Design Techniques for Power-Aware Combinational Logic SER Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahatme, Nihaar N.

The history of modern semiconductor devices and circuits suggests that technologists have been able to maintain scaling at the rate predicted by Moore's Law [Moor-65]. With improved performance, speed and lower area, technology scaling has also exacerbated reliability issues such as soft errors. Soft errors are transient errors that occur in microelectronic circuits due to ionizing radiation particle strikes on reverse biased semiconductor junctions. These radiation induced errors at the terrestrial-level are caused due to radiation particle strikes by (1) alpha particles emitted as decay products of packing material (2) cosmic rays that produce energetic protons and neutrons, and (3) thermal neutrons [Dodd-03], [Srou-88] and more recently muons and electrons [Ma-79] [Nara-08] [Siew-10] [King-10]. In the space environment radiation induced errors are a much bigger threat and are mainly caused by cosmic heavy-ions, protons etc. The effects of radiation exposure on circuits and measures to protect against them have been studied extensively for the past 40 years, especially for parts operating in space. Radiation particle strikes can affect memory as well as combinational logic. Typically when these particles strike semiconductor junctions of transistors that are part of feedback structures such as SRAM memory cells or flip-flops, it can lead to an inversion of the cell content. Such a failure is formally called a bit-flip or single-event upset (SEU). When such particles strike sensitive junctions part of combinational logic gates they produce transient voltage spikes or glitches called single-event transients (SETs) that could be latched by receiving flip-flops. As the circuits are clocked faster, there are more number of clocking edges which increases the likelihood of latching these transients. In older technology generations the probability of errors in flip-flops due to SETs being latched was much lower compared to direct strikes on flip-flops or SRAMs leading to SEUs. This was mainly because the operating frequencies were much lower for older technology generations. The Intel Pentium II for example was fabricated using 0.35 microm technology and operated between 200-330 MHz. With technology scaling however, operating frequencies have increased tremendously and the contribution of soft errors due to latched SETs from combinational logic could account for a significant proportion of the chip-level soft error rate [Sief-12][Maha-11][Shiv02] [Bu97]. Therefore there is a need to systematically characterize the problem of combinational logic single-event effects (SEE) and understand the various factors that affect the combinational logic single-event error rate. Just as scaling has led to soft errors emerging as a reliability-limiting failure mode for modern digital ICs, the problem of increasing power consumption has arguably been a bigger bane of scaling. While Moore's Law loftily states the blessing of technology scaling to be smaller and faster transistor it fails to highlight that the power density increases exponentially with every technology generation. The power density problem was partially solved in the 1970's and 1980's by moving from bipolar and GaAs technologies to full-scale silicon CMOS technologies. Following this however, technology miniaturization that enabled high-speed, multicore and parallel computing has steadily increased the power density and the power consumption problem. Today minimizing the power consumption is as much critical for power hungry server farms as it for portable devices, all pervasive sensor networks and future eco-bio-sensors. Low-power consumption is now regularly part of design philosophies for various digital products with diverse applications from computing to communication to healthcare. Thus designers in today's world are left grappling with both a "power wall" as well as a "reliability wall". Unfortunately, when it comes to improving reliability through soft error mitigation, most approaches are invariably straddled with overheads in terms of area or speed and more importantly power. Thus, the cost of protecting combinational logic through the use of power hungry mitigation approaches can disrupt the power budget significantly. Therefore there is a strong need to develop techniques that can provide both power minimization as well as combinational logic soft error mitigation. This dissertation, advances hitherto untapped opportunities to jointly reduce power consumption and deliver soft error resilient designs. Circuit as well as architectural approaches are employed to achieve this objective and the advantages of cross-layer optimization for power and soft error reliability are emphasized.

Observation of Transonic Ionization Fronts in Low-Density Foam Targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoarty, D.; Barringer, L.; Vickers, C.; Willi, O.; Nazarov, W.

1999-04-01

Transonic ionization fronts have been observed in low-density chlorinated foam targets using time-resolved K-shell absorption spectroscopy. The front was driven by an intense pulse of soft x rays produced by high-power laser irradiation of a thin foil. The density and temperature profiles inferred from the radiographs provided detailed measurement of the conditions at a number of times. The experimental data were compared to radiation hydrodynamics simulations and reasonable agreement was obtained.

X-ray variability of Cygnus X-1 in its soft state

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cui, W.; Zhang, S. N.; Jahoda, K.; Focke, W.; Swank, J.; Heindl, W. A.; Rothschild, R. E.

1997-01-01

Observations from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) of Cyg X-1 in the soft state and during the soft to hard transition are examined. The results of this analysis confirm previous conclusions that for this source there is a settling period (following the transition from the hard to soft state during which the low energy spectrum varies significantly, while the high energy portion changes little) during which the source reaches nominal soft state brightness. This behavior can be characterized by a soft low energy spectrum and significant low frequency 1/f noise and white noise on the power density spectrum, which becomes softer upon reaching the true soft state. The low frequency 1/f noise is not observed when Cyg X-1 is in the hard state, and therefore appears to be positively correlated with the disk mass accretion rate. The difference in the observed spectral and timing properties between the hard and soft states is qualitatively consistent with a fluctuating corona model.

Energy dependence of the band-limited noise in black hole X-ray binaries★

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stiele, H.; Yu, W.

2015-10-01

Black hole low-mass X-ray binaries show a variety of variability features, which manifest as narrow peak-like structures superposed on broad noise components in power density spectra in the hard X-ray emission. In this work, we study variability properties of the band-limited noise component during the low-hard state for a sample of black hole X-ray binaries. We investigate the characteristic frequency and amplitude of the band-limited noise component and study covariance spectra. For observations that show a noise component with a characteristic frequency above 1 Hz in the hard energy band (4-8 keV), we found this very same component at a lower frequency in the soft band (1-2 keV). This difference in characteristic frequency is an indication that while both the soft and the hard band photons contribute to the same band-limited noise component, which likely represents the modulation of the mass accretion rate, the origin of the soft photons is actually further away from the black hole than the hard photons. Thus, the soft photons are characterized by larger radii, lower frequencies and softer energies, and are probably associated with a smaller optical depth for Comptonization up-scattering from the outer layer of the corona, or suggest a temperature gradient of the corona. We interpret this energy dependence within the picture of energy-dependent power density states as a hint that the contribution of the up-scattered photons originating in the outskirts of the Comptonizing corona to the overall emission in the soft band is becoming significant.

Advanced Motor Drives Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ehsani, M.; Tchamdjou, A.

1997-01-01

This report presents an evaluation of advanced motor drive systems as a replacement for the hydrazine fueled APU units. The replacement technology must meet several requirements which are particular to the space applications and the Orbiter in general. Some of these requirements are high efficiency, small size, high power density. In the first part of the study several motors are compared, based on their characteristics and in light of the Orbiter requirements. The best candidate, the brushless DC is chosen because of its particularly good performance with regards to efficiency. Several power electronics drive technologies including the conventional three-phase hard switched and several soft-switched inverters are then presented. In the last part of the study, a soft-switched inverter is analyzed and compared to its conventional hard-switched counterpart. Optimal efficiency is a basic requirement for space applications and the soft-switched technology represents an unavoidable trend for the future.

Low-Temperature Fluorination of Soft-Templated Mesoporous Carbons for a High-Power Lithium/Carbon Fluoride Battery

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

Fulvio, Pasquale F.; Brown, Suree S.; Adcock, Jamie

Soft-templated mesoporous carbons and activated mesoporous carbons were fluorinated using elemental fluorine between room temperature and 235 °C. The mesoporous carbons were prepared via self-assembly synthesis of phloroglucinol–formaldehyde as a carbon precursor in the presence of triblock ethylene oxide–propylene oxide–ethylene oxide copolymer BASF Pluronic F127 as the template. The F/C ratios ranged from ~0.15 to 0.75 according to gravimetric, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Materials have mesopore diameters up to 11 nm and specific surface areas as high as 850 m² g⁻¹ after fluorination as calculated from nitrogen adsorption isotherms at -196 °C. Furthermore, the materialsmore » exhibit higher discharge potentials and energy and power densities as well as faster reaction kinetics under high current densities than commercial carbon fluorides with similar fluorine contents when tested as cathodes for Li/CF x batteries.« less

Low-Temperature Fluorination of Soft-Templated Mesoporous Carbons for a High-Power Lithium/Carbon Fluoride Battery

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

Fulvio, Pasquale F; Dai, Sheng; Guo, Bingkun

Soft-templated mesoporous carbons and activated mesoporous carbons were fluorinated using elemental fluorine between room temperature and 235 C. The mesoporous carbons were prepared via self-assembly synthesis of phloroglucinol formaldehyde as a carbon precursor in the presence of triblock ethylene oxide propylene oxide ethylene oxide copolymer BASF Pluronic F127 as the template. The F/C ratios ranged from 0.15 to 0.75 according to gravimetric, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Materials have mesopore diameters up to 11 nm and specific surface areas as high as 850 m2 g 1 after fluorination as calculated from nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 196more » C. Furthermore, the materials exhibit higher discharge potentials and energy and power densities as well as faster reaction kinetics under high current densities than commercial carbon fluorides with similar fluorine contents when tested as cathodes for Li/CFx batteries.« less

Density-functional theory for fluid-solid and solid-solid phase transitions.

PubMed

Bharadwaj, Atul S; Singh, Yashwant

2017-03-01

We develop a theory to describe solid-solid phase transitions. The density functional formalism of classical statistical mechanics is used to find an exact expression for the difference in the grand thermodynamic potentials of the two coexisting phases. The expression involves both the symmetry conserving and the symmetry broken parts of the direct pair correlation function. The theory is used to calculate phase diagram of systems of soft spheres interacting via inverse power potentials u(r)=ε(σ/r)^{n}, where parameter n measures softness of the potential. We find that for 1/n<0.154 systems freeze into the face centered cubic (fcc) structure while for 1/n≥0.154 the body-centred-cubic (bcc) structure is preferred. The bcc structure transforms into the fcc structure upon increasing the density. The calculated phase diagram is in good agreement with the one found from molecular simulations.

A Nonaqueous Potassium-Based Battery-Supercapacitor Hybrid Device.

PubMed

Fan, Ling; Lin, Kairui; Wang, Jue; Ma, Ruifang; Lu, Bingan

2018-05-01

A low cost nonaqueous potassium-based battery-supercapacitor hybrid device (BSH) is successfully established for the first time with soft carbon as the anode, commercialized activated carbon as the cathode, and potassium bis(fluoro-slufonyl)imide in dimethyl ether as the electrolyte. This BSH reconciles the advantages of potassium ion batteries and supercapacitors, achieving a high energy density of 120 W h kg -1 , a high power density of 599 W kg -1 , a long cycle life of 1500 cycles, and an ultrafast charge/slow discharge performance (energy density and power density are calculated based on the total mass of active materials in the anode and cathode). This work demonstrates a great potential of applying the nonaqueous BSH for low cost electric energy storage systems. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Numerical simulation of ultrasound-thermotherapy combining nonlinear wave propagation with broadband soft-tissue absorption.

PubMed

Ginter, S

2000-07-01

Ultrasound (US) thermotherapy is used to treat tumours, located deep in human tissue, by heat. It features by the application of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), high local temperatures of about 90 degrees C and short treating time of a few seconds. Dosage of the therapy remains a problem. To get it under control, one has to know the heat source, i.e. the amount of absorbed US power, which shows nonlinear influences. Therefore, accurate simulations are essential. In this paper, an improved simulation model is introduced which enables accurate investigations of US thermotherapy. It combines nonlinear US propagation effects, which lead to generation of higher harmonics, with a broadband frequency-power law absorption typical for soft tissue. Only the combination of both provides a reliable calculation of the generated heat. Simulations show the influence of nonlinearities and broadband damping for different source signals on the absorbed US power density distribution.

Advanced Electrical Materials and Components Being Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwarze, Gene E.

2004-01-01

All aerospace systems require power management and distribution (PMAD) between the energy and power source and the loads. The PMAD subsystem can be broadly described as the conditioning and control of unregulated power from the energy source and its transmission to a power bus for distribution to the intended loads. All power and control circuits for PMAD require electrical components for switching, energy storage, voltage-to-current transformation, filtering, regulation, protection, and isolation. Advanced electrical materials and component development technology is a key technology to increasing the power density, efficiency, reliability, and operating temperature of the PMAD. The primary means to develop advanced electrical components is to develop new and/or significantly improved electronic materials for capacitors, magnetic components, and semiconductor switches and diodes. The next important step is to develop the processing techniques to fabricate electrical and electronic components that exceed the specifications of presently available state-of-the-art components. The NASA Glenn Research Center's advanced electrical materials and component development technology task is focused on the following three areas: 1) New and/or improved dielectric materials for the development of power capacitors with increased capacitance volumetric efficiency, energy density, and operating temperature; 2) New and/or improved high-frequency, high-temperature soft magnetic materials for the development of transformers and inductors with increased power density, energy density, electrical efficiency, and operating temperature; 3) Packaged high-temperature, high-power density, high-voltage, and low-loss SiC diodes and switches.

A high-density relativistic reflection origin for the soft and hard X-ray excess emission from Mrk 1044

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallick, L.; Alston, W. N.; Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C.; Pinto, C.; Dewangan, G. C.; Markowitz, A.; Gandhi, P.; Kembhavi, A. K.; Misra, R.

2018-06-01

We present the first results from a detailed spectral-timing analysis of a long (˜130 ks) XMM-Newton observation and quasi-simultaneous NuSTAR and Swift observations of the highly-accreting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Mrk 1044. The broadband (0.3-50 keV) spectrum reveals the presence of a strong soft X-ray excess emission below ˜1.5 keV, iron Kα emission complex at ˜6 -7 keV and a `Compton hump' at ˜15 -30 keV. We find that the relativistic reflection from a high-density accretion disc with a broken power-law emissivity profile can simultaneously explain the soft X-ray excess, highly ionized broad iron line and the Compton hump. At low frequencies ([2 - 6] × 10-5 Hz), the power-law continuum dominated 1.5-5 keV band lags behind the reflection dominated 0.3-1 keV band, which is explained with a combination of propagation fluctuation and Comptonization processes, while at higher frequencies ([1 - 2] × 10-4 Hz), we detect a soft lag which is interpreted as a signature of X-ray reverberation from the accretion disc. The fractional root-mean-squared (rms) variability of the source decreases with energy and is well described by two variable components: a less variable relativistic disc reflection and a more variable direct coronal emission. Our combined spectral-timing analyses suggest that the observed broadband X-ray variability of Mrk 1044 is mainly driven by variations in the location or geometry of the optically thin, hot corona.

45 Gb/s low complexity optical front-end for soft-decision LDPC decoders.

PubMed

Sakib, Meer Nazmus; Moayedi, Monireh; Gross, Warren J; Liboiron-Ladouceur, Odile

2012-07-30

In this paper a low complexity and energy efficient 45 Gb/s soft-decision optical front-end to be used with soft-decision low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoders is demonstrated. The results show that the optical front-end exhibits a net coding gain of 7.06 and 9.62 dB for post forward error correction bit error rate of 10(-7) and 10(-12) for long block length LDPC(32768,26803) code. The performance over a hard decision front-end is 1.9 dB for this code. It is shown that the soft-decision circuit can also be used as a 2-bit flash type analog-to-digital converter (ADC), in conjunction with equalization schemes. At bit rate of 15 Gb/s using RS(255,239), LDPC(672,336), (672, 504), (672, 588), and (1440, 1344) used with a 6-tap finite impulse response (FIR) equalizer will result in optical power savings of 3, 5, 7, 9.5 and 10.5 dB, respectively. The 2-bit flash ADC consumes only 2.71 W at 32 GSamples/s. At 45 GSamples/s the power consumption is estimated to be 4.95 W.

Magnetic and Electrical Characteristics of Permalloy Thin Tape Bobbin Cores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwarze, Gene E.; Wieserman, William R.; Niedra, Janis M.

2005-01-01

The core loss, that is, the power loss, of a soft ferromagnetic material is a function of the flux density, frequency, temperature, excitation type (voltage or current), excitation waveform (sine, square, etc.) and lamination or tape thickness. In previously published papers we have reported on the specific core loss and dynamic B-H loop results for several polycrystalline, nanocrystalline, and amorphous soft magnetic materials. In this previous research we investigated the effect of flux density, frequency, temperature, and excitation waveform for voltage excitation on the specific core loss and dynamic B-H loop. In this paper, we will report on an experimental study to investigate the effect of tape thicknesses of 1, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8-mil Permalloy type magnetic materials on the specific core loss. The test cores were fabricated by winding the thin tapes on ceramic bobbin cores. The specific core loss tests were conducted at room temperature and over the frequency range of 10 kHz to 750 kHz using sine wave voltage excitation. The results of this experimental investigation will be presented primarily in graphical form to show the effect of tape thickness, frequency, and magnetic flux density on the specific core loss. Also, the experimental results when applied to power transformer design will be briefly discussed.

Extended adiabatic blast waves and a model of the soft X-ray background. [interstellar matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, D. P.; Anderson, P. R.

1981-01-01

An analytical approximation is generated which follows the development of an adiabatic spherical blast wave in a homogeneous ambient medium of finite pressure. An analytical approximation is also presented for the electron temperature distribution resulting from coulomb collisional heating. The dynamical, thermal, ionization, and spectral structures are calculated for blast waves of energy E sub 0 = 5 x 10 to the 50th power ergs in a hot low-density interstellar environment. A formula is presented for estimating the luminosity evolution of such explosions. The B and C bands of the soft X-ray background, it is shown, are reproduced by such a model explosion if the ambient density is about .000004 cm, the blast radius is roughly 100 pc, and the solar system is located inside the shocked region. Evolution in a pre-existing cavity with a strong density gradient may, it is suggested, remove both the M band and OVI discrepancies.

The Study on the Physical Properties of Blazar Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, S. J.

2017-09-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) belong to a special class of active galaxies, and have violent active phenomena and intense physical processes in the nuclei. Blazar is a subclass of AGNs, and has a relativistic jet with a small jet viewing angle. Therefore, the boosting effect is very important, and almost all the observed radiation is dominated by the jet. The relativistic jet physics is not very clear yet, such as the jet formation, collimation, and matter content etc. The multi-waveband radiation of blazar is dominated by jet, which provides an ideal laboratory for studying the jet physics. The first chapter of this thesis introduces the recent progress of AGNs and blazars. We further introduce the jet model that commonly used in blazars in the second chapter. In the third chapter, we fit simultaneously (or quasi-simultaneously) the multi-waveband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for a sample of low-synchrotron-peaked (LSP) blazars with the jet model and χ2 procedure, which takes into account different soft photon fields (broad line region or a molecular torus). We find that the SED fitting with an external soft photon from IR torus is systematically better than that from the broad line region (BLR) based on a χ2 test, which suggests that the γ-ray emitting region most possibly stays outside the BLR. The minimum electron Lorentz factor, γmin, is constrained from the modeling of these LSP blazars with good soft X-ray data, and in a range from 5 to 160 (with a median value of 55), which plays a key role in jet power estimation. Assuming one-to-one ratio of proton and electron, we find that the jet power for LSP blazars is systematically higher than that of Fanaroff-Riley type II (FR II) radio galaxies. A possible reason for this is that there are some positrons in the jets of these blazars. If this is the case, the jet power will be reduced. Therefore, we propose a mixed composition of e±-p in the jets of these LSP blazars. If we assume that the jet power of LSP blazars is the same as that of FR IIs, we find that it is an electron-positron pair dominated leptonic jet in these blazars, and the number density of electron-positron pairs is several times higher than that of electron-proton pairs, but the jet power is still dominated by protons. For the high-synchrotron-peaked (HSP) BL Lac PKS 1424+240, the SED fitting with the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) model gave unreasonable fitting parameters (e.g., a very large Doppler factor δ). In this work, we take into account the possible external soft photon field, and then fit the multi-waveband SEDs of blazar PKS 1424+240 with one-zone leptonic jet models in both states. We find the SSC+external-Compton (EC) model can give a better fitting result if the EC process is included. However, the needed energy density of external soft photon field (U_{ext}) is much lower than the typical value. This result is consistent with the results of some other BL Lacs, where the BLR or torus is very weak or disappearing. It means that there is evolution of the energy density of external soft photon field with decreasing of the luminosity of blazars (the flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs)-BL Lac: low energy peaked BL Lac (LBL)-intermediate energy peaked BL Lac (IBL)-high energy peaked BL Lac (HBL)). And on this basis, in the chapter 5, we further explore the possible evolution of the external soft photon field of blazars based on the EC process. We employ the one-zone homogeneous leptonic jet model and χ2 procedure to fit simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously multi-waveband SEDs for a sample of blazars with a wide distribution of luminosities. In our model, we set Uext as a free parameter. Studying the energy density of the external photon field in different subclasses of blazars, we find: (1) the Uext of the high luminosity blazar (FSRQs and LBLs) keeps roughly as a constant, which is, however, smaller than that constrained from BLR observations. Assuming IR as the source of soft photons, the Uext is roughly consistent with the torus observational result. This further supports the result that the external soft photon field may originate from torus, and the γ-ray emitting region of these LSP blazars locates outside the BLR. (2) For some IBLs, the EC process may be still needed, but the photon energy density is less than the typical values of the photon energy density of BLR (or dust torus), where the Uext decreases with decreasing of the luminosity. This evolution is consistent with the BLR or torus as directly constrained from the radio-quiet AGN. The final part summarizes the study on the subject, and makes some suggestions for further researches.

Red-light-controllable liquid-crystal soft actuators via low-power excited upconversion based on triplet-triplet annihilation.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhen; Xu, Ming; Li, Fuyou; Yu, Yanlei

2013-11-06

A red-light-controllable soft actuator has been achieved, driven by low-power excited triplet-triplet annihilation-based upconversion luminescence (TTA-UCL). First, a red-to-blue TTA-based upconversion system with a high absolute quantum yield of 9.3 ± 0.5% was prepared by utilizing platinum(II) tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (PtTPBP) as the sensitizer and 9,10-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)anthracene (BDPPA) as the annihilator. In order to be employed as a highly effective phototrigger of photodeformable cross-linked liquid-crystal polymers (CLCPs), the PtTPBP&BDPPA system was incorporated into a rubbery polyurethane film and then assembled with an azotolane-containing CLCP film. The generating assembly film bent toward the light source when irradiated with a 635 nm laser at low power density of 200 mW cm(-2) because the TTA-UCL was effectively utilized by the azotolane moieties in the CLCP film, inducing their trans-cis photoisomerization and an alignment change of the mesogens via an emission-reabsorption process. It is the first example of a soft actuator in which the TTA-UCL is trapped and utilized to create photomechanical effect. Such advantages of using this novel red-light-controllable soft actuator in potential biological applications have also been demonstrated as negligible thermal effect and its excellent penetration ability into tissues. This work not only provides a novel photomanipulated soft actuation material system based on the TTA-UCL technology but also introduces a new technological application of the TTA-based upconversion system in photonic devices.

Application of Low level Lasers in Dentistry (Endodontic)

PubMed Central

Asnaashari, Mohammad; Safavi, Nassimeh

2013-01-01

Low level lasers, cold or soft lasers: These lasers do not produce thermal effects on tissues and induce photoreactions in cells through light stimulation which is called photobiostimulation. Power of these lasers is usually under 250mW. The main point differentiating low level lasers and high power ones is the activation of photochemical reactions without heat formation. The most important factor to achieve this light characteristic in lasers is not their power, but their power density for each surfa ceunit (i.e cm2). Density lower than 670mW/cm2, can induce the stimulatory effects of low level lasers without thermal effects. Low level lasers (therapeutic) used today as treatment adjunctive devices in medicine and dentistry. Numerous studies have been performed on the applications of low level lasers in patient pain reduction. Mechanisms of pain reduction with therapeutic lasers and their application are expressed, and the studies realized in this field are presented. PMID:25606308

Caracterisation des mecanismes d'usure en cavitation de revetements HVOF a base de CaviTec

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavigne, Sebastien

The increasing demand for high performance power conversion systems continuously pushes for improvement in efficiency and power density. This dissertation focuses on a topological effort to efficiently utilize the active and passive devices. In particular, a hybrid approach is adopted, where both capacitors and inductors are used in the voltage conversion and power transfer process. Conventional capacitor-based converters, called switched-capacitor (SC) converters, suffer from poor efficiency due to the inevitable charge redistribution process. With a strategic placement of one or more inductors, the charge redistribution loss can be eliminated by inductively charging/discharging the capacitors, a process called soft-charging operation. As a result, the capacitor size can be greatly reduced without reducing the efficiency. A general analytical framework is presented, which determines whether an arbitrary SC topology is able to achieve full soft-charging operation with a single inductor. For topologies that cannot, a split-phase control technique is introduced, which amends existing two-phase controls to completely eliminate the charge redistribution loss. In addition, alternative placements of inductors are explored to extend the family of hybrid converters. The hybrid converters can have two modes of operation, the fixed-ratio mode and pulse width modulated (PWM) mode. The fixed-conversion-ratio hybrid converters operate in a similar manner to that of a conventional SC converter, with the addition of a soft-charging inductor. The switching frequency of such converters can be adjusted to operate in either zero current switching (ZCS) mode or continuous conduction mode (CCM), which allows for the trade-off of switching loss and conduction loss. It is shown that the capacitor and inductor values can be selected to achieve a minimal passive component volume, which can be significantly smaller than that of a conventional SC converter or a magnetic-based converter. On the other hand, PWM-based hybrid converters generate a PWM rectangular wave as the terminal voltage to the inductor, similar to the operation of a buck converter. In contrast to conventional SC converters, such hybrid converters can achieve lossless and continuous regulation of the output voltage. Compared to buck converters, the required inductor is greatly reduced, as well as the switch stress. A 80-170 V input, 12-24 V output prototype PWM Dickson converter is implemented using GaN switches. The measured peak efficiency is 97%, and high efficiency can be maintained over the entire input and output operating range. In addition, the similarity between multilevel converters (for example, flying capacitor multilevel (FCML) converters) and the PWM-based hybrid SC converters is discussed. Both types of converters can be seen as a hybrid converter which uses both capacitors and inductors for energy transfer. A general framework to compare these converters, along with conventional buck converters, is proposed. In this framework, the power losses (including conduction loss and switching loss) are kept constant, while the total passive component volume is used as the figure of merit. Based on the principle of maximizing energy utilization of passive components, a 7-level FCML converter and an active energy buffer are designed and implemented for single phase dc-ac applications. In addition, the stand-alone system includes a start-up circuitry, EMC filter and auxiliary power supply. The enclosed box achieves a combined power density of 216 W/in3 and an efficiency of 97.4%, and compares favorably against the state-of-the-art designs under the same specification. To further improve the efficiency and power density, soft-switching techniques are investigated and applied on the hybrid converters. A zero voltage switching (ZVS) technique is introduced for both the fixed-ratio mode and the PWM mode operated hybrid converters. The previous hardware prototypes are modified for ZVS operation, and prove the feasibility of simultaneous soft-charging and soft-switching operation. Last but not the least, some of the practical issues associated with the hybrid converter are discussed, such as practical capacitor selection, capacitor voltage balancing and other circuit implementation challenges. Future work based on these topics is given. In summary, these hybrid converters are suited for applications where extreme efficiency and power density are critical. Through efficient utilization of active and passive devices, the hybrid topologies can offer a greater optimization opportunity and ability to take advantage of technology improvement than is possible with conventional designs.

Shock-wave structure based on the Navier-Stokes-Fourier equations.

PubMed

Uribe, F J; Velasco, R M

2018-04-01

We use the Navier-Stokes-Fourier constitutive equations to study plane shock waves in dilute gases. It is shown that the experimental information on the normalized density profiles can be fit by using the so-called soft sphere model, in which the viscosity and thermal conductivity are proportional to a power of the temperature.

Shock-wave structure based on the Navier-Stokes-Fourier equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uribe, F. J.; Velasco, R. M.

2018-04-01

We use the Navier-Stokes-Fourier constitutive equations to study plane shock waves in dilute gases. It is shown that the experimental information on the normalized density profiles can be fit by using the so-called soft sphere model, in which the viscosity and thermal conductivity are proportional to a power of the temperature.

The diversity of soft X-ray spectra in quasars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elvis, M.; Wilkes, B. J.; Tananbaum, H.

1985-01-01

Soft X-ray spectra for three quasars obtained with the Einstein Imaging Proportional Counter covering the 0.1-4.0 keV band are reported. Power-law fits to these spectra have best-fit energy indices of 1.2 +0.6 or -0.2, for the quasar NAB 0205 + 024, 0.6 +0.3 or -0.2 for the quasar B2 1028 + 313, and 2.2 + or -0.4 for the quasar PG 1211 + 143. None of the quasars shows any evidence for a column density of cold matter in excess of the galactic values. The derived spectra demonstrate that there is no single universal power law slope for quasar X-ray spectra. The implications of these results for the X-ray background, X-ray continuum emission mechanisms, and the production of the optical/UV emission lines are briefly discussed.

Influence of fundamental mode fill factor on disk laser output power and laser beam quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Zhiyong; Yang, Zhuo; Shao, Xichun; Li, Wei; Zhu, Mengzhen

2017-11-01

An three-dimensional numerical model based on finite element method and Fox-Li method with angular spectrum diffraction theoy is developed to calculate the output power and power density distribution of Yb:YAG disk laser. We invest the influence of fundamental mode fill factor(the ratio of fundamental mode size and pump spot size) on the output power and laser beam quality. Due to aspherical aberration and soft aperture effect in laser disk, high beam quality can be achieve with relative lower efficiency. The highest output power of fundamental laser mode is influenced by the fundamental mode fill factor. Besides we find that optimal mode fill factor increase with pump spot size.

On- and off-eye spherical aberration of soft contact lenses and consequent changes of effective lens power.

PubMed

Dietze, Holger H; Cox, Michael J

2003-02-01

Soft contact lenses produce a significant level of spherical aberration affecting their power on-eye. A simple model assuming that a thin soft contact lens aligns to the cornea predicts that these effects are similar on-eye and off-eye. The wavefront aberration for 17 eyes and 33 soft contact lenses on-eye was measured with a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. The Zernike coefficients describing the on-eye spherical aberration of the soft contact lens were compared with off-eye ray-tracing results. Paraxial and effective lens power changes were determined. The model predicts the on-eye spherical aberration of soft contact lenses closely. The resulting power change for a +/- 7.00 D spherical soft contact lens is +/- 0.5 D for a 6-mm pupil diameter and +/- 0.1 D for a 3-mm pupil diameter. Power change is negligible for soft contact lenses corrected for off-eye spherical aberration. For thin soft contact lenses, the level of spherical aberration and the consequent power change is similar on-eye and off-eye. Soft contact lenses corrected for spherical aberration in air will be expected to be aberration-free on-eye and produce only negligibly small power changes. For soft contact lenses without aberration correction, for higher levels of ametropia and large pupils, the soft contact lens power should be determined with trial lenses with their power and p value similar to the prescribed lens. The benefit of soft contact lenses corrected for spherical aberration depends on the level of ocular spherical aberration.

Which soft lens power is better for piggyback in keratoconus? Part II.

PubMed

Romero-Jiménez, Miguel; Santodomingo-Rubido, Jacinto; González-Meijóme, Jose-Manuel; Flores-Rodriguez, Patricia; Villa-Collar, Cesar

2015-02-01

To evaluate how soft lens power affects rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lens power and visual acuity (VA) in piggyback fittings for keratoconus. Sixteen keratoconus subjects (30 eyes) were included in the study. Piggyback contact lens fittings combining Senofilcon-A soft lenses of -6.00, -3.00, +3.00 and +6.00 D with Rose K2 RGP contact lenses were performed. Corneal topography was taken on the naked eye and over each soft contact lens before fitting RGP lenses. Mean central keratometry, over-refraction, RGP back optic zone radius (BOZR) and estimated final power as well as VA were recorded and analyzed. In comparison to the naked eye, the mean central keratometry flattened with both negative lens powers (p<0.05 in all cases), did not change with the +3.00 soft lens power (p=1.0); and steepened with the +6.00 soft lens power (p=0.02). Rigid gas-permeable over-refraction did not change significantly between different soft lens powers (all p>0.05). RGP's BOZR decreased significantly with both positive in comparison with both negative soft lens powers (all p<0.001), but no significant differences were found among negative- or positive-powers separately (both p>0.05). Estimated RGP's final power increased significantly with positive in comparison with negative lens powers (all p<0.001), but no significant differences were found among negative or positive lens powers separately (both p>0.05). Visual acuity did not change significantly between the different soft lens powers assessed (all p>0.05). The use of negative-powered soft lenses in piggyback fitting reduces RGP lens power without impacting VA in keratoconus subjects. Copyright © 2014 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Sheath Transport Observer for the Redistribution of Mass (STORM) Image

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuntz, Kip; Collier, Michael; Sibeck, David G.; Porter, F. Scott; Carter, J. A.; Cravens, Thomas; Omidi, N.; Robertson, Ina; Sembay, S.; Snowden, Steven L.

2008-01-01

All of the solar wind energy that powers magnetospheric processes passes through the magnetosheath and magnetopause. Global images of the magnetosheath and magnetopause boundary layers will resolve longstanding controversy surrounding fundamental phenomena that occur at the magnetopause and provide information needed to improve operational space weather models. Recent developments showing that soft X-rays (0.15-1 keV) result from high charge state solar wind ions undergoing charge exchange recombination through collisions with exospheric neutral atoms has led to the realization that soft X-ray imaging can provide global maps of the high-density shocked solar wind within the magnetosheath and cusps, regions lying between the lower density solar wind and magnetosphere. We discuss an instrument concept called the Sheath Transport Observer for the Redistribution of Mass (STORM), an X-ray imager suitable for simultaneously imaging the dayside magnetosheath, the magnetopause boundary layers, and the cusps.

The Sheath Transport Observer for the Redistribution of Mass (STORM) Imager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collier, Michael R.; Sibeck, David G.; Porter, F. Scott; Burch, J.; Carter, J. A.; Cravens, Thomas; Kuntz, Kip; Omidi, N.; Read, A.; Robertson, Ina;

Local thermal energy as a structural indicator in glasses.

PubMed

Zylberg, Jacques; Lerner, Edan; Bar-Sinai, Yohai; Bouchbinder, Eran

2017-07-11

Identifying heterogeneous structures in glasses-such as localized soft spots-and understanding structure-dynamics relations in these systems remain major scientific challenges. Here, we derive an exact expression for the local thermal energy of interacting particles (the mean local potential energy change caused by thermal fluctuations) in glassy systems by a systematic low-temperature expansion. We show that the local thermal energy can attain anomalously large values, inversely related to the degree of softness of localized structures in a glass, determined by a coupling between internal stresses-an intrinsic signature of glassy frustration-anharmonicity and low-frequency vibrational modes. These anomalously large values follow a fat-tailed distribution, with a universal exponent related to the recently observed universal [Formula: see text] density of states of quasilocalized low-frequency vibrational modes. When the spatial thermal energy field-a "softness field"-is considered, this power law tail manifests itself by highly localized spots, which are significantly softer than their surroundings. These soft spots are shown to be susceptible to plastic rearrangements under external driving forces, having predictive powers that surpass those of the normal modes-based approach. These results offer a general, system/model-independent, physical/observable-based approach to identify structural properties of quiescent glasses and relate them to glassy dynamics.

Commissioning of the soft x-ray undulator beamline at the Siam Photon Laboratory

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

Nakajima, Hideki, E-mail: hideki@slri.or.th; Chaichuay, Sarunyu; Sudmuang, Porntip

2016-07-27

The synchrotron radiation from the first undulator at the Siam Photon Laboratory was characterized with the photon beam position monitors (BPMs) and grating monochromator. The soft x-ray undulator beamline employs a varied line-spacing plane grating monochromator with three interchangeable gratings. Since 2010, the beamline has delivered photons with energy of 40-160 and 220-1040 eV at the resolving power of 10,000 for user services at the two end- stations that utilize the photoemission electron spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The undulator power-density distributions measured by the 0.05-mm wire-scan BPM were in good agreement with those in simulation. The flux-density distributions were evaluatedmore » in the red-shift measurements, which identify the central cone of radiation and its distribution. Since 2014, the operation of the other insertion devices in the storage ring has started, and consequently bought about the increases in the emittance from 41 to 61 nm·rad and the coupling constant from 4 to 11%. The local electron-orbit correction greatly improved the alignment of the electron beam in the undulator section resulting in the improvements of the photon flux and harmonics peaks of the undulator radiation.« less

Exospheric Neutral Density at the Earth's subsolar magnetopause deduced from the XMM-Newton X-ray observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connor, H. K.; Carter, J. A.

2017-12-01

Soft X-rays can be emitted when highly charged solar wind ions and exospheric neutrals exchange electrons. Astrophysics missions, such as XMM-Newton and ROSAT X-ray telescopes, have found that such solar wind charge exchange happens at the Earth's exosphere. The Earth's magnetosphere can be imaged via soft X-rays in order to understand its interaction with solar wind. Consequently, two soft X-ray telescope missions (CuPID and SMILE) are scheduled to launch in 2019 and 2021. They will provide wide field-of-view soft X-ray images of the Earth's dayside magnetosphere. The imagers will track the location and movement of the cusps, magnetopause, and bow shock in response to solar wind variations. To support these missions, an understanding of exospheric neutral density profile is needed. The neutral density is one of the controlling factors of soft X-ray signals. Strong neutral density can help to obtain high-resolution and high-cadence of soft X-ray images. In this study, we estimate the exospheric neutral density at 10 RE subsolar point using XMM X-ray observations, Cluster plasma observations, and OpenGGCM global magnetosphere - ionosphere MHD model. XMM-Newton observes line-of-sight, narrow field-of-view, integrated soft X-ray emissions when it looks through the dayside magnetosphere. OpenGGCM reproduces soft X-ray signals seen by the XMM spacecraft, assuming exospheric neutral density as a function of the neutral density at the 10RE subsolar point and the radial distance. Cluster observations are used to confirm OpenGGCM plasma results. Finally, we deduce the neutral density at 10 RE subsolar point by adjusting the model results to the XMM-Newton soft X-ray observations.

China’s Soft Power and Growing Influence in Southeast Asia

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

appropriateness and positive or negative effects generated. In more recent times, China has had a diplomatic makeover and has begun utilizing its soft power...contexts, the United States is the focus of debate over its use of or lack of soft power and the appropriateness and positive or negative effects ...producer’s perspective but the receiver’s view of soft power that is essential. To determine the effectiveness of soft power, an analysis must be made of

SU-D-BRC-04: Development of Proton Tissue Equivalent Materials for Calibration and Dosimetry Studies

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

Olguin, E; Flampouri, S; Lipnharski, I

Purpose: To develop new proton tissue equivalent materials (PTEM), urethane and fiberglass based, for proton therapy calibration and dosimetry studies. Existing tissue equivalent plastics are applicable only for x-rays because they focus on matching mass attenuation coefficients. This study aims to create new plastics that match mass stopping powers for proton therapy applications instead. Methods: New PTEMs were constructed using urethane and fiberglass resin materials for soft, fat, bone, and lung tissue. The stoichiometric analysis method was first used to determine the elemental composition of each unknown constituent. New initial formulae were then developed for each of the 4 PTEMsmore » using the new elemental compositions and various additives. Samples of each plastic were then created and exposed to a well defined proton beam at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute (UFHPTI) to validate its mass stopping power. Results: The stoichiometric analysis method revealed the elemental composition of the 3 components used in creating the PTEMs. These urethane and fiberglass based resins were combined with additives such as calcium carbonate, aluminum hydroxide, and phenolic micro spheres to achieve the desired mass stopping powers and densities. Validation at the UFHPTI revealed adjustments had to be made to the formulae, but the plastics eventually had the desired properties after a few iterations. The mass stopping power, density, and Hounsfield Unit of each of the 4 PTEMs were within acceptable tolerances. Conclusion: Four proton tissue equivalent plastics were developed: soft, fat, bone, and lung tissue. These plastics match each of the corresponding tissue’s mass stopping power, density, and Hounsfield Unit, meaning they are truly tissue equivalent for proton therapy applications. They can now be used to calibrate proton therapy treatment planning systems, improve range uncertainties, validate proton therapy Monte Carlo simulations, and assess in-field and out-of-field organ doses.« less

Optical transmission and laser ablation of pathologically changed eye lens capsule

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

Gamidov, A A; Bolshunov, A V; Yuzhakov, A V

Optical transmission and ablation mechanisms in the secondary cataract films under the impact of 1.06-mm laser radiation are studied. The comparison of incident and transmitted (paraxial) radiation power at different values of the power density is carried out for two types of the eye lens capsule tissue (hard and soft) possessing different optical and mechanical properties. It is found that the effective attenuation coefficient for soft films is almost five times as large as that for the hard ones. The obtained measurement data on the transparency variation in the process of laser action allow the temperature evaluation and the determinationmore » of dominant mechanism of laser ablation, as well as the development of recommendations, providing the prevention or reduction of possible side effects. The obtained results can be used to optimise the regimes of laser impact in the process of the opacified lens capsule removal.« less

Application and the key technology on high power fiber-optic laser in laser weapon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Zhou; Li, Qiushi; Meng, Haihong; Sui, Xin; Zhang, Hongtao; Zhai, Xuhua

2014-12-01

The soft-killing laser weapon plays an important role in photoelectric defense technology. It can be used for photoelectric detection, search, blinding of photoelectric sensor and other devices on fire control and guidance devices, therefore it draws more and more attentions by many scholars. High power fiber-optic laser has many virtues such as small volume, simple structure, nimble handling, high efficiency, qualified light beam, easy thermal management, leading to blinding. Consequently, it may be used as the key device of soft-killing laser weapon. The present study introduced the development of high power fiber-optic laser and its main features. Meanwhile the key technology of large mode area (LMA) optical fiber design, the beam combination technology, double-clad fiber technology and pumping optical coupling technology was stated. The present study is aimed to design high doping LMA fiber, ensure single mode output by increasing core diameter and decrease NA. By means of reducing the spontaneous emission particle absorbed by fiber core and Increasing the power density in the optical fiber, the threshold power of nonlinear effect can increase, and the power of single fiber will be improved. Meantime, high power will be obtained by the beam combination technology. Application prospect of high power fiber laser in photoelectric defense technology was also set forth. Lastly, the present study explored the advantages of high power fiber laser in photoelectric defense technology.

The Role of Soft Power in China’s Security Strategy: Case Studies on the South China Sea and Taiwan

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-09

of power. The study also shows that the interplay between soft and hard power varies significantly depending on the context. 15. SUBJECT TERMS China...sources of power. The study also shows that the interplay between soft and hard power varies significantly depending on the context. v...policies.12 Nye qualifies that the magnitude of soft power that is derived from these sources is situationally dependent . For example, political values

The energetics of the gradual phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strong, K. T.; Bentley, R. D.; Bornmann, P. L.; Bruner, M. E.; Cargill, P. J.; Doyle, J. G.; Lemen, J. R.; Pallavicini, R.; Peres, G.; Serio, S.

1986-01-01

Reseachers compare results with those in the chapter by Moore et al. (1980), who reached five main conclusions about the gradual phase: (1) the typical density of the soft X-ray emitting plasma is between 10 to the 11th power and 10 to the 12th power cm-3 for compact flares and between 10 to the 10th power and 10 to the 11th power cm-3 for a large-area flare; (2) cooling is by conduction and radiation in roughly equal proportions; (3) continual heating is needed in the decay phase of two-ribbon flares; (4) continual heating is probably not needed in compact events; (5) most of the soft-X-ray-emitting plasma results from chromospheric evaporation. The goal was to reexamine these problems with the data from the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) and other supporting instruments as well as to take advantage of recent theoretical advances. SMM is capable of measuring coronal temperatures more accurately and with a better cadence than has been possible before. The SMM data set is also unique in that the complete transit of an active region was observed, with soft X-ray and UV images being taken every few minutes. Researcher's were therefore able to establish the pre-flare conditions of the region and see whether anything has changed as a result of the flare. The assumptions made in attempting to determine the required plasma parameters are described. The derived parameters for the five prime flares are presented, and the role of numerical simulations is discussed.

Direct micromachining of quartz glass plates using pulsed laser plasma soft x-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makimura, Tetsuya; Miyamoto, Hisao; Kenmotsu, Youichi; Murakami, Kouichi; Niino, Hiroyuki

2005-03-01

We have investigated direct micromachining of quartz glass, using pulsed laser plasma soft x-rays (LPSXs) having a potential capability of nanomachining because the diffraction limit is ˜10nm. The LPSX's were generated by irradiation of a Ta target with 532nm laser light from a conventional Q switched Nd :YAG laser at 700mJ/pulse. In order to achieve a sufficient power density of LPSX's beyond the ablation threshold, we developed an ellipsoidal mirror to obtain efficient focusing of LPSXs at around 10nm. It was found that quartz glass plates are smoothly ablated at 45nm/shot using the focused and pulsed LPSX's.

Soft-type trap-induced degradation of MoS2 field effect transistors.

PubMed

Cho, Young-Hoon; Ryu, Min-Yeul; Lee, Kook Jin; Park, So Jeong; Choi, Jun Hee; Lee, Byung-Chul; Kim, Wungyeon; Kim, Gyu-Tae

2018-06-01

The practical applicability of electronic devices is largely determined by the reliability of field effect transistors (FETs), necessitating constant searches for new and better-performing semiconductors. We investigated the stress-induced degradation of MoS 2 multilayer FETs, revealing a steady decrease of drain current by 56% from the initial value after 30 min. The drain current recovers to the initial state when the transistor is completely turned off, indicating the roles of soft-traps in the apparent degradation. The noise current power spectrum follows the model of carrier number fluctuation-correlated mobility fluctuation (CNF-CMF) regardless of stress time. However, the reduction of the drain current was well fitted to the increase of the trap density based on the CNF-CMF model, attributing the presence of the soft-type traps of dielectric oxides to the degradation of the MoS 2 FETs.

Soft-type trap-induced degradation of MoS2 field effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Young-Hoon; Ryu, Min-Yeul; Lee, Kook Jin; Park, So Jeong; Choi, Jun Hee; Lee, Byung-Chul; Kim, Wungyeon; Kim, Gyu-Tae

2018-06-01

The practical applicability of electronic devices is largely determined by the reliability of field effect transistors (FETs), necessitating constant searches for new and better-performing semiconductors. We investigated the stress-induced degradation of MoS2 multilayer FETs, revealing a steady decrease of drain current by 56% from the initial value after 30 min. The drain current recovers to the initial state when the transistor is completely turned off, indicating the roles of soft-traps in the apparent degradation. The noise current power spectrum follows the model of carrier number fluctuation–correlated mobility fluctuation (CNF–CMF) regardless of stress time. However, the reduction of the drain current was well fitted to the increase of the trap density based on the CNF–CMF model, attributing the presence of the soft-type traps of dielectric oxides to the degradation of the MoS2 FETs.

Local thermal energy as a structural indicator in glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zylberg, Jacques; Lerner, Edan; Bar-Sinai, Yohai; Bouchbinder, Eran

2017-07-01

Identifying heterogeneous structures in glasses—such as localized soft spots—and understanding structure-dynamics relations in these systems remain major scientific challenges. Here, we derive an exact expression for the local thermal energy of interacting particles (the mean local potential energy change caused by thermal fluctuations) in glassy systems by a systematic low-temperature expansion. We show that the local thermal energy can attain anomalously large values, inversely related to the degree of softness of localized structures in a glass, determined by a coupling between internal stresses—an intrinsic signature of glassy frustration—anharmonicity and low-frequency vibrational modes. These anomalously large values follow a fat-tailed distribution, with a universal exponent related to the recently observed universal ω4ω4 density of states of quasilocalized low-frequency vibrational modes. When the spatial thermal energy field—a “softness field”—is considered, this power law tail manifests itself by highly localized spots, which are significantly softer than their surroundings. These soft spots are shown to be susceptible to plastic rearrangements under external driving forces, having predictive powers that surpass those of the normal modes-based approach. These results offer a general, system/model-independent, physical/observable-based approach to identify structural properties of quiescent glasses and relate them to glassy dynamics.

Assessing China’s Soft Power in Asia: Implications for U.S. Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

especially as it might be thought of as an instrument of policy.”19 Gray‟s critiques deride the strategic usefulness of soft 8 power based on the length...soft power flows from hard power, but not the reverse. Gray critiques soft power as if it is mutually exclusive of hard power; that is, if you use ...and film …the freedom is not there. (The Chinese government) really tries to control and manage it, and there is self- censorship as well. That is

What Makes a Good University? A Literature Review regarding the "Soft Power" of Colleges and Universities in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Fu-Bin; Dong, Jian-Mei

2011-01-01

During the past few years, "soft power" has been widely discussed and studied in China. Higher education, one of the largest components of national soft power, has begun to play an active and important role. In this article, we review the literature on the soft power of colleges and universities and describe ways to enhance it; we also…

SU-F-T-136: Breath Hold Lung Phantom Study in Using CT Density Versus Relative Stopping Power Ratio for Proton Pencil Beam Scanning System

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

Syh, J; Wu, H; Rosen, L

Purpose: To evaluate mass density effects of CT conversion table and its variation in current treatment planning system of spot scanning proton beam using an IROC proton lung phantom for this study. Methods: A proton lung phantom study was acquired to Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston (IROC) Quality Assurance Center. Inside the lung phantom, GAF Chromic films and couples of thermal luminescent dosimeter (TLD) capsules embedded in specified PTV and adjacent structures to monitor delivered dosage and 3D dose distribution profiles. Various material such as cork (Lung), blue water (heart), Techron HPV (ribs) and organic material of balsa woodmore » and cork as dosimetry inserts within phantom of solid water (soft tissue). Relative stopping power (RLSP) values were provided. Our treatment planning system (TPS) doesn’t require SP instead relative density was converted relative to water. However lung phantom was irradiated by planning with density override and the results were compared with IROC measurements. The second attempt was conducted without density override and compared with IROC’s. Results: The higher passing rate of imaging and measurement results of the lung phantom irradiation met the criteria by IROC without density override. The film at coronal plane was found to be shift due to inclined cylinder insertion. The converted CT density worked as expected to correlate relative stopping power. Conclusion: The proton lung phantom provided by IROC is a useful tool to qualify our commissioned proton pencil beam delivery with TPS within reliable confidence. The relative mass stopping power ratios of materials were converted from the relative physical density relative to water and the results were satisfied.« less

Modelling hard and soft states of Cygnus X-1 with propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapisarda, S.; Ingram, A.; van der Klis, M.

2017-12-01

We present a timing analysis of three Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations of the black hole binary Cygnus X-1 with the propagating mass accretion rate fluctuations model PROPFLUC. The model simultaneously predicts power spectra, time lags and coherence of the variability as a function of energy. The observations cover the soft and hard states of the source, and the transition between the two. We find good agreement between model predictions and data in the hard and soft states. Our analysis suggests that in the soft state the fluctuations propagate in an optically thin hot flow extending up to large radii above and below a stable optically thick disc. In the hard state, our results are consistent with a truncated disc geometry, where the hot flow extends radially inside the inner radius of the disc. In the transition from soft to hard state, the characteristics of the rapid variability are too complex to be successfully described with PROPFLUC. The surface density profile of the hot flow predicted by our model and the lack of quasi-periodic oscillations in the soft and hard states suggest that the spin of the black hole is aligned with the inner accretion disc and therefore probably with the rotational axis of the binary system.

Ultrasonic model and system for measurement of corneal biomechanical properties and validation on phantoms.

PubMed

Liu, Jun; He, Xiaoyin; Pan, Xueliang; Roberts, Cynthia J

2007-01-01

Non-invasive measurement of biomechanical properties of corneas may provide important information for ocular disease management and therapeutic procedures. An ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation method with a wave propagation model was developed to determine corneal biomechanical properties in vivo. In this study, we tested the feasibility of the approach in differentiating the mechanical properties of soft contact lenses as corneal phantoms. Three material types of soft contact lenses (six samples in each group) were measured using a broadband ultrasound transducer. The ultrasonic reflections from the contact lenses were recorded by a 500MHz/8-bit digitizer, and displayed and processed by a PC. A reference signal was recorded to compute the normalized power spectra using Fast Fourier Transformation. An inverse algorithm based on least-squares minimization was used to reconstruct three parameters of the contact lenses: density, thickness, and elastic constants lambda+2micro. The thickness of each sample was verified using an electronic thickness gauge, and the averaged density for each type of lenses was verified using Archimedes' principle and manufacturer's report. Our results demonstrated that the ultrasonic system was able to differentiate the elastic properties of the three types of the soft contact lenses with statistical significance (P-value<0.001). The reconstructed thicknesses and densities agreed well with the independent measurements. Our studies on corneal phantoms indicated that the ultrasonic system was sensitive and accurate in measuring the material properties of cornea-like structures. It is important to optimize the system for in vivo measurements.

An asymptotically consistent approximant method with application to soft- and hard-sphere fluids.

PubMed

Barlow, N S; Schultz, A J; Weinstein, S J; Kofke, D A

2012-11-28

A modified Padé approximant is used to construct an equation of state, which has the same large-density asymptotic behavior as the model fluid being described, while still retaining the low-density behavior of the virial equation of state (virial series). Within this framework, all sequences of rational functions that are analytic in the physical domain converge to the correct behavior at the same rate, eliminating the ambiguity of choosing the correct form of Padé approximant. The method is applied to fluids composed of "soft" spherical particles with separation distance r interacting through an inverse-power pair potential, φ = ε(σ∕r)(n), where ε and σ are model parameters and n is the "hardness" of the spheres. For n < 9, the approximants provide a significant improvement over the 8-term virial series, when compared against molecular simulation data. For n ≥ 9, both the approximants and the 8-term virial series give an accurate description of the fluid behavior, when compared with simulation data. When taking the limit as n → ∞, an equation of state for hard spheres is obtained, which is closer to simulation data than the 10-term virial series for hard spheres, and is comparable in accuracy to other recently proposed equations of state. By applying a least square fit to the approximants, we obtain a general and accurate soft-sphere equation of state as a function of n, valid over the full range of density in the fluid phase.

Design criteria for noncoherent Gaussian channels with MFSK signaling and coding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Butman, S. A.; Levitt, B. K.; Bar-David, I.; Lyon, R. F.; Klass, M. J.

1976-01-01

This paper presents data and criteria to assess and guide the design of modems for coded noncoherent communication systems subject to practical system constraints of power, bandwidth, noise spectral density, coherence time, and number of orthogonal signals M. Three basic receiver types are analyzed for the noncoherent multifrequency-shift keying (MFSK) additive white Gaussian noise channel: hard decision, unquantized (optimum), and quantized (soft decision). Channel capacity and computational cutoff rate are computed for each type and presented as functions of the predetection signal-to-noise ratio and the number of orthogonal signals. This relates the channel constraints of power, bandwidth, coherence time, and noise power to the optimum choice of signal duration and signal number.

Power Spectrum Density of Long-Term MAXI Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugimoto, Juri; Mihara, Tatehiro; Sugizaki, Mutsumi; Serino, Motoko; Kitamoto, Shunji; Sato, Ryousuke; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Ueno, Shiro

Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) on the International Space Station has been observing the X-ray sky since 2009 August 15. It has accumulated the X-ray data for about four years, so far. X-ray objects are usually variable and their variability can be studied by the power spectrum density (PSD) of the X-ray light curves. We applied our method to calculate PSDs of several kinds of objects observed with MAXI. We obtained significant PSDs from 16 Seyfert galaxies. For blackhole binary Cygnus X-1 there was a difference in the shape of PSD between the hard state and the soft state. For high mass X-ray binaries, Cen X-3, SMC X-1, and LMC X-4, there were several peaks in the PSD corresponding to the orbital period and the superorbital period.

THE LONGEST TIMESCALE X-RAY VARIABILITY REVEALS EVIDENCE FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE HIGH ACCRETION STATE

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

Zhang Youhong, E-mail: youhong.zhang@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

2011-01-01

The All Sky Monitor (ASM) on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer has continuously monitored a number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with similar sampling rates for 14 years, from 1996 January to 2009 December. Utilizing the archival ASM data of 27 AGNs, we calculate the normalized excess variances of the 300-day binned X-ray light curves on the longest timescale (between 300 days and 14 years) explored so far. The observed variance appears to be independent of AGN black-hole mass and bolometric luminosity. According to the scaling relation of black-hole mass (and bolometric luminosity) from galactic black hole X-ray binariesmore » (GBHs) to AGNs, the break timescales that correspond to the break frequencies detected in the power spectral density (PSD) of our AGNs are larger than the binsize (300 days) of the ASM light curves. As a result, the singly broken power-law (soft-state) PSD predicts the variance to be independent of mass and luminosity. Nevertheless, the doubly broken power-law (hard-state) PSD predicts, with the widely accepted ratio of the two break frequencies, that the variance increases with increasing mass and decreases with increasing luminosity. Therefore, the independence of the observed variance on mass and luminosity suggests that AGNs should have soft-state PSDs. Taking into account the scaling of the break timescale with mass and luminosity synchronously, the observed variances are also more consistent with the soft-state than the hard-state PSD predictions. With the averaged variance of AGNs and the soft-state PSD assumption, we obtain a universal PSD amplitude of 0.030 {+-} 0.022. By analogy with the GBH PSDs in the high/soft state, the longest timescale variability supports the standpoint that AGNs are scaled-up GBHs in the high accretion state, as already implied by the direct PSD analysis.« less

Hybrid solar cells with outstanding short-circuit currents based on a room temperature soft-chemical strategy: the case of P3HT:Ag2S.

PubMed

Lei, Yan; Jia, Huimin; He, Weiwei; Zhang, Yange; Mi, Liwei; Hou, Hongwei; Zhu, Guangshan; Zheng, Zhi

2012-10-24

P3HT:Ag(2)S hybrid solar cells with broad absorption from the UV to NIR band were directly fabricated on ITO glass by using a room temperature, low energy consumption, and low-cost soft-chemical strategy. The resulting Ag(2)S nanosheet arrays facilitate the construction of a perfect percolation structure with organic P3HT to form ordered bulk heterojunctions (BHJ); without interface modification, the assembled P3HT:Ag(2)S device exhibits outstanding short-circuit current densities (J(sc)) around 20 mA cm(-2). At the current stage, the optimized device exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 2.04%.

Analysis of soft x-ray emission spectra of laser-produced dysprosium, erbium and thulium plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheil, John; Dunne, Padraig; Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Kos, Domagoj; Long, Elaine; Miyazaki, Takanori; O'Reilly, Fergal; O'Sullivan, Gerard; Sheridan, Paul; Suzuki, Chihiro; Sokell, Emma; White, Elgiva; Kilbane, Deirdre

2017-03-01

Soft x-ray emission spectra of dysprosium, erbium and thulium ions created in laser-produced plasmas were recorded with a flat-field grazing-incidence spectrometer in the 2.5-8 nm spectral range. The ions were produced using an Nd:YAG laser of 7 ns pulse duration and the spectra were recorded at various power densities. The experimental spectra were interpreted with the aid of the Cowan suite of atomic structure codes and the flexible atomic code. At wavelengths above 5.5 nm the spectra are dominated by overlapping n = 4 - n = 4 unresolved transition arrays from adjacent ion stages. Below 6 nm, n = 4 - n = 5 transitions also give rise to a series of interesting overlapping spectral features.

Modifying Current Collectors to Produce High Volumetric Energy Density and Power Density Storage Devices.

PubMed

Khani, Hadi; Dowell, Timothy J; Wipf, David O

2018-06-27

We develop zirconium-templated NiO/NiOOH nanosheets on nickel foam and polypyrrole-embedded in exfoliated carbon fiber cloth as complementary electrodes for an asymmetric battery-type supercapacitor device. We achieve high volumetric energy and power density by the modification of commercially available current collectors (CCs). The modified CCs provide the source of active material, actively participate in the charge storage process, provide a larger surface area for active material loading, need no additional binders or conductive additives, and retain the ability to act as the CC. Nickel foam (NF) CCs are modified by use of a soft-templating/solvothermal treatment to generate NiO/NiOOH nanosheets, where the NF is the source of Ni for the synthesis. Carbon-fiber cloth (CFC) CCs are modified by an electrochemical oxidation/reduction process to generate exfoliated core-shell structures (ECFC). Electropolymerization of pyrrole into the shell structure produces polypyrrole embedded in exfoliated core-shell material (PPy@rECFC). Battery-type supercapacitor devices are produced with NiO/NiOOH@NF and PPy@rECFC as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, to demonstrate the utility of this approach. Volumetric energy densities for the full-cell device are in the range of 2.60-4.12 mWh cm -3 with corresponding power densities in the range of 9.17-425.58 mW cm -3 . This is comparable to thin-film lithium-ion batteries (0.3-10 mWh cm -3 ) and better than some commercial supercapacitors (<1 mWh cm -3 ). 1 The energy and power density is impressive considering that it was calculated using the entire cell volume (active materials, separator, and both CCs). The full-cell device is highly stable, retaining 96% and 88% of capacity after 2000 and 5000 cycles, respectively. These results demonstrate the utility of directly modifying the CCs and suggest a new method to produce high volumetric energy density and power density storage devices.

Contribution of soft lenses of various powers to the optics of a piggy-back system on regular corneas.

PubMed

Michaud, Langis; Brazeau, Daniel; Corbeil, Marie-Eve; Forcier, Pierre; Bernard, Pierre-Jean

2013-12-01

This study aims to report on the measured in vivo contribution of soft lenses of various powers to the optics of a piggyback system (PBS). This prospective, non-dispensing clinical study was conducted on regular wearers of contact lenses who showed regular corneal profiles. Subjects were masked to the products used. The study involved the use of a spherical soft lens of three different powers in a PBS, used as a carrier for a rigid gas permeable lens. Baseline data were collected and soft lenses were then fitted on both eyes of each subject. Both lenses were assessed for position and movement. Over-refraction was obtained. Soft lens power contribution to the optics (SLPC) of a PBS system was estimated by computing initial ametropia, lacrymal lens, rigid lens powers and over-refraction. A set of data on one eye was kept, for each subject, for statistical analysis. Thirty subjects (12 males, 18 females), aged 24.4 (±4.5) years, were enrolled. The use of plus powered soft lenses enhanced initial RGP lens centration. Once optimal fit was achieved, all lenses showed normal movement. SLPC represented 21.3% of the initial soft lens power when using a -6.00 carrier, and 20.6% for a +6.00. A +0.50 did not contribute to any power induced in the system. These results are generally in accordance with theoretical model developed in the past. On average, except for the low-powered carrier, the use of a spherical soft lens provided 20.9% of its marked power. To achieve better results, the use of a plus-powered carrier is recommended. Copyright © 2013 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A miniaturized human-motion energy harvester using flux-guided magnet stacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halim, M. A.; Park, J. Y.

2016-11-01

We present a miniaturized electromagnetic energy harvester (EMEH) using two flux-guided magnet stacks to harvest energy from human-generated vibration such as handshaking. Each flux-guided magnet stack increases (40%) the magnetic flux density by guiding the flux lines through a soft magnetic material. The EMEH has been designed to up-convert the applied human-motion vibration to a high-frequency oscillation by mechanical impact of a spring-less structure. The high-frequency oscillator consists of the analyzed 2-magnet stack and a customized helical compression spring. A standard AAA battery sized prototype (3.9 cm3) can generate maximum 203 μW average power from human hand-shaking vibration. It has a maximum average power density of 52 μWcm-3 which is significantly higher than the current state-of-the-art devices. A 6-stage multiplier and rectifier circuit interfaces the harvester with a wearable electronic load (wrist watch) to demonstrate its capability of powering small- scale electronic systems from human-generated vibration.

Soft switching circuit to improve efficiency of all solid-state Marx modulator for DBDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liqing, TONG; Kefu, LIU; Yonggang, WANG

2018-02-01

For an all solid-state Marx modulator applied in dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs), hard switching results in a very low efficiency. In this paper, a series resonant soft switching circuit, which series an inductance with DBD capacitor, is proposed to reduce the power loss. The power loss of the all circuit status with hard switching was analyzed, and the maximum power loss occurred during discharging at the rising and falling edges. The power loss of the series resonant soft switching circuit was also presented. A comparative analysis of the two circuits determined that the soft switching circuit greatly reduced power loss. The experimental results also demonstrated that the soft switching circuit improved the power transmission efficiency of an all solid-state Marx modulator for DBDs by up to 3 times.

Comprehensive analysis of proton range uncertainties related to patient stopping-power-ratio estimation using the stoichiometric calibration

PubMed Central

Yang, M; Zhu, X R; Park, PC; Titt, Uwe; Mohan, R; Virshup, G; Clayton, J; Dong, L

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze factors affecting proton stopping-power-ratio (SPR) estimations and range uncertainties in proton therapy planning using the standard stoichiometric calibration. The SPR uncertainties were grouped into five categories according to their origins and then estimated based on previously published reports or measurements. For the first time, the impact of tissue composition variations on SPR estimation was assessed and the uncertainty estimates of each category were determined for low-density (lung), soft, and high-density (bone) tissues. A composite, 95th percentile water-equivalent-thickness uncertainty was calculated from multiple beam directions in 15 patients with various types of cancer undergoing proton therapy. The SPR uncertainties (1σ) were quite different (ranging from 1.6% to 5.0%) in different tissue groups, although the final combined uncertainty (95th percentile) for different treatment sites was fairly consistent at 3.0–3.4%, primarily because soft tissue is the dominant tissue type in human body. The dominant contributing factor for uncertainties in soft tissues was the degeneracy of Hounsfield Numbers in the presence of tissue composition variations. To reduce the overall uncertainties in SPR estimation, the use of dual-energy computed tomography is suggested. The values recommended in this study based on typical treatment sites and a small group of patients roughly agree with the commonly referenced value (3.5%) used for margin design. By using tissue-specific range uncertainties, one could estimate the beam-specific range margin by accounting for different types and amounts of tissues along a beam, which may allow for customization of range uncertainty for each beam direction. PMID:22678123

Dielectric elastomer generators that stack up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKay, T. G.; Rosset, S.; Anderson, I. A.; Shea, H.

2015-01-01

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and testing of a soft dielectric elastomer power generator with a volume of less than 1 cm3. The generator is well suited to harvest energy from ambient and from human body motion as it can harvest from low frequency (sub-Hz) motions, and is compact and lightweight. Dielectric elastomers are highly stretchable variable capacitors. Electrical energy is produced when the deformation of a stretched, charged dielectric elastomer is relaxed; like-charges are compressed together and opposite-charges are pushed apart, resulting in an increased voltage. This technology provides an opportunity to produce soft, high energy density generators with unparalleled robustness. Two major issues block this goal: current configurations require rigid frames that maintain the dielectric elastomer in a prestretched state, and high energy densities have come at the expense of short lifetime. This paper presents a self-supporting stacked generator configuration which does not require rigid frames. The generator consists of 48 generator films stacked on top of each other, resulting in a structure that fits within an 11 mm diameter footprint while containing enough active material to produce useful power. To ensure sustainable power production, we also present a mathematical model for designing the electronic control of the generator which optimizes energy production while limiting the electrical stress on the generator below failure limits. When cyclically compressed at 1.6 Hz, our generator produced 1.8 mW of power, which is sufficient for many low-power wireless sensor nodes. This performance compares favorably with similarly scaled electromagnetic, piezoelectric, and electrostatic generators. The generator’s small form factor and ability to harvest useful energy from low frequency motions such as tree swaying or shoe impact provides an opportunity to deliver power to remote wireless sensor nodes or to distributed points in the human body without the need for costly periodic battery replacement.

On the Nature of the Variability Power Decay towards Soft Spectral States in X-Ray Binaries. Case Study in Cyg X-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhinikov, Nikolai

2007-01-01

A characteristic feature of the Fourier Power Density Spectrum (PDS) observed from black hole X-ray binaries in low/hard and intermediate spectral states is a broad band-limited noise, characterized by a constant below some frequency (a "break" frequency) and a power law above this frequency. It has been shown that the variability of this type can be produced by the inward diffusion of the local driving perturbations in a bounded configuration (accretion disk or corona). In the framework of this model, the perturbation diffusion time to is related to the phenomenological break frequency, while the PDS power-law slope above the "break" is determined by the viscosity distribution over the configuration. The perturbation diffusion scenario explains the decay of the power of X-ray variability observed in a number of compact sources (containing black hole and neutron star) during an evolution of theses sources from low/hard to high/soft states. We compare the model predictions with the subset of data from Cyg X-1 collected by the Rossi X-ray Time Explorer (RXTE). Our extensive analysis of the Cyg X-1 PDSs demonstrates that the observed integrated power P(sub x), decreases approximately as a square root of the characteristic frequency of the driving oscillations v(sub dr). The RXTE observations of Cyg X-1 allow us to infer P(sub dr), and t(sub o) as a function of v(sub dr). We also apply the basic parameters of observed PDSs, power-law index and low frequency quasiperiodic oscillations. to infer Reynolds (Re) number from the observations using the method developed in our previous paper. Our analysis shows that Re-number increases from values about 10 in low/hard state to that about 70 during the high/soft state. Subject headings: accretion, accretion disks-black hole physics-stars:individual (Cyg X-1) :radiation mechanisms: nonthermal-physical data and processes

High power density dc-to-dc converters for aerospace applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divan, Deepakraj M.

1990-01-01

Three dc-to-dc converter topologies aimed at high-power high-frequency applications are introduced. Major system parasitics, namely, the leakage inductance of the transformer and the device output capacitance are efficiently utilized. Of the three circuits, the single-phase and three-phase versions of the dual active bridge topology demonstrate minimal stresses, better utilization of the transformer, bidirectional, and buck-boost modes of operation. All circuits operate at a constant switching frequency, thus simplifying design of the reactive elements. The power transfer characteristics and soft-switching regions on the Vout-Iout plane are identified. Two coaxial transformers with different cross-sections were built for a rating of 50 kVA. Based on the single-phase dual active bridge topology, a 50 kW, 50 kHz converter operating at an input voltage of 200 Vdc and an output voltage of 1600 Vdc was fabricated. Characteristics of current-fed output make the dual active bridge topologies amenable to paralleling and hence extension to megawatt power levels. Projections to a 1 MW system operating from a 500 Vdc input, at an output voltage of 10 kVdc and a switching frequency of 50 kHz, using MOS-controlled thyristors, coaxially wound transformers operating at three times the present current density with cooling, and multilayer ceramic capacitors, suggests an overall power density of 0.075 to 0.08 kg/kW and an overall efficiency of 96 percent.

SOFT ROBOTICS. A 3D-printed, functionally graded soft robot powered by combustion.

PubMed

Bartlett, Nicholas W; Tolley, Michael T; Overvelde, Johannes T B; Weaver, James C; Mosadegh, Bobak; Bertoldi, Katia; Whitesides, George M; Wood, Robert J

2015-07-10

Roboticists have begun to design biologically inspired robots with soft or partially soft bodies, which have the potential to be more robust and adaptable, and safer for human interaction, than traditional rigid robots. However, key challenges in the design and manufacture of soft robots include the complex fabrication processes and the interfacing of soft and rigid components. We used multimaterial three-dimensional (3D) printing to manufacture a combustion-powered robot whose body transitions from a rigid core to a soft exterior. This stiffness gradient, spanning three orders of magnitude in modulus, enables reliable interfacing between rigid driving components (controller, battery, etc.) and the primarily soft body, and also enhances performance. Powered by the combustion of butane and oxygen, this robot is able to perform untethered jumping. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A soft X-ray flare in the Seyfert I galaxy Markarian 335

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, M. G.; Balick, Bruce; Halpern, J. P.; Heckman, T. M.

1988-01-01

Strong, erratic, and primarily soft X-ray flux variations observed in Mrk 335 with the Einstein high-resolution imager (HRI) and monitor proportional counter (MPC) are reported. The variability time scales lie from about 6000 s to the period of observation, 60,000 s. The variability consisted of a decrease followed by an increase at X-ray energies below 2-3 keV. The variability is most pronounced at the softest energies. The X-ray spectrum was harder before the flare than afterward, even after the flare had ended. Averaged over the time of the observations, the MPC data are well-fitted by a power-law spectrum with a spectral index of 1.25 + or - 0.19 with no evidence of absorption by foreground neutral hydrogen at energies above 1.2 keV. If the observed value of the Galactic H I column density is assumed, then the HRI observations require the existence of an additional soft and variable X-ray component.

Development of a soft untethered robot using artificial muscle actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Jiawei; Qin, Lei; Lee, Heow Pueh; Zhu, Jian

2017-04-01

Soft robots have attracted much interest recently, due to their potential capability to work effectively in unstructured environment. Soft actuators are key components in soft robots. Dielectric elastomer actuators are one class of soft actuators, which can deform in response to voltage. Dielectric elastomer actuators exhibit interesting attributes including large voltage-induced deformation and high energy density. These attributes make dielectric elastomer actuators capable of functioning as artificial muscles for soft robots. It is significant to develop untethered robots, since connecting the cables to external power sources greatly limits the robots' functionalities, especially autonomous movements. In this paper we develop a soft untethered robot based on dielectric elastomer actuators. This robot mainly consists of a deformable robotic body and two paper-based feet. The robotic body is essentially a dielectric elastomer actuator, which can expand or shrink at voltage on or off. In addition, the two feet can achieve adhesion or detachment based on the mechanism of electroadhesion. In general, the entire robotic system can be controlled by electricity or voltage. By optimizing the mechanical design of the robot (the size and weight of electric circuits), we put all these components (such as batteries, voltage amplifiers, control circuits, etc.) onto the robotic feet, and the robot is capable of realizing autonomous movements. Experiments are conducted to study the robot's locomotion. Finite element method is employed to interpret the deformation of dielectric elastomer actuators, and the simulations are qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations.

On the Nature of the Variability Power Decay toward Soft Spectral States in X-Ray Binaries: Case Study in Cygnus X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhnikov, Nikolai

2008-05-01

A characteristic feature of the Fourier power density spectrum (PDS) observed from black hole X-ray binaries in low/hard and intermediate spectral states is a broadband-limited noise characterized by a constant below some frequency (a "break" frequency) and a power law above this frequency. It has been shown that the variability of this type can be produced by the inward diffusion of the local driving perturbations in a bounded configuration (accretion disk or corona). In the framework of this model, the perturbation diffusion time t0 is related to the phenomenological break frequency, while the PDS power-law slope above the "break" is determined by the viscosity distribution over the configuration. The perturbation diffusion scenario explains the decay of the power of X-ray variability observed in a number of compact sources (containing black holes and neutron stars) during an evolution of these sources from low/hard to high/soft states. We compare the model predictions with the subset of data from Cyg X-1 collected by the Rossi X-Ray Time Explorer (RXTE). Our extensive analysis of the Cyg X-1 PDSs demonstrates that the observed integrated power Px decreases approximately as the square root of the characteristic frequency of the driving oscillations νdr. The RXTE observations of Cyg X-1 allow us to infer Pdr and t0 as a function of νdr. Using the inferred dependences of the integrated power of the driving oscillations Pdr and t0 on νdr we demonstrate that the power predicted by the model also decays as Px,diff propto ν-0.5dr, which is similar to the observed Px behavior. We also apply the basic parameters of observed PDSs, power-law indices, and low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations to infer the Reynolds number (Re) from the observations using the method developed in our previous paper. Our analysis shows that Re increases from values of about 10 in low/hard state to about 70 during the high/soft state.

On the nature of the variability power decay towards soft spectral states in X-ray binaries. Case study in Cyg X-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhnikov, Nikolai

2008-01-01

A characteristic feature of the Fourier Power Density Spectrum (PDS) observed from black hole X-ray binaries in low/hard and intermediate spectral states is a broad band-limited noise, characterized by a constant below some frequency (a ``break'' frequency) and a power law above this frequency. It has been shown that the variability of this type can be produced by the inward diffusion of the local driving perturbations in a bounded configuration (accretion disk or corona). In the framework of this model, the perturbation diffusion time t0 is related to the phenomenological break frequency, while the PDS power-law slope above the ``break'' is determined by the viscosity distribution over the configuration. The perturbation diffusion scenario explains the decay of the power of X-ray variability observed in a number of compact sources (containing black hole and neutron star) during an evolution of theses sources from low/hard to high/soft states. We compare the model predictions with the subset of data from Cyg X-1 collected by the Rossi X-ray Time Explorer (RXTE). Our extensive analysis of the Cyg X-1 PDSs demonstrates that the observed integrated power Px decreases approximately as a square root of the characteristic frequency of the driving oscillations νdr. The RXTE observations of Cyg X-1 allow us to infer Pdr and t0 as a function of νdr. Using the inferred dependences of the integrated power of the driving oscillations Pdr and t0 on νdr we demonstrate that the power predicted by the model also decays as Px,diff~νdr-0.5 that is similar to the observed Px behavior. We also apply the basic parameters of observed PDSs, power-law index and low frequency quasiperiodic oscillations, to infer Reynolds (Re) number from the observations using the method developed in our previous paper. Our analysis shows that Re-number increases from values about 10 in low/hard state to that about 70 during the high/soft state.

Beyond electronegativity and local hardness: Higher-order equalization criteria for determination of a ground-state electron density.

PubMed

Ayers, Paul W; Parr, Robert G

2008-08-07

Higher-order global softnesses, local softnesses, and softness kernels are defined along with their hardness inverses. The local hardness equalization principle recently derived by the authors is extended to arbitrary order. The resulting hierarchy of equalization principles indicates that the electronegativity/chemical potential, local hardness, and local hyperhardnesses all are constant when evaluated for the ground-state electron density. The new equalization principles can be used to test whether a trial electron density is an accurate approximation to the true ground-state density and to discover molecules with desired reactive properties, as encapsulated by their chemical reactivity indicators.

Cosmological structure formation from soft topological defects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Christopher T.; Schramm, David N.; Fry, J. N.

1988-01-01

Some models have extremely low-mass pseudo-Goldstone bosons that can lead to vacuum phase transitions at late times, after the decoupling of the microwave background.. This can generate structure formation at redshifts z greater than or approx 10 on mass scales as large as M approx 10 to the 18th solar masses. Such low energy transitions can lead to large but phenomenologically acceptable density inhomogeneities in soft topological defects (e.g., domain walls) with minimal variations in the microwave anisotropy, as small as delta Y/T less than or approx 10 to the minus 6 power. This mechanism is independent of the existence of hot, cold, or baryonic dark matter. It is a novel alternative to both cosmic string and to inflationary quantum fluctuations as the origin of structure in the Universe.

Importance of core electrostatic properties on the electrophoresis of a soft particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De, Simanta; Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Gopmandal, Partha P.

2016-08-01

The impact of the volumetric charged density of the dielectric rigid core on the electrophoresis of a soft particle is analyzed numerically. The volume charge density of the inner core of a soft particle can arise for a dendrimer structure or bacteriophage MS2. We consider the electrokinetic model based on the conservation principles, thus no conditions for Debye length or applied electric field is imposed. The fluid flow equations are coupled with the ion transport equations and the equation for the electric field. The occurrence of the induced nonuniform surface charge density on the outer surface of the inner core leads to a situation different from the existing analysis of a soft particle electrophoresis. The impact of this induced surface charge density together with the double-layer polarization and relaxation due to ion convection and electromigration is analyzed. The dielectric permittivity and the charge density of the core have a significant impact on the particle electrophoresis when the Debye length is in the order of the particle size. We find that by varying the ionic concentration of the electrolyte, the particle can exhibit reversal in its electrophoretic velocity. The role of the polymer layer softness parameter is addressed in the present analysis.

Soft Power and Higher Education: An Examination of China's Confucius Institutes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Rui

2010-01-01

China's global presence has become a significant subject. However, little attention has been directed to the role of higher education in projecting China's soft power, and little academic work has been done directly on it, despite the fact that there has been some work on related topics. Borrowing the theories of soft power and higher education…

Extreme ultraviolet and Soft X-ray diagnostic upgrade on the HBT-EP tokamak: Progress and Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desanto, S.; Levesque, J. P.; Battey, A.; Brooks, J. W.; Mauel, M. E.; Navratil, G. A.; Hansen, C. J.

2017-10-01

In order to understand internal MHD mode structure in a tokamak plasma, it is helpful to understand temperature and density fluctuations within that plasma. In the HBT-EP tokamak, the plasma emits bremsstrahlung radiation in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and soft x-ray (SXR) regimes, and the emitted power is primarily related to electron density and temperature. This radiation is detected by photodiode arrays located at several different angular positions near the plasma's edge, each array making several views through a poloidal slice of plasma. From these measurements a 2-d emissivity profile of that slice can be reconstructed with tomographic algorithms. This profile cannot directly tell us whether the emissivity is due to electron density, temperature, line emission, or charge recombination; however, when combined with information from other diagnostics, it can provide strong evidence of the type of internal mode or modes depending on the temporal-spatial context. We present ongoing progress and results on the installation of a new system that will eventually consist of four arrays of 16 views each and a separate two-color, 16-chord tangential system, which will provide an improved understanding of the internal structure of HBT-EP plasmas. Supported by U.S. DOE Grant DE-FG02-86ER5322.

The soft x-ray properties of a complete sample of optically selected quasars. 1: First results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laor, Ari; Fiore, Fabrizio; Elvis, Martin; Wilkes, Belinda J.; Mcdowell, Jonathan C.

1994-01-01

We present the results of ROSAT position sensitive proportional counter (PSPC) observations of 10 quasars. These objects are part of our ROSAT program to observe a complete sample of optically selected quasars. This sample includes all 23 quasars from the bright quasar survey with a redshift z less than or = 0.400 and a Galactic H I column density N(sup Gal sub H I) less than 1.9 x 10(exp 20)/sq cm. These selection criteria, combined with the high sensitivity and improved energy resolution of the PSPC, allow us to determine the soft (approximately 0.2-2 keV) X-ray spectra of quasars with about an order of magnitude higher precision compared with earlier soft X-ray observations. The following main results are obtained: Strong correlations are suggested between the soft X-ray spectral slope alpha(sub x) and the following emission line parameters: H beta Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM), L(sub O III), and the Fe II/H beta flux ratio. These correlations imply the following: (1) The quasar's environment is likely to be optically thin down to approximately 0.2 keV. (2) In most objects alpha(sub x) varies by less than approximately 10% on timescales shorter than a few years. (3) alpha(sub x) might be a useful absolute luminosity indicator in quasars. (4) The Galactic He I and H I column densities are well correlated. Most spectra are well characterized by a simple power law, with no evidence for either significant absorption excess or emission excess at low energies, to within approximately 30%. We find mean value of alpha(sub x) = -1.50 +/- 0.40, which is consistent with other ROSAT observations of quasars. However, this average is significantly steeper than suggested by earlier soft X-ray observations of the Einstein IPC. The 0.3 keV flux in our sample can be predicted to better than a factor of 2 once the 1.69 micrometer(s) flux is given. This implies that the X-ray variability power spectra of quasars flattens out between f approximately 10(exp -5) and f approximately 10(exp -8) Hz. A steep alpha(sub x) is mostly associated with a weak hard X-ray component, relative to the near-IR and optical emission, rather than a strong soft excess, and the scatter in the normalized 0.3 keV flux is significantly smaller than the scatter in the normalized 2 keV flux. This argues against either thin or thick accretion disks as the origin of the soft X-ray emission. Further possible implications of the results found here are briefly discussed.

Minnealloy: a new magnetic material with high saturation flux density and low magnetic anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehedi, Md; Jiang, Yanfeng; Suri, Pranav Kumar; Flannigan, David J.; Wang, Jian-Ping

2017-09-01

We are reporting a new soft magnetic material with high saturation magnetic flux density, and low magnetic anisotropy. The new material is a compound of iron, nitrogen and carbon, α‧-Fe8(NC), which has saturation flux density of 2.8  ±  0.15 T and magnetic anisotropy of 46 kJ m-3. The saturation flux density is 27% higher than pure iron, a widely used soft magnetic material. Soft magnetic materials are very important building blocks of motors, generators, inductors, transformers, sensors and write heads of hard disk. The new material will help in the miniaturization and efficiency increment of the next generation of electronic devices.

Saudi Arabias Implementation of Soft Power Policy to Confront Irans Obvious Threats

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

OBVIOUS THREATS Abdullah Khuliyf A. Alanazi Colonel, Saudi Arabia National Guard B.S., King Khalid Military College, 1993 Submitted in partial...inevitably growing power, particularly in the Persian Gulf, and throughout the Middle East. Such a situation advocates utilizing soft power as a new...www.educause.edu/ir/library/ pdf /ffpiu043. pdf , 34. 2 Giulio Gallarotti and Isam Yahia Al-Filali, “Saudi Arabia’s Soft Power.” International Studies 49

Soft X-ray maps of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, K. P.; Nousek, J. A.; Burrows, D. N.; Garmire, G. P.

1985-01-01

Soft X-ray maps of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) were obtained from scanning-observations with the HEAO-1 low energy detectors. Comparison of the 1/4 keV X-ray observations with the neutral hydrogen column densities in the LMC obtained from a 21 cm line survey, shows no evidence for absorption effects in the 1/4 keV X-ray flux from the LMC due to the neutral matter in the LMC. Instead, faint X-ray emission is detected from the LMC. The extent of this emission is smaller than the size of the halo or the disk of the LMC. Assuming this 1/4 keV emission to be diffuse, it is identified with a supergiant shell of optical nebulosity known as Shapley III, and the bar of the LMC. The X-ray luminosities of the regions are estimated to be 9 times 10 to the 38th power ergs/sec and 1.8 times 10 to the 39th power ergs/sec for the Shapley III region and the bar of the LMC respectively. Shapley III could be an X-ray superbubble.

Soft X-ray and cathodoluminescence measurement, optimisation and analysis at liquid nitrogen temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacRae, C. M.; Wilson, N. C.; Torpy, A.; Delle Piane, C.

2018-01-01

Advances in field emission gun electron microprobes have led to significant gains in the beam power density and when analysis at high resolution is required then low voltages are often selected. The resulting beam power can lead to damage and this can be minimised by cooling the sample down to cryogenic temperatures allowing sub-micrometre imaging using a variety of spectrometers. Recent advances in soft X-ray emission spectrometers (SXES) offer a spectral tool to measure both chemistry and bonding and when combined with spectral cathodoluminescence the complementary techniques enable new knowledge to be gained from both mineral and materials. Magnesium and aluminium metals have been examined at both room and liquid nitrogen temperatures by SXES and the L-emission Fermi-edge has been observed to sharpen at the lower temperatures directly confirming thermal broadening of the X-ray spectra. Gains in emission intensity and resolution have been observed in cathodoluminescence for liquid nitrogen cooled quartz grains compared to ambient temperature quartz. This has enabled subtle growth features at quartz to quartz-cement boundaries to be imaged for the first time.

Is the nonlipomatous component of dedifferentiated liposarcoma always soft tissue on CT? Analysis of CT densities and correlation with rate of growth in 60 patients.

PubMed

Tirumani, Sree Harsha; Wagner, Andrew J; Tirumani, Harika; Shinagare, Atul B; Jagannathan, Jyothi P; Hornick, Jason L; George, Suzanne; Ramaiya, Nikhil H

2015-06-01

To define the various CT densities of nonlipomatous component of dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDLPS) and to determine if the rate of growth varies with density. This study identified 60 patients with DDPLS (38 men, 22 women; mean age at diagnosis 59 years, range, 35-82 years) who had one or more resections. CT scan immediately before the surgical resection (presurgery) and up to a maximum of one year before the surgery (baseline) was reviewed by two radiologists to note the density of the nonlipomatous elements and rate of growth during that period. Clinical and histopathological data were extracted from electronic medical records. Rate of growth of various densities was compared using Kruskal-Wallis test. Three distinct densities of the nonlipomatous component were noted: soft tissue density (SD), fluid density (FD), and mixed density (MD). Of 109 lesions on the presurgery scan (SD = 78; MD = 22; FD = 9), scans at baseline were available for 72/109 lesions (SD = 49; MD = 14; FD = 9). Median growth rate/month without treatment, with chemotherapy, and with radiotherapy were 40%, 24%, and 62%, respectively, for SD lesions and 28%, 61%, and 52% for MD lesions. For FD lesions, it was 72% and 35%, respectively, without treatment and with chemotherapy. There was no statistical difference in the rate of growth of various densities. Density changed over time in 8/72 (11%) lesions, including 2/49 SD lesions (to MD), 1/14 MD lesions (to SD), and 5/9 FD lesions (to SD). DDLPS has three distinct CT densities of which soft tissue density is the most common. Despite not being statistically significant, fluid density lesions had rapid growth rate and often converted to soft tissue density in our study.

Analysis of Quasi-periodic Oscillations and Time Lag in Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources with XMM-Newton

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

Li, Zi-Jian; Xiao, Guang-Cheng; Zhang, Shu

We investigated the power density spectrum (PDS) and time lag of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) observed by XMM-Newton . We determined the PDSs for each ULX and found that five of them show intrinsic variability due to obvious quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of mHz–1 Hz, consistent with previous reports. We further investigated these five ULXs to determine their possible time lag. The ULX QPOs exhibit a soft time lag that is linearly related to the QPO frequency. We discuss the likelihood of the ULX QPOs being type-C QPO analogs, and the time lag models. The ULXs might harbor intermediate-mass black holesmore » if their QPOs are type-C QPO analogs. We suggest that the soft lag and the linearity may be due to reverberation.« less

Piezohydraulic Pump Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lynch, Christopher S.

2005-01-01

Reciprocating piston piezohydraulic pumps were developed originally under the Smart Wing Phase II program (Lynch) and later under the CHAP program (CSA, Kinetic Ceramics). These pumps focused on 10 cm scale stack actuators operating below resonance and, more recently, at resonance. A survey of commercially available linear actuators indicates that obtaining power density and specific power greater than electromagnetic linear actuators requires driving the stacks at frequencies greater than 1 KHz at high fields. In the case of 10 cm scale actuators the power supply signal conditioning becomes large and heavy and the soft PZT stack actuators generate a lot of heat due to internal losses. Reciprocation frequencies can be increased and material losses significantly decreased through use of millimeter scale single crystal stack actuators. We are presently targeting the design of pumps that utilize stacks at the 1-10 mm length scale and run at reciprocating frequencies of 20kHz or greater. This offers significant advantages over current approaches including eliminating audible noise and significantly increasing the power density and specific power of the system (including electronics). The pump currently under development will comprise an LC resonant drive of a resonant crystal and head mass operating against a resonant fluid column. Each of these resonant systems are high Q and together should produce a single high Q second order system.

Variable soft X-ray excesses in active galactic nuclei from nonthermal electron-positron pair cascades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Coppi, Paolo S.

1991-01-01

In the present study of the formation of steep soft X-ray excesses that are superposed on flatter, hard X-ray power-law spectra in nonthermal electron-positron pair cascade sources, the soft excess in pair-cascade AGN models appears as a steep power law superposed on the tail of the UV bump and the flat nonthermal (hard X-ray) power law. The model-parameter space in which an excess in soft X-rays is visible is ascertained, and the time-variability of soft excesses in pair cascade models is examined. It is established that the parameter space in which soft excesses appear encompasses the range of preferred input parameters for a recently development Compton reflection model of UV and X-ray emission from the central engine of an AGN.

The Swift Burst Alert Telescope Detected Seyfert 1 Galaxies: X-Ray Broadband Properties and Warm Absorbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winter, Lisa M.; Veilleux, Sylvain; McKernan, Barry; Kallman, T.

2012-01-01

We present results from an analysis of the broadband, 0.3-195 keV, X-ray spectra of 48 Seyfert 1-1.5 sources detected in the very hard X-rays with the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). This sample is selected in an all-sky survey conducted in the 14-195 keV band. Therefore, our sources are largely unbiased toward both obscuration and host galaxy properties. Our detailed and uniform model fits to Suzaku/BAT and XMM-Newton/BAT spectra include the neutral absorption, direct power-law, reflected emission, soft excess, warm absorption, and narrow Fe I K[alpha] emission properties for the entire sample. We significantly detect O VII and O VIII edges in 52% of our sample. The strength of these detections is strongly correlated with the neutral column density measured in the spectrum. Among the strongest detections, X-ray grating and UV observations, where available, indicate outflowing material. The ionized column densities of sources with O VII and O VIII detections are clustered in a narrow range with Nwarm [approx] 1021 cm-2, while sources without strong detections have column densities of ionized gas an order of magnitude lower. Therefore, we note that sources without strong detections likely have warm ionized outflows present but at low column densities that are not easily probed with current X-ray observations. Sources with strong complex absorption have a strong soft excess, which may or may not be due to difficulties in modeling the complex spectra of these sources. Still, the detection of a flat [Gamma] [approx] 1 and a strong soft excess may allow us to infer the presence of strong absorption in low signal-to-noise active galactic nucleus spectra. Additionally, we include a useful correction from the Swift BAT luminosity to bolometric luminosity, based on a comparison of our spectral fitting results with published spectral energy distribution fits from 33 of our sources.

Reducing Spatial Data Complexity for Classification Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruta, Dymitr; Gabrys, Bogdan

2007-11-01

Intelligent data analytics gradually becomes a day-to-day reality of today's businesses. However, despite rapidly increasing storage and computational power current state-of-the-art predictive models still can not handle massive and noisy corporate data warehouses. What is more adaptive and real-time operational environment requires multiple models to be frequently retrained which further hinders their use. Various data reduction techniques ranging from data sampling up to density retention models attempt to address this challenge by capturing a summarised data structure, yet they either do not account for labelled data or degrade the classification performance of the model trained on the condensed dataset. Our response is a proposition of a new general framework for reducing the complexity of labelled data by means of controlled spatial redistribution of class densities in the input space. On the example of Parzen Labelled Data Compressor (PLDC) we demonstrate a simulatory data condensation process directly inspired by the electrostatic field interaction where the data are moved and merged following the attracting and repelling interactions with the other labelled data. The process is controlled by the class density function built on the original data that acts as a class-sensitive potential field ensuring preservation of the original class density distributions, yet allowing data to rearrange and merge joining together their soft class partitions. As a result we achieved a model that reduces the labelled datasets much further than any competitive approaches yet with the maximum retention of the original class densities and hence the classification performance. PLDC leaves the reduced dataset with the soft accumulative class weights allowing for efficient online updates and as shown in a series of experiments if coupled with Parzen Density Classifier (PDC) significantly outperforms competitive data condensation methods in terms of classification performance at the comparable compression levels.

The correlation between fragility, density, and atomic interaction in glass-forming liquids

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

Wang, Lijin; Guan, Pengfei, E-mail: pguan@csrc.ac.cn; Wang, W. H.

2016-07-21

The fragility that controls the temperature-dependent viscous properties of liquids as the glass transition is approached, in various glass-forming liquids with different softness of the repulsive part of atomic interactions at different densities, is investigated by molecular dynamic simulations. We show that the landscape of fragility in purely repulsive systems can be separated into three regions denoted as R{sub I,} R{sub II}, and R{sub III}, respectively, with qualitatively disparate dynamic behaviors: R{sub I} which can be described by “softness makes strong glasses,” R{sub II} where fragility is independent of softness and can only be tuned by density, and R{sub III}more » with constant fragility, suggesting that density plays an unexpected role for understanding the repulsive softness dependence of fragility. What is more important is that we unify the long-standing inconsistence with respect to the repulsive softness dependence of fragility by observing that a glass former can be tuned more fragile if nonperturbative attraction is added into it. Moreover, we find that the vastly dissimilar influences of attractive interaction on fragility could be estimated from the structural properties of related zero-temperature glasses.« less

Which soft contact lens power is better for piggyback fitting in keratoconus?

PubMed

Romero-Jiménez, Miguel; Santodomingo-Rubido, Jacinto; Flores-Rodríguez, Patricia; González-Méijome, Jose Manuel

2013-02-01

To evaluate the impact of differente soft contact lens power in the anterior corneal curvature and regularity in subjects with keratoconus. Nineteen subjects (30 eyes) with keratoconus were included in the study. Six corneal topographies were taken with Pentacam Eye System over the naked eye and successively with soft lens (Senofilcon A) powers of -3.00, -1.50, 0.00, +1.50 and +3.00 D. Corneal measurements of mean central keratometry (MCK), maximum tangential curvature (TK), maximum front elevation (MFE) and eccentricity (Ecc) at 6 and 8 mm diameters as well as anterior corneal surface high order aberrations (i.e. total RMS, spherical- and coma-like and secondary astigmatism) were evaluated. Negative- and plano-powered soft lenses flattened (p<0.05 in all cases), whereas positive-powered lenses did not induce any significant changes (p>0.05 in all cases) in MCK in comparison to the naked eye. The TK power decreased with negative lenses (p<0.05 in both cases) and increased with +3.00 D lenses (p=0.03) in comparison to the naked eye. No statistically significant differences were found in MFE with any soft lens power in comparison to the naked eye (p>0.05 in all cases). Corneal eccentricity increased at 8 mm diameter for all lens powers (p<0.05 in all cases). No statistically differences were found in HOA RMS and spherical-like aberration (both p>0.05). Statistically differences were found in coma-like and secondary astigmatism (both p<0.05). Negative-powered soft contact lenses provide a flatter anterior surface in comparison to positive-powered lenses in subjects with keratoconus and thus they might be more suitable for piggyback contact lens fitting. Copyright © 2012 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of degradation effects induced by gamma radiation and electron beam radiation in two cable jacketing materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartoníček, B.; Plaček, V.; Hnát, V.

2007-05-01

The radiation degradation behavior of commercial low density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethylene-vinylacetate (EVA) cable materials has been investigated. The changes of mechanical properties, thermooxidative stability and density exhibit different radiation stability towards 60Co-gamma radiation and 160 keV electron beam radiation. This difference reflects much higher penetration of the gamma radiation through the polymeric material as a function of sample thickness. These results are discussed with respect to the role of beta radiation during design basis events in a nuclear power plants. In case when total accidental design basis event (DBE) dose (involving about 80% soft beta radiation) is simulated by 60Co-gamma radiation the conservatism is reached.

Superstatistical generalised Langevin equation: non-Gaussian viscoelastic anomalous diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ślęzak, Jakub; Metzler, Ralf; Magdziarz, Marcin

2018-02-01

Recent advances in single particle tracking and supercomputing techniques demonstrate the emergence of normal or anomalous, viscoelastic diffusion in conjunction with non-Gaussian distributions in soft, biological, and active matter systems. We here formulate a stochastic model based on a generalised Langevin equation in which non-Gaussian shapes of the probability density function and normal or anomalous diffusion have a common origin, namely a random parametrisation of the stochastic force. We perform a detailed analysis demonstrating how various types of parameter distributions for the memory kernel result in exponential, power law, or power-log law tails of the memory functions. The studied system is also shown to exhibit a further unusual property: the velocity has a Gaussian one point probability density but non-Gaussian joint distributions. This behaviour is reflected in the relaxation from a Gaussian to a non-Gaussian distribution observed for the position variable. We show that our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with stochastic simulations.

Density Affects the Nature of the Hexatic-Liquid Transition in Two-Dimensional Melting of Soft-Core Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zu, Mengjie; Liu, Jun; Tong, Hua; Xu, Ning

2016-08-01

We find that both continuous and discontinuous hexatic-liquid transitions can happen in the melting of two-dimensional solids of soft-core disks. For three typical model systems, Hertzian, harmonic, and Gaussian-core models, we observe the same scenarios. These systems exhibit reentrant crystallization (melting) with a maximum melting temperature Tm happening at a crossover density ρm. The hexatic-liquid transition at a density smaller than ρm is discontinuous. Liquid and hexatic phases coexist in a density interval, which becomes narrower with increasing temperature and tends to vanish approximately at Tm. Above ρm, the transition is continuous, in agreement with the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory. For these soft-core systems, the nature of the hexatic-liquid transition depends on density (pressure), with the melting at ρm being a plausible transition point from discontinuous to continuous hexatic-liquid transition.

Smart power. Great leaders know when hard power is not enough.

PubMed

Nye, Joseph S

2008-11-01

The next U.S. administration will face enormous challenges to world peace, the global economy, and the environment. Exercising military and economic muscle alone will not bring peace and prosperity. According to Nye, a former U.S. government official and a former dean at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, the next president must be able to combine hard power, characterized by coercion, and what Nye calls "soft" power, which relies instead on attraction. The result is smart power, a tool great leaders use to mobilize people around agendas that look beyond current problems. Hard power is often necessary, Nye explains. In the 1990s, when the Taliban was providing refuge to Al Oaeda, President Clinton tried---and failed--to solve the problem diplomatically instead of destroying terrorist havens in Afghanistan. In other situations, however, soft power is more effective, though it has been too often overlooked. In Iraq, Nye argues, the use of soft power could draw young people toward something other than terrorism. "I think that there's an awakening to the need for soft power as people look at the crisis in the Middle East and begin to realize that hard power is not sufficient to resolve it," he says. Solving today's global problems will require smart power--a judicious blend of the other two powers. While there are notable examples of men who have used smart power--Teddy Roosevelt, for instance--it's much more difficult for women to lead with smart power, especially in the United States, where women feel pressure to prove that they are not "soft." Only by exercising smart power, Nye says, can the next president of the United States set a new tone for U.S. foreign policy in this century.

Optical design of soft multifocal contact lens with uniform optical power in center-distance zone with optimized NURBS.

PubMed

Vu, Lien T; Chen, Chao-Chang A; Yu, Chia-Wei

2018-02-05

This study aims to develop a new optical design method of soft multifocal contact lens (CLs) to obtain uniform optical power in large center-distance zone with optimized Non-Uniform Rational B-spline (NURBS). For the anterior surface profiles of CLs, the NURBS design curves are optimized to match given optical power distributions. Then, the NURBS in the center-distance zones are fitted in the corresponding spherical/aspheric curves for both data points and their centers of curvature to achieve the uniform power. Four cases of soft CLs have been manufactured by casting in shell molds by injection molding and then measured to verify the design specifications. Results of power profiles of these CLs are concord with the given clinical requirements of uniform powers in larger center-distance zone. The developed optical design method has been verified for multifocal CLs design and can be further applied for production of soft multifocal CLs.

Free-beam and contact laser soft-tissue ablation in urology.

PubMed

Tan, Andrew H H; Gilling, Peter J

2003-10-01

The ablation of tissue by laser has several applications in urology. Most of the published research has been concerned with the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Other applications studied include superficial upper- and lower-tract transitional-cell carcinoma, urethral and ureteral strictures, ureteropelvic junction stenosis, and posterior urethral valves. The attraction of laser ablation for the treatment of BPH lies with the decreased morbidity in comparison with standard transurethral electrocautery resection of the prostate and the ability to remove tissue immediately and therefore allow a more rapid progression to catheter removal and early voiding. The three main laser wavelengths used in urology for tissue ablation are the neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet when used with contact tips or high-density power settings, the potassium-titanyl-phosphate, and the holmium:YAG. This article reviews the published literature on the use of these laser wavelengths in soft-tissue ablation, focusing on the treatment of BPH.

Morphology controlled synthesis of monodisperse cobalt hydroxide for supercapacitor with high performance and long cycle life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yongfu; Liu, Yanyan; Yu, Shengxue; Mu, Shichun; Xiao, Shaohua; Zhao, Yufeng; Gao, Faming

2014-06-01

A facile hydrothermal process with hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as the soft template is proposed to tune the morphology and size of cobalt hydroxide (Co(OH)2). Monodisperse β-phase Co(OH)2 nanowires with uniform size are obtained by controlling the CTAB content and the reaction time. Due to the uniform well-defined morphology and stable structure, the Co(OH)2 nanowires material exhibits high capacitive performance and long cycle life. The specific capacitance of the Co(OH)2 nanowires electrode is 358 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, and even 325 F g-1 at 10 A g-1. The specific capacitance retention is 86.3% after 5000 charge-discharge cycles at 2 A g-1. Moreover, the asymmetric supercapacitor is assembled with Co(OH)2 nanowires and nitrite acid treated activated carbon (NTAC), which shows an energy density of 13.6 Wh kg-1 at the power density of 153 W kg-1 under a high voltage of 1.6 V, and 13.1 Wh kg-1 even at the power density of 1.88 kW kg-1.

Applicability of Shape Memory Alloy Wire for an Active, Soft Orthotic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stirling, Leia; Yu, Chih-Han; Miller, Jason; Hawkes, Elliot; Wood, Robert; Goldfield, Eugene; Nagpal, Radhika

2011-07-01

Current treatments for gait pathologies associated with neuromuscular disorders may employ a passive, rigid brace. While these provide certain benefits, they can also cause muscle atrophy. In this study, we examined NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) wires that were annealed into springs to develop an active, soft orthotic (ASO) for the knee. Actively controlled SMA springs may provide variable assistances depending on factors such as when, during the gait cycle, the springs are activated; ongoing muscle activity level; and needs of the wearer. Unlike a passive brace, an active orthotic may provide individualized control, assisting the muscles so that they may be used more appropriately, and possibly leading to a re-education of the neuro-motor system and eventual independence from the orthotic system. A prototype was tested on a suspended, robotic leg to simulate the swing phase of a typical gait. The total deflection generated by the orthotic depended on the knee angle and the total number of actuators triggered, with a max deflection of 35°. While SMA wires have a high energy density, they require a significant amount of power. Furthermore, the loaded SMA spring response times were much longer than the natural frequency of an average gait for the power conditions tested. While the SMA wires are not appropriate for correction of gait pathologies as currently implemented, the ability to have a soft, actuated material could be appropriate for slower timescale applications.

Autonomous undulatory serpentine locomotion utilizing body dynamics of a fluidic soft robot.

PubMed

Onal, Cagdas D; Rus, Daniela

2013-06-01

Soft robotics offers the unique promise of creating inherently safe and adaptive systems. These systems bring man-made machines closer to the natural capabilities of biological systems. An important requirement to enable self-contained soft mobile robots is an on-board power source. In this paper, we present an approach to create a bio-inspired soft robotic snake that can undulate in a similar way to its biological counterpart using pressure for actuation power, without human intervention. With this approach, we develop an autonomous soft snake robot with on-board actuation, power, computation and control capabilities. The robot consists of four bidirectional fluidic elastomer actuators in series to create a traveling curvature wave from head to tail along its body. Passive wheels between segments generate the necessary frictional anisotropy for forward locomotion. It takes 14 h to build the soft robotic snake, which can attain an average locomotion speed of 19 mm s(-1).

Structure Analysis of Jungle-Gym-Type Gels by Brownian Dynamics Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohta, Noriyoshi; Ono, Kohki; Takasu, Masako; Furukawa, Hidemitsu

2008-02-01

We investigated the structure and the formation process of two kinds of gels by Brownian dynamics simulation. The effect of flexibility of main chain oligomer was studied. From our results, hard gel with rigid main chain forms more homogeneous network structure than soft gel with flexible main chain. In soft gel, many small loops are formed, and clusters tend to shrink. This heterogeneous network structure may be caused by microgels. In the low density case, soft gel shows more heterogeneity than the high density case.

The 1.5 Ms observing campaign on IRAS 13224-3809 - I. X-ray spectral analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, J.; Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C.; Alston, W. N.; Buisson, D. J. K.; Cackett, E. M.; Chiang, C.-Y.; Dauser, T.; Gallo, L. C.; García, J. A.; Harrison, F. A.; Lohfink, A. M.; De Marco, B.; Kara, E.; Miller, J. M.; Miniutti, G.; Pinto, C.; Walton, D. J.; Wilkins, D. R.

2018-07-01

We present a detailed spectral analysis of the recent 1.5 Ms XMM-Newton observing campaign on the narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 13224-3809, taken simultaneously with 500 ks of NuSTAR data. The X-ray light curve shows three flux peaks, registering at about 100 times the minimum flux seen during the campaign, and rapid variability with a time-scale of kiloseconds. The spectra are well fit with a primary power-law continuum, two relativistic-blurred reflection components from the inner accretion disc with very high iron abundance, and a simple blackbody-shaped model for the remaining soft excess. The spectral variability is dominated by the power-law continuum from a corona region within a few gravitational radii from the black hole. Additionally, blueshifted Ne X, Mg XII, Si XIV, and S XVI absorption lines are identified in the stacked low-flux spectrum, confirming the presence of a highly ionized outflow with velocity up to v = 0.267 and 0.225 c. We fit the absorption features with xstar models and find a relatively constant velocity outflow through the whole observation. Finally, we replace the bbody and supersolar abundance reflection models by fitting the soft excess successfully with the extended reflection model relxillD, which allows for higher densities than the standard relxill model. This returns a disc electron density ne > 1018.7 cm-3 and lowers the iron abundance from Z_Fe = 24^{+3}_{-4} Z_{⊙} with ne ≡ 1015 cm-3 to Z_Fe = 6.6^{+0.8}_{-2.1} Z_{⊙}.

Hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic actuators with muscle-like performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acome, E.; Mitchell, S. K.; Morrissey, T. G.; Emmett, M. B.; Benjamin, C.; King, M.; Radakovitz, M.; Keplinger, C.

2018-01-01

Existing soft actuators have persistent challenges that restrain the potential of soft robotics, highlighting a need for soft transducers that are powerful, high-speed, efficient, and robust. We describe a class of soft actuators, termed hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic (HASEL) actuators, which harness a mechanism that couples electrostatic and hydraulic forces to achieve a variety of actuation modes. We introduce prototypical designs of HASEL actuators and demonstrate their robust, muscle-like performance as well as their ability to repeatedly self-heal after dielectric breakdown—all using widely available materials and common fabrication techniques. A soft gripper handling delicate objects and a self-sensing artificial muscle powering a robotic arm illustrate the wide potential of HASEL actuators for next-generation soft robotic devices.

SU-C-213-01: 3D Printed Patient Specific Phantom Composed of Bone and Soft Tissue Substitute Plastics for Radiation Therapy

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

Ehler, E; Sterling, D; Higgins, P

Purpose: 3D printed phantoms constructed of multiple tissue approximating materials could be useful in both clinical and research aspects of radiotherapy. This work describes a 3D printed phantom constructed with tissue substitute plastics for both bone and soft tissue; air cavities were included as well. Methods: 3D models of an anonymized nasopharynx patient were generated for air cavities, soft tissues, and bone, which were segmented by Hounsfield Unit (HU) thresholds. HU thresholds were chosen to define air-to-soft tissue boundaries of 0.65 g/cc and soft tissue-to-bone boundaries of 1.18 g/cc based on clinical HU to density tables. After evaluation of severalmore » composite plastics, a bone tissue substitute was identified as an acceptable material for typical radiotherapy x-ray energies, composed of iron and PLA plastic. PET plastic was determined to be an acceptable soft tissue substitute. 3D printing was performed on a consumer grade dual extrusion fused deposition model 3D printer. Results: MVCT scans of the 3D printed heterogeneous phantom were acquired. Rigid image registration of the patient and the 3D printed phantom scans was performed. The average physical density of the soft tissue and bone regions was 1.02 ± 0.08 g/cc and 1.39 ± 0.14 g/cc, respectively, for the patient kVCT scan. In the 3D printed phantom MVCT scan, the average density of the soft tissue and bone was 1.01 ± 0.09 g/cc and 1.44 ± 0.12 g/cc, respectively. Conclusion: A patient specific phantom, constructed of heterogeneous tissue substitute materials was constructed by 3D printing. MVCT of the 3D printed phantom showed realistic tissue densities were recreated by the 3D printing materials. Funding provided by intra-department grant by University of Minnesota Department of Radiation Oncology.« less

Production of dense plasmas in a hypocycloidal pinch apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J. H.; Mcfarland, D. R.; Hohl, F.

1977-01-01

A high-power pinch apparatus consisting of disk electrodes was developed, and diagnostic measurements to study its mechanism of dense plasma production have been made. The collapse fronts of the current sheets are well organized, and dense plasma foci are produced on the axis with radial stability in excess of 5 microsec. A plasma density greater than 10 to the 18th power per cu cm is determined with Stark broadening and CO2 laser absorption. Essentially complete absorption of a high-energy CO2 laser beam has been observed. A plasma temperature of approximately 1 keV is measured with differential transmission of soft X-rays through thin foils. The advantages of this apparatus over the coaxial plasma focus are improvements in (1) plasma volume, (2) stability, (3) containment time, (4) access to additional heating by laser or electron beams, and (5) the possibility of scaling up to a multiple array for high-power operation.

Dense plasma focus production in a hypocycloidal pinch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J. H.; Mcfarland, D. R.; Hohl, F.

1975-01-01

A type of high-power pinch apparatus consisting of disk electrodes was developed, and diagnostic measurements to study its mechanism of dense plasma production were made. The collapse fronts of the current sheets are well organized, and dense plasma focuses are produced on the axis with radial stability in excess of 5 microns. A plasma density greater than 10 to the 18th power/cubic cm was determined with Stark broadening and CO2 laser absorption. A plasma temperature of approximately 1 keV was measured with differential transmission of soft X-rays through thin foils. Essentially complete absorption of a high-energy CO2 laser beam was observed. The advantages of this apparatus over the coaxial plasma focus are in (1) the plasma volume, (2) the stability, (3) the containment time, (4) the easy access to additional heating by laser or electron beams, and (5) the possibility of scaling up to a multiple array for high-power operation.

Soft-Starting Power-Factor Motor Controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nola, F. J.

1983-01-01

Three-phase power-factor controller with soft start is based on earlier version that does not control starting transients. Additional components serve to turn off "run" command signal and substitute gradual startup command signal during preset startup interval. Improved controller reduces large current surge that usually accompanies starting. Controller applies power smoothly, without causing motor vibrations.

Energetics and timing of the hard and soft X-ray emissions in white light flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neidig, Donald F.; Kane, Sharad R.

1993-01-01

By comparing the light curves in optical, hard X-ray, and soft X-ray wavelengths for eight well-observed flares, we confirm previous results indicating that the white light flare (WLF) is associated with the flare impulsive phase. The WLF emission peaks within seconds after the associated hard X-ray peak, and nearly two minutes before the 1-8 A soft X-ray peak. It is further shown that the peak power in nonthermal electrons above 50 keV is typically an order of magnitude larger, and the power in 1-8 A soft X-rays radiated over 2pi sr, at the time of the WLF peak, is an order of magnitude smaller than the peak WLF power.

Human eye-inspired soft optoelectronic device using high-density MoS2-graphene curved image sensor array.

PubMed

Choi, Changsoon; Choi, Moon Kee; Liu, Siyi; Kim, Min Sung; Park, Ok Kyu; Im, Changkyun; Kim, Jaemin; Qin, Xiaoliang; Lee, Gil Ju; Cho, Kyoung Won; Kim, Myungbin; Joh, Eehyung; Lee, Jongha; Son, Donghee; Kwon, Seung-Hae; Jeon, Noo Li; Song, Young Min; Lu, Nanshu; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2017-11-21

Soft bioelectronic devices provide new opportunities for next-generation implantable devices owing to their soft mechanical nature that leads to minimal tissue damages and immune responses. However, a soft form of the implantable optoelectronic device for optical sensing and retinal stimulation has not been developed yet because of the bulkiness and rigidity of conventional imaging modules and their composing materials. Here, we describe a high-density and hemispherically curved image sensor array that leverages the atomically thin MoS 2 -graphene heterostructure and strain-releasing device designs. The hemispherically curved image sensor array exhibits infrared blindness and successfully acquires pixelated optical signals. We corroborate the validity of the proposed soft materials and ultrathin device designs through theoretical modeling and finite element analysis. Then, we propose the ultrathin hemispherically curved image sensor array as a promising imaging element in the soft retinal implant. The CurvIS array is applied as a human eye-inspired soft implantable optoelectronic device that can detect optical signals and apply programmed electrical stimulation to optic nerves with minimum mechanical side effects to the retina.

Adsorption-desorption kinetics of soft particles onto surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osberg, Brendan; Gerland, Ulrich

A broad range of physical, chemical, and biological systems feature processes in which particles randomly adsorb on a substrate. Theoretical models usually assume ``hard'' (mutually impenetrable) particles, but in soft matter physics the adsorbing particles can be effectively compressible, implying ``soft'' interaction potentials. We recently studied the kinetics of such soft particles adsorbing onto one-dimensional substrates, identifying three novel phenomena: (i) a gradual density increase, or ''cramming'', replaces the usual jamming behavior of hard particles, (ii) a density overshoot, can occur (only for soft particles) on a time scale set by the desorption rate, and (iii) relaxation rates of soft particles increase with particle size (on a lattice), while hard particles show the opposite trend. The latter occurs since unjamming requires desorption and many-bodied reorganization to equilibrate -a process that is generally very slow. Here we extend this analysis to a two-dimensional substrate, focusing on the question of whether the adsorption-desorption kinetics of particles in two dimensions is similarly enriched by the introduction of soft interactions. Application to experiments, for example the adsorption of fibrinogen on two-dimensional surfaces, will be discussed.

Transforming from Economic Power to Soft Power: Challenges for Managing Education for Migrant Workers' Children and Human Capital in Chinese Cities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mok, Ka Ho; Wong, Yu Cheung; Guo, Yu

2011-01-01

In July 2010, the State Council of the People's Republic of China published an "Outline for National Educational Development" with a strong conviction to transform China from an economic power into a country of "soft power" and "strength in human resources". In order to realize such a policy goal, the Chinese…

Extensive Broadband X-Ray Monitoring During the Formation of a Giant Radio Jet Base in Cyg X-3 with AstroSat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pahari, Mayukh; Yadav, J. S.; Verdhan Chauhan, Jai; Rawat, Divya; Misra, Ranjeev; Agrawal, P. C.; Chandra, Sunil; Bagri, Kalyani; Jain, Pankaj; Manchanda, R. K.; Chitnis, Varsha; Bhattacharyya, Sudip

2018-01-01

We present X-ray spectral and timing behavior of Cyg X-3 as observed by AstroSat during the onset of a giant radio flare on 2017 April 1–2. Within a timescale of a few hours, the source shows a transition from the hypersoft state (HPS) to a more luminous state (we termed as the very high state), which coincides with the time of the steep rise in radio flux density by an order of magnitude. Modeling the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) and Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) spectra jointly in 0.5–70.0 keV, we found that the first few hours of the observation is dominated by the HPS with no significant counts above 17 keV. Later, an additional flat power-law component suddenly appeared in the spectra that extends to very high energies with the power-law photon index of {1.49}-0.03+0.04. Such a flat power-law component has never been reported from Cyg X-3. Interestingly the fitted power-law model in 25–70 keV, when extrapolated to the radio frequency, predicts the radio flux density to be consistent with the trend measured from the RATAN-600 telescope at 11.2 GHz. This provides direct evidence of the synchrotron origin of flat X-ray power-law component and the most extensive monitoring of the broadband X-ray behavior at the moment of decoupling the giant radio jet base from the compact object in Cyg X-3. Using SXT and LAXPC observations, we determine the giant flare ejection time as MJD 57845.34 ± 0.08 when 11.2 GHz radio flux density increases from ∼100 to ∼478 mJy.

A Chandra X-ray Study of Cygnus A. 2; The Nucleus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, Andrew J.; Wilson, Andrew; Terashima, Yuichi; Arnaud, Keith A.; Smith, David A.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We report Chandra Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer and quasi-simultaneous Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the nearby, powerful radio galaxy Cygnus A, with the present paper focusing on the properties of the active nucleus. In the Chandra observation, the hard (less than a few keV) X-ray emission is spatially unresolved with a size is approximately 1" (1.5 kpc, H(sub 0) = 50 km/s/Mpc) and coincides with the radio and near-infrared nuclei. In contrast, the soft (less than 2 keV) emission exhibits a bipolar nebulosity that aligns with the optical bipolar continuum and emission-line structures and approximately with the radio jet. In particular, the soft X-ray emission corresponds very well with the [O III] (lambda)5007 and H(alpha) + [N II] lambda(lambda)6548, 6583 nebulosity imaged with Hubble Space Telescope. At the location of the nucleus, there is only weak soft X-ray emission, an effect that may be intrinsic or result from a dust lane that crosses the nucleus perpendicular to the source axis. The spectra of the various X-ray components have been obtained by simultaneous fits to the six detectors. The compact nucleus is detected to 100 keV and is well described by a heavily absorbed power-law spectrum with Gamma(sub h) = 1.52(sup + 0.12, sub -0.12) (similar to other 0.12 narrow-line radio galaxies) and equivalent hydrogen column N(sub H)(nuc) = 2.0(sup +0.1, sub -0.1) x 10(exp 23)/sq cm. This 0.2 column is compatible with the dust obscuration to the near-infrared source for a normal gas-to-dust ratio. The soft (less than 2 keV) emission from the nucleus may be described by a power-law spectrum with the same index (i.e., Gamma(sub l) = Gamma(sub h), although direct fits suggest a slightly larger value for Gamma(sub l). Narrow emission lines from highly ionized neon and silicon, as well as a "neutral" Fe K(alpha) line, are detected in the nucleus and its vicinity (r approximately less than 2 kpc). The equivalent width (EW) of the Fe K(alpha) line (182(sup +40, sub -54) eV) is in good agreement with theoretical predictions for the EW versus N(sub H)(nuc) relationship in various geometries. An Fe K edge is also seen. The RXTE observations indicate a temperature of kT = 6.9(sup +0., sub -1.0) keV for the cluster gas (discussed in Paper III of this series) and cluster emission lines of Fe K(alpha) and Fe K(beta) and/or Ni K(alpha). We consider the possibility that the extended soft X-ray emission is electron-scattered nuclear radiation. Given that 1% of the unabsorbed 2 - 10 keV nuclear radiation would have to be scattered, the necessary gas column [N(sub H)(Scattering) approx. = 3.5 x 10(exp 22)/sq cm] would absorb the X-rays rather than scatter them if the gas is cold. Thus, the scattering plasma must be highly ionized. If this ionization is achieved through photoionization by the nucleus, the ionization parameter zeta greater than 1 ergs cm/s and the electron density n(sub e) approx. = 6 cc given the observed distance of the soft X-ray emission from the nucleus. The electron column density inferred from the X-ray observations is much too low to account for the extended optical scattered light, strongly suggesting that the polarized optical light is scattered by dust. The presence of highly ionized Ne lines in the soft X-ray spectrum requires 20 ergs cm/s approximately less than zeta approximately less than 300 ergs cm/s these lines may originate closer to the nucleus than the extended soft continuum or in a lower density gas. A collisionally ionized thermal model of the extended soft X-rays cannot be ruled out but is unattractive in view of the low metal abundance required (Z = 0.03 Z(mass)). The hard X-ray to far-infrared ratio for the nucleus of Cygnus A is similar to that seen in Seyfert 1 and unobscured radio galaxies. By means of the correlation between hard X-ray luminosity and nuclear optical absolute magnitude for these classes of object, we estimate M(sub B) = -22.4 for Cygnus A, near the .borderline between Seyfert galaxies and QSOs.

Metal Amorphous Nanocomposite (MANC) Alloy Cores with Spatially Tuned Permeability for Advanced Power Magnetics Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byerly, K.; Ohodnicki, P. R.; Moon, S. R.; Leary, A. M.; Keylin, V.; McHenry, M. E.; Simizu, S.; Beddingfield, R.; Yu, Y.; Feichter, G.; Noebe, R.; Bowman, R.; Bhattacharya, S.

2018-04-01

Metal amorphous nanocomposite (MANC) alloys are an emerging class of soft magnetic materials showing promise for a range of inductive components targeted for higher power density and higher efficiency power conversion applications including inductors, transformers, and rotating electrical machinery. Magnetization reversal mechanisms within these alloys are typically determined by composition optimization as well as controlled annealing treatments to generate a nanocomposite structure composed of nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous precursor. Here we demonstrate the concept of spatially varying the permeability within a given component for optimization of performance by using the strain annealing process. The concept is realized experimentally through the smoothing of the flux profile from the inner to outer core radius achieved by a monotonic variation in tension during the strain annealing process. Great potential exists for an extension of this concept to a wide range of other power magnetic components and more complex spatially varying permeability profiles through advances in strain annealing techniques and controls.

Metal Amorphous Nanocomposite (MANC) Alloy Cores with Spatially Tuned Permeability for Advanced Power Magnetics Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byerly, K.; Ohodnicki, P. R.; Moon, S. R.; Leary, A. M.; Keylin, V.; McHenry, M. E.; Simizu, S.; Beddingfield, R.; Yu, Y.; Feichter, G.; Noebe, R.; Bowman, R.; Bhattacharya, S.

2018-06-01

Metal amorphous nanocomposite (MANC) alloys are an emerging class of soft magnetic materials showing promise for a range of inductive components targeted for higher power density and higher efficiency power conversion applications including inductors, transformers, and rotating electrical machinery. Magnetization reversal mechanisms within these alloys are typically determined by composition optimization as well as controlled annealing treatments to generate a nanocomposite structure composed of nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous precursor. Here we demonstrate the concept of spatially varying the permeability within a given component for optimization of performance by using the strain annealing process. The concept is realized experimentally through the smoothing of the flux profile from the inner to outer core radius achieved by a monotonic variation in tension during the strain annealing process. Great potential exists for an extension of this concept to a wide range of other power magnetic components and more complex spatially varying permeability profiles through advances in strain annealing techniques and controls.

Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering.

PubMed

Wu, Jinpeng; Sallis, Shawn; Qiao, Ruimin; Li, Qinghao; Zhuo, Zengqing; Dai, Kehua; Guo, Zixuan; Yang, Wanli

2018-04-17

Energy storage has become more and more a limiting factor of today's sustainable energy applications, including electric vehicles and green electric grid based on volatile solar and wind sources. The pressing demand of developing high-performance electrochemical energy storage solutions, i.e., batteries, relies on both fundamental understanding and practical developments from both the academy and industry. The formidable challenge of developing successful battery technology stems from the different requirements for different energy-storage applications. Energy density, power, stability, safety, and cost parameters all have to be balanced in batteries to meet the requirements of different applications. Therefore, multiple battery technologies based on different materials and mechanisms need to be developed and optimized. Incisive tools that could directly probe the chemical reactions in various battery materials are becoming critical to advance the field beyond its conventional trial-and-error approach. Here, we present detailed protocols for soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (sXAS), soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (sXES), and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) experiments, which are inherently elemental-sensitive probes of the transition-metal 3d and anion 2p states in battery compounds. We provide the details on the experimental techniques and demonstrations revealing the key chemical states in battery materials through these soft X-ray spectroscopy techniques.

Small scale H I structure and the soft X-ray background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jahoda, K.; Mccammon, D.; Lockman, F. J.

1986-01-01

The observed anticorrelation between diffuse soft X-ray flux and H I column density has been explained as absorption of soft X-rays produced in a hot galactic halo, assuming that the neutral interstellar material is sufficiently clumped to reduce the soft X-ray absorption cross section by a factor of two to three. A 21 cm emission line study of H I column density variations at intermediate and high galactic latitudes to 10' spatial resolution has been done. The results confirm conclusions from preliminary work at coarser resolution, and in combination with other data appear to rule out the hypothesis that clumping of neutral interstellar matter on any angular scale significantly reduces X-ray absorption cross sections in the 0.13 - 0.28 keV energy range. It is concluded therefore that the observed anticorrelation is not primarily a consequence of absorption of soft X-rays produced in a hot galactic halo.

The Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE PAGES

Ferguson, Ken R.; Bucher, Maximilian; Bozek, John D.; ...

2015-05-01

The Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science (AMO) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) provides a tight soft X-ray focus into one of three experimental endstations. The flexible instrument design is optimized for studying a wide variety of phenomena requiring peak intensity. There is a suite of spectrometers and two photon area detectors available. An optional mirror-based split-and-delay unit can be used for X-ray pump–probe experiments. Recent scientific highlights illustrate the imaging, time-resolved spectroscopy and high-power density capabilities of the AMO instrument.

Soft Power and Its Impact on U.S. Influence in Latin America

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

power) co-opts people rather than coerces them.”12 Soft power can rest on the appeal of one’s ideas or culture, particularly if a state or...Americans were elitist snobs who felt they were above the law and believed that American interests were more important than the local’s interest whose

Language as "Soft Power" in Bilateral Relations: The Case of Indonesian Language in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, David T.

2016-01-01

Since Joseph Nye introduced the concept of "Soft power" in his 1991 book, "Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power", analysts have discussed states' efforts to exercise their influence by attracting and co-opting rather than coercing or using force. This paper will examine enrolments trends in Indonesian language…

Triboelectric-Nanogenerator-Based Soft Energy-Harvesting Skin Enabled by Toughly Bonded Elastomer/Hydrogel Hybrids.

PubMed

Liu, Ting; Liu, Mengmeng; Dou, Su; Sun, Jiangman; Cong, Zifeng; Jiang, Chunyan; Du, Chunhua; Pu, Xiong; Hu, Weiguo; Wang, Zhong Lin

2018-03-27

A major challenge accompanying the booming next-generation soft electronics is providing correspondingly soft and sustainable power sources for driving such devices. Here, we report stretchable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) with dual working modes based on the soft hydrogel-elastomer hybrid as energy skins for harvesting biomechanical energies. The tough interfacial bonding between the hydrophilic hydrogel and hydrophobic elastomer, achieved by the interface modification, ensures the stable mechanical and electrical performances of the TENGs. Furthermore, the dehydration of this toughly bonded hydrogel-elastomer hybrid is significantly inhibited (the average dehydration decreases by over 73%). With PDMS as the electrification layer and hydrogel as the electrode, a stretchable, transparent (90% transmittance), and ultrathin (380 μm) single-electrode TENG was fabricated to conformally attach on human skin and deform as the body moves. The two-electrode mode TENG is capable of harvesting energy from arbitrary human motions (press, stretch, bend, and twist) to drive the self-powered electronics. This work provides a feasible technology to design soft power sources, which could potentially solve the energy issues of soft electronics.

Self-Healable, Stretchable, Transparent Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Soft Power Sources.

PubMed

Sun, Jiangman; Pu, Xiong; Liu, Mengmeng; Yu, Aifang; Du, Chunhua; Zhai, Junyi; Hu, Weiguo; Wang, Zhong Lin

2018-06-04

Despite the rapid advancements of soft electronics, developing compatible energy devices will be the next challenge for their viable applications. Here, we report an energy-harnessing triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as a soft electrical power source, which is simultaneously self-healable, stretchable, and transparent. The nanogenerator features a thin-film configuration with buckled Ag nanowires/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) composite electrode sandwiched in room-temperature self-healable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomers. Dynamic imine bonds are introduced in PDMS networks for repairing mechanical damages (94% efficiency), while the mechanical recovery of the elastomer is imparted to the buckled electrode for electrical healing. By adjusting the buckling wavelength of the electrode, the stretchability and transparency of the soft TENG can be tuned. A TENG (∼50% stretchabitliy, ∼73% transmittance) can recover the electricity genearation (100% healing efficiency) even after accidental cutting. Finally, the conversion of biomechanical energies into electricity (∼100 V, 327 mW/m 2 ) is demonstrated by a skin-like soft TENG. Considering all these merits, this work suggests a potentially promising approach for next-generation soft power sources.

Pulmonary Actinomycosis Imitating Lung Cancer on (18)F-FDG PET/CT: A Case Report and Literature Review.

PubMed

Qiu, Lin; Lan, Lianjun; Feng, Yue; Huang, Zhanwen; Chen, Yue

2015-01-01

Here we report a case of 41-year-old man with a soft tissue density mass at right upper lung and palpable abscesses at right upper backside and right wrist. (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography demonstrated a 7.8 × 5.0 cm mass with soft-tissue density in the upper lobe of the right lung with high metabolic activity. The infiltrative mass extended to adjacent chest wall soft tissue. Final diagnosis of pulmonary actinomycosis with multiple abscesses was made. The patient responded well to antibiotics treatment.

Soft x ray properties of the Geminga pulsar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, J. P.; Ruderman, M.

1993-01-01

The ROSAT soft x ray spectrum and pulse profile of the Geminga pulsar are analyzed and interpreted in terms of thermal emission from the surface of the neutron star. The x ray spectrum appears to consist of two blackbody components with T(sub 1) = (5.2 +/- 1.0) x 10 (exp 5) K and T(sub 2) approximately 3 x 10(exp 6) K, respectively. The inferred ratio of surface areas, A(sub 2)/A(sub 1), is approximately 3 x 10(exp -5). Both components are highly modulated at the pulsar rotation period, but the harder x ray pulse is narrower, and leads the main (soft) x ray pulse by about 105 deg of phase. The soft x ray component is interpreted as photospheric cooling of much of the neutron star's surface area, while the small, hot region could be part of the much smaller polar cap heated by energetic particles flowing inward from the magnetospheric accelerator which is responsible for the production of Geminga's gamma rays. Geminga's gamma ray emission is consistent with outer-magnetosphere accelerator models for highly inclined dipoles. These predict the beaming of energetic gamma rays close enough to the star to give copious e(+/-) production in the stellar magnetic field and a large circumstellar pair density from pair inflow toward the surface. These pairs may quench radio emission, and also reflect most of the hard polar cap x rays back to the stellar surface by cyclotron resonance scattering. They are then reemitted from that much larger area at the lower temperature T(sub 1). The single-peaked nature of the x ray pulse and its energy-dependent phase suggest an off-center dipole geometry for the surface magnetic field. Under the assumption that the soft x ray emission comes from the full surface of a neutron star of radius R = 10 km, a distance estimate of (150-400) pc is derived. This range is consistent with the fit interstellar column density of (1.5 +/- 0.5) x 10(exp 20) cm(exp -2). Distances less than 150 pc are probably ruled out both by the lower limit on the column density, and also by the requirement that the Rayleigh-Jeans extrapolation of the soft x ray spectrum not exceed the observed blue flux of the faint optical counterpart. This distance estimate implies that Geminga's efficiency for converting spindown power into gamma-rays is near unity, and that there may be significant beaming of the gamma rays as well. These results tend to bolster the prospect that most of the unidentified high-energy gamma ray sources in the Galactic plane are pulsars, some of which may be radio quiet.

53 W average power few-cycle fiber laser system generating soft x rays up to the water window.

PubMed

Rothhardt, Jan; Hädrich, Steffen; Klenke, Arno; Demmler, Stefan; Hoffmann, Armin; Gotschall, Thomas; Eidam, Tino; Krebs, Manuel; Limpert, Jens; Tünnermann, Andreas

2014-09-01

We report on a few-cycle laser system delivering sub-8-fs pulses with 353 μJ pulse energy and 25 GW of peak power at up to 150 kHz repetition rate. The corresponding average output power is as high as 53 W, which represents the highest average power obtained from any few-cycle laser architecture so far. The combination of both high average and high peak power provides unique opportunities for applications. We demonstrate high harmonic generation up to the water window and record-high photon flux in the soft x-ray spectral region. This tabletop source of high-photon flux soft x rays will, for example, enable coherent diffractive imaging with sub-10-nm resolution in the near future.

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

PubMed

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

2011-01-21

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

Power losses of soft magnetic composite materials under two-dimensional excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, J. G.; Zhong, J. J.; Ramsden, V. S.; Guo, Y. G.

1999-04-01

Soft magnetic composite materials produced by powder metallurgy techniques can be very useful for construction of low cost small motors. However, the rotational core losses and the corresponding B-H relationships of soft magnetic composite materials with two-dimensional rotating fluxes have neither been supplied by the manufacturers nor reported in the literature. This article reports the core loss measurement of a soft magnetic composite material, SOMALOY™ 500, Höganäs AB, Sweden, under two-dimensional excitations. The principle of measurement, testing system, and power loss calculation are presented. The results are analyzed and discussed.

Responses in large-scale structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barreira, Alexandre; Schmidt, Fabian

2017-06-01

We introduce a rigorous definition of general power-spectrum responses as resummed vertices with two hard and n soft momenta in cosmological perturbation theory. These responses measure the impact of long-wavelength perturbations on the local small-scale power spectrum. The kinematic structure of the responses (i.e., their angular dependence) can be decomposed unambiguously through a ``bias'' expansion of the local power spectrum, with a fixed number of physical response coefficients, which are only a function of the hard wavenumber k. Further, the responses up to n-th order completely describe the (n+2)-point function in the squeezed limit, i.e. with two hard and n soft modes, which one can use to derive the response coefficients. This generalizes previous results, which relate the angle-averaged squeezed limit to isotropic response coefficients. We derive the complete expression of first- and second-order responses at leading order in perturbation theory, and present extrapolations to nonlinear scales based on simulation measurements of the isotropic response coefficients. As an application, we use these results to predict the non-Gaussian part of the angle-averaged matter power spectrum covariance CovNGl=0(k1,k2), in the limit where one of the modes, say k2, is much smaller than the other. Without any free parameters, our model results are in very good agreement with simulations for k2 lesssim 0.06 h Mpc-1, and for any k1 gtrsim 2k2. The well-defined kinematic structure of the power spectrum response also permits a quick evaluation of the angular dependence of the covariance matrix. While we focus on the matter density field, the formalism presented here can be generalized to generic tracers such as galaxies.

The evolution of the disc variability along the hard state of the black hole transient GX 339-4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Marco, B.; Ponti, G.; Muñoz-Darias, T.; Nandra, K.

2015-12-01

We report on the analysis of hard-state power spectral density function (PSD) of GX 339-4 down to the soft X-ray band, where the disc significantly contributes to the total emission. At any luminosity probed, the disc in the hard state is intrinsically more variable than in the soft state. However, the fast decrease of disc variability as a function of luminosity, combined with the increase of disc intensity, causes a net drop of fractional variability at high luminosities and low energies, which reminds the well-known behaviour of disc-dominated energy bands in the soft state. The peak frequency of the high-frequency Lorentzian (likely corresponding to the high-frequency break seen in active galactic nuclei, AGN) scales with luminosity, but we do not find evidence for a linear scaling. In addition, we observe that this characteristic frequency is energy dependent. We find that the normalization of the PSD at the peak of the high-frequency Lorentzian decreases with luminosity at all energies, though in the soft band this trend is steeper. Together with the frequency shift, this yields quasi-constant high-frequency (5-20 Hz) fractional rms at high energies, with less than 10 per cent scatter. This reinforces previous claims suggesting that the high-frequency PSD solely scales with black hole mass. On the other hand, this constancy breaks down in the soft band (where the scatter increases to ˜30 per cent). This is a consequence of the additional contribution from the disc component, and resembles the behaviour of optical variability in AGN.

The Influence of Gender on the Likelihood of Using Soft Social Power Strategies in School Consultation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Getty, Kimberly C.; Erchul, William P.

2009-01-01

The social power typology developed originally by French and Raven in 1959 and revised by Raven in 1965 and 1992 was applied to study school consultation. Specifically, we investigated how the gender of school psychologist consultants and teacher consultees influence how likely consultants are to use soft power strategies, identified as those…

High Performance Lithium-Ion Hybrid Capacitors Employing Fe3O4-Graphene Composite Anode and Activated Carbon Cathode.

PubMed

Zhang, Shijia; Li, Chen; Zhang, Xiong; Sun, Xianzhong; Wang, Kai; Ma, Yanwei

2017-05-24

Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) are considered as promising energy storage devices to realize excellent electrochemical performance, with high energy-power output. In this work, we employed a simple method to synthesize a composite electrode material consisting of Fe 3 O 4 nanocrystallites mechanically anchored among the layers of three-dimensional arrays of graphene (Fe 3 O 4 -G), which exhibits several advantages compared with other traditional electrode materials, such as high Li storage capacity (820 mAh g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 ), high electrical conductivity, and improved electrochemical stability. Furthermore, on the basis of the appropriated charge balance between cathode and anode, we successfully fabricated Fe 3 O 4 -G//activated carbon (AC) soft-packaging LICs with a high energy density of 120.0 Wh kg -1 , an outstanding power density of 45.4 kW kg -1 (achieved at 60.5 Wh kg -1 ), and an excellent capacity retention of up to 94.1% after 1000 cycles and 81.4% after 10 000 cycles. The energy density of the Fe 3 O 4 -G//AC hybrid device is comparable with Ni-metal hydride batteries, and its capacitive power capability and cycle life is on par with supercapacitors (SCs). Therefore, this lithium-ion hybrid capacitor is expected to bridge the gap between Li-ion battery and SCs and gain bright prospects in next-generation energy storage fields.

Antireflective Paraboloidal Microlens Film for Boosting Power Conversion Efficiency of Solar Cells.

PubMed

Fang, Chaolong; Zheng, Jun; Zhang, Yaoju; Li, Yijie; Liu, Siyuan; Wang, Weiji; Jiang, Tao; Zhao, Xuesong; Li, Zhihong

2018-06-21

Microlens arrays can improve light transmittance in optical devices or enhance the photoelectrical conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices. Their surface morphology (aspect ratio and packed density) is vital to photon management in solar cells. Here, we report a 100% packed density paraboloidal microlens array (PMLA), with a large aspect ratio, fabricated by direct-write UV laser photolithography coupled with soft imprint lithography. Optical characterization shows that the PMLA structure can remarkably decrease the front-side reflectance of solar cell device. The measured electrical parameters of the solar cell device clearly and consistently demonstrate that the PMLA film can considerably improve the photoelectrical conversion efficiency. In addition, the PMLA film has superhydrophobic properties, verified by measurement of a large water contact angle, and can enhance the self-cleaning capability of solar cell devices.

Molecular Mechanisms of Soft Tissue Regeneration and Bone Formation in Mice: Implications in Fracture Repair and Wound Healing in Humans

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

Teruya, B. Lokensgard, S. Daneshmand, J. Brown, R. J. Gray, et al. 1994. Linkage analysis of the genetic determinants of high density lipoprotein ...and soft tissue function and to clarify the function of these genes. Three hypotheses have been proposed: 1) The high bone density gene in...locus (QTL) that contributes significantly to high bone density on mouse chromosome 1 (Chr. 1) from a cross between C57BL/6J (B6) and CAST/EiJ (CAST

Indirect Measurement of Energy Density of Soft PZT Ceramic Utilizing Mechanical Stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unruan, Muangjai; Unruan, Sujitra; Inkong, Yutthapong; Yimnirun, Rattikorn

2017-11-01

This paper reports on an indirect measurement of energy density of soft PZT ceramic utilizing mechanical stress. The method works analogous to the Olsen cycle and allows for a large amount of electro-mechanical energy conversion. A maximum energy density of 350 kJ/m3/cycle was found under 0-312 MPa and 1-20 kV/cm of applied mechanical stress and electric field, respectively. The obtained result is substantially higher than the results reported in previous studies of PZT materials utilizing a direct piezoelectric effect.

A final report to the Laboratory Directed Research and Development committee on Project 93-ERP-075: ``X-ray laser propagation and coherence: Diagnosing fast-evolving, high-density laser plasmas using X-ray lasers``

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

Wan, A.S.; Cauble, R.; Da Silva, L.B.

1996-02-01

This report summarizes the major accomplishments of this three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Exploratory Research Project (ERP) entitled ``X-ray Laser Propagation and Coherence: Diagnosing Fast-evolving, High-density Laser Plasmas Using X-ray Lasers,`` tracking code 93-ERP-075. The most significant accomplishment of this project is the demonstration of a new laser plasma diagnostic: a soft x-ray Mach-Zehnder interferometer using a neonlike yttrium x-ray laser at 155 {angstrom} as the probe source. Detailed comparisons of absolute two-dimensional electron density profiles obtained from soft x-ray laser interferograms and profiles obtained from radiation hydrodynamics codes, such as LASNEX, will allow us to validate andmore » benchmark complex numerical models used to study the physics of laser-plasma interactions. Thus the development of soft x-ray interferometry technique provides a mechanism to probe the deficiencies of the numerical models and is an important tool for, the high-energy density physics and science-based stockpile stewardship programs. The authors have used the soft x-ray interferometer to study a number of high-density, fast evolving, laser-produced plasmas, such as the dynamics of exploding foils and colliding plasmas. They are pursuing the application of the soft x-ray interferometer to study ICF-relevant plasmas, such as capsules and hohlraums, on the Nova 10-beam facility. They have also studied the development of enhanced-coherence, shorter-pulse-duration, and high-brightness x-ray lasers. The utilization of improved x-ray laser sources can ultimately enable them to obtain three-dimensional holographic images of laser-produced plasmas.« less

Simulation of medical Q-switch flash-pumped Er:YAG laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

-Yan-lin, Wang; Huang-Chuyun; Yao-Yucheng; Xiaolin, Zou

2011-01-01

Er: YAG laser, the wavelength is 2940nm, can be absorbed strongly by water. The absorption coefficient is as high as 13000 cm-1. As the water strong absorption, Erbium laser can bring shallow penetration depth and smaller surrounding tissue injury in most soft tissue and hard tissue. At the same time, the interaction between 2940nm radiation and biological tissue saturated with water is equivalent to instantaneous heating within limited volume, thus resulting in the phenomenon of micro-explosion to removal organization. Different parameters can be set up to cut enamel, dentin, caries and soft tissue. For the development and optimization of laser system, it is a practical choice to use laser modeling to predict the influence of various parameters for laser performance. Aim at the status of low Erbium laser output power, flash-pumped Er: YAG laser performance was simulated to obtain optical output in theory. the rate equation model was obtained and used to predict the change of population densities in various manifolds and use the technology of Q-switch the simulate laser output for different design parameters and results showed that Er: YAG laser output energy can achieve the maximum average output power of 9.8W under the given parameters. The model can be used to find the potential laser systems that meet application requirements.

Investigating powerful jets in radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1s

DOE PAGES

Orienti, M.; D'Ammando, F.; Larsson, J.; ...

2015-09-14

Here, we report results on multiband observations from radio to γ-rays of the two radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLSy1) galaxies PKS 2004-447 and J1548+3511. Furthermore, both sources show a core–jet structure on parsec scale, while they are unresolved at the arcsecond scale. The high core dominance and the high variability brightness temperature make these NLSy1 galaxies good γ-ray source candidates. Fermi-Large Area Telescope detected γ-ray emission only from PKS 2004-447, with a γ-ray luminosity comparable to that observed in blazars. There was no γ-ray emission observed for J1548+3511. Both sources are variable in X-rays. J1548+3511 shows a hardening of themore » spectrum during high activity states, while PKS 2004-447 has no spectral variability. A spectral steepening likely related to the soft excess is hinted below 2 keV for J1548+3511, while the X-ray spectra of PKS 2004-447 collected by XMM–Newton in 2012 are described by a single power law without significant soft excess. No additional absorption above the Galactic column density or the presence of an Fe line is detected in the X-ray spectra of both sources.« less

The Chaotic Light Curves of Accreting Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazanas, Demosthenes

2007-01-01

We present model light curves for accreting Black Hole Candidates (BHC) based on a recently developed model of these sources. According to this model, the observed light curves and aperiodic variability of BHC are due to a series of soft photon injections at random (Poisson) intervals and the stochastic nature of the Comptonization process in converting these soft photons to the observed high energy radiation. The additional assumption of our model is that the Comptonization process takes place in an extended but non-uniform hot plasma corona surrounding the compact object. We compute the corresponding Power Spectral Densities (PSD), autocorrelation functions, time skewness of the light curves and time lags between the light curves of the sources at different photon energies and compare our results to observation. Our model reproduces the observed light curves well, in that it provides good fits to their overall morphology (as manifest by the autocorrelation and time skewness) and also to their PSDs and time lags, by producing most of the variability power at time scales 2 a few seconds, while at the same time allowing for shots of a few msec in duration, in accordance with observation. We suggest that refinement of this type of model along with spectral and phase lag information can be used to probe the structure of this class of high energy sources.

Low-Luminosity AGN As Analogues of Galactic Black Holes in the Low/Hard State: Evidence from X-Ray Timing of NGC 4258

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markowitz, A.; Uttley, P.

2005-01-01

We present a broadband power spectral density function (PSD) measured from extensive RXTE monitoring data of the low-luminosity AGN NGC 4258, which has an accurate, maser-determined black hole mass of (3.9 plus or minus 0.1) x 10(exp 7) solar mass. We constrain the PSD break time scale to be greater than 4.5 d at greater than 90% confidence, which appears to rule out the possibility that NGC 4258 is an analogue of black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs) in the high/soft state. In this sense, the PSD of NGC 4258 is different to that of some more-luminous Seyferts, which appear similar to the PSDs of high/soft state X-ray binaries. This result supports previous analogies between LLAGN and X-ray binaries in the low/hard state based on spectral energy distributions, indicating that the AGN/BHXRB analogy is valid across a broad range of accretion rates.

Temperature dynamics of soft tissues during diode laser cutting by different types of fiber opto-thermal converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belikov, Andrey V.; Skrypnik, Alexei V.; Smirnov, Sergey N.; Semyashkina, Yulia V.

2017-03-01

The results of in vitro study of the soft tissue temperature dynamics during 980 nm diode laser cutting by different types (CLEAR, FILM, VOLUMETRIC) of fiber opto-thermal converters (FOTC) are presented. It was found that the use of CLEAR fiber end (tip) at the laser power below 8.5 W doesn't lead to the soft tissue (chicken meat) destruction. The chicken meat destruction (cutting) begins when irradiated by 8.5 W laser radiation for approximately 9.0 s. At the power of 9.0 W this time decreases up to 7.0 s, at 9.5 W - to 6.0 s, at 10.0 W - to 3.5 s. The moment of soft tissue cutting start correlates with the moment of black layer (absorber) formation at the fiber end and appearance of visually identifiable laser cut walls on the photos; the temperature in this case rapidly increases up to 850 °C. It was determined that the FILM FOTC begins to cut the soft tissue immediately after exposure of laser radiation with power of 4.0 W, the temperature in this case reaches 900 °C. It was determined that the VOLUMETRIC FOTC begins to cut the tissue immediately after exposure at the power of 1.0 W, the temperature in this case reaches 600 °C. VOLUMETRIC FOTC can produce more effective cuts of the soft tissue at the laser power of 4.0 W, in this case, the temperature is above 1200 °C.

Open circuit V-I characteristics of a coreless ironless electric generator for low density wind power generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Akhtar; Rahman, Fadhlur; Azlan, Syaiful; Razali Hanipah, Mohd; Azri Hizami, Mohd

2018-04-01

Cogging is an attraction of magnetism between permanent magnets and soft ironcore lamination in a conventional electric ironcore generator. The presence of cog in the generator is seen somehow restricted the application of the generator in an application where low rotational torque is required. Cog torque requires an additional input power to overcome, hence became one of the power loss sources. With the increasing of power output, the cogging is also proportionally increased. This leads to the increasing of the supplied power of the driver motor to overcome the cog. Therefore, this research is embarked to study fundamentally about the possibility of removing ironcore lamination in an electric generator. This research deals with removal of ironcore lamination in electric generator to eliminate cog torque. A confinement technique is proposed to confine and focus magnetic flux by introducing opposing permanent magnets arrangement. The concept is then fabricated and experimentally validated to qualify its no-load characteristics. The rotational torque and power output are measured and efficiency is then analyzed. Results indicated that the generator produced RMS voltage of 416VAC at rotational speed of 1762 RPM. Torque required to rotate the generator was at 2Nm for various rotational speed. The generator has shown 30% lesser rotational torque compared to the conventional ironcore type generator due to the absent of cogging torque in the system. Lesser rotational torque required to rotate has made this type of generator has a potential to be used for low wind density wind turbine application.

On the Relation Between Soft Electron Precipitations in the Cusp Region and Solar Wind Coupling Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Tong; Zhang, Binzheng; Wiltberge, Michael; Wang, Wenbin; Varney, Roger; Dou, Xiankang; Wan, Weixing; Lei, Jiuhou

2018-01-01

In this study, the correlations between the fluxes of precipitating soft electrons in the cusp region and solar wind coupling functions are investigated utilizing the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global magnetosphere model simulations. We conduct two simulation runs during periods from 20 March 2008 to 16 April 2008 and from 15 to 24 December 2014, which are referred as "Equinox Case" and "Solstice Case," respectively. The simulation results of Equinox Case show that the plasma number density in the high-latitude cusp region scales well with the solar wind number density (ncusp/nsw=0.78), which agrees well with the statistical results from the Polar spacecraft measurements. For the Solstice Case, the plasma number density of high-latitude cusp in both hemispheres increases approximately linearly with upstream solar wind number density with prominent hemispheric asymmetry. Due to the dipole tilt effect, the average number density ratio ncusp/nsw in the Southern (summer) Hemisphere is nearly 3 times that in the Northern (winter) Hemisphere. In addition to the solar wind number density, 20 solar wind coupling functions are tested for the linear correlation with the fluxes of precipitating cusp soft electrons. The statistical results indicate that the solar wind dynamic pressure p exhibits the highest linear correlation with the cusp electron fluxes for both equinox and solstice conditions, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.75. The linear regression relations for equinox and solstice cases may provide an empirical calculation for the fluxes of cusp soft electron precipitation based on the upstream solar wind driving conditions.

Fast-moving soft electronic fish.

PubMed

Li, Tiefeng; Li, Guorui; Liang, Yiming; Cheng, Tingyu; Dai, Jing; Yang, Xuxu; Liu, Bangyuan; Zeng, Zedong; Huang, Zhilong; Luo, Yingwu; Xie, Tao; Yang, Wei

2017-04-01

Soft robots driven by stimuli-responsive materials have unique advantages over conventional rigid robots, especially in their high adaptability for field exploration and seamless interaction with humans. The grand challenge lies in achieving self-powered soft robots with high mobility, environmental tolerance, and long endurance. We are able to advance a soft electronic fish with a fully integrated onboard system for power and remote control. Without any motor, the fish is driven solely by a soft electroactive structure made of dielectric elastomer and ionically conductive hydrogel. The electronic fish can swim at a speed of 6.4 cm/s (0.69 body length per second), which is much faster than previously reported untethered soft robotic fish driven by soft responsive materials. The fish shows consistent performance in a wide temperature range and permits stealth sailing due to its nearly transparent nature. Furthermore, the fish is robust, as it uses the surrounding water as the electric ground and can operate for 3 hours with one single charge. The design principle can be potentially extended to a variety of flexible devices and soft robots.

Fast-moving soft electronic fish

PubMed Central

Li, Tiefeng; Li, Guorui; Liang, Yiming; Cheng, Tingyu; Dai, Jing; Yang, Xuxu; Liu, Bangyuan; Zeng, Zedong; Huang, Zhilong; Luo, Yingwu; Xie, Tao; Yang, Wei

2017-01-01

Soft robots driven by stimuli-responsive materials have unique advantages over conventional rigid robots, especially in their high adaptability for field exploration and seamless interaction with humans. The grand challenge lies in achieving self-powered soft robots with high mobility, environmental tolerance, and long endurance. We are able to advance a soft electronic fish with a fully integrated onboard system for power and remote control. Without any motor, the fish is driven solely by a soft electroactive structure made of dielectric elastomer and ionically conductive hydrogel. The electronic fish can swim at a speed of 6.4 cm/s (0.69 body length per second), which is much faster than previously reported untethered soft robotic fish driven by soft responsive materials. The fish shows consistent performance in a wide temperature range and permits stealth sailing due to its nearly transparent nature. Furthermore, the fish is robust, as it uses the surrounding water as the electric ground and can operate for 3 hours with one single charge. The design principle can be potentially extended to a variety of flexible devices and soft robots. PMID:28435879

HEAO 1 A-2 low-energy detector X-ray spectra of the Lupus Loop and SN 1006

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leahy, D. A.; Nousek, J.; Hamilton, A. J. S.

1991-01-01

The Lupus Loop and SN 1006 were observed by the A-2 low-energy detector proportional counters on the HEAO 1 satellite as part of the all-sky survey. As a result of a major advance in understanding of detector response and background accurate analysis of the data has become possible. Soft X-ray spectra for both supernova remnants were constructed from the PHA data taken during the scanning observations. Single-temperature and two-temperature Raymond-Smith models were fitted to the observed spectra. In addition, power-law and power-law plus one-temperature models were fitted to the spectrum of SN 1006. Only two-component models provide an adequate description for both Lupus Loop and SN 1006 spectra. The temperatures, column densities, and emission measures are significantly more accurate than previous results.

Soft-Decision-Data Reshuffle to Mitigate Pulsed Radio Frequency Interference Impact on Low-Density-Parity-Check Code Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ni, Jianjun David

2011-01-01

This presentation briefly discusses a research effort on mitigation techniques of pulsed radio frequency interference (RFI) on a Low-Density-Parity-Check (LDPC) code. This problem is of considerable interest in the context of providing reliable communications to the space vehicle which might suffer severe degradation due to pulsed RFI sources such as large radars. The LDPC code is one of modern forward-error-correction (FEC) codes which have the decoding performance to approach the Shannon Limit. The LDPC code studied here is the AR4JA (2048, 1024) code recommended by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) and it has been chosen for some spacecraft design. Even though this code is designed as a powerful FEC code in the additive white Gaussian noise channel, simulation data and test results show that the performance of this LDPC decoder is severely degraded when exposed to the pulsed RFI specified in the spacecraft s transponder specifications. An analysis work (through modeling and simulation) has been conducted to evaluate the impact of the pulsed RFI and a few implemental techniques have been investigated to mitigate the pulsed RFI impact by reshuffling the soft-decision-data available at the input of the LDPC decoder. The simulation results show that the LDPC decoding performance of codeword error rate (CWER) under pulsed RFI can be improved up to four orders of magnitude through a simple soft-decision-data reshuffle scheme. This study reveals that an error floor of LDPC decoding performance appears around CWER=1E-4 when the proposed technique is applied to mitigate the pulsed RFI impact. The mechanism causing this error floor remains unknown, further investigation is necessary.

A Deep XMM-Newton Survey of M33: Point-source Catalog, Source Detection, and Characterization of Overlapping Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Benjamin F.; Wold, Brian; Haberl, Frank; Garofali, Kristen; Blair, William P.; Gaetz, Terrance J.; Kuntz, K. D.; Long, Knox S.; Pannuti, Thomas G.; Pietsch, Wolfgang; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Winkler, P. Frank

2015-05-01

We have obtained a deep 8 field XMM-Newton mosaic of M33 covering the galaxy out to the D25 isophote and beyond to a limiting 0.2-4.5 keV unabsorbed flux of 5 × 10-16 erg cm-2 s-1 (L \\gt 4 × 1034 erg s-1 at the distance of M33). These data allow complete coverage of the galaxy with high sensitivity to soft sources such as diffuse hot gas and supernova remnants (SNRs). Here, we describe the methods we used to identify and characterize 1296 point sources in the 8 fields. We compare our resulting source catalog to the literature, note variable sources, construct hardness ratios, classify soft sources, analyze the source density profile, and measure the X-ray luminosity function (XLF). As a result of the large effective area of XMM-Newton below 1 keV, the survey contains many new soft X-ray sources. The radial source density profile and XLF for the sources suggest that only ˜15% of the 391 bright sources with L \\gt 3.6 × 1035 erg s-1 are likely to be associated with M33, and more than a third of these are known SNRs. The log(N)-log(S) distribution, when corrected for background contamination, is a relatively flat power law with a differential index of 1.5, which suggests that many of the other M33 sources may be high-mass X-ray binaries. Finally, we note the discovery of an interesting new transient X-ray source, which we are unable to classify.

Tape transfer atomization patterning of liquid alloys for microfluidic stretchable wireless power transfer.

PubMed

Jeong, Seung Hee; Hjort, Klas; Wu, Zhigang

2015-02-12

Stretchable electronics offers unsurpassed mechanical compliance on complex or soft surfaces like the human skin and organs. To fully exploit this great advantage, an autonomous system with a self-powered energy source has been sought for. Here, we present a new technology to pattern liquid alloys on soft substrates, targeting at fabrication of a hybrid-integrated power source in microfluidic stretchable electronics. By atomized spraying of a liquid alloy onto a soft surface with a tape transferred adhesive mask, a universal fabrication process is provided for high quality patterns of liquid conductors in a meter scale. With the developed multilayer fabrication technique, a microfluidic stretchable wireless power transfer device with an integrated LED was demonstrated, which could survive cycling between 0% and 25% strain over 1,000 times.

Tape Transfer Atomization Patterning of Liquid Alloys for Microfluidic Stretchable Wireless Power Transfer

PubMed Central

Jeong, Seung Hee; Hjort, Klas; Wu, Zhigang

2015-01-01

Stretchable electronics offers unsurpassed mechanical compliance on complex or soft surfaces like the human skin and organs. To fully exploit this great advantage, an autonomous system with a self-powered energy source has been sought for. Here, we present a new technology to pattern liquid alloys on soft substrates, targeting at fabrication of a hybrid-integrated power source in microfluidic stretchable electronics. By atomized spraying of a liquid alloy onto a soft surface with a tape transferred adhesive mask, a universal fabrication process is provided for high quality patterns of liquid conductors in a meter scale. With the developed multilayer fabrication technique, a microfluidic stretchable wireless power transfer device with an integrated LED was demonstrated, which could survive cycling between 0% and 25% strain over 1,000 times. PMID:25673261

Auxiliary quasi-resonant dc tank electrical power converter

DOEpatents

Peng, Fang Z.

2006-10-24

An auxiliary quasi-resonant dc tank (AQRDCT) power converter with fast current charging, voltage balancing (or charging), and voltage clamping circuits is provided for achieving soft-switched power conversion. The present invention is an improvement of the invention taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,111,770, herein incorporated by reference. The present invention provides faster current charging to the resonant inductor, thus minimizing delay time of the pulse width modulation (PWM) due to the soft-switching process. The new AQRDCT converter includes three tank capacitors or power supplies to achieve the faster current charging and minimize the soft-switching time delay. The new AQRDCT converter further includes a voltage balancing circuit to charge and discharge the three tank capacitors so that additional isolated power supplies from the utility line are not needed. A voltage clamping circuit is also included for clamping voltage surge due to the reverse recovery of diodes.

Hydrodynamic evolution of plasma waveguides for soft-x-ray amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliva, Eduardo; Depresseux, Adrien; Cotelo, Manuel; Lifschitz, Agustín; Tissandier, Fabien; Gautier, Julien; Maynard, Gilles; Velarde, Pedro; Sebban, Stéphane

2018-02-01

High-density, collisionally pumped plasma-based soft-x-ray lasers have recently delivered hundreds of femtosecond pulses, breaking the longstanding barrier of one picosecond. To pump these amplifiers an intense infrared pulse must propagate focused throughout all the length of the amplifier, which spans several Rayleigh lengths. However, strong nonlinear effects hinder the propagation of the laser beam. The use of a plasma waveguide allows us to overcome these drawbacks provided the hydrodynamic processes that dominate the creation and posterior evolution of the waveguide are controlled and optimized. In this paper we present experimental measurements of the radial density profile and transmittance of such waveguide, and we compare them with numerical calculations using hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell codes. Controlling the properties (electron density value and radial gradient) of the waveguide with the help of numerical codes promises the delivery of ultrashort (tens of femtoseconds), coherent soft-x-ray pulses.

Study of Super- and Subsonic Ionization Fronts in Low-Density, Soft X-Ray-Irradiated Foam Targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willi, O.; Barringer, L.; Vickers, C.; Hoarty, D.

2000-04-01

The transition from super- to subsonic propagation of an ionization front has been studied in X-ray irradiated, low-density foam targets using soft X-ray imaging and point projection absorption spectroscopy. The foams were doped with chlorine and irradiated with an intense pulse of soft X-ray radiation with a temperature up to 120 eV produced by laser heating a burnthrough converter foil. The cylindrical foam targets were radiographed side-on allowing the change in the chlorine ionization and hence the front to be observed. From the absolute target transmission the density profile was obtained. Comparison of experimental absorption spectra with simulated ones allowed the temperature of the heated material to be inferred for the first time without reliance on detailed hydrodynamic simulations to interpret the data. The experimental observations were compared to radiation hydrodynamic simulations.

Clinical effects of the use of a bipolar vessel sealing device for soft palate resection and tonsillectomy in dogs, with histological assessment of resected tonsillar tissue.

PubMed

Cook, D A; Moses, P A; Mackie, J T

2015-12-01

To investigate whether soft palate resection and tonsillectomy with a bipolar vessel sealing device (BVSD) improves clinical respiratory score. To document histopathological changes to tonsillar tissue following removal with a BVSD. Case series of 22 dogs with clinical signs of upper respiratory obstruction related to brachycephalic airway syndrome. Soft palate and tonsils were removed using a BVSD. Alarplasty and saccullectomy were also performed if indicated. A clinical respiratory score was assigned preoperatively, 24-h postoperatively and 5 weeks postoperatively. Excised tonsillar samples were measured and then assessed histologically for depth of tissue damage deemed to be caused by the device. Depth of tissue damage was compared between two power settings of the device. Soft palate resection and tonsillectomy with a BVSD lead to a significant improvement in respiratory scores following surgery. Depth of tissue damage was significantly less for power setting 1 compared with power setting 2. Using power setting 1, median calculated depth of tonsillar tissue damage was 3.4 mm (range 1.2-8.0). One dog experienced major complications. Soft palate resection and tonsillectomy with a BVSD led to significant improvement in clinical respiratory score. © 2015 Australian Veterinary Association.

A subleading operator basis and matching for gg → H

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

Moult, Ian; Stewart, Iain W.; Vita, Gherardo

The Soft Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) is a powerful framework for studying factorization of amplitudes and cross sections in QCD. While factorization at leading power has been well studied, much less is known at subleading powers in the λ << 1 expansion. In SCET subleading soft and collinear corrections to a hard scattering process are described by power suppressed operators, which must be fixed case by case, and by well established power suppressed Lagrangians, which correct the leading power dynamics of soft and collinear radiation. Here we present a complete basis of power suppressed operators for gg → H, classifyingmore » all operators which contribute to the cross section at O(λ 2), and showing how helicity selection rules significantly simplify the construction of the operator basis. We perform matching calculations to determine the tree level Wilson coefficients of our operators. These results are useful for studies of power corrections in both resummed and fixed order perturbation theory, and for understanding the factorization properties of gauge theory amplitudes and cross sections at subleading power. As one example, our basis of operators can be used to analytically compute power corrections for N -jettiness subtractions for gg induced color singlet production at the LHC.« less

A subleading operator basis and matching for gg → H

DOE PAGES

Moult, Ian; Stewart, Iain W.; Vita, Gherardo

2017-07-01

The Soft Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) is a powerful framework for studying factorization of amplitudes and cross sections in QCD. While factorization at leading power has been well studied, much less is known at subleading powers in the λ << 1 expansion. In SCET subleading soft and collinear corrections to a hard scattering process are described by power suppressed operators, which must be fixed case by case, and by well established power suppressed Lagrangians, which correct the leading power dynamics of soft and collinear radiation. Here we present a complete basis of power suppressed operators for gg → H, classifyingmore » all operators which contribute to the cross section at O(λ 2), and showing how helicity selection rules significantly simplify the construction of the operator basis. We perform matching calculations to determine the tree level Wilson coefficients of our operators. These results are useful for studies of power corrections in both resummed and fixed order perturbation theory, and for understanding the factorization properties of gauge theory amplitudes and cross sections at subleading power. As one example, our basis of operators can be used to analytically compute power corrections for N -jettiness subtractions for gg induced color singlet production at the LHC.« less

Preliminary research on dual-energy X-ray phase-contrast imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Hua-Jie; Wang, Sheng-Hao; Gao, Kun; Wang, Zhi-Li; Zhang, Can; Yang, Meng; Zhang, Kai; Zhu, Pei-Ping

2016-04-01

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) has been widely applied to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) and soft-tissue composition of the human body. However, the use of DEXA is greatly limited for low-Z materials such as soft tissues due to their weak absorption, while X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) shows significantly improved contrast in comparison with the conventional standard absorption-based X-ray imaging for soft tissues. In this paper, we propose a novel X-ray phase-contrast method to measure the area density of low-Z materials, including a single-energy method and a dual-energy method. The single-energy method is for the area density calculation of one low-Z material, while the dual-energy method aims to calculate the area densities of two low-Z materials simultaneously. Comparing the experimental and simulation results with the theoretical ones, the new method proves to have the potential to replace DEXA in area density measurement. The new method sets the prerequisites for a future precise and low-dose area density calculation method for low-Z materials. Supported by Major State Basic Research Development Program (2012CB825800), Science Fund for Creative Research Groups (11321503) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (11179004, 10979055, 11205189, 11205157)

Hot and dense plasma probing by soft X-ray lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krůs, M.; Kozlová, M.; Nejdl, J.; Rus, B.

2018-01-01

Soft X-ray lasers, due to their short wavelength, its brightness, and good spatial coherence, are excellent sources for the diagnostics of dense plasmas (up to 1025 cm-3) which are relevant to e.g. inertial fusion. Several techniques and experimental results, which are obtained at the quasi-steady state scheme being collisionally pumped 21.2 nm neon-like zinc laser installed at PALS Research Center, are presented here; among them the plasma density measurement by a double Lloyd mirror interferometer, deflectometer based on Talbot effect measuring plasma density gradients itself, with a following ray tracing postprocessing. Moreover, the high spatial resolution (nm scale) plasma images can be obtained when soft X-ray lasers are used.

Early Soft X-Ray to UV Emission from Double Neutron Star Mergers: Implications from the Long-term Observations of GW170817

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiang-Yu; Huang, Zhi-Qiu

2018-01-01

Recent long-term radio follow-up observations of GW170817 reveal a simple power-law rising light curve, with a slope of {t}0.78, up to 93 days after the merger. The latest X-ray detection at 109 days is also consistent with such a temporal slope. Such a shallow rise behavior requires a mildly relativistic outflow with a steep velocity gradient profile, so that slower material with larger energy catches up with the decelerating ejecta and re-energizes it. It has been suggested that this mildly relativistic outflow may represent a cocoon of material. We suggest that the velocity gradient profile may form during the stage that the cocoon is breaking out of the merger ejecta, resulting from shock propagation down a density gradient. The cooling of the hot relativistic cocoon material immediately after it breaks out should have produced soft X-ray to UV radiation at tens of seconds to hours after the merger. The soft X-ray emission has a luminosity of {L}{{X}}∼ {10}45 {erg} {{{s}}}-1 over a period of tens of seconds for a merger event like GW170817. The UV emission shows a rise initially and peaks at about a few hours with a luminosity of {L}{UV}∼ {10}42 {erg} {{{s}}}-1. The soft X-ray transients could be detected by future wide-angle X-ray detectors, such as the Chinese mission Einstein Probe. This soft X-ray/UV emission would serve as one of the earliest electromagnetic counterparts of gravitation waves from double neutron star mergers and could provide the earliest localization of the sources.

Time-resolved x-ray imaging of a laser-induced nanoplasma and its neutral residuals

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

Fluckiger, L.; Rupp, D.; Adolph, M.

The evolution of individual, large gas-phase xenon clusters, turned into a nanoplasma by a high power infrared laser pulse, is tracked from femtoseconds up to nanoseconds after laser excitation via coherent diffractive imaging, using ultra-short soft x-ray free electron laser pulses. A decline of scattering signal at high detection angles with increasing time delay indicates a softening of the cluster surface. Here we demonstrate, for the first time a representative speckle pattern of a new stage of cluster expansion for xenon clusters after a nanosecond irradiation. The analysis of the measured average speckle size and the envelope of the intensitymore » distribution reveals a mean cluster size and length scale of internal density fluctuations. Furthermore, the measured diffraction patterns were reproduced by scattering simulations which assumed that the cluster expands with pronounced internal density fluctuations hundreds of picoseconds after excitation.« less

Time-resolved x-ray imaging of a laser-induced nanoplasma and its neutral residuals

DOE PAGES

Fluckiger, L.; Rupp, D.; Adolph, M.; ...

2016-04-13

The evolution of individual, large gas-phase xenon clusters, turned into a nanoplasma by a high power infrared laser pulse, is tracked from femtoseconds up to nanoseconds after laser excitation via coherent diffractive imaging, using ultra-short soft x-ray free electron laser pulses. A decline of scattering signal at high detection angles with increasing time delay indicates a softening of the cluster surface. Here we demonstrate, for the first time a representative speckle pattern of a new stage of cluster expansion for xenon clusters after a nanosecond irradiation. The analysis of the measured average speckle size and the envelope of the intensitymore » distribution reveals a mean cluster size and length scale of internal density fluctuations. Furthermore, the measured diffraction patterns were reproduced by scattering simulations which assumed that the cluster expands with pronounced internal density fluctuations hundreds of picoseconds after excitation.« less

Confucius Institutes and China's Soft Power: Practices and Paradoxes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, Joe Tin-yau; Pan, Suyan

2016-01-01

Since China's implementation of the Confucius Institute (CI) project in 2004, most academic works have been written on its objectives, nature, features, development, problems and challenges, especially in terms of soft power projection. Though some of them could unravel the tensions and paradoxes in the CI project, there is a paucity of in-depth…

"Soft Power" and the Negotiation of Legitimacy: Collective Meaning Making in a Teacher Team

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eddy Spicer, David H.

2013-01-01

This article interrogates the "soft power" of teacher teamwork by probing the ways in which authority conditions the appropriation of institutional motives through collective meaning making. The study analyzes the interaction of a teacher-leader and a science teacher team across two settings of professional development organized to…

Crowding of Interacting Fluid Particles in Porous Media through Molecular Dynamics: Breakdown of Universality for Soft Interactions.

PubMed

Schnyder, Simon K; Horbach, Jürgen

2018-02-16

Molecular dynamics simulations of interacting soft disks confined in a heterogeneous quenched matrix of soft obstacles show dynamics which is fundamentally different from that of hard disks. The interactions between the disks can enhance transport when their density is increased, as disks cooperatively help each other over the finite energy barriers in the matrix. The system exhibits a transition from a diffusive to a localized state, but the transition is strongly rounded. Effective exponents in the mean-squared displacement can be observed over three decades in time but depend on the density of the disks and do not correspond to asymptotic behavior in the vicinity of a critical point, thus, showing that it is incorrect to relate them to the critical exponents in the Lorentz model scenario. The soft interactions are, therefore, responsible for a breakdown of the universality of the dynamics.

Crowding of Interacting Fluid Particles in Porous Media through Molecular Dynamics: Breakdown of Universality for Soft Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnyder, Simon K.; Horbach, Jürgen

2018-02-01

Molecular dynamics simulations of interacting soft disks confined in a heterogeneous quenched matrix of soft obstacles show dynamics which is fundamentally different from that of hard disks. The interactions between the disks can enhance transport when their density is increased, as disks cooperatively help each other over the finite energy barriers in the matrix. The system exhibits a transition from a diffusive to a localized state, but the transition is strongly rounded. Effective exponents in the mean-squared displacement can be observed over three decades in time but depend on the density of the disks and do not correspond to asymptotic behavior in the vicinity of a critical point, thus, showing that it is incorrect to relate them to the critical exponents in the Lorentz model scenario. The soft interactions are, therefore, responsible for a breakdown of the universality of the dynamics.

Low Luminosity States of the Black Hole Candidate GX 339-4. 2; Timing Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nowak, Michael A.; Wilms, Joern; Dove, James B.

1999-01-01

Here we present timing analysis of a set of eight Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the black hole candidate GX 339-4 that were taken during its hard/low state. On long time scales, the RXTE All Sky Monitor data reveal evidence of a 240 day periodicity, comparable to timescales expected from warped, precessing accretion disks. On short timescales all observations save one show evidence of a persistent f(qpo approximately equals 0.3 Hz quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO)). The broad band (10 (exp -3) to 10 (exp2) Hz) power appears to be dominated by two independent processes that can be modeled as very broad Lorentzians with Q approximately less than - 1. The coherence function between soft and hard photon variability shows that if these are truly independent processes, then they are individually coherent, but they are incoherent with one another. This is evidenced by the fact that the coherence function between the hard and soft variability is near unity between 5 x 10 (exp -3) but shows evidence of a dip at f approximately equals 1 Hz. This is the region of overlap between the broad Lorentzian fits to the Power Spectral Density (PSD). Similar to Cyg X-1, the coherence also drops dramatically at frequencies approximately greater than 1O Hz. Also similar to Cyg X-1, the hard photon variability is seen to lag the soft photon variability with the lag time increasing with decreasing Fourier frequency. The magnitude of this time lag appears to be positively correlated with the flux of GX 339-4. We discuss all of these observations in light of current theoretical models of both black hole spectra and temporal variability.

Power-law X-ray and gamma-ray emission from relativistic thermal plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, A. A.

1985-01-01

A common characteristic of cosmic sources is power-law X-ray emission. Extragalactic sources of this type include compact components of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The present study is concerned with a theoretical model of such sources, taking into account the assumption that the power-law spectra are produced by repeated Compton scatterings of soft photons by relativistic thermal electrons. This is one of several possible physical mechanisms leading to the formation of a power-law spectrum. Attention is given to the Comptonization of soft photon sources, the rates of pair processes, the solution of the pair equilibrium equation, and the constraints on a soft photon source and an energy source. It is concluded that the compactness parameters L/R of most of the cosmic sources observed to date lie below the maximum luminosity curves considered.

Power Electronic Transformer based Three-Phase PWM AC Drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Kaushik

A Transformer is used to provide galvanic isolation and to connect systems at different voltage levels. It is one of the largest and most expensive component in most of the high voltage and high power systems. Its size is inversely proportional to the operating frequency. The central idea behind a power electronic transformer (PET) also known as solid state transformer is to reduce the size of the transformer by increasing the frequency. Power electronic converters are used to change the frequency of operation. Steady reduction in the cost of the semiconductor switches and the advent of advanced magnetic materials with very low loss density and high saturation flux density implies economic viability and feasibility of a design with high power density. Application of PET is in generation of power from renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar. Other important application include grid tied inverters, UPS e.t.c. In this thesis non-resonant, single stage, bi-directional PET is considered. The main objective of this converter is to generate adjustable speed and magnitude pulse width modulated (PWM) ac waveforms from an ac or dc grid with a high frequency ac link. The windings of a high frequency transformer contains leakage inductance. Any switching transition of the power electronic converter connecting the inductive load and the transformer requires commutation of leakage energy. Commutation by passive means results in power loss, decrease in the frequency of operation, distortion in the output voltage waveform, reduction in reliability and power density. In this work a source based partially loss-less commutation of leakage energy has been proposed. This technique also results in partial soft-switching. A series of converters with novel PWM strategies have been proposed to minimize the frequency of leakage inductance commutation. These PETs achieve most of the important features of modern PWM ac drives including 1) Input power factor correction, 2) Common-mode voltage suppression at the load end, 3) High quality output voltage waveform (comparable to conventional space vector PWM modulated two level inverter) and 4) Minimization of output voltage loss, common-mode voltage switching and distortion of the load current waveform due to leakage inductance commutation. All of the proposed topologies along with the proposed control schemes have been analyzed and simulated in MATLABSimulink. A hardware prototype has been fabricated and tested. The simulation and experimental results verify the operation and advantages of the proposed topologies and their control.

Soft optics in intelligent optical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shue, Chikong; Cao, Yang

2001-10-01

In addition to the recent advances in Hard-optics that pushes the optical transmission speed, distance, wave density and optical switching capacity, Soft-optics provides the necessary intelligence and control software that reduces operational costs, increase efficiency, and enhances revenue generating services by automating optimal optical circuit placement and restoration, and enabling value-added new services like Optical VPN. This paper describes the advances in 1) Overall Hard-optics and Soft-optics 2) Layered hierarchy of Soft-optics 3) Component of Soft-optics, including hard-optics drivers, Management Soft-optics, Routing Soft-optics and System Soft-optics 4) Key component of Routing and System Soft-optics, namely optical routing and signaling (including UNI/NNI and GMPLS signaling). In summary, the soft-optics on a new generation of OXC's enables Intelligent Optical Networks to provide just-in-time service delivery and fast restoration, and real-time capacity management that eliminates stranded bandwidth. It reduces operational costs and provides new revenue opportunities.

Dante Soft X-ray Power Diagnostic for NIF

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

Dewald, E; Campbell, K; Turner, R

2004-04-15

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for measuring spectrally resolved the total x-ray flux, radiation temperature, conversion efficiency and albedo that are important quantities for the energetics of indirect drive hohlraums. At the Nova or Omega Laser Facilities, these measurements are performed mainly with Dante, but also with DMX and photo-conductive detectors (PCD's). The Dante broadband spectrometer is a collection of absolute calibrated vacuum x-ray diodes, thin filters and x-ray mirrors used to measure the soft x-ray emission for photon energies above 50 eV.

Voltage Controller Saves Energy, Prolongs Life of Motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2007-01-01

In 1985, Power Efficiency Corporation of Las Vegas licensed NASA voltage controller technology from Marshall Space Flight Center. In the following years, Power Efficiency made patented improvements to the technology and marketed the resulting products throughout the world as the Performance Controller and the Power Efficiency energy-saving soft start. Soft start gradually introduces power to an electric motor, thus eliminating the harsh, violent mechanical stresses of having the device go from a dormant state to one of full activity; prevents it from running too hot; and increases the motor's lifetime. The product can pay for itself through the reduction in electricity consumed (according to Power Efficiency, within 3 years), depending on the duty cycle of the motor and the prevailing power rates. In many instances, the purchaser is eligible for special utility rebates for the environmental protection it provides. Common applications of Power Efficiency's soft start include mixers, grinders, granulators, conveyors, crushers, stamping presses, injection molders, elevators with MG sets, and escalators. The device has been retrofitted onto equipment at major department store chains, hotels, airports, universities, and for various manufacturers

Prototype design of a wearable metal hydride actuator using a soft bellows for motor rehabilitation.

PubMed

Ino, Shuichi; Sato, Mitsuru; Hosono, Minako; Nakajima, Sawako; Yamashita, Kazuhiko; Tanaka, Toshiaki; Izumi, Takashi

2008-01-01

A bedside and home rehabilitation system for people with motor disabilities due to stroke or the aging process requires a human-compatible actuator with softness, low noise and a high power-to-weight ratio. To achieve these types of joint motor rehabilitation systems, we designed a wearable metal hydride (MH) actuator using a soft bellows. The purpose of the current study is the development the soft and light bellows made of a polymer laminate film for the MH actuator. As a result of experimental tests, this soft bellows weighs 20 times less and stretches 30 times longer than the metal bellows used in a conventional MH actuator, and it has hydrogen impermeability, flex durability and adequate compliance for human joints. The MH actuator using the soft bellows can drive at a slow and safe enough speed for motor rehabilitation of patients' limbs. These preliminary findings support the efficacy of an MH actuator with a soft bellows for the purpose of developing a system for motor rehabilitation or human power assist.

CT of abdominal tuberculosis

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

Epstein, B.M.; Mann, J.H.

1982-11-01

Intraabdominal tuberculosis (TB) presents with a wide variety of clinical and radiologic features. Besides the reported computed tomographic (CT) finding of high-density ascites in tuberculous peritonitis, this report describes additional CT features highly suggestive of abdominal tuberculosis in eight cases: (1) irregular soft-tissue densities in the omental area; (2) low-density masses surrounded by thick solid rims; (3) a disorganized appearance of soft-tissue densities, fluid, and bowel loops forming a poorly defined mass; (4) low-density lymph nodes with a multilocular appearance after intravenous contrast administration; and (5) possibly high-density ascites. The differential diagnosis of these features include lymphoma, various forms ofmore » peritonitis, peritoneal carcinomatosis, and peritoneal mesothelioma. It is important that the CT features of intraabdominal tuberculosis be recognized in order that laparotomy be avoided and less invasive procedures (e.g., laparoscopy, biopsy, or a trial of antituberculous therapy) be instituted.« less

Scalable Sub-micron Patterning of Organic Materials Toward High Density Soft Electronics.

PubMed

Kim, Jaekyun; Kim, Myung-Gil; Kim, Jaehyun; Jo, Sangho; Kang, Jingu; Jo, Jeong-Wan; Lee, Woobin; Hwang, Chahwan; Moon, Juhyuk; Yang, Lin; Kim, Yun-Hi; Noh, Yong-Young; Jaung, Jae Yun; Kim, Yong-Hoon; Park, Sung Kyu

2015-09-28

The success of silicon based high density integrated circuits ignited explosive expansion of microelectronics. Although the inorganic semiconductors have shown superior carrier mobilities for conventional high speed switching devices, the emergence of unconventional applications, such as flexible electronics, highly sensitive photosensors, large area sensor array, and tailored optoelectronics, brought intensive research on next generation electronic materials. The rationally designed multifunctional soft electronic materials, organic and carbon-based semiconductors, are demonstrated with low-cost solution process, exceptional mechanical stability, and on-demand optoelectronic properties. Unfortunately, the industrial implementation of the soft electronic materials has been hindered due to lack of scalable fine-patterning methods. In this report, we demonstrated facile general route for high throughput sub-micron patterning of soft materials, using spatially selective deep-ultraviolet irradiation. For organic and carbon-based materials, the highly energetic photons (e.g. deep-ultraviolet rays) enable direct photo-conversion from conducting/semiconducting to insulating state through molecular dissociation and disordering with spatial resolution down to a sub-μm-scale. The successful demonstration of organic semiconductor circuitry promise our result proliferate industrial adoption of soft materials for next generation electronics.

Scalable Sub-micron Patterning of Organic Materials Toward High Density Soft Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jaekyun; Kim, Myung-Gil; Kim, Jaehyun; Jo, Sangho; Kang, Jingu; Jo, Jeong-Wan; Lee, Woobin; Hwang, Chahwan; Moon, Juhyuk; Yang, Lin; Kim, Yun-Hi; Noh, Yong-Young; Yun Jaung, Jae; Kim, Yong-Hoon; Kyu Park, Sung

2015-09-01

The success of silicon based high density integrated circuits ignited explosive expansion of microelectronics. Although the inorganic semiconductors have shown superior carrier mobilities for conventional high speed switching devices, the emergence of unconventional applications, such as flexible electronics, highly sensitive photosensors, large area sensor array, and tailored optoelectronics, brought intensive research on next generation electronic materials. The rationally designed multifunctional soft electronic materials, organic and carbon-based semiconductors, are demonstrated with low-cost solution process, exceptional mechanical stability, and on-demand optoelectronic properties. Unfortunately, the industrial implementation of the soft electronic materials has been hindered due to lack of scalable fine-patterning methods. In this report, we demonstrated facile general route for high throughput sub-micron patterning of soft materials, using spatially selective deep-ultraviolet irradiation. For organic and carbon-based materials, the highly energetic photons (e.g. deep-ultraviolet rays) enable direct photo-conversion from conducting/semiconducting to insulating state through molecular dissociation and disordering with spatial resolution down to a sub-μm-scale. The successful demonstration of organic semiconductor circuitry promise our result proliferate industrial adoption of soft materials for next generation electronics.

"Soft Power", Educational Governance and Political Consensus in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rambla, Xavier

2012-01-01

This article analyses the "soft power" that the Federal Government of Brazil has gained by designing and implementing a very ambitious Plan for the Development of Education. It draws on fieldwork carried out in the country in 2009 and 2010 in order to conduct a discourse analysis of the strategy deployed by the key political agents. The…

Soft Power and Hard Measures: Large-Scale Assessment, Citizenship and the European Union

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutkowski, David; Engel, Laura C.

2010-01-01

This article explores the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) with particular emphasis on the European Union's (EU's) involvement in the regional portion. Using the ICCS, the EU actively combines hard measures with soft power, allowing the EU to define and steer cross-national rankings of values of EU citizenship. The…

Mercedes-Benz water molecules near hydrophobic wall: Integral equation theories vs Monte Carlo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urbic, T.; Holovko, M. F.

2011-10-01

Associative version of Henderson-Abraham-Barker theory is applied for the study of Mercedes-Benz model of water near hydrophobic surface. We calculated density profiles and adsorption coefficients using Percus-Yevick and soft mean spherical associative approximations. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulation data. It is shown that at higher temperatures both approximations satisfactory reproduce the simulation data. For lower temperatures, soft mean spherical approximation gives good agreement at low and at high densities while in at mid range densities, the prediction is only qualitative. The formation of a depletion layer between water and hydrophobic surface was also demonstrated and studied.

Mercedes–Benz water molecules near hydrophobic wall: Integral equation theories vs Monte Carlo simulations

PubMed Central

Urbic, T.; Holovko, M. F.

2011-01-01

Associative version of Henderson-Abraham-Barker theory is applied for the study of Mercedes–Benz model of water near hydrophobic surface. We calculated density profiles and adsorption coefficients using Percus-Yevick and soft mean spherical associative approximations. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulation data. It is shown that at higher temperatures both approximations satisfactory reproduce the simulation data. For lower temperatures, soft mean spherical approximation gives good agreement at low and at high densities while in at mid range densities, the prediction is only qualitative. The formation of a depletion layer between water and hydrophobic surface was also demonstrated and studied. PMID:21992334

SoftLab: A Soft-Computing Software for Experimental Research with Commercialization Aspects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akbarzadeh-T, M.-R.; Shaikh, T. S.; Ren, J.; Hubbell, Rob; Kumbla, K. K.; Jamshidi, M

1998-01-01

SoftLab is a software environment for research and development in intelligent modeling/control using soft-computing paradigms such as fuzzy logic, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and genetic programs. SoftLab addresses the inadequacies of the existing soft-computing software by supporting comprehensive multidisciplinary functionalities from management tools to engineering systems. Furthermore, the built-in features help the user process/analyze information more efficiently by a friendly yet powerful interface, and will allow the user to specify user-specific processing modules, hence adding to the standard configuration of the software environment.

Semianalytical Solution for the Deformation of an Elastic Layer under an Axisymmetrically Distributed Power-Form Load: Application to Fluid-Jet-Induced Indentation of Biological Soft Tissues.

PubMed

Lu, Minhua; Huang, Shuai; Yang, Xianglong; Yang, Lei; Mao, Rui

2017-01-01

Fluid-jet-based indentation is used as a noncontact excitation technique by systems measuring the mechanical properties of soft tissues. However, the application of these devices has been hindered by the lack of theoretical solutions. This study developed a mathematical model for testing the indentation induced by a fluid jet and determined a semianalytical solution. The soft tissue was modeled as an elastic layer bonded to a rigid base. The pressure of the fluid jet impinging on the soft tissue was assumed to have a power-form function. The semianalytical solution was verified in detail using finite-element modeling, with excellent agreement being achieved. The effects of several parameters on the solution behaviors are reported, and a method for applying the solution to determine the mechanical properties of soft tissues is suggested.

HEAO 1 A-2 low-energy detector X-ray spectra of the Lupus Loop and SN 1006

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

Leahy, D.A.; Nousek, J.; Hamilton, A.J.S.

1991-06-01

The Lupus Loop and SN 1006 were observed by the A-2 low-energy detector proportional counters on the HEAO 1 satellite as part of the all-sky survey. As a result of a major advance in understanding of detector response and background accurate analysis of the data has become possible. Soft X-ray spectra for both supernova remnants were constructed from the PHA data taken during the scanning observations. Single-temperature and two-temperature Raymond-Smith models were fitted to the observed spectra. In addition, power-law and power-law plus one-temperature models were fitted to the spectrum of SN 1006. Only two-component models provide an adequate descriptionmore » for both Lupus Loop and SN 1006 spectra. The temperatures, column densities, and emission measures are significantly more accurate than previous results. 29 refs.« less

Spectral and Temporal Properties of Galactic Black Hole Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheeler, J. Craig

1997-01-01

Kusunose, Mineshige & Yamada (1996; hereafter KMY) extended the model of Kusunose & Mineshige (1995) to the Galactic black hole candidates by considering nonthermal electron injection with gamma(EQ\\0(,\\s\\up2(less than),\\s\\do-l(_))) 10. The effects of pair escape and advection on the disk structure and general relativistic effects on the emission spectrum were also examined. They found that the energy spectral index (alpha)(sub x) of the power law X-rays is about-0.8 and-2.0 when 1(sub soft)/1 = 0.2 and 2, respectively, where 1(sub soft)/1 is the ratio of the compactness of the injected soft photons to that of the gravitational energy. The power law index was found to be nearly independent of the mass accretion which is consistent with the observed luminosity independence. The model with small 1(sub soft)/1 (less than 1) shows promise for explaining the low state observed in Galactic black hole candidates. Model fits were provided for GX339-4 and Cyg X- 1 data from COMPTEL and OSSE on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The difference in emission spectra between thermal disks and the model of KMY appears only in the energy range greater than 100 keV. Li, Kusunose and Liang (1996) studied stochastic particle acceleration to produce nonthermal particle distributions which then were used in the model of Kusunose & Mineshige (1995) to model the spectrum above 1 Mev from GBHC's. Under certain conditions, stochastic electron acceleration overcame Coulomb and Compton losses resulting in a suprathermal electron population. Good fits were obtained by COMPTEL and OSSE observations of Cyg X-1 and GRO J0422+23. Kusunose & Mineshige (1996a) examined the role of electron-positron pairs in advection-dominated disks. They found that the results for advection-dominated disks without pairs are not qualitatively changed by including pairs. Summaries of work sponsored by this grant are given in Wheeler, Kim, Moscoso, Kusunose & Mineshige (1996) and Kusunose (1996) Work was also done on developing a model for an e(+-) pair wind from the inner disk region of a black hole. The model consists of three zones: a pair production/annihilation zone at the base of the wind, a pair annihilation zone slightly further out from the disk and a wind zone extending to infinity where no annihilation occurs. The model assumes an input X-ray / gamma-ray power-law spectrum as a function of photon energy and angular distribution. Pairs are created in the pair production/annihilation zone via photon-photon, photonparticle and particle-particle collisions. The bulk velocity of the pairs is obtained from the momentum component perpendicular to the disk taking into account the radiation pressure acceleration of the pairs. Energy balance in the pair production/annihilation zone is calculated by assuming that the momentum component parallel to the disk is thermalized and by taking into account heating/cooling via anisotropic thermal Compton scattering along with the cooling processes of bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation. The pair density is also calculated. The outer boundary of the pair production/annihilation zone is where the optical depth for photon-photon pair produciton is unity. Beyond this point only pair annihilation will occur in the pair annihilation zone. When the pair density becomes small, pair annihilation will be negligible and the pairs will flow freely to infinity. In this model we have found that the X-ray power-law spectral index, alpha(sub x) is the primary parameter which determines the density, temperature and velocity of the pair production/annihilation zone (Moscoso, Kusunose & Wheeler 1996).

Global Security Rule Sets An Analysis of the Current Global Security Environment and Rule Sets Governing Nuclear Weapons Release

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

Mollahan, K; Nattrass, L

America is in a unique position in its history. In maintaining its position as the world's only superpower, the US consistently finds itself taking on the role of a global cop, chief exporter of hard and soft power, and primary impetus for globalization. A view of the current global situation shows an America that can benefit greatly from the effects of globalization and soft power. Similarly, America's power can be reduced significantly if globalization and its soft power are not handled properly. At the same time, America has slowly come to realize that its next major adversary is not amore » near peer competitor but terrorism and disconnected nations that seek nuclear capabilities. In dealing with this new threat, America needs to come to terms with its own nuclear arsenal and build a security rule set that will establish for the world explicitly what actions will cause the US to consider nuclear weapons release. This rule set; however, needs to be established with sensitivity to the US's international interests in globalization and soft power. The US must find a way to establish its doctrine governing nuclear weapons release without threatening other peaceful nations in the process.« less

F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Appearance of Extramedullary Hematopoesis in a Case of Primary Myelofibrosis

PubMed Central

Mukherjee, Anirban; Bal, Chandrasekhar; Tripathi, Madhavi; Das, Chandan Jyoti; Shamim, Shamim Ahmed

2017-01-01

A 44-year-old female with known primary myelofibrosis presented with shortness of breath. High Resolution Computed Tomography thorax revealed large heterogeneously enhancing extraparenchymal soft tissue density mass involving bilateral lung fields. F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography revealed mildly FDG avid soft tissue density mass with specks of calcification involving bilateral lung fields, liver, and spleen. Subsequent histopathologic evaluation from the right lung mass was suggestive of extramedullary hematopoesis. PMID:28533647

Dynamical density functional theory analysis of the laning instability in sheared soft matter.

PubMed

Scacchi, A; Archer, A J; Brader, J M

2017-12-01

Using dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) methods we investigate the laning instability of a sheared colloidal suspension. The nonequilibrium ordering at the laning transition is driven by nonaffine particle motion arising from interparticle interactions. Starting from a DDFT which incorporates the nonaffine motion, we perform a linear stability analysis that enables identification of the regions of parameter space where lanes form. We illustrate our general approach by applying it to a simple one-component fluid of soft penetrable particles.

Soft collinear effective theory for gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okui, Takemichi; Yunesi, Arash

2018-03-01

We present how to construct a soft collinear effective theory (SCET) for gravity at the leading and next-to-leading powers from the ground up. The soft graviton theorem and decoupling of collinear gravitons at the leading power are manifest from the outset in the effective symmetries of the theory. At the next-to-leading power, certain simple structures of amplitudes, which are completely obscure in Feynman diagrams of the full theory, are also revealed, which greatly simplifies calculations. The effective Lagrangian is highly constrained by effectively multiple copies of diffeomorphism invariance that are inevitably present in gravity SCET due to mode separation, an essential ingredient of any SCET. Further explorations of effective theories of gravity with mode separation may shed light on Lagrangian-level understandings of some of the surprising properties of gravitational scattering amplitudes. A gravity SCET with an appropriate inclusion of Glauber modes may serve as a powerful tool for studying gravitational scattering in the Regge limit.

The discovery and properties of the ultra-soft X-ray transient EXO 1846-031

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parmar, A. N.; Angelini, L.; Roche, P.; White, N. E.

1993-01-01

We report the discovery of a previously uncataloged ultra-soft X-ray transient EXO 1846-031 which was in outburst during 1985 April to September. The X-ray spectrum consists of an ultra-soft component and a high-energy power-law tail that extends to at least 25 keV. The ultra-soft component may be modeled by either a cutoff power-law or a multicolor blackbody disk model. The latter model allows the evolution in spectrum and intensity observed during the outburst to be accounted for by the change in a single parameter - the temperature at the innermost disk radius. We demonstrate that at least one other accretion disk model is able to account for these changes by the variation of a single parameter. During one of the three EXOSAT observations, EXO 1846-031 exhibited significant intensity variability which probably originates from the power-law component. We derive a position for this unidentified source and present the results of a search for the optical counterpart.

Transnasal endoscopic approach with powered instrumentation for treating squamous papilloma in the nasopharyngeal surface of the soft palate.

PubMed

Lee, J-H; Lee, Y-O; Lee, C-H; Cho, K-S

2013-05-01

To demonstrate a safe and effective method for complete resection of squamous papilloma in the nasopharyngeal surface of the soft palate. This technique was used on a patient in whom the papilloma had twice recurred following uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. Case report and review of the relevant literature. The patient reported in this paper had recurrent squamous papilloma in the nasopharyngeal surface of the soft palate following uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. He also suffered from nasal regurgitation when drinking water. This lesion, which was difficult to access, was successfully treated via a transnasal endoscopic approach using powered instrumentation. This case report highlights a novel approach for the complete removal of a recurrent papilloma in a relatively inaccessible location. Compared with a transoral approach such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, the transnasal endoscopic approach using powered instrumentation could provide a safer, faster, easier and less invasive means of treating squamous papilloma in the nasopharyngeal surface of the soft palate, especially for a lesion that recurs following a transoral approach.

Glass-like dynamics in confined and congested ant traffic.

PubMed

Gravish, Nick; Gold, Gregory; Zangwill, Andrew; Goodisman, Michael A D; Goldman, Daniel I

2015-09-07

The collective movement of animal groups often occurs in confined spaces. As animal groups are challenged to move at high density, their mobility dynamics may resemble the flow of densely packed non-living soft materials such as colloids, grains, or polymers. However, unlike inert soft-materials, self-propelled collective living systems often display social interactions whose influence on collective mobility are only now being explored. In this paper, we study the mobility of bi-directional traffic flow in a social insect (the fire ant Solenopsis invicta) as we vary the diameter of confining foraging tunnels. In all tunnel diameters, we observe the emergence of spatially heterogeneous regions of fast and slow traffic that are induced through two phenomena: physical obstruction, arising from the inability of individual ants to interpenetrate, and time-delay resulting from social interaction in which ants stop to briefly antennate. Density correlation functions reveal that the relaxation dynamics of high density traffic fluctuations scale linearly with fluctuation size and are sensitive to tunnel diameter. We separate the roles of physical obstruction and social interactions in traffic flow using cellular automata based simulation. Social interaction between ants is modeled as a dwell time (Tint) over which interacting ants remain stationary in the tunnel. Investigation over a range of densities and Tint reveals that the slowing dynamics of collective motion in social living systems are consistent with dynamics near a fragile glass transition in inert soft-matter systems. In particular, flow is relatively insensitive to density until a critical density is reached. As social interaction affinity is increased (increasing Tint) traffic dynamics change and resemble a strong glass transition. Thus, social interactions play an important role in the mobility of collective living systems at high density. Our experiments and model demonstrate that the concepts of soft-matter physics aid understanding of the mobility of collective living systems, and motivate further inquiry into the dynamics of densely confined social living systems.

Fiber laser at 2 μm for soft tissue surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Aditi; Pal, Debasis; Sen, Ranjan; Pal, Atasi

2014-11-01

Strong water absorption at 2 μm generated recent interest in lasers at this wavelength for soft tissue surgery. A fiber Bragg grating-based, all-fiber, continuous-wave, cladding pumped, thulium-doped fiber laser at 1.95 μm is configured. The thulium-doped active fiber with octagonal-shaped inner cladding is pumped at 808 nm (total power of 17 W) with six laser diodes through a combiner. The laser power of 3.3 W (after elimination of unabsorbed pump power through a passive fiber) with slope efficiency of 23% (against launched pump power) is achieved. The linear variation of laser power with pump offers scope of further power scaling.

Radial and Azimuthal Velocity Profiles in Gas-Puff Z-Pinches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocco, Sophia; Engelbrecht, Joseph; Banasek, Jacob; de Grouchy, Philip; Qi, Niansheng; Hammer, David

2016-10-01

The dynamics of neon, argon, and krypton (either singly or in combination) gas puff z-pinch plasmas are studied on Cornell's 1MA, 100-200ns rise-time COBRA pulsed power generator. The triple-nozzle gas puff valve, consisting of two annular gas puffs and a central jet, allows radial tailoring of the gas puff mass-density profile and the use of 1, 2 or 3 different gases at different pressures. Interferometry supplies information on sheath thickness and electron density, variously filtered PCDs and silicon diodes measure hard and soft x-ray production, and multi frame visible and extreme UV imaging systems allow tracking of the morphology of the plasma. A 527nm, 10J Thomson scattering diagnostic system is used to determine radial and azimuthal velocities. Implosion velocities of 170km/s (Kr) and 300km/s (Ne/Ar) are observed. We are investigating the correlations between instability growth, plasma density profile, velocity partitioning as a function of radius, and radiation production. Research supported by the NNSA Stewardship Sciences Academic Programs under DOE Cooperative Agreement No. DE-NA0001836.

In-flight wind identification and soft landing control for autonomous unmanned powered parafoils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Shuzhen; Tan, Panlong; Sun, Qinglin; Wu, Wannan; Luo, Haowen; Chen, Zengqiang

2018-04-01

For autonomous unmanned powered parafoil, the ability to perform a final flare manoeuvre against the wind direction can allow a considerable reduction of horizontal and vertical velocities at impact, enabling a soft landing for a safe delivery of sensible loads; the lack of knowledge about the surface-layer winds will result in messing up terminal flare manoeuvre. Moreover, unknown or erroneous winds can also prevent the parafoil system from reaching the target area. To realize accurate trajectory tracking and terminal soft landing in the unknown wind environment, an efficient in-flight wind identification method merely using Global Positioning System (GPS) data and recursive least square method is proposed to online identify the variable wind information. Furthermore, a novel linear extended state observation filter is proposed to filter the groundspeed of the powered parafoil system calculated by the GPS information to provide a best estimation of the present wind during flight. Simulation experiments and real airdrop tests demonstrate the great ability of this method to in-flight identify the variable wind field, and it can benefit the powered parafoil system to fulfil accurate tracking control and a soft landing in the unknown wind field with high landing accuracy and strong wind-resistance ability.

Beam loss reduction by magnetic shielding using beam pipes and bellows of soft magnetic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamiya, J.; Ogiwara, N.; Hotchi, H.; Hayashi, N.; Kinsho, M.

2014-11-01

One of the main sources of beam loss in high power accelerators is unwanted stray magnetic fields from magnets near the beam line, which can distort the beam orbit. The most effective way to shield such magnetic fields is to perfectly surround the beam region without any gaps with a soft magnetic high permeability material. This leads to the manufacture of vacuum chambers (beam pipes and bellows) with soft magnetic materials. A Ni-Fe alloy (permalloy) was selected for the material of the pipe parts and outer bellows parts, while a ferritic stainless steel was selected for the flanges. An austenitic stainless steel, which is non-magnetic material, was used for the inner bellows for vacuum tightness. To achieve good magnetic shielding and vacuum performances, a heat treatment under high vacuum was applied during the manufacturing process of the vacuum chambers. Using this heat treatment, the ratio of the integrated magnetic flux density along the beam orbit between the inside and outside of the beam pipe and bellows became small enough to suppress beam orbit distortion. The outgassing rate of the materials with this heat treatment was reduced by one order magnitude compared to that without heat treatment. By installing the beam pipes and bellows of soft magnetic materials as part of the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex 3 GeV rapid cycling synchrotron beam line, the closed orbit distortion (COD) was reduced by more than 80%. In addition, a 95.5% beam survival ratio was achieved by this COD improvement.

Halogen bonding from a hard and soft acids and bases perspective: investigation by using density functional theory reactivity indices.

PubMed

Pinter, Balazs; Nagels, Nick; Herrebout, Wouter A; De Proft, Frank

2013-01-07

Halogen bonds between the trifluoromethyl halides CF(3)Cl, CF(3)Br and CF(3)I, and dimethyl ether, dimethyl sulfide, trimethylamine and trimethyl phosphine were investigated using Pearson's hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) concept with conceptual DFT reactivity indices, the Ziegler-Rauk-type energy-decomposition analysis, the natural orbital for chemical valence (NOCV) framework and the non-covalent interaction (NCI) index. It is found that the relative importance of electrostatic and orbital (charge transfer) interactions varies as a function of both the donor and acceptor molecules. Hard and soft interactions were distinguished and characterised by atomic charges, electrophilicity and local softness indices. Dual-descriptor plots indicate an orbital σ hole on the halogen similar to the electrostatic σ hole manifested in the molecular electrostatic potential. The predicted high halogen-bond-acceptor affinity of N-heterocyclic carbenes was evidenced in the highest complexation energy for the hitherto unknown CF(3) I·NHC complex. The dominant NOCV orbital represents an electron-density deformation according to a n→σ*-type interaction. The characteristic signal found in the reduced density gradient versus electron-density diagram corresponds to the non-covalent interaction between contact atoms in the NCI plots, which is the manifestation of halogen bonding within the NCI theory. The unexpected C-X bond strengthening observed in several cases was rationalised within the molecular orbital framework. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Near-infrared light-controlled tunable grating based on graphene/elastomer composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei; Jia, Shuhai; Wang, Yonglin; Tang, Zhenhua

2018-02-01

A near-infrared (nIR) light actuated tunable transmission optical grating based on graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PDMS is proposed. A simple fabrication protocol is studied that allows integration of the grating with the actuation mechanism; both components are made from soft elastomers, and this ensure the tunability and the light-driven operation of the grating. The resulting grating structure demonstrates continuous period tunability of 2.7% under an actuation power density of 220 mW cm-2 within a period of 3 s and also demonstrates a time-independent characteristic. The proposed infrared activated grating can be developed for wireless remote light splitting in bio/chemical sensing and optical telecommunications applications.

Refraction effects in soft x-ray multilayer blazed gratings.

PubMed

Voronov, D L; Salmassi, F; Meyer-Ilse, J; Gullikson, E M; Warwick, T; Padmore, H A

2016-05-30

A 2500 lines/mm Multilayer Blazed Grating (MBG) optimized for the soft x-ray wavelength range was fabricated and tested. The grating coated with a W/B₄C multilayer demonstrated a record diffraction efficiency in the 2nd blazed diffraction order in the energy range from 500 to 1200 eV. Detailed investigation of the diffraction properties of the grating demonstrated that the diffraction efficiency of high groove density MBGs is not limited by the normal shadowing effects that limits grazing incidence x-ray grating performance. Refraction effects inherent in asymmetrical Bragg diffraction were experimentally confirmed for MBGs. The refraction affects the blazing properties of the MBGs and results in a shift of the resonance wavelength of the gratings and broadening or narrowing of the grating bandwidth depending on diffraction geometry. The true blaze angle of the MBGs is defined by both the real structure of the multilayer stack and by asymmetrical refraction effects. Refraction effects can be used as a powerful tool in providing highly efficient suppression of high order harmonics.

Radiation hardness of molybdenum silicon multilayers designed for use in a soft-x-ray projection lithography system.

PubMed

Gaines, D P; Spitzer, R C; Ceglio, N M; Krumrey, M; Ulm, G

1993-12-01

A molybdenum silicon multilayer is irradiated with 13.4-nm radiation to investigate changes in multilayer performance under simulated soft-x-ray projection lithography (SXPL) conditions. The wiggler-undulator at the Berlin electron storage ring BESSY is used as a quasi-monochromatic source of calculable spectral radiant intensity and is configured to simulate an incident SXPL x-ray spectrum. The test multilayer receives a radiant exposure of 240 J/mm(2) in an exposure lasting 8.9 h. The corresponding average incident power density is 7.5 mW/mm(2). The absorbed dose of 7.8 × 10(10) J/kg (7.8 × 10(12) rad) is equivalent to 1.2 times the dose that would be absorbed by a multilayer coating on the first imaging optic in a hypothetical SXPL system during 1 year of operation. Surface temperature increases do not exceed 2 °C during the exposure. Normal-incidence reflectance measurements at λ(0) = 13.4 nm performed before radiation exposure are in agreement with measurements performed after the exposure, indicating that no sign icant damage had occurred.

Magnetic Properties of Fe-49Co-2V Alloy and Pure Fe at Room and Elevated Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Groh, Henry C., III; Geng, Steven M.; Niedra, Janis M.; Hofer, Richard R.

2018-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a need for soft magnetic materials for fission power and ion propulsion systems. In this work the magnetic properties of the soft magnetic materials Hiperco 50 (Fe-49wt%Cr-2V) and CMI-C (commercially pure magnetic iron) were examined at various temperatures up to 600 C. Toroidal Hiperco 50 samples were made from stacks of 0.35 mm thick sheet, toroidal CMI-C specimens were machined out of solid bar stock, and both were heat treated prior to testing. The magnetic properties of a Hiperco 50 sample were measured at various temperatures up to 600 C and then again after returning to room temperature; the magnetic properties of CMI-C were tested at temperatures up to 400 C. For Hiperco 50 coercivity decreased as temperature increased, and remained low upon returning to room temperature; maximum permeability improved (increased) with increasing temperature and was dramatically improved upon returning to room temperature; remanence was not significantly affected by temperature; flux density at H = 0.1 kA/m increased slightly with increasing temperature, and was about 20% higher upon returning to room temperature; flux density at H = 0.5 kA/m was insensitive to temperature. It appears that the properties of Hiperco 50 improved with increasing temperature due to grain growth. There was no significant magnetic property difference between annealed and aged CMI-C iron material; permeability tended to decrease with increasing temperature; the approximate decline in the permeability at 400 C compared to room temperature was 30%; saturation flux density, B(sub S), was approximately equal for all temperatures below 400 C; B(sub S) was lower at 400 C.

Mechanics of Nanostructured Porous Silica Aerogel Resulting from Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

PubMed

Patil, Sandeep P; Rege, Ameya; Sagardas; Itskov, Mikhail; Markert, Bernd

2017-06-08

Silica aerogels are nanostructured, highly porous solids which have, compared to other soft materials, special mechanical properties, such as extremely low densities. In the present work, the mechanical properties of silica aerogels have been studied with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The aerogel model of 192 000 atoms was created with different densities by direct expansion of β-cristobalite and subjected to series of thermal treatments. Because of the high number of atoms and improved modeling procedure, the proposed model was more stable and showed significant improvement in the smoothness of the resulting stress-strain curves in comparison to previous models. Resulting Poisson's ratio values for silica aerogels lie between 0.18 and 0.21. The elasticity moduli display a power law dependence on the density, with the exponent estimated to be 3.25 ± 0.1. These results are in excellent agreement with reported experimental as well as computational values. Two different deformation scenarios have been discussed. Under tension, the low-density aerogels were more ductile while the denser ones behaved rather brittle. In the compression simulations of low-density aerogels, deformation occurred without significant increase in stress. However, for high densities, atoms offer a higher resistance to the deformation, resulting in a more stiff response and an early densification. The relationship between different mechanical parameters has been found in the cyclic loading simulations of silica aerogels with different densities. The residual strain grows linearly with the applied strain (≥0.16) and can be approximated by a phenomenological relation ϵ p = 1.09ϵ max - 0.12. The dissipation energy also varies with the compressive strain according to a power law with an exponent of 2.31 ± 0.07. Moreover, the tangent modulus under cyclic loading varies exponentially with the compressive strain. The results of the study pave the way toward multiscale modeling of silica as well as reinforced silica aerogels.

Fracture characterization of inhomogeneous wrinkled metallic films deposited on soft substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishida, Hiroshi; Ishizaka, Satoshi; Nagakura, Takumi; Suzuki, Hiroaki; Yonezu, Akio

2017-12-01

This study investigated the fracture properties of wrinkled metallic films on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft substrate. In particular, the crack density of the wrinkled film during tensile deformation was examined. In order to achieve better deformability of metallic thin films, a method to fabricate a wrinkled thin film on a PDMS soft substrate was first established. The copper (Cu) nano-film fabricated in this study possessed a wrinkled geometry, which plays a critical role in determining the extent of large elastic deformation. To create the wrinkled structure, wet-etching with a polymeric sacrificial layer was used. A sacrificial layer was first deposited onto a silicone rubber sheet. During the curing process of the layer, a compressive strain was applied such that the hardened surface layer buckled, and a wrinkled form was obtained. Subsequently, a PDMS solution was used to cover the layer in order to form a wrinkled PDMS substrate. Finally, the Cu film was deposited onto the wrinkled PDMS, such that the wrinkled Cu film on a soft PDMS substrate was fabricated. The use of uni-axial tensile tests resulted in film crack generation at the stress concentration zone in the wrinkled structure of the films. When the tensile loading was increased, the number of cracks increased. It was found that the increase in crack density was strongly related to the inhomogeneous nature of the wrinkled structure. Such a trend in crack density was investigated using FEM (finite element method) computations, such that this study established a simple mechanical model that may be used to predict the increase in crack density during tensile deformation. This model was verified through several experiments using various wrinkle patterns. The proposed mechanical model may be useful to predict the crack density of a wrinkled metallic film subject to tensile loading.

Mercedes-Benz water molecules near hydrophobic wall: integral equation theories vs Monte Carlo simulations.

PubMed

Urbic, T; Holovko, M F

2011-10-07

Associative version of Henderson-Abraham-Barker theory is applied for the study of Mercedes-Benz model of water near hydrophobic surface. We calculated density profiles and adsorption coefficients using Percus-Yevick and soft mean spherical associative approximations. The results are compared with Monte Carlo simulation data. It is shown that at higher temperatures both approximations satisfactory reproduce the simulation data. For lower temperatures, soft mean spherical approximation gives good agreement at low and at high densities while in at mid range densities, the prediction is only qualitative. The formation of a depletion layer between water and hydrophobic surface was also demonstrated and studied. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Elemental mercury oxidation in an electrostatic precipitator enhanced with in situ soft X-ray irradiation.

PubMed

Jing, He; Wang, Xiaofei; Wang, Wei-Ning; Biswas, Pratim

2015-04-01

Corona discharge based techniques are promising approaches for oxidizing elemental mercury (Hg0) in flue gas from coal combustion. In this study, in-situ soft X-rays were coupled to a DC (direct current) corona-based electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The soft X-rays significantly enhanced Hg0 oxidation, due to generation of electrons from photoionization of gas molecules and the ESP electrodes. This coupling technique worked better in the positive corona discharge mode because more electrons were in the high energy region near the electrode. Detailed mechanisms of Hg0 oxidation are proposed and discussed based on ozone generation measurements and Hg0 oxidation behavior observations in single gas environments (O2, N2, and CO2). The effect of O2 concentration in flue gas, as well as the effects of particles (SiO2, TiO2, and KI) was also evaluated. In addition, the performance of a soft X-rays coupled ESP in Hg0 oxidations was investigated in a lab-scale coal combustion system. With the ESP voltage at +10 kV, soft X-ray enhancement, and KI addition, mercury oxidation was maximized. Mercury is a significant-impact atmospheric pollutant due to its toxicity. Coal-fired power plants are the primary emission sources of anthropogenic releases of mercury; hence, mercury emission control from coal-fired power plant is important. This study provides an alternative mercury control technology for coal-fired power plants. The proposed electrostatic precipitator with in situ soft X-rays has high efficiency on elemental mercury conversion. Effects of flue gas conditions (gas compositions, particles, etc.) on performance of this technology were also evaluated, which provided guidance on the application of the technology for coal-fired power plant mercury control.

Soft ferrite cores characterization for integrated micro-inductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Yen Mai; Lopez, Thomas; Laur, Jean-Pierre; Bourrier, David; Charlot, Samuel; Valdez-Nava, Zarel; Bley, Vincent; Combettes, Céline; Brunet, Magali

2013-12-01

Ferrite-based micro-inductors are proposed for hybrid integration on silicon for low-power medium frequency DC-DC converters. Due to their small coercive field and their high resistivity, soft ferrites are good candidates for a magnetic core working at moderate frequencies in the range of 5-10 MHz. We have studied several soft ferrites including commercial ferrite film and U70 and U200 homemade ferrites. The inductors are fabricated at wafer level using micromachining and assembling techniques. The proposed process is based on a sintered ferrite core placed in between thick electroplated copper windings. The low profile ferrite cores of 1.2 × 2.6 × 0.2 mm3 are produced by two methods from green tape-casted films and ferrite powder. This paper presents the magnetic characterization of the sintered ferrite films cut and printed in rectangular shape and sintered at different temperatures. The comparison is made in order to find out the best material for the core that can reach the required inductance (470 nH at 6 MHz) under 0.6A current DC bias and that generate the smallest losses. An inductance density of 285 nH/ mm2 up to 6 MHz was obtained for ESL 40011 cores that is much higher than the previously reported devices. The small size of our devices is also a prominent point.

Anomalies in the prescribing of soft contact lens power.

PubMed

Young, Graeme; Moody, Kurt; Sulley, Anna

2009-01-01

To determine the proportion of prescribed soft lenses rounded to the nearest half diopter and any variations from country to country and between lens types. Marketing data were obtained for soft lenses supplied during a 1-year period for lenses representing each of the following categories: mid-water hydrogel (MWH), silicone hydrogel, daily disposable, and toric silicone hydrogel (TSH). The data were analyzed for several countries/regions. Spherical lenses were analyzed in the range 1.00 to 5.75 D for plus and minus powers, and toric lenses in the range 0.50 to 5.75 D. This ensured a similar number of lenses in full or half diopter powers were compared with quarter and three-quarter diopter powers, and that there was no enforced rounding due to nonavailability of powers. By comparing the proportion of lenses from the 2 power groups, the proportion of lenses rounded to the nearest half diopter was estimated. It was assumed that half the difference between the totals of the 2 power groups represented those lenses dispensed to the nearest half diopter and, therefore, dispensed inaccurately; this was termed the "rounding rate" (RR). The power distribution curve for the sphere powers spiked in half diopter steps, illustrated a bias toward prescribing full and half diopter powers. With all lenses, the RR varied widely between countries. For the MWH, this ranged from 1.7% (Canada) to 11.6% (Iberia). The RRs were 2 to 3 times higher for plus than minus power lenses, however, this also varied by country. Overall, the RRs were lower for the silicone hydrogel and daily disposable contact lenses compared with the MWH, in particular for France and Iberia. The TSH results showed the greatest consistency between countries, with RRs ranging from 3.9% (Germany) to 9.5% (Rest of Europe). Most countries showed similar or lower RRs for TSH compared with MWH although, for some countries (e.g., United Kingdom, Nordic), these were higher. There was less difference in RRs for TSH lenses between plus and minus spheres. A surprising proportion of soft lenses are prescribed to the nearest half diopter, although this varies according to lens type. There are also considerable variations between countries, presumably due to differences in training, fitting practices, and supply routes. These findings suggest that there is widespread room for improvement in the prescribing accuracy of soft contact lenses.

Density in a Bottle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roser, Charles E.; McCluskey, Catherine L.

1998-01-01

Explains how the Canadian soft drink Orbitz can be used for explorations of density in the classroom. The drink has colored spheres suspended throughout that have a density close to that of the liquid. Presents a hands-on activity that can be easily done in two parts. (DDR)

Scalable Sub-micron Patterning of Organic Materials Toward High Density Soft Electronics

PubMed Central

Kim, Jaekyun; Kim, Myung-Gil; Kim, Jaehyun; Jo, Sangho; Kang, Jingu; Jo, Jeong-Wan; Lee, Woobin; Hwang, Chahwan; Moon, Juhyuk; Yang, Lin; Kim, Yun-Hi; Noh, Yong-Young; Yun Jaung, Jae; Kim, Yong-Hoon; Kyu Park, Sung

2015-01-01

The success of silicon based high density integrated circuits ignited explosive expansion of microelectronics. Although the inorganic semiconductors have shown superior carrier mobilities for conventional high speed switching devices, the emergence of unconventional applications, such as flexible electronics, highly sensitive photosensors, large area sensor array, and tailored optoelectronics, brought intensive research on next generation electronic materials. The rationally designed multifunctional soft electronic materials, organic and carbon-based semiconductors, are demonstrated with low-cost solution process, exceptional mechanical stability, and on-demand optoelectronic properties. Unfortunately, the industrial implementation of the soft electronic materials has been hindered due to lack of scalable fine-patterning methods. In this report, we demonstrated facile general route for high throughput sub-micron patterning of soft materials, using spatially selective deep-ultraviolet irradiation. For organic and carbon-based materials, the highly energetic photons (e.g. deep-ultraviolet rays) enable direct photo-conversion from conducting/semiconducting to insulating state through molecular dissociation and disordering with spatial resolution down to a sub-μm-scale. The successful demonstration of organic semiconductor circuitry promise our result proliferate industrial adoption of soft materials for next generation electronics. PMID:26411932

Scalable sub-micron patterning of organic materials toward high density soft electronics

DOE PAGES

Kim, Jaekyun; Kim, Myung -Gil; Kim, Jaehyun; ...

2015-09-28

The success of silicon based high density integrated circuits ignited explosive expansion of microelectronics. Although the inorganic semiconductors have shown superior carrier mobilities for conventional high speed switching devices, the emergence of unconventional applications, such as flexible electronics, highly sensitive photosensors, large area sensor array, and tailored optoelectronics, brought intensive research on next generation electronic materials. The rationally designed multifunctional soft electronic materials, organic and carbon-based semiconductors, are demonstrated with low-cost solution process, exceptional mechanical stability, and on-demand optoelectronic properties. Unfortunately, the industrial implementation of the soft electronic materials has been hindered due to lack of scalable fine-patterning methods. Inmore » this report, we demonstrated facile general route for high throughput sub-micron patterning of soft materials, using spatially selective deep-ultraviolet irradiation. For organic and carbon-based materials, the highly energetic photons (e.g. deep-ultraviolet rays) enable direct photo-conversion from conducting/semiconducting to insulating state through molecular dissociation and disordering with spatial resolution down to a sub-μm-scale. As a result, the successful demonstration of organic semiconductor circuitry promise our result proliferate industrial adoption of soft materials for next generation electronics.« less

C -parameter distribution at N 3 LL ' including power corrections

DOE PAGES

Hoang, André H.; Kolodrubetz, Daniel W.; Mateu, Vicent; ...

2015-05-15

We compute the e⁺e⁻ C-parameter distribution using the soft-collinear effective theory with a resummation to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading-log prime accuracy of the most singular partonic terms. This includes the known fixed-order QCD results up to O(α 3 s), a numerical determination of the two-loop nonlogarithmic term of the soft function, and all logarithmic terms in the jet and soft functions up to three loops. Our result holds for C in the peak, tail, and far tail regions. Additionally, we treat hadronization effects using a field theoretic nonperturbative soft function, with moments Ω n. To eliminate an O(Λ QCD) renormalon ambiguity in themore » soft function, we switch from the MS¯ to a short distance “Rgap” scheme to define the leading power correction parameter Ω 1. We show how to simultaneously account for running effects in Ω 1 due to renormalon subtractions and hadron-mass effects, enabling power correction universality between C-parameter and thrust to be tested in our setup. We discuss in detail the impact of resummation and renormalon subtractions on the convergence. In the relevant fit region for αs(m Z) and Ω 1, the perturbative uncertainty in our cross section is ≅ 2.5% at Q=m Z.« less

Spectral Index and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequency Correlation in Black Hole (BH) Sources: Observational Evidence of Two Phases and Phase Transition in BHs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Fiorito, Ralph

2004-01-01

Recent studies have shown that strong correlations are observed between the low frequencies (1-10 Hz) of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) and the spectral power law index of several Black Hole (BH) candidate sources, in low hard states, steep power-law (soft) states and in transition between these states. The observations indicate that the X-ray spectrum of such state (phases) show the presence of a power-law component and are sometimes related to simultaneous radio emission indicated the probable presence of a jet. Strong QPOs (less than 20% rms) are present in the power density spectrum in the spectral range where the power-law component is dominant ( i.e. 60-90% ). This evidence contradicts the dominant long standing interpretation of QPOs as a signature of the thermal accretion disk. We present the data from the literature and our own data to illustrate the dominance of power-law index-QPO frequency correlations. We provide a model, that identifies and explains the origin of the QPOs and how they are imprinted on the properties of power-law flux component. We argue the existence of a bounded compact coronal region which is a natural consequence of the adjustment of Keplerian disk flow to the innermost sub-Keplerian boundary conditions near the central object and that ultimately leads to the formation of a transition layer (TL) between the adjustment radius and the innermost boundary. The model predicts two phases or states dictated by the photon upscattering produced in the TL: (1) hard state, in which the TL is optically thin and very hot (kT approx. greater than 50 keV) producing photon upscattering via thermal Componization; the photon spectrum index Gamma appprox.1.5 for this state is dictated by gravitational energy release and Compton cooling in an optically thin shock near the adjustment radius; (2) a soft state which is optically thick and relatively cold (approx. less than 5 keV); the index for this state, Gamma approx. 2.8 is determined by soft-photon upscattering and photon trapping in converging flow into BH. In the TL model for corona the QPO frequency vnu(sub high) is related to the gravitational (close to Keplerian) frequency nu(sub K) at the outer (adjustment) radius and nu(sub low) is related to the TL s normal mode (magnetoacoustic) oscillation frequency nu(sub MA). The observed correlations between index and low and high QPO frequencies are readily explained in terms of this model. We also suggest a new method for evaluation of the BH mass using the index-frequency correlation.

Spectral Index and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequency Correlation in Black Hole Sources: Observational Evidence of Two Phases and Phase Transition in Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Fiorito, Ralph

2004-01-01

Recent studies have shown that strong correlations are observed between the low frequencies (1-10 Hz) of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) and the spectral power law index of several black hole (BH) candidate sources, in low (hard) states, steep power law (soft) states, and transitions between these states. The observations indicate that the X-ray spectra of such state (phases) show the presence of a power-law component and are sometimes related to simultaneous radio emission, indicating the probable presence of a jet. Strong QPOs (>20% rms) are present in the power density spectrum in the spectral range where the power-law component is dominant (i.e., 60%90%). This evidence contradicts the dominant, long-standing interpretation of QPOs as a signature of the thermal accretion disk. We present the data from the literature and our own data to illustrate the dominance of power-law index-QPO frequency correlations. We provide a model that identifies and explains the origin of the QPOs and how they are imprinted on the properties of the power-law flux component. We argue for the existence of a bounded compact coronal region that is a natural consequence of the adjustment of the Keplerian disk flow to the innermost sub-Keplerian boundary conditions near the central object and that ultimately leads to the formation of a transition layer (TL) between the adjustment radius and the innermost boundary. The model predicts two phases or states dictated by the photon upscattering produced in the TL: (1) a hard state, in which the TL is optically thin and very hot (kT approximately greater than 50 keV), producing photon upscattering via thermal Comptonization (the photon spectrum index Gamma approximates 1.7 for this state is dictated by gravitational energy release and Compton cooling in an optically thin shock near the adjustment radius), and (2) a soft state that is optically thick and relatively cold (kT approximately less than 5 keV the index for this state, Gamma approximates 2.8, is determined by soft-photon upscattering and photon trapping in a converging flow into the BH). In the TL model for the corona, the QPO frequency V(sub high) is related to the gravitational (close to Keplerian) frequency V(sub K) at the outer (adjustment) radius and v(sub low) is related to the TL's normal mode (magnetoacoustic) oscillation frequency v(sub MA) . The observed correlations between index and low and high QPO frequencies are readily explained in terms of this model. We also suggest a new method for evaluation of the BH mass using the index-frequency correlation.

Interrelation of soft and hard X-ray emissions during solar flares. I - Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winglee, R. M.; Kiplinger, A. L.; Zarro, D. M.; Dulk, G. A.; Lemen, J. R.

1991-01-01

The interrelation between the acceleration and heating of electrons and ions during impulsive solar flares is determined on the basis of simulataneous observations of hard and soft X-ray emission from the Solar Maximum Mission at high time resolution (6 s). For all the flares, the hard X-rays are found to have a power-law spectrum which breaks down during the rise phase and beginning of the decay phase. After that, the spectrum changes to either a single power law or a power law that breaks up at high energies. The characteristics of the soft X-ray are found to depend on the flare position. It is suggested that small-scale quasi-static electric fields are important for determining the acceleration of the X-ray-producing electrons and the outflowing chromospheric ions.

Power Supply for Variable Frequency Induction Heating Using MERS Soft-Switching High Frequency Inverter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isobe, Takanori; Kitahara, Tadayuki; Fukutani, Kazuhiko; Shimada, Ryuichi

Variable frequency induction heating has great potential for industrial heating applications due to the possibility of achieving heating distribution control; however, large-scale induction heating with variable frequency has not yet been introduced for practical use. This paper proposes a high frequency soft-switching inverter for induction heating that can achieve variable frequency operation. One challenge of variable frequency induction heating is increasing power electronics ratings. This paper indicates that its current source type dc-link configuration and soft-switching characteristics can make it possible to build a large-scale system with variable frequency capability. A 90-kVA 150-1000Hz variable frequency experimental power supply for steel strip induction heating was developed. Experiments confirmed the feasibility of variable frequency induction heating with proposed converter and the advantages of variable frequency operation.

Development of a Coherent Lidar for Aiding Precision Soft Landing on Planetary Bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amzajerdian, Farzin; Pierrottet, Diego; Tolson, Robert H.; Powell, Richard W.; Davidson, John B.; Peri, Frank

2005-01-01

Coherent lidar can play a critical role in future planetary exploration missions by providing key guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) data necessary for navigating planetary landers to the pre-selected site and achieving autonomous safe soft-landing. Although the landing accuracy has steadily improved over time to approximately 35 km for the recent Mars Exploration Rovers due to better approach navigation, a drastically different guidance, navigation and control concept is required to meet future mission requirements. For example, future rovers will require better than 6 km landing accuracy for Mars and better than 1 km for the Moon plus maneuvering capability to avoid hazardous terrain features. For this purpose, an all-fiber coherent lidar is being developed to address the call for advancement of entry, descent, and landing technologies. This lidar will be capable of providing precision range to the ground and approach velocity data, and in the case of landing on Mars, it will also measure the atmospheric wind and density. The lidar obtains high resolution range information from a frequency modulated-continuous wave (FM-CW) laser beam whose instantaneous frequency varies linearly with time, and the ground vector velocity is directly extracted from the Doppler frequency shift. Utilizing the high concentration of aerosols in the Mars atmosphere (approx. two order of magnitude higher than the Earth), the lidar can measure wind velocity with a few watts of optical power. Operating in 1.57 micron wavelength regime, the lidar can use the differential absorption (DIAL) technique to measure the average CO2 concentration along the laser beam using, that is directly proportional to the Martian atmospheric density. Employing fiber optics components allows for the lidar multi-functional operation while facilitating a highly efficient, compact and reliable design suitable for integration into a spacecraft with limited mass, size, and power resources.

Universal control and measuring system for modern classic and amorphous magnetic materials single/on-line strip testers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zemánek, Ivan; Havlíček, Václav

2006-09-01

A new universal control and measuring system for classic and amorphous soft magnetic materials single/on-line strip testing has been developed at the Czech Technical University in Prague. The measuring system allows to measure magnetization characteristic and specific power losses of different tested materials (strips) at AC magnetization of arbitrary magnetic flux density waveform at wide range of frequencies 20 Hz-20 kHz. The measuring system can be used for both single strip testing in laboratories and on-line strip testing during the production process. The measuring system is controlled by two-stage master-slave control system consisting of the external PC (master) completed by three special A/D measuring plug-in boards, and local executing control unit (slave) with one-chip microprocessor 8051, connected with PC by the RS232 serial line. The "user friendly" powerful control software implemented on the PC and the effective program code for the microprocessor give possibility for full automatic measurement with high measuring power and high measuring accuracy.

Inner power, physical strength and existential well-being in daily life: relatives' experiences of receiving soft tissue massage in palliative home care.

PubMed

Cronfalk, Berit Seiger; Strang, Peter; Ternestedt, Britt-Marie

2009-08-01

This article explores relatives' experiences of receiving soft tissue massage as a support supplement while caring for a dying family member at home. In palliative home care, relatives play an important role as carers to seriously ill and dying family members. To improve their quality of life, different support strategies are of importance. Complementary methods, such as soft tissue massage have become an appreciated supplement for these patients. However, only few studies focus on relatives experiences of receiving soft tissue massage as a supplemental support. Qualitative design Nineteen relatives received soft tissue massage (hand or foot) nine times (25 minutes) in their homes. Open-ended semi-structured tape-recorded interviews were conducted once per relative after the nine times of massage, using qualitative content analysis. Soft tissue massage gave the relatives' feelings of 'being cared for', 'body vitality' and 'peace of mind'. For a while, they put worries of daily life aside as they just experienced 'being'. During massage, it became apparent that body and mind is constituted of an indestructible completeness. The overarching theme was 'inner power, physical strength and existential well-being in their daily lives'. All relatives experienced soft tissue massage positively, although they were under considerable stress. Soft tissue massage could be an option to comfort and support relatives in palliative home care. In palliative nursing care, soft tissue massage could present a worthy supplement in supporting caring relatives.

Effect of three months of soft contact lens wear on conjunctival cytology.

PubMed

Sapkota, Kishor; Franco, Sandra; Sampaio, Paula; Lira, Madalena

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of three months of soft contact lens wear on conjunctival goblet cell density and epithelial cell morphology. This was a longitudinal clinical trial. Conjunctival impression cytology was performed on the superior palpebral conjunctiva in fifty-four eyes of twenty-seven neophyte contact lens wearers before and after three months of contact lens wear. Goblet cell density was determined by optical microscopy and epithelial cell morphology was classified according to the Tseng classification. Changes in goblet cell density as well as epithelial cell grading were determined. The effects of lens material and wearing modality on cytological changes were also investigated. Goblet cell density reduced significantly by 85 ± 151 cells/mm(2) (p < 0.001) after three months of contact lens wear. Reduction in goblet cell density was associated with lens materials; it was higher in conventional hydrogel lenses in comparison to silicone-hydrogel lenses (p = 0.008). The highest reduction in goblet cell density was found with Nelfilcon A lens wear (p = 0.002) and the lowest with Comfilcon A lens wear (p = 0.414). There was no statistically significant difference in grading of epithelial metaplasia before and after three months of contact lens wear (p = 0.075). Age was not correlated with the reduction in goblet cell density (r = -0.196, p = 0.160) but it was associated with the change in epithelial cell morphology (p = 0.036). Three months of soft contact lens wear statistically significantly reduced goblet cell density; however, no significant changes were found in the grading of epithelial metaplasia. Contact lenses with lower oxygen permeability, higher Young modulus and higher thickness highly affected the conjunctival cytology. © 2016 Optometry Australia.

Chinese Soft Power in Latin America: A Case Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

refer to a range of concepts, this article analyzes Chinese soft power in terms of the willingness of governments and other actors in the...interests: they may feel an affinity for the Chinese culture and people and the objectives of its govern - ment, they may expect to receive economic or...aspirations among Latin American business- people, students, and government officials. The Ecuadorian banana magnate Segundo Wong, for example, reportedly

Local and linear chemical reactivity response functions at finite temperature in density functional theory

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

Franco-Pérez, Marco, E-mail: francopj@mcmaster.ca, E-mail: ayers@mcmaster.ca, E-mail: jlgm@xanum.uam.mx, E-mail: avela@cinvestav.mx; Departamento de Química, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, México, D.F. 09340; Ayers, Paul W., E-mail: francopj@mcmaster.ca, E-mail: ayers@mcmaster.ca, E-mail: jlgm@xanum.uam.mx, E-mail: avela@cinvestav.mx

2015-12-28

We explore the local and nonlocal response functions of the grand canonical potential density functional at nonzero temperature. In analogy to the zero-temperature treatment, local (e.g., the average electron density and the local softness) and nonlocal (e.g., the softness kernel) intrinsic response functions are defined as partial derivatives of the grand canonical potential with respect to its thermodynamic variables (i.e., the chemical potential of the electron reservoir and the external potential generated by the atomic nuclei). To define the local and nonlocal response functions of the electron density (e.g., the Fukui function, the linear density response function, and the dualmore » descriptor), we differentiate with respect to the average electron number and the external potential. The well-known mathematical relationships between the intrinsic response functions and the electron-density responses are generalized to nonzero temperature, and we prove that in the zero-temperature limit, our results recover well-known identities from the density functional theory of chemical reactivity. Specific working equations and numerical results are provided for the 3-state ensemble model.« less

Local and linear chemical reactivity response functions at finite temperature in density functional theory.

PubMed

Franco-Pérez, Marco; Ayers, Paul W; Gázquez, José L; Vela, Alberto

2015-12-28

We explore the local and nonlocal response functions of the grand canonical potential density functional at nonzero temperature. In analogy to the zero-temperature treatment, local (e.g., the average electron density and the local softness) and nonlocal (e.g., the softness kernel) intrinsic response functions are defined as partial derivatives of the grand canonical potential with respect to its thermodynamic variables (i.e., the chemical potential of the electron reservoir and the external potential generated by the atomic nuclei). To define the local and nonlocal response functions of the electron density (e.g., the Fukui function, the linear density response function, and the dual descriptor), we differentiate with respect to the average electron number and the external potential. The well-known mathematical relationships between the intrinsic response functions and the electron-density responses are generalized to nonzero temperature, and we prove that in the zero-temperature limit, our results recover well-known identities from the density functional theory of chemical reactivity. Specific working equations and numerical results are provided for the 3-state ensemble model.

Power profiles and short-term visual performance of soft contact lenses.

PubMed

Papas, Eric; Dahms, Anne; Carnt, Nicole; Tahhan, Nina; Ehrmann, Klaus

2009-04-01

To investigate the manner in which contemporary soft contact lenses differ in the distribution of optical power within their optic zones and establish if these variations affect the vision of wearers or the prescribing procedure for back vertex power (BVP). By using a Visionix VC 2001 contact lens power analyzer, power profiles were measured across the optic zones of the following contemporary contact lenses ACUVUE 2, ACUVUE ADVANCE, O2OPTIX, NIGHT & DAY and PureVision. Single BVP measures were obtained using a Nikon projection lensometer. Visual performance was assessed in 28 masked subjects who wore each lens type in random order. Measurements taken were high and low contrast visual acuity in normal illumination (250 Cd/m), high contrast acuity in reduced illumination (5 Cd/m), subjective visual quality using a numerical rating scale, and visual satisfaction rating using a Likert scale. Marked differences in the distribution of optical power across the optic zone were evident among the lens types. No significant differences were found for any of the visual performance variables (p > 0.05, analysis of variance with repeated measures and Friedman test). Variations in power profile between contemporary soft lens types exist but do not, in general, result in measurable visual performance differences in the short term, nor do they substantially influence the BVP required for optimal correction.

Comparison of high temperature, high frequency core loss and dynamic B-H loops of a 2V-49Fe-49Co and a grain oriented 3Si-Fe alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieserman, W. R.; Schwarze, G. E.; Niedra, J. M.

1992-01-01

The design of power magnetic components such as transformers, inductors, motors, and generators, requires specific knowledge about the magnetic and electrical characteristics of the magnetic materials used in these components. Limited experimental data exists that characterizes the performance of soft magnetic materials for the combined conditions of high temperature and high frequency over a wide flux density range. An experimental investigation of a 2V-49-Fe-49Co (Supermendur) and a grain oriented 3 Si-Fe (Magnesil) alloy was conducted over the temperature range of 23 to 300 C and frequency range of 0.1 to 10 kHz. The effects of temperature, frequency, and maximum flux density on the core loss and dynamic B-H loops for sinusoidal voltage excitation conditions are examined for each of these materials. A comparison of the core loss of these two materials is also made over the temperature and frequency range investigated.

An overview of optical diagnostics developed for the Lockheed Martin compact fusion reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sommers, Bradley; Raymond, Anthony; Gucker, Sarah; Lockheed Martin Compact Fusion Reactor Team

2017-10-01

The T4B experiment is a linear, encapsulated ring cusp confinement device, designed to develop a physics and technology basis for a follow-on high beta machine as part of the compact fusion reactor program. Toward this end, a collection of non-invasive optical diagnostics have been developed to investigate confinement, neutral beam heating, and source behavior on the T4B device. These diagnostics include: (1) a multipoint Thomson scattering system employing a 532 nm Nd:YAG laser and high throughput spectrometer to measure 1D profiles of electron density and temperature, (2) a dispersion interferometer utilizing a continuous-wave CO2 laser (10.6 μm) to measure time resolved, line-integrated electron density, and (3) a bolometer suite utilizing four AXUV photodiodes with 64 lines of sight to generate 2D reconstructions of total radiative power and soft x-ray emission (via beryllium filters). An overview of design methods, including laser systems, detection schemes, and data analysis techniques is presented as well as results to date.

The Nature of the Unresolved Extragalactic Cosmic Soft X-Ray Background

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cappelluti, N.; Ranalli, P.; Roncarelli, M.; Arevalo, P.; Zamorani, G.; Comastri, A.; Gilli, R.; Rovilos, E.; Vignali, C.; Allevato, V.;

Detection of FUS induced lesions by MR-elastography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenne, Jürgen W.; Divkovic, Gabriela; Siegler, Peter

2005-03-01

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) has proven to be an exact and safe method to guide FUS (Focused ultrasound surgery) therapy. Besides its excellent soft tissue contrast, important for a precise treatment planning, MRI allows fast and reliable measurement of temperature changes caused by FUS application. In this study we compare standard MR-imaging parameters (relaxation times, spin density) with MR measured tissue elasticity in order to differentiate between FUS induced thermal lesions and normal tissue in vitro. In addition we tried to observe FUS induced shear waves by dynamic MRE. FUS was performed with an MRI compatible 1.7 MHz fixed focus transducer (NA 0.44; f'= 68 mm). With increasing acoustic power (30-70 W) the difference in relaxation times T1, T2 and spin density between normal and lesioned tissue also increased. We measured values in the range 5% to 24%. The difference in tissue strain had a value of 23% at 30 W and was nearly constant (52-61%) at higher FUS power. Compared with standard MRI parameters MRE showed a clearly higher sensitivity to detect FUS induced lesions. With our experimental setup it was possible to image FUS induced shear waves. The measured wave length at 400Hz repetition rate was 7 mm. However, further experiments are necessary to utilize the potential of MRE in practice.

Study of switching transients in high frequency converters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zinger, Donald S.; Elbuluk, Malik E.; Lee, Tony

1993-01-01

As the semiconductor technologies progress rapidly, the power densities and switching frequencies of many power devices are improved. With the existing technology, high frequency power systems become possible. Use of such a system is advantageous in many aspects. A high frequency ac source is used as the direct input to an ac/ac pulse-density-modulation (PDM) converter. This converter is a new concept which employs zero voltage switching techniques. However, the development of this converter is still in its infancy stage. There are problems associated with this converter such as a high on-voltage drop, switching transients, and zero-crossing detecting. Considering these problems, the switching speed and power handling capabilities of the MOS-Controlled Thyristor (MCT) makes the device the most promising candidate for this application. A complete insight of component considerations for building an ac/ac PDM converter for a high frequency power system is addressed. A power device review is first presented. The ac/ac PDM converter requires switches that can conduct bi-directional current and block bi-directional voltage. These bi-directional switches can be constructed using existing power devices. Different bi-directional switches for the converter are investigated. Detailed experimental studies of the characteristics of the MCT under hard switching and zero-voltage switching are also presented. One disadvantage of an ac/ac converter is that turn-on and turn-off of the switches has to be completed instantaneously when the ac source is at zero voltage. Otherwise shoot-through current or voltage spikes can occur which can be hazardous to the devices. In order for the devices to switch softly in the safe operating area even under non-ideal cases, a unique snubber circuit is used in each bi-directional switch. Detailed theory and experimental results for circuits using these snubbers are presented. A current regulated ac/ac PDM converter built using MCT's and IGBT's is evaluated.

Soft X-ray spectral observations of quasars and high X-ray luminosity Seyfert galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petre, R.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Krolik, J. H.; Holt, S. S.

1983-01-01

Results of the analysis of 28 Einstein SSS observations of 15 high X-ray luminosity (L(x) 10 to the 435 power erg/s) quasars and Seyfert type 1 nuclei are presented. The 0.75-4.5 keV spectra are in general well fit by a simple model consisting of a power law plus absorption by cold gas. The averager spectral index alpha is 0.66 + or - .36, consistent with alpha for the spectrum of these objects above 2 keV. In all but one case, no evidence was found for intrinsic absorption, with an upper limit of 2 x 10 to the 21st power/sq cm. Neither was evidence found for partial covering of the active nucleus by dense, cold matter (N(H) 10 to the 22nd power/sq cm; the average upper limit on the partial covering fraction is 0.5. There is no obvious correlation between spectral index and 0175-4.5 keV X-ray luminosity (which ranges from 3 x 10 to the 43rd to 47th powers erg/s or with other source properties. The lack of intrinsic X-ray absorption allows us to place constraints on the density and temperature of the broad-line emission region, and narrow line emission region, and the intergalactic medium.

System and component design and test of a 10 hp, 18,000 rpm AC dynamometer utilizing a high frequency AC voltage link, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lipo, Thomas A.; Alan, Irfan

1991-01-01

Hard and soft switching test results conducted with one of the samples of first generation MOS-controlled thyristor (MCTs) and similar test results with several different samples of second generation MCT's are reported. A simple chopper circuit is used to investigate the basic switching characteristics of MCT under hard switching and various types of resonant circuits are used to determine soft switching characteristics of MCT under both zero voltage and zero current switching. Next, operation principles of a pulse density modulated converter (PDMC) for three phase (3F) to 3F two-step power conversion via parallel resonant high frequency (HF) AC link are reviewed. The details for the selection of power switches and other power components required for the construction of the power circuit for the second generation 3F to 3F converter system are discussed. The problems encountered in the first generation system are considered. Design and performance of the first generation 3F to 3F power converter system and field oriented induction moter drive based upon a 3 kVA, 20 kHz parallel resonant HF AC link are described. Low harmonic current at the input and output, unity power factor operation of input, and bidirectional flow capability of the system are shown via both computer and experimental results. The work completed on the construction and testing of the second generation converter and field oriented induction motor drive based upon specifications for a 10 hp squirrel cage dynamometer and a 20 kHz parallel resonant HF AC link is discussed. The induction machine is designed to deliver 10 hp or 7.46 kW when operated as an AC-dynamo with power fed back to the source through the converter. Results presented reveal that the proposed power level requires additional energy storage elements to overcome difficulties with a peak link voltage variation problem that limits reaching to the desired power level. The power level test of the second generation converter after the addition of extra energy storage elements to the HF link are described. The importance of the source voltage level to achieve a better current regulation for the source side PDMC is also briefly discussed. The power levels achieved in the motoring mode of operation show that the proposed power levels achieved in the generating mode of operation can also be easily achieved provided that no mechanical speed limitation were present to drive the induction machine at the proposed power level.

Are There Intrinsically X-Ray Quiet Quasars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, S. C.; Brandt, W. N.; Laor, A.; Elvis, Martin; Mathur, S.; Wills, Beverly J.; Iyomoto, N.; White, Nicholas (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Recent ROSAT studies have identified a significant population of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) that are notably faint in soft X-rays relative to their optical fluxes. Are these AGN intrinsically X-ray weak or are they just highly absorbed? Brandt, Laor & Wills have systematically examined the optical and UV spectral properties of a well-defined sample of these soft X-ray weak (SXW) AGN drawn from the Boroson & Green sample of all the Palomar Green AGN 00 with z < 0.5. We present ASCA observations of three of these SXW AGN: PG 1011-040, PG 1535+547 (Mrk 486), and PG 2112+059. In general, our ASCA observations support the intrinsic absorption scenario for explaining soft X-ray weakness; both PG 1535+547 and PG 2112+059 show significant column densities (NH is approximately 10(exp 22) - 10(exp 23)/sq cm) of absorbing gas. Interestingly, PG 1011-040 shows no spectral evidence for X-ray absorption. The weak X-ray emission may result from very strong absorption of a partially covered source, or this AGN may be intrinsically X-ray weak. PG 2112+059 is a Broad Absorption Line (BAL) QSO, and we find it to have the highest X-ray flux known of this class. It shows a typical power-law X-ray continuum above 3 keV; this is the first direct evidence that BAL QSOs indeed have normal X-ray continua underlying their intrinsic absorption. Finally, marked variability between the ROSAT and ASCA observations of PG 1535+547 and PG 2112+059 suggests that the soft X-ray weak designation may be transient, and multi-epoch 0.1-10.0 KeV X-ray observations are required to constrain variability of the absorber and continuum.

Bright end of the luminosity function of high-mass X-ray binaries: contributions of hard, soft and supersoft sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sazonov, S.; Khabibullin, I.

2017-04-01

Using a spectral analysis of bright Chandra X-ray sources located in 27 nearby galaxies and maps of star-formation rate (SFR) and interstellar medium surface densities for these galaxies, we constructed the intrinsic X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of luminous high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs), taking into account absorption effects and the diversity of HMXB spectra. The XLF per unit SFR can be described by a power-law dN/dlog LX,unabs ≈ 2.0(LX,unabs/1039 erg s-1)-0.6 (M⊙ yr-1)-1 from LX,unabs = 1038 to 1040.5 erg s-1, where LX,unabs is the unabsorbed luminosity at 0.25-8 keV. The intrinsic number of luminous HMXBs per unit SFR is a factor of ˜2.3 larger than the observed number reported before. The intrinsic XLF is composed of hard, soft and supersoft sources (defined here as those with the 0.25-2 keV to 0.25-8 keV flux ratio of <0.6, 0.6-0.95 and >0.95, respectively) in ˜ 2:1:1 proportion. We also constructed the intrinsic HMXB XLF in the soft X-ray band (0.25-2 keV). Here, the numbers of hard, soft and supersoft sources prove to be nearly equal. The cumulative present-day 0.25-2 keV emissivity of HMXBs with luminosities between 1038 and 1040.5 erg s-1 is ˜5 × 1039 erg s-1(M⊙ yr-1)-1, which may be relevant for studying the X-ray preheating of the early Universe.

X-Ray Emission from Active Galactic Nuclei with Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewangan, G. C.; Mathur, S.; Griffiths, R. E.; Rao, A. R.

2008-12-01

We present a systematic X-ray study of eight active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with intermediate-mass black holes (MBH ~ 8-95 × 104 M⊙) based on 12 XMM-Newton observations. The sample includes the two prototype AGNs in this class—NGC 4395 and POX 52 and six other AGNs discovered with the Sloan Digitized Sky Survey. These AGNs show some of the strongest X-ray variability, with the normalized excess variances being the largest and the power density break timescales being the shortest observed among radio-quiet AGNs. The excess-variance-luminosity correlation appears to depend on both the BH mass and the Eddington luminosity ratio. The break timescale-black hole mass relations for AGN with IMBHs are consistent with that observed for massive AGNs. We find that the FWHM of the Hβ/Hα line is uncorrelated with the BH mass, but shows strong anticorrelation with the Eddington luminosity ratio. Four AGNs show clear evidence for soft X-ray excess emission (kTin ~ 150-200 eV). X-ray spectra of three other AGNs are consistent with the presence of the soft excess emission. NGC 4395 with lowest L/LEdd lacks the soft excess emission. Evidently small black mass is not the primary driver of strong soft X-ray excess emission from AGNs. The X-ray spectral properties and optical-to-X-ray spectral energy distributions of these AGNs are similar to those of Seyfert 1 galaxies. The observed X-ray/UV properties of AGNs with IMBHs are consistent with these AGNs being low-mass extensions of more massive AGNs, those with high Eddington luminosity ratio looking more like narrow-line Seyfert 1 s and those with low L/LEdd looking more like broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies.

Soft drink effects on sensorimotor rhythm brain computer interface performance and resting-state spectral power.

PubMed

Mundahl, John; Jianjun Meng; He, Jeffrey; Bin He

2016-08-01

Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems allow users to directly control computers and other machines by modulating their brain waves. In the present study, we investigated the effect of soft drinks on resting state (RS) EEG signals and BCI control. Eight healthy human volunteers each participated in three sessions of BCI cursor tasks and resting state EEG. During each session, the subjects drank an unlabeled soft drink with either sugar, caffeine, or neither ingredient. A comparison of resting state spectral power shows a substantial decrease in alpha and beta power after caffeine consumption relative to control. Despite attenuation of the frequency range used for the control signal, caffeine average BCI performance was the same as control. Our work provides a useful characterization of caffeine, the world's most popular stimulant, on brain signal frequencies and their effect on BCI performance.

Fluid electrodes for submersible robotics based on dielectric elastomer actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christianson, Caleb; Goldberg, Nathaniel; Cai, Shengqiang; Tolley, Michael T.

2017-04-01

Recently, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have gathered interest for soft robotics due to their low cost, light weight, large strain, low power consumption, and high energy density. However, developing reliable, compliant electrodes for DEAs remains an ongoing challenge due to issues with fabrication, uniformity of the conductive layer, and mechanical stiffening of the actuators caused by conductive materials with large Young's moduli. In this work, we present a method for preparing, patterning, and utilizing conductive fluid electrodes. Further, when we submerse the DEAs in a bath containing a conductive fluid connected to ground, the bath serves as a second electrode, obviating the need for depositing a conductive layer to serve as either of the electrodes required of most DEAs. When we apply a positive electrical potential to the conductive fluid in the actuator with respect to ground, the electric field across the dielectric membrane causes charge carriers in the solution to apply an electrostatic force on the membrane, which compresses the membrane and causes the actuator to deform. We have used this process to develop a tethered submersible robot that can swim in a tank of saltwater at a maximum measured speed of 9.2 mm/s. Since saltwater serves as the electrode, we overcome buoyancy issues that may be a challenge for pneumatically actuated soft robots and traditional, rigid robotics. This research opens the door to low-power underwater robots for search and rescue and environmental monitoring applications.

Research Trends of Soft Actuators based on Electroactive Polymers and Conducting Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaneto, K.

2016-04-01

Artificial muscles (or soft actuators) based on electroactive polymers (EAPs) are attractive power sources to drive human-like robots in place of electrical motor, because they are quiet, powerful, light weight and compact. Among EAPs for soft actuators, conducting polymers are superior in strain, stress, deformation form and driving voltage compared with the other EAPs. In this paper, the research trends of EAPs and conducting polymers are reviewed by retrieval of the papers and patents. The research activity of EAP actuators showed the maximum around 2010 and somehow declining now days. The reasons for the reducing activity are found to be partly due to problems of conducting polymer actuators for the practical application. The unique characteristics of conducting polymer actuators are mentioned in terms of the basic mechanisms of actuation, creeping, training effect and shape retention under high tensile loads. The issues and limitation of conducting polymer soft actuators are discussed.

A simple analytical thermo-mechanical model for liquid crystal elastomer bilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Yun; Wang, Chengjun; Sim, Kyoseung; Chen, Jin; Li, Yuhang; Xing, Yufeng; Yu, Cunjiang; Song, Jizhou

2018-02-01

The bilayer structure consisting of thermal-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and other polymer materials with stretchable heaters has attracted much attention in applications of soft actuators and soft robots due to its ability to generate large deformations when subjected to heat stimuli. A simple analytical thermo-mechanical model, accounting for the non-uniform feature of the temperature/strain distribution along the thickness direction, is established for this type of bilayer structure. The analytical predictions of the temperature and bending curvature radius agree well with finite element analysis and experiments. The influences of the LCE thickness and the heat generation power on the bending deformation of the bilayer structure are fully investigated. It is shown that a thinner LCE layer and a higher heat generation power could yield more bending deformation. These results may help the design of soft actuators and soft robots involving thermal responsive LCEs.

Omega Dante soft x-ray power diagnostic component calibration at the National Synchrotron Light Source

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

Campbell, K.M.; Weber, F.A.; Dewald, E.L.

2004-10-01

The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer, installed on the Omega laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, is a 12-channel filter-edge defined soft x-ray power diagnostic. It is used to measure the spectrally resolved, absolute flux from direct drive, indirect drive (hohlraums) and other plasma sources. Dante component calibration efforts using two beam lines, U3C (50 eV-1 keV) and X8A (1-6 keV) at the National Synchrotron Light Source have been implemented to improve the accuracy of these measurements. We have calibrated metallic vacuum x-ray diodes, mirrors and filters.

Fusion of Hard and Soft Information in Nonparametric Density Estimation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-10

and stochastic optimization models, in analysis of simulation output, and when instantiating probability models. We adopt a constrained maximum...particular, density estimation is needed for generation of input densities to simulation and stochastic optimization models, in analysis of simulation output...an essential step in simulation analysis and stochastic optimization is the generation of probability densities for input random variables; see for

Uncertainty Quantification using Epi-Splines and Soft Information

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

use of the Kullback - Leibler divergence measure. The Kullback - Leibler ...to illustrate the application of soft information related to the Kullback - Leibler (KL) divergence discussed in Chapter 2. The idea behind apply- ing... information for the estimation of system performance density functions in order to quantify uncertainty. We conduct empirical testing of

MO-D-PinS Room/Hall E-00: MR Simulation

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

NONE

2016-06-15

MRI, with its excellent soft tissue contrast and its ability to provide physiological as well as anatomical information, is becoming increasingly used in radiation therapy for treatment planning, image-guided radiation therapy, and treatment evaluation. This session will explore solutions to integrating MRI into the simulation process. Obstacles for using MRI for simulation include distortions and artifacts, image acquisition speed, complexity of imaging techniques, and lack of electron density information. Partners in Solutions presents vendor representatives who will present their approaches to meeting these challenges and others. An increased awareness of how MRI simulation works will allow physicists to better understandmore » and use this powerful technique. The speakers are all employees who are presenting information about their company’s products.« less

Computation of mass-density images from x-ray refraction-angle images.

PubMed

Wernick, Miles N; Yang, Yongyi; Mondal, Indrasis; Chapman, Dean; Hasnah, Moumen; Parham, Christopher; Pisano, Etta; Zhong, Zhong

2006-04-07

In this paper, we investigate the possibility of computing quantitatively accurate images of mass density variations in soft tissue. This is a challenging task, because density variations in soft tissue, such as the breast, can be very subtle. Beginning from an image of refraction angle created by either diffraction-enhanced imaging (DEI) or multiple-image radiography (MIR), we estimate the mass-density image using a constrained least squares (CLS) method. The CLS algorithm yields accurate density estimates while effectively suppressing noise. Our method improves on an analytical method proposed by Hasnah et al (2005 Med. Phys. 32 549-52), which can produce significant artefacts when even a modest level of noise is present. We present a quantitative evaluation study to determine the accuracy with which mass density can be determined in the presence of noise. Based on computer simulations, we find that the mass-density estimation error can be as low as a few per cent for typical density variations found in the breast. Example images computed from less-noisy real data are also shown to illustrate the feasibility of the technique. We anticipate that density imaging may have application in assessment of water content of cartilage resulting from osteoarthritis, in evaluation of bone density, and in mammographic interpretation.

Thulium fiber laser for the use in low-invasive endoscopic and robotic surgery of soft biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michalska, M.; Brojek, W.; Rybak, Z.; Sznelewski, P.; Mamajek, M.; Gogler, S.; Swiderski, J.

2016-12-01

An all-fiber, diode-pumped, continuous-wave Tm3+-doped fiber laser operated at a wavelength of 1.94 μm was developed. 37.4 W of output power with a slope efficiency as high as 57% with respect to absorbed pump power at 790 nm was demonstrated. The laser output beam quality factor M2 was measured to be 1.2. The output beam was very stable with power fluctuations <1% measured over 1 hour. The laser system is to be implemented as a scalpel for surgery of soft biological tissues.

Actively Perceiving and Responsive Soft Robots Enabled by Self-Powered, Highly Extensible, and Highly Sensitive Triboelectric Proximity- and Pressure-Sensing Skins.

PubMed

Lai, Ying-Chih; Deng, Jianan; Liu, Ruiyuan; Hsiao, Yung-Chi; Zhang, Steven L; Peng, Wenbo; Wu, Hsing-Mei; Wang, Xingfu; Wang, Zhong Lin

2018-06-04

Robots that can move, feel, and respond like organisms will bring revolutionary impact to today's technologies. Soft robots with organism-like adaptive bodies have shown great potential in vast robot-human and robot-environment applications. Developing skin-like sensory devices allows them to naturally sense and interact with environment. Also, it would be better if the capabilities to feel can be active, like real skin. However, challenges in the complicated structures, incompatible moduli, poor stretchability and sensitivity, large driving voltage, and power dissipation hinder applicability of conventional technologies. Here, various actively perceivable and responsive soft robots are enabled by self-powered active triboelectric robotic skins (tribo-skins) that simultaneously possess excellent stretchability and excellent sensitivity in the low-pressure regime. The tribo-skins can actively sense proximity, contact, and pressure to external stimuli via self-generating electricity. The driving energy comes from a natural triboelectrification effect involving the cooperation of contact electrification and electrostatic induction. The perfect integration of the tribo-skins and soft actuators enables soft robots to perform various actively sensing and interactive tasks including actively perceiving their muscle motions, working states, textile's dampness, and even subtle human physiological signals. Moreover, the self-generating signals can drive optoelectronic devices for visual communication and be processed for diverse sophisticated uses. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

PVC gel soft actuator-based wearable assist wear for hip joint support during walking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Hashimoto, Minoru

2017-12-01

Plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel and mesh electrode-based soft actuators have considerable potential to provide new types of artificial muscle, exhibiting similar responsiveness to biological muscle in air, >10% deformation, >90 kPa output stress, variable stiffness, long cycle life (>5 million cycles), and low power consumption. We have designed and fabricated a prototype of walking assist wear using the PVC gel actuator in previous study. The system has several advantages compared with traditional motor-based exoskeletons, including lower weight and power consumption, and no requirement for rigid external structures that constrain the wearer’s joints. In this study, we designed and established a control and power system to making the whole system portable and wearable outdoors. And we designed two control strategies based on the characteristics of the assist wear and the biological kinematics. In a preliminary experimental evaluation, a hemiparetic stroke patient performed a 10 m to-and-fro straight line walking task with and without assist wear on the affected side. We found that the assist wear enabled natural movement, increasing step length and decreasing muscular activity during straight line walking. We demonstrated that the assistance effect could be adjusted by controlling the on-off time of the PVC gel soft actuators. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed system and suggest the feasibility of PVC gel soft actuators for developing practical soft wearable assistive devices, informing the development of future wearable robots and the other soft actuator technologies for human movement assistance and rehabilitation.

An eFTD-VP framework for efficiently generating patient-specific anatomically detailed facial soft tissue FE mesh for craniomaxillofacial surgery simulation

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiaoyan; Kim, Daeseung; Shen, Shunyao; Yuan, Peng; Liu, Siting; Tang, Zhen; Zhang, Guangming; Zhou, Xiaobo; Gateno, Jaime

2017-01-01

Accurate surgical planning and prediction of craniomaxillofacial surgery outcome requires simulation of soft tissue changes following osteotomy. This can only be achieved by using an anatomically detailed facial soft tissue model. The current state-of-the-art of model generation is not appropriate to clinical applications due to the time-intensive nature of manual segmentation and volumetric mesh generation. The conventional patient-specific finite element (FE) mesh generation methods are to deform a template FE mesh to match the shape of a patient based on registration. However, these methods commonly produce element distortion. Additionally, the mesh density for patients depends on that of the template model. It could not be adjusted to conduct mesh density sensitivity analysis. In this study, we propose a new framework of patient-specific facial soft tissue FE mesh generation. The goal of the developed method is to efficiently generate a high-quality patient-specific hexahedral FE mesh with adjustable mesh density while preserving the accuracy in anatomical structure correspondence. Our FE mesh is generated by eFace template deformation followed by volumetric parametrization. First, the patient-specific anatomically detailed facial soft tissue model (including skin, mucosa, and muscles) is generated by deforming an eFace template model. The adaptation of the eFace template model is achieved by using a hybrid landmark-based morphing and dense surface fitting approach followed by a thin-plate spline interpolation. Then, high-quality hexahedral mesh is constructed by using volumetric parameterization. The user can control the resolution of hexahedron mesh to best reflect clinicians’ need. Our approach was validated using 30 patient models and 4 visible human datasets. The generated patient-specific FE mesh showed high surface matching accuracy, element quality, and internal structure matching accuracy. They can be directly and effectively used for clinical simulation of facial soft tissue change. PMID:29027022

An eFTD-VP framework for efficiently generating patient-specific anatomically detailed facial soft tissue FE mesh for craniomaxillofacial surgery simulation.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaoyan; Kim, Daeseung; Shen, Shunyao; Yuan, Peng; Liu, Siting; Tang, Zhen; Zhang, Guangming; Zhou, Xiaobo; Gateno, Jaime; Liebschner, Michael A K; Xia, James J

2018-04-01

Accurate surgical planning and prediction of craniomaxillofacial surgery outcome requires simulation of soft tissue changes following osteotomy. This can only be achieved by using an anatomically detailed facial soft tissue model. The current state-of-the-art of model generation is not appropriate to clinical applications due to the time-intensive nature of manual segmentation and volumetric mesh generation. The conventional patient-specific finite element (FE) mesh generation methods are to deform a template FE mesh to match the shape of a patient based on registration. However, these methods commonly produce element distortion. Additionally, the mesh density for patients depends on that of the template model. It could not be adjusted to conduct mesh density sensitivity analysis. In this study, we propose a new framework of patient-specific facial soft tissue FE mesh generation. The goal of the developed method is to efficiently generate a high-quality patient-specific hexahedral FE mesh with adjustable mesh density while preserving the accuracy in anatomical structure correspondence. Our FE mesh is generated by eFace template deformation followed by volumetric parametrization. First, the patient-specific anatomically detailed facial soft tissue model (including skin, mucosa, and muscles) is generated by deforming an eFace template model. The adaptation of the eFace template model is achieved by using a hybrid landmark-based morphing and dense surface fitting approach followed by a thin-plate spline interpolation. Then, high-quality hexahedral mesh is constructed by using volumetric parameterization. The user can control the resolution of hexahedron mesh to best reflect clinicians' need. Our approach was validated using 30 patient models and 4 visible human datasets. The generated patient-specific FE mesh showed high surface matching accuracy, element quality, and internal structure matching accuracy. They can be directly and effectively used for clinical simulation of facial soft tissue change.

The broad-band x ray spectral variability of Mkn 841

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, I. M.; Nandra, K.; Fabian, A. C.; Turner, T. J.; Done, C.; Day, C. S. R.

1992-01-01

The results of a detailed spectral analysis of four X-ray observations of the luminous Seyfert 1.5 galaxy Mkn 841 performed using the EXOSAT and Ginga satellites over the period June 1984 to July 1990 are reported. Preliminary results from a short ROSAT PSPC observation of Mkn 841 in July 1990 are also presented. Variability is apparent in both the soft (0.1-1.0 keV) and medium (1-20 keV) energy bands. Above 1 keV, the spectra are adequately modelled by a power-law with a strong emission line of equivalent width approximately 450 eV. The energy of the line (approximately 6.4 keV) is indicative of K-shell fluorescence from neutral iron, leading to the interpretation that the line arises via X-ray illumination of cold material surrounding the source. In addition to the flux variability, the continuum shape also changes in a dramatic fashion, with variations in the apparent photon index Delta(Gamma) approximately 0.6. The large equivalent width of the emission line clearly indicates a strongly enhanced reflection component in the source, compared to other Seyferts observed with Ginga. The spectral changes are interpreted in terms of a variable power-law continuum superimposed on a flatter reflection component. For one Ginga observation, the reflected flux appears to dominate the medium energy X-ray emission, resulting in an unusually flat slope (Gamma approximately 1.0). The soft X-ray excess is found to be highly variable by a factor approximately 10. These variations are not correlated with the hard flux, but it seems likely that the soft component arises via reprocessing of the hard X-rays. We find no evidence for intrinsic absorption, with the equivalent hydrogen column density constrained to be less than or equal to few x 10(exp 20) cm(exp -2). The implications of these results for physical models for the emission regions in this and other X-ray bright Seyferts are briefly discussed.

Chemical Synthesis of Sea-Urchin Shaped 3D-MnO2 Nano Structures and Their Application in Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Singu, Bal Sydulu; Hong, Sang Eun; Yoon, Kuk Ro

2016-06-01

Sea-urchin shaped α-MnO2 hierarchical nano structures have been synthesized by facile thermal method without using any hard or soft template under the mild conditions. The structural and morphology of the 3D-MnO2 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). From the XRD analysis indicates that MnO2 present in the α form. Morphology analysis shows that α-MnO2 sea-urchins are made by stacked nanorods, the diameter and length of the stacked nanorods present in the range of 50-120 nm and 200-400 nm respectively. The electrochemical behaviour of α-MnO2 has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and charge-discharge (CD). The specific capacitance, energy density and power density are 212.0 F g(-1), 21.2 Wh kg(-1) and 1200 W kg(-1) respectively at the current density of 2 A g(-1). The retention of the specific capacitance after completion of 1000 charge-discharge cycles is around 97%. The results reveal that the prepared Sea-urchin shaped α-MnO2 has high specific capacitance and exhibit excellent cycle life.

Microbunching-instability-induced sidebands in a seeded free-electron laser

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Zhen; Lindberg, Ryan; Fawley, William M.; ...

2016-05-02

Measurements of the multishot-averaged, soft x-ray, self-seeding spectrum at the LCLS free-electron laser often have a pedestal-like distribution around the seeded wavelength, which limits the spectral purity and can negatively affect some user applications not employing a post-undulator monochromator. In this paper, we study the origins of such pedestals, focusing on longitudinal phase space modulations produced by the microbunching instability upstream of the free-electron laser (FEL) undulator. Furthermore, we show from theory and numerical simulation that both energy and density modulations can induce sidebands in a high-gain, seeded FEL whose fractional strength typically grows as the square of the undulatormore » length. The results place a tight constraint on the longitudinal phase space uniformity of the electron beam for a seeded FEL, possibly requiring the amplitude of long-wavelength modulations to be much smaller than the typical incoherent energy spread if the output sideband power is to remain only a couple percent or less of the amplified seed power.« less

Temperature Measurements in Compressed and Uncompressed SPECTOR Plasmas at General Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, William; Carter, Neil; Howard, Stephen; Carle, Patrick; O'Shea, Peter; Fusion Team, General

2017-10-01

Accurate temperature measurements are critical to establishing the behavior of General Fusion's SPECTOR plasma injector, both before and during compression. As compression tests impose additional constraints on diagnostic access to the plasma, a two-color, filter-based soft x-ray electron temperature diagnostic has been implemented. Ion Doppler spectroscopy measurements also provide impurity ion temperatures on compression tests. The soft x-ray and ion Doppler spectroscopy measurements are being validated against a Thomson scattering system on an uncompressed version of SPECTOR with more diagnostic access. The multipoint Thomson scattering diagnostic also provides up to a six point temperature and density profile, with the density measurements validated against a far infrared interferometer. Temperatures above 300 eV have been demonstrated to be sustained for over 500 microseconds in uncompressed plasmas. Optimization of soft x-ray filters is ongoing, in order to balance blocking of impurity line radiation with signal strength.

Large Torque Variations in Two Soft Gamma Repeaters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woods, Peter M.; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Gogus, Ersin; Finger, Mark H.; Swank, Jean; Markwardt, Craig B.; Hurley, Kevin; vanderKlis, Michiel

2002-01-01

We have monitored the pulse frequencies of the two soft gamma repeaters SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 through the beginning of year 2001 using primarily Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array observations. In both sources, we observe large changes in the spin-down torque up to a factor of approximately 4, which persist for several months. Using long-baseline phase-connected timing solutions as well as the overall frequency histories, we construct torque noise power spectra for each SGR (Soft Gamma Repeater). The power spectrum of each source is very red (power-law slope is approximately -3.5). The torque noise power levels are consistent with some accreting systems on timescales of approximately 1 yr, yet the full power spectrum is much steeper in frequency than any known accreting source. To the best of our knowledge, torque noise power spectra with a comparably steep frequency dependence have been seen only in young, glitching radio pulsars (e.g., Vela). The observed changes in spin-down rate do not correlate with burst activity; therefore, the physical mechanisms behind each phenomenon are also likely unrelated. Within the context of the magnetar model, seismic activity can not account for both the bursts and the long-term torque changes unless the seismically active regions are decoupled from one another.

The power of glove: Soft microbial fuel cell for low-power electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winfield, Jonathan; Chambers, Lily D.; Stinchcombe, Andrew; Rossiter, Jonathan; Ieropoulos, Ioannis

2014-03-01

A novel, soft microbial fuel cell (MFC) has been constructed using the finger-piece of a standard laboratory natural rubber latex glove. The natural rubber serves as structural and proton exchange material whilst untreated carbon veil is used for the anode. A soft, conductive, synthetic latex cathode is developed that coats the outside of the glove. This inexpensive, lightweight reactor can without any external power supply, start up and energise a power management system (PMS), which steps-up the MFC output (0.06-0.17 V) to practical levels for operating electronic devices (>3 V). The MFC is able to operate for up to 4 days on just 2 mL of feedstock (synthetic tryptone yeast extract) without any cathode hydration. The MFC responds immediately to changes in fuel-type when the introduction of urine accelerates the cycling times (35 vs. 50 min for charge/discharge) of the MFC and PMS. Following starvation periods of up to 60 h at 0 mV the MFC is able to cold start the PMS simply with the addition of 2 mL fresh feedstock. These findings demonstrate that cheap MFCs can be developed as sole power sources and in conjunction with advancements in ultra-low power electronics, can practically operate small electrical devices.

In situ evaluation of density, viscosity, and thickness of adsorbed soft layers by combined surface acoustic wave and surface plasmon resonance.

PubMed

Francis, Laurent A; Friedt, Jean-Michel; Zhou, Cheng; Bertrand, Patrick

2006-06-15

We show the theoretical and experimental combination of acoustic and optical methods for the in situ quantitative evaluation of the density, the viscosity, and the thickness of soft layers adsorbed on chemically tailored metal surfaces. For the highest sensitivity and an operation in liquids, a Love mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor with a hydrophobized gold-coated sensing area is the acoustic method, while surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on the same gold surface as the optical method is monitored simultaneously in a single setup for the real-time and label-free measurement of the parameters of adsorbed soft layers, which means for layers with a predominant viscous behavior. A general mathematical modeling in equivalent viscoelastic transmission lines is presented to determine the correlation between experimental SAW signal shifts and the waveguide structure including the presence of the adsorbed layer and the supporting liquid from which it segregates. A methodology is presented to identify from SAW and SPR simulations the parameters representatives of the soft layer. During the absorption of a soft layer, thickness or viscosity changes are observed in the experimental ratio of the SAW signal attenuation to the SAW signal phase and are correlated with the theoretical model. As application example, the simulation method is applied to study the thermal behavior of physisorbed PNIPAAm, a polymer whose conformation is sensitive to temperature, under a cycling variation of temperature between 20 and 40 degrees C. Under the assumption of the bulk density and the bulk refractive index of PNIPAAm, thickness and viscosity of the film are obtained from simulations; the viscosity is correlated to the solvent content of the physisorbed layer.

Unveiling the Nature of Soft Gamma Repeaters and Magnetars: Scientists Measure the Most Powerful Magnet Known

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swank, Jean (Technical Monitor); Parke, William

2002-01-01

This newsletter from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) announces measurements of the magnetic field of a magnetar. The magnetic field was approx. 10(exp 15) gauss, up to 10 times more powerful than previous estimates. The newsletter also describes how the star's magnetic field slows its rotation, and how starquakes emit protons, which are trapped in this neutron star's magnetic field, and make it a soft gamma repeater (SGR).

Micromagnetic Study of Perpendicular Magnetic Recording Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Yan

With increasing areal density in magnetic recording systems, perpendicular recording has successfully replaced longitudinal recording to mitigate the superparamagnetic limit. The extensive theoretical and experimental research associated with perpendicular magnetic recording media has contributed significantly to improving magnetic recording performance. Micromagnetic studies on perpendicular recording media, including aspects of the design of hybrid soft underlayers, media noise properties, inter-grain exchange characterization and ultra-high density bit patterned media recording, are presented in this dissertation. To improve the writability of recording media, one needs to reduce the head-to-keeper spacing while maintaining a good texture growth for the recording layer. A hybrid soft underlayer, consisting of a thin crystalline soft underlayer stacked above a non-magnetic seed layer and a conventional amorphous soft underlayer, provides an alternative approach for reducing the effective head-to-keeper spacing in perpendicular recording. Micromagnetic simulations indicate that the media using a hybrid soft underlayer helps enhance the effective field and the field gradient in comparison with conventional media that uses only an amorphous soft underlayer. The hybrid soft underlayer can support a thicker non-magnetic seed layer yet achieve an equivalent or better effective field and field gradient. A noise plateau for intermediate recording densities is observed for a recording layer of typical magnetization. Medium noise characteristics and transition jitter in perpendicular magnetic recording are explored using micromagnetic simulation. The plateau is replaced by a normal linear dependence of noise on recording density for a low magnetization recording layer. We show analytically that a source of the plateau is similar to that producing the Non-Linear-Transition-Shift of signal. In particular, magnetostatic effects are predicted to produce positive correlation of jitter and thus negative correlation of noise at the densities associated with the plateau. One focus for developing perpendicular recording media is on how to extract intergranular exchange coupling and intrinsic anisotropy field dispersion. A micromagnetic numerical technique is developed to effectively separate the effects of intergranular exchange coupling and anisotropy dispersion by finding their correlation to differentiated M-H curves with different initial magnetization states, even in the presence of thermal fluctuation. The validity of this method is investigated with a series of intergranular exchange couplings and anisotropy dispersions for different media thickness. This characterization method allows for an experimental measurement employing a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Bit patterned media have been suggested to extend areal density beyond 1 Tbit/in2. The feasibility of 4 Tbit/in2 bit patterned recording is determined by aspects of write head design and media fabrication, and is estimated by the bit error rate. Micromagnetic specifications including 2.3:1 BAR bit patterned exchange coupled composite media, trailing shield, and side shields are proposed to meet the requirement of 3x10 -4 bit error rate, 4 nm fly height, 5% switching field distribution, 5% timing and 5% jitter errors for 4 Tbit/in2 bit-patterned recording. Demagnetizing field distribution is examined by studying the shielding effect of the side shields on the stray field from the neighboring dots. For recording self-assembled bit-patterned media, the head design writes two staggered tracks in a single pass and has maximum perpendicular field gradients of 580 Oe/nm along the down-track direction and 476 Oe/nm along the cross-track direction. The geometry demanded by self-assembly reduces recording density to 2.9 Tbit/in 2.

Effects of predation by sea ducks on clam abundance in soft-bottom intertidal habitats

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lewis, Tyler; Esler, Daniel N.; Boyd, W. Sean

2007-01-01

Recent studies have documented strong, top-down predation effects of sea ducks on mussel populations in rocky intertidal communities. However, the impact of these gregarious predators in soft-bottom communities has been largely unexplored. We evaluated effects of predation by wintering surf scoters Melanitta perspicillata and white-winged scoters M. fusca on clam populations in soft-bottom intertidal habitats of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia. Specifically, we documented spatial and temporal variation in clam density (clams m–2), scoter diet composition, and the consequences of scoter predation on clam abundance. Of the 3 most numerous clams, Manila clams Venerupis philippinarum and varnish clams Nuttallia obscurata were the primary prey items of both scoter species, while clams of the genus Macoma were rarely consumed by scoters. Between scoter arrival in the fall and departure in the spring, Manila clams decreased in density at most sample sites, while varnish clam densities did not change or declined slightly. Our estimates of numbers of clams consumed by scoters accounted for most of the observed declines in combined abundance of Manila and varnish clams, despite the presence of numerous other vertebrate and invertebrate species known to consume clams. For Macoma spp., we detected an over-winter increase in density, presumably due to growth of clams too small to be retained by our sieve (<5 mm) during fall sampling, in addition to the lack of predation pressure by scoters. These results illustrate the strong predation potential of scoters in soft-bottom intertidal habitats, as well as their potentially important role in shaping community structure.

Laser power meters as an X-ray power diagnostic for LCLS-II

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

Heimann, Philip; Moeller, Stefan; Carbajo, Sergio

For the LCLS-II X-ray instruments, laser power meters are being developed as compact X-ray power diagnostics to operate at soft and tender X-ray photon energies. These diagnostics can be installed at various locations along an X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) beamline in order to monitor the transmission of X-ray optics along the beam path. In addition, the power meters will be used to determine the absolute X-ray power at the endstations. Here, thermopile power meters, which measure average power, and have been chosen primarily for their compatibility with the high repetition rates at LCLS-II, are evaluated. Here, a number of characteristicsmore » in the soft X-ray range are presented including linearity, calibrations conducted with a photodiode and a gas monitor detector as well as ultra-high-vacuum compatibility tests using residual gas analysis. The application of these power meters for LCLS-II and other X-ray FEL sources is discussed.« less

Laser power meters as an X-ray power diagnostic for LCLS-II.

PubMed

Heimann, Philip; Moeller, Stefan; Carbajo, Sergio; Song, Sanghoon; Dakovski, Georgi; Nordlund, Dennis; Fritz, David

2018-01-01

For the LCLS-II X-ray instruments, laser power meters are being developed as compact X-ray power diagnostics to operate at soft and tender X-ray photon energies. These diagnostics can be installed at various locations along an X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) beamline in order to monitor the transmission of X-ray optics along the beam path. In addition, the power meters will be used to determine the absolute X-ray power at the endstations. Here, thermopile power meters, which measure average power, and have been chosen primarily for their compatibility with the high repetition rates at LCLS-II, are evaluated. A number of characteristics in the soft X-ray range are presented including linearity, calibrations conducted with a photodiode and a gas monitor detector as well as ultra-high-vacuum compatibility tests using residual gas analysis. The application of these power meters for LCLS-II and other X-ray FEL sources is discussed.

Laser power meters as an X-ray power diagnostic for LCLS-II

DOE PAGES

Heimann, Philip; Moeller, Stefan; Carbajo, Sergio; ...

2018-01-01

For the LCLS-II X-ray instruments, laser power meters are being developed as compact X-ray power diagnostics to operate at soft and tender X-ray photon energies. These diagnostics can be installed at various locations along an X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) beamline in order to monitor the transmission of X-ray optics along the beam path. In addition, the power meters will be used to determine the absolute X-ray power at the endstations. Here, thermopile power meters, which measure average power, and have been chosen primarily for their compatibility with the high repetition rates at LCLS-II, are evaluated. Here, a number of characteristicsmore » in the soft X-ray range are presented including linearity, calibrations conducted with a photodiode and a gas monitor detector as well as ultra-high-vacuum compatibility tests using residual gas analysis. The application of these power meters for LCLS-II and other X-ray FEL sources is discussed.« less

Thermodynamic properties of non-conformal soft-sphere fluids with effective hard-sphere diameters.

PubMed

Rodríguez-López, Tonalli; del Río, Fernando

2012-01-28

In this work we study a set of soft-sphere systems characterised by a well-defined variation of their softness. These systems represent an extension of the repulsive Lennard-Jones potential widely used in statistical mechanics of fluids. This type of soft spheres is of interest because they represent quite accurately the effective intermolecular repulsion in fluid substances and also because they exhibit interesting properties. The thermodynamics of the soft-sphere fluids is obtained via an effective hard-sphere diameter approach that leads to a compact and accurate equation of state. The virial coefficients of soft spheres are shown to follow quite simple relationships that are incorporated into the equation of state. The approach followed exhibits the rescaling of the density that produces a unique equation for all systems and temperatures. The scaling is carried through to the level of the structure of the fluids.

Highly-stretchable 3D-architected Mechanical Metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yanhui; Wang, Qiming

2016-09-01

Soft materials featuring both 3D free-form architectures and high stretchability are highly desirable for a number of engineering applications ranging from cushion modulators, soft robots to stretchable electronics; however, both the manufacturing and fundamental mechanics are largely elusive. Here, we overcome the manufacturing difficulties and report a class of mechanical metamaterials that not only features 3D free-form lattice architectures but also poses ultrahigh reversible stretchability (strain > 414%), 4 times higher than that of the existing counterparts with the similar complexity of 3D architectures. The microarchitected metamaterials, made of highly stretchable elastomers, are realized through an additive manufacturing technique, projection microstereolithography, and its postprocessing. With the fabricated metamaterials, we reveal their exotic mechanical behaviors: Under large-strain tension, their moduli follow a linear scaling relationship with their densities regardless of architecture types, in sharp contrast to the architecture-dependent modulus power-law of the existing engineering materials; under large-strain compression, they present tunable negative-stiffness that enables ultrahigh energy absorption efficiencies. To harness their extraordinary stretchability and microstructures, we demonstrate that the metamaterials open a number of application avenues in lightweight and flexible structure connectors, ultraefficient dampers, 3D meshed rehabilitation structures and stretchable electronics with designed 3D anisotropic conductivity.

Highly-stretchable 3D-architected Mechanical Metamaterials.

PubMed

Jiang, Yanhui; Wang, Qiming

2016-09-26

Soft materials featuring both 3D free-form architectures and high stretchability are highly desirable for a number of engineering applications ranging from cushion modulators, soft robots to stretchable electronics; however, both the manufacturing and fundamental mechanics are largely elusive. Here, we overcome the manufacturing difficulties and report a class of mechanical metamaterials that not only features 3D free-form lattice architectures but also poses ultrahigh reversible stretchability (strain > 414%), 4 times higher than that of the existing counterparts with the similar complexity of 3D architectures. The microarchitected metamaterials, made of highly stretchable elastomers, are realized through an additive manufacturing technique, projection microstereolithography, and its postprocessing. With the fabricated metamaterials, we reveal their exotic mechanical behaviors: Under large-strain tension, their moduli follow a linear scaling relationship with their densities regardless of architecture types, in sharp contrast to the architecture-dependent modulus power-law of the existing engineering materials; under large-strain compression, they present tunable negative-stiffness that enables ultrahigh energy absorption efficiencies. To harness their extraordinary stretchability and microstructures, we demonstrate that the metamaterials open a number of application avenues in lightweight and flexible structure connectors, ultraefficient dampers, 3D meshed rehabilitation structures and stretchable electronics with designed 3D anisotropic conductivity.

A robust signal processing method for quantitative high-cycle fatigue crack monitoring using soft elastomeric capacitor sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Xiangxiong; Li, Jian; Collins, William; Bennett, Caroline; Laflamme, Simon; Jo, Hongki

2017-04-01

A large-area electronics (LAE) strain sensor, termed soft elastomeric capacitor (SEC), has shown great promise in fatigue crack monitoring. The SEC is able to monitor strain changes over a mesoscale structural surface and endure large deformations without being damaged under cracking. Previous tests verified that the SEC is able to detect, localize, and monitor fatigue crack activities under low-cycle fatigue loading. In this paper, to examine the SEC's capability of monitoring high-cycle fatigue cracks, a compact specimen is tested under cyclic tension, designed to ensure realistic crack opening sizes representative of those in real steel bridges. To overcome the difficulty of low signal amplitude and relatively high noise level under high-cycle fatigue loading, a robust signal processing method is proposed to convert the measured capacitance time history from the SEC sensor to power spectral densities (PSD) in the frequency domain, such that signal's peak-to-peak amplitude can be extracted at the dominant loading frequency. A crack damage indicator is proposed as the ratio between the square root of the amplitude of PSD and load range. Results show that the crack damage indicator offers consistent indication of crack growth.

Passive microrheology of soft materials with atomic force microscopy: A wavelet-based spectral analysis

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

Martinez-Torres, C.; Streppa, L.; Arneodo, A.

2016-01-18

Compared to active microrheology where a known force or modulation is periodically imposed to a soft material, passive microrheology relies on the spectral analysis of the spontaneous motion of tracers inherent or external to the material. Passive microrheology studies of soft or living materials with atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever tips are rather rare because, in the spectral densities, the rheological response of the materials is hardly distinguishable from other sources of random or periodic perturbations. To circumvent this difficulty, we propose here a wavelet-based decomposition of AFM cantilever tip fluctuations and we show that when applying this multi-scale methodmore » to soft polymer layers and to living myoblasts, the structural damping exponents of these soft materials can be retrieved.« less

Soft tissue coverage of the elbow in a developing country.

PubMed

Pirela-Cruz, Miguel A; Reddy, Kartheek K; Higgs, Matthew

2007-09-01

Two cases that required soft tissue coverage to the anterior aspect of the elbow are presented. A fasciocutaneous intercostal perforator chest wall flap was used for one patient when only skin and fascia coverage was required. A latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap was used to provide soft tissue coverage and supply motor power for elbow flexion after contracture release in the other. The surgical techniques for each of these flaps are discussed in the context of addressing soft tissue traumatic injuries about the elbow in a developing country with limited resources.

X-Ray Spectral Study of AGN Sources Content in Some Deep Extragalactic XMM-Newton Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, M. A.; Korany, B. A.; Misra, R.; Issa, I. A. M.; Ahmed, M. K.; Abdel-Salam, F. A.

2012-06-01

We undertake a spectral study of a sample of bright X-ray sources taken from six XMM-Newton fields at high galactic latitudes, where AGN are the most populous class. These six fields were chosen such that the observation had an exposure time more than 60 ksec, had data from the EPIC-pn detector in the full-Frame mode and lying at high galactic latitude | b|>25°. The analysis started by fitting the spectra of all sources with an absorbed power-law model, and then we fitted all the spectra with an absorbed power-law with a low energy black-body component model.The sources for which we added a black body gave an F-test probability of 0.01 or less (i.e. at 99% confidence level), were recognized as sources that display soft excess. We perform a comparative analysis of soft excess spectral parameters with respect to the underlying power-law one for sources that satisfy this criterion. Those sources, that do not show evidence for a soft excess, based on the F-test probability at a 99% confidence level, were also fitted with the absorbed power-law with a low energy black-body component model with the black-body temperature fixed at 0.1 and 0.2 keV. We establish upper limits on the soft excess flux for those sources at these two temperatures. Finally we have made use of Aladdin interactive sky atlas and matching with NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) to identify the X-ray sources in our sample. For those sources which are identified in the NED catalogue, we make a comparative study of the soft excess phenomenon for different types of systems.

Power law X- and gamma-ray emission from relativistic thermal plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, A. A.

1984-01-01

Pair equilibrium in thermal plasmas emitting power law photon spectra by repeated Compton scatterings of a soft photon source active galactic nuclei was studied. Dependence of the spectral index on optical thickness and on temperature of the plasma is discussed. The equation for pair equilibrium is solved for the maximum steady luminosity. Analytical solutions for the subrelativistic region, and for the ultrarelativistic region are found. In the transrelativistic region the solutions are expressed by single integrals over the pair production cross sections, performed numerically. The constraints on soft photon source imposed by the condition that the soft photon flux cannot exceed the black-body flux are considered. For the Comptonized synchrotron radiation model a relation between magnetic field strength and output luminosity is found.

Power profiles of single vision and multifocal soft contact lenses.

PubMed

Wagner, Sandra; Conrad, Fabian; Bakaraju, Ravi C; Fedtke, Cathleen; Ehrmann, Klaus; Holden, Brien A

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the optical zone power profile of the most commonly prescribed soft contact lenses to assess their potential impact on peripheral refractive error and hence myopia progression. The optical power profiles of six single vision and ten multifocal contact lenses of five manufacturers in the powers -1.00 D, -3.00 D, and -6.00 D were measured using the SHSOphthalmic (Optocraft GmbH, Erlangen, Germany). Instrument repeatability was also investigated. Instrument repeatability was dependent on the distance from the optical centre, manifesting unreliable data for the central 1mm of the optic zone. Single vision contact lens measurements of -6.00 D lenses revealed omafilcon A having the most negative spherical aberration, lotrafilcon A having the least. Somofilcon A had the highest minus power and lotrafilcon A the biggest deviation in positive direction, relative to their respective labelled powers. Negative spherical aberration occurred for almost all of the multifocal contact lenses, including the centre-distance designs etafilcon A bifocal and omafilcon A multifocal. Lotrafilcon B and balafilcon A seem to rely predominantly on the spherical aberration component to provide multifocality. Power profiles of single vision soft contact lenses varied greatly, many having a negative spherical aberration profile that would exacerbate myopia. Some lens types and powers are affected by large intra-batch variability or power offsets of more than 0.25 dioptres. Evaluation of power profiles of multifocal lenses was derived that provides helpful information for prescribing lenses for presbyopes and progressing myopes. Copyright © 2014 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Power Exercise in the Institutionalization of an eProcurement System in Indonesian Local Government

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahid, Fathul

2017-03-01

Power possessed by institutional entrepreneur is believed to have an influential role in navigating the institutionalization process of an idea. However, only few studies that have examined how the institutional entrepreneur exercise his power throughout the institutionalization process. This study aims at examining this phenomenon in the context of developing countries with special reference to the implementation of an eProcurement system in Indonesia. It finds that the power has been exercised by the institutional entrepreneur differently along the process. Smart power was exercised by combining soft power at the early stage of institutionalization process. At this stage level of reluctance among organizational members was high, no authorization from higher-level agencies, and the benefits of adopting the system were opaque. Hard power was then exercised at the later stage, when the legal support was well formulated, and the system’s benefits were confirmed. The study also reveals that value-based power that is used wisely make organization change runs smoothly until it becomes institutionalized. Keywords: Institutionalization, smart power, soft power, hard power, value-guided power, eGovernment, eProcurement, Indonesia, developing countries.

Energy Flux in the Cochlea: Evidence Against Power Amplification of the Traveling Wave.

PubMed

van der Heijden, Marcel; Versteegh, Corstiaen P C

2015-10-01

Traveling waves in the inner ear exhibit an amplitude peak that shifts with frequency. The peaking is commonly believed to rely on motile processes that amplify the wave by inserting energy. We recorded the vibrations at adjacent positions on the basilar membrane in sensitive gerbil cochleae and tested the putative power amplification in two ways. First, we determined the energy flux of the traveling wave at its peak and compared it to the acoustic power entering the ear, thereby obtaining the net cochlear power gain. For soft sounds, the energy flux at the peak was 1 ± 0.6 dB less than the middle ear input power. For more intense sounds, increasingly smaller fractions of the acoustic power actually reached the peak region. Thus, we found no net power amplification of soft sounds and a strong net attenuation of intense sounds. Second, we analyzed local wave propagation on the basilar membrane. We found that the waves slowed down abruptly when approaching their peak, causing an energy densification that quantitatively matched the amplitude peaking, similar to the growth of sea waves approaching the beach. Thus, we found no local power amplification of soft sounds and strong local attenuation of intense sounds. The most parsimonious interpretation of these findings is that cochlear sensitivity is not realized by amplifying acoustic energy, but by spatially focusing it, and that dynamic compression is realized by adjusting the amount of dissipation to sound intensity.

The 1.5 Ms Observing Campaign on IRAS 13224-3809: X-ray Spectral Analysis I.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, J.; Parker, M. L.; Fabian, A. C.; Alston, W. N.; Buisson, D. J. K.; Cackett, E. M.; Chiang, C.-Y.; Dauser, T.; Gallo, L. C.; García, J. A.; Harrison, F. A.; Lohfink, A. M.; De Marco, B.; Kara, E.; Miller, J. M.; Miniutti, G.; Pinto, C.; Walton, D. J.; Wilkins, D. R.

2018-03-01

We present a detailed spectral analysis of the recent 1.5 Ms XMM-Newton observing campaign on the narrow line Seyfert 1 galaxy IRAS 13224-3809, taken simultaneously with 500 ks of NuSTAR data. The X-ray lightcurve shows three flux peaks, registering at about 100 times the minimum flux seen during the campaign, and rapid variability with a time scale of kiloseconds. The spectra are well fit with a primary powerlaw continuum, two relativistic-blurred reflection components from the inner accretion disk with very high iron abundance, and a simple blackbody-shaped model for the remaining soft excess. The spectral variability is dominated by the power law continuum from a corona region within a few gravitational radii from the black hole. Additionally, blueshifted Ne X, Mg XII, Si XIV and S XVI absorption lines are identified in the stacked low-flux spectrum, confirming the presence of a highly ionized outflow with velocity up to v = 0.263 and 0.229 c. We fit the absorption features with xstar models and find a relatively constant velocity outflow through the whole observation. Finally, we replace the bbody and supersolar abundance reflection models by fitting the soft excess successfully with the extended reflection model relxillD, which allows for higher densities than the standard relxill model. This returns a disk electron density ne > 1018.7 cm-3 and lowers the iron abundance from Z_Fe=24^{+3}_{-4}Z_⊙ with ne ≡ 1015 cm-3 to Z_Fe=6.6^{+0.8}_{-2.1}Z_⊙.

Pure-iron/iron-based-alloy hybrid soft magnetic powder cores compacted at ultra-high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Tatsuya; Tsuruta, Hijiri; Watanabe, Asako; Ishimine, Tomoyuki; Ueno, Tomoyuki

2018-04-01

We developed Fe/FeSiAl soft magnetic powder cores (SMCs) for realizing the miniaturization and high efficiency of an electromagnetic conversion coil in the high-frequency range (˜20 kHz). We found that Fe/FeSiAl SMCs can be formed with a higher density under higher compaction pressure than pure-iron SMCs. These SMCs delivered a saturation magnetic flux density of 1.7 T and iron loss (W1/20k) of 158 kW/m3. The proposed SMCs exhibited similar excellent characteristics even in block shapes, which are closer to the product shapes.

Early invasion population structure of quagga mussel and associated benthic invertebrate community composition on soft sediment in a large reservoir

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wittmann, Marion E.; Chandra, Sudeep; Caires, Andrea; Denton, Marianne; Rosen, Michael R.; Wong, Wai Hing; Teitjen, Todd; Turner, Kent; Roefer, Peggy; Holdren, G. Chris

2010-01-01

In 2007 an invasive dreissenid mussel species, Dreissena bugensis (quagga mussel), was discovered in Lake Mead reservoir (AZ–NV). Within 2 years, adult populations have spread throughout the lake and are not only colonizing hard substrates, but also establishing in soft sediments at depths ranging from 1 to >100 m. Dreissena bugensis size class and population density distribution differs between basins; cluster analysis revealed 5 adult cohorts within Boulder Basin and Overton Arm but low densities and low cohort survival in the Las Vegas Basin. Regression analysis suggests depth and temperature are not primary controllers of D. bugensis density in Lake Mead, indicating other factors such as sediment type, food availability or other resource competition may be important. Monthly veliger tows showed at least 2 major spawning events per year, with continuous presence of veligers in the water column. Adult mussels have been found in spawn or post-spawn condition in soft sediments in shallow to deep waters (>80 m) indicating the potential for reproduction at multiple depths. Comparisons to a 1986 benthic survey suggest there have been shifts in nondreissenid macroinvertebrate composition; however, it is unclear if this is due to D. bugensis presence. Current distribution of nondreissenid macroinvertebrates is heterogeneous in all 3 basins, and their biodiversity decreased when D. bugensis density was 2500/m2 or greater.

Soft X-ray excess in the Coma cluster from a Cosmic Axion Background

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

Angus, Stephen; Conlon, Joseph P.; Marsh, M.C. David

2014-09-01

We show that the soft X-ray excess in the Coma cluster can be explained by a cosmic background of relativistic axion-like particles (ALPs) converting into photons in the cluster magnetic field. We provide a detailed self-contained review of the cluster soft X-ray excess, the proposed astrophysical explanations and the problems they face, and explain how a 0.1- 1 keV axion background naturally arises at reheating in many string theory models of the early universe. We study the morphology of the soft excess by numerically propagating axions through stochastic, multi-scale magnetic field models that are consistent with observations of Faraday rotation measuresmore » from Coma. By comparing to ROSAT observations of the 0.2- 0.4 keV soft excess, we find that the overall excess luminosity is easily reproduced for g{sub aγγ} ∼ 2 × 10{sup -13} Ge {sup -1}. The resulting morphology is highly sensitive to the magnetic field power spectrum. For Gaussian magnetic field models, the observed soft excess morphology prefers magnetic field spectra with most power in coherence lengths on O(3 kpc) scales over those with most power on O(12 kpc) scales. Within this scenario, we bound the mean energy of the axion background to 50 eV∼< ( E{sub a} ) ∼< 250 eV, the axion mass to m{sub a} ∼< 10{sup -12} eV, and derive a lower bound on the axion-photon coupling g{sub aγγ} ∼> √(0.5/Δ N{sub eff}) 1.4 × 10{sup -13} Ge {sup -1}.« less

Simulated X-ray galaxy clusters at the virial radius: Slopes of the gas density, temperature and surface brightness profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roncarelli, M.; Ettori, S.; Dolag, K.; Moscardini, L.; Borgani, S.; Murante, G.

2006-12-01

Using a set of hydrodynamical simulations of nine galaxy clusters with masses in the range 1.5 × 1014 < Mvir < 3.4 × 1015Msolar, we have studied the density, temperature and X-ray surface brightness profiles of the intracluster medium in the regions around the virial radius. We have analysed the profiles in the radial range well above the cluster core, the physics of which are still unclear and matter of tension between simulated and observed properties, and up to the virial radius and beyond, where present observations are unable to provide any constraints. We have modelled the radial profiles between 0.3R200 and 3R200 with power laws with one index, two indexes and a rolling index. The simulated temperature and [0.5-2] keV surface brightness profiles well reproduce the observed behaviours outside the core. The shape of all these profiles in the radial range considered depends mainly on the activity of the gravitational collapse, with no significant difference among models including extraphysics. The profiles steepen in the outskirts, with the slope of the power-law fit that changes from -2.5 to -3.4 in the gas density, from -0.5 to -1.8 in the gas temperature and from -3.5 to -5.0 in the X-ray soft surface brightness. We predict that the gas density, temperature and [0.5-2] keV surface brightness values at R200 are, on average, 0.05, 0.60, 0.008 times the measured values at 0.3R200. At 2R200, these values decrease by an order of magnitude in the gas density and surface brightness, by a factor of 2 in the temperature, putting stringent limits on the detectable properties of the intracluster-medium (ICM) in the virial regions.

Soft tissues store and return mechanical energy in human running.

PubMed

Riddick, R C; Kuo, A D

2016-02-08

During human running, softer parts of the body may deform under load and dissipate mechanical energy. Although tissues such as the heel pad have been characterized individually, the aggregate work performed by all soft tissues during running is unknown. We therefore estimated the work performed by soft tissues (N=8 healthy adults) at running speeds ranging 2-5 m s(-1), computed as the difference between joint work performed on rigid segments, and whole-body estimates of work performed on the (non-rigid) body center of mass (COM) and peripheral to the COM. Soft tissues performed aggregate negative work, with magnitude increasing linearly with speed. The amount was about -19 J per stance phase at a nominal 3 m s(-1), accounting for more than 25% of stance phase negative work performed by the entire body. Fluctuations in soft tissue mechanical power over time resembled a damped oscillation starting at ground contact, with peak negative power comparable to that for the knee joint (about -500 W). Even the positive work from soft tissue rebound was significant, about 13 J per stance phase (about 17% of the positive work of the entire body). Assuming that the net dissipative work is offset by an equal amount of active, positive muscle work performed at 25% efficiency, soft tissue dissipation could account for about 29% of the net metabolic expenditure for running at 5 m s(-1). During running, soft tissue deformations dissipate mechanical energy that must be offset by active muscle work at non-negligible metabolic cost. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Voice Coils to Actuate Modular Soft Robots: Wormbot, an Example.

PubMed

Nemitz, Markus P; Mihaylov, Pavel; Barraclough, Thomas W; Ross, Dylan; Stokes, Adam A

2016-12-01

In this study, we present a modular worm-like robot, which utilizes voice coils as a new paradigm in soft robot actuation. Drive electronics are incorporated into the actuators, providing a significant improvement in self-sufficiency when compared with existing soft robot actuation modes such as pneumatics or hydraulics. The body plan of this robot is inspired by the phylum Annelida and consists of three-dimensional printed voice coil actuators, which are connected by flexible silicone membranes. Each electromagnetic actuator engages with its neighbor to compress or extend the membrane of each segment, and the sequence in which they are actuated results in an earthworm-inspired peristaltic motion. We find that a minimum of three segments is required for locomotion, but due to our modular design, robots of any length can be quickly and easily assembled. In addition to actuation, voice coils provide audio input and output capabilities. We demonstrate transmission of data between segments by high-frequency carrier waves and, using a similar mechanism, we note that the passing of power between coupled coils in neighboring modules-or from an external power source-is also possible. Voice coils are a convenient multifunctional alternative to existing soft robot actuators. Their self-contained nature and ability to communicate with each other are ideal for modular robotics, and the additional functionality of sound input/output and power transfer will become increasingly useful as soft robots begin the transition from early proof-of-concept systems toward fully functional and highly integrated robotic systems.

Large Scale Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Self-Powered Pressure Sensor Array Using Low Cost Roll-to-Roll UV Embossing

PubMed Central

Dhakar, Lokesh; Gudla, Sudeep; Shan, Xuechuan; Wang, Zhiping; Tay, Francis Eng Hock; Heng, Chun-Huat; Lee, Chengkuo

2016-01-01

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have emerged as a potential solution for mechanical energy harvesting over conventional mechanisms such as piezoelectric and electromagnetic, due to easy fabrication, high efficiency and wider choice of materials. Traditional fabrication techniques used to realize TENGs involve plasma etching, soft lithography and nanoparticle deposition for higher performance. But lack of truly scalable fabrication processes still remains a critical challenge and bottleneck in the path of bringing TENGs to commercial production. In this paper, we demonstrate fabrication of large scale triboelectric nanogenerator (LS-TENG) using roll-to-roll ultraviolet embossing to pattern polyethylene terephthalate sheets. These LS-TENGs can be used to harvest energy from human motion and vehicle motion from embedded devices in floors and roads, respectively. LS-TENG generated a power density of 62.5 mW m−2. Using roll-to-roll processing technique, we also demonstrate a large scale triboelectric pressure sensor array with pressure detection sensitivity of 1.33 V kPa−1. The large scale pressure sensor array has applications in self-powered motion tracking, posture monitoring and electronic skin applications. This work demonstrates scalable fabrication of TENGs and self-powered pressure sensor arrays, which will lead to extremely low cost and bring them closer to commercial production. PMID:26905285

Pulse Power Compression by Cutting a Dense Z-Pinch with a Laser Beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winterberg, F.

1999-07-01

A thin cut made through a z-pinch by an intense laser beam can become a magnetically insulated diode crossed by an intense ion beam. For larger cuts, the gap is crossed by an intense relativistic electron beam, stopped by magnetic bremsstrahlung resulting in a pointlike intense x-ray source. In either case, the impedance of the pinch discharge is increased, with the power delivered rising in the same pro-portion. A magnetically insulated cut is advantageous for three reasons: First, with the ion current com-parable to the Alfvèn ion current, the pinch instabilities are reduced. Second, with the energy deposit-ed into fast ions, a non-Maxwellian velocity distribution is established increasing<σ ν> value for nuclear fusion reactions taking place in the pinch discharge. Third, in a high density z-pinch plasma, the intense ion beam can launch a thermonuclear detonation wave propagating along the pinch discharge channel. For larger cuts the soft x-rays produced by magnetic bremsstrahlung can be used to drive a thermonuclear hohlraum target. Finally, the proposed pulse power compression scheme permits to use a cheap low power d.c. source charging a magnetic storage coil delivering the magnetically stored energy to the pinch discharge load by an exploding wire opening switch.

Energy harvesting “3-D knitted spacer” based piezoelectric textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anand, S.; Soin, N.; Shah, T. H.; Siores, E.

2016-07-01

The piezoelectric effect in Poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, was discovered over four decades ago and since then, significant work has been carried out aiming at the production of high p-phase fibres and their integration into fabric structures for energy harvesting. However, little work has been done in the area of production of “true piezoelectric fabric structures” based on flexible polymeric materials such as PVDF. In this work, we demonstrate “3-D knitted spacer” technology based all-fibre piezoelectric fabrics as power generators and energy harvesters. The knitted single-structure piezoelectric generator consists of high p-phase (~80%) piezoelectric PVDF monofilaments as the spacer yarn interconnected between silver (Ag) coated polyamide multifilament yarn layers acting as the top and bottom electrodes. The novel and unique textile structure provides an output power density in the range of 1.105.10 gWcm-2 at applied impact pressures in the range of 0.02-0.10 MPa, thus providing significantly higher power outputs and efficiencies over the existing 2-D woven and nonwoven piezoelectric structures. The high energy efficiency, mechanical durability and comfort of the soft, flexible and all-fibre based power generator is highly attractive for a variety of potential applications such as wearable electronic systems and energy harvesters charged from ambient environment or by human movement.

Numerical simulation of a soft-x-ray Li laser pumped with synchrotron radiation

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

Rozsnyai, B.; Watanabe, H.; Csonka, P.L.

1985-07-01

Results of a computer simulation are reported for a lithium soft-x-ray laser pumped by synchro- tron radiation. Coherent stimulated emission of the photons of interest occurs in Li II 1s2p..-->..Li II 1s/sup 2/ transitions. Calculated results include the dominant ion and photon densities and the laser gain.

Automated segmentations of skin, soft-tissue, and skeleton, from torso CT images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xiangrong; Hara, Takeshi; Fujita, Hiroshi; Yokoyama, Ryujiro; Kiryu, Takuji; Hoshi, Hiroaki

2004-05-01

We have been developing a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) scheme for automatically recognizing human tissue and organ regions from high-resolution torso CT images. We show some initial results for extracting skin, soft-tissue and skeleton regions. 139 patient cases of torso CT images (male 92, female 47; age: 12-88) were used in this study. Each case was imaged with a common protocol (120kV/320mA) and covered the whole torso with isotopic spatial resolution of about 0.63 mm and density resolution of 12 bits. A gray-level thresholding based procedure was applied to separate the human body from background. The density and distance features to body surface were used to determine the skin, and separate soft-tissue from the others. A 3-D region growing based method was used to extract the skeleton. We applied this system to the 139 cases and found that the skin, soft-tissue and skeleton regions were recognized correctly for 93% of the patient cases. The accuracy of segmentation results was acceptable by evaluating the results slice by slice. This scheme will be included in CAD systems for detecting and diagnosing the abnormal lesions in multi-slice torso CT images.

Radiographic Features of Acute Patellar Tendon Rupture.

PubMed

Fazal, Muhammad Ali; Moonot, Pradeep; Haddad, Fares

2015-11-01

The purpose of our study was to assess soft tissue features of acute patellar tendon rupture on lateral knee radiograph that would facilitate early diagnosis. The participants were divided into two groups of 35 patients each. There were 28 men and seven women with a mean age of 46 years in the control group and 26 men and nine women with a mean age of 47 years in the rupture group. The lateral knee radiograph of each patient was evaluated for Insall-Salvati ratio for patella alta, increased density of the infrapatellar fat pad, appearance of the soft tissue margin of the patellar tendon and bony avulsions. In the rupture group there were three consistent soft tissue radiographic features in addition to patellar alta. These were increased density of infrapatellar fat pad; loss of sharp, well-defined linear margins of the patellar tendon and angulated wavy margin of the patellar tendon while in the control group these features were not observed. The soft tissue radiographic features described in the rupture group are consistent and reliable. When coupled with careful clinical assessment, these will aid in early diagnosis and further imaging will be seldom required. © 2015 Chinese Orthopaedic Association and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Density dependence, spatial scale and patterning in sessile biota.

PubMed

Gascoigne, Joanna C; Beadman, Helen A; Saurel, Camille; Kaiser, Michel J

2005-09-01

Sessile biota can compete with or facilitate each other, and the interaction of facilitation and competition at different spatial scales is key to developing spatial patchiness and patterning. We examined density and scale dependence in a patterned, soft sediment mussel bed. We followed mussel growth and density at two spatial scales separated by four orders of magnitude. In summer, competition was important at both scales. In winter, there was net facilitation at the small scale with no evidence of density dependence at the large scale. The mechanism for facilitation is probably density dependent protection from wave dislodgement. Intraspecific interactions in soft sediment mussel beds thus vary both temporally and spatially. Our data support the idea that pattern formation in ecological systems arises from competition at large scales and facilitation at smaller scales, so far only shown in vegetation systems. The data, and a simple, heuristic model, also suggest that facilitative interactions in sessile biota are mediated by physical stress, and that interactions change in strength and sign along a spatial or temporal gradient of physical stress.

Novel packaging for CW and QCW diode laser modules for operation with high power and duty cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassbender, Wilhelm; Lotz, Jens; Kissel, Heiko; Biesenbach, Jens

2018-02-01

Continuous wave (CW) and quasi-continuous wave (QCW) operated diode laser bars and arrays have found a wide range of industrial, medical, scientific, military and space applications with a broad variety in wavelength, pulse energy, pulse duration and beam quality. Recent applications require even higher power, duty cycles and power density. The heat loss will be dissipated by conductive cooling or liquid cooling close to the bars. We present the latest performance and reliability data of two novel high-brightness CW and QCW arrays of customized and mass-production modules, in compact and robust industry design for operation with high power and high duty cycles. All designs are based on single diode packages consisting of 10mm laser bars, soft or hard soldered between expansion matched submounts. The modular components cover a wide span of designs which differ basically in water/conduction (active/passive) cooled, single, linear (horizontal and vertical) arranged designs, as well as housed and unhoused modules. The different assembling technologies of active and passive cooled base plates affect the heat dissipation and therefore the reachable power at different QCW operating conditions, as well as the lifetime. As an example, a package consisting of 8 laser diodes, connected to a 28.8*13.5*7.0mm3 DCB (direct copper bonded) submount, passively or actively cooled is considered. This design is of particular interest for mobile applications seamless module to module building system, with an infinite number of laser bars at 1.7mm pitch. Using 940nm bars we can reach an optical output power per bar of 450W at 25°C base plate temperature with 10Hz, 1.2% duty cycle and 1.2ms pulse duration. As an additional example, micro channel coolers can be vertically stacked up to 50 diodes with a 1,15mm pitch. This design is suitable for all applications, demanding also compactness and light weight and high power density. Using near infrared bars and others, we can reach an optical output power of 250W per bar at 25°C coolant temperature at CW operation.

Reliable low-power control of ultrafast vortex-core switching with the selectivity in an array of vortex states by in-plane circular-rotational magnetic fields and spin-polarized currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang-Koog; Lee, Ki-Suk; Yu, Young-Sang; Choi, Youn-Seok

2008-01-01

The authors investigated the technological utility of counterclockwise (CCW) and clockwise (CW) circular-rotating fields (HCCW and HCW) and spin-polarized currents with an angular frequency ωH close to the vortex eigenfrequency ωD, for the reliable, low-power, and selective switching of the bistate magnetization (M) orientations of a vortex core (VC) in an array of soft magnetic nanoelements. CCW and CW circular gyrotropic motions in response to HCCW and HCW, respectively, show remarkably contrasting resonant behaviors, (i.e., extremely large-amplitude resonance versus small-amplitude nonresonance), depending on the M orientation of a given VC. Owing to this asymmetric resonance characteristics, the HCCW(HCW) with ωH˜ωD can be used to effectively switch only the up (down) core to its downward (upward) M orientation, selectively, by sufficiently low field (˜10Oe) and current density (˜107A/cm2). This work provides a reliable, low power, effective means of information storage, information recording, and information readout in vortex-based random access memory, simply called VRAM.

Effect of diode lasers with wavelength of 445 and 980 nm on a temperature rise when uncovering implants for second stage surgery: An ex-vivo study in pigs.

PubMed

Matys, Jacek; Flieger, Rafał; Dominiak, Marzena

2017-07-01

Many surgical procedures in soft tissue are performed using diode lasers. Recently, a novel diode laser operating at 445 nm wavelength was introduced in dentistry. The aim of our study was to evaluate the time of surgery and an increase in temperature of titanium implants during its uncovering using 445 and 980 nm wavelengths. The research included 45 pig mandibles (n = 45). The specimens were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 15) according to the laser irradiation mode and wavelength; G1 - 445 nm laser, power: 3 W, continuous wave (CW), distance: 2 mm, power density: 7460 W/cm2, fiber: 320 μm, noncontact mode; G2 - 445 nm laser (power: 2 W, CW, power density: 4970 W/cm2, fiber: 320 μm, contact mode; G3 (control) - 980 nm laser, power: 2.5 W, CW, power density: 15920 W/cm2, fiber: 200 μm, contact mode. The temperature was measured with a 2 K-type thermocouples (a P1 at collar and a P2 at mid height of the implant). The mean temperature rises measured by the P1 thermocouple were 16.9°C, 36.1°C and 21.6°C in the G1, G2 and G3 group, respectively. Significant differences in temperature rise were found between the G1 and G2 group (p = 0.0007) and the G2 and G3 group (p = 0.01). The mean temperature rises measured by the P2 thermocouple were 1.8°C, 1.4°C and 5.6°C in the G1, G2 and G3 group, respectively. Significant differences in temperature rise were found between the G1 and the G2 or G3 group (p = 0.0001). The significant differences among the study groups in average time necessary for uncovering the implants amounted to 69.7, 54.4 and 83.6 s, respectively (p < 0.05). The application of the 445 nm diode laser in non-contact mode reduced the temperature rise of the implants. The additional pulse intervals during laser irradiation with wavelength of 445 nm when operating in contact mode are needed.

AGN Science with STROBE-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballantyne, David; Balokovic, Mislav; Garcia, Javier; Koss, Michael; STROBE-X

2018-01-01

The probe concept STROBE-X, with its combination of large collecting area, wide-field monitor, broad bandpass, and rapid timing capability, is a powerful tool for studying many aspects of AGN astrophysics. This unique combination of features opens up the possibility for studying AGNs in ways current and other future missions are unable to accomplish. Here, we show a few of the novel new investigations made possible by STROBE-X: probing the structure of the BLR and torus with reverberation of the narrow Fe Kα line and line-of-sight column density, tracking changes in coronal parameters, investigating the origin of the soft excess, Fe Kα emission line surveys, and efficient Compton-thick characterization. Additional ideas and suggestions are always welcome and can be communicated to any member of the STROBE-X team.

Klein–Gordon equation in curved space-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehn, R. D.; Chabysheva, S. S.; Hiller, J. R.

2018-07-01

We report the methods and results of a computational physics project on the solution of the relativistic Klein–Gordon equation for a light particle gravitationally bound to a heavy central mass. The gravitational interaction is prescribed by the metric of a spherically symmetric space-time. Metrics are considered for an impenetrable sphere, a soft sphere of uniform density, and a soft sphere with a linear transition from constant to zero density; in each case the radius of the central mass is chosen to be sufficient to avoid any event horizon. The solutions are obtained numerically and compared with nonrelativistic Coulomb-type solutions, both directly and in perturbation theory, to study the general-relativistic corrections to the quantum solutions for a 1/r potential. The density profile with a linear transition is chosen to avoid singularities in the wave equation that can be caused by a discontinuous derivative of the density. This project should be of interest to instructors and students of computational physics at the graduate and advanced undergraduate levels.

Comparison of the effect of soft-core potentials and Coulombic potentials on bremsstrahlung during laser matter interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandit, Rishi R.; Becker, Valerie R.; Barrington, Kasey; Thurston, Jeremy; Ramunno, Lora; Ackad, Edward

2018-04-01

An intense, short laser pulse incident on rare-gas clusters can produce nano-plasmas containing energetic electrons. As these electrons undergo scattering, from both phonons and ions, they emit bremsstrahlung radiation. Here, we compare a theory of bremsstrahlung emission appropriate for the interaction of intense lasers with matter using soft-core potentials and Coulombic potentials. A new scaling for the radiation cross-section and the radiated power via bremsstrahlung is derived for a soft-core potential (which depends on the potential depth) and compared with the Coulomb potential. Calculations using the new scaling are performed for electrons in vacuum ultraviolet, infrared and mid-infrared laser pulses. The radiation cross-section and the radiation power via bremsstrahlung are found to increase rapidly with increases in the potential depth of up to around 200 eV and then become mostly saturated for larger depths while remaining constant for the Coulomb potential. In both cases, the radiation cross-section and the radiation power of bremsstrahlung decrease with increases in the laser wavelength. The ratio of the scattering amplitude for the soft-core potential and that for the Coulombic potential decreases exponentially with an increase in momentum transfer. The bremsstrahlung emission by electrons in plasmas may provide a broadband light source for diagnostics.

STRONGER REFLECTION FROM BLACK HOLE ACCRETION DISKS IN SOFT X-RAY STATES

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

Steiner, James F.; Remillard, Ronald A.; García, Javier A.

We analyze 15,000 spectra of 29 stellar-mass black hole (BH) candidates collected over the 16 year mission lifetime of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer using a simple phenomenological model. As these BHs vary widely in luminosity and progress through a sequence of spectral states, which we broadly refer to as hard and soft, we focus on two spectral components: the Compton power law and the reflection spectrum it generates by illuminating the accretion disk. Our proxy for the strength of reflection is the equivalent width of the Fe–K line as measured with respect to the power law. A key distinction ofmore » our work is that for all states we estimate the continuum under the line by excluding the thermal disk component and using only the component that is responsible for fluorescing the Fe–K line, namely, the Compton power law. We find that reflection is several times more pronounced (∼3) in soft compared to hard spectral states. This is most readily caused by the dilution of the Fe line amplitude from Compton scattering in the corona, which has a higher optical depth in hard states. Alternatively, this could be explained by a more compact corona in soft (compared to hard) states, which would result in a higher reflection fraction.« less

On the Origin of the Soft X-ray excess in radio quiet AGN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrucci, P.; Ursini, F.; Cappi, M.; Bianchi, S.; Matt, G.; De Rosa, A.; Malzac, J.; Henri, G.

2016-06-01

Known since the 80s, the origin of the soft X-ray (< 2 keV) emission in excess to the high energy (2-10 keV) power law extrapolation, the so-called soft X-ray excess, is still highly debated. Two models are commonly discussed: relativistically blurred ionized reflection or thermal comptonisation. In some objects the observation of UV-soft X-ray correlation and the absence of clear signature of relativistic broadening, suggests comptonization as the dominant process. We successfully tested this hypothesis during the 2009 broad band monitoring campaign of Mkn 509. The deduced properties of the comptonizing plasma suggest a warm (˜1 keV), moderately thick (tau˜10-20) corona covering a large part of the accretion disk. Interestingly, the disc-corona energetics agree with a passive accretion disc, most of the accretion power being released in the warm corona. In this talk I will present the results obtained applying the same method to a sample of objects selected to have: a) 3 XMM observations b) at least 3 OM filters in use and c) a low (<1.e22 cm-2) neutral absorption. They all agree with a powerful warm corona above a passive or almost passive accretion disk. I will discuss the methodology and the important implications of the results.

Uncovering dental implants using a new thermo-optically powered (TOP) technology with tissue air-cooling.

PubMed

Romanos, Georgios E; Belikov, Andrey V; Skrypnik, Alexei V; Feldchtein, Felix I; Smirnov, Michael Z; Altshuler, Gregory B

2015-07-01

Uncovering implants with lasers, while bloodless, has been associated with a risk of implant and bone overheating. The present study evaluated the effect of using a new generation of high-power diode lasers on the temperature of a dental implant and the surrounding tissues using an in vitro model. The implant temperature was measured at three locations using micro thermocouples. Collateral thermal damage of uncovered soft tissues was evaluated using NTBC stain. Implant temperature rise during and collateral thermal soft-tissue damage following implant uncovering with and without tissue air-cooling was studied using both the classic operational mode and the new thermo-optically powered (TOP) technology. For the classic surgical mode using a cork-initiated tip and constant laser power set at 3.4 W, the maximum temperature rise in the coronal and apical parts of the implant was 23.2 ± 4.1°С and 9.5 ± 1.8°С, respectively, while 1.5 ± 0.5 mm of collateral thermal damage of the soft tissue surrounding the implant model occurred. Using the TOP surgical tip with constant laser power reduced implant overheating by 30%; collateral thermal soft-tissue damage was 0.8 ± 0.2 mm. Using the TOP surgical mode with a tip temperature setting of 800°C and air-cooling reduced the implant temperature rise by more than 300%, and only 0.2 ± 0.1 mm of collateral thermal soft-tissue damage occurred, typical for optimized CO2 laser surgery. Furthermore, use of the new generation diode technology (TOP surgical mode) appeared to reduce the time required for implant uncovering by a factor of two, compared to the standard surgical mode. Use of the new generation diode technology (TOP surgical mode) may significantly reduce overheating of dental implants during uncovering and seems to be safer for the adjacent soft and hard tissues. Use of such diode lasers with air-cooling can radically reduce the rise in implant temperatures (by more than three times), potentially making this technology safe and effective for implant uncovering. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recent selective sweeps in North American Drosophila melanogaster show signatures of soft sweeps.

PubMed

Garud, Nandita R; Messer, Philipp W; Buzbas, Erkan O; Petrov, Dmitri A

2015-02-01

Adaptation from standing genetic variation or recurrent de novo mutation in large populations should commonly generate soft rather than hard selective sweeps. In contrast to a hard selective sweep, in which a single adaptive haplotype rises to high population frequency, in a soft selective sweep multiple adaptive haplotypes sweep through the population simultaneously, producing distinct patterns of genetic variation in the vicinity of the adaptive site. Current statistical methods were expressly designed to detect hard sweeps and most lack power to detect soft sweeps. This is particularly unfortunate for the study of adaptation in species such as Drosophila melanogaster, where all three confirmed cases of recent adaptation resulted in soft selective sweeps and where there is evidence that the effective population size relevant for recent and strong adaptation is large enough to generate soft sweeps even when adaptation requires mutation at a specific single site at a locus. Here, we develop a statistical test based on a measure of haplotype homozygosity (H12) that is capable of detecting both hard and soft sweeps with similar power. We use H12 to identify multiple genomic regions that have undergone recent and strong adaptation in a large population sample of fully sequenced Drosophila melanogaster strains from the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). Visual inspection of the top 50 candidates reveals that in all cases multiple haplotypes are present at high frequencies, consistent with signatures of soft sweeps. We further develop a second haplotype homozygosity statistic (H2/H1) that, in combination with H12, is capable of differentiating hard from soft sweeps. Surprisingly, we find that the H12 and H2/H1 values for all top 50 peaks are much more easily generated by soft rather than hard sweeps. We discuss the implications of these results for the study of adaptation in Drosophila and in species with large census population sizes.

Isolated and soft-switched power converter

DOEpatents

Peng, Fang Zheng; Adams, Donald Joe

2002-01-01

An isolated and soft-switched power converter is used for DC/DC and DC/DC/AC power conversion. The power converter includes two resonant tank circuits coupled back-to-back through an isolation transformer. Each resonant tank circuit includes a pair of resonant capacitors connected in series as a resonant leg, a pair of tank capacitors connected in series as a tank leg, and a pair of switching devices with anti-parallel clamping diodes coupled in series as resonant switches and clamping devices for the resonant leg. The power converter is well suited for DC/DC and DC/DC/AC power conversion applications in which high-voltage isolation, DC to DC voltage boost, bidirectional power flow, and a minimal number of conventional switching components are important design objectives. For example, the power converter is especially well suited to electric vehicle applications and load-side electric generation and storage systems, and other applications in which these objectives are important. The power converter may be used for many different applications, including electric vehicles, hybrid combustion/electric vehicles, fuel-cell powered vehicles with low-voltage starting, remote power sources utilizing low-voltage DC power sources, such as photovoltaics and others, electric power backup systems, and load-side electric storage and generation systems.

Lasers in Esthetic Dentistry: Soft Tissue Photobiomodulation, Hard Tissue Decontamination, and Ceramics Conditioning

PubMed Central

Ramalho, Karen Müller; de Freitas, Patrícia Moreira; Correa-Aranha, Ana Cecília; Bello-Silva, Marina Stella; Lopes, Roberta Marques da Graça; Eduardo, Carlos de Paula

2014-01-01

The increasing concern and the search for conservative dental treatments have resulted in the development of several new technologies. Low and high power lasers can be cited as one of these new technologies. Low power lasers act at cellular level leading to pain reduction, modulation of inflammation, and improvement of tissue healing. High power lasers act by increasing temperature and have the potential to promote microbial reduction and ablation of hard and soft tissues. The clinical application of both low and high power lasers requires specific knowledge concerning laser interaction with biological tissues, so that the correct irradiation protocol can be established. The present case report describes the clinical steps of two metal-ceramic crowns development in a 60-year-old patient. Three different laser wavelengths were applied throughout the treatment with different purposes: Nd:YAG laser (1,064 nm) for dentin decontamination, diode (660 nm) for soft tissue biomodulation, and Er:YAG laser (2,940 nm) for inner ceramic surface conditioning. Lasers were successfully applied in the present case report as coadjutant in the treatment. This coadjutant technology can be a potential tool to assist treatment to reach the final success. PMID:25147746

A factorization approach to next-to-leading-power threshold logarithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonocore, D.; Laenen, E.; Magnea, L.; Melville, S.; Vernazza, L.; White, C. D.

2015-06-01

Threshold logarithms become dominant in partonic cross sections when the selected final state forces gluon radiation to be soft or collinear. Such radiation factorizes at the level of scattering amplitudes, and this leads to the resummation of threshold logarithms which appear at leading power in the threshold variable. In this paper, we consider the extension of this factorization to include effects suppressed by a single power of the threshold variable. Building upon the Low-Burnett-Kroll-Del Duca (LBKD) theorem, we propose a decomposition of radiative amplitudes into universal building blocks, which contain all effects ultimately responsible for next-to-leading-power (NLP) threshold logarithms in hadronic cross sections for electroweak annihilation processes. In particular, we provide a NLO evaluation of the radiative jet function, responsible for the interference of next-to-soft and collinear effects in these cross sections. As a test, using our expression for the amplitude, we reproduce all abelian-like NLP threshold logarithms in the NNLO Drell-Yan cross section, including the interplay of real and virtual emissions. Our results are a significant step towards developing a generally applicable resummation formalism for NLP threshold effects, and illustrate the breakdown of next-to-soft theorems for gauge theory amplitudes at loop level.

Modeling the [NTf2] pyridinium ionic liquids family and their mixtures with the soft statistical associating fluid theory equation of state.

PubMed

Oliveira, M B; Llovell, F; Coutinho, J A P; Vega, L F

2012-08-02

In this work, the soft statistical associating fluid theory (soft-SAFT) equation of state (EoS) has been used to provide an accurate thermodynamic characterization of the pyridinium-based family of ionic liquids (ILs) with the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion [NTf(2)](-). On the basis of recent molecular simulation studies for this family, a simple molecular model was proposed within the soft-SAFT EoS framework. The chain length value was transferred from the equivalent imidazolium-based ILs family, while the dispersive energy and the molecular parameters describing the cation-anion interactions were set to constant values for all of the compounds. With these assumptions, an appropriate set of molecular parameters was found for each compound fitting to experimental temperature-density data at atmospheric pressure. Correlations for the nonconstant parameters (describing the volume of the IL) with the molecular weight were established, allowing the prediction of the parameters for other pyridiniums not included in the fitting. Then, the suitability of the proposed model and its optimized parameters were tested by predicting high-pressure densities and second-order thermodynamic derivative properties such as isothermal compressibilities of selected [NTf(2)] pyridinium ILs, in a large range of thermodynamic conditions. The surface tension was also provided using the density gradient theory coupled to the soft-SAFT equation. Finally, the soft-SAFT EoS was applied to describe the phase behavior of several binary mixtures of [NTf(2)] pyridinium ILs with carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and water. In all cases, a temperature-independent binary parameter was enough to reach quantitative agreement with the experimental data. The description of the solubility of CO(2) in these ILs also allowed identification of a relation between the binary parameter and the molecular weight of the ionic liquid, allowing the prediction of the CO(2) + C(12)py[NTf(2)] mixture. The good agreement with the experimental data shows the excellent ability of the soft-SAFT EoS to describe the thermophysical properties of ILs as well as their phase behavior. Results prove that this equation of state can be a valuable tool to assist the design of ILs (in what concerns cation and anion selection) in order to obtain ILs with the desired properties and, consequently, enhancing their potential industrial applications.

Soft-Fault Detection Technologies Developed for Electrical Power Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Button, Robert M.

2004-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center, partner universities, and defense contractors are working to develop intelligent power management and distribution (PMAD) technologies for future spacecraft and launch vehicles. The goals are to provide higher performance (efficiency, transient response, and stability), higher fault tolerance, and higher reliability through the application of digital control and communication technologies. It is also expected that these technologies will eventually reduce the design, development, manufacturing, and integration costs for large, electrical power systems for space vehicles. The main focus of this research has been to incorporate digital control, communications, and intelligent algorithms into power electronic devices such as direct-current to direct-current (dc-dc) converters and protective switchgear. These technologies, in turn, will enable revolutionary changes in the way electrical power systems are designed, developed, configured, and integrated in aerospace vehicles and satellites. Initial successes in integrating modern, digital controllers have proven that transient response performance can be improved using advanced nonlinear control algorithms. One technology being developed includes the detection of "soft faults," those not typically covered by current systems in use today. Soft faults include arcing faults, corona discharge faults, and undetected leakage currents. Using digital control and advanced signal analysis algorithms, we have shown that it is possible to reliably detect arcing faults in high-voltage dc power distribution systems (see the preceding photograph). Another research effort has shown that low-level leakage faults and cable degradation can be detected by analyzing power system parameters over time. This additional fault detection capability will result in higher reliability for long-lived power systems such as reusable launch vehicles and space exploration missions.

Co-operation of digital nonlinear equalizers and soft-decision LDPC FEC in nonlinear transmission.

PubMed

Tanimura, Takahito; Oda, Shoichiro; Hoshida, Takeshi; Aoki, Yasuhiko; Tao, Zhenning; Rasmussen, Jens C

2013-12-30

We experimentally and numerically investigated the characteristics of 128 Gb/s dual polarization - quadrature phase shift keying signals received with two types of nonlinear equalizers (NLEs) followed by soft-decision (SD) low-density parity-check (LDPC) forward error correction (FEC). Successful co-operation among SD-FEC and NLEs over various nonlinear transmissions were demonstrated by optimization of parameters for NLEs.

Particles and fields measurements at Neptune with Voyager 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krimigis, S. M.

1992-11-01

The first results of measurements performed on the Voyager 2 spacecraft with the Neptune system on August 24-28, 1989 are summarized. These include measurements of the magnetic field, plasma, energetic and high energy particles, plasma waves and radio emissions, and additional information relating to UV emissions. The planetary magnetic field outside about 4 R(N) may be described by an offset, tilted, dipole of moment 0.133 Gauss-R(N) exp 3; inside that distance the field is dominated by higher order terms. Plasma densities are found to be generally low (about 5 exp -3/cu cm), except at magnetic equatorial crossings when densities are up to about 1/cu cm. A variety of plasma wave emissions were seen, including chorus, hiss, electroncyclotron waves, and upper hybrid resonance in the inner magnetosphere. The measured flux of soft electrons and ions over the polar region of about 2 x 10 exp -3 erg/sq cm sec results in an estimated power input of about 3 x 10 exp 7 W, which is substantially less than that at other planets.

Tracing Chromospheric Evaporation in Radio and Soft X-rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aschwanden, Markus J.

1997-01-01

There are three publications in refereed journals and several presentations at scientific conferences resulted from this work, over a period of 6 months during 1995/1996. In the first paper, the discovery of the chromospheric evaporation process at radio wavelengths is described. In the second paper, the radio detection is used to quantify electron densities in the upflowing heated plasma in flare loops, which is then compared with independent other density measurements from soft X-rays, or the plasma frequency of electron beams originating in the acceleration region. In the third paper, the diagnostic results of the chromospheric evaporation process are embedded into a broader picture of a standard flare scenario. Abstracts of these three papers are attached.

Implementing NLO DGLAP evolution in parton showers

DOE PAGES

Hoche, Stefan; Krauss, Frank; Prestel, Stefan

2017-10-13

Here, we present a parton shower which implements the DGLAP evolution of parton densities and fragmentation functions at next-to-leading order precision up to effects stemming from local four-momentum conservation. The Monte-Carlo simulation is based on including next-to-leading order collinear splitting functions in an existing parton shower and combining their soft enhanced contributions with the corresponding terms at leading order. Soft double counting is avoided by matching to the soft eikonal. Example results from two independent realizations of the algorithm, implemented in the two event generation frameworks Pythia and Sherpa, illustrate the improved precision of the new formalism.

Implementing NLO DGLAP evolution in parton showers

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

Höche, Stefan; Krauss, Frank; Prestel, Stefan

2017-10-01

We present a parton shower which implements the DGLAP evolution of parton densities and fragmentation functions at next-to-leading order precision up to effects stemming from local four-momentum conservation. The Monte-Carlo simulation is based on including next-to-leading order collinear splitting functions in an existing parton shower and combining their soft enhanced contributions with the corresponding terms at leading order. Soft double counting is avoided by matching to the soft eikonal. Example results from two independent realizations of the algorithm, implemented in the two event generation frameworks Pythia and Sherpa, illustrate the improved precision of the new formalism.

Power-Switching Circuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Praver, Gerald A.; Theisinger, Peter C.; Genofsky, John

1987-01-01

Functions of circuit breakers, meters, and switches combined. Circuit that includes power field-effect transistors (PFET's) provides on/off switching, soft starting, current monitoring, current tripping, and protection against overcurrent for 30-Vdc power supply at normal load currents up to 2 A. Has no moving parts.

Compensating additional optical power in the central zone of a multifocal contact lens forminimization of the shrinkage error of the shell mold in the injection molding process.

PubMed

Vu, Lien T; Chen, Chao-Chang A; Lee, Chia-Cheng; Yu, Chia-Wei

2018-04-20

This study aims to develop a compensating method to minimize the shrinkage error of the shell mold (SM) in the injection molding (IM) process to obtain uniform optical power in the central optical zone of soft axial symmetric multifocal contact lenses (CL). The Z-shrinkage error along the Z axis or axial axis of the anterior SM corresponding to the anterior surface of a dry contact lens in the IM process can be minimized by optimizing IM process parameters and then by compensating for additional (Add) powers in the central zone of the original lens design. First, the shrinkage error is minimized by optimizing three levels of four IM parameters, including mold temperature, injection velocity, packing pressure, and cooling time in 18 IM simulations based on an orthogonal array L 18 (2 1 ×3 4 ). Then, based on the Z-shrinkage error from IM simulation, three new contact lens designs are obtained by increasing the Add power in the central zone of the original multifocal CL design to compensate for the optical power errors. Results obtained from IM process simulations and the optical simulations show that the new CL design with 0.1 D increasing in Add power has the closest shrinkage profile to the original anterior SM profile with percentage of reduction in absolute Z-shrinkage error of 55% and more uniform power in the central zone than in the other two cases. Moreover, actual experiments of IM of SM for casting soft multifocal CLs have been performed. The final product of wet CLs has been completed for the original design and the new design. Results of the optical performance have verified the improvement of the compensated design of CLs. The feasibility of this compensating method has been proven based on the measurement results of the produced soft multifocal CLs of the new design. Results of this study can be further applied to predict or compensate for the total optical power errors of the soft multifocal CLs.

Using Voice Coils to Actuate Modular Soft Robots: Wormbot, an Example

PubMed Central

Nemitz, Markus P.; Mihaylov, Pavel; Barraclough, Thomas W.; Ross, Dylan

2016-01-01

Abstract In this study, we present a modular worm-like robot, which utilizes voice coils as a new paradigm in soft robot actuation. Drive electronics are incorporated into the actuators, providing a significant improvement in self-sufficiency when compared with existing soft robot actuation modes such as pneumatics or hydraulics. The body plan of this robot is inspired by the phylum Annelida and consists of three-dimensional printed voice coil actuators, which are connected by flexible silicone membranes. Each electromagnetic actuator engages with its neighbor to compress or extend the membrane of each segment, and the sequence in which they are actuated results in an earthworm-inspired peristaltic motion. We find that a minimum of three segments is required for locomotion, but due to our modular design, robots of any length can be quickly and easily assembled. In addition to actuation, voice coils provide audio input and output capabilities. We demonstrate transmission of data between segments by high-frequency carrier waves and, using a similar mechanism, we note that the passing of power between coupled coils in neighboring modules—or from an external power source—is also possible. Voice coils are a convenient multifunctional alternative to existing soft robot actuators. Their self-contained nature and ability to communicate with each other are ideal for modular robotics, and the additional functionality of sound input/output and power transfer will become increasingly useful as soft robots begin the transition from early proof-of-concept systems toward fully functional and highly integrated robotic systems. PMID:28078195

Engineered skeletal muscle tissue for soft robotics: fabrication strategies, current applications, and future challenges.

PubMed

Duffy, Rebecca M; Feinberg, Adam W

2014-01-01

Skeletal muscle is a scalable actuator system used throughout nature from the millimeter to meter length scales and over a wide range of frequencies and force regimes. This adaptability has spurred interest in using engineered skeletal muscle to power soft robotics devices and in biotechnology and medical applications. However, the challenges to doing this are similar to those facing the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine fields; specifically, how do we translate our understanding of myogenesis in vivo to the engineering of muscle constructs in vitro to achieve functional integration with devices. To do this researchers are developing a number of ways to engineer the cellular microenvironment to guide skeletal muscle tissue formation. This includes understanding the role of substrate stiffness and the mechanical environment, engineering the spatial organization of biochemical and physical cues to guide muscle alignment, and developing bioreactors for mechanical and electrical conditioning. Examples of engineered skeletal muscle that can potentially be used in soft robotics include 2D cantilever-based skeletal muscle actuators and 3D skeletal muscle tissues engineered using scaffolds or directed self-organization. Integration into devices has led to basic muscle-powered devices such as grippers and pumps as well as more sophisticated muscle-powered soft robots that walk and swim. Looking forward, current, and future challenges include identifying the best source of muscle precursor cells to expand and differentiate into myotubes, replacing cardiomyocytes with skeletal muscle tissue as the bio-actuator of choice for soft robots, and vascularization and innervation to enable control and nourishment of larger muscle tissue constructs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Soft- to network hard-material for constructing both ion- and electron-conductive hierarchical porous structure to significantly boost energy density of a supercapacitor.

PubMed

Yang, Pingping; Xie, Jiale; Guo, Chunxian; Li, Chang Ming

2017-01-01

Soft-material PEDOT is used to network hard Co 3 O 4 nanowires for constructing both ion- and electron-conductive hierarchical porous structure Co 3 O 4 /PEDOT to greatly boost the capacitor energy density than sum of that of plain Co 3 O 4 nanowires and PEDOT film. Specifically, the networked hierarchical porous structure of Co 3 O 4 /PEDOT is synthesized and tailored through hydrothermal method and post-electrochemical polymerization method for the PEDOT coating onto Co 3 O 4 nanowires. Typically, Co 3 O 4 /PEDOT supercapacitor gets a highest areal capacitance of 160mFcm -2 at a current density of 0.2mAcm -2 , which is about 2.2 times larger than the sum of that of plain Co 3 O 4 NWs (0.92mFcm -2 ) and PEDOT film (69.88mFcm -2 ). Besides, if only PEDOT as active mass is counted, Co 3 O 4 /PEDOT cell can achieve a highest capacitance of 567.21Fg -1 , this is the highest capacitance value obtained by PEDOT-based supercapacitors. Furthermore, this soft-hard network porous structure also achieves a high cycling stability of 93% capacitance retention after the 20,000th cycle. This work demonstrates a new approach to constructing both ion and electron conductive hierarchical porous structure to significantly boost energy density of a supercapacitor. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Foam injection molding of thermoplastic elastomers: Blowing agents, foaming process and characterization of structural foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ries, S.; Spoerrer, A.; Altstaedt, V.

2014-05-01

Polymer foams play an important role caused by the steadily increasing demand to light weight design. In case of soft polymers, like thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), the haptic feeling of the surface is affected by the inner foam structure. Foam injection molding of TPEs leads to so called structural foam, consisting of two compact skin layers and a cellular core. The properties of soft structural foams like soft-touch, elastic and plastic behavior are affected by the resulting foam structure, e.g. thickness of the compact skins and the foam core or density. This inner structure can considerably be influenced by different processing parameters and the chosen blowing agent. This paper is focused on the selection and characterization of suitable blowing agents for foam injection molding of a TPE-blend. The aim was a high density reduction and a decent inner structure. Therefore DSC and TGA measurements were performed on different blowing agents to find out which one is appropriate for the used TPE. Moreover a new analyzing method for the description of processing characteristics by temperature dependent expansion measurements was developed. After choosing suitable blowing agents structural foams were molded with different types of blowing agents and combinations and with the breathing mold technology in order to get lower densities. The foam structure was analyzed to show the influence of the different blowing agents and combinations. Finally compression tests were performed to estimate the influence of the used blowing agent and the density reduction on the compression modulus.

Reconstruction of the forehead acoustic properties in an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), with investigation on the responses of soft tissue sound velocity to temperature.

PubMed

Song, Zhongchang; Zhang, Yu; Berggren, Per; Wei, Chong

2017-02-01

Computed tomography (CT) imaging and ultrasound experimental measurements were combined to reconstruct the acoustic properties (density, velocity, and impedance) of the head from a deceased Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). The authors extracted 42 soft forehead tissue samples to estimate the sound velocity and density properties at room temperature, 25.0  °C. Hounsfield Units (HUs) of the samples were read from CT scans. Linear relationships between the tissues' HUs and velocity, and HUs and density were revealed through regression analyses. The distributions of the head acoustic properties at axial, coronal, and sagittal cross sections were reconstructed, suggesting that the forehead soft tissues were characterized by low-velocity in the melon, high-velocity in the muscle and connective tissues. Further, the sound velocities of melon, muscle, and connective tissue pieces were measured under different temperatures to investigate tissues' velocity response to temperature. The results demonstrated nonlinear relationships between tissues' sound velocity and temperature. This study represents a first attempt to provide general information on acoustic properties of this species. The results could provide meaningful information for understanding the species' bioacoustic characteristics and for further investigation on sound beam formation of the dolphin.

Levitation properties of maglev systems using soft ferromagnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chen-Guang; Zhou, You-He

2015-03-01

Soft ferromagnets are widely used as flux-concentration materials in the design of guideways for superconducting magnetic levitation transport systems. In order to fully understand the influence of soft ferromagnets on the levitation performance, in this work we apply a numerical model based on the functional minimization method and the Bean’s critical state model to study the levitation properties of an infinitely long superconductor immersed in the magnetic field created by a guideway of different sets of infinitely long parallel permanent magnets with soft ferromagnets between them. The levitation force, guidance force, magnetic stiffness and magnetic pole density are calculated considering the coupling between the superconductor and soft ferromagnets. The results show that the levitation performance is closely associated with the permanent magnet configuration and with the location and dimension of the soft ferromagnets. Introducing the soft ferromagnet with a certain width in a few configurations always decreases the levitation force. However, for most configurations, the soft ferromagnets contribute to improve the levitation performance only when they have particular locations and dimensions in which the optimized location and thickness exist to increase the levitation force the most. Moreover, if the superconductor is laterally disturbed, the presence of soft ferromagnets can effectively improve the lateral stability for small lateral displacement and reduce the degradation of levitation force.

Soft Pneumatic Actuator Fascicles for High Force and Reliability

PubMed Central

Robertson, Matthew A.; Sadeghi, Hamed; Florez, Juan Manuel

2017-01-01

Abstract Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) are found in mobile robots, assistive wearable devices, and rehabilitative technologies. While soft actuators have been one of the most crucial elements of technology leading the development of the soft robotics field, they fall short of force output and bandwidth requirements for many tasks. In addition, other general problems remain open, including robustness, controllability, and repeatability. The SPA-pack architecture presented here aims to satisfy these standards of reliability crucial to the field of soft robotics, while also improving the basic performance capabilities of SPAs by borrowing advantages leveraged ubiquitously in biology; namely, the structured parallel arrangement of lower power actuators to form the basis of a larger and more powerful actuator module. An SPA-pack module consisting of a number of smaller SPAs will be studied using an analytical model and physical prototype. Experimental measurements show an SPA pack to generate over 112 N linear force, while the model indicates the benefit of parallel actuator grouping over a geometrically equivalent single SPA scale as an increasing function of the number of individual actuators in the group. For a module of four actuators, a 23% increase in force production over a volumetrically equivalent single SPA is predicted and validated, while further gains appear possible up to 50%. These findings affirm the advantage of utilizing a fascicle structure for high-performance soft robotic applications over existing monolithic SPA designs. An example of high-performance soft robotic platform will be presented to demonstrate the capability of SPA-pack modules in a complete and functional system. PMID:28289573

Soft Pneumatic Actuator Fascicles for High Force and Reliability.

PubMed

Robertson, Matthew A; Sadeghi, Hamed; Florez, Juan Manuel; Paik, Jamie

2017-03-01

Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) are found in mobile robots, assistive wearable devices, and rehabilitative technologies. While soft actuators have been one of the most crucial elements of technology leading the development of the soft robotics field, they fall short of force output and bandwidth requirements for many tasks. In addition, other general problems remain open, including robustness, controllability, and repeatability. The SPA-pack architecture presented here aims to satisfy these standards of reliability crucial to the field of soft robotics, while also improving the basic performance capabilities of SPAs by borrowing advantages leveraged ubiquitously in biology; namely, the structured parallel arrangement of lower power actuators to form the basis of a larger and more powerful actuator module. An SPA-pack module consisting of a number of smaller SPAs will be studied using an analytical model and physical prototype. Experimental measurements show an SPA pack to generate over 112 N linear force, while the model indicates the benefit of parallel actuator grouping over a geometrically equivalent single SPA scale as an increasing function of the number of individual actuators in the group. For a module of four actuators, a 23% increase in force production over a volumetrically equivalent single SPA is predicted and validated, while further gains appear possible up to 50%. These findings affirm the advantage of utilizing a fascicle structure for high-performance soft robotic applications over existing monolithic SPA designs. An example of high-performance soft robotic platform will be presented to demonstrate the capability of SPA-pack modules in a complete and functional system.

Casimir stress in materials: Hard divergency at soft walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griniasty, Itay; Leonhardt, Ulf

2017-11-01

The Casimir force between macroscopic bodies is well understood, but not the Casimir stress inside bodies. Suppose empty space or a uniform medium meets a soft wall where the refractive index is continuous but its derivative jumps. For this situation we predict a characteristic power law for the stress inside the soft wall and close to its edges. Our result shows that such edges are not tolerated in the aggregation of liquids at surfaces, regardless whether the liquid is attracted or repelled.

Application of intelligent soft start in asynchronous motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xue; Ye, Ying; Wang, Yuelong; Peng, Lei; Zhang, Suying

2018-05-01

The starting way of three phase asynchronous motor has full voltage start and step-down start. Direct starting brings large current impact, causing excessive local temperature to the power grid and larger starting torque will also impact the motor equipment and affect the service life of the motor. Aim at the problem of large current and torque caused by start-up, an intelligent soft starter is proposed. Through the application of intelligent soft start on asynchronous motor, highlights its application advantage in motor control.

Soft x-ray transmission grating spectrometer for X-ray Surveyor and smaller missions with high resolving power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilmann, Ralf K.; Bruccoleri, Alexander; Schattenburg, Mark; Kolodziejczak, jeffery; Gaskin, Jessica; O'Dell, Stephen L.

2017-01-01

A number of high priority subjects in astrophysics are addressed by a state-of-the-art soft x-ray grating spectrometer, e.g. the role of Active Galactic Nuclei in galaxy and star formation, characterization of the WHIM and the “missing baryon” problem, characterization of halos around the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, and stellar coronae and surrounding winds and disks. An Explorer-scale, large-area (A > 1,000 cm2), high resolving power (R > 3,000) soft x-ray grating spectrometer is highly feasible based on Critical-Angle Transmission (CAT) grating technology, even for telescopes with angular resolution of 5-10 arcsec. Significantly higher performance could be provided by a CAT grating spectrometer on an X-ray-Surveyor-type mission (A > 4,000 cm2, R > 5,000). CAT gratings combine advantages of blazed reflection gratings (high efficiency, use of higher orders) with those of transmission gratings (low mass, relaxed alignment tolerances and temperature requirements, transparent at higher energies) with minimal mission resource requirements. Blazing is achieved through grazing-incidence reflection off the smooth silicon grating bar sidewalls. Silicon is well matched to the soft x-ray band, and 30% absolute diffraction efficiency has been acheived with clear paths for further improvement. CAT gratings with sidewalls made of high-Z elements allow extension of blazing to higher energies and larger dispersion angles, enabling higher resolving power at shorter wavelengths. X-ray data from CAT gratings coated with a thin layer of platinum using atomic layer deposition demonstrate efficient blazing to higher energies and much larger blaze angles than possible with silicon alone. Measurements of the resolving power of a breadboard CAT grating spectrometer consisting of a Wolter-I slumped-glass focusing optic from GSFC and CAT gratings, taken at the MSFC Stray Light Facility, have demonstrated resolving power > 10,000. Thus currently fabricated CAT gratings are compatible with the most advanced grating spectrometer instrument designs for future soft x-ray spectroscopy missions. We will review the most recent CAT grating fabrication and x-ray test results.

Advanced insulated gate bipolar transistor gate drive

DOEpatents

Short, James Evans [Monongahela, PA; West, Shawn Michael [West Mifflin, PA; Fabean, Robert J [Donora, PA

2009-08-04

A gate drive for an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) includes a control and protection module coupled to a collector terminal of the IGBT, an optical communications module coupled to the control and protection module, a power supply module coupled to the control and protection module and an output power stage module with inputs coupled to the power supply module and the control and protection module, and outputs coupled to a gate terminal and an emitter terminal of the IGBT. The optical communications module is configured to send control signals to the control and protection module. The power supply module is configured to distribute inputted power to the control and protection module. The control and protection module outputs on/off, soft turn-off and/or soft turn-on signals to the output power stage module, which, in turn, supplies a current based on the signal(s) from the control and protection module for charging or discharging an input capacitance of the IGBT.

Laser plasma cryogenic target on translating substrate for generation of continuously repetitive EUV and soft X-ray pulses

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

Amano, Sho

2014-06-15

To generate continuously repetitive EUV and soft X-ray pulses with various wavelengths from laser-produced plasmas, a one-dimensionally translating substrate system with a closed He gas cryostat that can continuously supply various cryogenic targets for ∼10 Hz laser pulses has been developed. The system was successfully operated at a lowest temperature of 15 K and at a maximum up-down speed of 12 mm/s. Solid Ar, Kr, and Xe layers were formed, and their growth rates and the laser crater sizes on them were studied. By optimization of the operational parameters in accordance with our design rule, it was shown that stablemore » output power was achieved continuously from the plasma emission at frequencies of 1–10 Hz. The average soft X-ray and EUV powers obtained were 19 mW at 3.2 nm, 33 mW at 10.0 nm, and 66 mW at 10.8 nm, with 10% bandwidths, from the Ar, Kr, and Xe solid targets, respectively, with a laser power of 1 W. We will be able to achieve higher frequencies using a high beam quality laser that produces smaller craters, and can expect higher powers. Although only Ar, Kr, and Xe gases were tested in this study, the target system achieved a temperature of 15 K and can thus solidify almost all target gases, apart from H and He, and can continuously supply the solid target. The use of various target materials will enable expansion of the EUV and soft X-ray emission wavelength range.« less

Evaluation of a new soft tipped injector for the implantation of foldable intraocular lenses.

PubMed

Kleinmann, Guy; Apple, David J

2007-08-01

To evaluate the R-INJ-04 soft-tipped injector, a new injector with an integral round nozzle manufactured by Rayner Intraocular Lenses, England. 16 Rayner C-flex intraocular lenses (IOLs; Rayner Intraocular lenses, England) ranging between +10 and +30 D (2 for each power) were tested. An ophthalmic viscoelastic device (Healon, AMO, Santa Ana, California, USA) was applied to the injectors. The IOLs were loaded according to the company injector's instructions for use and were injected into a Petri dish. After the injection, all the IOLs and nozzles were evaluated by gross (macroscopic) and microscopic analyses and photographed under a light microscope. One lens of each power and the cartridge used for the implantation were then sent for further analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The rest of the IOLs were tested for power and modulation transfer function (MTF). All the injections were successful. No damage to the IOLs or to the injectors was found by gross examination, light microscopy and SEM. No deposits were found on the IOL optical surfaces or haptics. Power and MTF analysis showed a close match with the original measurements. Our results suggest that the R-INJ-04 soft-tipped injector is safe for the implantation of the C-flex IOL with power range from 10 to 30 D. No structural damage to the IOLs or to the injectors was found, and the lens power and light transmission properties were not damaged in any way by the injection process.

X-Ray Spectroscopy of AS1101 with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT: Bandpass Dependence of the Temperature Profile and Soft Excess Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonamente, Massimiliano; Nevalainen, Jukka

2011-09-01

We present spatially resolved spectroscopy of the galaxy cluster AS1101, also known as Sèrsic 159-03, with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT, and investigate the presence of soft X-ray excess emission above the contribution from the hot intracluster medium. In earlier papers we reported an extremely bright soft excess component that reached 100% of the thermal radiation in the R2 ROSAT band (0.2-0.4 keV), using the H I column density measurement by Dickey and Lockman. In this paper we use the newer Leiden-Argentine-Bonn survey measurements of the H I column density toward AS1101, significantly lower than the previous value, and show that the soft excess emission in AS1101 is now at the level of 10%-20% of the hot gas emission, in line with those of a large sample of clusters analyzed by Bonamente et al. in 2002. The ROSAT soft excess emission is detected regardless of calibration uncertainties between Chandra and XMM-Newton. This new analysis of AS1101 indicates that the 1/4 keV band emission is compatible with the presence of warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) filaments connected to the cluster and extending outward into the intergalactic medium; the temperatures we find in this study are typically lower than those of the WHIM probed in other X-ray studies. We also show that the soft excess emission is compatible with a non-thermal origin as the inverse Compton scattering of relativistic electrons off the cosmic microwave background, with pressure less than 1% of the thermal electrons.

Impacts of papain and neuraminidase enzyme treatment on electrohydrodynamics and IgG-mediated agglutination of type A red blood cells.

PubMed

Hyono, Atsushi; Gaboriaud, Fabien; Mazda, Toshio; Takata, Youichi; Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Duval, Jérôme F L

2009-09-15

The stability of native and enzyme-treated human red blood cells of type A (Rh D positive) against agglutination is investigated under conditions where it is mediated by immunoglobuline G (IgG) anti-D antibody binding. The propensity of cells to agglutinate is related to their interphasic (electrokinetic) properties. These properties significantly depend on the concentration of proteolytic papain enzyme and protease-free neuraminidase enzyme that the cells are exposed to. The analysis is based on the interpretation of electrophoretic data of cells by means of the numerical theory for the electrokinetics of soft (bio)particles. A significant reduction of the hydrodynamic permeability of the external soft glycoprotein layer of the cells is reported under the action of papain. This reflects a significant decrease in soft surface layer thickness and a loss in cell surface integrity/rigidity, as confirmed by nanomechanical AFM analysis. Neuraminidase action leads to an important decrease in the interphase charge density by removing sialic acids from the cell soft surface layer. This is accompanied by hydrodynamic softness modulations less significant than those observed for papain-treated cells. On the basis of these electrohydrodynamic characteristics, the overall interaction potential profiles between two native cells and two enzyme-treated cells are derived as a function of the soft surface layer thickness in the Debye-Hückel limit that is valid for cell suspensions under physiological conditions (approximately 0.16 M). The thermodynamic computation of cell suspension stability against IgG-mediated agglutination then reveals that a decrease in the cell surface layer thickness is more favorable than a decrease in interphase charge density for inducing agglutination. This is experimentally confirmed by agglutination data collected for papain- and neuraminidase-treated cells.

Inertial confinement fusion and fast ignitor studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willi, O.; Barringer, L.; Bell, A.; Borghesi, M.; Davies, J.; Gaillard, R.; Iwase, A.; MacKinnon, A.; Malka, G.; Meyer, C.; Nuruzzaman, S.; Taylor, R.; Vickers, C.; Hoarty, D.; Gobby, P.; Johnson, R.; Watt, R. G.; Blanchot, N.; Canaud, B.; Croso, H.; Meyer, B.; Miquel, J. L.; Reverdin, C.; Pukhov, A.; Meyer-ter-Vehn, J.

2000-03-01

Laser imprinting has been studied and, in particular, saturation of areal density perturbations induced by near single mode laser imprinting was observed. Several issues important for the foam buffered direct drive scheme have been investigated. These studies included measurements of the absolute levels of stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering observed from laser irradiated low density foam targets, either bare or overcoated with a thin layer of gold. A novel scheme is proposed to increase the pressure in indirectly driven targets. By heating a foam supersonically that is attached to a solid target the pressure generated is not only the ablation pressure but also the combined pressure due to ablation at the foam-foil interface and the heated foam material. Planar brominated plastic foil targets overcoated with a low density foam were irradiated by a soft X ray pulse. The pressure was obtained by comparing the rear side trajectory of the driven target observed by soft X ray radiography with one dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations. Observations were also carried out of the transition from supersonic to subsonic propagation of an ionization front in low density chlorinated foam targets irradiated by an intense soft X ray pulse. The diagnostic for these measurements was K shell point projection absorption spectroscopy. In the fast ignitor area the channelling and guiding of picosecond laser pulses through underdense plasmas, preformed density channels and microtubes were investigated. It was observed that a large fraction of the incident laser energy can be propagated. Megagauss magnetic fields were measured, with a polarimetric technique, during and after propagation of intense picosecond pulses in preionized plasmas. Two types of toroidal fields, of opposite orientation, were detected. In addition, the production and propagation of an electron beam through solid glass targets irradiated at intensities above 1019W/cm2 were observed using optical probing techniques.

Hydrodynamic study of plasma amplifiers for soft-x-ray lasers: a transition in hydrodynamic behavior for plasma columns with widths ranging from 20 μm to 2 mm.

PubMed

Oliva, Eduardo; Zeitoun, Philippe; Velarde, Pedro; Fajardo, Marta; Cassou, Kevin; Ros, David; Sebban, Stephan; Portillo, David; le Pape, Sebastien

2010-11-01

Plasma-based seeded soft-x-ray lasers have the potential to generate high energy and highly coherent short pulse beams. Due to their high density, plasmas created by the interaction of an intense laser with a solid target should store the highest amount of energy density among all plasma amplifiers. Our previous numerical work with a two-dimensional (2D) adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamic code demonstrated that careful tailoring of plasma shapes leads to a dramatic enhancement of both soft-x-ray laser output energy and pumping efficiency. Benchmarking of our 2D hydrodynamic code in previous experiments demonstrated a high level of confidence, allowing us to perform a full study with the aim of the way for 10-100 μJ seeded soft-x-ray lasers. In this paper, we describe in detail the mechanisms that drive the hydrodynamics of plasma columns. We observed transitions between narrow plasmas, where very strong bidimensional flow prevents them from storing energy, to large plasmas that store a high amount of energy. Millimeter-sized plasmas are outstanding amplifiers, but they have the limitation of transverse lasing. In this paper, we provide a preliminary solution to this problem.

Joule heating and runaway electron acceleration in a solar flare

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holman, Gordon D.; Kundu, Mukul R.; Kane, Sharad R.

1989-01-01

The hard and soft x ray and microwave emissions from a solar flare (May 14, 1980) were analyzed and interpreted in terms of Joule heating and runaway electron acceleration in one or more current sheets. It is found that all three emissions can be generated with sub-Dreicer electric fields. The soft x ray emitting plasma can only be heated by a single current sheet if the resistivity in the sheet is well above the classical, collisional resistivity of 10(exp 7) K, 10(exp 11)/cu cm plasma. If the hard x ray emission is from thermal electrons, anomalous resistivity or densities exceeding 3 x 10(exp 12)/cu cm are required. If the hard x ray emission is from nonthermal electrons, the emissions can be produced with classical resistivity in the current sheets if the heating rate is approximately 4 times greater than that deduced from the soft x ray data (with a density of 10(exp 10)/cu cm in the soft x ray emitting region), if there are at least 10(exp 4) current sheets, and if the plasma properties in the sheets are characteristic of the superhot plasma observed in some flares by Lin et al., and with Hinotori. Most of the released energy goes directly into bulk heating, rather than accelerated particles.

The State of Simulations: Soft-Skill Simulations Emerge as a Powerful New Form of E-Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldrich, Clark

2001-01-01

Presents responses of leaders from six simulation companies about challenges and opportunities of soft-skills simulations in e-learning. Discussion includes: evaluation metrics; role of subject matter experts in developing simulations; video versus computer graphics; technology needed to run simulations; technology breakthroughs; pricing;…

Soft-Systems Methodology. Mendip Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kowszun, J.

This paper provides an introduction to a particular systems-theoretical approach to problem-solving in the management of education usually referred to as soft-systems methodology (SSM), developed by Peter Checkland in the 1970s. SSM should provide a powerful tool for managers in education at any level who have a strategic role because it can be…

Soft X-ray observations of two BL Lacertae objects - Markarian 421 and 501

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, K. P.; Garmire, G. P.

1985-01-01

This paper reports on the soft X-ray (0.15-2.8 keV) observations of two BL Lacertae-type objects, viz., Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. The observations were made with the low-energy detectors on the HEAO 1 satellite during the period 1977 August-1978 December. Steep, soft X-ray power-law spectra with photon index Gamma = 3 are found for both Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. The power-law models are found to give a significantly better fit than the thermal models to the observed pulse-height spectra of Mrk 421 and Mrk 501. Day-to-day soft X-ray (0.25 keV band) intensity variations are observed only in Mrk 501. No significant change is found in Gamma from both the BL Lac objects during the period of observations. However, the sum of all the X-ray observations from 1976 until 1980 can be understood in terms of two spectral components of variable intensity to account for the X-ray emission observed between 0.15 and 20 keV from Mrk 421 and Mrk 501.

Infrared thermal measurements of laser soft tissue ablation as a function of air/water coolant for Nd:YAG and diode lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gekelman, Diana; Yamamoto, Andrew; Oto, Marvin G.; White, Joel M.

2003-06-01

The purpose of this investigation was to measure the maximum temperature at the Nd:YAG and Diode lasers fiberoptic tips as a function of air/water coolant, during soft tissue ablation in pig jaws. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1064nm) and a Diode laser (800-830 nm) were used varying parameters of power, conditioning or not of the fiber tip, under 4 settings of air/water coolant. The maximum temperature at the fiber tip was measured using an infra-red camera and the interaction of the fiber with the porcine soft tissue was evaluated. A two-factor ANOVA was used for statistical analysis (p<=0.05). Nd:YAG laser interaction with soft tissues produced temperatures levels directly proportional to power increase, but the conditioning of the fiber tip did not influence the temperature rise. On the other hand, conditioning of the fiber tip did influence the temperature rise for Diode laser. The addition of air/water coolant, for both lasers, did not promote temperature rise consistent with cutting and coagulation of porcine soft tissue. Laser parameters affect the fiberoptic surface temperature, and the addition of air/water coolant significantly lowered surface temperature on the fiberoptic tip for all lasers and parameters tested.

Soft X-ray spectral features in the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC4051

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mihara, Tatehiro; Matsuoka, Masaru; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Kunieda, Hideyo; Otani, Chiko; Miyamoto, Sigenori; Yamauchi, Makoto

1994-01-01

We report ASCA observations of NGC 4051 during the PV phase. The time averaged X-ray spectrum is not well fit by a simple power law with an iron K-emission line and shows significant absorption-edge features most probably due to O VII and O VIII and a strong soft excess. This is the first direct measurement of edges in the spectrum of this object and confirms that the X-ray spectrum of NGC 4051 is modified by a 'warm' absorbing gas. The best fit underlying power law index in the 0.4-10 keV band is 1.88. A power law modified by a warm absorber model can partly explain the apparent soft excess and qualitatively fit the SIS spectrum. However, the addition of a black body of kT approx. = 0.1 keV improves the fit considerably. The 90% upper limit on the width of the iron line is 460 eV full width at half maximum (FWHM). Applying the fluorescent iron line model from an accretion disk gives an upper limit of 20 deg for the inclination of the disk.

Reliable Broadcast under Cascading Failures in Interdependent Networks

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

Duan, Sisi; Lee, Sangkeun; Chinthavali, Supriya

Reliable broadcast is an essential tool to disseminate information among a set of nodes in the presence of failures. We present a novel study of reliable broadcast in interdependent networks, in which the failures in one network may cascade to another network. In particular, we focus on the interdependency between the communication network and power grid network, where the power grid depends on the signals from the communication network for control and the communication network depends on the grid for power. In this paper, we build a resilient solution to handle crash failures in the communication network that may causemore » cascading failures and may even partition the network. In order to guarantee that all the correct nodes deliver the messages, we use soft links, which are inactive backup links to non-neighboring nodes that are only active when failures occur. At the core of our work is a fully distributed algorithm for the nodes to predict and collect the information of cascading failures so that soft links can be maintained to correct nodes prior to the failures. In the presence of failures, soft links are activated to guarantee message delivery and new soft links are built accordingly for long term robustness. Our evaluation results show that the algorithm achieves low packet drop rate and handles cascading failures with little overhead.« less

Estimation of the laser cutting operating cost by support vector regression methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jović, Srđan; Radović, Aleksandar; Šarkoćević, Živče; Petković, Dalibor; Alizamir, Meysam

2016-09-01

Laser cutting is a popular manufacturing process utilized to cut various types of materials economically. The operating cost is affected by laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure, nozzle diameter and focus point position as well as the workpiece material. In this article, the process factors investigated were: laser power, cutting speed, air pressure and focal point position. The aim of this work is to relate the operating cost to the process parameters mentioned above. CO2 laser cutting of stainless steel of medical grade AISI316L has been investigated. The main goal was to analyze the operating cost through the laser power, cutting speed, air pressure, focal point position and material thickness. Since the laser operating cost is a complex, non-linear task, soft computing optimization algorithms can be used. Intelligent soft computing scheme support vector regression (SVR) was implemented. The performance of the proposed estimator was confirmed with the simulation results. The SVR results are then compared with artificial neural network and genetic programing. According to the results, a greater improvement in estimation accuracy can be achieved through the SVR compared to other soft computing methodologies. The new optimization methods benefit from the soft computing capabilities of global optimization and multiobjective optimization rather than choosing a starting point by trial and error and combining multiple criteria into a single criterion.

Irreversible metal-insulator transition in thin film VO2 induced by soft X-ray irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, V. R.; Jovic, V.; Valmianski, I.; Ramirez, J. G.; Lamoureux, B.; Schuller, Ivan K.; Smith, K. E.

2017-12-01

In this study, we show the ability of soft x-ray irradiation to induce room temperature metal-insulator transitions (MITs) in VO2 thin films grown on R-plane sapphire. The ability of soft x-rays to induce MIT in VO2 thin films is confirmed by photoemission spectroscopy and soft x-ray spectroscopy measurements. When irradiation was discontinued, the systems do not return to the insulating phase. Analysis of valence band photoemission spectra revealed that the density of states (DOSs) of the V 3d band increased with irradiation time, while the DOS of the O 2p band decreased. We use these results to propose a model in which the MIT is driven by oxygen desorption from thin films during irradiation.

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

Birkedal-Hansen, A.; Binetruy, P.; Mambrini, Y.

We provide a detailed study of the phenomenology of orbifold compactifications of the heterotic string within the context of supergravity effective theories. Our investigation focuses on those models where the soft Lagrangian is dominated by loop contributions to the various soft supersymmetry breaking parameters. Such models typically predict non-universal soft masses and are thus significantly different from minimal supergravity and other universal models. We consider the pattern of masses that are governed by these soft terms and investigate the implications of certain indirect constraints on supersymmetric models, such as flavor-changing neutral currents, the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon andmore » the density of thermal relic neutralinos. These string-motivated models show novel behavior that interpolates between the phenomenology of unified supergravity models and models dominated by the superconformal anomaly.« less

Scaled CMOS Technology Reliability Users Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Mark

2010-01-01

The desire to assess the reliability of emerging scaled microelectronics technologies through faster reliability trials and more accurate acceleration models is the precursor for further research and experimentation in this relevant field. The effect of semiconductor scaling on microelectronics product reliability is an important aspect to the high reliability application user. From the perspective of a customer or user, who in many cases must deal with very limited, if any, manufacturer's reliability data to assess the product for a highly-reliable application, product-level testing is critical in the characterization and reliability assessment of advanced nanometer semiconductor scaling effects on microelectronics reliability. A methodology on how to accomplish this and techniques for deriving the expected product-level reliability on commercial memory products are provided.Competing mechanism theory and the multiple failure mechanism model are applied to the experimental results of scaled SDRAM products. Accelerated stress testing at multiple conditions is applied at the product level of several scaled memory products to assess the performance degradation and product reliability. Acceleration models are derived for each case. For several scaled SDRAM products, retention time degradation is studied and two distinct soft error populations are observed with each technology generation: early breakdown, characterized by randomly distributed weak bits with Weibull slope (beta)=1, and a main population breakdown with an increasing failure rate. Retention time soft error rates are calculated and a multiple failure mechanism acceleration model with parameters is derived for each technology. Defect densities are calculated and reflect a decreasing trend in the percentage of random defective bits for each successive product generation. A normalized soft error failure rate of the memory data retention time in FIT/Gb and FIT/cm2 for several scaled SDRAM generations is presented revealing a power relationship. General models describing the soft error rates across scaled product generations are presented. The analysis methodology may be applied to other scaled microelectronic products and their key parameters.

Highly-stretchable 3D-architected Mechanical Metamaterials

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yanhui; Wang, Qiming

2016-01-01

Soft materials featuring both 3D free-form architectures and high stretchability are highly desirable for a number of engineering applications ranging from cushion modulators, soft robots to stretchable electronics; however, both the manufacturing and fundamental mechanics are largely elusive. Here, we overcome the manufacturing difficulties and report a class of mechanical metamaterials that not only features 3D free-form lattice architectures but also poses ultrahigh reversible stretchability (strain > 414%), 4 times higher than that of the existing counterparts with the similar complexity of 3D architectures. The microarchitected metamaterials, made of highly stretchable elastomers, are realized through an additive manufacturing technique, projection microstereolithography, and its postprocessing. With the fabricated metamaterials, we reveal their exotic mechanical behaviors: Under large-strain tension, their moduli follow a linear scaling relationship with their densities regardless of architecture types, in sharp contrast to the architecture-dependent modulus power-law of the existing engineering materials; under large-strain compression, they present tunable negative-stiffness that enables ultrahigh energy absorption efficiencies. To harness their extraordinary stretchability and microstructures, we demonstrate that the metamaterials open a number of application avenues in lightweight and flexible structure connectors, ultraefficient dampers, 3D meshed rehabilitation structures and stretchable electronics with designed 3D anisotropic conductivity. PMID:27667638

Binary pseudo-random patterned structures for modulation transfer function calibration and resolution characterization of a full-field transmission soft x-ray microscope

DOE PAGES

Yashchuk, V. V.; Fischer, P. J.; Chan, E. R.; ...

2015-12-09

We present a modulation transfer function (MTF) calibration method based on binary pseudo-random (BPR) one-dimensional sequences and two-dimensional arrays as an effective method for spectral characterization in the spatial frequency domain of a broad variety of metrology instrumentation, including interferometric microscopes, scatterometers, phase shifting Fizeau interferometers, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, and at this time, x-ray microscopes. The inherent power spectral density of BPR gratings and arrays, which has a deterministic white-noise-like character, allows a direct determination of the MTF with a uniform sensitivity over the entire spatial frequency range and field of view of an instrument. We demonstrate themore » MTF calibration and resolution characterization over the full field of a transmission soft x-ray microscope using a BPR multilayer (ML) test sample with 2.8 nm fundamental layer thickness. We show that beyond providing a direct measurement of the microscope's MTF, tests with the BPRML sample can be used to fine tune the instrument's focal distance. Finally, our results confirm the universality of the method that makes it applicable to a large variety of metrology instrumentation with spatial wavelength bandwidths from a few nanometers to hundreds of millimeters.« less

Soft matter: rubber and networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenna, Gregory B.

2018-06-01

Rubber networks are important and form the basis for materials with properties ranging from rubber tires to super absorbents and contact lenses. The development of the entropy ideas of rubber deformation thermodynamics provides a powerful framework from which to understand and to use these materials. In addition, swelling of the rubber in the presence of small molecule liquids or solvents leads to materials that are very soft and ‘gel’ like in nature. The review covers the thermodynamics of polymer networks and gels from the perspective of the thermodynamics and mechanics of the strain energy density function. Important relationships are presented and experimental results show that the continuum ideas contained in the phenomenological thermodynamics are valid, but that the molecular bases for some of them remain to be fully elucidated. This is particularly so in the case of the entropic gels or swollen networks. The review is concluded with some perspectives on other networks, ranging from entropic polymer networks such as thermoplastic elastomers to physical gels in which cross-link points are formed by glassy or crystalline domains. A discussion is provided for other physical gels in which the network forms a spinodal-like decomposition, both in thermoplastic polymers that form a glassy network upon phase separation and for colloidal gels that seem to have a similar behavior.

Skin-Inspired Hierarchical Polymer Architectures with Gradient Stiffness for Spacer-Free, Ultrathin, and Highly Sensitive Triboelectric Sensors.

PubMed

Ha, Minjeong; Lim, Seongdong; Cho, Soowon; Lee, Youngoh; Na, Sangyun; Baig, Chunggi; Ko, Hyunhyub

2018-04-24

The gradient stiffness between stiff epidermis and soft dermis with interlocked microridge structures in human skin induces effective stress transmission to underlying mechanoreceptors for enhanced tactile sensing. Inspired by skin structure and function, we fabricate hierarchical nanoporous and interlocked microridge structured polymers with gradient stiffness for spacer-free, ultrathin, and highly sensitive triboelectric sensors (TESs). The skin-inspired hierarchical polymers with gradient elastic modulus enhance the compressibility and contact areal differences due to effective transmission of the external stress from stiff to soft layers, resulting in highly sensitive TESs capable of detecting human vital signs and voice. In addition, the microridges in the interlocked polymers provide an effective variation of gap distance between interlocked layers without using the bulk spacer and thus facilitate the ultrathin and flexible design of TESs that could be worn on the body and detect a variety of pressing, bending, and twisting motions even in humid and underwater environments. Our TESs exhibit the highest power density (46.7 μW/cm 2 ), pressure (0.55 V/kPa), and bending (∼0.1 V/°) sensitivities ever reported on flexible TESs. The proposed design of hierarchical polymer architectures for the flexible and wearable TESs can find numerous applications in next-generation wearable electronics.

Dual-Mechanism and Multimotion Soft Actuators Based on Commercial Plastic Film.

PubMed

Li, Linpeng; Meng, Junxing; Hou, Chengyi; Zhang, Qinghong; Li, Yaogang; Yu, Hao; Wang, Hongzhi

2018-05-02

Soft actuators have attracted a lot of attention owing to their biomimetic performance. However, the development of soft actuators that are easily prepared from readily available raw materials, conveniently utilized, and cost-efficient is still a challenge. Here, we present a simple method to fabricate a polyethylene-based soft actuator. It has controllable anisotropic structure and can realize multiple motions, including bidirectional bending and twisting based on dual mechanisms, which is a rare phenomenon. Especially, the soft actuators can response at a very small temperature difference (Δ T ≥ 2.3 °C); therefore, even skin touch can quickly drive the actuator, which greatly broadens its applications in daily life. The soft actuator could demonstrate a curvature up to 7.8 cm -1 accompanied by powerful actuation. We have shown that it can lift an object 27 times its own weight. We also demonstrate the application of this actuator as intelligent mechanical devices.

Low Power Consumption Design and Fabrication of Thin Film Core for Micro Fluxgate.

PubMed

Lv, Hui; Liu, Shibin

2016-03-01

The soft magnetic characteristic of core is a critical factor to performance of the micro fluxgate. Porous thin film core can be effectively used to decrease the value of saturation magnetic field strength (H(s)) and improve soft magnetic behavior. It is conducive to impelling the micro fluxgate toward the direction of low power consumption. In this work, negative photoresist is used to fabricate a porous core by MEMS technology. Through the processes of ultraviolet-lithography, the porous pattern transfer from the mask to the microstructure on silicon substrate. The experiment result complies with the anticipation and indicates that this MEMS technique can be applied to improve the characteristic of thin film core and decrease power consumption of fluxgate sensor.

Colonisation of fish and crabs of wave energy foundations and the effects of manufactured holes - a field experiment.

PubMed

Langhamer, Olivia; Wilhelmsson, Dan

2009-10-01

Several Western European countries are planning for a significant development of offshore renewable energy along the European Atlantic Ocean coast, including many thousands of wave energy devices and wind turbines. There is an increasing interest in articulating the added values of the creation of artificial hard bottom habitats through the construction of offshore renewable energy devices, for the benefit of fisheries management and conservation. The Lysekil Project is a test park for wave power located about 100 km north of Gothenburg at the Swedish west coast. A wave energy device consists of a linear wave power generator attached to a foundation on the seabed, and connected by a wire to a buoy at the surface. Our field experiment examined the function of wave energy foundations as artificial reefs. In addition, potentials for enhancing the abundance of associated fish and crustaceans through manufactured holes of the foundations were also investigated. Assemblages of mobile organisms were examined by visual censuses in July and August 2007, 3 months after deployment of the foundations. Results generally show low densities of mobile organisms, but a significantly higher abundance of fish and crabs on the foundations compared to surrounding soft bottoms. Further, while fish numbers were not influenced by increased habitat complexity (holes), it had a significantly positive effect on quantities of edible crab (Cancer pagurus), on average leading to an almost five-fold increase in densities of this species. Densities of spiny starfish (Marthasterias glacialis) were negatively affected by the presence of holes, potentially due to increased predator abundance (e.g. C. pagurus). These results suggest a species-specific response to enhanced habitat complexity.

Temperature-dependent thermal conductivities of one-dimensional nonlinear Klein-Gordon lattices with a soft on-site potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Linlin; Li, Nianbei; Li, Baowen

2014-12-01

The temperature-dependent thermal conductivities of one-dimensional nonlinear Klein-Gordon lattices with soft on-site potential (soft-KG) are investigated systematically. Similarly to the previously studied hard-KG lattices, the existence of renormalized phonons is also confirmed in soft-KG lattices. In particular, the temperature dependence of the renormalized phonon frequency predicted by a classical field theory is verified by detailed numerical simulations. However, the thermal conductivities of soft-KG lattices exhibit the opposite trend in temperature dependence in comparison with those of hard-KG lattices. The interesting thing is that the temperature-dependent thermal conductivities of both soft- and hard-KG lattices can be interpreted in the same framework of effective phonon theory. According to the effective phonon theory, the exponents of the power-law dependence of the thermal conductivities as a function of temperature are only determined by the exponents of the soft or hard on-site potentials. These theoretical predictions are consistently verified very well by extensive numerical simulations.

A versatile model for soft patchy particles with various patch arrangements.

PubMed

Li, Zhan-Wei; Zhu, You-Liang; Lu, Zhong-Yuan; Sun, Zhao-Yan

2016-01-21

We propose a simple and general mesoscale soft patchy particle model, which can felicitously describe the deformable and surface-anisotropic characteristics of soft patchy particles. This model can be used in dynamics simulations to investigate the aggregation behavior and mechanism of various types of soft patchy particles with tunable number, size, direction, and geometrical arrangement of the patches. To improve the computational efficiency of this mesoscale model in dynamics simulations, we give the simulation algorithm that fits the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) framework of NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). The validation of the model and the performance of the simulations using GPUs are demonstrated by simulating several benchmark systems of soft patchy particles with 1 to 4 patches in a regular geometrical arrangement. Because of its simplicity and computational efficiency, the soft patchy particle model will provide a powerful tool to investigate the aggregation behavior of soft patchy particles, such as patchy micelles, patchy microgels, and patchy dendrimers, over larger spatial and temporal scales.

Soft x-ray emission of galliumlike rare-earth atoms produced by high-temperature low-density tokamak and high-density laser plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fournier, K. B.; Goldstein, W. H.; Osterheld, A.; Finkenthal, M.; Lippmann, S.; Huang, L. K.; Moos, H. W.; Spector, N.

1994-09-01

Spectra of rare-earth atoms praseodymium, Z=59, to ytterbium, Z=70, emitted from the high-temperature (1 keV) low-density (1013 cm-3) TEXT tokamak (at the Fusion Research Center, University of Texas, Austin) and high-density (1020 cm-3) laser plasmas have been recorded in the soft-x-ray range of 50-200 Å with an image intensifier detector and on photographic plates. The brightest n=4 to n=4 transitions of galliumlike ions have been identified and their emission patterns have been studied by comparison with ab initio atomic structure calculations and collisional radiative models under the respective plasma conditions. We have investigated the use of the ratios of the intensities of 4-4 transitions as indicators of plasma densities. This is possible owing to the doublet structure of the galliumlike ground state, which leads to a strong density dependence for ratios of transitions between low-lying levels. We have also used semiempirical ionization balance calculations to characterize the charge state distribution of the tokamak plasmas, in preparation for an investigation of the use of ratios of galliumlike to zinclike and copperlike emission features as indicators of whether the impurities are in coronal equilibrium or undergoing ionization.

Instant tough bonding of hydrogels for soft machines and electronics

PubMed Central

Wirthl, Daniela; Pichler, Robert; Drack, Michael; Kettlguber, Gerald; Moser, Richard; Gerstmayr, Robert; Hartmann, Florian; Bradt, Elke; Kaltseis, Rainer; Siket, Christian M.; Schausberger, Stefan E.; Hild, Sabine; Bauer, Siegfried; Kaltenbrunner, Martin

2017-01-01

Introducing methods for instant tough bonding between hydrogels and antagonistic materials—from soft to hard—allows us to demonstrate elastic yet tough biomimetic devices and machines with a high level of complexity. Tough hydrogels strongly attach, within seconds, to plastics, elastomers, leather, bone, and metals, reaching unprecedented interfacial toughness exceeding 2000 J/m2. Healing of severed ionic hydrogel conductors becomes feasible and restores function instantly. Soft, transparent multilayered hybrids of elastomers and ionic hydrogels endure biaxial strain with more than 2000% increase in area, facilitating soft transducers, generators, and adaptive lenses. We demonstrate soft electronic devices, from stretchable batteries, self-powered compliant circuits, and autonomous electronic skin for triggered drug delivery. Our approach is applicable in rapid prototyping and in delicate environments inaccessible for extended curing and cross-linking. PMID:28691092

Instant tough bonding of hydrogels for soft machines and electronics.

PubMed

Wirthl, Daniela; Pichler, Robert; Drack, Michael; Kettlguber, Gerald; Moser, Richard; Gerstmayr, Robert; Hartmann, Florian; Bradt, Elke; Kaltseis, Rainer; Siket, Christian M; Schausberger, Stefan E; Hild, Sabine; Bauer, Siegfried; Kaltenbrunner, Martin

2017-06-01

Introducing methods for instant tough bonding between hydrogels and antagonistic materials-from soft to hard-allows us to demonstrate elastic yet tough biomimetic devices and machines with a high level of complexity. Tough hydrogels strongly attach, within seconds, to plastics, elastomers, leather, bone, and metals, reaching unprecedented interfacial toughness exceeding 2000 J/m 2 . Healing of severed ionic hydrogel conductors becomes feasible and restores function instantly. Soft, transparent multilayered hybrids of elastomers and ionic hydrogels endure biaxial strain with more than 2000% increase in area, facilitating soft transducers, generators, and adaptive lenses. We demonstrate soft electronic devices, from stretchable batteries, self-powered compliant circuits, and autonomous electronic skin for triggered drug delivery. Our approach is applicable in rapid prototyping and in delicate environments inaccessible for extended curing and cross-linking.

Correlation between histological and ultrasonographic findings of soft tissue tumors: To verify the possibility of cell-like resolution in ultrasonography.

PubMed

Wu, Ching-Lan; Lai, Yi-Chen; Wang, Hsin-Kai; Chen, Paul Chih-Hsueh; Chiou, Hong-Jen

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study is to test the possibility of obtained cell-like resolution in soft tissue tumors on the basis of ultrasound echotexture. This is a prospective study consisting of 57 patients (29 females and 28 males, age range: 9-83 years, average age: 44.5 years) with palpable soft tissue mass, referred from the Departments of Orthopedics and Oncology for ultrasound (US)-guided biopsy. The study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of our hospital. Ultrasonographic images were recorded by still imaging in the biopsy tract in each biopsy session. Equipment included curvilinear and linear array probes. After biopsy, a radiologist and a pathologist correlated the US image and the observations regarding the histology of the tissue specimen in low-power (40 × magnification) and high-power (100-400 × magnification) fields. The histologic results included 22 benign and 35 malignant lesions. The echotexture of the soft tissue tumors correlated well with the cellular distribution and arrangement: the greater the number of cells and the more regular their arrangement as seen histologically, the greater is the hypoechogenicity on the ultrasound. The echogenicity of the soft tissue tumor also correlated well with the presence of fat cells, hemorrhage, cartilage, and osteoid tissue, all of which cause an increase in echogenicity. This study showed that the echotexture of soft tissue tumors can predict some details of cellular histology. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC.

Soft magnetic characteristics of laminated magnetic block cores assembled with a high Bs nanocrystalline alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Atsushi; Inoue, Masaki; Tsukada, Kouhei; Fujisaki, Keisuke

2018-05-01

This paper focuses on an evaluation of core losses in laminated magnetic block cores assembled with a high Bs nanocrystalline alloy in high magnetic flux density region. To discuss the soft magnetic properties of the high Bs block cores, the comparison with amorphous (SA1) block cores is also performed. In the high Bs block core, both low core losses and high saturation flux densities Bs are satisfied in the low frequency region. Furthermore, in the laminated block core made of the high Bs alloy, the rate of increase of iron losses as a function of the magnetic flux density remains small up to around 1.6 T, which cannot be realized in conventional laminated block cores based on amorphous alloy. The block core made of the high Bs alloy exhibits comparable core loss with that of amorphous alloy core in the high-frequency region. Thus, it is expected that this laminated high Bs block core can achieve low core losses and high saturation flux densities in the high-frequency region.

Soft X-ray properties of Seyfert galaxies. I - Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kruper, J. S.; Canizares, C. R.; Urry, C. M.

1990-01-01

Results are presented from a study of soft X-ray spectra of 75 Seyfert galaxies observed by the Einstein Observatory IPC. The spectra in this sample (mostly high-luminosity Seyfert type 1s) are found to be consistent with a single power-law index alpha = 81. The AGN spectra observed with the IPC are compared with those from higher energy experiments, where AGN spectra have power law indices alpha = 0.7. It is found that the IPC spectra are systematically steeper than the HEAO 1 A-2 spectra of the same Seyfert galaxies, indicating a flattening toward higher energies.

Hard sphere perturbation theory for thermodynamics of soft-sphere model liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mon, K. K.

2001-09-01

It is a long-standing consensus in the literature that hard sphere perturbation theory (HSPT) is not accurate for dense soft sphere model liquids, interacting with repulsive r-n pair potentials for small n. In this paper, we show that if the intrinsic error of HSPT for soft sphere model liquids is accounted for, then this is not completely true. We present results for n=4, 6, 9, 12 which indicate that, even first order variational HSPT can provide free energy upper bounds to within a few percent at densities near freezing when corrected for the intrinsic error of the HSPT.

Resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering of CdS: a two-dimensional electronic structure map approach

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

Weinhardt, L.; Fuchs, O.; Fleszar, A.

2008-09-24

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) with soft x-rays is uniquely suited to study the elec-tronic structure of a variety of materials, but is currently limited by low (fluorescence yield) count rates. This limitation is overcome with a new high-transmission spectrometer that allows to measure soft x-ray RIXS"maps." The S L2,3 RIXS map of CdS is discussed and compared with density functional calculations. The map allows the extraction of decay channel-specific"absorp-tion spectra," giving detailed insight into the wave functions of occupied and unoccupied elec-tronic states.

Comparison of sound speed measurements on two different ultrasound tomography devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sak, Mark; Duric, Neb; Littrup, Peter; Bey-Knight, Lisa; Sherman, Mark; Gierach, Gretchen; Malyarenko, Antonina

2014-03-01

Ultrasound tomography (UST) employs sound waves to produce three-dimensional images of breast tissue and precisely measures the attenuation of sound speed secondary to breast tissue composition. High breast density is a strong breast cancer risk factor and sound speed is directly proportional to breast density. UST provides a quantitative measure of breast density based on three-dimensional imaging without compression, thereby overcoming the shortcomings of many other imaging modalities. The quantitative nature of the UST breast density measures are tied to an external standard, so sound speed measurement in breast tissue should be independent of specific hardware. The work presented here compares breast sound speed measurement obtained with two different UST devices. The Computerized Ultrasound Risk Evaluation (CURE) system located at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, Michigan was recently replaced with the SoftVue ultrasound tomographic device. Ongoing clinical trials have used images generated from both sets of hardware, so maintaining consistency in sound speed measurements is important. During an overlap period when both systems were in the same exam room, a total of 12 patients had one or both of their breasts imaged on both systems on the same day. There were 22 sound speed scans analyzed from each system and the average breast sound speeds were compared. Images were either reconstructed using saved raw data (for both CURE and SoftVue) or were created during the image acquisition (saved in DICOM format for SoftVue scans only). The sound speed measurements from each system were strongly and positively correlated with each other. The average difference in sound speed between the two sets of data was on the order of 1-2 m/s and this result was not statistically significant. The only sets of images that showed a statistical difference were the DICOM images created during the SoftVue scan compared to the SoftVue images reconstructed from the raw data. However, the discrepancy between the sound speed values could be easily handled by uniformly increasing the DICOM sound speed by approximately 0.5 m/s. These results suggest that there is no fundamental difference in sound speed measurement for the two systems and support combining data generated with these instruments in future studies.

A Compact and Low-Cost MEMS Loudspeaker for Digital Hearing Aids.

PubMed

Sang-Soo Je; Rivas, F; Diaz, R E; Jiuk Kwon; Jeonghwan Kim; Bakkaloglu, B; Kiaei, S; Junseok Chae

2009-10-01

A microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS)-based electromagnetically actuated loudspeaker to reduce form factor, cost, and power consumption, and increase energy efficiency in hearing-aid applications is presented. The MEMS loudspeaker has multilayer copper coils, an NiFe soft magnet on a thin polyimide diaphragm, and an NdFeB permanent magnet on the perimeter. The coil impedance is measured at 1.5 Omega, and the resonant frequency of the diaphragm is located far from the audio frequency range. The device is driven by a power-scalable, 0.25-mum complementary metal-oxide semiconductor class-D SigmaDelta amplifier stage. The class-D amplifier is formed by a differential H-bridge driven by a single bit, pulse-density-modulated SigmaDelta bitstream at a 1.2-MHz clock rate. The fabricated MEMS loudspeaker generates more than 0.8-mum displacement, equivalent to 106-dB sound pressure level (SPL), with 0.13-mW power consumption. Driven by the SigmaDelta class-D amplifier, the MEMS loudspeaker achieves measured 65-dB total harmonic distortion (THD) with a measurement uncertainty of less than 10%. Energy-efficient and cost-effective advanced hearing aids would benefit from further miniaturization via MEMS technology. The results from this study appear very promising for developing a compact, mass-producible, low-power loudspeaker with sufficient sound generation for hearing-aid applications.

How Do Academic Disciplines Use PowerPoint?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Nathan

2016-01-01

How do academic disciplines use PowerPoint? This project analyzed PowerPoint files created by an academic publisher to supplement textbooks. An automated analysis of 30,263 files revealed clear differences by disciplines. Single-paradigm "hard" disciplines used less complex writing but had more words than multi-paradigm "soft"…

[Lasers in dentistry. Part B--Interaction with biological tissues and the effect on the soft tissues of the oral cavity, the hard tissues of the tooth and the dental pulp].

PubMed

Moshonov, J; Stabholz, A; Leopold, Y; Rosenberg, I; Stabholz, A

2001-10-01

The interaction of laser energy with target tissue is mainly determined by two non operator-dependent factors: the specific wavelength of the laser and the optical properties of the target tissues. Power density, energy density, pulse repetition rate, pulse duration and the mode of energy transferring to the tissue are dictated by the clinician. Combination of these factors enables to control optimal response for the clinical application. Four responses are described when the laser beam hits the target tissue: reflection, absorption, transmission and scattering. Three main mechanisms of interaction between the laser and the biological tissues exist: photothermic, photoacoustic and photochemical. The effect of lasers on the soft tissues of the oral cavity is based on transformation of light energy into thermal energy which, in turn heats the target tissue to produce the desirable effect. In comparison to the scalpel used in surgical procedures, the laser beam is characterized by tissue natural sterility and by minimum bleeding during the surgical procedures due to blood vessels welding. The various effects achieved by the temperature elevation during the laser application on the soft tissue are: I. coagulation and hemostasis II. tissue sterilization III. tissue welding IV. incision and excision V. ablation and vaporization Ablation and melting are the two basic modalities by which the effect of lasers on the hard tissues of the tooth is produced. When discussing the effect of laser on dental hard tissues, the energy absorption in the hydroxyapatite plays a major role in addition to its absorption in water. When laser energy is absorbed in the water of the hard tissues, a rapid volume expansion of the evaporating water occurs as a result of a substantial temperature elevation in the interaction site. Microexplosions are produced causing hard tissue disintegration. If pulp temperatures are raised beyond 5 degrees C level, damage to the dental pulp is irreversible. Histologically, after laser ablation, presence of odontoblastic nuclei is important. Consistency and composition of the intracellular tissue is another factor influencing cell viability. If heat is intensive and exists for an extended time, the consistency of the intracellular ground substance may not be preserved. Accordingly, the application of excessive energy densities has been shown to result in significant damage to pulp tissue and in particular to odontoblasts. Studies showed that the use of Er:YAG laser to treat dental hard tissues is both safe and effective for caries removal, cavity preparation and enamel etching.

Soft x-ray power diagnostic improvements at the Omega Laser Facility

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

Sorce, C.; Schein, J.; Weber, F.

2006-10-15

Soft x-ray power diagnostics are essential for evaluating high temperature laser plasma experiments. The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer, a core diagnostic for radiation flux and temperature measurements of Hohlraums, installed on the Omega Laser Facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics has recently undergone a series of upgrades. Work performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory for the development of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) Dante spectrometer enables the Omega Dante to offer a total of 18 absolutely calibrated channels in the energy range from 50 eV to 20 keV. This feature provides Dante with the capability to measure higher, NIF relevant,more » radiation temperatures with increased accuracy including a differentiation of higher energy radiation such as the Au M and L bands. Diagnostic monitoring using experimental data from directly driven Au spherical shots is discussed.« less

Biological Soft Robotics.

PubMed

Feinberg, Adam W

2015-01-01

In nature, nanometer-scale molecular motors are used to generate force within cells for diverse processes from transcription and transport to muscle contraction. This adaptability and scalability across wide temporal, spatial, and force regimes have spurred the development of biological soft robotic systems that seek to mimic and extend these capabilities. This review describes how molecular motors are hierarchically organized into larger-scale structures in order to provide a basic understanding of how these systems work in nature and the complexity and functionality we hope to replicate in biological soft robotics. These span the subcellular scale to macroscale, and this article focuses on the integration of biological components with synthetic materials, coupled with bioinspired robotic design. Key examples include nanoscale molecular motor-powered actuators, microscale bacteria-controlled devices, and macroscale muscle-powered robots that grasp, walk, and swim. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities in the field are addressed.

A soft switching with reduced voltage stress ZVT-PWM full-bridge converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahin, Yakup; Ting, Naim Suleyman; Acar, Fatih

2018-04-01

This paper introduces a novel active snubber cell for soft switching pulse width modulation DC-DC converters. In the proposed converter, the main switch is turned on under zero voltage transition and turned off under zero voltage switching (ZVS). The auxiliary switch is turned on under zero current switching (ZCS) and turned off under zero current transition. The main diode is turned on under ZVS and turned off under ZCS. All of the other semiconductors in the converter are turned on and off with soft switching. There is no extra voltage stress on the semiconductor devices. Besides, the proposed converter has simple structure and ease of control due to common ground. The detailed theoretical analysis of the proposed converter is presented and also verified with both simulation and experimental study at 100 kHz switching frequency and 600 W output power. Furthermore, the efficiency of the proposed converter is 95.7% at nominal power.

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope Monitoring of the Black Hole X-Ray Binary, V404 Cygni during Its 2015 June Outburst

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

Chandra, Poonam; Kanekar, Nissim

We report results from a Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) monitoring campaign of the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cygni during its 2015 June outburst. The GMRT observations were carried out at observing frequencies of 1280, 610, 325, and 235 MHz, and extended from June 26.89 UT (a day after the strongest radio/X-ray outburst) to July 12.93 UT. We find the low-frequency radio emission of V404 Cygni to be extremely bright and fast-decaying in the outburst phase, with an inverted spectrum below 1.5 GHz and an intermediate X-ray state. The radio emission settles to a weak, quiescent state ≈11 daysmore » after the outburst, with a flat radio spectrum and a soft X-ray state. Combining the GMRT measurements with flux density estimates from the literature, we identify a spectral turnover in the radio spectrum at ≈1.5 GHz on ≈ June 26.9 UT, indicating the presence of a synchrotron self-absorbed emitting region. We use the measured flux density at the turnover frequency with the assumption of equipartition of energy between the particles and the magnetic field to infer the jet radius (≈4.0 × 10{sup 13} cm), magnetic field (≈0.5 G), minimum total energy (≈7 × 10{sup 39} erg), and transient jet power (≈8 × 10{sup 34} erg s{sup −1}). The relatively low value of the jet power, despite V404 Cygni’s high black hole spin parameter, suggests that the radio jet power does not correlate with the spin parameter.« less

A survey on dielectric elastomer actuators for soft robots.

PubMed

Gu, Guo-Ying; Zhu, Jian; Zhu, Li-Min; Zhu, Xiangyang

2017-01-23

Conventional industrial robots with the rigid actuation technology have made great progress for humans in the fields of automation assembly and manufacturing. With an increasing number of robots needing to interact with humans and unstructured environments, there is a need for soft robots capable of sustaining large deformation while inducing little pressure or damage when maneuvering through confined spaces. The emergence of soft robotics offers the prospect of applying soft actuators as artificial muscles in robots, replacing traditional rigid actuators. Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are recognized as one of the most promising soft actuation technologies due to the facts that: i) dielectric elastomers are kind of soft, motion-generating materials that resemble natural muscle of humans in terms of force, strain (displacement per unit length or area) and actuation pressure/density; ii) dielectric elastomers can produce large voltage-induced deformation. In this survey, we first introduce the so-called DEAs emphasizing the key points of working principle, key components and electromechanical modeling approaches. Then, different DEA-driven soft robots, including wearable/humanoid robots, walking/serpentine robots, flying robots and swimming robots, are reviewed. Lastly, we summarize the challenges and opportunities for the further studies in terms of mechanism design, dynamics modeling and autonomous control.

High-density stretchable microelectrode arrays: An integrated technology platform for neural and muscular surface interfacing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Liang

2011-12-01

Numerous applications in neuroscience research and neural prosthetics, such as retinal prostheses, spinal-cord surface stimulation for prosthetics, electrocorticogram (ECoG) recording for epilepsy detection, etc., involve electrical interaction with soft excitable tissues using a surface stimulation and/or recording approach. These applications require an interface that is able to set up electrical communications with a high throughput between electronics and the excitable tissue and that can dynamically conform to the shape of the soft tissue. Being a compliant and biocompatible material with mechanical impedance close to that of soft tissues, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) offers excellent potential as the substrate material for such neural interfaces. However, fabrication of electrical functionalities on PDMS has long been very challenging. This thesis work has successfully overcome many challenges associated with PDMS-based microfabrication and achieved an integrated technology platform for PDMS-based stretchable microelectrode arrays (sMEAs). This platform features a set of technological advances: (1) we have fabricated uniform current density profile microelectrodes as small as 10 mum in diameter; (2) we have patterned high-resolution (feature as small as 10 mum), high-density (pitch as small as 20 mum) thin-film gold interconnects on PDMS substrate; (3) we have developed a multilayer wiring interconnect technology within the PDMS substrate to further boost the achievable integration density of such sMEA; and (4) we have invented a bonding technology---via-bonding---to facilitate high-resolution, high-density integration of the sMEA with integrated circuits (ICs) to form a compact implant. Taken together, this platform provides a high-resolution, high-density integrated system solution for neural and muscular surface interfacing. sMEAs of example designs are evaluated through in vitro and in vivo experimentations on their biocompatibility, surface conformability, and surface recording/stimulation capabilities, with a focus on epimysial (i.e. on the surface of muscle) applications. Finally, as an example medical application, we investigate a prosthesis for unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP) based on simultaneous multichannel epimysial recording and stimulation.

Global a priori estimates for the inhomogeneous Landau equation with moderately soft potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cameron, Stephen; Silvestre, Luis; Snelson, Stanley

2018-05-01

We establish a priori upper bounds for solutions to the spatially inhomogeneous Landau equation in the case of moderately soft potentials, with arbitrary initial data, under the assumption that mass, energy and entropy densities stay under control. Our pointwise estimates decay polynomially in the velocity variable. We also show that if the initial data satisfies a Gaussian upper bound, this bound is propagated for all positive times.

The soft γ-ray pulsar population: a high-energy overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuiper, L.; Hermsen, W.

2015-06-01

At high-energy γ-rays (>100 MeV), the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi satellite already detected more than 145 rotation-powered pulsars (RPPs), while the number of pulsars seen at soft γ-rays (20 keV-30 MeV) remained small. We present a catalogue of 18 non-recycled RPPs from which presently non-thermal pulsed emission has been securely detected at soft γ-rays above 20 keV, and characterize their pulse profiles and energy spectra. For 14 of them, we report new results, (re)analysing mainly data from RXTE, INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton and Chandra. The soft γ-pulsars are all fast rotators and on average ˜9.3 times younger and ˜43 times more energetic than the Fermi LAT sample. The majority (11 members) exhibits broad, structured single pulse profiles, and only six have double (or even multiple, Vela) pulses. 15 soft γ-ray pulsar show hard power-law spectra in the hard X-ray band and reach maximum luminosities typically in the MeV range. For only 7 of the 18 soft γ-ray pulsars, pulsed emission has also been detected by the LAT, but 12 have a pulsar wind nebula (PWN) detected at TeV energies. For six pulsars with PWNe, we present also the spectra of the total emissions at hard X-rays, and for IGR J18490-0000, associated with HESS J1849-000 and PSR J1849-0001, we used our Chandra data to resolve and characterize the contributions from the point source and PWN. Finally, we also discuss a sample of 15 pulsars which are candidates for future detection of pulsed soft γ-rays, given their characteristics at other wavelengths.

Out-of-Plane Designed Soft Metasurface for Tunable Surface Plasmon Polariton.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Huang, Zhao; Zhu, Chengkai; Wang, Li; Zang, Jianfeng

2018-02-14

Reliable and repeatable tunability gives functional diversity for reconfigurable plasmonics devices, while reversible and large mechanical deformation enabled by soft materials provides a new way for the global or partial regulation of metadevices. Here, we demonstrate a soft metasurface with an out-of-plane design for tuning the energy of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) bloch wave using theory, simulation, and experiments. Our metasurface is composed of two-layered gold nanoribbon arrays (2GNRs) on a soft substrate. The out-of-plane coupling mechanism is systematically analyzed in terms of separation height effect. Moreover, by harnessing mechanical deformation, continuously tunable plasmonic resonance has been achieved in the visible and near-infrared ranges. We further studied the angle-dependent reflection spectra of our metastructure. Compared with its planar counterpart, our soft and two-layered metastructure exhibits diverse tunability and significant field enhancement by out-of-plane interactions. Our approach in designing soft metasurface with out-of-plane structures can be extended to more-complex photonic devices and finds prominent applications such as biosensing, high-density plasmonic circuits, surface-enhanced luminescence, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Manufacturing of Liquid-Embedded Elastomers for Stretchable Electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramer, Rebecca; Majidi, Carmel; Weaver, James; Wood, Robert

2013-03-01

Future generations of robots, electronics, and assistive medical devices will include systems that are soft, elastically deformable, and may adapt their functionality in unstructured environments. This will require soft active materials for power circuits and sensing of deformation and contact pressure. As the demand for increased elasticity of electrical components heightens, the challenges for functionality revert to basic questions of fabrication, materials, and design. Several designs for soft sensory skins (including strain, pressure and curvature sensors) based on a liquid-embedded-elastomer approach have been developed. This talk will highlight new ``soft MEMS'' manufacturing techniques based on wetting behavior between gallium-indium alloys and elastomers with varying microtextured surface topography. Supported by Harvard MRSEC and the Wyss Institute

Hadronic gamma-ray and neutrino emission from Cygnus X-3

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

Sahakyan, N.; Piano, G.; Tavani, M., E-mail: narek@icra.it

2014-01-01

Cygnus X-3 (Cyg X-3) is a remarkable Galactic microquasar (X-ray binary) emitting from radio to γ-ray energies. In this paper, we consider the hadronic model of emission of γ-rays above 100 MeV and their implications. We focus on the joint γ-ray and neutrino production resulting from proton-proton interactions within the binary system. We find that the required proton injection kinetic power, necessary to explain the γ-ray flux observed by AGILE and Fermi-LAT, is L{sub p} ∼ 10{sup 38} erg s{sup –1}, a value in agreement with the average bolometric luminosity of the hypersoft state (when Cyg X-3 was repeatedly observedmore » to produce transient γ-ray activity). If we assume an increase of the wind density at the superior conjunction, the asymmetric production of γ-rays along the orbit can reproduce the observed modulation. According to observational constraints and our modeling, a maximal flux of high-energy neutrinos would be produced for an initial proton distribution with a power-law index α = 2.4. The predicted neutrino flux is almost two orders of magnitude less than the two-month IceCube sensitivity at ∼1 TeV. If the protons are accelerated up to PeV energies, the predicted neutrino flux for a prolonged 'soft X-ray state' would be a factor of about three lower than the one-year IceCube sensitivity at ∼10 TeV. This study shows that, for a prolonged soft state (as observed in 2006) possibly related to γ-ray activity and a hard distribution of injected protons, Cyg X-3 might be close to being detectable by cubic-kilometer neutrino telescopes such as IceCube.« less

A Search for Millisecond-pulsar Radio Emission from the Faint Quiescent Soft X-Ray Transient 1H 1905+000

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

Mikhailov, K.; Van Leeuwen, J.; Jonker, P. G., E-mail: K.Mikhailov@uva.nl

Transitional millisecond pulsars (tMSPs) switch between an accretion-powered state without radio pulsations and a rotation-powered state with radio pulsations. In the former state, tMSPs are X-ray bright, while in the latter state, they are X-ray dim. Soft X-ray transients (SXTs) undergo similar switches in X-ray, between “high” states with bright X-ray outbursts and “low” states of quiescence. The upper limit on the quiescent X-ray luminosity of SXT 1H 1905+000 suggests that its luminosity might be similar to that of the known tMSPs. A detection of radio pulsations would link SXTs more strongly with tMSPs; and thus, e.g., put stricter constraintsmore » on tMSP transitional timescales through the connection with the well-known SXT periods of quiescence. A nondetection allows us, based on the telescope sensitivity, to estimate how likely these sources are to pulsate in radio. Over a 10-year span, 2006–2015, we carried out targeted radio observations at 400/800 MHz with Arecibo, and searched for radio pulsations from the quiescent SXT 1H 1905+000. None of the observations have revealed radio pulsations from the targeted SXT. For a 1 ms pulsar, our flux density upper limit is 10.3 μ Jy. At an assumed distance of 10 kpc this translates to a pseudo-luminosity upper limit of 1.0 mJy kpc{sup 2}, which makes our search complete to ∼85% of the known MSP population. Given the high sensitivity, and the generally large beaming fraction of millisecond pulsars, we conclude that SXT 1H 1905+000 is unlikely to emit in radio as a tMSP.« less

Experimental demonstration of a soft x-ray self-seeded free-electron laser

DOE PAGES

Ratner, D.; Abela, R.; Amann, J.; ...

2015-02-06

The Linac Coherent Light Source has added self-seeding capability to the soft x-ray range using a grating monochromator system. We report demonstration of soft x-ray self-seeding with a measured resolving power of 2000-5000, wavelength stability of 10 -4, and an increase in peak brightness by a factor of 2-5 across the photon energy range of 500-1000 eV. By avoiding the need for a monochromator at the experimental station, the self-seeded beam can deliver as much as 50 fold higher brightness to users.

Soft Functionals for Hard Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Valentino R.; Yuk, Simuck F.; Krogel, Jaron T.

Theory and computation are critical to the materials discovery process. While density functional theory (DFT) has become the standard for predicting materials properties, it is often plagued by inaccuracies in the underlying exchange-correlation functionals. Using high-throughput DFT calculations we explore the accuracy of various exchange-correlation functionals for modeling the structural and thermodynamic properties of a wide range of complex oxides. In particular, we examine the feasibility of using the nonlocal van der Waals density correlation functional with C09 exchange (C09x), which was designed for sparsely packed soft matter, for investigating the properties of hard matter like bulk oxides. Preliminary results show unprecedented performance for some prototypical bulk ferroelectrics, which can be correlated with similarities between C09x and PBEsol. This effort lays the groundwork for understanding how these soft functionals can be employed as general purpose functionals for studying a wide range of materials where strong internal bonds and nonlocal interactions coexist. Research was sponsored by the US DOE, Office of Science, BES, MSED and Early Career Research Programs and used resources at NERSC.

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.; Moody, J.; Divol, L.; Jones, O.; Landen, O.

2016-11-01

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause "blanking" (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated to be ˜8 J cm-2. This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of "blanking" effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate "blanking." Estimates suggest that an areal density of 1019 cm-2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic.

PubMed

Swadling, G F; Ross, J S; Datte, P; Moody, J; Divol, L; Jones, O; Landen, O

2016-11-01

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause "blanking" (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated to be ∼8 J cm -2 . This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of "blanking" effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate "blanking." Estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.

Reliable high-power diode lasers: thermo-mechanical fatigue aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klumel, Genady; Gridish, Yaakov; Szafranek, Igor; Karni, Yoram

2006-02-01

High power water-cooled diode lasers are finding increasing demand in biomedical, cosmetic and industrial applications, where repetitive cw (continuous wave) and pulsed cw operation modes are required. When operating in such modes, the lasers experience numerous complete thermal cycles between "cold" heat sink temperature and the "hot" temperature typical of thermally equilibrated cw operation. It is clearly demonstrated that the main failure mechanism directly linked to repetitive cw operation is thermo-mechanical fatigue of the solder joints adjacent to the laser bars, especially when "soft" solders are used. Analyses of the bonding interfaces were carried out using scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that intermetallic compounds, formed already during the bonding process, lead to the solders fatigue both on the p- and n-side of the laser bar. Fatigue failure of solder joints in repetitive cw operation reduces useful lifetime of the stacks to hundreds hours, in comparison with more than 10,000 hours lifetime typically demonstrated in commonly adopted non-stop cw reliability testing programs. It is shown, that proper selection of package materials and solders, careful design of fatigue sensitive parts and burn-in screening in the hard pulse operation mode allow considerable increase of lifetime and reliability, without compromising the device efficiency, optical power density and compactness.

The density structure and star formation rate of non-isothermal polytropic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Federrath, Christoph; Banerjee, Supratik

2015-04-01

The interstellar medium of galaxies is governed by supersonic turbulence, which likely controls the star formation rate (SFR) and the initial mass function (IMF). Interstellar turbulence is non-universal, with a wide range of Mach numbers, magnetic fields strengths and driving mechanisms. Although some of these parameters were explored, most previous works assumed that the gas is isothermal. However, we know that cold molecular clouds form out of the warm atomic medium, with the gas passing through chemical and thermodynamic phases that are not isothermal. Here we determine the role of temperature variations by modelling non-isothermal turbulence with a polytropic equation of state (EOS), where pressure and temperature are functions of gas density, P˜ ρ ^Γ, T ˜ ρΓ - 1. We use grid resolutions of 20483 cells and compare polytropic exponents Γ = 0.7 (soft EOS), Γ = 1 (isothermal EOS) and Γ = 5/3 (stiff EOS). We find a complex network of non-isothermal filaments with more small-scale fragmentation occurring for Γ < 1, while Γ > 1 smoothes out density contrasts. The density probability distribution function (PDF) is significantly affected by temperature variations, with a power-law tail developing at low densities for Γ > 1. In contrast, the PDF becomes closer to a lognormal distribution for Γ ≲ 1. We derive and test a new density variance-Mach number relation that takes Γ into account. This new relation is relevant for theoretical models of the SFR and IMF, because it determines the dense gas mass fraction of a cloud, from which stars form. We derive the SFR as a function of Γ and find that it decreases by a factor of ˜5 from Γ = 0.7 to 5/3.

Magnetic and Electrical Characteristics of Cobalt-Based Amorphous Materials and Comparison to a Permalloy Type Polycrystalline Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieserman, William R.; Schwarze, Gene E.; Niedra, Janis M.

2005-01-01

Magnetic component designers are always looking for improved soft magnetic core materials to increase the efficiency, temperature rating and power density of transformers, motors, generators and alternators, and energy density of inductors. In this paper, we report on the experimental investigation of commercially available cobalt-based amorphous alloys which, in their processing, were subjected to two different types of magnetic field anneals: A longitudinal magnetic field anneal or a transverse magnetic field anneal. The longitudinal field annealed material investigated was Metglas 2714A. The electrical and magnetic characteristics of this material were investigated over the frequency range of 1 to 200 kHz and temperature range of 23 to 150 C for both sine and square wave voltage excitation. The specific core loss was lower for the square than the sine wave voltage excitation for the same maximum flux density, frequency and temperature. The transverse magnetic field annealed core materials include Metglas 2714AF and Vacuumschmelze 6025F. These two materials were experimentally characterized over the frequency range of 10 to 200 kHz for sine wave voltage excitation and 23 C only. A comparison of the 2174A to 2714AF found that 2714AF always had lower specific core loss than 2714A for any given magnetic flux density and frequency and the ratio of specific core loss of 2714A to 2714AF was dependent on both magnetic flux density and frequency. A comparison was also made of the 2714A, 2714AF, and 6025F materials to two different tape thicknesses of the polycrystalline Supermalloy material and the results show that 2714AF and 6025F have the lowest specific core loss at 100 kHz over the magnetic flux density range of 0.1 to 0.4 Tesla.

Characteristics of laser produced plasmas of hafnium and tantalum in the 1-7 nm region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bowen; Otsuka, Takamitsu; Sokell, Emma; Dunne, Padraig; O'Sullivan, Gerry; Hara, Hiroyuki; Arai, Goki; Tamura, Toshiki; Ono, Yuichi; Dinh, Thanh-Hung; Higashiguchi, Takeshi

2017-11-01

Soft X-ray (SXR) spectra from hafnium and tantalum laser produced plasmas were recorded in the 1-7 nm region using two Nd:YAG lasers with pulse lengths of 170 ps and 10 ns, respectively, operating at a range of power densities. The maximum focused peak power density was 2. 3 × 1014 W cm-2 for 170 ps pulses and 1. 8 × 1012 W cm-2 for 10 ns pulses, respectively. Two intense quasicontinuous intensity bands resulting from n = 4 - n = 4 and n = 4 - n = 5 unresolved transition arrays (UTAs) dominate both sets of experimental spectra. Comparison with calculations performed with the Cowan suite of atomic structure codes as well as consideration of previous experimental and theoretical results aided identification of the most prominent features in the spectra. For the 10 ns spectrum, the highest ion stage that could be identified from the n = 4 - n = 5 arrays were lower than silver-like Hf25+ and Ta26+ (which has a 4 d 104 f ground configuration) indicating that the plasma temperature attained was too low to produce ions with an outermost 4 d subshell, while for the 170 ps plasmas the presence of significantly higher stages was deduced and lines due to 4 d-5 p transitions were clearly evident. Furthermore, we show an enhancement of emission from tantalum using dual laser irradiation, and the effect of pre-pulse durations and delay times between two pulses are demonstrated.

[Histopathological study of wound healing process of rat tongue and femur by excimer laser irradiation--possibility of cutting of vital tissue by laser irradiation].

PubMed

Ochiai, S

1990-12-01

The possibilities of bone and soft tissue ablation without thermal damage by 248 nm KrF excimer laser irradiation were examined. A defect was made on the rat tongue by laser at pulse width: 15 nsec, power density: 12 W/cm2, pulse repetition rate: 20 Hz and irradiated time: 60 seconds. The same size defect was made by stainless steel surgical knife for control. The tongues were examined histopathologically at timed sequence from 1 hour to 7 days after operation. The rat femur was cut by laser at pulse width: 15 nsec, power density: 2.6 kW/cm2, pulse repetition rate: 30 Hz and irradiated time: 3 minutes. The femur was amputated by dental diamond disc for control. The femurs were examined histopathologically at timed sequence from 1 hour to 16 weeks after operation. The rat tongue was easily excised with little thermal injury by laser irradiation, and its healing process is almost the same as that of the control. The laser irradiation had no hemostatic effect. The femur could be amputated by laser irradiation but its wound healing was prolonged. The laser ablation stump showed massive necrosis probably due to the thermal injury and these necrotic bones likely disturbed the wound repair. The degree of the thermal injury by the excimer laser irradiation might depend on the irradiation condition because the condition of bone amputation was stronger than that of tongue excision.

Infrared-actuated recovery of polyurethane filled by reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube hybrids with high energy density.

PubMed

Feng, Yiyu; Qin, Mengmeng; Guo, Haiqiang; Yoshino, Katsumi; Feng, Wei

2013-11-13

Optically actuated shape recovery materials receive much interest because of their great ability to control the creation of mechanical motion remotely and precisely. An infrared (IR) triggered actuator based on shape recovery was fabricated using polyurethane (TPU) incorporated by sulfonated reduced graphene oxide (SRGO)/sulfonated carbon nanotube (SCNT) hybrid nanofillers. Interconnected SRGO/SCNT hybrid nanofillers at a low weight loading of 1% dispersed in TPU showed good IR absorption and improved the crystallization of soft segments for a large shape deformation. The output force, energy density and recovery time of IR-triggered actuators were dependent on weight ratios of SRGO to SCNT (SRGO:SCNT). TPU nanocomposites filled by a hybrid nanofiller with SRGO:SCNT of 3:1 showed the maximum IR-actuated stress recovery of lifting a 107.6 g weight up 4.7 cm in 18 s. The stress recovery delivered a high energy density of 0.63 J/g and shape recovery force up to 1.2 MPa due to high thermal conductivity (1.473 W/mK) and Young's modulus of 23.4 MPa. Results indicate that a trade-off between the stiffness and efficient heat transfer controlled by synergistic effect between SRGO and SCNT is critical for high mechanical power output of IR-triggered actuators. IR-actuated shape recovery of SRGO/SCNT/TPU nanocomposites combining high energy density and output forces can be further developed for advanced optomechanical systems.

Risk Analysis and Prediction of Floor Failure Mechanisms at Longwall Face in Parvadeh-I Coal Mine using Rock Engineering System (RES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghababaei, Sajjad; Saeedi, Gholamreza; Jalalifar, Hossein

2016-05-01

The floor failure at longwall face decreases productivity and safety, increases operation costs, and causes other serious problems. In Parvadeh-I coal mine, the timber is used to prevent the puncture of powered support base into the floor. In this paper, a rock engineering system (RES)-based model is presented to evaluate the risk of floor failure mechanisms at the longwall face of E 2 and W 1 panels. The presented model is used to determine the most probable floor failure mechanism, effective factors, damaged regions and remedial actions. From the analyzed results, it is found that soft floor failure is dominant in the floor failure mechanism at Parvadeh-I coal mine. The average of vulnerability index (VI) for soft, buckling and compressive floor failure mechanisms was estimated equal to 52, 43 and 30 for both panels, respectively. By determining the critical VI for soft floor failure mechanism equal to 54, the percentage of regions with VIs beyond the critical VI in E 2 and W 1 panels is equal to 65.5 and 30, respectively. The percentage of damaged regions showed that the excess amount of used timber to prevent the puncture of weak floor below the powered support base is equal to 4,180,739 kg. RES outputs and analyzed results showed that setting and yielding load of powered supports, length of face, existent water at face, geometry of powered supports, changing the cutting pattern at longwall face and limiting the panels to damaged regions with supercritical VIs could be considered to control the soft floor failure in this mine. The results of this research could be used as a useful tool to identify the damaged regions prior to mining operation at longwall panel for the same conditions.

Silicon-Based Lithium-Ion Capacitor for High Energy and High Power Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, James J.; Demattia, Brianne; Loyselle, Patricia; Reid, Concha; Kohout, Lisa

2017-01-01

Si-based Li-ion capacitor has been developed and demonstrated. The results show it is feasible to improve both power density and energy density in this configuration. The applied current density impacts the power and energy density: low current favors energy density while high current favors power density. Active carbon has a better rate capability than Si. Next StepsFuture Directions. Si electrode needs to be further studied and improved. Further optimization of SiAC ratio and evaluation of its impact on energy density and power density.

The surface properties of Shewanella putrefaciens 200 and S. oneidensis MR-1: the effect of pH and terminal electron acceptors.

PubMed

Furukawa, Yoko; Dale, Jason R

2013-04-08

We investigated the surface characteristics of two strains of Shewanella sp., S. oneidensis MR-1 and S. putrefaciens 200, that were grown under aerobic conditions as well as under anaerobic conditions with trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) as the electron acceptor. The investigation focused on the experimental determination of electrophoretic mobility (EPM) under a range of pH and ionic strength, as well as by subsequent modeling in which Shewanella cells were considered to be soft particles with water- and ion-permeable outermost layers. The soft layer of p200 is significantly more highly charged (i.e., more negative) than that of MR-1. The effect of electron acceptor on the soft particle characteristics of Shewanella sp. is complex. The fixed charge density, which is a measure of the deionized and deprotonated functional groups in the soft layer polymers, is slightly greater (i.e., more negative) for aerobically grown p200 than for p200 grown with TMAO. On the other hand, the fixed charge density of aerobically grown MR1 is slightly less than that of p200 grown with TMAO. The effect of pH on the soft particle characteristics is also complex, and does not exhibit a clear pH-dependent trend. The Shewanella surface characteristics were attributed to the nature of the outermost soft layer, the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in case of p200 and lypopolysaccharides (LPS) in case of MR1 which generally lacks EPS. The growth conditions (i.e., aerobic vs. anaerobic TMAO) have an influence on the soft layer characteristics of Shewanella sp. cells. Meanwhile, the clear pH dependency of the mechanical and morphological characteristics of EPS and LPS layers, observed in previous studies through atomic force microscopy, adhesion tests and spectroscopies, cannot be corroborated by the electrohydrodynamics-based soft particle characteristics which does not exhibited a clear pH dependency in this study. While the electrohydrodynamics-based soft-particle model is a useful tool in understanding bacteria's surface properties, it needs to be supplemented with other characterization methods and models (e.g., chemical and micromechanical) in order to comprehensively address all of the surface-related characteristics important in environmental and other aqueous processes.

Soft Robots: Manipulation, Mobility, and Fast Actuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shepherd, Robert; Ilievski, Filip; Choi, Wonjae; Stokes, Adam; Morin, Stephen; Mazzeo, Aaron; Kramer, Rebecca; Majidi, Carmel; Wood, Rob; Whitesides, George

2012-02-01

Material innovation will be a key feature in the next generation of robots. A simple, pneumatically powered actuator composed of only soft-elastomers can perform the function of a complex arrangement of mechanical components and electric motors. This talk will focus on soft-lithography as a simple method to fabricate robots--composed of exclusively soft materials (elastomeric polymers). These robots have sophisticated capabilities: a gripper (with no electrical sensors) can manipulate delicate and irregularly shaped objects and a quadrupedal robot can walk to an obstacle (a gap smaller than its walking height) then shrink its body and squeeze through the gap using an undulatory gait. This talk will also introduce a new method of rapidly actuating soft robots. Using this new method, a robot can be caused to jump more than 30 times its height in under 200 milliseconds.

Soft Actuators for Small-Scale Robotics.

PubMed

Hines, Lindsey; Petersen, Kirstin; Lum, Guo Zhan; Sitti, Metin

2017-04-01

This review comprises a detailed survey of ongoing methodologies for soft actuators, highlighting approaches suitable for nanometer- to centimeter-scale robotic applications. Soft robots present a special design challenge in that their actuation and sensing mechanisms are often highly integrated with the robot body and overall functionality. When less than a centimeter, they belong to an even more special subcategory of robots or devices, in that they often lack on-board power, sensing, computation, and control. Soft, active materials are particularly well suited for this task, with a wide range of stimulants and a number of impressive examples, demonstrating large deformations, high motion complexities, and varied multifunctionality. Recent research includes both the development of new materials and composites, as well as novel implementations leveraging the unique properties of soft materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Soft pair excitations and double-log divergences due to carrier interactions in graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewandowski, Cyprian; Levitov, L. S.

2018-03-01

Interactions between charge carriers in graphene lead to logarithmic renormalization of observables mimicking the behavior known in (3+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED). Here we analyze soft electron-hole (e -h ) excitations generated as a result of fast charge dynamics, a direct analog of the signature QED effect—multiple soft photons produced by the QED vacuum shakeup. We show that such excitations are generated in photon absorption, when a photogenerated high-energy e -h pair cascades down in energy and gives rise to multiple soft e -h excitations. This fundamental process is manifested in a double-log divergence in the emission rate of soft pairs and a characteristic power-law divergence in their energy spectrum of the form 1/ω ln(ω/Δ ) . Strong carrier-carrier interactions make pair production a prominent pathway in the photoexcitation cascade.

Anomalous dimension of subleading-power N-jet operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beneke, Martin; Garny, Mathias; Szafron, Robert; Wang, Jian

2018-03-01

We begin a systematic investigation of the anomalous dimension of subleading power N-jet operators in view of resummation of logarithmically enhanced terms in partonic cross sections beyond leading power. We provide an explicit result at the one-loop order for fermion-number two N-jet operators at the second order in the power expansion parameter of soft-collinear effective theory.

Glass transition of soft colloids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philippe, Adrian-Marie; Truzzolillo, Domenico; Galvan-Myoshi, Julian; Dieudonné-George, Philippe; Trappe, Véronique; Berthier, Ludovic; Cipelletti, Luca

2018-04-01

We explore the glassy dynamics of soft colloids using microgels and charged particles interacting by steric and screened Coulomb interactions, respectively. In the supercooled regime, the structural relaxation time τα of both systems grows steeply with volume fraction, reminiscent of the behavior of colloidal hard spheres. Computer simulations confirm that the growth of τα on approaching the glass transition is independent of particle softness. By contrast, softness becomes relevant at very large packing fractions when the system falls out of equilibrium. In this nonequilibrium regime, τα depends surprisingly weakly on packing fraction, and time correlation functions exhibit a compressed exponential decay consistent with stress-driven relaxation. The transition to this novel regime coincides with the onset of an anomalous decrease in local order with increasing density typical of ultrasoft systems. We propose that these peculiar dynamics results from the combination of the nonequilibrium aging dynamics expected in the glassy state and the tendency of colloids interacting through soft potentials to refluidize at high packing fractions.

The Likelihood of Use of Social Power Strategies by School Psychologists when Consulting with Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Kristen E.; Erchul, William P.; Raven, Bertram H.

2008-01-01

The Interpersonal Power Inventory (IPI) has been applied previously to investigate school psychologists engaged in problem-solving consultation with teachers concerning students having various learning and adjustment problems. Relevant prior findings include (a) consultants and teachers both perceive soft power strategies as more effective than…

Suzaku observation of the black hole binary 4U 1630-47 in the very high state

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

Hori, Takafumi; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Shidatsu, Megumi

2014-07-20

We report the results from an X-ray and near-infrared observation of the Galactic black hole binary 4U 1630-47 in the very high state (VHS), performed with Suzaku and the Infrared Survey Facility around the peak of the 2012 September-October outburst. The X-ray spectrum is approximated by a steep power law, with photon index of 3.2, identifying the source as being in the VHS. A more detailed fit shows that the X-ray continuum is well described by a multicolor disk, together with thermal and nonthermal Comptonization. The inner disk appears slightly truncated by comparison with a previous high/soft state of thismore » source, even taking into account energetic coupling between the disk and corona, although there are uncertainties due to the dust-scattering correction. The near-infrared fluxes are higher than the extrapolated disk model, showing that there is a contribution from irradiation in the outer disk and/or the companion star at these wavelengths. Our X-ray spectra do not show the Doppler-shifted iron emission lines indicating a baryonic jet that were seen four days previously in an XMM-Newton observation, despite the source being in a similar state. There are also no significant absorption lines from highly ionized iron lines as are seen in the previous high/soft state data. We show that the increased source luminosity is not enough on its own to make the wind so highly ionized as to be undetectable. This shows that the disk wind has changed in terms of its launch radius and/or density compared to the high/soft state.« less

Efficient Signal, Code, and Receiver Designs for MIMO Communication Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-06-01

167 5-31 Concatenation of a tilted-QAM inner code with an LDPC outer code with a two component iterative soft-decision decoder. . . . . . . . . 168 5...for AWGN channels has long been studied. There are well-known soft-decision codes like the turbo codes and LDPC codes that can approach capacity to...bits) low density parity check ( LDPC ) code 1. 2. The coded bits are randomly interleaved so that bits nearby go through different sub-channels, and are

Density and glass forming ability in amorphous atomic alloys: The role of the particle softness

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

Douglass, Ian; Hudson, Toby; Harrowell, Peter

A key property of glass forming alloys, the anomalously small volume difference with respect to the crystal, is shown to arise as a direct consequence of the soft repulsive potentials between metals. This feature of the inter-atomic potential is demonstrated to be responsible for a significant component of the glass forming ability of alloys due to the decrease in the enthalpy of fusion and the associated depression of the freezing point.

Ligand-Receptor Interaction-Mediated Transmembrane Transport of Dendrimer-like Soft Nanoparticles: Mechanisms and Complicated Diffusive Dynamics.

PubMed

Liang, Junshi; Chen, Pengyu; Dong, Bojun; Huang, Zihan; Zhao, Kongyin; Yan, Li-Tang

2016-05-09

Nearly all nanomedical applications of dendrimer-like soft nanoparticles rely on the functionality of attached ligands. Understanding how the ligands interact with the receptors in cell membrane and its further effect on the cellular uptake of dendrimer-like soft nanoparticles is thereby a key issue for their better application in nanomedicine. However, the essential mechanism and detailed kinetics for the ligand-receptor interaction-mediated transmembrane transport of such unconventional nanoparticles remain poorly elucidated. Here, using coarse-grained simulations, we present the very first study of molecular mechanism and kinetics behaviors for the transmembrane transport of dendrimer-like soft nanoparticles conjugated with ligands. A phase diagram of interaction states is constructed through examining ligand densities and membrane tensions that allows us to identify novel endocytosis mechanisms featured by the direct wrapping and the penetration-extraction vesiculation. The results provide an in-depth insight into the diffusivity of receptors and dendrimer in the membrane plane and demonstrate how the ligand density influences receptor diffusion and uptake kinetics. It is interesting to find that the ligand-conjugated dendrimers present superdiffusive behaviors on a membrane, which is revealed to be driven by the random fluctuation dynamics of the membrane. The findings facilitate our understanding of some recent experimental observations and could establish fundamental principles for the future development of such important nanomaterials for widespread nanomedical applications.

Soft drink wastewater treatment by electrocoagulation-electrooxidation processes.

PubMed

Linares Hernández, Ivonne; Barrera Díaz, Carlos; Valdés Cerecero, Mario; Almazán Sánchez, Perla Tatiana; Castañeda Juárez, Monserrat; Lugo Lugo, Violeta

2017-02-01

The aim of this work was to implement a coupled system, a monopolar Electrocoagulation (EC)-Electrooxidation (EO) processes, for the treatment of soft drink wastewater. For the EC test, Cu-Cu, anode-cathode were used at current densities of 17, 51 and 68 mA cm -2 . Only 37.67% of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 27% of total organic carbon (TOC) were removed at 20 min with an optimum pH of 8, this low efficiency can be associated with the high concentration of inorganic ions which inhibit the oxidation of organic matter due to their complexation with copper ions. Later EO treatment was performed with boron-doped diamond-Cu electrodes and a current density of 30 Am -2 . The coupled EC-EO system was efficient to reduce organic pollutants from initial values of 1875 mg L -1 TOC and 4300 mg L -1 COD, the removal efficiencies were 75% and 85%, respectively. Electric energy consumption to degrade a kilogram of a pollutant in the soft drink wastewater using EC was 3.19 kWh kg -1 TOC and 6.66 kWh kg -1 COD. It was concluded that the coupled system EC-EO was effective for the soft drink wastewater treatment, reducing operating costs and residence time, and allowing its reuse in indirect contact with humans, thus contributing to the sustainable reuse as an effluent of industrial wastewater.

Hierarchical Multiscale Modeling of Macromolecules and their Assemblies

PubMed Central

Ortoleva, P.; Singharoy, A.; Pankavich, S.

2013-01-01

Soft materials (e.g., enveloped viruses, liposomes, membranes and supercooled liquids) simultaneously deform or display collective behaviors, while undergoing atomic scale vibrations and collisions. While the multiple space-time character of such systems often makes traditional molecular dynamics simulation impractical, a multiscale approach has been presented that allows for long-time simulation with atomic detail based on the co-evolution of slowly-varying order parameters (OPs) with the quasi-equilibrium probability density of atomic configurations. However, this approach breaks down when the structural change is extreme, or when nearest-neighbor connectivity of atoms is not maintained. In the current study, a self-consistent approach is presented wherein OPs and a reference structure co-evolve slowly to yield long-time simulation for dynamical soft-matter phenomena such as structural transitions and self-assembly. The development begins with the Liouville equation for N classical atoms and an ansatz on the form of the associated N-atom probability density. Multiscale techniques are used to derive Langevin equations for the coupled OP-configurational dynamics. The net result is a set of equations for the coupled stochastic dynamics of the OPs and centers of mass of the subsystems that constitute a soft material body. The theory is based on an all-atom methodology and an interatomic force field, and therefore enables calibration-free simulations of soft matter, such as macromolecular assemblies. PMID:23671457

Monte Carlo study of one-dimensional confined fluids with Gay-Berne intermolecular potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradi, M.; Hashemi, S.

2011-11-01

The thermodynamic quantities of a one dimensional system of particles with Gay-Berne model potential confined between walls have been obtained by means of Monte Carlo computer simulations. For a number of temperatures, the systems were considered and their density profiles, order parameter, pressure, configurational temperature and average potential energy per particle are reported. The results show that by decreasing the temperature, the soft particles become more ordered and they align to the walls and also they don't show any tendency to be near the walls at very low temperatures. We have also changed the structure of the walls by embedding soft ellipses in them, this change increases the total density near the wall whereas, increasing or decreasing the order parameter depend on the angle of embedded ellipses.

Determination of plasma parameters from soft X-ray images for coronal holes /open magnetic field configurations/ and coronal large-scale structures /extended closed-field configurations/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxson, C. W.; Vaiana, G. S.

1977-01-01

In connection with high-quality solar soft X-ray images the 'quiet' features of the inner corona have been separated into two sharply different components, including the strongly reduced emission areas or coronal holes (CH) and the extended regions of looplike emission features or large-scale structures (LSS). Particular central meridian passage observations of the prominent CH1 on August 21, 1973, are selected for a quantitative study. Histogram photographic density distributions for full-disk images at other central meridian passages of CH 1 are also presented, and the techniques of converting low photographic density data to deposited energy are discussed, with particular emphasis on the problems associated with the CH data.

Differential diagnosis between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors utilizing ultrasound parameters.

PubMed

Morii, Takeshi; Kishino, Tomonori; Shimamori, Naoko; Motohashi, Mitsue; Ohnishi, Hiroaki; Honya, Keita; Aoyagi, Takayuki; Tajima, Takashi; Ichimura, Shoichi

2018-01-01

Preoperative discrimination between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors is critical for the prevention of excess application of magnetic resonance imaging and biopsy as well as unplanned resection. Although ultrasound, including power Doppler imaging, is an easy, noninvasive, and cost-effective modality for screening soft tissue tumors, few studies have investigated reliable discrimination between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors. To establish a modality for discrimination between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors using ultrasound, we extracted the significant risk factors for malignancy based on ultrasound information from 40 malignant and 56 benign pathologically diagnosed soft tissue tumors and established a scoring system based on these risk factors. The maximum size, tumor margin, and vascularity evaluated using ultrasound were extracted as significant risk factors. Using the odds ratio from a multivariate regression model, a scoring system was established. Receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed a high area under the curve value (0.85), confirming the accuracy of the scoring system. Ultrasound is a useful modality for establishing the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors.

Weak soft X-ray excesses need not result from the high-frequency tail of the optical/ultraviolet bump in active galactic nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Czerny, Bozena; Zycki, Piotr T.

1994-01-01

The broad-band ROSAT/EXOSAT X-ray spectra of six Seyfert 1 galaxies are fitted by a model consisting of a direct power law and a component due to reflection/reprocessing from a partially ionized, optically thick medium. The reflected spectrum contains emission features from various elements in the soft X-ray range. In all objects but one (Mrk 335), the fit is satisfactory, and no additional soft X-ray excess is required by the data. This means that in most sources there is no need for the thermal 'big blue bumps' to extend into soft X-rays, and the soft X-ray excesses reported previously can be explained by reflection/reprocessing. Satisfactory fits are obtained for a medium ionized by a source radiating at less than or approximately 15% of the Eddington rate. The fits require that the reflection is enhanced relative to an isotropically emitting source above a flat disk. The necessary high effectiveness of reflection in the soft X-ray band requires strong soft thermal flux dominating over hard X-rays.

A fluid-structure interaction model of soft robotics using an active strain approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, Andrew; Lin, Zhaowu; Gao, Tong

2017-11-01

Soft robotic swimmers exhibit rich dynamics that stem from the non-linear interplay of the fluid and immersed soft elastic body. Due to the difficulty of handling the nonlinear two-way coupling of hydrodynamic flow and deforming elastic body, studies of flexible swimmers often employ either one-way coupling strategies with imposed motions of the solid body or some simplified elasticity models. To explore the nonlinear dynamics of soft robots powered by smart soft materials, we develop a computational model to deal with the two-way fluid/elastic structure interactions using the fictitious domain method. To mimic the dynamic response of the functional soft material under external actuations, we assume the solid phase to be neo-Hookean, and employ an active strain approach to incorporate actuation, which is based on the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient tensor. We demonstrate the capability of our algorithm by performing a series of numerical explorations that manipulate an elastic structure with finite thickness, starting from simple rectangular or circular plates to soft robot prototypes such as stingrays and jellyfish.

All-fiber laser at 1.94 µm: effect on soft tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, Atasi; Pal, Debasis; Das Chowdhury, Sourav; Sen, Ranjan

2017-02-01

A focused laser beam at wavelength of strong water absorption at 1.94 μm can be a good scalpel for precision soft tissue surgery. A fiber Bragg grating-based, all-fiber, continuous-wave as well as modulated, cladding pumped, thulium-doped fiber laser at 1.94 μm has been configured to deliver up to 10 W of laser power under pumping at 793 nm having an efficiency of 32 %. The laser was exposed to freshly sacrificed chicken breast at different power level and exposure time. The formalin-fixed samples were examined by microscopy to identify the ablation region, carbonization and necrosis region for laser parameter optimization.

Omega Dante Soft X-Ray Power Diagnostic Component Calibration at the National Synchrotron Light Source

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

Campbell, K; Weber, F; Dewald, E

2004-04-15

The Dante soft x-ray spectrometer installed on the Omega laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester is a twelve-channel filter-edge defined x-ray power diagnostic. It is used to measure the absolute flux from direct drive, indirect drive (hohlraums) and other plasma sources. Calibration efforts using two beam lines, U3C (50eV-1keV) and X8A (1keV-6keV) at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) have been implemented to insure the accuracy of these measurements. We have calibrated vacuum x-ray diodes, mirrors and filters.

Estimation of soft X-ray and EUV transition radiation power emitted from the MIRRORCLE-type tabletop synchrotron.

PubMed

Toyosugi, N; Yamada, H; Minkov, D; Morita, M; Yamaguchi, T; Imai, S

2007-03-01

The tabletop synchrotron light sources MIRRORCLE-6X and MIRRORCLE-20SX, operating at electron energies E(el) = 6 MeV and E(el) = 20 MeV, respectively, can emit powerful transition radiation (TR) in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and the soft X-ray regions. To clarify the applicability of these soft X-ray and EUV sources, the total TR power has been determined. A TR experiment was performed using a 385 nm-thick Al foil target in MIRRORCLE-6X. The angular distribution of the emitted power was measured using a detector assembly based on an NE102 scintillator, an optical bundle and a photomultiplier. The maximal measured total TR power for MIRRORCLE-6X is P(max) approximately equal 2.95 mW at full power operation. Introduction of an analytical expression for the lifetime of the electron beam allows calculation of the emitted TR power by a tabletop synchrotron light source. Using the above measurement result, and the theoretically determined ratio between the TR power for MIRRORCLE-6X and MIRRORCLE-20SX, the total TR power for MIRRORCLE-20SX can be obtained. The one-foil TR target thickness is optimized for the 20 MeV electron energy. P(max) approximately equal 810 mW for MIRRORCLE-20SX is obtained with a single foil of 240 nm-thick Be target. The emitted bremsstrahlung is negligible with respect to the emitted TR for optimized TR targets. From a theoretically known TR spectrum it is concluded that MIRRORCLE-20SX can emit 150 mW of photons with E > 500 eV, which makes it applicable as a source for performing X-ray lithography. The average wavelength, \\overline\\lambda = 13.6 nm, of the TR emission of MIRRORCLE-20SX, with a 200 nm Al target, could provide of the order of 1 W EUV.

Tensor-Train Split-Operator Fourier Transform (TT-SOFT) Method: Multidimensional Nonadiabatic Quantum Dynamics.

PubMed

Greene, Samuel M; Batista, Victor S

2017-09-12

We introduce the "tensor-train split-operator Fourier transform" (TT-SOFT) method for simulations of multidimensional nonadiabatic quantum dynamics. TT-SOFT is essentially the grid-based SOFT method implemented in dynamically adaptive tensor-train representations. In the same spirit of all matrix product states, the tensor-train format enables the representation, propagation, and computation of observables of multidimensional wave functions in terms of the grid-based wavepacket tensor components, bypassing the need of actually computing the wave function in its full-rank tensor product grid space. We demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the TT-SOFT method as applied to propagation of 24-dimensional wave packets, describing the S 1 /S 2 interconversion dynamics of pyrazine after UV photoexcitation to the S 2 state. Our results show that the TT-SOFT method is a powerful computational approach for simulations of quantum dynamics of polyatomic systems since it avoids the exponential scaling problem of full-rank grid-based representations.

An integrated design and fabrication strategy for entirely soft, autonomous robots.

PubMed

Wehner, Michael; Truby, Ryan L; Fitzgerald, Daniel J; Mosadegh, Bobak; Whitesides, George M; Lewis, Jennifer A; Wood, Robert J

2016-08-25

Soft robots possess many attributes that are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with conventional robots composed of rigid materials. Yet, despite recent advances, soft robots must still be tethered to hard robotic control systems and power sources. New strategies for creating completely soft robots, including soft analogues of these crucial components, are needed to realize their full potential. Here we report the untethered operation of a robot composed solely of soft materials. The robot is controlled with microfluidic logic that autonomously regulates fluid flow and, hence, catalytic decomposition of an on-board monopropellant fuel supply. Gas generated from the fuel decomposition inflates fluidic networks downstream of the reaction sites, resulting in actuation. The body and microfluidic logic of the robot are fabricated using moulding and soft lithography, respectively, and the pneumatic actuator networks, on-board fuel reservoirs and catalytic reaction chambers needed for movement are patterned within the body via a multi-material, embedded 3D printing technique. The fluidic and elastomeric architectures required for function span several orders of magnitude from the microscale to the macroscale. Our integrated design and rapid fabrication approach enables the programmable assembly of multiple materials within this architecture, laying the foundation for completely soft, autonomous robots.

Power Profiles of Commercial Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses.

PubMed

Kim, Eon; Bakaraju, Ravi C; Ehrmann, Klaus

2017-02-01

To evaluate the optical power profiles of commercially available soft multifocal contact lenses and compare their optical designs. The power profiles of 38 types of multifocal contact lenses-three lenses each-were measured in powers +6D, +3D, +1D, -1D, -3D, and -6D using NIMO TR1504 (Lambda-X, Belgium). All lenses were measured in phosphate buffered saline across 8 mm optic zone diameter. Refractive index of each lens material was measured using CLR 12-70 (Index Instruments, UK), which was used for converting measured power in the medium to in-air radial power profiles. Three basic types of power profiles were identified: center-near, center-distance, and concentric-zone ring-type designs. For most of the lens types, the relative plus with respect to prescription power was lower than the corresponding spectacle add. For some lens types, the measured power profiles were shifted by up to 1D across the power range relative to their labeled power. Most of the lenses were designed with noticeable amounts of spherical aberration. The sign and magnitude of spherical aberration can either be power dependent or consistent across the power range. Power profiles can vary widely between the different lens types; however, certain similarities were also observed between some of the center-near designs. For the more recently released lens types, there seems to be a trend emerging to reduce the relative plus with respect to prescription power, include negative spherical aberration, and keep the power profiles consistent across the power range.

Measuring information transfer in a soft robotic arm.

PubMed

Nakajima, K; Schmidt, N; Pfeifer, R

2015-05-13

Soft robots can exhibit diverse behaviors with simple types of actuation by partially outsourcing control to the morphological and material properties of their soft bodies, which is made possible by the tight coupling between control, body, and environment. In this paper, we present a method that will quantitatively characterize these diverse spatiotemporal dynamics of a soft body based on the information-theoretic approach. In particular, soft bodies have the ability to propagate the effect of actuation through the entire body, with a certain time delay, due to their elasticity. Our goal is to capture this delayed interaction in a quantitative manner based on a measure called momentary information transfer. We extend this measure to soft robotic applications and demonstrate its power using a physical soft robotic platform inspired by the octopus. Our approach is illustrated in two ways. First, we statistically characterize the delayed actuation propagation through the body as a strength of information transfer. Second, we capture this information propagation directly as local information dynamics. As a result, we show that our approach can successfully characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of the soft robotic platform, explicitly visualizing how information transfers through the entire body with delays. Further extension scenarios of our approach are discussed for soft robotic applications in general.

Performance of Low-Density Parity-Check Coded Modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamkins, J.

2011-02-01

This article presents the simulated performance of a family of nine AR4JA low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes when used with each of five modulations. In each case, the decoder inputs are codebit log-likelihood ratios computed from the received (noisy) modulation symbols using a general formula which applies to arbitrary modulations. Suboptimal soft-decision and hard-decision demodulators are also explored. Bit-interleaving and various mappings of bits to modulation symbols are considered. A number of subtle decoder algorithm details are shown to affect performance, especially in the error floor region. Among these are quantization dynamic range and step size, clipping degree-one variable nodes, "Jones clipping" of variable nodes, approximations of the min* function, and partial hard-limiting messages from check nodes. Using these decoder optimizations, all coded modulations simulated here are free of error floors down to codeword error rates below 10^{-6}. The purpose of generating this performance data is to aid system engineers in determining an appropriate code and modulation to use under specific power and bandwidth constraints, and to provide information needed to design a variable/adaptive coded modulation (VCM/ACM) system using the AR4JA codes. IPNPR Volume 42-185 Tagged File.txt

Laser biostimulation therapy planning supported by imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mester, Adam R.

2018-04-01

Ultrasonography and MR imaging can help to identify the area and depth of different lesions, like injury, overuse, inflammation, degenerative diseases. The appropriate power density, sufficient dose and direction of the laser treatment can be optimally estimated. If required minimum 5 mW photon density and required optimal energy dose: 2-4 Joule/cm2 wouldn't arrive into the depth of the target volume - additional techniques can help: slight compression of soft tissues can decrease the tissue thickness or multiple laser diodes can be used. In case of multiple diode clusters light scattering results deeper penetration. Another method to increase the penetration depth is a second pulsation (in kHz range) of laser light. (So called continuous wave laser itself has inherent THz pulsation by temporal coherence). Third solution of higher light intensity in the target volume is the multi-gate technique: from different angles the same joint can be reached based on imaging findings. Recent developments is ultrasonography: elastosonography and tissue harmonic imaging with contrast material offer optimal therapy planning. While MRI is too expensive modality for laser planning images can be optimally used if a diagnostic MRI already was done. Usual DICOM images offer "postprocessing" measurements in mm range.

An electric-eel-inspired soft power source from stacked hydrogels.

PubMed

Schroeder, Thomas B H; Guha, Anirvan; Lamoureux, Aaron; VanRenterghem, Gloria; Sept, David; Shtein, Max; Yang, Jerry; Mayer, Michael

2017-12-13

Progress towards the integration of technology into living organisms requires electrical power sources that are biocompatible, mechanically flexible, and able to harness the chemical energy available inside biological systems. Conventional batteries were not designed with these criteria in mind. The electric organ of the knifefish Electrophorus electricus (commonly known as the electric eel) is, however, an example of an electrical power source that operates within biological constraints while featuring power characteristics that include peak potential differences of 600 volts and currents of 1 ampere. Here we introduce an electric-eel-inspired power concept that uses gradients of ions between miniature polyacrylamide hydrogel compartments bounded by a repeating sequence of cation- and anion-selective hydrogel membranes. The system uses a scalable stacking or folding geometry that generates 110 volts at open circuit or 27 milliwatts per square metre per gel cell upon simultaneous, self-registered mechanical contact activation of thousands of gel compartments in series while circumventing power dissipation before contact. Unlike typical batteries, these systems are soft, flexible, transparent, and potentially biocompatible. These characteristics suggest that artificial electric organs could be used to power next-generation implant materials such as pacemakers, implantable sensors, or prosthetic devices in hybrids of living and non-living systems.

An electric-eel-inspired soft power source from stacked hydrogels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, Thomas B. H.; Guha, Anirvan; Lamoureux, Aaron; Vanrenterghem, Gloria; Sept, David; Shtein, Max; Yang, Jerry; Mayer, Michael

2017-12-01

Progress towards the integration of technology into living organisms requires electrical power sources that are biocompatible, mechanically flexible, and able to harness the chemical energy available inside biological systems. Conventional batteries were not designed with these criteria in mind. The electric organ of the knifefish Electrophorus electricus (commonly known as the electric eel) is, however, an example of an electrical power source that operates within biological constraints while featuring power characteristics that include peak potential differences of 600 volts and currents of 1 ampere. Here we introduce an electric-eel-inspired power concept that uses gradients of ions between miniature polyacrylamide hydrogel compartments bounded by a repeating sequence of cation- and anion-selective hydrogel membranes. The system uses a scalable stacking or folding geometry that generates 110 volts at open circuit or 27 milliwatts per square metre per gel cell upon simultaneous, self-registered mechanical contact activation of thousands of gel compartments in series while circumventing power dissipation before contact. Unlike typical batteries, these systems are soft, flexible, transparent, and potentially biocompatible. These characteristics suggest that artificial electric organs could be used to power next-generation implant materials such as pacemakers, implantable sensors, or prosthetic devices in hybrids of living and non-living systems.

Chandra Survey of Nearby Galaxies: Testing the Accretion Model for Low-luminosity AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

She, Rui; Ho, Luis C.; Feng, Hua; Cui, Can

2018-06-01

From a Chandra sample of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in nearby galaxies, we find that for low-luminosity AGNs, either the intrinsic absorption column density, or the fraction of absorbed AGNs, positively scales with the Eddington ratio for L bol/L Edd ≲ 10‑2. Such a behavior, along with the softness of the X-ray spectrum at low luminosities, is in good agreement with the picture that they are powered by hot accretion flows surrounding supermassive black holes. Numerical simulations find that outflows are inevitable with hot accretion flows, and the outflow rate is correlated with the innermost accretion rate in the low-luminosity regime. This agrees well with our results, suggesting that the X-ray absorption originates from, or is associated with, the outflow material. Gas and dust on larger scales may also produce the observed correlation. Future correlation analyses may help differentiate the two scenarios.

Morphing Surfaces Enable Acoustophoretic Contactless Transport of Ultrahigh-Density Matter in Air

PubMed Central

Foresti, Daniele; Sambatakakis, Giorgio; Bottan, Simone; Poulikakos, Dimos

2013-01-01

The controlled contactless transport of heavy drops and particles in air is of fundamental interest and has significant application potential. Acoustic forces do not rely on special material properties, but their utility in transporting heavy matter in air has been restricted by low power and poor controllability. Here we present a new concept of acoustophoresis, based on the morphing of a deformable reflector, which exploits the low reaction forces and low relaxation time of a liquid with enhanced surface tension through the use of thin overlaid membrane. An acoustically induced, mobile deformation (dimple) on the reflector surface enhances the acoustic field emitted by a line of discretized emitters and enables the countinuos motion of heavy levitated samples. With such interplay of emitters and reflecting soft-structure, a 5 mm steel sphere (0.5 grams) was contactlessly transported in air solely by acoustophoresis. PMID:24212104

Polymer Morphological Change Induced by Terahertz Irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshina, Hiromichi; Suzuki, Hal; Otani, Chiko; Nagai, Masaya; Kawase, Keigo; Irizawa, Akinori; Isoyama, Goro

2016-06-01

As terahertz (THz) frequencies correspond to those of the intermolecular vibrational modes in a polymer, intense THz wave irradiation affects the macromolecular polymorph, which determines the polymer properties and functions. THz photon energy is quite low compared to the covalent bond energy; therefore, conformational changes can be induced “softly,” without damaging the chemical structures. Here, we irradiate a poly(3-hydroxybutylate) (PHB) / chloroform solution during solvent casting crystallization using a THz wave generated by a free electron laser (FEL). Morphological observation shows the formation of micrometer-sized crystals in response to the THz wave irradiation. Further, a 10-20% increase in crystallinity is observed through analysis of the infrared (IR) absorption spectra. The peak power density of the irradiating THz wave is 40 MW/cm2, which is significantly lower than the typical laser intensities used for material manipulation. We demonstrate for the first time that the THz wave effectively induces the intermolecular rearrangement of polymer macromolecules.

Solar Extreme UV radiation and quark nugget dark matter model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhitnitsky, Ariel

2017-10-01

We advocate the idea that the surprising emission of extreme ultra violet (EUV) radiation and soft x-rays from the Sun are powered externally by incident dark matter (DM) particles. The energy and the spectral shape of this otherwise unexpected solar irradiation is estimated within the quark nugget dark matter model. This model was originally invented as a natural explanation of the observed ratio Ωdark ~ Ωvisible when the DM and visible matter densities assume the same order of magnitude values. This generic consequence of the model is a result of the common origin of both types of matter which are formed during the same QCD transition and both proportional to the same fundamental dimensional parameter ΛQCD. We also present arguments suggesting that the transient brightening-like "nanoflares" in the Sun may be related to the annihilation events which inevitably occur in the solar atmosphere within this dark matter scenario.

Prediction and observation of tin and silver plasmas with index of refraction greater than one in the soft x-ray range.

PubMed

Filevich, Jorge; Grava, Jonathan; Purvis, Mike; Marconi, Mario C; Rocca, Jorge J; Nilsen, Joseph; Dunn, James; Johnson, Walter R

2006-07-01

We present the calculated prediction and the experimental confirmation that doubly ionized Ag and Sn plasmas can have an index of refraction greater than one for soft x-ray wavelengths. Interferometry experiments conducted using a capillary discharge soft x-ray laser operating at a wavelength of confirm that in few times ionized laser-created plasmas of these elements the anomalous dispersion from bound electrons can dominate the free electron contribution, making the index of refraction greater than one. The results confirm that bound electrons can strongly influence the index of refraction of numerous plasmas over a broad range of soft x-ray wavelengths confirming recent observations. The understanding of index of refraction at short wavelengths will become even more essential during the next decade as x-ray free electron lasers will become available to probe a wider variety of plasmas at higher densities and shorter wavelengths.

Science Objectives for a Soft X-ray Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibeck, D. G.; Connor, H. K.; Collier, M. R.; Collado-Vega, Y. M.; Walsh, B.

2016-12-01

When high charge state solar wind ions exchange electrons with exospheric neutrals, soft X-rays are emitted. In conjunction with flight- proven wide field-of-view soft X-ray imagers employing lobster-eye optics, recent simulations demonstrate the feasibility of imaging magnetospheric density structures such as the bow shock, magnetopause, and cusps. This presentation examines the Heliospheric scientific objectives that such imagers can address. Principal amongst these is the nature of reconnection at the dayside magnetopause: steady or transient, widespread or localized, component or antiparallel as a function of solar wind conditions. However, amongst many other objectives, soft X-ray imagers can provide crucial information concerning the structure of the bow shock as a function of solar wind Mach number and IMF orientation, the presence or absence of a depletion layer, the occurrence of Kelvin-Helmholtz or pressure-pulse driven magnetopause boundary waves, and the effects of radial IMF orientations and the foreshock upon bow shock and magnetopause location.

Wide Field-of-View Soft X-Ray Imaging for Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walsh, B. M.; Collier, M. R.; Kuntz, K. D.; Porter, F. S.; Sibeck, D. G.; Snowden, S. L.; Carter, J. A.; Collado-Vega, Y.; Connor, H. K.; Cravens, T. E.;

Momentum balance in four solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canfield, Richard C.; Metcalf, Thomas R.; Zarro, Dominic M.; Lemen, James R.

1990-01-01

Solar Maximum Mission soft X-ray spectra and National Solar Observatory (Sacramento Peak) H-alpha spectra were combined in a study of high-speed flows during the impulsive phase of four solar flares. In all events, a blue asymmetry (indicative of upflows) was observed in the coronal Ca XIX line during the soft X-ray rise phase. In all events a red asymmetry (indicative of downflows) was observed simultaneously in chromospheric H-alpha. These oppositely directed flows were concurrent with impulsive hard X-ray emission. Combining the velocity data with estimates of the density based on emission measurements and volume estimates, it is shown that for the impulsive phase as a whole the total momentum of upflowing soft X-ray plasma equaled that of the downflowing H-alpha plasma, to within an order of magnitude, in all four events. Only the chromospheric evaporation model predicts equal total momentum in the upflowing soft X-ray-emitting and downflowing H-alphba-emitting materials.

How to Distinguish Neutron Star and Black Hole X-ray Binaries? Spectral Index and Quasi-Periodic Oscillation Frequency Correlation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Titarchuk, Lev; Shaposhnikov, Nickolai

2005-01-01

Recent studies have revealed strong correlations between 1-10 Hz frequencies of quasiperiodic oscillations (QPOs) and the spectral power law index of several Black Hole (BH) candidate sources when seen in the low/hard state, the steep power-law (soft) state, and in transition between these states. In the soft state these index-QPO frequency correlations show a saturation of the photon index GAMMA approximately equal to 2.7 at high values of the low frequency nu(sub L). This saturation effect was previously identified as a black hole signature. In this paper we argue that this saturation does not occur, at least for one neutron star (NS) source 4U 1728-34, for which the index GAMMA monotonically increases with nu(sub L) to the values of 6 and higher. We base this conclusion on our analysis of approximately 1.5 Msec of RXTE archival data for 4U 1728-34. We reveal the spectral evolution of the Comptonized blackbody spectra when the source transitions from the hard to soft states. The hard state spectrum is a typical thermal Comptonization spectrum of the soft photons which originate in the disk and the NS outer photospheric layers. The hard state photon index is GAMMA approximately 2. The soft state spectrum consists of two blackbody components which are only slightly Comptonized. Thus we can claim (as expected from theory) that in NS sources thermal equilibrium is established for the soft state. To the contrary in BH sources, the equilibrium is never established due to the presence of the BH horizon. The emergent BH spectrum, even in the high/soft state, has a power law component. We also identify the low QPO frequency nu(sub L) as a fundamental frequency of the quasi-spherical component of the transition layer (presumably related to the corona and the NS and disk magnetic closed field lines). The lower frequency nu(sub SL) is identified as the frequency of oscillations of a quasi-cylindrical configuration of the TL (presumably related to the NS and disk magnetic open field lines). We also show that the presence of Fe K(sub alpha), emission-line strengths, QPOs, and the link between them does not depend on radio flux in 4U 1728-34.

Acoustic properties of a short-finned pilot whale head with insight into temperature influence on tissues' sound velocity.

PubMed

Dong, Jianchen; Song, Zhongchang; Li, Songhai; Gong, Zining; Li, Kuan; Zhang, Peijun; Zhang, Yu; Zhang, Meng

2017-10-01

Acoustic properties of odontocete head tissues, including sound velocity, density, and acoustic impedance, are important parameters to understand dynamics of its echolocation. In this paper, acoustic properties of head tissues from a freshly dead short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) were reconstructed using computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound. The animal's forehead soft tissues were cut into 188 ordered samples. Sound velocity, density, and acoustic impedance of each sample were either directly measured or calculated by formula, and Hounsfield Unit values (HUs) were obtained from CT scanning. According to relationships between HUs and sound velocity, HUs and density, as well as HUs and acoustic impedance, distributions of acoustic properties in the head were reconstructed. The inner core in the melon with low-sound velocity and low-density is an evidence for its potential function of sound focusing. The increase in acoustic impedance of forehead tissues from inner core to outer layer may be important for the acoustic impedance matching between the outer layer tissue and seawater. In addition, temperature dependence of sound velocity in soft tissues was also examined. The results provide a guide to the simulation of the sound emission of the short-finned pilot whale.

Work Hardening, Dislocation Structure, and Load Partitioning in Lath Martensite Determined by In Situ Neutron Diffraction Line Profile Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harjo, Stefanus; Kawasaki, Takuro; Tomota, Yo; Gong, Wu; Aizawa, Kazuya; Tichy, Geza; Shi, Zengmin; Ungár, Tamas

2017-09-01

A lath martensite steel containing 0.22 mass pct carbon was analyzed in situ during tensile deformation by high-resolution time-of-flight neutron diffraction to clarify the large work-hardening behavior at the beginning of plastic deformation. The diffraction peaks in plastically deformed states exhibit asymmetries as the reflection of redistributions of the stress and dislocation densities/arrangements in two lath packets: soft packet, where the dislocation glides are favorable, and hard packet, where they are unfavorable. The dislocation density was as high as 1015 m-2 in the as-heat-treated state. During tensile straining, the load and dislocation density became different between the two lath packets. The dislocation character and arrangement varied in the hard packet but hardly changed in the soft packet. In the hard packet, dislocations that were mainly screw-type in the as-heat-treated state became primarily edge-type and rearranged towards a dipole character related to constructing cell walls. The hard packet played an important role in the work hardening in martensite, which could be understood by considering the increase in dislocation density along with the change in dislocation arrangement.

Primary stability, insertion torque, and bone density of conical implants with internal hexagon: is there a relationship?

PubMed

Trisi, Paolo; Berardi, Davide; Paolantonio, Michele; Spoto, Giuseppe; D'Addona, Antonio; Perfetti, Giorgio

2013-05-01

Between implants and peri-implant bone, there should be a minimum gap, without micromotions over a threshold, which could cause resorption and fibrosis. The higher the implant insertion torque, the higher will be the initial stability. The aim was to evaluate in vitro the correlation between micromotions and insertion torque of implants in bone of different densities. The test was performed on bovine bone of hard, medium, and soft density: 150 implants were used, 10 for each torque (20, 35, 45, 70, and 100 N/cm). Samples were fixed on a loading device. On each sample, we applied a 25-N horizontal force. Insertion torque and micromotions are statistically correlated. In soft bone with an insertion force of 20 and 35 N/cm, the micromotion resulted significantly over the risk threshold, which was not found with an insertion force of 45 and 70 N/cm and in hard and medium bones with any insertion torque. The increase in insertion torque reduces the amount of micromotions between implant and bone. Therefore, the immediate loading may be considered a valid therapeutic choice, even in low-density bone, as long as at least 45 N/cm of insertion torque is reached.

Soft materials in neuroengineering for hard problems in neuroscience.

PubMed

Jeong, Jae-Woong; Shin, Gunchul; Park, Sung Il; Yu, Ki Jun; Xu, Lizhi; Rogers, John A

2015-04-08

We describe recent advances in soft electronic interface technologies for neuroscience research. Here, low modulus materials and/or compliant mechanical structures enable modes of soft, conformal integration and minimally invasive operation that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using conventional approaches. We begin by summarizing progress in electrodes and associated electronics for signal amplification and multiplexed readout. Examples in large-area, surface conformal electrode arrays and flexible, multifunctional depth-penetrating probes illustrate the power of these concepts. A concluding section highlights areas of opportunity in the further development and application of these technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhanced efficiency of light emitting diodes with a nano-patterned gallium nitride surface realized by soft UV nanoimprint lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Weimin; Min, Guoquan; Song, Zhitang; Zhang, Jing; Liu, Yanbo; Zhang, Jianping

2010-05-01

This paper reports a significant enhancement in the extraction efficiency of nano-patterned GaN light emitting diodes (LED) realized by soft UV nanoimprint lithography. The 2 inch soft stamp was fabricated using a replication stamp of anodic alumina oxide (AAO) membrane. The light output power was enhanced by 10.9% compared to that of the LED sample without a nano-patterned surface. Up to 41% enhancement in photoluminescence intensity was obtained from the nano-patterned GaN LED sample. The method is simple, cheap and suitable for mass production.

Soft X-ray production by photon scattering in pulsating binary neutron star sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bussard, R. W.; Meszaros, P.; Alexander, S.

1985-01-01

A new mechanism is proposed as a source of soft (less than 1 keV) radiation in binary pulsating X-ray sources, in the form of photon scattering which leaves the electron in an excited Landau level. In a plasma with parameters typical of such sources, the low-energy X-ray emissivity of this mechanism far exceeds that of bremsstrahlung. This copious source of soft photons is quite adequate to provide the seed photons needed to explain the power-law hard X-ray spectrum by inverse Comptonization on the hot electrons at the base of the accretion column.

Experimental demonstration of a soft x-ray self-seeded free-electron laser.

PubMed

Ratner, D; Abela, R; Amann, J; Behrens, C; Bohler, D; Bouchard, G; Bostedt, C; Boyes, M; Chow, K; Cocco, D; Decker, F J; Ding, Y; Eckman, C; Emma, P; Fairley, D; Feng, Y; Field, C; Flechsig, U; Gassner, G; Hastings, J; Heimann, P; Huang, Z; Kelez, N; Krzywinski, J; Loos, H; Lutman, A; Marinelli, A; Marcus, G; Maxwell, T; Montanez, P; Moeller, S; Morton, D; Nuhn, H D; Rodes, N; Schlotter, W; Serkez, S; Stevens, T; Turner, J; Walz, D; Welch, J; Wu, J

2015-02-06

The Linac Coherent Light Source has added a self-seeding capability to the soft x-ray range using a grating monochromator system. We report the demonstration of soft x-ray self-seeding with a measured resolving power of 2000-5000, wavelength stability of 10(-4), and an increase in peak brightness by a factor of 2-5 across the photon energy range of 500-1000 eV. By avoiding the need for a monochromator at the experimental station, the self-seeded beam can deliver as much as 50-fold higher brightness to users.

Parceling the Power.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiatt, Blanchard; Gwynne, Peter

1984-01-01

To make computing power broadly available and truly friendly, both soft and hard meshing and synchronization problems will have to be solved. Possible solutions and research related to these problems are discussed. Topics considered include compilers, parallelism, networks, distributed sensors, dataflow, CEDAR system (using dataflow principles),…

Technological innovations in tissue removal during rhinologic surgery.

PubMed

Sindwani, Raj; Manz, Ryan

2012-01-01

The modern rhinologist has a wide variety of technological innovations at his/her disposal for the removal of soft tissue and bone during endoscopic surgery. We identified and critically evaluated four leading tissue removal technologies that have impacted, or are poised to impact, rhinological surgery. A literature review was conducted. Technological functions, strengths and limitations of microdebriders, radio frequency ablation, endoscopic drills, and ultrasonic aspirators were explored. The primary drawback of powered instruments continues to be the higher costs associated with their use, and their main advantage is the ability to accomplish multiple functions such as tissue removal, suction, and irrigation, all with one tool. The effective and safe use of any powered instrument requires an intimate understanding of its function, capabilities, and limitations. Powered instrumentation continues to play a significant and evolving role in soft tissue and bone removal during rhinologic surgery.

Final state interactions in single- and multiparticle inclusive cross sections for hadronic collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitov, Alexander; Sterman, George

2012-12-01

We study the role of low momentum transfer (soft) interactions between high transverse momentum heavy particles and beam remnants (spectators) in hadronic collisions. Such final state interactions are power suppressed for single-particle inclusive cross sections whenever that particle is accompanied by a recoiling high-pT partner whose momentum is not fixed. An example is the single-top inclusive cross section in top-pair production. Final state soft interactions in multiparticle inclusive cross sections, including transverse momentum distributions, however, produce leading-power corrections in the absence of hard recoiling radiation. Nonperturbative corrections due to scattering from spectators are generically suppressed by powers of Λ/pT', where Λ is a hadronic scale and pT' is the largest transverse momentum of radiation recoiling against the particles whose momenta are observed.

Robust cladding light stripper for high-power fiber lasers using soft metals.

PubMed

Babazadeh, Amin; Nasirabad, Reza Rezaei; Norouzey, Ahmad; Hejaz, Kamran; Poozesh, Reza; Heidariazar, Amir; Golshan, Ali Hamedani; Roohforouz, Ali; Jafari, S Naser Tabatabaei; Lafouti, Majid

2014-04-20

In this paper we present a novel method to reliably strip the unwanted cladding light in high-power fiber lasers. Soft metals are utilized to fabricate a high-power cladding light stripper (CLS). The capability of indium (In), aluminum (Al), tin (Sn), and gold (Au) in extracting unwanted cladding light is examined. The experiments show that these metals have the right features for stripping the unwanted light out of the cladding. We also find that the metal-cladding contact area is of great importance because it determines the attenuation and the thermal load on the CLS. These metals are examined in different forms to optimize the contact area to have the highest possible attenuation and avoid localized heating. The results show that sheets of indium are very effective in stripping unwanted cladding light.

The Challenge for English Schools in Responding to Current Debates on Behaviour and Violence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaughnessy, Julie

2012-01-01

The riots in English cities in August 2011 have brought debates on behaviour of young people into sharper focus. Criticism of softly-softly approaches and the lack of power for head teachers to discipline is a reoccurring theme within the debate on behaviour in schools. Regaining adult authority is also reflected in the tenor of the government's…

Receiver Statistics for Cognitive Radios in Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-28

SNR) are employed by many protocols and processes in direct-sequence ( DS ) spread-spectrum packet radio networks, including soft-decision decoding...adaptive modulation protocols, and power adjustment protocols. For DS spread spectrum, we have introduced and evaluated SNR estimators that employ...obtained during demodulation in a binary CDMA receiver. We investigated several methods to apply the proposed metric to the demodulator’s soft-decision

A comparison between anisotropic analytical and multigrid superposition dose calculation algorithms in radiotherapy treatment planning

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

Wu, Vincent W.C., E-mail: htvinwu@polyu.edu.hk; Tse, Teddy K.H.; Ho, Cola L.M.

2013-07-01

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is currently the most accurate dose calculation algorithm in radiotherapy planning but requires relatively long processing time. Faster model-based algorithms such as the anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) by the Eclipse treatment planning system and multigrid superposition (MGS) by the XiO treatment planning system are 2 commonly used algorithms. This study compared AAA and MGS against MC, as the gold standard, on brain, nasopharynx, lung, and prostate cancer patients. Computed tomography of 6 patients of each cancer type was used. The same hypothetical treatment plan using the same machine and treatment prescription was computed for each casemore » by each planning system using their respective dose calculation algorithm. The doses at reference points including (1) soft tissues only, (2) bones only, (3) air cavities only, (4) soft tissue-bone boundary (Soft/Bone), (5) soft tissue-air boundary (Soft/Air), and (6) bone-air boundary (Bone/Air), were measured and compared using the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), which was a function of the percentage dose deviations from MC. Besides, the computation time of each treatment plan was recorded and compared. The MAPEs of MGS were significantly lower than AAA in all types of cancers (p<0.001). With regards to body density combinations, the MAPE of AAA ranged from 1.8% (soft tissue) to 4.9% (Bone/Air), whereas that of MGS from 1.6% (air cavities) to 2.9% (Soft/Bone). The MAPEs of MGS (2.6%±2.1) were significantly lower than that of AAA (3.7%±2.5) in all tissue density combinations (p<0.001). The mean computation time of AAA for all treatment plans was significantly lower than that of the MGS (p<0.001). Both AAA and MGS algorithms demonstrated dose deviations of less than 4.0% in most clinical cases and their performance was better in homogeneous tissues than at tissue boundaries. In general, MGS demonstrated relatively smaller dose deviations than AAA but required longer computation time.« less

SU-E-J-203: Investigation of 1.5T Magnetic Field Dose Effects On Organs of Different Density

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

Lee, H; Rubinstein, A; Ibbott, G

2015-06-15

Purpose: For the combined 1.5T/6MV MRI-linac system, the perpendicular magnetic field to the radiation beam results in altered radiation dose distributions. This Monte Carlo study investigates the change in dose at interfaces for common organs neighboring soft tissue. Methods: MCNP6 was used to simulate the effects of a 1.5T magnetic field when irradiating tissues with a 6 MV beam. The geometries used in this study were not necessarily anatomically representative in size in order to directly compare quantitative dose effects for each tissue at the same depths. For this purpose, a 512 cm{sup 3} cubic material was positioned at themore » center of a 2744 cm{sup 3} cubic soft tissue material phantom. The following tissue materials and their densities were used in this study: lung (0.296 g/cm{sup 3}), fat (0.95), spinal cord (1.038), soft tissue (1.04), muscle (1.05), eye (1.076), trabecular bone (1.40), and cortical bone (1.85). Results: The addition of a 1.5T magnetic field caused dose changes of +46.5%, +2.4%, −0.9%, −0.8%, −1.5%, −6.5%, and −8.8% at the entrance interface between soft tissue and lung, fat, spinal cord, muscle, eye, trabecular bone, and cortical bone tissues respectively. Dose changes of −39.4%, −4.1%, −0.8%, −0.8%, +0.5%, +6.7%, and +10.9% were observed at the second interface between the same tissues respectively and soft tissue. On average, the build-up distance was reduced by 0.6 cm, and a dose increase of 62.7% was observed at the exit interface between soft tissue and air of the entire phantom. Conclusion: The greatest changes in dose were observed at interfaces containing lung and bone tissues. Due to the prevalence and proximity of bony anatomy to soft tissues throughout the human body, these results encourage further examination of these tissues with anatomically representative geometries using multiple beam configurations for safe treatment using the MRI-linac system.« less

Bases of social power, leadership styles, and organizational commitment.

PubMed

Pierro, Antonio; Raven, Bertram H; Amato, Clara; Bélanger, Jocelyn J

2013-01-01

Affective organizational commitment reflects the extent to which organizational members are loyal and willing to work toward organizational objectives (Meyer & Allen, 1997). In particular, affective organizational commitment holds very important implications at all organizational levels (e.g., turnover rates, performance, and citizenship behavior). Whereas previous research has evinced the positive influence of transformational and charismatic leadership styles on affective commitment toward the organization (Bass & Avolio, 1994), little is known with regard to the nature of this relationship. In line with the interpersonal power/interaction model, the present investigation aimed to investigate the mechanism at play between transformational leadership style and affective organizational commitment. Specifically, we hypothesized that transformational leadership style would increase affective organizational commitment through its effect on willingness to comply with soft bases of power. In two studies, we subjected the foregoing hypotheses to empirical scrutiny. In Study 1, the proposed mediation model was empirically supported with Italian employees in the public sector. Attesting to the robustness of our findings, Study 2 replicated the findings of Study 1 with Italian employees from the public and private sectors. In addition, Study 2 replicated Study 1 using a different measure of transformational leadership. Both Study 1 and Study 2 provided results consistent with our hypotheses. Specifically, the present paper reports empirical evidence that (1) the more participants report having a transformational leader, the more willing they become to comply with soft (but not harsh) power bases, (2) in turn, greater willingness to comply with soft (but not harsh) power bases increases one's affective organizational commitment. These findings provide additional support for the interpersonal power/interaction model and pave the way for new research directions.

Phase I Report: DARPA Exoskeleton Program

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

Jansen, J.F.

2004-01-21

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) inaugurated a program addressing research and development for an Exoskeleton for Human Performance Augmentation in FY!2001. A team consisting of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the prime contractor, AeroVironment, Inc., the Army Research Laboratory, the University of Minnesota, and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute has recently completed an 18-month Phase I effort in support of this DARPA program. The Phase I effort focused on the development and proof-of-concept demonstrations for key enabling technologies, laying the foundation for subsequently building and demonstrating a prototype exoskeleton. The overall approach was driven by the need to optimize energymore » efficiency while providing a system that augmented the operator in as transparent manner as possible (non-impeding). These needs led to the evolution of two key distinguishing features of this team's approach. The first is the ''no knee contact'' concept. This concept is dependent on a unique Cartesian-based control scheme that uses force sensing at the foot and backpack attachments to allow the exoskeleton to closely follow the operator while avoiding the difficulty of connecting and sensing position at the knee. The second is an emphasis on energy efficiency manifested by an energetic, power, actuation and controls approach designed to enhance energy efficiency as well as a reconfigurable kinematic structure that provides a non-anthropomorphic configuration to support an energy saving long-range march/transport mode. The enabling technologies addressed in the first phase were controls and sensing, the soft tissue interface between the machine and the operator, the power system, and actuation. The controller approach was implemented and demonstrated on a test stand with an actual operator. Control stability, low operator fatigue, force amplification and the human interface were all successfully demonstrated, validating the controls approach. A unique, lightweight, low profile, multi-axis foot sensor (an integral element of the controls approach) was designed, fabricated, and its performance verified. A preliminary conceptual design of the human coupling and soft tissue interface, based on biomechanics research has been developed along with a test plan to support an iterative design process. The power system concept, a fuel cell hybrid power supply using chemical generated hydrogen, was successfully demonstrated and shown to be able to efficiently meet both steady-state and transient peak loads. Two actuator approaches, a piezoelectric actuator, with theoretical high power densities and an approach based on a high-performance, high-speed electric motor driving a miniature hydraulic pump have been investigated. The first shows great potential but will require further research before reaching that promise. The other approach has been modeled and simulated and shown to provide the possibility for significant energy savings (>30%) and improved power densities in comparison to conventional hydraulics. Biomechanics analysis and testing were also performed in support of these enabling technologies, to provide a basis for design criteria. An analysis was performed to determine baseline data for initial mechanical design and power supply sizing. Testing conducted to evaluate boot sole thickness found that thickness increases up to two inches could be accommodated without significant impact on human factors issues. This 18-month long Phase I effort has evaluated key enabling technologies and demonstrated advances in these technologies that have significantly increased the likelihood of building a functional prototype exoskeleton.« less

Prolonged superficial local cryotherapy attenuates microcirculatory impairment, regional inflammation, and muscle necrosis after closed soft tissue injury in rats.

PubMed

Schaser, Klaus-Dieter; Disch, Alexander C; Stover, John F; Lauffer, Annette; Bail, Herman J; Mittlmeier, Thomas

2007-01-01

Closed soft tissue injury induces progressive microvascular dysfunction and regional inflammation. The authors tested the hypothesis that adverse trauma-induced effects can be reduced by local cooling. While superficial cooling reduces swelling, pain, and cellular oxygen demand, the effects of cryotherapy on posttraumatic microcirculation are incompletely understood. Controlled laboratory study. After a standardized closed soft tissue injury to the left tibial compartment, male rats were randomly subjected to percutaneous perfusion for 6 hours with 0.9% NaCL (controls; room temperature) or cold NaCL (cryotherapy; 8 degrees C) (n = 7 per group). Uninjured rats served as shams (n = 7). Microcirculatory changes and leukocyte adherence were determined by intravital microscopy. Intramuscular pressure was measured, and invasion of granulocytes and macrophages was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Edema and tissue damage was quantified by gravimetry and decreased desmin staining. Closed soft tissue injury significantly decreased functional capillary density (240 +/- 12 cm(-1)); increased microvascular permeability (0.75 +/- 0.03), endothelial leukocyte adherence (995 +/- 77/cm(2)), granulocyte (182.0 +/- 25.5/mm(2)) and macrophage infiltration, edema formation, and myonecrosis (ratio: 2.95 +/- 0.45) within the left extensor digitorum longus muscle. Cryotherapy for 6 hours significantly restored diminished functional capillary density (393 +/- 35), markedly decreased elevated intramuscular pressure, reduced the number of adhering (462 +/- 188/cm(2)) and invading granulocytes (119 +/- 28), and attenuated tissue damage (ratio: 1.7 +/- 0.17). The hypothesis that prolonged cooling reduces posttraumatic microvascular dysfunction, inflammation, and structural impairment was confirmed. These results may have therapeutic implications as cryotherapy after closed soft tissue injury is a valuable therapeutic approach to improve nutritive perfusion and attenuate leukocyte-mediated tissue destruction. The risk for evolving compartment syndrome may be reduced, thereby preventing further irreversible aggravation.

Tiludronate

MedlinePlus

Tiludronate is used to treat Paget's disease of bone (a condition in which the bones are soft and weak and may be deformed, ... of medications called bisphosphonates. It works by preventing bone breakdown and increasing bone density (thickness).

Renormalization of dijet operators at order 1 /Q 2 in soft-collinear effective theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goerke, Raymond; Inglis-Whalen, Matthew

2018-05-01

We make progress towards resummation of power-suppressed logarithms in dijet event shapes such as thrust, which have the potential to improve high-precision fits for the value of the strong coupling constant. Using a newly developed formalism for Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET), we identify and compute the anomalous dimensions of all the operators that contribute to event shapes at order 1 /Q 2. These anomalous dimensions are necessary to resum power-suppressed logarithms in dijet event shape distributions, although an additional matching step and running of observable-dependent soft functions will be necessary to complete the resummation. In contrast to standard SCET, the new formalism does not make reference to modes or λ-scaling. Since the formalism does not distinguish between collinear and ultrasoft degrees of freedom at the matching scale, fewer subleading operators are required when compared to recent similar work. We demonstrate how the overlap subtraction prescription extends to these subleading operators.

The Nearest Neutron Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, Jules P.

1996-01-01

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite observations of the Pulsar PSR J0437-4715, the Seyfert Galaxy RX J0437.4-4711, and the Geminga Pulsar are reported on. The main purpose of the PSR J0437-4715 investigation was to examine its soft X-ray flux. The 20 day EUVE observation of RX J0437.4-4711 constitutes a uniformly sampled soft X-ray light curve of a highly variable Seyfert galaxy whose power spectrum can be examined on timescales from 3 hrs. to several days. A unique aspect of the EUVE observation of RX J0437.4-4711 is its long light curve which we have used to measure the power spectrum of soft X-ray variability at low frequencies. Approximately 2100 counts were detected for the Geminga pulsar in a period of 251,000 s by the EUVE Deep Survey instrument. Geminga presents an unusually difficult problem because its multicomponent X-ray spectrum and pulse profile are indicative of a complex distribution of surface emission, and possibly a contribution from nonthermal emission as well.

Suzaku observation of the eclipsing high mass X-ray binary pulsar XTE J1855-026

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devasia, Jincy; Paul, Biswajit

2018-02-01

We report results from analysis performed on an eclipsing supergiant high mass X-ray binary pulsar XTE J1855-026 observed with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) on-board Suzaku Observatory in April 2015. Suzaku observed this source for a total effective exposure of ˜ 87 ks just before an eclipse. Pulsations are clearly observed and the pulse profiles of XTE J1855-026 did not show significant energy dependence during this observation consistent with previous reports. The time averaged energy spectrum of XTE J1855-026 in the 1.0-10.5 keV energy range can be well fitted with a partial covering power law model modified with interstellar absorption along with a black-body component for soft excess and a gaussian for iron fluorescence line emision. The hardness ratio evolution during this observation indicated significant absorption of soft X-rays in some segments of the observation. For better understanding of the reason behind this, we performed time-resolved spectroscopy in the 2.5-10.5 keV energy band which revealed significant variations in the spectral parameters, especially the hydrogen column density and iron line equivalent width with flux. The correlated variations in the spectral parameters indicate towards the presence of clumps in the stellar wind of the companion star accounting for the absorption of low energy X-rays in some time segments.

TiO2 hierarchical porous film constructed by ultrastable foams as photoanode for quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xing; He, Xuan; Zhao, Lei; Chen, Hui; Li, Weixin; Fang, Wei; Zhang, Wanqiu; Wang, Junjie; Chen, Huan

2016-11-01

It reported a novel and simple method for the first time to prepare TiO2 hierarchical porous film (THPF) using ultrastable foams as a soft template to construct porous structures. Moreover, dodecanol as one foam component was creatively used as solvent during the synthesis of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) to decrease reaction temperature and simplify precipitation process. The result showed that hierarchical pores in scale of microns introduced by foams were regarded to benefit for high coverage and unimodal distribution of QDs on the surface of THPF to increase the efficiencies of light-harvesting, charge-collection and charge-transfer. The increased efficiencies caused an enhancement in quantum efficiency of the cell and thus remarkably increased the short circuit current density (Jsc). In addition, the decrease of charge recombination resulted in the increase of the open circuit voltage (Voc) as well. The QDSSC based on THPF exhibited about 2-fold higher power conversion efficiency (η = 2.20%, Jsc = 13.82 mA cm-2, Voc = 0.572 V) than that of TiO2 nanoparticles film (TNF) (η = 1.06%, Jsc = 6.70 mA cm-2, Voc = 0.505 V). It provided a basis to use foams both as soft template and carrier to realize simultaneously construction and in-situ sensitization of photoanode in further work.

The role of radiation hard solar cells in minimizing the costs of global satellite communications systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Summers, Geoffrey P.; Walters, Robert J.; Messenger, Scott R.; Burke, Edward A.

1995-01-01

An analysis embodied in a PC computer program is presented which quantitatively demonstrates how the availability of radiation hard solar cells can minimize the cost of a global satellite communication system. The chief distinction between the currently proposed systems, such as Iridium Odyssey and Ellipsat, is the number of satellites employed and their operating altitudes. Analysis of the major costs associated with implementing these systems shows that operation within the earth's radiation belts can reduce the total system cost by as much as a factor of two, so long as radiation hard components including solar cells, can be used. A detailed evaluation of several types of planar solar cells is given, including commercially available Si and GaAs/Ge cells, and InP/Si cells which are under development. The computer program calculates the end of life (EOL) power density of solar arrays taking into account the cell geometry, coverglass thickness, support frame, electrical interconnects, etc. The EOL power density can be determined for any altitude from low earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous (GEO) and for equatorial to polar planes of inclination. The mission duration can be varied over the entire range planned for the proposed satellite systems. An algorithm is included in the program for determining the degradation of cell efficiency for different cell technologies due to proton and electron irradiation. The program can be used to determine the optimum configuration for any cell technology for a particular orbit and for a specified mission life. Several examples of applying the program are presented, in which it is shown that the EOL power density of different technologies can vary by an order of magnitude for certain missions. Therefore, although a relatively radiation soft technology can be made to provide the required EOL power by simply increasing the size of the array, the impact on the total system budget could be unacceptable, due to increased launch and hardware costs. In aggregate these factors can account for more than a 10% increase in the total system cost. Since the estimated total costs of proposed global coverage systems range from $1 Billion to $9 Billion, the availability of radiation hard solar cells could make a decisive difference in the selection of a particular constellation architecture.

40 CFR 1042.140 - Maximum engine power, displacement, power density, and maximum in-use engine speed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Maximum engine power, displacement... Maximum engine power, displacement, power density, and maximum in-use engine speed. This section describes how to determine the maximum engine power, displacement, and power density of an engine for the...

40 CFR 1042.140 - Maximum engine power, displacement, power density, and maximum in-use engine speed.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Maximum engine power, displacement... Maximum engine power, displacement, power density, and maximum in-use engine speed. This section describes how to determine the maximum engine power, displacement, and power density of an engine for the...

Development of a single-shot CCD-based data acquisition system for time-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at an X-ray free-electron laser facility

PubMed Central

Oura, Masaki; Wagai, Tatsuya; Chainani, Ashish; Miyawaki, Jun; Sato, Hiromi; Matsunami, Masaharu; Eguchi, Ritsuko; Kiss, Takayuki; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Nakatani, Yasuhiro; Togashi, Tadashi; Katayama, Tetsuo; Ogawa, Kanade; Yabashi, Makina; Tanaka, Yoshihito; Kohmura, Yoshiki; Tamasaku, Kenji; Shin, Shik; Ishikawa, Tetsuya

2014-01-01

In order to utilize high-brilliance photon sources, such as X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), for advanced time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TR-PES), a single-shot CCD-based data acquisition system combined with a high-resolution hemispherical electron energy analyzer has been developed. The system’s design enables it to be controlled by an external trigger signal for single-shot pump–probe-type TR-PES. The basic performance of the system is demonstrated with an offline test, followed by online core-level photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy in ‘single-shot image’, ‘shot-to-shot image (image-to-image storage or block storage)’ and ‘shot-to-shot sweep’ modes at soft X-ray undulator beamline BL17SU of SPring-8. In the offline test the typical repetition rate for image-to-image storage mode has been confirmed to be about 15 Hz using a conventional pulse-generator. The function for correcting the shot-to-shot intensity fluctuations of the exciting photon beam, an important requirement for the TR-PES experiments at FEL sources, has been successfully tested at BL17SU by measuring Au 4f photoelectrons with intentionally controlled photon flux. The system has also been applied to hard X-ray PES (HAXPES) in ‘ordinary sweep’ mode as well as shot-to-shot image mode at the 27 m-long undulator beamline BL19LXU of SPring-8 and also at the SACLA XFEL facility. The XFEL-induced Ti 1s core-level spectrum of La-doped SrTiO3 is reported as a function of incident power density. The Ti 1s core-level spectrum obtained at low power density is consistent with the spectrum obtained using the synchrotron source. At high power densities the Ti 1s core-level spectra show space-charge effects which are analysed using a known mean-field model for ultrafast electron packet propagation. The results successfully confirm the capability of the present data acquisition system for carrying out the core-level HAXPES studies of condensed matter induced by the XFEL. PMID:24365935

Structural discrimination via density functional theory and lattice dynamics: Monoclinic Mg2NiH4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbst, J. F.; Hector, L. G., Jr.

2009-04-01

Two distinct crystal structures for the monoclinic, low-temperature phase of Mg2NiH4 , which we designate as LTI and LTII, are available in the published literature. We demonstrate that density functional theory and lattice dynamics can easily identify LTII as the preferable structure at two levels of inquiry. First, enthalpies of formation ΔH calculated using three different forms for the exchange-correlation energy functional are in better agreement with experiment for LTII. Second, the phonon spectrum calculated for LTII contains no anomalies while that for LTI exhibits a variety of soft modes. By analyzing the soft modes in LTI as well as those we find for the known CaMgNiH4 structure with Ca replaced by Mg we derive a crystal structure that closely approximates LTII.

The effect of compaction parameters and dielectric composition on properties of soft magnetic composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Ling; Sun, Y. H.; Yu, Lie

2011-07-01

This paper investigated the effect of compaction parameters and dielectric composition on mechanical, magnetic and electrical properties of iron-organosilicon epoxy resin soft magnetic composites. In this work, iron powders with high purity were covered by an organic material (organosilicon epoxy resin) and then by coupling agent (KH-550). The coated powders were then cold compacted at 600, 800 and 1000 MPa and cured under vacuum respectively. The results show that the saturation magnetic flux density and electrical resistivity are dependent on compaction pressure and resin content. Increase in the organic phase content leads to decrease of the saturation magnetic flux density, while increase of the electrical resistivity. Furthermore, the samples with 0.9 wt% resins + 0.1 wt% coupling agent at compaction pressure of 800 MPa shows better properties than the others.

Communication: Unraveling the 4He droplet-mediated soft-landing from ab initio-assisted and time-resolved density functional simulations: Au@4He300/TiO2(110)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Lara-Castells, María Pilar; Aguirre, Néstor F.; Stoll, Hermann; Mitrushchenkov, Alexander O.; Mateo, David; Pi, Martí

2015-04-01

An ab-initio-based methodological scheme for He-surface interactions and zero-temperature time-dependent density functional theory for superfluid 4He droplets motion are combined to follow the short-time collision dynamics of the Au@4He300 system with the TiO2(110) surface. This composite approach demonstrates the 4He droplet-assisted sticking of the metal species to the surface at low landing energy (below 0.15 eV/atom), thus providing the first theoretical evidence of the experimentally observed 4He droplet-mediated soft-landing deposition of metal nanoparticles on solid surfaces [Mozhayskiy et al., J. Chem. Phys. 127, 094701 (2007) and Loginov et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 115, 7199 (2011)].

Tuning Interfacial Thermal Conductance of Graphene Embedded in Soft Materials by Vacancy Defects

DOE PAGES

Liu, Ying; Hu, Chongze; Huang, Jingsong; ...

2015-06-23

Nanocomposites based on graphene dispersed in matrices of soft materials are promising thermal management materials. Their effective thermal conductivity depends on both the thermal conductivity of graphene and the conductance of the thermal transport across graphene-matrix interfaces. Here we report on molecular dynamics simulations of the thermal transport across the interfaces between defected graphene and soft materials in two different modes: in the across mode, heat enters graphene from one side of its basal plane and leaves through the other side; in the non-across mode, heat enters or leaves a graphene simultaneously from both sides of its basal plane. Wemore » show that, as the density of vacancy defects in graphene increases from 0 to 8%, the conductance of the interfacial thermal transport in the across mode increases from 160.4 16 to 207.8 11 MW/m2K, while that in the non-across mode increases from 7.2 0.1 to 17.8 0.6 MW/m2K. The molecular mechanisms for these variations of thermal conductance are clarified by using the phonon density of states and structural characteristics of defected graphenes. On the basis of these results and effective medium theory, we show that it is possible to enhance the effective thermal conductivity of thermal nanocomposites by tuning the density of vacancy defects in graphene despite the fact that graphene s thermal conductivity always decreases as vacancy defects are introduced.« less

Performance and optimum characteristics by finite element analysis of a coreless ironless electric generator for low wind density power generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Akhtar; Rahman, Fadhlur; Leong, Yap Wee; Razali Hanipah, Mohd; Azri Hizami, Mohd

2018-04-01

Cogging is an attraction of magnetism between permanent magnets and soft ironcore lamination in a conventional electric ironcore generator. The presence of cog in the generator is seen somehow restricted the application of the generator in an application where low rotational torque is required. Cog torque requires an additional input power to overcome, hence became one of the power loss sources. With the increasing of power output, the cogging is also proportionally increased. This leads to the increasing of the supplied power of the driver motor to overcome the cog. Therefore, this research is embarked to study fundamentally about the possibility of removing ironcore lamination in an electric generator. This research deals with removal of ironcore lamination in electric generator to eliminate cog torque. A confinement technique is proposed to confine and focus magnetic flux by introducing opposing permanent magnets arrangement. There were several parameters analysed using the JMAG Designer. Transient response analysis was used in the JMAG Designer. The parameters analysed were the number of coil turns per phase, gap distance between the magnet pairs as well as the magnet grade used. These few parameters were analysed under the open circuit condition. Results showed with the increasing of gap distance, output voltage produced decreased. The increment of number of turns in the coils and higher magnet grades used, these increased the output voltage of the generator. With the help of these results, a reference point is established to get optimum design parameter for fabrication of working prototype.

Histologic effects of a high-repetition pulsed Nd:YAG laser on intraoral soft tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Joel M.; Goodis, Harold E.; Yessik, Michael J.; Myers, Terry D.

1995-05-01

High-repetition rate, fiberoptic-delivered Nd:YAG lasers have increased oral soft tissue laser applications. This study focused on three parameters: the temperature rise occurring in deeper tissue during excision, the histology of thermal coagulation during excision of oral tissue, and effects of accidental exposure to adjacent hard tissue. Thermocouples were placed 5.0 +/- 0.5 mm in bone below fresh bovine gingiva and at the same depth in tongue; temperatures in the underlying tissue were measured during laser excision. An Nd:YAG laser with 100 microsecond(s) pulse duration was used to excise the tissue using a 200 or 300 micrometers diameter fiber in contact with the tissue. The soft tissue was excised using constant force and rate with laser powers of 1.5, 3, 5, and 10 W, and a variety of pulse rates. The tissue was bioprepared, sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The width and depth of the tissue removed as well as lateral and deep thermal coagulation were measured in histologic sections with a measuring microscope (10x). Multifactor randomized ANOVA showed that probe diameter and repetition rates were not significant variables (p

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

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

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of the hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and the density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature, hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimatedmore » to be ∼8 J cm{sup −2}. This is significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel xenon plasma x-ray shield is proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking.” Estimates suggest that an areal density of 10{sup 19} cm{sup −2} Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% of the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

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

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL). This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated tomore » be ~ 8 J cm -2. This is then significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel Xenon Plasma X-ray Shield (XPXS) has been proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking”. Finally, these estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less

Effects of dredging operations on soft bottom macrofauna in a harbor in the Patos Lagoon estuarine region of southern Brazil.

PubMed

Bemvenuti, C E; Angonesi, L G; Gandra, M S

2005-11-01

An evaluation was made of the effects of dredging on the soft bottom community in the channel of the Rio Grande harbor in the Patos Lagoon estuarine region of southern Brazil. During four seasonal cruises, samples were collected from nine biological stations, one of which was located outside the dredged area. Three macrobenthic samples were collected on each cruise from each station, using a 0.08 m2 van Veen grab. A cluster analysis was applied to group summer and autumn cruise stations before the dredging period, revealing larger numbers of species (35-36 spp.) and higher densities of organisms. The station located outside the dredging area was always included in this group, regardless of the sampling period or conditions of salinity. Another group comprised the winter and spring stations during the dredging period. This group was characterized by stations with the fewest species (20-18 spp.) and the lowest and most variable organism densities. The efficient strategies of resilience of the dominant estuarine species may minimize the effects of dredging on the biota through the rapid recolonization of the soft bottom of the harbor channel.

Characterization of Ice for Return-to-Flight of the Space Shuttle. Part 2; Soft Ice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schulson, Erland M.; Iliescu, Daniel

2005-01-01

In support of characterizing ice debris for return-to-flight (RTF) of NASA's space shuttle, we have determined the microstructure, density and compressive strength (at -10 C at approximately 0.3 per second) of porous or soft ice that was produced from both atmospheric water and consolidated snow. The study showed that the atmospheric material was generally composed of a mixture of very fine (0.1 to 0.3 millimeters) and coarser (5 to 10 millimeter) grains, plus air bubbles distributed preferentially within the more finely-grained part of the microstructure. The snow ice was composed of even finer grains (approximately 0.05 millimeters) and contained more pores. Correspondingly, the snow ice was of lower density than the atmospheric ice and both materials were significantly less dense than hard ice. The atmospheric ice was stronger (approximately 3.8 MPa) than the snow ice (approximately 1.9 MPa), but weaker by a factor of 2 to 5 than pore-free hard ice deformed under the same conditions. Zero Values are given for Young's modulus, compressive strength and Poisson's ratio that can be used for modeling soft ice from the external tank (ET).

Design calculations for a xenon plasma x-ray shield to protect the NIF optical Thomson scattering diagnostic

DOE PAGES

Swadling, G. F.; Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.; ...

2016-07-21

An Optical Thomson Scattering (OTS) diagnostic is currently being developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL). This diagnostic is designed to make measurements of hohlraum plasma parameters, such as the electron temperature and density, during inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. NIF ICF experiments present a very challenging environment for optical measurements; by their very nature hohlraums produce intense soft x-ray emission, which can cause “blanking” (radiation induced opacity) of the radiation facing optical components. The soft x-ray fluence at the surface of the OTS blast shield, 60 cm from the hohlraum, is estimated tomore » be ~ 8 J cm -2. This is then significantly above the expected threshold for the onset of “blanking” effects. A novel Xenon Plasma X-ray Shield (XPXS) has been proposed to protect the blast shield from x-rays and mitigate “blanking”. Finally, these estimates suggest that an areal density of 10 19 cm -2 Xe atoms will be sufficient to absorb 99.5% the soft x-ray flux. Two potential designs for this shield are presented.« less

A plant-inspired robot with soft differential bending capabilities.

PubMed

Sadeghi, A; Mondini, A; Del Dottore, E; Mattoli, V; Beccai, L; Taccola, S; Lucarotti, C; Totaro, M; Mazzolai, B

2016-12-20

We present the design and development of a plant-inspired robot, named Plantoid, with sensorized robotic roots. Natural roots have a multi-sensing capability and show a soft bending behaviour to follow or escape from various environmental parameters (i.e., tropisms). Analogously, we implement soft bending capabilities in our robotic roots by designing and integrating soft spring-based actuation (SSBA) systems using helical springs to transmit the motor power in a compliant manner. Each robotic tip integrates four different sensors, including customised flexible touch and innovative humidity sensors together with commercial gravity and temperature sensors. We show how the embedded sensing capabilities together with a root-inspired control algorithm lead to the implementation of tropic behaviours. Future applications for such plant-inspired technologies include soil monitoring and exploration, useful for agriculture and environmental fields.

Localization of soft modes at the depinning transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Xiangyu; Bouzat, Sebastian; Kolton, Alejandro B.; Rosso, Alberto

2018-02-01

We characterize the soft modes of the dynamical matrix at the depinning transition, and compare the matrix with the properties of the Anderson model (and long-range generalizations). The density of states at the edge of the spectrum displays a universal linear tail, different from the Lifshitz tails. The eigenvectors are instead very similar in the two matrix ensembles. We focus on the ground state (soft mode), which represents the epicenter of avalanche instabilities. We expect it to be localized in all finite dimensions, and make a clear connection between its localization length and the Larkin length of the depinning model. In the fully connected model, we show that the weak-strong pinning transition coincides with a peculiar localization transition of the ground state.

Limits on soft X-ray flux from distant emission regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burrows, D. N.; Mccammon, D.; Sanders, W. T.; Kraushaar, W. L.

1984-01-01

The all-sky soft X-ray data of McCammon et al. and the new N sub H survey (Stark et al. was used to place limits on the amount of the soft X-ray diffuse background that can originate beyond the neutral gas of the galactic disk. The X-ray data for two regions of the sky near the galactic poles are shown to be uncorrelated with 21 cm column densities. Most of the observed x-ray flux must therefore originate on the near side of the most distant neutral gas. The results from these regions are consistent with X-ray emission from a locally isotropic, unabsorbed source, but require large variations in the emission of the local region over large angular scales.

Effect of strain and stress on the relative dimensions of the 'hard' and 'soft' regions in crept NaCl single crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raj, S. V.; Freed, Alan D.

1992-01-01

It is shown that the L exp h and L exp s ratio, where these are respectively the average dimensions of the hard and soft regions as a function of stress and strain in crept NaCl single crystals, significantly influences the steady-state creep and power-law breakdown in these crystals. This is suggested to be due to a change in the internal stresses of the material. The present observations also indicate that steady-state creep is more likely to be influenced by the degree of refinement in the cell boundaries within the subgrains than by the formation of equiaxed subgrains under power-law conditions.

Small-Size High-Current Generators for X-Ray Backlighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaikovsky, S. A.; Artyomov, A. P.; Zharova, N. V.; Zhigalin, A. S.; Lavrinovich, I. V.; Oreshkin, V. I.; Ratakhin, N. A.; Rousskikh, A. G.; Fedunin, A. V.; Fedushchak, V. F.; Erfort, A. A.

2017-12-01

The paper deals with the soft X-ray backlighting based on the X-pinch as a powerful tool for physical studies of fast processes. Proposed are the unique small-size pulsed power generators operating as a low-inductance capacitor bank. These pulse generators provide the X-pinch-based soft X-ray source (hν = 1-10 keV) of micron size at 2-3 ns pulse duration. The small size and weight of pulse generators allow them to be transported to any laboratory for conducting X-ray backlighting of test objects with micron space resolution and nanosecond exposure time. These generators also allow creating synchronized multi-frame radiographic complexes with frame delay variation in a broad range.

Active core profile and transport modification by application of ion Bernstein wave power in the Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeBlanc, B.; Batha, S.; Bell, R.; Bernabei, S.; Blush, L.; de la Luna, E.; Doerner, R.; Dunlap, J.; England, A.; Garcia, I.; Ignat, D.; Isler, R.; Jones, S.; Kaita, R.; Kaye, S.; Kugel, H.; Levinton, F.; Luckhardt, S.; Mutoh, T.; Okabayashi, M.; Ono, M.; Paoletti, F.; Paul, S.; Petravich, G.; Post-Zwicker, A.; Sauthoff, N.; Schmitz, L.; Sesnic, S.; Takahashi, H.; Talvard, M.; Tighe, W.; Tynan, G.; von Goeler, S.; Woskov, P.; Zolfaghari, A.

1995-03-01

Application of Ion Bernstein Wave Heating (IBWH) into the Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification (PBX-M) [Phys. Fluids B 2, 1271 (1990)] tokamak stabilizes sawtooth oscillations and generates peaked density profiles. A transport barrier, spatially correlated with the IBWH power deposition profile, is observed in the core of IBWH-assisted neutral beam injection (NBI) discharges. A precursor to the fully developed barrier is seen in the soft x-ray data during edge localized mode (ELM) activity. Sustained IBWH operation is conducive to a regime where the barrier supports large ∇ne, ∇Te, ∇νφ, and ∇Ti, delimiting the confinement zone. This regime is reminiscent of the H(high) mode, but with a confinement zone moved inward. The core region has better than H-mode confinement while the peripheral region is L(low)-mode-like. The peaked profile enhances NBI core deposition and increases nuclear reactivity. An increase in central Ti results from χi reduction (compared to the H mode) and better beam penetration. Bootstrap current fractions of up to 0.32-0.35 locally and 0.28 overall were obtained when an additional NBI burst is applied to this plasma.

Energy balance in a Z pinch with suppressed Rayleigh-Taylor instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baksht, R. B.; Oreshkin, V. I.; Rousskikh, A. G.; Zhigalin, A. S.

2018-03-01

At present Z-pinch has evolved into a powerful plasma source of soft x-ray. This paper considers the energy balance in a radiating metallic gas-puff Z pinch. In this type of Z pinch, a power-law density distribution is realized, promoting suppression of Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities that occur in the pinch plasma during compression. The energy coupled into the pinch plasma, is determined as the difference between the total energy delivered to the load from the generator and the magnetic energy of the load inductance. A calibrated voltage divider and a Rogowski coil were used to determine the coupled energy and the load inductance. Time-gated optical imaging of the pinch plasma showed its stable compression up to the stagnation phase. The pinch implosion was simulated using a 1D two-temperature radiative magnetohydrodynamic code. Comparison of the experimental and simulation results has shown that the simulation adequately describes the pinch dynamics for conditions in which RT instability is suppressed. It has been found that the proportion of the Ohmic heating in the energy balance of a Z pinch with suppressed RT instability is determined by Spitzer resistance and makes no more than ten percent.

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

Ghiringhelli, G.; Piazzalunga, A.; Dallera, C.

We present a 5 m long spectrometer for soft x rays to be used at a synchrotron radiation beamline for resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in the 400-1600 eV energy range. It is based on a variable line spacing spherical grating (average groove density of 3200 mm{sup -1}, R=58.55 m) and a charge coupled device two dimensional detector. With an x-ray spot on the sample of 10 {mu}m, the targeted resolving power is higher than 10 000 at all energies below 1100 eV and better than 7000 at 1500 eV. The off-line tests made with Almore » and Mg K{alpha}{sub 1,2} fluorescence emissions indicate that the spectrometer can actually work at 12 000 and 17 000 resolving power at the L{sub 3} edges of Cu (930 eV) and of Ti (470 eV), respectively. SAXES (superadvanced x-ray emission spectrometer) is mounted on a rotating platform allowing to vary the scattering angle from 25 degree sign to 130 degree sign . The spectrometer will be operational at the ADRESS (advanced resonant spectroscopies) beamline of the Swiss Light Source from 2007.« less

Characterization of Polystyrene Soft Nanoparticles Using Small Angle Neutron Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Halie; White, Tyler; Saito, Tomonori; Dadmun, Mark

Polymer nanocomposites have become a prominent area of research recently. With a growing variety of nanoparticles available, research probing the influence of particle morphology on the overall nanocomposite properties is also increasing. Nanoparticle dispersion is controlled by both the chemical nature and morphology of the nanoparticle where a crosslinked, fuzzy organic nanoparticle is anticipated to enhance the overall miscibility and create a homogenous dispersion within a like-polymer matrix. A semi-batch microemulsion polymerization forms organic, soft nanoparticles where the precise structure of the nanoparticle is controlled by monomer rate of addition and crosslinking density. We will report small angle neutron scattering results that correlate synthetic conditions to the structural characteristics of soft nanoparticles. This analysis provides characterization of the individual nanoparticle molecular weight, the radius of the crosslinked core, the thickness of the fuzzy interfacial layer, and provides insight into the overall topography of the soft nanoparticle. This research provides a pathway to investigate the effect of nanoscale structural features of the nanoparticle on their individual properties and those of nanocomposites that contain these soft nanoparticles. DOE-BES, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering.

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

DOE PAGES

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele; ...

2017-08-18

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ~ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such ‘soft bomb’ events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a ‘belt of fire’: a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy ormore » lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for ‘Higgs bombs’ triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.« less

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele; Robinson, Dean J.

2017-08-01

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ˜ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such `soft bomb' events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a `belt of fire': a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy or lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for `Higgs bombs' triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.

Triggering soft bombs at the LHC

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

Knapen, Simon; Griso, Simone Pagan; Papucci, Michele

Very high multiplicity, spherically-symmetric distributions of soft particles, with p T ~ few×100 MeV, may be a signature of strongly-coupled hidden valleys that exhibit long, efficient showering windows. With traditional triggers, such ‘soft bomb’ events closely resemble pile-up and are therefore only recorded with minimum bias triggers at a very low efficiency. We demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a high-level triggering strategy that efficiently separates soft bombs from pile-up by searching for a ‘belt of fire’: a high density band of hits on the innermost layer of the tracker. Seeding our proposed high-level trigger with existing jet, missing transverse energy ormore » lepton hardware-level triggers, we show that net trigger efficiencies of order 10% are possible for bombs of mass several × 100 GeV. We also consider the special case that soft bombs are the result of an exotic decay of the 125 GeV Higgs. The fiducial rate for ‘Higgs bombs’ triggered in this manner is marginally higher than the rate achievable by triggering directly on a hard muon from associated Higgs production.« less

A Randomized Trial of Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses for Myopia Control: Baseline Data and Methods.

PubMed

Walline, Jeffrey J; Gaume Giannoni, Amber; Sinnott, Loraine T; Chandler, Moriah A; Huang, Juan; Mutti, Donald O; Jones-Jordan, Lisa A; Berntsen, David A

2017-09-01

The Bifocal Lenses In Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) study is the first soft multifocal contact lens myopia control study to compare add powers and measure peripheral refractive error in the vertical meridian, so it will provide important information about the potential mechanism of myopia control. The BLINK study is a National Eye Institute-sponsored, double-masked, randomized clinical trial to investigate the effects of soft multifocal contact lenses on myopia progression. This article describes the subjects' baseline characteristics and study methods. Subjects were 7 to 11 years old, had -0.75 to -5.00 spherical component and less than 1.00 diopter (D) astigmatism, and had 20/25 or better logMAR distance visual acuity with manifest refraction in each eye and with +2.50-D add soft bifocal contact lenses on both eyes. Children were randomly assigned to wear Biofinity single-vision, Biofinity Multifocal "D" with a +1.50-D add power, or Biofinity Multifocal "D" with a +2.50-D add power contact lenses. We examined 443 subjects at the baseline visits, and 294 (66.4%) subjects were enrolled. Of the enrolled subjects, 177 (60.2%) were female, and 200 (68%) were white. The mean (± SD) age was 10.3 ± 1.2 years, and 117 (39.8%) of the eligible subjects were younger than 10 years. The mean spherical equivalent refractive error, measured by cycloplegic autorefraction was -2.39 ± 1.00 D. The best-corrected binocular logMAR visual acuity with glasses was +0.01 ± 0.06 (20/21) at distance and -0.03 ± 0.08 (20/18) at near. The BLINK study subjects are similar to patients who would routinely be eligible for myopia control in practice, so the results will provide clinical information about soft bifocal contact lens myopia control as well as information about the mechanism of the treatment effect, if one occurs.

Effect of Initiators on Thermal Changes in Soft Tissues Using a Diode Laser.

PubMed

Romanos, Georgios E; Sacks, Danielle; Montanaro, Nicholas; Delgado-Ruiz, Rafael; Calvo-Guirado, Jose Luis; Javed, Fawad

2018-06-15

The aim was to determine the effect of various initiators on the thermal changes that occur during incisions performed in soft tissues using a diode laser. There are no studies that have assessed the effect of various initiators on the thermal changes that occur during incisions performed in soft tissues using a diode laser. Thermal changes were observed during standardized incisions in chicken breast (without skin) via thermoelements over a 10-sec irradiation period. Incisions were created using a 975 nm diode laser with a 320 μ fiber tip diameter. Incisions (10 in each group) were performed with and without an initiator (control group). Red/blue articulating paper, cork, and SureStep ® were used as initiators. The tissue was irradiated in a continuous wave mode at 3 and 6 W in room temperature (21°C). At 3 and 6 W without any initiator, the mean temperature increased by 5.7°C versus 12.4°C, respectively. Cork initiator at 3 and 6 W resulted in temperature increase by 4.88°C versus 6.21°C, respectively. Incisions made using the blue/red articulating paper-initiated tip resulted in temperature increase by 2.9/5.8°C versus 8.2/7.6°C at 3 and 6 W power settings, respectively. Initiation with SureStep resulted in temperature increase by 2.3°C and at 6 W by 4.1°C. No significant differences were recorded between the different groups, but higher temperatures were associated with higher power settings. The power settings of the diode laser and type of initiator used, both effect the degree to which the temperature of the soft tissue increases during incisions and have to be considered for the safety in soft tissue applications.

In Situ SIMS and IR Spectroscopy of Well-defined Surfaces Prepared by Soft Landing of Mass-selected Ions

PubMed Central

Johnson, Grant E.; Gunaratne, K. Don Dasitha; Laskin, Julia

2014-01-01

Soft landing of mass-selected ions onto surfaces is a powerful approach for the highly-controlled preparation of materials that are inaccessible using conventional synthesis techniques. Coupling soft landing with in situ characterization using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) enables analysis of well-defined surfaces under clean vacuum conditions. The capabilities of three soft-landing instruments constructed in our laboratory are illustrated for the representative system of surface-bound organometallics prepared by soft landing of mass-selected ruthenium tris(bipyridine) dications, [Ru(bpy)3]2+ (bpy = bipyridine), onto carboxylic acid terminated self-assembled monolayer surfaces on gold (COOH-SAMs). In situ time-of-flight (TOF)-SIMS provides insight into the reactivity of the soft-landed ions. In addition, the kinetics of charge reduction, neutralization and desorption occurring on the COOH-SAM both during and after ion soft landing are studied using in situ Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR)-SIMS measurements. In situ IRRAS experiments provide insight into how the structure of organic ligands surrounding metal centers is perturbed through immobilization of organometallic ions on COOH-SAM surfaces by soft landing. Collectively, the three instruments provide complementary information about the chemical composition, reactivity and structure of well-defined species supported on surfaces. PMID:24961913

In Situ SIMS and IR Spectroscopy of Well-Defined Surfaces Prepared by Soft Landing of Mass-Selected Ions

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

Johnson, Grant E.; Gunaratne, Kalupathirannehelage Don D.; Laskin, Julia

2014-06-16

Soft landing of mass-selected ions onto surfaces is a powerful approach for the highly-controlled preparation of materials that are inaccessible using conventional synthesis techniques. Coupling soft landing with in situ characterization using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) enables analysis of well-defined surfaces under clean vacuum conditions. The capabilities of three soft-landing instruments constructed in our laboratory are illustrated for the representative system of surface-bound organometallics prepared by soft landing of mass-selected ruthenium tris(bipyridine) dications, [Ru(bpy)3]2+, onto carboxylic acid terminated self-assembled monolayer surfaces on gold (COOH-SAMs). In situ time-of-flight (TOF)-SIMS provides insight into the reactivitymore » of the soft-landed ions. In addition, the kinetics of charge reduction, neutralization and desorption occurring on the COOH-SAM both during and after ion soft landing are studied using in situ Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR)-SIMS measurements. In situ IRRAS experiments provide insight into how the structure of organic ligands surrounding metal centers is perturbed through immobilization of organometallic ions on COOH-SAM surfaces by soft landing. Collectively, the three instruments provide complementary information about the chemical composition, reactivity and structure of well-defined species supported on surfaces.« less

Development of hand exoskeleton for rehabilitation of post-stroke patient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaid, Amran Mohd; Chean, Tee Chu; Sukor, Jumadi Abdul; Hanafi, Dirman

2017-10-01

Degenerative muscle diseases characterized by loss of strength in human hand significantly affect the physical of affected individuals. A soft assistive exoskeleton glove is designed to help post-stroke patient with their rehabilitation process. The glove uses soft bending actuator which has a rubber like tender characteristic. Due to its rubber like characteristic, flexion of finger can be achieved easily through pneumatic air without considering other hand motions. The application involves a post-stroke patient to wear the soft exoskeleton glove on his paralyzed hand and control the actuation of the glove by using pneumatic air source. The fabrication of the soft bending actuator involves silicone rubber Mold Star® 15 SLOW which falls within the soft category of shore A hardness scale. The soft bending actuator is controlled by Arduino Mega 2560 as main controller board and relay module is used to trigger the 3/2-way single solenoid valve by switching on the 24VDC power supply. The actuation of the soft bending actuator can be manipulated by setting delay ON and OFF for the relay switching. Thus, the repetition of the bending motion can be customized to fulfil the rehabilitation needs of the patient.

On Lunar Exospheric Column Densities and Solar Wind Access Beyond the Terminator from ROSAT Soft X-Ray Observations of Solar Wind Charge Exchange

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collier, Michael R.; Snowden, S. L.; Sarantos, M.; Benna, M.; Carter, J. A.; Cravens, T. E.; Farrell, W. M.; Fatemi, S.; Hills, H. Kent; Hodges, R. R.;

Long-term soft drink and aspartame intake induces hepatic damage via dysregulation of adipocytokines and alteration of the lipid profile and antioxidant status.

PubMed

Lebda, Mohamed A; Tohamy, Hossam G; El-Sayed, Yasser S

2017-05-01

Dietary intake of fructose corn syrup in sweetened beverages is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome and obesity. We hypothesized that inflammatory cytokines play a role in lipid storage and induction of liver injury. Therefore, this study intended to explore the expression of adipocytokines and its link to hepatic damage. Rats were assigned to drink water, cola soft drink (free access) and aspartame (240 mg/kg body weight/day orally) for 2 months. The lipid profiles, liver antioxidants and pathology, and mRNA expression of adipogenic cytokines were evaluated. Subchronic intake of soft drink or aspartame substantially induced hyperglycemia and hypertriacylglycerolemia, as represented by increased serum glucose, triacylglycerol, low-density lipoprotein and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, with obvious visceral fatty deposition. These metabolic syndromes were associated with the up-regulation of leptin and down-regulation of adiponectin and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) expression. Moreover, alterations in serum transaminases accompanied by hepatic oxidative stress involving induction of malondialdehyde and reduction of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione levels are indicative of oxidative hepatic damage. Several cytoarchitecture alterations were detected in the liver, including degeneration, infiltration, necrosis, and fibrosis, predominantly with aspartame. These data suggest that long-term intake of soft drink or aspartame-induced hepatic damage may be mediated by the induction of hyperglycemia, lipid accumulation, and oxidative stress with the involvement of adipocytokines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of graphite target power density on tribological properties of graphite-like carbon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Dan; Jiang, Bailing; Li, Hongtao; Du, Yuzhou; Yang, Chao

2018-05-01

In order to improve the tribological performance, a series of graphite-like carbon (GLC) films with different graphite target power densities were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The valence bond and microstructure of films were characterized by AFM, TEM, XPS and Raman spectra. The variation of mechanical and tribological properties with graphite target power density was analyzed. The results showed that with the increase of graphite target power density, the deposition rate and the ratio of sp2 bond increased obviously. The hardness firstly increased and then decreased with the increase of graphite target power density, whilst the friction coefficient and the specific wear rate increased slightly after a decrease with the increasing graphite target power density. The friction coefficient and the specific wear rate were the lowest when the graphite target power density was 23.3 W/cm2.

Ubiquitous equatorial accretion disc winds in black hole soft states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponti, G.; Fender, R. P.; Begelman, M. C.; Dunn, R. J. H.; Neilsen, J.; Coriat, M.

2012-05-01

High-resolution spectra of Galactic black holes (GBHs) reveal the presence of highly ionized absorbers. In one GBH, accreting close to the Eddington limit for more than a decade, a powerful accretion disc wind is observed to be present in softer X-ray states and it has been suggested that it can carry away enough mass and energy to quench the radio jet. Here we report that these winds, which may have mass outflow rates of the order of the inner accretion rate or higher, are a ubiquitous component of the jet-free soft states of all GBHs. We furthermore demonstrate that these winds have an equatorial geometry with opening angles of few tens of degrees, and so are only observed in sources in which the disc is inclined at a large angle to the line of sight. The decrease in Fe XXV/Fe XXVI line ratio with Compton temperature, observed in the soft state, suggests a link between higher wind ionization and harder spectral shapes. Although the physical interaction between the wind, accretion flow and jet is still not fully understood, the mass flux and power of these winds and their presence ubiquitously during the soft X-ray states suggest they are fundamental components of the accretion phenomenon.

[Keratoconus special soft contact lens fitting].

PubMed

Yamazaki, Ester Sakae; da Silva, Vanessa Cristina Batista; Morimitsu, Vagner; Sobrinho, Marcelo; Fukushima, Nelson; Lipener, César

2006-01-01

To evaluate the fitting and use of a soft contact lens in keratoconic patients. Retrospective study on 80 eyes of 66 patients, fitted with a special soft contact lens for keratoconus, at the Contact Lens Section of UNIFESP and private clinics. Keratoconus was classified according to degrees of disease severity by keratometric pattern. Age, gender, diagnosis, keratometry, visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), base curve and clinical indication were recorded. Of 66 patients (80 eyes) with keratoconus the mean age was 29 years, 51.5% were men and 48.5% women. According to the groups: 15.0% were incipient, 53.7% moderate, 26.3% advanced and 5.0% were severe. The majority of the eyes of patients using contact lenses (91.25%) achieved visual acuity better than 20/40. To 88 eyes 58% were tihed with lens with spherical power (mean -5.45 diopters) and 41% with spherocylinder power (from -0.5 to -5.00 cylindrical diopters). The most frequent base curve was 7.6 in 61% of the eyes. The main reasons for this special lens fitting were due to reduced tolerance and poor fitting pattern achieved with other lenses. The special soft contact lens is useful in fitting difficult keratoconic patients by offering comfort and improving visual rehabilitation that may allow more patients to postpone the need for corneal transplant.

76 FR 80993 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-27

... option of obtaining several cabinet sizes and power densities. The co-located customer may obtain a half cabinet, a low density cabinet, a medium density cabinet, a medium-high density cabinet and a high density...-location customer may obtain more power by choosing a combination of lower power density cabinets. However...

76 FR 80995 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-27

... cabinet sizes and power densities. The co-located customer may obtain a half cabinet, a low density cabinet, a medium density cabinet, a medium-high density cabinet and a high density cabinet. Each cabinet... obtain more power by choosing a combination of lower power density cabinets. However, the Exchange is...

WE-D-BRF-05: Quantitative Dual-Energy CT Imaging for Proton Stopping Power Computation

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

Han, D; Williamson, J; Siebers, J

2014-06-15

Purpose: To extend the two-parameter separable basis-vector model (BVM) to estimation of proton stopping power from dual-energy CT (DECT) imaging. Methods: BVM assumes that the photon cross sections of any unknown material can be represented as a linear combination of the corresponding quantities for two bracketing basis materials. We show that both the electron density (ρe) and mean excitation energy (Iex) can be modeled by BVM, enabling stopping power to be estimated from the Bethe-Bloch equation. We have implemented an idealized post-processing dual energy imaging (pDECT) simulation consisting of monogenetic 45 keV and 80 keV scanning beams with polystyrene-water andmore » water-CaCl2 solution basis pairs for soft tissues and bony tissues, respectively. The coefficients of 24 standard ICRU tissue compositions were estimated by pDECT. The corresponding ρe, Iex, and stopping power tables were evaluated via BVM and compared to tabulated ICRU 44 reference values. Results: BVM-based pDECT was found to estimate ρe and Iex with average and maximum errors of 0.5% and 2%, respectively, for the 24 tissues. Proton stopping power values at 175 MeV, show average/maximum errors of 0.8%/1.4%. For adipose, muscle and bone, these errors result range prediction accuracies less than 1%. Conclusion: A new two-parameter separable DECT model (BVM) for estimating proton stopping power was developed. Compared to competing parametric fit DECT models, BVM has the comparable prediction accuracy without necessitating iterative solution of nonlinear equations or a sample-dependent empirical relationship between effective atomic number and Iex. Based on the proton BVM, an efficient iterative statistical DECT reconstruction model is under development.« less

New parameter of the right gastroepiploic arterial graft using the power spectral analysis device named MemCalc soft.

PubMed

Uehara, Mayuko; Takagi, Nobuyuki; Muraki, Satoshi; Yanase, Yosuke; Tabuchi, Masaki; Tachibana, Kazutoshi; Miyaki, Yasuko; Ito, Toshiro; Higami, Tetsuya

2015-12-01

Transit-time flow measurement (TTFM) parameters such as mean graft flow (MGF, ml/min), pulsatility index (PI) and diastolic filling (DF, %) have been extensively researched for internal mammary arterial or saphenous vein grafts. In our experience of using the right gastroepiploic arterial (GEA) graft for right coronary artery (RCA) grafting, we observed unique GEA graft flow waveforms. We analysed the GEA graft flow waveforms for their effectiveness in determining GEA graft patency by power spectral analysis. Forty-five patients underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass using the GEA graft for RCA grafting individually. The means of intraoperative MGF, PI and DF were compared between patent and non-patent grafts, postoperatively. Furthermore, the GEA flow data were output and analysed using power spectral analysis. Forty grafts were 'patent' and five were 'non-patent'. There were no significant differences in the mean TTFM parameters between the patent and non-patent grafts (MGF: 22 vs 8 ml/min, respectively, P = 0.068; PI: 3.5 vs 6.5, respectively, P = 0.155; DF: 63 vs 53%, respectively, P = 0.237). Results of the power spectral analysis presented clear differences; the power spectral density (PSD) of patent grafts presented high peaks at frequency levels of 1, 2 and 3 Hz, and the non-patent graft PSD presented high peaks that were not limited to these frequencies. The PSD had a sensitivity and specificity of 80 and 87.5%, respectively. Power spectral analysis of the GEA graft flow is useful to distinguish between non-patent and patent grafts intraoperatively. This should be used as a fourth parameter along with MGF, PI and DF. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 90.1215 - Power limits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... peak power spectral density of 21 dBm per one MHz. High power devices using channel bandwidths other than those listed above are permitted; however, they are limited to peak power spectral density of 21 d... conducted output power and the peak power spectral density should be reduced by the amount in decibels that...

Energy efficiency of mobile soft robots.

PubMed

Shui, Langquan; Zhu, Liangliang; Yang, Zhe; Liu, Yilun; Chen, Xi

2017-11-15

The performance of mobile soft robots is usually characterized by their locomotion/velocity efficiency, whereas the energy efficiency is a more intrinsic and fundamental criterion for the performance evaluation of independent or integrated soft robots. In this work, a general framework is established to evaluate the energy efficiency of mobile soft robots by considering the efficiency of the energy source, actuator and locomotion, and some insights for improving the efficiency of soft robotic systems are presented. Proposed as the ratio of the desired locomotion kinetic energy to the input mechanical energy, the energy efficiency of locomotion is found to play a critical role in determining the overall energy efficiency of soft robots. Four key factors related to the locomotion energy efficiency are identified, that is, the locomotion modes, material properties, geometric sizes, and actuation states. It is found that the energy efficiency of most mobile soft robots reported in the literature is surprisingly low (mostly below 0.1%), due to the inefficient mechanical energy that essentially does not contribute to the desired locomotion. A comparison of the locomotion energy efficiency for several representative locomotion modes in the literature is presented, showing a descending ranking as: jumping ≫ fish-like swimming > snake-like slithering > rolling > rising/turning over > inchworm-like inching > quadruped gait > earthworm-like squirming. Besides, considering the same locomotion mode, soft robots with lower stiffness, higher density and larger size tend to have higher locomotion energy efficiency. Moreover, a periodic pulse actuation instead of a continuous actuation mode may significantly reduce the input mechanical energy, thus improving the locomotion energy efficiency, especially when the pulse actuation matches the resonant states of the soft robots. The results presented herein indicate a large and necessary space for improving the locomotion energy efficiency, which is of practical significance for the future development and application of soft robots.

Development of In-situ Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering for Soft Materials at Advanced Light Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Cheng; Hexemer, Alexander; Young, Anthony; Padmore, Howard

2014-03-01

Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering was developed at ALS over the past a few years. It combines soft x-ray spectroscopy with x-ray scattering and offers statistical information for 3D chemical morphology over a large sample area. Its unique chemical sensitivity, large accessible size scale, polarization control and high coherence make it a powerful tool for mesoscale chemical/morphological structure characterization for many classes of materials. However, in order to study sciences in naturally occurring conditions, we need to overcome the sample limitations set by the low penetration depth of soft x-rays and requirement of high vacuum. Adapting to the evolving environmental cell designs utilized increasingly in the Electron Microscopy community, we will report our development of customize design liquid/gas environmental cells that will enable soft x-ray scattering experiments on biological, electro-chemical, self-assembly, and hierarchical functional systems in both static and dynamic fashion. Initial RSoXS result of solar fuel membrane assembly/fuel-cell membrane structure in wet cell will be presented.

Soft electron processor for surface sterilization of food material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baba, Takashi; Kaneko, Hiromi; Taniguchi, Shuichi

2004-09-01

As frozen or chilled foods have become popular nowadays, it has become very important to provide raw materials with lower level microbial contamination to food processing companies. Consequently, the sterilization of food material is one of the major topics for food processing. Dried materials like grains, beans and spices, etc., are not typically deeply contaminated by microorganisms, which reside on the surfaces of materials, so it is very useful to take low energetic, lower than 300 keV, electrons with small penetration power (Soft-Electrons), as a sterilization method for such materials. Soft-Electrons is researched and named by Dr. Hayashi et al. This is a non-thermal method, so one can keep foods hygienic without serious deterioration. It is also a physical method, so is free from residues of chemicals in foods. Recently, Nissin-High Voltage Co., Ltd. have developed and manufactured equipment for commercial use of Soft-Electrons (Soft Electron Processor), which can process 500 kg/h of grains. This report introduces the Soft Electron Processor and shows the results of sterilization of wheat and brown rice by the equipment.

A multimodal interface to resolve the Midas-Touch problem in gaze controlled wheelchair.

PubMed

Meena, Yogesh Kumar; Cecotti, Hubert; Wong-Lin, KongFatt; Prasad, Girijesh

2017-07-01

Human-computer interaction (HCI) research has been playing an essential role in the field of rehabilitation. The usability of the gaze controlled powered wheelchair is limited due to Midas-Touch problem. In this work, we propose a multimodal graphical user interface (GUI) to control a powered wheelchair that aims to help upper-limb mobility impaired people in daily living activities. The GUI was designed to include a portable and low-cost eye-tracker and a soft-switch wherein the wheelchair can be controlled in three different ways: 1) with a touchpad 2) with an eye-tracker only, and 3) eye-tracker with soft-switch. The interface includes nine different commands (eight directions and stop) and integrated within a powered wheelchair system. We evaluated the performance of the multimodal interface in terms of lap-completion time, the number of commands, and the information transfer rate (ITR) with eight healthy participants. The analysis of the results showed that the eye-tracker with soft-switch provides superior performance with an ITR of 37.77 bits/min among the three different conditions (p<;0.05). Thus, the proposed system provides an effective and economical solution to the Midas-Touch problem and extended usability for the large population of disabled users.

Spatially resolved rest-UV spectroscopy of a prototypical quasar driven superwind at low-z

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Sean

2017-08-01

Powerful galaxy-wide winds launched by quasars are thought to be a common evolutionary phase of massive galaxies, but observations of this phenomena are scarce. We have conducted a multi-wavelength observational campaign for J1356+1026, a poster-child obscured quasar driving a superwind at z=0.123. J1356+1026 is driving a nuclear molecular outflow and an extended ionized outflow observed as an [OIII] emitting bubble at 10 kpc that is spatially coincident with soft X-ray emission. Quasar-driven winds carry material at a wide range of densities and temperatures making it difficult to measure their energetics and the dominant phases are unknown. Here we propose spatially resolved rest-UV spectroscopy by acquiring circum-nuclear absorption spectra of J1356+1026 and emission spectra of its off-nucleus bubble using COS+G140L. The circum-nuclear spectrum will provide measurements of the outflow velocity through blueshifted absorption while the off-nuclear spectrum of the bubble will measure the ionization state and mechanisms of the outflow through powerful UV diagnostic lines. Together, these spectra will enable a more complete mass, energy and momentum accounting of a spatially resolved quasar driven superwind for the first time. Furthermore, detection of shocked gas through OVI emission will enable us to infer properties of the enigmatic volume-filling, low density component of the wind. To our knowledge, this will be the first spatially resolved rest UV spectroscopy of a quasar wind and the proposed observations will serve as a pilot to guide future HST proposals.

Soft X-ray FEL simulation in PAL-XFEL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shim, Chi Hyun; Ko, In Soo; Parc, Yong Woon; Han, Jang Hui

2015-10-01

The soft X-ray beamline in the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory X-ray Free Electron Laser (PAL-XFEL) will provide a photon beam with a wavelength from 1 nm to 3 nm in the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) mode by using an electron beam with a 3.15-GeV beam energy. Linearly polarized radiation will be supplied by using six planar undulators (PUs). The linearly-polarized radiation powers at 1 (3) nm can reach 10.2 (30) GW. Polarization of the radiation will be controlled by applying the reverse undulator tapering scheme to the PUs and adding two helical undulators (HUs). The circularly-polarized radiation powers at 1 (3) nm will be 3.11 (11.73) GW. The degrees of circular polarization will be larger than 0.99 for both wavelengths. Three options for the future upgrade of the beamline to increase the radiation power are proposed.

Subleading Regge limit from a soft anomalous dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brüser, Robin; Caron-Huot, Simon; Henn, Johannes M.

2018-04-01

Wilson lines capture important features of scattering amplitudes, for example soft effects relevant for infrared divergences, and the Regge limit. Beyond the leading power approximation, corrections to the eikonal picture have to be taken into account. In this paper, we study such corrections in a model of massive scattering amplitudes in N=4 super Yang-Mills, in the planar limit, where the mass is generated through a Higgs mechanism. Using known three-loop analytic expressions for the scattering amplitude, we find that the first power suppressed term has a very simple form, equal to a single power law. We propose that its exponent is governed by the anomalous dimension of a Wilson loop with a scalar inserted at the cusp, and we provide perturbative evidence for this proposal. We also analyze other limits of the amplitude and conjecture an exact formula for a total cross-section at high energies.

Band head spin assignment of superdeformed bands in 133Pr using two-parameter formulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Honey; Mittal, H. M.

2018-03-01

The two-parameter formulae viz. the power index formula, the nuclear softness formula and the VMI model are adopted to accredit the band head spin (I0) of four superdeformed rotational bands in 133Pr. The technique of least square fitting is used to accredit the band head spin for four superdeformed rotational bands in 133Pr. The root mean deviation among the computed transition energies and well-known experimental transition energies are attained by extracting the model parameters from the two-parameter formulae. The determined transition energies are in excellent agreement with the experimental transition energies, whenever exact spins are accredited. The power index formula coincides well with the experimental data and provides minimum root mean deviation. So, the power index formula is more efficient tool than the nuclear softness formula and the VMI model. The deviation of dynamic moment of inertia J(2) against the rotational frequency is also examined.