoir.

PubMed

Holas, J; Hrncir, M

2002-01-01

An agricultural watershed involves manipulation of soil, water and other natural resources and it has profound impacts on ecosystems. To manage these complex issues, we must understand causes and consequences and interactions-related transport of pollutants, quality of the environment, mitigation measures and policy measures. A ten year period of economic changes has been analysed with respect to sustainable development concerning Zelivka drinking water reservoir and its watershed, where agriculture and forestry are the main human activities. It is recommended that all land users within a catchment area should receive payments for their contribution to water cycle management. Setting up the prevention principles and best management practices financially subsidized by a local water company has been found very effective in both point and non-point source pollution abatement, and the newly prepared Clean Water Programme actively involves local municipal authorities as well. The first step based on systems analysis was to propose effective strategies and select alternative measures and ways for their financing. Long term monitoring of nutrient loads entering the reservoir and hazardous events statistics resulted in maps characterising the territory including vulnerable zones and risk factors. Financing involves providing annual payments to farmers, who undertake to manage specified areas of their land in a particular way and one-off payments to realise proposed issues ensuring soil conservation and watershed ecosystem benefits.

Localization algorithms for micro-channel x-ray telescope on board SVOM space mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosset, L.; Götz, D.; Osborne, J.; Willingale, R.

2016-07-01

SVOM is a French-Chinese space mission to be launched in 2021, whose goal is the study of Gamma-Ray Bursts, the most powerful stellar explosions in the Universe. The Micro-channel X-ray Telescope (MXT) is an X-ray focusing telescope, on board SVOM, with a field of view of 1 degree (working in the 0.2-10 keV energy band), dedicated to the rapid follow-up of the Gamma-Ray Bursts counterparts and to their precise localization (smaller than 2 arc minutes). In order to reduce the optics mass and to have an angular resolution of few arc minutes, a "lobster-Eye" configuration has been chosen. Using a numerical model of the MXT Point Spread Function (PSF) we simulated MXT observations of point sources in order to develop and test different localization algorithms to be implemented on board MXT. We included preliminary estimations of the instrumental and sky background. The algorithms on board have to be a combination of speed and precision (the brightest sources are expected to be localized at a precision better than 10 arc seconds in the MXT reference frame). We present the comparison between different methods such as barycentre, PSF fitting in one or two dimensions. The temporal performance of the algorithms is being tested using the X-ray afterglow data base of the XRT telescope on board the NASA Swift satellite.

Local linear regression for function learning: an analysis based on sample discrepancy.

PubMed

Cervellera, Cristiano; Macciò, Danilo

2014-11-01

Local linear regression models, a kind of nonparametric structures that locally perform a linear estimation of the target function, are analyzed in the context of empirical risk minimization (ERM) for function learning. The analysis is carried out with emphasis on geometric properties of the available data. In particular, the discrepancy of the observation points used both to build the local regression models and compute the empirical risk is considered. This allows to treat indifferently the case in which the samples come from a random external source and the one in which the input space can be freely explored. Both consistency of the ERM procedure and approximating capabilities of the estimator are analyzed, proving conditions to ensure convergence. Since the theoretical analysis shows that the estimation improves as the discrepancy of the observation points becomes smaller, low-discrepancy sequences, a family of sampling methods commonly employed for efficient numerical integration, are also analyzed. Simulation results involving two different examples of function learning are provided.

The Potential Importance of Conservation, Restoration, and Altered Management Practices for Water Quality in the Wabash River Watershed

EPA Science Inventory

Non-point source (NPS) pollution is one of the leading causes of water quality impairment within the United States. Conservation, restoration and altered management (CRAM) practices may effectively reduce NPS pollutants discharge into receiving water bodies and enhance local and ...

REGIONAL-SCALE FISH ECOLOGY IN NORTHEASTERN USA LAKES USING A PROBABILITY-BASED SURVEY DESIGN

EPA Science Inventory

Historically, most fish ecology has been done at local scales. As these data accumulate, the need to set this knowledge into landscape, regional, and historical context grows. There are important broad-scale issues (e.g., non-point source pollution, biodiversity loss, alien spe...

Motivations for Parent Involvement within a Community School Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercanti-Anthony, Michael-Joseph

2012-01-01

Increasingly, education reform advocates have pointed to the growing community school movement as a partial answer to the myriad challenges facing urban public education. Rooted in the ideas of John Dewey, community schools are generally defined as localized community hubs of partnerships--often serving as sources of service distribution and…

33 CFR 214.10 - Types of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... DEFENSE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES OF DRINKING WATER § 214.10 Types of assistance. The temporary emergency supplies of clean drinking water may be provided through such actions as: (a) The use of water tank trucks to haul clean drinking water from a nearby known safe source to water points established for local...

33 CFR 214.10 - Types of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... DEFENSE EMERGENCY SUPPLIES OF DRINKING WATER § 214.10 Types of assistance. The temporary emergency supplies of clean drinking water may be provided through such actions as: (a) The use of water tank trucks to haul clean drinking water from a nearby known safe source to water points established for local...

An experimental study of the impact of trees and urban form on the turbulent dispersion of heavy particles from near ground point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoll, R., II; Christen, A.; Mahaffee, W.; Salesky, S.; Therias, A.; Caitlin, S.

2016-12-01

Pollution in the form of small particles has a strong impact on a wide variety of urban processes that play an important role in the function of urban ecosystems and ultimately human health and well-being. As a result, a substantial body of research exists on the sources, sinks, and transport characteristics of urban particulate matter. Most of the existing experimental work examining point sources employed gases (e.g., SF6) as the working medium. Furthermore, the focus of most studies has been on the dispersion of pollutants far from the source location. Here, our focus is on the turbulent dispersion of heavy particles in the near source region of a suburban neighborhood. To this end, we conducted a series of heavy particle releases in the Sunset neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada during June, 2017. The particles where dispersed from a near ground point source at two different locations. The Sunset neighborhood is composed mostly of single dwelling detached houses and has been used in numerous previous urban studies. One of the release points was just upwind of a 4-way intersection and the other in the middle of a contiguous block of houses. Each location had a significant density of trees. A minimum of four different successful release events were conducted at each site. During each release, fluorescing micro particles (mean diameter approx. 30 micron) were released from ultrasonic atomizer nozzles for a duration of approximately 20 minutes. The particles where sampled at 50 locations (1.5 m height) in the area downwind of the release over distances from 1-15 times the mean canopy height ( 6 m) using rotating impaction traps. In addition to the 50 sampler locations, instantaneous wind velocities were measured with eight sonic anemometers distributed horizontally and vertically throughout the release area. The resulting particle plume distributions indicate a strong impact of local urban form in the near source region and a high degree of sensitivity to the local wind direction measured from the sonic anemometers. In addition to presenting the experimental data, initial comparisons to a Lagrangian particle dispersion model driven by a mass consistent diagnostic wind field will be presented.

An experimental study of the impact of trees and urban form on the turbulent dispersion of heavy particles from near ground point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoll, R., II; Christen, A.; Mahaffee, W.; Salesky, S.; Therias, A.; Caitlin, S.

2017-12-01

Pollution in the form of small particles has a strong impact on a wide variety of urban processes that play an important role in the function of urban ecosystems and ultimately human health and well-being. As a result, a substantial body of research exists on the sources, sinks, and transport characteristics of urban particulate matter. Most of the existing experimental work examining point sources employed gases (e.g., SF6) as the working medium. Furthermore, the focus of most studies has been on the dispersion of pollutants far from the source location. Here, our focus is on the turbulent dispersion of heavy particles in the near source region of a suburban neighborhood. To this end, we conducted a series of heavy particle releases in the Sunset neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada during June, 2017. The particles where dispersed from a near ground point source at two different locations. The Sunset neighborhood is composed mostly of single dwelling detached houses and has been used in numerous previous urban studies. One of the release points was just upwind of a 4-way intersection and the other in the middle of a contiguous block of houses. Each location had a significant density of trees. A minimum of four different successful release events were conducted at each site. During each release, fluorescing micro particles (mean diameter approx. 30 micron) were released from ultrasonic atomizer nozzles for a duration of approximately 20 minutes. The particles where sampled at 50 locations (1.5 m height) in the area downwind of the release over distances from 1-15 times the mean canopy height ( 6 m) using rotating impaction traps. In addition to the 50 sampler locations, instantaneous wind velocities were measured with eight sonic anemometers distributed horizontally and vertically throughout the release area. The resulting particle plume distributions indicate a strong impact of local urban form in the near source region and a high degree of sensitivity to the local wind direction measured from the sonic anemometers. In addition to presenting the experimental data, initial comparisons to a Lagrangian particle dispersion model driven by a mass consistent diagnostic wind field will be presented.

Spatial variability of mercury wet deposition in eastern Ohio: summertime meteorological case study analysis of local source influences

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

Emily M. White; Gerald J. Keeler; Matthew S. Landis

2009-07-01

Extensive exploration of event precipitation data in the Ohio River Valley indicates that coal combustion emissions play an important role in mercury (Hg) wet deposition. During July-September 2006, an intensive study was undertaken to discern the degree of local source influence. Source-receptor relationships were explored by establishing a set of wet deposition sites in and around Steubenville, Ohio. For the three month period of study, volume-weighted mean Hg concentrations observed at the eight sites ranged from 10.2 to 22.3 ng L{sup -1}, but this range increased drastically on an event basis with a maximum concentration of 89.4 ng L{sup -1}more » and a minimum concentration of 4.1 ng L{sup -1}. A subset of events was explored in depth, and the degree of variability in Hg concentrations between sites was linked to the degree of local source enhancement. Samples collected at sites less than 1 km from coal-fired utility stacks (near-field) exhibited up to 72% enhancement in Hg concentrations over regionally representative samples on an event basis. Air mass transport and precipitating cell histories were traced in order to evaluate relationships between local point sources and receptor sites. It was found that the interaction of several dynamic atmospheric parameters combined to favor local Hg concentration enhancement over the more regional contribution. When significant meteorological factors (wind speed at time of maximum rain rate, wind speed 24 h prior to precipitation, mixing height, and observed ceiling) were explored, it was estimated that during summertime precipitation, 42% of Hg concentration in near-field samples could be attributed to the adjacent coal-fired utility source. 28 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Error analysis in stereo vision for location measurement of 3D point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yunting; Zhang, Jun; Tian, Jinwen

2015-12-01

Location measurement of 3D point in stereo vision is subjected to different sources of uncertainty that propagate to the final result. For current methods of error analysis, most of them are based on ideal intersection model to calculate the uncertainty region of point location via intersecting two fields of view of pixel that may produce loose bounds. Besides, only a few of sources of error such as pixel error or camera position are taken into account in the process of analysis. In this paper we present a straightforward and available method to estimate the location error that is taken most of source of error into account. We summed up and simplified all the input errors to five parameters by rotation transformation. Then we use the fast algorithm of midpoint method to deduce the mathematical relationships between target point and the parameters. Thus, the expectations and covariance matrix of 3D point location would be obtained, which can constitute the uncertainty region of point location. Afterwards, we turned back to the error propagation of the primitive input errors in the stereo system and throughout the whole analysis process from primitive input errors to localization error. Our method has the same level of computational complexity as the state-of-the-art method. Finally, extensive experiments are performed to verify the performance of our methods.

Strategies for satellite-based monitoring of CO2 from distributed area and point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Miller, Charles E.; Duren, Riley M.; Natraj, Vijay; Eldering, Annmarie; Gunson, Michael R.; Crisp, David

2014-05-01

Atmospheric CO2 budgets are controlled by the strengths, as well as the spatial and temporal variabilities of CO2 sources and sinks. Natural CO2 sources and sinks are dominated by the vast areas of the oceans and the terrestrial biosphere. In contrast, anthropogenic and geogenic CO2 sources are dominated by distributed area and point sources, which may constitute as much as 70% of anthropogenic (e.g., Duren & Miller, 2012), and over 80% of geogenic emissions (Burton et al., 2013). Comprehensive assessments of CO2 budgets necessitate robust and highly accurate satellite remote sensing strategies that address the competing and often conflicting requirements for sampling over disparate space and time scales. Spatial variability: The spatial distribution of anthropogenic sources is dominated by patterns of production, storage, transport and use. In contrast, geogenic variability is almost entirely controlled by endogenic geological processes, except where surface gas permeability is modulated by soil moisture. Satellite remote sensing solutions will thus have to vary greatly in spatial coverage and resolution to address distributed area sources and point sources alike. Temporal variability: While biogenic sources are dominated by diurnal and seasonal patterns, anthropogenic sources fluctuate over a greater variety of time scales from diurnal, weekly and seasonal cycles, driven by both economic and climatic factors. Geogenic sources typically vary in time scales of days to months (geogenic sources sensu stricto are not fossil fuels but volcanoes, hydrothermal and metamorphic sources). Current ground-based monitoring networks for anthropogenic and geogenic sources record data on minute- to weekly temporal scales. Satellite remote sensing solutions would have to capture temporal variability through revisit frequency or point-and-stare strategies. Space-based remote sensing offers the potential of global coverage by a single sensor. However, no single combination of orbit and sensor provides the full range of temporal sampling needed to characterize distributed area and point source emissions. For instance, point source emission patterns will vary with source strength, wind speed and direction. Because wind speed, direction and other environmental factors change rapidly, short term variabilities should be sampled. For detailed target selection and pointing verification, important lessons have already been learned and strategies devised during JAXA's GOSAT mission (Schwandner et al, 2013). The fact that competing spatial and temporal requirements drive satellite remote sensing sampling strategies dictates a systematic, multi-factor consideration of potential solutions. Factors to consider include vista, revisit frequency, integration times, spatial resolution, and spatial coverage. No single satellite-based remote sensing solution can address this problem for all scales. It is therefore of paramount importance for the international community to develop and maintain a constellation of atmospheric CO2 monitoring satellites that complement each other in their temporal and spatial observation capabilities: Polar sun-synchronous orbits (fixed local solar time, no diurnal information) with agile pointing allow global sampling of known distributed area and point sources like megacities, power plants and volcanoes with daily to weekly temporal revisits and moderate to high spatial resolution. Extensive targeting of distributed area and point sources comes at the expense of reduced mapping or spatial coverage, and the important contextual information that comes with large-scale contiguous spatial sampling. Polar sun-synchronous orbits with push-broom swath-mapping but limited pointing agility may allow mapping of individual source plumes and their spatial variability, but will depend on fortuitous environmental conditions during the observing period. These solutions typically have longer times between revisits, limiting their ability to resolve temporal variations. Geostationary and non-sun-synchronous low-Earth-orbits (precessing local solar time, diurnal information possible) with agile pointing have the potential to provide, comprehensive mapping of distributed area sources such as megacities with longer stare times and multiple revisits per day, at the expense of global access and spatial coverage. An ad hoc CO2 remote sensing constellation is emerging. NASA's OCO-2 satellite (launch July 2014) joins JAXA's GOSAT satellite in orbit. These will be followed by GOSAT-2 and NASA's OCO-3 on the International Space Station as early as 2017. Additional polar orbiting satellites (e.g., CarbonSat, under consideration at ESA) and geostationary platforms may also become available. However, the individual assets have been designed with independent science goals and requirements, and limited consideration of coordinated observing strategies. Every effort must be made to maximize the science return from this constellation. We discuss the opportunities to exploit the complementary spatial and temporal coverage provided by these assets as well as the crucial gaps in the capabilities of this constellation. References Burton, M.R., Sawyer, G.M., and Granieri, D. (2013). Deep carbon emissions from volcanoes. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 75: 323-354. Duren, R.M., Miller, C.E. (2012). Measuring the carbon emissions of megacities. Nature Climate Change 2, 560-562. Schwandner, F.M., Oda, T., Duren, R., Carn, S.A., Maksyutov, S., Crisp, D., Miller, C.E. (2013). Scientific Opportunities from Target-Mode Capabilities of GOSAT-2. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, White Paper, 6p., March 2013.

Exact Identification of a Quantum Change Point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sentís, Gael; Calsamiglia, John; Muñoz-Tapia, Ramon

2017-10-01

The detection of change points is a pivotal task in statistical analysis. In the quantum realm, it is a new primitive where one aims at identifying the point where a source that supposedly prepares a sequence of particles in identical quantum states starts preparing a mutated one. We obtain the optimal procedure to identify the change point with certainty—naturally at the price of having a certain probability of getting an inconclusive answer. We obtain the analytical form of the optimal probability of successful identification for any length of the particle sequence. We show that the conditional success probabilities of identifying each possible change point show an unexpected oscillatory behavior. We also discuss local (online) protocols and compare them with the optimal procedure.

Exact Identification of a Quantum Change Point.

PubMed

Sentís, Gael; Calsamiglia, John; Muñoz-Tapia, Ramon

2017-10-06

The detection of change points is a pivotal task in statistical analysis. In the quantum realm, it is a new primitive where one aims at identifying the point where a source that supposedly prepares a sequence of particles in identical quantum states starts preparing a mutated one. We obtain the optimal procedure to identify the change point with certainty-naturally at the price of having a certain probability of getting an inconclusive answer. We obtain the analytical form of the optimal probability of successful identification for any length of the particle sequence. We show that the conditional success probabilities of identifying each possible change point show an unexpected oscillatory behavior. We also discuss local (online) protocols and compare them with the optimal procedure.

Continuous description of fluctuating eccentricities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blaizot, Jean-Paul; Broniowski, Wojciech; Ollitrault, Jean-Yves

2014-11-01

We consider the initial energy density in the transverse plane of a high energy nucleus-nucleus collision as a random field ρ (x), whose probability distribution P [ ρ ], the only ingredient of the present description, encodes all possible sources of fluctuations. We argue that it is a local Gaussian, with a short-range 2-point function, and that the fluctuations relevant for the calculation of the eccentricities that drive the anisotropic flow have small relative amplitudes. In fact, this 2-point function, together with the average density, contains all the information needed to calculate the eccentricities and their variances, and we derive general model independent expressions for these quantities. The short wavelength fluctuations are shown to play no role in these calculations, except for a renormalization of the short range part of the 2-point function. As an illustration, we compare to a commonly used model of independent sources, and recover the known results of this model.

Local point sources that affect ground-water quality in the East Meadow area, Long Island, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heisig, Paul M.

1994-01-01

The extent and chemical characteristics of ground water affected by three local point sources--a stormwater basin, uncovered road-salt-storage piles, and an abandoned sewage-treatment plant--were delineated during a 3-year study of the chemical characteristics and migration of a body of reclaimed wastewater that was applied to the watertable aquifer during recharge experiments from October 1982 through January 1984 in East Meadow. The timing, magnitude, and chemical quality of recharge from these point sources is highly variable, and all sources have the potential to skew determinations of the quality of ambient ground-water and of the reclaimed-wastewater plume if they are not taken into account. Ground water affected by recharge from the stormwater basin is characterized by low concentrations of nitrate + nitrite (less than 5 mg/L [milligrams per liter] as N) and sulfate (less than 40 mg/L) and is almost entirely within the upper glacial aquifer. The plume derived from road-salt piles is narrow, has high concentrations of chloride (greater than 50 mg/L) and sodium (greater than 75 mg/L), and also is limited to the upper glacial aquifer. The sodium, in high concentrations, could react with aquifer material and exchange for sorbed cations such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Water affected by secondary-treated sewage from the abandoned treatment plant extends 152 feet below land surface into the upper part of the Magothy aquifer and longitudinally beyond the southern edge of the study area, 7,750 feet south of the recharge site. Ground water affected by secondary-treated sewage within the study area typically contains elevated concentrations of reactive chemical constituents, such as potassium and ammonium, and low concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Conservative or minimally reactive constituents such as chloride and sodium have been transported out of the study area in the upper glacial aquifer and the intermediate (transitional) zone but remain in the less permeable upper part of the Magothy aquifer. Identification of the three point sources and delineation of their areas of influence improved definition of ambient ground-water quality and delineation of the reclaimed-wastewater plume.

Probabilities for gravitational lensing by point masses in a locally inhomogeneous universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Isaacson, Jeffrey A.; Canizares, Claude R.

1989-01-01

Probability functions for gravitational lensing by point masses that incorporate Poisson statistics and flux conservation are formulated in the Dyer-Roeder construction. Optical depths to lensing for distant sources are calculated using both the method of Press and Gunn (1973) which counts lenses in an otherwise empty cone, and the method of Ehlers and Schneider (1986) which projects lensing cross sections onto the source sphere. These are then used as parameters of the probability density for lensing in the case of a critical (q0 = 1/2) Friedmann universe. A comparison of the probability functions indicates that the effects of angle-averaging can be well approximated by adjusting the average magnification along a random line of sight so as to conserve flux.

Resolving the Shell of the Superbubble 30 Doradus C with Chandra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, Laura

2017-09-01

We propose to observe the superbubble (SB) 30 Doradus C (30 Dor C) with ACIS-S for 100 ks to resolve and characterize the non-thermal shell, point sources, and the young supernova remnant (SNR) J0536 6913 at sub-arcsecond scales. 30 Dor C has been imaged off axis repeatedly by Chandra due to its proximity to SN 1987A, but the majority of the shell has only been observed <20 ks at off-axis distances of >10 arcminutes. The on-axis spatial resolution, sensitivity, and low background of ACIS-S are necessary to disentangle point sources from diffuse emission, to localize synchrotron filaments associated with accelerated electrons, and to investigate the SNR J0536 6913.

Wideband RELAX and wideband CLEAN for aeroacoustic imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yanwei; Li, Jian; Stoica, Petre; Sheplak, Mark; Nishida, Toshikazu

2004-02-01

Microphone arrays can be used for acoustic source localization and characterization in wind tunnel testing. In this paper, the wideband RELAX (WB-RELAX) and the wideband CLEAN (WB-CLEAN) algorithms are presented for aeroacoustic imaging using an acoustic array. WB-RELAX is a parametric approach that can be used efficiently for point source imaging without the sidelobe problems suffered by the delay-and-sum beamforming approaches. WB-CLEAN does not have sidelobe problems either, but it behaves more like a nonparametric approach and can be used for both point source and distributed source imaging. Moreover, neither of the algorithms suffers from the severe performance degradations encountered by the adaptive beamforming methods when the number of snapshots is small and/or the sources are highly correlated or coherent with each other. A two-step optimization procedure is used to implement the WB-RELAX and WB-CLEAN algorithms efficiently. The performance of WB-RELAX and WB-CLEAN is demonstrated by applying them to measured data obtained at the NASA Langley Quiet Flow Facility using a small aperture directional array (SADA). Somewhat surprisingly, using these approaches, not only were the parameters of the dominant source accurately determined, but a highly correlated multipath of the dominant source was also discovered.

Wideband RELAX and wideband CLEAN for aeroacoustic imaging.

PubMed

Wang, Yanwei; Li, Jian; Stoica, Petre; Sheplak, Mark; Nishida, Toshikazu

2004-02-01

Microphone arrays can be used for acoustic source localization and characterization in wind tunnel testing. In this paper, the wideband RELAX (WB-RELAX) and the wideband CLEAN (WB-CLEAN) algorithms are presented for aeroacoustic imaging using an acoustic array. WB-RELAX is a parametric approach that can be used efficiently for point source imaging without the sidelobe problems suffered by the delay-and-sum beamforming approaches. WB-CLEAN does not have sidelobe problems either, but it behaves more like a nonparametric approach and can be used for both point source and distributed source imaging. Moreover, neither of the algorithms suffers from the severe performance degradations encountered by the adaptive beamforming methods when the number of snapshots is small and/or the sources are highly correlated or coherent with each other. A two-step optimization procedure is used to implement the WB-RELAX and WB-CLEAN algorithms efficiently. The performance of WB-RELAX and WB-CLEAN is demonstrated by applying them to measured data obtained at the NASA Langley Quiet Flow Facility using a small aperture directional array (SADA). Somewhat surprisingly, using these approaches, not only were the parameters of the dominant source accurately determined, but a highly correlated multipath of the dominant source was also discovered.

A comprehensive experimental characterization of the iPIX gamma imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amgarou, K.; Paradiso, V.; Patoz, A.; Bonnet, F.; Handley, J.; Couturier, P.; Becker, F.; Menaa, N.

2016-08-01

The results of more than 280 different experiments aimed at exploring the main features and performances of a newly developed gamma imager, called iPIX, are summarized in this paper. iPIX is designed to quickly localize radioactive sources while estimating the ambient dose equivalent rate at the measurement point. It integrates a 1 mm thick CdTe detector directly bump-bonded to a Timepix chip, a tungsten coded-aperture mask, and a mini RGB camera. It also represents a major technological breakthrough in terms of lightness, compactness, usability, response sensitivity, and angular resolution. As an example of its key strengths, an 241Am source with a dose rate of only few nSv/h can be localized in less than one minute.

EFFECTS OF LASER RADIATION ON MATTER. LASER PLASMA: Structure and properties of aluminum-silicon alloys hardened locally by concentrated energy sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voronin, S. V.; Gureev, D. M.; Zolotarevskiĭ, A. V.

1990-06-01

An investigation was made of some characteristics of the formation of the structure of Al-Si alloys containing 10%, 12% and 20 % Si, and also of the commercial alloy V124 under conditions of surface fusion by laser-arc and laser sources. It was established that as a result of local fusion there was a change in the silicon deposition morphology, the α solid solution became oversaturated, and the eutectic point was shifted toward high silicon concentrations. It was found that the hardened layer retained its high hardness when treated at temperatures up to 250 °C. The commercial alloy V124 was used as an example to show that an alloyed layer with a controlled silicon concentration can be obtained on the surface by using a laser-arc or laser source.

Lightning measurements from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarf, F. L.; Russell, C. T.

1983-01-01

The plasma wave instrument on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter frequently detects strong and impulsive low-frequency signals when the spacecraft traverses the nightside ionosphere near periapsis. These particular noise bursts appear only when the local magnetic field is strong and steady and when the field is oriented to point down to the ionosphere thus; the signals have all characteristics of lightning whistlers. We have tried to identify lightning sources between the cloud layers and the planet itself by tracing rays along the B-field from the Orbiter down toward the surface. An extensive data set, consisting of measurements through Orbit 1185, strongly indicates a clustering of lightning sources near the Beta and Phoebe Regios, with an additional significant cluster near the Atla Regio at the eastern edge of Aphrodite Terra. These results suggest that there are localized lightning sources at or near the planetary surface.

Atmospheric bromoform at Cape Point, South Africa: an initial fixed-point data set on the African continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuyper, Brett; Palmer, Carl J.; Labuschagne, Casper; Reason, Chris J. C.

2018-04-01

Bromoform mixing ratios in marine air were measured at Cape Point Global Atmospheric Watch Station, South Africa. This represents the first such bromoform data set recorded at this location. Manual daily measurements were made during a month-long field campaign (austral spring 2011) using a gas chromatograph-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) with a custom-built front end thermal desorption trap. The measured concentrations ranged between 4.4 and 64.6 (± 22.2 %) ppt with a mean of 24.8 ± 14.8 ppt. The highest mixing ratios recorded here occurred at, or shortly after, low tide. The diurnal cycle exhibited a morning and evening maximum with lower concentrations throughout the rest of the day. Initial analysis of the data presented indicates that the local kelp beds were the dominant source of the bromoform reported. A concentration-weighted trajectory analysis of the bromoform measurements suggests that two offshore source areas may exist. These source areas appear to be centred on the Agulhas retroflection and extend from St Helena Bay to the southwest.

Measurement of Phased Array Point Spread Functions for Use with Beamforming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahr, Chris; Zawodny, Nikolas S.; Bertolucci, Brandon; Woolwine, Kyle; Liu, Fei; Li, Juan; Sheplak, Mark; Cattafesta, Louis

2011-01-01

Microphone arrays can be used to localize and estimate the strengths of acoustic sources present in a region of interest. However, the array measurement of a region, or beam map, is not an accurate representation of the acoustic field in that region. The true acoustic field is convolved with the array s sampling response, or point spread function (PSF). Many techniques exist to remove the PSF's effect on the beam map via deconvolution. Currently these methods use a theoretical estimate of the array point spread function and perhaps account for installation offsets via determination of the microphone locations. This methodology fails to account for any reflections or scattering in the measurement setup and still requires both microphone magnitude and phase calibration, as well as a separate shear layer correction in an open-jet facility. The research presented seeks to investigate direct measurement of the array's PSF using a non-intrusive acoustic point source generated by a pulsed laser system. Experimental PSFs of the array are computed for different conditions to evaluate features such as shift-invariance, shear layers and model presence. Results show that experimental measurements trend with theory with regard to source offset. The source shows expected behavior due to shear layer refraction when observed in a flow, and application of a measured PSF to NACA 0012 aeroacoustic trailing-edge noise data shows a promising alternative to a classic shear layer correction method.

Gravitational wave sources: reflections and echoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Richard H.; Khanna, Gaurav

2017-11-01

The recent detection of gravitational waves has generated interest in alternatives to the black hole interpretation of sources. A subset of such alternatives involves a prediction of gravitational wave ‘echoes’. We consider two aspects of possible echoes: first, general features of echoes coming from spacetime reflecting conditions. We find that the detailed nature of such echoes does not bear any clear relationship to quasi-normal frequencies. Second, we point out the pitfalls in the analysis of local reflecting ‘walls’ near the horizon of rapidly rotating black holes.

Wave propagation in anisotropic medium due to an oscillatory point source with application to unidirectional composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. H., Jr.; Marques, E. R. C.; Lee, S. S.

1986-01-01

The far-field displacements in an infinite transversely isotropic elastic medium subjected to an oscillatory concentrated force are derived. The concepts of velocity surface, slowness surface and wave surface are used to describe the geometry of the wave propagation process. It is shown that the decay of the wave amplitudes depends not only on the distance from the source (as in isotropic media) but also depends on the direction of the point of interest from the source. As an example, the displacement field is computed for a laboratory fabricated unidirectional fiberglass epoxy composite. The solution for the displacements is expressed as an amplitude distribution and is presented in polar diagrams. This analysis has potential usefulness in the acoustic emission (AE) and ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation of composite materials. For example, the transient localized disturbances which are generally associated with AE sources can be modeled via this analysis. In which case, knowledge of the displacement field which arrives at a receiving transducer allows inferences regarding the strength and orientation of the source, and consequently perhaps the degree of damage within the composite.

Source apportionment analysis of air pollutants using CMAQ/BFM for national air quality management policy over Republic of Korea.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, N.; Kim, S.; Seo, J.; Lee, Y. J.

2017-12-01

Recently, the Korean government is focusing on solving air pollution problem such as fine particulate matter and ozone. Korea has high population density and concentrated industrial complex in its limited land space. For better air quality management, it is important to understand source and contribution relation to target pollutant. The air quality analysis representing the mutual contribution among the local regions enables to understand the substantive state of the air quality of a region in association with neighboring regions. Under this background, the source apportionment of PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2, SO2 using WRF and CMAQ/BFM was analyzed over Korea and BFM was applied to mobile, area and point sources in each local government. The contribution rate from neighboring region showed different pattern for each pollutant. In case of primary pollutants such as NO2, SO2, local source contribution is dominant, on the other hand secondary pollutants case especially O3, contribution from neighboring region is higher than that from source region itself. Local source contribution to PM10 showed 20-25% and the contribution rate to O3 has big difference with different meteorological condition year after year. From this study, we tried to estimate the conversion rate between source (NOx, VOC, SO2, NH3, PMC, PM2.5, CO) and concentration (PM10, PM2.5, O3, NO2, SO2,) by regional group over Korea. The result can contribute to the decision-making process of important national planning related to large-scale industrial developments and energy supply policies (eg., operations of coal-fired power plants and diesel cars) and emission control plan, where many controversies and concerns are currently concentrated among local governments in Korea. With this kind of approach, various environmental and social problems related to air quality can also be identified early so that a sustainable and environmentally sound plan can be established by providing data infrastructures to be utilized by central government agencies, local governments, and even private sectors.

Characterizing Methane Emissions at Local Scales with a 20 Year Total Hydrocarbon Time Series, Imaging Spectrometry, and Web Facilitated Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Eliza Swan

Methane is an important greenhouse gas for which uncertainty in local emission strengths necessitates improved source characterizations. Although CH4 plume mapping did not motivate the NASA Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) design and municipal air quality monitoring stations were not intended for studying marine geological seepage, these assets have capabilities that can make them viable for studying concentrated (high flux, highly heterogeneous) CH4 sources, such as the Coal Oil Point (COP) seep field (˜0.015 Tg CH4 yr-1) offshore Santa Barbara, California. Hourly total hydrocarbon (THC) data, spanning 1990 to 2008 from an air pollution station located near COP, were analyzed and showed geologic CH4 emissions as the dominant local source. A band ratio approach was developed and applied to high glint AVIRIS data over COP, resulting in local-scale mapping of natural atmospheric CH4 plumes. A Cluster-Tuned Matched Filter (CTMF) technique was applied to Gulf of Mexico AVIRIS data to detect CH4 venting from offshore platforms. Review of 744 platform-centered CTMF subsets was facilitated through a flexible PHP-based web portal. This dissertation demonstrates the value of investigating municipal air quality data and imaging spectrometry for gathering insight into concentrated methane source emissions and highlights how flexible web-based solutions can help facilitate remote sensing research.

A pollutant load hierarchical allocation method integrated in an environmental capacity management system for Zhushan Bay, Taihu Lake.

PubMed

Liang, Shidong; Jia, Haifeng; Yang, Cong; Melching, Charles; Yuan, Yongping

2015-11-15

An environmental capacity management (ECM) system was developed to help practically implement a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for a key bay in a highly eutrophic lake in China. The ECM system consists of a simulation platform for pollutant load calculation and a pollutant load hierarchical allocation (PLHA) system. The simulation platform was developed by linking the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) and Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP). In the PLHA, pollutant loads were allocated top-down in several levels based on characteristics of the pollutant sources. Different allocation methods could be used for the different levels with the advantages of each method combined over the entire allocation. Zhushan Bay of Taihu Lake, one of the most eutrophic lakes in China, was selected as a case study. The allowable loads of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia, and chemical oxygen demand were found to be 2122.2, 94.9, 1230.4, and 5260.0 t·yr(-1), respectively. The PLHA for the case study consists of 5 levels. At level 0, loads are allocated to those from the lakeshore direct drainage, atmospheric deposition, internal release, and tributary inflows. At level 1 the loads allocated to tributary inflows are allocated to the 3 tributaries. At level 2, the loads allocated to one inflow tributary are allocated to upstream areas and local sources along the tributary. At level 3, the loads allocated to local sources are allocated to the point and non-point sources from different towns. At level 4, the loads allocated to non-point sources in each town are allocated to different villages. Compared with traditional forms of pollutant load allocation methods, PLHA can combine the advantages of different methods which put different priority weights on equity and efficiency, and the PLHA is easy to understand for stakeholders and more flexible to adjust when applied in practical cases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regional and local meteorology influences high-resolution tropospheric ozone concentration in the Los Angeles Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutzoukis, S.; Jenerette, D.; Chandler, M.; Wang, J.; Ge, C.; Ripplinger, J.

2017-12-01

Urban air quality and climate directly affect resident health. The Los Angeles (LA) Basin is a highly populated metropolitan area, with widespread point sources of ozone (O3) precursors (NOx , Volatile Organic Compounds, CO) from fossil fuel combustion. The LA basin exists on a coast-to-mountain gradient, with increasing temperatures towards the Transverse Ranges, which rise to 1700m. Frequently not compliant with 8-hour O3 standards, the LA and South Coast Air Basins are designated as severe and extreme non-attainment areas. Summer weather in the LA basin is characterized by a persistent high pressure system, creating an inversion that traps air pollutants, including O3 precursors, coupled with physical geography that blocks prevailing upper atmosphere air flow. These interactions make neighborhood-level O3 levels more variable than common regional models. Over the summer of 2017, we investigated the importance of local meteorology, wind patterns and air temperature, in transporting and mixing ozone precursors from point sources along the coast-to-mountain gradient. We deployed a network of six EPA federal equivalent method ozone and meteorological sensors in three campaigns in the LA basin along the coast-to-mountain transect. Each campaign, we collaborated with citizen scientists to deploy three sensor stations in two, 4 km2 quadrats, for a total of six high-resolution 4 km2 pixels. O3 concentrations vary greatly along the transect. At the coastal sites, daily O3 ranges from 0ppm to 60ppm and the range increases at the inland sites, to 100ppm. At all sites, there was a positive relationship between wind speed, air temperature, and O3 concentration, with increasing correlation inland. The Pearson correlation coefficient between wind speed and O3 concentration doubles from the coast to inland, and triples between air temperature and O3. The site-specific relationships between O3 and wind direction and temperature vary, suggesting neighborhood-effects from local point sources.

Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Trace Contamination of Streams and Beaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nickles, James

2008-01-01

Concentrations of fecal-indicator bacteria in urban streams and ocean beaches in and around Santa Barbara occasionally can exceed public-health standards for recreation. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), working with the City of Santa Barbara, has used multi-disciplinary science to trace the sources of the bacteria. This research is helping local agencies take steps to improve recreational water quality. The USGS used an approach that combined traditional hydrologic and microbiological data, with state-of-the-art genetic, molecular, and chemical tracer analysis. This research integrated physical data on streamflow, ground water, and near-shore oceanography, and made extensive use of modern geophysical and isotopic techniques. Using those techniques, the USGS was able to evaluate the movement of water and the exchange of ground water with near-shore ocean water. The USGS has found that most fecal bacteria in the urban streams came from storm-drain discharges, with the highest concentrations occurring during storm flow. During low streamflow, the concentrations varied as much as three-fold, owing to variable contribution of non-point sources such as outdoor water use and urban runoff to streamflow. Fecal indicator bacteria along ocean beaches were from both stream discharge to the ocean and from non-point sources such as bird fecal material that accumulates in kelp and sand at the high-tide line. Low levels of human-specific Bacteroides, suggesting fecal material from a human source, were consistently detected on area beaches. One potential source, a local sewer line buried beneath the beach, was found not to be responsible for the fecal bacteria.

Opacity meter for monitoring exhaust emissions from non-stationary sources

DOEpatents

Dec, John Edward

2000-01-01

Method and apparatus for determining the opacity of exhaust plumes from moving emissions sources. In operation, a light source is activated at a time prior to the arrival of a diesel locomotive at a measurement point, by means of a track trigger switch or the Automatic Equipment Identification system, such that the opacity measurement is synchronized with the passage of an exhaust plume past the measurement point. A beam of light from the light source passes through the exhaust plume of the locomotive and is detected by a suitable detector, preferably a high-rate photodiode. The light beam is well-collimated and is preferably monochromatic, permitting the use of a narrowband pass filter to discriminate against background light. In order to span a double railroad track and provide a beam which is substantially stronger than background, the light source, preferably a diode laser, must provide a locally intense beam. A high intensity light source is also desirable in order to increase accuracy at the high sampling rates required. Also included is a computer control system useful for data acquisition, manipulation, storage and transmission of opacity data and the identification of the associated diesel engine to a central data collection center.

A GIS-based multi-source and multi-box modeling approach (GMSMB) for air pollution assessment--a North American case study.

PubMed

Wang, Bao-Zhen; Chen, Zhi

2013-01-01

This article presents a GIS-based multi-source and multi-box modeling approach (GMSMB) to predict the spatial concentration distributions of airborne pollutant on local and regional scales. In this method, an extended multi-box model combined with a multi-source and multi-grid Gaussian model are developed within the GIS framework to examine the contributions from both point- and area-source emissions. By using GIS, a large amount of data including emission sources, air quality monitoring, meteorological data, and spatial location information required for air quality modeling are brought into an integrated modeling environment. It helps more details of spatial variation in source distribution and meteorological condition to be quantitatively analyzed. The developed modeling approach has been examined to predict the spatial concentration distribution of four air pollutants (CO, NO(2), SO(2) and PM(2.5)) for the State of California. The modeling results are compared with the monitoring data. Good agreement is acquired which demonstrated that the developed modeling approach could deliver an effective air pollution assessment on both regional and local scales to support air pollution control and management planning.

Dry needling — peripheral and central considerations

PubMed Central

Dommerholt, Jan

2011-01-01

Dry needling is a common treatment technique in orthopedic manual physical therapy. Although various dry needling approaches exist, the more common and best supported approach targets myofascial trigger points. This article aims to place trigger point dry needling within the context of pain sciences. From a pain science perspective, trigger points are constant sources of peripheral nociceptive input leading to peripheral and central sensitization. Dry needling cannot only reverse some aspects of central sensitization, it reduces local and referred pain, improves range of motion and muscle activation pattern, and alters the chemical environment of trigger points. Trigger point dry needling should be based on a thorough understanding of the scientific background of trigger points, the differences and similarities between active and latent trigger points, motor adaptation, and central sensitize application. Several outcome studies are included, as well as comments on dry needling and acupuncture. PMID:23115475

Study on Huizhou architecture of point cloud registration based on optimized ICP algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Runmei; Wu, Yulu; Zhang, Guangbin; Zhou, Wei; Tao, Yuqian

2018-03-01

In view of the current point cloud registration software has high hardware requirements, heavy workload and moltiple interactive definition, the source of software with better processing effect is not open, a two--step registration method based on normal vector distribution feature and coarse feature based iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm is proposed in this paper. This method combines fast point feature histogram (FPFH) algorithm, define the adjacency region of point cloud and the calculation model of the distribution of normal vectors, setting up the local coordinate system for each key point, and obtaining the transformation matrix to finish rough registration, the rough registration results of two stations are accurately registered by using the ICP algorithm. Experimental results show that, compared with the traditional ICP algorithm, the method used in this paper has obvious time and precision advantages for large amount of point clouds.

Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Bioaccumulation in Fish: A Look at Michigan's Upper Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokol, E. C.; Urban, N. R.; Perlinger, J. A.; Khan, T.; Friedman, C. L.

2014-12-01

Fish consumption is an important economic, social and cultural component of Michigan's UpperPeninsula, where safe fish consumption is threatened due to polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)contamination. Despite its predominantly rural nature, the Upper Peninsula has a history of industrialPCB use. PCB congener concentrations in fish vary 50-fold in Upper Peninsula lakes. Several factors maycontribute to this high variability including local point sources, unique watershed and lakecharacteristics, and food web structure. It was hypothesized that the variability in congener distributionscould be used to identify factors controlling concentrations in fish, and then to use those factors topredict PCB contamination in fish from lakes that had not been monitored. Watershed and lakecharacteristics were acquired from several databases for 16 lakes sampled in the State's fishcontaminant survey. Species congener distributions were compared using Principal Component Analysis(PCA) to distinguish between lakes with local vs. regional, atmospheric sources; six lakes were predictedto have local sources and half of those have confirmed local PCB use. For lakes without local PCBsources, PCA indicated that lake size was the primary factor influencing PCB concentrations. The EPA'sbioaccumulation model, BASS, was used to predict PCB contamination in lakes without local sources as afunction of food web characteristics. The model was used to evaluate the hypothesis that deep,oligotrophic lakes have longer food webs and higher PCB concentrations in top predator fish. Based onthese findings, we will develop a mechanistic watershed-lake model to predict PCB concentrations infish as a function of atmospheric PCB concentrations, lake size, and trophic state. Future atmosphericconcentrations, predicted by modeling potential primary and secondary emission scenarios, will be usedto predict the time horizon for safe fish consumption.

Local Sampling of the Wigner Function at Telecom Wavelength with Loss-Tolerant Detection of Photon Statistics.

PubMed

Harder, G; Silberhorn, Ch; Rehacek, J; Hradil, Z; Motka, L; Stoklasa, B; Sánchez-Soto, L L

2016-04-01

We report the experimental point-by-point sampling of the Wigner function for nonclassical states created in an ultrafast pulsed type-II parametric down-conversion source. We use a loss-tolerant time-multiplexed detector based on a fiber-optical setup and a pair of photon-number-resolving avalanche photodiodes. By capitalizing on an expedient data-pattern tomography, we assess the properties of the light states with outstanding accuracy. The method allows us to reliably infer the squeezing of genuine two-mode states without any phase reference.

Enhancing Linkages Between Healthy Diets, Local Agriculture, and Sustainable Food Systems: The School Meals Planner Package in Ghana.

PubMed

Fernandes, Meenakshi; Galloway, Rae; Gelli, Aulo; Mumuni, Daniel; Hamdani, Salha; Kiamba, Josephine; Quarshie, Kate; Bhatia, Rita; Aurino, Elisabetta; Peel, Francis; Drake, Lesley

2016-12-01

Interventions that enhance linkages between healthy diets and local agriculture can promote sustainable food systems. Home-grown school feeding programs present a promising entry point for such interventions, through the delivery of nutritious menus and meals. To describe the adaptation of the School Meals Planner Package to the programmatic and environmental reality in Ghana during the 2014 to 2015 school year. Guided by a conceptual framework highlighting key considerations and trade-offs in menu design, an open-source software was developed that could be easily understood by program implementers. Readily available containers from markets were calibrated into "handy measures" to support the provision of adequate quantities of food indicated by menus. Schools and communities were sensitized to the benefits of locally sourced, nutrient-rich diets. A behavior change communication campaign including posters and songs promoting healthy diets was designed and disseminated in schools and communities. The School Meals Planner Package was introduced in 42 districts in Ghana, reaching more than 320 000 children. Monitoring reports and feedback on its use were positive, demonstrating how the tool can be used by planners and implementers alike to deliver nutritious, locally-sourced meals to schoolchildren. The value of the tool has been recognized at the highest levels by Ghana's government who have adopted it as official policy. The School Meals Planner Package supported the design of nutritious, locally sourced menus for the school feeding program in Ghana. The tool can be similarly adapted for other countries to meet context-specific needs. © The Author(s) 2016.

Characterization of the wintertime particulate (PM1) pollution at an urban background site of Nicosia, Cyprus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pikridas, Michael; Sciare, Jean; Vrekoussis, Mihalis; Oikonomou, Konstantina; Merabet, Hamza; Mihalopoulos, Nikos; Yassaa, Nouredine; Savvides, Chrysanthos

2016-04-01

As part of MISTRALS-ChArMEx (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/), and MISTRALS-ENVI-Med "CyAr" (Cyprus Aerosols and gas precursors) programs, a 1-month intensive field campaign has been performed in December 2014 at an urban background site of Nicosia (Cyprus) - a typical European city of the Eastern Mediterranean - with the objective to document the major (local versus imported) sources responsible for wintertime particulate (PM1) pollution. Several near real-time analyzers were deployed for that purpose (TEOM 1400, OPC Grimm 1.108, Q-ACSM, Aethalometer AE31) allowing to investigate in near-real time the major chemical components of submicron aerosols (Black Carbon, Organics, Sulphate, Nitrate, Ammonium). Quality control of Q-ACSM and Aethalometer datasets was performed through closure studies (using co-located TEOM / OPC Grimm). Comparisons were also performed with other on-line / off-line measurements performed by the local Air quality network (DLI) at other locations in Nicosia with the objective to check the consistency and representativeness of our observations. Very high levels of Black Carbon and OA were systematically observed every night (with maximum concentrations around 22:00 local time) pointing to local combustion sources most probably related to domestic heating. Source apportionment of organic aerosols (OA) was performed using the SourceFinder software (SoFi, http://www.psi.ch/acsm-stations/me-2) allowing the distinction between various primary/secondary OA sources and helped us to better characterize the combustion sources being responsible for the observed elevated nighttime PM1 levels. Acknowledgements: This campaign has been funded by MISTRALS (ChArMEx et ENVI-Med CyAr programs), CNRS-INSU, CEA, CyI, DLI, CDER and ECPL.

Hyperspectral and multispectral bioluminescence optical tomography for small animal imaging.

PubMed

Chaudhari, Abhijit J; Darvas, Felix; Bading, James R; Moats, Rex A; Conti, Peter S; Smith, Desmond J; Cherry, Simon R; Leahy, Richard M

2005-12-07

For bioluminescence imaging studies in small animals, it is important to be able to accurately localize the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the underlying bioluminescent source. The spectrum of light produced by the source that escapes the subject varies with the depth of the emission source because of the wavelength-dependence of the optical properties of tissue. Consequently, multispectral or hyperspectral data acquisition should help in the 3D localization of deep sources. In this paper, we describe a framework for fully 3D bioluminescence tomographic image acquisition and reconstruction that exploits spectral information. We describe regularized tomographic reconstruction techniques that use semi-infinite slab or FEM-based diffusion approximations of photon transport through turbid media. Singular value decomposition analysis was used for data dimensionality reduction and to illustrate the advantage of using hyperspectral rather than achromatic data. Simulation studies in an atlas-mouse geometry indicated that sub-millimeter resolution may be attainable given accurate knowledge of the optical properties of the animal. A fixed arrangement of mirrors and a single CCD camera were used for simultaneous acquisition of multispectral imaging data over most of the surface of the animal. Phantom studies conducted using this system demonstrated our ability to accurately localize deep point-like sources and show that a resolution of 1.5 to 2.2 mm for depths up to 6 mm can be achieved. We also include an in vivo study of a mouse with a brain tumour expressing firefly luciferase. Co-registration of the reconstructed 3D bioluminescent image with magnetic resonance images indicated good anatomical localization of the tumour.

Physics of vascular brachytherapy.

PubMed

Jani, S K

1999-08-01

Basic physics plays an important role in understanding the clinical utility of radioisotopes in brachytherapy. Vascular brachytherapy is a very unique application of localized radiation in that dose levels very close to the source are employed to treat tissues within the arterial wall. This article covers basic physics of radioactivity and differentiates between beta and gamma radiations. Physical parameters such as activity, half-life, exposure and absorbed dose have been explained. Finally, the dose distribution around a point source and a linear source is described. The principles of basic physics are likely to play an important role in shaping the emerging technology and its application in vascular brachytherapy.

Analysis and attenuation of artifacts caused by spatially and temporally correlated noise sources in Green's function estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, E. R.; Dou, S.; Lindsey, N.; Chang, J. P.; Biondi, B. C.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.; Wagner, A. M.; Bjella, K.; Daley, T. M.; Freifeld, B. M.; Robertson, M.; Ulrich, C.; Williams, E. F.

2016-12-01

Localized strong sources of noise in an array have been shown to cause artifacts in Green's function estimates obtained via cross-correlation. Their effect is often reduced through the use of cross-coherence. Beyond independent localized sources, temporally or spatially correlated sources of noise frequently occur in practice but violate basic assumptions of much of the theory behind ambient noise Green's function retrieval. These correlated noise sources can occur in urban environments due to transportation infrastructure, or in areas around industrial operations like pumps running at CO2 sequestration sites or oil and gas drilling sites. Better understanding of these artifacts should help us develop and justify methods for their automatic removal from Green's function estimates. We derive expected artifacts in cross-correlations from several distributions of correlated noise sources including point sources that are exact time-lagged repeats of each other and Gaussian-distributed in space and time with covariance that exponentially decays. Assuming the noise distribution stays stationary over time, the artifacts become more coherent as more ambient noise is included in the Green's function estimates. We support our results with simple computational models. We observed these artifacts in Green's function estimates from a 2015 ambient noise study in Fairbanks, AK where a trenched distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) array was deployed to collect ambient noise alongside a road with the goal of developing a permafrost thaw monitoring system. We found that joints in the road repeatedly being hit by cars travelling at roughly the speed limit led to artifacts similar to those expected when several points are time-lagged copies of each other. We also show test results of attenuating the effects of these sources during time-lapse monitoring of an active thaw test in the same location with noise detected by a 2D trenched DAS array.

Improving signal-to-noise in the direct imaging of exoplanets and circumstellar disks with MLOCI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahhaj, Zahed; Cieza, Lucas A.; Mawet, Dimitri; Yang, Bin; Canovas, Hector; de Boer, Jozua; Casassus, Simon; Ménard, François; Schreiber, Matthias R.; Liu, Michael C.; Biller, Beth A.; Nielsen, Eric L.; Hayward, Thomas L.

2015-09-01

We present a new algorithm designed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of point and extended source detections around bright stars in direct imaging data.One of our innovations is that we insert simulated point sources into the science images, which we then try to recover with maximum S/N. This improves the S/N of real point sources elsewhere in the field. The algorithm, based on the locally optimized combination of images (LOCI) method, is called Matched LOCI or MLOCI. We show with Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) data on HD 135344 B and Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager (NICI) data on several stars that the new algorithm can improve the S/N of point source detections by 30-400% over past methods. We also find no increase in false detections rates. No prior knowledge of candidate companion locations is required to use MLOCI. On the other hand, while non-blind applications may yield linear combinations of science images that seem to increase the S/N of true sources by a factor >2, they can also yield false detections at high rates. This is a potential pitfall when trying to confirm marginal detections or to redetect point sources found in previous epochs. These findings are relevant to any method where the coefficients of the linear combination are considered tunable, e.g., LOCI and principal component analysis (PCA). Thus we recommend that false detection rates be analyzed when using these techniques. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (USA), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UK), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia (Brazil) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva (Argentina).

Spatially-resolved probing of biological phantoms by point-radiance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabtchak, Serge; Palmer, Tyler J.; Whelan, William M.

2011-03-01

Interstitial fiber-optic based strategies for therapy monitoring and assessment rely on detecting treatment-induced changes in the light distribution in biological tissues. We present an optical technique to identify spectrally and spatially specific tissue chromophores in highly scattering turbid media. Typical optical sensors measure non-directional light intensity (i.e. fluence) and require fiber translation (i.e. 3-5 positions), which is difficult to implement clinically. Point radiance spectroscopy is based on directional light collection (i.e. radiance) at a single point with a side-firing fiber that can be rotated up to 360°. A side firing fiber accepts light within a well-defined solid angle thus potentially providing an improved spatial resolution. Experimental measurements were performed using an 800-μm diameter isotropic spherical diffuser coupled to a halogen light source and a 600 μm, ~43° cleaved fiber (i.e. radiance detector). The background liquid-based scattering phantom was fabricated using 1% Intralipid (i.e. scattering medium). Light was collected at 1-5° increments through 360°-segment. Gold nanoparticles, placed into a 3.5 mm diameter capillary tube were used as localized scatterers and absorbers introduced into the liquid phantom both on- and off-axis between source and detector. The localized optical inhomogeneity was detectable as an angular-resolved variation in the radiance polar plots. This technique is being investigated as a non-invasive optical modality for prostate cancer monitoring.

A Smart Power Electronic Multiconverter for the Residential Sector.

PubMed

Guerrero-Martinez, Miguel Angel; Milanes-Montero, Maria Isabel; Barrero-Gonzalez, Fermin; Miñambres-Marcos, Victor Manuel; Romero-Cadaval, Enrique; Gonzalez-Romera, Eva

2017-05-26

The future of the grid includes distributed generation and smart grid technologies. Demand Side Management (DSM) systems will also be essential to achieve a high level of reliability and robustness in power systems. To do that, expanding the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Energy Management Systems (EMS) are necessary. The trend direction is towards the creation of energy resource hubs, such as the smart community concept. This paper presents a smart multiconverter system for residential/housing sector with a Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) consisting of supercapacitor and battery, and with local photovoltaic (PV) energy source integration. The device works as a distributed energy unit located in each house of the community, receiving active power set-points provided by a smart community EMS. This central EMS is responsible for managing the active energy flows between the electricity grid, renewable energy sources, storage equipment and loads existing in the community. The proposed multiconverter is responsible for complying with the reference active power set-points with proper power quality; guaranteeing that the local PV modules operate with a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm; and extending the lifetime of the battery thanks to a cooperative operation of the HESS. A simulation model has been developed in order to show the detailed operation of the system. Finally, a prototype of the multiconverter platform has been implemented and some experimental tests have been carried out to validate it.

A Smart Power Electronic Multiconverter for the Residential Sector

PubMed Central

Guerrero-Martinez, Miguel Angel; Milanes-Montero, Maria Isabel; Barrero-Gonzalez, Fermin; Miñambres-Marcos, Victor Manuel; Romero-Cadaval, Enrique; Gonzalez-Romera, Eva

2017-01-01

The future of the grid includes distributed generation and smart grid technologies. Demand Side Management (DSM) systems will also be essential to achieve a high level of reliability and robustness in power systems. To do that, expanding the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Energy Management Systems (EMS) are necessary. The trend direction is towards the creation of energy resource hubs, such as the smart community concept. This paper presents a smart multiconverter system for residential/housing sector with a Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) consisting of supercapacitor and battery, and with local photovoltaic (PV) energy source integration. The device works as a distributed energy unit located in each house of the community, receiving active power set-points provided by a smart community EMS. This central EMS is responsible for managing the active energy flows between the electricity grid, renewable energy sources, storage equipment and loads existing in the community. The proposed multiconverter is responsible for complying with the reference active power set-points with proper power quality; guaranteeing that the local PV modules operate with a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm; and extending the lifetime of the battery thanks to a cooperative operation of the HESS. A simulation model has been developed in order to show the detailed operation of the system. Finally, a prototype of the multiconverter platform has been implemented and some experimental tests have been carried out to validate it. PMID:28587131

Impact of point A asymmetry on local control and survival for low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy in cervical cancer.

PubMed

Opfermann, Krisha J; Wahlquist, Amy; Watkins, John; Kohler, Matthew; Jenrette, Joseph

2012-03-01

To evaluate whether Point A asymmetry in low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy is associated with local control (LC), disease-free survival (DFS) and/or overall survival (OS). A retrospective analysis of disease control and survival outcomes was conducted for patients who underwent LDR brachytherapy for advanced cervical cancer. Institutional protocol entailed concurrent chemotherapy and whole pelvis radiotherapy (WPRT) over 5 weeks, followed by placement of Fletcher-Suit tandem and colpostat applicators at weeks 6 and 8. Objective Point A doses, 80-85 Gy, were accomplished by placement of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) sources. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess associations between disease control and survival endpoints with variables of interest. The records of 50 patients with FIGO stage IB1-IVA cervical cancer undergoing LDR brachytherapy at our institution were identified. Thirty of these patients had asymmetry > 2.5%, and 11 patients had asymmetry > 5%. At a median survivor follow-up of 20.25 months, 15 patients had experienced disease failure (including 5 cervical/vaginal apex only failures and 2 failures encompassing the local site). Right/left dose asymmetry at Point A was associated with statistically significantly inferior LC (p = 0.035) and inferior DFS (p = 0.011) for patients with mean Point A dose of > 80 Gy. Insufficient evidence existed to conclude an association with OS. LDR brachytherapy may be associated with clinically significant dose asymmetry. The present study demonstrates that patients with Point A asymmetry have a higher risk of failure for DFS and LC.

Impact of point A asymmetry on local control and survival for low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy in cervical cancer

PubMed Central

Wahlquist, Amy; Watkins, John; Kohler, Matthew; Jenrette, Joseph

2012-01-01

Purpose To evaluate whether Point A asymmetry in low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy is associated with local control (LC), disease-free survival (DFS) and/or overall survival (OS). Material and methods A retrospective analysis of disease control and survival outcomes was conducted for patients who underwent LDR brachytherapy for advanced cervical cancer. Institutional protocol entailed concurrent chemotherapy and whole pelvis radiotherapy (WPRT) over 5 weeks, followed by placement of Fletcher-Suit tandem and colpostat applicators at weeks 6 and 8. Objective Point A doses, 80-85 Gy, were accomplished by placement of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) sources. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess associations between disease control and survival endpoints with variables of interest. Results The records of 50 patients with FIGO stage IB1-IVA cervical cancer undergoing LDR brachytherapy at our institution were identified. Thirty of these patients had asymmetry > 2.5%, and 11 patients had asymmetry > 5%. At a median survivor follow-up of 20.25 months, 15 patients had experienced disease failure (including 5 cervical/vaginal apex only failures and 2 failures encompassing the local site). Right/left dose asymmetry at Point A was associated with statistically significantly inferior LC (p = 0.035) and inferior DFS (p = 0.011) for patients with mean Point A dose of > 80 Gy. Insufficient evidence existed to conclude an association with OS. Conclusions LDR brachytherapy may be associated with clinically significant dose asymmetry. The present study demonstrates that patients with Point A asymmetry have a higher risk of failure for DFS and LC. PMID:23346133

Opendf - An Implementation of the Dual Fermion Method for Strongly Correlated Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antipov, Andrey E.; LeBlanc, James P. F.; Gull, Emanuel

The dual fermion method is a multiscale approach for solving lattice problems of interacting strongly correlated systems. In this paper, we present the opendfcode, an open-source implementation of the dual fermion method applicable to fermionic single- orbital lattice models in dimensions D = 1, 2, 3 and 4. The method is built on a dynamical mean field starting point, which neglects all local correlations, and perturbatively adds spatial correlations. Our code is distributed as an open-source package under the GNU public license version 2.

Reconstructed Image Spatial Resolution of Multiple Coincidences Compton Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreyev, Andriy; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Celler, Anna

2010-02-01

We study the multiple coincidences Compton imager (MCCI) which is based on a simultaneous acquisition of several photons emitted in cascade from a single nuclear decay. Theoretically, this technique should provide a major improvement in localization of a single radioactive source as compared to a standard Compton camera. In this work, we investigated the performance and limitations of MCCI using Monte Carlo computer simulations. Spatial resolutions of the reconstructed point source have been studied as a function of the MCCI parameters, including geometrical dimensions and detector characteristics such as materials, energy and spatial resolutions.

Site correction of stochastic simulation in southwestern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lun Huang, Cong; Wen, Kuo Liang; Huang, Jyun Yan

2014-05-01

Peak ground acceleration (PGA) of a disastrous earthquake, is concerned both in civil engineering and seismology study. Presently, the ground motion prediction equation is widely used for PGA estimation study by engineers. However, the local site effect is another important factor participates in strong motion prediction. For example, in 1985 the Mexico City, 400km far from the epicenter, suffered massive damage due to the seismic wave amplification from the local alluvial layers. (Anderson et al., 1986) In past studies, the use of stochastic method had been done and showed well performance on the simulation of ground-motion at rock site (Beresnev and Atkinson, 1998a ; Roumelioti and Beresnev, 2003). In this study, the site correction was conducted by the empirical transfer function compared with the rock site response from stochastic point-source (Boore, 2005) and finite-fault (Boore, 2009) methods. The error between the simulated and observed Fourier spectrum and PGA are calculated. Further we compared the estimated PGA to the result calculated from ground motion prediction equation. The earthquake data used in this study is recorded by Taiwan Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (TSMIP) from 1991 to 2012; the study area is located at south-western Taiwan. The empirical transfer function was generated by calculating the spectrum ratio between alluvial site and rock site (Borcheret, 1970). Due to the lack of reference rock site station in this area, the rock site ground motion was generated through stochastic point-source model instead. Several target events were then chosen for stochastic point-source simulating to the halfspace. Then, the empirical transfer function for each station was multiplied to the simulated halfspace response. Finally, we focused on two target events: the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake (Mw=7.6) and the 2010 Jiashian earthquake (Mw=6.4). Considering the large event may contain with complex rupture mechanism, the asperity and delay time for each sub-fault is to be concerned. Both the stochastic point-source and the finite-fault model were used to check the result of our correction.

Methane Flux Estimation from Point Sources using GOSAT Target Observation: Detection Limit and Improvements with Next Generation Instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuze, A.; Suto, H.; Kataoka, F.; Shiomi, K.; Kondo, Y.; Crisp, D.; Butz, A.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric methane (CH4) has an important role in global radiative forcing of climate but its emission estimates have larger uncertainties than carbon dioxide (CO2). The area of anthropogenic emission sources is usually much smaller than 100 km2. The Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation Fourier-Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) onboard the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) has measured CO2 and CH4 column density using sun light reflected from the earth's surface. It has an agile pointing system and its footprint can cover 87-km2 with a single detector. By specifying pointing angles and observation time for every orbit, TANSO-FTS can target various CH4 point sources together with reference points every 3 day over years. We selected a reference point that represents CH4 background density before or after targeting a point source. By combining satellite-measured enhancement of the CH4 column density and surface measured wind data or estimates from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, we estimated CH4emission amounts. Here, we picked up two sites in the US West Coast, where clear sky frequency is high and a series of data are available. The natural gas leak at Aliso Canyon showed a large enhancement and its decrease with time since the initial blowout. We present time series of flux estimation assuming the source is single point without influx. The observation of the cattle feedlot in Chino, California has weather station within the TANSO-FTS footprint. The wind speed is monitored continuously and the wind direction is stable at the time of GOSAT overpass. The large TANSO-FTS footprint and strong wind decreases enhancement below noise level. Weak wind shows enhancements in CH4, but the velocity data have large uncertainties. We show the detection limit of single samples and how to reduce uncertainty using time series of satellite data. We will propose that the next generation instruments for accurate anthropogenic CO2 and CH4 flux estimation have improve spatial resolution (˜1km2 ) to further enhance column density changes. We also propose adding imaging capability to monitor plume orientation. We will present laboratory model results and a sampling pattern optimization study that combines local emission source and global survey observations.

Monaural Sound Localization Revisited

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wightman, Frederic L.; Kistler, Doris J.

1997-01-01

Research reported during the past few decades has revealed the importance for human sound localization of the so-called 'monaural spectral cues.' These cues are the result of the direction-dependent filtering of incoming sound waves accomplished by the pinnae. One point of view about how these cues are extracted places great emphasis on the spectrum of the received sound at each ear individually. This leads to the suggestion that an effective way of studying the influence of these cues is to measure the ability of listeners to localize sounds when one of their ears is plugged. Numerous studies have appeared using this monaural localization paradigm. Three experiments are described here which are intended to clarify the results of the previous monaural localization studies and provide new data on how monaural spectral cues might be processed. Virtual sound sources are used in the experiments in order to manipulate and control the stimuli independently at the two ears. Two of the experiments deal with the consequences of the incomplete monauralization that may have contaminated previous work. The results suggest that even very low sound levels in the occluded ear provide access to interaural localization cues. The presence of these cues complicates the interpretation of the results of nominally monaural localization studies. The third experiment concerns the role of prior knowledge of the source spectrum, which is required if monaural cues are to be useful. The results of this last experiment demonstrate that extraction of monaural spectral cues can be severely disrupted by trial-to-trial fluctuations in the source spectrum. The general conclusion of the experiments is that, while monaural spectral cues are important, the monaural localization paradigm may not be the most appropriate way to study their role.

Monaural sound localization revisited.

PubMed

Wightman, F L; Kistler, D J

1997-02-01

Research reported during the past few decades has revealed the importance for human sound localization of the so-called "monaural spectral cues." These cues are the result of the direction-dependent filtering of incoming sound waves accomplished by the pinnae. One point of view about how these cues are extracted places great emphasis on the spectrum of the received sound at each ear individually. This leads to the suggestion that an effective way of studying the influence of these cues is to measure the ability of listeners to localize sounds when one of their ears is plugged. Numerous studies have appeared using this monaural localization paradigm. Three experiments are described here which are intended to clarify the results of the previous monaural localization studies and provide new data on how monaural spectral cues might be processed. Virtual sound sources are used in the experiments in order to manipulate and control the stimuli independently at the two ears. Two of the experiments deal with the consequences of the incomplete monauralization that may have contaminated previous work. The results suggest that even very low sound levels in the occluded ear provide access to interaural localization cues. The presence of these cues complicates the interpretation of the results of nominally monaural localization studies. The third experiment concerns the role of prior knowledge of the source spectrum, which is required if monaural cues are to be useful. The results of this last experiment demonstrate that extraction of monaural spectral cues can be severely disrupted by trial-to-trial fluctuations in the source spectrum. The general conclusion of the experiments is that, while monaural spectral cues are important, the monaural localization paradigm may not be the most appropriate way to study their role.

Exact solutions for sound radiation from a moving monopole above an impedance plane.

PubMed

Ochmann, Martin

2013-04-01

The acoustic field of a monopole source moving with constant velocity at constant height above an infinite locally reacting plane can be expressed in analytical form by combining the Lorentz transformation with the method of superimposing complex or real point sources. For a plane with masslike response, the solution in Lorentz space consists of a superposition of monopoles only and therefore, does not differ in principle from the solution for the corresponding stationary boundary value problem. However, by considering a frequency independent surface impedance, e.g., with pure absorbing behavior, the half-space Green's function is now comprised of not only a line of monopoles but also of dipoles. For certain field points at a special line g, this solution can be written explicitly by using an exponential integral. For arbitrary field points, the method of stationary phase leads to an asymptotic solution for the reflection coefficient which agrees with prior results from the literature.

Robust sampling-sourced numerical retrieval algorithm for optical energy loss function based on log-log mesh optimization and local monotonicity preserving Steffen spline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maglevanny, I. I.; Smolar, V. A.

2016-01-01

We introduce a new technique of interpolation of the energy-loss function (ELF) in solids sampled by empirical optical spectra. Finding appropriate interpolation methods for ELFs poses several challenges. The sampled ELFs are usually very heterogeneous, can originate from various sources thus so called "data gaps" can appear, and significant discontinuities and multiple high outliers can be present. As a result an interpolation based on those data may not perform well at predicting reasonable physical results. Reliable interpolation tools, suitable for ELF applications, should therefore satisfy several important demands: accuracy and predictive power, robustness and computational efficiency, and ease of use. We examined the effect on the fitting quality due to different interpolation schemes with emphasis on ELF mesh optimization procedures and we argue that the optimal fitting should be based on preliminary log-log scaling data transforms by which the non-uniformity of sampled data distribution may be considerably reduced. The transformed data are then interpolated by local monotonicity preserving Steffen spline. The result is a piece-wise smooth fitting curve with continuous first-order derivatives that passes through all data points without spurious oscillations. Local extrema can occur only at grid points where they are given by the data, but not in between two adjacent grid points. It is found that proposed technique gives the most accurate results and also that its computational time is short. Thus, it is feasible using this simple method to address practical problems associated with interaction between a bulk material and a moving electron. A compact C++ implementation of our algorithm is also presented.

MUSIC for localization of thunderstorm cells

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

Mosher, J.C.; Lewis, P.S.; Rynne, T.M.

1993-12-31

Lightning represents an event detectable optically, electrically, and acoustically, and several systems are already in place to monitor such activity. Unfortunately, such detection of lightning can occur too late, since operations need to be protected in advance of the first lightning strike. Additionally, the bolt itself can traverse several kilometers before striking the ground, leaving a large region of uncertainty as to the center of the storm and its possible strike regions. NASA Kennedy Space Center has in place an array of electric field mills that monitor the (effectively) DC electric field. Prior to the first lightning strike, the surfacemore » electric fields rise as the storm generator within a thundercloud begins charging. Extending methods we developed for an analogous source localization problem in mangnetoencephalography, we present Cramer-Rao lower bounds and MUSIC scans for fitting a point-charge source model to the electric field mill data. Such techniques can allow for the identification and localization of charge centers in cloud structures.« less

Monthly variations of dew point temperature in the coterminous United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Peter J.

1998-11-01

The dew point temperature, Td, data from the surface airways data set of the U.S. National Climatic Data Center were used to develop a basic dew point climatology for the coterminous United States. Quality control procedures were an integral part of the analysis. Daily Td, derived as the average of eight observations at 3-hourly intervals, for 222 stations for the 1961-1990 period were used. The annual and seasonal pattern of average values showed a clear south-north decrease in the eastern portion of the nation, a trend which was most marked in winter. In the west, values decreased inland from the Pacific Coast. Inter-annual variability was generally low when actual mean values were high. A cluster analysis suggested that the area could be divided into six regions, two oriented north-south in the west, four aligned east-west in the area east of the Rocky Mountains. Day-to-day variability was low in all seasons in the two western clusters, but showed a distinct winter maximum in the east. This was explained in broad terms by consideration of air flow regimes, with the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico acting as the major moisture sources. Comparison of values for pairs of nearby stations suggested that Td was rather insensitive to local moisture sources. Analysis of the patterns of occurrence of dew points exceeding the 95th percentile threshold indicated that extremes in summer tend to be localized and short-lived, while in winter they are more widespread and persistent.

Detecting small scale CO2 emission structures using OCO-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Eldering, Annmarie; Verhulst, Kristal R.; Miller, Charles E.; Nguyen, Hai M.; Oda, Tomohiro; O'Dell, Christopher; Rao, Preeti; Kahn, Brian; Crisp, David; Gunson, Michael R.; Sanchez, Robert M.; Ashok, Manasa; Pieri, David; Linick, Justin P.; Yuen, Karen

2016-04-01

Localized carbon dioxide (CO2) emission structures cover spatial domains of less than 50 km diameter and include cities and transportation networks, as well as fossil fuel production, upgrading and distribution infra-structure. Anthropogenic sources increasingly upset the natural balance between natural carbon sources and sinks. Mitigation of resulting climate change impacts requires management of emissions, and emissions management requires monitoring, reporting and verification. Space-borne measurements provide a unique opportunity to detect, quantify, and analyze small scale and point source emissions on a global scale. NASA's first satellite dedicated to atmospheric CO2 observation, the July 2014 launched Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), now leads the afternoon constellation of satellites (A-Train). Its continuous swath of 2 to 10 km in width and eight footprints across can slice through coincident emission plumes and may provide momentary cross sections. First OCO-2 results demonstrate that we can detect localized source signals in the form of urban total column averaged CO2 enhancements of ~2 ppm against suburban and rural backgrounds. OCO-2's multi-sounding swath observing geometry reveals intra-urban spatial structures reflected in XCO2 data, previously unobserved from space. The transition from single-shot GOSAT soundings detecting urban/rural differences (Kort et al., 2012) to hundreds of soundings per OCO-2 swath opens up the path to future capabilities enabling urban tomography of greenhouse gases. For singular point sources like coal fired power plants, we have developed proxy detections of plumes using bands of imaging spectrometers with sensitivity to SO2 in the thermal infrared (ASTER). This approach provides a means to automate plume detection with subsequent matching and mining of OCO-2 data for enhanced detection efficiency and validation. © California Institute of Technology

Experimental Evaluation of the High-Speed Motion Vector Measurement by Combining Synthetic Aperture Array Processing with Constrained Least Square Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoyama, Ryouta; Yagi, Shin-ichi; Tamura, Kiyoshi; Sato, Masakazu

2009-07-01

Ultrahigh speed dynamic elastography has promising potential capabilities in applying clinical diagnosis and therapy of living soft tissues. In order to realize the ultrahigh speed motion tracking at speeds of over thousand frames per second, synthetic aperture (SA) array signal processing technology must be introduced. Furthermore, the overall system performance should overcome the fine quantitative evaluation in accuracy and variance of echo phase changes distributed across a tissue medium. On spatial evaluation of local phase changes caused by pulsed excitation on a tissue phantom, investigation was made with the proposed SA signal system utilizing different virtual point sources that were generated by an array transducer to probe each component of local tissue displacement vectors. The final results derived from the cross-correlation method (CCM) brought about almost the same performance as obtained by the constrained least square method (LSM) extended to successive echo frames. These frames were reconstructed by SA processing after the real-time acquisition triggered by the pulsed irradiation from a point source. The continuous behavior of spatial motion vectors demonstrated the dynamic generation and traveling of the pulsed shear wave at a speed of one thousand frames per second.

Illumination system development using design and analysis of computer experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keresztes, Janos C.; De Ketelaere, Bart; Audenaert, Jan; Koshel, R. J.; Saeys, Wouter

2015-09-01

Computer assisted optimal illumination design is crucial when developing cost-effective machine vision systems. Standard local optimization methods, such as downhill simplex optimization (DHSO), often result in an optimal solution that is influenced by the starting point by converging to a local minimum, especially when dealing with high dimensional illumination designs or nonlinear merit spaces. This work presents a novel nonlinear optimization approach, based on design and analysis of computer experiments (DACE). The methodology is first illustrated with a 2D case study of four light sources symmetrically positioned along a fixed arc in order to obtain optimal irradiance uniformity on a flat Lambertian reflecting target at the arc center. The first step consists of choosing angular positions with no overlap between sources using a fast, flexible space filling design. Ray-tracing simulations are then performed at the design points and a merit function is used for each configuration to quantify the homogeneity of the irradiance at the target. The obtained homogeneities at the design points are further used as input to a Gaussian Process (GP), which develops a preliminary distribution for the expected merit space. Global optimization is then performed on the GP more likely providing optimal parameters. Next, the light positioning case study is further investigated by varying the radius of the arc, and by adding two spots symmetrically positioned along an arc diametrically opposed to the first one. The added value of using DACE with regard to the performance in convergence is 6 times faster than the standard simplex method for equal uniformity of 97%. The obtained results were successfully validated experimentally using a short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imager monitoring a Spectralon panel illuminated by tungsten halogen sources with 10% of relative error.

Separation anxiety: Stress, tension and cytokinesis

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

Mohan, Krithika; Iglesias, Pablo A., E-mail: pi@jhu.edu; Robinson, Douglas N., E-mail: dnr@jhmi.edu

Cytokinesis, the physical separation of a mother cell into two daughter cells, progresses through a series of well-defined changes in morphology. These changes involve distinct biochemical and mechanical processes. Here, we review the mechanical features of cells during cytokinesis, discussing both the material properties as well as sources of stresses, both active and passive, which lead to the observed changes in morphology. We also describe a mechanosensory feedback control system that regulates protein localization and shape progression during cytokinesis. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cytokinesis progresses through three distinct mechanical phases. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cortical tension initially resists deformation of mother cell. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Latemore » in cytokinesis, cortical tension provides stress, enabling furrow ingression. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A mechanosensory feedback control system regulates cytokinesis.« less

Temperature Effects of Point Sources, Riparian Shading, and Dam Operations on the Willamette River, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rounds, Stewart A.

2007-01-01

Water temperature is an important factor influencing the migration, rearing, and spawning of several important fish species in rivers of the Pacific Northwest. To protect these fish populations and to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Clean Water Act, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality set a water temperature Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in 2006 for the Willamette River and the lower reaches of its largest tributaries in northwestern Oregon. As a result, the thermal discharges of the largest point sources of heat to the Willamette River now are limited at certain times of the year, riparian vegetation has been targeted for restoration, and upstream dams are recognized as important influences on downstream temperatures. Many of the prescribed point-source heat-load allocations are sufficiently restrictive that management agencies may need to expend considerable resources to meet those allocations. Trading heat allocations among point-source dischargers may be a more economical and efficient means of meeting the cumulative point-source temperature limits set by the TMDL. The cumulative nature of these limits, however, precludes simple one-to-one trades of heat from one point source to another; a more detailed spatial analysis is needed. In this investigation, the flow and temperature models that formed the basis of the Willamette temperature TMDL were used to determine a spatially indexed 'heating signature' for each of the modeled point sources, and those signatures then were combined into a user-friendly, spreadsheet-based screening tool. The Willamette River Point-Source Heat-Trading Tool allows the user to increase or decrease the heating signature of each source and thereby evaluate the effects of a wide range of potential point-source heat trades. The predictions of the Trading Tool were verified by running the Willamette flow and temperature models under four different trading scenarios, and the predictions typically were accurate to within about 0.005 degrees Celsius (?C). In addition to assessing the effects of point-source heat trades, the models were used to evaluate the temperature effects of several shade-restoration scenarios. Restoration of riparian shade along the entire Long Tom River, from its mouth to Fern Ridge Dam, was calculated to have a small but significant effect on daily maximum temperatures in the main-stem Willamette River, on the order of 0.03?C where the Long Tom River enters the Willamette River, and diminishing downstream. Model scenarios also were run to assess the effects of restoring selected 5-mile reaches of riparian vegetation along the main-stem Willamette River from river mile (RM) 176.80, just upstream of the point where the McKenzie River joins the Willamette River, to RM 116.87 near Albany, which is one location where cumulative point-source heating effects are at a maximum. Restoration of riparian vegetation along the main-stem Willamette River was shown by model runs to have a significant local effect on daily maximum river temperatures (0.046 to 0.194?C) at the site of restoration. The magnitude of the cooling depends on many factors including river width, flow, time of year, and the difference in vegetation characteristics between current and restored conditions. Downstream of the restored reach, the cooling effects are complex and have a nodal nature: at one-half day of travel time downstream, shade restoration has little effect on daily maximum temperature because water passes the restoration site at night; at 1 full day of travel time downstream, cooling effects increase to a second, diminished maximum. Such spatial complexities may complicate the trading of heat allocations between point and nonpoint sources. Upstream dams have an important effect on water temperature in the Willamette River system as a result of augmented flows as well as modified temperature releases over the course of the summer and autumn. The TMDL was formulated prior t

Evaluating Local and Regional Sources of Trace Element Contamination in a Rural Sub Estuary of the Upper Chesapeake Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krahforst, C.; Hartman, S.; Sherman, L.; Kehm, K.

2014-12-01

The distribution of trace elements (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ag, Cd, Sn, Ba, W, Pb and U) along with Al and Fe and other sediment characteristics in surface sediment and sediment cores from the Chester River - a sub estuary of the Chesapeake Bay located in a predominantly agricultural watershed of Maryland's upper Eastern Shore, USA - have been determined in order to add to the understanding of contaminant transport and fate and inform management strategies designed to maintain or improve the ecological condition of estuaries. These analyses coupled with the comparison of elemental analysis of 210Pb - dated sediment cores, main stem water quality surveys, and a review of recent EPA National Coastal Condition Assessment sediment data from Chesapeake Bay provide added information about the roles of local and region scale processes on ecosystem condition. The high amount of suspended sediment in the Chester River (5-20 mg L-1) is an important factor controlling water quality conditions of the Chester River and a prime focus for environmental management of this system. Sources of suspended matter include local runoff, atmospheric deposition, local resuspension, and exchange with the Chesapeake Bay. In principle, each of these sources could be distinguished on the basis of chemical composition of surface sediment. Preliminary results from multivariate analytic models indicate that many of the elements investigated display significant covariance with Al (and other predominantly crustal signatures) which may indicate limited exogenic sources of contamination for sediments of this watershed. For example total Pb concentrations are mostly below the NOAA's low toxic effects level and lower than the median value of NCCA data for the upper Chesapeake suggesting that sediments have significant sources from within the watershed. Further, significant higher concentrations of Sn and Cu coincide with sediment collected in or near marinas and point to localized anthropogenic sources for these elements. Elemental enrichment values relative to Al of Chester River sediments are significantly lower than observations in sediments from Chesapeake Bay overall and may indicate that local watershed management strategies may be effective for improving water and habitat quality of the Chester River.

Lee-Wick black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bambi, Cosimo; Modesto, Leonardo; Wang, Yixu

2017-01-01

We derive and study an approximate static vacuum solution generated by a point-like source in a higher derivative gravitational theory with a pair of complex conjugate ghosts. The gravitational theory is local and characterized by a high derivative operator compatible with Lee-Wick unitarity. In particular, the tree-level two-point function only shows a pair of complex conjugate poles besides the massless spin two graviton. We show that singularity-free black holes exist when the mass of the source M exceeds a critical value Mcrit. For M >Mcrit the spacetime structure is characterized by an outer event horizon and an inner Cauchy horizon, while for M =Mcrit we have an extremal black hole with vanishing Hawking temperature. The evaporation process leads to a remnant that approaches the zero-temperature extremal black hole state in an infinite amount of time.

An Evolving Choice in a Diverse Water Market: A Quality Comparison of Sachet Water with Community and Household Water Sources in Ghana.

PubMed

Guzmán, Danice; Stoler, Justin

2018-06-11

Packaged water, particularly bagged sachet water, has become an important drinking water source in West Africa as local governments struggle to provide safe drinking water supplies. In Ghana, sachet water has become an important primary water source in urban centers, and a growing literature has explored various dimensions of this industry, including product quality. There is very little data on sachet water quality outside of large urban centers, where smaller markets often mean less producer competition and less government regulation. This study analyzes the microbiological quality of sachet water alongside samples of other common water sources at point-of-collection (POC) and point-of-use (POU) in 42 rural, peri-urban, and small-town Ghanaian communities using the IDEXX Colilert ® 18. Levels of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli detected in sachet water samples were statistically and significantly lower than levels detected in all other water sources at POU, including public taps and standpipes, and statistically similar or significantly lower at POC. In diverse waterscapes where households regularly patch together their water supply from different sources, sachet water appears to be an evolving alternative for safe drinking water despite many caveats, including higher unit costs and limited opportunities to recycle the plastic packaging.

Understanding tungsten divertor sourcing and SOL transport using multiple poloidally-localized sources in DIII-D ELM-y H-mode discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unterberg, Ea; Donovan, D.; Barton, J.; Wampler, Wr; Abrams, T.; Thomas, Dm; Petrie, T.; Guo, Hy; Stangeby, Pg; Elder, Jd; Rudakov, D.; Grierson, B.; Victor, B.

2017-10-01

Experiments using metal inserts with novel isotopically-enriched tungsten coatings at the outer divertor strike point (OSP) have provided unique insight into the ELM-induced sourcing, main-SOL transport, and core accumulation control mechanisms of W for a range of operating conditions. This experimental approach has used a multi-head, dual-facing collector probe (CP) at the outboard midplane, as well as W-I and core W spectroscopy. Using the CP system, the total amount of W deposited relative to source measurements shows a clear dependence on ELM size, ELM frequency, and strike point location, with large ELMs depositing significantly more W on the CP from the far-SOL source. Additionally, high spatial ( 1mm) and ELM resolved spectroscopic measurements of W sourcing indicate shifts in the peak erosion rate. Furthermore, high performance discharges with rapid ELMs show core W concentrations of few 10-5, and the CP deposition profile indicates W is predominantly transported to the midplane from the OSP rather than from the far-SOL region. The low central W concentration is shown to be due to flattening of the main plasma density profile, presumably by on-axis electron cyclotron heating. Work supported under USDOE Cooperative Agreement DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Environmental contaminants in bald eagle eggs from the Aleutian archipelago

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anthony, R.G.; Miles, A.K.; Ricca, M.A.; Estes, J.A.

2007-01-01

We collected 136 fresh and unhatched eggs from bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nests and assessed productivity on eight islands in the Aleutian archipelago, 2000 to 2002. Egg contents were analyzed for a broad spectrum of organochlorine (OC) contaminants, mercury (Hg), and stable isotopes of carbon (??13C) and nitrogen (??15N). Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (??PCBs), p,p???- dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and Hg in bald eagle eggs were elevated throughout the archipelago, but the patterns of distribution differed among the various contaminants. Total PCBs were highest in areas of past military activities on Adak and Amchitka Islands, indicating local point sources of these compounds. Concentrations of DDE and Hg were higher on Amchitka Island, which was subjected to much military activity during World War II and the middle of the 20th century. Concentrations of ??PCBs also were elevated on islands with little history of military activity (e.g., Amlia, Tanaga, Buldir), suggesting non-point sources of PCBs in addition to point sources. Concentrations of DDE and Hg were highest in eagle eggs from the most western Aleutian Islands (e.g., Buldir, Kiska) and decreased eastward along the Aleutian chain. This east-to-west increase suggested a Eurasian source of contamination, possibly through global transport and atmospheric distillation and/or from migratory seabirds. Eggshell thickness and productivity of bald eagles were normal and indicative of healthy populations because concentrations of most contaminants were below threshold levels for effects on reproduction. Contrary to our predictions, contaminant concentrations were not correlated with stable isotopes of carbon (??13C) or nitrogen (??15N) in eggs. These latter findings indicate that contaminant concentrations were influenced more by point sources and geographic location than trophic status of eagles among the different islands. ?? 2007 SETAC.

Search for Gamma-Ray Emission from Local Primordial Black Holes with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackermann, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bellazzini, R.; Berenji, B.; Bissaldi, E.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonino, R.; Bottacini, E.; Bregeon, J.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Cameron, R. A.; Caputo, R.; Caraveo, P. A.; Cavazzuti, E.; Charles, E.; Chekhtman, A.; Cheung, C. C.; Chiaro, G.; Ciprini, S.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Conrad, J.; Costantin, D.; D’Ammando, F.; de Palma, F.; Digel, S. W.; Di Lalla, N.; Di Mauro, M.; Di Venere, L.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Focke, W. B.; Franckowiak, A.; Fukazawa, Y.; Funk, S.; Fusco, P.; Gargano, F.; Gasparrini, D.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Green, D.; Grenier, I. A.; Guillemot, L.; Guiriec, S.; Horan, D.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, C.; Kensei, S.; Kocevski, D.; Kuss, M.; Larsson, S.; Latronico, L.; Li, J.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Magill, J. D.; Maldera, S.; Malyshev, D.; Manfreda, A.; Mazziotta, M. N.; McEnery, J. E.; Meyer, M.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Monzani, M. E.; Moretti, E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Negro, M.; Nuss, E.; Ojha, R.; Omodei, N.; Orienti, M.; Orlando, E.; Ormes, J. F.; Palatiello, M.; Paliya, V. S.; Paneque, D.; Persic, M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Piron, F.; Principe, G.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Razzano, M.; Razzaque, S.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Ritz, S.; Sánchez-Conde, M.; Sgrò, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Spada, F.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Suson, D. J.; Tajima, H.; Thayer, J. G.; Thayer, J. B.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Troja, E.; Valverde, J.; Vianello, G.; Wood, K.; Wood, M.; Zaharijas, G.

2018-04-01

Black holes with masses below approximately 1015 g are expected to emit gamma-rays with energies above a few tens of MeV, which can be detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Although black holes with these masses cannot be formed as a result of stellar evolution, they may have formed in the early universe and are therefore called primordial black holes (PBHs). Previous searches for PBHs have focused on either short-timescale bursts or the contribution of PBHs to the isotropic gamma-ray emission. We show that, in cases of individual PBHs, the Fermi-LAT is most sensitive to PBHs with temperatures above approximately 16 GeV and masses 6 × 1011 g, which it can detect out to a distance of about 0.03 pc. These PBHs have a remaining lifetime of months to years at the start of the Fermi mission. They would appear as potentially moving point sources with gamma-ray emission that become spectrally harder and brighter with time until the PBH completely evaporates. In this paper, we develop a new algorithm to detect the proper motion of gamma-ray point sources, and apply it to 318 unassociated point sources at a high galactic latitude in the third Fermi-LAT source catalog. None of the unassociated point sources with spectra consistent with PBH evaporation show significant proper motion. Using the nondetection of PBH candidates, we derive a 99% confidence limit on the PBH evaporation rate in the vicinity of Earth, {\\dot{ρ }}PBH}< 7.2× {10}3 {pc}}-3 {yr}}-1. This limit is similar to the limits obtained with ground-based gamma-ray observatories.

Search for Gamma-Ray Emission from Local Primordial Black Holes with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.; ...

2018-04-10

Black holes with masses below approximately 10 15 g are expected to emit gamma-rays with energies above a few tens of MeV, which can be detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Although black holes with these masses cannot be formed as a result of stellar evolution, they may have formed in the early universe and are therefore called primordial black holes (PBHs). Previous searches for PBHs have focused on either short-timescale bursts or the contribution of PBHs to the isotropic gamma-ray emission. We show that, in cases of individual PBHs, the Fermi-LAT is most sensitive to PBHs with temperatures above approximately 16 GeV and masses 6 × 10 11 g, which it can detect out to a distance of about 0.03 pc. These PBHs have a remaining lifetime of months to years at the start of the Fermi mission. They would appear as potentially moving point sources with gamma-ray emission that become spectrally harder and brighter with time until the PBH completely evaporates. In this paper, we develop a new algorithm to detect the proper motion of gamma-ray point sources, and apply it to 318 unassociated point sources at a high galactic latitude in the third Fermi-LAT source catalog. None of the unassociated point sources with spectra consistent with PBH evaporation show significant proper motion. Finally, using the nondetection of PBH candidates, we derive a 99% confidence limit on the PBH evaporation rate in the vicinity of Earth,more » $${\\dot{\\rho }}_{\\mathrm{PBH}}\\lt 7.2\\times {10}^{3}\\ {\\mathrm{pc}}^{-3}\\,{\\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$$. This limit is similar to the limits obtained with ground-based gamma-ray observatories.« less

Search for Gamma-Ray Emission from Local Primordial Black Holes with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

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

Ackermann, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.

Black holes with masses below approximately 10 15 g are expected to emit gamma-rays with energies above a few tens of MeV, which can be detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Although black holes with these masses cannot be formed as a result of stellar evolution, they may have formed in the early universe and are therefore called primordial black holes (PBHs). Previous searches for PBHs have focused on either short-timescale bursts or the contribution of PBHs to the isotropic gamma-ray emission. We show that, in cases of individual PBHs, the Fermi-LAT is most sensitive to PBHs with temperatures above approximately 16 GeV and masses 6 × 10 11 g, which it can detect out to a distance of about 0.03 pc. These PBHs have a remaining lifetime of months to years at the start of the Fermi mission. They would appear as potentially moving point sources with gamma-ray emission that become spectrally harder and brighter with time until the PBH completely evaporates. In this paper, we develop a new algorithm to detect the proper motion of gamma-ray point sources, and apply it to 318 unassociated point sources at a high galactic latitude in the third Fermi-LAT source catalog. None of the unassociated point sources with spectra consistent with PBH evaporation show significant proper motion. Finally, using the nondetection of PBH candidates, we derive a 99% confidence limit on the PBH evaporation rate in the vicinity of Earth,more » $${\\dot{\\rho }}_{\\mathrm{PBH}}\\lt 7.2\\times {10}^{3}\\ {\\mathrm{pc}}^{-3}\\,{\\mathrm{yr}}^{-1}$$. This limit is similar to the limits obtained with ground-based gamma-ray observatories.« less

Volatile organic compound emissions from the oil and natural gas industry in the Uintah Basin, Utah: oil and gas well pad emissions compared to ambient air composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warneke, C.; Geiger, F.; Edwards, P. M.; Dube, W.; Pétron, G.; Kofler, J.; Zahn, A.; Brown, S. S.; Graus, M.; Gilman, J. B.; Lerner, B. M.; Peischl, J.; Ryerson, T. B.; de Gouw, J. A.; Roberts, J. M.

2014-10-01

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with oil and natural gas production in the Uintah Basin, Utah were measured at a ground site in Horse Pool and from a NOAA mobile laboratory with PTR-MS instruments. The VOC compositions in the vicinity of individual gas and oil wells and other point sources such as evaporation ponds, compressor stations and injection wells are compared to the measurements at Horse Pool. High mixing ratios of aromatics, alkanes, cycloalkanes and methanol were observed for extended periods of time and for short-term spikes caused by local point sources. The mixing ratios during the time the mobile laboratory spent on the well pads were averaged. High mixing ratios were found close to all point sources, but gas well pads with collection and dehydration on the well pad were clearly associated with higher mixing ratios than other wells. The comparison of the VOC composition of the emissions from the oil and natural gas well pads showed that gas well pads without dehydration on the well pad compared well with the majority of the data at Horse Pool, and that oil well pads compared well with the rest of the ground site data. Oil well pads on average emit heavier compounds than gas well pads. The mobile laboratory measurements confirm the results from an emissions inventory: the main VOC source categories from individual point sources are dehydrators, oil and condensate tank flashing and pneumatic devices and pumps. Raw natural gas is emitted from the pneumatic devices and pumps and heavier VOC mixes from the tank flashings.

Application of the MCNP5 code to the Modeling of vaginal and intra-uterine applicators used in intracavitary brachytherapy: a first approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerardy, I.; Rodenas, J.; Van Dycke, M.; Gallardo, S.; Tondeur, F.

2008-02-01

Brachytherapy is a radiotherapy treatment where encapsulated radioactive sources are introduced within a patient. Depending on the technique used, such sources can produce high, medium or low local dose rates. The Monte Carlo method is a powerful tool to simulate sources and devices in order to help physicists in treatment planning. In multiple types of gynaecological cancer, intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR Ir-192 source) is used combined with other therapy treatment to give an additional local dose to the tumour. Different types of applicators are used in order to increase the dose imparted to the tumour and to limit the effect on healthy surrounding tissues. The aim of this work is to model both applicator and HDR source in order to evaluate the dose at a reference point as well as the effect of the materials constituting the applicators on the near field dose. The MCNP5 code based on the Monte Carlo method has been used for the simulation. Dose calculations have been performed with *F8 energy deposition tally, taking into account photons and electrons. Results from simulation have been compared with experimental in-phantom dose measurements. Differences between calculations and measurements are lower than 5%.The importance of the source position has been underlined.

Source attribution of human campylobacteriosis at the point of exposure by combining comparative exposure assessment and subtype comparison based on comparative genomic fingerprinting.

PubMed

Ravel, André; Hurst, Matt; Petrica, Nicoleta; David, Julie; Mutschall, Steven K; Pintar, Katarina; Taboada, Eduardo N; Pollari, Frank

2017-01-01

Human campylobacteriosis is a common zoonosis with a significant burden in many countries. Its prevention is difficult because humans can be exposed to Campylobacter through various exposures: foodborne, waterborne or by contact with animals. This study aimed at attributing campylobacteriosis to sources at the point of exposure. It combined comparative exposure assessment and microbial subtype comparison with subtypes defined by comparative genomic fingerprinting (CGF). It used isolates from clinical cases and from eight potential exposure sources (chicken, cattle and pig manure, retail chicken, beef, pork and turkey meat, and surface water) collected within a single sentinel site of an integrated surveillance system for enteric pathogens in Canada. Overall, 1518 non-human isolates and 250 isolates from domestically-acquired human cases were subtyped and their subtype profiles analyzed for source attribution using two attribution models modified to include exposure. Exposure values were obtained from a concurrent comparative exposure assessment study undertaken in the same area. Based on CGF profiles, attribution was possible for 198 (79%) human cases. Both models provide comparable figures: chicken meat was the most important source (65-69% of attributable cases) whereas exposure to cattle (manure) ranked second (14-19% of attributable cases), the other sources being minor (including beef meat). In comparison with other attributions conducted at the point of production, the study highlights the fact that Campylobacter transmission from cattle to humans is rarely meat borne, calling for a closer look at local transmission from cattle to prevent campylobacteriosis, in addition to increasing safety along the chicken supply chain.

Multi-scale monitoring of a marine geologic methane source in the Santa Barbara Channel using imaging spectrometry, ARCTAS-CARB in situ sampling and coastal hourly total hydrocarbon measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, E. S.; Leifer, I.; Roberts, D.; Dennison, P. E.; Margolis, J.; Moritsch, M.; Diskin, G. S.; Sachse, G. W.

2009-12-01

The Coal Oil Point (COP) hydrocarbon seep field off the coast of Santa Barbara, CA is one of the most active and best-studied marine geologic methane sources in the world and contributes to elevated terrestrial methane concentrations downwind. In this study, we investigate the spatiotemporal variability of this local source and the influence of meteorological conditions on transport and concentration. A methane plume emanating from Trilogy Seep was mapped with the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer at a 7.5 m resolution with a short-wave infrared band ratio technique. This structure agrees with the local wind speed and direction and is orthogonal to the surface currents. ARCTAS-CARB aircraft in situ sampling of lower-troposphere methane is compared to sub-hour total hydrocarbon concentration (THC) measurements from the Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District (SBAPCD) station located near COP. Hourly SBAPCD THC values from 1980-2008 demonstrate a decrease in seep source strength until the late 1990s, followed by a consistent increase. The occurrence of elevated SBAPCD THC values for onshore wind conditions as well as numerous positive outliers as high as 17 ppm suggests that seep field emissions are both quasi-steady state and transient, direct (bubble) and diffuse (outgassing). As demonstrated for the COP seeps, the combination of imaging spectrometry, aircraft in situ sampling, and ground-based monitoring provides a powerful approach for understanding local methane sources and transport processes.

Determining Hypocentral Parameters for Local Earthquakes in 1-D Using a Genetic Algorithm and Two-point ray tracing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, W.; Hahm, I.; Ahn, S. J.; Lim, D. H.

2005-12-01

This paper introduces a powerful method for determining hypocentral parameters for local earthquakes in 1-D using a genetic algorithm (GA) and two-point ray tracing. Using existing algorithms to determine hypocentral parameters is difficult, because these parameters can vary based on initial velocity models. We developed a new method to solve this problem by applying a GA to an existing algorithm, HYPO-71 (Lee and Larh, 1975). The original HYPO-71 algorithm was modified by applying two-point ray tracing and a weighting factor with respect to the takeoff angle at the source to reduce errors from the ray path and hypocenter depth. Artificial data, without error, were generated by computer using two-point ray tracing in a true model, in which velocity structure and hypocentral parameters were known. The accuracy of the calculated results was easily determined by comparing calculated and actual values. We examined the accuracy of this method for several cases by changing the true and modeled layer numbers and thicknesses. The computational results show that this method determines nearly exact hypocentral parameters without depending on initial velocity models. Furthermore, accurate and nearly unique hypocentral parameters were obtained, although the number of modeled layers and thicknesses differed from those in the true model. Therefore, this method can be a useful tool for determining hypocentral parameters in regions where reliable local velocity values are unknown. This method also provides the basic a priori information for 3-D studies. KEY -WORDS: hypocentral parameters, genetic algorithm (GA), two-point ray tracing

Comparison of Point Cloud Registration Algorithms for Better Result Assessment - Towards AN Open-Source Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachat, E.; Landes, T.; Grussenmeyer, P.

2018-05-01

Terrestrial and airborne laser scanning, photogrammetry and more generally 3D recording techniques are used in a wide range of applications. After recording several individual 3D datasets known in local systems, one of the first crucial processing steps is the registration of these data into a common reference frame. To perform such a 3D transformation, commercial and open source software as well as programs from the academic community are available. Due to some lacks in terms of computation transparency and quality assessment in these solutions, it has been decided to develop an open source algorithm which is presented in this paper. It is dedicated to the simultaneous registration of multiple point clouds as well as their georeferencing. The idea is to use this algorithm as a start point for further implementations, involving the possibility of combining 3D data from different sources. Parallel to the presentation of the global registration methodology which has been employed, the aim of this paper is to confront the results achieved this way with the above-mentioned existing solutions. For this purpose, first results obtained with the proposed algorithm to perform the global registration of ten laser scanning point clouds are presented. An analysis of the quality criteria delivered by two selected software used in this study and a reflexion about these criteria is also performed to complete the comparison of the obtained results. The final aim of this paper is to validate the current efficiency of the proposed method through these comparisons.

Radial Distribution of X-Ray Point Sources Near the Galactic Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Jae Sub; van den Berg, Maureen; Grindlay, Jonathan E.; Laycock, Silas

2009-11-01

We present the log N-log S and spatial distributions of X-ray point sources in seven Galactic bulge (GB) fields within 4° from the Galactic center (GC). We compare the properties of 1159 X-ray point sources discovered in our deep (100 ks) Chandra observations of three low extinction Window fields near the GC with the X-ray sources in the other GB fields centered around Sgr B2, Sgr C, the Arches Cluster, and Sgr A* using Chandra archival data. To reduce the systematic errors induced by the uncertain X-ray spectra of the sources coupled with field-and-distance-dependent extinction, we classify the X-ray sources using quantile analysis and estimate their fluxes accordingly. The result indicates that the GB X-ray population is highly concentrated at the center, more heavily than the stellar distribution models. It extends out to more than 1fdg4 from the GC, and the projected density follows an empirical radial relation inversely proportional to the offset from the GC. We also compare the total X-ray and infrared surface brightness using the Chandra and Spitzer observations of the regions. The radial distribution of the total infrared surface brightness from the 3.6 band μm images appears to resemble the radial distribution of the X-ray point sources better than that predicted by the stellar distribution models. Assuming a simple power-law model for the X-ray spectra, the closer to the GC the intrinsically harder the X-ray spectra appear, but adding an iron emission line at 6.7 keV in the model allows the spectra of the GB X-ray sources to be largely consistent across the region. This implies that the majority of these GB X-ray sources can be of the same or similar type. Their X-ray luminosity and spectral properties support the idea that the most likely candidate is magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs), primarily intermediate polars (IPs). Their observed number density is also consistent with the majority being IPs, provided the relative CV to star density in the GB is not smaller than the value in the local solar neighborhood.

Characterization of occurrence, sources and sinks of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in a tropical urban catchment.

PubMed

Chen, Huiting; Reinhard, Martin; Nguyen, Tung Viet; You, Luhua; He, Yiliang; Gin, Karina Yew-Hoong

2017-08-01

Understanding the sources, occurrence and sinks of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the urban water cycle is important to protect and utilize local water resources. Concentrations of 22 target PFASs and general water quality parameters were determined monthly for a year in filtered water samples from five tributaries and three sampling stations of an urban water body. Of the 22 target PFASs, 17 PFASs were detected with a frequency >93% including PFCAs: C4-C12 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, C4, C6, C8, and C10 perfluoroalkane sulfonates, perfluorooctane sulfonamides and perfluorooctane sulfonamide substances (FOSAMs), C10 perfluoroalkyl phosphonic acid (C10 PFPA), 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA) and C8/C8 perfluoroalkyl phosphinic acid (C8/C8-PFPIA). The most abundant PFASs in water were PFBS (1.4-55 ng/L), PFBA (1.0-23 ng/L), PFOS (1.5-24 ng/L) and PFOA (2.0-21 ng/L). In the tributaries, PFNA concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 87.1 ng/L except in the May 2013 samples of two tributaries, which reached 520 and 260 ng/L. Total PFAS concentrations in the sediment samples ranged from 1.6 to 15 ng/g d.w. with EtFOSAA, PFDoA, PFOS and PFDA being the dominant species. Based on water and sediment data, two types of sources were inferred: one-time or intermittent point sources and continuous non-point sources. FOSAMs and PFOS released continually from non-point sources, C8/C8 PFPIA, PFDoA and PFUnA was released from point sources. The highly water soluble short-chain PFASs including PFBA, PFPeA and PFBS remained predominantly in the water column. The factors governing solution phase concentrations appear to be compound hydrophobicity and sorption to suspended particles. Correlation of the dissolved phase concentrations with precipitation data suggested stormwater was a significant source of PFBA, PFBS, PFUnA and PFDoA. Negative correlations with precipitation indicated sources feeding FOSAA and FOSA directly into the tributaries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seabird colonies as relevant sources of pollutants in Antarctic ecosystems: Part 1 - Trace elements.

PubMed

Cipro, C V Z; Bustamante, P; Petry, M V; Montone, R C

2018-08-01

Global distillation is classically pointed as the biggest responsible for contaminant inputs in Polar ecosystems. Mercury (Hg) and other trace elements (TEs) also present natural sources, whereas the biologically mediated input is typically ignored. However, bioaccumulation and biomagnification combined with the fact that seabirds gather in large numbers into large colonies and excrete on land might represent an important local TEs input. A previous work suggested these colonies as sources of not only nutrients, but also organic contaminants. To evaluate a similar hypothesis for TEs, samples of lichen (n = 55), mosses (n = 58) and soil (n = 37) were collected in 13 locations within the South Shetlands Archipelago during the austral summers of 2013-14 and 2014-15. They were divided in: "colony" (within the colony itself for soil and bordering it for vegetation) and "control" (at least 50 m away from colony interference), analysed for TEs (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, and Zn) and stable isotopes (C and N). In most cases, soil seems the best matrix to assess colonies as TEs sources, as it presented more differences between control/colony sites than vegetation. Colonies are clearly local sources of organic matter, Cd, Hg and likely of As, Se and Zn. Conversely, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb come presumably from other sources, natural or anthropogenic. In general, isotopes were more useful for interpreting vegetation data due to fractionation of absorbed animal-derived organic matter. Other local Hg sources could be inferred from high levels in control sites, location and wind patterns. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Targeted Nanoparticle Thermometry: A Method to Measure Local Temperature at the Nanoscale Point Where Water Vapor Nucleation Occurs.

PubMed

Alaulamie, Arwa A; Baral, Susil; Johnson, Samuel C; Richardson, Hugh H

2017-01-01

An optical nanothermometer technique based on laser trapping, moving and targeted attaching an erbium oxide nanoparticle cluster is developed to measure the local temperature. The authors apply this new nanoscale temperature measuring technique (limited by the size of the nanoparticles) to measure the temperature of vapor nucleation in water. Vapor nucleation is observed after superheating water above the boiling point for degassed and nondegassed water. The average nucleation temperature for water without gas is 560 K but this temperature is lowered by 100 K when gas is introduced into the water. The authors are able to measure the temperature inside the bubble during bubble formation and find that the temperature inside the bubble spikes to over 1000 K because the heat source (optically-heated nanorods) is no longer connected to liquid water and heat dissipation is greatly reduced. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Noncontact localized internal infrared radiation measurement using an infrared point detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hisaka, Masaki

2017-12-01

The techniques for temperature measurement within the human body are important for clinical applications. A method for noncontact local infrared (IR) radiation measurements was investigated deep within an object to simulate how the core human body temperature can be obtained. To isolate the IR light emitted from a specific area within the object from the external noise, the radiating IR light was detected using an IR point detector, which comprises a pinhole and a thermopile positioned at an imaging relation with the region of interest within the object. The structure of the helical filament radiating IR light inside a light bulb was thermally imaged by scanning the bulb in two dimensions. Moreover, this approach was used to effectively measure IR light in the range of human body temperature using a glass plate placed in front of the heat source, mimicking the ocular fundus.

Noncontact localized internal infrared radiation measurement using an infrared point detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hisaka, Masaki

2018-06-01

The techniques for temperature measurement within the human body are important for clinical applications. A method for noncontact local infrared (IR) radiation measurements was investigated deep within an object to simulate how the core human body temperature can be obtained. To isolate the IR light emitted from a specific area within the object from the external noise, the radiating IR light was detected using an IR point detector, which comprises a pinhole and a thermopile positioned at an imaging relation with the region of interest within the object. The structure of the helical filament radiating IR light inside a light bulb was thermally imaged by scanning the bulb in two dimensions. Moreover, this approach was used to effectively measure IR light in the range of human body temperature using a glass plate placed in front of the heat source, mimicking the ocular fundus.

Statistical signatures of a targeted search by bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jashnsaz, Hossein; Anderson, Gregory G.; Pressé, Steve

2017-12-01

Chemoattractant gradients are rarely well-controlled in nature and recent attention has turned to bacterial chemotaxis toward typical bacterial food sources such as food patches or even bacterial prey. In environments with localized food sources reminiscent of a bacterium’s natural habitat, striking phenomena—such as the volcano effect or banding—have been predicted or expected to emerge from chemotactic models. However, in practice, from limited bacterial trajectory data it is difficult to distinguish targeted searches from an untargeted search strategy for food sources. Here we use a theoretical model to identify statistical signatures of a targeted search toward point food sources, such as prey. Our model is constructed on the basis that bacteria use temporal comparisons to bias their random walk, exhibit finite memory and are subject to random (Brownian) motion as well as signaling noise. The advantage with using a stochastic model-based approach is that a stochastic model may be parametrized from individual stochastic bacterial trajectories but may then be used to generate a very large number of simulated trajectories to explore average behaviors obtained from stochastic search strategies. For example, our model predicts that a bacterium’s diffusion coefficient increases as it approaches the point source and that, in the presence of multiple sources, bacteria may take substantially longer to locate their first source giving the impression of an untargeted search strategy.

CO source contribution analysis for California during ARCTAS-CARB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfister, G. G.; Avise, J.; Wiedinmyer, C.; Edwards, D. P.; Emmons, L. K.; Diskin, G. D.; Podolske, J.; Wisthaler, A.

2011-08-01

Air pollution is of concern in many parts of California and is impacted by both local emissions and also by pollution inflow from the North Pacific Ocean. In this study, we use the regional chemical transport model WRF-Chem V3.2 together with the global Model for OZone and Related Chemical Tracers to examine the CO budget over California. We include model CO tracers for different emission sources in the models, which allow estimation of the relative importance of local sources versus pollution inflow on the distribution of CO at the surface and in the free troposphere. The focus of our study is on the 15 June-15 July 2008 time period, which coincides with the aircraft deployment of the NASA Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) mission over California. Model simulations are evaluated using these aircraft observations as well as satellite retrievals and surface observations of CO. Evaluation results show that the model overall predicts the observed CO fields well, but points towards an underestimate of CO from the fires in Northern California, which had a strong influence during the study period, and towards a slight overestimate of CO from pollution inflow and local anthropogenic sources. The analysis of the CO budget over California reveals that inflow of CO explains on average 99 ± 11 ppbV of surface CO during the study period, compared to 61 ± 95 ppbV for local anthropogenic direct emissions of CO and 84 ± 194 ppbV for fires. In the free troposphere, the average CO contributions are estimated as 96 ± 7 ppbV for CO inflow, 8 ± 9 ppbV for CO from local anthropogenic sources and 18 ± 13 ppbV for CO from fires. Accounting for the low bias in the CO fire emission inventory, the fire impact during the study period might have been up to a factor 4 higher than the given estimates.

A mesospheric source of nitrous oxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zipf, E. C.; Prasad, S. S.

1982-01-01

In the terrestrial atmosphere, nitrous oxide (N2O) has a major role in the chemistry of ozone. Current atmospheric models assume that N2O is produced only by fixation at the earth's surface and that there are no local sources in the stratosphere or mesosphere. It is pointed out here that a significant in situ N2O source does exist above 20 km due to the excitation of the metastable N2(A 3Sigma u +) state by resonance absorption of solar UV photons that penetrate deeply into the atmosphere through the 1,800-2,200 A O2-O3 window. This source significantly affects the NO altitude distribution in the mesosphere and, in the earth's prebiological atmosphere, made N2O an important stratospheric constituent.

Global Solar Magnetology and Reference Points of the Solar Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obridko, V. N.; Shelting, B. D.

2003-11-01

The solar cycle can be described as a complex interaction of large-scale/global and local magnetic fields. In general, this approach agrees with the traditional dynamo scheme, although there are numerous discrepancies in the details. Integrated magnetic indices introduced earlier are studied over long time intervals, and the epochs of the main reference points of the solar cycles are refined. A hypothesis proposed earlier concerning global magnetometry and the natural scale of the cycles is verified. Variations of the heliospheric magnetic field are determined by both the integrated photospheric i(B r )ph and source surface i(B r )ss indices, however, their roles are different. Local fields contribute significantly to the photospheric index determining the total increase in the heliospheric magnetic field. The i(B r )ss index (especially the partial index ZO, which is related to the quasi-dipolar field) determines narrow extrema. These integrated indices supply us with a “passport” for reference points, making it possible to identify them precisely. A prominent dip in the integrated indices is clearly visible at the cycle maximum, resulting in the typical double-peak form (the Gnevyshev dip), with the succeeding maximum always being higher than the preceding maximum. At the source surface, this secondary maximum significantly exceeds the primary maximum. Using these index data, we can estimate the progression expected for the 23rd cycle and predict the dates of the ends of the 23rd and 24th cycles (the middle of 2007 and December 2018, respectively).

Three dimensional volcano-acoustic source localization at Karymsky Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowell, Colin

We test two methods of 3-D acoustic source localization on volcanic explosions and small-scale jetting events at Karymsky Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia. Recent infrasound studies have provided evidence that volcanic jets produce low-frequency aerodynamic sound (jet noise) similar to that from man-made jet engines. Man-made jets are known to produce sound through turbulence along the jet axis, but discrimination of sources along the axis of a volcanic jet requires a network of sufficient topographic relief to attain resolution in the vertical dimension. At Karymsky Volcano, the topography of an eroded edifice adjacent to the active cone provided a platform for the atypical deployment of five infrasound sensors with intra-network relief of ˜600 m in July 2012. A novel 3-D inverse localization method, srcLoc, is tested and compared against a more common grid-search semblance technique. Simulations using synthetic signals indicate that srcLoc is capable of determining vertical source locations for this network configuration to within +/-150 m or better. However, srcLoc locations for explosions and jetting at Karymsky Volcano show a persistent overestimation of source elevation and underestimation of sound speed by an average of ˜330 m and 25 m/s, respectively. The semblance method is able to produce more realistic source locations by fixing the sound speed to expected values of 335 - 340 m/s. The consistency of location errors for both explosions and jetting activity over a wide range of wind and temperature conditions points to the influence of topography. Explosion waveforms exhibit amplitude relationships and waveform distortion strikingly similar to those theorized by modeling studies of wave diffraction around the crater rim. We suggest delay of signals and apparent elevated source locations are due to altered raypaths and/or crater diffraction effects. Our results suggest the influence of topography in the vent region must be accounted for when attempting 3-D volcano acoustic source localization. Though the data presented here are insufficient to resolve noise sources for these jets, which are much smaller in scale than those of previous volcanic jet noise studies, similar techniques may be successfully applied to large volcanic jets in the future.

ATLANTIC BIRDS: a data set of bird species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

PubMed

Hasui, Érica; Metzger, Jean Paul; Pimentel, Rafael G; Silveira, Luís Fábio; Bovo, Alex A D A; Martensen, Alexandre C; Uezu, Alexandre; Regolin, André L; Bispo de Oliveira, Arthur Â; Gatto, Cassiano A F R; Duca, Charles; Andretti, Christian B; Banks-Leite, Cristina; Luz, Daniela; Mariz, Daniele; Alexandrino, Eduardo R; de Barros, Fabio M; Martello, Felipe; Pereira, Iolanda M D S; da Silva, José N; Ferraz, Katia M P M D B; Naka, Luciano N; Dos Anjos, Luiz; Efe, Márcio A; Pizo, Marco Aurélio; Pichorim, Mauro; Gonçalves, Maycon Sanyvan S; Cordeiro, Paulo Henrique Chaves; Dias, Rafael A; Muylaert, Renata D L; Rodrigues, Rodolpho C; da Costa, Thiago V V; Cavarzere, Vagner; Tonetti, Vinicius R; Silva, Wesley R; Jenkins, Clinton N; Galetti, Mauro; Ribeiro, Milton C

2018-02-01

South America holds 30% of the world's avifauna, with the Atlantic Forest representing one of the richest regions of the Neotropics. Here we have compiled a data set on Brazilian Atlantic Forest bird occurrence (150,423) and abundance samples (N = 832 bird species; 33,119 bird individuals) using multiple methods, including qualitative surveys, mist nets, point counts, and line transects). We used four main sources of data: museum collections, on-line databases, literature sources, and unpublished reports. The data set comprises 4,122 localities and data from 1815 to 2017. Most studies were conducted in the Florestas de Interior (1,510 localities) and Serra do Mar (1,280 localities) biogeographic sub-regions. Considering the three main quantitative methods (mist net, point count, and line transect), we compiled abundance data for 745 species in 576 communities. In the data set, the most frequent species were Basileuterus culicivorus, Cyclaris gujanensis, and Conophaga lineata. There were 71 singletons, such as Lipaugus conditus and Calyptura cristata. We suggest that this small number of records reinforces the critical situation of these taxa in the Atlantic Forest. The information provided in this data set can be used for macroecological studies and to foster conservation strategies in this biodiversity hotspot. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Data Paper if data are used in publications and teaching events. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Automatic streak endpoint localization from the cornerness metric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sease, Brad; Flewelling, Brien; Black, Jonathan

2017-05-01

Streaked point sources are a common occurrence when imaging unresolved space objects from both ground- and space-based platforms. Effective localization of streak endpoints is a key component of traditional techniques in space situational awareness related to orbit estimation and attitude determination. To further that goal, this paper derives a general detection and localization method for streak endpoints based on the cornerness metric. Corners detection involves searching an image for strong bi-directional gradients. These locations typically correspond to robust structural features in an image. In the case of unresolved imagery, regions with a high cornerness score correspond directly to the endpoints of streaks. This paper explores three approaches for global extraction of streak endpoints and applies them to an attitude and rate estimation routine.

Appropriate energy technology in the US Pacific territories

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

Case, C.W.; Schaller, D.A.

1981-03-01

Appropriate energy technology (AET) programs funded by DOE are described. Specific grants made to Satawan Island, Romanum Island, Guam, Yap, Saipan, and American Samoa are described in detail; all made use of solar energy. Rising petroleum prices have disrupted the economy of these island territories and alternate energy sources are needed. Lack of information, remoteness, lack of infrastructure, and failure to involve local governments have hindered AET development. It is pointed out that some projects have achieved success with good local direction, use of local materials and labor, and a discrete goal. Future AET projects should enjoy greater success andmore » the lessons learned in the Pacific may be helpful in AET projects elsewhere in the developing world. 34 references. (MJJ)« less

Evaluation of the noise pollution in urban parks of Curitiba, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferreira, Andressa C.; Diniz, Fabiano B.; Paz, Elaine C.; Zannin, Paulo T.

2004-05-01

This work shows a study about the noise pollution found in six urban parks of Curitiba, Paran, Brazil. The equivalent noise levels (Leq) have been measured in points spread throughout the park, and interviews have been conducted with some park visitors. It has been found out that 52.48% out of the measurement sites did not satisfy the Municipal Law no. 10,625, which states the noise emission level of 55 dB(A) as the limit value for green areas. The results of the questionnaires applied to the local visitors have showed that 39% out of the interviewed people used to visit the park every day and that 75% out of them seek for the realization of a physical activity. During the realization of their activities in the parks, 22% out of the interviewed people pointed to the noise pollution as the source of annoyance and 28% out of them pointed the local security. In this sense, it has been verified that half of the analyzed parks were inserted in acoustically polluted areas, which incurs a real state depreciation in their vicinities.

Managing Environmental Stress: An Evaluation of Environmental Management of the Long Point Sandy Barrier, Lake Erie, Canada.

PubMed

Kreutzwiser; Gabriel

2000-01-01

/ This paper assesses the extent to which key geomorphic components, processes, and stresses have been reflected in the management of a coastal sandy barrier environment. The management policies and practices of selected agencies responsible for Long Point, a World Biosphere Reserve along Lake Erie, Canada, were evaluated for consistency with these principles of environmental management for sandy barriers: maintaining natural stresses essential to sandy barrier development and maintenance;protecting sediment sources, transfers, and storage; recognizing spatial variability and cyclicity of natural stresses, such as barrier overwash events; and accepting and planning for long-term evolutionary changes in the sandy barrier environment. Generally, management policies and practices have not respected the dynamic and sensitive environment of Long Point because of limited mandates of the agencies involved, inconsistent policies, and failure to apply or enforce existing policies. This is particularly evident with local municipalities and less so for the Canadian Wildlife Service, the federal agency responsible for managing National Wildlife Areas at the point. In the developed areas of Long Point, landward sediment transfers and sediment storage in dunes have been impacted by cottage development, shore protection, and maintenance of roads and parking lots. Additionally, agencies responsible for managing Long Point have no jurisdiction over sediment sources as far as 95 km away. Evolutionary change of sandy barriers poses the greatest challenge to environmental managers.

Statistical atmospheric inversion of local gas emissions by coupling the tracer release technique and local-scale transport modelling: a test case with controlled methane emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ars, Sébastien; Broquet, Grégoire; Yver Kwok, Camille; Roustan, Yelva; Wu, Lin; Arzoumanian, Emmanuel; Bousquet, Philippe

2017-12-01

This study presents a new concept for estimating the pollutant emission rates of a site and its main facilities using a series of atmospheric measurements across the pollutant plumes. This concept combines the tracer release method, local-scale atmospheric transport modelling and a statistical atmospheric inversion approach. The conversion between the controlled emission and the measured atmospheric concentrations of the released tracer across the plume places valuable constraints on the atmospheric transport. This is used to optimise the configuration of the transport model parameters and the model uncertainty statistics in the inversion system. The emission rates of all sources are then inverted to optimise the match between the concentrations simulated with the transport model and the pollutants' measured atmospheric concentrations, accounting for the transport model uncertainty. In principle, by using atmospheric transport modelling, this concept does not strongly rely on the good colocation between the tracer and pollutant sources and can be used to monitor multiple sources within a single site, unlike the classical tracer release technique. The statistical inversion framework and the use of the tracer data for the configuration of the transport and inversion modelling systems should ensure that the transport modelling errors are correctly handled in the source estimation. The potential of this new concept is evaluated with a relatively simple practical implementation based on a Gaussian plume model and a series of inversions of controlled methane point sources using acetylene as a tracer gas. The experimental conditions are chosen so that they are suitable for the use of a Gaussian plume model to simulate the atmospheric transport. In these experiments, different configurations of methane and acetylene point source locations are tested to assess the efficiency of the method in comparison to the classic tracer release technique in coping with the distances between the different methane and acetylene sources. The results from these controlled experiments demonstrate that, when the targeted and tracer gases are not well collocated, this new approach provides a better estimate of the emission rates than the tracer release technique. As an example, the relative error between the estimated and actual emission rates is reduced from 32 % with the tracer release technique to 16 % with the combined approach in the case of a tracer located 60 m upwind of a single methane source. Further studies and more complex implementations with more advanced transport models and more advanced optimisations of their configuration will be required to generalise the applicability of the approach and strengthen its robustness.

Application of an integrated Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)/CALPUFF modeling tool for source apportionment of atmospheric pollutants for air quality management: A case study in the urban area of Benxi, China.

PubMed

Wu, Hao; Zhang, Yan; Yu, Qi; Ma, Weichun

2018-04-01

In this study, the authors endeavored to develop an effective framework for improving local urban air quality on meso-micro scales in cities in China that are experiencing rapid urbanization. Within this framework, the integrated Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)/CALPUFF modeling system was applied to simulate the concentration distributions of typical pollutants (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm [PM 10 ], sulfur dioxide [SO 2 ], and nitrogen oxides [NO x ]) in the urban area of Benxi. Statistical analyses were performed to verify the credibility of this simulation, including the meteorological fields and concentration fields. The sources were then categorized using two different classification methods (the district-based and type-based methods), and the contributions to the pollutant concentrations from each source category were computed to provide a basis for appropriate control measures. The statistical indexes showed that CALMET had sufficient ability to predict the meteorological conditions, such as the wind fields and temperatures, which provided meteorological data for the subsequent CALPUFF run. The simulated concentrations from CALPUFF showed considerable agreement with the observed values but were generally underestimated. The spatial-temporal concentration pattern revealed that the maximum concentrations tended to appear in the urban centers and during the winter. In terms of their contributions to pollutant concentrations, the districts of Xihu, Pingshan, and Mingshan all affected the urban air quality to different degrees. According to the type-based classification, which categorized the pollution sources as belonging to the Bengang Group, large point sources, small point sources, and area sources, the source apportionment showed that the Bengang Group, the large point sources, and the area sources had considerable impacts on urban air quality. Finally, combined with the industrial characteristics, detailed control measures were proposed with which local policy makers could improve the urban air quality in Benxi. In summary, the results of this study showed that this framework has credibility for effectively improving urban air quality, based on the source apportionment of atmospheric pollutants. The authors endeavored to build up an effective framework based on the integrated WRF/CALPUFF to improve the air quality in many cities on meso-micro scales in China. Via this framework, the integrated modeling tool is accurately used to study the characteristics of meteorological fields, concentration fields, and source apportionments of pollutants in target area. The impacts of classified sources on air quality together with the industrial characteristics can provide more effective control measures for improving air quality. Through the case study, the technical framework developed in this study, particularly the source apportionment, could provide important data and technical support for policy makers to assess air pollution on the scale of a city in China or even the world.

Comparison of Noise Source Localization Data with Flow Field Data Obtained in Cold Supersonic Jets and Implications Regarding Broadband Shock Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Podboy, Gary; Wernet, Mark; Clem, Michelle; Fagan, Amy

2013-01-01

Phased array noise source localization have been compared with 2 types of flow field data (BOS and PIV). The data show that: 1) the higher frequency noise in a BBSN hump is generated further downstream than the lower frequency noise. This is due to a) the shock spacing decreasing and b) the turbulent structure size increasing with distance downstream. 2) BBSN can be created by very weak shocks. 3) BBSN is not created by the strong shocks just downstream of the nozzle because the turbulent structures have not grown large enough to match the shock spacing. 4) The point in the flow where the shock spacing equals the average size of the turbulent structures is a hot spot for shock noise. 5) Some of the shocks responsible for producing the first hump also produce the second hump.

Sources of ground movement at Vesuvius before the AD 79 eruption: Evidence from contemporary accounts and archaeological studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marturano, Aldo

2008-11-01

Historical sources have recorded earthquake shocks, their effects and difficulties that local inhabitants experienced before the AD 79 Pompeii eruption. Archaeological studies pointed out the effects of such seismicity, and have also evidenced that several water crises were occurring at Pompeii in that period. Indeed numerous sources show that, at the time of eruption, and probably some time before, the civic aqueduct, having ceased to be supplied by the regional one, was out of order and that a new one was being built. Since Roman aqueducts were usually built with a recommended minimum mean slope of 20 cm/km and Pompeii's aqueduct sloped from the nearby Apennines toward the town, this slope could have been easily cancelled by uplift that occurred in the area even if this was only moderate. For the crustal deformations a volcanic origin is proposed and a point source model is used to explain the observations. Simple analysis of the available data suggests that the ground deformations were caused by a < 2 km 3 volumetric change at a depth of ˜ 8 km that happened over the course of several decades.

Filterless low-phase-noise frequency-quadrupled microwave generation based on a multimode optoelectronic oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, Yichao; Zhang, Pin; Zhang, Baofu; Chen, Yiwang

2018-02-01

A scheme to realize low-phase-noise frequency-quadrupled microwave generation without any filter is demonstrated. In this scheme, a multimode optoelectronic oscillator is mainly contributed by dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators, fiber, photodetector, and microwave amplifier. The local source signal is modulated by a child MZM (MZMa), which is worked at maximum transmission point. Through properly adjusting the bias voltages of the other child MZM (MZMb) and the parent MZM (MZMc), optical carrier is effectively suppressed and second sidebands are retained, then the survived optical signal is fed back to the photodetector and MZMb to form an optoelectronic hybrid resonator and realize frequency-quadrupled signal generation. Due to the high Q-factor and mode selection effect of the optoelectronic hybrid resonator, compared with the source signal, the generated frequency-quadrupled signal has a lower phase noise. The approach has verified by experiments, and 18, 22, and 26 GHz frequency-quadrupled signal are generated by 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5 GHz local source signals. Compared with 4.5 GHz source signal, the phase noise of generated 18 GHz signal at 10 kHz frequency offset has 26.5 dB reduction.

Characterization of the wintertime particulate (PM1) pollution at an urban background site of Nicosia, Cyprus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciare, Jean; Kleanthous, Savvas; Pikridas, Michael; Vrekoussis, Mihalis; Oikonomou, Konstantina; Merabet, Hamza; Mihalopoulos, Nikos; Yassaa, Noureddine

2015-04-01

A 1-month intensive campaign was performed during December 2014 at Nicosia, Cyprus, a city of 240,000 inhabitants, representative of E. Mediterranean medium sized cities. This is the first of a series of intensive campaigns, part of the MISTRALS-ENVI-Med "CyAr" project (Cyprus Aerosols and gas precursors) and MISTRALS-ChArMEx program (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/), and , with the objective to distinguish between local and transported sources responsible for wintertime particulate pollution. The mass and composition of the major chemical constituents of submicron aerosols (PM1) was monitored at an urban background station located at the city's suburbs with a suite of real-time analyzers (TEOM 1400, OPC Grimm 1.108, Q-ACSM, Aethalometer AE31). Quality control of Q-ACSM and Aethalometer datasets was performed through closure studies (using co-located TEOM / OPC Grimm). The consistency of the dataset was further validated using the integrated (off-line) and real-time measurements performed by the local air quality network at other locations in the same city. Very high levels of Black Carbon and organics were systematically observed every night, typically maximizing at 22:00 local time, pointing to local combustion sources most probably related to domestic heating. Similar pattern has been observed in other cities in the Eastern Mediterranean (Pikridas et al., 2013) and partly has been attributed to the economic crisis (Vrekoussis et al., 2013). Source apportionment of organic aerosols (OA) was performed using the SourceFinder software (SoFi, http://www.psi.ch/acsm-stations/me-2) allowing the distinction between various primary/secondary OA sources that allowed us to better characterize the combustion sources responsible for the observed elevated nighttime PM1 levels. Acknowledgements: This campaign has been funded by MISTRALS (ENVI-Med CyAr & ChArMEx), CNRS-INSU, CEA, CyI, DLI, CDER and ECPL.

Complex earthquake rupture and local tsunamis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geist, E.L.

2002-01-01

In contrast to far-field tsunami amplitudes that are fairly well predicted by the seismic moment of subduction zone earthquakes, there exists significant variation in the scaling of local tsunami amplitude with respect to seismic moment. From a global catalog of tsunami runup observations this variability is greatest for the most frequently occuring tsunamigenic subduction zone earthquakes in the magnitude range of 7 < Mw < 8.5. Variability in local tsunami runup scaling can be ascribed to tsunami source parameters that are independent of seismic moment: variations in the water depth in the source region, the combination of higher slip and lower shear modulus at shallow depth, and rupture complexity in the form of heterogeneous slip distribution patterns. The focus of this study is on the effect that rupture complexity has on the local tsunami wave field. A wide range of slip distribution patterns are generated using a stochastic, self-affine source model that is consistent with the falloff of far-field seismic displacement spectra at high frequencies. The synthetic slip distributions generated by the stochastic source model are discretized and the vertical displacement fields from point source elastic dislocation expressions are superimposed to compute the coseismic vertical displacement field. For shallow subduction zone earthquakes it is demonstrated that self-affine irregularities of the slip distribution result in significant variations in local tsunami amplitude. The effects of rupture complexity are less pronounced for earthquakes at greater depth or along faults with steep dip angles. For a test region along the Pacific coast of central Mexico, peak nearshore tsunami amplitude is calculated for a large number (N = 100) of synthetic slip distribution patterns, all with identical seismic moment (Mw = 8.1). Analysis of the results indicates that for earthquakes of a fixed location, geometry, and seismic moment, peak nearshore tsunami amplitude can vary by a factor of 3 or more. These results indicate that there is substantially more variation in the local tsunami wave field derived from the inherent complexity subduction zone earthquakes than predicted by a simple elastic dislocation model. Probabilistic methods that take into account variability in earthquake rupture processes are likely to yield more accurate assessments of tsunami hazards.

Explosion localization and characterization via infrasound using numerical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fee, D.; Kim, K.; Iezzi, A. M.; Matoza, R. S.; Jolly, A. D.; De Angelis, S.; Diaz Moreno, A.; Szuberla, C.

2017-12-01

Numerous methods have been applied to locate, detect, and characterize volcanic and anthropogenic explosions using infrasound. Far-field localization techniques typically use back-azimuths from multiple arrays (triangulation) or Reverse Time Migration (RTM, or back-projection). At closer ranges, networks surrounding a source may use Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), semblance, station-pair double difference, etc. However, at volcanoes and regions with topography or obstructions that block the direct path of sound, recent studies have shown that numerical modeling is necessary to provide an accurate source location. A heterogeneous and moving atmosphere (winds) may also affect the location. The time reversal mirror (TRM) application of Kim et al. (2015) back-propagates the wavefield using a Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) algorithm, with the source corresponding to the location of peak convergence. Although it provides high-resolution source localization and can account for complex wave propagation, TRM is computationally expensive and limited to individual events. Here we present a new technique, termed RTM-FDTD, which integrates TRM and FDTD. Travel time and transmission loss information is computed from each station to the entire potential source grid from 3-D Green's functions derived via FDTD. The wave energy is then back-projected and stacked at each grid point, with the maximum corresponding to the likely source. We apply our method to detect and characterize thousands of explosions from Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu and Etna Volcano, Italy, which both provide complex wave propagation and multiple source locations. We compare our results with those from more traditional methods (e.g. semblance), and suggest our method is preferred as it is computationally less expensive than TRM but still integrates numerical modeling. RTM-FDTD could be applied to volcanic other anthropogenic sources at a wide variety of ranges and scenarios. Kim, K., Lees, J.M., 2015. Imaging volcanic infrasound sources using time reversal mirror algorithm. Geophysical Journal International 202, 1663-1676.

Using SPARROW to Model Total Nitrogen Sources, and Transport in Rivers and Streams of California and Adjacent States, U.S.A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, D.; Domagalski, J. L.

2012-12-01

Sources and factors affecting the transport of total nitrogen are being evaluated for a study area that covers most of California and some areas in Oregon and Nevada, by using the SPARROW model (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Mass loads of total nitrogen calculated for monitoring sites at stream gauging stations are regressed against land-use factors affecting nitrogen transport, including fertilizer use, recharge, atmospheric deposition, stream characteristics, and other factors to understand how total nitrogen is transported under average conditions. SPARROW models have been used successfully in other parts of the country to understand how nutrients are transported, and how management strategies can be formulated, such as with Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) assessments. Fertilizer use, atmospheric deposition, and climatic data were obtained for 2002, and loads for that year were calculated for monitored streams and point sources (mostly from wastewater treatment plants). The stream loads were calculated by using the adjusted maximum likelihood estimation method (AMLE). River discharge and nitrogen concentrations were de-trended in these calculations in order eliminate the effect of temporal changes on stream load. Effluent discharge information as well as total nitrogen concentrations from point sources were obtained from USEPA databases and from facility records. The model indicates that atmospheric deposition and fertilizer use account for a large percentage of the total nitrogen load in many of the larger watersheds throughout the study area. Point sources, on the other hand, are generally localized around large cities, are considered insignificant sources, and account for a small percentage of the total nitrogen loads throughout the study area.

Simulation of Spiral Waves and Point Sources in Atrial Fibrillation with Application to Rotor Localization

PubMed Central

Ganesan, Prasanth; Shillieto, Kristina E.; Ghoraani, Behnaz

2018-01-01

Cardiac simulations play an important role in studies involving understanding and investigating the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias. Today, studies of arrhythmogenesis and maintenance are largely being performed by creating simulations of a particular arrhythmia with high accuracy comparable to the results of clinical experiments. Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in the United States and many other parts of the world, is one of the major field where simulation and modeling is largely used. AF simulations not only assist in understanding its mechanisms but also help to develop, evaluate and improve the computer algorithms used in electrophysiology (EP) systems for ablation therapies. In this paper, we begin with a brief overeview of some common techniques used in simulations to simulate two major AF mechanisms – spiral waves (or rotors) and point (or focal) sources. We particularly focus on 2D simulations using Nygren et al.’s mathematical model of human atrial cell. Then, we elucidate an application of the developed AF simulation to an algorithm designed for localizing AF rotors for improving current AF ablation therapies. Our simulation methods and results, along with the other discussions presented in this paper is aimed to provide engineers and professionals with a working-knowledge of application-specific simulations of spirals and foci. PMID:29629398

Nustar and Chandra Insight into the Nature of the 3-40 Kev Nuclear Emission in Ngc 253

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lehmer, Bret D.; Wik, Daniel R.; Hornschemeier, Ann E.; Ptak, Andrew; Antoniu, V.; Argo, M.K.; Bechtol, K.; Boggs, S.; Christensen, F.E.; Craig, W.W.;

Four-point probe measurements using current probes with voltage feedback to measure electric potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lüpke, Felix; Cuma, David; Korte, Stefan; Cherepanov, Vasily; Voigtländer, Bert

2018-02-01

We present a four-point probe resistance measurement technique which uses four equivalent current measuring units, resulting in minimal hardware requirements and corresponding sources of noise. Local sample potentials are measured by a software feedback loop which adjusts the corresponding tip voltage such that no current flows to the sample. The resulting tip voltage is then equivalent to the sample potential at the tip position. We implement this measurement method into a multi-tip scanning tunneling microscope setup such that potentials can also be measured in tunneling contact, allowing in principle truly non-invasive four-probe measurements. The resulting measurement capabilities are demonstrated for \

The Third Fermi LAT Catalog of High-Energy Gamma-ray Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, David J.; Ballet, J.; Burnett, T.; Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration

2014-01-01

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Large Area Telescope (LAT) has been gathering science data since August 2008, surveying the full sky every three hours. The second source catalog (2FGL, Nolan et al 2012, ApJS 199, 31) was based on 2 years of data. We are preparing a third source catalog (3FGL) based on 4 years of reprocessed data. The reprocessing introduced a more accurate description of the instrument, which resulted in a narrower point spread function. Both the localization and the detection threshold for hard-spectrum sources have been improved. The new catalog also relies on a refined model of Galactic diffuse emission, particularly important for low-latitude soft-spectrum sources. The process for associating LAT sources with those at other wavelengths has also improved, thanks to dedicated multiwavelength follow-up, new surveys and better ways to extract sources likely to be gamma-ray counterparts. We describe the construction of this new catalog, its characteristics, and its remaining limitations.

The Third Fermi-LAT Catalog of High-Energy Gamma-ray Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnett, Toby

2014-03-01

The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Large Area Telescope (LAT) has been gathering science data since August 2008, surveying the full sky every three hours. The second source catalog (2FGL, Nolan et al. 2012, ApJS 199, 31) was based on 2 years of data. We are preparing a third source catalog (3FGL) based on 4 years of reprocessed data. The reprocessing introduced a more accurate description of the instrument, which resulted in a narrower point spread function. Both the localization and the detection threshold for hard-spectrum sources have been improved. The new catalog also relies on a refined model of Galactic diffuse emission, particularly important for low-latitude soft-spectrum sources. The process for associating LAT sources with those at other wavelengths has also improved, thanks to dedicated multiwavelength follow-up, new surveys and better ways to extract sources likely to be gamma-ray counterparts. We describe the construction of this new catalog, its characteristics, and its remaining limitations.

Numerical evaluation of longitudinal motions of Wigley hulls advancing in waves by using Bessho form translating-pulsating source Green'S function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Wenbin; Dong, Wencai

2016-06-01

In the framework of 3D potential flow theory, Bessho form translating-pulsating source Green's function in frequency domain is chosen as the integral kernel in this study and hybrid source-and-dipole distribution model of the boundary element method is applied to directly solve the velocity potential for advancing ship in regular waves. Numerical characteristics of the Green function show that the contribution of local-flow components to velocity potential is concentrated at the nearby source point area and the wave component dominates the magnitude of velocity potential in the far field. Two kinds of mathematical models, with or without local-flow components taken into account, are adopted to numerically calculate the longitudinal motions of Wigley hulls, which demonstrates the applicability of translating-pulsating source Green's function method for various ship forms. In addition, the mesh analysis of discrete surface is carried out from the perspective of ship-form characteristics. The study shows that the longitudinal motion results by the simplified model are somewhat greater than the experimental data in the resonant zone, and the model can be used as an effective tool to predict ship seakeeping properties. However, translating-pulsating source Green function method is only appropriate for the qualitative analysis of motion response in waves if the ship geometrical shape fails to satisfy the slender-body assumption.

The calculating study of the moisture transfer influence at the temperature field in a porous wet medium with internal heat sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzevanov, V. S.; Garyaev, A. B.; Zakozhurnikova, G. S.; Zakozhurnikov, S. S.

2017-11-01

A porous wet medium with solid and gaseous components, with distributed or localized heat sources was considered. The regimes of temperature changes at the heating at various initial material moisture were studied. Mathematical model was developed applied to the investigated wet porous multicomponent medium with internal heat sources, taking into account the transfer of the heat by heat conductivity with variable thermal parameters and porosity, heat transfer by radiation, chemical reactions, drying and moistening of solids, heat and mass transfer of volatile products of chemical reactions by flows filtration, transfer of moisture. The algorithm of numerical calculation and the computer program that implements the proposed mathematical model, allowing to study the dynamics of warming up at a local or distributed heat release, in particular the impact of the transfer of moisture in the medium on the temperature field were created. Graphs of temperature change were obtained at different points of the graphics with different initial moisture. Conclusions about the possible control of the regimes of heating a solid porous body by the initial moisture distribution were made.

Computational Modeling of Single Neuron Extracellular Electric Potentials and Network Local Field Potentials using LFPsim.

PubMed

Parasuram, Harilal; Nair, Bipin; D'Angelo, Egidio; Hines, Michael; Naldi, Giovanni; Diwakar, Shyam

2016-01-01

Local Field Potentials (LFPs) are population signals generated by complex spatiotemporal interaction of current sources and dipoles. Mathematical computations of LFPs allow the study of circuit functions and dysfunctions via simulations. This paper introduces LFPsim, a NEURON-based tool for computing population LFP activity and single neuron extracellular potentials. LFPsim was developed to be used on existing cable compartmental neuron and network models. Point source, line source, and RC based filter approximations can be used to compute extracellular activity. As a demonstration of efficient implementation, we showcase LFPs from mathematical models of electrotonically compact cerebellum granule neurons and morphologically complex neurons of the neocortical column. LFPsim reproduced neocortical LFP at 8, 32, and 56 Hz via current injection, in vitro post-synaptic N2a, N2b waves and in vivo T-C waves in cerebellum granular layer. LFPsim also includes a simulation of multi-electrode array of LFPs in network populations to aid computational inference between biophysical activity in neural networks and corresponding multi-unit activity resulting in extracellular and evoked LFP signals.

Automatic registration of Iphone images to LASER point clouds of the urban structures using shape features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirmacek, B.; Lindenbergh, R. C.; Menenti, M.

2013-10-01

Fusion of 3D airborne laser (LIDAR) data and terrestrial optical imagery can be applied in 3D urban modeling and model up-dating. The most challenging aspect of the fusion procedure is registering the terrestrial optical images on the LIDAR point clouds. In this article, we propose an approach for registering these two different data from different sensor sources. As we use iPhone camera images which are taken in front of the interested urban structure by the application user and the high resolution LIDAR point clouds of the acquired by an airborne laser sensor. After finding the photo capturing position and orientation from the iPhone photograph metafile, we automatically select the area of interest in the point cloud and transform it into a range image which has only grayscale intensity levels according to the distance from the image acquisition position. We benefit from local features for registering the iPhone image to the generated range image. In this article, we have applied the registration process based on local feature extraction and graph matching. Finally, the registration result is used for facade texture mapping on the 3D building surface mesh which is generated from the LIDAR point cloud. Our experimental results indicate possible usage of the proposed algorithm framework for 3D urban map updating and enhancing purposes.

A decision support system for adaptive real-time management ofseasonal wetlands in California

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

Quinn, Nigel W.T.; Hanna, W. Mark

This paper describes the development of a comprehensive flow and salinity monitoring system and application of a decision support system (DSS) to improve management of seasonal wetlands in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates salinity discharges from non-point sources to the San Joaquin River using a procedure known as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) to allocate the assimilative capacity of the River for salt among watershed sources. Management of wetland sources of salt load will require the development of monitoring systems, more integrative management strategies and coordination with other entities. To obtain local cooperationmore » the Grassland Water District, whose primary function is to supply surface water to private duck clubs and managed wetlands, needs to communicate to local landowners the likely impacts of salinity regulation on the long term health and function of wildfowl habitat. The project described in this paper will also provide this information. The models that form the backbone of the DSS develop salinity balances at both a regional and local scale. The regional scale concentrates on deliveries to and exports from the Grasland Water District while the local scale focuses on an individual wetland unit where more intensive monitoring is being conducted. The design of the DSS is constrained to meet the needs of busy wetland managers and is being designed from the bottom up utilizing tools and procedures familiar to these individuals.« less

The Chandra Source Catalog: Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDowell, Jonathan; Evans, I. N.; Primini, F. A.; Glotfelty, K. J.; McCollough, M. L.; Houck, J. C.; Nowak, M. A.; Karovska, M.; Davis, J. E.; Rots, A. H.; Siemiginowska, A. L.; Hain, R.; Evans, J. D.; Anderson, C. S.; Bonaventura, N. R.; Chen, J. C.; Doe, S. M.; Fabbiano, G.; Galle, E. C.; Gibbs, D. G., II; Grier, J. D.; Hall, D. M.; Harbo, P. N.; He, X.; Lauer, J.; Miller, J. B.; Mitschang, A. W.; Morgan, D. L.; Nichols, J. S.; Plummer, D. A.; Refsdal, B. L.; Sundheim, B. A.; Tibbetts, M. S.; van Stone, D. W.; Winkelman, S. L.; Zografou, P.

2009-09-01

Creation of the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) required adjustment of existing pipeline processing, adaptation of existing interactive analysis software for automated use, and development of entirely new algorithms. Data calibration was based on the existing pipeline, but more rigorous data cleaning was applied and the latest calibration data products were used. For source detection, a local background map was created including the effects of ACIS source readout streaks. The existing wavelet source detection algorithm was modified and a set of post-processing scripts used to correct the results. To analyse the source properties we ran the SAO Traceray trace code for each source to generate a model point spread function, allowing us to find encircled energy correction factors and estimate source extent. Further algorithms were developed to characterize the spectral, spatial and temporal properties of the sources and to estimate the confidence intervals on count rates and fluxes. Finally, sources detected in multiple observations were matched, and best estimates of their merged properties derived. In this paper we present an overview of the algorithms used, with more detailed treatment of some of the newly developed algorithms presented in companion papers.

Determination of localization accuracy based on experimentally acquired image sets: applications to single molecule microscopy

PubMed Central

Tahmasbi, Amir; Ward, E. Sally; Ober, Raimund J.

2015-01-01

Fluorescence microscopy is a photon-limited imaging modality that allows the study of subcellular objects and processes with high specificity. The best possible accuracy (standard deviation) with which an object of interest can be localized when imaged using a fluorescence microscope is typically calculated using the Cramér-Rao lower bound, that is, the inverse of the Fisher information. However, the current approach for the calculation of the best possible localization accuracy relies on an analytical expression for the image of the object. This can pose practical challenges since it is often difficult to find appropriate analytical models for the images of general objects. In this study, we instead develop an approach that directly uses an experimentally collected image set to calculate the best possible localization accuracy for a general subcellular object. In this approach, we fit splines, i.e. smoothly connected piecewise polynomials, to the experimentally collected image set to provide a continuous model of the object, which can then be used for the calculation of the best possible localization accuracy. Due to its practical importance, we investigate in detail the application of the proposed approach in single molecule fluorescence microscopy. In this case, the object of interest is a point source and, therefore, the acquired image set pertains to an experimental point spread function. PMID:25837101

High spatial resolution detection of low-energy electrons using an event-counting method, application to point projection microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salançon, Evelyne; Degiovanni, Alain; Lapena, Laurent; Morin, Roger

2018-04-01

An event-counting method using a two-microchannel plate stack in a low-energy electron point projection microscope is implemented. 15 μm detector spatial resolution, i.e., the distance between first-neighbor microchannels, is demonstrated. This leads to a 7 times better microscope resolution. Compared to previous work with neutrons [Tremsin et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 592, 374 (2008)], the large number of detection events achieved with electrons shows that the local response of the detector is mainly governed by the angle between the hexagonal structures of the two microchannel plates. Using this method in point projection microscopy offers the prospect of working with a greater source-object distance (350 nm instead of 50 nm), advancing toward atomic resolution.

Caresoil: A multidisciplinar Project to characterize, remediate, monitor and evaluate the risk of contaminated soils in Madrid (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Martín, Alfonso; Antón, Loreto; Granja, Jose Luis; Villarroya, Fermín; Montero, Esperanza; Rodríguez, Vanesa

2016-04-01

Soil contamination can come from diffuse sources (air deposition, agriculture, etc.) or local sources, these last being related to anthropogenic activities that are potentially soil contaminating activities. According to data from the EU, in Spain, and particularly for the Autonomous Community of Madrid, it can be considered that heavy metals, toxic organic compounds (including Non Aqueous Phases Liquids, NAPLs) and combinations of both are the main problem of point sources of soil contamination in our community. The five aspects that will be applied in Caresoil Program (S2013/MAE-2739) in the analysis and remediation of a local soil contamination are: 1) the location of the source of contamination and characterization of soil and aquifer concerned, 2) evaluation of the dispersion of the plume, 3) application of effective remediation techniques, 4) monitoring the evolution of the contaminated soil and 5) risk analysis throughout this process. These aspects involve advanced technologies (hydrogeology, geophysics, geochemistry,...) that require new developing of knowledge, being necessary the contribution of several researching groups specialized in the fields previously cited, as they are those integrating CARESOIL Program. Actually two cases concerning hydrocarbon spills, as representative examples of soil local contamination in Madrid area, are being studied. The first is being remediated and we are monitoring this process to evaluate its effectiveness. In the second location we are defining the extent of contamination in soil and aquifer to define the most effective remediation technique.

Searching for minimum in dependence of squared speed-of-sound on collision energy

DOE PAGES

Liu, Fu -Hu; Gao, Li -Na; Lacey, Roy A.

2016-01-01

Experimore » mental results of the rapidity distributions of negatively charged pions produced in proton-proton ( p - p ) and beryllium-beryllium (Be-Be) collisions at different beam momentums, measured by the NA61/SHINE Collaboration at the super proton synchrotron (SPS), are described by a revised (three-source) Landau hydrodynamic model. The squared speed-of-sound parameter c s 2 is then extracted from the width of rapidity distribution. There is a local minimum (knee point) which indicates a softest point in the equation of state (EoS) appearing at about 40 A  GeV/ c (or 8.8 GeV) in c s 2 excitation function (the dependence of c s 2 on incident beam momentum (or center-of-mass energy)). This knee point should be related to the searching for the onset of quark deconfinement and the critical point of quark-gluon plasma (QGP) phase transition.« less

Infrared point sensors for homeland defense applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Ross C.; Carter, Michael T.; Homrighausen, Craig L.

2004-03-01

We report recent progress toward the development of infrared point sensors for the detection of chemical warfare agents and explosive related chemicals, which pose a significant threat to both health and environment. Technical objectives have focused on the development of polymer sorbents to enhance the infrared response of these hazardous organic compounds. For example, infrared point sensors which part-per-billion detection limits have been developed that rapidlypartition chemical warfare agents and explosive related chemicals into polymer thin films with desirable chemical and physical properties. These chemical sensors demonstrate novel routes to reversible sensing of hazardous organic compounds. The development of small, low-power, sensitive, and selective instruments employing these chemical sensors would enhance the capabilities of federal, state, and local emergency response to incidents involving chemical terrorism. Specific applications include chemical defense systems for military personnel and homeland defense, environmental monitors for remediation and demilitarization, and point source detectors for emergency and maintenance response teams.

Investigating the effects of point source and nonpoint source pollution on the water quality of the East River (Dongjiang) in South China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, Yiping; Chen, Ji

2013-01-01

Understanding the physical processes of point source (PS) and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is critical to evaluate river water quality and identify major pollutant sources in a watershed. In this study, we used the physically-based hydrological/water quality model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool, to investigate the influence of PS and NPS pollution on the water quality of the East River (Dongjiang in Chinese) in southern China. Our results indicate that NPS pollution was the dominant contribution (>94%) to nutrient loads except for mineral phosphorus (50%). A comprehensive Water Quality Index (WQI) computed using eight key water quality variables demonstrates that water quality is better upstream than downstream despite the higher level of ammonium nitrogen found in upstream waters. Also, the temporal (seasonal) and spatial distributions of nutrient loads clearly indicate the critical time period (from late dry season to early wet season) and pollution source areas within the basin (middle and downstream agricultural lands), which resource managers can use to accomplish substantial reduction of NPS pollutant loadings. Overall, this study helps our understanding of the relationship between human activities and pollutant loads and further contributes to decision support for local watershed managers to protect water quality in this region. In particular, the methods presented such as integrating WQI with watershed modeling and identifying the critical time period and pollutions source areas can be valuable for other researchers worldwide.

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

Doose, Charles; Jain, Animesh

The APS-U is planned to be a 4th generation hard X-ray light source utilizing a multi-bend achromat (MBA) magnet lattice. The MBA lattice will be installed in the existing APS storage ring enclosure. The stored electron beam will circulate clockwise when viewed from above. The X-ray beamlines will for the most part exit at the same source points as the present APS. This document defines the signs and conventions related to the APS-U MBA magnets. Included in this document are: the local magnet coordinate system, definitions of mechanical and magnetic centers, definitions of multipole field errors, magnetic roll angle, andmore » magnet polarities.« less

Drinking cholera: salinity levels and palatability of drinking water in coastal Bangladesh.

PubMed

Grant, Stephen Lawrence; Tamason, Charlotte Crim; Hoque, Bilqis Amin; Jensen, Peter Kjaer Mackie

2015-04-01

To measure the salinity levels of common water sources in coastal Bangladesh and explore perceptions of water palatability among the local population to investigate the plausibility of linking cholera outbreaks in Bangladesh with ingestion of saline-rich cholera-infected river water. Hundred participants took part in a taste-testing experiment of water with varying levels of salinity. Salinity measurements were taken of both drinking and non-drinking water sources. Informal group discussions were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of water sources and water uses. Salinity levels of non-drinking water sources suggest that the conditions for Vibrio cholerae survival exist 7-8 days within the local aquatic environment. However, 96% of participants in the taste-testing experiment reported that they would never drink water with salinity levels that would be conducive to V. cholerae survival. Furthermore, salinity levels of participant's drinking water sources were all well below the levels required for optimal survival of V. cholerae. Respondents explained that they preferred less salty and more aesthetically pleasing drinking water. Theoretically, V. cholerae can survive in the river systems in Bangladesh; however, water sources which have been contaminated with river water are avoided as potential drinking water sources. Furthermore, there are no physical connecting points between the river system and drinking water sources among the study population, indicating that the primary driver for cholera cases in Bangladesh is likely not through the contamination of saline-rich river water into drinking water sources. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Atmospheric particle-bound organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticizers in a North African Mediterranean coastal city (Bizerte, Tunisia).

PubMed

Castro-Jiménez, Javier; Sempéré, Richard

2018-06-12

Organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants and plasticizers have been detected at generally high frequencies (70-98%) for the first time in the atmosphere over the NW African coastal Mediterranean. Results from sixty air samples (total suspended particles, TSP) collected between March 2015 and January 2016 in an urban coastal site (Bizerte, Tunisia) revealed ∑ 9 OPE concentrations of ~100-1060 pg m -3 (470 pg m -3 , median) with TCPPs, EHDPP and TiBP exhibiting the higher median concentrations (~110, 100 and 85 pg m -3 , respectively). Spring generally exhibited the lowest concentrations, probably linked to the influence of local meteorological conditions and air mass trajectories to a lesser extent. Non-chlorinated OPEs generally predominated, in contrast to the most common reported situation in marine environments (i.e. higher abundance of chlorinated OPEs) pointing to the relevance of local OPE sources in the study area. TiBP levels were generally higher than those reported for other marine/coastal environments suggesting this OPE as a good tracer of local sources in Bizerte. Contrarily, the atmospheric levels of other abundant OPEs in the area (e.g. TCPP) seem to be in the range and/or lower than those reported for remote marine environments. These findings point to the interplay of different factors with solar irradiance (potentially enhancing atmospheric photochemical oxidation reactions) and meteorological conditions in the study area likely compensating potential local sources of some OPEs. Not all OPEs presented the same seasonality in terms of atmospheric concentrations and pattern. The estimated atmospheric dry deposition fluxes (∑ 9 OPEs) were 18-180 ng m -2  d -1 . Up to ~9 kg y -1 of OPEs (~1 kg y -1 of new organic anthropogenic phosphorus coming from OPEs) can be loaded to the shallow and enclosed Bizerte lagoon (~130 km 2 ), considered as the most important aquaculture area in Tunisia, with yet unknown implications for the environmental exposure and impacts in the ecosystem functioning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New Evidence on the Price Effects of Cigarette Tax Competition.

PubMed

Carpenter, Christopher S; Mathes, Michael T

2016-05-01

Multiple studies have shown that cigarette taxes are more than fully passed through to cigarette prices and that access to a nearby state with a lower cigarette tax also reduces local cigarette prices. We study two other sources of tax competition: nearby Native American reservations and online sales. Using quarterly data on local cigarette prices from 1976-2003, we show that the opening of a Native American casino within 25 miles of a city center is associated with a $0.016-$0.027 lower per-pack price, while a 50 percentage point increase in internet penetration is associated with a $0.22-$0.25 per-pack price reduction. These effects are not observed for other local prices for which there is no potential tax savings. Our results further our understanding of how tax competition affects local cigarette prices and provide context to studies linking Native American reservations and internet penetration to cigarette smuggling.

New Evidence on the Price Effects of Cigarette Tax Competition

PubMed Central

Carpenter, Christopher S.; Mathes, Michael T.

2016-01-01

Multiple studies have shown that cigarette taxes are more than fully passed through to cigarette prices and that access to a nearby state with a lower cigarette tax also reduces local cigarette prices. We study two other sources of tax competition: nearby Native American reservations and online sales. Using quarterly data on local cigarette prices from 1976–2003, we show that the opening of a Native American casino within 25 miles of a city center is associated with a $0.016-$0.027 lower per-pack price, while a 50 percentage point increase in internet penetration is associated with a $0.22-$0.25 per-pack price reduction. These effects are not observed for other local prices for which there is no potential tax savings. Our results further our understanding of how tax competition affects local cigarette prices and provide context to studies linking Native American reservations and internet penetration to cigarette smuggling. PMID:27840571

Georeferenced model simulations efficiently support targeted monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berlekamp, Jürgen; Klasmeier, Jörg

2010-05-01

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) demands the good ecological and chemical status of surface waters. To meet the definition of good chemical status of the WFD surface water concentrations of priority pollutants must not exceed established environmental quality standards (EQS). Surveillance of the concentrations of numerous chemical pollutants in whole river basins by monitoring is laborious and time-consuming. Moreover, measured data do often not allow for immediate source apportionment which is a prerequisite for defining promising reduction strategies to be implemented within the programme of measures. In this context, spatially explicit model approaches are highly advantageous because they provide a direct link between local point emissions (e.g. treated wastewater) or diffuse non-point emissions (e.g. agricultural runoff) and resulting surface water concentrations. Scenario analyses with such models allow for a priori investigation of potential positive effects of reduction measures such as optimization of wastewater treatment. The geo-referenced model GREAT-ER (Geography-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) has been designed to calculate spatially resolved averaged concentrations for different flow conditions (e.g. mean or low flow) based on emission estimations for local point source emissions such as treated effluents from wastewater treatment plants. The methodology was applied to selected pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, sotalol, metoprolol, carbamazepin) in the Main river basin in Germany (approx. 27,290 km²). Average concentrations of the compounds were calculated for each river reach in the whole catchment. Simulation results were evaluated by comparison with available data from orienting monitoring and used to develop an optimal monitoring strategy for the assessment of water quality regarding micropollutants at the catchment scale.

The Mean Curvature of the Influence Surface of Wave Equation With Sources on a Moving Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farassat, F.; Farris, Mark

1999-01-01

The mean curvature of the influence surface of the space-time point (x, t) appears in linear supersonic propeller noise theory and in the Kirchhoff formula for a supersonic surface. Both these problems are governed by the linear wave equation with sources on a moving surface. The influence surface is also called the Sigma - surface in the aeroacoustic literature. This surface is the locus, in a frame fixed to the quiescent medium, of all the points of a radiating surface f(x, t) = 0 whose acoustic signals arrive simultaneously to an observer at position x and at the time t. Mathematically, the Sigma- surface is produced by the intersection of the characteristic conoid of the space-time point (x, t) and the moving surface. In this paper, we derive the expression for the local mean curvature of the Sigma - space of the space-time point for a moving rigid or deformable surface f(x, t) = 0. This expression is a complicated function of the geometric and kinematic parameters of the surface f(x, t) = 0. Using the results of this paper, the solution of the governing wave equation of high speed propeller noise radiation as well as the Kirchhoff formula for a supersonic surface can be written as very compact analytic expression.

A submerged singularity method for calculating potential flow velocities at arbitrary near-field points

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maskew, B.

1976-01-01

A discrete singularity method has been developed for calculating the potential flow around two-dimensional airfoils. The objective was to calculate velocities at any arbitrary point in the flow field, including points that approach the airfoil surface. That objective was achieved and is demonstrated here on a Joukowski airfoil. The method used combined vortices and sources ''submerged'' a small distance below the airfoil surface and incorporated a near-field subvortex technique developed earlier. When a velocity calculation point approached the airfoil surface, the number of discrete singularities effectively increased (but only locally) to keep the point just outside the error region of the submerged singularity discretization. The method could be extended to three dimensions, and should improve nonlinear methods, which calculate interference effects between multiple wings, and which include the effects of force-free trailing vortex sheets. The capability demonstrated here would extend the scope of such calculations to allow the close approach of wings and vortex sheets (or vortices).

Refinement of Methods for Evaluation of Near-Hypersingular Integrals in BEM Formulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, Patricia W.; Khayat, Michael A.; Wilton, Donald R.

2006-01-01

In this paper, we present advances in singularity cancellation techniques applied to integrals in BEM formulations that are nearly hypersingular. Significant advances have been made recently in singularity cancellation techniques applied to 1 R type kernels [M. Khayat, D. Wilton, IEEE Trans. Antennas and Prop., 53, pp. 3180-3190, 2005], as well as to the gradients of these kernels [P. Fink, D. Wilton, and M. Khayat, Proc. ICEAA, pp. 861-864, Torino, Italy, 2005] on curved subdomains. In these approaches, the source triangle is divided into three tangent subtriangles with a common vertex at the normal projection of the observation point onto the source element or the extended surface containing it. The geometry of a typical tangent subtriangle and its local rectangular coordinate system with origin at the projected observation point is shown in Fig. 1. Whereas singularity cancellation techniques for 1 R type kernels are now nearing maturity, the efficient handling of near-hypersingular kernels still needs attention. For example, in the gradient reference above, techniques are presented for computing the normal component of the gradient relative to the plane containing the tangent subtriangle. These techniques, summarized in the transformations in Table 1, are applied at the sub-triangle level and correspond particularly to the case in which the normal projection of the observation point lies within the boundary of the source element. They are found to be highly efficient as z approaches zero. Here, we extend the approach to cover two instances not previously addressed. First, we consider the case in which the normal projection of the observation point lies external to the source element. For such cases, we find that simple modifications to the transformations of Table 1 permit significant savings in computational cost. Second, we present techniques that permit accurate computation of the tangential components of the gradient; i.e., tangent to the plane containing the source element.

Privacy-Preserving Predictive Modeling: Harmonization of Contextual Embeddings From Different Sources.

PubMed

Huang, Yingxiang; Lee, Junghye; Wang, Shuang; Sun, Jimeng; Liu, Hongfang; Jiang, Xiaoqian

2018-05-16

Data sharing has been a big challenge in biomedical informatics because of privacy concerns. Contextual embedding models have demonstrated a very strong representative capability to describe medical concepts (and their context), and they have shown promise as an alternative way to support deep-learning applications without the need to disclose original data. However, contextual embedding models acquired from individual hospitals cannot be directly combined because their embedding spaces are different, and naive pooling renders combined embeddings useless. The aim of this study was to present a novel approach to address these issues and to promote sharing representation without sharing data. Without sacrificing privacy, we also aimed to build a global model from representations learned from local private data and synchronize information from multiple sources. We propose a methodology that harmonizes different local contextual embeddings into a global model. We used Word2Vec to generate contextual embeddings from each source and Procrustes to fuse different vector models into one common space by using a list of corresponding pairs as anchor points. We performed prediction analysis with harmonized embeddings. We used sequential medical events extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database to evaluate the proposed methodology in predicting the next likely diagnosis of a new patient using either structured data or unstructured data. Under different experimental scenarios, we confirmed that the global model built from harmonized local models achieves a more accurate prediction than local models and global models built from naive pooling. Such aggregation of local models using our unique harmonization can serve as the proxy for a global model, combining information from a wide range of institutions and information sources. It allows information unique to a certain hospital to become available to other sites, increasing the fluidity of information flow in health care. ©Yingxiang Huang, Junghye Lee, Shuang Wang, Jimeng Sun, Hongfang Liu, Xiaoqian Jiang. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 16.05.2018.

How Connecticut health directors deal with public health budget cuts at the local level.

PubMed

Prust, Margaret L; Clark, Kathleen; Davis, Brigette; Pallas, Sarah W; Kertanis, Jennifer; O'Keefe, Elaine; Araas, Michael; Iyer, Neel S; Dandorf, Stewart; Platis, Stephanie; Humphries, Debbie

2015-04-01

We investigated the perspectives of local health jurisdiction (LHJ) directors on coping mechanisms used to respond to budget reductions and constraints on their decision-making. We conducted in-depth interviews with 17 LHJ directors. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. LHJ directors use a range of coping mechanisms, including identifying alternative revenue sources, adjusting services, amending staffing arrangements, appealing to local political leaders, and forming strategic partnerships. LHJs also face constraints on their decision-making because of state and local statutory requirements, political priorities, pressures from other LHJs, and LHJ structure. LHJs respond creatively to budget cuts to maintain important public health services. Some LHJ adjustments to administrative resources may obscure the long-term costs of public health budget cuts in such areas as staff morale and turnover. Not all coping strategies are available to each LHJ because of the contextual constraints of its locality, pointing to important policy questions on identifying optimum jurisdiction size and improving efficiency.

Response of non-point source pollutant loads to climate change in the Shitoukoumen reservoir catchment.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Lu, Wenxi; An, Yonglei; Li, Di; Gong, Lei

2012-01-01

The impacts of climate change on streamflow and non-point source pollutant loads in the Shitoukoumen reservoir catchment are predicted by combining a general circulation model (HadCM3) with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model. A statistical downscaling model was used to generate future local scenarios of meteorological variables such as temperature and precipitation. Then, the downscaled meteorological variables were used as input to the SWAT hydrological model calibrated and validated with observations, and the corresponding changes of future streamflow and non-point source pollutant loads in Shitoukoumen reservoir catchment were simulated and analyzed. Results show that daily temperature increases in three future periods (2010-2039, 2040-2069, and 2070-2099) relative to a baseline of 1961-1990, and the rate of increase is 0.63°C per decade. Annual precipitation also shows an apparent increase of 11 mm per decade. The calibration and validation results showed that the SWAT model was able to simulate well the streamflow and non-point source pollutant loads, with a coefficient of determination of 0.7 and a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of about 0.7 for both the calibration and validation periods. The future climate change has a significant impact on streamflow and non-point source pollutant loads. The annual streamflow shows a fluctuating upward trend from 2010 to 2099, with an increase rate of 1.1 m(3) s(-1) per decade, and a significant upward trend in summer, with an increase rate of 1.32 m(3) s(-1) per decade. The increase in summer contributes the most to the increase of annual load compared with other seasons. The annual NH (4) (+) -N load into Shitoukoumen reservoir shows a significant downward trend with a decrease rate of 40.6 t per decade. The annual TP load shows an insignificant increasing trend, and its change rate is 3.77 t per decade. The results of this analysis provide a scientific basis for effective support of decision makers and strategies of adaptation to climate change.

Neutrino Astronomy at the South Pole: latest Results from AMANDA-II

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

Desiati, Paolo

2006-07-11

AMANDA-II is the largest neutrino telescope collecting data at the moment, and its main goal is to search for sources of high energy extra-terrestrial neutrinos. The detection of such sources could give non-controversial evidence for the acceleration of charged hadrons in cosmic objects like Supernova Remnants, Micro-quasars, Active Galactic Nuclei or Gamma Ray Bursts. No significant excess has been found in searching for neutrinos from both point-like and non-localized sources. However AMANDA-II has significantly improved analysis techniques for better signal-to-noise optimization. The km3-scale IceCube telescope will enlarge the observable energy range and improve the sensitivities of high energy neutrino searchesmore » due to its 30 times larger effective area.« less

Investigating line- versus point-laser excitation for three-dimensional fluorescence imaging and tomography employing a trimodal imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Liji; Peter, Jörg

2013-06-01

The adoption of axially oriented line illumination patterns for fluorescence excitation in small animals for fluorescence surface imaging (FSI) and fluorescence optical tomography (FOT) is being investigated. A trimodal single-photon-emission-computed-tomography/computed-tomography/optical-tomography (SPECT-CT-OT) small animal imaging system is being modified for employment of point- and line-laser excitation sources. These sources can be arbitrarily positioned around the imaged object. The line source is set to illuminate the object along its entire axial direction. Comparative evaluation of point and line illumination patterns for FSI and FOT is provided involving phantom as well as mouse data. Given the trimodal setup, CT data are used to guide the optical approaches by providing boundary information. Furthermore, FOT results are also being compared to SPECT. Results show that line-laser illumination yields a larger axial field of view (FOV) in FSI mode, hence faster data acquisition, and practically acceptable FOT reconstruction throughout the whole animal. Also, superimposed SPECT and FOT data provide additional information on similarities as well as differences in the distribution and uptake of both probe types. Fused CT data enhance further the anatomical localization of the tracer distribution in vivo. The feasibility of line-laser excitation for three-dimensional fluorescence imaging and tomography is demonstrated for initiating further research, however, not with the intention to replace one by the other.

Numerical Simulation of Dispersion from Urban Greenhouse Gas Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nottrott, Anders; Tan, Sze; He, Yonggang; Winkler, Renato

2017-04-01

Cities are characterized by complex topography, inhomogeneous turbulence, and variable pollutant source distributions. These features create a scale separation between local sources and urban scale emissions estimates known as the Grey-Zone. Modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques provide a quasi-deterministic, physically based toolset to bridge the scale separation gap between source level dynamics, local measurements, and urban scale emissions inventories. CFD has the capability to represent complex building topography and capture detailed 3D turbulence fields in the urban boundary layer. This presentation discusses the application of OpenFOAM to urban CFD simulations of natural gas leaks in cities. OpenFOAM is an open source software for advanced numerical simulation of engineering and environmental fluid flows. When combined with free or low cost computer aided drawing and GIS, OpenFOAM generates a detailed, 3D representation of urban wind fields. OpenFOAM was applied to model scalar emissions from various components of the natural gas distribution system, to study the impact of urban meteorology on mobile greenhouse gas measurements. The numerical experiments demonstrate that CH4 concentration profiles are highly sensitive to the relative location of emission sources and buildings. Sources separated by distances of 5-10 meters showed significant differences in vertical dispersion of plumes, due to building wake effects. The OpenFOAM flow fields were combined with an inverse, stochastic dispersion model to quantify and visualize the sensitivity of point sensors to upwind sources in various built environments. The Boussinesq approximation was applied to investigate the effects of canopy layer temperature gradients and convection on sensor footprints.

Global reference frame: Intercomparison of results (SLR, VLBI and GPS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ma, Chopo; Watkins, Michael M.; Heflin, M.

1994-01-01

The terrestrial reference frame (TRF) is realized by a set of positions and velocities derived from a combination of the three space geodetic techniques, SLR, VLBI and GPS. The standard International TRF is constructed by the International Earth Rotation Service in such a way that it is stable with time and the addition of new data. An adopted model for overall plate motion, NUVEL-1 NNR, defines the conceptual reference frame in which all the plates are moving. In addition to the measurements made between reference points within the space geodetic instruments, it is essential to have accurate, documented eccentricity measurements from the instrument reference points to ground monuments. Proper local surveys between the set of ground monuments at a site are also critical for the use of the space geodetic results. Eccentricities and local surveys are, in fact, the most common and vexing sources of error in the use of the TRF for such activities as collocation and intercomparison.

a Performance Comparison of Feature Detectors for Planetary Rover Mapping and Localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, W.; Peng, M.; Xing, Y.; Wang, Y.; Liu, Z.; Di, K.; Teng, B.; Mao, X.; Zhao, Q.; Xin, X.; Jia, M.

2017-07-01

Feature detection and matching are key techniques in computer vision and robotics, and have been successfully implemented in many fields. So far there is no performance comparison of feature detectors and matching methods for planetary mapping and rover localization using rover stereo images. In this research, we present a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of six feature detectors, including Moravec, Förstner, Harris, FAST, SIFT and SURF, aiming for optimal implementation of feature-based matching in planetary surface environment. To facilitate quantitative analysis, a series of evaluation criteria, including distribution evenness of matched points, coverage of detected points, and feature matching accuracy, are developed in the research. In order to perform exhaustive evaluation, stereo images, simulated under different baseline, pitch angle, and interval of adjacent rover locations, are taken as experimental data source. The comparison results show that SIFT offers the best overall performance, especially it is less sensitive to changes of image taken at adjacent locations.

Exploring X-Ray Binary Populations in Compact Group Galaxies With Chandra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tzanavaris, P.; Hornschemeier, A. E..; Gallagher, S. C.; Lenkic, L.; Desjardins, T. D.; Walker, L. M.; Johnson, K. E.; Mulchaey, J. S.

2016-01-01

We obtain total galaxy X-ray luminosities, LX, originating from individually detected point sources in a sample of 47 galaxies in 15 compact groups of galaxies (CGs). For the great majority of our galaxies, we find that the detected point sources most likely are local to their associated galaxy, and are thus extragalactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) or nuclear active galactic nuclei (AGNs). For spiral and irregular galaxies, we find that, after accounting for AGNs and nuclear sources, most CG galaxies are either within the +/-1s scatter of the Mineo et al. LX-star formation rate (SFR) correlation or have higher LX than predicted by this correlation for their SFR. We discuss how these "excesses" may be due to low metallicities and high interaction levels. For elliptical and S0 galaxies, after accounting for AGNs and nuclear sources, most CG galaxies are consistent with the Boroson et al. LX-stellar mass correlation for low-mass XRBs, with larger scatter, likely due to residual effects such as AGN activity or hot gas. Assuming non-nuclear sources are low- or high-mass XRBs, we use appropriate XRB luminosity functions to estimate the probability that stochastic effects can lead to such extreme LX values. We find that, although stochastic effects do not in general appear to be important, for some galaxies there is a significant probability that high LX values can be observed due to strong XRB variability.

Source apportion of atmospheric particulate matter: a joint Eulerian/Lagrangian approach.

PubMed

Riccio, A; Chianese, E; Agrillo, G; Esposito, C; Ferrara, L; Tirimberio, G

2014-12-01

PM2.5 samples were collected during an annual monitoring campaign (January 2012-January 2013) in the urban area of Naples, one of the major cities in Southern Italy. Samples were collected by means of a standard gravimetric sampler (Tecora Echo model) and characterized from a chemical point of view by ion chromatography. As a result, 143 samples together with their ionic composition have been collected. We extend traditional source apportionment techniques, usually based on multivariate factor analysis, interpreting the chemical analysis results within a Lagrangian framework. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) model was used, providing linkages to the source regions in the upwind areas. Results were analyzed in order to quantify the relative weight of different source types/areas. Model results suggested that PM concentrations are strongly affected not only by local emissions but also by transboundary emissions, especially from the Eastern and Northern European countries and African Saharan dust episodes.

A stress ecology framework for comprehensive risk assessment of diffuse pollution.

PubMed

van Straalen, Nico M; van Gestel, Cornelis A M

2008-12-01

Environmental pollution is traditionally classified as either localized or diffuse. Local pollution comes from a point source that emits a well-defined cocktail of chemicals, distributed in the environment in the form of a gradient around the source. Diffuse pollution comes from many sources, small and large, that cause an erratic distribution of chemicals, interacting with those from other sources into a complex mixture of low to moderate concentrations over a large area. There is no good method for ecological risk assessment of such types of pollution. We argue that effects of diffuse contamination in the field must be analysed in the wider framework of stress ecology. A multivariate approach can be applied to filter effects of contaminants from the many interacting factors at the ecosystem level. Four case studies are discussed (1) functional and structural properties of terrestrial model ecosystems, (2) physiological profiles of microbial communities, (3) detritivores in reedfield litter, and (4) benthic invertebrates in canal sediment. In each of these cases the data were analysed by multivariate statistics and associations between ecological variables and the levels of contamination were established. We argue that the stress ecology framework is an appropriate assessment instrument for discriminating effects of pollution from other anthropogenic disturbances and naturally varying factors.

A numerical experiment on light pollution from distant sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocifaj, M.

2011-08-01

To predict the light pollution of the night-time sky realistically over any location or measuring point on the ground presents quite a difficult calculation task. Light pollution of the local atmosphere is caused by stray light, light loss or reflection of artificially illuminated ground objects or surfaces such as streets, advertisement boards or building interiors. Thus it depends on the size, shape, spatial distribution, radiative pattern and spectral characteristics of many neighbouring light sources. The actual state of the atmospheric environment and the orography of the surrounding terrain are also relevant. All of these factors together influence the spectral sky radiance/luminance in a complex manner. Knowledge of the directional behaviour of light pollution is especially important for the correct interpretation of astronomical observations. From a mathematical point of view, the light noise or veil luminance of a specific sky element is given by a superposition of scattered light beams. Theoretical models that simulate light pollution typically take into account all ground-based light sources, thus imposing great requirements on CPU and MEM. As shown in this paper, a contribution of distant sources to the light pollution might be essential under specific conditions of low turbidity and/or Garstang-like radiative patterns. To evaluate the convergence of the theoretical model, numerical experiments are made for different light sources, spectral bands and atmospheric conditions. It is shown that in the worst case the integration limit is approximately 100 km, but it can be significantly shortened for light sources with cosine-like radiative patterns.

External Source of Infection and Nutritional Efficiency Control Chaos in a Predator-Prey Model with Disease in the Predator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pada Das, Krishna; Roy, Prodip; Ghosh, Subhabrata; Maiti, Somnath

This paper deals with an eco-epidemiological approach with disease circulating through the predator species. Disease circulation in the predator species can be possible by contact as well as by external sources. Here, we try to discuss the role of external source of infection along with nutritional value on system dynamics. To establish our findings, we have worked out the local and global stability analysis of the equilibrium points with Hopf bifurcation analysis associated with interior equilibrium point. The ecological consequence by ecological basic reproduction number as well as the disease basic reproduction number or basic reproductive ratio are obtained and we have analyzed the community structure of the particular system with the help of ecological and disease basic reproduction numbers. Further we pay attention to the chaotic dynamics which is produced by disease circulating in predator species by contact. Our numerical simulations reveal that eco-epidemiological system without external source of infection induced chaotic dynamics for increasing force of infection due to contact, whereas in the presence of external source of infection, it exhibits stable solution. It is also observed that nutritional value can prevent chaotic dynamics. We conclude that chaotic dynamics can be controlled by the external source of infection as well as nutritional value. We apply basic tools of nonlinear dynamics such as Poincare section and maximum Lyapunov exponent to investigate chaotic behavior of the system.

Cross-sectional transport imaging in a multijunction solar cell

DOE PAGES

Haegel, Nancy M.; Ke, Chi -Wen; Taha, Hesham; ...

2016-12-01

Here, we combine a highly localized electron-beam point source excitation to generate excess free carriers with the spatial resolution of optical near-field imaging to map recombination in a cross-sectioned multijunction (Ga 0.5In 0.5P/GaIn 0.01As/Ge) solar cell. By mapping the spatial variations in emission of light for fixed generation (as opposed to traditional cathodoluminescence (CL), which maps integrated emission as a function of position of generation), it is possible to directly monitor the motion of carriers and photons. We observe carrier diffusion throughout the full width of the middle (GaInAs) cell, as well as luminescent coupling from point source excitation inmore » the top cell GaInP to the middle cell. Supporting CL and near-field photoluminescence (PL) measurements demonstrate the excitation-dependent Fermi level splitting effects that influence cross-sectioned spectroscopy results, as well as transport limitations on the spatial resolution of conventional cross-sectional far-field measurements.« less

Safety of packaged water distribution limited by household recontamination in rural Cambodia.

PubMed

Holman, Emily J; Brown, Joe

2014-06-01

Packaged water treatment schemes represent a growing model for providing safer water in low-income settings, yet post-distribution recontamination of treated water may limit this approach. This study evaluates drinking water quality and household water handling practices in a floating village in Tonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia, through a pilot cross-sectional study of 108 households, approximately half of which used packaged water as the main household drinking water source. We hypothesized that households purchasing drinking water from local packaged water treatment plants would have microbiologically improved drinking water at the point of consumption. We found no meaningful difference in microbiological drinking water quality between households using packaged, treated water and those collecting water from other sources, including untreated surface water, however. Households' water storage and handling practices and home hygiene may have contributed to recontamination of drinking water. Further measures to protect water quality at the point-of-use may be required even if water is treated and packaged in narrow-mouthed containers.

An atlas of H-alpha-emitting regions in M33: A systematic search for SS433 star candidates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calzetti, Daniela; Kinney, Anne L.; Ford, Holland; Doggett, Jesse; Long, Knox S.

1995-01-01

We report finding charts and accurate positions for 432 compact H-alpha emitting regions in the Local Group galaxy M 33 (NGC 598), in an effort to isolate candidates for an SS433-like stellar system. The objects were extracted from narrow band images, centered in the rest-frame H-alpha (lambda 6563 A) and in the red continuum at 6100 A. The atlas is complete down to V approximately equal to 20 and includes 279 compact HII regions and 153 line emitting point-like sources. The point-like sources undoubtedly include a variety of objects: very small HII regions, early type stars with intense stellar winds, and Wolf-Rayet stars, but should also contain objects with the characteristics of SS433. This extensive survey of compact H-alpha regions in M 33 is a first step towards the identification of peculiar stellar systems like SS433 in external galaxies.

Local systematic differences in 2MASS positions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bustos Fierro, I. H.; Calderón, J. H.

2018-01-01

We have found that positions in the 2MASS All-sky Catalog of Point Sources show local systematic differences with characteristic length-scales of ˜ 5 to ˜ 8 arcminutes when compared with several catalogs. We have observed that when 2MASS positions are used in the computation of proper motions, the mentioned systematic differences cause systematic errors in the resulting proper motions. We have developed a method to locally rectify 2MASS with respect to UCAC4 in order to diminish the systematic differences between these catalogs. The rectified 2MASS catalog with the proposed method can be regarded as an extension of UCAC4 for astrometry with accuracy ˜ 90 mas in its positions, with negligible systematic errors. Also we show that the use of these rectified positions removes the observed systematic pattern in proper motions derived from original 2MASS positions.

RESOLVING THE HD 100546 PROTOPLANETARY SYSTEM WITH THE GEMINI PLANET IMAGER: EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE FORMING, ACCRETING PLANETS

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

Currie, Thayne; Cloutier, Ryan; Brittain, Sean

2015-12-01

We report Gemini Planet Imager H-band high-contrast imaging/integral field spectroscopy and polarimetry of the HD 100546, a 10 Myr old early-type star recently confirmed to host a thermal infrared (IR) bright (super-)Jovian protoplanet at wide separation, HD 100546 b. We resolve the inner disk cavity in polarized light, recover the thermal IR-bright arm, and identify one additional spiral arm. We easily recover HD 100546 b and show that much of its emission plausibly originates from an unresolved point source. The point-source component of HD 100546 b has extremely red IR colors compared to field brown dwarfs, qualitatively similar to youngmore » cloudy super-Jovian planets; however, these colors may instead indicate that HD 100546 b is still accreting material from a circumplanetary disk. Additionally, we identify a second point-source-like peak at r{sub proj} ∼ 14 AU, located just interior to or at the inner disk wall consistent with being a <10–20 M{sub J} candidate second protoplanet—“HD 100546 c”—and lying within a weakly polarized region of the disk but along an extension of the thermal IR-bright spiral arm. Alternatively, it is equally plausible that this feature is a weakly polarized but locally bright region of the inner disk wall. Astrometric monitoring of this feature over the next 2 years and emission line measurements could confirm its status as a protoplanet, rotating disk hot spot that is possibly a signpost of a protoplanet, or a stationary emission source from within the disk.« less

Resolving the HD 100546 Protoplanetary System with the Gemini Planet Imager: Evidence for Multiple Forming, Accreting Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Currie, Thayne; Cloutier, Ryan; Brittain, Sean; Grady, Carol; Burrows, Adam; Muto, Takayuki; Kenyon, Scott J.; Kuchner, Marc J.

2015-12-01

We report Gemini Planet Imager H-band high-contrast imaging/integral field spectroscopy and polarimetry of the HD 100546, a 10 Myr old early-type star recently confirmed to host a thermal infrared (IR) bright (super-)Jovian protoplanet at wide separation, HD 100546 b. We resolve the inner disk cavity in polarized light, recover the thermal IR-bright arm, and identify one additional spiral arm. We easily recover HD 100546 b and show that much of its emission plausibly originates from an unresolved point source. The point-source component of HD 100546 b has extremely red IR colors compared to field brown dwarfs, qualitatively similar to young cloudy super-Jovian planets; however, these colors may instead indicate that HD 100546 b is still accreting material from a circumplanetary disk. Additionally, we identify a second point-source-like peak at rproj ˜ 14 AU, located just interior to or at the inner disk wall consistent with being a <10-20 MJ candidate second protoplanet—“HD 100546 c”—and lying within a weakly polarized region of the disk but along an extension of the thermal IR-bright spiral arm. Alternatively, it is equally plausible that this feature is a weakly polarized but locally bright region of the inner disk wall. Astrometric monitoring of this feature over the next 2 years and emission line measurements could confirm its status as a protoplanet, rotating disk hot spot that is possibly a signpost of a protoplanet, or a stationary emission source from within the disk.

Using artificial sweeteners to identify contamination sources and infiltration zones in a coupled river-aquifer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bichler, Andrea; Muellegger, Christian; Hofmann, Thilo

2014-05-01

In shallow or unconfined aquifers the infiltration of contaminated river water might be a major threat to groundwater quality. Thus, the identification of possible contamination sources in coupled surface- and groundwater systems is of paramount importance to ensure water quality. Micropollutants like artificial sweeteners are promising markers for domestic waste water in natural water bodies. Compounds, such as artificial sweeteners, might enter the aquatic environment via discharge of waste water treatment plants, leaky sewer systems or septic tanks and are ubiquitously found in waste water receiving waters. The hereby presented field study aims at the (1) identification of contamination sources and (2) delineation of infiltration zones in a connected river-aquifer system. River bank filtrate in the groundwater body was assessed qualitatively and quantitatively using a combined approach of hydrochemical analysis and artificial sweeteners (acesulfame ACE) as waste water markers. The investigated aquifer lies within a mesoscale alpine head water catchment and is used for drinking water production. It is hypothesized that a large proportion of the groundwater flux originates from bank filtrate of a nearby losing stream. Water sampling campaigns in March and July 2012 confirmed the occurrence of artificial sweeteners at the investigated site. The municipal waste water treatment plant was identified as point-source for ACE in the river network. In the aquifer ACE was present in more than 80% of the monitoring wells. In addition, water samples were classified according to their hydrochemical composition, identifying two predominant types of water in the aquifer: (1) groundwater influenced by bank filtrate and (2) groundwater originating from local recharge. In combination with ACE concentrations a third type of water could be discriminated: (3) groundwater influence by bank filtrate but infiltrated prior to the waste water treatment plant. Moreover, the presence of ACE at elevated concentrations in aquifer zones dominated by local recharge indicated another point-source of domestic waste water. The combined analysis of ACE and conventional hydrochemical data proved to be useful to identify different sources of waste water. It is shown that the combination of physicochemical parameters and artificial sweeteners allow for a clear delineation of infiltration areas in the investigated aquifer system.

Directional Hearing and Sound Source Localization in Fishes.

PubMed

Sisneros, Joseph A; Rogers, Peter H

2016-01-01

Evidence suggests that the capacity for sound source localization is common to mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, but surprisingly it is not known whether fish locate sound sources in the same manner (e.g., combining binaural and monaural cues) or what computational strategies they use for successful source localization. Directional hearing and sound source localization in fishes continues to be important topics in neuroethology and in the hearing sciences, but the empirical and theoretical work on these topics have been contradictory and obscure for decades. This chapter reviews the previous behavioral work on directional hearing and sound source localization in fishes including the most recent experiments on sound source localization by the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), which has proven to be an exceptional species for fish studies of sound localization. In addition, the theoretical models of directional hearing and sound source localization for fishes are reviewed including a new model that uses a time-averaged intensity approach for source localization that has wide applicability with regard to source type, acoustic environment, and time waveform.

Underwater Threat Source Localization: Processing Sensor Network TDOAs with a Terascale Optical Core Device

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

Barhen, Jacob; Imam, Neena

2007-01-01

Revolutionary computing technologies are defined in terms of technological breakthroughs, which leapfrog over near-term projected advances in conventional hardware and software to produce paradigm shifts in computational science. For underwater threat source localization using information provided by a dynamical sensor network, one of the most promising computational advances builds upon the emergence of digital optical-core devices. In this article, we present initial results of sensor network calculations that focus on the concept of signal wavefront time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA). The corresponding algorithms are implemented on the EnLight processing platform recently introduced by Lenslet Laboratories. This tera-scale digital optical core processor is optimizedmore » for array operations, which it performs in a fixed-point-arithmetic architecture. Our results (i) illustrate the ability to reach the required accuracy in the TDOA computation, and (ii) demonstrate that a considerable speed-up can be achieved when using the EnLight 64a prototype processor as compared to a dual Intel XeonTM processor.« less

On LAM's and SAM's for Halley's rotation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peale, Stanton J.

1992-01-01

Non principal axis rotation for comet Halley is inferred from dual periodicities evident in the observations. The modes where the spin axis precesses around the axis of minimum moment of inertia (long axis mode or LAM) and where it precesses around the axis of maximum moment of inertia (short axis mode or SAM) are described from an inertial point of view. The currently favored LAM model for Halley's rotation state satisfies observational and dynamical constraints that apparently no SAM can satisfy. But it cannot reproduce the observed post perihelion brightening through seasonal illumination of localized sources on the nucleus, whereas a SAM can easily produce post or pre perihelion brightening by this mechanism. However, the likelihood of a LAM rotation for elongated nuclei of periodic comets such as Halley together with Halley's extreme post perihelion behavior far from the Sun suggest that Halley's post perihelion brightening may be due to effects other than seasonal illumination of localized sources, and therefore such brightening may not constrain its rotation state.

Weathering of sulfidic shale and copper mine waste: Secondary minerals and metal cycling in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and North Carolina, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hammarstrom, J.M.; Seal, R.R.; Meier, A.L.; Jackson, J.C.

2003-01-01

Metal cycling via physical and chemical weathering of discrete sources (copper mines) and regional (non-point) sources (sulfide-rich shale) is evaluated by examining the mineralogy and chemistry of weathering products in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and North Carolina, USA. The elements in copper mine waste, secondary minerals, stream sediments, and waters that are most likely to have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems are aluminum, copper, zinc, and arsenic because these elements locally exceed toxicity guidelines for surface waters or for stream sediments. Acid-mine drainage has not developed in streams draining inactive copper mines. Acid-rock drainage and chemical weathering processes that accompany debris flows or human disturbances of sulfidic rocks are comparable to processes that develop acid-mine drainage elsewhere. Despite the high rainfall in the mountain range, sheltered areas and intermittent dry spells provide local venues for development of secondary weathering products that can impact aquatic ecosystems.

Vertex Operators, Grassmannians, and Hilbert Schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlsson, Erik

2010-12-01

We approximate the infinite Grassmannian by finite-dimensional cutoffs, and define a family of fermionic vertex operators as the limit of geometric correspondences on the equivariant cohomology groups, with respect to a one-dimensional torus action. We prove that in the localization basis, these are the well-known fermionic vertex operators on the infinite wedge representation. Furthermore, the boson-fermion correspondence, locality, and intertwining properties with the Virasoro algebra are the limits of relations on the finite-dimensional cutoff spaces, which are true for geometric reasons. We then show that these operators are also, almost by definition, the vertex operators defined by Okounkov and the author in Carlsson and Okounkov ( http://arXiv.org/abs/0801.2565v2 [math.AG], 2009), on the equivariant cohomology groups of the Hilbert scheme of points on {mathbb C^2} , with respect to a special torus action.

A technique for treating local breast cancer using a single set-up point and asymmetric collimation.

PubMed

Rosenow, U F; Valentine, E S; Davis, L W

1990-07-01

Using both pairs of asymmetric jaws of a linear accelerator local-regional breast cancer may be treated from a single set-up point. This point is placed at the abutment of the supraclavicular fields with the medial and lateral tangential fields. Positioning the jaws to create a half-beam superiorly permits treatment of the supraclavicular field. Positioning both jaws asymmetrically at midline to define a single beam in the inferoanterior quadrant permits treatment of the breast from medial and lateral tangents. The highest possible matching accuracy between the supraclavicular and tangential fields is inherently provided by this technique. For treatment of all fields at 100 cm source to axis distance (SAD) the lateral placement and depth of the set-up point may be determined by simulation and simple trigonometry. We elaborate on the clinical procedure. For the technologists treatment of all fields from a single set-up point is simple and efficient. Since the tissue at the superior border of the tangential fields is generally firmer than in mid-breast, greater accuracy in day-to-day set-up is permitted. This technique eliminates the need for table angles even when tangential fields only are planned. Because of half-beam collimation the limit to the tangential field length is 20 cm. Means will be suggested to overcome this limitation in the few cases where it occurs. Another modification is suggested for linear accelerators with only one independent pair of jaws.

MTSAT: Full Disk - NOAA GOES Geostationary Satellite Server

Science.gov Websites

GOES Himawari-8 Indian Ocean Meteosat HEMISPHERIC GOES Atlantic Source | Local GOES West Himawari-8 Meteosat CONTINENTAL PACUS CONUS Source | Local REGIONAL GOES-West Northwest West Central Southwest GOES -East Regional Page Source | Local Pacific Northwest Source | Local Northern Rockies Source | Local

LSAH: a fast and efficient local surface feature for point cloud registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Rongrong; Zhu, Feng; Wu, Qingxiao; Kong, Yanzi

2018-04-01

Point cloud registration is a fundamental task in high level three dimensional applications. Noise, uneven point density and varying point cloud resolutions are the three main challenges for point cloud registration. In this paper, we design a robust and compact local surface descriptor called Local Surface Angles Histogram (LSAH) and propose an effectively coarse to fine algorithm for point cloud registration. The LSAH descriptor is formed by concatenating five normalized sub-histograms into one histogram. The five sub-histograms are created by accumulating a different type of angle from a local surface patch respectively. The experimental results show that our LSAH is more robust to uneven point density and point cloud resolutions than four state-of-the-art local descriptors in terms of feature matching. Moreover, we tested our LSAH based coarse to fine algorithm for point cloud registration. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm is robust and efficient as well.

Multiple Auto-Adapting Color Balancing for Large Number of Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, X.

2015-04-01

This paper presents a powerful technology of color balance between images. It does not only work for small number of images but also work for unlimited large number of images. Multiple adaptive methods are used. To obtain color seamless mosaic dataset, local color is adjusted adaptively towards the target color. Local statistics of the source images are computed based on the so-called adaptive dodging window. The adaptive target colors are statistically computed according to multiple target models. The gamma function is derived from the adaptive target and the adaptive source local stats. It is applied to the source images to obtain the color balanced output images. Five target color surface models are proposed. They are color point (or single color), color grid, 1st, 2nd and 3rd 2D polynomials. Least Square Fitting is used to obtain the polynomial target color surfaces. Target color surfaces are automatically computed based on all source images or based on an external target image. Some special objects such as water and snow are filtered by percentage cut or a given mask. Excellent results are achieved. The performance is extremely fast to support on-the-fly color balancing for large number of images (possible of hundreds of thousands images). Detailed algorithm and formulae are described. Rich examples including big mosaic datasets (e.g., contains 36,006 images) are given. Excellent results and performance are presented. The results show that this technology can be successfully used in various imagery to obtain color seamless mosaic. This algorithm has been successfully using in ESRI ArcGis.

Non-invasive identification of stable rotors and focal sources for human atrial fibrillation: mechanistic classification of atrial fibrillation from the electrocardiogram.

PubMed

Jones, Aled R; Krummen, David E; Narayan, Sanjiv M

2013-09-01

To develop electrocardiogram (ECG) tools to quantify the number of sources for atrial fibrillation (AF), i.e. spatially stable rotors and focal impulses, and whether they lie in right or left atrium. Intracardiac mapping has recently shown that paroxysmal and persistent AF is sustained by rotors or focal sources that are stable in location and thus targets for limited ablation [focal impulse and rotor modulation (FIRM)] to eliminate AF. Importantly, the numbers and locations of concurrent sources determine both the complexity of AF and the approach for ablation. In 36 AF patients (n = 29 persistent, 63 ± 9 years) in the CONventional ablation with or without Focal Impulse and Rotor Modulation (CONFIRM) trial, we developed phase lock (PL) to quantify spatial repeatability of ECG 'F-waves' between leads over time. Phase lock spectrally quantifies the angle θ between F-wave voltages in planes formed by ECG leads I, aVF, and V1 at successive points in time. We compared PL with ECG spectral dominant frequency (DF) and organizational index (OI) to characterize stable rotors and focal sources validated by intracardiac FIRM mapping. Focal impulse and rotor modulation ablation alone at ≤3 sources acutely terminated and rendered AF non-inducible or substantially slowed AF in 31 of 36 patients. Receiver operating characteristics of PL for this endpoint had area under the curve (AUC) = 0.72, and the optimum cut-point (PL = 0.09) had 74% sensitivity, 92% positive predictive value (PPV). Receiver operating characteristics areas for OI and DF were 0.50 and 0.58, respectively. Left (n = 28) or right (n = 3) atrial sources were localized by PL with AUC = 0.85, sensitivity 100%, PPV 30%, and negative predictive value 100%. Spectral DF provided AUC = 0.79. Notably, PL did not comigrate with diagnosis of paroxysmal or persistent AF (P = NS), unlike ECG DF. The novel metric of ECG PL identifies patients with fewer (≤3) or greater numbers of stable rotors/focal sources for AF, validated by intracardiac FIRM mapping, and localized them to right or left atria. These data open the possibility of using 12-lead ECG analyses to classify AF mechanistically and plan procedures for right- or left-sided FIRM ablation.

Locating single-point sources from arrival times containing large picking errors (LPEs): the virtual field optimization method (VFOM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xi-Bing; Wang, Ze-Wei; Dong, Long-Jun

2016-01-01

Microseismic monitoring systems using local location techniques tend to be timely, automatic and stable. One basic requirement of these systems is the automatic picking of arrival times. However, arrival times generated by automated techniques always contain large picking errors (LPEs), which may make the location solution unreliable and cause the integrated system to be unstable. To overcome the LPE issue, we propose the virtual field optimization method (VFOM) for locating single-point sources. In contrast to existing approaches, the VFOM optimizes a continuous and virtually established objective function to search the space for the common intersection of the hyperboloids, which is determined by sensor pairs other than the least residual between the model-calculated and measured arrivals. The results of numerical examples and in-site blasts show that the VFOM can obtain more precise and stable solutions than traditional methods when the input data contain LPEs. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of LPEs on objective functions to determine the LPE-tolerant mechanism, velocity sensitivity and stopping criteria of the VFOM. The proposed method is also capable of locating acoustic sources using passive techniques such as passive sonar detection and acoustic emission.

Environmental pollution has sex-dependent effects on local survival

PubMed Central

Eeva, Tapio; Hakkarainen, Harri; Laaksonen, Toni; Lehikoinen, Esa

2006-01-01

Environmental pollutants cause a potential hazard for survival in free-living animal populations. We modelled local survival (including emigration) by using individual mark–recapture histories of males and females in a population of a small insectivorous passerine bird, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) living around a point source of heavy metals (copper smelter). Local survival of F. hypoleuca females did not differ between polluted and unpolluted environments. Males, however, showed a one-third higher local-survival probability in the polluted area. Low fledgling production was generally associated with decreased local survival, but males in the polluted area showed relatively high local survival, irrespective of their fledgling number. A possible explanation of higher local survival of males in the polluted area could be a pollution-induced change in hormone (e.g. corticosterone or testosterone) levels of males. It could make them to invest more on their own survival or affect the hormonal control of breeding dispersal. The local survival of males decreased in the polluted area over the study period along with the simultaneous decrease in heavy metal emissions. This temporal trend is in agreement with the stress hormone hypothesis. PMID:17148387

Modelling remediation scenarios in historical mining catchments.

PubMed

Gamarra, Javier G P; Brewer, Paul A; Macklin, Mark G; Martin, Katherine

2014-01-01

Local remediation measures, particularly those undertaken in historical mining areas, can often be ineffective or even deleterious because erosion and sedimentation processes operate at spatial scales beyond those typically used in point-source remediation. Based on realistic simulations of a hybrid landscape evolution model combined with stochastic rainfall generation, we demonstrate that similar remediation strategies may result in differing effects across three contrasting European catchments depending on their topographic and hydrologic regimes. Based on these results, we propose a conceptual model of catchment-scale remediation effectiveness based on three basic catchment characteristics: the degree of contaminant source coupling, the ratio of contaminated to non-contaminated sediment delivery, and the frequency of sediment transport events.

2FHL: The Second Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT Sources

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; ...

2016-01-14

We present a catalog of sources detected above 50 GeV by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) in 80 months of data. The newly delivered Pass 8 event-level analysis allows the detection and characterization of sources in the 50 GeV–2TeV energy range. In this energy band, Fermi - LAT has detected 360 sources, which constitute the second catalog of hard Fermi -LAT sources (2FHL). The improved angular resolution enables the precise localization of point sources (~1.'7 radius at 68 % C. L.) and the detection and characterization of spatially extended sources. We find that 86% of the sources can be associatedmore » with counterparts at other wavelengths, of which the majority (75%) are active galactic nuclei and the rest (11%) are Galactic sources. Only 25% of the 2FHL sources have been previously detected by Cherenkov telescopes, implying that the 2FHL provides a reservoir of candidates to be followed up at very high energies. This work closes the energy gap between the observations performed at GeV energies by Fermi -LAT on orbit and the observations performed at higher energies by Cherenkov telescopes from the ground.« less

2FHL: The Second Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT Sources

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

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.

We present a catalog of sources detected above 50 GeV by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT) in 80 months of data. The newly delivered Pass 8 event-level analysis allows the detection and characterization of sources in the 50 GeV–2TeV energy range. In this energy band, Fermi - LAT has detected 360 sources, which constitute the second catalog of hard Fermi -LAT sources (2FHL). The improved angular resolution enables the precise localization of point sources (~1.'7 radius at 68 % C. L.) and the detection and characterization of spatially extended sources. We find that 86% of the sources can be associatedmore » with counterparts at other wavelengths, of which the majority (75%) are active galactic nuclei and the rest (11%) are Galactic sources. Only 25% of the 2FHL sources have been previously detected by Cherenkov telescopes, implying that the 2FHL provides a reservoir of candidates to be followed up at very high energies. This work closes the energy gap between the observations performed at GeV energies by Fermi -LAT on orbit and the observations performed at higher energies by Cherenkov telescopes from the ground.« less

Mercury accumulation in snow on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and surrounding region, southeast Idaho, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Susong, D.D.; Abbott, M.L.; Krabbenhoft, D.P.

2003-01-01

Snow was sampled and analyzed for total mercury (THg) on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) and surrounding region prior to the start-up of a large (9-11 g/h) gaseous mercury emission source. The objective was to determine the effects of the source on local and regional atmospheric deposition of mercury. Snow samples collected from 48 points on a polar grid near the source had THg concentrations that ranged from 4.71 to 27.26 ng/L; snow collected from regional background sites had THg concentrations that ranged from 0.89 to 16.61 ng/L. Grid samples had higher concentrations than the regional background sites, which was unexpected because the source was not operating yet. Emission of Hg from soils is a possible source of Hg in snow on the INEEL. Evidence from Hg profiles in snow and from unfiltered/filtered split samples supports this hypothesis. Ongoing work on the INEEL is investigating Hg fluxes from soils and snow.

Source calibrations and SDC calorimeter requirements

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

Green, D.

Several studies of the problem of calibration of the SDC calorimeter exist. In this note the attempt is made to give a connected account of the requirements on the source calibration from the point of view of the desired, and acceptable, constant term induced in the EM resolution. It is assumed that a local'' calibration resulting from exposing each tower to a beam of electrons is not feasible. It is further assumed that an in situ'' calibration is either not yet performed, or is unavailable due to tracking alignment problems or high luminosity operation rendering tracking inoperative. Therefore, the assumptionsmore » used are rather conservative. In this scenario, each scintillator plate of each tower is exposed to a moving radioactive source. That reading is used to mask'' an optical cookie'' in a grey code chosen so as to make the response uniform. The source is assumed to be the sole calibration of the tower. Therefore, the phrase global'' calibration of towers by movable radioactive sources is adopted.« less

Source calibrations and SDC calorimeter requirements

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

Green, D.

Several studies of the problem of calibration of the SDC calorimeter exist. In this note the attempt is made to give a connected account of the requirements on the source calibration from the point of view of the desired, and acceptable, constant term induced in the EM resolution. It is assumed that a ``local`` calibration resulting from exposing each tower to a beam of electrons is not feasible. It is further assumed that an ``in situ`` calibration is either not yet performed, or is unavailable due to tracking alignment problems or high luminosity operation rendering tracking inoperative. Therefore, the assumptionsmore » used are rather conservative. In this scenario, each scintillator plate of each tower is exposed to a moving radioactive source. That reading is used to ``mask`` an optical ``cookie`` in a grey code chosen so as to make the response uniform. The source is assumed to be the sole calibration of the tower. Therefore, the phrase ``global`` calibration of towers by movable radioactive sources is adopted.« less

Addressing the local aspects of global change impacts on stream metabolism using frequency analysis tools.

PubMed

Val, Jonatan; Pino, Rosa; Navarro, Enrique; Chinarro, David

2016-11-01

Global change, as a combination of climate change, human activities on watersheds and the river flow regulation, causes intense changes in hydrological cycles and, consequently, threatens the good ecological status of freshwater biological communities. This study addresses how and whether the combination of climatic drivers and local human impacts may alter the metabolism of freshwater communities. We identified a few factors modulating the natural water flow and quality in 25 point spread within the Ebro river Basin: waste water spills, industrial spills, reservoir discharges, water withdrawals, agricultural use, and the presence of riparian forests. We assessed their impacts on the freshwater metabolism as changes in the annual cycle of both gross primary production-GPP - and ecosystem respiration-ER -. For this purpose, daily data series were analyzed by continuous wavelet transformation, allowing for the assessment of the metabolic ecosystem Frequency Spectrum Patterns (FSPs). Changes in the behavior of ecosystem metabolism were strongly associated with local characteristics at each sampling point, however in 20 out of 25 studied points, changes in metabolic ecosystem FSP were related to climatic change events (the driest period of the last 140years). The changes in FSP indicate that severe impacts on how biological communities use carbon sources occur as a result of the human water management - too much focus on human needs - during intense climatic events. Results show that local factors, and specially the flow regulation, may modulate the impact of global change. As example those points exposed to a more intense anthropization showed a clear disruption - and even disappearance - of the annual FSP. This information may help managers to understand the action mechanisms of non-climatic factors at ecosystem level, leading to better management policies based on the promotion of ecosystem resilience. The method here presented may help on improving the calculation of ecological flows to maintain the river metabolic annual cycles as close as possible to the natural ones. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contamination history of lead and other trace metals reconstructed from an urban winter pond in the Eastern Mediterranean coast (Israel).

PubMed

Zohar, I; Bookman, R; Levin, N; de Stigter, H; Teutsch, N

2014-12-02

Pollution history of Pb and other trace metals was reconstructed for the first time for the Eastern Mediterranean, from a small urban winter pond (Dora, Netanya), located at the densely populated coastal plain of Israel. An integrated approach including geochemical, sedimentological, and historical analyses was employed to study sediments from the center of the pond. Profiles of metal concentrations (Pb, Zn, V, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Cd, and Hg) and Pb isotopic composition denote two main eras of pre- and post-19th century. The deeper sediment is characterized by low concentrations and relatively constant 206Pb/207Pb (around 1.20), similar to natural Pb sources, with slight indications of ancient anthropogenic activity. The upper sediment displays an upward increase in trace metal concentrations, with the highest enrichment factor for Pb (18.4). Lead fluxes and isotopic composition point to national/regional petrol-Pb emissions as the major contributor to Pb contamination, overwhelming other potential local and transboundary sources. Traffic-related metals are correlated with Pb, emphasizing the polluting inputs of traffic. The Hg profile, however, implies global pollution rather than local sources.

78 FR 37164 - Revisions to the Air Emissions Reporting Requirements: Revisions to Lead (Pb) Reporting Threshold...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-20

...Today's action proposes changes to the existing EPA emission inventory reporting requirements on state, local, and tribal agencies in the current Air Emissions Reporting Requirements rule published on December 17, 2008. The proposed amendments would lower the current threshold for reporting Pb sources as point sources; eliminate the requirement for reporting emissions from wildfires and prescribed fires; and replace a requirement for reporting mobile source emissions with a requirement for reporting the input parameters that can be used to run the EPA models that generate the emissions estimates. In addition, the proposed amendments would reduce the reporting burden on state, local, and tribal agencies by removing the requirements to report daily and seasonal emissions associated with carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and particulate matter up to 10 micrometers in size (PM10) nonattainment areas and nitrogen oxides (NOX) State Implementation Plan (SIP) call areas, although reporting requirements for those emissions would remain in other regulations. Lastly, the proposed amendments would clarify, remove, or simplify some current emissions reporting requirements which we believe are not necessary or are not clearly aligned with current inventory terminology and practices.

Sources and Deposition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons to Western U.S. National Parks

PubMed Central

USENKO, SASCHA; MASSEY SIMONICH, STACI L.; HAGEMAN, KIMBERLY J.; SCHRLAU, JILL E.; GEISER, LINDA; CAMPBELL, DON H.; APPLEBY, PETER G.; LANDERS, DIXON H.

2010-01-01

Seasonal snowpack, lichens, and lake sediment cores were collected from fourteen lake catchments in eight western U.S. National Parks and analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in order to determine their current and historical deposition, as well as to identify their potential sources. Seasonal snowpack was measured to determine the current wintertime atmospheric PAH deposition; lichens were measured to determine the long-term, year around deposition; and the temporal PAH deposition trends were reconstructed using lake sediment cores dated using 210Pb and 137Cs. The fourteen remote lake catchments ranged from low-latitude catchments (36.6° N) at high elevation (2900 masl) in Sequoia National Park, CA to high-latitude catchments (68.4° N) at low elevation (427 masl) in the Alaskan Arctic. Over 75% of the catchments demonstrated statistically significant temporal trends in ΣPAH sediment flux, depending on catchment proximity to source regions and topographic barriers. The ΣPAH concentrations and fluxes in seasonal snowpack, lichens, and surficial sediment were 3.6 to 60,000 times greater in the Snyder Lake catchment of Glacier National Park than the other 13 lake catchments. The PAH ratios measured in snow, lichen, and sediment were used to identify a local aluminum smelter as a major source of PAHs to the Snyder Lake catchment. These results suggest that topographic barriers influence the atmospheric transport and deposition of PAHs in high-elevation ecosystems and that PAH sources to these national park ecosystems range from local point sources to diffuse regional and global sources. PMID:20465303

Lake Diefenbaker: Water Quality Assessment and Modeling for Management under Environmental Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sereda, J.; Wheater, H. S.; Hudson, J.; Doig, L.; Liber, K.; Jones, P.; Giesy, J.; Bharadwaj, L.

2011-12-01

Preliminary results are presented for a comprehensive inter-disciplinary study on Lake Diefenbaker initiated by the Global Institute for Water Security to understand the physical and biogeochemical processes affecting water quality under climate change and their policy implications. Lake Diefenbaker is a large reservoir (surface area ~500km2 and Zmean ~33m) located in Southern Saskatchewan, Canada and is a critically-important water resource for Saskatchewan. It receives nearly all of its flow from the South Saskatchewan River, which flows through some of the most urbanized and intense agricultural lands of southern Alberta. As a result these waters contain high levels of nutrients [nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)] along with a variety of chemical contaminants characteristic of anthropogenic activity. In addition, riparian and in-lake activities provide local sources of nutrients, from domestic sewage, agriculture and fish farming. The South Saskatchewan River has been identified by the World Wildlife Fund (2009) as Canada's most threatened river in terms of environmental flow. Lake Diefenbaker has numerous large deep embayments (depth >20m) and an annual water level fluctuation of ~6m. A deep thermocline (~25m) forms infrequently. Stratification does not occur throughout the lake. Anecdotal information suggests that the frequency and severity of algal blooms are increasing; although blooms have been sporadic and localized. This localized eutrophication may be related to local stratification patterns, point source nutrient loading, and/or internal lake processes (i.e., internal nutrient loading). A paleolimnological reconstruction has begun to assess historical nutrient and contaminant loading to Lake Diefenbaker and hence the trajectory of water quality in the lake. Major point sources and diffuse sources of N and P are also under investigation. In addition, the type (N versus P) and degree of nutrient limitation of bacteria and algae are being assessed (spatially and temporally). Concentrations of nutrients are heterogeneous throughout the lake. Preliminary results indicate that the degree and type of nutrient limitation, along with the cycling of phosphorus (uptake and regeneration) by plankton assemblages varies spatially and temporally. This information will be coupled with an understanding of the physical characteristics of the lake (i.e., mixing patterns) to explain the timing and distribution of algal blooms. A model will be developed to provide a platform for water and nutrient simulations to explore lake response to scenarios of climate and land use change, and the potential effects of local and regional management interventions. The research includes a community based participatory research program, which has involved key stakeholders in research definition and experimental design and ongoing discussion of research progress, and will include participation in management recommendations.

Robust non-rigid registration algorithm based on local affine registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Liyang; Xiong, Lei; Du, Shaoyi; Bi, Duyan; Fang, Ting; Liu, Kun; Wu, Dongpeng

2018-04-01

Aiming at the problem that the traditional point set non-rigid registration algorithm has low precision and slow convergence speed for complex local deformation data, this paper proposes a robust non-rigid registration algorithm based on local affine registration. The algorithm uses a hierarchical iterative method to complete the point set non-rigid registration from coarse to fine. In each iteration, the sub data point sets and sub model point sets are divided and the shape control points of each sub point set are updated. Then we use the control point guided affine ICP algorithm to solve the local affine transformation between the corresponding sub point sets. Next, the local affine transformation obtained by the previous step is used to update the sub data point sets and their shape control point sets. When the algorithm reaches the maximum iteration layer K, the loop ends and outputs the updated sub data point sets. Experimental results demonstrate that the accuracy and convergence of our algorithm are greatly improved compared with the traditional point set non-rigid registration algorithms.

Resolution limits of ultrafast ultrasound localization microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desailly, Yann; Pierre, Juliette; Couture, Olivier; Tanter, Mickael

2015-11-01

As in other imaging methods based on waves, the resolution of ultrasound imaging is limited by the wavelength. However, the diffraction-limit can be overcome by super-localizing single events from isolated sources. In recent years, we developed plane-wave ultrasound allowing frame rates up to 20 000 fps. Ultrafast processes such as rapid movement or disruption of ultrasound contrast agents (UCA) can thus be monitored, providing us with distinct punctual sources that could be localized beyond the diffraction limit. We previously showed experimentally that resolutions beyond λ/10 can be reached in ultrafast ultrasound localization microscopy (uULM) using a 128 transducer matrix in reception. Higher resolutions are theoretically achievable and the aim of this study is to predict the maximum resolution in uULM with respect to acquisition parameters (frequency, transducer geometry, sampling electronics). The accuracy of uULM is the error on the localization of a bubble, considered a point-source in a homogeneous medium. The proposed model consists in two steps: determining the timing accuracy of the microbubble echo in radiofrequency data, then transferring this time accuracy into spatial accuracy. The simplified model predicts a maximum resolution of 40 μm for a 1.75 MHz transducer matrix composed of two rows of 64 elements. Experimental confirmation of the model was performed by flowing microbubbles within a 60 μm microfluidic channel and localizing their blinking under ultrafast imaging (500 Hz frame rate). The experimental resolution, determined as the standard deviation in the positioning of the microbubbles, was predicted within 6 μm (13%) of the theoretical values and followed the analytical relationship with respect to the number of elements and depth. Understanding the underlying physical principles determining the resolution of superlocalization will allow the optimization of the imaging setup for each organ. Ultimately, accuracies better than the size of capillaries are achievable at several centimeter depths.

Water-sanitation-hygiene mapping: an improved approach for data collection at local level.

PubMed

Giné-Garriga, Ricard; de Palencia, Alejandro Jiménez-Fernández; Pérez-Foguet, Agustí

2013-10-01

Strategic planning and appropriate development and management of water and sanitation services are strongly supported by accurate and accessible data. If adequately exploited, these data might assist water managers with performance monitoring, benchmarking comparisons, policy progress evaluation, resources allocation, and decision making. A variety of tools and techniques are in place to collect such information. However, some methodological weaknesses arise when developing an instrument for routine data collection, particularly at local level: i) comparability problems due to heterogeneity of indicators, ii) poor reliability of collected data, iii) inadequate combination of different information sources, and iv) statistical validity of produced estimates when disaggregated into small geographic subareas. This study proposes an improved approach for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) data collection at decentralised level in low income settings, as an attempt to overcome previous shortcomings. The ultimate aim is to provide local policymakers with strong evidences to inform their planning decisions. The survey design takes the Water Point Mapping (WPM) as a starting point to record all available water sources at a particular location. This information is then linked to data produced by a household survey. Different survey instruments are implemented to collect reliable data by employing a variety of techniques, such as structured questionnaires, direct observation and water quality testing. The collected data is finally validated through simple statistical analysis, which in turn produces valuable outputs that might feed into the decision-making process. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the method, outcomes produced from three different case studies (Homa Bay District-Kenya-; Kibondo District-Tanzania-; and Municipality of Manhiça-Mozambique-) are presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Compliance Groundwater Monitoring of Nonpoint Sources - Emerging Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harter, T.

2008-12-01

Groundwater monitoring networks are typically designed for regulatory compliance of discharges from industrial sites. There, the quality of first encountered (shallow-most) groundwater is of key importance. Network design criteria have been developed for purposes of determining whether an actual or potential, permitted or incidental waste discharge has had or will have a degrading effect on groundwater quality. The fundamental underlying paradigm is that such discharge (if it occurs) will form a distinct contamination plume. Networks that guide (post-contamination) mitigation efforts are designed to capture the shape and dynamics of existing, finite-scale plumes. In general, these networks extend over areas less than one to ten hectare. In recent years, regulatory programs such as the EU Nitrate Directive and the U.S. Clean Water Act have forced regulatory agencies to also control groundwater contamination from non-incidental, recharging, non-point sources, particularly agricultural sources (fertilizer, pesticides, animal waste application, biosolids application). Sources and contamination from these sources can stretch over several tens, hundreds, or even thousands of square kilometers with no distinct plumes. A key question in implementing monitoring programs at the local, regional, and national level is, whether groundwater monitoring can be effectively used as a landowner compliance tool, as is currently done at point-source sites. We compare the efficiency of such traditional site-specific compliance networks in nonpoint source regulation with various designs of regional nonpoint source monitoring networks that could be used for compliance monitoring. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of the site vs. regional monitoring approaches with respect to effectively protecting groundwater resources impacted by nonpoint sources: Site-networks provide a tool to enforce compliance by an individual landowner. But the nonpoint source character of the contamination and its typically large spatial extend requires extensive networks at an individual site to accurately and fairly monitor individual compliance. In contrast, regional networks seemingly fail to hold individual landowners accountable. But regional networks can effectively monitor large-scale impacts and water quality trends; and thus inform regulatory programs that enforce management practices tied to nonpoint source pollution. Regional monitoring networks for compliance purposes can face significant challenges in the implementation due to a regulatory and legal landscape that is exclusively structured to address point sources and individual liability, and due to the non-intensive nature of a regional monitoring program (lack of control of hot spots; lack of accountability of individual landowners).

Disentangling the gamma-ray emission towards Cygnus X: Sh2-104

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gotthelf, Eric

2015-09-01

We have just discovered distinct X-ray emission coincident with VER J2018+363, a TeV source recently resolved from the giant gamma-ray complex MGRO J2019+37 in the Cygnus region. NuSTAR reveals a hard point source and a diffuse nebula adjacent to and possibly part of Sh2-104, a compact HII region containing several young massive stellar clusters. There is reasonable evidence that these X-rays probe the origin of the gamma-ray flux, however, unrelated extragalactic sources need to be excluded. We propose a short Chandra observation to localize the X-ray emission to identify a putative pulsar or stellar counterpart(s). This is an important step to fully understand the energetics of the MGRO J2019+37 complex and the production of gamma-rays in star formation regions, in general.

Direct Measurement of Wave Kernels in Time-Distance Helioseismology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duvall, T. L., Jr.

2006-01-01

Solar f-mode waves are surface-gravity waves which propagate horizontally in a thin layer near the photosphere with a dispersion relation approximately that of deep water waves. At the power maximum near 3 mHz, the wavelength of 5 Mm is large enough for various wave scattering properties to be observable. Gizon and Birch (2002,ApJ,571,966)h ave calculated kernels, in the Born approximation, for the sensitivity of wave travel times to local changes in damping rate and source strength. In this work, using isolated small magnetic features as approximate point-sourc'e scatterers, such a kernel has been measured. The observed kernel contains similar features to a theoretical damping kernel but not for a source kernel. A full understanding of the effect of small magnetic features on the waves will require more detailed modeling.

2FHL- The Second Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Gonzalez, J. Becerra; Bellazzini, R.; Bissaldi, E.;

Developing Oxidized Nitrogen Atmospheric Deposition Source Attribution from CMAQ for Air-Water Trading for Chesapeake Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennis, R. L.; Napelenok, S. L.; Linker, L. C.; Dudek, M.

2012-12-01

Estuaries are adversely impacted by excess reactive nitrogen, Nr, from many point and nonpoint sources, including atmospheric deposition to the watershed and the estuary itself as a nonpoint source. For effective mitigation, trading among sources of Nr is being considered. The Chesapeake Bay Program is working to bring air into its trading scheme, which requires some special air computations. Airsheds are much larger than watersheds; thus, wide-spread or national emissions controls are put in place to achieve major reductions in atmospheric Nr deposition. The tributary nitrogen load reductions allocated to the states to meet the TMDL target for Chesapeake Bay are large and not easy to attain via controls on water point and nonpoint sources. It would help the TMDL process to take advantage of air emissions reductions that would occur with State Implementation Plans that go beyond the national air rules put in place to help meet national ambient air quality standards. There are still incremental benefits from these local or state-level controls on atmospheric emissions. The additional air deposition reductions could then be used to offset water quality controls (air-water trading). What is needed is a source to receptor transfer function that connects air emissions from a state to deposition to a tributary. There is a special source attribution version of the Community Multiscale Air Quality model, CMAQ, (termed DDM-3D) that can estimate the fraction of deposition contributed by labeled emissions (labeled by source or region) to the total deposition across space. We use the CMAQ DDM-3D to estimate simplified state-level delta-emissions to delta-atmospheric-deposition transfer coefficients for each major emission source sector within a state, since local air regulations are promulgated at the state level. The CMAQ 4.7.1 calculations are performed at a 12 km grid size over the airshed domain covering Chesapeake Bay for 2020 CAIR emissions. For results, we first present the fractional contributions of Bay state NOx emissions to the oxidized nitrogen deposition to the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Bay. We then present example tables of the fractional contributions of Bay state NOx emissions from mobile, off road, power plant and industrial emissions to key tributaries: the Potomac, Susquehanna and James Rivers. Finally, we go through an example for a mobile source NOx reductions in Pennsylvania to show how the tributary load offset would be calculated using the factors generated by CMAQ DDM-3D.

Sub-arcminute pointing from a balloonborne platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craig, William W.; McLean, Ryan; Hailey, Charles J.

1998-07-01

We describe the design and performance of the pointing and aspect reconstruction system on the Gamma-Ray Arcminute Telescope Imaging System. The payload consists of a 4m long gamma-ray telescope, capable of producing images of the gamma-ray sky at an angular resolution of 2 arcminutes. The telescope is operated at an altitude of 40km in azimuth/elevation pointing mode. Using a variety of sensor, including attitude GPS, fiber optic gyroscopes, star and sun trackers, the system is capable of pointing the gamma-ray payload to within an arc-minute from the balloon borne platform. The system is designed for long-term autonomous operation and performed to specification throughout a recent 36 hour flight from Alice Springs, Australia. A star tracker and pattern recognition software developed for the mission permit aspect reconstruction to better than 10 arcseconds. The narrow field star tracker system is capable of acquiring and identifying a star field without external input. We present flight data form all sensors and the resultant gamma-ray source localizations.

Sources of nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to Irish rivers and coastal waters: Estimates from a nutrient load apportionment framework.

PubMed

Mockler, Eva M; Deakin, Jenny; Archbold, Marie; Gill, Laurence; Daly, Donal; Bruen, Michael

2017-12-01

More than half of surface water bodies in Europe are at less than good ecological status according to Water Framework Directive assessments, and diffuse pollution from agriculture remains a major, but not the only, cause of this poor performance. Agri-environmental policy and land management practices have, in many areas, reduced nutrient emissions to water. However, additional measures may be required in Ireland to further decouple the relationship between agricultural productivity and emissions to water, which is of vital importance given on-going agricultural intensification. The Source Load Apportionment Model (SLAM) framework characterises sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) emissions to water at a range of scales from sub-catchment to national. The SLAM synthesises land use and physical characteristics to predict emissions from point (wastewater, industry discharges and septic tank systems) and diffuse sources (agriculture, forestry, etc.). The predicted annual nutrient emissions were assessed against monitoring data for 16 major river catchments covering 50% of the area of Ireland. At national scale, results indicate that total average annual emissions to surface water in Ireland are over 2700tyr -1 of P and 82,000tyr -1 of N. The proportional contributions from individual sources show that the main sources of P are from municipal wastewater treatment plants and agriculture, with wide variations across the country related to local anthropogenic pressures and the hydrogeological setting. Agriculture is the main source of N emissions to water across all regions of Ireland. These policy-relevant results synthesised large amounts of information in order to identify the dominant sources of nutrients at regional and local scales, contributing to the national nutrient risk assessment of Irish water bodies. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A search for soft X-ray emission from red-giant coronae

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Margon, B.; Mason, K. O.; Sanford, P. W.

1974-01-01

Hills has pointed out that if red-giant coronae are weak sources of soft X-rays, then the problems of the identification of the local component of the soft X-ray background and the observed lack of gas in globular clusters may be simultaneously resolved. Using instrumentation aboard OAO Copernicus, we have searched unsuccessfully for emission in the 10-100 A band from four nearby red giants. In all cases, our upper limits are of the order of the minimum theoretically predicted fluxes.

Conformally-flat, non-singular static metric in infinite derivative gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buoninfante, Luca; Koshelev, Alexey S.; Lambiase, Gaetano; Marto, João; Mazumdar, Anupam

2018-06-01

In Einstein's theory of general relativity the vacuum solution yields a blackhole with a curvature singularity, where there exists a point-like source with a Dirac delta distribution which is introduced as a boundary condition in the static case. It has been known for a while that ghost-free infinite derivative theory of gravity can ameliorate such a singularity at least at the level of linear perturbation around the Minkowski background. In this paper, we will show that the Schwarzschild metric does not satisfy the boundary condition at the origin within infinite derivative theory of gravity, since a Dirac delta source is smeared out by non-local gravitational interaction. We will also show that the spacetime metric becomes conformally-flat and singularity-free within the non-local region, which can be also made devoid of an event horizon. Furthermore, the scale of non-locality ought to be as large as that of the Schwarzschild radius, in such a way that the gravitational potential in any metric has to be always bounded by one, implying that gravity remains weak from the infrared all the way up to the ultraviolet regime, in concurrence with the results obtained in [arXiv:1707.00273]. The singular Schwarzschild blackhole can now be potentially replaced by a non-singular compact object, whose core is governed by the mass and the effective scale of non-locality.

Inverse Electrocardiographic Source Localization of Ischemia: An Optimization Framework and Finite Element Solution

PubMed Central

Wang, Dafang; Kirby, Robert M.; MacLeod, Rob S.; Johnson, Chris R.

2013-01-01

With the goal of non-invasively localizing cardiac ischemic disease using body-surface potential recordings, we attempted to reconstruct the transmembrane potential (TMP) throughout the myocardium with the bidomain heart model. The task is an inverse source problem governed by partial differential equations (PDE). Our main contribution is solving the inverse problem within a PDE-constrained optimization framework that enables various physically-based constraints in both equality and inequality forms. We formulated the optimality conditions rigorously in the continuum before deriving finite element discretization, thereby making the optimization independent of discretization choice. Such a formulation was derived for the L2-norm Tikhonov regularization and the total variation minimization. The subsequent numerical optimization was fulfilled by a primal-dual interior-point method tailored to our problem’s specific structure. Our simulations used realistic, fiber-included heart models consisting of up to 18,000 nodes, much finer than any inverse models previously reported. With synthetic ischemia data we localized ischemic regions with roughly a 10% false-negative rate or a 20% false-positive rate under conditions up to 5% input noise. With ischemia data measured from animal experiments, we reconstructed TMPs with roughly 0.9 correlation with the ground truth. While precisely estimating the TMP in general cases remains an open problem, our study shows the feasibility of reconstructing TMP during the ST interval as a means of ischemia localization. PMID:23913980

Two-color Fermi-liquid theory for transport through a multilevel Kondo impurity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karki, D. B.; Mora, Christophe; von Delft, Jan; Kiselev, Mikhail N.

2018-05-01

We consider a quantum dot with K ≥2 orbital levels occupied by two electrons connected to two electric terminals. The generic model is given by a multilevel Anderson Hamiltonian. The weak-coupling theory at the particle-hole symmetric point is governed by a two-channel S =1 Kondo model characterized by intrinsic channels asymmetry. Based on a conformal field theory approach we derived an effective Hamiltonian at a strong-coupling fixed point. The Hamiltonian capturing the low-energy physics of a two-stage Kondo screening represents the quantum impurity by a two-color local Fermi liquid. Using nonequilibrium (Keldysh) perturbation theory around the strong-coupling fixed point we analyze the transport properties of the model at finite temperature, Zeeman magnetic field, and source-drain voltage applied across the quantum dot. We compute the Fermi-liquid transport constants and discuss different universality classes associated with emergent symmetries.

Quantum Theory of Superresolution for Incoherent Optical Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsang, Mankei

Rayleigh's criterion for resolving two incoherent point sources has been the most influential measure of optical imaging resolution for over a century. In the context of statistical image processing, violation of the criterion is especially detrimental to the estimation of the separation between the sources, and modern far-field superresolution techniques rely on suppressing the emission of close sources to enhance the localization precision. Using quantum optics, quantum metrology, and statistical analysis, here we show that, even if two close incoherent sources emit simultaneously, measurements with linear optics and photon counting can estimate their separation from the far field almost as precisely as conventional methods do for isolated sources, rendering Rayleigh's criterion irrelevant to the problem. Our results demonstrate that superresolution can be achieved not only for fluorophores but also for stars. Recent progress in generalizing our theory for multiple sources and spectroscopy will also be discussed. This work is supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation under NRF Grant No. NRF-NRFF2011-07 and the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 Project R-263-000-C06-112.

Industrial point source CO2 emission strength estimation with aircraft measurements and dispersion modelling.

PubMed

Carotenuto, Federico; Gualtieri, Giovanni; Miglietta, Franco; Riccio, Angelo; Toscano, Piero; Wohlfahrt, Georg; Gioli, Beniamino

2018-02-22

CO 2 remains the greenhouse gas that contributes most to anthropogenic global warming, and the evaluation of its emissions is of major interest to both research and regulatory purposes. Emission inventories generally provide quite reliable estimates of CO 2 emissions. However, because of intrinsic uncertainties associated with these estimates, it is of great importance to validate emission inventories against independent estimates. This paper describes an integrated approach combining aircraft measurements and a puff dispersion modelling framework by considering a CO 2 industrial point source, located in Biganos, France. CO 2 density measurements were obtained by applying the mass balance method, while CO 2 emission estimates were derived by implementing the CALMET/CALPUFF model chain. For the latter, three meteorological initializations were used: (i) WRF-modelled outputs initialized by ECMWF reanalyses; (ii) WRF-modelled outputs initialized by CFSR reanalyses and (iii) local in situ observations. Governmental inventorial data were used as reference for all applications. The strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and how they affect emission estimation uncertainty were investigated. The mass balance based on aircraft measurements was quite succesful in capturing the point source emission strength (at worst with a 16% bias), while the accuracy of the dispersion modelling, markedly when using ECMWF initialization through the WRF model, was only slightly lower (estimation with an 18% bias). The analysis will help in highlighting some methodological best practices that can be used as guidelines for future experiments.

Optical spectroscopy and microscopy of radiation-induced light-emitting point defects in lithium fluoride crystals and films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montereali, R. M.; Bonfigli, F.; Menchini, F.; Vincenti, M. A.

2012-08-01

Broad-band light-emitting radiation-induced F2 and F3+ electronic point defects, which are stable and laser-active at room temperature in lithium fluoride crystals and films, are used in dosimeters, tuneable color-center lasers, broad-band miniaturized light sources and novel radiation imaging detectors. A brief review of their photoemission properties is presented, and their behavior at liquid nitrogen temperatures is discussed. Some experimental data from optical spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy of these radiation-induced point defects in LiF crystals and thin films are used to obtain information about the coloration curves, the efficiency of point defect formation, the effects of photo-bleaching processes, etc. Control of the local formation, stabilization, and transformation of radiation-induced light-emitting defect centers is crucial for the development of optically active micro-components and nanostructures. Some of the advantages of low temperature measurements for novel confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy techniques, widely used for spatial mapping of these point defects through the optical reading of their visible photoluminescence, are highlighted.

Incorporation of a laser range scanner into image-guided liver surgery: surface acquisition, registration, and tracking.

PubMed

Cash, David M; Sinha, Tuhin K; Chapman, William C; Terawaki, Hiromi; Dawant, Benoit M; Galloway, Robert L; Miga, Michael I

2003-07-01

As image guided surgical procedures become increasingly diverse, there will be more scenarios where point-based fiducials cannot be accurately localized for registration and rigid body assumptions no longer hold. As a result, procedures will rely more frequently on anatomical surfaces for the basis of image alignment and will require intraoperative geometric data to measure and compensate for tissue deformation in the organ. In this paper we outline methods for which a laser range scanner may be used to accomplish these tasks intraoperatively. A laser range scanner based on the optical principle of triangulation acquires a dense set of three-dimensional point data in a very rapid, noncontact fashion. Phantom studies were performed to test the ability to link range scan data with traditional modes of image-guided surgery data through localization, registration, and tracking in physical space. The experiments demonstrate that the scanner is capable of localizing point-based fiducials to within 0.2 mm and capable of achieving point and surface based registrations with target registration error of less than 2.0 mm. Tracking points in physical space with the range scanning system yields an error of 1.4 +/- 0.8 mm. Surface deformation studies were performed with the range scanner in order to determine if this device was capable of acquiring enough information for compensation algorithms. In the surface deformation studies, the range scanner was able to detect changes in surface shape due to deformation comparable to those detected by tomographic image studies. Use of the range scanner has been approved for clinical trials, and an initial intraoperative range scan experiment is presented. In all of these studies, the primary source of error in range scan data is deterministically related to the position and orientation of the surface within the scanner's field of view. However, this systematic error can be corrected, allowing the range scanner to provide a rapid, robust method of acquiring anatomical surfaces intraoperatively.

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emission Rates from strong Point Sources by Airborne IPDA-Lidar Measurements: Methodology and Experimental Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ehret, G.; Amediek, A.; Wirth, M.; Fix, A.; Kiemle, C.; Quatrevalet, M.

2016-12-01

We report on a new method and on the first demonstration to quantify emission rates from strong greenhouse gas (GHG) point sources using airborne Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Lidar measurements. In order to build trust in the self-reported emission rates by countries, verification against independent monitoring systems is a prerequisite to check the reported budget. A significant fraction of the total anthropogenic emission of CO2 and CH4 originates from localized strong point sources of large energy production sites or landfills. Both are not monitored with sufficiently accuracy by the current observation system. There is a debate whether airborne remote sensing could fill in the gap to infer those emission rates from budgeting or from Gaussian plume inversion approaches, whereby measurements of the GHG column abundance beneath the aircraft can be used to constrain inverse models. In contrast to passive sensors, the use of an active instrument like CHARM-F for such emission verification measurements is new. CHARM-F is a new airborne IPDA-Lidar devised for the German research aircraft HALO for the simultaneous measurement of the column-integrated dry-air mixing ratio of CO2 and CH4 commonly denoted as XCO2 und XCH4, respectively. It has successfully been tested in a serious of flights over Central Europe to assess its performance under various reflectivity conditions and in a strongly varying topography like the Alps. The analysis of a methane plume measured in crosswind direction of a coal mine ventilation shaft revealed an instantaneous emission rate of 9.9 ± 1.7 kt CH4 yr-1. We discuss the methodology of our point source estimation approach and give an outlook on the CoMet field experiment scheduled in 2017 for the measurement of anthropogenic and natural GHG emissions by a combination of active and passive remote sensing instruments on research aircraft.

Morphology of auroral zone radio wave scintillation

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

Rino, C.L.; Matthews, S.J.

1980-08-01

This paper describes the morphology of midnight sector and morning sector auroral zone scintillation observations made over a two-year period using the Wideband satelite, which is in a sun-synchronous, low-altitude orbit. No definitive seasonal variation was found. The nighttime data showed the highest scintillation ocurrence levels, but significant amounts of morning scintillation were observed. For the most part the scintillation activity followed the general pattern of local magnetic activity. The most prominent feature in the nightime data is a localized amplitude and phase scintillation enhancement at the point where the propagation vector lies within an L shell. A geometrical effectmore » due to a dynamic slab of sheetlike structures in the F region is hypothesized as the source of his enhancement. The data have been sorted by magnetic activity, proximity to local midnight, and season. The general features of the data are in agreement with the accepted morphology of auroral zone scintillation.« less

Precise and fast spatial-frequency analysis using the iterative local Fourier transform.

PubMed

Lee, Sukmock; Choi, Heejoo; Kim, Dae Wook

2016-09-19

The use of the discrete Fourier transform has decreased since the introduction of the fast Fourier transform (fFT), which is a numerically efficient computing process. This paper presents the iterative local Fourier transform (ilFT), a set of new processing algorithms that iteratively apply the discrete Fourier transform within a local and optimal frequency domain. The new technique achieves 2¹⁰ times higher frequency resolution than the fFT within a comparable computation time. The method's superb computing efficiency, high resolution, spectrum zoom-in capability, and overall performance are evaluated and compared to other advanced high-resolution Fourier transform techniques, such as the fFT combined with several fitting methods. The effectiveness of the ilFT is demonstrated through the data analysis of a set of Talbot self-images (1280 × 1024 pixels) obtained with an experimental setup using grating in a diverging beam produced by a coherent point source.

Mechanical stability of a microscope setup working at a few kelvins for single-molecule localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinohara, Takuya; Hamada, Yuki I.; Nakamura, Ippei; Matsushita, Michio; Fujiyoshi, Satoru

2013-06-01

A great advantage of single-molecule fluorescence imaging is the localization precision of molecule beyond the diffraction limit. Although longer signal-acquisition yields higher precision, acquisition time at room temperature is normally limited by photobleaching, thermal diffusion, and so on. At low temperature of a few kelvins, much longer acquisition is possible and will improve precision if the sample and the objective are held stably enough. The present work examined holding stability of the sample and objective at 1.5 K in superfluid helium in the helium bath. The stability was evaluated by localization precision of a point scattering source of a polymer bead. Scattered light was collected by the objective, and imaged by a home-built rigid imaging unit. The standard deviation of the centroid position determined for 800 images taken continuously in 17 min was 0.5 nm in the horizontal and 0.9 nm in the vertical directions.

Localizing the sources of two independent noises: Role of time varying amplitude differences

PubMed Central

Yost, William A.; Brown, Christopher A.

2013-01-01

Listeners localized the free-field sources of either one or two simultaneous and independently generated noise bursts. Listeners' localization performance was better when localizing one rather than two sound sources. With two sound sources, localization performance was better when the listener was provided prior information about the location of one of them. Listeners also localized two simultaneous noise bursts that had sinusoidal amplitude modulation (AM) applied, in which the modulation envelope was in-phase across the two source locations or was 180° out-of-phase. The AM was employed to investigate a hypothesis as to what process listeners might use to localize multiple sound sources. The results supported the hypothesis that localization of two sound sources might be based on temporal-spectral regions of the combined waveform in which the sound from one source was more intense than that from the other source. The interaural information extracted from such temporal-spectral regions might provide reliable estimates of the sound source location that produced the more intense sound in that temporal-spectral region. PMID:23556597

Localizing the sources of two independent noises: role of time varying amplitude differences.

PubMed

Yost, William A; Brown, Christopher A

2013-04-01

Listeners localized the free-field sources of either one or two simultaneous and independently generated noise bursts. Listeners' localization performance was better when localizing one rather than two sound sources. With two sound sources, localization performance was better when the listener was provided prior information about the location of one of them. Listeners also localized two simultaneous noise bursts that had sinusoidal amplitude modulation (AM) applied, in which the modulation envelope was in-phase across the two source locations or was 180° out-of-phase. The AM was employed to investigate a hypothesis as to what process listeners might use to localize multiple sound sources. The results supported the hypothesis that localization of two sound sources might be based on temporal-spectral regions of the combined waveform in which the sound from one source was more intense than that from the other source. The interaural information extracted from such temporal-spectral regions might provide reliable estimates of the sound source location that produced the more intense sound in that temporal-spectral region.

Inferring Models of Bacterial Dynamics toward Point Sources

PubMed Central

Jashnsaz, Hossein; Nguyen, Tyler; Petrache, Horia I.; Pressé, Steve

2015-01-01

Experiments have shown that bacteria can be sensitive to small variations in chemoattractant (CA) concentrations. Motivated by these findings, our focus here is on a regime rarely studied in experiments: bacteria tracking point CA sources (such as food patches or even prey). In tracking point sources, the CA detected by bacteria may show very large spatiotemporal fluctuations which vary with distance from the source. We present a general statistical model to describe how bacteria locate point sources of food on the basis of stochastic event detection, rather than CA gradient information. We show how all model parameters can be directly inferred from single cell tracking data even in the limit of high detection noise. Once parameterized, our model recapitulates bacterial behavior around point sources such as the “volcano effect”. In addition, while the search by bacteria for point sources such as prey may appear random, our model identifies key statistical signatures of a targeted search for a point source given any arbitrary source configuration. PMID:26466373

A Method for Identifying Pollution Sources of Heavy Metals and PAH for a Risk-Based Management of a Mediterranean Harbour

PubMed Central

Moranda, Arianna

2017-01-01

A procedure for assessing harbour pollution by heavy metals and PAH and the possible sources of contamination is proposed. The procedure is based on a ratio-matching method applied to the results of principal component analysis (PCA), and it allows discrimination between point and nonpoint sources. The approach can be adopted when many sources of pollution can contribute in a very narrow coastal ecosystem, both internal and outside but close to the harbour, and was used to identify the possible point sources of contamination in a Mediterranean Harbour (Port of Vado, Savona, Italy). 235 sediment samples were collected in 81 sampling points during four monitoring campaigns and 28 chemicals were searched for within the collected samples. PCA of total samples allowed the assessment of 8 main possible point sources, while the refining ratio-matching identified 1 sampling point as a possible PAH source, 2 sampling points as Cd point sources, and 3 sampling points as C > 12 point sources. By a map analysis it was possible to assess two internal sources of pollution directly related to terminals activity. The study is the prosecution of a previous work aimed at assessing Savona-Vado Harbour pollution levels and suggested strategies to regulate the harbour activities. PMID:29270328

A Method for Identifying Pollution Sources of Heavy Metals and PAH for a Risk-Based Management of a Mediterranean Harbour.

PubMed

Paladino, Ombretta; Moranda, Arianna; Seyedsalehi, Mahdi

2017-01-01

A procedure for assessing harbour pollution by heavy metals and PAH and the possible sources of contamination is proposed. The procedure is based on a ratio-matching method applied to the results of principal component analysis (PCA), and it allows discrimination between point and nonpoint sources. The approach can be adopted when many sources of pollution can contribute in a very narrow coastal ecosystem, both internal and outside but close to the harbour, and was used to identify the possible point sources of contamination in a Mediterranean Harbour (Port of Vado, Savona, Italy). 235 sediment samples were collected in 81 sampling points during four monitoring campaigns and 28 chemicals were searched for within the collected samples. PCA of total samples allowed the assessment of 8 main possible point sources, while the refining ratio-matching identified 1 sampling point as a possible PAH source, 2 sampling points as Cd point sources, and 3 sampling points as C > 12 point sources. By a map analysis it was possible to assess two internal sources of pollution directly related to terminals activity. The study is the prosecution of a previous work aimed at assessing Savona-Vado Harbour pollution levels and suggested strategies to regulate the harbour activities.

The Small Area Health Statistics Unit: a national facility for investigating health around point sources of environmental pollution in the United Kingdom.

PubMed Central

Elliott, P; Westlake, A J; Hills, M; Kleinschmidt, I; Rodrigues, L; McGale, P; Marshall, K; Rose, G

1992-01-01

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) was established at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in response to a recommendation of the enquiry into the increased incidence of childhood leukaemia near Sellafield, the nuclear reprocessing plant in West Cumbria. The aim of this paper was to describe the Unit's methods for the investigation of health around point sources of environmental pollution in the United Kingdom. DESIGN--Routine data currently including deaths and cancer registrations are held in a large national database which uses a post code based retrieval system to locate cases geographically and link them to the underlying census enumeration districts, and hence to their populations at risk. Main outcome measures were comparison of observed/expected ratios (based on national rates) within bands delineated by concentric circles around point sources of environmental pollution located anywhere in Britain. MAIN RESULTS--The system is illustrated by a study of mortality from mesothelioma and asbestosis near the Plymouth naval dockyards during 1981-87. Within a 3 km radius of the docks the mortality rate for mesothelioma was higher than the national rate by a factor of 8.4, and that for asbestosis was higher by a factor of 13.6. CONCLUSIONS--SAHSU is a new national facility which is rapidly able to provide rates of mortality and cancer incidence for arbitrary circles drawn around any point in Britain. The example around Plymouth of mesothelioma and asbestosis demonstrates the ability of the system to detect an unusual excess of disease in a small locality, although in this case the findings are likely to be related to occupational rather than environmental exposure. PMID:1431704

Conventional and reciprocal approaches to the inverse dipole localization problem for N(20)-P (20) somatosensory evoked potentials.

PubMed

Finke, Stefan; Gulrajani, Ramesh M; Gotman, Jean; Savard, Pierre

2013-01-01

The non-invasive localization of the primary sensory hand area can be achieved by solving the inverse problem of electroencephalography (EEG) for N(20)-P(20) somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). This study compares two different mathematical approaches for the computation of transfer matrices used to solve the EEG inverse problem. Forward transfer matrices relating dipole sources to scalp potentials are determined via conventional and reciprocal approaches using individual, realistically shaped head models. The reciprocal approach entails calculating the electric field at the dipole position when scalp electrodes are reciprocally energized with unit current-scalp potentials are obtained from the scalar product of this electric field and the dipole moment. Median nerve stimulation is performed on three healthy subjects and single-dipole inverse solutions for the N(20)-P(20) SEPs are then obtained by simplex minimization and validated against the primary sensory hand area identified on magnetic resonance images. Solutions are presented for different time points, filtering strategies, boundary-element method discretizations, and skull conductivity values. Both approaches produce similarly small position errors for the N(20)-P(20) SEP. Position error for single-dipole inverse solutions is inherently robust to inaccuracies in forward transfer matrices but dependent on the overlapping activity of other neural sources. Significantly smaller time and storage requirements are the principal advantages of the reciprocal approach. Reduced computational requirements and similar dipole position accuracy support the use of reciprocal approaches over conventional approaches for N(20)-P(20) SEP source localization.

Basic data features and results from a spatially dense seismic array on the San Jacinto fault zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben-Zion, Yehuda; Vernon, Frank L.; Ozakin, Yaman; Zigone, Dimitri; Ross, Zachary E.; Meng, Haoran; White, Malcolm; Reyes, Juan; Hollis, Dan; Barklage, Mitchell

2015-07-01

We discuss several outstanding aspects of seismograms recorded during >4 weeks by a spatially dense Nodal array, straddling the damage zone of the San Jacinto fault in southern California, and some example results. The waveforms contain numerous spikes and bursts of high-frequency waves (up to the recorded 200 Hz) produced in part by minute failure events in the shallow crust. The high spatial density of the array facilitates the detection of 120 small local earthquakes in a single day, most of which not detected by the surrounding ANZA and regional southern California networks. Beamforming results identify likely ongoing cultural noise sources dominant in the frequency range 1-10 Hz and likely ongoing earthquake sources dominant in the frequency range 20-40 Hz. Matched-field processing and back-projection of seismograms provide alternate event location. The median noise levels during the experiment at different stations, waves generated by Betsy gunshots, and wavefields from nearby earthquakes point consistently to several structural units across the fault. Seismic trapping structure and local sedimentary basin produce localized motion amplification and stronger attenuation than adjacent regions. Cross correlations of high-frequency noise recorded at closely spaced stations provide a structural image of the subsurface material across the fault zone. The high spatial density and broad frequency range of the data can be used for additional high resolution studies of structure and source properties in the shallow crust.

NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION

EPA Science Inventory

Non-point source pollution is a diffuse source that is difficult to measure and is highly variable due to different rain patterns and other climatic conditions. In many areas, however, non-point source pollution is the greatest source of water quality degradation. Presently, stat...

How Connecticut Health Directors Deal With Public Health Budget Cuts at the Local Level

PubMed Central

Prust, Margaret L.; Clark, Kathleen; Davis, Brigette; Pallas, Sarah W.; Kertanis, Jennifer; O’Keefe, Elaine; Araas, Michael; Iyer, Neel S.; Dandorf, Stewart; Platis, Stephanie

2015-01-01

Objectives. We investigated the perspectives of local health jurisdiction (LHJ) directors on coping mechanisms used to respond to budget reductions and constraints on their decision-making. Methods. We conducted in-depth interviews with 17 LHJ directors. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results. LHJ directors use a range of coping mechanisms, including identifying alternative revenue sources, adjusting services, amending staffing arrangements, appealing to local political leaders, and forming strategic partnerships. LHJs also face constraints on their decision-making because of state and local statutory requirements, political priorities, pressures from other LHJs, and LHJ structure. Conclusions. LHJs respond creatively to budget cuts to maintain important public health services. Some LHJ adjustments to administrative resources may obscure the long-term costs of public health budget cuts in such areas as staff morale and turnover. Not all coping strategies are available to each LHJ because of the contextual constraints of its locality, pointing to important policy questions on identifying optimum jurisdiction size and improving efficiency. PMID:25689206

Delineating sources of groundwater recharge in an arsenic-affected Holocene aquifer in Cambodia using stable isotope-based mixing models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, Laura A.; Magnone, Daniel; Boyce, Adrian J.; Casanueva-Marenco, Maria J.; van Dongen, Bart E.; Ballentine, Christopher J.; Polya, David A.

2018-02-01

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) through the consumption of contaminated groundwaters is a major threat to public health in South and Southeast Asia. The source of As-affected groundwaters is important to the fundamental understanding of the controls on As mobilization and subsequent transport throughout shallow aquifers. Using the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen, the source of groundwater and the interactions between various water bodies were investigated in Cambodia's Kandal Province, an area which is heavily affected by As and typical of many circum-Himalayan shallow aquifers. Two-point mixing models based on δD and δ18O allowed the relative extent of evaporation of groundwater sources to be estimated and allowed various water bodies to be broadly distinguished within the aquifer system. Model limitations are discussed, including the spatial and temporal variation in end member compositions. The conservative tracer Cl/Br is used to further discriminate between groundwater bodies. The stable isotopic signatures of groundwaters containing high As and/or high dissolved organic carbon plot both near the local meteoric water line and near more evaporative lines. The varying degrees of evaporation of high As groundwater sources are indicative of differing recharge contributions (and thus indirectly inferred associated organic matter contributions). The presence of high As groundwaters with recharge derived from both local precipitation and relatively evaporated surface water sources, such as ponds or flooded wetlands, are consistent with (but do not provide direct evidence for) models of a potential dual role of surface-derived and sedimentary organic matter in As mobilization.

Development and application of a high resolution hybrid modelling system for the evaluation of urban air quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pepe, N.; Pirovano, G.; Lonati, G.; Balzarini, A.; Toppetti, A.; Riva, G. M.; Bedogni, M.

2016-09-01

A hybrid modelling system (HMS) was developed to provide hourly concentrations at the urban local scale. The system is based on the combination of a meteorological model (WRF), a chemical and transport eulerian model (CAMx), which computes concentration levels over the regional domains, and a lagrangian dispersion model (AUSTAL2000), accounting for dispersion phenomena within the urban area due to local emission sources; a source apportionment algorithm is also included in the HMS in order to avoid the double counting of local emissions. The HMS was applied over a set of nested domains, the innermost covering a 1.6 × 1.6 km2 area in Milan city center with 20 m grid resolution, for NOX simulation in 2010. For this paper the innermost domain was defined as ;local;, excluding usual definition of urban areas. WRF model captured the overall evolution of the main meteorological features, except for some very stagnant situations, thus influencing the subsequent performance of regional scale model CAMx. Indeed, CAMx was able to reproduce the spatial and temporal evolution of NOX concentration over the regional domain, except a few episodes, when observed concentrations were higher than 100 ppb. The local scale model AUSTAL2000 provided high-resolution concentration fields that sensibly mirrored the road and traffic pattern in the urban domain. Therefore, the first important outcome of the work is that the application of the hybrid modelling system allowed a thorough and consistent description of urban air quality. This result represents a relevant starting point for future evaluation of pollution exposure within an urban context. However, the overall performance of the HMS did not provide remarkable improvements with respect to stand-alone CAMx at the two only monitoring sites in Milan city center. HMS results were characterized by a smaller average bias, that improved about 6-8 ppb corresponding to 12-13% of the observed concentration, but by a lower correlation, that worsened around 1-3% (e.g. from 0.84 to 0.81 at Senato site), due to the concentration peaks produced by AUSTAL2000 during nighttime stable conditions. Additionally, the HMS results showed that it was unable to correctly take into account some local scale features (e.g. urban canyon effects), pointing out that the emission spatialization and time modulation criteria, especially those from road traffic, need further improvement. Nevertheless, a second important outcome of the work is that some of the most relevant discrepancies between modelled and observed concentrations were not related to the horizontal resolution of the dispersion models but to larger scale meteorological features not captured by the meteorological model, especially during winter period. Finally, the estimated contribution of the local emission sources accounted on the annual average for about 25-30% of the computed concentration levels in the innermost urban domain. This confirmed that the whole Milan urban area as well as the outside background areas, accounting all sources outside the innermost domain, play a key role on air quality. The result suggests that strictly local emission policies could have a limited and indecisive effect on urban air quality, although this finding could be partially biased by model underestimation of the observed concentration.

Climate-Smart Seedlot Selection Tool: Reforestation and Restoration for the 21st Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson-Molnar, N.; Howe, G.; St Clair, B.; Bachelet, D. M.; Ward, B. C.

2017-12-01

Local populations of trees are generally adapted to their local climates. Historically, this has meant that local seed zones based on geography and elevation have been used to guide restoration and reforestation. In the face of climate change, seeds from local sources will likely be subjected to climates significantly different from those to which they are currently adapted. The Seedlot Selection Tool (SST) offers a new approach for matching seed sources with planting sites based on future climate scenarios. The SST is a mapping program designed for forest managers and researchers. Users can use the tool to to find seedlots for a given planting site, or to find potential planting sites for a given seedlot. Users select a location (seedlot or planting site), climate scenarios (a climate to which seeds are adapted, and a current or future climate scenario), climate variables, and transfer limits (the maximum climatic distance that is considered a suitable match). Transfer limits are provided by the user, or derived from the range of values within a geographically defined seed zone. The tool calculates scores across the landscape based on an area's similarity, in a multivariate climate space, to the input. Users can explore results on an interactive map, and export PDF and PowerPoint reports, including a map of the results along with the inputs used. Planned future improvements include support for non-forest use cases and ability to download results as GeoTIFF data. The Seedlot Selection Tool and its source code are available online at https://seedlotselectiontool.org. It is co-developed by the United States Forest Service, Oregon State University, and the Conservation Biology Institute.

sLORETA current source density analysis of evoked potentials for spatial updating in a virtual navigation task

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Hai M.; Matsumoto, Jumpei; Tran, Anh H.; Ono, Taketoshi; Nishijo, Hisao

2014-01-01

Previous studies have reported that multiple brain regions are activated during spatial navigation. However, it is unclear whether these activated brain regions are specifically associated with spatial updating or whether some regions are recruited for parallel cognitive processes. The present study aimed to localize current sources of event related potentials (ERPs) associated with spatial updating specifically. In the control phase of the experiment, electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded while subjects sequentially traced 10 blue checkpoints on the streets of a virtual town, which were sequentially connected by a green line, by manipulating a joystick. In the test phase of the experiment, the checkpoints and green line were not indicated. Instead, a tone was presented when the subjects entered the reference points where they were then required to trace the 10 invisible spatial reference points corresponding to the checkpoints. The vertex-positive ERPs with latencies of approximately 340 ms from the moment when the subjects entered the unmarked reference points were significantly larger in the test than in the control phases. Current source density analysis of the ERPs by standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) indicated activation of brain regions in the test phase that are associated with place and landmark recognition (entorhinal cortex/hippocampus, parahippocampal and retrosplenial cortices, fusiform, and lingual gyri), detecting self-motion (posterior cingulate and posterior insular cortices), motor planning (superior frontal gyrus, including the medial frontal cortex), and regions that process spatial attention (inferior parietal lobule). The present results provide the first identification of the current sources of ERPs associated with spatial updating, and suggest that multiple systems are active in parallel during spatial updating. PMID:24624067

Point cloud registration from local feature correspondences-Evaluation on challenging datasets.

PubMed

Petricek, Tomas; Svoboda, Tomas

2017-01-01

Registration of laser scans, or point clouds in general, is a crucial step of localization and mapping with mobile robots or in object modeling pipelines. A coarse alignment of the point clouds is generally needed before applying local methods such as the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. We propose a feature-based approach to point cloud registration and evaluate the proposed method and its individual components on challenging real-world datasets. For a moderate overlap between the laser scans, the method provides a superior registration accuracy compared to state-of-the-art methods including Generalized ICP, 3D Normal-Distribution Transform, Fast Point-Feature Histograms, and 4-Points Congruent Sets. Compared to the surface normals, the points as the underlying features yield higher performance in both keypoint detection and establishing local reference frames. Moreover, sign disambiguation of the basis vectors proves to be an important aspect in creating repeatable local reference frames. A novel method for sign disambiguation is proposed which yields highly repeatable reference frames.

Adaptive Localization of Focus Point Regions via Random Patch Probabilistic Density from Whole-Slide, Ki-67-Stained Brain Tumor Tissue

PubMed Central

Alomari, Yazan M.; MdZin, Reena Rahayu

2015-01-01

Analysis of whole-slide tissue for digital pathology images has been clinically approved to provide a second opinion to pathologists. Localization of focus points from Ki-67-stained histopathology whole-slide tissue microscopic images is considered the first step in the process of proliferation rate estimation. Pathologists use eye pooling or eagle-view techniques to localize the highly stained cell-concentrated regions from the whole slide under microscope, which is called focus-point regions. This procedure leads to a high variety of interpersonal observations and time consuming, tedious work and causes inaccurate findings. The localization of focus-point regions can be addressed as a clustering problem. This paper aims to automate the localization of focus-point regions from whole-slide images using the random patch probabilistic density method. Unlike other clustering methods, random patch probabilistic density method can adaptively localize focus-point regions without predetermining the number of clusters. The proposed method was compared with the k-means and fuzzy c-means clustering methods. Our proposed method achieves a good performance, when the results were evaluated by three expert pathologists. The proposed method achieves an average false-positive rate of 0.84% for the focus-point region localization error. Moreover, regarding RPPD used to localize tissue from whole-slide images, 228 whole-slide images have been tested; 97.3% localization accuracy was achieved. PMID:25793010

Turning Noise into Signal: Utilizing Impressed Pipeline Currents for EM Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindau, Tobias; Becken, Michael

2017-04-01

Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems are extensively used for the protection of central Europe's dense network of oil-, gas- and water pipelines against destruction by electrochemical corrosion. While ICCP systems usually provide protection by injecting a DC current into the pipeline, mandatory pipeline integrity surveys demand a periodical switching of the current. Consequently, the resulting time varying pipe currents induce secondary electric- and magnetic fields in the surrounding earth. While these fields are usually considered to be unwanted cultural noise in electromagnetic exploration, this work aims at utilizing the fields generated by the ICCP system for determining the electrical resistivity of the subsurface. The fundamental period of the switching cycles typically amounts to 15 seconds in Germany and thereby roughly corresponds to periods used in controlled source EM applications (CSEM). For detailed studies we chose an approximately 30km long pipeline segment near Herford, Germany as a test site. The segment is located close to the southern margin of the Lower Saxony Basin (LSB) and part of a larger gas pipeline composed of multiple segments. The current injected into the pipeline segment originates in a rectified 50Hz AC signal which is periodically switched on and off. In contrast to the usual dipole sources used in CSEM surveys, the current distribution along the pipeline is unknown and expected to be non-uniform due to coating defects that cause current to leak into the surrounding soil. However, an accurate current distribution is needed to model the fields generated by the pipeline source. We measured the magnetic fields at several locations above the pipeline and used Biot-Savarts-Law to estimate the currents decay function. The resulting frequency dependent current distribution shows a current decay away from the injection point as well as a frequency dependent phase shift which is increasing with distance from the injection point. Electric field data were recorded at 45 stations located in an area of about 60 square kilometers in the vicinity to the pipeline. Additionally, the injected source current was recorded directly at the injection point. Transfer functions between the local electric fields and the injected source current are estimated for frequencies ranging from 0.03Hz to 15Hz using robust time series processing techniques. The resulting transfer functions are inverted for a 3D conductivity model of the subsurface using an elaborate pipeline model. We interpret the model with regards to the local geologic setting, demonstrating the methods capabilities to image the subsurface.

Crosscutting Airborne Remote Sensing Technologies for Oil and Gas and Earth Science Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aubrey, A. D.; Frankenberg, C.; Green, R. O.; Eastwood, M. L.; Thompson, D. R.; Thorpe, A. K.

2015-01-01

Airborne imaging spectroscopy has evolved dramatically since the 1980s as a robust remote sensing technique used to generate 2-dimensional maps of surface properties over large spatial areas. Traditional applications for passive airborne imaging spectroscopy include interrogation of surface composition, such as mapping of vegetation diversity and surface geological composition. Two recent applications are particularly relevant to the needs of both the oil and gas as well as government sectors: quantification of surficial hydrocarbon thickness in aquatic environments and mapping atmospheric greenhouse gas components. These techniques provide valuable capabilities for petroleum seepage in addition to detection and quantification of fugitive emissions. New empirical data that provides insight into the source strength of anthropogenic methane will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on the evolving constraints enabled by new methane remote sensing techniques. Contemporary studies attribute high-strength point sources as significantly contributing to the national methane inventory and underscore the need for high performance remote sensing technologies that provide quantitative leak detection. Imaging sensors that map spatial distributions of methane anomalies provide effective techniques to detect, localize, and quantify fugitive leaks. Airborne remote sensing instruments provide the unique combination of high spatial resolution (<1 m) and large coverage required to directly attribute methane emissions to individual emission sources. This capability cannot currently be achieved using spaceborne sensors. In this study, results from recent NASA remote sensing field experiments focused on point-source leak detection, will be highlighted. This includes existing quantitative capabilities for oil and methane using state-of-the-art airborne remote sensing instruments. While these capabilities are of interest to NASA for assessment of environmental impact and global climate change, industry similarly seeks to detect and localize leaks of both oil and methane across operating fields. In some cases, higher sensitivities desired for upstream and downstream applications can only be provided by new airborne remote sensing instruments tailored specifically for a given application. There exists a unique opportunity for alignment of efforts between commercial and government sectors to advance the next generation of instruments to provide more sensitive leak detection capabilities, including those for quantitative source strength determination.

Mercury Sources and Fate in the Gulf of Maine

PubMed Central

Sunderland, Elsie M.; Amirbahman, Aria; Burgess, Neil M.; Dalziel, John; Harding, Gareth; Jones, Stephen H.; Kamai, Elizabeth; Karagas, Margaret R.; Shi, Xun; Chen, Celia Y.

2012-01-01

Most human exposure to mercury (Hg) in the United States is from consuming marine fish and shellfish. The Gulf of Maine is a complex marine ecosystem comprised of twelve physioregions, including the Bay of Fundy, coastal shelf areas and deeper basins that contain highly productive fishing grounds. Here we review available data on spatial and temporal Hg trends to better understand the drivers of human and biological exposures. Atmospheric Hg deposition from U.S. and Canadian sources has declined since the mid-1990s in concert with emissions reductions but deposition from global sources has increased. Oceanographic circulation is the dominant source of total Hg inputs to the entire Gulf of Maine region (59%), followed by atmospheric deposition (28%), wastewater/industrial sources (8%), and rivers (5%). Resuspension of sediments increases MeHg inputs to overlying waters raising concerns about benthic trawling activities in shelf regions. In the near coastal areas, elevated sediment and mussel Hg levels are co-located in urban embayments and near large historical point sources. Temporal patterns in sentinel species (mussels and birds) have in some cases declined in response to localized point source mercury reductions but overall Hg trends do not show consistent declines. For example, levels of Hg have either declined or remained stable in eggs from four seabird species collected in the Bay of Fundy since 1972. Quantitatively linking Hg exposures from fish harvested from the Gulf of Maine to human health risks is challenging at this time because no data are available on the geographic origin of seafood consumed by coastal residents. In addition, there is virtually no information on Hg levels in commercial species for offshore regions of the Gulf of Maine where some of the most productive fisheries are located. Both of these data gaps should be priorities for future research. PMID:22572623

Teleseismic Body Wave Analysis for the 27 September 2003 Altai, Earthquake (Mw7.4) and Large Aftershocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez-Gonzalez, J. M.; Mellors, R.

2007-05-01

We investigate the kinematics of the rupture process for the September 27, 2003, Mw7.3, Altai earthquake and its associated large aftershocks. This is the largest earthquake striking the Altai mountains within the last 50 years, which provides important constraints on the ongoing tectonics. The fault plane solution obtained by teleseismic body waveform modeling indicated a predominantly strike-slip event (strike=130, dip=75, rake 170), Scalar moment for the main shock ranges from 0.688 to 1.196E+20 N m, a source duration of about 20 to 42 s, and an average centroid depth of 10 km. Source duration would indicate a fault length of about 130 - 270 km. The main shock was followed closely by two aftershocks (Mw5.7, Mw6.4) occurred the same day, another aftershock (Mw6.7) occurred on 1 October , 2003. We also modeled the second aftershock (Mw6.4) to asses geometric similarities during their respective rupture process. This aftershock occurred spatially very close to the mainshock and possesses a similar fault plane solution (strike=128, dip=71, rake=154), and centroid depth (13 km). Several local conditions, such as the crustal model and fault geometry, affect the correct estimation of some source parameters. We perfume a sensitivity evaluation of several parameters, including centroid depth, scalar moment and source duration, based on a point and finite source modeling. The point source approximation results are the departure parameters for the finite source exploration. We evaluate the different reported parameters to discard poor constrained models. In addition, deformation data acquired by InSAR are also included in the analysis.

Physical characteristics and quality of water from selected springs and wells in the Lincoln Point-Bird Island area, Utah Lake, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baskin, R.L.; Spangler, L.E.; Holmes, W.F.

1994-01-01

From February 1991 to October 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, investigated the hydrology of the Lincoln Point - Bird Island area in the southeast part of Utah Lake, Utah. The investigation included measurements of the discharge of selected springs and measurements of the physical and chemical characteristics of water from selected springs and wells in the LincolnPoint - Bird Island area. This report contains data for twenty-one distinct springs in the study area including two springs beneath the surface of Utah Lake at Bird Island. Data from this study, combined with data from previous studies, indicate that the location of springs in the Lincoln Point - Bird Island area probably is controlled by fractures that are the result of faulting. Measured discharge of springs in the Lincoln Point - Bird Island area ranged from less than 0.01 cubic foot per second to 0.84 cubic foot per second. Total discharge in the study area, including known unmeasured springs and seeps, is estimated to be about 5 cubic feet per second. Reported and measured temperatures of water from springs and wells in the Lincoln Point - Bird Island area ranged from 16.0 degrees Celsius to 36.5 degrees Celsius. Dissolved-solids con-centrations ranged from 444 milligrams per liter to 7,932 milligrams per liter, and pH ranged from 6.3 to 8.1. Physical and chemical characteristics of spring and well water from the west side of Lincoln Point were virtually identical to the physical and chemical characteristics of water from the submerged Bird Island springs, indicating a similar source for the water. Water chemistry, isotope analyses, and geothermometer calculations indicate deep circulation of water discharging from the springs and indicate that the source of recharge for the springs at Lincoln Point and Bird Island does not appear to be localized in the LincolnPoint - Bird Island area.

Unique concurrent observations of whistler mode hiss, chorus, and triggered emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini, Poorya; Gołkowski, Mark; Turner, Drew L.

2017-06-01

We present a unique 2 h ground-based observation of concurrent magnetospheric hiss, chorus, VLF triggered emissions as well as ELF/VLF signals generated locally by the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility. Eccentricity of observed wave polarization is used as a criteria to identify magnetospheric emissions and estimate their ionospheric exit points. The observations of hiss and chorus in the unique background of coherent HAARP ELF/VLF waves and triggered emissions allow for more accurate characterization of hiss and chorus properties than in typical ground-based observations. Eccentricity and azimuth results suggest a moving ionospheric exit point associated with a single ducted path at L 5. The emissions exhibit dynamics in time suggesting an evolution of a magnetospheric source from hiss generation to chorus generation or a moving plasmapause location. We introduce a frequency band-limited autocorrelation method to quantify the relative coherency of the emissions. A range of coherency was observed from high order of coherency in local HAARP transmissions and their echoes to lower coherency in natural chorus and hiss emissions.

Temporal trends in and influence of wind on PAH concentrations measured near the Great Lakes

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

Cortes, D.R.; Basu, I.; Sweet, C.W.

2000-02-01

This paper reports on temporal trends in gas- and particle-phase PAH concentrations measured at three sites in the Great Lakes' Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network: Eagle Harbor, near Lake Superior, Sleeping Bear Dunes, near Lake Michigan, and Sturgeon Point, near Lake Erie. While gas-phase concentrations have been decreasing since 1991 at all sites, particle-phase concentrations have been decreasing only at Sleeping Bear Dunes. To determine whether these results represent trends in background levels or regional emissions, the average concentrations are compared to those found in urban and rural studies. In addition, the influence of local wind direction on PAH concentrations ismore » investigated, with the assumption that dependence on wind direction implies regional sources. Using these two methods, it is found that PAH concentrations at Eagle Harbor and Sleeping Bear Dunes represent regional background levels but that PAH from the Buffalo Region intrude on the background levels measured at the Sturgeon Point site. At this site, wind from over Lake Erie reduces local PAH concentrations.« less

Impact of seaweed beachings on dynamics of δ(15)N isotopic signatures in marine macroalgae.

PubMed

Lemesle, Stéphanie; Mussio, Isabelle; Rusig, Anne-Marie; Menet-Nédélec, Florence; Claquin, Pascal

2015-08-15

A fine-scale survey of δ(15)N, δ(13)C, tissue-N in seaweeds was conducted using samples from 17 sampling points at two sites (Grandcamp-Maisy (GM), Courseulles/Mer (COU)) along the French coast of the English Channel in 2012 and 2013. Partial triadic analysis was performed on the parameter data sets and revealed the functioning of three areas: one estuary (EstA) and two rocky areas (GM(∗), COU(∗)). In contrast to oceanic and anthropogenic reference points similar temporal dynamics characterized δ(15)N signatures and N contents at GM(∗) and COU(∗). Nutrient dynamics were similar: the N-concentrations in seawater originated from the River Seine and local coastal rivers while P-concentrations mainly from these local rivers. δ(15)N at GM(∗) were linked to turbidity suggesting inputs of autochthonous organic matter from large-scale summer seaweed beachings made up of a mixture of Rhodophyta, Phaeophyta and Chlorophyta species. This study highlights the coupling between seaweed beachings and nitrogen sources of intertidal macroalgae. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local food supplementation and psychosocial stimulation improve linear growth and cognitive development among Indonesian infants aged 6 to 9 months.

PubMed

Helmizar, Helmizar; Jalal, Fasli; Lipoeto, Nur Indrawati; Achadi, Endang L

2017-01-01

To evaluate the effect of culturally-relevant food supplementation and psychosocial stimulation on infant growth and development. A community-based randomized controlled trial was conducted in 40 clusters from 5 selected villages in Tanah Datar District of West Sumatera, Indonesia. We assessed 355 infants aged 6 to 9 months at the beginning of the study. The infants were divided into 4 groups: 1) Food Supplementation (FS); 2) Psychosocial Stimulation (PS); 3) Food Supplementation and Psychosocial Stimulation (FS+PS); and 4) Control Group (CG). The formula food supplement was comprised of a variety of local food sources (local MP-ASI) and adjusted for the local habits. The quality of psychosocial stimulation was assessed with the Infant HOME inventory method. Progress at 6 months was assessed by anthropometry and the Bayley scores of cognition, language and motor function. There were improvements in linear growth, cognitive and motor development of children in the FS (p<0.05) and the FS+PS (p<0.01) groups compared to the CG. After six months of intervention, mean length increased to 6.86±2.08 cm and 6.66±2.41 cm for FS and FS+PS respectively (p<0.05). With the combination of food supplementation and psychosocial stimulation (FS+PS), cognitive development increased to 21.4±12.2 points (effect size 0.56) (p<0.01) and motor development increased to 20.7±18.4 points (effect size 0.50) (p<0.001). Combined intervention with local food supplementation and psychosocial stimulation improved infant growth, cognitive and motor development.

Flexibly imposing periodicity in kernel independent FMM: A multipole-to-local operator approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Wen; Shelley, Michael

2018-02-01

An important but missing component in the application of the kernel independent fast multipole method (KIFMM) is the capability for flexibly and efficiently imposing singly, doubly, and triply periodic boundary conditions. In most popular packages such periodicities are imposed with the hierarchical repetition of periodic boxes, which may give an incorrect answer due to the conditional convergence of some kernel sums. Here we present an efficient method to properly impose periodic boundary conditions using a near-far splitting scheme. The near-field contribution is directly calculated with the KIFMM method, while the far-field contribution is calculated with a multipole-to-local (M2L) operator which is independent of the source and target point distribution. The M2L operator is constructed with the far-field portion of the kernel function to generate the far-field contribution with the downward equivalent source points in KIFMM. This method guarantees the sum of the near-field & far-field converge pointwise to results satisfying periodicity and compatibility conditions. The computational cost of the far-field calculation observes the same O (N) complexity as FMM and is designed to be small by reusing the data computed by KIFMM for the near-field. The far-field calculations require no additional control parameters, and observes the same theoretical error bound as KIFMM. We present accuracy and timing test results for the Laplace kernel in singly periodic domains and the Stokes velocity kernel in doubly and triply periodic domains.

An improved DPSM technique for modelling ultrasonic fields in cracked solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Sourav; Kundu, Tribikram; Placko, Dominique

2007-04-01

In recent years Distributed Point Source Method (DPSM) is being used for modelling various ultrasonic, electrostatic and electromagnetic field modelling problems. In conventional DPSM several point sources are placed near the transducer face, interface and anomaly boundaries. The ultrasonic or the electromagnetic field at any point is computed by superimposing the contributions of different layers of point sources strategically placed. The conventional DPSM modelling technique is modified in this paper so that the contributions of the point sources in the shadow region can be removed from the calculations. For this purpose the conventional point sources that radiate in all directions are replaced by Controlled Space Radiation (CSR) sources. CSR sources can take care of the shadow region problem to some extent. Complete removal of the shadow region problem can be achieved by introducing artificial interfaces. Numerically synthesized fields obtained by the conventional DPSM technique that does not give any special consideration to the point sources in the shadow region and the proposed modified technique that nullifies the contributions of the point sources in the shadow region are compared. One application of this research can be found in the improved modelling of the real time ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation experiments.

On the assessment of spatial resolution of PET systems with iterative image reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Kuang; Cherry, Simon R.; Qi, Jinyi

2016-03-01

Spatial resolution is an important metric for performance characterization in PET systems. Measuring spatial resolution is straightforward with a linear reconstruction algorithm, such as filtered backprojection, and can be performed by reconstructing a point source scan and calculating the full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) along the principal directions. With the widespread adoption of iterative reconstruction methods, it is desirable to quantify the spatial resolution using an iterative reconstruction algorithm. However, the task can be difficult because the reconstruction algorithms are nonlinear and the non-negativity constraint can artificially enhance the apparent spatial resolution if a point source image is reconstructed without any background. Thus, it was recommended that a background should be added to the point source data before reconstruction for resolution measurement. However, there has been no detailed study on the effect of the point source contrast on the measured spatial resolution. Here we use point source scans from a preclinical PET scanner to investigate the relationship between measured spatial resolution and the point source contrast. We also evaluate whether the reconstruction of an isolated point source is predictive of the ability of the system to resolve two adjacent point sources. Our results indicate that when the point source contrast is below a certain threshold, the measured FWHM remains stable. Once the contrast is above the threshold, the measured FWHM monotonically decreases with increasing point source contrast. In addition, the measured FWHM also monotonically decreases with iteration number for maximum likelihood estimate. Therefore, when measuring system resolution with an iterative reconstruction algorithm, we recommend using a low-contrast point source and a fixed number of iterations.

Modelling the Contribution of Long-range Transport of Ammonium Nitrates to Urban Air Pollution and Human Exposure in the United Kingdom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reis, S.; Vieno, M.; Beck, R.; Ots, R.; Moring, A.; Steinle, S.; Heal, M. R.; Doherty, R. M.

2014-12-01

Urban air pollution and its effects on human health remain to be a challenge in spite of substantial reductions in the emissions of air pollutants (e.g. sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides) over the past decades in Europe. While primary pollutants play a vital role in urban air pollution, recent model studies highlight and quantify the relevance of long-range transport of secondary pollution (e.g. secondary inorganic aerosols such as ammonium sulphates and nitrates, or ground level ozone) for the exceedance of local air quality limit values in urban areas across Europe. This contribution can be seen in recurring episodes, for instance in spring 2014, with very high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Paris, London and other European cities, as well as in elevated background levels throughout the year. While we will focus on the contribution to exceedances of PM2.5 limit values here, this transboundary transport has wider implications for the deposition of reactive nitrogen far from the source as well. As local authorities are tasked with ensuring the attainment of air quality limit values, exceedances caused by long-range transport, with emissions originating from sources outside of their jurisdiction present substantial challenges. Furthermore, while policy measures have successfully addressed emissions from large point sources in the past, and made progress towards reducing pollution from road vehicles, emissions of ammonia from agricultural sources - a key component for the long-range transport of secondary inorganic aerosols - have remained relatively stable in Europe. Using the example of Europe and the UK, we demonstrate in our presentation how atmospheric chemistry transport modelling across different scales (from regional to local) can provide vital insight in the mechanisms of and relative contributions to the formation of secondary inorganic aerosols. In addition, we illustrate how this modelling capability can inform the design of efficient control strategies by quantifying the effect of different policy measures targeted at specific source sectors, and highlight the role of transboundary air pollution to local air pollution challenges.

Accuracy assessment of building point clouds automatically generated from iphone images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirmacek, B.; Lindenbergh, R.

2014-06-01

Low-cost sensor generated 3D models can be useful for quick 3D urban model updating, yet the quality of the models is questionable. In this article, we evaluate the reliability of an automatic point cloud generation method using multi-view iPhone images or an iPhone video file as an input. We register such automatically generated point cloud on a TLS point cloud of the same object to discuss accuracy, advantages and limitations of the iPhone generated point clouds. For the chosen example showcase, we have classified 1.23% of the iPhone point cloud points as outliers, and calculated the mean of the point to point distances to the TLS point cloud as 0.11 m. Since a TLS point cloud might also include measurement errors and noise, we computed local noise values for the point clouds from both sources. Mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ) of roughness histograms are calculated as (μ1 = 0.44 m., σ1 = 0.071 m.) and (μ2 = 0.025 m., σ2 = 0.037 m.) for the iPhone and TLS point clouds respectively. Our experimental results indicate possible usage of the proposed automatic 3D model generation framework for 3D urban map updating, fusion and detail enhancing, quick and real-time change detection purposes. However, further insights should be obtained first on the circumstances that are needed to guarantee a successful point cloud generation from smartphone images.

The suite of small-angle neutron scattering instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

DOE PAGES

Heller, William T.; Cuneo, Matthew J.; Debeer-Schmitt, Lisa M.; ...

2018-02-21

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a high-flux research reactor, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense source of pulsed neutron beams. The unique co-localization of these two sources provided an opportunity to develop a suite of complementary small-angle neutron scattering instruments for studies of large-scale structures: the GP-SANS and Bio-SANS instruments at the HFIR and the EQ-SANS and TOF-USANS instruments at the SNS. This article provides an overview of the capabilities of the suite of instruments, with specific emphasis on how they complement each other. As a result, amore » description of the plans for future developments including greater integration of the suite into a single point of entry for neutron scattering studies of large-scale structures is also provided.« less

Loss-tolerant quantum secure positioning with weak laser sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Charles Ci Wen; Xu, Feihu; Siopsis, George; Chitambar, Eric; Evans, Philip G.; Qi, Bing

2016-09-01

Quantum position verification (QPV) is the art of verifying the geographical location of an untrusted party. Recently, it has been shown that the widely studied Bennett & Brassard 1984 (BB84) QPV protocol is insecure after the 3 dB loss point assuming local operations and classical communication (LOCC) adversaries. Here, we propose a time-reversed entanglement swapping QPV protocol (based on measurement-device-independent quantum cryptography) that is highly robust against quantum channel loss. First, assuming ideal qubit sources, we show that the protocol is secure against LOCC adversaries for any quantum channel loss, thereby overcoming the 3 dB loss limit. Then, we analyze the security of the protocol in a more practical setting involving weak laser sources and linear optics. In this setting, we find that the security only degrades by an additive constant and the protocol is able to verify positions up to 47 dB channel loss.

The suite of small-angle neutron scattering instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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

Heller, William T.; Cuneo, Matthew J.; Debeer-Schmitt, Lisa M.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a high-flux research reactor, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense source of pulsed neutron beams. The unique co-localization of these two sources provided an opportunity to develop a suite of complementary small-angle neutron scattering instruments for studies of large-scale structures: the GP-SANS and Bio-SANS instruments at the HFIR and the EQ-SANS and TOF-USANS instruments at the SNS. This article provides an overview of the capabilities of the suite of instruments, with specific emphasis on how they complement each other. As a result, amore » description of the plans for future developments including greater integration of the suite into a single point of entry for neutron scattering studies of large-scale structures is also provided.« less

Sound source localization method in an environment with flow based on Amiet-IMACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Long; Li, Min; Qin, Sheng; Fu, Qiang; Yang, Debin

2017-05-01

A sound source localization method is proposed to localize and analyze the sound source in an environment with airflow. It combines the improved mapping of acoustic correlated sources (IMACS) method and Amiet's method, and is called Amiet-IMACS. It can localize uncorrelated and correlated sound sources with airflow. To implement this approach, Amiet's method is used to correct the sound propagation path in 3D, which improves the accuracy of the array manifold matrix and decreases the position error of the localized source. Then, the mapping of acoustic correlated sources (MACS) method, which is as a high-resolution sound source localization algorithm, is improved by self-adjusting the constraint parameter at each irritation process to increase convergence speed. A sound source localization experiment using a pair of loud speakers in an anechoic wind tunnel under different flow speeds is conducted. The experiment exhibits the advantage of Amiet-IMACS in localizing a more accurate sound source position compared with implementing IMACS alone in an environment with flow. Moreover, the aerodynamic noise produced by a NASA EPPLER 862 STRUT airfoil model in airflow with a velocity of 80 m/s is localized using the proposed method, which further proves its effectiveness in a flow environment. Finally, the relationship between the source position of this airfoil model and its frequency, along with its generation mechanism, is determined and interpreted.

MinFinder v2.0: An improved version of MinFinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsoulos, Ioannis G.; Lagaris, Isaac E.

2008-10-01

A new version of the "MinFinder" program is presented that offers an augmented linking procedure for Fortran-77 subprograms, two additional stopping rules and a new start-point rejection mechanism that saves a significant portion of gradient and function evaluations. The method is applied on a set of standard test functions and the results are reported. New version program summaryProgram title: MinFinder v2.0 Catalogue identifier: ADWU_v2_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADWU_v2_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC Licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 14 150 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 218 144 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language used: GNU C++, GNU FORTRAN, GNU C Computer: The program is designed to be portable in all systems running the GNU C++ compiler Operating system: Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD RAM: 200 000 bytes Classification: 4.9 Catalogue identifier of previous version: ADWU_v1_0 Journal reference of previous version: Computer Physics Communications 174 (2006) 166-179 Does the new version supersede the previous version?: Yes Nature of problem: A multitude of problems in science and engineering are often reduced to minimizing a function of many variables. There are instances that a local optimum does not correspond to the desired physical solution and hence the search for a better solution is required. Local optimization techniques can be trapped in any local minimum. Global optimization is then the appropriate tool. For example, solving a non-linear system of equations via optimization, one may encounter many local minima that do not correspond to solutions, i.e. they are far from zero. Solution method: Using a uniform pdf, points are sampled from a rectangular domain. A clustering technique, based on a typical distance and a gradient criterion, is used to decide from which points a local search should be started. Further searching is terminated when all the local minima inside the search domain are thought to be found. This is accomplished via three stopping rules: the "double-box" stopping rule, the "observables" stopping rule and the "expected minimizers" stopping rule. Reasons for the new version: The link procedure for source code in Fortran 77 is enhanced, two additional stopping rules are implemented and a new criterion for accepting-start points, that economizes on function and gradient calls, is introduced. Summary of revisions:Addition of command line parameters to the utility program make_program. Augmentation of the link process for Fortran 77 subprograms, by linking the final executable with the g2c library. Addition of two probabilistic stopping rules. Introduction of a rejection mechanism to the Checking step of the original method, that reduces the number of gradient evaluations. Additional comments: A technical report describing the revisions, experiments and test runs is packaged with the source code. Running time: Depending on the objective function.

DensToolKit: A comprehensive open-source package for analyzing the electron density and its derivative scalar and vector fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solano-Altamirano, J. M.; Hernández-Pérez, Julio M.

2015-11-01

DensToolKit is a suite of cross-platform, optionally parallelized, programs for analyzing the molecular electron density (ρ) and several fields derived from it. Scalar and vector fields, such as the gradient of the electron density (∇ρ), electron localization function (ELF) and its gradient, localized orbital locator (LOL), region of slow electrons (RoSE), reduced density gradient, localized electrons detector (LED), information entropy, molecular electrostatic potential, kinetic energy densities K and G, among others, can be evaluated on zero, one, two, and three dimensional grids. The suite includes a program for searching critical points and bond paths of the electron density, under the framework of Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules. DensToolKit also evaluates the momentum space electron density on spatial grids, and the reduced density matrix of order one along lines joining two arbitrary atoms of a molecule. The source code is distributed under the GNU-GPLv3 license, and we release the code with the intent of establishing an open-source collaborative project. The style of DensToolKit's code follows some of the guidelines of an object-oriented program. This allows us to supply the user with a simple manner for easily implement new scalar or vector fields, provided they are derived from any of the fields already implemented in the code. In this paper, we present some of the most salient features of the programs contained in the suite, some examples of how to run them, and the mathematical definitions of the implemented fields along with hints of how we optimized their evaluation. We benchmarked our suite against both a freely-available program and a commercial package. Speed-ups of ˜2×, and up to 12× were obtained using a non-parallel compilation of DensToolKit for the evaluation of fields. DensToolKit takes similar times for finding critical points, compared to a commercial package. Finally, we present some perspectives for the future development and growth of the suite.

Carbon footprint of organic beef meat from farm to fork: A case study of short supply chain.

PubMed

Vitali, A; Grossi, G; Martino, G; Bernabucci, U; Nardone, A; Lacetera, N

2018-04-24

Sustainability of food systems is one of the big challenges of humans kind in the next years. Local food networks, especially the organic ones, are growing worldwide and few information is known about their carbon footprint. This study was aimed to assess greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions associated to organic local beef supply chain with a cradle to grave approach. The study pointed out an overall burden of 24.46 kg CO 2 eq./kg of cooked meat. The breeding and fattening phase accounted 86% of the total emissions and resulted the main hot spot throughout the whole chain. Enteric methane emission was the greatest source of GHG at farm gate (47%). The consumption of meat at home was the second hot spot throughout the chain (9%) and cooking process was the main source within this stage (72%). Retail and slaughtering activities accounted for 4.1% and 1.1% on the whole supply chain, respectively. The identification of GHG hot spots associated to organic beef meat produced and consumed in a local food network may stimulate the debate on environmental issues among the actors involved in the network and direct them toward processes, choices and habits less carbon polluting. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Water resources management: Hydrologic characterization through hydrograph simulation may bias streamflow statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farmer, W. H.; Kiang, J. E.

2017-12-01

The development, deployment and maintenance of water resources management infrastructure and practices rely on hydrologic characterization, which requires an understanding of local hydrology. With regards to streamflow, this understanding is typically quantified with statistics derived from long-term streamgage records. However, a fundamental problem is how to characterize local hydrology without the luxury of streamgage records, a problem that complicates water resources management at ungaged locations and for long-term future projections. This problem has typically been addressed through the development of point estimators, such as regression equations, to estimate particular statistics. Physically-based precipitation-runoff models, which are capable of producing simulated hydrographs, offer an alternative to point estimators. The advantage of simulated hydrographs is that they can be used to compute any number of streamflow statistics from a single source (the simulated hydrograph) rather than relying on a diverse set of point estimators. However, the use of simulated hydrographs introduces a degree of model uncertainty that is propagated through to estimated streamflow statistics and may have drastic effects on management decisions. We compare the accuracy and precision of streamflow statistics (e.g. the mean annual streamflow, the annual maximum streamflow exceeded in 10% of years, and the minimum seven-day average streamflow exceeded in 90% of years, among others) derived from point estimators (e.g. regressions, kriging, machine learning) to that of statistics derived from simulated hydrographs across the continental United States. Initial results suggest that the error introduced through hydrograph simulation may substantially bias the resulting hydrologic characterization.

A personal exposure study employing scripted activities and paths in conjunction with atmospheric releases of perfluorocarbon tracers in Manhattan, New York

PubMed Central

LIOY, PAUL J; VALLERO, DANIEL; FOLEY, GARY; GEORGOPOULOS, PANOS; HEISER, JOHN; WATSON, TOM; REYNOLDS, MICHAEL; DALOIA, JAMES; TONG, SAI; ISUKAPALLI, SASTRY

2014-01-01

A personal exposure study was conducted in New York City as part of the Urban Dispersion Program (UDP). It examined the contact of individuals with four harmless perflourocarbon tracers (PFT) released in Midtown Manhattan with approval by city agencies at separate locations, during two types of experiments, completed during each release period. Two continuous 1 h release periods separated by a 1.5 h ventilation time were completed on 3 October 2005. Stationary site and personal exposure measurements were taken during each period, and the first half hour after the release ended. Two types of scripted exposure activities are reported: Outdoor Source Scale, and Outdoor Neighborhood Scale; requiring 1- and 10-min duration samples, respectively. The results showed that exposures were influenced by the surface winds, the urban terrain, and the movements of people and vehicles typical in urban centers. The source scale exposure data indicated that local conditions significantly affected the distribution of each tracer, and consequently the exposures. The highest PFT exposures resulted from interaction of the scripted activities with local surface conditions. The range measured for 1- min exposures were large with measured values exceeding 5000 ppqv (parts per quadrillion by volume). The neighborhood scale measurements quantified exposures at distances up to seven blocks away from the release points. Generally, but not always, the PFT levels returned quickly to zero indicating that after cessation of the emissions the concentrations decrease rapidly, and reduce the intensity of local exposures. The near source and neighborhood personal exposure route results provided information to establish a baseline for determining how a release could affect both the general public and emergency responders, and evaluate the adequacy of re-entry or exit strategies from a local area. Finally, the data also show that local characteristics can produce “hot spots”. PMID:17505505

Geographic patterns of elemental deposition in the Aegean region of Turkey indicated by the lichen, Xanthoria parietina (L.) Th. Fr.

PubMed

Yenisoy-Karakaş, S; Tuncel, S G

2004-08-15

Lichen samples from different parts of the world have been known to accumulate elements to a greater degree than higher plants, if they are exposed to these elements from the atmosphere or from water and sediments. It has been hypothesized that lichens can be used to monitor air pollution around point and area emission sources. Local variation (variation in substrate, age and morphology of lichen samples) of element concentrations would not be large enough to affect the concentration patterns in large areas. We tested this hypothesis in the Aegean region of Turkey, which is very urbanized and industrialized. No such study has been conducted before in this part of the country. A total of 234 samples of the lichen Xanthoria parietina were collected from a 51,800-km2 area. Samples were washed and analyzed by INAA and ICP-AES for 35 elements. The range of the concentrations for most of the elements on a local scale was an order of magnitude lower than for the element concentrations on a regional scale. The mean local coefficient of variance (CV) was found to be 15, providing that the local variation did not affect the concentration of elements in the sampling region. According to cluster analysis, 8 (As, Hg, Pb, Sb, Fe, Mn, Na and K) elements are indicative of important local pollution locations and their zone of impact in the region. By mapping the concentrations of eight indicative elements in lichen Xanthoria parietina of the Aegean region, it was possible to relate deposition to the existence of known sources of pollution in certain areas. Location of pollution sources such as iron-steel plants, and coal burning in the cities, industrial activity and two important coal-fired power plants generally corresponded with locations of highest element accumulations in the lichens.

Mapping air quality zones for coastal urban centers.

PubMed

Freeman, Brian; Gharabaghi, Bahram; Thé, Jesse; Munshed, Mohammad; Faisal, Shah; Abdullah, Meshal; Al Aseed, Athari

2017-05-01

This study presents a new method that incorporates modern air dispersion models allowing local terrain and land-sea breeze effects to be considered along with political and natural boundaries for more accurate mapping of air quality zones (AQZs) for coastal urban centers. This method uses local coastal wind patterns and key urban air pollution sources in each zone to more accurately calculate air pollutant concentration statistics. The new approach distributes virtual air pollution sources within each small grid cell of an area of interest and analyzes a puff dispersion model for a full year's worth of 1-hr prognostic weather data. The difference of wind patterns in coastal and inland areas creates significantly different skewness (S) and kurtosis (K) statistics for the annually averaged pollutant concentrations at ground level receptor points for each grid cell. Plotting the S-K data highlights grouping of sources predominantly impacted by coastal winds versus inland winds. The application of the new method is demonstrated through a case study for the nation of Kuwait by developing new AQZs to support local air management programs. The zone boundaries established by the S-K method were validated by comparing MM5 and WRF prognostic meteorological weather data used in the air dispersion modeling, a support vector machine classifier was trained to compare results with the graphical classification method, and final zones were compared with data collected from Earth observation satellites to confirm locations of high-exposure-risk areas. The resulting AQZs are more accurate and support efficient management strategies for air quality compliance targets effected by local coastal microclimates. A novel method to determine air quality zones in coastal urban areas is introduced using skewness (S) and kurtosis (K) statistics calculated from grid concentrations results of air dispersion models. The method identifies land-sea breeze effects that can be used to manage local air quality in areas of similar microclimates.

Development and human factors analysis of an augmented reality interface for multi-robot tele-operation and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sam; Lucas, Nathan P.; Ellis, R. Darin; Pandya, Abhilash

2012-06-01

This paper presents a seamlessly controlled human multi-robot system comprised of ground and aerial robots of semiautonomous nature for source localization tasks. The system combines augmented reality interfaces capabilities with human supervisor's ability to control multiple robots. The role of this human multi-robot interface is to allow an operator to control groups of heterogeneous robots in real time in a collaborative manner. It used advanced path planning algorithms to ensure obstacles are avoided and that the operators are free for higher-level tasks. Each robot knows the environment and obstacles and can automatically generate a collision-free path to any user-selected target. It displayed sensor information from each individual robot directly on the robot in the video view. In addition, a sensor data fused AR view is displayed which helped the users pin point source information or help the operator with the goals of the mission. The paper studies a preliminary Human Factors evaluation of this system in which several interface conditions are tested for source detection tasks. Results show that the novel Augmented Reality multi-robot control (Point-and-Go and Path Planning) reduced mission completion times compared to the traditional joystick control for target detection missions. Usability tests and operator workload analysis are also investigated.

Is the filamentary dark cloud GF 6 a star forming region? — Stability analysis and infrared properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jaeheon; Kim, Hyun-Goo; Kim, Sang Joon; Zhang, Bo

2017-12-01

We present the results of mapping observations and stability analyses toward the filamentary dark cloud GF 6. We investigate the internal structures of a typical filamentary dark cloud GF 6 to know whether the filamentary dark cloud will form stars. We perform radio observations with both 12CO (J=1-0) and 13CO (J=1-0) emission lines to examine the mass distribution and its evolutionary status. The 13CO gas column density map shows eight subclumps in the GF 6 region with sizes on a sub-pc scale. The resulting local thermodynamic equilibrium masses of all the subclumps are too low to form stars against the turbulent dissipation. We also investigate the properties of embedded infrared point sources to know whether they are newly formed stars. The infrared properties also indicate that these point sources are not related to star forming activities associated with GF 6. Both radio and infrared properties indicate that the filamentary dark cloud GF 6 is too light to contract gravitationally and will eventually be dissipated away.

Studying Dust Scattering Halos with Galactic X-ray Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beeler, Doreen; Corrales, Lia; Heinz, Sebastian

2018-01-01

Dust is an important part of the interstellar medium (ISM) and contributes to the formation of stars and planets. Since the advent of modern X-ray telescopes, Galactic X-ray point sources have permitted a closer look at all phases of the ISM. Interstellar metals from oxygen to iron — in both gas and dust form — are responsible for absorption and scattering of X-ray light. Dust scatters the light in a forward direction and creates a diffuse halo image surrounding many bright Galactic X-ray binaries. We use all the bright X-ray point sources available in the Chandra HETG archive to study dust scattering halos from the local ISM. We have described a data analysis pipeline using a combination of the data reduction software CIAO and Python. We compare our results from Chandra HETG and ACIS-I observations of a well studied dust scattering halo around GX 13+1, in order to characterize any systematic errors associated with the HETG data set. We describe how our data products will be used to measure ISM scaling relations for X-ray extinction, dust abundance, and dust-to-metal ratios.

Using vadose zone data and spatial statistics to assess the impact of cultivated land and dairy waste lagoons on groundwater contamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baram, S.; Ronen, Z.; Kurtzman, D.; Peeters, A.; Dahan, O.

2013-12-01

Land cultivation and dairy waste lagoons are considered to be nonpoint and point sources of groundwater contamination by chloride (Cl-) and nitrate (NO3-). The objective of this work is to introduce a methodology to assess the past and future impacts of such agricultural activities on regional groundwater quality. The method is based on mass balances and on spatial statistical analysis of Cl- and NO3-concentration distributions in the saturated and unsaturated zones. The method enables quantitative analysis of the relation between the locations of pollution point sources and the spatial variability in Cl- and NO3- concentrations in groundwater. The method was applied to the Beer-Tuvia region, Israel, where intensive dairy farming along with land cultivation has been practiced for over 50 years above the local phreatic aquifer. Mass balance calculations accounted for the various groundwater recharge and abstraction sources and sinks in the entire region. The mass balances showed that leachates from lagoons and the cultivated land have contributed 6.0 and 89.4 % of the total mass of Cl- added to the aquifer and 12.6 and 77.4 % of the total mass of NO3-. The chemical composition of the aquifer and vadose zone water suggested that irrigated agricultural activity in the region is the main contributor of Cl- and NO3- to the groundwater. A low spatial correlation between the Cl- and NO3- concentrations in the groundwater and the on-land location of the dairy farms strengthened this assumption, despite the dairy waste lagoon being a point source for groundwater contamination by Cl- and NO3-. Results demonstrate that analyzing vadose zone and groundwater data by spatial statistical analysis methods can significantly contribute to the understanding of the relations between groundwater contaminating sources, and to assessing appropriate remediation steps.

Investigating the effects of methodological expertise and data randomness on the robustness of crowd-sourced SfM terrain models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratner, Jacqueline; Pyle, David; Mather, Tamsin

2015-04-01

Structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques are now widely available to quickly and cheaply generate digital terrain models (DTMs) from optical imagery. Topography can change rapidly during disaster scenarios and change the nature of local hazards, making ground-based SfM a particularly useful tool in hazard studies due to its low cost, accessibility, and potential for immediate deployment. Our study is designed to serve as an analogue to potential real-world use of the SfM method if employed for disaster risk reduction purposes. Experiments at a volcanic crater in Santorini, Greece, used crowd-sourced data collection to demonstrate the impact of user expertise and randomization of SfM data on the resultant DTM. Three groups of participants representing variable expertise levels utilized 16 different camera models, including four camera phones, to collect 1001 total photos in one hour of data collection. Datasets collected by each group were processed using the free and open source software VisualSFM. The point densities and overall quality of the resultant SfM point clouds were compared against each other and also against a LiDAR dataset for reference to the industry standard. Our results show that the point clouds are resilient to changes in user expertise and collection method and are comparable or even preferable in data density to LiDAR. We find that 'crowd-sourced' data collected by a moderately informed general public yields topography results comparable to those produced with data collected by experts. This means that in a real-world scenario involving participants with a diverse range of expertise levels, topography models could be produced from crowd-sourced data quite rapidly and to a very high standard. This could be beneficial to disaster risk reduction as a relatively quick, simple, and low-cost method to attain a rapidly updated knowledge of terrain attributes, useful for the prediction and mitigation of many natural hazards.

Characterization and Local Emission Sources for Ammonia in an Urban Environment.

PubMed

Galán Madruga, D; Fernández Patier, R; Sintes Puertas, M A; Romero García, M D; Cristóbal López, A

2018-04-01

Ammonia levels were evaluated in the urban environment of Madrid City, Spain. A total of 110 samplers were distributed throughout the city. Vehicle traffic density, garbage containers and sewers were identified as local emission sources of ammonia. The average ammonia concentrations were 4.66 ± 2.14 µg/m 3 (0.39-11.23 µg/m 3 range) in the winter and 5.30 ± 1.81 µg/m 3 (2.33-11.08 µg/m 3 range) in the summer. Spatial and seasonal variations of ammonia levels were evaluated. Hotspots were located in the south and center of Madrid City in both winter and summer seasons, with lower ammonia concentrations located in the north (winter) and in the west and east (summer). The number of representative points that were needed to establish a reliable air quality monitoring network for ammonia was determined using a combined clustering and kriging approach. The results indicated that 40 samplers were sufficient to provide a reliable estimate for Madrid City.

Point-of-use chlorination of turbid water: results from a field study in Tanzania.

PubMed

Mohamed, Hussein; Brown, Joe; Njee, Robert M; Clasen, Thomas; Malebo, Hamisi M; Mbuligwe, Steven

2015-06-01

Household-based chlorine disinfection is widely effective against waterborne bacteria and viruses, and may be among the most inexpensive and accessible options for household water treatment. The microbiological effectiveness of chlorine is limited, however, by turbidity. In Tanzania, there are no guidelines on water chlorination at household level, and limited data on whether dosing guidelines for higher turbidity waters are sufficient to produce potable water. This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of chlorination across a range of turbidities found in rural water sources, following local dosing guidelines that recommend a 'double dose' for water that is visibly turbid. We chlorinated water from 43 sources representing a range of turbidities using two locally available chlorine-based disinfectants: WaterGuard and Aquatabs. We determined free available chlorine at 30 min and 24 h contact time. Our data suggest that water chlorination with WaterGuard or Aquatabs can be effective using both single and double doses up to 20 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU), or using a double dose of Aquatabs up to 100 NTU, but neither was effective at turbidities greater than 100 NTU.

Elliptic Cylinder Airborne Sampling and Geostatistical Mass Balance Approach for Quantifying Local Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

PubMed

Tadić, Jovan M; Michalak, Anna M; Iraci, Laura; Ilić, Velibor; Biraud, Sébastien C; Feldman, Daniel R; Bui, Thaopaul; Johnson, Matthew S; Loewenstein, Max; Jeong, Seongeun; Fischer, Marc L; Yates, Emma L; Ryoo, Ju-Mee

2017-09-05

In this study, we explore observational, experimental, methodological, and practical aspects of the flux quantification of greenhouse gases from local point sources by using in situ airborne observations, and suggest a series of conceptual changes to improve flux estimates. We address the major sources of uncertainty reported in previous studies by modifying (1) the shape of the typical flight path, (2) the modeling of covariance and anisotropy, and (3) the type of interpolation tools used. We show that a cylindrical flight profile offers considerable advantages compared to traditional profiles collected as curtains, although this new approach brings with it the need for a more comprehensive subsequent analysis. The proposed flight pattern design does not require prior knowledge of wind direction and allows for the derivation of an ad hoc empirical correction factor to partially alleviate errors resulting from interpolation and measurement inaccuracies. The modified approach is applied to a use-case for quantifying CH 4 emission from an oil field south of San Ardo, CA, and compared to a bottom-up CH 4 emission estimate.

Energy storage requirements of dc microgrids with high penetration renewables under droop control

DOE PAGES

Weaver, Wayne W.; Robinett, Rush D.; Parker, Gordon G.; ...

2015-01-09

Energy storage is a important design component in microgrids with high penetration renewable sources to maintain the system because of the highly variable and sometimes stochastic nature of the sources. Storage devices can be distributed close to the sources and/or at the microgrid bus. In addition, storage requirements can be minimized with a centralized control architecture, but this creates a single point of failure. Distributed droop control enables a completely decentralized architecture but, the energy storage optimization becomes more difficult. Our paper presents an approach to droop control that enables the local and bus storage requirements to be determined. Givenmore » a priori knowledge of the design structure of a microgrid and the basic cycles of the renewable sources, we found that the droop settings of the sources are such that they minimize both the bus voltage variations and overall energy storage capacity required in the system. This approach can be used in the design phase of a microgrid with a decentralized control structure to determine appropriate droop settings as well as the sizing of energy storage devices.« less

Volume 2 - Point Sources

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Point source emission reference materials from the Emissions Inventory Improvement Program (EIIP). Provides point source guidance on planning, emissions estimation, data collection, inventory documentation and reporting, and quality assurance/quality contr

Open air mineral treatment operations and ambient air quality: assessment and source apportionment.

PubMed

Escudero, M; Alastuey, A; Moreno, T; Querol, X; Pérez, P

2012-11-01

We present a methodology for evaluating and quantifying the impact of inhalable mineral dust resuspension close to a potentially important industrial point source, in this case an open air plant producing sand, flux and kaolin in the Capuchinos district of Alcañiz (Teruel, NE Spain). PM(10) levels at Capuchinos were initially high (42 μg m(-3) as the annual average with 91 exceedances of the EU daily limit value during 2007) but subsequently decreased (26 μg m(-3) with 16 exceedances in 2010) due to a reduced demand for minerals from the ceramic industry and construction sector during the first stages of the economic crisis. Back trajectory and local wind pattern analyses revealed only limited contribution from exotic PM sources such as African dust intrusions whereas there was clearly a strong link with the mineral stockpiles of the local industry. This link was reinforced by chemical and mineral speciation and source apportionment analysis which showed a dominance of mineral matter (sum of CO(3)(2-), SiO(2), Al(2)O(3), Ca, Fe, K, Mg, P, and Ti: mostly aluminosilicates) which in 2007 contributed 76% of the PM(10) mass (44 μg m(-3) on average). The contribution from Secondary Inorganic Aerosols (SIA, sum of SO(4)(2-), NO(3)(-) and NH(4)(+)) reached 8.4 μg m(-3), accounting for 14% of the PM(10) mass, similar to the amount of calcareous road dust estimated to be present (8 μg m(-3); 13%). Organic matter and elemental carbon contributed 5.3 μg m(-3) (9%) whereas marine aerosol (Na + Cl) levels were minor with an average concentration of 0.4 μg m(-3) (1% of the PM(10) mass). Finally, chemical and mineralogical analysis of stockpile samples and comparison with filter samples confirmed the local industry to be the major source of ambient PM(10) in the area.

Tree Rings as Chroniclers of Mercury Exposure in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riscassi, A. L.; Camper, T.; Lee, T. R.; Druckenbrod, D.; Scanlon, T. M.

2016-12-01

Although historical Hg emissions and subsequent deposition play a dominant role in shaping present and future Hg cycling, our knowledge of this is limited in both space and time. Recent studies have shown Hg concentrations in tree rings have the potential to archive historical Hg exposure from local, regional, and global sources, however, no studies have evaluated tree rings in the eastern U.S., a region of elevated Hg deposition from upwind power plants. In order to chronicle the historical Hg exposure of the central Appalachian region through dendrochemical analysis, tree rings were cored along a latitudinal gradient in Shenandoah National Park with sites clustered in North, Central and Southern regions. Long-lived tree species with low radial permeability, chosen to avoid the potential for chemical translocation, included white oak (Quercus Alba), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), and pitch pine (Pinus rigida). In each of the three regions, we collected a core from three individuals of each tree species (27 total cores) and analyzed each for Hg content in 10-yr increments. Overall, tree ring Hg concentrations (average 0.88 ng Hg g-1) were similar to other studies and varied between species. Temporal tree-core Hg trends did not relate to trends in modeled global atmospheric Hg concentrations or regional sources (e.g., fire, coal production), but rather tracked the use of Hg from a local industrial point source. Contemporary wind data originating from the location of the local Hg source in conjunction with an atmospheric model indicate emissions from the plant likely impact the southern region of the park, with a lesser influence in the central and north regions, matching the longitudinal gradient observed in tree rings. This study raises questions about the extent of historical contamination from the industrial site and demonstrates the potential usefulness of tree ring dendrochemistry for identifying historical sources of atmospheric Hg exposure.

The Chandra Source Catalog: Background Determination and Source Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCollough, Michael; Rots, Arnold; Primini, Francis A.; Evans, Ian N.; Glotfelty, Kenny J.; Hain, Roger; Anderson, Craig S.; Bonaventura, Nina R.; Chen, Judy C.; Davis, John E.; Doe, Stephen M.; Evans, Janet D.; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Galle, Elizabeth C.; Danny G. Gibbs, II; Grier, John D.; Hall, Diane M.; Harbo, Peter N.; He, Xiang Qun (Helen); Houck, John C.; Karovska, Margarita; Kashyap, Vinay L.; Lauer, Jennifer; McCollough, Michael L.; McDowell, Jonathan C.; Miller, Joseph B.; Mitschang, Arik W.; Morgan, Douglas L.; Mossman, Amy E.; Nichols, Joy S.; Nowak, Michael A.; Plummer, David A.; Refsdal, Brian L.; Siemiginowska, Aneta L.; Sundheim, Beth A.; Tibbetts, Michael S.; van Stone, David W.; Winkelman, Sherry L.; Zografou, Panagoula

2009-09-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a major project in which all of the pointed imaging observations taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are used to generate one of the most extensive X-ray source catalog produced to date. Early in the development of the CSC it was recognized that the ability to estimate local background levels in an automated fashion would be critical for essential CSC tasks such as source detection, photometry, sensitivity estimates, and source characterization. We present a discussion of how such background maps are created directly from the Chandra data and how they are used in source detection. The general background for Chandra observations is rather smoothly varying, containing only low spatial frequency components. However, in the case of ACIS data, a high spatial frequency component is added that is due to the readout streaks of the CCD chips. We discuss how these components can be estimated reliably using the Chandra data and what limitations and caveats should be considered in their use. We will discuss the source detection algorithm used for the CSC and the effects of the background images on the detection results. We will also touch on some the Catalog Inclusion and Quality Assurance criteria applied to the source detection results. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Chandra Source Catalog: Background Determination and Source Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCollough, Michael L.; Rots, A. H.; Primini, F. A.; Evans, I. N.; Glotfelty, K. J.; Hain, R.; Anderson, C. S.; Bonaventura, N. R.; Chen, J. C.; Davis, J. E.; Doe, S. M.; Evans, J. D.; Fabbiano, G.; Galle, E.; Gibbs, D. G.; Grier, J. D.; Hall, D. M.; Harbo, P. N.; He, X.; Houck, J. C.; Karovska, M.; Lauer, J.; McDowell, J. C.; Miller, J. B.; Mitschang, A. W.; Morgan, D. L.; Nichols, J. S.; Nowak, M. A.; Plummer, D. A.; Refsdal, B. L.; Siemiginowska, A. L.; Sundheim, B. A.; Tibbetts, M. S.; Van Stone, D. W.; Winkelman, S. L.; Zografou, P.

2009-01-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a major project in which all of the pointed imaging observations taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory will used to generate the most extensive X-ray source catalog produced to date. Early in the development of the CSC it was recognized that the ability to estimate local background levels in an automated fashion would be critical for essential CSC tasks such as source detection, photometry, sensitivity estimates, and source characterization. We present a discussion of how such background maps are created directly from the Chandra data and how they are used in source detection. The general background for Chandra observations is rather smoothly varying, containing only low spatial frequency components. However, in the case of ACIS data, a high spatial frequency component is added that is due to the readout streaks of the CCD chips. We discuss how these components can be estimated reliably using the Chandra data and what limitations and caveats should be considered in their use. We will discuss the source detection algorithm used for the CSC and the effects of the background images on the detection results. We will also touch on some the Catalog Inclusion and Quality Assurance criteria applied to the source detection results. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Locating arbitrarily time-dependent sound sources in three dimensional space in real time.

PubMed

Wu, Sean F; Zhu, Na

2010-08-01

This paper presents a method for locating arbitrarily time-dependent acoustic sources in a free field in real time by using only four microphones. This method is capable of handling a wide variety of acoustic signals, including broadband, narrowband, impulsive, and continuous sound over the entire audible frequency range, produced by multiple sources in three dimensional (3D) space. Locations of acoustic sources are indicated by the Cartesian coordinates. The underlying principle of this method is a hybrid approach that consists of modeling of acoustic radiation from a point source in a free field, triangulation, and de-noising to enhance the signal to noise ratio (SNR). Numerical simulations are conducted to study the impacts of SNR, microphone spacing, source distance and frequency on spatial resolution and accuracy of source localizations. Based on these results, a simple device that consists of four microphones mounted on three mutually orthogonal axes at an optimal distance, a four-channel signal conditioner, and a camera is fabricated. Experiments are conducted in different environments to assess its effectiveness in locating sources that produce arbitrarily time-dependent acoustic signals, regardless whether a sound source is stationary or moves in space, even toward behind measurement microphones. Practical limitations on this method are discussed.

Using CSLD Method to Calculate COD Pollution Load of Wei River Watershed above Huaxian Section, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Lei; Song, JinXi; Liu, WanQing

2017-12-01

Huaxian Section is the last hydrological and water quality monitoring section of Weihe River Watershed. Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section is taken as the research objective in this paper and COD is chosen as the water quality parameter. According to the discharge characteristics of point source pollutions and non-point source pollutions, a new method to estimate pollution loads—characteristic section load(CSLD) method is suggested and point source pollution and non-point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section are calculated in the rainy, normal and dry season in the year 2007. The results show that the monthly point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section discharge stably and the monthly non-point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section change greatly and the non-point source pollution load proportions of total pollution load of COD decrease in the normal, rainy and wet period in turn.

Calculating NH3-N pollution load of wei river watershed above Huaxian section using CSLD method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Lei; Song, JinXi; Liu, WanQing

2018-02-01

Huaxian Section is the last hydrological and water quality monitoring section of Weihe River Watershed. So it is taken as the research objective in this paper and NH3-N is chosen as the water quality parameter. According to the discharge characteristics of point source pollutions and non-point source pollutions, a new method to estimate pollution loads—characteristic section load (CSLD)method is suggested and point source pollution and non-point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section are calculated in the rainy, normal and dry season in the year 2007. The results show that the monthly point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section discharge stably and the monthly non-point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above Huaxian Section change greatly. The non-point source pollution load proportions of total pollution load of NH3-N decrease in the normal, rainy and wet period in turn.

An evaluation of talker localization based on direction of arrival estimation and statistical sound source identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishiura, Takanobu; Nakamura, Satoshi

2002-11-01

It is very important to capture distant-talking speech for a hands-free speech interface with high quality. A microphone array is an ideal candidate for this purpose. However, this approach requires localizing the target talker. Conventional talker localization algorithms in multiple sound source environments not only have difficulty localizing the multiple sound sources accurately, but also have difficulty localizing the target talker among known multiple sound source positions. To cope with these problems, we propose a new talker localization algorithm consisting of two algorithms. One is DOA (direction of arrival) estimation algorithm for multiple sound source localization based on CSP (cross-power spectrum phase) coefficient addition method. The other is statistical sound source identification algorithm based on GMM (Gaussian mixture model) for localizing the target talker position among localized multiple sound sources. In this paper, we particularly focus on the talker localization performance based on the combination of these two algorithms with a microphone array. We conducted evaluation experiments in real noisy reverberant environments. As a result, we confirmed that multiple sound signals can be identified accurately between ''speech'' or ''non-speech'' by the proposed algorithm. [Work supported by ATR, and MEXT of Japan.

Ultrasound shear wave simulation based on nonlinear wave propagation and Wigner-Ville Distribution analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bidari, Pooya Sobhe; Alirezaie, Javad; Tavakkoli, Jahan

2017-03-01

This paper presents a method for modeling and simulation of shear wave generation from a nonlinear Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) that is considered as a distributed force applied at the focal region of a HIFU transducer radiating in nonlinear regime. The shear wave propagation is simulated by solving the Navier's equation from the distributed nonlinear ARFI as the source of the shear wave. Then, the Wigner-Ville Distribution (WVD) as a time-frequency analysis method is used to detect the shear wave at different local points in the region of interest. The WVD results in an estimation of the shear wave time of arrival, its mean frequency and local attenuation which can be utilized to estimate medium's shear modulus and shear viscosity using the Voigt model.

Stability analysis of the phytoplankton effect model on changes in nitrogen concentration on integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widowati; Putro, S. P.; Silfiana

2018-05-01

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is a polyculture with several biotas maintained in it to optimize waste recycling as a food source. The interaction between phytoplankton and nitrogen as waste in fish cultivation including ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate studied in the form of mathematical models. The form model is non-linear systems of differential equations with the four variables. The analytical analysis was used to study the dynamic behavior of this model. Local stability analysis is performed at the equilibrium point with the first step linearized model by using Taylor series, then determined the Jacobian matrix. If all eigenvalues have negative real parts, then the equilibrium of the system is locally asymptotic stable. Some numerical simulations were also demonstrated to verify our analytical result.

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

Nikolić, Hrvoje, E-mail: hnikolic@irb.hr

An argument by Banks, Susskind and Peskin (BSP), according to which violation of unitarity would violate either locality or energy-momentum conservation, is widely believed to be a strong argument against non-unitarity of Hawking radiation. We find that the whole BSP argument rests on the crucial assumption that the Hamiltonian is not highly degenerate, and point out that this assumption is not satisfied for systems with many degrees of freedom. Using Lindblad equation, we show that high degeneracy of the Hamiltonian allows local non-unitary evolution without violating energy-momentum conservation. Moreover, since energy-momentum is the source of gravity, we argue that energy-momentummore » is necessarily conserved for a large class of non-unitary systems with gravity. Finally, we explicitly calculate the Lindblad operators for non-unitary Hawking radiation and show that they conserve energy-momentum.« less

77 FR 14963 - Special Local Regulation; Moss Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival; O'Leary Lake; Moss Point, MS

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

...-AA08 Special Local Regulation; Moss Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival; O'Leary Lake; Moss Point, MS..., and persons on navigable waters during the Moss Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival high speed boat... and vessels from safety hazards associated with the Moss Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival high...

General constraints on sampling wildlife on FIA plots

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bailey, L.L.; Sauer, J.R.; Nichols, J.D.; Geissler, P.H.; McRoberts, Ronald E.; Reams, Gregory A.; Van Deusen, Paul C.; McWilliams, William H.; Cieszewski, Chris J.

2005-01-01

This paper reviews the constraints to sampling wildlife populations at FIA points. Wildlife sampling programs must have well-defined goals and provide information adequate to meet those goals. Investigators should choose a State variable based on information needs and the spatial sampling scale. We discuss estimation-based methods for three State variables: species richness, abundance, and patch occupancy. All methods incorporate two essential sources of variation: detectability estimation and spatial variation. FIA sampling imposes specific space and time criteria that may need to be adjusted to meet local wildlife objectives.

Selected basin characteristics and water-quality data of the Minnesota River basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winterstein, T.A.; Payne, G.A.; Miller, R.A.; Stark, J.R.

1993-01-01

Selected basin characteristics and water-quality dam for the Minnesota River Basin are presented in this report as 71 maps, 22 graphs, and 8 tables. The data were compiled as part of a four-year study to identify non-point sources of pollution and the effect of this pollution on water quality. The maps were prepared from geographic information system data bases. Federal, State, and local agencies, and colleges and universities collected and assembled these data as part of the Minnesota River Assessment Project.

Spatio-temporal Reconstruction of Neural Sources Using Indirect Dominant Mode Rejection.

PubMed

Jafadideh, Alireza Talesh; Asl, Babak Mohammadzadeh

2018-04-27

Adaptive minimum variance based beamformers (MVB) have been successfully applied to magnetoencephalogram (MEG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) data to localize brain activities. However, the performance of these beamformers falls down in situations where correlated or interference sources exist. To overcome this problem, we propose indirect dominant mode rejection (iDMR) beamformer application in brain source localization. This method by modifying measurement covariance matrix makes MVB applicable in source localization in the presence of correlated and interference sources. Numerical results on both EEG and MEG data demonstrate that presented approach accurately reconstructs time courses of active sources and localizes those sources with high spatial resolution. In addition, the results of real AEF data show the good performance of iDMR in empirical situations. Hence, iDMR can be reliably used for brain source localization especially when there are correlated and interference sources.

Alkaline phosphatase in nasal secretion of cattle: biochemical and molecular characterisation.

PubMed

Ghazali, M Faizal; Koh-Tan, H H Caline; McLaughlin, Mark; Montague, Paul; Jonsson, Nicholas N; Eckersall, P David

2014-09-05

Nasal secretion (NS) was investigated as a source of information regarding the mucosal and systemic immune status of cattle challenged by respiratory disease. A method for the collection of substantial volumes (~12 ml) of NS from cattle was developed to establish a reference range of analytes that are present in the NS of healthy cattle. Biochemical profiles of NS from a group of 38 healthy Holstein-Friesian cows revealed high alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity of up to 2392 IU/L. The character and source of the high activity of AP in bovine NS was investigated. Histochemical analysis confirmed the localization of the AP enzyme activity to epithelial cells and serous glands of the nasal respiratory mucosa. Analysis of mRNA levels from nasal mucosa by end point RT-PCR and PCR product sequencing confirmed that the AP was locally produced and is identical at the nucleotide level to the non-specific AP splice variant found in bovine liver, bone and kidney. Analysis by isoelectric focussing confirmed that AP was produced locally at a high level in nasal epithelium demonstrating that AP from nasal secretion and nasal mucosa had similar pI bands, though differing from those of the liver, kidney, bone and intestine, suggesting different post-translational modification (PTM) of AP in these tissues. A nasal isozyme of AP has been identified that is present at a high activity in NS, resulting from local production and showing distinctive PTM and may be active in NS as an anti-endotoxin mediator.

Multi-source SO2 emission retrievals and consistency of satellite and surface measurements with reported emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fioletov, Vitali; McLinden, Chris A.; Kharol, Shailesh K.; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Li, Can; Joiner, Joanna; Moran, Michael D.; Vet, Robert; Visschedijk, Antoon J. H.; Denier van der Gon, Hugo A. C.

2017-10-01

Reported sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from US and Canadian sources have declined dramatically since the 1990s as a result of emission control measures. Observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite and ground-based in situ measurements are examined to verify whether the observed changes from SO2 abundance measurements are quantitatively consistent with the reported changes in emissions. To make this connection, a new method to link SO2 emissions and satellite SO2 measurements was developed. The method is based on fitting satellite SO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) to a set of functions of OMI pixel coordinates and wind speeds, where each function represents a statistical model of a plume from a single point source. The concept is first demonstrated using sources in North America and then applied to Europe. The correlation coefficient between OMI-measured VCDs (with a local bias removed) and SO2 VCDs derived here using reported emissions for 1° by 1° gridded data is 0.91 and the best-fit line has a slope near unity, confirming a very good agreement between observed SO2 VCDs and reported emissions. Having demonstrated their consistency, seasonal and annual mean SO2 VCD distributions are calculated, based on reported point-source emissions for the period 1980-2015, as would have been seen by OMI. This consistency is further substantiated as the emission-derived VCDs also show a high correlation with annual mean SO2 surface concentrations at 50 regional monitoring stations.

The proton and helium anomalies in the light of the Myriad model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salati, Pierre; Génolini, Yoann; Serpico, Pasquale; Taillet, Richard

2017-03-01

A hardening of the proton and helium fluxes is observed above a few hundreds of GeV/nuc. The distribution of local sources of primary cosmic rays has been suggested as a potential solution to this puzzling behavior. Some authors even claim that a single source is responsible for the observed anomalies. But how probable these explanations are? To answer that question, our current description of cosmic ray Galactic propagation needs to be replaced by the Myriad model. In the former approach, sources of protons and helium nuclei are treated as a jelly continuously spread over space and time. A more accurate description is provided by the Myriad model where sources are considered as point-like events. This leads to a probabilistic derivation of the fluxes of primary species, and opens the possibility that larger-than-average values may be observed at the Earth. For a long time though, a major obstacle has been the infinite variance associated to the probability distribution function which the fluxes follow. Several suggestions have been made to cure this problem but none is entirely satisfactory. We go a step further here and solve the infinite variance problem of the Myriad model by making use of the generalized central limit theorem. We find that primary fluxes are distributed according to a stable law with heavy tail, well-known to financial analysts. The probability that the proton and helium anomalies are sourced by local SNR can then be calculated. The p-values associated to the CREAM measurements turn out to be small, unless somewhat unrealistic propagation parameters are assumed.

A precedence effect resolves phantom sound source illusions in the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea

PubMed Central

Lee, Norman; Elias, Damian O.; Mason, Andrew C.

2009-01-01

Localizing individual sound sources under reverberant environmental conditions can be a challenge when the original source and its acoustic reflections arrive at the ears simultaneously from different paths that convey ambiguous directional information. The acoustic parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea (Diptera: Tachinidae) relies on a pair of ears exquisitely sensitive to sound direction to localize the 5-kHz tone pulsatile calling song of their host crickets. In nature, flies are expected to encounter a complex sound field with multiple sources and their reflections from acoustic clutter potentially masking temporal information relevant to source recognition and localization. In field experiments, O. ochracea were lured onto a test arena and subjected to small random acoustic asymmetries between 2 simultaneous sources. Most flies successfully localize a single source but some localize a ‘phantom’ source that is a summed effect of both source locations. Such misdirected phonotaxis can be elicited reliably in laboratory experiments that present symmetric acoustic stimulation. By varying onset delay between 2 sources, we test whether hyperacute directional hearing in O. ochracea can function to exploit small time differences to determine source location. Selective localization depends on both the relative timing and location of competing sources. Flies preferred phonotaxis to a forward source. With small onset disparities within a 10-ms temporal window of attention, flies selectively localize the leading source while the lagging source has minimal influence on orientation. These results demonstrate the precedence effect as a mechanism to overcome phantom source illusions that arise from acoustic reflections or competing sources. PMID:19332794

Generic HRTFs May be Good Enough in Virtual Reality. Improving Source Localization through Cross-Modal Plasticity.

PubMed

Berger, Christopher C; Gonzalez-Franco, Mar; Tajadura-Jiménez, Ana; Florencio, Dinei; Zhang, Zhengyou

2018-01-01

Auditory spatial localization in humans is performed using a combination of interaural time differences, interaural level differences, as well as spectral cues provided by the geometry of the ear. To render spatialized sounds within a virtual reality (VR) headset, either individualized or generic Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) are usually employed. The former require arduous calibrations, but enable accurate auditory source localization, which may lead to a heightened sense of presence within VR. The latter obviate the need for individualized calibrations, but result in less accurate auditory source localization. Previous research on auditory source localization in the real world suggests that our representation of acoustic space is highly plastic. In light of these findings, we investigated whether auditory source localization could be improved for users of generic HRTFs via cross-modal learning. The results show that pairing a dynamic auditory stimulus, with a spatio-temporally aligned visual counterpart, enabled users of generic HRTFs to improve subsequent auditory source localization. Exposure to the auditory stimulus alone or to asynchronous audiovisual stimuli did not improve auditory source localization. These findings have important implications for human perception as well as the development of VR systems as they indicate that generic HRTFs may be enough to enable good auditory source localization in VR.

Groundwater source contamination mechanisms: Physicochemical profile clustering, risk factor analysis and multivariate modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hynds, Paul; Misstear, Bruce D.; Gill, Laurence W.; Murphy, Heather M.

2014-04-01

An integrated domestic well sampling and "susceptibility assessment" programme was undertaken in the Republic of Ireland from April 2008 to November 2010. Overall, 211 domestic wells were sampled, assessed and collated with local climate data. Based upon groundwater physicochemical profile, three clusters have been identified and characterised by source type (borehole or hand-dug well) and local geological setting. Statistical analysis indicates that cluster membership is significantly associated with the prevalence of bacteria (p = 0.001), with mean Escherichia coli presence within clusters ranging from 15.4% (Cluster-1) to 47.6% (Cluster-3). Bivariate risk factor analysis shows that on-site septic tank presence was the only risk factor significantly associated (p < 0.05) with bacterial presence within all clusters. Point agriculture adjacency was significantly associated with both borehole-related clusters. Well design criteria were associated with hand-dug wells and boreholes in areas characterised by high permeability subsoils, while local geological setting was significant for hand-dug wells and boreholes in areas dominated by low/moderate permeability subsoils. Multivariate susceptibility models were developed for all clusters, with predictive accuracies of 84% (Cluster-1) to 91% (Cluster-2) achieved. Septic tank setback was a common variable within all multivariate models, while agricultural sources were also significant, albeit to a lesser degree. Furthermore, well liner clearance was a significant factor in all models, indicating that direct surface ingress is a significant well contamination mechanism. Identification and elucidation of cluster-specific contamination mechanisms may be used to develop improved overall risk management and wellhead protection strategies, while also informing future remediation and maintenance efforts.

Local sources of black walnut recommended for planting in Maryland

Treesearch

Silas Little; Calvin F. Bey; Daniel McConaughy

1974-01-01

After 5 years, local black walnut seedlings were taller than those of 12 out-of-state sources in a Maryland planting. Seedlings from south-of-local sources out grew trees from northern sources. Genetic influence on height was expressed early--with little change in ranking of sources after the third year.

Transported vs. local contributions from secondary and biomass burning sources to PM2.5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Bong Mann; Seo, Jihoon; Kim, Jin Young; Lee, Ji Yi; Kim, Yumi

2016-11-01

The concentration of fine particulates in Seoul, Korea has been lowered over the past 10 years, as a result of the city's efforts in implementing environmental control measures. Yet, the particulate concentration level in Seoul remains high as compared to other urban areas globally. In order to further improve fine particulate air quality in the Korea region and design a more effective control strategy, enhanced understanding of the sources and contribution of fine particulates along with their chemical compositions is necessary. In turn, relative contributions from local and transported sources on Seoul need to be established, as this city is particularly influenced by sources from upwind geographic areas. In this study, PM2.5 monitoring was conducted in Seoul from October 2012 to September 2013. PM2.5 mass concentrations, ions, metals, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water soluble OC (WSOC), humic-like substances of carbon (HULIS-C), and 85 organic compounds were chemically analyzed. The multivariate receptor model SMP was applied to the PM2.5 data, which then identified nine sources and estimated their source compositions as well as source contributions. Prior studies have identified and quantified the transported and local sources. However, no prior studies have distinguished contributions of an individual source between transported contribution and locally produced contribution. We differentiated transported secondary and biomass burning sources from the locally produced secondary and biomass burning sources, which was supported with potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis. Of the total secondary source contribution, 32% was attributed to transported secondary sources, and 68% was attributed to locally formed secondary sources. Meanwhile, the contribution from the transported biomass burning source was revealed as 59% of the total biomass burning contribution, which was 1.5 times higher than that of the local biomass burning source. Four-season average source contributions from the transported and the local sources were 28% and 72%, respectively.

Deconvolution for three-dimensional acoustic source identification based on spherical harmonics beamforming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Zhigang; Yang, Yang; He, Yansong

2015-05-01

Spherical Harmonics Beamforming (SHB) with solid spherical arrays has become a particularly attractive tool for doing acoustic sources identification in cabin environments. However, it presents some intrinsic limitations, specifically poor spatial resolution and severe sidelobe contaminations. This paper focuses on overcoming these limitations effectively by deconvolution. First and foremost, a new formulation is proposed, which expresses SHB's output as a convolution of the true source strength distribution and the point spread function (PSF) defined as SHB's response to a unit-strength point source. Additionally, the typical deconvolution methods initially suggested for planar arrays, deconvolution approach for the mapping of acoustic sources (DAMAS), nonnegative least-squares (NNLS), Richardson-Lucy (RL) and CLEAN, are adapted to SHB successfully, which are capable of giving rise to highly resolved and deblurred maps. Finally, the merits of the deconvolution methods are validated and the relationships of source strength and pressure contribution reconstructed by the deconvolution methods vs. focus distance are explored both with computer simulations and experimentally. Several interesting results have emerged from this study: (1) compared with SHB, DAMAS, NNLS, RL and CLEAN all can not only improve the spatial resolution dramatically but also reduce or even eliminate the sidelobes effectively, allowing clear and unambiguous identification of single source or incoherent sources. (2) The availability of RL for coherent sources is highest, then DAMAS and NNLS, and that of CLEAN is lowest due to its failure in suppressing sidelobes. (3) Whether or not the real distance from the source to the array center equals the assumed one that is referred to as focus distance, the previous two results hold. (4) The true source strength can be recovered by dividing the reconstructed one by a coefficient that is the square of the focus distance divided by the real distance from the source to the array center. (5) The reconstructed pressure contribution is almost not affected by the focus distance, always approximating to the true one. This study will be of great significance to the accurate localization and quantification of acoustic sources in cabin environments.

"Stereo Compton cameras" for the 3-D localization of radioisotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, K.; Kataoka, J.; Nishiyama, T.; Fujita, T.; Kishimoto, A.; Ohsuka, S.; Nakamura, S.; Adachi, S.; Hirayanagi, M.; Uchiyama, T.; Ishikawa, Y.; Kato, T.

2014-11-01

The Compton camera is a viable and convenient tool used to visualize the distribution of radioactive isotopes that emit gamma rays. After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in 2011, there is a particularly urgent need to develop "gamma cameras", which can visualize the distribution of such radioisotopes. In response, we propose a portable Compton camera, which comprises 3-D position-sensitive GAGG scintillators coupled with thin monolithic MPPC arrays. The pulse-height ratio of two MPPC-arrays allocated at both ends of the scintillator block determines the depth of interaction (DOI), which dramatically improves the position resolution of the scintillation detectors. We report on the detailed optimization of the detector design, based on Geant4 simulation. The results indicate that detection efficiency reaches up to 0.54%, or more than 10 times that of other cameras being tested in Fukushima, along with a moderate angular resolution of 8.1° (FWHM). By applying the triangular surveying method, we also propose a new concept for the stereo measurement of gamma rays by using two Compton cameras, thus enabling the 3-D positional measurement of radioactive isotopes for the first time. From one point source simulation data, we ensured that the source position and the distance to the same could be determined typically to within 2 meters' accuracy and we also confirmed that more than two sources are clearly separated by the event selection from two point sources of simulation data.

Lynx mission concept study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vikhlinin, Alexey

2018-01-01

Lynx is an observatory-class mission, featuring high throughput, exquisite angular resolution over a substantial field of view, and high spectral resolution for point and extended X-ray sources. The design requirements provide a tremendous leap in capabilities relative to missions such as Chandra and Athena. Lynx will observe the dawn of supermassive black holes through detection of very faint X-ray sources in the early universe and will reveal the "invisible drivers" of galaxy and structure formation through observations of hot, diffuse baryons in and around the galaxies. Lynx will enable breakthroughs across all of astrophysics, ranging from detailed understanding of stellar activity including effects on habitability of associated planets to population statistics of neutron stars and black holes in the Local Group galaxies, to earliest groups and clusters of galaxies, and to cosmology

A Space-Time-Frequency Dictionary for Sparse Cortical Source Localization.

PubMed

Korats, Gundars; Le Cam, Steven; Ranta, Radu; Louis-Dorr, Valerie

2016-09-01

Cortical source imaging aims at identifying activated cortical areas on the surface of the cortex from the raw electroencephalogram (EEG) data. This problem is ill posed, the number of channels being very low compared to the number of possible source positions. In some realistic physiological situations, the active areas are sparse in space and of short time durations, and the amount of spatio-temporal data to carry the inversion is then limited. In this study, we propose an original data driven space-time-frequency (STF) dictionary which takes into account simultaneously both spatial and time-frequency sparseness while preserving smoothness in the time frequency (i.e., nonstationary smooth time courses in sparse locations). Based on these assumptions, we take benefit of the matching pursuit (MP) framework for selecting the most relevant atoms in this highly redundant dictionary. We apply two recent MP algorithms, single best replacement (SBR) and source deflated matching pursuit, and we compare the results using a spatial dictionary and the proposed STF dictionary to demonstrate the improvements of our multidimensional approach. We also provide comparison using well-established inversion methods, FOCUSS and RAP-MUSIC, analyzing performances under different degrees of nonstationarity and signal to noise ratio. Our STF dictionary combined with the SBR approach provides robust performances on realistic simulations. From a computational point of view, the algorithm is embedded in the wavelet domain, ensuring high efficiency in term of computation time. The proposed approach ensures fast and accurate sparse cortical localizations on highly nonstationary and noisy data.

The StreamCat Dataset: Accumulated Attributes for NHDPlusV2 (Version 2.1) Catchments for the Conterminous United States: PRISM Normals Data

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This dataset represents climate observations within individual, local NHDPlusV2 catchments and upstream, contributing watersheds. Attributes of the landscape layer were calculated for every local NHDPlusV2 catchment and accumulated to provide watershed-level metrics. (See Supplementary Info for Glossary of Terms) PRISM is a set of monthly, yearly, and single-event gridded data products of mean temperature and precipitation, max/min temperatures, and dewpoints, primarily for the United States. In-situ point measurements are ingested into the PRISM (Parameter elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model) statistical mapping system. The PRISM products use a weighted regression scheme to account for complex climate regimes associated with orography, rain shadows, temperature inversions, slope aspect, coastal proximity, and other factors. (see Data Sources for links to NHDPlusV2 data and USGS Data) These data are summarized by local catchment and by watershed to produce local catchment-level and watershed-level metrics as a continuous data type (see Data Structure and Attribute Information for a description).

The StreamCat Dataset: Accumulated Attributes for NHDPlusV2 Catchments (Version 2.1) for the Conterminous United States: PRISM Data

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This dataset represents climate observations within individual, local NHDPlusV2 catchments and upstream, contributing watersheds. Attributes of the landscape layer were calculated for every local NHDPlusV2 catchment and accumulated to provide watershed-level metrics. (See Supplementary Info for Glossary of Terms) PRISM is a set of monthly, yearly, and single-event gridded data products of mean temperature and precipitation, max/min temperatures, and dewpoints, primarily for the United States. In-situ point measurements are ingested into the PRISM (Parameter elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model) statistical mapping system. The PRISM products use a weighted regression scheme to account for complex climate regimes associated with orography, rain shadows, temperature inversions, slope aspect, coastal proximity, and other factors. (see Data Sources for links to NHDPlusV2 data and USGS Data) These data are summarized by local catchment and by watershed to produce local catchment-level and watershed-level metrics as a continuous data type (see Data Structure and Attribute Information for a description).

Localization of virtual sound at 4 Gz.

PubMed

Sandor, Patrick M B; McAnally, Ken I; Pellieux, Lionel; Martin, Russell L

2005-02-01

Acceleration directed along the body's z-axis (Gz) leads to misperception of the elevation of visual objects (the "elevator illusion"), most probably as a result of errors in the transformation from eye-centered to head-centered coordinates. We have investigated whether the location of sound sources is misperceived under increased Gz. Visually guided localization responses were made, using a remotely controlled laser pointer, to virtual auditory targets under conditions of 1 and 4 Gz induced in a human centrifuge. As these responses would be expected to be affected by the elevator illusion, we also measured the effect of Gz on the accuracy with which subjects could point to the horizon. Horizon judgments were lower at 4 Gz than at 1 Gz, so sound localization responses at 4 Gz were corrected for this error in the transformation from eye-centered to head-centered coordinates. We found that the accuracy and bias of sound localization are not significantly affected by increased Gz. The auditory modality is likely to provide a reliable means of conveying spatial information to operators in dynamic environments in which Gz can vary.

MR-based source localization for MR-guided HDR brachytherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beld, E.; Moerland, M. A.; Zijlstra, F.; Viergever, M. A.; Lagendijk, J. J. W.; Seevinck, P. R.

2018-04-01

For the purpose of MR-guided high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, a method for real-time localization of an HDR brachytherapy source was developed, which requires high spatial and temporal resolutions. MR-based localization of an HDR source serves two main aims. First, it enables real-time treatment verification by determination of the HDR source positions during treatment. Second, when using a dummy source, MR-based source localization provides an automatic detection of the source dwell positions after catheter insertion, allowing elimination of the catheter reconstruction procedure. Localization of the HDR source was conducted by simulation of the MR artifacts, followed by a phase correlation localization algorithm applied to the MR images and the simulated images, to determine the position of the HDR source in the MR images. To increase the temporal resolution of the MR acquisition, the spatial resolution was decreased, and a subpixel localization operation was introduced. Furthermore, parallel imaging (sensitivity encoding) was applied to further decrease the MR scan time. The localization method was validated by a comparison with CT, and the accuracy and precision were investigated. The results demonstrated that the described method could be used to determine the HDR source position with a high accuracy (0.4–0.6 mm) and a high precision (⩽0.1 mm), at high temporal resolutions (0.15–1.2 s per slice). This would enable real-time treatment verification as well as an automatic detection of the source dwell positions.

Interferometry with flexible point source array for measuring complex freeform surface and its design algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jia; Shen, Hua; Zhu, Rihong; Gao, Jinming; Sun, Yue; Wang, Jinsong; Li, Bo

2018-06-01

The precision of the measurements of aspheric and freeform surfaces remains the primary factor restrict their manufacture and application. One effective means of measuring such surfaces involves using reference or probe beams with angle modulation, such as tilted-wave-interferometer (TWI). It is necessary to improve the measurement efficiency by obtaining the optimum point source array for different pieces before TWI measurements. For purpose of forming a point source array based on the gradients of different surfaces under test, we established a mathematical model describing the relationship between the point source array and the test surface. However, the optimal point sources are irregularly distributed. In order to achieve a flexible point source array according to the gradient of test surface, a novel interference setup using fiber array is proposed in which every point source can be independently controlled on and off. Simulations and the actual measurement examples of two different surfaces are given in this paper to verify the mathematical model. Finally, we performed an experiment of testing an off-axis ellipsoidal surface that proved the validity of the proposed interference system.

The Role of Major Gas-rich Mergers on the Evolution of Galaxies from the Blue Cloud to the Red Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Rui; Hao, Cai-Na; Xia, X. Y.; Mao, Shude; Shi, Yong

2016-07-01

With the aim of exploring the fast evolutionary path from the blue cloud of star-forming galaxies to the red sequence of quiescent galaxies in the local universe, we select a local advanced merging infrared luminous and ultraluminous galaxy (adv-merger (U)LIRGs) sample and perform careful dust extinction corrections to investigate their positions in the star formation rate-M *, u - r, and NUV - r color-mass diagrams. The sample consists of 89 (U)LIRGs at the late merger stage, obtained from cross-correlating the Infrared Astronomical Satellite Point Source Catalog Redshift Survey and 1 Jy ULIRGs samples with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DR7 database. Our results show that 74 % +/- 5 % of adv-merger (U)LIRGs are localized above the 1σ line of the local star-forming galaxy main sequence. We also find that all adv-merger (U)LIRGs are more massive than and as blue as the blue cloud galaxies after corrections for Galactic and internal dust extinctions, with 95 % +/- 2 % and 81 % +/- 4 % of them outside the blue cloud on the u - r and NUV - r color-mass diagrams, respectively. These results, combined with the short timescale for exhausting the molecular gas reservoir in adv-merger (U)LIRGs (3× {10}7 to 3× {10}8 years), imply that the adv-merger (U)LIRGs are likely at the starting point of the fast evolutionary track previously proposed by several groups. While the number density of adv-merger (U)LIRGs is only ˜ 0.1 % of the blue cloud star-forming galaxies in the local universe, this evolutionary track may play a more important role at high redshift.

High-dose rate brachytherapy in the treatment of carcinoma of uterine cervix: twenty-year experience with cobalt after-loading system.

PubMed

Mosalaei, A; Mohammadianpanah, M; Omidvari, S; Ahmadloo, N

2006-01-01

This retrospective analysis aims to report results of patients with cancer of uterine cervix treated with external-beam radiotherapy (EBR) and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, using manual treatment planning. From 1975 to 1995, 237 patients with FIGO stages IIB-IVA and mean age of 54.31 years were treated. EBR dose to the whole pelvis was 50 Gy in 25 fractions. Brachytherapy with HDR after-loading cobalt source (Cathetron) was performed following EBR completion with a dose of 30 Gy in three weekly fractions of 10 Gy to point A. Survival, local control, and genitourinary and gastrointestinal complications were assessed. In a median follow-up of 60.2 months, the 10-year overall and disease-free survival rate was 62.4%. Local recurrence was seen in 12.2% of patients. Distant metastases to the lymph nodes, peritoneum, lung, liver, and bone occurred in 25.3% of patients. Less than 6% of patients experienced severe genitourinary and/or gastrointestinal toxicity that were relieved by surgical intervention. No treatment-related mortality was seen. This series suggests that 50 Gy to the whole pelvis together with three fractions of 10 Gy to point A with HDR brachytherapy is an effective fractionation schedule in the treatment of locally advanced cancer of cervix. To decrease the complications, newer devices and treatment planning may be beneficial.

Changing Regulations of COD Pollution Load of Weihe River Watershed above TongGuan Section, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Lei; Liu, WanQing

2018-02-01

TongGuan Section of Weihe River Watershed is a provincial section between Shaanxi Province and Henan Province, China. Weihe River Watershed above TongGuan Section is taken as the research objective in this paper and COD is chosen as the water quality parameter. According to the discharge characteristics of point source pollutions and non-point source pollutions, a method—characteristic section load (CSLD) method is suggested and point and non-point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above TongGuan Section are calculated in the rainy, normal and dry season in 2013. The results show that the monthly point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above TongGuan Section discharge stably and the monthly non-point source pollution loads of Weihe River Watershed above TongGuan Section change greatly and the non-point source pollution load proportions of total pollution load of COD decrease in the rainy, wet and normal period in turn.

GARLIC, A SHIELDING PROGRAM FOR GAMMA RADIATION FROM LINE- AND CYLINDER- SOURCES

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

Roos, M.

1959-06-01

GARLlC is a program for computing the gamma ray flux or dose rate at a shielded isotropic point detector, due to a line source or the line equivalent of a cylindrical source. The source strength distribution along the line must be either uniform or an arbitrary part of the positive half-cycle of a cosine function The line source can be orierted arbitrarily with respect to the main shield and the detector, except that the detector must not be located on the line source or on its extensionThe main source is a homogeneous plane slab in which scattered radiation is accountedmore » for by multiplying each point element of the line source by a point source buildup factor inside the integral over the point elements. Between the main shield and the line source additional shields can be introduced, which are either plane slabs, parallel to the main shield, or cylindrical rings, coaxial with the line source. Scattered radiation in the additional shields can only be accounted for by constant build-up factors outside the integral. GARLlC-xyz is an extended version particularly suited for the frequently met problem of shielding a room containing a large number of line sources in diHerent positions. The program computes the angles and linear dimensions of a problem for GARLIC when the positions of the detector point and the end points of the line source are given as points in an arbitrary rectangular coordinate system. As an example the isodose curves in water are presented for a monoenergetic cosine-distributed line source at several source energies and for an operating fuel element of the Swedish reactor R3, (auth)« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Detected sources in the region of Magellanic Stream (For+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

For, B.-Q.; Staveley-Smith, L.; Matthews, D.; McClure-Griffiths, N. M.

2017-04-01

The ATCA high-resolution MS survey covers a 500 deg2 field Magellanic Stream (here after MS) using the H75 configuration of the ATCA. MS I to MS IV, part of the SMC, and the Interface Region (IFR) are covered in this survey. The observations were carried out over a period from 2005 to 2006, which resulted in ~180 hr of total observing time. The entire area was divided into 33 regions with 154 pointing centers per region, resulting in 5082 pointing centers. Each pointing center was separated by 20', arranged in a hexagonal grid, observed for 20 s, and revisited six times during an average of 10 hours of observation. The resulting ATCA data have an angular resolution of 413''x330'', a brightness sensitivity of 210 mK and a velocity resolution of 1.65 km/s after Hanning smoothing. The survey covers the local standard of rest velocity (VLSR) between -315 and +393 km/s. (1 data file).

Optical communications and a comparison of optical technologies for a high data rate return link from Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spence, Rodney L.

1993-01-01

The important principles of direct- and heterodyne-detection optical free-space communications are reviewed. Signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and bit-error-rate (BER) expressions are derived for both the direct-detection and heterodyne-detection optical receivers. For the heterodyne system, performance degradation resulting from received-signal and local oscillator-beam misalignment and laser phase noise is analyzed. Determination of interfering background power from local and extended background sources is discussed. The BER performance of direct- and heterodyne-detection optical links in the presence of Rayleigh-distributed random pointing and tracking errors is described. Finally, several optical systems employing Nd:YAG, GaAs, and CO2 laser sources are evaluated and compared to assess their feasibility in providing high-data-rate (10- to 1000-Mbps) Mars-to-Earth communications. It is shown that the root mean square (rms) pointing and tracking accuracy is a critical factor in defining the system transmitting laser-power requirements and telescope size and that, for a given rms error, there is an optimum telescope aperture size that minimizes the required power. The results of the analysis conducted indicate that, barring the achievement of extremely small rms pointing and tracking errors (less than 0.2 microrad), the two most promising types of optical systems are those that use an Nd:YAG laser (lambda = 1.064 microns) and high-order pulse position modulator (PPM) and direct detection, and those that use a CO2 laser (lambda = 10.6 microns) and phase shifting keying homodyne modulation and coherent detection. For example, for a PPM order of M = 64 and an rms pointing accuracy of 0.4 microrad, an Nd:YAG system can be used to implement a 100-Mbps Mars link with a 40-cm transmitting telescope, a 20-W laser, and a 10-m receiving photon bucket. Under the same conditions, a CO2 system would require 3-m transmitting and receiving telescopes and a 32-W laser to implement such a link. Other types of optical systems, such as a semiconductor laser systems, are impractical in the presence of large rms pointing errors because of the high power requirements of the 100-Mbps Mars link, even when optimal-size telescopes are used.

45 CFR 2551.92 - What are project funding requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... local funding sources during the first three years of operations; or (2) An economic downturn, the... sources of local funding support; or (3) The unexpected discontinuation of local support from one or more... local funding sources during the first three years of operations; (ii) An economic downturn, the...

45 CFR 2552.92 - What are project funding requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... local funding sources during the first three years of operations; or (2) An economic downturn, the... sources of local funding support; or (3) The unexpected discontinuation of local support from one or more... the development of local funding sources during the first three years of operations; or (ii) An...

Bifurcations and degenerate periodic points in a three dimensional chaotic fluid flow

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

Smith, L. D., E-mail: lachlan.smith@monash.edu; CSIRO Mineral Resources, Clayton, Victoria 3800; Rudman, M.

2016-05-15

Analysis of the periodic points of a conservative periodic dynamical system uncovers the basic kinematic structure of the transport dynamics and identifies regions of local stability or chaos. While elliptic and hyperbolic points typically govern such behaviour in 3D systems, degenerate (parabolic) points also play an important role. These points represent a bifurcation in local stability and Lagrangian topology. In this study, we consider the ramifications of the two types of degenerate periodic points that occur in a model 3D fluid flow. (1) Period-tripling bifurcations occur when the local rotation angle associated with elliptic points is reversed, creating a reversalmore » in the orientation of associated Lagrangian structures. Even though a single unstable point is created, the bifurcation in local stability has a large influence on local transport and the global arrangement of manifolds as the unstable degenerate point has three stable and three unstable directions, similar to hyperbolic points, and occurs at the intersection of three hyperbolic periodic lines. The presence of period-tripling bifurcation points indicates regions of both chaos and confinement, with the extent of each depending on the nature of the associated manifold intersections. (2) The second type of bifurcation occurs when periodic lines become tangent to local or global invariant surfaces. This bifurcation creates both saddle–centre bifurcations which can create both chaotic and stable regions, and period-doubling bifurcations which are a common route to chaos in 2D systems. We provide conditions for the occurrence of these tangent bifurcations in 3D conservative systems, as well as constraints on the possible types of tangent bifurcation that can occur based on topological considerations.« less

A protozoal-associated epizootic impacting marine wildlife: Mass-mortality of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) due to Sarcocystis neurona infection

PubMed Central

Conrad, Patricia A.; Harris, Michael; Hatfield, Brian; Langlois, Gregg; Jessup, David A.; Magargal, Spencer L.; Packham, Andrea E.; Toy-Choutka, Sharon; Melli, Ann C.; Murray, Michael A.; Gulland, Frances M.; Grigg, Michael E.

2016-01-01

During April, 2004, 40 sick and dead southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were recovered over 18 km of coastline near Morro Bay, California. This event represented the single largest monthly spike in mortality ever recorded during 30 years of southern sea otter stranding data collection. Because of the point-source nature of the event and clinical signs consistent with severe, acute neurological disease, exposure to a chemical or marine toxin was initially considered. However, detailed postmortem examinations revealed lesions consistent with an infectious etiology, and further investigation confirmed the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis neurona as the underlying cause. Tissues from 94% of examined otters were PCR-positive for S. neurona, based on DNA amplification and sequencing at the ITS-1 locus, and 100% of tested animals (n = 14) had elevated IgM and IgG titers to S. neurona. Evidence to support the point-source character of this event include the striking spatial and temporal clustering of cases and detection of high concentrations of anti-S. neurona IgM in serum of stranded animals. Concurrent exposure to the marine biotoxin domoic acid may have enhanced susceptibility of affected otters to S. neurona and exacerbated the neurological signs exhibited by stranded animals. Other factors that may have contributed to the severity of this epizootic include a large rainstorm that preceded the event and an abundance of razor clams near local beaches, attracting numerous otters close to shore within the affected area. This is the first report of a localized epizootic in marine wildlife caused by apicomplexan protozoa. PMID:20615616

A protozoal-associated epizootic impacting marine wildlife: mass-mortality of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) due to Sarcocystis neurona infection.

PubMed

Miller, Melissa A; Conrad, Patricia A; Harris, Michael; Hatfield, Brian; Langlois, Gregg; Jessup, David A; Magargal, Spencer L; Packham, Andrea E; Toy-Choutka, Sharon; Melli, Ann C; Murray, Michael A; Gulland, Frances M; Grigg, Michael E

2010-09-20

During April 2004, 40 sick and dead southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were recovered over 18km of coastline near Morro Bay, California. This event represented the single largest monthly spike in mortality ever recorded during 30 years of southern sea otter stranding data collection. Because of the point-source nature of the event and clinical signs consistent with severe, acute neurological disease, exposure to a chemical or marine toxin was initially considered. However, detailed postmortem examinations revealed lesions consistent with an infectious etiology, and further investigation confirmed the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis neurona as the underlying cause. Tissues from 94% of examined otters were PCR-positive for S. neurona, based on DNA amplification and sequencing at the ITS-1 locus, and 100% of tested animals (n=14) had elevated IgM and IgG titers to S. neurona. Evidence to support the point-source character of this event include the striking spatial and temporal clustering of cases and detection of high concentrations of anti-S. neurona IgM in serum of stranded animals. Concurrent exposure to the marine biotoxin domoic acid may have enhanced susceptibility of affected otters to S. neurona and exacerbated the neurological signs exhibited by stranded animals. Other factors that may have contributed to the severity of this epizootic include a large rainstorm that preceded the event and an abundance of razor clams near local beaches, attracting numerous otters close to shore within the affected area. This is the first report of a localized epizootic in marine wildlife caused by apicomplexan protozoa.

Analysis of hydrogeochemical facies in groundwater of upper part of Cross River Basin, southeastern Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephen, Ukpai N.; Celestine, Okogbue O.; Solomon, Onwuka O.

2017-07-01

Upper Cross River Hydrogeological Basin lies within latitudes 60 021N to 60 241N and longitudes 80 001E to 80 161E, and is generally underlain by shales of Asu River group of Albian age. The area has Histories of intensive mineralization which influenced groundwater system, resulting to occurrence of different water types. This study determines the various water types via evaluation of major ion concentration from representative water samples collected across the area. Twenty (20) water samples were analyzed using Spectrophotometer of HACH DR/2010 series, and results showed that groundwater in the area is generally hard and polluted with TDS in some places. Statistical inspection was performed on the results using aqua-chem, and it delineated five hydro-chemical facies, namely: Ca-Mg-Cl-S04, Ca-Mg-HCO3-Cl-SO4, Ca-Mg-HCO3, Na-K-HCO3 and Na-K-Cl-SO4; all lie between slight acidic and weak alkaline water. These chemical facies (water types) diffused from non-point sources in urban area and point source from south of Abakaliki town. The dispersion of the facies plumes is possibly controlled by advection process through structural weak zones such as fractures. Hydraulic heads determined from hand-dug wells indicate local potentiometric surfaces, hence, showed local groundwater flow system which is possibly controlled by the underlying low permeable aquicludes formed by shales. The protective capacity of the aquitards was somewhat reduced by the permeating fractures which exposed the aquifers to polluting effects of mineralized water-types.

Evaluation of a head-repositioner and Z-plate system for improved accuracy of dose delivery.

PubMed

Charney, Sarah C; Lutz, Wendell R; Klein, Mary K; Jones, Pamela D

2009-01-01

Radiation therapy requires accurate dose delivery to targets often identifiable only on computed tomography (CT) images. Translation between the isocenter localized on CT and laser setup for radiation treatment, and interfractional head repositioning are frequent sources of positioning error. The objective was to design a simple, accurate apparatus to eliminate these sources of error. System accuracy was confirmed with phantom and in vivo measurements. A head repositioner that fixates the maxilla via dental mold with fiducial marker Z-plates attached was fabricated to facilitate the connection between the isocenter on CT and laser treatment setup. A phantom study targeting steel balls randomly located within the head repositioner was performed. The center of each ball was marked on a transverse CT slice on which six points of the Z-plate were also visible. Based on the relative position of the six Z-plate points and the ball center, the laser setup position on each Z-plate and a top plate was calculated. Based on these setup marks, orthogonal port films, directed toward each target, were evaluated for accuracy without regard to visual setup. A similar procedure was followed to confirm accuracy of in vivo treatment setups in four dogs using implanted gold seeds. Sequential port films of three dogs were made to confirm interfractional accuracy. Phantom and in vivo measurements confirmed accuracy of 2 mm between isocenter on CT and the center of the treatment dose distribution. Port films confirmed similar accuracy for interfractional treatments. The system reliably connects CT target localization to accurate initial and interfractional radiation treatment setup.

Performance Evaluation of Multichannel Adaptive Algorithms for Local Active Noise Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DE DIEGO, M.; GONZALEZ, A.

2001-07-01

This paper deals with the development of a multichannel active noise control (ANC) system inside an enclosed space. The purpose is to design a real practical system which works well in local ANC applications. Moreover, the algorithm implemented in the adaptive controller should be robust, of low computational complexity and it should manage to generate a uniform useful-size zone of quite in order to allow the head motion of a person seated on a seat inside a car. Experiments were carried out under semi-anechoic and listening room conditions to verify the successful implementation of the multichannel system. The developed prototype consists of an array of up to four microphones used as error sensors mounted on the headrest of a seat place inside the enclosure. One loudspeaker was used as single primary source and two secondary sources were placed facing the seat. The aim of this multichannel system is to reduce the sound pressure levels in an area around the error sensors, following a local control strategy. When using this technique, the cancellation points are not only the error sensor positions but an area around them, which is measured by using a monitoring microphone. Different multichannel adaptive algorithms for ANC have been analyzed and their performance verified. Multiple error algorithms are used in order to cancel out different types of primary noise (engine noise and random noise) with several configurations (up to four channels system). As an alternative to the multiple error LMS algorithm (multichannel version of the filtered-X LMS algorithm, MELMS), the least maximum mean squares (LMMS) and the scanning error-LMS algorithm have been developed in this work in order to reduce computational complexity and achieve a more uniform residual field. The ANC algorithms were programmed on a digital signal processing board equipped with a TMS320C40 floating point DSP processor. Measurements concerning real-time experiments on local noise reduction in two environments and at frequencies below 230 Hz are presented. Better noise levels attenuation is obtained in the semianechoic chamber due to the simplicity of the acoustic field. The size of the zone of quiet makes the system useful at relatively low frequencies and it is large enough to cover a listener's head movements. The spatial extent of the zones of quiet is generally observed to increase as the error sensors are moved away from the secondary source, they are put closer together or its number increases. In summary, different algorithms' performance and the viability of the multichannel system for local active noise control in real listening conditions are evaluated and some guidelines for designing such systems are then proposed.

Single camera photogrammetry system for EEG electrode identification and localization.

PubMed

Baysal, Uğur; Sengül, Gökhan

2010-04-01

In this study, photogrammetric coordinate measurement and color-based identification of EEG electrode positions on the human head are simultaneously implemented. A rotating, 2MP digital camera about 20 cm above the subject's head is used and the images are acquired at predefined stop points separated azimuthally at equal angular displacements. In order to realize full automation, the electrodes have been labeled by colored circular markers and an electrode recognition algorithm has been developed. The proposed method has been tested by using a plastic head phantom carrying 25 electrode markers. Electrode locations have been determined while incorporating three different methods: (i) the proposed photogrammetric method, (ii) conventional 3D radiofrequency (RF) digitizer, and (iii) coordinate measurement machine having about 6.5 mum accuracy. It is found that the proposed system automatically identifies electrodes and localizes them with a maximum error of 0.77 mm. It is suggested that this method may be used in EEG source localization applications in the human brain.

Effect of Local TOF Kernel Miscalibrations on Contrast-Noise in TOF PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clementel, Enrico; Mollet, Pieter; Vandenberghe, Stefaan

2013-06-01

TOF PET imaging requires specific calibrations: accurate characterization of the system timing resolution and timing offset is required to achieve the full potential image quality. Current system models used in image reconstruction assume a spatially uniform timing resolution kernel. Furthermore, although the timing offset errors are often pre-corrected, this correction becomes less accurate with the time since, especially in older scanners, the timing offsets are often calibrated only during the installation, as the procedure is time-consuming. In this study, we investigate and compare the effects of local mismatch of timing resolution when a uniform kernel is applied to systems with local variations in timing resolution and the effects of uncorrected time offset errors on image quality. A ring-like phantom was acquired on a Philips Gemini TF scanner and timing histograms were obtained from coincidence events to measure timing resolution along all sets of LORs crossing the scanner center. In addition, multiple acquisitions of a cylindrical phantom, 20 cm in diameter with spherical inserts, and a point source were simulated. A location-dependent timing resolution was simulated, with a median value of 500 ps and increasingly large local variations, and timing offset errors ranging from 0 to 350 ps were also simulated. Images were reconstructed with TOF MLEM with a uniform kernel corresponding to the effective timing resolution of the data, as well as with purposefully mismatched kernels. To CRC vs noise curves were measured over the simulated cylinder realizations, while the simulated point source was processed to generate timing histograms of the data. Results show that timing resolution is not uniform over the FOV of the considered scanner. The simulated phantom data indicate that CRC is moderately reduced in data sets with locally varying timing resolution reconstructed with a uniform kernel, while still performing better than non-TOF reconstruction. On the other hand, uncorrected offset errors in our setup have a larger potential for decreasing image quality and can lead to a reduction of CRC of up to 15% and an increase in the measured timing resolution kernel up to 40%. However, in realistic conditions in frequently calibrated systems, using a larger effective timing kernel in image reconstruction can compensate uncorrected offset errors.

An iterative method for the localization of a neutron source in a large box (container)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubinski, S.; Presler, O.; Alfassi, Z. B.

2007-12-01

The localization of an unknown neutron source in a bulky box was studied. This can be used for the inspection of cargo, to prevent the smuggling of neutron and α emitters. It is important to localize the source from the outside for safety reasons. Source localization is necessary in order to determine its activity. A previous study showed that, by using six detectors, three on each parallel face of the box (460×420×200 mm 3), the location of the source can be found with an average distance of 4.73 cm between the real source position and the calculated one and a maximal distance of about 9 cm. Accuracy was improved in this work by applying an iteration method based on four fixed detectors and the successive iteration of positioning of an external calibrating source. The initial positioning of the calibrating source is the plane of detectors 1 and 2. This method finds the unknown source location with an average distance of 0.78 cm between the real source position and the calculated one and a maximum distance of 3.66 cm for the same box. For larger boxes, localization without iterations requires an increase in the number of detectors, while localization with iterations requires only an increase in the number of iteration steps. In addition to source localization, two methods for determining the activity of the unknown source were also studied.

Response of an oscillating superleak transducer to a pointlike heat source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quadt, A.; Schröder, B.; Uhrmacher, M.; Weingarten, J.; Willenberg, B.; Vennekate, H.

2012-03-01

A new technique of superconducting cavity diagnostics has been introduced by D. L. Hartill at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. It uses oscillating superleak transducers (OST) which detect the heat transferred from a cavity’s quench point via Second Sound through the superfluid He bath, needed to cool the superconducting cavity. The localization of the quench point is done by triangulation. The observed response of an OST is a nontrivial, but reproducible pattern of oscillations. A small helium evaporation cryostat was built which allows the investigation of the response of an OST in greater detail. The distance between a pointlike electrical heater and the OST can be varied. The OST can be mounted either parallel or perpendicular to the plate that houses the heat source. If the artificial quench point releases an amount of energy compatible to a real quench spot on a cavity’s surface, the OST signal starts with a negative pulse, which is usually strong enough to allow automatic detection. Furthermore, the reflection of the Second Sound on the wall is observed. A reflection coefficient R=0.39±0.05 of the glass wall is measured. This excludes a strong influence of multiple reflections in the complex OST response. Fourier analyses show three main frequencies, found in all OST spectra. They can be interpreted as modes of an oscillating circular membrane.

Sound source localization identification accuracy: Envelope dependencies.

PubMed

Yost, William A

2017-07-01

Sound source localization accuracy as measured in an identification procedure in a front azimuth sound field was studied for click trains, modulated noises, and a modulated tonal carrier. Sound source localization accuracy was determined as a function of the number of clicks in a 64 Hz click train and click rate for a 500 ms duration click train. The clicks were either broadband or high-pass filtered. Sound source localization accuracy was also measured for a single broadband filtered click and compared to a similar broadband filtered, short-duration noise. Sound source localization accuracy was determined as a function of sinusoidal amplitude modulation and the "transposed" process of modulation of filtered noises and a 4 kHz tone. Different rates (16 to 512 Hz) of modulation (including unmodulated conditions) were used. Providing modulation for filtered click stimuli, filtered noises, and the 4 kHz tone had, at most, a very small effect on sound source localization accuracy. These data suggest that amplitude modulation, while providing information about interaural time differences in headphone studies, does not have much influence on sound source localization accuracy in a sound field.

Propagation of Gaussian wave packets in complex media and application to fracture characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Yinshuai; Zheng, Yingcai; Zhou, Hua-Wei; Howell, Michael; Hu, Hao; Zhang, Yu

2017-08-01

Knowledge of the subsurface fracture networks is critical in probing the tectonic stress states and flow of fluids in reservoirs containing fractures. We propose to characterize fractures using scattered seismic data, based on the theory of local plane-wave multiple scattering in a fractured medium. We construct a localized directional wave packet using point sources on the surface and propagate it toward the targeted subsurface fractures. The wave packet behaves as a local plane wave when interacting with the fractures. The interaction produces multiple scattering of the wave packet that eventually travels up to the surface receivers. The propagation direction and amplitude of the multiply scattered wave can be used to characterize fracture density, orientation and compliance. Two key aspects in this characterization process are the spatial localization and directionality of the wave packet. Here we first show the physical behaviour of a new localized wave, known as the Gaussian Wave Packet (GWP), by examining its analytical solution originally formulated for a homogenous medium. We then use a numerical finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to study its propagation behaviour in heterogeneous media. We find that a GWP can still be localized and directional in space even over a large propagation distance in heterogeneous media. We then propose a method to decompose the recorded seismic wavefield into GWPs based on the reverse-time concept. This method enables us to create a virtually recorded seismic data using field shot gathers, as if the source were an incident GWP. Finally, we demonstrate the feasibility of using GWPs for fracture characterization using three numerical examples. For a medium containing fractures, we can reliably invert for the local parameters of multiple fracture sets. Differing from conventional seismic imaging such as migration methods, our fracture characterization method is less sensitive to errors in the background velocity model. For a layered medium containing fractures, our method can correctly recover the fracture density even with an inaccurate velocity model.

Trends in PM2.5 emissions, concentrations and apportionments in Detroit and Chicago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milando, Chad; Huang, Lei; Batterman, Stuart

2016-03-01

PM2.5 concentrations throughout much of the U.S. have decreased over the last 15 years, but emissions and concentration trends can vary by location and source type. Such trends should be understood to inform air quality management and policies. This work examines trends in emissions, concentrations and source apportionments in two large Midwest U.S. cities, Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois. Annual and seasonal trends were investigated using National Emission Inventory (NEI) data for 2002 to 2011, speciated ambient PM2.5 data from 2001 to 2014, apportionments from positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor modeling, and quantile regression. Over the study period, county-wide data suggest emissions from point sources decreased (Detroit) or held constant (Chicago), while emissions from on-road mobile sources were constant (Detroit) or increased (Chicago), however changes in methodology limit the interpretation of inventory trends. Ambient concentration data also suggest source and apportionment trends, e.g., annual median concentrations of PM2.5 in the two cities declined by 3.2-3.6%/yr (faster than national trends), and sulfate concentrations (due to coal-fired facilities and other point source emissions) declined even faster; in contrast, organic and elemental carbon (tracers of gasoline and diesel vehicle exhaust) declined more slowly or held constant. The PMF models identified nine sources in Detroit and eight in Chicago, the most important being secondary sulfate, secondary nitrate and vehicle emissions. A minor crustal dust source, metals sources, and a biomass source also were present in both cities. These apportionments showed that the median relative contributions from secondary sulfate sources decreased by 4.2-5.5% per year in Detroit and Chicago, while contributions from metals sources, biomass sources, and vehicles increased from 1.3 to 9.2% per year. This first application of quantile regression to trend analyses of speciated PM2.5 data reveals that source contributions to PM2.5 varied as PM2.5 concentrations decreased, and that the fraction of PM2.5 due to emissions from vehicles and other local emissions has increased. Each data source has uncertainties, but emissions, monitoring and PMF data provide complementary information that can help to discern trends and identify contributing sources. Study results emphasize the need to target specific sources in policies and regulations aimed at decreasing PM2.5 concentrations in urban areas.

The contribution of dynamic visual cues to audiovisual speech perception.

PubMed

Jaekl, Philip; Pesquita, Ana; Alsius, Agnes; Munhall, Kevin; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2015-08-01

Seeing a speaker's facial gestures can significantly improve speech comprehension, especially in noisy environments. However, the nature of the visual information from the speaker's facial movements that is relevant for this enhancement is still unclear. Like auditory speech signals, visual speech signals unfold over time and contain both dynamic configural information and luminance-defined local motion cues; two information sources that are thought to engage anatomically and functionally separate visual systems. Whereas, some past studies have highlighted the importance of local, luminance-defined motion cues in audiovisual speech perception, the contribution of dynamic configural information signalling changes in form over time has not yet been assessed. We therefore attempted to single out the contribution of dynamic configural information to audiovisual speech processing. To this aim, we measured word identification performance in noise using unimodal auditory stimuli, and with audiovisual stimuli. In the audiovisual condition, speaking faces were presented as point light displays achieved via motion capture of the original talker. Point light displays could be isoluminant, to minimise the contribution of effective luminance-defined local motion information, or with added luminance contrast, allowing the combined effect of dynamic configural cues and local motion cues. Audiovisual enhancement was found in both the isoluminant and contrast-based luminance conditions compared to an auditory-only condition, demonstrating, for the first time the specific contribution of dynamic configural cues to audiovisual speech improvement. These findings imply that globally processed changes in a speaker's facial shape contribute significantly towards the perception of articulatory gestures and the analysis of audiovisual speech. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a bio-magnetic measurement system and sensor configuration analysis for rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ji-Eun; Kim, In-Seon; Kim, Kiwoong; Lim, Sanghyun; Kwon, Hyukchan; Kang, Chan Seok; Ahn, San; Yu, Kwon Kyu; Lee, Yong-Ho

2017-04-01

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) based on superconducting quantum interference devices enables the measurement of very weak magnetic fields (10-1000 fT) generated from the human or animal brain. In this article, we introduce a small MEG system that we developed specifically for use with rats. Our system has the following characteristics: (1) variable distance between the pick-up coil and outer Dewar bottom (˜5 mm), (2) small pick-up coil (4 mm) for high spatial resolution, (3) good field sensitivity (45 ˜ 80 fT /cm/√{Hz} ) , (4) the sensor interval satisfies the Nyquist spatial sampling theorem, and (5) small source localization error for the region to be investigated. To reduce source localization error, it is necessary to establish an optimal sensor layout. To this end, we simulated confidence volumes at each point on a grid on the surface of a virtual rat head. In this simulation, we used locally fitted spheres as model rat heads. This enabled us to consider more realistic volume currents. We constrained the model such that the dipoles could have only four possible orientations: the x- and y-axes from the original coordinates, and two tangentially layered dipoles (local x- and y-axes) in the locally fitted spheres. We considered the confidence volumes according to the sensor layout and dipole orientation and positions. We then conducted a preliminary test with a 4-channel MEG system prior to manufacturing the multi-channel system. Using the 4-channel MEG system, we measured rat magnetocardiograms. We obtained well defined P-, QRS-, and T-waves in rats with a maximum value of 15 pT/cm. Finally, we measured auditory evoked fields and steady state auditory evoked fields with maximum values 400 fT/cm and 250 fT/cm, respectively.

40 CFR 51.35 - How can my state equalize the emission inventory effort from year to year?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... approach: (1) Each year, collect and report data for all Type A (large) point sources (this is required for all Type A point sources). (2) Each year, collect data for one-third of your sources that are not Type... save 3 years of data and then report all emissions from the sources that are not Type A point sources...

40 CFR 51.35 - How can my state equalize the emission inventory effort from year to year?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... approach: (1) Each year, collect and report data for all Type A (large) point sources (this is required for all Type A point sources). (2) Each year, collect data for one-third of your sources that are not Type... save 3 years of data and then report all emissions from the sources that are not Type A point sources...

40 CFR 51.35 - How can my state equalize the emission inventory effort from year to year?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... approach: (1) Each year, collect and report data for all Type A (large) point sources (this is required for all Type A point sources). (2) Each year, collect data for one-third of your sources that are not Type... save 3 years of data and then report all emissions from the sources that are not Type A point sources...

The choice of the source space and the Laplacian matrix in LORETA and the spatio-temporal Kalman filter EEG inverse methods.

PubMed

Habboush, Nawar; Hamid, Laith; Japaridze, Natia; Wiegand, Gert; Heute, Ulrich; Stephani, Ulrich; Galka, Andreas; Siniatchkin, Michael

2015-08-01

The discretization of the brain and the definition of the Laplacian matrix influence the results of methods based on spatial and spatio-temporal smoothness, since the Laplacian operator is used to define the smoothness based on the neighborhood of each grid point. In this paper, the results of low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) and the spatiotemporal Kalman filter (STKF) are computed using, first, a greymatter source space with the standard definition of the Laplacian matrix and, second, using a whole-brain source space and a modified definition of the Laplacian matrix. Electroencephalographic (EEG) source imaging results of five inter-ictal spikes from a pre-surgical patient with epilepsy are used to validate the two aforementioned approaches. The results using the whole-brain source space and the modified definition of the Laplacian matrix were concentrated in a single source activation, stable, and concordant with the location of the focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) in the patient's brain compared with the results which use a grey-matter grid and the classical definition of the Laplacian matrix. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates a substantial improvement of source localization with both LORETA and STKF and constitutes a basis for further research in a large population of patients with epilepsy.

Beyond the double banana: improved recognition of temporal lobe seizures in long-term EEG.

PubMed

Rosenzweig, Ivana; Fogarasi, András; Johnsen, Birger; Alving, Jørgen; Fabricius, Martin Ejler; Scherg, Michael; Neufeld, Miri Y; Pressler, Ronit; Kjaer, Troels W; van Emde Boas, Walter; Beniczky, Sándor

2014-02-01

To investigate whether extending the 10-20 array with 6 electrodes in the inferior temporal chain and constructing computed montages increases the diagnostic value of ictal EEG activity originating in the temporal lobe. In addition, the accuracy of computer-assisted spectral source analysis was investigated. Forty EEG samples were reviewed by 7 EEG experts in various montages (longitudinal and transversal bipolar, common average, source derivation, source montage, current source density, and reference-free montages) using 2 electrode arrays (10-20 and the extended one). Spectral source analysis used source montage to calculate density spectral array, defining the earliest oscillatory onset. From this, phase maps were calculated for localization. The reference standard was the decision of the multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery team on the seizure onset zone. Clinical performance was compared with the double banana (longitudinal bipolar montage, 10-20 array). Adding the inferior temporal electrode chain, computed montages (reference free, common average, and source derivation), and voltage maps significantly increased the sensitivity. Phase maps had the highest sensitivity and identified ictal activity at earlier time-point than visual inspection. There was no significant difference concerning specificity. The findings advocate for the use of these digital EEG technology-derived analysis methods in clinical practice.

The Effect of Rural Hospital Closures on Community Economic Health

PubMed Central

Holmes, George M; Slifkin, Rebecca T; Randolph, Randy K; Poley, Stephanie

2006-01-01

Objective To examine the effect of rural hospital closures on the local economy. Data Sources U.S. Census Bureau, OSCAR, Medicare Cost Reports, and surveys of individuals knowledgeable about local hospital closures. Study Design Economic data at the county level for 1990–2000 were combined with information on hospital closures. The study sample was restricted to rural counties experiencing a closure during the sample period. Longitudinal regression methods were used to estimate the effect of hospital closure on per-capita income, unemployment rate, and other community economic measures. Models included both leading and lagged closure terms allowing a preclosure economic downturn as well as time for the closure to be fully realized by the community. Data Collection Information on closures was collected by contacting every state hospital association, reconciling information gathered with that contained in the American Hospital Association file and OIG reports. Principal Findings Results indicate that the closure of the sole hospital in the community reduces per-capita income by $703 (p<0.05) or 4 percent (p<0.05) and increases the unemployment rate by 1.6 percentage points (p<0.01). Closures in communities with alternative sources of hospital care had no long-term economic impact, although income decreased for 2 years following the closure. Conclusions The local economic effects of a hospital closure should be considered when regulations that affect hospitals' financial well-being are designed or changed. PMID:16584460

Burden of Mortality and Disease Attributable to Multiple Air Pollutants in Warsaw, Poland

PubMed Central

Kałuszko, Andrzej; Nahorski, Zbigniew

2017-01-01

Air pollution is a significant public health issue all over the world, especially in urban areas where a large number of inhabitants are affected. In this study, we quantify the health burden due to local air pollution for Warsaw, Poland. The health impact of the main air pollutants, PM, NOX, SO2, CO, C6H6, BaP and heavy metals is considered. The annual mean concentrations are predicted with the CALPUFF air quality modeling system using the year 2012 emission and meteorological data. The emission field comprises point, mobile and area sources. The exposure to these pollutants was estimated using population data with a spatial resolution of 0.5 × 0.5 km2. Changes in mortality and in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were estimated with relative risk functions obtained from literature. It has been predicted that local emissions cause approximately 1600 attributable deaths and 29,000 DALYs per year. About 80% of the health burden was due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Mobile and area sources contributed 46% and 52% of total DALYs, respectively. When the inflow from outside was included, the burden nearly doubled to 51,000 DALYs. These results indicate that local decisions can potentially reduce associated negative health effects, but a national-level policy is required for reducing the strong environmental impact of PM emissions. PMID:29117145

Orientation and spread of reconnection x-line in asymmetric current sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y. H.; Hesse, M.; Wendel, D. E.; Kuznetsova, M.; Wang, S.

2017-12-01

The magnetic field in solar wind plasmas can shear with Earth's dipole magnetic field at arbitrary angles, and the plasma conditions on the two sides of the (magnetopause) current sheet can greatly differ. One of the outstanding questions in such asymmetric geometry is what local physics controls the orientation of the reconnection x-line; while the x-line in a simplified 2D model (simulation) always points out of the simulation plane by design, it is unclear how to predict the orientation of the x-line in a fully three-dimensional (3D) system. Using kinetic simulations run on Blue Waters, we develop an approach to explore this 3D nature of the reconnection x-line, and test hypotheses including maximizing the reconnection rate, tearing mode growth rate or reconnection outflow speed, and the bisection solution. Practically, this orientation should correspond to the M-direction of the local LMN coordinate system that is often employed to analyze diffusion region crossings by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS). In this talk, we will also discuss how an x-line spread from a point source in asymmetric geometries, and the boundary effect on the development of the reconnection x-line and turbulence.

Camera calibration: active versus passive targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmalz, Christoph; Forster, Frank; Angelopoulou, Elli

2011-11-01

Traditionally, most camera calibrations rely on a planar target with well-known marks. However, the localization error of the marks in the image is a source of inaccuracy. We propose the use of high-resolution digital displays as active calibration targets to obtain more accurate calibration results for all types of cameras. The display shows a series of coded patterns to generate correspondences between world points and image points. This has several advantages. No special calibration hardware is necessary because suitable displays are practically ubiquitious. The method is fully automatic, and no identification of marks is necessary. For a coding scheme based on phase shifting, the localization accuracy is approximately independent of the camera's focus settings. Most importantly, higher accuracy can be achieved compared to passive targets, such as printed checkerboards. A rigorous evaluation is performed to substantiate this claim. Our active target method is compared to standard calibrations using a checkerboard target. We perform camera, calibrations with different combinations of displays, cameras, and lenses, as well as with simulated images and find markedly lower reprojection errors when using active targets. For example, in a stereo reconstruction task, the accuracy of a system calibrated with an active target is five times better.

Steady subsidence of Medicine Lake volcano, northern California, revealed by repeated leveling surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dzurisin, D.; Poland, Michael P.; Burgmann, R.

2002-01-01

Leveling surveys of a 193-km circuit across Medicine Lake volcano (MLV) in 1954 and 1989 show that the summit area subsided by as much as 302 ?? 30 mm (-8.6 ?? 0.9 mm/yr) with respect to a datum point near Bartle, California, 40 km to the southwest. This result corrects an error in the earlier analysis of the same data by Dzurisin et al. [1991], who reported the subsidence rate as -11.1 ?? 1.2 mm/yr. The subsidence pattern extends across the entire volcano, with a surface area of nearly 2000 km2. Two areas of localized subsidence by as much as 20 cm can be attributed to shallow normal faulting near the volcano's periphery. Surveys of an east-west traverse across Lava Beds National Monument on the north flank of the volcano in 1990 and of a 23-km traverse across the summit area in 1999 show that subsidence continued at essentially the same rate during 1989-1999 as 1954-1989. Volcano-wide subsidence can be explained by either a point source of volume loss (Mogi) or a contracting horizontal rectangular dislocation (sill) at a depth of 10-11 km. Volume loss rate estimates range from 0.0013 to 0.0032 km3/yr, depending mostly on the source depth estimate and source type. Based on first-order quantitative considerations, we can rule out that the observed subsidence is due to volume loss from magma withdrawal, thermal contraction, or crystallizing magma at depth. Instead, we attribute the subsidence and faulting to: (1 gravitational loading of thermally weakened crust by the mass of the volcano and associated intrusive rocks, and (2) thinning of locally weakened crust by Basin and Range deformation. The measured subsidence rate exceeds long-term estimates from drill hole data, suggesting that over long timescales, steady subsidence and episodic uplift caused by magmatic intrusions counteract each other to produce the lower net subsidence rate.

Fire Source Localization Based on Distributed Temperature Sensing by a Dual-Line Optical Fiber System.

PubMed

Sun, Miao; Tang, Yuquan; Yang, Shuang; Li, Jun; Sigrist, Markus W; Dong, Fengzhong

2016-06-06

We propose a method for localizing a fire source using an optical fiber distributed temperature sensor system. A section of two parallel optical fibers employed as the sensing element is installed near the ceiling of a closed room in which the fire source is located. By measuring the temperature of hot air flows, the problem of three-dimensional fire source localization is transformed to two dimensions. The method of the source location is verified with experiments using burning alcohol as fire source, and it is demonstrated that the method represents a robust and reliable technique for localizing a fire source also for long sensing ranges.

Compositional trends in aeolian dust along a transect across the southwestern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldstein, H.L.; Reynolds, R.L.; Reheis, M.C.; Yount, J.C.; Neff, J.C.

2008-01-01

Aeolian dust strongly influences ecology and landscape geochemistry over large areas that span several desert ecosystems of the southwestern United States. This study evaluates spatial and temporal variations and trends of the physical and chemical properties of dust in the southwestern United States by examining dust deposited in natural depressions on high isolated surfaces along a transect from the Mojave Desert to the central Colorado Plateau. Aeolian dust is recognized in these depressions on the basis of textural, chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical characteristics and comparisons of those characteristics to the underlying bedrock units. Spatial and temporal trends suggest that although local dust sources are important to the accumulated material in these depressions, Mojave Desert dust sources may also contribute. Depth trends in the depressions suggest that Mojave sources may have contributed more dust to the Colorado Plateau recently than in the past. These interpretations point to the important roles of far-traveled aeolian dust for landscape geochemistry and imply future changes to soil geochemistry under changing conditions in far-distant dust source areas. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Limits to the lunar atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, T. H.; Shemansky, D. E.

1991-02-01

Apollo UV spectrometer experiment set limits on the density of oxygen of less than 500/cu cm, and the Apollo Lunar Atmospheric Composition Experiment data imply a value less than 50/cu cm above the subsolar point. These limits are surprisingly small relative to the measured value for sodium. A simple consideration of sources and sinks predicts significantly greater densities of oxygen. It is possible but doubtful that the Apollo measurements occurred during an epoch in which source rates were small. A preferential loss process for oxygen on the darkside of the moon is considered in which ionization by electron capture in surface collisions leads to escape through acceleration in the local electric field. Cold trapping in permanently shadowed regions as a net sink is considered and discounted, but the episodic nature of cometary insertion may allow formation of ice layers which act as a stabilized source of OH. On the basis of an assumed meteoroid impact source, a possible emission brightness of 50 R in the OH(A - X)(0,0) band above the lunar bright limb is predicted.

Limits to the lunar atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, T. H.; Shemansky, D. E.

1991-01-01

Apollo UV spectrometer experiment set limits on the density of oxygen of less than 500/cu cm, and the Apollo Lunar Atmospheric Composition Experiment data imply a value less than 50/cu cm above the subsolar point. These limits are surprisingly small relative to the measured value for sodium. A simple consideration of sources and sinks predicts significantly greater densities of oxygen. It is possible but doubtful that the Apollo measurements occurred during an epoch in which source rates were small. A preferential loss process for oxygen on the darkside of the moon is considered in which ionization by electron capture in surface collisions leads to escape through acceleration in the local electric field. Cold trapping in permanently shadowed regions as a net sink is considered and discounted, but the episodic nature of cometary insertion may allow formation of ice layers which act as a stabilized source of OH. On the basis of an assumed meteoroid impact source, a possible emission brightness of 50 R in the OH(A - X)(0,0) band above the lunar bright limb is predicted.

The California Baseline Methane Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duren, R. M.; Thorpe, A. K.; Hopkins, F. M.; Rafiq, T.; Bue, B. D.; Prasad, K.; Mccubbin, I.; Miller, C. E.

2017-12-01

The California Baseline Methane Survey is the first systematic, statewide assessment of methane point source emissions. The objectives are to reduce uncertainty in the state's methane budget and to identify emission mitigation priorities for state and local agencies, utilities and facility owners. The project combines remote sensing of large areas with airborne imaging spectroscopy and spatially resolved bottom-up data sets to detect, quantify and attribute emissions from diverse sectors including agriculture, waste management, oil and gas production and the natural gas supply chain. Phase 1 of the project surveyed nearly 180,000 individual facilities and infrastructure components across California in 2016 - achieving completeness rates ranging from 20% to 100% per emission sector at < 5 meters spatial resolution. Additionally, intensive studies of key areas and sectors were performed to assess source persistence and variability at times scales ranging from minutes to months. Phase 2 of the project continues with additional data collection in Spring and Fall 2017. We describe the survey design and measurement, modeling and analysis methods. We present initial findings regarding the spatial, temporal and sectoral distribution of methane point source emissions in California and their estimated contribution to the state's total methane budget. We provide case-studies and lessons learned about key sectors including examples where super-emitters were identified and mitigated. We summarize challenges and recommendations for future methane research, inventories and mitigation guidance within and beyond California.

Non-domestic phosphorus release in rivers during low-flow: Mechanisms and implications for sources identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupas, Rémi; Tittel, Jörg; Jordan, Phil; Musolff, Andreas; Rode, Michael

2018-05-01

A common assumption in phosphorus (P) load apportionment studies is that P loads in rivers consist of flow independent point source emissions (mainly from domestic and industrial origins) and flow dependent diffuse source emissions (mainly from agricultural origin). Hence, rivers dominated by point sources will exhibit highest P concentration during low-flow, when flow dilution capacity is minimal, whereas rivers dominated by diffuse sources will exhibit highest P concentration during high-flow, when land-to-river hydrological connectivity is maximal. Here, we show that Soluble Reactive P (SRP) concentrations in three forested catchments free of point sources exhibited seasonal maxima during the summer low-flow period, i.e. a pattern expected in point source dominated areas. A load apportionment model (LAM) is used to show how point sources contribution may have been overestimated in previous studies, because of a biogeochemical process mimicking a point source signal. Almost twenty-two years (March 1995-September 2016) of monthly monitoring data of SRP, dissolved iron (Fe) and nitrate-N (NO3) were used to investigate the underlying mechanisms: SRP and Fe exhibited similar seasonal patterns and opposite to that of NO3. We hypothesise that Fe oxyhydroxide reductive dissolution might be the cause of SRP release during the summer period, and that NO3 might act as a redox buffer, controlling the seasonality of SRP release. We conclude that LAMs may overestimate the contribution of P point sources, especially during the summer low-flow period, when eutrophication risk is maximal.

Calculation and analysis of the non-point source pollution in the upstream watershed of the Panjiakou Reservoir, People's Republic of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Tang, L.

2007-05-01

Panjiakou Reservoir is an important drinking water resource in Haihe River Basin, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China. The upstream watershed area is about 35,000 square kilometers. Recently, the water pollution in the reservoir is becoming more serious owing to the non-point pollution as well as point source pollution on the upstream watershed. To effectively manage the reservoir and watershed and develop a plan to reduce pollutant loads, the loading of non-point and point pollution and their distribution on the upstream watershed must be understood fully. The SWAT model is used to simulate the production and transportation of the non-point source pollutants in the upstream watershed of the Panjiakou Reservoir. The loadings of non-point source pollutants are calculated for different hydrologic years and the spatial and temporal characteristics of non-point source pollution are studied. The stream network and topographic characteristics of the stream network and sub-basins are all derived from the DEM by ArcGIS software. The soil and land use data are reclassified and the soil physical properties database file is created for the model. The SWAT model was calibrated with observed data of several hydrologic monitoring stations in the study area. The results of the calibration show that the model performs fairly well. Then the calibrated model was used to calculate the loadings of non-point source pollutants for a wet year, a normal year and a dry year respectively. The time and space distribution of flow, sediment and non-point source pollution were analyzed depending on the simulated results. The comparison of different hydrologic years on calculation results is dramatic. The loading of non-point source pollution in the wet year is relatively larger but smaller in the dry year since the non-point source pollutants are mainly transported through the runoff. The pollution loading within a year is mainly produced in the flood season. Because SWAT is a distributed model, it is possible to view model output as it varies across the basin, so the critical areas and reaches can be found in the study area. According to the simulation results, it is found that different land uses can yield different results and fertilization in rainy season has an important impact on the non- point source pollution. The limitations of the SWAT model are also discussed and the measures of the control and prevention of non- point source pollution for Panjiakou Reservoir are presented according to the analysis of model calculation results.

SU-D-BRA-04: Computerized Framework for Marker-Less Localization of Anatomical Feature Points in Range Images Based On Differential Geometry Features for Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

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

Soufi, M; Arimura, H; Toyofuku, F

Purpose: To propose a computerized framework for localization of anatomical feature points on the patient surface in infrared-ray based range images by using differential geometry (curvature) features. Methods: The general concept was to reconstruct the patient surface by using a mathematical modeling technique for the computation of differential geometry features that characterize the local shapes of the patient surfaces. A region of interest (ROI) was firstly extracted based on a template matching technique applied on amplitude (grayscale) images. The extracted ROI was preprocessed for reducing temporal and spatial noises by using Kalman and bilateral filters, respectively. Next, a smooth patientmore » surface was reconstructed by using a non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) model. Finally, differential geometry features, i.e. the shape index and curvedness features were computed for localizing the anatomical feature points. The proposed framework was trained for optimizing shape index and curvedness thresholds and tested on range images of an anthropomorphic head phantom. The range images were acquired by an infrared ray-based time-of-flight (TOF) camera. The localization accuracy was evaluated by measuring the mean of minimum Euclidean distances (MMED) between reference (ground truth) points and the feature points localized by the proposed framework. The evaluation was performed for points localized on convex regions (e.g. apex of nose) and concave regions (e.g. nasofacial sulcus). Results: The proposed framework has localized anatomical feature points on convex and concave anatomical landmarks with MMEDs of 1.91±0.50 mm and 3.70±0.92 mm, respectively. A statistically significant difference was obtained between the feature points on the convex and concave regions (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our study has shown the feasibility of differential geometry features for localization of anatomical feature points on the patient surface in range images. The proposed framework might be useful for tasks involving feature-based image registration in range-image guided radiation therapy.« less

Source localization of rhythmic ictal EEG activity: a study of diagnostic accuracy following STARD criteria.

PubMed

Beniczky, Sándor; Lantz, Göran; Rosenzweig, Ivana; Åkeson, Per; Pedersen, Birthe; Pinborg, Lars H; Ziebell, Morten; Jespersen, Bo; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, Anders

2013-10-01

Although precise identification of the seizure-onset zone is an essential element of presurgical evaluation, source localization of ictal electroencephalography (EEG) signals has received little attention. The aim of our study was to estimate the accuracy of source localization of rhythmic ictal EEG activity using a distributed source model. Source localization of rhythmic ictal scalp EEG activity was performed in 42 consecutive cases fulfilling inclusion criteria. The study was designed according to recommendations for studies on diagnostic accuracy (STARD). The initial ictal EEG signals were selected using a standardized method, based on frequency analysis and voltage distribution of the ictal activity. A distributed source model-local autoregressive average (LAURA)-was used for the source localization. Sensitivity, specificity, and measurement of agreement (kappa) were determined based on the reference standard-the consensus conclusion of the multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery team. Predictive values were calculated from the surgical outcome of the operated patients. To estimate the clinical value of the ictal source analysis, we compared the likelihood ratios of concordant and discordant results. Source localization was performed blinded to the clinical data, and before the surgical decision. Reference standard was available for 33 patients. The ictal source localization had a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 76%. The mean measurement of agreement (kappa) was 0.61, corresponding to substantial agreement (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.84). Twenty patients underwent resective surgery. The positive predictive value (PPV) for seizure freedom was 92% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 43%. The likelihood ratio was nine times higher for the concordant results, as compared with the discordant ones. Source localization of rhythmic ictal activity using a distributed source model (LAURA) for the ictal EEG signals selected with a standardized method is feasible in clinical practice and has a good diagnostic accuracy. Our findings encourage clinical neurophysiologists assessing ictal EEGs to include this method in their armamentarium. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 International League Against Epilepsy.

Characterising the pollutant ventilation characteristics of street canyons using the tracer age and age spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, K. W.; Ngan, K.

2015-12-01

The age of air, which measures the time elapsed between the emission of a chemical constituent and its arrival at a receptor location, has many applications in urban air quality. Typically it has been estimated for special cases, e.g. the local mean age of air for a spatially homogeneous source. An alternative approach uses the response to a point source to determine the distribution of transit times or tracer ages connecting the source and receptor. The distribution (age spectrum) and first moment (mean tracer age) have proven to be useful diagnostics in stratospheric modelling because they can be related to observations and do not require a priori assumptions. The tracer age and age spectrum are applied to the pollutant ventilation of street canyons in this work. Using large-eddy simulations of flow over a single isolated canyon and an uneven, non-uniform canyon array, it is shown that the structure of the tracer age is dominated by the central canyon ;vortex;; small variations in the building height have a significant influence on the structure of the tracer age and the pollutant ventilation. The age spectrum is broad, with a long exponential tail whose slope depends on the canyon geometry. The mean tracer age, which roughly characterises the ventilation strength, is much greater than the local mean age of air.

Impact of structural and autocyclic basin-floor topography on the depositional evolution of the deep-water Valparaiso forearc basin, central Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laursen, J.; Normark, W.R.

2003-01-01

The Valparaiso Basin constitutes a unique and prominent deep-water forearc basin underlying a 40-km by 60-km mid-slope terrace at 2.5-km water depth on the central Chile margin. Seismic-reflection data, collected as part of the CONDOR investigation, image a 3-3.5-km thick sediment succession that fills a smoothly sagged, margin-parallel, elongated trough at the base of the upper slope. In response to underthrusting of the Juan Ferna??ndez Ridge on the Nazca plate, the basin fill is increasingly deformed in the seaward direction above seaward-vergent outer forearc compressional highs. Syn-depositional growth of a large, margin-parallel monoclinal high in conjunction with sagging of the inner trough of the basin created stratal geometries similar to those observed in forearc basins bordered by large accretionary prisms. Margin-parallel compressional ridges diverted turbidity currents along the basin axis and exerted a direct control on sediment depositional processes. As structural depressions became buried, transverse input from point sources on the adjacent upper slope formed complex fan systems with sediment waves characterising the overbank environment, common on many Pleistocene turbidite systems. Mass failure as a result of local topographic inversion formed a prominent mass-flow deposit, and ultimately resulted in canyon formation and hence a new focused point source feeding the basin. The Valparaiso Basin is presently filled to the spill point of the outer forearc highs, causing headward erosion of incipient canyons into the basin fill and allowing bypass of sediment to the Chile Trench. Age estimates that are constrained by subduction-related syn-depositional deformation of the upper 700-800m of the basin fill suggest that glacio-eustatic sea-level lowstands, in conjunction with accelerated denudation rates, within the past 350 ka may have contributed to the increase in simultaneously active point sources along the upper slope as well as an increased complexity of proximal depositional facies.

Prediction of biological integrity based on environmental similarity--revealing the scale-dependent link between study area and top environmental predictors.

PubMed

Bedoya, David; Manolakos, Elias S; Novotny, Vladimir

2011-03-01

Indices of Biological integrity (IBI) are considered valid indicators of the overall health of a water body because the biological community is an endpoint within natural systems. However, prediction of biological integrity using information from multi-parameter environmental observations is a challenging problem due to the hierarchical organization of the natural environment, the existence of nonlinear inter-dependencies among variables as well as natural stochasticity and measurement noise. We present a method for predicting the Fish Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) using multiple environmental observations at the state-scale in Ohio. Instream (chemical and physical quality) and offstream parameters (regional and local upstream land uses, stream fragmentation, and point source density and intensity) are used for this purpose. The IBI predictions are obtained using the environmental site-similarity concept and following a simple to implement leave-one-out cross validation approach. An IBI prediction for a sampling site is calculated by averaging the observed IBI scores of observations clustered in the most similar branch of a dendrogram--a hierarchical clustering tree of environmental observations--built using the rest of the observations. The standardized Euclidean distance is used to assess dissimilarity between observations. The constructed predictive model was able to explain 61% of the IBI variability statewide. Stream fragmentation and regional land use explained 60% of the variability; the remaining 1% was explained by instream habitat quality. Metrics related to local land use, water quality, and point source density and intensity did not improve the predictive model at the state-scale. The impact of local environmental conditions was evaluated by comparing local characteristics between well- and mispredicted sites. Significant differences in local land use patterns and upstream fragmentation density explained some of the model's over-predictions. Local land use conditions explained some of the model's IBI under-predictions at the state-scale since none of the variables within this group were included in the best final predictive model. Under-predicted sites also had higher levels of downstream fragmentation. The proposed variables ranking and predictive modeling methodology is very well suited for the analysis of hierarchical environments, such as natural fresh water systems, with many cross-correlated environmental variables. It is computationally efficient, can be fully automated, does not make any pre-conceived assumptions on the variables interdependency structure (such as linearity), and it is able to rank variables in a database and generate IBI predictions using only non-parametric easy to implement hierarchical clustering. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization (SEARCH) study: spatial variations and chemical climatology, 1999-2010.

PubMed

Blanchard, C L; Hidy, G M; Tanenbaum, S; Edgerton, E S; Hartsell, B E

2013-03-01

The Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization (SEARCH) study, which has been in continuous operation from 1999 to 2012, was implemented to investigate regional and urban air pollution in the southeastern United States. With complementary data from other networks, the SEARCH measurements provide key knowledge about long-term urban/nonurban pollution contrasts and regional climatology affecting inland locations and sites along the Gulf of Mexico coastline. Analytical approaches ranging from comparisons of mean concentrations to the application of air mass trajectories and principal component analysis provide insight into local and area-wide pollution. Gases (carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and ammonia), fine particle mass concentration, and fine particle species concentrations (including sulfate, elementary carbon, and organic carbon) are affected by a combination of regional conditions and local emission sources. Urban concentrations in excess of regional baselines and intraurban variations of concentrations depend on source proximity, topography, and local meteorological processes. Regional-scale pollution events (95th percentile concentrations) involving more than 6 of the 8 SEARCH sites are rare (< 2% of days), while subregional events affecting 4-6 sites occur on approximately 10% of days. Regional and subregional events are characterized by widely coincident elevated concentrations of ozone, sulfate, and particulate organic carbon, driven by persistent synoptic-scale air mass stagnation and higher temperatures that favor formation of secondary species, mainly in the summer months. The meteorological conditions associated with regional stagnation do not favor long-range transport of polluted air masses during episodes. Regional and subregional pollution events frequently terminate with southward and eastward penetration of frontal systems, which may initially reduce air pollutant concentrations more inland than along the Gulf Coast. Regional distribution of emission sources and synoptic-scale meteorological influences favoring stagnation lead to high regionwide pollution levels. The regional influence is greatest with secondary species, including ozone (03) particulate sulfate (SO4), and particulate organic matter, some of which is produced by atmospheric oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation and anthropogenic sources. Other species, many of which are from primary emissions, are more influenced by local sources, especially within the Atlanta, GA, and Birmingham, AL, metropolitan areas. Limited measurements of modern and fossil total carbon point to the importance of biological and biogenic emissions in the Southeast.

Active control on high-order coherence and statistic characterization on random phase fluctuation of two classical point sources.

PubMed

Hong, Peilong; Li, Liming; Liu, Jianji; Zhang, Guoquan

2016-03-29

Young's double-slit or two-beam interference is of fundamental importance to understand various interference effects, in which the stationary phase difference between two beams plays the key role in the first-order coherence. Different from the case of first-order coherence, in the high-order optical coherence the statistic behavior of the optical phase will play the key role. In this article, by employing a fundamental interfering configuration with two classical point sources, we showed that the high- order optical coherence between two classical point sources can be actively designed by controlling the statistic behavior of the relative phase difference between two point sources. Synchronous position Nth-order subwavelength interference with an effective wavelength of λ/M was demonstrated, in which λ is the wavelength of point sources and M is an integer not larger than N. Interestingly, we found that the synchronous position Nth-order interference fringe fingerprints the statistic trace of random phase fluctuation of two classical point sources, therefore, it provides an effective way to characterize the statistic properties of phase fluctuation for incoherent light sources.

Aerosol-Cloud Interactions During Puijo Cloud Experiments - The effects of weather and local sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komppula, Mika; Portin, Harri; Leskinen, Ari; Romakkaniemi, Sami; Brus, David; Neitola, Kimmo; Hyvärinen, Antti-Pekka; Kortelainen, Aki; Hao, Liqing; Miettinen, Pasi; Jaatinen, Antti; Ahmad, Irshad; Lihavainen, Heikki; Laaksonen, Ari; Lehtinen, Kari E. J.

2013-04-01

The Puijo measurement station has provided continuous data on aerosol-cloud interactions since 2006. The station is located on top of the Puijo observation tower (306 m a.s.l, 224 m above the surrounding lake level) in Kuopio, Finland. The top of the tower is covered by cloud about 15 % of the time, offering perfect conditions for studying aerosol-cloud interactions. With a twin-inlet setup (total and interstitial inlets) we are able to separate the activated particles from the interstitial (non-activated) particles. The continuous twin-inlet measurements include aerosol size distribution, scattering and absorption. In addition cloud droplet number and size distribution are measured continuously with weather parameters. During the campaigns the twin-inlet system was additionally equipped with aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP-2). This way we were able to define the differences in chemical composition of the activated and non-activated particles. Potential cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in different supersaturations were measured with two CCN counters (CCNC). The other CCNC was operated with a Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) to obtain size selected CCN spectra. Other additional measurements included Hygroscopic Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (HTDMA) for particle hygroscopicity. Additionally the valuable vertical wind profiles (updraft velocities) are available from Halo Doppler lidar during the 2011 campaign. Cloud properties (droplet number and effective radius) from MODIS instrument onboard Terra and Aqua satellites were retrieved and compared with the measured values. This work summarizes the two latest intensive campaigns, Puijo Cloud Experiments (PuCE) 2010 & 2011. We study especially the effect of the local sources on the cloud activation behaviour of the aerosol particles. The main local sources include a paper mill, a heating plant, traffic and residential areas. The sources can be categorized and identified by wind direction. Clear changes can be seen in the aerosol and cloud properties when being under the influence of a local pollutant source. Also differences in the chemical composition of aerosol activated to cloud droplet and those staying interstitial has been observed. For example, the light absorption by cloud interstitial particles is higher when the wind blows from the local pollutant sources compared to a cleaner sector. This may be due to the fact that the absorptive material, e.g. fresh soot, is generally hydrophobic and therefore inhibits activation. Another point of interest is the occasional freezing conditions during the campaign (temperature below zero), which also affects the activation behaviour. The full usage of this special data set will provide new information on the properties and differences of activating and non-activating aerosol particles, as well as on the variables affecting the activation.

3D source localization of interictal spikes in epilepsy patients with MRI lesions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Lei; Worrell, Gregory A.; Lagerlund, Terrence D.; He, Bin

2006-08-01

The present study aims to accurately localize epileptogenic regions which are responsible for epileptic activities in epilepsy patients by means of a new subspace source localization approach, i.e. first principle vectors (FINE), using scalp EEG recordings. Computer simulations were first performed to assess source localization accuracy of FINE in the clinical electrode set-up. The source localization results from FINE were compared with the results from a classic subspace source localization approach, i.e. MUSIC, and their differences were tested statistically using the paired t-test. Other factors influencing the source localization accuracy were assessed statistically by ANOVA. The interictal epileptiform spike data from three adult epilepsy patients with medically intractable partial epilepsy and well-defined symptomatic MRI lesions were then studied using both FINE and MUSIC. The comparison between the electrical sources estimated by the subspace source localization approaches and MRI lesions was made through the coregistration between the EEG recordings and MRI scans. The accuracy of estimations made by FINE and MUSIC was also evaluated and compared by R2 statistic, which was used to indicate the goodness-of-fit of the estimated sources to the scalp EEG recordings. The three-concentric-spheres head volume conductor model was built for each patient with three spheres of different radii which takes the individual head size and skull thickness into consideration. The results from computer simulations indicate that the improvement of source spatial resolvability and localization accuracy of FINE as compared with MUSIC is significant when simulated sources are closely spaced, deep, or signal-to-noise ratio is low in a clinical electrode set-up. The interictal electrical generators estimated by FINE and MUSIC are in concordance with the patients' structural abnormality, i.e. MRI lesions, in all three patients. The higher R2 values achieved by FINE than MUSIC indicate that FINE provides a more satisfactory fitting of the scalp potential measurements than MUSIC in all patients. The present results suggest that FINE provides a useful brain source imaging technique, from clinical EEG recordings, for identifying and localizing epileptogenic regions in epilepsy patients with focal partial seizures. The present study may lead to the establishment of a high-resolution source localization technique from scalp-recorded EEGs for aiding presurgical planning in epilepsy patients.

SU-E-T-259: Particle Swarm Optimization in Radial Dose Function Fitting for a Novel Iodine-125 Seed

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

Wu, X; Duan, J; Popple, R

2014-06-01

Purpose: To determine the coefficients of bi- and tri-exponential functions for the best fit of radial dose functions of the new iodine brachytherapy source: Iodine-125 Seed AgX-100. Methods: The particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was used to search for the coefficients of the biand tri-exponential functions that yield the best fit to data published for a few selected radial distances from the source. The coefficients were encoded into particles, and these particles move through the search space by following their local and global best-known positions. In each generation, particles were evaluated through their fitness function and their positions were changedmore » through their velocities. This procedure was repeated until the convergence criterion was met or the maximum generation was reached. All best particles were found in less than 1,500 generations. Results: For the I-125 seed AgX-100 considered as a point source, the maximum deviation from the published data is less than 2.9% for bi-exponential fitting function and 0.2% for tri-exponential fitting function. For its line source, the maximum deviation is less than 1.1% for bi-exponential fitting function and 0.08% for tri-exponential fitting function. Conclusion: PSO is a powerful method in searching coefficients for bi-exponential and tri-exponential fitting functions. The bi- and tri-exponential models of Iodine-125 seed AgX-100 point and line sources obtained with PSO optimization provide accurate analytical forms of the radial dose function. The tri-exponential fitting function is more accurate than the bi-exponential function.« less

Loss-tolerant quantum secure positioning with weak laser sources

DOE PAGES

Lim, Charles Ci Wen; Xu, Feihu; Siopsis, George; ...

2016-09-14

Quantum position verification (QPV) is the art of verifying the geographical location of an untrusted party. It has recently been shown that the widely studied Bennett & Brassard 1984 (BB84) QPV protocol is insecure after the 3 dB loss point assuming local operations and classical communication (LOCC) adversaries. Here in this paper, we propose a time-reversed entanglement swapping QPV protocol (based on measurement-device-independent quantum cryptography) that is highly robust against quantum channel loss. First, assuming ideal qubit sources, we show that the protocol is secure against LOCC adversaries for any quantum channel loss, thereby overcoming the 3 dB loss limit.more » Then, we analyze the security of the protocol in a more practical setting involving weak laser sources and linear optics. Lastly, in this setting, we find that the security only degrades by an additive constant and the protocol is able to verify positions up to 47 dB channel loss.« less

Evidence for a Population of High-Redshift Submillimeter Galaxies from Interferometric Imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Younger, Joshua D.; Fazio, Giovanni G.; Huang, Jia-Sheng; Yun, Min S.; Wilson, Grant W.; Ashby, Matthew L. N.; Gurwell, Mark A.; Lai, Kamson; Peck, Alison B.; Petitpas, Glen R.; Wilner, David J.; Iono, Daisuke; Kohno, Kotaro; Kawabe, Ryohei; Hughes, David H.; Aretxaga, Itziar; Webb, Tracy; Martínez-Sansigre, Alejo; Kim, Sungeun; Scott, Kimberly S.; Austermann, Jason; Perera, Thushara; Lowenthal, James D.; Schinnerer, Eva; Smolčić, Vernesa

2007-12-01

We have used the Submillimeter Array to image a flux-limited sample of seven submillimeter galaxies, selected by the AzTEC camera on the JCMT at 1.1 mm, in the COSMOS field at 890 μm with ~2" resolution. All of the sources-two radio-bright and five radio-dim-are detected as single point sources at high significance (>6 σ), with positions accurate to ~0.2" that enable counterpart identification at other wavelengths observed with similarly high angular resolution. All seven have IRAC counterparts, but only two have secure counterparts in deep HST ACS imaging. As compared to the two radio-bright sources in the sample, and those in previous studies, the five radio-dim sources in the sample (1) have systematically higher submillimeter-to-radio flux ratios, (2) have lower IRAC 3.6-8.0 μm fluxes, and (3) are not detected at 24 μm. These properties, combined with size constraints at 890 μm (θ<~1.2''), suggest that the radio-dim submillimeter galaxies represent a population of very dusty starbursts, with physical scales similar to local ultraluminous infrared galaxies, with an average redshift higher than radio-bright sources.

SEARCHES FOR HIGH-ENERGY NEUTRINO EMISSION IN THE GALAXY WITH THE COMBINED ICECUBE-AMANDA DETECTOR

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

Abbasi, R.; Ahlers, M.; Andeen, K.

2013-01-20

We report on searches for neutrino sources at energies above 200 GeV in the Northern sky of the Galactic plane, using the data collected by the South Pole neutrino telescope, IceCube, and AMANDA. The Galactic region considered in this work includes the local arm toward the Cygnus region and our closest approach to the Perseus Arm. The searches are based on the data collected between 2007 and 2009. During this time AMANDA was an integrated part of IceCube, which was still under construction and operated with 22 strings (2007-2008) and 40 strings (2008-2009) of optical modules deployed in the ice.more » By combining the advantages of the larger IceCube detector with the lower energy threshold of the more compact AMANDA detector, we obtain an improved sensitivity at energies below {approx}10 TeV with respect to previous searches. The analyses presented here are a scan for point sources within the Galactic plane, a search optimized for multiple and extended sources in the Cygnus region, which might be below the sensitivity of the point source scan, and studies of seven pre-selected neutrino source candidates. For one of them, Cygnus X-3, a time-dependent search for neutrino emission in coincidence with observed radio and X-ray flares has been performed. No evidence of a signal is found, and upper limits are reported for each of the searches. We investigate neutrino spectra proportional to E {sup -2} and E {sup -3} in order to cover the entire range of possible neutrino spectra. The steeply falling E {sup -3} neutrino spectrum can also be used to approximate neutrino energy spectra with energy cutoffs below 50 TeV since these result in a similar energy distribution of events in the detector. For the region of the Galactic plane visible in the Northern sky, the 90% confidence level muon neutrino flux upper limits are in the range E {sup 3} dN/dE {approx} 5.4-19.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -11} TeV{sup 2} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} for point-like neutrino sources in the energy region [180.0 GeV-20.5 TeV]. These represent the most stringent upper limits for soft-spectra neutrino sources within the Galaxy reported to date.« less

Perturbations of the seismic reflectivity of a fluid-saturated depth-dependent poroelastic medium.

PubMed

de Barros, Louis; Dietrich, Michel

2008-03-01

Analytical formulas are derived to compute the first-order effects produced by plane inhomogeneities on the point source seismic response of a fluid-filled stratified porous medium. The derivation is achieved by a perturbation analysis of the poroelastic wave equations in the plane-wave domain using the Born approximation. This approach yields the Frechet derivatives of the P-SV- and SH-wave responses in terms of the Green's functions of the unperturbed medium. The accuracy and stability of the derived operators are checked by comparing, in the time-distance domain, differential seismograms computed from these analytical expressions with complete solutions obtained by introducing discrete perturbations into the model properties. For vertical and horizontal point forces, it is found that the Frechet derivative approach is remarkably accurate for small and localized perturbations of the medium properties which are consistent with the Born approximation requirements. Furthermore, the first-order formulation appears to be stable at all source-receiver offsets. The porosity, consolidation parameter, solid density, and mineral shear modulus emerge as the most sensitive parameters in forward and inverse modeling problems. Finally, the amplitude-versus-angle response of a thin layer shows strong coupling effects between several model parameters.

An Integrated Chemical Environment to Support 21st-Century Toxicology.

PubMed

Bell, Shannon M; Phillips, Jason; Sedykh, Alexander; Tandon, Arpit; Sprankle, Catherine; Morefield, Stephen Q; Shapiro, Andy; Allen, David; Shah, Ruchir; Maull, Elizabeth A; Casey, Warren M; Kleinstreuer, Nicole C

2017-05-25

SUMMARY : Access to high-quality reference data is essential for the development, validation, and implementation of in vitro and in silico approaches that reduce and replace the use of animals in toxicity testing. Currently, these data must often be pooled from a variety of disparate sources to efficiently link a set of assay responses and model predictions to an outcome or hazard classification. To provide a central access point for these purposes, the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods developed the Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE) web resource. The ICE data integrator allows users to retrieve and combine data sets and to develop hypotheses through data exploration. Open-source computational workflows and models will be available for download and application to local data. ICE currently includes curated in vivo test data, reference chemical information, in vitro assay data (including Tox21 TM /ToxCast™ high-throughput screening data), and in silico model predictions. Users can query these data collections focusing on end points of interest such as acute systemic toxicity, endocrine disruption, skin sensitization, and many others. ICE is publicly accessible at https://ice.ntp.niehs.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1759.

A programmable metasurface with dynamic polarization, scattering and focusing control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Huanhuan; Cao, Xiangyu; Yang, Fan; Gao, Jun; Xu, Shenheng; Li, Maokun; Chen, Xibi; Zhao, Yi; Zheng, Yuejun; Li, Sijia

2016-10-01

Diverse electromagnetic (EM) responses of a programmable metasurface with a relatively large scale have been investigated, where multiple functionalities are obtained on the same surface. The unit cell in the metasurface is integrated with one PIN diode, and thus a binary coded phase is realized for a single polarization. Exploiting this anisotropic characteristic, reconfigurable polarization conversion is presented first. Then the dynamic scattering performance for two kinds of sources, i.e. a plane wave and a point source, is carefully elaborated. To tailor the scattering properties, genetic algorithm, normally based on binary coding, is coupled with the scattering pattern analysis to optimize the coding matrix. Besides, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) technique is also introduced to expedite the optimization process of a large metasurface. Since the coding control of each unit cell allows a local and direct modulation of EM wave, various EM phenomena including anomalous reflection, diffusion, beam steering and beam forming are successfully demonstrated by both simulations and experiments. It is worthwhile to point out that a real-time switch among these functionalities is also achieved by using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). All the results suggest that the proposed programmable metasurface has great potentials for future applications.

An Integrated Chemical Environment to Support 21st-Century Toxicology

PubMed Central

Bell, Shannon M.; Phillips, Jason; Sedykh, Alexander; Tandon, Arpit; Sprankle, Catherine; Morefield, Stephen Q.; Shapiro, Andy; Allen, David; Shah, Ruchir; Maull, Elizabeth A.; Casey, Warren M.

2017-01-01

Summary: Access to high-quality reference data is essential for the development, validation, and implementation of in vitro and in silico approaches that reduce and replace the use of animals in toxicity testing. Currently, these data must often be pooled from a variety of disparate sources to efficiently link a set of assay responses and model predictions to an outcome or hazard classification. To provide a central access point for these purposes, the National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods developed the Integrated Chemical Environment (ICE) web resource. The ICE data integrator allows users to retrieve and combine data sets and to develop hypotheses through data exploration. Open-source computational workflows and models will be available for download and application to local data. ICE currently includes curated in vivo test data, reference chemical information, in vitro assay data (including Tox21TM/ToxCast™ high-throughput screening data), and in silico model predictions. Users can query these data collections focusing on end points of interest such as acute systemic toxicity, endocrine disruption, skin sensitization, and many others. ICE is publicly accessible at https://ice.ntp.niehs.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1759 PMID:28557712

Enhanced gamma ray sensitivity in bismuth triiodide sensors through volumetric defect control

DOE PAGES

Johns, Paul M.; Baciak, James E.; Nino, Juan C.

2016-09-02

In some of the more attractive semiconducting compounds for ambient temperature radiation detector applications are impacted by low charge collection efficiency due to the presence of point and volumetric defects. This has been particularly true in the case of BiI 3, which features very attractive properties (density, atomic number, band gap, etc.) to serve as a gamma ray detector, but has yet to demonstrate its full potential. Here, we show that by applying growth techniques tailored to reduce defects, the spectral performance of this promising semiconductor can be realized. Gamma ray spectra from >100 keV source emissions are now obtainedmore » from high quality Sb:BiI 3 bulk crystals with limited concentrations of defects (point and extended). The spectra acquired in these high quality crystals feature photopeaks with resolution of 2.2% at 662 keV. Infrared microscopy is used to compare the local microstructure between radiation sensitive and non-responsive crystals. Our work demonstrates that BiI 3 can be prepared in melt-grown detector-grade samples with superior quality and can acquire the spectra from a variety of gamma ray sources.« less

A programmable metasurface with dynamic polarization, scattering and focusing control

PubMed Central

Yang, Huanhuan; Cao, Xiangyu; Yang, Fan; Gao, Jun; Xu, Shenheng; Li, Maokun; Chen, Xibi; Zhao, Yi; Zheng, Yuejun; Li, Sijia

2016-01-01

Diverse electromagnetic (EM) responses of a programmable metasurface with a relatively large scale have been investigated, where multiple functionalities are obtained on the same surface. The unit cell in the metasurface is integrated with one PIN diode, and thus a binary coded phase is realized for a single polarization. Exploiting this anisotropic characteristic, reconfigurable polarization conversion is presented first. Then the dynamic scattering performance for two kinds of sources, i.e. a plane wave and a point source, is carefully elaborated. To tailor the scattering properties, genetic algorithm, normally based on binary coding, is coupled with the scattering pattern analysis to optimize the coding matrix. Besides, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) technique is also introduced to expedite the optimization process of a large metasurface. Since the coding control of each unit cell allows a local and direct modulation of EM wave, various EM phenomena including anomalous reflection, diffusion, beam steering and beam forming are successfully demonstrated by both simulations and experiments. It is worthwhile to point out that a real-time switch among these functionalities is also achieved by using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). All the results suggest that the proposed programmable metasurface has great potentials for future applications. PMID:27774997

A programmable metasurface with dynamic polarization, scattering and focusing control.

PubMed

Yang, Huanhuan; Cao, Xiangyu; Yang, Fan; Gao, Jun; Xu, Shenheng; Li, Maokun; Chen, Xibi; Zhao, Yi; Zheng, Yuejun; Li, Sijia

2016-10-24

Diverse electromagnetic (EM) responses of a programmable metasurface with a relatively large scale have been investigated, where multiple functionalities are obtained on the same surface. The unit cell in the metasurface is integrated with one PIN diode, and thus a binary coded phase is realized for a single polarization. Exploiting this anisotropic characteristic, reconfigurable polarization conversion is presented first. Then the dynamic scattering performance for two kinds of sources, i.e. a plane wave and a point source, is carefully elaborated. To tailor the scattering properties, genetic algorithm, normally based on binary coding, is coupled with the scattering pattern analysis to optimize the coding matrix. Besides, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) technique is also introduced to expedite the optimization process of a large metasurface. Since the coding control of each unit cell allows a local and direct modulation of EM wave, various EM phenomena including anomalous reflection, diffusion, beam steering and beam forming are successfully demonstrated by both simulations and experiments. It is worthwhile to point out that a real-time switch among these functionalities is also achieved by using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). All the results suggest that the proposed programmable metasurface has great potentials for future applications.

Micro and Macroscale Drivers of Nutrient Concentrations in Urban Streams in South, Central and North America.

PubMed

Loiselle, Steven A; Gasparini Fernandes Cunha, Davi; Shupe, Scott; Valiente, Elsa; Rocha, Luciana; Heasley, Eleanore; Belmont, Patricia Pérez; Baruch, Avinoam

Global metrics of land cover and land use provide a fundamental basis to examine the spatial variability of human-induced impacts on freshwater ecosystems. However, microscale processes and site specific conditions related to bank vegetation, pollution sources, adjacent land use and water uses can have important influences on ecosystem conditions, in particular in smaller tributary rivers. Compared to larger order rivers, these low-order streams and rivers are more numerous, yet often under-monitored. The present study explored the relationship of nutrient concentrations in 150 streams in 57 hydrological basins in South, Central and North America (Buenos Aires, Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and Vancouver) with macroscale information available from global datasets and microscale data acquired by trained citizen scientists. Average sub-basin phosphate (P-PO4) concentrations were found to be well correlated with sub-basin attributes on both macro and microscales, while the relationships between sub-basin attributes and nitrate (N-NO3) concentrations were limited. A phosphate threshold for eutrophic conditions (>0.1 mg L-1 P-PO4) was exceeded in basins where microscale point source discharge points (eg. residential, industrial, urban/road) were identified in more than 86% of stream reaches monitored by citizen scientists. The presence of bankside vegetation covaried (rho = -0.53) with lower phosphate concentrations in the ecosystems studied. Macroscale information on nutrient loading allowed for a strong separation between basins with and without eutrophic conditions. Most importantly, the combination of macroscale and microscale information acquired increased our ability to explain sub-basin variability of P-PO4 concentrations. The identification of microscale point sources and bank vegetation conditions by citizen scientists provided important information that local authorities could use to improve their management of lower order river ecosystems.

Determination of optical properties in heterogeneous turbid media using a cylindrical diffusing fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimofte, Andreea; Finlay, Jarod C.; Liang, Xing; Zhu, Timothy C.

2012-10-01

For interstitial photodynamic therapy (PDT), cylindrical diffusing fibers (CDFs) are often used to deliver light. This study examines the feasibility and accuracy of using CDFs to characterize the absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μ‧s) coefficients of heterogeneous turbid media. Measurements were performed in tissue-simulating phantoms with μa between 0.1 and 1 cm-1 and μ‧s between 3 and 10 cm-1 with CDFs 2 to 4 cm in length. Optical properties were determined by fitting the measured light fluence rate profiles at a fixed distance from the CDF axis using a heterogeneous kernel model in which the cylindrical diffusing fiber is treated as a series of point sources. The resulting optical properties were compared with independent measurement using a point source method. In a homogenous medium, we are able to determine the absorption coefficient μa using a value of μ‧s determined a priori (uniform fit) or μ‧s obtained by fitting (variable fit) with standard (maximum) deviations of 6% (18%) and 18% (44%), respectively. However, the CDF method is found to be insensitive to variations in μ‧s, thus requiring a complementary method such as using a point source for determination of μ‧s. The error for determining μa decreases in very heterogeneous turbid media because of the local absorption extremes. The data acquisition time for obtaining the one-dimensional optical properties distribution is less than 8 s. This method can result in dramatically improved accuracy of light fluence rate calculation for CDFs for prostate PDT in vivo when the same model and geometry is used for forward calculations using the extrapolated tissue optical properties.

Micro and Macroscale Drivers of Nutrient Concentrations in Urban Streams in South, Central and North America

PubMed Central

Loiselle, Steven A.; Gasparini Fernandes Cunha, Davi; Shupe, Scott; Valiente, Elsa; Rocha, Luciana; Heasley, Eleanore; Belmont, Patricia Pérez; Baruch, Avinoam

2016-01-01

Global metrics of land cover and land use provide a fundamental basis to examine the spatial variability of human-induced impacts on freshwater ecosystems. However, microscale processes and site specific conditions related to bank vegetation, pollution sources, adjacent land use and water uses can have important influences on ecosystem conditions, in particular in smaller tributary rivers. Compared to larger order rivers, these low-order streams and rivers are more numerous, yet often under-monitored. The present study explored the relationship of nutrient concentrations in 150 streams in 57 hydrological basins in South, Central and North America (Buenos Aires, Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and Vancouver) with macroscale information available from global datasets and microscale data acquired by trained citizen scientists. Average sub-basin phosphate (P-PO4) concentrations were found to be well correlated with sub-basin attributes on both macro and microscales, while the relationships between sub-basin attributes and nitrate (N-NO3) concentrations were limited. A phosphate threshold for eutrophic conditions (>0.1 mg L-1 P-PO4) was exceeded in basins where microscale point source discharge points (eg. residential, industrial, urban/road) were identified in more than 86% of stream reaches monitored by citizen scientists. The presence of bankside vegetation covaried (rho = –0.53) with lower phosphate concentrations in the ecosystems studied. Macroscale information on nutrient loading allowed for a strong separation between basins with and without eutrophic conditions. Most importantly, the combination of macroscale and microscale information acquired increased our ability to explain sub-basin variability of P-PO4 concentrations. The identification of microscale point sources and bank vegetation conditions by citizen scientists provided important information that local authorities could use to improve their management of lower order river ecosystems. PMID:27662192

Alaska Testbed for the Fusion of Citizen Science and Remote Sensing of Sea Ice and Snow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, J. E.; Sparrow, E.; Lee, O. A.; Brook, M.; Brubaker, M.; Casas, J.

2017-12-01

Citizen science, remote sensing and related environmental information sources for the Alaskan Arctic are synthesized with the objectives of (a) placing local observations into a broader geospatial framework and (b) enabling the use of local observations to evaluate sea ice, snow and land surface products obtained from remote sensing. In its initial phase, the project instituted a coordinated set of community-based observations of sea ice and snow in three coastal communities in western and northern Alaska: Nome, Point Hope and Barrow. Satellite maps of sea ice concentration have been consolidated with the in situ reports, leading to a three-part depiction of surface conditions at each site: narrative reports, surface-based photos, and satellite products. The project has developed a prototype visualization package, enabling users to select a location and date for which the three information sources can be viewed. Visual comparisons of the satellite products and the local reports show generally consistent depictions of the sea ice concentrations in the vicinity of the coastlines, although the satellite products are generally biased low, especially in coastal regions where shorefast ice persists after the appearance of open water farther offshore. A preliminary comparison of the local snow reports and the MODIS daily North American snow cover images indicates that areas of snow persisted in the satellite images beyond the date of snow disappearance reported by the observers. The "in-town" location of most of the snow reports is a factor that must be addressed in further reporting and remote sensing comparisons.

Assessment of ambient background concentrations of elements in soil using combined survey and open-source data.

PubMed

Mikkonen, Hannah G; Clarke, Bradley O; Dasika, Raghava; Wallis, Christian J; Reichman, Suzie M

2017-02-15

Understanding ambient background concentrations in soil, at a local scale, is an essential part of environmental risk assessment. Where high resolution geochemical soil surveys have not been undertaken, soil data from alternative sources, such as environmental site assessment reports, can be used to support an understanding of ambient background conditions. Concentrations of metals/metalloids (As, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were extracted from open-source environmental site assessment reports, for soils derived from the Newer Volcanics basalt, of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. A manual screening method was applied to remove samples that were indicated to be contaminated by point sources and hence not representative of ambient background conditions. The manual screening approach was validated by comparison to data from a targeted background soil survey. Statistical methods for exclusion of contaminated samples from background soil datasets were compared to the manual screening method. The statistical methods tested included the Median plus Two Median Absolute Deviations, the upper whisker of a normal and log transformed Tukey boxplot, the point of inflection on a cumulative frequency plot and the 95th percentile. We have demonstrated that where anomalous sample results cannot be screened using site information, the Median plus Two Median Absolute Deviations is a conservative method for derivation of ambient background upper concentration limits (i.e. expected maximums). The upper whisker of a boxplot and the point of inflection on a cumulative frequency plot, were also considered adequate methods for deriving ambient background upper concentration limits, where the percentage of contaminated samples is <25%. Median ambient background concentrations of metals/metalloids in the Newer Volcanic soils of Melbourne were comparable to ambient background concentrations in Europe and the United States, except for Ni, which was naturally enriched in the basalt-derived soils of Melbourne. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Floodplain ecohydrology: Climatic, anthropogenic, and local physical controls on partitioning of water sources to riparian trees

PubMed Central

Singer, Michael Bliss; Sargeant, Christopher I; Piégay, Hervé; Riquier, Jérémie; Wilson, Rob J S; Evans, Cristina M

2014-01-01

Seasonal and annual partitioning of water within river floodplains has important implications for ecohydrologic links between the water cycle and tree growth. Climatic and hydrologic shifts alter water distribution between floodplain storage reservoirs (e.g., vadose, phreatic), affecting water availability to tree roots. Water partitioning is also dependent on the physical conditions that control tree rooting depth (e.g., gravel layers that impede root growth), the sources of contributing water, the rate of water drainage, and water residence times within particular storage reservoirs. We employ instrumental climate records alongside oxygen isotopes within tree rings and regional source waters, as well as topographic data and soil depth measurements, to infer the water sources used over several decades by two co-occurring tree species within a riparian floodplain along the Rhône River in France. We find that water partitioning to riparian trees is influenced by annual (wet versus dry years) and seasonal (spring snowmelt versus spring rainfall) fluctuations in climate. This influence depends strongly on local (tree level) conditions including floodplain surface elevation and subsurface gravel layer elevation. The latter represents the upper limit of the phreatic zone and therefore controls access to shallow groundwater. The difference between them, the thickness of the vadose zone, controls total soil moisture retention capacity. These factors thus modulate the climatic influence on tree ring isotopes. Additionally, we identified growth signatures and tree ring isotope changes associated with recent restoration of minimum streamflows in the Rhône, which made new phreatic water sources available to some trees in otherwise dry years. Key Points Water shifts due to climatic fluctuations between floodplain storage reservoirs Anthropogenic changes to hydrology directly impact water available to trees Ecohydrologic approaches to integration of hydrology afford new possibilities PMID:25506099

Determining the torus covering factors for a sample of type 1 AGN in the local Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezhikode, Savithri H.; Gandhi, Poshak; Done, Chris; Ward, Martin; Dewangan, Gulab C.; Misra, Ranjeev; Philip, Ninan Sajeeth

2017-12-01

In the unified scheme of active galactic nuclei, a dusty torus absorbs and then reprocesses a fraction of the intrinsic luminosity which is emitted at longer wavelengths. Thus, subject to radiative transfer corrections, the fraction of the sky covered by the torus as seen from the central source (known as the covering factor fc) can be estimated from the ratio of the infrared to the bolometric luminosities of the source as fc = Ltorus/LBol. However, the uncertainty in determining LBol has made the estimation of covering factors by this technique difficult, especially for AGN in the local Universe where the peak of the observed spectral energy distributions lies in the UV (ultraviolet). Here, we determine the covering factors of an X-ray/optically selected sample of 51 type 1 AGN. The bolometric luminosities of these sources are derived using a self-consistent, energy-conserving model that estimates the contribution in the unobservable far-UV region, using multifrequency data obtained from SDSS, XMM-Newton, WISE, 2MASS and UKIDSS. We derive a mean value of fc ∼ 0.30 with a dispersion of 0.17. Sample correlations, combined with simulations, show that fc is more strongly anticorrelated with λEdd than with LBol. This points to large-scale torus geometry changes associated with the Eddington-dependent accretion flow, rather than a receding torus, with its inner sublimation radius determined solely by heating from the central source. Furthermore, we do not see any significant change in the distribution of fc for sub-samples of radio-loud sources or Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s), though these sub-samples are small.

Rapid modeling of complex multi-fault ruptures with simplistic models from real-time GPS: Perspectives from the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crowell, B.; Melgar, D.

2017-12-01

The 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikoura earthquake is one of the most complex earthquakes in recent history, rupturing across at least 10 disparate faults with varying faulting styles, and exhibiting intricate surface deformation patterns. The complexity of this event has motivated the need for multidisciplinary geophysical studies to get at the underlying source physics to better inform earthquake hazards models in the future. However, events like Kaikoura beg the question of how well (or how poorly) such earthquakes can be modeled automatically in real-time and still satisfy the general public and emergency managers. To investigate this question, we perform a retrospective real-time GPS analysis of the Kaikoura earthquake with the G-FAST early warning module. We first perform simple point source models of the earthquake using peak ground displacement scaling and a coseismic offset based centroid moment tensor (CMT) inversion. We predict ground motions based on these point sources as well as simple finite faults determined from source scaling studies, and validate against true recordings of peak ground acceleration and velocity. Secondly, we perform a slip inversion based upon the CMT fault orientations and forward model near-field tsunami maximum expected wave heights to compare against available tide gauge records. We find remarkably good agreement between recorded and predicted ground motions when using a simple fault plane, with the majority of disagreement in ground motions being attributable to local site effects, not earthquake source complexity. Similarly, the near-field tsunami maximum amplitude predictions match tide gauge records well. We conclude that even though our models for the Kaikoura earthquake are devoid of rich source complexities, the CMT driven finite fault is a good enough "average" source and provides useful constraints for rapid forecasting of ground motion and near-field tsunami amplitudes.

Coordinated Research Program in Pulsed Power Physics.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-20

8217). Stale. and ZIP Code) 10 SOURCE OF FUNDING NOS. PROGRAM PROJECT TASK WORK UNIT ELE ME NT NO. NO. NO. No. 11.?ILE.ic.ecufC~sjf~aton 1 c 61102F 2301 A7 12...SYMBOLI lncludr Arra Code) 5" Major B. Smith j202/767-4908 AFOSR/NP FORM 1473. E3 APR EDITION OF I..AN 73 IS OBeCLETE Unclassified SEC A17 C! ww...fields at localized points in pulsed power systems*. In addition, as in previous years, new projects will be added as new ideas are generated. Funds for

EEG source localization: Sensor density and head surface coverage.

PubMed

Song, Jasmine; Davey, Colin; Poulsen, Catherine; Luu, Phan; Turovets, Sergei; Anderson, Erik; Li, Kai; Tucker, Don

2015-12-30

The accuracy of EEG source localization depends on a sufficient sampling of the surface potential field, an accurate conducting volume estimation (head model), and a suitable and well-understood inverse technique. The goal of the present study is to examine the effect of sampling density and coverage on the ability to accurately localize sources, using common linear inverse weight techniques, at different depths. Several inverse methods are examined, using the popular head conductivity. Simulation studies were employed to examine the effect of spatial sampling of the potential field at the head surface, in terms of sensor density and coverage of the inferior and superior head regions. In addition, the effects of sensor density and coverage are investigated in the source localization of epileptiform EEG. Greater sensor density improves source localization accuracy. Moreover, across all sampling density and inverse methods, adding samples on the inferior surface improves the accuracy of source estimates at all depths. More accurate source localization of EEG data can be achieved with high spatial sampling of the head surface electrodes. The most accurate source localization is obtained when the voltage surface is densely sampled over both the superior and inferior surfaces. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coastal Research Imaging Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucey, Paul G.; Williams, Timothy; Horton, Keith A.

2002-01-01

The Coastal Research Imaging Spectrometer (CRIS) is an airborne remote-sensing system designed specifically for research on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of coastal waters. The CRIS includes a visible-light hyperspectral imaging subsystem for measuring the color of water, which contains information on the biota, sediment, and nutrient contents of the water. The CRIS also includes an infrared imaging subsystem, which provides information on the temperature of the water. The combination of measurements enables investigation of biological effects of both natural and artificial flows of water from land into the ocean, including diffuse and point-source flows that may contain biological and/or chemical pollutants. Temperature is an important element of such measurements because temperature contrasts can often be used to distinguish among flows from different sources: for example, a sewage outflow could manifest itself in spectral images as a local high-temperature anomaly.

Adaptive behaviors in multi-agent source localization using passive sensing.

PubMed

Shaukat, Mansoor; Chitre, Mandar

2016-12-01

In this paper, the role of adaptive group cohesion in a cooperative multi-agent source localization problem is investigated. A distributed source localization algorithm is presented for a homogeneous team of simple agents. An agent uses a single sensor to sense the gradient and two sensors to sense its neighbors. The algorithm is a set of individualistic and social behaviors where the individualistic behavior is as simple as an agent keeping its previous heading and is not self-sufficient in localizing the source. Source localization is achieved as an emergent property through agent's adaptive interactions with the neighbors and the environment. Given a single agent is incapable of localizing the source, maintaining team connectivity at all times is crucial. Two simple temporal sampling behaviors, intensity-based-adaptation and connectivity-based-adaptation, ensure an efficient localization strategy with minimal agent breakaways. The agent behaviors are simultaneously optimized using a two phase evolutionary optimization process. The optimized behaviors are estimated with analytical models and the resulting collective behavior is validated against the agent's sensor and actuator noise, strong multi-path interference due to environment variability, initialization distance sensitivity and loss of source signal.

L1-norm locally linear representation regularization multi-source adaptation learning.

PubMed

Tao, Jianwen; Wen, Shiting; Hu, Wenjun

2015-09-01

In most supervised domain adaptation learning (DAL) tasks, one has access only to a small number of labeled examples from target domain. Therefore the success of supervised DAL in this "small sample" regime needs the effective utilization of the large amounts of unlabeled data to extract information that is useful for generalization. Toward this end, we here use the geometric intuition of manifold assumption to extend the established frameworks in existing model-based DAL methods for function learning by incorporating additional information about the target geometric structure of the marginal distribution. We would like to ensure that the solution is smooth with respect to both the ambient space and the target marginal distribution. In doing this, we propose a novel L1-norm locally linear representation regularization multi-source adaptation learning framework which exploits the geometry of the probability distribution, which has two techniques. Firstly, an L1-norm locally linear representation method is presented for robust graph construction by replacing the L2-norm reconstruction measure in LLE with L1-norm one, which is termed as L1-LLR for short. Secondly, considering the robust graph regularization, we replace traditional graph Laplacian regularization with our new L1-LLR graph Laplacian regularization and therefore construct new graph-based semi-supervised learning framework with multi-source adaptation constraint, which is coined as L1-MSAL method. Moreover, to deal with the nonlinear learning problem, we also generalize the L1-MSAL method by mapping the input data points from the input space to a high-dimensional reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) via a nonlinear mapping. Promising experimental results have been obtained on several real-world datasets such as face, visual video and object. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rock face stability analysis and potential rockfall source detection in Yosemite Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matasci, B.; Stock, G. M.; Jaboyedoff, M.; Oppikofer, T.; Pedrazzini, A.; Carrea, D.

2012-04-01

Rockfall hazard in Yosemite Valley is especially high owing to the great cliff heights (~1 km), the fracturing of the steep granitic cliffs, and the widespread occurrence of surface parallel sheeting or exfoliation joints. Between 1857 and 2011, 890 documented rockfalls and other slope movements caused 15 fatalities and at least 82 injuries. The first part of this study focused on realizing a structural study for Yosemite Valley at both regional (valley-wide) and local (rockfall source area) scales. The dominant joint sets were completely characterized by their orientation, persistence, spacing, roughness and opening. Spacing and trace length for each joint set were accurately measured on terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point clouds with the software PolyWorks (InnovMetric). Based on this fundamental information the second part of the study aimed to detect the most important failure mechanisms leading to rockfalls. With the software Matterocking and the 1m cell size DEM, we calculated the number of possible failure mechanisms (wedge sliding, planar sliding, toppling) per cell, for several cliffs of the valley. Orientation, spacing and persistence measurements directly issued from field and TLS data were inserted in the Matterocking calculations. TLS point clouds are much more accurate than the 1m DEM and show the overhangs of the cliffs. Accordingly, with the software Coltop 3D we developed a methodology similar to the one used with Matterocking to identify on the TLS point clouds the areas of a cliff with the highest number of failure mechanisms. Exfoliation joints are included in this stability analysis in the same way as the other joint sets, with the only difference that their orientation is parallel to the local cliff orientation and thus variable. This means that, in two separate areas of a cliff, the exfoliation joint set is taken into account with different dip direction and dip, but its effect on the stability assessment is the same. Areas with a high density of possible failure mechanisms are shown to be more susceptible to rockfalls, demonstrating a link between high fracture density and rockfall susceptibility. This approach enables locating the most probable future rockfall sources and provides key elements needed to evaluate the potential volume and run-out distance of rockfall blocks. This information is used to improve rockfall hazard assessment in Yosemite Valley and elsewhere.

Precipitation Recycling and the Vertical Distribution of Local and Remote Sources of Water for Precipitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosilovich, Michael G.; Atlas, Robert (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Precipitation recycling is defined as the amount of water that evaporates from a region that precipitates within the same region. This is also interpreted as the local source of water for precipitation. In this study, the local and remote sources of water for precipitation have been diagnosed through the use of passive constituent tracers that represent regional evaporative sources along with their transport and precipitation. We will discuss the differences between this method and the simpler bulk diagnostic approach to precipitation recycling. A summer seasonal simulation has been analyzed for the regional sources of the United States Great Plains precipitation. While the tropical Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico) and the local continental sources of precipitation are most dominant, the vertically integrated column of water contains substantial water content originating from the Northern Pacific Ocean, which is not precipitated. The vertical profiles of regional water sources indicate that local Great Plains source of water dominates the lower troposphere, predominantly in the PBL. However, the Pacific Ocean source is dominant over a large portion of the middle to upper troposphere. The influence of the tropical Atlantic Ocean is reasonably uniform throughout the column. While the results are not unexpected given the formulation of the model's convective parameterization, the analysis provides a quantitative assessment of the impact of local evaporation on the occurrence of convective precipitation in the GCM. Further, these results suggest that local source of water is not well mixed throughout the vertical column.

Localization of transient gravitational wave sources: beyond triangulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fairhurst, Stephen

2018-05-01

Rapid, accurate localization of gravitational wave transient events has proved critical to successful electromagnetic followup. In previous papers we have shown that localization estimates can be obtained through triangulation based on timing information at the detector sites. In practice, detailed parameter estimation routines use additional information and provide better localization than is possible based on timing information alone. In this paper, we extend the timing based localization approximation to incorporate consistency of observed signals with two gravitational wave polarizations, and an astrophysically motivated distribution of sources. Both of these provide significant improvements to source localization, allowing many sources to be restricted to a single sky region, with an area 40% smaller than predicted by timing information alone. Furthermore, we show that the vast majority of sources will be reconstructed to be circularly polarized or, equivalently, indistinguishable from face-on.

Vehicle autonomous localization in local area of coal mine tunnel based on vision sensors and ultrasonic sensors.

PubMed

Xu, Zirui; Yang, Wei; You, Kaiming; Li, Wei; Kim, Young-Il

2017-01-01

This paper presents a vehicle autonomous localization method in local area of coal mine tunnel based on vision sensors and ultrasonic sensors. Barcode tags are deployed in pairs on both sides of the tunnel walls at certain intervals as artificial landmarks. The barcode coding is designed based on UPC-A code. The global coordinates of the upper left inner corner point of the feature frame of each barcode tag deployed in the tunnel are uniquely represented by the barcode. Two on-board vision sensors are used to recognize each pair of barcode tags on both sides of the tunnel walls. The distance between the upper left inner corner point of the feature frame of each barcode tag and the vehicle center point can be determined by using a visual distance projection model. The on-board ultrasonic sensors are used to measure the distance from the vehicle center point to the left side of the tunnel walls. Once the spatial geometric relationship between the barcode tags and the vehicle center point is established, the 3D coordinates of the vehicle center point in the tunnel's global coordinate system can be calculated. Experiments on a straight corridor and an underground tunnel have shown that the proposed vehicle autonomous localization method is not only able to quickly recognize the barcode tags affixed to the tunnel walls, but also has relatively small average localization errors in the vehicle center point's plane and vertical coordinates to meet autonomous unmanned vehicle positioning requirements in local area of coal mine tunnel.

Ghost imaging with bucket detection and point detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, De-Jian; Yin, Rao; Wang, Tong-Biao; Liao, Qing-Hua; Li, Hong-Guo; Liao, Qinghong; Liu, Jiang-Tao

2018-04-01

We experimentally investigate ghost imaging with bucket detection and point detection in which three types of illuminating sources are applied: (a) pseudo-thermal light source; (b) amplitude modulated true thermal light source; (c) amplitude modulated laser source. Experimental results show that the quality of ghost images reconstructed with true thermal light or laser beam is insensitive to the usage of bucket or point detector, however, the quality of ghost images reconstructed with pseudo-thermal light in bucket detector case is better than that in point detector case. Our theoretical analysis shows that the reason for this is due to the first order transverse coherence of the illuminating source.

Distinguishing dark matter from unresolved point sources in the Inner Galaxy with photon statistics

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

Lee, Samuel K.; Lisanti, Mariangela; Safdi, Benjamin R., E-mail: samuelkl@princeton.edu, E-mail: mlisanti@princeton.edu, E-mail: bsafdi@princeton.edu

2015-05-01

Data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope suggests that there is an extended excess of GeV gamma-ray photons in the Inner Galaxy. Identifying potential astrophysical sources that contribute to this excess is an important step in verifying whether the signal originates from annihilating dark matter. In this paper, we focus on the potential contribution of unresolved point sources, such as millisecond pulsars (MSPs). We propose that the statistics of the photons—in particular, the flux probability density function (PDF) of the photon counts below the point-source detection threshold—can potentially distinguish between the dark-matter and point-source interpretations. We calculate the flux PDFmore » via the method of generating functions for these two models of the excess. Working in the framework of Bayesian model comparison, we then demonstrate that the flux PDF can potentially provide evidence for an unresolved MSP-like point-source population.« less

78 FR 9866 - Special Local Regulation; Moss Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival; Robertson Lake & O'Leary...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-12

... 1625-AA08 Special Local Regulation; Moss Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival; Robertson Lake & O... Riverfront Festival high speed boat races. Entry into, transiting or anchoring in this area is prohibited to... Point Rockin' the Riverfront Festival; Robertson Lake & O'Leary Lake; Moss Point, MS. (a) Location. The...

Strong ground motion simulation of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake of April 16 using multiple point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagasaka, Yosuke; Nozu, Atsushi

2017-02-01

The pseudo point-source model approximates the rupture process on faults with multiple point sources for simulating strong ground motions. A simulation with this point-source model is conducted by combining a simple source spectrum following the omega-square model with a path spectrum, an empirical site amplification factor, and phase characteristics. Realistic waveforms can be synthesized using the empirical site amplification factor and phase models even though the source model is simple. The Kumamoto earthquake occurred on April 16, 2016, with M JMA 7.3. Many strong motions were recorded at stations around the source region. Some records were considered to be affected by the rupture directivity effect. This earthquake was suitable for investigating the applicability of the pseudo point-source model, the current version of which does not consider the rupture directivity effect. Three subevents (point sources) were located on the fault plane, and the parameters of the simulation were determined. The simulated results were compared with the observed records at K-NET and KiK-net stations. It was found that the synthetic Fourier spectra and velocity waveforms generally explained the characteristics of the observed records, except for underestimation in the low frequency range. Troughs in the observed Fourier spectra were also well reproduced by placing multiple subevents near the hypocenter. The underestimation is presumably due to the following two reasons. The first is that the pseudo point-source model targets subevents that generate strong ground motions and does not consider the shallow large slip. The second reason is that the current version of the pseudo point-source model does not consider the rupture directivity effect. Consequently, strong pulses were not reproduced enough at stations northeast of Subevent 3 such as KMM004, where the effect of rupture directivity was significant, while the amplitude was well reproduced at most of the other stations. This result indicates the necessity for improving the pseudo point-source model, by introducing azimuth-dependent corner frequency for example, so that it can incorporate the effect of rupture directivity.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

STATISTICS OF GAMMA-RAY POINT SOURCES BELOW THE FERMI DETECTION LIMIT

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

Malyshev, Dmitry; Hogg, David W., E-mail: dm137@nyu.edu

2011-09-10

An analytic relation between the statistics of photons in pixels and the number counts of multi-photon point sources is used to constrain the distribution of gamma-ray point sources below the Fermi detection limit at energies above 1 GeV and at latitudes below and above 30 deg. The derived source-count distribution is consistent with the distribution found by the Fermi Collaboration based on the first Fermi point-source catalog. In particular, we find that the contribution of resolved and unresolved active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to the total gamma-ray flux is below 20%-25%. In the best-fit model, the AGN-like point-source fraction is 17%more » {+-} 2%. Using the fact that the Galactic emission varies across the sky while the extragalactic diffuse emission is isotropic, we put a lower limit of 51% on Galactic diffuse emission and an upper limit of 32% on the contribution from extragalactic weak sources, such as star-forming galaxies. Possible systematic uncertainties are discussed.« less

Sources of nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to Irish rivers: estimates from the Source Load Apportionment Model (SLAM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mockler, Eva; Deakin, Jenny; Archbold, Marie; Daly, Donal; Bruen, Michael

2017-04-01

More than half of the river and lake water bodies in Europe are at less than good ecological status or potential, and diffuse pollution from agriculture remains a major, but not the only, cause of this poor performance. In Ireland, it is evident that agri-environmental policy and land management practices have, in many areas, reduced nutrient emissions to water, mitigating the potential impact on water quality. However, additional measures may be required in order to further decouple the relationship between agricultural productivity and emissions to water, which is of vital importance given the on-going agricultural intensification in Ireland. Catchment management can be greatly supported by modelling, which can reduce the resources required to analyse large amounts of information and can enable investigations and measures to be targeted. The Source Load Apportionment Model (SLAM) framework was developed to support catchment management in Ireland by characterising the contributions from various sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) emissions to water. The SLAM integrates multiple national spatial datasets relating to nutrient emissions to surface water, including land use and physical characteristics of the sub-catchments to predict emissions from point (wastewater, industry discharges and septic tank systems) and diffuse sources (agriculture, forestry, peatlands, etc.). The annual nutrient emissions predicted by the SLAM were assessed against nutrient monitoring data for 16 major river catchments covering 50% of the area of Ireland. At national scale, results indicate that the total average annual emissions to surface water in Ireland are over 2,700 t yr-1 of P and 80,000 t yr-1 of N. The SLAM results include the proportional contributions from individual sources at a range of scales from sub-catchment to national, and show that the main sources of P are from wastewater and agriculture, with wide variations across the country related to local anthropogenic pressures and the hydrogeological setting. Agriculture is the main source of N emissions to water across all regions of Ireland. The SLAM results have been incorporated into an Integrated Catchment Management process and used in conjunction with monitoring data and local knowledge during the characterisation of all Irish water bodies by the Environmental Protection Agency. This demonstrates the successful integration of research into catchment management to inform the identification of (i) the sources of nutrients at regional and local scales and (ii) the potential significant pressures and appropriate mitigation measures.

Evaluation of a Proposed Biodegradable 188Re Source for Brachytherapy Application

PubMed Central

Khorshidi, Abdollah; Ahmadinejad, Marjan; Hamed Hosseini, S.

2015-01-01

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate dosimetric characteristics based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for a proposed beta emitter bioglass 188Re seed for internal radiotherapy applications. The bioactive glass seed has been developed using the sol-gel technique. The simulations were performed for the seed using MC radiation transport code to investigate the dosimetric factors recommended by the AAPM Task Group 60 (TG-60). Dose distributions due to the beta and photon radiation were predicted at different radial distances surrounding the source. The dose rate in water at the reference point was calculated to be 7.43 ± 0.5 cGy/h/μCi. The dosimetric factors consisting of the reference point dose rate, D(r0,θ0), the radial dose function, g(r), the 2-dimensional anisotropy function, F(r,θ), the 1-dimensional anisotropy function, φan(r), and the R90 quantity were estimated and compared with several available beta-emitting sources. The element 188Re incorporated in bioactive glasses produced by the sol-gel technique provides a suitable solution for producing new materials for seed implants applied to brachytherapy applications in prostate and liver cancers treatment. Dose distribution of 188Re seed was greater isotropic than other commercially attainable encapsulated seeds, since it has no end weld to attenuate radiation. The beta radiation-emitting 188Re source provides high doses of local radiation to the tumor tissue and the short range of the beta particles limit damage to the adjacent normal tissue. PMID:26181543

MODELING PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND AEROSOL FORMATION IN POINT SOURCE PLUMES WITH THE CMAQ PLUME-IN-GRID

EPA Science Inventory

Emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides from the tall stacks of major point sources are important precursors of a variety of photochemical oxidants and secondary aerosol species. Plumes released from point sources exhibit rather limited dimensions and their growth is gradu...

X-ray Point Source Populations in Spiral and Elliptical Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colbert, E.; Heckman, T.; Weaver, K.; Ptak, A.; Strickland, D.

2001-12-01

In the years of the Einstein and ASCA satellites, it was known that the total hard X-ray luminosity from non-AGN galaxies was fairly well correlated with the total blue luminosity. However, the origin of this hard component was not well understood. Some possibilities that were considered included X-ray binaries, extended upscattered far-infrared light via the inverse-Compton process, extended hot 107 K gas (especially in ellipitical galaxies), or even an active nucleus. Now, for the first time, we know from Chandra images that a significant amount of the total hard X-ray emission comes from individual X-ray point sources. We present here spatial and spectral analyses of Chandra data for X-ray point sources in a sample of ~40 galaxies, including both spiral galaxies (starbursts and non-starbursts) and elliptical galaxies. We shall discuss the relationship between the X-ray point source population and the properties of the host galaxies. We show that the slopes of the point-source X-ray luminosity functions are different for different host galaxy types and discuss possible reasons why. We also present detailed X-ray spectral analyses of several of the most luminous X-ray point sources (i.e., IXOs, a.k.a. ULXs), and discuss various scenarios for the origin of the X-ray point sources.

Determination of efficiency of an aged HPGe detector for gaseous sources by self absorption correction and point source methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarangapani, R.; Jose, M. T.; Srinivasan, T. K.; Venkatraman, B.

2017-07-01

Methods for the determination of efficiency of an aged high purity germanium (HPGe) detector for gaseous sources have been presented in the paper. X-ray radiography of the detector has been performed to get detector dimensions for computational purposes. The dead layer thickness of HPGe detector has been ascertained from experiments and Monte Carlo computations. Experimental work with standard point and liquid sources in several cylindrical geometries has been undertaken for obtaining energy dependant efficiency. Monte Carlo simulations have been performed for computing efficiencies for point, liquid and gaseous sources. Self absorption correction factors have been obtained using mathematical equations for volume sources and MCNP simulations. Self-absorption correction and point source methods have been used to estimate the efficiency for gaseous sources. The efficiencies determined from the present work have been used to estimate activity of cover gas sample of a fast reactor.

The effect of brain lesions on sound localization in complex acoustic environments.

PubMed

Zündorf, Ida C; Karnath, Hans-Otto; Lewald, Jörg

2014-05-01

Localizing sound sources of interest in cluttered acoustic environments--as in the 'cocktail-party' situation--is one of the most demanding challenges to the human auditory system in everyday life. In this study, stroke patients' ability to localize acoustic targets in a single-source and in a multi-source setup in the free sound field were directly compared. Subsequent voxel-based lesion-behaviour mapping analyses were computed to uncover the brain areas associated with a deficit in localization in the presence of multiple distracter sound sources rather than localization of individually presented sound sources. Analyses revealed a fundamental role of the right planum temporale in this task. The results from the left hemisphere were less straightforward, but suggested an involvement of inferior frontal and pre- and postcentral areas. These areas appear to be particularly involved in the spectrotemporal analyses crucial for effective segregation of multiple sound streams from various locations, beyond the currently known network for localization of isolated sound sources in otherwise silent surroundings.

Managing agricultural phosphorus for water quality: lessons from the USA and China.

PubMed

Sharpley, Andrew; Wang, Xiaoyan

2014-09-01

The accelerated eutrophication of freshwaters and to a lesser extent some coastal waters is primarily driven by phosphorus (P) inputs. While efforts to identify and limit point source inputs of P to surface waters have seen some success, nonpoint sources remain difficult to identify, target, and remediate. As further improvements in wastewater treatment technologies becomes increasingly costly, attention has focused more on nonpoint source reduction, particularly the role of agriculture. This attention was heightened over the last 10 to 20 years by a number of highly visible cases of nutrient-related water quality degradation; including the Lake Taihu, Baltic Sea, Chesapeake Bay, and Gulf of Mexico. Thus, there has been a shift to targeted management of critical sources of P loss. In both the U.S. and China, there has been an intensification of agricultural production systems in certain areas concentrate large amounts of nutrients in excess of local crop and forage needs, which has increased the potential for P loss from these areas. To address this, innovative technologies are emerging that recycle water P back to land as fertilizer. For example, in the watershed of Lake Taihu, China one of the largest surface fresh waters for drinking water supply in China, local governments have encouraged innovation and various technical trials to harvest harmful algal blooms and use them for bio-gas, agricultural fertilizers, and biofuel production. In any country, however, the economics of remediation will remain a key limitation to substantial changes in agricultural production. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Discrimination between diffuse and point sources of arsenic at Zimapán, Hidalgo state, Mexico.

PubMed

Sracek, Ondra; Armienta, María Aurora; Rodríguez, Ramiro; Villaseñor, Guadalupe

2010-01-01

There are two principal sources of arsenic in Zimapán. Point sources are linked to mining and smelting activities and especially to mine tailings. Diffuse sources are not well defined and are linked to regional flow systems in carbonate rocks. Both sources are caused by the oxidation of arsenic-rich sulfidic mineralization. Point sources are characterized by Ca-SO(4)-HCO(3) ground water type and relatively enriched values of deltaD, delta(18)O, and delta(34)S(SO(4)). Diffuse sources are characterized by Ca-Na-HCO(3) type of ground water and more depleted values of deltaD, delta(18)O, and delta(34)S(SO(4)). Values of deltaD and delta(18)O indicate similar altitude of recharge for both arsenic sources and stronger impact of evaporation for point sources in mine tailings. There are also different values of delta(34)S(SO(4)) for both sources, presumably due to different types of mineralization or isotopic zonality in deposits. In Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the principal component 1 (PC1), which describes the impact of sulfide oxidation and neutralization by the dissolution of carbonates, has higher values in samples from point sources. In spite of similar concentrations of As in ground water affected by diffuse sources and point sources (mean values 0.21 mg L(-1) and 0.31 mg L(-1), respectively, in the years from 2003 to 2008), the diffuse sources have more impact on the health of population in Zimapán. This is caused by the extraction of ground water from wells tapping regional flow system. In contrast, wells located in the proximity of mine tailings are not generally used for water supply.

Interplanetary Scintillation studies with the Murchison Wide-field Array III: Comparison of source counts and densities for radio sources and their sub-arcsecond components at 162 MHz

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chhetri, R.; Ekers, R. D.; Morgan, J.; Macquart, J.-P.; Franzen, T. M. O.

2018-06-01

We use Murchison Widefield Array observations of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) to determine the source counts of point (<0.3 arcsecond extent) sources and of all sources with some subarcsecond structure, at 162 MHz. We have developed the methodology to derive these counts directly from the IPS observables, while taking into account changes in sensitivity across the survey area. The counts of sources with compact structure follow the behaviour of the dominant source population above ˜3 Jy but below this they show Euclidean behaviour. We compare our counts to those predicted by simulations and find a good agreement for our counts of sources with compact structure, but significant disagreement for point source counts. Using low radio frequency SEDs from the GLEAM survey, we classify point sources as Compact Steep-Spectrum (CSS), flat spectrum, or peaked. If we consider the CSS sources to be the more evolved counterparts of the peaked sources, the two categories combined comprise approximately 80% of the point source population. We calculate densities of potential calibrators brighter than 0.4 Jy at low frequencies and find 0.2 sources per square degrees for point sources, rising to 0.7 sources per square degree if sources with more complex arcsecond structure are included. We extrapolate to estimate 4.6 sources per square degrees at 0.04 Jy. We find that a peaked spectrum is an excellent predictor for compactness at low frequencies, increasing the number of good calibrators by a factor of three compared to the usual flat spectrum criterion.

Early repolarization, localization of J point elevation on ECG and arrhythmias.

PubMed

Matoshvili, Z; Petriashvili, Sh; Archvadze, A; Azaladze, I

2015-04-01

Final aim of this observational study was to determine correlation between localization of J point elevation and number of premature ventricular beats. The 52 patients (19-68 years old; 31 men and 21 women) were divided in two groups based on localization of J point elevation. First Group - 9 patients (5 men and 4 women) with J-point elevation ≥1 mm in ≥2 contiguous inferior and/or lateral leads on a standard 12-lead ECG reading, Second Group - other 43 (26 men and 17 women) patients with another localization of J point elevation. Total summarized number of premature ventricular contractions for each group was compared and analyzed. The results of the study shows that the number of premature ventricular beats in first group was 61% higher. Thus, in our opinion J-point elevation ≥1 mm in ≥2 contiguous inferior and/or lateral leads, is more arrhythmogenic. Data shows that this difference is statistically significant.

Classification Model for Damage Localization in a Plate Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janeliukstis, R.; Ruchevskis, S.; Chate, A.

2018-01-01

The present study is devoted to the problem of damage localization by means of data classification. The commercial ANSYS finite-elements program was used to make a model of a cantilevered composite plate equipped with numerous strain sensors. The plate was divided into zones, and, for data classification purposes, each of them housed several points to which a point mass of magnitude 5 and 10% of plate mass was applied. At each of these points, a numerical modal analysis was performed, from which the first few natural frequencies and strain readings were extracted. The strain data for every point were the input for a classification procedure involving k nearest neighbors and decision trees. The classification model was trained and optimized by finetuning the key parameters of both algorithms. Finally, two new query points were simulated and subjected to a classification in terms of assigning a label to one of the zones of the plate, thus localizing these points. Damage localization results were compared for both algorithms and were found to be in good agreement with the actual application positions of point load.

New Zealand traffic and local air quality.

PubMed

Irving, Paul; Moncrieff, Ian

2004-12-01

Since 1996 the New Zealand Ministry of Transport (MOT) has been investigating the effects of road transport on local air quality. The outcome has been the government's Vehicle Fleet Emissions Control Strategy (VFECS). This is a programme of measures designed to assist with the improvement in local air quality, and especially in the appropriate management of transport sector emissions. Key to the VFECS has been the development of tools to assess and predict the contribution of vehicle emissions to local air pollution, in a given urban situation. Determining how vehicles behave as an emissions source, and more importantly, how the combined traffic flows contribute to the total emissions within a given airshed location was an important element of the programme. The actual emissions output of a vehicle is more than that determined by a certified emission standard, at the point of manufacture. It is the engine technology's general performance capability, in conjunction with the local driving conditions, that determines its actual emissions output. As vehicles are a mobile emissions source, to understand the effect of vehicle technology, it is necessary to work with the average fleet performance, or "fleet-weighted average emissions rate". This is the unit measure of performance of the general traffic flow that could be passing through a given road corridor or network, as an average, over time. The flow composition can be representative of the national fleet population, but also may feature particular vehicle types in a given locality, thereby have a different emissions 'signature'. A summary of the range of work that has been completed as part of the VFECS programme is provided. The NZ Vehicle Fleet Emissions Model and the derived data set available in the NZ Traffic Emission Rates provide a significant step forward in the consistent analysis of practical, sustainable vehicle emissions policy and air-quality management in New Zealand.

Electron gun for a multiple beam klystron with magnetic compression of the electron beams

DOEpatents

Ives, R. Lawrence; Tran, Hien T; Bui, Thuc; Attarian, Adam; Tallis, William; David, John; Forstall, Virginia; Andujar, Cynthia; Blach, Noah T; Brown, David B; Gadson, Sean E; Kiley, Erin M; Read, Michael

2013-10-01

A multi-beam electron gun provides a plurality N of cathode assemblies comprising a cathode, anode, and focus electrode, each cathode assembly having a local cathode axis and also a central cathode point defined by the intersection of the local cathode axis with the emitting surface of the cathode. Each cathode is arranged with its central point positioned in a plane orthogonal to a device central axis, with each cathode central point an equal distance from the device axis and with an included angle of 360/N between each cathode central point. The local axis of each cathode has a cathode divergence angle with respect to the central axis which is set such that the diverging magnetic field from a solenoidal coil is less than 5 degrees with respect to the projection of the local cathode axis onto a cathode reference plane formed by the device axis and the central cathode point, and the local axis of each cathode is also set such that the angle formed between the cathode reference plane and the local cathode axis results in minimum spiraling in the path of the electron beams in a homogenous magnetic field region of the solenoidal field generator.

DISCRIMINATION OF NATURAL AND NON-POINT SOURCE EFFECTS FROM ANTHROGENIC EFFECTS AS REFLECTED IN BENTHIC STATE IN THREE ESTUARIES IN NEW ENGLAND

EPA Science Inventory

In order to protect estuarine resources, managers must be able to discern the effects of natural conditions and non-point source effects, and separate them from multiple anthropogenic point source effects. Our approach was to evaluate benthic community assemblages, riverine nitro...

40 CFR 409.13 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS SUGAR PROCESSING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Beet Sugar Processing... a point source where the sugar beet processing capacity of the point source does not exceed 1090 kkg... results, in whole or in part, from barometric condensing operations and any other beet sugar processing...

40 CFR 409.13 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS SUGAR PROCESSING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Beet Sugar Processing... a point source where the sugar beet processing capacity of the point source does not exceed 1090 kkg... results, in whole or in part, from barometric condensing operations and any other beet sugar processing...

40 CFR 409.13 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS SUGAR PROCESSING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Beet Sugar Processing... a point source where the sugar beet processing capacity of the point source does not exceed 1090 kkg... results, in whole or in part, from barometric condensing operations and any other beet sugar processing...

40 CFR 409.13 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS SUGAR PROCESSING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Beet Sugar Processing... a point source where the sugar beet processing capacity of the point source does not exceed 1090 kkg... results, in whole or in part, from barometric condensing operations and any other beet sugar processing...

40 CFR 409.13 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS SUGAR PROCESSING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Beet Sugar Processing... a point source where the sugar beet processing capacity of the point source does not exceed 1090 kkg... results, in whole or in part, from barometric condensing operations and any other beet sugar processing...

Associating Fast Radio Bursts with Extragalactic Radio Sources: General Methodology and a Search for a Counterpart to FRB 170107

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eftekhari, T.; Berger, E.; Williams, P. K. G.; Blanchard, P. K.

2018-06-01

The discovery of a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) has led to the first precise localization, an association with a dwarf galaxy, and the identification of a coincident persistent radio source. However, further localizations are required to determine the nature of FRBs, the sources powering them, and the possibility of multiple populations. Here we investigate the use of associated persistent radio sources to establish FRB counterparts, taking into account the localization area and the source flux density. Due to the lower areal number density of radio sources compared to faint optical sources, robust associations can be achieved for less precise localizations as compared to direct optical host galaxy associations. For generally larger localizations that preclude robust associations, the number of candidate hosts can be reduced based on the ratio of radio-to-optical brightness. We find that confident associations with sources having a flux density of ∼0.01–1 mJy, comparable to the luminosity of the persistent source associated with FRB 121102 over the redshift range z ≈ 0.1–1, require FRB localizations of ≲20″. We demonstrate that even in the absence of a robust association, constraints can be placed on the luminosity of an associated radio source as a function of localization and dispersion measure (DM). For DM ≈1000 pc cm‑3, an upper limit comparable to the luminosity of the FRB 121102 persistent source can be placed if the localization is ≲10″. We apply our analysis to the case of the ASKAP FRB 170107, using optical and radio observations of the localization region. We identify two candidate hosts based on a radio-to-optical brightness ratio of ≳100. We find that if one of these is indeed associated with FRB 170107, the resulting radio luminosity (1029‑ 4 × 1030 erg s‑1 Hz‑1, as constrained from the DM value) is comparable to the luminosity of the FRB 121102 persistent source.

StreamVOC - A deterministic source-apportionment model to estimate volatile organic compound concentrations in rivers and streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asher, William E.; Bender, David A.; Zogorski, John S.; Bartholomay, Roy C.

2006-01-01

This report documents the construction and verification of the model, StreamVOC, that estimates (1) the time- and position-dependent concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in rivers and streams as well as (2) the source apportionment (SA) of those concentrations. The model considers how different types of sources and loss processes can act together to yield a given observed VOC concentration. Reasons for interest in the relative and absolute contributions of different sources to contaminant concentrations include the need to apportion: (1) the origins for an observed contamination, and (2) the associated human and ecosystem risks. For VOCs, sources of interest include the atmosphere (by absorption), as well as point and nonpoint inflows of VOC-containing water. Loss processes of interest include volatilization to the atmosphere, degradation, and outflows of VOC-containing water from the stream to local ground water. This report presents the details of StreamVOC and compares model output with measured concentrations for eight VOCs found in the Aberjona River at Winchester, Massachusetts. Input data for the model were obtained during a synoptic study of the stream system conducted July 11-13, 2001, as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. The input data included a variety of basic stream characteristics (for example, flows, temperature, and VOC concentrations). The StreamVOC concentration results agreed moderately well with the measured concentration data for several VOCs and provided compound-dependent SA estimates as a function of longitudinal distance down the river. For many VOCs, the quality of the agreement between the model-simulated and measured concentrations could be improved by simple adjustments of the model input parameters. In general, this study illustrated: (1) the considerable difficulty of quantifying correctly the locations and magnitudes of ground-water-related sources of contamination in streams; and (2) that model-based estimates of stream VOC concentrations are likely to be most accurate when the major sources are point sources or tributaries where the spatial extent and magnitude of the sources are tightly constrained and easily determined.

Near-Field Noise Source Localization in the Presence of Interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Guolong; Han, Bo

In order to suppress the influence of interference sources on the noise source localization in the near field, the near-field broadband source localization in the presence of interference is studied. Oblique projection is constructed with the array measurements and the steering manifold of interference sources, which is used to filter the interference signals out. 2D-MUSIC algorithm is utilized to deal with the data in each frequency, and then the results of each frequency are averaged to achieve the positioning of the broadband noise sources. The simulations show that this method suppresses the interference sources effectively and is capable of locating the source which is in the same direction with the interference source.

Occurrence of Surface Water Contaminations: An Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahabudin, M. M.; Musa, S.

2018-04-01

Water is a part of our life and needed by all organisms. As time goes by, the needs by human increased transforming water quality into bad conditions. Surface water contaminated in various ways which is pointed sources and non-pointed sources. Pointed sources means the source are distinguished from the source such from drains or factory but the non-pointed always occurred in mixed of elements of pollutants. This paper is reviewing the occurrence of the contaminations with effects that occurred around us. Pollutant factors from natural or anthropology factors such nutrients, pathogens, and chemical elements contributed to contaminations. Most of the effects from contaminated surface water contributed to the public health effects also to the environments.

Practical applications of hand-held computers in dermatology.

PubMed

Goldblum, Orin M

2002-09-01

For physicians, hand-held computers are gaining popularity as point of care reference tools. The convergence of hand-held computers, the Internet, and wireless networks will enable these devices to assume more essential roles as mobile transmitters and receivers of digital medical Information. In addition to serving as portable medical reference sources, these devices can be Internet-enabled, allowing them to communicate over wireless wide and local area networks. With enhanced wireless connectivity, hand-held computers can be used at the point of patient care for charge capture, electronic prescribing, laboratory test ordering, laboratory result retrieval, web access, e-mail communication, and other clinical and administrative tasks. Physicians In virtually every medical specialty have begun using these devices in various ways. This review of hand-held computer use in dermatology illustrates practical examples of the many different ways hand-held computers can be effectively used by the practicing dermatologist.

2011 Radioactive Materials Usage Survey for Unmonitored Point Sources

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

Sturgeon, Richard W.

This report provides the results of the 2011 Radioactive Materials Usage Survey for Unmonitored Point Sources (RMUS), which was updated by the Environmental Protection (ENV) Division's Environmental Stewardship (ES) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). ES classifies LANL emission sources into one of four Tiers, based on the potential effective dose equivalent (PEDE) calculated for each point source. Detailed descriptions of these tiers are provided in Section 3. The usage survey is conducted annually; in odd-numbered years the survey addresses all monitored and unmonitored point sources and in even-numbered years it addresses all Tier III and various selected other sources.more » This graded approach was designed to ensure that the appropriate emphasis is placed on point sources that have higher potential emissions to the environment. For calendar year (CY) 2011, ES has divided the usage survey into two distinct reports, one covering the monitored point sources (to be completed later this year) and this report covering all unmonitored point sources. This usage survey includes the following release points: (1) all unmonitored sources identified in the 2010 usage survey, (2) any new release points identified through the new project review (NPR) process, and (3) other release points as designated by the Rad-NESHAP Team Leader. Data for all unmonitored point sources at LANL is stored in the survey files at ES. LANL uses this survey data to help demonstrate compliance with Clean Air Act radioactive air emissions regulations (40 CFR 61, Subpart H). The remainder of this introduction provides a brief description of the information contained in each section. Section 2 of this report describes the methods that were employed for gathering usage survey data and for calculating usage, emissions, and dose for these point sources. It also references the appropriate ES procedures for further information. Section 3 describes the RMUS and explains how the survey results are organized. The RMUS Interview Form with the attached RMUS Process Form(s) provides the radioactive materials survey data by technical area (TA) and building number. The survey data for each release point includes information such as: exhaust stack identification number, room number, radioactive material source type (i.e., potential source or future potential source of air emissions), radionuclide, usage (in curies) and usage basis, physical state (gas, liquid, particulate, solid, or custom), release fraction (from Appendix D to 40 CFR 61, Subpart H), and process descriptions. In addition, the interview form also calculates emissions (in curies), lists mrem/Ci factors, calculates PEDEs, and states the location of the critical receptor for that release point. [The critical receptor is the maximum exposed off-site member of the public, specific to each individual facility.] Each of these data fields is described in this section. The Tier classification of release points, which was first introduced with the 1999 usage survey, is also described in detail in this section. Section 4 includes a brief discussion of the dose estimate methodology, and includes a discussion of several release points of particular interest in the CY 2011 usage survey report. It also includes a table of the calculated PEDEs for each release point at its critical receptor. Section 5 describes ES's approach to Quality Assurance (QA) for the usage survey. Satisfactory completion of the survey requires that team members responsible for Rad-NESHAP (National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants) compliance accurately collect and process several types of information, including radioactive materials usage data, process information, and supporting information. They must also perform and document the QA reviews outlined in Section 5.2.6 (Process Verification and Peer Review) of ES-RN, 'Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Rad-NESHAP Compliance Project' to verify that all information is complete and correct.« less

A Context-Recognition-Aided PDR Localization Method Based on the Hidden Markov Model

PubMed Central

Lu, Yi; Wei, Dongyan; Lai, Qifeng; Li, Wen; Yuan, Hong

2016-01-01

Indoor positioning has recently become an important field of interest because global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are usually unavailable in indoor environments. Pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) is a promising localization technique for indoor environments since it can be implemented on widely used smartphones equipped with low cost inertial sensors. However, the PDR localization severely suffers from the accumulation of positioning errors, and other external calibration sources should be used. In this paper, a context-recognition-aided PDR localization model is proposed to calibrate PDR. The context is detected by employing particular human actions or characteristic objects and it is matched to the context pre-stored offline in the database to get the pedestrian’s location. The Hidden Markov Model (HMM) and Recursive Viterbi Algorithm are used to do the matching, which reduces the time complexity and saves the storage. In addition, the authors design the turn detection algorithm and take the context of corner as an example to illustrate and verify the proposed model. The experimental results show that the proposed localization method can fix the pedestrian’s starting point quickly and improves the positioning accuracy of PDR by 40.56% at most with perfect stability and robustness at the same time. PMID:27916922

Localization of small arms fire using acoustic measurements of muzzle blast and/or ballistic shock wave arrivals.

PubMed

Lo, Kam W; Ferguson, Brian G

2012-11-01

The accurate localization of small arms fire using fixed acoustic sensors is considered. First, the conventional wavefront-curvature passive ranging method, which requires only differential time-of-arrival (DTOA) measurements of the muzzle blast wave to estimate the source position, is modified to account for sensor positions that are not strictly collinear (bowed array). Second, an existing single-sensor-node ballistic model-based localization method, which requires both DTOA and differential angle-of-arrival (DAOA) measurements of the muzzle blast wave and ballistic shock wave, is improved by replacing the basic external ballistics model (which describes the bullet's deceleration along its trajectory) with a more rigorous model and replacing the look-up table ranging procedure with a nonlinear (or polynomial) equation-based ranging procedure. Third, a new multiple-sensor-node ballistic model-based localization method, which requires only DTOA measurements of the ballistic shock wave to localize the point of fire, is formulated. The first method is applicable to situations when only the muzzle blast wave is received, whereas the third method applies when only the ballistic shock wave is received. The effectiveness of each of these methods is verified using an extensive set of real data recorded during a 7 day field experiment.

Do Local Contributions Affect the Efficacy of Public Primary Schools?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, Emmanuel; Paqueo, Vicente

1996-01-01

Uses cost, financial sources, and student achievement data from Philippine primary schools (financed primarily from central sources) to discover if financial decentralization leads to more efficient schools. Schools that rely more heavily on local sources (contributions from local school boards, municipal government, parent-teacher associations,…

SoundCompass: A Distributed MEMS Microphone Array-Based Sensor for Sound Source Localization

PubMed Central

Tiete, Jelmer; Domínguez, Federico; da Silva, Bruno; Segers, Laurent; Steenhaut, Kris; Touhafi, Abdellah

2014-01-01

Sound source localization is a well-researched subject with applications ranging from localizing sniper fire in urban battlefields to cataloging wildlife in rural areas. One critical application is the localization of noise pollution sources in urban environments, due to an increasing body of evidence linking noise pollution to adverse effects on human health. Current noise mapping techniques often fail to accurately identify noise pollution sources, because they rely on the interpolation of a limited number of scattered sound sensors. Aiming to produce accurate noise pollution maps, we developed the SoundCompass, a low-cost sound sensor capable of measuring local noise levels and sound field directionality. Our first prototype is composed of a sensor array of 52 Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphones, an inertial measuring unit and a low-power field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This article presents the SoundCompass’s hardware and firmware design together with a data fusion technique that exploits the sensing capabilities of the SoundCompass in a wireless sensor network to localize noise pollution sources. Live tests produced a sound source localization accuracy of a few centimeters in a 25-m2 anechoic chamber, while simulation results accurately located up to five broadband sound sources in a 10,000-m2 open field. PMID:24463431

How to Manual: How to Update and Enhance Your Local Source Water Protection Assessments

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Describes opportunities for improving source water assessments performed under the Safe Drinking Water Act 1453. It includes: local delineations, potential contaminant source inventories, and susceptibility determinations of source water assessment.

Precise γ-ray timing and radio observations of 17 FERMI γ-ray pulsars

DOE PAGES

Ray, Paul S.; Kerr, M.; Parent, D.; ...

2011-04-29

Here, we present precise phase-connected pulse timing solutions for 16 γ-ray-selected pulsars recently discovered using the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope plus one very faint radio pulsar (PSR J1124–5916) that is more effectively timed with the LAT. We describe the analysis techniques including a maximum likelihood method for determining pulse times of arrival from unbinned photon data. A major result of this work is improved position determinations, which are crucial for multiwavelength follow-up. For most of the pulsars, we overlay the timing localizations on X-ray images from Swift and describe the status of X-ray counterpartmore » associations. We report glitches measured in PSRs J0007+7303, J1124–5916, and J1813–1246. We analyze a new 20 ks Chandra ACIS observation of PSR J0633+0632 that reveals an arcminute-scale X-ray nebula extending to the south of the pulsar. We were also able to precisely localize the X-ray point source counterpart to the pulsar and find a spectrum that can be described by an absorbed blackbody or neutron star atmosphere with a hard power-law component. Another Chandra ACIS image of PSR J1732–3131 reveals a faint X-ray point source at a location consistent with the timing position of the pulsar. Finally, we present a compilation of new and archival searches for radio pulsations from each of the γ-ray-selected pulsars as well as a new Parkes radio observation of PSR J1124–5916 to establish the γ-ray to radio phase offset.« less

Calm Multi-Baryon Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berkowitz, Evan; Nicholson, Amy; Chang, Chia Cheng; Rinaldi, Enrico; Clark, M. A.; Joó, Bálint; Kurth, Thorsten; Vranas, Pavlos; Walker-Loud, André

2018-03-01

There are many outstanding problems in nuclear physics which require input and guidance from lattice QCD calculations of few baryons systems. However, these calculations suffer from an exponentially bad signal-to-noise problem which has prevented a controlled extrapolation to the physical point. The variational method has been applied very successfully to two-meson systems, allowing for the extraction of the two-meson states very early in Euclidean time through the use of improved single hadron operators. The sheer numerical cost of using the same techniques in two-baryon systems has so far been prohibitive. We present an alternate strategy which offers some of the same advantages as the variational method while being significantly less numerically expensive. We first use the Matrix Prony method to form an optimal linear combination of single baryon interpolating fields generated from the same source and different sink interpolating fields. Very early in Euclidean time this optimal linear combination is numerically free of excited state contamination, so we coin it a calm baryon. This calm baryon operator is then used in the construction of the two-baryon correlation functions. To test this method, we perform calculations on the WM/JLab iso-clover gauge configurations at the SU(3) flavor symmetric point with mπ 800 MeV — the same configurations we have previously used for the calculation of two-nucleon correlation functions. We observe the calm baryon significantly removes the excited state contamination from the two-nucleon correlation function to as early a time as the single-nucleon is improved, provided non-local (displaced nucleon) sources are used. For the local two-nucleon correlation function (where both nucleons are created from the same space-time location) there is still improvement, but there is significant excited state contamination in the region the single calm baryon displays no excited state contamination.

Gaseous Criteria Pollutants in Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand: Analysis, Issues and Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uttamang, P.; Aneja, V. P.; Hanna, A. F.

2017-12-01

Analysis of gaseous criteria pollutants in Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR), Thailand, during 2010 to 2014 reveals that the hourly concentrations of CO, SO2 and NO2 were mostly below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQs) of Thailand. However, the hourly concentrations of Ozone (O3) exceeded the Thailand NAAQs. The maximum concentrations of O3 were from 120 to 190 ppb. On average, the number of hourly O3 exceedances were from 1 to 60 hours a year depending on monitoring station locations. The exceedances were found during the dry season in both summer and winter. Inter-conversion between O3, NO and NO2 indicates the crossover point between species occur when the concentration of NOx ([NOx = NO + NO2]) is about 60 ppb. When [NOx] < 60 ppb, O3 is the dominant species; conversely, NO dominates when [NOx] > 60 ppb. The calculated photochemical reaction rate during photostationary state ranges from 0.12 to 1.22 min-1. Linear regression analysis between the concentrations of Ox ([Ox = O3 + NO2]) and NOx provides the role of local and regional contributions to Ox. Both the local and regional Ox contributions play an important role in the increase of [Ox] and those values were about double during O3 episodes ([O3] > 100 ppb). Ratio analysis suggests that the major contributors of primary pollutants over BMR are mobile sources (CO/NOx = 19.8). However, this region may also be influenced by point sources, but they are not dominant. An analysis of the air quality showed that the air quality index (AQI) for BMR was predominantly between good to moderate; however, during episode conditions in the region, unhealthy O3 categories were also observed. Note the manuscript is under review by a publication

A protozoal-associated epizootic impacting marine wildlife: Mass-mortality of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) due to Sarcocystis neurona infection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, M.A.; Conrad, P.A.; Harris, M.; Hatfield, B.; Langlois, G.; Jessup, David A.; Magargal, S.L.; Packham, A.E.; Toy-Choutka, S.; Melli, A.C.; Murray, M.A.; Gulland, F.M.; Grigg, M.E.

2010-01-01

During April 2004, 40 sick and dead southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were recovered over 18 km of coastline near Morro Bay, California. This event represented the single largest monthly spike in mortality ever recorded during 30 years of southern sea otter stranding data collection. Because of the point-source nature of the event and clinical signs consistent with severe, acute neurological disease, exposure to a chemical or marine toxin was initially considered. However, detailed postmortem examinations revealed lesions consistent with an infectious etiology, and further investigation confirmed the protozoan parasite Sarcocystis neurona as the underlying cause. Tissues from 94% of examined otters were PCR-positive for S. neurona, based on DNA amplification and sequencing at the ITS-1 locus, and 100% of tested animals (n= 14) had elevated IgM and IgG titers to S. neurona. Evidence to support the point-source character of this event include the striking spatial and temporal clustering of cases and detection of high concentrations of anti- S. neurona IgM in serum of stranded animals. Concurrent exposure to the marine biotoxin domoic acid may have enhanced susceptibility of affected otters to S. neurona and exacerbated the neurological signs exhibited by stranded animals. Other factors that may have contributed to the severity of this epizootic include a large rainstorm that preceded the event and an abundance of razor clams near local beaches, attracting numerous otters close to shore within the affected area. This is the first report of a localized epizootic in marine wildlife caused by apicomplexan protozoa. ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory.

PubMed

Aab, A; Abreu, P; Aglietta, M; Ahn, E J; Samarai, I Al; Albuquerque, I F M; Allekotte, I; Allen, J; Allison, P; Almela, A; Castillo, J Alvarez; Alvarez-Muñiz, J; Batista, R Alves; Ambrosio, M; Aminaei, A; Anchordoqui, L; Andringa, S; Aramo, C; Aranda, V M; Arqueros, F; Asorey, H; Assis, P; Aublin, J; Ave, M; Avenier, M; Avila, G; Awal, N; Badescu, A M; Barber, K B; Bäuml, J; Baus, C; Beatty, J J; Becker, K H; Bellido, J A; Berat, C; Bertaina, M E; Bertou, X; Biermann, P L; Billoir, P; Blaess, S; Blanco, M; Bleve, C; Blümer, H; Boháčová, M; Boncioli, D; Bonifazi, C; Bonino, R; Borodai, N; Brack, J; Brancus, I; Bridgeman, A; Brogueira, P; Brown, W C; Buchholz, P; Bueno, A; Buitink, S; Buscemi, M; Caballero-Mora, K S; Caccianiga, B; Caccianiga, L; Candusso, M; Caramete, L; Caruso, R; Castellina, A; Cataldi, G; Cazon, L; Cester, R; Chavez, A G; Chiavassa, A; Chinellato, J A; Chudoba, J; Cilmo, M; Clay, R W; Cocciolo, G; Colalillo, R; Coleman, A; Collica, L; Coluccia, M R; Conceição, R; Contreras, F; 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Yapici, T; Yuan, G; Yushkov, A; Zamorano, B; Zas, E; Zavrtanik, D; Zavrtanik, M; Zaw, I; Zepeda, A; Zhou, J; Zhu, Y; Silva, M Zimbres; Ziolkowski, M; Zuccarello, F

Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with [Formula: see text] eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above [Formula: see text] eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15[Formula: see text]. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis. The comparison of these measurements with astrophysical scenarios can therefore be used to obtain constraints on related model parameters such as strength of cosmic-ray deflection and density of point sources.