Low-level laser therapy and interferential current in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

PubMed

Alqualo-Costa, Renata; Thomé, Gustavo R; Perracini, Mônica R; Liebano, Richard E

2018-05-03

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy and interferential current (IFC) on pain intensity, central sensitization, muscle strength and functional capacity in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Participants will be patients aged between 50 and 80 years, with knee osteoarthritis, pain intensity ranging from 3 to 8 points (0-10 scale), Lequesne Algofunctional Index ranging from 5 to 15 points, and Kellgren & Lawrence grade ≥2. A total of 168 patients will be randomly allocated into four groups as follows: active IFC + laser sham (G1), IFC sham + active laser (G2), active IFC + laser (G3) and IFC + laser sham (G4). Evaluators will be blinded to group allocation. Primary outcomes will be pain at rest and during movement measured with the visual analog pain scale. Clinical Trials Registry (NCT02898025. Registered on 20 April 2016).

Effects of two types of medical contrast media on routine chemistry results by three automated chemistry analyzers.

PubMed

Park, Yu Jin; Rim, John Hoon; Yim, Jisook; Lee, Sang-Guk; Kim, Jeong-Ho

2017-08-01

The use of iodinated contrast media has grown in popularity in the past two decades, but relatively little attention has been paid to the possible interferential effects of contrast media on laboratory test results. Herein, we investigate medical contrast media interference with routine chemistry results obtained by three automated chemistry analyzers. Ten levels of pooled serum were used in the study. Two types of medical contrast media [Iopamiro (iopamidol) and Omnipaque (iohexol)] were evaluated. To evaluate the dose-dependent effects of the contrast media, iopamidol and iohexol were spiked separately into aliquots of serum for final concentrations of 1.8%, 3.6%, 5.5%, 7.3%, and 9.1%. The 28 analytes included in the routine chemistry panel were measured by using Hitachi 7600, AU5800, and Cobas c702 analyzers. We calculated the delta percentage difference (DPD) between the samples and the control, and examined dose-dependent trends. When the mean DPD values were compared with the reference cut-off criteria, the only uniformly interferential effect observed for all analyzers was in total protein with iopamidol. Two additional analytes that showed trends toward interferential effects only in few analyzers and exceeded the limits of the allowable error were the serum iron and the total CO 2 . The other combinations of analyzer and contrast showed no consistent dose-dependent propensity for change in any analyte level. Our study suggests that many of the analytes included in routine chemistry results, except total protein and serum iron, are not significantly affected by iopamidol and iohexol. These results suggest that it would be beneficial to apply a flexible medical evaluation process for patients requiring both laboratory tests and imaging studies, minimizing the need for strict regulations for sequential tests. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The multisensor payload 'Structura' for the observation of atmospheric night glows from the ISS board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krot, Yury; Beliaev, Boris; Katkovsky, Leonid

2016-10-01

Aerospace Research Department of the Institute of Applied Physical Problems at Belarusian State University has developed a prototype of the optical payload intended for a space experiment on the ISS board. The prototype includes four optical modules for the night glows observation, in particular spatial-brightness and spectral characteristics in the altitude range of 80-320 km. Objects of the interest are emitting top layers of the atmosphere including exited OH radicals, atomic and molecular oxygen and sodium layers. The goal of the space experiment is a research of night glows over different regions of the Earth and a connection with natural disasters like earthquakes, cyclones, etc. Two optical modules for spatial distribution of atomic oxygen layers along the altitude consist of input lenses, spectral interferential filters and line CCD detectors. The optical module for registration of exited OH radical emissions is formed from CCD array spectrometer. The payload includes also a panchromatic (400-900 nm) high sensitive imaging camera for observing of the glows general picture. The optical modules of the prototype have been tested and general optical characteristics were determined in laboratory conditions. A solution of an astigmatism reducing of a concave diffraction grating and a method of the second diffraction order correction were applied and improved spectrometer's optical characteristics. Laboratory equipment and software were developed to imitate a dynamic scene of the night glows in laboratory conditions including an imitation of linear spectra and the spatial distribution of emissions.

The Radial Distribution Function (RDF) of Amorphous Selenium Obtained through the Vacuum Evaporator

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

Guda, Bardhyl; Dede, Marie

2010-01-21

After the amorphous selenium obtained through the vacuum evaporator, the relevant diffraction intensity is taken and its processing is made. Further on the interferential function is calculated and the radial density function is defined. For determining these functions are used two methods, which were compared with each other and finally are received results for amorphous selenium RDF.

cTBS disruption of the supplementary motor area perturbs cortical sequence representation but not behavioural performance.

PubMed

Solopchuk, Oleg; Alamia, Andrea; Dricot, Laurence; Duque, Julie; Zénon, Alexandre

2017-12-01

Neuroimaging studies have repeatedly emphasized the role of the supplementary motor area (SMA) in motor sequence learning, but interferential approaches have led to inconsistent findings. Here, we aimed to test the role of the SMA in motor skill learning by combining interferential and neuroimaging techniques. Sixteen subjects were trained on simple finger movement sequences for 4 days. Afterwards, they underwent two neuroimaging sessions, in which they executed both trained and novel sequences. Prior to entering the scanner, the subjects received inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the SMA or a control site. Using multivariate fMRI analysis, we confirmed that motor training enhances the neural representation of motor sequences in the SMA, in accordance with previous findings. However, although SMA inhibition altered sequence representation (i.e. between-sequence decoding accuracy) in this area, behavioural performance remained unimpaired. Our findings question the causal link between the neuroimaging correlate of elementary motor sequence representation in the SMA and sequence generation, calling for a more thorough investigation of the role of this region in performance of learned motor sequences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrotherapy: yesterday, today and tomorrow.

PubMed

Tiktinsky, R; Chen, L; Narayan, P

2010-07-01

The use of electrotherapy has been part of physical therapy treatment for the past few decades. There have been numerous modalities used such as TENS, interferential, diathermy, magnetic therapy, ultrasound, laser and surface electromyography to name a few. There has been an upsurge in the past decade of new and innovative modalities. There needs to be extensive research on each of these electrotherapy devices to determine the proper use of each device.

Preparation and properties of the multi-layer aerogel thermal insulation composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Miao; Feng, Junzong; Jiang, Yonggang; Zhang, Zhongming; Feng, Jian

2018-03-01

Multi-layer insulation materials possess low radiation thermal conductivity, and excellent thermal insulation property in a vacuum environment. However, the spacers of the traditional multi-layer insulation materials are mostly loose fibers, which lead to more sensitive to the vacuum environmental of serviced. With the vacuum degree declining, gas phases thermal convection increase obviously, and the reflective screen will be severe oxidation, all of these make the thermal insulation property of traditional multi-layer insulation deteriorate, thus limits its application scope. In this paper, traditional multi-layer insulation material is combined with aerogel and obtain a new multi-layer aerogel thermal insulation composite, and the effects of the number, thickness and type of the reflective screens on the thermal insulation properties of the multi-layer composites are also studied. The result is that the thermal insulation property of the new type multi-layer aerogel composites is better than the pure aerogel composites and the traditional multi-layer insulation composites. When the 0.01 mm stainless steel foil as the reflective screen, and the aluminum silicate fiber and silica aerogel as the spacer layer, the layer density of composite with the best thermal insulation property is one layer per millimeter at 1000 °C.

A Gaussian beam method for ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacquet, O.; Leymarie, N.; Cassereau, D.

2018-05-01

The propagation of high-frequency ultrasonic body waves can be efficiently estimated with a semi-analytic Dynamic Ray Tracing approach using paraxial approximation. Although this asymptotic field estimation avoids the computational cost of numerical methods, it may encounter several limitations in reproducing identified highly interferential features. Nevertheless, some can be managed by allowing paraxial quantities to be complex-valued. This gives rise to localized solutions, known as paraxial Gaussian beams. Whereas their propagation and transmission/reflection laws are well-defined, the fact remains that the adopted complexification introduces additional initial conditions. While their choice is usually performed according to strategies specifically tailored to limited applications, a Gabor frame method has been implemented to indiscriminately initialize a reasonable number of paraxial Gaussian beams. Since this method can be applied for an usefully wide range of ultrasonic transducers, the typical case of the time-harmonic piston radiator is investigated. Compared to the commonly used Multi-Gaussian Beam model [1], a better agreement is obtained throughout the radiated field between the results of numerical integration (or analytical on-axis solution) and the resulting Gaussian beam superposition. Sparsity of the proposed solution is also discussed.

Lusters of renaissance pottery: Experimental and theoretical optical properties using inhomogeneous theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berthier, S.; Padeletti, G.; Fermo, P.; Bouquillon, A.; Aucouturier, M.; Charron, E.; Reillon, V.

2006-06-01

Luster decoration of medieval and renaissance potteries constitutes one of the most important and sophisticated decoration techniques of the Mediterranean basin. Lusters consist in a thin layer of silver and copper nanocrystals immersed in a dielectric matrix. Different physical phenomena are responsible for the very brilliant and complex colored effect produced by the lusters. On one hand, according to the thickness of the thin layer, interferential effects occur giving rise to a classical iridescent effect. On the other hand, the nanostructure of the metallic compound leads to extra absorption, generally observed in the visible or near infrared, due to an external resonance associated with the excitation of a surface plasmon in the metallic particles. The position of this resonance, and so the color of the film, depends from many parameters, mainly: (1) the relative volume fraction p of the metal inclusions. (2) The mean size of the metal particle. (3) The shape of the particles and (4) the dielectric functions of the constituents. These two phenomena are not independent as the second one greatly affects the dielectric function of the film and, thus, its optical thickness. In this paper, the physical and optical properties of various lusters from Deruta and Gubbio (Italy) of the XVI century are presented. The structure and the composition of the different films have been determined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), ion beam analyses (PIXE and RBS) and low incidence X-ray diffraction. The optical properties have been determined by two different techniques: (a) hemispherical spectroscopic measurements under near-normal incidence; (b) gonioscopic measurements for a given angle of incidence and wavelength. The first one allows the determination of the effective index of refraction of the inhomogeneous layer, and the second one the determination of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of the material.

Material optimization of multi-layered enhanced nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strobbia, Pietro

The employment of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensing in real-world scenarios will offer numerous advantages over current optical sensors. Examples of these advantages are the intrinsic and simultaneous detection of multiple analytes, among many others. To achieve such a goal, SERS substrates with throughput and reproducibility comparable to commonly used fluorescence sensors have to be developed. To this end, our lab has discovered a multi-layer geometry, based on alternating films of a metal and a dielectric, that amplifies the SERS signal (multi-layer enhancement). The advantage of these multi-layered structures is to amplify the SERS signal exploiting layer-to-layer interactions in the volume of the structures, rather than on its surface. This strategy permits an amplification of the signal without modifying the surface characteristics of a substrate, and therefore conserving its reproducibility. Multi-layered structures can therefore be used to amplify the sensitivity and throughput of potentially any previously developed SERS sensor. In this thesis, these multi-layered structures were optimized and applied to different SERS substrates. The role of the dielectric spacer layer in the multi-layer enhancement was elucidated by fabricating spacers with different characteristics and studying their effect on the overall enhancement. Thickness, surface coverage and physical properties of the spacer were studied. Additionally, the multi-layered structures were applied to commercial SERS substrates and to isolated SERS probes. Studies on the dependence of the multi-layer enhancement on the thickness of the spacer demonstrated that the enhancement increases as a function of surface coverage at sub-monolayer thicknesses, due to the increasing multi-layer nature of the substrates. For fully coalescent spacers the enhancement decreases as a function of thickness, due to the loss of interaction between proximal metallic films. The influence of the physical properties of the spacer on the multi-layer enhancement were also studied. The trends in Schottky barrier height, interfacial potential and dielectric constant were isolated by using different materials as spacers (i.e., TiO2, HfO2, Ag 2O and Al2O3). The results show that the bulk dielectric constant of the material can be used to predict the relative magnitude of the multi-layer enhancement, with low dielectric constant materials performing more efficiently as spacers. Optimal spacer layers were found to be ultrathin coalescent films (ideally a monolayer) of low dielectric constant materials. Finally, multi-layered structures were observed to be employable to amplify SERS in drastically different substrate geometries. The multi-layered structures were applied to disposable commercial SERS substrates (i.e., Klarite). This project involved the regeneration of the used substrates, by stripping and redepositing the gold coating layer, and their amplification, by using the multi-layer geometry. The latter was observed to amplify the sensitivity of the substrates. Additionally, the multi-layered structures were applied to probes dispersed in solution. Such probes were observed to yield stronger SERS signal when optically trapped and to reduce the background signal. The application of the multi-layered structures on trapped probes, not only further amplified the SERS signal, but also increased the maximum number of applicable layers for the structures.

Preparation of multi-layer film consisting of hydrogen-free DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC for conductive hard coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iijima, Yushi; Harigai, Toru; Isono, Ryo; Degai, Satoshi; Tanimoto, Tsuyoshi; Suda, Yoshiyuki; Takikawa, Hirofumi; Yasui, Haruyuki; Kaneko, Satoru; Kunitsugu, Shinsuke; Kamiya, Masao; Taki, Makoto

2018-01-01

Conductive hard-coating films have potential application as protective films for contact pins used in the electrical inspection process for integrated circuit chips. In this study, multi-layer diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared as conductive hard-coating films. The multi-layer DLC films consisting of DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC (N-DLC) film were prepared using a T-shape filtered arc deposition method. Periodic DLC/N-DLC four-layer and eight-layer films had the same film thickness by changing the thickness of each layer. In the ball-on-disk test, the N-DLC mono-layer film showed the highest wear resistance; however, in the spherical polishing method, the eight-layer film showed the highest polishing resistance. The wear and polishing resistance and the aggressiveness against an opponent material of the multi-layer DLC films improved by reducing the thickness of a layer. In multi-layer films, the soft N-DLC layer between hard DLC layers is believed to function as a cushion. Thus, the tribological properties of the DLC films were improved by a multi-layered structure. The electrical resistivity of multi-layer DLC films was approximately half that of the DLC mono-layer film. Therefore, the periodic DLC/N-DLC eight-layer film is a good conductive hard-coating film.

Validation of a New Placebo Interferential Current Method: A New Placebo Method of Electrostimulation.

PubMed

Mendonça Araújo, Fernanda; Alves Menezes, Mayara; Martins de Araújo, Ariane; Abner Dos Santos Sousa, Thiago; Vasconcelos Lima, Lucas; Ádan Nunes Carvalho, Elyson; Melo DeSantana, Josimari

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate if a new placebo device for interferential current (IFC) that delivers current during only the first 40 seconds of stimulation is effective at promoting adequate subject blinding. Seventy-five subjects were recruited and enrolled into three groups: active IFC, inactive placebo, and new placebo. Pressure pain threshold (PPT), cutaneous sensory threshold (CST), and pain intensity were measured before and after the intervention. After the final assessment, the subjects and the investigator who applied the current were asked about the type of stimulation administered. None of the placebo forms studied resulted in significant changes to PPT, CST, or pain intensity. The subjects stimulated with active IFC at high intensities (> 17 mA) of stimulation showed higher PPT and CST and lower pain intensity than subjects stimulated at low intensities ( p < 0.03). The new placebo method blinded the investigator in 100% of cases of IFC and 60% of subjects stimulated, whereas for inactive placebo, the investigator was blinded at a rate of 0% and 34% of subjects. The new method of placebo IFC was effective for blinding of research investigators and most of the active IFC-treated subjects, promoting an appropriate placebo method. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Effect of Adding Interferential Current in an Exercise and Manual Therapy Program for Patients With Unilateral Shoulder Impingement Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Gomes, Cid André Fidelis de Paula; Dibai-Filho, Almir Vieira; Moreira, William Arruda; Rivas, Shirley Quispe; Silva, Emanuela Dos Santos; Garrido, Ana Claudia Bogik

The purpose of this study was to measure the additional effect of adding interferential current (IFC) to an exercise and manual therapy program for patients with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome. Forty-five participants were randomly assigned to group 1 (exercise and manual therapy), group 2 (exercise and manual therapy + IFC), or group 3 (exercise and manual therapy + placebo ultrasound). Individuals participated in 16 treatment sessions, twice a week for 8 weeks. The primary outcome of the study was total score of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). The secondary outcomes were the pain and disability subscales of SPADI, Numeric Rating Scale, and Pain-Related Self-Statement Scale. Adjusted between-group mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using linear mixed models. After 16 treatment sessions, statistically significant but not clinically important differences were identified in favor of the exercise and manual therapy program alone in the SPADI-total (group 1 vs group 2, MD 11.12 points, 95% CI 5.90-16.35; group 1 vs group 3, MD 13.43 points, 95% CI 8.21-18.65). Similar results were identified for secondary outcomes. The addition of IFC does not generate greater clinical effects in an exercise and manual therapy program for individuals with unilateral shoulder impingement syndrome. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Multi-layer assemblies with predetermined stress profile and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor); Phillips, Stephen M. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin films may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films. Multi-layer assemblies exhibiting selectively determinable overall bending moments are also disclosed. Selective production of overall bending moments in microstructures enables manufacture of such structures with a wide array of geometrical configurations.

Visualization of interaction of Mach waves with a bow shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlov, Al.; Golubev, M.; Kosinov, A.; Pavlov, A.

2017-10-01

The work presents results of investigation of couple weak waves with a bow shock at Mach number M = 2. The waves produced by a small 2D roughness installed on the nozzle inset or side wall of working section. Hot-wire measurements revealed profile of the waves to be similar to N-wave. The visualization was done by means of schlieren technique and interferential AVT SA method. The inclination angle change of the Mach waves at free-stream section and bow shock section was found.

Multi-layer seal for electrochemical devices

DOEpatents

Chou, Yeong-Shyung [Richland, WA; Meinhardt, Kerry D [Kennewick, WA; Stevenson, Jeffry W [Richland, WA

2010-11-16

Multi-layer seals are provided that find advantageous use for reducing leakage of gases between adjacent components of electrochemical devices. Multi-layer seals of the invention include a gasket body defining first and second opposing surfaces and a compliant interlayer positioned adjacent each of the first and second surfaces. Also provided are methods for making and using the multi-layer seals, and electrochemical devices including said seals.

Multi-layer seal for electrochemical devices

DOEpatents

Chou, Yeong-Shyung [Richland, WA; Meinhardt, Kerry D [Kennewick, WA; Stevenson, Jeffry W [Richland, WA

2010-09-14

Multi-layer seals are provided that find advantageous use for reducing leakage of gases between adjacent components of electrochemical devices. Multi-layer seals of the invention include a gasket body defining first and second opposing surfaces and a compliant interlayer positioned adjacent each of the first and second surfaces. Also provided are methods for making and using the multi-layer seals, and electrochemical devices including said seals.

Fundamental Design based on Current Distribution in Coaxial Multi-Layer Cable-in-Conduit Conductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamajima, Takataro; Tsuda, Makoto; Yagai, Tsuyoshi; Takahata, Kazuya; Imagawa, Shinsaku

An imbalanced current distribution is often observed in cable-in-conduit (CIC) superconductors which are composed of multi-staged, triplet type sub-cables, and hence deteriorates the performance of the coils. Therefore, since it is very important to obtain a homogeneous current distribution in the superconducting strands, we propose a coaxial multi-layer type CIC conductor. We use a circuit model for all layers in the coaxial multi-layer CIC conductor, and derive a generalized formula governing the current distribution as explicit functions of the superconductor construction parameters, such as twist pitch, twist direction, radius of each layer, and number of superconducting (SC) strands and copper (Cu) strands. We apply the formula to design the coaxial multi-layer CIC which has the same number of SC strands and Cu strands of the CIC for Central Solenoid of ITER. We can design three kinds of the coaxial multi-layer CIC depending on distribution of SC and Cu strands on all layers. It is shown that the SC strand volume should be optimized as a function of SC and Cu strand distribution on the layers.

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

Das, Saptarshi; Bera, Mrinal K.; Roelofs, Andreas K

A method of forming a TMDC monolayer comprises providing a multi-layer transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) film. The multi-layer TMDC film comprises a plurality of layers of the TMDC. The multi-layer TMDC film is positioned on a conducting substrate. The conducting substrate is contacted with an electrolyte solution. A predetermined electrode potential is applied on the conducting substrate and the TMDC monolayer for a predetermined time. A portion of the plurality of layers of the TMDC included in the multi-layer TMDC film is removed by application of the predetermined electrode potential, thereby leaving a TMDC monolayer film positioned on the conductingmore » substrate.« less

Methods for making a multi-layer seal for electrochemical devices

DOEpatents

Chou, Yeong-Shyung [Richland, WA; Meinhardt, Kerry D [Kennewick, WA; Stevenson, Jeffry W [Richland, WA

2007-05-29

Multi-layer seals are provided that find advantageous use for reducing leakage of gases between adjacent components of electrochemical devices. Multi-layer seals of the invention include a gasket body defining first and second opposing surfaces and a compliant interlayer positioned adjacent each of the first and second surfaces. Also provided are methods for making and using the multi-layer seals, and electrochemical devices including said seals.

Planar ceramic membrane assembly and oxidation reactor system

DOEpatents

Carolan, Michael Francis; Dyer, legal representative, Kathryn Beverly; Wilson, Merrill Anderson; Ohm, Ted R.; Kneidel, Kurt E.; Peterson, David; Chen, Christopher M.; Rackers, Keith Gerard; Dyer, deceased, Paul Nigel

2007-10-09

Planar ceramic membrane assembly comprising a dense layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material, wherein the dense layer has a first side and a second side, a porous layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material in contact with the first side of the dense layer, and a ceramic channeled support layer in contact with the second side of the dense layer. The planar ceramic membrane assembly can be used in a ceramic wafer assembly comprising a planar ceramic channeled support layer having a first side and a second side; a first dense layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the first side of the ceramic channeled support layer; a first outer support layer comprising porous mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material and having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the outer side of the first dense layer; a second dense layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the second side of the ceramic channeled layer; and a second outer support layer comprising porous mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material and having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the outer side of the second dense layer.

Planar ceramic membrane assembly and oxidation reactor system

DOEpatents

Carolan, Michael Francis; Dyer, legal representative, Kathryn Beverly; Wilson, Merrill Anderson; Ohrn, Ted R.; Kneidel, Kurt E.; Peterson, David; Chen, Christopher M.; Rackers, Keith Gerard; Dyer, Paul Nigel

2009-04-07

Planar ceramic membrane assembly comprising a dense layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material, wherein the dense layer has a first side and a second side, a porous layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material in contact with the first side of the dense layer, and a ceramic channeled support layer in contact with the second side of the dense layer. The planar ceramic membrane assembly can be used in a ceramic wafer assembly comprising a planar ceramic channeled support layer having a first side and a second side; a first dense layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the first side of the ceramic channeled support layer; a first outer support layer comprising porous mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material and having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the outer side of the first dense layer; a second dense layer of mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the second side of the ceramic channeled layer; and a second outer support layer comprising porous mixed-conducting multi-component metal oxide material and having an inner side and an outer side, wherein the inner side is in contact with the outer side of the second dense layer.

Investigation of a broadband coherent perfect absorber in a multi-layer structure by using the transfer matrix method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Jihoon; Noh, Heeso

2018-01-01

We investigated a multi-layer structure for a broadband coherent perfect absorber (CPA). The transfer matrix method (TMM) is useful for analyzing the optical properties of structures and optimizing multi-layer structures. The broadband CPA strongly depends on the phase of the light traveling in one direction and the light reflected within the structure. The TMM simulation shows that the absorption bandwidth is increased by 95% in a multi-layer CPA compared to that in a single-layer CPA.

Low stress polysilicon film and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor)

2001-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin film may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films.

Low stress polysilicon film and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin film may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and Interferential Therapy on the Upper Trapezius in Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Study.

PubMed

Dissanayaka, Thusharika Dilrukshi; Pallegama, Ranjith Wasantha; Suraweera, Hilari Justus; Johnson, Mark I; Kariyawasam, Anula Padma

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential therapy (IFT) both in combination with hot pack, myofascial release, active range of motion exercise, and a home exercise program on myofascial pain syndrome patients with upper trapezius myofascial trigger point. A total of 105 patients with an upper trapezius myofascial trigger point were recruited to this single-blind randomized controlled trial. Following random allocation of patients to three groups, three therapeutic regimens-control-standard care (hot pack, active range of motion exercises, myofascial release, and a home exercise program with postural advice), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation-standard care and IFT-standard care-were administered eight times during 4 wks at regular intervals. Pain intensity and cervical range of motions (cervical extension, lateral flexion to the contralateral side, and rotation to the ipsilateral side) were measured at baseline, immediately after the first treatment, before the eighth treatment, and 1 wk after the eighth treatment. Immediate and short-term improvements were marked in the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group (n = 35) compared with the IFT group (n = 35) and the control group (n = 35) with respect to pain intensity and cervical range of motions (P < 0.05). The IFT group showed significant improvement on these outcome measurements than the control group did (P < 0.05). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation with standard care facilitates recovery better than IFT does in the same combination.

Three-dimensional Fourier transform evaluation of sequences of spatially and temporally modulated speckle interferograms.

PubMed

Trillo, C; Doval, A F; López-Vázquez, J C

2010-07-05

Phase evaluation methods based on the 2D spatial Fourier transform of a speckle interferogram with spatial carrier usually assume that the Fourier spectrum of the interferogram has a trimodal distribution, i. e. that the side lobes corresponding to the interferential terms do not overlap the other two spectral terms, which are related to the intensity of the object and reference beams, respectively. Otherwise, part of the spectrum of the object beam is inside the inverse-transform window of the selected interference lobe and induces an error in the resultant phase map. We present a technique for the acquisition and processing of speckle interferogram sequences that separates the interference lobes from the other spectral terms when the aforementioned assumption does not apply and regardless of the temporal bandwidth of the phase signal. It requires the recording of a sequence of interferograms with spatial and temporal carriers, and their processing with a 3D Fourier transform. In the resultant 3D spectrum, the spatial and temporal carriers separate the conjugate interferential terms from each other and from the term related to the object beam. Experimental corroboration is provided through the measurement of the amplitude of surface acoustic waves in plates with a double-pulsed TV holography setup. The results obtained with the proposed method are compared to those obtained with the processing of individual interferograms with the regular spatial-carrier 2D Fourier transform method.

Splitting of the neutral mechanical plane depends on the length of the multi-layer structure of flexible electronics.

PubMed

Li, Shuang; Su, Yewang; Li, Rui

2016-06-01

Multi-layer structures with soft (compliant) interlayers have been widely used in flexible electronics and photonics as an effective design for reducing interactions among the hard (stiff) layers and thus avoiding the premature failure of an entire device. The analytic model for bending of such a structure has not been well established due to its complex mechanical behaviour. Here, we present a rational analytic model, without any parameter fitting, to study the bending of a multi-layer structure on a cylinder, which is often regarded as an important approach to mechanical reliability testing of flexible electronics and photonics. For the first time, our model quantitatively reveals that, as the key for accurate strain control, the splitting of the neutral mechanical plane depends not only on the relative thickness of the middle layer, but also on the length-to-thickness ratio of the multi-layer structure. The model accurately captures the key quantities, including the axial strains in the top and bottom layers, the shear strain in the middle layer and the locations of the neutral mechanical planes of the top and bottom layers. The effects of the length of the multi-layer and the thickness of the middle layer are elaborated. This work is very useful for the design of multi-layer structure-based flexible electronics and photonics.

Splitting of the neutral mechanical plane depends on the length of the multi-layer structure of flexible electronics

PubMed Central

Li, Shuang; Li, Rui

2016-01-01

Multi-layer structures with soft (compliant) interlayers have been widely used in flexible electronics and photonics as an effective design for reducing interactions among the hard (stiff) layers and thus avoiding the premature failure of an entire device. The analytic model for bending of such a structure has not been well established due to its complex mechanical behaviour. Here, we present a rational analytic model, without any parameter fitting, to study the bending of a multi-layer structure on a cylinder, which is often regarded as an important approach to mechanical reliability testing of flexible electronics and photonics. For the first time, our model quantitatively reveals that, as the key for accurate strain control, the splitting of the neutral mechanical plane depends not only on the relative thickness of the middle layer, but also on the length-to-thickness ratio of the multi-layer structure. The model accurately captures the key quantities, including the axial strains in the top and bottom layers, the shear strain in the middle layer and the locations of the neutral mechanical planes of the top and bottom layers. The effects of the length of the multi-layer and the thickness of the middle layer are elaborated. This work is very useful for the design of multi-layer structure-based flexible electronics and photonics. PMID:27436977

Multi-layer laminate structure and manufacturing method

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

Keenihan, James R; Cleereman, Robert J; Eurich, Gerald

2012-04-24

The present invention is premised upon a multi-layer laminate structure and method of manufacture, more particularly to a method of constructing the multi-layer laminate structure utilizing a laminate frame and at least one energy activated flowable polymer.

Multi-layer laminate structure and manufacturing method

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

Keenihan, James R.; Cleereman, Robert J.; Eurich, Gerald

2013-01-29

The present invention is premised upon a multi-layer laminate structure and method of manufacture, more particularly to a method of constructing the multi-layer laminate structure utilizing a laminate frame and at least one energy activated flowable polymer.

Multi-Layer E-Textile Circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunne, Lucy E.; Bibeau, Kaila; Mulligan, Lucie; Frith, Ashton; Simon, Cory

2012-01-01

Stitched e-textile circuits facilitate wearable, flexible, comfortable wearable technology. However, while stitched methods of e-textile circuits are common, multi-layer circuit creation remains a challenge. Here, we present methods of stitched multi-layer circuit creation using accessible tools and techniques.

Large area polysilicon films with predetermined stress characteristics and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor); Phillips, Stephen M. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin films may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films. Multi-layer assemblies exhibiting selectively determinable overall bending moments are also disclosed. Selective production of overall bending moments in microstructures enables manufacture of such structures with a wide array of geometrical configurations.

Multi-layer micro/nanofluid devices with bio-nanovalves

DOEpatents

Li, Hao; Ocola, Leonidas E.; Auciello, Orlando H.; Firestone, Millicent A.

2013-01-01

A user-friendly multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device and micro/nano fabrication process are provided for numerous uses. The multi-layer micro/nanofluidic flow device can comprise: a substrate, such as indium tin oxide coated glass (ITO glass); a conductive layer of ferroelectric material, preferably comprising a PZT layer of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) positioned on the substrate; electrodes connected to the conductive layer; a nanofluidics layer positioned on the conductive layer and defining nanochannels; a microfluidics layer positioned upon the nanofluidics layer and defining microchannels; and biomolecular nanovalves providing bio-nanovalves which are moveable from a closed position to an open position to control fluid flow at a nanoscale.

Single-crystal micromachining using multiple fusion-bonded layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Alan; O'Neill, Garry; Blackstone, Scott C.

2000-08-01

Multi-layer structures have been fabricated using Fusion bonding. The paper shows void free layers of between 2 and 100 microns that have been bonded to form multi-layer structures. Silicon layers have been bonded both with and without interfacial oxide layers.

The layer boundary effect on multi-layer mesoporous TiO 2 film based dye sensitized solar cells

DOE PAGES

Xu, Feng; Zhu, Kai; Zhao, Yixin

2016-10-10

Multi-layer mesoporous TiO 2 prepared by screen printing is widely used for fabrication of high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we compare the three types of ~10 um thick mesoporous TiO 2 films, which were screen printed as 1-, 2- and 4-layers using the same TiO 2 nanocrystal paste. The layer boundary of the multi-layer mesoporous TiO 2 films was observed in the cross-section SEM. The existence of a layer boundary could reduce the photoelectron diffusion length with the increase of layer number. However, the photoelectron diffusion lengths of the Z907 dye sensitized solar cells based on these different layeredmore » mesoporous TiO 2 films are all longer than the film thickness. Consequently, the photovoltaic performance seems to have little dependence on the layer number of the multi-layer TiO 2 based DSSCs.« less

The layer boundary effect on multi-layer mesoporous TiO 2 film based dye sensitized solar cells

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

Xu, Feng; Zhu, Kai; Zhao, Yixin

Multi-layer mesoporous TiO 2 prepared by screen printing is widely used for fabrication of high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, we compare the three types of ~10 um thick mesoporous TiO 2 films, which were screen printed as 1-, 2- and 4-layers using the same TiO 2 nanocrystal paste. The layer boundary of the multi-layer mesoporous TiO 2 films was observed in the cross-section SEM. The existence of a layer boundary could reduce the photoelectron diffusion length with the increase of layer number. However, the photoelectron diffusion lengths of the Z907 dye sensitized solar cells based on these different layeredmore » mesoporous TiO 2 films are all longer than the film thickness. Consequently, the photovoltaic performance seems to have little dependence on the layer number of the multi-layer TiO 2 based DSSCs.« less

High energy PIXE: A tool to characterize multi-layer thick samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subercaze, A.; Koumeir, C.; Métivier, V.; Servagent, N.; Guertin, A.; Haddad, F.

2018-02-01

High energy PIXE is a useful and non-destructive tool to characterize multi-layer thick samples such as cultural heritage objects. In a previous work, we demonstrated the possibility to perform quantitative analysis of simple multi-layer samples using high energy PIXE, without any assumption on their composition. In this work an in-depth study of the parameters involved in the method previously published is proposed. Its extension to more complex samples with a repeated layer is also presented. Experiments have been performed at the ARRONAX cyclotron using 68 MeV protons. The thicknesses and sequences of a multi-layer sample including two different layers of the same element have been determined. Performances and limits of this method are presented and discussed.

A fully dynamic model of a multi-layer piezoelectric actuator incorporating the power amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Wei; Yang, Fufeng; Rui, Xiaoting

2017-12-01

The dynamic input-output characteristics of the multi-layer piezoelectric actuator (PA) are intrinsically rate-dependent and hysteresis. Meanwhile, aiming at the strong capacitive impedance of multi-layer PA, the power amplifier of the actuator can greatly affect the dynamic performances of the actuator. In this paper, a novel dynamic model that includes a model of the electric circuit providing voltage to the actuator, an inverse piezoelectric effect model describing the hysteresis and creep behavior of the actuator, and a mechanical model, in which the vibration characteristics of the multi-layer PA is described, is put forward. Validation experimental tests are conducted. Experimental results show that the proposed dynamic model can accurately predict the fully dynamic behavior of the multi-layer PA with different driving power.

Tailoring graphene layer-to-layer growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongtao; Wu, Bin; Guo, Wei; Wang, Lifeng; Li, Jingbo; Liu, Yunqi

2017-06-01

A layered material grown between a substrate and the upper layer involves complex interactions and a confined reaction space, representing an unusual growth mode. Here, we show multi-layer graphene domains grown on liquid or solid Cu by the chemical vapor deposition method via this ‘double-substrate’ mode. We demonstrate the interlayer-induced coupling effect on the twist angle in bi- and multi-layer graphene. We discover dramatic growth disunity for different graphene layers, which is explained by the ideas of a chemical ‘gate’ and a material transport process within a confined space. These key results lead to a consistent framework for understanding the dynamic evolution of multi-layered graphene flakes and tailoring the layer-to-layer growth for practical applications.

Multi-layer carbon-based coatings for field emission

DOEpatents

Sullivan, John P.; Friedmann, Thomas A.

1998-01-01

A multi-layer resistive carbon film field emitter device for cold cathode field emission applications. The multi-layered film of the present invention consists of at least two layers of a conductive carbon material, preferably amorphous-tetrahedrally coordinated carbon, where the resistivities of adjacent layers differ. For electron emission from the surface, the preferred structure can be a top layer having a lower resistivity than the bottom layer. For edge emitting structures, the preferred structure of the film can be a plurality of carbon layers, where adjacent layers have different resistivities. Through selection of deposition conditions, including the energy of the depositing carbon species, the presence or absence of certain elements such as H, N, inert gases or boron, carbon layers having desired resistivities can be produced.

Corrosion protected, multi-layer fuel cell interface

DOEpatents

Feigenbaum, Haim; Pudick, Sheldon; Wang, Chiu L.

1986-01-01

An improved interface configuration for use between adjacent elements of a fuel cell stack. The interface is impervious to gas and liquid and provides resistance to corrosion by the electrolyte of the fuel cell. The multi-layer configuration for the interface comprises a non-cupreous metal-coated metallic element to which is film-bonded a conductive layer by hot pressing a resin therebetween. The multi-layer arrangement provides bridging electrical contact.

An implemented method of asymmetric transmission for arbitrary polarization base in multi-layered chiral meta-surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Zhong-yin; Zou, Huan-ling; Xu, Kai-Kai; Tang, Jing-yao

2018-03-01

Asymmetric transmission of linearly or circularly polarized waves is a well-established property not only for three-layered chiral structures but for multi-layered ones. Here we show a method which can simultaneously implement asymmetric transmission for arbitrary base vector polarized wave in multi-layered chiral meta-surface. We systematically study the implemented method based on a multi-layered chiral structure consisting of a y-shape, a half gammadion and an S-shape in the terahertz gap. A numerical simulation was carried out, followed by an explanation of the asymmetric transmission mechanism in these structures proposed in this work. The simulated results indicate that the multi-layered chiral structure can realize a maximum asymmetric transmission of 0.89 and 0.28 for circularly and linearly polarized waves, respectively, which exhibit magnitude improvement over previous chiral metamaterials. Specifically, the maximum asymmetric transmitted coefficient of the multi-layered chiral structure is insensitivity to the incident angles from 0° to 45° for circularly polarized components. Additionally, we also study the influence of structural parameters on the asymmetric transmission effect for both linearly and circularly polarized waves in detail.

Effect of frequency on fretting wear behavior of Ti/TiN multilayer film on depleted uranium

PubMed Central

Zhu, Sheng-Fa; Lu, Lei; Cai, Zhen-Bing

2017-01-01

The Ti/TiN multi-layer film was prepared on the depleted uranium (DU) substrate by cathodic arc ion plating equipment. The character of multi-layer film was studied by SEM, XRD and AES, revealed that the surface was composed of small compact particle and the cross-section had a multi-layer structure. The fretting wear performance under different frequencies was performed by a MFT-6000 machine with a ball-on-plate configuration. The wear morphology was analyzed by white light interferometer, OM and SEM with an EDX. The result shows the Ti/TiN multi-layer film could greatly improve the fretting wear performance compared to the DU substrate. The fretting wear running and damaged behavior are strongly dependent on the film and test frequency. The fretting region of DU substrate and Ti/TiN multi-layer under low test frequency is gross slip. With the increase of test frequency, the fretting region of Ti/TiN multi-layer change from gross slip to mixed fretting, then to partial slip. PMID:28384200

Effect of frequency on fretting wear behavior of Ti/TiN multilayer film on depleted uranium.

PubMed

Wu, Yan-Ping; Li, Zheng-Yang; Zhu, Sheng-Fa; Lu, Lei; Cai, Zhen-Bing

2017-01-01

The Ti/TiN multi-layer film was prepared on the depleted uranium (DU) substrate by cathodic arc ion plating equipment. The character of multi-layer film was studied by SEM, XRD and AES, revealed that the surface was composed of small compact particle and the cross-section had a multi-layer structure. The fretting wear performance under different frequencies was performed by a MFT-6000 machine with a ball-on-plate configuration. The wear morphology was analyzed by white light interferometer, OM and SEM with an EDX. The result shows the Ti/TiN multi-layer film could greatly improve the fretting wear performance compared to the DU substrate. The fretting wear running and damaged behavior are strongly dependent on the film and test frequency. The fretting region of DU substrate and Ti/TiN multi-layer under low test frequency is gross slip. With the increase of test frequency, the fretting region of Ti/TiN multi-layer change from gross slip to mixed fretting, then to partial slip.

Multi-layer carbon-based coatings for field emission

DOEpatents

Sullivan, J.P.; Friedmann, T.A.

1998-10-13

A multi-layer resistive carbon film field emitter device for cold cathode field emission applications is disclosed. The multi-layered film of the present invention consists of at least two layers of a conductive carbon material, preferably amorphous-tetrahedrally coordinated carbon, where the resistivities of adjacent layers differ. For electron emission from the surface, the preferred structure can be a top layer having a lower resistivity than the bottom layer. For edge emitting structures, the preferred structure of the film can be a plurality of carbon layers, where adjacent layers have different resistivities. Through selection of deposition conditions, including the energy of the depositing carbon species, the presence or absence of certain elements such as H, N, inert gases or boron, carbon layers having desired resistivities can be produced. 8 figs.

High conductivity and transparent aluminum-based multi-layer source/drain electrodes for thin film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Rihui; Zhang, Hongke; Fang, Zhiqiang; Ning, Honglong; Zheng, Zeke; Li, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Xiaochen; Cai, Wei; Lu, Xubing; Peng, Junbiao

2018-02-01

In this study, high conductivity and transparent multi-layer (AZO/Al/AZO-/Al/AZO) source/drain (S/D) electrodes for thin film transistors were fabricated via conventional physical vapor deposition approaches, without toxic elements or further thermal annealing process. The 68 nm-thick multi-layer films with excellent optical properties (transparency: 82.64%), good electrical properties (resistivity: 6.64  ×  10-5 Ω m, work function: 3.95 eV), and superior surface roughness (R q   =  0.757 nm with scanning area of 5  ×  5 µm2) were fabricated as the S/D electrodes. Significantly, comprehensive performances of AZO films are enhanced by the insertion of ultra-thin Al layers. The optimal transparent TFT with this multi-layer S/D electrodes exhibited a decent electrical performance with a saturation mobility (µ sat) of 3.2 cm2 V-1 s-1, an I on/I off ratio of 1.59  ×  106, a subthreshold swing of 1.05 V/decade. The contact resistance of AZO/Al/AZO/Al/AZO multi-layer electrodes is as low as 0.29 MΩ. Moreover, the average visible light transmittance of the unpatterned multi-layers constituting a whole transparent TFT could reach 72.5%. The high conductivity and transparent multi-layer S/D electrodes for transparent TFTs possessed great potential for the applications of the green and transparent displays industry.

Multi-junction solar cell device

DOEpatents

Friedman, Daniel J.; Geisz, John F.

2007-12-18

A multi-junction solar cell device (10) is provided. The multi-junction solar cell device (10) comprises either two or three active solar cells connected in series in a monolithic structure. The multi-junction device (10) comprises a bottom active cell (20) having a single-crystal silicon substrate base and an emitter layer (23). The multi-junction device (10) further comprises one or two subsequent active cells each having a base layer (32) and an emitter layer (23) with interconnecting tunnel junctions between each active cell. At least one layer that forms each of the top and middle active cells is composed of a single-crystal III-V semiconductor alloy that is substantially lattice-matched to the silicon substrate (22). The polarity of the active p-n junction cells is either p-on-n or n-on-p. The present invention further includes a method for substantially lattice matching single-crystal III-V semiconductor layers with the silicon substrate (22) by including boron and/or nitrogen in the chemical structure of these layers.

Integration of planar transformer and/or planar inductor with power switches in power converter

DOEpatents

Chen, Kanghua; Ahmed, Sayeed; Zhu, Lizhi

2007-10-30

A power converter integrates at least one planar transformer comprising a multi-layer transformer substrate and/or at least one planar inductor comprising a multi-layer inductor substrate with a number of power semiconductor switches physically and thermally coupled to a heat sink via one or more multi-layer switch substrates.

Studying Pulsed Laser Deposition conditions for Ni/C-based multi-layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bollmann, Tjeerd R. J.

2018-04-01

Nickel carbon based multi-layers are a viable route towards future hard X-ray and soft γ-ray focusing telescopes. Here, we study the Pulsed Laser Deposition growth conditions of such bilayers by Reflective High Energy Electron Diffraction, X-ray Reflectivity and Diffraction, Atomic Force Microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy analysis, with emphasis on optimization of process pressure and substrate temperature during growth. The thin multi-layers are grown on a treated SiO substrate resulting in Ni and C layers with surface roughnesses (RMS) of ≤0.2 nm. Small droplets resulting during melting of the targets surface increase the roughness, however, and cannot be avoided. The sequential process at temperatures beyond 300 °C results into intermixing between the two layers, being destructive for the reflectivity of the multi-layer.

An inference method from multi-layered structure of biomedical data.

PubMed

Kim, Myungjun; Nam, Yonghyun; Shin, Hyunjung

2017-05-18

Biological system is a multi-layered structure of omics with genome, epigenome, transcriptome, metabolome, proteome, etc., and can be further stretched to clinical/medical layers such as diseasome, drugs, and symptoms. One advantage of omics is that we can figure out an unknown component or its trait by inferring from known omics components. The component can be inferred by the ones in the same level of omics or the ones in different levels. To implement the inference process, an algorithm that can be applied to the multi-layered complex system is required. In this study, we develop a semi-supervised learning algorithm that can be applied to the multi-layered complex system. In order to verify the validity of the inference, it was applied to the prediction problem of disease co-occurrence with a two-layered network composed of symptom-layer and disease-layer. The symptom-disease layered network obtained a fairly high value of AUC, 0.74, which is regarded as noticeable improvement when comparing 0.59 AUC of single-layered disease network. If further stretched to whole layered structure of omics, the proposed method is expected to produce more promising results. This research has novelty in that it is a new integrative algorithm that incorporates the vertical structure of omics data, on contrary to other existing methods that integrate the data in parallel fashion. The results can provide enhanced guideline for disease co-occurrence prediction, thereby serve as a valuable tool for inference process of multi-layered biological system.

Assessment of physical server reliability in multi cloud computing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalyani, B. J. D.; Rao, Kolasani Ramchand H.

2018-04-01

Business organizations nowadays functioning with more than one cloud provider. By spreading cloud deployment across multiple service providers, it creates space for competitive prices that minimize the burden on enterprises spending budget. To assess the software reliability of multi cloud application layered software reliability assessment paradigm is considered with three levels of abstractions application layer, virtualization layer, and server layer. The reliability of each layer is assessed separately and is combined to get the reliability of multi-cloud computing application. In this paper, we focused on how to assess the reliability of server layer with required algorithms and explore the steps in the assessment of server reliability.

The transmission of finite amplitude sound beam in multi-layered biological media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaozhou; Li, Junlun; Yin, Chang; Gong, Xiufen; Zhang, Dong; Xue, Honghui

2007-02-01

Based on the Khokhlov Zabolotskaya Kuznetsov (KZK) equation, a model in the frequency domain is given to describe the transmission of finite amplitude sound beam in multi-layered biological media. Favorable agreement between the theoretical analyses and the measured results shows this approach could effectively describe the transmission of finite amplitude sound wave in multi-layered biological media.

Benchmark data for identifying multi-functional types of membrane proteins.

PubMed

Wan, Shibiao; Mak, Man-Wai; Kung, Sun-Yuan

2016-09-01

Identifying membrane proteins and their multi-functional types is an indispensable yet challenging topic in proteomics and bioinformatics. In this article, we provide data that are used for training and testing Mem-ADSVM (Wan et al., 2016. "Mem-ADSVM: a two-layer multi-label predictor for identifying multi-functional types of membrane proteins" [1]), a two-layer multi-label predictor for predicting multi-functional types of membrane proteins.

Optical signal splitting and chirping device modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinogradova, Irina L.; Andrianova, Anna V.; Meshkov, Ivan K.; Sultanov, Albert Kh.; Abdrakhmanova, Guzel I.; Grakhova, Elizaveta P.; Ishmyarov, Arsen A.; Yantilina, Liliya Z.; Kutlieva, Gulnaz R.

2017-04-01

This article examines the devices for optical signal splitting and chirping device modeling. Models with splitting and switching functions are taken into consideration. The described device for optical signal splitting and chirping represents interferential splitter with profiled mixer which provides allocation of correspondent spectral component from ultra wide band frequency diapason, and signal phase shift for aerial array (AA) directive diagram control. This paper proposes modeling for two types of devices for optical signal splitting and chirping: the interference-type optical signal splitting and chirping device and the long-distance-type optical signal splitting and chirping device.

Physician perceptions of the value of physical modalities in the treatment of musculoskeletal disease.

PubMed

Rush, P J; Shore, A

1994-06-01

We randomly surveyed 100 specialists in rehabilitation medicine and 100 rheumatologists concerning their perceptions of the value of 11 different physical modalities--cold, active and passive exercise, interferential current, laser, magnetotherapy, microwave, shortwave diathermy, traction, ultrasound and transcutaneous nerve stimulation in the treatment of seven different musculoskeletal conditions--acute arthritis, joint contracture, neck pain, back pain, tendinitis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy and frozen shoulder. There were significant differences in the perceived benefits of modalities which varied by modality and condition. Overall, rehabilitation medicine specialists regarded modalities to be helpful more often than rheumatologists (P < 0.001).

Unusual Enhancement in Intrinsic Thermal Conductivity of Multilayer Graphene by Tensile Strains

DOE PAGES

Kuang, Youdi; Lindsay, Lucas R.; Huang, Baoling

2015-01-01

High basal plane thermal conductivity k of multi-layer graphene makes it promising for thermal management applications. Here we examine the effects of tensile strain on thermal transport in this system. Using a first principles Boltzmann-Peierls equation for phonon transport approach, we calculate the room-temperature in-plane lattice k of multi-layer graphene (up to four layers) and graphite under different isotropic tensile strains. The calculated in-plane k of graphite, finite mono-layer graphene and 3-layer graphene agree well with previous experiments. The dimensional transitions of the intrinsic k and the extent of the diffusive transport regime from mono-layer graphene to graphite are presented.more » We find a peak enhancement of intrinsic k for multi-layer graphene and graphite with increasing strain and the largest enhancement amplitude is about 40%. In contrast the calculated intrinsic k with tensile strain decreases for diamond and diverges for graphene, we show that the competition between the decreased mode heat capacities and the increased lifetimes of flexural phonons with increasing strain contribute to this k behavior. Similar k behavior is observed for 2-layer hexagonal boron nitride systems, suggesting that it is an inherent thermal transport property in multi-layer systems assembled of purely two dimensional atomic layers. This study provides insights into engineering k of multi-layer graphene and boron nitride by strain and into the nature of thermal transport in quasi-two-dimensional and highly anisotropic systems.« less

Effects of the use of multi-layer filter on radiation exposure and the quality of upper airway radiographs compared to the traditional copper filter.

PubMed

Klandima, Somphan; Kruatrachue, Anchalee; Wongtapradit, Lawan; Nithipanya, Narong; Ratanaprakarn, Warangkana

2014-06-01

The problem of image quality in a large number of upper airway obstructed patients is the superimposition of the airway over the bone of the spine on the AP view. This problem was resolved by increasing KVp to high KVp technique and adding extra radiographic filters (copper filter) to reduce the sharpness of the bone and increase the clarity of the airway. However, this raises a concern that patients might be receiving an unnecessarily higher dose of radiation, as well as the effectiveness of the invented filter compared to the traditional filter. To evaluate the level of radiation dose that patients receive with the use of multi-layer filter compared to non-filter and to evaluate the image quality of the upper airways between using the radiographic filter (multi-layer filter) and the traditional filter (copperfilter). The attenuation curve of both filter materials was first identified. Then, both the filters were tested with Alderson Rando phantom to determine the appropriate exposure. Using the method described, a new type of filter called the multi-layer filter for imaging patients was developed. A randomized control trial was then performed to compare the effectiveness of the newly developed multi-layer filter to the copper filter. The research was conducted in patients with upper airway obstruction treated at Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health from October 2006 to September 2007. A total of 132 patients were divided into two groups. The experimental group used high kVp technique with multi-layer filter, while the control group used copper filter. A comparison of film interpretation between the multi-layer filter and the copper filter was made by a number of radiologists who were blinded to both to the technique and type of filter used. Patients had less radiation from undergoing the kVp technique with copper filter and multi-layer filter compared to the conventional technique, where no filter is used. Patients received approximately 65.5% less radiation dose using high kVp technique with multi-layer filter compared to the conventional technique, and 25.9% less than using the traditional copper filter 45% of the radiologists who participated in this study reported that the high kVp technique with multi-layer filter was better for diagnosing stenosis, or narrowing of the upper airways. 33% reported that, both techniques were equal, while 22% reported that the traditional copper filter allowed for better details of airway obstruction. These findings showed that the multi-layered filter was comparable to the copper filter in terms of film interpretation. Using the multi-layer filter resulted in patients receiving a lower dose of radiation, as well as similar film interpretation when compared to the traditional copper filter.

The multi-layer multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method for bosons: theory, implementation, and applications.

PubMed

Cao, Lushuai; Krönke, Sven; Vendrell, Oriol; Schmelcher, Peter

2013-10-07

We develop the multi-layer multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method for bosons (ML-MCTDHB), a variational numerically exact ab initio method for studying the quantum dynamics and stationary properties of general bosonic systems. ML-MCTDHB takes advantage of the permutation symmetry of identical bosons, which allows for investigations of the quantum dynamics from few to many-body systems. Moreover, the multi-layer feature enables ML-MCTDHB to describe mixed bosonic systems consisting of arbitrary many species. Multi-dimensional as well as mixed-dimensional systems can be accurately and efficiently simulated via the multi-layer expansion scheme. We provide a detailed account of the underlying theory and the corresponding implementation. We also demonstrate the superior performance by applying the method to the tunneling dynamics of bosonic ensembles in a one-dimensional double well potential, where a single-species bosonic ensemble of various correlation strengths and a weakly interacting two-species bosonic ensemble are considered.

Method of depositing multi-layer carbon-based coatings for field emission

DOEpatents

Sullivan, John P.; Friedmann, Thomas A.

1999-01-01

A novel field emitter device for cold cathode field emission applications, comprising a multi-layer resistive carbon film. The multi-layered film of the present invention is comprised of at least two layers of a resistive carbon material, preferably amorphous-tetrahedrally coordinated carbon, such that the resistivities of adjacent layers differ. For electron emission from the surface, the preferred structure comprises a top layer having a lower resistivity than the bottom layer. For edge emitting structures, the preferred structure of the film comprises a plurality of carbon layers, wherein adjacent layers have different resistivities. Through selection of deposition conditions, including the energy of the depositing carbon species, the presence or absence of certain elements such as H, N, inert gases or boron, carbon layers having desired resistivities can be produced. Field emitters made according the present invention display improved electron emission characteristics in comparison to conventional field emitter materials.

Method of depositing multi-layer carbon-based coatings for field emission

DOEpatents

Sullivan, J.P.; Friedmann, T.A.

1999-08-10

A novel field emitter device is disclosed for cold cathode field emission applications, comprising a multi-layer resistive carbon film. The multi-layered film of the present invention is comprised of at least two layers of a resistive carbon material, preferably amorphous-tetrahedrally coordinated carbon, such that the resistivities of adjacent layers differ. For electron emission from the surface, the preferred structure comprises a top layer having a lower resistivity than the bottom layer. For edge emitting structures, the preferred structure of the film comprises a plurality of carbon layers, wherein adjacent layers have different resistivities. Through selection of deposition conditions, including the energy of the depositing carbon species, the presence or absence of certain elements such as H, N, inert gases or boron, carbon layers having desired resistivities can be produced. Field emitters made according the present invention display improved electron emission characteristics in comparison to conventional field emitter materials. 8 figs.

Novel techniques for optical sensor using single core multi-layer structures for electric field detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Amir R.; Kamel, Mohamed A.

2017-05-01

This paper studies the effect of the electrostriction force on the single optical dielectric core coated with multi-layers based on whispering gallery mode (WGM). The sensing element is a dielectric core made of polymeric material coated with multi-layers having different dielectric and mechanical properties. The external electric field deforming the sensing element causing shifts in its WGM spectrum. The multi-layer structures will enhance the body and the pressure forces acting on the core of the sensing element. Due to the gradient on the dielectric permittivity; pressure forces at the interface between every two layers will be created. Also, the gradient on Young's modulus will affect the overall stiffness of the optical sensor. In turn the sensitivity of the optical sensor to the electric field will be increased when the materials of each layer selected properly. A mathematical model is used to test the effect for that multi-layer structures. Two layering techniques are considered to increase the sensor's sensitivity; (i) Pressure force enhancement technique; and (ii) Young's modulus reduction technique. In the first technique, Young's modulus is kept constant for all layers, while the dielectric permittivity is varying. In this technique the results will be affected by the value dielectric permittivity of the outer medium surrounding the cavity. If the medium's dielectric permittivity is greater than that of the cavity, then the ascending ordered layers of the cavity will yield the highest sensitivity (the core will have the smallest dielectric permittivity) to the applied electric field and vice versa. In the second technique, Young's modulus is varying along the layers, while the dielectric permittivity has a certain constant value per layer. On the other hand, the descending order will enhance the sensitivity in the second technique. Overall, results show the multi-layer cavity based on these techniques will enhance the sensitivity compared to the typical polymeric optical sensor.

Energy transfer through a multi-layer liner for shaped charges

DOEpatents

Skolnick, Saul; Goodman, Albert

1985-01-01

This invention relates to the determination of parameters for selecting materials for use as liners in shaped charges to transfer the greatest amount of energy to the explosive jet. Multi-layer liners constructed of metal in shaped charges for oil well perforators or other applications are selected in accordance with the invention to maximize the penetrating effect of the explosive jet by reference to four parameters: (1) Adjusting the explosive charge to liner mass ratio to achieve a balance between the amount of explosive used in a shaped charge and the areal density of the liner material; (2) Adjusting the ductility of each layer of a multi-layer liner to enhance the formation of a longer energy jet; (3) Buffering the intermediate layers of a multi-layer liner by varying the properties of each layer, e.g., composition, thickness, ductility, acoustic impedance and areal density, to protect the final inside layer of high density material from shattering upon impact of the explosive force and, instead, flow smoothly into a jet; and (4) Adjusting the impedance of the layers in a liner to enhance the transmission and reduce the reflection of explosive energy across the interface between layers.

The importance of structural softening for the evolution and architecture of passive margins

PubMed Central

Duretz, T.; Petri, B.; Mohn, G.; Schmalholz, S. M.; Schenker, F. L.; Müntener, O.

2016-01-01

Lithospheric extension can generate passive margins that bound oceans worldwide. Detailed geological and geophysical studies in present and fossil passive margins have highlighted the complexity of their architecture and their multi-stage deformation history. Previous modeling studies have shown the significant impact of coarse mechanical layering of the lithosphere (2 to 4 layer crust and mantle) on passive margin formation. We built upon these studies and design high-resolution (~100–300 m) thermo-mechanical numerical models that incorporate finer mechanical layering (kilometer scale) mimicking tectonically inherited heterogeneities. During lithospheric extension a variety of extensional structures arises naturally due to (1) structural softening caused by necking of mechanically strong layers and (2) the establishment of a network of weak layers across the deforming multi-layered lithosphere. We argue that structural softening in a multi-layered lithosphere is the main cause for the observed multi-stage evolution and architecture of magma-poor passive margins. PMID:27929057

Application of Polypyrrole Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Layer for Detection of Mercury, Lead and Iron Ions Using Surface Plasmon Resonance Technique

PubMed Central

Sadrolhosseini, Amir Reza; Noor, A. S. M.; Bahrami, Afarin; Lim, H. N.; Talib, Zainal Abidin; Mahdi, Mohd. Adzir

2014-01-01

Polypyrrole multi-walled carbon nanotube composite layers were used to modify the gold layer to measure heavy metal ions using the surface plasmon resonance technique. The new sensor was fabricated to detect trace amounts of mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and iron (Fe) ions. In the present research, the sensitivity of a polypyrrole multi-walled carbon nanotube composite layer and a polypyrrole layer were compared. The application of polypyrrole multi-walled carbon nanotubes enhanced the sensitivity and accuracy of the sensor for detecting ions in an aqueous solution due to the binding of mercury, lead, and iron ions to the sensing layer. The Hg ion bonded to the sensing layer more strongly than did the Pb and Fe ions. The limitation of the sensor was calculated to be about 0.1 ppm, which produced an angle shift in the region of 0.3° to 0.6°. PMID:24733263

Single layer multi-color luminescent display and method of making

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, James B. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

The invention is a multi-color luminescent display comprising an insulator substrate and a single layer of host material, which may be a phosphor deposited thereon that hosts one or more different impurities, therein forming a pattern of selected and distinctly colored phosphors such as blue, green, and red phosphors in a single layer of host material. Transparent electrical conductor means may be provided for subjecting selected portions of the pattern of colored phosphors to an electric field, thereby forming a multi-color, single layer electroluminescent display. A method of forming a multi-color luminescent display includes the steps of depositing on an insulator substrate a single layer of host material, which itself may be a phosphor, with the properties to host varying quantities of different impurities and introducing one or more of said different impurities into selected areas of the said single layer of host material by thermal diffusion or ion implantation to form a pattern of phosphors of different colors in the said single layer of host material.

Optimization of sound absorbing performance for gradient multi-layer-assembled sintered fibrous absorbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bo; Zhang, Weiyong; Zhu, Jian

2012-04-01

The transfer matrix method, based on plane wave theory, of multi-layer equivalent fluid is employed to evaluate the sound absorbing properties of two-layer-assembled and three-layer-assembled sintered fibrous sheets (generally regarded as a kind of compound absorber or structures). Two objective functions which are more suitable for the optimization of sound absorption properties of multi-layer absorbers within the wider frequency ranges are developed and the optimized results of using two objective functions are also compared with each other. It is found that using the two objective functions, especially the second one, may be more helpful to exert the sound absorbing properties of absorbers at lower frequencies to the best of their abilities. Then the calculation and optimization of sound absorption properties of multi-layer-assembled structures are performed by developing a simulated annealing genetic arithmetic program and using above-mentioned objective functions. Finally, based on the optimization in this work the thoughts of the gradient design over the acoustic parameters- the porosity, the tortuosity, the viscous and thermal characteristic lengths and the thickness of each samples- of porous metals are put forth and thereby some useful design criteria upon the acoustic parameters of each layer of porous fibrous metals are given while applying the multi-layer-assembled compound absorbers in noise control engineering.

Complete passive vibration suppression using multi-layered piezoelectric element, inductor, and resistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Keisuke

2017-01-01

This paper describes passive technique for suppressing vibration in flexible structures using a multi-layered piezoelectric element, an inductor, and a resistor. The objective of using a multi-layered piezoelectric element is to increase its capacitance. A piezoelectric element with a large capacitance value does not require an active electrical circuit to simulate an inductor with a large inductance value. The effect of multi-layering of piezoelectric elements was theoretically analyzed through an equivalent transformation of a multi-layered piezoelectric element into a single-layered piezoelectric element. The governing equations were derived using this equivalent transformation. The effect of the resistances of the inductor and piezoelectric elements were considered because the sum of these resistances may exceed the optimum resistance. The performance of the passive vibration suppression using an LR circuit was compared to that of the method where a resistive circuit is used assuming that the sum of the resistances of the inductor and piezoelectric elements exceeds the optimum resistance. The effectiveness of the proposed method and theoretical analysis was verified through simulations and experiments.

Spectral collocation method with a flexible angular discretization scheme for radiative transfer in multi-layer graded index medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Linyang; Qi, Hong; Sun, Jianping; Ren, Yatao; Ruan, Liming

2017-05-01

The spectral collocation method (SCM) is employed to solve the radiative transfer in multi-layer semitransparent medium with graded index. A new flexible angular discretization scheme is employed to discretize the solid angle domain freely to overcome the limit of the number of discrete radiative direction when adopting traditional SN discrete ordinate scheme. Three radial basis function interpolation approaches, named as multi-quadric (MQ), inverse multi-quadric (IMQ) and inverse quadratic (IQ) interpolation, are employed to couple the radiative intensity at the interface between two adjacent layers and numerical experiments show that MQ interpolation has the highest accuracy and best stability. Variable radiative transfer problems in double-layer semitransparent media with different thermophysical properties are investigated and the influence of these thermophysical properties on the radiative transfer procedure in double-layer semitransparent media is also analyzed. All the simulated results show that the present SCM with the new angular discretization scheme can predict the radiative transfer in multi-layer semitransparent medium with graded index efficiently and accurately.

Evaluation of multi-layer cloud detection based on MODIS CO2-slicing algorithm with CALIPSO-CloudSat measurements.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viudez-Mora, A.; Kato, S.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Chang, F. L.

2016-12-01

Knowledge of the vertical cloud distribution is important for a variety of climate and weather applications. The cloud overlapping variations greatly influence the atmospheric heating/cooling rates, with implications for the surface-troposphere radiative balance, global circulation and precipitation. Additionally, an accurate knowledge of the multi-layer cloud distribution in real-time can be used in applications such safety condition for aviation through storms and adverse weather conditions. In this study, we evaluate a multi-layered cloud algorithm (Chang et al. 2005) based on MODIS measurements aboard Aqua satellite (MCF). This algorithm uses the CO2-slicing technique combined with cloud properties determined from VIS, IR and NIR channels to locate high thin clouds over low-level clouds, and retrieve the τ of each layer. We use CALIPSO (Winker et. al, 2010) and CloudSat (Stephens et. al, 2002) (CLCS) derived cloud vertical profiles included in the C3M data product (Kato et al. 2010) to evaluate MCF derived multi-layer cloud properties. We focus on 2 layer overlapping and 1-layer clouds identified by the active sensors and investigate how well these systems are identified by the MODIS multi-layer technique. The results show that for these multi-layered clouds identified by CLCS, the MCF correctly identifies about 83% of the cases as multi-layer. However, it is found that the upper CTH is underestimated by about 2.6±0.4 km, because the CO2-slicing technique is not as sensitive to the cloud physical top as the CLCS. The lower CTH agree better with differences found to be about 1.2±0.5 km. Another outstanding issue for the MCF approach is the large number of multi-layer false alarms that occur in single-layer conditions. References: Chang, F.-L., and Z. Li, 2005: A new method for detection of cirrus overlapping water clouds and determination of their optical properties. J. Atmos. Sci., 62. Kato, S., et al. (2010), Relationships among cloud occurrence frequency, overlap, and effective thickness derived from CALIPSO and CloudSat merged cloud vertical profiles, J. Geophys. Res., 115. Stephens, G. L., et al. (2002), The CloudSat mission and A-Train, Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 83. Winker, D. M., et al., 2010: The CALIPSO Mission: A global 3D view of aerosols and clouds. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 91.

Effect of hydrogen on the device performance and stability characteristics of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors with a SiO2/SiNx/SiO2 buffer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Ki-Lim; Ok, Kyung-Chul; Cho, Hyeon-Su; Oh, Saeroonter; Park, Jin-Seong

2017-08-01

We investigate the influence of the multi-layered buffer consisting of SiO2/SiNx/SiO2 on amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The multi-layered buffer inhibits permeation of water from flexible plastic substrates and prevents degradation of overlying organic layers. The a-IGZO TFTs with a multi-layered buffer suffer less positive bias temperature stress instability compared to the device with a single SiO2 buffer layer after annealing at 250 °C. Hydrogen from the SiNx layer diffuses into the active layer and reduces electron trapping at loosely bound oxygen defects near the SiO2/a-IGZO interface. Quantitative analysis shows that a hydrogen density of 1.85 × 1021 cm-3 is beneficial to reliability. However, the multi-layered buffer device annealed at 350 °C resulted in conductive characteristics due to the excess carrier concentration from the higher hydrogen density of 2.12 × 1021 cm-3.

OLED lighting devices having multi element light extraction and luminescence conversion layer

DOEpatents

Krummacher, Benjamin Claus; Antoniadis, Homer

2010-11-16

An apparatus such as a light source has a multi element light extraction and luminescence conversion layer disposed over a transparent layer of the light source and on the exterior of said light source. The multi-element light extraction and luminescence conversion layer includes a plurality of light extraction elements and a plurality of luminescence conversion elements. The light extraction elements diffuses the light from the light source while luminescence conversion elements absorbs a first spectrum of light from said light source and emits a second spectrum of light.

Multi-clad black display panel

DOEpatents

Veligdan, James T.; Biscardi, Cyrus; Brewster, Calvin

2002-01-01

A multi-clad black display panel, and a method of making a multi-clad black display panel, are disclosed, wherein a plurality of waveguides, each of which includes a light-transmissive core placed between an opposing pair of transparent cladding layers and a black layer disposed between transparent cladding layers, are stacked together and sawed at an angle to produce a wedge-shaped optical panel having an inlet face and an outlet face.

Interferential and horizontal therapies in chronic low back pain: a randomized, double blind, clinical study.

PubMed

Zambito, A; Bianchini, D; Gatti, D; Viapiana, O; Rossini, M; Adami, S

2006-01-01

Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is one of the most frequent medical problems. Electrical nerve stimulation is frequently used but its efficacy remains controversial. Twenty-six men and 94 women with CLBP associated with either degenerative disk disease or previous multiple vertebral osteoporotic fractures were randomly assigned to either interferential currents (IFT), horizontal therapy (HT) or sham HT administered for 10, 40 and 40 minutes, respectively, daily for 5 days per week for two weeks together with a standard flexion-extension stretching exercise program, Blind efficacy assessment were obtained at baseline and at week 2, 6 and 14 and included a functional questionnaire (Backill), the standard visual analog scale (VAS) and the mean analgesic consumption. At week 2 a significant and similar improvement in both the VAS and Backill score was observed in all three groups. The Backill score continued to improve only in the two active groups with changes significantly greater than those observed in control patients at week 14. The pain VAS score returned to baseline values at week 6 and 14 in the control group while in the IFT and HT groups it continued to improve (p< 0.01 vs controls). The use of analgesic medications significantly improved at week 14 versus pretreatment assessment and over control patients only in the HT group. This randomized double-blind controlled study provides the first evidence that IFT and HT therapy are significantly effective in alleviating both pain and disability in patients with CLBP. The placebo effect is remarkable at the beginning of the treatment but it tends to vanish within a couple of weeks.

Are Interferential Electrical Stimulation and Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises Beneficial in Children With Bladder and Bowel Dysfunction?

PubMed

Zivkovic, Vesna D; Stankovic, Ivona; Dimitrijevic, Lidija; Kocic, Mirjana; Colovic, Hristina; Vlajkovic, Marina; Slavkovic, Andjelka; Lazovic, Milica

2017-04-01

To evaluate the effects of interferential current (IC) stimulation and diaphragmatic breathing exercises (DBEs) in children with bladder and bowel dysfunction. Seventy-nine children with dysfunctional voiding and chronic constipation who were failures of primary care interventions were included in the prospective clinical study. All the children were checked for their medical history regarding lower urinary tract symptoms and bowel habits. Physical examination, including abdominal and anorectal digital examination, was performed. Children kept a bladder and bowel diary, and underwent urinalyses and urine culture, ultrasound examination of bladder and kidneys, and uroflowmetry with pelvic floor electromyography. Eligible children were divided into 3 groups (A, B, and C). All groups were assigned education and behavioral modifications. Additionally, group A underwent DBEs and IC stimulation, whereas group B received only DBEs. The treatment was conducted for 2 weeks in the clinic in all 3 groups,. The behavioral modifications and DBEs were continued at home for 1 month. Clinical manifestations, uroflowmetry parameters, and postvoided residual urine were analyzed before and after 6 weeks of therapy. After the treatment, significant improvement in defecation frequency and fecal incontinence was noticed only in group A (P < .001 and P < .05, respectively). These children demonstrated significant improvement in lower urinary tract symptoms and postvoided residual urine (P < .001 and P < .05, respectively). Bell-shaped uroflowmetry curve was observed in 73.3% of group A patients (P < .001). IC stimulation and DBEs are beneficial in chronically constipated dysfunctional voiders. Further trials are needed to define the long-term effects of this program. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Homogeneous-oxide stack in IGZO thin-film transistors for multi-level-cell NAND memory application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Hao; Wei, Yehui; Zhang, Xinlei; Jiang, Ran

2017-11-01

A nonvolatile charge-trap-flash memory that is based on amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin film transistors was fabricated with a homogeneous-oxide structure for a multi-level-cell application. All oxide layers, i.e., tunneling layer, charge trapping layer, and blocking layer, were fabricated with Al2O3 films. The fabrication condition (including temperature and deposition method) of the charge trapping layer was different from those of the other oxide layers. This device demonstrated a considerable large memory window of 4 V between the states fully erased and programmed with the operation voltage less than 14 V. This kind of device shows a good prospect for multi-level-cell memory applications.

Development of multi-layer plastic fuel tanks for Nissan research vehicle-II

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

Kurihara, Y.; Nakazawa, K.; Ohashi, K.

1987-01-01

Plastic fuel tanks are light in weight and rustproof, and have good design flexibility. For those currently in use, however, which are made of mono-layer high-density polyethylene, fuel permeability is too high to meet U.S. evaporative emission standards, which are stricter than those in Japan or the EEC. For minimize fuel permeation, the formation of a barrier layer of polyamide resin by multi-layer (three-resin five-layer) blow molding is considered more promising than sulphonation or fluorination treatment of the polyethylene resin. This paper describes the fuel permeation mechanism, then outlines the development of a multi-layer plastic fuel tank, and discusses itsmore » structural features and the development of resins.« less

Forming aspheric optics by controlled deposition

DOEpatents

Hawryluk, A.M.

1998-04-28

An aspheric optical element is disclosed formed by depositing material onto a spherical surface of an optical element by controlled deposition to form an aspheric surface of desired shape. A reflecting surface, single or multi-layer, can then be formed on the aspheric surface by evaporative or sputtering techniques. Aspheric optical elements are suitable for deep ultra-violet (UV) and x-ray wavelengths. The reflecting surface may, for example, be a thin ({approx}100 nm) layer of aluminum, or in some cases the deposited modifying layer may function as the reflecting surface. For certain applications, multi-layer reflective surfaces may be utilized, such as chromium-carbon or tungsten-carbon multi-layer, with the number of layers and thickness being determined by the intended application. 4 figs.

Forming aspheric optics by controlled deposition

DOEpatents

Hawryluk, Andrew M.

1998-01-01

An aspheric optical element formed by depositing material onto a spherical surface of an optical element by controlled deposition to form an aspheric surface of desired shape. A reflecting surface, single or multi-layer, can then be formed on the aspheric surface by evaporative or sputtering techniques. Aspheric optical elements are suitable for deep ultra-violet (UV) and x-ray wavelengths. The reflecting surface may, for example, be a thin (.about.100 nm) layer of aluminum, or in some cases the deposited modifying layer may function as the reflecting surface. For certain applications, multi-layer reflective surfaces may be utilized, such as chromium-carbon or tungsten-carbon multi-layer, with the number of layers and thickness being determined by the intended application.

Optical and structural characterization of Ge clusters embedded in ZrO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agocs, E.; Zolnai, Z.; Rossall, A. K.; van den Berg, J. A.; Fodor, B.; Lehninger, D.; Khomenkova, L.; Ponomaryov, S.; Gudymenko, O.; Yukhymchuk, V.; Kalas, B.; Heitmann, J.; Petrik, P.

2017-11-01

The change of optical and structural properties of Ge nanoclusters in ZrO2 matrix have been investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry versus annealing temperatures. Radio-frequency top-down magnetron sputtering approach was used to produce the samples of different types, i.e. single-layers of pure Ge, pure ZrO2 and Ge-rich-ZrO2 as well as multi-layers stacked of 40 periods of 5-nm-Ge-rich-ZrO2 layers alternated by 5-nm-ZrO2 ones. Germanium nanoclusters in ZrO2 host were formed by rapid-thermal annealing at 600-800 °C during 30 s in nitrogen atmosphere. Reference optical properties for pure ZrO2 and pure Ge have been extracted using single-layer samples. As-deposited multi-layer structures can be perfectly modeled using the effective medium theory. However, annealed multi-layers demonstrated a significant diffusion of elements that was confirmed by medium energy ion scattering measurements. This fact prevents fitting of such annealed structure either by homogeneous or by periodic multi-layer models.

High quantum efficiency and low dark count rate in multi-layer superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

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

Jafari Salim, A., E-mail: ajafaris@uwaterloo.ca; Eftekharian, A.; University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1

In this paper, we theoretically show that a multi-layer superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is capable of approaching characteristics of an ideal SNSPD in terms of the quantum efficiency, dark count, and band-width. A multi-layer structure improves the performance in two ways. First, the potential barrier for thermally activated vortex crossing, which is the major source of dark counts and the reduction of the critical current in SNSPDs is elevated. In a multi-layer SNSPD, a vortex is made of 2D-pancake vortices that form a stack. It will be shown that the stack of pancake vortices effectively experiences a larger potentialmore » barrier compared to a vortex in a single-layer SNSPD. This leads to an increase in the experimental critical current as well as significant decrease in the dark count rate. In consequence, an increase in the quantum efficiency for photons of the same energy or an increase in the sensitivity to photons of lower energy is achieved. Second, a multi-layer structure improves the efficiency of single-photon absorption by increasing the effective optical thickness without compromising the single-photon sensitivity.« less

Rapid fabricating technique for multi-layered human hepatic cell sheets by forceful contraction of the fibroblast monolayer.

PubMed

Sakai, Yusuke; Koike, Makiko; Hasegawa, Hideko; Yamanouchi, Kosho; Soyama, Akihiko; Takatsuki, Mitsuhisa; Kuroki, Tamotsu; Ohashi, Kazuo; Okano, Teruo; Eguchi, Susumu

2013-01-01

Cell sheet engineering is attracting attention from investigators in various fields, from basic research scientists to clinicians focused on regenerative medicine. However, hepatocytes have a limited proliferation potential in vitro, and it generally takes a several days to form a sheet morphology and multi-layered sheets. We herein report our rapid and efficient technique for generating multi-layered human hepatic cell (HepaRG® cell) sheets using pre-cultured fibroblast monolayers derived from human skin (TIG-118 cells) as a feeder layer on a temperature-responsive culture dish. Multi-layered TIG-118/HepaRG cell sheets with a thick morphology were harvested on day 4 of culturing HepaRG cells by forceful contraction of the TIG-118 cells, and the resulting sheet could be easily handled. In addition, the human albumin and alpha 1-antitrypsin synthesis activities of TIG-118/HepaRG cells were approximately 1.2 and 1.3 times higher than those of HepaRG cells, respectively. Therefore, this technique is considered to be a promising modality for rapidly fabricating multi-layered human hepatocyte sheets from cells with limited proliferation potential, and the engineered cell sheet could be used for cell transplantation with highly specific functions.

Dynamic clustering scheme based on the coordination of management and control in multi-layer and multi-region intelligent optical network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Xiaoliang; Yuan, Fen; Huang, Shanguo; Guo, Bingli; Gu, Wanyi

2011-12-01

A Dynamic clustering scheme based on coordination of management and control is proposed to reduce network congestion rate and improve the blocking performance of hierarchical routing in Multi-layer and Multi-region intelligent optical network. Its implement relies on mobile agent (MA) technology, which has the advantages of efficiency, flexibility, functional and scalability. The paper's major contribution is to adjust dynamically domain when the performance of working network isn't in ideal status. And the incorporation of centralized NMS and distributed MA control technology migrate computing process to control plane node which releases the burden of NMS and improves process efficiently. Experiments are conducted on Multi-layer and multi-region Simulation Platform for Optical Network (MSPON) to assess the performance of the scheme.

Towards Optimal Connectivity on Multi-layered Networks.

PubMed

Chen, Chen; He, Jingrui; Bliss, Nadya; Tong, Hanghang

2017-10-01

Networks are prevalent in many high impact domains. Moreover, cross-domain interactions are frequently observed in many applications, which naturally form the dependencies between different networks. Such kind of highly coupled network systems are referred to as multi-layered networks , and have been used to characterize various complex systems, including critical infrastructure networks, cyber-physical systems, collaboration platforms, biological systems and many more. Different from single-layered networks where the functionality of their nodes is mainly affected by within-layer connections, multi-layered networks are more vulnerable to disturbance as the impact can be amplified through cross-layer dependencies, leading to the cascade failure to the entire system. To manipulate the connectivity in multi-layered networks, some recent methods have been proposed based on two-layered networks with specific types of connectivity measures. In this paper, we address the above challenges in multiple dimensions. First, we propose a family of connectivity measures (SUBLINE) that unifies a wide range of classic network connectivity measures. Third, we reveal that the connectivity measures in SUBLINE family enjoy diminishing returns property , which guarantees a near-optimal solution with linear complexity for the connectivity optimization problem. Finally, we evaluate our proposed algorithm on real data sets to demonstrate its effectiveness and efficiency.

Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} multi-density layer structure as a moisture permeation barrier deposited by radio frequency remote plasma atomic layer deposition

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

Jung, Hyunsoo; Samsung Display Co. Ltd., Tangjeong, Chungcheongnam-Do 336-741; Jeon, Heeyoung

2014-02-21

Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films deposited by remote plasma atomic layer deposition have been used for thin film encapsulation of organic light emitting diode. In this study, a multi-density layer structure consisting of two Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layers with different densities are deposited with different deposition conditions of O{sub 2} plasma reactant time. This structure improves moisture permeation barrier characteristics, as confirmed by a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) test. The lowest WVTR of the multi-density layer structure was 4.7 × 10{sup −5} gm{sup −2} day{sup −1}, which is one order of magnitude less than WVTR for the reference single-density Al{submore » 2}O{sub 3} layer. This improvement is attributed to the location mismatch of paths for atmospheric gases, such as O{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O, in the film due to different densities in the layers. This mechanism is analyzed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, elastic recoil detection, and angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These results confirmed that the multi-density layer structure exhibits very good characteristics as an encapsulation layer via location mismatch of paths for H{sub 2}O and O{sub 2} between the two layers.« less

Chemical and morphological characterization of III-V strained layered heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Allen Lindsay

This dissertation describes investigations into the chemical and morphological characterization of III-V strained layered heterostructures by high-resolution x-ray diffraction. The purpose of this work is two-fold. The first was to use high-resolution x-ray diffraction coupled with transmission electron microscopy to characterize structurally a quaternary AlGaAsSb/InGaAsSb multiple quantum well heterostructure laser device. A method for uniquely determining the chemical composition of the strain quaternary quantum well, information previously thought to be unattainable using high resolution x-ray diffraction is thoroughly described. The misconception that high-resolution x-ray diffraction can separately find the well and barrier thickness of a multi-quantum well from the pendellosung fringe spacing is corrected, and thus the need for transmission electron microscopy is motivated. Computer simulations show that the key in finding the well composition is the intensity of the -3rd order satellite peaks in the diffraction pattern. The second part of this work addresses the evolution of strain relief in metastable multi-period InGaAs/GaAs multi-layered structures by high-resolution x-ray reciprocal space maps. Results are accompanied by transmission electron and differential contrast microscopy. The evolution of strain relief is tracked from a coherent "pseudomorphic" growth to a dislocated state as a function of period number by examining the x-ray diffuse scatter emanating from the average composition (zeroth-order) of the multi-layer. Relaxation is determined from the relative positions of the substrate with respect to the zeroth-order peak. For the low period number, the diffuse scatter from the multi-layer structure region arises from periodic, coherent crystallites. For the intermediate period number, the displacement fields around the multi-layer structure region transition to random coherent crystallites. At the higher period number, displacement fields of overlapping dislocations from relaxation of the random crystallites cause the initial stages of relaxation of the multi-layer structure. At the highest period number studied, relaxation of the multi-layer structure becomes bi-modal characterized by overlapping dislocations caused by mosaic block relaxation and periodically spaced misfit dislocations formed by 60°-type dislocations. The relaxation of the multi-layer structure has an exponential dependence on the diffuse scatter length-scale, which is shown to be a sensitive measure of the onset of relaxation.

Device structure for OLED light device having multi element light extraction and luminescence conversion layer

DOEpatents

Antoniadis,; Homer, Krummacher [Mountain View, CA; Claus, Benjamin [Regensburg, DE

2008-01-22

An apparatus such as a light source has a multi-element light extraction and luminescence conversion layer disposed over a transparent layer of the light source and on the exterior of said light source. The multi-element light extraction and luminescence conversion layer includes a plurality of light extraction elements and a plurality of luminescence conversion elements. The light extraction elements diffuses the light from the light source while luminescence conversion elements absorbs a first spectrum of light from said light source and emits a second spectrum of light.

Room temperature performance of 4 V aqueous hybrid supercapacitor using multi-layered lithium-doped carbon negative electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makino, Sho; Yamamoto, Rie; Sugimoto, Shigeyuki; Sugimoto, Wataru

2016-09-01

Water-stable multi-layered lithium-doped carbon (LixC6) negative electrode using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-lithium bis(trifluoromethansulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) polymer electrolyte containing N-methyl-N-propylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethansulfonyl)imide (PP13TFSI) ionic liquid was developed. Electrochemical properties at 60 °C of the aqueous hybrid supercapacitor using activated carbon positive electrode and a multi-layered LixC6 negative electrode (LixC6 | PEO-LiTFSI | LTAP) without PP13TFSI exhibited performance similar to that using Li anode (Li | PEO-LiTFSI | LTAP). A drastic decrease in ESR was achieved by the addition of PP13TFSI to PEO-LiTFSI, allowing room temperature operation. The ESR of the multi-layered LixC6 negative electrode with PEO-LiTFSI-PP13TFSI at 25 °C was 801 Ω cm2, which is 1/6 the value of the multi-layered Li negative electrode with PEO-LiTFSI (5014 Ω cm2). Charge/discharge test of the aqueous hybrid supercapacitor using multi-layered LixC6 negative electrode with PEO-LiTFSI-PP13TFSI at 25 °C afforded specific capacity of 20.6 mAh (g-activated carbon)-1 with a working voltage of 2.7-3.7 V, and good long-term capability up to 3000 cycles. Furthermore, an aqueous hybrid supercapacitor consisting of a high capacitance RuO2 nanosheet positive electrode and multi-layered LixC6 negative electrode with PEO-LiTFSI-PP13TFSI showed specific capacity of 196 mAh (g-RuO2)-1 and specific energy of 625 Wh (kg-RuO2)-1 in 2.0 M acetic acid-lithium acetate buffered solution at 25 °C.

Multi-Skyrmions on AdS2 × S2, rational maps and popcorn transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canfora, Fabrizio; Tallarita, Gianni

2017-08-01

By combining two different techniques to construct multi-soliton solutions of the (3 + 1)-dimensional Skyrme model, the generalized hedgehog and the rational map ansatz, we find multi-Skyrmion configurations in AdS2 ×S2. We construct Skyrmionic multi-layered configurations such that the total Baryon charge is the product of the number of kinks along the radial AdS2 direction and the degree of the rational map. We show that, for fixed total Baryon charge, as one increases the charge density on ∂ (AdS2 ×S2) , it becomes increasingly convenient energetically to have configurations with more peaks in the radial AdS2 direction but a lower degree of the rational map. This has a direct relation with the so-called holographic popcorn transitions in which, when the charge density is high, multi-layered configurations with low charge on each layer are favored over configurations with few layers but with higher charge on each layer. The case in which the geometry is M2 ×S2 can also be analyzed.

Multi-domain boundary element method for axi-symmetric layered linear acoustic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiter, Paul; Ziegelwanger, Harald

2017-12-01

Homogeneous porous materials like rock wool or synthetic foam are the main tool for acoustic absorption. The conventional absorbing structure for sound-proofing consists of one or multiple absorbers placed in front of a rigid wall, with or without air-gaps in between. Various models exist to describe these so called multi-layered acoustic systems mathematically for incoming plane waves. However, there is no efficient method to calculate the sound field in a half space above a multi layered acoustic system for an incoming spherical wave. In this work, an axi-symmetric multi-domain boundary element method (BEM) for absorbing multi layered acoustic systems and incoming spherical waves is introduced. In the proposed BEM formulation, a complex wave number is used to model absorbing materials as a fluid and a coordinate transformation is introduced which simplifies singular integrals of the conventional BEM to non-singular radial and angular integrals. The radial and angular part are integrated analytically and numerically, respectively. The output of the method can be interpreted as a numerical half space Green's function for grounds consisting of layered materials.

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

Bazzarella, Ricardo; Slocum, Alexander H.; Doherty, Tristan

Electrochemical cells and methods of making electrochemical cells are described herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a multi-layer sheet for encasing an electrode material for an electrochemical cell. The multi-layer sheet including an outer layer, an intermediate layer that includes a conductive substrate, and an inner layer disposed on a portion of the conductive substrate. The intermediate layer is disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer. The inner layer defines an opening through which a conductive region of the intermediate layer is exposed such that the electrode material can be electrically connected to the conductive region. Thus,more » the intermediate layer can serve as a current collector for the electrochemical cell.« less

Electrochemical cells and methods of manufacturing the same

DOEpatents

Bazzarella, Ricardo; Slocum, Alexander H; Doherty, Tristan; Cross, III, James C

2015-11-03

Electrochemical cells and methods of making electrochemical cells are described herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a multi-layer sheet for encasing an electrode material for an electrochemical cell. The multi-layer sheet including an outer layer, an intermediate layer that includes a conductive substrate, and an inner layer disposed on a portion of the conductive substrate. The intermediate layer is disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer. The inner layer defines an opening through which a conductive region of the intermediate layer is exposed such that the electrode material can be electrically connected to the conductive region. Thus, the intermediate layer can serve as a current collector for the electrochemical cell.

From Internationalisation to Education for Global Citizenship: A Multi-Layered History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haigh, Martin

2014-01-01

The evolving narrative on internationalisation in higher education is complex and multi-layered. This overview explores the evolution of thinking about internationalisation among different stakeholder groups in universities. It parses out eight coexisting layers that progress from concerns based largely upon institutional survival and competition…

Large-scale delamination of multi-layers transition metal carbides and carbonitrides “MXenes”

DOE PAGES

Naguib, Michael; Unocic, Raymond R.; Armstrong, Beth L.; ...

2015-04-17

Herein we report on a general approach to delaminate multi-layered MXenes using an organic base to induce swelling that in turn weakens the bonds between the MX layers. Simple agitation or mild sonication of the swollen MXene in water resulted in the large-scale delamination of the MXene layers. The delamination method is demonstrated for vanadium carbide, and titanium carbonitrides MXenes.

Magnetic and electrical control of engineered materials

DOEpatents

Schuller, Ivan K.; de La Venta Granda, Jose; Wang, Siming; Ramirez, Gabriel; Erekhinskiy, Mikhail; Sharoni, Amos

2016-08-16

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for controlling the magnetic and electrical properties of materials. In one aspect, a multi-layer structure includes a first layer comprising a ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic material, and a second layer positioned within the multi-layer structure such that a first surface of the first layer is in direct physical contact with a second surface of the second layer. The second layer includes a material that undergoes structural phase transitions and metal-insulator transitions upon experiencing a change in temperature. One or both of the first and second layers are structured to allow a structural phase change associated with the second layer cause a change magnetic properties of the first layer.

A KLM-circuit model of a multi-layer transducer for acoustic bladder volume measurements.

PubMed

Merks, E J W; Borsboom, J M G; Bom, N; van der Steen, A F W; de Jong, N

2006-12-22

In a preceding study a new technique to non-invasively measure the bladder volume on the basis of non-linear wave propagation was validated. It was shown that the harmonic level generated at the posterior bladder wall increases for larger bladder volumes. A dedicated transducer is needed to further verify and implement this approach. This transducer must be capable of both transmission of high-pressure waves at fundamental frequency and reception of up to the third harmonic. For this purpose, a multi-layer transducer was constructed using a single element PZT transducer for transmission and a PVDF top-layer for reception. To determine feasibility of the multi-layer concept for bladder volume measurements, and to ensure optimal performance, an equivalent mathematical model on the basis of KLM-circuit modeling was generated. This model was obtained in two subsequent steps. Firstly, the PZT transducer was modeled without PVDF-layer attached by means of matching the model with the measured electrical input impedance. It was validated using pulse-echo measurements. Secondly, the model was extended with the PVDF-layer. The total model was validated by considering the PVDF-layer as a hydrophone on the PZT transducer surface and comparing the measured and simulated PVDF responses on a wave transmitted by the PZT transducer. The obtained results indicated that a valid model for the multi-layer transducer was constructed. The model showed feasibility of the multi-layer concept for bladder volume measurements. It also allowed for further optimization with respect to electrical matching and transmit waveform. Additionally, the model demonstrated the effect of mechanical loading of the PVDF-layer on the PZT transducer.

Development of Multi-Layered Floating Floor for Cabin Noise Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Jee-Hun; Hong, Suk-Yoon; Kwon, Hyun-Wung

2017-12-01

Recently, regulations pertaining to the noise and vibration environment of ship cabins have been strengthened. In this paper, a numerical model is developed for multi-layered floating floor to predict the structure-borne noise in ship cabins. The theoretical model consists of multi-panel structures lined with high-density mineral wool. The predicted results for structure-borne noise when multi-layered floating floor is used are compared to the measure-ments made of a mock-up. A comparison of the predicted results and the experimental one shows that the developed model could be an effective tool for predicting structure-borne noise in ship cabins.

Flexible Multi-Shock Shield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christiansen, Eric L. (Inventor); Crews, Jeanne L. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Flexible multi-shock shield system and method are disclosed for defending against hypervelocity particles. The flexible multi-shock shield system and method may include a number of flexible bumpers or shield layers spaced apart by one or more resilient support layers, all of which may be encapsulated in a protective cover. Fasteners associated with the protective cover allow the flexible multi-shock shield to be secured to the surface of a structure to be protected.

Multiscale deformation behavior for multilayered steel by in-situ FE-SEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Y.; Kishimoto, S.; Yin, F.; Kobayashi, M.; Tomimatsu, T.; Kagawa, K.

2010-03-01

The multi-scale deformation behavior of multi-layered steel during tensile loading was investigated by in-situ FE-SEM observation coupled with multi-scale pattern. The material used was multi-layered steel sheet consisting of martensitic and austenitic stainless steel layers. Prior to in-situ tensile testing, the multi-scale pattern combined with a grid and random dots were fabricated by electron beam lithography on the polished surface in the area of 1 mm2 to facilitate direct observation of multi-scale deformation. Both of the grids with pitches of 10 μm and a random speckle pattern ranging from 200 nm to a few μm sizes were drawn onto the specimen surface at same location. The electron moiré method was applied to measure the strain distribution in the deformed specimens at a millimeter scale and digital images correlation method was applied to measure the in-plane deformation and strain distribution at a micron meter scale acquired before and after at various increments of straining. The results showed that the plastic deformation in the austenitic stainless steel layer was larger than the martensitic steel layer at millimeter scale. However, heterogeneous intrinsic grain-scale plastic deformation was clearly observed and it increased with increasing the plastic deformation.

Multi-Shaped Ag Nanoparticles in the Plasmonic Layer of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells for Increased Power Conversion Efficiency.

PubMed

Song, Da Hyun; Kim, Ho-Sub; Suh, Jung Sang; Jun, Bong-Hyun; Rho, Won-Yeop

2017-06-04

The use of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is widespread owing to their high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low cost of manufacturing. We prepared multi-shaped Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and introduced them into DSSCs to further enhance their PCE. The maximum absorption wavelength of the multi-shaped Ag NPs is 420 nm, including the shoulder with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 121 nm. This is a broad absorption wavelength compared to spherical Ag NPs, which have a maximum absorption wavelength of 400 nm without the shoulder of 61 nm FWHM. Therefore, when multi-shaped Ag NPs with a broader plasmon-enhanced absorption were coated on a mesoporous TiO₂ layer on a layer-by-layer structure in DSSCs, the PCE increased from 8.44% to 10.22%, equivalent to an improvement of 21.09% compared to DSSCs without a plasmonic layer. To confirm the plasmon-enhanced effect on the composite film structure in DSSCs, the PCE of DSSCs based on the composite film structure with multi-shaped Ag NPs increased from 8.58% to 10.34%, equivalent to an improvement of 20.51% compared to DSSCs without a plasmonic layer. This concept can be applied to perovskite solar cells, hybrid solar cells, and other solar cells devices.

Stable aqueous dispersions of functionalized multi-layer graphene by pulsed underwater plasma exfoliation of graphite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer-Plath, Asmus; Beckert, Fabian; Tölle, Folke J.; Sturm, Heinz; Mülhaupt, Rolf

2016-02-01

A process was developed for graphite particle exfoliation in water to stably dispersed multi-layer graphene. It uses electrohydraulic shockwaves and the functionalizing effect of solution plasma discharges in water. The discharges were excited by 100 ns high voltage pulsing of graphite particle chains that bridge an electrode gap. The underwater discharges allow simultaneous exfoliation and chemical functionalization of graphite particles to partially oxidized multi-layer graphene. Exfoliation is caused by shockwaves that result from rapid evaporation of carbon and water to plasma-excited gas species. Depending on discharge energy and locus of ignition, the shockwaves cause stirring, erosion, exfoliation and/or expansion of graphite flakes. The process was optimized to produce long-term stable aqueous dispersions of multi-layer graphene from graphite in a single process step without requiring addition of intercalants, surfactants, binders or special solvents. A setup was developed that allows continuous production of aqueous dispersions of flake size-selected multi-layer graphenes. Due to the well-preserved sp2-carbon structure, thin films made from the dispersed graphene exhibited high electrical conductivity. Underwater plasma discharge processing exhibits high innovation potential for morphological and chemical modifications of carbonaceous materials and surfaces, especially for the generation of stable dispersions of two-dimensional, layered materials.

Rapid Fabricating Technique for Multi-Layered Human Hepatic Cell Sheets by Forceful Contraction of the Fibroblast Monolayer

PubMed Central

Sakai, Yusuke; Koike, Makiko; Hasegawa, Hideko; Yamanouchi, Kosho; Soyama, Akihiko; Takatsuki, Mitsuhisa; Kuroki, Tamotsu; Ohashi, Kazuo; Okano, Teruo; Eguchi, Susumu

2013-01-01

Cell sheet engineering is attracting attention from investigators in various fields, from basic research scientists to clinicians focused on regenerative medicine. However, hepatocytes have a limited proliferation potential in vitro, and it generally takes a several days to form a sheet morphology and multi-layered sheets. We herein report our rapid and efficient technique for generating multi-layered human hepatic cell (HepaRG® cell) sheets using pre-cultured fibroblast monolayers derived from human skin (TIG-118 cells) as a feeder layer on a temperature-responsive culture dish. Multi-layered TIG-118/HepaRG cell sheets with a thick morphology were harvested on day 4 of culturing HepaRG cells by forceful contraction of the TIG-118 cells, and the resulting sheet could be easily handled. In addition, the human albumin and alpha 1-antitrypsin synthesis activities of TIG-118/HepaRG cells were approximately 1.2 and 1.3 times higher than those of HepaRG cells, respectively. Therefore, this technique is considered to be a promising modality for rapidly fabricating multi-layered human hepatocyte sheets from cells with limited proliferation potential, and the engineered cell sheet could be used for cell transplantation with highly specific functions. PMID:23923035

Two Dimensional (2D) P-Aramid Dry Multi-Layered Woven Fabrics Deformational Behaviour for Technical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abtew, M. A.; Loghin, C.; Cristian, I.; Boussu, F.; Bruniaux, P.; Chen, Y.; Wang, L.

2018-06-01

In today’s scenario for the various technical applications, from composites to body armour, the material mouldability along with its mechanical property become very important. In the present study, two dimensional (2D) woven fabrics made of para-aramid high performance fibres in multi-layer dry structure were used for investigating different forming characteristics. The different layers were arranged with 0°/90° orientation for deep drawing formability test to analyse the effect of number of layers and blank-holder pressure (BHP) during the test. Specific preforming device with low speed forming process and predefined hemispherical shape of punch has been applied. Using fine photographic analysis, some important 2D multi-layer fabrics forming characteristics i.e., material drawing-in, surface shear angle etc. from the imposed deformation have been observed, measured and analysed for better understanding and co MPa rison. The result revealed that the mouldability behaviour of the multi-layered dry textile fabric preforms is directional, and closely dependent on blank-holding pressure and number of layers. This indicates both parameters should be carefully considered while material deformation to avoid the formation of wrinkling and maintain other mechanical properties on final application.

Broadband nonlinear optical response in multi-layer black phosphorus: an emerging infrared and mid-infrared optical material.

PubMed

Lu, S B; Miao, L L; Guo, Z N; Qi, X; Zhao, C J; Zhang, H; Wen, S C; Tang, D Y; Fan, D Y

2015-05-04

Black phosphorous (BP), the most thermodynamically stable allotrope of phosphorus, is a high-mobility layered semiconductor with direct band-gap determined by the number of layers from 0.3 eV (bulk) to 2.0 eV (single layer). Therefore, BP is considered as a natural candidate for broadband optical applications, particularly in the infrared (IR) and mid-IR part of the spectrum. The strong light-matter interaction, narrow direct band-gap, and wide range of tunable optical response make BP as a promising nonlinear optical material, particularly with great potentials for infrared and mid-infrared opto-electronics. Herein, we experimentally verified its broadband and enhanced saturable absorption of multi-layer BP (with a thickness of ~10 nm) by wide-band Z-scan measurement technique, and anticipated that multi-layer BPs could be developed as another new type of two-dimensional saturable absorber with operation bandwidth ranging from the visible (400 nm) towards mid-IR (at least 1930 nm). Our results might suggest that ultra-thin multi-layer BP films could be potentially developed as broadband ultra-fast photonics devices, such as passive Q-switcher, mode-locker, optical switcher etc.

Adhesive contact between a rigid spherical indenter and an elastic multi-layer coated substrate

PubMed Central

Stan, Gheorghe; Adams, George G.

2016-01-01

In this work the frictionless, adhesive contact between a rigid spherical indenter and an elastic multi-layer coated half-space was investigated by means of an integral transform formulation. The indented multi-layer coats were considered as made of isotropic layers that are perfectly bonded to each other and to an isotropic substrate. The adhesive interaction between indenter and contacting surface was treated as Maugis-type adhesion to provide general applicability within the entire range of adhesive interactions. By using a transfer matrix method, the stress-strain equations of the system were reduced to two coupled integral equations for the stress distribution under the indenter and the ratio between the adhesion radius and the contact radius, respectively. These resulting integral equations were solved through a numerical collocation technique, with solutions for the load dependencies of the contact radius and indentation depth for various values of the adhesion parameter and layer composition. The method developed here can be used to calculate the force-distance response of adhesive contacts on various inhomogeneous half-spaces that can be modeled as multi-layer coated half-spaces. PMID:27574338

Efficient gas barrier properties of multi-layer films based on poly(lactic acid) and fish gelatin.

PubMed

Hosseini, Seyed Fakhreddin; Javidi, Zahra; Rezaei, Masoud

2016-11-01

Multi-layer film structures of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and fish gelatin (FG), prepared using the solvent casting technique, were studied in an effort to produce bio-based films with low oxygen (OP) and water vapor permeability (WVP). The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of triple-layer film showed that the outer PLA layers are being closely attached to the inner FG layer to make continuous film. The OP of multi-layer film (5.02cm 3 /m 2 daybar) decreased more than 8-fold compared with that of the PLA film, and the WVP of multi-layer film (0.125gmm/kPah m 2 ) also decreased 11-fold compared with that of the FG film. Lamination with PLA profoundly increased the water resistance of the bare gelatin film. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the triple-layer film (25±2.13MPa) was greater than that of FG film (7.48±1.70MPa). At the same time, the resulting film maintains high optical clarity. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis also revealed that the materials were compatible showing only one T g which decreased with FG deposition. This material exhibits an environmental-friendliness potential and a high versatility in food packaging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical cells and methods of manufacturing the same

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

Bazzarella, Ricardo; Slocum, Alexander H.; Doherty, Tristan

2016-07-26

Electrochemical cells and methods of making electrochemical cells are described herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a multi-layer sheet for encasing an electrode material for an electrochemical cell. The multi-layer sheet including an outer layer, an intermediate layer that includes a conductive substrate, and an inner layer disposed on a portion of the conductive substrate. The intermediate layer is disposed between the outer layer and the inner layer. The inner layer defines an opening through which a conductive region of the intermediate layer is exposed such that the electrode material can be electrically connected to the conductive region. Thus,more » the intermediate layer can serve as a current collector for the electrochemical cell.« less

Characteristics of Extra Narrow Gap Weld of HSLA Steel Welded by Single-Seam per Layer Pulse Current GMA Weld Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, B. P.; Ghosh, P. K.

2017-03-01

Butt weld joints are produced using pulse current gas metal arc welding process by employing the technique of centrally laid multi-pass single-seam per layer weld deposition in extra narrow groove of thick HSLA steel plates. The weld joints are prepared by using different combination of pulse parameters. The selection of parameter of pulse current gas metal arc welding is done considering a summarized influence of simultaneously interacting pulse parameters defined by a dimensionless hypothetical factor ϕ. The effect of diverse pulse parameters on the characteristics of weld has been studied. Weld joint is also prepared by using commonly used multi-pass multi-seam per layer weld deposition in conventional groove. The extra narrow gap weld joints have been found much superior to the weld joint prepared by multi-pass multi-seam per layer deposition in conventional groove with respect to its metallurgical characteristics and mechanical properties.

Multi-layer plastic/glass microfluidic systems containing electrical and mechanical functionality.

PubMed

Han, Arum; Wang, Olivia; Graff, Mason; Mohanty, Swomitra K; Edwards, Thayne L; Han, Ki-Ho; Bruno Frazier, A

2003-08-01

This paper describes an approach for fabricating multi-layer microfluidic systems from a combination of glass and plastic materials. Methods and characterization results for the microfabrication technologies underlying the process flow are presented. The approach is used to fabricate and characterize multi-layer plastic/glass microfluidic systems containing electrical and mechanical functionality. Hot embossing, heat staking of plastics, injection molding, microstenciling of electrodes, and stereolithography were combined with conventional MEMS fabrication techniques to realize the multi-layer systems. The approach enabled the integration of multiple plastic/glass materials into a single monolithic system, provided a solution for the integration of electrical functionality throughout the system, provided a mechanism for the inclusion of microactuators such as micropumps/valves, and provided an interconnect technology for interfacing fluids and electrical components between the micro system and the macro world.

Flaw investigation in a multi-layered, multi-material composite: Using air-coupled ultrasonic resonance imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livings, R. A.; Dayal, V.; Barnard, D. J.; Hsu, D. K.

2012-05-01

Ceramic tiles are the main ingredient of a multi-material, multi-layered composite being considered for the modernization of tank armors. The high stiffness, low attenuation, and precise dimensions of these uniform tiles make them remarkable resonators when driven to vibrate. Defects in the tile, during manufacture or after usage, are expected to change the resonance frequencies and resonance images of the tile. The comparison of the resonance frequencies and resonance images of a pristine tile/lay-up to a defective tile/lay-up will thus be a quantitative damage metric. By examining the vibrational behavior of these tiles and the composite lay-up with Finite Element Modeling and analytical plate vibration equations, the development of a new Nondestructive Evaluation technique is possible. This study examines the development of the Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Resonance Imaging technique as applied to a hexagonal ceramic tile and a multi-material, multi-layered composite.

Numerical and experimental investigation into the subsequent thermal cycling during selective laser melting of multi-layer 316L stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yang; Zhang, Jian; Pang, Zhicong

2018-01-01

Subsequent thermal cycling (STC), as the unique thermal behavior during the multi-layer manufacturing process of selective laser melting (SLM), brings about unique microstructure of the as-produced parts. A multi-layer finite element (FE) model was proposed to study the STC along with a contrast experiment. The FE simulational results show that as layer increases, the maximum temperature, dimensions and liquid lifetime of the molten pool increase, while the heating and cooling rates decrease. The maximum temperature point shifts into the molten pool, and central of molten pool shifts backward. The neighborly underlying layer can be remelted thoroughly when laser irradiates a powder layer, thus forming an excellent bonding between neighbor layers. The contrast experimental results between the single-layer and triple-layer samples show that grains in of latter become coarsen and tabular along the height direction compared with those of the former. Moreover, this effect become more serious in 2nd and 1st layers in the triple-layer sample. All the above illustrate that the STC has an significant influence on the thermal behavior during SLM process, and thus affects the microstructure of SLMed parts.

The Stability and Interfacial Motion of Multi-layer Radial Porous Media and Hele-Shaw Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gin, Craig; Daripa, Prabir

2017-11-01

In this talk, we will discuss viscous fingering instabilities of multi-layer immiscible porous media flows within the Hele-Shaw model in a radial flow geometry. We study the motion of the interfaces for flows with both constant and variable viscosity fluids. We consider the effects of using a variable injection rate on multi-layer flows. We also present a numerical approach to simulating the interface motion within linear theory using the method of eigenfunction expansion. We compare these results with fully non-linear simulations.

Novel technique for fabrication of multi-layered microcoils in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Hung-Pin; Qian, Jiangyuan; Bachman, Mark; Congdon, Philip; Li, Guann-pyng

2002-07-01

A novel planarization technique, compressive molding planarization (CMP) is developed for implementation of a multi-layered micro coil device. Applying CMP and other micromachining techniques, a multi-layered micro coil device has been designed and fabricated, and its use in the magnetic micro actuators for hard disk drive applications has been demonstrated, showing that it can produce milli-Newton of magnetic force suitable for driving a micro actuator. The novel CMP technique can be equally applicable in other MEMS devices fabrication to ease the process integration for the complicated structure.

Reduction of dioxin emission by a multi-layer reactor with bead-shaped activated carbon in simulated gas stream and real flue gas of a sinter plant.

PubMed

Hung, Pao Chen; Lo, Wei Chiao; Chi, Kai Hsien; Chang, Shu Hao; Chang, Moo Been

2011-01-01

A laboratory-scale multi-layer system was developed for the adsorption of PCDD/Fs from gas streams at various operating conditions, including gas flow rate, operating temperature and water vapor content. Excellent PCDD/F removal efficiency (>99.99%) was achieved with the multi-layer design with bead-shaped activated carbons (BACs). The PCDD/F removal efficiency achieved with the first layer adsorption bed decreased as the gas flow rate was increased due to the decrease of the gas retention time. The PCDD/F concentrations measured at the outlet of the third layer adsorption bed were all lower than 0.1 ng I-TEQ Nm⁻³. The PCDD/Fs desorbed from BAC were mainly lowly chlorinated congeners and the PCDD/F outlet concentrations increased as the operating temperature was increased. In addition, the results of pilot-scale experiment (real flue gases of an iron ore sintering plant) indicated that as the gas flow rate was controlled at 15 slpm, the removal efficiencies of PCDD/F congeners achieved with the multi-layer reactor with BAC were better than that in higher gas flow rate condition (20 slpm). Overall, the lab-scale and pilot-scale experiments indicated that PCDD/F removal achieved by multi-layer reactor with BAC strongly depended on the flow rate of the gas stream to be treated. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reactive composite compositions and mat barriers

DOEpatents

Langton, Christine A.; Narasimhan, Rajendran; Karraker, David G.

2001-01-01

A hazardous material storage area has a reactive multi-layer composite mat which lines an opening into which a reactive backfill and hazardous material are placed. A water-inhibiting cap may cover the hazardous material storage area. The reactive multi-layer composite mat has a backing onto which is placed an active layer which will neutralize or stabilize hazardous waste and a fronting layer so that the active layer is between the fronting and backing layers. The reactive backfill has a reactive agent which can stabilize or neutralize hazardous material and inhibit the movement of the hazardous material through the hazardous material storage area.

Ablative Laser Propulsion Using Multi-Layered Material Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nehls, Mary; Edwards, David; Gray, Perry; Schneider, T.

2002-01-01

Experimental investigations are ongoing to study the force imparted to materials when subjected to laser ablation. When a laser pulse of sufficient energy density impacts a material, a small amount of the material is ablated. A torsion balance is used to measure the momentum produced by the ablation process. The balance consists of a thin metal wire with a rotating pendulum suspended in the middle. The wire is fixed at both ends. Recently, multi-layered material systems were investigated. These multi-layered materials were composed of a transparent front surface and opaque sub surface. The laser pulse penetrates the transparent outer surface with minimum photon loss and vaporizes the underlying opaque layer.

Distributed Grooming in Multi-Domain IP/MPLS-DWDM Networks

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

Liu, Qing

2009-12-01

This paper studies distributed multi-domain, multilayer provisioning (grooming) in IP/MPLS-DWDM networks. Although many multi-domain studies have emerged over the years, these have primarily considered 'homogeneous' network layers. Meanwhile, most grooming studies have assumed idealized settings with 'global' link state across all layers. Hence there is a critical need to develop practical distributed grooming schemes for real-world networks consisting of multiple domains and technology layers. Along these lines, a detailed hierarchical framework is proposed to implement inter-layer routing, distributed grooming, and setup signaling. The performance of this solution is analyzed in detail using simulation studies and future work directions are alsomore » high-lighted.« less

Agent-based modeling of porous scaffold degradation and vascularization: Optimal scaffold design based on architecture and degradation dynamics.

PubMed

Mehdizadeh, Hamidreza; Bayrak, Elif S; Lu, Chenlin; Somo, Sami I; Akar, Banu; Brey, Eric M; Cinar, Ali

2015-11-01

A multi-layer agent-based model (ABM) of biomaterial scaffold vascularization is extended to consider the effects of scaffold degradation kinetics on blood vessel formation. A degradation model describing the bulk disintegration of porous hydrogels is incorporated into the ABM. The combined degradation-angiogenesis model is used to investigate growing blood vessel networks in the presence of a degradable scaffold structure. Simulation results indicate that higher porosity, larger mean pore size, and rapid degradation allow faster vascularization when not considering the structural support of the scaffold. However, premature loss of structural support results in failure for the material. A strategy using multi-layer scaffold with different degradation rates in each layer was investigated as a way to address this issue. Vascularization was improved with the multi-layered scaffold model compared to the single-layer model. The ABM developed provides insight into the characteristics that influence the selection of optimal geometric parameters and degradation behavior of scaffolds, and enables easy refinement of the model as new knowledge about the underlying biological phenomena becomes available. This paper proposes a multi-layer agent-based model (ABM) of biomaterial scaffold vascularization integrated with a structural-kinetic model describing bulk degradation of porous hydrogels to consider the effects of scaffold degradation kinetics on blood vessel formation. This enables the assessment of scaffold characteristics and in particular the disintegration characteristics of the scaffold on angiogenesis. Simulation results indicate that higher porosity, larger mean pore size, and rapid degradation allow faster vascularization when not considering the structural support of the scaffold. However, premature loss of structural support by scaffold disintegration results in failure of the material and disruption of angiogenesis. A strategy using multi-layer scaffold with different degradation rates in each layer was investigated as away to address this issue. Vascularization was improved with the multi-layered scaffold model compared to the single-layer model. The ABM developed provides insight into the characteristics that influence the selection of optimal geometric and degradation characteristics of tissue engineering scaffolds. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal Analysis and Design of Multi-layer Insulation for Re-entry Aerodynamic Heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daryabeigi, Kamran

2001-01-01

The combined radiation/conduction heat transfer in high-temperature multi-layer insulations was modeled using a finite volume numerical model. The numerical model was validated by comparison with steady-state effective thermal conductivity measurements, and by transient thermal tests simulating re-entry aerodynamic heating conditions. A design of experiments technique was used to investigate optimum design of multi-layer insulations for re-entry aerodynamic heating. It was found that use of 2 mm foil spacing and locating the foils near the hot boundary with the top foil 2 mm away from the hot boundary resulted in the most effective insulation design. A 76.2 mm thick multi-layer insulation using 1, 4, or 16 foils resulted in 2.9, 7.2, or 22.2 percent mass per unit area savings compared to a fibrous insulation sample at the same thickness, respectively.

A Framework for Supporting Survivability, Network Planning and Cross-Layer Optimization in Future Multi-Domain Terabit Networks

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

Baldin, Ilya; Huang, Shu; Gopidi, Rajesh

This final project report describes the accomplishments, products and publications from the award. It includes the overview of the project goals to devise a framework for managing resources in multi-domain, multi-layer networks, as well the details of the mathematical problem formulation and the description of the prototype built to prove the concept.

A data-driven multi-model methodology with deep feature selection for short-term wind forecasting

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

Feng, Cong; Cui, Mingjian; Hodge, Bri-Mathias

With the growing wind penetration into the power system worldwide, improving wind power forecasting accuracy is becoming increasingly important to ensure continued economic and reliable power system operations. In this paper, a data-driven multi-model wind forecasting methodology is developed with a two-layer ensemble machine learning technique. The first layer is composed of multiple machine learning models that generate individual forecasts. A deep feature selection framework is developed to determine the most suitable inputs to the first layer machine learning models. Then, a blending algorithm is applied in the second layer to create an ensemble of the forecasts produced by firstmore » layer models and generate both deterministic and probabilistic forecasts. This two-layer model seeks to utilize the statistically different characteristics of each machine learning algorithm. A number of machine learning algorithms are selected and compared in both layers. This developed multi-model wind forecasting methodology is compared to several benchmarks. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is evaluated to provide 1-hour-ahead wind speed forecasting at seven locations of the Surface Radiation network. Numerical results show that comparing to the single-algorithm models, the developed multi-model framework with deep feature selection procedure has improved the forecasting accuracy by up to 30%.« less

Global multi-layer network of human mobility

PubMed Central

Belyi, Alexander; Bojic, Iva; Sobolevsky, Stanislav; Sitko, Izabela; Hawelka, Bartosz; Rudikova, Lada; Kurbatski, Alexander; Ratti, Carlo

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Recent availability of geo-localized data capturing individual human activity together with the statistical data on international migration opened up unprecedented opportunities for a study on global mobility. In this paper, we consider it from the perspective of a multi-layer complex network, built using a combination of three datasets: Twitter, Flickr and official migration data. Those datasets provide different, but equally important insights on the global mobility – while the first two highlight short-term visits of people from one country to another, the last one – migration – shows the long-term mobility perspective, when people relocate for good. The main purpose of the paper is to emphasize importance of this multi-layer approach capturing both aspects of human mobility at the same time. On the one hand, we show that although the general properties of different layers of the global mobility network are similar, there are important quantitative differences among them. On the other hand, we demonstrate that consideration of mobility from a multi-layer perspective can reveal important global spatial patterns in a way more consistent with those observed in other available relevant sources of international connections, in comparison to the spatial structure inferred from each network layer taken separately. PMID:28553155

Nitride based quantum well light-emitting devices having improved current injection efficiency

DOEpatents

Tansu, Nelson; Zhao, Hongping; Liu, Guangyu; Arif, Ronald

2014-12-09

A III-nitride based device provides improved current injection efficiency by reducing thermionic carrier escape at high current density. The device includes a quantum well active layer and a pair of multi-layer barrier layers arranged symmetrically about the active layer. Each multi-layer barrier layer includes an inner layer abutting the active layer; and an outer layer abutting the inner layer. The inner barrier layer has a bandgap greater than that of the outer barrier layer. Both the inner and the outer barrier layer have bandgaps greater than that of the active layer. InGaN may be employed in the active layer, AlInN, AlInGaN or AlGaN may be employed in the inner barrier layer, and GaN may be employed in the outer barrier layer. Preferably, the inner layer is thin relative to the other layers. In one embodiment the inner barrier and active layers are 15 .ANG. and 24 .ANG. thick, respectively.

Multi-layer waste containment barrier

DOEpatents

Smith, Ann Marie; Gardner, Bradley M.; Nickelson, David F.

1999-01-01

An apparatus for constructing an underground containment barrier for containing an in-situ portion of earth. The apparatus includes an excavating device for simultaneously (i) excavating earthen material from beside the in-situ portion of earth without removing the in-situ portion and thereby forming an open side trench defined by opposing earthen sidewalls, and (ii) excavating earthen material from beneath the in-situ portion of earth without removing the in-situ portion and thereby forming a generally horizontal underground trench beneath the in-situ portion defined by opposing earthen sidewalls. The apparatus further includes a barrier-forming device attached to the excavating device for simultaneously forming a side barrier within the open trench and a generally horizontal, multi-layer barrier within the generally horizontal trench. The multi-layer barrier includes at least a first layer and a second layer.

Multi-phase back contacts for CIS solar cells

DOEpatents

Rockett, A.A.; Yang, L.C.

1995-12-19

Multi-phase, single layer, non-interdiffusing M-Mo back contact metallized films, where M is selected from Cu, Ga, or mixtures thereof, for CIS cells are deposited by a sputtering process on suitable substrates, preferably glass or alumina, to prevent delamination of the CIS from the back contact layer. Typical CIS compositions include CuXSe{sub 2} where X is In or/and Ga. The multi-phase mixture is deposited on the substrate in a manner to provide a columnar microstructure, with micro-vein Cu or/and Ga regions which partially or fully vertically penetrate the entire back contact layer. The CIS semiconductor layer is then deposited by hybrid sputtering and evaporation process. The Cu/Ga-Mo deposition is controlled to produce the single layer two-phase columnar morphology with controllable Cu or Ga vein size less than about 0.01 microns in width. During the subsequent deposition of the CIS layer, the columnar Cu/Ga regions within the molybdenum of the Cu/Ga-Mo back layer tend to partially leach out, and are replaced by columns of CIS. Narrower Cu and/or Ga regions, and those with fewer inner connections between regions, leach out more slowly during the subsequent CIS deposition. This gives a good mechanical and electrical interlock of the CIS layer into the Cu/Ga-Mo back layer. Solar cells employing In-rich CIS semiconductors bonded to the multi-phase columnar microstructure back layer of this invention exhibit vastly improved photo-electrical conversion on the order of 17% greater than Mo alone, improved uniformity of output across the face of the cell, and greater Fill Factor. 15 figs.

Multi-phase back contacts for CIS solar cells

DOEpatents

Rockett, Angus A.; Yang, Li-Chung

1995-01-01

Multi-phase, single layer, non-interdiffusing M-Mo back contact metallized films, where M is selected from Cu, Ga, or mixtures thereof, for CIS cells are deposited by a sputtering process on suitable substrates, preferably glass or alumina, to prevent delamination of the CIS from the back contact layer. Typical CIS compositions include CuXSe.sub.2 where X is In or/and Ga. The multi-phase mixture is deposited on the substrate in a manner to provide a columnar microstructure, with micro-vein Cu or/and Ga regions which partially or fully vertically penetrate the entire back contact layer. The CIS semiconductor layer is then deposited by hybrid sputtering and evaporation process. The Cu/Ga-Mo deposition is controlled to produce the single layer two-phase columnar morphology with controllable Cu or Ga vein size less than about 0.01 microns in width. During the subsequent deposition of the CIS layer, the columnar Cu/Ga regions within the molybdenum of the Cu/Ga-Mo back layer tend to partially leach out, and are replaced by columns of CIS. Narrower Cu and/or Ga regions, and those with fewer inner connections between regions, leach out more slowly during the subsequent CIS deposition. This gives a good mechanical and electrical interlock of the CIS layer into the Cu/Ga-Mo back layer. Solar cells employing In-rich CIS semiconductors bonded to the multi-phase columnar microstructure back layer of this invention exhibit vastly improved photo-electrical conversion on the order of 17% greater than Mo alone, improved uniformity of output across the face of the cell, and greater Fill Factor.

Diffusion-Based Design of Multi-Layered Ophthalmic Lenses for Controlled Drug Release

PubMed Central

Pimenta, Andreia F. R.; Serro, Ana Paula; Paradiso, Patrizia; Saramago, Benilde

2016-01-01

The study of ocular drug delivery systems has been one of the most covered topics in drug delivery research. One potential drug carrier solution is the use of materials that are already commercially available in ophthalmic lenses for the correction of refractive errors. In this study, we present a diffusion-based mathematical model in which the parameters can be adjusted based on experimental results obtained under controlled conditions. The model allows for the design of multi-layered therapeutic ophthalmic lenses for controlled drug delivery. We show that the proper combination of materials with adequate drug diffusion coefficients, thicknesses and interfacial transport characteristics allows for the control of the delivery of drugs from multi-layered ophthalmic lenses, such that drug bursts can be minimized, and the release time can be maximized. As far as we know, this combination of a mathematical modelling approach with experimental validation of non-constant activity source lamellar structures, made of layers of different materials, accounting for the interface resistance to the drug diffusion, is a novel approach to the design of drug loaded multi-layered contact lenses. PMID:27936138

Monte Carlo model of light transport in multi-layered tubular organs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunyao; Zhu, Jingping; Zhang, Ning

2017-02-01

We present a Monte Carlo static light migration model (Endo-MCML) to simulate endoscopic optical spectroscopy for tubular organs such as esophagus and colon. The model employs multi-layered hollow cylinder which emitting and receiving light both from the inner boundary to meet the conditions of endoscopy. Inhomogeneous sphere can be added in tissue layers to model cancer or other abnormal changes. The 3D light distribution and exit angle would be recorded as results. The accuracy of the model has been verified by Multi-layered Monte Carlo(MCML) method and NIRFAST. This model can be used for the forward modeling of light transport during endoscopically diffuse optical spectroscopy, light scattering spectroscopy, reflectance spectroscopy and other static optical detection or imaging technologies.

Layering, interface and edge effects in multi-layered composite medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Datta, S. K.; Shah, A. H.; Karunesena, W.

1990-01-01

Guided waves in a cross-ply laminated plate are studied. Because of the complexity of the exact dispersion equation that governs the wave propagation in a multi-layered fiber-reinforced plate, a stiffness method that can be applied to any number of layers is presented. It is shown that, for a sufficiently large number of layers, the plate can be modeled as a homogeneous anisotropic plate. Also studied is the reflection of guided waves from the edge of a multilayered plate. These results are quite different than in the case of a single homogeneous plate.

Fully Solution-Processable Fabrication of Multi-Layered Circuits on a Flexible Substrate Using Laser Processing

PubMed Central

Ji, Seok Young; Choi, Wonsuk; Jeon, Jin-Woo; Chang, Won Seok

2018-01-01

The development of printing technologies has enabled the realization of electric circuit fabrication on a flexible substrate. However, the current technique remains restricted to single-layer patterning. In this paper, we demonstrate a fully solution-processable patterning approach for multi-layer circuits using a combined method of laser sintering and ablation. Selective laser sintering of silver (Ag) nanoparticle-based ink is applied to make conductive patterns on a heat-sensitive substrate and insulating layer. The laser beam path and irradiation fluence are controlled to create circuit patterns for flexible electronics. Microvia drilling using femtosecond laser through the polyvinylphenol-film insulating layer by laser ablation, as well as sequential coating of Ag ink and laser sintering, achieves an interlayer interconnection between multi-layer circuits. The dimension of microvia is determined by a sophisticated adjustment of the laser focal position and intensity. Based on these methods, a flexible electronic circuit with chip-size-package light-emitting diodes was successfully fabricated and demonstrated to have functional operations. PMID:29425144

Formation of Multi-Layer Structures in Bi3Pb7 Intermetallic Compounds under an Ultra-High Gravitational Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashimo, T.; Iguchi, Y.; Bagum, R.; Sano, T.; Sakata, O.; Ono, M.; Okayasu, S.

2008-02-01

Ultra-high gravitational field (Mega-gravity field) can promote sedimentation of atoms (diffusion) even in solids, and is expected to form a compositionally-graded structure and/or nonequilibrium phase in multi-component condensed matter. We had achieved sedimentation of substitutional solute atoms in miscible systems (Bi-Sb, In-Pb, etc.). In this study, a mega-gravity experiment at high temperature was performed on a thin-plate sample (0.7 mm in thickness) of the intermetallic compound Bi3Pb7. A visible four-layer structure was produced, which exhibited different microscopic structures. In the lowest-gravity region layer, Bi phase appeared. In the mid layers, a compositionally-graded structure was formed, with differences observed in the powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Such a multi-layer structure is expected to exhibit unique physical properties such as superconductivity.

3D printing of tissue-simulating phantoms as a traceable standard for biomedical optical measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Erbao; Wang, Minjie; Shen, Shuwei; Han, Yilin; Wu, Qiang; Xu, Ronald

2016-01-01

Optical phantoms are commonly used to validate and calibrate biomedical optical devices in order to ensure accurate measurement of optical properties in biological tissue. However, commonly used optical phantoms are based on homogenous materials that reflect neither optical properties nor multi-layer heterogeneities of biological tissue. Using these phantoms for optical calibration may result in significant bias in biological measurement. We propose to characterize and fabricate tissue simulating phantoms that simulate not only the multi-layer heterogeneities but also optical properties of biological tissue. The tissue characterization module detects tissue structural and functional properties in vivo. The phantom printing module generates 3D tissue structures at different scales by layer-by-layer deposition of phantom materials with different optical properties. The ultimate goal is to fabricate multi-layer tissue simulating phantoms as a traceable standard for optimal calibration of biomedical optical spectral devices.

Dry etching technologies for reflective multilayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iino, Yoshinori; Karyu, Makoto; Ita, Hirotsugu; Kase, Yoshihisa; Yoshimori, Tomoaki; Muto, Makoto; Nonaka, Mikio; Iwami, Munenori

2012-11-01

We have developed a highly integrated methodology for patterning Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) mask, which has been highlighted for the lithography technique at the 14nm half-pitch generation and beyond. The EUV mask is characterized as a reflective-type mask which is completely different compared with conventional transparent-type of photo mask. And it requires not only patterning of absorber layer without damaging the underlying multi reflective layers (40 Si/Mo layers) but also etching multi reflective layers. In this case, the dry etch process has generally faced technical challenges such as the difficulties in CD control, etch damage to quartz substrate and low selectivity to the mask resist. Shibaura Mechatronics ARESTM mask etch system and its optimized etch process has already achieved the maximal etch performance at patterning two-layered absorber. And in this study, our process technologies of multi reflective layers will be evaluated by means of optimal combination of process gases and our optimized plasma produced by certain source power and bias power. When our ARES™ is used for multilayer etching, the user can choose to etch the absorber layer at the same time or etch only the multilayer.

Design, simulation and testing of a novel radial multi-pole multi-layer magnetorheological brake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jie; Li, Hua; Jiang, Xuezheng; Yao, Jin

2018-02-01

This paper deals with design, simulation and experimental testing of a novel radial multi-pole multi-layer magnetorheological (MR) brake. This MR brake has an innovative structural design with superposition principle of two magnetic fields generated by the inner coils and the outer coils. The MR brake has several media layers of magnetorheological (MR) fluid located between the inner coils and the outer coils, and it can provide higher torque and higher torque density than conventional single-disk or multi-disk or multi-pole single-layer MR brakes can. In this paper, a brief introduction to the structure of the proposed MR brake was given first. Then, theoretical analysis of the magnetic circuit and the braking torque was conducted. In addition, a 3D electromagnetic model of the MR brake was developed to simulate and examine the magnetic flux intensity and corresponding braking torque. A prototype of the brake was fabricated and several tests were carried out to validate its torque capacity. The results show that the proposed MR brake can produce a maximum braking torque of 133 N m and achieve a high torque density of 25.0 kN m-2, a high torque range of 42 and a high torque-to-power ratio of 0.95 N m W-1.

Layer-by-layer charging in non-volatile memory devices using embedded sub-2 nm platinum nanoparticles

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

Ramalingam, Balavinayagam; Zheng, Haisheng; Gangopadhyay, Shubhra, E-mail: gangopadhyays@missouri.edu

In this work, we demonstrate multi-level operation of a non-volatile memory metal oxide semiconductor capacitor by controlled layer-by-layer charging of platinum nanoparticle (PtNP) floating gate devices with defined gate voltage bias ranges. The device consists of two layers of ultra-fine, sub-2 nm PtNPs integrated between Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} tunneling and separation layers. PtNP size and interparticle distance were varied to control the particle self-capacitance and associated Coulomb charging energy. Likewise, the tunneling layer thicknesses were also varied to control electron tunneling to the first and second PtNP layers. The final device configuration with optimal charging behavior and multi-level programming was attainedmore » with a 3 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} initial tunneling layer, initial PtNP layer with particle size 0.54 ± 0.12 nm and interparticle distance 4.65 ± 2.09 nm, 3 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer to separate the PtNP layers, and second particle layer with 1.11 ± 0.28 nm PtNP size and interparticle distance 2.75 ± 1.05 nm. In this device, the memory window of the first PtNP layer saturated over a programming bias range of 7 V to 14 V, after which the second PtNP layer starts charging, exhibiting a multi-step memory window with layer-by-layer charging.« less

Detecting Water Bodies in LANDSAT8 Oli Image Using Deep Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, W.; He, G.; Long, T.; Ni, Y.

2018-04-01

Water body identifying is critical to climate change, water resources, ecosystem service and hydrological cycle. Multi-layer perceptron(MLP) is the popular and classic method under deep learning framework to detect target and classify image. Therefore, this study adopts this method to identify the water body of Landsat8. To compare the performance of classification, the maximum likelihood and water index are employed for each study area. The classification results are evaluated from accuracy indices and local comparison. Evaluation result shows that multi-layer perceptron(MLP) can achieve better performance than the other two methods. Moreover, the thin water also can be clearly identified by the multi-layer perceptron. The proposed method has the application potential in mapping global scale surface water with multi-source medium-high resolution satellite data.

Upper trapezius relaxation induced by TENS and interferential current in computer users with chronic nonspecific neck discomfort: An electromyographic analysis.

PubMed

Acedo, Adriano Alexandre; Luduvice Antunes, Ana Carolina; Barros dos Santos, André; Barbosa de Olveira, Cintia; Tavares dos Santos, Claudia; Colonezi, Gustavo Lacreta Toledo; Fontana, Felipe Antonio Medeiros; Fukuda, Thiago Yukio

2015-01-01

Recent studies have shown that a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and interferential current (IFC) application reduces pain in subjects with musculoskeletal disorders. However there are no clinical trials evaluating or comparing the muscle relaxation generated for these devices. To compare the muscle relaxation of the upper trapezius induced by the application of TENS and IFC in females with chronic nonspecific neck discomfort. Sixty-four females between 18 and 40 years of age and a history of nonspecific neck discomfort were randomly assigned to a TENS or an IFC group. The women in the TENS (N = 32; mean age 22 years) and IFC (N = 32, mean age 23 years) group were submitted to current application during 3 consecutive days and were assessed by electromyography (EMG) in different times aiming to quantify the muscular tension of the upper trapezius. A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used as pain measure at baseline (before TENS or IFC application) and at the end of the study. At baseline, demographic, pain, and EMG assessment data were similar between groups. Those in the IFC group had a significant trapezius relaxation after 3 IFC applications when compared to baseline and intermediate evaluations (P < 0.05). In contrast, the same analysis showed no significant difference between all assessments in the TENS group (P >0.05). In relation to pain relief, both groups showed an improvement at the end of the study when compared to baseline (both,P <0.05). The between-group analysis showed no difference for the subjects who received such IFC as TENS application (P <0.05). IFC induced the upper trapezius relaxation after 3 sessions in females with neck discomfort, but the TENS application did not change the muscular tension. However, these results should be carefully interpreted due to the lack of differences between groups. A significant pain decrease was found in the subjects of both groups, however, only the IFC application presented a clinically important improvement.

No effect of bipolar interferential electrotherapy and pulsed ultrasound for soft tissue shoulder disorders: a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

van der Heijden, G. J M G; Leffers, P.; Wolters, P.; Verheijden, J.; van Mameren, H.; Houben, J.; Bouter, L.; Knipschild, P.

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE—To assess the efficacy of bipolar interferential electrotherapy (ET) and pulsed ultrasound (US) as adjuvants to exercise therapy for soft tissue shoulder disorders (SD).
METHODS—Randomised placebo controlled trial with a two by two factorial design plus an additional control group in 17 primary care physiotherapy practices in the south of the Netherlands. Patients with shoulder pain and/or restricted shoulder mobility, because of a soft tissue impairment without underlying specific or generalised condition, were enrolled if they had not recovered after six sessions of exercise therapy in two weeks. They were randomised to receive (1) active ET plus active US; (2) active ET plus dummy US; (3) dummy ET plus active US; (4) dummy ET plus dummy US; or (5) no adjuvants. Additionally, they received a maximum of 12 sessions of exercise therapy in six weeks. Measurements at baseline, 6 weeks and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months later were blinded for treatment. Outcome measures: recovery, functional status, chief complaint, pain, clinical status, and range of motion.
RESULTS—After written informed consent 180 patients were randomised: both the active treatments were given to 73 patients, both the dummy treatments to 72 patients, and 35 patients received no adjuvants. Prognosis of groups appeared similar at baseline. Blinding was successfully maintained. At six weeks seven patients (20%) without adjuvants reported very large improvement (including complete recovery), 17 (23%) and 16 (22%) with active and dummy ET, and 19 (26%) and 14 (19%) with active and dummy US. These proportions increased to about 40% at three months, but remained virtually stable thereafter. Up to 12 months follow up the 95% CI for differences between groups for all outcomes include zero.
CONCLUSION—Neither ET nor US prove to be effective as adjuvants to exercise therapy for soft tissue SD.

 PMID:10460185

Is Interferential Current Before Pilates Exercises More Effective Than Placebo in Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain?: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Franco, Katherinne Moura; Franco, Yuri Dos Santos; Oliveira, Naiane Bastos de; Miyamoto, Gisela Cristiane; Santos, Matheus Oliveira; Liebano, Richard Eloin; Cabral, Cristina Nunes

2017-02-01

To determine whether interferential current (IFC) before Pilates exercises is more effective than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Two-arm randomized controlled trial, with a blinded assessor, and 6 months follow-up. Clinic of a school of physical therapy. The random sample consisted of patients (N=148) of both sexes, with age between 18 and 80 years and chronic nonspecific low back pain. In addition, participants were recruited by disclosure of the treatment in the media. Patients were allocated into 2 groups: active IFC + Pilates or placebo IFC + Pilates. In the first 2 weeks, patients were treated for 30 minutes with active or placebo IFC. In the following 4 weeks, 40 minutes of Pilates exercises were added after the application of the active or placebo IFC. A total of 18 sessions were offered during 6 weeks. The primary outcome measures were pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, and disability measured at 6 weeks after randomization. No significant differences were found between the groups for pain (0.1 points; 95% confidence interval, -0.9 to 1.0 points), pressure pain threshold (25.3kPa; 95% confidence interval, -4.4 to 55.0kPa), and disability (0.4 points; 95% confidence interval, -1.3 to 2.2). However, there was a significant difference between baseline and 6-week and 6-month follow-ups in the intragroup analysis for all outcomes (P<.05), except pressure pain threshold in the placebo IFC + Pilates group. These findings suggest that active IFC before Pilates exercise is not more effective than placebo IFC with respect to the outcomes assessed in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of a multi-layer three-dimensional scaffold with controlled porous micro-architecture for application in small intestine tissue engineering.

PubMed

Knight, Toyin; Basu, Joydeep; Rivera, Elias A; Spencer, Thomas; Jain, Deepak; Payne, Richard

2013-01-01

Various methods can be employed to fabricate scaffolds with characteristics that promote cell-to-material interaction. This report examines the use of a novel technique combining compression molding with particulate leaching to create a unique multi-layered scaffold with differential porosities and pore sizes that provides a high level of control to influence cell behavior. These cell behavioral responses were primarily characterized by bridging and penetration of two cell types (epithelial and smooth muscle cells) on the scaffold in vitro. Larger pore sizes corresponded to an increase in pore penetration, and a decrease in pore bridging. In addition, smaller cells (epithelial) penetrated further into the scaffold than larger cells (smooth muscle cells). In vivo evaluation of a multi-layered scaffold was well tolerated for 75 d in a rodent model. This data shows the ability of the components of multi-layered scaffolds to influence cell behavior, and demonstrates the potential for these scaffolds to promote desired tissue outcomes in vivo.

Multi-Layer SnSe Nanoflake Field-Effect Transistors with Low-Resistance Au Ohmic Contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Sang-Hyeok; Cho, Kwanghee; Park, No-Won; Park, Soonyong; Koh, Jung-Hyuk; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2017-05-01

We report p-type tin monoselenide (SnSe) single crystals, grown in double-sealed quartz ampoules using a modified Bridgman technique at 920 °C. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements clearly confirm that the grown SnSe consists of single-crystal SnSe. Electrical transport of multi-layer SnSe nanoflakes, which were prepared by exfoliation from bulk single crystals, was conducted using back-gated field-effect transistor (FET) structures with Au and Ti contacts on SiO2/Si substrates, revealing that multi-layer SnSe nanoflakes exhibit p-type semiconductor characteristics owing to the Sn vacancies on the surfaces of SnSe nanoflakes. In addition, a strong carrier screening effect was observed in 70-90-nm-thick SnSe nanoflake FETs. Furthermore, the effect of the metal contacts to multi-layer SnSe nanoflake-based FETs is also discussed with two different metals, such as Ti/Au and Au contacts.

Multi-layer Lanczos iteration approach to calculations of vibrational energies and dipole transition intensities for polyatomic molecules

DOE PAGES

Yu, Hua-Gen

2015-01-28

We report a rigorous full dimensional quantum dynamics algorithm, the multi-layer Lanczos method, for computing vibrational energies and dipole transition intensities of polyatomic molecules without any dynamics approximation. The multi-layer Lanczos method is developed by using a few advanced techniques including the guided spectral transform Lanczos method, multi-layer Lanczos iteration approach, recursive residue generation method, and dipole-wavefunction contraction. The quantum molecular Hamiltonian at the total angular momentum J = 0 is represented in a set of orthogonal polyspherical coordinates so that the large amplitude motions of vibrations are naturally described. In particular, the algorithm is general and problem-independent. An applicationmore » is illustrated by calculating the infrared vibrational dipole transition spectrum of CH₄ based on the ab initio T8 potential energy surface of Schwenke and Partridge and the low-order truncated ab initio dipole moment surfaces of Yurchenko and co-workers. A comparison with experiments is made. The algorithm is also applicable for Raman polarizability active spectra.« less

Investigation of Electrical and Optical Properties of Highly Transparent TCO/Ag/TCO Multilayer.

PubMed

Kim, Sunbo; Lee, Jaehyeong; Dao, Vinh Ai; Ahn, Shihyun; Hussain, Shahzada Qamar; Park, Jinjoo; Jung, Junhee; Lee, Chan; Song, Bong-Shik; Choi, Byoungdeog; Lee, Youn-Jung; Iftiquar, S M; Yi, Junsin

2015-03-01

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) have been widely used as transparent electrodes for opto-electronic devices, such as solar cells, flat-panel displays, and light-emitting diodes, because of their unique characteristics of high optical transmittance and low electrical resistivity. Among various TCO materials, zinc oxide based films have recently received much attention because they have advantages over commonly used indium and tin-based oxide films. Most TCO films, however, exhibit valleys of transmittance in the wavelength range of 550-700 nm, lowering the average transmittance in the visible region and decreasing short-circuit current (Isc) of solar cells. A TCO/Ag/TCO multi-layer structure has emerged as an attractive alternative because it provides optical characteristics without the valley of transmittance compared with a 100-nm-thick single-layer TCO. In this article, we report the electrical, optical and surface properties of TCO/Ag/TCO. These multi-layers were deposited at room temperature with various Ag film thicknesses from 5 to 15 nm while the thickness of TCO thin film was fixed at 40 nm. The TCO/Ag/TCO multi-layer with a 10-nm-thick Ag film showed optimum transmittance in the visible (400-800 nm) wavelength region. These multi-layer structures have advantages over TCO layers of the same thickness.

Optimisation of multi-layer rotationally moulded foamed structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pritchard, A. J.; McCourt, M. P.; Kearns, M. P.; Martin, P. J.; Cunningham, E.

2018-05-01

Multi-layer skin-foam and skin-foam-skin sandwich constructions are of increasing interest in the rotational moulding process for two reasons. Firstly, multi-layer constructions can improve the thermal insulation properties of a part. Secondly, foamed polyethylene sandwiched between solid polyethylene skins can increase the mechanical properties of rotationally moulded structural components, in particular increasing flexural properties and impact strength (IS). The processing of multiple layers of polyethylene and polyethylene foam presents unique challenges such as the control of chemical blowing agent decomposition temperature, and the optimisation of cooling rates to prevent destruction of the foam core; therefore, precise temperature control is paramount to success. Long cooling cycle times are associated with the creation of multi-layer foam parts due to their insulative nature; consequently, often making the costs of production prohibitive. Devices such as Rotocooler®, a rapid internal mould water spray cooling system, have been shown to have the potential to significantly decrease cooling times in rotational moulding. It is essential to monitor and control such devices to minimise the warpage associated with the rapid cooling of a moulding from only one side. The work presented here demonstrates the use of threaded thermocouples to monitor the polymer melt in multi-layer sandwich constructions, in order to analyse the cooling cycle of multi-layer foamed structures. A series of polyethylene skin-foam test mouldings were produced, and the effect of cooling medium on foam characteristics, mechanical properties, and process cycle time were investigated. Cooling cycle time reductions of 45%, 26%, and 29% were found for increasing (1%, 2%, and 3%) chemical blowing agent (CBA) amount when using internal water cooling technology from ˜123°C compared with forced air cooling (FAC). Subsequently, a reduction of IS for the same skin-foam parts was found to be 1%, 4%, and 16% compared with FAC.

Analysis of thermal performance of penetrated multi-layer insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, Winfred A., Jr.; Jenkins, Rhonald M.; Yoo, Chai H.; Barrett, William E.

1988-01-01

Results of research performed for the purpose of studying the sensitivity of multi-layer insulation blanket performance caused by penetrations through the blanket are presented. The work described in this paper presents the experimental data obtained from thermal vacuum tests of various penetration geometries similar to those present on the Hubble Space Telescope. The data obtained from these tests is presented in terms of electrical power required sensitivity factors referenced to a multi-layer blanket without a penetration. The results of these experiments indicate that a significant increase in electrical power is required to overcome the radiation heat losses in the vicinity of the penetrations.

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

Lereu, Aude L.; Zerrad, M.; Passian, Ali

In photonics, the field concentration and enhancement have been major objectives for achieving size reduction and device integration. Plasmonics offers resonant field confinement and enhancement, but ultra-sharp optical resonances in all-dielectric multi-layer thin films are emerging as a powerful contestant. Thus, applications capitalizing upon stronger and sharper optical resonances and larger field enhancements could be faced with a choice for the superior platform. Here in this paper, we present a comparison between plasmonic and dielectric multi-layer thin films for their resonance merits. We show that the remarkable characteristics of the resonance behavior of optimized dielectric multi-layers can outweigh those ofmore » their metallic counterpart.« less

Thin film solar energy collector

DOEpatents

Aykan, Kamran; Farrauto, Robert J.; Jefferson, Clinton F.; Lanam, Richard D.

1983-11-22

A multi-layer solar energy collector of improved stability comprising: (1) a substrate of quartz, silicate glass, stainless steel or aluminum-containing ferritic alloy; (2) a solar absorptive layer comprising silver, copper oxide, rhodium/rhodium oxide and 0-15% by weight of platinum; (3) an interlayer comprising silver or silver/platinum; and (4) an optional external anti-reflective coating, plus a method for preparing a thermally stable multi-layered solar collector, in which the absorptive layer is undercoated with a thin film of silver or silver/platinum to obtain an improved conductor-dielectric tandem.

Evaluating the performance of land surface model ORCHIDEE-CAN v1.0 on water and energy flux estimation with a single- and multi-layer energy budget scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yiying; Ryder, James; Bastrikov, Vladislav; McGrath, Matthew J.; Naudts, Kim; Otto, Juliane; Ottlé, Catherine; Peylin, Philippe; Polcher, Jan; Valade, Aude; Black, Andrew; Elbers, Jan A.; Moors, Eddy; Foken, Thomas; van Gorsel, Eva; Haverd, Vanessa; Heinesch, Bernard; Tiedemann, Frank; Knohl, Alexander; Launiainen, Samuli; Loustau, Denis; Ogée, Jérôme; Vessala, Timo; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan

2016-09-01

Canopy structure is one of the most important vegetation characteristics for land-atmosphere interactions, as it determines the energy and scalar exchanges between the land surface and the overlying air mass. In this study we evaluated the performance of a newly developed multi-layer energy budget in the ORCHIDEE-CAN v1.0 land surface model (Organising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems - CANopy), which simulates canopy structure and can be coupled to an atmospheric model using an implicit coupling procedure. We aim to provide a set of acceptable parameter values for a range of forest types. Top-canopy and sub-canopy flux observations from eight sites were collected in order to conduct this evaluation. The sites crossed climate zones from temperate to boreal and the vegetation types included deciduous, evergreen broad-leaved and evergreen needle-leaved forest with a maximum leaf area index (LAI; all-sided) ranging from 3.5 to 7.0. The parametrization approach proposed in this study was based on three selected physical processes - namely the diffusion, advection, and turbulent mixing within the canopy. Short-term sub-canopy observations and long-term surface fluxes were used to calibrate the parameters in the sub-canopy radiation, turbulence, and resistance modules with an automatic tuning process. The multi-layer model was found to capture the dynamics of sub-canopy turbulence, temperature, and energy fluxes. The performance of the new multi-layer model was further compared against the existing single-layer model. Although the multi-layer model simulation results showed few or no improvements to both the nighttime energy balance and energy partitioning during winter compared with a single-layer model simulation, the increased model complexity does provide a more detailed description of the canopy micrometeorology of various forest types. The multi-layer model links to potential future environmental and ecological studies such as the assessment of in-canopy species vulnerability to climate change, the climate effects of disturbance intensities and frequencies, and the consequences of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions from the terrestrial ecosystem.

Near-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with transparent conducting layer of gold-doped multi-layer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Chu-Young; Choe, Minhyeok; Lee, Sang-Jun; Hong, Sang-Hyun; Lee, Takhee; Lim, Wantae; Kim, Sung-Tae; Park, Seong-Ju

2013-03-01

We report on gold (Au)-doped multi-layer graphene (MLG), which can be used as a transparent conducting layer in near-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (NUV-LEDs). The optical output power of NUV-LEDs with thermally annealed Au-doped MLG was increased by 34% compared with that of NUV-LEDs with a bare MLG. This result is attributed to the reduced sheet resistance and the enhanced current injection efficiency of NUV-LEDs by the thermally annealed Au-doped MLG film, which shows high transmittance in NUV and UV regions and good adhesion of Au-doped MLG on p-GaN layer of NUV-LEDs.

Stabilization of solar films against hi temperature deactivation

DOEpatents

Jefferson, Clinton F.

1984-03-20

A multi-layer solar energy collector of improved stability comprising: (1) a solar absorptive film consisting essentially of copper oxide, cobalt oxide and manganese oxide; (2) a substrate of quartz, silicate glass or a stainless steel; and (3) an interlayer of platinum, plus a method for preparing a thermally stable multi-layered solar collector, in which the absorptive layer is undercoated with a thin film of platinum to obtain a stable conductor-dielectric tandem.

Effect of Surface Preparation on Residual Stresses in Multilayer Coatings and the Consequences for Disbondment Following Construction Damage and Exposure to In-Service Stress

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

Underground pipelines are protected by a combination of cathodic protection and a protective coating. Multi-layer coatings offer protection against corrosion and from mechanical damage during construction or during service. Multi-layer coatings are w...

Vibration and acoustic frequency spectra for industrial process modeling using selective fusion multi-condition samples and multi-source features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jian; Qiao, Junfei; Wu, ZhiWei; Chai, Tianyou; Zhang, Jian; Yu, Wen

2018-01-01

Frequency spectral data of mechanical vibration and acoustic signals relate to difficult-to-measure production quality and quantity parameters of complex industrial processes. A selective ensemble (SEN) algorithm can be used to build a soft sensor model of these process parameters by fusing valued information selectively from different perspectives. However, a combination of several optimized ensemble sub-models with SEN cannot guarantee the best prediction model. In this study, we use several techniques to construct mechanical vibration and acoustic frequency spectra of a data-driven industrial process parameter model based on selective fusion multi-condition samples and multi-source features. Multi-layer SEN (MLSEN) strategy is used to simulate the domain expert cognitive process. Genetic algorithm and kernel partial least squares are used to construct the inside-layer SEN sub-model based on each mechanical vibration and acoustic frequency spectral feature subset. Branch-and-bound and adaptive weighted fusion algorithms are integrated to select and combine outputs of the inside-layer SEN sub-models. Then, the outside-layer SEN is constructed. Thus, "sub-sampling training examples"-based and "manipulating input features"-based ensemble construction methods are integrated, thereby realizing the selective information fusion process based on multi-condition history samples and multi-source input features. This novel approach is applied to a laboratory-scale ball mill grinding process. A comparison with other methods indicates that the proposed MLSEN approach effectively models mechanical vibration and acoustic signals.

Study protocol of hypoalgesic effects of low frequency and burst-modulated alternating currents on healthy individuals.

PubMed

Rampazo da Silva, Érika Patrícia; da Silva, Viviane Ribeiro; Bernardes, Anabelly Sato; Matuzawa, Fabio Massao; Liebano, Richard Eloin

2018-03-01

The aim of the study will be to compare different types of analgesic electrical currents in relation to the pressure pain threshold and sensory comfort in healthy individuals. A total of 100 individuals will be randomly assigned to four groups: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, interferential current, Aussie current or placebo. The electrical stimulation will be administered with a strong level for 30 min and to the placebo group, the electrodes will be positioned while the equipment will remain switched off. The pressure pain threshold and sensory comfort will be measured with an algometer and the visual analogue scale, respectively. The level of significance will be p < 0.05. NCT01950728 (clinical trials).

Electrochromic window with high reflectivity modulation

DOEpatents

Goldner, Ronald B.; Gerouki, Alexandra; Liu, Te-Yang; Goldner, Mark A.; Haas, Terry E.

2000-01-01

A multi-layered, active, thin film, solid-state electrochromic device having a high reflectivity in the near infrared in a colored state, a high reflectivity and transmissivity modulation when switching between colored and bleached states, a low absorptivity in the near infrared, and fast switching times, and methods for its manufacture and switching are provided. In one embodiment, a multi-layered device comprising a first indium tin oxide transparent electronic conductor, a transparent ion blocking layer, a tungsten oxide electrochromic anode, a lithium ion conducting-electrically resistive electrolyte, a complimentary lithium mixed metal oxide electrochromic cathode, a transparent ohmic contact layer, a second indium oxide transparent electronic conductor, and a silicon nitride encapsulant is provided. Through elimination of optional intermediate layers, simplified device designs are provided as alternative embodiments. Typical colored-state reflectivity of the multi-layered device is greater than 50% in the near infrared, bleached-state reflectivity is less than 40% in the visible, bleached-state transmissivity is greater than 60% in the near infrared and greater than 40% in the visible, and spectral absorbance is less than 50% in the range from 0.65-2.5 .mu.m.

Organic solar cells with graded absorber layers processed from nanoparticle dispersions.

PubMed

Gärtner, Stefan; Reich, Stefan; Bruns, Michael; Czolk, Jens; Colsmann, Alexander

2016-03-28

The fabrication of organic solar cells with advanced multi-layer architectures from solution is often limited by the choice of solvents since most organic semiconductors dissolve in the same aromatic agents. In this work, we investigate multi-pass deposition of organic semiconductors from eco-friendly ethanol dispersion. Once applied, the nanoparticles are insoluble in the deposition agent, allowing for the application of further nanoparticulate layers and hence for building poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl):indene-C60 bisadduct absorber layers with vertically graded polymer and conversely graded fullerene concentration. Upon thermal annealing, we observe some degrees of polymer/fullerene interdiffusion by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy. Replacing the common bulk-heterojunction by such a graded photo-active layer yields an enhanced fill factor of the solar cell due to an improved charge carrier extraction, and consequently an overall power conversion efficiency beyond 4%. Wet processing of such advanced device architectures paves the way for a versatile, eco-friendly and industrially feasible future fabrication of organic solar cells with advanced multi-layer architectures.

Deep Visual Attention Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenguan; Shen, Jianbing

2018-05-01

In this work, we aim to predict human eye fixation with view-free scenes based on an end-to-end deep learning architecture. Although Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have made substantial improvement on human attention prediction, it is still needed to improve CNN based attention models by efficiently leveraging multi-scale features. Our visual attention network is proposed to capture hierarchical saliency information from deep, coarse layers with global saliency information to shallow, fine layers with local saliency response. Our model is based on a skip-layer network structure, which predicts human attention from multiple convolutional layers with various reception fields. Final saliency prediction is achieved via the cooperation of those global and local predictions. Our model is learned in a deep supervision manner, where supervision is directly fed into multi-level layers, instead of previous approaches of providing supervision only at the output layer and propagating this supervision back to earlier layers. Our model thus incorporates multi-level saliency predictions within a single network, which significantly decreases the redundancy of previous approaches of learning multiple network streams with different input scales. Extensive experimental analysis on various challenging benchmark datasets demonstrate our method yields state-of-the-art performance with competitive inference time.

Cross-Dependency Inference in Multi-Layered Networks: A Collaborative Filtering Perspective.

PubMed

Chen, Chen; Tong, Hanghang; Xie, Lei; Ying, Lei; He, Qing

2017-08-01

The increasingly connected world has catalyzed the fusion of networks from different domains, which facilitates the emergence of a new network model-multi-layered networks. Examples of such kind of network systems include critical infrastructure networks, biological systems, organization-level collaborations, cross-platform e-commerce, and so forth. One crucial structure that distances multi-layered network from other network models is its cross-layer dependency, which describes the associations between the nodes from different layers. Needless to say, the cross-layer dependency in the network plays an essential role in many data mining applications like system robustness analysis and complex network control. However, it remains a daunting task to know the exact dependency relationships due to noise, limited accessibility, and so forth. In this article, we tackle the cross-layer dependency inference problem by modeling it as a collective collaborative filtering problem. Based on this idea, we propose an effective algorithm Fascinate that can reveal unobserved dependencies with linear complexity. Moreover, we derive Fascinate-ZERO, an online variant of Fascinate that can respond to a newly added node timely by checking its neighborhood dependencies. We perform extensive evaluations on real datasets to substantiate the superiority of our proposed approaches.

A Method to Predict the Thickness of Poorly-Bonded Material Along Spray and Spray-Layer Boundaries in Cold Spray Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yangfan; Hamada, Yukitaka; Otobe, Katsunori; Ando, Teiichi

2017-02-01

Multi-traverse CS provides a unique means for the production of thick coatings and bulk materials from powders. However, the material along spray and spray-layer boundaries is often poorly bonded as it is laid by the leading and trailing peripheries of the spray that carry powder particles with insufficient kinetic energy. For the same reason, the splats in the very first layer deposited on the substrate may not be bonded well either. A mathematical spray model was developed based on an axisymmetric Gaussian mass flow rate distribution and a stepped deposition yield to predict the thickness of such poorly-bonded layers in multi-traverse CS deposition. The predicted thickness of poorly-bonded layers in a multi-traverse Cu coating falls in the range of experimental values. The model also predicts that the material that contains poorly bonded splats could exceed 20% of the total volume of the coating.

Optically transduced MEMS gyro device

DOEpatents

Nielson, Gregory N; Bogart, Gregory R; Langlois, Eric; Okandan, Murat

2014-05-20

A bulk micromachined vibratory gyro in which a proof mass has a bulk substrate thickness for a large mass and high inertial sensitivity. In embodiments, optical displacement transduction is with multi-layer sub-wavelength gratings for high sensitivity and low cross-talk with non-optical drive elements. In embodiments, the vibratory gyro includes a plurality of multi-layer sub-wavelength gratings and a plurality of drive electrodes to measure motion of the proof mass induced by drive forces and/or moments and induced by the Coriolis Effect when the gyro experiences a rotation. In embodiments, phase is varied across the plurality gratings and a multi-layer grating having the best performance is selected from the plurality.

Surface plasmons and Bloch surface waves: Towards optimized ultra-sensitive optical sensors

DOE PAGES

Lereu, Aude L.; Zerrad, M.; Passian, Ali; ...

2017-07-07

In photonics, the field concentration and enhancement have been major objectives for achieving size reduction and device integration. Plasmonics offers resonant field confinement and enhancement, but ultra-sharp optical resonances in all-dielectric multi-layer thin films are emerging as a powerful contestant. Thus, applications capitalizing upon stronger and sharper optical resonances and larger field enhancements could be faced with a choice for the superior platform. Here in this paper, we present a comparison between plasmonic and dielectric multi-layer thin films for their resonance merits. We show that the remarkable characteristics of the resonance behavior of optimized dielectric multi-layers can outweigh those ofmore » their metallic counterpart.« less

Quantitative, depth-resolved determination of particle motion using multi-exposure, spatial frequency domain laser speckle imaging.

PubMed

Rice, Tyler B; Kwan, Elliott; Hayakawa, Carole K; Durkin, Anthony J; Choi, Bernard; Tromberg, Bruce J

2013-01-01

Laser Speckle Imaging (LSI) is a simple, noninvasive technique for rapid imaging of particle motion in scattering media such as biological tissue. LSI is generally used to derive a qualitative index of relative blood flow due to unknown impact from several variables that affect speckle contrast. These variables may include optical absorption and scattering coefficients, multi-layer dynamics including static, non-ergodic regions, and systematic effects such as laser coherence length. In order to account for these effects and move toward quantitative, depth-resolved LSI, we have developed a method that combines Monte Carlo modeling, multi-exposure speckle imaging (MESI), spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), and careful instrument calibration. Monte Carlo models were used to generate total and layer-specific fractional momentum transfer distributions. This information was used to predict speckle contrast as a function of exposure time, spatial frequency, layer thickness, and layer dynamics. To verify with experimental data, controlled phantom experiments with characteristic tissue optical properties were performed using a structured light speckle imaging system. Three main geometries were explored: 1) diffusive dynamic layer beneath a static layer, 2) static layer beneath a diffuse dynamic layer, and 3) directed flow (tube) submerged in a dynamic scattering layer. Data fits were performed using the Monte Carlo model, which accurately reconstructed the type of particle flow (diffusive or directed) in each layer, the layer thickness, and absolute flow speeds to within 15% or better.

Visualizing the Intersection of the Personal and the Social Context--The Use of Multi-Layered Chronological Charts in Biographical Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiller, Patrick T.

2011-01-01

This paper outlines the theoretical reasoning and technical implementation of a particular approach to creating multi-layered chronological charts in qualitative biographical studies. The discussed method elucidates the interpretation of traditional life chronologies where the individual's "objective" life facts are reconstructed free from…

A MULTI-STREAM MODEL FOR VERTICAL MIXING OF A PASSIVE TRACER IN THE CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY LAYER

EPA Science Inventory

We study a multi-stream model (MSM) for vertical mixing of a passive tracer in the convective boundary layer, in which the tracer is advected by many vertical streams with different probabilities and diffused by small scale turbulence. We test the MSM algorithm for investigatin...

Experimental investigation of effects of stitching orientation on forming behaviors of 2D P-aramid multilayer woven preform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abtew, Mulat Alubel; Boussu, François; Bruniaux, Pascal; Loghin, Carmen; Cristian, Irina; Chen, Yan; Wang, Lichuan

2018-05-01

In many textile applications stitching process is one of the widely used methods to join the multi-layer fabric plies not only due to its easy applicability and flexible production but also provide structural integrity throughout-the-thickness of materials. In this research, the influences of stitching pattern on various molding characteristics of multi-layer 2D para-aramid plain woven fabrics while deformation was investigated. The fabrics were made of high performance fiber with 930dtex yarn linear density and fabric areal density of 200gm/m2. First, different stitch pattern (orientation) was applied for joining the mentioned multi-layered fabrics keeping other stitching parameters such as stitch gap, stitch thread tension, stitch length, stitch type, stitch thread type etc. constant throughout the study. Then, a pneumatic based molding device with a low speed forming process specially designed for preforming of textile with a predefined hemispherical shape of punch. The result shows that stitching pattern is one of the parameter that influences the different molding behavior and should be consider while molding stitched multi-layer fabrics.

Multi-layer electrode with nano-Li4Ti5O12 aggregates sandwiched between carbon nanotube and graphene networks for high power Li-ion batteries.

PubMed

Choi, Jin-Hoon; Ryu, Won-Hee; Park, Kyusung; Jo, Jeong-Dai; Jo, Sung-Moo; Lim, Dae-Soon; Kim, Il-Doo

2014-12-05

Self-aggregated Li4Ti5O12 particles sandwiched between graphene nanosheets (GNSs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) network are reported as new hybrid electrodes for high power Li-ion batteries. The multi-layer electrodes are fabricated by sequential process comprising air-spray coating of GNSs layer and the following electrostatic spray (E-spray) coating of well-dispersed colloidal Li4Ti5O12 nanoparticles, and subsequent air-spray coating of SWCNTs layer once again. In multi-stacked electrodes of GNSs/nanoporous Li4Ti5O12 aggregates/SWCNTs networks, GNSs and SWCNTs serve as conducting bridges, effectively interweaving the nanoporous Li4Ti5O12 aggregates, and help achieve superior rate capability as well as improved mechanical stability of the composite electrode by holding Li4Ti5O12 tightly without a binder. The multi-stacked electrodes deliver a specific capacity that maintains an impressively high capacity of 100 mA h g(-1) at a high rate of 100C even after 1000 cycles.

Microwave energy harvesting based on metamaterial absorbers with multi-layered square split rings for wireless communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaaslan, Muharrem; Bağmancı, Mehmet; Ünal, Emin; Akgol, Oguzhan; Sabah, Cumali

2017-06-01

We propose the design of a multiband absorber based on multi-layered square split ring (MSSR) structure. The multi-layered metamaterial structure is designed to be used in the frequency bands such as WIMAX, WLAN and satellite communication region. The absorption levels of the proposed structure are higher than 90% for all resonance frequencies. In addition, the incident angle and polarization dependence of the multi-layered metamaterial absorber and harvester is also investigated and it is observed that the structure has polarization angle independent frequency response with good absorption characteristics in the entire working frequency band. The energy harvesting ratios of the structure is investigated especially for the resonance frequencies at which the maximum absorption occurs. The energy harvesting potential of the proposed MSSRs is as good as those of the structures given in the literature. Therefore, the suggested design having good absorption, polarization and angle independent characteristics with a wide bandwidth is a potential candidate for future energy harvesting applications in commonly used wireless communication bands, namely WIMAX, WLAN and satellite communication bands.

Effect of Microstructure on Diffusional Solidification of 4343/3005/4343 Multi-Layer Aluminum Brazing Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Yiyou; Tong, Zhen; Jiang, Jianqing

2013-04-01

The effect of microstructure on clad/core interactions during the brazing of 4343/3005/4343 multi-layer aluminum brazing sheet was investigated employing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electron back-scattering diffraction (EBSD). The thickness of the melted clad layer gradually decreased during the brazing operation. It could be completely removed isothermally as a result of diffusional solidification at the brazing temperature. During the brazing cycle, the rate of loss of the melt in the brazing sheet, with small equiaxed grains' core layer, was higher than that with the core layer consisting of elongated large grains. The difference in microstructure affected the amount of liquid formed during brazing.

Multi-layer light-weight protective coating and method for application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiedemann, Karl E. (Inventor); Clark, Ronald K. (Inventor); Taylor, Patrick J. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A thin, light-weight, multi-layer coating is provided for protecting metals and their alloys from environmental attack at high temperatures. A reaction barrier is applied to the metal substrate and a diffusion barrier is then applied to the reaction barrier. A sealant layer may also be applied to the diffusion barrier if desired. The reaction barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the metal substrate and the diffusion barrier. The diffusion barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the reaction barrier and the sealant layer. The sealant layer is immiscible with the diffusion barrier and has a softening point below the expected use temperature of the metal.

A trifunctional multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyethylene glycol (MWCNT/PEG)-coated separator through a layer-by-layer coating strategy for high-energy Li–S batteries

DOE PAGES

Luo, Liu; Chung, Sheng-Heng; Manthiram, Arumugam

2016-10-11

In this study, a trifunctional separator fabricated by using a light-weight layer-by-layer multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polyethylene glycol (MWCNT/PEG) coating has been explored in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. The conductive MWCNT/PEG coating serves as (i) an upper current collector for accelerating the electron transport and benefiting the electrochemical reaction kinetics of the cell, (ii) a net-like filter for blocking and intercepting the migrating polysulfides through a synergistic effect including physical and chemical interactions, and (iii) a layered barrier for inhibiting the continuous diffusion and alleviating the volume change of the trapped active material by introducing a “buffer zone” in between the coated layers.more » The multi-layered MWCNT/PEG coating allows the use of the conventional pure sulfur cathode with a high sulfur content (78 wt%) and high sulfur loading (up to 6.5 mg cm -2) to achieve a high initial discharge capacity of 1206 mA h g -1 at C/5 rate, retaining a superior capacity of 630 mA h g -1 after 300 cycles. Lastly, the MWCNT/PEG-coated separator optimized by the facile layer-by-layer coating method provides a promising and feasible option for advanced Li–S batteries with high energy density.« less

Fabrication of 3D polypyrrole microstructures and their utilization as electrodes in supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Vinh; Zhou, Cheng; Kulinsky, Lawrence; Madou, Marc

2013-12-01

We present a novel fabrication method for constructing three-dimensional (3D) conducting microstructures based on the controlled-growth of electrodeposited polypyrrole (PPy) within a lithographically patterned photoresist layer. PPy thin films, post arrays, suspended planes supported by post arrays and multi-layered PPy structures were fabricated. The performance of supercapacitors based on 3D PPy electrodes doped with dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DBS-) and perchlorate (ClO4-) anions was studied using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The highest specific capacitance obtained from the multi-layered PPy(ClO4) electrodes was 401 ± 18 mF cm-2, which is roughly twice as high as the highest specific capacitance of PPy-based supercapacitor reported thus far. The increase in capacitance is the result of higher surface area per unit footprint achieved through the fabrication of multi-layered 3D electrodes.

Cross-Layer Scheme to Control Contention Window for Per-Flow in Asymmetric Multi-Hop Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giang, Pham Thanh; Nakagawa, Kenji

The IEEE 802.11 MAC standard for wireless ad hoc networks adopts Binary Exponential Back-off (BEB) mechanism to resolve bandwidth contention between stations. BEB mechanism controls the bandwidth allocation for each station by choosing a back-off value from one to CW according to the uniform random distribution, where CW is the contention window size. However, in asymmetric multi-hop networks, some stations are disadvantaged in opportunity of access to the shared channel and may suffer severe throughput degradation when the traffic load is large. Then, the network performance is degraded in terms of throughput and fairness. In this paper, we propose a new cross-layer scheme aiming to solve the per-flow unfairness problem and achieve good throughput performance in IEEE 802.11 multi-hop ad hoc networks. Our cross-layer scheme collects useful information from the physical, MAC and link layers of own station. This information is used to determine the optimal Contention Window (CW) size for per-station fairness. We also use this information to adjust CW size for each flow in the station in order to achieve per-flow fairness. Performance of our cross-layer scheme is examined on various asymmetric multi-hop network topologies by using Network Simulator (NS-2).

Modeling multi-process connectivity in river deltas: extending the single layer network analysis to a coupled multilayer network framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, A.; Longjas, A.; Foufoula-Georgiou, E.

2017-12-01

Previous work [e.g. Tejedor et al., 2016 - GRL] has demonstrated the potential of using graph theory to study key properties of the structure and dynamics of river delta channel networks. Although the distribution of fluxes in river deltas is mostly driven by the connectivity of its channel network a significant part of the fluxes might also arise from connectivity between the channels and islands due to overland flow and seepage. This channel-island-subsurface interaction creates connectivity pathways which facilitate or inhibit transport depending on their degree of coupling. The question we pose here is how to collectively study system connectivity that emerges from the aggregated action of different processes (different in nature, intensity and time scales). Single-layer graphs as those introduced for delta channel networks are inadequate as they lack the ability to represent coupled processes, and neglecting across-process interactions can lead to mis-representation of the overall system dynamics. We present here a framework that generalizes the traditional representation of networks (single-layer graphs) to the so-called multi-layer networks or multiplex. A multi-layer network conceptualizes the overall connectivity arising from different processes as distinct graphs (layers), while allowing at the same time to represent interactions between layers by introducing interlayer links (across process interactions). We illustrate this framework using a study of the joint connectivity that arises from the coupling of the confined flow on the channel network and the overland flow on islands, on a prototype delta. We show the potential of the multi-layer framework to answer quantitatively questions related to the characteristic time scales to steady-state transport in the system as a whole when different levels of channel-island coupling are modulated by different magnitudes of discharge rates.

Reconfigurable and non-volatile vertical magnetic logic gates

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

Butler, J., E-mail: jbutl001@ucr.edu; Lee, B.; Shachar, M.

2014-04-28

In this paper, we discuss the concept and prototype fabrication of reconfigurable and non-volatile vertical magnetic logic gates. These gates consist of two input layers and a RESET layer. The RESET layer allows the structure to be used as either an AND or an OR gate, depending on its magnetization state. To prove this concept, the gates were fabricated using a multi-layered patterned magnetic media, in which three magnetic layers are stacked and exchange-decoupled via non-magnetic interlayers. We demonstrate the functionality of these logic gates by conducting atomic force microscopy and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) analysis of the multi-layered patternedmore » magnetic media. The logic gates operation mechanism and fabrication feasibility are both validated by the MFM imaging results.« less

The fictitious force method for efficient calculation of vibration from a tunnel embedded in a multi-layered half-space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussein, M. F. M.; François, S.; Schevenels, M.; Hunt, H. E. M.; Talbot, J. P.; Degrande, G.

2014-12-01

This paper presents an extension of the Pipe-in-Pipe (PiP) model for calculating vibrations from underground railways that allows for the incorporation of a multi-layered half-space geometry. The model is based on the assumption that the tunnel displacement is not influenced by the existence of a free surface or ground layers. The displacement at the tunnel-soil interface is calculated using a model of a tunnel embedded in a full space with soil properties corresponding to the soil in contact with the tunnel. Next, a full space model is used to determine the equivalent loads that produce the same displacements at the tunnel-soil interface. The soil displacements are calculated by multiplying these equivalent loads by Green's functions for a layered half-space. The results and the computation time of the proposed model are compared with those of an alternative coupled finite element-boundary element model that accounts for a tunnel embedded in a multi-layered half-space. While the overall response of the multi-layered half-space is well predicted, spatial shifts in the interference patterns are observed that result from the superposition of direct waves and waves reflected on the free surface and layer interfaces. The proposed model is much faster and can be run on a personal computer with much less use of memory. Therefore, it is a promising design tool to predict vibration from underground tunnels and to assess the performance of vibration countermeasures in an early design stage.

Multi-Target Regression via Robust Low-Rank Learning.

PubMed

Zhen, Xiantong; Yu, Mengyang; He, Xiaofei; Li, Shuo

2018-02-01

Multi-target regression has recently regained great popularity due to its capability of simultaneously learning multiple relevant regression tasks and its wide applications in data mining, computer vision and medical image analysis, while great challenges arise from jointly handling inter-target correlations and input-output relationships. In this paper, we propose Multi-layer Multi-target Regression (MMR) which enables simultaneously modeling intrinsic inter-target correlations and nonlinear input-output relationships in a general framework via robust low-rank learning. Specifically, the MMR can explicitly encode inter-target correlations in a structure matrix by matrix elastic nets (MEN); the MMR can work in conjunction with the kernel trick to effectively disentangle highly complex nonlinear input-output relationships; the MMR can be efficiently solved by a new alternating optimization algorithm with guaranteed convergence. The MMR leverages the strength of kernel methods for nonlinear feature learning and the structural advantage of multi-layer learning architectures for inter-target correlation modeling. More importantly, it offers a new multi-layer learning paradigm for multi-target regression which is endowed with high generality, flexibility and expressive ability. Extensive experimental evaluation on 18 diverse real-world datasets demonstrates that our MMR can achieve consistently high performance and outperforms representative state-of-the-art algorithms, which shows its great effectiveness and generality for multivariate prediction.

Multi-responsive hydrogels for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications

PubMed Central

Knipe, Jennifer M.; Peppas, Nicholas A.

2014-01-01

Multi-responsive hydrogels, or ‘intelligent’ hydrogels that respond to more than one environmental stimulus, have demonstrated great utility as a regenerative biomaterial in recent years. They are structured biocompatible materials that provide specific and distinct responses to varied physiological or externally applied stimuli. As evidenced by a burgeoning number of investigators, multi-responsive hydrogels are endowed with tunable, controllable and even biomimetic behavior well-suited for drug delivery and tissue engineering or regenerative growth applications. This article encompasses recent developments and challenges regarding supramolecular, layer-by-layer assembled and covalently cross-linked multi-responsive hydrogel networks and their application to drug delivery and tissue engineering. PMID:26816625

Adaptive Multi-Layer LMS Controller Design and Application to Active Vibration Suppression on a Truss and Proposed Impact Analysis Technique

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-06-01

Setup and Initiation ........................................................ 83 2. Simulation 1 (19 Hz, Y-axis of Node 18, Piezo #2...175 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST ................................................................................... 187 ix...system for the sake of testing and simplicity. The Adaptive Multi-Layered LMS Controller was developed one piece at a time. After initial experimental

78 FR 75913 - Final Tank Closure and Waste Management Environmental Impact Statement for the Hanford Site...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-13

... Subtitle C barrier, a multi-layer barrier designed to provide 500-year protection. \\2\\ Under Tank Closure..., which means the tanks, ancillary equipment, and contaminated soil would be removed, and the remaining... Hanford barrier, a multi- layer barrier designed to provide 1,000-year protection. Alternative 6: All...

Detection of Multi-Layer and Vertically-Extended Clouds Using A-Train Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joiner, J.; Vasilkov, A. P.; Bhartia, P. K.; Wind, G.; Platnick, S.; Menzel, W. P.

2010-01-01

The detection of mUltiple cloud layers using satellite observations is important for retrieval algorithms as well as climate applications. In this paper, we describe a relatively simple algorithm to detect multiple cloud layers and distinguish them from vertically-extended clouds. The algorithm can be applied to coincident passive sensors that derive both cloud-top pressure from the thermal infrared observations and an estimate of solar photon pathlength from UV, visible, or near-IR measurements. Here, we use data from the A-train afternoon constellation of satellites: cloud-top pressure, cloud optical thickness, the multi-layer flag from the Aqua MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the optical centroid cloud pressure from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). For the first time, we use data from the CloudSat radar to evaluate the results of a multi-layer cloud detection scheme. The cloud classification algorithms applied with different passive sensor configurations compare well with each other as well as with data from CloudSat. We compute monthly mean fractions of pixels containing multi-layer and vertically-extended clouds for January and July 2007 at the OMI spatial resolution (l2kmx24km at nadir) and at the 5kmx5km MODIS resolution used for infrared cloud retrievals. There are seasonal variations in the spatial distribution of the different cloud types. The fraction of cloudy pixels containing distinct multi-layer cloud is a strong function of the pixel size. Globally averaged, these fractions are approximately 20% and 10% for OMI and MODIS, respectively. These fractions may be significantly higher or lower depending upon location. There is a much smaller resolution dependence for fractions of pixels containing vertically-extended clouds (approx.20% for OMI and slightly less for MODIS globally), suggesting larger spatial scales for these clouds. We also find higher fractions of vertically-extended clouds over land as compared with ocean, particularly in the tropics and summer hemisphere.

Distributed Multihoming Routing Method by Crossing Control MIPv6 with SCTP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Hongbo; Hamagami, Tomoki

There are various wireless communication technologies, such as 3G, WiFi, used widely in the world. Recently, not only the laptop but also the smart phones can be equipped with multiple wireless devices. The communication terminals which are implemented with multiple interfaces are usually called multi-homed nodes. Meanwhile, a multi-homed node with multiple interfaces can also be regarded as multiple single-homed nodes. For example, when a person who is using smart phone and laptop to connect to the Internet concurrently, we may regard the person as a multi-homed node in the Internet. This paper proposes a new routing method, Multi-homed Mobile Cross-layer Control to handle multi-homed mobile nodes. Our suggestion can provide a distributed end-to-end routing method for handling the communications among multi-homed nodes at the fundamental network layer.

Burning Graphene Layer-by-Layer

PubMed Central

Ermakov, Victor A.; Alaferdov, Andrei V.; Vaz, Alfredo R.; Perim, Eric; Autreto, Pedro A. S.; Paupitz, Ricardo; Galvao, Douglas S.; Moshkalev, Stanislav A.

2015-01-01

Graphene, in single layer or multi-layer forms, holds great promise for future electronics and high-temperature applications. Resistance to oxidation, an important property for high-temperature applications, has not yet been extensively investigated. Controlled thinning of multi-layer graphene (MLG), e.g., by plasma or laser processing is another challenge, since the existing methods produce non-uniform thinning or introduce undesirable defects in the basal plane. We report here that heating to extremely high temperatures (exceeding 2000 K) and controllable layer-by-layer burning (thinning) can be achieved by low-power laser processing of suspended high-quality MLG in air in “cold-wall” reactor configuration. In contrast, localized laser heating of supported samples results in non-uniform graphene burning at much higher rates. Fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were also performed to reveal details of oxidation mechanisms leading to uniform layer-by-layer graphene gasification. The extraordinary resistance of MLG to oxidation paves the way to novel high-temperature applications as continuum light source or scaffolding material. PMID:26100466

Controlled Patterning and Growth of Single Wall and Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delzeit, Lance D. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Method and system for producing a selected pattern or array of at least one of a single wall nanotube and/or a multi-wall nanotube containing primarily carbon. A substrate is coated with a first layer (optional) of a first selected metal (e.g., Al and/or Ir) and with a second layer of a catalyst (e.g., Fe, Co, Ni and/or Mo), having selected first and second layer thicknesses provided by ion sputtering, arc discharge, laser ablation, evaporation or CVD. The first layer and/or the second layer may be formed in a desired non-uniform pattern, using a mask with suitable aperture(s), to promote growth of carbon nanotubes in a corresponding pattern. A selected heated feed gas (primarily CH4 or C2Hn with n=2 and/or 4) is passed over the coated substrate and forms primarily single wall nanotubes or multiple wall nanotubes, depending upon the selected feed gas and its temperature. Nanofibers, as well as single wall and multi-wall nanotubes, are produced using plasma-aided growth from the second (catalyst) layer. An overcoating of a selected metal or alloy can be deposited, over the second layer, to provide a coating for the carbon nanotubes grown in this manner.

Design of metamirrors for linear to circular polarization conversion with super-octave bandwidth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fartookzadeh, Mahdi

2017-10-01

In this paper, bandwidth improvement of reflection-mode linear to circular polarization converters (RMCPs) is studied. The proposed RMCP is based on multi-layer rectangular patches. Equivalent transmission line circuit of multi-layer reflection-mode polarization converters is used for designing the proposed metamirror. In addition, the approximate equation of axial ratio (AR) of the reflected wave is obtained from the structures containing rectangular patches on each layer. Polarization converters containing multi-layer rectangular patches can be utilized for different ranges of frequencies. However, the frequency range of 2-8 THz is considered in this paper without losing generality. The incident wave is assumed to be linearly polarized with 45° polarization angle. AR equation is used for initial optimization of the dimensions of rectangular patches to obtain the widest possible bandwidth of RMCPs with two- and three-layer patches. Secondary optimization is applied after specifying largest dimensions of the unit cell and excluding them from the variables of optimization. Finally, modified dimensions of the three-layer RMCP are obtained using parametrical study in simulations. The proposed three-layer polarization converter has the 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of more than 116% and the permitted incident angle of higher than 25°.

Biologically inspired multi-layered synthetic skin for tactile feedback in prosthetic limbs.

PubMed

Osborn, Luke; Nguyen, Harrison; Betthauser, Joseph; Kaliki, Rahul; Thakor, Nitish

2016-08-01

The human body offers a template for many state-of-the-art prosthetic devices and sensors. In this work, we present a novel, sensorized synthetic skin that mimics the natural multi-layered nature of mechanoreceptors found in healthy glabrous skin to provide tactile information. The multi-layered sensor is made up of flexible piezoresistive textiles that act as force sensitive resistors (FSRs) to convey tactile information, which are embedded within a silicone rubber to resemble the compliant nature of human skin. The top layer of the synthetic skin is capable of detecting small loads less than 5 N whereas the bottom sensing layer responds reliably to loads over 7 N. Finite element analysis (FEA) of a simplified human fingertip and the synthetic skin was performed. Results suggest similarities in behavior during loading. A natural tactile event is simulated by loading the synthetic skin on a prosthetic limb. Results show the sensors' ability to detect applied loads as well as the ability to simulate neural spiking activity based on the derivative and temporal differences of the sensor response. During the tactile loading, the top sensing layer responded 0.24 s faster than the bottom sensing layer. A synthetic biologically-inspired skin such as this will be useful for enhancing the functionality of prosthetic limbs through tactile feedback.

Analysis of multi-layered films. [determining dye densities by applying a regression analysis to the spectral response of the composite transparency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarpace, F. L.; Voss, A. W.

1973-01-01

Dye densities of multi-layered films are determined by applying a regression analysis to the spectral response of the composite transparency. The amount of dye in each layer is determined by fitting the sum of the individual dye layer densities to the measured dye densities. From this, dye content constants are calculated. Methods of calculating equivalent exposures are discussed. Equivalent exposures are a constant amount of energy over a limited band-width that will give the same dye content constants as the real incident energy. Methods of using these equivalent exposures for analysis of photographic data are presented.

A preliminary study on puncture resistances of top and bottom layers of multi-layered needlepunched nonwoven geotextiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alan, G.; Tercan, M.

2017-10-01

Needlepunched nonwoven textiles are commonly used as geotextiles for various applications. Considering both environmental and economical benefits, utilization of recycled fibres in nonwoven geotextiles has become an attractive issue. Within this scope, the aim of this study is to evaluate the puncture resistance performances of top and bottom layers of multi-layered needle punched nonwovens made of recycled fibres to be used as membrane protective geotextiles by comparing them with those of made from polypropylene and polyester fibres. Puncture resistance results indicated that nonwovens made of recycled fibres demonstrated good performances at this preliminary stage.

Layered materials with improved magnesium intercalation for rechargeable magnesium ion cells

DOEpatents

Doe, Robert Ellis; Downie, Craig Michael; Fischer, Christopher; Lane, George Hamilton; Morgan, Dane; Nevin, Josh; Ceder, Gerbrand; Persson, Kristin Aslaug; Eaglesham, David

2015-10-27

Electrochemical devices which incorporate cathode materials that include layered crystalline compounds for which a structural modification has been achieved which increases the diffusion rate of multi-valent ions into and out of the cathode materials. Examples in which the layer spacing of the layered electrode materials is modified to have a specific spacing range such that the spacing is optimal for diffusion of magnesium ions are presented. An electrochemical cell comprised of a positive intercalation electrode, a negative metal electrode, and a separator impregnated with a nonaqeuous electrolyte solution containing multi-valent ions and arranged between the positive electrode and the negative electrode active material is described.

The cell engineering construction and function evaluation of multi-layer biochip dialyzer.

PubMed

Zhu, Wen; Li, Jiwei; Liu, Jianfeng

2013-10-01

We report the fabrication and function evaluation of multi-layer biochip dialyzer. Such device may potentially be applied to the wearable hemodialysis systems. By merging the advantages of microfluidic chip technology with cell engineering, both functions of glomerular filtration and renal tubule physiological activity are integrated in the same device. This device is designed into a laminated structure, in which the chip number of the superimposed layer can be arbitrarily tailored in accordance with the requirements of dialysis capacity. We propose that such structure can overcome the obstacles of large size and detached structure of the traditional hollow fiber dialyzer. To construct this multilayer biochips dialyzer, two types of dialyzer device with two-layered and six-layered chips are assembled, respectively. Cell adhesion and proliferation on three different dialysis membrane materials under static and dynamic conditions are investigated and compared. The filtration capability, re-absorption function and excrete ammonia function of the resulting multi-layer biochip dialyzer are evaluated. The results reveal that the constructed device can perform higher filtration efficiency and also play a role of renal tubule. This methodology may be useful in developing "scaling down" artificial kidneys that can act as wearable or even implantable hemodialysis systems.

Method for sealing an ultracapacitor, and related articles

DOEpatents

Day, James; Shapiro, Andrew Philip; Jerabek, Elihu Calvin

2000-08-29

An improved process for sealing at least one ultracapacitor which includes a multi-layer structure is disclosed. The process includes the step of applying a substantial vacuum to press together an uppermost layer of the structure and a lowermost layer of the structure and to evacuate ambient gasses, wherein a sealant situated in a peripheral area between the facing surfaces of the layers forms a liquid-impermeable seal for the structure under the vacuum. In some embodiments, a press is used to apply pressure to the peripheral area on which the sealant is disposed. Usually, the ultracapacitor would be situated within an enclosable region of the press, and a collapsible membrane would be fastened over the ultracapacitor to fully enclose the region and transmit the vacuum force to the multi-layer structure. The force applied by the press itself causes the sealant to flow, thereby ensuring a complete seal upon curing of the sealant. This process can be employed to seal one ultracapacitor or a stack of at least two ultracapacitors. Another embodiment of this invention is directed to an apparatus for sealing a multi-layer ultracapacitor, comprising the elements described above.

Vertically stacked multi-heterostructures of layered materials for logic transistors and complementary inverters

PubMed Central

Yu, Woo Jong; Li, Zheng; Zhou, Hailong; Chen, Yu; Wang, Yang; Huang, Yu; Duan, Xiangfeng

2014-01-01

The layered materials such as graphene have attracted considerable interest for future electronics. Here we report the vertical integration of multi-heterostructures of layered materials to enable high current density vertical field-effect transistors (VFETs). An n-channel VFET is created by sandwiching few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as the semiconducting channel between a monolayer graphene and a metal thin film. The VFETs exhibit a room temperature on-off ratio >103, while at same time deliver a high current density up to 5,000 A/cm2, sufficient for high performance logic applications. This study offers a general strategy for the vertical integration of various layered materials to obtain both p- and n-channel transistors for complementary logic functions. A complementary inverter with larger than unit voltage gain is demonstrated by vertically stacking the layered materials of graphene, Bi2Sr2Co2O8 (p-channel), graphene, MoS2 (n-channel), and metal thin film in sequence. The ability to simultaneously achieve high on-off ratio, high current density, and logic integration in the vertically stacked multi-heterostructures can open up a new dimension for future electronics to enable three-dimensional integration. PMID:23241535

Modelling mass diffusion for a multi-layer sphere immersed in a semi-infinite medium: application to drug delivery.

PubMed

Carr, Elliot J; Pontrelli, Giuseppe

2018-04-12

We present a general mechanistic model of mass diffusion for a composite sphere placed in a large ambient medium. The multi-layer problem is described by a system of diffusion equations coupled via interlayer boundary conditions such as those imposing a finite mass resistance at the external surface of the sphere. While the work is applicable to the generic problem of heat or mass transfer in a multi-layer sphere, the analysis and results are presented in the context of drug kinetics for desorbing and absorbing spherical microcapsules. We derive an analytical solution for the concentration in the sphere and in the surrounding medium that avoids any artificial truncation at a finite distance. The closed-form solution in each concentric layer is expressed in terms of a suitably-defined inverse Laplace transform that can be evaluated numerically. Concentration profiles and drug mass curves in the spherical layers and in the external environment are presented and the dependency of the solution on the mass transfer coefficient at the surface of the sphere analyzed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self assembled multi-layer nanocomposite of graphene and metal oxide materials

DOEpatents

Liu, Jun; Aksay, Ilhan A; Choi, Daiwon; Kou, Rong; Nie, Zimin; Wang, Donghai; Yang, Zhenguo

2013-10-22

Nanocomposite materials having at least two layers, each layer consisting of one metal oxide bonded to at least one graphene layer were developed. The nanocomposite materials will typically have many alternating layers of metal oxides and graphene layers, bonded in a sandwich type construction and will be incorporated into an electrochemical or energy storage device.

Self assembled multi-layer nanocomposite of graphene and metal oxide materials

DOEpatents

Liu, Jun; Aksay, Ilhan A; Choi, Daiwon; Kou, Rong; Nie, Zimin; Wang, Donghai; Yang, Zhenguo

2015-04-28

Nanocomposite materials having at least two layers, each layer consisting of one metal oxide bonded to at least one graphene layer were developed. The nanocomposite materials will typically have many alternating layers of metal oxides and graphene layers, bonded in a sandwich type construction and will be incorporated into an electrochemical or energy storage device.

Self assembled multi-layer nanocomposite of graphene and metal oxide materials

DOEpatents

Liu, Jun; Choi, Daiwon; Kou, Rong; Nie, Zimin; Wang, Donghai; Yang, Zhenguo

2014-09-16

Nanocomposite materials having at least two layers, each layer consisting of one metal oxide bonded to at least one graphene layer were developed. The nanocomposite materials will typically have many alternating layers of metal oxides and graphene layers, bonded in a sandwich type construction and will be incorporated into an electrochemical or energy storage device.

Strengthening of surface layer of material by wave deformation multi-contact loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirichek, A. V.; Barinov, S. V.; Aborkin, A. V.; Yashin, A. V.; Zaicev, A. A.

2018-03-01

It has been experimentally established that the possibility of multi-contact shock systems can transmit large total energy of the impact pulse to the deformation center. Thus, an increase in the number of instruments in a shock system from two to four, with the constant energy of the shock pulse, made it possible to increase the depth and the degree of hardening in the surface layer. The performance of multi-contact impact systems can be increased by 50% without degrading the hardening parameters by increasing the distance between the tools.

Smart Grid as Multi-layer Interacting System for Complex Decision Makings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bompard, Ettore; Han, Bei; Masera, Marcelo; Pons, Enrico

This chapter presents an approach to the analysis of Smart Grids based on a multi-layer representation of their technical, cyber, social and decision-making aspects, as well as the related environmental constraints. In the Smart Grid paradigm, self-interested active customers (prosumers), system operators and market players interact among themselves making use of an extensive cyber infrastructure. In addition, policy decision makers define regulations, incentives and constraints to drive the behavior of the competing operators and prosumers, with the objective of ensuring the global desired performance (e.g. system stability, fair prices). For these reasons, the policy decision making is more complicated than in traditional power systems, and needs proper modeling and simulation tools for assessing "in vitro" and ex-ante the possible impacts of the decisions assumed. In this chapter, we consider the smart grids as multi-layered interacting complex systems. The intricacy of the framework, characterized by several interacting layers, cannot be captured by closed-form mathematical models. Therefore, a new approach using Multi Agent Simulation is described. With case studies we provide some indications about how to develop agent-based simulation tools presenting some preliminary examples.

Age and gender estimation using Region-SIFT and multi-layered SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyunduk; Lee, Sang-Heon; Sohn, Myoung-Kyu; Hwang, Byunghun

2018-04-01

In this paper, we propose an age and gender estimation framework using the region-SIFT feature and multi-layered SVM classifier. The suggested framework entails three processes. The first step is landmark based face alignment. The second step is the feature extraction step. In this step, we introduce the region-SIFT feature extraction method based on facial landmarks. First, we define sub-regions of the face. We then extract SIFT features from each sub-region. In order to reduce the dimensions of features we employ a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). Finally, we classify age and gender using a multi-layered Support Vector Machines (SVM) for efficient classification. Rather than performing gender estimation and age estimation independently, the use of the multi-layered SVM can improve the classification rate by constructing a classifier that estimate the age according to gender. Moreover, we collect a dataset of face images, called by DGIST_C, from the internet. A performance evaluation of proposed method was performed with the FERET database, CACD database, and DGIST_C database. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach classifies age and performs gender estimation very efficiently and accurately.

Probing dynamic behavior of electric fields and band diagrams in complex semiconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turkulets, Yury; Shalish, Ilan

2018-01-01

Modern bandgap engineered electronic devices are typically made of multi-semiconductor multi-layer heterostructures that pose a major challenge to silicon-era characterization methods. As a result, contemporary bandgap engineering relies mostly on simulated band structures that are hardly ever verified experimentally. Here, we present a method that experimentally evaluates bandgap, band offsets, and electric fields, in complex multi-semiconductor layered structures, and it does so simultaneously in all the layers. The method uses a modest optical photocurrent spectroscopy setup at ambient conditions. The results are analyzed using a simple model for electro-absorption. As an example, we apply the method to a typical GaN high electron mobility transistor structure. Measurements under various external electric fields allow us to experimentally construct band diagrams, not only at equilibrium but also under any other working conditions of the device. The electric fields are then used to obtain the charge carrier density and mobility in the quantum well as a function of the gate voltage over the entire range of operating conditions of the device. The principles exemplified here may serve as guidelines for the development of methods for simultaneous characterization of all the layers in complex, multi-semiconductor structures.

Disordered 3 D Multi-layer Graphene Anode Material from CO2 for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Smith, Kassiopeia; Parrish, Riley; Wei, Wei; Liu, Yuzi; Li, Tao; Hu, Yun Hang; Xiong, Hui

2016-06-22

We report the application of disordered 3 D multi-layer graphene, synthesized directly from CO2 gas through a reaction with Li at 550 °C, as an anode for Na-ion batteries (SIBs) toward a sustainable and greener future. The material exhibited a reversible capacity of ∼190 mA h g(-1) with a Coulombic efficiency of 98.5 % at a current density of 15 mA g(-1) . The discharge capacity at higher potentials (>0.2 V vs. Na/Na(+) ) is ascribed to Na-ion adsorption at defect sites, whereas the capacity at low potentials (<0.2 V) is ascribed to intercalation between graphene sheets through electrochemical characterization, Raman spectroscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering experiments. The disordered multi-layer graphene electrode demonstrated a great rate capability and cyclability. This novel approach to synthesize disordered 3 D multi-layer graphene from CO2 gas makes it attractive not only as an anode material for SIBs but also to mitigate CO2 emission. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Inter-layer synchronization in non-identical multi-layer networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leyva, I.; Sevilla-Escoboza, R.; Sendiña-Nadal, I.; Gutiérrez, R.; Buldú, J. M.; Boccaletti, S.

2017-04-01

Inter-layer synchronization is a dynamical process occurring in multi-layer networks composed of identical nodes. This process emerges when all layers are synchronized, while nodes in each layer do not necessarily evolve in unison. So far, the study of such inter-layer synchronization has been restricted to the case in which all layers have an identical connectivity structure. When layers are not identical, the inter-layer synchronous state is no longer a stable solution of the system. Nevertheless, when layers differ in just a few links, an approximate treatment is still feasible, and allows one to gather information on whether and how the system may wander around an inter-layer synchronous configuration. We report the details of an approximate analytical treatment for a two-layer multiplex, which results in the introduction of an extra inertial term accounting for structural differences. Numerical validation of the predictions highlights the usefulness of our approach, especially for small or moderate topological differences in the intra-layer coupling. Moreover, we identify a non-trivial relationship connecting the betweenness centrality of the missing links and the intra-layer coupling strength. Finally, by the use of multiplexed layers of electronic circuits, we study the inter-layer synchronization as a function of the removed links.

Multi-layered Poly-Dimethylsiloxane As A Non-Hermetic Packaging Material For Medical MEMS

PubMed Central

Lachhman, S.; Zorman, C.A.; Ko, W.H.

2012-01-01

Poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is an attractive material for packaging implantable biomedical microdevices owing to its biocompatibility, ease in application, and bio-friendly mechanical properties. Unfortunately, devices encapsulated by PDMS lack the longevity for use in chronic implant applications due to defect-related moisture penetration through the packaging layer. This paper describes an effort to improve the performance of PDMS as packaging material by constructing the encapsulant from multiple, thin layers of PDMS as a part of a polymeric multi-material package PMID:23366225

Mass Conservation in Modeling Moisture Diffusion in Multi-Layer Carbon Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nurge, Mark A.; Youngquist, Robert C.; Starr, Stanley O.

2009-01-01

Moisture diffusion in multi-layer carbon composite structures is difficult to model using finite difference methods due to the discontinuity in concentrations between adjacent layers of differing materials. Applying a mass conserving approach at these boundaries proved to be effective at accurately predicting moisture uptake for a sample exposed to a fixed temperature and relative humidity. Details of the model developed are presented and compared with actual moisture uptake data gathered over 130 days from a graphite epoxy composite sandwich coupon with a Rohacell foam core.

Non-destructive evaluation of nano-sized structure of thin film devices by using small angle neutron scattering.

PubMed

Shin, E J; Seong, B S; Choi, Y; Lee, J K

2011-01-01

Nano-sized multi-layers copper-doped SrZrO3, platinum (Pt) and silicon oxide (SiO2) on silicon substrates were prepared by dense plasma focus (DPF) device with the high purity copper anode tip and analyzed by using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to establish a reliable method for the non-destructive evaluation of the under-layer structure. Thin film was well formed at the time-to-dip of 5 microsec with stable plasma of DPF. Several smooth intensity peaks were periodically observed when neutron beam penetrates the thin film with multi-layers perpendicularly. The platinum layer is dominant to intensity peaks, where the copper-doped SrZnO3 layer next to the platinum layer causes peak broadening. The silicon oxide layer has less effect on the SANS spectra due to its relative thick thickness. The SANS spectra shows thicknesses of platinum and copper-doped SrZnO3 layers as 53 and 25 nm, respectively, which are well agreement with microstructure observation.

Review of multi-layered magnetoelectric composite materials and devices applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Zhaoqiang; PourhosseiniAsl, MohammadJavad; Dong, Shuxiang

2018-06-01

Multiferroic materials with the coexistence of at least two ferroic orders, such as ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, or ferroelasticity, have recently attracted ever-increasing attention due to their potential for multifunctional device applications, including magnetic and current sensors, energy harvesters, magnetoelectric (ME) random access memory and logic devices, tunable microwave devices, and ME antenna. In this article, we provide a review of the recent and ongoing research efforts in the field of multi-layered ME composites. After a brief introduction to ME composites and ME coupling mechanisms, we review recent advances in multi-layered ME composites as well as their device applications based on the direct ME effect, magnetic sensors in particular. Finally, some remaining challenges and future perspective of ME composites and their engineering applications will be discussed.

Two-dimensional PSF prediction of multiple-reflection optical systems with rough surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tayabaly, Kashmira; Spiga, Daniele; Sironi, Giorgia; Pareschi, Giovani; Lavagna, Michele

2016-09-01

The focusing accuracy in reflective optical systems, usually expressed in terms of the Point Spread Function (PSF) is chiefly determined by two factors: the deviation of the mirror shape from the nominal design and the surface finishing. While the effects of the former are usually well described by the geometrical optics, the latter is diffractive/interferential in nature and determined by a distribution of defects that cover several decades in the lateral scale (from a few millimeters to a few microns). Clearly, reducing the level of scattered light is crucial to improve the focusing of the collected radiation, particularly for astronomical telescopes that aim to detect faint light signals from our Universe. Telescopes are typically arranged in multiple reflections configuration and the behavior of the multiply-scattered radiation becomes difficult to predict and control. Also it is difficult to disentangle the effect of surface scattering from the PSF degradation caused by the shape deformation of the optical elements. This paper presents a simple and unifying method for evaluating the contribution of optical surfaces defects to the two-dimensional PSF of a multi-reflections system, regardless of the classification of a spectral range as "geometry" or "roughness". This method, entirely based on Huygens-Fresnel principle in the far-field approximation, was already applied in grazing-incidence X-ray mirrors and experimentally validated for a single reflection system, accounting for the real surface topography of the optics. In this work we show the extension of this formalism to a double reflection system and introducing real microroughness data. The formalism is applied to a MAGIC-I panel mirror that was fully characterized, allowing us to predict the PSF and the validation with real measurements of the double reflection ASTRI telescope, a prototype of CTA-SST telescope.

Combining a multi deposition multi annealing technique with a scavenging (Ti) to improve the high-k/metal gate stack performance for a gate-last process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ShuXiang, Zhang; Hong, Yang; Bo, Tang; Zhaoyun, Tang; Yefeng, Xu; Jing, Xu; Jiang, Yan

2014-10-01

ALD HfO2 films fabricated by a novel multi deposition multi annealing (MDMA) technique are investigated, we have included samples both with and without a Ti scavenging layer. As compared to the reference gate stack treated by conventional one-time deposition and annealing (D&A), devices receiving MDMA show a significant reduction in leakage current. Meanwhile, EOT growth is effectively controlled by the Ti scavenging layer. This improvement strongly correlates with the cycle number of D&A (while keeping the total annealing time and total dielectrics thickness the same). Transmission electron microscope and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis suggests that oxygen incorporation into both the high-k film and the interfacial layer is likely to be responsible for the improvement of the device. This novel MDMA is promising for the development of gate stack technology in a gate last integration scheme.

Outdoor flocking of quadcopter drones with decentralized model predictive control.

PubMed

Yuan, Quan; Zhan, Jingyuan; Li, Xiang

2017-11-01

In this paper, we present a multi-drone system featured with a decentralized model predictive control (DMPC) flocking algorithm. The drones gather localized information from neighbors and update their velocities using the DMPC flocking algorithm. In the multi-drone system, data packages are transmitted through XBee ® wireless modules in broadcast mode, yielding such an anonymous and decentralized system where all the calculations and controls are completed on an onboard minicomputer of each drone. Each drone is a double-layered agent system with the coordination layer running multi-drone flocking algorithms and the flight control layer navigating the drone, and the final formation of the flock relies on both the communication range and the desired inter-drone distance. We give both numerical simulations and field tests with a flock of five drones, showing that the DMPC flocking algorithm performs well on the presented multi-drone system in both the convergence rate and the ability of tracking a desired path. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiresonant layered plasmonic films

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

DeVetter, Brent M.; Bernacki, Bruce E.; Bennett, Wendy D.

Multi-resonant nanoplasmonic films have numerous applications in areas such as nonlinear optics, sensing, and tamper indication. While techniques such as focused ion beam milling and electron beam lithography can produce high-quality multi-resonant films, these techniques are expensive, serial processes that are difficult to scale at the manufacturing level. Here, we present the fabrication of multi-resonant nanoplasmonic films using a layered stacking technique. Periodically-spaced gold nanocup substrates were fabricated using self-assembled polystyrene nanospheres followed by oxygen plasma etching and metal deposition via magnetron sputter coating. By adjusting etch parameters and initial nanosphere size, it was possible to achieve an optical responsemore » ranging from the visible to the near-infrared. Singly resonant, flexible films were first made by performing peel-off using an adhesive-coated polyolefin film. Through stacking layers of the nanofilm, we demonstrate fabrication of multi-resonant films at a fraction of the cost and effort as compared to top-down lithographic techniques.« less

A Complex Systems Approach to More Resilient Multi-Layered Security Systems

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

Brown, Nathanael J. K.; Jones, Katherine A.; Bandlow, Alisa

In July 2012, protestors cut through security fences and gained access to the Y-12 National Security Complex. This was believed to be a highly reliable, multi-layered security system. This report documents the results of a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project that created a consistent, robust mathematical framework using complex systems analysis algorithms and techniques to better understand the emergent behavior, vulnerabilities and resiliency of multi-layered security systems subject to budget constraints and competing security priorities. Because there are several dimensions to security system performance and a range of attacks that might occur, the framework is multi-objective for amore » performance frontier to be estimated. This research explicitly uses probability of intruder interruption given detection (P I) as the primary resilience metric. We demonstrate the utility of this framework with both notional as well as real-world examples of Physical Protection Systems (PPSs) and validate using a well-established force-on-force simulation tool, Umbra.« less

A multi-layer steganographic method based on audio time domain segmented and network steganography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Pengfei; Liu, Hanlin; Hu, Jingsong; Hu, Ronggui

2018-05-01

Both audio steganography and network steganography are belong to modern steganography. Audio steganography has a large capacity. Network steganography is difficult to detect or track. In this paper, a multi-layer steganographic method based on the collaboration of them (MLS-ATDSS&NS) is proposed. MLS-ATDSS&NS is realized in two covert layers (audio steganography layer and network steganography layer) by two steps. A new audio time domain segmented steganography (ATDSS) method is proposed in step 1, and the collaboration method of ATDSS and NS is proposed in step 2. The experimental results showed that the advantage of MLS-ATDSS&NS over others is better trade-off between capacity, anti-detectability and robustness, that means higher steganographic capacity, better anti-detectability and stronger robustness.

Color stable white phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes with red emissive electron transport layer

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

Wook Kim, Jin; Yoo, Seung Il; Sung Kang, Jin

2015-06-28

We analyzed the performance of multi-emissive white phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) in relation to various red emitting sites of hole and electron transport layers (HTL and ETL). The shift of the recombination zone producing stable white emission in PHOLEDs was utilized as luminance was increased with red emission in its electron transport layer. Multi-emissive white PHOLEDs including the red light emitting electron transport layer yielded maximum external quantum efficiency of 17.4% with CIE color coordinates (−0.030, +0.001) shifting only from 1000 to 10 000 cd/m{sup 2}. Additionally, we observed a reduction of energy loss in the white PHOLED via Ir(piq){submore » 3} as phosphorescent red dopant in electron transport layer.« less

Intermediate coating layer for high temperature rubbing seals for rotary regenerators

DOEpatents

Schienle, James L.; Strangman, Thomas E.

1995-01-01

A metallic regenerator seal is provided having multi-layer coating comprising a NiCrAlY bond layer, a yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) intermediate layer, and a ceramic high temperature solid lubricant surface layer comprising zinc oxide, calcium fluoride, and tin oxide. Because of the YSZ intermediate layer, the coating is thermodynamically stable and resists swelling at high temperatures.

Heat resistive dielectric multi-layer micro-mirror array in epitaxial lateral overgrowth gallium nitride.

PubMed

Huang, Chen-Yang; Ku, Hao-Min; Liao, Wei-Tsai; Chao, Chu-Li; Tsay, Jenq-Dar; Chao, Shiuh

2009-03-30

Ta2O5 / SiO2 dielectric multi-layer micro-mirror array (MMA) with 3mm mirror size and 6mm array period was fabricated on c-plane sapphire substrate. The MMA was subjected to 1200 degrees C high temperature annealing and remained intact with high reflectance in contrast to the continuous multi-layer for which the layers have undergone severe damage by 1200 degrees C annealing. Epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) of gallium nitride (GaN) was applied to the MMA that was deposited on both sapphire and sapphire with 2:56 mm GaN template. The MMA was fully embedded in the ELO GaN and remained intact. The result implies that our MMA is compatible to the high temperature growth environment of GaN and the MMA could be incorporated into the structure of the micro-LED array as a one to one micro backlight reflector, or as the patterned structure on the large area LED for controlling the output light.

Impact of Nonlinearity of The Contact Layer Between Elements Joined in a Multi-Bolted System on Its Preload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grzejda, R.

2017-12-01

The paper deals with modelling and calculations of asymmetrical multi-bolted joints at the assembly stage. The physical model of the joint is based on a system composed of four subsystems, which are: a couple of joined elements, a contact layer between the elements, and a set of bolts. The contact layer is assumed as the Winkler model, which can be treated as a nonlinear or linear model. In contrast, the set of bolts are modelled using simplified beam models, known as spider bolt models. The theorem according to which nonlinearity of the contact layer has a negligible impact on the final preload of the joint in the case of its sequential tightening has been verified. Results of sample calculations for the selected multi-bolted system, in the form of diagrams of preloads in the bolts as well as normal contact pressure between the joined elements during the assembly process and at its end, are presented.

Design and construction of a multi-layer CsI(Tl) telescope for high-energy reaction studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, D.; Sun, Z. Y.; Yue, K.; Wang, S. T.; Zhang, X. H.; Yu, Y. H.; Chen, J. L.; Tang, S. W.; Fang, F.; Zhou, Y.; Sun, Y.; Wang, Z. M.; Sun, Y. Z.

2017-01-01

A prototype of a new CsI(Tl) telescope, which will be used in the reaction studies of light isotopes with energy of several hundred AMeV, was constructed and tested at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The telescope has a multi-layer structure, and the range information was obtained to improve the particle identification performance. This prototype has seven layers of different thickness. An energy resolution of 5.0% (FWHM) was obtained for one of the layers in a beam test experiment. Positive improvement for the identification of 14O and 15O isotopes was achieved using the range information.

Layered materials with improved magnesium intercalation for rechargeable magnesium ion cells

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

Doe, Robert E.; Downie, Craig M.; Fischer, Christopher

2016-01-19

Electrochemical devices which incorporate cathode materials that include layered crystalline compounds for which a structural modification has been achieved which increases the diffusion rate of multi-valent ions into and out of the cathode materials. Examples in which the layer spacing of the layered electrode materials is modified to have a specific spacing range such that the spacing is optimal for diffusion of magnesium ions are presented. An electrochemical cell comprised of a positive intercalation electrode, a negative metal electrode, and a separator impregnated with a nonaqueous electrolyte solution containing multi-valent ions and arranged between the positive electrode and the negativemore » electrode active material is described.« less

Multi-layer coating of SiO2 nanoparticles to enhance light absorption by Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nam, Yoon-Ho; Um, Han-Don; Park, Kwang-Tae; Shin, Sun-Mi; Baek, Jong-Wook; Park, Min-Joon; Jung, Jin-Young; Zhou, Keya; Jee, Sang-Won; Guo, Zhongyi; Lee, Jung-Ho

2012-06-01

We found that multi-layer coating of a Si substrate with SiO2 dielectric nanoparticles (NPs) was an effective method to suppress light reflection by silicon solar cells. To suppress light reflection, two conditions are required for the coating: 1) The difference of refractive indexes between air and Si should be alleviated, and 2) the quarter-wavelength antireflection condition should be satisfied while avoiding intrinsic absorption loss. Light reflection was reduced due to destructive interference at certain wavelengths that depended on the layer thickness. For the same thickness dielectric layer, smaller NPs enhanced antireflectance more than larger NPs due to a decrease in scattering loss by the smaller NPs.

Layered materials with improved magnesium intercalation for rechargeable magnesium ion cells

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

Doe, Robert Ellis; Downie, Craig Michael; Fischer, Christopher

2016-07-26

Electrochemical devices which incorporate cathode materials that include layered crystalline compounds for which a structural modification has been achieved which increases the diffusion rate of multi-valent ions into and out of the cathode materials. Examples in which the layer spacing of the layered electrode materials is modified to have a specific spacing range such that the spacing is optimal for diffusion of magnesium ions are presented. An electrochemical cell comprised of a positive intercalation electrode, a negative metal electrode, and a separator impregnated with a nonaqueous electrolyte solution containing multi-valent ions and arranged between the positive electrode and the negativemore » electrode active material is described.« less

Non-invasive NMR stratigraphy of a multi-layered artefact: an ancient detached mural painting.

PubMed

Di Tullio, Valeria; Capitani, Donatella; Presciutti, Federica; Gentile, Gennaro; Brunetti, Brunetto Giovanni; Proietti, Noemi

2013-10-01

NMR stratigraphy was used to investigate in situ, non-destructively and non-invasively, the stratigraphy of hydrogen-rich layers of an ancient Nubian detached mural painting. Because of the detachment procedure, a complex multi-layered artefact was obtained, where, besides layers of the original mural painting, also the materials used during the procedure all became constitutive parts of the artefact. NMR measurements in situ enabled monitoring of the state of conservation of the artefact and planning of minimum representative sampling to validate results obtained in situ by solid-state NMR analysis of the samples. This analysis enabled chemical characterization of all organic materials. Use of reference compounds and prepared specimens assisted data interpretation.

Structural, optical and compositional stability of MoS2 multi-layer flakes under high dose electron beam irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rotunno, E.; Fabbri, F.; Cinquanta, E.; Kaplan, D.; Longo, M.; Lazzarini, L.; Molle, A.; Swaminathan, V.; Salviati, G.

2016-06-01

MoS2 multi-layer flakes, exfoliated from geological molybdenite, have been exposed to high dose electron irradiation showing clear evidence of crystal lattice and stoichiometry modifications. A massive surface sulfur depletion is induced together with the consequent formation of molybdenum nanoislands. It is found that a nanometric amorphous carbon layer, unwillingly deposited during the transmission electron microscope experiments, prevents the formation of the nanoislands. In the absence of the carbon layer, the formation of molybdenum grains proceeds both on the top and bottom surfaces of the flake. If carbon is present on both the surfaces then the formation of Mo grains is completely prevented.

Detection of gene communities in multi-networks reveals cancer drivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantini, Laura; Medico, Enzo; Fortunato, Santo; Caselle, Michele

2015-12-01

We propose a new multi-network-based strategy to integrate different layers of genomic information and use them in a coordinate way to identify driving cancer genes. The multi-networks that we consider combine transcription factor co-targeting, microRNA co-targeting, protein-protein interaction and gene co-expression networks. The rationale behind this choice is that gene co-expression and protein-protein interactions require a tight coregulation of the partners and that such a fine tuned regulation can be obtained only combining both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional layers of regulation. To extract the relevant biological information from the multi-network we studied its partition into communities. To this end we applied a consensus clustering algorithm based on state of art community detection methods. Even if our procedure is valid in principle for any pathology in this work we concentrate on gastric, lung, pancreas and colorectal cancer and identified from the enrichment analysis of the multi-network communities a set of candidate driver cancer genes. Some of them were already known oncogenes while a few are new. The combination of the different layers of information allowed us to extract from the multi-network indications on the regulatory pattern and functional role of both the already known and the new candidate driver genes.

Co-rotational thermo-mechanically coupled multi-field framework and finite element for the large displacement analysis of multi-layered shape memory alloy beam-like structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomou, Alexandros G.; Machairas, Theodoros T.; Karakalas, Anargyros A.; Saravanos, Dimitris A.

2017-06-01

A thermo-mechanically coupled finite element (FE) for the simulation of multi-layered shape memory alloy (SMA) beams admitting large displacements and rotations (LDRs) is developed to capture the geometrically nonlinear effects which are present in many SMA applications. A generalized multi-field beam theory implementing a SMA constitutive model based on small strain theory, thermo-mechanically coupled governing equations and multi-field kinematic hypotheses combining first order shear deformation assumptions with a sixth order polynomial temperature field through the thickness of the beam section are extended to admit LDRs. The co-rotational formulation is adopted, where the motion of the beam is decomposed to rigid body motion and relative small deformation in the local frame. A new generalized multi-layered SMA FE is formulated. The nonlinear transient spatial discretized equations of motion of the SMA structure are synthesized and solved using the Newton-Raphson method combined with an implicit time integration scheme. Correlations of models incorporating the present beam FE with respective results of models incorporating plane stress SMA FEs, demonstrate excellent agreement of the predicted LDRs response, temperature and phase transformation fields, as well as, significant gains in computational time.

Fabrication and Optimization of Bilayered Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Structures as Multi-Point Interferometric Sensing Platform

PubMed Central

Nemati, Mahdieh; Santos, Abel

2018-01-01

Herein, we present an innovative strategy for optimizing hierarchical structures of nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) to advance their optical sensing performance toward multi-analyte biosensing. This approach is based on the fabrication of multilayered NAA and the formation of differential effective medium of their structure by controlling three fabrication parameters (i.e., anodization steps, anodization time, and pore widening time). The rationale of the proposed concept is that interferometric bilayered NAA (BL-NAA), which features two layers of different pore diameters, can provide distinct reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) signatures for each layer within the NAA structure and can therefore potentially be used for multi-point biosensing. This paper presents the structural fabrication of layered NAA structures, and the optimization and evaluation of their RIfS optical sensing performance through changes in the effective optical thickness (EOT) using quercetin as a model molecule. The bilayered or funnel-like NAA structures were designed with the aim of characterizing the sensitivity of both layers of quercetin molecules using RIfS and exploring the potential of these photonic structures, featuring different pore diameters, for simultaneous size-exclusion and multi-analyte optical biosensing. The sensing performance of the prepared NAA platforms was examined by real-time screening of binding reactions between human serum albumin (HSA)-modified NAA (i.e., sensing element) and quercetin (i.e., analyte). BL-NAAs display a complex optical interference spectrum, which can be resolved by fast Fourier transform (FFT) to monitor the EOT changes, where three distinctive peaks were revealed corresponding to the top, bottom, and total layer within the BL-NAA structures. The spectral shifts of these three characteristic peaks were used as sensing signals to monitor the binding events in each NAA pore in real-time upon exposure to different concentrations of quercetin. The multi-point sensing performance of BL-NAAs was determined for each pore layer, with an average sensitivity and low limit of detection of 600 nm (mg mL−1)−1 and 0.14 mg mL−1, respectively. BL-NAAs photonic structures have the capability to be used as platforms for multi-point RIfS sensing of biomolecules that can be further extended for simultaneous size-exclusion separation and multi-analyte sensing using these bilayered nanostructures. PMID:29415436

Reference Models for Multi-Layer Tissue Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

simulation,  finite   element  analysis 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON USAMRMC...Physiologically realistic, fully specimen-specific, nonlinear reference models. Tasks. Finite element analysis of non-linear mechanics of cadaver...models. Tasks. Finite element analysis of non-linear mechanics of multi-layer tissue regions of human subjects. Deliverables. Partially subject- and

Linear segmentation algorithm for detecting layer boundary with lidar.

PubMed

Mao, Feiyue; Gong, Wei; Logan, Timothy

2013-11-04

The automatic detection of aerosol- and cloud-layer boundary (base and top) is important in atmospheric lidar data processing, because the boundary information is not only useful for environment and climate studies, but can also be used as input for further data processing. Previous methods have demonstrated limitations in defining the base and top, window-size setting, and have neglected the in-layer attenuation. To overcome these limitations, we present a new layer detection scheme for up-looking lidars based on linear segmentation with a reasonable threshold setting, boundary selecting, and false positive removing strategies. Preliminary results from both real and simulated data show that this algorithm cannot only detect the layer-base as accurate as the simple multi-scale method, but can also detect the layer-top more accurately than that of the simple multi-scale method. Our algorithm can be directly applied to uncalibrated data without requiring any additional measurements or window size selections.

Submicroporous/microporous and compatible/incompatible multi-functional dual-layer polymer electrolytes and their interfacial characteristics with lithium metal anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Young-Gi; Kyhm, Kwangseuk; Choi, Nam-Soon; Ryu, Kwang Sun

A novel multi-functional dual-layer polymer electrolyte was prepared by impregnating the interconnected pores with an ethylene carbonate (EC)/dimethyl carbonate (DMC)/lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6) solution. An incompatible layer is based on a microporous polyethylene (PE) and a compatible layer, based on a poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-co-HFP)) is sub-microporous and compatible with an electrolyte solution. The Li electrode/the dual-layer polymer electrolyte/Li[Ni 0.15Li 0.23M n0.62]O 2 cell showed stable cycle performance under prolonged cycle number. This behavior is due to the enhanced compatibility between the matrix polymer and the liquid electrolytes within the submicroporous compatible layer, which could lead to a controlled Li + deposition on the Li anode surface by forming homegeneous electrolyte zone near the anode.

Process for producing dispersed particulate composite materials

DOEpatents

Henager, Jr., Charles H.; Hirth, John P.

1995-01-01

This invention is directed to a process for forming noninterwoven dispersed particulate composite products. In one case a composite multi-layer film product comprises a substantially noninterwoven multi-layer film having a plurality of discrete layers. This noninterwoven film comprises at least one discrete layer of a first material and at least one discrete layer of a second material. In another case the first and second materials are blended together with each other. In either case, the first material comprises a metalloid and the second material a metal compound. At least one component of a first material in one discrete layer undergoes a solid state displacement reaction with at least one component of a second material thereby producing the requisite noninterwoven composite film product. Preferably, the first material comprises silicon, the second material comprises Mo.sub.2 C, the third material comprises SiC and the fourth material comprises MoSi.sub.2.

Fabrication of Hadfield-Cored Multi-layer Steel Sheet by Roll-Bonding with 1.8-GPa-Strength-Grade Hot-Press-Forming Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Kwang-Geun; Kang, Chung-Yun; Park, Jaeyeong; Lee, Sunghak

2018-03-01

An austenitic Hadfield steel was roll-bonded with a 1.8-GPa-strength-grade martensitic hot-press-forming (HPF) steel to fabricate a multi-layer steel (MLS) sheet. Near the Hadfield/HPF interface, the carburized and decarburized layers were formed by the carbon diffusion from the Hadfield (1.2%C) to HPF (0.35%C) layers, and could be regarded as kinds of very thin multi-layers of 35 μm in thickness. The tensile test and fractographic data indicated that the MLS sheet was fractured abruptly within the elastic range by the intergranular fracture occurred in the carburized layer. This was because C was mainly segregated at prior austenite grain boundaries in the carburized layer, which weakened grain boundaries to induce the intergranular fracture. In order to solve the intergranular facture problem, the MLS sheet was tempered at 200 °C. The stress-strain curve of the tempered MLS sheet lay between those of the HPF and Hadfield sheets, and a rule of mixtures was roughly satisfied. Tensile properties of the MLS sheet were dramatically improved after the tempering, and the intergranular fracture was erased completely. In particular, the yield strength up to 1073 MPa along with the high strain hardening and excellent ductility of 32.4% were outstanding because the yield strength over 1 GPa was hardly achieved in conventional austenitic steels.

Fabrication of Hadfield-Cored Multi-layer Steel Sheet by Roll-Bonding with 1.8-GPa-Strength-Grade Hot-Press-Forming Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Kwang-Geun; Kang, Chung-Yun; Park, Jaeyeong; Lee, Sunghak

2018-05-01

An austenitic Hadfield steel was roll-bonded with a 1.8-GPa-strength-grade martensitic hot-press-forming (HPF) steel to fabricate a multi-layer steel (MLS) sheet. Near the Hadfield/HPF interface, the carburized and decarburized layers were formed by the carbon diffusion from the Hadfield (1.2%C) to HPF (0.35%C) layers, and could be regarded as kinds of very thin multi-layers of 35 μm in thickness. The tensile test and fractographic data indicated that the MLS sheet was fractured abruptly within the elastic range by the intergranular fracture occurred in the carburized layer. This was because C was mainly segregated at prior austenite grain boundaries in the carburized layer, which weakened grain boundaries to induce the intergranular fracture. In order to solve the intergranular facture problem, the MLS sheet was tempered at 200 °C. The stress-strain curve of the tempered MLS sheet lay between those of the HPF and Hadfield sheets, and a rule of mixtures was roughly satisfied. Tensile properties of the MLS sheet were dramatically improved after the tempering, and the intergranular fracture was erased completely. In particular, the yield strength up to 1073 MPa along with the high strain hardening and excellent ductility of 32.4% were outstanding because the yield strength over 1 GPa was hardly achieved in conventional austenitic steels.

Light Absorption Enhancement of Silicon-Based Photovoltaic Devices with Multiple Bandgap Structures of Porous Silicon

PubMed Central

Wu, Kuen-Hsien; Li, Chong-Wei

2015-01-01

Porous-silicon (PS) multi-layered structures with three stacked PS layers of different porosity were prepared on silicon (Si) substrates by successively tuning the electrochemical-etching parameters in an anodization process. The three PS layers have different optical bandgap energy and construct a triple-layered PS (TLPS) structure with multiple bandgap energy. Photovoltaic devices were fabricated by depositing aluminum electrodes of Schottky contacts on the surfaces of the developed TLPS structures. The TLPS-based devices exhibit broadband photoresponses within the spectrum of the solar irradiation and get high photocurrent for the incident light of a tungsten lamp. The improved spectral responses of devices are owing to the multi-bandgap structures of TLPS, which are designed with a layered configuration analog to a tandem cell for absorbing a wider energy range of the incidental sun light. The large photocurrent is mainly ascribed to an enhanced light-absorption ability as a result of applying nanoporous-Si thin films as the surface layers to absorb the short-wavelength light and to improve the Schottky contacts of devices. Experimental results reveal that the multi-bandgap PS structures produced from electrochemical-etching of Si wafers are potentially promising for development of highly efficient Si-based solar cells. PMID:28793542

Electrostatic interactions between diffuse soft multi-layered (bio)particles: beyond Debye-Hückel approximation and Deryagin formulation.

PubMed

Duval, Jérôme F L; Merlin, Jenny; Narayana, Puranam A L

2011-01-21

We report a steady-state theory for the evaluation of electrostatic interactions between identical or dissimilar spherical soft multi-layered (bio)particles, e.g. microgels or microorganisms. These generally consist of a rigid core surrounded by concentric ion-permeable layers that may differ in thickness, soft material density, chemical composition and degree of dissociation for the ionogenic groups. The formalism allows the account of diffuse interphases where distributions of ionogenic groups from one layer to the other are position-dependent. The model is valid for any number of ion-permeable layers around the core of the interacting soft particles and covers all limiting situations in terms of nature of interacting particles, i.e. homo- and hetero-interactions between hard, soft or entirely porous colloids. The theory is based on a rigorous numerical solution of the non-linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation including radial and angular distortions of the electric field distribution within and outside the interacting soft particles in approach. The Gibbs energy of electrostatic interaction is obtained from a general expression derived following the method by Verwey and Overbeek based on appropriate electric double layer charging mechanisms. Original analytical solutions are provided here for cases where interaction takes place between soft multi-layered particles whose size and charge density are in line with Deryagin treatment and Debye-Hückel approximation. These situations include interactions between hard and soft particles, hard plate and soft particle or soft plate and soft particle. The flexibility of the formalism is highlighted by the discussion of few situations which clearly illustrate that electrostatic interaction between multi-layered particles may be partly or predominantly governed by potential distribution within the most internal layers. A major consequence is that both amplitude and sign of Gibbs electrostatic interaction energy may dramatically change depending on the interplay between characteristic Debye length, thickness of ion-permeable layers and their respective protolytic features (e.g. location, magnitude and sign of charge density). This formalism extends a recent model by Ohshima which is strictly limited to interaction between soft mono-shell particles within Deryagin and Debye-Hückel approximations under conditions where ionizable sites are completely dissociated.

Multi-scale hierarchy of Chelydra serpentina: microstructure and mechanical properties of turtle shell.

PubMed

Balani, Kantesh; Patel, Riken R; Keshri, Anup K; Lahiri, Debrupa; Agarwal, Arvind

2011-10-01

Carapace, the protective shell of a freshwater snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, shields them from ferocious attacks of their predators while maintaining light-weight and agility for a swim. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the turtle shell are very appealing to materials scientists and engineers for bio-mimicking, to obtain a multi-functional surface. In this study, we have elucidated the complex microstructure of a dry Chelydra serpentina's shell which is very similar to a multi-layered composite structure. The microstructure of a turtle shell's carapace elicits a sandwich structure of waxy top surface with a harder sub-surface layer serving as a shielding structure, followed by a lamellar carbonaceous layer serving as shock absorber, and the inner porous matrix serves as a load-bearing scaffold while acting as reservoir of retaining water and nutrients. The mechanical properties (elastic modulus and hardness) of various layers obtained via nanoindentation corroborate well with the functionality of each layer. Elastic modulus ranged between 0.47 and 22.15 GPa whereas hardness varied between 53.7 and 522.2 MPa depending on the microstructure of the carapace layer. Consequently, the modulus of each layer was represented into object oriented finite element (OOF2) modeling towards extracting the overall effective modulus of elasticity (~4.75 GPa) of a turtle's carapace. Stress distribution of complex layered structure was elicited with an applied strain of 1% in order to understand the load sharing of various composite layers in the turtle's carapace. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical image classification based on multi-scale non-negative sparse coding.

PubMed

Zhang, Ruijie; Shen, Jian; Wei, Fushan; Li, Xiong; Sangaiah, Arun Kumar

2017-11-01

With the rapid development of modern medical imaging technology, medical image classification has become more and more important in medical diagnosis and clinical practice. Conventional medical image classification algorithms usually neglect the semantic gap problem between low-level features and high-level image semantic, which will largely degrade the classification performance. To solve this problem, we propose a multi-scale non-negative sparse coding based medical image classification algorithm. Firstly, Medical images are decomposed into multiple scale layers, thus diverse visual details can be extracted from different scale layers. Secondly, for each scale layer, the non-negative sparse coding model with fisher discriminative analysis is constructed to obtain the discriminative sparse representation of medical images. Then, the obtained multi-scale non-negative sparse coding features are combined to form a multi-scale feature histogram as the final representation for a medical image. Finally, SVM classifier is combined to conduct medical image classification. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm can effectively utilize multi-scale and contextual spatial information of medical images, reduce the semantic gap in a large degree and improve medical image classification performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-layer electrode for high contrast electrochromic devices

DOEpatents

Schwendeman, Irina G [Wexford, PA; Finley, James J [Pittsburgh, PA; Polcyn, Adam D [Pittsburgh, PA; Boykin, Cheri M [Wexford, PA

2011-11-01

An electrochromic device includes a first substrate spaced from a second substrate. A first transparent conductive electrode is formed over at least a portion of the first substrate. A polymeric anode is formed over at least a portion of the first conductive electrode. A second transparent conductive electrode is formed over at least a portion of the second substrate. In one aspect of the invention, a multi-layer polymeric cathode is formed over at least a portion of the second conductive electrode. In one non-limiting embodiment, the multi-layer cathode includes a first cathodically coloring polymer formed over at least a portion of the second conductive electrode and a second cathodically coloring polymer formed over at least a portion of the first cathodically coloring polymer. An ionic liquid is positioned between the anode and the cathode.

Laccase-Functionalized Graphene Oxide Assemblies as Efficient Nanobiocatalysts for Oxidation Reactions

PubMed Central

Patila, Michaela; Kouloumpis, Antonios; Gournis, Dimitrios; Rudolf, Petra; Stamatis, Haralambos

2016-01-01

Multi-layer graphene oxide-enzyme nanoassemblies were prepared through the multi-point covalent immobilization of laccase from Trametes versicolor (TvL) on functionalized graphene oxide (fGO). The catalytic properties of the fGO-TvL nanoassemblies were found to depend on the number of the graphene oxide-enzyme layers present in the nanostructure. The fGO-TvL nanoassemblies exhibit an enhanced thermal stability at 60 °C, as demonstrated by a 4.7-fold higher activity as compared to the free enzyme. The multi-layer graphene oxide-enzyme nanoassemblies can efficiently catalyze the oxidation of anthracene, as well as the decolorization of an industrial dye, pinacyanol chloride. These materials retained almost completely their decolorization activity after five reaction cycles, proving their potential as efficient nano- biocatalysts for various applications. PMID:26927109

Multi-layer coatings for bipolar rechargeable batteries with enhanced terminal voltage

DOEpatents

Farmer, Joseph C.; Kaschmitter, James; Pierce, Steve

2017-06-06

A method for producing a multi-layer bipolar coated cell according to one embodiment includes applying a first active cathode material above a substrate to form a first cathode; applying a first solid-phase ionically-conductive electrolyte material above the first cathode to form a first electrode separation layer; applying a first active anode material above the first electrode separation layer to form a first anode; applying an electrically conductive barrier layer above the first anode; applying a second active cathode material above the anode material to form a second cathode; applying a second solid-phase ionically-conductive electrolyte material above the second cathode to form a second electrode separation layer; applying a second active anode material above the second electrode separation layer to form a second anode; and applying a metal material above the second anode to form a metal coating section. In another embodiment, the anode is formed prior to the cathode. Cells are also disclosed.

Laser warning receiver to identify the wavelength and angle of arrival of incident laser light

DOEpatents

Sinclair; Michael B.; Sweatt, William C.

2010-03-23

A laser warning receiver is disclosed which has up to hundreds of individual optical channels each optically oriented to receive laser light from a different angle of arrival. Each optical channel has an optical wedge to define the angle of arrival, and a lens to focus the laser light onto a multi-wavelength photodetector for that channel. Each multi-wavelength photodetector has a number of semiconductor layers which are located in a multi-dielectric stack that concentrates the laser light into one of the semiconductor layers according to wavelength. An electrical signal from the multi-wavelength photodetector can be processed to determine both the angle of arrival and the wavelength of the laser light.

Heterogeneous multi-layered IF steel with simultaneous high strength and good ductility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ling; Jiang, Xiaojuan; Wang, Yuhui; Chen, Qiang; Chen, Zhen; Zhang, Yonghong; Huang, Tianlin; Wu, Guilin

2017-07-01

Multi-layered IF steel samples were designed and fabricated by hot compression followed by cold forging of an alternating stack of cold-rolled and annealed IF steel sheets, with an aim to improve the strength of the material without losing much ductility. A very good combination of strength and ductility was achieved by proper annealing after deformation. Microstructural analysis by electron back-scatter diffraction revealed that the good combination of strength and ductility is related to a characteristic hierarchical structure that is characterized by layered and lamella structures with different length scales.

Multi-layered poly-dimethylsiloxane as a non-hermetic packaging material for medical MEMS.

PubMed

Lachhman, S; Zorman, C A; Ko, W H

2012-01-01

Poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is an attractive material for packaging implantable biomedical microdevices owing to its biocompatibility, ease in application, and bio-friendly mechanical properties. Unfortunately, devices encapsulated solely by PDMS lack the longevity for use in chronic implant applications due to defect-related moisture penetration through the packaging layer caused by conventional deposition processes such as spin coating. This paper describes an effort to improve the performance of PDMS as a packaging material by constructing the encapsulant from multiple, thin roller casted layers of PDMS as a part of a polymeric multi-material package.

Resonant tunneling with high peak to valley current ratio in SiO{sub 2}/nc-Si/SiO{sub 2} multi-layers at room temperature

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

Chen, D. Y., E-mail: cdy7659@126.com; Nanjing University of posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210046; Sun, Y.

We have investigated carrier transport in SiO{sub 2}/nc-Si/SiO{sub 2} multi-layers by room temperature current-voltage measurements. Resonant tunneling signatures accompanied by current peaks are observed. Carrier transport in the multi-layers were analyzed by plots of ln(I/V{sup 2}) as a function of 1/V and ln(I) as a function of V{sup 1/2}. Results suggest that besides films quality, nc-Si and barrier sub-layer thicknesses are important parameters that restrict carrier transport. When thicknesses are both small, direct tunneling dominates carrier transport, resonant tunneling occurs only at certain voltages and multi-resonant tunneling related current peaks can be observed but with peak to valley current ratiomore » (PVCR) values smaller than 1.5. When barrier thickness is increased, trap-related and even high field related tunneling is excited, causing that multi-current peaks cannot be observed clearly, only one current peak with higher PVCR value of 7.7 can be observed. While if the thickness of nc-Si is large enough, quantum confinement is not so strong, a broad current peak with PVCR value as high as 60 can be measured, which may be due to small energy difference between the splitting energy levels in the quantum dots of nc-Si. Size distribution in a wide range may cause un-controllability of the peak voltages.« less

Transitional analysis of organic thin color filter layers in displays during baking process using multi-speckle diffusing wave spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Baek Sung; Hyung, Kyung Hee; Oh, Gwi Jeong; Jung, Hyun Wook

2018-02-01

The color filter (CF) is one of the key components for improving the performance of TV displays such as liquid crystal display (LCD) and white organic light emitting diodes (WOLED). The profile defects like undercut during the fine fabrication processes for CF layers are inevitably generated through the UV exposure and development processes, however, these can be controlled through the baking process. In order to resolve the profile defects of CF layers, in this study, the real-time dynamic changes of CF layers are monitored during the baking process by changing components such as polymeric binder and acrylate. The motion of pigment particles in CF layers during baking is quantitatively interpreted using multi-speckle diffusing wave spectroscopy (MSDWS), in terms of the autocorrelation function and the characteristic time of α-relaxation.

Development of a Multi-layer Anti-reflective Coating for Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

optical loss mechanism, which limits the efficiency of the PV device.1 Photon absorption needs to occur inside the solar cell active region (near the...Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells by Kimberley A Olver Approved for public release; distribution unlimited...Development of a Multi-layer Anti-reflective Coating for Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Solar Cells by Kimberley A Olver

On a perturbed Sparre Andersen risk model with multi-layer dividend strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hu; Zhang, Zhimin

2009-10-01

In this paper, we consider a perturbed Sparre Andersen risk model, in which the inter-claim times are generalized Erlang(n) distributed. Under the multi-layer dividend strategy, piece-wise integro-differential equations for the discounted penalty functions are derived, and a recursive approach is applied to express the solutions. A numerical example to calculate the ruin probabilities is given to illustrate the solution procedure.

Erosion Performance of Gadolinium Zirconate-Based Thermal Barrier Coatings Processed by Suspension Plasma Spray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahade, Satyapal; Curry, Nicholas; Björklund, Stefan; Markocsan, Nicolaie; Nylén, Per; Vaßen, Robert

2017-01-01

7-8 wt.% Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the standard thermal barrier coating (TBC) material used by the gas turbines industry due to its excellent thermal and thermo-mechanical properties up to 1200 °C. The need for improvement in gas turbine efficiency has led to an increase in the turbine inlet gas temperature. However, above 1200 °C, YSZ has issues such as poor sintering resistance, poor phase stability and susceptibility to calcium magnesium alumino silicates (CMAS) degradation. Gadolinium zirconate (GZ) is considered as one of the promising top coat candidates for TBC applications at high temperatures (>1200 °C) due to its low thermal conductivity, good sintering resistance and CMAS attack resistance. Single-layer 8YSZ, double-layer GZ/YSZ and triple-layer GZdense/GZ/YSZ TBCs were deposited by suspension plasma spray (SPS) process. Microstructural analysis was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A columnar microstructure was observed in the single-, double- and triple-layer TBCs. Phase analysis of the as-sprayed TBCs was carried out using XRD (x-ray diffraction) where a tetragonal prime phase of zirconia in the single-layer YSZ TBC and a cubic defect fluorite phase of GZ in the double and triple-layer TBCs was observed. Porosity measurements of the as-sprayed TBCs were made by water intrusion method and image analysis method. The as-sprayed GZ-based multi-layered TBCs were subjected to erosion test at room temperature, and their erosion resistance was compared with single-layer 8YSZ. It was shown that the erosion resistance of 8YSZ single-layer TBC was higher than GZ-based multi-layered TBCs. Among the multi-layered TBCs, triple-layer TBC was slightly better than double layer in terms of erosion resistance. The eroded TBCs were cold-mounted and analyzed by SEM.

Techno-economic performance evaluation of solar tower plants with integrated multi-layered PCM thermocline thermal energy storage - A comparative study to conventional two-tank storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guedéz, Rafael; Ferruzza, Davide; Arnaudo, Monica; Rodríguez, Ivette; Perez-Segarra, Carlos D.; Hassar, Zhor; Laumert, Björn

2016-05-01

Solar Tower Power Plants with thermal energy storage are a promising technology for dispatchable renewable energy in the near future. Storage integration makes possible to shift the electricity production to more profitable peak hours. Usually two tanks are used to store cold and hot fluids, but this means both higher investment costs and difficulties during the operation of the variable volume tanks. Instead, another solution can be a single tank thermocline storage in a multi-layered configuration. In such tank both latent and sensible fillers are employed to decrease the related cost up to 30% and maintain high efficiencies. This paper analyses a multi-layered solid PCM storage tank concept for solar tower applications, and describes a comprehensive methodology to determine under which market structures such devices can outperform the more conventional two tank storage systems. A detail model of the tank has been developed and introduced in an existing techno-economic tool developed by the authors (DYESOPT). The results show that under current cost estimates and technical limitations the multi-layered solid PCM storage concept is a better solution when peaking operating strategies are desired, as it is the case for the two-tier South African tariff scheme.

Multi-layer service function chaining scheduling based on auxiliary graph in IP over optical network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yixuan; Li, Hui; Liu, Yuze; Ji, Yuefeng

2017-10-01

Software Defined Optical Network (SDON) can be considered as extension of Software Defined Network (SDN) in optical networks. SDON offers a unified control plane and makes optical network an intelligent transport network with dynamic flexibility and service adaptability. For this reason, a comprehensive optical transmission service, able to achieve service differentiation all the way down to the optical transport layer, can be provided to service function chaining (SFC). IP over optical network, as a promising networking architecture to interconnect data centers, is the most widely used scenarios of SFC. In this paper, we offer a flexible and dynamic resource allocation method for diverse SFC service requests in the IP over optical network. To do so, we firstly propose the concept of optical service function (OSF) and a multi-layer SFC model. OSF represents the comprehensive optical transmission service (e.g., multicast, low latency, quality of service, etc.), which can be achieved in multi-layer SFC model. OSF can also be considered as a special SF. Secondly, we design a resource allocation algorithm, which we call OSF-oriented optical service scheduling algorithm. It is able to address multi-layer SFC optical service scheduling and provide comprehensive optical transmission service, while meeting multiple optical transmission requirements (e.g., bandwidth, latency, availability). Moreover, the algorithm exploits the concept of Auxiliary Graph. Finally, we compare our algorithm with the Baseline algorithm in simulation. And simulation results show that our algorithm achieves superior performance than Baseline algorithm in low traffic load condition.

TargetCrys: protein crystallization prediction by fusing multi-view features with two-layered SVM.

PubMed

Hu, Jun; Han, Ke; Li, Yang; Yang, Jing-Yu; Shen, Hong-Bin; Yu, Dong-Jun

2016-11-01

The accurate prediction of whether a protein will crystallize plays a crucial role in improving the success rate of protein crystallization projects. A common critical problem in the development of machine-learning-based protein crystallization predictors is how to effectively utilize protein features extracted from different views. In this study, we aimed to improve the efficiency of fusing multi-view protein features by proposing a new two-layered SVM (2L-SVM) which switches the feature-level fusion problem to a decision-level fusion problem: the SVMs in the 1st layer of the 2L-SVM are trained on each of the multi-view feature sets; then, the outputs of the 1st layer SVMs, which are the "intermediate" decisions made based on the respective feature sets, are further ensembled by a 2nd layer SVM. Based on the proposed 2L-SVM, we implemented a sequence-based protein crystallization predictor called TargetCrys. Experimental results on several benchmark datasets demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed 2L-SVM for fusing multi-view features. We also compared TargetCrys with existing sequence-based protein crystallization predictors and demonstrated that the proposed TargetCrys outperformed most of the existing predictors and is competitive with the state-of-the-art predictors. The TargetCrys webserver and datasets used in this study are freely available for academic use at: http://csbio.njust.edu.cn/bioinf/TargetCrys .

Strain-tolerant ceramic coated seal

DOEpatents

Schienle, James L.; Strangman, Thomas E.

1994-01-01

A metallic regenerator seal is provided having multi-layer coating comprising a NiCrAlY bond layer, a yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) intermediate layer, and a ceramic high temperature solid lubricant surface layer comprising zinc oxide, calcium fluoride, and tin oxide. An array of discontinuous grooves is laser machined into the outer surface of the solid lubricant surface layer making the coating strain tolerant.

A layered abduction model of perception: Integrating bottom-up and top-down processing in a multi-sense agent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Josephson, John R.

1989-01-01

A layered-abduction model of perception is presented which unifies bottom-up and top-down processing in a single logical and information-processing framework. The process of interpreting the input from each sense is broken down into discrete layers of interpretation, where at each layer a best explanation hypothesis is formed of the data presented by the layer or layers below, with the help of information available laterally and from above. The formation of this hypothesis is treated as a problem of abductive inference, similar to diagnosis and theory formation. Thus this model brings a knowledge-based problem-solving approach to the analysis of perception, treating perception as a kind of compiled cognition. The bottom-up passing of information from layer to layer defines channels of information flow, which separate and converge in a specific way for any specific sense modality. Multi-modal perception occurs where channels converge from more than one sense. This model has not yet been implemented, though it is based on systems which have been successful in medical and mechanical diagnosis and medical test interpretation.

Reliable recovery of the optical properties of multi-layer turbid media by iteratively using a layered diffusion model at multiple source-detector separations

PubMed Central

Liao, Yu-Kai; Tseng, Sheng-Hao

2014-01-01

Accurately determining the optical properties of multi-layer turbid media using a layered diffusion model is often a difficult task and could be an ill-posed problem. In this study, an iterative algorithm was proposed for solving such problems. This algorithm employed a layered diffusion model to calculate the optical properties of a layered sample at several source-detector separations (SDSs). The optical properties determined at various SDSs were mutually referenced to complete one round of iteration and the optical properties were gradually revised in further iterations until a set of stable optical properties was obtained. We evaluated the performance of the proposed method using frequency domain Monte Carlo simulations and found that the method could robustly recover the layered sample properties with various layer thickness and optical property settings. It is expected that this algorithm can work with photon transport models in frequency and time domain for various applications, such as determination of subcutaneous fat or muscle optical properties and monitoring the hemodynamics of muscle. PMID:24688828

System for analysis of explosives

DOEpatents

Haas, Jeffrey S [San Ramon, CA

2010-06-29

A system for analysis of explosives. Samples are spotted on a thin layer chromatography plate. Multi-component explosives standards are spotted on the thin layer chromatography plate. The thin layer chromatography plate is dipped in a solvent mixture and chromatography is allowed to proceed. The thin layer chromatography plate is dipped in reagent 1. The thin layer chromatography plate is heated. The thin layer chromatography plate is dipped in reagent 2.

A numerical analysis of a magnetocaloric refrigerator with a 16-layer regenerator

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

Zhang, Mingkan; Abdelaziz, Omar; Momen, Ayyoub Mehdizadeh

A numerical analysis was conducted to study a room temperature magnetocaloric refrigerator with a 16-layer parallel plates active magnetic regenerator (AMR). Sixteen layers of LaFeMnSiH having different Curie temperatures were employed as magnetocaloric material (MCM) in the regenerator. Measured properties data was used. A transient one dimensional (1D) model was employed, in which a unique numerical method was developed to significantly accelerate the simulation speed of the multi-layer AMR system. As a result, the computation speed of a multi-layer AMR case was very close to the single-layer configuration. The performance of the 16-layer AMR system in different frequencies and utilizationsmore » has been investigated using this model. To optimize the layer length distribution of the 16-layer MCMs in the regenerator, a set of 137 simulations with different MCM distributions based on the Design of Experiments (DoE) method was conducted and the results were analyzed. The results show that the 16-layer AMR system can operate up to 84% of Carnot cycle COP at a temperature span of 41 K, which cannot be obtained using an AMR with fewer layers. Here, the DoE results indicate that for a 16-layer AMR system, the uniform distribution is very close to the optimized design.« less

A numerical analysis of a magnetocaloric refrigerator with a 16-layer regenerator

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Mingkan; Abdelaziz, Omar; Momen, Ayyoub Mehdizadeh; ...

2017-10-25

A numerical analysis was conducted to study a room temperature magnetocaloric refrigerator with a 16-layer parallel plates active magnetic regenerator (AMR). Sixteen layers of LaFeMnSiH having different Curie temperatures were employed as magnetocaloric material (MCM) in the regenerator. Measured properties data was used. A transient one dimensional (1D) model was employed, in which a unique numerical method was developed to significantly accelerate the simulation speed of the multi-layer AMR system. As a result, the computation speed of a multi-layer AMR case was very close to the single-layer configuration. The performance of the 16-layer AMR system in different frequencies and utilizationsmore » has been investigated using this model. To optimize the layer length distribution of the 16-layer MCMs in the regenerator, a set of 137 simulations with different MCM distributions based on the Design of Experiments (DoE) method was conducted and the results were analyzed. The results show that the 16-layer AMR system can operate up to 84% of Carnot cycle COP at a temperature span of 41 K, which cannot be obtained using an AMR with fewer layers. Here, the DoE results indicate that for a 16-layer AMR system, the uniform distribution is very close to the optimized design.« less

How does the canine paw pad attenuate ground impacts? A multi-layer cushion system.

PubMed

Miao, Huaibin; Fu, Jun; Qian, Zhihui; Ren, Luquan; Ren, Lei

2017-12-15

Macroscopic mechanical properties of digitigrade paw pads, such as non-linear elastic and variable stiffness, have been investigated in previous studies; however, little is known about the micro-scale structural characteristics of digitigrade paw pads, or the relationship between these characteristics and the exceptional cushioning of the pads. The digitigrade paw pad consists of a multi-layered structure, which is mainly comprised of a stratified epithelium layer, a dermis layer and a subcutaneous layer. The stratified epithelium layer and dermal papillae constitute the epidermis layer. Finite element analyses were carried out and showed that the epidermis layer effectively attenuated the ground impact across impact velocities of 0.05-0.4 m/s, and that the von Mises stresses were uniformly distributed in this layer. The dermis layer encompassing the subcutaneous layer can be viewed as a hydrostatic system, which can store, release and dissipate impact energy. All three layers in the paw pad work as a whole to meet the biomechanical requirements of animal locomotion. These findings provide insights into the biomechanical functioning of digitigrade paw pads and could be used to facilitate bio-inspired, ground-contacting component development for robots and machines, as well as contribute to footwear design. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

A numerical analysis of a magnetocaloric refrigerator with a 16-layer regenerator.

PubMed

Zhang, Mingkan; Abdelaziz, Omar; Momen, Ayyoub M; Abu-Heiba, Ahmad

2017-10-25

A numerical analysis was conducted to study a room temperature magnetocaloric refrigerator with a 16-layer parallel plates active magnetic regenerator (AMR). Sixteen layers of LaFeMnSiH having different Curie temperatures were employed as magnetocaloric material (MCM) in the regenerator. Measured properties data was used. A transient one dimensional (1D) model was employed, in which a unique numerical method was developed to significantly accelerate the simulation speed of the multi-layer AMR system. As a result, the computation speed of a multi-layer AMR case was very close to the single-layer configuration. The performance of the 16-layer AMR system in different frequencies and utilizations has been investigated using this model. To optimize the layer length distribution of the 16-layer MCMs in the regenerator, a set of 137 simulations with different MCM distributions based on the Design of Experiments (DoE) method was conducted and the results were analyzed. The results show that the 16-layer AMR system can operate up to 84% of Carnot cycle COP at a temperature span of 41 K, which cannot be obtained using an AMR with fewer layers. The DoE results indicate that for a 16-layer AMR system, the uniform distribution is very close to the optimized design.

Multi-layer planting as a strategy of greening the transitional space in high-rise buildings: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prihatmanti, Rani; Taib, Nooriati

2018-03-01

The issues regarding the rapid development in the urban have resulted in the increasing number of infrastructure built, including the high-rise buildings to accommodate the urban dwellers. Lack of greeneries due to the land limitation in the urban area has increased the surface radiation as well as the air temperature that leads to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomena. Where urban land is limited, growing plants vertically could be a solution. Plants, which are widely known as one of the sustainability elements in the built environment could be integrated in building as a part of urban faming by growing edible plant species. This is also to address the food security issue in the urban as well as high-density cities. Since space is limited, the function of transitional space could be optimized for the green space. This paper explores the strategy of greening transitional space in the high-rise setting. To give a maximum impact in a limited space, multi-layer planting concept could be introduced. This concept is believed that multiple layers of plants could modify the microclimate, as well as the radiation to the building, compare to single layer plant. In addition to that, the method selected also determines the efficacy of the vertical greeneries. However, there are many other limitations related to the multi-layer planting method if installed in a transitional space that needs to be further studied. Despite its limitations, the application of vertical greeneries with multi-layer planting concept could be a promising solution for greening the limited space as well as improving the thermal comfort in the high-rise building.

Progressive multi-atlas label fusion by dictionary evolution.

PubMed

Song, Yantao; Wu, Guorong; Bahrami, Khosro; Sun, Quansen; Shen, Dinggang

2017-02-01

Accurate segmentation of anatomical structures in medical images is important in recent imaging based studies. In the past years, multi-atlas patch-based label fusion methods have achieved a great success in medical image segmentation. In these methods, the appearance of each input image patch is first represented by an atlas patch dictionary (in the image domain), and then the latent label of the input image patch is predicted by applying the estimated representation coefficients to the corresponding anatomical labels of the atlas patches in the atlas label dictionary (in the label domain). However, due to the generally large gap between the patch appearance in the image domain and the patch structure in the label domain, the estimated (patch) representation coefficients from the image domain may not be optimal for the final label fusion, thus reducing the labeling accuracy. To address this issue, we propose a novel label fusion framework to seek for the suitable label fusion weights by progressively constructing a dynamic dictionary in a layer-by-layer manner, where the intermediate dictionaries act as a sequence of guidance to steer the transition of (patch) representation coefficients from the image domain to the label domain. Our proposed multi-layer label fusion framework is flexible enough to be applied to the existing labeling methods for improving their label fusion performance, i.e., by extending their single-layer static dictionary to the multi-layer dynamic dictionary. The experimental results show that our proposed progressive label fusion method achieves more accurate hippocampal segmentation results for the ADNI dataset, compared to the counterpart methods using only the single-layer static dictionary. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Perinatal model of human transition from hypogravity to the earth's gravity based on the electromyogram nonlinear characteristics].

PubMed

Meĭgal, A Iu; Voroshilov, A S

2009-01-01

Interferential electromyogram (iEMG) was analyzed in healthy newborn infants (n=29) during the first 24 hours of life as a model of transition from hypogravity (intrauterine immersion) to the Earth's gravity (postnatal period). Nonlinear instruments of iEMG analysis (correlation dimension, entropy and fractal dimension) reflected the complexity, chaotic character and predictability of signals from the leg and arm antagonistic muscles. Except for m. gastrocnemius, in all other musles iEMG fractal dimension was shown to grow as the postnatal period extended. Low fractal and correlation dimensions and entropy marked flexor muscles, particularly against low iEMG amplitude suggesting a better congenital programming for the flexors as compared to the extensors. It is concluded that the early ontogenesis model can be practicable in studying the evolution and states of antigravity functions.

Identifying the Community Structure of the Food-Trade International Multi-Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torreggiani, S.; Mangioni, G.

2018-01-01

Achieving international food security requires improved understanding of how international trade networks connect countries around the world through the import-export flows of food commodities. The properties of international food trade networks are still poorly documented, especially from a multi-network perspective. In particular, nothing is known about the multi-network's community structure. Here we find that the individual crop-specific layers of the multi-network have densely connected trading groups, a consistent characteristic over the period 2001-2011. Further, the multi-network is characterized by low variability over this period but with substantial heterogeneity across layers in each year. In particular, the layers are mostly assortative: more-intensively connected countries tend to import from and export to countries that are themselves more connected. We also fit econometric models to identify social, economic and geographic factors explaining the probability that any two countries are co-present in the same community. Our estimates indicate that the probability of country pairs belonging to the same food trade community depends more on geopolitical and economic factors-such as geographical proximity and trade-agreement co-membership-than on country economic size and/or income. These community-structure findings of the multi-network are especially valuable for efforts to understand past and emerging dynamics in the global food system, especially those that examine potential 'shocks' to global food trade.

Identifying the community structure of the food-trade international multi-network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torreggiani, S.; Mangioni, G.; Puma, M. J.; Fagiolo, G.

2018-05-01

Achieving international food security requires improved understanding of how international trade networks connect countries around the world through the import-export flows of food commodities. The properties of international food trade networks are still poorly documented, especially from a multi-network perspective. In particular, nothing is known about the multi-network’s community structure. Here we find that the individual crop-specific layers of the multi-network have densely connected trading groups, a consistent characteristic over the period 2001–2011. Further, the multi-network is characterized by low variability over this period but with substantial heterogeneity across layers in each year. In particular, the layers are mostly assortative: more-intensively connected countries tend to import from and export to countries that are themselves more connected. We also fit econometric models to identify social, economic and geographic factors explaining the probability that any two countries are co-present in the same community. Our estimates indicate that the probability of country pairs belonging to the same food trade community depends more on geopolitical and economic factors—such as geographical proximity and trade-agreement co-membership—than on country economic size and/or income. These community-structure findings of the multi-network are especially valuable for efforts to understand past and emerging dynamics in the global food system, especially those that examine potential ‘shocks’ to global food trade.

SAW propagation characteristics of TeO3/3C-SiC/LiNbO3 layered structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Namrata D.

2018-04-01

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices based on Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) single crystal are advantageous because of its high SAW phase velocity, electromechanical coupling coefficient and cost effectiveness. In the present work a new multi-layered TeO3/3C-SiC/128° Y-X LiNbO3 SAW device has been proposed. SAW propagation properties such as phase velocity, coupling coefficient and temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) of the TeO3/SiC/128° Y-X LiNbO3 multi layered structure is examined using theoretical calculations. It is found that the integration of 0.09λ thick 3C-SiC over layer on 128° Y-X LiNbO3 increases its electromechanical coupling coefficient from 5.3% to 9.77% and SAW velocity from 3800 ms‑1 to 4394 ms‑1. The SiC/128° Y-X LiNbO3 bilayer SAW structure exhibits a high positive TCD value. A temperature stable layered SAW device could be obtained with introduction of 0.007λ TeO3 over layer on SiC/128° Y-X LiNbO3 bilayer structure without sacrificing the efficiency of the device. The proposed TeO3/3C-SiC/128° Y-X LiNbO3 multi-layered SAW structure is found to be cost effective, efficient, temperature stable and suitable for high frequency application in harsh environment.

Effect of Amount of Carbon on the Reduction Efficiency of Iron Ore-Coal Composite Pellets in Multi-layer Bed Rotary Hearth Furnace (RHF)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Srinibash; Roy, Gour Gopal

2016-08-01

The effect of carbon-to-hematite molar ratio has been studied on the reduction efficiency of iron ore-coal composite pellet reduced at 1523 K (1250 °C) for 20 minutes in a laboratory scale multi-layer bed rotary hearth furnace (RHF). Reduced pellets have been characterized through weight loss measurement, estimation of porosity, shrinkage, qualitative and quantitative phase analysis by XRD. Performance parameters such as the degree of reduction, metallization, carbon efficiency, productivity, and compressive strength have been calculated to compare the process efficacy at different carbon levels in the pellets. Pellets with optimum carbon-to-hematite ratio (C/Fe2O3 molar ratio = 1.66) that is much below the stoichiometric carbon required for direct reduction of hematite yielded maximum reduction, better carbon utilization, and productivity for all three layers. Top layer exhibited maximum reduction at comparatively lower carbon level (C/Fe2O3 molar ratio <2.33) in the pellet, while bottom layer exceeded top layer reduction at higher carbon level (C/Fe2O3 molar ratio >2.33). Correlation between degree of reduction and metallization indicated non-isothermal kinetics influenced by heat and mass transfer in multi-layer bed RHF. Compressive strength of the partially reduced pellet with optimum carbon content (C/Fe2O3 molar ratio = 1.66) showed that they could be potentially used as an alternate feed in a blast furnace or any other smelting reactor.

Two-bit multi-level phase change random access memory with a triple phase change material stack structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyanathan, Ashvini; Yeo, Yee-Chia

2012-11-01

This work demonstrates a novel two-bit multi-level device structure comprising three phase change material (PCM) layers, separated by SiN thermal barrier layers. This triple PCM stack consisted of (from bottom to top), Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST), an ultrathin SiN barrier, nitrogen-doped GST, another ultrathin SiN barrier, and Ag0.5In0.5Sb3Te6. The PCM layers can selectively amorphize to form 4 different resistance levels ("00," "01," "10," and "11") using respective voltage pulses. Electrical characterization was extensively performed on these devices. Thermal analysis was also done to understand the physics behind the phase changing characteristics of the two-bit memory devices. The melting and crystallization temperatures of the PCMs play important roles in the power consumption of the multi-level devices. The electrical resistivities and thermal conductivities of the PCMs and the SiN thermal barrier are also crucial factors contributing to the phase changing behaviour of the PCMs in the two-bit multi-level PCRAM device.

Universality Results for Multi-Layer Hele-Shaw and Porous Media Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daripa, Prabir

2012-11-01

Saffman-Taylor instability is a well known viscosity driven instability of an interface. Motivated by a need to understand the effect of various injection policies currently in practice for chemical enhanced oil recovery, we study linear stability of displacement processes in a Hele-Shaw cell involving injection of an arbitrary number of immiscible fluid phases in succession. This is a problem involving many interfaces. Universal stability results have been obtained for this multi-layer (multi-region) flow in the sense that the results hold with arbitrary number of interfaces. These stability results have been applied to design injection policies that are considerably less unstable than the pure Saffman-Taylor case. In particular, we determine specific values of the viscosity of the fluid layers corresponding to smallest unstable band. Moreover, we discuss universal selection principle of optimal viscous profiles. The talk is based on following papers. Qatar National Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation).

Multi-layer holographic bifurcative neural network system for real-time adaptive EOS data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Hua-Kuang; Huang, K. S.; Diep, J.

1993-01-01

Optical data processing techniques have the inherent advantage of high data throughout, low weight and low power requirements. These features are particularly desirable for onboard spacecraft in-situ real-time data analysis and data compression applications. the proposed multi-layer optical holographic neural net pattern recognition technique will utilize the nonlinear photorefractive devices for real-time adaptive learning to classify input data content and recognize unexpected features. Information can be stored either in analog or digital form in a nonlinear photofractive device. The recording can be accomplished in time scales ranging from milliseconds to microseconds. When a system consisting of these devices is organized in a multi-layer structure, a feedforward neural net with bifurcating data classification capability is formed. The interdisciplinary research will involve the collaboration with top digital computer architecture experts at the University of Southern California.

Spectrum splitting using multi-layer dielectric meta-surfaces for efficient solar energy harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Yuhan; Liu, He; Wu, Wei

2014-06-01

We designed a high-efficiency dispersive mirror based on multi-layer dielectric meta-surfaces. By replacing the secondary mirror of a dome solar concentrator with this dispersive mirror, the solar concentrator can be converted into a spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system with higher energy harvesting efficiency and potentially lower cost. The meta-surfaces are consisted of high-index contrast gratings (HCG). The structures and parameters of the dispersive mirror (i.e. stacked HCG) are optimized based on finite-difference time-domain and rigorous coupled-wave analysis method. Our numerical study shows that the dispersive mirror can direct light with different wavelengths into different angles in the entire solar spectrum, maintaining very low energy loss. Our approach will not only improve the energy harvesting efficiency, but also lower the cost by using single junction cells instead of multi-layer tandem solar cells. Moreover, this approach has the minimal disruption to the existing solar concentrator infrastructures.

Fabrication of ATO/Graphene Multi-layered Transparent Conducting Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Na; Chen, Fei; Shen, Qiang; Wang, Chuanbin; Zhang, Lianmeng

2013-03-01

A novel transparent conducting oxide based on the ATO/graphene multi-layered thin films has been developed to satisfy the application of transparent conductive electrode in solar cells. The ATO thin films are prepared by pulsed laser deposition method with high quality, namely the sheet resistance of 49.5 Ω/sq and average transmittance of 81.9 %. The prepared graphene sheet is well reduced and shows atomically thin, spotty distributed appearance on the top of the ATO thin films. The XRD and optical micrographs are used to confirm the successfully preparation of the ATO/graphene multi-layered thin films. The Hall measurements and UV-Vis spectrophotometer are conducted to evaluate the sheet resistance and optical transmittance of the innovative structure. It is found that graphene can improve the electrical properties of the ATO thin films with little influence on the optical transmittance.

Study on Data Clustering and Intelligent Decision Algorithm of Indoor Localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zexi

2018-01-01

Indoor positioning technology enables the human beings to have the ability of positional perception in architectural space, and there is a shortage of single network coverage and the problem of location data redundancy. So this article puts forward the indoor positioning data clustering algorithm and intelligent decision-making research, design the basic ideas of multi-source indoor positioning technology, analyzes the fingerprint localization algorithm based on distance measurement, position and orientation of inertial device integration. By optimizing the clustering processing of massive indoor location data, the data normalization pretreatment, multi-dimensional controllable clustering center and multi-factor clustering are realized, and the redundancy of locating data is reduced. In addition, the path is proposed based on neural network inference and decision, design the sparse data input layer, the dynamic feedback hidden layer and output layer, low dimensional results improve the intelligent navigation path planning.

Process for Making Ceramic Mold

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buck, Gregory M. (Inventor); Vasquez, Peter (Inventor)

2001-01-01

An improved process for slip casting molds that can be more economically automated and that also exhibits greater dimensional stability is disclosed. The process involves subjecting an investment pattern, preferably made from wax, to successive cycles of wet-dipping in a slurry of colloidal, silica-based binder and dry powder-coating, or stuccoing with plaster of Paris or calcium sulfate mixtures to produce a multi-layer shell over the pattern. The invention as claimed entails applying a primary and a secondary coating to the investment pattern. At least two wet-dipping on in a primary slurry and dry-stuccoing cycles provide the primary coating, and an additional two wet-dippings and dry-stuccoing cycles provide the secondary, or back-up, coating. The primary and secondary coatings produce a multi-layered shell pattern. The multi-layered shell pattern is placed in a furnace first to cure and harden, and then to vaporize the investment pattern, leaving a detailed, high precision shell mold.

A new approach to assess the skier additional stress within a multi-layered snowpack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monti, Fabiano; Gaume, Johan; van Herwijnen, Alec; Schweizer, Jürg

2014-05-01

The physical and mechanical processes of dry-snow slab avalanche formation can be distinguished into two subsequent phases: failure initiation and crack propagation. Several approaches tried to quantify slab avalanche release probability in terms of failure initiation, based on a simple strength-of-material approach (strength vs. stress). Even if it is known that both weak layer and slab properties play a major role in avalanche release, apart from weak layer characteristics, often only the slab thickness and its average density were considered. For calculating the amount of additional stress (e.g. due to a skier) at the depth of the weak layer, the snow cover was often assumed to be a semi-infinite elastic half space in order to apply Boussinesq's theory. However, finite element (FE) calculations have shown that slab layering strongly influences the stress at depth. To avoid FE calculations, we suggest a new approach based on a simplification of multi-layered elasticity theory. It allows computing the additional stress due to a skier at the depth of the weak layer, taking into account the layering of the snow slab and the substratum. The proposed approach was first tested on simplified snow profiles and compared reasonably well with FE calculations. We then implemented the method to refine the classical skier stability index. Using manually observed snow profiles, classified in different stability classes using stability tests, we obtained a satisfactory discrimination power. Lastly, the refined skier stability index was implemented into the 1-D snow cover model SNOWPACK and presented on two case studies. In the future, it will be interesting to implement the proposed method for describing skier-induced stress within a multi-layered snowpack into more complex models which take into account not only failure initiation but also crack propagation.

Repeatability Measurements of Apparent Thermal Conductivity of Multilayer Insulation (MLI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanderlaan, M.; Stubbs, D.; Ledeboer, K.; Ross, J.; Van Sciver, S.; Guo, W.

2017-12-01

This report presents and discusses the results of repeatability experiments gathered from the multi-layer insulation thermal conductivity experiment (MIKE) for the measurement of the apparent thermal conductivity of multi-layer insulation (MLI) at variable boundary temperatures. Our apparatus uses a calibrated thermal link between the lower temperature shield of a concentric cylinder insulation assembly and the cold head of a cryocooler to measure the heat leak. In addition, thermocouple readings are taken in-between the MLI layers. These measurements are part of a multi-phase NASA-Yetispace-FSU collaboration to better understand the repeatability of thermal conductivity measurements of MLI. NASA provided five 25 layer coupons and requested boundary temperatures of 20 K and 300 K. Yetispace provided ten 12-layer coupons and requested boundary temperatures of 77 K and 293 K. Test conditions must be met for a duration of four hours at a steady state variance of less than 0.1 K/hr on both cylinders. Temperatures from three Cernox® temperature sensors on each of the two cylinders are averaged to determine the boundary temperatures. A high vacuum, less than 10-5 torr, is maintained for the duration of testing. Layer density varied from 17.98 - 26.36 layers/cm for Yetispace coupons and 13.05 - 17.45 layers/cm for the NASA coupons. The average measured heat load for the Yetispace coupons was 2.40 W for phase-one and 2.92 W for phase-two. The average measured heat load for the NASA coupons was 1.10 W. This suggests there is still unknown variance of MLI performance. It has been concluded, variations in the insulation installation heavy effect the apparent thermal conductivity and are not solely dependent on layer density.

Analysis by liquid chromatography and infrared spectrometry of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate released by multilayer infusion tubing.

PubMed

Bourdeaux, Daniel; Sautou-Miranda, Valérie; Bagel-Boithias, Sandrine; Boyer, Anne; Chopineau, Jean

2004-04-01

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a plasticiser present in infusion equipment, is known to be harmful to human health. Various studies have shown that DEHP is released into drug solutions from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) infusion lines. New multi-layer tubing has therefore been marketed to overcome this problem. We assessed the inertness of this tubing when placed in contact with a solution of CELLTOP. Chromatographic assay of DEHP showed no significant difference in DEHP levels in the solution when placed in contact with PVC and with multi-layer tubing. Analysis by infrared spectrometry showed that DEHP was initially present in the polyethylene layer of the multi-layer tubing even before contact with the drug solution. Contact with the solution results in release of DEHP from the container into the contents. The substance responsible for this release is in fact an excipient of CELLTOP, polysorbate. This release of DEHP further proves to depend on parameters such as temperature, time of contact between solution and tubing, and the concentration of polysorbate in the infused drug solution.

Postbuckling analysis of multi-layered graphene sheets under non-uniform biaxial compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farajpour, Ali; Arab Solghar, Alireza; Shahidi, Alireza

2013-01-01

In this article, the nonlinear buckling characteristics of multi-layered graphene sheets are investigated. The graphene sheet is modeled as an orthotropic nanoplate with size-dependent material properties. The graphene film is subjected by non-uniformly distributed in-plane load through its thickness. To include the small scale and the geometrical nonlinearity effects, the governing differential equations are derived based on the nonlocal elasticity theory in conjunction with the von Karman geometrical model. Explicit expressions for the postbuckling loads of single- and double-layered graphene sheets with simply supported edges under biaxial compression are obtained. For numerical results, six types of armchair and zigzag graphene sheets with different aspect ratio are considered. The present formulation and method of solution are validated by comparing the results, in the limit cases, with those available in the open literature. Excellent agreement between the obtained and available results is observed. Finally, the effects of nonlocal parameter, buckling mode number, compression ratio and non-uniform parameter on the postbuckling behavior of multi-layered graphene sheets are studied.

Chemically exfoliating large sheets of phosphorene via choline chloride urea viscosity-tuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, A.; Sutto, T. E.; Matis, B. R.; Deng, Y.; Ye, P. D.; Stroud, R. M.; Brintlinger, T. H.; Bassim, N. D.

2017-04-01

Exfoliation of two-dimensional phosphorene from bulk black phosphorous through chemical means is demonstrated where the solvent system of choice (choline chloride urea diluted with ethanol) has the ability to successfully exfoliate large-area multi-layer phosphorene sheets and further protect the flakes from ambient degradation. The intercalant solvent molecules, aided by low-powered sonication, diffuse between the layers of the bulk black phosphorus, allowing for the exfoliation of the multi-layer phosphorene through breaking of the interlayer van der Waals bonds. Through viscosity tuning, the optimal parameters (1:1 ratio between the intercalant and the diluting solvent) at which the exfoliation takes place is determined. Our exfoliation technique is shown to produce multi-layer phosphorene flakes with surface areas greater than 3 μm2 (a factor of three larger than what has previously been reported for a similar exfoliation method) while limiting exposure to the ambient environment, thereby protecting the flakes from degradation. Characterization techniques such as optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and (scanning) transmission electron microscopy are used to investigate the quality, quantity, and thickness of the exfoliated flakes.

Application of advanced diffraction based optical metrology overlay capabilities for high-volume manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kai-Hsiung; Huang, Guo-Tsai; Hsieh, Hung-Chih; Ni, Wei-Feng; Chuang, S. M.; Chuang, T. K.; Ke, Chih-Ming; Huang, Jacky; Rao, Shiuan-An; Cumurcu Gysen, Aysegul; d'Alfonso, Maxime; Yueh, Jenny; Izikson, Pavel; Soco, Aileen; Wu, Jon; Nooitgedagt, Tjitte; Ottens, Jeroen; Kim, Yong Ho; Ebert, Martin

2017-03-01

On-product overlay requirements are becoming more challenging with every next technology node due to the continued decrease of the device dimensions and process tolerances. Therefore, current and future technology nodes require demanding metrology capabilities such as target designs that are robust towards process variations and high overlay measurement density (e.g. for higher order process corrections) to enable advanced process control solutions. The impact of advanced control solutions based on YieldStar overlay data is being presented in this paper. Multi patterning techniques are applied for critical layers and leading to additional overlay measurement demands. The use of 1D process steps results in the need of overlay measurements relative to more than one layer. Dealing with the increased number of overlay measurements while keeping the high measurement density and metrology accuracy at the same time presents a challenge for high volume manufacturing (HVM). These challenges are addressed by the capability to measure multi-layer targets with the recently introduced YieldStar metrology tool, YS350. On-product overlay results of such multi-layers and standard targets are presented including measurement stability performance.

Multi-focus image fusion with the all convolutional neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Chao-ben; Gao, She-sheng

2018-01-01

A decision map contains complete and clear information about the image to be fused, which is crucial to various image fusion issues, especially multi-focus image fusion. However, in order to get a satisfactory image fusion effect, getting a decision map is very necessary and usually difficult to finish. In this letter, we address this problem with convolutional neural network (CNN), aiming to get a state-of-the-art decision map. The main idea is that the max-pooling of CNN is replaced by a convolution layer, the residuals are propagated backwards by gradient descent, and the training parameters of the individual layers of the CNN are updated layer by layer. Based on this, we propose a new all CNN (ACNN)-based multi-focus image fusion method in spatial domain. We demonstrate that the decision map obtained from the ACNN is reliable and can lead to high-quality fusion results. Experimental results clearly validate that the proposed algorithm can obtain state-of-the-art fusion performance in terms of both qualitative and quantitative evaluations.

Electrically Tunable and Negative Schottky Barriers in Multi-layered Graphene/MoS2 Heterostructured Transistors.

PubMed

Qiu, Dongri; Kim, Eun Kyu

2015-09-03

We fabricated multi-layered graphene/MoS2 heterostructured devices by positioning mechanically exfoliated bulk graphite and single-crystalline 2H-MoS2 onto Au metal pads on a SiO2/Si substrate via a contamination-free dry transfer technique. We also studied the electrical transport properties of Au/MoS2 junction devices for systematic comparison. A previous work has demonstrated the existence of a positive Schottky barrier height (SBH) in the metal/MoS2 system. However, analysis of the SBH indicates that the contacts of the multi-layered graphene/MoS2 have tunable negative barriers in the range of 300 to -46 meV as a function of gate voltage. It is hypothesized that this tunable SBH is responsible for the modulation of the work function of the thick graphene in these devices. Despite the large number of graphene layers, it is possible to form ohmic contacts, which will provide new opportunities for the engineering of highly efficient contacts in flexible electronics and photonics.

Electrically Tunable and Negative Schottky Barriers in Multi-layered Graphene/MoS2 Heterostructured Transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Dongri; Kim, Eun Kyu

2015-09-01

We fabricated multi-layered graphene/MoS2 heterostructured devices by positioning mechanically exfoliated bulk graphite and single-crystalline 2H-MoS2 onto Au metal pads on a SiO2/Si substrate via a contamination-free dry transfer technique. We also studied the electrical transport properties of Au/MoS2 junction devices for systematic comparison. A previous work has demonstrated the existence of a positive Schottky barrier height (SBH) in the metal/MoS2 system. However, analysis of the SBH indicates that the contacts of the multi-layered graphene/MoS2 have tunable negative barriers in the range of 300 to -46 meV as a function of gate voltage. It is hypothesized that this tunable SBH is responsible for the modulation of the work function of the thick graphene in these devices. Despite the large number of graphene layers, it is possible to form ohmic contacts, which will provide new opportunities for the engineering of highly efficient contacts in flexible electronics and photonics.

A User''s Guide to the Zwikker-Kosten Transmission Line Code (ZKTL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelly, J. J.; Abu-Khajeel, H.

1997-01-01

This user's guide documents updates to the Zwikker-Kosten Transmission Line Code (ZKTL). This code was developed for analyzing new liner concepts developed to provide increased sound absorption. Contiguous arrays of multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) liner elements serve as the model for these liner configurations, and Zwikker and Kosten's theory of sound propagation in channels is used to predict the surface impedance. Transmission matrices for the various liner elements incorporate both analytical and semi-empirical methods. This allows standard matrix techniques to be employed in the code to systematically calculate the composite impedance due to the individual liner elements. The ZKTL code consists of four independent subroutines: 1. Single channel impedance calculation - linear version (SCIC) 2. Single channel impedance calculation - nonlinear version (SCICNL) 3. Multi-channel, multi-segment, multi-layer impedance calculation - linear version (MCMSML) 4. Multi-channel, multi-segment, multi-layer impedance calculation - nonlinear version (MCMSMLNL) Detailed examples, comments, and explanations for each liner impedance computation module are included. Also contained in the guide are depictions of the interactive execution, input files and output files.

Iontophoretic transdermal drug delivery: a multi-layered approach.

PubMed

Pontrelli, Giuseppe; Lauricella, Marco; Ferreira, José A; Pena, Gonçalo

2017-12-11

We present a multi-layer mathematical model to describe the transdermal drug release from an iontophoretic system. The Nernst-Planck equation describes the basic convection-diffusion process, with the electric potential obtained by solving the Laplace's equation. These equations are complemented with suitable interface and boundary conditions in a multi-domain. The stability of the mathematical problem is discussed in different scenarios and a finite-difference method is used to solve the coupled system. Numerical experiments are included to illustrate the drug dynamics under different conditions. © The authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved.

A Comparative Clinical Study on Five Types of Compression Therapy in Patients with Venous Leg Ulcers

PubMed Central

Dolibog, Pawel; Franek, Andrzej; Taradaj, Jakub; Dolibog, Patrycja; Blaszczak, Edward; Polak, Anna; Brzezinska-Wcislo, Ligia; Hrycek, Antoni; Urbanek, Tomasz; Ziaja, Jacek; Kolanko, Magdalena

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare five types of compression therapy in venous leg ulcers (intermittent pneumatic vs. stockings vs. multi layer vs. two layer short stretch bandages vs. Unna boots). Primary study endpoints were analysis of changes of the total ulcer surface area, volume and linear dimensions inside observed groups. The secondary end points were comparisons between all groups the number of completely healed wounds (ulcer healing rates), Gilman index and percentage change of ulcer surface area. In total, 147 patients with unilateral venous leg ulcers were included to this study. Participants were randomly allocated to the groups: A, B, C, D and E. After two months the healing rate was the highest in group A (intermittent pneumatic compression) - 57.14%, 16/28 patients, B (ulcer stocking system) - 56.66%, 17/30 patients and C (multi layer short stretch bandage) - 58.62%, 17/29 patients. Significantly much worse rate found in group D (two layer short stretch bandages) - only 16.66%, 5/30 patients and E (Unna boots) - 20%, 6/30 patients. The analysis of changes of the percentage of Gilman index and wound total surface area confirmed that intermittent pneumatic compression, stockings and multi layer bandages are the most efficient. The two layer short - stretch bandages and Unna boots appeared again much less effective. PMID:24396284

Multi-spectral antireflection coating on zinc sulphide simultaneously effective in visible, eye safe laser wave length and MWIR region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awasthi, Suman; Nautiyal, B. B.; Kumar, Rajiv; Bandyopadhyay, P. K.

2012-09-01

In recent years multi-spectral device is steadily growing popularity. Multi-spectral antireflection coating effective in visible region for sighting system, laser wavelength for ranging and MWIR region for thermal system can use common objective/receiver optics highly useful for state of art thermal instrumentation. In this paper, design and fabrication of antireflection coating simultaneously effective in visible region (450-650 nm), Eye safe laser wave length (1540 nm) and MWIR region (3.6-4.9 μm) has been reported. Comprehensive search method of design was used and the number of layers in the design was optimised with lowest evaluated merit function studied with respect to various layers. Finally eight-layer design stack was established using hafnium oxide as high index layer and silicon-di-oxide as low index coating material combination. The multilayer stack had been fabricated by using electron beam gun evaporation system in Symphony 9 vacuum coating unit. During layer deposition the substrate was irradiated with End-Hall ion gun. The evaporation was carried out in presence of oxygen and layer thicknesses were measured with crystal monitor. The result achieved for the antireflection coating was 85% average transmission from 450 to 650 nm in visible region, 95% transmission at 1540 nm and 96% average transmission from 3.6 to 4.9 μm in MWIR region.

Ellipsometric porosimetry on pore-controlled TiO2 layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosu, Dana-Maria; Ortel, Erik; Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan; Kraehnert, Ralph; Hertwig, Andreas

2017-11-01

The practical performance of surface coatings in applications like catalysis, water splitting or batteries depends critically on the coating materials' porosity. Determining the porosity in a fast and non-destructive way is still an unsolved problem for industrial thin-films technology. As a contribution to calibrated, non-destructive, optical layer characterisation, we present a multi-method comparison study on porous TiO2 films deposited by sol-gel synthesis on Si wafers. The ellipsometric data were collected on a range of samples with different TiO2 layer thickness and different porosity values. These samples were produced by templated sol-gel synthesis resulting in layers with a well-defined pore size and pore density. The ellipsometry measurement data were analysed by means of a Bruggeman effective medium approximation (BEMA), with the aim to determine the mixture ratio of void and matrix material by a multi-sample analysis strategy. This analysis yielded porosities and layer thicknesses for all samples as well as the dielectric function for the matrix material. Following the idea of multi-method techniques in metrology, the data was referenced to imaging by electron microscopy (SEM) and to a new EPMA (electron probe microanalysis) porosity approach for thin film analysis. This work might lead to a better metrological understanding of optical porosimetry and also to better-qualified characterisation methods for nano-porous layer systems.

Optical and structural characteristics of high indium content InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells with varying GaN cap layer thickness

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

Yang, J.; Zhao, D. G., E-mail: dgzhao@red.semi.ac.cn; Jiang, D. S.

2015-02-07

The optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) with different thicknesses of low temperature grown GaN cap layers are investigated. It is found that the MQW emission energy red-shifts and the peak intensity decreases with increasing GaN cap layer thickness, which may be partly caused by increased floating indium atoms accumulated at quantum well (QW) surface. They will result in the increased interface roughness, higher defect density, and even lead to a thermal degradation of QW layers. An extra growth interruption introduced before the growth of GaN cap layer can help with evaporating the floating indium atoms, andmore » therefore is an effective method to improve the optical properties of high indium content InGaN/GaN MQWs.« less

Characterising the structural properties of polymer separators for lithium-ion batteries in 3D using phase contrast X-ray microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finegan, Donal P.; Cooper, Samuel J.; Tjaden, Bernhard; Taiwo, Oluwadamilola O.; Gelb, Jeff; Hinds, Gareth; Brett, Dan J. L.; Shearing, Paul R.

2016-11-01

Separators are an integral component for optimising performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries; therefore, a clear understanding of how their microstructure affects cell performance and safety is crucial. Phase contrast X-ray microscopy is used here to capture the microstructures of commercial monolayer, tri-layer, and ceramic-coated lithium-ion battery polymer separators. Spatial variations in key structural parameters, including porosity, tortuosity factor and pore size distribution, are determined through the application of 3D quantification techniques and stereology. The architectures of individual layers in multi-layer membranes are characterised, revealing anisotropy in porosity, tortuosity factor and mean pore size of the three types of separator. Detailed structural properties of the individual layers of multi-layered membranes are then related with their expected effect on safety and rate capability of cells.

The role of temperature ramp-up time before barrier layer growth in optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Yao; Zhao, Degang; Jiang, Desheng; Liu, Zongshun; Zhu, Jianjun; Chen, Ping; Yang, Jing; Liu, Wei; Liang, Feng; Liu, Shuangtao; Zhang, Liqun; Wang, Wenjie; Li, Mo; Zhang, Yuantao; Du, Guotong

2018-05-01

In InGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs), a low temperature cap (LT-cap) layer is grown between the InGaN well layer and low temperature GaN barrier layer. During the growth, a temperature ramp-up and ramp-down process is added between LT-cap and barrier layer growth. The effect of temperature ramp-up time duration on structural and optical properties of quantum wells is studied. It is found that as the ramp-up time increases, the Indium floating layer on the top of the well layer can be diminished effectively, leading to a better interface quality between well and barrier layers, and the carrier localization effect is enhanced, thereby the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of QWs increases surprisingly. However, if the ramp-up time is too long, the carrier localization effect is weaker, which may increase the probabilities of carriers to meet with nonradiative recombination centers. Meanwhile, more nonradiative recombination centers will be introduced into well layers due to the indium evaporation. Both of them will lead to a reduction of internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of MQWs.

Simulating Carbon cycle and phenology in complex forests using a multi-layer process based ecosystem model; evaluation and use of 3D-CMCC-Forest Ecosystem Model in a deciduous and an evergreen neighboring forests, within the area of Brasschaat (Be)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marconi, S.; Collalti, A.; Santini, M.; Valentini, R.

2013-12-01

3D-CMCC-Forest Ecosystem Model is a process based model formerly developed for complex forest ecosystems to estimate growth, water and carbon cycles, phenology and competition processes on a daily/monthly time scale. The Model integrates some characteristics of the functional-structural tree models with the robustness of the light use efficiency approach. It treats different heights, ages and species as discrete classes, in competition for light (vertical structure) and space (horizontal structure). The present work evaluates the results of the recently developed daily version of 3D-CMCC-FEM for two neighboring different even aged and mono specific study cases. The former is a heterogeneous Pedunculate oak forest (Quercus robur L. ), the latter a more homogeneous Scot pine forest (Pinus sylvestris L.). The multi-layer approach has been evaluated against a series of simplified versions to determine whether the improved model complexity in canopy structure definition increases its predictive ability. Results show that a more complex structure (three height layers) should be preferable to simulate heterogeneous scenarios (Pedunculate oak stand), where heights distribution within the canopy justify the distinction in dominant, dominated and sub-dominated layers. On the contrary, it seems that using a multi-layer approach for more homogeneous stands (Scot pine stand) may be disadvantageous. Forcing the structure of an homogeneous stand to a multi-layer approach may in fact increase sources of uncertainty. On the other hand forcing complex forests to a mono layer simplified model, may cause an increase in mortality and a reduction in average DBH and Height. Compared with measured CO2 flux data, model results show good ability in estimating carbon sequestration trends, on both a monthly/seasonal and daily time scales. Moreover the model simulates quite well leaf phenology and the combined effects of the two different forest stands on CO2 fluxes.

Modulation of Morphology and Optical Property of Multi-Metallic PdAuAg and PdAg Alloy Nanostructures.

PubMed

Pandey, Puran; Kunwar, Sundar; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-05-16

In this work, the evolution of PdAg and PdAuAg alloy nanostructures is demonstrated on sapphire (0001) via the solid-state dewetting of multi-metallic thin films. Various surface configurations, size, and arrangements of bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures are fabricated as a function of annealing temperature, annealing duration, film thickness, and deposition arrangements such as bi-layers (Pd/Ag), tri-layers (Pd/Au/Ag), and multi-layers (Pd/Au/Ag × 5). Specifically, the tri-layers film shows the gradual evolution of over-grown NPs, voids, wiggly nanostructures, and isolated PdAuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) along with the increased annealing temperature. In contrast, the multi-layers film with same thickness show the enhanced dewetting rate, which results in the formation of voids at relatively lower temperature, wider spacing, and structural regularity of alloy NPs at higher temperature. The dewetting enhancement is attributed to the increased number of interfaces and reduced individual layer thickness, which aid the inter-diffusion process at the initial stage. In addition, the time evolution of the Pd 150 nm /Ag 80 nm bi-layer films at constant temperature show the wiggly-connected and isolated PdAg alloy NPs. The overall evolution of alloy NPs is discussed based on the solid-state dewetting mechanism in conjunction with the diffusion, inter-diffusion, alloying, sublimation, Rayleigh instability, and surface energy minimization. Depending upon their surface morphologies, the bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures exhibit the dynamic reflectance spectra, which show the formation of dipolar (above 700 nm) and quadrupolar resonance peaks (~ 380 nm) and wide dips in the visible region as correlated to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. An absorption dip is readily shifted from ~ 510 to ~ 475 nm along with the decreased average size of alloy nanostructures.

Modulation of Morphology and Optical Property of Multi-Metallic PdAuAg and PdAg Alloy Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Puran; Kunwar, Sundar; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-05-01

In this work, the evolution of PdAg and PdAuAg alloy nanostructures is demonstrated on sapphire (0001) via the solid-state dewetting of multi-metallic thin films. Various surface configurations, size, and arrangements of bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures are fabricated as a function of annealing temperature, annealing duration, film thickness, and deposition arrangements such as bi-layers (Pd/Ag), tri-layers (Pd/Au/Ag), and multi-layers (Pd/Au/Ag × 5). Specifically, the tri-layers film shows the gradual evolution of over-grown NPs, voids, wiggly nanostructures, and isolated PdAuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) along with the increased annealing temperature. In contrast, the multi-layers film with same thickness show the enhanced dewetting rate, which results in the formation of voids at relatively lower temperature, wider spacing, and structural regularity of alloy NPs at higher temperature. The dewetting enhancement is attributed to the increased number of interfaces and reduced individual layer thickness, which aid the inter-diffusion process at the initial stage. In addition, the time evolution of the Pd150 nm/Ag80 nm bi-layer films at constant temperature show the wiggly-connected and isolated PdAg alloy NPs. The overall evolution of alloy NPs is discussed based on the solid-state dewetting mechanism in conjunction with the diffusion, inter-diffusion, alloying, sublimation, Rayleigh instability, and surface energy minimization. Depending upon their surface morphologies, the bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures exhibit the dynamic reflectance spectra, which show the formation of dipolar (above 700 nm) and quadrupolar resonance peaks ( 380 nm) and wide dips in the visible region as correlated to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. An absorption dip is readily shifted from 510 to 475 nm along with the decreased average size of alloy nanostructures.

ON AERODYNAMIC AND BOUNDARY LAYER RESISTANCES WITHIN DRY DEPOSITION MODELS

EPA Science Inventory

There have been many empirical parameterizations for the aerodynamic and boundary layer resistances proposed in the literature, e.g. those of the Meyers Multi-Layer Deposition Model (MLM) used with the nation-wide dry deposition network. Many include arbitrary constants or par...

Grid-wide neuroimaging data federation in the context of the NeuroLOG project

PubMed Central

Michel, Franck; Gaignard, Alban; Ahmad, Farooq; Barillot, Christian; Batrancourt, Bénédicte; Dojat, Michel; Gibaud, Bernard; Girard, Pascal; Godard, David; Kassel, Gilles; Lingrand, Diane; Malandain, Grégoire; Montagnat, Johan; Pélégrini-Issac, Mélanie; Pennec, Xavier; Rojas Balderrama, Javier; Wali, Bacem

2010-01-01

Grid technologies are appealing to deal with the challenges raised by computational neurosciences and support multi-centric brain studies. However, core grids middleware hardly cope with the complex neuroimaging data representation and multi-layer data federation needs. Moreover, legacy neuroscience environments need to be preserved and cannot be simply superseded by grid services. This paper describes the NeuroLOG platform design and implementation, shedding light on its Data Management Layer. It addresses the integration of brain image files, associated relational metadata and neuroscience semantic data in a heterogeneous distributed environment, integrating legacy data managers through a mediation layer. PMID:20543431

340 Ghz Multipixel Transceiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chattopadhyay, Goutam (Inventor); Cooper, Ken B. (Inventor); Decrossas, Emmanuel (Inventor); Gill, John J. (Inventor); Jung-Kubiak, Cecile (Inventor); Lee, Choonsup (Inventor); Lin, Robert (Inventor); Mehdi, Imran (Inventor); Peralta, Alejandro (Inventor); Reck, Theodore (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A multi-pixel terahertz transceiver is constructed using a stack of semiconductor layers that communicate using vias defined within the semiconductor layers. By using a stack of semiconductor layers, the various electrical functions of each layer can be tested easily without having to assemble the entire transceiver. In addition, the design allows the production of a transceiver having pixels set 10 mm apart.

A robust multi-frequency mixing algorithm for suppression of rivet signal in GMR inspection of riveted structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safdernejad, Morteza S.; Karpenko, Oleksii; Ye, Chaofeng; Udpa, Lalita; Udpa, Satish

2016-02-01

The advent of Giant Magneto-Resistive (GMR) technology permits development of novel highly sensitive array probes for Eddy Current (EC) inspection of multi-layer riveted structures. Multi-frequency GMR measurements with different EC pene-tration depths show promise for detection of bottom layer notches at fastener sites. However, the distortion of the induced magnetic field due to flaws is dominated by the strong fastener signal, which makes defect detection and classification a challenging prob-lem. This issue is more pronounced for ferromagnetic fasteners that concentrate most of the magnetic flux. In the present work, a novel multi-frequency mixing algorithm is proposed to suppress rivet signal response and enhance defect detection capability of the GMR array probe. The algorithm is baseline-free and does not require any assumptions about the sample geometry being inspected. Fastener signal suppression is based upon the random sample consensus (RANSAC) method, which iteratively estimates parameters of a mathematical model from a set of observed data with outliers. Bottom layer defects at fastener site are simulated as EDM notches of different length. Performance of the proposed multi-frequency mixing approach is evaluated on finite element data and experimental GMR measurements obtained with unidirectional planar current excitation. Initial results are promising demonstrating the feasibility of the approach.

A multi-scale and multi-field coupling nonlinear constitutive theory for the layered magnetoelectric composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hao; Pei, Yongmao; Li, Faxin; Fang, Daining

2018-05-01

The magnetic, electric and mechanical behaviors are strongly coupled in magnetoelectric (ME) materials, making them great promising in the application of functional devices. In this paper, the magneto-electro-mechanical fully coupled constitutive behaviors of ME laminates are systematically studied both theoretically and experimentally. A new probabilistic domain switching function considering the surface ferromagnetic anisotropy and the interface charge-mediated effect is proposed. Then a multi-scale multi-field coupling nonlinear constitutive model for layered ME composites is developed with physical measureable parameters. The experiments were performed to compare the theoretical predictions with the experimental data. The theoretical predictions have a good agreement with experimental results. The proposed constitutive relation can be used to describe the nonlinear multi-field coupling properties of both ME laminates and thin films. Several novel coupling experimental phenomena such as the electric-field control of magnetization, and the magnetic-field tuning of polarization are observed and analyzed. Furthermore, the size-effect of the electric tuning behavior of magnetization is predicted, which demonstrates a competition mechanism between the interface strain-mediated effect and the charge-driven effect. Our study offers deep insight into the coupling microscopic mechanism and macroscopic properties of ME layered composites, which is benefit for the design of electromagnetic functional devices.

Development of multi-layer crystal detector and related front end electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardarelli, R.; Di Ciaccio, A.; Paolozzi, L.

2014-05-01

A crystal (diamond) particle detector has been developed and tested, whose constitute elements are a multi-layer polycrystalline diamond and a pick-up system capable of collecting in parallel the charge produced in the layers. The charge is read with a charge-to-voltage amplifier (5-6 mV/fC) realized with bipolar junction transistors in order to minimize the effect of the detector capacitance. The tests performed with cosmic rays and at the beam test facility of Frascati with 500 MeV electrons in single electron mode operation have shown that a detector with 4-5 layers of 250 μm thickness each and 9 mm2 active area exhibits an upper limit of 150 ps time resolution for minimum ionizing particles at an operating voltage of about 350 V.

Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Materials: Particles, Films, and Bulk Gels.

PubMed

Cao, Zi-Quan; Wang, Guo-Jie

2016-06-01

Stimuli-responsive polymers have received tremendous attention from scientists and engineers for several decades due to the wide applications of these smart materials in biotechnology and nanotechnology. Driven by the complex functions of living systems, multi-stimuli-responsive polymer materials have been designed and developed in recent years. Compared with conventional single- or dual-stimuli-based polymer materials, multi-stimuli-responsive polymer materials would be more intriguing since more functions and finer modulations can be achieved through more parameters. This critical review highlights the recent advances in this area and focuses on three types of multi-stimuli-responsive polymer materials, namely, multi-stimuli-responsive particles (micelles, micro/nanogels, vesicles, and hybrid particles), multi-stimuli-responsive films (polymer brushes, layer-by-layer polymer films, and porous membranes), and multi-stimuli-responsive bulk gels (hydrogels, organogels, and metallogels) from recent publications. Various stimuli, such as light, temperature, pH, reduction/oxidation, enzymes, ions, glucose, ultrasound, magnetic fields, mechanical stress, solvent, voltage, and electrochemistry, have been combined to switch the functions of polymers. The polymer design, preparation, and function of multi-stimuli-responsive particles, films, and bulk gels are comprehensively discussed here. © 2016 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Predicting multicellular function through multi-layer tissue networks

PubMed Central

Zitnik, Marinka; Leskovec, Jure

2017-01-01

Abstract Motivation: Understanding functions of proteins in specific human tissues is essential for insights into disease diagnostics and therapeutics, yet prediction of tissue-specific cellular function remains a critical challenge for biomedicine. Results: Here, we present OhmNet, a hierarchy-aware unsupervised node feature learning approach for multi-layer networks. We build a multi-layer network, where each layer represents molecular interactions in a different human tissue. OhmNet then automatically learns a mapping of proteins, represented as nodes, to a neural embedding-based low-dimensional space of features. OhmNet encourages sharing of similar features among proteins with similar network neighborhoods and among proteins activated in similar tissues. The algorithm generalizes prior work, which generally ignores relationships between tissues, by modeling tissue organization with a rich multiscale tissue hierarchy. We use OhmNet to study multicellular function in a multi-layer protein interaction network of 107 human tissues. In 48 tissues with known tissue-specific cellular functions, OhmNet provides more accurate predictions of cellular function than alternative approaches, and also generates more accurate hypotheses about tissue-specific protein actions. We show that taking into account the tissue hierarchy leads to improved predictive power. Remarkably, we also demonstrate that it is possible to leverage the tissue hierarchy in order to effectively transfer cellular functions to a functionally uncharacterized tissue. Overall, OhmNet moves from flat networks to multiscale models able to predict a range of phenotypes spanning cellular subsystems. Availability and implementation: Source code and datasets are available at http://snap.stanford.edu/ohmnet. Contact: jure@cs.stanford.edu PMID:28881986

Hazards protection for space suits and spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kosmo, Joseph J. (Inventor); Dawn, Frederic S. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

A flexible multi-layered covering article for protection against the hazards of exposure to the environment of outer space is disclosed. The covering includes an outer layer section comprising an outermost lamina of woven expanded tetrafluoroethylene yarns (Gore Tex) for protecting against abrasion and tearing, an underlying weave of meta-aramid yarns (Nomex) and para-aramid yarns (Kevlar) for particle impart protection, and electrostatic charge dissipation and control system incorporated therein, and a chemical contaminants control barrier applied as a coating. A middle section includes a succession of thermal insulating layers of polymeric thermoplastic or thermoforming material, each of which is coated with a metal deposit of high infra-red emissivity and low solar radiation absorption characteristics and separated from adjacent insulating layers by a low thermal conductance material. The covering further includes a radiation attenuating layer of a tungsten-loaded polymeric elastomer binder for protecting against bremsstrahlung radiation and an inner layer of rip-stop polyester material for abrasion protection. A chloroprene coating may be supplied the polyester-material for added micrometeroid protection. Securing means of low heat conductance material secures the multi-layers together as a laminar composite.

Multi-channel feature dictionaries for RGB-D object recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lan, Xiaodong; Li, Qiming; Chong, Mina; Song, Jian; Li, Jun

2018-04-01

Hierarchical matching pursuit (HMP) is a popular feature learning method for RGB-D object recognition. However, the feature representation with only one dictionary for RGB channels in HMP does not capture sufficient visual information. In this paper, we propose multi-channel feature dictionaries based feature learning method for RGB-D object recognition. The process of feature extraction in the proposed method consists of two layers. The K-SVD algorithm is used to learn dictionaries in sparse coding of these two layers. In the first-layer, we obtain features by performing max pooling on sparse codes of pixels in a cell. And the obtained features of cells in a patch are concatenated to generate patch jointly features. Then, patch jointly features in the first-layer are used to learn the dictionary and sparse codes in the second-layer. Finally, spatial pyramid pooling can be applied to the patch jointly features of any layer to generate the final object features in our method. Experimental results show that our method with first or second-layer features can obtain a comparable or better performance than some published state-of-the-art methods.

Atomic Layer Deposition on Gram Quantities of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-03

the amount of reactant that is lost to the vacuum pump . Recent work has demonstrated the feasibility of ALD on gram quantities of nanopowders in a...and left to outgas under vacuum for 24 h. Vacuum was obtained using a dual-stage rotary vane pump . Pressure was monitored with a Baratron capacitance...Atomic layer deposition on gram quantities of multi-walled carbon nanotubes This article has been downloaded from IOPscience. Please scroll down to

Multi-Layer Coating of Ultrathin Polymer Films on Nanoparticles of Alumina by a Plasma Treatment

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

Proc. Vol. 635 © 2001 Materials Research Society Multi-Layer Coating of Ultrathin Polymer Films on Nanoparticles of Alumina by a Plasma Treatment Donglu...interconnected organic and inorganic networks results in coatings with a very low permeability for gases and liquids. Hybrid materials are very suitable for... materials consist of a clear alcoholic solution that can easily be processed by classical application techniques such as dipping, spraying, or spin coating

Interoperability In Multi-Layered Active Defense:The Need For Commonality And Robustness Between Active Defense Weapon Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-16

into areas where there is no access to maritime platforms. Sea-based interceptor platforms have the ability to intercept targets at each stage of the...argues that the most efficient concept for integrating active defense weapon systems is a multi- layered architecture with redundant intercept ...faster data transfer and will prevent data loss. The need for almost 100% interception successes is increasing as the threat becomes more

Single-photon-multi-layer-interference lithography for high-aspect-ratio and three-dimensional SU-8 micro-/nanostructures.

PubMed

Ghosh, Siddharth; Ananthasuresh, G K

2016-01-04

We report microstructures of SU-8 photo-sensitive polymer with high-aspect-ratio, which is defined as the ratio of height to in-plane feature size. The highest aspect ratio achieved in this work exceeds 250. A multi-layer and single-photon lithography approach is used in this work to expose SU-8 photoresist of thickness up to 100 μm. Here, multi-layer and time-lapsed writing is the key concept that enables nanometer localised controlled photo-induced polymerisation. We use a converging monochromatic laser beam of 405 nm wavelength with a controllable aperture. The reflection of the converging optics from the silicon substrate underneath is responsible for a trapezoidal edge profile of SU-8 microstructure. The reflection induced interfered point-spread-function and multi-layer-single-photon exposure helps to achieve sub-wavelength feature sizes. We obtained a 75 nm tip diameter on a pyramid shaped microstructure. The converging beam profile determines the number of multiple optical focal planes along the depth of field. These focal planes are scanned and exposed non-concurrently with varying energy dosage. It is notable that an un-automated height axis control is sufficient for this method. All of these contribute to realising super-high-aspect-ratio and 3D micro-/nanostructures using SU-8. Finally, we also address the critical problems of photoresist-based micro-/nanofabrication and their solutions.

Improving lateral resolution and image quality of optical coherence tomography by the multi-frame superresolution technique for 3D tissue imaging.

PubMed

Shen, Kai; Lu, Hui; Baig, Sarfaraz; Wang, Michael R

2017-11-01

The multi-frame superresolution technique is introduced to significantly improve the lateral resolution and image quality of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Using several sets of low resolution C-scan 3D images with lateral sub-spot-spacing shifts on different sets, the multi-frame superresolution processing of these sets at each depth layer reconstructs a higher resolution and quality lateral image. Layer by layer processing yields an overall high lateral resolution and quality 3D image. In theory, the superresolution processing including deconvolution can solve the diffraction limit, lateral scan density and background noise problems together. In experiment, the improved lateral resolution by ~3 times reaching 7.81 µm and 2.19 µm using sample arm optics of 0.015 and 0.05 numerical aperture respectively as well as doubling the image quality has been confirmed by imaging a known resolution test target. Improved lateral resolution on in vitro skin C-scan images has been demonstrated. For in vivo 3D SD-OCT imaging of human skin, fingerprint and retina layer, we used the multi-modal volume registration method to effectively estimate the lateral image shifts among different C-scans due to random minor unintended live body motion. Further processing of these images generated high lateral resolution 3D images as well as high quality B-scan images of these in vivo tissues.

Fire resistant aircraft seat materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trabold, E. L.

1978-01-01

The establishment of a technical data base for individual seat materials in order to facilitate materials selections is reviewed. The thermal response of multi-layer constructions representative of the basic functional layers of a typical future seat is examined. These functional layers include: (1) decorative fabric cover; (2) slip sheet (topper); (3) fire blocking layer; (4) cushion reinforcement; and (5) cushioning layer. The implications for material selection for full-scale seats are discussed.

Selenium Interlayer for High-Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A multi junction solar cell is provided and includes multiple semiconducting layers and an interface layer disposed between the multiple semiconducting layers. The interface layer is made from an interface bonding material that has a refractive index such that a ratio of a refractive index of each of the multiple semiconducting layers to the refractive index of the interface bonding material is less than or equal to 1.5.

Selenium Interlayer for High-Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A multi-junction solar cell is provided and includes multiple semiconducting layers and an interface layer disposed between the multiple semiconducting layers. The interface layer is made from an interface bonding material that has a refractive index such that a ratio of a refractive index of each of the multiple semiconducting layers to the refractive index of the interface bonding material is less than or equal to 1.5.

Survival and growth of micro-organisms on air filtration media during initial loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, P. C.; Neumeister-Kemp, H. G.; Lysek, G.; Murray, F.

A new type of air filtration medium made from a hygroscopic polymer fibre and constructed in three layers was investigated to measure the survival and growth of micro-organisms on this medium in comparison to a widely used fibreglass medium. Both materials were supplied by the manufacturer and tested "blind". The materials were loaded in an Airotester unit. Micro-organisms were analysed at 2 weekly intervals for 8 weeks by washing filter samples and plating the solution on to agar media and by vital fluorescence microscopy. Filter samples were also weighed to calculate water content and the pH value of the filter material was measured in the wash out eluate. Vital fluorescence microscopy revealed fungi were able to grow on fibreglass medium, but not on the multi-layered polymer. The colony forming unit (CFU) counts did not increase at a steady rate. There was a significant increase on both materials ( P<0.001) during the first 2 weeks which was then followed by a significant decrease in 4 weeks ( P<0.001) but the CFU then significantly increased in 6 weeks ( P<0.05) which were the highest CFU counts during the 2-month trial. There was a significant difference in CFU counts between the filter materials only in week 2 ( P⩽0.001) and week 4 ( P=0.04). Fewer micro-organisms were extracted from the multi-layered polymer than from the fibreglass medium. Fewer fungal species were identified on the multi-layered polymer (nine species) than on the fibreglass medium (13 species). The pH value on the multi-layered polymer was significantly higher than the fibreglass material but only when clean ( P<0.010) and after 2 weeks ( P<0.001). A significantly higher water content on the fibreglass medium ( P<0.001) also indicated a habitat where a wider range of fungal species and bacteria are able to survive. While there was a reduced survival and growth of micro-organisms on the multi-layered polymer material in the initial month of service life, this advantage was cancelled by the supply of nutrients (particulate matter) that were accumulated on the filter materials after 6 weeks.

Role of multi-layer foam dressings with Safetac in the prevention of pressure ulcers: a review of the clinical and scientific data.

PubMed

Davies, Phil

2016-01-01

Despite the implementation of prevention strategies, pressure ulcers (PUs) continue to be a challenging health problem for patients (and their carers), clinicians and health-care providers. One area of growing interest is the use of prophylactic dressings (which were originally designed for the treatment of PUs and other wound types) as a component of standard prevention measures. Over the past few years, a large amount of scientific and clinical data relating to this subject has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international meetings and conferences. A substantial proportion of these data relate to one group of dressings: multi-layer foam dressings with Safetac, which are manufactured by Mölnlycke Health Care (Gothenburg, Sweden). This evidence pool has influenced the experts involved in updating the Clinical Practice Guideline, produced by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance, on the prevention and treatment of PUs. The updated Guideline, published in 2014, recommends that, as part of their PU prevention regimens, clinicians should consider applying prophylactic dressings to bony prominences in anatomical areas that are frequently subjected to friction and shear. A literature review was undertaken to identify clinical data from the entire evidence hierarchy, as well as scientific data from laboratory studies, on the use of multi-layer foam dressings with Safetac in the prevention of pressure ulceration. The MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, US) and EMBASE (Elsevier B, Amsterdam, Netherlands) bibliographic databases were searched. In addition, abstract books and proceedings documents relating to national and international conferences were scanned in order to identify presentations (i.e. oral, e-posters and posters) of relevance to the review. Clinical and health economic experts have undertaken numerous studies, including randomised controlled trials, to assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of using multi-layer foam dressings with Safetac as a component of standard PU prevention strategies. The results of these studies indicate that the application of multi-layer foam dressings containing Safetac can reduce the occurrence of PUs on anatomical locations such as the sacrum and the heel, and underneath medical devices. Scientists have also developed and used laboratory methods to gain a better understanding of how prophylactic dressings work. The results of these studies indicate that the composition of foam dressings containing Safetac (i.e. their multi-layer structure) sets them apart from other dressings due to their ability to mediate the effects of physical forces (i.e. pressure, friction and shear) and control microclimate, all of which contribute to pressure ulceration. The evidence pool clearly indicates that the prophylactic use of multi-layer foam dressings with Safetac as a component of standard prevention measures is beneficial to the clinician, the health-care provider and the patient. It should be noted that the findings outlined in this review may not be transferable to other products as their makeup and components are likely to differ significantly from those of multi-layer foam dressings with Safetac. As the importance of evidence-based practice and the need for cost-effective care continues to grow, clinicians and provider should carefully consider this point when selecting prophylactic dressings for PU prevention.

Design of a thermal waist-pad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kursun Bahadir, S.; Sahin, U. K.; Acikgoz Tufan, H.

2017-10-01

The objective of the current study is designing a thermal waist-pad for people who have backaches with a sandwich-like multi-layered structure. Two model is developed; one is three-layered and second is five-layered with waterproof woven outer layer fabric, Thermolite® knitted fabric (for five-layered structures), wool knitted, polyester nonwoven fabric, polypropylene nonwoven fabric and viscose nonwoven fabric for mid-layer. 10 different structures are designed and produced. All samples are tested for thermal comfort properties of waist-pad. Multi-layer structures were tested, and according to their thermal performance and thermal comfort criteria, all results are evaluated for identifying the best product. These three factors are examined by analysis of thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, thermal absorptivity, relative water vapour/air permeability, water absorption. Highest thermal resistance test result, 150,42 mK/Wm2, is achieved in five-layered sandwich structure with waterproof fabric, Thermolite® fabric, wool based knitted fabric, Thermolite® fabric and waterproof fabric, respectively. Thermal conductivity result of this structure is 46,2 mW/mK, which is one of the lowest results among the alternative structures. Structures with Thermolite® fabric show higher thermal comfort when compared to others.

A neural network based computational model to predict the output power of different types of photovoltaic cells.

PubMed

Xiao, WenBo; Nazario, Gina; Wu, HuaMing; Zhang, HuaMing; Cheng, Feng

2017-01-01

In this article, we introduced an artificial neural network (ANN) based computational model to predict the output power of three types of photovoltaic cells, mono-crystalline (mono-), multi-crystalline (multi-), and amorphous (amor-) crystalline. The prediction results are very close to the experimental data, and were also influenced by numbers of hidden neurons. The order of the solar generation power output influenced by the external conditions from smallest to biggest is: multi-, mono-, and amor- crystalline silicon cells. In addition, the dependences of power prediction on the number of hidden neurons were studied. For multi- and amorphous crystalline cell, three or four hidden layer units resulted in the high correlation coefficient and low MSEs. For mono-crystalline cell, the best results were achieved at the hidden layer unit of 8.

Mechanical loading regulates human MSC differentiation in a multi-layer hydrogel for osteochondral tissue engineering.

PubMed

Steinmetz, Neven J; Aisenbrey, Elizabeth A; Westbrook, Kristofer K; Qi, H Jerry; Bryant, Stephanie J

2015-07-01

A bioinspired multi-layer hydrogel was developed for the encapsulation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) as a platform for osteochondral tissue engineering. The spatial presentation of biochemical cues, via incorporation of extracellular matrix analogs, and mechanical cues, via both hydrogel crosslink density and externally applied mechanical loads, were characterized in each layer. A simple sequential photopolymerization method was employed to form stable poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels with a soft cartilage-like layer of chondroitin sulfate and low RGD concentrations, a stiff bone-like layer with high RGD concentrations, and an intermediate interfacial layer. Under a compressive load, the variation in hydrogel stiffness within each layer produced high strains in the soft cartilage-like layer, low strains in the stiff bone-like layer, and moderate strains in the interfacial layer. When hMSC-laden hydrogels were cultured statically in osteochondral differentiation media, the local biochemical and matrix stiffness cues were not sufficient to spatially guide hMSC differentiation after 21 days. However dynamic mechanical stimulation led to differentially high expression of collagens with collagen II in the cartilage-like layer, collagen X in the interfacial layer and collagen I in the bone-like layer and mineral deposits localized to the bone layer. Overall, these findings point to external mechanical stimulation as a potent regulator of hMSC differentiation toward osteochondral cellular phenotypes. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Thermal Diffusivity Measurement of the Two-layer Ceramics Using the Laser Flash Methodn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akoshima, Megumi; Ogwa, Mitsue; Baba, Tetsuya; Mizuno, Mineo

Ceramics-based thermal barrier coatings are used as heat and wear shields of gas turbines. There are strong needs to evaluate thermophysical properties of coating, such as thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and heat capacity of them. Since the coatings are attached on substrates, it is no easy to measure these properties separately. The laser flash method is one of the most popular thermal diffusivity measurement methods above room temperature for solid materials. The surface of the plate shape specimen is heated by the pulsed laser-beam, then the time variation of the temperature of the rear surface is observed by the infrared radiometer. The laser flash method is non-contact and short time measurement. In general, the thermal diffusivity of solids that are dense, homogeneous and stable, are measured by this method. It is easy to measure thermal diffusivity of a specimen which shows heat diffusion time about 1 ms to 1 s consistent with the specimen thickness of about 1 mm to 5 mm. On the other hand, this method can be applied to measure the specific heat capacity of the solids. And it is also used to estimate the thermal diffusivity of an unknown layer in the layered materials. In order to evaluate the thermal diffusivity of the coating attached on substrate, we have developed a measurement procedure using the laser flash method. The multi-layer model based on the response function method was applied to calculate the thermal diffusivity of the coating attached on substrate from the temperature history curve observed for the two-layer sample. We have verified applicability of the laser flash measurement with the multi-layer model using the measured results and the simulation. It was found that the laser flash measurement for the layered sample using the multi-layer model was effective to estimate the thermal diffusivity of an unknown layer in the sample. We have also developed the two-layer ceramics samples as the reference materials for this procedure.

Analysis of Counterfeit Coated Tablets and Multi-Layer Packaging Materials Using Infrared Microspectroscopic Imaging.

PubMed

Winner, Taryn L; Lanzarotta, Adam; Sommer, André J

2016-06-01

An effective method for detecting and characterizing counterfeit finished dosage forms and packaging materials is described in this study. Using attenuated total internal reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic imaging, suspect tablet coating and core formulations as well as multi-layered foil safety seals, bottle labels, and cigarette tear tapes were analyzed and compared directly with those of a stored authentic product. The approach was effective for obtaining molecular information from structures as small as 6 μm.

A Multi-Wavelength Mini Lidar for Measurements of Marine Boundary Layer Aerosol and Water Vapor Fields

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-09-30

from the Hawaii Kilauea Volcano Pu’u O’o vent: Aerosol flux and SO2 lifetime, Geophys. Res. Lett., in press A. Clarke, V. Kapustin, S. Howell, K...A Multi-Wavelength Mini Lidar for Measurements of Marine Boundary Layer Aerosol and Water Vapor Fields Shiv K. Sharma Hawaii Institute of...Lienert Hawaii Institute of Geophysics & Planetology phone: (808) 956-7815 fax: (808) 956-3188 email: lienert@soest.hawaii.edu John N. Porter

Double-layer interlaced nested multi-ring array metallic mesh for high-performance transparent electromagnetic interference shielding.

PubMed

Wang, Heyan; Lu, Zhengang; Liu, Yeshu; Tan, Jiubin; Ma, Limin; Lin, Shen

2017-04-15

We report a nested multi-ring array metallic mesh (NMA-MM) that shows a highly uniform diffraction pattern theoretically and experimentally. Then a high-performance transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding structure is constituted by the double-layer interlaced NMA-MMs separated by transparent quartz-glass substrate. Experimental results show that double-layer interlaced NMA-MM structure exhibits a shielding effectiveness (SE) of over 27 dB in the Ku-band, with a maximal SE of 37 dB at 12 GHz, normalized optical transmittance of 90%, and minimal image quality degradation due to the interlaced arrangement. It thus shows great potential for practical applications in transparent EMI shielding devices.

Fick's second law transformed: one path to cloaking in mass diffusion.

PubMed

Guenneau, S; Puvirajesinghe, T M

2013-06-06

Here, we adapt the concept of transformational thermodynamics, whereby the flux of temperature is controlled via anisotropic heterogeneous diffusivity, for the diffusion and transport of mass concentration. The n-dimensional, time-dependent, anisotropic heterogeneous Fick's equation is considered, which is a parabolic partial differential equation also applicable to heat diffusion, when convection occurs, for example, in fluids. This theory is illustrated with finite-element computations for a liposome particle surrounded by a cylindrical multi-layered cloak in a water-based environment, and for a spherical multi-layered cloak consisting of layers of fluid with an isotropic homogeneous diffusivity, deduced from an effective medium approach. Initial potential applications could be sought in bioengineering.

Fabrication of overlaid nanopattern arrays for plasmon memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okabe, Takao; Wadayama, Hisahiro; Taniguchi, Jun

2018-01-01

Stacking technique of nanopattern array is gathering attention to fabricate next generation data storage such as plasmon memory. This technique provides multi- overlaid nanopatterns which made by nanoimprint lithography. In the structure, several metal nanopatterned layer and resin layer as a spacer are overlaid alternately. The horizontal position of nanopatterns to under nanopatterns and thickness of resin layer as spacer should be controlled accurately, because these parameters affect reading performance and capacity of plasmon memory. In this study, we developed new alignment mark to fabricate multi- overlaid nanopatterns. The alignment accuracy with the order of 300 nm was demonstrated for Ag nanopatterns in 2 layers. The alignment mark can measure the thickness of spacer. The relationship of spacer thickness and position of scale bar on the alignment mark was measured. The usefulness of the alignment mark for highdensity plasmon memory is shown.

Theoretical analysis of sound transmission loss through graphene sheets

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

Natsuki, Toshiaki, E-mail: natsuki@shinshu-u.ac.jp; Institute of Carbon Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano 380-8553; Ni, Qing-Qing

2014-11-17

We examine the potential of using graphene sheets (GSs) as sound insulating materials that can be used for nano-devices because of their small size, super electronic, and mechanical properties. In this study, a theoretical analysis is proposed to predict the sound transmission loss through multi-layered GSs, which are formed by stacks of GS and bound together by van der Waals (vdW) forces between individual layers. The result shows that the resonant frequencies of the sound transmission loss occur in the multi-layered GSs and the values are very high. Based on the present analytical solution, we predict the acoustic insulation propertymore » for various layers of sheets under both normal incident wave and acoustic field of random incidence source. The scheme could be useful in vibration absorption application of nano devices and materials.« less

Multi-layer composite structure covered polytetrafluoroethylene for visible-infrared-radar spectral Compatibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Dong; Cheng, Yongzhi; Wang, Xian; Wang, Fang; Li, Bowen; Gong, Rongzhou

2017-12-01

In this paper, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) top-covered multi-layer composite structure PTFE/H s/(Ge/ZnS)3 (H s represents the surface layer ZnS with various thicknesses) for spectral compatibility is proposed and investigated theoretically and experimentally. A substantial decline of glossiness from over 200 Gs to 74.2 Gs could be realized, due to high roughness and interface reflection of the 800 nm PTFE protection layer. In addition, similar to the structure of H s/(Ge/ZnS)3, the designed structure with a certain color exhibits ultra-low emissivity of average 0.196 at 8-14 µm and highly transparent performance of 96.45% in the radar frequency range of 2-18 GHz. Our design will provide an important reference for the practical applications of the spectral compatible multilayer films.

Development of Eddy Current Techniques for Detection of Deep Fatigue Cracks in Multi-Layer Airframe Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wincheski, Russell A.

2008-01-01

Thick, multi-layer aluminum structure has been widely used in aircraft design in critical wing splice areas. The multi-layer structure generally consists of three or four aluminum layers with different geometry and varying thickness, which are held together with fasteners. The detection of cracks under fasteners with ultrasonic techniques in subsurface layers away from the skin is impeded primarily by interlayer bonds and faying sealant condition. Further, assessment of such sealant condition is extremely challenging in terms of complexity of structure, limited access, and inspection cost. Although Eddy current techniques can be applied on in-service aircraft from the exterior of the skin without knowing sealant condition, the current eddy current techniques are not able to detect defects with wanted sensitivity. In this work a series of low frequency eddy current probes have been designed, fabricated and tested for this application. A probe design incorporating a shielded magnetic field sensor concentrically located in the interior of a drive coil has been employed to enable a localized deep diffusion of the electromagnetic field into the part under test. Due to the required low frequency inspections, probes have been testing using a variety of magnetic field sensors (pickup coil, giant magneto-resistive, anisotropic magneto-resistive, and spin-dependent tunneling). The probe designs as well as capabilities based upon a target inspection for sub-layer cracking in an airframe wing spar joint is presented.

PaintOmics 3: a web resource for the pathway analysis and visualization of multi-omics data.

PubMed

Hernández-de-Diego, Rafael; Tarazona, Sonia; Martínez-Mira, Carlos; Balzano-Nogueira, Leandro; Furió-Tarí, Pedro; Pappas, Georgios J; Conesa, Ana

2018-05-25

The increasing availability of multi-omic platforms poses new challenges to data analysis. Joint visualization of multi-omics data is instrumental in better understanding interconnections across molecular layers and in fully utilizing the multi-omic resources available to make biological discoveries. We present here PaintOmics 3, a web-based resource for the integrated visualization of multiple omic data types onto KEGG pathway diagrams. PaintOmics 3 combines server-end capabilities for data analysis with the potential of modern web resources for data visualization, providing researchers with a powerful framework for interactive exploration of their multi-omics information. Unlike other visualization tools, PaintOmics 3 covers a comprehensive pathway analysis workflow, including automatic feature name/identifier conversion, multi-layered feature matching, pathway enrichment, network analysis, interactive heatmaps, trend charts, and more. It accepts a wide variety of omic types, including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, as well as region-based approaches such as ATAC-seq or ChIP-seq data. The tool is freely available at www.paintomics.org.

Wavepacket dynamics and the multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manthe, Uwe

2017-06-01

Multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree (MCTDH) based approaches are efficient, accurate, and versatile methods for high-dimensional quantum dynamics simulations. Applications range from detailed investigations of polyatomic reaction processes in the gas phase to high-dimensional simulations studying the dynamics of condensed phase systems described by typical solid state physics model Hamiltonians. The present article presents an overview of the different areas of application and provides a comprehensive review of the underlying theory. The concepts and guiding ideas underlying the MCTDH approach and its multi-mode and multi-layer extensions are discussed in detail. The general structure of the equations of motion is highlighted. The representation of the Hamiltonian and the correlated discrete variable representation (CDVR), which provides an efficient multi-dimensional quadrature in MCTDH calculations, are discussed. Methods which facilitate the calculation of eigenstates, the evaluation of correlation functions, and the efficient representation of thermal ensembles in MCTDH calculations are described. Different schemes for the treatment of indistinguishable particles in MCTDH calculations and recent developments towards a unified multi-layer MCTDH theory for systems including bosons and fermions are discussed.

Multi-layered, chemically bonded lithium-ion and lithium/air batteries

DOEpatents

Narula, Chaitanya Kumar; Nanda, Jagjit; Bischoff, Brian L; Bhave, Ramesh R

2014-05-13

Disclosed are multilayer, porous, thin-layered lithium-ion batteries that include an inorganic separator as a thin layer that is chemically bonded to surfaces of positive and negative electrode layers. Thus, in such disclosed lithium-ion batteries, the electrodes and separator are made to form non-discrete (i.e., integral) thin layers. Also disclosed are methods of fabricating integrally connected, thin, multilayer lithium batteries including lithium-ion and lithium/air batteries.

Multi-modality nanoparticles having optically responsive shape

DOEpatents

Chen, Fanqing; Bouchard, Louis-Serge

2015-05-19

In certain embodiments novel nanoparticles (nanowontons) are provided that are suitable for multimodal imaging and/or therapy. In one embodiment, the nanoparticles include a first biocompatible (e.g., gold) layer, an inner core layer (e.g., a non-biocompatible material), and a biocompatible (e.g., gold) layer. The first gold layer includes a concave surface that forms a first outer surface of the layered nanoparticle. The second gold layer includes a convex surface that forms a second outer surface of the layered nanoparticle. The first and second gold layers encapsulate the inner core material layer. Methods of fabricating such nanoparticles are also provided.

Acoustic resonator with Al electrodes on an AlN layer and using a GaAs substrate

DOEpatents

Kline, Gerald R.; Lakin, Kenneth M.

1985-12-03

A method of fabricating an acoustic wave resonator wherein all processing steps are accomplished from a single side of said substrate. The method involves deposition of a multi-layered Al/AlN structure on a GaAs substrate followed by a series of fabrication steps to define a resonator from said composite. The resulting resonator comprises an AlN layer between two Al layers and another layer of AlN on an exterior of one of said Al layers.

High efficiency photovoltaic device

DOEpatents

Guha, Subhendu; Yang, Chi C.; Xu, Xi Xiang

1999-11-02

An N-I-P type photovoltaic device includes a multi-layered body of N-doped semiconductor material which has an amorphous, N doped layer in contact with the amorphous body of intrinsic semiconductor material, and a microcrystalline, N doped layer overlying the amorphous, N doped material. A tandem device comprising stacked N-I-P cells may further include a second amorphous, N doped layer interposed between the microcrystalline, N doped layer and a microcrystalline P doped layer. Photovoltaic devices thus configured manifest improved performance, particularly when configured as tandem devices.

Dense, layered membranes for hydrogen separation

DOEpatents

Roark, Shane E.; MacKay, Richard; Mundschau, Michael V.

2006-02-21

This invention provides hydrogen-permeable membranes for separation of hydrogen from hydrogen-containing gases. The membranes are multi-layer having a central hydrogen-permeable layer with one or more catalyst layers, barrier layers, and/or protective layers. The invention also relates to membrane reactors employing the hydrogen-permeable membranes of the invention and to methods for separation of hydrogen from a hydrogen-containing gas using the membranes and reactors. The reactors of this invention can be combined with additional reactor systems for direct use of the separated hydrogen.

Modelling of particle-laden flow inside nanomaterials.

PubMed

Chan, Yue; Wylie, Jonathan J; Xia, Liang; Ren, Yong; Chen, Yung-Tsang

2016-08-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the usage of the Nernst-Planck equation in conjunction with mean-field theory to investigate particle-laden flow inside nanomaterials. Most theoretical studies in molecular encapsulation at the nanoscale do not take into account any macroscopic flow fields that are crucial in squeezing molecules into nanostructures. Here, a multi-scale idea is used to address this issue. The macroscopic transport of gas is described by the Nernst-Planck equation, whereas molecular interactions between gases and between the gas and the host material are described using a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and mean-field theory. In particular, we investigate flow-driven hydrogen storage inside doubly layered graphene sheets and graphene-oxide frameworks (GOFs). At room temperature and with slow velocity fields, we find that a single molecular layer is formed almost instantaneously on the inner surface of the graphene sheets, while molecular ligands between GOFs induce multi-layers. For higher velocities, multi-layers are also formed between graphene. For even larger velocities, the cavity of graphene is filled entirely with hydrogen, whereas for GOFs there exist two voids inside each periodic unit. The flow-driven hydrogen storage inside GOFs with various ligand densities is also investigated.

Modelling of particle-laden flow inside nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Yue; Wylie, Jonathan J.; Xia, Liang; Ren, Yong; Chen, Yung-Tsang

2016-08-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the usage of the Nernst-Planck equation in conjunction with mean-field theory to investigate particle-laden flow inside nanomaterials. Most theoretical studies in molecular encapsulation at the nanoscale do not take into account any macroscopic flow fields that are crucial in squeezing molecules into nanostructures. Here, a multi-scale idea is used to address this issue. The macroscopic transport of gas is described by the Nernst-Planck equation, whereas molecular interactions between gases and between the gas and the host material are described using a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and mean-field theory. In particular, we investigate flow-driven hydrogen storage inside doubly layered graphene sheets and graphene-oxide frameworks (GOFs). At room temperature and with slow velocity fields, we find that a single molecular layer is formed almost instantaneously on the inner surface of the graphene sheets, while molecular ligands between GOFs induce multi-layers. For higher velocities, multi-layers are also formed between graphene. For even larger velocities, the cavity of graphene is filled entirely with hydrogen, whereas for GOFs there exist two voids inside each periodic unit. The flow-driven hydrogen storage inside GOFs with various ligand densities is also investigated.

Structure reconstruction of TiO2-based multi-wall nanotubes: first-principles calculations.

PubMed

Bandura, A V; Evarestov, R A; Lukyanov, S I

2014-07-28

A new method of theoretical modelling of polyhedral single-walled nanotubes based on the consolidation of walls in the rolled-up multi-walled nanotubes is proposed. Molecular mechanics and ab initio quantum mechanics methods are applied to investigate the merging of walls in nanotubes constructed from the different phases of titania. The combination of two methods allows us to simulate the structures which are difficult to find only by ab initio calculations. For nanotube folding we have used (1) the 3-plane fluorite TiO2 layer; (2) the anatase (101) 6-plane layer; (3) the rutile (110) 6-plane layer; and (4) the 6-plane layer with lepidocrocite morphology. The symmetry of the resulting single-walled nanotubes is significantly lower than the symmetry of initial coaxial cylindrical double- or triple-walled nanotubes. These merged nanotubes acquire higher stability in comparison with the initial multi-walled nanotubes. The wall thickness of the merged nanotubes exceeds 1 nm and approaches the corresponding parameter of the experimental patterns. The present investigation demonstrates that the merged nanotubes can integrate the two different crystalline phases in one and the same wall structure.

Near-field Pressure Distributions to Enhance Sounds Transmission into Multi-layer Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

all contributed in some way to this document, whether they wanted to or not. Jelena Paripovic, Jake Miller, Chris Watson, and Daniel Woods worked on the...speeds labeled. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 5.10 Intensity in the center of the middle (surrogate) layer of the plastic - bounded...surrogate system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 5.11 Intensity in the middle layer of middle (surrogate) layer of the plastic

Size and weight graded multi-ply laminar electrodes

DOEpatents

Liu, Chia-Tsun; Demczyk, Brian G.; Rittko, Irvin R.

1984-01-01

An electrode is made comprising a porous backing sheet, and attached thereto a catalytically active layer having an electrolyte permeable side and a backing layer contacting side, where the active layer comprises a homogeneous mixture of active hydrophobic and hydrophilic agglomerates with catalyst disposed equally throughout the active layer, and where the agglomerate size increases from the electrolyte permeable side to the backing sheet contacting side.

Method and Apparatus for Monitoring the Integrity of a Geomembrane Liner using time Domain Reflectometry

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

Morris, John L.

1998-11-09

Leaks are detected in a multi-layered geomembrane liner by a two-dimensional time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique. The TDR geomembrane liner is constructed with an electrically conductive detection layer positioned between two electrically non-conductive dielectric layers, which are each positioned between the detection layer and an electrically conductive reference layer. The integrity of the TDR geomembrane liner is determined by generating electrical pulses within the detection layer and measuring the time delay for any reflected electrical energy caused by absorption of moisture by a dielectric layer.

Control of magnetic direction in multi-layer ferromagnetic devices by bias voltage

DOEpatents

You, Chun-Yeol; Bader, Samuel D.

2001-01-01

A system for controlling the direction of magnetization of materials comprising a ferromagnetic device with first and second ferromagnetic layers. The ferromagnetic layers are disposed such that they combine to form an interlayer with exchange coupling. An insulating layer and a spacer layer are located between the first and second ferromagnetic layers. A direct bias voltage is applied to the interlayer exchange coupling, causing the direction of magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer to change. This change of magnetization direction occurs in the absence of any applied external magnetic field.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the integrity of a geomembrane liner using time domain reflectometry

DOEpatents

Morrison, John L [Idaho Falls, ID

2001-04-24

Leaks are detected in a multi-layered geomembrane liner by a two-dimensional time domain reflectometry (TDR) technique. The TDR geomembrane liner is constructed with an electrically conductive detection layer positioned between two electrically non-conductive dielectric layers, which are each positioned between the detection layer and an electrically conductive reference layer. The integrity of the TDR geomembrane liner is determined by generating electrical pulses within the detection layer and measuring the time delay for any reflected electrical energy caused by absorption of moisture by a dielectric layer.

Energy management and control of active distribution systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shariatzadeh, Farshid

Advancements in the communication, control, computation and information technologies have driven the transition to the next generation active power distribution systems. Novel control techniques and management strategies are required to achieve the efficient, economic and reliable grid. The focus of this work is energy management and control of active distribution systems (ADS) with integrated renewable energy sources (RESs) and demand response (DR). Here, ADS mean automated distribution system with remotely operated controllers and distributed energy resources (DERs). DER as active part of the next generation future distribution system includes: distributed generations (DGs), RESs, energy storage system (ESS), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and DR. Integration of DR and RESs into ADS is critical to realize the vision of sustainability. The objective of this dissertation is the development of management architecture to control and operate ADS in the presence of DR and RES. One of the most challenging issues for operating ADS is the inherent uncertainty of DR and RES as well as conflicting objective of DER and electric utilities. ADS can consist of different layers such as system layer and building layer and coordination between these layers is essential. In order to address these challenges, multi-layer energy management and control architecture is proposed with robust algorithms in this work. First layer of proposed multi-layer architecture have been implemented at the system layer. Developed AC optimal power flow (AC-OPF) generates fair price for all DR and non-DR loads which is used as a control signal for second layer. Second layer controls DR load at buildings using a developed look-ahead robust controller. Load aggregator collects information from all buildings and send aggregated load to the system optimizer. Due to the different time scale at these two management layers, time coordination scheme is developed. Robust and deterministic controllers are developed to maximize the energy usage from rooftop photovoltaic (PV) generation locally and minimize heat-ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) consumption while maintaining inside temperature within comfort zone. The performance of the developed multi-layer architecture has been analyzed using test case studies and results show the robustness of developed controller in the presence of uncertainty.

Multi-angle lensless digital holography for depth resolved imaging on a chip.

PubMed

Su, Ting-Wei; Isikman, Serhan O; Bishara, Waheb; Tseng, Derek; Erlinger, Anthony; Ozcan, Aydogan

2010-04-26

A multi-angle lensfree holographic imaging platform that can accurately characterize both the axial and lateral positions of cells located within multi-layered micro-channels is introduced. In this platform, lensfree digital holograms of the micro-objects on the chip are recorded at different illumination angles using partially coherent illumination. These digital holograms start to shift laterally on the sensor plane as the illumination angle of the source is tilted. Since the exact amount of this lateral shift of each object hologram can be calculated with an accuracy that beats the diffraction limit of light, the height of each cell from the substrate can be determined over a large field of view without the use of any lenses. We demonstrate the proof of concept of this multi-angle lensless imaging platform by using light emitting diodes to characterize various sized microparticles located on a chip with sub-micron axial and lateral localization over approximately 60 mm(2) field of view. Furthermore, we successfully apply this lensless imaging approach to simultaneously characterize blood samples located at multi-layered micro-channels in terms of the counts, individual thicknesses and the volumes of the cells at each layer. Because this platform does not require any lenses, lasers or other bulky optical/mechanical components, it provides a compact and high-throughput alternative to conventional approaches for cytometry and diagnostics applications involving lab on a chip systems.

Development of a multi-element microdosimetric detector based on a thick gas electron multiplier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anjomani, Z.; Hanu, A. R.; Prestwich, W. V.; Byun, S. H.

2017-03-01

A prototype multi-element gaseous microdosimetric detector was developed using the Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) technique. The detector aims at measuring neutron and gamma-ray dose rates for weak neutron-gamma radiation fields. The multi-element design was employed to increase the neutron detection efficiency. The prototype THGEM multi-element detector consists of three layers of tissue equivalent plastic hexagons and each layer houses a hexagonal array of seven cylindrical gas cavity elements with equal heights and diameters of 17 mm. The final detector structure incorporates 21 gaseous volumes. Owing to the absence of wire electrodes, the THGEM multi-element detector offers flexible and convenient fabrication. The detector responses to neutron and gamma-ray were investigated using the McMaster Tandetron 7Li(p,n) neutron source. The dosimetric performance of the detector is presented in contrast to the response of a commercial tissue equivalent proportional counter. Compared to the standard TEPC response, the detector gave a consistent microdosimetric response with an average discrepancy of 8 % in measured neutron absorbed dose. An improvement of a factor of 3.0 in neutron detection efficiency has been accomplished with only a small degradation in energy resolution. However, its low energy cut off is about 6 keV/μm, which is not sufficient to measure the gamma-ray dose. This problem will be addressed by increasing the electron multiplication gain using double THGEM layers.

Practice-driven evaluation of a multi-layered psychosocial care package for children in areas of armed conflict.

PubMed

Jordans, M J D; Komproe, I H; Tol, W A; Susanty, D; Vallipuram, A; Ntamatumba, P; Lasuba, A C; De Jong, J T V M

2011-06-01

Psychosocial and mental health service delivery frameworks for children in low-income countries are scarce. This paper presents a practice-driven evaluation of a multi-layered community-based care package in Burundi, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Sudan, through a set of indicators; (a) perceived treatment gains; (b) treatment satisfaction; (c) therapist burden; (d) access to care; (e) care package costs. Across four settings (n = 29,292 children), beneficiaries reported high levels of client satisfaction and moderate post-treatment problem reductions. Service providers reported significant levels of distress related to service delivery. Cost analyses demonstrated mean cost per service user to vary from 3.46 to 17.32 depending on country and specification of costs. The results suggest a multi-layered psychosocial care package appears feasible and satisfactory in reaching out to substantial populations of distressed children through different levels of care. Future replication should address therapist burden, cost reductions to increase sustainability and increase evidence for treatment efficacy.

Distributed Cooperation Solution Method of Complex System Based on MAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weijin, Jiang; Yuhui, Xu

To adapt the model in reconfiguring fault diagnosing to dynamic environment and the needs of solving the tasks of complex system fully, the paper introduced multi-Agent and related technology to the complicated fault diagnosis, an integrated intelligent control system is studied in this paper. Based on the thought of the structure of diagnostic decision and hierarchy in modeling, based on multi-layer decomposition strategy of diagnosis task, a multi-agent synchronous diagnosis federation integrated different knowledge expression modes and inference mechanisms are presented, the functions of management agent, diagnosis agent and decision agent are analyzed, the organization and evolution of agents in the system are proposed, and the corresponding conflict resolution algorithm in given, Layered structure of abstract agent with public attributes is build. System architecture is realized based on MAS distributed layered blackboard. The real world application shows that the proposed control structure successfully solves the fault diagnose problem of the complex plant, and the special advantage in the distributed domain.

Ceramic Electron Multiplier

DOE PAGES

Comby, G.

1996-10-01

The Ceramic Electron Multipliers (CEM) is a compact, robust, linear and fast multi-channel electron multiplier. The Multi Layer Ceramic Technique (MLCT) allows to build metallic dynodes inside a compact ceramic block. The activation of the metallic dynodes enhances their secondary electron emission (SEE). The CEM can be used in multi-channel photomultipliers, multi-channel light intensifiers, ion detection, spectroscopy, analysis of time of flight events, particle detection or Cherenkov imaging detectors. (auth)

Application of Layered Perforation Profile Control Technique to Low Permeable Reservoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Sun

2018-01-01

it is difficult to satisfy the demand of profile control of complex well section and multi-layer reservoir by adopting the conventional profile control technology, therefore, a research is conducted on adjusting the injection production profile with layered perforating parameters optimization. i.e. in the case of coproduction for multi-layer, water absorption of each layer is adjusted by adjusting the perforating parameters, thus to balance the injection production profile of the whole well section, and ultimately enhance the oil displacement efficiency of water flooding. By applying the relationship between oil-water phase percolation theory/perforating damage and capacity, a mathematic model of adjusting the injection production profile with layered perforating parameters optimization, besides, perforating parameters optimization software is programmed. Different types of optimization design work are carried out according to different geological conditions and construction purposes by using the perforating optimization design software; furthermore, an application test is done for low permeable reservoir, and the water injection profile tends to be balanced significantly after perforation with optimized parameters, thereby getting a good application effect on site.

Wideband acoustic wave resonators composed of hetero acoustic layer structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadota, Michio; Tanaka, Shuji

2018-07-01

“Hetero acoustic layer (HAL) surface acoustic wave (SAW) device” is a new type of SAW device using a single crystal piezoelectric thin plate supported by a substrate. In this study, a HAL SAW resonator using a LiNbO3 (LN) thin plate and a multi-layer acoustic film was designed by finite element method (FEM) and fabricated. The thickness of LN is 3.6 µm and the pitch of an interdigital transducer (IDT) (λ) is 5.24 µm for a resonance frequency of 600 MHz. The multi-layer acoustic film is composed of 3 layers of SiO2 and AlN for each, i.e., 6 layers in total, alternately deposited on a glass substrate. The HAL SAW resonator achieved a wide bandwidth of 20.3% and a high impedance ratio of 83 dB. Compared with a 0th shear horizontal (SH0) mode plate wave resonator, the performance is better and the thickness of LN is 7 times larger. The HAL SAW without a cavity is advantageous in terms of mechanical stability, thickness controllability and fabrication yield.

On the applicability of the Natori formula to realistic multi-layer quantum well III-V FETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gili, A.; Xanthakis, J. P.

2017-10-01

We investigated the validity of the Natori formalism for realistic multi-layer quantum well FETs. We show that the assumption of a single layer (the channel) carrying all of the current density is far from reality in the sub-threshold region, where in fact most of the current density resides below the channel. Our analysis is based on comparing results of Natori calculations with experimental ones and on comparing with other first-principles calculations. If the Natori calculations are employed in the subthreshold region then a misleadingly small subthreshold slope would be obtained. We propose a way to remedy this inefficiency of this formulation so that it can be applicable to realistic many-layer devices. In particular we show that if the 1-dimensional quantum well of the Natori method enclosing the electron gas is expanded to include the supply layer-usually below the channel- and a proper ab initio potential is used to obtain its eigenvalues, then the Natori formula regains its validity.

Evaluation of large-eddy simulations forced with mesoscale model output for a multi-week period during a measurement campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinze, Rieke; Moseley, Christopher; Böske, Lennart Nils; Muppa, Shravan Kumar; Maurer, Vera; Raasch, Siegfried; Stevens, Bjorn

2017-06-01

Large-eddy simulations (LESs) of a multi-week period during the HD(CP)2 (High-Definition Clouds and Precipitation for advancing Climate Prediction) Observational Prototype Experiment (HOPE) conducted in Germany are evaluated with respect to mean boundary layer quantities and turbulence statistics. Two LES models are used in a semi-idealized setup through forcing with mesoscale model output to account for the synoptic-scale conditions. Evaluation is performed based on the HOPE observations. The mean boundary layer characteristics like the boundary layer depth are in a principal agreement with observations. Simulating shallow-cumulus layers in agreement with the measurements poses a challenge for both LES models. Variance profiles agree satisfactorily with lidar measurements. The results depend on how the forcing data stemming from mesoscale model output are constructed. The mean boundary layer characteristics become less sensitive if the averaging domain for the forcing is large enough to filter out mesoscale fluctuations.

Proving the viability of manufacturing of multi-layer steel/vanadium alloy/steel composite tubes by numerical simulations and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nechaykina, T.; Nikulin, S.; Rozhnov, A.; Molotnikov, A.; Zavodchikov, S.; Estrin, Y.

2018-05-01

Vanadium alloys are promising structural materials for fuel cladding tubes for fast-neutron reactors. However, high solubility of oxygen and nitrogen in vanadium alloys at operating temperatures of 700 °C limits their application. In this work, we present a novel composite structure consisting of vanadium alloy V-4Ti-4Cr (provides high long-term strength of the material) and stainless steel Fe-0.2C-13Cr (as a corrosion resistant protective layer). It is produced by co-extrusion of these materials forming a three-layered tube. Finite element simulations were utilised to explore the influence of the various co-extrusion parameters on manufacturability of multi-layered tubes. Experimental verification of the numerical modelling was performed using co-extrusion with the process parameters suggested by the numerical simulations. Scanning electron microscopy and microhardness measurements revealed a defect-free diffusion layer at the interfaces between both materials indicating a good quality bonding for these co-extrusion conditions.

Characterization of a compliant multi-layer system for tactile sensing with enhanced sensitivity and range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ying; Yu, Miao; Bruck, Hugh A.; Smela, Elisabeth

2018-06-01

To allow robots to interact with humans via touch, new sensing concepts are needed that can detect a wide range of potential interactions and cover the body of a robot. In this paper, a skin-inspired multi-layer tactile sensing architecture is presented and characterized. The structure consists of stretchable piezoresistive strain-sensing layers over foam layers of different stiffness, allowing for both sufficient sensitivity and pressure range for human contacts. Strip-shaped sensors were used in this architecture to produce a deformation response proportional to pressure. The roles of the foam layers were elucidated by changing their stiffness and thickness, allowing the development of a geometric model to account for indenter interactions with the structure. The advantage of this architecture over other approaches is the ability to easily tune performance by adjusting the stiffness or thickness of the foams to tailor the response for different applications. Since viscoelastic materials were used, the temporal effects were also investigated.

Improving lateral resolution and image quality of optical coherence tomography by the multi-frame superresolution technique for 3D tissue imaging

PubMed Central

Shen, Kai; Lu, Hui; Baig, Sarfaraz; Wang, Michael R.

2017-01-01

The multi-frame superresolution technique is introduced to significantly improve the lateral resolution and image quality of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Using several sets of low resolution C-scan 3D images with lateral sub-spot-spacing shifts on different sets, the multi-frame superresolution processing of these sets at each depth layer reconstructs a higher resolution and quality lateral image. Layer by layer processing yields an overall high lateral resolution and quality 3D image. In theory, the superresolution processing including deconvolution can solve the diffraction limit, lateral scan density and background noise problems together. In experiment, the improved lateral resolution by ~3 times reaching 7.81 µm and 2.19 µm using sample arm optics of 0.015 and 0.05 numerical aperture respectively as well as doubling the image quality has been confirmed by imaging a known resolution test target. Improved lateral resolution on in vitro skin C-scan images has been demonstrated. For in vivo 3D SD-OCT imaging of human skin, fingerprint and retina layer, we used the multi-modal volume registration method to effectively estimate the lateral image shifts among different C-scans due to random minor unintended live body motion. Further processing of these images generated high lateral resolution 3D images as well as high quality B-scan images of these in vivo tissues. PMID:29188089

Femtosecond laser induced periodic surface structures on multi-layer graphene

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

Beltaos, Angela, E-mail: abeltaos@ualberta.ca; Kovačević, Aleksander G.; Matković, Aleksandar

2014-11-28

In this work, we present an observation of laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on graphene. LIPSS on other materials have been observed for nearly 50 years, but until now, not on graphene. Our findings for LIPSS on multi-layer graphene were consistent with previous reports of LIPSS on other materials, thus classifying them as high spatial frequency LIPSS. LIPSS on multi-layer graphene were generated in an air environment by a linearly polarized femtosecond laser with excitation wavelength λ of 840 nm, pulse duration τ of ∼150 fs, and a fluence F of ∼4.3–4.4 mJ/cm{sup 2}. The observed LIPSS were perpendicular tomore » the laser polarization and had dimensions of width w of ∼30–40 nm and length l of ∼0.5–1.5 μm, and spatial periods Λ of ∼70–100 nm (∼λ/8–λ/12), amongst the smallest of spatial periods reported for LIPSS on other materials. The spatial period and width of the LIPSS were shown to decrease for an increased number of laser shots. The experimental results support the leading theory behind high spatial frequency LIPSS formation, implying the involvement of surface plasmon polaritons. This work demonstrates a new way to pattern multi-layer graphene in a controllable manner, promising for a variety of emerging graphene/LIPSS applications.« less

Investigation of upwind, multigrid, multiblock numerical schemes for three dimensional flows. Volume 1: Runge-Kutta methods for a thin layer Navier-Stokes solver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannizzaro, Frank E.; Ash, Robert L.

1992-01-01

A state-of-the-art computer code has been developed that incorporates a modified Runge-Kutta time integration scheme, upwind numerical techniques, multigrid acceleration, and multi-block capabilities (RUMM). A three-dimensional thin-layer formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations is employed. For turbulent flow cases, the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model is used. Two different upwind techniques are available: van Leer's flux-vector splitting and Roe's flux-difference splitting. Full approximation multi-grid plus implicit residual and corrector smoothing were implemented to enhance the rate of convergence. Multi-block capabilities were developed to provide geometric flexibility. This feature allows the developed computer code to accommodate any grid topology or grid configuration with multiple topologies. The results shown in this dissertation were chosen to validate the computer code and display its geometric flexibility, which is provided by the multi-block structure.

Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation based on geographic information system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwaamijaya, I. M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research were to produce(l) a conceptual, functional model designed and implementation for universal soil loss equation (usle), (2) standard operational procedure for multi criteria evaluation of universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system, (3) overlay land cover, slope, soil and rain fall layers to gain universal soil loss equation (usle) using multi criteria evaluation, (4) thematic map of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed, (5) attribute table of universal soil loss equation (usle) in watershed. Descriptive and formal correlation methods are used for this research. Cikapundung Watershed, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia was study location. This research was conducted on January 2016 to May 2016. A spatial analysis is used to superimposed land cover, slope, soil and rain layers become universal soil loss equation (usle). Multi criteria evaluation for universal soil loss equation (usle) using geographic information system could be used for conservation program.

Acoustic resonator and method of making same

DOEpatents

Kline, Gerald R.; Lakin, Kenneth M.

1985-03-05

A method of fabricating an acoustic wave resonator wherein all processing steps are accomplished from a single side of said substrate. The method involves deposition of a multi-layered Al/AlN structure on a GaAs substrate followed by a series of fabrication steps to define a resonator from said composite. The resulting resonator comprises an AlN layer between two Al layers and another layer of AlN on an exterior of one of said Al layers.

Acoustic resonator and method of making same

DOEpatents

Kline, G.R.; Lakin, K.M.

1983-10-13

A method of fabricating an acoustic wave resonator wherein all processing steps are accomplished from a single side of said substrate. The method involves deposition of a multi-layered Al/AlN structure on a GaAs substrate followed by a series of fabrication steps to define a resonator from said composite. The resulting resonator comprises an AlN layer between two Al layers and another layer of AlN on an exterior of one of said Al layers.

Centralized Routing and Scheduling Using Multi-Channel System Single Transceiver in 802.16d

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Hemyari, A.; Noordin, N. K.; Ng, Chee Kyun; Ismail, A.; Khatun, S.

This paper proposes a cross-layer optimized strategy that reduces the effect of interferences from neighboring nodes within a mesh networks. This cross-layer design relies on the routing information in network layer and the scheduling table in medium access control (MAC) layer. A proposed routing algorithm in network layer is exploited to find the best route for all subscriber stations (SS). Also, a proposed centralized scheduling algorithm in MAC layer is exploited to assign a time slot for each possible node transmission. The cross-layer optimized strategy is using multi-channel single transceiver and single channel single transceiver systems for WiMAX mesh networks (WMNs). Each node in WMN has a transceiver that can be tuned to any available channel for eliminating the secondary interference. Among the considered parameters in the performance analysis are interference from the neighboring nodes, hop count to the base station (BS), number of children per node, slot reuse, load balancing, quality of services (QoS), and node identifier (ID). Results show that the proposed algorithms significantly improve the system performance in terms of length of scheduling, channel utilization ratio (CUR), system throughput, and average end to end transmission delay.

Iron layer-dependent surface-enhanced raman scattering of hierarchical nanocap arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lei; Sun, Huanhuan; Zhao, Yue; Gao, Renxian; Wang, Yaxin; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Yongjun; Hua, Zhong; Yang, Jinghai

2017-11-01

In this report, we fabricated the multi-layer Ag/Fe/Ag sandwich cap-shaped films on monolayer non-closed packed (ncp) polystyrene colloidal particle (PSCP) templates through a layer-by-layer (LBL) depositing method. This research focused on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect of the thickness of the deposited Fe film which was controlled by the sputtering time. The SERS intensities were increased firstly, and then decreased as the thickness of Fe layer grows gradually, which is attributed to the charge transition from the Fermi level of the Ag NPs to Fe layer. The use of multi-layer Ag/Fe/Ag sandwich cap-shaped films enables us to evaluate the contribution of surface plasmon resonance and charge distribution between Ag and Fe to SERS enhancement. Our work introduced a novel system (Ag/Fe/Ag) for high performance SERS and extended the SERS application of Fe. Furthermore, we have designed the Ag/Fe/Ag SERS-active substrate as the immunoassay chip for quantitative determination of AFP-L3 which is the biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The proposed research demonstrates that the SERS substrates with Ag/Fe/Ag sandwich cap-shaped arrays have a high sensitivity for bioassay.

Multi-layer compression: comparison of four different four-layer bandage systems applied to the leg.

PubMed

Dale, J J; Ruckley, C V; Gibson, B; Brown, D; Lee, A J; Prescott, R J

2004-01-01

To compare performance of four commercial four-layer bandage systems when applied to the leg. Four experienced bandagers applied each system: [Profore Regular (Smith and Nephew); Ultra-Four (Robinson); System 4 (Seton) and K Four (Parema)] to the same leg. Bandages were applied as single layers and as completed systems using standard techniques. For each application, 18 pressure measurements were taken using the Borgnis Medical Stocking Tester (MST) at three measuring points (ankle, gaiter and mid-calf) on medial and lateral aspects in three postures: (horizontal, standing and sitting). In all 2304 observations were made, 576 for each bandager, 576 for each bandaging system, 768 for each measuring point, 1152 for each aspect and 768 for each posture. The increase in pressure produced by each additional layer was 65-75% of the pressure of the same bandage when used as a single layer. There were significant differences in the final pressures achieved by the bandagers (means: 45-54 mmHg, p<0.001) and between bandage systems (means: System 4: 46 mmHg, Profore: 47 mmHg, K Four: 52 mmHg, Ultra-Four: 54 mmHg; p=0.005). The relationships between the final pressures achieved at each of the three measuring points, the three postures and the two aspects were not consistent among the bandage systems (p<0.01). When a bandage is applied as part of a multi-layered system it exerts approximately 70% of the pressure exerted when applied alone, thus challenging the commonly-held assumption that the final pressure achieved by a multi-layer bandaging system is the sum of the pressures exerted by each individual layer. Each of the four bandaging systems exerted different final pressures and gradients and different changes with posture change. These differences have important implications, which could influence the selection (or avoidance) of a particular bandage system according to a patient's condition and circumstances.

A Hierarchical multi-input and output Bi-GRU Model for Sentiment Analysis on Customer Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Liujie; Zhou, Yanquan; Duan, Xiuyu; Chen, Ruiqi

2018-03-01

Multi-label sentiment classification on customer reviews is a practical challenging task in Natural Language Processing. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical multi-input and output model based bi-directional recurrent neural network, which both considers the semantic and lexical information of emotional expression. Our model applies two independent Bi-GRU layer to generate part of speech and sentence representation. Then the lexical information is considered via attention over output of softmax activation on part of speech representation. In addition, we combine probability of auxiliary labels as feature with hidden layer to capturing crucial correlation between output labels. The experimental result shows that our model is computationally efficient and achieves breakthrough improvements on customer reviews dataset.

Effect of multi-dimensional ultraviolet light exposure on the growth of pentacene film and application to organic field-effect transistors.

PubMed

Bae, Jin-Hyuk; Lee, Sin-Doo; Choi, Jong Sun; Park, Jaehoon

2012-05-01

We report on the multi-dimensional alignment of pentacene molecules on a poly(methyl methacrylate)-based photosensitive polymer (PMMA-polymer) and its effect on the electrical performance of the pentacene-based field-effect transistor (FET). Pentacene molecules are shown to be preferentially aligned on the linearly polarized ultraviolet (LPUV)-exposed PMMA-polymer layer, which is contrast to an isotropic alignment on the bare PMMA-polymer layer. Multi-dimensional alignment of pentacene molecules in the film could be achieved by adjusting the direction of LPUV exposed to the PMMA-polymer. The control of pentacene molecular alignment is found to be promising for the field-effect mobility enhancement in the pentacene FET.

Effect of Initial Stress on the Dynamic Response of a Multi-Layered Plate-Strip Subjected to an Arbitrary Inclined Time-Harmonic Force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daşdemir, A.

2017-08-01

The forced vibration of a multi-layered plate-strip with initial stress under the action of an arbitrary inclined time-harmonic force resting on a rigid foundation is considered. Within the framework of the piecewise homogeneous body model with the use of the three-dimensional linearized theory of elastic waves in initially stressed bodies (TLTEWISB), a mathematical modelling is presented in plane strain state. It is assumed that there exists the complete contact interaction at the interface between the layers and the materials of the layer are linearly elastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The governing system of the partial differential equations of motion for the considered problem is solved approximately by employing the Finite Element Method (FEM). Further, the influence of the initial stress parameter on the dynamic response of the plate-strip is presented.

Mixing Of Mode Symmetries In Top Gated Bilayer And Multilayer Graphene Field Effect Devices

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

Chakraborty, Biswanath; Das, Anindya; Sood, A. K.

2011-07-15

We report Raman study to investigate the influence of stacking on the inversion symmetry breaking in top gated bi- and multi-layer ({approx}10 layers) graphene field effect transistors. The G phonon mode splits into a low frequency (G{sub low}) and a high frequency (G{sub high}) mode in bi- and multi-layer graphene and the two modes show different dependence on doping. The mode splitting is explained in terms of mixing of zone-center in-plane optical phonons representing in-phase and out-of-phase inter-layer atomic motions. Unlike in bilayer graphene, there is no transfer of intensity from G{sub low} to G{sub high} in multilayer graphene. Amore » comparison is made for the bilayer graphene data with the recent theory of Gava et al. [Phys. Rev. B 80, 155422 (2009)].« less

Solar multi-conjugate adaptive optics based on high order ground layer adaptive optics and low order high altitude correction.

PubMed

Zhang, Lanqiang; Guo, Youming; Rao, Changhui

2017-02-20

Multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) is the most promising technique currently developed to enlarge the corrected field of view of adaptive optics for astronomy. In this paper, we propose a new configuration of solar MCAO based on high order ground layer adaptive optics and low order high altitude correction, which result in a homogeneous correction effect in the whole field of view. An individual high order multiple direction Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is employed in the configuration to detect the ground layer turbulence for low altitude correction. Furthermore, the other low order multiple direction Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor supplies the wavefront information caused by high layers' turbulence through atmospheric tomography for high altitude correction. Simulation results based on the system design at the 1-meter New Vacuum Solar Telescope show that the correction uniform of the new scheme is obviously improved compared to conventional solar MCAO configuration.

The usage of phase change materials in fire fighter protective clothing: its effect on thermal protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Mengmeng

2017-12-01

The thermal protective performance of the fire fighter protective clothing is of vital importance for fire fighters. In the study fabrics treated by phase change materials (PCMs) were applied in the multi-layered fabrics of the fire fighter protective clothing ensemble. The PCM fabrics were placed at the different layers of the clothing and their thermal protective performance were measured by a TPP tester. Results show that with the application of the PCM fabrics the thermal protection of the multi-layered fabrics was greatly increased. The time to reach a second degree burn was largely reduced. The location of the PCM fabrics at the different layers did not affect much on the thermal protective performance. The higher amount of the PCM adds on, the higher thermal protection was brought. The fabrics with PCMs of a higher melting temperature could contribute to higher thermal protection.

Thermal imaging for assessment of electron-beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) additive manufacturing deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zalameda, Joseph N.; Burke, Eric R.; Hafley, Robert A.; Taminger, Karen M.; Domack, Christopher S.; Brewer, Amy; Martin, Richard E.

2013-05-01

Additive manufacturing is a rapidly growing field where 3-dimensional parts can be produced layer by layer. NASA's electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) technology is being evaluated to manufacture metallic parts in a space environment. The benefits of EBF3 technology are weight savings to support space missions, rapid prototyping in a zero gravity environment, and improved vehicle readiness. The EBF3 system is composed of 3 main components: electron beam gun, multi-axis position system, and metallic wire feeder. The electron beam is used to melt the wire and the multi-axis positioning system is used to build the part layer by layer. To insure a quality deposit, a near infrared (NIR) camera is used to image the melt pool and solidification areas. This paper describes the calibration and application of a NIR camera for temperature measurement. In addition, image processing techniques are presented for deposit assessment metrics.

Forest service contributions to the national land cover database (NLCD): Tree Canopy Cover Production

Treesearch

Bonnie Ruefenacht; Robert Benton; Vicky Johnson; Tanushree Biswas; Craig Baker; Mark Finco; Kevin Megown; John Coulston; Ken Winterberger; Mark Riley

2015-01-01

A tree canopy cover (TCC) layer is one of three elements in the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011 suite of nationwide geospatial data layers. In 2010, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) committed to creating the TCC layer as a member of the Multi-Resolution Land Cover (MRLC) consortium. A general methodology for creating the TCC layer was reported at the 2012 FIA...

A procedure and program to calculate shuttle mask advantage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balasinski, A.; Cetin, J.; Kahng, A.; Xu, X.

2006-10-01

A well-known recipe for reducing mask cost component in product development is to place non-redundant elements of layout databases related to multiple products on one reticle plate [1,2]. Such reticles are known as multi-product, multi-layer, or, in general, multi-IP masks. The composition of the mask set should minimize not only the layout placement cost, but also the cost of the manufacturing process, design flow setup, and product design and introduction to market. An important factor is the quality check which should be expeditious and enable thorough visual verification to avoid costly modifications once the data is transferred to the mask shop. In this work, in order to enable the layer placement and quality check procedure, we proposed an algorithm where mask layers are first lined up according to the price and field tone [3]. Then, depending on the product die size, expected fab throughput, and scribeline requirements, the subsequent product layers are placed on the masks with different grades. The actual reduction of this concept to practice allowed us to understand the tradeoffs between the automation of layer placement and setup related constraints. For example, the limited options of the numbers of layer per plate dictated by the die size and other design feedback, made us consider layer pairing based not only on the final price of the mask set, but also on the cost of mask design and fab-friendliness. We showed that it may be advantageous to introduce manual layer pairing to ensure that, e.g., all interconnect layers would be placed on the same plate, allowing for easy and simultaneous design fixes. Another enhancement was to allow some flexibility in mixing and matching of the layers such that non-critical ones requiring low mask grade would be placed in a less restrictive way, to reduce the count of orphan layers. In summary, we created a program to automatically propose and visualize shuttle mask architecture for design verification, with enhancements to due to the actual application of the code.

Recent progress in photoactive organic field-effect transistors.

PubMed

Wakayama, Yutaka; Hayakawa, Ryoma; Seo, Hoon-Seok

2014-04-01

Recent progress in photoactive organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) is reviewed. Photoactive OFETs are divided into light-emitting (LE) and light-receiving (LR) OFETs. In the first part, LE-OFETs are reviewed from the viewpoint of the evolution of device structures. Device performances have improved in the last decade with the evolution of device structures from single-layer unipolar to multi-layer ambipolar transistors. In the second part, various kinds of LR-OFETs are featured. These are categorized according to their functionalities: phototransistors, non-volatile optical memories, and photochromism-based transistors. For both, various device configurations are introduced: thin-film based transistors for practical applications, single-crystalline transistors to investigate fundamental physics, nanowires, multi-layers, and vertical transistors based on new concepts.

A Novel Ultrafast Rechargeable Multi-Ions Battery.

PubMed

Wang, Shuai; Jiao, Shuqiang; Tian, Donghua; Chen, Hao-Sen; Jiao, Handong; Tu, Jiguo; Liu, Yingjun; Fang, Dai-Ning

2017-04-01

An ultrafast rechargeable multi-ions battery is presented, in which multi-ions can electrochemically intercalate into graphite layers, exhibiting a high reversible discharge capacity of ≈100 mAh g -1 and a Coulombic efficiency of ≈99% over hundreds of cycles at a high current density. The results may open up a new paradigm for multi-ions-based electrochemical battery technologies and applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Trade-off analysis of discharge-desiltation-turbidity and ANN analysis on sedimentation of a combined reservoir-reach system under multi-phase and multi-layer conjunctive releasing operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chien-Lin; Hsu, Nien-Sheng; Wei, Chih-Chiang; Yao, Chun-Hao

2017-10-01

Multi-objective reservoir operation considering the trade-off of discharge-desiltation-turbidity during typhoons and sediment concentration (SC) simulation modeling are the vital components for sustainable reservoir management. The purposes of this study were (1) to analyze the multi-layer release trade-offs between reservoir desiltation and intake turbidity of downstream purification plants and thus propose a superior conjunctive operation strategy and (2) to develop ANFIS-based (adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system) and RTRLNN-based (real-time recurrent learning neural networks) substitute SC simulation models. To this end, this study proposed a methodology to develop (1) a series of multi-phase and multi-layer sediment-flood conjunctive release modes and (2) a specialized SC numerical model for a combined reservoir-reach system. The conjunctive release modes involve (1) an optimization model where the decision variables are multi-phase reduction/scaling ratios and the timings to generate a superior total release hydrograph for flood control (Phase I: phase prior to flood arrival, Phase II/III: phase prior to/subsequent to peak flow) and (2) a combination method with physical limitations regarding separation of the singular hydrograph into multi-layer release hydrographs for sediment control. This study employed the featured signals obtained from statistical quartiles/sediment duration curve in mesh segmentation, and an iterative optimization model with a sediment unit response matrix and corresponding geophysical-based acceleration factors, for efficient parameter calibration. This research applied the developed methodology to the Shihmen Reservoir basin in Taiwan. The trade-off analytical results using Typhoons Sinlaku and Jangmi as case examples revealed that owing to gravity current and re-suspension effects, Phase I + II can de-silt safely without violating the intake's turbidity limitation before reservoir discharge reaches 2238 m3/s; however, Phase III can only de-silt after the release at spillway reaches 827 m3/s, and before reservoir discharge reaches 1924 m3/s, with corresponding maximum desiltation ratio being 0.221 and 0.323, respectively. Moreover, the model construction results demonstrated that the self-adaption/fuzzy inference of ANFIS can effectively simulate the SC hydrograph in an unsteady state for suspended load-dominated water bodies, and that the real-time recurrent deterministic routing of RTRLNN can accurately simulate that of a bedload-dominated flow regime.

Method and apparatus for the evaluation of a depth profile of thermo-mechanical properties of layered and graded materials and coatings

DOEpatents

Finot, Marc; Kesler, Olivera; Suresh, Subra

1998-01-01

A technique for determining properties such as Young's modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion, and residual stress of individual layers within a multi-layered sample is presented. The technique involves preparation of a series of samples, each including one additional layer relative to the preceding sample. By comparison of each sample to a preceding sample, properties of the topmost layer can be determined, and residual stress at any depth in each sample, resulting from deposition of the top layer, can be determined.

Flexural Progressive Failure of Carbon/Glass Interlayer and Intralayer Hybrid Composites.

PubMed

Wang, Qingtao; Wu, Weili; Gong, Zhili; Li, Wei

2018-04-17

The flexural progressive failure modes of carbon fiber and glass fiber (C/G) interlayer and intralayer hybrid composites were investigated in this work. Results showed that the bending failure modes for interlayer hybrid composites are determined by the layup structure. Besides, the bending failure is characterized by the compression failure of the upper layer, when carbon fiber tends to distribute in the upper layer, the interlayer hybrid composite fails early, the failure force is characterized by a multi-stage slightly fluctuating decline and the fracture area exhibits a diamond shape. While carbon fiber distributes in the middle or bottom layer, the failure time starts late, and the failure process exhibits one stage sharp force/stress drop, the fracture zone of glass fiber above the carbon layers presents an inverted trapezoid shape, while the fracture of glass fiber below the carbon layers exhibits an inverted triangular shape. With regards to the intralayer hybrid composites, the C/G hybrid ratio plays a dominating role in the bending failure which could be considered as the mixed failures of four structures. The bending failure of intralayer hybrid composites occurs in advance since carbon fiber are located in each layer; the failure process shows a multi-stage fluctuating decline, and the decline slows down as carbon fiber content increases, and the fracture sound release has the characteristics of a low intensity and high frequency for a long time. By contrast, as glass fiber content increases, the bending failure of intralayer composites is featured with a multi-stage cliff decline with a high amplitude and low frequency for a short-time fracture sound release.

Remote focusing for programmable multi-layer differential multiphoton microscopy

PubMed Central

Hoover, Erich E.; Young, Michael D.; Chandler, Eric V.; Luo, Anding; Field, Jeffrey J.; Sheetz, Kraig E.; Sylvester, Anne W.; Squier, Jeff A.

2010-01-01

We present the application of remote focusing to multiphoton laser scanning microscopy and utilize this technology to demonstrate simultaneous, programmable multi-layer imaging. Remote focusing is used to independently control the axial location of multiple focal planes that can be simultaneously imaged with single element detection. This facilitates volumetric multiphoton imaging in scattering specimens and can be practically scaled to a large number of focal planes. Further, it is demonstrated that the remote focusing control can be synchronized with the lateral scan directions, enabling imaging in orthogonal scan planes. PMID:21326641

Design of Circular, Square, Single, and Multi-layer Induction Coils for Electromagnetic Priming Using Inductance Estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritzsch, Robert; Kennedy, Mark W.; Aune, Ragnhild E.

2018-02-01

Special induction coils used for electro magnetic priming of ceramic foam filters in liquid metal filtration have been designed using a combination of analytical and finite element modeling. Relatively simple empirical equations published by Wheeler in 1928 and 1982 have been used during the design process. The equations were found to accurately predict the z-component of the magnetic flux densities of both single- and multi-layer coils as verified both experimentally and by using COMSOL® 5.1 multiphysics simulations.

Acoustic resonator and method of making same

DOEpatents

Kline, G.R.; Lakin, K.M.

1985-03-05

A method is disclosed of fabricating an acoustic wave resonator wherein all processing steps are accomplished from a single side of said substrate. The method involves deposition of a multi-layered Al/AlN structure on a GaAs substrate followed by a series of fabrication steps to define a resonator from said composite. The resulting resonator comprises an AlN layer between two Al layers and another layer of AlN on an exterior of one of said Al layers. 4 figs.

Multi-functional layered structure having structural and radiation shielding attributes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaul, Raj K. (Inventor); Barghouty, Abdulnasser Fakhri (Inventor); Penn, Benjamin G. (Inventor); Hulcher, Anthony Bruce (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A cosmic and solar radiation shielding structure that also has structural attributes is comprised of three layers. The first layer is 30-42 percent by volume of ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene fibers, 18-30 percent by volume of graphite fibers, and a remaining percent by volume of an epoxy resin matrix. The second layer is approximately 68 percent by volume of UHMW polyethylene fibers and a remaining percent by volume of a polyethylene matrix. The third layer is a ceramic material.

Fabrication and preliminary study of a biomimetic tri-layer tubular graft based on fibers and fiber yarns for vascular tissue engineering.

PubMed

Wu, Tong; Zhang, Jialing; Wang, Yuanfei; Li, Dandan; Sun, Binbin; El-Hamshary, Hany; Yin, Meng; Mo, Xiumei

2018-01-01

Designing a biomimetic and functional tissue-engineered vascular graft has been urgently needed for repairing and regenerating defected vascular tissues. Utilizing a multi-layered vascular scaffold is commonly considered an effective way, because multi-layered scaffolds can easily simulate the structure and function of natural blood vessels. Herein, we developed a novel tri-layer tubular graft consisted of Poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone)/collagen (PLCL/COL) fibers and Poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/silk fibroin (PLGA/SF) yarns via a three-step electrospinning method. The tri-layer vascular graft consisted of PLCL/COL aligned fibers in inner layer, PLGA/SF yarns in middle layer, and PLCL/COL random fibers in outer layer. Each layer possessed tensile mechanical strength and elongation, and the entire tubular structure provided tensile and compressive supports. Furthermore, the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) proliferated well on the materials. Fluorescence staining images demonstrated that the axially aligned PLCL/COL fibers prearranged endothelium morphology in lumen and the circumferential oriented PLGA/SF yarns regulated SMCs organization along the single yarns. The outside PLCL/COL random fibers performed as the fixed layer to hold the entire tubular structure. The in vivo results showed that the tri-layer vascular graft supported cell infiltration, scaffold biodegradation and abundant collagen production after subcutaneous implantation for 10weeks, revealing the optimal biocompatibility and tissue regenerative capability of the tri-layer graft. Therefore, the specially designed tri-layer vascular graft will be beneficial to vascular reconstruction. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Design and fabrication of a multi-layered solid dynamic phantom: validation platform on methods for reducing scalp-hemodynamic effect from fNIRS signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Tanikawa, Yukari; Yamada, Toru

2017-02-01

Scalp hemodynamics contaminates the signals from functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Numerous methods have been proposed to reduce this contamination, but no golden standard has yet been established. Here we constructed a multi-layered solid phantom to experimentally validate such methods. This phantom comprises four layers corresponding to epidermides, dermis/skull (upper dynamic layer), cerebrospinal fluid and brain (lower dynamic layer) and the thicknesses of these layers were 0.3, 10, 1, and 50 mm, respectively. The epidermides and cerebrospinal fluid layers were made of polystyrene and an acrylic board, respectively. Both of these dynamic layers were made of epoxy resin. An infrared dye and titanium dioxide were mixed to match their absorption and reduced scattering coefficients (μa and μs', respectively) with those of biological tissues. The bases of both upper and lower dynamic layers have a slot for laterally sliding a bar that holds an absorber piece. This bar was laterally moved using a programmable stepping motor. The optical properties of dynamic layers were estimated based on the transmittance and reflectance using the Monte Carlo look-up table method. The estimated coefficients for lower and upper dynamic layers approximately coincided with those for biological tissues. We confirmed that the preliminary fNIRS measurement using the fabricated phantom showed that the signals from the brain layer were recovered if those from the dermis layer were completely removed from their mixture, indicating that the phantom is useful for evaluating methods for reducing the contamination of the signals from the scalp.

High thermal conductivity lossy dielectric using a multi layer configuration

DOEpatents

Tiegs, Terry N.; Kiggans, Jr., James O.

2003-01-01

Systems and methods are described for loss dielectrics. A loss dielectric includes at least one high dielectric loss layer and at least one high thermal conductivity-electrically insulating layer adjacent the at least one high dielectric loss layer. A method of manufacturing a loss dielectric includes providing at least one high dielectric loss layer and providing at least one high thermal conductivity-electrically insulating layer adjacent the at least one high dielectric loss layer. The systems and methods provide advantages because the loss dielectrics are less costly and more environmentally friendly than the available alternatives.

Sound transmission through a poroelastic layered panel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagler, Loris; Rong, Ping; Schanz, Martin; von Estorff, Otto

2014-04-01

Multi-layered panels are often used to improve the acoustics in cars, airplanes, rooms, etc. For such an application these panels include porous and/or fibrous layers. The proposed numerical method is an approach to simulate the acoustical behavior of such multi-layered panels. The model assumes plate-like structures and, hence, combines plate theories for the different layers. The poroelastic layer is modelled with a recently developed plate theory. This theory uses a series expansion in thickness direction with subsequent analytical integration in this direction to reduce the three dimensions to two. The same idea is used to model either air gaps or fibrous layers. The latter are modeled as equivalent fluid and can be handled like an air gap, i.e., a kind of `air plate' is used. The coupling of the layers is done by using the series expansion to express the continuity conditions on the surfaces of the plates. The final system is solved with finite elements, where domain decomposition techniques in combination with preconditioned iterative solvers are applied to solve the final system of equations. In a large frequency range, the comparison with measurements shows very good agreement. From the numerical solution process it can be concluded that different preconditioners for the different layers are necessary. A reuse of the Krylov subspace of the iterative solvers pays if several excitations have to be computed but not that much in the loop over the frequencies.

Multiple Transmitter Receptors in Regions and Layers of the Human Cerebral Cortex

PubMed Central

Zilles, Karl; Palomero-Gallagher, Nicola

2017-01-01

We measured the densities (fmol/mg protein) of 15 different receptors of various transmitter systems in the supragranular, granular and infragranular strata of 44 areas of visual, somatosensory, auditory and multimodal association systems of the human cerebral cortex. Receptor densities were obtained after labeling of the receptors using quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography in human postmortem brains. The mean density of each receptor type over all cortical layers and of each of the three major strata varies between cortical regions. In a single cortical area, the multi-receptor fingerprints of its strata (i.e., polar plots, each visualizing the densities of multiple different receptor types in supragranular, granular or infragranular layers of the same cortical area) differ in shape and size indicating regional and laminar specific balances between the receptors. Furthermore, the three strata are clearly segregated into well definable clusters by their receptor fingerprints. Fingerprints of different cortical areas systematically vary between functional networks, and with the hierarchical levels within sensory systems. Primary sensory areas are clearly separated from all other cortical areas particularly by their very high muscarinic M2 and nicotinic α4β2 receptor densities, and to a lesser degree also by noradrenergic α2 and serotonergic 5-HT2 receptors. Early visual areas of the dorsal and ventral streams are segregated by their multi-receptor fingerprints. The results are discussed on the background of functional segregation, cortical hierarchies, microstructural types, and the horizontal (layers) and vertical (columns) organization in the cerebral cortex. We conclude that a cortical column is composed of segments, which can be assigned to the cortical strata. The segments differ by their patterns of multi-receptor balances, indicating different layer-specific signal processing mechanisms. Additionally, the differences between the strata-and area-specific fingerprints of the 44 areas reflect the segregation of the cerebral cortex into functionally and topographically definable groups of cortical areas (visual, auditory, somatosensory, limbic, motor), and reveals their hierarchical position (primary and unimodal (early) sensory to higher sensory and finally to multimodal association areas). Highlights Densities of transmitter receptors vary between areas of human cerebral cortex.Multi-receptor fingerprints segregate cortical layers.The densities of all examined receptor types together reach highest values in the supragranular stratum of all areas.The lowest values are found in the infragranular stratum.Multi-receptor fingerprints of entire areas and their layers segregate functional systemsCortical types (primary sensory, motor, multimodal association) differ in their receptor fingerprints. PMID:28970785

Use of falling weight deflectometer multi-load data for pavement strength estimation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-06-01

The objective of this study is to develop a mechanistic-empirical method for assessing pavement layer conditions and : estimating the remaining life of flexible pavements using multi-load level Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) deflections. A : dyna...

Failure analysis of fuel cell electrodes using three-dimensional multi-length scale X-ray computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokhrel, A.; El Hannach, M.; Orfino, F. P.; Dutta, M.; Kjeang, E.

2016-10-01

X-ray computed tomography (XCT), a non-destructive technique, is proposed for three-dimensional, multi-length scale characterization of complex failure modes in fuel cell electrodes. Comparative tomography data sets are acquired for a conditioned beginning of life (BOL) and a degraded end of life (EOL) membrane electrode assembly subjected to cathode degradation by voltage cycling. Micro length scale analysis shows a five-fold increase in crack size and 57% thickness reduction in the EOL cathode catalyst layer, indicating widespread action of carbon corrosion. Complementary nano length scale analysis shows a significant reduction in porosity, increased pore size, and dramatically reduced effective diffusivity within the remaining porous structure of the catalyst layer at EOL. Collapsing of the structure is evident from the combination of thinning and reduced porosity, as uniquely determined by the multi-length scale approach. Additionally, a novel image processing based technique developed for nano scale segregation of pore, ionomer, and Pt/C dominated voxels shows an increase in ionomer volume fraction, Pt/C agglomerates, and severe carbon corrosion at the catalyst layer/membrane interface at EOL. In summary, XCT based multi-length scale analysis enables detailed information needed for comprehensive understanding of the complex failure modes observed in fuel cell electrodes.

New insights into earthquake precursors from InSAR.

PubMed

Moro, Marco; Saroli, Michele; Stramondo, Salvatore; Bignami, Christian; Albano, Matteo; Falcucci, Emanuela; Gori, Stefano; Doglioni, Carlo; Polcari, Marco; Tallini, Marco; Macerola, Luca; Novali, Fabrizio; Costantini, Mario; Malvarosa, Fabio; Wegmüller, Urs

2017-09-20

We measured ground displacements before and after the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake using multi-temporal InSAR techniques to identify seismic precursor signals. We estimated the ground deformation and its temporal evolution by exploiting a large dataset of SAR imagery that spans seventy-two months before and sixteen months after the mainshock. These satellite data show that up to 15 mm of subsidence occurred beginning three years before the mainshock. This deformation occurred within two Quaternary basins that are located close to the epicentral area and are filled with sediments hosting multi-layer aquifers. After the earthquake, the same basins experienced up to 12 mm of uplift over approximately nine months. Before the earthquake, the rocks at depth dilated, and fractures opened. Consequently, fluids migrated into the dilated volume, thereby lowering the groundwater table in the carbonate hydrostructures and in the hydrologically connected multi-layer aquifers within the basins. This process caused the elastic consolidation of the fine-grained sediments within the basins, resulting in the detected subsidence. After the earthquake, the fractures closed, and the deep fluids were squeezed out. The pre-seismic ground displacements were then recovered because the groundwater table rose and natural recharge of the shallow multi-layer aquifers occurred, which caused the observed uplift.

Multi-level discriminative dictionary learning with application to large scale image classification.

PubMed

Shen, Li; Sun, Gang; Huang, Qingming; Wang, Shuhui; Lin, Zhouchen; Wu, Enhua

2015-10-01

The sparse coding technique has shown flexibility and capability in image representation and analysis. It is a powerful tool in many visual applications. Some recent work has shown that incorporating the properties of task (such as discrimination for classification task) into dictionary learning is effective for improving the accuracy. However, the traditional supervised dictionary learning methods suffer from high computation complexity when dealing with large number of categories, making them less satisfactory in large scale applications. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-level discriminative dictionary learning method and apply it to large scale image classification. Our method takes advantage of hierarchical category correlation to encode multi-level discriminative information. Each internal node of the category hierarchy is associated with a discriminative dictionary and a classification model. The dictionaries at different layers are learnt to capture the information of different scales. Moreover, each node at lower layers also inherits the dictionary of its parent, so that the categories at lower layers can be described with multi-scale information. The learning of dictionaries and associated classification models is jointly conducted by minimizing an overall tree loss. The experimental results on challenging data sets demonstrate that our approach achieves excellent accuracy and competitive computation cost compared with other sparse coding methods for large scale image classification.

Gas-driven microturbine

DOEpatents

Sniegowski, Jeffrey J.; Rodgers, Murray S.; McWhorter, Paul J.; Aeschliman, Daniel P.; Miller, William M.

2002-01-01

A microturbine fabricated by a three-level semiconductor batch-fabrication process based on polysilicon surface-micromachining. The microturbine comprises microelectromechanical elements formed from three polysilicon multi-layer surfaces applied to a silicon substrate. Interleaving sacrificial oxide layers provides electrical and physical isolation, and selective etching of both the sacrificial layers and the polysilicon layers allows formation of individual mechanical and electrical elements as well as the required space for necessary movement of rotating turbine parts and linear elements.

Multi response optimization of sheet forming of Kenaf-Polypropylene composites using grey based fuzzy algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktariani, Erfina; Istikowati, Rita; Tomo, Hendro Sat Setijo; Rizal, Rafliansyah; Pratama, Yosea

2018-02-01

Composites from natural fiber reinforcement are developed as the alternative sheet materials of plastic composite for small-size bodywork parts in automotive industries. Kenaf fiber is selected as the reinforcement of plastic composite. Press forming of Kenaf-Polypropylene is experimentally produced in this study. The aim of this study is to obtain the optimal factor of the process of sheet forming of Kenaf-Polypropylene. The Kenaf delignified is cut into 5 cm lengths and distributed on the surface of Polypropylene sheet for 3 and 5 ply layers. The layers of Kenaf-Polypropylene then pressed by hot press at 190 and 210°C, 40 and 50 bar, for 3 and 5 minutes. However, there are limitations in handling multi responses in design of experiments. The application of the fuzzy logic theory to the grey relational analysis may further develop its performance in solving multi-response problems for process parameter optimization. The layer of Kenaf and Polypropylene, temperature, the duration of hot press and pressure are factors that affect the process. The result of experimental investigation and as well as analysis, shows that the best combination values were 3 ply layer, 210°C, 5 minutes of hot press and 50 bar.

Multilayer composition coatings for cutting tools: formation and performance properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabakov, Vladimir P.; Vereschaka, Anatoly S.; Vereschaka, Alexey A.

2018-03-01

The paper considers the concept of a multi-layer architecture of the coating in which each layer has a predetermined functionality. Latest generation of coatings with multi-layered architecture for cutting tools secure a dual nature of the coating, in which coatings should not only improve the mechanical and physical characteristics of the cutting tool material, but also reduce the thermo-mechanical effect on the cutting tool determining wear intensity. Here are presented the results of the development of combined methods of forming multi-layer coatings with improved properties. Combined method of forming coatings using a pulsed laser allowed reducing excessively high levels of compressive residual stress and increasing micro hardness of the multilayered coatings. The results in testing coated HSS tools showed that the use of additional pulse of laser processing increases tool life up to 3 times. Using filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition for the generation of multilayer coatings based on TiAlN compound has increased the wear-resistance of carbide tools by 2 fold compared with tool life of cutting tool with commercial TiN coatings. The aim of this study was to develop an innovative methodological approach to the deposition of multilayer coatings for cutting tools with functional architectural selection, properties and parameters of the coating based on sound knowledge of coating failure in machining process.

Damping insert materials for settling chambers of supersonic wind tunnels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jie; Radespiel, Rolf

2017-03-01

This study describes the application of a novel damping insert material for reducing the flow fluctuations in a tandem nozzle supersonic wind tunnel. This new damping material is composed of multi-layer stainless steel wired meshes. The influences of the multi-layer mesh, such as the quantity of the mesh layer and the installed location in the settling chamber, to the freestream quality have been investigated. A Pitot probe instrumented with a Kulite pressure sensor and a hot-wire probe are employed to monitor the flow fluctuation in the test section of the wind tunnel. Thereafter, a combined modal analysis is applied for the disturbance qualification. Additionally, the transient Mach number in the test section is measured. The disturbance qualification indicates that the multi-layer mesh performs well in providing reduction of vorticity reduction and acoustic fluctuations. Comparable flow quality of the freestream was also obtained using a combination of flexible damping materials. However, the life-span of the new damping materials is much longer. The time transient of the Mach number measured in the test section indicates that the mean flow is rather constant over run time. Furthermore, the time-averaged pressure along the settling chamber is recorded and it shows the distribution of pressure drop by settling chamber inserts.

Light distribution in plant canopies: A comparison between 1-D multi-layer modeling approach and 3-D ray tracing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, V.; Yiwen, X.; Ellis, A.; Christensen, A.; Borkiewic, K.; Cox, D.; Hart, J.; Long, S.; Marshall-Colon, A.

2016-12-01

The distribution of absorbed solar radiation in the photosynthetically active region wavelength (PAR) within plant canopies plays a critical role in determining photosynthetic carbon uptake and its associated transpiration. The vertical distribution of leaf area, leaf angles, leaf absorptivity and reflectivity within the canopy, affect the distribution of PAR absorbed throughout the canopy. While the upper canopy sunlit leaves absorb most of the incoming PAR and hence contribute most towards total canopy carbon uptake, the lower canopy shaded leaves which receive mostly lower intensity diffuse PAR make significant contributions towards plant carbon uptake. Most detailed vegetation models use a 1-D vertical multi-layer approach to model the sunlight and shaded canopy leaf fractions, and quantify the direct and diffuse radiation absorbed by the respective leaf fractions. However, this approach is only applicable under canopy closure conditions, and furthermore it fails to accurately capture the effects of diurnally varying leaf angle distributions in some plant canopies. Here, we show by using a 3-D ray tracing model which uses an explicit 3-D canopy structure that enforces no conditions about canopy closure, that the effects of diurnal variation of canopy leaf angle distributions better match with observed data. Our comparative analysis performed on soybean crop canopies between 3-D ray tracing model and the multi-layer model shows that the distribution of absorbed direct PAR is not exponential while, the distribution of absorbed diffuse PAR radiation within plant canopies is exponential. These results show the multi-layer model to significantly over-predict canopy PAR absorbed, and in turn significantly overestimate photosynthetic carbon uptake by up to 13% and canopy transpiration by 7% under mid-day sun conditions as verified through our canopy chamber experiments. Our results indicate that current detailed 1-D multi-layer canopy radiation attenuation models significantly over predict canopy radiation absorption and its associated canopy photosynthetic and transpiration fluxes, and use of a 3-D ray tracing model provides more realistic predictions of leaf canopy integrated fluxes of carbon and water.

Multi-layered water resources, management, and uses under the impacts of global changes in a southern coastal metropolis: When will it be already too late? Crossed analysis in Recife, NE Brazil.

PubMed

Petelet-Giraud, Emmanuelle; Cary, Lise; Cary, Paul; Bertrand, Guillaume; Giglio-Jacquemot, Armelle; Hirata, Ricardo; Aquilina, Luc; Alves, Lincoln Muniz; Martins, Veridiana; Melo, Ana Maria; Montenegro, Suzana; Chatton, Eliot; Franzen, Melissa; Aurouet, Axel

2018-03-15

Coastal water resources are a worldwide key socio-environmental issue considering the increasing concentration of population in these areas. Here, we propose an integrative transdisciplinary approach of water resource, water management and water access in Recife (NE Brazil). The present-day water situation is conceptualized as an imbricated multi-layered system: a multi-layered water resource, managed by a multi-layered governance system and used by a multi-layered social population. This allows identifying processes of quantitative, qualitative, and sanitary conflicts between governance and population strategies regarding water supply, as well as the institutional and individual denials of these conflicts. Based on this model, we anticipate future water-related problematic fates. Concerning the water resource system, the rapid groundwater level decrease due to unsustainable water predatory strategies, and the very low recharge rate have drastically modified the aquifer system functioning, inducing hydraulic connection between shallow groundwater (contaminated and locally salty) and deep ones (mostly fresh, with local inherited salinity), threatening the deep strategic water resource. Concerning the water governance system, the investments to increase the capacity storage of surface water, the water regulation agencies and the public/private partnership should shortly improve the water supply and wastewater issue. Nevertheless, the water situation will remain highly fragile due to the expected water demand increase, the precipitation decrease and the sea-level increase. Concerning the water access system, the population variably perceives these current and further effects and the possible mitigation policies, and develops alternative individual strategies. Authorities, policymakers and water managers will have to implement a well-balanced water governance, taking into account the specificities of the PPP, public and private groundwater users, and with a strong political willingness for a sustainable water management to ensure water supply for all the population. In other words, an anticipatory and integrated vision is necessary to reduce the discrepancies in this complex system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic signatures of Heinrich-like detrital layers in the Quaternary of the North Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Channell, J. E. T.; Hodell, D. A.

2013-05-01

Magnetic parameters are useful for distinguishing North Atlantic Heinrich-like detrital layers from background sediments. Here we compare magnetic properties with XRF scanning data back to 700 ka and 1.3 Ma at IODP Sites U1302-U1303 and U1308, respectively. Multi-domain magnetite, with grain sizes >20 µm, is characteristic of both Ca- and Si-rich detrital layers, as defined by XRF core scanning, confirming the contribution of ice rafting. Reflectance spectra and magnetic parameters distinguish Ca- and Si-rich IRD layers due the presence of high coercivity hematite in Si-rich layers. Heinrich layer 6 (H6) at Site U1302-U1303 is unlike other detrital layers, being marked by a 45-cm thick homogeneous cream-colored clay layer underlain by a thin (5-cm) graded coarse-sand. Comparison of Site U1302/03 and Site U1308 detrital layers implies a dominant Laurentide source for both Ca- and Si-rich detrital layers. At Site U1308, low benthic δ13C values during stadials are in-step with magnetic grain-size coarsening associated with Si-rich detrital layers back to 1.3 Ma, indicating a link between deep-sea ventilation and ice rafting. The surface-sediment tan-colored oxic layer (~2 m thick at Site U1308) yields magnetic hysteresis ratios that are offset from the single-domain to multi-domain (SD-MD) magnetite mixing-line in hysteresis-ratio diagrams. This offset is attributed to maghemite grain-coatings, that form on magnetite in surface sediment, and undergo dissolution as they pass through the oxic/anoxic boundary.

Multi-layered fabrication of large area PDMS flexible optical light guide sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Robert; Knopf, George K.; Bordatchev, Evgueni V.

2017-02-01

Large area polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) flexible optical light guide sheets can be used to create a variety of passive light harvesting and illumination systems for wearable technology, advanced indoor lighting, non-planar solar light collectors, customized signature lighting, and enhanced safety illumination for motorized vehicles. These thin optically transparent micro-patterned polymer sheets can be draped over a flat or arbitrarily curved surface. The light guiding behavior of the optical light guides depends on the geometry and spatial distribution of micro-optical structures, thickness and shape of the flexible sheet, refractive indices of the constituent layers, and the wavelength of the incident light. A scalable fabrication method that combines soft-lithography, closed thin cavity molding, partial curing, and centrifugal casting is described in this paper for building thin large area multi-layered PDMS optical light guide sheets. The proposed fabrication methodology enables the of internal micro-optical structures (MOSs) in the monolithic PDMS light guide by building the optical system layer-by-layer. Each PDMS layer in the optical light guide can have the similar, or a slightly different, indices of refraction that permit total internal reflection within the optical sheet. The individual molded layers may also be defect free or micro-patterned with microlens or reflecting micro-features. In addition, the bond between adjacent layers is ensured because each layer is only partially cured before the next functional layer is added. To illustrate the scalable build-by-layers fabrication method a three-layer mechanically flexible illuminator with an embedded LED strip is constructed and demonstrated.

Snow instability evaluation: calculating the skier-induced stress in a multi-layered snowpack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monti, Fabiano; Gaume, Johan; van Herwijnen, Alec; Schweizer, Jürg

2016-03-01

The process of dry-snow slab avalanche formation can be divided into two phases: failure initiation and crack propagation. Several approaches tried to quantify slab avalanche release probability in terms of failure initiation based on shear stress and strength. Though it is known that both the properties of the weak layer and the slab play a major role in avalanche release, most previous approaches only considered slab properties in terms of slab depth, average density and skier penetration. For example, for the skier stability index, the additional stress (e.g. due to a skier) at the depth of the weak layer is calculated by assuming that the snow cover can be considered a semi-infinite, elastic, half-space. We suggest a new approach based on a simplification of the multi-layered elasticity theory in order to easily compute the additional stress due to a skier at the depth of the weak layer, taking into account the layering of the snow slab and the substratum. We first tested the proposed approach on simplified snow profiles, then on manually observed snow profiles including a stability test and, finally, on simulated snow profiles. Our simple approach reproduced the additional stress obtained by finite element simulations for the simplified profiles well - except that the sequence of layering in the slab cannot be replicated. Once implemented into the classical skier stability index and applied to manually observed snow profiles classified into different stability classes, the classification accuracy improved with the new approach. Finally, we implemented the refined skier stability index into the 1-D snow cover model SNOWPACK. The two study cases presented in this paper showed promising results even though further verification is still needed. In the future, we intend to implement the proposed approach for describing skier-induced stress within a multi-layered snowpack into more complex models which take into account not only failure initiation but also crack propagation.

Snow instability evaluation: calculating the skier-induced stress in a multi-layered snowpack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monti, F.; Gaume, J.; van Herwijnen, A.; Schweizer, J.

2015-08-01

The process of dry-snow slab avalanche formation can be divided into two phases: failure initiation and crack propagation. Several approaches tried to quantify slab avalanche release probability in terms of failure initiation based on shear stress and strength. Though it is known that both the properties of the weak layer and the slab play a major role in avalanche release, most previous approaches only considered slab properties in terms of slab depth, average density and skier penetration. For example, for the skier stability index, the additional stress (e.g. due to a skier) at the depth of the weak layer is calculated by assuming that the snow cover can be considered a semi-infinite, elastic half-space. We suggest a new approach based on a simplification of the multi-layered elasticity theory in order to easily compute the additional stress due to a skier at the depth of the weak layer taking into account the layering of the snow slab and the substratum. We first tested the proposed approach on simplified snow profiles, then on manually observed snow profiles including a stability test and, finally, on simulated snow profiles. Our simple approach well reproduced the additional stress obtained by finite element simulations for the simplified profiles - except that the sequence of layering in the slab cannot be replicated. Once implemented into the classical skier stability index and applied to manually observed snow profiles classified into different stability classes, the classification accuracy improved with the new approach. Finally, we implemented the refined skier stability index into the 1-D snow cover model SNOWPACK. For the two study cases presented in this paper, this approach showed promising results even though further verification is still needed. In the future, we intend to implement the proposed approach for describing skier-induced stress within a multi-layered snowpack into more complex models which take into account not only failure initiation but also crack propagation.

HST Multi Layer Insulation Failure Review Board Findings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Jacqueline; Hansen, Patricia

1998-01-01

The mechanical and optical properties of the thermal control materials on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have degraded over the nearly seven years the telescope has been in orbit. Astronaut observations and photographs from the Second Servicing Mission (SM2) revealed large cracks in the metallized Teflon fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), the outer layer of the multi-layer insulation (MLI), in many locations around the telescope. Also, the absorptance of the bonded metallized Teflon FEP radiator surfaces of the telescope has increased over time. A Failure Review Board was established to determine the damage mechanism and to identify a replacement material. Samples of the top layer of the MLI and radiator material were retrieved during SM2, and a thorough investigation into the degradation followed in order to determine the primary cause of the damage. Mapping of the cracks on HST and the ground testing showed that thermal cycling with deep-layer damage from electron and proton radiation are necessary to cause the observed embrittlement. Further, strong evidence was found indicating that chain scission (reduced molecular weight) is the dominant form of damage to the metallized Teflon FEP. Given the damage to the outer layer of the multi-layer insulation (MLI) that was apparent during the second servicing mission (SM2), the decision was made to replace the outer layer during subsequent servicing missions. The replacement material had to meet the stringent thermal requirements of the spacecraft and maintain structural integrity for at least ten years. Ten candidate materials were exposed to simulated orbital environments and a replacement material was selected. This presentation will summarize the FRB results, in particular, the analysis of the retrieved specimens, the results of the simulated environmental exposures, and the selection of the replacement material. The NASA Space Environments and Effects community needs to hear these results because they reveal that Teflon (FEP) films should not be used in LEO as routinely as they are today.

Dual-mode nested search method for categorical uncertain multi-objective optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Long; Wang, Hu

2016-10-01

Categorical multi-objective optimization is an important issue involved in many matching design problems. Non-numerical variables and their uncertainty are the major challenges of such optimizations. Therefore, this article proposes a dual-mode nested search (DMNS) method. In the outer layer, kriging metamodels are established using standard regular simplex mapping (SRSM) from categorical candidates to numerical values. Assisted by the metamodels, a k-cluster-based intelligent sampling strategy is developed to search Pareto frontier points. The inner layer uses an interval number method to model the uncertainty of categorical candidates. To improve the efficiency, a multi-feature convergent optimization via most-promising-area stochastic search (MFCOMPASS) is proposed to determine the bounds of objectives. Finally, typical numerical examples are employed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed DMNS method.

Multi-orbit tight binding calculations for spin transfer torque in magnetic tunneling junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Chun-Yeol; Han, Jae-Ho; Lee, Hyun-Woo

2012-04-01

We investigate the spin transfer torque (STT) with multi-orbit tight binding model in the magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs). So far, most of the theoretical works based on the non-equilibrium Keldysh Green's function method employ a single band model for the simplicity, except a few first principle studies. Even though the single band model captures main physics of STT in MTJ, multi-band calculation reveals new features of the STT that depend on band parameters, such as insulator bandgap, inter-band hopping energy of the ferromagnetic layer. We find that the sign change of perpendicular torkance with bandgap of the insulator layer, and when we allow the inter-band hopping, the bias dependences of perpendicular STT are dramatically changed, while no noticeable changes in parallel STT are found.

Multi-layer thin-film electrolytes for metal supported solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haydn, Markus; Ortner, Kai; Franco, Thomas; Uhlenbruck, Sven; Menzler, Norbert H.; Stöver, Detlev; Bräuer, Günter; Venskutonis, Andreas; Sigl, Lorenz S.; Buchkremer, Hans-Peter; Vaßen, Robert

2014-06-01

A key to the development of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MSCs) is the manufacturing of gas-tight thin-film electrolytes, which separate the cathode from the anode. This paper focuses the electrolyte manufacturing on the basis of 8YSZ (8 mol.-% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2). The electrolyte layers are applied by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) gas flow sputtering (GFS) process. The gas-tightness of the electrolyte is significantly improved when sequential oxidic and metallic thin-film multi-layers are deposited, which interrupt the columnar grain structure of single-layer electrolytes. Such electrolytes with two or eight oxide/metal layers and a total thickness of about 4 μm obtain leakage rates of less than 3 × 10-4 hPa dm3 s-1 cm-2 (Δp: 100 hPa) at room temperature and therefore fulfill the gas tightness requirements. They are also highly tolerant with respect to surface flaws and particulate impurities which can be present on the graded anode underground. MSC cell tests with double-layer and multilayer electrolytes feature high power densities more than 1.4 W cm-2 at 850 °C and underline the high potential of MSC cells.

Improving energy partitioning and the nighttime energy balance by implementation of a multi-layer energy budget in ORCHIDEE-CAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yiying; Ryder, James; Naudts, Kim; McGrath, Matthew J.; Otto, Juliane; Bastriko, Vladislav; Valade, Aude; Launiainen, Samuli; Ogée, Jérôme; Elbers, Jan A.; Foken, Thomas; Tiedemann, Frank; Heinesch, Bernard; Black, Andrew; Haverd, Vanessa; Loustau, Denis; Ottlé, Catherine; Peylin, Philippe; Polcher, Jan; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan

2015-04-01

Canopy structure is one of the most important vegetation characteristics for land-atmosphere interactions as it determines the energy and scalar exchanges between land surface and overlay air mass. In this study we evaluated the performance of a newly developed multi-layer energy budget (Ryder et al., 2014) in a land surface model, ORCHIDEE-CAN (Naudts et al., 2014), which simulates canopy structure and can be coupled to an atmospheric model using an implicit procedure. Furthermore, a vertical discrete drag parametrization scheme was also incorporated into this model, in order to obtain a better description of the sub-canopy wind profile simulation. Site level datasets, including the top-of-the-canopy and sub-canopy observations made available from eight flux observation sites, were collected in order to conduct this evaluation. The geo-location of the collected observation sites crossed climate zones from temperate to boreal and the vegetation types included deciduous, evergreen broad leaved and evergreen needle leaved forest with maximum LAI ranging from 2.1 to 7.0. First, we used long-term top-of-the-canopy measurements to analyze the performance of the current one-layer energy budget in ORCHIDEE-CAN. Three major processes were identified for improvement through the implementation of a multi-layer energy budget: 1) night time radiation balance, 2) energy partitioning during winter and 3) prediction of the ground heat flux. Short-term sub-canopy observations were used to calibrate the parameters in sub-canopy radiation, turbulence and resistances modules with an automatic tuning process following the maximum gradient of the user-defined objective function. The multi-layer model is able to capture the dynamic of sub-canopy turbulence, temperature and energy fluxes with imposed LAI profile and optimized parameter set at a site level calibration. The simulation result shows the improvement both on the nighttime energy balance and energy partitioning during winter and presents a better Taylor skill score, compared to the result from single layer simulation. The importance of using the multi-layer energy budget in a land surface model for coupling to the atmospheric model will also be discussed in this presentation. Reference: Ryder, J., J. Polcher, P. Peylin, C. Ottlé, Y. Chen, E. Van Gorsel, V. Haverd, M. J. McGrath, K.Naudts, J. Otto, A. Valade, and S. Luyssaert, 2014. "A multi-layer land surface energy budget model for implicit coupling with global atmospheric simulations", Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss. 7, 8649-8701 Naudts, K. J. Ryder, M. J. McGrath, J. Otto, Y. Chen, A. Valade, V. Bellasen, G. Berhongaray, G. Bönisch, M. Campioli, J. Ghattas, T. De Groote, V. Haverd, J. Kattge, N. MacBean, F. Maignan, P. Merilä, J. Penuelas, P. Peylin, B. Pinty, H. Pretzsch, E. D. Schulze, D. Solyga, N. Vuichard, Y. Yan, and S. Luyssaert, 2014. "A vertically discretised canopy description for ORCHIDEE (SVN r2290) and the modifications to the energy, water and carbon fluxes", Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss. 7, 8565-8647

Optoelectronic transport properties in amorphous/crystalline silicon solar cell heterojunctions measured by frequency-domain photocarrier radiometry: multi-parameter measurement reliability and precision studies.

PubMed

Zhang, Y; Melnikov, A; Mandelis, A; Halliop, B; Kherani, N P; Zhu, R

2015-03-01

A theoretical one-dimensional two-layer linear photocarrier radiometry (PCR) model including the presence of effective interface carrier traps was used to evaluate the transport parameters of p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) passivated by an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-layer) nanolayer. Several crystalline Si heterojunction structures were examined to investigate the influence of the i-layer thickness and the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer. The experimental data of a series of heterojunction structures with intrinsic thin layers were fitted to PCR theory to gain insight into the transport properties of these devices. The quantitative multi-parameter results were studied with regard to measurement reliability (uniqueness) and precision using two independent computational best-fit programs. The considerable influence on the transport properties of the entire structure of two key parameters that can limit the performance of amorphous thin film solar cells, namely, the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer and the i-layer thickness was demonstrated. It was shown that PCR can be applied to the non-destructive characterization of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells yielding reliable measurements of the key parameters.

Optoelectronic transport properties in amorphous/crystalline silicon solar cell heterojunctions measured by frequency-domain photocarrier radiometry: Multi-parameter measurement reliability and precision studies

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

Zhang, Y.; Institute of Electronic Engineering and Optoelectronic Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094; Melnikov, A.

2015-03-15

A theoretical one-dimensional two-layer linear photocarrier radiometry (PCR) model including the presence of effective interface carrier traps was used to evaluate the transport parameters of p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) passivated by an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-layer) nanolayer. Several crystalline Si heterojunction structures were examined to investigate the influence of the i-layer thickness and the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer. The experimental data of a series of heterojunction structures with intrinsic thin layers were fitted to PCR theory to gain insight into the transport properties of these devices. The quantitative multi-parameter results weremore » studied with regard to measurement reliability (uniqueness) and precision using two independent computational best-fit programs. The considerable influence on the transport properties of the entire structure of two key parameters that can limit the performance of amorphous thin film solar cells, namely, the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer and the i-layer thickness was demonstrated. It was shown that PCR can be applied to the non-destructive characterization of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells yielding reliable measurements of the key parameters.« less

Multi-viewpoint Image Array Virtual Viewpoint Rapid Generation Algorithm Based on Image Layering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Lu; Piao, Yan

2018-04-01

The use of multi-view image array combined with virtual viewpoint generation technology to record 3D scene information in large scenes has become one of the key technologies for the development of integrated imaging. This paper presents a virtual viewpoint rendering method based on image layering algorithm. Firstly, the depth information of reference viewpoint image is quickly obtained. During this process, SAD is chosen as the similarity measure function. Then layer the reference image and calculate the parallax based on the depth information. Through the relative distance between the virtual viewpoint and the reference viewpoint, the image layers are weighted and panned. Finally the virtual viewpoint image is rendered layer by layer according to the distance between the image layers and the viewer. This method avoids the disadvantages of the algorithm DIBR, such as high-precision requirements of depth map and complex mapping operations. Experiments show that, this algorithm can achieve the synthesis of virtual viewpoints in any position within 2×2 viewpoints range, and the rendering speed is also very impressive. The average result proved that this method can get satisfactory image quality. The average SSIM value of the results relative to real viewpoint images can reaches 0.9525, the PSNR value can reaches 38.353 and the image histogram similarity can reaches 93.77%.

Impact of swelling characteristics on the permselective ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The removal of water from organic solvents and biofuels, including lower alcohols (i.e., methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol), is necessary for the production, blending, and reuse of those organic compounds. Water forms an azeotrope with many hydrophilic solvents, complicating the separation of water/solvent mixtures. The use of water-selective membranes in a pervaporation or vapor permeation process enables the removal of water from the solvents, even when an azeotrope is present. Common hydrophilic polymer membranes often swell in water, resulting in permeabilities and selectivities that are dependent on the water content of the feed mixture. Recent work has shown the benefit of overcoating a hydrophilic water-permselective membrane with a non-swelling perfluoropolymer film [1,2]. The perfluoropolymer layer reduces the activity of water the hydrophilic polymer layer experiences, thereby reducing swelling in that layer and increasing the water selectivity of the multi-layer membrane relative to the selectivity of the base hydrophilic polymer, usually at the expense of permeability. In this work, the effect of overcoating the hydrophilic layer with polymer films of various swelling characteristics was modelled. Top layers that swell in the solvent offer some advantages, particularly with regard to the water permeance of the multi-layer composite. 1. Huang, Y.; Baker, R. W.; Wijmans, J. G. Perfluoro-coated hydrophilic membranes with improved selectivity. In

Studies of a new multi-layer compression bandage for the treatment of venous ulceration.

PubMed

Scriven, J M; Bello, M; Taylor, L E; Wood, A J; London, N J

2000-03-01

This study aimed to develop an alternative graduated compression bandage for the treatment of venous leg ulcers. Alternative bandage components were identified and assessed for optimal performance as a graduated multi-layer compression bandage. Subsequently the physical characteristics and clinical efficacy of the optimal bandage combination was prospectively examined. Ten healthy limbs were used to develop the optimal combination and 20 limbs with venous ulceration to compare the physical properties of the two bandage types. Subsequently 42 consecutive ulcerated limbs were prospectively treated to examine the efficacy of the new bandage combination. The new combination produced graduated median (range) sub-bandage pressures (mmHg) as follows: ankle 59 (42-100), calf 36 (27-67) and knee 35 (16-67). Over a seven-day period this combination maintained a comparable level of compression with the Charing Cross system, and achieved an overall healing rate at one year of 88%. The described combination should be brought to the attention of healthcare professionals treating venous ulcers as a possible alternative to other forms of multi-layer graduated compression bandages pending prospective, randomised clinical trials.

The design of a Li-ion full cell battery using a nano silicon and nano multi-layer graphene composite anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, KwangSup; Joshi, Tapesh; Bordes, Arnaud; Do, Inhwan; Fuller, Thomas F.

2014-03-01

In this study, a Si-graphene composite, which is composed of nano Si particles and nano-sized multi-layer graphene particles, and micro-sized multi-layer graphene plate conductor, was used as the anode for Li-ion battery. The Si-graphene electrode showed the high capacity and stable cyclability at charge/discharge rate of C/2 in half cell tests. Nickel cobalt aluminum material (NCA) was used as a cathode in the full cell to evaluate the practicality of the new Si-graphene material. Although the Si-graphene anode has more capacity than the NCA cathode in this designed full cell, the Si-graphene anode had a greater effect on the full-cell performance due to its large initial irreversible capacity loss and continuous SEI formation during cycling. When fluoro-ethylene carbonate was added to the electrolyte, the cyclability of the full cell was much improved due to less SEI formation, which was confirmed by the decreases in the 1st irreversible capacity loss, overpotential for the 1st lithiation, and the resistance of the SEI.

Interface behavior of a multi-layer fluid configuration subject to acceleration in a microgravity environment, supplement 1. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyell, M. J.; Roh, Michael

1991-01-01

With the increasing opportunities for research in a microgravity environment, there arises a need for understanding fluid mechanics under such conditions. In particular, a number of material processing configurations involve fluid-fluid interfaces which may experience instabilities in the presence of external forcing. In a microgravity environment, these accelerations may be periodic or impulse-type in nature. This research investigates the behavior of a multi-layer idealized fluid configuration which is infinite in extent. The analysis is linear, and each fluid region is considered inviscid, incompressible, and immiscible. An initial parametric study of confiquration stability in the presence of a constant acceleration field is performed. The zero mean gravity limit case serves as the base state for the subsequent time-dependent forcing cases. A stability analysis of the multi-layer fluid system in the presence of periodic forcing is investigated. Floquet theory is utilized. A parameter study is performed, and regions of stability are identified. For the impulse-type forcing case, asymptotic stability is established for the configuration. Using numerical integration, the time response of the interfaces is determined.

Simulation and experimental research of heat leakage of cryogenic transfer lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, B. C.; Xie, X. J.; Pan, W.; Jiang, R. X.; Li, J.; Yang, S. Q.; Li, Q.

2017-12-01

The heat leakage of cryogenic transfer lines directly influences the performance of large-scale helium refrigerator. In this paper, a thermal model of cryogenic transfer line considering numerical simulation of support coupled with MLI was established. To validate the model, test platform of cryogenic transfer lines with the merits of disassembly outer pipe and changeable easily multi-layer insulation has been built. The experimental results of heat leakage through overall length of cryogenic transfer lines, support and multi-layer insulation were obtained. The heat leakages of multi-layer insulation, a support and the overall leakage are 1.02 W/m, 0.44 W and 1.46 W/m from experimental data, respectively. The difference of heat leakage of MLI between experiment and simulation were less than 5%. The temperature distribution of support and MLI obtained in presented model in good agreement with experimental data. It is expected to reduce the overall heat leakage of cryogenic transfer lines further by optimizing structure of support based on the above thermal model and test platform in this paper.

Numerical simulation of multi-layered textile composite reinforcement forming

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

Wang, P.; Hamila, N.; Boisse, P.

2011-05-04

One important perspective in aeronautics is to produce large, thick or/and complex structural composite parts. The forming stage presents an important role during the whole manufacturing process, especially for LCM processes (Liquid Composites Moulding) or CFRTP (Continuous Fibre Reinforcements and Thermoplastic resin). Numerical simulations corresponding to multi-layered composite forming allow the prediction for a successful process to produce the thick parts, and importantly, the positions of the fibres after forming to be known. This paper details a set of simulation examples carried out by using a semi-discrete shell finite element made up of unit woven cells. The internal virtual workmore » is applied on all woven cells of the element taking into account tensions, in-plane shear and bending effects. As one key problem, the contact behaviours of tool/ply and ply/ply are described in the numerical model. The simulation results not only improve our understanding of the multi-layered composite forming process but also point out the importance of the fibre orientation and inter-ply friction during formability.« less

Boundary layer energization by means of optimized vortex generators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barber, T. J.; Mounts, J. S.; Mccormick, D. C.

1993-01-01

A three-dimensional, multi-block, multi-zone, Euler analysis has been developed and applied to analyze the flow processes induced by a lateral array of low profile vortex generators (VG). These vortex generators have been shown to alleviate boundary layer separation through the generation of streamwise vorticity. The analysis has been applied to help develop improved VG configurations in an efficient manner. Special attention has been paid to determining the accuracy requirements of the solver for calculations in which vortical mechanisms are dominant. The analysis has been used to assess the effectiveness or boundary layer energization capacity of different VG's, including the effect of scale and shape variation. Finally, the analysis has been validated through comparisons with experimental data obtained in a large-scale low-speed wind tunnel.

Viscous/potential flow about multi-element two-dimensional and infinite-span swept wings: Theory and experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, L. E.; Dvorak, F. A.

1975-01-01

The viscous subsonic flow past two-dimensional and infinite-span swept multi-component airfoils is studied theoretically and experimentally. The computerized analysis is based on iteratively coupled boundary layer and potential flow analysis. The method, which is restricted to flows with only slight separation, gives surface pressure distribution, chordwise and spanwise boundary layer characteristics, lift, drag, and pitching moment for airfoil configurations with up to four elements. Merging confluent boundary layers are treated. Theoretical predictions are compared with an exact theoretical potential flow solution and with experimental measures made in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel for both two-dimensional and infinite-span swept wing configurations. Section lift characteristics are accurately predicted for zero and moderate sweep angles where flow separation effects are negligible.

Universality Results for Multi-layer Radial Hele-Shaw Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daripa, Prabir; Gin, Craig; Daripa Research Team

2014-03-01

Saffman-Taylor instability is a well known viscosity driven instability of an interface separating two immiscible fluids. We study linear stability of this displacement process in multi-layer radial Hele-Shaw geometry involving an arbitrary number of immiscible fluid phases. Universal stability results have been obtained and applied to design displacement processes that are considerably less unstable than the pure Saffman-Taylor case. In particular, we derive universal formula which gives specific values of the viscosities of the fluid layers corresponding to smallest unstable band. Other similar universal results will also be presented. The talk is based on ongoing work. Supported by an NPRP Grant # 08-777-1-141 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of the Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Ultra-high density diffraction grating

DOEpatents

Padmore, Howard A.; Voronov, Dmytro L.; Cambie, Rossana; Yashchuk, Valeriy V.; Gullikson, Eric M.

2012-12-11

A diffraction grating structure having ultra-high density of grooves comprises an echellette substrate having periodically repeating recessed features, and a multi-layer stack of materials disposed on the echellette substrate. The surface of the diffraction grating is planarized, such that layers of the multi-layer stack form a plurality of lines disposed on the planarized surface of the structure in a periodical fashion, wherein lines having a first property alternate with lines having a dissimilar property on the surface of the substrate. For example, in one embodiment, lines comprising high-Z and low-Z materials alternate on the planarized surface providing a structure that is suitable as a diffraction grating for EUV and soft X-rays. In some embodiments, line density of between about 10,000 lines/mm to about 100,000 lines/mm is provided.

Two layers LSTM with attention for multi-choice question answering in exams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongbin

2018-03-01

Question Answering in Exams is typical question answering task that aims to test how accurately the model could answer the questions in exams. In this paper, we use general deep learning model to solve the multi-choice question answering task. Our approach is to build distributed word embedding of question and answers instead of manually extracting features or linguistic tools, meanwhile, for improving the accuracy, the external corpus is introduced. The framework uses a two layers LSTM with attention which get a significant result. By contrast, we introduce the simple long short-term memory (QA-LSTM) model and QA-LSTM-CNN model and QA-LSTM with attention model as the reference. Experiment demonstrate superior performance of two layers LSTM with attention compared to other models in question answering task.

Light dosimetry for focused and defocused beam irradiation in multi-layered tissue models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrova, Kremena S.; Stoykova, Elena V.

2006-09-01

Treatment of acupuncture points, trigger points, joint inflammations in low level laser therapy as well as various applications of lasers for treatment of soft tissues in dental medicine, require irradiation by a narrow converging laser beam. The aim of this study is to compare light delivery produced by focused or defocused narrow beam irradiation in a multi-layered skin tissue model at increasing depth of the target. The task is solved by 3-D Monte-Carlo simulation for matched and mismatched refractive indices at the tissue/ambient medium interface. The modeled light beams have a circular cross-section at the tissue entrance with uniform or Gaussian intensity distribution. Three are the tissue models used in simulation : i) a bloodless skin layer; ii) a bloodless skin layer with embedded scattering object; iii) a skin layer with small blood vessels of varying size, which are modeled as infinite cylinders parallel to the tissue surface located at different depths. Optical properties (absorption coefficient, scattering coefficient, anisotropy factor, g, and index of refraction) of different tissue constituents are chosen from the literature.

Evaluating the performance of guardrail posts installed by driving through asphalt layers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

The preferred procedure for guardrail installation in the State of Georgia includes a layer of asphalt (usually : referred to as a mow strip) placed to retard vegetation growth around the guardrail. The objective of this multi-phase : research ...

Method and apparatus for the evaluation of a depth profile of thermo-mechanical properties of layered and graded materials and coatings

DOEpatents

Finot, M.; Kesler, O.; Suresh, S.

1998-12-08

A technique for determining properties such as Young`s modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion, and residual stress of individual layers within a multi-layered sample is presented. The technique involves preparation of a series of samples, each including one additional layer relative to the preceding sample. By comparison of each sample to a preceding sample, properties of the topmost layer can be determined, and residual stress at any depth in each sample, resulting from deposition of the top layer, can be determined. 11 figs.

Secure coherent optical multi-carrier system with four-dimensional modulation space and Stokes vector scrambling.

PubMed

Zhang, Lijia; Liu, Bo; Xin, Xiangjun

2015-06-15

A secure enhanced coherent optical multi-carrier system based on Stokes vector scrambling is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The optical signal with four-dimensional (4D) modulation space has been scrambled intra- and inter-subcarriers, where a multi-layer logistic map is adopted as the chaotic model. An experiment with 61.71-Gb/s encrypted multi-carrier signal is successfully demonstrated with the proposed method. The results indicate a promising solution for the physical secure optical communication.

Formation of multiple levels of porous silicon for buried insulators and conductors in silicon device technologies

DOEpatents

Blewer, Robert S.; Gullinger, Terry R.; Kelly, Michael J.; Tsao, Sylvia S.

1991-01-01

A method of forming a multiple level porous silicon substrate for semiconductor integrated circuits including anodizing non-porous silicon layers of a multi-layer silicon substrate to form multiple levels of porous silicon. At least one porous silicon layer is then oxidized to form an insulating layer and at least one other layer of porous silicon beneath the insulating layer is metallized to form a buried conductive layer. Preferably the insulating layer and conductive layer are separated by an anodization barrier formed of non-porous silicon. By etching through the anodization barrier and subsequently forming a metallized conductive layer, a fully or partially insulated buried conductor may be fabricated under single crystal silicon.

Flaw detection in a multi-material multi-layered composite: using fem and air-coupled ut

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

Livings, R. A.; Dayal, V.; Barnard, D. J.

Ceramic tiles are the main ingredient of a multi-layer multi-material composite being considered for the modernization of tank armors. The high stiffness, low attenuation, and precise dimensions of these uniform tiles make them remarkable resonators when driven to vibrate. This study is aimed at modeling the vibration modes of the tiles and the composite lay-up with finite element analysis and comparing the results with the resonance modes observed in air-coupled ultrasonic excitation of the tiles and armor samples. Defects in the tile, during manufacturing and/or after usage, are expected to change the resonance modes. The comparison of a pristine tile/lay-upmore » and a defective tile/lay-up will thus be a quantitative damage metric. The understanding of the vibration behavior of the tile, both by itself and in the composite lay-up, can provide useful guidance to the nondestructive evaluation of armor panels containing ceramic tiles.« less

Flexural Progressive Failure of Carbon/Glass Interlayer and Intralayer Hybrid Composites

PubMed Central

Wu, Weili; Gong, Zhili

2018-01-01

The flexural progressive failure modes of carbon fiber and glass fiber (C/G) interlayer and intralayer hybrid composites were investigated in this work. Results showed that the bending failure modes for interlayer hybrid composites are determined by the layup structure. Besides, the bending failure is characterized by the compression failure of the upper layer, when carbon fiber tends to distribute in the upper layer, the interlayer hybrid composite fails early, the failure force is characterized by a multi-stage slightly fluctuating decline and the fracture area exhibits a diamond shape. While carbon fiber distributes in the middle or bottom layer, the failure time starts late, and the failure process exhibits one stage sharp force/stress drop, the fracture zone of glass fiber above the carbon layers presents an inverted trapezoid shape, while the fracture of glass fiber below the carbon layers exhibits an inverted triangular shape. With regards to the intralayer hybrid composites, the C/G hybrid ratio plays a dominating role in the bending failure which could be considered as the mixed failures of four structures. The bending failure of intralayer hybrid composites occurs in advance since carbon fiber are located in each layer; the failure process shows a multi-stage fluctuating decline, and the decline slows down as carbon fiber content increases, and the fracture sound release has the characteristics of a low intensity and high frequency for a long time. By contrast, as glass fiber content increases, the bending failure of intralayer composites is featured with a multi-stage cliff decline with a high amplitude and low frequency for a short-time fracture sound release. PMID:29673236

Multi-layer composite mechanical modeling for the inhomogeneous biofilm mechanical behavior.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoling; Han, Jingshi; Li, Kui; Wang, Guoqing; Hao, Mudong

2016-08-01

Experiments showed that bacterial biofilms are heterogeneous, for example, the density, the diffusion coefficient, and mechanical properties of the biofilm are different along the biofilm thickness. In this paper, we establish a multi-layer composite model to describe the biofilm mechanical inhomogeneity based on unified multiple-component cellular automaton (UMCCA) model. By using our model, we develop finite element simulation procedure for biofilm tension experiment. The failure limit and biofilm extension displacement obtained from our model agree well with experimental measurements. This method provides an alternative theory to study the mechanical inhomogeneity in biological materials.

Absorbent product to absorb fluids. [for collection of human wastes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dawn, F. S.; Correale, J. V. (Inventor)

1982-01-01

A multi-layer absorbent product for use in contact with the skin to absorb fluids is discussed. The product utilizes a water pervious facing layer for contacting the skin, overlayed by a first fibrous wicking layer, the wicking layer preferably being of the one-way variety in which fluid or liquid is moved away from the facing layer. The product further includes a first container section defined by inner and outer layer of a water pervious wicking material between which is disposed a first absorbent mass. A second container section defined by inner and outer layers between which is disposed a second absorbent mass and a liquid impermeable/gas permeable layer. Spacesuit applications are discussed.

Light emitting ceramic device

DOEpatents

Valentine, Paul; Edwards, Doreen D.; Walker, Jr., William John; Slack, Lyle H.; Brown, Wayne Douglas; Osborne, Cathy; Norton, Michael; Begley, Richard

2010-05-18

A light-emitting ceramic based panel, hereafter termed "electroceramescent" panel, is herein claimed. The electroceramescent panel is formed on a substrate providing mechanical support as well as serving as the base electrode for the device. One or more semiconductive ceramic layers directly overlay the substrate, and electrical conductivity and ionic diffusion are controlled. Light emitting regions overlay the semiconductive ceramic layers, and said regions consist sequentially of a layer of a ceramic insulation layer and an electroluminescent layer, comprised of doped phosphors or the equivalent. One or more conductive top electrode layers having optically transmissive areas overlay the light emitting regions, and a multi-layered top barrier cover comprising one or more optically transmissive non-combustible insulation layers overlay said top electrode regions.

Environmental barrier coating

DOEpatents

Pujari, Vimal K.; Vartabedian, Ara; Collins, William T.; Woolley, David; Bateman, Charles

2012-12-18

The present invention relates generally to a multi-layered article suitable for service in severe environments. The article may be formed of a substrate, such as silicon carbide and/or silicon nitride. The substrate may have a first layer of a mixture of a rare earth silicate and Cordierite. The substrate may also have a second layer of a rare earth silicate or a mixture of a rare earth silicate and cordierite.

Integrated power passives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, Huikai (Inventor); Ngo, Khai D. T. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A multi-layer film-stack and method for forming the multilayer film-stack is given where a series of alternating layers of conducting and dielectric materials are deposited such that the conducting layers can be selectively addressed. The use of the method to form integratable high capacitance density capacitors and complete the formation of an integrated power system-on-a-chip device including transistors, conductors, inductors, and capacitors is also given.

Synthesis of Different Layers of Graphene on Stainless Steel Using the CVD Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaemi, Ferial; Abdullah, Luqman Chuah; Tahir, Paridah Md; Yunus, Robiah

2016-11-01

In this study, different types of graphene, including single-, few-, and multi-layer graphene, were grown on a stainless steel (SS) mesh coated with Cu catalyst by using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Even though the SS mesh consisted of different types of metals, such as Fe, Ni, and Cr, which can also be used as catalysts, the reason for coating Cu catalyst on the SS surface had been related to the nature of the Cu, which promotes the growth of graphene with high quality and quantity at low temperature and time. The reaction temperature and run time, as the most important parameters of the CVD method, were varied, and thus led to the synthesis of different layers of graphene. Moreover, the presence of single-, few-, and multi-layer graphene was confirmed by employing two techniques, namely transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. On top of that, electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) was further applied to establish the influence of the CVD parameters on the growth of graphene.

Fractal multi-level organisation of human groups in a virtual world.

PubMed

Fuchs, Benedikt; Sornette, Didier; Thurner, Stefan

2014-10-06

Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic literature has classified these groups as support cliques, sympathy groups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes, linguistic groups, and so on. Anthropologic data show that, on average, each group consists of approximately three subgroups. However, a general understanding of the structural dependence of groups at different layers is largely missing. We extend these early findings to a very large high-precision large-scale internet-based social network data. We analyse the organisational structure of a complete, multi-relational, large social multiplex network of a human society consisting of about 400,000 odd players of an open-ended massive multiplayer online game for which we know all about their various group memberships at different layers. Remarkably, the online players' society exhibits the same type of structured hierarchical layers as found in hunter-gatherer societies. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical organisation of human society is deeply nested in human psychology.

Synthesis of Different Layers of Graphene on Stainless Steel Using the CVD Method.

PubMed

Ghaemi, Ferial; Abdullah, Luqman Chuah; Tahir, Paridah Md; Yunus, Robiah

2016-12-01

In this study, different types of graphene, including single-, few-, and multi-layer graphene, were grown on a stainless steel (SS) mesh coated with Cu catalyst by using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Even though the SS mesh consisted of different types of metals, such as Fe, Ni, and Cr, which can also be used as catalysts, the reason for coating Cu catalyst on the SS surface had been related to the nature of the Cu, which promotes the growth of graphene with high quality and quantity at low temperature and time. The reaction temperature and run time, as the most important parameters of the CVD method, were varied, and thus led to the synthesis of different layers of graphene. Moreover, the presence of single-, few-, and multi-layer graphene was confirmed by employing two techniques, namely transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. On top of that, electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) was further applied to establish the influence of the CVD parameters on the growth of graphene.

Constructing bio-layer of heparin and type IV collagen on titanium surface for improving its endothelialization and blood compatibility.

PubMed

Zhang, Kun; Chen, Jun-ying; Qin, Wei; Li, Jing-an; Guan, Fang-xia; Huang, Nan

2016-04-01

The modification of cardiovascular stent surface for a better micro-environment has gradually changed to multi-molecule, multi-functional designation. In this study, heparin (Hep) and type IV collagen (IVCol) were used as the functional molecule to construct a bifunctional micro-environment of anticoagulation and promoting endothelialization on titanium (Ti). The surface characterization results (AFM, Alcian Blue 8GX Staining and fluorescence staining of IVCol) indicated that the bio-layer of Hep and IVCol were successfully fabricated on the Ti surface through electrostatic self-assembly. The APTT and platelet adhesion test demonstrated that the bionic layer possessed better blood compatibility compared with Ti surface. The adhesion, proliferation, migration and apoptosis tests of endothelial cells proved that the Hep/IVCol layer was able to enhance the endothelialization of the Ti surface. The in vivo animal implantation results manifested that the bionic surface could encourage new endothelialization. This work provides an important reference for the construction of multifunction micro-environment on the cardiovascular scaffold surface.

Multi-layer structures with thermal and acoustic properties for building rehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bessa, J.; Mota, C.; Cunha, F.; Merino, F.; Fangueiro, R.

2017-10-01

This work compares the use of different sustainable materials in the design of multilayer structures for the rehabilitation of buildings in terms of thermal and acoustic properties. These structures were obtained by compression moulding and thermal and acoustic tests were further carried out for the quantification of the respective insulation properties of composite materials obtained. The experimental results show that the use of polyurethane (PUR) foams and jute fabric reinforcing biocomposites promotes interesting properties of thermal and acoustic insulation. A multi-layer structure composed by PUR foam on the intermediate layer revealed thermal resistances until 0.272 m2 K W-1. On the other hand, the use of jute fabric reinforcing biocomposites on exterior layer promoted a noise reduction at 500 Hz until 8.3 dB. These results allow to conclude that the use of PUR foams and jute fabric reinforcing biocomposites can be used successfully in rehabilitation of buildings, when the thermal and acoustic insulation is looked for.

Multi-layer plastic scintillation detector for intermediate- and high-energy neutrons with n- γ discrimination capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, L.; Terashima, S.; Ong, H. J.; Chan, P. Y.; Tanihata, I.; Iwamoto, C.; Tran, D. T.; Tamii, A.; Aoi, N.; Fujioka, H.; Gey, G.; Sakaguchi, H.; Sakaue, A.; Sun, B. H.; Tang, T. L.; Wang, T. F.; Watanabe, Y. N.; Zhang, G. X.

2017-09-01

A new type of neutron detector, named Stack Structure Solid organic Scintillator (S4), consisting of multi-layer plastic scintillators with capability to suppress low-energy γ rays under high-counting rate has been constructed and tested. To achieve n- γ discrimination, we exploit the difference in the ranges of the secondary charged particles produced by the interactions of neutrons and γ rays in the scintillator material. The thickness of a plastic scintillator layer was determined based on the results of Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit. With layer thicknesses of 5 mm, we have achieved a good separation between neutrons and γ rays at 5 MeVee threshold setting. We have also determined the detection efficiencies using monoenergetic neutrons at two energies produced by the d + d → n+3He reaction. The results agree well with the Geant4 simulations implementing the Li e ̀ge Intranuclear Cascade hadronic model (INCL++) and the high-precision model of low-energy neutron interactions (NeutronHP).

Enhancing sound absorption and transmission through flexible multi-layer micro-perforated structures.

PubMed

Bravo, Teresa; Maury, Cédric; Pinhède, Cédric

2013-11-01

Theoretical and experimental results are presented into the sound absorption and transmission properties of multi-layer structures made up of thin micro-perforated panels (ML-MPPs). The objective is to improve both the absorption and insulation performances of ML-MPPs through impedance boundary optimization. A fully coupled modal formulation is introduced that predicts the effect of the structural resonances onto the normal incidence absorption coefficient and transmission loss of ML-MPPs. This model is assessed against standing wave tube measurements and simulations based on impedance translation method for two double-layer MPP configurations of relevance in building acoustics and aeronautics. Optimal impedance relationships are proposed that ensure simultaneous maximization of both the absorption and the transmission loss under normal incidence. Exhaustive optimization of the double-layer MPPs is performed to assess the absorption and/or transmission performances with respect to the impedance criterion. It is investigated how the panel volumetric resonances modify the excess dissipation that can be achieved from non-modal optimization of ML-MPPs.

Fractal multi-level organisation of human groups in a virtual world

PubMed Central

Fuchs, Benedikt; Sornette, Didier; Thurner, Stefan

2014-01-01

Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic literature has classified these groups as support cliques, sympathy groups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes, linguistic groups, and so on. Anthropologic data show that, on average, each group consists of approximately three subgroups. However, a general understanding of the structural dependence of groups at different layers is largely missing. We extend these early findings to a very large high-precision large-scale internet-based social network data. We analyse the organisational structure of a complete, multi-relational, large social multiplex network of a human society consisting of about 400,000 odd players of an open-ended massive multiplayer online game for which we know all about their various group memberships at different layers. Remarkably, the online players' society exhibits the same type of structured hierarchical layers as found in hunter-gatherer societies. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical organisation of human society is deeply nested in human psychology. PMID:25283998

Thermal Imaging for Assessment of Electron-Beam Free Form Fabrication (EBF(sup 3)) Additive Manufacturing Welds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zalameda, Joseph N.; Burke, Eric R.; Hafley, Robert A.; Taminger, Karen M.; Domack, Christopher S.; Brewer, Amy R.; Martin, Richard E.

2013-01-01

Additive manufacturing is a rapidly growing field where 3-dimensional parts can be produced layer by layer. NASA s electron beam free-form fabrication (EBF(sup 3)) technology is being evaluated to manufacture metallic parts in a space environment. The benefits of EBF(sup 3) technology are weight savings to support space missions, rapid prototyping in a zero gravity environment, and improved vehicle readiness. The EBF(sup 3) system is composed of 3 main components: electron beam gun, multi-axis position system, and metallic wire feeder. The electron beam is used to melt the wire and the multi-axis positioning system is used to build the part layer by layer. To insure a quality weld, a near infrared (NIR) camera is used to image the melt pool and solidification areas. This paper describes the calibration and application of a NIR camera for temperature measurement. In addition, image processing techniques are presented for weld assessment metrics.

Fractal multi-level organisation of human groups in a virtual world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Benedikt; Sornette, Didier; Thurner, Stefan

2014-10-01

Humans are fundamentally social. They form societies which consist of hierarchically layered nested groups of various quality, size, and structure. The anthropologic literature has classified these groups as support cliques, sympathy groups, bands, cognitive groups, tribes, linguistic groups, and so on. Anthropologic data show that, on average, each group consists of approximately three subgroups. However, a general understanding of the structural dependence of groups at different layers is largely missing. We extend these early findings to a very large high-precision large-scale internet-based social network data. We analyse the organisational structure of a complete, multi-relational, large social multiplex network of a human society consisting of about 400,000 odd players of an open-ended massive multiplayer online game for which we know all about their various group memberships at different layers. Remarkably, the online players' society exhibits the same type of structured hierarchical layers as found in hunter-gatherer societies. Our findings suggest that the hierarchical organisation of human society is deeply nested in human psychology.

Flow prediction over a transport multi-element high-lift system and comparison with flight measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vijgen, P. M. H. W.; Hardin, J. D.; Yip, L. P.

1992-01-01

Accurate prediction of surface-pressure distributions, merging boundary-layers, and separated-flow regions over multi-element high-lift airfoils is required to design advanced high-lift systems for efficient subsonic transport aircraft. The availability of detailed measurements of pressure distributions and both averaged and time-dependent boundary-layer flow parameters at flight Reynolds numbers is critical to evaluate computational methods and to model the turbulence structure for closure of the flow equations. Several detailed wind-tunnel measurements at subscale Reynolds numbers were conducted to obtain detailed flow information including the Reynolds-stress component. As part of a subsonic-transport high-lift research program, flight experiments are conducted using the NASA-Langley B737-100 research aircraft to obtain detailed flow characteristics for support of computational and wind-tunnel efforts. Planned flight measurements include pressure distributions at several spanwise locations, boundary-layer transition and separation locations, surface skin friction, as well as boundary-layer profiles and Reynolds stresses in adverse pressure-gradient flow.

Cellular and Pectin Dynamics during Abscission Zone Development and Ripe Fruit Abscission of the Monocot Oil Palm

PubMed Central

Roongsattham, Peerapat; Morcillo, Fabienne; Fooyontphanich, Kim; Jantasuriyarat, Chatchawan; Tragoonrung, Somvong; Amblard, Philippe; Collin, Myriam; Mouille, Gregory; Verdeil, Jean-Luc; Tranbarger, Timothy J.

2016-01-01

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fruit primary abscission zone (AZ) is a multi-cell layered boundary region between the pedicel (P) and mesocarp (M) tissues. To examine the cellular processes that occur during the development and function of the AZ cell layers, we employed multiple histological and immunohistochemical methods combined with confocal, electron and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy approaches. During early fruit development and differentiation of the AZ, the orientation of cell divisions in the AZ was periclinal compared with anticlinal divisions in the P and M. AZ cell wall width increased earlier during development suggesting cell wall assembly occurred more rapidly in the AZ than the adjacent P and M tissues. The developing fruit AZ contain numerous intra-AZ cell layer plasmodesmata (PD), but very few inter-AZ cell layer PD. In the AZ of ripening fruit, PD were less frequent, wider, and mainly intra-AZ cell layer localized. Furthermore, DAPI staining revealed nuclei are located adjacent to PD and are remarkably aligned within AZ layer cells, and remain aligned and intact after cell separation. The polarized accumulation of ribosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and vesicles suggested active secretion at the tip of AZ cells occurred during development which may contribute to the striated cell wall patterns in the AZ cell layers. AZ cells accumulated intracellular pectin during development, which appear to be released and/or degraded during cell separation. The signal for the JIM5 epitope, that recognizes low methylesterified and un-methylesterified homogalacturonan (HG), increased in the AZ layer cell walls prior to separation and dramatically increased on the separated AZ cell surfaces. Finally, FT-IR microspectroscopy analysis indicated a decrease in methylesterified HG occurred in AZ cell walls during separation, which may partially explain an increase in the JIM5 epitope signal. The results obtained through a multi-imaging approach allow an integrated view of the dynamic developmental processes that occur in a multi-layered boundary AZ and provide evidence for distinct regulatory mechanisms that underlie oil palm fruit AZ development and function. PMID:27200017

Phase diagrams of vortex matter with multi-scale inter-vortex interactions in layered superconductors.

PubMed

Meng, Qingyou; Varney, Christopher N; Fangohr, Hans; Babaev, Egor

2017-01-25

It was recently proposed to use the stray magnetic fields of superconducting vortex lattices to trap ultracold atoms for building quantum emulators. This calls for new methods for engineering and manipulating of the vortex states. One of the possible routes utilizes type-1.5 superconducting layered systems with multi-scale inter-vortex interactions. In order to explore the possible vortex states that can be engineered, we present two phase diagrams of phenomenological vortex matter models with multi-scale inter-vortex interactions featuring several attractive and repulsive length scales. The phase diagrams exhibit a plethora of phases, including conventional 2D lattice phases, five stripe phases, dimer, trimer, and tetramer phases, void phases, and stable low-temperature disordered phases. The transitions between these states can be controlled by the value of an applied external field.

A Multi-layer Dynamic Model for Coordination Based Group Decision Making in Water Resource Allocation and Scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei; Zhang, Xingnan; Li, Chenming; Wang, Jianying

Management of group decision-making is an important issue in water source management development. In order to overcome the defects in lacking of effective communication and cooperation in the existing decision-making models, this paper proposes a multi-layer dynamic model for coordination in water resource allocation and scheduling based group decision making. By introducing the scheme-recognized cooperative satisfaction index and scheme-adjusted rationality index, the proposed model can solve the problem of poor convergence of multi-round decision-making process in water resource allocation and scheduling. Furthermore, the problem about coordination of limited resources-based group decision-making process can be solved based on the effectiveness of distance-based group of conflict resolution. The simulation results show that the proposed model has better convergence than the existing models.

Surface-stabilized gold nanocatalysts

DOEpatents

Dai, Sheng [Knoxville, TN; Yan, Wenfu [Oak Ridge, TN

2009-12-08

A surface-stabilized gold nanocatalyst includes a solid support having stabilizing surfaces for supporting gold nanoparticles, and a plurality of gold nanoparticles having an average particle size of less than 8 nm disposed on the stabilizing surfaces. The surface-stabilized gold nanocatalyst provides enhanced stability, such as at high temperature under oxygen containing environments. In one embodiment, the solid support is a multi-layer support comprising at least a first layer having a second layer providing the stabilizing surfaces disposed thereon, the first and second layer being chemically distinct.

Separation of spin Seebeck effect and anomalous Nernst effect in Co/Cu/YIG

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

Tian, Dai; State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433; Li, Yufan

2015-05-25

The spin Seebeck effect (SSE) and Anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) have been observed in Co/Cu/YIG (yttrium iron garnet) multi-layer structure, where the ferromagnetic insulator YIG acts as the pure spin injector and the ferromagnetic metal Co layer acts as the spin current detector. With the insertion of 5 nm Cu layer, the two ferromagnetic layers are decoupled, thus allowing unambiguous separation of the SSE and ANE contributions under the same experimental conditions in the same sample.

Separation of spin Seebeck effect and anomalous Nernst effect in Co/Cu/YIG

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

Tian, Dai; Li, Yufan; Qu, D.

2015-05-25

The spin Seebeck effect (SSE) and Anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) have been observed in Co/Cu/YIG (yttrium iron garnet) multi-layer structure, where the ferromagnetic insulator YIG acts as the pure spin injector and the ferromagnetic metal Co layer acts as the spin current detector. With the insertion of 5 nm Cu layer, the two ferromagnetic layers are decoupled, thus allowing unambiguous separation of the SSE and ANE contributions under the same experimental conditions in the same sample.

Number of graphene layers exhibiting an influence on oxidation of DNA bases: analytical parameters.

PubMed

Goh, Madeline Shuhua; Pumera, Martin

2012-01-20

This article investigates the analytical performance of double-, few- and multi-layer graphene upon oxidation of adenine and guanine. We observed that the sensitivity of differential pulse voltammetric response of guanine and adenine is significantly higher at few-layer graphene surface than single-layer graphene. We use glassy carbon electrode as substrate coated with graphenes. Our findings shall have profound influence on construction of graphene based genosensors. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of multilayered compression bandages on sub-bandage interface pressure: a model.

PubMed

Al Khaburi, J; Nelson, E A; Hutchinson, J; Dehghani-Sanij, A A

2011-03-01

Multi-component medical compression bandages are widely used to treat venous leg ulcers. The sub-bandage interface pressures induced by individual components of the multi-component compression bandage systems are not always simply additive. Current models to explain compression bandage performance do not take account of the increase in leg circumference when each bandage is applied, and this may account for the difference between predicted and actual pressures. To calculate the interface pressure when a multi-component compression bandage system is applied to a leg. Use thick wall cylinder theory to estimate the sub-bandage pressure over the leg when a multi-component compression bandage is applied to a leg. A mathematical model was developed based on thick cylinder theory to include bandage thickness in the calculation of the interface pressure in multi-component compression systems. In multi-component compression systems, the interface pressure corresponds to the sum of the pressures applied by individual bandage layers. However, the change in the limb diameter caused by additional bandage layers should be considered in the calculation. Adding the interface pressure produced by single components without considering the bandage thickness will result in an overestimate of the overall interface pressure produced by the multi-component compression systems. At the ankle (circumference 25 cm) this error can be 19.2% or even more in the case of four components bandaging systems. Bandage thickness should be considered when calculating the pressure applied using multi-component compression systems.

Physics considerations in MV-CBCT multi-layer imager design.

PubMed

Hu, Yue-Houng; Fueglistaller, Rony; Myronakis, Marios E; Rottmann, Joerg; Wang, Adam; Shedlock, Daniel; Morf, Daniel; Baturin, Paul; Huber, Pascal; Star-Lack, Josh M; Berbeco, Ross I

2018-05-30

Megavoltage (MV) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) using an electronic portal imaging (EPID) offers advantageous features, including 3D mapping, treatment beam registration, high-z artifact suppression, and direct radiation dose calculation. Adoption has been slowed by image quality limitations and concerns about imaging dose. Developments in imager design, including pixelated scintillators, structured phosphors, inexpensive scintillation materials, and multi-layer imager (MLI) architecture have been explored to improve EPID image quality and reduce imaging dose. The present study employs a hybrid Monte Carlo and linear systems model to determine the effect of detector design elements, such as multi-layer architecture and scintillation materials. We follow metrics of image quality including modulation transfer function (MTF) and noise power spectrum (NPS) from projection images to 3D reconstructions to in-plane slices and apply a task based figure-of-merit, the ideal observer signal-to-noise ratio (d') to determine the effect of detector design on object detectability. Generally, detectability was limited by detector noise performance. Deploying an MLI imager with a single scintillation material for all layers yields improvement in noise performance and d' linear with the number of layers. In general, improving x-ray absorption using thicker scintillators results in improved DQE(0). However, if light yield is low, performance will be affected by electronic noise at relatively high doses, resulting in rapid image quality degradation. Maximizing image quality in a heterogenous MLI detector (i.e. multiple different scintillation materials) is most affected by limiting imager noise. However, while a second-order effect, maximizing total spatial resolution of the MLI detector is a balance between the intensity contribution of each layer against its individual MTF. So, while a thinner scintillator may yield a maximal individual-layer MTF, its quantum efficiency will be relatively low in comparison to a thicker scintillator and thus, intensity contribution may be insufficient to noticeably improve the total detector MTF. © 2018 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

Calibrating the interaction matrix for the LINC-NIRVANA high layer wavefront sensor.

PubMed

Zhang, Xianyu; Arcidiacono, Carmelo; Conrad, Albert R; Herbst, Thomas M; Gaessler, Wolfgang; Bertram, Thomas; Ragazzoni, Roberto; Schreiber, Laura; Diolaiti, Emiliano; Kuerster, Martin; Bizenberger, Peter; Meschke, Daniel; Rix, Hans-Walter; Rao, Changhui; Mohr, Lars; Briegel, Florian; Kittmann, Frank; Berwein, Juergen; Trowitzsch, Jan

2012-03-26

LINC-NIRVANA is a near-infrared Fizeau interferometric imager that will operate at the Large Binocular Telescope. In preparation for the commissioning of this instrument, we conducted experiments for calibrating the high-layer wavefront sensor of the layer-oriented multi-conjugate adaptive optics system. For calibrating the multi-pyramid wavefront sensor, four light sources were used to simulate guide stars. Using this setup, we developed the push-pull method for calibrating the interaction matrix. The benefits of this method over the traditional push-only method are quantified, and also the effects of varying the number of push-pull frames over which aberrations are averaged is reported. Finally, we discuss a method for measuring mis-conjugation between the deformable mirror and the wavefront sensor, and the proper positioning of the wavefront sensor detector with respect to the four pupil positions.

Observation of room temperature negative differential resistance in multi-layer heterostructures of quantum dots and conducting polymers.

PubMed

Kannan, V; Kim, M R; Chae, Y S; Ramana, Ch V V; Rhee, J K

2011-01-14

Multi-layer heterostructure negative differential resistance devices based on poly-[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) conducting polymer and CdSe quantum dots is reported. The conducting polymer MEH-PPV acts as a barrier while CdSe quantum dots form the well layer. The devices exhibit negative differential resistance (NDR) at low voltages. For these devices, strong negative differential resistance is observed at room temperature. A maximum value of 51 for the peak-to-valley ratio of current is reported. Tunneling of electrons through the discrete quantum confined states in the CdSe quantum dots is believed to be responsible for the multiple peaks observed in the I-V measurement. Depending on the observed NDR signature, operating mechanisms are explored based on resonant tunneling and Coulomb blockade effects.

IMRT sequencing for a six-bank multi-leaf system.

PubMed

Topolnjak, R; van der Heide, U A; Lagendijk, J J W

2005-05-07

In this study, we present a sequencer for delivering step-and-shoot IMRT using a six-bank multi-leaf system. Such a system was proposed earlier and combines a high-resolution field-shaping ability with a large field size. It consists of three layers of two opposing leaf banks with 1 cm leaves. The layers are rotated relative to each other at 60 degrees . A low-resolution mode of sequencing is achieved by using one layer of leaves as primary MLC, while the other two are used to improve back-up collimation. For high-resolution sequencing, an algorithm is presented that creates segments shaped by all six banks. Compared to a hypothetical mini-MLC with 0.4 cm leaves, a similar performance can be achieved, but a trade-off has to be made between accuracy and the number of segments.

Clinical effectiveness of a silicone foam dressing for the prevention of heel pressure ulcers in critically ill patients: Border II Trial.

PubMed

Santamaria, N; Gerdtz, M; Liu, W; Rakis, S; Sage, S; Ng, A W; Tudor, H; McCann, J; Vassiliou, T; Morrow, F; Smith, K; Knott, J; Liew, D

2015-08-01

Critically ill patients are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers (PU), with the sacrum and heels being highly susceptible to pressure injuries. The objective of our study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a new multi-layer, self-adhesive soft silicone foam heel dressing to prevent PU development in trauma and critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). A cohort of critically ill patients were enrolled at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Each patient had the multi-layer soft silicone foam dressing applied to each heel on admission to the emergency department. The dressings were retained with a tubular bandage for the duration of the patients' stay in the ICU. The skin under the dressings was examined daily and the dressings were replaced every three days. The comparator for our cohort study was the control group from the recently completed Border Trial. Of the 191 patients in the initial cohort, excluding deaths, loss to follow-up and transfers to another ward, 150 patients were included in the final analysis. There was no difference in key demographic or physiological variables between the cohorts, apart from a longer ICU length of stay for our current cohort. No PUs developed in any of our intervention cohort patients compared with 14 patients in the control cohort (n=152; p<0.001) who developed a total of 19 heel PUs. We conclude, based on our results, that the multi-layer soft silicone foam dressing under investigation was clinically effective in reducing ICU-acquired heel PUs. The findings also support previous research on the clinical effectiveness of multi-layer soft silicone foam dressings for PU prevention in the ICU.

Optimization of bump and blowing to control the flow through a transonic compressor blade cascade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazaheri, K.; Khatibirad, S.

2018-03-01

Shock control bump (SCB) and blowing are two flow control methods, used here to improve the aerodynamic performance of transonic compressors. Both methods are applied to a NASA rotor 67 blade section and are optimized to minimize the total pressure loss. A continuous adjoint algorithm is used for multi-point optimization of a SCB to improve the aerodynamic performance of the rotor blade section, for a range of operational conditions around its design point. A multi-point and two single-point optimizations are performed in the design and off-design conditions. It is shown that the single-point optimized shapes have the best performance for their respective operating conditions, but the multi-point one has an overall better performance over the whole operating range. An analysis is given regarding how similarly both single- and multi-point optimized SCBs change the wave structure between blade sections resulting in a more favorable flow pattern. Interactions of the SCB with the boundary layer and the wave structure, and its effects on the separation regions are also studied. We have also introduced the concept of blowing for control of shock wave and boundary-layer interaction. A geometrical model is introduced, and the geometrical and physical parameters of blowing are optimized at the design point. The performance improvements of blowing are compared with the SCB. The physical interactions of SCB with the boundary layer and the shock wave are analyzed. The effects of SCB on the wave structure in the flow domain outside the boundary-layer region are investigated. It is shown that the effects of the blowing mechanism are very similar to the SCB.

Orbital-dependent Electron-Hole Interaction in Graphene and Associated Multi-Layer Structures

PubMed Central

Deng, Tianqi; Su, Haibin

2015-01-01

We develop an orbital-dependent potential to describe electron-hole interaction in materials with structural 2D character, i.e. quasi-2D materials. The modulated orbital-dependent potentials are also constructed with non-local screening, multi-layer screening, and finite gap due to the coupling with substrates. We apply the excitonic Hamiltonian in coordinate-space with developed effective electron-hole interacting potentials to compute excitons’ binding strength at M (π band) and Γ (σ band) points in graphene and its associated multi-layer forms. The orbital-dependent potential provides a range-separated property for regulating both long- and short-range interactions. This accounts for the existence of the resonant π exciton in single- and bi-layer graphenes. The remarkable strong electron-hole interaction in σ orbitals plays a decisive role in the existence of σ exciton in graphene stack at room temperature. The interplay between gap-opening and screening from substrates shed a light on the weak dependence of σ exciton binding energy on the thickness of graphene stacks. Moreover, the analysis of non-hydrogenic exciton spectrum in quasi-2D systems clearly demonstrates the remarkable comparable contribution of orbital dependent potential with respect to non-local screening process. The understanding of orbital-dependent potential developed in this work is potentially applicable for a wide range of materials with low dimension. PMID:26610715

Bulk and interface quantum states of electrons in multi-layer heterostructures with topological materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolic, Aleksandar; Zhang, Kexin; Barnes, C. H. W.

2018-06-01

In this article we describe the bulk and interface quantum states of electrons in multi-layer heterostructures in one dimension, consisting of topological insulators (TIs) and topologically trivial materials. We use and extend an effective four-band continuum Hamiltonian by introducing position dependence to the eight material parameters of the Hamiltonian. We are able to demonstrate complete conduction-valence band mixing in the interface states. We find evidence for topological features of bulk states of multi-layer TI heterostructures, as well as demonstrating both complete and incomplete conduction-valence band inversion at different bulk state energies. We show that the linear k z terms in the low-energy Hamiltonian, arising from overlap of p z orbitals between different atomic layers in the case of chalcogenides, control the amount of tunneling from TIs to trivial insulators. Finally, we show that the same linear k z terms in the low-energy Hamiltonian affect the material’s ability to form the localised interface state, and we demonstrate that due to this effect the spin and probability density localisation in a thin film of Sb2Te3 is incomplete. We show that changing the parameter that controls the magnitude of the overlap of p z orbitals affects the transport characteristics of the topologically conducting states, with incomplete topological state localisation resulting in increased backscattering.

Facilitation and Restoration of Cognitive Function in Primate Prefrontal Cortex by a Neuroprosthesis that Utilizes Minicolumn-Specific Neural Firing

PubMed Central

Hampson, Robert E.; Gerhardt, Greg A.; Marmarelis, Vasilis; Song, Dong; Opris, Ioan; Santos, Lucas; Berger, Theodore W.; Deadwyler, Sam A.

2012-01-01

Problem addressed Maintenance of cognitive control is a major concern for many human disease condition, therefore a major goal of human neuroprosthetics is to facilitate and/or recover cognitive function when such circumstances impair appropriate decision making. Methodology Nonhuman primates trained to perform a delayed match to sample (DMS) were employed to record mini-columnar activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) via custom designed conformal multielectrode arrays that provided inter-laminar recordings from neurons in PFC layer 2/3 and layer 5. Such recordings were analyzed via a previously demonstrated nonlinear multi-input multi-output (MIMO) neuroprosthesis in rodents, which extracted and characterized multi-columnar firing patterns during DMS performance. Results The MIMO model verified that the conformal recorded individual PFC minicolumns responded to entrained target selections in patterns critical for successful DMS performance. This allowed substitution of task-related layer 5 neuron firing patterns with electrical stimulation in the same recording regions during columnar transmission from layer 2/3 at the time of target selection. Such stimulation facilitated normal task performance, but more importantly, recovered performance when applied as a neuroprosthesis following pharmacological disruption of decision making in the same task. Significance and potential impact These findings provide the first successful application of a neuroprosthesis in primate brain designed specifically to restore or repair disrupted cognitive function. PMID:22976769

Bulk and interface quantum states of electrons in multi-layer heterostructures with topological materials.

PubMed

Nikolic, Aleksandar; Zhang, Kexin; Barnes, C H W

2018-06-13

In this article we describe the bulk and interface quantum states of electrons in multi-layer heterostructures in one dimension, consisting of topological insulators (TIs) and topologically trivial materials. We use and extend an effective four-band continuum Hamiltonian by introducing position dependence to the eight material parameters of the Hamiltonian. We are able to demonstrate complete conduction-valence band mixing in the interface states. We find evidence for topological features of bulk states of multi-layer TI heterostructures, as well as demonstrating both complete and incomplete conduction-valence band inversion at different bulk state energies. We show that the linear k z terms in the low-energy Hamiltonian, arising from overlap of p z orbitals between different atomic layers in the case of chalcogenides, control the amount of tunneling from TIs to trivial insulators. Finally, we show that the same linear k z terms in the low-energy Hamiltonian affect the material's ability to form the localised interface state, and we demonstrate that due to this effect the spin and probability density localisation in a thin film of Sb 2 Te 3 is incomplete. We show that changing the parameter that controls the magnitude of the overlap of p z orbitals affects the transport characteristics of the topologically conducting states, with incomplete topological state localisation resulting in increased backscattering.

Analytical solution for the advection-dispersion transport equation in layered media

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The advection-dispersion transport equation with first-order decay was solved analytically for multi-layered media using the classic integral transform technique (CITT). The solution procedure used an associated non-self-adjoint advection-diffusion eigenvalue problem that had the same form and coef...

Cloud retrievals from satellite data using optimal estimation: evaluation and application to ATSR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poulsen, C. A.; Siddans, R.; Thomas, G. E.; Sayer, A. M.; Grainger, R. G.; Campmany, E.; Dean, S. M.; Arnold, C.; Watts, P. D.

2012-08-01

Clouds play an important role in balancing the Earth's radiation budget. Hence, it is vital that cloud climatologies are produced that quantify cloud macro and micro physical parameters and the associated uncertainty. In this paper, we present an algorithm ORAC (Oxford-RAL retrieval of Aerosol and Cloud) which is based on fitting a physically consistent cloud model to satellite observations simultaneously from the visible to the mid-infrared, thereby ensuring that the resulting cloud properties provide both a good representation of the short-wave and long-wave radiative effects of the observed cloud. The advantages of the optimal estimation method are that it enables rigorous error propagation and the inclusion of all measurements and any a priori information and associated errors in a rigorous mathematical framework. The algorithm provides a measure of the consistency between retrieval representation of cloud and satellite radiances. The cloud parameters retrieved are the cloud top pressure, cloud optical depth, cloud effective radius, cloud fraction and cloud phase. The algorithm can be applied to most visible/infrared satellite instruments. In this paper, we demonstrate the applicability to the Along-Track Scanning Radiometers ATSR-2 and AATSR. Examples of applying the algorithm to ATSR-2 flight data are presented and the sensitivity of the retrievals assessed, in particular the algorithm is evaluated for a number of simulated single-layer and multi-layer conditions. The algorithm was found to perform well for single-layer cloud except when the cloud was very thin; i.e., less than 1 optical depths. For the multi-layer cloud, the algorithm was robust except when the upper ice cloud layer is less than five optical depths. In these cases the retrieved cloud top pressure and cloud effective radius become a weighted average of the 2 layers. The sum of optical depth of multi-layer cloud is retrieved well until the cloud becomes thick, greater than 50 optical depths, where the cloud begins to saturate. The cost proved a good indicator of multi-layer scenarios. Both the retrieval cost and the error need to be considered together in order to evaluate the quality of the retrieval. This algorithm in the configuration described here has been applied to both ATSR-2 and AATSR visible and infrared measurements in the context of the GRAPE (Global Retrieval and cloud Product Evaluation) project to produce a 14 yr consistent record for climate research.

A fully resolved active musculo-mechanical model for esophageal transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kou, Wenjun; Bhalla, Amneet Pal Singh; Griffith, Boyce E.; Pandolfino, John E.; Kahrilas, Peter J.; Patankar, Neelesh A.

2015-10-01

Esophageal transport is a physiological process that mechanically transports an ingested food bolus from the pharynx to the stomach via the esophagus, a multi-layered muscular tube. This process involves interactions between the bolus, the esophagus, and the neurally coordinated activation of the esophageal muscles. In this work, we use an immersed boundary (IB) approach to simulate peristaltic transport in the esophagus. The bolus is treated as a viscous fluid that is actively transported by the muscular esophagus, and the esophagus is modeled as an actively contracting, fiber-reinforced tube. Before considering the full model of the esophagus, however, we first consider a standard benchmark problem of flow past a cylinder. Next a simplified version of our model is verified by comparison to an analytic solution to the tube dilation problem. Finally, three different complex models of the multi-layered esophagus, which differ in their activation patterns and the layouts of the mucosal layers, are extensively tested. To our knowledge, these simulations are the first of their kind to incorporate the bolus, the multi-layered esophagus tube, and muscle activation into an integrated model. Consistent with experimental observations, our simulations capture the pressure peak generated by the muscle activation pulse that travels along the bolus tail. These fully resolved simulations provide new insights into roles of the mucosal layers during bolus transport. In addition, the information on pressure and the kinematics of the esophageal wall resulting from the coordination of muscle activation is provided, which may help relate clinical data from manometry and ultrasound images to the underlying esophageal motor function.

A new algebraic turbulence model for accurate description of airfoil flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Meng-Juan; She, Zhen-Su

2017-11-01

We report a new algebraic turbulence model (SED-SL) based on the SED theory, a symmetry-based approach to quantifying wall turbulence. The model specifies a multi-layer profile of a stress length (SL) function in both the streamwise and wall-normal directions, which thus define the eddy viscosity in the RANS equation (e.g. a zero-equation model). After a successful simulation of flat plate flow (APS meeting, 2016), we report here further applications of the model to the flow around airfoil, with significant improvement of the prediction accuracy of the lift (CL) and drag (CD) coefficients compared to other popular models (e.g. BL, SA, etc.). Two airfoils, namely RAE2822 airfoil and NACA0012 airfoil, are computed for over 50 cases. The results are compared to experimental data from AGARD report, which shows deviations of CL bounded within 2%, and CD within 2 counts (10-4) for RAE2822 and 6 counts for NACA0012 respectively (under a systematic adjustment of the flow conditions). In all these calculations, only one parameter (proportional to the Karmen constant) shows slight variation with Mach number. The most remarkable outcome is, for the first time, the accurate prediction of the drag coefficient. The other interesting outcome is the physical interpretation of the multi-layer parameters: they specify the corresponding multi-layer structure of turbulent boundary layer; when used together with simulation data, the SED-SL enables one to extract physical information from empirical data, and to understand the variation of the turbulent boundary layer.

LABLE: A Multi-Institutional, Student-Led, Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment

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

Klein, P.; Bonin, T. A.; Newman, J. F.

This paper presents an overview of the Lower Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (LABLE), which included two measurement campaigns conducted at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site in Oklahoma during 2012 and 2013. LABLE was conducted as a collaborative effort between the University of Oklahoma (OU), the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and the ARM program. LABLE can be considered unique in that it was designed as a multi-phase, low-cost, multi-agency collaboration. Graduate students served as principal investigators and took the lead in designing and conducting experiments aimed at examining boundary-layer processes. The mainmore » objective of LABLE was to study turbulent phenomena in the lowest 2 km of the atmosphere over heterogeneous terrain using a variety of novel atmospheric profiling techniques. Several instruments from OU and LLNL were deployed to augment the suite of in-situ and remote sensing instruments at the ARM site. The complementary nature of the deployed instruments with respect to resolution and height coverage provides a near-complete picture of the dynamic and thermodynamic structure of the atmospheric boundary layer. This paper provides an overview of the experiment including i) instruments deployed, ii) sampling strategies, iii) parameters observed, and iv) student involvement. To illustrate these components, the presented results focus on one particular aspect of LABLE, namely the study of the nocturnal boundary layer and the formation and structure of nocturnal low-level jets. During LABLE, low-level jets were frequently observed and they often interacted with mesoscale atmospheric disturbances such as frontal passages.« less

ZnO Functionalization of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes for Methane Sensing at Single Parts Per Million Concentration Levels

EPA Science Inventory

This paper presents a novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) based ZnO functionalization of surface pre-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for highly sensitive methane chemoresistive sensors. The temperature optimization of the ALD process leads to enhanced ZnO nanopart...

Montage: Improvising in the Land of Action Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Windle, Sheila; Sefton, Terry

2011-01-01

This paper and its appended multi-media production describe the rationale and process of creating and presenting a "digitally saturated" (Lankshear & Knobel, 2003), multi-layered, synchronous "montage" (Denzin & Lincoln, 2003) of educational Action Research findings. The authors contend that this type of presentation, arising from the fusion of…

Space domain analysis of micro-IDG structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izzat, Narian; Pennock, Steve R.; Rozzi, Tullio

1994-06-01

The Microstrip Loaded Inset Dielectric Waveguide has been proposed as a transmission medium alternative to microstrip, and as a useful antenna medium at X-band and millimetric frequencies. In the present analysis we consider the case where a multi-layer, multi-conductor microstrip circuit may be housed within Inset Dielectric Waveguide.

Voltage-matched, monolithic, multi-band-gap devices

DOEpatents

Wanlass, Mark W.; Mascarenhas, Angelo

2006-08-22

Monolithic, tandem, photonic cells include at least a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer, wherein each semiconductor layer includes an n-type region, a p-type region, and a given band-gap energy. Formed within each semiconductor layer is a sting of electrically connected photonic sub-cells. By carefully selecting the numbers of photonic sub-cells in the first and second layer photonic sub-cell string(s), and by carefully selecting the manner in which the sub-cells in a first and second layer photonic sub-cell string(s) are electrically connected, each of the first and second layer sub-cell strings may be made to achieve one or more substantially identical electrical characteristics.

Voltage-Matched, Monolithic, Multi-Band-Gap Devices

DOEpatents

Wanlass, M. W.; Mascarenhas, A.

2006-08-22

Monolithic, tandem, photonic cells include at least a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer, wherein each semiconductor layer includes an n-type region, a p-type region, and a given band-gap energy. Formed within each semiconductor layer is a string of electrically connected photonic sub-cells. By carefully selecting the numbers of photonic sub-cells in the first and second layer photonic sub-cell string(s), and by carefully selecting the manner in which the sub-cells in a first and second layer photonic sub-cell string(s) are electrically connected, each of the first and second layer sub-cell strings may be made to achieve one or more substantially identical electrical characteristics.

In-plane dynamic Green's functions for inclined and uniformly distributed loads in a multi-layered transversely isotropic half-space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ba, Zhenning; Kang, Zeqing; Liang, Jianwen

2018-04-01

The dynamic stiffness method combined with the Fourier transform is utilized to derive the in-plane Green's functions for inclined and uniformly distributed loads in a multi-layered transversely isotropic (TI) half-space. The loaded layer is fixed to obtain solutions restricted in it and the corresponding reactions forces, which are then applied to the total system with the opposite sign. By adding solutions restricted in the loaded layer to solutions from the reaction forces, the global solutions in the wavenumber domain are obtained, and the dynamic Green's functions in the space domain are recovered by the inverse Fourier transform. The presented formulations can be reduced to the isotropic case developed by Wolf (1985), and are further verified by comparisons with existing solutions in a uniform isotropic as well as a layered TI half-space subjected to horizontally distributed loads which are special cases of the more general problem addressed. The deduced Green's functions, in conjunction with boundary element methods, will lead to significant advances in the investigation of a variety of wave scattering, wave radiation and soil-structure interaction problems in a layered TI site. Selected numerical results are given to investigate the influence of material anisotropy, frequency of excitation, inclination angle and layered on the responses of displacement and stress, and some conclusions are drawn.

Multi-layer articles and methods of making same

DOEpatents

Fritzemeier, Leslie G.; Zhang, Wei; Palm, Walter C.; Rupich, Martin W.

2005-05-17

The invention relates to superconductor articles, and compositions and methods for making superconductor articles. The methods can include using a precursor solution having a relatively small concentration of total free acid. The articles can include more than one layer of superconductor material in which at least one layer of superconductor material can be formed by a solution process, such as a solution process involving the use of metalorganic precursors.

Variable Gap Conjugated Polymers

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

conducting gold interfacial layer interjected between the ITO glass electrode and the PEDOT/PSS hole transport layer . A family of low band gap, and near IR...which can be used as both electrochromics and as the hole transport layers in light emitting diodes. Hybrid electrochromic and electroluminescent (EC...MEH-PPV, P3HT, etc.) in order to blanket the solar spectrum. Initial device results on these multi-component blends are promising. In addition, we

NLCD tree canopy cover (TCC) maps of the contiguous United States and coastal Alaska

Treesearch

Robert Benton; Bonnie Ruefenacht; Vicky Johnson; Tanushree Biswas; Craig Baker; Mark Finco; Kevin Megown; John Coulston; Ken Winterberger; Mark Riley

2015-01-01

A tree canopy cover (TCC) map is one of three elements in the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011 suite of nationwide geospatial data layers. In 2010, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) committed to creating the TCC layer as a member of the Multi-Resolution Land Cover (MRLC) consortium. A general methodology for creating the TCC layer was reported at the 2012 FIA...

Stacked multilayers of alternating reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes for planar supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Geon Dae; Joo, Ji Bong; Yin, Yadong

2013-11-01

A simple layer-by-layer approach has been developed for constructing 2D planar supercapacitors of multi-stacked reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes. This sandwiched 2D architecture enables the full utilization of the maximum active surface area of rGO nanosheets by using a CNT layer as a porous physical spacer to enhance the permeation of a gel electrolyte inside the structure and reduce the agglomeration of rGO nanosheets along the vertical direction. As a result, the stacked multilayers of rGO and CNTs are capable of offering higher output voltage and current production.A simple layer-by-layer approach has been developed for constructing 2D planar supercapacitors of multi-stacked reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes. This sandwiched 2D architecture enables the full utilization of the maximum active surface area of rGO nanosheets by using a CNT layer as a porous physical spacer to enhance the permeation of a gel electrolyte inside the structure and reduce the agglomeration of rGO nanosheets along the vertical direction. As a result, the stacked multilayers of rGO and CNTs are capable of offering higher output voltage and current production. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, SEM and TEM images and additional electrochemical data. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr04339h

A Method to have Multi-Layer Thermal Insulation Provide Damage Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodward, Stanley E.; Taylor, Bryant D.; Jones, Thomas W.; Shams, Qamar A.; Lyons, Frankel; Henderson, Donald

2007-01-01

Design and testing of a multi-layer thermal insulation system that also provides debris and micrometeorite damage detection is presented. One layer of the insulation is designed as an array of passive open-circuit electrically conductive spiral trace sensors. The sensors are a new class of sensors that are electrically open-circuits that have no electrical connections thereby eliminating one cause of failure to circuits. The sensors are powered using external oscillating magnetic fields. Once electrically active, they produce their own harmonic magnetic fields. The responding field frequency changes if any sensor is damaged. When the sensors are used together in close proximity, the inductive coupling between sensors provides a means of telemetry. The spiral trace design using reflective electrically conductive material provides sufficient area coverage for the sensor array to serves as a layer of thermal insulation. The other insulation layers are designed to allow the sensor s magnetic field to permeate the insulation layers while having total reflective surface area to reduce thermal energy transfer. Results of characterizing individual sensors and the sensor array s response to punctures are presented. Results of hypervelocity impact testing using projectiles of 1-3.6 millimeter diameter having speeds ranging from 6.7-7.1 kilometers per second are also presented.

Investigation into the Fiber Orientation Effect on the Formability of GLARE Materials in the Stamp Forming Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shichen; Lang, Lihui; Sherkatghanad, Ehsan; Wang, Yao; Xu, Wencai

2018-04-01

Glass-reinforced aluminum laminate (GLARE) is a new class of fiber metal laminates (FMLs) which has the advantages such as high tensile strength, outstanding fatigue, impact resistance, and excellent corrosion properties. GLARE has been extensively applied in advanced aerospace and automobile industries. However, the deformation behavior of the glass fiber during forming must be studied to the benefits of the good-quality part we form. In this research, we focus on the effect of fiber layer orientation on the GLARE laminate formability in stamp forming process. Experimental and numerical analysis of stamping a hemisphere part in different fiber orientation is investigated. The results indicate that unidirectional and multi-directional fiber in the middle layer make a significant effect on the thinning and also surface forming quality of the three layer sheet. Furthermore, the stress-strain distribution of the aluminum alloy and the unique anisotropic property of the fiber layer exhibit that fiber layer orientation can also affect the forming depths as well as the fracture modes of the laminate. According to the obtained results, it is revealed that multi-directional fiber layers are a good alternative compared to the unidirectional fibers especially when a better formability is the purpose.

Improved engineering models for turbulent wall flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

She, Zhen-Su; Chen, Xi; Zou, Hong-Yue; Hussain, Fazle

2015-11-01

We propose a new approach, called structural ensemble dynamics (SED), involving new concepts to describe the mean quantities in wall-bounded flows, and its application to improving the existing engineering turbulence models, as well as its physical interpretation. First, a revised k - ω model for pipe flows is obtained, which accurately predicts, for the first time, both mean velocity and (streamwise) kinetic energy for a wide range of the Reynolds number (Re), validated by Princeton experimental data. In particular, a multiplicative factor is introduced in the dissipation term to model an anomaly in the energy cascade in a meso-layer, predicting the outer peak of agreeing with data. Secondly, a new one-equation model is obtained for compressible turbulent boundary layers (CTBL), building on a multi-layer formula of the stress length function and a generalized temperature-velocity relation. The former refines the multi-layer description - viscous sublayer, buffer layer, logarithmic layer and a newly defined bulk zone - while the latter characterizes a parabolic relation between the mean velocity and temperature. DNS data show our predictions to have a 99% accuracy for several Mach numbers Ma = 2.25, 4.5, improving, up to 10%, a previous similar one-equation model (Baldwin & Lomax, 1978). Our results promise notable improvements in engineering models.

Different characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from different layers of full term placenta

PubMed Central

Ha, Chul-Won; Kim, Jin A; Heo, Jin-Chul; Han, Woo-Jung; Oh, Soo-Young; Choi, Suk-Joo

2017-01-01

Background The placenta is a very attractive source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for regenerative medicine due to readily availability, non-invasive acquisition, and avoidance of ethical issues. Isolating MSCs from parts of placenta tissue has obtained growing interest because they are assumed to exhibit different proliferation and differentiation potentials due to complex structures and functions of the placenta. The objective of this study was to isolate MSCs from different parts of the placenta and compare their characteristics. Methods Placenta was divided into amniotic epithelium (AE), amniotic membrane (AM), chorionic membrane (CM), chorionic villi (CV), chorionic trophoblast without villi (CT-V), decidua (DC), and whole placenta (Pla). Cells isolated from each layer were subjected to analyses for their morphology, proliferation ability, surface markers, and multi-lineage differentiation potential. MSCs were isolated from all placental layers and their characteristics were compared. Findings Surface antigen phenotype, morphology, and differentiation characteristics of cells from all layers indicated that they exhibited properties of MSCs. MSCs from different placental layers had different proliferation rates and differentiation potentials. MSCs from CM, CT-V, CV, and DC had better population doubling time and multi-lineage differentiation potentials compared to those from other layers. Conclusions Our results indicate that MSCs with different characteristics can be isolated from all layers of term placenta. These finding suggest that it is necessary to appropriately select MSCs from different placental layers for successful and consistent outcomes in clinical applications. PMID:28225815

Interfacial layers evolution during annealing in Ti-Al multi-laminated composite processed using hot press and roll bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assari, A. H.; Eghbali, B.

2016-09-01

Ti-Al multi-laminated composites have great potential in high strength and low weight structures. In the present study, tri-layer Ti-Al composite was synthesized by hot press bonding under 40 MPa at 570 °C for 1 h and subsequent hot roll bonding at about 450 °C. This process was conducted in two accumulative passes to 30% and to 67% thickness reduction in initial and final passes, respectively. Then, the final annealing treatments were done at 550, 600, 650, 700 and 750 °C for 2, 4 and 6 h. Investigations on microstructural evolution and thickening of interfacial layers were performed by scanning electron microscopes, energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray diffraction and micro-hardness tests. The results showed that the thickening of diffusion layers corresponds to amount of deformation. In addition to thickening of the diffusion layers, the thickness of aluminum layers decreased and after annealing treatment at 750 °C for 6 h the aluminum layers were consumed entirely, which occurred because of the enhanced interdiffusion of Ti and Al elements. Scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer showed that the sequence of interfacial layers as Ti3Al-TiAl-TiAl2-TiAl3 which are believed to be the result of thermodynamic and kinetic of phase formation. Micro-hardness results presented the variation profile in accordance with the sequence of intermetallic phases and their different structures.

A multi-mode real-time terrain parameter estimation method for wheeled motion control of mobile robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuankai; Ding, Liang; Zheng, Zhizhong; Yang, Qizhi; Zhao, Xingang; Liu, Guangjun

2018-05-01

For motion control of wheeled planetary rovers traversing on deformable terrain, real-time terrain parameter estimation is critical in modeling the wheel-terrain interaction and compensating the effect of wheel slipping. A multi-mode real-time estimation method is proposed in this paper to achieve accurate terrain parameter estimation. The proposed method is composed of an inner layer for real-time filtering and an outer layer for online update. In the inner layer, sinkage exponent and internal frictional angle, which have higher sensitivity than that of the other terrain parameters to wheel-terrain interaction forces, are estimated in real time by using an adaptive robust extended Kalman filter (AREKF), whereas the other parameters are fixed with nominal values. The inner layer result can help synthesize the current wheel-terrain contact forces with adequate precision, but has limited prediction capability for time-variable wheel slipping. To improve estimation accuracy of the result from the inner layer, an outer layer based on recursive Gauss-Newton (RGN) algorithm is introduced to refine the result of real-time filtering according to the innovation contained in the history data. With the two-layer structure, the proposed method can work in three fundamental estimation modes: EKF, REKF and RGN, making the method applicable for flat, rough and non-uniform terrains. Simulations have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method under three terrain types, showing the advantages of introducing the two-layer structure.

Multi-Layered Feedforward Neural Networks for Image Segmentation

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

the Gram-Schmidt Network ...................... 80 xi Preface WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 1564-1616 Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward...any input-output mapping with a single hidden layer of non-linear nodes, the result may be like proving that a monkey could write Hamlet . Certainly it

Investigation of fiber tilt in paperboard

Treesearch

John M. Considine; David W. Vahey

2008-01-01

The introduction of short, tilted rods to reinforce polymer composite laminates has resulted in near doubling the strength of lap shear specimens. Paperboard is predominantly a multi-layered structure, similar to composite laminates in many ways. Improved bonding between layers should have a positive influence on mechanical performance. Tilted fibers, or z-direction...

Microchannel plate detector and methods for their fabrication

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

Elam, Jeffrey W.; Mane, Anil U.; Peng, Qing

A multi-component tunable resistive coating and methods of depositing the coating on the surfaces of a microchannel plate (MCP) detector. The resistive coating composed of a plurality of alternating layers of a metal oxide resistive component layer and a conductive component layer composed of at least one of a metal, a metal nitride and a metal sulfide. The coating may further include an emissive layer configured to produce a secondary electron emission in response to a particle interacting with the MCP and a neutron-absorbing layer configured to respond to a neutron interacting with the MCP.

Release strategies for making transferable semiconductor structures, devices and device components

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

Rogers, John A.; Nuzzo, Ralph G.; Meitl, Matthew

2016-05-24

Provided are methods for making a device or device component by providing a multi layer structure having a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of release layers and releasing the functional layers from the multilayer structure by separating one or more of the release layers to generate a plurality of transferable structures. The transferable structures are printed onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate. The methods and systems provide means for making high-quality and low-cost photovoltaic devices, transferable semiconductor structures, (opto-)electronic devices and device components.

[Comparison of participative educative strategy versus traditional educative strategy in health personnel].

PubMed

Barrera de León, Juan Carlos; Barajas-Serrano, Tanya Lizbeth; Jiménez-Hernández, Jacive Elizabeth; Barrera-López, Efrén; González-Bernal, Cesáreo; Higareda-Almaraz, Martha Alicia

2015-01-01

To compare the clinical aptitude in neonatal resuscitation with participative educative strategy versus traditional educative strategy in health personnel. Quasi-experimental study design including physicians and nurses distributed in two groups: (i) participative educative strategies n=156, and (ii) traditional n=158, were imparted in 12 sessions. Evaluation of clinical aptitude evaluated with validated questionnaire. Descriptive and interferential statistical inter- and intragroup. Clinical aptitude median score before/after: participative educative strategy 25.0/36.5 (p=0.000) and traditional 24.5/31.0 (p=0.000); differences between intergroup p=0.040. Changes to higher category according to the score before/after in participative 114 (73%) vs. traditional 65 (41%); p=0.010. There were no significant differences in the intergroup results in the category of evaluation of clinical aptitude, but there were differences in the intragroup when we evaluated median before and after with both strategies. Increase of clinical aptitude in neonatal resuscitation in health personnel,with both educative strategies being higher with participative strategy.