Sample records for n-transformation processes due

  1. Aerobic and anaerobic nitrogen transformation processes in N2-fixing cyanobacterial aggregates.

    PubMed

    Klawonn, Isabell; Bonaglia, Stefano; Brüchert, Volker; Ploug, Helle

    2015-06-01

    Colonies of N(2)-fixing cyanobacteria are key players in supplying new nitrogen to the ocean, but the biological fate of this fixed nitrogen remains poorly constrained. Here, we report on aerobic and anaerobic microbial nitrogen transformation processes that co-occur within millimetre-sized cyanobacterial aggregates (Nodularia spumigena) collected in aerated surface waters in the Baltic Sea. Microelectrode profiles showed steep oxygen gradients inside the aggregates and the potential for nitrous oxide production in the aggregates' anoxic centres. (15)N-isotope labelling experiments and nutrient analyses revealed that N(2) fixation, ammonification, nitrification, nitrate reduction to ammonium, denitrification and possibly anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) can co-occur within these consortia. Thus, N. spumigena aggregates are potential sites of nitrogen gain, recycling and loss. Rates of nitrate reduction to ammonium and N(2) were limited by low internal nitrification rates and low concentrations of nitrate in the ambient water. Presumably, patterns of N-transformation processes similar to those observed in this study arise also in other phytoplankton colonies, marine snow and fecal pellets. Anoxic microniches, as a pre-condition for anaerobic nitrogen transformations, may occur within large aggregates (⩾1 mm) even when suspended in fully oxygenated waters, whereas anoxia in small aggregates (<1 to ⩾0.1 mm) may only arise in low-oxygenated waters (⩽25 μM). We propose that the net effect of aggregates on nitrogen loss is negligible in NO(3)(-)-depleted, fully oxygenated (surface) waters. In NO(3)(-)-enriched (>1.5 μM), O(2)-depleted water layers, for example, in the chemocline of the Baltic Sea or the oceanic mesopelagic zone, aggregates may promote N-recycling and -loss processes.

  2. Aerobic and anaerobic nitrogen transformation processes in N2-fixing cyanobacterial aggregates

    PubMed Central

    Klawonn, Isabell; Bonaglia, Stefano; Brüchert, Volker; Ploug, Helle

    2015-01-01

    Colonies of N2-fixing cyanobacteria are key players in supplying new nitrogen to the ocean, but the biological fate of this fixed nitrogen remains poorly constrained. Here, we report on aerobic and anaerobic microbial nitrogen transformation processes that co-occur within millimetre-sized cyanobacterial aggregates (Nodularia spumigena) collected in aerated surface waters in the Baltic Sea. Microelectrode profiles showed steep oxygen gradients inside the aggregates and the potential for nitrous oxide production in the aggregates' anoxic centres. 15N-isotope labelling experiments and nutrient analyses revealed that N2 fixation, ammonification, nitrification, nitrate reduction to ammonium, denitrification and possibly anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) can co-occur within these consortia. Thus, N. spumigena aggregates are potential sites of nitrogen gain, recycling and loss. Rates of nitrate reduction to ammonium and N2 were limited by low internal nitrification rates and low concentrations of nitrate in the ambient water. Presumably, patterns of N-transformation processes similar to those observed in this study arise also in other phytoplankton colonies, marine snow and fecal pellets. Anoxic microniches, as a pre-condition for anaerobic nitrogen transformations, may occur within large aggregates (⩾1 mm) even when suspended in fully oxygenated waters, whereas anoxia in small aggregates (<1 to ⩾0.1 mm) may only arise in low-oxygenated waters (⩽25 μM). We propose that the net effect of aggregates on nitrogen loss is negligible in NO3−-depleted, fully oxygenated (surface) waters. In NO3−-enriched (>1.5 μM), O2-depleted water layers, for example, in the chemocline of the Baltic Sea or the oceanic mesopelagic zone, aggregates may promote N-recycling and -loss processes. PMID:25575306

  3. A fast discrete S-transform for biomedical signal processing.

    PubMed

    Brown, Robert A; Frayne, Richard

    2008-01-01

    Determining the frequency content of a signal is a basic operation in signal and image processing. The S-transform provides both the true frequency and globally referenced phase measurements characteristic of the Fourier transform and also generates local spectra, as does the wavelet transform. Due to this combination, the S-transform has been successfully demonstrated in a variety of biomedical signal and image processing tasks. However, the computational demands of the S-transform have limited its application in medicine to this point in time. This abstract introduces the fast S-transform, a more efficient discrete implementation of the classic S-transform with dramatically reduced computational requirements.

  4. Digital SAR processing using a fast polynomial transform

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Truong, T. K.; Lipes, R. G.; Butman, S. A.; Reed, I. S.; Rubin, A. L.

    1984-01-01

    A new digital processing algorithm based on the fast polynomial transform is developed for producing images from Synthetic Aperture Radar data. This algorithm enables the computation of the two dimensional cyclic correlation of the raw echo data with the impulse response of a point target, thereby reducing distortions inherent in one dimensional transforms. This SAR processing technique was evaluated on a general-purpose computer and an actual Seasat SAR image was produced. However, regular production runs will require a dedicated facility. It is expected that such a new SAR processing algorithm could provide the basis for a real-time SAR correlator implementation in the Deep Space Network. Previously announced in STAR as N82-11295

  5. Rapid update of discrete Fourier transform for real-time signal processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sherlock, Barry G.; Kakad, Yogendra P.

    2001-10-01

    In many identification and target recognition applications, the incoming signal will have properties that render it amenable to analysis or processing in the Fourier domain. In such applications, however, it is usually essential that the identification or target recognition be performed in real time. An important constraint upon real-time processing in the Fourier domain is the time taken to perform the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). Ideally, a new Fourier transform should be obtained after the arrival of every new data point. However, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm requires on the order of N log2 N operations, where N is the length of the transform, and this usually makes calculation of the transform for every new data point computationally prohibitive. In this paper, we develop an algorithm to update the existing DFT to represent the new data series that results when a new signal point is received. Updating the DFT in this way uses less computational order by a factor of log2 N. The algorithm can be modified to work in the presence of data window functions. This is a considerable advantage, because windowing is often necessary to reduce edge effects that occur because the implicit periodicity of the Fourier transform is not exhibited by the real-world signal. Versions are developed in this paper for use with the boxcar window, the split triangular, Hanning, Hamming, and Blackman windows. Generalization of these results to 2D is also presented.

  6. Fast quantum nD Fourier and radon transforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Labunets, Valeri G.; Labunets-Rundblad, Ekaterina V.; Astola, Jaakko T.

    2001-07-01

    Fast Classical and quantum algorithms are introduced for a wide class of non-separable nD discrete unitary K- transforms(DKT)KNn. They require a number of 1D DKT Kn smaller than in the Cooley-Tukey radix-p FFT-type approach. The method utilizes a decomposition of the nDK- transform into a product of original nD discrete Radon Transform and of a family parallel/independ 1DK-transforms. If the nDK-transform has a separable kernel, that again in this case our approach leads to decrease of multiplicative complexity by factor of n compared to the tow/column separable Cooley-Tukey p-radix approach.

  7. Tracing changes in soil N transformations to explain the doubling of N2O emissions under elevated CO2 in the Giessen FACE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moser, Gerald; Brenzinger, Kristof; Gorenflo, Andre; Clough, Tim; Braker, Gesche; Müller, Christoph

    2017-04-01

    To reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 & N2O) it is important to quantify main sources and identify the respective ecosystem processes. While the main sources of N2O emissions in agro-ecosystems under current conditions are well known, the influence of a projected higher level of CO2 on the main ecosystem processes responsible for N2O emissions has not been investigated in detail. A major result of the Giessen FACE in a managed temperate grassland was that a +20% CO2 level caused a positive feedback due to increased emissions of N2O to 221% related to control condition. To be able to trace the sources of additional N2O emissions a 15N tracing study was conducted. We measured the N2O emission and its 15N signature, together with the 15N signature of soil and plant samples. The results were analyzed using a 15N tracing model which quantified the main changes in N transformation rates under elevated CO2. Directly after 15N fertilizer application a much higher dynamic of N transformations was observed than in the long run. Absolute mineralisation and DNRA rates were lower under elevated CO2 in the short term but higher in the long term. During the one year study period beginning with the 15N labelling a 1.8-fold increase of N2O emissions occurred under elevated CO2. The source of increased N2O was associated with NO3- in the first weeks after 15N application. Elevated CO2 affected denitrification rates, which resulted in increased N2O emissions due to a change of gene transcription rates (nosZ/(nirK+nirS)) and resulting enzyme activity (see: Brenzinger et al.). Here we show that the reported enhanced N2O emissions for the first 8 FACE years do prevail even in the long-term (> 15 years). The effect of elevated CO2 on N2O production/emission can be explained by altered activity ratios within a stable microbial community.

  8. An ontological model of the practice transformation process.

    PubMed

    Sen, Arun; Sinha, Atish P

    2016-06-01

    Patient-centered medical home is defined as an approach for providing comprehensive primary care that facilitates partnerships between individual patients and their personal providers. The current state of the practice transformation process is ad hoc and no methodological basis exists for transforming a practice into a patient-centered medical home. Practices and hospitals somehow accomplish the transformation and send the transformation information to a certification agency, such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance, completely ignoring the development and maintenance of the processes that keep the medical home concept alive. Many recent studies point out that such a transformation is hard as it requires an ambitious whole-practice reengineering and redesign. As a result, the practices suffer change fatigue in getting the transformation done. In this paper, we focus on the complexities of the practice transformation process and present a robust ontological model for practice transformation. The objective of the model is to create an understanding of the practice transformation process in terms of key process areas and their activities. We describe how our ontology captures the knowledge of the practice transformation process, elicited from domain experts, and also discuss how, in the future, that knowledge could be diffused across stakeholders in a healthcare organization. Our research is the first effort in practice transformation process modeling. To build an ontological model for practice transformation, we adopt the Methontology approach. Based on the literature, we first identify the key process areas essential for a practice transformation process to achieve certification status. Next, we develop the practice transformation ontology by creating key activities and precedence relationships among the key process areas using process maturity concepts. At each step, we employ a panel of domain experts to verify the intermediate representations of the

  9. FINAL REPORT: Transformational electrode drying process

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

    Claus Daniel, C.; Wixom, M.

    2013-12-19

    This report includes major findings and outlook from the transformational electrode drying project performance period from January 6, 2012 to August 1, 2012. Electrode drying before cell assembly is an operational bottleneck in battery manufacturing due to long drying times and batch processing. Water taken up during shipment and other manufacturing steps needs to be removed before final battery assembly. Conventional vacuum ovens are limited in drying speed due to a temperature threshold needed to avoid damaging polymer components in the composite electrode. Roll to roll operation and alternative treatments can increase the water desorption and removal rate without overheatingmore » and damaging other components in the composite electrode, thus considerably reducing drying time and energy use. The objective of this project was the development of an electrode drying procedure, and the demonstration of processes with no decrease in battery performance. The benchmark for all drying data was an 80°C vacuum furnace treatment with a residence time of 18 – 22 hours. This report demonstrates an alternative roll to roll drying process with a 500-fold improvement in drying time down to 2 minutes and consumption of only 30% of the energy compared to vacuum furnace treatment.« less

  10. GROSS N TRANSFORMATION RATES AND MICROBIAL POPULATION DYNAMICS UNDER FIELD AND LABORATORY CONDITIONS FROM TWO DIFFERENT ECOSYSTEMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Change of soil and environmental conditions can influence microbial activities and subsequent soil nitrogen (N) transformation processes. The objective of this study was to compare gross N transformation rates between field and laboratory incubation conditions using an old-field...

  11. Influence of Biochar on C and N Transformation in Soil and Their Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chintala, R.; Schumacher, T. E.; Kumar, S.; Clay, D. E.; Malo, D. D.

    2014-12-01

    The capacity of pyrogenic biochar to mitigate soil surface exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG) is dependent on the influence of biochar on physiochemical transformations of C and N in soils. Incorporated biochar amendments are hypothesized to interfere with transformations of C and N as a result of the unique recalcitrant chemical structure and surface complexity of biochars. The nature of interference by biochar with C and N transformations are assumed to be dynamic not only due to their highly variable amphilicity inherited from feedstock source and controlled pyrolytic processing parameters but also to variation in soil factors. Experiments comprised of laboratory and field studies were designed to gain insight into the priming effect of incorporated non-native biochar materials on the transformations of C and N species in the soil. Molecular structure and surface functionality of plant based biochar materials produced from carbon optimized gasification of corn stover (Zea mays L.), Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson and C. Lawson) wood residue, and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) were studied in the laboratory using NMR and SEM-EdX. Biochar materials were found to be highly hydrophobic (low H/C values) with high aromaticity. The surface morphology of all the biochar materials was highly heterogeneous and pore size ranged from 1-22µm with the faces and edges of ordered sheets. In the field study, all the three biochar types were applied at a 1% (w/w) rate to a Maddock soil (Sandy, Mixed, Frigid Entic Hapludolls) located in an eroded upper landscape position and a Brookings soil (Fine-Silty, Mixed, Superactive, Frigid Pachic Hapludolls) located in a depositional landscape position. The crop rotation is a corn (Zea mays L.) followed by soybean (Glycine max L.). The priming effect of biochars on the transformations of C and N is determined by measuring the changes in soil C (total organic carbon, microbial biomass C, hydrolyzable C, and δ 13C) and N pools

  12. Directional dual-tree complex wavelet packet transforms for processing quadrature signals.

    PubMed

    Serbes, Gorkem; Gulcur, Halil Ozcan; Aydin, Nizamettin

    2016-03-01

    Quadrature signals containing in-phase and quadrature-phase components are used in many signal processing applications in every field of science and engineering. Specifically, Doppler ultrasound systems used to evaluate cardiovascular disorders noninvasively also result in quadrature format signals. In order to obtain directional blood flow information, the quadrature outputs have to be preprocessed using methods such as asymmetrical and symmetrical phasing filter techniques. These resultant directional signals can be employed in order to detect asymptomatic embolic signals caused by small emboli, which are indicators of a possible future stroke, in the cerebral circulation. Various transform-based methods such as Fourier and wavelet were frequently used in processing embolic signals. However, most of the times, the Fourier and discrete wavelet transforms are not appropriate for the analysis of embolic signals due to their non-stationary time-frequency behavior. Alternatively, discrete wavelet packet transform can perform an adaptive decomposition of the time-frequency axis. In this study, directional discrete wavelet packet transforms, which have the ability to map directional information while processing quadrature signals and have less computational complexity than the existing wavelet packet-based methods, are introduced. The performances of proposed methods are examined in detail by using single-frequency, synthetic narrow-band, and embolic quadrature signals.

  13. Single-machine common/slack due window assignment problems with linear decreasing processing times

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Xingong; Lin, Win-Chin; Wu, Wen-Hsiang; Wu, Chin-Chia

    2017-08-01

    This paper studies linear non-increasing processing times and the common/slack due window assignment problems on a single machine, where the actual processing time of a job is a linear non-increasing function of its starting time. The aim is to minimize the sum of the earliness cost, tardiness cost, due window location and due window size. Some optimality results are discussed for the common/slack due window assignment problems and two O(n log n) time algorithms are presented to solve the two problems. Finally, two examples are provided to illustrate the correctness of the corresponding algorithms.

  14. Subband/Transform MATLAB Functions For Processing Images

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glover, D.

    1995-01-01

    SUBTRANS software is package of routines implementing image-data-processing functions for use with MATLAB*(TM) software. Provides capability to transform image data with block transforms and to produce spatial-frequency subbands of transformed data. Functions cascaded to provide further decomposition into more subbands. Also used in image-data-compression systems. For example, transforms used to prepare data for lossy compression. Written for use in MATLAB mathematical-analysis environment.

  15. Chrestenson transform FPGA embedded factorizations.

    PubMed

    Corinthios, Michael J

    2016-01-01

    Chrestenson generalized Walsh transform factorizations for parallel processing imbedded implementations on field programmable gate arrays are presented. This general base transform, sometimes referred to as the Discrete Chrestenson transform, has received special attention in recent years. In fact, the Discrete Fourier transform and Walsh-Hadamard transform are but special cases of the Chrestenson generalized Walsh transform. Rotations of a base-p hypercube, where p is an arbitrary integer, are shown to produce dynamic contention-free memory allocation, in processor architecture. The approach is illustrated by factorizations involving the processing of matrices of the transform which are function of four variables. Parallel operations are implemented matrix multiplications. Each matrix, of dimension N × N, where N = p (n) , n integer, has a structure that depends on a variable parameter k that denotes the iteration number in the factorization process. The level of parallelism, in the form of M = p (m) processors can be chosen arbitrarily by varying m between zero to its maximum value of n - 1. The result is an equation describing the generalised parallelism factorization as a function of the four variables n, p, k and m. Applications of the approach are shown in relation to configuring field programmable gate arrays for digital signal processing applications.

  16. Energy loss due to eddy current in linear transformer driver cores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, A. A.; Mazarakis, M. G.; Manylov, V. I.; Vizir, V. A.; Stygar, W. A.

    2010-07-01

    In linear transformer drivers [Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12, 050402 (2009)PRABFM1098-440210.1103/PhysRevSTAB.12.050402; Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12, 050401 (2009)PRABFM1098-440210.1103/PhysRevSTAB.12.050401] as well as any other linear induction accelerator cavities, ferromagnetic cores are used to prevent the current from flowing along the induction cavity walls which are in parallel with the load. But if the core is made of conductive material, the applied voltage pulse generates the eddy current in the core itself which heats the core and therefore also reduces the overall linear transformer driver (LTD) efficiency. The energy loss due to generation of the eddy current in the cores depends on the specific resistivity of the core material, the design of the core, as well as on the distribution of the eddy current in the core tape during the remagnetizing process. In this paper we investigate how the eddy current is distributed in a core tape with an arbitrary shape hysteresis loop. Our model is based on the textbook knowledge related to the eddy current generation in ferromagnetics with rectangular hysteresis loop, and in usual conductors. For the reader’s convenience, we reproduce some most important details of this knowledge in our paper. The model predicts that the same core would behave differently depending on how fast the applied voltage pulse is: in the high frequency limit, the equivalent resistance of the core reduces during the pulse whereas in the low frequency limit it is constant. An important inference is that the energy loss due to the eddy current generation can be reduced by increasing the cross section of the core over the minimum value which is required to avoid its saturation. The conclusions of the model are confirmed with experimental observations presented at the end of the paper.

  17. Physical Modeling for Processing Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) Hyperspectral Data

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-09-30

    Physical Modeling for Processing Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer ( GIFTS ) Hyperspectral Data Dr. Allen H.-L. Huang...ssec.wisc.edu Award Number: N000140110850 Grant Number: 144KE70 http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/ gifts /navy/ LONG-TERM GOALS This Office of Naval...objective of this DoD research effort is to develop and demonstrate a fully functional GIFTS hyperspectral data processing system with the potential for a

  18. 5 CFR 732.301 - Due process.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Due process. 732.301 Section 732.301 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS Due Process and Reporting § 732.301 Due process. When an agency makes an...

  19. 5 CFR 732.301 - Due process.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Due process. 732.301 Section 732.301 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS Due Process and Reporting § 732.301 Due process. When an agency makes an...

  20. 5 CFR 732.301 - Due process.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Due process. 732.301 Section 732.301 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS Due Process and Reporting § 732.301 Due process. When an agency makes an...

  1. 5 CFR 732.301 - Due process.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Due process. 732.301 Section 732.301 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS Due Process and Reporting § 732.301 Due process. When an agency makes an...

  2. 5 CFR 732.301 - Due process.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Due process. 732.301 Section 732.301 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS Due Process and Reporting § 732.301 Due process. When an agency makes an...

  3. Effect of Nitrogen on Transformation Behaviors and Microstructure of V-N Microalloyed Steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Baochun; Zhao, Tan; Li, Guiyan; Lu, Qiang

    Multi-pass deformation simulation tests were performed on V-N microalloyed steels with different nitrogen addition by using a Gleeble-3800 thermo-mechanical simulator and the corresponding continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams were determined by thermal dilation method and metallographic method. The deformed austenite transformation behavior and resultant microstructure of the tested steels were studied. Furthermore, the effect of nitrogen addition on the transformation behavior and microstructure evolution was analyzed. The results show that the transformed microstructures in the three tested steels are ferrite, pearlite and bainite respectively while the transformation temperatures are not the same. For the two tested steel with higher nitrogen additions, higher ferrite start temperature and critical cooling rates are observed. Furthermore, an increase in nitrogen addition leads to increasing quantities of ferrite and the transformed ferrite is smaller in size. The hardness test results reveal that the hardness number increases with increasing nitrogen addition at low cooling rate while the value tends to be smaller due to increasing nitrogen addition at high cooling rate. Therefore, the hardness number of the steel with high nitrogen addition is not so sensitive to cooling rate as that of the steel with low nitrogen addition.

  4. Morphology and crystallographic orientation relationship in isothermally transformed Fe–N austenite

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

    Jiao, Dongling, E-mail: dljiao@scut.edu.cn; Luo, Chengping; Liu, Jiangwen

    2014-02-15

    The 225 °C isothermal transformation of a high-nitrogen austenite with Fe–2.71 wt.% N was investigated by means of electron microscopy. It was found that the transformation products were composed of ultrafine α-Fe and γ′-Fe{sub 4}N plus retained austenite γ, which were in two types of morphologies, namely, (i) with the retained austenite patches dispersed among the (α-Fe + γ′-Fe{sub 4}N) packets and (ii) with the ultrafine α-Fe and γ/γ′-Fe{sub 4}N laths interwoven with each other within a single bainitic packet. A cube–cube orientation relationship between the γ (austenite) and γ′-Fe{sub 4}N, and a near Greninger–Troiano (G–T) one between the γmore » (austenite) and the bainitic α-ferrite were detected. The morphology, orientation relationship and high hardness (> 1000 HV) of the transformation products indicated that the isothermal transformation of the high nitrogen austenite was analogous to a bainitic one. - Highlights: • Isothermal transformation products consisted of nano-sized α-Fe + γ′ + γ (retained). • The hardness of transformation product exceeded 1000 HV. • The α-Fe and γ/γ′-Fe{sub 4}N kept a near G-T OR in the grain interior.« less

  5. Requirement for the SnoN oncoprotein in transforming growth factor beta-induced oncogenic transformation of fibroblast cells.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Qingwei; Pearson-White, Sonia; Luo, Kunxin

    2005-12-01

    Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) was originally identified by virtue of its ability to induce transformation of the AKR-2B and NRK fibroblasts but was later found to be a potent inhibitor of the growth of epithelial, endothelial, and lymphoid cells. Although the growth-inhibitory pathway of TGF-beta mediated by the Smad proteins is well studied, the signaling pathway leading to the transforming activity of TGF-beta in fibroblasts is not well understood. Here we show that SnoN, a member of the Ski family of oncoproteins, is required for TGF-beta-induced proliferation and transformation of AKR-2B and NRK fibroblasts. TGF-beta induces upregulation of snoN expression in both epithelial cells and fibroblasts through a common Smad-dependent mechanism. However, a strong and prolonged activation of snoN transcription that lasts for 8 to 24 h is detected only in these two fibroblast lines. This prolonged induction is mediated by Smad2 and appears to play an important role in the transformation of both AKR-2B and NRK cells. Reduction of snoN expression by small interfering RNA or shortening of the duration of snoN induction by a pharmacological inhibitor impaired TGF-beta-induced anchorage-independent growth of AKR-2B cells. Interestingly, Smad2 and Smad3 play opposite roles in regulating snoN expression in both fibroblasts and epithelial cells. The Smad2/Smad4 complex activates snoN transcription by direct binding to the TGF-beta-responsive element in the snoN promoter, while the Smad3/Smad4 complex inhibits it through a novel Smad inhibitory site. Mutations of Smad4 that render it defective in heterodimerization with Smad3, which are found in many human cancers, convert the activity of Smad3 on the snoN promoter from inhibitory to stimulatory, resulting in increased snoN expression in cancer cells. Thus, we demonstrate a novel role of SnoN in the transforming activity of TGF-beta in fibroblasts and also uncovered a mechanism for the elevated SnoN expression in

  6. Subband/transform functions for image processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glover, Daniel

    1993-01-01

    Functions for image data processing written for use with the MATLAB(TM) software package are presented. These functions provide the capability to transform image data with block transformations (such as the Walsh Hadamard) and to produce spatial frequency subbands of the transformed data. Block transforms are equivalent to simple subband systems. The transform coefficients are reordered using a simple permutation to give subbands. The low frequency subband is a low resolution version of the original image, while the higher frequency subbands contain edge information. The transform functions can be cascaded to provide further decomposition into more subbands. If the cascade is applied to all four of the first stage subbands (in the case of a four band decomposition), then a uniform structure of sixteen bands is obtained. If the cascade is applied only to the low frequency subband, an octave structure of seven bands results. Functions for the inverse transforms are also given. These functions can be used for image data compression systems. The transforms do not in themselves produce data compression, but prepare the data for quantization and compression. Sample quantization functions for subbands are also given. A typical compression approach is to subband the image data, quantize it, then use statistical coding (e.g., run-length coding followed by Huffman coding) for compression. Contour plots of image data and subbanded data are shown.

  7. N-fold Darboux Transformation for Integrable Couplings of AKNS Equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Jing; Chen, Shou-Ting; Han, Jing-Wei; Ma, Wen-Xiu

    2018-04-01

    For the integrable couplings of Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur (ICAKNS) equations, N-fold Darboux transformation (DT) TN, which is a 4 × 4 matrix, is constructed in this paper. Each element of this matrix is expressed by a ratio of the (4N + 1)-order determinant and 4N-order determinant of eigenfunctions. By making use of these formulae, the determinant expressions of N-transformed new solutions p [N], q [N], r [N] and s [N] are generated by this N-fold DT. Furthermore, when the reduced conditions q = ‑p* and s = ‑r* are chosen, we obtain determinant representations of N-fold DT and N-transformed solutions for the integrable couplings of nonlinear Schrödinger (ICNLS) equations. Starting from the zero seed solutions, one-soliton solutions are explicitly given as an example. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 61771174, 11371326, 11371361, 11301454, and 11271168, Natural Science Fund for Colleges and Universities of Jiangsu Province of China under Grant No. 17KJB110020, and General Research Project of Department of Education of Zhejiang Province (Y201636538)

  8. Nitrogen balance and transformation in the nitrification process of coking wastewater and the influence on nitrification kinetics.

    PubMed

    Shan, Mingjun; Zhang, Yan; Kou, Lihong

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the total nitrogen balance, and the direction and degree of nitrogen transformation during the nitrification process of coking wastewater. According to the actual nitrification process, the conventional nitrification kinetic equation was amended. After 48 h of nitrification, the total nitrogen content remained almost the same with error less than 0.6%. The total removal efficiency of NH4(+)-N was 91.1%, in which blow-off, producing cells and transforming to nitrate nitrogen accounted for 1.1, 17.8 and 72.2% respectively. Considering the influences of NH4(+)-N blow-off and conversion from cyanide, thiocyanide and organic nitrogen, the nitrification kinetic equation was amended as μ'=0.82·S/(0.48+S).

  9. Foundations for Streaming Model Transformations by Complex Event Processing.

    PubMed

    Dávid, István; Ráth, István; Varró, Dániel

    2018-01-01

    Streaming model transformations represent a novel class of transformations to manipulate models whose elements are continuously produced or modified in high volume and with rapid rate of change. Executing streaming transformations requires efficient techniques to recognize activated transformation rules over a live model and a potentially infinite stream of events. In this paper, we propose foundations of streaming model transformations by innovatively integrating incremental model query, complex event processing (CEP) and reactive (event-driven) transformation techniques. Complex event processing allows to identify relevant patterns and sequences of events over an event stream. Our approach enables event streams to include model change events which are automatically and continuously populated by incremental model queries. Furthermore, a reactive rule engine carries out transformations on identified complex event patterns. We provide an integrated domain-specific language with precise semantics for capturing complex event patterns and streaming transformations together with an execution engine, all of which is now part of the Viatra reactive transformation framework. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with two case studies: one in an advanced model engineering workflow; and one in the context of on-the-fly gesture recognition.

  10. A new phase transformation path from nanodiamond to new-diamond via an intermediate carbon onion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, J.; Li, J. L.; Liu, P.; Yang, G. W.

    2014-11-01

    The investigation of carbon allotropes such as graphite, diamond, fullerenes, nanotubes and carbon onions and mechanisms that underlie their mutual phase transformation is a long-standing problem of great fundamental importance. New diamond (n-diamond) is a novel metastable phase of carbon with a face-centered cubic structure; it is called ``new diamond'' because many reflections in its electron diffraction pattern are similar to those of diamond. However, producing n-diamond from raw carbon materials has so far been challenging due to n-diamond's higher formation energy than that of diamond. Here, we, for the first time, demonstrate a new phase transformation path from nanodiamond to n-diamond via an intermediate carbon onion in the unique process of laser ablation in water, and establish that water plays a crucial role in the formation of n-diamond. When a laser irradiates colloidal suspensions of nanodiamonds at ambient pressure and room temperature, nanodiamonds are first transformed into carbon onions serving as an intermediate phase, and sequentially carbon onions are transformed into n-diamonds driven by the laser-induced high temperature and high pressure from the carbon onion as a nanoscaled temperature and pressure cell upon the process of laser irradiation in a liquid. This phase transformation not only provides new insight into the physical mechanism involved, but also offers one suitable opportunity for breaking controllable pathways between n-diamond and carbon allotropes such as diamond and carbon onions.The investigation of carbon allotropes such as graphite, diamond, fullerenes, nanotubes and carbon onions and mechanisms that underlie their mutual phase transformation is a long-standing problem of great fundamental importance. New diamond (n-diamond) is a novel metastable phase of carbon with a face-centered cubic structure; it is called ``new diamond'' because many reflections in its electron diffraction pattern are similar to those of diamond

  11. Candidacy as a Transformational Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Butler, Marylou; Waterman, Robert D.

    This paper analyzes the accreditation candidacy of New Mexico's Southwestern College (SC) and sees it as a transformational process for the institution. SC is a private, non-profit, special-purpose, graduate level institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico which offers masters programs in counseling and art therapy. The school achieved candidacy for…

  12. Nitrogen Chemistry and Coke Transformation of FCC Coked Catalyst during the Regeneration Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Junjun; Guan, Jianyu; Guo, Dawei; Zhang, Jiushun; France, Liam John; Wang, Lefu; Li, Xuehui

    2016-06-01

    Regeneration of the coked catalyst is an important process of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) in petroleum refining, however, this process will emit environmentally harmful gases such as nitrogen and carbon oxides. Transformation of N and C containing compounds in industrial FCC coke under thermal decomposition was investigated via TPD and TPO to examine the evolved gaseous species and TGA, NMR and XPS to analyse the residual coke fraction. Two distinct regions of gas evolution are observed during TPD for the first time, and they arise from decomposition of aliphatic carbons and aromatic carbons. Three types of N species, pyrrolic N, pyridinic N and quaternary N are identified in the FCC coke, the former one is unstable and tends to be decomposed into pyridinic and quaternary N. Mechanisms of NO, CO and CO2 evolution during TPD are proposed and lattice oxygen is suggested to be an important oxygen resource. Regeneration process indicates that coke-C tends to preferentially oxidise compared with coke-N. Hence, new technology for promoting nitrogen-containing compounds conversion will benefit the in-situ reduction of NO by CO during FCC regeneration.

  13. Nitrogen Chemistry and Coke Transformation of FCC Coked Catalyst during the Regeneration Process

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Junjun; Guan, Jianyu; Guo, Dawei; Zhang, Jiushun; France, Liam John; Wang, Lefu; Li, Xuehui

    2016-01-01

    Regeneration of the coked catalyst is an important process of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) in petroleum refining, however, this process will emit environmentally harmful gases such as nitrogen and carbon oxides. Transformation of N and C containing compounds in industrial FCC coke under thermal decomposition was investigated via TPD and TPO to examine the evolved gaseous species and TGA, NMR and XPS to analyse the residual coke fraction. Two distinct regions of gas evolution are observed during TPD for the first time, and they arise from decomposition of aliphatic carbons and aromatic carbons. Three types of N species, pyrrolic N, pyridinic N and quaternary N are identified in the FCC coke, the former one is unstable and tends to be decomposed into pyridinic and quaternary N. Mechanisms of NO, CO and CO2 evolution during TPD are proposed and lattice oxygen is suggested to be an important oxygen resource. Regeneration process indicates that coke-C tends to preferentially oxidise compared with coke-N. Hence, new technology for promoting nitrogen-containing compounds conversion will benefit the in-situ reduction of NO by CO during FCC regeneration. PMID:27270486

  14. Kinetics of transformation of deformation processed gold-matrix composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wongpreedee, Kageeporn

    Gold matrix Ḏeformation-processed M&barbelow;etal M&barbelow;etal C&barbelow;omposites (DMMC) have been developed that have better strength and conductivity than conventional gold alloys. However, DMMC possess metastable two-phase microstructures, and their strength and conductivity decrease after prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures. The kinetics of the transformation from the metastable two-phase microstructure to the equilibrium single-phase solid solution is of interest. This document describes a study of the elevated temperature stability of Au DMMC's and the relationship between microstructure and resistivity of three compositions: Au-7 vol %Ag, Au-14 vol %Ag, and Au-vol 7%Pt. DMMC samples were prepared by a powder metallurgy technique and mechanical processes. The smallest final diameter of these wires was 120 mum. Avrami and Arrhenius relations were used to evaluate the kinetic transformation. The extensive deformation used to produce these composites reshaped the initially equi-axed powder particles into a nanofilamentary composite. Electrical resistivity measurements were used to determine the degree of transformation from the initial metastable nano-filamentary composite to the equilibrium solid solution condition. These measurements indicated that this transformation in Au-14 at%Ag, Au-7 at %Ag Au and Au-7 at %Pt DMMC wires proceeded with activation energies of 141, 156, and 167 kJ/mol, respectively. It is thought that these empirically determined activation energies differ from those determined in single crystal, planar interface Au-Ag and Au-Pt diffusion couples due to chemical potential, surface curvature, and strain effects. The DMMC systems reach the equilibrium solid solution condition faster than single crystal, planar interface systems for two reasons: (1) far more defects (dislocations, grain boundaries, vacancies from non-conservative dislocation motion, etc.) are present in the Au-Ag and Au-Pt DMMC composites, and (2) the small

  15. Soil N transformations and its controlling factors in temperate grasslands in China: A study from 15N tracing experiment to literature synthesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jing; Wang, Liang; Feng, Xiaojuan; Hu, Huifeng; Cai, Zucong; Müller, Christoph; Zhang, Jinbo

    2016-12-01

    Temperate grasslands in arid and semiarid regions cover about 40% of the total land area in China. So far, only a few studies have studied the N transformations in these important ecosystems. In the present study, soil gross N transformation rates in Inner Mongolia temperate grasslands in China were determined using a 15N tracing experiment and combined with a literature synthesis to identify the soil N transformation characteristics and their controlling factors in a global perspective. Our results showed that the rates of gross N mineralization and immobilization NH4+ were significantly lower, while autotrophic nitrification rates were significantly higher in Chinese temperate grassland soils compared to other regions in the world. In particular, the primary mineral N consumption processes, i.e., immobilization of NO3- and NH4+, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, were on average much lower in temperate grassland soils in China, compared to other temperate grassland regions. The reduced heterotrophic activity and microbial growth associated with lower soil organic carbon and arid climate (e.g., mean annual precipitation) were identified as the main factors regulating soil N cycling in the studied regions in China. To restrict NO3- accumulation and associated high risks of N losses in these arid and semiarid ecosystems in China, it is important to develop the regimes of soil organic C and water management that promote the retention of N in these grassland ecosystems.

  16. Constitutional Due Process and Educational Administration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uerling, Donald F.

    1985-01-01

    Discusses substantive and procedural due process as required by the United States Constitution and interpreted by the Supreme Court, with particular reference to situations arising in educational environments. Covers interests protected by due process requirements, the procedures required, and some special considerations that may apply. (PGD)

  17. Modeling biochemical transformation processes and information processing with Narrator.

    PubMed

    Mandel, Johannes J; Fuss, Hendrik; Palfreyman, Niall M; Dubitzky, Werner

    2007-03-27

    Software tools that model and simulate the dynamics of biological processes and systems are becoming increasingly important. Some of these tools offer sophisticated graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which greatly enhance their acceptance by users. Such GUIs are based on symbolic or graphical notations used to describe, interact and communicate the developed models. Typically, these graphical notations are geared towards conventional biochemical pathway diagrams. They permit the user to represent the transport and transformation of chemical species and to define inhibitory and stimulatory dependencies. A critical weakness of existing tools is their lack of supporting an integrative representation of transport, transformation as well as biological information processing. Narrator is a software tool facilitating the development and simulation of biological systems as Co-dependence models. The Co-dependence Methodology complements the representation of species transport and transformation together with an explicit mechanism to express biological information processing. Thus, Co-dependence models explicitly capture, for instance, signal processing structures and the influence of exogenous factors or events affecting certain parts of a biological system or process. This combined set of features provides the system biologist with a powerful tool to describe and explore the dynamics of life phenomena. Narrator's GUI is based on an expressive graphical notation which forms an integral part of the Co-dependence Methodology. Behind the user-friendly GUI, Narrator hides a flexible feature which makes it relatively easy to map models defined via the graphical notation to mathematical formalisms and languages such as ordinary differential equations, the Systems Biology Markup Language or Gillespie's direct method. This powerful feature facilitates reuse, interoperability and conceptual model development. Narrator is a flexible and intuitive systems biology tool. It is

  18. Modeling biochemical transformation processes and information processing with Narrator

    PubMed Central

    Mandel, Johannes J; Fuß, Hendrik; Palfreyman, Niall M; Dubitzky, Werner

    2007-01-01

    Background Software tools that model and simulate the dynamics of biological processes and systems are becoming increasingly important. Some of these tools offer sophisticated graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which greatly enhance their acceptance by users. Such GUIs are based on symbolic or graphical notations used to describe, interact and communicate the developed models. Typically, these graphical notations are geared towards conventional biochemical pathway diagrams. They permit the user to represent the transport and transformation of chemical species and to define inhibitory and stimulatory dependencies. A critical weakness of existing tools is their lack of supporting an integrative representation of transport, transformation as well as biological information processing. Results Narrator is a software tool facilitating the development and simulation of biological systems as Co-dependence models. The Co-dependence Methodology complements the representation of species transport and transformation together with an explicit mechanism to express biological information processing. Thus, Co-dependence models explicitly capture, for instance, signal processing structures and the influence of exogenous factors or events affecting certain parts of a biological system or process. This combined set of features provides the system biologist with a powerful tool to describe and explore the dynamics of life phenomena. Narrator's GUI is based on an expressive graphical notation which forms an integral part of the Co-dependence Methodology. Behind the user-friendly GUI, Narrator hides a flexible feature which makes it relatively easy to map models defined via the graphical notation to mathematical formalisms and languages such as ordinary differential equations, the Systems Biology Markup Language or Gillespie's direct method. This powerful feature facilitates reuse, interoperability and conceptual model development. Conclusion Narrator is a flexible and intuitive systems

  19. Digital SAR processing using a fast polynomial transform

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butman, S.; Lipes, R.; Rubin, A.; Truong, T. K.

    1981-01-01

    A new digital processing algorithm based on the fast polynomial transform is developed for producing images from Synthetic Aperture Radar data. This algorithm enables the computation of the two dimensional cyclic correlation of the raw echo data with the impulse response of a point target, thereby reducing distortions inherent in one dimensional transforms. This SAR processing technique was evaluated on a general-purpose computer and an actual Seasat SAR image was produced. However, regular production runs will require a dedicated facility. It is expected that such a new SAR processing algorithm could provide the basis for a real-time SAR correlator implementation in the Deep Space Network.

  20. Transform Decoding of Reed-Solomon Codes. Volume I. Algorithm and Signal Processing Structure

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-11-01

    systematic channel co.’e. 1. lake the inverse transform of the r- ceived se, - nee. 2. Isolate the error syndrome from the inverse transform and use... inverse transform is identic l with interpolation of the polynomial a(z) from its n values. In order to generate a Reed-Solomon (n,k) cooce, we let the set...in accordance with the transform of equation (4). If we were to apply the inverse transform of equa- tion (6) to the coefficient sequence of A(z), we

  1. n-SIFT: n-dimensional scale invariant feature transform.

    PubMed

    Cheung, Warren; Hamarneh, Ghassan

    2009-09-01

    We propose the n-dimensional scale invariant feature transform (n-SIFT) method for extracting and matching salient features from scalar images of arbitrary dimensionality, and compare this method's performance to other related features. The proposed features extend the concepts used for 2-D scalar images in the computer vision SIFT technique for extracting and matching distinctive scale invariant features. We apply the features to images of arbitrary dimensionality through the use of hyperspherical coordinates for gradients and multidimensional histograms to create the feature vectors. We analyze the performance of a fully automated multimodal medical image matching technique based on these features, and successfully apply the technique to determine accurate feature point correspondence between pairs of 3-D MRI images and dynamic 3D + time CT data.

  2. Justice and Due Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKinney-Browning, Mabel C.

    1981-01-01

    Presents a directory of educational materials in the areas of justice and due process. Materials are listed in three categories--films, books, and project-created materials. For each entry, information is presented on title, author, publisher or developer, publication date, price, and annotation. (DB)

  3. Phase transformations in steels: Processing, microstructure, and performance

    DOE PAGES

    Gibbs, Paul J.

    2014-04-03

    In this study, contemporary steel research is revealing new processing avenues to tailor microstructure and properties that, until recently, were only imaginable. Much of the technological versatility facilitating this development is provided by the understanding and utilization of the complex phase transformation sequences available in ferrous alloys. Today we have the opportunity to explore the diverse phenomena displayed by steels with specialized analytical and experimental tools. Advances in multi-scale characterization techniques provide a fresh perspective into microstructural relationships at the macro- and micro-scale, enabling a fundamental understanding of the role of phase transformations during processing and subsequent deformation.

  4. 34 CFR 300.511 - Impartial due process hearing.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Impartial due process hearing. 300.511 Section 300.511... Impartial due process hearing. (a) General. Whenever a due process complaint is received under § 300.507 or... process hearing, consistent with the procedures in §§ 300.507, 300.508, and 300.510. (b) Agency...

  5. Due Process in the Accreditation Context: A Reply.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pelesh, Mark L.

    1995-01-01

    A previous analysis (Prairie and Chamberlain, 1994) of college and university due process rights when accreditation is threatened, which argues that accrediting agencies are quasigovernmental bodies and should be subject to constitutional due process constraints, is criticized. Recent trends in litigation concerning due process, recent…

  6. Rhizomucor miehei triglyceride lipase is processed and secreted from transformed Aspergillus oryzae.

    PubMed

    Huge-Jensen, B; Andreasen, F; Christensen, T; Christensen, M; Thim, L; Boel, E

    1989-09-01

    The cDNA encoding the precursor of the Rhizomucor miehei triglyceride lipase was inserted in an Aspergillus oryzae expression vector. In this vector the expression of the lipase cDNA is under control of the Aspergillus oryzae alpha-amylase gene promoter and the Aspergillus niger glucoamylase gene terminator. The recombinant plasmid was introduced into Aspergillus oryzae, and transformed colonies were selected and screened for lipase expression. Lipase-positive transformants were grown in a small fermentor, and recombinant triglyceride lipase was purified from the culture broth. The purified enzymatically active recombinant lipase (rRML) secreted from A. oryzae was shown to have the same characteristics with respect to mobility on reducing SDS-gels and amino acid composition as the native enzyme. N-terminal amino acid sequencing indicated that approximately 70% of the secreted rRML had the same N-terminal sequence as the native Rhizomucor miehei enzyme, whereas 30% of the secreted rRML was one amino acid residue shorter in the N-terminal. The recombinant lipase precursor, which has a 70 amino acid propeptide, is thus processed in and secreted from Aspergillus oryzae. We have hereby demonstrated the utility of this organism as a host for the production of recombinant triglyceride lipases.

  7. Martensitic transformations, structure, and strengthness of processed high-nitrogen and high-carbon ferrous alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaputkina, L. M.; Prokoshkina, V. G.

    2003-10-01

    Structures and properties of metastable austenitic alloys Fe-18Cr-16Ni-I2Mn-(0.17 to 0. 50)N, Fe-18Cr-12Mn-(0.48 to 1.12)N, Fe-18Cr-(0.1 to 1.18)N, and Fe-(12 to 20)Ni-(0.6 to 1.3)C, Fe-(6 to 8)Mn-(0.6 to 1.0)C, Fe-(5 to 6)Cr-(4 to 5)Mn-(0.6 to 0.8)C, Fe-6Cr-(1.0 to 1.3)C resulting from martensitic transformations under cooling and cold deformation (CD), as well as following tempering processes, were studied by magnetometry, X-ray and electron microscopy analyses, hardness measurements and mechanical properties tests. Martensite with a b.c.t. lattice was formed in all alloys with M_s{>}-196^circC during cooling. Under CD transformations of γ{to}α, γ{to}\\varepsilon{to}α, or γ{to}\\varepsilon types were realized depending on the alloy composition. Carbon increased but nitrogen decreased stacking fault energy. Thus carbon assists α-martensite formation but nitrogen promotese. As CD level and/or concentration of carbon and nitrogen increase residual stresses resulting from the CD also increase. The martensitic transformation during CD can decrease the residual stresses. Kinetic of tempering of b.c.t. thermal martensite differs from those of CD-induced martensite. In the second case, deformation aging, texture, and residual stresses are more visible. The maximal strengthening under CD takes place in (Mn+N)-steels. (Cr+N) and (Cr+Mn+N)-steels are high-strength, non-magnetic and corrosion resistant and are easily hardened by a low level of plastic deformation.

  8. Comparative performance evaluation of transform coding in image pre-processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Menon, Vignesh V.; NB, Harikrishnan; Narayanan, Gayathri; CK, Niveditha

    2017-07-01

    We are in the midst of a communication transmute which drives the development as largely as dissemination of pioneering communication systems with ever-increasing fidelity and resolution. Distinguishable researches have been appreciative in image processing techniques crazed by a growing thirst for faster and easier encoding, storage and transmission of visual information. In this paper, the researchers intend to throw light on many techniques which could be worn at the transmitter-end in order to ease the transmission and reconstruction of the images. The researchers investigate the performance of different image transform coding schemes used in pre-processing, their comparison, and effectiveness, the necessary and sufficient conditions, properties and complexity in implementation. Whimsical by prior advancements in image processing techniques, the researchers compare various contemporary image pre-processing frameworks- Compressed Sensing, Singular Value Decomposition, Integer Wavelet Transform on performance. The paper exposes the potential of Integer Wavelet transform to be an efficient pre-processing scheme.

  9. [Effect of humic acids on migration and transformation of NH4(+) -N in saturated aquifer].

    PubMed

    Meng, Qing-Jun; Zhang, Yan; Feng, Qi-Yan; Zhang, Shuang-Sheng

    2011-11-01

    Isothermal adsorption experiment was used to study the adsorbing process of NH4(+) -N in quartz sands under the conditions with and without humic acid; the Langmuir and Freundlich equations were used to fit the absorption result and the maximum adsorption capacity of NH4(+) -N by quarts sands was calculated. Through the soil column experiments, the concentration of NH4(+) -N, NO3(-) -N and NO2(-) -N in effluent water in the tested soil column was investigated, and the effect of humic acid on migration and transformation of NH4(+) -N in saturated aquifer was analyzed, and Pseudo-second-order Kinetics Equation and Two-step Adsorption Kinetics Rate Equation were applied to fit the kinetic processes. The results showed that both Langmuir and Freundlich models can well describe the isothermal adsorption process of NH4(+) -N on the surface of quartz sands, which means that NH4(+) -N adsorbed by the quartz sand was mainly in the form of monolayer adsorption. The humic acid could increase the adsorption capacity of NH4(+) -N on quartz sand, and the saturated adsorption capacity was 0.354 mg x g(-1) under the condition with humic acid and 0.205 mg x g(-1) with the absence of humic acid. The experiment indicated that humic acid increased the adsorption capacity of NH4(+) -N on the surface of quartz sand by increasing adsorption space in the initial stage. After saturation, humic acid influenced the migration and transformation of NH4(+) -N to NO3(-) -N and NO2(-) -N probably through providing carbon source and energy for microorganisms such as nitrifying bacteria and then resulting in lower NH4(+) -N concentration in effluent water. Both Pseudo-second-order Kinetics Equation and Two-step Adsorption Kinetics Rate Equations can well describe the process of NH4(+) -N adsorption kinetics on quartz sand (R2 = 0.997 7 and R2 = 0.998 1 with humic acid; R2 = 0.992 3 and R2 = 0.994 4 without humic acid), indicating that this process was chemical adsorption. By comparing the

  10. Transformation of diclofenac in hybrid biofilm-activated sludge processes.

    PubMed

    Jewell, Kevin S; Falås, Per; Wick, Arne; Joss, Adriano; Ternes, Thomas A

    2016-11-15

    The biotransformation of diclofenac during wastewater treatment was investigated. Attached growth biomass from a carrier-filled compartment of a hybrid-MBBR at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland was used to test the biotransformation. Laboratory-scale incubation experiments were performed with diclofenac and carriers and high-resolution LC-QTof-MS was implemented to monitor the biotransformation. Up to 20 diclofenac transformation products (TPs) were detected. Tentative structures were proposed for 16 of the TPs after characterization by MS 2 fragmentation and/or inferring the structure from the transformation pathway and the molecular formula given by the high resolution ionic mass. The remaining four TPs were unambiguously identified via analytical reference standards. The postulated reactions forming the TPs were: hydroxylation, decarboxylation, oxidation, amide formation, ring-opening and reductive dechlorination. Incubation experiments of individual TPs, those which were available as reference standards, provided a deeper look into the transformation pathways. It was found that the transformation consists of four main pathways but no pathway accounted for a clear majority of the transformation. A 10-day monitoring campaign of the full-scale plant confirmed an 88% removal of diclofenac (from approximately 1.6 μg/L in WWTP influent) and the formation of TPs as found in the laboratory was observed. One of the TPs, N-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-2-indolinone detected at concentrations of around 0.25 μg/L in WWTP effluent, accounting for 16% of the influent diclofenac concentration. The biotransformation of carriers was compared to a second WWTP not utilising carriers. It was found that in contact with activated sludge, similar hydroxylation and decarboxylation reactions occurred but at much slower rates, whereas some reactions, e.g. reductive dechlorination, were not detected at all. Finally, incubation experiments were performed with

  11. A hardware implementation of the discrete Pascal transform for image processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goodman, Thomas J.; Aburdene, Maurice F.

    2006-02-01

    The discrete Pascal transform is a polynomial transform with applications in pattern recognition, digital filtering, and digital image processing. It already has been shown that the Pascal transform matrix can be decomposed into a product of binary matrices. Such a factorization leads to a fast and efficient hardware implementation without the use of multipliers, which consume large amounts of hardware. We recently developed a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation to compute the Pascal transform. Our goal was to demonstrate the computational efficiency of the transform while keeping hardware requirements at a minimum. Images are uploaded into memory from a remote computer prior to processing, and the transform coefficients can be offloaded from the FPGA board for analysis. Design techniques like as-soon-as-possible scheduling and adder sharing allowed us to develop a fast and efficient system. An eight-point, one-dimensional transform completes in 13 clock cycles and requires only four adders. An 8x8 two-dimensional transform completes in 240 cycles and requires only a top-level controller in addition to the one-dimensional transform hardware. Finally, through minor modifications to the controller, the transform operations can be pipelined to achieve 100% utilization of the four adders, allowing one eight-point transform to complete every seven clock cycles.

  12. Outpatient commitment and procedural due process.

    PubMed

    Player, Candice Teri-Lowe

    2015-01-01

    A large empirical literature on Kendra's Law has assessed the impact of court ordered outpatient treatment on outcomes such as treatment adherence, psychiatric hospitalization, quality of life, and treatment costs. Missing from the empirical literature, however, is a better understanding of procedural due process under Kendra's Law. Procedural due process concerns the safeguards that must be in place when governments deprive persons of their liberties, for example--notice, the right to a hearing and the right to appeal. This article reports the findings from a qualitative study of procedural due process and assisted outpatient treatment hearings under Kendra's Law. Attorneys reported significant barriers to effective advocacy on behalf of their clients. Further, despite the shift from a medical model of civil commitment to a judicial model in the 1970s, by and large judges continue to accord great deference to clinical testimony. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. Procedural Due Process Rights in Student Discipline.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pressman, Robert; Weinstein, Susan

    To assist administrators in understanding procedural due process rights in student discipline, this manual draws together hundreds of citations and case summaries of federal and state court decisions and provides detailed commentary as well. Chapter 1 outlines the general principles of procedural due process rights in student discipline, such as…

  14. Geophysical aspects of underground fluid dynamics and mineral transformation process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khramchenkov, Maxim; Khramchenkov, Eduard

    2014-05-01

    The description of processes of mass exchange between fluid and poly-minerals material in porous media from various kinds of rocks (primarily, sedimentary rocks) have been examined. It was shown that in some important cases there is a storage equation of non-linear diffusion equation type. In addition, process of filtration in un-swelling soils, swelling porous rocks and coupled process of consolidation and chemical interaction between fluid and particles material were considered. In the latter case equations of physical-chemical mechanics of conservation of mass for fluid and particles material were used. As it is well known, the mechanics of porous media is theoretical basis of such branches of science as rock mechanics, soil physics and so on. But at the same moment some complex processes in the geosystems lacks full theoretical description. The example of such processes is metamorphosis of rocks and correspondent variations of stress-strain state. In such processes chemical transformation of solid and fluid components, heat release and absorption, phase transitions, rock destruction occurs. Extensive usage of computational resources in limits of traditional models of the mechanics of porous media cannot guarantee full correctness of obtained models and results. The process of rocks consolidation which happens due to filtration of underground fluids is described from the position of rock mechanics. As an additional impact, let us consider the porous media consolidating under the weight of overlying rock with coupled complex geological processes, as a continuous porous medium of variable mass. Problems of obtaining of correct storage equations for coupled processes of consolidation and mass exchange between underground fluid and skeleton material are often met in catagenesi processes description. The example of such processes is metamorphosis of rocks and correspondent variations of stress-strain state. In such processes chemical transformation of solid and fluid

  15. Growth and stress-induced transformation of zinc blende AlN layers in Al-AlN-TiN multilayers

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Nan; Yadav, Satyesh K.; Wang, Jian; ...

    2015-12-18

    We report that AlN nanolayers in sputter deposited {111}Al/AlN/TiN multilayers exhibit the metastable zinc-blende-structure (z-AlN). Based on density function theory calculations, the growth of the z-AlN is ascribed to the kinetically and energetically favored nitridation of the deposited aluminium layer. In situ nanoindentation of the as-deposited {111}Al/AlN/TiN multilayers in a high-resolution transmission electron microscope revealed the z-AlN to wurzite AlN phase transformation through collective glide of Shockley partial dislocations on every two {111} planes of the z-AlN.

  16. Synergism of herpes simplex virus and tobacco-specific N'-nitrosamines in cell transformation

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

    Park, N.H.; Dokko, H.; Li, S.L.

    1991-03-01

    Previous studies indicate that herpes simplex virus (HSV) enhances the carcinogenic activity of smokeless tobacco and tobacco-related chemical carcinogens in animals. Since tobacco-specific N'-nitrosamines (TSNAs) such as N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(N-methyl-N'-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) are major chemical carcinogens of smokeless tobacco and are known to be responsible for the development of oral cancers in smokeless tobacco users, the combined effects of TSNAs and HSV in cell transformation were investigated. Exposure of cells to NNN or NNK followed by virus infection resulted in a significant enhancement of transformation frequency when compared with that observed with chemical carcinogens or virus alone. This study suggestsmore » that TSNAs and HSV can interact together and show synergism in cell transformation.« less

  17. General n-dimensional quadrature transform and its application to interferogram demodulation.

    PubMed

    Servin, Manuel; Quiroga, Juan Antonio; Marroquin, Jose Luis

    2003-05-01

    Quadrature operators are useful for obtaining the modulating phase phi in interferometry and temporal signals in electrical communications. In carrier-frequency interferometry and electrical communications, one uses the Hilbert transform to obtain the quadrature of the signal. In these cases the Hilbert transform gives the desired quadrature because the modulating phase is monotonically increasing. We propose an n-dimensional quadrature operator that transforms cos(phi) into -sin(phi) regardless of the frequency spectrum of the signal. With the quadrature of the phase-modulated signal, one can easily calculate the value of phi over all the domain of interest. Our quadrature operator is composed of two n-dimensional vector fields: One is related to the gradient of the image normalized with respect to local frequency magnitude, and the other is related to the sign of the local frequency of the signal. The inner product of these two vector fields gives us the desired quadrature signal. This quadrature operator is derived in the image space by use of differential vector calculus and in the frequency domain by use of a n-dimensional generalization of the Hilbert transform. A robust numerical algorithm is given to find the modulating phase of two-dimensional single-image closed-fringe interferograms by use of the ideas put forward.

  18. Speech-evoked brainstem frequency-following responses during verbal transformations due to word repetition.

    PubMed

    Galbraith, G C; Jhaveri, S P; Kuo, J

    1997-01-01

    Speech-evoked brainstem frequency-following responses (FFRs) were recorded to repeated presentations of the same stimulus word. Word repetition results in illusory verbal transformations (VTs) in which word perceptions can differ markedly from the actual stimulus. Previous behavioral studies support an explanation of VTs based on changes in arousal or attention. Horizontal and vertical dipole FFRs were recorded to assess responses with putative origins in the auditory nerve and central brainstem, respectively. FFRs were recorded from 18 subjects when they correctly heard the stimulus and when they reported VTs. Although horizontal and vertical dipole FFRs showed different frequency response patterns, dipoles did not differentiate between perceptual conditions. However, when subjects were divided into low- and high-VT groups (based on percentage of VT trials), a significant Condition x Group interaction resulted. This interaction showed the largest difference in FFR amplitudes during VT trials, with the low-VT group showing increased amplitudes, and the high-VT group showing decreased amplitudes, relative to trials in which the stimulus was correctly perceived. These results demonstrate measurable subject differences in the early processing of complex signals, due to possible effects of attention on the brainstem FFR. The present research shows that the FFR is useful in understanding human language as it is coded and processed in the brainstem auditory pathway.

  19. Transformative processes in marriage: An analysis of emerging trends

    PubMed Central

    Fincham, Frank D.; Stanley, Scott M.; Beach, Steven R.H.

    2009-01-01

    The study of conflict has dominated psychological research on marriage. This article documents its move from center stage, outlining how a broader canvas accommodates a richer picture of marriage. A brief sampling of new constructs such as forgiveness and sacrifice points to an organizing theme of transformative processes in emerging marital research. The implications of marital transformations are explored including spontaneous remission of distress, nonlinear dynamic systems that may produce unexpected and discontinuous change, possible nonarbitrary definitions of marital discord, and the potential for developing other constructs related to self-transformation in marital research. PMID:19890466

  20. The Transformation Process in Nurses Caring for Dying Patients.

    PubMed

    Huang, Ching-Chi; Chen, Jih-Yuan; Chiang, Hsien-Hsien

    2016-06-01

    Despite the recent increase in attention to end-of-life hospice care, little empirical evidence regarding the process of emotional or mental transformation in caregivers is available. This study explores the transformative process that occurs in nurses because of the spiritual suffering and conflict associated with after caring for dying patients. A phenomenological approach was used to investigate eight nurses (27-40 years old) working in the hospice ward of a medical center in Taipei. Data were collected through open-ended questions using semistructured interviews and were analyzed reflectively. A three-stage transformation in the emotional processes of participants was observed. In the first stage, the participants experienced acute emotional suffering because of facing the death of their patients, potentially exacerbated by their own memories of losing family members. In the second stage, the participants adopted coping strategies to improve self-care. These strategies included attempting to soothe patients, helping patients face or deal with unfulfilled business, and participating in funeral or memorial services. In the third stage, the participants learned to provide better care through emancipatory reflection and a reassertion of responsibilities toward the self, patients, and patient families. After the third stage, the initial emotional impact morphed into a medium for self-strengthening, and participants became more adept at detecting patient needs and at providing care to complete the transformational process fully. Emotional suffering was the primary factor that induced participants to transform their personal and professional selves. Adequate emotional self-management, dialogue with other nurses, and personal reflection are crucial actions that nurses may use to cultivate personal growth, implement ethical practice, interact with other nurses, and engage in personal reflection. Strategies such as caring for patients, implementing reflective nursing

  1. Methods for performing fast discrete curvelet transforms of data

    DOEpatents

    Candes, Emmanuel; Donoho, David; Demanet, Laurent

    2010-11-23

    Fast digital implementations of the second generation curvelet transform for use in data processing are disclosed. One such digital transformation is based on unequally-spaced fast Fourier transforms (USFFT) while another is based on the wrapping of specially selected Fourier samples. Both digital transformations return a table of digital curvelet coefficients indexed by a scale parameter, an orientation parameter, and a spatial location parameter. Both implementations are fast in the sense that they run in about O(n.sup.2 log n) flops for n by n Cartesian arrays or about O(N log N) flops for Cartesian arrays of size N=n.sup.3; in addition, they are also invertible, with rapid inversion algorithms of about the same complexity.

  2. Nitrogen transformation and nitrous oxide emissions affected by biochar amendment and fertilizer stabilizers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Biochar as a soil amendment and the use of fertilizer stabilizers (N transformation inhibitors) have been shown to reduce N2O emissions, but the mechanisms or processes involved are not well understood. The objective of this research was to investigate N transformation processes and the relationship...

  3. Proposal to support the 4th international conference on nitrification and related processes (ICoN4)

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

    Klotz, Martin Gunter

    The 4th International Conference on Nitrification and Related Processes (ICoN4) commencing between June 27 and July 1, 2015, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada brings together an international collection of academic, government, and private sector researchers of the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle to share their scientific discoveries, innovations and pertinent societal impacts. The classical understanding of “nitrification” describes the two-step transformation of ammonium to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate; however, we now know from the analysis genome sequences, the application of ‘omics technologies, microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, and microbial physiology that the transformation of ammonium is not performedmore » by a few particular groups of microorganisms nor is it confined to oxic environments. Past ICoN meetings have explored the interconnections between ammonium- and nitrite-consuming processes in all ecosystems, the emission of greenhouse gases by these processes and their control, and the intersection between intermediates of the nitrification process and other elemental cycles; this has generated tremendous progress in our understanding of the global nitrogen cycle and it has generated excitement in the next generation of N cycle researchers. Nitrification research has a long-standing connection to the Community Science Program of the DOE. Between 1999 and 2001, the JGI generated the first genome sequence of an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 19718, and it has subsequently sequenced, or is in the process of sequencing over 50 additional genomes from ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and ammonia-oxidizing archaea. Autotrophic ammonia- and nitrite-transforming microorganisms play also a critical role in carbon cycling and sequestration in nearly all ecosystems. Not only do they control the concentration and speciation of biologically available N to plants and other

  4. Teacher Dismissal and Due Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leichner, Edward C.; Blackstone, Sidney

    1977-01-01

    This article addresses due process requirements in the nonrenewal and dismissal of tenured and nontenured teachers. The Georgia Fair Dismissal Law is used as a basis for discussing the grounds for teacher dismissal. Dismissal grounds discussed are 1) incompetency; 2) insubordination; 3) willful neglect of duties; 4) immorality; 5) inciting,…

  5. Adaptive self-assembly and induced-fit transformations of anion-binding metal-organic macrocycles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Ting; Zhou, Li-Peng; Guo, Xiao-Qing; Cai, Li-Xuan; Sun, Qing-Fu

    2017-06-01

    Container-molecules are attractive to chemists due to their unique structural characteristics comparable to enzymes and receptors in nature. We report here a family of artificial self-assembled macrocyclic containers that feature induced-fit transformations in response to different anionic guests. Five metal-organic macrocycles with empirical formula of MnL2n (M=Metal L=Ligand n=3, 4, 5, 6, 7) are selectively obtained starting from one simple benzimidazole-based ligand and square-planar palladium(II) ions, either by direct anion-adaptive self-assembly or induced-fit transformations. Hydrogen-bonding interactions between the inner surface of the macrocycles and the anionic guests dictate the shape and size of the product. A comprehensive induced-fit transformation map across all the MnL2n species is drawn, with a representative reconstitution process from Pd7L14 to Pd3L6 traced in detail, revealing a gradual ring-shrinking mechanism. We envisage that these macrocyclic molecules with adjustable well-defined hydrogen-bonding pockets will find wide applications in molecular sensing or catalysis.

  6. Due Process Hearing Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bateman, David F.

    2009-01-01

    "Chuck" is a 10-year-old student residing in an unnamed District ("the District"), identified as eligible for specially designed instruction because of a specific learning disability. His parents' due process complaint (filed in December 2008) requested compensatory education for the period September 2006 to June 2008. They believed that Chuck,…

  7. Application of the wavelet transform for speech processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maes, Stephane

    1994-01-01

    Speaker identification and word spotting will shortly play a key role in space applications. An approach based on the wavelet transform is presented that, in the context of the 'modulation model,' enables extraction of speech features which are used as input for the classification process.

  8. Due Process Hearing Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bateman, David F.

    2009-01-01

    William is 9 years of age, residing with his parent within the boundaries of an unnamed district ("the District"). As a student with autism he is eligible for special education programming and services. There was one issue presented for this due process hearing: What was the appropriate program and placement for him for the 2008-2009 school year?…

  9. Due Process Hearing Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bateman, David F.

    2008-01-01

    Ben is a 16-year-old student who resides with his family in an unnamed School District. He is eligible for special education by reason of specific learning disability and ADHD. His parents requested a due process hearing, alleging that the District failed to provide him with a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and requesting reimbursement…

  10. Due Process Hearing Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bateman, David F.; Jones, Marni Gail

    2010-01-01

    This article presents a due process hearing case study of a mother who contended that his son, D.J., has been denied of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) of his School District after being suspended from school. D.J., an elementary student, had been described as hyperactive, inattentive, defiant, and often volatile. He was identified…

  11. Reduction of estrogen-induced transformation of mouse mammary epithelial cells by N-acetylcysteine

    PubMed Central

    Venugopal, Divya; Zahid, Muhammad; Mailander, Paula C; Meza, Jane L.; Rogan, Eleanor G.; Cavalieri, Ercole L.; Chakravarti, Dhrubajyoti

    2009-01-01

    A growing number of studies indicate that breast cancer initiation is related to abnormal estrogen oxidation to form an excess of estrogen-3,4-quinones, which react with DNA to form depurinating adducts and induce mutations. This mechanism is often called estrogen genotoxicity. 4-catechol estrogens, precursors of the estrogen-3,4-quinones, were previously shown to account for most of the transforming and tumorigenic activity. We examined whether estrogen-induced transformation can be reduced by inhibiting the oxidation of a 4-catechol estrogen to its quinone. We demonstrate that E6 cells (a normal mouse epithelial cell line) can be transformed by a single treatment with a catechol estrogen or its quinone. The transforming activities of 4-hydroxyestradiol and estradiol-3,4-quinone were comparable. N-acetylcysteine, a common antioxidant, inhibited the oxidation of 4-hydroxyestradiol to the quinone and consequent formation of DNA adducts. It also drastically reduced estrogen-induced transformation of E6 cells. These results strongly implicate estrogen genotoxicity in mammary cell transformation. Since N-acetylcysteine is well-tolerated in clinical studies, it may be a promising candidate for breast cancer prevention. PMID:18226522

  12. Numerical Methods for the Analysis of Power Transformer Tank Deformation and Rupture Due to Internal Arcing Faults

    PubMed Central

    Yan, Chenguang; Hao, Zhiguo; Zhang, Song; Zhang, Baohui; Zheng, Tao

    2015-01-01

    Power transformer rupture and fire resulting from an arcing fault inside the tank usually leads to significant security risks and serious economic loss. In order to reveal the essence of tank deformation or explosion, this paper presents a 3-D numerical computational tool to simulate the structural dynamic behavior due to overpressure inside transformer tank. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a 17.3MJ and a 6.3MJ arcing fault were simulated on a real full-scale 360MVA/220kV oil-immersed transformer model, respectively. By employing the finite element method, the transformer internal overpressure distribution, wave propagation and von-Mises stress were solved. The numerical results indicate that the increase of pressure and mechanical stress distribution are non-uniform and the stress tends to concentrate on connecting parts of the tank as the fault time evolves. Given this feature, it becomes possible to reduce the risk of transformer tank rupture through limiting the fault energy and enhancing the mechanical strength of the local stress concentrative areas. The theoretical model and numerical simulation method proposed in this paper can be used as a substitute for risky and costly field tests in fault overpressure analysis and tank mitigation design of transformers. PMID:26230392

  13. Numerical Methods for the Analysis of Power Transformer Tank Deformation and Rupture Due to Internal Arcing Faults.

    PubMed

    Yan, Chenguang; Hao, Zhiguo; Zhang, Song; Zhang, Baohui; Zheng, Tao

    2015-01-01

    Power transformer rupture and fire resulting from an arcing fault inside the tank usually leads to significant security risks and serious economic loss. In order to reveal the essence of tank deformation or explosion, this paper presents a 3-D numerical computational tool to simulate the structural dynamic behavior due to overpressure inside transformer tank. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a 17.3 MJ and a 6.3 MJ arcing fault were simulated on a real full-scale 360MVA/220kV oil-immersed transformer model, respectively. By employing the finite element method, the transformer internal overpressure distribution, wave propagation and von-Mises stress were solved. The numerical results indicate that the increase of pressure and mechanical stress distribution are non-uniform and the stress tends to concentrate on connecting parts of the tank as the fault time evolves. Given this feature, it becomes possible to reduce the risk of transformer tank rupture through limiting the fault energy and enhancing the mechanical strength of the local stress concentrative areas. The theoretical model and numerical simulation method proposed in this paper can be used as a substitute for risky and costly field tests in fault overpressure analysis and tank mitigation design of transformers.

  14. Due Process in Appraisal: A Quasi-Experiment in Procedural Justice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, M. Susan; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Extended research on procedural justice by examining effects of a due-process performance-appraisal system on (government) employees' and managers' reactions. Employee-management pairs were randomly assigned to either a due-process appraisal system or the existing one. Although due-process employees received lower evaluations, both employees and…

  15. Developing a Survey of Transformative Learning Outcomes and Processes Based on Theoretical Principles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stuckey, Heather L.; Taylor, Edward W.; Cranton, Patricia

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to develop an inclusive evaluation of "transformative learning theory" that encompassed varied perspectives of transformative learning. We constructed a validated quantitative survey to assess the potential outcomes and processes of how transformative learning may be experienced by college-educated…

  16. Mapping Natech risk due to earthquakes using RAPID-N

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Girgin, Serkan; Krausmann, Elisabeth

    2013-04-01

    Natural hazard-triggered technological accidents (so-called Natech accidents) at hazardous installations are an emerging risk with possibly serious consequences due to the potential for release of hazardous materials, fires or explosions. For the reduction of Natech risk, one of the highest priority needs is the identification of Natech-prone areas and the systematic assessment of Natech risks. With hardly any Natech risk maps existing within the EU the European Commission's Joint Research Centre has developed a Natech risk analysis and mapping tool called RAPID-N, that estimates the overall risk of natural-hazard impact to industrial installations and its possible consequences. The results are presented as risk summary reports and interactive risk maps which can be used for decision making. Currently, RAPID-N focuses on Natech risk due to earthquakes at industrial installations. However, it will be extended to also analyse and map Natech risk due to floods in the near future. The RAPID-N methodology is based on the estimation of on-site natural hazard parameters, use of fragility curves to determine damage probabilities of plant units for various damage states, and the calculation of spatial extent, severity, and probability of Natech events potentially triggered by the natural hazard. The methodology was implemented as a web-based risk assessment and mapping software tool which allows easy data entry, rapid local or regional risk assessment and mapping. RAPID-N features an innovative property estimation framework to calculate on-site natural hazard parameters, industrial plant and plant unit characteristics, and hazardous substance properties. Custom damage states and fragility curves can be defined for different types of plant units. Conditional relationships can be specified between damage states and Natech risk states, which describe probable Natech event scenarios. Natech consequences are assessed using a custom implementation of U.S. EPA's Risk Management

  17. Nitrate transport and transformation processes in unsaturated porous media

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tindall, James A.; Petrusak, Robin L.; McMahon, Peter B.

    1995-01-01

    A series of experiments was conducted on two contrasting agricultural soils to observe the influence of soil texture, preferential flow, and plants on nitrate transport and denitrification under unsaturated conditions. Calcium nitrate fertilizer was applied to the surface of four large undisturbed soil cores (30 cm diameter by 40 cm height). Two of the cores were a structured clay obtained from central Missouri and two were an unstructured fine sand obtained from central Florida. The cores were irrigated daily and maintained at a matric potential of -20 kPa, representative of soil tension in the rooting zone of irrigated agricultural fields. Volumetric water content (θ), concentration of nitrate-N in the soil solution, and nitrous oxide flux at the surface, 10, 20, and 30 cm were monitored daily. Leaching loss of surface-applied N03− -N was significant in both the sand and the clay. In unplanted sand cores, almost all of the applied nitrate was leached below 30 cm within 10 days. Gaseous N loss owing to denitrification was no greater than 2% of the nitrate-N applied to the unplanted sand cores and, in general, was less than 1 %. Although leaching was somewhat retarded in the clay cores, about 60% of the applied nitrate-N was leached from the unplanted clay soil in 5–6 weeks. Under unsaturated conditions, the clay had little to no tendency to denitrify despite the greater moisture content of the clay and retarded leaching of nitrate in the clay. The planted sand cores had surprisingly large gaseous N loss owing to denitrification, as much as 17% of the nitrate-N. Results from both the clay and sand experiments show that the dynamics of nitrate transport and transformation in unsaturated soils are affected by small, localized variations in the soil moisture content profile, the gaseous diffusion coefficient of the soil, the rate at which the nitrate pulse passes through the soil, the solubility of N2O and N2 and the diffusion of the gasses through the soil

  18. Fourier transform microwave spectra and ab initio calculation of N-ethylformamide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohba, Keisuke; Usami, Tsuyoshi; Kawashima, Yoshiyuki; Hirota, Eizi

    2005-06-01

    A peptide molecule: N-ethylformamide HCONHCH 2CH 3 (NEFA) was investigated by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in order to determine molecular structure, potential barrier to methyl internal rotation, and nuclear quadrupole coupling constant of the nitrogen atom. All the three ( a, b and c) types of transitions were observed; they were split into hyperfine structure components due to nitrogen nuclear quadrupole coupling. The rotational constants of NEFA were determined to be A=9904.8373(6), B=3521.0995(2) and C=2984.9808(2) MHz, with three standard deviations in parentheses. The inertial defect Δ= Icc- Iaa- Ibb was calculated from the rotational constants to be -25.24492(2) uÅ 2, which indicates the ethyl group to be bent out of the peptide linkage plane. A comparison of the observed rotational constants with those calculated by an ab initio molecular orbital method also led us to conclude that the most stable form of NEFA is trans- sc, a conformer with a nonplanar heavy atom skeleton. No evidence has so far been obtained for the existence of other conformers, as was the case for a related molecule: N-ethylacetamide. We have also observed spectra of five singly substituted isotopomers, three 13C and one for each of 15N and 18O, from which we derived a partial rs structure, in fair agreement with an ab initio result.

  19. Transformation as a Design Process and Runtime Architecture for High Integrity Software

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

    Bespalko, S.J.; Winter, V.L.

    1999-04-05

    We have discussed two aspects of creating high integrity software that greatly benefit from the availability of transformation technology, which in this case is manifest by the requirement for a sophisticated backtracking parser. First, because of the potential for correctly manipulating programs via small changes, an automated non-procedural transformation system can be a valuable tool for constructing high assurance software. Second, modeling the processing of translating data into information as a, perhaps, context-dependent grammar leads to an efficient, compact implementation. From a practical perspective, the transformation process should begin in the domain language in which a problem is initially expressed.more » Thus in order for a transformation system to be practical it must be flexible with respect to domain-specific languages. We have argued that transformation applied to specification results in a highly reliable system. We also attempted to briefly demonstrate that transformation technology applied to the runtime environment will result in a safe and secure system. We thus believe that the sophisticated multi-lookahead backtracking parsing technology is central to the task of being in a position to demonstrate the existence of HIS.« less

  20. Seafloor Volcanic and Structural Features Adjacent to the 90deg 50'N Transform - Galapagos Spreading Center: Clues for Understanding Plate Boundary Kinematics and Lithospheric Melting Processes (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fornari, D. J.; Soule, S.; Harpp, K. S.; Mittelstaedt, E. L.; Geist, D.; Kurz, M. D.; R/v Melville Mv1007 Cruise Scientific Party

    2010-12-01

    High-resolution EM122 multibeam and MR-1 sidescan sonar data collected over a wide area of seafloor west and east of the 90deg 50’N transform along the Galapagos Spreading Center (GSC) reveal seafloor morpho-structural fabric created along this intermediate spreading plate boundary. In concert with geochemical and geophysical data collected during the cruise, these data will be used to help unravel the kinematics of hotspot-ridge interactions in the northern Galapagos. West of the transform, the seafloor is dominated by three prominent NW-SE trending seamount lineaments, each ~20-30 km wide, including the prominent Wolf-Darwin Lineament (WDL) as well as two other smaller volcanic chains east of the WDL, which are oriented along intermediate trends that become more subparallel to the N-S trend of the transform from west to east. This suggests a possible strong controlling influence of the transform on the orientation of lithospheric fractures involved in supplying magmas to the volcanic centers. Interestingly, each seamount lineament west of the transform appears to have nascent volcanoes nucleating immediately south of the GSC axis at locations that mark along-axis discontinuities of the spreading center, suggesting ridge-related magmatic focusing is also influencing crustal generation on the Nazca plate in this region. The tectonized terrain associated with the transform is 60 km wide, whereas the transform valley is only 20 km wide. The northern 40 km of the transform has a well-defined linear shear zone and bounding faults. The southern 50 km of the transform are characterized by a wide zone of extensive oblique shear structures that trend NW-SE. Within this zone are numerous small volcanic cones and ridges that decorate the margins and axis of the transform domain. The structural evolution of the transform appears to be undergoing a transition along its length with intra-transform volcanism in the south and more normal shear in the north, however the tectonic

  1. On the Hilbert-Huang Transform Data Processing System Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kizhner, Semion; Flatley, Thomas P.; Huang, Norden E.; Cornwell, Evette; Smith, Darell

    2003-01-01

    One of the main heritage tools used in scientific and engineering data spectrum analysis is the Fourier Integral Transform and its high performance digital equivalent - the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The Fourier view of nonlinear mechanics that had existed for a long time, and the associated FFT (fairly recent development), carry strong a-priori assumptions about the source data, such as linearity and of being stationary. Natural phenomena measurements are essentially nonlinear and nonstationary. A very recent development at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), known as the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) proposes a novel approach to the solution for the nonlinear class of spectrum analysis problems. Using the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) followed by the Hilbert Transform of the empirical decomposition data (HT), the HHT allows spectrum analysis of nonlinear and nonstationary data by using an engineering a-posteriori data processing, based on the EMD algorithm. This results in a non-constrained decomposition of a source real value data vector into a finite set of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF) that can be further analyzed for spectrum interpretation by the classical Hilbert Transform. This paper describes phase one of the development of a new engineering tool, the HHT Data Processing System (HHTDPS). The HHTDPS allows applying the "T to a data vector in a fashion similar to the heritage FFT. It is a generic, low cost, high performance personal computer (PC) based system that implements the HHT computational algorithms in a user friendly, file driven environment. This paper also presents a quantitative analysis for a complex waveform data sample, a summary of technology commercialization efforts and the lessons learned from this new technology development.

  2. [Research on spatially modulated Fourier transform imaging spectrometer data processing method].

    PubMed

    Huang, Min; Xiangli, Bin; Lü, Qun-Bo; Zhou, Jin-Song; Jing, Juan-Juan; Cui, Yan

    2010-03-01

    Fourier transform imaging spectrometer is a new technic, and has been developed very rapidly in nearly ten years. The data catched by Fourier transform imaging spectrometer is indirect data, can not be used by user, and need to be processed by various approaches, including data pretreatment, apodization, phase correction, FFT, and spectral radicalization calibration. No paper so far has been found roundly to introduce this method. In the present paper, the author will give an effective method to process the interfering data to spectral data, and with this method we can obtain good result.

  3. Due Process: Possible Dangers and Advantages of Extension of Use of Due Process and Off-Campus Legal Machinery.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Funk, Robert N.

    Until recently, the name commonly given to the relationship between the college and its students was in loco parentis, a concept that today is completely outdated. Due process of law has replaced it and many feel that its advantages are great. There are many disadvantages, however. (1) The literal adoption of legal processes from "the outside…

  4. Transformation of polyfluorinated compounds in natural waters by advanced oxidation processes.

    PubMed

    Anumol, Tarun; Dagnino, Sonia; Vandervort, Darcy R; Snyder, Shane A

    2016-02-01

    The presence of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) in source and finished drinking waters is a concern with studies showing bioaccumulation and adverse toxicological effects in wildlife and potentially humans. Per/Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) such as fluorotelomer alcohols have been identified as precursors for PFCAs in biological pathways. In this study, we investigated the fate of 6:2 and 8:2 homologues of the fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylic acids (FTUCAs) during advanced oxidation process (AOPs). Results showed 6:2 FTUCA and 8:2 FTUCA transformed into 6-C PFCA (PFHxA) and 8-C PFCA (PFOA) respectively with very little other PFCA formation for all AOPs. The degradation of 6:2 FTUCA and 8:2 FTUCA was greater in the GW compared to SW for the ozone processes but similar for UV/H2O2. The formation of n-C PFCA followed O3>O3/H2O2 at same dose and UV/H2O2 had much lower formation at the doses tested. Non-targeted analysis with the LC-MS-qTOF indicated the production of other PFCAs which contribute to the total mass balance, although no intermediate product was discovered indicating a rapid and direct transformation from the FTUCAs to the PFCAs and/or significant volatilization of intermediates. With the use of AOPs essential to water reuse treatment schemes, this work raises concerns over the risk of potential formation of PFCAs in the treatment and their adverse health effects in finished drinking water. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Prediction of Temperatures of Austenite Equilibrium Transformations in Steels During Thermomechanical Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samadian, Pedram; Parsa, Mohammad Habibi; Ahmadabadi, M. Nili; Mirzadeh, Hamed

    2014-10-01

    Knowledge about the transformation temperatures is crucial in processing of steels especially in thermomechanical processes because microstructures and mechanical properties after processing are closely related to the extent and type of transformations. The experimental determination of critical temperatures is costly, and therefore, it is preferred to predict them by mathematical methods. In the current work, new thermodynamically based models were developed for computing the Ae3 and Acm temperatures in the equilibrium cooling conditions when austenite is deformed at elevated temperatures. The main advantage of the proposed models is their capability to predict the temperatures of austenite equilibrium transformations in steels with total alloying elements (Mn + Si + Ni + Cr + Mo + Cu) less than 5 wt.% and Si less than 1 wt.% under the deformation conditions just by using the chemical potential of constituents, without the need for determining the total Gibbs free energy of steel which requires many experiments and computations.

  6. Transforming Collaborative Process Models into Interface Process Models by Applying an MDA Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazarte, Ivanna M.; Chiotti, Omar; Villarreal, Pablo D.

    Collaborative business models among enterprises require defining collaborative business processes. Enterprises implement B2B collaborations to execute these processes. In B2B collaborations the integration and interoperability of processes and systems of the enterprises are required to support the execution of collaborative processes. From a collaborative process model, which describes the global view of the enterprise interactions, each enterprise must define the interface process that represents the role it performs in the collaborative process in order to implement the process in a Business Process Management System. Hence, in this work we propose a method for the automatic generation of the interface process model of each enterprise from a collaborative process model. This method is based on a Model-Driven Architecture to transform collaborative process models into interface process models. By applying this method, interface processes are guaranteed to be interoperable and defined according to a collaborative process.

  7. The study for the incipient solvation process of NaCl in water: the observation of the NaCl-(H2O)n (n = 1, 2, and 3) complexes using Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Mizoguchi, Asao; Ohshima, Yasuhiro; Endo, Yasuki

    2011-08-14

    Pure rotational spectra of the sodium chloride-water complexes, NaCl-(H(2)O)(n) (n = 1, 2, and 3), in the vibronic ground state have been observed by a Fourier- transform microwave spectrometer coupled with a laser ablation source. The (37)Cl-isotopic species and a few deuterated species have also been observed. From the analyses of the spectra, the rotational constants, the centrifugal distortion constants, and the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of the Na and Cl nuclei were determined precisely for all the species. The molecular structures of NaCl-(H(2)O)(n) were determined using the rotational constants and the molecular symmetry. The charge distributions around Na and Cl nuclei in NaCl are dramatically changed by the complex formation with H(2)O. Prominent dependences of the bond lengths r(Na-Cl) on the number of H(2)O were also observed. By a comparison with results of theoretical studies, it is shown that the structure of NaCl-(H(2)O)(3) is approaching to that of the contact ion-pair, which is considered to be an intermediate species in the incipient solvation process.

  8. Chiral Process Monitoring Using Fourier Transform Microwave Spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neill, Justin L.; Muckle, Matt; Pate, Brooks

    2017-06-01

    We present the application of Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) spectroscopy in monitoring the chiral purity of components in a reaction mixture. This is of particular interest due to the increasing use of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing processes, in which a number of attributes (including the chiral purity of the product) can change on short time scales. Therefore, new techniques that can accomplish this measurement rapidly are desired. The excellent specificity of FTMW spectroscopy, coupled with newly developed techniques for measuring enantiomeric excess in a mixture, have motivated this work. In collaboration with B. Frank Gupton (Virginia Commonwealth University), we are testing this application first with the synthesis of artemisinin. Artemisinin, a common drug for malaria treatment, is of high global health interest and subject to supply shortages, and therefore a strong candidate for continuous manufacturing. It also has moderately high molecular weight (282 amu) and seven chiral centers, making it a good candidate to test the capabilities of FTMW spectroscopy. Using a miniature cavity-enhanced FTMW spectrometer design, we aim to demonstrate selective component quantification in the reaction mixture. Future work that will be needed to fully realize this application will be discussed. R.D. Suenram, J.U. Grabow, A.Zuban, and I.Leonov, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 70, 2127 (1999).

  9. Displacive transformation of virus protein crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Celotto, S.; Pond, R. C.

    2003-10-01

    A crystalline protein undergoes a displacive transformation in the T-even bacteriophage. In the present work, the transformation mechanism is modelled in terms of interfacial dislocations whose motion gives rise to the observed deformation. The topological properties (Burgers vector, {b}, and `overlap' step height, h) of the dislocations involved are defined rigorously and a recent theory is used that quantifies the diffusional flux arising due to their movement. The circumstance under which passage of transformation dislocations is diffusionless is identified. Thus, dislocation modelling is used successfully to describe a diffusionless displacive transformation in a process where the phenomenological theory of martensite crystallography cannot be applied.

  10. Chemical transformations of complex mixtures relevant to atmospheric processes: Laboratory and ambient studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Samy, Shahryar (Shar)

    relation to toluene) of 5.3+/-1.6%, which is compared to past chamber studies that evaluated the impact of [tol]o/[NO x]o on SOA production in more simplified mixtures. Characterization of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAH, nitroarenes), which have been shown to be mutagenic and/or carcinogenic, was performed on time-intergrated samples from the EUPHORE experiments. NPAH concentrations indicated significant formation and/or degradation was taking place. An inter-experimental comparison showed that distinct gas (2-nitronaphthalene) and particle (2-nitrofluoranthene, 4-nitropyrene) phase NPAH production resulted in light versus dark experiments, and degradation most likely due to photolysis was observed for one of the most abundant NPAH (1-nitropyrene) in the ambient atmosphere. The evaluation of dark experiments in high and low NOx conditions, revealed a significantly higher concentration of gas phase NPAH (mostly due to 1-nitronaphthalene) in high NOx experiments. Electrophilic nitration on chamber surfaces or sampling media can not be ruled out as a possible mechanism for the elevated NPAH concentrations. Chapter 5 presents results from an aerosol sampling study at the Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL) (3210 MSL, 40.45° N, 106.74° W) in the winter of 2007. The unique geographical character of SPL allows for extended observations/sampling of the free tropospheric interface. Of 84 analytes included in the GC-MS method, over 50 individual water extractable POC were present at concentrations greater than 0.1 ngm-3. Diurnal averages over the sampling period revealed a higher total concentration of POC at night, 211 ngm-3 (105-265 ngm-3), versus day, 160 ngm-3 (137-205 ngm -3), which suggests a more aged nighttime aerosol character. During a snow event (Jan. 11-13, 2007), the concentrations of daytime dicarboxylic acids, which may be considered as atmospheric transformation products, were reduced. Lower actinic flux, reduced transport distance, and ice crystal

  11. High-resolution Fourier-transform extreme ultraviolet photoabsorption spectroscopy of 14N15N

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heays, A. N.; Dickenson, G. D.; Salumbides, E. J.; de Oliveira, N.; Joyeux, D.; Nahon, L.; Lewis, B. R.; Ubachs, W.

    2011-12-01

    The first comprehensive high-resolution photoabsorption spectrum of 14N15N has been recorded using the Fourier-transform spectrometer attached to the Desirs beamline at the Soleil synchrotron. Observations are made in the extreme ultraviolet and span 100 000-109 000 cm-1 (100-91.7 nm). The observed absorption lines have been assigned to 25 bands and reduced to a set of transition energies, f values, and linewidths. This analysis has verified the predictions of a theoretical model of N2 that simulates its photoabsorption and photodissociation cross section by solution of an isotopomer independent formulation of the coupled-channel Schrödinger equation. The mass dependence of predissociation linewidths and oscillator strengths is clearly evident and many local perturbations of transition energies, strengths, and widths within individual rotational series have been observed.

  12. Regulation of cytokine receptors by Golgi N-glycan processing and endocytosis.

    PubMed

    Partridge, Emily A; Le Roy, Christine; Di Guglielmo, Gianni M; Pawling, Judy; Cheung, Pam; Granovsky, Maria; Nabi, Ivan R; Wrana, Jeffrey L; Dennis, James W

    2004-10-01

    The Golgi enzyme beta1,6 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (Mgat5) is up-regulated in carcinomas and promotes the substitution of N-glycan with poly N-acetyllactosamine, the preferred ligand for galectin-3 (Gal-3). Here, we report that expression of Mgat5 sensitized mouse cells to multiple cytokines. Gal-3 cross-linked Mgat5-modified N-glycans on epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta receptors at the cell surface and delayed their removal by constitutive endocytosis. Mgat5 expression in mammary carcinoma was rate limiting for cytokine signaling and consequently for epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell motility, and tumor metastasis. Mgat5 also promoted cytokine-mediated leukocyte signaling, phagocytosis, and extravasation in vivo. Thus, conditional regulation of N-glycan processing drives synchronous modification of cytokine receptors, which balances their surface retention against loss via endocytosis.

  13. Processing of N2O ice by fast ions: implications on nitrogen chemistry in cold astrophysical environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Almeida, G. C.; Pilling, S.; de Barros, A. L. F.; da Costa, C. A. P.; Pereira, R. C.; da Silveira, E. F.

    2017-10-01

    Nitrous oxide, N2O, is found in the interstellar medium associated with dense molecular clouds and its abundance is explained by active chemistry occurring on N2 rich ice surfaces of dust grains. Such regions are being constantly exposed to ionizing radiation that triggers chemical processes which change molecular abundances with time. Due to its non-zero dipole moment, N2O can be used as an important tracer for the abundance of N2 in such regions as well as for characterization of nitrogen content of ices in outer bodies of Solar system. In this work, we experimentally investigate the resistance of frozen N2O molecules against radiation in attempt to estimate their half-life in astrophysical environments. All the radiolysis products, such as NO2 and NO, were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The infrared absorbance as a function of fluence is modified by ice compaction and by radiolysis, the compaction being dominant at the beginning of the ice processing. The N2O destruction cross-section as well the formation cross-sections of the products NxOy (x = 1-2 and y = 1-5) oxides and ozone (O3) by 1.5 MeV 14N+ ion beam are determined. The characterization of radiation resistance of N2O in cold astrophysical environments is relevant since it yields limits for the nitrogen abundance where the N2O molecule is used to indirectly derive its concentration. The half-life of solid N2O molecules dissociated by medium-mass cosmic rays at Pluto's orbit and at the interstellar medium is estimated.

  14. Estimated trichloroethene transformation rates due to naturally occurring biodegradation in a fractured-rock aquifer

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chapelle, Francis H.; Lacombe, Pierre J.; Bradley, Paul M.

    2012-01-01

    Rates of trichloroethene (TCE) mass transformed by naturally occurring biodegradation processes in a fractured rock aquifer underlying a former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) site in West Trenton, New Jersey, were estimated. The methodology included (1) dividing the site into eight elements of equal size and vertically integrating observed concentrations of two daughter products of TCE biodegradation–cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) and chloride–using water chemistry data from a network of 88 observation wells; (2) summing the molar mass of cis-DCE, the first biodegradation product of TCE, to provide a probable underestimate of reductive biodegradation of TCE, (3) summing the molar mass of chloride, the final product of chlorinated ethene degradation, to provide a probable overestimate of overall biodegradation. Finally, lower and higher estimates of aquifer porosities and groundwater residence times were used to estimate a range of overall transformation rates. The highest TCE transformation rates estimated using this procedure for the combined overburden and bedrock aquifers was 945 kg/yr, and the lowest was 37 kg/yr. However, hydrologic considerations suggest that approximately 100 to 500 kg/yr is the probable range for overall TCE transformation rates in this system. Estimated rates of TCE transformation were much higher in shallow overburden sediments (approximately 100 to 500 kg/yr) than in the deeper bedrock aquifer (approximately 20 to 0.15 kg/yr), which reflects the higher porosity and higher contaminant mass present in the overburden. By way of comparison, pump-and-treat operations at the NAWC site are estimated to have removed between 1,073 and 1,565 kg/yr of TCE between 1996 and 2009.

  15. Comparison of APSIM and DNDC simulations of nitrogen transformations and N2O emissions.

    PubMed

    Vogeler, I; Giltrap, D; Cichota, R

    2013-11-01

    Various models have been developed to better understand nitrogen (N) cycling in soils, which is governed by a complex interaction of physical, chemical and biological factors. Two process-based models, the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) and DeNitrification DeComposition (DNDC), were used to simulate nitrification, denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from soils following N input from either fertiliser or excreta deposition. The effect of environmental conditions on N transformations as simulated by the two different models was compared. Temperature had a larger effect in APSIM on nitrification, whereas in DNDC, water content produced a larger response. In contrast, simulated denitrification showed a larger response to temperature and also organic carbon content in DNDC. And while denitrification in DNDC is triggered by rainfall ≥5mm/h, in APSIM, the driving factor is soil water content, with a trigger point at water content at field capacity. The two models also showed different responses to N load, with nearly linearly increasing N2O emission rates with N load simulated by DNDC, and a lower rate by APSIM. Increasing rainfall intensity decreased APSIM-simulated N2O emissions but increased those simulated by DNDC. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Procedural Due Process and Fairness in Student Discipline. A Legal Memorandum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, T. Page

    When the Supreme Court decided that the Constitution requires public school principals to follow procedural due process in suspension and expulsion cases, the Justices recognized a link between procedural due process and the fairness of effective discipline. This report reviews the constitutional due process required when public school officials…

  17. Single Machine Scheduling and Due Date Assignment with Past-Sequence-Dependent Setup Time and Position-Dependent Processing Time

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Chuan-Li; Hsu, Hua-Feng

    2014-01-01

    This paper considers single machine scheduling and due date assignment with setup time. The setup time is proportional to the length of the already processed jobs; that is, the setup time is past-sequence-dependent (p-s-d). It is assumed that a job's processing time depends on its position in a sequence. The objective functions include total earliness, the weighted number of tardy jobs, and the cost of due date assignment. We analyze these problems with two different due date assignment methods. We first consider the model with job-dependent position effects. For each case, by converting the problem to a series of assignment problems, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n 4) time. For the model with job-independent position effects, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n 3) time by providing a dynamic programming algorithm. PMID:25258727

  18. Single machine scheduling and due date assignment with past-sequence-dependent setup time and position-dependent processing time.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Chuan-Li; Hsu, Chou-Jung; Hsu, Hua-Feng

    2014-01-01

    This paper considers single machine scheduling and due date assignment with setup time. The setup time is proportional to the length of the already processed jobs; that is, the setup time is past-sequence-dependent (p-s-d). It is assumed that a job's processing time depends on its position in a sequence. The objective functions include total earliness, the weighted number of tardy jobs, and the cost of due date assignment. We analyze these problems with two different due date assignment methods. We first consider the model with job-dependent position effects. For each case, by converting the problem to a series of assignment problems, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n(4)) time. For the model with job-independent position effects, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n(3)) time by providing a dynamic programming algorithm.

  19. AFT Chief Promises Due-Process Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawchuk, Stephen

    2010-01-01

    The president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Randi Weingarten, is putting the sensitive issue of due process on the education reform table, with a pledge to work with districts to streamline the often-cumbersome procedures for dismissing teachers who fail to improve their performance after receiving help and support. She has also…

  20. Path Integral Computation of Quantum Free Energy Differences Due to Alchemical Transformations Involving Mass and Potential.

    PubMed

    Pérez, Alejandro; von Lilienfeld, O Anatole

    2011-08-09

    Thermodynamic integration, perturbation theory, and λ-dynamics methods were applied to path integral molecular dynamics calculations to investigate free energy differences due to "alchemical" transformations. Several estimators were formulated to compute free energy differences in solvable model systems undergoing changes in mass and/or potential. Linear and nonlinear alchemical interpolations were used for the thermodynamic integration. We find improved convergence for the virial estimators, as well as for the thermodynamic integration over nonlinear interpolation paths. Numerical results for the perturbative treatment of changes in mass and electric field strength in model systems are presented. We used thermodynamic integration in ab initio path integral molecular dynamics to compute the quantum free energy difference of the isotope transformation in the Zundel cation. The performance of different free energy methods is discussed.

  1. Transformation of hydrazinium azide to molecular N8 at 40 GPa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duwal, Sakun; Ryu, Young-Jay; Kim, Minseob; Yoo, Choong-Shik; Bang, Sora; Kim, Kyungtae; Hur, Nam Hwi

    2018-04-01

    Hydrazinium azide (HA) has been investigated at high pressures to 68 GPa using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron powder x-ray diffraction. The results show that HA undergoes structural phase transitions from solid HA-I to HA-II at 13 GPa, associated with the strengthening of hydrogen bonding, and then to N8 at 40 GPa. The transformation of HA to recently predicted N8 (N≡N+—N-—N=N—-N—+N≡N) is evident by the emergence of new peaks at 2384 cm-1, 1665 cm-1, and 1165 cm-1, arising from the terminal N≡N stretching, the central N=N stretching, and the N—N stretching, respectively. However, upon decompression, N8 decomposes to ɛ-N2 below 25 GPa, but the remnant can be seen as low as 3 GPa.

  2. Air-stable, solution-processed oxide p-n heterojunction ultraviolet photodetector.

    PubMed

    Kim, Do Young; Ryu, Jiho; Manders, Jesse; Lee, Jaewoong; So, Franky

    2014-02-12

    Air-stable solution processed all-inorganic p-n heterojunction ultraviolet photodetector is fabricated with a high gain (EQE, 25 300%). Solution-processed NiO and ZnO films are used as p-type and n-type ultraviolet sensitizing materials, respectively. The high gain in the detector is due to the interfacial trap-induced charge injection that occurs at the ITO/NiO interface by photogenerated holes trapped in the NiO film. The gain of the detector is controlled by the post-annealing temperature of the solution-processed NiO films, which are studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

  3. Due Process Rights of Nursing Students in Case of Misconduct.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osinski, Kay

    2003-01-01

    Explains the concepts of academic misconduct, due process rights, and the implicit contract between students and the university. Discusses ways to incorporate due process in nursing school course catalogs, course requirements, evaluation methods, and grievance procedures. (SK)

  4. Transformative Processes in Marriage: An Analysis of Emerging Trends

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fincham, Frank D.; Stanley, Scott M.; Beach, Steven R. H.

    2007-01-01

    The study of conflict has dominated psychological research on marriage. This article documents its move from center stage, outlining how a broader canvas accommodates a richer picture of marriage. A brief sampling of new constructs such as forgiveness and sacrifice points to an organizing theme of transformative processes in emerging marital…

  5. Transformational Learning in Botswana: How Culture Shapes the Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merriam, Sharan B.; Ntseane, Gabo

    2008-01-01

    Transformational learning as presented by Jack Mezirow has been critiqued for its Western, rational, and cognitive orientation. This qualitative study was conducted in the African nation of Botswana and examines how that culture shaped the process. In-depth interviews were held with 12 adults who acknowledged having an experience that had…

  6. Adaptive Filtering in the Wavelet Transform Domain via Genetic Algorithms

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-08-06

    wavelet transforms. Whereas the term “evolved” pertains only to the altered wavelet coefficients used during the inverse transform process. 2...words, the inverse transform produces the original signal x(t) from the wavelet and scaling coefficients. )()( ,, tdtx nk n nk k ψ...reconstruct the original signal as accurately as possible. The inverse transform reconstructs an approximation of the original signal (Burrus

  7. Secondary Students' Accounts of Carbon-Transforming Processes before and after Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Onyancha, Kennedy M.; Anderson, Charles W.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which more targeted instruction is helpful in eliciting students' scientific explanations of six selected carbon-transforming processes of combustion, cross processes, decomposition, growth, photosynthesis and respiration. We also examined these students' accounts regarding the corresponding…

  8. A comparison of orthogonal transformations for digital speech processing.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campanella, S. J.; Robinson, G. S.

    1971-01-01

    Discrete forms of the Fourier, Hadamard, and Karhunen-Loeve transforms are examined for their capacity to reduce the bit rate necessary to transmit speech signals. To rate their effectiveness in accomplishing this goal the quantizing error (or noise) resulting for each transformation method at various bit rates is computed and compared with that for conventional companded PCM processing. Based on this comparison, it is found that Karhunen-Loeve provides a reduction in bit rate of 13.5 kbits/s, Fourier 10 kbits/s, and Hadamard 7.5 kbits/s as compared with the bit rate required for companded PCM. These bit-rate reductions are shown to be somewhat independent of the transmission bit rate.

  9. Due-Window Assignment Scheduling with Variable Job Processing Times

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Yu-Bin

    2015-01-01

    We consider a common due-window assignment scheduling problem jobs with variable job processing times on a single machine, where the processing time of a job is a function of its position in a sequence (i.e., learning effect) or its starting time (i.e., deteriorating effect). The problem is to determine the optimal due-windows, and the processing sequence simultaneously to minimize a cost function includes earliness, tardiness, the window location, window size, and weighted number of tardy jobs. We prove that the problem can be solved in polynomial time. PMID:25918745

  10. Phase transformations in cast duplex stainless steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Yoon-Jun

    Duplex stainless steels (DSS) constitute both ferrite and austenite as a matrix. Such a microstructure confers a high corrosion resistance with favorable mechanical properties. However, intermetallic phases such as sigma (sigma) and chi (chi) can also form during casting or high-temperature processing and can degrade the properties of the DSS. This research was initiated to develop time-temperature-transformation (TTT) and continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams of two types of cast duplex stainless steels, CD3MN (Fe-22Cr-5Ni-Mo-N) and CD3MWCuN (Fe-25Cr-7Ni-Mo-W-Cu-N), in order to understand the time and temperature ranges for intermetallic phase formation. The alloys were heat treated isothermally or under controlled cooling conditions and then characterized using conventional metallographic methods that included tint etching, and also using electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS). The kinetics of intermetallic-phase (sigma + chi) formation were analyzed using the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) equation in the case of isothermal transformations and a modified form of this equation in the case of continuous cooling transformations. The rate of intermetallic-phase formation was found to be much faster in CD3MWCuN than CD3MN due mainly to differences in the major alloying contents such as Cr, Ni and Mo. To examine in more detail the effects of these elements of the phase stabilities, a series of eight steel castings was designed with the Cr, Ni and Mo contents systematically varied with respect to the nominal composition of CD3MN. The effects of varying the contents of alloying additions on the formation of intermetallic phases were also studied computationally using the commercial thermodynamic software package, Thermo-Calc. In general, a was stabilized with increasing Cr addition and chi by increasing Mo addition. However, a delicate balance among Ni and other minor elements such as N and Si also exists. Phase equilibria in

  11. End users transforming experiences into formal information and process models for personalised health interventions.

    PubMed

    Lindgren, Helena; Lundin-Olsson, Lillemor; Pohl, Petra; Sandlund, Marlene

    2014-01-01

    Five physiotherapists organised a user-centric design process of a knowledge-based support system for promoting exercise and preventing falls. The process integrated focus group studies with 17 older adults and prototyping. The transformation of informal medical and rehabilitation expertise and older adults' experiences into formal information and process models during the development was studied. As tool they used ACKTUS, a development platform for knowledge-based applications. The process became agile and incremental, partly due to the diversity of expectations and preferences among both older adults and physiotherapists, and the participatory approach to design and development. In addition, there was a need to develop the knowledge content alongside with the formal models and their presentations, which allowed the participants to test hands-on and evaluate the ideas, content and design. The resulting application is modular, extendable, flexible and adaptable to the individual end user. Moreover, the physiotherapists are able to modify the information and process models, and in this way further develop the application. The main constraint was found to be the lack of support for the initial phase of concept modelling, which lead to a redesigned user interface and functionality of ACKTUS.

  12. Transformation and precipitation in vanadium treated steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vassiliou, Andreas D.

    A series of carbon manganese steels containing varying amounts of carbon, vanadium and nitrogen was investigated in relation to the solubility of VC and VN in austenite, the grain coarsening characteristics of austenite, the tempering of martensite and other structures, the transformation during continuous cooling, the effect of vanadium addition and increasing nitrogen content on the thermo-mechanical processing of austenite, and the transformation of various morphologies of austenite to ferrite.The sites for preferential nucleation and growth of ferrite were identified and the effect of ferrite grain size inhomogeneity was investigated with a view to minimising it.The C/N ratio in the V(CN) precipitates was largely controlled by C/N ratio in the steel and it was also influenced by the austenitising treatment. As expected, the solubility of VN was less than that of VC.A systematic investigation of austenitising time and temperature on the grain coarsening characteristics was carried out showing the effects of vanadium, carbon and nitrogen. It was tentatively suggested that C-C and N-N clustering in the vanadium free steels controlled the grain growth whereas in the presence of vanadium, it was shown that VN and VC pinned the austenite grain boundaries and restricted grain growth. However coarsening or solution of VC and VN allowed the grain bondaries to migrate and grain coarsening occurred. The grain coarsening temperature was controlled predominantly by VN, whilst the VC dissolved frequently below the grain coarsening temperature.In the as quenched martensite, increasing nitrogen progressively increased the as quenched hardness, and the hardness also greatly increased with increasing carbon and vanadium added together. Examining the precipitation strengthening in tempered martensite showed that in the absence of vanadium, martensite softened progressively with increasing temperature and time. Vanadium additions increased the hardness level during low temperature

  13. Degradation of chlorophenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates, two representative textile chemicals, in water by advanced oxidation processes: the state of the art on transformation products and toxicity.

    PubMed

    Karci, Akin

    2014-03-01

    Advanced oxidation processes based on the generation of reactive species including hydroxyl radicals are viable options in eliminating a wide array of refractory organic contaminants in industrial effluents. The assessment of transformation products and toxicity should be, however, the critical point that would allow the overall efficiency of advanced oxidation processes to be better understood and evaluated since some transformation products could have an inhibitory effect on certain organisms. This article reviews the most recent studies on transformation products and toxicity for evaluating advanced oxidation processes in eliminating classes of compounds described as "textile chemicals" from aqueous matrices and poses questions in need of further investigation. The scope of this paper is limited to the scientific studies with two classes of textile chemicals, namely chlorophenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates, whose use in textile industry is a matter of debate due to health risks to humans and harm to the environment. The article also raises the critical question: What is the state of the art knowledge on relationships between transformation products and toxicity? Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Darboux Transformation and N-soliton Solution for Extended Form of Modified Kadomtsev—Petviashvili Equation with Variable-Coefficient

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Xing-Yu; Chen, Yong

    2016-08-01

    The extended form of modified Kadomtsev—Petviashvili equation with variable-coefficient is investigated in the framework of Painlevé analysis. The Lax pairs are obtained by analysing two Painlevé branches of this equation. Starting with the Lax pair, the N-times Darboux transformation is constructed and the N-soliton solution formula is given, which contains 2n free parameters and two arbitrary functions. Furthermore, with different combinations of the parameters, several types of soliton solutions are calculated from the first order to the third order. The regularity conditions are discussed in order to avoid the singularity of the solutions. Moreover, we construct the generalized Darboux transformation matrix by considering a special limiting process and find a rational-type solution for this equation. Supported by the Global Change Research Program of China under Grant No. 2015CB953904, National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 11275072 and 11435005, Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China under Grant No. 20120076110024, The Network Information Physics Calculation of basic research innovation research group of China under Grant No. 61321064, Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of Trustworthy Software for Internet of Things under Grant No. ZF1213, Shanghai Minhang District talents of high level scientific research project

  15. Digital signal processing based on inverse scattering transform.

    PubMed

    Turitsyna, Elena G; Turitsyn, Sergei K

    2013-10-15

    Through numerical modeling, we illustrate the possibility of a new approach to digital signal processing in coherent optical communications based on the application of the so-called inverse scattering transform. Considering without loss of generality a fiber link with normal dispersion and quadrature phase shift keying signal modulation, we demonstrate how an initial information pattern can be recovered (without direct backward propagation) through the calculation of nonlinear spectral data of the received optical signal.

  16. Transformations Based on Continuous Piecewise-Affine Velocity Fields

    PubMed Central

    Freifeld, Oren; Hauberg, Søren; Batmanghelich, Kayhan; Fisher, Jonn W.

    2018-01-01

    We propose novel finite-dimensional spaces of well-behaved ℝn → ℝn transformations. The latter are obtained by (fast and highly-accurate) integration of continuous piecewise-affine velocity fields. The proposed method is simple yet highly expressive, effortlessly handles optional constraints (e.g., volume preservation and/or boundary conditions), and supports convenient modeling choices such as smoothing priors and coarse-to-fine analysis. Importantly, the proposed approach, partly due to its rapid likelihood evaluations and partly due to its other properties, facilitates tractable inference over rich transformation spaces, including using Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo methods. Its applications include, but are not limited to: monotonic regression (more generally, optimization over monotonic functions); modeling cumulative distribution functions or histograms; time-warping; image warping; image registration; real-time diffeomorphic image editing; data augmentation for image classifiers. Our GPU-based code is publicly available. PMID:28092517

  17. 34 CFR 300.140 - Due process complaints and State complaints.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES State Eligibility Children with Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools § 300.140 Due process complaints and State complaints. (a) Due process not applicable, except for child find. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the procedures in...

  18. Nonlinear Bogolyubov-Valatin transformations: Two modes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scharnhorst, K.; van Holten, J.-W.

    2011-11-01

    Extending our earlier study of nonlinear Bogolyubov-Valatin transformations (canonical transformations for fermions) for one fermionic mode, in the present paper, we perform a thorough study of general (nonlinear) canonical transformations for two fermionic modes. We find that the Bogolyubov-Valatin group for n=2 fermionic modes, which can be implemented by means of unitary SU(2n=4) transformations, is isomorphic to SO(6;R)/Z2. The investigation touches on a number of subjects. As a novelty from a mathematical point of view, we study the structure of nonlinear basis transformations in a Clifford algebra [specifically, in the Clifford algebra C(0,4)] entailing (supersymmetric) transformations among multivectors of different grades. A prominent algebraic role in this context is being played by biparavectors (linear combinations of products of Dirac matrices, quadriquaternions, sedenions) and spin bivectors (antisymmetric complex matrices). The studied biparavectors are equivalent to Eddington's E-numbers and can be understood in terms of the tensor product of two commuting copies of the division algebra of quaternions H. From a physical point of view, we present a method to diagonalize any arbitrary two-fermion Hamiltonians. Relying on Jordan-Wigner transformations for two-spin- {1}/{2} and single-spin- {3}/{2} systems, we also study nonlinear spin transformations and the related problem of diagonalizing arbitrary two-spin- {1}/{2} and single-spin- {3}/{2} Hamiltonians. Finally, from a calculational point of view, we pay due attention to explicit parametrizations of SU(4) and SO(6;R) matrices (of respective sizes 4×4 and 6×6) and their mutual relation.

  19. Parallel processing approach to transform-based image coding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Normile, James O.; Wright, Dan; Chu, Ken; Yeh, Chia L.

    1991-06-01

    This paper describes a flexible parallel processing architecture designed for use in real time video processing. The system consists of floating point DSP processors connected to each other via fast serial links, each processor has access to a globally shared memory. A multiple bus architecture in combination with a dual ported memory allows communication with a host control processor. The system has been applied to prototyping of video compression and decompression algorithms. The decomposition of transform based algorithms for decompression into a form suitable for parallel processing is described. A technique for automatic load balancing among the processors is developed and discussed, results ar presented with image statistics and data rates. Finally techniques for accelerating the system throughput are analyzed and results from the application of one such modification described.

  20. 34 CFR 303.420 - Due process procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... infant's or toddler's development is so rapid that undue delay could be potentially harmful. [58 FR 40959... AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR INFANTS AND... Children § 303.420 Due process procedures. Each system must include written procedures including procedures...

  1. 34 CFR 303.420 - Due process procedures.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... infant's or toddler's development is so rapid that undue delay could be potentially harmful. [58 FR 40959... AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR INFANTS AND... Children § 303.420 Due process procedures. Each system must include written procedures including procedures...

  2. Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Albuquerque Service Center (ASC) Due Process Hearing Officer Manual. Resolution Session and Due Process Hearing Procedures in Special Education. Revised

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Copenhaver, John

    2007-01-01

    Due process is a set of procedures that seeks to ensure fairness of education decisions and accountability, for both parents and educational professionals. The due process hearing provides a forum where disagreements about the identification, evaluation, educational placement, and provision of a free appropriate public education for students with…

  3. The transforming activity of Ski and SnoN is dependent on their ability to repress the activity of Smad proteins.

    PubMed

    He, Jun; Tegen, Sarah B; Krawitz, Ariel R; Martin, G Steven; Luo, Kunxin

    2003-08-15

    The regulation of cell growth and differentiation by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is mediated by the Smad proteins. In the nucleus, the Smad proteins are negatively regulated by two closely related nuclear proto-oncoproteins, Ski and SnoN. When overexpressed, Ski and SnoN induce oncogenic transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts. However, the mechanism of transformation by Ski and SnoN has not been defined. We have previously reported that Ski and SnoN interact directly with Smad2, Smad3, and Smad4 and repress their ability to activate TGF-beta target genes through multiple mechanisms. Because Smad proteins are tumor suppressors, we hypothesized that the ability of Ski and SnoN to inactivate Smad function may be responsible for their transforming activity. Here, we show that the receptor regulated Smad proteins (Smad2 and Smad3) and common mediator Smad (Smad4) bind to different regions in Ski and SnoN. Mutation of both regions, but not each region alone, markedly impaired the ability of Ski and SnoN to repress TGF-beta-induced transcriptional activation and cell cycle arrest. Moreover, when expressed in chicken embryo fibroblasts, mutant Ski or SnoN defective in binding to the Smad proteins failed to induce oncogenic transformation. These results suggest that the ability of Ski and SnoN to repress the growth inhibitory function of the Smad proteins is required for their transforming activity. This may account for the resistance to TGF-beta-induced growth arrest in some human cancer cell lines that express high levels of Ski or SnoN.

  4. Color vision deficiency compensation for Visual Processing Disorder using Hardy-Rand-Rittler test and color transformation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balbin, Jessie R.; Pinugu, Jasmine Nadja J.; Bautista, Joshua Ian C.; Nebres, Pauline D.; Rey Hipolito, Cipriano M.; Santella, Jose Anthony A.

    2017-06-01

    Visual processing skill is used to gather visual information from environment however, there are cases that Visual Processing Disorder (VPD) occurs. The so called visual figure-ground discrimination is a type of VPD where color is one of the factors that contributes on this type. In line with this, color plays a vital role in everyday living, but individuals that have limited and inaccurate color perception suffers from Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) and still not aware on their case. To resolve this case, this study focuses on the design of KULAY, a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) device that can assess whether a user has a CVD or not thru the standard Hardy-Rand-Rittler (HRR) test. This test uses pattern recognition in order to evaluate the user. In addition, color vision deficiency simulation and color correction thru color transformation is also a concern of this research. This will enable people with normal color vision to know how color vision deficient perceives and vice-versa. For the accuracy of the simulated HRR assessment, its results were validated thru an actual assessment done by a doctor. Moreover, for the preciseness of color transformation, Structural Similarity Index Method (SSIM) was used to compare the simulated CVD images and the color corrected images to other reference sources. The output of the simulated HRR assessment and color transformation shows very promising results indicating effectiveness and efficiency of the study. Thus, due to its form factor and portability, this device is beneficial in the field of medicine and technology.

  5. Structural Transformation Detection Contributes to Screening of Behaviorally Active Compounds: Dynamic Binding Process Analysis of DhelOBP21 from Dastarcus helophoroides.

    PubMed

    Yang, Rui-Nan; Li, Dong-Zhen; Yu, Guangqiang; Yi, Shan-Cheng; Zhang, Yinan; Kong, De-Xin; Wang, Man-Qun

    2017-12-01

    In light of reverse chemical ecology, the fluorescence competitive binding assays of functional odorant binding proteins (OBPs) is a recent advanced approach for screening behaviorally active compounds of insects. Previous research on Dastareus helophoroides identified a minus-C OBP, DhelOBP21, which preferably binds to several ligands. In this study, only (+)-β-pinene proved attractive to unmated adult beetles. To obtain a more in-depth explanation of the lack of behavioral activity of other ligands we selected compounds with high (camphor) and low (β-caryophyllene) binding affinities. The structural transformation of OBPs was investigated using well-established approaches for studying binding processes, such as fluorescent quenching assays, circular dichroism, and molecular dynamics. The dynamic binding process revealed that the flexibility of DhelOBP21 seems conducive to binding specific ligands, as opposed to broad substrate binding. The compound (+)-β-pinene and DhelOBP21 formed a stable complex through a secondary structural transformation of DhelOBP21, in which its amino-terminus transformed from random coil to an α-helix to cover the binding pocket. On the other hand, camphor could not efficiently induce a stable structural transformation, and its high binding affinities were due to strong hydrogen-bonding, compromising the structure of the protein. The other compound, β-caryophyllene, only collided with DhelOBP21 and could not be positioned in the binding pocket. Studying structural transformation of these proteins through examining the dynamic binding process rather than using approaches that just measure binding affinities such as fluorescence competitive binding assays can provide a more efficient and reliable approach for screening behaviorally active compounds.

  6. Loss of N-Cadherin Expression in Tumor Transplants Produced From As+3- and Cd+2-Transformed Human Urothelial (UROtsa) Cell Lines.

    PubMed

    Sandquist, Elizabeth J; Somji, Seema; Dunlevy, Jane R; Garrett, Scott H; Zhou, Xu Dong; Slusser-Nore, Andrea; Sens, Donald A

    2016-01-01

    Epithelial to mesenchymal transition is a process in which a cell experiences a loss of epithelial cell characteristics and acquires a more mesenchymal cell phenotype. In cancer, epithelial to mesenchymal transition has been proposed to play an important role during specific stages of tumor progression. The role epithelial to mesenchymal transition and mesenchymal to epithelial transition might play in toxicant-induced urothelial cancer is unknown. Real-time PCR, Western blotting, immuno-histochemistry and immuno-fluorescence were used to determine the expression of E- and N-cadherin in the UROtsa parent, the As+3- and Cd+2-transformed cell lines, the spheroids isolated from these cell lines as well as the tumor heterotransplants that were produced by the injection of the transformed cells into immune compromised mice. This study showed that N-cadherin expression was increased in 6 As+3- and 7 Cd+2- transformed cell lines generated from human urothelial cells (UROtsa). The expression varied within each cell line, with 10% to 95% of the cells expressing N-cadherin. Tumors produced from these cell lines showed no expression of the N-cadherin protein. Spheroids which are made up of putative cancer initiating cells produced from these cell lines showed only background expression of N-cadherin mRNA, increased expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 mRNA and produced tumors which did not express N-cadherin. There was no change in the expression of E-cadherin in the tumors, and the tumors formed by all the As+3 and Cd+2-transformed cell lines and cancer initiating cells stained intensely and uniformly for E-cadherin. The finding that the cells expressing N-cadherin gave rise to tumors with no expression of N-cadherin is in agreement with the classical view of epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition and N-cadherin are associated with dissemination and not with the ability to establish new tumor growth. Mesenchymal to epithelial transition

  7. Electrosprayed chitosan nanoparticles: facile and efficient approach for bacterial transformation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abyadeh, Morteza; Sadroddiny, Esmaeil; Ebrahimi, Ammar; Esmaeili, Fariba; Landi, Farzaneh Saeedi; Amani, Amir

    2017-12-01

    A rapid and efficient procedure for DNA transformation is a key prerequisite for successful cloning and genomic studies. While there are efforts to develop a facile method, so far obtained efficiencies for alternative methods have been unsatisfactory (i.e. 105-106 CFU/μg plasmid) compared with conventional method (up to 108 CFU/μg plasmid). In this work, for the first time, we prepared chitosan/pDNA nanoparticles by electrospraying methods to improve transformation process. Electrospray method was used for chitosan/pDNA nanoparticles production to investigate the non-competent bacterial transformation efficiency; besides, the effect of chitosan molecular weight, N/P ratio and nanoparticle size on non-competent bacterial transformation efficiency was evaluated too. The results showed that transformation efficiency increased with decreasing the molecular weight, N/P ratio and nanoparticles size. In addition, transformation efficiency of 1.7 × 108 CFU/μg plasmid was obtained with chitosan molecular weight, N/P ratio and nanoparticles size values of 30 kDa, 1 and 125 nm. Chitosan/pDNA electrosprayed nanoparticles were produced and the effect of molecular weight, N/P and size of nanoparticles on transformation efficiency was evaluated. In total, we present a facile and rapid method for bacterial transformation, which has comparable efficiency with the common method.

  8. Automatic Fourier transform and self-Fourier beams due to parabolic potential

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

    Zhang, Yiqi, E-mail: zhangyiqi@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Liu, Xing; Belić, Milivoj R., E-mail: milivoj.belic@qatar.tamu.edu

    We investigate the propagation of light beams including Hermite–Gauss, Bessel–Gauss and finite energy Airy beams in a linear medium with parabolic potential. Expectedly, the beams undergo oscillation during propagation, but quite unexpectedly they also perform automatic Fourier transform, that is, periodic change from the beam to its Fourier transform and back. In addition to oscillation, the finite-energy Airy beams exhibit periodic inversion during propagation. The oscillating period of parity-asymmetric beams is twice that of the parity-symmetric beams. Based on the propagation in parabolic potential, we introduce a class of optically-interesting beams that are self-Fourier beams—that is, the beams whose Fouriermore » transforms are the beams themselves.« less

  9. Robust Learning Control Design for Quantum Unitary Transformations.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chengzhi; Qi, Bo; Chen, Chunlin; Dong, Daoyi

    2017-12-01

    Robust control design for quantum unitary transformations has been recognized as a fundamental and challenging task in the development of quantum information processing due to unavoidable decoherence or operational errors in the experimental implementation of quantum operations. In this paper, we extend the systematic methodology of sampling-based learning control (SLC) approach with a gradient flow algorithm for the design of robust quantum unitary transformations. The SLC approach first uses a "training" process to find an optimal control strategy robust against certain ranges of uncertainties. Then a number of randomly selected samples are tested and the performance is evaluated according to their average fidelity. The approach is applied to three typical examples of robust quantum transformation problems including robust quantum transformations in a three-level quantum system, in a superconducting quantum circuit, and in a spin chain system. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the SLC approach and show its potential applications in various implementation of quantum unitary transformations.

  10. Contract Law, Due Process, and the NCAA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dickerson, Jaffe D.; Chapman, Mayer

    1978-01-01

    The NCAA has enjoyed almost total freedom from judicial scrutiny of its rules, procedures, and official acts in large part because of its private nature as an unincorporated association. The function of the NCAA, California State University, Hayward v NCAA, and due process of the student-athlete are discussed. (MLW)

  11. Characteristic of nitrous oxide production in partial denitrification process with high nitrite accumulation.

    PubMed

    Du, Rui; Peng, Yongzhen; Cao, Shenbin; Wang, Shuying; Niu, Meng

    2016-03-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) production during the partial denitrification process with nitrate (NO3(-)-N) to nitrite (NO2(-)-N) transformation ratio of 80% was investigated in this study. Results showed that N2O was seldom observed before complete depletion of NO3(-)-N, but it was closely related to the reduction of NO2(-)-N rather than NO3(-)-N. High COD/NO3(-)-N was in favor of N2O production in partial denitrification with high NO2(-)-N accumulation. It was seriously enhanced at constant acidic pH due to the free nitrous acid (FNA) inhibition. However, the N2O production was much lower at initial pH of 5.5 and 6.5 due to the pH increase during denitrification process. Significantly, the pH turning point could be chosen as a controlled parameter to denote the end of NO3(-)-N reduction, which could not only achieve high NO2(-)-N accumulation but also decrease the N2O production significantly for practical application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Superfast algorithms of multidimensional discrete k-wave transforms and Volterra filtering based on superfast radon transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Labunets, Valeri G.; Labunets-Rundblad, Ekaterina V.; Astola, Jaakko T.

    2001-12-01

    Fast algorithms for a wide class of non-separable n-dimensional (nD) discrete unitary K-transforms (DKT) are introduced. They need less 1D DKTs than in the case of the classical radix-2 FFT-type approach. The method utilizes a decomposition of the nD K-transform into the product of a new nD discrete Radon transform and of a set of parallel/independ 1D K-transforms. If the nD K-transform has a separable kernel (e.g., the case of the discrete Fourier transform) our approach leads to decrease of multiplicative complexity by the factor of n comparing to the classical row/column separable approach. It is well known that an n-th order Volterra filter of one dimensional signal can be evaluated by an appropriate nD linear convolution. This work describes new superfast algorithm for Volterra filtering. New approach is based on the superfast discrete Radon and Nussbaumer polynomial transforms.

  13. [Continuum based fast Fourier transform processing of infrared spectrum].

    PubMed

    Liu, Qing-Jie; Lin, Qi-Zhong; Wang, Qin-Jun; Li, Hui; Li, Shuai

    2009-12-01

    To recognize ground objects with infrared spectrum, high frequency noise removing is one of the most important phases in spectrum feature analysis and extraction. A new method for infrared spectrum preprocessing was given combining spectrum continuum processing and Fast Fourier Transform (CFFT). Continuum was firstly removed from the noise polluted infrared spectrum to standardize hyper-spectra. Then the spectrum was transformed into frequency domain (FD) with fast Fourier transform (FFT), separating noise information from target information After noise eliminating from useful information with a low-pass filter, the filtered FD spectrum was transformed into time domain (TD) with fast Fourier inverse transform. Finally the continuum was recovered to the spectrum, and the filtered infrared spectrum was achieved. Experiment was performed for chlorite spectrum in USGS polluted with two kinds of simulated white noise to validate the filtering ability of CFFT by contrast with cubic function of five point (CFFP) in time domain and traditional FFT in frequency domain. A circle of CFFP has limited filtering effect, so it should work much with more circles and consume more time to achieve better filtering result. As for conventional FFT, Gibbs phenomenon has great effect on preprocessing result at edge bands because of special character of rock or mineral spectra, while works well at middle bands. Mean squared error of CFFT is 0. 000 012 336 with cut-off frequency of 150, while that of FFT and CFFP is 0. 000 061 074 with cut-off frequency of 150 and 0.000 022 963 with 150 working circles respectively. Besides the filtering result of CFFT can be improved by adjusting the filter cut-off frequency, and has little effect on working time. The CFFT method overcomes the Gibbs problem of FFT in spectrum filtering, and can be more convenient, dependable, and effective than traditional TD filter methods.

  14. Electronic voltage and current transformers testing device.

    PubMed

    Pan, Feng; Chen, Ruimin; Xiao, Yong; Sun, Weiming

    2012-01-01

    A method for testing electronic instrument transformers is described, including electronic voltage and current transformers (EVTs, ECTs) with both analog and digital outputs. A testing device prototype is developed. It is based on digital signal processing of the signals that are measured at the secondary outputs of the tested transformer and the reference transformer when the same excitation signal is fed to their primaries. The test that estimates the performance of the prototype has been carried out at the National Centre for High Voltage Measurement and the prototype is approved for testing transformers with precision class up to 0.2 at the industrial frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz). The device is suitable for on-site testing due to its high accuracy, simple structure and low-cost hardware.

  15. Electronic Voltage and Current Transformers Testing Device

    PubMed Central

    Pan, Feng; Chen, Ruimin; Xiao, Yong; Sun, Weiming

    2012-01-01

    A method for testing electronic instrument transformers is described, including electronic voltage and current transformers (EVTs, ECTs) with both analog and digital outputs. A testing device prototype is developed. It is based on digital signal processing of the signals that are measured at the secondary outputs of the tested transformer and the reference transformer when the same excitation signal is fed to their primaries. The test that estimates the performance of the prototype has been carried out at the National Centre for High Voltage Measurement and the prototype is approved for testing transformers with precision class up to 0.2 at the industrial frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz). The device is suitable for on-site testing due to its high accuracy, simple structure and low-cost hardware. PMID:22368510

  16. Discrete Fourier Transform in a Complex Vector Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dean, Bruce H. (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    An image-based phase retrieval technique has been developed that can be used on board a space based iterative transformation system. Image-based wavefront sensing is computationally demanding due to the floating-point nature of the process. The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) calculation is presented in "diagonal" form. By diagonal we mean that a transformation of basis is introduced by an application of the similarity transform of linear algebra. The current method exploits the diagonal structure of the DFT in a special way, particularly when parts of the calculation do not have to be repeated at each iteration to converge to an acceptable solution in order to focus an image.

  17. Ligand-Mediated Ring → Cube Transformation in a Catalytic Subnanocluster: Co4O4(MeCN)n with n = 1-6.

    PubMed

    Luo, Sijie; Dibble, Collin J; Duncan, Michael A; Truhlar, Donald G

    2014-08-07

    We studied the Co4O4 subnanocluster and its MeCN-coated species using density functional theory, and we found that the Co4O4 core presents distinctive structures in bare and ligand-coated species. We propose a possible ligand-mediated ring → cube transformation mechanism during the ligand-coating process of the Co4O4 core due to the stronger binding energies of the MeCN ligands to the 3D distorted cube structure than to the 2D ring and ladder structures; theory indicates that three ligands are sufficient to stabilize the cube structure. Both ring and cube structures are ferromagnetic. Our finding is potentially useful for understanding the catalysis mechanism of Co4O4 species, which have important applications in solar energy conversion and water splitting; these catalysis reactions usually involve frequent addition and subtraction of various ligands and thus possibly involve core rearrangement processes similar to our findings.

  18. Naturally occurring soil salinity does not reduce N-transforming enzymes or organisms

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Soil salinity can negatively affect plant production and important biogeochemical cycles which are mainly carried out by soil microbes. The objective of this study was to contribute new information on soil biological N transformations by examining the impact primary salinity reduction has on a) the ...

  19. The Enlightenment and Due Process of Law.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nettleship, Lois

    The purpose of this module for college students is to describe the economic, social, intellectual, and political changes which took place during the Enlightenment period and to show the interrelationship between these changes and concepts behind due process of law. This resource contains an introduction to the module; a list of objectives for the…

  20. Arikan and Alamouti matrices based on fast block-wise inverse Jacket transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Moon Ho; Khan, Md Hashem Ali; Kim, Kyeong Jin

    2013-12-01

    Recently, Lee and Hou (IEEE Signal Process Lett 13: 461-464, 2006) proposed one-dimensional and two-dimensional fast algorithms for block-wise inverse Jacket transforms (BIJTs). Their BIJTs are not real inverse Jacket transforms from mathematical point of view because their inverses do not satisfy the usual condition, i.e., the multiplication of a matrix with its inverse matrix is not equal to the identity matrix. Therefore, we mathematically propose a fast block-wise inverse Jacket transform of orders N = 2 k , 3 k , 5 k , and 6 k , where k is a positive integer. Based on the Kronecker product of the successive lower order Jacket matrices and the basis matrix, the fast algorithms for realizing these transforms are obtained. Due to the simple inverse and fast algorithms of Arikan polar binary and Alamouti multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) non-binary matrices, which are obtained from BIJTs, they can be applied in areas such as 3GPP physical layer for ultra mobile broadband permutation matrices design, first-order q-ary Reed-Muller code design, diagonal channel design, diagonal subchannel decompose for interference alignment, and 4G MIMO long-term evolution Alamouti precoding design.

  1. Properties of an improved Gabor wavelet transform and its applications to seismic signal processing and interpretation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ji, Zhan-Huai; Yan, Sheng-Gang

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents an analytical study of the complete transform of improved Gabor wavelets (IGWs), and discusses its application to the processing and interpretation of seismic signals. The complete Gabor wavelet transform has the following properties. First, unlike the conventional transform, the improved Gabor wavelet transform (IGWT) maps time domain signals to the time-frequency domain instead of the time-scale domain. Second, the IGW's dominant frequency is fixed, so the transform can perform signal frequency division, where the dominant frequency components of the extracted sub-band signal carry essentially the same information as the corresponding components of the original signal, and the subband signal bandwidth can be regulated effectively by the transform's resolution factor. Third, a time-frequency filter consisting of an IGWT and its inverse transform can accurately locate target areas in the time-frequency field and perform filtering in a given time-frequency range. The complete IGW transform's properties are investigated using simulation experiments and test cases, showing positive results for seismic signal processing and interpretation, such as enhancing seismic signal resolution, permitting signal frequency division, and allowing small faults to be identified.

  2. A Transformational Process: Facilitating WebQuests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LoParrino, Camille A.

    2005-01-01

    Challenged by our 7th U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, when he said "Dream how technology can not only improve education but also transform what we think of as education," we made this dream a reality in an elementary classroom in the Bronx. The dream of improving and transforming education through technology became possible as a…

  3. Wavelet transform processing applied to partial discharge evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macedo, E. C. T.; Araújo, D. B.; da Costa, E. G.; Freire, R. C. S.; Lopes, W. T. A.; Torres, I. S. M.; de Souza Neto, J. M. R.; Bhatti, S. A.; Glover, I. A.

    2012-05-01

    Partial Discharge (PD) is characterized by high frequency current pulses that occur in high voltage (HV) electrical equipments originated from gas ionization process when damaged insulation is submitted to high values of electric field [1]. PD monitoring is a useful method of assessing the aging degree of the insulation, manufacturing defects or chemical/mechanical damage. Many sources of noise (e.g. radio transmissions, commutator noise from rotating machines, power electronics switching circuits, corona discharge, etc.) can directly affect the PD estimation. Among the many mathematical techniques that can be applied to de-noise PD signals, the wavelet transform is one of the most powerful. It can simultaneously supply information about the pulse occurrence, time and pulse spectrum, and also de-noise in-field measured PD signals. In this paper is described the application of wavelet transform in the suppression of the main types of noise that can affect the observation and analysis of PD signals in high voltage apparatus. In addition, is presented a study that indicates the appropriated mother-wavelet for this application based on the cross-correlation factor.

  4. Alterations of Cloud Microphysics Due to Cloud Processed CCN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hudson, J. G.; Tabor, S. S.; Noble, S. R., Jr.

    2015-12-01

    High-resolution CCN spectra have revealed bimodality (Hudson et al. 2015) similar to aerosol size spectra (e.g., Hoppel et al. 1985). Bimodality is caused by chemical and physical cloud processes that increase mass or hygroscopicity of only CCN that produced activated cloud droplets. Bimodality is categorized by relative CCN concentrations (NCCN) within the two modes, Nu-Np; i.e., NCCN within the higher critical supersaturation, Sc, mode that did not undergo cloud processing minus NCCN within the lower Sc mode that was cloud processed. Lower, especially negative, Nu-Np designates greater processing. The table shows regressions between Nu-Np and characteristics of clouds nearest the CCN measurements. ICE-T MASE parameter R SL R SL Nc 0.17 93.24 -0.26 98.65 MD -0.31 99.69 0.33 99.78 σ -0.27 99.04 0.48 100.00 Ld -0.31 99.61 0.38 99.96 Table. Correlation coefficients, R, and one-tailed significance levels in percent, SL, for Nu-Np with microphysics of the clouds closest to each CCN measurement, 75 ICE-T and 74 MASE cases. Nc is cloud droplet concentration, MD is cloud droplet mean diameter, σ is standard deviation of cloud droplet spectra, Ldis drizzle drop LWC. Two aircraft field campaigns, Ice in Clouds Experiment-Tropical (ICE-T) and Marine Stratus/Stratocumulus Experiment (MASE) show opposite R signs because coalescence dominated cloud processing in low altitude ICE-T cumuli whereas chemical transformations predominated in MASE low altitude polluted stratus. Coalescence reduces Nc and NCCN, which thus increases MD, and σ, which promote Ld. Chemical transformations, e.g., SO2 to SO4, increase CCN hygroscopicity, thus reducing Sc, but not affecting Nc or NCCN. Lower Sc CCN are capable of producing greater Nc in subsequent cloud cycles, which leads to lower MD and σ which reduce Ld (figure). These observations are consistent with cloud droplet growth models for the higher vertical wind (W) of cumuli and lower W of stratus. Coalescence thus reduces the indirect

  5. The Implications of Strike-Slip Earthquake Source Properties on the Transform Boundary Development Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neely, J. S.; Huang, Y.; Furlong, K.

    2017-12-01

    Subduction-Transform Edge Propagator (STEP) faults, produced by the tearing of a subducting plate, allow us to study the development of a transform plate boundary and improve our understanding of both long-term geologic processes and short-term seismic hazards. The 280 km long San Cristobal Trough (SCT), formed by the tearing of the Australia plate as it subducts under the Pacific plate near the Solomon and Vanuatu subduction zones, shows along-strike variations in earthquake behaviors. The segment of the SCT closest to the tear rarely hosts earthquakes > Mw 6, whereas the SCT sections more than 80 - 100 km from the tear experience Mw7 earthquakes with repeated rupture along the same segments. To understand the effect of cumulative displacement on SCT seismicity, we analyze b-values, centroid-time delays and corner frequencies of the SCT earthquakes. We use the spectral ratio method based on Empirical Green's Functions (eGfs) to isolate source effects from propagation and site effects. We find high b-values along the SCT closest to the tear with values decreasing with distance before finally increasing again towards the far end of the SCT. Centroid time-delays for the Mw 7 strike-slip earthquakes increase with distance from the tear, but corner frequency estimates for a recent sequence of Mw 7 earthquakes are approximately equal, indicating a growing complexity in earthquake behavior with distance from the tear due to a displacement-driven transform boundary development process (see figure). The increasing complexity possibly stems from the earthquakes along the eastern SCT rupturing through multiple asperities resulting in multiple moment pulses. If not for the bounding Vanuatu subduction zone at the far end of the SCT, the eastern SCT section, which has experienced the most displacement, might be capable of hosting larger earthquakes. When assessing the seismic hazard of other STEP faults, cumulative fault displacement should be considered a key input in

  6. [Non-nitrification pathway for NH4+ -N removal in pilot-scale drinking water biological processes].

    PubMed

    Yu, Xin; Ye, Lin; Li, Xu-dong; Zhang, Xiao-jian; Shi, Xu; Liu, Bo; Li, Rui-hua

    2008-04-01

    The non-nitrification pathway for NH4+ -N removal in pilot-scale drinking water biological treatment processes and its possible mechanism were investigated through calculating N and DO stoichiometric balance. With more than 2 mg/L NH4+ -N in the influent, for the fluidized bed bioreactor (FBBR), the total of NH4+ -N, NO2(-) -N, NO3(-) -N in the influent was 0.91 mg/L higher than that in the effluent, and for the biofilter, its DO consumption was 2.90 mg/L less than the stoichiometric amount. The results suggested that nitrogen loss occurred in both reactors and a part of NH4+ -N was removed through non-nitrification pathway. Because the utilization of phosphorus and organic matters was independent of nitrogen loss, the assimilation and denitrification could be excluded from the possible mechanisms. Because the very low C/N in the influent and the accumulation of NO2(-) -N in the reactors were similar with the wastewater biological processes, the "autotrophic removal of nitrogen" was regarded as the most probable non-nitrification pathway. In this mechanism, the couple of short-cut nitrification and ANAMMOX (or OLAND) leading to the transformation of NH4+ -N and NO2(-) -N into gaseous N2 was responsible for the nitrogen loss in drinking water biological processes.

  7. Transforming the Future of Business Processes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-04-01

    Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation Acquisition, finance and accounting, program management —Elizabeth McGrath has experi...executing the de- partment’s primary governance body for business trans- formation, the Defense Business Systems Management Committee (DBSMC... business transformation requires a num- ber of things—leadership commitment, strong investment 3 Defense AT&L: March-April 2008 management , an active

  8. Loss of N-Cadherin Expression in Tumor Transplants Produced From As+3- and Cd+2-Transformed Human Urothelial (UROtsa) Cell Lines

    PubMed Central

    Sandquist, Elizabeth J.; Somji, Seema; Dunlevy, Jane R.; Garrett, Scott H.; Zhou, Xu Dong; Slusser-Nore, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    Background Epithelial to mesenchymal transition is a process in which a cell experiences a loss of epithelial cell characteristics and acquires a more mesenchymal cell phenotype. In cancer, epithelial to mesenchymal transition has been proposed to play an important role during specific stages of tumor progression. The role epithelial to mesenchymal transition and mesenchymal to epithelial transition might play in toxicant-induced urothelial cancer is unknown. Methods Real-time PCR, Western blotting, immuno-histochemistry and immuno-fluorescence were used to determine the expression of E- and N-cadherin in the UROtsa parent, the As+3- and Cd+2-transformed cell lines, the spheroids isolated from these cell lines as well as the tumor heterotransplants that were produced by the injection of the transformed cells into immune compromised mice. Results This study showed that N-cadherin expression was increased in 6 As+3- and 7 Cd+2- transformed cell lines generated from human urothelial cells (UROtsa). The expression varied within each cell line, with 10% to 95% of the cells expressing N-cadherin. Tumors produced from these cell lines showed no expression of the N-cadherin protein. Spheroids which are made up of putative cancer initiating cells produced from these cell lines showed only background expression of N-cadherin mRNA, increased expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 mRNA and produced tumors which did not express N-cadherin. There was no change in the expression of E-cadherin in the tumors, and the tumors formed by all the As+3 and Cd+2-transformed cell lines and cancer initiating cells stained intensely and uniformly for E-cadherin. Conclusions The finding that the cells expressing N-cadherin gave rise to tumors with no expression of N-cadherin is in agreement with the classical view of epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition and N-cadherin are associated with dissemination and not with the ability to establish new tumor growth

  9. Prediction and Optimization of Phase Transformation Region After Spot Continual Induction Hardening Process Using Response Surface Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Xunpeng; Gao, Kai; Zhu, Zhenhua; Chen, Xuliang; Wang, Zhou

    2017-09-01

    The spot continual induction hardening (SCIH) process, which is a modified induction hardening, can be assembled to a five-axis cooperating computer numerical control machine tool to strengthen more than one small area or relatively large area on complicated component surface. In this study, a response surface method was presented to optimize phase transformation region after the SCIH process. The effects of five process parameters including feed velocity, input power, gap, curvature and flow rate on temperature, microstructure, microhardness and phase transformation geometry were investigated. Central composition design, a second-order response surface design, was employed to systematically estimate the empirical models of temperature and phase transformation geometry. The analysis results indicated that feed velocity has a dominant effect on the uniformity of microstructure and microhardness, domain size, oxidized track width, phase transformation width and height in the SCIH process while curvature has the largest effect on center temperature in the design space. The optimum operating conditions with 0.817, 0.845 and 0.773 of desirability values are expected to be able to minimize ratio (tempering region) and maximize phase transformation width for concave, flat and convex surface workpieces, respectively. The verification result indicated that the process parameters obtained by the model were reliable.

  10. SPECIAL ISSUE ON OPTICAL PROCESSING OF INFORMATION: Optical information processing with transformation of the spatial coherence of light

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bykovskii, Yurii A.; Markilov, A. A.; Rodin, V. G.; Starikov, S. N.

    1995-10-01

    A description is given of systems with spatially incoherent illumination, intended for spectral and correlation analysis, and for the recording of Fourier holograms. These systems make use of transformation of the degree of the spatial coherence of light. The results are given of the processing of images and signals, including those transmitted by a bundle of fibre-optic waveguides both as monochromatic light and as quasimonochromatic radiation from a cathode-ray tube. The feasibility of spatial frequency filtering and of correlation analysis of images with a bipolar impulse response is considered for systems with spatially incoherent illumination where these tasks are performed by double transformation of the spatial coherence of light. A description is given of experimental systems and the results of image processing are reported.

  11. The patient centered medical home: mental models and practice culture driving the transformation process.

    PubMed

    Cronholm, Peter F; Shea, Judy A; Werner, Rachel M; Miller-Day, Michelle; Tufano, Jim; Crabtree, Benjamin F; Gabbay, Robert

    2013-09-01

    The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) has become a dominant model of primary care re-design. The PCMH model is a departure from more traditional models of healthcare delivery and requires significant transformation to be realized. To describe factors shaping mental models and practice culture driving the PCMH transformation process in a large multi-payer PCMH demonstration project. Individual interviews were conducted at 17 primary care practices in South Eastern Pennsylvania. A total of 118 individual interviews were conducted with clinicians (N = 47), patient educators (N = 4), office administrators (N = 12), medical assistants (N = 26), front office staff (N = 7), nurses (N = 4), care managers (N = 11), social workers (N = 4), and other stakeholders (N = 3). A multi-disciplinary research team used a grounded theory approach to develop the key constructs describing factors shaping successful practice transformation. Three central themes emerged from the data related to changes in practice culture and mental models necessary for PCMH practice transformation: 1) shifting practice perspectives towards proactive, population-oriented care based in practice-patient partnerships; 2) creating a culture of self-examination; and 3) challenges to developing new roles within the practice through distribution of responsibilities and team-based care. The most tension in shifting the required mental models was displayed between clinician and medical assistant participants, revealing significant barriers towards moving away from clinician-centric care. Key factors driving the PCMH transformation process require shifting mental models at the individual level and culture change at the practice level. Transformation is based upon structural and process changes that support orientation of practice mental models towards perceptions of population health, self-assessment, and the development of shared decision-making. Staff buy-in to the new roles

  12. Transformation of Contaminant Candidate List (CCL3) compounds during ozonation and advanced oxidation processes in drinking water: Assessment of biological effects.

    PubMed

    Mestankova, Hana; Parker, Austa M; Bramaz, Nadine; Canonica, Silvio; Schirmer, Kristin; von Gunten, Urs; Linden, Karl G

    2016-04-15

    The removal of emerging contaminants during water treatment is a current issue and various technologies are being explored. These include UV- and ozone-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). In this study, AOPs were explored for their degradation capabilities of 25 chemical contaminants on the US Environmental Protection Agency's Contaminant Candidate List 3 (CCL3) in drinking water. Twenty-three of these were found to be amenable to hydroxyl radical-based treatment, with second-order rate constants for their reactions with hydroxyl radicals (OH) in the range of 3-8 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1). The development of biological activity of the contaminants, focusing on mutagenicity and estrogenicity, was followed in parallel with their degradation using the Ames and YES bioassays to detect potential changes in biological effects during oxidative treatment. The majority of treatment cases resulted in a loss of biological activity upon oxidation of the parent compounds without generation of any form of estrogenicity or mutagenicity. However, an increase in mutagenic activity was detected by oxidative transformation of the following CCL3 parent compounds: nitrobenzene (OH, UV photolysis), quinoline (OH, ozone), methamidophos (OH), N-nitrosopyrolidine (OH), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (OH), aniline (UV photolysis), and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (UV photolysis). Only one case of formation of estrogenic activity was observed, namely, for the oxidation of quinoline by OH. Overall, this study provides fundamental and practical information on AOP-based treatment of specific compounds of concern and represents a framework for evaluating the performance of transformation-based treatment processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Process control using fiber optics and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kemsley, E. K.; Wilson, Reginald H.

    1992-03-01

    A process control system has been constructed using optical fibers interfaced to a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, to achieve remote spectroscopic analysis of food samples during processing. The multichannel interface accommodates six fibers, allowing the sequential observation of up to six samples. Novel fiber-optic sampling cells have been constructed, including transmission and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) designs. Different fiber types have been evaluated; in particular, plastic clad silica (PCS) and zirconium fluoride fibers. Processes investigated have included the dilution of fruit juice concentrate, and the addition of alcohol to fruit syrup. Suitable algorithms have been written which use the results of spectroscopic measurements to control and monitor the course of each process, by actuating devices such as valves and switches.

  14. Determinant Representation of N-Times Darboux Transformation for the Defocusing Nonlinear SCHRÖDINGER Equation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Jingwei; Yu, Jing; He, Jingsong

    2013-10-01

    The determinant expression T[N] of a new Darboux transformation (DT) for the Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur equation are given in this paper. By making use of this DT under the reduction r = q*, we construct determinant expressions of dark N-soliton solution for the defocusing NLS equation. Except known one-soliton, we provide smooth two-soliton and smooth N-soliton on a certain domain of parameter for the defocusing NLS equation.

  15. Identification of transformation products during advanced oxidation of diatrizoate: Effect of water matrix and oxidation process.

    PubMed

    Azerrad, Sara P; Lütke Eversloh, Christian; Gilboa, Maayan; Schulz, Manoj; Ternes, Thomas; Dosoretz, Carlos G

    2016-10-15

    Removal of micropollutants from reverse osmosis (RO) brines of wastewater desalination by oxidation processes is influenced by the scavenging capacity of brines components, resulting in the accumulation of transformation products (TPs) rather than complete mineralization. In this work the iodinated contrast media diatrizoate (DTZ) was used as model compound due to its relative resistance to oxidation. Identification of TPs was performed in ultrapure water (UPW) and RO brines applying nonthermal plasma (NTP) and UVA-TiO2 as oxidation techniques. The influence of main RO brines components in the formation and accumulation of TPs, such as chloride, bicarbonate alkalinity and humic acid, was also studied during UVA-TiO2. DTZ oxidation pattern in UPW resulted similar in both UVA-TiO2 and NTP achieving 66 and 61% transformation, respectively. However, DTZ transformation in RO brines was markedly lower in UVA-TiO2 (9%) than in NTP (27%). These differences can be attributed to the synergic effect of RO brines components during NTP. Moreover, reactive species other than hydroxyl radical contributed to DTZ transformation, i.e., direct photolysis in UVA-TiO2 and direct photolysis + O3 in NTP accounted for 16 and 23%, respectively. DTZ transformation led to iodide formation in both oxidation techniques but it further oxidized to iodate by ozone in NTP. In total 14 transformation products were identified in UPW of which 3 were present only in UVA-TiO2 and 2 were present exclusively in NTP; 5 of the 14 TPs were absent in RO brines. Five of them were new and were denoted as TP-474A/B, TP-522, TP-586, TP-602, TP-628. TP-522 (mono-chlorinated) was elucidated only in presence of high chloride titer-synthetic water matrix in NTP, most probably formed by active chlorine species generated in situ. TPs accumulation in RO brines was markedly different in comparison to UPW. This denotes the influence of RO brines components in the formation of reactive species that could further attack

  16. Experimental validation of ultra-thin metalenses for N-beam emissions based on transformation optics

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

    Zhang, Kuang, E-mail: zhangkuang@hit.edu.cn; State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves, Nanjing 210096; Ding, Xumin

    2016-02-01

    A general design of metalenses for N-beam emissions is proposed based on transformation optics. A linear mapping function is adopted to achieve the homogeneous characterization of the transforming medium, which is therefore easy to be achieved compared with previous designs limited by inhomogeneity based on transformation optics. To verify the theoretical design, a four-beam antenna constructed with ultrathin, homogenous, and uniaxial anisotropic metalens is designed, fabricated, and measured. It is shown that the realized gain of the four-beam antenna is increased by 6 dB compared with the single dipole source, while working frequency and relative bandwidth are kept unchanged. The measuredmore » far-field pattern verifies theoretical design procedure.« less

  17. Transformative occupational therapy: We are wired to be transformers.

    PubMed

    Dubouloz, Claire-Jehanne

    2014-10-01

    Transformative learning involves critical self-reflection as the motor for transforming values, beliefs, knowledge, and feelings and discovering the new meaning of daily life following a catastrophic injury or illness. Transformation has been conceptualized in various disciplines as a transcendent experience, rebirth process, and meaning-making process and within occupational therapy as a meaning perspective process. This Muriel Driver lecture explores the concept of transformation and presents the newly developed Meaning Perspectives Transformation model, constructed from research conducted with several different rehabilitation client groups. The model is characterized by three phases: trigger, changing, and outcomes. A client's critical self-reflection acts as a catalyst for moving between the phases and is represented in the model as a moment of readiness for change leading to the development of alternative ways of performing. The Meaning Perspectives Transformation model provides a tool for being an effective occupational therapist, encouraging therapists to listen closely to their clients to identify their weakening and emerging meaning perspectives and enable their occupational evolution and transformation.

  18. Generation of open biomedical datasets through ontology-driven transformation and integration processes.

    PubMed

    Carmen Legaz-García, María Del; Miñarro-Giménez, José Antonio; Menárguez-Tortosa, Marcos; Fernández-Breis, Jesualdo Tomás

    2016-06-03

    Biomedical research usually requires combining large volumes of data from multiple heterogeneous sources, which makes difficult the integrated exploitation of such data. The Semantic Web paradigm offers a natural technological space for data integration and exploitation by generating content readable by machines. Linked Open Data is a Semantic Web initiative that promotes the publication and sharing of data in machine readable semantic formats. We present an approach for the transformation and integration of heterogeneous biomedical data with the objective of generating open biomedical datasets in Semantic Web formats. The transformation of the data is based on the mappings between the entities of the data schema and the ontological infrastructure that provides the meaning to the content. Our approach permits different types of mappings and includes the possibility of defining complex transformation patterns. Once the mappings are defined, they can be automatically applied to datasets to generate logically consistent content and the mappings can be reused in further transformation processes. The results of our research are (1) a common transformation and integration process for heterogeneous biomedical data; (2) the application of Linked Open Data principles to generate interoperable, open, biomedical datasets; (3) a software tool, called SWIT, that implements the approach. In this paper we also describe how we have applied SWIT in different biomedical scenarios and some lessons learned. We have presented an approach that is able to generate open biomedical repositories in Semantic Web formats. SWIT is able to apply the Linked Open Data principles in the generation of the datasets, so allowing for linking their content to external repositories and creating linked open datasets. SWIT datasets may contain data from multiple sources and schemas, thus becoming integrated datasets.

  19. Directional dual-tree rational-dilation complex wavelet transform.

    PubMed

    Serbes, Gorkem; Gulcur, Halil Ozcan; Aydin, Nizamettin

    2014-01-01

    Dyadic discrete wavelet transform (DWT) has been used successfully in processing signals having non-oscillatory transient behaviour. However, due to the low Q-factor property of their wavelet atoms, the dyadic DWT is less effective in processing oscillatory signals such as embolic signals (ESs). ESs are extracted from quadrature Doppler signals, which are the output of Doppler ultrasound systems. In order to process ESs, firstly, a pre-processing operation known as phase filtering for obtaining directional signals from quadrature Doppler signals must be employed. Only then, wavelet based methods can be applied to these directional signals for further analysis. In this study, a directional dual-tree rational-dilation complex wavelet transform, which can be applied directly to quadrature signals and has the ability of extracting directional information during analysis, is introduced.

  20. Transformations of dissolved organic matter induced by UV photolysis, Hydroxyl radicals, chlorine radicals, and sulfate radicals in aqueous-phase UV-Based advanced oxidation processes.

    PubMed

    Varanasi, Lathika; Coscarelli, Erica; Khaksari, Maryam; Mazzoleni, Lynn R; Minakata, Daisuke

    2018-05-15

    Considering the increasing identification of trace organic contaminants in natural aquatic environments, the removal of trace organic contaminants from water or wastewater discharge is an urgent task. Ultraviolet (UV) and UV-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as UV/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H 2 O 2 ), UV/free chlorine and UV/persulfate, are attractive and promising approaches for the removal of these contaminants due to the high reactivity of active radical species produced in these UV-AOPs with a wide variety of organic contaminants. However, the removal efficiency of trace contaminants is greatly affected by the presence of background dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, we use ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry to evaluate the transformation of a standard Suwanee River fulvic acid DOM isolate in UV photolysis and UV-AOPs. The use of probe compounds allows for the determination of the steady-state concentrations of active radical species in each UV-AOP. The changes in the H/C and O/C elemental ratios, double bond equivalents, and the low-molecular-weight transformation product concentrations of organic acids reveal that different DOM transformation patterns are induced by each UV-AOP. By comparison with the known reactivities of each radical species with specific organic compounds, we mechanistically and systematically elucidate the molecular-level DOM transformation pathways induced by hydroxyl, chlorine, and sulfate radicals in UV-AOPs. We find that there is a distinct transformation in the aliphatic components of DOM due to HO• in UV/H 2 O 2 and UV/free chlorine. Cl• induced transformation of olefinic species is also observed in the UV/free chlorine system. Transformation of aromatic and olefinic moieties by SO 4 •- are the predominant pathways in the UV/persulfate system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. An optical Fourier transform coprocessor with direct phase determination.

    PubMed

    Macfaden, Alexander J; Gordon, George S D; Wilkinson, Timothy D

    2017-10-20

    The Fourier transform is a ubiquitous mathematical operation which arises naturally in optics. We propose and demonstrate a practical method to optically evaluate a complex-to-complex discrete Fourier transform. By implementing the Fourier transform optically we can overcome the limiting O(nlogn) complexity of fast Fourier transform algorithms. Efficiently extracting the phase from the well-known optical Fourier transform is challenging. By appropriately decomposing the input and exploiting symmetries of the Fourier transform we are able to determine the phase directly from straightforward intensity measurements, creating an optical Fourier transform with O(n) apparent complexity. Performing larger optical Fourier transforms requires higher resolution spatial light modulators, but the execution time remains unchanged. This method could unlock the potential of the optical Fourier transform to permit 2D complex-to-complex discrete Fourier transforms with a performance that is currently untenable, with applications across information processing and computational physics.

  2. Amide-transforming activity of Streptomyces: possible application to the formation of hydroxy amides and aminoalcohols.

    PubMed

    Yamada, Shinya; Miyagawa, Taka-Aki; Yamada, Ren; Shiratori-Takano, Hatsumi; Sayo, Noboru; Saito, Takao; Takano, Hideaki; Beppu, Teruhiko; Ueda, Kenji

    2013-07-01

    To develop an efficient bioconversion process for amides, we screened our collection of Streptomyces strains, mostly obtained from soil, for effective transformers. Five strains, including the SY007 (NBRC 109343) and SY435 (NBRC 109344) of Streptomyces sp., exhibited marked conversion activities from the approximately 700 strains analyzed. These strains transformed diverse amide compounds such as N-acetyltetrahydroquinoline, N-benzoylpyrrolidine, and N-benzoylpiperidine into alcohols or N,O-acetals with high activity and regioselectivity. N,O-acetal was transformed into alcohol by serial tautomerization and reduction reactions. As such, Streptomyces spp. can potentially be used for the efficient preparation of hydroxy amides and aminoalcohols.

  3. E-Government Goes Semantic Web: How Administrations Can Transform Their Information Processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klischewski, Ralf; Ukena, Stefan

    E-government applications and services are built mainly on access to, retrieval of, integration of, and delivery of relevant information to citizens, businesses, and administrative users. In order to perform such information processing automatically through the Semantic Web,1 machine-readable2 enhancements of web resources are needed, based on the understanding of the content and context of the information in focus. While these enhancements are far from trivial to produce, administrations in their role of information and service providers so far find little guidance on how to migrate their web resources and enable a new quality of information processing; even research is still seeking best practices. Therefore, the underlying research question of this chapter is: what are the appropriate approaches which guide administrations in transforming their information processes toward the Semantic Web? In search for answers, this chapter analyzes the challenges and possible solutions from the perspective of administrations: (a) the reconstruction of the information processing in the e-government in terms of how semantic technologies must be employed to support information provision and consumption through the Semantic Web; (b) the required contribution to the transformation is compared to the capabilities and expectations of administrations; and (c) available experience with the steps of transformation are reviewed and discussed as to what extent they can be expected to successfully drive the e-government to the Semantic Web. This research builds on studying the case of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where semantic technologies have been used within the frame of the Access-eGov3 project in order to semantically enhance electronic service interfaces with the aim of providing a new way of accessing and combining e-government services.

  4. A quantitative model for transforming reflectance spectra into the Munsell color space using cone sensitivity functions and opponent process weights.

    PubMed

    D'Andrade, Roy G; Romney, A Kimball

    2003-05-13

    This article presents a computational model of the process through which the human visual system transforms reflectance spectra into perceptions of color. Using physical reflectance spectra data and standard human cone sensitivity functions we describe the transformations necessary for predicting the location of colors in the Munsell color space. These transformations include quantitative estimates of the opponent process weights needed to transform cone activations into Munsell color space coordinates. Using these opponent process weights, the Munsell position of specific colors can be predicted from their physical spectra with a mean correlation of 0.989.

  5. Investigating the 3-D Subduction Initiation Processes at Transform Faults and Passive Margins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, H.; Leng, W.

    2017-12-01

    Studying the processes of subduction initiation is a key for understanding the Wilson cycle and improving the theory of plate tectonics. Previous studies investigated subduction initiation with geological synthesis and geodynamic modeling methods, discovering that subduction intends to initiate at the transform faults close to oceanic arcs, and that its evolutionary processes and surface volcanic expressions are controlled by plate strength. However, these studies are mainly conducted with 2-D models, which cannot deal with lateral heterogeneities of crustal thickness and strength along the plate interfaces. Here we extend the 2-D model to a 3-D parallel subduction model with high computational efficiency. With the new model, we study the dynamic controlling factors, morphology evolutionary processes and surface expressions for subduction initiation with lateral heterogeneities of material properties along transform faults and passive margins. We find that lateral lithospheric heterogeneities control the starting point of the subduction initiation along the newly formed trenches and the propagation speed for the trench formation. New subduction tends to firstly initiate at the property changing point along the transform faults or passive margins. Such finds may be applied to explain the formation process of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) subduction zone in the western Pacific and the Scotia subduction zone at the south end of the South America. Our results enhance our understanding for the formation of new trenches and help to provide geodynamic modeling explanations for the observed remnant slabs in the upper mantle and the surface volcanic expressions.

  6. Transpressive mantle uplift at large offset oceanic transform faults

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maia, M.; Briais, A.; Brunelli, D.; Ligi, M.; Sichel, S. E.; Campos, T.

    2017-12-01

    Large-offset transform faults deform due to changes in plate motions and local processes. At the St. Paul transform, in the Equatorial Atlantic, a large body of ultramafic rocks composed of variably serpentinized and mylonitized peridotites is presently being tectonically uplifted. We recently discovered that the origin of the regional mantle uplift is linked to long-standing compressive stresses along the transform fault (1). A positive flower structure, mainly made of mylonitized mantle rocks, can be recognized on the 200 km large push-up ridge. Compressive earthquakes mechanisms reveal seismically active thrust faults on the southern flank of the ridge . The regional transpressive stress field affects a large portion of the ridge segment south of the transform, as revealed by the presence of faults and dykes striking obliquely to the direction of the central ridge axis. A smaller thrust, affecting recent sediments, was mapped south of this segment, suggesting a regional active compressive stress field. The transpressive stress field is interpreted to derive from the propagation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) segment into the transform domain as a response to the enhanced melt supply at the ridge axis. The propagation forced the migration and segmentation of the transform fault southward and the formation of restraining step-overs. The process started after a counterclockwise change in plate motion at 11 Ma initially resulting in extensive stress of the transform domain. A flexural transverse ridge formed in response. Shortly after plate reorganization, the MAR segment started to propagate southwards due to the interaction of the ridge and the Sierra Leone thermal anomaly. 1- Maia et al., 2016. Extreme mantle uplift and exhumation along a transpressive transform fault Nat. Geo. doi:10.1038/ngeo2759

  7. Baecklund transformations of Toda chains

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

    Andreev, V.A.

    Baecklund transformations of the nonperiodic Toda chains corresponding to the algebras A/sub n/, B/sub n/, C/sub n/, G/sub 2/ and the periodic Toda chains corresponding to the algebras A/sub n/ and C/sub n/ are constructed. Baecklund transformations of matrix Toda chains are also considered.

  8. Due Process Rights for California Public School Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Helen K.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the frequency of prior dismissal or reassignment as site administrators as experienced by sitting California school district superintendents, (b) determine the opinions of California district superintendents about the lack of due process rights of school site administrators about support systems and…

  9. Digital Signal Processing and Generation for a DC Current Transformer for Particle Accelerators

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

    Zorzetti, Silvia

    2013-01-01

    The thesis topic, digital signal processing and generation for a DC current transformer, focuses on the most fundamental beam diagnostics in the field of particle accelerators, the measurement of the beam intensity, or beam current. The technology of a DC current transformer (DCCT) is well known, and used in many areas, including particle accelerator beam instrumentation, as non-invasive (shunt-free) method to monitor the DC current in a conducting wire, or in our case, the current of charged particles travelling inside an evacuated metal pipe. So far, custom and commercial DCCTs are entirely based on analog technologies and signal processing, whichmore » makes them inflexible, sensitive to component aging, and difficult to maintain and calibrate.« less

  10. Enantioselective reductive transformation of climbazole: A concept towards quantitative biodegradation assessment in anaerobic biological treatment processes.

    PubMed

    Brienza, Monica; Chiron, Serge

    2017-06-01

    An efficient chiral method-based using liquid chromatography-high resolution-mass spectrometry analytical method has been validated for the determination of climbazole (CBZ) enantiomers in wastewater and sludge with quantification limits below the 1 ng/L and 2 ng/g range, respectively. On the basis of this newly developed analytical method, the stereochemistry of CBZ was investigated over time in sludge biotic and sterile batch experiments under anoxic dark and light conditions and during wastewater biological treatment by subsurface flow constructed wetlands. CBZ stereoselective degradation was exclusively observed under biotic conditions, confirming the specificity of enantiomeric fraction variations to biodegradation processes. Abiotic CBZ enantiomerization was insignificant at circumneutral pH and CBZ was always biotransformed into CBZ-alcohol due to the specific and enantioselective reduction of the ketone function of CBZ into a secondary alcohol function. This transformation was almost quantitative and biodegradation gave good first order kinetic fit for both enantiomers. The possibility to apply the Rayleigh equation to enantioselective CBZ biodegradation processes was investigated. The results of enantiomeric enrichment allowed for a quantitative assessment of in situ biodegradation processes due to a good fit (R 2  > 0.96) of the anoxic/anaerobic CBZ biodegradation to the Rayleigh dependency in all the biotic microcosms and was also applied in subsurface flow constructed wetlands. This work extended the concept of applying the Rayleigh equation towards quantitative biodegradation assessment of organic contaminants to enantioselective processes operating under anoxic/anaerobic conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. A Comparative Analysis of Extract, Transformation and Loading (ETL) Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Runtuwene, J. P. A.; Tangkawarow, I. R. H. T.; Manoppo, C. T. M.; Salaki, R. J.

    2018-02-01

    The current growth of data and information occurs rapidly in varying amount and media. These types of development will eventually produce large number of data better known as the Big Data. Business Intelligence (BI) utilizes large number of data and information for analysis so that one can obtain important information. This type of information can be used to support decision-making process. In practice a process integrating existing data and information into data warehouse is needed. This data integration process is known as Extract, Transformation and Loading (ETL). In practice, many applications have been developed to carry out the ETL process, but selection which applications are more time, cost and power effective and efficient may become a challenge. Therefore, the objective of the study was to provide comparative analysis through comparison between the ETL process using Microsoft SQL Server Integration Service (SSIS) and one using Pentaho Data Integration (PDI).

  12. Teaching about Due Process of Law. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vontz, Thomas S.

    Fundamental constitutional and legal principles are central to effective instruction in the K-12 social studies curriculum. To become competent citizens, students need to develop an understanding of the principles on which their society and government are based. Few principles are as important in the social studies curriculum as due process of…

  13. Microstructures and Continuous Cooling Transformation of CGHAZ in E36 Class V-N-Ti, V-Ti and Nb-Ti Shipbuilding Steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Zhongran; Wang, Ruizhen; Wang, Qingfeng; Su, Hang; Chai, Feng; Yang, Caifu

    For the purpose of obtaining the optimal microstructures and mechanical properties of the CGHAZ under high input welding, continuous cooling transformation diagrams of the coarse grain heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) and the corresponding microstructures were investigated for a E36 class V-N-Ti, V-Ti, and Nb-Ti shipbuilding steels. The results indicated that the CGHAZ continuous transformation behaviors of Nb-Ti and V-Ti steel were similar, but the V-retard phenomenon was not as apparent as that of Nb. In addition, the cooling rate of ferrite transformation of V-Ti steel was higher than that of Nb-Ti steel. The nitrogen addition in the V-Ti steel enhanced the ferrite transformation, since that increasing the nitrogen could obtain fine (Ti, V)(C, N) particles and refine the original austenite size, which can promote the ferrite nucleation. The bainite transformation range of V-N-Ti steel was obviously lower than that of Nb-Ti, V-Ti steel at the t8/5≥100s.

  14. Fast Unitary Transforms - Benefits and Restrictions.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-04-01

    transformation kernel, and u assumes values in the range 0, 1, ... , N-i. Similarly, the inverse transform is given by the relation N-1 f(x) E T(u)h(x...function to obtain T(u,v). Similar comments hold for the inverse transform if h(x,y,u,v) is separable. If the kernel g(xy,u,v) is separable and symmetric...the forward transform can be used directly to obtain the inverse transform simply by multiplying the result of the algorithm by N. 12 The forward and

  15. Crosscutting Issues in International Transformation: Interactions and Innovations among People, Organizations, Processes, and Technology

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-01

    in the process of reaching this goal. We hope that this book is valuable to you as you seek to transform your part of the world. Ralph O...missions and operations; lead NATO military transformation; and improve relationships , interaction, and practical cooperation with partners, nations...the Multiple Futures Project or most other future studies will you find anything about the central element of the problem—learning how to think about

  16. Operation in low edge safety factor regime and passive disruption avoidance due to stellarator rotational transform in the Compact Toroidal Hybrid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pandya, M. D.; Ennis, D. A.; Hartwell, G. J.; Maurer, D. A.

    2015-11-01

    Low edge safety factor operation at a value less than two (q (a) = 1 /ttot (a) < 2) is routine on the Compact Toroidal Hybrid device. Presently, the operational space of this current carrying stellarator extends down to q (a) = 1 . 2 without significant n = 1 kink mode activity after the initial plasma current rise of the discharge. The disruption dynamics of these low q (a) plasmas depend upon the fraction of rotational transform produced by external stellarator coils to that generated by the plasma current. We observe that when about 10% of the total rotational transform is supplied by the stellarator coils, low q (a) disruptions are passively suppressed and avoided even though q (a) < 2 . When the plasma does disrupt, the instability precursors measured and implicated as the cause are internal tearing modes with poloidal, m, and toroidal, n, mode numbers of m / n = 3 / 2 and 4 / 3 observed by external magnetic sensors, and m / n = 1 / 1 activity observed by core soft x-ray emissivity measurements. Even though q (a) passes through and becomes much less than two, external n = 1 kink mode activity does not appear to play a significant role in the observed disruption phenomenology. This work is supported by US Department of Energy Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER54610.

  17. The Pilin N-terminal Domain Maintains Neisseria gonorrhoeae Transformation Competence during Pilus Phase Variation

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    The obligate human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the sole aetiologic agent of the sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhea. Required for gonococcal infection, Type IV pili (Tfp) mediate many functions including adherence, twitching motility, defense against neutrophil killing, and natural transformation. Critical for immune escape, the gonococcal Tfp undergoes antigenic variation, a recombination event at the pilE locus that varies the surface exposed residues of the major pilus subunit PilE (pilin) in the pilus fiber. This programmed recombination system has the potential to produce thousands of pilin variants and can produce strains with unproductive pilin molecules that are completely unable to form Tfp. Saturating mutagenesis of the 3’ third of the pilE gene identified 68 unique single nucleotide mutations that each resulted in an underpiliated colony morphology. Notably, all isolates, including those with undetectable levels of pilin protein and no observable surface-exposed pili, retained an intermediate level of transformation competence not exhibited in ΔpilE strains. Site-directed, nonsense mutations revealed that only the first 38 amino acids of the mature pilin N-terminus (the N-terminal domain or Ntd) are required for transformation competence, and microscopy, ELISAs and pilus purification demonstrate that extended Tfp are not required for competence. Transformation in strains producing only the pilin Ntd has the same genetic determinants as wild-type transformation. The Ntd corresponds to the alternative product of S-pilin cleavage, a specific proteolysis unique to pathogenic Neisseria. Mutation of the S-pilin cleavage site demonstrated that S-pilin cleavage mediated release of the Ntd is required for competence when a strain produces unproductive pilin molecules that cannot assemble into a Tfp through mutation or antigenic variation. We conclude that S-pilin cleavage evolved as a mechanism to maintain competence in nonpiliated antigenic

  18. Laplace transforms of the Hulthén Green's function and their application to potential scattering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laha, U.; Ray, S.; Panda, S.; Bhoi, J.

    2017-10-01

    We derive closed-form representations for the single and double Laplace transforms of the Hulthén Green's function of the outgoing wave multiplied by the Yamaguchi potential and write them in the maximally reduced form. We use the expression for the double transform to compute the low-energy phase shifts for the elastic scattering in the systems α-nucleon, α-He3, and α-H3. The calculation results agree well with the experimental data.

  19. Thermokinetic Modeling of Phase Transformation in the Laser Powder Deposition Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foroozmehr, Ehsan; Kovacevic, Radovan

    2009-08-01

    A finite element model coupled with a thermokinetic model is developed to predict the phase transformation of the laser deposition of AISI 4140 on a substrate with the same material. Four different deposition patterns, long-bead, short-bead, spiral-in, and spiral-out, are used to cover a similar area. Using a finite element model, the temperature history of the laser powder deposition (LPD) process is determined. The martensite transformation as well as martensite tempering is considered to calculate the final fraction of martensite, ferrite, cementite, ɛ-carbide, and retained austenite. Comparing the surface hardness topography of different patterns reveals that path planning is a critical parameter in laser surface modification. The predicted results are in a close agreement with the experimental results.

  20. Paired Straight Hearth Furnace - Transformational Ironmaking Process

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

    Lu, Wei-Kao; Debski, Paul

    2014-11-19

    The U. S. steel industry has reduced its energy intensity per ton of steel shipped by 33% since 1990. However, further significant gains in energy efficiency will require the development of new, transformational iron and steelmaking processes. The Paired Straight Hearth Furnace (PSH) process is an emerging alternative high productivity, direct reduced iron (DRI) technology that may achieve very low fuel rates and has the potential to replace blast furnace ironmaking. The PSH furnace can operate independently or may be coupled with other melting technologies to produce liquid hot metal that is both similar to blast furnace iron and suitablemore » as a feedstock for basic oxygen steelmaking furnaces. The PSH process uses non-metallurgical coal as a reductant to convert iron oxides such as iron ore and steelmaking by-product oxides to DRI pellets. In this process, a multi-layer, nominally 120mm tall bed of composite “green balls” made from oxide, coal and binder is built up and contained within a moving refractory hearth. The pellet bed absorbs radiant heat energy during exposure to the high temperature interior refractory surfaces of the PSH while generating a strongly reducing gas atmosphere in the bed that yields a highly metalized DRI product. The PSH concept has been well tested in static hearth experiments. A moving bed design is being developed. The process developers believe that if successful, the PSH process has the potential to replace blast furnaces and coke ovens at a fraction of the operating and capital cost while using about 30% less energy relative to current blast furnace technology. DRI output could also feed electric arc furnaces (EAFs) by displacing a portion of the scrap charge.« less

  1. Expectations of Faculty, Parents, and Students for Due Process in Campus Disciplinary Hearings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Janosik, Steven M.

    2001-01-01

    A sample of 464 faculty members, parents, and students responded to a questionnaire that assessed their expectations for due process in campus disciplinary hearings. Respondents indicated they expected high levels of due process would be provided in suspension-level campus disciplinary hearings. The three groups differed on specific due process…

  2. Dissociation and Internal Excitation of Molecular Nitrogen Due to N + N2 Collisions Using Direct Molecular Simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grover, Maninder S.; Schwartzentruber, Thomas E.; Jaffe, Richard L.

    2017-01-01

    In this work we present a molecular level study of N2+N collisions, focusing on excitation of internal energy modes and non-equilibrium dissociation. The computation technique used here is the direct molecular simulation (DMS) method and the molecular interactions have been modeled using an ab-initio potential energy surface (PES) developed at NASA's Ames Research Center. We carried out vibrational excitation calculations between 5000K and 30000K and found that the characteristic vibrational excitation time for the N + N2 process was an order of magnitude lower than that predicted by the Millikan and White correlation. It is observed that during vibrational excitation the high energy tail of the vibrational energy distribution gets over populated first and the lower energy levels get populated as the system evolves. It is found that the non-equilibrium dissociation rate coefficients for the N + N2 process are larger than those for the N2 + N2 process. This is attributed to the non-equilibrium vibrational energy distributions for the N + N2 process being less depleted than that for the N2 +N2 process. For an isothermal simulation we find that the probability of dissociation goes as 1/T(sub tr) for molecules with internal energy (epsilon(sub int)) less than approximately 9.9eV, while for molecules with epsilon (sub int) greater than 9.9eV the dissociation probability was weakly dependent on translational temperature of the system. We compared non-equilibrium dissociation rate coefficients and characteristic vibrational excitation times obtained by using the ab-initio PES developed at NASA's Ames Research Center to those obtained by using an ab-initio PES developed at the University of Minnesota. Good agreement was found between the macroscopic properties and molecular level description of the system obtained by using the two PESs.

  3. Quick, sensitive serial NMR experiments with Radon transform.

    PubMed

    Dass, Rupashree; Kasprzak, Paweł; Kazimierczuk, Krzysztof

    2017-09-01

    The Radon transform is a potentially powerful tool for processing the data from serial spectroscopic experiments. It makes it possible to decode the rate at which frequencies of spectral peaks shift under the effect of changing conditions, such as temperature, pH, or solvent. In this paper we show how it also improves speed and sensitivity, especially in multidimensional experiments. This is particularly important in the case of low-sensitivity techniques, such as NMR spectroscopy. As an example, we demonstrate how Radon transform processing allows serial measurements of 15 N-HSQC spectra of unlabelled peptides that would otherwise be infeasible. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. 25 CFR 42.7 - What does due process in a formal disciplinary proceeding include?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What does due process in a formal disciplinary proceeding... RIGHTS § 42.7 What does due process in a formal disciplinary proceeding include? Due process must include... rendering a disciplinary decision. (b) The school must hold a fair and impartial hearing before imposing...

  5. Modes, hydrodynamic processes and ecological impacts exerted by river-groundwater transformation in Junggar Basin, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Wenke; Wang, Zhan; Hou, Rongzhe; Guan, Longyao; Dang, Yan; Zhang, Zaiyong; Wang, Hao; Duan, Lei; Wang, Zhoufeng

    2018-05-01

    The hydrodynamic processes and impacts exerted by river-groundwater transformation need to be studied at regional and catchment scale, especially with respect to diverse geology and lithology. This work adopted an integrated method to study four typical modes (characterized primarily by lithology, flow subsystems, and gaining/losing river status) and the associated hydrodynamic processes and ecological impacts in the southern part of Junggar Basin, China. River-groundwater transformation occurs one to four times along the basin route. For mode classification, such transformation occurs: once or twice, controlled by lithological factors (mode 1); twice, impacted by geomorphic features and lithological structures (mode 2); and three or four times, controlled by both geological and lithological structures (modes 3 and 4). Results also suggest: (1) there exist local and regional groundwater flow subsystems at 400 m depth, which form a multistage nested groundwater flow system. The groundwater flow velocities are 0.1-1.0 and <0.1 m/day for each of two subsystems; (2) the primary groundwater hydro-chemical type takes on apparent horizontal and vertical zoning characteristics, and the TDS of the groundwater evidently increases along the direction of groundwater flow, driven by hydrodynamic processes; (3) the streams, wetland and terminal lakes are the end-points of the local and regional groundwater flow systems. This work indicates that not only are groundwater and river water derived from the same source, but also hydrodynamic and hydro-chemical processes and ecological effects, as a whole in arid areas, are controlled by stream-groundwater transformation.

  6. Upper limits to the fractionation of isotopes due to atmospheric escape: Implications for potential 14N/15N in Pluto's atmosphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mandt, K.; Mousis, O.

    2014-12-01

    Formation and evolution of the solar system is studied in part using stable isotope ratios that are presumed to be primordial, or representative of conditions in the protosolar Nebula. Comets, meteorites and giant planet atmospheres provide measurements that can reasonably be presumed to represent primordial conditions while the terrestrial planets, Pluto and Saturn's moon Titan have atmospheres that have evolved over the history of the solar system. The stable isotope ratios measured in these atmospheres are, therefore, first a valuable tool for evaluating the history of atmospheric escape and once escape is constrained can provide indications of conditions of formation. D/H ratios in the atmosphere of Venus provide indications of the amount of water lost from Venus over the history of the solar system, while several isotope ratios in the atmosphere of Mars provide evidence for long-term erosion of the atmosphere. We have recently demonstrated that the nitrogen ratios, 14N/15N, in Titan's atmosphere cannot evolve significantly over the history of the solar system and that the primordial ratio for Titan must have been similar to the value recently measured for NH3 in comets. This implies that the building blocks for Titan formed in the protosolar nebula rather than in the warmer subnebula surrounding Saturn at the end of its formation. Our result strongly contrasts with works showing that 14N/15N in the atmosphere of Mars can easily fractionate from the terrestrial value to its current value due to escape processes within the lifetime of the solar system. The difference between how nitrogen fractionates in Mars and Titan's atmospheres presents a puzzle for the fractionation of isotopes in an atmosphere due to atmospheric escape. Here, we present a method aiming at determining an upper limit to the amount of fractionation allowed to occur due to escape, which is a function of the escape flux and the column density of the atmospheric constituent. Through this

  7. Brain's tumor image processing using shearlet transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cadena, Luis; Espinosa, Nikolai; Cadena, Franklin; Korneeva, Anna; Kruglyakov, Alexey; Legalov, Alexander; Romanenko, Alexey; Zotin, Alexander

    2017-09-01

    Brain tumor detection is well known research area for medical and computer scientists. In last decades there has been much research done on tumor detection, segmentation, and classification. Medical imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis of brain tumors and nowadays uses methods non-invasive, high-resolution techniques, especially magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans. Edge detection is a fundamental tool in image processing, particularly in the areas of feature detection and feature extraction, which aim at identifying points in a digital image at which the image has discontinuities. Shearlets is the most successful frameworks for the efficient representation of multidimensional data, capturing edges and other anisotropic features which frequently dominate multidimensional phenomena. The paper proposes an improved brain tumor detection method by automatically detecting tumor location in MR images, its features are extracted by new shearlet transform.

  8. Twin and habit plane microstructures due to the tetragonal to monoclinic transformation of zirconia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simha, N. K.

    1997-02-01

    We first construct Bain strains for the tetragonal to monoclinic ( t → m) transformation of zirconia (ZrO 2), and then examine the resulting twin and habit plane microstructures. The ( t → m) transformation in zirconia occurs via two paths; transformation along path I has two Bain strains that involve shearing of a rectangular face of the tetragonal unit cell, and shearing of the square base corresponds to path II. The monoclinic variants resulting from each of the three Bain strains can form 12 twins, and four of the twins corresponding to path II are neither of type I nor of type II. Habit planes do not exist for the transformation along path I, whereas transformation along path II has: (± 0.8139, ± 0.3898, - 0.4309) t, (± 0.6489, ± 0.6271, - 0.4309) t, (± 0.7804, ± 0.4530, - 0.4309) t. We predict the exact twin planes observed by Bailey [(1964) Phase transformation at high temperatures in hafnia and zirconia. Proc. Roy. Soc.279A, 395-412], Bansal and Heuer [(1972) On a martensitic phase transformation in Zirconia ZrO 2—I. Metallographic evidence. Acta Metall.20, 1281-1289] and Buljan et al. [(1976) Optical and X-ray single crystal studies of the monoclinic ↔ tetragonal transition in ZrO 2. J. Am. Ceram. Soc.59, 351-354]; additional twins and habit planes that we predict have not yet been observed.

  9. Transient excitation and data processing techniques employing the fast fourier transform for aeroelastic testing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jennings, W. P.; Olsen, N. L.; Walter, M. J.

    1976-01-01

    The development of testing techniques useful in airplane ground resonance testing, wind tunnel aeroelastic model testing, and airplane flight flutter testing is presented. Included is the consideration of impulsive excitation, steady-state sinusoidal excitation, and random and pseudorandom excitation. Reasons for the selection of fast sine sweeps for transient excitation are given. The use of the fast fourier transform dynamic analyzer (HP-5451B) is presented, together with a curve fitting data process in the Laplace domain to experimentally evaluate values of generalized mass, model frequencies, dampings, and mode shapes. The effects of poor signal to noise ratios due to turbulence creating data variance are discussed. Data manipulation techniques used to overcome variance problems are also included. The experience is described that was gained by using these techniques since the early stages of the SST program. Data measured during 747 flight flutter tests, and SST, YC-14, and 727 empennage flutter model tests are included.

  10. Analysis of Due Process Decisions in Idaho: 2004 to 2012

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wattam, Marni Jo

    2014-01-01

    This study used an explanatory mixed methods design to examine special education due process outcomes in Idaho for the time period of January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2012. The study was done in two phases. Phase one of the study explored what types of special education related issues are being brought before the state hearing officer(s) as due process…

  11. Nitrogen transformations along a shallow subterranean estuary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Couturier, Mathilde; Tommi-Morin, Gwendoline; Sirois, Maude; Rao, Alexandra; Nozais, Christian; Chaillou, Gwénaëlle

    2017-07-01

    The transformations of chemical constituents in subterranean estuaries (STEs) control the delivery of nutrient loads from coastal aquifers to the ocean. It is important to determine the processes and sources that alter nutrient concentrations at a local scale in order to estimate accurate regional and global nutrient fluxes via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), particularly in boreal environments, where data are still very scarce. Here, the biogeochemical transformations of nitrogen (N) species were examined within the STE of a boreal microtidal sandy beach located in the Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada). This study revealed the vertical and horizontal distribution of nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), ammonia (NH4+), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) measured in beach groundwater during four spring seasons (June 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015) when aquifer recharge was maximal after snowmelt. Inland groundwater supplied high concentrations of NOx and DON to the STE, whereas inputs from seawater infiltration were very limited. Non-conservative behaviour was observed along the groundwater flow path, leading to low NOx and high NH4+ concentrations in the discharge zone. The long transit time of groundwater within the beach (˜ 166 days), coupled with oxygen-depleted conditions and high carbon concentrations, created a favourable environment for N transformations such as heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification and ammonium production. Biogeochemical pathways led to a shift in nitrogen species along the flow path from NOx-rich to NOx-poor groundwater. An estimate of SGD fluxes of N was determined to account for biogeochemical transformations within the STE based on a N-species inventory and Darcy's flow. Fresh inland groundwater delivered 37 mol NOx yr-1 per metre of shoreline and 63 mol DON m-1 yr-1 to the STE, and NH4+ input was negligible. Near the discharge zone, the potential export of N species was estimated around 140, 1

  12. Inorganic nitrogen transformations in the bed of the Shingobee River, Minnesota: Integrating hydrologic and biological processes using sediment perfusion cores

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sheibley, R.W.; Duff, J.H.; Jackman, A.P.; Triska, F.J.

    2003-01-01

    Inorganic N transformations were examined in streambed sediments from the Shingobee River using sediment perfusion cores. The experimental design simulated groundwater-stream water mixing within sediment cores, which provided a well-defined one-dimensional representation of in situ hydrologic conditions. Two distinct hydrologic and chemical settings were preserved in the sediment cores: the lowermost sediments, perfused with groundwater, remained anaerobic during the incubations, whereas the uppermost sediments, perfused with oxic water pumped from the overlying water column, simulated stream water penetration into the bed. The maintenance of oxic and anoxic zones formed a biologically active aerobic-anaerobic interface. Ammonium (NH4+) dissolved in groundwater was transported conservatively through the lower core zone but was removed as it mixed with aerated recycle water. Concurrently, a small quantity of nitrate (NO3-) equaling ???25% of the NH4+ loss was produced in the upper sediments. The NH4+ and NO3- profiles in the uppermost sediments resulted from coupled nitrification-denitrification, because assimilation and sorption were negligible. We hypothesize that anaerobic microsites within the aerated upper sediments supported denitrification. Rates of nitrification and denitrification in the perfusion cores ranged 42-209 and 53-160 mg N m-2 day-1, respectively. The use of modified perfusion cores permitted the identification and quantification of N transformations and verified process control by surface water exchange into the shallow hyporheic zone of the Shingobee River.

  13. Malignant transformation of oral lichen planus by a chronic inflammatory process. Use of topical corticosteroids to prevent this progression?

    PubMed

    Otero-Rey, Eva Maria; Suarez-Alen, Fatima; Peñamaria-Mallon, Manuel; Lopez-Lopez, Jose; Blanco-Carrion, Andres

    2014-11-01

    Oral lichen planus is a potentially malignant disorder with a capacity, although low, for malignant transformation. Of all the factors related to the process of malignant transformation, it is believed that the chronic inflammatory process plays a key role in the development of oral cancer. This inflammatory process is capable of providing a microenvironment based on different inflammatory cells and molecules that affect cellular growth, proliferation and differentiation. The objectives of our study are: to review the available evidence about the possible relationship between the chronic inflammatory process present in oral lichen planus and its malignant transformation, to discuss the potential therapeutic implications derived from this relationship and to study the role that topical corticosteroids play in the control of oral lichen planus inflammation and its possible progression to malignant transformation. The maintenance of a minimum dose of topical corticosteroids could prevent the inflammatory progression of oral lichen planus to oral cancer.

  14. Finite size effects in phase transformation kinetics in thin films and surface layers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trofimov, Vladimir I.; Trofimov, Ilya V.; Kim, Jong-Il

    2004-02-01

    In studies of phase transformation kinetics in thin films, e.g. crystallization of amorphous films, until recent time is widely used familiar Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (KJMA) statistical model of crystallization despite it is applicable only to an infinite medium. In this paper a model of transformation kinetics in thin films based on a concept of the survival probability for randomly chosen point during transformation process is presented. Two model versions: volume induced transformation (VIT) when the second-phase grains nucleate over a whole film volume and surface induced transformation (SIT) when they form on an interface with two nucleation mode: instantaneous nucleation at transformation onset and continuous one during all the process are studied. At VIT-process due to the finite film thickness effects the transformation profile has a maximum in a film middle, whereas that of the grains population reaches a minimum inhere, the grains density is always higher than in a volume material, and the thinner film the slower it transforms. The transformation kinetics in a thin film obeys a generalized KJMA equation with parameters depending on a film thickness and in limiting cases of extremely thin and thick film it reduces to classical KJMA equation for 2D- and 3D-system, respectively.

  15. Parallel processing for digital picture comparison

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheng, H. D.; Kou, L. T.

    1987-01-01

    In picture processing an important problem is to identify two digital pictures of the same scene taken under different lighting conditions. This kind of problem can be found in remote sensing, satellite signal processing and the related areas. The identification can be done by transforming the gray levels so that the gray level histograms of the two pictures are closely matched. The transformation problem can be solved by using the packing method. Researchers propose a VLSI architecture consisting of m x n processing elements with extensive parallel and pipelining computation capabilities to speed up the transformation with the time complexity 0(max(m,n)), where m and n are the numbers of the gray levels of the input picture and the reference picture respectively. If using uniprocessor and a dynamic programming algorithm, the time complexity will be 0(m(3)xn). The algorithm partition problem, as an important issue in VLSI design, is discussed. Verification of the proposed architecture is also given.

  16. Porous coordination polymers as novel sorption materials for heat transformation processes.

    PubMed

    Janiak, Christoph; Henninger, Stefan K

    2013-01-01

    Porous coordination polymers (PCPs)/metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are inorganic-organic hybrid materials with a permanent three-dimensional porous metal-ligand network. PCPs or MOFs are inorganic-organic analogs of zeolites in terms of porosity and reversible guest exchange properties. Microporous water-stable PCPs with high water uptake capacity are gaining attention for low temperature heat transformation applications in thermally driven adsorption chillers (TDCs) or adsorption heat pumps (AHPs). TDCs or AHPs are an alternative to traditional air conditioners or heat pumps operating on electricity or fossil fuels. By using solar or waste heat as the operating energy TDCs or AHPs can significantly help to minimize primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions generated by industrial or domestic heating and cooling processes. TDCs and AHPs are based on the evaporation and consecutive adsorption of coolant liquids, preferably water, under specific conditions. The process is driven and controlled by the microporosity and hydrophilicity of the employed sorption material. Here we summarize the current investigations, developments and possibilities of PCPs/MOFs for use in low-temperature heat transformation applications as alternative materials for the traditional inorganic porous substances like silica gel, aluminophosphates or zeolites.

  17. Partial differential equation transform — Variational formulation and Fourier analysis

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Yang; Wei, Guo-Wei; Yang, Siyang

    2011-01-01

    Nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) models are established approaches for image/signal processing, data analysis and surface construction. Most previous geometric PDEs are utilized as low-pass filters which give rise to image trend information. In an earlier work, we introduced mode decomposition evolution equations (MoDEEs), which behave like high-pass filters and are able to systematically provide intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) of signals and images. Due to their tunable time-frequency localization and perfect reconstruction, the operation of MoDEEs is called a PDE transform. By appropriate selection of PDE transform parameters, we can tune IMFs into trends, edges, textures, noise etc., which can be further utilized in the secondary processing for various purposes. This work introduces the variational formulation, performs the Fourier analysis, and conducts biomedical and biological applications of the proposed PDE transform. The variational formulation offers an algorithm to incorporate two image functions and two sets of low-pass PDE operators in the total energy functional. Two low-pass PDE operators have different signs, leading to energy disparity, while a coupling term, acting as a relative fidelity of two image functions, is introduced to reduce the disparity of two energy components. We construct variational PDE transforms by using Euler-Lagrange equation and artificial time propagation. Fourier analysis of a simplified PDE transform is presented to shed light on the filter properties of high order PDE transforms. Such an analysis also offers insight on the parameter selection of the PDE transform. The proposed PDE transform algorithm is validated by numerous benchmark tests. In one selected challenging example, we illustrate the ability of PDE transform to separate two adjacent frequencies of sin(x) and sin(1.1x). Such an ability is due to PDE transform’s controllable frequency localization obtained by adjusting the order of PDEs. The

  18. Spontaneous subduction at transform faults: common process or outlier?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lallemand, S.; Abecassis, S.; Arcay, D.; Garel, F.

    2017-12-01

    Spontaneous subduction is argued to occur mainly at transform faults, as a result of gravitational instability of the older plate in the absence of convergence, leading to subduction. Spontaneous subduction has been suggested for the initiation of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction zone, based on the occurrence of a specific magmatic sequence including forearc basalts and boninites. Some thermo-mechanical models have been designed to focus on gravitational instability but only of the colder plate present at the transform fault, restricting the study of conditions yielding spontaneous subduction. We perform a more general 2D parameteric study, by combining pseudo-brittle and ductile rheologies. We test the influence of the two plate ages but also the role and the rheological properties of the transform fault, assumed to be made of a weak layer (crust in our case). This crustal layer may also be present (or not) on top of plates. Slip is free on all sides of the simulation box. We observe three different behaviors depending on experimental set-up: overall static conductive cooling, spontaneous subduction of the colder plate, and spontaneous subduction of the younger lithosphere. Our results suggest that spontaneous subduction of the colder plate can occur only for a limited range of lithosphere age pairs and if the brittle strength of the oceanic crust is low enough. In any cases, this mode of subduction initiation yields an instantaneous slab rollback associated with an extremely fast trench retreat, resulting in upper plate extension and asthenosphere upwelling along the slab top up to the surface. Our first conclusion is that the set of conditions necessary to trigger spontaneous subduction is (extremely) rare in nature, so that this process appears as an outlier. The second conclusion is that, when it occurs, spontaneous subduction initiation is close to catastrophic. This implies that the typical magmatic sequence including boninites should erupt within a limited

  19. Impacts of insect biological control on soil N transformations in Tamarix-invaded ecosystems in the Great Basin

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Understanding the impacts of insect biological control of Tamarix spp. on soil nitrogen (N) transformations is important because changes to N supply could alter plant community succession. We investigated short-term and longer-term impacts of herbivory by the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda cari...

  20. Transformational Analysis and Religious Experience.

    PubMed

    Gostečnik, Christian; Slavič, Tanja Repič; Pate, Tanja; Cvetek, Robert

    2017-10-01

    The therapeutic process, which taps into the individual's most vulnerable inner experience, can always reach a radical reversal of one's perception of religion and God, which may be askew due to deep trauma. This transformation caused by the therapeutic relationship can reciprocally help to resolve one's deep and complicated issues, while at the same time radically altering their relationship to religion. This is especially apparent among those who were cruelly and traumatically abused in their earliest stages of development.

  1. EEG phase reset due to auditory attention: an inverse time-scale approach.

    PubMed

    Low, Yin Fen; Strauss, Daniel J

    2009-08-01

    We propose a novel tool to evaluate the electroencephalograph (EEG) phase reset due to auditory attention by utilizing an inverse analysis of the instantaneous phase for the first time. EEGs were acquired through auditory attention experiments with a maximum entropy stimulation paradigm. We examined single sweeps of auditory late response (ALR) with the complex continuous wavelet transform. The phase in the frequency band that is associated with auditory attention (6-10 Hz, termed as theta-alpha border) was reset to the mean phase of the averaged EEGs. The inverse transform was applied to reconstruct the phase-modified signal. We found significant enhancement of the N100 wave in the reconstructed signal. Analysis of the phase noise shows the effects of phase jittering on the generation of the N100 wave implying that a preferred phase is necessary to generate the event-related potential (ERP). Power spectrum analysis shows a remarkable increase of evoked power but little change of total power after stabilizing the phase of EEGs. Furthermore, by resetting the phase only at the theta border of no attention data to the mean phase of attention data yields a result that resembles attention data. These results show strong connections between EEGs and ERP, in particular, we suggest that the presentation of an auditory stimulus triggers the phase reset process at the theta-alpha border which leads to the emergence of the N100 wave. It is concluded that our study reinforces other studies on the importance of the EEG in ERP genesis.

  2. Phase Transformations and Formation of Ultra-Fine Microstructure During Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation (HSPT) Processing of Ti-6Al-4V

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Pei; Fang, Zhigang Zak; Koopman, Mark; Xia, Yang; Paramore, James; Ravi Chandran, K. S.; Ren, Yang; Lu, Jun

    2015-12-01

    The hydrogen sintering and phase transformation (HSPT) process is a novel powder metallurgy method for producing Ti alloys, particularly the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, with ultra-fine microstructure in the as-sintered state. The ultra-fine microstructure is obtained as a direct result of the use of H2 gas during sintering. The refinement of the microstructure during HSPT is similar to that of thermal hydrogen processing (THP) of bulk Ti alloys. For both THP and HSPT of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, the mechanisms of the grain refinement depend on the phase equilibria and phase transformations in the presence of hydrogen, which are surprisingly still not well established to date and are still subjected to research and debate. In recent work by the present authors, a pseudo-binary phase diagram of (Ti-6Al-4V)-H has been determined by using in situ synchrotron XRD and TGA/DSC techniques. Aided by this phase diagram, the current paper focuses on the series of phase transformations during sintering and cooling of Ti-6Al-4V in a hydrogen atmosphere and the mechanisms for the formation of the ultra-fine microstructures obtained. Using experimental techniques, including in situ synchrotron XRD, SEM, EBSD, and TEM, the microstructural refinement was found to be the result of (1) the precipitation of ultra-fine α/α2 within coarse β grains during an isothermal hold at intermediate temperatures, and (2) the eutectoid transformation of β → α + δ at approximately 473 K (200 °C).

  3. Rethinking exercise identity: a qualitative study of physically inactive cancer patients’ transforming process while undergoing chemotherapy

    PubMed Central

    Adamsen, Lis; Andersen, Christina; Lillelund, Christian; Bloomquist, Kira; Møller, Tom

    2017-01-01

    Objective To explore physically inactive breast and colon cancer patients’ prediagnosis exercise history and attitudes to physical activity (PA) and experiences in initiating PA while undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. Design An explorative qualitative study guided the interpretive analysis of semistructured, open-ended interviews conducted at initiation of chemotherapy and after 12 weeks. The study was embedded in a pilot randomised controlled trial. Setting Participants were recruited from the Oncological Department at a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants 33 patients with cancer, median age 49 years: 25 patients with breast cancer and 8 with colon cancer, 72% with a low cardiac respiratory fitness level and the majority with a high level of education. Patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, oncologist’s PA recommendation and exercise, cancer nurse specialist’s counselling prior to allocation to PA interventions or waitlist control group. Results Prediagnosis exercise had been excluded from patients’ daily lives due to perceptions of exercise as boring, lack of discipline and stressful work conditions for both genders. Recommendations from oncologists and nurses inspired the patients to reconsider their attitudes and behaviour by accepting recruitment and participation in PA interventions during chemotherapy. Despite extensive side effects, most patients adhered to their PA commitment due to their perception of the bodily, emotional and social benefits and support of healthcare professionals, peers and family. Conclusion The patients’ attitude towards exercise transformed from having no priority in patients’ daily lives prediagnosis to being highly prioritised. This study identified four important phases in the exercise transformation process during the patients’ treatment trajectory of relevance to clinicians in identifying, motivating and supporting physically inactive patients with cancer at long-term risk. Clinicians should address

  4. Rethinking exercise identity: a qualitative study of physically inactive cancer patients' transforming process while undergoing chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Adamsen, Lis; Andersen, Christina; Lillelund, Christian; Bloomquist, Kira; Møller, Tom

    2017-08-23

    To explore physically inactive breast and colon cancer patients' prediagnosis exercise history and attitudes to physical activity (PA) and experiences in initiating PA while undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. An explorative qualitative study guided the interpretive analysis of semistructured, open-ended interviews conducted at initiation of chemotherapy and after 12 weeks. The study was embedded in a pilot randomised controlled trial. Participants were recruited from the Oncological Department at a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark. 33 patients with cancer, median age 49 years: 25 patients with breast cancer and 8 with colon cancer, 72% with a low cardiac respiratory fitness level and the majority with a high level of education. Patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, oncologist's PA recommendation and exercise, cancer nurse specialist's counselling prior to allocation to PA interventions or waitlist control group. Prediagnosis exercise had been excluded from patients' daily lives due to perceptions of exercise as boring, lack of discipline and stressful work conditions for both genders. Recommendations from oncologists and nurses inspired the patients to reconsider their attitudes and behaviour by accepting recruitment and participation in PA interventions during chemotherapy. Despite extensive side effects, most patients adhered to their PA commitment due to their perception of the bodily, emotional and social benefits and support of healthcare professionals, peers and family. The patients' attitude towards exercise transformed from having no priority in patients' daily lives prediagnosis to being highly prioritised. This study identified four important phases in the exercise transformation process during the patients' treatment trajectory of relevance to clinicians in identifying, motivating and supporting physically inactive patients with cancer at long-term risk. Clinicians should address young, highly educated patients with cancer at onset of adjuvant

  5. The parallel algorithm for the 2D discrete wavelet transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barina, David; Najman, Pavel; Kleparnik, Petr; Kula, Michal; Zemcik, Pavel

    2018-04-01

    The discrete wavelet transform can be found at the heart of many image-processing algorithms. Until now, the transform on general-purpose processors (CPUs) was mostly computed using a separable lifting scheme. As the lifting scheme consists of a small number of operations, it is preferred for processing using single-core CPUs. However, considering a parallel processing using multi-core processors, this scheme is inappropriate due to a large number of steps. On such architectures, the number of steps corresponds to the number of points that represent the exchange of data. Consequently, these points often form a performance bottleneck. Our approach appropriately rearranges calculations inside the transform, and thereby reduces the number of steps. In other words, we propose a new scheme that is friendly to parallel environments. When evaluating on multi-core CPUs, we consistently overcome the original lifting scheme. The evaluation was performed on 61-core Intel Xeon Phi and 8-core Intel Xeon processors.

  6. Note: Simple 100 Hz N2 laser with longitudinal discharge tube and high-voltage power supply using neon sign transformer.

    PubMed

    Uno, K; Jitsuno, T

    2017-12-01

    We developed a longitudinally excited N 2 laser with a simple driver circuit and a simple power supply. The N 2 laser consisted of a 20 cm-long glass tube with an inner diameter of 2.5 mm, a normal stable resonator formed by flat mirrors, a variable transformer, a neon sign transformer, a spark gap, and a 200 pF capacitance. The N 2 laser produced a laser pulse with an energy of 379 nJ and a pulse width of 7.5 ns at a repetition rate of 100 Hz. The laser beam was circular and had a Gaussian profile with a correlation factor of 0.992 93.

  7. Electroencephalographic compression based on modulated filter banks and wavelet transform.

    PubMed

    Bazán-Prieto, Carlos; Cárdenas-Barrera, Julián; Blanco-Velasco, Manuel; Cruz-Roldán, Fernando

    2011-01-01

    Due to the large volume of information generated in an electroencephalographic (EEG) study, compression is needed for storage, processing or transmission for analysis. In this paper we evaluate and compare two lossy compression techniques applied to EEG signals. It compares the performance of compression schemes with decomposition by filter banks or wavelet Packets transformation, seeking the best value for compression, best quality and more efficient real time implementation. Due to specific properties of EEG signals, we propose a quantization stage adapted to the dynamic range of each band, looking for higher quality. The results show that the compressor with filter bank performs better than transform methods. Quantization adapted to the dynamic range significantly enhances the quality.

  8. 34 CFR 303.440 - Filing a due process complaint.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR INFANTS AND... early intervention services to the infant or toddler with a disability and his or her family under part... filing a due process complaint under this part, in the time allowed by that State law, except that the...

  9. 34 CFR 303.440 - Filing a due process complaint.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR INFANTS AND... early intervention services to the infant or toddler with a disability and his or her family under part... filing a due process complaint under this part, in the time allowed by that State law, except that the...

  10. 34 CFR 303.440 - Filing a due process complaint.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR INFANTS AND... early intervention services to the infant or toddler with a disability and his or her family under part... filing a due process complaint under this part, in the time allowed by that State law, except that the...

  11. Structure-conserving spontaneous transformations between nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishnadas, K. R.; Baksi, Ananya; Ghosh, Atanu; Natarajan, Ganapati; Pradeep, Thalappil

    2016-11-01

    Ambient, structure- and topology-preserving chemical reactions between two archetypal nanoparticles, Ag25(SR)18 and Au25(SR)18, are presented. Despite their geometric robustness and electronic stability, reactions between them in solution produce alloys, AgmAun(SR)18 (m+n=25), keeping their M25(SR)18 composition, structure and topology intact. We demonstrate that a mixture of Ag25(SR)18 and Au25(SR)18 can be transformed to any arbitrary alloy composition, AgmAun(SR)18 (n=1-24), merely by controlling the reactant compositions. We capture one of the earliest events of the process, namely the formation of the dianionic adduct, (Ag25Au25(SR)36)2-, by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Molecular docking simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations also suggest that metal atom exchanges occur through the formation of an adduct between the two clusters. DFT calculations further confirm that metal atom exchanges are thermodynamically feasible. Such isomorphous transformations between nanoparticles imply that microscopic pieces of matter can be transformed completely to chemically different entities, preserving their structures, at least in the nanometric regime.

  12. Effects of N and B on continuous cooling transformation diagrams of Mo-V-Ti micro-alloyed steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuhui, Wang; Bo, Liao; Ligang, Liu; Xianfeng, Li; Hang, Su; Caifu, Yang; Qingfeng, Wang

    2012-05-01

    Effects of the single addition of nitrogen (N) and boron (B) and the combined addition of N and B on continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams and properties of the three Mo-V-Ti micro-alloyed steels were investigated by means of a combined method of dilatometry and metallography. Microstructures observed in continuous cooled specimens were composed of pearlite (P), quasi-polygonal ferrite (QPF), granular bainite (GB), acicular ferrite (AF), lath-like bainite (LB) and martensite (M) depending on the cooling rates and transformation temperatures. Single addition of 12 ppm B effectively reduced the formation of QPF and broadened the cooling rate region for LB and M. Added N makes the action of B invalid and the QPF region was prominently broadened, and even though the cooling rate is higher than 50°C s-1, it cannot obtain full bainite.

  13. Improvement of luster consistency between the p-Pad and the n-Pad of GaN-based light-emitting diodes via the under-etching process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Chenju; Lv, Jiajiang; Zhou, Shengjun; Liu, Sheng

    2017-04-01

    For improvement of the light extraction efficiency of GaN-based lateral light-emitting diodes (LEDs), a p-GaN surface was textured through a low-temperature (850 °C) p-GaN growth process. However, the p-GaN texturing process caused luster inconsistency between the n-pad and the p-pad due to the roughness difference between the indium-tin oxide (ITO) and the n-GaN beneath the pads, which decreased the image recognition rate and accuracy during the wire bonding process for LED packaging. Therefore, an under-etching process was proposed to improve the luster consistency between the p-pad and the n-pad of GaN-based LEDs with a naturally textured p-GaN surface. The under-etching process decreased the roughness of the exposed n-GaN surface from 109 nm to 73.1 nm, which was similar to the roughness (74.8 nm) of the ITO surface. Optical microscopy showed that LEDs with a naturally textured p-GaN surface exhibited excellent luster consistency between the n-pad and the p-pad after the proposed under-etching process had been applied. Further analysis indicated that the LEDs with a naturally textured p-GaN surface showed no degradation of optical or the electrical performance after the proposed under-etching process had been applied. At a 20-mA injection current, the light output power of a LED with naturally a textured p-GaN surface was 8.7% higher than that of a LED with a smooth p-GaN surface.

  14. Note: Tesla transformer damping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reed, J. L.

    2012-07-01

    Unexpected heavy damping in the two winding Tesla pulse transformer is shown to be due to small primary inductances. A small primary inductance is a necessary condition of operability, but is also a refractory inefficiency. A 30% performance loss is demonstrated using a typical "spiral strip" transformer. The loss is investigated by examining damping terms added to the transformer's governing equations. A significant alteration of the transformer's architecture is suggested to mitigate these losses. Experimental and simulated data comparing the 2 and 3 winding transformers are cited to support the suggestion.

  15. Land use effects on gaseous nitrogen emissions and gross nitrogen transformations in Amazonian Dark Earth

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barbosa Lima, Amanda; Westphal Muniz, Aleksander; Lenhart, Katharina; Moser, Gerald; Brenzinger, Kristof; Ha, Mi-Kyung; Eckhardt, Christian; Steffens, Diedrich; Kammann, Claudia; Müller, Christoph

    2017-04-01

    Amazonian Dark Earth (ADE) in the Brazilian Amazon provide a strong indication that soils lacking in nutrients can be converted into highly fertile land. These soils have been considered as a model soil when compared to the surrounding soil due to the high concentrations of P, Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, stable organic matter and soil organic C (SOC). Soils with high SOC contents can lead to extensive emissions of the greenhouse gas N2O. In this context, we measured the fluxes of CO2, N2O and CH4 in ADE and adjacent (ADJ) soils under secondary forest and manioc plantation. Moreover, we added 15N-NH4+ and -NO3- and measured N2O emissions and gross-N transformations of the different N species for two weeks (15N signal, N concentrations; work on-going), to quantify the simultaneousyl operating N transformation rates (method see: Müller et al. (2004; 2007). We observed higher amounts of NO3- in both ADE and ADJ soils under forest. High consumption rates for NH4+ were shown by both ADE soils under forest followed by manioc plantation. CO2 effluxes from ADJ were higher than from ADE soils, and higher from the forest compared to the manioc plantation. N2O fluxes were much lower in ADE under forest and higher in the other soils. The results of the gross N transformations are distinctively different among ADE and Adjacent sites, providing a strong indication how the dynamics of the individual N transformation rates have been affected by the long-term management. References cited Müller et al. (2004) A 15N tracing model to analyse N-transformations in old grassland soil. SBB 36:619-632. Müller et al. (2007) Estimation of parameters in complex 15N tracing models by Monte Carlo sampling. SBB 39:715-726.

  16. Proceduralism and Bureaucracy: Due Process in the School Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirp, David L.

    1976-01-01

    The likely consequences of applying traditional due process standards, expecially formal adversary hearings, to the public school are examined. The ruling in Goss v. Lopez suggests that fair treatment can still be expected if the hearings are treated as opportunities for candid and informal exchange rather than prepunishment ceremonies. (LBH)

  17. Fast parallel approach for 2-D DHT-based real-valued discrete Gabor transform.

    PubMed

    Tao, Liang; Kwan, Hon Keung

    2009-12-01

    Two-dimensional fast Gabor transform algorithms are useful for real-time applications due to the high computational complexity of the traditional 2-D complex-valued discrete Gabor transform (CDGT). This paper presents two block time-recursive algorithms for 2-D DHT-based real-valued discrete Gabor transform (RDGT) and its inverse transform and develops a fast parallel approach for the implementation of the two algorithms. The computational complexity of the proposed parallel approach is analyzed and compared with that of the existing 2-D CDGT algorithms. The results indicate that the proposed parallel approach is attractive for real time image processing.

  18. Polymorphic Transformation of Indomethacin during Hot Melt Extrusion Granulation: Process and Dissolution Control.

    PubMed

    Xu, Ting; Nahar, Kajalajit; Dave, Rutesh; Bates, Simon; Morris, Kenneth

    2018-05-10

    To study and elucidate the effect of the intensity and duration of processing stresses on the possible solid-state changes during a hot melt extrusion granulation process. Blends of α-indomethacin and PEG 3350 (w/w 4:1) were granulated using various screw sizes/designs on the melt extruder under different temperature regimes. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and X-ray Powder Diffraction were employed for characterization. The dissolution behavior of the pure polymorphs and the resulting granules was determined using in-situ fiber optic UV testing system. An XRPD quantitation method using Excel full pattern fitting was developed to determine the concentration of each constituent (amorphous, α and γ indomethacin and PEG) in samples collected from each functioning zone and in granules. Analysis of in-process samples and granules revealed that higher temperature (≥130°C) and shear stress accelerated the process induced phase transitions from amorphous and/or the α form to γ indomethacin during heating stage. However, rapid cooling resulted in an increased percentage of the α form allowing isolation of the meta-stable form. By determining the conditions that either prevent or facilitate process induced transformations of IMC polymorphs during melt granulation, a design space was developed to control the polymorph present in the resulting granules. This represents the conditions necessary to balance the thermodynamic relationships between the polymorphs of the IMC system and the kinetics of the possible transformations as a function of the processing stresses.

  19. 25 CFR 42.6 - When does due process require a formal disciplinary hearing?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false When does due process require a formal disciplinary... RIGHTS § 42.6 When does due process require a formal disciplinary hearing? Unless local school policies and procedures provide for less, a formal disciplinary hearing is required before a suspension in...

  20. "Ingraham v. Wright" and the Decline of Due Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Gerard J.

    1978-01-01

    Suggests that the constitutional questions in "Ingraham vs Wright" lend credence to a concern that the Court is seeking to eliminate all due process intervention outside of the incorporation and privacy cases and to limit even these cases to defenses of a criminal prosecution. Available from Suffolk University Law Review Office, 41…

  1. Due Process in the Realm of Higher Education: Considerations for Dealing with Students Rights

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fishner, Jason T.

    2006-01-01

    Court decisions have laid out expectations of what due process procedures need to be followed in student disciplinary cases and academic dismissal cases due to poor academic performance. This paper will give show where due process comes from and how it found its way into higher education. It will show that there are differences in the ways public…

  2. An Analog Circuit Approximation of the Discrete Wavelet Transform for Ultra Low Power Signal Processing in Wearable Sensor Nodes

    PubMed Central

    Casson, Alexander J.

    2015-01-01

    Ultra low power signal processing is an essential part of all sensor nodes, and particularly so in emerging wearable sensors for biomedical applications. Analog signal processing has an important role in these low power, low voltage, low frequency applications, and there is a key drive to decrease the power consumption of existing analog domain signal processing and to map more signal processing approaches into the analog domain. This paper presents an analog domain signal processing circuit which approximates the output of the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) for use in ultra low power wearable sensors. Analog filters are used for the DWT filters and it is demonstrated how these generate analog domain DWT-like information that embeds information from Butterworth and Daubechies maximally flat mother wavelet responses. The Analog DWT is realised in hardware via gmC circuits, designed to operate from a 1.3 V coin cell battery, and provide DWT-like signal processing using under 115 nW of power when implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. Practical examples demonstrate the effective use of the new Analog DWT on ECG (electrocardiogram) and EEG (electroencephalogram) signals recorded from humans. PMID:26694414

  3. An Analog Circuit Approximation of the Discrete Wavelet Transform for Ultra Low Power Signal Processing in Wearable Sensor Nodes.

    PubMed

    Casson, Alexander J

    2015-12-17

    Ultra low power signal processing is an essential part of all sensor nodes, and particularly so in emerging wearable sensors for biomedical applications. Analog signal processing has an important role in these low power, low voltage, low frequency applications, and there is a key drive to decrease the power consumption of existing analog domain signal processing and to map more signal processing approaches into the analog domain. This paper presents an analog domain signal processing circuit which approximates the output of the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) for use in ultra low power wearable sensors. Analog filters are used for the DWT filters and it is demonstrated how these generate analog domain DWT-like information that embeds information from Butterworth and Daubechies maximally flat mother wavelet responses. The Analog DWT is realised in hardware via g(m)C circuits, designed to operate from a 1.3 V coin cell battery, and provide DWT-like signal processing using under 115 nW of power when implemented in a 0.18 μm CMOS process. Practical examples demonstrate the effective use of the new Analog DWT on ECG (electrocardiogram) and EEG (electroencephalogram) signals recorded from humans.

  4. Nitrogen transformations and balance in constructed wetlands for slightly polluted river water treatment using different macrophytes.

    PubMed

    Wu, Haiming; Zhang, Jian; Wei, Rong; Liang, Shuang; Li, Cong; Xie, Huijun

    2013-01-01

    Nitrogen removal processing in different constructed wetlands treating different kinds of wastewater often varies, and the contribution to nitrogen removal by various pathways remains unclear. In this study, the seasonal nitrogen removal and transformations as well as nitrogen balance in wetland microcosms treating slightly polluted river water was investigated. The results showed that the average total nitrogen removal rates varied in different seasons. According to the mass balance approach, plant uptake removed 8.4-34.3 % of the total nitrogen input, while sediment storage and N(2)O emission contributed 20.5-34.4 % and 0.6-1.9 % of nitrogen removal, respectively. However, the percentage of other nitrogen loss such as N(2) emission due to nitrification and denitrification was estimated to be 2.0-23.5 %. The results indicated that plant uptake and sediment storage were the key factors limiting nitrogen removal besides microbial processes in surface constructed wetland for treating slightly polluted river water.

  5. Multispectral multisensor image fusion using wavelet transforms

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lemeshewsky, George P.

    1999-01-01

    Fusion techniques can be applied to multispectral and higher spatial resolution panchromatic images to create a composite image that is easier to interpret than the individual images. Wavelet transform-based multisensor, multiresolution fusion (a type of band sharpening) was applied to Landsat thematic mapper (TM) multispectral and coregistered higher resolution SPOT panchromatic images. The objective was to obtain increased spatial resolution, false color composite products to support the interpretation of land cover types wherein the spectral characteristics of the imagery are preserved to provide the spectral clues needed for interpretation. Since the fusion process should not introduce artifacts, a shift invariant implementation of the discrete wavelet transform (SIDWT) was used. These results were compared with those using the shift variant, discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Overall, the process includes a hue, saturation, and value color space transform to minimize color changes, and a reported point-wise maximum selection rule to combine transform coefficients. The performance of fusion based on the SIDWT and DWT was evaluated with a simulated TM 30-m spatial resolution test image and a higher resolution reference. Simulated imagery was made by blurring higher resolution color-infrared photography with the TM sensors' point spread function. The SIDWT based technique produced imagery with fewer artifacts and lower error between fused images and the full resolution reference. Image examples with TM and SPOT 10-m panchromatic illustrate the reduction in artifacts due to the SIDWT based fusion.

  6. Equal Protection and Due Process: Contrasting Methods of Review under Fourteenth Amendment Doctrine.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hughes, James A.

    1979-01-01

    Argues that the Court has, at times, confused equal protection and due process methods of review, primarily by employing interest balancing in certain equal protection cases that should have been subjected to due process analysis. Available from Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138; sc $4.00.…

  7. Directed Magnetic Particle Transport above Artificial Magnetic Domains Due to Dynamic Magnetic Potential Energy Landscape Transformation.

    PubMed

    Holzinger, Dennis; Koch, Iris; Burgard, Stefan; Ehresmann, Arno

    2015-07-28

    An approach for a remotely controllable transport of magnetic micro- and/or nanoparticles above a topographically flat exchange-bias (EB) thin film system, magnetically patterned into parallel stripe domains, is presented where the particle manipulation is achieved by sub-mT external magnetic field pulses. Superparamagnetic core-shell particles are moved stepwise by the dynamic transformation of the particles' magnetic potential energy landscape due to the external magnetic field pulses without affecting the magnetic state of the thin film system. The magnetic particle velocity is adjustable in the range of 1-100 μm/s by the design of the substrate's magnetic field landscape (MFL), the particle-substrate distance, and the magnitude of the applied external magnetic field pulses. The agglomeration of magnetic particles is avoided by the intrinsic magnetostatic repulsion of particles due to the parallel alignment of the particles' magnetic moments perpendicular to the transport direction and parallel to the surface normal of the substrate during the particle motion. The transport mechanism is modeled by a quantitative theory based on the precise knowledge of the sample's MFL and the particle-substrate distance.

  8. Impacts of insect biological control on soil N transformations in Tamarix-invaded ecosystems in the Great Basin, USA

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Understanding the impacts of insect biological control of Tamarix spp. on soil nitrogen (N) transformations is important because changes to N supply could alter plant community succession. We investigated short-term and longer-term impacts of herbivory by the northern tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda cari...

  9. Episodic Rifting Events Within the Tjörnes Fracture Zone, an Onshore-Offshore Ridge-Transform in N-Iceland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brandsdottir, B.; Magnusdottir, S.; Karson, J. A.; Detrick, R. S.; Driscoll, N. W.

    2015-12-01

    The multi-branched plate boundary across Iceland is made up of divergent and oblique rifts, and transform zones, characterized by entwined extensional and transform tectonics. The Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ), located on the coast and offshore Northern Iceland, is a complex transform linking the northern rift zone (NVZ) on land with the Kolbeinsey Ridge offshore. Extension across TFZ is partitioned across three N-S trending rift basins; Eyjafjarðaráll, Skjálfandadjúp (SB) and Öxarfjörður and three WNW-NW oriented seismic lineaments; the Grímsey Oblique Rift, Húsavík-Flatey Faults (HFFs) and Dalvík Lineament. We compile the tectonic framework of the TFZ ridge-transform from aerial photos, satellite images, multibeam bathymetry and high-resolution seismic reflection data (Chirp). The rift basins are made up of normal faults with vertical displacements of up to 50-60 m, and post-glacial sediments of variable thickness. The SB comprises N5°W obliquely trending, eastward dipping normal faults as well as N10°E striking, westward dipping faults oriented roughly perpendicular to the N104°E spreading direction, indicative of early stages of rifting. Correlation of Chirp reflection data and tephrachronology from a sediment core within SB reveal major rifting episodes between 10-12.1 kyrs BP activating the whole basin, followed by smaller-scale fault movements throughout Holocene. Onshore faults have the same orientations as those mapped offshore and provide a basis for the interpretation of the kinematics of the faults throughout the region. These include transform parallel right-lateral, strike-slip faults separating domains dominated by spreading parallel left-lateral bookshelf faults. Shearing is most prominent along the HFFs, a system of right-lateral strike-slip faults with vertical displacement up to 15 m. Vertical fault movements reflect increased tectonic activity during early postglacial time coinciding with isostatic rebound enhancing volcanism within

  10. Quantifying Uncertainties in N2O Emission Due to N Fertilizer Application in Cultivated Areas

    PubMed Central

    Philibert, Aurore; Loyce, Chantal; Makowski, David

    2012-01-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential approximately 298 times greater than that of CO2. In 2006, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated N2O emission due to synthetic and organic nitrogen (N) fertilization at 1% of applied N. We investigated the uncertainty on this estimated value, by fitting 13 different models to a published dataset including 985 N2O measurements. These models were characterized by (i) the presence or absence of the explanatory variable “applied N”, (ii) the function relating N2O emission to applied N (exponential or linear function), (iii) fixed or random background (i.e. in the absence of N application) N2O emission and (iv) fixed or random applied N effect. We calculated ranges of uncertainty on N2O emissions from a subset of these models, and compared them with the uncertainty ranges currently used in the IPCC-Tier 1 method. The exponential models outperformed the linear models, and models including one or two random effects outperformed those including fixed effects only. The use of an exponential function rather than a linear function has an important practical consequence: the emission factor is not constant and increases as a function of applied N. Emission factors estimated using the exponential function were lower than 1% when the amount of N applied was below 160 kg N ha−1. Our uncertainty analysis shows that the uncertainty range currently used by the IPCC-Tier 1 method could be reduced. PMID:23226430

  11. Transformation through Knowledge--Knowledge through Transformation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cadena, Felix

    1991-01-01

    Defines systematization as the process of creating critical knowledge (conscientization), a form of transformative research. Explains how systematization contributes to popular education and presents the form components of the process: identifying limits of research, obtaining data, interpretation, and socialization. (SK)

  12. Ridge-transform interaction and seismic behavior within the Tjörnes Fracture Zone, N-Iceland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brandsdottir, B.; Magnusdottir, S.; Einarsson, P.; Gudmundsson, G.; Detrick, R. S.; Driscoll, N. W.

    2013-12-01

    High-resolution multibeam bathymetry and chirp profiling data have provided a new perspective on the structure and neotectonics of the onland-offshore Húsavík-Flatey Fault System (HFF) within the Tjörnes Fracture Zone (TFZ), N-Iceland. The TFZ comprises a broad right lateral transform zone made up of three major N-S striking extensional basins and three WNW-striking seismic lineaments, the dextral HFF, the Grímsey Oblique Rift Zone (GRZ) and the Dalvík Fault System (DF). The HFF connects the North Iceland Rift Zone (NIRZ) with the Eyjafjardaráll extensional basin (EB), the magma starved southern extension of the Kolbeinsey Ridge (KR) whereas the GRZ constitutes the offshore extension of the NIRZ with the KR. The HFF has an overall trend of N65°W and can be traced 75-80 km from its eastern junction with the NIRZ, across the Skjálfandi Bay and into the Eyjafjardaráll basin. Four pull-apart basins characterize the HFF, the largest at its intersection with the EB. En echelon arrays of conjugate strike-slip faults intersect the main HFF at angles of N20°-30°W and N20°E. Some can be traced onto land where they exhibit complicated flower patterns. Within the Skjálfandi Bay, the HFF is divided into two main branches, separated by a 70 m high N-S aligned push-up ridge and several smaller, sub-parallel WNW-trending faults. Individual fault strands have vertical displacement from 0-15 m. Large earthquakes occurred along the HFF in 1755, 1867, 1872 and 1884, the GRZ in 1884-1885 and 1910 and on the DF in 1838, 1934 and 1963. Some were destructive. A dextral transform offshore N-Iceland was initially based on diffuse earthquake epicenters and the M7, 1963 Skagafjördur earthquake. Data from the analog Iceland seismic network, established in the early 1970s, showed the TFZ microseismicity to be too diffuse to be associated with a simple oceanic transform fault. Recent seismicity within the TFZ consists of frequent earthquake swarms, lasting days or weeks with a

  13. Improved FFT-based numerical inversion of Laplace transforms via fast Hartley transform algorithm

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hwang, Chyi; Lu, Ming-Jeng; Shieh, Leang S.

    1991-01-01

    The disadvantages of numerical inversion of the Laplace transform via the conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT) are identified and an improved method is presented to remedy them. The improved method is based on introducing a new integration step length Delta(omega) = pi/mT for trapezoidal-rule approximation of the Bromwich integral, in which a new parameter, m, is introduced for controlling the accuracy of the numerical integration. Naturally, this method leads to multiple sets of complex FFT computations. A new inversion formula is derived such that N equally spaced samples of the inverse Laplace transform function can be obtained by (m/2) + 1 sets of N-point complex FFT computations or by m sets of real fast Hartley transform (FHT) computations.

  14. Effect of V-Nd co-doping on phase transformation and grain growth process of TiO2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khatun, Nasima; Amin, Ruhul; Anita, Sen, Somaditya

    2018-05-01

    The pure and V-Nd co-doped TiO2 samples are prepared by the modified sol-gel process. The phase formation is confirmed by XRD spectrum. Phase transformation is delayed in V-Nd co-doped TiO2 (TVN) samples compared to pure TiO2. The particle size is comparatively small in TVN samples at both the temperature 450 °C and 900 °C. Hence the effect of Nd doping is dominated over V doping in both phase transformation and grain growth process of TiO2.

  15. A Discussion of the Discrete Fourier Transform Execution on a Typical Desktop PC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    White, Michael J.

    2006-01-01

    This paper will discuss and compare the execution times of three examples of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). The first two examples will demonstrate the direct implementation of the algorithm. In the first example, the Fourier coefficients are generated at the execution of the DFT. In the second example, the coefficients are generated prior to execution and the DFT coefficients are indexed at execution. The last example will demonstrate the Cooley- Tukey algorithm, better known as the Fast Fourier Transform. All examples were written in C executed on a PC using a Pentium 4 running at 1.7 Ghz. As a function of N, the total complex data size, the direct implementation DFT executes, as expected at order of N2 and the FFT executes at order of N log2 N. At N=16K, there is an increase in processing time beyond what is expected. This is not caused by implementation but is a consequence of the effect that machine architecture and memory hierarchy has on implementation. This paper will include a brief overview of digital signal processing, along with a discussion of contemporary work with discrete Fourier processing.

  16. Parallel and pipeline computation of fast unitary transforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fino, B. J.; Algazi, V. R.

    1975-01-01

    The letter discusses the parallel and pipeline organization of fast-unitary-transform algorithms such as the fast Fourier transform, and points out the efficiency of a combined parallel-pipeline processor of a transform such as the Haar transform, in which (2 to the n-th power) -1 hardware 'butterflies' generate a transform of order 2 to the n-th power every computation cycle.

  17. Genetic Algorithms Evolve Optimized Transforms for Signal Processing Applications

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-04-01

    coefficient sets describing inverse transforms and matched forward/ inverse transform pairs that consistently outperform wavelets for image compression and reconstruction applications under conditions subject to quantization error.

  18. Understanding Immersivity: Image Generation and Transformation Processes in 3D Immersive Environments

    PubMed Central

    Kozhevnikov, Maria; Dhond, Rupali P.

    2012-01-01

    Most research on three-dimensional (3D) visual-spatial processing has been conducted using traditional non-immersive 2D displays. Here we investigated how individuals generate and transform mental images within 3D immersive (3DI) virtual environments, in which the viewers perceive themselves as being surrounded by a 3D world. In Experiment 1, we compared participants’ performance on the Shepard and Metzler (1971) mental rotation (MR) task across the following three types of visual presentation environments; traditional 2D non-immersive (2DNI), 3D non-immersive (3DNI – anaglyphic glasses), and 3DI (head mounted display with position and head orientation tracking). In Experiment 2, we examined how the use of different backgrounds affected MR processes within the 3DI environment. In Experiment 3, we compared electroencephalogram data recorded while participants were mentally rotating visual-spatial images presented in 3DI vs. 2DNI environments. Overall, the findings of the three experiments suggest that visual-spatial processing is different in immersive and non-immersive environments, and that immersive environments may require different image encoding and transformation strategies than the two other non-immersive environments. Specifically, in a non-immersive environment, participants may utilize a scene-based frame of reference and allocentric encoding whereas immersive environments may encourage the use of a viewer-centered frame of reference and egocentric encoding. These findings also suggest that MR performed in laboratory conditions using a traditional 2D computer screen may not reflect spatial processing as it would occur in the real world. PMID:22908003

  19. Analysis of copper contamination in transformer insulating material with nanosecond- and femtosecond-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aparna, N.; Vasa, N. J.; Sarathi, R.

    2018-06-01

    This work examines the oil-impregnated pressboard insulation of high-voltage power transformers, for the determination of copper contamination. Nanosecond- and femtosecond-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy revealed atomic copper lines and molecular copper monoxide bands due to copper sulphide diffusion. X-ray diffraction studies also indicated the presence of CuO emission. Elemental and molecular mapping compared transformer insulating material ageing in different media—air, N2, He and vacuum.

  20. 3-D discrete shearlet transform and video processing.

    PubMed

    Negi, Pooran Singh; Labate, Demetrio

    2012-06-01

    In this paper, we introduce a digital implementation of the 3-D shearlet transform and illustrate its application to problems of video denoising and enhancement. The shearlet representation is a multiscale pyramid of well-localized waveforms defined at various locations and orientations, which was introduced to overcome the limitations of traditional multiscale systems in dealing with multidimensional data. While the shearlet approach shares the general philosophy of curvelets and surfacelets, it is based on a very different mathematical framework, which is derived from the theory of affine systems and uses shearing matrices rather than rotations. This allows a natural transition from the continuous setting to the digital setting and a more flexible mathematical structure. The 3-D digital shearlet transform algorithm presented in this paper consists in a cascade of a multiscale decomposition and a directional filtering stage. The filters employed in this decomposition are implemented as finite-length filters, and this ensures that the transform is local and numerically efficient. To illustrate its performance, the 3-D discrete shearlet transform is applied to problems of video denoising and enhancement, and compared against other state-of-the-art multiscale techniques, including curvelets and surfacelets.

  1. Assessing Transformations of Algal Organic Matter in the Long-Term: Impacts of Humification-Like Processes

    PubMed Central

    Leloup, Maud; Pallier, Virginie; Nicolau, Rudy; Feuillade-Cathalifaud, Geneviève

    2015-01-01

    Algae and cyanobacteria are important contributors to the natural organic matter (NOM) of eutrophic water resources. The objective of this work is to increase knowledge on the modifications of algal organic matter (AOM) properties in the long term to anticipate blooms footprint in such aquatic environments. The production of AOM from an alga (Euglena gracilis) and a cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) was followed up and characterized during the stationary phase and after one year and four months of cultivation, in batch experiments. Specific UV absorbance (SUVA) index, organic matter fractionation according to hydrophobicity and apparent molecular weight were combined to assess the evolution of AOM. A comparison between humic substances (HS) mainly derived from allochthonous origins and AOM characteristics was performed to hypothesize impacts of AOM transformation processes on the water quality of eutrophic water resources. Each AOM fraction underwent a specific evolution pattern, depending on its composition. Impacts of humification-like processes were predominant over release of biopolymers due to cells decay and led to an increase in the hydrophobic compounds part and molecular weights over time. However, the hydrophilic fraction remained the major fraction whatever the growth stage. Organic compounds generated by maturation of these precursors corresponded to large and aliphatic structures. PMID:26251898

  2. Re-design of a physically-based catchment scale agrochemical model for the simulation of parameter spaces and flexible transformation schemes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stegen, Ronald; Gassmann, Matthias

    2017-04-01

    The use of a broad variation of agrochemicals is essential for the modern industrialized agriculture. During the last decades, the awareness of the side effects of their use has grown and with it the requirement to reproduce, understand and predict the behaviour of these agrochemicals in the environment, in order to optimize their use and minimize the side effects. The modern modelling has made great progress in understanding and predicting these chemicals with digital methods. While the behaviour of the applied chemicals is often investigated and modelled, most studies only simulate parent chemicals, considering total annihilation of the substance. However, due to a diversity of chemical, physical and biological processes, the substances are rather transformed into new chemicals, which themselves are transformed until, at the end of the chain, the substance is completely mineralized. During this process, the fate of each transformation product is determined by its own environmental characteristics and the pathway and results of transformation can differ largely by substance and environmental influences, that can occur in different compartments of the same site. Simulating transformation products introduces additional model uncertainties. Thus, the calibration effort increases compared to simulations of the transport and degradation of the primary substance alone. The simulation of the necessary physical processes needs a lot of calculation time. Due to that, few physically-based models offer the possibility to simulate transformation products at all, mostly at the field scale. The few models available for the catchment scale are not optimized for this duty, i.e. they are only able to simulate a single parent compound and up to two transformation products. Thus, for simulations of large physico-chemical parameter spaces, the enormous calculation time of the underlying hydrological model diminishes the overall performance. In this study, the structure of the model

  3. A Continuum of Progress: Applications of N-Hetereocyclic Carbene Catalysis in Total Synthesis

    PubMed Central

    Izquierdo, Javier; Hutson, Gerri E.; Cohen, Daniel T.; Scheidt, Karl A.

    2013-01-01

    N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed transformations have emerged as powerful tactics for the construction of complex molecules. Since Stetter’s report in 1975 of the total synthesis of cis-jasmon and dihydrojasmon by using carbene catalysis, the use of NHCs in total synthesis has grown rapidly, particularly over the last decade. This renaissance is undoubtedly due to the recent developments in NHC-catalyzed reactions, including new benzoin, Stetter, homoenolate, and aroylation processes. These transformations employ typical as well as Umpolung types of bond disconnections and have served as the key step in several new total syntheses. This Minireview highlights these reports and captures the excitement and emerging synthetic utility of carbene catalysis in total synthesis. PMID:23074146

  4. Nitrogen transformation in maize soil after application of different organic manures.

    PubMed

    Dong, Yu-hong; Ouyang, Zhu; Liu, Shi-liang

    2005-01-01

    The nitrogen transformation in maize soil after application of different organic manure was studied. The nitrogen mineralization in surface soil, NO3- -N dynamics and distribution in soil profile, and N2O emission were investigated. Eight treatments were laid out randomizing with three replications in 24 plots: maize plantation without fertilizer (CK1), bare soil without maize plantation and fertilization (CK2), swine manure (S1, S2), poultry manure (P1, P2), and cattle manure (C1, C2). Three manures were applied at two application levels (15 t/hm2 and 30 t/hm2). The results indicated that NH+ -N in surface soil showed the same temporal pattern without much variation among different treatments. But NO3- -N in the same layer exhibited large temporal pattern in all treatments, which was mainly due to its easy eluviations of NO3- -N in soil, its transformation to N2O and the influence of precipitation. The distribution of NO3- -N in the soil profile during maize growing season showed the leaching tendency from surface soil to subsoil, which was different among the treatments. The poultry treatments showed the largest leaching tendency. The study also revealed that the emissions of N2O were affected by the application of organic manures in the order of P2 > S2 > C2 > P1 > S1 > Cl > CK1 > CK2. All these results showed that organic manure applications significantly affect nitrogen transformation and distribution in maize soil. Considering N2O emission and NO3- -N leaching, the management of organic manure in the agriculture needs further studies.

  5. Transformation of a dental school's clinical assessment system through Kotter's eight-step change process.

    PubMed

    Guzmán, Wilda Z; Gely, María I; Crespo, Kathleen; Matos, José R; Sánchez, Nilda; Guerrero, Lidia M

    2011-04-01

    A revision of the clinical assessment system of the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine was initiated in 2007, with the goal of achieving a system that would be fully understood and used by both faculty and students to improve student performance throughout the curriculum. The transformation process was organized according to Kotter's Eight-Step Change Model. Some of the initial findings in 2007 were as follows: 87 percent of current daily clinical evaluations were scored at the scale's highest level, 33 percent of faculty members lacked knowledge of the evaluation system, and 60 percent of students reported that faculty members were not well calibrated. As a result of the transformation process, a pilot project has been implemented in the comprehensive clinical course for senior students. The revised assessment methods utilized are verbal daily feedback, clinical evaluations once every three months, a digital portfolio, and competency exams. There is also a productivity component included in the course grade. We conclude that adapting Kotter's model for use in the transformation process has been very useful; gaining support from both the administration and faculty has been essential; and the provision of continuous faculty development activities has been empowering. The American Dental Education Association Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education (ADEA CCI) Liaisons at the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine have been effective in producing a greater awareness among the faculty about the value of the competency-based curriculum and the need for change.

  6. Generalized Kustaanheimo-Stiefel transformations

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

    Komarov, L.I.; Van Hoang, L.

    1994-10-01

    A theory is given for the construction of generalized Kustaanheimo-Stiefel (KS) transformations for dimensions q+1 (q=2{sup h}, h=0, 1, 2,...) of the Kepler problem, and the following proposition is proved: A connection between the Kepler problem in a real space of dimension q+1 and the problem of an isotropic harmonic oscillator in a real space dimension N exists and can be established by means of generalized KS transformations in the cases in which N=2q and q=2{sup h} (h=0, 1, 2,...). A simple graphical prescription for constructing generalized KS transformations that realize this connection is proposed.

  7. Effect of orchard age on soil nitrogen transformation in subtropical China and implications.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yushu; Zhang, Jinbo; Zhu, Tongbin; Müller, Christoph; Cai, Zucong

    2015-08-01

    A better understanding of nitrogen transformation in soils could reveal the capacity for biological inorganic N supply and improve the efficiency of N fertilizers. In this study, a (15)N tracing study was carried out to investigate the effects of converting woodland to orchard, and orchard age on the gross rates of N transformation occurring simultaneously in subtropical soils in Eastern China. The results showed that inorganic N supply rate was remained constant with soil organic C and N contents increased after converting woodland into citrus orchard and with increasing orchard age. This phenomenon was most probably due to the increase in the turnover time of recalcitrant organic-N, which increased with decreasing soil pH along with increasing orchard age significantly. The amoA gene copy numbers of both archaeal and bacterial were stimulated by orchard planting and increased with increasing orchard age. The nitrification capacity (defined as the ratio of gross rate of nitrification to total gross rate of mineralization) increased following the Michaelis-Menten equation, sharply in the first 10 years after woodland conversion to orchard, and increased continuously but much more slowly till 30 years. Due to the increase in nitrification capacity and unchanged NO3(-) consumption, the dominance of ammonium in inorganic N in woodland soil was shifted to nitrate dominance in orchard soils. These results indicated that the risk of NO3(-) loss was expected to increase and the amount of N needed from fertilizers for fruit growth did not change although soil organic N accumulated with orchard age. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Efficient photoreductive decomposition of N-nitrosodimethylamine by UV/iodide process.

    PubMed

    Sun, Zhuyu; Zhang, Chaojie; Zhao, Xiaoyun; Chen, Jing; Zhou, Qi

    2017-05-05

    N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) has aroused extensive concern as a disinfection byproduct due to its high toxicity and elevated concentration levels in water sources. This study investigates the photoreductive decomposition of NDMA by UV/iodide process. The results showed that this process is an effective strategy for the treatment of NDMA with 99.2% NDMA removed within 10min. The depletion of NDMA by UV/iodide process obeyed pseudo-first-order kinetics with a rate constant (k 1 ) of 0.60±0.03min -1 . Hydrated electrons (e aq - ) generated by the UV irradiation of iodide were proven to play a critical role. Dimethylamine (DMA) and nitrite (NO 2 - ) were formed as the main intermediate products, which completely converted to formate (HCOO - ), ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrogen (N 2 ). Therefore, not only the high efficiencies in NDMA destruction, but the elimination of toxic intermediates make UV/iodide process advantageous. A photoreduction mechanism was proposed: NDMA initially absorbed photons to a photoexcited state, and underwent a cleavage of NNO bond under the attack of e aq - . The solution pH had little impact on NDMA removal. However, alkaline conditions were more favorable for the elimination of DMA and NO 2 - , thus effectively reducing the secondary pollution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Wavelet transform analysis of transient signals: the seismogram and the electrocardiogram

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

    Anant, K.S.

    1997-06-01

    In this dissertation I quantitatively demonstrate how the wavelet transform can be an effective mathematical tool for the analysis of transient signals. The two key signal processing applications of the wavelet transform, namely feature identification and representation (i.e., compression), are shown by solving important problems involving the seismogram and the electrocardiogram. The seismic feature identification problem involved locating in time the P and S phase arrivals. Locating these arrivals accurately (particularly the S phase) has been a constant issue in seismic signal processing. In Chapter 3, I show that the wavelet transform can be used to locate both the Pmore » as well as the S phase using only information from single station three-component seismograms. This is accomplished by using the basis function (wave-let) of the wavelet transform as a matching filter and by processing information across scales of the wavelet domain decomposition. The `pick` time results are quite promising as compared to analyst picks. The representation application involved the compression of the electrocardiogram which is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Compression of the electrocardiogram is an important problem in biomedical signal processing due to transmission and storage limitations. In Chapter 4, I develop an electrocardiogram compression method that applies vector quantization to the wavelet transform coefficients. The best compression results were obtained by using orthogonal wavelets, due to their ability to represent a signal efficiently. Throughout this thesis the importance of choosing wavelets based on the problem at hand is stressed. In Chapter 5, I introduce a wavelet design method that uses linear prediction in order to design wavelets that are geared to the signal or feature being analyzed. The use of these designed wavelets in a test feature identification application led to positive results. The methods developed in this thesis

  10. Linking N2O emissions from biochar-amended soil to the structure and function of the N-cycling microbial community

    PubMed Central

    Harter, Johannes; Krause, Hans-Martin; Schuettler, Stefanie; Ruser, Reiner; Fromme, Markus; Scholten, Thomas; Kappler, Andreas; Behrens, Sebastian

    2014-01-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes 8% to global greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural sources represent about 60% of anthropogenic N2O emissions. Most agricultural N2O emissions are due to increased fertilizer application. A considerable fraction of nitrogen fertilizers are converted to N2O by microbiological processes (that is, nitrification and denitrification). Soil amended with biochar (charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass) has been demonstrated to increase crop yield, improve soil quality and affect greenhouse gas emissions, for example, reduce N2O emissions. Despite several studies on variations in the general microbial community structure due to soil biochar amendment, hitherto the specific role of the nitrogen cycling microbial community in mitigating soil N2O emissions has not been subject of systematic investigation. We performed a microcosm study with a water-saturated soil amended with different amounts (0%, 2% and 10% (w/w)) of high-temperature biochar. By quantifying the abundance and activity of functional marker genes of microbial nitrogen fixation (nifH), nitrification (amoA) and denitrification (nirK, nirS and nosZ) using quantitative PCR we found that biochar addition enhanced microbial nitrous oxide reduction and increased the abundance of microorganisms capable of N2-fixation. Soil biochar amendment increased the relative gene and transcript copy numbers of the nosZ-encoded bacterial N2O reductase, suggesting a mechanistic link to the observed reduction in N2O emissions. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of biochar on the nitrogen cycling microbial community and the consequences of soil biochar amendment for microbial nitrogen transformation processes and N2O emissions from soil. PMID:24067258

  11. Direct detection of diverse metabolic changes in virally transformed and tax-expressing cells by mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Sripadi, Prabhakar; Shrestha, Bindesh; Easley, Rebecca L; Carpio, Lawrence; Kehn-Hall, Kylene; Chevalier, Sebastien; Mahieux, Renaud; Kashanchi, Fatah; Vertes, Akos

    2010-09-07

    Viral transformation of a cell starts at the genetic level, followed by changes in the proteome and the metabolome of the host. There is limited information on the broad metabolic changes in HTLV transformed cells. Here, we report the detection of key changes in metabolites and lipids directly from human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 and type 3 (HTLV1 and HTLV3) transformed, as well as Tax1 and Tax3 expressing cell lines by laser ablation electrospray ionization (LAESI) mass spectrometry (MS). Comparing LAESI-MS spectra of non-HTLV1 transformed and HTLV1 transformed cells revealed that glycerophosphocholine (PC) lipid components were dominant in the non-HTLV1 transformed cells, and PC(O-32:1) and PC(O-34:1) plasmalogens were displaced by PC(30:0) and PC(32:0) species in the HTLV1 transformed cells. In HTLV1 transformed cells, choline, phosphocholine, spermine and glutathione, among others, were downregulated, whereas creatine, dopamine, arginine and AMP were present at higher levels. When comparing metabolite levels between HTLV3 and Tax3 transfected 293T cells, there were a number of common changes observed, including decreased choline, phosphocholine, spermine, homovanillic acid, and glycerophosphocholine and increased spermidine and N-acetyl aspartic acid. These results indicate that the lipid metabolism pathway as well as the creatine and polyamine biosynthesis pathways are commonly deregulated after expression of HTLV3 and Tax3, indicating that the noted changes are likely due to Tax3 expression. N-acetyl aspartic acid is a novel metabolite that is upregulated in all cell types and all conditions tested. We demonstrate the high throughput in situ metabolite profiling of HTLV transformed and Tax expressing cells, which facilitates the identification of virus-induced perturbations in the biochemical processes of the host cells. We found virus type-specific (HTLV1 vs. HTLV3), expression-specific (Tax1 vs. Tax3) and cell-type-specific (T lymphocytes vs. kidney

  12. ASCA Position Statement: Student Rights: A Right to Due Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    School Counselor, 1978

    1978-01-01

    Presents the American School Counselor Association position statement on student rights by declaring its support of "the rights of all students to be guaranteed the protections of due process as provided by the United States Constitution." The role of the counselor is also discussed. (Author/HLM)

  13. Analysis of embolic signals with directional dual tree rational dilation wavelet transform.

    PubMed

    Serbes, Gorkem; Aydin, Nizamettin

    2016-08-01

    The dyadic discrete wavelet transform (dyadic-DWT), which is based on fixed integer sampling factor, has been used before for processing piecewise smooth biomedical signals. However, the dyadic-DWT has poor frequency resolution due to the low-oscillatory nature of its wavelet bases and therefore, it is less effective in processing embolic signals (ESs). To process ESs more effectively, a wavelet transform having better frequency resolution than the dyadic-DWT is needed. Therefore, in this study two ESs, containing micro-emboli and artifact waveforms, are analyzed with the Directional Dual Tree Rational-Dilation Wavelet Transform (DDT-RADWT). The DDT-RADWT, which can be directly applied to quadrature signals, is based on rational dilation factors and has adjustable frequency resolution. The analyses are done for both low and high Q-factors. It is proved that, when high Q-factor filters are employed in the DDT-RADWT, clearer representations of ESs can be attained in decomposed sub-bands and artifacts can be successfully separated.

  14. The morphing of geographical features by Fourier transformation.

    PubMed

    Li, Jingzhong; Liu, Pengcheng; Yu, Wenhao; Cheng, Xiaoqiang

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a morphing model of vector geographical data based on Fourier transformation. This model involves three main steps. They are conversion from vector data to Fourier series, generation of intermediate function by combination of the two Fourier series concerning a large scale and a small scale, and reverse conversion from combination function to vector data. By mirror processing, the model can also be used for morphing of linear features. Experimental results show that this method is sensitive to scale variations and it can be used for vector map features' continuous scale transformation. The efficiency of this model is linearly related to the point number of shape boundary and the interceptive value n of Fourier expansion. The effect of morphing by Fourier transformation is plausible and the efficiency of the algorithm is acceptable.

  15. 25 CFR 42.8 - What are a student's due process rights in a formal disciplinary proceeding?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... EDUCATION STUDENT RIGHTS § 42.8 What are a student's due process rights in a formal disciplinary proceeding? A student has the following due process rights in a formal disciplinary proceeding: (a) The right to... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What are a student's due process rights in a formal...

  16. Increased N250 amplitudes for other-race faces reflect more effortful processing at the individual level.

    PubMed

    Herzmann, Grit

    2016-07-01

    The N250 and N250r (r for repetition, signaling a difference measure of priming) has been proposed to reflect the activation of perceptual memory representations for individual faces. Increased N250r and N250 amplitudes have been associated with higher levels of familiarity and expertise, respectively. In contrast to these observations, the N250 amplitude has been found to be larger for other-race than own-race faces in recognition memory tasks. This study investigated if these findings were due to increased identity-specific processing demands for other-race relative to own-race faces and whether or not similar results would be obtained for the N250 in a repetition priming paradigm. Only Caucasian participants were available for testing and completed two tasks with Caucasian, African-American, and Chinese faces. In a repetition priming task, participants decided whether or not sequentially presented faces were of the same identity (individuation task) or same race (categorization task). Increased N250 amplitudes were found for African-American and Chinese faces relative to Caucasian faces, replicating previous results in recognition memory tasks. Contrary to the expectation that increased N250 amplitudes for other-race face would be confined to the individuation task, both tasks showed similar results. This could be due to the fact that face identity information needed to be maintained across the sequential presentation of prime and target in both tasks. Increased N250 amplitudes for other-race faces are taken to represent increased neural demands on the identity-specific processing of other-race faces, which are typically processed less holistically and less on the level of the individual. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Exploration on practice teaching reform of Photoelectric Image Processing course under applied transformation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Binfang; Li, Xiaoqin; Liu, Changqing; Li, Jianqi

    2017-08-01

    With the further applied transformation of local colleges, teachers are urgently needed to make corresponding changes in the teaching content and methods from different courses. The article discusses practice teaching reform of the Photoelectric Image Processing course in the Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering major. The Digital Signal Processing (DSP) platform is introduced to the experimental teaching. It will mobilize and inspire students and also enhance their learning motivation and innovation through specific examples. The course via teaching practice process has become the most popular course among students, which will further drive students' enthusiasm and confidence to participate in all kinds of electronic competitions.

  18. An Automated Energy Detection Algorithm Based on Morphological Filter Processing with a Modified Watershed Transform

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-01-01

    ARL-TR-8270 ● JAN 2018 US Army Research Laboratory An Automated Energy Detection Algorithm Based on Morphological Filter...Automated Energy Detection Algorithm Based on Morphological Filter Processing with a Modified Watershed Transform by Kwok F Tom Sensors and Electron...1 October 2016–30 September 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE An Automated Energy Detection Algorithm Based on Morphological Filter Processing with a

  19. Effect of prescribed fire on soil properties and N transformation in two vegetation types in South China.

    PubMed

    Wang, Faming; Li, Jian; Zou, Bi; Xu, Xin; Li, Zhian

    2013-06-01

    Prescribed fire is a common site preparation practice in forest management in southern China. However, the effect of fire on soil properties and N transformations is still poorly understood in this region. In this study, soil properties and N transformations in burned and unburned site of two vegetation types (Eucalyptus plantation and shrubland) were compared in rainy and dry seasons after 2 years' prescribed fire. Soil pH and soil NH4-N were all higher in the burned site compared to the unburned control. Furthermore, burned sites had 30-40 % lower of soil total phosphorus than conspecific unburned sites. There was no difference in soil organic matter, total N, soil exchangeable cations, available P or NO3-N. Nitrogen mineralization rate of 0-5 cm soil in the unburned site ranged from 8.24 to 11.6 mg N kg(-1) soil month(-1) in the rainy season, compared to a lower level of 4.82-5.25 mg N kg(-1) soil month(-1) in the burned sites. In contrast, 0-5 cm layer nitrification rate was overall 2.47 mg N kg(-1) soil month(-1) in the rainy season, and was not significantly affected by burning. The reduced understory vegetation coverage after burning may be responsible for the higher soil NH4-N in the burned site. This study highlights that a better understanding the effect of prescribed burning on soil nutrients cycling would provide a critical foundation for management decision and be beneficial to afforestation in southern China.

  20. Coaching Process Based on Transformative Learning Theory for Changing the Instructional Mindset of Elementary School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kawinkamolroj, Milintra; Triwaranyu, Charinee; Thongthew, Sumlee

    2015-01-01

    This research aimed to develop coaching process based on transformative learning theory for changing the mindset about instruction of elementary school teachers. Tools used in this process include mindset tests and questionnaires designed to assess the instructional mindset of teachers and to allow the teachers to reflect on how they perceive…

  1. Defining Simple nD Operations Based on Prosmatic nD Objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arroyo Ohori, K.; Ledoux, H.; Stoter, J.

    2016-10-01

    An alternative to the traditional approaches to model separately 2D/3D space, time, scale and other parametrisable characteristics in GIS lies in the higher-dimensional modelling of geographic information, in which a chosen set of non-spatial characteristics, e.g. time and scale, are modelled as extra geometric dimensions perpendicular to the spatial ones, thus creating a higher-dimensional model. While higher-dimensional models are undoubtedly powerful, they are also hard to create and manipulate due to our lack of an intuitive understanding in dimensions higher than three. As a solution to this problem, this paper proposes a methodology that makes nD object generation easier by splitting the creation and manipulation process into three steps: (i) constructing simple nD objects based on nD prismatic polytopes - analogous to prisms in 3D -, (ii) defining simple modification operations at the vertex level, and (iii) simple postprocessing to fix errors introduced in the model. As a use case, we show how two sets of operations can be defined and implemented in a dimension-independent manner using this methodology: the most common transformations (i.e. translation, scaling and rotation) and the collapse of objects. The nD objects generated in this manner can then be used as a basis for an nD GIS.

  2. In-Situ TEM-STM Observations of SWCNT Ropes/Tubular Transformations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sola, F.; Lebron-Colon, M.; Ferreira, P. J.; Fonseca, L. F.; Meador, M. A.; Marin, C.

    2010-01-01

    Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) prepared by the HiPco process were purified using a modified gas phase purification technique. A TEM-STM holder was used to study the morphological changes of SWCNT ropes as a function of applied voltage. Kink formation, buckling behavior, tubular transformation and eventual breakdown of the system were observed. The tubular formation was attributed to a transformation from SWCNT ropes to multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) structures. It is likely mediated by the patching and tearing mechanism which is promoted primarily by the mobile vacancies generated due to current-induced heating and, to some extent, by electron irradiation.

  3. Basic Substantive Law for Paralegals: Contracts, Torts, and Due Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marcin, Raymond B.

    Part of the paralegal, or legal assistant, training materials prepared by the National Paralegal Institution under a Federal grant, the text comprises an overview of the basic legal concepts usually found in introductory law courses concerning contracts, torts, and the due process area of constitutional law. Part 1, Contracts, covers: definition,…

  4. Cinematic camera emulation using two-dimensional color transforms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McElvain, Jon S.; Gish, Walter

    2015-02-01

    For cinematic and episodic productions, on-set look management is an important component of the creative process, and involves iterative adjustments of the set, actors, lighting and camera configuration. Instead of using the professional motion capture device to establish a particular look, the use of a smaller form factor DSLR is considered for this purpose due to its increased agility. Because the spectral response characteristics will be different between the two camera systems, a camera emulation transform is needed to approximate the behavior of the destination camera. Recently, twodimensional transforms have been shown to provide high-accuracy conversion of raw camera signals to a defined colorimetric state. In this study, the same formalism is used for camera emulation, whereby a Canon 5D Mark III DSLR is used to approximate the behavior a Red Epic cinematic camera. The spectral response characteristics for both cameras were measured and used to build 2D as well as 3x3 matrix emulation transforms. When tested on multispectral image databases, the 2D emulation transforms outperform their matrix counterparts, particularly for images containing highly chromatic content.

  5. Mechanically controlling the reversible phase transformation from zinc blende to wurtzite in AlN

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Zhen; Yadav, Satyesh; Chen, Youxing; ...

    2017-04-10

    III–V and other binary octet semiconductors often take two phase forms—wurtzite (wz) and zinc blende (zb) crystal structures—with distinct functional performance at room temperature. Here, we investigate how to control the synthesized phase structure to either wz or zb phase by tuning the interfacial strain by taking AlN as a representative III–V compound. Furthermore, by applying in situ mechanical tests at atomic scale in a transmission electron microscope, we observed the reversible phase transformation from zb to wz, and characterized the transition path—the collective glide of Shockley partials on every two {111} planes of the zb AlN.

  6. Trimethylamine (TMA) biofiltration and transformation in biofilters.

    PubMed

    Ding, Ying; Shi, Ji-Yan; Wu, Wei-Xiang; Yin, Jun; Chen, Ying-Xu

    2007-05-08

    Bioremoval of trimethylamine (TMA) in two three-stage biofilters packed with compost (A) and sludge (B), respectively, was investigated. Both biofilters were operated with an influent TMA concentration of 19.2-57.2mgm(-3) for 67 days. Results showed that all of the inlet TMA could be removed by both biofilters. However, removal efficiency and transformation of TMA in each section of both biofilters was different. In the Introduction section, TMA removal efficiency and maximum elimination capacity of the compost medium were greater than those of sludge medium under higher inlet TMA concentration. In comparison with biofilter A, considerably higher NH(3) concentrations in effluent of all three sections in biofilter B were observed after day 19. Although, NO(2)(-)-N concentration in each section of biofilter A was relatively lower, NO(3)(-)-N content in each section of biofilter A increased after day 26, especially in the Materials and method section which increased remarkably due to a lesser amount of TMA and higher ammonia oxidation and nitrification in compost medium. In contrast, neither NO(2)(-)-N nor NO(3)(-)-N were detected in either section of biofilter B at any time throughout the course of the experiment. The cumulative results indicated that compost is more favorable for the growth of TMA-degrading and nitrifying bacteria as compared to the sludge and could be a highly suitable packing material for biodegradation and transformation of TMA.

  7. Effect of H2 and redox condition on biotic and abiotic MTBE transformation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bradley, P.M.; Chapelle, F.H.; Landmeyer, J.E.

    2006-01-01

    Laboratory studies conducted with surface water sediment from a methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)-contaminated site in South Carolina demonstrated that, under methanogenic conditions, [U-14C] MTBE was transformed to 14C tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) with no measurable production of 14CO2. Production of TBA was not attributed to the activity of methanogenic microorganisms, however, because comparable transformation of [U-14C] MTBE to 14C-TBA also was observed in heat-sterilized controls with dissolved H2 concentrations > 5 nM. The results suggest that the transformation of MTBE to TBA may be an abiotic process that is driven by biologically produced H2 under in situ conditions. In contrast, mineralization of [U-14C] MTBE to 14CO2 was completely inhibited by heat sterilization and only observed in treatments characterized by dissolved H2 concentrations < 2 nM. These results suggest that the pathway of MTBE transformation is influenced by in situ H2 concentrations and that in situ H2 concentrations may be an useful indicator of MTBE transformation pathways in ground water systems.

  8. Transformation and fate of nitrate near the sediment-water interface of Copano Bay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Lijun; Liu, Min; Carini, Stephen A.; Gardner, Wayne S.

    2012-03-01

    This study investigated potential transformation processes and fates of nitrate at the sediment-water interface of Copano Bay during a period of drought by conducting continuous-flow and slurry experiments combined with a 15NO3- addition technique. Rates of 15NO3--based denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) and potential dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) were in the range of 27.7-40.1, 0.26-1.6 and 1.4-3.8 μmol 15N m-2 h-1, respectively. Compared with the total 15NO3-fluxes into sediments, dissimilatory processes contributed 29-49% to loss of the spiked 15NO3-. Based on the mass balance of 15NO3-, microbial assimilation was estimated to consume about 50-70% of the added 15NO3-, indicating that most of nitrate was incorporated by microorganisms in this N-limiting system. In addition, significant correlations of nitrate transformation rates with sediment characteristics reflect that the depth related behaviors of nitrate transformations in core sediments were coupled strongly to organic matter, iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) cycles.

  9. The morphing of geographical features by Fourier transformation

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Pengcheng; Yu, Wenhao; Cheng, Xiaoqiang

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a morphing model of vector geographical data based on Fourier transformation. This model involves three main steps. They are conversion from vector data to Fourier series, generation of intermediate function by combination of the two Fourier series concerning a large scale and a small scale, and reverse conversion from combination function to vector data. By mirror processing, the model can also be used for morphing of linear features. Experimental results show that this method is sensitive to scale variations and it can be used for vector map features’ continuous scale transformation. The efficiency of this model is linearly related to the point number of shape boundary and the interceptive value n of Fourier expansion. The effect of morphing by Fourier transformation is plausible and the efficiency of the algorithm is acceptable. PMID:29351344

  10. Quantification of transformation rates of soil amino sugars and amino acids by a novel isotope pool dilution approach via liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Yuntao; Zheng, Qing; Noll, Lisa; Zhang, Shasha; Wanek, Wolfgang

    2017-04-01

    Organic nitrogen transformation processes are the key driver of soil nitrogen availability, strongly affecting the nitrogen turnover and carbon cycling of terrestrial ecosystems. Low molecular weight organic nitrogen compounds (e.g. amino acids and amino sugars) that can be directly utilized by plants or microorganisms are released by the extracellular cleavage of high molecular weight organic nitrogen compounds (e.g. proteins, peptidoglycan, and chitin) by hydrolytic enzymes. This decomposition process is believed to be the rate-limiting step in the soil N cycle. Direct measurements of the in situ transformation rates of these small N compounds is highly challenging but can be realized by applying the isotope pool dilution (IPD) technique, in which the target compound pool is labeled with isotopic tracers and subsequently the dilution of the tracers is measured. We have recently pioneered the development of IPD assays to investigate the in situ flux of proteinaceous amino acids and glucose due to decomposition of organic matter and microbial utilization, but the roles of fluxes of amino sugars and amino acid enantiomers in soil nitrogen transformation processes are still unknown due to the lack of feasible extraction, purification, separation and detection methods. Here we developed a 15N IPD assay by utilizing a novel LC/HRMS (Orbitrap) platform, with the aim to measure transformation rates of amino sugars and amino acid enantiomers. After the tracer experiments soil extracts were purified by solid phase extraction prior to the analysis by MS. The utilization of Orbitrap-HRMS allowed us to resolve the mass signals of unlabeled analytes, and their 15N labeled (tracers) and 13C labeled (internal standards) analogues. The commercially unavailable 15N and 13C labeled amino sugars and amino acid enantiomers were produced from bacterial cell walls after batch culture in labeled growth media. This workflow was validated with soils from two sampling sites, allowing us to

  11. Models Robustness for Simulating Drainage and NO3-N Fluxes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jabro, Jay; Jabro, Ann

    2013-04-01

    Computer models simulate and forecast appropriate agricultural practices to reduce environmental impact. The objectives of this study were to assess and compare robustness and performance of three models -- LEACHM, NCSWAP, and SOIL-SOILN--for simulating drainage and NO3-N leaching fluxes in an intense pasture system without recalibration. A 3-yr study was conducted on a Hagerstown silt loam to measure drainage and NO3-N fluxes below 1 m depth from N-fertilized orchardgrass using intact core lysimeters. Five N-fertilizer treatments were replicated five times in a randomized complete block experimental design. The models were validated under orchardgrass using soil, water and N transformation rate parameters and C pools fractionation derived from a previous study conducted on similar soils under corn. The model efficiency (MEF) of drainage and NO3-N fluxes were 0.53, 0.69 for LEACHM; 0.75, 0.39 for NCSWAP; and 0.94, 0.91for SOIL-SOILN. The models failed to produce reasonable simulations of drainage and NO3-N fluxes in January, February and March due to limited water movement associated with frozen soil and snow accumulation and melt. The differences between simulated and measured NO3-N leaching and among models' performances may also be related to soil N and C transformation processes embedded in the models These results are a monumental progression in the validation of computer models which will lead to continued diffusion across diverse stakeholders.

  12. Computation of transform domain covariance matrices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fino, B. J.; Algazi, V. R.

    1975-01-01

    It is often of interest in applications to compute the covariance matrix of a random process transformed by a fast unitary transform. Here, the recursive definition of fast unitary transforms is used to derive recursive relations for the covariance matrices of the transformed process. These relations lead to fast methods of computation of covariance matrices and to substantial reductions of the number of arithmetic operations required.

  13. Transformation of PRT6 RNAi construct into tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cv. Micro-Tom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suka, Intan Elya; Chew, Bee Lynn; Goh, Hoe-Han; Isa, Nurulhikma Md

    2018-04-01

    PROTEOLYSIS 6 plays major role in the N-end rule pathway as N-recognin which functions as E3 ligase enzyme. It mediates ubiquitin processes that lead to degradation of unstable substrate protein. The aim of the current study is to transform the PRT6 gene into tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) from the cultivar Micro-Tom and to investigate its function in regulating ripening in tomato fruits. The PRT6_RNAi construct was successfully transformed into Agrobacterium C58 via heat shock method and transformed into seven days old cotyledon explants. Factors affecting transformation efficiency such as co-cultivation time and type of plant growth regulator combination were evaluated. Results from this study found that pre-cultured cotyledons from seven days old seedlings incubated for 2 days in co-cultivation medium increased shoot regeneration. Plant growth hormones zeatin combine with auxin produced a higher number of callus formation but lower shoot proliferation and transformation frequency compared to treatments of single plant hormone in the selection medium. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on the regenerated shoots to confirm the integration of PRT6 fragment into the genome of transgenic plants. Based on PCR analysis, all putative shoots were positive transformants.

  14. Industrial realization of a direct Fourier transform in automated experimental data processing systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lyubashevskiy, G. S.

    1973-01-01

    Fourier processing of automatic signals transforms direct current voltage into a numerical form through bandpass filtration in time-pulse multiplying devices. It is shown that the ratio of the interference energy to the useful signal energy is inversely proportional to the square of the product of the depth of the width modulation and the ratio of the time constant averaging to the cross-multiplied signals.

  15. Wavelet Transforms in Parallel Image Processing

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-01-27

    NUMBER OF PAGES Object Segmentation, Texture Segmentation, Image Compression, Image 137 Halftoning , Neural Network, Parallel Algorithms, 2D and 3D...Vector Quantization of Wavelet Transform Coefficients ........ ............................. 57 B.1.f Adaptive Image Halftoning based on Wavelet...application has been directed to the adaptive image halftoning . The gray information at a pixel, including its gray value and gradient, is represented by

  16. Will Your Due Process Procedures Keep You Out of Court?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purtle, John I.

    Students do not leave their constitutional rights at the boundary of the school grounds. We would never send anyone to prison without a trial; to a lesser degree, expulsions and suspensions are in the same category. Your due process procedures should at least give a student (1) notice of the charges, (2) opportunity to be heard, and (3)…

  17. Adaptive threshold shearlet transform for surface microseismic data denoising

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Na; Zhao, Xian; Li, Yue; Zhu, Dan

    2018-06-01

    Random noise suppression plays an important role in microseismic data processing. The microseismic data is often corrupted by strong random noise, which would directly influence identification and location of microseismic events. Shearlet transform is a new multiscale transform, which can effectively process the low magnitude of microseismic data. In shearlet domain, due to different distributions of valid signals and random noise, shearlet coefficients can be shrunk by threshold. Therefore, threshold is vital in suppressing random noise. The conventional threshold denoising algorithms usually use the same threshold to process all coefficients, which causes noise suppression inefficiency or valid signals loss. In order to solve above problems, we propose the adaptive threshold shearlet transform (ATST) for surface microseismic data denoising. In the new algorithm, we calculate the fundamental threshold for each direction subband firstly. In each direction subband, the adjustment factor is obtained according to each subband coefficient and its neighboring coefficients, in order to adaptively regulate the fundamental threshold for different shearlet coefficients. Finally we apply the adaptive threshold to deal with different shearlet coefficients. The experimental denoising results of synthetic records and field data illustrate that the proposed method exhibits better performance in suppressing random noise and preserving valid signal than the conventional shearlet denoising method.

  18. Reactive N emissions from beef cattle feedlots

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Large amounts of nitrogen (N) are fed to meet the nutritional needs of beef cattle in feedlots. However, only from 10 to 15% of fed N is retained in animals. Most N is excreted. Chemical and biological processes transform manure N into ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrate. These reactive forms of ...

  19. To be truly alive: motivation among prison inmate hospice volunteers and the transformative process of end-of-life peer care service.

    PubMed

    Cloyes, Kristin G; Rosenkranz, Susan J; Wold, Dawn; Berry, Patricia H; Supiano, Katherine P

    2014-11-01

    Some US prisons are meeting the growing need for end-of-life care through inmate volunteer programs, yet knowledge of the motivations of inmate caregivers is underdeveloped. This study explored the motivations of inmate hospice volunteers from across Louisiana State (n = 75) through an open-ended survey, a grounded theory approach to analysis, and comparison of responses by experience level and gender. Participants expressed complex motivations; Inter-related themes on personal growth, social responsibility and ethical service to vulnerable peers suggested that inmate caregivers experience an underlying process of personal and social transformation, from hospice as a source of positive self-identity to peer-caregiving as a foundation for community. Better understanding of inmate caregiver motivations and processes will help prisons devise effective and sustainable end of life peer-care programs. © The Author(s) 2013.

  20. Education--Due Process for Washington Public School Students--Wash. Ad. Code ch. 180-40 (1972)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Talmadge, Philip

    1975-01-01

    In Washington, legislative and administrative rules of the State Board of Education have conferred protections of constitutional due process on public school students. The author examines the regulatory framework and effects concluding that the Washington due process rules should serve as a model for other states. (JT)

  1. High activity of g-C3N4/multiwall carbon nanotube in catalytic ozonation promotes electro-peroxone process.

    PubMed

    Guo, Zhuang; Cao, Hongbin; Wang, Yuxian; Xie, Yongbing; Xiao, Jiadong; Yang, Jin; Zhang, Yi

    2018-06-01

    Three kinds of graphitic carbon nitride materials (bulk, porous and nanosheet g-C 3 N 4 ) were composited with a multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) by a hydrothermal method, and the obtained b-C 3 N 4 /CNT, p-C 3 N 4 /CNT and n-C 3 N 4 /CNT materials were used in the electrodes for electro-peroxone process. It was found that the n-C 3 N 4 /CNT composite exhibited the highest efficiency in oxalate degradation, though it performed the worst in the oxygen-reduction reaction for H 2 O 2 production. The n-C 3 N 4 /CNT composite exhibited higher activity than CNT and other composites in catalytic ozonation experiments, due to the higher pyrrolic-N content modified on the CNT surface and higher surface area. It also has higher electron transfer ability, which benefited to the electro-reduction of both O 2 and O 3 . The result confirmed that catalytic ozonation process was an important means to enhance the degradation efficiency in the electro-peroxone process, besides peroxone process and O 3 -electrolysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Physical processes of quartz amorphization due to friction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Y.; Muto, J.; Nagahama, H.; Miura, T.; Arakawa, I.; Shimizu, I.

    2011-12-01

    Solid state amorphization of minerals occurs in indentations, in shock experiments, and in high pressure metamorphic quartz rock. A production of amorphous material is also reported in experimentally created silicate gouges (Yund et al., 1990), and in San Andreas Fault core samples (Janssen et al., 2010). Rotary-shear friction experiments of quartz rocks imply dynamic weakening at seismic rates (Di Toro et al., 2004). These experiments have suggested that weakening is caused by formation and thixotropic behavior of a silica gel layer which comprises of very fine particles of hydrated amorphous silica on fault gouges (Goldsby & Tullis, 2002; Hayashi & Tsutsumi, 2010). Therefore, physical processes of amorphization are important to better understand weakening of quartz bearing rocks. In this study, we conducted a pin-on-disk friction experiment to investigate details of quartz amorphization (Muto et al, 2007). Disks were made of single crystals of synthetic and Brazilian quartz. The normal load F and sliding velocity V were ranged from 0.01 N to 1 N and from 0.01 m/s to 2.6 m/s, respectively. The friction was conducted using quartz and diamond pins (curvature radii of 0.2 ~ 3 mm) to large displacements (> 1000 m) under controlled atmosphere. We analyzed experiment samples by Raman spectroscopy and FT-IR. Raman spectroscopy (excitation wavelength 532.1 nm) provides lattice vibration modes, and was used to investigate the degree of amorphization of samples. Raman spectra of friction tracks on the disk show clear bands at wavenumbers of 126, 204, 356, 394, and 464 cm-1, characteristic of intact α-quartz. Remarkably, in experiments using diamond pins (F = 0.8 N, normal stress σr calculated by contact area = 293 ~ 440 MPa, V = 0.12 ~ 0.23 m/s), the bands at 204 and 464 cm-1 gradually broaden to reveal shoulders on the higher-wavenumber sides of these peaks. Especially, two distinguished peaks at 490 and 515 cm-1 and a weak broad peak at 606 cm-1 appear sporadically on

  3. Protein structure controls the processing of the N-linked oligosaccharides and glycosylphosphatidylinositol glycans of variant surface glycoproteins expressed in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei.

    PubMed

    Zitzmann, N; Mehlert, A; Carrouée, S; Rudd, P M; Ferguson, M A; Carroué, S

    2000-03-01

    The variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) of Trypanosoma brucei are a family of homodimeric glycoproteins that adopt similar shapes. An individual trypanosome expresses one VSG at a time in the form of a dense protective mono-layer on the plasma membrane. VSG genes are expressed from one of several polycistronic transcription units (expression sites) that contain several expression site associated genes. We used a transformed trypanosome clone expressing two different VSGs (VSG121 and VSG221) from the same expression site (that of VSG221) to establish whether the genotype of the trypanosome clone or the VSG structure itself controls VSG N-linked oligosaccharide and GPI anchor glycan processing. In-gel release and fluorescent labeling of N-linked oligosaccharides and on-blot fluorescent labeling and release of GPI anchor glycans were employed to compare the carbohydrate structures of VSG121 and VSG221 when expressed individually in wild-type trypanosome clones and when expressed together in the transformed trypanosome clone. The data indicate that the genotype of the trypanosome clone has no effect on the N-linked oligosaccharide structures present on a given VSG variant and only a minor effect on the GPI anchor glycans. The latter is most likely an effect of changes in inter-VSG packing when two VGSs are expressed simultaneously. Thus, N-linked oligosaccharide and GPI anchor processing enzymes appear to be constitutively expressed in bloodstream form African trypanosomes and the tertiary and quaternary structures of the VSG homodimers appear to dictate the processing and glycoform microheterogeneity of surface-expressed VSGs.

  4. Dynamic Simulation on the Installation Process of HGIS in Transformer Substation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Tao; Li, Shaohua; Wang, Hu; Che, Deyong; Qi, Guangcai; Yao, Jianfeng; Zhang, Qingzhe

    The technological requirements of Hypid Gas Insulated Switchgear (HGIS) installation in transformer substation is high and the control points of quality is excessive. Most of the engineers and technicians in the construction enterprises are not familiar with equipments of HGIS. In order to solve these problem, equipments of HGIS is modeled on the computer by SolidWorks software. Installation process of civil foundation and closed-type equipments is optimized dynamically with virtual assemble technology. Announcements and application work are composited into animation file. Skills of modeling and simulation is tidied classify as well. The result of the visual dynamic simulation can instruct the actual construction process of HGIS to a certain degree and can promote reasonable construction planning and management. It can also improve the method and quality of staff training for electric power construction enterprises.

  5. Structures of aspartic acid-96 in the L and N intermediates of bacteriorhodopsin: analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maeda, A.; Sasaki, J.; Shichida, Y.; Yoshizawa, T.; Chang, M.; Ni, B.; Needleman, R.; Lanyi, J. K.

    1992-01-01

    The light-induced difference Fourier transform infrared spectrum between the L or N intermediate minus light-adapted bacteriorhodopsin (BR) was measured in order to examine the protonated states and the changes in the interactions of carboxylic acids of Asp-96 and Asp-115 in these intermediates. Vibrational bands due to the protonated and unprotonated carboxylic acid were identified by isotope shift and band depletion upon substitution of Asp-96 or -115 by asparagine. While the signal due to the deprotonation of Asp-96 was clearly observed in the N intermediate, this residue remained protonated in L. Asp-115 was partially deprotonated in L. The C = O stretching vibration of protonated Asp-96 of L showed almost no shift upon 2H2O substitution, in contrast to the corresponding band of Asp-96 or Asp-115 of BR, which shifted by 9-12 cm-1 under the same conditions. In the model system of acetic acid in organic solvents, such an absence of the shift of the C = O stretching vibration of the protonated carboxylic acid upon 2H2O substitution was seen only when the O-H of acetic acid is hydrogen-bonded. The non-hydrogen-bonded monomer showed the 2H2O-dependent shift. Thus, the O-H bond of Asp-96 enters into hydrogen bonding upon conversion of BR to L. Its increased hydrogen bonding in L is consistent with the observed downshift of the O-H stretching vibration of the carboxylic acid of Asp-96.

  6. Biodegradation of sulfamethoxazole photo-transformation products in a water/sediment test.

    PubMed

    Su, Tong; Deng, Huiping; Benskin, Jonathan P; Radke, Michael

    2016-04-01

    Occurrence of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in the aquatic environment is of concern due to its potential to induce antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. While degradation of SMX can occur by numerous processes, the environmental fate of its transformation products (TPs) remains poorly understood. In the present work, biodegradation of SMX photo-TPs was investigated in a water/sediment system. Photo-TPs were produced by exposing SMX to artificial sunlight for 48 h. The resulting mixture of 8 photo-TPs was characterized using a combination of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry, and then used in biodegradation experiments. Significant differences in transformation among SMX photo-TPs were observed in the water/sediment system, with four photo-TPs displaying evidence of biodegradation (dissipation half-lives [DT50] of 39.7 d for 3-amino-5-methylisoxazole, 12.7 d for 4-nitro-sulfamethxoazole, 7.6 d for an SMX isomer and 2.4 d for [C10H13N3O4S]), two displaying primarily abiotic degradation (DT50 of 31 d for sulfanilic acid and 74.9 d for 5-methylisoxazol-3-yl-sulfamate), and two photo-TPs behaving largely recalcitrantly. Remarkably, TPs previously reported to be photo-stable also were persistent in biodegradation experiments. The most surprising observation was an increase in SMX concentrations when the irradiated solution was incubated, which we attribute to back-transformation of certain photo-TPs by sediment bacteria (85% from 4-nitro-sulfamethoxazole). This process could contribute to exposure to SMX in the aquatic environment that is higher than one would expect based on the fate of SMX alone. The results highlight the importance of considering TPs along with their parent compounds when characterizing environmental risks of emerging contaminants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Determination of optimum processing temperature for transformation of glyceryl monostearate.

    PubMed

    Yajima, Toshio; Itai, Shigeru; Takeuchi, Hirofumi; Kawashima, Yoshiaki

    2002-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of transformation from alpha-form to beta-form via beta'-form of glyceryl monostearate (GM) and to determine the optimum conditions of heat-treatment for physically stabilizing GM in a pharmaceutical formulation. Thermal analysis repeated twice using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were performed on mixtures of two crystal forms. In the first run (enthalpy of melting: DeltaH1), two endothermic peaks of alpha-form and beta-form were observed. However, in the second run (enthalpy of melting: DeltaH2), only the endothermic peak of the alpha-form was observed. From a strong correlation observed between the beta-form content in the mixture of alpha-form and beta-form and the enthalpy change, (DeltaH1-DeltaH2)/DeltaH2, beta-form content was expressed as a function of the enthalpy change. Using this relation, the stable beta-form content during the heat-treatment could be determined, and the maximum beta-form content was obtained when the heat-treatment was carried out at 50 degrees C. An inflection point existed in the time course of transformation of alpha-form to beta-form. It was assumed that almost all of alpha-form transformed to beta'-form at this point, and that subsequently only transformation from beta'-form to beta-form occurred. Based on this aspect, the transformation rate equations were derived as consecutive reaction. Experimental data coincided well with the theoretical curve. In conclusion, GM was transformed in the consecutive reaction, and 50 degrees C was the optimum heat-treatment temperature for transforming GM from the alpha-form to the stable beta-form.

  8. Neutron spectra due (13)N production in a PET cyclotron.

    PubMed

    Benavente, J A; Vega-Carrillo, H R; Lacerda, M A S; Fonseca, T C F; Faria, F P; da Silva, T A

    2015-05-01

    Monte Carlo and experimental methods have been used to characterize the neutron radiation field around PET (Positron Emission Tomography) cyclotrons. In this work, the Monte Carlo code MCNPX was used to estimate the neutron spectra, the neutron fluence rates and the ambient dose equivalent (H*(10)) in seven locations around a PET cyclotron during (13)N production. In order to validate these calculations, H*(10) was measured in three sites and were compared with the calculated doses. All the spectra have two peaks, one above 0.1MeV due to the evaporation neutrons and another in the thermal region due to the room-return effects. Despite the relatively large difference between the measured and calculated H*(10) for one point, the agreement was considered good, compared with that obtained for (18)F production in a previous work. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Microbial N Transformations and N2O Emission after Simulated Grassland Cultivation: Effects of the Nitrification Inhibitor 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole Phosphate (DMPP).

    PubMed

    Duan, Yun-Feng; Kong, Xian-Wang; Schramm, Andreas; Labouriau, Rodrigo; Eriksen, Jørgen; Petersen, Søren O

    2017-01-01

    Grassland cultivation can mobilize large pools of N in the soil, with the potential for N leaching and N 2 O emissions. Spraying with the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) before cultivation was simulated by use of soil columns in which the residue distribution corresponded to plowing or rotovation to study the effects of soil-residue contact on N transformations. DMPP was sprayed on aboveground parts of ryegrass and white clover plants before incorporation. During a 42-day incubation, soil mineral N dynamics, potential ammonia oxidation (PAO), denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA), nitrifier and denitrifier populations, and N 2 O emissions were investigated. The soil NO 3 - pool was enriched with 15 N to trace sources of N 2 O. Ammonium was rapidly released from decomposing residues, and PAO was stimulated in soil near residues. DMPP effectively reduced NH 4 + transformation irrespective of residue distribution. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) were both present, but only the AOB amoA transcript abundance correlated with PAO. DMPP inhibited the transcription of AOB amoA genes. Denitrifier genes and transcripts (nirK, nirS, and clades I and II of nosZ) were recovered, and a correlation was found between nirS mRNA and DEA. DMPP showed no adverse effects on the abundance or activity of denitrifiers. The 15 N enrichment of N 2 O showed that denitrification was responsible for 80 to 90% of emissions. With support from a control experiment without NO 3 - amendment, it was concluded that DMPP will generally reduce the potential for leaching of residue-derived N, whereas the effect of DMPP on N 2 O emissions will be significant only when soil NO 3 - availability is limiting. Residue incorporation following grassland cultivation can lead to mobilization of large pools of N and potentially to significant N losses via leaching and N 2 O emissions. This study proposed a mitigation strategy of applying 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate

  10. Mineralogical, micromorphological and geochemical transformations in the initial steps of the weathering process of charnockite from the Caparaó Range, southeastern Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soares, Caroline Cibele Vieira; Varajão, Angélica Fortes Drummond Chicarino; Varajão, César Augusto Chicarino; Boulangé, Bruno

    2014-12-01

    X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and Electron Probe micro-analyser (EPMA) and Wavelength-Dispersive Spectroscopy (WDS) were conducted on charnockite from the Caparaó Suite and its alteration cortex to determine the mineralogical, micromorphological and geochemical transformations resulting from the weathering process. The hydrolysis of the charnockite occurred in different stages, in accordance with the order of stability of the minerals with respect to weathering: andesine/orthopyroxene, pargasite and alkali feldspar. The rock modifications had begun with the formation of a layer of incipient alteration due to the percolation of weathering solutions first in the pressure relief fractures and then in cleavage and mineral edges. The iron exuded from ferromagnesian minerals precipitated in the intermineral and intramineral discontinuities. The layer of incipient alteration evolves into an inner cortex where the plagioclase changes into gibbsite by direct alitisation, the ferromagnesian minerals initiate the formation of goethitic boxworks with kaolinitic cores, and the alkali feldspar initiates indirect transformation into gibbsite, forming an intermediate phase of illite and kaolinite. In the outer cortex, mostly traces of alkali feldspar remain, and they are surrounded by goethite and gibbsite as alteromorphics, characterising the formation of the isalteritic horizon that occurs along the slope and explains the bauxitization process at the Caparaó Range, SE Brazil.

  11. A fast Karhunen-Loeve transform for a class of random processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jain, A. K.

    1976-01-01

    It is shown that for a class of finite first-order Markov signals, the Karhunen-Loeve (KL) transform for data compression is a set of periodic sine functions if the boundary values of the signal are fixed or known. These sine functions are shown to be related to the Fourier transform so that a fast Fourier transform algorithm can be used to implement the KL transform. Extension to two dimensions with reference to images with separable contravariance function is shown.

  12. Preferential flow, nitrogen transformations and 15N balance under urine-affected areas of irrigated and non-irrigated clover-based pastures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pakro, Naser; Dillon, Peter

    1995-12-01

    Urine-affected areas can lead to considerable losses of N by leaching, ammonia volatilisation and denitrification from dairy pastures in the southeast of South Australia. Potable groundwater supplies are considered to have become contaminated by nitrate as a result of leaching from these leguminous pastures. Dairy cow urine, labelled with 15N urea, was applied to micro-plots and mini-lysimeters installed in two adjacent irrigated (white clover-rye grass) and non-irrigated (subterranean clover-annual grasses) paddocks of a dairy farm on four occasions representing different seasonal conditions. These experiments allowed measurement of nitrogen transformations, recovery of 15N in the pasture and soil, and leaching below various depths. Gaseous losses were calculated from the nitrogen balance. The results of the four experiments showed that within a day of urine application up to 40% of the applied urinary-N was leached below a depth of 150 mm as a result of macropore flow in the irrigated paddock, and up to 24% in the non-irrigated one. After application to the irrigated paddock 17% of the urinary-N moved immediately below 300 mm but only 2% below the 450-mm depth. The urinary-N remaining in the soil was converted from urea to ammonium within a day regardless of season. Within the first 7 days of application six times more nitrate was produced in summer than in winter. This has obvious implications for leaching potential. Leaching of 15N from the top 150 mm of soil, following urine applications in all seasons, was between 41% and 62% of the applied 15N in the irrigated paddock and 25-51% in the non-irrigated paddock. However, leaching losses measured at depths of 300 or 450 mm were smaller by a factor of 2-4. The leaching loss of 15N applied in spring in both paddocks was 41% below 150 mm and 12% below 450 mm. Recovery of 15N from the soil-plant system in the 450-nm deep lysimeters was ˜60% of that applied. Estimated ammonia was ˜9% of applied 15N with no paddock

  13. Transport properties of the two-dimensional electron gas in AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Xiuxun; Honda, Yoshio; Narita, Tetsuo; Yamaguchi, Masahito; Sawaki, Nobuhiko

    2007-01-01

    Magnetotransport measurements were performed on a series of AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with different Al compositions (x = 0.15, 0.20 and 0.30) at 4.2 K. Adopting a fast Fourier transform method, we analysed the Shubnikov-de Hass oscillations due to the two-dimensional electron gas to derive the quantum scattering time (τq). It was found that the quantum scattering time in the ground subband decreases with increasing Al composition: 0.194 ps (x = 0.15), 0.174 ps (x = 0.20) and 0.123 ps (x = 0.30), respectively. To discern the predominant scattering process, the scattering time limited by interface roughness, the residual impurity and the alloy disorder were investigated numerically by including inter-subband scattering. We found that enhanced interface roughness scattering dominates both the transport and quantum scattering time in the ground subband.

  14. TRANSFORMATION

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

    LACKS,S.A.

    2003-10-09

    Transformation, which alters the genetic makeup of an individual, is a concept that intrigues the human imagination. In Streptococcus pneumoniae such transformation was first demonstrated. Perhaps our fascination with genetics derived from our ancestors observing their own progeny, with its retention and assortment of parental traits, but such interest must have been accelerated after the dawn of agriculture. It was in pea plants that Gregor Mendel in the late 1800s examined inherited traits and found them to be determined by physical elements, or genes, passed from parents to progeny. In our day, the material basis of these genetic determinants wasmore » revealed to be DNA by the lowly bacteria, in particular, the pneumococcus. For this species, transformation by free DNA is a sexual process that enables cells to sport new combinations of genes and traits. Genetic transformation of the type found in S. pneumoniae occurs naturally in many species of bacteria (70), but, initially only a few other transformable species were found, namely, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitides, Neisseria gonorrheae, and Bacillus subtilis (96). Natural transformation, which requires a set of genes evolved for the purpose, contrasts with artificial transformation, which is accomplished by shocking cells either electrically, as in electroporation, or by ionic and temperature shifts. Although such artificial treatments can introduce very small amounts of DNA into virtually any type of cell, the amounts introduced by natural transformation are a million-fold greater, and S. pneumoniae can take up as much as 10% of its cellular DNA content (40).« less

  15. N2 Dissociation In The Mesosphere Due To Secondary Electrons During A Solar Proton Event: The Effect On Atomic Nitrogen and Nitric Oxide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verronen, P. T.; Shematovich, V. I.; Bisikalo, D. V.; Turunen, E.; Ulich, Th.

    Solar proton events have an effect on the middle atmospheric odd nitrogen chem- istry. During a solar proton event high energy protons enter Earth's middle atmosphere where they ionize ambient gas. Ionization leads to production of atomic nitrogen, and further to production of nitric oxide, through ion chemistry. In addition, ionization processes produce secondary electrons that, if possessing 9.76 eV or more energy, dissociate N2 providing an additional source of atomic nitrogen. We have calculated mesospheric N2 dissociation rate due to secondary electrons dur- ing a solar proton event. Further, we have studied the effect on atomic nitrogen and nitric oxide at altitudes between 50 and 90 km. It was found that N2 is efficiently dis- sociated in the lower mesosphere by secondary electrons, with rates up to 103 cm-3 s-1 at 50 km. Thus, secondary electrons significantly add to odd nitrogen produc- tion. As a result of N2 dissociation, atomic nitrogen is greatly enhanced in both N(4S) and N(2D) states by 259% and 1220% maximum increases at 50 km, respectively. This further leads to a maximum increase of 16.5% in NO concentration at 61 km via chemical reactions. In our study a Monte Carlo model was used to calculate the total ionization rate and secondary electrons flux due to precipitating protons. These where then used as input to a detailed ion and neutral chemistry model and a steady-state solution was calcu- lated for two cases: With and without N2 dissociation due to secondary electrons.

  16. Study of thermomechanical treatment on mechanical-induced phase transformation of NiTi and TiNiCu wires.

    PubMed

    Seyyed Aghamiri, S M; Nili Ahmadabadi, M; Shahmir, H; Naghdi, F; Raygan, Sh

    2013-05-01

    The nickel-titanium shape memory alloys have been used in orthodontic application due to their unique properties like superelasticity and biocompatibility. The phase transformation behavior of these alloys can be changed by alloying elements and thermomechanical processing conditions. In this study, two types of NiTi and TiNiCu wires of 0.4mm diameter were produced via thermomechanical treatments with final step of 20% cold drawing followed by annealing at different temperatures of 300 and 400 °C for varying times of 10, 30 and 60 min. The processed wires were characterized by oral cavity configuration three point bending (OCTPB) test at 37 °C to specify the mechanical transformation features. Also, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze the thermal transformation temperatures of selected wires. The results showed the thermomechanical treatment at 300 °C for 30 min was the suitable process in terms of superelasticity and transformation temperatures for orthodontic application. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. One-way transformation of information

    DOEpatents

    Cooper, James A.

    1989-01-01

    Method and apparatus are provided for one-way transformation of data according to multiplication and/or exponentiation modulo a prime number. An implementation of the invention permits the one way residue transformation, useful in encryption and similar applications, to be implemented by n-bit computers substantially with no increase in difficulty or complexity over a natural transformation thereby, using a modulus which is a power of two.

  18. Simplified Relativistic Force Transformation Equation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Benjamin U.

    1979-01-01

    A simplified relativistic force transformation equation is derived and then used to obtain the equation for the electromagnetic forces on a charged particle, calculate the electromagnetic fields due to a point charge with constant velocity, transform electromagnetic fields in general, derive the Biot-Savart law, and relate it to Coulomb's law.…

  19. Development of an Agrobacterium-Mediated Stable Transformation Method for the Sensitive Plant Mimosa pudica

    PubMed Central

    Mano, Hiroaki; Fujii, Tomomi; Sumikawa, Naomi; Hiwatashi, Yuji; Hasebe, Mitsuyasu

    2014-01-01

    The sensitive plant Mimosa pudica has long attracted the interest of researchers due to its spectacular leaf movements in response to touch or other external stimuli. Although various aspects of this seismonastic movement have been elucidated by histological, physiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches, the lack of reverse genetic tools has hampered the investigation of molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. To overcome this obstacle, we developed an efficient genetic transformation method for M. pudica mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Agrobacterium). We found that the cotyledonary node explant is suitable for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation because of its high frequency of shoot formation, which was most efficiently induced on medium containing 0.5 µg/ml of a synthetic cytokinin, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Transformation efficiency of cotyledonary node cells was improved from almost 0 to 30.8 positive signals arising from the intron-sGFP reporter gene by using Agrobacterium carrying a super-binary vector pSB111 and stabilizing the pH of the co-cultivation medium with 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer. Furthermore, treatment of the explants with the detergent Silwet L-77 prior to co-cultivation led to a two-fold increase in the number of transformed shoot buds. Rooting of the regenerated shoots was efficiently induced by cultivation on irrigated vermiculite. The entire procedure for generating transgenic plants achieved a transformation frequency of 18.8%, which is comparable to frequencies obtained for other recalcitrant legumes, such as soybean (Glycine max) and pea (Pisum sativum). The transgene was stably integrated into the host genome and was inherited across generations, without affecting the seismonastic or nyctinastic movements of the plants. This transformation method thus provides an effective genetic tool for studying genes involved in M. pudica movements. PMID:24533121

  20. Development of an Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation method for the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica.

    PubMed

    Mano, Hiroaki; Fujii, Tomomi; Sumikawa, Naomi; Hiwatashi, Yuji; Hasebe, Mitsuyasu

    2014-01-01

    The sensitive plant Mimosa pudica has long attracted the interest of researchers due to its spectacular leaf movements in response to touch or other external stimuli. Although various aspects of this seismonastic movement have been elucidated by histological, physiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches, the lack of reverse genetic tools has hampered the investigation of molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. To overcome this obstacle, we developed an efficient genetic transformation method for M. pudica mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Agrobacterium). We found that the cotyledonary node explant is suitable for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation because of its high frequency of shoot formation, which was most efficiently induced on medium containing 0.5 µg/ml of a synthetic cytokinin, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Transformation efficiency of cotyledonary node cells was improved from almost 0 to 30.8 positive signals arising from the intron-sGFP reporter gene by using Agrobacterium carrying a super-binary vector pSB111 and stabilizing the pH of the co-cultivation medium with 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) buffer. Furthermore, treatment of the explants with the detergent Silwet L-77 prior to co-cultivation led to a two-fold increase in the number of transformed shoot buds. Rooting of the regenerated shoots was efficiently induced by cultivation on irrigated vermiculite. The entire procedure for generating transgenic plants achieved a transformation frequency of 18.8%, which is comparable to frequencies obtained for other recalcitrant legumes, such as soybean (Glycine max) and pea (Pisum sativum). The transgene was stably integrated into the host genome and was inherited across generations, without affecting the seismonastic or nyctinastic movements of the plants. This transformation method thus provides an effective genetic tool for studying genes involved in M. pudica movements.

  1. Conduction-coupled Tesla transformer.

    PubMed

    Reed, J L

    2015-03-01

    A proof-of-principle Tesla transformer circuit is introduced. The new transformer exhibits the high voltage-high power output signal of shock-excited transformers. The circuit, with specification of proper circuit element values, is capable of obtaining extreme oscillatory voltages. The primary and secondary portions of the circuit communicate solely by conduction. The destructive arcing between the primary and secondary inductors in electromagnetically coupled transformers is ubiquitous. Flashover is eliminated in the new transformer as the high-voltage inductors do not interpenetrate and so do not possess an annular volume of electric field. The inductors are remote from one another. The high voltage secondary inductor is isolated in space, except for a base feed conductor, and obtains earth by its self-capacitance to the surroundings. Governing equations, for the ideal case of no damping, are developed from first principles. Experimental, theoretical, and circuit simulator data are presented for the new transformer. Commercial high-temperature superconductors are discussed as a means to eliminate the counter-intuitive damping due to small primary inductances in both the electromagnetic-coupled and new conduction-coupled transformers.

  2. Transformation pathways and acute toxicity variation of 4-hydroxyl benzophenone in chlorination disinfection process.

    PubMed

    Liu, Wei; Wei, Dongbin; Liu, Qi; Du, Yuguo

    2016-07-01

    Benzophenones compounds (BPs) are widely used as UV filters, and have been frequently found in multiple environmental matrices. The residual of BPs in water would cause potential threats on ecological safety and human health. Chlorination disinfection is necessary in water treatment process, in which many chemicals remained in water would react with disinfectant chlorine and form toxic by-products. By using ultra performance liquid phase chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the transformation of 4-hydroxyl benezophenone (4HB) with free available chlorine (FAC) was characterized. Eight major products were detected and seven of them were identified. Transformation pathways of 4HB under acid, neutral, and alkaline conditions were proposed respectively. The transformation mechanisms involved electrophilic chlorine substitution of 4HB, Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones, hydrolysis of esters and oxidative breakage of benzene ring. The orthogonal experiments of pH and dosages of disinfectant chlorine were conducted. The results suggested that pH conditions determined the occurrence of reaction types, and the dosages of disinfectant chlorine affected the extent of reactions. Photobacterium assay demonstrated that acute toxicity had significant increase after chlorination disinfection of 4HB. It was proved that 3,5-dichloro-4HB, one of the major transformation products, was responsible for the increasing acute toxicity after chlorination. It is notable that, 4HB at low level in real ambient water matrices could be transformed during simulated chlorination disinfection practice. Especially, two major products 3-chloro-4HB and 3,5-dichloro-4HB were detected out, implying the potential ecological risk after chlorination disinfection of 4HB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Fourier Transforms of Pulses Containing Exponential Leading and Trailing Profiles

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

    Warshaw, S I

    2001-07-15

    In this monograph we discuss a class of pulse shapes that have exponential rise and fall profiles, and evaluate their Fourier transforms. Such pulses can be used as models for time-varying processes that produce an initial exponential rise and end with the exponential decay of a specified physical quantity. Unipolar examples of such processes include the voltage record of an increasingly rapid charge followed by a damped discharge of a capacitor bank, and the amplitude of an electromagnetic pulse produced by a nuclear explosion. Bipolar examples include acoustic N waves propagating for long distances in the atmosphere that have resultedmore » from explosions in the air, and sonic booms generated by supersonic aircraft. These bipolar pulses have leading and trailing edges that appear to be exponential in character. To the author's knowledge the Fourier transforms of such pulses are not generally well-known or tabulated in Fourier transform compendia, and it is the purpose of this monograph to derive and present these transforms. These Fourier transforms are related to a definite integral of a ratio of exponential functions, whose evaluation we carry out in considerable detail. From this result we derive the Fourier transforms of other related functions. In all Figures showing plots of calculated curves, the actual numbers used for the function parameter values and dependent variables are arbitrary and non-dimensional, and are not identified with any particular physical phenomenon or model.« less

  4. Process-based modelling of phosphorus transformations and retention in global rivers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vilmin, Lauriane; Mogollon, Jose; Beusen, Arthur; Bouwman, Lex

    2016-04-01

    Phosphorus (P) plays a major role in the biogeochemical functioning of aquatic systems. It typically acts as the limiting nutrient for primary productivity in freshwater bodies, and thus the increase in anthropogenic P loads during the XXth century has fuelled the eutrophication of these systems. Total P retention in global rivers has also escalated over this timeframe as demonstrated via a global model that implements the spiralling method at a spatial resolution of 0.5° (IMAGE-GNM, Beusen et al., 2015). Here, we refine this coupled hydrological - nutrient model by including mechanistic biogeochemical interactions that govern the P cycle. Special attention is paid to the representation of particle processes (i.e. particle loading, sedimentation and erosion), which play a major role in P transport and accumulation in aquatic systems. Our preliminary results are compared to measurements of suspended sediments, total P and orthophosphates in selected river basins. Initial model results show that P concentrations are particularly sensitive to particulate load distribution in the river network within a grid cell. This novel modelling approach will eventually allow a better assessment of the amounts of different forms of P (organic P, soluble reactive P, and particulate inorganic P), of P transformation rates and retention in inland waters. References Beusen, A.H.W., Van Beek, L.P.H., Bouwman, A.F., Mogollón, J.M., Middelburg, J.J. 2015. Coupling global models for hydrology and nutrient loading to simulate nitrogen and phosphorus retention in surface water - description of the IMAGE-GNM and analysis of performance. Geosci. Model Dev. 8, 4045-4067

  5. Effect of ferrite transformation on the tensile and stress corrosion properties of type 316 L stainless steel weld metal thermally aged at 873 K

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaikh, H.; Khatak, H. S.; Seshadri, S. K.; Gnanamoorthy, J. B.; Rodriguez, P.

    1995-07-01

    This article deals with the effect of the microstructural changes, due to transformation of delta ferrite, on the associated variations that take place in the tensile and stress corrosion properties of type 316 L stainless steel weld deposits when subjected to postweld heat treatment at 873 K for prolonged periods (up to 2000 hours). On aging for short durations (up to 20 hours), carbide/ carbonitride was the dominant transformation product, whereas sigma phase was dominant at longer aging times. The changes in the tensile and stress corrosion behavior of the aged weld metal have been attributed to the two competitive processes of matrix softening and hardening. Yield strength (YS) was found to depend predominantly on matrix softening only, while sig-nificant changes in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the work-hardening exponent, n, occurred due to matrix hardening. Ductility and stress corrosion properties were considerably affected by both factors. Fractographic observations on the weld metal tested for stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) indicated a combination of transgranular cracking of the austenite and interface cracking.

  6. 32 CFR 636.4 - Administrative due process for suspensions and revocations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Administrative due process for suspensions and revocations. 636.4 Section 636.4 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION (SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.4...

  7. Feature Transformation Detection Method with Best Spectral Band Selection Process for Hyper-spectral Imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Hai-Wen; McGurr, Mike; Brickhouse, Mark

    2015-11-01

    We present a newly developed feature transformation (FT) detection method for hyper-spectral imagery (HSI) sensors. In essence, the FT method, by transforming the original features (spectral bands) to a different feature domain, may considerably increase the statistical separation between the target and background probability density functions, and thus may significantly improve the target detection and identification performance, as evidenced by the test results in this paper. We show that by differentiating the original spectral, one can completely separate targets from the background using a single spectral band, leading to perfect detection results. In addition, we have proposed an automated best spectral band selection process with a double-threshold scheme that can rank the available spectral bands from the best to the worst for target detection. Finally, we have also proposed an automated cross-spectrum fusion process to further improve the detection performance in lower spectral range (<1000 nm) by selecting the best spectral band pair with multivariate analysis. Promising detection performance has been achieved using a small background material signature library for concept-proving, and has then been further evaluated and verified using a real background HSI scene collected by a HYDICE sensor.

  8. Five-parameter crystallographic characteristics of the interfaces formed during ferrite to austenite transformation in a duplex stainless steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haghdadi, N.; Cizek, P.; Hodgson, P. D.; Tari, V.; Rohrer, G. S.; Beladi, H.

    2018-05-01

    The crystallography of interfaces in a duplex stainless steel having an equiaxed microstructure produced through the ferrite to austenite diffusive phase transformation has been studied. The five-parameter interface character distribution revealed a high anisotropy in habit planes for the austenite-ferrite and austenite-austenite interfaces for different lattice misorientations. The austenite and ferrite habit planes largely terminated on (1 1 1) and (1 1 0) planes, respectively, for the austenite-ferrite interfaces associated with Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) and Nishiyama-Wasserman (N-W) orientation relationships. This was mostly attributed to the crystallographic preference associated with the phase transformation. For the austenite-ferrite interfaces with orientation relationships which are neither K-S nor N-W, both austenite and ferrite habit planes had (1 1 1) orientations. Σ3 twin boundaries comprised the majority of austenite-austenite interfaces, mostly showing a pure twist character and terminating on (1 1 1) planes due to the minimum energy configuration. The second highest populated austenite-austenite boundary was Σ9, which tended to have grain boundary planes in the tilt zone due to the geometrical constraints. Furthermore, the intervariant crystallographic plane distribution associated with the K-S orientation relationship displayed a general tendency for the austenite habit planes to terminate with the (1 1 1) orientation, mainly due to the crystallographic preference associated with the phase transformation.

  9. Research Amplitudo Vibration On Holder Due To The Process Of Lathe Nozzle Rocket RX 450

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ediwan; Budi Djatmiko, Agus; Dody Arisandi, EfFendy; Purnomo, Heri; Ibadi, Mahfud

    2018-04-01

    The main function of the rocket nozzle is to convert the enthalpy efficiency from combustion gas to kinetic energy and also to make high velocity out of the gas. The rocket nozzle usually consists of a converging and diverging part. With a smaller area on the neck and enlarged at the exit area. The velocity flow through the nozzle enlarges into the speed of sound through the neck and then becomes super sonic in the divergent part. Nozzle making or machining using conventional lathes, first performed is drilling on a massive metal that is bonded to the veneer, then after a sufficient gap is done deep-boring. At the time of the process of lathe in the nozzle RX 450 there is an obstacle that is vibrating tool holder chisel or holder so it is worried about not precision of the process of lathe. This should not happen because it can cause failure in the latter for it needs to be studied and studied further so that the lathe process goes accordingly. The holder material of ST 60 with a modulus of elasticity 200 GPa and a nozzle material of AISI 4340 alloy steel with σyield = 470 MPa, Shear Modulus G = 80 GPa. The purpose of this research is to observe the amplitude of vibration on the holder due to RX- 450 nozzle lathe processing for the purpose of amplitude that occurs in accordance with the desired so that the nozzle structure is no damage process. The result of the research was obtained holder with length (L) 80cm, profile width (B) 5 cm, height of profile (H) 10 cm, turning machine ω = 8.98 rad / sec and natural holder frequency ωn = 89.8 rad / second, Amplitude of vibration of δ = 1.21 mm, while the amplitude of the design X = 1.22 mm From the results of this study it can be said that the holder of a chisel or holder can be used as a tool at the time of RX nozzle retrieval process and is quite safe because it works under the condition ω/ω n <0 3 (Plans and Specifications of A Suborbital Rocket Payload "AKPV Engineering University of Wyoming 2009 )

  10. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CULTURABLE SOIL MICROBIAL POPULATIONS AND GROSS NITROGEN TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES IN A CLAY LOAM SOIL ACROSS ECOSYSTEMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The size and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) pool can vary between ecosystems and can affect many soil properties. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between gross N transformation rates and microbial populations and to investigate the role that SOM...

  11. 20 CFR 670.545 - How does Job Corps ensure that students receive due process in disciplinary actions?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... receive due process in disciplinary actions? 670.545 Section 670.545 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND... process in disciplinary actions? The center operator must ensure that all students receive due process in disciplinary proceedings according to procedures developed by the Secretary. These procedures must include, at...

  12. The Bill of Rights: Due Process and Rights of the Accused.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mueller, Jean West; Schamel, Wynell Burroughs

    1990-01-01

    Presents Clarence Earl Gideon's petition for counsel as a primary source document to be used in social studies units on the Bill of Right's Sixth Amendment. Examines the constitutional issues of due process and right to counsel. Outlines teaching activities that develop vocabulary and analyzes Gideon v. Wainwright as a case study. (CH)

  13. Lentic small water bodies: Variability of pesticide transport and transformation patterns.

    PubMed

    Ulrich, Uta; Hörmann, Georg; Unger, Malte; Pfannerstill, Matthias; Steinmann, Frank; Fohrer, Nicola

    2018-03-15

    Lentic small water bodies have a high ecological potential as they fulfill several ecosystem services such as the retention of water and pollutants. They serve as a hot spot of biodiversity. Due to their location in or adjacent to agricultural fields, they can be influenced by inputs of pesticides and their transformation products. Since small water bodies have rarely been part of monitorings/campaigns up to now, their current exposure and processes guiding the pesticide input are not understood, yet. This study presents results of a sampling campaign of 10 lentic small water bodies from 2015 to 2016. They were sampled once after the spring application for a pesticide target screening, before autumn application and three times after rainfall events following the application. The autumn sampling focused on the herbicides metazachlor, flufenacet and their transformation products - oxalic acid and - sulfonic acid as representatives for common pesticides in the study region. The concentrations were associated with rainfall before and after application, characteristics of the site and the water bodies, physicochemical parameters and the applied amount of pesticides. The key results of the pesticide screening in spring indicate positive detections of pesticides which have not been applied for years to the single fields. The autumn sampling showed frequent occurrences of the transformation products, which are formed in soil, from 39% to 94% of all samples (n=71). Discharge patterns were observed for metazachlor with highest concentrations in the first sample after application and then decreasing, but not for flufenacet. The concentrations of the transformation products increased over time and revealed highest values mainly in the last sample. Besides rainfall patterns right after application, the spatial and temporal dissemination of the pesticides to the water bodies seems to play a major role to understand the exposure of lentic small water bodies. Copyright © 2017

  14. A note on parallel and pipeline computation of fast unitary transforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fino, B. J.; Algazi, V. R.

    1974-01-01

    The parallel and pipeline organization of fast unitary transform algorithms such as the Fast Fourier Transform are discussed. The efficiency is pointed out of a combined parallel-pipeline processor of a transform such as the Haar transform in which 2 to the n minus 1 power hardware butterflies generate a transform of order 2 to the n power every computation cycle.

  15. Promoting Singlet/triplet Exciton Transformation in Organic Optoelectronic Molecules: Role of Excited State Transition Configuration.

    PubMed

    Chen, Runfeng; Tang, Yuting; Wan, Yifang; Chen, Ting; Zheng, Chao; Qi, Yuanyuan; Cheng, Yuanfang; Huang, Wei

    2017-07-24

    Exciton transformation, a non-radiative process in changing the spin multiplicity of an exciton usually between singlet and triplet forms, has received much attention recently due to its crucial effects in manipulating optoelectronic properties for various applications. However, current understanding of exciton transformation mechanism does not extend far beyond a thermal equilibrium of two states with different multiplicity and it is a significant challenge to probe what exactly control the transformation between the highly active excited states. Here, based on the recent developments of three types of purely organic molecules capable of efficient spin-flipping, we perform ab initio structure/energy optimization and similarity/overlap extent analysis to theoretically explore the critical factors in controlling the transformation process of the excited states. The results suggest that the states having close energy levels and similar exciton characteristics with same transition configurations and high heteroatom participation are prone to facilitating exciton transformation. A basic guideline towards the molecular design of purely organic materials with facile exciton transformation ability is also proposed. Our discovery highlights systematically the critical importance of vertical transition configuration of excited states in promoting the singlet/triplet exciton transformation, making a key step forward in excited state tuning of purely organic optoelectronic materials.

  16. Digital Transformation of Words in Learning Processes: A Critical View.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saga, Hiroo

    1999-01-01

    Presents some negative aspects of society's dependence on digital transformation of words by referring to works by Walter Ong and Martin Heidegger. Discusses orality, literacy and digital literacy and describes three aspects of the digital transformation of words. Compares/contrasts art with technology and discusses implications for education.…

  17. The due-diligence process of purchasing or buying into a dental practice.

    PubMed

    Conner, Vincent L

    2003-01-01

    A due-diligence or evaluation process is necessary when assessing a practice purchase opportunity. The standards for assessing the investment remain the same whether the buyer is purchasing a practice outright or buying a co-ownership interest.

  18. Effect of Pre-strain and High Stresses on the Bainitic Transformation of Manganese-boron Steel 22MnB5

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Said Schicchi, Diego; Hunkel, Martin

    2018-03-01

    During the last decade, the use of press-hardened components in the automotive industry has grown considerably. The so-called tailored tempering, also known as partial press hardening, employs locally heated tools seeking to obtain bainitic transformations. This leads to (seamless) zones within the formed parts with higher ductility. Due to the intrinsic nature of this process, phase transformations happen under the influence of high loads and in pre-deformed austenite. The austenite pre-strain state and applied stresses affect the kinetics of the bainitic transformation. Moreover, stresses have an additional relevant effect in this process, the so-called transformation plasticity. Linear transformation plasticity models have been successfully used to predict the behavior in the presence of low stresses. Nonetheless, because of the process's severe conditions, these tend to fail. A strong nonlinearity of the transformation plasticity strain is observed for applied stresses above the austenite yield strength. Using thermomechanical tests on sheet specimens of a manganese-boron steel (22MnB5), widely utilized in the industry, the effect on the bainitic transformation of various degrees of deformation in the range of 0 to 18 pct, applied stresses in the range of 0 to 250 MPa and the transformation plasticity effect are investigated in this work.

  19. Effect of Pre-strain and High Stresses on the Bainitic Transformation of Manganese-boron Steel 22MnB5

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Said Schicchi, Diego; Hunkel, Martin

    2018-06-01

    During the last decade, the use of press-hardened components in the automotive industry has grown considerably. The so-called tailored tempering, also known as partial press hardening, employs locally heated tools seeking to obtain bainitic transformations. This leads to (seamless) zones within the formed parts with higher ductility. Due to the intrinsic nature of this process, phase transformations happen under the influence of high loads and in pre-deformed austenite. The austenite pre-strain state and applied stresses affect the kinetics of the bainitic transformation. Moreover, stresses have an additional relevant effect in this process, the so-called transformation plasticity. Linear transformation plasticity models have been successfully used to predict the behavior in the presence of low stresses. Nonetheless, because of the process's severe conditions, these tend to fail. A strong nonlinearity of the transformation plasticity strain is observed for applied stresses above the austenite yield strength. Using thermomechanical tests on sheet specimens of a manganese-boron steel (22MnB5), widely utilized in the industry, the effect on the bainitic transformation of various degrees of deformation in the range of 0 to 18 pct, applied stresses in the range of 0 to 250 MPa and the transformation plasticity effect are investigated in this work.

  20. Chemical and toxicological evaluation of transformation products during advanced oxidation processes.

    PubMed

    vom Eyser, C; Börgers, A; Richard, J; Dopp, E; Janzen, N; Bester, K; Tuerk, J

    2013-01-01

    The entry of pharmaceuticals into the water cycle from sewage treatment plants is of growing concern because environmental effects are evident at trace levels. Ozonation, UV- and UV/H(2)O(2)-treatment were tested as an additional step in waste water treatment because they have been proven to be effective in eliminating aqueous organic contaminants. The pharmaceuticals carbamazepine, ciprofloxacin, diclofenac, metoprolol and sulfamethoxazole as well as the personal care products galaxolide and tonalide were investigated in terms of degradation efficiency and by-product formation in consideration of toxic effects. The substances were largely removed from treatment plant effluent by ozonation, UV- and UV/H(2)O(2)-treatment. Transformation products were detected in all tested treatment processes. Accompanying analysis showed no genotoxic, cytotoxic or estrogenic potential for the investigated compounds after oxidative treatment of real waste waters. The results indicate that by-product formation from ozonation and advanced oxidation processes does not have any negative environmental impact.

  1. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis for Online Monitoring of Dibutyl Phosphate Degradation Product in Tributyl Phosphate/n-Dodecane/Nitric Acid Solvent

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

    Tatiana G. Levitskaia; James M. Peterson; Emily L. Campbell

    2013-12-01

    In liquid–liquid extraction separation processes, accumulation of organic solvent degradation products is detrimental to the process robustness, and frequent solvent analysis is warranted. Our research explores the feasibility of online monitoring of the organic solvents relevant to used nuclear fuel reprocessing. This paper describes the first phase of developing a system for monitoring the tributyl phosphate (TBP)/n-dodecane solvent commonly used to separate used nuclear fuel. In this investigation, the effect of extraction of nitric acid from aqueous solutions of variable concentrations on the quantification of TBP and its major degradation product dibutylphosphoric acid (HDBP) was assessed. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)more » spectroscopy was used to discriminate between HDBP and TBP in the nitric acid-containing TBP/n-dodecane solvent. Multivariate analysis of the spectral data facilitated the development of regression models for HDBP and TBP quantification in real time, enabling online implementation of the monitoring system. The predictive regression models were validated using TBP/n-dodecane solvent samples subjected to high-dose external ?-irradiation. The predictive models were translated to flow conditions using a hollow fiber FTIR probe installed in a centrifugal contactor extraction apparatus, demonstrating the applicability of the FTIR technique coupled with multivariate analysis for the online monitoring of the organic solvent degradation products.« less

  2. Fourier transform spectroscopy of the nu3 band of the N3 radical

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brazier, C. R.; Bernath, P. F.; Burkholder, James B.; Howard, Carleton J.

    1988-01-01

    The nu3 transitions of N3 radicals produced by HN3-Cl reactions in a multipass cell (effective path length 100 m) are investigated experimentally using a Fourier-transform spectrometer with maximum resolution 0.004/cm. A total of 176 rotation-vibration lines are listed in a table and used, in combination with published data on 240 optical lines (Douglas and Jones, 1965), to determine the nu3 molecular constants. The lower-than-expected value of the nu3 fundamental frequency (1644.6784/cm) is attributed to the vibronic interaction discussed by Kawaguchi et al. (1981).

  3. [Construction of research system for processing mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine based on chemical composition transformation combined with intestinal absorption barrier].

    PubMed

    Sun, E; Xu, Feng-Juan; Zhang, Zhen-Hai; Wei, Ying-Jie; Tan, Xiao-Bin; Cheng, Xu-Dong; Jia, Xiao-Bin

    2014-02-01

    Based on practice of Epimedium processing mechanism for many years and integrated multidisciplinary theory and technology, this paper initially constructs the research system for processing mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine based on chemical composition transformation combined with intestinal absorption barrier, which to form an innovative research mode of the " chemical composition changes-biological transformation-metabolism in vitro and in vivo-intestinal absorption-pharmacokinetic combined pharmacodynamic-pharmacodynamic mechanism". Combined with specific examples of Epimedium and other Chinese herbal medicine processing mechanism, this paper also discusses the academic thoughts, research methods and key technologies of this research system, which will be conducive to systematically reveal the modem scientific connotation of traditional Chinese medicine processing, and enrich the theory of Chinese herbal medicine processing.

  4. The study of soils and vegetation transformation due fire disturbances in remote areas through scenario modelling of observed hydrological response to fire impact

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nesterova, Natalia; Semenova, Olga; Lebedeva, Luidmila

    2015-04-01

    Large territories of Siberia and Russian Far East are the subject to frequent forest fires. Often there is no information available about fire impact except its timing, areal distribution and qualitative characteristics of fire severity. Observed changes of hydrological response in burnt watersheds can be considered as indirect evidence of soil and vegetation transformation due to fire impact. In our study we used MODIS Fire products to detect spatial distribution of fires in Transbaikal and Far East regions of Russia in 2000 - 2012 period. Small and middle-size watersheds (with area up to 10000 km2) affected by extensive (burn area not less than 20 %) fires were chosen. We analyzed available hydrological data (measured discharges in watersheds outlets) for chosen basins. In several cases apparent hydrological response to fire was detected. To investigate main factors causing the change of hydrologic regime after fire several scenarios of soil and vegetation transformation were developed for each watershed under consideration. Corresponding sets of hydrological model parameters describing those transformations were elaborated based on data analysis and post-fire landscape changes as derived from a literature review. We implied different factors such as removal of organic layer, albedo changes, intensification of soil thaw (in presence of permafrost and seasonal soil freezing), reduction of infiltration rate and evapotranspiration, increase of upper subsurface flow fraction in summer flood events following the fire and others. We applied Hydrograph model (Russia) to conduct simulation experiments aiming to reveal which landscape changes scenarios were more plausible. The advantages of chosen hydrological model for this study are 1) that it takes into consideration thermal processes in soils which in case of permafrost and seasonal soil freezing presence can play leading role in runoff formation and 2) that observable vegetation and soil properties are used as its

  5. Matrix elements of hyperfine structure operators in the SL and jj representations for the s, p{sup N}, and d{sup N} configurations and the SL-jj transformation

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

    Childs, W.J.

    1997-09-01

    Matrix elements of the hyperfine operators corresponding to the magnetic-dipole (A) and electric-quadrupole (B) hyperfine structures constants are given as linear combinations of the appropriate radial integrals for all states of the s, p{sup N}, and d{sub N} configurations in both the SL and pure jj representations. The associated SL-jj transformations are also given. 13 refs., 10 tabs.

  6. Using Due Process Opinions as an Opportunity to Improve Educational Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rock, Marcia L.; Bateman, David

    2009-01-01

    There is little question that today's society is a litigious one, and few professions can escape the realities of such. Although there is no mandate for national data collection on special education due process hearings (Ahearn, 2002), Chambers, Harr, and Dhanani (2003) estimate that more than 9,000 requests for dispute resolution are made per…

  7. Soil nitrogen transformation responses to seasonal precipitation changes are regulated by changes in functional microbial abundance in a subtropical forest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Jie; Xiao, Guoliang; Kuzyakov, Yakov; Jenerette, G. Darrel; Ma, Ying; Liu, Wei; Wang, Zhengfeng; Shen, Weijun

    2017-05-01

    The frequency of dry-season droughts and wet-season storms has been predicted to increase in subtropical areas in the coming decades. Since subtropical forest soils are significant sources of N2O and NO3-, it is important to understand the features and determinants of N transformation responses to the predicted precipitation changes. A precipitation manipulation field experiment was conducted in a subtropical forest to reduce dry-season precipitation and increase wet-season precipitation, with annual precipitation unchanged. Net N mineralization, net nitrification, N2O emission, nitrifying (bacterial and archaeal amoA) and denitrifying (nirK, nirS and nosZ) gene abundance, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), extractable organic carbon (EOC), NO3-, NH4+ and soil water content (SWC) were monitored to characterize and explain soil N transformation responses. Dry-season precipitation reduction decreased net nitrification and N mineralization rates by 13-20 %, while wet-season precipitation addition increased both rates by 50 %. More than 20 % of the total variation of net nitrification and N mineralization could be explained by microbial abundance and SWC. Notably, archaeal amoA abundance showed the strongest correlation with net N transformation rates (r ≥ 0.35), suggesting the critical role of archaeal amoA abundance in determining N transformations. Increased net nitrification in the wet season, together with large precipitation events, caused substantial NO3- losses via leaching. However, N2O emission decreased moderately in both dry and wet seasons due to changes in nosZ gene abundance, MBC, net nitrification and SWC (decreased by 10-21 %). We conclude that reducing dry-season precipitation and increasing wet-season precipitation affect soil N transformations through altering functional microbial abundance and MBC, which are further affected by changes in EOC and NH4+ availabilities.

  8. Changes in N-Transforming Archaea and Bacteria in Soil during the Establishment of Bioenergy Crops

    PubMed Central

    Mao, Yuejian; Yannarell, Anthony C.; Mackie, Roderick I.

    2011-01-01

    Widespread adaptation of biomass production for bioenergy may influence important biogeochemical functions in the landscape, which are mainly carried out by soil microbes. Here we explore the impact of four potential bioenergy feedstock crops (maize, switchgrass, Miscanthus X giganteus, and mixed tallgrass prairie) on nitrogen cycling microorganisms in the soil by monitoring the changes in the quantity (real-time PCR) and diversity (barcoded pyrosequencing) of key functional genes (nifH, bacterial/archaeal amoA and nosZ) and 16S rRNA genes over two years after bioenergy crop establishment. The quantities of these N-cycling genes were relatively stable in all four crops, except maize (the only fertilized crop), in which the population size of AOB doubled in less than 3 months. The nitrification rate was significantly correlated with the quantity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) not bacteria (AOB), indicating that archaea were the major ammonia oxidizers. Deep sequencing revealed high diversity of nifH, archaeal amoA, bacterial amoA, nosZ and 16S rRNA genes, with 229, 309, 330, 331 and 8989 OTUs observed, respectively. Rarefaction analysis revealed the diversity of archaeal amoA in maize markedly decreased in the second year. Ordination analysis of T-RFLP and pyrosequencing results showed that the N-transforming microbial community structures in the soil under these crops gradually differentiated. Thus far, our two-year study has shown that specific N-transforming microbial communities develop in the soil in response to planting different bioenergy crops, and each functional group responded in a different way. Our results also suggest that cultivation of maize with N-fertilization increases the abundance of AOB and denitrifiers, reduces the diversity of AOA, and results in significant changes in the structure of denitrification community. PMID:21935454

  9. Transformation of PVP coated silver nanoparticles in a simulated wastewater treatment process and the effect on microbial communities

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Manufactured silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most commonly used nanomaterials in consumer goods and consequently their concentrations in wastewater and hence wastewater treatment plants are predicted to increase. We investigated the fate of AgNPs in sludge that was subjected to aerobic and anaerobic treatment and the impact of AgNPs on microbial processes and communities. The initial identification of AgNPs in sludge was carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The solid phase speciation of silver in sludge and wastewater influent was then examined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The effects of transformed AgNPs (mainly Ag-S phases) on nitrification, wastewater microbial populations and, for the first time, methanogenesis was investigated. Results Sequencing batch reactor experiments and anaerobic batch tests, both demonstrated that nitrification rate and methane production were not affected by the addition of AgNPs [at 2.5 mg Ag L-1 (4.9 g L-1 total suspended solids, TSS) and 183.6 mg Ag kg -1 (2.9 g kg-1 total solids, TS), respectively]. The low toxicity is most likely due to AgNP sulfidation. XAS analysis showed that sulfur bonded Ag was the dominant Ag species in both aerobic (activated sludge) and anaerobic sludge. In AgNP and AgNO3 spiked aerobic sludge, metallic Ag was detected (~15%). However, after anaerobic digestion, Ag(0) was not detected by XAS analysis. Dominant wastewater microbial populations were not affected by AgNPs as determined by DNA extraction and pyrotag sequencing. However, there was a shift in niche populations in both aerobic and anaerobic sludge, with a shift in AgNP treated sludge compared with controls. This is the first time that the impact of transformed AgNPs (mainly Ag-S phases) on anaerobic digestion has been reported. Conclusions Silver NPs were transformed to Ag-S phases during activated sludge treatment (prior to anaerobic

  10. Investigation of sulphur isotope variation due to different processes applied during uranium ore concentrate production.

    PubMed

    Krajkó, Judit; Varga, Zsolt; Wallenius, Maria; Mayer, Klaus; Konings, Rudy

    The applicability and limitations of sulphur isotope ratio as a nuclear forensic signature have been studied. The typically applied leaching methods in uranium mining processes were simulated for five uranium ore samples and the n ( 34 S)/ n ( 32 S) ratios were measured. The sulphur isotope ratio variation during uranium ore concentrate (UOC) production was also followed using two real-life sample sets obtained from industrial UOC production facilities. Once the major source of sulphur is revealed, its appropriate application for origin assessment can be established. Our results confirm the previous assumption that process reagents have a significant effect on the n ( 34 S)/ n ( 32 S) ratio, thus the sulphur isotope ratio is in most cases a process-related signature.

  11. Preparation of novel composites based on hydrophilized and functionalized polyacrylonitrile membrane-immobilized NZVI for reductive transformation of metronidazole

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xiangyu; Liu, Peng; Ma, Jun; Liu, Huiling

    2017-02-01

    For the first time, hydrophilized and functionalized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane was synthesized via two-stage process, addition of polyvinyl alcohol and in situ polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), and nano zero-valent iron (NZVI) was incorporated within modified membrane. The as-prepared PAA/PAN-NZVI (PPN) composites possessed superior reactivity for metronidazole (MNZ) with transformation ratio 2.03 and reaction rate 4.77 times higher than that by bare NZVI. Meanwhile, the enhanced stability and recyclability of PPN composites were maintained over repeated cycles. The major advantages of synthetic method lie in the remarkably increased loading and decreased agglomeration of NZVI. Moreover, with hydrophilized and functionalized synthesis processes of membrane, the potential risk of released iron ions was not a concern due to strong chelation of grafted carboxyl groups. Analyses of morphological characteristics (FE-SEM), chemical structure (FTIR), element valence and groups (XPS) of samples confirmed the successful graft of carboxylic acid groups and formation of a uniform iron nanoparticles coating onto PAN matrix. The reaction kinetics of MNZ with PPN composites were well-described by a two-parameter pseudo-first-order decay model with activation energy of 29.5 kJ/mol. The co-solutes except humic acid had a negligible effect on MNZ transformation. Determination of intermediates revealed that nitro reduction, N-denitration and hydroxyethyl cleavage were the main pathways for transformation of MNZ. The findings suggest that the novel composites possess huge potential for antibiotics wastewater treatment.

  12. Enhanced Mantle Upwelling/Melting Caused Segment Propagation, Oceanic Core Complex Die Off, and the Death of a Transform Fault: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 21.5°N

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dannowski, A.; Morgan, J. P.; Grevemeyer, I.; Ranero, C. R.

    2018-02-01

    Crustal structure provides the key to understand the interplay of magmatism and tectonism, while oceanic crust is constructed at Mid-Ocean Ridges (MORs). At slow spreading rates, magmatic processes dominate central areas of MOR segments, whereas segment ends are highly tectonized. The TAMMAR segment at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) between 21°25'N and 22°N is a magmatically active segment. At 4.5 Ma this segment started to propagate south, causing the termination of the transform fault at 21°40'N. This stopped long-lived detachment faulting and caused the migration of the ridge offset to the south. Here a segment center with a high magmatic budget has replaced a transform fault region with limited magma supply. We present results from seismic refraction profiles that mapped the crustal structure across the ridge crest of the TAMMAR segment. Seismic data yield crustal structure changes at the segment center as a function of melt supply. Seismic Layer 3 underwent profound changes in thickness and became rapidly thicker 5 Ma. This correlates with the observed "Bull's Eye" gravimetric anomaly in that region. Our observations support a temporal change from thick lithosphere with oceanic core complex formation and transform faulting to thin lithosphere with focused mantle upwelling and segment growth. Temporal changes in crustal construction are connected to variations in the underlying mantle. We propose that there is a link between the neighboring segments at a larger scale within the asthenosphere, to form a long, highly magmatically active macrosegment, here called the TAMMAR-Kane Macrosegment.

  13. Three-dimensional GaN/AlN nanowire heterostructures by separating nucleation and growth processes.

    PubMed

    Carnevale, Santino D; Yang, Jing; Phillips, Patrick J; Mills, Michael J; Myers, Roberto C

    2011-02-09

    Bottom-up nanostructure assembly has been a central theme of materials synthesis over the past few decades. Semiconductor quantum dots and nanowires provide additional degrees of freedom for charge confinement, strain engineering, and surface sensitivity-properties that are useful to a wide range of solid state optical and electronic technologies. A central challenge is to understand and manipulate nanostructure assembly to reproducibly generate emergent structures with the desired properties. However, progress is hampered due to the interdependence of nucleation and growth phenomena. Here we show that by dynamically adjusting the growth kinetics, it is possible to separate the nucleation and growth processes in spontaneously formed GaN nanowires using a two-step molecular beam epitaxy technique. First, a growth phase diagram for these nanowires is systematically developed, which allows for control of nanowire density over three orders of magnitude. Next, we show that by first nucleating nanowires at a low temperature and then growing them at a higher temperature, height and density can be independently selected while maintaining the target density over long growth times. GaN nanowires prepared using this two-step procedure are overgrown with three-dimensionally layered and topologically complex heterostructures of (GaN/AlN). By adjusting the growth temperature in the second growth step either vertical or coaxial nanowire superlattices can be formed. These results indicate that a two-step method allows access to a variety of kinetics at which nanowire nucleation and adatom mobility are adjustable.

  14. Identification of pesticide transformation products in food by liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry via "fragmentation-degradation" relationships.

    PubMed

    García-Reyes, Juan F; Molina-Díaz, Antonio; Fernandez-Alba, Amadeo R

    2007-01-01

    The identification of transformation products of pesticides in foodstuffs is a crucial task difficult to tackle, due to the lack of standards and scarce information available. In this work, we describe a methodology for the identification and structural elucidation of pesticide transformation products in food. The proposed strategy is based on the use of liquid chromatography electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOFMS): accurate mass measurements of (molecule and fragment) ions of interest are used in order to establish relationships between fragmentation of the parent pesticides in the instrument (in-source CID fragmentation) and possible degradation products of these pesticides in food. Examples of this strategy showing the potential of LC/TOFMS to determine unknown pesticides in food are described in two different real samples, suggesting that pesticides often are transformed into degradation products in the same fashion that they are fragmented in the instrument. Using the proposed approach and without using standards a priori, based solely on accurate mass measurements of ions and "fragmentation-degradation" relationships, we have identified two parent pesticides (amitraz and malathion) along with six degradation products, m/z 253 (N,N'-bisdimethylphenylformamidine), 163 (N-2,4-dimethylphenyl-N-methyl formamidine), 150 (2,4-dimethylformamidine), and 122 (2,4-dimethylaniline) from amitraz, and m/z 317 and 303, due to ether hydrolysis of methyl and ethyl groups from malathion. Structures for these species were proposed, and the potential of the proposed approach was critically discussed.

  15. Malignant transformation of a residual cerebellopontine angle epidermoid cyst.

    PubMed

    Pikis, Stylianos; Margolin, Emil

    2016-11-01

    Malignant transformation is a rare but devastating complication following partial resection of an intracranial epidermoid cyst (EC). Time to malignant transformation is highly variable and optimal management is unclear. A literature search from 1965 to January 2016 identified manuscripts discussing clinical presentation, management, and outcome of malignant transformation of a remnant intracranial EC. One male patient diagnosed with malignant transformation of a remnant intracranial EC in our institution was also included in the study. There were 21 patients with malignant transformation of a remnant intracranial EC, including the current patient. Mean age was 51.4years (range 36 to 77) and there was a female predominance (12 women, 9 men, ratio 1.33:1). The mean time interval from partial resection of a benign intracranial EC to malignant transformation was 7.74years (range from 3months to 33years). Surgical resection of the tumor alone was the treatment of choice in 10 patients with one of them requiring a second operation and radiotherapy 2months following the first operation. Adjuvant treatment modalities were employed in 11 patients and included radiotherapy (n=4), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) (n=3), chemotherapy (n=1), chemotherapy combined with SRS (n=1) and with radiotherapy (n=1) and radiotherapy combined with SRS and followed by a second tumor resection (n=1). Follow-up period ranged from 1 day to 5years and 11/19 patients (57.8%) were reported dead on follow-up. Prospective studies are required to define the optimal management of malignant transformation of remnant intracranial EC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. [The transformation process among a group of heart patients followed in ergotherapy with the aim of modifying the balance of occupation].

    PubMed

    Dubouloz, C J; Chevrier, J; Savoie-Zajc, L

    2001-06-01

    Transformative learning is a process of adaptation that allows for profound personal change in occupational therapy clients. This process is provoked by a triggering factor, such as illness, which results in a critical reflection on values, beliefs, feelings and personal knowledge associated with the object of change (Mezirow, 1991). As part of an objective aimed at modifying the balance of occupation, nine participants were interviewed over a 6 month period to explore their processes of change. Eight concepts related to the objective of change of the balance of occupation emerged from an inductive data analysis process (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The perception of work was interpreted by the authors as having undergone the most significant sense of transformation amongst the participants. Two other perceptions, 1) the definition of self and 2) the concept of health emerged as new elements essential to the modification of the balance of occupation. The transformation process linked to these eight concepts revealed a specific structure and sequence. The results highlight the primary role of critical reflection amongst occupational therapy clients and underline the importance of deconstructing common values and beliefs which could slow down the process of change. Moreover, the development of new values and beliefs is a vehicle for change in occupational therapy.

  17. A novel approach to transformed biometrics using successive projections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopi, E. S.

    2010-02-01

    Unlike user created password, number of biometrics is limited for creating account in different organizations. Transformed biometrics attempts to solve the problem by transforming the biometric into another form, which is unique to the particular organization. This makes the availability of different transformed biometrics in different organizations transformed from the same biometrics and helps in foolproof transactions. In this article a novel approach to transformed biometrics using successive projection technique is suggested .In the proposed technique, the user can register up to 5*4n-1 organizations if the length of the biometric password is 'n'.

  18. Gas Measurement Using Static Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers.

    PubMed

    Köhler, Michael H; Schardt, Michael; Rauscher, Markus S; Koch, Alexander W

    2017-11-13

    Online monitoring of gases in industrial processes is an ambitious task due to adverse conditions such as mechanical vibrations and temperature fluctuations. Whereas conventional Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers use rather complex optical and mechanical designs to ensure stable operation, static FTIR spectrometers do not require moving parts and thus offer inherent stability at comparatively low costs. Therefore, we present a novel, compact gas measurement system using a static single-mirror Fourier transform spectrometer (sSMFTS). The system works in the mid-infrared range from 650 cm - 1 to 1250 cm - 1 and can be operated with a customized White cell, yielding optical path lengths of up to 120 cm for highly sensitive quantification of gas concentrations. To validate the system, we measure different concentrations of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R134a) and perform a PLS regression analysis of the acquired infrared spectra. Thereby, the measured absorption spectra show good agreement with reference data. Since the system additionally permits measurement rates of up to 200 Hz and high signal-to-noise ratios, an application in process analysis appears promising.

  19. Gas Measurement Using Static Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometers

    PubMed Central

    Schardt, Michael; Rauscher, Markus S.; Koch, Alexander W.

    2017-01-01

    Online monitoring of gases in industrial processes is an ambitious task due to adverse conditions such as mechanical vibrations and temperature fluctuations. Whereas conventional Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers use rather complex optical and mechanical designs to ensure stable operation, static FTIR spectrometers do not require moving parts and thus offer inherent stability at comparatively low costs. Therefore, we present a novel, compact gas measurement system using a static single-mirror Fourier transform spectrometer (sSMFTS). The system works in the mid-infrared range from 650 cm−1 to 1250 cm−1 and can be operated with a customized White cell, yielding optical path lengths of up to 120 cm for highly sensitive quantification of gas concentrations. To validate the system, we measure different concentrations of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R134a) and perform a PLS regression analysis of the acquired infrared spectra. Thereby, the measured absorption spectra show good agreement with reference data. Since the system additionally permits measurement rates of up to 200 Hz and high signal-to-noise ratios, an application in process analysis appears promising. PMID:29137193

  20. Seclusion of Students with Disabilities: An Analysis of Due Process Hearings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connolly, Jennifer F.

    2017-01-01

    In the last several years, there has been growing concern about the use of seclusion in schools. Little is known about its use, particularly with students with disabilities. This article presents the findings from an analysis of 26 due process hearings taking place nationwide over a 12-year period containing a description of the use of seclusion.…

  1. Bioactive (Si, O, N)/(Ti, O, N)/Ti composite coating on NiTi shape memory alloy for enhanced wear and corrosion performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Tao; Xue, Ning; Liu, Chao; Wang, Chao; He, Jin

    2015-11-01

    In this investigation, (Si, O, N)/(Ti, O, N)/Ti composite coating was synthesized on a NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) substrate (50.8 at.% Ni) via plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIIID) followed by magnetron sputtering, with the aim of promoting bioactivity and biocompatibility of NiTi SMAs. Nano featured (Si, O, N)/(Ti, O, N)/Ti coating was approximate 0.84 ± 0.05 μm in thickness, and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy showed that Ni element was depleted from the surface of coated samples. X-ray diffraction (XRD) did not identify the phase composition of the (Si, O, N)/(Ti, O, N)/Ti coating, probably due to its thin thickness and poor crystalline resulting from low-temperature coating processes (<200 °C). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses confirmed that a Ni-free surface was formed and Si element was incorporated into the composite coating via the magnetron sputtering process. Additionally, phase transformation behaviors of uncoated and coated NiTi SMA samples were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Wear and corrosion resistance of uncoated and coated NiTi SMA samples were evaluated using ball-on-disc tests and potentio-dynamic polarization curves, respectively. The (Si, O, N)/(Ti, O, N)/Ti coated NiTi SMA samples showed enhanced wear and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, the (Si, O, N)/(Ti, O, N)/Ti composite coating facilitated apatite formation in simulated body fluid (SBF) and rendered NiTi SMA bioactivity.

  2. N-cadherin prodomain processing regulates synaptogenesis.

    PubMed

    Reinés, Analía; Bernier, Louis-Philippe; McAdam, Robyn; Belkaid, Wiam; Shan, Weisong; Koch, Alexander W; Séguéla, Philippe; Colman, David R; Dhaunchak, Ajit S

    2012-05-02

    Classical cadherins, which are adhesion molecules functioning at the CNS synapse, are synthesized as adhesively inactive precursor proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Signal sequence and prodomain cleavage in the ER and Golgi apparatus, respectively, activates their adhesive properties. Here, we provide the first evidence for sorting of nonadhesive precursor N-cadherin (ProN) to the neuronal surface, where it coexists with adhesively competent mature N-cadherin (N-cad), generating a spectrum of adhesive strengths. In cultured hippocampal neurons, a high ProN/N-cad ratio downregulates synapse formation. Neurons expressing genetically engineered uncleavable ProN make markedly fewer synapses. The synapse number can be rescued to normality by depleting surface ProN levels through prodomain cleavage by an exogenous protease. Finally, prodomain processing is developmentally regulated in the rat hippocampus. We conclude that it is the ProN/N-cad ratio and not mature N-cad alone that is critical for regulation of adhesion during synaptogenesis.

  3. Highly selective transformation of ammonia nitrogen to N2 based on a novel solar-driven photoelectrocatalytic-chlorine radical reactions system.

    PubMed

    Ji, Youzhi; Bai, Jing; Li, Jinhua; Luo, Tao; Qiao, Li; Zeng, Qingyi; Zhou, Baoxue

    2017-11-15

    A highly selective method for transforming ammonia nitrogen to N 2 was proposed, based on a novel solar-driven photoelectrocatalytic-chlorine radical reactions (PEC-chlorine) system. The PEC-chlorine system was facilitated by a visible light response WO 3 nanoplate array (NPA) electrode in an ammonia solution containing chloride ions (Cl - ). Under illumination, photoholes from WO 3 promote the oxidation of Cl - to chlorine radical (Cl). This radical can selectively transform ammonia nitrogen to N 2 (79.9%) and NO 3 - (19.2%), similar to the breakpoint chlorination reaction. The ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency increased from 10.6% (PEC without Cl - ) to 99.9% with the PEC-chlorine system within 90 min operation, which can be attributed to the cyclic reactions between Cl - /Cl and the reaction intermediates (NH 2 , NHCl, etc.) that expand the degradation reactions from the surface of the electrodes to the whole solution system. Moreover, Cl is the main radical species contributing to the transformation of ammonia nitrogen to N 2 , which is confirmed by the tBuOH capture experiment. Compared to conventional breakpoint chlorination, the PEC-chlorine system is a more economical and efficient means for ammonia nitrogen degradation because of the fast removal rate, no additional chlorine cost, and its use of clean energy (since it is solar-driven). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Quality as Transformation: Educational Metamorphosis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cheng, Ming

    2014-01-01

    The notion of "quality as transformation" has been widely used in the higher education sector. However, both quality and transformation are elusive terms. There is little research exploring how quality could be equated to transformation in the learning process. This paper will provide an insight into the relationship between quality and…

  5. Unexpected role of activated carbon in promoting transformation of secondary amines to N-nitrosamines.

    PubMed

    Padhye, Lokesh; Wang, Pei; Karanfil, Tanju; Huang, Ching-Hua

    2010-06-01

    Activated carbon (AC) is the most common solid phase extraction material used for analysis of nitrosamines in water. It is also widely used for the removal of organics in water treatment and as a catalyst or catalyst support in some industrial applications. In this study, it was discovered that AC materials can catalyze transformation of secondary amines to yield trace levels of N-nitrosamines under ambient aerobic conditions. All 11 commercial ACs tested in the study formed nitrosamines from secondary amines. Among the different ACs, the N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) yield at pH 7.5 ranged from 0.001% to 0.01% of initial amount of aqueous dimethylamine (DMA) concentration, but at 0.05-0.29% of the amount of adsorbed DMA by AC. Nitrosamine yield increased with higher pH and for higher molecular weight secondary amines, probably because of increased adsorption of amines. Presence of oxygen was a critical factor in the transformation of secondary amines, since ACs with adsorbed secondary amines dried under air for longer period of time exhibited significantly higher nitrosamine yields. The AC-catalyzed nitrosamine formation was also observed in surface water and wastewater effluent samples. Properties of AC play an important role in the nitrosamine yields. Preliminary evaluation indicated that nitrosamine formation was higher on reduced than oxidized AC surfaces. Overall, the study results show that selecting ACs and reaction conditions are important to minimize analytical errors and undesirable formation associated with nitrosamines in water samples.

  6. Box-Cox transformation for QTL mapping.

    PubMed

    Yang, Runqing; Yi, Nengjun; Xu, Shizhong

    2006-01-01

    The maximum likelihood method of QTL mapping assumes that the phenotypic values of a quantitative trait follow a normal distribution. If the assumption is violated, some forms of transformation should be taken to make the assumption approximately true. The Box-Cox transformation is a general transformation method which can be applied to many different types of data. The flexibility of the Box-Cox transformation is due to a variable, called transformation factor, appearing in the Box-Cox formula. We developed a maximum likelihood method that treats the transformation factor as an unknown parameter, which is estimated from the data simultaneously along with the QTL parameters. The method makes an objective choice of data transformation and thus can be applied to QTL analysis for many different types of data. Simulation studies show that (1) Box-Cox transformation can substantially increase the power of QTL detection; (2) Box-Cox transformation can replace some specialized transformation methods that are commonly used in QTL mapping; and (3) applying the Box-Cox transformation to data already normally distributed does not harm the result.

  7. Standard Setting as Psychometric Due Process: Going a Little Further Down an Uncertain Road.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cizek, Gregory J.

    The concept of due process provides an analogy for the process of standard setting that emphasizes many of the procedural and substantive elements of the process over technical and statistical concerns. Surely such concerns can and should continue to be addressed. However, a sound rationale for standard setting does not rest on this foundation.…

  8. Orthogonal transform feasibility study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robinson, G. S.

    1971-01-01

    The application of various orthogonal transformations to communication was investigated, with particular emphasis placed on speech and visual signal processing. The fundamentals of the one- and two-dimensional orthogonal transforms and their application to speech and visual signals are treated in detail.

  9. Probing soil nitrogen transformations using triple nitrate isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Z.; Elliott, E. M.

    2017-12-01

    Models of soil nitrogen (N) transformations are essential for understanding biogeochemical N cycling and its environmental implications. While natural abundance stable N isotopes (δ15N) of the soil N pool are widely used to infer soil N dynamics, its quantitative use is limited by uncertainties in the relevant isotopic fractionations. Oxygen-17 isotope anomalies in nitrate (Δ17O-NO3-), originating from mass-independent fractionation during photochemical NO3- formation, are a conservative tracer of atmospherically deposited NO3- in terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, measurement of soil Δ17O-NO3- may provide additional tracing power for δ15N-based process models, in that Δ17O-NO3- is not altered by mass-dependent isotopic fractionations. In this study, we conducted both laboratory and field experiments to assess the effectiveness of using triple NO3- isotopes (Δ17O, δ15N, δ18O) for modeling soil N transformations. Surface soil (0-7 cm) was sampled from an urban riparian area and temperate, upland forests in rural and urban settings for batch incubations and amendments with Δ17O-enriched NO3-. After amendment, the soils were extracted on six occasions over a 4-day period to measure concentrations and isotopic composition of NO3- and ammonium. A Δ17O-based numerical model was developed and used to derive gross N fluxes. In situ field soil and lysimeter sampling was also conducted at the rural forest site on five consecutive days immediately following snowmelt input of Δ17O-enriched NO3-. The results show that the temporal dynamics of Δ17O-NO3- can provide quantitative information on soil N turnover. In the laboratory incubations, modeled gross nitrification and denitrification rates were significantly higher for the urban forest and riparian soils, consistent with results from inhibitor-based potential measurements. Non-zero Δ17O-NO3- values, up to 4.3‰, were measured in the rural forest soil following the snowmelt event. A numerical model of the

  10. Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution: Part II

    DOE PAGES

    Clarke, Amy Jean

    2015-10-30

    The activities of the Phase Transformations Committee of the Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division (MPMD) of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) are oriented toward understanding the fundamental aspects of phase transformations. Emphasis is placed on the thermodynamic driving forces for phase transformations, the kinetics of nucleation and growth, interfacial structures and energies, transformation crystallography, surface reliefs, and, above all, the atomic mechanisms of phase transformations. Phase transformations and microstructural evolution are directly linked to materials processing, properties, and performance. In this issue, aspects of liquid–solid and solid-state phase transformations and microstructural evolution are highlighted. Many papers in thismore » issue are highlighted by this paper, giving a brief summary of what they bring to the scientific community.« less

  11. Microwave assisted transformation of N,N-diphenylamine as precursors of organic light emitting diodes (OLED)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jefri, Wahyuningrum, Deana

    2015-09-01

    In this research, study on the transformation of N,N-diphenylamine (DPA) using iodine (I2) utilizing solid state Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) method has been carried out. The reaction was performed by variations of three parameters namely the mole of reagents, the amount and type of solid support (alumina/Al2O3), and the reaction conditions. Experimental results showed that neutral-alumina was a better solid support than basic-alumina. The optimum temperature for the reaction was approximately at 125-133 °C with reaction time of 15 minutes and microwave reactor power at 500-600 W. The separation of the yellowish green product solution with preparative Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) method using n-hexane:ethyl acetate = 4:1 (v/v) as eluent yielded two fractions (I and II) and both fractions can undergo fluorescence under 365 nm UV light. Based on the LC chromatogram with methanol:water = 95:5 (v/v) as eluent and its corresponding mass spectra (ESI+), fraction I contained three compounds, which were tetracarbazole A, triphenylamine, and impurities in the form of plasticizer such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Fraction II also contained three compounds, which were tetracarbazole C, tetraphenylhydrazine, and plasticizer such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Both FT-IR (KBr disks) and NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3) spectra of fraction I and II confirmed the aromatic amine groups in those compounds. The observed fluorescence colors of fraction I and II were violet and violet-blue, respectively. Based on their structures and fluorescence characters, the compounds in fraction I and II have the potential to be used as Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) compound precursors.

  12. Transformative environmental governance

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chaffin, Brian C.; Garmestani, Ahjond S.; Gunderson, Lance H.; Harm Benson, Melinda; Angeler, David G.; Arnold, Craig Anthony (Tony); Cosens, Barbara; Kundis Craig, Robin; Ruhl, J.B.; Allen, Craig R.

    2016-01-01

    Transformative governance is an approach to environmental governance that has the capacity to respond to, manage, and trigger regime shifts in coupled social-ecological systems (SESs) at multiple scales. The goal of transformative governance is to actively shift degraded SESs to alternative, more desirable, or more functional regimes by altering the structures and processes that define the system. Transformative governance is rooted in ecological theories to explain cross-scale dynamics in complex systems, as well as social theories of change, innovation, and technological transformation. Similar to adaptive governance, transformative governance involves a broad set of governance components, but requires additional capacity to foster new social-ecological regimes including increased risk tolerance, significant systemic investment, and restructured economies and power relations. Transformative governance has the potential to actively respond to regime shifts triggered by climate change, and thus future research should focus on identifying system drivers and leading indicators associated with social-ecological thresholds.

  13. Due Diligence Processes for Public Acquisition of Mining-Impacted Landscapes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, E.; Monohan, C.; Keeble-Toll, A. K.

    2016-12-01

    The acquisition of public land is critical for achieving conservation and habitat goals in rural regions projected to experience continuously high rates of population growth. To ensure that public funds are utilized responsibly in the purchase of conservation easements appropriate due diligence processes must be established that limit landowner liability post-acquisition. Traditional methods of characterizing contamination in regions where legacy mining activities were prevalent may not utilize current scientific knowledge and understanding of contaminant fate, transport and bioavailability, and therefore are likely to have type two error. Agency prescribed assessment methods utilized under CERLA in many cases fail to detect contamination that presents liability issues by failing to require water quality sampling that would reveal offsite transport potential of contaminants posing human health risks, including mercury. Historical analysis can be used to inform judgmental sampling to identify hotspots and contaminants of concern. Land acquisition projects at two historic mine sites in Nevada County, California, the Champion Mine Complex and the Black Swan Preserve have established the necessity of re-thinking due diligence processes for mining-impacted landscapes. These pilot projects demonstrate that pre-acquisition assessment in the Gold Country must include judgmental sampling and evaluation of contaminant transport. Best practices using the current scientific knowledge must be codified by agencies, consultants, and NGOs in order to ensure responsible use of public funds and to safeguard public health.

  14. EUPHORE: Research facility to study tropospheric transformation processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wirtz, K.

    2003-04-01

    The EUPHORE simulation chamber consists of two half-spherical Teflon bags, each with a volume of 200 m^3 and a base diameter of 9.2 m. The FEP Teflon has a transmission of about 75% at 280 nm and of more than 80% above 300 nm. Purified and dried ambient air is used to fill the chamber and flush it between experiments. The humidity in the chamber is measured by a dew point hygrometer, and the temperature is monitored by several thermocouples located at different positions inside the chamber. The solar flux is monitored with spectral resolution in the photochemically active spectral region. The simulation chamber is equipped with a number of analytical instruments for the measurement of single VOC components, NO, NO_2, O_3 and other species. In-situ measurements in the ppb range are performed using long-path absorption spectroscopy, in the UV/VIS by DOAS and in the IR by FT-IR. A GC-MS system is used for the sensitive analysis of a variety of reaction products. A newly installed LIF technique allows the in situ measurement of OH and HO_2 radicals during the reaction processes. The technological concept and the organisation structure of the EUPHORE facility will be presented. The integration of quality control measures is an obvious and necessary second step for the successful exploitation of the technically advanced outdoor smog chamber EUPHORE as a research tool. This will underline the leadership of the European scientific community in the important research areas of investigating transformation processes in the troposphere and tracking the influence of human activities on photooxidant formation and its interaction with processes related to global change. In the coming years the main scientific focus will be on testing chemical mechanisms in order to improve the models which describe the atmospheric processes of complex chemical systems. The collaborative work at the EUPHORE outdoor simulation chamber will provide all the users of the installation with a basic

  15. Cell transformation mediated by chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid of polyoma virus-transformed cells.

    PubMed Central

    Della Valle, G; Fenton, R G; Basilico, C

    1981-01-01

    To study the mechanism of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-mediated gene transfer, normal rat cells were transfected with total cellular DNA extracted from polyoma virus-transformed cells. This resulted in the appearance of the transformed phenotype in 1 X 10(-6) to 3 X 10(-6) of the transfected cells. Transformation was invariably associated with the acquisition of integrated viral DNA sequences characteristic of the donor DNA. This was caused not by the integration of free DNA molecules, but by the transfer of large DNA fragments (10 to 20 kilobases) containing linked cellular and viral sequences. Although Southern blot analysis showed that integration did not appear to occur in a homologous region of the recipient chromosome, the frequency of transformation was rather high when compared with that of purified polyoma DNA, perhaps due to "position" effects or to the high efficiency of recombination of large DNA fragments. Images PMID:6100965

  16. The biomineralization process of uranium(VI) by Saccharomyces cerevisiae - transformation from amorphous U(VI) to crystalline chernikovite.

    PubMed

    Shen, Yanghao; Zheng, Xinyan; Wang, Xiaoyu; Wang, Tieshan

    2018-05-01

    Microorganisms play a significant role in uranium(VI) biogeochemistry and influence U(VI) transformation through biomineralization. In the present work, the process of uranium mineralization was investigated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The toxicity experiments showed that the viability of cell was not significantly affected by 100 mg L -1 U(VI) under 4 days of exposure time. The batch experiments showed that the phosphate concentration and pH value increased over time during U(VI) adsorption. Meanwhile, thermodynamic calculations demonstrated that the adsorption system was supersaturated with respect to UO 2 HPO 4 . The X-ray powder diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicated that the U(VI) was first attached onto the cell surface and reacted with hydroxyl, carboxyl, and phosphate groups through electrostatic interactions and complexation. As the immobilization of U(VI) transformed it from the ionic to the amorphous state, lamellar uranium precipitate was formed on the cell surface. With the prolongation of time, the amorphous uranium compound disappeared, and there were some crystalline substances observed extracellularly, which were well-characterized as tetragonal-chernikovite. Furthermore, the size of chernikovite was regulated at nano-level by cells, and the perfect crystal was formed finally. These findings provided an understanding of the non-reductive transformation process of U(VI) from the amorphous to crystalline state within microbe systems, which would be beneficial for the U(VI) treatment and reuse of nuclides and heavy metals.

  17. Novel activation process for Mg-implanted GaN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hashimoto, Shin; Nakamura, Takao; Honda, Yoshio; Amano, Hiroshi

    2014-02-01

    A novel activation process for Mg-implanted GaN was demonstrated. As opposed to the conventional thermal annealing process, an H2/NH3 alternating supply annealing process achieved better optical activation, stronger near-ultraviolet luminescence and weaker yellow luminescence in the photoluminescence spectroscopy. After this process, small hexagonal hillocks were observed on the surface, which indicated that crystal regrowth was induced by this process, consisting of decomposition of GaN by H2 supplies and re-crystallization by NH3 supplies. It was revealed that the implanted Mg could easily be located at the activation site by means of crystal regrowth by this process.

  18. Lightweight, high-frequency transformers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schwarze, G. E.

    1983-01-01

    The 25-kVA space transformer was developed under contract by Thermal Technology Laboratory, Buffalo, N. Y. The NASA Lewis transformer technology program attempted to develop the baseline technology. For the 25-kVA transformer the input voltage was chosen as 200 V, the output voltage as 1500 V, the input voltage waveform as square wave, the duty cycle as continuous, the frequency range (within certain constraints) as 10 to 40 kHz, the operating temperatures as 85 deg. and 130 C, the baseplate temperature as 50 C, the equivalent leakage inductance as less than 10 micro-h, the operating environment as space, and the life expectancy as 10 years. Such a transformer can also be used for aircraft, ship and terrestrial applications.

  19. Seismo-thermo-mechanical modeling of mature and immature transform faults

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Preuss, Simon; Gerya, Taras; van Dinther, Ylona

    2016-04-01

    Transform faults (TF) are subdivided into continental and oceanic ones due to their markedly different tectonic position, structure, surface expression, dynamics and seismicity. Both continental and oceanic TFs are zones of rheological weakness, which is a pre-requisite for their existence and long-term stability. Compared to subduction zones, TFs are typically characterized by smaller earthquake magnitudes as both their potential seismogenic width and length are reduced. However, a few very large magnitude (Mw>8) strike-slip events were documented, which are presumably related to the generation of new transform boundaries and/or sudden reactivation of pre-existing fossil structures. In particular, the 11 April 2012 Sumatra Mw 8.6 earthquake is challenging the general concept that such high magnitude events only occur at megathrusts. Hence, the processes of TF nucleation, propagation and their direct relation to the seismic cycle and long-term deformation at both oceanic and continental transforms needs to be investigated jointly to overcome the restricted direct observations in time and space. To gain fundamental understanding of involved physical processes the numerical seismo-thermo-mechanical (STM) modeling approach, validated in a subduction zone setting (Van Dinther et al. 2013), will be adapted for TFs. A simple 2D plane view model geometry using visco-elasto-plastic material behavior will be adopted. We will study and compare seismicity patterns and evolution in two end member TF setups, each with strain-dependent and rate-dependent brittle-plastic weakening processes: (1) A single weak and mature transform fault separating two strong plates (e.g., in between oceanic ridges) and (2) A nucleating or evolving (continental) TF system with disconnected predefined faults within a plate subjected to simple shear deformation (e.g., San Andreas Fault system). The modeling of TFs provides a first tool to establish the STM model approach for transform faults in a

  20. The Analytical Pragmatic Structure of Procedural Due Process: A Framework for Inquiry in Administrative Decision Making.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fisher, James E.; Sealey, Ronald W.

    The study describes the analytical pragmatic structure of concepts and applies this structure to the legal concept of procedural due process. This structure consists of form, purpose, content, and function. The study conclusions indicate that the structure of the concept of procedural due process, or any legal concept, is not the same as the…

  1. v-Src-driven transformation is due to chromosome abnormalities but not Src-mediated growth signaling.

    PubMed

    Honda, Takuya; Morii, Mariko; Nakayama, Yuji; Suzuki, Ko; Yamaguchi, Noritaka; Yamaguchi, Naoto

    2018-01-18

    v-Src is the first identified oncogene product and has a strong tyrosine kinase activity. Much of the literature indicates that v-Src expression induces anchorage-independent and infinite cell proliferation through continuous stimulation of growth signaling by v-Src activity. Although all of v-Src-expressing cells are supposed to form transformed colonies, low frequencies of v-Src-induced colony formation have been observed so far. Using cells that exhibit high expression efficiencies of inducible v-Src, we show that v-Src expression causes cell-cycle arrest through p21 up-regulation despite ERK activation. v-Src expression also induces chromosome abnormalities and unexpected suppression of v-Src expression, leading to p21 down-regulation and ERK inactivation. Importantly, among v-Src-suppressed cells, only a limited number of cells gain the ability to re-proliferate and form transformed colonies. Our findings provide the first evidence that v-Src-driven transformation is attributed to chromosome abnormalities, but not continuous stimulation of growth signaling, possibly through stochastic genetic alterations.

  2. Coupled gamma/alpha phase transformations in low-carbon steels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mizutani, Yasushi

    Since steels have been the most prevalently utilized materials for many years, the desire for steels with low alloying components with a well-balanced combination of high strength and toughness is increasing. Low carbon steels consisting of bainitic microstructures are ideally suited to meeting such technological and economic requirements. Thus it is extremely important to fully clarify the mechanism of bainite formation in order to produce this type of engineering steel by optimized alloy and process design. This research focuses on understanding the mechanism of coupled displacive/diffusional gamma/alpha transformation in low-carbon steels including bainitic and martensitic transformation, and establishing a more comprehensive and physically rational computational model for predictive control of coupled gamma/alpha transformation phenomena. Models for coupled gamma/alpha phase transformation proposed in this study are based on a mechanistic and unified theory and the following assumptions: (1) The energy dissipation due to interface motion can be linearly combined with the energy dissipation due to carbon diffusion. (2) The carbon concentrations at the interface in both gamma and alpha phases are constrained by an interface solute trapping law. (3) Interface motion during nucleation is also governed by the carbon diffusion field velocity. (4) The response function of glissile interface motion can be expressed in the form of thermally activated dislocation glide. In contrast to the conventional semi-empirical models of the previous literature, the computational model proposed in this study is demonstrated to successfully provide a comprehensive and quantitative prediction of the effects of temperature, composition, microstructure, and the interactions among them. This includes the effects of substitutional solutes, morphology of the parent gamma phase, density of nucleation sites, temperature dependent variation of flow stress of matrix, and dynamic recovery of

  3. Kinetics of austenite-pearlite transformation in eutectoid carbon steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hawbolt, E. B.; Chau, B.; Brimacombe, J. K.

    1983-09-01

    The kinetics of the austenite-to-pearlite transformation have been measured under isothermal and continuous-cooling conditions on a eutectoid carbon (1080) steel using a diametral dilatometric technique. The isothermal transformation kinetics have been analyzed in terms of the Avrami Equation containing the two parameters n and b; the initiation of transformation was characterized by an empirically determined transformation-start time (tAv). The parameter n was found to be nearly constant; and neither n nor b was dependent on the cooling rate between T A1 and the test temperature. Continuous-cooling tests were performed with cooling rates ranging from 7.5 to 108 °C per second, and the initiation of transformation was determined. Comparison of this transformation-start time for different cooling rates with the measured slow cooling of a test coupon immersed in a salt bath indicates that, particularly at lower temperatures, the transformation in the traditional T-T-T test specimen may not be isothermal. The additivity rule was found to predict accurately the time taken, relative to tAv, to reach a given fraction of austenite transformed, even though there is some question that the isokinetic condition was met above 660 °C. However, the additivity rule does not hold for the pretransformation or incubation period, as originally proposed by Scheil, and seriously overestimates the incubation time. Application of the additivity rule to the prediction of transformation-finish time, based on transformation start at TA1, also leads to overestimates, but these are less serious. The isothermal parameters— n ( T), b ( T), and tAv ( T)—have been used to predict continuous-cooling transformation kinetics which are in close agreement with measurements at four cooling rates ranging from 7.5 to 64 °C per second.

  4. Process dependency on threshold voltage of GaN MOSFET on AlGaN/GaN heterostructure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Qingpeng; Jiang, Ying; Miyashita, Takahiro; Motoyama, Shin-ichi; Li, Liuan; Wang, Dejun; Ohno, Yasuo; Ao, Jin-Ping

    2014-09-01

    GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) with recessed gate on AlGaN/GaN heterostructure are reported in which the drain and source ohmic contacts were fabricated on the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure and the electron channel was formed on the GaN buffer layer by removing the AlGaN barrier layer. Negative threshold voltages were commonly observed in all devices. To investigate the reasons of the negative threshold voltages, different oxide thickness, etching gas and bias power of inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) system were utilized in the fabrication process of the GaN MOSFETs. It is found that positive charges of around 1 × 1012 q/cm2 exist near the interface at the just threshold condition in both silane- and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)-based devices. It is also found that the threshold voltages do not obviously change with the different etching gas (SiCl4, BCl3 and two-step etching of SiCl4/Cl2) at the same ICP bias power level (20-25 W) and will become deeper when higher bias power is used in the dry recess process which may be related to the much serious ion bombardment damage. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments were done to investigate the surface conditions. It is found that N 1s peaks become lower with higher bias power of the dry etching process. Also, silicon contamination was found and could be removed by HNO3/HF solution. It indicates that the nitrogen vacancies are mainly responsible for the negative threshold voltages rather than the silicon contamination. It demonstrates that optimization of the ICP recess conditions and improvement of the surface condition are still necessary to realize enhancement-mode GaN MOSFETs on AlGaN/GaN heterostructure.

  5. Non-rigid ultrasound image registration using generalized relaxation labeling process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Jong-Ha; Seong, Yeong Kyeong; Park, MoonHo; Woo, Kyoung-Gu; Ku, Jeonghun; Park, Hee-Jun

    2013-03-01

    This research proposes a novel non-rigid registration method for ultrasound images. The most predominant anatomical features in medical images are tissue boundaries, which appear as edges. In ultrasound images, however, other features can be identified as well due to the specular reflections that appear as bright lines superimposed on the ideal edge location. In this work, an image's local phase information (via the frequency domain) is used to find the ideal edge location. The generalized relaxation labeling process is then formulated to align the feature points extracted from the ideal edge location. In this work, the original relaxation labeling method was generalized by taking n compatibility coefficient values to improve non-rigid registration performance. This contextual information combined with a relaxation labeling process is used to search for a correspondence. Then the transformation is calculated by the thin plate spline (TPS) model. These two processes are iterated until the optimal correspondence and transformation are found. We have tested our proposed method and the state-of-the-art algorithms with synthetic data and bladder ultrasound images of in vivo human subjects. Experiments show that the proposed method improves registration performance significantly, as compared to other state-of-the-art non-rigid registration algorithms.

  6. Continuous Cooling Transformation in Cast Duplex Stainless Steels CD3MN and CD3MWCuN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Yoon-Jun; Chumbley, L. Scott; Gleeson, Brian

    2008-04-01

    The kinetics of brittle phase transformation in cast duplex stainless steels CD3MN and CD3MWCuN was investigated under continuous cooling conditions. Cooling rates slower than 5 °C/min. were obtained using a conventional tube furnace with a programable controller. In order to obtain controlled high cooling rates, a furnace equipped to grow crystals by means of the Bridgman method was used. Samples were soaked at 1100 °C for 30 min and cooled at different rates by changing the furnace position at various velocities. The velocity of the furnace movement was correlated to a continuous-cooling-temperature profile for the samples. Continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams were constructed based on experimental observations through metallographic sample preparations and optical microscopy. These are compared to calculated diagrams derived from previously determined isothermal transformation diagrams. The theoretical calculations employed a modified Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) equation (or Avrami equation) under assumption of the additivity rule. Rockwell hardness tests were made to present the correlation between hardness change and the amount of brittle phases (determined by tint-etching to most likely be a combination of sigma + chi) after cooling.

  7. Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution: Part I

    DOE PAGES

    Clarke, Amy Jean

    2015-08-29

    The activities of the Phase Transformations Committee of the Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division (MPMD) of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) are oriented toward understanding the fundamental aspects of phase transformations. Emphasis is placed on the thermodynamic driving forces for phase transformations, the kinetics of nucleation and growth, interfacial structures and energies, transformation crystallography, surface reliefs, and, above all, the atomic mechanisms of phase transformations. Phase transformations and microstructural evolution are directly linked to materials processing, properties, and performance, including in extreme environments, of structural metal alloys. In this paper, aspects of phase transformations and microstructural evolution aremore » highlighted from the atomic to the microscopic scale for ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. Many papers from this issue are highlighted with small summaries of their scientific achievements given.« less

  8. Molecular Insights on Dissolved Organic Matter Transformation by Supraglacial Microbial Communities.

    PubMed

    Antony, Runa; Willoughby, Amanda S; Grannas, Amanda M; Catanzano, Victoria; Sleighter, Rachel L; Thamban, Meloth; Hatcher, Patrick G; Nair, Shanta

    2017-04-18

    Snow overlays the majority of Antarctica and is an important repository of dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM transformations by supraglacial microbes are not well understood. We use ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry to elucidate molecular changes in snowpack DOM by in situ microbial processes (up to 55 days) in a coastal Antarctic site. Both autochthonous and allochthonous DOM is highly bioavailable and is transformed by resident microbial communities through parallel processes of degradation and synthesis. DOM thought to be of a more refractory nature, such as dissolved black carbon and carboxylic-rich alicyclic molecules, was also rapidly and extensively reworked. Microbially reworked DOM exhibits an increase in the number and magnitude of N-, S-, and P-containing formulas, is less oxygenated, and more aromatic when compared to the initial DOM. Shifts in the heteroatom composition suggest that microbial processes may be important in the cycling of not only C, but other elements such as N, S, and P. Microbial reworking also produces photoreactive compounds, with potential implications for DOM photochemistry. Refined measurements of supraglacial DOM and their cycling by microbes is critical for improving our understanding of supraglacial DOM cycling and the biogeochemical and ecological impacts of DOM export to downstream environments.

  9. Fenton process-affected transformation of roxarsone in paddy rice soils: Effects on plant growth and arsenic accumulation in rice grain.

    PubMed

    Qin, Junhao; Li, Huashou; Lin, Chuxia

    2016-08-01

    Batch and greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the effects of Fenton process on transformation of roxarsone in soils and its resulting impacts on the growth of and As uptake by a rice plant cultivar. The results show that addition of Fenton reagent markedly accelerated the degradation of roxarsone and produced arsenite, which was otherwise absent in the soil without added Fenton reagent. Methylation of arsenate was also enhanced by Fenton process in the earlier part of the experiment due to abundant supply of arsenate from Roxarsone degradation. Overall, addition of Fenton reagent resulted in the predominant presence of arsenate in the soils. Fenton process significantly improved the growth of rice in the maturity stage of the first crop, The concentration of methylated As species in the rice plant tissues among the different growth stages was highly variable. Addition of Fenton reagent into the soils led to reduced uptake of soil-borne As by the rice plants and this had a significant effect on reducing the accumulation of As in rice grains. The findings have implications for understanding As biogeochemistry in paddy rice field receiving rainwater-borne H2O2 and for development of mitigation strategies to reduce accumulation of As in rice grains. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. [Study on Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy Data Processing Based on Chirp-Z Transformation].

    PubMed

    Zheng, Hai-ming; Li, Guang-jie; Wu, Hao

    2015-06-01

    Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) is a commonly used atmospheric pollution monitoring method. Denoising of monitoring spectral data will improve the inversion accuracy. Fourier transform filtering method is effectively capable of filtering out the noise in the spectral data. But the algorithm itself can introduce errors. In this paper, a chirp-z transform method is put forward. By means of the local thinning of Fourier transform spectrum, it can retain the denoising effect of Fourier transform and compensate the error of the algorithm, which will further improve the inversion accuracy. The paper study on the concentration retrieving of SO2 and NO2. The results show that simple division causes bigger error and is not very stable. Chirp-z transform is proved to be more accurate than Fourier transform. Results of the frequency spectrum analysis show that Fourier transform cannot solve the distortion and weakening problems of characteristic absorption spectrum. Chirp-z transform shows ability in fine refactoring of specific frequency spectrum.

  11. Transform Decoding of Reed-Solomon Codes. Volume II. Logical Design and Implementation.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-11-01

    i A. nE aib’ = a(bJ) ; j=0, 1, ... , n-l (2-8) i=01 Similarly, the inverse transform is obtained by interpolation of the polynomial a(z) from its n...with the transform so that either a forward or an inverse transform may be used to encode. The only requirement is that tie reverse of the encoding... inverse transform of the received sequence is the polynomial sum r(z) = e(z) + a(z), where e(z) is the inverse transform of the error polynomial E(z), and a

  12. In situ ohmic contact formation for n-type Ge via non-equilibrium processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prucnal, S.; Frigerio, J.; Napolitani, E.; Ballabio, A.; Berencén, Y.; Rebohle, L.; Wang, M.; Böttger, R.; Voelskow, M.; Isella, G.; Hübner, R.; Helm, M.; Zhou, S.; Skorupa, W.

    2017-11-01

    Highly scaled nanoelectronics requires effective channel doping above 5 × 1019 cm-3 together with ohmic contacts with extremely low specific contact resistivity. Nowadays, Ge becomes very attractive for modern optoelectronics due to the high carrier mobility and the quasi-direct bandgap, but n-type Ge doped above 5 × 1019 cm-3 is metastable and thus difficult to be achieved. In this letter, we report on the formation of low-resistivity ohmic contacts in highly n-type doped Ge via non-equilibrium thermal processing consisting of millisecond-range flash lamp annealing. This is a single-step process that allows for the formation of a 90 nm thick NiGe layer with a very sharp interface between NiGe and Ge. The measured carrier concentration in Ge is above 9 × 1019 cm-3 with a specific contact resistivity of 1.2 × 10-6 Ω cm2. Simultaneously, both the diffusion and the electrical deactivation of P are fully suppressed.

  13. Programming MOFs for water sorption: amino-functionalized MIL-125 and UiO-66 for heat transformation and heat storage applications.

    PubMed

    Jeremias, Felix; Lozan, Vasile; Henninger, Stefan K; Janiak, Christoph

    2013-12-07

    Sorption-based heat transformation and storage appliances are very promising for utilizing solar heat and waste heat in cooling or heating applications. The economic and ecological efficiency of sorption-based heat transformation depends on the availability of suitable hydrophilic and hydrothermally stable sorption materials. We investigated the feasibility of using the metal-organic frameworks UiO-66(Zr), UiO-67(Zr), H2N-UiO-66(Zr) and H2N-MIL-125(Ti) as sorption materials in heat transformations by means of volumetric water adsorption measurements, determination of the heat of adsorption and a 40-cycle ad/desorption stress test. The amino-modified compounds H2N-UiO-66 and H2N-MIL-125 feature high heat of adsorption (89.5 and 56.0 kJ mol(-1), respectively) and a very promising H2O adsorption isotherm due to their enhanced hydrophilicity. For H2N-MIL-125 the very steep rise of the H2O adsorption isotherm in the 0.1 < p/p0 < 0.2 region is especially beneficial for the intended heat pump application.

  14. Gender differences in the recognition of spatially transformed figures: behavioral data and event-related potentials (ERPs).

    PubMed

    Mikhailova, E S; Slavutskaya, A V; Gerasimenko, N Yu

    2012-08-30

    The gender differences in accuracy, reaction time (RT) and amplitude of the early P1 and N1 components of ERPs during recognition of previously memorized objects after their spatial transformation were examined. We used three levels of the spatial transformation: a displacement of object details in radial direction, and a displacement in combination with rotation of the details by ±0° to 45° and ±45° to 90°. The accuracy and the RT data showed a similarity of task performance in males and females. The effect of rotation was significantly greater than the effect of simple displacement, and the accuracy decreased, and the RT increased with the rotation angle in both genders. At the same time we found significant sex differences in the early stage of visual processing. In males the P1 peak amplitude at the P3/P4 sites increased significantly during the recognition of spatially transformed objects, and the wider the angle of rotation the greater the P1 peak amplitude. In contrast, in females the P1 peak amplitude did not depend on the rotation of figure details. The N1 amplitude revealed no gender differences, although the object transformation evoked somewhat greater changes in the N1 at the O1/O2 sites in females compared to males. This new fact that only males demonstrated the sensitivity of early perceptual stage to the transformation of objects adds information about the neurobiological basis of different strategies in the visual processing used by each gender. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Transformation matrices between non-linear and linear differential equations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sartain, R. L.

    1983-01-01

    In the linearization of systems of non-linear differential equations, those systems which can be exactly transformed into the second order linear differential equation Y"-AY'-BY=0 where Y, Y', and Y" are n x 1 vectors and A and B are constant n x n matrices of real numbers were considered. The 2n x 2n matrix was used to transform the above matrix equation into the first order matrix equation X' = MX. Specially the matrix M and the conditions which will diagonalize or triangularize M were studied. Transformation matrices P and P sub -1 were used to accomplish this diagonalization or triangularization to return to the solution of the second order matrix differential equation system from the first order system.

  16. Effect of post-implantation annealing on Al-N isoelectronic trap formation in silicon: Al-N pair formation and defect recovery mechanisms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Takahiro; Morita, Yukinori; Matsukawa, Takashi

    2018-05-01

    The effect of post-implantation annealing (PIA) on Al-N isoelectronic trap (IET) formation in silicon has been experimentally investigated to discuss the Al-N IET formation and implantation-induced defect recovery mechanisms. We performed a photoluminescence study, which indicated that self-interstitial clusters and accompanying vacancies are generated in the ion implantation process. It is supposed that Al and N atoms move to the vacancy sites and form stable Al-N pairs in the PIA process. Furthermore, the PIA process recovers self-interstitial clusters while transforming their atomic configuration. The critical temperature for the formation/dissociation of Al-N pairs was found to be 450 °C, with which we describe the process integration for devices utilizing Al-N IET technology.

  17. Doping process of p-type GaN nanowires: A first principle study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xia, Sihao; Liu, Lei; Diao, Yu; Feng, Shu

    2017-10-01

    The process of p-type doping for GaN nanowires is investigated using calculations starting from first principles. The influence of different doping elements, sites, types, and concentrations is discussed. Results suggest that Mg is an optimal dopant when compared to Be and Zn due to its stronger stability, whereas Be atoms are more inclined to exist in the interspace of a nanowire. Interstitially-doped GaN nanowires show notable n-type conductivity, and thus, Be is not a suitable dopant, which is to be expected since systems with inner substitutional dopants are more favorable than those with surface substitutions. Both interstitial and substitutional doping affect the atomic structure near dopants and induce charge transfer between the dopants and adjacent atoms. By altering doping sites and concentrations, nanowire atomic structures remain nearly constant. Substitutional doping models show p-type conductivity, and Mg-doped nanowires with doping concentrations of 4% showing the strongest p-type conductivity. All doping configurations are direct bandgap semiconductors. This study is expected to direct the preparation of high-quality GaN nanowires.

  18. Memory Transformation Enhances Reinforcement Learning in Dynamic Environments.

    PubMed

    Santoro, Adam; Frankland, Paul W; Richards, Blake A

    2016-11-30

    Over the course of systems consolidation, there is a switch from a reliance on detailed episodic memories to generalized schematic memories. This switch is sometimes referred to as "memory transformation." Here we demonstrate a previously unappreciated benefit of memory transformation, namely, its ability to enhance reinforcement learning in a dynamic environment. We developed a neural network that is trained to find rewards in a foraging task where reward locations are continuously changing. The network can use memories for specific locations (episodic memories) and statistical patterns of locations (schematic memories) to guide its search. We find that switching from an episodic to a schematic strategy over time leads to enhanced performance due to the tendency for the reward location to be highly correlated with itself in the short-term, but regress to a stable distribution in the long-term. We also show that the statistics of the environment determine the optimal utilization of both types of memory. Our work recasts the theoretical question of why memory transformation occurs, shifting the focus from the avoidance of memory interference toward the enhancement of reinforcement learning across multiple timescales. As time passes, memories transform from a highly detailed state to a more gist-like state, in a process called "memory transformation." Theories of memory transformation speak to its advantages in terms of reducing memory interference, increasing memory robustness, and building models of the environment. However, the role of memory transformation from the perspective of an agent that continuously acts and receives reward in its environment is not well explored. In this work, we demonstrate a view of memory transformation that defines it as a way of optimizing behavior across multiple timescales. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3612228-15$15.00/0.

  19. Saturation of a toroidal Alfvén eigenmode due to enhanced damping of nonlinear sidebands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Todo, Y.; Berk, H. L.; Breizman, B. N.

    2012-09-01

    This paper examines nonlinear magneto-hydrodynamic effects on the energetic particle driven toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) for lower dissipation coefficients and with higher numerical resolution than in the previous simulations (Todo et al 2010 Nucl. Fusion 50 084016). The investigation is focused on a TAE mode with toroidal mode number n = 4. It is demonstrated that the mechanism of mode saturation involves generation of zonal (n = 0) and higher-n (n ⩾ 8) sidebands, and that the sidebands effectively increase the mode damping rate via continuum damping. The n = 0 sideband includes the zonal flow peaks at the TAE gap locations. It is also found that the n = 0 poloidal flow represents a balance between the nonlinear driving force from the n = 4 components and the equilibrium plasma response to the n = 0 fluctuations. The spatial profile of the n = 8 sideband peaks at the n = 8 Alfvén continuum, indicating enhanced dissipation due to continuum damping.

  20. Similarity-transformed chiral NN + 3N interactions for the ab initio description of 12C and 16O.

    PubMed

    Roth, Robert; Langhammer, Joachim; Calci, Angelo; Binder, Sven; Navrátil, Petr

    2011-08-12

    We present first ab initio no-core shell model (NCSM) calculations using similarity renormalization group (SRG) transformed chiral two-nucleon (NN) plus three-nucleon (3N) interactions for nuclei throughout the p-shell, particularly (12)C and (16)O. By introducing an adaptive importance truncation for the NCSM model space and an efficient JT-coupling scheme for the 3N matrix elements, we are able to surpass previous NCSM studies including 3N interactions. We present ground and excited states in (12)C and (16)O for model spaces up to N(max) = 12 including full 3N interactions. We analyze the contributions of induced and initial 3N interactions and probe induced 4N terms through the sensitivity of the energies on the SRG flow parameter. Unlike for light p-shell nuclei, SRG-induced 4N contributions originating from the long-range two-pion terms of the chiral 3N interaction are sizable in (12)C and (16)O.

  1. Enhancement of microbial 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene transformation with increased toxicity by exogenous nutrient amendment.

    PubMed

    Liang, Shih-Hsiung; Hsu, Duen-Wei; Lin, Chia-Ying; Kao, Chih-Ming; Huang, Da-Ji; Chien, Chih-Ching; Chen, Ssu-Ching; Tsai, Isheng Jason; Chen, Chien-Cheng

    2017-04-01

    In this study, the bacterial strain Citrobacter youngae strain E4 was isolated from 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT)-contaminated soil and used to assess the capacity of TNT transformation with/without exogenous nutrient amendments. C. youngae E4 poorly degraded TNT without an exogenous amino nitrogen source, whereas the addition of an amino nitrogen source considerably increased the efficacy of TNT transformation in a dose-dependent manner. The enhanced TNT transformation of C. youngae E4 was mediated by increased cell growth and up-regulation of TNT nitroreductases, including NemA, NfsA and NfsB. This result indicates that the increase in TNT transformation by C. youngae E4 via nitrogen nutrient stimulation is a cometabolism process. Consistently, TNT transformation was effectively enhanced when C. youngae E4 was subjected to a TNT-contaminated soil slurry in the presence of an exogenous amino nitrogen amendment. Thus, effective enhancement of TNT transformation via the coordinated inoculation of the nutrient-responsive C. youngae E4 and an exogenous nitrogen amendment might be applicable for the remediation of TNT-contaminated soil. Although the TNT transformation was significantly enhanced by C. youngae E4 in concert with biostimulation, the 96-h LC50 value of the TNT transformation product mixture on the aquatic invertebrate Tigriopus japonicas was higher than the LC50 value of TNT alone. Our results suggest that exogenous nutrient amendment can enhance microbial TNT transformation; however, additional detoxification processes may be needed due to the increased toxicity after reduced TNT transformation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Effects of N precursor on the agglomeration and visible light photocatalytic activity of N-doped TiO2 nanocrystalline powder.

    PubMed

    Hu, Yulong; Liu, Hongfang; Rao, Qiuhua; Kong, Xiaodong; Sun, Wei; Guo, Xingpeng

    2011-04-01

    N-doped TiO2 nanocrystalline powders were prepared by the sol-gel method using various N precursors, including triethylamine, hydrazine hydrate, ethylenediamine, ammonium hydroxide, and urea. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption isotherms, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of as-prepared samples under irradiation of visible light (lambda > 405 nm) were evaluated by photodecomposition of methyl orange. The alkalinity of N precursor was found to play a key role in the gel process. The N precursor with moderate alkalinity causes TiO2 nanoparticles to be sol-transformed into a loosely agglomerated gel. This transformation facilitates the preparation of an N-doped TiO2 powder with small nanocrystal size, large specific surface area, and high N doping level and results in high visible light photocatalytic activity. The N in TiO2 with N is binding energy at 399-400 eV may be assigned to the N-H species located in interstitial sites of TiO2 lattice which is the active N species responsible for the visible light photocatalytic activity. The N species of N 1s peak at 402 and 405 eV are ineffective to the visible light photocatalytic activity and may inhibit the photocatalytic activity. Moreover, a TiO2 nanoparticle powder with large specific area can be achieved by using urea as a template and then by using ammonium hydroxide to transform the sol into gel.

  3. Evaluation of N,N-dialkylamides as promising process extractants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pathak, P. N.; Prabhu, D. R.; Kanekar, A. S.; Manchanda, V. K.

    2010-03-01

    Studies carried out at BARC, India on the development of new extractants for reprocessing of spent fuel suggested that while straight chain N,N-dihexyloctanamide (DHOA) is promising alternative to TBP for the reprocessing of irradiated uranium based fuels, branched chain N,N-di(2-ethylhexyl)isobutyramide (D2EHIBA) is suitable for the selective recovery of 233U from irradiated Th. In advanced fuel cycle scenarios, the coprocessing of U/Pu stream appears attractive particularly with respect to development of proliferation resistant technologies. DHOA extracted Pu(IV) more efficiently than TBP, both at trace-level concentration as well as under uranium/plutonium loading conditions. Uranium extraction behavior of DHOA was however, similar to that of TBP during the extraction cycle. Stripping behavior of U and Pu (without any reductant) was better for DHOA than that of TBP. It was observed during batch studies that whereas 99% Pu is stripped in four stages in case of DHOA, only 89% Pu is stripped in case of TBP under identical experimental conditions. DHOA offered better fission product decontamination than that of TBP. GANEX (Group ActiNide EXtraction) and ARTIST (Amide-based Radio-resources Treatment with Interim Storage of Transuranics) processes proposed for actinide partitioning use branched chain amides for the selective extraction of uranium from spent fuel feed solutions. The branched-alkyl monoamide (BAMA) proposed to be used in ARTIST process is N,N-di-(2-ethylhexyl)butyramide (D2EHBA). In this context, the extraction behavior of U(VI) and Pu(IV) were compared using D2EHIBA, TBP, and D2EHBA under similar concentration of nitric acid (0.5 — 6M) and of uranium (0-50g/L). These studies suggested that D2EHIBA is a promising extractant for selective extraction of uranium over plutonium in process streams. Similarly, D2EHIBA offered distinctly better decontamination of 233U over Th and fission products under THOREX feed conditions. The possibility of simultaneous

  4. Biochemical transformation of coals

    DOEpatents

    Lin, Mow S.; Premuzic, Eugene T.

    1999-03-23

    A method of biochemically transforming macromolecular compounds found in solid carbonaceous materials, such as coal is provided. The preparation of new microorganisms, metabolically weaned through challenge growth processes to biochemically transform solid carbonaceous materials at extreme temperatures, pressures, pH, salt and toxic metal concentrations is also disclosed.

  5. Study of ionospheric anomalies due to impact of typhoon using Principal Component Analysis and image processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LIN, JYH-WOEI

    2012-08-01

    Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and image processing are used to determine Total Electron Content (TEC) anomalies in the F-layer of the ionosphere relating to Typhoon Nakri for 29 May, 2008 (UTC). PCA and image processing are applied to the global ionospheric map (GIM) with transforms conducted for the time period 12:00-14:00 UT on 29 May, 2008 when the wind was most intense. Results show that at a height of approximately 150-200 km the TEC anomaly is highly localized; however, it becomes more intense and widespread with height. Potential causes of these results are discussed with emphasis given to acoustic gravity waves caused by wind force.

  6. Supreme Court Rejects Coach's Plea, Exempts NCAA from Constitution's Due-Process Requirement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lederman, Douglas

    1989-01-01

    The Supreme Court ruled that the National Collegiate Athletic Association is not a governmental entity, enhancing the NCAA's powers by exempting it from constitutional guarantees that governments must act according to due process of law. A dichotomy between the ability of universities to implement NCAA penalties is seen. (MLW)

  7. Growth Attenuation and Due Process: "A Response to Gunther and Diekema (2006)"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Turnbull, Rud; Wehmeyer, Michael; Turnbull, Ann; Stowe, Matt

    2006-01-01

    This article presents the authors' response to Gunther and Diekema's argument about growth attenuation and due process. As a case study, growth attenuation raises complicated issues. The authors address some issues that have not been sufficiently addressed. Those involve family support, assistive technology, constitutional rights to "self," the…

  8. An Analysis of Due Process Cases and Doctrines: Implications for School Districts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bleakney, William; Glass, Thomas

    1977-01-01

    Identifies criteria relating to procedural due process from current judicial opinions, rulings of state attorneys general, and state administrative codes; applies the criteria to an analysis of school policies; and suggests guidelines for public school districts in the assessment, implementation, and revision of policies relating to procedural due…

  9. Chemical transformations of characteristic hop secondary metabolites in relation to beer properties and the brewing process: a review.

    PubMed

    Steenackers, Bart; De Cooman, Luc; De Vos, Dirk

    2015-04-01

    The annual production of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) exceeds 100,000 mt and is almost exclusively consumed by the brewing industry. The value of hops is attributed to their characteristic secondary metabolites; these metabolites are precursors which are transformed during the brewing process into important bittering, aromatising and preservative components with rather low efficiency. By selectively transforming these components off-line, both their utilisation efficiency and functionality can be significantly improved. Therefore, the chemical transformations of these secondary metabolites will be considered with special attention to recent advances in the field. The considered components are the hop alpha-acids, hop beta-acids and xanthohumol, which are components unique to hops, and alpha-humulene and beta-caryophyllene, sesquiterpenes which are highly characteristic of hops. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Multidimensional, mapping-based complex wavelet transforms.

    PubMed

    Fernandes, Felix C A; van Spaendonck, Rutger L C; Burrus, C Sidney

    2005-01-01

    Although the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is a powerful tool for signal and image processing, it has three serious disadvantages: shift sensitivity, poor directionality, and lack of phase information. To overcome these disadvantages, we introduce multidimensional, mapping-based, complex wavelet transforms that consist of a mapping onto a complex function space followed by a DWT of the complex mapping. Unlike other popular transforms that also mitigate DWT shortcomings, the decoupled implementation of our transforms has two important advantages. First, the controllable redundancy of the mapping stage offers a balance between degree of shift sensitivity and transform redundancy. This allows us to create a directional, nonredundant, complex wavelet transform with potential benefits for image coding systems. To the best of our knowledge, no other complex wavelet transform is simultaneously directional and nonredundant. The second advantage of our approach is the flexibility to use any DWT in the transform implementation. As an example, we exploit this flexibility to create the complex double-density DWT: a shift-insensitive, directional, complex wavelet transform with a low redundancy of (3M - 1)/(2M - 1) in M dimensions. No other transform achieves all these properties at a lower redundancy, to the best of our knowledge. By exploiting the advantages of our multidimensional, mapping-based complex wavelet transforms in seismic signal-processing applications, we have demonstrated state-of-the-art results.

  11. Improved Student Reasoning About Carbon-Transforming Processes Through Inquiry-Based Learning Activities Derived from an Empirically Validated Learning Progression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    JW, Schramm; Jin, H.; Keeling, EG; Johnson, M.; Shin, HJ

    2017-05-01

    This paper reports on our use of a fine-grained learning progression to assess secondary students' reasoning through carbon-transforming processes (photosynthesis, respiration, biosynthesis). Based on previous studies, we developed a learning progression with four progress variables: explaining mass changes, explaining energy transformations, explaining subsystems, and explaining large-scale systems. For this study, we developed a 2-week teaching module integrating these progress variables. Students were assessed before and after instruction, with the learning progression framework driving data analysis. Our work revealed significant overall learning gains for all students, with the mean post-test person proficiency estimates higher by 0.6 logits than the pre-test proficiency estimates. Further, instructional effects were statistically similar across all grades included in the study (7th-12th) with students in the lowest third of initial proficiency evidencing the largest learning gains. Students showed significant gains in explaining the processes of photosynthesis and respiration and in explaining transformations of mass and energy, areas where prior research has shown that student misconceptions are prevalent. Student gains on items about large-scale systems were higher than with other variables (although absolute proficiency was still lower). Gains across each of the biological processes tested were similar, despite the different levels of emphasis each had in the teaching unit. Together, these results indicate that students can benefit from instruction addressing these processes more explicitly. This requires pedagogical design quite different from that usually practiced with students at this level.

  12. Microwave assisted transformation of N,N-diphenylamine as precursors of organic light emitting diodes (OLED)

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

    Jefri,; Wahyuningrum, Deana, E-mail: deana@chem.itb.ac.id

    2015-09-30

    In this research, study on the transformation of N,N-diphenylamine (DPA) using iodine (I2) utilizing solid state Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) method has been carried out. The reaction was performed by variations of three parameters namely the mole of reagents, the amount and type of solid support (alumina/Al2O3), and the reaction conditions. Experimental results showed that neutral-alumina was a better solid support than basic-alumina. The optimum temperature for the reaction was approximately at 125-133 °C with reaction time of 15 minutes and microwave reactor power at 500-600 W. The separation of the yellowish green product solution with preparative Thin Layer Chromatographymore » (TLC) method using n-hexane:ethyl acetate = 4:1 (v/v) as eluent yielded two fractions (I and II) and both fractions can undergo fluorescence under 365 nm UV light. Based on the LC chromatogram with methanol:water = 95:5 (v/v) as eluent and its corresponding mass spectra (ESI+), fraction I contained three compounds, which were tetracarbazole A, triphenylamine, and impurities in the form of plasticizer such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Fraction II also contained three compounds, which were tetracarbazole C, tetraphenylhydrazine, and plasticizer such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. Both FT-IR (KBr disks) and NMR (500 MHz, CDCl{sub 3}) spectra of fraction I and II confirmed the aromatic amine groups in those compounds. The observed fluorescence colors of fraction I and II were violet and violet-blue, respectively. Based on their structures and fluorescence characters, the compounds in fraction I and II have the potential to be used as Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) compound precursors.« less

  13. Morphological transformation of soot: investigation of microphysical processes during the condensation of sulphuric acid and limonene ozonolysis products vapours

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pathak, R. K. P.; Pei, X.; Hallquist, M.; Pagels, J. H.

    2017-12-01

    Morphological transformation of soot particle by condensation of low volatility materials on it is a dominant atmospheric process with serious implications for its optical and hygroscopic properties, and atmospheric lifetime. In this study, the morphological transformation of soot agglomerate under the influence of condensation of vapours of sulphuric acid, and/or limonene ozonolysis products were investigated systematically using a Differential Mobility Analyser-Aerosol Particle Mass Analyser (DMA-APM) and the Tandem DMA techniques integrated with a laminar flow-tube system. We discovered that the morphology transformation of soot in general was a sequence of two-step process, i.e. (i) filling of void space within soot agglomerate; (ii) growth of particle diameter. These two steps followed and complimented each other. In the very beginning the filling was the dominant process followed by growth until it led to the accumulation of enough material that in turn exerted surface forces that eventually facilitated the further filling. The filling of void space was constrained by the initial morphology of fresh soot and the nature and amount of the material condensed. This process continued in several sequential steps until all void space within the soot agglomerate was filled completely and then growth of a spherical particle continued as long as mass was condensed on it. In this study, we developed a framework to quantify the microphysical transformation of soot upon the condensation of various materials. The framework utilized experimental data and hypothesis of ideal sphere growth and filling of voids to quantify the distribution of condensed materials in these two processes complimenting each other. Using this framework, we have quantified the percentage of material that went into processes of particle growth and void filling at each step. Using the same framework, we further estimated the fraction of internal voids and open voids and used this information to derive

  14. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis for Online Monitoring of Dibutyl Phosphate Degradation Product in Tributyl Phosphate /n-Dodecane/Nitric Acid Solvent

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

    Levitskaia, Tatiana G.; Peterson, James M.; Campbell, Emily L.

    2013-11-05

    In liquid-liquid extraction separation processes, accumulation of organic solvent degradation products is detrimental to the process robustness and frequent solvent analysis is warranted. Our research explores feasibility of online monitoring of the organic solvents relevant to used nuclear fuel reprocessing. This paper describes the first phase of developing a system for monitoring the tributyl phosphate (TBP)/n-dodecane solvent commonly used to separate used nuclear fuel. In this investigation, the effect of extraction of nitric acid from aqueous solutions of variable concentrations on the quantification of TBP and its major degradation product dibutyl phosphoric acid (HDBP) was assessed. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopymore » (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to discriminate between HDBP and TBP in the nitric acid-containing TBP/n-dodecane solvent. Multivariate analysis of the spectral data facilitated the development of regression models for HDBP and TBP quantification in real time, enabling online implementation of the monitoring system. The predictive regression models were validated using TBP/n-dodecane solvent samples subjected to the high dose external gamma irradiation. The predictive models were translated to flow conditions using a hollow fiber FTIR probe installed in a centrifugal contactor extraction apparatus demonstrating the applicability of the FTIR technique coupled with multivariate analysis for the online monitoring of the organic solvent degradation products.« less

  15. The N-glycan processing enzymes α-mannosidase and β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase are involved in ripening-associated softening in the non-climacteric fruits of capsicum

    PubMed Central

    Ghosh, Sumit; Meli, Vijaykumar S.; Kumar, Anil; Thakur, Archana; Chakraborty, Niranjan; Chakraborty, Subhra; Datta, Asis

    2011-01-01

    Excessive softening of fruits during the ripening process leads to deterioration. This is of significant global importance as softening-mediated deterioration leads to huge postharvest losses. N-glycan processing enzymes are reported to play an important role during climacteric fruit softening: however, to date these enzymes have not been characterized in non-climacteric fruit. Two ripening-specific N-glycan processing enzymes, α-mannosidase (α-Man) and β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase (β-Hex), have been identified and targeted to enhance the shelf life in non-climacteric fruits such as capsicum (Capsicum annuum). The purification, cloning, and functional characterization of α-Man and β-Hex from capsicum, which belong to glycosyl hydrolase (GH) families 38 and 20, respectively, are described here. α-Man and β-Hex are cell wall glycoproteins that are able to cleave terminal α-mannose and β-D-N-acetylglucosamine residues of N-glycans, respectively. α-Man and β-Hex transcripts as well as enzyme activity increase with the ripening and/or softening of capsicum. The function of α-Man and β-Hex in capsicum softening is investigated through RNA interference (RNAi) in fruits. α-Man and β-Hex RNAi fruits were approximately two times firmer compared with the control and fruit deterioration was delayed by approximately 7 d. It is shown that silencing of α-Man and β-Hex enhances fruit shelf life due to the reduced degradation of N-glycoproteins which resulted in delayed softening. Altogether, the results provide evidence for the involvement of N-glycan processing in non-climacteric fruit softening. In conclusion, genetic engineering of N-glycan processing can be a common strategy in both climacteric and non-climacteric species to reduce the post-harvest crop losses. PMID:21030387

  16. N-fold Darboux transformation and double-Wronskian-typed solitonic structures for a variable-coefficient modified Kortweg-de Vries equation

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

    Wang, Lei, E-mail: wanglei2239@126.com; Gao, Yi-Tian; State Key Laboratory of Software Development Environment, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing 100191

    2012-08-15

    Under investigation in this paper is a variable-coefficient modified Kortweg-de Vries (vc-mKdV) model describing certain situations from the fluid mechanics, ocean dynamics and plasma physics. N-fold Darboux transformation (DT) of a variable-coefficient Ablowitz-Kaup-Newell-Segur spectral problem is constructed via a gauge transformation. Multi-solitonic solutions in terms of the double Wronskian for the vc-mKdV model are derived by the reduction of the N-fold DT. Three types of the solitonic interactions are discussed through figures: (1) Overtaking collision; (2) Head-on collision; (3) Parallel solitons. Nonlinear, dispersive and dissipative terms have the effects on the velocities of the solitonic waves while the amplitudes ofmore » the waves depend on the perturbation term. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer N-fold DT is firstly applied to a vc-AKNS spectral problem. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Seeking a double Wronskian solution is changed into solving two systems. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Effects of the variable coefficients on the multi-solitonic waves are discussed in detail. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This work solves the problem from Yi Zhang [Ann. Phys. 323 (2008) 3059].« less

  17. Procedural "Due Process" Remedies Available to Nontenured Faculty in Private Postsecondary Education in New England in 1979.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Begin, Richard L.

    The status of judicial theory regarding private responsibility for granting procedural due process, and the extent to which policies in New England's private postsecondary institutions adhered to judicial requirements for due process in nontenured faculty terminations were studied. A review of the literature, research methodology, and definition…

  18. Feature-extracted joint transform correlation.

    PubMed

    Alam, M S

    1995-12-10

    A new technique for real-time optical character recognition that uses a joint transform correlator is proposed. This technique employs feature-extracted patterns for the reference image to detect a wide range of characters in one step. The proposed technique significantly enhances the processing speed when compared with the presently available joint transform correlator architectures and shows feasibility for multichannel joint transform correlation.

  19. Transformations of snow chemistry in the boreal forest: Accumulation and volatilization

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pomeroy, J.W.; Davies, T.D.; Jones, H.G.; Marsh, P.; Peters, N.E.; Tranter, M.

    1999-01-01

    This paper examines the processes and dynamics of ecologically-important inorganic chemical (primarily NO3-N) accumulation and loss in boreal forest snow during the cold winter period at a northern and southern location in the boreal forest of western Canada. Field observations from Inuvik, Northwest Territories and Waskesiu, Saskatchewan, Canada were used to link chemical transformations and physical processes in boreal forest snow. Data on the disposition and overwinter transformation of snow water equivalent, NO3-, SO42- and other major ions were examined. No evidence of enhanced dry deposition of chemical species to intercepted snow was found at either site except where high atmospheric aerosol concentrations prevailed. At Inuvik, concentrations of SO42- and Cl- were five to six times higher in intercepted snow than in surface snow away from the trees. SO4-S and Cl loads at Inuvik were correspondingly enhanced three-fold within the nearest 0.5 m to individual tree stems. Measurements of snow affected by canopy interception without rapid sublimation provided no evidence of ion volatilization from intercepted snow. Where intercepted snow sublimation rates were significant, ion loads in sub-canopy snow suggested that NO3- volatized with an efficiency of about 62% per snow mass sublimated. Extrapolating this measurement from Waskesiu to sublimation losses observed in other southern boreal environments suggests that 19-25% of snow inputs of NO3- can be lost during intercepted snow sublimation. The amount of N lost during sublimation may be large in high-snowfall, high N load southern boreal forests (Quebec) where 0.42 kg NO3-N ha-1 is estimated as a possible seasonal NO3- volatilization. The sensitivity of the N fluxes to climate and forest canopy variation and implications of the winter N losses for N budgets in the boreal forest are discussed.This paper examines the processes and dynamics of ecologically-important inorganic chemical (primarily NO3-N) accumulation

  20. Biochemical transformation of coals

    DOEpatents

    Lin, M.S.; Premuzic, E.T.

    1999-03-23

    A method of biochemically transforming macromolecular compounds found in solid carbonaceous materials, such as coal is provided. The preparation of new microorganisms, metabolically weaned through challenge growth processes to biochemically transform solid carbonaceous materials at extreme temperatures, pressures, pH, salt and toxic metal concentrations is also disclosed. 7 figs.

  1. A Prayer for Relief: Due Process Versus the Military Academies' Honor Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swan, Robert C.

    1976-01-01

    Michael T. Rose's book, "A Prayer for Relief," examines the due process standards pertinent to the adjudication of student offenses at military academies. This article discusses the issues raised by Rose and concludes that many of his criticisms and suggestions for reform are still viable and worthy of serious attention. (LBH)

  2. The transformation of nitrogen during pressurized entrained-flow pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris.

    PubMed

    Maliutina, Kristina; Tahmasebi, Arash; Yu, Jianglong

    2018-08-01

    The transformation of nitrogen in microalgae during entrained-flow pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris was systematically investigated at the temperatures of 600-900 °C and pressures of 0.1-4.0 MPa. It was found that pressure had a profound impact on the transformation of nitrogen during pyrolysis. The nitrogen retention in bio-char and its content in bio-oil reached a maximum value at 1.0 MPa. The highest conversion of nitrogen (50.25 wt%) into bio-oil was achieved at 1.0 MPa and 800 °C, which was about 7 wt% higher than that at atmospheric pressure. Higher pressures promoted the formation of pyrrolic-N (N-5) and quaternary-N (N-Q) compounds in bio-oil at the expense of nitrile-N and pyridinic-N (N-6) compounds. The X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results on bio-chars clearly evidenced the transformation of N-5 structures into N-6 and N-Q structures at elevated pressures. The nitrogen transformation pathways during pyrolysis of microalgae were proposed and discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Stochastic transformation of points in polygons according to the Voronoi tessellation: microstructural description.

    PubMed

    Di Vito, Alessia; Fanfoni, Massimo; Tomellini, Massimo

    2010-12-01

    Starting from a stochastic two-dimensional process we studied the transformation of points in disks and squares following a protocol according to which at any step the island size increases proportionally to the corresponding Voronoi tessera. Two interaction mechanisms among islands have been dealt with: coalescence and impingement. We studied the evolution of the island density and of the island size distribution functions, in dependence on island collision mechanisms for both Poissonian and correlated spatial distributions of points. The island size distribution functions have been found to be invariant with the fraction of transformed phase for a given stochastic process. The n(Θ) curve describing the island decay has been found to be independent of the shape (apart from high correlation degrees) and interaction mechanism.

  4. Preventive overhaul time for power transformers

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

    Sarmadi, M.; Rouhi, J.; Fayyaz, A.

    Power transformers are the major piece of equipment in high-voltage substations. A considerable number of these transformers exist in Iran`s integrated network. Due to the climate diversity and improper usage, many of these transformers age rapidly, suffer failure and are taken out of service before half their useful life. At the present time the utility companies have no specific time-frame and plan for preventive overhaul. Detection of preventive overhaul time will increase the remaining life of transformers and improve the reliability of substations. An exact check of the remaining lifetime of transformers is not yet possible by available diagnostic techniques.more » In this paper, the authors present a method of identifying the right time for preventive overhaul in 63 kV power transformers. This method is developed based on 25 year transformer performance records in Northern Iran (subtropical climate) and with the utilization of studies done by electrical engineering communities world-wide.« less

  5. A distributed parameter model of transmission line transformer for high voltage nanosecond pulse generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jiangtao; Zhao, Zheng; Li, Longjie; He, Jiaxin; Li, Chenjie; Wang, Yifeng; Su, Can

    2017-09-01

    A transmission line transformer has potential advantages for nanosecond pulse generation including excellent frequency response and no leakage inductance. The wave propagation process in a secondary mode line is indispensable due to an obvious inside transient electromagnetic transition in this scenario. The equivalent model of the transmission line transformer is crucial for predicting the output waveform and evaluating the effects of magnetic cores on output performance. However, traditional lumped parameter models are not sufficient for nanosecond pulse generation due to the natural neglect of wave propagations in secondary mode lines based on a lumped parameter assumption. In this paper, a distributed parameter model of transmission line transformer was established to investigate wave propagation in the secondary mode line and its influential factors through theoretical analysis and experimental verification. The wave propagation discontinuity in the secondary mode line induced by magnetic cores is emphasized. Characteristics of the magnetic core under a nanosecond pulse were obtained by experiments. Distribution and formation of the secondary mode current were determined for revealing essential wave propagation processes in secondary mode lines. The output waveform and efficiency were found to be affected dramatically by wave propagation discontinuity in secondary mode lines induced by magnetic cores. The proposed distributed parameter model was proved more suitable for nanosecond pulse generation in aspects of secondary mode current, output efficiency, and output waveform. In depth, comprehension of underlying mechanisms and a broader view of the working principle of the transmission line transformer for nanosecond pulse generation can be obtained through this research.

  6. A distributed parameter model of transmission line transformer for high voltage nanosecond pulse generation.

    PubMed

    Li, Jiangtao; Zhao, Zheng; Li, Longjie; He, Jiaxin; Li, Chenjie; Wang, Yifeng; Su, Can

    2017-09-01

    A transmission line transformer has potential advantages for nanosecond pulse generation including excellent frequency response and no leakage inductance. The wave propagation process in a secondary mode line is indispensable due to an obvious inside transient electromagnetic transition in this scenario. The equivalent model of the transmission line transformer is crucial for predicting the output waveform and evaluating the effects of magnetic cores on output performance. However, traditional lumped parameter models are not sufficient for nanosecond pulse generation due to the natural neglect of wave propagations in secondary mode lines based on a lumped parameter assumption. In this paper, a distributed parameter model of transmission line transformer was established to investigate wave propagation in the secondary mode line and its influential factors through theoretical analysis and experimental verification. The wave propagation discontinuity in the secondary mode line induced by magnetic cores is emphasized. Characteristics of the magnetic core under a nanosecond pulse were obtained by experiments. Distribution and formation of the secondary mode current were determined for revealing essential wave propagation processes in secondary mode lines. The output waveform and efficiency were found to be affected dramatically by wave propagation discontinuity in secondary mode lines induced by magnetic cores. The proposed distributed parameter model was proved more suitable for nanosecond pulse generation in aspects of secondary mode current, output efficiency, and output waveform. In depth, comprehension of underlying mechanisms and a broader view of the working principle of the transmission line transformer for nanosecond pulse generation can be obtained through this research.

  7. Releasing N-glycan from peptide N-terminus by N-terminal succinylation assisted enzymatic deglycosylation.

    PubMed

    Weng, Yejing; Sui, Zhigang; Jiang, Hao; Shan, Yichu; Chen, Lingfan; Zhang, Shen; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

    2015-04-22

    Due to the important roles of N-glycoproteins in various biological processes, the global N-glycoproteome analysis has been paid much attention. However, by current strategies for N-glycoproteome profiling, peptides with glycosylated Asn at N-terminus (PGANs), generated by protease digestion, could hardly be identified, due to the poor deglycosylation capacity by enzymes. However, theoretically, PGANs occupy 10% of N-glycopeptides in the typical tryptic digests. Therefore, in this study, we developed a novel strategy to identify PGANs by releasing N-glycans through the N-terminal site-selective succinylation assisted enzymatic deglycosylation. The obtained PGANs information is beneficial to not only achieve the deep coverage analysis of glycoproteomes, but also discover the new biological functions of such modification.

  8. Nitrogen cycling process rates across urban ecosystems.

    PubMed

    Reisinger, Alexander J; Groffman, Peter M; Rosi-Marshall, Emma J

    2016-09-21

    Nitrogen (N) pollution of freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems is widespread and has numerous environmental and economic impacts. A portion of this excess N comes from urban watersheds comprised of natural and engineered ecosystems which can alter downstream N export. Studies of urban N cycling have focused on either specific ecosystems or on watershed-scale mass balances. Comparisons of specific N transformations across ecosystems are required to contextualize rates from individual studies. Here we reviewed urban N cycling in terrestrial, aquatic, and engineered ecosystems, and compared N processing in these urban ecosystem types to native reference ecosystems. We found that net N mineralization and net nitrification rates were enhanced in urban forests and riparian zones relative to reference ecosystems. Denitrification was highly variable across urban ecosystem types, but no significant differences were found between urban and reference denitrification rates. When focusing on urban streams, ammonium uptake was more rapid than nitrate uptake in urban streams. Additionally, reduction of stormwater runoff coupled with potential decreases in N concentration suggests that green infrastructure may reduce downstream N export. Despite multiple environmental stressors in urban environments, ecosystems within urban watersheds can process and transform N at rates similar to or higher than reference ecosystems. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Implementing the sine transform of fermionic modes as a tensor network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Epple, Hannes; Fries, Pascal; Hinrichsen, Haye

    2017-09-01

    Based on the algebraic theory of signal processing, we recursively decompose the discrete sine transform of the first kind (DST-I) into small orthogonal block operations. Using a diagrammatic language, we then second-quantize this decomposition to construct a tensor network implementing the DST-I for fermionic modes on a lattice. The complexity of the resulting network is shown to scale as 5/4 n logn (not considering swap gates), where n is the number of lattice sites. Our method provides a systematic approach of generalizing Ferris' spectral tensor network for nontrivial boundary conditions.

  10. Biochar type and factors affecting N transformation, ammonia volatilization, and nitrous oxide emissions

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Soil amendment with biochar has shown the potential to improve nitrogen (N) availability for plant uptake and reduce environmental losses via ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. There are still many unknowns on how biochar type and soil conditions affect N dynamics and processes associa...

  11. Leveraging Terminology Services for Extract-Transform-Load Processes: A User-Centered Approach

    PubMed Central

    Peterson, Kevin J.; Jiang, Guoqian; Brue, Scott M.; Liu, Hongfang

    2016-01-01

    Terminology services serve an important role supporting clinical and research applications, and underpin a diverse set of processes and use cases. Through standardization efforts, terminology service-to-system interactions can leverage well-defined interfaces and predictable integration patterns. Often, however, users interact more directly with terminologies, and no such blueprints are available for describing terminology service-to-user interactions. In this work, we explore the main architecture principles necessary to build a user-centered terminology system, using an Extract-Transform-Load process as our primary usage scenario. To analyze our architecture, we present a prototype implementation based on the Common Terminology Services 2 (CTS2) standard using the Patient-Centered Network of Learning Health Systems (LHSNet) project as a concrete use case. We perform a preliminary evaluation of our prototype architecture using three architectural quality attributes: interoperability, adaptability and usability. We find that a design-time focus on user needs, cognitive models, and existing patterns is essential to maximize system utility. PMID:28269898

  12. Reassortment process after co-infection of pigs with avian H1N1 and swine H3N2 influenza viruses.

    PubMed

    Urbaniak, Kinga; Markowska-Daniel, Iwona; Kowalczyk, Andrzej; Kwit, Krzysztof; Pomorska-Mól, Małgorzata; Frącek, Barbara; Pejsak, Zygmunt

    2017-07-08

    The influenza A virus is highly variable, which, to some degree, is caused by the reassortment of viral genetic material. This process plays a major role in the generation of novel influenza virus strains that can emerge in a new host population. Due to the susceptibility of pigs to infections with avian, swine and human influenza viruses, they are considered intermediate hosts for the adaptation of the avian influenza virus to humans. In order to test the reassortment process in pigs, they were co-infected with H3N2 A/swine/Gent/172/2008 (Gent/08) and H1N1 A/duck/Italy/1447/2005 (Italy/05) and co-housed with a group of naïve piglets. The Gent/08 strains dominated over Italy/05, but reassortment occurred. The reassortant strains of the H1N1 subtype (12.5%) with one gene (NP or M) of swine-origin were identified in the nasal discharge of the contact-exposed piglets. These results demonstrate that despite their low efficiency, genotypically and phenotypically different influenza A viruses can undergo genetic exchange during co-infection of pigs.

  13. Educational Alchemy: The Transformation of Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mugits, Michael James

    Alchemy is the magical or mysterious power or process involving chemistry, magic, and philosophy in transforming one thing into another. The term is often used to describe the medieval study that sought to transform cheaper metals into gold or silver. "Educational alchemy" is the process by which schools are converted into more effective learning…

  14. Investigation of optical current transformer signal processing method based on an improved Kalman algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Yan; Ge, Jin-ming; Zhang, Guo-qing; Yu, Wen-bin; Liu, Rui-tong; Fan, Wei; Yang, Ying-xuan

    2018-01-01

    This paper explores the problem of signal processing in optical current transformers (OCTs). Based on the noise characteristics of OCTs, such as overlapping signals, noise frequency bands, low signal-to-noise ratios, and difficulties in acquiring statistical features of noise power, an improved standard Kalman filtering algorithm was proposed for direct current (DC) signal processing. The state-space model of the OCT DC measurement system is first established, and then mixed noise can be processed by adding mixed noise into measurement and state parameters. According to the minimum mean squared error criterion, state predictions and update equations of the improved Kalman algorithm could be deduced based on the established model. An improved central difference Kalman filter was proposed for alternating current (AC) signal processing, which improved the sampling strategy and noise processing of colored noise. Real-time estimation and correction of noise were achieved by designing AC and DC noise recursive filters. Experimental results show that the improved signal processing algorithms had a good filtering effect on the AC and DC signals with mixed noise of OCT. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm was able to achieve real-time correction of noise during the OCT filtering process.

  15. Guaranteed convergence of the Hough transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soffer, Menashe; Kiryati, Nahum

    1995-01-01

    The straight-line Hough Transform using normal parameterization with a continuous voting kernel is considered. It transforms the colinearity detection problem to a problem of finding the global maximum of a two dimensional function above a domain in the parameter space. The principle is similar to robust regression using fixed scale M-estimation. Unlike standard M-estimation procedures the Hough Transform does not rely on a good initial estimate of the line parameters: The global optimization problem is approached by exhaustive search on a grid that is usually as fine as computationally feasible. The global maximum of a general function above a bounded domain cannot be found by a finite number of function evaluations. Only if sufficient a-priori knowledge about the smoothness of the objective function is available, convergence to the global maximum can be guaranteed. The extraction of a-priori information and its efficient use are the main challenges in real global optimization problems. The global optimization problem in the Hough Transform is essentially how fine should the parameter space quantization be in order not to miss the true maximum. More than thirty years after Hough patented the basic algorithm, the problem is still essentially open. In this paper an attempt is made to identify a-priori information on the smoothness of the objective (Hough) function and to introduce sufficient conditions for the convergence of the Hough Transform to the global maximum. An image model with several application dependent parameters is defined. Edge point location errors as well as background noise are accounted for. Minimal parameter space quantization intervals that guarantee convergence are obtained. Focusing policies for multi-resolution Hough algorithms are developed. Theoretical support for bottom- up processing is provided. Due to the randomness of errors and noise, convergence guarantees are probabilistic.

  16. Elucidating mineralisation-immobilisation dynamics in a grassland soil using triple 15N labelling in the field combined with a 15N tracing laboratory approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kleineidam, Kristina; Müller, Christoph

    2017-04-01

    Mineralisation is a key N transformation process supplying reactive nitrogen (N) to terrestrial ecosystems. The various soil organic matter fractions contribute to the total mineralisation according to their turnover characteristic. However, the exact mechanism and the gross dynamics of the various processes are not well understood. In this study we investigated the mineralisation-immobilisation dynamics in a grassland soil by a combined field-laboratory study. Eighteen microplots were established at a field site receiving 50 kg N ha-1 as ammonium nitrate. In nine (3 x 3) respective plots the ammonium, or the nitrate, or both moieties were 15N labelled at 60 atom%. Previous studies with this soil showed that rapid turnover occurred and available N would partly be immobilised by the microbial biomass increasing the 15N label of the soil organic nitrogen pool in the field. After one year, soil samples were taken from the 15N treated and the so far non-labelled plots and examined in a laboratory study (for details of the setup see: Müller et al., 2004). While the previously differentially 15N labelled field soils were now supplied with unlabelled ammonium nitrate, the previously unlabelled soils were now treated with either 15N labelled ammonium nitrate similar to the 15N treatments established in the field, resulting in six different 15N treatments in total. The incubation study was carried out over a two week period and data were analysed with the Ntrace model to quantify the simultaneously occurring gross N transformations while optimizing a single parameter set for all six treatments. Thus, the appearance of 15N from the previously labelled soils and the dilution of the 15N in the recently labelled treatments were assumed to be driven by the same processes and activities and were used to constrain the 15N tracing model. This approach allowed us to estimate the individual gross N transformation rates with a much higher accuracy than if only a common triple

  17. Color image encryption based on gyrator transform and Arnold transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sui, Liansheng; Gao, Bo

    2013-06-01

    A color image encryption scheme using gyrator transform and Arnold transform is proposed, which has two security levels. In the first level, the color image is separated into three components: red, green and blue, which are normalized and scrambled using the Arnold transform. The green component is combined with the first random phase mask and transformed to an interim using the gyrator transform. The first random phase mask is generated with the sum of the blue component and a logistic map. Similarly, the red component is combined with the second random phase mask and transformed to three-channel-related data. The second random phase mask is generated with the sum of the phase of the interim and an asymmetrical tent map. In the second level, the three-channel-related data are scrambled again and combined with the third random phase mask generated with the sum of the previous chaotic maps, and then encrypted into a gray scale ciphertext. The encryption result has stationary white noise distribution and camouflage property to some extent. In the process of encryption and decryption, the rotation angle of gyrator transform, the iterative numbers of Arnold transform, the parameters of the chaotic map and generated accompanied phase function serve as encryption keys, and hence enhance the security of the system. Simulation results and security analysis are presented to confirm the security, validity and feasibility of the proposed scheme.

  18. Higgs mediated CLFV processes μN(eN)→τX via gluon operators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takeuchi, Michihisa; Uesaka, Yuichi; Yamanaka, Masato

    2017-09-01

    We revisit charged lepton flavor violating (CLFV) scattering processes ℓi N → τX (ℓi ∋ e , μ) mediated by Higgs. We point out that a new subprocess ℓi g → τg via the effective interactions of Higgs and gluon gives the dominant contribution to ℓi N → τX for an incident beam energy of Eℓ ≲ 1 TeV in fixed target experiments. Furthermore, in the light of quark number conservation, we consider quark pair-production processes ℓi g → τq q bar (q denotes quarks) instead of ℓi q → τq. This corrects the threshold energy of each subprocess contributing to σ (ℓi N → τX). Reevaluation of σ (ℓi N → τX) including all of relevant subprocesses shows that the search for ℓi N → τX could serve a complementary opportunity with other relevant processes to shed light on the Higgs CLFV.

  19. Nitrification and N2O production processes in soil incubations after ammonium fertilizer application at high concentrations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deppe, Marianna; Well, Reinhard; Giesemann, Anette; Flessa, Heinz

    2016-04-01

    High concentrations of ammonium as they occur, e.g., after point-injection of ammonium fertilizer solution according to the CULTAN fertilization technique may retard nitrification. Potential advantages in comparison to conventional fertilization include a higher N efficiency of crops, reduced nitrate leaching, and lower N2O and N2 emissions. Dynamics of nitrification due to plant uptake and dilution processes, leading to decreasing ammonium concentrations in fertilizer depots, has only poorly been studied before. Furthermore, there is little information about the relative contribution of different N2O production processes under these conditions. To elucidate the process dynamics a laboratory incubation study was conducted. After fertilization with ammonium sulfate at 5 levels (from 0 to 5000 mg NH4+-N kg-1; 20mg NO3--N kg-1 each), sandy loam soil was incubated in dynamic soil microcosms for 21 days. N2O, CH4 and CO2 fluxes as well as isotope signatures of N2O and, at three dates, NO3- and NH4+ were measured. To identify N2O production processes, acetylene inhibition (0.01 vol.%), 15N tracer approaches, and isotopomer data (15N site preference and δ18O) were used. N2O emissions were highest at 450mg NH4+-N kg-1 and declined with further increasing concentrations. At 5000 mg NH4+-N kg-1 nitrification was completely inhibited. However, approximately 90% of N2O production was inhibited by acetylene application, and there was no change in the relative contribution of nitrification and denitrification to N2O production with N level. Applying the non-equilibrium technique to our 15N tracer data revealed heterogeneous distribution of denitrification in soil, with at least two distinct NO3- pools, and spatial separation of NO3- formation and consumption. In comparison with the acetylene inhibition and 15N tracer approaches the results of the isotopomer approach were reasonable and indicated substantial contribution of nitrifier-denitrification (10-40%) to total N2O

  20. Transformation of pharmaceuticals during oxidation/disinfection processes in drinking water treatment.

    PubMed

    Postigo, Cristina; Richardson, Susan D

    2014-08-30

    Pharmaceuticals are emerging contaminants of concern and are widespread in the environment. While the levels of these substances in finished drinking waters are generally considered too low for human health concern, there are now concerns about their disinfection by-products (DBPs) that can form during drinking water treatment, which in some cases have been proven to be more toxic than the parent compounds. The present manuscript reviews the transformation products of pharmaceuticals generated in water during different disinfection processes, i.e. chlorination, ozonation, chloramination, chlorine dioxide, UV, and UV/hydrogen peroxide, and the main reaction pathways taking place. Most of the findings considered for this review come from controlled laboratory studies involving reactions of pharmaceuticals with these oxidants used in drinking water treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Faculty Transformation in Curriculum Transformation: The Role of Faculty Development in Campus Internationalization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niehaus, Elizabeth; Williams, Letitia

    2016-01-01

    Curriculum transformation is often cited as one of the key strategies for internationalizing higher education in the United States, and faculty members play a central role in this process. The purpose of the study we report here was to explore the potential for professional development initiatives to foster the transformation in perspectives…

  2. The Generalized Sundman Transformation for Propagation of High-Eccentricity Elliptical Orbits

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-01-01

    or the Kustaanheimo - Stiefel transformation (Ref. 8). • n = 3/2 or dt = cr3/2ds. We shall focus on this transformation . • n = 2 or dt = cr2ds. The...Paper AAS 02-109 The generalized Sundman transformation for propagation of high-eccentricity elliptical orbits Matthew Berry and...generalized Sundman transformation for propagation of high-eccentricity elliptical orbits 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

  3. RecFOR Is Not Required for Pneumococcal Transformation but Together with XerS for Resolution of Chromosome Dimers Frequently Formed in the Process

    PubMed Central

    Johnston, Calum; Mortier-Barrière, Isabelle; Granadel, Chantal; Polard, Patrice; Martin, Bernard; Claverys, Jean-Pierre

    2015-01-01

    Homologous recombination (HR) is required for both genome maintenance and generation of diversity in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This process initiates from single-stranded (ss) DNA and is driven by a universal recombinase, which promotes strand exchange between homologous sequences. The bacterial recombinase, RecA, is loaded onto ssDNA by recombinase loaders, RecBCD and RecFOR for genome maintenance. DprA was recently proposed as a third loader dedicated to genetic transformation. Here we assessed the role of RecFOR in transformation of the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. We firstly established that RecFOR proteins are not required for plasmid transformation, strongly suggesting that DprA ensures annealing of plasmid single-strands internalized in the process. We then observed no reduction in chromosomal transformation using a PCR fragment as donor, contrasting with the 10,000-fold drop in dprA - cells and demonstrating that RecFOR play no role in transformation. However, a ∼1.45-fold drop in transformation was observed with total chromosomal DNA in recFOR mutants. To account for this limited deficit, we hypothesized that transformation with chromosomal DNA stimulated unexpectedly high frequency (>30% of cells) formation of chromosome dimers as an intermediate in the generation of tandem duplications, and that RecFOR were crucial for dimer resolution. We validated this hypothesis, showing that the site-specific recombinase XerS was also crucial for dimer resolution. An even higher frequency of dimer formation (>80% of cells) was promoted by interspecies transformation with Streptococcus mitis chromosomal DNA, which contains numerous inversions compared to pneumococcal chromosome, each potentially promoting dimerization. In the absence of RecFOR and XerS, dimers persist, as confirmed by DAPI staining, and can limit the efficiency of transformation, since resulting in loss of transformant chromosome. These findings strengthen the view that different HR

  4. Selective Metal Cation Capture by Soft Anionic Metal-Organic Frameworks via Drastic Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Transformations

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

    Tian, Jian; Saraf, Laxmikant V.; Schwenzer, Birgit

    2012-05-25

    Flexible anionic metal-organic frameworks transform to neutral heterobimetallic systems via single-crystal-to-single-crystal processes invoked by cation insertion. These transformations are directed by cooperative bond breakage and formation, resulting in expansion or contraction of the 3D framework by up to 33% due to the flexible nature of the organic linker. These MOFs displays highly selective uptake of divalent transition metal cations (Co2+ and Ni2+ for example) over alkali metal cations (Li+ and Na+).

  5. Modification of strain and 2DEG density induced by wafer bending of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure: Influence of edges caused by processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ashu; Zeng, Lingyan; Wang, Wen; Calle, Fernando

    2018-03-01

    Due to the piezoelectricity, the density of 2DEG (NS) formed in the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure can be altered when it is deformed externally, which may be exploited to develop pressure sensors and to enhance the performance of power devices by stress engineering based on the heterostructure. In this paper, a 3D electro-mechanical simulation is presented to study how the induced strains and NS for the AlGaN/GaN wafer under bending exerted uniaxial stress are influenced by the edges caused by processing: the fabrication of the mesa used for isolation, the ohmic contact metal, the gate metal, and the passivation. Results show that the influences are dependent on distance between the edges, depth of the edges, and direction of the exerted uniaxial stress.

  6. Transformer overload characteristics---Bubble evolution

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

    Woods, E.E.; Wendel, R.C.; Dresser, R.D.

    1988-08-01

    Project RP1289-3 explores significant parameters affecting bubble evolution from transformer oil under high temperature operating conditions to address the question: Does ''real life'' operation of a transformer cause harmful bubbling conditions. Studies outlined in the project are designed to determine when bubbling occurs in transformers and if bubbling can be harmful during the normal operation of these transformers. Data obtained from these studies should provide a basis for utilities to perform risk assessments in relation to their loading practices. The program is designed to demonstrate those conditions under which bubbling occurs in transformers by using controlled models and actual signalmore » phase transformers that were designed to give access to both high and low voltage windings for the purpose of viewing bubble generation. Results and observations from tests on the full-size transformers, thermal models, and electrical models have led to the conclusion that bubbles can occur under operating conditions. The electrical models show that dielectric strength can be reduced by as much as 40 percent due to the presence of bubbles. Because of factory safety considerations, the transformers could not be tested at hot spot temperatures greater than 140/degree/C. Therefore, there is no information on the dielectric strength of the full-size transformers under bubbling conditions. 4 refs., 28 figs., 45 tabs.« less

  7. Development of a High-Efficiency Transformation Method and Implementation of Rational Metabolic Engineering for the Industrial Butanol Hyperproducer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum Strain N1-4

    PubMed Central

    Herman, Nicolaus A.; Li, Jeffrey; Bedi, Ripika; Turchi, Barbara; Liu, Xiaoji

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT While a majority of academic studies concerning acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) production by Clostridium have focused on Clostridium acetobutylicum, other members of this genus have proven to be effective industrial workhorses despite the inability to perform genetic manipulations on many of these strains. To further improve the industrial performance of these strains in areas such as substrate usage, solvent production, and end product versatility, transformation methods and genetic tools are needed to overcome the genetic intractability displayed by these species. In this study, we present the development of a high-efficiency transformation method for the industrial butanol hyperproducer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 (HMT) ATCC 27021. Following initial failures, we found that the key to creating a successful transformation method was the identification of three distinct colony morphologies (types S, R, and I), which displayed significant differences in transformability. Working with the readily transformable type I cells (transformation efficiency, 1.1 × 106 CFU/μg DNA), we performed targeted gene deletions in C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 using a homologous recombination-mediated allelic exchange method. Using plasmid-based gene overexpression and targeted knockouts of key genes in the native acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) metabolic pathway, we successfully implemented rational metabolic engineering strategies, yielding in the best case an engineered strain (Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4/pWIS13) displaying an 18% increase in butanol titers and 30% increase in total ABE titer (0.35 g ABE/g sucrose) in batch fermentations. Additionally, two engineered strains overexpressing aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenases (encoded by adh11 and adh5) displayed 8.5- and 11.8-fold increases (respectively) in batch ethanol production. IMPORTANCE This paper presents the first steps toward advanced genetic engineering of the

  8. Development of a High-Efficiency Transformation Method and Implementation of Rational Metabolic Engineering for the Industrial Butanol Hyperproducer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum Strain N1-4.

    PubMed

    Herman, Nicolaus A; Li, Jeffrey; Bedi, Ripika; Turchi, Barbara; Liu, Xiaoji; Miller, Michael J; Zhang, Wenjun

    2017-01-15

    While a majority of academic studies concerning acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) production by Clostridium have focused on Clostridium acetobutylicum, other members of this genus have proven to be effective industrial workhorses despite the inability to perform genetic manipulations on many of these strains. To further improve the industrial performance of these strains in areas such as substrate usage, solvent production, and end product versatility, transformation methods and genetic tools are needed to overcome the genetic intractability displayed by these species. In this study, we present the development of a high-efficiency transformation method for the industrial butanol hyperproducer Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4 (HMT) ATCC 27021. Following initial failures, we found that the key to creating a successful transformation method was the identification of three distinct colony morphologies (types S, R, and I), which displayed significant differences in transformability. Working with the readily transformable type I cells (transformation efficiency, 1.1 × 10 6 CFU/μg DNA), we performed targeted gene deletions in C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 using a homologous recombination-mediated allelic exchange method. Using plasmid-based gene overexpression and targeted knockouts of key genes in the native acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) metabolic pathway, we successfully implemented rational metabolic engineering strategies, yielding in the best case an engineered strain (Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum strain N1-4/pWIS13) displaying an 18% increase in butanol titers and 30% increase in total ABE titer (0.35 g ABE/g sucrose) in batch fermentations. Additionally, two engineered strains overexpressing aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenases (encoded by adh11 and adh5) displayed 8.5- and 11.8-fold increases (respectively) in batch ethanol production. This paper presents the first steps toward advanced genetic engineering of the industrial butanol

  9. TaN resistor process development and integration.

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

    Romero, Kathleen; Martinez, Marino John; Clevenger, Jascinda

    This paper describes the development and implementation of an integrated resistor process based on reactively sputtered tantalum nitride. Image reversal lithography was shown to be a superior method for liftoff patterning of these films. The results of a response surface DOE for the sputter deposition of the films are discussed. Several approaches to stabilization baking were examined and the advantages of the hot plate method are shown. In support of a new capability to produce special-purpose HBT-based Small-Scale Integrated Circuits (SSICs), we developed our existing TaN resistor process, designed for research prototyping, into one with greater maturity and robustness. Includedmore » in this work was the migration of our TaN deposition process from a research-oriented tool to a tool more suitable for production. Also included was implementation and optimization of a liftoff process for the sputtered TaN to avoid the complicating effects of subtractive etching over potentially sensitive surfaces. Finally, the method and conditions for stabilization baking of the resistors was experimentally determined to complete the full implementation of the resistor module. Much of the work to be described involves the migration between sputter deposition tools - from a Kurt J. Lesker CMS-18 to a Denton Discovery 550. Though they use nominally the same deposition technique (reactive sputtering of Ta with N{sup +} in a RF-excited Ar plasma), they differ substantially in their design and produce clearly different results in terms of resistivity, conformity of the film and the difference between as-deposited and stabilized films. We will describe the design of and results from the design of experiments (DOE)-based method of process optimization on the new tool and compare this to what had been used on the old tool.« less

  10. Stopping powers and cross sections due to two-photon processes in relativistic nucleus-nucleus collision

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheung, Wang K.; Norbury, John W.

    1992-01-01

    The radiation dose received from high energy galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a limiting factor in the design of long duration space flights and the building of lunar and martian habitats. It is of vital importance to have an accurate understanding of the interactions of GCR in order to assess the radiation environment that the astronauts will be exposed to. Although previous studies have concentrated on the strong interaction process in GCR, there are also very large effects due to electromagnetic (EM) interactions. In this report we describe our first efforts at understanding these EM production processes due to two-photon collisions. More specifically, we shall consider particle production processes in relativistic heavy ion collisions (RHICs) through two-photon exchange.

  11. Nanowire growth by an electron beam induced massive phase transformation

    DOE PAGES

    Sood, Shantanu; Kisslinger, Kim; Gouma, Perena

    2014-11-15

    Tungsten trioxide nanowires of a high aspect ratio have been synthesized in-situ in a TEM under an electron beam of current density 14A/cm² due to a massive polymorphic reaction. Sol-gel processed pseudocubic phase nanocrystals of tungsten trioxide were seen to rapidly transform to one dimensional monoclinic phase configurations, and this reaction was independent of the substrate on which the material was deposited. The mechanism of the self-catalyzed polymorphic transition and accompanying radical shape change is a typical characteristic of metastable to stable phase transformations in nanostructured polymorphic metal oxides. A heuristic model is used to confirm the metastable to stablemore » growth mechanism. The findings are important to the control electron beam deposition of nanowires for functional applications starting from colloidal precursors.« less

  12. Ultimate scaling of TiN/ZrO2/TiN capacitors: Leakage currents and limitations due to electrode roughness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jegert, Gunther; Kersch, Alfred; Weinreich, Wenke; Lugli, Paolo

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate the influence of electrode roughness on the leakage current in TiN/high-κ ZrO2/TiN (TZT) thin-film capacitors which are used in dynamic random access memory cells. Based on a microscopic transport model, which is expanded to incorporate electrode roughness, we assess the ultimate scaling potential of TZT capacitors in terms of equivalent oxide thickness, film smoothness, thickness fluctuations, defect density and distribution, and conduction band offset (CBO). The model is based on three-dimensional, fully self-consistent, kinetic Monte Carlo transport simulations. Tunneling transport in the bandgap of the dielectric is treated, which includes defect-assisted transport mechanisms. Electrode roughness is described in the framework of fractal geometry. While the short-range roughness of the electrodes is found not to influence significantly the leakage current, thickness fluctuations of the dielectric have a major impact. For thinner dielectric films they cause a transformation of the dominant transport mechanism from Poole-Frenkel conduction to trap-assisted tunneling. Consequently, the sensitivity of the leakage current on electrode roughness drastically increases on downscaling. Based on the simulations, optimization of the CBO is suggested as the most viable strategy to extend the scalability of TZT capacitors over the next chip generations.

  13. Burning transformations: Fire history effects on organic matter processing from hillslopes to streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barnes, R. T.; Gilbertson, A.; Maxwell, K.

    2017-12-01

    Disturbance strongly regulates material and energy flows, changing ecosystem pattern and process. An increase in the size and severity of fire, particularly in the Intermountain West, over the last several decades is expected to continue due to a warming climate. Predicting how fire will alter the net ecosystem carbon balance requires us to understand how carbon is stored, processed, and transferred. Here we present results from paired watersheds focused on five 2002 severe fires in Colorado to examine how organic matter is processed along the hillslope and within the stream. Comparing soil samples and water extractable organic matter (WEOM) between burned and unburned sites illustrates the impact of fire: burned soils have 50% organic matter (OM) content as unburned soils, regardless of geomorphic position. While a smaller pool, soil OM (SOM) in burned sites is more susceptible to microbial degradation (p<0.001 for 4 of 6 sites), especially in systems with slower vegetative recovery. This is explained, in part, to the water extractable organic matter (WEOM) from unburned soils having a higher C:N than burned sites (p<0.02). This shift in SOM quality is likely due to differing OM inputs (e.g. grasses and forbes vs. trees in burned vs. unburned sites). Comparing results from intact soil column experiments to soil extractions and stream samples, suggests that the majority of this soil derived WEOM does not make it to the stream, potentially getting sorbed deeper in the mineral rich, organic poor, portion of the soil. Interestingly, the systematic shifts in OM amounts and quality (as measured by SUVA, E2:E3, and fluorescence) within the terrestrial system in response to fire, are not seen in stream exports. As such, while there are significant relationships (p<0.05) between stream DOM quality, DOM bioavailability, and stream metabolism, burned watersheds are not exporting DOM that is more bioavailable. In addition, despite different terrestrial OM pools, burned and

  14. Hydrodeoxygenation processes: advances on catalytic transformations of biomass-derived platform chemicals into hydrocarbon fuels.

    PubMed

    De, Sudipta; Saha, Basudeb; Luque, Rafael

    2015-02-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass provides an attractive source of renewable carbon that can be sustainably converted into chemicals and fuels. Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) processes have recently received considerable attention to upgrade biomass-derived feedstocks into liquid transportation fuels. The selection and design of HDO catalysts plays an important role to determine the success of the process. This review has been aimed to emphasize recent developments on HDO catalysts in effective transformations of biomass-derived platform molecules into hydrocarbon fuels with reduced oxygen content and improved H/C ratios. Liquid hydrocarbon fuels can be obtained by combining oxygen removal processes (e.g. dehydration, hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, decarbonylation etc.) as well as by increasing the molecular weight via C-C coupling reactions (e.g. aldol condensation, ketonization, oligomerization, hydroxyalkylation etc.). Fundamentals and mechanistic aspects of the use of HDO catalysts in deoxygenation reactions will also be discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Buckling of a circular plate made of a shape memory alloy due to a reverse thermoelastic martensite transformation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Movchan, A. A.; Sil'chenko, L. G.

    2008-02-01

    depending on the value of perturbations of the external load [5, 8, 9]. Thus, in the case of small perturbations of the load, the problem of stability of SMA elements becomes indeterminate. The solution of the stability problem for SMA elements also depends on whether the small perturbations of the phase ratio and the phase strain tensor are taken into account. According to this, the problem of stability of SMA elements can be solved in the framework of several statements (concepts, hypotheses) which differ in the set of quantities whose perturbations are admissible (taken into account) in the process of solving the problem. The variety of these statements applied to the problem of buckling of SMA elements under direct martensite transformation is briefly described in [4, 5]. But, in the problem of buckling under the reverse transformation, some of these statements must be changed. The main question which we should answer when solving the problem of stability of SMA elements is whether small perturbations of the phase ratio (the volume fraction of the martensite phase q) are taken into account, because an appropriate choice significantly varies the results of solving the stability problem. If, under the transition to the adjacent form of equilibrium, the phase ratio of all points of the body is assumed to remain the same, then we deal with the "fixed phase atio" concept. The opposite approach can be classified as the "supplementary phase transition" concept (which occurs under the transition to the adjacent form of equilibrium). It should be noted that, since SMA have temperature hysteresis, the phase ratio in SMA can endure only one-sided small variations. But if we deal with buckling under the inverse transformation, then the variation in the volume fraction of the martensite phase cannot be positive. The phase ratio is not an independent variable, like loads or temperature, but, due to the constitutive relations, its variations occur together with the temperature

  16. Converting Differential Photometry Results to the Standard System using Transform Generator and Transform Applier (Abstract)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ciocca, M.

    2016-12-01

    (Abstract only) Since Fall of 2014, AAVSO made available two very useful software tools: transform generator (tg) and transform applier (ta). tg, authored by Gordon Myers (gordonmyers@hotmail.com), is a program, running under python that allows the user to obtain the transformation coefficients of their imaging train. ta, authored by George Silvis, allows users to apply the transformation coefficients obtained previously to their photometric observation. The data so processed become then directly comparable to those of other observers. I will show how to obtain transform coefficient using two Standard Field (M 67 and NGC7790), how consistent the results are and as an application, I will present transformed data for two AAVSO Target stars, AE UMA and RR CET.

  17. Biolistics Transformation of Wheat

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sparks, Caroline A.; Jones, Huw D.

    We present a complete, step-by-step guide to the production of transformed wheat plants using a particle bombardment device to deliver plasmid DNA into immature embryos and the regeneration of transgenic plants via somatic embryogenesis. Currently, this is the most commonly used method for transforming wheat and it offers some advantages. However, it will be interesting to see whether this position is challenged as facile methods are developed for delivering DNA by Agrobacterium tumefaciens or by the production of transformants via a germ-line process (see other chapters in this book).

  18. Organizational Learning through Transformational Leadership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imran, Muhammad Kashif; Ilyas, Muhammad; Aslam, Usman; Ubaid-Ur-Rahman

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The transformation of firms from resource-based-view to knowledge-based-view has extended the importance of organizational learning. Thus, this study aims to develop an organizational learning model through transformational leadership with indirect effect of knowledge management process capability and interactive role of…

  19. Use of in situ FT-Raman spectroscopy to study the kinetics of the transformation of carbamazepine polymorphs.

    PubMed

    O'Brien, Laura E; Timmins, Peter; Williams, Adrian C; York, Peter

    2004-10-29

    The solid-state transformation of carbamazepine from form III to form I was examined by Fourier Transform Raman spectroscopy. Using a novel environmental chamber, the isothermal conversion was monitored in situ at 130 degrees C, 138 degrees C, 140 degrees C and 150 degrees C. The rate of transformation was monitored by taking the relative intensities of peaks arising from two CH bending modes; this approach minimised errors due to thermal artefacts and variations in power intensities or scattering efficiencies from the samples in which crystal habit changed from a characteristic prism morphology (form III) to whiskers (form I). The solid-state transformation at the different temperatures was fitted to various solid-state kinetic models of which four gave good fits, thus indicating the complexity of the process which is known to occur via a solid-gas-solid mechanism. Arrhenius plots from the kinetic models yielded activation energies from 344 kJ mol(-1) to 368 kJ mol(-1) for the transformation. The study demonstrates the value of a rapid in situ analysis of drug polymorphic type which can be of value for at-line in-process control.

  20. Self-organization of palladium nanoislands on GaN and AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stafiniak, Andrzej; Szymański, Tomasz; Paszkiewicz, Regina

    2017-12-01

    We report on systematic study on the dewetting process of thin Pd layer and self-organized Pd nano-islands on SiO2, GaN and AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with various Al content. The influence of factors such as the thickness of metal layer, type of top layer of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures, temperature and time of annealing process on the dimensions, shapes and density of Pd islands was analyzed. Comparing the behavior of self-organization of Pd islands on Al0.25Ga0.75N/GaN and SiO2 we can conclude that solid-state dewetting process on SiO2 occures much faster than on Al0.25Ga0.75N. For substrates with SiO2 this process requires less energy and can arise for thicker layer. On the Al0.25Ga0.75N surface the islands take more crystalline shape which is probably due to surface reconstruction of Pd-Ga alloy thin layer on interface. For thin metal layer the coalescence of islands into larger islands similar to Ostwald ripening mechanism was observed. Greater surface roughness of AlxGa1-xN/GaN heterostructures with higher Al content causes an increase of surface density of islands and the reduction of their sizes which improves the roundness. In case of GaN and AlxGa1-xN layers with Al content lower than 20%, the surface degradation caused by annealing process was observed. Probably, this is due to the decomposition of layers with gallium droplet formation on catalytic metal islands.

  1. The fractional Fourier transform and applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bailey, David H.; Swarztrauber, Paul N.

    1991-01-01

    This paper describes the 'fractional Fourier transform', which admits computation by an algorithm that has complexity proportional to the fast Fourier transform algorithm. Whereas the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is based on integral roots of unity e exp -2(pi)i/n, the fractional Fourier transform is based on fractional roots of unity e exp -2(pi)i(alpha), where alpha is arbitrary. The fractional Fourier transform and the corresponding fast algorithm are useful for such applications as computing DFTs of sequences with prime lengths, computing DFTs of sparse sequences, analyzing sequences with noninteger periodicities, performing high-resolution trigonometric interpolation, detecting lines in noisy images, and detecting signals with linearly drifting frequencies. In many cases, the resulting algorithms are faster by arbitrarily large factors than conventional techniques.

  2. Arsenic-transforming microbes and their role in biomining processes.

    PubMed

    Drewniak, L; Sklodowska, A

    2013-11-01

    It is well known that microorganisms can dissolve different minerals and use them as sources of nutrients and energy. The majority of rock minerals are rich in vital elements (e.g., P, Fe, S, Mg and Mo), but some may also contain toxic metals or metalloids, like arsenic. The toxicity of arsenic is disclosed after the dissolution of the mineral, which raises two important questions: (1) why do microorganisms dissolve arsenic-bearing minerals and release this metal into the environment in a toxic (also for themselves) form, and (2) How do these microorganisms cope with this toxic element? In this review, we summarize current knowledge about arsenic-transforming microbes and their role in biomining processes. Special consideration is given to studies that have increased our understanding of how microbial activities are linked to the biogeochemistry of arsenic, by examining (1) where and in which forms arsenic occurs in the mining environment, (2) microbial activity in the context of arsenic mineral dissolution and the mechanisms of arsenic resistance, (3) the minerals used and technologies applied in the biomining of arsenic, and (4) how microbes can be used to clean up post-mining environments.

  3. Transformation from insulating p-type to semiconducting n-type conduction in CaCu3Ti4O12-related Na(Cu5/2Ti1/2)Ti4O12 ceramics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Ming; Sinclair, Derek C.

    2013-07-01

    A double doping mechanism of Na+ + 1/2 Ti4+ → Ca2+ + 1/2 Cu2+ on the general formula Ca1-xNax(Cu3-x/2Tix/2)Ti4O12 has been used to prepare a series of isostructural CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO)-type perovskites. A complete solid solution exists for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 and all compositions exhibit incipient ferroelectric behaviour with higher than expected intrinsic relative permittivity. Although CCTO ceramics typically exhibit n-type semiconductivity (room temperature, RT, resistivity of ˜10-100 Ω cm), Na(Cu5/2Ti1/2)Ti4O12 (NCTO) ceramics sintered at 950 °C consist of two insulating bulk phases (RT resistivity > 1 GΩ cm), one p-type and the other n-type. With increasing sintering temperature/period, the p-type phase transforms into the n-type phase. During the transformation, the resistivity and activation energy for electrical conduction (Ea ˜ 1.0 eV) of the p-type phase remain unchanged, whereas the n-type phase becomes increasingly conductive with Ea decreasing from ˜ 0.71 to 0.11 eV with increasing sintering temperature. These changes are attributed to small variations in stoichiometry that occur during high temperature ceramic processing with oxygen-loss playing a crucial role.

  4. Effects of plant diversity, N fertilization, and elevated carbon dioxide on grassland soil N cycling in a long-term experiment.

    PubMed

    Mueller, Kevin E; Hobbie, Sarah E; Tilman, David; Reich, Peter B

    2013-04-01

    The effects of global environmental changes on soil nitrogen (N) pools and fluxes have consequences for ecosystem functions such as plant productivity and N retention. In a 13-year grassland experiment, we evaluated how elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ), N fertilization, and plant species richness alter soil N cycling. We focused on soil inorganic N pools, including ammonium and nitrate, and two N fluxes, net N mineralization and net nitrification. In contrast with existing hypotheses, such as progressive N limitation, and with observations from other, often shorter, studies, elevated CO2 had relatively static and small, or insignificant, effects on soil inorganic N pools and fluxes. Nitrogen fertilization had inconsistent effects on soil N transformations, but increased soil nitrate and ammonium concentrations. Plant species richness had increasingly positive effects on soil N transformations over time, likely because in diverse subplots the concentrations of N in roots increased over time. Species richness also had increasingly positive effects on concentrations of ammonium in soil, perhaps because more carbon accumulated in soils of diverse subplots, providing exchange sites for ammonium. By contrast, subplots planted with 16 species had lower soil nitrate concentrations than less diverse subplots, especially when fertilized, probably due to greater N uptake capacity of subplots with 16 species. Monocultures of different plant functional types had distinct effects on N transformations and nitrate concentrations, such that not all monocultures differed from diverse subplots in the same manner. The first few years of data would not have adequately forecast the effects of N fertilization and diversity on soil N cycling in later years; therefore, the dearth of long-term manipulations of plant species richness and N inputs is a hindrance to forecasting the state of the soil N cycle and ecosystem functions in extant plant communities. © 2012 Blackwell

  5. A novel vortex tube-based N2-expander liquefaction process for enhancing the energy efficiency of natural gas liquefaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qyyum, Muhammad Abdul; Wei, Feng; Hussain, Arif; Ali, Wahid; Sehee, Oh; Lee, Moonyong

    2017-11-01

    This research work unfolds a simple, safe, and environment-friendly energy efficient novel vortex tube-based natural gas liquefaction process (LNG). A vortex tube was introduced to the popular N2-expander liquefaction process to enhance the liquefaction efficiency. The process structure and condition were modified and optimized to take a potential advantage of the vortex tube on the natural gas liquefaction cycle. Two commercial simulators ANSYS® and Aspen HYSYS® were used to investigate the application of vortex tube in the refrigeration cycle of LNG process. The Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was used to simulate the vortex tube with nitrogen (N2) as a working fluid. Subsequently, the results of the CFD model were embedded in the Aspen HYSYS® to validate the proposed LNG liquefaction process. The proposed natural gas liquefaction process was optimized using the knowledge-based optimization (KBO) approach. The overall energy consumption was chosen as an objective function for optimization. The performance of the proposed liquefaction process was compared with the conventional N2-expander liquefaction process. The vortex tube-based LNG process showed a significant improvement of energy efficiency by 20% in comparison with the conventional N2-expander liquefaction process. This high energy efficiency was mainly due to the isentropic expansion of the vortex tube. It turned out that the high energy efficiency of vortex tube-based process is totally dependent on the refrigerant cold fraction, operating conditions as well as refrigerant cycle configurations.

  6. Ferroelectric Phase Transformations for Energy Conversion and Storage Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jo, Hwan Ryul

    Ferroelectric materials possess a spontaneous polarization and actively respond to external mechanical, electrical, and thermal loads. Due to their coupled behavior, ferroelectric materials are used in products such as sensors, actuators, detectors, and transducers. However, most current applications rely on low-energy conversion that involves low magnitude fields. They utilize the low-field linear properties of ferroelectric materials (piezoelectric, pyroelectric) and do not take full advantage of the large-field nonlinear behavior (irreversible domain wall motion, phase transformations) that can occur in ferroelectric materials. When external fields exceed a certain critical level, a structural transformation of the crystal can occur. These phase transformations are accompanied by a much larger response than the linear piezoelectric and pyroelectric responses, by as much as a multiple of ten times in the magnitude. This makes the non-linear behavior in ferroelectric materials promising for energy harvesting and energy storage technologies which will benefit from large-energy conversion. Yet, the ferroelectric phase transformation behavior under large external fields have been less studied and only a few studies have been directed at utilizing this large material response in applications. This dissertation addresses the development ferroelectric phase transformation-based applications, with particular focus on the materials. Development of the ferroelectric phase transformation-based applications was approached in several steps. First, the phase transformation behavior was fully characterized and understood by measuring the phase transformation responses under mechanical, electrical, thermal, and combined loads. Once the behavior was well characterized, systems level applications were addressed. This required assessing the effect of the phase transformation behavior on system performance. The performance of ferroelectric devices is strongly dependent on material

  7. Cellular effects of deoxynojirimycin analogues: inhibition of N-linked oligosaccharide processing and generation of free glucosylated oligosaccharides.

    PubMed

    Mellor, Howard R; Neville, David C A; Harvey, David J; Platt, Frances M; Dwek, Raymond A; Butters, Terry D

    2004-08-01

    In the accompanying paper [Mellor, Neville, Harvey, Platt, Dwek and Butters (2004) Biochem. J. 381, 861-866] we treated HL60 cells with N-alk(en)yl-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) compounds to inhibit glucosphingolipid (GSL) biosynthesis and identified a number of non-GSL-derived, small, free oligosaccharides (FOS) most likely produced due to inhibition of the oligosaccharide-processing enzymes a-glucosidases I and II. When HL60 cells were treated with concentrations of N-alk(en)ylated DNJ analogues that inhibited GSL biosynthesis completely, N-butyl- and N-nonyl-DNJ inhibited endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glucosidases I and II, but octadecyl-DNJ did not, probably due to the lack of ER lumen access for this novel, long-chain derivative. Glucosidase inhibition resulted in the appearance of free Glc1-3Man structures, which is evidence of Golgi glycoprotein endomannosidase processing of oligosaccharides with retained glucose residues. Additional large FOS was also detected in cells following a 16 h treatment with N-butyl- and N-nonyl-DNJ. When these FOS structures (>30, including >20 species not present in control cells) were characterized by enzyme digests and MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time-of-flight) MS, all were found to be polymannose-type oligosaccharides, of which the majority were glucosylated and had only one reducing terminal GlcNAc (N-acetylglucosamine) residue (FOS-GlcNAc1), demonstrating a cytosolic location. These results support the proposal that the increase in glucosylated FOS results from enzyme-mediated cytosolic cleavage of oligosaccharides from glycoproteins exported from the ER because of misfolding or excessive retention. Importantly, the present study characterizes the cellular properties of DNJs further and demonstrates that side-chain modifications allow selective inhibition of protein and lipid glycosylation pathways. This represents the most detailed characterization of the FOS structures arising from ER a

  8. Cellular effects of deoxynojirimycin analogues: inhibition of N-linked oligosaccharide processing and generation of free glucosylated oligosaccharides

    PubMed Central

    2004-01-01

    In the accompanying paper [Mellor, Neville, Harvey, Platt, Dwek and Butters (2004) Biochem. J. 381, 861–866] we treated HL60 cells with N-alk(en)yl-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) compounds to inhibit glucosphingolipid (GSL) biosynthesis and identified a number of non-GSL-derived, small, free oligosaccharides (FOS) most likely produced due to inhibition of the oligosaccharide-processing enzymes α-glucosidases I and II. When HL60 cells were treated with concentrations of N-alk(en)ylated DNJ analogues that inhibited GSL biosynthesis completely, N-butyl- and N-nonyl-DNJ inhibited endoplasmic reticulum (ER) glucosidases I and II, but octadecyl-DNJ did not, probably due to the lack of ER lumen access for this novel, long-chain derivative. Glucosidase inhibition resulted in the appearance of free Glc1–3Man structures, which is evidence of Golgi glycoprotein endomannosidase processing of oligosaccharides with retained glucose residues. Additional large FOS was also detected in cells following a 16 h treatment with N-butyl- and N-nonyl-DNJ. When these FOS structures (>30, including >20 species not present in control cells) were characterized by enzyme digests and MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight) MS, all were found to be polymannose-type oligosaccharides, of which the majority were glucosylated and had only one reducing terminal GlcNAc (N-acetylglucosamine) residue (FOS-GlcNAc1), demonstrating a cytosolic location. These results support the proposal that the increase in glucosylated FOS results from enzyme-mediated cytosolic cleavage of oligosaccharides from glycoproteins exported from the ER because of misfolding or excessive retention. Importantly, the present study characterizes the cellular properties of DNJs further and demonstrates that side-chain modifications allow selective inhibition of protein and lipid glycosylation pathways. This represents the most detailed characterization of the FOS structures arising from ER

  9. In-situ monitoring of ? phase transformation in Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn using laser ultrasonics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hinterlechner, Irina; Barriobero-Vila, Pere; Reitinger, Bernhard; Fromherz, Thomas; Requena, Guillermo; Burgholzer, Peter

    2018-04-01

    Titanium is of great interest for metal processing industries due to its superior material properties, but it is also quite expensive. Therefore, a detailed knowledge of ? phase transformation and consequential the distribution of ? and ? phase in titanium alloys is crucial for their material properties and as a consequence for further processing steps. Measuring the ultrasonic velocity and attenuation by laser ultrasonics technology (LUS) as a non-destructive and non-contact technique, it is possible to qualitatively monitor in-situ the phase transformation during heating the sample from room temperature up to ?. We validate LUS methodology against high energy X-ray diffraction as well as against conventional metallurgic measurements and get excellent agreement between the results of these methods.

  10. Hadamard Transform Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-11-30

    computer. This rather slow process -. 12 allowed us to evaluate different methods of -M processing the data prior to performing the 4- - inverse transform . The...DSK6713 is capable of • o , , performing the inverse transform and this would 0 & 10 Time (ms,)’ 5 20 25 be the preferred mode of operation since...treating the raw data prior to performing the -20"d Loutled patern inverse transform . We expected that noise associated 0-with the pulsing of the Bradbury

  11. Bianchi's Bäcklund transformation for higher dimensional quadrics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dincă, Ion I.

    2016-12-01

    We provide a generalization of Bianchi's Bäcklund transformation from 2-dimensional quadrics to higher dimensional quadrics (which is also a generalization of Tenenblat-Terng's Bäcklund transformation of isometric deformations of Hn(R) in R 2 n - 1 to general quadrics). Our investigation is the higher dimensional version of Bianchi's main three theorems on the theory of isometric deformations of quadrics and Bianchi's treatment of the Bäcklund transformation for diagonal paraboloids via conjugate systems. It became the driving force which led to the flourishing of the classical differential geometry in the second half of the XIX th century and its profound study by illustrious geometers led to interesting results. Today it is still an open problem in its full generality, but basic familiar results like the Gauß-Bonnet fundamental theorem of surfaces and the Codazzi-Mainardi equations (independently discovered also by Peterson) were first communicated to the French Academy of Sciences. A list (most likely incomplete) of the winners of the prize includes Bianchi, Bonnet, Guichard, Weingarten.Up to 1899 isometric deformations of the (pseudo-)sphere and isotropic quadrics without center (from a metric point of view they can be considered as metrically degenerate quadrics without center) together with their Bäcklund transformation and the complementary transformation of isometric deformations of surfaces of revolution were investigated by geometers such as Bäcklund, Bianchi, Bonnet, Darboux, Goursat, Hazzidakis, Lie, Weingarten, etc.In 1899 Guichard discovered that when quadrics with(out) center and of revolution around the focal axis roll on their isometric deformations their foci describe constant mean curvature (minimal) surfaces (and Bianchi proved the converse: all constant mean curvature (minimal) surfaces can be realized in this way).With Guichard's result the race to find the isometric

  12. N/om, Change, and Social Work: A Recursive Frame Analysis of the Transformative Rituals of the Ju/'hoan Bushmen

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keeney, Hillary; Keeney, Bradford

    2013-01-01

    The Ju/'hoan Bushman origin myth is depicted as a contextual frame for their healing and transformative ways. Using Recursive Frame Analysis, these performances are shown to be an enactment of the border crossing between First and Second Creation, that is, pre-linguistic and linguistic domains of experience. Here n/om, or the presumed creative…

  13. Interframe transform coding of picture data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ahmed, N.; Natarajan, T. R.

    1976-01-01

    This semi-tutorial paper describes the process of using orthogonal transforms for the purposes of encoding TV picture data. Results pertaining to a 6:1 data compression experiment using the Walsh-Hadamard transform are included.

  14. Congenital gigantism due to growth hormone-releasing hormone excess and pituitary hyperplasia with adenomatous transformation.

    PubMed

    Zimmerman, D; Young, W F; Ebersold, M J; Scheithauer, B W; Kovacs, K; Horvath, E; Whitaker, M D; Eberhardt, N L; Downs, T R; Frohman, L A

    1993-01-01

    The cause of gigantism in most patients is a GH-secreting pituitary tumor. In this report, a case of congenital gigantism due to probable central hypersection of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) is described. Normal at birth (4.4 kg; 53 cm), our 7-yr-old male patient grew progressively thereafter to attain a height of 182 cm and a weight of 99.4 kg at the time of our evaluation. The markedly increased baseline plasma levels of GH (730 micrograms/L) did not suppress during a standard 3-h oral glucose tolerance test, but did increase 54% after iv infusion of GHRH. Baseline plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor-I, PRL, and immunoreactive GHRH were also markedly increased. Computed imaging of the head showed a large, partially cystic sellar and suprasellar mass. Extensive imaging studies did not localize a potential source of GHRH. Preoperative treatment with octreotide and bromocriptine for 4 months resulted in a 25% reduction of suprasellar tissue mass. The pituitary tissue removed at transsphenoidal and transfrontal operations showed massive somatotroph, lactotroph, and mammosomatotroph hyperplasia. Areas of GH- and PRL-secreting cell adenomatous transformation were also evident. No histological or immunohistochemical evidence of a pituitary source of GHRH was found. The peripheral plasma immunoreactive GHRH concentration remained unaffected by pharmacological and surgical interventions. We suspect that a congenital hypothalamic regulatory defect may be responsible for the GHRH excess in this case.

  15. Using Graphical Processing Units to Accelerate Orthorectification, Atmospheric Correction and Transformations for Big Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Connor, A. S.; Justice, B.; Harris, A. T.

    2013-12-01

    Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are high-performance multiple-core processors capable of very high computational speeds and large data throughput. Modern GPUs are inexpensive and widely available commercially. These are general-purpose parallel processors with support for a variety of programming interfaces, including industry standard languages such as C. GPU implementations of algorithms that are well suited for parallel processing can often achieve speedups of several orders of magnitude over optimized CPU codes. Significant improvements in speeds for imagery orthorectification, atmospheric correction, target detection and image transformations like Independent Components Analsyis (ICA) have been achieved using GPU-based implementations. Additional optimizations, when factored in with GPU processing capabilities, can provide 50x - 100x reduction in the time required to process large imagery. Exelis Visual Information Solutions (VIS) has implemented a CUDA based GPU processing frame work for accelerating ENVI and IDL processes that can best take advantage of parallelization. Testing Exelis VIS has performed shows that orthorectification can take as long as two hours with a WorldView1 35,0000 x 35,000 pixel image. With GPU orthorecification, the same orthorectification process takes three minutes. By speeding up image processing, imagery can successfully be used by first responders, scientists making rapid discoveries with near real time data, and provides an operational component to data centers needing to quickly process and disseminate data.

  16. Transformation techniques for cross-sectional and longitudinal endocrine data: application to salivary cortisol concentrations.

    PubMed

    Miller, Robert; Plessow, Franziska

    2013-06-01

    Endocrine time series often lack normality and homoscedasticity most likely due to the non-linear dynamics of their natural determinants and the immanent characteristics of the biochemical analysis tools, respectively. As a consequence, data transformation (e.g., log-transformation) is frequently applied to enable general linear model-based analyses. However, to date, data transformation techniques substantially vary across studies and the question of which is the optimum power transformation remains to be addressed. The present report aims to provide a common solution for the analysis of endocrine time series by systematically comparing different power transformations with regard to their impact on data normality and homoscedasticity. For this, a variety of power transformations of the Box-Cox family were applied to salivary cortisol data of 309 healthy participants sampled in temporal proximity to a psychosocial stressor (the Trier Social Stress Test). Whereas our analyses show that un- as well as log-transformed data are inferior in terms of meeting normality and homoscedasticity, they also provide optimum transformations for both, cross-sectional cortisol samples reflecting the distributional concentration equilibrium and longitudinal cortisol time series comprising systematically altered hormone distributions that result from simultaneously elicited pulsatile change and continuous elimination processes. Considering these dynamics of endocrine oscillations, data transformation prior to testing GLMs seems mandatory to minimize biased results. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Use of glancing angle X-ray powder diffractometry to depth-profile phase transformations during dissolution of indomethacin and theophylline tablets.

    PubMed

    Debnath, Smita; Predecki, Paul; Suryanarayanan, Raj

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was (i) to develop glancing angle x-ray powder diffractometry (XRD) as a method for profiling phase transformations as a function of tablet depth; and (ii) to apply this technique to (a) study indomethacin crystallization during dissolution of partially amorphous indomethacin tablets and to (b) profile anhydrate --> hydrate transformations during dissolution of theophylline tablets. The intrinsic dissolution rates of indomethacin and theophylline were determined after different pharmaceutical processing steps. Phase transformations during dissolution were evaluated by various techniques. Transformation in the bulk and on the tablet surface was characterized by conventional XRD and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Glancing angle XRD enabled us to profile these transformations as a function of depth from the tablet surface. Pharmaceutical processing resulted in a decrease in crystallinity of both indomethacin and theophylline. When placed in contact with the dissolution medium, while indomethacin recrystallized, theophylline anhydrate rapidly converted to theophylline monohydrate. Due to intimate contact with the dissolution medium, drug transformation occurred to a greater extent at or near the tablet surface. Glancing angle XRD enabled us to depth profile the extent of phase transformations as a function of the distance from the tablet surface. The processed sample (both indomethacin and theophylline) transformed more rapidly than did the corresponding unprocessed drug. Several challenges associated with the glancing angle technique, that is, the effects of sorbed water, phase transformations during the experimental timescale, and the influence of phase transformation on penetration depth, were addressed. Increased solubility, and consequently dissolution rate, is one of the potential advantages of metastable phases. This advantage is negated if, during dissolution, the metastable to stable transformation rate > dissolution rate

  18. The geology of the Oceanographer Transform: The ridge-transform intersection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karson, J. A.; Fox, P. J.; Sloan, H.; Crane, K. T.; Kidd, W. S. F.; Bonatti, E.; Stroup, J. B.; Fornari, D. J.; Elthon, D.; Hamlyn, P.; Casey, J. F.; Gallo, D. G.; Needham, D.; Sartori, R.

    1984-06-01

    Seven dives in the submersible ALVIN and four deep-towed (ANGUS) camera lowerings have been made at the eastern ridge-transform intersection of the Oceanographer Transform with the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. These data constrain our understanding of the processes that create and shape the distinctive morphology that is characteristic of slowly-slipping ridge-transform-ridge plate boundaries. Although the geological relationships observed in the rift valley floor in the study area are similar to those reported for the FAMOUS area, we observe a distinct change in the character of the rift valley floor with increasing proximity to the transform. Over a distance of approximately ten kilometers the volcanic constructional terrain becomes increasingly more disrupted by faulting and degraded by mass wasting. Moreover, proximal to the transform boundary, faults with orientations oblique to the trend of the rift valley are recognized. The morphology of the eastern rift valley wall is characterized by inward-facing scarps that are ridge-axis parallel, but the western rift valley wall, adjacent to the active transform zone, is characterized by a complex fault pattern defined by faults exhibiting a wide range of orientations. However, even for transform parallel faults no evidence for strike-slip displacement is observed throughout the study area and evidence for normal (dip-slip) displacement is ubiquitous. Basalts, semi-consolidated sediments (chalks, debris slide deposits) and serpentinized ultramafic rocks are recovered from localities within or proximal to the rift valley. The axis of accretion-principal transform displacement zone intersection is not clearly established, but appears to be located along the E-W trending, southern flank of the deep nodal basin that defines the intersection of the transform valley with the rift floor.

  19. Inversion and approximation of Laplace transforms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lear, W. M.

    1980-01-01

    A method of inverting Laplace transforms by using a set of orthonormal functions is reported. As a byproduct of the inversion, approximation of complicated Laplace transforms by a transform with a series of simple poles along the left half plane real axis is shown. The inversion and approximation process is simple enough to be put on a programmable hand calculator.

  20. The Procedural Queer: Substantive Due Process, "Lawrence v. Texas," and Queer Rhetorical Futures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Peter Odell

    2012-01-01

    This essay discusses Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's choice to foreground arguments from due process rather than equal protection in the majority opinion in Lawrence v. Texas. Kennedy's choice can realize constitutional legal doctrine that is more consistent with radical queer politics than arguments from equal protection. Unlike some recent…

  1. Mental body transformation deficits in patients with chronic balance disorders.

    PubMed

    Allum, J H J; Langewitz, W; Sleptsova, M; Welge-Luessen, A; Honegger, F; Schatz, T H; Biner, C L; Maguire, C; Schmid, D A

    2017-01-01

    Movements may be generated consistent with imagining one's own body transformed or "disembodied" to a new position. Based on this concept we hypothesized that patients with objective balance deficits (obj-BD) would have altered neural transformation processes executing own body transformation (OBT) with functional consequences on balance control. Also we examined whether feeling unstable due to dizziness only (DO), without an obj-BD, also lead to an impaired OBT. 32 patients with chronic dizziness were tested: 16 patients with obj-BD as determined by balance control during a sequence of stance and gait tasks, 16 patients with dizziness only (DO). Patients and 9 healthy controls (HCs) were asked to replicate roll trunk movements of an instructor in a life size video: first, with spontaneously copied (SPO) or "embodied" egocentric movements (lean when the instructor leans); second, with "disembodied" or "transformed" movements (OBT) with exact replication - lean left when the instructor leans left. Onset latency of trunk roll, rise time to peak roll angle (interval), roll velocity, and amplitude were measured. SPO movements were always mirror-imaged. OBT task latencies were significantly longer and intervals shorter than for SPO tasks (p < 0.03) for all groups. Obj-BD but not DO patients had more errors for the OBT task and, compared to HCs, had longer onset latencies (p < 0.05) and smaller velocities (p < 0.003) and amplitudes (p < 0.001) in both the SPO and OBT tasks. Measures of DO patients were not significantly different from those of HCs. Mental transformation (OBT) and SPO copying abilities are impaired in subjects with obj-BD and dizziness, but not with dizziness only. We conclude that processing the neuropsychological representation of the human body (body schema) slows when balance control is deficient.

  2. Plant Products for Pharmacology: Application of Enzymes in Their Transformations

    PubMed Central

    Zarevúcka, Marie; Wimmer, Zdeněk

    2008-01-01

    Different plant products have been subjected to detailed investigations due to their increasing importance for improving human health. Plants are sources of many groups of natural products, of which large number of new compounds has already displayed their high impact in human medicine. This review deals with the natural products which may be found dissolved in lipid phase (phytosterols, vitamins etc.). Often subsequent convenient transformation of natural products may further improve the pharmacological properties of new potential medicaments based on natural products. To respect basic principles of sustainable and green procedures, enzymes are often employed as efficient natural catalysts in such plant product transformations. Transformations of lipids and other natural products under the conditions of enzyme catalysis show increasing importance in environmentally safe and sustainable production of pharmacologically important compounds. In this review, attention is focused on lipases, efficient and convenient biocatalysts for the enantio- and regioselective formation / hydrolysis of ester bond in a wide variety of both natural and unnatural substrates, including plant products, eg. plant oils and other natural lipid phase compounds. The application of enzymes for preparation of acylglycerols and transformation of other natural products provides big advantage in comparison with employing of conventional chemical methods: Increased selectivity, higher product purity and quality, energy conservation, elimination of heavy metal catalysts, and sustainability of the employed processes, which are catalyzed by enzymes. Two general procedures are used in the transformation of lipid-like natural products: (a) Hydrolysis/alcoholysis of triacylglycerols and (b) esterification of glycerol. The reactions can be performed under conventional conditions or in supercritical fluids/ionic liquids. Enzyme-catalyzed reactions in supercritical fluids combine the advantages of

  3. RAPID AND AUTOMATED PROCESSING OF MALDI-FTICR/MS DATA FOR N-METABOLIC LABELING IN A SHOTGUN PROTEOMICS ANALYSIS.

    PubMed

    Jing, Li; Amster, I Jonathan

    2009-10-15

    Offline high performance liquid chromatography combined with matrix assisted laser desorption and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (HPLC-MALDI-FTICR/MS) provides the means to rapidly analyze complex mixtures of peptides, such as those produced by proteolytic digestion of a proteome. This method is particularly useful for making quantitative measurements of changes in protein expression by using (15)N-metabolic labeling. Proteolytic digestion of combined labeled and unlabeled proteomes produces complex mixtures that with many mass overlaps when analyzed by HPLC-MALDI-FTICR/MS. A significant challenge to data analysis is the matching of pairs of peaks which represent an unlabeled peptide and its labeled counterpart. We have developed an algorithm and incorporated it into a compute program which significantly accelerates the interpretation of (15)N metabolic labeling data by automating the process of identifying unlabeled/labeled peak pairs. The algorithm takes advantage of the high resolution and mass accuracy of FTICR mass spectrometry. The algorithm is shown to be able to successfully identify the (15)N/(14)N peptide pairs and calculate peptide relative abundance ratios in highly complex mixtures from the proteolytic digest of a whole organism protein extract.

  4. Model-based evaluation of two BNR processes--UCT and A2N.

    PubMed

    Hao, X; Van Loosdrecht, M C; Meijer, S C; Qian, Y

    2001-08-01

    The activity of denitrifying P-accumulating bacteria (DPB) has been verified to exist in most WWTPs with biological nutrient removal (BNR). The modified UCT process has a high content of DPB. A new BNR process with a two-sludge system named A2N was especially developed to exploit denitrifying dephosphatation. With the identical inflow and effluent standards, an existing full-scale UCT-type WWTP and a designed A2N process were evaluated by simulation. The used model is based on the Delft metabolical model for bio-P removal and ASM2d model for COD and N removal. Both processes accommodate denitrifying dephosphatation, but the A2N process has a more stable performance in N removal. Although excess sludge is increased by 6%, the A2N process leads to savings of 35, 85 and 30% in aeration energy, mixed liquor internal recirculation and land occupation respectively, as compared to the UCT process. Low temperature has a negative effect on growth of poly-P bacteria, which becomes to especially appear in the A2N process.

  5. Towards Transformative Leadership in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van Oord, Lodewijk

    2013-01-01

    This article argues that an educational organization's type of leadership will to a very large extent determine the quality of personal transformation it instigates among its stakeholders. Focusing on the importance of transformative leadership, such leadership will be viewed as a critical and collaborative process in which school-based…

  6. Cytokinesis failure due to derailed integrin traffic induces aneuploidy and oncogenic transformation in vitro and in vivo

    PubMed Central

    Högnäs, G; Tuomi, S; Veltel, S; Mattila, E; Murumägi, A; Edgren, H; Kallioniemi, O; Ivaska, J

    2012-01-01

    Aneuploidy is frequently detected in solid tumors but the mechanisms regulating the generation of aneuploidy and their relevance in cancer initiation remain under debate and are incompletely characterized. Spatial and temporal regulation of integrin traffic is critical for cell migration and cytokinesis. Impaired integrin endocytosis, because of the loss of Rab21 small GTPase or mutations in the integrin β-subunit cytoplasmic tail, induces failure of cytokinesis in vitro. Here, we describe that repeatedly failed cytokinesis, because of impaired traffic, is sufficient to trigger the generation of aneuploid cells, which display characteristics of oncogenic transformation in vitro and are tumorigenic in vivo. Furthermore, in an in vivo mouse xenograft model, non-transformed cells with impaired integrin traffic formed tumors with a long latency. More detailed investigation of these tumors revealed that the tumor cells were aneuploid. Therefore, abnormal integrin traffic was linked with generation of aneuploidy and cell transformation also in vivo. In human prostate and ovarian cancer samples, downregulation of Rab21 correlates with increased malignancy. Loss-of-function experiments demonstrate that long-term depletion of Rab21 is sufficient to induce chromosome number aberrations in normal human epithelial cells. These data are the first to demonstrate that impaired integrin traffic is sufficient to induce conversion of non-transformed cells to tumorigenic cells in vitro and in vivo. PMID:22120710

  7. Hypercomplex Fourier transforms of color images.

    PubMed

    Ell, Todd A; Sangwine, Stephen J

    2007-01-01

    Fourier transforms are a fundamental tool in signal and image processing, yet, until recently, there was no definition of a Fourier transform applicable to color images in a holistic manner. In this paper, hypercomplex numbers, specifically quaternions, are used to define a Fourier transform applicable to color images. The properties of the transform are developed, and it is shown that the transform may be computed using two standard complex fast Fourier transforms. The resulting spectrum is explained in terms of familiar phase and modulus concepts, and a new concept of hypercomplex axis. A method for visualizing the spectrum using color graphics is also presented. Finally, a convolution operational formula in the spectral domain is discussed.

  8. Infertility as a transformational process: a framework for psychotherapeutic support of infertile women.

    PubMed

    Gonzalez, L O

    2000-09-01

    The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to investigate the phenomenon of infertility as experienced by infertile women. A purposive sample of 25 infertile women participated in the study. Data were extracted from taped interviews and the researcher's observational field notes. Data analysis was conducted according to the techniques described by Miles and Huberman (1994). Participant responses to interviews were categorized by examining the interview transcripts and identifying significant statements and meanings. Themes which emerged from the statements were then ascertained and cross-case comparisons were made in order to confirm or to reconsider these themes. Five key themes emerged from the data: failure to fulfill a prescribed societal norm, assault on personal identity, mourning, transformation, and restitution. The women experienced infertility as a transformational process in which they mourned their loss of reproductive function and parenting roles and struggled to make restitution for the perceived stigma and powerlessness associated with nonfulfillment of a prescribed societal norm, the exclusion from cherished societal rituals, and the deprivation of ties of descent. Findings from this study have provided a framework for increased awareness of the phenomenon of infertility and for the essential components of supportive counseling or psychotherapy, regardless of the outcome of the infertility experience.

  9. Sources and Transformations of Carbon and Nitrogen in the Potomac River Estuary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pennino, M. J.; Kaushal, S.; Murthy, S.

    2011-12-01

    , but more protein-like organic matter is present below the treatment plant. However, this fluorescence signal from wastewater organic matter disappears within 2-4 km downriver, indicating rapid processing of the labile organic matter within the river. Nitrate isotope data for both upriver and downriver samples show a signal from manure or sewage inputs, indicating a potential influence from animal farms upstream in the Potomac. However, only the downriver samples show evidence for denitrification. Additionally, the higher 15N isotope levels of nitrate, which are characteristic of wastewater sources, disappear by 20 km downriver. Majors rivers like the Potomac may have a huge capacity for transforming and processing large carbon and nitrogen inputs within a short distance. Greater knowledge of how land management and climate change impacts these transformations will be important in predicting changes in the amounts, forms, and stoichiometry of nutrient loads to coastal waters.

  10. Mechanisms of cell transformation in the embryonic heart.

    PubMed

    Huang, J X; Potts, J D; Vincent, E B; Weeks, D L; Runyan, R B

    1995-03-27

    The process of cell transformation in the heart is a complex one. By use of the invasion bioassay, we have been able to identify several critical components of the cell transformation process in the heart. TGF beta 3 can be visualized as a switch in the environment that contributes to the initial process of cell transformation. Our data show that it is a critical switch in the transformation process. Even so, it is apparently only one of the factors involved. Others may include other TGF beta family members, the ES antigens described by Markwald and co-workers and additional unknown substances. Observing the sensitivity of the process to pertussis toxin, there is likely to be a G-protein-linked receptor involved, yet we have not identified a known ligand for this type of receptor. Clearly, there are several different signal transduction processes involved. The existence of multiple pathways is consistent with the idea that the target endothelial cells receive a variety of environmental imputs, the sum of which will produce cell transformation at the correct time and place. Adjacent endothelial cells of the ventricle that do not undergo cell transformation are apparently refractory to one or more of the stimuli. Figure 4 depicts a summary diagram of this invasion process with localization of most of the molecules mentioned in this narrative. As hypothesized here, elements of the transformation process may recapitulate aspects of gastrulation. Since some conservation of mechanism is expected in cells, it is not surprising that cells undergoing phenotypic change might reutilize mechanisms used previously to produce mesenchyme from the blastodisk. Though we have preliminary data to suggest this point, confirmation of the hypothesis by perturbation of genes such as brachyury, msx-1, etc. will be required to establish this point. The advantage of this hypothesis is that it provides, from the work of others in the area of gastrulation, a ready source of molecules and

  11. Field determination of PCB in transformer oil. Volume 2. Clor-N-Oil PCB screening test. Final report

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

    Fisher, D.J.; Rouse, T.O.; Lynn, T.

    1984-10-01

    The requirements for handling and disposing of transformer minerals oils containing more than 50 ppM PCB are, by federal regulation, different from those for oils containing lower concentrations. A rapid and simple test to distinguish between samples containing more than or less than this concentration would simplify proper control of transformer oils. This report describes the development of a small disposable test kit that can be used on-site to screen the chlorine content of transformer oils. The kit consists of two soft plastic tubes in which thin walled glass ampules containing premeasured amounts of reagents are broken. The reaction sequencemore » in the kits converts the chlorine in PCB to chloride ion. The color of the liquid in the kit after the last step is blue to purple if the chloride content due to the initial chlorine concentration of the oil is less than 20 ppM. If the chlorine content of the oil is below 20 ppM, the PCB content must be below 50 ppM. The liquid is colorless if the chlorine content is greater than 20 ppM. In this latter case, it is necessary to determine by gas chromatography whether the PCB content is actually greater than 50 ppM or if there is some other source of chlorine in the oil.« less

  12. Due Process and Higher Education: A Systemic Approach to Fair Decision Making. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, Volume 27, Number 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Ed

    Due process has become an important principle in higher education as a result of many new legal issues, including dismissals of students from campus, firings of staff members, faculty tenure and promotion, sexual harassment, discrimination, and substance abuse. This volume defines due process; explains when due process procedures are required;…

  13. Discrete Fourier transforms of nonuniformly spaced data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Swan, P. R.

    1982-01-01

    Time series or spatial series of measurements taken with nonuniform spacings have failed to yield fully to analysis using the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). This is due to the fact that the formal DFT is the convolution of the transform of the signal with the transform of the nonuniform spacings. Two original methods are presented for deconvolving such transforms for signals containing significant noise. The first method solves a set of linear equations relating the observed data to values defined at uniform grid points, and then obtains the desired transform as the DFT of the uniform interpolates. The second method solves a set of linear equations relating the real and imaginary components of the formal DFT directly to those of the desired transform. The results of numerical experiments with noisy data are presented in order to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of the methods.

  14. A mathematical model describes the malignant transformation of low grade gliomas: Prognostic implications.

    PubMed

    Bogdańska, Magdalena U; Bodnar, Marek; Piotrowska, Monika J; Murek, Michael; Schucht, Philippe; Beck, Jürgen; Martínez-González, Alicia; Pérez-García, Víctor M

    2017-01-01

    Gliomas are the most frequent type of primary brain tumours. Low grade gliomas (LGGs, WHO grade II gliomas) may grow very slowly for the long periods of time, however they inevitably cause death due to the phenomenon known as the malignant transformation. This refers to the transition of LGGs to more aggressive forms of high grade gliomas (HGGs, WHO grade III and IV gliomas). In this paper we propose a mathematical model describing the spatio-temporal transition of LGGs into HGGs. Our modelling approach is based on two cellular populations with transitions between them being driven by the tumour microenvironment transformation occurring when the tumour cell density grows beyond a critical level. We show that the proposed model describes real patient data well. We discuss the relationship between patient prognosis and model parameters. We approximate tumour radius and velocity before malignant transformation as well as estimate the onset of this process.

  15. Bonding core mating surfaces improves transformer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mclyman, W. T.

    1978-01-01

    Modifications to assembly procedures for C-core transformers virtually eliminates changes in core end gaps due to temperature cycling during impregnation and potting stages, thus stabilizing magnetization properties of core.

  16. From social liminality to cultural negotiation: Transformative processes in immigrant mental wellbeing.

    PubMed

    Simich, Laura; Maiter, Sarah; Ochocka, Joanna

    2009-12-01

    The underlying psychosocial processes that produce immigrant mental wellbeing are understudied in anthropology and medicine. This paper provides insights into these processes by describing culturally diverse immigrants' perceptions of mental health and adaptation strategies. Qualitative data were collected from 21 focus groups as part of a large, multidisciplinary, participatory action research project about mental health with five ethnolinguistic groups (Mandarin-speaking Chinese, Polish, Punjabi Sikh, Somali and Spanish-speaking Latin American) in Ontario, Canada. In framing the analysis, transformative concepts are applied to address dimensions of power and culture - social liminality and cultural negotiation - to the ongoing psychosocial processes of coping with mental distress. 'Social liminality' describes how immigrants perceive themselves to be in a psychologically stressful, transitional state, whereas 'cultural negotiation' describes how they actively cope with cultural tensions and respond to mental health challenges. Study findings show that while social liminality and cultural negotiation are stressful, they also have the potential to help individuals adapt by producing a positive synthesis of ideas about mental health in new social and cultural contexts. The study contributes to the shift from problem identification using a biomedical model of mental illness to a more psychosocial and ecological approach that reveals the potential for resolving some mental health problems experienced in immigrant communities. Describing active psychosocial process of adaptation also reinforces the therapeutic and educational value of partnerships between practitioners and clients and immigrant communities and mental health systems.

  17. Digital signal processing methods for biosequence comparison.

    PubMed Central

    Benson, D C

    1990-01-01

    A method is discussed for DNA or protein sequence comparison using a finite field fast Fourier transform, a digital signal processing technique; and statistical methods are discussed for analyzing the output of this algorithm. This method compares two sequences of length N in computing time proportional to N log N compared to N2 for methods currently used. This method makes it feasible to compare very long sequences. An example is given to show that the method correctly identifies sites of known homology. PMID:2349096

  18. Cheese whey: A potential resource to transform into bioprotein, functional/nutritional proteins and bioactive peptides.

    PubMed

    Yadav, Jay Shankar Singh; Yan, Song; Pilli, Sridhar; Kumar, Lalit; Tyagi, R D; Surampalli, R Y

    2015-11-01

    The byproduct of cheese-producing industries, cheese whey, is considered as an environmental pollutant due to its high BOD and COD concentrations. The high organic load of whey arises from the presence of residual milk nutrients. As demand for milk-derived products is increasing, it leads to increased production of whey, which poses a serious management problem. To overcome this problem, various technological approaches have been employed to convert whey into value-added products. These technological advancements have enhanced whey utilization and about 50% of the total produced whey is now transformed into value-added products such as whey powder, whey protein, whey permeate, bioethanol, biopolymers, hydrogen, methane, electricity bioprotein (single cell protein) and probiotics. Among various value-added products, the transformation of whey into proteinaceous products is attractive and demanding. The main important factor which is attractive for transformation of whey into proteinaceous products is the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) regulatory status of whey. Whey and whey permeate are biotransformed into proteinaceous feed and food-grade bioprotein/single cell protein through fermentation. On the other hand, whey can be directly processed to obtain whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, and individual whey proteins. Further, whey proteins are also transformed into bioactive peptides via enzymatic or fermentation processes. The proteinaceous products have applications as functional, nutritional and therapeutic commodities. Whey characteristics, and its transformation processes for proteinaceous products such as bioproteins, functional/nutritional protein and bioactive peptides are covered in this review. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Constitutional Law: Abortion, Parental Consent, Minors' Right to Due Process, Equal Protection and Privacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Child, Barbara

    1975-01-01

    In State v. Koome, the Washington Supreme Court has striken that state's statute regarding parental consent for a minor's abortion. Implications of the finding for a minor's right to due process, equal protection, and privacy are discussed. (LBH)

  20. Pathway of FeEDTA transformation and its impact on performance of NOx removal in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated process

    PubMed Central

    Li, Wei; Zhao, Jingkai; Zhang, Lei; Xia, Yinfeng; Liu, Nan; Li, Sujing; Zhang, Shihan

    2016-01-01

    A novel chemical absorption-biological reduction (CABR) integrated process, employing ferrous ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Fe(II)EDTA) as a solvent, is deemed as a potential option for NOx removal from the flue gas. Previous work showed that the Fe(II)EDTA concentration was critical for the NOx removal in the CABR process. In this work, the pathway of FeEDTA (Fe(III)/Fe(II)-EDTA) transformation was investigated to assess its impact on the NOx removal in a biofilter. Experimental results revealed that the FeEDTA transformation involved iron precipitation and EDTA degradation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the iron was precipitated in the form of Fe(OH)3. The iron mass balance analysis showed 44.2% of the added iron was precipitated. The EDTA degradation facilitated the iron precipitation. Besides chemical oxidation, EDTA biodegradation occurred in the biofilter. The addition of extra EDTA helped recover the iron from the precipitation. The transformation of FeEDTA did not retard the NO removal. In addition, EDTA rather than the iron concentration determined the NO removal efficiency. PMID:26743930

  1. p53 regulates the proliferation, differentiation and spontaneous transformation of mesenchymal stem cells

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

    Armesilla-Diaz, Alejandro, E-mail: aarmesilla@cib.csic.es; Elvira, Gema; Silva, Augusto

    2009-12-10

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been extensively studied and gained wide popularity due to their therapeutic potential. Spontaneous transformation of MSC, from both human and murine origin, has been reported in many studies. MSC transformation depends on the culture conditions, the origin of the cells and the time on culture; however, the precise biological characteristics involved in this process have not been fully defined yet. In this study, we investigated the role of p53 in the biology and transformation of murine bone marrow (BM)-derived MSC. We demonstrate that the MSC derived from p53KO mice showed an augmented proliferation rate, amore » shorter doubling time and also morphologic and phenotypic changes, as compared to MSC derived from wild-type animals. Furthermore, the MSC devoid of p53 had an increased number of cells able to generate colonies. In addition, not only proliferation but also MSC differentiation is controlled by p53 since its absence modifies the speed of the process. Moreover, genomic instability, changes in the expression of c-myc and anchorage independent growth were also observed in p53KO MSC. In addition, the absence of p53 implicates the spontaneous transformation of MSC in long-term cultures. Our results reveal that p53 plays a central role in the biology of MSC.« less

  2. Transpersonal Psychology: Facilitating Transformation in Outdoor Experiential Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Michael H.

    1989-01-01

    Explores how outdoor experiential education can facilitate personal growth and transformation by balancing adventure-based activities with inner-directed processes. Discusses transpersonal psychology and research on consciousness and brain functions relevant to the process of transformation. Describes a specific technique to access deeper levels…

  3. Transformational leadership and moral reasoning.

    PubMed

    Turner, Nick; Barling, Julian; Epitropaki, Olga; Butcher, Vicky; Milner, Caroline

    2002-04-01

    Terms such as moral and ethical leadership are used widely in theory, yet little systematic research has related a sociomoral dimension to leadership in organizations. This study investigated whether managers' moral reasoning (n = 132) was associated with the transformational and transactional leadership behaviors they exhibited as perceived by their subordinates (n = 407). Managers completed the Defining Issues Test (J. R. Rest, 1990), whereas their subordinates completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (B. M. Bass & B. J. Avolio, 1995). Analysis of covariance indicated that managers scoring in the highest group of the moral-reasoning distribution exhibited more transformational leadership behaviors than leaders scoring in the lowest group. As expected, there was no relationship between moral-reasoning group and transactional leadership behaviors. Implications for leadership development are discussed.

  4. Implementing the Transformation Vision

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-01-01

    competitive advantage in warfare. To achieve these objectives, transformation advocates aim to anticipate and create the future rather than react to a future that adversaries seek to impose. While the coevolution of military concepts, processes, organizations, and technology is not entirely new, the current DOD approach to transformation recognizes that a profound change in one of these areas can trigger a change in the others, creating both new competencies and new

  5. Physical Modeling for Processing Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer-Indian Ocean METOC Imager (GIFTS-IOMI) Hyperspectral Data

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-09-30

    Physical Modeling for Processing Geosynchronous Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer-Indian Ocean METOC Imager ( GIFTS -IOMI) Hyperspectral Data...water quality assessment. OBJECTIVES The objective of this DoD research effort is to develop and demonstrate a fully functional GIFTS - IOMI...environment once GIFTS -IOMI is stationed over the Indian Ocean. The system will provide specialized methods for the characterization of the atmospheric

  6. A N-S fossil transform fault reactivated by the March 2, 2016 Mw7.8 southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia earthquake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, H.; van der Lee, S.

    2016-12-01

    Warton Basin (WB) is characterized by N-S striking fossil transform faults and E-W trending extinct ridges. The 2016 Mw7.8 southwest of Sumatra earthquake, nearby the WB's center, was first imaged by back-projecting P-waves from three regional seismic networks in Europn, Japan, and Australia. Next, the rupture direction of the earthquake was further determined using the rupture directivity analysis to P-waves from the global seismic network (GSN). Finally, we inverting these GSN waveforms on a defined N-S striking vertical fault for a kinematic source model. The results show that the earthquake reactivates a 190 degree N-S striking vertical fossil transform fault and asymmetrically bilaterally ruptures a 65 km by 30 km asperity over 35 s. Specifically, the earthquake first bilaterally ruptures northward and southward at a speed of 1.0 km/s over the first 12 s, and then mainly rupture northward at a speed of 1.6 km/s. Compared with two previous M≥7.8 WB earthquakes, including the 2000 southern WB earthquake and 2012 Mw8.6 Sumatra earthquake, the lower seismic energy radiation efficiency and slower rupture velicity of the 2016 earthquake indicate the rupture of the earthquake is probably controlled by the warmer ambient slab and tectonic stress regime.

  7. Table-driven image transformation engine algorithm

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shichman, Marc

    1993-04-01

    A high speed image transformation engine (ITE) was designed and a prototype built for use in a generic electronic light table and image perspective transformation application code. The ITE takes any linear transformation, breaks the transformation into two passes and resamples the image appropriately for each pass. The system performance is achieved by driving the engine with a set of look up tables computed at start up time for the calculation of pixel output contributions. Anti-aliasing is done automatically in the image resampling process. Operations such as multiplications and trigonometric functions are minimized. This algorithm can be used for texture mapping, image perspective transformation, electronic light table, and virtual reality.

  8. Ultra-fine grained microstructure of metastable beta Ti-15Mo alloy and its effects on the phase transformations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Václavová, K.; Stráský, J.; Zháňal, P.; Veselý, J.; Polyakova, V.; Semenova, I.; Janeček, M.

    2017-05-01

    Processing of metastable titanium alloys by severe plastic deformation provides an opportunity to achieve exceptional grain refinement, to enhance the strength and to affect phase transformations occurring during thermal treatment. The main aim of this study is to investigate the microstructure of ultra-fine grained (UFG) material and effect of microstructural changes on phase transformations in metastable β-Ti alloy Ti-15Mo. Metastable β-Ti alloys are currently the most studied Ti-based materials with prospective use in medicine. Ti-15Mo alloy after solution treatment contains metastable β-phase. Metastable ω-phase and stable α-phase particles are formed upon annealing,. Solution treated Ti-15Mo alloy was deformed by high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature. Severely deformed structure after HPT with grain size of ~200 nm was studied by transmission electron microscopy. In-situ electrical resistance measurements showed significant changes in undergoing phase transformations when compared to coarse-grained (CG) material. Scanning electron microscopy revealed heterogeneous precipitation of α-particles at grain boundaries (GB). Due to the high density of GBs in UFG structure, these precipitates are very fine and equiaxed. The study demonstrates that SPD is capable of enhancing mechanical properties due to grain refinement and via affecting precipitation processes in metastable β-Ti alloys.

  9. The c-Jun N-terminal kinase pathway is critical for cell transformation by the latent membrane protein 1 of Epstein-Barr virus

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

    Kutz, Helmut; Reisbach, Gilbert; Schultheiss, Ute

    The latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transforms cells activating signal transduction pathways such as NF-{kappa}B, PI3-kinase, or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Here, we investigated the functional role of the LMP1-induced JNK pathway in cell transformation. Expression of a novel dominant-negative JNK1 allele caused a block of proliferation in LMP1-transformed Rat1 fibroblasts. The JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 reproduced this effect in Rat1-LMP1 cells and efficiently interfered with proliferation of EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cells (LCLs). Inhibition of the LMP1-induced JNK pathway in LCLs caused the downregulation of c-Jun and Cdc2, the essential G2/M cell cycle kinase, which was accompanied bymore » a cell cycle arrest of LCLs at G2/M phase transition. Moreover, SP600125 retarded tumor growth of LCLs in a xenograft model in SCID mice. Our data support a critical role of the LMP1-induced JNK pathway for proliferation of LMP1-transformed cells and characterize JNK as a potential target for intervention against EBV-induced malignancies.« less

  10. Predicting Shear Transformation Events in Metallic Glasses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Bin; Falk, Michael L.; Li, J. F.; Kong, L. T.

    2018-03-01

    Shear transformation is the elementary process for plastic deformation of metallic glasses, the prediction of the occurrence of the shear transformation events is therefore of vital importance to understand the mechanical behavior of metallic glasses. In this Letter, from the view of the potential energy landscape, we find that the protocol-dependent behavior of shear transformation is governed by the stress gradient along its minimum energy path and we propose a framework as well as an atomistic approach to predict the triggering strains, locations, and structural transformations of the shear transformation events under different shear protocols in metallic glasses. Verification with a model Cu64 Zr36 metallic glass reveals that the prediction agrees well with athermal quasistatic shear simulations. The proposed framework is believed to provide an important tool for developing a quantitative understanding of the deformation processes that control mechanical behavior of metallic glasses.

  11. Predicting Shear Transformation Events in Metallic Glasses.

    PubMed

    Xu, Bin; Falk, Michael L; Li, J F; Kong, L T

    2018-03-23

    Shear transformation is the elementary process for plastic deformation of metallic glasses, the prediction of the occurrence of the shear transformation events is therefore of vital importance to understand the mechanical behavior of metallic glasses. In this Letter, from the view of the potential energy landscape, we find that the protocol-dependent behavior of shear transformation is governed by the stress gradient along its minimum energy path and we propose a framework as well as an atomistic approach to predict the triggering strains, locations, and structural transformations of the shear transformation events under different shear protocols in metallic glasses. Verification with a model Cu_{64}Zr_{36} metallic glass reveals that the prediction agrees well with athermal quasistatic shear simulations. The proposed framework is believed to provide an important tool for developing a quantitative understanding of the deformation processes that control mechanical behavior of metallic glasses.

  12. Adaptive Filtering in the Wavelet Transform Domain Via Genetic Algorithms

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-08-01

    inverse transform process. 2. BACKGROUND The image processing research conducted at the AFRL/IFTA Reconfigurable Computing Laboratory has been...coefficients from the wavelet domain back into the original signal domain. In other words, the inverse transform produces the original signal x(t) from the...coefficients for an inverse wavelet transform, such that the MSE of images reconstructed by this inverse transform is significantly less than the mean squared

  13. Picolinic and isonicotinic acids: a Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy study.

    PubMed

    Peña, Isabel; Varela, Marcelino; Franco, Vanina G; López, Juan C; Cabezas, Carlos; Alonso, José L

    2014-12-04

    The rotational spectra of laser ablated picolinic and isonicotinic acids have been studied using broadband chirped pulse (CP-FTMW) and narrowband molecular beam (MB-FTMW) Fourier transform microwave spectroscopies. Two conformers of picolinic acid, s-cis-I and s-cis-II, and one conformer of isonicotinic acid have been identified through the analysis of their rotational spectra. The values of the inertial defect and the quadrupole coupling constants obtained for the most stable s-cis-I conformer of picolinic acid, evidence the formation of an O-H···N hydrogen bond between the acid group and the endocyclic N atom. The stabilization provided by this hydrogen bond compensates the destabilization energy due to the adoption of a -COOH trans configuration in this conformer. Its rs structure has been derived from the rotational spectra of several (13)C, (15)N, and (18)O species observed in their natural abundances. Mesomeric effects have been revealed by comparing the experimental values of the (14)N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants in the isomeric series of picolinic, isonicotinic, and nicotinic acids.

  14. Deformation mechanisms in advanced structural ceramics due to indentation and scratch processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghosh, Dipankar

    Plasma pressure compaction technique was used to develop boron carbide (B4C) and zirconium diboride-silicon carbide (ZrB2-SiC) composite. B4C ceramics are extensively used as body armor in military and civilian applications, and ZrB2-SiC composite has been recognized as a potential candidate for high-temperature aerospace applications. In this dissertation, processing parameters, quasistatic and high-strain rate mechanical response, and fundamental deformation mechanisms of these materials have been investigated. In the case of B4C, the rate sensitivity of indentation hardness was determined using a dynamic indentation hardness tester that can deliver loads in 100 micros. By comparing dynamic hardness with the static hardness, it was found that B4C exhibits a lower hardness at high-strain rate, contrary to known behavior in many structural ceramics. However, these results are consistent with the ballistic testing of B4C armors as reported in recent literature. This behavior was further investigated using a series of spectroscopic techniques such as visible and UV micro-Raman, photoluminescence and infrared. These studies not only confirmed that structural transformation occurred during indentation experiments similar to that in ballistic testing of B4C but also suggested a greater degree of structural changes under dynamic loading compared to static loading. Due to the potential application as external heat shields in supersonic vehicles, scratch studies were conducted on the ZrB2-SiC composite. These studies revealed metal-like slip-line patterns which are indeed an unusual in brittle solids at room-temperature. Utilizing classical stress field solutions under combined normal and tangential loads, a rationale was developed for understanding the formation of scratch-induced deformation features. Also, an analytical framework was developed, combining the concept of 'blister field' and the 'secular equation' relating Raman peaks to strain, to measure scratch

  15. Effect of Photochemical Transformation on Dissolved Organic Carbon Concentration and Bioavailability from Watersheds with Varying Landcover

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vermilyea, A.; Sanders, A.; Vazquez, E.

    2017-12-01

    The transformation of freshwater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can have important implications for water quality, aquatic ecosystem health, and our climate. DOC is an important nutrient for heterotrophic microorganisms near the base of the aquatic food chain and the extent of conversion of DOC to CO2 is a critical piece of the global carbon cycle. Photochemical pathways have the potential to transform recalcitrant DOC into more labile forms that can then be converted to smaller DOC molecules and eventually be completely mineralized to CO2. This may lead to a DOC pool with different bioavailability depending on the structural composition of the original DOC pool and the mechanistic pathways undergone during transformation. This study aimed to measure the changes in DOC concentration and bioavailability due solely to photochemical processes in three watersheds of northern Vermont, USA that have varied land cover, land use (LCLU) attributes. Our hypothesis was that photochemical transformations will lead to (1) an overall loss of DOC due to mineralization to CO2 and (2) a relative increase in the bioavailable fraction of DOC. Additionally, the influence of LCLU and base flow versus storm flow on both mineralization rates and changes in DOC bioavailability was investigated. Irradiation of filtered samples in quartz vessels under sunlight led to small changes in DOC concentration over time, but significant changes in DOC bioavailability. In general, fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) showed a shift from an initially more humic-like DOC pool, to a more protein-like (bioavailable) DOC pool. Specific UV index (SUVA) along with bioavailable DOC (BDOC) incubations were also used to characterize DOC and its bioavailability. There were only small differences in the DOC transformation that took place among sites, possibly due to only small differences in the initial bioavailability and fluorescent properties between water samples. Photochemical transformation

  16. Discrete Fourier Transform Analysis in a Complex Vector Space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dean, Bruce H.

    2009-01-01

    Alternative computational strategies for the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) have been developed using analysis of geometric manifolds. This approach provides a general framework for performing DFT calculations, and suggests a more efficient implementation of the DFT for applications using iterative transform methods, particularly phase retrieval. The DFT can thus be implemented using fewer operations when compared to the usual DFT counterpart. The software decreases the run time of the DFT in certain applications such as phase retrieval that iteratively call the DFT function. The algorithm exploits a special computational approach based on analysis of the DFT as a transformation in a complex vector space. As such, this approach has the potential to realize a DFT computation that approaches N operations versus Nlog(N) operations for the equivalent Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) calculation.

  17. Evaluation of phase transformation in ferromagnetic shape memory Fe-Pd alloy by magnetic Barkhausen noise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Furuya, Yasubumi; Tamoto, Shizuka; Kubota, Takeshi; Okazaki, Teiko; Hagood, Nesbitt W.; Spearing, S. Mark

    2002-07-01

    The possibility to detect the phase transformation with martensites by heating or cooling as well as stress-loading in ferromagnetic shape memory Fe-30at percent Pd alloy thin foil by using magnetic Markhausen noise sensor was studied. MBHN is caused by the irregular interactions between magnetic domain and thermally activated martensite twins during magnetization. In general, the envelope of the MBHN voltage versus time signals in Fe-29at percent Pd ribbon showed two peaks during magnetization, where secondary peak at intermediate state of magnetization process decreased with increasing temperature, while the MBHN envelopes in pure iron did not change with increasing temperature. The variety of MBHN due to the phase transformation was apt to arise at higher frequency part of spectrum during intermediate state of magnetization process and it decreased with disappearance of martensite twins. Besides, MBHN increased monotonically with increasing loading stress and then, it decreased with unloading, however MBHN showed large hysteresis between loading and unloading passes. Based on the experimental results from MBHN measurements for both thermoelastic and stress-induced martensite phase transformations in Fe-30at percent Pd ribbon samples, MBHN method seems a useful technique to non-destructive evaluation of martensite phase transformation of ferromagnetic shape memory alloy.

  18. Improved technique for one-way transformation of information

    DOEpatents

    Cooper, J.A.

    1987-05-11

    Method and apparatus are provided for one-way transformation of data according to multiplication and/or exponentiation modulo a prime number. An implementation of the invention permits the one way residue transformation, useful in encryption and similar applications, to be implemented by n-bit computers substantially with no increase in difficulty or complexity over a natural transformation thereby, using a modulus which is a power of two. 9 figs.

  19. Probabilistic analysis and fatigue damage assessment of offshore mooring system due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Anteng; Li, Huajun; Wang, Shuqing; Du, Junfeng

    2017-08-01

    Both wave-frequency (WF) and low-frequency (LF) components of mooring tension are in principle non-Gaussian due to nonlinearities in the dynamic system. This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation of applicable probability density functions (PDFs) of mooring tension amplitudes used to assess mooring-line fatigue damage via the spectral method. Short-term statistical characteristics of mooring-line tension responses are firstly investigated, in which the discrepancy arising from Gaussian approximation is revealed by comparing kurtosis and skewness coefficients. Several distribution functions based on present analytical spectral methods are selected to express the statistical distribution of the mooring-line tension amplitudes. Results indicate that the Gamma-type distribution and a linear combination of Dirlik and Tovo-Benasciutti formulas are suitable for separate WF and LF mooring tension components. A novel parametric method based on nonlinear transformations and stochastic optimization is then proposed to increase the effectiveness of mooring-line fatigue assessment due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension responses. Using time domain simulation as a benchmark, its accuracy is further validated using a numerical case study of a moored semi-submersible platform.

  20. DNA Uptake by Transformable Bacteria

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

    Lacks, Sanford A.

    1999-03-31

    The various processes of DNA uptake by cells can be categorized as: viral DNA entry, conjugation, or transformation. Within each category, a variety of mechanisms have been found. However, considerable similarities occur among the different mechanisms of conjugation and, especially, transformation. All of these natural mechanisms of DNA transfer are quite elaborate and involve multiple protein components, as the case may be, of the virus, the donor cell, and the recipient cell. The mechanisms of viral infection and conjugation will be discussed mainly with respect to their relevance to transformation.