New Fast Beam Conditions Monitoring (BCM1F) system for CMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zagozdzinska, A. A.; Bell, A. J.; Dabrowski, A. E.; Hempel, M.; Henschel, H. M.; Karacheban, O.; Przyborowski, D.; Leonard, J. L.; Penno, M.; Pozniak, K. T.; Miraglia, M.; Lange, W.; Lohmann, W.; Ryjov, V.; Lokhovitskiy, A.; Stickland, D.; Walsh, R.

2016-01-01

The CMS Beam Radiation Instrumentation and Luminosity (BRIL) project is composed of several systems providing the experiment protection from adverse beam conditions while also measuring the online luminosity and beam background. Although the readout bandwidth of the Fast Beam Conditions Monitoring system (BCM1F—one of the faster monitoring systems of the CMS BRIL), was sufficient for the initial LHC conditions, the foreseen enhancement of the beams parameters after the LHC Long Shutdown-1 (LS1) imposed the upgrade of the system. This paper presents the new BCM1F, which is designed to provide real-time fast diagnosis of beam conditions and instantaneous luminosity with readout able to resolve the 25 ns bunch structure.

Orbital maneuvering subsystem functional path analysis for performance monitoring fault detection and annunciation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keesler, E. L.

1974-01-01

The functional paths of the Orbital Maneuver Subsystem (OMS) is defined. The operational flight instrumentation required for performance monitoring, fault detection, and annunciation is described. The OMS is a pressure fed rocket engine propulsion subsystem. One complete OMS shares each of the two auxiliary propulsion subsystem pods with a reaction control subsystem. Each OMS is composed of a pressurization system, a propellant tanking system, and a gimbaled rocket engine. The design, development, and operation of the system are explained. Diagrams of the system are provided.

Development of the ARICH monitor system for the Belle II experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hataya, K.; Adachi, I.; Dolenec, R.; Iori, S.; Iwata, S.; Kakuno, H.; Kataura, R.; Kawai, H.; Kindo, H.; Kobayashi, T.; Korpar, S.; Križan, P.; Kumita, T.; Mrvar, M.; Nishida, S.; Ogawa, K.; Ogawa, S.; Pestotnik, R.; Šantelj, L.; Sumiyoshi, T.; Tabata, M.; Yonenaga, M.; Yusa, Y.

2017-12-01

The Belle II detector is under construction at KEK in Japan. In the forward endcap region of the Belle II detector, particle identification (PID) is performed by the Aerogel Ring Imaging Cherenkov (ARICH) counter composed of aerogel tiles and 144-channel Hybrid Avalanche Photo-Detectors (HAPDs). The photon detection efficiency of the photosensor is important for a stable operation of the ARICH. To examine the performance of the HAPDs periodically, a monitor system using scattered photons injected by optical fibers is being developed. In this paper, we report the test using the prototype monitor system and the tests with a partially built ARICH detector.

Optical system for monitoring the internal image of foods and the human body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aisha, Nur; Fugang, Lee; Genta, Tsuneaki; Yamaguchi, Kenzo; Fukuda, Mitsuo

2011-10-01

We present a technique for monitoring alien substances in foods and blood vessels in the human body. A prototype of the system using near-infrared rays is developed, and its applicability to food is analyzed in detail. The system developed is basically composed of an optical source and a CMOS sensor. Some optical components adjusted at 850-nm band are also set in the system. The system can monitor organic alien substances intentionally added to foods and blood vessels. The clarity of the image increased with decreasing water content and homogeneous material density. The resolving power of the images was confirmed to be about 100 μm. This technique will be useful for our safety and health in our daily lives.

An Overview of the Development of High Temperature Wireless Smart Sensor Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.

2014-01-01

The harsh environment inherent in propulsion systems is especially challenging for Smart Sensor Systems; this paper addresses technology development for such applications. A basic sensing system for high temperature wireless pressure monitoring composed of a sensor, electronics, and wireless communication with scavenged power developed for health monitoring of aircraft engines and other high temperature applications has been demonstrated at 475 C. Other efforts will be discussed including a brief overview of the status of high temperature electronics and sensors, as well as their use and applications.

Design and Implementation of the National Seismic Monitoring Network in the Kingdom of Bhutan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohmi, S.; Inoue, H.; Chophel, J.; Pelgay, P.; Drukpa, D.

2017-12-01

Bhutan-Himalayan district is located along the plate collision zone between Indian and Eurasian plates, which is one of the most seismically active region in the world. Recent earthquakes such as M7.8 Gorkha Nepal earthquake in April 25, 2015 and M6.7 Imphal, India earthquake in January 3, 2016 are examples of felt earthquakes in Bhutan. However, there is no permanent seismic monitoring system ever established in Bhutan, whose territory is in the center of the Bhutan-Himalayan region. We started establishing permanent seismic monitoring network of minimum requirements and intensity meter network over the nation. The former is composed of six (6) observation stations in Bhutan with short period weak motion and strong motion seismometers as well as three (3) broad-band seismometers, and the latter is composed of twenty intensity meters located in every provincial government office. Obtained data are transmitted to the central processing system in the DGM office in Thimphu in real time. In this project, DGM will construct seismic vault with their own budget which is approved as the World Bank project, and Japan team assists the DGM for site survey of observation site, designing the observation vault, and designing the data telemetry system as well as providing instruments for the observation such as seismometers and digitizers. We already started the operation of the six (6) weak motion stations as well as twenty (20) intensity meter stations. Additionally, the RIMES (Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia) is also providing eight (8) weak motion stations and we are keeping close communication to operate them as one single seismic monitoring network composed of fourteen (14) stations. This network will be definitely utilized for not only for seismic disaster mitigation of the country but also for studying the seismotectonics in the Bhutan-Himalayan region which is not yet precisely revealed due to the lack of observation data in the past.

Architecture Design for the Space Situational Awareness System in the Preparedness Plan for Space Hazards of Republic of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, E.; Cho, S.; Shin, S.; Park, J.; Kim, J.; Kim, D.

The threat posed by asteroids and comets has become one of the important issues. Jinju meteorite discovered in March 2014 has expanded the interest of the people of the fall of the natural space objects. Furthermore, the growing quantity of space debris is a serious threat to satellites and other spacecraft, which risk being damaged or even destroyed. In May of 2014, Korea established the preparedness plan for space hazards according to the space development promotion act which is amended to take action with respect to hazards from space. This plan is largely composed of 3 items such as system, technology and infrastructure. System is included the establishment and management of national space hazards headquarters at risk situation. Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) was designated as a space environment monitoring agency under the ministry of science, ICT and future planning (MSIP). Technology is supposed to develop the space situational awareness system that can monitor and detect space objects. For infrastructure, research and development of core technology will be promoted for capabilities improvement of space hazards preparedness such as software tools, application and data systems. This paper presents the architectural design for building space situational awareness system. The trade-off study of space situational awareness system for the Korea situation was performed. The results have shown the proposed architectural design. The baseline architecture is composed of Integrated Analysis System and Space Objects Monitoring System. Integrated Analysis System collects the status data from Space Objects Monitoring System and analyzes the space risk information through a data processing. For Space Objects Monitoring System, the all-sky surveillance camera, array radar and meteoroid surveillance sensor networks were considered. This system focuses on not only the threat of a large artificial satellite and natural space objects such as asteroids that crashed to Earth but also the prediction of potential collisions between space objects. Especially, array radar aims to accurately track space objects. By analyzing performance for radar system and sensor networks, several feasible approaches for such a space objects monitoring system will be presented in this paper.

[A non-invasive portable blood-glucose monitoring system: sampling of suction effusion fluid].

PubMed

Arai, T; Kayashima, S; Kikuchi, M; Kaneyoshi, A; Itoh, N

1995-04-01

We developed a new portable transcutaneous blood glucose monitoring system using non-invasive collection of suction effusion fluid (SEF) from human skin. A ion sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET) sensor was employed to measure glucose concentration in a very small quantity of the SEF. The system was composed of a couple of portions. One structure was a suction cell, and the other was a main frame. The suction cell included the ISFET glucose sensor, a dilution mechanism, and a sucking interface to human skin. The main frame contained a dilution solution reservoir, a liquid waste reservoir, a fluid pump, a vacuum pump, a micro processor, batteries, and a user interface. The system is self-contained for portable usage during up to 6 hrs monitoring. This system may be the first blood glucose monitoring equipment which does not use blood sampling.

Geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of the Ogallala Formation and White River Group, Belvoir Ranch near Cheyenne, Laramie County, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartos, Timothy T.; Diehl, Sharon F.; Hallberg, Laura L.; Webster, Daniel M.

2014-01-01

The geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of Tertiary lithostratigraphic units (Ogallala Formation and White River Group) that typically compose or underlie the High Plains aquifer system in southeastern Wyoming were described physically and chemically, and evaluated at a location on the Belvoir Ranch in Laramie County, Wyoming. On the basis of this characterization and evaluation, three Tertiary lithostratigraphic units were identified using physical and chemical characteristics determined during this study and previous studies, and these three units were determined to be correlative with three identified hydrogeologic units composing the groundwater system at the study site—a high-yielding aquifer composed of the entire saturated thickness of the heterogeneous and coarse-grained fluvial sediments assigned to the Ogallala Formation (Ogallala aquifer); an underlying confining unit composed primarily of very fine-grained volcaniclastic sediments and mudrocks assigned to the Brule Formation of the White River Group and some additional underlying sediments that belong to either the Brule or Chadron Formation, or both (Brule confining unit); and an underlying low-yielding aquifer composed primarily of poorly sorted fluvial sediments assigned to the Chadron Formation of the White River Group (Chadron aquifer). Despite widely varying sediment heterogeneity and consolidation, some limited hydraulic connection throughout the full vertical extent of the Ogallala aquifer was indicated but not conclusively proven by interpretation of similar chemical and isotopic characteristics, modern apparent groundwater ages, and similar hydraulic-head responses measured continuously in two Ogallala aquifer monitoring wells installed for this study at two different widely separated (83 feet) depth intervals. Additional work beyond the scope of this study, such as aquifer tests, would be required to conclusively determine hydraulic connection within the Ogallala aquifer. Groundwater levels (hydraulic heads) measured continuously using water-level recorders in both monitoring wells completed in the Ogallala aquifer showed a consistent strong upward vertical gradient in the Ogallala aquifer, indicating the potential for water to move from deeper to shallower parts of the aquifer, regardless of the time of year and the presumed effects of pumping of public-supply and industrial wells in the area. Continuous measurement of groundwater levels in the shallowest monitoring well, installed near the water table, and examination of subsequently constructed water-level hydrographs indicated substantial groundwater recharge is likely during the spring of 2009 and 2010 from the ephemeral stream (Lone Tree Creek) located adjacent to the study site that flows primarily in response to spring snowmelt from the adjacent Laramie Mountains and surface runoff from precipitation events. Using the water-table fluctuation method, groundwater recharge was estimated to be about 13 inches for the period beginning in early October 2009 and ending in late June 2010, and about 4 inches for the period beginning in March 2011 and ending in early July 2011. Comparison of previously measured groundwater levels (hydraulic heads) and groundwater-quality characteristics in nearby monitoring wells completed in the Chadron aquifer with those measured in the two monitoring wells installed for this study in the Ogallala aquifer, combined with detailed lithologic characterization, strongly indicated the Brule confining unit hydraulically confines and isolates the Chadron aquifer from the overlying Ogallala aquifer, thus likely limiting hydraulic connection between the two units. Consequently, because of the impermeable nature of the Brule confining unit and resulting hydraulic separation of the Ogallala and Chadron aquifers, and compared with local and regional hydrostratigraphic definitions of the High Plains aquifer system, the groundwater system in Tertiary lithostratigraphic units overlying the Upper Cretaceous Lance Formation at the location studied on the Belvoir Ranch was defined as being composed of, from shallowest to deepest, the High Plains aquifer system (high-yielding Ogallala aquifer only, composed of the saturated Ogallala Formation); the Brule confining unit composed of the Brule Formation of the White River Group and an underlying fine-grained depth interval with sediments that belong to either the Brule or Chadron Formation, or both; and the low-yielding Chadron aquifer (composed of poorly sorted coarse-grained sediments with substantial fine-grained matrix material assigned to the Chadron Formation of the White River Group).

Monitoring of the infrastructure and services used to handle and automatically produce Alignment and Calibration conditions at CMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sipos, Roland; Govi, Giacomo; Franzoni, Giovanni; Di Guida, Salvatore; Pfeiffer, Andreas

2017-10-01

The CMS experiment at CERN LHC has a dedicated infrastructure to handle the alignment and calibration data. This infrastructure is composed of several services, which take on various data management tasks required for the consumption of the non-event data (also called as condition data) in the experiment activities. The criticality of these tasks imposes tights requirements for the availability and the reliability of the services executing them. In this scope, a comprehensive monitoring and alarm generating system has been developed. The system has been implemented based on the Nagios open source industry standard for monitoring and alerting services, and monitors the database back-end, the hosting nodes and key heart-beat functionalities for all the services involved. This paper describes the design, implementation and operational experience with the monitoring system developed and deployed at CMS in 2016.

A neutral-beam profile monitor with a phosphor screen and a high-sensitivity camera for the J-PARC KOTO experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumura, T.; Kamiji, I.; Nakagiri, K.; Nanjo, H.; Nomura, T.; Sasao, N.; Shinkawa, T.; Shiomi, K.

2018-03-01

We have developed a beam-profile monitor (BPM) system to align the collimators for the neutral beam-line at the Hadron Experimental Facility of J-PARC. The system is composed of a phosphor screen and a CCD camera coupled to an image intensifier mounted on a remote control X- Y stage. The design and detailed performance studies of the BPM are presented. The monitor has a spatial resolution of better than 0.6 mm and a deviation from linearity of less than 1%. These results indicate that the BPM system meets the requirements to define collimator-edge positions for the beam-line tuning. Confirmation using the neutral beam for the KOTO experiment is also presented.

A Multi-Time Scale Morphable Software Milieu for Polymorphous Computing Architectures (PCA) - Composable, Scalable Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-10-01

MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency AFRL/IFTC 3701 North Fairfax Drive...Scalable Parallel Libraries for Large-Scale Concurrent Applications," Technical Report UCRL -JC-109251, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Application of a microcomputer-based system to control and monitor bacterial growth.

PubMed

Titus, J A; Luli, G W; Dekleva, M L; Strohl, W R

1984-02-01

A modular microcomputer-based system was developed to control and monitor various modes of bacterial growth. The control system was composed of an Apple II Plus microcomputer with 64-kilobyte random-access memory; a Cyborg ISAAC model 91A multichannel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter; paired MRR-1 pH, pO(2), and foam control units; and in-house-designed relay, servo control, and turbidimetry systems. To demonstrate the flexibility of the system, we grew bacteria under various computer-controlled and monitored modes of growth, including batch, turbidostat, and chemostat systems. The Apple-ISAAC system was programmed in Labsoft BASIC (extended Applesoft) with an average control program using ca. 6 to 8 kilobytes of memory and up to 30 kilobytes for datum arrays. This modular microcomputer-based control system was easily coupled to laboratory scale fermentors for a variety of fermentations.

Application of a Microcomputer-Based System to Control and Monitor Bacterial Growth

PubMed Central

Titus, Jeffrey A.; Luli, Gregory W.; Dekleva, Michael L.; Strohl, William R.

1984-01-01

A modular microcomputer-based system was developed to control and monitor various modes of bacterial growth. The control system was composed of an Apple II Plus microcomputer with 64-kilobyte random-access memory; a Cyborg ISAAC model 91A multichannel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter; paired MRR-1 pH, pO2, and foam control units; and in-house-designed relay, servo control, and turbidimetry systems. To demonstrate the flexibility of the system, we grew bacteria under various computer-controlled and monitored modes of growth, including batch, turbidostat, and chemostat systems. The Apple-ISAAC system was programmed in Labsoft BASIC (extended Applesoft) with an average control program using ca. 6 to 8 kilobytes of memory and up to 30 kilobytes for datum arrays. This modular microcomputer-based control system was easily coupled to laboratory scale fermentors for a variety of fermentations. PMID:16346462

RAPTOR: Closed-Loop monitoring of the night sky and the earliest optical detection of GRB 021211

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vestrand, W. T.; Borozdin, K.; Casperson, D. J.; Fenimore, E.; Galassi, M.; McGowan, K.; Starr, D.; White, R. R.; Wozniak, P.; Wren, J.

2004-10-01

We discuss the RAPTOR (Rapid Telescopes for Optical Response) sky monitoring system at Los Alamos National Laboratory. RAPTOR is a fully autonomous robotic system that is designed to identify and make follow-up observations of optical transients with durations as short as one minute. The RAPTOR design is based on Biomimicry of Human Vision. The sky monitor is composed of two identical arrays of telescopes, separated by 38 kilometers, which stereoscopically monitor a field of about 1300 square-degrees for transients. Both monitoring arrays are carried on rapidly slewing mounts and are composed of an ensemble of wide-field telescopes clustered around a more powerful narrow-field telescope called the ``fovea'' telescope. All telescopes are coupled to real-time analysis pipelines that identify candidate transients and relay the information to a central decision unit that filters the candidates to find real celestial transients and command a response. When a celestial transient is found, the system can point the fovea telescopes to any position on the sky within five seconds and begin follow-up observations. RAPTOR also responds to Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) alerts generated by GRB monitoring spacecraft. Here we present RAPTOR observations of GRB 021211 that constitute the earliest detection of optical emission from that event and are the second fastest achieved for any GRB. The detection of bright optical emission from GRB021211, a burst with modest gamma-ray fluence, indicates that prompt optical emission, detectable with small robotic telescopes, is more common than previously thought. Further, the very fast decline of the optical afterglow from GRB 021211 suggests that some so-called ``optically dark'' GRBs were not detected only because of the slow response of the follow-up telescopes.

An arm wearable haptic interface for impact sensing on unmanned aerial vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Yunshil; Hong, Seung-Chan; Lee, Jung-Ryul

2017-04-01

In this paper, an impact monitoring system using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and vibro-haptic actuators has been introduced. The system is suggested for structural health monitoring (SHM) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), by making a decision with human-robot interaction. The system is composed with two major subsystems; an on-board system equipped on UAV and an arm-wearable interface for ground pilot. The on-board system acquires impact-induced wavelength changes and performs localization process, which was developed based on arrival time calculation. The arm-wearable interface helps ground pilots to make decision about impact location themselves by stimulating their tactile-sense with motor vibration.

Coastal water monitoring using a vertical profiler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong Guk; Seo, Seongbong; Park, Young-Gyu; Min, Hong Sik

2017-04-01

Using a profiler system, the Aqualog, composed of a moored wire and a carrier in which a CTD was installed, we have been monitoring coastal water in Korea since August 2016. With this monitoring system, we were able to observe rapid warming of surface water that resulted in large damage to fish farms. The profiles showed that the warming was associated with low salinity water due to the fresh water discharge from the Yangtze River. We also observed change in water properties due to a typhoon. Along the Korean coast there are many aquafarms, which are becoming more vulnerable to environmental change. With the data from the profiler we would be able to help the aquafarms to sustain.

[The design and experiment of multi-parameter water quality monitoring microsystem based on MOEMS microspectrometer].

PubMed

Wei, Kang-Lin; Wen, Zhi-Yu; Guo, Jian; Chen, Song-Bo

2012-07-01

Aiming at the monitoring and protecting of water resource environment, a multi-parameter water quality monitoring microsystem based on microspectrometer was put forward in the present paper. The microsystem is mainly composed of MOEMS microspectrometer, flow paths system and embedded measuring & controlling system. It has the functions of self-injecting samples and detection regents, automatic constant temperature, self -stirring, self- cleaning and samples' spectrum detection. The principle prototype machine of the microsystem was developed, and its structure principle was introduced in the paper. Through experiment research, it was proved that the principle prototype machine can rapidly detect quite a few water quality parameters and can meet the demands of on-line water quality monitoring, moreover, the principle prototype machine has strong function expansibility.

Just in Time Assurance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

constrained to the objects it manages A local reference monitor can be maintained, updated, and replaced with minimal effect on the rest of the system...Compositional assurance is the path towards the goal of JIT Assurance Construct individual assurance case for each trusted tcomponen Provide argument that...local policies combine to enforce the overall system policy Composability enables JIT Assurance A component can be patched, upgraded, refreshed

Amplifying human ability through autonomics and machine learning in IMPACT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzieciuch, Iryna; Reeder, John; Gutzwiller, Robert; Gustafson, Eric; Coronado, Braulio; Martinez, Luis; Croft, Bryan; Lange, Douglas S.

2017-05-01

Amplifying human ability for controlling complex environments featuring autonomous units can be aided by learned models of human and system performance. In developing a command and control system that allows a small number of people to control a large number of autonomous teams, we employ an autonomics framework to manage the networks that represent mission plans and the networks that are composed of human controllers and their autonomous assistants. Machine learning allows us to build models of human and system performance useful for monitoring plans and managing human attention and task loads. Machine learning also aids in the development of tactics that human supervisors can successfully monitor through the command and control system.

Embedded Triboelectric Active Sensors for Real-Time Pneumatic Monitoring.

PubMed

Fu, Xian Peng; Bu, Tian Zhao; Xi, Feng Ben; Cheng, Ting Hai; Zhang, Chi; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-09-20

Pneumatic monitoring sensors have great demands for power supply in cylinder systems. Here, we present an embedded sliding triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) in air cylinder as active sensors for position and velocity monitoring. The embedded TENG is composed of a circular poly(tetrafluoroethylene) polymer and a triangular copper electrode. The working mechanism as triboelectric active sensors and electric output performance are systematically investigated. By integrating into the pneumatic system, the embedded triboelectric active sensors have been used for real-time air pressure/flow monitoring and energy storage. Air pressures are measured from 0.04 to 0.12 MPa at a step of 0.02 MPa with a sensitivity of 49.235 V/MPa, as well as airflow from 50 to 250 L/min at a step of 50 L/min with a sensitivity of 0.002 μA·min/L. This work has first demonstrated triboelectric active sensors for pneumatic monitoring and may promote the development of TENG in intelligent pneumatic system.

A monitoring strategy for the national wilderness preservation system

Treesearch

Peter B. Landres; David N. Cole; Alan E Watson

1994-01-01

In 1964, the Wilderness Act (P.L. 88-577) established the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS), currently composed of nearly 39 million hectares in 564 separate units, ranging in size from 2.4 he&ares to 3.5 million hectares. The purpose of the NWPS is “. . . to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring...

Development of a tritium monitor combined with an electrochemical tritium pump using a proton conducting oxide

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

Tanaka, M.; Sugiyama, T.

2015-03-15

The detection of low level tritium is one of the key issues for tritium management in tritium handling facilities. Such a detection can be performed by tritium monitors based on proton conducting oxide technique. We tested a tritium monitoring system composed of a commercial proportional counter combined with an electrochemical hydrogen pump equipped with CaZr{sub 0.9}In{sub 0.1}O{sub 3-α} as proton conducting oxide. The hydrogen pump operated at 973 K under electrolysis conditions using tritiated water vapor (HTO). The proton conducting oxide extracts tritium molecules (HT) from HTO and tritium concentration is measured by the proportional counter. The advantage of themore » proposed tritium monitoring system is that it is able to convert HTO into molecular hydrogen.« less

Wrist ambulatory monitoring system and smart glove for real time emotional, sensorial and physiological analysis.

PubMed

Axisa, F; Gehin, C; Delhomme, G; Collet, C; Robin, O; Dittmar, A

2004-01-01

Improvement of the quality and efficiency of the quality of health in medicine, at home and in hospital becomes more and more important Designed to be user-friendly, smart clothes and gloves fit well for such a citizen use and health monitoring. Analysis of the autonomic nervous system using non-invasive sensors provides information for the emotional, sensorial, cognitive and physiological analysis. MARSIAN (modular autonomous recorder system for the measurement of autonomic nervous system) is a wrist ambulatory monitoring and recording system with a smart glove with sensors for the detection of the activity of the autonomic nervous system. It is composed of a "smart tee shirt", a "smart glove", a wrist device and PC which records data. The smart glove is one of the key point of MARSIAN. Complex movements, complex geometry, sensation make smart glove designing a challenge. MARSIAN has a large field of applications and researches (vigilance, behaviour, sensorial analysis, thermal environment for human, cognition science, sport, etc...) in various fields like neurophysiology, affective computing and health monitoring.

GUI Type Fault Diagnostic Program for a Turboshaft Engine Using Fuzzy and Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Changduk; Koo, Youngju

2011-04-01

The helicopter to be operated in a severe flight environmental condition must have a very reliable propulsion system. On-line condition monitoring and fault detection of the engine can promote reliability and availability of the helicopter propulsion system. A hybrid health monitoring program using Fuzzy Logic and Neural Network Algorithms can be proposed. In this hybrid method, the Fuzzy Logic identifies easily the faulted components from engine measuring parameter changes, and the Neural Networks can quantify accurately its identified faults. In order to use effectively the fault diagnostic system, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) type program is newly proposed. This program is composed of the real time monitoring part, the engine condition monitoring part and the fault diagnostic part. The real time monitoring part can display measuring parameters of the study turboshaft engine such as power turbine inlet temperature, exhaust gas temperature, fuel flow, torque and gas generator speed. The engine condition monitoring part can evaluate the engine condition through comparison between monitoring performance parameters the base performance parameters analyzed by the base performance analysis program using look-up tables. The fault diagnostic part can identify and quantify the single faults the multiple faults from the monitoring parameters using hybrid method.

A conceptual ground-water-quality monitoring network for San Fernando Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Setmire, J.G.

1985-01-01

A conceptual groundwater-quality monitoring network was developed for San Fernando Valley to provide the California State Water Resources Control Board with an integrated, basinwide control system to monitor the quality of groundwater. The geology, occurrence and movement of groundwater, land use, background water quality, and potential sources of pollution were described and then considered in designing the conceptual monitoring network. The network was designed to monitor major known and potential point and nonpoint sources of groundwater contamination over time. The network is composed of 291 sites where wells are needed to define the groundwater quality. The ideal network includes four specific-purpose networks to monitor (1) ambient water quality, (2) nonpoint sources of pollution, (3) point sources of pollution, and (4) line sources of pollution. (USGS)

Development of Geomagnetic Monitoring System Using a Magnetometer for the Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Young-Cheol; Kim, Sung-Wook; Choi, Eun-Kyeong; Kim, In-Soo

2014-05-01

Three institutes including KMA (Korea Meteorological Administration), KSWC (Korean Space Weather Center) of NRRA (National Radio Research Agency) and KIGAM (Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources) are now operating magnetic observatories. Those observatories observe the total intensity and three components of geomagnetic element. This paper comes up with a magnetic monitoring system now under development that uses a magnetometer for field survey. In monitoring magnetic variations in areas (active faults or volcanic regions), more reliable results can be obtained when an array of several magnetometers are used rather than a single magnetometer. In order to establish and operate a magnetometer array, such factors as expenses, convenience of the establishment and operation of the array should be taken into account. This study has come up with a magnetic monitoring system complete with a magnetometer for the field survey of our own designing. A magnetic monitoring system, which is composed of two parts. The one is a field part and the other a data part. The field part is composed of a magnetometer, an external memory module, a power supply and a set of data transmission equipment. The data part is a data server which can store the data transmitted from the field part, analyze the data and provide service to the web. This study has developed an external memory module for ENVI-MAG (Scintrex Ltd.) using an embedded Cortex-M3 board, which can be programmed, attach other functional devices (SD memory cards, GPS antennas for time synchronization, ethernet cards and so forth). The board thus developed can store magnetic measurements up to 8 Gbytes, synchronize with the GPS time and transmit the magnetic measurements to the data server which is now under development. A monitoring system of our own developing was installed in Jeju island, taking measurements throughout Korea. Other parts including a data transfer module, a server and a power supply using solar power will continue to be developed in the days to come. Acknowlegments This work was funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration Research and Development Program under Grant CATER 2006-5074

PLATO Music Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gooch, Sherwin

The original PLATO music concept was to replace the human performer in the feedback process, wherein the composer specifies an action and monitors the outcome, with a computer-controlled device. The first device of this type is known as the Gooch Synthetic Woodwind (GSW), which attempted to provide some of the features needed in an interactive,…

Resources monitoring and automatic management system for multi-VO distributed computing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J.; Pelevanyuk, I.; Sun, Y.; Zhemchugov, A.; Yan, T.; Zhao, X. H.; Zhang, X. M.

2017-10-01

Multi-VO supports based on DIRAC have been set up to provide workload and data management for several high energy experiments in IHEP. To monitor and manage the heterogeneous resources which belong to different Virtual Organizations in a uniform way, a resources monitoring and automatic management system based on Resource Status System(RSS) of DIRAC has been presented in this paper. The system is composed of three parts: information collection, status decision and automatic control, and information display. The information collection includes active and passive way of gathering status from different sources and stores them in databases. The status decision and automatic control is used to evaluate the resources status and take control actions on resources automatically through some pre-defined policies and actions. The monitoring information is displayed on a web portal. Both the real-time information and historical information can be obtained from the web portal. All the implementations are based on DIRAC framework. The information and control including sites, policies, web portal for different VOs can be well defined and distinguished within DIRAC user and group management infrastructure.

The Mu2e Solenoid Cold Mass Position Monitor System

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

Strauss, Thomas; Feher, Sandor; Friedsam, Horst W.

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab is designed to search for charged-lepton flavor violation by looking for muon to electron conversions in the field of the nucleus. The concept of the experiment is to generate a low momentum muon beam, stopping the muons in a target and measuring the momentum of the outgoing electrons. The implementation of this approach utilizes a complex magnetic field composed of graded solenoidal and toroidal fields. The location of the solenoid cold mass relative to external fiducials is needed for alignment as well as monitoring coil movements during cool down and magnet excitation. This study describesmore » a novel design of a Cold Mass Position Monitor System (CMPS) that will be implemented for the Mu2e experiment.« less

The Mu2e Solenoid Cold Mass Position Monitor System

DOE PAGES

Strauss, Thomas; Feher, Sandor; Friedsam, Horst W.; ...

2018-01-23

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab is designed to search for charged-lepton flavor violation by looking for muon to electron conversions in the field of the nucleus. The concept of the experiment is to generate a low momentum muon beam, stopping the muons in a target and measuring the momentum of the outgoing electrons. The implementation of this approach utilizes a complex magnetic field composed of graded solenoidal and toroidal fields. The location of the solenoid cold mass relative to external fiducials is needed for alignment as well as monitoring coil movements during cool down and magnet excitation. This study describesmore » a novel design of a Cold Mass Position Monitor System (CMPS) that will be implemented for the Mu2e experiment.« less

A Non-Invasive Multichannel Hybrid Fiber-Optic Sensor System for Vital Sign Monitoring

PubMed Central

Fajkus, Marcel; Nedoma, Jan; Martinek, Radek; Vasinek, Vladimir; Nazeran, Homer; Siska, Petr

2017-01-01

In this article, we briefly describe the design, construction, and functional verification of a hybrid multichannel fiber-optic sensor system for basic vital sign monitoring. This sensor uses a novel non-invasive measurement probe based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The probe is composed of two FBGs encapsulated inside a polydimethylsiloxane polymer (PDMS). The PDMS is non-reactive to human skin and resistant to electromagnetic waves, UV absorption, and radiation. We emphasize the construction of the probe to be specifically used for basic vital sign monitoring such as body temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate. The proposed sensor system can continuously process incoming signals from up to 128 individuals. We first present the overall design of this novel multichannel sensor and then elaborate on how it has the potential to simplify vital sign monitoring and consequently improve the comfort level of patients in long-term health care facilities, hospitals and clinics. The reference ECG signal was acquired with the use of standard gel electrodes fixed to the monitored person’s chest using a real-time monitoring system for ECG signals with virtual instrumentation. The outcomes of these experiments have unambiguously proved the functionality of the sensor system and will be used to inform our future research in this fast developing and emerging field. PMID:28075341

Cyclodextrin–polysaccharide-based, in situ-gelled system for ocular antifungal delivery

PubMed Central

Fernández-Ferreiro, Anxo; Fernández Bargiela, Noelia; Varela, María Santiago; Martínez, Maria Gil; Pardo, Maria; Piñeiro Ces, Antonio; Méndez, José Blanco; Barcia, Miguel González; Lamas, Maria Jesus

2014-01-01

Summary Fluconazole was studied with two different hydrophilic cyclodextrins (hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD) and sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (SBECD)) for the formation of inclusion complexes. HPBCD and SBECD showed low cell cytotoxicity in human keratocytes as assessed by the label-free xCELLigence system for real-time monitoring. The fluconazole–HPBCD complex was incorporated into an ion-sensitive ophthalmic gel composed of the natural polysaccharides gellan gum and κ-carrageenan. This system showed good bioadhesive properties and effective control of fluconazole release. PMID:25550757

Development and Application of a ZigBee-Based Building Energy Monitoring and Control System

PubMed Central

Peng, Changhai

2014-01-01

Increasing in energy consumption, particularly with the ever-increasing growth and development of urban systems, has become a major concern in most countries. In this paper, the authors propose a cost-effective ZigBee-based building energy monitoring and control system (ZBEMCS), which is composed of a gateway, a base station, and sensors. Specifically, a new hardware platform for power sensor nodes is developed to perform both local/remote power parameter measurement and power on/off switching for electric appliances. The experimental results show that the ZBEMCS can easily monitor energy usage with a high level of accuracy. Two typical applications of ZBEMCS such as subentry metering and household metering of building energy are presented. The former includes lighting socket electricity, HVAC electricity, power electricity and special electricity. The latter includes household metering according to the campus's main function zone and each college or department. Therefore, this system can be used for energy consumption monitoring, long-term energy conservation planning, and the development of automated energy conservation for building applications. PMID:25254249

Development and application of a ZigBee-based building energy monitoring and control system.

PubMed

Peng, Changhai; Qian, Kun

2014-01-01

Increasing in energy consumption, particularly with the ever-increasing growth and development of urban systems, has become a major concern in most countries. In this paper, the authors propose a cost-effective ZigBee-based building energy monitoring and control system (ZBEMCS), which is composed of a gateway, a base station, and sensors. Specifically, a new hardware platform for power sensor nodes is developed to perform both local/remote power parameter measurement and power on/off switching for electric appliances. The experimental results show that the ZBEMCS can easily monitor energy usage with a high level of accuracy. Two typical applications of ZBEMCS such as subentry metering and household metering of building energy are presented. The former includes lighting socket electricity, HVAC electricity, power electricity and special electricity. The latter includes household metering according to the campus's main function zone and each college or department. Therefore, this system can be used for energy consumption monitoring, long-term energy conservation planning, and the development of automated energy conservation for building applications.

Development of integrated photoplethysmographic recording circuit for trans-nail pulse-wave monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Zhengyang; Takezawa, Yoshiki; Shimokawa, Kenji; Kino, Hisashi; Fukushima, Takafumi; Kiyoyama, Koji; Tanaka, Tetsu

2018-04-01

Health monitoring and self-management have become increasingly more important because of health awareness improvement, the aging of population, and other reasons. In general, pulse waves are among the most useful physiological signals that can be used to calculate several parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure for health monitoring and self-management. To realize an automatic and real-time pulse-wave monitoring system that can be used in daily life, we have proposed a trans-nail pulse-wave monitoring system that was placed on the fingernail to detect photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals as pulse waves. In this study, we designed a PPG recording circuit that was composed of a 600 × 600 µm2 photodiode (PD), an LED driver with pulse wave modulation (PWM) and a low-frequency ring oscillator (RING), and a PPG signal readout circuit. The proposed circuit had a very small area of 2.2 × 1.1 mm2 designed with 0.18 µm CMOS technology. The proposed circuit was used to detect pulse waves on the human fingernail in both the reflection and transmission modes. Electrical characteristics of the prototype system were evaluated precisely and PPG waveforms were obtained successfully.

MACRO: a combined microchip-PCR and microarray system for high-throughput monitoring of genetically modified organisms.

PubMed

Shao, Ning; Jiang, Shi-Meng; Zhang, Miao; Wang, Jing; Guo, Shu-Juan; Li, Yang; Jiang, He-Wei; Liu, Cheng-Xi; Zhang, Da-Bing; Yang, Li-Tao; Tao, Sheng-Ce

2014-01-21

The monitoring of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is a primary step of GMO regulation. However, there is presently a lack of effective and high-throughput methodologies for specifically and sensitively monitoring most of the commercialized GMOs. Herein, we developed a multiplex amplification on a chip with readout on an oligo microarray (MACRO) system specifically for convenient GMO monitoring. This system is composed of a microchip for multiplex amplification and an oligo microarray for the readout of multiple amplicons, containing a total of 91 targets (18 universal elements, 20 exogenous genes, 45 events, and 8 endogenous reference genes) that covers 97.1% of all GM events that have been commercialized up to 2012. We demonstrate that the specificity of MACRO is ~100%, with a limit of detection (LOD) that is suitable for real-world applications. Moreover, the results obtained of simulated complex samples and blind samples with MACRO were 100% consistent with expectations and the results of independently performed real-time PCRs, respectively. Thus, we believe MACRO is the first system that can be applied for effectively monitoring the majority of the commercialized GMOs in a single test.

Dynamic composition of medical support services in the ICU: Platform and algorithm design details.

PubMed

Hristoskova, Anna; Moeyersoon, Dieter; Van Hoecke, Sofie; Verstichel, Stijn; Decruyenaere, Johan; De Turck, Filip

2010-12-01

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is an extremely data-intensive environment where each patient needs to be monitored 24/7. Bedside monitors continuously register vital patient values (such as serum creatinine, systolic blood pressure) which are recorded frequently in the hospital database (e.g. every 2 min in the ICU of the Ghent University Hospital), laboratories generate hundreds of results of blood and urine samples, and nurses measure blood pressure and temperature up to 4 times an hour. The processing of such large amount of data requires an automated system to support the physicians' daily work. The Intensive Care Service Platform (ICSP) offers the needed support through the development of medical support services for processing and monitoring patients' data. With an increased deployment of these medical support services, reusing existing services as building blocks to create new services offers flexibility to the developer and accelerates the design process. This paper presents a new addition to the ICSP, the Dynamic Composer for Web services. Based on a semantic description of the medical support services, this Composer enables a service to be executed by creating a composition of medical services that provide the needed calculations. The composition is achieved using various algorithms satisfying certain quality of service (QoS) constraints and requirements. In addition to the automatic composition the paper also proposes a recovery mechanism in case of unavailable services. When executing the composition of medical services, unavailable services are dynamically replaced by equivalent services or a new composition achieving the same result. The presented platform and QoS algorithms are put through extensive performance and scalability tests for typical ICU scenarios, in which basic medical services are composed to a complex patient monitoring service. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approach to in-process tool wear monitoring in drilling: Application of Kalman filter theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Ning; Zhang, Youzhen; Pan, Liangxian

1993-05-01

The two parameters often used in adaptive control, tool wear and wear rate, are the important factors affecting machinability. In this paper, it is attempted to use the modern cybernetics to solve the in-process tool wear monitoring problem by applying the Kalman filter theory to monitor drill wear quantitatively. Based on the experimental results, a dynamic model, a measuring model and a measurement conversion model suitable for Kalman filter are established. It is proved that the monitoring system possesses complete observability but does not possess complete controllability. A discriminant for selecting the characteristic parameters is put forward. The thrust force Fz is selected as the characteristic parameter in monitoring the tool wear by this discriminant. The in-process Kalman filter drill wear monitoring system composed of force sensor microphotography and microcomputer is well established. The results obtained by the Kalman filter, the common indirect measuring method and the real drill wear measured by the aid of microphotography are compared. The result shows that the Kalman filter has high precision of measurement and the real time requirement can be satisfied.

A UNIX-based real-time data acquisition system for microprobe analysis using an advanced X11 window toolkit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramer, J. L. A. M.; Ullings, A. H.; Vis, R. D.

1993-05-01

A real-time data acquisition system for microprobe analysis has been developed at the Free University of Amsterdam. The system is composed of two parts: a front-end real-time and a back-end monitoring system. The front-end consists of a VMEbus based system which reads out a CAMAC crate. The back-end is implemented on a Sun work station running the UNIX operating system. This separation allows the integration of a minimal, and consequently very fast, real-time executive within the sophisticated possibilities of advanced UNIX work stations.

VID-R and SCAN: Tools and Methods for the Automated Analysis of Visual Records.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekman, Paul; And Others

The VID-R (Visual Information Display and Retrieval) system that enables computer-aided analysis of visual records is composed of a film-to-television chain, two videotape recorders with complete remote control of functions, a video-disc recorder, three high-resolution television monitors, a teletype, a PDP-8, a video and audio interface, three…

Kwf-Grid workflow management system for Earth science applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, V.; Hluchy, L.

2009-04-01

In this paper, we present workflow management tool for Earth science applications in EGEE. The workflow management tool was originally developed within K-wf Grid project for GT4 middleware and has many advanced features like semi-automatic workflow composition, user-friendly GUI for managing workflows, knowledge management. In EGEE, we are porting the workflow management tool to gLite middleware for Earth science applications K-wf Grid workflow management system was developed within "Knowledge-based Workflow System for Grid Applications" under the 6th Framework Programme. The workflow mangement system intended to - semi-automatically compose a workflow of Grid services, - execute the composed workflow application in a Grid computing environment, - monitor the performance of the Grid infrastructure and the Grid applications, - analyze the resulting monitoring information, - capture the knowledge that is contained in the information by means of intelligent agents, - and finally to reuse the joined knowledge gathered from all participating users in a collaborative way in order to efficiently construct workflows for new Grid applications. Kwf Grid workflow engines can support different types of jobs (e.g. GRAM job, web services) in a workflow. New class of gLite job has been added to the system, allows system to manage and execute gLite jobs in EGEE infrastructure. The GUI has been adapted to the requirements of EGEE users, new credential management servlet is added to portal. Porting K-wf Grid workflow management system to gLite would allow EGEE users to use the system and benefit from its avanced features. The system is primarly tested and evaluated with applications from ES clusters.

The control system of the 12-m medium-size telescope prototype: a test-ground for the CTA array control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oya, I.; Anguner, E. A.; Behera, B.; Birsin, E.; Fuessling, M.; Lindemann, R.; Melkumyan, D.; Schlenstedt, S.; Schmidt, T.; Schwanke, U.; Sternberger, R.; Wegner, P.; Wiesand, S.

2014-07-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the next generation ground-based very-high energy -ray observatory. CTA will consist of two arrays: one in the Northern hemisphere composed of about 20 telescopes, and the other one in the Southern hemisphere composed of about 100 telescopes, both arrays containing telescopes of different sizes and types and in addition numerous auxiliary devices. In order to provide a test-ground for the CTA array control, the steering software of the 12-m medium size telescope (MST) prototype deployed in Berlin has been implemented using the tools and design concepts under consideration to be used for the control of the CTA array. The prototype control system is implemented based on the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Common Software (ACS) control middleware, with components implemented in Java, C++ and Python. The interfacing to the hardware is standardized via the Object Linking and Embedding for Process Control Unified Architecture (OPC UA). In order to access the OPC UA servers from the ACS framework in a common way, a library has been developed that allows to tie the OPC UA server nodes, methods and events to the equivalents in ACS components. The front-end of the archive system is able to identify the deployed components and to perform the sampling of the monitoring points of each component following time and value change triggers according to the selected configurations. The back-end of the archive system of the prototype is composed by two different databases: MySQL and MongoDB. MySQL has been selected as storage of the system configurations, while MongoDB is used to have an efficient storage of device monitoring data, CCD images, logging and alarm information. In this contribution, the details and conclusions on the implementation of the control software of the MST prototype are presented.

Effect of ABCD transformations on beam paraxiality.

PubMed

Vaveliuk, Pablo; Martinez-Matos, Oscar

2011-12-19

The limits of the paraxial approximation for a laser beam under ABCD transformations is established through the relationship between a parameter concerning the beam paraxiality, the paraxial estimator, and the beam second-order moments. The applicability of such an estimator is extended to an optical system composed by optical elements as mirrors and lenses and sections of free space, what completes the analysis early performed for free-space propagation solely. As an example, the paraxiality of a system composed by free space and a spherical thin lens under the propagation of Hermite-Gauss and Laguerre-Gauss modes is established. The results show that the the paraxial approximation fails for a certain feasible range of values of main parameters. In this sense, the paraxial estimator is an useful tool to monitor the limits of the paraxial optics theory under ABCD transformations.

Configuration Management and Infrastructure Monitoring Using CFEngine and Icinga for Real-time Heterogeneous Data Taking Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poat, M. D.; Lauret, J.; Betts, W.

2015-12-01

The STAR online computing environment is an intensive ever-growing system used for real-time data collection and analysis. Composed of heterogeneous and sometimes groups of custom-tuned machines, the computing infrastructure was previously managed by manual configurations and inconsistently monitored by a combination of tools. This situation led to configuration inconsistency and an overload of repetitive tasks along with lackluster communication between personnel and machines. Globally securing this heterogeneous cyberinfrastructure was tedious at best and an agile, policy-driven system ensuring consistency, was pursued. Three configuration management tools, Chef, Puppet, and CFEngine have been compared in reliability, versatility and performance along with a comparison of infrastructure monitoring tools Nagios and Icinga. STAR has selected the CFEngine configuration management tool and the Icinga infrastructure monitoring system leading to a versatile and sustainable solution. By leveraging these two tools STAR can now swiftly upgrade and modify the environment to its needs with ease as well as promptly react to cyber-security requests. By creating a sustainable long term monitoring solution, the detection of failures was reduced from days to minutes, allowing rapid actions before the issues become dire problems, potentially causing loss of precious experimental data or uptime.

Wireless Sensor Network-Based Greenhouse Environment Monitoring and Automatic Control System for Dew Condensation Prevention

PubMed Central

Park, Dae-Heon; Park, Jang-Woo

2011-01-01

Dew condensation on the leaf surface of greenhouse crops can promote diseases caused by fungus and bacteria, affecting the growth of the crops. In this paper, we present a WSN (Wireless Sensor Network)-based automatic monitoring system to prevent dew condensation in a greenhouse environment. The system is composed of sensor nodes for collecting data, base nodes for processing collected data, relay nodes for driving devices for adjusting the environment inside greenhouse and an environment server for data storage and processing. Using the Barenbrug formula for calculating the dew point on the leaves, this system is realized to prevent dew condensation phenomena on the crop’s surface acting as an important element for prevention of diseases infections. We also constructed a physical model resembling the typical greenhouse in order to verify the performance of our system with regard to dew condensation control. PMID:22163813

Wireless sensor network-based greenhouse environment monitoring and automatic control system for dew condensation prevention.

PubMed

Park, Dae-Heon; Park, Jang-Woo

2011-01-01

Dew condensation on the leaf surface of greenhouse crops can promote diseases caused by fungus and bacteria, affecting the growth of the crops. In this paper, we present a WSN (Wireless Sensor Network)-based automatic monitoring system to prevent dew condensation in a greenhouse environment. The system is composed of sensor nodes for collecting data, base nodes for processing collected data, relay nodes for driving devices for adjusting the environment inside greenhouse and an environment server for data storage and processing. Using the Barenbrug formula for calculating the dew point on the leaves, this system is realized to prevent dew condensation phenomena on the crop's surface acting as an important element for prevention of diseases infections. We also constructed a physical model resembling the typical greenhouse in order to verify the performance of our system with regard to dew condensation control.

Monitoring of Vital Signs with Flexible and Wearable Medical Devices.

PubMed

Khan, Yasser; Ostfeld, Aminy E; Lochner, Claire M; Pierre, Adrien; Arias, Ana C

2016-06-01

Advances in wireless technologies, low-power electronics, the internet of things, and in the domain of connected health are driving innovations in wearable medical devices at a tremendous pace. Wearable sensor systems composed of flexible and stretchable materials have the potential to better interface to the human skin, whereas silicon-based electronics are extremely efficient in sensor data processing and transmission. Therefore, flexible and stretchable sensors combined with low-power silicon-based electronics are a viable and efficient approach for medical monitoring. Flexible medical devices designed for monitoring human vital signs, such as body temperature, heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, pulse oxygenation, and blood glucose have applications in both fitness monitoring and medical diagnostics. As a review of the latest development in flexible and wearable human vitals sensors, the essential components required for vitals sensors are outlined and discussed here, including the reported sensor systems, sensing mechanisms, sensor fabrication, power, and data processing requirements. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A novel squarylium dye for monitoring oxidative processes in lipid membranes.

PubMed

Trusova, Valeriya M; Gorbenko, Galyna P; Deligeorgiev, Todor; Gadjev, Nikolai; Vasilev, Aleksey

2009-11-01

A novel squaraine probe SQ-1 has been found to be appropriate for monitoring the peroxidation processes in membrane systems. Formation of free radicals was triggered by methemoglobin (metHb) or cytochrome c (cyt c) binding to the model lipid membranes composed of zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and anionic lipid cardiolipin (CL). Protein association with the lipid vesicles was followed by drastic quenching of SQ-1 fluorescence. The observed spectral changes were suppressed in the presence of free radical scavengers, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and thiourea (TM) suggesting that SQ-1 decolorization can be attributed to its reactions with lipid radicals.

Some Hardware and Instrumentation Aspects of the Development of an Automation System for Jar Tests in Drinking Water Treatment

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The so-called Jar Test (JT) plays a vital role in the drinking water and wastewater treatments for establishing the dosage of flocculants and coagulant. This test is a well-proved laboratory instrumental procedure performed by trained personnel. In this work, a completely novel system for the automation and monitoring of a JT devoted to drinking water treatment is presented. It has been implemented using an industrial programmable controller and sensors and instruments specifically selected for this purpose. Once the parameters of the test have been entered, the stages that compose the JT (stirring, coagulant addition, etc.) are sequentially performed without human intervention. Moreover, all the involved measurements from sensors are collected and made accessible for continuous monitoring of the process. By means of the proposed system, the JT procedure is conducted fully automatically and can be locally and remotely monitored in real-time. Furthermore, the developed system constitutes a portable laboratory that offers advantageous features like scalability and transportability. The proposed system is described focusing on hardware and instrumentation aspects, and successful results are reported. PMID:29019943

Adapting forest health assessments to changing perspectives on threats--a case example from Sweden.

PubMed

Wulff, Sören; Lindelöw, Åke; Lundin, Lars; Hansson, Per; Axelsson, Anna-Lena; Barklund, Pia; Wijk, Sture; Ståhl, Göran

2012-04-01

A revised Swedish forest health assessment system is presented. The assessment system is composed of several interacting components which target information needs for strategic and operational decision making and accommodate a continuously expanding knowledge base. The main motivation for separating information for strategic and operational decision making is that major damage outbreaks are often scattered throughout the landscape. Generally, large-scale inventories (such as national forest inventories) cannot provide adequate information for mitigation measures. In addition to broad monitoring programs that provide time-series information on known damaging agents and their effects, there is also a need for local and regional inventories adapted to specific damage events. While information for decision making is the major focus of the health assessment system, the system also contributes to expanding the knowledge base of forest conditions. For example, the integrated monitoring programs provide a better understanding of ecological processes linked to forest health. The new health assessment system should be able to respond to the need for quick and reliable information and thus will be an important part of the future monitoring of Swedish forests.

Some Hardware and Instrumentation Aspects of the Development of an Automation System for Jar Tests in Drinking Water Treatment.

PubMed

Calderón, Antonio José; González, Isaías

2017-10-11

The so-called Jar Test (JT) plays a vital role in the drinking water and wastewater treatments for establishing the dosage of flocculants and coagulant. This test is a well-proved laboratory instrumental procedure performed by trained personnel. In this work, a completely novel system for the automation and monitoring of a JT devoted to drinking water treatment is presented. It has been implemented using an industrial programmable controller and sensors and instruments specifically selected for this purpose. Once the parameters of the test have been entered, the stages that compose the JT (stirring, coagulant addition, etc.) are sequentially performed without human intervention. Moreover, all the involved measurements from sensors are collected and made accessible for continuous monitoring of the process. By means of the proposed system, the JT procedure is conducted fully automatically and can be locally and remotely monitored in real-time. Furthermore, the developed system constitutes a portable laboratory that offers advantageous features like scalability and transportability. The proposed system is described focusing on hardware and instrumentation aspects, and successful results are reported.

An IMS Station life cycle from a sustainment point of view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brely, Natalie; Gautier, Jean-Pierre; Foster, Daniel

2014-05-01

The International Monitoring System (IMS) is to consist of 321 monitoring facilities, composed of four different technologies with a variety of designs and equipment types, deployed in a range of environments around the globe. The International Monitoring System is conceived to operate in perpetuity through maintenance, replacement and recapitalization of IMS facilities' infrastructure and equipment when the end of service life is reached [CTBT/PTS/INF.1163]. Life Cycle techniques and modellization are being used by the PTS to plan and forecast life cycle sustainment requirements of IMS facilities. Through historical data analysis, Engineering inputs and Feedback from experienced Station Operators, the PTS currently works towards increasing the level of confidence on these forecasts and sustainment requirements planning. Continued validation, feedback and improvement of source data from scientific community and experienced users is sought and essential in order to ensure limited effect on data availability and optimal costs (human and financial).

Wireless Laser Range Finder System for Vertical Displacement Monitoring of Mega-Trusses during Construction

PubMed Central

Park, Hyo Seon; Son, Sewook; Choi, Se Woon; Kim, Yousok

2013-01-01

As buildings become increasingly complex, construction monitoring using various sensors is urgently needed for both more systematic and accurate safety management and high-quality productivity in construction. In this study, a monitoring system that is composed of a laser displacement sensor (LDS) and a wireless sensor node was proposed and applied to an irregular building under construction. The subject building consists of large cross-sectional members, such as mega-columns, mega-trusses, and edge truss, which secured the large spaces. The mega-trusses and edge truss that support this large space are of the cantilever type. The vertical displacement occurring at the free end of these members was directly measured using an LDS. To validate the accuracy and reliability of the deflection data measured from the LDS, a total station was also employed as a sensor for comparison with the LDS. In addition, the numerical simulation result was compared with the deflection obtained from the LDS and total station. Based on these investigations, the proposed wireless displacement monitoring system was able to improve the construction quality by monitoring the real-time behavior of the structure, and the applicability of the proposed system to buildings under construction for the evaluation of structural safety was confirmed. PMID:23648650

Smart Multi-Level Tool for Remote Patient Monitoring Based on a Wireless Sensor Network and Mobile Augmented Reality

PubMed Central

González, Fernando Cornelio Jimènez; Villegas, Osslan Osiris Vergara; Ramírez, Dulce Esperanza Torres; Sánchez, Vianey Guadalupe Cruz; Domínguez, Humberto Ochoa

2014-01-01

Technological innovations in the field of disease prevention and maintenance of patient health have enabled the evolution of fields such as monitoring systems. One of the main advances is the development of real-time monitors that use intelligent and wireless communication technology. In this paper, a system is presented for the remote monitoring of the body temperature and heart rate of a patient by means of a wireless sensor network (WSN) and mobile augmented reality (MAR). The combination of a WSN and MAR provides a novel alternative to remotely measure body temperature and heart rate in real time during patient care. The system is composed of (1) hardware such as Arduino microcontrollers (in the patient nodes), personal computers (for the nurse server), smartphones (for the mobile nurse monitor and the virtual patient file) and sensors (to measure body temperature and heart rate), (2) a network layer using WiFly technology, and (3) software such as LabView, Android SDK, and DroidAR. The results obtained from tests show that the system can perform effectively within a range of 20 m and requires ten minutes to stabilize the temperature sensor to detect hyperthermia, hypothermia or normal body temperature conditions. Additionally, the heart rate sensor can detect conditions of tachycardia and bradycardia. PMID:25230306

Smart multi-level tool for remote patient monitoring based on a wireless sensor network and mobile augmented reality.

PubMed

González, Fernando Cornelio Jiménez; Villegas, Osslan Osiris Vergara; Ramírez, Dulce Esperanza Torres; Sánchez, Vianey Guadalupe Cruz; Domínguez, Humberto Ochoa

2014-09-16

Technological innovations in the field of disease prevention and maintenance of patient health have enabled the evolution of fields such as monitoring systems. One of the main advances is the development of real-time monitors that use intelligent and wireless communication technology. In this paper, a system is presented for the remote monitoring of the body temperature and heart rate of a patient by means of a wireless sensor network (WSN) and mobile augmented reality (MAR). The combination of a WSN and MAR provides a novel alternative to remotely measure body temperature and heart rate in real time during patient care. The system is composed of (1) hardware such as Arduino microcontrollers (in the patient nodes), personal computers (for the nurse server), smartphones (for the mobile nurse monitor and the virtual patient file) and sensors (to measure body temperature and heart rate), (2) a network layer using WiFly technology, and (3) software such as LabView, Android SDK, and DroidAR. The results obtained from tests show that the system can perform effectively within a range of 20 m and requires ten minutes to stabilize the temperature sensor to detect hyperthermia, hypothermia or normal body temperature conditions. Additionally, the heart rate sensor can detect conditions of tachycardia and bradycardia.

Sticker-type ECG/PPG concurrent monitoring system hybrid integration of CMOS SoC and organic sensor device.

PubMed

Yongsu Lee; Hyeonwoo Lee; Seunghyup Yoo; Hoi-Jun Yoo

2016-08-01

The sticker-type sensor system is proposed targeting ECG/PPG concurrent monitoring for cardiovascular diseases. The stickers are composed of two types: Hub and Sensor-node (SN) sticker. Low-power CMOS SoC for measuring ECG and PPG signal is hybrid integrated with organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic photo detector (OPD). The sticker has only 2g weight and only consumes 141μW. The optical calibration loop is adopted for maintaining SNR of PPG signal higher than 30dB. The pulse arrival time (PAT) and SpO2 value can be extracted from various body parts and verified comparing with the reference device from 20 people in-vivo experiments.

Full-parallax 3D display from stereo-hybrid 3D camera system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Seokmin; Ansari, Amir; Saavedra, Genaro; Martinez-Corral, Manuel

2018-04-01

In this paper, we propose an innovative approach for the production of the microimages ready to display onto an integral-imaging monitor. Our main contribution is using a stereo-hybrid 3D camera system, which is used for picking up a 3D data pair and composing a denser point cloud. However, there is an intrinsic difficulty in the fact that hybrid sensors have dissimilarities and therefore should be equalized. Handled data facilitate to generating an integral image after projecting computationally the information through a virtual pinhole array. We illustrate this procedure with some imaging experiments that provide microimages with enhanced quality. After projection of such microimages onto the integral-imaging monitor, 3D images are produced with great parallax and viewing angle.

Exploring No-SQL alternatives for ALMA monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Tzu-Chiang; Soto, Ruben; Merino, Patricio; Peña, Leonel; Bartsch, Marcelo; Aguirre, Alvaro; Ibsen, Jorge

2014-07-01

The Atacama Large Millimeter /submillimeter Array (ALMA) will be a unique research instrument composed of at least 66 reconfigurable high-precision antennas, located at the Chajnantor plain in the Chilean Andes at an elevation of 5000 m. This paper describes the experience gained after several years working with the monitoring system, which has a strong requirement of collecting and storing up to 150K variables with a highest sampling rate of 20.8 kHz. The original design was built on top of a cluster of relational database server and network attached storage with fiber channel interface. As the number of monitoring points increases with the number of antennas included in the array, the current monitoring system demonstrated to be able to handle the increased data rate in the collection and storage area (only one month of data), but the data query interface showed serious performance degradation. A solution based on no-SQL platform was explored as an alternative to the current long-term storage system. Among several alternatives, mongoDB has been selected. In the data flow, intermediate cache servers based on Redis were introduced to allow faster streaming of the most recently acquired data to web based charts and applications for online data analysis.

Computation, Mathematics and Logistics Department Report for Fiscal Year 1978.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-03-01

storage technology. A reference library on these and related areas is now composed of two thousand documents. The most comprehensive tool available...at DTNSRDC on the CDC 6000 Computer System for a variety of applications including Navy Logistics, Library Science, Ocean Science, Contract Manage... Library Science) Track technical documents on advanced ship design Univ. of Virginia at Charlottesville - (Ocean Science) Monitor research projects for

Developing A National Groundwater-Monitoring Network In Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, N. J.; Cho, M. J.; Woo, N. C.

1995-04-01

Since the 1960's, the groundwater resources of Korea have been developed without a proper regulatory system for monitoring and preservation, resulting in significant source depletion, land subsidence, water contamination, and sea-water intrusion. With the activation of the "Groundwater Law" in June 1994, the government initiated a project to develop a groundwater-monitoring network to describe general groundwater quality, to define its long-term changes, and to identify major factors affecting changes in groundwater quality and yield. In selecting monitoring locations nationwide, criteria considered are 1) spatial distribution, 2) aquifer characteristics of hydrogeologic units, 3) local groundwater flow regime, 4) linkage with surface hydrology observations, 5) site accessibility, and 6) financial situations. A total of 310 sites in 78 small hydrologic basins were selected to compose the monitoring network. Installation of monitoring wells is scheduled to start in 1995 for 15 sites; the remainder are scheduled to be completed by 2001. At each site, a nest of monitoring wells was designed; shallow and deep groundwater will be monitored for water temperature, pH, EC, DO and TDS every month. Water-level fluctuations will also be measured by automatic recorders equipped with pressure transducers. As a next step, the government plans to develop a groundwater-database management system, which could be linked with surface hydrologic data.

Reactor Operations Monitoring System

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

Hart, M.M.

1989-01-01

The Reactor Operations Monitoring System (ROMS) is a VME based, parallel processor data acquisition and safety action system designed by the Equipment Engineering Section and Reactor Engineering Department of the Savannah River Site. The ROMS will be analyzing over 8 million signal samples per minute. Sixty-eight microprocessors are used in the ROMS in order to achieve a real-time data analysis. The ROMS is composed of multiple computer subsystems. Four redundant computer subsystems monitor 600 temperatures with 2400 thermocouples. Two computer subsystems share the monitoring of 600 reactor coolant flows. Additional computer subsystems are dedicated to monitoring 400 signals from assortedmore » process sensors. Data from these computer subsystems are transferred to two redundant process display computer subsystems which present process information to reactor operators and to reactor control computers. The ROMS is also designed to carry out safety functions based on its analysis of process data. The safety functions include initiating a reactor scram (shutdown), the injection of neutron poison, and the loadshed of selected equipment. A complete development Reactor Operations Monitoring System has been built. It is located in the Program Development Center at the Savannah River Site and is currently being used by the Reactor Engineering Department in software development. The Equipment Engineering Section is designing and fabricating the process interface hardware. Upon proof of hardware and design concept, orders will be placed for the final five systems located in the three reactor areas, the reactor training simulator, and the hardware maintenance center.« less

Big data managing in a landslide early warning system: experience from a ground-based interferometric radar application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intrieri, Emanuele; Bardi, Federica; Fanti, Riccardo; Gigli, Giovanni; Fidolini, Francesco; Casagli, Nicola; Costanzo, Sandra; Raffo, Antonio; Di Massa, Giuseppe; Capparelli, Giovanna; Versace, Pasquale

2017-10-01

A big challenge in terms or landslide risk mitigation is represented by increasing the resiliency of society exposed to the risk. Among the possible strategies with which to reach this goal, there is the implementation of early warning systems. This paper describes a procedure to improve early warning activities in areas affected by high landslide risk, such as those classified as critical infrastructures for their central role in society. This research is part of the project LEWIS (Landslides Early Warning Integrated System): An Integrated System for Landslide Monitoring, Early Warning and Risk Mitigation along Lifelines. LEWIS is composed of a susceptibility assessment methodology providing information for single points and areal monitoring systems, a data transmission network and a data collecting and processing center (DCPC), where readings from all monitoring systems and mathematical models converge and which sets the basis for warning and intervention activities. The aim of this paper is to show how logistic issues linked to advanced monitoring techniques, such as big data transfer and storing, can be dealt with compatibly with an early warning system. Therefore, we focus on the interaction between an areal monitoring tool (a ground-based interferometric radar) and the DCPC. By converting complex data into ASCII strings and through appropriate data cropping and average, and by implementing an algorithm for line-of-sight correction, we managed to reduce the data daily output without compromising the capability for performing.

Prognostics using Engineering and Environmental Parameters as Applied to State of Health (SOH) Radionuclide Aerosol Sampler Analyzer (RASA) Real-Time Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchenson, K. D.; Hartley-McBride, S.; Saults, T.; Schmidt, D. P.

2006-05-01

The International Monitoring System (IMS) is composed in part of radionuclide particulate and gas monitoring systems. Monitoring the operational status of these systems is an important aspect of nuclear weapon test monitoring. Quality data, process control techniques, and predictive models are necessary to detect and predict system component failures. Predicting failures in advance provides time to mitigate these failures, thus minimizing operational downtime. The Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) requires IMS radionuclide systems be operational 95 percent of the time. The United States National Data Center (US NDC) offers contributing components to the IMS. This effort focuses on the initial research and process development using prognostics for monitoring and predicting failures of the RASA two (2) days into the future. The predictions, using time series methods, are input to an expert decision system, called SHADES (State of Health Airflow and Detection Expert System). The results enable personnel to make informed judgments about the health of the RASA system. Data are read from a relational database, processed, and displayed to the user in a GIS as a prototype GUI. This procedure mimics the real time application process that could be implemented as an operational system, This initial proof-of-concept effort developed predictive models focused on RASA components for a single site (USP79). Future work shall include the incorporation of other RASA systems, as well as their environmental conditions that play a significant role in performance. Similarly, SHADES currently accommodates specific component behaviors at this one site. Future work shall also include important environmental variables that play an important part of the prediction algorithms.

Applications of advanced data analysis and expert system technologies in the ATLAS Trigger-DAQ Controls framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avolio, G.; Corso Radu, A.; Kazarov, A.; Lehmann Miotto, G.; Magnoni, L.

2012-12-01

The Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system of the ATLAS experiment is a very complex distributed computing system, composed of more than 20000 applications running on more than 2000 computers. The TDAQ Controls system has to guarantee the smooth and synchronous operations of all the TDAQ components and has to provide the means to minimize the downtime of the system caused by runtime failures. During data taking runs, streams of information messages sent or published by running applications are the main sources of knowledge about correctness of running operations. The huge flow of operational monitoring data produced is constantly monitored by experts in order to detect problems or misbehaviours. Given the scale of the system and the rates of data to be analyzed, the automation of the system functionality in the areas of operational monitoring, system verification, error detection and recovery is a strong requirement. To accomplish its objective, the Controls system includes some high-level components which are based on advanced software technologies, namely the rule-based Expert System and the Complex Event Processing engines. The chosen techniques allow to formalize, store and reuse the knowledge of experts and thus to assist the shifters in the ATLAS control room during the data-taking activities.

Experimental investigation of leak detection using mobile distributed monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jiang; Zheng, Junli; Xiong, Feng; Ge, Qi; Yan, Qixiang; Cheng, Fei

2018-01-01

The leak detection of rockfill dams is currently hindered by spatial and temporal randomness and wide monitoring range. The spatial resolution of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) temperature sensing technology is related to the distance between measuring points. As a result, the number of measuring points should be increased to ensure that the precise location of the leak is detected. However, this leads to a higher monitoring cost. Consequently, it is difficult to promote and apply this technology to effectively monitor rockfill dam leakage. In this paper, a practical mobile distributed monitoring system with dual-tubes is used by combining the FBG sensing system and hydrothermal cycling system. This dual-tube structure is composed of an outer polyethylene of raised temperature resistance heating pipe, an inner polytetrafluoroethylene tube, and a FBG sensor string, among which, the FBG sensor string can be dragged freely in the internal tube to change the position of the measuring points and improve the spatial resolution. In order to test the effectiveness of the system, the large-scale model test of concentrated leakage in 13 working conditions is carried out by identifying the location, quantity, and leakage rate of leakage passage. Based on Newton’s law of cooling, the leakage state is identified using the seepage identification index ζ v that was confirmed according to the cooling curve. Results suggested that the monitoring system shows high sensitivity and can improve the spatial resolution with limited measuring points, and thus better locate the leakage area. In addition, the seepage identification index ζ v correlated well with the leakage rate qualitatively.

Joint NOAA/NWS/USGS prototype debris flow warning system for recently burned areas in Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Restrepo, P.; Jorgensen, D.P.; Cannon, S.H.; Costa, J.; Laber, J.; Major, J.; Martner, B.; Purpura, J.; Werner, K.

2008-01-01

Debris flows, also known as mudslides, are composed gravity-driven mixtures of sediment and water that travel through steep channels, over open hillslopes, and the like. Addressing this issue, US Geological Survey (USGS) and NOAA have established a debris-flow warning system that has the ability to monitor and forecast precipitation and issue timely weather hazard warning. In 2005, this joint NOAA-USGS prototype debris-flow warning system was issued in Southern California and as a result, it has provided valuable information to emergency managers in affected communities.

PhysioDroid: Combining Wearable Health Sensors and Mobile Devices for a Ubiquitous, Continuous, and Personal Monitoring

PubMed Central

Villalonga, Claudia; Damas, Miguel

2014-01-01

Technological advances on the development of mobile devices, medical sensors, and wireless communication systems support a new generation of unobtrusive, portable, and ubiquitous health monitoring systems for continuous patient assessment and more personalized health care. There exist a growing number of mobile apps in the health domain; however, little contribution has been specifically provided, so far, to operate this kind of apps with wearable physiological sensors. The PhysioDroid, presented in this paper, provides a personalized means to remotely monitor and evaluate users' conditions. The PhysioDroid system provides ubiquitous and continuous vital signs analysis, such as electrocardiogram, heart rate, respiration rate, skin temperature, and body motion, intended to help empower patients and improve clinical understanding. The PhysioDroid is composed of a wearable monitoring device and an Android app providing gathering, storage, and processing features for the physiological sensor data. The versatility of the developed app allows its use for both average users and specialists, and the reduced cost of the PhysioDroid puts it at the reach of most people. Two exemplary use cases for health assessment and sports training are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the PhysioDroid. Next technical steps include generalization to other mobile platforms and health monitoring devices. PMID:25295301

PhysioDroid: combining wearable health sensors and mobile devices for a ubiquitous, continuous, and personal monitoring.

PubMed

Banos, Oresti; Villalonga, Claudia; Damas, Miguel; Gloesekoetter, Peter; Pomares, Hector; Rojas, Ignacio

2014-01-01

Technological advances on the development of mobile devices, medical sensors, and wireless communication systems support a new generation of unobtrusive, portable, and ubiquitous health monitoring systems for continuous patient assessment and more personalized health care. There exist a growing number of mobile apps in the health domain; however, little contribution has been specifically provided, so far, to operate this kind of apps with wearable physiological sensors. The PhysioDroid, presented in this paper, provides a personalized means to remotely monitor and evaluate users' conditions. The PhysioDroid system provides ubiquitous and continuous vital signs analysis, such as electrocardiogram, heart rate, respiration rate, skin temperature, and body motion, intended to help empower patients and improve clinical understanding. The PhysioDroid is composed of a wearable monitoring device and an Android app providing gathering, storage, and processing features for the physiological sensor data. The versatility of the developed app allows its use for both average users and specialists, and the reduced cost of the PhysioDroid puts it at the reach of most people. Two exemplary use cases for health assessment and sports training are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the PhysioDroid. Next technical steps include generalization to other mobile platforms and health monitoring devices.

Mouthguard biosensor with telemetry system for monitoring of saliva glucose: A novel cavitas sensor.

PubMed

Arakawa, Takahiro; Kuroki, Yusuke; Nitta, Hiroki; Chouhan, Prem; Toma, Koji; Sawada, Shin-Ichi; Takeuchi, Shuhei; Sekita, Toshiaki; Akiyoshi, Kazunari; Minakuchi, Shunsuke; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

2016-10-15

We develop detachable "Cavitas sensors" to apply to the human oral cavity for non-invasive monitoring of saliva glucose. A salivary biosensor incorporating Pt and Ag/AgCl electrodes on a mouthguard support with an enzyme membrane is developed and tested. Electrodes are formed on the polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) surface of the mouthguard. The Pt working electrode is coated with a glucose oxidase (GOD) membrane. The biosensor seamlessly is integrated with a glucose sensor and a wireless measurement system. When investigating in-vitro performance, the biosensor exhibits a robust relationship between output current and glucose concentration. In artificial saliva composed of salts and proteins, the glucose sensor is capable of highly sensitive detection over a range of 5-1000µmol/L of glucose, which encompasses the range of glucose concentrations found in human saliva. We demonstrate the ability of the sensor and wireless communication module to monitor saliva glucose in a phantom jaw imitating the structure of the human oral cavity. Stable and long-term real-time monitoring (exceeding 5h) with the telemetry system is achieved. The mouthguard biosensor will be useful as a novel method for real-time non-invasive saliva glucose monitoring for better management of dental patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

24 CFR 3282.7 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... or appliance which is built in as an integral part of the manufactured home during the manufacturing... (paragraph ff). (q) Joint monitoring team means a monitoring inspection team composed of personnel provided...

24 CFR 3282.7 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... or appliance which is built in as an integral part of the manufactured home during the manufacturing... (paragraph ff). (q) Joint monitoring team means a monitoring inspection team composed of personnel provided...

24 CFR 3282.7 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... or appliance which is built in as an integral part of the manufactured home during the manufacturing... (paragraph ff). (q) Joint monitoring team means a monitoring inspection team composed of personnel provided...

24 CFR 3282.7 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... or appliance which is built in as an integral part of the manufactured home during the manufacturing... monitoring team means a monitoring inspection team composed of personnel provided by the various State...

Simulator evaluation of displays for a revised takeoff performance monitoring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Middleton, David B.; Srivatsan, Raghavachari; Person, Lee H., Jr

1992-01-01

Cockpit displays for a Takeoff Performance Monitoring System (TOPMS) to provide pilots with graphic and alphanumeric information pertinent to their decision to continue or abort a takeoff are evaluated. Revised head-down and newly developed head-up displays were implemented on electronic screens in the real-time Transport Systems Research Vehicle (TSRV) Simulator for the Boeing 737 airplane at the Langley Research Center and evaluated by 17 NASA, U.S. Air Force, airline, and industry pilots. Both types of displays were in color, but they were not dependent upon it. The TOPMS head-down display is composed of a runway graphic overlaid with symbolic status and advisory information related to both the expected takeoff point and the predicted stop point (in the event an abort becomes necessary). In addition, an overall Situation Advisory Flag indicates a preferred course of action based on analysis of the various elements of airplane performance and system status. A simpler head-up display conveys most of this same information and relates it to the visual scene. The evaluation pilots found the displays to be credible, easy to monitor, and appropriate for the task. In particular, the pilots said the head-up display was monitored with very little effort and did not obstruct or distract them from monitoring the simulated out-the-window runway scene. This report augments NASA TP-2908, 1989.

[Progressive damage monitoring of corrugated composite skins by the FBG spectral characteristics].

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Wang, Bang-Feng; Lu, Ji-Yun; Gu, Li-Li; Su, Yong-Gang

2014-03-01

In the present paper, a method of monitoring progressive damage of composite structures by non-uniform fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflection spectrum is proposed. Due to the finite element analysis of corrugated composite skins specimens, the failure process under tensile load and corresponding critical failure loads of corrugated composite skin was predicated. Then, the non-uniform reflection spectrum of FBG sensor could be reconstructed and the corresponding relationship between layer failure order sequence of corrugated composite skin and FBG sensor reflection spectrums was acquired. A monitoring system based on FBG non-uniform reflection spectrum, which can be used to monitor progressive damage of corrugated composite skins, was built. The corrugated composite skins were stretched under this FBG non-uniform reflection spectrum monitoring system. The results indicate that real-time spectrums acquired by FBG non-uniform reflection spectrum monitoring system show the same trend with the reconstruction reflection spectrums. The maximum error between the corresponding failure and the predictive value is 8.6%, which proves the feasibility of using FBG sensor to monitor progressive damage of corrugated composite skin. In this method, the real-time changes in the FBG non-uniform reflection spectrum within the scope of failure were acquired through the way of monitoring and predicating, and at the same time, the progressive damage extent and layer failure sequence of corru- gated composite skin was estimated, and without destroying the structure of the specimen, the method is easy and simple to operate. The measurement and transmission section of the system are completely composed of optical fiber, which provides new ideas and experimental reference for the field of dynamic monitoring of smart skin.

Dynamic measurement of fluorescent proteins spectral distribution on virus infected cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ja-Yun; Wu, Ming-Xiu; Kao, Chia-Yun; Wu, Tzong-Yuan; Hsu, I.-Jen

2006-09-01

We constructed a dynamic spectroscopy system that can simultaneously measure the intensity and spectral distributions of samples with multi-fluorophores in a single scan. The system was used to monitor the fluorescence distribution of cells infected by the virus, which is constructed by a recombinant baculoviruses, vAcD-Rhir-E, containing the red and green fluorescent protein gene that can simultaneously produce dual fluorescence in recombinant virus-infected Spodoptera frugiperda 21 cells (Sf21) under the control of a polyhedrin promoter. The system was composed of an excitation light source, a scanning system and a spectrometer. We also developed an algorithm and fitting process to analyze the pattern of fluorescence distribution of the dual fluorescence produced in the recombinant virus-infected cells. All the algorithm and calculation are automatically processed in a visualized scanning program and can monitor the specific region of sample by calculating its intensity distribution. The spectral measurement of each pixel was performed at millisecond range and the two dimensional distribution of full spectrum was recorded within several seconds. We have constructed a dynamic spectroscopy system to monitor the process of virus-infection of cells. The distributions of the dual fluorescence were simultaneously measured at micrometer resolution.

Main components and characteristics of landslide early warning systems operational worldwide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piciullo, Luca; Cepeda, José

2017-04-01

During the last decades the number of victims and economic losses due to natural hazards are dramatically increased worldwide. The reason can be mainly ascribed to climate changes and urbanization in areas exposed at high level of risk. Among the many mitigation measures available for reducing the risk to life related to natural hazards, early warning systems certainly constitute a significant cost-effective option available to the authorities in charge of risk management and governance. The aim is to help and protect populations exposed to natural hazards, reducing fatalities when major events occur. Landslide is one of the natural hazards addressed by early warning systems. Landslide early warning systems (LEWSs) are mainly composed by the following four components: set-up, correlation laws, decisional algorithm and warning management. Within this framework, the set-up includes all the preliminary actions and choices necessary for designing a LEWS, such as: the area covered by the system, the types of landslides and the monitoring instruments. The monitoring phase provides a series of important information on different variables, considered as triggering factors for landslides, in order to define correlation laws and thresholds. Then, a decisional algorithm is necessary for defining the: number of warning levels to be employed in the system, decision making procedures, and everything else system managers may need for issuing warnings in different warning zones. Finally the warning management is composed by: monitoring and warning strategy; communication strategy; emergency plan and, everything connected to the social sphere. Among LEWSs operational worldwide, two categories can be defined as a function of the scale of analysis: "local" and "territorial" systems. The scale of analysis influences several actions and aspects connected to the design and employment of the system, such as: the actors involved, the monitoring systems, type of landslide phenomena addressed and variables to be considered for correlations. The characteristics of LEWSs at local scale are strongly affected by numerous constraints and factors, from time to time different, related to the characteristics of the problem they address. Monitoring measures, variables and correlation laws considered for the design and employment of local LEWSs, strongly depends on the type of landslide to be addressed. On the other hand, territorial LEWSs mainly deals with rainfall-induced landslides characterized by fast slope movement. These systems have become a risk management approach, employed worldwide over areas of relevant extension. Before 2005 only few experiences of LEWSs at a regional scale were carried out, such as in: Hong Kong, China; Zhejiang Province, China; San Francisco Bay, California, USA; Appalachians, USA; Oregon, USA; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since the beginning of the XXI century, increased knowledge on rainfall-landslide correlations and upgraded technologies in weather forecast have promoted the development and improvement of territorial LEWSs around the world.

Ultrasound monitoring of inter-knee distances during gait.

PubMed

Lai, Daniel T H; Wrigley, Tim V; Palaniswami, M

2009-01-01

Knee osteoarthritis is an extremely common, debilitating disease associated with pain and loss of function. There is considerable interest in monitoring lower limb alignment due to its close association with joint overload leading to disease progression. The effects of gait modifications that can lower joint loading are of particular interest. Here we describe an ultrasound-based system for monitoring an important aspect of dynamic lower limb alignment, the inter-knee distance during walking. Monitoring this gait parameter should facilitate studies in reducing knee loading, a primary risk factor of knee osteoarthritis progression. The portable device is composed of an ultrasound sensor connected to an Intel iMote2 equipped with Bluetooth wireless capability. Static tests and calibration results show that the sensor possesses an effective beam envelope of 120 degrees, with maximum distance errors of 10% at the envelope edges. Dynamic walking trials reveal close correlation of inter-knee distance trends between that measured by an optical system (Optotrak Certus NDI) and the sensor device. The maximum average root mean square error was found to be 1.46 cm. Future work will focus on improving the accuracy of the device.

Decentralized System Identification Using Stochastic Subspace Identification for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Cho, Soojin; Park, Jong-Woong; Sim, Sung-Han

2015-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) facilitate a new paradigm to structural identification and monitoring for civil infrastructure. Conventional structural monitoring systems based on wired sensors and centralized data acquisition systems are costly for installation as well as maintenance. WSNs have emerged as a technology that can overcome such difficulties, making deployment of a dense array of sensors on large civil structures both feasible and economical. However, as opposed to wired sensor networks in which centralized data acquisition and processing is common practice, WSNs require decentralized computing algorithms to reduce data transmission due to the limitation associated with wireless communication. In this paper, the stochastic subspace identification (SSI) technique is selected for system identification, and SSI-based decentralized system identification (SDSI) is proposed to be implemented in a WSN composed of Imote2 wireless sensors that measure acceleration. The SDSI is tightly scheduled in the hierarchical WSN, and its performance is experimentally verified in a laboratory test using a 5-story shear building model. PMID:25856325

The implementation of the Human Exploration Demonstration Project (HEDP), a systems technology testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosen, Robert; Korsmeyer, David J.

1993-01-01

The Human Exploration Demonstration Project (HEDP) is an ongoing task at the NASA's Ames Research Center to address the advanced technology requirements necessary to implement an integrated working and living environment for a planetary surface habitat. The integrated environment consists of life support systems, physiological monitoring of project crew, a virtual environment work station, and centralized data acquisition and habitat systems health monitoring. The HEDP is an integrated technology demonstrator, as well as an initial operational testbed. There are several robotic systems operational in a simulated planetary landscape external to the habitat environment, to provide representative work loads for the crew. This paper describes the evolution of the HEDP from initial concept to operational project; the status of the HEDP after two years; the final facilities composing the HEDP; the project's role as a NASA Ames Research Center systems technology testbed; and the interim demonstration scenarios that have been run to feature the developing technologies in 1993.

Preliminary Design of Critical Function Monitoring System of PGSFR

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

NONE

2015-07-01

A PGSFR (Prototype Gen-IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor) is under development at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. A critical function monitoring system of the PGSFR is preliminarily studied. The functions of CFMS are to display critical plant variables related to the safety of the plant during normal and accident conditions and guide the operators corrective actions to keep the plant in a safe condition and mitigate the consequences of accidents. The minimal critical functions of the PGSFR are composed of reactivity control, reactor core cooling, reactor coolant system integrity, primary heat transfer system(PHTS) heat removal, sodium water reaction mitigation, radiation controlmore » and containment conditions. The variables and alarm legs of each critical function of the PGSFR are as follows; - Reactivity control: The variables of reactivity control function are power range neutron flux instrumentation, intermediate range neutron flux instrumentation, source range neutron flux instrumentation, and control rod bottom contacts. The alarm leg to display the reactivity controls consists of status of control drop malfunction, high post trip power and thermal reactivity addition. - Reactor core cooling: The variables are PHTS sodium level, hot pool temperature of PHTS, subassembly exit temperature, cold pool temperature of the PHTS, PHTS pump current, and PHTS pump breaker status. The alarm leg consists of high core delta temperature, low sodium level of the PHTS, high subassembly exit temperature, and low PHTS pump load. - Reactor coolant system integrity: The variables are PHTS sodium level, cover gas pressure, and safeguard vessel sodium level. The alarm leg is composed of low sodium level of PHTS, high cover gas pressure and high sodium level of the safety guard vessel. - PHTS heat removal: The variables are PHTS sodium level, hot pool temperature of PHTS, core exit temperature, cold pool temperature of the PHTS, flow rate of passive residual heat removal system, flow rate of active residual heat removal system, and temperatures of air heat exchanger temperature of residual heat removal systems. The alarm legs are composed of two legs of a 'passive residual heat removal system not cooling' and 'active residual heat removal system not cooling'. - Sodium water reaction mitigation: The variables are intermediate heat transfer system(IHTS) pressure, pressure and temperature and level of sodium dump tank, the status of rupture disk, hydrogen concentration in IHTS and direct variable of sodium-water-reaction measure. The alarm leg consists of high IHTS pressure, the status of sodium water reaction mitigation system and the indication of direct measure. - Radiation control: The variables are radiation of PHTS, radiation of IHTS, and radiation of containment purge. The alarm leg is composed of high radiation of PHTS and IHTS, and containment purge system. - Containment condition: The variables are containment pressure, containment isolation status, and sodium fire. The alarm leg consists of high containment pressure, status of containment isolation and status of sodium fire. (authors)« less

Triplexer Monitor Design for Failure Detection in FTTH System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Minglei; Le, Zichun; Hu, Jinhua; Fei, Xia

2012-09-01

Triplexer was one of the key components in FTTH systems, which employed an analog overlay channel for video broadcasting in addition to bidirectional digital transmission. To enhance the survivability of triplexer as well as the robustness of FTTH system, a multi-ports device named triplexer monitor was designed and realized, by which failures at triplexer ports can be detected and localized. Triplexer monitor was composed of integrated circuits and its four input ports were connected with the beam splitter whose power division ratio was 95∶5. By means of detecting the sampled optical signal from the beam splitters, triplexer monitor tracked the status of the four ports in triplexer (e.g. 1310 nm, 1490 nm, 1550 nm and com ports). In this paper, the operation scenario of the triplexer monitor with external optical devices was addressed. And the integrated circuit structure of the triplexer monitor was also given. Furthermore, a failure localization algorithm was proposed, which based on the state transition diagram. In order to measure the failure detection and localization time under the circumstance of different failed ports, an experimental test-bed was built. Experiment results showed that the detection time for the failure at 1310 nm port by the triplexer monitor was less than 8.20 ms. For the failure at 1490 nm or 1550 nm port it was less than 8.20 ms and for the failure at com port it was less than 7.20 ms.

Developments of next generation monitor and control systems for radio telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodilkar, J.; Uprade, R.; Nayak, S.; Wadadekar, Y.; Chengalur, J.; Gupta, Y.

2013-04-01

As part of the ongoing upgrade of the GMRT observatory, the monitor and control (M&C) system is being upgraded to a modern specification driven system. The basic building block of the proposed M&C framework is a SACE node which provides command, response and event data streaming interfaces to the child and parent nodes running locally or remotely in a heterogeneous operating system environment. A prototype M&C system formed by hierarchically composing SACE nodes at different levels has been successfully tested at the GMRT. For the recently built 15m antenna at NCRA, a generic, web based M&C system has been developed which allows remote, authenticated operation. We discuss issues relevant to the development of the next generation M&C systems for radio telescopes using the lessons learned from these two systems. We also summarize flexible, reusable and cost-effective approaches using off the shelf packages and technologies used in generic frameworks, which can contribute to form the basis for M&C systems of very large radio telescopes like the SKA.

A biotechnological T-shirt monitors the patient's heart during hemodialysis.

PubMed

Lacquaniti, Antonio; Donato, Valentina; Lucisano, Silvia; Buemi, Antoine; Buemi, Michele

2012-01-01

Uremic patients are characterized by a "pro-arrhythmic substrate." Arrhythmia appearance during hemodialysis (HD) is an unexpected event with a high incidence of mortality and morbidity and difficult to record in patients repeatedly checked using electrocardiogram (ECG). Furthermore the carrying out of this important examination by classical devices during HD is uncomfortable and sometimes stressful for the patient. It may be very useful to monitor the patient's cardiac activity during the whole HD session. We tried to overcome these difficulties using Whealthy(®) (Wearable Health Care System), a wearable system in a T-shirt composed of conductors and piezoresistive materials, integrated to form fibers and threads connected to tissular sensors, electrodes, and connectors. ECG and pneumographic impedance signals are acquired by the electrodes in the tissue, and the data are registered by a small computer and transmitted via GPRS or Bluetooth.

Imaging monitoring techniques applications in the transient gratings detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qing-ming

2009-07-01

Experimental studies of Degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) in iodine vapor at atmospheric pressure and 0℃ and 25℃ are reported. The Laser-induced grating (LIG) studies are carried out by generating the thermal grating using a pulsed, narrow bandwidth, dye laser .A new image processing system for detecting forward DFWM spectroscopy on iodine vapor is reported. This system is composed of CCD camera, imaging processing card and the related software. With the help of the detecting system, phase matching can be easily achieved in the optical arrangement by crossing the two pumps and the probe as diagonals linking opposite corners of a rectangular box ,and providing a way to position the PhotoMultiplier Tube (PMT) . Also it is practical to know the effect of the pointing stability on the optical path by monitoring facula changing with the laser beam pointing and disturbs of the environment. Finally the effects of Photostability of dye laser on the ration of signal to noise in DFWM using forward geometries have been investigated in iodine vapor. This system makes it feasible that the potential application of FG-DFWM is used as a diagnostic tool in combustion research and environment monitoring.

A low-power and miniaturized electrocardiograph data collection system with smart textile electrodes for monitoring of cardiac function.

PubMed

Dai, Ming; Xiao, Xueliang; Chen, Xin; Lin, Haoming; Wu, Wanqing; Chen, Siping

2016-12-01

With the increasing aging population as well as health concerns, chronic heart disease has become the focus of public attention. A comfortable, low-powered, and wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) system for continuously monitoring the elderly's ECG signals over several hours is important for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Traditional ECG monitoring apparatus is often inconvenient to carry, has many electrodes to attach to the chest, and has a high-power consumption. There is also a challenge to design an electrocardiograph that satisfies requirements such as comfort, confinement, and compactness. Based on these considerations, this study presents a biosensor acquisition system for wearable, ubiquitous healthcare applications using three textile electrodes and a recording circuit specialized for ECG monitoring. In addition, several methods were adopted to reduce the power consumption of the device. The proposed system is composed of three parts: (1) an ECG analog front end (AFE), (2) digital signal processing and micro-control circuits, and (3) system software. Digital filter methods were used to eliminate the baseline wander, skin contact noise, and other interfering signals. A comparative study was conducted using this system to observe its performance with two commercial Holter monitors. The experimental results demonstrated that the total power consumption of this proposed system in a full round of ECG acquisition was only 29.74 mW. In addition, this low-power system performed well and stably measured the heart rate with an accuracy of 98.55 %. It can also contain a real-time dynamic display with organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and wirelessly transmit information via a Bluetooth 4.0 module.

Optofluidic platforms based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

PubMed

Lim, Chaesung; Hong, Jongin; Chung, Bong Geun; deMello, Andrew J; Choo, Jaebum

2010-05-01

We report recent progress in the development of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based optofluidic platforms for the fast and sensitive detection of chemical and biological analytes. In the current context, a SERS-based optofluidic platform is defined as an integrated analytical device composed of a microfluidic element and a sensitive Raman spectrometer. Optofluidic devices for SERS detection normally involve nanocolloid-based microfluidic systems or metal nanostructure-embedded microfluidic systems. In the current review, recent advances in both approaches are surveyed and assessed. Additionally, integrated real-time sensing systems that combine portable Raman spectrometers with microfluidic devices are also reviewed. Such real-time sensing systems have significant utility in environmental monitoring, forensic science and homeland defense applications.

SEFRE: Semiexoskeleton Rehabilitation System.

PubMed

Chonnaparamutt, Winai; Supsi, Witsarut

2016-01-01

SEFRE (Shoulder-Elbow-Forearm Robotics Economic) rehabilitation system is presented in this paper. SEFRE Rehab System is composed of a robotic manipulator and an exoskeleton, so-called Forearm Supportive Mechanism (FSM). The controller of the system is developed as the Master PC consisting of five modules, that is, Intelligent Control (IC), Patient Communication (PC), Training with Game (TG), Progress Monitoring (PM), and Patient Supervision (PS). These modules support a patient to exercise with SEFRE in six modes, that is, Passive, Passive Stretching, Passive Guiding, Initiating Active, Active Assisted, and Active Resisted. To validate the advantages of the system, the preclinical trial was carried out at a national rehabilitation center. Here, the implement of the system and the preclinical results are presented as the verifications of SEFRE.

Link-quality measurement and reporting in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Chehri, Abdellah; Jeon, Gwanggil; Choi, Byoungjo

2013-03-04

Wireless Sensor networks (WSNs) are created by small hardware devices that possess the necessary functionalities to measure and exchange a variety of environmental data in their deployment setting. In this paper, we discuss the experiments in deploying a testbed as a first step towards creating a fully functional heterogeneous wireless network-based underground monitoring system. The system is mainly composed of mobile and static ZigBee nodes, which are deployed on the underground mine galleries for measuring ambient temperature. In addition, we describe the measured results of link characteristics such as received signal strength, latency and throughput for different scenarios.

Link-Quality Measurement and Reporting in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Chehri, Abdellah; Jeon, Gwanggil; Choi, Byoungjo

2013-01-01

Wireless Sensor networks (WSNs) are created by small hardware devices that possess the necessary functionalities to measure and exchange a variety of environmental data in their deployment setting. In this paper, we discuss the experiments in deploying a testbed as a first step towards creating a fully functional heterogeneous wireless network-based underground monitoring system. The system is mainly composed of mobile and static ZigBee nodes, which are deployed on the underground mine galleries for measuring ambient temperature. In addition, we describe the measured results of link characteristics such as received signal strength, latency and throughput for different scenarios. PMID:23459389

The intervention composed of aerobic training and non-exercise physical activity (I-CAN) study: Rationale, design and methods.

PubMed

Swift, Damon L; Dover, Sara E; Nevels, Tyara R; Solar, Chelsey A; Brophy, Patricia M; Hall, Tyler R; Houmard, Joseph A; Lutes, Lesley D

2015-11-01

Recent data has suggested that prolonged sedentary behavior is independent risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality independent of adequate amounts of moderate to vigorous physical activity. However, few studies have prospectively evaluated if exercise training and increasing non-exercise physical activity leads to greater reduction in cardiometabolic risk compared to aerobic training alone. The purpose of the Intervention Composed of Aerobic Training and Non-Exercise Physical Activity (I-CAN) study is to determine whether a physical activity program composed of both aerobic training (consistent with public health recommendations) and increasing non-exercise physical activity (3000 steps above baseline levels) leads to enhanced improvements in waist circumference, oral glucose tolerance, systemic inflammation, body composition, and fitness compared to aerobic training alone in obese adults (N=45). Commercially available accelerometers (Fitbits) will be used to monitor physical activity levels and behavioral coaching will be used to develop strategies of how to increase non-exercise physical activity levels. In this manuscript, we describe the design, rationale, and methodology associated with the I-CAN study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program: Site Characterization and Monitoring Technologies Center

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The ETV Site Characterization and Monitoring Technology Pilot is composed of EPA, DoD, DOE, other Federal agencies, state regulators, technology evaluation and verification entities, and potential end users of these technologies to facilitate independent..

Passive Wireless Hermetic Environment Monitoring System for Spray Painting Workshop

PubMed Central

Wang, Lifeng; Ma, Jingjing; Huang, Yan; Tang, Dan; Huang, Qing-An

2016-01-01

Passive wireless sensors have the advantages of operating without a power supply and remote sensing capability. Hence, they are very suitable for some harsh environments, such as hermetic environments, rotating parts, or very high temperature environments. The spray painting workshop is such a harsh environment, containing a large amount of flammable paint mist and organic gas. Aiming at this special environment of spray painting workshop, a passive wireless hermetic environment monitoring system was designed, fabricated, and demonstrated. The proposed system is composed of a transponder and a reader, and the circuit design of each part is given in detail in this paper. The power and the data transmission between the transponder and the reader are realized by the inductive coupling mechanism. Utilizing the back scatter modulation and channel multiplexing, the frequency signals generated by three different environmental sensors—together with their interfaces in the transponder—are wirelessly read out by the reader. Because of the harsh environment of the spray painting room, the package of the monitoring system is quite important. Three different kinds of filter films for the system package were compared. The experimental results show that the composite filter film aluminum anodic oxide/polytetrafluoroethylene (AAO/PTFE) has the best performance. After fabrication, the measured temperature, humidity, and pressure sensitivities were measured and found to be 180 Hz/°C in the range of 0~60 °C, 100 Hz/%RH in the range of 15~95 %RH, and 42 Hz/hPa in the range of 600~1100 hPa, respectively. Additionally, the remote sensing distance of the monitoring system reaches 4 cm. Finally, the passive wireless hermetic environment monitoring system was installed on the glass wall of the spray painting workshop and was successfully demonstrated. PMID:27490546

Composing only by thought: Novel application of the P300 brain-computer interface.

PubMed

Pinegger, Andreas; Hiebel, Hannah; Wriessnegger, Selina C; Müller-Putz, Gernot R

2017-01-01

The P300 event-related potential is a well-known pattern in the electroencephalogram (EEG). This kind of brain signal is used for many different brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, e.g., spellers, environmental controllers, web browsers, or for painting. In recent times, BCI systems are mature enough to leave the laboratories to be used by the end-users, namely severely disabled people. Therefore, new challenges arise and the systems should be implemented and evaluated according to user-centered design (USD) guidelines. We developed and implemented a new system that utilizes the P300 pattern to compose music. Our Brain Composing system consists of three parts: the EEG acquisition device, the P300-based BCI, and the music composing software. Seventeen musical participants and one professional composer performed a copy-spelling, a copy-composing, and a free-composing task with the system. According to the USD guidelines, we investigated the efficiency, the effectiveness and subjective criteria in terms of satisfaction, enjoyment, frustration, and attractiveness. The musical participants group achieved high average accuracies: 88.24% (copy-spelling), 88.58% (copy-composing), and 76.51% (free-composing). The professional composer achieved also high accuracies: 100% (copy-spelling), 93.62% (copy-composing), and 98.20% (free-composing). General results regarding the subjective criteria evaluation were that the participants enjoyed the usage of the Brain Composing system and were highly satisfied with the system. Showing very positive results with healthy people in this study, this was the first step towards a music composing system for severely disabled people.

Composing only by thought: Novel application of the P300 brain-computer interface

PubMed Central

Hiebel, Hannah; Wriessnegger, Selina C.; Müller-Putz, Gernot R.

2017-01-01

The P300 event-related potential is a well-known pattern in the electroencephalogram (EEG). This kind of brain signal is used for many different brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, e.g., spellers, environmental controllers, web browsers, or for painting. In recent times, BCI systems are mature enough to leave the laboratories to be used by the end-users, namely severely disabled people. Therefore, new challenges arise and the systems should be implemented and evaluated according to user-centered design (USD) guidelines. We developed and implemented a new system that utilizes the P300 pattern to compose music. Our Brain Composing system consists of three parts: the EEG acquisition device, the P300-based BCI, and the music composing software. Seventeen musical participants and one professional composer performed a copy-spelling, a copy-composing, and a free-composing task with the system. According to the USD guidelines, we investigated the efficiency, the effectiveness and subjective criteria in terms of satisfaction, enjoyment, frustration, and attractiveness. The musical participants group achieved high average accuracies: 88.24% (copy-spelling), 88.58% (copy-composing), and 76.51% (free-composing). The professional composer achieved also high accuracies: 100% (copy-spelling), 93.62% (copy-composing), and 98.20% (free-composing). General results regarding the subjective criteria evaluation were that the participants enjoyed the usage of the Brain Composing system and were highly satisfied with the system. Showing very positive results with healthy people in this study, this was the first step towards a music composing system for severely disabled people. PMID:28877175

Application of Aquaculture Monitoring System Based on CC2530

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, H. L.; Liu, X. Q.

In order to improve the intelligent level of aquaculture technology, this paper puts forward a remote wireless monitoring system based on ZigBee technology, GPRS technology and Android mobile phone platform. The system is composed of wireless sensor network (WSN), GPRS module, PC server, and Android client. The WSN was set up by CC2530 chips based on ZigBee protocol, to realize the collection of water quality parameters such as the water level, temperature, PH and dissolved oxygen. The GPRS module realizes remote communication between WSN and PC server. Android client communicates with server to monitor the level of water quality. The PID (proportion, integration, differentiation) control is adopted in the control part, the control commands from the android mobile phone is sent to the server, the server again send it to the lower machine to control the water level regulating valve and increasing oxygen pump. After practical testing to the system in Liyang, Jiangsu province, China, temperature measurement accuracy reaches 0.5°C, PH measurement accuracy reaches 0.3, water level control precision can be controlled within ± 3cm, dissolved oxygen control precision can be controlled within ±0.3 mg/L, all the indexes can meet the requirements, this system is very suitable for aquaculture.

Design of a Novel Flexible Capacitive Sensing Mattress for Monitoring Sleeping Respiratory

PubMed Central

Chang, Wen-Ying; Huang, Chien-Chun; Chen, Chi-Chun; Chang, Chih-Cheng; Yang, Chin-Lung

2014-01-01

In this paper, an algorithm to extract respiration signals using a flexible projected capacitive sensing mattress (FPCSM) designed for personal health assessment is proposed. Unlike the interfaces of conventional measurement systems for poly-somnography (PSG) and other alternative contemporary systems, the proposed FPCSM uses projected capacitive sensing capability that is not worn or attached to the body. The FPCSM is composed of a multi-electrode sensor array that can not only observe gestures and motion behaviors, but also enables the FPCSM to function as a respiration monitor during sleep using the proposed approach. To improve long-term monitoring when body movement is possible, the FPCSM enables the selection of data from the sensing array, and the FPCSM methodology selects the electrodes with the optimal signals after the application of a channel reduction algorithm that counts the reversals in the capacitive sensing signals as a quality indicator. The simple algorithm is implemented in the time domain. The FPCSM system is used in experimental tests and is simultaneously compared with a commercial PSG system for verification. Multiple synchronous measurements are performed from different locations of body contact, and parallel data sets are collected. The experimental comparison yields a correlation coefficient of 0.88 between FPCSM and PSG, demonstrating the feasibility of the system design. PMID:25420152

Stem cell derived phenotypic human neuromuscular junction model for dose response evaluation of therapeutics.

PubMed

Santhanam, Navaneetha; Kumanchik, Lee; Guo, Xiufang; Sommerhage, Frank; Cai, Yunqing; Jackson, Max; Martin, Candace; Saad, George; McAleer, Christopher W; Wang, Ying; Lavado, Andrea; Long, Christopher J; Hickman, James J

2018-06-01

There are currently no functional neuromuscular junction (hNMJ) systems composed of human cells that could be used for drug evaluations or toxicity testing in vitro. These systems are needed to evaluate NMJs for diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy or other neurodegenerative diseases or injury states. There are certainly no model systems, animal or human, that allows for isolated treatment of motoneurons or muscle capable of generating dose response curves to evaluate pharmacological activity of these highly specialized functional units. A system was developed in which human myotubes and motoneurons derived from stem cells were cultured in a serum-free medium in a BioMEMS construct. The system is composed of two chambers linked by microtunnels to enable axonal outgrowth to the muscle chamber that allows separate stimulation of each component and physiological NMJ function and MN stimulated tetanus. The muscle's contractions, induced by motoneuron activation or direct electrical stimulation, were monitored by image subtraction video recording for both frequency and amplitude. Bungarotoxin, BOTOX ® and curare dose response curves were generated to demonstrate pharmacological relevance of the phenotypic screening device. This quantifiable functional hNMJ system establishes a platform for generating patient-specific NMJ models by including patient-derived iPSCs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural health monitoring of inflatable structures for MMOD impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anees, Muhammad; Gbaguidi, Audrey; Kim, Daewon; Namilae, Sirish

2017-04-01

Inflatable structures for space habitat are highly prone to damage caused by micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts. Although the structures are effectively shielded against these impacts through multiple layers of impact resistant materials, there is a necessity for a health monitoring system to monitor the structural integrity and damage state within the structures. Assessment of damage is critical for the safety of personnel in the space habitat, as well as predicting the repair needs and the remaining useful life of the habitat. In this paper, we propose a unique impact detection and health monitoring system based on hybrid nanocomposite sensors. The sensors are composed of two fillers, carbon nanotubes and coarse graphene platelets with an epoxy matrix material. The electrical conductivity of these flexible nanocomposite sensors is highly sensitive to strains as well as presence of any holes and damage in the structure. The sensitivity of the sensors to the presence of 3mm holes due to an event of impact is evaluated using four point probe electrical resistivity measurements. An array of these sensors when sandwiched between soft good layers in a space habitat can act as a damage detection layer for inflatable structures. An algorithm is developed to determine the event of impact, its severity and location on the sensing layer for active health monitoring.

Combining Wireless Sensor Networks and Semantic Middleware for an Internet of Things-Based Sportsman/Woman Monitoring Application

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Molina, Jesús; Martínez, José-Fernán; Castillejo, Pedro; López, Lourdes

2013-01-01

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are spearheading the efforts taken to build and deploy systems aiming to accomplish the ultimate objectives of the Internet of Things. Due to the sensors WSNs nodes are provided with, and to their ubiquity and pervasive capabilities, these networks become extremely suitable for many applications that so-called conventional cabled or wireless networks are unable to handle. One of these still underdeveloped applications is monitoring physical parameters on a person. This is an especially interesting application regarding their age or activity, for any detected hazardous parameter can be notified not only to the monitored person as a warning, but also to any third party that may be helpful under critical circumstances, such as relatives or healthcare centers. We propose a system built to monitor a sportsman/woman during a workout session or performing a sport-related indoor activity. Sensors have been deployed by means of several nodes acting as the nodes of a WSN, along with a semantic middleware development used for hardware complexity abstraction purposes. The data extracted from the environment, combined with the information obtained from the user, will compose the basis of the services that can be obtained. PMID:23385405

Combining wireless sensor networks and semantic middleware for an Internet of Things-based sportsman/woman monitoring application.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Molina, Jesús; Martínez, José-Fernán; Castillejo, Pedro; López, Lourdes

2013-01-31

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are spearheading the efforts taken to build and deploy systems aiming to accomplish the ultimate objectives of the Internet of Things. Due to the sensors WSNs nodes are provided with, and to their ubiquity and pervasive capabilities, these networks become extremely suitable for many applications that so-called conventional cabled or wireless networks are unable to handle. One of these still underdeveloped applications is monitoring physical parameters on a person. This is an especially interesting application regarding their age or activity, for any detected hazardous parameter can be notified not only to the monitored person as a warning, but also to any third party that may be helpful under critical circumstances, such as relatives or healthcare centers. We propose a system built to monitor a sportsman/woman during a workout session or performing a sport-related indoor activity. Sensors have been deployed by means of several nodes acting as the nodes of a WSN, along with a semantic middleware development used for hardware complexity abstraction purposes. The data extracted from the environment, combined with the information obtained from the user, will compose the basis of the services that can be obtained.

Graphene-based inline pressure sensor integrated with microfluidic elastic tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Nagisa; Onoe, Hiroaki

2018-01-01

We propose an inline pressure sensor composed of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic tube integrated with graphene sheets. The PDMS tube was fabricated through molding, and a multilayered graphene sheet was transferred on the surface of the PDMS tube. The pressure inside the tube was monitored using the changes in the electrical resistance of the transferred graphene. The proposed pressure sensor could be suitable for precise pressure measurement for a small amount of fluid in microfluidic systems including organ-on-a-chip devices.

Development of a microbalance suitable for space application. [mass measurement device for particulate and vapor deposition measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patashnick, H.; Rupprecht, G.

1977-01-01

The tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM), an ultrasensitive mass measurement device which is suitable for both particulate and vapor deposition measurements is described. The device can be used in contamination measurements, surface reaction studies, particulate monitoring systems or any microweighing activity where either laboratory or field monitoring capability is desired. The active element of the TEOM consists of a tube or reed constructed of a material with high mechanical quality factor and having a special taper. The element is firmly mounted at the wide end while the other end supports a substrate surface which can be composed of virtually any material. The tapered element with the substrate at the free (narrow) end is set into oscillation in a clamped free mode. A feedback system maintains the oscillation whose natural frequency will change in relation to the mass deposited on the substrate.

Design of a telemetry system based on wireless power transmission for physiological parameter monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Zhiwei; Yan, Guozheng; Zhu, Bingquan

2015-04-01

An implanted telemetry system for experimental animals with or without anaesthesia can be used to continuously monitor physiological parameters. This system is significant not only in the study of organisms but also in the evaluation of drug efficacy, artificial organs, and auxiliary devices. The system is composed of a miniature electronic capsule, a wireless power transmission module, a data-recording device, and a processing module. An electrocardiograph, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor are integrated in the miniature electronic capsule, in which the signals are transmitted in vitro by wireless communication after filtering, amplification, and A/D sampling. To overcome the power shortage of batteries, a wireless power transmission module based on electromagnetic induction was designed. The transmitting coil of a rectangular-section solenoid and a 3D receiving coil are proposed according to stability and safety constraints. Experiments show that at least 150 mW of power could pick up on the load in a volume of Φ10.5 mm × 11 mm, with a transmission efficiency of 2.56%. Vivisection experiments verified the feasibility of the integrated radio-telemetry system.

A Gas Chromatographic Continuous Emissions Monitoring System for the Determination of VOCs and HAPs.

PubMed

Coleman, William M; Gordon, Bert M

1996-01-01

This article describes a new gas chromatography-based emissions monitoring system for measuring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). The system is composed of a dual-column gas chromatograph equipped with thermal conductivity detectors, in which separation is optimized for fast chromatography. The system has the necessary valving for stream selection, which allows automatic calibration of the system at predetermined times and successive measurement of individual VOCs before and after a control device. Nine different VOCs (two of which are HAPs), plus methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are separated and quantified every two minutes. The accuracy and precision of this system has been demonstrated to be greater than 95%. The system employs a mass flow measurement device and also calculates and displays processed emission data, such as control device efficiency and total weight emitted during given time periods. Two such systems have been operational for one year in two separate gravure printing facilities; minimal upkeep is required, about one hour per month. One of these systems, used before and after a carbon adsorber, has been approved by the pertinent local permitting authority.

Development of the heat treatment system for the 40 T hybrid magnet superconducting outsert.

PubMed

Chen, W G; Chen, Z M; Chen, Z Y; Huang, P C; He, P; Zhu, J W

2011-10-01

The heat treatment of Nb(3)Sn coil with the glass fabric insulation is one of the key and critical processes for the outsert solenoids of the 40 T hybrid magnet, which could be wound with cable-in-conduit conductors using the insulation-wind-and-react technique. The manufacturing of the large vertical type vacuum/Ar atmosphere-protection heat treatment system has been completed and recently installed in the High Magnetic Filed Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The heat treatment system composed mainly the furnace, the purging gas supply system, the control system, the gas impurities monitoring system, and so on. At present, the regulation and testing of the heat treatment system has been successfully finished, and all of technical parameters meet or exceed specifications.

Development of the heat treatment system for the 40 T hybrid magnet superconducting outsert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W. G.; Chen, Z. M.; Chen, Z. Y.; Huang, P. C.; He, P.; Zhu, J. W.

2011-10-01

The heat treatment of Nb3Sn coil with the glass fabric insulation is one of the key and critical processes for the outsert solenoids of the 40 T hybrid magnet, which could be wound with cable-in-conduit conductors using the insulation-wind-and-react technique. The manufacturing of the large vertical type vacuum/Ar atmosphere-protection heat treatment system has been completed and recently installed in the High Magnetic Filed Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The heat treatment system composed mainly the furnace, the purging gas supply system, the control system, the gas impurities monitoring system, and so on. At present, the regulation and testing of the heat treatment system has been successfully finished, and all of technical parameters meet or exceed specifications.

Daily Management System of the Henry Ford Production System: QTIPS to Focus Continuous Improvements at the Level of the Work.

PubMed

Zarbo, Richard J; Varney, Ruan C; Copeland, Jacqueline R; D'Angelo, Rita; Sharma, Gaurav

2015-07-01

To support our Lean culture of continuous improvement, we implemented a daily management system designed so critical metrics of operational success were the focus of local teams to drive improvements. We innovated a standardized visual daily management board composed of metric categories of Quality, Time, Inventory, Productivity, and Safety (QTIPS); frequency trending; root cause analysis; corrective/preventive actions; and resulting process improvements. In 1 year (June 2013 to July 2014), eight laboratory sections at Henry Ford Hospital employed 64 unique daily metrics. Most assessed long-term (>6 months), monitored process stability, while short-term metrics (1-6 months) were retired after successful targeted problem resolution. Daily monitoring resulted in 42 process improvements. Daily management is the key business accountability subsystem that enabled our culture of continuous improvement to function more efficiently at the managerial level in a visible manner by reviewing and acting based on data and root cause analysis. Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

High-speed railway real-time localization auxiliary method based on deep neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dongjie; Zhang, Wensheng; Yang, Yang

2017-11-01

High-speed railway intelligent monitoring and management system is composed of schedule integration, geographic information, location services, and data mining technology for integration of time and space data. Assistant localization is a significant submodule of the intelligent monitoring system. In practical application, the general access is to capture the image sequences of the components by using a high-definition camera, digital image processing technique and target detection, tracking and even behavior analysis method. In this paper, we present an end-to-end character recognition method based on a deep CNN network called YOLO-toc for high-speed railway pillar plate number. Different from other deep CNNs, YOLO-toc is an end-to-end multi-target detection framework, furthermore, it exhibits a state-of-art performance on real-time detection with a nearly 50fps achieved on GPU (GTX960). Finally, we realize a real-time but high-accuracy pillar plate number recognition system and integrate natural scene OCR into a dedicated classification YOLO-toc model.

A Wave Power Device with Pendulum Based on Ocean Monitoring Buoy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chai, Hui; Guan, Wanchun; Wan, Xiaozheng; Li, Xuanqun; Zhao, Qiang; Liu, Shixuan

2018-01-01

The ocean monitoring buoy usually exploits solar energy for power supply. In order to improve power supply capacity, this paper proposes a wave power device according to the structure and moving character of buoy. The wave power device composes of pendulum mechanism that converts wave energy into mechanical energy and energy storage mechanism where the mechanical energy is transferred quantitatively to generator. The hydrodynamic equation for the motion of buoy system with generator devise is established based on the potential flow theory, and then the characteristics of pendulum motion and energy conversion properties are analysed. The results of this research show that the proposed wave power devise is able to efficiently and periodically convert wave energy into power, and increasing the stiffness of energy storage spring is benefit for enhancing the power supply capacity of the buoy. This study provides a theory reference for the development of technology on wave power generator for ocean monitoring buoy.

Spatially monitoring oxygen level in 3D microfabricated cell culture systems using optical oxygen sensing beads

PubMed Central

Wang, Lin; Acosta, Miguel A.; Leach, Jennie B.; Carrier, Rebecca L.

2013-01-01

Capability of measuring and monitoring local oxygen concentration at the single cell level (tens of microns scale) is often desirable but difficult to achieve in cell culture. In this study, biocompatible oxygen sensing beads were prepared and tested for their potential for real-time monitoring and mapping of local oxygen concentration in 3D micro-patterned cell culture systems. Each oxygen sensing bead is composed of a silica core loaded with both an oxygen sensitive Ru(Ph2phen3)Cl2 dye and oxygen insensitive Nile blue reference dye, and a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) shell rendering biocompatibility. Human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells were cultivated on a series of PDMS and type I collagen based substrates patterned with micro-well arrays for 3 or 7 days, and then brought into contact with oxygen sensing beads. Using an image analysis algorithm to convert florescence intensity of beads to partial oxygen pressure in the culture system, tens of microns-size oxygen sensing beads enabled the spatial measurement of local oxygen concentration in the microfabricated system. Results generally indicated lower oxygen level inside wells than on top of wells, and local oxygen level dependence on structural features of cell culture surfaces. Interestingly, chemical composition of cell culture substrates also appeared to affect oxygen level, with type-I collagen based cell culture systems having lower oxygen concentration compared to PDMS based cell culture systems. In general, results suggest that oxygen sensing beads can be utilized to achieve real-time and local monitoring of micro-environment oxygen level in 3D microfabricated cell culture systems. PMID:23443975

Spatially monitoring oxygen level in 3D microfabricated cell culture systems using optical oxygen sensing beads.

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Acosta, Miguel A; Leach, Jennie B; Carrier, Rebecca L

2013-04-21

Capability of measuring and monitoring local oxygen concentration at the single cell level (tens of microns scale) is often desirable but difficult to achieve in cell culture. In this study, biocompatible oxygen sensing beads were prepared and tested for their potential for real-time monitoring and mapping of local oxygen concentration in 3D micro-patterned cell culture systems. Each oxygen sensing bead is composed of a silica core loaded with both an oxygen sensitive Ru(Ph2phen3)Cl2 dye and oxygen insensitive Nile blue reference dye, and a poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) shell rendering biocompatibility. Human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells were cultivated on a series of PDMS and type I collagen based substrates patterned with micro-well arrays for 3 or 7 days, and then brought into contact with oxygen sensing beads. Using an image analysis algorithm to convert florescence intensity of beads to partial oxygen pressure in the culture system, tens of microns-size oxygen sensing beads enabled the spatial measurement of local oxygen concentration in the microfabricated system. Results generally indicated lower oxygen level inside wells than on top of wells, and local oxygen level dependence on structural features of cell culture surfaces. Interestingly, chemical composition of cell culture substrates also appeared to affect oxygen level, with type-I collagen based cell culture systems having lower oxygen concentration compared to PDMS based cell culture systems. In general, results suggest that oxygen sensing beads can be utilized to achieve real-time and local monitoring of micro-environment oxygen level in 3D microfabricated cell culture systems.

Next-generation air measurement technologies | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This is a presentation at a workshop in Chicago on emerging air monitoring technologies, hosted by a local nonprofit. The audience is composed of a mixture of technical backgrounds. This presentation will be part of an opening panel and the goal is to give an overview of the state of science on emerging air sensor technology. This is a presentation at a workshop in Chicago on emerging air monitoring technologies, hosted by a local nonprofit. The audience is composed of a mixture of technical backgrounds. This presentation will be part of an opening panel and the goal is to give an overview of the state of science on emerging air sensor technology.

Identification of Characterization Factor for Power System Oscillation Based on Multiple Synchronized Phasor Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashiguchi, Takuhei; Watanabe, Masayuki; Matsushita, Akihiro; Mitani, Yasunori; Saeki, Osamu; Tsuji, Kiichiro; Hojo, Masahide; Ukai, Hiroyuki

Electric power systems in Japan are composed of remote and distributed location of generators and loads mainly concentrated in large demand areas. The structures having long distance transmission tend to produce heavy power flow with increasing electric power demand. In addition, some independent power producers (IPP) and power producer and suppliers (PPS) are participating in the power generation business, which makes power system dynamics more complex. However, there was little observation as a whole power system. In this paper the authors present a global monitoring system of power system dynamics by using the synchronized phasor measurement of demand side outlets. Phasor Measurement Units (PMU) are synchronized based on the global positioning system (GPS). The purpose of this paper is to show oscillation characteristics and methods for processing original data obtained from PMU after certain power system disturbances triggered by some accidents. This analysis resulted in the observation of the lowest and the second lowest frequency mode. The derivation of eigenvalue with two degree of freedom model brings a monitoring of two oscillation modes. Signal processing based on Wavelet analysis and simulation studies to illustrate the obtained phenomena are demonstrated in detail.

A pervasive health monitoring service system based on ubiquitous network technology.

PubMed

Lin, Chung-Chih; Lee, Ren-Guey; Hsiao, Chun-Chieh

2008-07-01

The phenomenon of aging society has derived problems such as shortage of medical resources and reduction of quality in healthcare services. This paper presents a system infrastructure for pervasive and long-term healthcare applications, i.e. a ubiquitous network composed of wireless local area network (WLAN) and cable television (CATV) network serving as a platform for monitoring physiological signals. Users can record vital signs including heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature anytime either at home or at frequently visited public places in order to create a personal health file. The whole system was formally implemented in December 2004. Analysis of 2000 questionnaires indicates that 85% of users were satisfied with the provided community-wide healthcare services. Among the services provided by our system, health consultation services offered by family doctors was rated the most important service by 17.9% of respondents, and was followed by control of one's own health condition (16.4% of respondents). Convenience of data access was rated most important by roughly 14.3% of respondents. We proposed and implemented a long-term healthcare system integrating WLAN and CATV networks in the form of a ubiquitous network providing a service platform for physiological monitoring. This system can classify the health levels of the resident according to the variation tendency of his or her physiological signal for important reference of health management.

A Low-Cost System Based on Image Analysis for Monitoring the Crystal Growth Process.

PubMed

Venâncio, Fabrício; Rosário, Francisca F do; Cajaiba, João

2017-05-31

Many techniques are used to monitor one or more of the phenomena involved in the crystallization process. One of the challenges in crystal growth monitoring is finding techniques that allow direct interpretation of the data. The present study used a low-cost system, composed of a commercial webcam and a simple white LED (Light Emitting Diode) illuminator, to follow the calcium carbonate crystal growth process. The experiments were followed with focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM), a common technique for obtaining information about the formation and growth of crystals. The images obtained in real time were treated with the red, blue, and green (RGB) system. The results showed a qualitative response of the system to crystal formation and growth processes, as there was an observed decrease in the signal as the growth process occurred. Control of the crystal growth was managed by increasing the viscosity of the test solution with the addition of monoethylene glycol (MEG) at 30% and 70% in a mass to mass relationship, providing different profiles of the RGB average curves. The decrease in the average RGB value became slower as the concentration of MEG was increased; this reflected a lag in the growth process that was proven by the FBRM.

The Arena System: a novel shared touch-panel apparatus for the study of chimpanzee social interaction and cognition.

PubMed

Martin, Christopher Flynn; Biro, Dora; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro

2014-09-01

We report on the development of a novel shared touch-panel apparatus for examining a diverse range of topics in great ape social cognition and interaction. Our apparatus-named the Arena System-is composed of a single multitouch monitor that spans across two separate testing booths, so that individuals situated in each booth have tactile access to half of the monitor and visual access to the whole monitor. Additional components of the system include a smart-film barrier able to restrict visual access between the booths, as well as two automated feeding devices that dispense food rewards to the subjects. The touch-panel, smart-film, and feeders are controlled by a PC that is also responsible for running the experimental tasks. We present data from a pilot behavioral game theory study with two chimpanzees in order to illustrate the efficacy of our method, and we suggest applications for a range of topics including animal social learning, coordination, and behavioral economics. The system enables fully automated experimental procedures, which means that no human participation is needed to run the tasks. The novel use of a touch-panel in a social setting allows for a finer degree of data resolution than do the traditional experimental apparatuses used in prior studies on great ape social interaction.

Monitoring techniques and alarm procedures for CMS services and sites in WLCG

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

Molina-Perez, J.; Bonacorsi, D.; Gutsche, O.

2012-01-01

The CMS offline computing system is composed of roughly 80 sites (including most experienced T3s) and a number of central services to distribute, process and analyze data worldwide. A high level of stability and reliability is required from the underlying infrastructure and services, partially covered by local or automated monitoring and alarming systems such as Lemon and SLS, the former collects metrics from sensors installed on computing nodes and triggers alarms when values are out of range, the latter measures the quality of service and warns managers when service is affected. CMS has established computing shift procedures with personnel operatingmore » worldwide from remote Computing Centers, under the supervision of the Computing Run Coordinator at CERN. This dedicated 24/7 computing shift personnel is contributing to detect and react timely on any unexpected error and hence ensure that CMS workflows are carried out efficiently and in a sustained manner. Synergy among all the involved actors is exploited to ensure the 24/7 monitoring, alarming and troubleshooting of the CMS computing sites and services. We review the deployment of the monitoring and alarming procedures, and report on the experience gained throughout the first two years of LHC operation. We describe the efficiency of the communication tools employed, the coherent monitoring framework, the proactive alarming systems and the proficient troubleshooting procedures that helped the CMS Computing facilities and infrastructure to operate at high reliability levels.« less

The control, monitor, and alarm system for the ICT equipment of the ASTRI SST-2M telescope prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gianotti, Fulvio; Fioretti, Valentina; Tanci, Claudio; Conforti, Vito; Tacchini, Alessandro; Leto, Giuseppe; Gallozzi, Stefano; Bulgarelli, Andrea; Trifoglio, Massimo; Malaguti, Giuseppe; Zoli, Andrea

2014-07-01

ASTRI is an Italian flagship project whose first goal is the realization of an end-to-end telescope prototype, named ASTRI SST-2M, for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The prototype will be installed in Italy during Fall 2014. A second goal will be the realization of the ASTRI/CTA mini-array which will be composed of seven SST-2M telescopes placed at the CTA Southern Site. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment necessary to drive the infrastructure for the ASTRI SST-2M prototype is being designed as a complete and stand-alone computer center. The design goal is to obtain basic ICT equipment that might be scaled, with a low level of redundancy, for the ASTRI/CTA mini-array, taking into account the necessary control, monitor and alarm system requirements. The ICT equipment envisaged at the Serra La Nave observing station in Italy, where the ASTRI SST-2M telescope prototype will operate, includes computers, servers and workstations, network devices, an uninterruptable power supply system, and air conditioning systems. Suitable hardware and software tools will allow the parameters related to the behavior and health of each item of equipment to be controlled and monitored. This paper presents the proposed architecture and technical solutions that integrate the ICT equipment in the framework of the Observatory Control System package of the ASTRI/CTA Mini- Array Software System, MASS, to allow their local and remote control and monitoring. An end-toend test case using an Internet Protocol thermometer is reported in detail.

Engineering design and prototype development of a full scale ultrasound system for virgin olive oil by means of numerical and experimental analysis.

PubMed

Clodoveo, Maria Lisa; Moramarco, Vito; Paduano, Antonello; Sacchi, Raffaele; Di Palmo, Tiziana; Crupi, Pasquale; Corbo, Filomena; Pesce, Vito; Distaso, Elia; Tamburrano, Paolo; Amirante, Riccardo

2017-07-01

The aim of the virgin olive oil extraction process is mainly to obtain the best quality oil from fruits, by only applying mechanical actions while guaranteeing the highest overall efficiency. Currently, the mechanical methods used to extract virgin oils from olives are basically of two types: the discontinuous system (obsolete) and the continuous one. Anyway the system defined as "continuous" is composed of several steps which are not all completely continuous, due to the presence of the malaxer, a device that works in batch. The aim of the paper was to design, realize and test the first full scale sono-exchanger for the virgin olive oil industry, to be placed immediately after the crusher and before the malaxer. The innovative device is mainly composed of a triple concentric pipe heat exchanger combined with three ultrasound probes. This mechanical solution allows both the cell walls (which release the oil droplets) along with the minor compounds to be destroyed more effectively and the heat exchange between the olive paste and the process water to be accelerated. This strategy represents the first step towards the transformation of the malaxing step from a batch operation into a real continuous process, thus improving the working capacity of the industrial plants. Considering the heterogeneity of the olive paste, which is composed of different tissues, the design of the sono-exchanger required a thorough fluid dynamic analysis. The thermal effects of the sono-exchanger were monitored by measuring the temperature of the product at the inlet and the outlet of the device; in addition, the measurement of the pigments concentration in the product allowed monitoring the mechanical effects of the sono-exchanger. The effects of the innovative process were also evaluated in terms of extra virgin olive oil yields and quality, evaluating the main legal parameters, the polyphenol and tocopherol content. Moreover, the activity of the polyphenol oxidase enzyme in the olive paste was measured. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A nanophosphor-based method for selective DNA recovery in Synthosomes.

PubMed

Nallani, Madhavan; Onaca, Ozana; Gera, Nimish; Hildenbrand, Karlheinz; Hoheisel, Werner; Schwaneberg, Ulrich

2006-01-01

A nanocompartment system composed of an ABA triblock copolymer, where A is poly(dimethylsiloxane) and B is poly(2-methyloxazoline), has been developed for selective recovery and detection of DNA. Translocation of TAMRA-labeled complementary primers into the nanocompartment system has been achieved through two deletion mutants (FhuA Delta1-129; FhuA Delta1-160) of the channel protein FhuA. Translocation was monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer through hybridization of the TAMRA-labeled primer to the complementary sequence of a nanophosphor-DNA-conjugate, which reduces its half-life (FhuA Delta1-129, 16.0% reduced; FhuA Delta1-160, 39.0% reduced).

Statistical analysis of modal properties of a cable-stayed bridge through long-term structural health monitoring with wireless smart sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asadollahi, Parisa; Li, Jian

2016-04-01

Understanding the dynamic behavior of complex structures such as long-span bridges requires dense deployment of sensors. Traditional wired sensor systems are generally expensive and time-consuming to install due to cabling. With wireless communication and on-board computation capabilities, wireless smart sensor networks have the advantages of being low cost, easy to deploy and maintain and therefore facilitate dense instrumentation for structural health monitoring. A long-term monitoring project was recently carried out for a cable-stayed bridge in South Korea with a dense array of 113 smart sensors, which feature the world's largest wireless smart sensor network for civil structural monitoring. This paper presents a comprehensive statistical analysis of the modal properties including natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes of the monitored cable-stayed bridge. Data analyzed in this paper is composed of structural vibration signals monitored during a 12-month period under ambient excitations. The correlation between environmental temperature and the modal frequencies is also investigated. The results showed the long-term statistical structural behavior of the bridge, which serves as the basis for Bayesian statistical updating for the numerical model.

Hybrid System for Ex Vivo Hemorheological and Hemodynamic Analysis: A Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

Yeom, Eunseop; Jun Kang, Yang; Joon Lee, Sang

2015-01-01

Precise measurement of biophysical properties is important to understand the relation between these properties and the outbreak of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, a systematic measurement for these biophysical parameters under in vivo conditions is nearly impossible because of complex vessel shape and limited practicality. In vitro measurements can provide more biophysical information, but in vitro exposure changes hemorheological properties. In this study, a hybrid system composed of an ultrasound system and microfluidic device is proposed for monitoring hemorheological and hemodynamic properties under more reasonable experimental conditions. Biophysical properties including RBC aggregation, viscosity, velocity, and pressure of blood flows are simultaneously measured under various conditions to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of this measurement system. The proposed technique is applied to a rat extracorporeal loop which connects the aorta and jugular vein directly. As a result, the proposed system is found to measure biophysical parameters reasonably without blood collection from the rat and provided more detailed information. This hybrid system, combining ultrasound imaging and microfluidic techniques to ex vivo animal models, would be useful for monitoring the variations of biophysical properties induced by chemical agents. It can be used to understand the relation between biophysical parameters and CVDs. PMID:26090816

Design and Application of a Field Sensing System for Ground Anchors in Slopes

PubMed Central

Choi, Se Woon; Lee, Jihoon; Kim, Jong Moon; Park, Hyo Seon

2013-01-01

In a ground anchor system, cables or tendons connected to a bearing plate are used for stabilization of slopes. Then, the stability of a slope is dependent on maintaining the tension levels in the cables. So far, no research on a strain-based field sensing system for ground anchors has been reported. Therefore, in this study, a practical monitoring system for long-term sensing of tension levels in tendons for anchor-reinforced slopes is proposed. The system for anchor-reinforced slopes is composed of: (1) load cells based on vibrating wire strain gauges (VWSGs), (2) wireless sensor nodes which receive and process the signals from load cells and then transmit the result to a master node through local area communication, (3) master nodes which transmit the data sent from sensor nodes to the server through mobile communication, and (4) a server located at the base station. The system was applied to field sensing of ground anchors in the 62 m-long and 26 m-high slope at the side of the highway. Based on the long-term monitoring, the safety of the anchor-reinforced slope can be secured by the timely applications of re-tensioning processes in tendons. PMID:23507820

Towards a Multifunctional Electrochemical Sensing and Niosome Generation Lab-on-Chip Platform Based on a Plug-and-Play Concept.

PubMed

Kara, Adnane; Rouillard, Camille; Mathault, Jessy; Boisvert, Martin; Tessier, Frédéric; Landari, Hamza; Melki, Imene; Laprise-Pelletier, Myriam; Boisselier, Elodie; Fortin, Marc-André; Boilard, Eric; Greener, Jesse; Miled, Amine

2016-05-28

In this paper, we present a new modular lab on a chip design for multimodal neurotransmitter (NT) sensing and niosome generation based on a plug-and-play concept. This architecture is a first step toward an automated platform for an automated modulation of neurotransmitter concentration to understand and/or treat neurodegenerative diseases. A modular approach has been adopted in order to handle measurement or drug delivery or both measurement and drug delivery simultaneously. The system is composed of three fully independent modules: three-channel peristaltic micropumping system, a three-channel potentiostat and a multi-unit microfluidic system composed of pseudo-Y and cross-shape channels containing a miniature electrode array. The system was wirelessly controlled by a computer interface. The system is compact, with all the microfluidic and sensing components packaged in a 5 cm × 4 cm × 4 cm box. Applied to serotonin, a linear calibration curve down to 0.125 mM, with a limit of detection of 31 μ M was collected at unfunctionalized electrodes. Added sensitivity and selectivity was achieved by incorporating functionalized electrodes for dopamine sensing. Electrode functionalization was achieved with gold nanoparticles and using DNA and o-phenylene diamine polymer. The as-configured platform is demonstrated as a central component toward an "intelligent" drug delivery system based on a feedback loop to monitor drug delivery.

Towards a Multifunctional Electrochemical Sensing and Niosome Generation Lab-on-Chip Platform Based on a Plug-and-Play Concept

PubMed Central

Kara, Adnane; Rouillard, Camille; Mathault, Jessy; Boisvert, Martin; Tessier, Frédéric; Landari, Hamza; Melki, Imene; Laprise-Pelletier, Myriam; Boisselier, Elodie; Fortin, Marc-André; Boilard, Eric; Greener, Jesse; Miled, Amine

2016-01-01

In this paper, we present a new modular lab on a chip design for multimodal neurotransmitter (NT) sensing and niosome generation based on a plug-and-play concept. This architecture is a first step toward an automated platform for an automated modulation of neurotransmitter concentration to understand and/or treat neurodegenerative diseases. A modular approach has been adopted in order to handle measurement or drug delivery or both measurement and drug delivery simultaneously. The system is composed of three fully independent modules: three-channel peristaltic micropumping system, a three-channel potentiostat and a multi-unit microfluidic system composed of pseudo-Y and cross-shape channels containing a miniature electrode array. The system was wirelessly controlled by a computer interface. The system is compact, with all the microfluidic and sensing components packaged in a 5 cm × 4 cm × 4 cm box. Applied to serotonin, a linear calibration curve down to 0.125 mM, with a limit of detection of 31 μM was collected at unfunctionalized electrodes. Added sensitivity and selectivity was achieved by incorporating functionalized electrodes for dopamine sensing. Electrode functionalization was achieved with gold nanoparticles and using DNA and o-phenylene diamine polymer. The as-configured platform is demonstrated as a central component toward an “intelligent” drug delivery system based on a feedback loop to monitor drug delivery. PMID:27240377

Aquarius and the Aquarius/SAC-D Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeVine, D. M.; Lagerloef, G. S. E.; Torrusio, S.

2010-01-01

Aquarius is a combination L-band radiometer and scatterometer designed to map the salinity field at the ocean surface from space. It will be flown on the Aquarius/SAC-D mission, a partnership between the USA space agency (NASA) and Argentine space agency (CONAE). The mission is composed of two parts: (a) The Aquarius instrument being developed as part of NASA.s Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program; and (b) SAC-D the fourth spacecraft service platform in the CONAE Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientificas (SAC) program. The primary focus of the mission is to monitor the seasonal and interannual variations of the salinity field in the open ocean. The mission also meets the needs of the Argentine space program for monitoring the environment and for hazard detection and includes several instruments related to these goals.

The on-line characterization of a radium slurry by gamma-ray spectrometry.

PubMed

Philips, S; Croft, S

2005-01-01

We have developed an in-line monitor to directly measure the (226)Ra concentration in a nuclear waste stream using quantitative gamma-ray spectrometry applied to the 186keV emission. The waste stream is in the form of a slurry composed of the solid waste material mixed with water. The concentration measurement includes a self-attenuation correction factor determined from a transmission measurement using the 122keV gamma from (57)Co. Presented here is the model for the measurement system and results from some initial tests.

Improvements to the Hunter Dose tracking system

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

Whiteside, T. S.; Aucott, T. J.; Brand, A. D.

Since 1965, the Savannah River Site (SRS) has conducted deer hunts which are open to the general public. SRS performs field monitoring for cesium-137 (Cs-137) of each harvested animal to determine whether the animal may be released to the hunter. A new field system for measuring Cs-137 in the harvested animals has been developed. The system incorporates numerous enhancements compared to the original system. The original system was composed of two Ludlum Measurements scalar-driven 2 inch x 2 inch sodium iodide counters, while the new system is based on a single Ametek Ortec Digibase-driven 2 inch x 4 inch xmore » 16 inch sodium iodide gamma spectrometer. The new system includes a series of easy-to-assemble stainless steel encapsulated lead shields. The combination of the larger detector size and lead shielding improved the detection limit of the new system by a factor of approximately three compared to the original system. This lower detection limit allows for a larger number of measurements to be directly compared to the laboratory results, in cases where animal portions have been sampled. The results from developing and using this system are presented as well as recommendations on improvements to the overall field monitoring of the SRS hunts.« less

The readout and control system of the mid-size telescope prototype of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oya, I.; Anguner, O.; Behera, B.; Birsin, E.; Fuessling, M.; Melkumyan, D.; Schmidt, T.; Schwanke, U.; Sternberger, R.; Wegner, P.; Wiesand, S.; Cta Consortium,the

2014-06-01

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is one of the major ground-based astronomy projects being pursued and will be the largest facility for ground-based y-ray observations ever built. CTA will consist of two arrays: one in the Northern hemisphere composed of about 20 telescopes, and the other one in the Southern hemisphere composed of about 100 telescopes, both arrays containing telescopes of different type and size. A prototype for the Mid-Size Telescope (MST) with a diameter of 12 m has been installed in Berlin and is currently being commissioned. This prototype is composed of a mechanical structure, a drive system and mirror facets mounted with powered actuators to enable active control. Five Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) cameras, and a wide set of sensors allow the evaluation of the performance of the instrument. The design of the control software is following concepts and tools under evaluation within the CTA consortium in order to provide a realistic test-bed for the middleware: 1) The readout and control system for the MST prototype is implemented with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Common Software (ACS) distributed control middleware; 2) the OPen Connectivity-Unified Architecture (OPC UA) is used for hardware access; 3) the document oriented MongoDB database is used for an efficient storage of CCD images, logging and alarm information: and 4) MySQL and MongoDB databases are used for archiving the slow control monitoring data and for storing the operation configuration parameters. In this contribution, the details of the implementation of the control system for the MST prototype telescope are described.

Prototyping the E-ELT M1 local control system communication infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argomedo, J.; Kornweibel, N.; Grudzien, T.; Dimmler, M.; Andolfato, L.; Barriga, P.

2016-08-01

The primary mirror of the E-ELT is composed of 798 hexagonal segments of about 1.45 meters across. Each segment can be moved in piston and tip-tilt using three position actuators. Inductive edge sensors are used to provide feedback for global reconstruction of the mirror shape. The E-ELT M1 Local Control System will provide a deterministic infrastructure for collecting edge sensor and actuators readings and distribute the new position actuators references while at the same time providing failure detection, isolation and notification, synchronization, monitoring and configuration management. The present paper describes the prototyping activities carried out to verify the feasibility of the E-ELT M1 local control system communication architecture design and assess its performance and potential limitations.

Cluster Computing For Real Time Seismic Array Analysis.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martini, M.; Giudicepietro, F.

A seismic array is an instrument composed by a dense distribution of seismic sen- sors that allow to measure the directional properties of the wavefield (slowness or wavenumber vector) radiated by a seismic source. Over the last years arrays have been widely used in different fields of seismological researches. In particular they are applied in the investigation of seismic sources on volcanoes where they can be suc- cessfully used for studying the volcanic microtremor and long period events which are critical for getting information on the volcanic systems evolution. For this reason arrays could be usefully employed for the volcanoes monitoring, however the huge amount of data produced by this type of instruments and the processing techniques which are quite time consuming limited their potentiality for this application. In order to favor a direct application of arrays techniques to continuous volcano monitoring we designed and built a small PC cluster able to near real time computing the kinematics properties of the wavefield (slowness or wavenumber vector) produced by local seis- mic source. The cluster is composed of 8 Intel Pentium-III bi-processors PC working at 550 MHz, and has 4 Gigabytes of RAM memory. It runs under Linux operating system. The developed analysis software package is based on the Multiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm and is written in Fortran. The message-passing part is based upon the LAM programming environment package, an open-source imple- mentation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI). The developed software system includes modules devote to receiving date by internet and graphical applications for the continuous displaying of the processing results. The system has been tested with a data set collected during a seismic experiment conducted on Etna in 1999 when two dense seismic arrays have been deployed on the northeast and the southeast flanks of this volcano. A real time continuous acquisition system has been simulated by a pro- gram which reads data from disk files and send them to a remote host by using the Internet protocols.

Transparent Stretchable Self-Powered Patchable Sensor Platform with Ultrasensitive Recognition of Human Activities.

PubMed

Hwang, Byeong-Ung; Lee, Ju-Hyuck; Trung, Tran Quang; Roh, Eun; Kim, Do-Il; Kim, Sang-Woo; Lee, Nae-Eung

2015-09-22

Monitoring of human activities can provide clinically relevant information pertaining to disease diagnostics, preventive medicine, care for patients with chronic diseases, rehabilitation, and prosthetics. The recognition of strains on human skin, induced by subtle movements of muscles in the internal organs, such as the esophagus and trachea, and the motion of joints, was demonstrated using a self-powered patchable strain sensor platform, composed on multifunctional nanocomposites of low-density silver nanowires with a conductive elastomer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate/polyurethane, with high sensitivity, stretchability, and optical transparency. The ultra-low-power consumption of the sensor, integrated with both a supercapacitor and a triboelectric nanogenerator into a single transparent stretchable platform based on the same nanocomposites, results in a self-powered monitoring system for skin strain. The capability of the sensor to recognize a wide range of strain on skin has the potential for use in new areas of invisible stretchable electronics for human monitoring. A new type of transparent, stretchable, and ultrasensitive strain sensor based on a AgNW/PEDOT:PSS/PU nanocomposite was developed. The concept of a self-powered patchable sensor system integrated with a supercapacitor and a triboelectric nanogenerator that can be used universally as an autonomous invisible sensor system was used to detect the wide range of strain on human skin.

Monitoring Effects of Climatic stresses on a Papyrus Wetland System in Eastern Uganda Using Times Series of Remotely Sensed Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayendeke, Ellen; French, Helen K.; Kansiime, Frank; Bamutaze, Yazidhi

2017-04-01

Papyrus wetlands predominant in southern, central and eastern Africa; are important in supporting community livelihoods since they provide land for agriculture, materials for building and craft making, as well as services of water purification and water storage. Papyrus wetlands are dominated by a sedge Cyperus papyrus, which is rooted at wetland edges but floats in open water with the help of a root mat composed of intermingled roots and rhizomes. The hypothesis is that the papyrus mat structure reduces flow velocity and increases storage volume during storm events, which not only helps to mitigate flood events but aids in storage of excess water that can be utilised during the dry seasons. However, due to sparse gauging there is inadequate meteorological and hydrological data for continuous monitoring of the hydrological functioning of papyrus systems. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of utilising freely available remote sensing data (MODIS, Landsat, and Sentinel-1) for cost effective monitoring of papyrus wetland systems, and their response to climatic stresses. This was done through segmentation of MODIS NDVI and Landsat derived NDWI datasets; as well as classification of Sentinel-1 images taken in wet and dry seasons of 2015 and 2016. The classified maps were used as proxies for changes in hydrological conditions with time. The preliminary results show that it is possible to monitor changes in biomass, wetland inundation extent, flooded areas, as well as changes in moisture content in surrounding agricultural areas in the different seasons. Therefore, we propose that remote sensing data, when complemented with available meteorological data, is a useful resource for monitoring changes in the papyrus wetland systems as a result of climatic and human induced stresses.

An Intelligent Optical Dissolved Oxygen Measurement Method Based on a Fluorescent Quenching Mechanism.

PubMed

Li, Fengmei; Wei, Yaoguang; Chen, Yingyi; Li, Daoliang; Zhang, Xu

2015-12-09

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key factor that influences the healthy growth of fishes in aquaculture. The DO content changes with the aquatic environment and should therefore be monitored online. However, traditional measurement methods, such as iodometry and other chemical analysis methods, are not suitable for online monitoring. The Clark method is not stable enough for extended periods of monitoring. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an intelligent DO measurement method based on the fluorescence quenching mechanism. The measurement system is composed of fluorescent quenching detection, signal conditioning, intelligent processing, and power supply modules. The optical probe adopts the fluorescent quenching mechanism to detect the DO content and solves the problem, whereas traditional chemical methods are easily influenced by the environment. The optical probe contains a thermistor and dual excitation sources to isolate visible parasitic light and execute a compensation strategy. The intelligent processing module adopts the IEEE 1451.2 standard and realizes intelligent compensation. Experimental results show that the optical measurement method is stable, accurate, and suitable for online DO monitoring in aquaculture applications.

Intelligent composting assisted by a wireless sensing network.

PubMed

López, Marga; Martinez-Farre, Xavier; Casas, Oscar; Quilez, Marcos; Polo, Jose; Lopez, Oscar; Hornero, Gemma; Pinilla, Mirta R; Rovira, Carlos; Ramos, Pedro M; Borges, Beatriz; Marques, Hugo; Girão, Pedro Silva

2014-04-01

Monitoring of the moisture and temperature of composting process is a key factor to obtain a quality product beyond the quality of raw materials. Current methodologies for monitoring these two parameters are time consuming for workers, sometimes not sufficiently reliable to help decision-making and thus are ignored in some cases. This article describes an advance on monitoring of composting process through a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) that allows measurement of temperature and moisture in real time in multiple points of the composting material, the Compo-ball system. To implement such measurement capabilities on-line, a WSN composed of multiple sensor nodes was designed and implemented to provide the staff with an efficient monitoring composting management tool. After framing the problem, the objectives and characteristics of the WSN are briefly discussed and a short description of the hardware and software of the network's components are presented. Presentation and discussion of practical issues and results obtained with the WSN during a demonstration stage that took place in several composting sites concludes the paper. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Intelligent Optical Dissolved Oxygen Measurement Method Based on a Fluorescent Quenching Mechanism

PubMed Central

Li, Fengmei; Wei, Yaoguang; Chen, Yingyi; Li, Daoliang; Zhang, Xu

2015-01-01

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key factor that influences the healthy growth of fishes in aquaculture. The DO content changes with the aquatic environment and should therefore be monitored online. However, traditional measurement methods, such as iodometry and other chemical analysis methods, are not suitable for online monitoring. The Clark method is not stable enough for extended periods of monitoring. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an intelligent DO measurement method based on the fluorescence quenching mechanism. The measurement system is composed of fluorescent quenching detection, signal conditioning, intelligent processing, and power supply modules. The optical probe adopts the fluorescent quenching mechanism to detect the DO content and solves the problem, whereas traditional chemical methods are easily influenced by the environment. The optical probe contains a thermistor and dual excitation sources to isolate visible parasitic light and execute a compensation strategy. The intelligent processing module adopts the IEEE 1451.2 standard and realizes intelligent compensation. Experimental results show that the optical measurement method is stable, accurate, and suitable for online DO monitoring in aquaculture applications. PMID:26690176

Historical Building Stability Monitoring by Means of a Cosmic Ray Tracking System

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

Zenoni, Aldo; INFN Sezione di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia

Cosmic ray radiation is mostly composed, at sea level, by high energy muons, which are highly penetrating particles capable of crossing kilometers of rock. The ubiquitous and steady presence at the Earth's surface and the high penetration capability have motivated the use of cosmic ray radiation also in fields beyond particle physics, from geology, archaeology, speleology to industrial applications and homeland security. In particular, in recent years, the novel technique of muon tomography has been proposed, with the aim of performing non invasive inspection of large non accessible volumes, material atomic number Z and density discrimination, and three dimension imagemore » reconstruction of the inspected volume. In the present paper, after a short recall of the physical principles and mathematical formalism on which muon tomography is based, a number of examples of application of the novel technique in industry and homeland security issues is given. Moreover, a new application of cosmic rays detection techniques in the field of civil engineering is proposed. The aim is the monitoring of the stability of large structures, in particular the static monitoring of historical buildings, where conservation constraints are more severe and the time evolution of the deformation phenomena under study may be of the order of months or years. The new technique may be seen, in some way, as the reverse problem of muon tomography. As a significant case study, the monitoring of the wooden vaulted roof of the Palazzo della Loggia in the town of Brescia, in Italy, has been considered. The feasibility as well as the performances and limitations of a monitoring system based on cosmic ray tracking have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation and discussed in comparison with more traditional monitoring systems. (authors)« less

Control - Demands mushroom as station grows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szirmay, S. Z.; Blair, J.

1983-01-01

The NASA space station, which is presently in the planning stage, is to be composed of both rigid and nonrigid modules, rotating elements, and flexible appendages subjected to environmental disturbances from the earth's atmospheric gravity gradient, and magnetic field, as well as solar radiation and self-generated disturbances. Control functions, which will originally include attitude control, docking and berthing control, and system monitoring and management, will with evolving mission objectives come to encompass such control functions as articulation control, autonomous navigation, space traffic control, and large space structure control. Attention is given to the advancements in modular, distributed, and adaptive control methods, as well as system identification and hardware fault tolerance techniques, which will be required.

Dual wavelength laser diode excitation source for 2D photoacoustic imaging.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Thomas J.; Beard, Paul C.

2007-02-01

Photoacoustic methods can be used to make spatially resolved spectroscopic measurements of blood oxygenation when using a multiwavelength excitation source, such as an OPO system. Since these excitation sources are usually expensive and bulky, an alternative is to use laser diodes. A fibre coupled laser diode excitation system has been developed, providing two wavelengths, 850 and 905nm, each composed of 6 high peak power pulsed laser diodes. The system provided variable pulse durations (65-500ns) and repetition rates of up to 5KHz. The pulse energies delivered by the excitation system at 905nm and 850nm were measured to be 120μJ and 80μJ respectively for a 200ns pulse duration. To demonstrate the utility of the system, the excitation source was combined with an ultrasound detector to form a probe for in vivo single point measurements of superficial blood vessels. Changes in blood oxygenation and volume in the finger tip were monitored while making venous and arterial occlusions. To demonstrate the imaging capability of the excitation system, 2D photoacoustic images of a physiologically realistic phantom were obtained for a range of pulse durations using a cylindrical scanning system. The phantom was composed of cylindrical absorbing elements (μa=1mm^{-1}) of 2.7mm diameter, immersed in a 1% intralipid solution (μs=1mm^{-1}). This study demonstrated the potential use of laser diodes as an excitation source for photoacoustic imaging of superficial vascular structures.

Journey to the center of the galaxy

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

Chaisson, E.

1980-08-01

The solar system is a member of the Orion Arm of the Milky Way, far from the center of the Galaxy. This article takes the reader on a hypothetical journey from the solar system to the center of the Galaxy. Results from radio and infrared studies are used to suggest what such a journey might reveal. Traveling from the solar system toward the center, one crosses the Cygnus Arm, then the Sagittarius Arm, and then the so-called Three-kiloparsec Arm. The Arms contain a mixture of young stars as well as lots of gas and dust. Radio studies show that themore » Three-kiloparsec Arm is more like a ring than an arm. Inside this ring, is another ring composed of giant molecular clouds. Radio and infrared astronomers have discovered that the heart of the Galaxy is composed of matter in most perplexing states. There are three regions known within this innermost thousand light-years. First, there is a large zone of thin, hot ionized gas. Within this, there is a whirlpool of dense, warm matter. And further embedded, there seems to be a small supermassive object at the center. Possibly this object could be a blackhole. Researchers are continuing to examine, monitor, and model this mysterious region, the galactic nuclei. (SC)« less

Lunar deep drill apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, Jill (Editor)

1989-01-01

A self contained, mobile drilling and coring system was designed to operate on the Lunar surface and be controlled remotely from earth. The system uses SKITTER (Spatial Kinematic Inertial Translatory Tripod Extremity Robot) as its foundation and produces Lunar core samples two meters long and fifty millimeters in diameter. The drill bit used for this is composed of 30 per carat diamonds in a sintered tungsten carbide matrix. To drill up to 50 m depths, the bit assembly will be attached to a drill string made from 2 m rods which will be carried in racks on SKITTER. Rotary power for drilling will be supplied by a Curvo-Synchronous motor. SKITTER is to support this system through a hexagonal shaped structure which will contain the drill motor and the power supply. A micro-coring drill will be used to remove a preliminary sample 5 mm in diameter and 20 mm long from the side of the core. This whole system is to be controlled from earth. This is carried out by a continuously monitoring PLC onboard the drill rig. A touch screen control console allows the operator on earth to monitor the progress of the operation and intervene if necessary.

Searching for optical transients in real-time : the RAPTOR experiment /.

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

Vestrand, W. T.; Borozdin, K. N.; Brumby, Steven P.

2002-01-01

A rich, but relatively unexplored, region in optical astronomy is the study of transients with durations of less than a day. We describe a wide-field optical monitoring system, RAPTOR, which is designed to identify and make follow-up observations of optical transients in real-time. The system is composed of an array of telescopes that continuously monitor about 1500 square degrees of the sky for transients down to about 12' magnitude in 60 seconds and a central fovea telescope that can reach 16{approx}m' agnitude in 60 seconds. Coupled to the telescope array is a real-time data analysis pipeline that is designed tomore » identify transients on timescales of seconds. In a manner analogous to human vision, the entire array is mounted on a rapidly slewing robotic mount so that the fovea of the array can be rapidly directed at transients identified by the wide-field system. The goal of the project is to develop a ground-based optical system that can reliably identify transients in real-time and ultimately generate alerts with source locations to enable follow-up observations wilh other, larger, telescopes.« less

A Security Monitoring Framework For Virtualization Based HEP Infrastructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez Ramirez, A.; Martinez Pedreira, M.; Grigoras, C.; Betev, L.; Lara, C.; Kebschull, U.; ALICE Collaboration

2017-10-01

High Energy Physics (HEP) distributed computing infrastructures require automatic tools to monitor, analyze and react to potential security incidents. These tools should collect and inspect data such as resource consumption, logs and sequence of system calls for detecting anomalies that indicate the presence of a malicious agent. They should also be able to perform automated reactions to attacks without administrator intervention. We describe a novel framework that accomplishes these requirements, with a proof of concept implementation for the ALICE experiment at CERN. We show how we achieve a fully virtualized environment that improves the security by isolating services and Jobs without a significant performance impact. We also describe a collected dataset for Machine Learning based Intrusion Prevention and Detection Systems on Grid computing. This dataset is composed of resource consumption measurements (such as CPU, RAM and network traffic), logfiles from operating system services, and system call data collected from production Jobs running in an ALICE Grid test site and a big set of malware samples. This malware set was collected from security research sites. Based on this dataset, we will proceed to develop Machine Learning algorithms able to detect malicious Jobs.

Remote (250 km) fiber Bragg grating multiplexing system.

PubMed

Fernandez-Vallejo, Montserrat; Rota-Rodrigo, Sergio; Lopez-Amo, Manuel

2011-01-01

We propose and demonstrate two ultra-long range fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation systems. In the first approach four FBGs are located 200 km from the monitoring station and a signal to noise ratio of 20 dB is obtained. The second improved version is able to detect the four multiplexed FBGs placed 250 km away, offering a signal to noise ratio of 6-8 dB. Consequently, this last system represents the longest range FBG sensor system reported so far that includes fiber sensor multiplexing capability. Both simple systems are based on a wavelength swept laser to scan the reflection spectra of the FBGs, and they are composed by two identical-lengths optical paths: the first one intended to launch the amplified laser signal by means of Raman amplification and the other one is employed to guide the reflection signal to the reception system.

Forest Inventory and Analysis and Forest Health Monitoring: Piecing the Quilt

Treesearch

Joseph M. McCollum; Jamie K. Cochran

2005-01-01

Against the backdrop of a discussion about patchwork quilt assembly, the authors present background information on global grids. They show how to compose hexagons, an important task in systematically developing a subset of Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program plots from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots. Finally, they outline the FHM and FIA grids, along with...

Remote Sensing Applications with High Reliability in Changjiang Water Resource Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, L.; Gao, S.; Yang, A.

2018-04-01

Remote sensing technology has been widely used in many fields. But most of the applications cannot get the information with high reliability and high accuracy in large scale, especially for the applications using automatic interpretation methods. We have designed an application-oriented technology system (PIR) composed of a series of accurate interpretation techniques,which can get over 85 % correctness in Water Resource Management from the view of photogrammetry and expert knowledge. The techniques compose of the spatial positioning techniques from the view of photogrammetry, the feature interpretation techniques from the view of expert knowledge, and the rationality analysis techniques from the view of data mining. Each interpreted polygon is accurate enough to be applied to the accuracy sensitive projects, such as the Three Gorge Project and the South - to - North Water Diversion Project. In this paper, we present several remote sensing applications with high reliability in Changjiang Water Resource Management,including water pollution investigation, illegal construction inspection, and water conservation monitoring, etc.

Biocomputing nanoplatforms as therapeutics and diagnostics.

PubMed

Evans, A C; Thadani, N N; Suh, J

2016-10-28

Biocomputing nanoplatforms are designed to detect and integrate single or multiple inputs under defined algorithms, such as Boolean logic gates, and generate functionally useful outputs, such as delivery of therapeutics or release of optically detectable signals. Using sensing modules composed of small molecules, polymers, nucleic acids, or proteins/peptides, nanoplatforms have been programmed to detect and process extrinsic stimuli, such as magnetic fields or light, or intrinsic stimuli, such as nucleic acids, enzymes, or pH. Stimulus detection can be transduced by the nanomaterial via three different mechanisms: system assembly, system disassembly, or system transformation. The increasingly sophisticated suite of biocomputing nanoplatforms may be invaluable for a multitude of applications, including medical diagnostics, biomedical imaging, environmental monitoring, and delivery of therapeutics to target cell populations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SU-F-J-44: Development of a Room Laser Based Real-Time Alignment Monitoring System Using An Array of Photodiodes

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

Noh, Y; Kim, T; Kang, S

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop a real-time alignment monitoring system (RAMS) to compensate for the limitations of the conventional room laser based alignment system, and to verify the feasibility of the RAMS. Methods: The RAMS was composed of a room laser sensing array (RLSA), an analog-todigital converter, and a control PC. In the RLSA, seven photodiodes (each in 1 mm width) are arranged in a pattern that the RAMS provides alignment in 1 mm resolution. It works based on detecting laser light aligned on one of photodiodes. When misaligned, the laser would match with different photodiode(s) giving signal at unexpected location. Thus,more » how much displaced can be determined. To verify the reproducibility of the system with respect to time as well as repeated set-ups, temporal reproducibility and repeatability test was conducted. The accuracy of the system was tested by obtaining detection signals with varying laser-match positions. Results: The signal of the RAMS was found to be stable with respect to time. The repeatability test resulted in a maximum coefficient of variance of 1.14%, suggesting that the signal of the RAMS was stable over repeated set-ups. In the accuracy test, signals between when the laser was aligned and notaligned with any of sensors could be distinguished by signal intensity. The signals of not-aligned sensors were always below 75% of the signal of the aligned sensor. It was confirmed that the system could detect 1 mm of movement by monitoring the pattern of signals, and could observe the movement of the system in real-time. Conclusion: We developed a room laser based alignment monitoring system. The feasibility test verified that the system is capable of quantitative alignment monitoring in real time. The system is relatively simple, not expensive, and considered to be easily incorporated into conventional room laser systems for real-time alignment monitoring. This research was supported by the Mid-career Researcher Program through NRF funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning of Korea (NRF-2014R1A2A1A10050270) and by the Radiation Technology R&D program through the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (No. 2013M2A2A7038291)« less

A concept for fault tolerant design and improved availability of active composite elastic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soeffker, D.; Wolters, K.; Krajcin, I.

2005-05-01

New functionalities, higher comfort and increasing performance requirements are often be solved by adding new technologies to existing (passive) solutions. Monitoring and control approaches uses additional sensors and actuators, new materials, microprocessors and new devices realizing new and improved functionalities. Two effects are becoming more and more interesting: (1) the lifetime of new actuators/materials strongly depends on the usage-history, (2) the functionality of the new composed systems depends on the fully functionality of all elements. In the consequence, the availability of such new systems is decreased by the number of elements and depends strongly on the use. These effects are known and act against new developments improving performance behavior also in mechanical engineering, automotive systems etc. This will be also the case for multifunctional composite or compound systems such as piezomaterials, magnetostrictive alloys or smart memory alloys (SMA) and is actually within the focus of the Structural-Health-Monitoring (SHM)-community. This contribution explains a new and systematically structured methodological approach to avoid and eliminate failures in mechatronical systems in an integrated and intelligent way to achieve a desirable or required amount of utilization in compliance with a defined failure rate. The result is an enhancement of the dependability of such a system.

School-Based Multidisciplinary Teacher Team-Building Combining On-Line Professional Development (ESSEA) and Field-Based Environmental Monitoring (GLOBE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, R.

2003-12-01

The multidisciplinary nature of Earth system science provides a strong foundation for integrated science teaching at the K-12 level. In a Minneapolis-St. Paul based project, urban middle school teaching teams composed of language arts and math specialists as well as physical, Earth, and biological science teachers participate in the NASA Earth system science course (ESSEA) and in the international GLOBE environmental monitoring project. For students, the goal is to integrate science throughout the curriculum as well as involve classes from different subjects in a high-interest school science project. For teachers, the project provides greatly-needed classroom support and teacher team building, as well as professional development. The on-line course provides continuity and communication between the different team members. Face-to-face meetings with the instructors on site are conducted every 4 weeks. The problem-based learning approach to environmental issues developed in the ESSEA course lends itself to application to local environmental issues. New ESSEA modules developed for the project highlight environmental problems associated with flooding, introduced species, and eutrofication of lakes and rivers located near the participating schools. In addition, ESSEA participants are certified as GLOBE teachers, and assist their students in monitoring water quality. The synergistic partnership of ESSEA and GLOBE provides an attractive package upon which long-term school-based environmental monitoring projects can be based.

Reactor vessel annealing system

DOEpatents

Miller, Phillip E.; Katz, Leonoard R.; Nath, Raymond J.; Blaushild, Ronald M.; Tatch, Michael D.; Kordalski, Frank J.; Wykstra, Donald T.; Kavalkovich, William M.

1991-01-01

A system for annealing a vessel (14) in situ by heating the vessel (14) to a defined temperature, composed of: an electrically operated heater assembly (10) insertable into the vessel (14) for heating the vessel (14) to the defined temperature; temperature monitoring components positioned relative to the heater assembly (10) for monitoring the temperature of the vessel (14); a controllable electric power supply unit (32-60) for supplying electric power required by the heater assembly (10); a control unit (80-86) for controlling the power supplied by the power supply unit (32-60); a first vehicle (2) containing the power supply unit (32-60); a second vehicle (4) containing the control unit (80-86); power conductors (18,22) connectable between the power supply unit (32-60) and the heater unit (10) for delivering the power supplied by the power supply unit (32-60) to the heater assembly (10); signal conductors (20,24) connectable between the temperature monitoring components and the control unit (80-86) for delivering temperature indicating signals from the temperature monitoring components to the control unit (80-86); and control conductors (8) connectable between the control unit (80-86) and the power supply unit (32-60) for delivering to the power supply unit (32-60) control signals for controlling the level of power supplied by the power supply unit (32-60) to the heater assembly (10).

Data Acquisition for Land Subsidence Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Y.; Balke, K.

2009-12-01

For controlling land subsidence caused by groundwater over-exploitation, loading of engineered structures, mining and other anthropogenic activities in this fast changing world, a large variety of different data of various scales of concerning areas are needed for scientific study and administrative operational purposes. The economical, social and environmental impacts of anthropogenic land subsidence have long been recognized by many scientific institutions and management authorities based on results of monitoring and analysis at an interdisciplinary level. The land subsidence information systems composed of the surface and subsurface monitoring nets (monitoring and development wells, GPS stations and other facilities) and local data processing centers as a system management tool in Shanghai City was started with the use of GPS technology to monitor land subsidence in 1998. After years of experiences with a set of initiatives by adopting adequate countermeasures, the particular attention given to new improved methodologies to monitor and model the process of land subsidence in a simple and timely way, this is going to be promoted in the whole Yangtze River Delta region in China, where land subsidence expands in the entire region of urban cluster. The Delta land subsidence monitoring network construction aims to establish an efficient and coordinated water resource management system. The land subsidence monitoring network records "living history" of land subsidence, produces detailed scheduled reports and environmental impact statements. For the different areas with local factors and site characteristics, parallel packages need to be designed for predicting changes, land sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, especially for the risk analysis in the rapid growth of megacities and urban areas. In such cases, the new models with new types of local data and the new ways of data acquisition provide the best information for the decision makers for their mitigating decisions. The problems with outputs to professional and non-professional users, planning vs exploitation conflicts, 3D modeling and visualization are not yet solved due to the complex issues.

Long-term monitoring of marine gas leakage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spickenbom, Kai; Faber, Eckhard; Poggenburg, Jürgen; Seeger, Christian; Furche, Markus

2010-05-01

The sequestration of CO2 in sub-seabed geological formations is one of the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) strategies currently under study. Although offshore operations are significantly more expensive than comparable onshore operations, the growing public resistance against onshore CCS projects makes sub-seabed storage a promising option. Even after a thorough review of the geological setting, there is always the possibility of leakage from the reservoir. As part of the EU-financed project CO2ReMoVe (Research, Monitoring, Verification), which aims to develop innovative research and technologies for monitoring and verification of carbon dioxide geological storage, we are working on the development of submarine long-term gas flow monitoring systems. The basic design of the monitoring system builds on our experience in volcano monitoring. Early prototypes were composed of a raft floating on the surface of a mud volcano, carrying sensors for CO2 flux and concentration, data storage and transmission, and power supply by battery-buffered solar panels. The system was modified for installation in open sea by using a buoy instead of a raft and a funnel on the seafloor to collect the gas, connected by a flexible tube. This setup provides a cost-effective solution for shallow waters. However, a buoy interferes with ship traffic, and it is also difficult to adapt this design to greater water depths. These requirements can best be complied by a completely submersed system. A system for unattended long-term monitoring in a marine environment has to be extremely durable. Therefore, we focussed on developing a mechanically and electrically as simple setup as possible, which has the additional advantage of low cost. The system consists of a funnel-shaped gas collector, a sensor head and pressure housings for electronics and power supply. Since this setup is inexpensive, it can be deployed in numbers to cover larger areas. By addition of multi-channel data loggers, data transmission by acoustic modem or cable, relay stations on the seafloor or buoys etc. the infrastructure can be adapted to the environmental setting and financial budget. Prototype tests under laboratory conditions as well as field tests on natural submarine gas vents as an analogue to leaking storage sites have demonstrated the capabilities and robustness of the systems.

Local Technical Resources for Development of Seismic Monitoring in Caucasus and Central Asia - GMSys2009 Data Acquisition System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chkhaidze, D.; Basilaia, G.; Elashvili, M.; Shishlov, D.; Bidzinashvili, G.

2012-12-01

Caucasus and Central Asia represents regions of high seismic activity, composing a significant part of Alpine-Himalayan continental collision zone. Natural catastrophic events cause significant damage to the infrastructure worldwide, among these approximately ninety percent of the annual loss is due to earthquakes. Monitoring of Seismic Activity in these regions and adequate assessment of Seismic Hazards represents indispensible condition for safe and stable development. Existence of critical engineering constructions in the Caucasus and Central Asia such as oil and gas pipelines, high dams and nuclear power plants dramatically raises risks associated with natural hazards and eliminates necessity of proper monitoring systems. Our initial efforts were focused on areas that we are most familiar; the geophysical community in the greater Caucuses and Central Asia experiencing many of the same problems with the monitoring equipment. As a result, during the past years GMSys2009 was develop at the Institute of Earth Sciences of Ilia State University. Equipment represents a cost-effective, multifunctional Geophysical Data Acquisition System (DAS) to monitor seismic waves propagating in the earth and related geophysical parameters. Equipment best fits local requirements concerning power management, environmental protection and functionality, the same time competing commercial units available on the market. During past several years more than 30 units were assembled and what is most important installed in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. GMSys2009 utilizes standard MiniSEED data format and data transmission protocols, making it possible online waveform data sharing between the neighboring Countries in the region and international community. All the mentioned installations were technically supported by the group of engineers from the Institute of Earth Sciences, on site trainings for local personnel in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan was provided creating a good basis for successful functioning of the equipment.

SprayQc: a real-time LC-MS/MS quality monitoring system to maximize uptime using off the shelf components.

PubMed

Scheltema, Richard A; Mann, Matthias

2012-06-01

With the advent of high-throughput mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, the magnitude and complexity of the performed experiments has increased dramatically. Likewise, investments in chromatographic and MS instrumentation are a large proportion of the budget of proteomics laboratories. Guarding measurement quality and maximizing uptime of the LC-MS/MS systems therefore requires constant care despite automated workflows. We describe a real-time surveillance system, called SprayQc, that continuously monitors the status of the peripheral equipment to ensure that operational parameters are within an acceptable range. SprayQc is composed of multiple plug-in software components that use computer vision to analyze electrospray conditions, monitor the chromatographic device for stable backpressure, interact with a column oven to control pressure by temperature, and ensure that the mass spectrometer is still acquiring data. Action is taken when a failure condition has been detected, such as stopping the column oven and the LC flow, as well as automatically notifying the appropriate operator. Additionally, all defined metrics can be recorded synchronized on retention time with the MS acquisition file, allowing for later inspection and providing valuable information for optimization. SprayQc has been extensively tested in our laboratory, supports third-party plug-in development, and is freely available for download from http://sourceforge.org/projects/sprayqc .

Feasibility study on a strain based deflection monitoring system for wind turbine blades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kyunghyun; Aihara, Aya; Puntsagdash, Ganbayar; Kawaguchi, Takayuki; Sakamoto, Hiraku; Okuma, Masaaki

2017-01-01

The bending stiffness of the wind turbine blades has decreased due to the trend of wind turbine upsizing. Consequently, the risk of blades breakage by hitting the tower has increased. In order to prevent such incidents, this study proposes a deflection monitoring system that can be installed to already operating wind turbine's blades. The monitoring system is composed of an estimation algorithm to detect blade deflection and a wireless sensor network as a hardware equipment. As for the estimation method for blade deflection, a strain-based estimation algorithm and an objective function for optimal sensor arrangement are proposed. Strain-based estimation algorithm is using a linear correlation between strain and deflections, which can be expressed in a form of a transformation matrix. The objective function includes the terms of strain sensitivity and condition number of the transformation matrix between strain and deflection. In order to calculate the objective function, a simplified experimental model of the blade is constructed by interpolating the mode shape of a blade from modal testing. The interpolation method is effective considering a practical use to operating wind turbines' blades since it is not necessary to establish a finite element model of a blade. On the other hand, a sensor network with wireless connection with an open source hardware is developed. It is installed to a 300 W scale wind turbine and vibration of the blade on operation is investigated.

Evaluating reliability of WSN with sleep/wake-up interfering nodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Distefano, Salvatore

2013-10-01

A wireless sensor network (WSN) (singular and plural of acronyms are spelled the same) is a distributed system composed of autonomous sensor nodes wireless connected and randomly scattered into a geographical area to cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions. Adequate techniques and strategies are required to manage a WSN so that it works properly, observing specific quantities and metrics to evaluate the WSN operational conditions. Among them, one of the most important is the reliability. Considering a WSN as a system composed of sensor nodes the system reliability approach can be applied, thus expressing the WSN reliability in terms of its nodes' reliability. More specifically, since often standby power management policies are applied at node level and interferences among nodes may arise, a WSN can be considered as a dynamic system. In this article we therefore consider the WSN reliability evaluation problem from the dynamic system reliability perspective. Static-structural interactions are specified by the WSN topology. Sleep/wake-up standby policies and interferences due to wireless communications can be instead considered as dynamic aspects. Thus, in order to represent and to evaluate the WSN reliability, we use dynamic reliability block diagrams and Petri nets. The proposed technique allows to overcome the limits of Markov models when considering non-linear discharge processes, since they cannot adequately represent the aging processes. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique, we investigate some specific WSN network topologies, providing guidelines for their representation and evaluation.

The agent-based spatial information semantic grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Wei; Zhu, YaQiong; Zhou, Yong; Li, Deren

2006-10-01

Analyzing the characteristic of multi-Agent and geographic Ontology, The concept of the Agent-based Spatial Information Semantic Grid (ASISG) is defined and the architecture of the ASISG is advanced. ASISG is composed with Multi-Agents and geographic Ontology. The Multi-Agent Systems are composed with User Agents, General Ontology Agent, Geo-Agents, Broker Agents, Resource Agents, Spatial Data Analysis Agents, Spatial Data Access Agents, Task Execution Agent and Monitor Agent. The architecture of ASISG have three layers, they are the fabric layer, the grid management layer and the application layer. The fabric layer what is composed with Data Access Agent, Resource Agent and Geo-Agent encapsulates the data of spatial information system so that exhibits a conceptual interface for the Grid management layer. The Grid management layer, which is composed with General Ontology Agent, Task Execution Agent and Monitor Agent and Data Analysis Agent, used a hybrid method to manage all resources that were registered in a General Ontology Agent that is described by a General Ontology System. The hybrid method is assembled by resource dissemination and resource discovery. The resource dissemination push resource from Local Ontology Agent to General Ontology Agent and the resource discovery pull resource from the General Ontology Agent to Local Ontology Agents. The Local Ontology Agent is derived from special domain and describes the semantic information of local GIS. The nature of the Local Ontology Agents can be filtrated to construct a virtual organization what could provides a global scheme. The virtual organization lightens the burdens of guests because they need not search information site by site manually. The application layer what is composed with User Agent, Geo-Agent and Task Execution Agent can apply a corresponding interface to a domain user. The functions that ASISG should provide are: 1) It integrates different spatial information systems on the semantic The Grid management layer establishes a virtual environment that integrates seamlessly all GIS notes. 2) When the resource management system searches data on different spatial information systems, it transfers the meaning of different Local Ontology Agents rather than access data directly. So the ability of search and query can be said to be on the semantic level. 3) The data access procedure is transparent to guests, that is, they could access the information from remote site as current disk because the General Ontology Agent could automatically link data by the Data Agents that link the Ontology concept to GIS data. 4) The capability of processing massive spatial data. Storing, accessing and managing massive spatial data from TB to PB; efficiently analyzing and processing spatial data to produce model, information and knowledge; and providing 3D and multimedia visualization services. 5) The capability of high performance computing and processing on spatial information. Solving spatial problems with high precision, high quality, and on a large scale; and process spatial information in real time or on time, with high-speed and high efficiency. 6) The capability of sharing spatial resources. The distributed heterogeneous spatial information resources are Shared and realizing integrated and inter-operated on semantic level, so as to make best use of spatial information resources,such as computing resources, storage devices, spatial data (integrating from GIS, RS and GPS), spatial applications and services, GIS platforms, 7) The capability of integrating legacy GIS system. A ASISG can not only be used to construct new advanced spatial application systems, but also integrate legacy GIS system, so as to keep extensibility and inheritance and guarantee investment of users. 8) The capability of collaboration. Large-scale spatial information applications and services always involve different departments in different geographic places, so remote and uniform services are needed. 9) The capability of supporting integration of heterogeneous systems. Large-scale spatial information systems are always synthetically applications, so ASISG should provide interoperation and consistency through adopting open and applied technology standards. 10) The capability of adapting dynamic changes. Business requirements, application patterns, management strategies, and IT products always change endlessly for any departments, so ASISG should be self-adaptive. Two examples are provided in this paper, those examples provide a detailed way on how you design your semantic grid based on Multi-Agent systems and Ontology. In conclusion, the semantic grid of spatial information system could improve the ability of the integration and interoperability of spatial information grid.

Development of a High Precision Displacement Measurement System by Fusing a Low Cost RTK-GPS Sensor and a Force Feedback Accelerometer for Infrastructure Monitoring.

PubMed

Koo, Gunhee; Kim, Kiyoung; Chung, Jun Yeon; Choi, Jaemook; Kwon, Nam-Yeol; Kang, Doo-Young; Sohn, Hoon

2017-11-28

A displacement measurement system fusing a low cost real-time kinematic global positioning system (RTK-GPS) receiver and a force feedback accelerometer is proposed for infrastructure monitoring. The proposed system is composed of a sensor module, a base module and a computation module. The sensor module consists of a RTK-GPS rover and a force feedback accelerometer, and is installed on a target structure like conventional RTK-GPS sensors. The base module is placed on a rigid ground away from the target structure similar to conventional RTK-GPS bases, and transmits observation messages to the sensor module. Then, the initial acceleration, velocity and displacement responses measured by the sensor module are transmitted to the computation module located at a central monitoring facility. Finally, high precision and high sampling rate displacement, velocity, and acceleration are estimated by fusing the acceleration from the accelerometer, the velocity from the GPS rover, and the displacement from RTK-GPS. Note that the proposed displacement measurement system can measure 3-axis acceleration, velocity as well as displacement in real time. In terms of displacement, the proposed measurement system can estimate dynamic and pseudo-static displacement with a root-mean-square error of 2 mm and a sampling rate of up to 100 Hz. The performance of the proposed system is validated under sinusoidal, random and steady-state vibrations. Field tests were performed on the Yeongjong Grand Bridge and Yi Sun-sin Bridge in Korea, and the Xihoumen Bridge in China to compare the performance of the proposed system with a commercial RTK-GPS sensor and other data fusion techniques.

Development of real-time thermal neutron monitor using boron-loaded plastic scintillator with optical fiber for boron neutron capture therapy.

PubMed

Ishikawa, M; Ono, K; Sakurai, Y; Unesaki, H; Uritani, A; Bengua, G; Kobayashi, T; Tanaka, K; Kosako, T

2004-11-01

A new thermal neutron monitor for boron neutron capture therapy was developed in this study. We called this monitor equipped boron-loaded plastic scintillator that uses optical fiber for signal transmission as an [scintillator with optical fiber] SOF detector. A water phantom experiment was performed to verify how the SOF detector compared with conventional method of measuring thermal neutron fluence. Measurements with a single SOF detector yielded indistinguishable signals for thermal neutrons and gamma rays. To account for the gamma ray contribution in the signal recorded by the SOF detector, a paired SOF detector system was employed. This was composed of an SOF detector with boron-loaded scintillator and an SOF detector with a boron-free scintillator. The difference between the recorded counts of these paired SOF detectors was used as the measure of the gamma ray contribution in the measured neutron fluence. The paired SOF detectors were ascertained to be effective in measuring thermal neutron flux in the range above 10(6)(n/cm(2)/s). Clinical trials using paired SOF to measure thermal neutron flux during therapy confirmed that paired SOF detectors were effective as a real-time thermal neutron flux monitor.

Mining the Sky for Explosive Optical Transients with Both Eyes Open

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vestrand, W. T.; Borozdin, K.; Casperson, D. J.; Davidoff, S.; Davis, H.; Fenimore, E.; Galassi, M.; McGowan, K.; Starr, D.; White, R. R.; Wozniak, P.; Wren, J.

2004-09-01

While it has been known for centuries that the optical sky is variable, monitoring the sky for optical transients with durations as short as a minute is an area of astronomical research that remains largely unexplored. Prompt follow-up observations of Gamma Ray Bursts have shown that bright, explosive, optical transients exist. However, there are many reasons to suspect the existence of explosive optical transients that cannot be located through sky monitoring by high-energy satellites. The RAPTOR sky monitoring system is an autonomous system of telescope arrays at Los Alamos National Laboratory that identifies fast optical transients as short as a minute and makes follow-up observations in real time. The core of the RAPTOR system is composed of two arrays of telescopes, separated by 38 kilometers, that stereoscopically monitor a field of about 1300 square degrees for transients down to about 12.5th magnitude in 30 seconds. Both arrays are coupled to real-time data analysis pipelines that are designed to identify transients on timescales of seconds. Each telescope array also contains a more sensitive higher resolution ``fovea'' telescope, capable of both measuring the light curve at a faster cadence and providing color information. In a manner analogous to human vision, each array is mounted on a rapidly slewing mount so that the ``fovea'' of the array can be rapidly directed for real-time follow-up observations of any interesting transient identified by the wide-field system. We discuss the first results from RAPTOR and show that stereoscopic imaging and the absence of measurable parallax is a powerful tool for distinguishing real celestial transients in the ``forest'' of false positives.

Mining the Sky for Explosive Optical Transients with Both Eyes Open

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

Vestrand, W.T.; Casperson, D.J.; Davis, H.

2004-09-28

While it has been known for centuries that the optical sky is variable, monitoring the sky for optical transients with durations as short as a minute is an area of astronomical research that remains largely unexplored. Prompt follow-up observations of Gamma Ray Bursts have shown that bright, explosive, optical transients exist. However, there are many reasons to suspect the existence of explosive optical transients that cannot be located through sky monitoring by high-energy satellites. The RAPTOR sky monitoring system is an autonomous system of telescope arrays at Los Alamos National Laboratory that identifies fast optical transients as short as amore » minute and makes follow-up observations in real time. The core of the RAPTOR system is composed of two arrays of telescopes, separated by 38 kilometers, that stereoscopically monitor a field of about 1300 square degrees for transients down to about 12.5th magnitude in 30 seconds. Both arrays are coupled to real-time data analysis pipelines that are designed to identify transients on timescales of seconds. Each telescope array also contains a more sensitive higher resolution 'fovea' telescope, capable of both measuring the light curve at a faster cadence and providing color information. In a manner analogous to human vision, each array is mounted on a rapidly slewing mount so that the 'fovea' of the array can be rapidly directed for real-time follow-up observations of any interesting transient identified by the wide-field system. We discuss the first results from RAPTOR and show that stereoscopic imaging and the absence of measurable parallax is a powerful tool for distinguishing real celestial transients in the 'forest' of false positives.« less

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

Johnson, Gary E.; Sather, Nichole K.

This project covers facilitation of the Estuary/Ocean Subgroup (EOS) for federal research, monitoring, and evaluation (RME) and the Expert Regional Technical Group (ERTG) for estuary habitat restoration. The EOS is part of the research, monitoring, and evaluation effort that the Action Agencies (Bonneville Power Administration [BPA], U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [Corps], U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) developed in response to obligations arising from the Endangered Species Act as applied to operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). The EOS is tasked by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Action Agencies (AAs) to design and coordinate implementation ofmore » the federal RME plan for the lower Columbia River and estuary, including the river’s plume in the ocean. Initiated in 2002, the EOS is composed of members from BPA, the Corps, NMFS, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL’s) Marine Sciences Laboratory, and other agencies as necessary.« less

Segmentation and Quantitative Analysis of Epithelial Tissues.

PubMed

Aigouy, Benoit; Umetsu, Daiki; Eaton, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Epithelia are tissues that regulate exchanges with the environment. They are very dynamic and can acquire virtually any shape; at the cellular level, they are composed of cells tightly connected by junctions. Most often epithelia are amenable to live imaging; however, the large number of cells composing an epithelium and the absence of informatics tools dedicated to epithelial analysis largely prevented tissue scale studies. Here we present Tissue Analyzer, a free tool that can be used to segment and analyze epithelial cells and monitor tissue dynamics.

Design of a ground-water-quality monitoring network for the Salinas River basin, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Showalter, P.K.; Akers, J.P.; Swain, L.A.

1984-01-01

A regional ground-water quality monitoring network for the entire Salinas River drainage basin was designed to meet the needs of the California State Water Resources Control Board. The project included phase 1--identifying monitoring networks that exist in the region; phase 2--collecting information about the wells in each network; and phase 3--studying the factors--such as geology, land use, hydrology, and geohydrology--that influence the ground-water quality, and designing a regional network. This report is the major product of phase 3. Based on the authors ' understanding of the ground-water-quality monitoring system and input from local offices, an ideal network was designed. The proposed network includes 317 wells and 8 stream-gaging stations. Because limited funds are available to implement the monitoring network, the proposed network is designed to correspond to the ideal network insofar as practicable, and is composed mainly of 214 wells that are already being monitored by a local agency. In areas where network wells are not available, arrangements will be made to add wells to local networks. The data collected by this network will be used to assess the ground-water quality of the entire Salinas River drainage basin. After 2 years of data are collected, the network will be evaluated to test whether it is meeting the network objectives. Subsequent network evaluations will be done very 5 years. (USGS)

Field-Deployable Acoustic Digital Systems for Noise Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shams, Qamar A.; Wright, Kenneth D.; Lunsford, Charles B.; Smith, Charlie D.

2000-01-01

Langley Research Center (LaRC) has for years been a leader in field acoustic array measurement technique. Two field-deployable digital measurement systems have been developed to support acoustic research programs at LaRC. For several years, LaRC has used the Digital Acoustic Measurement System (DAMS) for measuring the acoustic noise levels from rotorcraft and tiltrotor aircraft. Recently, a second system called Remote Acquisition and Storage System (RASS) was developed and deployed for the first time in the field along with DAMS system for the Community Noise Flight Test using the NASA LaRC-757 aircraft during April, 2000. The test was performed at Airborne Airport in Wilmington, OH to validate predicted noise reduction benefits from alternative operational procedures. The test matrix was composed of various combinations of altitude, cutback power, and aircraft weight. The DAMS digitizes the acoustic inputs at the microphone site and can be located up to 2000 feet from the van which houses the acquisition, storage and analysis equipment. Digitized data from up to 10 microphones is recorded on a Jaz disk and is analyzed post-test by microcomputer system. The RASS digitizes and stores acoustic inputs at the microphone site that can be located up to three miles from the base station and can compose a 3 mile by 3 mile array of microphones. 16-bit digitized data from the microphones is stored on removable Jaz disk and is transferred through a high speed array to a very large high speed permanent storage device. Up to 30 microphones can be utilized in the array. System control and monitoring is accomplished via Radio Frequency (RF) link. This paper will present a detailed description of both systems, along with acoustic data analysis from both systems.

Operational Monitoring and Forecasting in Regional Seas: the Aegean Sea example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nittis, K.; Perivoliotis, L.; Zervakis, V.; Papadopoulos, A.; Tziavos, C.

2003-04-01

The increasing economic activities in the coastal zone and the associated pressure on the marine environment have raised the interest on monitoring systems able to provide supporting information for its effective management and protection. Such an integrated monitoring, forecasting and information system is being developed during the past years in the Aegean Sea. Its main component is the POSEIDON network that provides real-time data for meteorological and surface oceanographic parameters (waves, currents, hydrological and biochemical data) from 11 fixed oceanographic buoys. The numerical forecasting system is composed by an ETA atmospheric model, a WAM wave model and a POM hydrodynamic model that provide every day 72 hours forecasts. The system is operational since May 2000 and its products are published through Internet while a sub-set is also available through cellular telephony. New type of observing platforms will be available in the near future through a number of EU funded research projects. The Mediterranean Moored Multi-sensor Array (M3A) that was developed for the needs of the Mediterranean Forecasting System and was tested during 2000-2001 will be operational in 2004 during the MFSTEP project. The M3A system incorporates sensors for optical and chemical measurements (Oxygen, Turbidity, Chlorophyll-a, Nutrients and PAR) in the euphotic zone (0-100m) together with sensors for physical parameters (Temperature, Salinity, Current speed and direction) at the 0-500m layer. A Ferry-Box system will also operate during 2004 in the southern Aegean Sea, providing surface data for physical and bio-chemical properties. The ongoing modeling efforts include coupling with larger scale circulation models of the Mediterranean, high-resolution downscaling to coastal areas of the Aegean Sea and development of multi-variate data assimilation methods.

Active photo-thermal self-healing of shape memory polyurethanes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazemi-Lari, Mohammad A.; Malakooti, Mohammad H.; Sodano, Henry A.

2017-05-01

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has received significant interest over the past decade and has led to the development of a wide variety of sensors and signal processing techniques to determine the presence of changes or damage in a structural system. The topic has attracted significant attention due to the safety and performance enhancing benefits as well as the potential lifesaving capabilities offered by the technology. While the resulting systems are capable of sensing their surrounding structural and environmental conditions, few methods exist for using the information to autonomously react and repair or protect the system. One of the major challenges in the future implementation of SHM systems is their coupling with materials that can react to the damage to heal themselves and return to normal function. The coupling of self-healing materials with SHM has the potential to significantly prolong the lifetime of structural systems and extend the required inspection intervals. In the present study, an optical fiber based self-healing system composed of mendable polyurethanes based on the thermally reversible Diels-Alder (DA) reaction is developed. Inspired by health monitoring techniques, active photo-thermal sensing and actuation is achieved using infrared laser light passing through an optical fiber and a thermal power sensor to detect the presence of cracking in the structure. Healing is triggered as the crack propagates through the polymer and fractures the embedded optical fiber. Through a feedback loop, the detected power drop by the sensor is utilized as a signal to heat the cracked area and stimulate the shape memory effect of the polyurethane and the retro-DA reaction. The healing performance results indicate that this novel integrated system can be effectively employed to monitor the incidence of damage and actively heal a crack in the polymer.

A ten-year history: the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario.

PubMed

Anas, Rebecca; Bell, Robert; Brown, Adalsteinn; Evans, William; Sawka, Carol

2012-01-01

One of the longest-established quality oversight organizations in Canadian healthcare, the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario (CQCO) is an advisory group formed in 2002 by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Although quasi-independent from Cancer Care Ontario (CCO), the council was established to provide advice to CCO and the ministry in their efforts to improve the quality of cancer care in the province. The council is composed of a multidisciplinary group of healthcare providers, cancer survivors and experts in the areas of oncology, health system policy and administration, governance, performance measurement and health services research. Its mandate is to monitor and report publicly on the performance of the Ontario cancer system and to motivate improvement through national and international benchmarking. Since its formation, the council has played an evolving role in improving the quality of care received by Ontario cancer patients. This article will briefly describe the origins and founding principles of the CQCO, its changing role in monitoring quality and its relationship with CCO. Copyright © 2012 Longwoods Publishing.

SU-F-P-04: Implementation of Dose Monitoring Software: Successes and Pitfalls

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

Och, J

2016-06-15

Purpose: to successfully install a dose monitoring software (DMS) application to assist in CT protocol and dose management. Methods: Upon selecting the DMS, we began our implementation of the application. A working group composed of Medical Physics, Radiology Administration, Information Technology, and CT technologists was formed. On-site training in the application was supplied by the vendor. The decision was made to apply the process for all the CT protocols on all platforms at all facilities. Protocols were painstakingly mapped to the correct masters, and the system went ‘live’. Results: We are routinely using DMS as a tool in our Clinicalmore » Performance CT QA program. It is useful in determining the effectiveness of revisions to existing protocols, and establishing performance baselines for new units. However, the implementation was not without difficulty. We identified several pitfalls and obstacles which frustrated progress. Including: Training deficiencies, Nomenclature problems, Communication, DICOM variability. Conclusion: Dose monitoring software can be a potent tool for QA. However, implementation of the program can be problematic and requires planning, organization and commitment.« less

The Asia-RiCE activity with data cube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyoshi, K.; Sobue, S.; LE Toan, T.; Lam, N. D.

2017-12-01

The Asia-RiCE initiative (http://www.asia-rice.org) has been organized to enhance rice production estimates through the use of Earth observation satellites data, and seeks to ensure that Asian rice crops are appropriately represented within GEO Global Agriculture Monitoring (GEO-GLAM) to support FAO Agriculture Market Information System (FAO-AMIS). Asia-RiCE is composed of national teams that are actively contributing to the Crop Monitor for AMIS and developing technical demonstrations of rice crop monitoring activities using both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data (Radarsat-2 from 2013; Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 from 2015.From 2016 after the successful rice crop area and growing estimation using SAR in a technical demonstration site (provincial level), wall-to-wall (national scale) excurse as phase 2 has been implemented in Vietnam and Indonesia in cooperation with ministry of agriculture and space agencies. This paper reports this year activity of 2017 accomplishment and way forward, especially for analysis ready data (ARD) definition of SAR to ingest to CEOS data cube to provide national scale service in Vietnam and Indonesia.

ATLAS TDAQ System Administration: evolution and re-design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballestrero, S.; Bogdanchikov, A.; Brasolin, F.; Contescu, C.; Dubrov, S.; Fazio, D.; Korol, A.; Lee, C. J.; Scannicchio, D. A.; Twomey, M. S.

2015-12-01

The ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition system is responsible for the online processing of live data, streaming from the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The online farm is composed of ∼3000 servers, processing the data read out from ∼100 million detector channels through multiple trigger levels. During the two years of the first Long Shutdown there has been a tremendous amount of work done by the ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition System Administrators, implementing numerous new software applications, upgrading the OS and the hardware, changing some design philosophies and exploiting the High- Level Trigger farm with different purposes. The OS version has been upgraded to SLC6; for the largest part of the farm, which is composed of net booted nodes, this required a completely new design of the net booting system. In parallel, the migration to Puppet of the Configuration Management systems has been completed for both net booted and local booted hosts; the Post-Boot Scripts system and Quattor have been consequently dismissed. Virtual Machine usage has been investigated and tested and many of the core servers are now running on Virtual Machines. Virtualisation has also been used to adapt the High-Level Trigger farm as a batch system, which has been used for running Monte Carlo production jobs that are mostly CPU and not I/O bound. Finally, monitoring the health and the status of ∼3000 machines in the experimental area is obviously of the utmost importance, so the obsolete Nagios v2 has been replaced with Icinga, complemented by Ganglia as a performance data provider. This paper serves for reporting of the actions taken by the Systems Administrators in order to improve and produce a system capable of performing for the next three years of ATLAS data taking.

Lessons from Jurassic Park: patients as complex adaptive systems.

PubMed

Katerndahl, David A

2009-08-01

With realization that non-linearity is generally the rule rather than the exception in nature, viewing patients and families as complex adaptive systems may lead to a better understanding of health and illness. Doctors who successfully practise the 'art' of medicine may recognize non-linear principles at work without having the jargon needed to label them. Complex adaptive systems are systems composed of multiple components that display complexity and adaptation to input. These systems consist of self-organized components, which display complex dynamics, ranging from simple periodicity to chaotic and random patterns showing trends over time. Understanding the non-linear dynamics of phenomena both internal and external to our patients can (1) improve our definition of 'health'; (2) improve our understanding of patients, disease and the systems in which they converge; (3) be applied to future monitoring systems; and (4) be used to possibly engineer change. Such a non-linear view of the world is quite congruent with the generalist perspective.

An optical microsystem based on vertical silicon-air Bragg mirror for liquid substances monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Stefano, Luca; Rendina, Ivo; Rea, Ilaria; Rotiroti, Lucia; De Tommasi, Edoardo; Barillaro, Giuseppe

2007-05-01

In this work, an integrated optical microsystems for the continuous detection of flammable liquids has been fabricated and characterized. The proposed system is composed of a the transducer element, which is a vertical silicon/air Bragg mirror fabricated by silicon electrochemical micromachining, sealed with a cover glass anodically bonded on its top. The device has been optically characterized in presence of liquid substances of environmental interest, such as ethanol and isopropanol. The preliminary experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculations and show the possibility to use the device as an optical sensor based on the change of its reflectivity spectrum.

Use of a Relapse Monitoring Board

PubMed Central

MacFadden, Wayne; Anand, Ravi; Khanna, Sumant; Rapaport, Mark H.; Haskins, J. Thomas; Turkoz, Ibrahim; Alphs, Larry

2011-01-01

Objective: Independent review boards can provide an objective appraisal of investigators' decisions and may be useful for determining complex primary outcomes, such as bipolar disorder relapse, in crossnational studies. This article describes the use of an independent, blinded relapse monitoring board to assess the primary outcome (relapse) in an international clinical trial of risperidone long-acting therapy adjunctive to standard-care pharmacotherapy for patients with bipolar disorder. Design: The fully autonomous relapse monitoring board was composed of a chair and two additional members—all psychiatrists and experts in the diagnostic, clinical, and therapeutic management of bipolar disorder. The relapse monitoring board met six times during the study to review patient relapse data and was charged with the responsibility of determining if the events described by investigators qualified as relapses. Additionally, the relapse monitoring board reviewed data for all randomized patients to identify any relapse events not recognized by investigators. Results: Primary efficacy results were similar and significant for investigator- and relapse monitoring board-determined relapses. Ten discrepancies were noted: two of the 42 investigator-determined relapses did not meet the intended clinical relapse threshold as determined by the relapse monitoring board; conversely, the relapse monitoring board confirmed eight relapse events not identified by investigators. The relapse monitoring board had no direct interactions with patients and had to rely on the accuracy of investigator assessments. Also, once an investigator determined a relapse and the patients discontinued the study, less information was available to the relapse monitoring board for relapse assessment. Conclusions: Use of the relapse monitoring board supported the validity of the study by incorporating a level of standardization to mitigate the risk that local practice in different cultures and medical systems at the sites would confound study results. PMID:22132367

Synthesizing spatiotemporally sparse smartphone sensor data for bridge modal identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozer, Ekin; Feng, Maria Q.

2016-08-01

Smartphones as vibration measurement instruments form a large-scale, citizen-induced, and mobile wireless sensor network (WSN) for system identification and structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Crowdsourcing-based SHM is possible with a decentralized system granting citizens with operational responsibility and control. Yet, citizen initiatives introduce device mobility, drastically changing SHM results due to uncertainties in the time and the space domains. This paper proposes a modal identification strategy that fuses spatiotemporally sparse SHM data collected by smartphone-based WSNs. Multichannel data sampled with the time and the space independence is used to compose the modal identification parameters such as frequencies and mode shapes. Structural response time history can be gathered by smartphone accelerometers and converted into Fourier spectra by the processor units. Timestamp, data length, energy to power conversion address temporal variation, whereas spatial uncertainties are reduced by geolocation services or determining node identity via QR code labels. Then, parameters collected from each distributed network component can be extended to global behavior to deduce modal parameters without the need of a centralized and synchronous data acquisition system. The proposed method is tested on a pedestrian bridge and compared with a conventional reference monitoring system. The results show that the spatiotemporally sparse mobile WSN data can be used to infer modal parameters despite non-overlapping sensor operation schedule.

The usefulness of Wi-Fi based digital chest drainage system in the post-operative care of pneumothorax.

PubMed

Cho, Hyun Min; Hong, Yoon Joo; Byun, Chun Sung; Hwang, Jung Joo

2016-03-01

Chest drainage systems are usually composed of chest tube and underwater-seal bottle. But this conventional system may restrict patients doing exercise and give clinicians obscure data about when to remove tubes because there is no objective indicator. Recently developed digital chest drainage systems may facilitate interpretation of the grade of air leak and make it easy for clinicians to decide when to remove chest tubes. In addition, with combination of wireless internet devices, monitoring and managing of drainage system distant from the patient is possible. Sixty patients of primary pneumothorax were included in a prospective randomized study and divided into two groups. Group I (study) consisted of digital chest drainage system while in group II (control), conventional underwater-seal chest bottle system was used. Data was collected from January, 2012 to September, 2013 in Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea. There was no difference in age, sex, smoking history and postoperative pain between two groups. But the average length of drainage was 2.2 days in group I and 3.1 days in group II (P<0.006). And more, about 90% of the patients in group I was satisfied with using new device for convenience. Digital system was beneficial on reducing the length of tube drainage by real time monitoring. It also had advantage in portability, loudness and gave more satisfaction than conventional system. Moreover, internet based digital drainage system will be a good method in thoracic telemedicine area in the near future.

A web-based solution to visualize operational monitoring data in the Trigger and Data Acquisition system of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avolio, G.; D'Ascanio, M.; Lehmann-Miotto, G.; Soloviev, I.

2017-10-01

The Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is composed of a large number of distributed hardware and software components (about 3000 computers and more than 25000 applications) which, in a coordinated manner, provide the data-taking functionality of the overall system. During data taking runs, a huge flow of operational data is produced in order to constantly monitor the system and allow proper detection of anomalies or misbehaviours. In the ATLAS trigger and data acquisition system, operational data are archived and made available to applications by the P-BEAST (Persistent Back-End for the Atlas Information System of TDAQ) service, implementing a custom time-series database. The possibility to efficiently visualize both realtime and historical operational data is a great asset facilitating both online identification of problems and post-mortem analysis. This paper will present a web-based solution developed to achieve such a goal: the solution leverages the flexibility of the P-BEAST archiver to retrieve data, and exploits the versatility of the Grafana dashboard builder to offer a very rich user experience. Additionally, particular attention will be given to the way some technical challenges (like the efficient visualization of a huge amount of data and the integration of the P-BEAST data source in Grafana) have been faced and solved.

In vivo feasibility of real-time monitoring of focused ultrasound surgery (FUS) using harmonic motion imaging (HMI).

PubMed

Maleke, Caroline; Konofagou, Elisa E

2010-01-01

In this study, the Harmonic Motion Imaging for Focused Ultrasound (HMIFU) technique is applied to monitor changes in mechanical properties of tissues during thermal therapy in a transgenic breast cancer mouse model in vivo. An HMIFU system, composed of a 4.5-MHz focused ultrasound (FUS) and a 3.3-MHz phased-array imaging transducer, was mechanically moved to image and ablate the entire tumor. The FUS transducer was driven by an amplitude-modulated (AM) signal at 15 Hz. The acoustic intensity ( I(spta)) was equal to 1050 W/cm(2) at the focus. A digital low-pass filter was used to filter out the spectrum of the FUS beam and its harmonics prior to displacement estimation. The resulting axial displacement was estimated using 1-D cross-correlation on the acquired RF signals. Results from two mice with eight lesions formed in each mouse (16 lesions total) showed that the average peak-to-peak displacement amplitude before and after lesion formation was respectively equal to 17.34 +/- 1.34 microm and 10.98 +/- 1.82 microm ( p < 0.001). Cell death was also confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin histology. HMI displacement can be used to monitor the relative tissue stiffness changes in real time during heating so that the treatment procedure can be performed in a time-efficient manner. The HMIFU system may, therefore, constitute a cost-efficient and reliable alternative for real-time monitoring of thermal ablation.

Direct observation of nucleocytoplasmic transport by microinjection of GFP-tagged proteins in living cells.

PubMed

Rosorius, O; Heger, P; Stelz, G; Hirschmann, N; Hauber, J; Stauber, R H

1999-08-01

We established a straightforward experimental system to investigate directly the requirements for nucleocytoplasmic transport in live cells. For this purpose, substrates were created containing nuclear localization signals (NLS) or nuclear export signals (NES) linked to a chimeric protein composed of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP). The combination of GST/GFP-tagging allowed us to control protein expression in bacteria and to monitor protein purification during chromatography. Following microinjection into somatic cells, nuclear export/import of the highly fluorescent substrates could be observed directly by fluorescence microscopy. This system sets the stage to quantitate, in real time, the kinetics of nuclear import/export in living cells and to evaluate qualitative differences in various NLS/NES signals and pathways.

Biomedical sensing and imaging for the anterior segment of the eye

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, Tae Joong; Yoo, Young-Sik; Lee, Yong-Eun; Kim, Beop-Min; Joo, Choun-Ki

2015-07-01

Eye is an optical system composed briefly of cornea, lens, and retina. Ophthalmologists can diagnose status of patient's eye from information provided by optical sensors or images as well as from history taking or physical examinations. Recently, we developed a prototype of optical coherence tomography (OCT) image guided femtosecond laser cataract surgery system. The system combined a swept-source OCT and a femtosecond (fs) laser and afford the 2D and 3D structure information to increase the efficiency and safety of the cataract procedure. The OCT imaging range was extended to achieve the 3D image from the cornea to lens posterior. A prototype of OCT image guided fs laser cataract surgery system. The surgeons can plan the laser illumination range for the nuclear division and segmentation, and monitor the whole cataract surgery procedure using the real time OCT. The surgery system was demonstrated with an extracted pig eye and in vivo rabbit eye to verify the system performance and stability.

Dosimeter design, construction, and implantation. [for recording HZE cosmic particle tracks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winter, D. L.; Suri, K.; Durso, J. A.; Cota, F. L.; Ashley, W. W.; Binnard, R. M.; Haymaker, W.; Benton, E. V.; Cruty, M. R.; Zeman, W.

1975-01-01

To detect the passage of cosmic ray particles through the heads of the pocket mice during the Apollo XVII flight, a 'monitor' (dosimeter) composed of plastics was prepared and implanted under the scalp. The monitor was mounted on a platform, the undersurface of which fitted the contour of the skull. Numerous tests were run to assure that the presence of the monitor assembly beneath the scalp would be compatible with the well-being of the mice and that the capacity of the monitor to detect the traversal of cosmic ray particles would be preserved over the several weeks during which it would remain under the scalp.

FN-DFE: Fuzzy-Neural Data Fusion Engine for Enhanced State-Awareness of Resilient Hybrid Energy System

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

Ondrej Linda; Dumidu Wijayasekara; Milos Manic

Resiliency and improved state-awareness of modern critical infrastructures, such as energy production and industrial systems, is becoming increasingly important. As control systems become increasingly complex, the number of inputs and outputs increase. Therefore, in order to maintain sufficient levels of state-awareness, a robust system state monitoring must be implemented that correctly identifies system behavior even when one or more sensors are faulty. Furthermore, as intelligent cyber adversaries become more capable, incorrect values may be fed to the operators. To address these needs, this paper proposes a Fuzzy-Neural Data Fusion Engine (FN-DFE) for resilient state-awareness of control systems. The designed FN-DFEmore » is composed of a three-layered system consisting of: 1) traditional threshold based alarms, 2) anomalous behavior detector using self-organizing fuzzy logic system, and 3) artificial neural network based system modeling and prediction. The improved control system state-awareness is achieved via fusing input data from multiple sources and combining them into robust anomaly indicators. In addition, the neural network based signal predictions are used to augment the resiliency of the system and provide coherent state-awareness despite temporary unavailability of sensory data. The proposed system was integrated and tested with a model of the Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) hybrid energy system facility know as HYTEST. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed FN-DFE provides timely plant performance monitoring and anomaly detection capabilities. It was shown that the system is capable of identifying intrusive behavior significantly earlier than conventional threshold based alarm systems.« less

Laser- and Multi-Spectral Monitoring of Natural Objects from UAVs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiterer, Alexander; Frey, Simon; Koch, Barbara; Stemmler, Simon; Weinacker, Holger; Hoffmann, Annemarie; Weiler, Markus; Hergarten, Stefan

2016-04-01

The paper describes the research, development and evaluation of a lightweight sensor system for UAVs. The system is composed of three main components: (1) a laser scanning module, (2) a multi-spectral camera system, and (3) a processing/storage unit. All three components are newly developed. Beside measurement precision and frequency, the low weight has been one of the challenging tasks. The current system has a total weight of about 2.5 kg and is designed as a self-contained unit (incl. storage and battery units). The main features of the system are: laser-based multi-echo 3D measurement by a wavelength of 905 nm (totally eye save), measurement range up to 200 m, measurement frequency of 40 kHz, scanning frequency of 16 Hz, relative distance accuracy of 10 mm. The system is equipped with both GNSS and IMU. Alternatively, a multi-visual-odometry system has been integrated to estimate the trajectory of the UAV by image features (based on this system a calculation of 3D-coordinates without GNSS is possible). The integrated multi-spectral camera system is based on conventional CMOS-image-chips equipped with a special sets of band-pass interference filters with a full width half maximum (FWHM) of 50 nm. Good results for calculating the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the wide dynamic range vegetation index (WDRVI) have been achieved using the band-pass interference filter-set with a FWHM of 50 nm and an exposure times between 5.000 μs and 7.000 μs. The system is currently used for monitoring of natural objects and surfaces, like forest, as well as for geo-risk analysis (landslides). By measuring 3D-geometric and multi-spectral information a reliable monitoring and interpretation of the data-set is possible. The paper gives an overview about the development steps, the system, the evaluation and first results.

Simulation of Greenhouse Climate Monitoring and Control with Wireless Sensor Network and Event-Based Control

PubMed Central

Pawlowski, Andrzej; Guzman, Jose Luis; Rodríguez, Francisco; Berenguel, Manuel; Sánchez, José; Dormido, Sebastián

2009-01-01

Monitoring and control of the greenhouse environment play a decisive role in greenhouse production processes. Assurance of optimal climate conditions has a direct influence on crop growth performance, but it usually increases the required equipment cost. Traditionally, greenhouse installations have required a great effort to connect and distribute all the sensors and data acquisition systems. These installations need many data and power wires to be distributed along the greenhouses, making the system complex and expensive. For this reason, and others such as unavailability of distributed actuators, only individual sensors are usually located in a fixed point that is selected as representative of the overall greenhouse dynamics. On the other hand, the actuation system in greenhouses is usually composed by mechanical devices controlled by relays, being desirable to reduce the number of commutations of the control signals from security and economical point of views. Therefore, and in order to face these drawbacks, this paper describes how the greenhouse climate control can be represented as an event-based system in combination with wireless sensor networks, where low-frequency dynamics variables have to be controlled and control actions are mainly calculated against events produced by external disturbances. The proposed control system allows saving costs related with wear minimization and prolonging the actuator life, but keeping promising performance results. Analysis and conclusions are given by means of simulation results. PMID:22389597

FBG in PVC foils for monitoring the knee joint movement during the rehabilitation process.

PubMed

Rocha, R P; Silva, A F; Carmo, J P; Correia, J H

2011-01-01

This paper presents a sensing electronic-free wearable solution for monitoring the body kinematics. The measuring of the knee movements, flexion and extension, with the corresponding joint acting as the rotation axis is shown as working principle. The proposed sensing system is based on a single optical Fiber-Bragg Grating (FBG) with a resonance wavelength of 1547.76 nm. The optical fiber with the FBG is placed inside a new polymeric foil composed by three flexible layers which facilitates its placement in the anatomic parts under investigation while maintaining full sensing capabilities. The way the device is placed in the specific body part to be measured enables the clear detection of the movements in respect to the joint. The proposed solution was tested using a prototype that was built to evaluate the device under different condition tests and also to assess the system's consistency. The designed and fabricated system demonstrates clear advantages in medical fields like physical therapy applications as optical fiber is not affected by electromagnetic interference nor does the system needs complex and expensive electronic systems and mechanical parts. Another advantage is the possibility to measure, record and evaluate specific mechanical parameters of the limbs' motion. Patients with bone, muscular and joint related health conditions, as well as athletes, are within the most important end-user applications.

Simulation of greenhouse climate monitoring and control with wireless sensor network and event-based control.

PubMed

Pawlowski, Andrzej; Guzman, Jose Luis; Rodríguez, Francisco; Berenguel, Manuel; Sánchez, José; Dormido, Sebastián

2009-01-01

Monitoring and control of the greenhouse environment play a decisive role in greenhouse production processes. Assurance of optimal climate conditions has a direct influence on crop growth performance, but it usually increases the required equipment cost. Traditionally, greenhouse installations have required a great effort to connect and distribute all the sensors and data acquisition systems. These installations need many data and power wires to be distributed along the greenhouses, making the system complex and expensive. For this reason, and others such as unavailability of distributed actuators, only individual sensors are usually located in a fixed point that is selected as representative of the overall greenhouse dynamics. On the other hand, the actuation system in greenhouses is usually composed by mechanical devices controlled by relays, being desirable to reduce the number of commutations of the control signals from security and economical point of views. Therefore, and in order to face these drawbacks, this paper describes how the greenhouse climate control can be represented as an event-based system in combination with wireless sensor networks, where low-frequency dynamics variables have to be controlled and control actions are mainly calculated against events produced by external disturbances. The proposed control system allows saving costs related with wear minimization and prolonging the actuator life, but keeping promising performance results. Analysis and conclusions are given by means of simulation results.

Development and Application of a Wireless Sensor for Space Charge Density Measurement in an Ultra-High-Voltage, Direct-Current Environment

PubMed Central

Xin, Encheng; Ju, Yong; Yuan, Haiwen

2016-01-01

A space charge density wireless measurement system based on the idea of distributed measurement is proposed for collecting and monitoring the space charge density in an ultra-high-voltage direct-current (UHVDC) environment. The proposed system architecture is composed of a number of wireless nodes connected with space charge density sensors and a base station. The space charge density sensor based on atmospheric ion counter method is elaborated and developed, and the ARM microprocessor and Zigbee radio frequency module are applied. The wireless network communication quality and the relationship between energy consumption and transmission distance in the complicated electromagnetic environment is tested. Based on the experimental results, the proposed measurement system demonstrates that it can adapt to the complex electromagnetic environment under the UHVDC transmission lines and can accurately measure the space charge density. PMID:27775627

Tracking bio-hydrogen-mediated production of commodity chemicals from carbon dioxide and renewable electricity.

PubMed

Puig, Sebastià; Ganigué, Ramon; Batlle-Vilanova, Pau; Balaguer, M Dolors; Bañeras, Lluís; Colprim, Jesús

2017-03-01

This study reveals that reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to commodity chemicals can be functionally compartmentalized in bioelectrochemical systems. In the present example, a syntrophic consortium composed by H 2 -producers (Rhodobacter sp.) in the biofilm is combined with carboxidotrophic Clostridium species, mainly found in the bulk liquid. The performance of these H 2 -mediated electricity-driven systems could be tracked by the activity of a biological H 2 sensory protein identified at cathode potentials between -0.2V and -0.3V vs SHE. This seems to point out that such signal is not strain specific, but could be detected in any organism containing hydrogenases. Thus, the findings of this work open the door to the development of a biosensor application or soft sensors for monitoring such systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and Application of a Wireless Sensor for Space Charge Density Measurement in an Ultra-High-Voltage, Direct-Current Environment.

PubMed

Xin, Encheng; Ju, Yong; Yuan, Haiwen

2016-10-20

A space charge density wireless measurement system based on the idea of distributed measurement is proposed for collecting and monitoring the space charge density in an ultra-high-voltage direct-current (UHVDC) environment. The proposed system architecture is composed of a number of wireless nodes connected with space charge density sensors and a base station. The space charge density sensor based on atmospheric ion counter method is elaborated and developed, and the ARM microprocessor and Zigbee radio frequency module are applied. The wireless network communication quality and the relationship between energy consumption and transmission distance in the complicated electromagnetic environment is tested. Based on the experimental results, the proposed measurement system demonstrates that it can adapt to the complex electromagnetic environment under the UHVDC transmission lines and can accurately measure the space charge density.

Measuring relative-story displacement and local inclination angle using multiple position-sensitive detectors.

PubMed

Matsuya, Iwao; Katamura, Ryuta; Sato, Maya; Iba, Miroku; Kondo, Hideaki; Kanekawa, Kiyoshi; Takahashi, Motoichi; Hatada, Tomohiko; Nitta, Yoshihiro; Tanii, Takashi; Shoji, Shuichi; Nishitani, Akira; Ohdomari, Iwao

2010-01-01

We propose a novel sensor system for monitoring the structural health of a building. The system optically measures the relative-story displacement during earthquakes for detecting any deformations of building elements. The sensor unit is composed of three position sensitive detectors (PSDs) and lenses capable of measuring the relative-story displacement precisely, even if the PSD unit was inclined in response to the seismic vibration. For verification, laboratory tests were carried out using an Xθ-stage and a shaking table. The static experiment verified that the sensor could measure the local inclination angle as well as the lateral displacement. The dynamic experiment revealed that the accuracy of the sensor was 150 μm in the relative-displacement measurement and 100 μrad in the inclination angle measurement. These results indicate that the proposed sensor system has sufficient accuracy for the measurement of relative-story displacement in response to the seismic vibration.

Wearable Eating Habit Sensing System Using Internal Body Sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuzo, Masaki; Komori, Shintaro; Takashima, Tomoko; Lopez, Guillaume; Tatsuta, Seiji; Yanagimoto, Shintaro; Warisawa, Shin'ichi; Delaunay, Jean-Jacques; Yamada, Ichiro

Continuous monitoring of eating habits could be useful in preventing lifestyle diseases such as metabolic syndrome. Conventional methods consist of self-reporting and calculating mastication frequency based on the myoelectric potential of the masseter muscle. Both these methods are significant burdens for the user. We developed a non-invasive, wearable sensing system that can record eating habits over a long period of time in daily life. Our sensing system is composed of two bone conduction microphones placed in the ears that send internal body sound data to a portable IC recorder. Applying frequency spectrum analysis on the collected sound data, we could not only count the number of mastications during eating, but also accurately differentiate between eating, drinking, and speaking activities. This information can be used to evaluate the regularity of meals. Moreover, we were able to analyze sound features to classify the types of foods eaten by food texture.

Global Positioning System offers evidence of plate motions in eastern Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burc Oral, M.; Reilinger, Robert E.; Nafi Toksöz, M.; King, Robert W.; Aykut Barka, A.; Kinik, Ibrahim; Lenk, Onur

Geophysicists are using the Global Positioning System (GPS), a highly precise satellite navigation system, to monitor the slow movements (cm/yr) of the crustal plates composing the Earth's surface and the deformations where such plates interact. We report the results of repeated GPS measurements in the complex zone of interaction between the Eurasian, Arabian, and African plates in Turkey. The GPS observations made between 1988 and 1992 indicate that western, central, and east central Turkey are decoupled from the Eurasian plate and are moving as a more or less coherent unit about an axis located north of the Sinai peninsula. Other space-based measurements of crustal motion in Greece and along the Hellenic arc [Smith et al., 1994] suggest that this coherent motion includes southern Greece and the south central Aegean Sea. We refer to this region (shaded in Figure 1) as the Anatolian plate.

A Flexible Sensor Technology for the Distributed Measurement of Interaction Pressure

PubMed Central

Donati, Marco; Vitiello, Nicola; De Rossi, Stefano Marco Maria; Lenzi, Tommaso; Crea, Simona; Persichetti, Alessandro; Giovacchini, Francesco; Koopman, Bram; Podobnik, Janez; Munih, Marko; Carrozza, Maria Chiara

2013-01-01

We present a sensor technology for the measure of the physical human-robot interaction pressure developed in the last years at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. The system is composed of flexible matrices of opto-electronic sensors covered by a soft silicone cover. This sensory system is completely modular and scalable, allowing one to cover areas of any sizes and shapes, and to measure different pressure ranges. In this work we present the main application areas for this technology. A first generation of the system was used to monitor human-robot interaction in upper- (NEUROExos; Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna) and lower-limb (LOPES; University of Twente) exoskeletons for rehabilitation. A second generation, with increased resolution and wireless connection, was used to develop a pressure-sensitive foot insole and an improved human-robot interaction measurement systems. The experimental characterization of the latter system along with its validation on three healthy subjects is presented here for the first time. A perspective on future uses and development of the technology is finally drafted. PMID:23322104

Reconstruction of in-plane strain maps using hybrid dense sensor network composed of sensing skin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downey, Austin; Laflamme, Simon; Ubertini, Filippo

2016-12-01

The authors have recently developed a soft-elastomeric capacitive (SEC)-based thin film sensor for monitoring strain on mesosurfaces. Arranged in a network configuration, the sensing system is analogous to a biological skin, where local strain can be monitored over a global area. Under plane stress conditions, the sensor output contains the additive measurement of the two principal strain components over the monitored surface. In applications where the evaluation of strain maps is useful, in structural health monitoring for instance, such signal must be decomposed into linear strain components along orthogonal directions. Previous work has led to an algorithm that enabled such decomposition by leveraging a dense sensor network configuration with the addition of assumed boundary conditions. Here, we significantly improve the algorithm’s accuracy by leveraging mature off-the-shelf solutions to create a hybrid dense sensor network (HDSN) to improve on the boundary condition assumptions. The system’s boundary conditions are enforced using unidirectional RSGs and assumed virtual sensors. Results from an extensive experimental investigation demonstrate the good performance of the proposed algorithm and its robustness with respect to sensors’ layout. Overall, the proposed algorithm is seen to effectively leverage the advantages of a hybrid dense network for application of the thin film sensor to reconstruct surface strain fields over large surfaces.

Carbon nanotube sensors integrated inside a microfluidic channel for water quality monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu; Li, Xinghui; Dokmeci, Mehmet R.; Wang, Ming L.

2011-04-01

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with their unique electrical properties and large surface area are remarkable materials for detecting low concentration of toxic and hazardous chemicals (both from the gaseous and liquid phases). Ionic adsorbates in water will attach on to SWNTs and drastically alter their electrical properties. Several SWNTs based pH and chemical sensors have been demonstrated. However, most of them require external components to test and analyze the response of SWNTs to ions inside the liquid samples. Here, we report a water quality monitoring sensor composed of SWNTs integrated inside microfluidic channels and on-chip testing components with a wireless transmission board. To detect multiple analytes in water requires the functionalization of SWNTs with different chemistries. In addition, microfluidic channels are used to guide liquid samples to individual nanotube sensors in an efficient manner. Furthermore, the microfluidic system enables sample mixing and separation before testing. To realize the nanosensors, first microelectrodes were fabricated on an oxidized silicon substrate. Next, PDMS micro channels were fabricated and bonded on the substrate. These channels can be incorporated with a microfluidic system which can be designed to manipulate different analytes for specific molecule detection. Low temperature, solution based Dielectrophoretic (DEP) assembly was conducted inside this microfluidic system which successfully bridged SWNTs between the microelectrodes. The SWNTs sensors were next characterized with different pH buffer solutions. The resistance of SWNTs had a linearly increase as the pH values ranged from 5 to 8. The nanosensor incorporated within the microfluidic system is a versatile platform and can be utilized to detect numerous water pollutants, including toxic organics and microorganisms down to low concentrations. On-chip processing and wireless transmission enables the realization of a full autonomous system for real time monitoring of water quality.

Lived experience of blood glucose self-monitoring among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a phenomenological research.

PubMed

Youngwanichsetha, Sununta; Phumdoung, Sasitorn

2017-10-01

To explore and describe lived experience of blood glucose self-monitoring among pregnant Thai women with gestational diabetes mellitus. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is an essential practice among pregnant women with diabetes to prevent complications in pregnancy and the newborn infant. Phenomenological research was employed to understand lived experiences in glycemic control. Thirty participants were approached and interviewed using a semistructured interview guides. Qualitative data were analysed following Colaizzi's method. The findings revealed three themes: being worried about diabetes and blood testing, trying to control it and being patient for the child. Their worry comprised three dimensions: (1) wondering about the impacts of diabetes on the child, (2) concern about maternal health and (3) being worried about doing blood test. Trying to control diabetes was composed of three dimensions: (1) learning to test blood glucose, (2) being afraid of elevated blood sugar and (3) being aware of what to eat. Being patient for the child was composed of three dimensions: (1) overcoming food desires, (2) tolerating the fingerprick pain and (3) satisfaction with the outcomes. Women with gestational diabetes experienced being worried and afraid regarding blood glucose self-monitoring; however, they could overcome and tolerate this with some difficulties. These findings can be used to guide nursing practice in assessment of perception and response towards blood glucose self-monitoring in order to improve achievement of a good glycaemic control among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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

Zenoni, Aldo; INFN Sezione di Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia,

Cosmic ray radiation is mostly composed, at sea level, by high energy muons, which are highly penetrating particles capable of crossing kilometers of rock. The ubiquitous and steady presence at the Earth's surface and the high penetration capability have motivated the use of cosmic ray radiation also in fields beyond particle physics, from geology, archaeology, speleology to industrial applications and homeland security. In particular, in recent years, the novel technique of muon tomography has been proposed, with the aim of performing non invasive inspection of large non accessible volumes, material atomic number Z and density discrimination, and three dimension imagemore » reconstruction of the inspected volume. In the present paper, after a short recall of the physical principles and mathematical formalism on which muon tomography is based, a number of examples of application of the novel technique in industry and homeland security issues is given. Moreover, a new application of cosmic rays detection techniques in the field of civil engineering is proposed. The aim is the monitoring of the stability of large structures, in particular the static monitoring of historical buildings, where conservation constraints are more severe and the time evolution of the deformation phenomena under study may be of the order of months or years. The new technique may be seen, in some way, as the reverse problem of muon tomography. As a significant case study, the monitoring of the wooden vaulted roof of the Palazzo della Loggia in the town of Brescia, in Italy, has been considered. The feasibility as well as the performances and limitations of a monitoring system based on cosmic ray tracking have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation and discussed in comparison with more traditional monitoring systems. (authors)« less

Paper spray mass spectrometry applied in the monitoring of a chemical system in dynamic chemical equilibrium: the redox process of methylene blue.

PubMed

de Paula, Camila Cristina Almeida; Valadares, Alberto; Jurisch, Marina; Piccin, Evandro; Augusti, Rodinei

2016-05-15

The monitoring of chemical systems in dynamic equilibrium is not an easy task. This is due to the high rate at which the system returns to equilibrium after being perturbed, which hampers the possibility of following the aftereffects of the disturbance. In this context, it is necessary to use a fast analytical technique that requires no (or minimal) sample preparation, and which is capable of monitoring the species constituting the system in equilibrium. Paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PS-MS), a recently introduced ambient ionization technique, has such characteristics and hence was chosen for monitoring a model system: the redox process of methylene blue. The model system evaluated herein was composed of three cationic species of methylene blue (MB), which coexist in a dynamic redox system: (1) [MB](+) of m/z 284 (cationic MB); (2) [MB + H + e](+•) of m/z 285 (the protonated form of a transient species resulting from the reduction of [MB](+) ); (3) [MB + 2H + 2e](+) or [leuco-MB + H](+) of m/z 286 (the protonated leuco form of MB). Aliquots of a MB solution were collected before and after the addition of a reducing agent (metallic zinc) and directly analyzed by PS-MS for identification of the predominant cationic species at different conditions. The mass spectra revealed that before the addition of the reducing agent the ion of m/z 284 (cationic MB) is the unique species. Upon the addition of the reducing agent and acid, however, the solution continuously undergo discoloration while reduced species derived directly from cationic MB (m/z 285 and 286) are detected in the mass spectra with increasing intensities. Fragmentation patterns obtained for each ionic species, i.e. [MB](+) , [MB + H + e](+•) and [leuco-MB + H](+) , shown to be consistent with the proposed structures. The PS-MS technique proved to be suitable for an in situ and 'near' real-time analysis of the dynamic equilibrium involving the redox of MB in aqueous medium. The data clearly demonstrated how the redox equilibrium shifts depending on the disturbance caused to the system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of Wearable Sheet-Type Shear Force Sensor and Measurement System that is Insusceptible to Temperature and Pressure.

PubMed

Toyama, Shigeru; Tanaka, Yasuhiro; Shirogane, Satoshi; Nakamura, Takashi; Umino, Tokio; Uehara, Ryo; Okamoto, Takuma; Igarashi, Hiroshi

2017-07-31

A sheet-type shear force sensor and a measurement system for the sensor were developed. The sensor has an original structure where a liquid electrolyte is filled in a space composed of two electrode-patterned polymer films and an elastic rubber ring. When a shear force is applied on the surface of the sensor, the two electrode-patterned films mutually move so that the distance between the internal electrodes of the sensor changes, resulting in current increase or decrease between the electrodes. Therefore, the shear force can be calculated by monitoring the current between the electrodes. Moreover, it is possible to measure two-dimensional shear force given that the sensor has multiple electrodes. The diameter and thickness of the sensor head were 10 mm and 0.7 mm, respectively. Additionally, we also developed a measurement system that drives the sensor, corrects the baseline of the raw sensor output, displays data, and stores data as a computer file. Though the raw sensor output was considerably affected by the surrounding temperature, the influence of temperature was drastically decreased by introducing a simple arithmetical calculation. Moreover, the influence of pressure simultaneously decreased after the same calculation process. A demonstrative measurement using the sensor revealed the practical usefulness for on-site monitoring.

An Nd3+-sensitized upconversion nanophosphor modified with a cyanine dye for the ratiometric upconversion luminescence bioimaging of hypochlorite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Xianmei; Liu, Yi; Zhu, Xingjun; Chen, Min; Yao, Liming; Feng, Wei; Li, Fuyou

2015-02-01

Excessive or misplaced production of ClO- in living systems is usually associated with many human diseases. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop an effective and sensitive method to detect ClO- in living systems. Herein, we designed an 808 nm excited upconversion luminescence nanosystem, composed of the Nd3+-sensitized core-shell upconversion nanophosphor NaYF4:30%Yb,1%Nd,0.5%Er@NaYF4:20%Nd, which serves as an energy donor, and the ClO--responsive cyanine dye hCy3, which acts as an energy acceptor, for ratiometric upconversion luminescence (UCL) monitoring of ClO-. The detection limit of ClO- for this nanoprobe in aqueous solution is 27 ppb and the nanoprobe was successfully used to detect the ClO- in the living cells by ratiometric upconversion luminescence. Importantly, the nanoprobe realized the detection of ClO- in a mouse model of arthritis, which produced an excess of ROS, under 808 nm irradiation in vivo. The excitation laser efficiently reduced the heating effect, compared to the commonly used 980 nm laser for upconversion systems.Excessive or misplaced production of ClO- in living systems is usually associated with many human diseases. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop an effective and sensitive method to detect ClO- in living systems. Herein, we designed an 808 nm excited upconversion luminescence nanosystem, composed of the Nd3+-sensitized core-shell upconversion nanophosphor NaYF4:30%Yb,1%Nd,0.5%Er@NaYF4:20%Nd, which serves as an energy donor, and the ClO--responsive cyanine dye hCy3, which acts as an energy acceptor, for ratiometric upconversion luminescence (UCL) monitoring of ClO-. The detection limit of ClO- for this nanoprobe in aqueous solution is 27 ppb and the nanoprobe was successfully used to detect the ClO- in the living cells by ratiometric upconversion luminescence. Importantly, the nanoprobe realized the detection of ClO- in a mouse model of arthritis, which produced an excess of ROS, under 808 nm irradiation in vivo. The excitation laser efficiently reduced the heating effect, compared to the commonly used 980 nm laser for upconversion systems. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06407k

Application of optoelectronic sensors for precise, automatic monitoring of vibration, tilt, and deformation of building subjected to static and dynamic effects of the environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bochenek, Wojciech; Passia, Henryk; Szade, Adam

2003-09-01

A measuring system composed of optoelectronic and electronic sensors was constructed. These are: laser tilt sensor (CMI- developed), acceleration sensor, and the one to measure the propagation fissures. They are characterized by high precision of measurement, combined with automatic, multichannel data acquisition. These assemblies of sensors are installed in the buildings and industrial structures such as: churches, hospitals, chimneys, bridges, towers, apartment buildings for which particular protection is needed because of adverse impacts of environmental agents such as mining, water and climatic conditions. The paper presents examples of application, illustrated by the most interesting results of measurements.

The usefulness of Wi-Fi based digital chest drainage system in the post-operative care of pneumothorax

PubMed Central

Cho, Hyun Min; Hong, Yoon Joo; Byun, Chun Sung

2016-01-01

Background Chest drainage systems are usually composed of chest tube and underwater-seal bottle. But this conventional system may restrict patients doing exercise and give clinicians obscure data about when to remove tubes because there is no objective indicator. Recently developed digital chest drainage systems may facilitate interpretation of the grade of air leak and make it easy for clinicians to decide when to remove chest tubes. In addition, with combination of wireless internet devices, monitoring and managing of drainage system distant from the patient is possible. Methods Sixty patients of primary pneumothorax were included in a prospective randomized study and divided into two groups. Group I (study) consisted of digital chest drainage system while in group II (control), conventional underwater-seal chest bottle system was used. Data was collected from January, 2012 to September, 2013 in Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea. Results There was no difference in age, sex, smoking history and postoperative pain between two groups. But the average length of drainage was 2.2 days in group I and 3.1 days in group II (P<0.006). And more, about 90% of the patients in group I was satisfied with using new device for convenience. Conclusions Digital system was beneficial on reducing the length of tube drainage by real time monitoring. It also had advantage in portability, loudness and gave more satisfaction than conventional system. Moreover, internet based digital drainage system will be a good method in thoracic telemedicine area in the near future. PMID:27076934

Vectorial method used to monitor an evolving system: Titanium oxide thin films under UV illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béchu, Solène; Humbert, Bernard; Fernandez, Vincent; Fairley, Neal; Richard-Plouet, Mireille

2018-07-01

Under in situ UV illumination, some materials present evolution of their opto-electronic properties that can be monitored by spectroscopy. We present here a mathematical method which can be applied to spectroscopic measurements when an evolving set of data is recorded: the vectorial method. The investigations and quantifications are performed by Infrared spectroscopy and XPS on organic-inorganic thin films prepared by sol-gel. The inorganic part of these hybrid thin films contains Ti oxide-network based whereas the organic part is composed of N,N-dimethylformamide and its hydrolysis products. Under UV illumination, those films exhibit intermediate bandgap behavior due to the photoreduction of Ti(IV) in Ti(III). The role of the solvent in the thin film is underlined during the process of photoreduction together with an understanding of the condensation of the Ti oxide-based network, as these evolutions are critical for the opto-electronic properties of those thin films.

Detection of stress corrosion cracking and general corrosion of mild steel in simulated defense nuclear waste solutions using electrochemical noise analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edgemon, G. L.; Danielson, M. J.; Bell, G. E. C.

1997-06-01

Underground waste tanks fabricated from mild steel store more than 253 million liters of high level radioactive waste from 50 years of weapons production at the Hanford Site. The probable modes of corrosion failures are reported as nitrate stress corrosion cracking and pitting. In an effort to develop a waste tank corrosion monitoring system, laboratory tests were conducted to characterize electrochemical noise data for both uniform and localized corrosion of mild steel and other materials in simulated waste environments. The simulated waste solutions were primarily composed of ammonium nitrate or sodium nitrate and were held at approximately 97°C. The electrochemical noise of freely corroding specimens was monitored, recorded and analyzed for periods ranging between 10 and 500 h. At the end of each test period, the specimens were examined to correlate electrochemical noise data with corrosion damage. Data characteristic of uniform corrosion and stress corrosion cracking are presented.

An innovative design for cardiopulmonary resuscitation manikins based on a human-like thorax and embedded flow sensors.

PubMed

Thielen, Mark; Joshi, Rohan; Delbressine, Frank; Bambang Oetomo, Sidarto; Feijs, Loe

2017-03-01

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation manikins are used for training personnel in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. State-of-the-art cardiopulmonary resuscitation manikins are still anatomically and physiologically low-fidelity designs. The aim of this research was to design a manikin that offers high anatomical and physiological fidelity and has a cardiac and respiratory system along with integrated flow sensors to monitor cardiac output and air displacement in response to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This manikin was designed in accordance with anatomical dimensions using a polyoxymethylene rib cage connected to a vertebral column from an anatomical female model. The respiratory system was composed of silicon-coated memory foam mimicking lungs, a polyvinylchloride bronchus and a latex trachea. The cardiovascular system was composed of two sets of latex tubing representing the pulmonary and aortic arteries which were connected to latex balloons mimicking the ventricles and lumped abdominal volumes, respectively. These balloons were filled with Life/form simulation blood and placed inside polyether foam. The respiratory and cardiovascular systems were equipped with flow sensors to gather data in response to chest compressions. Three non-medical professionals performed chest compressions on this manikin yielding data corresponding to force-displacement while the flow sensors provided feedback. The force-displacement tests on this manikin show a desirable nonlinear behaviour mimicking chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in humans. In addition, the flow sensors provide valuable data on the internal effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In conclusion, scientifically designed and anatomically high-fidelity designs of cardiopulmonary resuscitation manikins that embed flow sensors can improve physiological fidelity and provide useful feedback data.

Calibration Method for IATS and Application in Multi-Target Monitoring Using Coded Targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yueyin; Wagner, Andreas; Wunderlich, Thomas; Wasmeier, Peter

2017-06-01

The technique of Image Assisted Total Stations (IATS) has been studied for over ten years and is composed of two major parts: one is the calibration procedure which combines the relationship between the camera system and the theodolite system; the other is the automatic target detection on the image by various methods of photogrammetry or computer vision. Several calibration methods have been developed, mostly using prototypes with an add-on camera rigidly mounted on the total station. However, these prototypes are not commercially available. This paper proposes a calibration method based on Leica MS50 which has two built-in cameras each with a resolution of 2560 × 1920 px: an overview camera and a telescope (on-axis) camera. Our work in this paper is based on the on-axis camera which uses the 30-times magnification of the telescope. The calibration consists of 7 parameters to estimate. We use coded targets, which are common tools in photogrammetry for orientation, to detect different targets in IATS images instead of prisms and traditional ATR functions. We test and verify the efficiency and stability of this monitoring method with multi-target.

Wireless Hydrogen Smart Sensor Based on Pt/Graphene-Immobilized Radio-Frequency Identification Tag.

PubMed

Lee, Jun Seop; Oh, Jungkyun; Jun, Jaemoon; Jang, Jyongsik

2015-08-25

Hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel, is of key importance to various industrial applications, including fuel cells and the aerospace and automotive industries. However, hydrogen gas is odorless, colorless, and highly flammable; thus, appropriate safety protocol implementation and monitoring are essential. Highly sensitive hydrogen-gas leak detection and surveillance systems are needed; additionally, the ability to monitor large areas (e.g., cities) via wireless networks is becoming increasingly important. In this report, we introduce a radio frequency identification (RFID)-based wireless smart-sensor system, composed of a Pt-decorated reduced graphene oxide (Pt_rGO)-immobilized RFID sensor tag and an RFID-reader antenna-connected network analyzer to detect hydrogen gas. The Pt_rGOs, produced using a simple chemical reduction process, were immobilized on an antenna pattern in the sensor tag through spin coating. The resulting Pt_rGO-based RFID sensor tag exhibited a high sensitivity to hydrogen gas at unprecedentedly low concentrations (1 ppm), with wireless communication between the sensor tag and RFID-reader antenna. The wireless sensor tag demonstrated flexibility and a long lifetime due to the strong immobilization of Pt_rGOs on the substrate and battery-independent operation during hydrogen sensing, respectively.

Assessment of microcirculation dynamics during cutaneous wound healing phases in vivo using optical microangiography

PubMed Central

Yousefi, Siavash; Qin, Jia; Dziennis, Suzan; Wang, Ruikang K.

2014-01-01

Abstract. Cutaneous wound healing consists of multiple overlapping phases starting with blood coagulation following incision of blood vessels. We utilized label-free optical coherence tomography and optical microangiography (OMAG) to noninvasively monitor healing process and dynamics of microcirculation system in a mouse ear pinna wound model. Mouse ear pinna is composed of two layers of skin separated by a layer of cartilage and because its total thickness is around 500 μm, it can be utilized as an ideal model for optical imaging techniques. These skin layers are identical to human skin structure except for sweat ducts and glands. Microcirculatory system responds to the wound injury by recruiting collateral vessels to supply blood flow to hypoxic region. During the inflammatory phase, lymphatic vessels play an important role in the immune response of the tissue and clearing waste from interstitial fluid. In the final phase of wound healing, tissue maturation, and remodeling, the wound area is fully closed while blood vessels mature to support the tissue cells. We show that using OMAG technology allows noninvasive and label-free monitoring and imaging each phase of wound healing that can be used to replace invasive tissue sample histology and immunochemistry technologies. PMID:25036212

Operating Systems for Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey

PubMed Central

Farooq, Muhammad Omer; Kunz, Thomas

2011-01-01

This paper presents a survey on the current state-of-the-art in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Operating Systems (OSs). In recent years, WSNs have received tremendous attention in the research community, with applications in battlefields, industrial process monitoring, home automation, and environmental monitoring, to name but a few. A WSN is a highly dynamic network because nodes die due to severe environmental conditions and battery power depletion. Furthermore, a WSN is composed of miniaturized motes equipped with scarce resources e.g., limited memory and computational abilities. WSNs invariably operate in an unattended mode and in many scenarios it is impossible to replace sensor motes after deployment, therefore a fundamental objective is to optimize the sensor motes’ life time. These characteristics of WSNs impose additional challenges on OS design for WSN, and consequently, OS design for WSN deviates from traditional OS design. The purpose of this survey is to highlight major concerns pertaining to OS design in WSNs and to point out strengths and weaknesses of contemporary OSs for WSNs, keeping in mind the requirements of emerging WSN applications. The state-of-the-art in operating systems for WSNs has been examined in terms of the OS Architecture, Programming Model, Scheduling, Memory Management and Protection, Communication Protocols, Resource Sharing, Support for Real-Time Applications, and additional features. These features are surveyed for both real-time and non-real-time WSN operating systems. PMID:22163934

An inductive narrow-pulse RFID telemetry system for gastric slow waves monitoring.

PubMed

Javan-Khoskholgh, Amir; Abukhalaf, Zaid; Ji Li; Miller, Larry S; Kiani, Mehdi; Farajidavar, Aydin

2016-08-01

We present a passive data telemetry system for real-time monitoring of gastric electrical activity of a living subject. The system is composed of three subsystems: an implantable unit (IU), a wearable unit (WU), and a stationary unit (SU). Data communication between the IU and WU is based on a radio-frequency identification (RFID) link operating at 13.56 MHz. Since wireless power transmission and reverse data telemetry system share the same inductive interface, a load shift keying (LSK)-based differential pulse position (DPP) coding data communication with only 6.25% duty cycle is developed to guarantee consistent wireless downlink power transmission and uplink high data transfer rate, simultaneously. The clock and data are encoded into one signal by an MSP430 microcontroller (MCU) at the IU side. This signal is sent to the WU through the inductive link, where decoded by an MSP432 MCU. Finally, the retrieved data at the WU are transmitted to the SU connected to a PC via a 2.4 GHz transceiver for real-time display and analysis. The results of the measurements on the implemented test bench, demonstrate IU-WU 125 kb/s and WU-SU 2 Mb/s data transmission rate with no observed mismatch, while the data stream was randomly generated, and matching between the transmitted data by the IU and received by the SU verified by a custom-made automated software.

Operating systems for wireless sensor networks: a survey.

PubMed

Farooq, Muhammad Omer; Kunz, Thomas

2011-01-01

This paper presents a survey on the current state-of-the-art in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Operating Systems (OSs). In recent years, WSNs have received tremendous attention in the research community, with applications in battlefields, industrial process monitoring, home automation, and environmental monitoring, to name but a few. A WSN is a highly dynamic network because nodes die due to severe environmental conditions and battery power depletion. Furthermore, a WSN is composed of miniaturized motes equipped with scarce resources e.g., limited memory and computational abilities. WSNs invariably operate in an unattended mode and in many scenarios it is impossible to replace sensor motes after deployment, therefore a fundamental objective is to optimize the sensor motes' life time. These characteristics of WSNs impose additional challenges on OS design for WSN, and consequently, OS design for WSN deviates from traditional OS design. The purpose of this survey is to highlight major concerns pertaining to OS design in WSNs and to point out strengths and weaknesses of contemporary OSs for WSNs, keeping in mind the requirements of emerging WSN applications. The state-of-the-art in operating systems for WSNs has been examined in terms of the OS Architecture, Programming Model, Scheduling, Memory Management and Protection, Communication Protocols, Resource Sharing, Support for Real-Time Applications, and additional features. These features are surveyed for both real-time and non-real-time WSN operating systems.

Lung cell fiber evanescent wave spectroscopic biosensing of inhalation health hazards.

PubMed

Riley, Mark R; Lucas, Pierre; Le Coq, David; Juncker, Christophe; Boesewetter, Dianne E; Collier, Jayne L; DeRosa, Diana M; Katterman, Matthew E; Boussard-Plédel, Catherine; Bureau, Bruno

2006-11-05

Health risks associated with the inhalation of biological materials have been a topic of great concern; however, there are no rapid and automatable methods available to evaluate the potential health impact of inhaled materials. Here we describe a novel approach to evaluate the potential toxic effects of materials evaluated through cell-based spectroscopic analysis. Anchorage-dependent cells are grown on the surface of optical fibers transparent to infrared light. The probe system is composed of a single chalcogenide fiber (composed of Te, As, and Se) acting as both the sensor and transmission line for infrared optical signals. The cells are exposed to potential toxins and alterations of cellular composition are monitored through their impact on cellular spectral features. The signal is collected via evanescent wave absorption along the tapered sensing zone of the fiber through spectral changes between 3,000 and 600 cm(-1) (3,333-16,666 nm). Cell physiology, composition, and function are non-invasively tracked through monitoring infrared light absorption by the cell layer. This approach is demonstrated with an immortalized lung cell culture (A549, human lung carcinoma epithelia) in response to a variety of inhalation hazards including gliotoxin (a fungal metabolite), etoposide (a genotoxin), and methyl methansesulfonate (MMS, an alkylating agent). Gliotoxin impacts cell metabolism, etoposide impacts nucleic acids and the cell cycle, and MMS impacts nucleic acids and induces an immune response. This spectroscopic method is sensitive, non-invasive, and provides information on a wide range of cellular damage and response mechanisms and could prove useful for cell response screening of pharmaceuticals or for toxicological evaluations. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Managing operational documentation in the ALICE Detector Control System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lechman, M.; Augustinus, A.; Bond, P.; Chochula, P.; Kurepin, A.; Pinazza, O.; Rosinsky, P.

2012-12-01

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is one of the big LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiments at CERN in Geneve, Switzerland. The experiment is composed of 18 sub-detectors controlled by an integrated Detector Control System (DCS) that is implemented using the commercial SCADA package PVSSII. The DCS includes over 1200 network devices, over 1,000,000 monitored parameters and numerous custom made software components that are prepared by over 100 developers from all around the world. This complex system is controlled by a single operator via a central user interface. One of his/her main tasks is the recovery of anomalies and errors that may occur during operation. Therefore, clear, complete and easily accessible documentation is essential to guide the shifter through the expert interfaces of different subsystems. This paper describes the idea of the management of the operational documentation in ALICE using a generic repository that is built on a relational database and is integrated with the control system. The experience gained and the conclusions drawn from the project are also presented.

The Payload Advisory Panel and the Data and Information System Advisory Panel of the Investigators Working Group of the Earth Observing System: A joint report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Berrien, III; Dozier, Jeff; Barron, Eric J.; Batista, Getulio; Brewer, Peter; Grose, William; Harris, Graham; Hartmann, Dennis; Lau, William; Lemarshall, John

1993-01-01

The Payload Advisory Panel of the Investigators Working Group (IWG) for the Earth Observing System (EOS) met 4 to 6 October 1993 in Herndon, Virginia. The Panel, originally composed of the Interdisciplinary Science Principal Investigators, was expanded to include all Principal Investigators and as such is now the IWG itself. The meeting also addressed directly a report from the EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Advisory Panel. The meeting focused on payload issues in the years 2000 to 2005; however, some subjects in the nearer-term, most significantly EOSDIS, were considered. The overarching theme of convergence in Earth observations set a backdrop for the entire meeting. Other themes included: atmospheric chemistry; remote sensing of the global cycles of energy, water, and carbon in EOS; ocean and land-ice altimetry; and the EOSDIS. The Totol Solar Irradiance Monitoring Report and results from the Accelerated Canopy Chemistry Program are included as appendices.

Pc-based car license plate reading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanabe, Katsuyoshi; Marubayashi, Eisaku; Kawashima, Harumi; Nakanishi, Tadashi; Shio, Akio

1994-03-01

A PC-based car license plate recognition system has been developed. The system recognizes Chinese characters and Japanese phonetic hiragana characters as well as six digits on Japanese license plates. The system consists of a CCD camera, vehicle sensors, a strobe unit, a monitoring center, and an i486-based PC. The PC includes in its extension slots: a vehicle detector board, a strobe emitter board, and an image grabber board. When a passing vehicle is detected by the vehicle sensors, the strobe emits a pulse of light. The light pulse is synchronized with the time the vehicle image is frozen on an image grabber board. The recognition process is composed of three steps: image thresholding, character region extraction, and matching-based character recognition. The recognition software can handle obscured characters. Experimental results for hundreds of outdoor images showed high recognition performance within relatively short performance times. The results confirmed that the system is applicable to a wide variety of applications such as automatic vehicle identification and travel time measurement.

Assessing cellulolysis in passive treatment systems for mine drainage: a modified enzyme assay.

PubMed

McDonald, Corina M; Gould, W Douglas; Lindsay, Matthew B J; Blowes, David W; Ptacek, Carol J; Condon, Peter D

2013-01-01

A modified cellulase enzyme assay was developed to monitor organic matter degradation in passive treatment systems for mine drainage. This fluorogenic substrate method facilitates assessment of exo-(1,4)-β-D-glucanase, endo-(1,4)-β-D-glucanase, and β-glucosidase, which compose an important cellulase enzyme system. The modified method was developed and refined using samples of organic carbon-amended mine tailings from field experiments where sulfate reduction was induced as a strategy for managing water quality. Sample masses (3 g) and the number of replicates ( ≥ 3) were optimized. Matrix interferences within these metal-rich samples were found to be insignificant. Application of this modified cellulase assay method provided insight into the availability and degradation of organic carbon within the amended tailings. Results of this study indicate that cellulase enzyme assays can be applied to passive treatment systems for mine drainage, which commonly contain elevated concentrations of metals. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Monitoring of seismic time-series with advanced parallel computational tools and complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kechaidou, M.; Sirakoulis, G. Ch.; Scordilis, E. M.

2012-04-01

Earthquakes have been in the focus of human and research interest for several centuries due to their catastrophic effect to the everyday life as they occur almost all over the world demonstrating a hard to be modelled unpredictable behaviour. On the other hand, their monitoring with more or less technological updated instruments has been almost continuous and thanks to this fact several mathematical models have been presented and proposed so far to describe possible connections and patterns found in the resulting seismological time-series. Especially, in Greece, one of the most seismically active territories on earth, detailed instrumental seismological data are available from the beginning of the past century providing the researchers with valuable and differential knowledge about the seismicity levels all over the country. Considering available powerful parallel computational tools, such as Cellular Automata, these data can be further successfully analysed and, most important, modelled to provide possible connections between different parameters of the under study seismic time-series. More specifically, Cellular Automata have been proven very effective to compose and model nonlinear complex systems resulting in the advancement of several corresponding models as possible analogues of earthquake fault dynamics. In this work preliminary results of modelling of the seismic time-series with the help of Cellular Automata so as to compose and develop the corresponding complex networks are presented. The proposed methodology will be able to reveal under condition hidden relations as found in the examined time-series and to distinguish the intrinsic time-series characteristics in an effort to transform the examined time-series to complex networks and graphically represent their evolvement in the time-space. Consequently, based on the presented results, the proposed model will eventually serve as a possible efficient flexible computational tool to provide a generic understanding of the possible triggering mechanisms as arrived from the adequately monitoring and modelling of the regional earthquake phenomena.

SeeStar: an open-source, low-cost imaging system for subsea observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazenave, F.; Kecy, C. D.; Haddock, S.

2016-02-01

Scientists and engineers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have collaborated to develop SeeStar, a modular, light weight, self-contained, low-cost subsea imaging system for short- to long-term monitoring of marine ecosystems. SeeStar is composed of separate camera, battery, and LED lighting modules. Two versions of the system exist: one rated to 300 meters depth, the other rated to 1500 meters. Users can download plans and instructions from an online repository and build the system using low-cost off-the-shelf components. The system utilizes an easily programmable Arduino based controller, and the widely distributed GoPro camera. The system can be deployed in a variety of scenarios taking still images and video and can be operated either autonomously or tethered on a range of platforms, including ROVs, AUVs, landers, piers, and moorings. Several Seestar systems have been built and used for scientific studies and engineering tests. The long-term goal of this project is to have a widely distributed marine imaging network across thousands of locations, to develop baselines of biological information.

An experimental system for coiled tubing partial underbalanced drilling (CT-PUBD) technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, H. Z.; Ji, Z. S.; Zhao, H. Q.; Chen, Z. L.; Zhang, H. Z.

2018-05-01

To improve the rate of penetration (ROP) in hard formations, a new high-speed drilling technique called Coiled Tubing Partial Underbalanced Drilling (CT-PUBD) is proposed. This method uses a rotary packer to realize an underbalanced condition near the bit by creating a micro-annulus and an overbalanced condition at the main part of the annulus. A new full-scale laboratory experimental system is designed and set up to study the hydraulic characteristics and drilling performance of this method. The system is composed of a drilling system, circulation system, and monitor system, including three key devices, namely, cuttings discharge device, rotary packer, and backflow device. The experimental results showed that the pressure loss increased linearly with the flow rate of the drilling fluid. The high drilling speed of CT-PUBD proved it a better drilling method than the conventional drilling. The experimental system may provide a fundamental basis for the research of CT-PUBD, and the results proved that this new method is feasible in enhancing ROP and guaranteeing the drilling safety.

Feasibility of a novel mHealth management system to capture and improve medication adherence among adolescents with asthma.

PubMed

Cushing, Anna; Manice, Melissa P; Ting, Andrew; Parides, Michael K

2016-01-01

Currently, 7.1 million children in the United States have asthma. Nonadherence to daily controller asthma medication is common, leading to more severe symptoms, overuse of rescue medication, and increased hospitalizations. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel mHealth management system composed of a sensored device, which is connected to mobile phone app that is designed to monitor and improve asthma medication adherence. The asthma management system was designed using well-established behavioral theory. Seven adolescents aged 11-18 years were enrolled and given an adherence sensor, and four of those also received a mobile phone app with game features and reminders. Five patients completed the study, and one was lost to follow-up in each group. Mobile app users and their parents participated in focus groups to assess patient preferences. Feasibility was assessed by the ability of sensors to capture real-time medication data. Acceptability was assessed by patient questionnaire and focus group analysis. Successful upload of real-time data from six of seven inhaler sensors to the HIPAA-compliant server demonstrates the feasibility of at-home patient monitoring using the sensor device. All three mobile app users who completed the study reported interest in continued use of the management system and would recommend the app to friends. Unstructured interviews and focus groups revealed that patients felt that the intervention helped their sense of asthma control. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the sensor device to remotely monitor real-time medication usage, and user feedback demonstrates the acceptability of the intervention for patient use. The findings provide guidance for the improvement of study design and technology development. Further research is needed to assess the efficacy of the intervention.

SIAM-SERVIR: An Environmental Monitoring and Decision Support System for Mesoamerica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irwin, D. E.; Sever, T. L.; Graves, S.; Hardin, Dan

2004-01-01

In 2002/2003 NASA, the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) to develop an advanced decision support system for Mesoamerica (named SERVIR) as part of the Mesoamerican Environmental Information System (SIAM). Mesoamerica, composed of the seven Central American countries and the five southernmost states of Mexico, make up only a small fraction of the world's land surface. However, the region is home to seven to eight percent of the planet's biodiversity (14 biosphere reserves, 31 Ramsar sites, 8 world heritage sites, 589 protected areas) and 45 million people including more than 50 different ethnic groups. Today Mesoamerica's biological and cultural diversity is severely threatened by extensive deforestation, illegal logging, water pollution, and uncontrolled slash and burn agriculture. Additionally, Mesoamerica's distinct geology and geography result in disproportionate vulnerability to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, and volcanic eruptions. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, together with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the SIAM-SERVIR partners are developing state-of-the-art decision support tools for environmental monitoring as well as disaster prevention and mitigation in Mesoamerica. These partners are contributing expertise in space-based observation with information management technologies and intimate knowledge of local ecosystems to create a system that is being used by scientists, educators, and policy makers to monitor and forecast ecological changes, respond to natural disasters and better understand both natural and human induced effects. In its first year of development and operation, the SIAM-SERVIR project has already yielded valuable information on Central American fires, weather conditions, and the first ever real-time data on red tides. This paper presents the progress thus far in the development of SIAM-SERVIR and the plans for the future.

Automatic monitoring of ecosystem structure and functions using integrated low-cost near surface sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.; Ryu, Y.; Jiang, C.; Hwang, Y.

2016-12-01

Near surface sensors are able to acquire more reliable and detailed information with higher temporal resolution than satellite observations. Conventional near surface sensors usually work individually, and thus they require considerable manpower from data collection through information extraction and sharing. Recent advances of Internet of Things (IoT) provides unprecedented opportunities to integrate various low-cost sensors as an intelligent near surface observation system for monitoring ecosystem structure and functions. In this study, we developed a Smart Surface Sensing System (4S), which can automatically collect, transfer, process and analyze data, and then publish time series results on public-available website. The system is composed of micro-computer Raspberry pi, micro-controller Arduino, multi-spectral spectrometers made from Light Emitting Diode (LED), visible and near infrared cameras, and Internet module. All components are connected with each other and Raspberry pi intelligently controls the automatic data production chain. We did intensive tests and calibrations in-lab. Then, we conducted in-situ observations at a rice paddy field and a deciduous broadleaf forest. During the whole growth season, 4S obtained landscape images, spectral reflectance in red, green, blue, and near infrared, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR), and leaf area index (LAI) continuously. Also We compared 4S data with other independent measurements. NDVI obtained from 4S agreed well with Jaz hyperspectrometer at both diurnal and seasonal scales (R2 = 0.92, RMSE = 0.059), and 4S derived fPAR and LAI were comparable to LAI-2200 and destructive measurements in both magnitude and seasonal trajectory. We believe that the integrated low-cost near surface sensor could help research community monitoring ecosystem structure and functions closer and easier through a network system.

Spaceflight Microbiology: Benefits for Long Duration Spaceflight and Our Understanding of Microorganisms on Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ott, C. Mark

2014-01-01

Spaceflight microbiology is composed of both operational and experimental components that complement each other in our understanding of microbial interactions and their responses in the microgravity of spaceflight. Operationally, efforts to mitigate microbiological risk to the crew and the spacecraft have historically focused on minimizing the number of detectable organisms, relying heavily on preventative measures, including appropriate vehicle design, crew quarantine prior to flight, and stringent microbial monitoring. Preflight monitoring targets have included the astronauts, spaceflight foods, potable water systems, the vehicle air and surfaces, and the cargo carried aboard the spacecraft. This approach has been very successful for earlier missions; however, the construction and long-term habitation of the International Space Station (ISS) has created the need for additional inflight monitoring of the environment and potable water systems using hardware designed for both in-flight microbial enumeration and sample collection and return to Earth. In addition to operational activities, the ISS is providing a research platform to advance our understanding of microbiomes in the built environment. Adding to the research possibilities of this system are multiple reports of unique changes in microbial gene expression and phenotypic responses, including virulence and biofilm formation, in response to spaceflight culture. The tremendous potential of the ISS research platform led the National Research Council to recommend that NASA utilize the ISS as a microbial observatory. Collectively, the findings from operational and research activities on the ISS are expected to both enable future space exploration and translate to basic and applied research on Earth.

Development of real time monitor system displaying seismic waveform data observed at seafloor seismic network, DONET, for disaster management information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horikawa, H.; Takaesu, M.; Sueki, K.; Takahashi, N.; Sonoda, A.; Miura, S.; Tsuboi, S.

2014-12-01

Mega-thrust earthquakes are anticipated to occur in the Nankai Trough in southwest Japan. In the source areas, we have deployed seafloor seismic network, DONET (Dense Ocean-floor Network System for Earthquake and Tsunamis), in 2010 in order to monitor seismicity, crustal deformations, and tsunamis. DONET system consists of totally 20 stations, which is composed of six kinds of sensors, including strong-motion seismometers　and quartz pressure gauges. Those stations are densely distributed with an average spatial interval of 15-20 km and cover near the trench axis to coastal areas. Observed data are transferred to a land station through a fiber-optical cable and then to JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology) data management center through a private network in real time. After 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake, each local government close to Nankai Trough try to plan disaster prevention scheme. JAMSTEC will disseminate DONET data combined with research accomplishment so that they will be widely recognized as important earthquake information. In order to open DONET data observed for research to local government, we have developed a web application system, REIS　(Real-time Earthquake Information System). REIS is providing seismic waveform data to some local governments close to Nankai Trough as a pilot study. As soon as operation of DONET is ready, REIS will start full-scale operation. REIS can display seismic waveform data of DONET in real-time, users can select strong motion and pressure data, and configure the options of trace view arrangement, time scale, and amplitude. In addition to real-time monitoring, REIS can display past seismic waveform data and show earthquake epicenters on the map. In this presentation, we briefly introduce DONET system and then show our web　application system. We also discuss our future plans for further developments of REIS.

Ambient & Vessel Noise Measurement and Marine Mammal Monitoring in the Stait of Georgia, British-Columbia, Canada.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moloney, J. E.; Hannay, D.; Mouy, X.; Mouy, P. A.; Urazghildiiev, I.; Dakin, T.

2016-02-01

Recently JASCO Applied Sciences (Canada) Ltd (JASCO), Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) and the Port of Metro Vancouver (PMV) have collaborated in the installation of a novel, real-time ocean observing (listening) system (PMV-ECHO system deployed in the Strait of Georgia, BC. This system was designed specifically to measure ambient noise, vessel source levels, and to detect, classify, localize and track marine mammals using their vocalization in order to estimate population density. The listening station deployment and monitoring activities are part of the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program. The program aims to better understand and manage the impact of shipping activities on at-risk whales throughout the southern coast of British Columbia. The PMV-ECHO system is composed of two unique spatial arrays of four hydrophones and one active projector each. Both arrays are used to measure and monitor the environment and calibrate the hydrophones over time. Further, a new shored-based data processing and visualization system (JMesh) is used automatically process the data and to enable operators to easily provide measurement information, navigate through large time series of detections, examine spectrograms, listen to detected sounds, validate detections, and compare detections for different species over time and space. The JMesh web platform has been designed to overcome the otherwise overwhelming volume of acoustic data collected by the PMV-ECHO sensor systems. This paper will describe how the PMV-ECHO system along with the automated real-time analysis and visualization software suite can be used study marine mammal distribution and behavior, variation of vessel noises and potential effects of anthropogenic activities on marine mammals. The goal of the PMV-ECHO program is to find ways to reduce shipping impact on at-risk species especially in the approaches to large ports. This program and its scientific and technical approaches should be of interest to many marine organizations, industries, researchers and enforcement agencies.

The AAL project: automated monitoring and intelligent analysis for the ATLAS data taking infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazarov, A.; Lehmann Miotto, G.; Magnoni, L.

2012-06-01

The Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system of the ATLAS experiment at CERN is the infrastructure responsible for collecting and transferring ATLAS experimental data from detectors to the mass storage system. It relies on a large, distributed computing environment, including thousands of computing nodes with thousands of application running concurrently. In such a complex environment, information analysis is fundamental for controlling applications behavior, error reporting and operational monitoring. During data taking runs, streams of messages sent by applications via the message reporting system together with data published from applications via information services are the main sources of knowledge about correctness of running operations. The flow of data produced (with an average rate of O(1-10KHz)) is constantly monitored by experts to detect problem or misbehavior. This requires strong competence and experience in understanding and discovering problems and root causes, and often the meaningful information is not in the single message or update, but in the aggregated behavior in a certain time-line. The AAL project is meant at reducing the man power needs and at assuring a constant high quality of problem detection by automating most of the monitoring tasks and providing real-time correlation of data-taking and system metrics. This project combines technologies coming from different disciplines, in particular it leverages on an Event Driven Architecture to unify the flow of data from the ATLAS infrastructure, on a Complex Event Processing (CEP) engine for correlation of events and on a message oriented architecture for components integration. The project is composed of 2 main components: a core processing engine, responsible for correlation of events through expert-defined queries and a web based front-end to present real-time information and interact with the system. All components works in a loose-coupled event based architecture, with a message broker to centralize all communication between modules. The result is an intelligent system able to extract and compute relevant information from the flow of operational data to provide real-time feedback to human experts who can promptly react when needed. The paper presents the design and implementation of the AAL project, together with the results of its usage as automated monitoring assistant for the ATLAS data taking infrastructure.

Updated optical read/write memory system components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The fabrication of an updated block data composer and holographic storage array for a breadboard holographic read/write memory system is described. System considerations such as transform optics and controlled aberration lens design are described along with the block data composer, photoplastic recording materials, and material development.

ASTER system operating achievement for 15 years on orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inada, Hitomi; Ito, Yoshiyuki; Kikuchi, Masakuni; Sakuma, Fumihiro; Tatsumi, Kenji; Akagi, Shigeki; Ono, Hidehiko

2015-10-01

ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) System is operating more than 15 years since launched on board of NASA's Terra spacecraft in December 1999. ASTER System is composed of 3 radiometers (VNIR (Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer), SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared Radiometer), and TIR (Thermal Infrared Radiometer)), CSP (Common Signal Processor) and MSP (Master Power Supply). This paper describes the ASTER System operating history and the achievement of ASTER System long term operation since the initial checkout operation, the normal operation, and the continuous operation. Through the 15 years operation, ASTER system had totally checked the all subsystems (MPS, VNIR, TIR, SWIR, and CSP) health and safety check using telemetry data trend evaluation, and executed the necessary action. The watch items are monitored as the life control items. The pointing mechanics for VNIR, SWIR and TIR, and the cooler for SWIR and TIR are all operating with any problem for over 15 years. In 2003, ASTER was successfully operated for the lunar calibration. As the future plan, ASTER team is proposing the 2nd lunar calibration before the end of mission.

High Resolution Quantification of Crystalline Cellulose Accumulation in Arabidopsis Roots to Monitor Tissue-specific Cell Wall Modifications.

PubMed

Fridman, Yulia; Holland, Neta; Elbaum, Rivka; Savaldi-Goldstein, Sigal

2016-05-10

Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall, the composition of which determines their final size and shape. The cell wall is composed of a complex matrix containing polysaccharides that include cellulose microfibrils that form both crystalline structures and cellulose chains of amorphous organization. The orientation of the cellulose fibers and their concentrations dictate the mechanical properties of the cell. Several methods are used to determine the levels of crystalline cellulose, each bringing both advantages and limitations. Some can distinguish the proportion of crystalline regions within the total cellulose. However, they are limited to whole-organ analyses that are deficient in spatiotemporal information. Others relying on live imaging, are limited by the use of imprecise dyes. Here, we report a sensitive polarized light-based system for specific quantification of relative light retardance, representing crystalline cellulose accumulation in cross sections of Arabidopsis thaliana roots. In this method, the cellular resolution and anatomical data are maintained, enabling direct comparisons between the different tissues composing the growing root. This approach opens a new analytical dimension, shedding light on the link between cell wall composition, cellular behavior and whole-organ growth.

High Resolution Quantification of Crystalline Cellulose Accumulation in Arabidopsis Roots to Monitor Tissue-specific Cell Wall Modifications

PubMed Central

Fridman, Yulia; Holland, Neta; Elbaum, Rivka; Savaldi-Goldstein, Sigal

2016-01-01

Plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall, the composition of which determines their final size and shape. The cell wall is composed of a complex matrix containing polysaccharides that include cellulose microfibrils that form both crystalline structures and cellulose chains of amorphous organization. The orientation of the cellulose fibers and their concentrations dictate the mechanical properties of the cell. Several methods are used to determine the levels of crystalline cellulose, each bringing both advantages and limitations. Some can distinguish the proportion of crystalline regions within the total cellulose. However, they are limited to whole-organ analyses that are deficient in spatiotemporal information. Others relying on live imaging, are limited by the use of imprecise dyes. Here, we report a sensitive polarized light-based system for specific quantification of relative light retardance, representing crystalline cellulose accumulation in cross sections of Arabidopsis thaliana roots. In this method, the cellular resolution and anatomical data are maintained, enabling direct comparisons between the different tissues composing the growing root. This approach opens a new analytical dimension, shedding light on the link between cell wall composition, cellular behavior and whole-organ growth. PMID:27214583

First Observation of Coseismic Seafloor Crustal Deformation due to M7 Class Earthquakes in the Philippine Sea Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadokoro, K.; Ikuta, R.; Ando, M.; Okuda, T.; Sugimoto, S.; Besana, G. M.; Kuno, M.

2005-12-01

The Mw7.3 and 7.5 earthquakes (Off Kii-Peninsula Earthquakes) occurred close to the source region of the anticipated Tonankai Trough in September 5, 2004. The focal mechanisms of the two earthquakes have no low angle nodal planes, which shows that the earthquakes are intraplate earthquakes in the Philippine Sea Plate. We observed coseismic horizontal displacement due to the Off Kii-Peninsula Earthquakes by means of a system for observing seafloor crustal deformation, which is the first observation of coseismic seafloor displacement in the world. We have developed a system for observing seafloor crustal deformation. The observation system is composed of 1) acoustic measurement between a ship transducer and sea-bottom transponders, and 2) kinematic GPS positioning of the observation vessel. We have installed a seafloor benchmark close to the epicenters of the Off Kii-Peninsula Earthquakes. The benchmark is composed of three sea-bottom transponders. The location of benchmark is defined as the weight center of the three transponders. We can determine the location of benchmark with an accuracy of about 5 cm at each observation. We have repeatedly measured the seafloor benchmark six times up to now: 1) July 12-16 and 21-22, 2004, 2) November 9-10, 3) January 19, 2005, 4) May 18-20, 5) July 19-20, and 6) August 18-19 and 29-30. The Off Kii-Peninsula Earthquakes occurred during the above monitoring period. The coseismic horizontal displacement of about 21 cm toward SSE was observed at our seafloor benchmark. The displacement is 3.5 times as large as the maximum displacement observed by on land GPS network in Japan, GEONET. The monitoring of seafloor crustal deformation is effective to detect the deformations associated with earthquakes occurring in ocean areas. This study is promoted by "Research Revolution 2002" of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. We are grateful to the captain and crews of Research Vessel, Asama, of Mie Prefectural Science and Technology Promotion Center, Japan.

Next-generation air measurement technologies

EPA Science Inventory

This is a presentation at a workshop in Chicago on emerging air monitoring technologies, hosted by a local nonprofit. The audience is composed of a mixture of technical backgrounds. This presentation will be part of an opening panel and the goal is to give an overview of the st...

Development of a generic system for real-time data access and remote control of multiple in-situ water quality monitoring instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, S. A.; Bennett, G. E.; Andrews, T.; Melis, T. S.; Topping, D. J.

2005-05-01

Currently, in-situ monitoring of water quality parameters (e.g. water temperature, conductivity, turbidity) in the Colorado River ecosystem typically consists of deploying instruments in the river, retrieving them at a later date, downloading the datalogger, then examining the data; an arduous process in the remote settings of Grand Canyon. Under this protocol, data is not available real-time and there is no way to detect problems with the instrumentation until after retrieval. The next obvious stage in the development of in-situ monitoring in Grand Canyon was the advent of one-way telemetry, i.e. streaming data in real-time from the instrument to the office and/or the world-wide-web. This protocol allows for real-time access to data and the identification of instrumentation problems, but still requires a site visit to address instrument malfunctions, i.e. the user does not have the ability to remotely control the instrument. At some field sites, such as the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, site visitation is restricted by remoteness and lack of traditional access routes (i.e. roads). Even at less remote sites, it may still be desirable to have two-way communication with instruments in order to, for example, diagnose and potentially fix instrumentation problems, change sampling parameters to save battery power, etc., without having to visit the site. To this end, the U.S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, is currently developing and testing a high-speed, two-way communication system that allows for real-time data access and remote control of instrumentation. The approach tested relies on internet access and may be especially useful in areas where land-line or cellular connections are unavailable. The system is composed of off-the-shelf products, uses a commercial broadband satellite service, and is designed in a generic way such that any instrument that communicates through RS-232 communication (i.e. a serial port) is compatible with the system. We are currently testing the system at two sites on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and at one critical monitoring site on the Paria River where we have deployed suites of instruments for monitoring flow, sediment concentration, temperature, and conductivity. One aspect of the system that may be particularly useful for ecohydrological applications is the ability to remotely control on-site pump samplers, which allows for the collection of a water sample by the press of a button in the office.

A Study on Soil Movement Characteristics and Monitoring of Land creeping in the Republic of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, M.; Lee, C.; Woo, C.; Kim, D.; Seo, J.; Kim, K.

2017-12-01

In South Korea, `Landslide' is general phenomenon that the soil is saturated by rainfall and the soil is rapidly falling down at top soil. Landslide Sediment-related disaster is mainly composed of shallow landslide and debris flow in South Korea. However, land creeping is also occurring due to climate change and mountain development. Land creeping is a phenomenon in which a part of the soil layer moves due to the influence of groundwater and external impacts in the mountain slope. It is difficult to detect the phenomenon because the moving speed is very slow and it occurs even without the effect of rainfall. In case land creeping occurs, the damage appears on a large scale. Therefore, it is important to analyze the cause of the occurrence and to cope with it promptly. This study was conducted to investigation soil characteristics and cracks monitoring in order to understand the characteristics and causes of land creeping in South Korea. The crack of land creeping was found in 5ea and the total extension was about 121m. The width and depth range of the crack are each 0.2 0.5m, 0.25 0.45m. Geology, engineering and geomorphological characteristics of the ground were considered. As a result, the land creeping occurred to following reasons; (1) Characteristics of bed rock(anorthosite), (2) Relatively high groundwater level, (3) Maintenance of lower slope when reservoir build, (4) Stratum structure of thinly plied layer. In addition, stability analysis was carried out through the precision ground survey. As a result, instability was found in all sections except for some sections. The method of countermeasures was decided by opinions of field experts. As a result, a monitoring method was suggested in order to understand the change of tension cracks. Therefore, real-time monitoring of landslide early detection system is being implemented. NIFS `unmanned remote monitoring system detects the occurrence of landslides using sensor data and provides early warning information. In order to reduce damage of residents near the hazardous area, the system was introduces centered on places where it is difficult to install landslide control structures like debris control dam. Currently, the system is installed at 2 locations in the land creeping area. Monitoring is being continuously carried out to obtain useful measurement data.

Electromagnetic coupling to centimeter-scale mechanical membrane resonators via RF cylindrical cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Luis A.; Castelli, Alessandro R.; Delmas, William; Sharping, Jay E.; Chiao, Raymond

2016-11-01

We present experimental and theoretical results for the excitation of a mechanical oscillator via radiation pressure with a room-temperature system employing a relatively low-(Q) centimeter-size mechanical oscillator coupled to a relatively low-Q standard three-dimensional radio-frequency (RF) cavity resonator. We describe the forces giving rise to optomechanical coupling using the Maxwell stress tensor and show that nanometer-scale displacements are possible and experimentally observable. The experimental system is composed of a 35 mm diameter silicon nitride membrane sputtered with a 300 nm gold conducting film and attached to the end of a RF copper cylindrical cavity. The RF cavity is operated in its {{TE}}011 mode and amplitude modulated on resonance with the fundamental drum modes of the membrane. Membrane motion is monitored using an unbalanced, non-zero optical path difference, optically filtered Michelson interferometer capable of measuring sub-nanometer displacements.

Development of a spectrofluorimetry-based device for determining the acetylene content in the oils of power transformers.

PubMed

Quintella, Cristina M; Meira, Marilena; Silva, Weidson Leal; Filho, Rogério G D; Araújo, André L C; Júnior, Elias T S; Sales, Lindolfo J O

2013-12-15

Power transformers are essential for a functioning electrical system and therefore require special attention by maintenance programs because a fault can harm both the company and society. The temperature inside a power transformer and the dissolved gases, which are primarily composed of acetylene, are the two main parameters monitored when detecting faults. This paper describes the development of a device for analyzing the acetylene content in insulating oil using spectrofluorimetry. Using this device introduces a new methodology for the maintaining and operating power transformers. The prototype is currently operating in a substation. The results presented by this system were satisfactory; when compared to chromatographic data, the errors did not exceed 15%. This prototype may be used to confirm the quality of an insulating oil sample to detect faults in power transformers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous measurement of multiple radiation-induced protein expression profiles using the Luminex(TM) system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desai, N.; Wu, H.; George, K.; Gonda, S. R.; Cucinotta, F. A.; Cucniotta, F. A. (Principal Investigator)

2004-01-01

Space flight results in the exposure of astronauts to a mixed field of radiation composed of energetic particles of varying energies, and biological indicators of space radiation exposure provides a better understanding of the associated long-term health risks. Current methods of biodosimetry have employed the use of cytogenetic analysis for biodosimetry, and more recently the advent of technological progression has led to advanced research in the use of genomic and proteomic expression profiling to simultaneously assess biomarkers of radiation exposure. We describe here the technical advantages of the Luminex(TM) 100 system relative to traditional methods and its potential as a tool to simultaneously profile multiple proteins induced by ionizing radiation. The development of such a bioassay would provide more relevant post-translational dynamics of stress response and will impart important implications in the advancement of space and other radiation contact monitoring. c2004 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plasmon-Enhanced Photocleaving Dynamics in Colloidal MicroRNA-Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles Monitored with Second Harmonic Generation.

PubMed

Kumal, Raju R; Abu-Laban, Mohammad; Landry, Corey R; Kruger, Blake; Zhang, Zhenyu; Hayes, Daniel J; Haber, Louis H

2016-10-11

The photocleaving dynamics of colloidal microRNA-functionalized nanoparticles are studied using time-dependent second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements. Model drug-delivery systems composed of oligonucleotides attached to either silver nanoparticles or polystyrene nanoparticles using a nitrobenzyl photocleavable linker are prepared and characterized. The photoactivated controlled release is observed to be most efficient on resonance at 365 nm irradiation, with pseudo-first-order rate constants that are linearly proportional to irradiation powers. Additionally, silver nanoparticles show a 6-fold plasmon enhancement in photocleaving efficiency over corresponding polystyrene nanoparticle rates, while our previous measurements on gold nanoparticles show a 2-fold plasmon enhancement compared to polystyrene nanoparticles. Characterizations including extinction spectroscopy, electrophoretic mobility, and fluorimetry measurements confirm the analysis from the SHG results. The real-time SHG measurements are shown to be a highly sensitive method for investigating plasmon-enhanced photocleaving dynamics in model drug delivery systems.

Jflow: a workflow management system for web applications.

PubMed

Mariette, Jérôme; Escudié, Frédéric; Bardou, Philippe; Nabihoudine, Ibouniyamine; Noirot, Céline; Trotard, Marie-Stéphane; Gaspin, Christine; Klopp, Christophe

2016-02-01

Biologists produce large data sets and are in demand of rich and simple web portals in which they can upload and analyze their files. Providing such tools requires to mask the complexity induced by the needed High Performance Computing (HPC) environment. The connection between interface and computing infrastructure is usually specific to each portal. With Jflow, we introduce a Workflow Management System (WMS), composed of jQuery plug-ins which can easily be embedded in any web application and a Python library providing all requested features to setup, run and monitor workflows. Jflow is available under the GNU General Public License (GPL) at http://bioinfo.genotoul.fr/jflow. The package is coming with full documentation, quick start and a running test portal. Jerome.Mariette@toulouse.inra.fr. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Decoupling of epitaxial graphene via gold intercalation probed by dispersive Raman spectroscopy

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

Pillai, P. B., E-mail: p.pillai@sheffield.ac.uk, E-mail: m.desouza@sheffield.ac.uk; DeSouza, M., E-mail: p.pillai@sheffield.ac.uk, E-mail: m.desouza@sheffield.ac.uk; Narula, R.

Signatures of a superlattice structure composed of a quasi periodic arrangement of atomic gold clusters below an epitaxied graphene (EG) layer are examined using dispersive Raman spectroscopy. The gold-graphene system exhibits a laser excitation energy dependant red shift of the 2D mode as compared to pristine epitaxial graphene. The phonon dispersions in both the systems are mapped using the experimentally observed Raman signatures and a third-nearest neighbour tight binding electronic band structure model. Our results reveal that the observed excitation dependent Raman red shift in gold EG primarily arise from the modifications of the phonon dispersion in gold-graphene and showsmore » that the extent of decoupling of graphene from the underlying SiC substrate can be monitored from the dispersive nature of the Raman 2D modes. The intercalated gold atoms restore the phonon band structure of epitaxial graphene towards free standing graphene.« less

In-treatment tests for the monitoring of proton and carbon-ion therapy with a large area PET system at CNAO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosso, V.; Battistoni, G.; Belcari, N.; Camarlinghi, N.; Ciocca, M.; Collini, F.; Ferretti, S.; Kraan, A. C.; Lucenò, S.; Molinelli, S.; Pullia, M.; Sportelli, G.; Zaccaro, E.; Del Guerra, A.

2016-07-01

One of the most promising new radiotherapy techniques makes use of charged particles like protons and carbon ions, rather than photons. At present, there are more than 50 particle therapy centers operating worldwide, and many new centers are being constructed. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is considered a well-established non-invasive technique to monitor range and delivered dose in patients treated with particle therapy. Nuclear interactions of the charged hadrons with the patient tissue lead to the production of β+ emitting isotopes (mainly 15O and 11C), that decay with a short lifetime producing a positron. The two 511 keV annihilation photons can be detected with a PET detector. In-beam PET is particularly interesting because it could allow monitoring the ions range also during dose delivery. A large area dual head PET prototype was built and tested. The system is based on an upgraded version of the previously developed DoPET prototype. Each head covers now 15×15 cm2 and is composed by 9 (3×3) independent modules. Each module consists of a 23×23 LYSO crystal matrix (2 mm pitch) coupled to H8500 PMT and is readout by custom front-end and a FPGA based data acquisition electronics. Data taken at the CNAO treatment facility in Pavia with proton and carbon beams impinging on heterogeneous phantoms demonstrate the DoPET capability to detect the presence of a small air cavity in the phantom.

The study of recirculating aquaculture system in pond and its purification effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Jiangqi; Zhang, Qingjing; Jia, Chengxia; Liu, Pan; Yang, Mu

2017-05-01

In this paper, a recirculating aquaculture purification system (RAPS) was designed to solve the problems of aquaculture pollution and shortage of freshwater resource according to the characteristic of northern freshwater ponds of China. The system were arranged in series and composed of high density culture pond, deposit pond, floating and submerged plant pond, ecological floating bed pond and biofilm filtrate pond. At the fish density of 20~30kg/m3 in the high density culture pond, the water quality parameters were monitored seasonally. The results indicated that the removal rate of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen in the recirculating aquaculture system were 69.59%, 77.89%, 72.54% and 68.68%, respectively. The floating and submerged plant pond and ecological floating bed pond can remove TN and TP obviously, and increase dissolved oxygen and transparency significantly. And the biofilm filtrate pond has good effect of removing ammonium nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen, meanwhile, the microbial communities in the recirculating aquaculture system regulate on the water quality. Therefore, the RAPS show significant effects on water saving and pollution emission reducing.

Design and real-time control of a robotic system for fracture manipulation.

PubMed

Dagnino, G; Georgilas, I; Tarassoli, P; Atkins, R; Dogramadzi, S

2015-08-01

This paper presents the design, development and control of a new robotic system for fracture manipulation. The objective is to improve the precision, ergonomics and safety of the traditional surgical procedure to treat joint fractures. The achievements toward this direction are here reported and include the design, the real-time control architecture and the evaluation of a new robotic manipulator system. The robotic manipulator is a 6-DOF parallel robot with the struts developed as linear actuators. The control architecture is also described here. The high-level controller implements a host-target structure composed by a host computer (PC), a real-time controller, and an FPGA. A graphical user interface was designed allowing the surgeon to comfortably automate and monitor the robotic system. The real-time controller guarantees the determinism of the control algorithms adding an extra level of safety for the robotic automation. The system's positioning accuracy and repeatability have been demonstrated showing a maximum positioning RMSE of 1.18 ± 1.14mm (translations) and 1.85 ± 1.54° (rotations).

A real-time compliance mapping system using standard endoscopic surgical forceps.

PubMed

Fakhry, Morkos; Bello, Fernando; Hanna, George B

2009-04-01

In endoscopic surgery, the use of long surgical instruments through access ports diminishes tactile feedback and degrades the surgeon's ability to identify hidden tissue abnormalities. To overcome this constraint, we developed a real-time compliance mapping system that is composed of: 1) a standard surgical instrument with a high-precision sensor configuration design; 2) real-time objective interpretation of the output signals for tissue identification; and 3) a novel human-computer interaction technique using interactive voice and handle force monitoring techniques to suit operating theater working environment. The system was calibrated and used in clinical practice in four routine endoscopic human procedures. In a laboratory-based experiment to compare the tissue discriminatory power of the system with that of surgeons' hands, the system's tissue discriminatory power was three times more sensitive and 10% less specific. The data acquisition precision was tested using principal component analysis (R(2)X = 0.975, Q2 [cumulative (cum)] = 0.808 ) and partial least square discriminate analysis (R(2)X = 0.903, R(2)Y = 0.729, Q2 (cum) = 0.572).

Mapping Arguments: A Self-Monitoring Composing Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenberg, Ruth

Because graduating high school seniors and college freshmen have difficulty writing persuasive arguments, elementary and secondary school writing curricula must teach students how to create a persuasive argument by producing evidence or support for their claims. One strategy for teaching persuasive writing that has proven to be successful is a…

Feasibility of granular bed filtration of an aerosol of ultrafine metallic particles including a pressure drop regeneration system.

PubMed

Bémer, D; Wingert, L; Morele, Y; Subra, I

2015-09-01

A process for filtering an aerosol of ultrafine metallic particles (UFP) has been designed and tested, based on the principle of a multistage granular bed. The filtration system comprised a succession of granular beds of varying thickness composed of glass beads of different diameters. This system allows the pressure drop to be regenerated during filtration ("on-line" mode) using a vibrating probe. Tests monitoring the pressure drop were conducted on a "10-L/min" low airflow rate device and on a "100-m(3)/hr" prototype. Granular bed unclogging is automated on the latter. The cyclic operation and filtration performances are similar to that of filter medium-based industrial dust collectors. Filtration of ultrafine metallic particles generated by different industrial processes such as arc welding, metal cutting, or spraying constitutes a difficult problem due to the high filter clogging properties of these particles and to the high temperatures generally encountered. Granular beds represent an advantageous means of filtering these aerosols with difficult properties.

Fault detection of helicopter gearboxes using the multi-valued influence matrix method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Hsinyung; Danai, Kourosh; Lewicki, David G.

1993-01-01

In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of a pattern classifying fault detection system that is designed to cope with the variability of fault signatures inherent in helicopter gearboxes. For detection, the measurements are monitored on-line and flagged upon the detection of abnormalities, so that they can be attributed to a faulty or normal case. As such, the detection system is composed of two components, a quantization matrix to flag the measurements, and a multi-valued influence matrix (MVIM) that represents the behavior of measurements during normal operation and at fault instances. Both the quantization matrix and influence matrix are tuned during a training session so as to minimize the error in detection. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this detection system, it was applied to vibration measurements collected from a helicopter gearbox during normal operation and at various fault instances. The results indicate that the MVIM method provides excellent results when the full range of faults effects on the measurements are included in the training set.

H2O2 sensors of lungs and blood vessels and their role in the antioxidant defense of the body.

PubMed

Skulachev, V P

2001-10-01

This paper considers the composition and function of sensory systems monitoring H2O2 level by the lung neuroepithelial cells and carotid bodies. These systems are localized in the plasma membrane of the corresponding cells and are composed of (O2*-)-generating NADPH-oxidase and an H2O2-activated K+ channel. This complex structure of the H2O2 sensors is probably due to their function in antioxidant defense. By means of these sensors, an increase in the H2O2 level in lung or blood results in a decrease in lung ventilation and constriction of blood vessels. This action lowers the O2 flux to the tissues and, hence, intracellular [O2]. The [O2] decrease, in turn, inhibits intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species. The possible roles of such systems under normal conditions (e.g., the effect of O2*- in air) and in some pathologies (e.g., pneumonia) is discussed.

Enhancing pesticide degradation using indigenous microorganisms isolated under high pesticide load in bioremediation systems with vermicomposts.

PubMed

Castillo Diaz, Jean Manuel; Delgado-Moreno, Laura; Núñez, Rafael; Nogales, Rogelio; Romero, Esperanza

2016-08-01

In biobed bioremediation systems (BBSs) with vermicomposts exposed to a high load of pesticides, 6 bacteria and 4 fungus strains were isolated, identified, and investigated to enhance the removal of pesticides. Three different mixtures of BBSs composed of vermicomposts made from greenhouse (GM), olive-mill (OM) and winery (WM) wastes were contaminated, inoculated, and incubated for one month (GMI, OMI and WMI). The inoculums maintenance was evaluated by DGGE and Q-PCR. Pesticides were monitored by HPLC-DAD. The highest bacterial and fungal abundance was observed in WMI and OMI respectively. In WMI, the consortia improved the removal of tebuconazole, metalaxyl, and oxyfluorfen by 1.6-, 3.8-, and 7.7-fold, respectively. The dissipation of oxyfluorfen was also accelerated in OMI, with less than 30% remaining after 30d. One metabolite for metalaxyl and 4 for oxyfluorfen were identified by GC-MS. The isolates could be suitable to improve the efficiency of bioremediation systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reactivation of a Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation observed during the recent seismic events in Central Italy.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amato, Gabriele; Aringoli, Domenico; Devoti, Roberto; Fubelli, Giandomenico; Galvani, Alessandro; Pambianchi, Gilberto; Sepe, Vincenzo

2017-04-01

Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations (DSGSDs) represent an important geomorphological feature of the European mountain chains and several cases from Central Apennine (Italy) are accurately described in literature. These phenomena generally present evident geomorphological markers (e.g. double ridges, trenches, counterslopes) and low activity rates (i.e. mm to cm per year), which can be triggered by many different means (e.g. seismic activity, erosional processes, rainfall, post-glacial debuttressing). To understand which is the most influential factor in DSGSDs' activity is rarely an easy task because this can vary from case to case. This work illustrates the outcomes provided by a monitoring activity conducted along the Mt. Frascare slope (Fiastra Lake, Marche region, Italy). The monitoring system is composed by 4 low cost GPS stations, based on single-frequency receivers, and 2 double-frequency GPS stations, aimed to cross-check the surface deformations measured by the two types of monitoring stations. The 6 GPS stations have been operated in place starting from October 2014 grounded on the base of a geomorphological field survey of the investigated phenomenon. Two stations have been equipped with both receiver types in order to facilitate the comparison of the results. The Fiastra DSGSD affects a marly limestone bedrock throughout a >5km2 area and along a slope against which a dam for hydroelectric power leans. Our monitoring system allowed to measure the Fiastra DSGSD's seismically induced relative displacements on the order of two mean steps of about 10 cm, due to the recent seismic sequence occurred in Central Italy in 2016, which resulted considerably higher than the observed mean annual velocity (≈5mm/y).

Preserved reward outcome processing in ASD as revealed by event-related potentials.

PubMed

McPartland, James C; Crowley, Michael J; Perszyk, Danielle R; Mukerji, Cora E; Naples, Adam J; Wu, Jia; Mayes, Linda C

2012-05-31

Problems with reward system function have been posited as a primary difficulty in autism spectrum disorders. The current study examined an electrophysiological marker of feedback monitoring, the feedback-related negativity (FRN), during a monetary reward task. The study advanced prior understanding by focusing exclusively on a developmental sample, applying rigorous diagnostic characterization and introducing an experimental paradigm providing more subtly different feedback valence (reward versus non-reward instead of reward versus loss). Twenty-six children with autism spectrum disorder and 28 typically developing peers matched on age and full-scale IQ played a guessing game resulting in monetary gain ("win") or neutral outcome ("draw"). ERP components marking early visual processing (N1, P2) and feedback appraisal (FRN) were contrasted between groups in each condition, and their relationships to behavioral measures of social function and dysfunction, social anxiety, and autism symptomatology were explored. FRN was observed on draw trials relative to win trials. Consistent with prior research, children with ASD exhibited a FRN to suboptimal outcomes that was comparable to typical peers. ERP parameters were unrelated to behavioral measures. Results of the current study indicate typical patterns of feedback monitoring in the context of monetary reward in ASD. The study extends prior findings of normative feedback monitoring to a sample composed exclusively of children and demonstrates that, as in typical development, individuals with autism exhibit a FRN to suboptimal outcomes, irrespective of neutral or negative valence. Results do not support a pervasive problem with reward system function in ASD, instead suggesting any dysfunction lies in more specific domains, such as social perception, or in response to particular feedback-monitoring contexts, such as self-evaluation of one's errors.

Anaerobic treatment of Tequila vinasses in a CSTR-type digester.

PubMed

Méndez-Acosta, Hugo Oscar; Snell-Castro, Raúl; Alcaraz-González, Víctor; González-Alvarez, Víctor; Pelayo-Ortiz, Carlos

2010-06-01

Tequila industries in general produce great volumes of effluents with high pollutant loads, which are discharged (untreated or partially treated) into natural receivers, thus causing severe environmental problems. In this contribution, we propose an integrated system as a first step to comply with the Mexican ecological norms and stabilize the anaerobic treatment of Tequila vinasses with main design criteria: simple and easy operation, reduce operating time and associated costs (maintenance), integrated and compact design, minimal cost of set-up, start-up, monitoring and control. This system is composed of a fully instrumented and automated lab-scale CSTR-type digester, on-line measuring devices of key variables (pH, temperature, flow rates, etc.), which are used along with off-line readings of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biogas composition, alkalinity and volatile fatty acids to guarantee the operational stability of the anaerobic digestion process. The system performance was evaluated for 200 days and the experimental results show that even under the influence of load disturbances, it is possible to reduce the COD concentration to 85% in the start-up phase and up to 95% during the normal operation phase while producing a biogas with a methane composition greater than 65%. It is also shown that in order to maintain an efficient treatment, the buffering capacity (given by the alkalinity ratio, alpha = intermediate alkalinity/total alkalinity) must be closely monitored.

HORN-6 special-purpose clustered computing system for electroholography.

PubMed

Ichihashi, Yasuyuki; Nakayama, Hirotaka; Ito, Tomoyoshi; Masuda, Nobuyuki; Shimobaba, Tomoyoshi; Shiraki, Atsushi; Sugie, Takashige

2009-08-03

We developed the HORN-6 special-purpose computer for holography. We designed and constructed the HORN-6 board to handle an object image composed of one million points and constructed a cluster system composed of 16 HORN-6 boards. Using this HORN-6 cluster system, we succeeded in creating a computer-generated hologram of a three-dimensional image composed of 1,000,000 points at a rate of 1 frame per second, and a computer-generated hologram of an image composed of 100,000 points at a rate of 10 frames per second, which is near video rate, when the size of a computer-generated hologram is 1,920 x 1,080. The calculation speed is approximately 4,600 times faster than that of a personal computer with an Intel 3.4-GHz Pentium 4 CPU.

How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck: Wildlife Monitoring on Shrublands of the Nevada Test Site

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

Derek Hall, Paul D. Greger

The Nevada Test Site (NTS) covers 1,375 square miles and extends over portions of both the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts. The resulting diverse and complex flora and fauna exhibit elements of both deserts. There are 20 vegetation associations, composed primarily of shrubs, nested within 10 vegetation alliances. Of the more than 1,200 invertebrates and 339 vertebrates found in these shrubland habitats, 267 are considered sensitive or protected/regulated by federal or state laws. Wildlife and wildlife habitat monitoring ensures NTS activities comply with all federal and state laws enacted for the protection of these valuable biological resources. This paper describesmore » the monitoring approach used at this large site. Monitoring techniques include conducting preactivity surveys, repeated sampling of permanent plots, proactively monitoring sensitive species, and collaborating with other agencies and biologists. Ways to make monitoring more efficient and examples of successful monitoring and collaborations are discussed.« less

Novel multifunctional theranostic liposome drug delivery system: construction, characterization, and multimodality MR, near-infrared fluorescent, and nuclear imaging.

PubMed

Li, Shihong; Goins, Beth; Zhang, Lujun; Bao, Ande

2012-06-20

Liposomes are effective lipid nanoparticle drug delivery systems, which can also be functionalized with noninvasive multimodality imaging agents with each modality providing distinct information and having synergistic advantages in diagnosis, monitoring of disease treatment, and evaluation of liposomal drug pharmacokinetics. We designed and constructed a multifunctional theranostic liposomal drug delivery system, which integrated multimodality magnetic resonance (MR), near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent and nuclear imaging of liposomal drug delivery, and therapy monitoring and prediction. The premanufactured liposomes were composed of DSPC/cholesterol/Gd-DOTA-DSPE/DOTA-DSPE with the molar ratio of 39:35:25:1 and having ammonium sulfate/pH gradient. A lipidized NIR fluorescent tracer, IRDye-DSPE, was effectively postinserted into the premanufactured liposomes. Doxorubicin could be effectively postloaded into the multifunctional liposomes. The multifunctional doxorubicin-liposomes could also be stably radiolabeled with (99m)Tc or (64)Cu for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, respectively. MR images displayed the high-resolution micro-intratumoral distribution of the liposomes in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) tumor xenografts in nude rats after intratumoral injection. NIR fluorescent, SPECT, and PET images also clearly showed either the high intratumoral retention or distribution of the multifunctional liposomes. This multifunctional drug carrying liposome system is promising for disease theranostics allowing noninvasive multimodality NIR fluorescent, MR, SPECT, and PET imaging of their in vivo behavior and capitalizing on the inherent advantages of each modality.

Groundwater monitoring program plan and conceptual site model for the Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center in Iraq.

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

Copland, John Robin; Cochran, John Russell

2013-07-01

The Radiation Protection Center of the Iraqi Ministry of Environment is developing a groundwater monitoring program (GMP) for the Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center located near Baghdad, Iraq. The Al-Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center was established in about 1960 and is currently being cleaned-up and decommissioned by Iraqs Ministry of Science and Technology. This Groundwater Monitoring Program Plan (GMPP) and Conceptual Site Model (CSM) support the Radiation Protection Center by providing: A CSM describing the hydrogeologic regime and contaminant issues, recommendations for future groundwater characterization activities, and descriptions of the organizational elements of a groundwater monitoring program. The Conceptual Site Model identifiesmore » a number of potential sources of groundwater contamination at Al-Tuwaitha. The model also identifies two water-bearing zones (a shallow groundwater zone and a regional aquifer). The depth to the shallow groundwater zone varies from approximately 7 to 10 meters (m) across the facility. The shallow groundwater zone is composed of a layer of silty sand and fine sand that does not extend laterally across the entire facility. An approximately 4-m thick layer of clay underlies the shallow groundwater zone. The depth to the regional aquifer varies from approximately 14 to 17 m across the facility. The regional aquifer is composed of interfingering layers of silty sand, fine-grained sand, and medium-grained sand. Based on the limited analyses described in this report, there is no severe contamination of the groundwater at Al-Tuwaitha with radioactive constituents. However, significant data gaps exist and this plan recommends the installation of additional groundwater monitoring wells and conducting additional types of radiological and chemical analyses.« less

Sparse matrix beamforming and image reconstruction for real-time 2D HIFU monitoring using Harmonic Motion Imaging for Focused Ultrasound (HMIFU) with in vitro validation

PubMed Central

Hou, Gary Y.; Provost, Jean; Grondin, Julien; Wang, Shutao; Marquet, Fabrice; Bunting, Ethan; Konofagou, Elisa E.

2015-01-01

Harmonic Motion Imaging for Focused Ultrasound (HMIFU) is a recently developed High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment monitoring method. HMIFU utilizes an Amplitude-Modulated (fAM = 25 Hz) HIFU beam to induce a localized focal oscillatory motion, which is simultaneously estimated and imaged by confocally-aligned imaging transducer. HMIFU feasibilities have been previously shown in silico, in vitro, and in vivo in 1-D or 2-D monitoring of HIFU treatment. The objective of this study is to develop and show the feasibility of a novel fast beamforming algorithm for image reconstruction using GPU-based sparse-matrix operation with real-time feedback. In this study, the algorithm was implemented onto a fully integrated, clinically relevant HMIFU system composed of a 93-element HIFU transducer (fcenter = 4.5MHz) and coaxially-aligned 64-element phased array (fcenter = 2.5MHz) for displacement excitation and motion estimation, respectively. A single transmit beam with divergent beam transmit was used while fast beamforming was implemented using a GPU-based delay-and-sum method and a sparse-matrix operation. Axial HMI displacements were then estimated from the RF signals using a 1-D normalized cross-correlation method and streamed to a graphic user interface. The present work developed and implemented a sparse matrix beamforming onto a fully-integrated, clinically relevant system, which can stream displacement images up to 15 Hz using a GPU-based processing, an increase of 100 fold in rate of streaming displacement images compared to conventional CPU-based conventional beamforming and reconstruction processing. The achieved feedback rate is also currently the fastest and only approach that does not require interrupting the HIFU treatment amongst the acoustic radiation force based HIFU imaging techniques. Results in phantom experiments showed reproducible displacement imaging, and monitoring of twenty two in vitro HIFU treatments using the new 2D system showed a consistent average focal displacement decrease of 46.7±14.6% during lesion formation. Complementary focal temperature monitoring also indicated an average rate of displacement increase and decrease with focal temperature at 0.84±1.15 %/ °C, and 2.03± 0.93%/ °C, respectively. These results reinforce the HMIFU capability of estimating and monitoring stiffness related changes in real time. Current ongoing studies include clinical translation of the presented system for monitoring of HIFU treatment for breast and pancreatic tumor applications. PMID:24960528

Reinventing User Applications for Mission Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trimble, Jay Phillip; Crocker, Alan R.

2010-01-01

In 2006, NASA Ames Research Center's (ARC) Intelligent Systems Division, and NASA Johnson Space Centers (JSC) Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) began a collaboration to move user applications for JSC's mission control center to a new software architecture, intended to replace the existing user applications being used for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. It must also carry NASA/JSC mission operations forward to the future, meeting the needs for NASA's exploration programs beyond low Earth orbit. Key requirements for the new architecture, called Mission Control Technologies (MCT) are that end users must be able to compose and build their own software displays without the need for programming, or direct support and approval from a platform services organization. Developers must be able to build MCT components using industry standard languages and tools. Each component of MCT must be interoperable with other components, regardless of what organization develops them. For platform service providers and MOD management, MCT must be cost effective, maintainable and evolvable. MCT software is built from components that are presented to users as composable user objects. A user object is an entity that represents a domain object such as a telemetry point, a command, a timeline, an activity, or a step in a procedure. User objects may be composed and reused, for example a telemetry point may be used in a traditional monitoring display, and that same telemetry user object may be composed into a procedure step. In either display, that same telemetry point may be shown in different views, such as a plot, an alpha numeric, or a meta-data view and those views may be changed live and in place. MCT presents users with a single unified user environment that contains all the objects required to perform applicable flight controller tasks, thus users do not have to use multiple applications, the traditional boundaries that exist between multiple heterogeneous applications disappear, leaving open the possibility of new operations concepts that are not constrained by the traditional applications paradigm.

Development of a Beam Trajectory Monitoring System Using e+/e- Pair Production Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Shota; Emoto, Yusaku; Fujihara, Kento; Ito, Hiroshi; Kawai, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Atsushi; Mizuno, Takahiro

2018-01-01

In particle therapy, it is important to monitor the Bragg-peak position. It was simulated by GEANT4 Monte Carlo Simulation Code that the distribution of secondary generated gamma rays on the carbon beam therapy and the proton beam therapy. This simulation shows that gamma rays whose energy is 10 MeV or more are intensively generated at the Bragg-peak position. We are developing the system to monitor the Bragg-peak position which can measure pair production events occurred in the detector by gamma rays from irradiation points. The momentum direction of the gamma ray can be determined by measuring passing points and energy of e+ and e- generated by pair production. This system has 5 parts. The first is the conversion part. This part consists of several layers. Each layer is composed of a La-GPS ((Gd0.75La0.24Ce0.01)2Si2O7) scintillator plate and wavelength-shifting fibre (WLSF) sheets. The scintillator plate is sandwiched between sheets, where the directions of the sheets are in orthogonally x and y directions. In this part, gamma rays are converted to e+ e- pairs and the position where the conversion occured is determined. The second is the tracking part. This part consists of 2 layers of scintillating fibre tracker. Each layer has 6 scintillating fibre sheets for x, x', u, u', v, and v'. The third is the energy measurement part. It measures the energy of e+ and e- by scintillator array and Silicon Photomultipliers. The fourth is the veto counter for bremsstrahlung gamma rays from e+ and e-. The fifth is the beam monitor. By experiment, the number of photoelectrons of La-GPS with a WLSF (B-3(300)MJ, Kuraray) sheet and scintillating fibre (SCSF-78, Kuraray) when charged particle passed was measured as 9.7 and 7.6 respectively.

Amphibian research and monitoring initiative: Concepts and implementation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Corn, P.S.; Adams, M.J.; Battaglin, W.A.; Gallant, Alisa L.; James, D.L.; Knutson, M.; Langtimm, C.A.; Sauer, J.R.

2005-01-01

This report provides the basis for discussion and subsequent articulation of a national plan for the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI). The authors were members of a task force formed from within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that included scientists with expertise in biology, cartography, hydrology, and statistics. The assignment of the task force was to extend work begun by the National Amphibian Leadership Group. This group, composed of senior USGS scientists, managers, and external authorities, met in Gainesville, Florida, in February 20001. The product of this meeting was a document outlining the framework for a national program to monitor amphibian populations and to conduct research into the causes of declines.

Tectonic fault monitoring at open pit mine at Zarnitsa Kimberlite Pipe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vostrikov, VI; Polotnyanko, NS; Trofimov, AS; Potaka, AA

2018-03-01

The article describes application of Karier instrumentation designed at the Institute of Mining to study fracture formation in rocks. The instrumentation composed of three sensors was used to control widening of a tectonic fault intersecting an open pit mine at Zarnitsa Kimberlite Pipe in Yakutia. The monitoring between 28 November and 28 December in 2016 recorded convergence of the fault walls from one side of the open pit mine and widening from the other side. After production blasts, the fault first grows in width and then recovers.

Active monitoring as cognitive control of grinders design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flizikowski, Jozef B.; Mrozinski, Adam; Tomporowski, Andrzej

2017-03-01

A general monitoring methodology applicable to plastics recyclates grinding processes development for energy engineering, has been presented in this work. The method includes two beings: mathematical aiding an invention and working of a novelty. The common set is composed of characteristics, structure, relationships of knowledge about states and transformations, effectiveness and progress of the devices and machinery engineering, e.g. breaking up in the energy-materials recycling process. This innovations theory is identified by the valuation, estimation, testing and creative archiving the elaborated character and structure of the invention and grinders construction development.

Performance of active and passive control of an airfoil using CPFD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asselin, Daniel; Young, Jay; Williamson, C. H. K.

2016-11-01

Birds and fish employ flapping motions of their wings and fins in order to produce thrust and maneuver in flight and underwater. There is considerable interest in designing aerial and submersible systems that mimic these motions for the purposes of surveillance, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue, among other applications. Flapping motions are typically composed of combined pitch and heave and can provide good thrust and efficiency (Read, et al. 2003). In this study, we examine the performance of an airfoil actuated only in the heave direction. Using a cyber-physical fluid dynamics system (Mackowski & Williamson 2011, 2015, 2016), we simulate the presence of a torsion spring to enable the airfoil to undergo a passively controlled pitching motion. The addition of passive pitching combined with active heaving ("Active-Passive" or AP) provides significantly improved thrust and efficiency compared with heaving alone. In many cases, values of thrust and efficiency are comparable to or better than those obtained with two actively controlled degrees of freedom ("Active-Active" or AA). By using carefully-designed passive dynamics in the pitch direction, we can eliminate one of the two actuators, saving cost, complexity, and weight, while maintaining or improving performance. This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Grant No. FA9550-15-1-0243, monitored by Dr. Douglas Smith.

First clinical evaluation of a new long-term subconjunctival glucose sensor.

PubMed

Müller, Achim Josef; Knuth, Monika; Nikolaus, Katharina Sibylle; Herbrechtsmeier, Peter

2012-07-01

To evaluate the feasibility of an implantable subconjunctival glucose monitoring system (SGMS) for glucose monitoring in humans, we investigated the in vivo performance of the sensor in a clinical trial with five patients. The new SGMS consists of an implantable ocular mini implant (OMI) and a hand-held fluorescence photometer. The implantable subconjunctival glucose sensor is composed of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer system based on Concanavalin A chemistry, embedded in a nelfilcon polymer hydrogel disk. Blood glucose changes in humans were induced by oral glucose intake and insulin injections. The in vivo response of the new SGMS was tested in a first human clinical study with five diabetes patients. The OMI was well tolerated in the eyes of the patients. The SGMS exhibited high correlation coefficients (>0.88) with blood glucose changes and a good stability of the sensor response to glucose for the study period of 2 weeks. Lag times were in the range of 5-10 min. A total of 98% of all data pairs was in the clinical acceptable ranges A and B of the consensus error grid. For the first time, the possibility to measure glucose in vivo in the subconjunctival interstitial fluid for a period of 2 weeks was demonstrated in a human clinical trial. © 2012 Diabetes Technology Society.

Comparación del funcionamiento entre PMT y SiPM para la detección de Cherenkov atmosférico en el Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yelós, L. D.; Suarez, F.; García, B.

2017-10-01

Most recent discoveries in gamma ray astronomy with energies around 50 GeV to 30 TeV, were achieved with ground Cherenkov Telescopes, traditionally composed of a parabolic mirror and a single or an array of photo multiplier tubes (PMTs) in their focus. The same detectors (or similar) are used in most astrophysics experiments. Recently, a new detector, the silicon photo-multiplier (SiPM), is progressively replacing the PMTs due to their technical advantages. However some limitations in their functioning make them more complex to use than PMTs and forces their characterization for each project. This work describes the characterization of SiPM from SensL (model MicroFC-SMA-30035) and a PMT from Hamamatsu (model R1463), both detectors are possible options to be used in an array of three Cherenkov telescopes at CASLEO. Additionally, we include the results of the operation of both detectors under controlled laboratory conditions that simulate expected conditions at field. Laboratory test were run in a darkbox with a data acquisition system, a personalized data analyze system with ROOT libraries, temperature control and monitoring, polarization control, a controlled light source, and humidity monitoring.

Wrist Pulse Rate Monitor Using Self-Injection-Locked Radar Technology

PubMed Central

Wang, Fu-Kang; Tang, Mu-Cyun; Su, Sheng-Chao; Horng, Tzyy-Sheng

2016-01-01

To achieve sensitivity, comfort, and durability in vital sign monitoring, this study explores the use of radar technologies in wearable devices. The study first detected the respiratory rates and heart rates of a subject at a one-meter distance using a self-injection-locked (SIL) radar and a conventional continuous-wave (CW) radar to compare the sensitivity versus power consumption between the two radars. Then, a pulse rate monitor was constructed based on a bistatic SIL radar architecture. This monitor uses an active antenna that is composed of a SIL oscillator (SILO) and a patch antenna. When attached to a band worn on the subject’s wrist, the active antenna can monitor the pulse on the subject’s wrist by modulating the SILO with the associated Doppler signal. Subsequently, the SILO’s output signal is received and demodulated by a remote frequency discriminator to obtain the pulse rate information. PMID:27792176

Wrist Pulse Rate Monitor Using Self-Injection-Locked Radar Technology.

PubMed

Wang, Fu-Kang; Tang, Mu-Cyun; Su, Sheng-Chao; Horng, Tzyy-Sheng

2016-10-26

To achieve sensitivity, comfort, and durability in vital sign monitoring, this study explores the use of radar technologies in wearable devices. The study first detected the respiratory rates and heart rates of a subject at a one-meter distance using a self-injection-locked (SIL) radar and a conventional continuous-wave (CW) radar to compare the sensitivity versus power consumption between the two radars. Then, a pulse rate monitor was constructed based on a bistatic SIL radar architecture. This monitor uses an active antenna that is composed of a SIL oscillator (SILO) and a patch antenna. When attached to a band worn on the subject's wrist, the active antenna can monitor the pulse on the subject's wrist by modulating the SILO with the associated Doppler signal. Subsequently, the SILO's output signal is received and demodulated by a remote frequency discriminator to obtain the pulse rate information.

On architecting and composing engineering information services to enable smart manufacturing

PubMed Central

Ivezic, Nenad; Srinivasan, Vijay

2016-01-01

Engineering information systems play an important role in the current era of digitization of manufacturing, which is a key component to enable smart manufacturing. Traditionally, these engineering information systems spanned the lifecycle of a product by providing interoperability of software subsystems through a combination of open and proprietary exchange of data. But research and development efforts are underway to replace this paradigm with engineering information services that can be composed dynamically to meet changing needs in the operation of smart manufacturing systems. This paper describes the opportunities and challenges in architecting such engineering information services and composing them to enable smarter manufacturing. PMID:27840595

Exploring the Potential of TanDEM-X Data in Rice Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erten, E.

2015-12-01

In this work, phenological parameters such as growth stage, calendar estimation, crop density and yield estimation for rice fields are estimated employing TanDEM-X data. Currently, crop monitoring is country-dependent. Most countries have databases based on cadastral information and annual farmer inputs. Inaccuracies are coming from wrong or missing farmer declarations and/or coarsely updated cadastral boundary definitions. This leads to inefficient regulation of the market, frauds as well as to ecological risks. An accurate crop calendar is also missing, since farmers provide estimations in advance and there is no efficient way to know the growth status over large plantations. SAR data is of particular interest for these purposes. The proposed method includes two step approach including field detection and phenological state estimation. In the context of precise farming it is substantial to define field borders which are usually changing every cultivation period. Linking the SAR inherit properties to transplanting practice such as irrigation, the spatial database of rice-planted agricultural crops can be updated. Boundaries of agricultural fields will be defined in the database, and assignments of crops and sowing dates will be continuously updated by our monitoring system considering that sowing practice variously changes depending on the field owner decision. To define and segment rice crops, the system will make use of the fact that rice fields are characterized as flooded parcels separated by path networks composed by soil or rare grass. This natural segmentation is well detectable by inspecting low amplitude and coherence values of bistatic acquisitions. Once the field borders are defined, the phenology estimation of crops monitored at any time is the key point of monitoring. In this aspect the wavelength and the polarization option of TanDEM-X are enough to characterize the small phenological changes. The combination of bistatic interferometry and Radiative Transfer Theory (RTT) with different polarization provides a realistic description of plants including their full morphology (stalks, tillers, leaves and panicles).

A 0.18 μm CMOS low-power radiation sensor for asynchronous event-driven UWB wireless transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastianini, S.; Crepaldi, M.; Demarchi, D.; Gabrielli, A.; Lolli, M.; Margotti, A.; Villani, G.; Zhang, Z.; Zoccoli, G.

2013-12-01

The paper describes the design of a readout element, proposed as a radiation monitor, which implements an embedded sensor based on a floating-gate transistor. The paper shows the design of a microelectronic circuit composed of a sensor, an oscillator, a modulator, a transmitter and an integrated antenna. A prototype chip has recently been fabricated and tested exploiting a commercial 180 nm, four metal CMOS technology. Simulation results of the entire behavior of the circuit before submission are presented along with some measurements of the actual chip response. In addition, preliminary tests of the performance of the Ultra-Wide Band transmission via the integrated antenna are summarized. As the complete chip prototype area is less than 1 mm2, the chip fits a large variety of applications, from spot radiation monitoring systems in medicine to punctual measurements of radiation level in High-Energy Physics experiments. A sensitivity of 1 mV/rad was estimated within an absorbed dose range up to 10 krad and a total power consumption of about 165 μW.

Arrhythmias and hemodialysis: role of potassium and new diagnostic tools.

PubMed

Buemi, Michele; Coppolino, Giuseppe; Bolignano, Davide; Sturiale, Alessio; Campo, Susanna; Buemi, Antoine; Crascì, Eleonora; Romeo, Adolfo

2009-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases represent the main causes of death in patients affected by renal failure, and arrhythmias are frequently observed in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Dialytic treatment per se can be considered as an arrhythmogenic stimulus; moreover, uraemic patients are characterized by a "pro-arrhythmic substrate" because of the high prevalence of ischaemic heart disease, left ventricular hypertrophy and autonomic neuropathy. One of the most important pathogenetic element involved in the onset of intra-dialytic arrhythmias is the alteration in electrolytes concentration, particularly calcium and potassium. It may be very useful to monitor the patient's cardiac activity during the whole hemodilaytic session. Nevertheless, the application of an extended intradialytic electrocardiographic monitoring is not simple because of several technical and structural impairments. We tried to overcome these difficulties using Whealthy, a wearable system consisting in a t-shirt composed of conductors and piezoresistive materials, integrated to form fibers and threads connected to tissutal sensors, electrodes, and connectors. ECG and pneumographic impedance signals are acquired by the electrodes in the tissue, and the data are registered by a small computer and transmitted via GPRS or Bluetooth.

Simulation environment and graphical visualization environment: a COPD use-case.

PubMed

Huertas-Migueláñez, Mercedes; Mora, Daniel; Cano, Isaac; Maier, Dieter; Gomez-Cabrero, David; Lluch-Ariet, Magí; Miralles, Felip

2014-11-28

Today, many different tools are developed to execute and visualize physiological models that represent the human physiology. Most of these tools run models written in very specific programming languages which in turn simplify the communication among models. Nevertheless, not all of these tools are able to run models written in different programming languages. In addition, interoperability between such models remains an unresolved issue. In this paper we present a simulation environment that allows, first, the execution of models developed in different programming languages and second the communication of parameters to interconnect these models. This simulation environment, developed within the Synergy-COPD project, aims at helping and supporting bio-researchers and medical students understand the internal mechanisms of the human body through the use of physiological models. This tool is composed of a graphical visualization environment, which is a web interface through which the user can interact with the models, and a simulation workflow management system composed of a control module and a data warehouse manager. The control module monitors the correct functioning of the whole system. The data warehouse manager is responsible for managing the stored information and supporting its flow among the different modules. It has been proved that the simulation environment presented here allows the user to research and study the internal mechanisms of the human physiology by the use of models via a graphical visualization environment. A new tool for bio-researchers is ready for deployment in various use cases scenarios.

Co-delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietin-1 using injectable microsphere/hydrogel hybrid systems for therapeutic angiogenesis.

PubMed

Shin, Seung-Hwa; Lee, Jangwook; Ahn, Dong-Gyun; Lee, Kuen Yong

2013-08-01

We hypothesized that combined delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) using microsphere/hydrogel hybrid systems could enhance mature vessel formation compared with administration of each factor alone. Hybrid delivery systems composed of alginate hydrogels and poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres containing angiogenic factors were prepared. The release behavior of angiogenic factors from hybrid systems was monitored in vitro. The hybrid systems were injected into an ischemic rodent model, and blood vessel formation at the ischemic site was evaluated. The sustained release over 4 weeks of both VEGF and Ang-1 from hybrid systems was achieved in vitro. Co-delivery of VEGF and Ang-1 was advantageous to retain muscle tissues and significantly induced vessel enlargement at the ischemic site, compared to mice treated with either VEGF or Ang-1 alone. Sustained and combined delivery of VEGF and Ang-1 significantly enhances vessel enlargement at the ischemic site, compared with sustained delivery of either factor alone. Microsphere/hydrogel hybrid systems may be a promising vehicle for delivery of multiple drugs for many therapeutic applications.

Using Quality Attributes to Bridge Systems Engineering Gaps : A Juno Ground Data Systems Case Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dubon, Lydia P.; Jackson, Maddalena M.; Thornton, Marla S.

2012-01-01

The Juno Mission to Jupiter is the second mission selected by the NASA New Frontiers Program. Juno launched August 2011 and will reach Jupiter July 2016. Juno's payload system is composed of nine instruments plus a gravity science experiment. One of the primary functions of the Juno Ground Data System (GDS) is the assembly and distribution of the CFDP (CCSDS File Delivery Protocol) product telemetry, also referred to as raw science data, for eight out of the nine instruments. The GDS accomplishes this with the Instrument Data Pipeline (IDP). During payload integration, the first attempt to exercise the IDP in a flight like manner revealed that although the functional requirements were well understood, the system was unable to meet latency requirements with the as-is heritage design. A systems engineering gap emerged between Juno instrument data delivery requirements and the assumptions behind the heritage flight-ground interactions. This paper describes the use of quality attributes to measure and overcome this gap by introducing a new systems engineering activity, and a new monitoring service architecture that successfully delivered the performance metrics needed to validate Juno IDP.

The Soil Moisture Active Passive Marena Oklahoma In Situ Sensor Testbed (SMAP-MOISST): Design and initial results

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In situ soil moisture monitoring networks are critical to the development of soil moisture remote sensing missions as well as agricultural and environmental management, weather forecasting and many other endeavors. These in situ networks are composed of a variety of sensors and installation practic...

SEASONAL AND REGIONAL AIR QUALITY AND ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION IN THE EASTERN US

EPA Science Inventory

Dry concentration and dry and wet deposition of selected air pollutants monitored over two 5-year periods in the 1990s at or near 34 rural Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) sites located in the eastern US are adjusted for known biases, composed into seasonal values, a...

Biodegradable optode-based nanosensors for in vivo monitoring

PubMed Central

Balaconis, Mary K.; Clark, Heather A.

2012-01-01

Optode-based fluorescent nanosensors are being developed for monitoring important diseased states such as hyponatremia and diabetes. However, traditional optode-based sensors are composed of nonbiodegradable polymers such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) raising toxicity concerns for long-term in vivo use. Here, we report the development of the first biodegradable optode-based nanosensors that maintain sensing characteristics identical to traditional optode sensors. The polymer matrix of these sensors is composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) and a citric acid ester plasticizer. The PCL-based nanosensors yielded a dynamic and reversible response to sodium, were tuned to respond to extracellular sodium concentrations, and had a lifetime of at least 14 days at physiological temperature. When in the presence of lipase, the nanosensors degraded within 4 hours at lipase concentrations found in the liver but were present after 3 days at lipase concentrations found in serum. This development of biodegradable nanosensors is not only necessary for future in vivo applications, but it has also created a new sensor platform that can be extended to other sensing mechanisms such as for small molecules or enzymes. PMID:22725692

Impacts of PM concentrations on visibility impairment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jie, Guo; Wang, Mei-mei; Han, Ye-Xing; Yu, Zhi-Wei; Tang, Huai-Wu

2016-11-01

In the paper, an accurate and sensitive cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (CAPS) sensor was used to monitor the atmospheric visibility. The CAPS system mainly includes a LED light source, a band-pass filter, an optical resonant cavity (composed of two high mirror, reflectivity is greater than 99.99%), a photoelectric detector and a lock-in amplifier. The 2L/min flow rate, the optical sensor rise and fall response time is about 15 s, so as to realize the fast measurement of visibility. An Allan variance analysis was carried out evaluating the optical system stability (and hence the maximum averaging time for the minimum detection limit) of the CAPS system. The minima ( 0.1 Mm-1) in the Allan plots show the optimum average time ( 100s) for optimum detection performance of the CAPS system. During this period, the extinction coefficient was correlated with PM2.5 mass (0.88), the extinction coefficient was correlated with PM10 mass (0.85). The atmospheric visibility was correlated with PM2.5 mass (0.74). The atmospheric visibility was correlated with PM10 mass (0.66).

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

Jia, Zhiwei, E-mail: jiayege@hotmail.com; Yan, Guozheng; Zhu, Bingquan

An implanted telemetry system for experimental animals with or without anaesthesia can be used to continuously monitor physiological parameters. This system is significant not only in the study of organisms but also in the evaluation of drug efficacy, artificial organs, and auxiliary devices. The system is composed of a miniature electronic capsule, a wireless power transmission module, a data-recording device, and a processing module. An electrocardiograph, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor are integrated in the miniature electronic capsule, in which the signals are transmitted in vitro by wireless communication after filtering, amplification, and A/D sampling. To overcome themore » power shortage of batteries, a wireless power transmission module based on electromagnetic induction was designed. The transmitting coil of a rectangular-section solenoid and a 3D receiving coil are proposed according to stability and safety constraints. Experiments show that at least 150 mW of power could pick up on the load in a volume of Φ10.5 mm × 11 mm, with a transmission efficiency of 2.56%. Vivisection experiments verified the feasibility of the integrated radio-telemetry system.« less

Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Buck: Wildlife Monitoring on Shrublands of the Nevada Test Site

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

Hall, Derek B.; Greger, Paul D.

The Nevada Test Site (NTS) covers 3,561 km2 and extends over portions of both the Mojave and Great Basin Deserts. The resulting diverse and complex flora and fauna exhibit elements of both deserts. There are 20 vegetation associations, composed primarily of shrubs, nested within 10 vegetation alliances. Of the more than 1,200 invertebrate and 339 vertebrate species found in these shrubland habitats, 267 are considered sensitive or protected/regulated by federal or state laws. Wildlife and wildlife habitat monitoring ensures NTS activities comply with all federal and state laws enacted for the protection of these valuable biological resources and provides ecologicalmore » information that can be used to predict and evaluate the potential impacts of proposed projects and current activities on these resources. This paper describes the monitoring approach used at this large site. Monitoring strategies include conducting preactivity surveys, proactively monitoring sensitive species, monitoring long-term population trends, and collaborating with other agencies and biologists. Ways to make monitoring more efficient and examples of successful monitoring and collaborations are discussed.« less

EGSE (Electrical Ground Support Equipment) for ESA VEGA Launcher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrante, M.; Ortenzi, A.; del Re, V.; Bordin, M.; Saccucci, Fr.

2004-08-01

Activities belonging to Assembly, Integration and Validation (AIV) phase of a launch vehicle are fundamental in development of a so much delicate system. The equipment used to support this long and crucial phase can be described as a set of Mechanical and Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE). This paper describes the approach followed to develop such a system, and the benefits that this brings in terms of lower risk, more coordinated interfaces and improved functionality. The paper briefly outlines VEGA Electrical Ground Support Equipment major characteristics. In particular, this paper describes the EGSE design for a small launch vehicle such as VEGA. The objective of EGSE is to provide hardware and software for efficient electrical testing of either single stages and integrated launcher. The needs to develop a small launcher is a response to a Resolution in the Space Transportation Strategy adopted by the ESA Council in June 2000, aiming at: "completing, in the medium term, the range of launch services offered by the addition of European manufactured small and medium launcher, complementary to Ariane, consistent with diversified users' needs and relying on common elements, such as stages, subsystems, technologies, production facilities and operational infrastructure, thereby increasing the European launcher industry's competitiveness". Three different parts principally compose the Vega EGSE: TCS (Test Configuration System), TES (Test Execution System), PPS (Post Processing System). The TES is the part of the EGSE devoted to the tests execution; it has capabilities of immediate test data analysis, parameters monitoring and it is able to undertake pre-defined actions, in case of anomalous events happen, in order to put in safe conditions the Unity Under Test (UUT). The TES is composed of two main components: HLCS and LLCS. The HLCS is based on SCOS 2000 ESA product; it is mainly devoted to the interaction with operators. It allows loading Test Sequences and sending commands to the LLCS, thereafter retrieving and displaying the results. The LLCS is the EGSE part closest to the UUT and directly connected to it. It is in charge of monitoring and commanding the UUT, reacting in real-time to both nominal and anomalous events and to ensure safety conditions during the execution of test sessions, even in absence of connection with the HLCS. To perform the tests of VEGA launcher three test areas are foreseen: one for each VEGA launcher stage, except for the third and the second stages that are tested in the same test area. One of these areas is also used to perform the test of complete VEGA launcher. In order to perform all tests, the LLCS is composed of modular subsystems able to work either independently in different test areas or in jointure in the main test area The TCS is the part devoted to the configuration of the EGSE, during the configuration phase it is possible to configure all components of EGSE depending on the test session to be performed. The PPS is the part devoted to the test results post processing. The PPS allows retrieving, analysis and displaying of the data generated in the test execution phases.

[Identifying dry-weather flow and pollution load sources of separate storm sewer systems with different degrees of illicit discharge].

PubMed

Meng, Ying-ying; Feng, Cang; Li, Tian; Wang, Ling

2009-12-01

Dry-weather flow quantity and quality of three representative separate storm sewer systems in Shanghai-H, G, N were studied. Based on survey of operating status of the pumping stations as well as characteristics of the drainage systems, it was obtained that the interception sewage volumes per unit area in the three systems were 3610 m3/(km2 x d), 1550 m3/(km2 x d), 2970 m3/(km2 x d) respectively; the sanitary wastewater included accounted for 25%, 85% and 71% respectively; the interception volume of H was mainly composed of infiltrated underground water, so the dry-weather flow pollution was slighter, and the interception volumes of G, N were both mainly composed of sanitary wastewater, so the dry-weather which were flow pollution was relatively serious. The water characteristics of potential illicit discharge sources of dry-weather which were flow-grey water, black water and underground water were preliminarily explored, so that treating three parameters-LAS/ NH4+ -N, NH4+ -N/K, Mg/K as tracer parameters of grey water, black water and underground water was put forward. Moreover, the water characteristics of grey water and sanitary wastewater including black water were summarized: the feature of grey water was LAS/NH4+ -N > 0.2, NH4+ -N/K <1, and sanitary wastewater was LAS/NH4+ -N < 0.2, NH4+ -N/K >1. Based on the above, the applications of flow chart method and CMBM method in dry-weather flow detection of monitored storm systems were preliminarily discussed, and the results were basically same as that obtained in flow quantity and quality comprehensive analysis. The research results and methods can provide guidance for analysis and diagnosis of dry-weather flow sources and subsequent reconstruction projects in similar separate storm sewer systems at home.

EMMA: a new paradigm in configurable software

DOE PAGES

Nogiec, J. M.; Trombly-Freytag, K.

2017-11-23

EMMA is a framework designed to create a family of configurable software systems, with emphasis on extensibility and flexibility. It is based on a loosely coupled, event driven architecture. The EMMA framework has been built upon the premise of composing software systems from independent components. It opens up opportunities for reuse of components and their functionality and composing them together in many different ways. As a result, it provides the developer of test and measurement applications with a lightweight alternative to microservices, while sharing their various advantages, including composability, loose coupling, encapsulation, and reuse.

EMMA: A New Paradigm in Configurable Software

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

Nogiec, J. M.; Trombly-Freytag, K.

EMMA is a framework designed to create a family of configurable software systems, with emphasis on extensibility and flexibility. It is based on a loosely coupled, event driven architecture. The EMMA framework has been built upon the premise of composing software systems from independent components. It opens up opportunities for reuse of components and their functionality and composing them together in many different ways. It provides the developer of test and measurement applications with a lightweight alternative to microservices, while sharing their various advantages, including composability, loose coupling, encapsulation, and reuse.

EMMA: a new paradigm in configurable software

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

Nogiec, J. M.; Trombly-Freytag, K.

EMMA is a framework designed to create a family of configurable software systems, with emphasis on extensibility and flexibility. It is based on a loosely coupled, event driven architecture. The EMMA framework has been built upon the premise of composing software systems from independent components. It opens up opportunities for reuse of components and their functionality and composing them together in many different ways. As a result, it provides the developer of test and measurement applications with a lightweight alternative to microservices, while sharing their various advantages, including composability, loose coupling, encapsulation, and reuse.

EMMA: a new paradigm in configurable software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nogiec, J. M.; Trombly-Freytag, K.

2017-10-01

EMMA is a framework designed to create a family of configurable software systems, with emphasis on extensibility and flexibility. It is based on a loosely coupled, event driven architecture. The EMMA framework has been built upon the premise of composing software systems from independent components. It opens up opportunities for reuse of components and their functionality and composing them together in many different ways. It provides the developer of test and measurement applications with a lightweight alternative to microservices, while sharing their various advantages, including composability, loose coupling, encapsulation, and reuse.

Wi-GIM system: a new wireless sensor network (WSN) for accurate ground instability monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mucchi, Lorenzo; Trippi, Federico; Schina, Rosa; Fornaciai, Alessandro; Gigli, Giovanni; Nannipieri, Luca; Favalli, Massimiliano; Marturia Alavedra, Jordi; Intrieri, Emanuele; Agostini, Andrea; Carnevale, Ennio; Bertolini, Giovanni; Pizziolo, Marco; Casagli, Nicola

2016-04-01

Landslides are among the most serious and common geologic hazards around the world. Their impact on human life is expected to increase in the next future as a consequence of human-induced climate change as well as the population growth in proximity of unstable slopes. Therefore, developing better performing technologies for monitoring landslides and providing local authorities with new instruments able to help them in the decision making process, is becoming more and more important. The recent progresses in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) allow us to extend the use of wireless technologies in landslide monitoring. In particular, the developments in electronics components have permitted to lower the price of the sensors and, at the same time, to actuate more efficient wireless communications. In this work we present a new wireless sensor network (WSN) system, designed and developed for landslide monitoring in the framework of EU Wireless Sensor Network for Ground Instability Monitoring - Wi-GIM project (LIFE12 ENV/IT/001033). We show the preliminary performance of the Wi-GIM system after the first period of monitoring on the active Roncovetro Landslide and on a large subsiding area in the neighbourhood of Sallent village. The Roncovetro landslide is located in the province of Reggio Emilia (Italy) and moved an inferred volume of about 3 million cubic meters. Sallent village is located at the centre of the Catalan evaporitic basin in Spain. The Wi-GIM WSN monitoring system consists of three levels: 1) Master/Gateway level coordinates the WSN and performs data aggregation and local storage; 2) Master/Server level takes care of acquiring and storing data on a remote server; 3) Nodes level that is based on a mesh of peripheral nodes, each consisting in a sensor board equipped with sensors and wireless module. The nodes are located in the landslide ground perimeter and are able to create an ad-hoc WSN. The location of each sensor on the ground is determined by integrating an ultra wideband technology with a radar technology; this integration allows to push the accuracy towards the cm. An extended Kalman filter is also used to reduce the noise and enhance the accuracy of the measures. The sensor nodes are organized as a hierarchical cluster, composed by one master and several slave nodes. The landslide movement is detected by comparing day by day the x, y and z coordinates of each nodes. The 3D movements of each sensor during the monitoring period are represented as vector and displayed on a Web-GIS which is accessible at the following link: www.life-wigim.eu.

Etude theorique des fluctuations structurales dans les composes organiques a dimensionnalite reduite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumoulin, Benoit

Les systemes a dimensionnalite reduite constituent maintenant une branche entiere de la physique de la matiere condensee. Cette derniere s'est developpee rapidement au cours des dernieres annees, avec la decouverte des materiaux organiques qui presentent, justement, des proprietes physiques fortement anisotropes. Cette these presente une etude en trois parties de plusieurs composes organiques qui, bien que tres differents du point de vue de leurs compositions chimiques et de leurs proprietes physiques a haute temperature, subissent tous une instabilite structurale a tres basse temperature. De plus, dans chacun des cas, l'instabilite structurale est precedee d'un important regime fluctuatif a partir duquel les proprietes physiques changent de maniere significative. Notre etude suit un ordre chronologique inverse puisque nous nous attardons en premier lieu au cas de composes recemment decouverts: les composes de la famille des (BCPTTF)2X (X = PF6 , AsF6). Ces derniers sont des isolants magnetiques a la temperature ambiante et subissent une instabilite structurale de type spin-Peierls a une temperature appelee TSP. En particulier, nous nous interessons a l'etude des proprietes physiques de ces systemes dans le regime fluctuatif, qui precede cette instabilite. Notre etude theorique nous permet de comprendre en detail comment ces systemes s'approchent de l'instabilite struturale. Dans la seconde partie de cette these, nous etudions le regime fluctuatif (pre-transitionnel) observe experimentalement dans le compose de (TMTTF)2PF6. Ce compose organique, dont la structure s'apparente aux sels de Bechgaard, subit une instabilite de type spin-Peierls a une temperature T SP = 19K. Bien que ce compose possede la particularite d'etre un bon conducteur a la temperature ambiante, il subit une transition de type Mott-Hubbard a une temperature Trho ≈ 220K et devient alors un isolant magnetique, analogue aux composes de la famille des (BCPTTF)2X. Le regime fluctuatif precedant l'instabilite spin-Peierls apparait ensuite vers 60K. Notre etude theorique montre qu'un modele d'electrons en interaction de type "g-ologie" avec possibilite de processus umklapp permet de bien rendre compte des proprietes physiques de ce systeme. Finalement, la troisieme partie de cette these porte sur l'etude des premiers composes organiques quasi-unidimensionnels a avoir ete synthetises: les composes de la famille du TTF-TCNQ. Notre etude theorique des instabilites structurales que presentent ces composes n'est evidemment pas la premiere. L'originalite de cette derniere est qu'elle tient compte des fortes interactions entre les electrons, presentent dans ces composes. Pour tenir compte de telles interactions, nous avons choisi la formulation "liquide de Luttinger" qui nous permet de mieux traiter ce regimne dit de couplage fort.

The essential aspect in sewerage regulation in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siami, L.

2018-01-01

Several cities in Indonesia have the sewerage local regulation such as Banjarmasin, Bantul, Surakarta and Denpasar. Meanwhile, The National Government have guideline in composing domestic sewerage regulation. Each city have their own characteristic and issues that need to be carried out by the local regulation. By using SWOT analysis, this study tries to figure out several aspect that need to be included in the local regulation. International references from developed and developing countries like Japan, Phillipines, Malaysia and Thailand were also used as benchmark without neglecting the local conditions of cities in Indonesia. Several crucial aspect of local regulation are institutional authority, composition on-site and off-site system, tariff, evaluation and monitoring, as well as punishment and rewards. Both tariff and evaluation aspects need to be narrowed down into specific regulations.

Fresenius AS.TEC204 blood cell separator.

PubMed

Sugai, Mikiya

2003-02-01

Fresenius AS.TEC204 is a third-generation blood cell separator that incorporates the continuous centrifugal separation method and automatic control of the cell separation process. Continuous centrifugation separates cell components according to their specific gravity, and different cell components are either harvested or eliminated as needed. The interface between the red blood cell and plasma is optically detected, and the Interface Control (IFC) cooperates with different pumps, monitors and detectors to harvest required components automatically. The system is composed of three major sections; the Front Panel Unit; the Pump Unit, and the Centrifuge Unit. This unit can be used for a wide variety of clinical applications including collection of platelets, peripheral blood stem cells, bone marrow stem cells, granulocytes, mononuclear cells, and exchange of plasma or red cells, and for plasma treatment.

A Novel Bioreactor System for the Assessment of Endothelialization on Deformable Surfaces

PubMed Central

Bachmann, Björn J.; Bernardi, Laura; Loosli, Christian; Marschewski, Julian; Perrini, Michela; Ehrbar, Martin; Ermanni, Paolo; Poulikakos, Dimos; Ferrari, Aldo; Mazza, Edoardo

2016-01-01

The generation of a living protective layer at the luminal surface of cardiovascular devices, composed of an autologous functional endothelium, represents the ideal solution to life-threatening, implant-related complications in cardiovascular patients. The initial evaluation of engineering strategies fostering endothelial cell adhesion and proliferation as well as the long-term tissue homeostasis requires in vitro testing in environmental model systems able to recapitulate the hemodynamic conditions experienced at the blood-to-device interface of implants as well as the substrate deformation. Here, we introduce the design and validation of a novel bioreactor system which enables the long-term conditioning of human endothelial cells interacting with artificial materials under dynamic combinations of flow-generated wall shear stress and wall deformation. The wall shear stress and wall deformation values obtained encompass both the physiological and supraphysiological range. They are determined through separate actuation systems which are controlled based on validated computational models. In addition, we demonstrate the good optical conductivity of the system permitting online monitoring of cell activities through live-cell imaging as well as standard biochemical post-processing. Altogether, the bioreactor system defines an unprecedented testing hub for potential strategies toward the endothelialization or re-endothelialization of target substrates. PMID:27941901

Laser measurement of respiration activity in preterm infants: Monitoring of peculiar events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scalise, L.; Marchionni, P.; Ercoli, I.; Tomasini, E. P.

2012-09-01

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a part of a pediatric hospital dedicated to the care of ill or pre-term patients . NICU's patients are underweight and most of the time they need cardiac and respiratory support therapies; they are placed in incubators or in cribs maintaining target environmental and body temperatures and protecting patients from bacteria and virus. Patients are continuously monitored for long period of time (days or weeks) due to their possible several health conditions. the most common vital signs monitored are: respiration rate, heart rate, body temperature, blood saturation, etc. Most of the devices used for transducing such quantities in electronic signals - like spirometer or electrocardiogram (ECG) - are in direct contact with the patient and results, also in consideration of the specific patient, largely invasive. In this paper, we propose a novel measurement system for non-contact and non-invasive assessment of the respiration activity, with particular reference to the detection of peculiar respiration events of extreme interest in intensive care units, such as: irregular inspiration/expiration acts, hiccups and apneas. The sensing device proposed is the Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDVi) which is an non contact, optical measurement system for the assessment of a surface velocity and displacement. In the past it has been demonstrated to be suitable to measure heart rate (HR) and respiration rate (RR) in adult and in preterm infant trough chest-wall displacements. The measurement system is composed by a LDVi system and a data acquisition board installed on a PC, with no direct contact with the patient. Tests have been conducted on 20 NICU patients, for a total of 7219 data sampled. Results show very high correlation (R=0.99) with the reference instrument used for the patient monitoring (mechanical ventilator), with an uncertainty < ±7 ms (k=2). Moreover, during the tests, some peculiar respiration events, have been recorded on 6 of the monitored patients: irregular inspiration/expiration acts (4), hiccups (1) and apneas (1). The proposed measurement method shows to be able to precisely detect the instantaneous respiration frequency of the patient, avoiding patient contact. Moreover the signal collected allow to identify irregularities in the patient respiration of different severity, allowing an optimized action of the care givers.

Design and validation of a low cost surface plasmon resonance bioanalyzer using microprocessors and a touch-screen monitor.

PubMed

Hu, Jiandong; Hu, Jingfang; Luo, Fukun; Li, Wei; Jiang, Guoliang; Li, Zhengfeng; Zhang, Runna

2009-03-15

An economical and high-performance bioanalyzer, with no use of laptop computer, based on the use of TSPR1k23 biosensors was systematically designed, and validated experimentally for its high performance. The analyzer is composed of a micro-flow cell, a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), a clamp, a touch-screen monitor, and an electronic control unit (ECU) incorporated with photoelectric conversion device. The micro-flow cell is made of stainless steel with high thermal conductivity, and the micro-flow system is based on PID temperature-controlled algorithm to keep the constant temperature (25 degrees C) of the liquid sample via thermal exchange with the clamp. With a peristaltic pump implemented by an injection loop flow system, the bioanalyzer allows the core sensor to be completely exposed to samples. The touch-screen monitor displays the normalized response signal values updated every 0.25s, with a typical noise level less than 5RU (response unit) within 2h. The bioanalyzer was validated using hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as an example. Anti-HBsAg monoclonal antibody is adhered to the surface of the sensor chip by a bifunctional cross-linker with the technology of self-assembly. The duration of the HBsAg measurement only lasts 5min with a dilution factor ranging from 200 to 1200, optimized with a R-squared value 0.998. The results suggested that the bioanalyzer has higher selectivity, lower cost, expanded detection limit, and shorter measuring time as compared with the HBsAg ELISA kit, especially for low concentrations of analyte.

Social Perception in Infancy: A Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd-Fox, Sarah; Blasi, Anna; Volein, Agnes; Everdell, Nick; Elwell, Claire E.; Johnson, Mark H.

2009-01-01

The capacity to engage and communicate in a social world is one of the defining characteristics of the human species. While the network of regions that compose the social brain have been the subject of extensive research in adults, there are limited techniques available for monitoring young infants. This study used near infrared spectroscopy to…

Mechanisms for Prolonging Network Lifetime in Wireless Sensor Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Yinying

2010-01-01

Sensors are used to monitor and control the physical environment. A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is composed of a large number of sensor nodes that are densely deployed either inside the phenomenon or very close to it [18][5]. Sensor nodes measure various parameters of the environment and transmit data collected to one or more sinks, using…

SIAM-SERVIR: An Environmental Monitoring and Decision Support System for Mesoamerica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irwin, Daniel E.; Sever, Tom; Graves, Sara; Hardin, Danny

2005-01-01

In 2002/2003 NASA, the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) to develop an advanced decision support system for Mesoamerica (named SERVIR) as part of the Mesoamerican Environmental Information System (SIAM). Mesoamerica - composed of the seven Central American countries and the five southernmost states of Mexico - make up only a small fraction of the world s land surface. However, the region is home to seven to eight percent of the planet s biodiversity (14 biosphere reserves, 31 Ramsar sites, 8 world heritage sites, 589 protected areas) and 45 million people including more than 50 different ethnic groups. Today Mesoamerica s biological and cultural diversity is severely threatened by extensive deforestation, illegal logging, water pollution, and uncontrolled slash and burn agriculture. Additionally, Mesoamerica's distinct geology and geography result in disproportionate vulnerability to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, and volcanic eruptions. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, together with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the SIAM-SERVIR partners are developing state-of-the-art decision support tools for environmental monitoring as well as disaster prevention and mitigation in Mesoamerica. These partners are contributing expertise in space-based observation with information management technologies and intimate knowledge of local ecosystems to create a system that is being used by scientists, educators, and policy makers to monitor and forecast ecological changes, respond to natural disasters and better understand both natural and human induced effects. In its first year of development and operation, the SIAM-SERVIR project has already yielded valuable information on Central American fires, weather conditions, and the first ever real-time data on red tides. This paper presents the progress thus far in the development of SIAM-SERVIR and the plans for the future.

Feasibility of a novel mHealth management system to capture and improve medication adherence among adolescents with asthma

PubMed Central

Cushing, Anna; Manice, Melissa P; Ting, Andrew; Parides, Michael K

2016-01-01

Purpose Currently, 7.1 million children in the United States have asthma. Nonadherence to daily controller asthma medication is common, leading to more severe symptoms, overuse of rescue medication, and increased hospitalizations. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel mHealth management system composed of a sensored device, which is connected to mobile phone app that is designed to monitor and improve asthma medication adherence. Patients and methods The asthma management system was designed using well-established behavioral theory. Seven adolescents aged 11–18 years were enrolled and given an adherence sensor, and four of those also received a mobile phone app with game features and reminders. Five patients completed the study, and one was lost to follow-up in each group. Mobile app users and their parents participated in focus groups to assess patient preferences. Feasibility was assessed by the ability of sensors to capture real-time medication data. Acceptability was assessed by patient questionnaire and focus group analysis. Results Successful upload of real-time data from six of seven inhaler sensors to the HIPAA-compliant server demonstrates the feasibility of at-home patient monitoring using the sensor device. All three mobile app users who completed the study reported interest in continued use of the management system and would recommend the app to friends. Unstructured interviews and focus groups revealed that patients felt that the intervention helped their sense of asthma control. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the sensor device to remotely monitor real-time medication usage, and user feedback demonstrates the acceptability of the intervention for patient use. The findings provide guidance for the improvement of study design and technology development. Further research is needed to assess the efficacy of the intervention. PMID:27853357

Innovation Technologies and Applications for Coastal Archaeological sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Iorio, A.; Biliouris, D.; Guzinski, R.; Hansen, L. B.; Bagni, M.

2015-04-01

Innovation Technologies and Applications for Coastal Archaeological sites project (ITACA) aims to develop and test a management system for underwater archaeological sites in coastal regions. The discovering and monitoring service will use innovative satellite remote sensing techniques combined with image processing algorithms. The project will develop a set of applications integrated in a system pursuing the following objectives: - Search and location of ancient ship wrecks; - Monitoring of ship wrecks, ruins and historical artefacts that are now submerged; - Integration of resulting search and monitoring data with on-site data into a management tool for underwater sites; - Demonstration of the system's suitability for a service. High resolution synthetic aperture radar (TerraSAR-X, Cosmo-SkyMed) and multispectral satellite data (WorldView) will be combined to derive the relative bathymetry of the bottom of the sea up to the depth of 50 meters. The resulting data fusion will be processed using shape detection algorithms specific for archaeological items. The new algorithms, the physical modelling and the computational capabilities will be integrated into the Web-GIS, together with data recorded from surface (2D and 3D modelling) and from underwater surveys. Additional specific archaeological layers will be included into the WebGIS to facilitate the object identification through shape detection techniques and mapping. The system will be verified and validated through an extensive onground (sea) campaign carried out with both cutting edge technologies (side-scan sonar, multi beam echo sounder) and traditional means (professional scuba divers) in two test sites in Italy and Greece. The project is leaded by Planetek Hellas E.P.E. and include ALMA Sistemi sas for the "shape detection" and dissemination tasks, DHI-GRAS and Kell Srl for multispectral and SAR bathymetry. The complete consortium is composed by eleven partners and the project Kick-Off has been held in January 2014. The present contribution aims to present the project research achievements and finding at the mid-term review.

Biological treatment of habitation waste streams using full scale MABRs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, William; Barta, Daniel J.; Morse, Audra; Christenson, Dylan; Sevanthi, Ritesh

Recycling waste water is a critical step to support sustainable long term habitation in space. Water is one of the largest contributors to life support requirements. In closed loop life support systems, membrane aerated biological reactors (MABRs) can reduce the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and ammonia (NH3) concentration as well as decrease the pH, leading to a more stable solution with less potential to support biological growth or promote carryover of unionized ammonia as well as producing a higher quality brine. Over the last three years we have operated 3 full size MABRs ( 120L) treating a habitation type waste stream composed of urine, hygiene, and laundry water. The reactors varied in the specific surface area (260, 200, and 150 m2/m3) available for biofilm growth and gas transfer. The liquid side system was continually monitored for pH, TDS, and DO, and the influent and effluent monitored daily for DOC, TN, NOx, and NH4. The gas side system was continuously monitored for O2, CO2, and N2O in the effluent gas as well as pressure and flow rates. These systems have all demonstrated greater than 90% DOC reductions and ammonium conversion rates of 50-70% over a range of loading rates with effluent pH from 5-7.5. We have evaluated. In addition, to evaluating the impact of loading rates (10-70 l/d) we have also evaluated the impact of forced hibernation, the use of pure O2 on performance, the impact of pressurize operation to prevent de-gassing of N2 and to promote higher O2 transfer and a discontinuous feeding cycle to allow integration with desalination. Our analysis includes quantification of consumables (power and O2), waste products such as CO2 and N2O as well as solids production. Our results support the use of biological reactors to treat habitation waste streams as an alternative to the use of pretreatment and desalination alone.

A fiber optics system for monitoring utilization of ZnO adsorbent beds during desulfurization for logistic fuel cell applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sujan, Achintya; Yang, Hongyun; Dimick, Paul; Tatarchuk, Bruce J.

2016-05-01

An in-situ fiber optic based technique for direct measurement of capacity utilization of ZnO adsorbent beds by monitoring bed color changes during desulfurization for fuel cell systems is presented. Adsorbents composed of bulk metal oxides (ZnO) and supported metal oxides (ZnO/SiO2 and Cusbnd ZnO/SiO2) for H2S removal at 22 °C are examined. Adsorbent bed utilization at breakthrough is determined by the optical sensor as the maximum derivative of area under UV-vis spectrum from 250 to 800 nm observed as a function of service time. Since the response time of the sensor due to bed color change is close to bed breakthrough time, a series of probes along the bed predicts utilization of the portion of bed prior to H2S breakthrough. The efficacy of the optical sensor is evaluated as a function of inlet H2S concentration, H2S flow rate and desulfurization in presence of CO, CO2 and moisture in feed. A 6 mm optical probe is employed to measure utilization of a 3/16 inch ZnO extrudate bed for H2S removal. It is envisioned that with the application of the optical sensor, desulfurization can be carried out at high adsorbent utilization and low operational costs during on-board miniaturized fuel processing for logistic fuel cell power systems.

OWL-Net: A global network of robotic telescopes for satellite observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jang-Hyun; Yim, Hong-Suh; Choi, Young-Jun; Jo, Jung Hyun; Moon, Hong-Kyu; Park, Young-Sik; Bae, Young-Ho; Park, Sun-Youp; Roh, Dong-Goo; Cho, Sungki; Choi, Eun-Jung; Kim, Myung-Jin; Choi, Jin

2018-07-01

The OWL-Net (Optical Wide-field patroL Network) is composed of 0.5-m wide-field optical telescopes spread over the globe (Mongolia, Morocco, Israel, South Korea, and USA). All the observing stations are identical, operated in a fully robotic manner, and controlled by the headquarters located in Daejeon, Korea. The main objective of the OWL-Net is to obtain the orbital information of Korean LEO and GEO satellites using purely optical means and to maintain their orbital elements. The aperture size of the mirror is 0.5 m in the Ritchey-Chretien configuration, and its field of view is 1.1 deg on the CCD sensor. The telescope is equipped with an electrically cooled 4 K CCD camera with a 9-μm pixel size, and its pixel scale is 1 arcsec/pixel. A chopper wheel with variable speed is adopted to obtain multiple points in a single shot. Each observatory is equipped with a heavy-duty environment monitoring system for robust robotic observation. The headquarters has components for status monitoring, scheduling, network operation, orbit calculation, and database management. The test-phase operation of the whole system began in early 2017, although test runs for individual sites began in 2015. Although the OWL-Net has 7 observation modes for artificial satellites and astronomical objects, we are concentrating on a few modes for LEO satellites and calibration during the early phase. Some early results and analysis for system performance will be presented, and their implications will be discussed.

Development of a lab-on-chip electrochemical biosensor for water quality analysis based on microalgal photosynthesis.

PubMed

Tsopela, A; Laborde, A; Salvagnac, L; Ventalon, V; Bedel-Pereira, E; Séguy, I; Temple-Boyer, P; Juneau, P; Izquierdo, R; Launay, J

2016-05-15

The present work was dedicated to the development of a lab-on-chip device for water toxicity analysis and more particularly herbicide detection in water. It consists in a portable system for on-site detection composed of three-electrode electrochemical microcells, integrated on a fluidic platform constructed on a glass substrate. The final goal is to yield a system that gives the possibility of conducting double, complementary detection: electrochemical and optical and therefore all materials used for the fabrication of the lab-on-chip platform were selected in order to obtain a device compatible with optical technology. The basic detection principle consisted in electrochemically monitoring disturbances in metabolic photosynthetic activities of algae induced by the presence of Diuron herbicide. Algal response, evaluated through oxygen (O2) monitoring through photosynthesis was different for each herbicide concentration in the examined sample. A concentration-dependent inhibition effect of the herbicide on photosynthesis was demonstrated. Herbicide detection was achieved through a range (blank - 1 µM Diuron herbicide solution) covering the limit of maximum acceptable concentration imposed by Canadian government (0.64 µM), using a halogen white light source for the stimulation of algal photosynthetic apparatus. Superior sensitivity results (limit of detection of around 0.1 µM) were obtained with an organic light emitting diode (OLED), having an emission spectrum adapted to algal absorption spectrum and assembled on the final system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of 3-dimensional compact magnetic dosimeter for environmental magnetic field monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubota, Yusuke; Obayashi, Haruo; Miyahara, Akira; Ohno, Kazuko; Nakamura, Kouichi; Horii, Kenzi

1991-07-01

A computer-driven, three-dimensional magnetic fluxmeter to be used for magnetic field dosimetry has been developed. A magnetic monitor applicable to this object should be measurable to an absolute value of local magnetic field strength and also be able to record its time integration as a measure of exposed dose to the magnetic field. The present fluxmeter consists of signal amplifiers, rectifiers, an A/D converter, and a pocket computer (PC). The signal outputs from the sensors are processed with the PC to compose an absolute strength of magnetic flux density and its time-integrated value. The whole system is driven by a battery and is quite compact in size to be used as a handy portable system. Further details of the design, idea, construction, specification, and testing result of the fluxmeter are described. The measurable range are from 0.4G to 20,000G in normal mode and 8mG to 400G in high-sensitivity AC mode, and the sensitivity is well independent of the magnetic field direction. These measured data are displayed in real time on the LCD panel of the PC and memorized in RAM files. Possible application of the fluxmeter is discussed with special attention to the search of the leakage and/or disturbing error fields around LHD (Large Helical Device) and other magnetic systems, the individual dose control to the workers in strong magnetic fields, and the evaluation of the effects of long irradiation of magnetic fields.

Miniature Sensor Probe for O2, CO2, and H2O Monitoring in Portable Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delgado, Jesus; Chambers, Antja

2013-01-01

A miniature sensor probe, composed of four sensors which monitor the partial pressure of O2, CO2, H2O, and temperature, designed to operate in the portable life support system (PLSS), has been demonstrated. The probe provides an important advantage over existing technology in that it is able to operate reliably while wet. These luminescence-based fiber optic sensors consist of an indicator chemistry immobilized in a polymeric film, whose emission lifetime undergoes a strong change upon a reversible interaction with the target gas. Each sensor includes chemistry specifically sensitive to one target parameter. All four sensors are based on indicator chemistries that include luminescent dyes from the same chemical family, and therefore exhibit similar photochemical properties, which allow performing measurements of all the sensors by a single, compact, low-power optoelectronic unit remotely connected to the sensors by an electromagnetic interference-proof optical fiber cable. For space systems, using these miniature sensor elements with remote optoelectronics provides unmatched design flexibility for measurements in highly constrained volume systems such as the PLSS. A 10 mm diameter and 15 mm length prototype multiparameter probe was designed, fabricated, tested, and demonstrated over a wide operational range of gas concentration, humidity, and temperature relevant to operation in the PLSS. The sensors were evaluated for measurement range, precision, accuracy, and response time in temperatures ranging from 50 aF-150 aF and relative humidity from dry to 100% RH. Operation of the sensors in water condensation conditions was demonstrated wherein the sensors not only tolerated liquid water but actually operated while wet.

A novel robotic platform for laser-assisted transurethral surgery of the prostate.

PubMed

Russo, S; Dario, P; Menciassi, A

2015-02-01

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common pathology afflicting ageing men. The gold standard for the surgical treatment of BPH is transurethral resection of the prostate. The laser-assisted transurethral surgical treatment of BPH is recently emerging as a valid clinical alternative. Despite this, there are still some issues that hinder the outcome of laser surgery, e.g., distal dexterity is strongly reduced by the current endoscopic instrumentation and contact between laser and prostatic tissue cannot be monitored and optimized. This paper presents a novel robotic platform for laser-assisted transurethral surgery of BPH. The system, designed to be compatible with the traditional endoscopic instrumentation, is composed of a catheter-like robot provided with a fiber optic-based sensing system and a cable-driven actuation mechanism. The sensing system allows contact monitoring between the laser and the hypertrophic tissue. The actuation mechanism allows steering of the laser fiber inside the prostatic urethra of the patient, when contact must be reached. The design of the proposed robotic platform along with its preliminary testing and evaluation is presented in this paper. The actuation mechanism is tested in in vitro experiments to prove laser steering performances according to the clinical requirements. The sensing system is calibrated in experiments aimed to evaluate the capability of discriminating the contact forces, between the laser tip and the prostatic tissue, from the pulling forces exerted on the cables, during laser steering. These results have been validated demonstrating the robot's capability of detecting sub-Newton contact forces even in combination with actuation.

A Simple, Visually Oriented Communication System to Improve Postoperative Care Following Microvascular Free Tissue Transfer: Development, Results, and Implications.

PubMed

Henderson, Peter W; Landford, Wilmina; Gardenier, Jason; Otterburn, David M; Rohde, Christine H; Spector, Jason A

2016-07-01

Background Communication, particularly transmission of information between the surgical and nursing teams, has been identified as one of the most crucial determinants of patient outcomes. Nonetheless, transfer of information among and between the physician and nursing teams in the immediate postoperative period is often informal, verbal, and inconsistent. Methods An iterative process of multidisciplinary information gathering was undertaken to create a novel postoperative communication system (the "Pop-form"). Once developed, nurses were surveyed on multiple measures regarding the perceived likelihood that it would improve their ability to provide directed patient care. Data were quantified using a Likert scale (0-10), and statistically analyzed. Results The Pop-form records and transfers operative details, specific anatomic monitoring parameters, and senior physician contact information. Sixty-eight nurses completed surveys. The perceived usefulness of different components of the Pop-form system was as follows: 8.9 for the description of the procedure; 9.3 for the operative diagram; 9.4 for the monitoring details and parameters; and 9.4 for the direct contact information for the appropriate surgical team member. All respondents were in favor of widespread adoption of the Pop-form. Conclusion This uniform, visual communication system requires less than 1 minute to compose, yet formalizes and standardizes inter-team communication, and therefore shows promise for improving outcomes following microvascular free tissue transfer. We believe that this simple, innovative communication tool has the potential to be more broadly applied to many other health care settings. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

A Novel Multifunctional Theranostic Liposome Drug Delivery System: Construction, Characterization, and Multimodality MR, Near-infrared Fluorescent and Nuclear Imaging

PubMed Central

Li, Shihong; Goins, Beth; Zhang, Lujun; Bao, Ande

2012-01-01

Liposomes are effective lipid nanoparticle drug delivery systems, which can also be functionalized with non-invasive multimodality imaging agents with each modality providing distinct information and having synergistic advantages in diagnosis, monitoring of disease treatment, and evaluation of liposomal drug pharmacokinetics. We designed and constructed a multifunctional theranostic liposomal drug delivery system, which integrated multimodality magnetic resonance (MR), near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent and nuclear imaging of liposomal drug delivery, and therapy monitoring and prediction. The pre-manufactured liposomes were composed of DSPC/cholesterol/Gd-DOTADSPE/DOTA-DSPE with the molar ratio of 39:35:25:1 and having ammonium sulfate/pH gradient. A lipidized NIR fluorescent tracer, IRDye-DSPE, was effectively post-inserted into the pre-manufactured liposomes. Doxorubicin could be effectively post-loaded into the multifunctional liposomes. The multifunctional doxorubicin-liposomes could also be stably radiolabeled with 99mTc or 64Cu for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, respectively. MR images displayed the high resolution micro-intratumoral distribution of the liposomes in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) tumor xenografts in nude rats after intratumoral injection. NIR fluorescent, SPECT and PET images also clearly showed either the high intratumoral retention or distribution of the multifunctional liposomes. This multifunctional drug carrying liposome system is promising for disease theranostics allowing non-invasive multimodality NIR fluorescent, MR, SPECT and PET imaging of their in vivo behavior and capitalizing on the inherent advantages of each modality. PMID:22577859

Emergency Response System for Pollution Accidents in Chemical Industrial Parks, China

PubMed Central

Duan, Weili; He, Bin

2015-01-01

In addition to property damage and loss of lives, environment pollution, such as water pollution and air pollution caused by accidents in chemical industrial parks (CIPs) is a significant issue in China. An emergency response system (ERS) was therefore planned to properly and proactively cope with safety incidents including fire and explosions occurring in the CIPs in this study. Using a scenario analysis, the stages of emergency response were divided into three levels, after introducing the domino effect, and fundamental requirements of ERS design were confirmed. The framework of ERS was composed mainly of a monitoring system, an emergency command center, an action system, and a supporting system. On this basis, six main emergency rescue steps containing alarm receipt, emergency evaluation, launched corresponding emergency plans, emergency rescue actions, emergency recovery, and result evaluation and feedback were determined. Finally, an example from the XiaoHu Chemical Industrial Park (XHCIP) was presented to check on the integrality, reliability, and maneuverability of the ERS, and the result of the first emergency drill with this ERS indicated that the developed ERS can reduce delays, improve usage efficiency of resources, and raise emergency rescue efficiency. PMID:26184260

Advances in the Dynallax solid-state dynamic parallax barrier autostereoscopic visualization display system.

PubMed

Peterka, Tom; Kooima, Robert L; Sandin, Daniel J; Johnson, Andrew; Leigh, Jason; DeFanti, Thomas A

2008-01-01

A solid-state dynamic parallax barrier autostereoscopic display mitigates some of the restrictions present in static barrier systems, such as fixed view-distance range, slow response to head movements, and fixed stereo operating mode. By dynamically varying barrier parameters in real time, viewers may move closer to the display and move faster laterally than with a static barrier system, and the display can switch between 3D and 2D modes by disabling the barrier on a per-pixel basis. Moreover, Dynallax can output four independent eye channels when two viewers are present, and both head-tracked viewers receive an independent pair of left-eye and right-eye perspective views based on their position in 3D space. The display device is constructed by using a dual-stacked LCD monitor where a dynamic barrier is rendered on the front display and a modulated virtual environment composed of two or four channels is rendered on the rear display. Dynallax was recently demonstrated in a small-scale head-tracked prototype system. This paper summarizes the concepts presented earlier, extends the discussion of various topics, and presents recent improvements to the system.

Web-based DAQ systems: connecting the user and electronics front-ends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenzi, Thomas

2016-12-01

Web technologies are quickly evolving and are gaining in computational power and flexibility, allowing for a paradigm shift in the field of Data Acquisition (DAQ) systems design. Modern web browsers offer the possibility to create intricate user interfaces and are able to process and render complex data. Furthermore, new web standards such as WebSockets allow for fast real-time communication between the server and the user with minimal overhead. Those improvements make it possible to move the control and monitoring operations from the back-end servers directly to the user and to the front-end electronics, thus reducing the complexity of the data acquisition chain. Moreover, web-based DAQ systems offer greater flexibility, accessibility, and maintainability on the user side than traditional applications which often lack portability and ease of use. As proof of concept, we implemented a simplified DAQ system on a mid-range Spartan6 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) development board coupled to a digital front-end readout chip. The system is connected to the Internet and can be accessed from any web browser. It is composed of custom code to control the front-end readout and of a dual soft-core Microblaze processor to communicate with the client.

Emergency Response System for Pollution Accidents in Chemical Industrial Parks, China.

PubMed

Duan, Weili; He, Bin

2015-07-10

In addition to property damage and loss of lives, environment pollution, such as water pollution and air pollution caused by accidents in chemical industrial parks (CIPs) is a significant issue in China. An emergency response system (ERS) was therefore planned to properly and proactively cope with safety incidents including fire and explosions occurring in the CIPs in this study. Using a scenario analysis, the stages of emergency response were divided into three levels, after introducing the domino effect, and fundamental requirements of ERS design were confirmed. The framework of ERS was composed mainly of a monitoring system, an emergency command center, an action system, and a supporting system. On this basis, six main emergency rescue steps containing alarm receipt, emergency evaluation, launched corresponding emergency plans, emergency rescue actions, emergency recovery, and result evaluation and feedback were determined. Finally, an example from the XiaoHu Chemical Industrial Park (XHCIP) was presented to check on the integrality, reliability, and maneuverability of the ERS, and the result of the first emergency drill with this ERS indicated that the developed ERS can reduce delays, improve usage efficiency of resources, and raise emergency rescue efficiency.

EGNOS Tran Solutions for River Information Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jandrisits, Marko; de Mateo Garcia, Juan Carlos; Abwerzger, Gunther

2005-03-01

Within the ESA Advanced Research Telecommunications program ARTES-5, the project GALEWAT (Galileo and EGNOS for Waterway Transport) aims at introducing EGNOS into River Information Systems (RIS) through the Automatic Identification System (AIS).The GALEWAT project is carried out by a consortium composed by via donau (Austria), responsible for the overall project coordination and the operations in Vienna; Kongsberg Seatex AS (Norway), mainly responsible for the ship and shore equipment provision and installation; TeleConsult Austria (Austria), responsible for the geodetic reference system and performance evaluation of the tests, and INOV (Portugal), responsible for software development, i.e. performance monitor software and web interface for the external segment.During the definition phase, the system architecture and user equipment have been defined, in line with standards and international recommendations. The activity is currently in its implementation phase. Three demo sites are targeted: Vienna (Austria), Lisbon (Portugal) and Constanta (Romania) in order to illustrate the system in different environments (river navigation, harbour approach, open sea). The objective of this paper is to present the results of the tests and demo trials that took place based on the EGNOS signals during the last quarter of 2004 in Vienna.

Using the PORS Problems to Examine Evolutionary Optimization of Multiscale Systems

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

Reinhart, Zachary; Molian, Vaelan; Bryden, Kenneth

2013-01-01

Nearly all systems of practical interest are composed of parts assembled across multiple scales. For example, an agrodynamic system is composed of flora and fauna on one scale; soil types, slope, and water runoff on another scale; and management practice and yield on another scale. Or consider an advanced coal-fired power plant: combustion and pollutant formation occurs on one scale, the plant components on another scale, and the overall performance of the power system is measured on another. In spite of this, there are few practical tools for the optimization of multiscale systems. This paper examines multiscale optimization of systemsmore » composed of discrete elements using the plus-one-recall-store (PORS) problem as a test case or study problem for multiscale systems. From this study, it is found that by recognizing the constraints and patterns present in discrete multiscale systems, the solution time can be significantly reduced and much more complex problems can be optimized.« less

The merged basins of signal transduction pathways in spatiotemporal cell biology.

PubMed

Hou, Yingchun; Hou, Yang; He, Siyu; Ma, Caixia; Sun, Mengyao; He, Huimin; Gao, Ning

2014-03-01

Numerous evidences have indicated that a signal system is composed by signal pathways, each pathway is composed by sub-pathways, and the sub-pathway is composed by the original signal terminals initiated with a protein/gene. We infer the terminal signals merged signal transduction system as "signal basin". In this article, we discussed the composition and regulation of signal basins, and the relationship between the signal basin control and triple W of spatiotemporal cell biology. Finally, we evaluated the importance of the systemic regulation to gene expression by signal basins under triple W. We hope our discussion will be the beginning to cause the attention for this area from the scientists of life science. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Wireless Capacitive Pressure Sensor Operating up to 400 Celcius from 0 to 100 psi Utilizing Power Scavenging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scardelletti, Maximilian C.; Ponchak, George E.; Harsh, Kevin; Mackey, Jonathan A.; Meredith, Roger D.; Zorman, Christian A.; Beheim, Glenn M.; Dynys, Frederick W.; Hunter, Gary W.

2014-01-01

In this paper, a wireless capacitive pressure sensor developed for the health monitoring of aircraft engines has been demonstrated. The sensing system is composed of a Clapp-type oscillator that operates at 131 MHz. The Clapp oscillator is fabricated on a alumina substrate and consists of a Cree SiC (silicon carbide) MESFET (Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors), this film inductor, Compex chip capacitors and Sporian Microsystem capacitive pressure sensor. The resonant tank circuit within the oscillator is made up of the pressure sensor and a spiral thin film inductor, which is used to magnetically couple the wireless pressure sensor signal to a coil antenna placed over 1 meter away. 75% of the power used to bias the sensing system is generated from thermoelectric power modules. The wireless pressure sensor is operational at room temperature through 400 C from 0 to 100 psi and exhibits a frequency shift of over 600 kHz.

A Human Activity Recognition System Using Skeleton Data from RGBD Sensors.

PubMed

Cippitelli, Enea; Gasparrini, Samuele; Gambi, Ennio; Spinsante, Susanna

2016-01-01

The aim of Active and Assisted Living is to develop tools to promote the ageing in place of elderly people, and human activity recognition algorithms can help to monitor aged people in home environments. Different types of sensors can be used to address this task and the RGBD sensors, especially the ones used for gaming, are cost-effective and provide much information about the environment. This work aims to propose an activity recognition algorithm exploiting skeleton data extracted by RGBD sensors. The system is based on the extraction of key poses to compose a feature vector, and a multiclass Support Vector Machine to perform classification. Computation and association of key poses are carried out using a clustering algorithm, without the need of a learning algorithm. The proposed approach is evaluated on five publicly available datasets for activity recognition, showing promising results especially when applied for the recognition of AAL related actions. Finally, the current applicability of this solution in AAL scenarios and the future improvements needed are discussed.

Hybrid composite rebars for smart concrete structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnamoorthy, R. K.; Belarbi, Abdeldjelil; Chandrashekhara, K.; Watkins, Steve E.

1997-05-01

In reinforced concrete structures, steel reinforcing bars (rebars) corrode with time and thus reduce their life span. Composite rebars can be used in lieu of steel rebars to overcome this problem. The conventional composite rebars designed to take tensile force are composed of unidirectional fibers in a resin matrix, and are linearly elastic till failure; thus providing a brittle behavior. The problems of corrosion and brittle behavior can be solved by using a composite rebar which fails gradually under tension. The rebar consists of a hybrid composite system in conjunction with helical fibers. The hybrid system gives the rebar its initial stiffness and enables pseudo-yielding at lower strains. As the strain increase, the load is gradually transferred from the hybrid core to the helical fibers, which enables the rebar to undergo large elongations before failure. Embedded fiber optic sensors in the rebar can be used for health monitoring over a long period of time. The proof of concept and preliminary test results are described in the paper.

Location-Enhanced Activity Recognition in Indoor Environments Using Off the Shelf Smart Watch Technology and BLE Beacons.

PubMed

Filippoupolitis, Avgoustinos; Oliff, William; Takand, Babak; Loukas, George

2017-05-27

Activity recognition in indoor spaces benefits context awareness and improves the efficiency of applications related to personalised health monitoring, building energy management, security and safety. The majority of activity recognition frameworks, however, employ a network of specialised building sensors or a network of body-worn sensors. As this approach suffers with respect to practicality, we propose the use of commercial off-the-shelf devices. In this work, we design and evaluate an activity recognition system composed of a smart watch, which is enhanced with location information coming from Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. We evaluate the performance of this approach for a variety of activities performed in an indoor laboratory environment, using four supervised machine learning algorithms. Our experimental results indicate that our location-enhanced activity recognition system is able to reach a classification accuracy ranging from 92% to 100%, while without location information classification accuracy it can drop to as low as 50% in some cases, depending on the window size chosen for data segmentation.

A wireless transmission system powered by an enzyme biofuel cell implanted in an orange.

PubMed

MacVittie, Kevin; Conlon, Tyler; Katz, Evgeny

2015-12-01

A biofuel cell composed of catalytic electrodes made of "buckypaper" modified with PQQ-dependent glucose dehydrogenase and FAD-dependent fructose dehydrogenase on the anode and with laccase on the cathode was used to activate a wireless information transmission system. The cathode/anode pair was implanted in orange pulp extracting power from its content (glucose and fructose in the juice). The open circuit voltage, Voc, short circuit current density, jsc, and maximum power produced by the biofuel cell, Pmax, were found as ca. 0.6 V, ca. 0.33 mA·cm(-2) and 670 μW, respectively. The voltage produced by the biofuel cell was amplified with an energy harvesting circuit and applied to a wireless transmitter. The present study continues the research line where different implantable biofuel cells are used for the activation of electronic devices. The study emphasizes the biosensor and environmental monitoring applications of implantable biofuel cells harvesting power from natural sources, rather than their biomedical use. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-time multiple objects tracking on Raspberry-Pi-based smart embedded camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dziri, Aziz; Duranton, Marc; Chapuis, Roland

2016-07-01

Multiple-object tracking constitutes a major step in several computer vision applications, such as surveillance, advanced driver assistance systems, and automatic traffic monitoring. Because of the number of cameras used to cover a large area, these applications are constrained by the cost of each node, the power consumption, the robustness of the tracking, the processing time, and the ease of deployment of the system. To meet these challenges, the use of low-power and low-cost embedded vision platforms to achieve reliable tracking becomes essential in networks of cameras. We propose a tracking pipeline that is designed for fixed smart cameras and which can handle occlusions between objects. We show that the proposed pipeline reaches real-time processing on a low-cost embedded smart camera composed of a Raspberry-Pi board and a RaspiCam camera. The tracking quality and the processing speed obtained with the proposed pipeline are evaluated on publicly available datasets and compared to the state-of-the-art methods.

The assessment of the coke wastewater treatment efficacy in rotating biological contractor.

PubMed

Cema, G; Żabczyński, S; Ziembińska-Buczyńska, A

2016-01-01

Coke wastewater is known to be relatively difficult for biological treatment. Nonetheless, biofilm-based systems seem to be promising tool for such treatment. That is why a rotating biological contactor (RBC) system focused on the Anammox process was used in this study. The experiment was divided into two parts with synthetic and then real wastewater. It was proven that it is possible to treat coke wastewater with RBC but such a procedure requires a very long start-up period for the nitritation (190 days), as well as for the Anammox process, where stable nitrogen removal over 70% was achieved after 400 days of experiment. Interestingly, it was possible at a relatively low (20.2 ± 2.2 °C) temperature. The polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) based monitoring of the bacterial community showed that its biodiversity decreased when the real wastewater was treated and it was composed mainly of GC-rich genotypes, probably because of the modeling influence of this wastewater and the genotypes specialization.

Multi-Sensing system for outdoor thermal monitoring: Application to large scale civil engineering components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crinière, Antoine; Dumoulin, Jean; Manceau, Jean-Luc; Perez, Laetitia; Bourquin, Frederic

2014-05-01

Aging of transport infrastructures combined with traffic and climatic solicitations contribute to the reduction of their performances. To address and quantify the resilience of civil engineering structure, investigations on robust, fast and efficient methods are required. Among research works carried out at IFSTTAR, methods for long term monitoring face an increasing demand. Such works take benefits of this last decade technological progresses in ICT domain. The present study follows the ISTIMES European project [1], which aimed at demonstrate the ability of different electromagnetic sensing techniques, processing methods and ICT architecture, to be used for long term monitoring of critical transport infrastructures. Thanks to this project a multi-sensing techniques system, able to date and synchronize measurements carried out by infrared thermography coupled with various measurements data (i.e. weather parameters), have been designed, developed and implemented on real site [2]. Among experiments carried out on real transport infrastructure, it has been shown, for the "Musmesci" bridge deck (Italy), that by using infrared thermal image sequence with weather measurements during sevral days it was possible to develop analysis methods able to produce qualitative and quantitative data [3]. In the present study, added functionalities were designed and added to the "IrLAW" system in order to reach full autonomy in term of power supply, very long term measurement capability (at least 1 year) and automated data base feeding. The surveyed civil engineering structures consist in two concrete beams of 16 m long and 21 T weight each. One of the two beams was damage by high energy mechanical impact at the IFSTTAR falling rocks test station facilities located in the French Alpes [4]. The system is composed of one IR uncooled microbolometric camera (FLIR SC325) with a 320X240 Focal Plane Array detector in band III, a weather station VAISALA WXT520, a GPS, a failover power supply and a backup system. All the components of the system are connected to the IrLaW software through an IP network. The monitoring system is fully autonomous since August 2013 and provides data at 0. Hz sampling frequency. First results obtained by data post-processing is addressed. Finally, discussion on experimental feedback and main outcomes of several month of measurement in outdoor conditions will be presented. REFERENCES [1]Proto M. et al., , 2010. Transport infrastructure surveillance and monitoring by electromagnetic sensing: the ISTIMES project. Sensors, 10,10620-10639, doi: 10.3390/s101210620. [2]J. Dumoulin, R. Averty ".Development of an infrared system coupled with a weather station for real time atmospheric corrections using GPU computing: Application to bridge monitoring", in Proc of 11th International Conference on Quantitative InfraRed Thermography, Naples Italy, 2012. [3]J. Dumoulin, A. Crinière, R. Averty ," Detection and thermal characterization of the inner structure of the "Musmeci" bridge deck by infrared thermography monitoring ",Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, Volume 10, Number 2, November 2013, IOP Science, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/10/6/064003. [4]I. Catapano, R. Di Napoli, F. Soldovieri1, M. Bavusi, A. Loperte and J. Dumoulin, "Structural monitoring via microwave tomography-enhanced GPR: the Montagnole test site", Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, Volume 9, Number 4, August 2012, pp 100-107, IOP Science, doi:10.1088/1742-2132/9/4/S100.

Batch Statistical Process Monitoring Approach to a Cocrystallization Process.

PubMed

Sarraguça, Mafalda C; Ribeiro, Paulo R S; Dos Santos, Adenilson O; Lopes, João A

2015-12-01

Cocrystals are defined as crystalline structures composed of two or more compounds that are solid at room temperature held together by noncovalent bonds. Their main advantages are the increase of solubility, bioavailability, permeability, stability, and at the same time retaining active pharmaceutical ingredient bioactivity. The cocrystallization between furosemide and nicotinamide by solvent evaporation was monitored on-line using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) as a process analytical technology tool. The near-infrared spectra were analyzed using principal component analysis. Batch statistical process monitoring was used to create control charts to perceive the process trajectory and define control limits. Normal and non-normal operating condition batches were performed and monitored with NIRS. The use of NIRS associated with batch statistical process models allowed the detection of abnormal variations in critical process parameters, like the amount of solvent or amount of initial components present in the cocrystallization. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Estimation of ground reaction forces and joint moments on the basis on plantar pressure insoles and wearable sensors for joint angle measurement.

PubMed

Ostaszewski, Michal; Pauk, Jolanta

2018-05-16

Gait analysis is a useful tool medical staff use to support clinical decision making. There is still an urgent need to develop low-cost and unobtrusive mobile health monitoring systems. The goal of this study was twofold. Firstly, a wearable sensor system composed of plantar pressure insoles and wearable sensors for joint angle measurement was developed. Secondly, the accuracy of the system in the measurement of ground reaction forces and joint moments was examined. The measurements included joint angles and plantar pressure distribution. To validate the wearable sensor system and examine the effectiveness of the proposed method for gait analysis, an experimental study on ten volunteer subjects was conducted. The accuracy of measurement of ground reaction forces and joint moments was validated against the results obtained from a reference motion capture system. Ground reaction forces and joint moments measured by the wearable sensor system showed a root mean square error of 1% for min. GRF and 27.3% for knee extension moment. The correlation coefficient was over 0.9, in comparison with the stationary motion capture system. The study suggests that the wearable sensor system could be recommended both for research and clinical applications outside a typical gait laboratory.

Clinical validation of the CHRONIOUS wearable system in patients with chronic disease.

PubMed

Bellos, Christos; Papadopoulos, Athanassios; Rosso, Roberto; Fotiadis, Dimitrios I

2013-01-01

The CHRONIOUS system defines a powerful and easy to use framework which has been designed to provide services to clinicians and their patients suffering from chronic diseases. The system is composed of a wearable shirt that integrate several body sensors, a portable smart device and a central sub-system that is responsible for the long term storage of the collected patient's data. A multi-parametric expert system is developed for the analysis of the collected data using intelligent algorithms and complex techniques. Apart for the vital signals, dietary habits, drug intake, activity data, environmental and biochemical parameters are recorded. The CHRONIOUS platform is validated through clinical trials in several medical centers and patient's home environments recruiting patients suffering from Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) diseases. The clinical trials contribute in improving the system's accuracy, while Pulmonologists and Nephrologists experts utilized the CHRONIOUS platform to evaluate its efficiency and performance. The results of the utilization of the system were very encouraging. The CHRONIOUS system has been proven to be a well-validated real-time patient monitoring and supervision platform, providing a useful tool for the clinician and the patient that would contribute to the more effective management of chronic diseases.

Active magnetic compensation composed of shielding panels.

PubMed

Kato, K; Yamazaki, K; Sato, T; Haga, A; Okitsu, T; Muramatsu, K; Ueda, T; Kobayashi, K; Yoshizawa, M

2004-11-30

Magnetically shielded rooms (MSRs) with materials of high permeability and active shield systems have been used to shield magnetic noise for biomagnetic measurements up to now. However, these techniques have various disadvantages. Therefore, we have developed a new shielding system composed of shielding panels using an active compensation technique. In this study, we evaluated the shielding performance of several unit panels attached together. Numerical and experimental approaches indicated that the shielding factor of a cubic model composed of 24 panels was 17 for uniform fields, and 7 for disturbances due to car movement. Furthermore, the compensation space is larger than that of an ordinary active system using large coils rather than panels. Moreover, the new active compensation system has the important advantage that panels of any shape can be assembled for occasional use because the unit panels are small and light.

NDE for Material Characterization in Aeronautic and Space Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baaklini, George Y.; Kautz, Harold E.; Gyekenyesi, Andrew L.; Abdul-Aziz, Ali; Martin, Richard E.

2000-01-01

This paper describes selected nondestructive evaluation (NDE) approaches that were developed or tailored at the NASA Glenn Research Center for characterizing advanced material systems. The emphasis is on high-temperature aerospace propulsion applications. The material systems include monolithic ceramics, superalloys, and high temperature composites. In the aeronautic area, the highlights are cooled ceramic plate structures for turbine applications, F-TiAl blade materials for low-pressure turbines, thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) for residual stress measurements in titanium based and nickel based engine materials, and acousto ultrasonics (AU) for creep damage assessment in nickel-based alloys. In the space area, examples consist of cooled carbon-carbon composites for gas generator combustors and flywheel rotors composed of carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites for energy storage on the international space station (ISS). The role of NDE in solving manufacturing problems, the effect of defects on structural behavior, and the use of NDE-based finite element modeling are discussed. NDE technology needs for improved microelectronic and mechanical systems as well as health monitoring of micro-materials and components are briefly discussed.

Ozone-mist spray sterilization for pest control in agricultural management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebihara, Kenji; Mitsugi, Fumiaki; Ikegami, Tomoaki; Nakamura, Norihito; Hashimoto, Yukio; Yamashita, Yoshitaka; Baba, Seiji; Stryczewska, Henryka D.; Pawlat, Joanna; Teii, Shinriki; Sung, Ta-Lun

2013-02-01

We developed a portable ozone-mist sterilization system to exterminate pests (harmful insects) in agricultural field and greenhouse. The system is composed of an ozone generator, an ozone-mist spray and a small container of ozone gas. The ozone generator can supply highly concentrated ozone using the surface dielectric barrier discharge. Ozone-mist is produced using a developed nozzle system. We studied the effects of ozone-mist spray sterilization on insects and agricultural plants. The sterilization conditions are estimated by monitoring the behavior of aphids and observing the damage of the plants. It was shown that aphids were exterminated in 30 s without noticeable damages of the plant leaves. The reactive radicals with strong oxidation potential such as hydroxyl radical (*OH), hydroperoxide radical (*HO2), the superoxide ion radical (*O2‒) and ozonide radical ion (*O3‒) can increase the sterilization rate for aphids. Contribution to the Topical Issue "13th International Symposium on High Pressure Low Temperature Plasma Chemistry (Hakone XIII)", Edited by Nicolas Gherardi, Henryca Danuta Stryczewska and Yvan Ségui.

Emerging Frontiers of Neuroengineering: A Network Science of Brain Connectivity

PubMed Central

Bassett, Danielle S.; Khambhati, Ankit N.; Grafton, Scott T.

2018-01-01

Neuroengineering is faced with unique challenges in repairing or replacing complex neural systems that are composed of many interacting parts. These interactions form intricate patterns over large spatiotemporal scales and produce emergent behaviors that are difficult to predict from individual elements. Network science provides a particularly appropriate framework in which to study and intervene in such systems by treating neural elements (cells, volumes) as nodes in a graph and neural interactions (synapses, white matter tracts) as edges in that graph. Here, we review the emerging discipline of network neuroscience, which uses and develops tools from graph theory to better understand and manipulate neural systems from micro- to macroscales. We present examples of how human brain imaging data are being modeled with network analysis and underscore potential pitfalls. We then highlight current computational and theoretical frontiers and emphasize their utility in informing diagnosis and monitoring, brain–machine interfaces, and brain stimulation. A flexible and rapidly evolving enterprise, network neuroscience provides a set of powerful approaches and fundamental insights that are critical for the neuroengineer’s tool kit. PMID:28375650

Detection of structural damage in multiwire cables by monitoring the entropy evolution of wavelet coefficients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibáñez, Flor; Baltazar, Arturo; Mijarez, Rito; Aranda, Jorge

2015-03-01

Multiwire cables are widely used in important civil structures. Since they are exposed to several dynamic and static loads, their structural health can be compromised. The cables can also be submitted to mechanical contact, tension and energy propagation in addition to changes in size and material within their wires. Due to the critical role played by multiwire cables, it is necessary to develop a non-destructive health monitoring method to maintain their structure and proper performance. Ultrasonic inspection using guided waves is a promising non-destructive damage monitoring technique for rods, single wires and multiwire cables. The propagated guided waves are composed by an infinite number of vibrational modes making their analysis difficult. In this work, an entropy-based method to identify small changes in non-stationary signals is proposed. A system to capture and post-process acoustic signals is implemented. The Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is computed in order to obtain the reconstructed wavelet coefficients of the signals and to analyze the energy at different scales. The feasibility of using the concept of entropy evolution of non-stationary signals to detect damage in multiwire cables is evaluated. The results show that there is a high correlation between the entropy value and damage level of the cable. The proposed method has low sensitivity to noise and reduces the computational complexity found in a typical time-frequency analysis.

Formal groups and Z-entropies

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

We shall prove that the celebrated Rényi entropy is the first example of a new family of infinitely many multi-parametric entropies. We shall call them the Z-entropies. Each of them, under suitable hypotheses, generalizes the celebrated entropies of Boltzmann and Rényi. A crucial aspect is that every Z-entropy is composable (Tempesta 2016 Ann. Phys. 365, 180–197. (doi:10.1016/j.aop.2015.08.013)). This property means that the entropy of a system which is composed of two or more independent systems depends, in all the associated probability space, on the choice of the two systems only. Further properties are also required to describe the composition process in terms of a group law. The composability axiom, introduced as a generalization of the fourth Shannon–Khinchin axiom (postulating additivity), is a highly non-trivial requirement. Indeed, in the trace-form class, the Boltzmann entropy and Tsallis entropy are the only known composable cases. However, in the non-trace form class, the Z-entropies arise as new entropic functions possessing the mathematical properties necessary for information-theoretical applications, in both classical and quantum contexts. From a mathematical point of view, composability is intimately related to formal group theory of algebraic topology. The underlying group-theoretical structure determines crucially the statistical properties of the corresponding entropies. PMID:27956871

Above-ground Antineutrino Detection for Nuclear Reactor Monitoring

DOE PAGES

Sweany, Melinda; Brennan, James S.; Cabrera-Palmer, Belkis; ...

2014-08-01

Antineutrino monitoring of nuclear reactors has been demonstrated many times, however the technique has not as of yet been developed into a useful capability for treaty verification purposes. The most notable drawback is the current requirement that detectors be deployed underground, with at least several meters-water-equivalent of shielding from cosmic radiation. In addition, the deployment of liquid-based detector media presents a challenge in reactor facilities. We are currently developing a detector system that has the potential to operate above ground and circumvent deployment problems associated with a liquid detection media: the system is composed of segments of plastic scintillator surroundedmore » by 6LiF/ZnS:Ag. ZnS:Ag is a radio-luminescent phosphor used to detect the neutron capture products of lithium-6. Because of its long decay time compared to standard plastic scintillators, pulse-shape discrimination can be used to distinguish positron and neutron interactions resulting from the inverse beta decay (IBD) of antineutrinos within the detector volume, reducing both accidental and correlated backgrounds. Segmentation further reduces backgrounds by identifying the positron’s annihilation gammas, which are absent for most correlated and uncorrelated backgrounds. This work explores different configurations in order to maximize the size of the detector segments without reducing the intrinsic neutron detection efficiency. We believe this technology will ultimately be applicable to potential safeguards scenarios such as those recently described.« less

Examining Perceptions of a Smartphone-Based Intervention System for Alcohol Use Disorders

PubMed Central

Bacon, Samantha; King, Diane K.; Dulin, Patrick; Gonzalez, Vivian

2014-01-01

Abstract Background: This study presents results from qualitative interviews conducted with participants in a study on the effectiveness of the Location-Based Monitoring and Intervention System for Alcohol Use Disorders (LBMI-A), a smartphone-based, stand-alone intervention application (app) for adults with alcohol use disorders. Materials and Methods: Participants were provided an LBMI-A-enabled smartphone to use during a 6-week pilot study. The LBMI-A was composed of psychoeducational modules, assessment and feedback of alcohol use patterns, geographic high-risk location monitoring and alerts, and in vivo assessment and intervention for alcohol cravings and help with managing psychological distress. Semistructured interviews were conducted with all participants following 6 weeks of interacting with the LBMI-A app (n=26). Interviews explored user perceptions of the ease and utility of LBMI-A features, module helpfulness, barriers to use, and recommendations for improvements to the program. Researchers applied a systematic qualitative coding process to transcripts that included both a priori themes identified as important by the research team and new themes that emerged during the coding process. Results and Conclusions: Narrative analysis found the emergence of five main themes identified by LBMI-A users as the most helpful functions of the phone: (1) Awareness, (2) Accountability, (3) Skill Transference, (4) Tracking Progress, and (5) Prompts. These themes are explored, and implications of these findings for future smartphone-based interventions are discussed. PMID:25243480

An energy harvesting converter to power sensorized total human knee prosthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luciano, V.; Sardini, E.; Serpelloni, M.; Baronio, G.

2014-02-01

Monitoring the internal loads acting in a total knee prosthesis (TKP) is fundamental aspect to improve their design. One of the main benefits of this improvement is the longer duration of the tibial inserts. In this work, an electromagnetic energy harvesting system, which is implantable in a TKP, is presented. This is conceived for powering a future implantable system that is able to monitor the loads (and, possibly, other parameters) that could influence the working conditions of a TKP in real-time. The energy harvesting system (EHS) is composed of two series of NdFeB magnets, positioned into each condyle, and a coil that is placed in a pin of the tibial insert and connected to an implantable power management circuit. The magnetic flux variation and the induced voltage are generated by the knee's motion. A TKP prototype has been realized in order to reproduce the knee mechanics and to test the EHS performance. In the present work, the experimental results are obtained by adopting a resistive load of 2.2 kΩ, in order to simulate a real implanted autonomous system with a current consumption of 850 µA and voltage of 2 V. The tests showed that, after 7 to 30 s of walking with a gait cycle frequency of about 1.0 Hz, the EHS can generate an energy of about 70 μJ, guaranteeing a voltage between 2 and 1.4 V every 7.6 s. With this prototype we can verify that it is possible to power for 16 ms a circuit having a power consumption of 1.7 mW every 7.6 s. The proposed generator is a viable solution to power an implanted electronic system that is conceived for measuring and transmitting the TKP load parameters.

[Cystic Fibrosis Cloud database: An information system for storage and management of clinical and microbiological data of cystic fibrosis patients].

PubMed

Prieto, Claudia I; Palau, María J; Martina, Pablo; Achiary, Carlos; Achiary, Andrés; Bettiol, Marisa; Montanaro, Patricia; Cazzola, María L; Leguizamón, Mariana; Massillo, Cintia; Figoli, Cecilia; Valeiras, Brenda; Perez, Silvia; Rentería, Fernando; Diez, Graciela; Yantorno, Osvaldo M; Bosch, Alejandra

2016-01-01

The epidemiological and clinical management of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients suffering from acute pulmonary exacerbations or chronic lung infections demands continuous updating of medical and microbiological processes associated with the constant evolution of pathogens during host colonization. In order to monitor the dynamics of these processes, it is essential to have expert systems capable of storing and subsequently extracting the information generated from different studies of the patients and microorganisms isolated from them. In this work we have designed and developed an on-line database based on an information system that allows to store, manage and visualize data from clinical studies and microbiological analysis of bacteria obtained from the respiratory tract of patients suffering from cystic fibrosis. The information system, named Cystic Fibrosis Cloud database is available on the http://servoy.infocomsa.com/cfc_database site and is composed of a main database and a web-based interface, which uses Servoy's product architecture based on Java technology. Although the CFC database system can be implemented as a local program for private use in CF centers, it can also be used, updated and shared by different users who can access the stored information in a systematic, practical and safe manner. The implementation of the CFC database could have a significant impact on the monitoring of respiratory infections, the prevention of exacerbations, the detection of emerging organisms, and the adequacy of control strategies for lung infections in CF patients. Copyright © 2015 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A biophysical approach to menadione membrane interactions: relevance for menadione-induced mitochondria dysfunction and related deleterious/therapeutic effects.

PubMed

Monteiro, João P; Martins, André F; Nunes, Cláudia; Morais, Catarina M; Lúcio, Marlene; Reis, Salette; Pinheiro, Teresa J T; Geraldes, Carlos F G C; Oliveira, Paulo J; Jurado, Amália S

2013-08-01

Menadione (MEN), a polycyclic aromatic ketone, was shown to promote cell injury by imposing massive oxidative stress and has been proposed as a promising chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer diseases. The mechanisms underlying MEN-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death are not yet fully understood. In this work, a systematic study was performed to unveil the effects of MEN on membrane lipid organization, using models mimicking mitochondrial membranes and native mitochondrial membranes. MEN was found to readily incorporate in membrane systems composed of a single phospholipid (phosphatidylcholine) or the lipids dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and tetraoleoylcardiolipin at 1:1:1 molar ratio, as well as in mitochondrial membranes. Increased permeability in both membrane models, monitored by calcein release, seemed to correlate with the extent of MEN incorporation into membranes. MEN perturbed the physical properties of vesicles composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine or dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine plus tetraoleoylcardiolipin (at 7:3 molar ratio), as reflected by the downshift of the lipid phase transition temperature and the emergence of a new transition peak in the mixed lipid system, detected by DSC. (31)P NMR studies revealed that MEN favored the formation of non-lamellar structures. Also, quenching studies with the fluorescent probes DPH and TMA-DPH showed that MEN distributed across the bilayer thickness in both model and native mitochondrial membranes. MEN's ability to promote alterations of membrane lipid organization was related with its reported mitochondrial toxicity and promotion of apoptosis, predictably involved in its anti-carcinogenic activity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multisite Study of an Implanted Continuous Glucose Sensor Over 90 Days in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Dehennis, Andrew; Mortellaro, Mark A; Ioacara, Sorin

2015-07-29

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), which enables real-time glucose display and trend information as well as real-time alarms, can improve glycemic control and quality of life in patients with diabetes mellitus. Previous reports have described strategies to extend the useable lifetime of a single sensor from 1-2 weeks to 28 days. The present multisite study describes the characterization of a sensing platform achieving 90 days of continuous use for a single, fully implanted sensor. The Senseonics CGM system is composed of a long-term implantable glucose sensor and a wearable smart transmitter. Study subjects underwent subcutaneous implantation of sensors in the upper arm. Eight-hour clinic sessions were performed every 14 days, during which sensor glucose values were compared against venous blood lab reference measurements collected every 15 minutes using mean absolute relative differences (MARDs). All subjects (mean ± standard deviation age: 43.5 ± 11.0 years; with 10 sensors inserted in men and 14 in women) had type 1 diabetes mellitus. Most (22 of 24) sensors reported glucose values for the entire 90 days. The MARD value was 11.4 ± 2.7% (range, 8.1-19.5%) for reference glucose values between 40-400 mg/dl. There was no significant difference in MARD throughout the 90-day study (P = .31). No serious adverse events were noted. The Senseonics CGM, composed of an implantable sensor, external smart transmitter, and smartphone app, is the first system that uses a single sensor for continuous display of accurate glucose values for 3 months. © 2015 Diabetes Technology Society.

Sedimentology of the lower part of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation and its relationship to uranium deposits, White Canyon area, southeastern Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dubiel, Russell F.

1983-01-01

Closely spaced measured stratigraphic sections of the lower part of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation in the White Canyon area of southeastern Utah depict a fluvial-deltaic-lacustrine depositional sequence that hosts uranium deposits in basal fluvial sandstones. The basal Shinarump Member consists of predominantly trough-crossbedded, coarse-grained sandstone and minor gray, carbonaceous mudstone and is interpreted as a valley-fill sequence overlain by deposits of a braided stream system. The overlying Monitor Butte Member is composed of cyclic- and foreset-bedded siltstone, sandstone, and mudstone and is interpreted as a succession of low-energy fluvial, deltaic and orqanicrich, lacustrine-marsh sediments. The overlying Moss Back Member is composed of a laterally extensive, coarse- to medium-grained, conglomeratic sandstone and is interpreted as a braided-stream system that flowed north to northwest. The entire sequence was deposited in response to changes in local base level associated with a large lake that lay to the west. Isopachs of lithofacies indicate distinct lacustrine basins and a correspondence between these facies and modern structural synclines. Facies changes and coincidence of isopach thicks suggest that structural synclines were active in the Late Triassic and influenced the pattern of sediment distribution within the basins. Uranium mineralization appears to be related to certain low-energy depositional environments in that uranium is localized in fluvial sandstones that lie beneath organic-rich lacustrine-marsh mudstones and carbonaceous delta-front sediments. The reducing environment preserved in these facies may have played an important role in the localization of uranium.

The Gendered Monitoring of Juvenile Delinquents: A Test of Power-Control Theory Using a Retrospective Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulze, Corina; Bryan, Valerie

2017-01-01

Through the framework of power-control theory (PCT), we provide a model of juvenile offending that places the gendered-raced treatment of juveniles central to the analysis. We test the theory using a unique sample that is predominately African American, poor, and composed entirely of juvenile offenders. Multivariate models compare the predictive…

Framework for a hydrologic climate-response network in New England

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lent, Robert M.; Hodgkins, Glenn A.; Dudley, Robert W.; Schalk, Luther F.

2015-01-01

Many climate-related hydrologic variables in New England have changed in the past century, and many are expected to change during the next century. It is important to understand and monitor these changes because they can affect human water supply, hydroelectric power generation, transportation infrastructure, and stream and riparian ecology. This report describes a framework for hydrologic monitoring in New England by means of a climate-response network. The framework identifies specific inland hydrologic variables that are sensitive to climate variation; identifies geographic regions with similar hydrologic responses; proposes a fixed-station monitoring network composed of existing streamflow, groundwater, lake ice, snowpack, and meteorological data-collection stations for evaluation of hydrologic response to climate variation; and identifies streamflow basins for intensive, process-based studies and for estimates of future hydrologic conditions.

Expertise and responsibility effects on pilots' reactions to flight deck alerts in a simulator.

PubMed

Zheng, Yiyuan; Lu, Yanyu; Yang, Zheng; Fu, Shan

2014-11-01

Flight deck alerts provide system malfunction information designed to lead corresponding pilot reactions aimed at guaranteeing flight safety. This study examined the roles of expertise and flight responsibility and their relationship to pilots' reactions to flight deck alerts. There were 17 pilots composing 12 flight crews that were assigned into pairs according to flight hours and responsibilities. The experiment included 9 flight scenarios and was carried out in a CRJ-200 flight simulator. Pilot performance was recorded by a wide angle video camera, and four kinds of reactions to alerts were defined for analysis. Pilots tended to have immediate reactions to uninterrupted cautions, with a turning off rate as high as 75%. However, this rate decreased sharply when pilots encountered interrupted cautions and warnings; they also exhibited many wrong reactions to warnings. Pilots with more expertise had more reactions to uninterrupted cautions than those with less expertise, both as pilot flying and pilot monitoring. Meanwhile, the pilot monitoring, regardless of level of expertise, exhibited more reactions than the pilot flying. In addition, more experienced pilots were more likely to have wrong reactions to warnings while acting as the monitoring pilot. These results suggest that both expertise and flight responsibility influence pilots' reactions to alerts. Considering crew pairing strategy, when a pilot flying is a less experienced pilot, a more experience pilot is suggested to be the monitoring pilot. The results of this study have implications for understanding pilots' behaviors to flight deck alerts, calling for specialized training and design of approach alarms on the flight deck.

NIR-labeled perfluoropolyether nanoemulsions for drug delivery and imaging

PubMed Central

O’Hanlon, Claire E.; Amede, Konjit G.; O’Hear, Meredith R.; Janjic, Jelena M.

2012-01-01

Theranostic nanoparticle development recently took center stage in the field of drug delivery nanoreagent design. Theranostic nanoparticles combine therapeutic delivery systems (liposomes, micelles, nanoemulsions, etc.) with imaging reagents (MRI, optical, PET, CT). This combination allows for non-invasive in vivo monitoring of therapeutic nanoparticles in diseased organs and tissues. Here, we report a novel perfluoropolyether (PFPE) nanoemulsion with a water-insoluble lipophilic drug. The formulation enables non-invasive monitoring of nanoemulsion biodistribution using two imaging modalities, 19F MRI and near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging. The nanoemulsion is composed of PFPE-tyramide as a 19F MRI tracer, hydrocarbon oil, surfactants, and a NIR dye. Preparation utilizes a combination of self-assembly and high energy emulsification methods, resulting in droplets with average diameter 180 nm and low polydispersity index (PDI less than 0.2). A model nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), celecoxib, was incorporated into the formulation at 0.2 mg/mL. The reported nanoemulsion’s properties, including small particle size, visibility under 19F NMR and NIR fluorescence spectroscopy, and the ability to carry drugs make it an attractive potential theranostic agent for cancer imaging and treatment. PMID:22675234

Visualizing Earth Science Data for Environmental Monitoring and Decision Support in Mesoamerica: The SERVIR Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardin, D.; Graves, S.; Sever, T.; Irwin, D.

2005-05-01

In 2002 and 2003 NASA, the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) to develop an advanced decision support system for Mesoamerica (named SERVIR). Mesoamerica - composed of the seven Central American countries and the five southernmost states of Mexico - makes up only a small fraction of the world's land surface. However, the region is home to approximately eight percent of the planet's biodiversity (14 biosphere reserves, 31 Ramsar sites, 8 world heritage sites, 589 protected areas) and 45 million people including more than 50 different ethnic groups. Mesoamerica's biological and cultural diversity are severely threatened by human impact and natural disasters including extensive deforestation, illegal logging, water pollution, slash and burn agriculture, earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, and volcanic eruption. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA/MSFC), together with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the SERVIR partners are developing state-of-the-art decision support tools for environmental monitoring as well as disaster prevention and mitigation in Mesoamerica. These partners are contributing expertise in space-based observation with information management technologies and intimate knowledge of local ecosystems to create a system that is being used by scientists, educators, and policy makers to monitor and forecast ecological changes, respond to natural disasters, and better understand both natural and human induced effects. The decision support and environmental monitoring data products are typically formatted as conventional two-dimensional, static and animated imagery. However, in addition to conventional data products and as a major portion of our research, we are employing commercial applications that generate three-dimensional interactive visualizations that allow data products to be viewed from multiple angles and at different scales. One of these is a 15 meter resolution mosaic of the entire Mesoamerican region. This paper gives an overview of the SERVIR project and its associated visualization methods.

Case study: Beauty and the Beast 3D: benefits of 3D viewing for 2D to 3D conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handy Turner, Tara

2010-02-01

From the earliest stages of the Beauty and the Beast 3D conversion project, the advantages of accurate desk-side 3D viewing was evident. While designing and testing the 2D to 3D conversion process, the engineering team at Walt Disney Animation Studios proposed a 3D viewing configuration that not only allowed artists to "compose" stereoscopic 3D but also improved efficiency by allowing artists to instantly detect which image features were essential to the stereoscopic appeal of a shot and which features had minimal or even negative impact. At a time when few commercial 3D monitors were available and few software packages provided 3D desk-side output, the team designed their own prototype devices and collaborated with vendors to create a "3D composing" workstation. This paper outlines the display technologies explored, final choices made for Beauty and the Beast 3D, wish-lists for future development and a few rules of thumb for composing compelling 2D to 3D conversions.

[Digital acoustic burglar alarm system using infrared radio remote control].

PubMed

Wang, Song-De; Zhao, Yan; Yao, Li-Ping; Zhang, Shuan-Ji

2009-03-01

Using butt emission infrared sensors, radio receiving and sending modules, double function integrated circuit with code and code translation, LED etc, a digital acoustic burglar alarm system using infrared radio to realize remote control was designed. It uses infrared ray invisible to eyes, composing area of radio distance. Once people and objects shelter the infrared ray, a testing signal will be output by the tester, and the sender will be triggered to work. The radio coding signal that sender sent is received by the receiver, then processed by a serial circuit. The control signal is output to trigger the sounder to give out an alarm signal, and the operator will be cued to notice this variation. At the same time, the digital display will be lighted and the alarm place will be watched. Digital coding technology is used, and a number of sub alarm circuits can joint the main receiver, so a lot of places can be monitored. The whole system features a module structure, with the property of easy alignment, stable operation, debug free and so on. The system offers an alarm range reaching 1 000 meters in all directions, and can be widely used in family, shop, storehouse, orchard and so on.

Evaluation of antifungal volatile compounds on the basis of the elongation rate of a single hypha.

PubMed Central

Matsuoka, H; Ii, Y; Takekawa, Y; Teraoka, T

1990-01-01

A novel method is proposed for the evaluation of the activity of an antifungal agent administered as a gas. This system is composed of a batch-flow type reaction vessel, a gas flow system, and a microscopic observation system. The agar plate was prepared on the ceiling of the reaction vessel, and the mycelium of a fungus (Aspergillus niger or Rhizoctonia solani) was inoculated onto it. After preincubation at 25 degrees C for 24 h, the reaction vessel was connected to the gas flow system. An appropriate hypha was selected, and its elongation rate was measured. Then a sample holder containing an antifungal compound was inserted into the reaction vessel from the side hole to saturate the atmosphere inside with its vapor. The retardation or inhibition of the hypha elongation was observed on a television monitor and recorded on a video tape recorder. The antifungal compound was then removed, and the reaction vessel was flushed with air. If the hypha lived, it began to elongate again. By this method, antifungal activity of seven odor compounds could be evaluated quantitatively within several hours. Images PMID:2082824

A Timing Synchronizer System for Beam Test Setups Requiring Galvanic Isolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meder, Lukas Dominik; Emschermann, David; Frühauf, Jochen; Müller, Walter F. J.; Becker, Jürgen

2017-07-01

In beam test setups detector elements together with a readout composed of frontend electronics (FEE) and usually a layer of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are being analyzed. The FEE is in this scenario often directly connected to both the detector and the FPGA layer what in many cases requires sharing the ground potentials of these layers. This setup can become problematic if parts of the detector need to be operated at different high-voltage potentials, since all of the FPGA boards need to receive a common clock and timing reference for getting the readout synchronized. Thus, for the context of the compressed baryonic matter experiment a versatile timing synchronizer (TS) system was designed providing galvanically isolated timing distribution links over twisted-pair cables. As an electrical interface the so-called timing data processing board FPGA mezzanine card was created for being mounted onto FPGA-based advanced mezzanine cards for mTCA.4 crates. The FPGA logic of the TS system connects to this card and can be monitored and controlled through IPBus slow-control links. Evaluations show that the system is capable of stably synchronizing the FPGA boards of a beam test setup being integrated into a hierarchical TS network.

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

USGS Publications Warehouse

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

2010-01-01

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

Galloylated polyphenols efficiently reduce alpha-tocopherol radicals in a phospholipid model system composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles.

PubMed

Pazos, Manuel; Torres, Josep Lluís; Andersen, Mogens L; Skibsted, Leif H; Medina, Isabel

2009-06-10

The ability of several polyphenolic fractions from grape ( Vitis vinifera ) pomace, pine ( Pinus pinaster ) bark, and witch hazel ( Hammamelis virginiana ) bark to repair alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) through reduction of the alpha-tocopheroxyl radical was investigated in a homogeneous hexane system and a phospholipid-like system based on SDS micelles. These natural polyphenols were compared with pure related phenolics (epicatechin, gallic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, quercetin, and rutin) and ascorbic acid, which is a substance with a well-recognized capacity for regenerating alpha-TOH. alpha-Tocopheroxyl radicals were monitored and quantified by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in the absence and presence of phenolics. Polyphenols from grape and pine bark were essentially catechin monomers and proanthocyanidins differing in the content of galloyl residues; those from pine bark had a negligible degree of galloylation. Polyphenolic fractions from witch hazel bark were composed of approximately 80% hydrolyzable tannins rich in galloyl moieties, together with a smaller amount of catechin monomers and proanthocyanidins. In the homogeneous hexane system, polyphenols from grape and pine bark exhibited similar activities, reducing the alpha-tocopheroxyl radicals by over 27-40%, whereas phenols from witch hazel were more highly effective, reducing 80% of alpha-TOH. In contrast, pine bark polyphenols were found to be significantly less active than the grape fractions in SDS micelles, reducing 30 and 70% of alpha-tocopheroxyl radicals, respectively. Polyphenolic fractions from witch hazel were also able to reduce the highest amount of alpha-TOH in SDS-micelles. The reducing capacity on alpha-tocopheroxyl radical of polyphenolic fractions was found to be pH-dependent and more effective at higher pH in the range of pH studied (5.8-7.8). These results stress the potential role of polyphenols, in particular those rich in galloyl groups, to maintain intact endogenous alpha-TOH in biological membranes through reduction of alpha-tocopheroxyl radicals.

DACS II - A distributed thermal/mechanical loads data acquisition and control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zamanzadeh, Behzad; Trover, William F.; Anderson, Karl F.

1987-01-01

A distributed data acquisition and control system has been developed for the NASA Flight Loads Research Facility. The DACS II system is composed of seven computer systems and four array processors configured as a main computer system, three satellite computer systems, and 13 analog input/output systems interconnected through three independent data networks. Up to three independent heating and loading tests can be run concurrently on different test articles or the entire system can be used on a single large test such as a full scale hypersonic aircraft. Thermal tests can include up to 512 independent adaptive closed loop control channels. The control system can apply up to 20 MW of heating to a test specimen while simultaneously applying independent mechanical loads. Each thermal control loop is capable of heating a structure at rates of up to 150 F per second over a temperature range of -300 to +2500 F. Up to 64 independent mechanical load profiles can be commanded along with thermal control. Up to 1280 analog inputs monitor temperature, load, displacement and strain on the test specimens with real time data displayed on up to 15 terminals as color plots and tabular data displays. System setup and operation is accomplished with interactive menu-driver displays with extensive facilities to assist the users in all phases of system operation.

Rice crop growth and outlook monitoring using SAR in Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamamoto, K.; Sobue, S.; Oyoshi, K.; Ikehata, Y.

2016-12-01

The Asia-RiCE initiative (http://www.asia-rice.org) has been organized to enhance rice production estimates through the use of Earth observation satellites data, and seeks to ensure that Asian rice crops are appropriately represented within GEO Global Agriculture Monitoring (GEO-GLAM) to support FAO Agriculture Market Information System (FAO-AMIS). Asia-RiCE is composed of national teams that are actively contributing to the Crop Monitor for AMIS and developing technical demonstrations of rice crop monitoring activities using both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data (Radarsat-2 from 2013; Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 from 2015; TerraSAR-X, Cosmo-SkyMed, RISAT, and others) and optical imagery (such as from MODIS, SPOT-5, Landsat, and Sentinel-2) for 100x100km Technical Demonstration Sites (TDS) as a phase 1 (2013-2015) in Asia. with satellite -based cultivated area and growing stage map. The Asia-RiCE teams are also developing satellite-based agro-met information for rice crop outlook, crop calendars and damage assessment in cooperation with ASEAN food security information system (AFSIS) for selected countries (currently Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippine, and Japan; http://www.afsisnc.org/blog), using JAXA's Satellite-based MonItoring Network system as a contribution to the FAO AMIS outlook (JASMIN) with University of Tokyo (http://suzaku.eorc.jaxa.jp/cgi-bin/gcomw/jasm/jasm_top.cgi). Because of continous El Nino in South East Asia, there are less precipitation and rain fall pattern change in South East Asia, crop pattern has been changed and production may be decreased, especially for dry season crop. JAXA provides drought index (KBDI) and accumulated precipitation of Tak province, Thailand where main reservior is located, to AFSIS and national experts to assess rice crop outlook and NDVI time seriese to Ang Tong province where is main rice production area in downstream area of that reservior.From 2016 as a phase 2, Asia-RiCE initiative deploy up-scaling activity from a province (100x100km) to major crop areas or entire country to implement operational use for rice crop production information in low Mekong, Vietnam and top 10 provinces in Indonesia using space based technology. This paper reports this year activity of 2016 accomplishment and way forward.

A national scale monitoring network for nutrients in agriculture dominated headwaters in the Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broers, H. P.; Rozemeijer, J.; Klein, J.

2012-04-01

Although specific monitoring networks exist in the Netherlands which assess the leaching of nutrients to surface waters and groundwater, none of them was capable to quantify the effects of nutrient reduction schemes to agriculture dominated headwaters. Thus, an important link was missing which relates the nutrient concentrations measured in shallow groundwater at farm scale to nutrient concentrations measured at the scale of Water Framework Directive water bodies. A new network was composed using existing monitoring locations and water quality time series owned by the 24 water boards in the Netherlands. Only monitoring locations were selected where no other pollution sources , such as water sewage treatment plants were influencing water quality. Eventually, 168 monitoring locations were selected to assess compliance to environmental standards and 80 for trend analysis. Compliance was tested applying environmental quality standards (EQS) based on summer averaged concentrations, which are set by the water boards and which are water type and location dependent. Compliance was strongly weather dependent, and only 24% of the locations complied for N and P under all weather conditions. Trends were assessed using a combination of seasonal Mann-Kendall tests and Theil-Sen robust lines for individual time series, and aggregating those trends to acquire median and average trend slopes for the sand, clay and peat regions in the Netherlands. Significant downward trends were demonstrated for N and P over the whole period (slopes between -0,55 mgN/l and -0.015 and 0.02 mg P/l per 10 year). Slopes were even more pronounced for winter concentrations of N (-0.89 mg N/l per 10 year). The slopes were relevant and environmentally significant in relation to the height of the EQS and were attributed to the effective reduction of nutrient leaching as the result of adapted farming practices. The presentation will highlight and evaluate choices in the design of the newly composed network, including the use of existing monitoring data and its probable effect on the outcomes of the network.

Research and application of a novel hybrid air quality early-warning system: A case study in China.

PubMed

Li, Chen; Zhu, Zhijie

2018-06-01

As one of the most serious meteorological disasters in modern society, air pollution has received extensive attention from both citizens and decision-makers. With the complexity of pollution components and the uncertainty of prediction, it is both critical and challenging to construct an effective and practical early-warning system. In this paper, a novel hybrid air quality early-warning system for pollution contaminant monitoring and analysis was proposed. To improve the efficiency of the system, an advanced attribute selection method based on fuzzy evaluation and rough set theory was developed to select the main pollution contaminants for cities. Moreover, a hybrid model composed of the theory of "decomposition and ensemble", an extreme learning machine and an advanced heuristic algorithm was developed for pollution contaminant prediction; it provides deterministic and interval forecasting for tackling the uncertainty of future air quality. Daily pollution contaminants of six major cities in China were selected as a dataset to evaluate the practicality and effectiveness of the developed air quality early-warning system. The superior experimental performance determined by the values of several error indexes illustrated that the proposed early-warning system was of great effectiveness and efficiency. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Complex Expression of the Cellulolytic Transcriptome of Saccharophagus degradans † ▿

PubMed Central

Zhang, Haitao; Hutcheson, Steven W.

2011-01-01

Saccharophagus degradans is an aerobic marine bacterium that can degrade cellulose by the induced expression of an unusual cellulolytic system composed of multiple endoglucanases and glucosidases. To understand the regulation of the cellulolytic system, transcript levels for the genes predicted to contribute to the cellulolytic system were monitored by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) during the transition to growth on cellulose. Four glucanases of the cellulolytic system exhibited basal expression during growth on glucose. All but one of the predicted cellulolytic system genes were induced strongly during growth on Avicel, with three patterns of expression observed. One group showed increased expression (up to 6-fold) within 4 h of the nutritional shift, with the relative expression remaining constant over the next 22 h. A second group of genes was strongly induced between 4 and 10 h after nutritional transfer, with relative expression declining thereafter. The third group of genes was slowly induced and was expressed maximally after 24 h. Cellodextrins and cellobiose, products of the predicted basally expressed endoglucanases, stimulated expression of representative cellulase genes. A model is proposed by which the activity of basally expressed endoglucanases releases cellodextrins from Avicel that are then perceived and transduced to initiate transcription of each of the regulated cellulolytic system genes forming an expression pattern. PMID:21705539

Fine-grained bed patch response to near-bankfull flows in a step-pool channel

Treesearch

Daniel A. Marion; Frank Weirich

1999-01-01

Fine-grained bed patches were monitored in a representative step-pool channel in the Arkansas Ouachita Mountains to assess their response to near-bankfull streamflow events. These patches are small, relatively well-sorted bed areas predominantly composed of gravel-size and smaller grains. They occupy 5.2 and 4.1 percent of the active and bankfull channel areas,...

Complex Dynamic Scene Perception: Effects of Attentional Set on Perceiving Single and Multiple Event Types

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanocki, Thomas; Sulman, Noah

2013-01-01

Three experiments measured the efficiency of monitoring complex scenes composed of changing objects, or events. All events lasted about 4 s, but in a given block of trials, could be of a single type (single task) or of multiple types (multitask, with a total of four event types). Overall accuracy of detecting target events amid distractors was…

Uniqueness and characterization theorems for generalized entropies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enciso, Alberto; Tempesta, Piergiulio

2017-12-01

The requirement that an entropy function be composable is key: it means that the entropy of a compound system can be calculated in terms of the entropy of its independent components. We prove that, under mild regularity assumptions, the only composable generalized entropy in trace form is the Tsallis one-parameter family (which contains Boltzmann-Gibbs as a particular case). This result leads to the use of generalized entropies that are not of trace form, such as Rényi’s entropy, in the study of complex systems. In this direction, we also present a characterization theorem for a large class of composable non-trace-form entropy functions with features akin to those of Rényi’s entropy.

Continuous Near-Road Monitoring of Ultrafine Particles from 2010-2015 in Toronto, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Y.; Sofowote, U.; Debosz, J.; Munoz, T.

2015-12-01

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) have an aerodynamic diameter less than 100 nanometre (nm). Their large surface areas per unit mass favor absorption of toxic chemicals in air. UFPs could penetrate deep into the respiratory or cardiovascular systems and pose adverse health effects. Recent studies showed the association between children exposure to UFPs and their systolic blood pressure. In urban environments, primary sources of UFPs are from road traffic emissions and account for most of the total particle numbers. Controls on UPFs rely on better understanding of their emission sources and environmental behaviour. Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change have monitored UFPs since 2010 at two near-road stations in Toronto by using TSI 3031 UFP monitors. One station is located in mixed residential and industrial area and 16 meters from a major road with over 20,000 vehicles per day. The other station is surrounded by mixed residential and commercial buildings and 20 meters from a major road with over 20,000 vehicles per day. UFPs concentrations were monitored using six size channels: 20-30nm, 30-50nm, 50-70nm, 70-100nm, 100-200nm, and 200-450nm. The TSI 3031 monitors generally performed well for long-term UFP monitoring. Multi-year measurements of UFPs at the two stations show no apparent inter-annual variation or seasonality. Smaller particles (i.e., 20-50 nm) were found to be composed of over 50% of the measured particles. The observations are generally consistent with the theoretical understanding of particle nuclei mode and accumulation mode. When air mass originated from road traffic, UFPs were elevated in morning traffic hours and to a less extent in the late afternoon. The elevated UFPs number concentrations coincided with other traffic-related air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and black carbon. Moreover, higher number concentrations were found on weekdays than weekends. The observations suggest that UFPs are mostly from vehicle emissions.

Detection, location, and characterization of hydroacoustic signals using seafloor cable networks offshore Japan (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugioka, H.; Suyehiro, K.; Shinohara, M.

2009-12-01

The hydroacoustic monitoring by the International Monitoring System (IMS) for Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Treaty (CTBT) verification system utilize hydrophone stations and seismic stations called T-phase stations for worldwide detection. Some signals of natural origin include those from earthquakes, submarine volcanic eruptions, or whale calls. Among artificial sources there are non-nuclear explosions and air-gun shots. It is important for IMS system to detect and locate hydroacoustic events with sufficient accuracy and correctly characterize the signals and identify the source. As there are a number of seafloor cable networks operated offshore Japanese islands basically facing the Pacific Ocean for monitoring regional seismicity, the data from these stations (pressures, hydrophones and seismic sensors) may be utilized to verify and increase the capability of the IMS. We use these data to compare some selected event parameters with those by Pacific in the time period of 2004-present. These anomalous examples and also dynamite shots used for seismic crustal structure studies and other natural sources will be presented in order to help improve the IMS verification capabilities for detection, location and characterization of anomalous signals. The seafloor cable networks composed of three hydrophones and six seismometers and a temporal dense seismic array detected and located hydroacoustic events offshore Japanese island on 12th of March in 2008, which had been reported by the IMS. We detected not only the reverberated hydroacoustic waves between the sea surface and the sea bottom but also the seismic waves going through the crust associated with the events. The determined source of the seismic waves is almost coincident with the one of hydroacoustic waves, suggesting that the seismic waves are converted very close to the origin of the hydroacoustic source. We also detected very similar signals on 16th of March in 2009 to the ones associated with the event of 12th of March in 2008.

Utilization and viability of biologically-inspired algorithms in a dynamic multiagent camera surveillance system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mundhenk, Terrell N.; Dhavale, Nitin; Marmol, Salvador; Calleja, Elizabeth; Navalpakkam, Vidhya; Bellman, Kirstie; Landauer, Chris; Arbib, Michael A.; Itti, Laurent

2003-10-01

In view of the growing complexity of computational tasks and their design, we propose that certain interactive systems may be better designed by utilizing computational strategies based on the study of the human brain. Compared with current engineering paradigms, brain theory offers the promise of improved self-organization and adaptation to the current environment, freeing the programmer from having to address those issues in a procedural manner when designing and implementing large-scale complex systems. To advance this hypothesis, we discus a multi-agent surveillance system where 12 agent CPUs each with its own camera, compete and cooperate to monitor a large room. To cope with the overload of image data streaming from 12 cameras, we take inspiration from the primate"s visual system, which allows the animal to operate a real-time selection of the few most conspicuous locations in visual input. This is accomplished by having each camera agent utilize the bottom-up, saliency-based visual attention algorithm of Itti and Koch (Vision Research 2000;40(10-12):1489-1506) to scan the scene for objects of interest. Real time operation is achieved using a distributed version that runs on a 16-CPU Beowulf cluster composed of the agent computers. The algorithm guides cameras to track and monitor salient objects based on maps of color, orientation, intensity, and motion. To spread camera view points or create cooperation in monitoring highly salient targets, camera agents bias each other by increasing or decreasing the weight of different feature vectors in other cameras, using mechanisms similar to excitation and suppression that have been documented in electrophysiology, psychophysics and imaging studies of low-level visual processing. In addition, if cameras need to compete for computing resources, allocation of computational time is weighed based upon the history of each camera. A camera agent that has a history of seeing more salient targets is more likely to obtain computational resources. The system demonstrates the viability of biologically inspired systems in a real time tracking. In future work we plan on implementing additional biological mechanisms for cooperative management of both the sensor and processing resources in this system that include top down biasing for target specificity as well as novelty and the activity of the tracked object in relation to sensitive features of the environment.

Long-term flow monitoring of submarine gas emanations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spickenbom, K.; Faber, E.; Poggenburg, J.; Seeger, C.

2009-04-01

One of the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) strategies currently under study is the sequestration of CO2 in sub-seabed geological formations. Even after a thorough review of the geological setting, there is the possibility of leaks from the reservoirs. As part of the EU-financed project CO2ReMoVe (Research, Monitoring, Verification), which aims to develop innovative research and technologies for monitoring and verification of carbon dioxide geological storage, we are working on the development of submarine long-term gas flow monitoring systems. Technically, however, these systems are not limited to CO2 but can be used for monitoring of any free gas emission (bubbles) on the seafloor. The basic design of the gas flow sensor system was derived from former prototypes developed for monitoring CO2 and CH4 on mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan. This design was composed of a raft floating on the surface above the gas vent to collect the bubbles. Sensors for CO2 flux and concentration and electronics for data storage and transmission were mounted on the raft, together with battery-buffered solar panels for power supply. The system was modified for installation in open sea by using a buoy instead of a raft and a funnel on the seafloor to collect the gas, which is then guided above water level through a flexible tube. Besides some technical problems (condensed water in the tube, movement of the buoys due to waves leading to biased measurement of flow rates), this setup provides a cost-effective solution for shallow waters. However, a buoy interferes with ship traffic, and it is also difficult to adapt this design to greater water depths. These requirements can best be complied by a completely submersed system. To allow unattended long-term monitoring in a submarine environment, such a system has to be extremely durable. Therefore, we focussed on developing a mechanically and electrically as simple setup as possible, which has the additional advantage of low cost. The system consists of gas collector, sensor head and pressure housing for electronics and power supply. The collector is a plastic funnel, enclosed in a stainless-steel frame to add weight and stability. The whole unit is fixed to the sediment by nails or sediment screws. The sensor head is equipped with an "inverted tipping-bucket" sensor, which basically works like a turned upside-down rain gauge. It fills with the collected gas until full, then empties completely and starts again, which allows the calculation of the flow rate by container volume and frequency of the cycle. This sensor type is very robust due to a design nearly without moving parts and suitable for very low to medium flow rates. For higher flow rates different sensor heads using turbine wheels or pressure differences can be used. The pressure housing for this prototype is made of aluminium and contains a Hobo Pendant data logger with integrated battery supply. Since this setup is inexpensive, it can be deployed in numbers to cover larger areas. By addition of multi-channel data loggers, data transmission by acoustic modem or cable, relay stations on the seafloor or buoys etc. the infrastructure can be adapted to the environmental setting and financial budget. Prototype tests under laboratory conditions as well as field tests on natural submarine gas vents as an analogue to leaking storage sites have demonstrated the capabilities and robustness of the systems.

The MED-SUV Multidisciplinary Interoperability Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzetti, Paolo; D'Auria, Luca; Reitano, Danilo; Papeschi, Fabrizio; Roncella, Roberto; Puglisi, Giuseppe; Nativi, Stefano

2016-04-01

In accordance with the international Supersite initiative concept, the MED-SUV (MEDiterranean SUpersite Volcanoes) European project (http://med-suv.eu/) aims to enable long-term monitoring experiment in two relevant geologically active regions of Europe prone to natural hazards: Mt. Vesuvio/Campi Flegrei and Mt. Etna. This objective requires the integration of existing components, such as monitoring systems and data bases and novel sensors for the measurements of volcanic parameters. Moreover, MED-SUV is also a direct contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) as one the volcano Supersites recognized by the Group on Earth Observation (GEO). To achieve its goal, MED-SUV set up an advanced e-infrastructure allowing the discovery of and access to heterogeneous data for multidisciplinary applications, and the integration with external systems like GEOSS. The MED-SUV overall infrastructure is conceived as a three layer architecture with the lower layer (Data level) including the identified relevant data sources, the mid-tier (Supersite level) including components for mediation and harmonization , and the upper tier (Global level) composed of the systems that MED-SUV must serve, such as GEOSS and possibly other global/community systems. The Data level is mostly composed of existing data sources, such as space agencies satellite data archives, the UNAVCO system, the INGV-Rome data service. They share data according to different specifications for metadata, data and service interfaces, and cannot be changed. Thus, the only relevant MED-SUV activity at this level was the creation of a MED-SUV local repository based on Web Accessible Folder (WAF) technology, deployed in the INGV site in Catania, and hosting in-situ data and products collected and generated during the project. The Supersite level is at the core of the MED-SUV architecture, since it must mediate between the disparate data sources in the layer below, and provide a harmonized view to the layer above. In order to address data and service heteogeneity, the MED-SUV infrastructure is based on the brokered architecture approach, implemented using the GI-suite Brokering Framework for discovery and access. The GI-Suite Brokering Framework has been extended and configured to broker all the identified relevant data sources. It is also able to publish data according to several de-iure and de-facto standards including OGC CSW and OpenSearch, facilitating the interconnection with external systems. At the Global level, MED-SUV identified the interconnection with GEOSS as the main requirement. Since MED-SUV Supersite level is implemented based on the same technology adopted in the current GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI) by the GEO Discovery and Access Broker (GEO DAB), no major interoperability problem is foreseen. The MED-SUV Multidisciplinary Interoperability Infrastructure is complemented by a user portal providing human-to-machine interaction, and enabling data discovery and access. The GI-Suite Brokering Framework APIs and javascript library support machine-to-machine interaction, enabling the creation of mobile and Web applications using information available through the MED-SUV Supersite.

Stroke, music, and creative output: Alfred Schnittke and other composers.

PubMed

Zagvazdin, Yuri

2015-01-01

Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), a celebrated Russian composer of the twentieth century, suffered from several strokes which affected his left cerebral hemisphere. The disease, however, did not diminish his musical talent. Moreover, he stated that his illness in a way facilitated his work. The composer showed amazingly high productivity after his first and second injuries of the central nervous system. The main topic of this chapter is the effect of strokes on Schnittke's output, creativity, and style of music. A brief biography of the composer with the chronology of his brain hemorrhages is included. In addition, the influence of cerebrovascular lesions on creative potential of other prominent composers such as Benjamin Britten, Jean Langlais, Vissarion Shebalin, Igor Stravinsky, and Ira Randall Thompson is discussed. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The charged black-hole bomb: A lower bound on the charge-to-mass ratio of the explosive scalar field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hod, Shahar

2016-04-01

The well-known superradiant amplification mechanism allows a charged scalar field of proper mass μ and electric charge q to extract the Coulomb energy of a charged Reissner-Nordström black hole. The rate of energy extraction can grow exponentially in time if the system is placed inside a reflecting cavity which prevents the charged scalar field from escaping to infinity. This composed black-hole-charged-scalar-field-mirror system is known as the charged black-hole bomb. Previous numerical studies of this composed physical system have shown that, in the linearized regime, the inequality q / μ > 1 provides a necessary condition for the development of the superradiant instability. In the present paper we use analytical techniques to study the instability properties of the charged black-hole bomb in the regime of linearized scalar fields. In particular, we prove that the lower bound q/μ>√{rm /r- - 1/ rm /r+ - 1 } provides a necessary condition for the development of the superradiant instability in this composed physical system (here r± are the horizon radii of the charged Reissner-Nordström black hole and rm is the radius of the confining mirror). This analytically derived lower bound on the superradiant instability regime of the composed black-hole-charged-scalar-field-mirror system is shown to agree with direct numerical computations of the instability spectrum.

System complexity as a measure of safe capacity for the emergency department.

PubMed

France, Daniel J; Levin, Scott

2006-11-01

System complexity is introduced as a new measure of system state for the emergency department (ED). In its original form, the measure quantifies the uncertainty of demands on system resources. For application in the ED, the measure is being modified to quantify both workload and uncertainty to produce a single integrated measure of system state. Complexity is quantified using an information-theoretic or entropic approach developed in manufacturing and operations research. In its original form, complexity is calculated on the basis of four system parameters: 1) the number of resources (clinicians and processing entities such as radiology and laboratory systems), 2) the number of possible work states for each resource, 3) the probability that a resource is in a particular work state, and 4) the probability of queue changes (i.e., where a queue is defined by the number of patients or patient orders being managed by a resource) during a specified time period. An example is presented to demonstrate how complexity is calculated and interpreted for a simple system composed of three resources (i.e., emergency physicians) managing varying patient loads. The example shows that variation in physician work states and patient queues produces different scores of complexity for each physician. It also illustrates how complexity and workload differ. System complexity is a viable and technically feasible measurement for monitoring and managing surge capacity in the ED.

Improving the Army’s Joint Platform Allocation Tool (JPAT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Three example systems composed of platforms P1, P2, and P3, and sensors SN1, SN2 , SN3, and SN4...Figure 1. Three example systems composed of platforms P1, P2, and P3, and sensors SN1, SN2 , SN3, and SN4 (from Craparo et al., 2013) Figure 2. A

40 CFR 255.11 - Criteria for identifying agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Be a representative organization composed of, or whose membership is composed of, individuals at... waste management system and comprehensive planning which -addresses trade-offs among various media. (e... waste to supply disposal or recovery facilities should be addressed. The Agency providing such...

Effectiveness of highway-drainage systems in preventing contamination of ground water by road salt, Route 25, southeastern Massachusetts; description of study area, data collection programs, and methodology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, P.E.; Armstrong, D.S.; Granato, G.E.; Stone, V.J.; Smith, K.P.; Provencher, P.L.

1996-01-01

Four test sites along a 7-mile section of Route 25 in southeastern Massachusetts, each representing a specific highway-drainage system, were instrumented to determine the effectiveness of the drainage systems in preventing contamination of ground water by road salt. One of the systems discharges highway runoff onsite through local drainpipes. The other systems use trunkline drainpipes through which runoff from highway surfaces, shoulders, and median strips is diverted and discharged into either a local stream or a coastal waterway. Route 25 was completed and opened to traffic in the summer of 1987. Road salt was first applied to the highway in the winter of 1987-88. The study area is on a thick outwash plain composed primarily of sand and gravel. Water-table depths range from 15 to 60 feet below land surface at the four test sites. Ground-water flow is in a general southerly direction, approximately perpendicular to the highway. Streamflow in the study area is controlled primarily by ground-water discharge. Background concentrations of dissolved chloride, sodium, and calcium-the primary constituents of road salt-are similar in ground water and surface water and range from 5 to 20, 5 to 10, and 1 to 5 milligrams per liter, respectively. Data-collection programs were developed for monitoring the application of road salt to the highway, the quantity of road-salt water entering the ground water, diverted through the highway-drainage systems, and entering a local stream. The Massachusetts Highway Department monitored road salt applied to the highway and reported these data to the U.S. Geological Survey. The U.S. Geological Survey designed and operated the ground-water, highway- drainage, and surface-water data-collection programs. A road-salt budget will be calculated for each test site so that the effectiveness of the different highway-drainage systems in preventing contamination of ground water by road salt can be determined.

A Consideration of Stable Operating Power Limits of HVDC System Composed of Voltage Source Converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Hiroo; Takahashi, Choei; Kishibe, Hideto; Sato, Hiromichi

The stable operating power limits of a small scale HVDC system composed of voltage source converters (VSC-HVDC system) are analyzed with a simple model. The VSC-HVDC system could operate where the AC system must be somewhat larger in capacity than the VSC-HVDC system capacity. The stable operating power limits were between one and two times the SCR (short circuit ratio). When the inverter of the VSC-HVDC system was operated with lead reactive (capacitive) power control conditions, the stable operating limits were increased through AC voltage stabilization. When the inverter was a STATCOM operation, it could operate regardless of the SCR but regions within allowable AC voltage variations.

A Method of Data Aggregation for Wearable Sensor Systems

PubMed Central

Shen, Bo; Fu, Jun-Song

2016-01-01

Data aggregation has been considered as an effective way to decrease the data to be transferred in sensor networks. Particularly for wearable sensor systems, smaller battery has less energy, which makes energy conservation in data transmission more important. Nevertheless, wearable sensor systems usually have features like frequently dynamic changes of topologies and data over a large range, of which current aggregating methods can’t adapt to the demand. In this paper, we study the system composed of many wearable devices with sensors, such as the network of a tactical unit, and introduce an energy consumption-balanced method of data aggregation, named LDA-RT. In the proposed method, we develop a query algorithm based on the idea of ‘happened-before’ to construct a dynamic and energy-balancing routing tree. We also present a distributed data aggregating and sorting algorithm to execute top-k query and decrease the data that must be transferred among wearable devices. Combining these algorithms, LDA-RT tries to balance the energy consumptions for prolonging the lifetime of wearable sensor systems. Results of evaluation indicate that LDA-RT performs well in constructing routing trees and energy balances. It also outperforms the filter-based top-k monitoring approach in energy consumption, load balance, and the network’s lifetime, especially for highly dynamic data sources. PMID:27347953

Hardware Timestamping for an Image Acquisition System Based on FlexRIO and IEEE 1588 v2 Standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esquembri, S.; Sanz, D.; Barrera, E.; Ruiz, M.; Bustos, A.; Vega, J.; Castro, R.

2016-02-01

Current fusion devices usually implement distributed acquisition systems for the multiple diagnostics of their experiments. However, each diagnostic is composed by hundreds or even thousands of signals, including images from the vessel interior. These signals and images must be correctly timestamped, because all the information will be analyzed to identify plasma behavior using temporal correlations. For acquisition devices without synchronization mechanisms the timestamp is given by another device with timing capabilities when signaled by the first device. Later, each data should be related with its timestamp, usually via software. This critical action is unfeasible for software applications when sampling rates are high. In order to solve this problem this paper presents the implementation of an image acquisition system with real-time hardware timestamping mechanism. This is synchronized with a master clock using the IEEE 1588 v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP). Synchronization, image acquisition and processing, and timestamping mechanisms are implemented using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and a timing card -PTP v2 synchronized. The system has been validated using a camera simulator streaming videos from fusion databases. The developed architecture is fully compatible with ITER Fast Controllers and has been integrated with EPICS to control and monitor the whole system.

Personalized physiological medicine.

PubMed

Ince, Can

2017-12-28

This paper introduces the concept of personalized physiological medicine that is specifically directed at the needs of the critically ill patient. This differs from the conventional view of personalized medicine, characterized by biomarkers and gene profiling, instead focusing on time-variant changes in the pathophysiology and regulation of various organ systems and their cellular and subcellular constituents. I propose that personalized physiological medicine is composed of four pillars relevant to the critically ill patient. Pillar 1 is defined by the frailty and fitness of the patient and their physiological reserve to cope with the stress of critical illness and therapy. Pillar 2 involves monitoring of the key physiological variables of the different organ systems and their response to disease and therapy. Pillar 3 concerns the evaluation of the success of resuscitation by assessment of the hemodynamic coherence between the systemic and microcirculation and parenchyma of the organ systems. Finally, pillar 4 is defined by the integration of the physiological and clinical data into a time-learning adaptive model of the patient to provide feedback about the function of organ systems and to guide and assess the response to disease and therapy. I discuss each pillar and describe the challenges to research and development that will allow the realization of personalized physiological medicine to be practiced at the bedside for critically ill patients.

Interrelationship of Nondestructive Evaluation Methodologies Applied to Testing of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leifeste, Mark R.

2007-01-01

Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) are commonly used in spacecraft for containment of pressurized gases and fluids, incorporating strength and weight savings. The energy stored is capable of extensive spacecraft damage and personal injury in the event of sudden failure. These apparently simple structures, composed of a metallic media impermeable liner and fiber/resin composite overwrap are really complex structures with numerous material and structural phenomena interacting during pressurized use which requires multiple, interrelated monitoring methodologies to monitor and understand subtle changes critical to safe use. Testing of COPVs at NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands T est Facility (WSTF) has employed multiple in-situ, real-time nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methodologies as well as pre- and post-test comparative techniques to monitor changes in material and structural parameters during advanced pressurized testing. The use of NDE methodologies and their relationship to monitoring changes is discussed based on testing of real-world spacecraft COPVs. Lessons learned are used to present recommendations for use in testing, as well as a discussion of potential applications to vessel health monitoring in future applications.

Effect of particle in-flight behavior on the composition of thermal barrier coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, L.; Bai, Y.; Tang, J. J.; Liu, K.; Ding, C. H.; Yang, J. F.; Han, Z. H.

2013-12-01

In this work, 6 to 11 mol% YO1.5-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings were deposited by supersonic and conventional atmospheric plasma spraying. During spraying, the surface temperature and velocity of in-flight particles were monitored by Spray Watch 2i on-line system. The phase composition of as-sprayed coatings was analyzed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Lattice parameters, tetragonality and the content of YO1.5 (mol%) of as-sprayed coatings were calculated according to the position of (0 0 4) and (4 0 0) diffraction peaks. It was found that the as-sprayed coatings were composed of metastable non-transformable tetragonal phase (t‧). However, the amount of YO1.5 (mol%) in the as-sprayed coatings decreased with the increase of melting index of in-flight particles due to the partial evaporation of YO1.5 during spraying.

Far-Red Light Activatable, Multifunctional Prodrug for Fluorescence Optical Imaging and Combinational Treatment

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

We recently developed “photo-unclick chemistry”, a novel chemical tool involving the cleavage of aminoacrylate by singlet oxygen, and demonstrated its application to visible light-activatable prodrugs. In this study, we prepared an advanced multifunctional prodrug, Pc-(L-CA4)2, composed of the fluorescent photosensitizer phthalocyanine (Pc), an SO-labile aminoacrylate linker (L), and a cytotoxic drug combretastatin A-4 (CA4). Pc-(L-CA4)2 had reduced dark toxicity compared with CA4. However, once illuminated, it showed improved toxicity similar to CA4 and displayed bystander effects in vitro. We monitored the time-dependent distribution of Pc-(L-CA4)2 using optical imaging with live mice. We also effectively ablated tumors by the illumination with far-red light to the mice, presumably through the combined effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and released chemotherapy drug, without any sign of acute systemic toxicity. PMID:24694092

A Decade of Experience in Creating and Maintaining Data Elements for Structured Clinical Documentation in EHRs

PubMed Central

Zhou, Li; Collins, Sarah; Morgan, Stephen J.; Zafar, Neelam; Gesner, Emily J.; Fehrenbach, Martin; Rocha, Roberto A.

2016-01-01

Structured clinical documentation is an important component of electronic health records (EHRs) and plays an important role in clinical care, administrative functions, and research activities. Clinical data elements serve as basic building blocks for composing the templates used for generating clinical documents (such as notes and forms). We present our experience in creating and maintaining data elements for three different EHRs (one home-grown and two commercial systems) across different clinical settings, using flowsheet data elements as examples in our case studies. We identified basic but important challenges (including naming convention, links to standard terminologies, and versioning and change management) and possible solutions to address them. We also discussed more complicated challenges regarding governance, documentation vs. structured data capture, pre-coordination vs. post-coordination, reference information models, as well as monitoring, communication and training. PMID:28269927

Improved ablative materials for the ASRM nozzle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, A.; Clinton, R. G.; Armour, W.; Koenig, J.

1992-01-01

Rayon precursor carbon-cloth phenolic was developed more than 30 years ago and is used in most nozzles today including the Poseidon, Trident, Peacekeeper, Small ICBM, Space Shuttle, and numerous tactical and space systems. Specifications and manufacturing controls were placed on these materials and, once qualified, a no-change policy was instituted. The current material is acceptable; however, prepreg variability does not always accommodate the requirements of automation. The advanced solid rocket motor requires material with less variability for automated manufacturing. An advanced solid rocket motor materials team, composed of NASA, Thiokol, Aerojet, SRI, and Lockheed specialists, along with materials suppliers ICI Fiberite/Polycarbon, BP Chemicals/Hitco, and Amoco, embarked on a program to improve the current materials. The program consisted of heat treatment studies and standard and low-density material improvements evaluation. Improvements evaluated included fiber/fabric heat treatments, weave variations, resin application methods, process controls, and monitors.

Environmental management on the basis of Complex Regional Indicators Concept: case of the Murmansk region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlov, A.; Gutman, S.; Zaychenko, I.; Rytova, E.; Nijinskaya, P.

2015-09-01

The article presents an approach to sustainable environmental development of the Murmansk region of the Russian Federation based on the complex regional indicators as a transformation of a balance scorecard method. The peculiarities of Murmansk region connected with sustainable environmental development are described. The complex regional indicators approach allows to elaborate the general concept of complex regional development taking into consideration economic and non-economic factors with the focus on environmental aspects, accumulated environmental damage in particular. General strategic chart of sustainable environmental development of the Murmansk region worked out on the basis of complex regional indicators concept is composed. The key target indicators of sustainable ecological development of the Murmansk region are presented for the following strategic chart components: regional finance; society and market; industry and entrepreneurship; training, development and innovations. These charts are to be integrated with international environmental monitoring systems.

Dual linear accelerator system for use in sterilization of medical disposable supplies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadat, Theo

1991-05-01

Accelerators can be used for sterilization or decontamination (medical disposables, food, plastics, hospital waste, etc.). Most of these accelerators are located in an industrial environment and must have a high availability. A dual accelerator system (composed of two accelerators) offers optimal flexibility and reliability. The main advantage of this system is "all-in all-out" because it does not need a turnover of products. Such a dual system, composed of two 10 MeV 20 kW linear accelerators (instead of one 40 kW linac), has been chosen by a Swedish company (Mölnlycke).

Development of a networked four-million-pixel pathological and radiological digital image presentation system and its application to medical conferences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakano, Toshikazu; Furukawa, Isao; Okumura, Akira; Yamaguchi, Takahiro; Fujii, Tetsuro; Ono, Sadayasu; Suzuki, Junji; Matsuya, Shoji; Ishihara, Teruo

2001-08-01

The wide spread of digital technology in the medical field has led to a demand for the high-quality, high-speed, and user-friendly digital image presentation system in the daily medical conferences. To fulfill this demand, we developed a presentation system for radiological and pathological images. It is composed of a super-high-definition (SHD) imaging system, a radiological image database (R-DB), a pathological image database (P-DB), and the network interconnecting these three. The R-DB consists of a 270GB RAID, a database server workstation, and a film digitizer. The P-DB includes an optical microscope, a four-million-pixel digital camera, a 90GB RAID, and a database server workstation. A 100Mbps Ethernet LAN interconnects all the sub-systems. The Web-based system operation software was developed for easy operation. We installed the whole system in NTT East Kanto Hospital to evaluate it in the weekly case conferences. The SHD system could display digital full-color images of 2048 x 2048 pixels on a 28-inch CRT monitor. The doctors evaluated the image quality and size, and found them applicable to the actual medical diagnosis. They also appreciated short image switching time that contributed to smooth presentation. Thus, we confirmed that its characteristics met the requirements.

Modular Power Standard for Space Explorations Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oeftering, Richard C.; Gardner, Brent G.

2016-01-01

Future human space exploration will most likely be composed of assemblies of multiple modular spacecraft elements with interconnected electrical power systems. An electrical system composed of a standardized set modular building blocks provides significant development, integration, and operational cost advantages. The modular approach can also provide the flexibility to configure power systems to meet the mission needs. A primary goal of the Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Modular Power System (AMPS) project is to establish a Modular Power Standard that is needed to realize these benefits. This paper is intended to give the space exploration community a "first look" at the evolving Modular Power Standard and invite their comments and technical contributions.

User-composable Electronic Health Record Improves Efficiency of Clinician Data Viewing for Patient Case Appraisal: A Mixed-Methods Study.

PubMed

Senathirajah, Yalini; Kaufman, David; Bakken, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Challenges in the design of electronic health records (EHRs) include designing usable systems that must meet the complex, rapidly changing, and high-stakes information needs of clinicians. The ability to move and assemble elements together on the same page has significant human-computer interaction (HCI) and efficiency advantages, and can mitigate the problems of negotiating multiple fixed screens and the associated cognitive burdens. We compare MedWISE-a novel EHR that supports user-composable displays-with a conventional EHR in terms of the number of repeat views of data elements for patient case appraisal. The study used mixed-methods for examination of clinical data viewing in four patient cases. The study compared use of an experimental user-composable EHR with use of a conventional EHR, for case appraisal. Eleven clinicians used a user-composable EHR in a case appraisal task in the laboratory setting. This was compared with log file analysis of the same patient cases in the conventional EHR. We investigated the number of repeat views of the same clinical information during a session and across these two contexts, and compared them using Fisher's exact test. There was a significant difference (p<.0001) in proportion of cases with repeat data element viewing between the user-composable EHR (14.6 percent) and conventional EHR (72.6 percent). Users of conventional EHRs repeatedly viewed the same information elements in the same session, as revealed by log files. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that conventional systems require that the user view many screens and remember information between screens, causing the user to forget information and to have to access the information a second time. Other mechanisms (such as reduction in navigation over a population of users due to interface sharing, and information selection) may also contribute to increased efficiency in the experimental system. Systems that allow a composable approach that enables the user to gather together on the same screen any desired information elements may confer cognitive support benefits that can increase productive use of systems by reducing fragmented information. By reducing cognitive overload, it can also enhance the user experience.

Monitoring Forest Regrowth Using a Multi-Platform Time Series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sabol, Donald E., Jr.; Smith, Milton O.; Adams, John B.; Gillespie, Alan R.; Tucker, Compton J.

1996-01-01

Over the past 50 years, the forests of western Washington and Oregon have been extensively harvested for timber. This has resulted in a heterogeneous mosaic of remaining mature forests, clear-cuts, new plantations, and second-growth stands that now occur in areas that formerly were dominated by extensive old-growth forests and younger forests resulting from fire disturbance. Traditionally, determination of seral stage and stand condition have been made using aerial photography and spot field observations, a methodology that is not only time- and resource-intensive, but falls short of providing current information on a regional scale. These limitations may be solved, in part, through the use of multispectral images which can cover large areas at spatial resolutions in the order of tens of meters. The use of multiple images comprising a time series potentially can be used to monitor land use (e.g. cutting and replanting), and to observe natural processes such as regeneration, maturation and phenologic change. These processes are more likely to be spectrally observed in a time series composed of images taken during different seasons over a long period of time. Therefore, for many areas, it may be necessary to use a variety of images taken with different imaging systems. A common framework for interpretation is needed that reduces topographic, atmospheric, instrumental, effects as well as differences in lighting geometry between images. The present state of remote-sensing technology in general use does not realize the full potential of the multispectral data in areas of high topographic relief. For example, the primary method for analyzing images of forested landscapes in the Northwest has been with statistical classifiers (e.g. parallelepiped, nearest-neighbor, maximum likelihood, etc.), often applied to uncalibrated multispectral data. Although this approach has produced useful information from individual images in some areas, landcover classes defined by these techniques typically are not consistent for the same scene imaged under different illumination conditions, especially in the mountainous regions. In addition, it is difficult to correct for atmospheric and instrumental differences between multiple scenes in a time series. In this paper, we present an approach for monitoring forest cutting/regrowth in a semi-mountainous portion of the southern Gifford Pinchot National Forest using a multisensor-time series composed of MSS, TM, and AVIRIS images.

Simulation environment and graphical visualization environment: a COPD use-case

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Today, many different tools are developed to execute and visualize physiological models that represent the human physiology. Most of these tools run models written in very specific programming languages which in turn simplify the communication among models. Nevertheless, not all of these tools are able to run models written in different programming languages. In addition, interoperability between such models remains an unresolved issue. Results In this paper we present a simulation environment that allows, first, the execution of models developed in different programming languages and second the communication of parameters to interconnect these models. This simulation environment, developed within the Synergy-COPD project, aims at helping and supporting bio-researchers and medical students understand the internal mechanisms of the human body through the use of physiological models. This tool is composed of a graphical visualization environment, which is a web interface through which the user can interact with the models, and a simulation workflow management system composed of a control module and a data warehouse manager. The control module monitors the correct functioning of the whole system. The data warehouse manager is responsible for managing the stored information and supporting its flow among the different modules. This simulation environment has been validated with the integration of three models: two deterministic, i.e. based on linear and differential equations, and one probabilistic, i.e., based on probability theory. These models have been selected based on the disease under study in this project, i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Conclusion It has been proved that the simulation environment presented here allows the user to research and study the internal mechanisms of the human physiology by the use of models via a graphical visualization environment. A new tool for bio-researchers is ready for deployment in various use cases scenarios. PMID:25471327

Lots of data, how do we use it? Strengths and inaccuracies of utility acid rain electronic data reports

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

Schott, J.

1996-12-31

Entergy Corporation is a Phase II utility with a fossil generation base composed primarily natural gas and low sulfur coal. This paper presents an analysis of a large Phase II utility`s continuous emissions monitoring data reported to EPA under Title IV Acid Rain. Electric utilities currently report hourly emissions of NOx, SO{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, fuel use, and generation through electronic data reports to EPA. This paper describes strengths and weaknesses of the data reported to EPA as determined through an analysis of 1995 data. Emissions reported by this company tinder acid rain for SO{sub 2} and NOx are verymore » different from emissions reported to state agencies for annual emission inventory purposes in past years and will represent a significant break with historic trends. A comparison of emissions has been made of 1995 emissions reported under Electronic Data Reports to the emissions that would have been reported using emission factors and fuel data in past years. In addition, the paper examines the impacts of 40 CFR Part 75 Acid Rain requirements such as missing data substitution and monitor bias adjustments. Measurement system errors including stack flow measurement and false NOx Lb/MMBtu readings at very low loads are discussed. This paper describes the implications for public policy, compliance, emissions inventories, and business decisions of Part 75 acid rain monitoring and reporting requirements.« less

Sandwich node architecture for agile wireless sensor networks for real-time structural health monitoring applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zi; Pakzad, Shamim; Cheng, Liang

2012-04-01

In recent years, wireless sensor network (WSN), as a powerful tool, has been widely applied to structural health monitoring (SHM) due to its low cost of deployment. Several commercial hardware platforms of wireless sensor networks (WSN) have been developed and used for structural monitoring applications [1,2]. A typical design of a node includes a sensor board and a mote connected to it. Sensing units, analog filters and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are integrated on the sensor board and the mote consists of a microcontroller and a wireless transceiver. Generally, there are a set of sensor boards compatible with the same model of mote and the selection of the sensor board depends on the specific applications. A WSN system based on this node lacks the capability of interrupting its scheduled task to start a higher priority task. This shortcoming is rooted in the hardware architecture of the node. The proposed sandwich-node architecture is designed to remedy the shortcomings of the existing one for task preemption. A sandwich node is composed of a sensor board and two motes. The first mote is dedicated to managing the sensor board and processing acquired data. The second mote controls the first mote via commands. A prototype has been implemented using Imote2 and verified by an emulation in which one mote is triggered by a remote base station and then preempts the running task at the other mote for handling an emergency event.

Monitoring thermokarst activity and landscape change in the Eureka Sound Lowlands, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, M. K.; Pollard, W. H.

2016-12-01

The Eureka Sound Lowlands is an area underlain with over 500 m of ice-rich permafrost largely composed of massive ground ice and ice wedge polygons with a thin active layer of a mean thickness of 57cm. The region has a polar desert climate, with a mean annual air temperature of -19°C, and approximately 67mm of annual precipitation (falling mostly as snow). The area has an Environment Canada Weather Station (located at Eureka at 79°59'N, 85°56'W) that has been conducting daily meteorological measurements since it was founded in 1947. The area is sensitive to increasing summer temperatures as observed during the summer of 2012: as one of the warmest summer on record, there was a three-fold increase in thermokarst (collapse of the land surface from melting ground ice) with the accelerated collapse of ice wedge polygon troughs and widespread development of retrogressive thaw slumps. This study monitors thermokarst activity within the area using air photos from 1959, 1974 and 1982, satellite imagery (WorldView2) from 2009 and 2012, and annual air surveys (since 1989). Thermokarst activity between 2013 and 2016 has been monitored in the field using a differential GPS (Global Positioning System) to survey headwall locations of retrogressive thaw slumps. The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed baseline of landscape processes to compare future landscape changes resulting from thermokarst in the area.

Seismic monitoring at Deception Island volcano (Antarctica): the 2010-2011 survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín, R.; Carmona, E.; Almendros, J.; Serrano, I.; Villaseñor, A.; Galeano, J.

2012-04-01

As an example of the recent advances introduced in seismic monitoring of Deception Island volcano (Antarctica) during recent years, we describe the instrumental network deployed during the 2010-2011 survey by the Instituto Andaluz de Geofísica of University of Granada, Spain (IAG-UGR). The period of operation extended from December 19, 2010 to March 5, 2011. We deployed a wireless seismic network composed by four three-component seismic stations. These stations are based on 24-bit SL04 SARA dataloggers sampling at 100 sps. They use a PC with embedded linux and SEISLOG data acquisition software. We use two types of three-component seismometers: short-period Mark L4C with natural frequency of 1 Hz and medium-period Lennartz3D/5s with natural frequency of 0.2 Hz. The network was designed for an optimum spatial coverage of the northern half of Deception, where a magma chamber has been reported. Station locations include the vicinity of the Spanish base "Gabriel de Castilla" (GdC), Obsidianas Beach, a zone near the craters from the 1970 eruptions, and the Chilean Shelter located south of Pendulum Cove. Continuous data from the local seismic network are received in real-time in the base by wifi transmission. We used Ubiquiti Networks Nanostation2 antennas with 2.4 GHz, dual-polarity, 10 dBi gain, and 54 Mbps transmission rate. They have shown a great robustness and speed for real-time applications. To prioritize data acquisition when the battery level is low, we have designed a circuit that allows independent power management for the seismic station and wireless transmission system. The reception antenna located at GdC is connected to a computer running SEISCOMP. This software supports several transmission protocols and manages the visualization and recording of seismic data, including the generation of summary plots to show the seismic activity. These twelve data channels are stored in miniseed format and displayed in real time, which allows for a rapid evaluation of the seismic activity and an efficient seismo-volcanic surveillance. The data are processed and analyzed using the SEISAN database management software. In addition to the seismic network, we deployed a small-aperture seismic array south of Fumarole Bay. It is composed by 9 vertical and 1 three-component short-period stations. The 24-bit data acquisition system samples these 12 channels at 100 sps. There is also a permanent seismic station operating since 2008 and located near GdC, that is very useful for the preliminary evaluation of the seismicity at the start of the survey. This station is composed by a 16-s electrolytic seismometer (Eentec SP400) and a 24-bit datalogger (Eentec DR4000) sampling at 100 sps. During the 2010-2011 survey we identified 33 regional earthquakes, 80 volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes, and 929 long-period (LP) events. The volcanic alert system has remained green (the lowest level) at all times. The seismic activity has been similar to previous surveys and remained within limits that are normal for the island.

Design and characterization of a real time particle radiography system based on scintillating optical fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longhitano, F.; Lo Presti, D.; Bonanno, D. L.; Bongiovanni, D. G.; Leonora, E.; Randazzo, N.; Reito, S.; Sipala, V.; Gallo, G.

2017-02-01

The fabrication and characterization of a charged particle imaging system composed of a tracker and a residual range detector (RRD) is described. The tracker is composed of four layers of scintillating fibers (SciFi), 500 μm side square section, arranged to form two planes orthogonal to each other. The fibers are coupled to two Multi-Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) arrays by means of a channel reduction system patented by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) (Presti, 2015) [1]. Sixty parallel layers of the same fibers used in the tracker compose the RRD. The various layers are optically coupled to a MPPC array by means of wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers. The sensitive area of the two detectors is 9×9 cm2. The results of the measurements, acquired by the prototypes with CATANA (Cirrone, 2008) [2] proton beam, and a comparison with the simulations of the detectors are presented.

[Anaesthetic management of excision of a cervical intraspinal tumor with intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring in a pregnant woman at 29 weeks].

PubMed

Guerrero-Domínguez, R; González-González, G; Rubio-Romero, R; Federero-Martínez, F; Jiménez, I

2016-05-01

The intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring is a technique used to test and monitor nervous function. This technique has become essential in some neurosurgery interventions, since it avoids neurological injuries during surgery and reduces morbidity. The experience of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring is limited in some clinical cases due to the low incidence of pregnant women undergoing a surgical procedure. A case is presented of a 29-weeks pregnant woman suffering from a cervical intraspinal tumour with intense pain, which required surgery. The collaboration of a multidisciplinary team composed of anaesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, neurophysiologists and obstetricians, the continuous monitoring of the foetus, the intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, and maintaining the neurophysiological and utero-placental variables were crucial for the proper development of the surgery. According to our experience and the limited publications in the literature, no damaging effects of this technique were detected at maternal-foetal level. On the contrary, it brings important benefits during the surgery and for the final result. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Foreign Medical Schools: Education Should Improve Monitoring of Schools That Participate in the Federal Student Loan Program. Report to Congressional Committees. GAO-10-412

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, George A.

2010-01-01

Each year, the federal government makes a significant financial investment in the education and training of the U.S. physician workforce. A quarter of that physician workforce is composed of international medical graduates (IMG) and they include both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Little is known about IMGs with respect to how much they…

Micro-optical coherence tomography tracking of magnetic gene transfection via Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wei; Liu, Xinyu; Wei, Chao; Xu, Zhichuan J.; Sim, Stanley Siong Wei; Liu, Linbo; Xu, Chenjie

2015-10-01

Heterogeneous Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles (NPs) are composed of Au NPs and Fe3O4 NPs that bring in optical and magnetic properties respectively. This article reports the engineering of Au-Fe3O4 NPs as gene carriers for magnetic gene transfection as well as contrast agents for micro-optical coherence tomography (μOCT). As a proof-of-concept, Au-Fe3O4 NPs are used to deliver the green fluorescent protein to HEK 293T cells and their entrance into the cells is monitored through μOCT.Heterogeneous Au-Fe3O4 dumbbell nanoparticles (NPs) are composed of Au NPs and Fe3O4 NPs that bring in optical and magnetic properties respectively. This article reports the engineering of Au-Fe3O4 NPs as gene carriers for magnetic gene transfection as well as contrast agents for micro-optical coherence tomography (μOCT). As a proof-of-concept, Au-Fe3O4 NPs are used to deliver the green fluorescent protein to HEK 293T cells and their entrance into the cells is monitored through μOCT. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05459a

Electrical/Mechanical Monitoring of Shape Memory Alloy Reinforcing Fibers Obtained by Pullout Tests in SMA/Cement Composite Materials.

PubMed

Kim, Eui-Hyun; Lee, Hyunbae; Kim, Jae-Hwan; Bae, Seung-Muk; Hwang, Heesu; Yang, Heesun; Choi, Eunsoo; Hwang, Jin-Ha

2018-02-22

Self-healing is an essential property of smart concrete structures. In contrast to other structural metals, shape memory alloys (SMAs) offer two unique effects: shape memory effects, and superelastic effects. Composites composed of SMA wires and conventional cements can overcome the mechanical weaknesses associated with tensile fractures in conventional concretes. Under specialized environments, the material interface between the cementitious component and the SMA materials plays an important role in achieving the enhanced mechanical performance and robustness of the SMA/cement interface. This material interface is traditionally evaluated in terms of mechanical aspects, i.e., strain-stress characteristics. However, the current work attempts to simultaneously characterize the mechanical load-displacement relationships synchronized with impedance spectroscopy as a function of displacement. Frequency-dependent impedance spectroscopy is tested as an in situ monitoring tool for structural variations in smart composites composed of non-conducting cementitious materials and conducting metals. The artificial geometry change in the SMA wires is associated with an improved anchoring action that is compatible with the smallest variation in resistance compared with prismatic SMA wires embedded into a cement matrix. The significant increase in resistance is interpreted to be associated with the slip of the SMA fibers following the elastic deformation and the debonding of the SMA fiber/matrix.

Bioluminescent bioreporter pad biosensor for monitoring water toxicity.

PubMed

Axelrod, Tim; Eltzov, Evgeni; Marks, Robert S

2016-01-01

Toxicants in water sources are of concern. We developed a tool that is affordable and easy-to-use for monitoring toxicity in water. It is a biosensor composed of disposable bioreporter pads (calcium alginate matrix with immobilized bacteria) and a non-disposable CMOS photodetector. Various parameters to enhance the sensor's signal have been tested, including the effect of alginate and bacterium concentrations. The effect of various toxicants, as well as, environmental samples were tested by evaluating their effect on bacterial luminescence. This is the first step in the creation of a sensitive and simple operative tool that may be used in different environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neurosyphilis in Anglo-American Composers and Jazz Musicians.

PubMed

Breitenfeld, Darko; Kust, Davor; Breitenfeld, Tomislav; Prpić, Marin; Lucijanić, Marko; Zibar, Davor; Hostić, Vedran; Franceschi, Maja; Bolanča, Ante

2017-09-01

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted, systemic disease caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum. The most common mechanism of transmission is sexual intercourse. Although there are several hypotheses, the exact origin of the disease remains unknown. Newly published evidence suggests that the hypothesis supporting the theory of the American origin of the disease is the valid one. Among 1500 analyzed pathographies of composers and musicians, data on ten Anglo-American composers and jazz musicians having suffered from neurosyphilis (tertiary stage of the disease) were extracted for this report. In this group of Anglo-American composers and musicians, most of them died from progressive paralysis while still in the creative phase of life. Additionally, diagnoses of eleven other famous neurosyphilitic composers, as well as basic biographic data on ten less known composers that died from neurosyphilis-progressive paralysis are also briefly mentioned. In conclusion, neurosyphilis can cause serious neurological damage, as well as permanent disability or death, preventing further work and skill improvement.

Monitoring carbon dioxide from space: Retrieval algorithm and flux inversion based on GOSAT data and using CarbonTracker-China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dongxu; Zhang, Huifang; Liu, Yi; Chen, Baozhang; Cai, Zhaonan; Lü, Daren

2017-08-01

Monitoring atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from space-borne state-of-the-art hyperspectral instruments can provide a high precision global dataset to improve carbon flux estimation and reduce the uncertainty of climate projection. Here, we introduce a carbon flux inversion system for estimating carbon flux with satellite measurements under the support of "The Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—Climate Change: Carbon Budget and Relevant Issues". The carbon flux inversion system is composed of two separate parts: the Institute of Atmospheric Physics Carbon Dioxide Retrieval Algorithm for Satellite Remote Sensing (IAPCAS), and CarbonTracker-China (CT-China), developed at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) measurements are used in the carbon flux inversion experiment. To improve the quality of the IAPCAS-GOSAT retrieval, we have developed a post-screening and bias correction method, resulting in 25%-30% of the data remaining after quality control. Based on these data, the seasonal variation of XCO2 (column-averaged CO2 dry-air mole fraction) is studied, and a strong relation with vegetation cover and population is identified. Then, the IAPCAS-GOSAT XCO2 product is used in carbon flux estimation by CT-China. The net ecosystem CO2 exchange is -0.34 Pg C yr-1 (±0.08 Pg C yr-1), with a large error reduction of 84%, which is a significant improvement on the error reduction when compared with in situ-only inversion.

Above-ground antineutrino detection for nuclear reactor monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweany, M.; Brennan, J.; Cabrera-Palmer, B.; Kiff, S.; Reyna, D.; Throckmorton, D.

2015-01-01

Antineutrino monitoring of nuclear reactors has been demonstrated many times (Klimov et al., 1994 [1]; Bowden et al., 2009 [2]; Oguri et al., 2014 [3]), however the technique has not as of yet been developed into a useful capability for treaty verification purposes. The most notable drawback is the current requirement that detectors be deployed underground, with at least several meters-water-equivalent of shielding from cosmic radiation. In addition, the deployment of liquid-based detection media presents a challenge in reactor facilities. We are currently developing a detector system that has the potential to operate above ground and circumvent deployment problems associated with a liquid detection media: the system is composed of segments of plastic scintillator surrounded by 6LiF/ZnS:Ag. ZnS:Ag is a radio-luminescent phosphor used to detect the neutron capture products of 6Li. Because of its long decay time compared to standard plastic scintillators, pulse-shape discrimination can be used to distinguish positron and neutron interactions resulting from the inverse beta decay (IBD) of antineutrinos within the detector volume, reducing both accidental and correlated backgrounds. Segmentation further reduces backgrounds by identifying the positron's annihilation gammas, a signature that is absent for most correlated and uncorrelated backgrounds. This work explores different configurations in order to maximize the size of the detector segments without reducing the intrinsic neutron detection efficiency. We believe that this technology will ultimately be applicable to potential safeguards scenarios such as those recently described by Huber et al. (2014) [4,5].

Monitoring of beer fermentation based on hybrid electronic tongue.

PubMed

Kutyła-Olesiuk, Anna; Zaborowski, Michał; Prokaryn, Piotr; Ciosek, Patrycja

2012-10-01

Monitoring of biotechnological processes, including fermentation is extremely important because of the rapidly occurring changes in the composition of the samples during the production. In the case of beer, the analysis of physicochemical parameters allows for the determination of the stage of fermentation process and the control of its possible perturbations. As a tool to control the beer production process a sensor array can be used, composed of potentiometric and voltammetric sensors (so-called hybrid Electronic Tongue, h-ET). The aim of this study is to apply electronic tongue system to distinguish samples obtained during alcoholic fermentation. The samples originate from batch of homemade beer fermentation and from two stages of the process: fermentation reaction and maturation of beer. The applied sensor array consists of 10 miniaturized ion-selective electrodes (potentiometric ET) and silicon based 3-electrode voltammetric transducers (voltammetric ET). The obtained results were processed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) and Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA). For potentiometric data, voltammetric data, and combined potentiometric and voltammetric data, comparison of the classification ability was conducted based on Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), sensitivity, specificity, and coefficient F calculation. It is shown, that in the contrast to the separately used techniques, the developed hybrid system allowed for a better characterization of the beer samples. Data fusion in hybrid ET enables to obtain better results both in qualitative analysis (RMSE, specificity, sensitivity) and in quantitative analysis (RMSE, R(2), a, b). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Temporal Credential-Based Mutual Authentication with Multiple-Password Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ruisheng; Liu, Qidong

2017-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which consist of a large number of sensor nodes, have become among the most important technologies in numerous fields, such as environmental monitoring, military surveillance, control systems in nuclear reactors, vehicle safety systems, and medical monitoring. The most serious drawback for the widespread application of WSNs is the lack of security. Given the resource limitation of WSNs, traditional security schemes are unsuitable. Approaches toward withstanding related attacks with small overhead have thus recently been studied by many researchers. Numerous studies have focused on the authentication scheme for WSNs, but most of these works cannot achieve the security performance and overhead perfectly. Nam et al. proposed a two-factor authentication scheme with lightweight sensor computation for WSNs. In this paper, we review this scheme, emphasize its drawbacks, and propose a temporal credential-based mutual authentication with a multiple-password scheme for WSNs. Our scheme uses multiple passwords to achieve three-factor security performance and generate a session key between user and sensor nodes. The security analysis phase shows that our scheme can withstand related attacks, including a lost password threat, and the comparison phase shows that our scheme involves a relatively small overhead. In the comparison of the overhead phase, the result indicates that more than 95% of the overhead is composed of communication and not computation overhead. Therefore, the result motivates us to pay further attention to communication overhead than computation overhead in future research. PMID:28135288

A Temporal Credential-Based Mutual Authentication with Multiple-Password Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Zhang, Ruisheng; Liu, Qidong

2017-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which consist of a large number of sensor nodes, have become among the most important technologies in numerous fields, such as environmental monitoring, military surveillance, control systems in nuclear reactors, vehicle safety systems, and medical monitoring. The most serious drawback for the widespread application of WSNs is the lack of security. Given the resource limitation of WSNs, traditional security schemes are unsuitable. Approaches toward withstanding related attacks with small overhead have thus recently been studied by many researchers. Numerous studies have focused on the authentication scheme for WSNs, but most of these works cannot achieve the security performance and overhead perfectly. Nam et al. proposed a two-factor authentication scheme with lightweight sensor computation for WSNs. In this paper, we review this scheme, emphasize its drawbacks, and propose a temporal credential-based mutual authentication with a multiple-password scheme for WSNs. Our scheme uses multiple passwords to achieve three-factor security performance and generate a session key between user and sensor nodes. The security analysis phase shows that our scheme can withstand related attacks, including a lost password threat, and the comparison phase shows that our scheme involves a relatively small overhead. In the comparison of the overhead phase, the result indicates that more than 95% of the overhead is composed of communication and not computation overhead. Therefore, the result motivates us to pay further attention to communication overhead than computation overhead in future research.

Clarification of Institutional Controls at the Rocky Flats Site Central Operable Unit and Implementation of the Soil Disturbance Review Plan - 13053

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

DiSalvo, Rick; Surovchak, Scott; Spreng, Carl

2013-07-01

Cleanup and closure of DOE's Rocky Flats Site in Colorado, which was placed on the CERCLA National Priority List in 1989, was accomplished under CERCLA, RCRA, and the Colorado Hazardous Waste Act (CHWA). The physical cleanup work was completed in late 2005 and all buildings and other structures that composed the Rocky Flats industrial complex were removed from the surface, but remnants remain in the subsurface. Other remaining features include two landfills closed in place with covers, four groundwater treatment systems, and surface water and groundwater monitoring systems. Under the 2006 Corrective Action Decision/Record of Decision for Rocky Flats Plantmore » (US DOE) Peripheral Operable Unit and the Central Operable Unit (CAD/ROD), the response actions selected for the Central Operable Unit (OU) are institutional controls (ICs), physical controls, and continued monitoring and maintenance. The objectives of these ICs were to prevent unacceptable exposure to remaining subsurface contamination and to prevent contaminants from mobilizing to surface water and to prevent interfering with the proper functioning of the engineered components of the remedy. An amendment in 2011 of the 2006 CAD/ROD clarified the ICs to prevent misinterpretation that would prohibit work to manage and maintain the Central OU property. The 2011 amendment incorporated a protocol for a Soil Disturbance Review Plan for work subject to ICs that requires approval from the State and public notification by DOE prior to conducting approved soil-disturbing work. (authors)« less

Low-Cost GNSS Receivers for Local Monitoring: Experimental Simulation, and Analysis of Displacements

PubMed Central

Biagi, Ludovico; Grec, Florin Cătălin; Negretti, Marco

2016-01-01

The geodetic monitoring of local displacements and deformations is often needed for civil engineering structures and natural phenomena like, for example, landslides. A local permanent GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) network can be installed: receiver positions in the interest area are estimated and monitored with respect to reference stations. Usually, GNSS geodetic receivers are adopted and provide results with accuracies at the millimeter level: however, they are very expensive and the initial cost and the risk of damage and loss can discourage this approach. In this paper the accuracy and the reliability of low-cost u-blox GNSS receivers are experimentally investigated for local monitoring. Two experiments are analyzed. In the first, a baseline (65 m long) between one geodetic reference receiver and one u-blox is continuously observed for one week: the data are processed by hourly sessions and the results provide comparisons between two processing packages and a preliminary accuracy assessment. Then, a network composed of one geodetic and two u-blox receivers is set up. One u-blox is installed on a device (slide) that allows to apply controlled displacements. The geodetic and the other u-blox (at about 130 m) act as references. The experiment lasts about two weeks. The data are again processed by hourly sessions. The estimated displacements of the u-blox on the slide are analyzed and compared with the imposed displacements. All of the results are encouraging: in the first experiment the standard deviations of the residuals are smaller than 5 mm both in the horizontal and vertical; in the second, they are slightly worse but still satisfactory (5 mm in the horizontal and 13 mm in vertical) and the imposed displacements are almost correctly identified. PMID:27983707

Low-Cost GNSS Receivers for Local Monitoring: Experimental Simulation, and Analysis of Displacements.

PubMed

Biagi, Ludovico; Grec, Florin Cătălin; Negretti, Marco

2016-12-15

The geodetic monitoring of local displacements and deformations is often needed for civil engineering structures and natural phenomena like, for example, landslides. A local permanent GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) network can be installed: receiver positions in the interest area are estimated and monitored with respect to reference stations. Usually, GNSS geodetic receivers are adopted and provide results with accuracies at the millimeter level: however, they are very expensive and the initial cost and the risk of damage and loss can discourage this approach. In this paper the accuracy and the reliability of low-cost u-blox GNSS receivers are experimentally investigated for local monitoring. Two experiments are analyzed. In the first, a baseline (65 m long) between one geodetic reference receiver and one u-blox is continuously observed for one week: the data are processed by hourly sessions and the results provide comparisons between two processing packages and a preliminary accuracy assessment. Then, a network composed of one geodetic and two u-blox receivers is set up. One u-blox is installed on a device (slide) that allows to apply controlled displacements. The geodetic and the other u-blox (at about 130 m) act as references. The experiment lasts about two weeks. The data are again processed by hourly sessions. The estimated displacements of the u-blox on the slide are analyzed and compared with the imposed displacements. All of the results are encouraging: in the first experiment the standard deviations of the residuals are smaller than 5 mm both in the horizontal and vertical; in the second, they are slightly worse but still satisfactory (5 mm in the horizontal and 13 mm in vertical) and the imposed displacements are almost correctly identified.

An online model composition tool for system biology models

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background There are multiple representation formats for Systems Biology computational models, and the Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is one of the most widely used. SBML is used to capture, store, and distribute computational models by Systems Biology data sources (e.g., the BioModels Database) and researchers. Therefore, there is a need for all-in-one web-based solutions that support advance SBML functionalities such as uploading, editing, composing, visualizing, simulating, querying, and browsing computational models. Results We present the design and implementation of the Model Composition Tool (Interface) within the PathCase-SB (PathCase Systems Biology) web portal. The tool helps users compose systems biology models to facilitate the complex process of merging systems biology models. We also present three tools that support the model composition tool, namely, (1) Model Simulation Interface that generates a visual plot of the simulation according to user’s input, (2) iModel Tool as a platform for users to upload their own models to compose, and (3) SimCom Tool that provides a side by side comparison of models being composed in the same pathway. Finally, we provide a web site that hosts BioModels Database models and a separate web site that hosts SBML Test Suite models. Conclusions Model composition tool (and the other three tools) can be used with little or no knowledge of the SBML document structure. For this reason, students or anyone who wants to learn about systems biology will benefit from the described functionalities. SBML Test Suite models will be a nice starting point for beginners. And, for more advanced purposes, users will able to access and employ models of the BioModels Database as well. PMID:24006914

Application of Network Analysis to Identify and Map Relationships between Information Systems in the context of Arctic Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kontar, Y. Y.

2017-12-01

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States and indigenous communities on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the North. The work of the Council is primarily carried out by six Working Groups: Arctic Contaminants Action Program, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment, and Sustainable Development Working Group. The Working Groups are composed of researchers and representatives from government agencies. Each Working Group issues numerous scientific assessments and reports on a broad field of subjects, from climate change to emergency response in the Arctic. A key goal of these publications is to contribute to policy-making in the Arctic. Complex networks of information systems and the connections between the diverse elements within the systems have been identified via network analysis. This allowed to distinguish data sources that were used in the composition of the primary publications of the Working Groups. Next step is to implement network analysis to identify and map the relationships between the Working Groups and policy makers in the Arctic.

An ontological knowledge framework for adaptive medical workflow.

PubMed

Dang, Jiangbo; Hedayati, Amir; Hampel, Ken; Toklu, Candemir

2008-10-01

As emerging technologies, semantic Web and SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture) allow BPMS (Business Process Management System) to automate business processes that can be described as services, which in turn can be used to wrap existing enterprise applications. BPMS provides tools and methodologies to compose Web services that can be executed as business processes and monitored by BPM (Business Process Management) consoles. Ontologies are a formal declarative knowledge representation model. It provides a foundation upon which machine understandable knowledge can be obtained, and as a result, it makes machine intelligence possible. Healthcare systems can adopt these technologies to make them ubiquitous, adaptive, and intelligent, and then serve patients better. This paper presents an ontological knowledge framework that covers healthcare domains that a hospital encompasses-from the medical or administrative tasks, to hospital assets, medical insurances, patient records, drugs, and regulations. Therefore, our ontology makes our vision of personalized healthcare possible by capturing all necessary knowledge for a complex personalized healthcare scenario involving patient care, insurance policies, and drug prescriptions, and compliances. For example, our ontology facilitates a workflow management system to allow users, from physicians to administrative assistants, to manage, even create context-aware new medical workflows and execute them on-the-fly.

Enhancing the performance of coherent OTDR systems with polarization diversity complementary codes.

PubMed

Dorize, Christian; Awwad, Elie

2018-05-14

Monitoring the optical phase change in a fiber enables a wide range of applications where fast phase variations are induced by acoustic signals or by vibrations in general. However, the quality of the estimated fiber response strongly depends on the method used to modulate the light sent to the fiber and capture the variations of the optical field. In this paper, we show that distributed optical fiber sensing systems can advantageously exploit techniques from the telecommunication domain, as those used in coherent optical transmission, to enhance their performance in detecting mechanical events, while jointly offering a simpler setup than widespread pulse-cloning or spectral-sweep based schemes with acousto-optic modulators. We periodically capture an overall fiber Jones matrix estimate thanks to a novel probing technique using two mutually orthogonal complementary (Golay) pairs of binary sequences applied simultaneously in phase and quadrature on two orthogonal polarization states. A perfect channel response estimation of the sensor array is achieved, subject to conditions detailed in the paper, thus enhancing the sensitivity and bandwidth of coherent ϕ-OTDR systems. High sensitivity, linear response, and bandwidth coverage up to 18 kHz are demonstrated with a sensor array composed of 10 fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs).

ARCADE-R2 experiment on board BEXUS 17 stratospheric balloon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbetta, Marco; Boesso, Alessandro; Branz, Francesco; Carron, Andrea; Olivieri, Lorenzo; Prendin, Jacopo; Rodeghiero, Gabriele; Sansone, Francesco; Savioli, Livia; Spinello, Fabio; Francesconi, Alessandro

2015-09-01

This paper provides an overview of the ARCADE-R2 experiment, a technology demonstrator that aimed to prove the feasibility of small-scale satellite and/or aircraft systems with automatic (a) attitude determination, (b) control and (c) docking capabilities. The experiment embodies a simplified scenario in which an unmanned vehicle mock-up performs rendezvous and docking operations with a fixed complementary unit. The experiment is composed by a supporting structure, which holds a small vehicle with one translational and one rotational degree of freedom, and its fixed target. The dual system features three main custom subsystems: a relative infrared navigation sensor, an attitude control system based on a reaction wheel and a small-scale docking mechanism. The experiment bus is equipped with pressure and temperature sensors, and wind probes to monitor the external environmental conditions. The experiment flew on board the BEXUS 17 stratospheric balloon on October 10, 2013, where several navigation-control-docking sequences were executed and data on the external pressure, temperature, wind speed and direction were collected, characterizing the atmospheric loads applied to the vehicle. This paper describes the critical components of ARCADE-R2 as well as the main results obtained from the balloon flight.

Enhancing the performance of coherent OTDR systems with polarization diversity complementary codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorize, Christian; Awwad, Elie

2018-05-01

Monitoring the optical phase change in a fiber enables a wide range of applications where fast phase variations are induced by acoustic signals or vibrations in general. However, the quality of the estimated fiber response strongly depends on the method used to modulate the light sent to the fiber and capture the variations of the optical field. In this paper, we show that distributed optical fiber sensing systems can advantageously exploit techniques from the telecommunication domain, as those used in coherent optical transmission, to enhance their performance in detecting mechanical events, while jointly offering a simpler setup than widespread pulse-cloning or spectral-sweep based schemes with acousto-optic modulators. We periodically capture an overall fiber Jones matrix estimate thanks to a novel probing technique using two mutually orthogonal complementary (Golay) pairs of binary sequences applied simultaneously in phase and quadrature on two orthogonal polarization states. A perfect channel response estimation of the sensor array is achieved, subject to conditions detailed in the paper, thus enhancing the sensitivity and bandwidth of coherent phase-OTDR systems. High sensitivity, linear response, and bandwidth coverage up to 18 kHz are demonstrated with a sensor array composed of 10 fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs).

A wireless neural recording system with a precision motorized microdrive for freely behaving animals

PubMed Central

Hasegawa, Taku; Fujimoto, Hisataka; Tashiro, Koichiro; Nonomura, Mayu; Tsuchiya, Akira; Watanabe, Dai

2015-01-01

The brain is composed of many different types of neurons. Therefore, analysis of brain activity with single-cell resolution could provide fundamental insights into brain mechanisms. However, the electrical signal of an individual neuron is very small, and precise isolation of single neuronal activity from moving subjects is still challenging. To measure single-unit signals in actively behaving states, establishment of technologies that enable fine control of electrode positioning and strict spike sorting is essential. To further apply such a single-cell recording approach to small brain areas in naturally behaving animals in large spaces or during social interaction, we developed a compact wireless recording system with a motorized microdrive. Wireless control of electrode placement facilitates the exploration of single neuronal activity without affecting animal behaviors. Because the system is equipped with a newly developed data-encoding program, the recorded data are readily compressed almost to theoretical limits and securely transmitted to a host computer. Brain activity can thereby be stably monitored in real time and further analyzed using online or offline spike sorting. Our wireless recording approach using a precision motorized microdrive will become a powerful tool for studying brain mechanisms underlying natural or social behaviors. PMID:25597933

Time lapse video recordings of highly purified human hematopoietic progenitor cells in culture.

PubMed

Denkers, I A; Dragowska, W; Jaggi, B; Palcic, B; Lansdorp, P M

1993-05-01

Major hurdles in studies of stem cell biology include the low frequency and heterogeneity of human hematopoietic precursor cells in bone marrow and the difficulty of directly studying the effect of various culture conditions and growth factors on such cells. We have adapted the cell analyzer imaging system for monitoring and recording the morphology of limited numbers of cells under various culture conditions. Hematopoietic progenitor cells with a CD34+ CD45RAlo CD71lo phenotype were purified from previously frozen organ donor bone marrow by fluorescence activated cell sorting. Cultures of such cells were analyzed with the imaging system composed of an inverted microscope contained in an incubator, a video camera, an optical memory disk recorder and a computer-controlled motorized microscope XYZ precision stage. Fully computer-controlled video images at defined XYZ positions were captured at selected time intervals and recorded at a predetermined sequence on an optical memory disk. In this study, the cell analyzer system was used to obtain descriptions and measurements of hematopoietic cell behavior, like cell motility, cell interactions, cell shape, cell division, cell cycle time and cell size changes under different culture conditions.

Management of natural crises with choreography and orchestration of federated warning-systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haener, Rainer; Waechter, Joachim; Hammitzsch, Martin

2013-04-01

The project Collaborative, Complex and Critical Decision-Support in Evolving Crises (TRIDEC), co-funded by the European Commission in its Seventh Framework Programme focuses on real-time intelligent information management in earth management. The addressed challenges include the design and implementation of a robust and scalable service infrastructure supporting the integration of existing resources, components and systems. Key challenge for TRIDEC is establishing a network of independent systems, cooperatively interacting as a collective in a system-of-systems (SoS). For this purpose TRIDEC adopts enhancements of service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles in terms of an event-driven architecture (EDA) design (SOA 2.0). In this way TRIDEC establishes large-scale concurrent and intelligent information management of a manifold of crisis types by focusing on the integration of autonomous, task-oriented and geographically distributed systems. To this end TRIDEC adapts both ways SOA 2.0 offers: orchestration and choreography. In orchestration, a central knowledge-based processing framework takes control over the involved services and coordinates their execution. Choreography on the other hand avoids central coordination. Rather, each system involved in the SoS follows a global scenario without a single point of control but specifically defined (enacted, agreed upon) trigger conditions. More than orchestration choreography allows collaborative business processes of various heterogeneous sub-systems (e.g. cooperative decision making) by concurrent Complex Event Processing (CEP) and asynchronous communication. These types of interaction adapt the concept of decoupled relationships between information producers (e.g. sensors and sensor systems) and information consumers (e.g. warning systems and warning dissemination systems). Asynchronous communication is useful if a participant wants to trigger specific actions by delegating the responsibility (separation of concerns) for the action to a dedicated participant. Implementing CEP, none of the participants has to know anything about the others. Information is filtered from a stream of manifold events (triggers) assigned to certain and well-defined topics. Both, orchestration and choreography are based on the specification of conversations, which comprise the information model, the roles and responsibilities of all participants, services and business processes, and interaction scenarios. By the maintenance of conversations in commonly available and semantically enabled registries it is possible to establish a federation of systems that is able to provide dynamic, yet coherent behaviour. TRIDEC establishes a reliable and adaptive SoS (concurrent processing of events and activities) which exposes emergent behaviour (e.g. intelligent and adaptive monitoring strategies, cooperative decision making or dynamic system configuration) even in case of partly system failures. In a process of self-organising (task balancing and dynamic delegation of responsibilities) as SoS is able to secure the reliability and responsiveness for real-time, long running & durable monitoring activities. Concepts like Design by Contract (DbC), service level agreements (SLA), redundancy- and failover-strategies as well as a comprehensive knowledge-based description of all facets of all potential interactions ensure the interoperability, robustness and expected behaviour of the TRIDEC SoS even if it is composed of managerial independent sub-systems. Beyond these features, the adaptability of a SoS offers scalability and virtualization regarding both, systems and domains. Composability and re-use of functionality can be achieved easily even across domain-boundaries.

Cryogenics maintenance strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruzat, Fabiola

2012-09-01

ALMA is an interferometer composed of 66 independent systems, with specific maintenance requirements for each subsystem. To optimize the observation time and reduce downtime maintenance, requirements are very demanding. One subsystem with high maintenance efforts is cryogenics and vacuum. To organize the maintenance, the Cryogenic and Vacuum department is using and implementing different tools. These are monitoring and problem reporting systems and CMMS. This leads to different maintenance approaches: Preventive Maintenance, Corrective Maintenance and Condition Based Maintenance. In order to coordinate activities with other departments the preventive maintenance schedule is kept as flexible as systems allow. To cope with unavoidable failures, the team has to be prepared to work under any condition with the spares on time. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) will help to manage inventory control for reliable spare part handling, the correct record of work orders and traceability of maintenance activities. For an optimized approach the department is currently evaluating where preventive or condition based maintenance applies to comply with the individual system demand. Considering the change from maintenance contracts to in-house maintenance will help to minimize costs and increase availability of parts. Due to increased number of system and tasks the cryo team needs to grow. Training of all staff members is mandatory, in depth knowledge must be built up by doing complex maintenance activities in the Cryo group, use of advanced computerized metrology systems.

Alumina Based 500 C Electronic Packaging Systems and Future Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Liang-Yu

2012-01-01

NASA space and aeronautical missions for probing the inner solar planets as well as for in situ monitoring and control of next-generation aeronautical engines require high-temperature environment operable sensors and electronics. A 96% aluminum oxide and Au thick-film metallization based packaging system including chip-level packages, printed circuit board, and edge-connector is in development for high temperature SiC electronics. An electronic packaging system based on this material system was successfully tested and demonstrated with SiC electronics at 500 C for over 10,000 hours in laboratory conditions previously. In addition to the tests in laboratory environments, this packaging system has more recently been tested with a SiC junction field effect transistor (JFET) on low earth orbit through the NASA Materials on the International Space Station Experiment 7 (MISSE7). A SiC JFET with a packaging system composed of a 96% alumina chip-level package and an alumina printed circuit board mounted on a data acquisition circuit board was launched as a part of the MISSE7 suite to International Space Station via a Shuttle mission and tested on the orbit for eighteen months. A summary of results of tests in both laboratory and space environments will be presented. The future development of alumina based high temperature packaging using co-fired material systems for improved performance at high temperature and more feasible mass production will also be discussed.

Location-Enhanced Activity Recognition in Indoor Environments Using Off the Shelf Smart Watch Technology and BLE Beacons

PubMed Central

Filippoupolitis, Avgoustinos; Oliff, William; Takand, Babak; Loukas, George

2017-01-01

Activity recognition in indoor spaces benefits context awareness and improves the efficiency of applications related to personalised health monitoring, building energy management, security and safety. The majority of activity recognition frameworks, however, employ a network of specialised building sensors or a network of body-worn sensors. As this approach suffers with respect to practicality, we propose the use of commercial off-the-shelf devices. In this work, we design and evaluate an activity recognition system composed of a smart watch, which is enhanced with location information coming from Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. We evaluate the performance of this approach for a variety of activities performed in an indoor laboratory environment, using four supervised machine learning algorithms. Our experimental results indicate that our location-enhanced activity recognition system is able to reach a classification accuracy ranging from 92% to 100%, while without location information classification accuracy it can drop to as low as 50% in some cases, depending on the window size chosen for data segmentation. PMID:28555022

Sensor-Web Operations Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meemong, Lee; Miller, Charles; Bowman, Kevin; Weidner, Richard

2008-01-01

Understanding the atmospheric state and its impact on air quality requires observations of trace gases, aerosols, clouds, and physical parameters across temporal and spatial scales that range from minutes to days and from meters to more than 10,000 kilometers. Observations include continuous local monitoring for particle formation; field campaigns for emissions, local transport, and chemistry; and periodic global measurements for continental transport and chemistry. Understanding includes global data assimilation framework capable of hierarchical coupling, dynamic integration of chemical data and atmospheric models, and feedback loops between models and observations. The objective of the sensor-web system is to observe trace gases, aerosols, clouds, and physical parameters, an integrated observation infrastructure composed of space-borne, air-borne, and in-situ sensors will be simulated based on their measurement physics properties. The objective of the sensor-web operation is to optimally plan for heterogeneous multiple sensors, the sampling strategies will be explored and science impact will be analyzed based on comprehensive modeling of atmospheric phenomena including convection, transport, and chemical process. Topics include system architecture, software architecture, hardware architecture, process flow, technology infusion, challenges, and future direction.

Design of a water quality monitoring network for the Limpopo River Basin in Mozambique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chilundo, M.; Kelderman, P.; O´keeffe, J. H.

The measurement of chemical, physical and biological parameters is important for the characterization of streams health. Thus, cost-effective and targeted water quality (WQ) monitoring programmes are required for proper assessment, restoration and protection of such systems. This research proposes a WQ monitoring network for the Limpopo River Basin (LRB) in Mozambique located in Southern Africa, a region prone to severe droughts. In this Basin both anthropogenic and natural driven processes, exacerbated by the increased water demand by the four riparian countries (Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique) are responsible for the degradation of surface waters, impairing their downstream use, either for aquatic ecosystem, drinking, industrial or irrigation. Hence, physico-chemical, biological and microbiological characteristics at 23 sites within the basin were studied in November 2006 and January 2007. The physico-chemical and microbiological samples were analyzed according to American Public Health Association (APHA) standard methods, while the biological monitoring working party method (BMWP) was used for biological assessment. The assessment of the final WQ condition at sampled points was done taking into account appropriate indexes, the Mozambican standards for receiving waters and the WHO guidelines for drinking WQ. The assessed data indicated that sites located at proximities to the border with upstream countries were contaminated with heavy metals. The Elephants subcatchment was found with a relatively better WQ, whereas the Changane subcatchment together with the effluent point discharges in the basin were found polluted as indicated by the low dissolved oxygen and high total dissolved solids, electric conductivity, total hardness, sodium adsorption ratio and low benthic macroinvertebrates taxa. Significant differences ( p < 0.05) were found for some parameters when the concentrations recorded in November and January were tested, therefore, indicating possible need for monthly monitoring of WQ. From this study it was concluded that a systematic WQ monitoring network composed of 16 stations would fit the conditions of the LRB. Ambient, earl warning, operational and effluents are the main monitoring types recommended. Additional research at a Basin scale was also recommended to identify the major sources of pollution, their transport and impacts to the downstream ecosystem.

Visual exploration and analysis of ionospheric scintillation monitoring data: The ISMR Query Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vani, Bruno César; Shimabukuro, Milton Hirokazu; Galera Monico, João Francisco

2017-07-01

Ionospheric Scintillations are rapid variations on the phase and/or amplitude of a radio signal as it passes through ionospheric plasma irregularities. The ionosphere is a specific layer of the Earth's atmosphere located approximately between 50 km and 1000 km above the Earth's surface. As Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) - such as GPS, Galileo, BDS and GLONASS - use radio signals, these variations degrade their positioning service quality. Due to its location, Brazil is one of the places most affected by scintillation in the world. For that reason, ionosphere monitoring stations have been deployed over Brazilian territory since 2011 through cooperative projects between several institutions in Europe and Brazil. Such monitoring stations compose a network that generates a large amount of monitoring data everyday. GNSS receivers deployed at these stations - named Ionospheric Scintillation Monitor Receivers (ISMR) - provide scintillation indices and related signal metrics for available satellites dedicated to satellite-based navigation and positioning services. With this monitoring infrastructure, more than ten million observation values are generated and stored every day. Extracting the relevant information from this huge amount of data was a hard process and required the expertise of computer and geoscience scientists. This paper describes the concepts, design and aspects related to the implementation of the software that has been supporting research on ISMR data - the so-called ISMR Query Tool. Usability and other aspects are also presented via examples of application. This web based software has been designed and developed aiming to ensure insights over the huge amount of ISMR data that is fetched every day on an integrated platform. The software applies and adapts time series mining and information visualization techniques to extend the possibilities of exploring and analyzing ISMR data. The software is available to the scientific community through the World Wide Web, therefore constituting an analysis infrastructure that complements the monitoring one, providing support for researching ionospheric scintillation in the GNSS context. Interested researchers can access the functionalities without cost at http://is-cigala-calibra.fct.unesp.br/, under online request to the Space Geodesy Study Group from UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista at Presidente Prudente.

Toward Wireless Health Monitoring via an Analog Signal Compression-Based Biosensing Platform.

PubMed

Zhao, Xueyuan; Sadhu, Vidyasagar; Le, Tuan; Pompili, Dario; Javanmard, Mehdi

2018-06-01

Wireless all-analog biosensor design for the concurrent microfluidic and physiological signal monitoring is presented in this paper. The key component is an all-analog circuit capable of compressing two analog sources into one analog signal by the analog joint source-channel coding (AJSCC). Two circuit designs are discussed, including the stacked-voltage-controlled voltage source (VCVS) design with the fixed number of levels, and an improved design, which supports a flexible number of AJSCC levels. Experimental results are presented on the wireless biosensor prototype, composed of printed circuit board realizations of the stacked-VCVS design. Furthermore, circuit simulation and wireless link simulation results are presented on the improved design. Results indicate that the proposed wireless biosensor is well suited for sensing two biological signals simultaneously with high accuracy, and can be applied to a wide variety of low-power and low-cost wireless continuous health monitoring applications.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Machine Learning Research

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-01

is composed of cutin . Ki: Cutin is impermeable to gases. Does the cuticle restrict water loss from the leaf? Domain Expert: Yes, that’s right. Kl...transported from inside the Leaf Epidermis to the atmosphere outside of the Leaf Epidermis. Rule 1: If an object is composed of cutin , then it is

Location accuracy evaluation of lightning location systems using natural lightning flashes recorded by a network of high-speed cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, J.; Saraiva, A. C. V.; Campos, L. Z. D. S.; Pinto, O., Jr.; Antunes, L.

2014-12-01

This work presents a method for the evaluation of location accuracy of all Lightning Location System (LLS) in operation in southeastern Brazil, using natural cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes. This can be done through a multiple high-speed cameras network (RAMMER network) installed in the Paraiba Valley region - SP - Brazil. The RAMMER network (Automated Multi-camera Network for Monitoring and Study of Lightning) is composed by four high-speed cameras operating at 2,500 frames per second. Three stationary black-and-white (B&W) cameras were situated in the cities of São José dos Campos and Caçapava. A fourth color camera was mobile (installed in a car), but operated in a fixed location during the observation period, within the city of São José dos Campos. The average distance among cameras was 13 kilometers. Each RAMMER sensor position was determined so that the network can observe the same lightning flash from different angles and all recorded videos were GPS (Global Position System) time stamped, allowing comparisons of events between cameras and the LLS. The RAMMER sensor is basically composed by a computer, a Phantom high-speed camera version 9.1 and a GPS unit. The lightning cases analyzed in the present work were observed by at least two cameras, their position was visually triangulated and the results compared with BrasilDAT network, during the summer seasons of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. The visual triangulation method is presented in details. The calibration procedure showed an accuracy of 9 meters between the accurate GPS position of the object triangulated and the result from the visual triangulation method. Lightning return stroke positions, estimated with the visual triangulation method, were compared with LLS locations. Differences between solutions were not greater than 1.8 km.

Stratigraphic and structural characterization of the OU-1 area at the former George Air Force Base, Adelanto, Southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Catchings, R.D.; Gandhok, G.; Goldman, M.R.

2001-01-01

The former George Air Force Base (GAFB), now known as the Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA), is located in the town of Adelanto, approximately 100 km northeast of Los Angeles, California (Fig. 1). In this report, we present acquisition parameters, data, and interpretations of seismic images that were acquired in the OU-1 area of GAFB during July 1999 (Fig. 2). GAFB is scheduled for conversion to civilian use, however, during its years as an Air Force base, trichlorethylene (TCE) was apparently introduced into the subsurface as a result of spills during normal aircraft maintenance operations. To comply with congressional directives, TCE contaminant removal has been ongoing since the early-tomid 1990s. However, only a small percentage of the TCE believed to have been introduced into the subsurface has been recovered, due largely to difficulty in locating the TCE within the subsurface. Because TCE migrates within the subsurface by ground water movement, attempts to locate the TCE contaminants in the subsurface have employed an array of ground-water monitoring and extraction wells. These wells primarily sample within a shallow-depth (~40 m) aquifer system. Cores obtained from the monitoring and extraction wells indicate that the aquifer, which is composed of sand and gravel channels, is bounded by aquitards composed largely of clay and other fine-grained sediments. Based on well logs, the aquifer is about 3 to 5 m thick along the seismic profiles. A more thorough understanding of the lateral variations in the depth and thickness of the aquifer system may be a key to finding and removing the remaining TCE. However, due to its complex depositional and tectonic history, the structural and stratigraphic sequences are not easily characterized. An indication of the complex nature of the structure and stratigraphy is the appreciable variation in stratigraphic sequences observed in some monitoring wells that are only a few tens of meters apart. To better characterize the shallow (upper 100 m) stratigraphy beneath GAFB, the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) contracted the US Geological Survey (USGS) to acquire three seismic reflection/refraction profiles within an area known as Operational Unit #1 (OU-1). The principal objective of the seismic survey was to laterally characterize the subsurface with respect to structure and stratigraphy. In particular, we desired to (1) laterally “map” stratigraphic units (particularly aquifer layers) that were previously identified in monitoring wells within the OU-1 area and (2) identify structures, such as faults and folds, that affect the movement of ground water. Knowledge of lateral variations in stratigraphic units and structures that may affect those units is useful in constructing ground-water flow models, which aid in identifying possible TCE migration paths within the subsurface. Stratigraphic and structural characterization may also be useful in identifying surface locations and target depths for future wells (Catchings et al., 1996). Proper siting of wells is important because a welldefined aquifer is apparently not present in all locations at GAFB, as indicated by lithologic logs from existing wells (Montgomery Watson, 1995). Proper depth placement of monitoring and extraction wells is important because wells that are too shallow will not sample within the aquifer, and wells that are too deep risk puncturing the aquitard and allowing contaminants to flow to deeper levels.

Solar hydrogen production by tandem cell system composed of metal oxide semiconductor film photoelectrode and dye-sensitized solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakawa, H.; Shiraishi, C.; Tatemoto, M.; Kishida, H.; Usui, D.; Suma, A.; Takamisawa, A.; Yamaguchi, T.

2007-09-01

Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical approaches to solar hydrogen production in our group were introduced. In photocatalytic water splitting system using NiO x/ TiO II powder photocatalyst with concentrated Na IICO 3 aqueous solution, solar energy conversion efficiency to H II and O II production (STH efficiency) was 0.016%. In addition, STH efficiency of visible light responding photocatalyst, NiOx/ promoted In 0.9Ni 0.1TaO 4, was estimated at 0.03%. In photoelectrochemical system using an oxide semiconductor film phptoelectrode, STH efficiencies of meosporous TiO II (Anatase) , mesoporous visible light responding S-doped TiO II (Anatase) and WO 3 film were 0.32-0.44% at applied potential of 0.35 V vs NHE, 0.14% at 0.55 V and 0.44% at 0.9 V, respectively. Finally, solar hydrogen production by tandem cell system composed of an oxide semiconductor photoelectrode, a Pt wire counter electrode and a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) was investigated. As photoelectrodes, meosporous TiO II (Anatase), mesoporous S-doped TiO II (Anatase), WO 3, BiVO 4 and Fe IIO 3 film were tested. STH efficiency of tandem cell system composed of a WO 3 film photoelectrode, and a two-series-connected DSC (Voc = 1.4 V) was 2.5-2.8%. In conclusion, it is speculated that more than 5% STH efficiency will be obtained by tandem cell system composed of an oxide semiconductor photoelectrode and a two-series-connected DSC in near future. This suggests a cost-effective and practical application of this system for solar hydrogen production.

Dual-mode imaging with radiolabeled gold nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Ashish; Shao, Xia; Rajian, Justin R.; Zhang, Huanan; Chamberland, David L.; Kotov, Nicholas A.; Wang, Xueding

2011-05-01

Many nanoparticle contrast agents have difficulties with deep tissue and near-bone imaging due to limited penetration of visible photons in the body and mineralized tissues. We are looking into the possibility of mediating this problem while retaining the capabilities of the high spatial resolution associated with optical imaging. As such, the potential combination of emerging photoacoustic imaging and nuclear imaging in monitoring of antirheumatic drug delivery by using a newly developed dual-modality contrast agent is investigated. The contrast agent is composed of gold nanorods (GNRs) conjugated to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) antibody and is subsequently radiolabeled by 125I. ELISA experiments designed to test TNF-α binding are performed to prove the specificity and biological activity of the radiolabeled conjugated contrast agent. Photoacoustic and nuclear imaging are performed to visualize the distribution of GNRs in articular tissues of the rat tail joints in situ. Findings from the two imaging modalities correspond well with each other in all experiments. Our system can image GNRs down to a concentration of 10 pM in biological tissues and with a radioactive label of 5 μCi. This study demonstrates the potential of combining photoacoustic and nuclear imaging modalities through one targeted contrast agent for noninvasive monitoring of drug delivery as well as deep and mineralized tissue imaging.

Determination of acrylamide in drinking water by large-volume direct injection and ion-exclusion chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Cavalli, S; Polesello, S; Saccani, G

2004-06-11

Acrylamide, a known neurotoxin and putative human carcinogen, has been included among the substances to be monitored in drinking water according to the European Union Directive 98/83 on potable water. This paper reports a new method based on the combination of ion-exclusion chromatographic separation and MS detection. Samples of drinking water have been directly injected in the microbore ICE-AS1 column and detected in the selected-ion monitoring mode by a single quadrupole system with electrospray ionization. Chromatographic conditions, such as eluent composition and flow rate, have been optimized by a central composite design experiment. Statistical analysis of data showed that the amount of acetonitrile fraction in the eluent mixture, composed by acetonitrile and formic acid solution, is the variable that most influences retention of the acrylamide peak. After optimization of MS detection parameters, this method has been validated for spiked drinking water samples. The effect of large-volume injection (up to 500 microl) has been also explored. Linearity was evaluated from 0.5 to 5 microg l(-1). Repeatability, expressed as R.S.D., was 16 and 12% at 0.5 and 1 microg l(-1) respectively. The limit of detection was 0.20 ppb with 500 microl injection volume.

Monitoring machining conditions by infrared images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borelli, Joao E.; Gonzaga Trabasso, Luis; Gonzaga, Adilson; Coelho, Reginaldo T.

2001-03-01

During machining process the knowledge of the temperature is the most important factor in tool analysis. It allows to control main factors that influence tool use, life time and waste. The temperature in the contact area between the piece and the tool is resulting from the material removal in cutting operation and it is too difficult to be obtained because the tool and the work piece are in motion. One way to measure the temperature in this situation is detecting the infrared radiation. This work presents a new methodology for diagnosis and monitoring of machining processes with the use of infrared images. The infrared image provides a map in gray tones of the elements in the process: tool, work piece and chips. Each gray tone in the image corresponds to a certain temperature for each one of those materials and the relationship between the gray tones and the temperature is gotten by the previous of infrared camera calibration. The system developed in this work uses an infrared camera, a frame grabber board and a software composed of three modules. The first module makes the image acquisition and processing. The second module makes the feature image extraction and performs the feature vector. Finally, the third module uses fuzzy logic to evaluate the feature vector and supplies the tool state diagnostic as output.

Online quality monitoring of welding processes by means of plasma optical spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrara, Michele; Ancona, Antonio; Lugara, Pietro M.; Sibilano, Michele

2000-02-01

An optical monitoring system for the welding process has been developed; it is based on the study of the optical emission of the welding plasma plume, created during the welding of stainless steels and other iron-based materials. In the first approach a continuous wave CO2 laser of 2500-Watt maximum power, available at the INFM Research Unit labs in Bari University, has been used as welding source. A detailed spectroscopic study of the visible and UV welding plasma emission has been carried out; many transition lines corresponding to the elements composing the material to be welded have been found. By means of an appropriate selection of these lines and suitable algorithms, the electronic temperature of the plasma plume has been calculated and its evolution recorded as a function of several welding parameters. The behavior of the registered signal has resulted to be correlated to the welded joint quality. These findings have allowed to design and assemble a portable, non-intrusive and real-time welding quality optical sensor which has been successfully tested for laser welding of metals in different geometrical configurations; it has been capable of detecting a wide range of weld defects normally occurring during industrial laser metal-working. This sensor has also been tested in arc welding industrial processes (TIG) with promising results.

Real-time synchronization of wireless sensor network by 1-PPS signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giammarini, Marco; Pieralisi, Marco; Isidori, Daniela; Concettoni, Enrico; Cristalli, Cristina; Fioravanti, Matteo

2015-05-01

The use of wireless sensor networks with different nodes is desirable in a smart environment, because the network setting up and installation on preexisting structures can be done without a fixed cabled infrastructure. The flexibility of the monitoring system is fundamental where the use of a considerable quantity of cables could compromise the normal exercise, could affect the quality of acquired signal and finally increase the cost of the materials and installation. The network is composed of several intelligent "nodes", which acquires data from different kind of sensors, and then store or transmit them to a central elaboration unit. The synchronization of data acquisition is the core of the real-time wireless sensor network (WSN). In this paper, we present a comparison between different methods proposed by literature for the real-time acquisition in a WSN and finally we present our solution based on 1-Pulse-Per-Second (1-PPS) signal generated by GPS systems. The sensor node developed is a small-embedded system based on ARM microcontroller that manages the acquisition, the timing and the post-processing of the data. The communications between the sensors and the master based on IEEE 802.15.4 protocol and managed by dedicated software. Finally, we present the preliminary results obtained on a 3 floor building simulator with the wireless sensors system developed.

Auxetic Metamaterials under Direct Impact Loads in a Structural Health Monitoring Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

of two types of sandwich composites composed of E-Glass Vinyl-Ester (EVE) face sheets and Corecell™ A-series foam with a polyurea interlayer (5...Using a shock tube apparatus to subject samples to high-intensity impulse loading, results show that the addition of polyurea interlayer improves the...051307-7. 5. Gardner, N.; Wang, E.; Kumar, P.; Shulka, A. Blast Mitigation in a Sandwich Composite Using Graded Core and Polyurea . Experimental

Scientific Literature Review on the Topic of Monitoring and Modeling Seabed Evolution Rates

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

measurement techniques Benthic sea-floor characterisation Coastal Mapping/LIDAR Biomass /benthic habitat Climatology XBeach Policy 1.2.2...http://ed.gdr.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php On online data base of “Measurements of biomass and productivity of seabed macrobenthic and megabenthic...unknown origin. At one site, long wavelength ripples are present in what is presumed to be sediment composed of broken shells , tidal velocities exceed

Land Management Agencies: Restoring Fish Passage Through Culverts on Forest Service and BLM Lands in Oregon and Washington Could Take Decades

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-11-01

provides the foundation for implementing stream and river enhancement projects, timber sales, and road building and decommissioning projects. According...monitoring of project results to ensure they are successful. For example, Oregon’s Rogue River Basin Fish Access Team, composed of local stakeholders...across the Rogue River basin. Potential techniques suggested to determine effectiveness include spawning and snorkeling (underwater observation

Enhanced Bank of Kalman Filters Developed and Demonstrated for In-Flight Aircraft Engine Sensor Fault Diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobayashi, Takahisa; Simon, Donald L.

2005-01-01

In-flight sensor fault detection and isolation (FDI) is critical to maintaining reliable engine operation during flight. The aircraft engine control system, which computes control commands on the basis of sensor measurements, operates the propulsion systems at the demanded conditions. Any undetected sensor faults, therefore, may cause the control system to drive the engine into an undesirable operating condition. It is critical to detect and isolate failed sensors as soon as possible so that such scenarios can be avoided. A challenging issue in developing reliable sensor FDI systems is to make them robust to changes in engine operating characteristics due to degradation with usage and other faults that can occur during flight. A sensor FDI system that cannot appropriately account for such scenarios may result in false alarms, missed detections, or misclassifications when such faults do occur. To address this issue, an enhanced bank of Kalman filters was developed, and its performance and robustness were demonstrated in a simulation environment. The bank of filters is composed of m + 1 Kalman filters, where m is the number of sensors being used by the control system and, thus, in need of monitoring. Each Kalman filter is designed on the basis of a unique fault hypothesis so that it will be able to maintain its performance if a particular fault scenario, hypothesized by that particular filter, takes place.

Treatment of wastewater from a school in a decentralized filtration system by percolation over organic packing media.

PubMed

Garzón-Zúñiga, M A; Buelna, G

2011-01-01

Based on results obtained in the laboratory a WWTP composed of a septic tank and an aerated percolating filter packed with organic media was built for a school. The system can treat 18 m3 d(-1) and was operated with a hydraulic loading rate of 0.078 (m3 m(-2) d(-1). For 360 days different operational conditions including start-up; stabilization; operation with aeration and non aeration; effect of rainy season, breaks from activities due to holidays and restart; were monitored and described in the article. Once stabilized, the system was able to remove, without the need for mechanical aeration, 97% of BOD5, 71% of COD, 93% of TKN, 11% of PO(4-)-P, 95% of TSS, 96% of VSS, in addition to having a removal efficiency of 4 log units of Faecal Coliforms (FC) and 100% helminthes eggs (HE). With this quality, the treated wastewater can be chlorinated and reused to irrigate green areas and/or in toilets. Although sanitary wastewater has a high concentration of Total-N (250 mg L(-1)) and a C/N ratio of less than 1, the system removed 65% of Total-N. Finally it was observed that after non activity periods, there was neither system failure nor the need to re-stabilize the system.

Development of the benethic nepheloid layer on the south Texas continental shelf, western Gulf of Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shideler, G.L.

1981-01-01

A monitoring study of suspended sediment on the South Texas Continental Shelf indicates that a turbid benthic nepheloid layer is regionally persistent. A sequence of quasi-synoptic measurements of the water column obtained during six cruises in an 18-month period indicates substantial spatial and temporal variability in nepheloidlayer characteristics. Regionally, the thickness of the shelf nepheloid layer increases both seaward and in a convergent alongshelf direction. Greatest thicknesses occur over a muddy substrate, indicating a causal relationship; maximum observed local thickness is 35 m which occurs along the southern shelf break. Analyses of suspended particulate matter in shelf bottom waters indicate mean concentrations ranging from 49 ?? 104 to 111 ?? 104 particle counts/cc; concentrations persistently increase shoreward throughout the region. Bottom particulate matter is predominantly composed of inorganic detritus. Admixtures of organic skeletal particles, primarily diatoms, are generally present but average less than 10% of the total particulate composition. Texturally, the particulate matter in bottom waters is predominantly poorly sorted sediment composed of very fine silt (3.9-7.8 ??m). The variability in nepheloid-layer characteristics indicates a highly dynamic shelf feature. The relationship of nepheloid-layer characteristics to hydrographic and substrate conditions suggests a conceptual model whereby nepheloid-layer development and maintenance are the results of the resuspension of sea-floor sediment. Bottom turbulence is attributed primarily to vertical shear and shoaling progressive internal waves generated by migrating shelf-water masses, especially oceanic frontal systems, and secondarily to shoaling surface gravity waves. ?? 1981.

Improving Common Security Risk Analysis (Amelioration d’un processus commun d’analyse de risques securite)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

publication has been reproduced directly from material supplied by RTO or the authors. Published September 2008 Copyright © RTO/NATO 2008 All Rights...requirements are met at each level within the composed system, a chain of belief is formed which provides assurance that the composed system is in...FAILURE OF AIR-CONDITIONING x 12 – LOSS OF POWER SUPPLY x 13 – FAILURE OF TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT x 4 – Disturbance Due to

SoC: Une Nouvelle Approche de l’Amelioration des Performances des Systemes pour Combattre les Problemes de Disponibilite a Long Terme (SoC: A New Approach to Enhance System Performances and to Combat the Long-Term Availability Issue)

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

cin~tique Properties»> ou o IP »>. En fait, ces IP ne sont rien (exemple : un missile en vol libre ). Meme si on peut d’autres que des composants sur...probablement pas radicalement le problkme peuvent soit achet~s soit &tre issus de conceptions au niveau des composants 6lectroniques. pr&c~dentes. Les

The IAGOS information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulanger, Damien; Gautron, Benoit; Schultz, Martin; Brötz, Björn; Rauthe-Schöch, Armin; Thouret, Valérie

2015-04-01

IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) aims at the provision of long-term, frequent, regular, accurate, and spatially resolved in situ observations of the atmospheric composition. IAGOS observation systems are deployed on a fleet of commercial aircraft. The IAGOS database is an essential part of the global atmospheric monitoring network. Data access is handled by open access policy based on the submission of research requests which are reviewed by the PIs. The IAGOS database (http://www.iagos.fr, damien.boulanger@obs-mip.fr) is part of the French atmospheric chemistry data centre Ether (CNES and CNRS). In the framework of the IGAS project (IAGOS for Copernicus Atmospheric Service) interoperability with international portals or other databases is implemented in order to improve IAGOS data discovery. The IGAS data network is composed of three data centres: the IAGOS database in Toulouse including IAGOS-core data and IAGOS-CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container) data since January 2015; the HALO research aircraft database at DLR (https://halo-db.pa.op.dlr.de); and the MACC data centre in Jülich (http://join.iek.fz-juelich.de). The MACC (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) project is a prominent user of the IGAS data network. In June 2015 a new version of the IAGOS database will be released providing improved services such as download in NetCDF or NASA Ames formats; graphical tools (maps, scatter plots, etc.); standardized metadata (ISO 19115) and a better users management. The link with the MACC data centre, through JOIN (Jülich OWS Interface), will allow to combine model outputs with IAGOS data for intercomparison. The interoperability within the IGAS data network, implemented thanks to many web services, will improve the functionalities of the web interfaces of each data centre.

An Electrochemical, Low-Frequency Seismic Micro-Sensor Based on MEMS with a Force-Balanced Feedback System

PubMed Central

Li, Guanglei; Wang, Junbo; Chen, Deyong; Chen, Lianhong; Xu, Chao

2017-01-01

Electrochemical seismic sensors are key components in monitoring ground vibration, which are featured with high performances in the low-frequency domain. However, conventional electrochemical seismic sensors suffer from low repeatability due to limitations in fabrication and limited bandwidth. This paper presents a micro-fabricated electrochemical seismic sensor with a force-balanced negative feedback system, mainly composed of a sensing unit including porous sensing micro electrodes immersed in an electrolyte solution and a feedback unit including a feedback circuit and a feedback magnet. In this study, devices were designed, fabricated, and characterized, producing comparable performances among individual devices. In addition, bandwidths and total harmonic distortions of the proposed devices with and without a negative feedback system were quantified and compared as 0.005–20 (feedback) Hz vs. 0.3–7 Hz (without feedback), 4.34 ± 0.38% (without feedback) vs. 1.81 ± 0.31% (feedback)@1 Hz@1 mm/s and 3.21 ± 0.25% (without feedback) vs. 1.13 ± 0.19% (feedback)@5 Hz@1 mm/s (ndevice = 6, n represents the number of the tested devices), respectively. In addition, the performances of the proposed MEMS electrochemical seismometers with feedback were compared to a commercial electrochemical seismic sensor (CME 6011), producing higher bandwidth (0.005–20 Hz vs. 0.016–30 Hz) and lower self-noise levels (−165.1 ± 6.1 dB vs. −137.7 dB at 0.1 Hz, −151.9 ± 7.5 dB vs. −117.8 dB at 0.02 Hz (ndevice = 6)) in the low-frequency domain. Thus, the proposed device may function as an enabling electrochemical seismometer in the fields requesting seismic monitoring at the ultra-low frequency domain. PMID:28902150

Selective complexation of K+ and Na+ in simple polarizable ion-ligating systems.

PubMed

Bostick, David L; Brooks, Charles L

2010-09-29

An influx of experimental and theoretical studies of ion transport protein structure has inspired efforts to understand underlying determinants of ionic selectivity. Design principles for selective ion binding can be effectively isolated and interrogated using simplified models composed of a single ion surrounded by a set of ion-ligating molecular species. While quantum mechanical treatments of such systems naturally incorporate electronic degrees of freedom, their computational overhead typically prohibits thorough dynamic sampling of configurational space and, thus, requires approximations when determining ion-selective free energy. As an alternative, we employ dynamical simulations with a polarizable force field to probe the structure and K(+)/Na(+) selectivity in simple models composed of one central K(+)/Na(+) ion surrounded by 0-8 identical model compounds: N-methylacetamide, formamide, or water. In the absence of external restraints, these models represent gas-phase clusters displaying relaxed coordination structures with low coordination number. Such systems display Na(+) selectivity when composed of more than ∼3 organic carbonyl-containing compounds and always display K(+) selectivity when composed of water molecules. Upon imposing restraints that solely enforce specific coordination numbers, we find all models are K(+)-selective when ∼7-8-fold ion coordination is achieved. However, when models composed of the organic compounds provide ∼4-6-fold coordination, they retain their Na(+) selectivity. From these trends, design principles emerge that are of basic importance in the behavior of K(+) channel selectivity filters and suggest a basis not only for K(+) selectivity but also for modulation of block and closure by smaller ions.

Measuring and Predicting the Internal Structure of Semiconductor Nanocrystals through Raman Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Prabuddha; Lim, Sung Jun; Wrobel, Tomasz P; Bhargava, Rohit; Smith, Andrew M

2016-08-31

Nanocrystals composed of mixed chemical domains have diverse properties that are driving their integration in next-generation electronics, light sources, and biosensors. However, the precise spatial distribution of elements within these particles is difficult to measure and control, yet profoundly impacts their quality and performance. Here we synthesized a unique series of 42 different quantum dot nanocrystals, composed of two chemical domains (CdS:CdSe), arranged in 7 alloy and (core)shell structural classes. Chemometric analyses of far-field Raman spectra accurately classified their internal structures from their vibrational signatures. These classifications provide direct insight into the elemental arrangement of the alloy as well as an independent prediction of fluorescence quantum yield. This nondestructive, rapid approach can be broadly applied to greatly enhance our capacity to measure, predict and monitor multicomponent nanomaterials for precise tuning of their structures and properties.

Delamination-Indicating Thermal Barrier Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eldridge, Jeffrey I.

2007-01-01

The risk of premature failure of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), typically composed of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), compromises the reliability of TBCs used to provide thermal protection for turbine engine components. Unfortunately, TBC delamination proceeds well beneath the TBC surface and cannot be monitored by visible inspection. Nondestructive diagnostic tools that could reliably probe the subsurface damage state of TBCs would alleviate the risk of TBC premature failure by indicating when the TBC needs to be replaced before the level of TBC damage threatens engine performance or safety. To meet this need, a new coating design for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) that are self-indicating for delamination has been successfully implemented by incorporating a europium-doped luminescent sublayer at the base of a TBC composed of YSZ. The luminescent sublayer has the same YSZ composition as the rest of the TBC except for the addition of low-level europium doping and therefore does not alter TBC performance.

Overview of a Surface-Ripened Cheese Community Functioning by Meta-Omics Analyses

PubMed Central

Teissandier, Aurélie; Onésime, Djamila; Loux, Valentin; Monnet, Christophe; Irlinger, Françoise; Landaud, Sophie; Leclercq-Perlat, Marie-Noëlle; Bento, Pascal; Fraud, Sébastien; Gibrat, Jean-François; Aubert, Julie; Fer, Frédéric; Guédon, Eric; Pons, Nicolas; Kennedy, Sean; Beckerich, Jean-Marie; Swennen, Dominique; Bonnarme, Pascal

2015-01-01

Cheese ripening is a complex biochemical process driven by microbial communities composed of both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Surface-ripened cheeses are widely consumed all over the world and are appreciated for their characteristic flavor. Microbial community composition has been studied for a long time on surface-ripened cheeses, but only limited knowledge has been acquired about its in situ metabolic activities. We applied metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and biochemical analyses to an experimental surface-ripened cheese composed of nine microbial species during four weeks of ripening. By combining all of the data, we were able to obtain an overview of the cheese maturation process and to better understand the metabolic activities of the different community members and their possible interactions. Furthermore, differential expression analysis was used to select a set of biomarker genes, providing a valuable tool that can be used to monitor the cheese-making process. PMID:25867897

Shadows and darkness in the brain of a genius: Aspects of the neuropsychological literature about the final illness of Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

PubMed Central

Cavallera, Guido M.; Giudici, Simonetta; Tommasi, Luca

2012-01-01

Summary In 1948 the famous French neurologist Théophile Alajouanine published the article “Aphasia and artistic realization”, a landmark in the field of research about aphasia, which discussed the case of the composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). Since then, many researchers have explored the final illness of the composer. In 2003 Medical Science Monitor published 2 articles about the case. In this article we intend to present works published on the Ravel case, to discuss them, and to suggest a general overview on the topic. Many hypotheses have been proposed by researchers, but complete diagnosis is still an enigma, since no post-mortem was made. The most up-to-date perspective seems to point to comorbidity of superimposed elements, which might date back to the composer’s fragile youth. PMID:23018361

Investigation of Natural Gas Fugitive Leak Detection Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, S.; Talbot, R. W.; Frish, M. B.; Golston, L.; Aubut, N. F.; Zondlo, M. A.

2017-12-01

The U.S is now the world's largest natural gas producer, of which methane (CH4) is the main component. About 2% of the CH4 is lost through fugitive leaks. This research is under the DOE Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions (MONITOR) program of ARPA-E. Our sentry measurement system is composed of four state-of-the-art technologies centered around the RMLDTM (Remote Methane Leak Detector). An open path RMLDTM measures column-integrated CH4 concentration that incorporates fluctuations in the vertical CH4 distribution. Based on Backscatter Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy and Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the sentry system can autonomously, consistently and cost-effectively monitor and quantify CH4 leakage from sites associated with natural gas production. This system provides an advanced capability in detecting leaks at hard-to-access sites (e.g., wellheads) compared to traditional manual methods. Automated leak detecting and reporting algorithms combined with wireless data link implement real-time leak information reporting. Early data were gathered to set up and test the prototype system, and to optimize the leak localization and calculation strategies. The flight pattern is based on a raster scan which can generate interpolated CH4 concentration maps. The localization and quantification algorithms can be derived from the plume images combined with wind vectors. Currently, the accuracy of localization algorithm can reach 2 m and the calculation algorithm has a factor of 2 accuracy. This study places particular emphasis on flux quantification. The data collected at Colorado and Houston test fields were processed, and the correlation between flux and other parameters analyzed. Higher wind speeds and lower wind variation are preferred to optimize flux estimation. Eventually, this system will supply an enhanced detection capability to significantly reduce fugitive CH4 emissions in the natural gas industry.

Monitoring of cave air temperature and humidity in the Niedźwiedzia Cave system (Sudetes, Poland) - a key to understanding tourists activity impact to cave environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasiorowski, M.; Hercman, H.

2012-04-01

The Niedźwiedzia Cave is located in Śnieżnik Massif (the Easter Sudetes, SW Poland) at 800 m a.s.l. The length of known passages is ~3000 m and denivelation is 69 m. The system is composed of 3 levels of passages and chambers. It is a show cave with ~80,000 visitors every year. In 2010 we started monitoring program of cave air temperature and humidity, drip rate, stable isotopes and Uranium and Polonium content in water in selected sites inside the cave and in its vicinity. Changes in dropping rate in upper level are well correlated with precipitation. However, a response of dripping to rainfall depends on former precipitation frequency and intensity - during the humid period the dripping reacts immediately and after long dry period dripping responses with two-weeks delay. There is not so direct correlation between precipitation and dripping in lower level of the system. Air temperature inside the cave is almost stable in lower level (mean annual ~5.3 °C, and annual variation up to 0.7 °C) and more dynamic in the middle level (mean annual ~6.4 °C, and mean annual amplitude up to 4 °C). Daily and weekly measured changes of cave air temperature demonstrate extremely well correlation with number of visitors. In show cave passages (the middle level of the system) temperature increase 0.1-0.2 °C during every day when the cave is open for tourists and such changes is not observed during days without visitors and in lower level of the system closed for tourists. But even short visits of 3-4 cavers are recorded by temperature sensors exposed in the lower level (~0.02 °C increase). It proves very high sensitivity of cave environment to human activity. This study is funded by the National Science Centre and Higher Education grant no. N N306 131038.

Observation of a Distinct Transition in Transport Response to Injection Stress in the Floridan Aquifer System, Southeastern Florida, U.S.A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, J. N.; Cunningham, K. J.; Foster, A. L.

2011-12-01

The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (MDWASD) injects effluent approximately one km below land surface into the Boulder Zone (BZ) at the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant (NDWWTP). The BZ is highly conductive and composed of fractured dolomite. MDWASD monitors upward effluent migration 450 m below land surface in the Avon Park Permeable Zone (APPZ). The BZ and APPZ---units within the Floridan aquifer system---are separated by a series of inter-bedded aquifers and leaky confining units with hydraulic conductivities that are orders of magnitude smaller than the BZ. MDWASD injected effluent at the NDWWTP during two distinct periods: (1) July 1997 to September 1999, and (2) August 2004 to January 2011. No effluent was injected between October 1999 and July 2004. A few months after the July 1997 injection, MDWASD observed effluent constituents in the APPZ (Figure 1). Some confinement bypass feature permits effluent constituents to be transported from the BZ to the APPZ. Bypass features may include poorly-cased wells, or natural conduits such as fractures, faults, or karst collapse systems. It is possible to describe confinement bypass features with conductance KA/L, where K is hydraulic conductivity, A is cross-sectional area, and L is length. MDWASD observed a distinct transition in the transport response to injection stress of total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration in the APPZ. The conductance required to describe early system response (1997-1999) is one order-of-magnitude larger than the conductance required to describe late system response (2004-2011). Hypotheses to explain transient conductance include clogging of bypass features by some geochemical or biological process that results from the mixing of effluent with groundwater; dissolution or precipitation; or changes in bypass-feature geometry forced by cyclical changes in aquifer-fluid pressure associated with injection. Hypotheses may be tested with geochemical analyses, tracer tests, hydraulic tomography, or microseismic monitoring.

Identification of inactivity behavior in smart home.

PubMed

Poujaud, J; Noury, N; Lundy, J-E

2008-01-01

To help elderly people live independently at home, the TIMC-IMAG laboratory developed Health Smart Homes called 'HIS'. These smart Homes are composed of several sensors to monitor the activities of daily living of the patients. Volunteers have accepted to be monitored during 2 years in their own flats. During one year, we carried out our survey on one elderly patient. Thanks to this experimentation, we will access to relevant information like physiological, environmental and activity. This paper focuses on daily living activity. We will introduce an original data splitting method based on the relationship between the frame of time and the location in the flat. Moreover we will present two different methods to determine a threshold of critical inactivity and eventually we will discuss their possible utilities.

User-composable Electronic Health Record Improves Efficiency of Clinician Data Viewing for Patient Case Appraisal: A Mixed-Methods Study

PubMed Central

Senathirajah, Yalini; Kaufman, David; Bakken, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Background: Challenges in the design of electronic health records (EHRs) include designing usable systems that must meet the complex, rapidly changing, and high-stakes information needs of clinicians. The ability to move and assemble elements together on the same page has significant human-computer interaction (HCI) and efficiency advantages, and can mitigate the problems of negotiating multiple fixed screens and the associated cognitive burdens. Objective: We compare MedWISE—a novel EHR that supports user-composable displays—with a conventional EHR in terms of the number of repeat views of data elements for patient case appraisal. Design and Methods: The study used mixed-methods for examination of clinical data viewing in four patient cases. The study compared use of an experimental user-composable EHR with use of a conventional EHR, for case appraisal. Eleven clinicians used a user-composable EHR in a case appraisal task in the laboratory setting. This was compared with log file analysis of the same patient cases in the conventional EHR. We investigated the number of repeat views of the same clinical information during a session and across these two contexts, and compared them using Fisher’s exact test. Results: There was a significant difference (p<.0001) in proportion of cases with repeat data element viewing between the user-composable EHR (14.6 percent) and conventional EHR (72.6 percent). Discussion and Conclusion: Users of conventional EHRs repeatedly viewed the same information elements in the same session, as revealed by log files. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that conventional systems require that the user view many screens and remember information between screens, causing the user to forget information and to have to access the information a second time. Other mechanisms (such as reduction in navigation over a population of users due to interface sharing, and information selection) may also contribute to increased efficiency in the experimental system. Systems that allow a composable approach that enables the user to gather together on the same screen any desired information elements may confer cognitive support benefits that can increase productive use of systems by reducing fragmented information. By reducing cognitive overload, it can also enhance the user experience. PMID:27195306

Marshall information retrieval and display system (MIRADS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groover, J. L.; Jones, S. C.; King, W. L.

1974-01-01

Program for data management system allows sophisticated inquiries while utilizing simplified language. Online system is composed of several programs. System is written primarily in COBOL with routines in ASSEMBLER and FORTRAN V.

GMES Space Component: Programme overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aschbacher, J.; Milagro-Perez, M. P.

2012-04-01

The European Union (EU) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have developed the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme as Europe's answer to the vital need for joined-up data about our climate, environment and security. Through a unique combination of satellite, atmospheric and Earth-based monitoring systems, the initiative will provide new insight into the state of the land, sea and air, providing policymakers, scientists, businesses and the public with accurate and timely information. GMES capabilities include monitoring and forecasting of climatic change, flood risks, soil and coastal erosion, crop and fish resources, air pollution, greenhouse gases, iceberg distribution and snow cover, among others. To accomplish this, GMES has been divided into three main components: Space, In-situ and Services. The Space Component, led by ESA, comprises five types of new satellites called Sentinels that are being developed by ESA specifically to meet the needs of GMES, the first of which to be launched in 2013. These missions carry a range of technologies, such as radar and multi-spectral imaging instruments for land, ocean and atmospheric monitoring. In addition, access to data from the so-called Contributing Missions guarantees that European space infrastructure is fully used for GMES. An integrated Ground Segment ensures access to Sentinels and Contributing Missions data. The in-situ component, under the coordination of the European Environment Agency (EEA), is composed of atmospheric and Earth based monitoring systems, and based on established networks and programmes at European and international levels. The European Commission is in charge of implementing the services component of GMES and of leading GMES overall. GMES services, fed with data from the Space and In-situ components, will provide essential information in five main domains, atmosphere, ocean and land monitoring as well as emergency response and security. Climate change has been added as a new GMES service and cross-cuts all these domains. Even if GMES is built to primarily serve operational services, there is a large benefit for science users as well. In addition, science will be crucial to advance services and provide critical input to the definition of new observation systems. Access to Sentinel data is governed by the Sentinel data policy, which is part of a wider GMES data and information access policy. The Sentinel data policy envisages free and open access, subject to restrictions only if security or other European interests need to be preserved. The programme will enter the operational phase in 2014, when the first dedicated spacecraft, the Sentinel missions, will be in orbit. The main programmatic challenge is to ensure the programme's long-term sustainability. This session aims at informing users about the current programme's overall status and its potential for users in the services and scientific fields.

Medical lighting composed of LED arrays for surgical operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Junichi; Kawakami, Yoichi; Fujita, Shigeo

2001-05-01

Everywhere in the world, the highest quality and quantity of lighting is required during the surgical operations. However, the surgical approach has had many types and various angles, common ceiling surgical halogen lighting system cannot provide an adequate amount of beams because the surgeons' heads hinder the illuminations from reaching the operation field. Here, we newly design surgical lighting system composed of white LEDs equipped on both sides of goggles, which controls the lighting beams to the gazing point. With this system, it is just needed for surgeons to wear light plastic goggles with high quality LEDs made by Nichia. In fact, we have succeeded in the first internal shunt operation in the left forearm using the surgical LED lighting system on 11th Sept 2000. The electrical power for the system was supplied from lithium-ion battery for 2 hours. Since the white LEDs used were composed of InGaN- blue-emitters and YAG-yellow-phosphors, the color rendering property was not sufficient in the reddish colors. Therefore, in the next approach, it is very important to develop the spectral distribution of white LED to render inherent color of raw flesh such as skin, blood, fat tissue and internal organs.

A Framework for Adaptable Operating and Runtime Systems

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

Sterling, Thomas

The emergence of new classes of HPC systems where performance improvement is enabled by Moore’s Law for technology is manifest through multi-core-based architectures including specialized GPU structures. Operating systems were originally designed for control of uniprocessor systems. By the 1980s multiprogramming, virtual memory, and network interconnection were integral services incorporated as part of most modern computers. HPC operating systems were primarily derivatives of the Unix model with Linux dominating the Top-500 list. The use of Linux for commodity clusters was first pioneered by the NASA Beowulf Project. However, the rapid increase in number of cores to achieve performance gain throughmore » technology advances has exposed the limitations of POSIX general-purpose operating systems in scaling and efficiency. This project was undertaken through the leadership of Sandia National Laboratories and in partnership of the University of New Mexico to investigate the alternative of composable lightweight kernels on scalable HPC architectures to achieve superior performance for a wide range of applications. The use of composable operating systems is intended to provide a minimalist set of services specifically required by a given application to preclude overheads and operational uncertainties (“OS noise”) that have been demonstrated to degrade efficiency and operational consistency. This project was undertaken as an exploration to investigate possible strategies and methods for composable lightweight kernel operating systems towards support for extreme scale systems.« less

U.S. Geological Survey research in Handcart Gulch, Colorado—An alpine watershed with natural acid-rock drainage

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manning, Andrew H.; Caine, Jonathan S.; Verplanck, Philip L.; Bove, Dana J.; Kahn, Katherine G.

2009-01-01

Handcart Gulch is an alpine watershed along the Continental Divide in the Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Range. It contains an unmined mineral deposit typical of many hydrothermal mineral deposits in the intermountain west, composed primarily of pyrite with trace metals including copper and molybdenum. Springs and the trunk stream have a natural pH value of 3 to 4. The U.S. Geological Survey began integrated research activities at the site in 2003 with the objective of better understanding geologic, geochemical, and hydrologic controls on naturally occurring acid-rock drainage in alpine watersheds. Characterizing the role of groundwater was of particular interest because mountain watersheds containing metallic mineral deposits are often underlain by complexly deformed crystalline rocks in which groundwater flow is poorly understood. Site infrastructure currently includes 4 deep monitoring wells high in the watershed (300– 1,200 ft deep), 4 bedrock (100–170 ft deep) and 5 shallow (10–30 ft deep) monitoring wells along the trunk stream, a stream gage, and a meteorological station. Work to date at the site includes: geologic mapping and structural analysis; surface sample and drill core mineralogic characterization; geophysical borehole logging; aquifer testing; monitoring of groundwater hydraulic heads and streamflows; a stream tracer dilution study; repeated sampling of surface and groundwater for geochemical analyses, including major and trace elements, several isotopes, and groundwater age dating; and construction of groundwater flow models. The unique dataset collected at Handcart Gulch has yielded several important findings about bedrock groundwater flow at the site. Most importantly, we find that bedrock bulk permeability is nontrivial and that bedrock groundwater apparently constitutes a substantial fraction of the hydrologic budget. This means that bedrock groundwater commonly may be an underappreciated component of the hydrologic system in studies of alpine watersheds. Additionally, despite the complexity of the fracture controlled aquifer system, it appears that it can be represented with a relatively simple conceptual model and can be treated as an equivalent porous medium at the watershed scale. Interpretation of existing data, collection of new monitoring data, and efforts to link geochemical and hydrologic processes through modeling are ongoing at the site.

Convergence Estimates for Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arian, Eyal

1997-01-01

A quantitative analysis of coupling between systems of equations is introduced. This analysis is then applied to problems in multidisciplinary analysis, sensitivity, and optimization. For the sensitivity and optimization problems both multidisciplinary and single discipline feasibility schemes are considered. In all these cases a "convergence factor" is estimated in terms of the Jacobians and Hessians of the system, thus it can also be approximated by existing disciplinary analysis and optimization codes. The convergence factor is identified with the measure for the "coupling" between the disciplines in the system. Applications to algorithm development are discussed. Demonstration of the convergence estimates and numerical results are given for a system composed of two non-linear algebraic equations, and for a system composed of two PDEs modeling aeroelasticity.

The Mediterranean Supersite Volcanoes (MED-SUV) Project: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puglisi, Giuseppe

2013-04-01

In response to the EC call ENV.2012.6.4-2 (Long-term monitoring experiments in geologically active regions of Europe prone to natural hazards: the Supersite concept - FP7-ENV-2012-two-stage) a wide community of volcanological institutions proposed the project Mediterranean Supersite Volcanoes (MED-SUV), which is in the negotiation phase at the time of writing. The Consortium is composed by 18 European University and research institutes, four Small or Medium Enterprises (SME) and two non-European University and research institutes. MED-SUV will improve the consortium capacity of assessment of volcanic hazards in Supersites of Southern Italy by optimising and integrating existing and new observation/monitoring systems, by a breakthrough in understanding of volcanic processes and by increasing the effectiveness of the coordination between the scientific and end-user communities. More than 3 million of people are exposed to potential volcanic hazards in a large region in the Mediterranean Sea, where two among the largest European volcanic areas are located: Mt. Etna and Campi Flegrei/Vesuvius. This project will fully exploit the unique detailed long-term in-situ monitoring data sets available for these volcanoes and integrate with Earth Observation (EO) data, setting the basic tools for a significant step ahead in the discrimination of pre-, syn- and post-eruptive phases. The wide range of styles and intensities of volcanic phenomena observed on these volcanoes, which can be assumed as archetypes of 'closed conduit ' and 'open conduit' volcano, together with the long-term multidisciplinary data sets give an exceptional opportunity to improve the understanding of a very wide spectrum of geo-hazards, as well as implementing and testing a large variety of innovative models of ground deformation and motion. Important impacts on the European industrial sector are expected, arising from a partnership integrating the scientific community and SMEs to implement together new observation/monitoring sensors/systems. Specific experiments and studies will be carried out to improve our understanding of the volcanic internal structure and dynamics, as well as to recognise signals related to impending unrest or eruption. Hazard quantitative assessment will benefit by the outcomes of these studies and by their integration into the cutting edge monitoring approaches thus leading to a step-change in hazard awareness and preparedness and leveraging the close relationship between scientists, SMEs, and end-users.

First demonstration of simultaneous measurement of beam current, beam position, and beam tilt on induction linac using combined B-dot monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xiaozhong; Pang, Jian; Chen, Nan; Li, Qin; Dai, Wenhua; Ma, Chaofan; Zhao, Liangchao; Gao, Feng; Dai, Zhiyong

2017-06-01

The authors previously reported that the axial B-dots can be used to directly measure the beam tilt and demonstrated that the axial B-dots are applicable to a coaxial calibration stand. In this study, a combined B-dot monitor composed of four axial B-dot loops and four azimuthal ones is tested for the simultaneous measurement of the time-varying beam current, beam offset, and beam tilt at the output of the injector of the DRAGON-I induction linac. In the experiments, the beam offset and beam tilt at the position of the monitor are proportionally adjusted using a pair of steering coils. Eight waveforms acquired from the B-dot monitor are analyzed to reconstruct the time-varying beam current, beam offset, and beam tilt. The original signals of both the azimuthal B-dot and the axial B-dot ports change significantly with respect to the current applied to the steering coils. The measured beam tilt is linearly dependent on the current applied to the steering coils and agrees well with the measured beam offset.

Groundwater quality in the Bear Valley and Lake Arrowhead Watershed, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mathany, Timothy; Burton, Carmen; Fram, Miranda S.

2017-06-20

Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information. The Bear Valley and Lake Arrowhead Watershed study areas in southern California compose one of the study units being evaluated.

A DICOM based radiotherapy plan database for research collaboration and reporting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westberg, J.; Krogh, S.; Brink, C.; Vogelius, I. R.

2014-03-01

Purpose: To create a central radiotherapy (RT) plan database for dose analysis and reporting, capable of calculating and presenting statistics on user defined patient groups. The goal is to facilitate multi-center research studies with easy and secure access to RT plans and statistics on protocol compliance. Methods: RT institutions are able to send data to the central database using DICOM communications on a secure computer network. The central system is composed of a number of DICOM servers, an SQL database and in-house developed software services to process the incoming data. A web site within the secure network allows the user to manage their submitted data. Results: The RT plan database has been developed in Microsoft .NET and users are able to send DICOM data between RT centers in Denmark. Dose-volume histogram (DVH) calculations performed by the system are comparable to those of conventional RT software. A permission system was implemented to ensure access control and easy, yet secure, data sharing across centers. The reports contain DVH statistics for structures in user defined patient groups. The system currently contains over 2200 patients in 14 collaborations. Conclusions: A central RT plan repository for use in multi-center trials and quality assurance was created. The system provides an attractive alternative to dummy runs by enabling continuous monitoring of protocol conformity and plan metrics in a trial.

Markov Chain Analysis of Musical Dice Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volchenkov, D.; Dawin, J. R.

2012-07-01

A system for using dice to compose music randomly is known as the musical dice game. The discrete time MIDI models of 804 pieces of classical music written by 29 composers have been encoded into the transition matrices and studied by Markov chains. Contrary to human languages, entropy dominates over redundancy, in the musical dice games based on the compositions of classical music. The maximum complexity is achieved on the blocks consisting of just a few notes (8 notes, for the musical dice games generated over Bach's compositions). First passage times to notes can be used to resolve tonality and feature a composer.

Musical Markov Chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volchenkov, Dima; Dawin, Jean René

A system for using dice to compose music randomly is known as the musical dice game. The discrete time MIDI models of 804 pieces of classical music written by 29 composers have been encoded into the transition matrices and studied by Markov chains. Contrary to human languages, entropy dominates over redundancy, in the musical dice games based on the compositions of classical music. The maximum complexity is achieved on the blocks consisting of just a few notes (8 notes, for the musical dice games generated over Bach's compositions). First passage times to notes can be used to resolve tonality and feature a composer.

Molecular building blocks and their architecture in biologically/environmentally compatible soft matter chemical machinery.

PubMed

Toyota, Taro; Banno, Taisuke; Nitta, Sachiko; Takinoue, Masahiro; Nomoto, Tomonori; Natsume, Yuno; Matsumura, Shuichi; Fujinami, Masanori

2014-01-01

This review briefly summarizes recent developments in the construction of biologically/environmentally compatible chemical machinery composed of soft matter. Since environmental and living systems are open systems, chemical machinery must continuously fulfill its functions not only through the influx and generation of molecules but also via the degradation and dissipation of molecules. If the degradation or dissipation of soft matter molecular building blocks and biomaterial molecules/polymers can be achieved, soft matter particles composed of them can be used to realize chemical machinery such as selfpropelled droplets, drug delivery carriers, tissue regeneration scaffolds, protocell models, cell-/tissuemarkers, and molecular computing systems.

Micro 3D ERT tomography for data assimilation modelling of active root zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanella, Daniela; Busato, Laura; Boaga, Jacopo; Cassiani, Giorgio; Binley, Andrew; Putti, Mario; Consoli, Simona

2016-04-01

Within the soil-plant-atmosphere system, root activity plays a fundamental role, as it connects different domains and allows a large part of the water and nutrient exchanges necessary for plant sustenance. The understanding of these processes is not only useful from an environmental point of view, making a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the critical zone dynamics, but also plays a pivotal role in precision agriculture, where the optimisation of water resources exploitation is mandatory and often carried out through deficit irrigation techniques. In this work, we present the results of non-invasive monitoring of the active root zone of two orange trees (Citrus sinensis, cv Tarocco Ippolito) located in an orange orchard in eastern Sicily (Italy) and drip irrigated with two different techniques: partial root drying and 100% crop evapotranspiration. The main goal of the monitoring activity is to assess possible differences between the developed root systems and the root water uptake between the two irrigation strategies. The monitoring is conducted using 3D micro-electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) based on an apparatus composed of a number of micro-boreholes (about 1.2 m deep) housing 12 electrodes each, plus a number of surface electrodes. Time-lapse measurements conducted both with long-term periodicity and short-term repetition before and after irrigation clearly highlight the presence and distribution of root water uptake zone both at shallow and larger depth, likely to correspond to zones utilized during the irrigation period (shallow) and during the time when the crop is not irrigated (deep). Subsidiary information is available in terms of precipitation, sap flow measurements and micrometeorological evapotranspiration estimates. This data ensemble lends itself to the assimilation into a variably saturated flow model, where both soil hydraulic parameters and root distribution shall be identified. Preliminary results in this directions show the potential of the method and its exciting outlook.

Application of a taste evaluation system to the monitoring of Kimchi fermentation.

PubMed

Kim, Namsoo; Park, Kyung-Rim; Park, In-Seon; Cho, Yong-Jin; Bae, Young Min

2005-05-15

As an objective method, taste evaluation with an instrument is able to supplement the subjective sensory evaluation and to be applied to the optimization of food processing. Kimchi, a Korean traditional pickle fermented with lactic acid bacteria, is expanding its consumption worldwide. The fermentation control of it has been routinely done by measuring titratable acidity and pH. In this study, an eight-channel taste evaluation system was prepared, followed by an application to the monitoring of Kimchi fermentation. Eight polymer membranes which individually responded to cationic or anionic substances were prepared by mixing electroactive materials such as tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride, bis(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate as the plasticizer and polyvinyl chloride in the ratio of 1:66:33. Each membrane prepared was separately installed onto the sensitive area of an ion-selective electrode to produce the respective taste sensor. The eight-channel sensor array and a double junction reference electrode were connected to a 16-channel high input impedance amplifier. The amplified sensor signals were stored to a personal computer via a multi-channel A/D converter. Two sensor groups composed of the cation-selective and anion-selective polymer membrane electrodes showed characteristic concentration-dependency to various artificial taste substances. As a whole, the response potentials of the sensor array increased during the fermentation period at 4, 10 and 25 degrees C. Even the response potentials of the anion-selective taste sensors slightly increased possibly due to the protonation of anions by liberated H+ ions, thereby leading to a decrease in the anion concentration. When the signal data were interpreted by principal component analysis (PCA), the first PC at 4 degrees C explained most of the total data variance. A close correlation was found between the values of titratable acidity and the first PC, which indicated a possible applicability of the multi-channel taste sensor of this study to the process monitoring of various pickle.

The Italian National Seismic Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michelini, Alberto

2016-04-01

The Italian National Seismic Network is composed by about 400 stations, mainly broadband, installed in the Country and in the surrounding regions. About 110 stations feature also collocated strong motion instruments. The Centro Nazionale Terremoti, (National Earthquake Center), CNT, has installed and operates most of these stations, although a considerable number of stations contributing to the INGV surveillance has been installed and is maintained by other INGV sections (Napoli, Catania, Bologna, Milano) or even other Italian or European Institutions. The important technological upgrades carried out in the last years has allowed for significant improvements of the seismic monitoring of Italy and of the Euro-Mediterranean Countries. The adopted data transmission systems include satellite, wireless connections and wired lines. The Seedlink protocol has been adopted for data transmission. INGV is a primary node of EIDA (European Integrated Data Archive) for archiving and distributing, continuous, quality checked data. The data acquisition system was designed to accomplish, in near-real-time, automatic earthquake detection and hypocenter and magnitude determination (moment tensors, shake maps, etc.). Database archiving of all parametric results are closely linked to the existing procedures of the INGV seismic monitoring environment. Overall, the Italian earthquake surveillance service provides, in quasi real-time, hypocenter parameters which are then revised routinely by the analysts of the Bollettino Sismico Nazionale. The results are published on the web page http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/ and are publicly available to both the scientific community and the the general public. This presentation will describe the various activities and resulting products of the Centro Nazionale Terremoti. spanning from data acquisition to archiving, distribution and specialised products.

The ATLAS SemiConductor Tracker operation and performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pater, J. R.

2012-04-01

The ATLAS SemiConductor Tracker (SCT) is a key precision tracking detector in the ATLAS experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The SCT is composed of 4088 planar p-in-n silicon micro-strip detectors. The signals from the strips are processed in the front-end ABCD3TA ASICs, which operate in binary readout mode; data are transferred to the off-detector readout electronics via optical fibres. The SCT was completed in 2007. An extensive commissioning phase followed, during which calibration data were collected and analysed to determine the noise performance of the system, and further performance parameters of the detector were determined using cosmic ray data, both with and without magnetic field. After the commissioning phase, the SCT was ready for the first LHC proton-proton collisions in December 2009. From the beginning of data taking, the completed SCT has been in very good shape with more than 99% of its 6.3 million strips operational; the detector is well timed-in and the operational channels are 99.9% efficient in data acquisition. The noise occupancy and hit efficiency are better than the design specifications. The detector geometry is monitored continuously with a laser-based alignment system and is stable to the few-micron level; the alignment accuracy as determined by tracks is near specification and improving as statistics increase. The sensor behaviour in the 2T solenoidal magnetic field has been studied by measuring the Lorentz angle. Radiation damage in the silicon is monitored by periodic measurements of the leakage current; these measurements are in reasonable agreement with predictions.

Characterization of carotenoids in soil bacteria and investigation of their photodegradation by UVA radiation via resonance Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Kumar B N, Vinay; Kampe, Bernd; Rösch, Petra; Popp, Jürgen

2015-07-07

A soil habitat consists of an enormous number of pigmented bacteria with the pigments mainly composed of diverse carotenoids. Most of the pigmented bacteria in the top layer of the soil are photoprotected from exposure to huge amounts of UVA radiation on a daily basis by these carotenoids. The photostability of these carotenoids depends heavily on the presence of specific features like a carbonyl group or an ionone ring system on its overall structure. Resonance Raman spectroscopy is one of the most sensitive and powerful techniques to detect and characterize these carotenoids and also monitor processes associated with them in their native system at a single cell resolution. However, most of the resonance Raman profiles of carotenoids have very minute differences, thereby making it extremely difficult to confirm if these differences are attributed to the presence of different carotenoids or if it is a consequence of their interaction with other cellular components. In this study, we devised a method to overcome this problem by monitoring also the photodegradation of the carotenoids in question by UVA radiation wherein a differential photodegradation response will confirm the presence of different carotenoids irrespective of the proximities in their resonance Raman profiles. Using this method, the detection and characterization of carotenoids in pure cultures of five species of pigmented coccoid soil bacteria is achieved. We also shed light on the influence of the structure of the carotenoid on its photodegradation which can be exploited for use in the characterization of carotenoids via resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Theory of adsorption in a polydisperse templated porous material: Hard sphere systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

RŻysko, Wojciech; Sokołowski, Stefan; Pizio, Orest

2002-03-01

A theoretical description of adsorption in a templated porous material, formed by an equilibrium quench of a polydisperse fluid composed of matrix and template particles and subsequent removal of the template particles is presented. The approach is based on the solution of the replica Ornstein-Zernike equations with Percus-Yevick and hypernetted chain closures. The method of solution uses expansions of size-dependent correlation functions into Fourier series, as described by Lado [J. Chem. Phys. 108, 6441 (1998)]. Specific calculations have been carried out for model systems, composed of hard spheres.

The IAGOS Information System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulanger, D.; Thouret, V.

2016-12-01

IAGOS (In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System) is a European Research Infrastructure which aims at the provision of long-term, regular and spatially resolved in situ observations of the atmospheric composition. IAGOS observation systems are deployed on a fleet of commercial aircraft and do measurements of aerosols, cloud particles, greenhouse gases, ozone, water vapor and nitrogen oxides from the surface to the lower stratosphere. The IAGOS database is an essential part of the global atmospheric monitoring network. It contains IAGOS-core and IAGOS-CARIBIC data. The IAGOS Data Portal (http://www.iagos.fr) is part of the French atmospheric chemistry data center AERIS (http://www.aeris-data.fr). In 2016 the new IAGOS Data Portal has been released. In addition to the data download the portal provides improved and new services such as download in NetCDF or NASA Ames formats and plotting tools (maps, time series, vertical profiles). New added value products are available through the portal: back trajectories, origin of air masses, co-location with satellite data. Web services allow to download IAGOS metadata such as flights and airports information. Administration tools have been implemented for users management and instruments monitoring. A major improvement is the interoperability with international portals and other databases in order to improve IAGOS data discovery. In the frame of the IGAS project (IAGOS for the Copernicus Atmospheric Service), a data network has been setup. It is composed of three data centers: the IAGOS database in Toulouse, the HALO research aircraft database at DLR (https://halo-db.pa.op.dlr.de) and the CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) data center in Jülich (http://join.iek.fz-juelich.de). The link with the CAMS data center, through the JOIN interface, allows to combine model outputs with IAGOS data for inter-comparison. The CAMS project is a prominent user of the IGAS data network. Duting the next year IAGOS will improve metadata standardization and dissemination through different collaborations with the AERIS data center, GAW for which IAGOS is a contributing network and the ENVRI+ European project. Measurements traceability and quality metadata will be available and DOI will be implemented.

Readout Electronics for BGO Calorimeter of DAMPE: Status during the First Half-year after Launching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Siyuan; Feng, Changqing; Zhang, Deliang; Wang, Qi

2016-07-01

The DAMPE (DArk Matter Particle Explorer) is a scientic satellite which was successfully launched into a 500 Km sun-synchronous orbit, on December 17th, 2015, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center of China. The major scientific objective of DAMPE mission is indirect searching for dark matter by observing high energy primary cosmic rays, especially positrons/electrons and gamma rays with an energy range from 5 GeV to 10 TeV. The BGO (Bismuth Germanate Oxide) calorimeter, which is a critical sub-detector of DAMPE payload, was developed for measuring the energy of cosmic particles, distinguishing positrons/electrons and gamma rays from hadron background, and providing trigger information. It is composed of 308 BGO crystal logs, with the size of 2.5cm*2.5cm*60cm for each log to form a total absorption electromagnetic calorimeter. All the BGO logs are stacked in 14 layers, with each layer consisting of 22 BGO crystal logs and each log is viewed by two Hamamatsu R5610A PMTs (photomultiplier tubes), from both sides respectively. Each PMT incorporates a three dynode pick off to achieve a large dynamic range, which results in 616 PMTs and 1848 signal channels. The main function of readout electronics system, which consists of 16 FEE(Front End Electronics) modules, is to precisely measure the charge of PMT signals and providing "hit" signals. The hit signals are sent to the trigger module of PDPU (Payload Data Process Unit) to generate triggers for the payload. The calibration of the BGO calorimeter is composed of pedestal testing and electronic linear scale, which are executed frequently in the space after launching. The data of the testing is transmitted to ground station in the form of scientific data. The monitor status consists of temperature, current and status words of the FEE, which are measured and recorded every 16 seconds and packed in the engineering data, then transmitted to ground station. The status of the BGO calorimeter can be evaluated by the calibration and monitor status. The preliminary results of the status in the first six month after launching are introduced in this paper.

Multilevel groundwater monitoring of hydraulic head and temperature in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho, 2009–10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twining, Brian V.; Fisher, Jason C.

2012-01-01

During 2009 and 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Idaho National Laboratory Project Office, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, collected quarterly, depth-discrete measurements of fluid pressure and temperature in nine boreholes located in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer. Each borehole was instrumented with a multilevel monitoring system consisting of a series of valved measurement ports, packer bladders, casing segments, and couplers. Multilevel monitoring at the Idaho National Laboratory has been ongoing since 2006. This report summarizes data collected from three multilevel monitoring wells installed during 2009 and 2010 and presents updates to six multilevel monitoring wells. Hydraulic heads (heads) and groundwater temperatures were monitored from 9 multilevel monitoring wells, including 120 hydraulically isolated depth intervals from 448.0 to 1,377.6 feet below land surface. Quarterly head and temperature profiles reveal unique patterns for vertical examination of the aquifer’s complex basalt and sediment stratigraphy, proximity to aquifer recharge and discharge, and groundwater flow. These features contribute to some of the localized variability even though the general profile shape remained consistent over the period of record. Major inflections in the head profiles almost always coincided with low-permeability sediment layers and occasionally thick sequences of dense basalt. However, the presence of a sediment layer or dense basalt layer was insufficient for identifying the location of a major head change within a borehole without knowing the true areal extent and relative transmissivity of the lithologic unit. Temperature profiles for boreholes completed within the Big Lost Trough indicate linear conductive trends; whereas, temperature profiles for boreholes completed within the axial volcanic high indicate mostly convective heat transfer resulting from the vertical movement of groundwater. Additionally, temperature profiles provide evidence for stratification and mixing of water types along the southern boundary of the Idaho National Laboratory. Vertical head and temperature change were quantified for each of the nine multilevel monitoring systems. The vertical head gradients were defined for the major inflections in the head profiles and were as high as 2.1 feet per foot. Low vertical head gradients indicated potential vertical connectivity and flow, and large gradient inflections indicated zones of relatively low vertical connectivity. Generally, zones that primarily are composed of fractured basalt displayed relatively small vertical head differences. Large head differences were attributed to poor vertical connectivity between fracture units because of sediment layering and/or dense basalt. Groundwater temperatures in all boreholes ranged from 10.2 to 16.3˚C. Normalized mean hydraulic head values were analyzed for all nine multilevel monitoring wells for the period of record (2007-10). The mean head values suggest a moderately positive correlation among all boreholes, which reflects regional fluctuations in water levels in response to seasonality. However, the temporal trend is slightly different when the location is considered; wells located along the southern boundary, within the axial volcanic high, show a strongly positive correlation.

Central nervous system

MedlinePlus

The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord. Your brain and spinal cord serve as the main "processing center" for your entire nervous system. They control all the workings of your body.

Morphology of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue in odontocetes.

PubMed

Silva, Fernanda M O; Guimarães, Juliana P; Vergara-Parente, Jociery E; Carvalho, Vitor L; Carolina, Ana; Meirelles, O; Marmontel, Miriam; Oliveira, Bruno S S P; Santos, Silvanise M; Becegato, Estella Z; Evangelista, Janaina S A M; Miglino, Maria Angelica

2016-09-01

This study describes the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) in odontocetes from the Brazilian coast and freshwater systems. Seven species were evaluated and tissue samples were analyzed by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry. Laryngeal tonsil was a palpable oval mass located in the larynx, composed of a lymphoepithelial complex. Dense collections of lymphocytes were found in the skin of male fetus and calf. Clusters of lymphoid tissue were found in the uterine cervix of a reproductively active juvenile female and along the pulmonary artery of an adult female. Lymphoid tissues associated with the gastrointestinal tract were characterized by diffusely arranged or organized lymphocytes. The anal tonsil was composed of an aggregate of lymphoid tissue occurring exclusively in the anal canal, being composed of squamous epithelium branches. MALT was present in different tissues and organic systems of cetaceans, providing constant protection against mucosal pathogens present in their environment. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

System Identification Methods for Aircraft Flight Control Development and Validation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-10-01

System-identification methods compose a mathematical model, or series of models, : from measurements of inputs and outputs of dynamic systems. This paper : discusses the use of frequency-domain system-identification methods for the : development and ...

Fluidized Bed Opposed Jet Mill System for Processing Inorganic Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Nuzal, S. M. D.; Mohammed, M. I.

2017-08-01

A jet mill system was built aiming to give values for processing inorganic materials, to be used for different industry. The milling housing of the system is composed of; milling chamber, compressed air nozzles which deliver compressed air in the milling chamber to accelerate sample particles. The classifier wheel is composed of two concentric pieces welded together under argon and coupled to a AC Motor, 0 - 9000 rpm, 2 kW, with AC frequencies convertor. The performances of this jet mill system were tried on five cheap locally available materials, viz. white sand, glass, iron oxide, black carbon and alum. It is possible to get particle sizes of less than 1 μm with narrow distribution of particle sizes.

Deaf-And-Mute Sign Language Generation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Hideo; Tamura, Shinichi

1984-08-01

We have developed a system which can recognize speech and generate the corresponding animation-like sign language sequence. The system is implemented in a popular personal computer. This has three video-RAM's and a voice recognition board which can recognize only registered voice of a specific speaker. Presently, fourty sign language patterns and fifty finger spellings are stored in two floppy disks. Each sign pattern is composed of one to four sub-patterns. That is, if the pattern is composed of one sub-pattern, it is displayed as a still pattern. If not, it is displayed as a motion pattern. This system will help communications between deaf-and-mute persons and healthy persons. In order to display in high speed, almost programs are written in a machine language.

A Calibration-Capture-Recapture Model for Inferring Natual Gas Leak Population Characteristics Using Data from Google Street View Cars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weller, Z.; Hoeting, J.; von Fischer, J.

2017-12-01

Pipeline systems that distribute natural gas (NG) within cities can leak, leading to safety hazards and wasted product. Moreover, these leaks are climate-altering because NG is primarily composed of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Scientists have recently developed an innovative method for mapping NG leak locations by installing atmospheric methane analyzers on Google Street View cars. We develop new statistical methodology to answer key inferential questions using data collected by these mobile air monitors. The new calibration-capture-recapture (CCR) model utilizes data from controlled methane releases and data collected by GSV cars to provide inference for several desired quantities, including the number of undetected methane sources and the total methane output rate in a surveyed region. The CCR model addresses challenges associated with using a capture-recapture model to analyze data collected by a mobile detection system including variable sampling effort and lack of physically marking individuals. We develop a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for parameter estimation and apply the CCR model to methane data collected in two U.S. cities. The CCR model provides a new framework for inferring the total number of leaks in NG distribution systems and offers critical insights for informing intelligent repair policy that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Development of acoustic model-based iterative reconstruction technique for thick-concrete imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almansouri, Hani; Clayton, Dwight; Kisner, Roger; Polsky, Yarom; Bouman, Charles; Santos-Villalobos, Hector

2016-02-01

Ultrasound signals have been used extensively for non-destructive evaluation (NDE). However, typical reconstruction techniques, such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT), are limited to quasi-homogenous thin media. New ultrasonic systems and reconstruction algorithms are in need for one-sided NDE of non-homogenous thick objects. An application example space is imaging of reinforced concrete structures for commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). These structures provide important foundation, support, shielding, and containment functions. Identification and management of aging and degradation of concrete structures is fundamental to the proposed long-term operation of NPPs. Another example is geothermal and oil/gas production wells. These multi-layered structures are composed of steel, cement, and several types of soil and rocks. Ultrasound systems with greater penetration range and image quality will allow for better monitoring of the well's health and prediction of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of the rock. These application challenges need to be addressed with an integrated imaging approach, where the application, hardware, and reconstruction software are highly integrated and optimized. Therefore, we are developing an ultrasonic system with Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) as the image reconstruction backbone. As the first implementation of MBIR for ultrasonic signals, this paper document the first implementation of the algorithm and show reconstruction results for synthetically generated data.1