Numerical investigation on the prefabricated crack propagation of FV520B stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Juyi; Qin, Ming; Chen, Songying

FV520B is a common stainless steel for manufacturing centrifugal compressor impeller and shaft. The internal metal flaw destroys the continuity of the material matrix, resulting in the crack propagation fracture of the component, which seriously reduces the service life of the equipment. In this paper, Abaqus software was used to simulate the prefabricated crack propagation of FV520B specimen with unilateral gap. The results of static crack propagation simulation results show that the maximum value of stress-strain located at the tip of the crack and symmetrical distributed like a butterfly along the prefabricated crack direction, the maximum stress is 1990 MPa and the maximum strain is 9.489 × 10-3. The Mises stress and stress intensity factor KI increases with the increase of the expansion step, the critical value of crack initiation is reached at the 6th extension step. The dynamic crack propagation simulation shows that the crack propagation path is perpendicular to the load loading direction. Similarly, the maximum Mises stress located at the crack tip and is symmetrically distributed along the crack propagation direction. The critical stress range of the crack propagation is 23.3-43.4 MPa. The maximum value of stress-strain curve located at the 8th extension step, that is, the crack initiation point, the maximum stress is 55.22 MPa, and the maximum strain is 2.26 × 10-4. On the crack tip, the stress changed as 32.24-40.16 MPa, the strain is at 1.292 × 10-4-1.897 × 10-4.

Evaluation of pliers' grip spans in the maximum gripping task and sub-maximum cutting task.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Min; Kong, Yong-Ku

2016-12-01

A total of 25 males participated to investigate the effects of the grip spans of pliers on the total grip force, individual finger forces and muscle activities in the maximum gripping task and wire-cutting tasks. In the maximum gripping task, results showed that the 50-mm grip span had significantly higher total grip strength than the other grip spans. In the cutting task, the 50-mm grip span also showed significantly higher grip strength than the 65-mm and 80-mm grip spans, whereas the muscle activities showed a higher value at 80-mm grip span. The ratios of cutting force to maximum grip strength were also investigated. Ratios of 30.3%, 31.3% and 41.3% were obtained by grip spans of 50-mm, 65-mm, and 80-mm, respectively. Thus, the 50-mm grip span for pliers might be recommended to provide maximum exertion in gripping tasks, as well as lower maximum-cutting force ratios in the cutting tasks.

The role of heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the oncogenesis of head and neck tumors and thyroid diseases: a pilot study.

PubMed

Petrosino, V; Motta, G; Tenore, G; Coletta, M; Guariglia, A; Testa, D

2018-04-01

Previous literature has highlighted the mechanisms of molecular toxicity induced by substances such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead, barium and PCBs. The research was carried out on 20 volunteers, all the patients gave their consent to the research: the aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of metals and PCBs in these different matrices (blood and hair), correlating the biochemical data to pathological conditions present, and also to the area in which patients resided. Various quantitative determinations were carried out on samples of blood and hair for 14 heavy metals and on blood samples for 12 PCBs. For the 11 patients the results indicated that blood levels for half of the 14 displayed heavy metals measured considerably higher compared to the reference values, whilst the levels measured in hair evidenced some positive values significantly higher than the maximum reference. Of the 12 PCBs assayed in blood some showed higher positive values compared to the maximum tabular reference (although there is no clear reference quantified in the WHO-2005 report). In the 9 healthy patients heavy metals in the blood were within the expected target range, with those showing positive results (≤ 3 out of 14 heavy metals for each patient) having values only slightly higher than the reference maximum. The levels of 14 heavy metals measured in hair were below thresholds, and levels for the 12 PCBs measured in blood showed negativity or positivity with values close to the minimum benchmarks. The analyses carried out on biological matrices have uncovered important and significant differences between healthy and unhealthy subjects, both qualitative and quantitative differences with respect to heavy metals and PCBs. All patients with head and neck cancer enlisted for the study had heavy metal and PCB blood levels at least twice the maximum reference level. The levels of heavy metals in hair were at least double the maximum reference. In contrast, all healthy volunteers enrolled showed no significant levels for either metals or PCBs.

Diagnostic performance of shear wave elastography of the breast according to scanning orientation.

PubMed

Kim, Solip; Choi, SeonHyeong; Choi, Yoonjung; Kook, Shin-Ho; Park, Hee Jin; Chung, Eun Chul

2014-10-01

To evaluate the influence of the scanning orientation on diagnostic performance measured by the mean elasticity, maximum elasticity, and fat-to-lesion elasticity ratio on ultrasound-based shear wave elastography in differentiating breast cancers from benign lesions. In this study, a total of 260 breast masses from 235 consecutive patients were observed from March 2012 to November 2012. For each lesion, the mean elasticity value, maximum elasticity value, and fat-to-lesion ratio were measured along two orthogonal directions, and all values were compared with pathologic results. There were 59 malignant and 201 benign lesions. Malignant masses showed higher mean elasticity, maximum elasticity, and fat-to-lesion ratio values than benign lesions (P < .0001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were as follows: average mean elasticity on both views, 0.870; mean elasticity on the transverse view, 0.866; maximum elasticity on both views, 0.865; maximum elasticity on the transverse view, 0.864; mean elasticity on the longitudinal view, 0.849; fat-to-lesion ratio on both views, 0.849; maximum elasticity on the longitudinal view, 0.845; fat-to-lesion ratio on the transverse view, 0.841; and fat-to-lesion ratio on the longitudinal view, 0.814. Intraclass correlation coefficients for agreement between the scanning directions were as follows: mean elasticity, 0.852; maximum elasticity, 0.842; fat-to-lesion ratio, 0.746, for masses; and mean elasticity, 0.392, for anterior mammary fat. Mean elasticity, maximum elasticity, and fat-to-lesion elasticity ratio values were helpful in differentiating benign and malignant breast masses. The scanning orientation did not significantly affect the diagnostic performance of shear wave elastography for breast masses. © 2014 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Assessing cutoff values for increased exercise blood pressure to predict incident hypertension in a general population.

PubMed

Lorbeer, Roberto; Ittermann, Till; Völzke, Henry; Gläser, Sven; Ewert, Ralf; Felix, Stephan B; Dörr, Marcus

2015-07-01

Cutoff values for increased exercise blood pressure (BP) are not established in hypertension guidelines. The aim of the study was to assess optimal cutoff values for increased exercise BP to predict incident hypertension. Data of 661 normotensive participants (386 women) aged 25-77 years from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-1) with a 5-year follow-up were used. Exercise BP was measured at a submaximal level of 100 W and at maximum level of a symptom-limited cycle ergometry test. Cutoff values for increased exercise BP were defined at the maximum sum of sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of incident hypertension. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) and net reclassification index (NRI) were calculated to investigate whether increased exercise BP adds predictive value for incident hypertension beyond established cardiovascular risk factors. In men, values of 160  mmHg (100  W level; AUC = 0.7837; NRI = 0.534, P < 0.001) and 210  mmHg (maximum level; AUC = 0.7677; NRI = 0.340, P = 0.003) were detected as optimal cutoff values for the definition of increased exercise SBP. A value of 190  mmHg (AUC = 0.8347; NRI = 0.519, P < 0.001) showed relevance for the definition of increased exercise SBP in women at the maximum level. According to our analyses, 190 and 210  mmHg are clinically relevant cutoff values for increased exercise SBP at the maximum exercise level of cycle ergometry test for women and men, respectively. In addition, for men, our analyses provided a cutoff value of 160  mmHg for increased exercise SBP at the 100  W level.

A new approach way for white organic light-emitting diodes based on single emitting layer and large stokes shift.

PubMed

Kim, Beomjin; Park, Youngil; Shin, Yunseop; Lee, Jiwon; Shin, Hwangyu; Park, Jongwook

2014-07-01

New red dopant, DPPZ based on porphyrin moiety was synthesized. DPPZ showed UV-Vis and PL maximum values of 412 and 638 nm, indicating the large stokes shift. New blue host compound, TATa was also synthesized and used for co-mixed white emission. TATa exhibited UV-Vis. and PL maximum values of 403 nm and 463 nm in film state. Thus, when two compounds are used as co-mixed emitter in OLED device, there is no energy transfer from blue emission of TATa to DPPZ due to large stokes shift of DPPZ. Based on the PL result, it is available to realize two-colored white in PL and EL spectra. As a result of this, two-mixed compounds showed vivid their own PL emission peaks of 466 and 638 nm in film state. Also, white OLED device using two-mixed compounds system was fabricated. EL spectrum shows 481 and 646 nm peaks and two separate EL peaks. As the operation voltage is increased from 8 to 11 V, EL spectrum does not change the peak shape and maximum wavelength values. EL performance of white device showed 0.041 cd/A, 0.018 Im/W, and CIE (0.457, 0.331) at 8 V.

Alterations in apparent diffusion coefficient values of the kidney during the cardiac cycle: Evaluation with ECG-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging.

PubMed

Ito, Katsuyoshi; Hayashida, Minoru; Kanki, Akihiko; Yamamoto, Akira; Tamada, Tsutomu; Yoshida, Koji; Tanabe, Masahiro

2018-05-17

To evaluate dynamic changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the kidney at different time points during the cardiac cycle using electrocardiographic (ECG)-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging in normal subjects, and to elucidate the differences in ADC values between the right and left kidneys during a cardiac cycle. The study was approved by our institutional review board and informed consent was obtained from subjects. Twenty healthy volunteers who underwent ECG-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the kidney were included. The differences in ADC values of each kidney during different cardiac phases were compared. Additionally, the differences in maximum and minimum ADC values between the right and left kidney were also evaluated. ADC values in the right and left kidney changed significantly during the cardiac cycle (P < 0.00001). Maximum and minimum ADC values during the cardiac cycle of the left kidney were significantly higher (P = 0.026 and 0.017, respectively) than those of the right kidney. Maximum ADC value in the left kidney had a significantly strong positive correlation with the left renal vein ratio (r = 0.83, P < 0.00001). In the right kidney, maximum ADC showed a weakly positive correlation with the diameter of the right renal vein (r = 0.45, P = 0.048). ADC values of the kidney obtained using ECG-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging change significantly during the cardiac cycle. Maximum (systolic) ADC during the cardiac cycle of the left kidney was significantly higher than that of the right kidney, probably due to the anatomical difference in the renal vein. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Filtering facepieces: effect of oily aerosol load on penetration through the filtering material].

PubMed

Plebani, Carmela; Listrani, S; Di Luigi, M

2010-01-01

Electrostatic filters are widely used in applications requiring high filtration efficiency and low pressure drop. However various studies showed that the penetration through electrostatic filters increases during exposure to an aerosol flow. This study investigates the effects of prolonged exposure to an oily aerosol on the penetration through filtering facepieces available on the market. Some samples of FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3 filtering facepieces were exposed for 8 hours consecutively to a paraffin oil polydisperse aerosol. At the end of the exposure about 830 mg of paraffin oil were deposited in the facepiece. All the examined facepieces showed penetration values that increased with paraffin oil load while pressure drop values were substantially the same before and after exposure. The measured maximum penetration values did not exceed the maximum penetration values allowed by the European technical standards, except in one case. According to the literature, 830 mg of oil load in a facepiece is not feasible in workplaces over an eight- hour shift. However, the trend of the penetration versus exposure mass suggests that if the load increases, the penetration may exceed the maximum allowed values. For comparison a mechanical filter was also studied. This showed an initial pressure drop higher than FFP2 filtering facepieces characterized by comparable penetration values. During exposure the pressure drop virtually doubled while penetration did not change. The increase in penetration with no increase in pressure drop in the analyzed facepieces indicates that it is necessary to comply with the information supplied by the manufacturer that restricts their use to a single shift.

Effect of elevation on extreme precipitation of short durations: evidences of orographic signature on the parameters of Depth-Duration-Frequency curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avanzi, Francesco; De Michele, Carlo; Gabriele, Salvatore; Ghezzi, Antonio; Rosso, Renzo

2015-04-01

Here, we show how atmospheric circulation and topography rule the variability of depth-duration-frequency (DDF) curves parameters, and we discuss how this variability has physical implications on the formation of extreme precipitations at high elevations. A DDF is a curve ruling the value of the maximum annual precipitation H as a function of duration D and the level of probability F. We consider around 1500 stations over the Italian territory, with at least 20 years of data of maximum annual precipitation depth at different durations. We estimated the DDF parameters at each location by using the asymptotic distribution of extreme values, i.e. the so-called Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution, and considering a statistical simple scale invariance hypothesis. Consequently, a DDF curve depends on five different parameters. A first set relates H with the duration (namely, the mean value of annual maximum precipitation depth for unit duration and the scaling exponent), while a second set links H to F (namely, a scale, position and shape parameter). The value of the shape parameter has consequences on the type of random variable (unbounded, upper or lower bounded). This extensive analysis shows that the variability of the mean value of annual maximum precipitation depth for unit duration obeys to the coupled effect of topography and modal direction of moisture flux during extreme events. Median values of this parameter decrease with elevation. We called this phenomenon "reverse orographic effect" on extreme precipitation of short durations, since it is in contrast with general knowledge about the orographic effect on mean precipitation. Moreover, the scaling exponent is mainly driven by topography alone (with increasing values of this parameter at increasing elevations). Therefore, the quantiles of H(D,F) at durations greater than unit turn to be more variable at high elevations than at low elevations. Additionally, the analysis of the variability of the shape parameter with elevation shows that extreme events at high elevations appear to be distributed according to an upper bounded probability distribution. These evidences could be a characteristic sign of the formation of extreme precipitation events at high elevations.

Stress-strain state of reinforced bimodulus beam on an elastic foundation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beskopylny, A. N.; Kadomtseva, E. E.; Strelnikov, G. P.; Berdnik, Y. A.

2017-10-01

The paper provides the calculation theory of an arbitrary supported and arbitrary loaded reinforced beam filled with bimodulus material. The formulas determining normal stresses, bending moments, shear forces, rotation angles and a deflection of a rectangular crosssection beam reinforced with any number of bars aligned parallel to the beam axis have been obtained. The numerical study has been carried out to investigate an influence of a modulus of subgrade reaction on values of maximum normal stresses, maximum bending moments and a maximum deflection of a hinged supported beam loaded with a point force or uniform distributed load. The estimation is based on the method of initial parameters for a beam on elastic foundation and the Bubnov-Galerkin method. Values of maximum deflections, maximum bending moments and maximum stresses obtained by these methods coincide. The numerical studies show that taking into consideration the bimodulus of material leads to the necessity to calculate the strength analysis of both tensile stresses and compressive stresses.

Curios relationship revealed by looking at long term data sets-The geometry and allometric scaling of diel xylem sap flux in tropical trees.

PubMed

Kunert, Norbert

2016-10-20

Daily xylem sap flux values (daily J s ) and maximum xylem sap flux values (max J s ) from 125 tropical trees from different study sites in the Neotropics were compared. A cross species and study site relationship was found between daily and maximum values. The relationship can be expressed as daily J s =6.5x max J s . The geometrical relationship between the maximum xylem sap flux of a given day is thus defining the daily xylem sap flux rates. Assuming a bell-shaped diurnal sap flux course and a relatively constant day length the maximum xylem sap flux is the only possible changing variable to define daily fluxes. Further, this relationship is showing the inertia of the xylem sap flux as a physical object and highlights the delayed response to environmental changes and its subsequent inevitable susceptibility under environmental stress to hydraulic failure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of CO2 scroll compressor in transcritical compression cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hongli; Tian, JingRui; Du, Yuanhang; Hou, Xiujuan

2018-05-01

Based on the theory of thermodynamics and kinetics, the mathematical model of an orbiting scroll was established and the stress deformations were employed by ANSYS software. Under the action of pressure load, the results show that the serious displacement part is located in the center of the gear head and the maximum deformation is about 7.33 μm. The maximum radial displacement is about 4.42 μm. The maximum radial stress point occurs in the center of the gear head and the maximum stress is about 40.9 MPa. The maximum axial displacement is about 2.31 μm. The maximum axial stress point occurs in the gear head and the maximum stress is about 44.7 MPa. Under the action of temperature load, the results show that the serious deformation part is located in the center of the gear head and the maximum deformation is about 6.3 μm. The maximum thermal stress occurs in the center of the gear head and the maximum thermal stress is about 86.36 MPa. Under the combined action of temperature load and pressure load, the results show that the serious deformation part and the maximum stress are located in the center of the gear head, and the value are about 7.79 μm and 74.19 MPa, respectively.

Estimating the capacity value of concentrating solar power plants: A case study of the southwestern United States

DOE PAGES

Madaeni, Seyed Hossein; Sioshansi, Ramteen; Denholm, Paul

2012-01-27

Here, we estimate the capacity value of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants without thermal energy storage in the southwestern U.S. Our results show that CSP plants have capacity values that are between 45% and 95% of maximum capacity, depending on their location and configuration. We also examine the sensitivity of the capacity value of CSP to a number of factors and show that capacity factor-based methods can provide reasonable approximations of reliability-based estimates.

12 CFR 221.7 - Supplement: Maximum loan value of margin stock and other collateral.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... value of margin stock and other collateral. (a) Maximum loan value of margin stock. The maximum loan... nonmargin stock and all other collateral. The maximum loan value of nonmargin stock and all other collateral... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Supplement: Maximum loan value of margin stock...

Relative air temperature analysis external building on Gowa Campus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustamin, Tayeb; Rahim, Ramli; Baharuddin; Jamala, Nurul; Kusno, Asniawaty

2018-03-01

This study aims to data analyze the relative temperature and humidity of the air outside the building. Data retrieval taken from weather monitoring device (monitoring) Vaisala, RTU (Remote Terminal Unit), Which is part of the AWS (Automatic Weather Stations) Then Processing data processed and analyzed by using Microsoft Excel program in the form of graph / picture fluctuation Which shows the average value, standard deviation, maximum value, and minimum value. Results of data processing then grouped in the form: Daily, and monthly, based on time intervals every 30 minutes. The results showed Outside air temperatures in March, April, May and September 2016 Which entered in the thermal comfort zone according to SNI standard (Indonesian National Standard) only at 06.00-10.00. In late March to early April Thermal comfort zone also occurs at 15.30-18.00. The highest maximum air temperature occurred in September 2016 at 11.01-11.30 And the lowest minimum value in September 2016, time 6:00 to 6:30. The result of the next analysis shows the level of data conformity with thermal comfort zone based on SNI (Indonesian National Standard) every month.

Occupational exposure assessment of magnetic fields generated by induction heating equipment-the role of spatial averaging.

PubMed

Kos, Bor; Valič, Blaž; Kotnik, Tadej; Gajšek, Peter

2012-10-07

Induction heating equipment is a source of strong and nonhomogeneous magnetic fields, which can exceed occupational reference levels. We investigated a case of an induction tempering tunnel furnace. Measurements of the emitted magnetic flux density (B) were performed during its operation and used to validate a numerical model of the furnace. This model was used to compute the values of B and the induced in situ electric field (E) for 15 different body positions relative to the source. For each body position, the computed B values were used to determine their maximum and average values, using six spatial averaging schemes (9-285 averaging points) and two averaging algorithms (arithmetic mean and quadratic mean). Maximum and average B values were compared to the ICNIRP reference level, and E values to the ICNIRP basic restriction. Our results show that in nonhomogeneous fields, the maximum B is an overly conservative predictor of overexposure, as it yields many false positives. The average B yielded fewer false positives, but as the number of averaging points increased, false negatives emerged. The most reliable averaging schemes were obtained for averaging over the torso with quadratic averaging, with no false negatives even for the maximum number of averaging points investigated.

A New Cloud and Aerosol Layer Detection Method Based on Micropulse Lidar Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Q.; Zhao, C.; Wang, Y.; Li, Z.; Wang, Z.; Liu, D.

2014-12-01

A new algorithm is developed to detect aerosols and clouds based on micropulse lidar (MPL) measurements. In this method, a semi-discretization processing (SDP) technique is first used to inhibit the impact of increasing noise with distance, then a value distribution equalization (VDE) method is introduced to reduce the magnitude of signal variations with distance. Combined with empirical threshold values, clouds and aerosols are detected and separated. This method can detect clouds and aerosols with high accuracy, although classification of aerosols and clouds is sensitive to the thresholds selected. Compared with the existing Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program lidar-based cloud product, the new method detects more high clouds. The algorithm was applied to a year of observations at both the U.S. Southern Great Plains (SGP) and China Taihu site. At SGP, the cloud frequency shows a clear seasonal variation with maximum values in winter and spring, and shows bi-modal vertical distributions with maximum frequency at around 3-6 km and 8-12 km. The annual averaged cloud frequency is about 50%. By contrast, the cloud frequency at Taihu shows no clear seasonal variation and the maximum frequency is at around 1 km. The annual averaged cloud frequency is about 15% higher than that at SGP.

Gauging the Nearness and Size of Cycle Maximum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Robert M.; Hathaway, David H.

2003-01-01

A simple method for monitoring the nearness and size of conventional cycle maximum for an ongoing sunspot cycle is examined. The method uses the observed maximum daily value and the maximum monthly mean value of international sunspot number and the maximum value of the 2-mo moving average of monthly mean sunspot number to effect the estimation. For cycle 23, a maximum daily value of 246, a maximum monthly mean of 170.1, and a maximum 2-mo moving average of 148.9 were each observed in July 2000. Taken together, these values strongly suggest that conventional maximum amplitude for cycle 23 would be approx. 124.5, occurring near July 2002 +/-5 mo, very close to the now well-established conventional maximum amplitude and occurrence date for cycle 23-120.8 in April 2000.

[Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and sediment from Zhoushan coastal area, China].

PubMed

Jiang, Min; Tuan, Le Huy; Mei, Wei-Ping; Ruan, Hui-Hui; Wu, Hao

2014-07-01

The spatial and temporal distribution of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been investigated in water and sediments of Zhoushan coastal area every two months in 2012. The concentrations of total PAHs ranged from 382.3 to 816.9 ng x L(-1), with the mean value of 552.5 ng x L(-1) in water; whereas it ranged from 1017.9 to 3047.1 ng x g(-1), with the mean value of 2 022.4 ng x g(-1) in sediment. Spatial distribution showed that Yangshan and Yanwoshan offshore area had the maximum and minimum of total PAHs contents in water, while the maximum and minimum occurred at Yangshan and Zhujiajian Nansha offshore area in sediment. Temporal distribution revealed that total PAHs contents in water reached the maximum and minimum values in October and June, however in sediments these values were found in August and June, respectively. The PAHs pollution was affected by oil emission, charcoal and coal combustion. Using the biological threshold and exceeded coefficient method to assess the ecological risk of PAHs in Zhoushan coastal area, the result showed that sigma PAHs had a lower probability of potential risk, while there was a higher probability of potential risk for acenaphthylene monomer, and there might be ecological risk for acenaphthene and fluorene. Distribution of PAHs between sediment and water showed that Zhoushan coastal sediment enriched a lot of PAHs, meanwhile the enrichment coefficient (K(d) value) of sediment in Daishan island was larger than that in Zhoushan main island.

Chcanges in Germinability and Activities of Polyphenol Oxidase and Peroxidase in Seeds of Pentaclethramacrophylla During Lowtemperature Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udosen, I. R.; Nkang, A. E.; Sam, S. M.

2012-07-01

Activities of peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol Oxidase (PPO) were investigated in seeds of Pentaclethramacrophylla during low temperature treatment. The seeds from the small-sized fruits (variety A) and those of the big-sized fruits (variety B) showed high germination, with maximum germination values ranging between 60 ñ 90%. Low temperature treatment did not significantly (P< 0.5) affect maximum germination values. Activities of POD and PPO increased initially (2-4 days) but declined with prolonged (6ñ8 days) low temperature treatment.

Projected Changes in Temperature and Precipitation Extremes over China as Measured by 50-yr Return Values and Periods Based on a CMIP5 Ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ying; Gao, Xuejie; Giorgi, Filippo; Zhou, Botao; Shi, Ying; Wu, Jie; Zhang, Yongxiang

2018-04-01

Future changes in the 50-yr return level for temperature and precipitation extremes over mainland China are investigated based on a CMIP5 multi-model ensemble for RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The following indices are analyzed: TXx and TNn (the annual maximum and minimum of daily maximum and minimum surface temperature), RX5day (the annual maximum consecutive 5-day precipitation) and CDD (maximum annual number of consecutive dry days). After first validating the model performance, future changes in the 50-yr return values and return periods for these indices are investigated along with the inter-model spread. Multi-model median changes show an increase in the 50-yr return values of TXx and a decrease for TNn, more specifically, by the end of the 21st century under RCP8.5, the present day 50-yr return period of warm events is reduced to 1.2 yr, while extreme cold events over the country are projected to essentially disappear. A general increase in RX5day 50-yr return values is found in the future. By the end of the 21st century under RCP8.5, events of the present RX5day 50-yr return period are projected to reduce to < 10 yr over most of China. Changes in CDD-50 show a dipole pattern over China, with a decrease in the values and longer return periods in the north, and vice versa in the south. Our study also highlights the need for further improvements in the representation of extreme events in climate models to assess the future risks and engineering design related to large-scale infrastructure in China.

[Spectrum simulation based on data derived from red tide].

PubMed

Liu, Zhen-Yu; Cui, Ting-Wei; Yue, Jie; Jiang, Tao; Cao, Wen-Xi; Ma, Yi

2011-11-01

The present paper utilizes the absorption data of red tide water measured during the growing and dying course to retrieve imaginary part of the index of refraction based on Mie theory, carries out the simulation and analysis of average absorption efficiency factors, average backscattering efficiency factors and scattering phase function. The analysis of the simulation shows that Mie theory can be used to reproduce the absorption property of Chaetoceros socialis with an average error of 11%; the average backscattering efficiency factors depend on the value of absorption whose maximum value corresponds to the wavelength range from 400 to 700 nanometer; the average backscattering efficiency factors showed a maximum value on 17th with a low value during the outbreak of red tide and the minimum on 21th; the total scattering, weakly depending on the absorption, is proportional to the size parameters which represent the relative size of cell diameter with respect to the wavelength, while the angle scattering intensity is inversely proportional to wavelength.

Analysis of Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulphur Dioxide in Lima, Peru: Trends and Seasonal Variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pacsi, S.; Rappenglueck, B.

2007-12-01

This research was carried out to show a general analysis of the monthly and yearly variation (1996-2002) and the tendency of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) for the 5 stations of the air quality network of Lima. The SO2 and NO2 concentrations were measured by the Dirección General de Salud Ambiental (DIGESA), using the active sampling method and the chemical analysis has been determined by Turbidimetry and Colorimetry for the SO2 and NO2 respectively. The monthly average variation (1996-2001) of SO2 in the Lima Center station has a small annual range (32,4 mikrograms/m3) with maximum values in autumn (April) and minimum in winter (June). The NO2 presents a higher annual range (128,2 mikrograms/m3) and its minimum values occur in the summer and the maximum in spring. The annual averages analysis (2000-2002) of the air quality monitoring network of Lima shows that the SO2 and NO2 values are maximum in the Lima Center station and exceed the Peruvian air quality standard (ECAs) in 30% and 75% respectively. The yearly variation (1996-2001) in the Lima Center station show an increasing tendency in the SO2 (significant) and NO2 (not significant) values, which indicates the critical level of the air quality in Lima, therefore the implementation of the air pollution control programs is urgent.

Beyond SaGMRotI: Conversion to SaArb, SaSN, and SaMaxRot

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson-Lamprey, J. A.; Boore, D.M.

2007-01-01

In the seismic design of structures, estimates of design forces are usually provided to the engineer in the form of elastic response spectra. Predictive equations for elastic response spectra are derived from empirical recordings of ground motion. The geometric mean of the two orthogonal horizontal components of motion is often used as the response value in these predictive equations, although it is not necessarily the most relevant estimate of forces within the structure. For some applications it is desirable to estimate the response value on a randomly chosen single component of ground motion, and in other applications the maximum response in a single direction is required. We give adjustment factors that allow converting the predictions of geometric-mean ground-motion predictions into either of these other two measures of seismic ground-motion intensity. In addition, we investigate the relation of the strike-normal component of ground motion to the maximum response values. We show that the strike-normal component of ground motion seldom corresponds to the maximum horizontal-component response value (in particular, at distances greater than about 3 km from faults), and that focusing on this case in exclusion of others can result in the underestimation of the maximum component. This research provides estimates of the maximum response value of a single component for all cases, not just near-fault strike-normal components. We provide modification factors that can be used to convert predictions of ground motions in terms of the geometric mean to the maximum spectral acceleration (SaMaxRot) and the random component of spectral acceleration (SaArb). Included are modification factors for both the mean and the aleatory standard deviation of the logarithm of the motions.

Sound field inside acoustically levitated spherical drop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, W. J.; Wei, B.

2007-05-01

The sound field inside an acoustically levitated small spherical water drop (radius of 1mm) is studied under different incident sound pressures (amplitude p0=2735-5643Pa). The transmitted pressure ptr in the drop shows a plane standing wave, which varies mainly in the vertical direction, and distributes almost uniformly in the horizontal direction. The maximum of ptr is always located at the lowermost point of the levitated drop. Whereas the secondary maximum appears at the uppermost point if the incident pressure amplitude p0 is higher than an intermediate value (3044Pa), in which there exists a pressure nodal surface in the drop interior. The value of the maximum ptr lies in a narrow range of 2489-3173Pa, which has a lower limit of 2489Pa when p0=3044Pa. The secondary maximum of ptr is rather small and only remarkable at high incident pressures.

Effects on run-off water quantity and quality of urban organic wastes applied in a degraded semi-arid ecosystem.

PubMed

Martínez, F; Casermeiro, M A; Morales, D; Cuevas, G; Walter, Ingrid

2003-04-15

Biosolids and composted municipal solid wastes were surface-applied (0 and 80 Mg ha(-1)) to a degraded soil in a semi-arid environment to determine their effects on the quantity and quality of run-off water. Three and 4 years after application, a simulated rainfall was performed (intensity=942.5 ml min(-1) and kinetic energy=3.92 J m(-2)) on 0.078 m(2) plots using a portable rainfall simulator. The run-off from the different treatment plots was collected and analysed. The type of treatment was highly related to infiltration, run-off and sediment production. The biosolid-treated plots showed the minimum value of total run-off, maximum time to the beginning of run-off and maximum run-off ratio (the relationship between total rainfall and run-off). The MSW-treated plots showed values intermediate between biosolid-treated plots and control plots. Soil losses were also closely related to treatment type. Control plots showed the maximum sediment yield, MSW-treated plots showed intermediate values, and biosolid plots the minimum values for washout. The concentrations of NH(4)-N and PO(4)-P in the run-off water were significantly higher in the treated plots than in control plots. The highest PO(4)-P value, 0.73 mg l(-1), was obtained in the soil treated with biosolids; NO(3)-N concentration also increased significantly with respect to the control and MSW treatments. NH(4)-N concentrations of 15.6 and 15.0 mg l(-1) were recorded in the soils treated with biosolids and MSW, respectively, values approximately five times higher than those obtained in run-off water from untreated soil. However, the concentrations of all these constituents were lower than threshold limits cited in water quality standards for agricultural use. With the exception of Cu, all trace metals analysed in the run-off water were below detection limits.

Experimental testing and constitutive modeling of the mechanical properties of the swine skin tissue.

PubMed

Łagan, Sylwia D; Liber-Kneć, Aneta

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was an estimation of the possibility of using hyperelastic material models to fit experimental data obtained in the tensile test for the swine skin tissue. The uniaxial tensile tests of samples taken from the abdomen and back of a pig was carried out. The mechanical properties of the skin such as the mean Young's modulus, the mean maximum stress and the mean maximum elongation were calculated. The experimental data have been used to identify the parameters in specific strain-energy functions given in seven constitutive models of hyperelastic materials: neo-Hookean, Mooney-Rivlin, Ogden, Yeoh, Martins, Humphrey and Veronda-Westmann. An analysis of errors in fitting of theoretical and experimental data was done. Comparison of load -displacement curves for the back and abdomen regions of skin taken showed a different scope of both the mean maximum loading forces and the mean maximum elongation. Samples which have been prepared from the abdominal area had lower values of the mean maximum load compared to samples from the spine area. The reverse trend was observed during the analysis of the values of elongation. An analysis of the accuracy of model fitting to the experimental data showed that, the least accurate were the model of neo- -Hookean, model of Mooney-Rivlin for the abdominal region and model of Veronda-Westmann for the spine region. An analysis of seven hyperelastic material models showed good correlations between the experimental and the theoretical data for five models.

NPP estimation and seasonal change research of Gansu province in northwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Tao; Wang, Dawei; Hao, Xiaocui; Jiang, Youyan

2018-03-01

Based on GIS and remote sensing technology, this paper estimates the NPP of the 2015 year-round and every season of Gansu province in northwest China by using the CASA(Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach) light energy utilization model. The result shows that the total annual NPP of Gansu province gradually decline from southeast to northwest in the space, which is in accordance with the water and heat condition in Gansu province. The results show that the summer NPP in Gansu Province is the maximum in each season. The maximum value of summer NPP in Gansu Province reached 695 (gCm-2•season-1), and the maximum value was 473 in spring, and 288 in the autumn, and the NPP in the winter in Gansu province were under 60. The fluctuation range of NPP value is large, this is due to the diversity of ecosystem types in Gansu province, including desert, grassland, farmland and forest, among them, the grassland area is the largest, and the grassland type is very diverse, the grassland coverage is obviously different, especially the low coverage grassland growth is affected by precipitation and temperature and other meteorological factors obviously.

Maximizing Total QoS-Provisioning of Image Streams with Limited Energy Budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Wan Yeon; Kim, Kyong Hoon; Ko, Young Woong

To fully utilize the limited battery energy of mobile electronic devices, we propose an adaptive adjustment method of processing quality for multiple image stream tasks running with widely varying execution times. This adjustment method completes the worst-case executions of the tasks with a given budget of energy, and maximizes the total reward value of processing quality obtained during their executions by exploiting the probability distribution of task execution times. The proposed method derives the maximum reward value for the tasks being executable with arbitrary processing quality, and near maximum value for the tasks being executable with a finite number of processing qualities. Our evaluation on a prototype system shows that the proposed method achieves larger reward values, by up to 57%, than the previous method.

Studying Maximum Plantar Stress per Insole Design Using Foot CT-Scan Images of Hyperelastic Soft Tissues

PubMed Central

Sarikhani, Ali; Motalebizadeh, Abbas; Kamali Doost Azad, Babak

2016-01-01

The insole shape and the resulting plantar stress distribution have a pivotal impact on overall health. In this paper, by Finite Element Method, maximum stress value and stress distribution of plantar were studied for different insoles designs, which are the flat surface and the custom-molded (conformal) surface. Moreover, insole thickness, heel's height, and different materials were used to minimize the maximum stress and achieve the most uniform stress distribution. The foot shape and its details used in this paper were imported from online CT-Scan images. Results show that the custom-molded insole reduced maximum stress 40% more than the flat surface insole. Upon increase of thickness in both insole types, stress distribution becomes more uniform and maximum stress value decreases up to 10%; however, increase of thickness becomes ineffective above a threshold of 1 cm. By increasing heel height (degree of insole), maximum stress moves from heel to toes and becomes more uniform. Therefore, this scenario is very helpful for control of stress in 0.2° to 0.4° degrees for custom-molded insole and over 1° for flat insole. By changing the material of the insole, the value of maximum stress remains nearly constant. The custom-molded (conformal) insole which has 0.5 to 1 cm thickness and 0.2° to 0.4° degrees is found to be the most compatible form for foot. PMID:27843284

Analyzing the rules of fracture and damage, and the characteristics of the acoustic emission signal of a gypsum specimen under uniaxial loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dong; Wang, En-yuan; Li, Nan

2017-08-01

In order to study the mechanism of rock bursts in a mined-out area of a gypsum mine, in this paper acoustic emission testing of the uniaxial compression of gypsum and sandstone samples is carried out. The case of rupture of the specimen is observed, and the load axial deformation curve and acoustic emission parameters are obtained for the whole process of specimen rupture. The similarities and differences between the gypsum and sandstone samples are determined in terms of their mechanical properties, their damage evolution laws and frequency band energy distributions, and the instantaneous energy characteristics of their acoustic emission. The results show that the main fracture morphology of gypsum is ‘eight’-type, and the macroscopic fracture morphology of sandstone is mainly of partial ‘Y’-type and inverted Y-type. The intensity and uniformity of the gypsum and sandstone of the medium are different; because the gypsum is more uniform, it does not show as much variation as sandstone, instead suddenly increasing and decreasing. The maximum value of the damage variable D of gypsum reached 1, but the maximum value of D of the sandstone only reached 0.9. The frequency band of the maximum energy of gypsum and sandstone gradually decreased across the the four stages of rupture, while the maximum energy percentage increased gradually. From the stage where damage gradually increases to the stage of integral fracture of the specimen, the instantaneous energy showed a certain degree of increase. With an increase in the strength of the sample, the maximum energy percentage of the two materials corresponding to each phase gradually increases, and from the stage where damage gradually increases to the stage of integral fracture of the specimen, the value of instantaneous energy obviously increases. The results indicate that gypsum mines will also experience rock bursts, as coal mines do, but the intensity will be different. Therefore, using the three indicators, the frequency band of the maximum energy, the maximum energy percentage, and the maximum instantaneous energy, the rupture of the sample can be predicted, which can be used to improve the accuracy and efficiency of early warning systems for rock bursts in gypsum mines.

Weak value amplification considered harmful

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrie, Christopher; Combes, Joshua

2014-03-01

We show using statistically rigorous arguments that the technique of weak value amplification does not perform better than standard statistical techniques for the tasks of parameter estimation and signal detection. We show that using all data and considering the joint distribution of all measurement outcomes yields the optimal estimator. Moreover, we show estimation using the maximum likelihood technique with weak values as small as possible produces better performance for quantum metrology. In doing so, we identify the optimal experimental arrangement to be the one which reveals the maximal eigenvalue of the square of system observables. We also show these conclusions do not change in the presence of technical noise.

[Energy accumulation and allocation of main plant populations in Aneurolepidium chinense grassland in Songnen Plain].

PubMed

Qu, Guohui; Wen, Mingzhang; Guo, Jixun

2003-05-01

The calorific value of plants is dependent on their biological characteristics and energy-containing materials. The allocation of calorific value in different organs of Aneurolepidium chinese, Calamagrostic epigejos, Puccinellia tenuiflora and Chloris virgata was inflorescence > leaf > stem > dead standing. The seasonal dynamics of standing crop energy of aboveground part of four plant populations showed single-peak curve, and the energy production was Aneurolepidium chinense > Calamagrostic epigejos > Chloris virgata > Puccinellia tenuiflora. Energy increasing rate showed double-peak curve, with the first peak at heading stage and the second peak at maturing stage of seeds. Energy increasing rate was negative at the final stage of growth. The horizontal distribution of energy of aboveground part was that the allocation ratio of different organs at different growth stages was different. There existed a similar trend for vertical distribution of energy among four plant populations, i.e., was the vertical distribution of energy of aboveground part showed a tower shape, with the maximum value in 10-30 cm height. The vertical distribution of energy of underground part showed an inverted tower shape from soil surface to deeper layer, with the maximum value in 0-10 cm depth. The standing crop energy of underground part was about 3-4 times than that of aboveground part.

Modeling the distribution of extreme share return in Malaysia using Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Husna; Radi, Noor Fadhilah Ahmad; Kassim, Suraiya

2012-05-01

Extreme share return in Malaysia is studied. The monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum returns are fitted to the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) tests are performed to test for stationarity, while Mann-Kendall (MK) test is for the presence of monotonic trend. Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) is used to estimate the parameter while L-moments estimate (LMOM) is used to initialize the MLE optimization routine for the stationary model. Likelihood ratio test is performed to determine the best model. Sherman's goodness of fit test is used to assess the quality of convergence of the GEV distribution by these monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum. Returns levels are then estimated for prediction and planning purposes. The results show all maximum returns for all selection periods are stationary. The Mann-Kendall test indicates the existence of trend. Thus, we ought to model for non-stationary model too. Model 2, where the location parameter is increasing with time is the best for all selection intervals. Sherman's goodness of fit test shows that monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum converge to the GEV distribution. From the results, it seems reasonable to conclude that yearly maximum is better for the convergence to the GEV distribution especially if longer records are available. Return level estimates, which is the return level (in this study return amount) that is expected to be exceeded, an average, once every t time periods starts to appear in the confidence interval of T = 50 for quarterly, half yearly and yearly maximum.

Numerical analysis of the air chemical non-equilibrium effect in combustion for a semi-sphere with opposing jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Fa-Ming; Wang, Jiang-Feng; Li, Long-Fei

2018-05-01

The air chemical non-equilibrium effect (ACNEE) on hydrogen-air combustion flow fields at Mach number of 10 is numerically analyzed for a semi-sphere with a sonic opposing-hydrogen jet. The 2D axisymmetric multi-components N-S equations are solved by using the central scheme with artificial dissipation and the S-A turbulence model. Numerical results show that as compared to the result without ACNEE, the ACNEE has little influence on the structure of flow field, but has a considerable impact on fluid characteristics which reduces the maximum value of mass fraction of water in the flow field and increases the maximum value of mass fraction of water on solid surface, as well as the maximum surface temperature.

Perturbative expansion for the maximum of fractional Brownian motion.

PubMed

Delorme, Mathieu; Wiese, Kay Jörg

2016-07-01

Brownian motion is the only random process which is Gaussian, scale invariant, and Markovian. Dropping the Markovian property, i.e., allowing for memory, one obtains a class of processes called fractional Brownian motion, indexed by the Hurst exponent H. For H=1/2, Brownian motion is recovered. We develop a perturbative approach to treat the nonlocality in time in an expansion in ɛ=H-1/2. This allows us to derive analytic results beyond scaling exponents for various observables related to extreme value statistics: the maximum m of the process and the time t_{max} at which this maximum is reached, as well as their joint distribution. We test our analytical predictions with extensive numerical simulations for different values of H. They show excellent agreement, even for H far from 1/2.

ZT Optimization: An Application Focus

PubMed Central

Tuley, Richard; Simpson, Kevin

2017-01-01

Significant research has been performed on the challenge of improving thermoelectric materials, with maximum peak figure of merit, ZT, the most common target. We use an approximate thermoelectric material model, matched to real materials, to demonstrate that when an application is known, average ZT is a significantly better optimization target. We quantify this difference with some examples, with one scenario showing that changing the doping to increase peak ZT by 19% can lead to a performance drop of 16%. The importance of average ZT means that the temperature at which the ZT peak occurs should be given similar weight to the value of the peak. An ideal material for an application operates across the maximum peak ZT, otherwise maximum performance occurs when the peak value is reduced in order to improve the peak position. PMID:28772668

The power and robustness of maximum LOD score statistics.

PubMed

Yoo, Y J; Mendell, N R

2008-07-01

The maximum LOD score statistic is extremely powerful for gene mapping when calculated using the correct genetic parameter value. When the mode of genetic transmission is unknown, the maximum of the LOD scores obtained using several genetic parameter values is reported. This latter statistic requires higher critical value than the maximum LOD score statistic calculated from a single genetic parameter value. In this paper, we compare the power of maximum LOD scores based on three fixed sets of genetic parameter values with the power of the LOD score obtained after maximizing over the entire range of genetic parameter values. We simulate family data under nine generating models. For generating models with non-zero phenocopy rates, LOD scores maximized over the entire range of genetic parameters yielded greater power than maximum LOD scores for fixed sets of parameter values with zero phenocopy rates. No maximum LOD score was consistently more powerful than the others for generating models with a zero phenocopy rate. The power loss of the LOD score maximized over the entire range of genetic parameters, relative to the maximum LOD score calculated using the correct genetic parameter value, appeared to be robust to the generating models.

Comparison of Maximum Stretch Forces between Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Capsulotomy and Continuous Curvilinear Capsulorhexis

PubMed Central

Ichikawa, Kei; Tanaka, Yoshiki; Kato, Yukihito; Horai, Rie; Tamaoki, Akeno; Ichikawa, Kazuo

2017-01-01

The current study reports comparing the postoperative mechanical properties of the anterior capsule between femtosecond laser capsulotomy (FLC) and continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) of variable size and shape in porcine eyes. All CCCs were created using capsule forceps. Irregular or eccentric CCCs were also created to simulate real cataract surgery. For FLC, capsulotomies 5.3 mm in diameter were created using the LenSx® (Alcon) platform. Fresh porcine eyes were used in all experiments. The edges of the capsule openings were pulled at a constant speed using two L-shaped jigs. Stretch force and distance were recorded over time, and the maximum values in this regard were defined as those that were recorded when the capsule broke. There was no difference in maximum stretch force between CCC and FLC. There were no differences in circularity between FLC and same-sized CCC. However, same-sized CCC did show significantly higher maximum stretch forces than FLC. Teardrop-shaped CCC showed lower maximum stretch forces than same-sized CCC and FLC. Heart-shaped CCC showed lower maximum stretch forces than same-sized CCC. Conclusively, while capsule edge strength after CCC varied depending on size or irregularities, FLC had the advantage of stable maximum stretch forces. PMID:28210504

Comparison of Maximum Stretch Forces between Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Capsulotomy and Continuous Curvilinear Capsulorhexis.

PubMed

Takagi, Mari; Kojima, Takashi; Ichikawa, Kei; Tanaka, Yoshiki; Kato, Yukihito; Horai, Rie; Tamaoki, Akeno; Ichikawa, Kazuo

2017-01-01

The current study reports comparing the postoperative mechanical properties of the anterior capsule between femtosecond laser capsulotomy (FLC) and continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) of variable size and shape in porcine eyes. All CCCs were created using capsule forceps. Irregular or eccentric CCCs were also created to simulate real cataract surgery. For FLC, capsulotomies 5.3 mm in diameter were created using the LenSx® (Alcon) platform. Fresh porcine eyes were used in all experiments. The edges of the capsule openings were pulled at a constant speed using two L-shaped jigs. Stretch force and distance were recorded over time, and the maximum values in this regard were defined as those that were recorded when the capsule broke. There was no difference in maximum stretch force between CCC and FLC. There were no differences in circularity between FLC and same-sized CCC. However, same-sized CCC did show significantly higher maximum stretch forces than FLC. Teardrop-shaped CCC showed lower maximum stretch forces than same-sized CCC and FLC. Heart-shaped CCC showed lower maximum stretch forces than same-sized CCC. Conclusively, while capsule edge strength after CCC varied depending on size or irregularities, FLC had the advantage of stable maximum stretch forces.

Two optimal working regimes of the ”long” Iguasu gas centrifuge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borman, V. D.; Bogovalov, S. V.; Borisevich, V. D.; Tronin, I. V.; Tronin, V. N.

2016-09-01

We argue on the basis of the results of optimization calculations that the dependence of the optimal separative power of the Iguasu gas centrifuge with 2 m rotor has two local maxima,corresponding pressures of p max1 = 35 mmHg and p max2 = 350 mmHg. The optimal separative power values in these maxima differ by the value of 0.6%. Low pressure maximum is caused by the thermal drive, whereas high pressure maximum is caused by both thermal and mechanical drives. High pressure maximum is located on wide ’’plateau” from p 1 = 200 mmHg to p 2 = 500 mmHg, where the optimal separative power changes in the range of 0.7%. In this way, Iguasu gas centrifuge has two optimal working regimes with different sets of working parameters and close slightly different values of the separative power. Calculations show that high pressure regime is less sensitive to the parameters change than low pressure one.

Weak scale from the maximum entropy principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, Yuta; Kawai, Hikaru; Kawana, Kiyoharu

2015-03-01

The theory of the multiverse and wormholes suggests that the parameters of the Standard Model (SM) are fixed in such a way that the radiation of the S3 universe at the final stage S_rad becomes maximum, which we call the maximum entropy principle. Although it is difficult to confirm this principle generally, for a few parameters of the SM, we can check whether S_rad actually becomes maximum at the observed values. In this paper, we regard S_rad at the final stage as a function of the weak scale (the Higgs expectation value) vh, and show that it becomes maximum around vh = {{O}} (300 GeV) when the dimensionless couplings in the SM, i.e., the Higgs self-coupling, the gauge couplings, and the Yukawa couplings are fixed. Roughly speaking, we find that the weak scale is given by vh ˜ T_{BBN}2 / (M_{pl}ye5), where ye is the Yukawa coupling of electron, T_BBN is the temperature at which the Big Bang nucleosynthesis starts, and M_pl is the Planck mass.

[Temporal and spatial variation of MODIS vegetation indices in Hunan Province].

PubMed

Lin, Hui; Xiong, Yu-Jiu; Wan, Ling-Feng; Mo, Deng-Kui; Sun, Hua

2007-03-01

Based on MODIS images and by using the algorithm of maximum value composite (MVC), the monthly vegetation indices (VIs) in 2005 in Hunan Province were obtained. Through the analysis of the MODIS VIs, Hunan Province was divided into six districts to describe the spatial distribution of the VIs, and by using the monthly mean temperature and rainfall data collected from 5 climatic monitoring stations in this province, the temporal variation of the VIs was analyzed. The results showed that the spatial distribution of MODIS VIs was positively correlated with vegetation cover, and appeared regional characteristics. The MODIS VIs varied with season, and the curves of their monthly mean values were downwards opening quadratic parabolas, with the maximum appeared in July. The value of MODIS EVI was smaller than that of MODIS NDVI. MODIS VI was mainly affected by monthly mean temperature, but this effect was decreased with decreasing latitude. The variation pattern of MODIS EVI was more apparent than that of MODIS NDVI, i. e. , the quadratic parabola of MODIS EVI was smoother, going gradually from minimum to maximum and then going down, while that of MODIS NDVI had tiny fluctuations on both sides of the maximum point.

Shear conditions in clavulanic acid production by Streptomyces clavuligerus in stirred tank and airlift bioreactors.

PubMed

Cerri, M O; Badino, A C

2012-08-01

In biochemical processes involving filamentous microorganisms, the high shear rate may damage suspended cells leading to viability loss and cell disruption. In this work, the influence of the shear conditions in clavulanic acid (CA) production by Streptomyces clavuligerus was evaluated in a 4-dm(3) conventional stirred tank (STB) and in 6-dm(3) concentric-tube airlift (ALB) bioreactors. Batch cultivations were performed in a STB at 600 and 800 rpm and 0.5 vvm (cultivations B1 and B2) and in ALB at 3.0 and 4.1 vvm (cultivations A1 and A2) to define two initial oxygen transfer conditions in both bioreactors. The average shear rate ([Formula: see text]) of the cultivations was estimated using correlations of recent literature based on experimental data of rheological properties of the broth (consistency index, K, and flow index, n) and operating conditions, impeller speed (N) for STB and superficial gas velocity in the riser (UGR) for ALB. In the same oxygen transfer condition, the [Formula: see text] values for ALB were higher than those obtained in STB. The maximum [Formula: see text] presented a strong correlation with a maximum consistency index (K (max)) of the broth. Close values of maximum CA production were obtained in cultivations A1 and A2 (454 and 442 mg L(-1)) with similar maximum [Formula: see text] values of 4,247 and 4,225 s(-1). In cultivations B1 and B2, the maximum CA production of 269 and 402 mg L(-1) were reached with a maximum [Formula: see text] of 904 and 1,786 s(-1). The results show that high values of average shear rate increase the CA production regardless of the oxygen transfer condition and bioreactor model.

Impacts of climate change on the trends of extreme rainfall indices and values of maximum precipitation at Olimpiyat Station, Istanbul, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigussie, Tewodros Assefa; Altunkaynak, Abdusselam

2018-03-01

In this study, extreme rainfall indices of Olimpiyat Station were determined from reference period (1971-2000) and future period (2070-2099) daily rainfall data projected using the HadGEM2-ES and GFDL-ESM2M global circulation models (GCMs) and downscaled by the RegCM4.3.4 regional model under the Representative Concentration Pathway RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The Mann-Kendall (MK) trend statistics was used to detect trends in the indices of each group, and the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed ranks test was employed to identify the presence of differences among the values of the rainfall indices of the three groups. Moreover, the peaks-over-threshold (POT) method was used to undertake frequency analysis and estimate the maximum 24-h rainfall values of various return periods. The results of the M-K-based trend analyses showed that there are insignificant increasing trends in most of the extreme rainfall indices. However, based on the Wilcoxon signed ranks test, the values of the extreme rainfall indices determined for the future period, particularly under RCP8.5, were found to be significantly different from the corresponding values determined for the reference period. The maximum 24-h rainfall amounts of the 50-year return period of the future period under RCP4.5 of the HadGEM2-ES and GFDL-ESM2M GCMs were found to be larger (by 5.85%) than the corresponding value of the reference period by 5.85 and 21.43%, respectively. The results also showed that the maximum 24-h rainfall amount under RCP8.5 of both the HadGEM2-ES and GFDL-ESM2M GCMs was found to be greater (34.33 and 12.18%, respectively, for the 50-year return period) than the reference period values. This may increase the risk of flooding in Ayamama Watershed, and thus, studying the effects of the predicted amount of rainfall under the RCP8.5 scenario on the flooding risk of Ayamama Watershed and devising management strategies are recommended to enhance the design and implementation of adaptation measures.

[Clinical use of continuous glucose monitoring system in gestational diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes complicated with pregnancy].

PubMed

Song, Yilin; Yang, Huixia

2014-08-01

To compare the clinical use of continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) and self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) when monitoring blood glucose level of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) complicated with pregnancy. A total of 99 patients with GDM (n = 70) and type 2 DM complicated with pregnancy (n = 29) that whether hospitalized or in clinical of Peking University First Hospital were recruited from Aug 2012 to Apr 2013. The CGMS was used to monitor their blood glucose level during the 72-hour time period, while the SMBG was also taken seven times daily. The correlation between these blood glucose levels and their glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were analyzed by comparing the average value, the maximum and the minimum value of blood glucose, and the appeared time of these extremum values in these two monitoring methods, and the amount of insulin usage was recorded as well. (1) The maximum, minimum and the average blood glucose value in the GDM group were (8.7 ± 1.2), (4.5 ± 0.6)and (6.3 ± 0.6)mmol/L of SMBG vs. (10.1 ± 1.7), (3.1 ± 0.7), (6.0 ± 0.6) mmol/L of CGMS. These values in DM group were(10.1 ± 2.2), (4.5 ± 1.0), (6.9 ± 1.1)mmol/L of SMBG vs.(12.2 ± 2.6), (2.8 ± 0.8), (6.6 ± 1.1) mmol/L of CGMS. By using the two methods, the maximum and the average value of the two groups showed significant differences (P < 0.01) while the minimum value showed no significant differences (P > 0.05). (2) In the GDM group, the average blood glucose values of CGMS and SMBG were significantly correlated (r = 0.864, P < 0.01). The maximum values presented the same result (r = 0.734, P < 0.01). Correlation was not found in the minimum values of CGMS and SMBG (r = 0.138, P > 0.05). In the DM group, the average valves of two methods were significantly correlated (r = 0.962, P < 0.01), the maximum values showed the same result (r = 0.831, P < 0.01).It can also be observed in the minimum values (r = 0.460, P < 0.05). (3) There was significant correlation between the average value of CGMS and HbA1c level (r = 0.400, P < 0.01), and the average value of SMBG and HbA1c level were correlated (r = 0.031, P < 0.05) in the GDM group; the average values of CGMS (r = 0.695, P < 0.01) and SMBG (r = 0.673, P < 0.01) were both significantly correlated with the HbA1c level in the DM group. (4) In the GDM group, 37% (26/70) of the minimum values of SMBG appeared 30 minutes before breakfast, while 34% (24/70) of them appeared 30 minutes before lunch; 86% (60/70) of the maximum values of SMBG were evenly distributed 2 hours after each of the three meals. In the DM group, 41% (12/29) of the minimum values of SMBG presented 30 minutes before lunch, while 21% (6/29) and 14% (4/29) of them were showed 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner respectively; about 30% of the maximum values of SMBG appeared 2 hours after each of the three meals. (5) In the GDM group, 23% (16/70) of the minimum values of CGMS occurred between 0:00-2:59 am., and most of the other minimum values of CGMS were evenly distributed in the rest of the day, except for 3% (2/70) of them were found during 18:00- 20:59 pm. 43% (30/70) of the maximum values of CGMS appeared during 6:00-8:59 am., only 1% (1/70) and 3% (2/70) of them presented during 0:00-2:59 am. and 21:00-23:59 pm., and the rest were evenly distributed for the other times of the day. In the DM group, 34% (10/29) of the minimum values of CGMS were found during 0:00-2:59 am., 14% (4/29) of them appeared during 9:00-11:59 am. and 15:00-17:59 pm., 45% (13/29) of the maximum values of the CGMS presented during 6:00-8:59 am., none was found during 21:00-23:59 pm.,0:00-2:59 am. and 3:00-5:59 am., and the rest were evenly distributed for the other times of the day. (6) 64% (45/70) of the patients in the GDM group did not require for insulin treatment, while 36% (25/70) of them did. For those patients who received insulin treatment, after CGMS, 64% (16/25) of them adjusted the insulin dosage according to their blood glucose levels. In the DM group, 14% (4/29) of them did not receive insulin treatment, while for the others who did (86%, 25/29); 60% (15/25) of them adjusted the insulin dosage according to their blood glucose levels after CGMS. Both CGMS and SMBG could correctly reflect patients' blood glucose levels. It was more difficult to control the blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 DM complicated with pregnancy than the GDM patients. Compared with SMBG, CGMS could detect postprandial hyperglycemia and nocturnal hypoglycemia more effectively.

Thermopower and magnetocaloric properties in NdSrMnO/CrO3 composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, A. M.; Mohamed, H. F.; Paixão, J. A.; Mohamed, Sara A.

2018-06-01

The thermoelectric power (TEP) and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) for (Nd0.6Sr0.4MnO3)1-x/(CrO3)x composites have been measured. The TEP measurements show a negative sign value of the Seebeck coefficient (S), in microvolts. TEP data construe in the low range of temperature by the magnon and phonon drag model, whereas at high temperature by small polaron conduction mechanism. Magnetic measurements exhibit that all composites show a paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition with decreasing temperature. The Arrott plots of composites reveal the occurrence of a second order phase transition. The maximum value of magnetic entropy change (ΔS) is 2.37 J kg-1 K-1, achieved fore the composite with x = 0.015. Moreover, the maximum value of relative cooling power (RCP) is 122.1 J kg-1, achieved for the composite with x = 0.020. These composites may be appropriate for magnetic application near room temperature.

Model for forecasting Olea europaea L. airborne pollen in South-West Andalusia, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galán, C.; Cariñanos, Paloma; García-Mozo, Herminia; Alcázar, Purificación; Domínguez-Vilches, Eugenio

Data on predicted average and maximum airborne pollen concentrations and the dates on which these maximum values are expected are of undoubted value to allergists and allergy sufferers, as well as to agronomists. This paper reports on the development of predictive models for calculating total annual pollen output, on the basis of pollen and weather data compiled over the last 19 years (1982-2000) for Córdoba (Spain). Models were tested in order to predict the 2000 pollen season; in addition, and in view of the heavy rainfall recorded in spring 2000, the 1982-1998 data set was used to test the model for 1999. The results of the multiple regression analysis show that the variables exerting the greatest influence on the pollen index were rainfall in March and temperatures over the months prior to the flowering period. For prediction of maximum values and dates on which these values might be expected, the start of the pollen season was used as an additional independent variable. Temperature proved the best variable for this prediction. Results improved when the 5-day moving average was taken into account. Testing of the predictive model for 1999 and 2000 yielded fairly similar results. In both cases, the difference between expected and observed pollen data was no greater than 10%. However, significant differences were recorded between forecast and expected maximum and minimum values, owing to the influence of rainfall during the flowering period.

Shear-wave elastography for breast masses: local shear wave speed (m/sec) versus Young modulus (kPa).

PubMed

Youk, Ji Hyun; Son, Eun Ju; Park, Ah Young; Kim, Jeong-Ah

2014-01-01

To evaluate and compare the performance of shear-wave elastography (SWE) for breast masses using the local shear wave speed (m/sec) vs. Young modulus (kPa). A total of 130 breast lesions in 123 women who underwent SWE before ultrasound- guided core needle biopsy or surgical excision were included. With the region-of-interest placed over the stiffest areas of the lesion on SWE, the quantitative mean, maximum, and standard deviation (SD) of the elasticity values were measured in kPa and m/sec for each lesion. The SD was also measured with the region-of-interest including the whole breast lesion (wSD). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of each elasticity value measured in kPa and m/sec were compared. Of the 130 lesions, 49 (37.7%) were malignant and 81 (62.3%) were benign. The AUCs for the mean, maximum, and SD of the elasticity values using kPa and m/sec did not differ significantly: mean, 0.974 vs. 0.974; maximum, 0.960 vs. 0.976; SD, 0.916 vs. 0.916. However, the AUC for wSD showed a significant difference: 0.964 (kPa) vs. 0.960 (m/sec) (P=0.036). There was no significant difference in the sensitivity and specificity of the mean, maximum, and wSD of the elasticity values. However, the specificity of the SD was significantly different between the two different measurements: 95.1% (kPa) vs. 87.7% (m/sec) (P=0.031). The quantitative elasticity values measured in kPa and m/sec on SWE showed good diagnostic performance. The specificity of the SD and AUC of the wSD measured in kPa were significantly higher than those measured in m/sec.

Svetlichny's inequality and genuine tripartite nonlocality in three-qubit pure states

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

Ajoy, Ashok; NMR Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012; Rungta, Pranaw

2010-05-15

The violation of the Svetlichny's inequality (SI) [Phys. Rev. D 35, 3066 (1987)] is sufficient but not necessary for genuine tripartite nonlocal correlations. Here we quantify the relationship between tripartite entanglement and the maximum expectation value of the Svetlichny operator (which is bounded from above by the inequality) for the two inequivalent subclasses of pure three-qubit states: the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) class and the W class. We show that the maximum for the GHZ-class states reduces to Mermin's inequality [Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 1838 (1990)] modulo a constant factor, and although it is a function of the three tangle and themore » residual concurrence, large numbers of states do not violate the inequality. We further show that by design SI is more suitable as a measure of genuine tripartite nonlocality between the three qubits in the W-class states, and the maximum is a certain function of the bipartite entanglement (the concurrence) of the three reduced states, and only when their sum attains a certain threshold value do they violate the inequality.« less

The Designs of Fins Air-Cooled Cylinders

DTIC Science & Technology

1939-06-28

4 (a). EMer part of figure 4 clearly shows that, for one pnir of values of s and t, the heat transfer is a maximum. The peak values of the curves of...specified s” curves. Similarly, the peak values of the curves of constant values of t shown in &ure 4 (b) and of similar cwwes plotted for othm values of... picking the values of optimum g and t from these curves: PIots of tk type shown in figure 4 were obtained for - other \\ralues of M and Aplpa,/m by means

Statistical assessment of changes in extreme maximum temperatures over Saudi Arabia, 1985-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raggad, Bechir

2018-05-01

In this study, two statistical approaches were adopted in the analysis of observed maximum temperature data collected from fifteen stations over Saudi Arabia during the period 1985-2014. In the first step, the behavior of extreme temperatures was analyzed and their changes were quantified with respect to the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection Monitoring indices. The results showed a general warming trend over most stations, in maximum temperature-related indices, during the period of analysis. In the second step, stationary and non-stationary extreme-value analyses were conducted for the temperature data. The results revealed that the non-stationary model with increasing linear trend in its location parameter outperforms the other models for two-thirds of the stations. Additionally, the 10-, 50-, and 100-year return levels were found to change with time considerably and that the maximum temperature could start to reappear in the different T-year return period for most stations. This analysis shows the importance of taking account the change over time in the estimation of return levels and therefore justifies the use of the non-stationary generalized extreme value distribution model to describe most of the data. Furthermore, these last findings are in line with the result of significant warming trends found in climate indices analyses.

X-Ray Microanalysis of Human Cementum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Pérez, Marco Antonio; Alvarez-Fregoso, Octavio; Ortiz-López, Jaime; Arzate, Higinio

2005-08-01

An energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis study was performed throughout the total length of cementum on five impacted human teeth. Mineral content of calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium were determined with an electron probe from the cemento-enamel junction to the root apex on the external surface of the cementum. The concentration profiles for calcium, phosphorous, and magnesium were compared by using Ca/P and Mg/Ca atomic percent ratio. Our findings demonstrated that the Ca/P ratio at the cemento-enamel junction showed the highest values (1.8 2.2). However, the area corresponding to the acellular extrinsic fiber cementum (AEFC) usually located on the coronal one-third of the root surface showed a Ca/P media value of 1.65. Nevertheless, on the area representing the fulcrum of the root there is an abrupt change in the Ca/P ratio, which decreases to 1.3. Our results revealed that Mg2+ distribution throughout the length of human cementum reached its maximum Mg/Ca ratio value of 1.3 1.4 at.% around the fulcrum of the root and an average value of 0.03%. A remarkable finding was that the Mg/Ca ratio pattern distribution showed that in the region where the Ca/P ratio showed a decreasing tendency, the Mg/Ca ratio reached its maximum value, showing a negative correlation. In conclusion, this study has established that clear compositional differences exist between AEFC and cellular mixed stratified cementum varieties and adds new knowledge about Mg2+ distribution and suggests its provocative role regulating human cementum metabolism.

A new cloud and aerosol layer detection method based on micropulse lidar measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Chuanfeng; Wang, Yuzhao; Wang, Qianqian; Li, Zhanqing; Wang, Zhien; Liu, Dong

2014-06-01

This paper introduces a new algorithm to detect aerosols and clouds based on micropulse lidar measurements. A semidiscretization processing technique is first used to inhibit the impact of increasing noise with distance. The value distribution equalization method which reduces the magnitude of signal variations with distance is then introduced. Combined with empirical threshold values, we determine if the signal waves indicate clouds or aerosols. This method can separate clouds and aerosols with high accuracy, although differentiation between aerosols and clouds are subject to more uncertainties depending on the thresholds selected. Compared with the existing Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program lidar-based cloud product, the new method appears more reliable and detects more clouds with high bases. The algorithm is applied to a year of observations at both the U.S. Southern Great Plains (SGP) and China Taihu sites. At the SGP site, the cloud frequency shows a clear seasonal variation with maximum values in winter and spring and shows bimodal vertical distributions with maximum occurrences at around 3-6 km and 8-12 km. The annual averaged cloud frequency is about 50%. The dominant clouds are stratiform in winter and convective in summer. By contrast, the cloud frequency at the Taihu site shows no clear seasonal variation and the maximum occurrence is at around 1 km. The annual averaged cloud frequency is about 15% higher than that at the SGP site. A seasonal analysis of cloud base occurrence frequency suggests that stratiform clouds dominate at the Taihu site.

Qualitative pattern classification of shear wave elastography for breast masses: how it correlates to quantitative measurements.

PubMed

Yoon, Jung Hyun; Ko, Kyung Hee; Jung, Hae Kyoung; Lee, Jong Tae

2013-12-01

To determine the correlation of qualitative shear wave elastography (SWE) pattern classification to quantitative SWE measurements and whether it is representative of quantitative SWE values with similar performances. From October 2012 to January 2013, 267 breast masses of 236 women (mean age: 45.12 ± 10.54 years, range: 21-88 years) who had undergone ultrasonography (US), SWE, and subsequent biopsy were included. US BI-RADS final assessment and qualitative and quantitative SWE measurements were recorded. Correlation between pattern classification and mean elasticity, maximum elasticity, elasticity ratio and standard deviation were evaluated. Diagnostic performances of grayscale US, SWE parameters, and US combined to SWE values were calculated and compared. Of the 267 breast masses, 208 (77.9%) were benign and 59 (22.1%) were malignant. Pattern classifications significantly correlated with all quantitative SWE measurements, showing highest correlation with maximum elasticity, r = 0.721 (P<0.001). Sensitivity was significantly decreased in US combined to SWE measurements to grayscale US: 69.5-89.8% to 100.0%, while specificity was significantly improved: 62.5-81.7% to 13.9% (P<0.001). Area under the ROC curve (Az) did not show significant differences between grayscale US to US combined to SWE (P>0.05). Pattern classification shows high correlation to maximum stiffness and may be representative of quantitative SWE values. When combined to grayscale US, SWE improves specificity of US. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of black point on accuracy of LCD displays colorimetric characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tong; Xie, Kai; He, Nannan; Ye, Yushan

2018-03-01

Black point is the point at which RGB's single channel digital drive value is 0. Due to the problem of light leakage of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), black point's luminance value is not 0, this phenomenon bring some errors to colorimetric characterization of LCDs, especially low luminance value driving greater sampling effect. This paper describes the characteristic accuracy of polynomial model method and the effect of black point on accuracy, the color difference accuracy is given. When considering the black point in the characteristics equation, the maximum color difference is 3.246, the maximum color difference than without considering the black points reduced by 2.36. The experimental results show that the accuracy of LCDs colorimetric characterization can be improved, if the effect of black point is eliminated properly.

Reconstructing Historical VOC Concentrations in Drinking Water for Epidemiological Studies at a U.S. Military Base: Summary of Results

PubMed Central

Maslia, Morris L.; Aral, Mustafa M.; Ruckart, Perri Z.; Bove, Frank J.

2017-01-01

A U.S. government health agency conducted epidemiological studies to evaluate whether exposures to drinking water contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOC) at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were associated with increased health risks to children and adults. These health studies required knowledge of contaminant concentrations in drinking water—at monthly intervals—delivered to family housing, barracks, and other facilities within the study area. Because concentration data were limited or unavailable during much of the period of contamination (1950s–1985), the historical reconstruction process was used to quantify estimates of monthly mean contaminant-specific concentrations. This paper integrates many efforts, reports, and papers into a synthesis of the overall approach to, and results from, a drinking-water historical reconstruction study. Results show that at the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant (WTP) reconstructed (simulated) tetrachloroethylene (PCE) concentrations reached a maximum monthly average value of 183 micrograms per liter (μg/L) compared to a one-time maximum measured value of 215 μg/L and exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 5 μg/L during the period November 1957–February 1987. At the Hadnot Point WTP, reconstructed trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations reached a maximum monthly average value of 783 μg/L compared to a one-time maximum measured value of 1400 μg/L during the period August 1953–December 1984. The Hadnot Point WTP also provided contaminated drinking water to the Holcomb Boulevard housing area continuously prior to June 1972, when the Holcomb Boulevard WTP came on line (maximum reconstructed TCE concentration of 32 μg/L) and intermittently during the period June 1972–February 1985 (maximum reconstructed TCE concentration of 66 μg/L). Applying the historical reconstruction process to quantify contaminant-specific monthly drinking-water concentrations is advantageous for epidemiological studies when compared to using the classical exposed versus unexposed approach. PMID:28868161

[Analysis on the relationship between malaria epidemics and NOAA-AVHRR NDVI in Hainan province].

PubMed

Wen, Liang; Xu, De-zhong; Wang, Shan-qing; Li, Cai-xu; Zhang, Zhi-ying; Su, Yong-qiang

2005-04-01

To explore the relationship between malaria epidemics and NOAA-AVHRR NDVI. Data on malaria were collected in all 19 counties in Hainan province from Feb, 1995 to Jan, 1996. Values regarding normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)-related indicators including mean and maximum values of NDVI, the area proportion of NDVI values of 145- and 145+, months with NDVI values of 135+, 140+, 145+, 150+ of these counties in this period were all extracted from NOAA-AVHRR images, using ERDAS8.5 software. The coefficients of correlation of malaria incidences and these NDVI-related indicator values were then calculated with SPSS 11.0. The incidence of malaria showed positive correlations to mean and maximum values of NDVI, the area proportion of NDVI values of 145+ and months with NDVI values of 135+, 140+, 145+, 150+ respectively, but having negative correlation to the area of NDVI values of 145-. The malaria epidemic regions were in accordance with those regions that the NDVI values of 145+ were continuing for 9 months or more. Malaria prevalence was associated with NOAA-AVHRR NDVI value which could be considered to be use for malaria surveillance in Hainan province.

43 CFR 3422.1 - Fair market value and maximum economic recovery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fair market value and maximum economic... Lease Sales § 3422.1 Fair market value and maximum economic recovery. (a) Not less than 30 days prior to... (FMV) appraisal and the maximum economic recovery (MER) of the tract or tracts proposed to be offered...

43 CFR 3422.1 - Fair market value and maximum economic recovery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fair market value and maximum economic... Lease Sales § 3422.1 Fair market value and maximum economic recovery. (a) Not less than 30 days prior to... (FMV) appraisal and the maximum economic recovery (MER) of the tract or tracts proposed to be offered...

43 CFR 3422.1 - Fair market value and maximum economic recovery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fair market value and maximum economic... Lease Sales § 3422.1 Fair market value and maximum economic recovery. (a) Not less than 30 days prior to... (FMV) appraisal and the maximum economic recovery (MER) of the tract or tracts proposed to be offered...

43 CFR 3422.1 - Fair market value and maximum economic recovery.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fair market value and maximum economic... Lease Sales § 3422.1 Fair market value and maximum economic recovery. (a) Not less than 30 days prior to... (FMV) appraisal and the maximum economic recovery (MER) of the tract or tracts proposed to be offered...

Mercury distribution in ancient and modern sediment of northeastern Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, C.H.; Pierce, D.E.; Leong, K.W.; Wang, F.F.H.

1975-01-01

Reconnaissance sampling of surface and subsurface sediment to a maximum depth of 80 m below the sea floor shows that typical values of 0.03 p.p.m. and anomalies of 0.2-1.3 p.p.m. mercury have been present in northeastern Bering Sea since Early Pliocene time. Values are highest in modern beach (maximum 1.3 and mean 0.22 p.p.m. Hg) and nearshore subsurface gravels (maximum 0.6 and mean 0.06 p.p.m. Hg) along the highly mineralized Seward Peninsula and in clayey silt rich in organic matter (maximum 0.16 and mean 0.10 p.p.m. Hg) throughout the region. Although gold mining may be partly responsible for high mercury levels in the modern beach near Nome, Alaska (maximum 0.45 p.p.m.), equally high or greater concentrations of mercury occur in buried Pleistocene sediments immediately offshore (maximum 0.6 p.p.m.) and in modern unpolluted beach sediments at Bluff (maximum 1.3 p.p.m.); this suggests that the contamination effects of mining may be no greater than natural concentration processes in the Seward Peninsula region. The mercury content of offshore surface sediment, even adjacent to mercury-rich beaches, corresponds to that of unpolluted marine and fresh-water sediment elsewhere. The normal values that prevail offshore may be attributable to entrapment of mercury-bearing heavy minerals on beaches near sources and/or dilution effects of offshore sedimentation. The few minor anomalies offshore occur in glacial drift derived from mercury source regions of Chukotka (Siberia) and Seward Peninsula; Pleistocene shoreline processes have reworked the drift to concentrate the heavy metals. The distribution pattern of mercury indicates that particulate mercury-bearing minerals have not been widely dispersed from onland deposits in quantities sufficient to increase mercury levels above normal in offshore sediments of Bering Sea; however, it shows that natural sedimentary processes can concentrate this mercury in beaches of the coastal zone where there already is concern because of potential pollution from man's activities.

Numerical study on the maximum small-signal gain coefficient in passively mode-locked fiber lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xin; Wang, Jian; Chen, Zhaoyang; Lin, Chengyou; Ding, Yingchun

2017-06-01

Ultrashort pulses have been found to have important applications in many fields, such as ultrafast diagnosis, biomedical engineering, and optical imaging. Passively mode-locked fiber lasers have become a tool for generating picosecond and femtosecond pulses. In this paper, the evolution of a picosecond laser pulse in different stable passively mode-locked fiber laser is analyzed using nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Firstly, different mode-locked regimes are calculated with different net cavity dispersion (from -0.3 ps2 to +0.3 ps2 ). Then we calculate the maximum small-signal gain on the different net cavity dispersion conditions, and estimate the pulse width, 3 dB bandwidth and time bandwidth product (TBP) when the small-signal gain coefficient is selected as the maximum value. The results show that the small signal gain coefficient is approximately proportional to the net cavity. Moreover, when the small signal gain coefficient reaches the maximum value, the pulse width of the output pulse and their corresponding TBP show a trend of increase gradually, and 3dB bandwidth shows a trend of increase firstly and then decrease. In addition, in the case that the net dispersion is positive, because of the pulse with quite large frequency chirp, the revolution to dechirp the pulse is researched and the output of the pulse is compressed and its compression ratio reached more than 10 times. The results provide a reference for the optimization of passively mode-locked fiber lasers.

Analyzing Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization Problems Via Multicommodity Flows

PubMed Central

Wang, Di; Kleinberg, Robert D.

2009-01-01

Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problems concern the minimization of quadratic polynomials in n {0, 1}-valued variables. These problems are NP-complete, but prior work has identified a sequence of polynomial-time computable lower bounds on the minimum value, denoted by C2, C3, C4,…. It is known that C2 can be computed by solving a maximum-flow problem, whereas the only previously known algorithms for computing Ck (k > 2) require solving a linear program. In this paper we prove that C3 can be computed by solving a maximum multicommodity flow problem in a graph constructed from the quadratic function. In addition to providing a lower bound on the minimum value of the quadratic function on {0, 1}n, this multicommodity flow problem also provides some information about the coordinates of the point where this minimum is achieved. By looking at the edges that are never saturated in any maximum multicommodity flow, we can identify relational persistencies: pairs of variables that must have the same or different values in any minimizing assignment. We furthermore show that all of these persistencies can be detected by solving single-commodity flow problems in the same network. PMID:20161596

Analyzing Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization Problems Via Multicommodity Flows.

PubMed

Wang, Di; Kleinberg, Robert D

2009-11-28

Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problems concern the minimization of quadratic polynomials in n {0, 1}-valued variables. These problems are NP-complete, but prior work has identified a sequence of polynomial-time computable lower bounds on the minimum value, denoted by C(2), C(3), C(4),…. It is known that C(2) can be computed by solving a maximum-flow problem, whereas the only previously known algorithms for computing C(k) (k > 2) require solving a linear program. In this paper we prove that C(3) can be computed by solving a maximum multicommodity flow problem in a graph constructed from the quadratic function. In addition to providing a lower bound on the minimum value of the quadratic function on {0, 1}(n), this multicommodity flow problem also provides some information about the coordinates of the point where this minimum is achieved. By looking at the edges that are never saturated in any maximum multicommodity flow, we can identify relational persistencies: pairs of variables that must have the same or different values in any minimizing assignment. We furthermore show that all of these persistencies can be detected by solving single-commodity flow problems in the same network.

Effects of Prosthetic Material and Framework Design on Stress Distribution in Dental Implants and Peripheral Bone: A Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis.

PubMed

Arinc, Hakan

2018-06-22

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of prosthetic material and framework design on the stress within dental implants and peripheral bone using finite element analysis (FEA). MATERIAL AND METHODS A mandibular implant-supported fixed dental prosthesis with different prosthetic materials [cobalt-chromium-supported ceramic (C), zirconia-supported ceramic (Z), and zirconia-reinforced polymethyl methacrylate (ZRPMMA)-supported resin (ZP)] and different connector widths (2, 3, and 4 mm) within the framework were used to evaluate stress via FEA under oblique loading conditions. Maximum principal (smax), minimum principal (smin), and von Mises (svM) stress values were obtained. RESULTS Minimum stress values were observed in the model with a 2-mm connector width for C and ZP. The models with 3-mm and 4-mm connector widths showed higher stress values than the model with a 2-mm connector width for C (48-50%) and ZP (50-52%). Similar stress values were observed in the 3- and 4-mm models. There was no significant difference in the amount of stress with Z regardless of connector width. The Z and ZP models showed similar stress values in the 3- and 4-mm models and higher stress values than in the C model. Z, ZP, and C showed the highest stress values for the model with a 2-mm connector width. CONCLUSIONS Changes in the material and width of connectors may influence stress on cortical bone, cancellous bone, and implants. C was associated with the lowest stress values. Higher maximum and minimum principal stress values were seen in cortical bone compared to cancellous bone.

49 CFR 230.24 - Maximum allowable stress.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Maximum allowable stress. 230.24 Section 230.24... Allowable Stress § 230.24 Maximum allowable stress. (a) Maximum allowable stress value. The maximum allowable stress value on any component of a steam locomotive boiler shall not exceed 1/4 of the ultimate...

49 CFR 230.24 - Maximum allowable stress.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Maximum allowable stress. 230.24 Section 230.24... Allowable Stress § 230.24 Maximum allowable stress. (a) Maximum allowable stress value. The maximum allowable stress value on any component of a steam locomotive boiler shall not exceed 1/4 of the ultimate...

49 CFR 230.24 - Maximum allowable stress.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Maximum allowable stress. 230.24 Section 230.24... Allowable Stress § 230.24 Maximum allowable stress. (a) Maximum allowable stress value. The maximum allowable stress value on any component of a steam locomotive boiler shall not exceed 1/4 of the ultimate...

49 CFR 230.24 - Maximum allowable stress.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Maximum allowable stress. 230.24 Section 230.24... Allowable Stress § 230.24 Maximum allowable stress. (a) Maximum allowable stress value. The maximum allowable stress value on any component of a steam locomotive boiler shall not exceed 1/4 of the ultimate...

49 CFR 230.24 - Maximum allowable stress.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Maximum allowable stress. 230.24 Section 230.24... Allowable Stress § 230.24 Maximum allowable stress. (a) Maximum allowable stress value. The maximum allowable stress value on any component of a steam locomotive boiler shall not exceed 1/4 of the ultimate...

Maximum of a Fractional Brownian Motion: Analytic Results from Perturbation Theory.

PubMed

Delorme, Mathieu; Wiese, Kay Jörg

2015-11-20

Fractional Brownian motion is a non-Markovian Gaussian process X_{t}, indexed by the Hurst exponent H. It generalizes standard Brownian motion (corresponding to H=1/2). We study the probability distribution of the maximum m of the process and the time t_{max} at which the maximum is reached. They are encoded in a path integral, which we evaluate perturbatively around a Brownian, setting H=1/2+ϵ. This allows us to derive analytic results beyond the scaling exponents. Extensive numerical simulations for different values of H test these analytical predictions and show excellent agreement, even for large ϵ.

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

Bhattacharya, Sourav; Dialektopoulos, Konstantinos F.; Romano, Antonio Enea

The maximum size of a cosmic structure is given by the maximum turnaround radius—the scale where the attraction due to its mass is balanced by the repulsion due to dark energy. We derive generic formulae for the estimation of the maximum turnaround radius in any theory of gravity obeying the Einstein equivalence principle, in two situations: on a spherically symmetric spacetime and on a perturbed Friedman-Robertson-Walker spacetime. We show that the two formulae agree. As an application of our formula, we calculate the maximum turnaround radius in the case of the Brans-Dicke theory of gravity. We find that for thismore » theory, such maximum sizes always lie above the ΛCDM value, by a factor 1 + 1/3ω, where ω>> 1 is the Brans-Dicke parameter, implying consistency of the theory with current data.« less

Statistical lamb wave localization based on extreme value theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harley, Joel B.

2018-04-01

Guided wave localization methods based on delay-and-sum imaging, matched field processing, and other techniques have been designed and researched to create images that locate and describe structural damage. The maximum value of these images typically represent an estimated damage location. Yet, it is often unclear if this maximum value, or any other value in the image, is a statistically significant indicator of damage. Furthermore, there are currently few, if any, approaches to assess the statistical significance of guided wave localization images. As a result, we present statistical delay-and-sum and statistical matched field processing localization methods to create statistically significant images of damage. Our framework uses constant rate of false alarm statistics and extreme value theory to detect damage with little prior information. We demonstrate our methods with in situ guided wave data from an aluminum plate to detect two 0.75 cm diameter holes. Our results show an expected improvement in statistical significance as the number of sensors increase. With seventeen sensors, both methods successfully detect damage with statistical significance.

Kondo temperature and Heavy Fermion behavior in Yb1-xYxCuAl series of alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas, D. P.; Gandra, F. G.; Medina, A. N.; Fernández Barquín, L.; Gómez Sal, J. C.

2018-05-01

Results on x-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, specific heat and magnetization on the Yb1-xYxCuAl series of compounds are reported. The analysis of the x-ray data shows the increase of the unit cell volume with the Y dilution. The electrical resistivity shows an evolution from Kondo lattice regime for x ≤ 0.6 to single impurity behavior for x = 0.8 and 0.94. The electronic coefficient γ shows values of Heavy Fermion systems along the series for 0 ≤ x < 1 . On the other hand, dc magnetic susceptibility measurements show typical curves of intermediate valence systems with a maximum around 25 K. Below this maximum, the values of low temperature susceptibility (χ (0)) decrease with the increase of Y content. From the dependence of χ (0) and γ upon Y substitution, an increase of 12% of the Kondo temperature (TK) for x = 0.8 alloy respect to the reference YbCuAl (x = 0) is estimated. This is further supported by the evolution of the temperature of the maximum in the magnetic contribution of the specific heat. The overall results can be explained by the increase of the hybridization as consequence of negative pressure effects obtained by the chemical substitution of Yb by Y, thus leading to the increase of TK, in agreement with the Doniach's diagram.

DFT calculations of graphene monolayer in presence of Fe dopant and vacancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostovari, Fatemeh; Hasanpoori, Marziyeh; Abbasnejad, Mohaddeseh; Salehi, Mohammad Ali

2018-07-01

In the present work, the effects of Fe doping and vacancies on the electronic, magnetic and optical properties of graphene are studied by density functional theory based calculations. The conductive behavior is revealed for the various defected graphene by means of electronic density of states. However, defected structures show different magnetic and optical properties compared to those of pure one. The ferromagnetic phase is the most probable phase by substituting Fe atoms and vacancies at AA sublattice of graphene. The optical properties of impure graphene differ from pure graphene under illumination with parallel polarization of electric field, whereas for perpendicular polarization it remains unchanged. In presence of defect and under parallel polarization of light, the static dielectric constant rises strongly and the maximum peak of Im ε(ω) shows red shift relative to pure graphene. Moreover, the maximum absorption peak gets broaden in the visible to infrared region at the same condition and the magnitude and related energy of peaks shift to higher value in the EELS spectra. Furthermore, the results show that the maximum values of refractive index and reflectivity spectra increase rapidly and represent the red and blue shifts; respectively. Generally; substituting the C atom with Fe has more effect on magnetic and optical properties relative to the C vacancies.

Purification and characterization of a novel thermostable luciferase from Benthosema pterotum.

PubMed

Homaei, Ahmad Abolpour; Mymandi, Asma Bahari; Sariri, Reyhaneh; Kamrani, Ehsan; Stevanato, Roberto; Etezad, Seyed-Masoud; Khajeh, Khosro

2013-08-05

A novel luciferase from Benthosema pterotum, collected from Port of Jask, close to Persian Gulf, was purified for the first time, using Q-Sepharose anion exchange chromatography. The molecular mass of the novel enzyme, measured by SDS-PAGE technique, was about 27 kDa and its Km value is 0.4 μM; both values are similar to those of other coelenterazine luciferases. B. pterotum (BP) luciferase showed maximum intensity of emitted light at 40°C, in 20mM Tris buffer, pH 9 and 20 mM magnesium concentration. Experimental measurements indicated that BP luciferase is a relatively thermostable enzyme; furthermore it shows a high residual activity at extreme pH values. Its biological activity is strongly inhibited by 1 mM Cu(2+), Zn(2+) and Ni(2+), while calcium and mainly magnesium ions strongly increase BP luciferase activity. The B. pterotum luciferase generated blue light with a maximum emission wavelength at 475 nm and showed some similarity with other luciferases, while other parameters appeared quite different, in this way, confirming that a novel protein has been purified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vegetation greenness impacts on maximum and minimum temperatures in northeast Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanamean, J. R.; Pielke, R.A.; Castro, C. L.; Ojima, D.S.; Reed, Bradley C.; Gao, Z.

2003-01-01

The impact of vegetation on the microclimate has not been adequately considered in the analysis of temperature forecasting and modelling. To fill part of this gap, the following study was undertaken.A daily 850–700 mb layer mean temperature, computed from the National Center for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP-NCAR) reanalysis, and satellite-derived greenness values, as defined by NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index), were correlated with surface maximum and minimum temperatures at six sites in northeast Colorado for the years 1989–98. The NDVI values, representing landscape greenness, act as a proxy for latent heat partitioning via transpiration. These sites encompass a wide array of environments, from irrigated-urban to short-grass prairie. The explained variance (r2 value) of surface maximum and minimum temperature by only the 850–700 mb layer mean temperature was subtracted from the corresponding explained variance by the 850–700 mb layer mean temperature and NDVI values. The subtraction shows that by including NDVI values in the analysis, the r2 values, and thus the degree of explanation of the surface temperatures, increase by a mean of 6% for the maxima and 8% for the minima over the period March–October. At most sites, there is a seasonal dependence in the explained variance of the maximum temperatures because of the seasonal cycle of plant growth and senescence. Between individual sites, the highest increase in explained variance occurred at the site with the least amount of anthropogenic influence. This work suggests the vegetation state needs to be included as a factor in surface temperature forecasting, numerical modeling, and climate change assessments.

Performance Analysis and Optimization of Concentrating Solar Thermoelectric Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamba, Ravita; Manikandan, S.; Kaushik, S. C.

2018-06-01

A thermodynamic model for a concentrating solar thermoelectric generator considering the Thomson effect combined with Fourier heat conduction, Peltier, and Joule heating has been developed and optimized in MATLAB environment. The temperatures at the hot and cold junctions of the thermoelectric generator were evaluated by solving the energy balance equations at both junctions. The effects of the solar concentration ratio, input electrical current, number of thermocouples, and electrical load resistance ratio on the power output and energy and exergy efficiencies of the system were studied. Optimization studies were carried out for the STEG system, and the optimum number of thermocouples, concentration ratio, and resistance ratio determined. The results showed that the optimum values of these parameters are different for conditions of maximum power output and maximum energy and exergy efficiency. The optimum values of the concentration ratio and load resistance ratio for maximum energy efficiency of 5.85% and maximum exergy efficiency of 6.29% were found to be 180 and 1.3, respectively, with corresponding power output of 4.213 W. Furthermore, at higher concentration ratio (C = 600), the optimum number of thermocouples was found to be 101 for maximum power output of 13.75 W, maximum energy efficiency of 5.73%, and maximum exergy efficiency of 6.16%. Moreover, the optimum number of thermocouple was the same for conditions of maximum power output and energy and exergy efficiency. The results of this study may provide insight for design of actual concentrated solar thermoelectric generator systems.

Condensation of an ideal gas obeying non-Abelian statistics.

PubMed

Mirza, Behrouz; Mohammadzadeh, Hosein

2011-09-01

We consider the thermodynamic geometry of an ideal non-Abelian gas. We show that, for a certain value of the fractional parameter and at the relevant maximum value of fugacity, the thermodynamic curvature has a singular point. This indicates a condensation such as Bose-Einstein condensation for non-Abelian statistics and we work out the phase transition temperature in various dimensions.

Successful resection of a giant mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumor showing fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: report of a case.

PubMed

Takada, Kazuki; Morodomi, Yosuke; Okamoto, Tatsuro; Suzuki, Yuzo; Fujishita, Takatoshi; Kitahara, Hirokazu; Shimamatsu, Shinichiro; Kohno, Mikihiro; Kawano, Daigo; Hidaka, Noriko; Nakanishi, Yoichi; Maehara, Yoshihiko

2014-05-01

A 32-year-old man presented with a mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumor showing fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) accumulation (maximum standardized uptake value = 22.21) and extremely elevated blood alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (9203.0 ng/ml). The patient underwent 4 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (cisplatin, bleomycin, and etoposide), which normalized the AFP level and reduced the tumor size, allowing complete resection without a support of extracorporeal circulation. Despite preoperative positron emission tomography revealing increased FDG uptake in the residual tumor (maximum standardized uptake value = 3.59), the pathologic evaluation revealed that no viable germ cell tumor cells remained. We believe FDG uptake should not be used as a criterion for surgical resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. It is appropriate to resect the residual tumor regardless of FDG uptake after induction chemotherapy if a tumor is resectable and the AFP level normalizes.

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and dip coating techniques—a comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khimani, Ankurkumar J.; Chaki, Sunil H.; Malek, Tasmira J.; Tailor, Jiten P.; Chauhan, Sanjaysinh M.; Deshpande, M. P.

2018-03-01

The CdS thin films were deposited on glass slide substrates by Chemical Bath Deposition and dip coating techniques. The films thickness variation with deposition time showed maximum films deposition at 35 min for both the films. The energy dispersive analysis of x-ray showed both the films to be stoichiometric. The x-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the films possess hexagonal crystal structure. The transmission electron, scanning electron and optical microscopy study showed the films deposition to be uniform. The selected area electron diffraction exhibited ring patterns stating the films to be polycrystalline in nature. The atomic force microscopy images showed surface formed of spherical grains, hills and valleys. The recorded optical absorbance spectra analysis revealed the films possess direct optical bandgap having values of 2.25 eV for CBD and 2.40 eV for dip coating. The refractive index (η), extinction coefficient (k), complex dielectric constant (ε) and optical conductivity (σ 0) variation with wavelength showed maximum photon absorption till the respective wavelengths corresponding to the optical bandgap energy values. The recorded photoluminescence spectra showed two emission peaks. All the obtained results have been discussed in details.

Distribution of the near-inertial kinetic energy inside mesoscale eddies: Observations in the Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ixetl Garcia Gomez, Beatriz; Pallas Sanz, Enric; Candela Perez, Julio

2017-04-01

The near-inertial oscillations (NIOs), generated by the wind stress on the surface mixed layer, are the inertia gravity waves with the lowest frequency and the highest kinetic energy. NIOs are important because they drive vertical mixing in the interior ocean during wave breaking events. Although the interaction between NIOs and mesoscale eddies has been reported by several authors, these studies are mostly analytical and numerical, and only few observational studies have attempted to show the differences in near-inertial kinetic energy (KEi) between anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies. In this work the spatial structure of the KEi inside the mesoscale eddies is computed using daily satellite altimetry and observations of horizontal velocity from 23 moorings equipped with acoustic Doppler current profilers in the western Gulf of Mexico. Consistent to theory, the obtained four-year KEi-composites show two times more KEi inside the anticyclonic eddies than inside the cyclonic ones. The vertical and horizontal cross-sections of the KEi-composites show that the KEi is mainly located near to the surface of the cyclonic eddies (positive vorticity), whereas the KEi in anticyclonic eddies (negative vorticity) is maximum in the eddy's center near to the base of the eddy where the NIOs become more inertial, are trapped, and amplified. The mean vertical profiles show that the cyclonic eddies present a maximum of KEi near to the surface at 50, while the maximum of KEi in the anticyclonic eddies occurs between 900 and 1100 m. Inside anticyclonic eddies another two relative maximums are observed, one in the mixed layer and the second at 300 m. In contrast, the mean profile of KEi outside the mesoscale eddies has the maximum value at the surface ( 50 m), with high values of KEi in the first 200 m and negligible energy beneath that depth. A different mean distribution of the KEi is observed depending on the type of wind generator: tropical storms or unidirectional wind.

Changes in the structure of nuclei between the magic neutron numbers 50 and 82 as indicated by a rotating-cluster analysis of the energy values of the first 2+ excited states of isotopes of cadmium, tin, and tellurium

PubMed Central

Pauling, Linus

1981-01-01

Values of R, the radius of rotation of the rotating cluster, are calculated from the observed values of the energy of the lowest 2+ states of the even isotopes of 48Cd, 50Sn, and 52Te with the assumption that the cluster is α, p2, and α, respectively. R shows a maximum at ≈N = 58, a minimum at ≈N = 62, and a second maximum at ≈N = 70. The increase to the first maximum is interpreted as resulting from the overcrowding of spherons (alphas and tritons) in the mantle (outer layer) of the nuclei, causing the cluster to change from rotating in the mantle to skimming over its surface; the decrease to the minimum results from the addition of three dineutrons to the core, expanding the mantle and permitting the rotating cluster to begin to drop back into it; and the increase to the second maximum results from the overcrowding of the larger mantle surrounding the core containing the semi-magic number 14 of neutrons rather than the magic number 8 for N = 50. The decrease after the second maximum results from the further increase in the number of core neutrons to 20, corresponding to the magic number 82. Some additional evidence for the change to an intermediate structure between N = 50 and N = 82 is also discussed. PMID:16593084

Maximum Rate of Growth of Enstrophy in Solutions of the Fractional Burgers Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Dongfang; Protas, Bartosz

2018-02-01

This investigation is a part of a research program aiming to characterize the extreme behavior possible in hydrodynamic models by analyzing the maximum growth of certain fundamental quantities. We consider here the rate of growth of the classical and fractional enstrophy in the fractional Burgers equation in the subcritical and supercritical regimes. Since solutions to this equation exhibit, respectively, globally well-posed behavior and finite-time blowup in these two regimes, this makes it a useful model to study the maximum instantaneous growth of enstrophy possible in these two distinct situations. First, we obtain estimates on the rates of growth and then show that these estimates are sharp up to numerical prefactors. This is done by numerically solving suitably defined constrained maximization problems and then demonstrating that for different values of the fractional dissipation exponent the obtained maximizers saturate the upper bounds in the estimates as the enstrophy increases. We conclude that the power-law dependence of the enstrophy rate of growth on the fractional dissipation exponent has the same global form in the subcritical, critical and parts of the supercritical regime. This indicates that the maximum enstrophy rate of growth changes smoothly as global well-posedness is lost when the fractional dissipation exponent attains supercritical values. In addition, nontrivial behavior is revealed for the maximum rate of growth of the fractional enstrophy obtained for small values of the fractional dissipation exponents. We also characterize the structure of the maximizers in different cases.

Estimating the Capacity Value of Concentrating Solar Power Plants With Thermal Energy Storage: A Case Study of the Southwestern United States

DOE PAGES

Madaeni, Seyed Hossein; Sioshansi, Ramteen; Denholm, Paul

2012-08-13

We estimate the capacity value of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with thermal energy storage (TES) in the southwestern U.S. Our results show that incorporating TES in CSP plants significantly increases their capacity value. While CSP plants without TES have capacity values ranging between 60% and 86% of maximum capacity, plants with TES can have capacity values between 79% and 92%. Here, we demonstrate the effect of location and configuration on the operation and capacity value of CSP plants. Finally, we also show that using a capacity payment mechanism can increase the capacity value of CSP, since the capacity valuemore » of CSP is highly sensitive to operational decisions and energy prices are not a perfect indicator of scarcity of supply.« less

Variation in airborne 134Cs, 137Cs, particulate 131I and 7Be maximum activities at high-altitude European locations after the arrival of Fukushima-labeled air masses.

PubMed

Masson, Olivier; Bieringer, Jacqueline; Brattich, Erika; Dalheimer, Axel; Estier, Sybille; Penev, Ilia; Ringer, Wolfgang; Schlosser, Clemens; Steinkopff, Thomas; Steinmann, Philipp; Tositti, Laura; Van Beek, Pieter; Vismes-Ott, Anne de

2016-10-01

The Fukushima-labeled air mass arrival, and later the cesium-134 ( 134 Cs), cesium-137 ( 137 Cs) and particulate iodine-131 (hereafter noted 131 I p ) maximum levels were registered in Europe at different dates depending on the location. Most of those data were obtained at low-altitude sampling areas. Here, we compare the airborne levels registered at different high-altitude European locations (from 850 m to about 3500 m). The integrated 137 Cs activity concentration was not uniform with regard to the altitude even after a long travel time/distance from Japan. Moreover, the relation of integrated 137 Cs vs. altitude showed a linear decrease up to an altitude of about 3000 m. A similar trend was noticed for 131 I p (particulate fraction) while it increased above 3000 m. Comparison with 7 Be activity concentration showed that, as far as the high altitude location is concerned, the 137 Cs and 134 Cs maximum concentrations corresponded to the 7 Be maximum, suggesting downdraft movements from high tropospheric or stratospheric layers to be responsible for 137,134 Cs increase and peak values. This was also confirmed by high potential vorticity and low relative humidity registered during the peak values. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of the Network Topology on the Viral Prevalence: A Node-Based Approach

PubMed Central

Yang, Lu-Xing; Draief, Moez; Yang, Xiaofan

2015-01-01

This paper addresses the impact of the structure of the viral propagation network on the viral prevalence. For that purpose, a new epidemic model of computer virus, known as the node-based SLBS model, is proposed. Our analysis shows that the maximum eigenvalue of the underlying network is a key factor determining the viral prevalence. Specifically, the value range of the maximum eigenvalue is partitioned into three subintervals: viruses tend to extinction very quickly or approach extinction or persist depending on into which subinterval the maximum eigenvalue of the propagation network falls. Consequently, computer virus can be contained by adjusting the propagation network so that its maximum eigenvalue falls into the desired subinterval. PMID:26222539

Discharge mode transition and temporal-spatial evolution of an air-water plasma jet generated by pulsating DC power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, J.; Geng, Y.; Liu, K.; Zhu, W.; Zheng, Z.; Hu, H.

2017-12-01

In this paper, pulsating direct current air-water plasma jet, which can increase the production of •OH and decrease the temperature, is studied. The results show that the discharge mode changes in one cycle from corona discharge with steep Trichel current pulse to glow-like discharge. It is unknown whether the different discharge modes and water ratio have an effect on the transient process of the excited O and •OH production and the mechanism of plasma propagation. So, a series of experiments are done in this paper. The results show that the changing rules of both the excited state O and the discharge current reach their two peak values synchronously. And its maximum appears at the time of the first peak current value in corona mode. However, the change of the excited state •OH is different. It increases to its maximum at the time of the second peak current value in glow-like mode. Besides, the intensified charge coupled device photographs show that the luminous intensity of the discharge zone at the first peak current value in corona mode is stronger than the second peak current value in glow-like mode. At the same time, the discharge area of the former is larger than the latter. Nevertheless, with the increase in water ratio, the discharge area change reversed. Additionally, the air plasma plume propagation depends on the gas flow. The initial propagation velocity decreases with the increase in water ratio.

Co-composting of palm oil mill sludge-sawdust.

PubMed

Yaser, Abu Zahrim; Abd Rahman, Rakmi; Kalil, Mohd Sahaid

2007-12-15

Composting of Palm Oil Mill Sludge (POMS) with sawdust was conducted in natural aerated reactor. Composting using natural aerated reactor is cheap and simple. The goal of this study is to observe the potential of composting process and utilizing compost as media for growing Cymbopogun citratus, one of Malaysia herbal plant. The highest maximum temperature achieved is about 40 degrees C and to increase temperature bed, more biodegradable substrate needs to be added. The pH value decrease along the process with final pH compost is acidic (pH 5.7). The highest maximum organic losses are about 50% with final C/N ratio of the compost is about 19. Final compost also showed some fertilizing value but need to be adjusted to obtain an ideal substrate. Addition of about 70% sandy soil causes highest yield and excellent root development for C. citratus in potted media. Beside that, compost from POMS-sawdust also found to have fertilizer value and easy to handle. Composting of POMS with sawdust shows potential as an alternative treatment to dispose and recycle waste components.

Probabilities and statistics for backscatter estimates obtained by a scatterometer with applications to new scatterometer design data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierson, Willard J., Jr.

1989-01-01

The values of the Normalized Radar Backscattering Cross Section (NRCS), sigma (o), obtained by a scatterometer are random variables whose variance is a known function of the expected value. The probability density function can be obtained from the normal distribution. Models for the expected value obtain it as a function of the properties of the waves on the ocean and the winds that generated the waves. Point estimates of the expected value were found from various statistics given the parameters that define the probability density function for each value. Random intervals were derived with a preassigned probability of containing that value. A statistical test to determine whether or not successive values of sigma (o) are truly independent was derived. The maximum likelihood estimates for wind speed and direction were found, given a model for backscatter as a function of the properties of the waves on the ocean. These estimates are biased as a result of the terms in the equation that involve natural logarithms, and calculations of the point estimates of the maximum likelihood values are used to show that the contributions of the logarithmic terms are negligible and that the terms can be omitted.

Identification of transplanting stage of rice using Sentinel-1 data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hongo, C.; Tosa, T.; Tamura, E.; Sigit, G.; Barus, B.

2017-12-01

As the adaptation of climate change, the Government of Indonesia has launched agricultural insurance program for damage of rice by drought, flood and pest and disease. For assessment of the damage ratio and calculation of indemnity, extraction of paddy field and identification of transplanting stage are key issues. In this research, we conducted identification of rice transplanting stage in dry season of 2015, using data from Sentinel-1, for paddy in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia. As the first step, time series order of backscattering coefficient was analyzed about paddy, forest, villages and fish farming ponds with use of Sentinel-1 data acquired on April 1, April 13, April 25, May 7, May 19, June 24, July 18 and August 11. The result shows that the backscattering coefficient of paddy substantially decreased from data on May 7 and reached minimum value and then after increased toward June. A paddy area showing this change was almost the same area where rice was at harvesting stage and we did field investigation work from August 11 to 13. Considering a growth period of rice in our research site was about 110 days, so the result supported the fact that transplantation of rice was done around May 7. On the other hand, backscattering coefficient of forest, villages and fish farming ponds was constant and showed clear difference from the coefficient of paddy. As the next step, minimum and maximum value of backscattering coefficient were extracted from the data of May 7, May 19 and June 24, respectively. Then increase amount was calculated by deducting the minimum value from the maximum. Finally, using the minimum value of backscattering coefficient and the increased amount, a classification of image was made to identify transplanting stage through maximum likelihood method, decision tree method and threshold setting method (regression analysis by 3σ-rule). As the result, the maximum likelihood method made the most accurate distinguishment about transplanting stage while the decision tree method showed tendency to underestimate a paddy area already planted. As to the threshold setting method (regression analysis by 3σ-rule), its distinguishment accuracy was better than those of other methods about a paddy area adjacent to forest and villages of which backscattering coefficient was influenced by other sources' coefficients.

Optimization of critical medium components using response surface methodology for biomass and extracellular polysaccharide production by Agaricus blazei.

PubMed

Liu, Gao-Qiang; Wang, Xiao-Ling

2007-02-01

Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the critical medium ingredients of Agaricus blazei. A three-level Box-Behnken factorial design was employed to determine the maximum biomass and extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) yields at optimum levels for glucose, yeast extract (YE), and peptone. A mathematical model was then developed to show the effect of each medium composition and its interactions on the production of mycelial biomass and EPS. The model predicted the maximum biomass yield of 10.86 g/l that appeared at glucose, YE, peptone of 26.3, 6.84, and 6.62 g/l, respectively, while a maximum EPS yield of 348.4 mg/l appeared at glucose, YE, peptone of 28.4, 4.96, 5.60 g/l, respectively. These predicted values were also verified by validation experiments. The excellent correlation between predicted and measured values of each model justifies the validity of both the response models. The results of bioreactor fermentation also show that the optimized culture medium enhanced both biomass (13.91 +/- 0.71 g/l) and EPS (363 +/- 4.1 mg/l) production by Agaricus blazei in a large-scale fermentation process.

Formal comment on: Myhrvold (2016) Dinosaur metabolism and the allometry of maximum growth rate. PLoS ONE; 11(11): e0163205

PubMed Central

Werner, Jan

2018-01-01

In his 2016 paper, Myhrvold criticized ours from 2014 on maximum growth rates (Gmax, maximum gain in body mass observed within a time unit throughout an individual’s ontogeny) and thermoregulation strategies (ectothermy, endothermy) of 17 dinosaurs. In our paper, we showed that Gmax values of similar-sized extant ectothermic and endothermic vertebrates overlap. This strongly questions a correct assignment of a thermoregulation strategy to a dinosaur only based on its Gmax and (adult) body mass (M). Contrary, Gmax separated similar-sized extant reptiles and birds (Sauropsida) and Gmax values of our studied dinosaurs were similar to those seen in extant similar-sized (if necessary scaled-up) fast growing ectothermic reptiles. Myhrvold examined two hypotheses (H1 and H2) regarding our study. However, we did neither infer dinosaurian thermoregulation strategies from group-wide averages (H1) nor were our results based on that Gmax and metabolic rate (MR) are related (H2). In order to assess whether single dinosaurian Gmax values fit to those of extant endotherms (birds) or of ectotherms (reptiles), we already used a method suggested by Myhrvold to avoid H1, and we only discussed pros and cons of a relation between Gmax and MR and did not apply it (H2). We appreciate Myhrvold’s efforts in eliminating the correlation between Gmax and M in order to statistically improve vertebrate scaling regressions on maximum gain in body mass. However, we show here that his mass-specific maximum growth rate (kC) replacing Gmax (= MkC) does not model the expected higher mass gain in larger than in smaller species for any set of species. We also comment on, why we considered extant reptiles and birds as reference models for extinct dinosaurs and why we used phylogenetically-informed regression analysis throughout our study. Finally, we question several arguments given in Myhrvold in order to support his results. PMID:29489816

Lightning climatology in the Congo Basin: detailed analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soula, Serge; Kigotsi, Jean; Georgis, Jean-François; Barthe, Christelle

2016-04-01

The lightning climatology of the Congo Basin including several countries of Central Africa is analyzed in detail for the first time. It is based on World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data for the period from 2005 to 2013. A comparison of these data with the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) data for the same period shows the WWLLN detection efficiency (DE) in the region increases from about 1.70 % in the beginning of the period to 5.90 % in 2013, relative to LIS data, but not uniformly over the whole 2750 km × 2750 km area. Both the annual flash density and the number of stormy days show sharp maximum values localized in eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and west of Kivu Lake, regardless of the reference year and the period of the year. These maxima reach 12.86 fl km-2 and 189 days, respectively, in 2013, and correspond with a very active region located at the rear of the Virunga mountain range characterised with summits that can reach 3000 m. The presence of this range plays a role in the thunderstorm development along the year. The estimation of this local maximum of the lightning density by taking into account the DE, leads to a value consistent with that of the global climatology by Christian et al. (2003) and other authors. Thus, a mean maximum value of about 157 fl km-2 y-1 is found for the annual lightning density. The zonal distribution of the lightning flashes exhibits a maximum between 1°S and 2°S and about 56 % of the flashes located below the equator in the 10°S - 10°N interval. The diurnal evolution of the flash rate has a maximum between 1400 and 1700 UTC, according to the reference year, in agreement with previous works in other regions of the world.

Formal comment on: Myhrvold (2016) Dinosaur metabolism and the allometry of maximum growth rate. PLoS ONE; 11(11): e0163205.

PubMed

Griebeler, Eva Maria; Werner, Jan

2018-01-01

In his 2016 paper, Myhrvold criticized ours from 2014 on maximum growth rates (Gmax, maximum gain in body mass observed within a time unit throughout an individual's ontogeny) and thermoregulation strategies (ectothermy, endothermy) of 17 dinosaurs. In our paper, we showed that Gmax values of similar-sized extant ectothermic and endothermic vertebrates overlap. This strongly questions a correct assignment of a thermoregulation strategy to a dinosaur only based on its Gmax and (adult) body mass (M). Contrary, Gmax separated similar-sized extant reptiles and birds (Sauropsida) and Gmax values of our studied dinosaurs were similar to those seen in extant similar-sized (if necessary scaled-up) fast growing ectothermic reptiles. Myhrvold examined two hypotheses (H1 and H2) regarding our study. However, we did neither infer dinosaurian thermoregulation strategies from group-wide averages (H1) nor were our results based on that Gmax and metabolic rate (MR) are related (H2). In order to assess whether single dinosaurian Gmax values fit to those of extant endotherms (birds) or of ectotherms (reptiles), we already used a method suggested by Myhrvold to avoid H1, and we only discussed pros and cons of a relation between Gmax and MR and did not apply it (H2). We appreciate Myhrvold's efforts in eliminating the correlation between Gmax and M in order to statistically improve vertebrate scaling regressions on maximum gain in body mass. However, we show here that his mass-specific maximum growth rate (kC) replacing Gmax (= MkC) does not model the expected higher mass gain in larger than in smaller species for any set of species. We also comment on, why we considered extant reptiles and birds as reference models for extinct dinosaurs and why we used phylogenetically-informed regression analysis throughout our study. Finally, we question several arguments given in Myhrvold in order to support his results.

A study of surface ozone variability over the Iberian Peninsula during the last fifty years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Fernández, M. I.; Gallego, M. C.; García, J. A.; Acero, F. J.

2011-02-01

There is good evidence for an increase in the global surface level of ozone in the past century. In this work we present an analysis of 18 surface ozone series over the Iberian Peninsula, considering the target values of ozone for the protection of human health and for the protection of vegetation, as well as the information and alert thresholds established by the current European Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (Directive 2008/50/EC). The results show that the stations located on the Cantabrian coast exceeded neither the target value for the protection of human health nor the target value for the protection of vegetation. The information threshold was exceeded in most of the stations, while the alert threshold was only exceeded in one. The seasonal and daily evolution of ozone concentrations were as expected. A trend analysis of three surface ozone concentration indices (monthly median and 98th percentile, and monthly maximum of the daily maximum 8-h mean) was performed both for the whole period of each station and for the common period from 2001 to 2007 for all the months of the year. It was noted that generally the south of the Iberian Peninsula presented increasing trends for the three indices, especially in the last six months of the year, and the north decreasing trends. Finally, a correlation analysis was performed between the daily maximum 8-h mean and both daily mean temperature and daily mean solar radiation for the whole and the common periods. For all stations, there was a significant positive association at a 5% significance level between the daily maximum 8-h mean and the two meteorological variables of up to approximately 0.5. The spatial distribution of these association values from 2001 to 2007 showed a positive northwest to southeast gradient over the Iberian Peninsula.

An Extended Model for the Evolution of Prebiotic Homochirality: A Bottom-Up Approach to the Origin of Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleiser, Marcelo; Walker, Sara Imari

2008-08-01

A generalized autocatalytic model for chiral polymerization is investigated in detail. Apart from enantiomeric cross-inhibition, the model allows for the autogenic (non-catalytic) formation of left and right-handed monomers from a substrate with reaction rates ɛ L and ɛ R , respectively. The spatiotemporal evolution of the net chiral asymmetry is studied for models with several values of the maximum polymer length, N. For N = 2, we study the validity of the adiabatic approximation often cited in the literature. We show that the approximation obtains the correct equilibrium values of the net chirality, but fails to reproduce the short time behavior. We show also that the autogenic term in the full N = 2 model behaves as a control parameter in a chiral symmetry-breaking phase transition leading to full homochirality from racemic initial conditions. We study the dynamics of the N→ ∞ model with symmetric ( ɛ L = ɛ R ) autogenic formation, showing that it only achieves homochirality for ɛ > ɛ c , where ɛ c is an N-dependent critical value. For ɛ ≤ ɛ c we investigate the behavior of models with several values of N, showing that the net chiral asymmetry grows as tanh( N). We show that for a given symmetric autogenic reaction rate, the net chirality and the concentrations of chirally pure polymers increase with the maximum polymer length in the model. We briefly discuss the consequences of our results for the development of homochirality in prebiotic Earth and possible experimental verification of our findings.

Descriptive Statistics and Cluster Analysis for Extreme Rainfall in Java Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

E Komalasari, K.; Pawitan, H.; Faqih, A.

2017-03-01

This study aims to describe regional pattern of extreme rainfall based on maximum daily rainfall for period 1983 to 2012 in Java Island. Descriptive statistics analysis was performed to obtain centralization, variation and distribution of maximum precipitation data. Mean and median are utilized to measure central tendency data while Inter Quartile Range (IQR) and standard deviation are utilized to measure variation of data. In addition, skewness and kurtosis used to obtain shape the distribution of rainfall data. Cluster analysis using squared euclidean distance and ward method is applied to perform regional grouping. Result of this study show that mean (average) of maximum daily rainfall in Java Region during period 1983-2012 is around 80-181mm with median between 75-160mm and standard deviation between 17 to 82. Cluster analysis produces four clusters and show that western area of Java tent to have a higher annual maxima of daily rainfall than northern area, and have more variety of annual maximum value.

Is applicable thermodynamics of negative temperature for living organisms?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atanasov, Atanas Todorov

2017-11-01

During organismal development the moment of sexual maturity can be characterizes by nearly maximum basal metabolic rate and body mass. Once the living organism reaches extreme values of the mass and the basal metabolic rate, it reaches near equilibrium thermodynamic steady state physiological level with maximum organismal complexity. Such thermodynamic systems that reach equilibrium steady state level at maximum mass-energy characteristics can be regarded from the prospective of thermodynamics of negative temperature. In these systems the increase of the internal and free energy is accompanied with decrease of the entropy. In our study we show the possibility the living organisms to regard as thermodynamic system with negative temperature

The Estimation of Compaction Parameter Values Based on Soil Properties Values Stabilized with Portland Cement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubis, A. S.; Muis, Z. A.; Pasaribu, M. I.

2017-03-01

The strength and durability of pavement construction is highly dependent on the properties and subgrade bearing capacity. This then led to the idea of the selection methods to estimate the density of the soil with the proper implementation of the system, fast and economical. This study aims to estimate the compaction parameter value namely the maximum dry unit weight (γd max) and optimum moisture content (wopt) of the soil properties value that stabilized with Portland Cement. Tests conducted in the laboratory of soil mechanics to determine the index properties (fines and liquid limit) and Standard Compaction Test. Soil samples that have Plasticity Index (PI) between 0-15% then mixed with Portland Cement (PC) with variations of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%, each 10 samples. The results showed that the maximum dry unit weight (γd max) and wopt has a significant relationship with percent fines, liquid limit and the percentation of cement. Equation for the estimated maximum dry unit weight (γd max) = 1.782 - 0.011*LL + 0,000*F + 0.006*PS with R2 = 0.915 and the estimated optimum moisture content (wopt) = 3.441 + 0.594*LL + 0,025*F + 0,024*PS with R2 = 0.726.

Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) over mountainous region of Cameron Highlands- Batang Padang Catchment of Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidek, L. M.; Mohd Nor, M. D.; Rakhecha, P. R.; Basri, H.; Jayothisa, W.; Muda, R. S.; Ahmad, M. N.; Razad, A. Z. Abdul

2013-06-01

The Cameron Highland Batang Padang (CHBP) catchment situated on the main mountain range of Peninsular Malaysia is of large economical importance where currently a series of three dams (Sultan Abu Bakar, Jor and Mahang) exist in the development of water resources and hydropower. The prediction of the design storm rainfall values for different return periods including PMP values can be useful to review the adequacy of the current spillway capacities of these dams. In this paper estimates of the design storm rainfalls for various return periods and also the PMP values for rainfall stations in the CHBP catchment have been computed for the three different durations of 1, 3 & 5 days. The maximum values for 1 day, 3 days and 5 days PMP values are found to be 730.08mm, 966.17mm and 969.0mm respectively at Station number 4513033 Gunung Brinchang. The PMP values obtained were compared with previous study results undertaken by NAHRIM. However, the highest ratio of 1 day, 3 day and 5 day PMP to highest observed rainfall are found to be 2.30, 1.94 and 1.82 respectively. This shows that the ratio tend to decrease as the duration increase. Finally, the temporal pattern for 1 day, 3day and 5 days have been developed based on observed extreme rainfall at station 4513033 Gunung Brinchang for the generation of Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) in dam break analysis.

Maximum likelihood solution for inclination-only data in paleomagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arason, P.; Levi, S.

2010-08-01

We have developed a new robust maximum likelihood method for estimating the unbiased mean inclination from inclination-only data. In paleomagnetic analysis, the arithmetic mean of inclination-only data is known to introduce a shallowing bias. Several methods have been introduced to estimate the unbiased mean inclination of inclination-only data together with measures of the dispersion. Some inclination-only methods were designed to maximize the likelihood function of the marginal Fisher distribution. However, the exact analytical form of the maximum likelihood function is fairly complicated, and all the methods require various assumptions and approximations that are often inappropriate. For some steep and dispersed data sets, these methods provide estimates that are significantly displaced from the peak of the likelihood function to systematically shallower inclination. The problem locating the maximum of the likelihood function is partly due to difficulties in accurately evaluating the function for all values of interest, because some elements of the likelihood function increase exponentially as precision parameters increase, leading to numerical instabilities. In this study, we succeeded in analytically cancelling exponential elements from the log-likelihood function, and we are now able to calculate its value anywhere in the parameter space and for any inclination-only data set. Furthermore, we can now calculate the partial derivatives of the log-likelihood function with desired accuracy, and locate the maximum likelihood without the assumptions required by previous methods. To assess the reliability and accuracy of our method, we generated large numbers of random Fisher-distributed data sets, for which we calculated mean inclinations and precision parameters. The comparisons show that our new robust Arason-Levi maximum likelihood method is the most reliable, and the mean inclination estimates are the least biased towards shallow values.

Improving the maximum transmission distance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution using a noiseless amplifier

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

Blandino, Rémi; Etesse, Jean; Grangier, Philippe

2014-12-04

We show that the maximum transmission distance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution in presence of a Gaussian noisy lossy channel can be arbitrarily increased using a heralded noiseless linear amplifier. We explicitly consider a protocol using amplitude and phase modulated coherent states with reverse reconciliation. Assuming that the secret key rate drops to zero for a line transmittance T{sub lim}, we find that a noiseless amplifier with amplitude gain g can improve this value to T{sub lim}/g{sup 2}, corresponding to an increase in distance proportional to log g. We also show that the tolerance against noise is increased.

Effects of Storage of CPD-ADSOL Red Cells at 4C for as Long as 49 Days, Biochemical Modification, Freeze-Preservation, and Post-Wash Storage at 4C for 24 Hours

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-27

DPG, P50 levels , and the level of residual hemolysis were satisfactory. Our data show that 42-days is the maximum period that red blood cells can...survival value of only 61%, but ATP, DPG, P50 levels and the level of residual hemolysis were satisfactory. Our data show that 42-days is the maximum...collected red blood cells are stored at 4C for less than 2 weeks, the rejuventation process increases the red cell 2,3 DPG level to 250% of normal and the

Seasonal, interannual and long-term variabilities and tendencies of water vapour in the upper stratosphere and mesospheric region over tropics (30°N-30°S)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, Oindrila; Sridharan, S.; Naidu, C. V.

2018-01-01

Tropical water vapour volume mixing ratio (WVMR) data for October 2004-September 2015 obtained from the Microwave Limb Sounder are used to study its long-term variabilities and tendencies in the height region 12.1-0.002 hPa. Above 0.01 hPa, the WVMR shows minimum March-May and September-November (∼0.7-0.8 ppmv) and maximum during June-August. It shows a large interannual variability at 31-64 km. The results from multivariate regression analysis show an increasing trend with maximum value of ∼0.045 ppmv/yr at 1.21-0.41 hPa. It shows a significant negative solar cycle response at mesospheric heights.

Lee-Carter state space modeling: Application to the Malaysia mortality data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakiyatussariroh, W. H. Wan; Said, Z. Mohammad; Norazan, M. R.

2014-06-01

This article presents an approach that formalizes the Lee-Carter (LC) model as a state space model. Maximum likelihood through Expectation-Maximum (EM) algorithm was used to estimate the model. The methodology is applied to Malaysia's total population mortality data. Malaysia's mortality data was modeled based on age specific death rates (ASDR) data from 1971-2009. The fitted ASDR are compared to the actual observed values. However, results from the comparison of the fitted and actual values between LC-SS model and the original LC model shows that the fitted values from the LC-SS model and original LC model are quite close. In addition, there is not much difference between the value of root mean squared error (RMSE) and Akaike information criteria (AIC) from both models. The LC-SS model estimated for this study can be extended for forecasting ASDR in Malaysia. Then, accuracy of the LC-SS compared to the original LC can be further examined by verifying the forecasting power using out-of-sample comparison.

Prognostic implications of 62Cu-diacetyl-bis (N4-methylthiosemicarbazone) PET/CT in patients with glioma.

PubMed

Toriihara, Akira; Ohtake, Makoto; Tateishi, Kensuke; Hino-Shishikura, Ayako; Yoneyama, Tomohiro; Kitazume, Yoshio; Inoue, Tomio; Kawahara, Nobutaka; Tateishi, Ukihide

2018-05-01

The potential of positron emission tomography/computed tomography using 62 Cu-diacetyl-bis (N 4 -methylthiosemicarbazone) ( 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT), which was originally developed as a hypoxic tracer, to predict therapeutic resistance and prognosis has been reported in various cancers. Our purpose was to investigate prognostic value of 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT in patients with glioma, compared to PET/CT using 2-deoxy-2-[ 18 F]fluoro-D-glucose ( 18 F-FDG). 56 patients with glioma of World Health Organization grade 2-4 were enrolled. All participants had undergone both 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT and 18 F-FDG PET/CT within mean 33.5 days prior to treatment. Maximum standardized uptake value and tumor/background ratio were calculated within areas of increased radiotracer uptake. The prognostic significance for progression-free survival and overall survival were assessed by log-rank test and Cox's proportional hazards model. Disease progression and death were confirmed in 37 and 27 patients in follow-up periods, respectively. In univariate analysis, there was significant difference of both progression-free survival and overall survival in age, tumor grade, history of chemoradiotherapy, maximum standardized uptake value and tumor/background ratio calculated using 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT. Multivariate analysis revealed that maximum standardized uptake value calculated using 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT was an independent predictor of both progression-free survival and overall survival (p < 0.05). In a subgroup analysis including patients of grade 4 glioma, only the maximum standardized uptake values calculated using 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT showed significant difference of progression-free survival (p < 0.05). 62 Cu-ATSM PET/CT is a more promising imaging method to predict prognosis of patients with glioma compared to 18 F-FDG PET/CT.

Forecasting of the selected features of Poaceae (R. Br.) Barnh., Artemisia L. and Ambrosia L. pollen season in Szczecin, north-western Poland, using Gumbel's distribution.

PubMed

Puc, Małgorzata; Wolski, Tomasz

2013-01-01

The allergenic pollen content of the atmosphere varies according to climate, biogeography and vegetation. Minimisation of the pollen allergy symptoms is related to the possibility of avoidance of large doses of the allergen. Measurements performed in Szczecin over a period of 13 years (2000-2012 inclusive) permitted prediction of theoretical maximum concentrations of pollen grains and their probability for the pollen season of Poaceae, Artemisia and Ambrosia. Moreover, the probabilities were determined of a given date as the beginning of the pollen season, the date of the maximum pollen count, Seasonal Pollen Index value and the number of days with pollen count above threshold values. Aerobiological monitoring was conducted using a Hirst volumetric trap (Lanzoni VPPS). Linear trend with determination coefficient (R(2)) was calculated. Model for long-term forecasting was performed by the method based on Gumbel's distribution. A statistically significant negative correlation was determined between the duration of pollen season of Poaceae and Artemisia and the Seasonal Pollen Index value. Seasonal, total pollen counts of Artemisia and Ambrosia showed a strong and statistically significant decreasing tendency. On the basis of Gumbel's distribution, a model was proposed for Szczecin, allowing prediction of the probabilities of the maximum pollen count values that can appear once in e.g. 5, 10 or 100 years. Short pollen seasons are characterised by a higher intensity of pollination than long ones. Prediction of the maximum pollen count values, dates of the pollen season beginning, and the number of days with pollen count above the threshold, on the basis of Gumbel's distribution, is expected to lead to improvement in the prophylaxis and therapy of persons allergic to pollen.

Toxicological relevance of emerging contaminants for drinking water quality.

PubMed

Schriks, Merijn; Heringa, Minne B; van der Kooi, Margaretha M E; de Voogt, Pim; van Wezel, Annemarie P

2010-01-01

The detection of many new compounds in surface water, groundwater and drinking water raises considerable public concern, especially when human health based guideline values are not available it is questioned if detected concentrations affect human health. In an attempt to address this question, we derived provisional drinking water guideline values for a selection of 50 emerging contaminants relevant for drinking water and the water cycle. For only 10 contaminants, statutory guideline values were available. Provisional drinking water guideline values were based upon toxicological literature data. The maximum concentration levels reported in surface waters, groundwater and/or drinking water were compared to the (provisional) guideline values of the contaminants thus obtained, and expressed as Benchmark Quotient (BQ) values. We focused on occurrence data in the downstream parts of the Rhine and Meuse river basins. The results show that for the majority of compounds a substantial margin of safety exists between the maximum concentration in surface water, groundwater and/or drinking water and the (provisional) guideline value. The present assessment therefore supports the conclusion that the majority of the compounds evaluated pose individually no appreciable concern to human health. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Indoor radon survey in Visegrad countries.

PubMed

Műllerová, Monika; Kozak, Krzysztof; Kovács, Tibor; Smetanová, Iveta; Csordás, Anita; Grzadziel, Dominik; Holý, Karol; Mazur, Jadwiga; Moravcsík, Attila; Neznal, Martin; Neznal, Matej

2016-04-01

The indoor radon measurements were carried out in 123 residential buildings and 33 schools in Visegrad countries (Slovakia, Hungary and Poland). In 13.2% of rooms radon concentration exceeded 300Bqm(-3), the reference value recommended in the Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM. Indoor radon in houses shows the typical radon behavior, with a minimum in the summer and a maximum in the winter season, whereas in 32% of schools the maximum indoor radon was reached in the summer months. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The physics of light distribution in hollow structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitehead, Lorne A.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to serve as an introduction, for non-physicists, to the subject of light distribution in hollow structures. The motivation for light distribution is the importance of getting the maximum value from available light. We all recognize that photons cost money (one photon costs about $10(exp -25) to make) so we obviously want to try to make the maximum number of photons for a given cost. What is often overlooked, however, is that these photons have the highest value only if they are delivered to the right place in the correct quantity. This means that there is often substantial economic value in the high quality distribution of light. This problem is discussed from a very general perspective, in order to show the role of general optical films for manipulating light. The underlying physics at work in such films is described, and examples of common optical light distribution films are provided.

The effects of tensile preloads on the impact response of carbon/epoxy laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, Alan; Daniel, Vince; Branscomb, Caleb

1995-01-01

The effects of tensile preloads on the tension-after-impact (TAI) strength of composite laminates of IM7/8551-7 were examined. A failure threshold curve was first determined so the most informative values for preload/impact energy combinations could be determined. The impact tests were instrumented so maximum load of impact, as well as several other parameters could be measured. The elastic response data indicate that as the tensile preload is increased, the maximum load of impact also increases. The damage data show that at low impact energies, the damage/failure is an 'all-or-nothing' event but at higher impact energies, a region of preload values exists where the coupons could sustain damage, yet not fail catastrophically.

Pore fluids and the LGM ocean salinity-Reconsidered

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wunsch, Carl

2016-03-01

Pore fluid chlorinity/salinity data from deep-sea cores related to the salinity maximum of the last glacial maximum (LGM) are analyzed using estimation methods deriving from linear control theory. With conventional diffusion coefficient values and no vertical advection, results show a very strong dependence upon initial conditions at -100 ky. Earlier inferences that the abyssal Southern Ocean was strongly salt-stratified in the LGM with a relatively fresh North Atlantic Ocean are found to be consistent within uncertainties of the salinity determination, which remain of order ±1 g/kg. However, an LGM Southern Ocean abyss with an important relative excess of salt is an assumption, one not required by existing core data. None of the present results show statistically significant abyssal salinity values above the global average, and results remain consistent, apart from a general increase owing to diminished sea level, with a more conventional salinity distribution having deep values lower than the global mean. The Southern Ocean core does show a higher salinity than the North Atlantic one on the Bermuda Rise at different water depths. Although much more sophisticated models of the pore-fluid salinity can be used, they will only increase the resulting uncertainties, unless considerably more data can be obtained. Results are consistent with complex regional variations in abyssal salinity during deglaciation, but none are statistically significant.

Determination of the Maximum Control Forces and Attainable Quickness in the Operation of Airplane Controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hertel, Heinrich

1930-01-01

This report is intended to furnish bases for load assumptions in the designing of airplane controls. The maximum control forces and quickness of operation are determined. The maximum forces for a strong pilot with normal arrangement of the controls is taken as 1.25 times the mean value obtained from tests with twelve persons. Tests with a number of persons were expected to show the maximum forces that a man of average strength can exert on the control stick in operating the elevator and ailerons and also on the rudder bar. The effect of fatigue, of duration and of the nature (static or dynamic) of the force, as also the condition of the test subject (with or without belt) were also considered.

[Decision process of Notification Value by the Dose Index Registry system in X-ray computed tomography].

PubMed

Shinozaki, Masafumi; Muramatsu, Yoshihisa; Sasaki, Toru

2014-01-01

A new technical standard for X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) that allows the Alert Value and Notification Value for cumulative dose to be configurable by CT systems operators in conjunction with the XR-25 (Dose check) standard. In this study, a decision method of the Notification Values for reducing the radiation dose was examined using the dose index registry (DIR) system, during 122 continuous days from August 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012. CT images were obtained using the Discovery CT 750HD (GE Healthcare) and the dose index was calculated using the DoseWatch DIR system. The CT dose index-volume (CTDIvol) and dose-length product (DLP) were output from the DIR system in comma-separated value (CSV) file format for each examination protocol. All data were shown as a schematic boxplot using statistical processing software. The CTDIvol of a routine chest examination showed the following values (maximum: 23.84 mGy; minimum: 2.55 mGy; median: 7.60 mGy; 75% tile: 10.01 mGy; 25% tile: 6.54 mGy). DLP showed the following values (maximum: 944.56 mGy·cm; minimum: 97.25 mGy·cm; median: 307.35 mGy·cm; 75% tile: 406.87 mGy·cm; 25% tile: 255.75 mGy·cm). These results indicate that the 75% tile of CTDIvol and DLP as an initial value proved to be safe and efficient for CT examination and operation. We have thus established one way of determining the Notification Value from the output of the DIR system. Transfer back to the protocol of the CT and automated processing each numeric value in the DIR system is desired.

The estimation of probable maximum precipitation: the case of Catalonia.

PubMed

Casas, M Carmen; Rodríguez, Raül; Nieto, Raquel; Redaño, Angel

2008-12-01

A brief overview of the different techniques used to estimate the probable maximum precipitation (PMP) is presented. As a particular case, the 1-day PMP over Catalonia has been calculated and mapped with a high spatial resolution. For this purpose, the annual maximum daily rainfall series from 145 pluviometric stations of the Instituto Nacional de Meteorología (Spanish Weather Service) in Catalonia have been analyzed. In order to obtain values of PMP, an enveloping frequency factor curve based on the actual rainfall data of stations in the region has been developed. This enveloping curve has been used to estimate 1-day PMP values of all the 145 stations. Applying the Cressman method, the spatial analysis of these values has been achieved. Monthly precipitation climatological data, obtained from the application of Geographic Information Systems techniques, have been used as the initial field for the analysis. The 1-day PMP at 1 km(2) spatial resolution over Catalonia has been objectively determined, varying from 200 to 550 mm. Structures with wavelength longer than approximately 35 km can be identified and, despite their general concordance, the obtained 1-day PMP spatial distribution shows remarkable differences compared to the annual mean precipitation arrangement over Catalonia.

Combining Gabor and Talbot bands techniques to enhance the sensitivity with depth in Fourier domain optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradu, Adrian; Marques, Manuel J.; Bouchal, Petr; Podoleanu, Adrian Gh.

2013-03-01

The purpose of this study was to show how to favorably mix two e_ects to improve the sensitivity with depth in Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT): Talbot bands (TB) and Gabor-based fusion (GF) technique. TB operation is achieved by directing the two beams, from the object arm and from the reference arm in the OCT interferometer, along parallel separate paths towards the spectrometer. By changing the lateral gap between the two beams in their path towards the spectrometer, the position for the maximum sensitivity versus the optical path difference in the interferometer is adjusted. For five values of the focus position, the gap between the two beams is readjusted to reach maximum sensitivity. Then, similar to the procedure employed in the GF technique, a composite image is formed by edging together the parts of the five images that exhibited maximum brightness. The combined procedure, TB/GF is examined for four different values of the beam diameters of the two beams. Also we demonstrate volumetric FD-OCT images with mirror term attenuation and sensitivity profile shifted towards higher OPD values by applying a Talbot bands configuration.

Analysis and modeling of extreme temperatures in several cities in northwestern Mexico under climate change conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Cueto, O. Rafael; Cavazos, M. Tereza; de Grau, Pamela; Santillán-Soto, Néstor

2014-04-01

The generalized extreme value distribution is applied in this article to model the statistical behavior of the maximum and minimum temperature distribution tails in four cities of Baja California in northwestern Mexico, using data from 1950-2010. The approach used of the maximum of annual time blocks. Temporal trends were included as covariates in the location parameter (μ), which resulted in significant improvements to the proposed models, particularly for the extreme maximum temperature values in the cities of Mexicali, Tijuana, and Tecate, and the extreme minimum temperature values in Mexicali and Ensenada. These models were used to estimate future probabilities over the next 100 years (2015-2110) for different time periods, and they were compared with changes in the extreme (P90th and P10th) percentiles of maximum and minimum temperature scenarios for a set of six general circulation models under low (RCP4.5) and high (RCP8.5) radiative forcings. By the end of the twenty-first century, the scenarios of the changes in extreme maximum summer temperature are of the same order in both the statistical model and the high radiative scenario (increases of 4-5 °C). The low radiative scenario is more conservative (increases of 2-3 °C). The winter scenario shows that minimum temperatures could be less severe; the temperature increases suggested by the probabilistic model are greater than those projected for the end of the century by the set of global models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The likely impacts on the region are discussed.

Kinematics and Kinetics of Taekwon-do Side Kick

PubMed Central

Wąsik, Jacek

2011-01-01

The aim of the paper is to present an analysis of the influence of selected kinematic factors on the side kick technique. This issue is especially important in the traditional version of taekwon-do, in which a single strike may reveal the winner. Six taekwon-do (International Taekwon-do Federation) athletes were asked to participate in this case study. Generally accepted criteria of sports technique biomechanical analysis were adhered to. The athletes executed a side kick three times (in Taekwon-do terminology referred to as yop chagi) in a way which they use the kick in board breaking. The obtained data were used to determine the mean velocity changes in the function of relative extension length of the kicking leg. The maximum knee and foot velocities in the Cartesian coordinate system were determined. The leg lifting time and the duration of kick execution as well as the maximum force which the standing foot exerted on the ground were also determined. On the basis of the obtained values, mean values and standard deviations were calculated. The correlation dependence (r=0.72) shows that greater knee velocity affects the velocity which the foot develops as well as the fact that the total time of kick execution depends on the velocity which the knee (r = −0.59) and the foot (r = − 0.86) develop in the leg lifting phase. The average maximum speed was obtained at the length of the leg equal to 82% of the maximum length of the fully extended leg. This length can be considered the optimum value for achieving the maximum dynamics of the kick. PMID:23486086

Results of module electrical measurement of the DOE 46-kilowatt procurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curtis, H. B.

1978-01-01

Current-voltage measurements have been made on terrestrial solar cell modules of the DOE/JPL Low Cost Silicon Solar Array procurement. Data on short circuit current, open circuit voltage, and maximum power for the four types of modules are presented in normalized form, showing distribution of the measured values. Standard deviations from the mean values are also given. Tests of the statistical significance of the data are discussed.

Effects of metal surface grinding at the porcelain try-in stage of fixed dental prostheses.

PubMed

Kılınç, Halil İbrahim; Kesim, Bülent; Gümüş, Hasan Önder; Dinçel, Mehmet; Erkaya, Selçuk

2014-08-01

This study was to evaluate the effect of grinding of the inner metal surface during the porcelain try-in stage on metal-porcelain bonding considering the maximum temperature and the vibration of samples. Ninety-one square prism-shaped (1 × 1 × 1.5 mm) nickel-chrome cast frameworks 0.3 mm thick were prepared. Porcelain was applied on two opposite outer axial surfaces of the frameworks. The grinding was performed from the opposite axial sides of the inner metal surfaces with a low-speed handpiece with two types of burs (diamond, tungsten-carbide) under three grinding forces (3.5 N, 7 N, 14 N) and at two durations (5 seconds, 10 seconds). The shear bond strength (SBS) test was performed with universal testing machine. Statistical analyzes were performed at 5% significance level. The samples subjected to grinding under 3.5 N showed higher SBS values than those exposed to grinding under 7 N and 14 N (P<.05). SBS values of none of the groups differed from those of the control group (P>.05). The types of bur (P=.965) and the duration (P=.679) did not affect the SBS values. On the other hand, type of bur, force applied, and duration of the grinding affected the maximum temperatures of the samples, whereas the maximum vibration was affected only by the type of bur (P<.05). Grinding the inner metal surface did not affect the metal-porcelain bond strength. Although the grinding affected the maximum temperature and the vibration values of the samples, these did not influence the bonding strength.

Cadmium Phytoremediation by Arundo donax L. from Contaminated Soil and Water

PubMed Central

Sabeen, Maria; Mahmood, Qaisar; Irshad, Muhammad; Fareed, Iftikhar; Ullah, Farid; Hussain, Jamshaid; Hayat, Yousaf; Tabassum, Sobia

2013-01-01

The potential of Arundo donax L. for phytoextraction of cadmium (Cd) from contaminated soil and water was probed. The plants were grown under greenhouse conditions in pots containing a nutrient solution or soil with increasing doses of Cd (0, 50, 100, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 μg L−1) for 21 days. The growth and physiology of plants were evaluated at the end of the experiment. The maximum Cd content in root was 300 μg g−1 during hydroponics experiments over 230 μg g−1 in soil experiment. Cd concentration in stem was 262 μg g−1 at 750 μg L−1 supplied Cd in hydroponics over 191.2 μg g−1 at 1000 in soil experiment. The maximum Cd concentration in leaves from hydroponics was 187 μg g−1. Relatively low Cd uptake occurred during soil experiment with low translocation factor (TF) values. Both Bioaccumulation Factor (BF) and TF values for hydroponics were greater than 1. The IC50 values of ABTS and DPPH showed that both time and increasing Cd concentrations affected the production of antioxidants with lower half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value on the 21st days. A. donax showed better potential for Cd remediation of aquatic environments. PMID:24459667

12 CFR 221.108 - Effect of registration of stock subsequent to making of loan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... than the maximum loan value for the collateral specified in this part. (c) If the stock should become... increase the amount of the loan balance unless there was provided additional collateral having a maximum... value of the loan collateral or because of a decrease by the Board in the maximum loan value of the loan...

Ionospheric tomography over South Africa: Comparison of MIDAS and ionosondes measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giday, Nigussie M.; Katamzi, Zama T.; McKinnell, Lee-Anne

2016-01-01

This paper aims to show the results of an ionospheric tomography algorithm called Multi-Instrument Data Analysis System (MIDAS) over the South African region. Recorded data from a network of 49-53 Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers over the South African region was used as input for the inversion. The inversion was made for April, July, October and December representing the four distinct seasons (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer respectively) of the year 2012. MIDAS reconstructions were validated by comparing maximum electron density of the F2 layer (NmF2) and peak height (hmF2) values predicted by MIDAS to those derived from three South African ionosonde measurements. The diurnal and seasonal trends of the MIDAS NmF2 values were in good agreement with the respective NmF2 values derived from the ionosondes. In addition, good agreement was found between the two measurements with minimum and maximum coefficients of determination (r2) between 0.84 and 0.96 in all the stations and validation days. The seasonal trend of the NmF2 values over the South Africa region has been reproduced using this inversion which was in good agreement with the ionosonde measurements. Moreover, a comparison of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI-2012) model NmF2 values with the respective ionosonde derived NmF2 values showed to have higher deviation than a similar comparison between the MIDAS reconstruction and the ionosonde measurements. However, the monthly averaged hmF2 values derived from IRI 2012 model showed better agreement than the respective MIDAS reconstructed hmF2 values compared with the ionosonde derived hmF2 values.The performance of the MIDAS reconstruction was observed to deteriorate with increased geomagnetic conditions. MIDAS reconstructed electron density were slightly elevated during three storm periods studied (24 April, 15 July and 8 October) which was in good agreement with the ionosonde measurements.

Eating behaviour patterns and BMI in Portuguese higher education students.

PubMed

Poínhos, Rui; Oliveira, Bruno M P M; Correia, Flora

2013-12-01

Our aim was to determine prototypical patterns of eating behaviour among Portuguese higher education students, and to relate these patterns with BMI. Data from 280 higher education students (63.2% females) aged between 18 and 27 years were analysed. Several eating behaviour dimensions (emotional and external eating, flexible and rigid restraint, binge eating, and eating self-efficacy) were assessed, and eating styles were derived through cluster analysis. BMI for current, desired and maximum self-reported weights and the differences between desired and current BMI and between maximum and current BMI were calculated. Women scored higher in emotional eating and restraint, whereas men showed higher eating self-efficacy. Men had higher current, desired and maximum BMI. Cluster analysis showed three eating styles in both male and female subsamples: "Overeating", "High self-efficacy" and "High restraint". High self-efficacy women showed lower BMI values than the others, and restrictive women had higher lost BMI. High self-efficacy men showed lower desired BMI than overeaters, and lower maximum and lost BMI than highly restrictive ones. Restrictive women and men differ on important eating behaviour features, which may be the cause of differences in the associations with BMI. Eating self-efficacy seems to be a central variable influencing the relationships between other eating behaviour dimensions and BMI. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of force profile during a maximum voluntary isometric contraction task.

PubMed

Househam, Elizabeth; McAuley, John; Charles, Thompson; Lightfoot, Timothy; Swash, Michael

2004-03-01

This study analyses maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and its measurement by recording the force profile during maximal-effort, 7-s hand-grip contractions. Six healthy subjects each performed three trials repeated at short intervals to study variation from fatigue. These three trials were performed during three separate sessions at daily intervals to look at random variation. A pattern of force development during a trial was identified. An initiation phase, with or without an initiation peak, was followed by a maintenance phase, sometimes with secondary pulses and an underlying decline in force. Of these three MVIC parameters, maximum force during the maintenance phase showed less random variability compared to intertrial fatigue variability than did maximum force during the initiation phase or absolute maximum force. Analysis of MVIC as a task, rather than a single, maximal value reveals deeper levels of motor control in its generation. Thus, force parameters other than the absolute maximum force may be better suited to quantification of muscle performance in health and disease.

Determining the accuracy of maximum likelihood parameter estimates with colored residuals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morelli, Eugene A.; Klein, Vladislav

1994-01-01

An important part of building high fidelity mathematical models based on measured data is calculating the accuracy associated with statistical estimates of the model parameters. Indeed, without some idea of the accuracy of parameter estimates, the estimates themselves have limited value. In this work, an expression based on theoretical analysis was developed to properly compute parameter accuracy measures for maximum likelihood estimates with colored residuals. This result is important because experience from the analysis of measured data reveals that the residuals from maximum likelihood estimation are almost always colored. The calculations involved can be appended to conventional maximum likelihood estimation algorithms. Simulated data runs were used to show that the parameter accuracy measures computed with this technique accurately reflect the quality of the parameter estimates from maximum likelihood estimation without the need for analysis of the output residuals in the frequency domain or heuristically determined multiplication factors. The result is general, although the application studied here is maximum likelihood estimation of aerodynamic model parameters from flight test data.

Scanning linear estimation: improvements over region of interest (ROI) methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kupinski, Meredith K.; Clarkson, Eric W.; Barrett, Harrison H.

2013-03-01

In tomographic medical imaging, a signal activity is typically estimated by summing voxels from a reconstructed image. We introduce an alternative estimation scheme that operates on the raw projection data and offers a substantial improvement, as measured by the ensemble mean-square error (EMSE), when compared to using voxel values from a maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization (MLEM) reconstruction. The scanning-linear (SL) estimator operates on the raw projection data and is derived as a special case of maximum-likelihood estimation with a series of approximations to make the calculation tractable. The approximated likelihood accounts for background randomness, measurement noise and variability in the parameters to be estimated. When signal size and location are known, the SL estimate of signal activity is unbiased, i.e. the average estimate equals the true value. By contrast, unpredictable bias arising from the null functions of the imaging system affect standard algorithms that operate on reconstructed data. The SL method is demonstrated for two different tasks: (1) simultaneously estimating a signal’s size, location and activity; (2) for a fixed signal size and location, estimating activity. Noisy projection data are realistically simulated using measured calibration data from the multi-module multi-resolution small-animal SPECT imaging system. For both tasks, the same set of images is reconstructed using the MLEM algorithm (80 iterations), and the average and maximum values within the region of interest (ROI) are calculated for comparison. This comparison shows dramatic improvements in EMSE for the SL estimates. To show that the bias in ROI estimates affects not only absolute values but also relative differences, such as those used to monitor the response to therapy, the activity estimation task is repeated for three different signal sizes.

Generalized Maximum Entropy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheeseman, Peter; Stutz, John

2005-01-01

A long standing mystery in using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) is how to deal with constraints whose values are uncertain. This situation arises when constraint values are estimated from data, because of finite sample sizes. One approach to this problem, advocated by E.T. Jaynes [1], is to ignore this uncertainty, and treat the empirically observed values as exact. We refer to this as the classic MaxEnt approach. Classic MaxEnt gives point probabilities (subject to the given constraints), rather than probability densities. We develop an alternative approach that assumes that the uncertain constraint values are represented by a probability density {e.g: a Gaussian), and this uncertainty yields a MaxEnt posterior probability density. That is, the classic MaxEnt point probabilities are regarded as a multidimensional function of the given constraint values, and uncertainty on these values is transmitted through the MaxEnt function to give uncertainty over the MaXEnt probabilities. We illustrate this approach by explicitly calculating the generalized MaxEnt density for a simple but common case, then show how this can be extended numerically to the general case. This paper expands the generalized MaxEnt concept introduced in a previous paper [3].

Performance analysis of solar-assisted chemical heat-pump dryer

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

Fadhel, M.I.; Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450, Melaka; Sopian, K.

2010-11-15

A solar-assisted chemical heat-pump dryer has been designed, fabricated and tested. The performance of the system has been studied under the meteorological conditions of Malaysia. The system consists of four main components: solar collector (evacuated tubes type), storage tank, solid-gas chemical heat pump unit and dryer chamber. A solid-gas chemical heat pump unit consists of reactor, condenser and evaporator. The reaction used in this study (CaCl2-NH{sub 3}). A simulation has been developed, and the predicted results are compared with those obtained from experiments. The maximum efficiency for evacuated tubes solar collector of 80% has been predicted against the maximum experimentmore » of 74%. The maximum values of solar fraction from the simulation and experiment are 0.795 and 0.713, respectively, whereas the coefficient of performance of chemical heat pump (COP{sup h}) maximum values 2.2 and 2 are obtained from simulation and experiments, respectively. The results show that any reduction of energy at condenser as a result of the decrease in solar radiation will decrease the coefficient of performance of chemical heat pump as well as decrease the efficiency of drying. (author)« less

Physiological analysis to quantify training load in badminton.

PubMed Central

Majumdar, P; Khanna, G L; Malik, V; Sachdeva, S; Arif, M; Mandal, M

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the training load of specific on court training regimens based on the magnitude of variation of heart rate-lactate response during specific training and to determine the magnitude of variation of biochemical parameters (urea, uric acid, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK)) 12 hours after the specific training programme so as to assess training stress. METHODS: The study was conducted on six national male badminton players. Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2), ventilation (VE), heart rate, and respiratory quotient were measured by a protocol of graded treadmill exercise. Twelve training sessions and 35 singles matches were analysed. Heart rate and blood lactate were monitored during technical training routines and match play. Fasting blood samples collected on two occasions--that is, during off season and 12 hours after specific training--were analysed for serum urea, uric acid, and CPK. RESULTS: Analysis of the on court training regimens showed lactate values of 8-10.5 mmol/l in different phases. The percentage of maximum heart rate ranged from 82% to 100%. Urea, uric acid, and CPK activity showed significant changes from (mean (SD)) 4.93 (0.75) mmol/l to 5.49 (0.84) mmol/l, 0.23 (0.04) to 0.33 (0.06) mmol/l, and 312 (211.8) to 363 (216.4) IU/l respectively. CONCLUSION: Maximum lactate reported in the literature ranges from 3-6 mmol/l. Comparatively high lactate values and high percentage of maximum heart rate found in on court training show a considerable stress on muscular and cardiovascular system. The training load needs appropriate monitoring to avoid over-training. Workouts that are too intensive may interfere with coordination, a factor that is important in sports requiring highly technical skill such as badminton. PMID:9429015

Lithium abundances among solar-type pre-main-sequence stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strom, Karen M.; Wilkin, Francis P.; Strom, Stephen E.; Seaman, Robert L.

1989-01-01

Measurements of Li I 6707 A line strengths were carried out for two samples of pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars (L 1641 and Taurus-Auriga), and the Li abundances estimated for PMS stars are compared with those deduced from observations of Li line strengths for main-sequence stars in the Alpha Persei cluster. It was found that the maximum Li abundances among the PMS stars with solar mass values greater than 1.0 exceed the maximum abundances for Alpha Per stars by at least 0.3 dex. Some PMS stars, including few apparently young stars, showed large (greater than 1.0 dex) Li depletion, and some apparently old PMS stars showed little or no depletion.

[Effect of maximum blood pressure fluctuation on prognosis of patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 hours after hospital admission].

PubMed

Wang, H; Tang, Y; Zhang, Y; Xu, K; Zhao, J B

2018-05-10

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the maximum blood pressure fluctuation within 24 hours after admission and the prognosis at discharge. Methods: The patients with ischemic stroke admitted in Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University within 24 hours after onset were consecutively selected from April 2016 to March 2017. The patients were grouped according to the diagnostic criteria of hypertension. Ambulatory blood pressure of the patients within 24 hours after admission were measured with bedside monitors and baseline data were collected. The patients were scored by NIHSS at discharge. The relationships between the maximum values of systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and the prognosis at discharge were analyzed. Results: A total of 521 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled. They were divided into normal blood pressure group (82 cases) and hypertension group(439 cases). In normal blood pressure group, the maximum values of SBP and DBP were all in normal distribution ( P >0.05). The maximum value of SBP fluctuation was set at 146.6 mmHg. After adjustment for potential confounders, the OR for poor prognosis at discharge in patients with SBP fluctuation ≥146.6 mmHg was 2.669 (95 %CI : 0.594-11.992) compared with those with SBP fluctuation <146.6 mmHg. The maximum value of DBP fluctuation was set at 90.0 mmHg, and the adjusted OR for poor prognosis at discharge in patients with DBP fluctuation ≥90.0 mmHg was 0.416 (95 %CI : 0.087-1.992) compared with those with DBP fluctuation <90.0 mmHg. In hypertension group, the maximum values of SBP and DBP were not in normal distribution ( P <0.05). The maximum value of SBP fluctuation was set at median 171.0 mmHg. After adjustment for the confounders, the greater the maximum of SBP, the greater the risk of poor prognosis at discharge was, the OR was 1.636 (95 %CI : 1.014-2.641). The maximum value of DBP fluctuation was set at median 98.0 mmHg. After adjustment for the confounders, the greater the maximum of DBP, the greater the risk of poor prognosis at discharge was, the OR was 1.645 (95 %CI : 1.003-2.697). Conclusion: In acute ischemic stroke patients with normal blood pressure at admission, the maximum values of SBP and DBP within 24 hours after admission had no relationship with prognosis at discharge. In acute ischemic stroke patients with hypertension at admission, the maximum values of SBP and DBP within 24 hours after admission were associated with poor prognosis at discharge.

Stochastic characteristics of different duration annual maximum rainfall and its spatial difference in China based on information entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Sang, Y. F.

2017-12-01

Mountain torrents, urban floods and other disasters caused by extreme precipitation bring great losses to the ecological environment, social and economic development, people's lives and property security. So there is of great significance to floods prevention and control by the study of its spatial distribution. Based on the annual maximum rainfall data of 60min, 6h and 24h, the paper generate long sequences following Pearson-III distribution, and then use the information entropy index to study the spatial distribution and difference of different duration. The results show that the information entropy value of annual maximum rainfall in the south region is greater than that in the north region, indicating more obvious stochastic characteristics of annual maximum rainfall in the latter. However, the spatial distribution of stochastic characteristics is different in different duration. For example, stochastic characteristics of 60min annual maximum rainfall in the Eastern Tibet is smaller than surrounding, but 6h and 24h annual maximum rainfall is larger than surrounding area. In the Haihe River Basin and the Huaihe River Basin, the stochastic characteristics of the 60min annual maximum rainfall was not significantly different from that in the surrounding area, and stochastic characteristics of 6h and 24h was smaller than that in the surrounding area. We conclude that the spatial distribution of information entropy values of annual maximum rainfall in different duration can reflect the spatial distribution of its stochastic characteristics, thus the results can be an importantly scientific basis for the flood prevention and control, agriculture, economic-social developments and urban flood control and waterlogging.

Micromechanical Modeling of Storage Particles in Lithium Ion Batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purkayastha, Rajlakshmi Tarun

The effect of stress on storage particles within a lithium ion battery, while acknowledged, is not understood very well. In this work three non-dimensional parameters were identified which govern the stress response within a spherical storage particle. These parameters are developed using material properties such as the diffusion coefficient, particle radius, partial molar volume and Young's modulus. Stress maps are then generated for various values of these parameters for fixed rates of insertion, applying boundary conditions similar to those found in a battery. Stress and concentration profiles for various values of these parameters show the coupling between stress and concentration is magnified depending on the values of the parameters. These maps can be used for different materials, depending on the value of the dimensionless parameters. The value of maximum stress generated is calculated for extraction as well as insertion of lithium into the particle. The model was then used to study to ellipsoidal particles in order to ascertain the effect of geometry on the maximum stress within the particle. By performing a parameter study, we can identify those materials for which particular aspect ratios of ellipsoids are more beneficial, in terms of reducing stress. We find that the stress peaks at certain aspect ratios, mostly at 2 and 1/ 2 . A parameter study was also performed on cubic particle. The values of maximum stresses for both insertion and extraction of lithium were plotted as contour plots. It was seen that the material parameters influenced the location of the maximum stress, with the maximum stress occurring either at the center of the edge between two faces or the point at the center of a face. Newer materials such as silicon are being touted as new lithium storage materials for batteries due to their higher capacity. Their tendency to rapidly loose capacity in a short period of time has led to a variety designs such are the use of carbon nanotubes or the use of coatings in order to mitigate the large expansion and stresses, which leads to spalling off of the material. We therefore extended the results for spherical storage particles to include the presence of an additional layer of material surrounding the storage particle. We perform a parameter study to see at which material properties are most beneficial in reducing stresses within the particle, and the results were tabulated. It was seen that thicker layers can lead to mitigation in the value of maximum stresses. A simple fracture analysis was carried out and the material parameters which would most likely cause crack growth to occur were identified. Finally an integrated 2-D model of a lithium ion battery was developed to study the mechanical stress in storage particles as a function of material properties. The effect of morphology on the stress and lithium concentration is studied for the case of extraction of lithium in terms of the previously developed non-dimensional parameters. Both, particles functioning in isolation were studied, as well as in closely-packed systems. The results show that the particle distance from the separator, in combination with the material properties of the particle, is critical in predicting the stress generated within the particle.

Use of Chemi-Ionization to Calculate Temperature of Hydrocarbon Flame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaikin, A. P.; Galiev, I. R.

2018-04-01

In the present paper, we have experimentally studied the dependences of the maximum temperature of the hydrocarbon flame on the electron current (due to the flame chemi-ionization), the width of the turbulent combustion zone, and the amount and composition of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of variable volume. Based on the proposed formula, we have been also able to estimate the temperature and compare with its experimental value showing that the convergence has been more than 85% at an excess air factor value ranging from 0.8 to 1.15. The obtained results can be used to predict and monitor the maximum flame temperature in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine and other power plants by using the ionization probe.

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and its Relation to Carbon Cycle Perturbations During Ocean Anoxic Event 1d: A High Resolution Record From Dispersed Plant Cuticle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richey, J. D.; Upchurch, G. R.; Joeckel, R.; Smith, J. J.; Ludvigson, G. A.; Lomax, B. H.

2013-12-01

Past geological greenhouse intervals are associated with Ocean Anoxic Events (OAEs), which result from an increase in marine primary productivity and/or an increase in the preservation of organic matter. The end point is widespread black shale deposition combined with a long-term atmospheric positive δ13C excursion and an increase in the burial of 12C. Some OAEs show a negative δ13C excursion preceding the positive excursion, indicating a perturbation in the global carbon cycle prior to the initiation of these events. The Rose Creek (RCP) locality, southeastern Nebraska, is the only known terrestrial section that preserves OAE1d (Cretaceous, Albian-Cenomanian Boundary) and has abundant charcoal and plant cuticle. These features allow for a combined carbon isotope and stomatal index (SI) analysis to determine both changes in the cycling between carbon pools (C isotope analysis) and changes in paleo-CO2 via changes in SI. Preliminary (and ongoing) SI data analysis using dispersed cuticle of Pandemophyllum kvacekii (an extinct Laurel) collected at 30 cm intervals indicate changes in SI consistent with changes in CO2. Fitting our samples to a published RCP δ13C profile, pre-excursion CO2 concentrations are high. CO2 decreases to lower concentrations in the basal 1.2 m of the RCP section, where δ13Cbulk shows a negative excursion and δ13Ccharcoal remains at pre-excursion values. CO2 concentrations become higher toward the top of the negative δ13C excursion, where δ13Cbulk and δ13Ccharcoal are at their most negative values, and drop as the negative carbon excursion terminates. Using published transfer functions, we estimate that pre-excursion CO2 concentrations were a maximum of 900 ppm. In the basal 1.2 m of RCP, CO2 drops to a maximum of 480 ppm, and rises to a maximum of 710 ppm near the top of the negative excursion. As δ13C values rise towards pre-excursion values, CO2 declines to a maximum of 400 ppm. The trend in SI is comparable to the trend in δ13Ccharcoal and follows recognized patterns, while SI shows partial divergence from δ13Cbulk. These data, while preliminary, highlight the importance of considering isotope substrate when investigating carbon cycle perturbations.

Analysis of ionospheric TEC from GNSS observables over the Turkish region and predictability of IRI and SPIM models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansari, Kutubuddin; Corumluoglu, Ozsen; Panda, Sampad Kumar

2017-04-01

The present study investigates the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) variations in the lower mid-latitude Turkish region from the Turkish Permanent GNSS Network (TPGN) and International GNSS Services (IGS) observations during the period from January 2015 to December 2015. The corresponding TEC predicted by the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI 2012) and Standard Plasmasphere-Ionosphere Model (SPIM), and interpolated from Global Ionosphere Maps (GIMs) are evaluated to realize their reliability over the region. We studied the diurnal and monthly behavior of TEC and the relative TEC deviations along with the upper and lower quartiles to represent its spatio-temporal variability. The diurnal variation of GNSS-derived TEC indicates its maximum peak value around 10.00 UT which decreases gradually to attain minimum value after midnight. The monthly maximum value of TEC is observed in March followed by May and August, and the lowest value is seen during September. Studies show that the monthly relative deviation of TEC variability lies in the range of -1 to 4 units for all stations with the maximum difference between positive and negative variability remaining around 5. The studies also cover seasonal variation, grand-mean of ionospheric TEC and TEC intensity from the TPGN. The seasonal ionospheric VTEC pattern over all stations depicts slight increment in VTEC distribution during March equinox compared to September equinox. The December solstice perceived relatively higher VTEC than June solstice. The overall of VTEC values enhanced at all stations towards end of the year 2015 compare to mid of year due the high solar activity. The maximum grand-mean of VTEC is registered in March equinox while the lowest value is seen in September irrespective of all stations. The measured grand-mean intensity variations of VTEC values are in ascending phase during March, May, August and November months, but in descending phase during February, April, June and September months. The latitudinal study shows daytime TEC slowly decreasing with latitudes with a latitudinal gradient range of 0.1-0.2 TECU/degree. Additionally, the TEC analysis during the strong geomagnetic storm period (07-11 September 2015; SYM-H -120 nT) infers relatively better predictability of the SPIM model compared to the IRI 2012 model. The outputs of this study would complement towards a complete understanding of the lower mid-latitude ionospheric dynamics and its effects on radio propagations, particularly over the Turkish region.

Modelling maximum river flow by using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheong, R. Y.; Gabda, D.

2017-09-01

Analysis of flood trends is vital since flooding threatens human living in terms of financial, environment and security. The data of annual maximum river flows in Sabah were fitted into generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. Maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) raised naturally when working with GEV distribution. However, previous researches showed that MLE provide unstable results especially in small sample size. In this study, we used different Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) based on Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to estimate GEV parameters. Bayesian MCMC method is a statistical inference which studies the parameter estimation by using posterior distribution based on Bayes’ theorem. Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is used to overcome the high dimensional state space faced in Monte Carlo method. This approach also considers more uncertainty in parameter estimation which then presents a better prediction on maximum river flow in Sabah.

Functional ankle control of rock climbers

PubMed Central

Schweizer, A; Bircher, H; Kaelin, X; Ochsner, P

2005-01-01

Objective: To evaluate whether rock climbing type exercise would be of value in rehabilitating ankle injuries to improve ankle stability and coordination. Results: The rock climbers showed significantly better results in the stabilometry and greater absolute and relative maximum strength of flexion in the ankle. The soccer players showed greater absolute but not relative strength in extension. Conclusion: Rock climbing, because of its slow and controlled near static movements, may be of value in the treatment of functional ankle instability. However, it has still to be confirmed whether it is superior to the usual rehabilitation exercises such as use of the wobble board. PMID:15976164

Effect of Diwali Firecrackers on Air Quality and Aerosol Optical Properties over Mega City (Delhi) in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sateesh, M.; Soni, V. K.; Raju, P. V. S.

2018-06-01

In this paper, the variations of aerosol properties due to crackers burning during Diwali event (11th-18th 2012) over mega city Delhi were investigated. The sky radiometer POM-2 aerosol optical property data from Skynet-India along with ambient air pollution data were critically analyzed. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 500 nm was 1.60 on 13th November, the Diwali day, and its value a maximum of 1.84 on 16th November. Due to stable atmosphere over Delhi during post Diwali, aerosols accumulate and remain in the atmosphere for longer time, which leads to higher AOD on 16th November. A lower value of single-scattering albedo (SSA) was observed at a longer wavelength (1020 nm) during the entire period that clearly indicates the dominance of absorbing-type black carbon aerosol. SSA showed a steep decrease after 16th November. Asymmetry parameter decreased to a maximum of 0.79 for the shorter wavelength at 340 nm and 0.632 is reported at the higher wavelength 1020 nm. Asymmetry parameter showed a decrease in value just after Diwali on 14th November, this suggesting the dominance of fine-mode aerosol from anthropogenic activities. The lowest value of the refractive index (1.4527) on 14th and 15th November indicates the higher loading of absorbing-type aerosol which may be associated with firecracker burning of Diwali festival. The significant correlation with the value of r = 0.9 was observed between sky radiometer and MODIS AOD with a standard deviation of 0.31 and an RMSE of 0.17 during the event. Radiative forcing and heating rate were estimated using SBDART. The maximum average concentrations 2641 and 1876 μg/m3 of PM10 and PM2.5, respectively, were observed on the Diwali night. A highest of 109 ppb surface ozone was reported in the night at 23:00 IST, which can be attributed to burning of the firecrackers.

Added value of shear-wave elastography for evaluation of breast masses detected with screening US imaging.

PubMed

Lee, Su Hyun; Chang, Jung Min; Kim, Won Hwa; Bae, Min Sun; Seo, Mirinae; Koo, Hye Ryoung; Chu, A Jung; Gweon, Hye Mi; Cho, Nariya; Moon, Woo Kyung

2014-10-01

To evaluate the additional value of shear-wave elastography (SWE) to B-mode ultrasonography (US) and to determine an appropriate guideline for the combined assessment of screening US-detected breast masses. This study was conducted with institutional review board approval, and written informed consent was obtained. From March 2010 to February 2012, B-mode US and SWE were performed in 159 US-detected breast masses before biopsy. For each lesion, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category on B-mode US images and the maximum stiffness color and elasticity values on SWE images were assessed. A guideline for adding SWE data to B-mode US was developed with the retrospective cohort to improve diagnostic performance in sensitivity and specificity and was validated in a distinct prospective cohort of 207 women prior to biopsy. Twenty-one of 159 masses in the development cohort and 12 of 207 breast masses in the validation cohort were malignant. In the development cohort, when BI-RADS category 4a masses showing a dark blue color or a maximum elasticity value of 30 kPa or less on SWE images were downgraded to category 3, specificity increased from 9.4% (13 of 138) to 59.4% (82 of 138) and 57.2% (79 of 138) (P < .001), respectively, without loss in sensitivity (100% [21 of 21]). In the validation cohort, specificity increased from 17.4% (34 of 195) to 62.1% (121 of 195) and 53.3% (104 of 195) (P < .001) respectively, without loss in sensitivity (91.7% [11 of 12]). The addition of SWE to B-mode US improved diagnostic performance with increased specificity for screening US-detected breast masses. BI-RADS category 4a masses detected at US screening that showed a dark blue color or a maximum elasticity value of 30 kPa or less on SWE images can be safely followed up instead of performing biopsy. © RSNA, 2014.

A reliable, fast and low cost maximum power point tracker for photovoltaic applications

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

Enrique, J.M.; Andujar, J.M.; Bohorquez, M.A.

This work presents a new maximum power point tracker system for photovoltaic applications. The developed system is an analog version of the ''P and O-oriented'' algorithm. It maintains its main advantages: simplicity, reliability and easy practical implementation, and avoids its main disadvantages: inaccurateness and relatively slow response. Additionally, the developed system can be implemented in a practical way at a low cost, which means an added value. The system also shows an excellent behavior for very fast variables in incident radiation levels. (author)

[Analysis of Camellia rosthorniana populations fecundity].

PubMed

Cao, Guoxing; Zhong, Zhangcheng; Xie, Deti; Liu, Yun

2004-03-01

With the method of space substituting time, the structure of Camellia rosthorniana populations in three forest communities, i.e., Jiant bamboo forest, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, and evergreen broad-leaved forest in Mt. Jinyun was investigated, and based on static life-tables, the fecundity tables and reproductive value tables of C. rosthorniana populations were constructed. Each reproductive parameter and its relation to bionomic strategies of C. rosthorniana populations were also analyzed. The results indicated that in evergreen broad-leaved forest, C. rosthorniana population had the longest life span and the greatest fitness. The stage of maximum reproductive value increased with increasing stability of the community. The sum of each population's reproductive value, residual reproductive value and total reproductive value for the whole life-history of C. rosthorniana also increased with increasing maturity of the community, showing their inherent relationships with reproductive fitness. As regards to bionomic strategy, C. rosthorniana showed mainly the characteristics of a k-strategies, but in less stable community, the reproductive parameters were greatly changed, showing some characteristics of a r-strategies.

Modelling of extreme rainfall events in Peninsular Malaysia based on annual maximum and partial duration series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zin, Wan Zawiah Wan; Shinyie, Wendy Ling; Jemain, Abdul Aziz

2015-02-01

In this study, two series of data for extreme rainfall events are generated based on Annual Maximum and Partial Duration Methods, derived from 102 rain-gauge stations in Peninsular from 1982-2012. To determine the optimal threshold for each station, several requirements must be satisfied and Adapted Hill estimator is employed for this purpose. A semi-parametric bootstrap is then used to estimate the mean square error (MSE) of the estimator at each threshold and the optimal threshold is selected based on the smallest MSE. The mean annual frequency is also checked to ensure that it lies in the range of one to five and the resulting data is also de-clustered to ensure independence. The two data series are then fitted to Generalized Extreme Value and Generalized Pareto distributions for annual maximum and partial duration series, respectively. The parameter estimation methods used are the Maximum Likelihood and the L-moment methods. Two goodness of fit tests are then used to evaluate the best-fitted distribution. The results showed that the Partial Duration series with Generalized Pareto distribution and Maximum Likelihood parameter estimation provides the best representation for extreme rainfall events in Peninsular Malaysia for majority of the stations studied. Based on these findings, several return values are also derived and spatial mapping are constructed to identify the distribution characteristic of extreme rainfall in Peninsular Malaysia.

Assessing women's lacrosse head impacts using finite element modelling.

PubMed

Clark, J Michio; Hoshizaki, T Blaine; Gilchrist, Michael D

2018-04-01

Recently studies have assessed the ability of helmets to reduce peak linear and rotational acceleration for women's lacrosse head impacts. However, such measures have had low correlation with injury. Maximum principal strain interprets loading curves which provide better injury prediction than peak linear and rotational acceleration, especially in compliant situations which create low magnitude accelerations but long impact durations. The purpose of this study was to assess head and helmet impacts in women's lacrosse using finite element modelling. Linear and rotational acceleration loading curves from women's lacrosse impacts to a helmeted and an unhelmeted Hybrid III headform were input into the University College Dublin Brain Trauma Model. The finite element model was used to calculate maximum principal strain in the cerebrum. The results demonstrated for unhelmeted impacts, falls and ball impacts produce higher maximum principal strain values than stick and shoulder collisions. The strain values for falls and ball impacts were found to be within the range of concussion and traumatic brain injury. The results also showed that men's lacrosse helmets reduced maximum principal strain for follow-through slashing, falls and ball impacts. These findings are novel and demonstrate that for high risk events, maximum principal strain can be reduced by implementing the use of helmets if the rules of the sport do not effectively manage such situations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of biological potential of selected species of family Poaceae from Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

PubMed

Fatima, Iram; Kanwal, Sobia; Mahmood, Tariq

2018-01-24

Oxidative stress as well as bacterial and fungal infections are common source of diseases while plants are source of medication for curative or protective purposes. Hence, aim of study was to compare the pharmacological potential of seven grass species in two different solvents i.e. ethanol and acetone. Preliminary phytochemical tests were done and antioxidant activities were evaluated using ELISA and their IC50 values and AAI (%) were recorded. ANOVA was used for statistical analyses. DNA damage protection assay was done using p1391Z plasmid DNA and DNA bands were analyzed. Antimicrobial activity was done via disc diffusion method and MIC and Activity Index were determined. Cytotoxic activity was carried out using the brine shrimps' assay and LC50 values were calculated using probit analysis program. Phytochemical studies confirmed the presence of secondary metabolites in most of the plant extracts. Maximum antioxidant potential was revealed in DiAEE, DiAAE (AAI- 54.54% and 43.24%) and DaAEE and DaAAE (AAI- 49.13% and 44.52%). However, PoAEE and PoAAE showed minimum antioxidant potential (AAI- 41.04% and 34.11%). SaSEE, DiAEE and ElIEE showed very little DNA damage protection activity. In antimicrobial assay, DaAEE significantly inhibited the growth of most of the microbial pathogens (nine microbes out of eleven tested microbes) among ethanol extracts while DaAAE and ImCAE showed maximum inhibition (eight microbes out of eleven tested microbes) among acetone plant extracts. However, PoAEE and PoAAE showed least antimicrobial activity. F. oxysporum and A. niger were revealed as the most resistant micro-organisms. ImCEA and ImCAE showed maximum cytotoxic potential (LC50 11.004 ppm and 7.932 ppm) as compared to the other plant extracts. Fodder grasses also contains a substantial phenols and flavonoids contents along with other secondary metabolites and, hence, possess a significant medicinal value. Ethanol extracts showed more therapeutic potential as compared to the acetone extracts. This study provides experimental evidence that the selected species contains such valuable natural compounds which can be used as medicinal drugs in future.

[Lipid and fatty acid profile of Perna viridis, green mussel (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in different areas of the Eastern Venezuela and the West Coast of Trinidad].

PubMed

Koftayan, Tamar; Milano, Jahiro; D'Armas, Haydelba; Salazar, Gabriel

2011-03-01

The species Perna viridis is a highly consumed species, which fast growth makes it an interesting aquaculture alternative for Venezuelan and Trinidad coasts. With the aim to contribute with its nutritional value information, this study analyzed lipid and fatty acid contents from samples taken in five locations from Eastern Venezuela and three from Trinidad West Coast. Total lipids were extracted and quantified, from a pooled sample of 100 organisms per location, by standard gravimetric methods, and their identification and quantification was done by TLC/FID (Iatroscan system). Furthermore, the esterified fatty acids of total lipid, phospholipids and triacylglycerols were identified and quantified by gas chromatography. Eastern Venezuela samples from Los Cedros, La Brea and Chaguaramas showed the highest total lipid values of 7.92, 7.74 and 7.53, respectively, and the minimum values were obtained for La Restinga (6.08%). Among lipid composition, Chacopata samples showed the lowest phospholipid concentration (48.86%) and the maximum values for cholesterol (38.87%) and triacylglycerols (12.26%); besides, La Esmeralda and Rio Caribe samples exhibited maximum phospholipids (88.71 and 84.93 respectively) and minimum cholesterol (6.50 and 4.42%) concentrations. Saturated fatty acids represented between 15.04% and 65.55% within total lipid extracts, with maximum and minimum values for La Esmeralda and Chacopata, respectively. Polyunsaturated results resulted between 7.80 and 37.18%, with higher values in La Brea and lower values in La Esmeralda. For phospholipids, saturated fatty acids concentrations varied between 38.81 and 48.68% for Chaguaramas and Chacopata samples, respectively. In the case of polyunsaturated fatty acids, these varied between non detected and 34.51%, with high concentrations in Los Cedros (27.97%) and Chaguaramas (34.51%) samples. For the triacylglycerols, the saturated fatty acids composition oscillated between 14.27 and 53.80% with low concentrations for Chacopata and high concentration for La Restinga; the polyunsaturated fatty acids were between 4.66 and 35.55% with lower values for Chacopata and higher values for Chaguaramas samples. P. viridis is recommended for human being consumption, according to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids found for this species.

Improvement of patient return electrodes in electrosurgery by experimental investigations and numerical field calculations.

PubMed

Golombeck, M A; Dössel, O; Raiser, J

2003-09-01

Numerical field calculations and experimental investigations were performed to examine the heating of the surface of human skin during the application of a new electrode design for the patient return electrode. The new electrode is characterised by an equipotential ring around the central electrode pads. A multi-layer thigh model was used, to which the patient return electrode and the active electrode were connected. The simulation geometry and the dielectric tissue parameters were set according to the frequency of the current. The temperature rise at the skin surface due to the flow of current was evaluated using a two-step numerical solving procedure. The results were compared with experimental thermographical measurements that yielded a mean value of maximum temperature increase of 3.4 degrees C and a maximum of 4.5 degrees C in one test case. The calculated heating patterns agreed closely with the experimental results. However, the calculated mean value in ten different numerical models of the maximum temperature increase of 12.5 K (using a thermodynamic solver) exceeded the experimental value owing to neglect of heat transport by blood flow and also because of the injection of a higher test current, as in the clinical tests. The implementation of a simple worst-case formula that could significantly simplify the numerical process led to a substantial overestimation of the mean value of the maximum skin temperature of 22.4 K and showed only restricted applicability. The application of numerical methods confirmed the experimental assertions and led to a general understanding of the observed heating effects and hotspots. Furthermore, it was possible to demonstrate the beneficial effects of the new electrode design with an equipotential ring. These include a balanced heating pattern and the absence of hotspots.

Effects of metal surface grinding at the porcelain try-in stage of fixed dental prostheses

PubMed Central

Kesim, Bülent; Gümüş, Hasan Önder; Dinçel, Mehmet; Erkaya, Selçuk

2014-01-01

PURPOSE This study was to evaluate the effect of grinding of the inner metal surface during the porcelain try-in stage on metal-porcelain bonding considering the maximum temperature and the vibration of samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety-one square prism-shaped (1 × 1 × 1.5 mm) nickel-chrome cast frameworks 0.3 mm thick were prepared. Porcelain was applied on two opposite outer axial surfaces of the frameworks. The grinding was performed from the opposite axial sides of the inner metal surfaces with a low-speed handpiece with two types of burs (diamond, tungsten-carbide) under three grinding forces (3.5 N, 7 N, 14 N) and at two durations (5 seconds, 10 seconds). The shear bond strength (SBS) test was performed with universal testing machine. Statistical analyzes were performed at 5% significance level. RESULTS The samples subjected to grinding under 3.5 N showed higher SBS values than those exposed to grinding under 7 N and 14 N (P<.05). SBS values of none of the groups differed from those of the control group (P>.05). The types of bur (P=.965) and the duration (P=.679) did not affect the SBS values. On the other hand, type of bur, force applied, and duration of the grinding affected the maximum temperatures of the samples, whereas the maximum vibration was affected only by the type of bur (P<.05). CONCLUSION Grinding the inner metal surface did not affect the metal-porcelain bond strength. Although the grinding affected the maximum temperature and the vibration values of the samples, these did not influence the bonding strength. PMID:25177476

Mercury distribution in ancient and modern sediments of northeastern Bering Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, C. Hans; Pierce, D.E.; Leong, K.W.; Wang, F.F.

1972-01-01

A reconnaissance of surface and subsurface sediments to a maximum depth of 244 feet below the sea floor shows that natural mercury anomalies from 0.2 to 1.3 ppm have been present in northeastern Bering Sea since early Pliocene. The anomalies and mean values are highest in modern beach (maximum 1.3 and mean 0.22 ppm Hg) and nearshore subsurface gravels (maximum 0.6 and mean .06 ppm Hg) along the highly mineralized Seward Peninsula and in organic rich silt (maximum 0.16 and mean 0.10 ppm Hg) throughout the region; the mean values are lowest in offshore sands (0.03 ppm Hg) . Although gold mining may be partially responsible for high mercury levels in the beaches near Nome, Alaska, equally high or greater concentrations of mercury occur in ancient glacial sediments immediately offshore (0.6 ppm) and in modern unpolluted beach sediments at Bluff (0.45 - 1.3 ppm); this indicates that the contamination effects of mining may be no greater than natural concentration processes in the Seward Peninsula region. The background content of mercury (0.03) throughout the central area of northeastern Bering Sea is similar to that elsewhere in the world. The low mean values (0.04 ppm) even immediately offshore from mercury-rich beaches, suggests that in the surface sediments of northeastern Bering Sea, the highest concentrations are limited to the beaches near mercury sources; occasionally, however, low mercury anomalies occur offshore in glacial drift derived from mercury source regions of Chukotka and Seward Peninsula and reworked by Pleistocene shoreline processes. The minimal values offshore may be attributable to beach entrapment of heavy minerals containing mercury and/or dilution effects of modern sedimentation.

Remineralization of primary tooth enamel from individuals with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Okamoto, Takuma; Shibata, Munenori; Tsuboi, Shinji; Nakagaki, Haruo; Fukuta, Osamu; Kusabe, Yoshitaka; Inukai, Junko

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of primary tooth enamel of Down syndrome patients (DSPs). We examined 9 primary teeth of Down syndrome children and 11 primary teeth of normally developed children to investigate the remineralization processes of enamel by transverse microradiography and X ray micro analyzer (XMA). Mineral loss, lesion depth, maximum mineral value, minimum mineral value, depth of maximum mineral value, and depth of minimum mineral value were used to analyze transverse microradiography (TMR). In addition, we calculated the percentage of enamel remineralization. All the parameters in the 2 groups showed marked recovery. The results indicated that the Down syndrome group was significantly remineralized the same way as the control group. According to the comparison of mineral content distribution by XMA, the content distribution of magnesium was different between the 2 groups. While recovery through remineralization of primary teeth was similar between Down syndrome children and normally developed children, the mechanism of remineralization process may be different between the 2 groups; consequently, magnesium may be considered as one of the factors affecting recovery.

Optical and thermoelectric properties of nano-particles based Bi2(Te1-xSex)3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adam, A. M.; Lilov, E.; Petkov, P.

2017-01-01

Nano-particles of Bi2Te3 and Bi2(Te1-xSex)3 films were deposited using vacuum thermal evaporation technique from previously prepared bulk alloys synthesized by melting method. Optical and thermoelectric properties were studied in the temperature range of 300-473K. The formation of none- and Se-doped Bi2Te3 nano-particles was verified by EDX and XRD analysis. TEM, SEM and AFM analysis showed the prepared films are polycrystalline in nature. The measurements of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient, alongside with thermal conductivity calculations, resulted in the highest values of thermoelectric power at high temperature to be reported. The maximum value of power factor was calculated at 62.82917 μWK-2cm-1 for (Bi2Se0.3Te1.7) sample at 463 K. On the addition of Se to Bi2Te3 film, a significant decrease of the electronic thermal conductivity (Kel) from 2.181 × 10-2 to 0.598 × 10-2 (μW/cm.K) could be achieved. Figure of merit (ZT) calculations showed a maximum value of 0.85 at room temperature, for Bi2Te3. Besides the increase of ZT value for all samples at higher temperature, surprisingly, a value of 2.75 for (Bi2Se1.2Te1.8) was obtained. We believe our results could open avenues for new applications.

Double Star Measurements Using a Webcam and CCD Camera, Annual Report of 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlimmer, Jeorg

2018-01-01

This report shows the results on 223 double star measurements from 2016; mini-mum separation is 1.23 a.s. (STF1024AB), maximum separation is 371 a.s. (STF1424AD). The mean value of all measurements is 18.7 a.s.

A Film Canister Colorimeter.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, James; James, Alan; Harman, Stephanie; Weiss, Kristen

2002-01-01

A low-cost, low-tech colorimeter was constructed from a film canister. The student-constructed colorimeter was used to show the Beer-Lambert relationship between absorbance and concentration and to calculate the value of the molar absorptivity for permanganate at the wavelength emission maximum for an LED. Makes comparisons between this instrument…

Alcohol Dehydrogenase of Bacillus strain for Measuring Alcohol Electrochemically

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iswantini, D.; Nurhidayat, N.; Ferit, H.

2017-03-01

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was applied to produce alcohol biosensor. The enzyme was collected from cultured Bacillus sp. in solid media. From 6 tested isolates, bacteria from fermented rice grain (TST.A) showed the highest oxidation current which was further applied as the bioreceptor. Various ethanol concentrations was measured based on the increase of maximum oxidation current value. However, a reduction value was happened when the ethanol concentration was higher than 5%. Comparing the result of spectrophotometry measurement, R2 value obtained from the biosensor measurement method was higher. The new proposed method resulted a wider detection range, from 0.1-5% of ethanol concentration. The result showed that biosensor method has big potency to be used as alcohol detector in foods or bevearages.

Airborne fungal spores of Alternaria, meteorological parameters and predicting variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filali Ben Sidel, Farah; Bouziane, Hassan; del Mar Trigo, Maria; El Haskouri, Fatima; Bardei, Fadoua; Redouane, Abdelbari; Kadiri, Mohamed; Riadi, Hassane; Kazzaz, Mohamed

2015-03-01

Alternaria is frequently found as airborne fungal spores and is recognized as an important cause of respiratory allergies. The aerobiological monitoring of fungal spores was performed using a Burkard volumetric spore traps. To establish predicting variables for daily and weakly spore counts, a stepwise multiple regression between spore concentrations and independent variables (meteorological parameters and lagged values from the series of spore concentrations: previous day or week concentration (Alt t - 1) and mean concentration of the same day or week in other years ( C mean)) was made with data obtained during 2009-2011. Alternaria conidia are present throughout the year in the atmosphere of Tetouan, although they show important seasonal fluctuations. The highest levels of Alternaria spores were recorded during the spring and summer or autumn. Alternaria showed maximum daily values in April, May or October depending on year. When the spore variables of Alternaria, namely C mean and Alt t - 1, and meteorological parameters were included in the equation, the resulting R 2 satisfactorily predict future concentrations for 55.5 to 81.6 % during the main spore season and the pre-peak 2. In the predictive model using weekly values, the adjusted R 2 varied from 0.655 to 0.676. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the results from the expected values and the pre-peak spore data or weekly values for 2012, indicating that there were no significant differences between series compared. This test showed the C mean, Alt t - 1, frequency of the wind third quadrant, maximum wind speed and minimum relative humidity as the most efficient independent variables to forecast the overall trend of this spore in the air.

[INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION OF LORETA ABNORMALITIES IN IDIOPATHIC GENERALIZED EPILEPSY].

PubMed

Clemens, Béla; Puskás, Szilvia; Besenyei, Mónika; Kondákor, István; Hollódy, Katalin; Fogarasi, Andrós; Bense, Katalin; Emri, Miklós; Opposits Gábor; Kovács, Noémi Zsuzsanna; Fekete, István

2016-03-30

Contemporary neuroimaging methods disclosed structural and functional cerebral abnormalities in idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs). However, individual electrical (EEG) abnormalities have not been evaluated yet in IGE patients. IGE patients were investigated in the drug-free condition and after 3-6 month of antiepileptic treatment. To estimate the reproducibility of qEEG variables a retrospective recruited cohort of IGE patients was investigated. 19-channel resting state EEG activity was recorded. For each patient a total of 2 minutes EEG activity was analyzed by LORETA (Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography). Raw LORETA values were Z-transformed and projected to a MRI template. Z-values outside within the [+3Z] to [-3Z] range were labelled as statistically abnormal. 1. In drug-free condition, 41-50% of IGE patients showed abnormal LORETA values. 2. Abnormal LORETA findings showed great inter-individual variability. 3. Most abnormal LORETA-findings were symmetrical. 4. Most maximum Z-values were localized to frontal or temporal cortex. 5. Succesfull treatment was mostly coupled with disappearence of LORETA-abnormality, persistent seizures were accompanied by persistent LORETA abnormality. 1. LORETA abnormalities detected in the untreated condition reflect seizure-generating property of the cortex in IGE patients. 2. Maximum LORETA-Z abnormalities were topographically congruent with structural abnormalities reported by other research groups. 3. LORETA might help to investigate drug effects at the whole-brain level.

Implementation of bayesian model averaging on the weather data forecasting applications utilizing open weather map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmat, R. F.; Nasution, F. R.; Seniman; Syahputra, M. F.; Sitompul, O. S.

2018-02-01

Weather is condition of air in a certain region at a relatively short period of time, measured with various parameters such as; temperature, air preasure, wind velocity, humidity and another phenomenons in the atmosphere. In fact, extreme weather due to global warming would lead to drought, flood, hurricane and other forms of weather occasion, which directly affects social andeconomic activities. Hence, a forecasting technique is to predict weather with distinctive output, particullary mapping process based on GIS with information about current weather status in certain cordinates of each region with capability to forecast for seven days afterward. Data used in this research are retrieved in real time from the server openweathermap and BMKG. In order to obtain a low error rate and high accuracy of forecasting, the authors use Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) method. The result shows that the BMA method has good accuracy. Forecasting error value is calculated by mean square error shows (MSE). The error value emerges at minumum temperature rated at 0.28 and maximum temperature rated at 0.15. Meanwhile, the error value of minimum humidity rates at 0.38 and the error value of maximum humidity rates at 0.04. Afterall, the forecasting error rate of wind speed is at 0.076. The lower the forecasting error rate, the more optimized the accuracy is.

A batch sliding window method for local singularity mapping and its application for geochemical anomaly identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Fan; Chen, Zhijun; Chen, Jianguo; Zhou, Yongzhang

2016-05-01

In this study, a novel batch sliding window (BSW) based singularity mapping approach was proposed. Compared to the traditional sliding window (SW) technique with disadvantages of the empirical predetermination of a fixed maximum window size and outliers sensitivity of least-squares (LS) linear regression method, the BSW based singularity mapping approach can automatically determine the optimal size of the largest window for each estimated position, and utilizes robust linear regression (RLR) which is insensitive to outlier values. In the case study, tin geochemical data in Gejiu, Yunnan, have been processed by BSW based singularity mapping approach. The results show that the BSW approach can improve the accuracy of the calculation of singularity exponent values due to the determination of the optimal maximum window size. The utilization of RLR method in the BSW approach can smoothen the distribution of singularity index values with few or even without much high fluctuate values looking like noise points that usually make a singularity map much roughly and discontinuously. Furthermore, the student's t-statistic diagram indicates a strong spatial correlation between high geochemical anomaly and known tin polymetallic deposits. The target areas within high tin geochemical anomaly could probably have much higher potential for the exploration of new tin polymetallic deposits than other areas, particularly for the areas that show strong tin geochemical anomalies whereas no tin polymetallic deposits have been found in them.

Static, Dynamic, and Fatigue Analysis of the Mechanical System of Ultrasonic Scanner for Inservice Inspection of Research Reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awwaluddin, Muhammad; Kristedjo, K.; Handono, Khairul; Ahmad, H.

2018-02-01

This analysis is conducted to determine the effects of static and dynamic loads of the structure of mechanical system of Ultrasonic Scanner i.e., arm, column, and connection systems for inservice inspection of research reactors. The analysis is performed using the finite element method with 520 N static load. The correction factor of dynamic loads used is the Gerber mean stress correction (stress life). The results of the analysis show that the value of maximum equivalent von Mises stress is 1.3698E8 Pa for static loading and value of the maximum equivalent alternating stress is 1.4758E7 Pa for dynamic loading. These values are below the upper limit allowed according to ASTM A240 standards i.e. 2.05E8 Pa. The result analysis of fatigue life cycle are at least 1E6 cycle, so it can be concluded that the structure is in the high life cycle category.

CMEs, the Tail of the Solar Wind Magnetic Field Distribution, and 11-yr Cosmic Ray Modulation at 1 AU. Revised

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cliver, E. W.; Ling, A. G.; Richardson, I. G.

2003-01-01

Using a recent classification of the solar wind at 1 AU into its principal components (slow solar wind, high-speed streams, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) for 1972-2000, we show that the monthly-averaged galactic cosmic ray intensity is anti-correlated with the percentage of time that the Earth is imbedded in CME flows. We suggest that this correlation results primarily from a CME related change in the tail of the distribution function of hourly-averaged values of the solar wind magnetic field (B) between solar minimum and solar maximum. The number of high-B (square proper subset 10 nT) values increases by a factor of approx. 3 from minimum to maximum (from 5% of all hours to 17%), with about two-thirds of this increase due to CMEs. On an hour-to-hour basis, average changes of cosmic ray intensity at Earth become negative for solar wind magnetic field values square proper subset 10 nT.

Effect of various sintering temperature on resistivity behaviour and magnetoresistance of La{sub 0.67}Ba{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3}

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

Pratama, R.; Kurniawan, B., E-mail: bkuru07@gmail.com; Manaf, A.

2016-04-19

A detail work was conducted in order to investigate effect of various sintering temperature on resistivity behavior and its relation with the magneto-resistance effect of La{sub 0.67}Ba{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} (LBMO). The LBMO samples were synthesized using solid state reaction. Characterization using X-ray diffraction shows that all LBMO samples have a single phase for each variation. Variation of sintering temperature on the LBMO samples affects its lattice parameters. The resistivity measurement in an absence and under applied magnetic field resulted in a highly significant different values. In one of the sintering temperature variation of LBMO, an increasing resistivity had shown atmore » a low temperature and had reached its maximum value at a specific temperature, and then the resistivity decreases to the lowest value near the room temperature. Similar result observed at higher varieties of sintering temperature but with significant lower maximum resistivity.« less

Finite element analysis to compare complete denture and implant-retained overdentures with different attachment systems.

PubMed

Barão, Valentim Adelino Ricardo; Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Tabata, Lucas Fernando; Delben, Juliana Aparecida; Gomes, Erica Alves; de Sousa, Edson Antonio Capello; Rocha, Eduardo Passos

2009-07-01

This finite element analysis compared stress distribution on complete dentures and implant-retained overdentures with different attachment systems. Four models of edentulous mandible were constructed: group A (control), complete denture; group B, overdenture retained by 2 splinted implants with bar-clip system; group C, overdenture retained by 2 unsplinted implants with o'ring system; and group D, overdenture retained by 2 splinted implants with bar-clip and 2 distally placed o'ring system. Evaluation was performed on Ansys software, with 100-N vertical load applied on central incisive teeth. The lowest maximum general stress value (in megapascal) was observed in group A (64.305) followed by groups C (119.006), D (258.650), and B (349.873). The same trend occurred in supporting tissues with the highest stress value for cortical bone. Unsplinted implants associated with the o'ring attachment system showed the lowest maximum stress values among all overdenture groups. Furthermore, o'ring system also improved stress distribution when associated with bar-clip system.

The physics of light distribution in hollow structures

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

Whitehead, L.A.

1994-12-31

The purpose of this paper is to serve as an introduction, for non-physicists, to the subject of light distribution in hollow structures. The motivation for light distribution is the importance of getting the maximum value from available light. We all recognize that photons cost money (one photon costs about $10{sup -25} to make) so we obviously want to try to make the maximum number of photons for a given cost. What is often overlooked, however, is that these photons have the highest value only if they are delivered to the right place in the correct quantity. This means that theremore » is often substantial economic value in the high quality distribution of light. This problem is discussed from a very general perspective, in order to show the role of general optical films for manipulating light. The underlying physics at work in such films is described, and examples of common optical light deistribution films are provided.« less

Research on configuration of railway self-equipped tanker based on minimum cost maximum flow model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yuefang; Gan, Chunhui; Shen, Tingting

2017-05-01

In the study of the configuration of the tanker of chemical logistics park, the minimum cost maximum flow model is adopted. Firstly, the transport capacity of the park loading and unloading area and the transportation demand of the dangerous goods are taken as the constraint condition of the model; then the transport arc capacity, the transport arc flow and the transport arc edge weight are determined in the transportation network diagram; finally, the software calculations. The calculation results show that the configuration issue of the tankers can be effectively solved by the minimum cost maximum flow model, which has theoretical and practical application value for tanker management of railway transportation of dangerous goods in the chemical logistics park.

Direct measurements of the pressure distribution along the contact area during droplet impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thanh-Vinh; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Shimoyama, Isao

2016-11-01

We report direct measurements of the pressure distribution on the contact area during the impact of a droplet on a micropillar array. The measurements were realized using an array of MEMS-based force sensors fabricated underneath the micropillars. We show that immediately after the droplet hits the surface, the pressure becomes maximum at the center of the contact area and this maximum pressure value is more than 10 times larger than the dynamic pressure. This result emphasizes the effect of water-hammer-type pressure during the early stage of the impact. Furthermore, our measurement results demonstrate that the critical pressure associated with Cassie-Wenzel transition agrees well with the maximum capillary pressure of the micropillar array.

Electron density and plasma dynamics of a colliding plasma experiment

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

Wiechula, J., E-mail: wiechula@physik.uni-frankfurt.de; Schönlein, A.; Iberler, M.

2016-07-15

We present experimental results of two head-on colliding plasma sheaths accelerated by pulsed-power-driven coaxial plasma accelerators. The measurements have been performed in a small vacuum chamber with a neutral-gas prefill of ArH{sub 2} at gas pressures between 17 Pa and 400 Pa and load voltages between 4 kV and 9 kV. As the plasma sheaths collide, the electron density is significantly increased. The electron density reaches maximum values of ≈8 ⋅ 10{sup 15} cm{sup −3} for a single accelerated plasma and a maximum value of ≈2.6 ⋅ 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3} for the plasma collision. Overall a raise of the plasma density by a factor ofmore » 1.3 to 3.8 has been achieved. A scaling behavior has been derived from the values of the electron density which shows a disproportionately high increase of the electron density of the collisional case for higher applied voltages in comparison to a single accelerated plasma. Sequences of the plasma collision have been taken, using a fast framing camera to study the plasma dynamics. These sequences indicate a maximum collision velocity of 34 km/s.« less

Variation in Size and Form between Left and Right Maxillary Central Incisor Teeth.

PubMed

Vadavadagi, Suneel V; Hombesh, M N; Choudhury, Gopal Krishna; Deshpande, Sumith; Anusha, C V; Murthy, D Kiran

2015-02-01

To compare the variation in size of left and right maxillary central incisors for male patients (using digital calipers of 0.01 mm accuracy). To compare the variation in size of left and right maxillary central incisors for female patients (using digital calipers of 0.01 mm accuracy). To find out the difference between the maxillary central incisors of men and women. Its clinical applicability if difference exists. A total of 70 dental students of PMNM Dental College and Hospital were selected. Of 70 dental students, 40 male and 30 female were selected. Impressions were made for all subjects, using irreversible hydrocolloid (Algitex, manufacturer DPI, Batch-T-8804) using perforated stock metal trays. The mesiodistal crown width and cervical width were measured for each incisor and recorded separately for left and right teeth. The length was measured for each incisor and recorded separately for left and right maxillary central incisor using digitec height caliper. The mean value of maximum crown length of maxillary left central incisor of male was greater in length compared with maxillary right central incisor. Mean value of maximum crown length for male patient right and left side was greater compared with maximum crown length of female patient. When compared the dimensions of teeth between two sex, male group shows larger values to female group.

Prognostic value of metabolic metrics extracted from baseline PET images in NSCLC

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Sara; Leijenaar, Ralph T.H.; Velazquez, Emmanuel Rios; Oberije, Cary; Parmar, Chintan; van Elmpt, Wouter; Reymen, Bart; Troost, Esther G.C.; Oellers, Michel; Dekker, Andre; Gillies, Robert; Aerts, Hugo J.W.L.; Lambin, Philippe

2015-01-01

Background Maximum, mean and peak SUV of primary tumor at baseline FDG-PET scans, have often been found predictive for overall survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In this study we further investigated the prognostic power of advanced metabolic metrics derived from Intensity-Volume Histograms (IVH) extracted from PET imaging. Methods A cohort of 220 NSCLC patients (mean age, 66.6 years; 149 men, 71 women), stages I-IIIB, treated with radiotherapy with curative intent were included (NCT00522639). Each patient underwent standardized pre-treatment CT-PET imaging. Primary GTV was delineated by an experienced radiation oncologist on CT-PET images. Common PET descriptors such as maximum, mean and peak SUV, and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) were quantified. Advanced descriptors of metabolic activity were quantified by IVH. These comprised 5 groups of features: Absolute and Relative Volume above Relative Intensity threshold (AVRI and RVRI), Absolute and Relative Volume above Absolute Intensity threshold (AVAI and RVAI), and Absolute Intensity above Relative Volume threshold (AIRV). MTV was derived from the IVH curves for volumes with SUV above 2.5, 3 and 4, and of 40% and 50% maximum SUV. Univariable analysis using Cox Proportional Hazard Regression was performed for overall survival assessment. Results Relative volume above higher SUV (80 %) was an independent predictor of OS (p = 0.05). None of the possible surrogates for MTV based on volumes above SUV of 3, 40% and 50% of maximum SUV showed significant associations with OS (p (AVAI3) = 0.10, p (AVAI4) = 0.22, p (AVRI40%) = 0.15, p (AVRI50%) = 0.17). Maximum and peak SUV (r = 0.99) revealed no prognostic value for OS (p (maximum SUV) = 0.20, p (peak SUV) = 0.22). Conclusions New methods using more advanced imaging features extracted from PET were analyzed. Best prognostic value for OS of NSCLC patients was found for relative portions of the tumor above higher uptakes (80% SUV). PMID:24047338

The most important physiological constants among the Volga region long-livers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malinova, L. I.; Shuvalov, S. S.; Denisova, T. P.

2012-03-01

In our research we brought out the age difference in the group of long-livers and the continuous character of the biochemical basal metabolism indexes changing. The results allowed us to carry out the polynominal high-powered approximation to study the dynamics of laboratory indexes. We revealed the progressive reduction of the cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and creatinine levels starting from 90 years of age, and this reduction showed the non-linear character with interchange of local minimums and maximums. During the speed characteristics analysis we revealed the cooccurrence of the speed maximums of all the examined biochemical indexes, except the speed of changing the concentration of cholesterol, which maximum took the lead over the other indexes by four years. The phase-plane portrait analysis of the regulatory systems on the plane "time - speed" showed the unfulfilled attempt of system stabilization by all the searched parameters nearby the special spot - "stable focus". The standard deviation values analysis of the researched parameters showed their progressive reduction in the long-livers. That fact can be considered as the regulatory systems physiological "backlash" reduction among the centenarians.

Simulation of Groundwater Mounding Beneath Hypothetical Stormwater Infiltration Basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carleton, Glen B.

2010-01-01

Groundwater mounding occurs beneath stormwater management structures designed to infiltrate stormwater runoff. Concentrating recharge in a small area can cause groundwater mounding that affects the basements of nearby homes and other structures. Methods for quantitatively predicting the height and extent of groundwater mounding beneath and near stormwater Finite-difference groundwater-flow simulations of infiltration from hypothetical stormwater infiltration structures (which are typically constructed as basins or dry wells) were done for 10-acre and 1-acre developments. Aquifer and stormwater-runoff characteristics in the model were changed to determine which factors are most likely to have the greatest effect on simulating the maximum height and maximum extent of groundwater mounding. Aquifer characteristics that were changed include soil permeability, aquifer thickness, and specific yield. Stormwater-runoff variables that were changed include magnitude of design storm, percentage of impervious area, infiltration-structure depth (maximum depth of standing water), and infiltration-basin shape. Values used for all variables are representative of typical physical conditions and stormwater management designs in New Jersey but do not include all possible values. Results are considered to be a representative, but not all-inclusive, subset of likely results. Maximum heights of simulated groundwater mounds beneath stormwater infiltration structures are the most sensitive to (show the greatest change with changes to) soil permeability. The maximum height of the groundwater mound is higher when values of soil permeability, aquifer thickness, or specific yield are decreased or when basin depth is increased or the basin shape is square (and values of other variables are held constant). Changing soil permeability, aquifer thickness, specific yield, infiltration-structure depth, or infiltration-structure shape does not change the volume of water infiltrated, it changes the shape or height of the groundwater mound resulting from the infiltration. An aquifer with a greater soil permeability or aquifer thickness has an increased ability to transmit water away from the source of infiltration than aquifers with lower soil permeability; therefore, the maximum height of the groundwater mound will be lower, and the areal extent of mounding will be larger. The maximum height of groundwater mounding is higher when values of design storm magnitude or percentage of impervious cover (from which runoff is captured) are increased (and other variables are held constant) because the total volume of water to be infiltrated is larger. The larger the volume of infiltrated water the higher the head required to move that water away from the source of recharge if the physical characteristics of the aquifer are unchanged. The areal extent of groundwater mounding increases when soil permeability, aquifer thickness, design-storm magnitude, or percentage of impervious cover are increased (and values of other variables are held constant). For 10-acre sites, the maximum heights of the simulated groundwater mound range from 0.1 to 18.5 feet (ft). The median of the maximum-height distribution from 576 simulations is 1.8 ft. The maximum areal extent (measured from the edge of the infiltration basins) of groundwater mounding of 0.25-ft ranges from 0 to 300 ft with a median of 51 ft for 576 simulations. Stormwater infiltration at a 1-acre development was simulated, incorporating the assumption that the hypothetical infiltration structure would be a pre-cast concrete dry well having side openings and an open bottom. The maximum heights of the simulated groundwater-mounds range from 0.01 to 14.0 ft. The median of the maximum-height distribution from 432 simulations is 1.0 ft. The maximum areal extent of groundwater mounding of 0.25-ft ranges from 0 to 100 ft with a median of 10 ft for 432 simulations. Simulated height and extent of groundwater mounding associ

Toxic Effects of Couroupita guianensis Against Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

PubMed

Baskar, K; Ignacimuthu, S; Jayakumar, M

2015-02-01

Laboratory experiments were conducted to find out the efficacy of different crude extracts and fractions of Couroupita guianensis (Lecythidaceae) against Spodoptera litura (Fabricius). Results revealed that hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of C. guianensis showed larvicidal and pupicidal activities against S. litura. Maximum larvicidal activity (68.66%) was observed in hexane extract at 5.0% concentration followed by chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts, and least LC50 value of 2.64% was observed in hexane extract. A 100% pupicidal activity was observed in hexane extract. Based on the efficacy of crude extracts, the effective crude extract (hexane extract) was further fractionated and subjected to screening for biological activities against S. litura. Among the eight fractions isolated from the hexane extract, fraction 8 showed maximum antifeedant activity (81. 8%) and larvicidal activity (76.9%) at 1000-ppm concentration; this fraction showed least LC50 value of 375.92 ppm for larvicidal activity. Cent per cent pupicidal activity was recorded. Reduced midgut and hemolymph protein contents were observed at 1000 ppm of fraction 8. Histopathological studies revealed that fraction 8 severely damaged the midgut cells of S. litura. This fraction could be used to develop botanical formulation to control agricultural pests.

Health risk characterization of maximum legal exposures for persistent organic pollutant (POP) pesticides in residential soil: An analysis.

PubMed

Li, Zijian

2018-01-01

Regulations for pesticides in soil are important for controlling human health risk; humans can be exposed to pesticides by ingesting soil, inhaling soil dust, and through dermal contact. Previous studies focused on analyses of numerical standard values for pesticides and evaluated the same pesticide using different standards among different jurisdictions. To understand the health consequences associated with pesticide soil standard values, lifetime theoretical maximum contribution and risk characterization factors were used in this study to quantify the severity of damage using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) under the maximum "legal" exposure to persistent organic pollutant (POP) pesticides that are commonly regulated by the Stockholm Convention. Results show that computed soil characterization factors for some pesticides present lognormal distributions, and some of them have DALY values higher than 1000.0 per million population (e.g., the DALY for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT] is 14,065 in the Netherlands, which exceeds the tolerable risk of uncertainty upper bound of 1380.0 DALYs). Health risk characterization factors computed from national jurisdictions illustrate that values can vary over eight orders of magnitude. Further, the computed characterization factors can vary over four orders of magnitude within the same national jurisdiction. These data indicate that there is little agreement regarding pesticide soil regulatory guidance values (RGVs) among worldwide national jurisdictions or even RGV standard values within the same jurisdiction. Among these POP pesticides, lindane has the lowest median (0.16 DALYs) and geometric mean (0.28 DALYs) risk characterization factors, indicating that worldwide national jurisdictions provide relatively conservative soil RGVs for lindane. In addition, we found that some European nations and members of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics share the same pesticide RGVs and data clusters for the computed characterization factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-step approach to add value to corncob: Production of biomass-degrading enzymes, lignin and fermentable sugars.

PubMed

Michelin, Michele; Ruiz, Héctor A; Polizeli, Maria de Lourdes T M; Teixeira, José A

2018-01-01

This work presents an integrated and multi-step approach for the recovery and/or application of the lignocellulosic fractions from corncob in the production of high value added compounds as xylo-oligosaccharides, enzymes, fermentable sugars, and lignin in terms of biorefinery concept. For that, liquid hot water followed by enzymatic hydrolysis were used. Liquid hot water was performed using different residence times (10-50min) and holding temperature (180-200°C), corresponding to severities (log(R 0 )) of 3.36-4.64. The most severe conditions showed higher xylo-oligosaccharides extraction (maximum of 93%) into the hydrolysates and higher recovery of cellulose on pretreated solids (maximum of 65%). Subsequently, hydrolysates and solids were used in the production of xylanases and cellulases, respectively, as well as, pretreated solids were also subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis for the recovery of lignin and fermentable sugars from cellulose. Maximum glucose yield (100%) was achieved for solids pretreated at log(R 0 ) of 4.42 and 5% solid loading. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and optimization of a modal- independent linear ultrasonic motor.

PubMed

Zhou, Shengli; Yao, Zhiyuan

2014-03-01

To simplify the design of the linear ultrasonic motor (LUSM) and improve its output performance, a method of modal decoupling for LUSMs is proposed in this paper. The specific embodiment of this method is decoupling of the traditional LUSM stator's complex vibration into two simple vibrations, with each vibration implemented by one vibrator. Because the two vibrators are designed independently, their frequencies can be tuned independently and frequency consistency is easy to achieve. Thus, the method can simplify the design of the LUSM. Based on this method, a prototype modal- independent LUSM is designed and fabricated. The motor reaches its maximum thrust force of 47 N, maximum unloaded speed of 0.43 m/s, and maximum power of 7.85 W at applied voltage of 200 Vpp. The motor's structure is then optimized by controlling the difference between the two vibrators' resonance frequencies to reach larger output speed, thrust, and power. The optimized results show that when the frequency difference is 73 Hz, the output force, speed, and power reach their maximum values. At the input voltage of 200 Vpp, the motor reaches its maximum thrust force of 64.2 N, maximum unloaded speed of 0.76 m/s, maximum power of 17.4 W, maximum thrust-weight ratio of 23.7, and maximum efficiency of 39.6%.

Modeling annual extreme temperature using generalized extreme value distribution: A case study in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Husna; Salam, Norfatin; Kassim, Suraiya

2013-04-01

Extreme temperature of several stations in Malaysia is modeled by fitting the annual maximum to the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution. The Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) tests are used to detect stochastic trends among the stations. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test suggests a non-stationary model. Three models are considered for stations with trend and the Likelihood Ratio test is used to determine the best-fitting model. The results show that Subang and Bayan Lepas stations favour a model which is linear for the location parameters while Kota Kinabalu and Sibu stations are suitable with a model in the logarithm of the scale parameters. The return level is the level of events (maximum temperature) which is expected to be exceeded once, on average, in a given number of years, is obtained.

Maximum permissible exposure of the retina in the human eye in optical coherence tomography systems using a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rees, Sian; Dobre, George

2014-01-01

When using scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to produce images of the eye fundus, maximum permissible exposure (MPE) limits must be considered. These limits are set out in international standards such as the National Standards Institute ANSI Z136.1 Safe Use of Lasers (USA) and BS EN 60825-1: 1994 (UK) and corresponding Euro norms but these documents do not explicitly consider the case of scanned beams. Our study aims to show how MPE values can be calculated for the specific case of retinal scanning by taking into account an array of parameters, such as wavelength, exposure duration, type of scanning, line rate and field size, and how each set of initial parameters results in MPE values that correspond to thermal or photochemical damage to the retina.

Torrefaction of Durian peel and bagasse for bio-briquette as an alternative solid fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haryati, S.; Rahmatullah; Putri, R. W.

2018-03-01

Biomass waste of durian (Durio zibethinus) peel and bagasse could be used as solid fuel by a toreffaction process. Durian peel and bagasse were washed and crushed into small sizes then dryed in order to remove water content. The treated biomass was burned at varied temperature of 200 – 350 °C and a residence time of 30 min prior to producing torrified charcoal as intermediate product. Torrified charcoal was ground into a powder blended with tapioca glue followed by casting into a cylinder to form a bio-briqquette. The bio-briquette was characterized by determining its calorific value via bomb carolimeter analysis. The key parameter of bio-briquette are calorific value and combustion rate. The result that as the burning temperature was increased the calorific value of bio-briquettes also increased. The maximum calorific value was achieved at 350°C whereas the maximum calorific value of durian (6,157 cal/gr) is higher than bagasse (6,109 cal/gr). The minimum combustion rate was attained in durian peel torrefaction at 350 °C with the rate 0.0398 g/s. The result showed that bio-briquette of durian peel and bagasse have calorific values equivalent to that of subbituminus coal in the range of 4,900 - 6,800 cal/gr.

Comparison of masticatory performance and tongue pressure between children and young adults.

PubMed

Fujita, Yuko; Ichikawa, Maika; Hamaguchi, Ayako; Maki, Kenshi

2018-04-01

The aims of the present study were to evaluate whether there are significant differences in masticatory performance by gender and dental stage. We also determined the factors directly associated with the masticatory performance in children, and those directly associated with masticatory performance in young adults. The study included 180 subjects, ranging in age from 6 to 12 years or 20 to 33 years. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the Hellman developmental stage (III A, III B, or VA); the groups were the subdivided according to gender. The body mass index (BMI), maximum tongue pressure, and sum of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) were determined in all subjects. To investigate masticatory performance, the total number and maximum projected area of chewed particles of the jelly materials were measured. Masticatory performance had the highest values at Stage VA in both males and females. Regarding the maximum tongue pressure in females, Stage III B had the highest value of all stages. Multiple regression analysis showed that masticatory performance was associated with DMFT index, maximum tongue pressure, and BMI in children. Among young adults, masticatory performance was associated with DMFT index and maximum tongue pressure. Better masticatory performance is directly associated with better dental status, a higher BMI, and tongue pressure in schoolchildren. Additionally, masticatory performance was well-correlated with tongue pressure in young adults, although maximum tongue pressure reached its peak before Stage VA in females. We suggest that females need training with respect to tongue pressure, by the mixed dentition stage.

Long-term statistics of extreme tsunami height at Crescent City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Sheng; Zhai, Jinjin; Tao, Shanshan

2017-06-01

Historically, Crescent City is one of the most vulnerable communities impacted by tsunamis along the west coast of the United States, largely attributed to its offshore geography. Trans-ocean tsunamis usually produce large wave runup at Crescent Harbor resulting in catastrophic damages, property loss and human death. How to determine the return values of tsunami height using relatively short-term observation data is of great significance to assess the tsunami hazards and improve engineering design along the coast of Crescent City. In the present study, the extreme tsunami heights observed along the coast of Crescent City from 1938 to 2015 are fitted using six different probabilistic distributions, namely, the Gumbel distribution, the Weibull distribution, the maximum entropy distribution, the lognormal distribution, the generalized extreme value distribution and the generalized Pareto distribution. The maximum likelihood method is applied to estimate the parameters of all above distributions. Both Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and root mean square error method are utilized for goodness-of-fit test and the better fitting distribution is selected. Assuming that the occurrence frequency of tsunami in each year follows the Poisson distribution, the Poisson compound extreme value distribution can be used to fit the annual maximum tsunami amplitude, and then the point and interval estimations of return tsunami heights are calculated for structural design. The results show that the Poisson compound extreme value distribution fits tsunami heights very well and is suitable to determine the return tsunami heights for coastal disaster prevention.

Risk assessment of precipitation extremes in northern Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun; Pei, Ying; Zhang, Yanwei; Ge, Quansheng

2018-05-01

This study was conducted using daily precipitation records gathered at 37 meteorological stations in northern Xinjiang, China, from 1961 to 2010. We used the extreme value theory model, generalized extreme value (GEV) and generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), statistical distribution function to fit outputs of precipitation extremes with different return periods to estimate risks of precipitation extremes and diagnose aridity-humidity environmental variation and corresponding spatial patterns in northern Xinjiang. Spatiotemporal patterns of daily maximum precipitation showed that aridity-humidity conditions of northern Xinjiang could be well represented by the return periods of the precipitation data. Indices of daily maximum precipitation were effective in the prediction of floods in the study area. By analyzing future projections of daily maximum precipitation (2, 5, 10, 30, 50, and 100 years), we conclude that the flood risk will gradually increase in northern Xinjiang. GEV extreme value modeling yielded the best results, proving to be extremely valuable. Through example analysis for extreme precipitation models, the GEV statistical model was superior in terms of favorable analog extreme precipitation. The GPD model calculation results reflect annual precipitation. For most of the estimated sites' 2 and 5-year T for precipitation levels, GPD results were slightly greater than GEV results. The study found that extreme precipitation reaching a certain limit value level will cause a flood disaster. Therefore, predicting future extreme precipitation may aid warnings of flood disaster. A suitable policy concerning effective water resource management is thus urgently required.

Thermoelectric Properties and Hall Effect of Bi2Te3-xSex Polycrystalline Materials Prepared by a Hot Press Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yashima, Isamu; Watanave, Hiroshi; Ogisu, Takayasu; Tsukuda, Ryouma; Sato, Susumu

1998-05-01

Bi2Te3-xSex (0≦x<1) polycrystalline solids are prepared by a hot press method and their thermoelectric properties are studied. The samples show the maximum value of Z = 2.3×10-3 K-1 at x=0.22. The lattice thermal conductivity is smaller than that of a single crystal. The lattice constant and power factor decrease upon increasing the selenium substitution while thermal conductivity decreases for x values up to 0.33 and becomes constant for x values greater than 0.33.

Genesis analysis of karst water trichloroethylene pollution in the east of a city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Peng; Ma, Zhenmin; Wen, Ming

2017-04-01

To understand the situation of Karst water Trichloroethylene (TCE) pollution in the east of city, Karst water samples sampled at 43 monitoring sites were analyzed. Result shows that relevance ratio of TCE is 100%, over the standard rate of 97.67% and the maximum value is 73.64μg/L, as 14.73 times as the standard value(5μg/L). Causes of groundwater TCE pollution were analyzed. Result shows that indiscriminate discharge of waste water and poor groundwater vulnerability are the main reasons. And based on the reasons, the pollution ways of TCE were found out.

Nonlinear viscoelasticity of entangled wormlike micellar fluid under large-amplitude oscillatory shear: Role of elastic Taylor-Couette instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumdar, Sayantan; Sood, A. K.

2014-06-01

The role of elastic Taylor-Couette flow instabilities in the dynamic nonlinear viscoelastic response of an entangled wormlike micellar fluid is studied by large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) rheology and in situ polarized light scattering over a wide range of strain and angular frequency values, both above and below the linear crossover point. Well inside the nonlinear regime, higher harmonic decomposition of the resulting stress signal reveals that the normalized third harmonic I3/I1 shows a power-law behavior with strain amplitude. In addition, I3/I1 and the elastic component of stress amplitude σ0E show a very prominent maximum at the strain value where the number density (nv) of the Taylor vortices is maximum. A subsequent increase in applied strain (γ) results in the distortions of the vortices and a concomitant decrease in nv, accompanied by a sharp drop in I3 and σ0E. The peak position of the spatial correlation function of the scattered intensity along the vorticity direction also captures the crossover. Lissajous plots indicate an intracycle strain hardening for the values of γ corresponding to the peak of I3, similar to that observed for hard-sphere glasses.

Cosmetic formulations containing Lithospermum erythrorhizon root extract show moisturizing effects on human skin.

PubMed

Chang, Man-Jau; Huang, Huey-Chun; Chang, Hsien-Cheh; Chang, Tsong-Min

2008-07-01

Retention of water in the stratum corneum of skin epidermis plays an important role in regulation of skin function. Loss of water may decline skin appearance gradually and lead to irregular skin disorders. The root extract of Lithospermum erythrorhizon (LES) is known for its various pharmacological activities. However, the potential skin care effect of LES is not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the moisturizing efficacy and skin barrier repairing activity of LES. For this study, 30 healthy Asian females (age 20-30) with healthy skin had applied the test emulsions twice daily over a period of 28 days. The skin properties were measured by skin bioengineering techniques. Our preliminary results indicated that LES show moisturizing effect on skin hydration in a time- and dose-dependent pattern, and the maximum increase in skin humidity was 11.77 +/- 1.18% for emulsion LES5.00. Particularly, LES-containing emulsions significantly improve skin barrier function by decreasing the value of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in a time- and dose-dependent pattern, and the maximum decrease in TEWL value was 7.68 +/- 0.79% for emulsion LES5.00. Taken together, our data demonstrate that LES is more effective in increasing skin humidity and decreasing the TEWL values, indicating the potential skin care effects of LES.

Flood Control Project Lac Qui Parle, Emergency Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-01

elevation of the breach (924.0 as shown in Table 1), is approximately 22.2 feet. The value of the envelope curve shown on Plate D-10 for a hydraulic...approximately 83% of the computed maximum outflow. Several failure scenarios for Lac qui Parle Dam were studied. The case of failure concurrent with a PKF ...discharge would plot very close to Lac qui Parle in Plate D-10. Plate D-10 shows that the value of the envelope curve for a hydraulic depth of 18.8 feet

Research on disposal of copper(II)-containing wastewater by secondary strontium residue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qing, Duowen; Xu, Longjun; Cui, Caixi

2018-01-01

Secondary strontium residue (SSR) was used as absorbent to remove Cu2+ in solution and the effects of experimental conditions on absorption of Cu2+ were investigated. The results showed that the absorption process reached balance in around 40 min. The absorption capacity achieved the maximum when PH value reached 6, and the maximum adsorption of Cu2+-containing wastewater by secondary strontium residue was 5.46 mg/g. Removal ratio of Cu2+ was in relation to initial concentration of Cu2+ in solution. Adsorptive process tallied with Langmuir Isothermal adsorption model.

Emission of a Dual-Fuel Turbocharged Compression Ignition Engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rózycki, Andrzej

2012-02-01

The paper describes the results of a four-cylinder dual fuel turbocharged compression ignition engine. The aim of the study was to determine the maximum CNG share in thefuel mixture delivered into the cylinder. Analysis of the investigation results showed that the CNG energy share in the fuel charge delivered into the cylinder can reach 45%. At that level of CNG energy share a 15% reduction in maximum torque is achieved in comparison with the standard fuelling. The unburnt hydrocarbon emission increases significantly. Emissions of other principal pollutants reach values comparable with those obtained at standard fuelling.

Wettability and impact dynamics of water droplets on rice ( Oryza sativa L.) leaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Dae Hee; Huh, Hyung Kyu; Lee, Sang Joon

2014-03-01

We investigated the wettability and impact dynamics of water droplets on rice leaves at various leaf inclination angles and orientations. Contact angle, contact angle hysteresis (CAH), and roll-off angle ( α roll) of water droplets were measured quantitatively. Results showed that droplet motion exhibited less resistance along the longitudinal direction. Impact dynamic parameters, such as impact behaviors, maximum spreading factor, contact distance, and contact time were also investigated. Three different impact behaviors were categorized based on the normal component of Weber number irrespective of the inclination angle of the rice leaf. The asymmetric impact behavior induced by the tangential Weber number was also identified. Variation in the maximum spreading factor according to the normal Weber number was measured and compared with theoretical value obtained according to scaling law to show the wettability of the rice leaves. The contact distance of the impacting droplets depended on the inclination angle of the leaves. Along the longitudinal direction of rice leaves, contact distance was farther than that along the transverse direction. This result is consistent with the smaller values of CAH and α roll along the longitudinal direction.

Effects of hue, saturation, and brightness on preference: a study on Goethe's color circle with RGB color space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camgoz, Nilgun; Yener, Cengiz

2002-06-01

In order to investigate preference responses for foreground- background color relationships, 85 university undergraduates in Ankara, Turkey, viewed 6 background colors (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and magenta) on which color squares of differing hues, saturations, and brightnesses were presented. All the background colors had maximum brightness (100%) and maximum saturation (100%). Subjects were asked to show the color square they preferred on the presented background color viewed through a computer monitor. The experimental setup consisted of a computer monitor located in a windowless room, illuminated with cove lighting. The findings of the experiment show that the brightness 100%- saturation 100% range is significantly preferred the most (p-value < 0.03). Thus, color squares that are most saturated and brightest are preferred on backgrounds of most saturated and brightest colors. Regardless of the background colors viewed, the subjects preferred blue the most (p-value < 0.01). Findings of the study are also discussed with pertinent research on the field. Through this analysis, an understanding of foreground-background color relationships in terms of preference is sought.

Tensile properties of V-Cr-Ti alloys after exposure in oxygen-containing environments

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

Natesan, K.; Soppet, W.K.

A systematic study was conducted to evaluate the oxidation kinetics of V-4Cr-4Ti (44 alloy) and V-5Cr-5Ti alloys (55 alloy) and to establish the role of oxygen ingress on the tensile behavior of the alloys at room temperature and at 500 C. The oxidation rate of the 44 alloy is slightly higher than that of the 55 alloy. The oxidation process followed parabolic kinetics. Maximum engineering stress for 55 alloy increased with an increase in oxidation time at 500 C. The maximum stress values for 55 alloy were higher at room temperature than ta 500 C for the same oxidation treatment.more » Maximum engineering stresses for 44 alloy were substantially lower than those for 55 alloy in the same oxidation {approx}500 h exposure in air at 500 C; the same values were 4.8 and 6.1%, respectively, at 500 C after {approx}2060 h oxidation in air at 500 C. Maximum engineering stress for 44 alloy at room temperature was 421.6--440.6 MPa after {approx}250 h exposure at 500 C in environments with a pO{sub 2} range of 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} to 760 torr. The corresponding uniform and total elongation values were 11--14.4% and 14.5--21.7%, respectively. Measurements of crack depths in various specimens showed that depth is independent of pO{sub 2} in the preexposure environment and was of 70--95 {micro}m after 250--275 h exposure at 500 C.« less

Determination of the maximum operating range of hydrodynamic stress in mammalian cell culture.

PubMed

Neunstoecklin, Benjamin; Stettler, Matthieu; Solacroup, Thomas; Broly, Hervé; Morbidelli, Massimo; Soos, Miroslav

2015-01-20

Application of quality by design (QbD) requires identification of the maximum operating range for parameters affecting the cell culture process. These include hydrodynamic stress, mass transfer or gradients in dissolved oxygen and pH. Since most of these are affected by the impeller design and speed, the main goal of this work was to identify a maximum operating range for hydrodynamic stress, where no variation of cell growth, productivity and product quality can be ensured. Two scale-down models were developed operating under laminar and turbulent condition, generating repetitive oscillating hydrodynamic stress with maximum stress values ranging from 0.4 to 420Pa, to compare the effect of the different flow regimes on the cells behavior. Two manufacturing cell lines (CHO and Sp2/0) used for the synthesis of therapeutic proteins were employed in this study. For both cell lines multiple process outputs were used to determine the threshold values of hydrodynamic stress, such as cell growth, morphology, metabolism and productivity. They were found to be different in between the cell lines with values equal to 32.4±4.4Pa and 25.2±2.4Pa for CHO and Sp2/0, respectively. Below the measured thresholds both cell lines do not show any appreciable effect of the hydrodynamic stress on any critical quality attribute, while above, cells responded negatively to the elevated stress. To confirm the applicability of the proposed method, the obtained results were compared with data generated from classical small-scale reactors with a working volume of 3L. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermopower of CexR1-xB6 (R=La, Pr and Nd)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moo‑Sung; Nakai, Yuki; Tou, Hideki; Sera, Masafumi; Iga, Fumitoshi; Takabatake, Toshiro; Kunii, Satoru

2006-06-01

The thermopower, S, of CexR1-xB6 (R=La, Pr, Nd) was investigated. S with a positive sign shows a typical behavior observed in the Ce Kondo system, an increase with decreasing temperature at high temperatures and a maximum at low temperatures. The S values of all the systems at high temperatures are roughly linearly dependent on the Ce concentration, indicating the conservation of the single-impurity character of the Kondo effect in a wide x range. However, the maximum value of S, Smax, and the temperature, Tmax, at which Smax is observed exhibit different x dependences between CexLa1-xB6 and CexR1-xB6 (R=Pr, Nd). In CexLa1-xB6, Tmax, which is ˜8 K in CeB6, decreases with decreasing x and converges to ˜1 K in a very dilute alloy and Smax shows an increase below x ˜ 0.1 after decreasing with decreasing x. In CexR1-xB6 (R=Pr, Nd), Tmax shows a weak x dependence but Smax shows a roughly linear decrease in x. These results are discussed from the standpoint of the chemical pressure effect and the Ce-Ce interaction. S in the long-range ordered phase shows very different behaviors between CexPr1-xB6 and CexNd1-xB6.

Clay stabilization by using gypsum and paddy husk ash with reference to UCT and CBR value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roesyanto; Iskandar, R.; Hastuty, I. P.; Dianty, W. O.

2018-02-01

Clays that have low shear strength need to be stabilized in order to meet the technical requirements to serve as a subgrade material. One of the usual soil stabilization methods is by adding chemicals such as Portland cement, lime, and bitumen. The clay stabilization research was done by adding gypsum and paddy husk ash. The research goals were to find out the value of engineering properties of clay due to the addition of 2% gypsum and 2% - 15% paddy husk ash. The soil was classified as Clay - Low Plasticity (CL) based on USCS and was classified as A-7-6 (10) based on AASHTO classification system. The UCT value of original soil was 1.41 kg/cm2. While the CBR soaked and unsoaked values of original soil were 4.41% and 6.23% respectively. The research results showed the addition of paddy husk ash decreased the value of unconfined compressive strength as well as CBR. The stabilized soil by 2% gypsum and 0% paddy husk ash gave maximum UCT value of 1.67 kg/cm2, while the maximum value of CBR were found 6.71% for CBR soaked and 8.00% for CBR unsoaked. The addition of paddy husk ash did not alter the soil classification according to AASHTO or USCS, even degrade the engineering properties of original soil.

Sedimentology, geochemistry and rock magnetic properties of beach sands in Galapagos Islands - implications for nesting marine turtles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Cruz, L.; Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J.; Vazquez-Gutierrez, F.; Carranza-Edwards, A.

2007-12-01

Marine turtles are well known for their navigation ability in the open ocean and fidelity to nesting beaches. Green turtle adult females migrate from foraging areas to island nesting beaches, traveling hundreds or thousands of kilometers each way. The marine turtle breeding in the Galapagos Islands is the Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas agassisi); fairly common throughout the islands but with nesting sites located at Las Bachas (Santa Cruz), Barahona and Quinta Playa (Isabela), Salinas (Baltra), Gardner Bay (Española) and Bartolomé Islet. In order to characterize and to identify the geochemical signature of nesting marine turtle beaches in Galapagos Islands, sedimentological, geochemical and rock magnetic parameters are used. A total of one hundred and twenty sand samples were collected in four beaches to relate compositional characteristics between equivalent areas, these are: Las Bachas, Salinas, Barahona and Quinta Playa. Grain size is evaluated using laser particle analysis (Model Coulter LS 230). Bulk ICP-MS geochemical analysis is performed, following trace elements are analyzed: Al, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba, Pb, Fe, Mn, K, Na, Mg, Sr, Ca and Hg; and low-field magnetic susceptibility is measured in all samples at low and high frequencies. Granulometric analysis showed that Barahona and Quinta Playa are characterized for fine grained sands. In contrast, Salinas and Las Bachas exhibit medium to coarse sands. Trace metals concentrations and magnetic susceptibility show different distribution patterns in the beach sands. Calcium is the most abundant element in the samples. In particular, Co, K, and Na show similar concentrations in the four beaches. Las Bachas beach shows highest concentrations of Pb and Hg (maximum values 101.1 and 118.5 mg/kg, respectively), we suggest that the enrichment corresponds to an anthropogenic signal. Salinas beach samples show high concentrations of Fe, V, Cr, Zn, Mn and the highest values of magnetic susceptibility (maximum 932 10-6 SI), we propose, a human activity influence less evident than in Bachas beach that could overlap the contribution of continent source. Quinta Playa sands show the maximum concentration of calcium and also high concentration of Fe and Mg, and relatively high values of magnetic susceptibility. Ca results from marine biogenic carbonates (mainly coral reefs). Barahona also show high concentrations in calcium that could be correlated with the presence of biogenous source around the beach.

Georgia fishery study: implications for dose calculations. Revision 1

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

Turcotte, M.D.S.

Fish consumption will contribute a major portion of the estimated individual and population doses from L-Reactor liquid releases and Cs-137 remobilization in Steel Creek. It is therefore important that the values for fish consumption used in dose calculations be as realistic as possible. Since publication of the L-Reactor Environmental Information Document (EID), data have become available on sport fishing in the Savannah River. These data provide SRP with a site-specific sport fish harvest and consumption values for use in dose calculations. The Georgia fishery data support the total population fish consumption and calculated dose reported in the EID. The datamore » indicate, however, that both the EID average and maximum individual fish consumption have been underestimated, although each to a different degree. The average fish consumption value used in the EID is approximately 3% below the lower limit of the fish consumption range calculated using the Georgia data. Maximum fish consumption in the EID has been underestimated by approximately 60%, and doses to the maximum individual should also be recalculated. Future dose calculations should utilize an average adult fish consumption value of 11.3 kg/yr, and a maximum adult fish consumption value of 34 kg/yr. Consumption values for the teen and child age groups should be increased proportionally: (1) teen average = 8.5; maximum = 25.9 kg/yr; and (2) child average = 3.6; maximum = 11.2 kg/yr. 8 refs.« less

Noise level in intensive care units of a public university hospital in Santa Marta (Colombia).

PubMed

Garrido Galindo, A P; Camargo Caicedo, Y; Vélez-Pereira, A M

2016-10-01

To evaluate the noise level in adult, pediatric and neonatal intensive care units of a university hospital in the city of Santa Marta (Colombia). A descriptive, observational, non-interventional study with follow-up over time was carried out. Continuous sampling was conducted for 20 days for each unit using a type i sound level meter, filter frequency in A weighting and Fast mode. We recorded the maximum values, the 90th percentile as background noise, and the continuous noise level. The mean hourly levels in the adult unit varied between 57.40±1.14-63.47±2.13dBA, with a maximum between 71.55±2.32-77.22±1.94dBA, and a background noise between 53.51±1.16-60.26±2.10dBA; in the pediatric unit the mean hourly levels varied between 57.07±3.07-65.72±2.46dBA, with a maximum of 68.69±3.57-79.06±2.34dBA, and a background noise between 53.33±3.54-61.96±2.85dBA; the neonatal unit in turn presented mean hourly values between 59.54±2.41-65.33±1.77dBA, with a maximum value between 67.20±2.13-77.65±3.74dBA, and a background noise between 55.02±2.03-58.70±1.95dBA. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the hourly values and between the different units, with the time of day exhibiting a greater influence. The type of unit affects the noise levels in intensive care units, the pediatric unit showing the highest values and the adult unit the lowest values. However, the parameter exerting the greatest influence upon noise level is the time of day, with higher levels in the morning and evening, and lower levels at night and in the early morning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Maximum-entropy probability distributions under Lp-norm constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolinar, S.

1991-01-01

Continuous probability density functions and discrete probability mass functions are tabulated which maximize the differential entropy or absolute entropy, respectively, among all probability distributions with a given L sub p norm (i.e., a given pth absolute moment when p is a finite integer) and unconstrained or constrained value set. Expressions for the maximum entropy are evaluated as functions of the L sub p norm. The most interesting results are obtained and plotted for unconstrained (real valued) continuous random variables and for integer valued discrete random variables. The maximum entropy expressions are obtained in closed form for unconstrained continuous random variables, and in this case there is a simple straight line relationship between the maximum differential entropy and the logarithm of the L sub p norm. Corresponding expressions for arbitrary discrete and constrained continuous random variables are given parametrically; closed form expressions are available only for special cases. However, simpler alternative bounds on the maximum entropy of integer valued discrete random variables are obtained by applying the differential entropy results to continuous random variables which approximate the integer valued random variables in a natural manner. All the results are presented in an integrated framework that includes continuous and discrete random variables, constraints on the permissible value set, and all possible values of p. Understanding such as this is useful in evaluating the performance of data compression schemes.

SU-E-T-607: Performance Quantification of the Nine Detectors Used for Dosimetry Measurements in Advanced Radiation Therapy Treatments

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

Markovic, M; Stathakis, S; Jurkovic, I

2015-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify performance of the nine detectors used for dosimetry measurements in advanced radiation therapy treatments. Methods: The 6 MV beam was utilized for measurements of the field sizes with the lack of lateral charge particle equilibrium. For dose fidelity aspect, energy dependence was studied by measuring PDD and profiles at different depths. The volume effect and its influence on the measured dose profiles have been observed by measuring detector’s response function. Output factor measurements with respect to change in energy spectrum have been performed and collected data has been analyzed. The linearitymore » of the measurements with the dose delivered has been evaluated and relevant comparisons were done. Results: The measured values of the output factors with respect to change in energy spectrum indicated presence of the energy dependence. The detectors with active volume size ≤ 0.3 mm3 maximum deviation from the mean is 5.6% for the field size 0.5 x 0.5 cm2 while detectors with active volume size > 0.3 mm3 have maximum deviation from the mean 7.1%. Linearity with dose at highest dose rate examined for diode detectors showed maximum deviation of 4% while ion chambers showed maximum deviation of 2.2%. Dose profiles showed energy dependence at shallow depths (surface to dmax) influenced by low energy particles with 12 % maximum deviation from the mean for 5 mm2 field size. In relation to Monte Carlo calculation, the detector’s response function σ values were between (0.42±0.25) mm and (1.2±0.25) mm. Conclusion: All the detectors are appropriate for the dosimetry measurements in advanced radiation therapy treatments. The choice of the detectors has to be determined by the application and the scope of the measurements in respect to energy dependence and ability to accurately resolve dose profiles as well as to it’s intrinsic characteristics.« less

The Effect of Valve Cooling upon Maximum Permissible Engine Output as Limited by Knock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munger, Maurice; Wilsted, H D; Mulcahy, B A

1942-01-01

A Wright GR-1820-G200 cylinder was tested over a wide range of fuel-air ratios at maximum permissible power output as limited by knock with three different degrees of valve cooling. The valves used were stock valves (solid inlet valve and hollow sodium-cooled exhaust valve), hollow valves with no coolant, and hollow valves with flowing water as a coolant. Curves showing the variation in maximum permissible values of inlet-air pressure, indicated mean effective pressure, cylinder charge, and indicated specific fuel consumption with change in fuel-air ratio and valve cooling are shown. The use of valves cooled by a stream of water passing through their hollow interiors permitted indicated mean effective pressures 10 percent higher than the mean effective pressures permissible with stock valves when the engine was operated with fuel-air ratios from 0.055 to 0.065. Operation of the engine with lean mixtures with uncooled hollow valves resulted in power output below the output obtained with the stock valves. The data show an increase in maximum permissible indicated mean effective pressure due to cooling the valves, which averages only 2.1 percent with fuel-air ratios from 0.075 to 0.105.

Elastic-Plastic Thermal Stress Analysis of a High-Pressure Cryogenic Storage Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, J. Mark; Field, Robert E. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

The thermal stresses on a cryogenic storage tank contribute strongly to the state of stress of the tank material and its ability to withstand operational stresses. These thermal stresses also affect the growth of any surface damage that might occur in the tank walls. These stresses are particularly of concern during the initial cooldown period for a new tank placed into service, and during any subsequent thermal cycles. A previous preliminary elastic analysis showed that the thermal stress on the inner wall would reach approximately 1,000MPa (145,000 psi). This stress far exceeds the ASTM specified room temperature values for both yield (170MPa) and ultimate (485 MPa) strength for 304L stainless steel. The present analysis determines the thermal stresses using an elastic-plastic model. The commercial software application ANSYS was used to determine the transient spatial temperature profile and the associated spatial thermal stress profiles in a segment of a thick-walled vessel during a typical cooldown process. A strictly elastic analysis using standard material properties for 304L stainless steel showed that the maximum thermal stress on the inner and outer walls was approximately 960 MPa (tensile) and - 270 MPa (compressive) respectively. These values occurred early in the cooldown process, but at different times, An elastic-plastic analysis showed significantly reducing stress, as expected due to the plastic deformation of the material. The maximum stress for the inner wall was approximately 225 MPa (tensile), while the maximum stress for the outer wall was approximately - 130 MPa (compressive).

Effect of randomness in logistic maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaleque, Abdul; Sen, Parongama

2015-01-01

We study a random logistic map xt+1 = atxt[1 - xt] where at are bounded (q1 ≤ at ≤ q2), random variables independently drawn from a distribution. xt does not show any regular behavior in time. We find that xt shows fully ergodic behavior when the maximum allowed value of at is 4. However , averaged over different realizations reaches a fixed point. For 1 ≤ at ≤ 4, the system shows nonchaotic behavior and the Lyapunov exponent is strongly dependent on the asymmetry of the distribution from which at is drawn. Chaotic behavior is seen to occur beyond a threshold value of q1(q2) when q2(q1) is varied. The most striking result is that the random map is chaotic even when q2 is less than the threshold value 3.5699⋯ at which chaos occurs in the nonrandom map. We also employ a different method in which a different set of random variables are used for the evolution of two initially identical x values, here the chaotic regime exists for all q1 ≠ q2 values.

Competing risk models in reliability systems, a weibull distribution model with bayesian analysis approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iskandar, Ismed; Satria Gondokaryono, Yudi

2016-02-01

In reliability theory, the most important problem is to determine the reliability of a complex system from the reliability of its components. The weakness of most reliability theories is that the systems are described and explained as simply functioning or failed. In many real situations, the failures may be from many causes depending upon the age and the environment of the system and its components. Another problem in reliability theory is one of estimating the parameters of the assumed failure models. The estimation may be based on data collected over censored or uncensored life tests. In many reliability problems, the failure data are simply quantitatively inadequate, especially in engineering design and maintenance system. The Bayesian analyses are more beneficial than the classical one in such cases. The Bayesian estimation analyses allow us to combine past knowledge or experience in the form of an apriori distribution with life test data to make inferences of the parameter of interest. In this paper, we have investigated the application of the Bayesian estimation analyses to competing risk systems. The cases are limited to the models with independent causes of failure by using the Weibull distribution as our model. A simulation is conducted for this distribution with the objectives of verifying the models and the estimators and investigating the performance of the estimators for varying sample size. The simulation data are analyzed by using Bayesian and the maximum likelihood analyses. The simulation results show that the change of the true of parameter relatively to another will change the value of standard deviation in an opposite direction. For a perfect information on the prior distribution, the estimation methods of the Bayesian analyses are better than those of the maximum likelihood. The sensitivity analyses show some amount of sensitivity over the shifts of the prior locations. They also show the robustness of the Bayesian analysis within the range between the true value and the maximum likelihood estimated value lines.

Pneumatic testing in 45-degree-inclined boreholes in ash-flow tuff near Superior, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

LeCain, G.D.

1995-01-01

Matrix permeability values determined by single-hole pneumatic testing in nonfractured ash-flow tuff ranged from 5.1 to 20.3 * 1046 m2 (meters squared), depending on the gas-injection rate and analysis method used. Results from the single-hole tests showed several significant correlations between permeability and injection rate and between permeability and test order. Fracture permeability values determined by cross-hole pneumatic testing in fractured ash-flow tuff ranged from 0.81 to 3.49 * 1044 m2, depending on injection rate and analysis method used. Results from the cross-hole tests monitor intervals showed no significant correlation between permeability and injection rate; however, results from the injection interval showed a significant correlation between injection rate and permeability. Porosity estimates from the 'cross-hole testing range from 0.8 to 2.0 percent. The maximum temperature change associated with the pneumatic testing was 1.2'(2 measured in the injection interval during cross-hole testing. The maximum temperature change in the guard and monitor intervals was O.Ip C. The maximum error introduced into the permeability values due to temperature fluctuations is approximately 4 percent. Data from temperature monitoring in the borehole indicated a positive correlation between the temperature decrease in the injection interval during recovery testing and the gas-injection rate. The thermocouple psychrometers indicated that water vapor was condensing in the boreholes during testing. The psychrometers in the guard and monitor intervals detected the drier injected gas as an increase in the dry bulb reading. The relative humidity in the test intervals was always higher than the upper measurement limit of the psychrometers. Although the installation of the packer system may have altered the water balance of the borehole, the gas-injection testing resulted in minimal or no changes in the borehole relative humidity.

Effect of organo clay on curing, mechanical and dielectric properties of NR/SBR blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravikumar, K.; Joseph, Reji; Ravichandran, K.

2018-04-01

Natural rubber (NR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) based elastomeric blends reinforced with organically modified Sodium bentonite clay were prepared by two roll mills. Vulcanization parameters such as minimum and maximum torque values scorch and cure times are measured by Oscillating Disc Rheometer. Mechanical properties such as Tensile strength, modulus at 100%, 200% and 300% elongation and elongation at break and Hardness were measured by Universal testing machine and Durometer Shore A hardness meter respectively. Dielectric properties such as dielectric constant (ε’), dissipation factor (tanδ) and volume resistivity (ρv) were measured at room temperature. The curing studies show that torque values are increasing in NR/SBR blends by increase NR content. The scorch and optimum cure time in NR/SBR blends reinforced organo modified clay was found through increase in the SBR content. This may be due to better processing safety of the NR/SBR blends reinforced with organo modified clay. Mechanical properties show that addition of SBR in blends, tensile strength, elongation modulus increases, but 100% modulus slightly increases and no change was observed in Hardness. Dielectric studies show that dielectric constant of NR and SBR rubbers are almost same, it may due to their non-polar nature. But addition of SBR in NR/SBR blend, dielectric constant gradually increases and maximum value observed at 50/50 ratio. But no considerable change was observed in dissipation factor. Frequency dependant resistivity shows that volume resistivity was not changed with respect to frequency up to 3.5 kHz and beyond that the frequency dependence resistivity was found.

Probabilistic description of probable maximum precipitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Alaya, Mohamed Ali; Zwiers, Francis W.; Zhang, Xuebin

2017-04-01

Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) is the key parameter used to estimate probable Maximum Flood (PMF). PMP and PMF are important for dam safety and civil engineering purposes. Even if the current knowledge of storm mechanisms remains insufficient to properly evaluate limiting values of extreme precipitation, PMP estimation methods are still based on deterministic consideration, and give only single values. This study aims to provide a probabilistic description of the PMP based on the commonly used method, the so-called moisture maximization. To this end, a probabilistic bivariate extreme values model is proposed to address the limitations of traditional PMP estimates via moisture maximization namely: (i) the inability to evaluate uncertainty and to provide a range PMP values, (ii) the interpretation that a maximum of a data series as a physical upper limit (iii) and the assumption that a PMP event has maximum moisture availability. Results from simulation outputs of the Canadian Regional Climate Model CanRCM4 over North America reveal the high uncertainties inherent in PMP estimates and the non-validity of the assumption that PMP events have maximum moisture availability. This later assumption leads to overestimation of the PMP by an average of about 15% over North America, which may have serious implications for engineering design.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Characterizing Lung Masses

PubMed Central

Inan, Nagihan; Arslan, Arzu; Donmez, Muhammed; Sarisoy, Hasan Tahsin

2016-01-01

Background Imaging plays a critical role not only in the detection, but also in the characterization of lung masses as benign or malignant. Objectives To determine the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lung masses. Patients and Methods Ninety-four masses were included in this prospective study. Five dynamic series of T1-weighted spoiled gradient echo (FFE) images were obtained, followed by a T1-weighted FFE sequence in the late phase (5th minutes). Contrast enhancement patterns in the early (25th second) and late (5th minute) phase images were evaluated. For the quantitative evaluation, signal intensity (SI)-time curves were obtained and the maximum relative enhancement, wash-in rate, and time-to-peak enhancement of masses in both groups were calculated. Results The early phase contrast enhancement patterns were homogeneous in 78.2% of the benign masses, while heterogeneous in 74.4% of the malignant tumors. On the late phase images, 70.8% of the benign masses showed homogeneous enhancement, while most of the malignant masses showed heterogeneous enhancement (82.4%). During the first pass, the maximum relative enhancement and wash-in rate values of malignant masses were significantly higher than those of the benign masses (P = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). The cutoff value at 15% yielded a sensitivity of 85.4%, specificity of 61.2%, and positive predictive value of 68.7% for the maximum relative enhancement. Conclusion Contrast enhancement patterns and SI-time curve analysis of MRI are helpful in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lung masses. PMID:27703654

Joining characteristics of titanium-based orthodontic wires connected by laser and electrical welding methods.

PubMed

Matsunaga, Junko; Watanabe, Ikuya; Nakao, Noriko; Watanabe, Etsuko; Elshahawy, Waleed; Yoshida, Noriaki

2015-01-01

This study investigated the possibility of electrical and laser welding to connect titanium-based alloy (beta-titanium and nickel-titanium) wires and stainless-steel or cobalt-chromium alloy wires for fabrication of combination arch-wires. Four kinds of straight orthodontic rectangular wires (0.017 × 0.025 inch) were used: stainless-steel (S-S), cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr), beta-titanium alloy (β-Ti), and nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti). Homogeneous and heterogeneous end-to-end joints (15 mm long each) were made by electrical welding and laser welding. Non-welded wires (30 mm long) were also used as a control. Maximum loads at fracture (N) and elongation (%) were measured by conducting tensile test. The data (n = 10) were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance/Tukey test (P < 0.05).The S-S/S-S and Co-Cr/Co-Cr specimens showed significantly higher values of the maximum load (ML) at fracture and elongation (EL) than those of the Ni-Ti/Ni-Ti and β-Ti/β-Ti specimens for electrical welding and those of the S-S/S-S and Co-Cr/Co-Cr specimens welded by laser. On the other hand, the laser-welded Ni-Ti/Ni-Ti and β-Ti/β-Ti specimens exhibited higher values of the ML and EL compared to those of the corresponding specimens welded by electrical method. In the heterogeneously welded combinations, the electrically welded Ni-Ti/S-S, β-Ti/S-S and β-Ti/Co-Cr specimens showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher ML and EL than those of the corresponding specimens welded by laser. Electrical welding exhibited the higher values of maximum load at fracture and elongation for heterogeneously welded combinations than laser-welding.

Impact of dyeing industry effluent on germination and growth of pea (Pisum sativum).

PubMed

Malaviya, Piyush; Hali, Rajesh; Sharma, Neeru

2012-11-01

Dye industry effluent was analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics and its impact on germination and growth behaviour of Pea (Pisum sativum). The 100% effluent showed high pH (10.3) and TDS (1088 mg l(-1)). The germination parameters included percent germination, delay index, speed of germination, peak value and germination period while growth parameters comprised of root and shoot length, root and shootweight, root-shoot ratio and number of stipules. The study showed the maximum values of positive germination parameters viz. speed of germination (7.85), peak value (3.28), germination index (123.87) and all growth parameters at 20% effluent concentration while the values of negative germination parameters viz. delay index (-0.14) and percent inhibition (-8.34) were found to be minimum at 20% effluent concentration. The study demonstrated that at lower concentrations the dyeing industry effluent caused a positive impact on germination and growth of Pisum sativum.

Computer simulation of position and maximum of linear polarization of asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, Dmitry; Kiselev, Nikolai

2018-01-01

The ground-based observations of near-Earth asteroids at large phase angles have shown some feature: the linear polarization maximum position of the high-albedo E-type asteroids shifted markedly towards smaller phase angles (αmax ≈ 70°) with respect to that for the moderate-albedo S-type asteroids (αmax ≈ 110°), weakly depending on the wavelength. To study this phenomenon, the theoretical approach and the modified T-matrix method (the so-called Sh-matrices method) were used. Theoretical approach was devoted to finding the values of αmax, corresponding to maximal values of positive polarization Pmax. Computer simulations were performed for an ensemble of random Gaussian particles, whose scattering properties were averaged over with different particle orientations and size parameters in the range X = 2.0 ... 21.0, with the power law distribution X - k, where k = 3.6. The real parts of the refractive index mr were 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7. Imaginary part of refractive index varied from mi = 0.0 to mi = 0.5. Both theoretical approach and computer simulation showed that the value of αmax strongly depends on the refractive index. The increase of mi leads to increased αmax and Pmax. In addition, computer simulation shows that the increase of the real part of the refractive index reduces Pmax. Whereas E-type high-albedo asteroids have smaller values of mi, than S -type asteroids, we can conclude, that value of αmax of E-type asteroids should be smaller than for S -type ones. This is in qualitative agreement with the observed effect in asteroids.

Synergistic effect of wire bending and salivary pH on surface properties and mechanical properties of orthodontic stainless steel archwires.

PubMed

Hobbelink, Marieke G; He, Yan; Xu, Jia; Xie, Huixu; Stoll, Richard; Ye, Qingsong

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the corrosive behaviour of stainless steel archwires in a more clinically relevant way by bending and exposing to various pH. One hundred and twenty pieces of rectangular stainless steel wires (0.43 × 0.64 mm) were randomly assigned into four groups. In each group, there were 15 pieces of bent wires and 15 straight ones. Prior to measurements of the wires, as individual experimental groups (group 1, 2, and 3), the wires were exposed to artificial saliva for 4 weeks at pH 5.6, 6.6, and 7.6, respectively. A control group of wires (group 4) remained in air for the same period of time before sent for measurements. Surface roughness (Ra-value) was measured by a profilometer. Young's modulus and maximum force were determined by a four-point flexural test apparatus. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the surface morphology of straight wire. Differences between groups were examined using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Mean surface roughness values, flexural Young's moduli, and maximum force values of bent wires are significantly different from those of the straight wires, which was the main effect of wire bending, ignoring the influence of pH. A significant effect was found between Ra-values regarding the main effect of pH, ignoring the influence of shape. There was a significant interaction effect of bending and pH on flexural Young's moduli of stainless steel archwires, while pH did not show much impact on the maximum force values of those stainless steel wires. Bigger surface irregularities were seen on SEM images of straight wires immersed in artificial saliva at pH 5.6 compared to artificial saliva at other pH values. Surface depth (Rz) was more sensitive than Ra in revealing surface roughness, both measured from 3D reconstructed SEM images. Ra showed a comparable result of surface roughness to Ra-value measured by the profilometer. Bending has a significant influence on surface roughness and mechanical properties of rectangular SS archwires. pH plays a synergistic effect on the change of mechanical properties of stainless steel (SS) wires along with wire bending.

Midlatitude and high-latitude N2O distributions in the Northern Hemisphere in early and late Arctic polar vortex breakup years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyoshi, H.; Zhou, L. B.

2007-09-01

Simulated N2O distributions at midlatitudes and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere are analyzed in early and late vortex breakup years with the probability distribution function (PDF) technique. The data are from a Center for Climate System Research/National Institute for Environmental Studies (CCSR/NIES) nudging chemical transport model (CTM) for 24 years from 1979 to 2002. Results show that there is a large difference in midlatitude and high-latitude N2O concentrations on the 600 K isentrope between early and late vortex breakup years. In the early breakup years, the N2O concentration with the maximum area shows low values in the lower stratosphere in the springtime after the vortex breakup. In the late breakup years, the maximum area concentration shows constant high values from the winter to the summer. Our analyses show that the winter and springtime meridional circulation is a main factor for these differences in N2O concentration. In the early breakup years, a larger eddy heat flux causes a stronger winter meridional circulation and a stronger downward advection of low-N2O concentration air at higher altitudes to the lower stratosphere, which leads to the low values of N2O concentration in the lower stratosphere in late winter and early spring. Inside the Arctic vortex, however, the importance of vertical advection is smaller than or comparable to other processes such as horizontal divergence and subgrid-scale motions. These results are consistent with the previous studies on tracer distribution, which showed that not only the vertical advection but also the horizontal eddy transport are important for tracer concentration tendency in the polar vortex.

[Caloric value and energy allocation of Chloris virgata in northeast grassland].

PubMed

Guo, J; Wang, R; Wang, W

2001-06-01

The rules of seasonal changes in caloric values of individual plant, stem, and leaves of Chloris virgata were similar, which had two peak values from early July to early August, and then decreased gradually. Those of inflorescence assumed U shape, and had two peak values in early August and middle September, respectively. The seasonal changes in caloric values of dead standing were irregular, and the maximum value was appeared in early August. The seasonal changes in existent energy value of the aboveground parts in Chloris virgata population presented double peak curve. The two peak values were appeared in early August and early September respectively, and the maximum value was 7381.27 kJ.m-2 in early September. The energy allocation in different seasons was leaf > stem in early July, stem > leaf > dead standing in middle July, stem > leaf > inflorescence > dead standing in August, stem > inflorescence > leaf > dead standing in early September, and stem > inflorescence > dead standing > leaf in middle September. The vertical structure of energy in the aboveground parts was that the energy value gradually increased from the earth's surface to 20 cm high, and then decreased. The maximum value, which accounted for 25.75% of energy in the aboveground parts, was appeared in the layer of 10-20 cm high. In the underground parts, the energy value progressively decreased with the increase of depth, and the maximum value, which accounted for 74.21% of energy in the underground parts, was appeared in the layer of 0-10 cm depth.

Quantitative genetic models of sexual selection by male choice.

PubMed

Nakahashi, Wataru

2008-09-01

There are many examples of male mate choice for female traits that tend to be associated with high fertility. I develop quantitative genetic models of a female trait and a male preference to show when such a male preference can evolve. I find that a disagreement between the fertility maximum and the viability maximum of the female trait is necessary for directional male preference (preference for extreme female trait values) to evolve. Moreover, when there is a shortage of available male partners or variance in male nongenetic quality, strong male preference can evolve. Furthermore, I also show that males evolve to exhibit a stronger preference for females that are more feminine (less resemblance to males) than the average female when there is a sexual dimorphism caused by fertility selection which acts only on females.

Parallel Microcracks-based Ultrasensitive and Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors.

PubMed

Amjadi, Morteza; Turan, Mehmet; Clementson, Cameron P; Sitti, Metin

2016-03-02

There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11,344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.

Atmospheric Effects of Biomass Burning in Madagascar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aikin, Arthur C.; Hoegy, Walter R.; Ziemke, Jerry R.; Thorpe, Arthur; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Simultaneous tropospheric ozone and aerosols observed using the TOMS satellite instrument are reported for Madagascar during the 1979 through 1999 time period Ozone observations made using the TOMS tropospheric ozone convective-cloud differential method show that the tropospheric ozone amount associated with Madagascar has an average monthly value of 30 DU (Dobson units). The average value is enhanced by 10 to 15 DU in October This maximum coincides with the time of maximum biomass area burning in Madagascar and parts of southern Africa. The aerosol index derived from TOMS is examined for correlation with biomass burning in Madagascar and southern Africa. There is good correlation between a satellite observation derived fire index for different parts of Madagascar, tropospheric ozone and the TOMS aerosol index in the same geographical area. Aerosols from fires were found to reach their peak in November and to persist over Madagascar until sometime in December.

The hypolipidemic effect and antithrombotic activity of Mucuna pruriens protein hydrolysates.

PubMed

Herrera Chalé, Francisco; Ruiz Ruiz, Jorge Carlos; Betancur Ancona, David; Acevedo Fernández, Juan José; Segura Campos, Maira Rubi

2016-01-01

Hydrolysates and peptide fractions (PF) obtained from M. pruriens protein concentrates with commercial and digestive enzymatic systems were studied for their hypolipidemic and antithrombotic activities. Hydrolysates obtained with Pepsin-Pancreatin (PP) and their peptide fractions inhibited cholesterol micellar solubility with a maximum value of 1.83% in PP. Wistar rats were used to evaluate the hypolipidemic effect of hydrolysates and PF. The higher reductions of cholesterol and triglyceride levels were exhibited by PP and both peptide fractions <1 kDa obtained from PP and Alcalase®-Flavourzyme® hydrolysate (AF) at a dose of 15 mg kg(-1) of animal weight. PF > 10 kDa from both hydrolysates showed the maximum antithrombotic activity with values of 33.33% for PF > 10 kDa from AF and 31.72% for PF > 10 kDa from PP. The results suggest that M. pruriens bioactive peptides with the hypolipidemic effect and antithrombotic activity might be utilized as nutraceuticals.

Relationship Between Frequency and Deflection Angle in the DNA Prism

PubMed Central

Chen, Zhen; Dorfman, Kevin D.

2013-01-01

The DNA prism is a modification of the standard pulsed-field electrophoresis protocol to provide a continuous separation, where the DNA are deflected at an angle that depends on their molecular weight. The standard switchback model for the DNA prism predicts a monotonic increase in the deflection angle as a function of the frequency for switching the field until a plateau regime is reached. However, experiments indicate that the deflection angle achieves a maximum value before decaying to a size-independent value at high frequencies. Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we show that the maximum in the deflection angle is related to the reorientation time for the DNA and the decay in deflection angle at high frequencies is due to inadequate stretching. The generic features of the dependence of the deflection angle on molecular weight, switching frequency, and electric field strength explain a number of experimental phenomena. PMID:23410375

Floating plastic debris in the Central and Western Mediterranean Sea.

PubMed

Ruiz-Orejón, Luis F; Sardá, Rafael; Ramis-Pujol, Juan

2016-09-01

In two sea voyages throughout the Mediterranean (2011 and 2013) that repeated the historical travels of Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria (1847-1915), 71 samples of floating plastic debris were obtained with a Manta trawl. Floating plastic was observed in all the sampled sites, with an average weight concentration of 579.3 g dw km(-2) (maximum value of 9298.2 g dw km(-2)) and an average particle concentration of 147,500 items km(-2) (the maximum concentration was 1,164,403 items km(-2)). The plastic size distribution showed microplastics (<5 mm) in all the samples. The most abundant particles had a surface area of approximately 1 mm(2) (the mesh size was 333 μm). The general estimate obtained was a total value of 1455 tons dw of floating plastic in the entire Mediterranean region, with various potential spatial accumulation areas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Indentation Size Effect on the Creep Behavior of a SnAgCu Solder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Y. D.; Jing, H. Y.; Nai, S. M. L.; Xu, L. Y.; Tan, C. M.; Wei, J.

In the present study, nanoindentation studies of the 95.8Sn-3.5Ag-0.7Cu lead-free solder were conducted over a range of maximum loads from 20 mN to 100 mN, under a constant ramp rate of 0.05 s-1. The indentation scale dependence of creep behavior was investigated. The results revealed that the creep rate, creep strain rate and indentation stress are all dependent on the indentation depth. As the maximum load increased, an increasing trend in the creep rate was observed, while a decreasing trend in creep strain rate and indentation stress were observed. On the contrary, for the case of stress exponent value, no trend was observed and the values were found to range from 6.16 to 7.38. Furthermore, the experimental results also showed that the creep mechanism of the lead-free solder is dominated by dislocation climb.

Optimization of terrestrial ecosystem model parameters using atmospheric CO2 concentration data with a global carbon assimilation system (GCAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Z.; Chen, J.; Zhang, S.; Zheng, X.; Shangguan, W.

2016-12-01

A global carbon assimilation system (GCAS) that assimilates ground-based atmospheric CO2 data is used to estimate several key parameters in a terrestrial ecosystem model for the purpose of improving carbon cycle simulation. The optimized parameters are the leaf maximum carboxylation rate at 25° (Vmax25 ), the temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (Q10), and the soil carbon pool size. The optimization is performed at the global scale at 1°resolution for the period from 2002 to 2008. Optimized multi-year average Vmax25 values range from 49 to 51 μmol m-2 s-1 over most regions of world. Vegetation from tropical zones has relatively lower values than vegetation in temperate regions. Optimized multi-year average Q10 values varied from 1.95 to 2.05 over most regions of the world. Relatively high values of Q10 are derived over high/mid latitude regions. Both Vmax25 and Q10 exhibit pronounced seasonal variations at mid-high latitudes. The maximum in occurs during the growing season, while the minima appear during non-growing seasons. Q10 values decreases with increasing temperature. The seasonal variabilities of and Q10 are larger at higher latitudes with tropical or low latitude regions showing little seasonal variabilities.

Resource allocation to reproduction in animals.

PubMed

Kooijman, Sebastiaan A L M; Lika, Konstadia

2014-11-01

The standard Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model assumes that a fraction κ of mobilised reserve is allocated to somatic maintenance plus growth, while the rest is allocated to maturity maintenance plus maturation (in embryos and juveniles) or reproduction (in adults). All DEB parameters have been estimated for 276 animal species from most large phyla and all chordate classes. The goodness of fit is generally excellent. We compared the estimated values of κ with those that would maximise reproduction in fully grown adults with abundant food. Only 13% of these species show a reproduction rate close to the maximum possible (assuming that κ can be controlled), another 4% have κ lower than the optimal value, and 83% have κ higher than the optimal value. Strong empirical support hence exists for the conclusion that reproduction is generally not maximised. We also compared the parameters of the wild chicken with those of races selected for meat and egg production and found that the latter indeed maximise reproduction in terms of κ, while surface-specific assimilation was not affected by selection. We suggest that small values of κ relate to the down-regulation of maximum body size, and large values to the down-regulation of reproduction. We briefly discuss the ecological context for these findings. © 2014 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2014 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Cross-ontological analytics for alignment of different classification schemes

DOEpatents

Posse, Christian; Sanfilippo, Antonio P; Gopalan, Banu; Riensche, Roderick M; Baddeley, Robert L

2010-09-28

Quantification of the similarity between nodes in multiple electronic classification schemes is provided by automatically identifying relationships and similarities between nodes within and across the electronic classification schemes. Quantifying the similarity between a first node in a first electronic classification scheme and a second node in a second electronic classification scheme involves finding a third node in the first electronic classification scheme, wherein a first product value of an inter-scheme similarity value between the second and third nodes and an intra-scheme similarity value between the first and third nodes is a maximum. A fourth node in the second electronic classification scheme can be found, wherein a second product value of an inter-scheme similarity value between the first and fourth nodes and an intra-scheme similarity value between the second and fourth nodes is a maximum. The maximum between the first and second product values represents a measure of similarity between the first and second nodes.

Weekend effect of O3, NO, NO2, CO and PM10 concentrations in the south of Spain during 2003-2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adame Carnero, Jose Antonio; Lozano, Antonio; Sorribas, Mar; Contreras, Juan; Ángel Hernández-Ceballos, Miguel; Godoy, Francisca; Fernández-León, Mercedes; Bolívar, Juan Pedro; de La Morena, Benito A.

2010-05-01

The weekly evolutions and the difference between labour and non-labour days for O3, NO, NO2, CO and PM10 concentrations have been analysed in the south of Spain (Andalusia). The hourly data have been collected in 70 stations (urban, suburban and rural) belong to the Air Quality Network of Andalusia. The data period used was 2003-2008. The study has been focused in order to identify the weekend effect for those pollutants. The weekly patterns has been evaluated using daily mean of O3 and CO and 90th percentile daily values of NO, NO2 and PM10. The mean daily ozone concentrations show similar values during the week days with a maximum increase of the concentrations during weekend days of 5 ?g m-3 in urban stations. The NO and NO2 levels present in general a decrease of 90th percentile daily values during weekend days. The maximum decrease observed was of 50 and 25 ?g m-3 for NO and NO2 respectively. The most of stations show similar concentrations for the mean daily CO levels during the week. In the event of PM10 while some stations present an increase of the concentrations during the weekdays others have similar values during all days with 90th percentile of 45 ?g m-3. The daily pollutants variation between week and weekend days has been evaluated from the hourly differences between weekend and week concentrations. The ozone daily evolution show negative differences from 00:00 to 5:00 local time (LT) while during the rest of the day the differences are positives. The maximum differences were registered early in the morning ranging between 4 ?g m-3 for rural stations to 14 ?g m-3 for urban stations. The NO and NO2 show positive differences between 00:00 to 7:00 (LT) with negative values within the next hours. The higher differences could reach 80 ?g m-3 for NO and 25 ?g m-3 for NO2, both in urban stations, with values lower than 10 ?g m-3and 5 ?g m-3 in suburban and rural stations respectively. The CO daily evolution show similar values in week and weekend days. The behaviour of the PM10 daily differences is similar to the observed for NO and NO2, with higher differences between 10:00 to 14:00 and values between 5 to 20 ?g m-3. The results obtained in this work point out a weak or absence for weekend effect of O3 and CO concentrations over the study area. Nevertheless, for NO, NO2 and PM10 concentrations present a decrease during the weekend. This phenomenon has been observed with more intensity over the metropolitan areas, mainly in urban stations. The results obtained in this study are being used to define the air quality plans in the south of Spain. These plans will start to apply during 2010 with the purpose to reduce the levels of these air pollutants in Andalusia.

Path Finding for Maximum Value of Information in Multi-Modal Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

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

Gjanci, Petrika; Petrioli, Chiara; Basagni, Stefano

Here, we consider underwater multi-modal wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) suitable for applications on submarine surveillance and monitoring, where nodes offload data to a mobile autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) via optical technology, and coordinate using acoustic communication. Sensed data are associated with a value, decaying in time. In this scenario, we address the problem of finding the path of the AUV so that the Value of Information (VoI) of the data delivered to a sink on the surface is maximized. We define a Greedy and Adaptive AUV Path-finding (GAAP) heuristic that drives the AUV to collect data from nodes depending onmore » the VoI of their data. For benchmarking the performance of AUV path-finding heuristics, we define an integer linear programming (ILP) formulation that accurately models the considered scenario, deriving a path that drives the AUV to collect and deliver data with the maximum VoI. In our experiments GAAP consistently delivers more than 80 percent of the theoretical maximum VoI determined by the ILP model. We also compare the performance of GAAP with that of other strategies for driving the AUV among sensing nodes, namely, random paths, TSP-based paths and a “lawn mower”-like strategy. Our results show that GAAP always outperforms every other heuristic in terms of delivered VoI, also obtaining higher energy efficiency.« less

Path Finding for Maximum Value of Information in Multi-Modal Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

DOE PAGES

Gjanci, Petrika; Petrioli, Chiara; Basagni, Stefano; ...

2017-05-19

Here, we consider underwater multi-modal wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) suitable for applications on submarine surveillance and monitoring, where nodes offload data to a mobile autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) via optical technology, and coordinate using acoustic communication. Sensed data are associated with a value, decaying in time. In this scenario, we address the problem of finding the path of the AUV so that the Value of Information (VoI) of the data delivered to a sink on the surface is maximized. We define a Greedy and Adaptive AUV Path-finding (GAAP) heuristic that drives the AUV to collect data from nodes depending onmore » the VoI of their data. For benchmarking the performance of AUV path-finding heuristics, we define an integer linear programming (ILP) formulation that accurately models the considered scenario, deriving a path that drives the AUV to collect and deliver data with the maximum VoI. In our experiments GAAP consistently delivers more than 80 percent of the theoretical maximum VoI determined by the ILP model. We also compare the performance of GAAP with that of other strategies for driving the AUV among sensing nodes, namely, random paths, TSP-based paths and a “lawn mower”-like strategy. Our results show that GAAP always outperforms every other heuristic in terms of delivered VoI, also obtaining higher energy efficiency.« less

Measurement of the Errors of Service Altimeter Installations During Landing-Approach and Take-Off Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gracey, William; Jewel, Joseph W., Jr.; Carpenter, Gene T.

1960-01-01

The overall errors of the service altimeter installations of a variety of civil transport, military, and general-aviation airplanes have been experimentally determined during normal landing-approach and take-off operations. The average height above the runway at which the data were obtained was about 280 feet for the landings and about 440 feet for the take-offs. An analysis of the data obtained from 196 airplanes during 415 landing approaches and from 70 airplanes during 152 take-offs showed that: 1. The overall error of the altimeter installations in the landing- approach condition had a probable value (50 percent probability) of +/- 36 feet and a maximum probable value (99.7 percent probability) of +/- 159 feet with a bias of +10 feet. 2. The overall error in the take-off condition had a probable value of +/- 47 feet and a maximum probable value of +/- 207 feet with a bias of -33 feet. 3. The overall errors of the military airplanes were generally larger than those of the civil transports in both the landing-approach and take-off conditions. In the landing-approach condition the probable error and the maximum probable error of the military airplanes were +/- 43 and +/- 189 feet, respectively, with a bias of +15 feet, whereas those for the civil transports were +/- 22 and +/- 96 feet, respectively, with a bias of +1 foot. 4. The bias values of the error distributions (+10 feet for the landings and -33 feet for the take-offs) appear to represent a measure of the hysteresis characteristics (after effect and recovery) and friction of the instrument and the pressure lag of the tubing-instrument system.

Standard values of maximum tongue pressure taken using newly developed disposable tongue pressure measurement device.

PubMed

Utanohara, Yuri; Hayashi, Ryo; Yoshikawa, Mineka; Yoshida, Mitsuyoshi; Tsuga, Kazuhiro; Akagawa, Yasumasa

2008-09-01

It is clinically important to evaluate tongue function in terms of rehabilitation of swallowing and eating ability. We have developed a disposable tongue pressure measurement device designed for clinical use. In this study we used this device to determine standard values of maximum tongue pressure in adult Japanese. Eight hundred fifty-three subjects (408 male, 445 female; 20-79 years) were selected for this study. All participants had no history of dysphagia and maintained occlusal contact in the premolar and molar regions with their own teeth. A balloon-type disposable oral probe was used to measure tongue pressure by asking subjects to compress it onto the palate for 7 s with maximum voluntary effort. Values were recorded three times for each subject, and the mean values were defined as maximum tongue pressure. Although maximum tongue pressure was higher for males than for females in the 20-49-year age groups, there was no significant difference between males and females in the 50-79-year age groups. The maximum tongue pressure of the seventies age group was significantly lower than that of the twenties to fifties age groups. It may be concluded that maximum tongue pressures were reduced with primary aging. Males may become weaker with age at a faster rate than females; however, further decreases in strength were in parallel for male and female subjects.

Classification of the height and flexibility of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot.

PubMed

Nilsson, Mette Kjærgaard; Friis, Rikke; Michaelsen, Maria Skjoldahl; Jakobsen, Patrick Abildgaard; Nielsen, Rasmus Oestergaard

2012-02-17

The risk of developing injuries during standing work may vary between persons with different foot types. High arched and low arched feet, as well as rigid and flexible feet, are considered to have different injury profiles, while those with normal arches may sustain fewer injuries. However, the cut-off values for maximum values (subtalar position during weight-bearing) and range of motion (ROM) values (difference between subtalar neutral and subtalar resting position in a weight-bearing condition) for the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify cut-off values for maximum values and ROM of the MLA of the foot during static tests and to identify factors influencing foot posture. The participants consisted of 254 volunteers from Central and Northern Denmark (198 m/56 f; age 39.0 ± 11.7 years; BMI 27.3 ± 4.7 kg/m2). Navicular height (NH), longitudinal arch angle (LAA) and Feiss line (FL) were measured for either the left or the right foot in a subtalar neutral position and subtalar resting position. Maximum values and ROM were calculated for each test. The 95% and 68% prediction intervals were used as cut-off limits. Multiple regression analysis was used to detect influencing factors on foot posture. The 68% cut-off values for maximum MLA values and MLA ROM for NH were 3.6 to 5.5 cm and 0.6 to 1.8 cm, respectively, without taking into account the influence of other variables. Normal maximum LAA values were between 131 and 152° and normal LAA ROM was between -1 and 13°. Normal maximum FL values were between -2.6 and -1.2 cm and normal FL ROM was between -0.1 and 0.9 cm. Results from the multivariate linear regression revealed an association between foot size with FL, LAA, and navicular drop. The cut-off values presented in this study can be used to categorize people performing standing work into groups of different foot arch types. The results of this study are important for investigating a possible link between arch height and arch movement and the development of injuries.

Comprehensive Monitoring Program. Air Quality Data Assessment for 1989. Version 2.1. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

Hg collected on Hopcalite TH media. 4.4.3.2 Basin F Data. Table 4.4-5 shows average and maximum metals values for the Basin F Remedial Monitoring...PMRMA. "Chemical Quality Assurance Plan." Version 1.0, July, 1989. Rathje and Marcero. 1976. "Improved Hopcalite Procedure for the Determination of

Classical Information Storage in an n-Level Quantum System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frenkel, Péter E.; Weiner, Mihály

2015-12-01

A game is played by a team of two—say Alice and Bob—in which the value of a random variable x is revealed to Alice only, who cannot freely communicate with Bob. Instead, she is given a quantum n-level system, respectively a classical n-state system, which she can put in possession of Bob in any state she wishes. We evaluate how successfully they managed to store and recover the value of x by requiring Bob to specify a value z and giving a reward of value f ( x, z) to the team. We show that whatever the probability distribution of x and the reward function f are, when using a quantum n-level system, the maximum expected reward obtainable with the best possible team strategy is equal to that obtainable with the use of a classical n-state system. The proof relies on mixed discriminants of positive matrices and—perhaps surprisingly—an application of the Supply-Demand Theorem for bipartite graphs. As a corollary, we get an infinite set of new, dimension dependent inequalities regarding positive operator valued measures and density operators on complex n-space. As a further corollary, we see that the greatest value, with respect to a given distribution of x, of the mutual information I ( x; z) that is obtainable using an n-level quantum system equals the analogous maximum for a classical n-state system.

Vertical distribution of potentially toxic elements in sediments impacted by intertidal geothermal hot springs (Bahia Concepcion, Gulf of California)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leal-Acosta, M. L.; Shumilin, E.

2016-12-01

The intertidal geothermal hot springs (GHS) in Bahia Concepcion, Gulf of California are the source of potentially toxic elements to the adjacent marine environment surrounded by mangroves trees. The anoxic sediments enriched in organic carbon accumulate As, Hg and other heavy metals that can be bioavailable for the biota. To know the vertical distribution of these elements the geochemistry of a short sediment core was carried out. It was collected in June, 2010 in the mangrove area near to GHS (1 m) during a low tide, pushing manually a polypropylene tube into the sediments. The extracted sediment core was cut with plastic knife on 1 cm thick sub-samples, stored in plastic bags and transported on ice to the laboratory. The major and trace elements contents were determinate by ICP-MS after total digestion with stronger acids (HClO4-HNO3-HCl-HF). Certificate reference materials were used for the quality control of the method obtaining good recoveries for most of the elements (80-105%). The sediment core had high maximum contents of CaCO3 (70%) and total organic carbon (12%). The concentration of Hg along the core ranges from 650 to 74300 mg kg-1 and had more than three orders of magnitude above the reference values of 40 mg kg-1 for the Upper Continental Crust (UCC)1. In contrast, As ranges from 12 to 258 mg kg-1 resulting in more than one order of magnitude respect to UCC1 (1.7 mg kg-1). Similar pattern result for Mn, Cu, Pb, and Zn with the maximum values of 3200 mg kg-1, 42 mg kg-1, 12.4 mg kg-1, 71 mg kg-1 respectively that coincide with the maximum for As at the same core depth (4 cm). The Ca, Li, Co, Sb, U, and Mg also show high contents in comparison with the UCC1reference values. The maximum contents of Mo and Cd coincide with maximum concentration of sulfur (2%) at 6 to 8 cm. The enrichment factor calculated using Al as normalizing element showed Cd (7-280), As (26-329) and Hg (23-1196) as highly enriched mainly in the first centimeters of the sediment core. 1 Wedephol (1995)

Concurrent Phosphorus Recovery and Energy Generation in Mediator-Less Dual Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells: Mechanisms and Influencing Factors

PubMed Central

Almatouq, Abdullah; Babatunde, Akintunde O.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the mechanism and key factors influencing concurrent phosphorus (P) recovery and energy generation in microbial fuel cells (MFC) during wastewater treatment. Using a mediator-less dual chamber microbial fuel cell operated for 120 days; P was shown to precipitate as struvite when ammonium and magnesium chloride solutions were added to the cathode chamber. Monitoring data for chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and aeration flow rate showed that a maximum 38% P recovery was achieved; and this corresponds to 1.5 g/L, pH > 8, −550 ± 10 mV and 50 mL/min respectively, for COD, pHcathode, ORP and cathode aeration flow rate. More importantly, COD and aeration flow rate were shown to be the key influencing factors for the P recovery and energy generation. Results further show that the maximum P recovery corresponds to 72 mW/m2 power density. However, the energy generated at maximum P recovery was not the optimum; this shows that whilst P recovery and energy generation can be concurrently achieved in a microbial fuel cell, neither can be at the optimal value. PMID:27043584

Concurrent Phosphorus Recovery and Energy Generation in Mediator-Less Dual Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells: Mechanisms and Influencing Factors.

PubMed

Almatouq, Abdullah; Babatunde, Akintunde O

2016-03-29

This study investigated the mechanism and key factors influencing concurrent phosphorus (P) recovery and energy generation in microbial fuel cells (MFC) during wastewater treatment. Using a mediator-less dual chamber microbial fuel cell operated for 120 days; P was shown to precipitate as struvite when ammonium and magnesium chloride solutions were added to the cathode chamber. Monitoring data for chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, oxidation reduction potential (ORP) and aeration flow rate showed that a maximum 38% P recovery was achieved; and this corresponds to 1.5 g/L, pH > 8, -550 ± 10 mV and 50 mL/min respectively, for COD, pH(cathode), ORP and cathode aeration flow rate. More importantly, COD and aeration flow rate were shown to be the key influencing factors for the P recovery and energy generation. Results further show that the maximum P recovery corresponds to 72 mW/m² power density. However, the energy generated at maximum P recovery was not the optimum; this shows that whilst P recovery and energy generation can be concurrently achieved in a microbial fuel cell, neither can be at the optimal value.

Vertical amplitude phase structure of a low-frequency acoustic field in shallow water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsov, G. N.; Lebedev, O. V.; Stepanov, A. N.

2016-11-01

We obtain in integral and analytic form the relations for calculating the amplitude and phase characteristics of an interference structure of orthogonal projections of the oscillation velocity vector in shallow water. For different frequencies and receiver depths, we numerically study the source depth dependences of the effective phase velocities of an equivalent plane wave, the orthogonal projections of the sound pressure phase gradient, and the projections of the oscillation velocity vector. We establish that at low frequencies in zones of interference maxima, independently of source depth, weakly varying effective phase velocity values are observed, which exceed the sound velocity in water by 5-12%. We show that the angles of arrival of the equivalent plane wave and the oscillation velocity vector in the general case differ; however, they virtually coincide in the zone of the interference maximum of the sound pressure under the condition that the horizontal projections of the oscillation velocity appreciably exceed the value of the vertical projection. We give recommendations on using the sound field characteristics in zones with maximum values for solving rangefinding and signal-detection problems.

The indirect effects on the computation of geoid undulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wichiencharoen, C.

1982-01-01

The indirect effects on the geoid computation due to the second method of Helmert's condensation were studied. when Helmert's anomalies are used in Stokes's equation, there are three types of corrections to the free air geoid. The first correction, the indirect effect on geoid undulation due to the potential change in Helmert's reduction, had a maximum value of 0.51 meters in the test area covering the United States. The second correction, the attraction change effect on geoid undulation, had a maximum value of 9.50 meters when the 10 deg cap was used in Stokes' equation. The last correction, the secondary indirect effect on geoid undulatin, was found negligible in the test area. The corrections were applied to uncorrected free air geoid undulations at 65 Doppler stations in the test area and compared with the Doppler undulations. Based on the assumption that the Doppler coordinate system has a z shift of 4 meters with respect to the geocenter, these comparisons showed that the corrections presented in this study yielded improved values of gravimetric undulations.

Influence of shoulder diameter on Temperature and Z-parameter during friction stir welding of Al 6082 alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishore Mugada, Krishna; Adepu, Kumar

2018-03-01

In this research article, the effect of increasing shoulder diameter on temperature and Zener Holloman (Z)-parameter for friction stir butt welded AA6082-T6 was studied. The temperature at the Advancing side (AS) of weld was measured using the K-Type thermocouple at four different equidistant locations. The developed analytical model is utilized to predict the maximum temperature (Tpeak) during the welding. The strain, strain rate, Z- Parameter for all the shoulders at four distinct locations were evaluated. The temperature increases with increase in shoulder diameter and the maximum temperature was recorded for 24mm shoulder diameter. The computed log Z values are compared with the available process map and results shows that the values are in stable flow region and near to stir zone the values are in Dynamic recrystallization region (DRX). The axial load (Fz) and total tool torque (N-m) are found to be higher for shoulder diameter of 21 mm i.e., 6.3 kN and 56.5 N-m respectively.

Pretreatment maximum standardized uptake value of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography as a predictor of distant metastasis in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck.

PubMed

Kim, Donghyun; Kim, Wontaek; Lee, Joohye; Ki, Yongkan; Lee, Byungjoo; Cho, Kyusup; Kim, Seongjang; Nam, Jiho; Lee, Jinchoon; Kim, Dongwon

2016-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the primary tumor on pretreatment (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) has prognostic significance in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and neck. A retrospective review was carried out on 34 patients with ACC of the head and neck who underwent pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET imaging from June 2005 through July 2009. All patients underwent surgery with curative intent, and 26 of them received adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). When subjects were stratified into 2 groups according to a cutoff value for SUVmax of 4.15, the risk of distant metastasis was significantly high in patients with high SUVmax (p = .014). Multivariate analysis showed that high SUVmax and histologic grade 3 were independent poor prognostic factors for distant metastasis-free and disease-free survival. Pretreatment SUVmax of the primary tumor is an independent prognostic factor in patients with ACC of the head and neck. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hole pairing and thermodynamic properties of the two dimensional frustrated t-J model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, K.; Pal, P.; Nath, S.; Ghosh, N. K.

2018-04-01

The frustrated t-J model is investigated by using the exact-diagonalization (ED) method on an 8-site cluster. The effect on next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) exchange interaction J' (frustration) on the hole pairing and the thermodynamic properties of the system is considered. Two holes initially remain unbound at smaller value of J'/t, but tend to bind at larger value. The maximum possibility of pair formation has been observed to be at NNN sites. Entropy calculation shows that the system goes to more disordered state with J'. The specific heat curves show a single peak structure. A decrease in effective exchange energy is observed due to the frustration.

Extreme-value statistics of work done in stretching a polymer in a gradient flow.

PubMed

Vucelja, M; Turitsyn, K S; Chertkov, M

2015-02-01

We analyze the statistics of work generated by a gradient flow to stretch a nonlinear polymer. We obtain the large deviation function (LDF) of the work in the full range of appropriate parameters by combining analytical and numerical tools. The LDF shows two distinct asymptotes: "near tails" are linear in work and dominated by coiled polymer configurations, while "far tails" are quadratic in work and correspond to preferentially fully stretched polymers. We find the extreme value statistics of work for several singular elastic potentials, as well as the mean and the dispersion of work near the coil-stretch transition. The dispersion shows a maximum at the transition.

The effect of chemical vapor deposition temperature on the performance of binder-free sewage sludge-derived anodes in microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Feng, Huajun; Jia, Yufeng; Shen, Dongsheng; Zhou, Yuyang; Chen, Ting; Chen, Wei; Ge, Zhipeng; Zheng, Shuting; Wang, Meizhen

2018-04-13

Conversion of sewage sludge (SS) into value-added material has garnered increasing attention due to its potential applications. In this study, we propose a new application of the sewage sludge-derived carbon (SSC) as an electrode without binder in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). SS was firstly converted into SSC monoliths by methane chemical vapor method at different temperature (600, 800, 1000 or 1200°C). Scanning electron microscopy images showed that carbon micro-wires were present on the surfaces of the samples prepared at 1000 and 1200°C. The results showed that it was beneficial for converting sludge into a highly conductive electrode and increasing carbon content of the electrode at higher temperatures, thereby improving the current generation. The conductivity results show that a higher temperature favors the conversion of sludge into a highly conductive electrode. The MFC using an SSC anode processed at 1200°C generated the maximum power density of 2228mWm -2 and the maximum current density of 14.2Am -2 . This value was 5 times greater than that generated by an MFC equipped with a graphite anode. These results present a promising means of converting SS into electrode materials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cytotoxic potential of few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay on HepG2 cells.

PubMed

Garg, Munish; Lata, Kusum; Satija, Saurabh

2016-01-01

To investigate in vitro anticancer activity of a few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against HepG2 cells. Hydroalcoholic extracts were prepared of five fruit peels, i.e., banana, lemon, guava, orange, and papaya by maceration and thereafter subjected for MTT assay to evaluate anticancer potential on HepG2 cells. Plant extract showed best activity was further fractionated with petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate successively and screened again. Phytochemical analysis was then carried out to find out responsible components for the observed activity. Out of the 40 samples from five fruit peel extracts with rich folklore usage, papaya extract showed maximum activity with least inhibitory concentration50 (IC50) value of 18.5 μg/ml. Further analysis after fractionation of the papaya peel extract, aqueous fraction showed the maximum inhibitory activity with least IC50 value of 17.3 μg/ml. Phytochemical analysis of the aqueous fraction of papaya peel extract revealed the presence of flavonoids and glycosides. Total flavonoid content found to be 72.25 mg/g. Papaya fruit extract demonstrated the best activity against MTT assay which may be due to the presence of flavonoids.

Subgrouping Automata: automatic sequence subgrouping using phylogenetic tree-based optimum subgrouping algorithm.

PubMed

Seo, Joo-Hyun; Park, Jihyang; Kim, Eun-Mi; Kim, Juhan; Joo, Keehyoung; Lee, Jooyoung; Kim, Byung-Gee

2014-02-01

Sequence subgrouping for a given sequence set can enable various informative tasks such as the functional discrimination of sequence subsets and the functional inference of unknown sequences. Because an identity threshold for sequence subgrouping may vary according to the given sequence set, it is highly desirable to construct a robust subgrouping algorithm which automatically identifies an optimal identity threshold and generates subgroups for a given sequence set. To meet this end, an automatic sequence subgrouping method, named 'Subgrouping Automata' was constructed. Firstly, tree analysis module analyzes the structure of tree and calculates the all possible subgroups in each node. Sequence similarity analysis module calculates average sequence similarity for all subgroups in each node. Representative sequence generation module finds a representative sequence using profile analysis and self-scoring for each subgroup. For all nodes, average sequence similarities are calculated and 'Subgrouping Automata' searches a node showing statistically maximum sequence similarity increase using Student's t-value. A node showing the maximum t-value, which gives the most significant differences in average sequence similarity between two adjacent nodes, is determined as an optimum subgrouping node in the phylogenetic tree. Further analysis showed that the optimum subgrouping node from SA prevents under-subgrouping and over-subgrouping. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Separation Process of Fine Coals by Ultrasonic Vibration Gas-Solid Fluidized Bed

PubMed Central

Wei, Hua; Xie, Weining

2017-01-01

Ultrasonic vibration gas-solid fluidized bed was proposed and introduced to separate fine coals (0.5–0.125 mm fraction). Several technological methods such as XRF, XRD, XPS, and EPMA were used to study the composition of heavy products to evaluate the separation effect. Results show that the ultrasonic vibration force field strengthens the particle separation process based on density when the vibration frequency is 35 kHz and the fluidization number is 1.8. The ash difference between the light and heavy products and the recovery of combustible material obtain the maximum values of 47.30% and 89.59%, respectively. The sulfur content of the heavy product reaches the maximum value of 6.78%. Chemical state analysis of sulfur shows that organic sulfur (-C-S-), sulfate-sulfur (-SO4), and pyrite-sulfur (-S2) are confirmed in the original coal and heavy product. Organic sulfur (-C-S-) is mainly concentrated in the light product, and pyrite-sulfur (-S2) is significantly enriched in the heavy product. The element composition, phase composition, backscatter imagery, and surface distribution of elements for heavy product show concentration of high-density minerals including pyrite, quartz, and kaolinite. Some harmful elements such as F, Pb, and As are also concentrated in the heavy product. PMID:28845160

Quantifying Surface Water, Porewater, and Groundwater Interactions Using Tracers: Tracer Fluxes, Water Fluxes, and End-member Concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Peter G.; Rodellas, Valentí; Stieglitz, Thomas C.

2018-03-01

Tracer approaches to estimate both porewater exchange (the cycling of water between surface water and sediments, with zero net water flux) and groundwater inflow (the net flow of terrestrially derived groundwater into surface water) are commonly based on solute mass balances. However, this requires appropriate characterization of tracer end-member concentrations in exchanging or discharging water. Where either porewater exchange or groundwater inflow to surface water occur in isolation, then the water flux is easily estimated from the net tracer flux if the end-member is appropriately chosen. However, in most natural systems porewater exchange and groundwater inflow will occur concurrently. Our analysis shows that if groundwater inflow (Qg) and porewater exchange (Qp) mix completely before discharging to surface water, then the combined water flux (Qg + Qp) can be approximated by dividing the combined tracer flux by the difference between the porewater and surface water concentrations, (cp - c). If Qg and Qp do not mix prior to discharge, then (Qg + Qp) can only be constrained by minimum and maximum values. The minimum value is obtained by dividing the net tracer flux by the groundwater concentration, and the maximum is obtained by dividing by (cp - c). Dividing by the groundwater concentration gives a maximum value for Qg. If porewater exchange and groundwater outflow occur concurrently, then dividing the net tracer flux by (cp - c) will provide a minimum value for Qp. Use of multiple tracers, and spatial and temporal replication should provide a more complete picture of exchange processes and the extent of subsurface mixing.

The application of a Grey Markov Model to forecasting annual maximum water levels at hydrological stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Sheng; Chi, Kun; Zhang, Qiyi; Zhang, Xiangdong

2012-03-01

Compared with traditional real-time forecasting, this paper proposes a Grey Markov Model (GMM) to forecast the maximum water levels at hydrological stations in the estuary area. The GMM combines the Grey System and Markov theory into a higher precision model. The GMM takes advantage of the Grey System to predict the trend values and uses the Markov theory to forecast fluctuation values, and thus gives forecast results involving two aspects of information. The procedure for forecasting annul maximum water levels with the GMM contains five main steps: 1) establish the GM (1, 1) model based on the data series; 2) estimate the trend values; 3) establish a Markov Model based on relative error series; 4) modify the relative errors caused in step 2, and then obtain the relative errors of the second order estimation; 5) compare the results with measured data and estimate the accuracy. The historical water level records (from 1960 to 1992) at Yuqiao Hydrological Station in the estuary area of the Haihe River near Tianjin, China are utilized to calibrate and verify the proposed model according to the above steps. Every 25 years' data are regarded as a hydro-sequence. Eight groups of simulated results show reasonable agreement between the predicted values and the measured data. The GMM is also applied to the 10 other hydrological stations in the same estuary. The forecast results for all of the hydrological stations are good or acceptable. The feasibility and effectiveness of this new forecasting model have been proved in this paper.

Evaluation of dynamically downscaled extreme temperature using a spatially-aggregated generalized extreme value (GEV) model

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

Wang, Jiali; Han, Yuefeng; Stein, Michael L.

2016-02-10

The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model downscaling skill in extreme maximum daily temperature is evaluated by using the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. While the GEV distribution has been used extensively in climatology and meteorology for estimating probabilities of extreme events, accurately estimating GEV parameters based on data from a single pixel can be difficult, even with fairly long data records. This work proposes a simple method assuming that the shape parameter, the most difficult of the three parameters to estimate, does not vary over a relatively large region. This approach is applied to evaluate 31-year WRF-downscaled extreme maximummore » temperature through comparison with North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data. Uncertainty in GEV parameter estimates and the statistical significance in the differences of estimates between WRF and NARR are accounted for by conducting bootstrap resampling. Despite certain biases over parts of the United States, overall, WRF shows good agreement with NARR in the spatial pattern and magnitudes of GEV parameter estimates. Both WRF and NARR show a significant increase in extreme maximum temperature over the southern Great Plains and southeastern United States in January and over the western United States in July. The GEV model shows clear benefits from the regionally constant shape parameter assumption, for example, leading to estimates of the location and scale parameters of the model that show coherent spatial patterns.« less

Role of resolution in regional climate change projections over China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Ying; Wang, Guiling; Gao, Xuejie

2017-11-01

This paper investigates the sensitivity of projected future climate changes over China to the horizontal resolution of a regional climate model RegCM4.4 (RegCM), using RCP8.5 as an example. Model validation shows that RegCM performs better in reproducing the spatial distribution and magnitude of present-day temperature, precipitation and climate extremes than the driving global climate model HadGEM2-ES (HadGEM, at 1.875° × 1.25° degree resolution), but little difference is found between the simulations at 50 and 25 km resolutions. Comparison with observational data at different resolutions confirmed the added value of the RCM and finer model resolutions in better capturing the probability distribution of precipitation. However, HadGEM and RegCM at both resolutions project a similar pattern of significant future warming during both winter and summer, and a similar pattern of winter precipitation changes including dominant increase in most areas of northern China and little change or decrease in the southern part. Projected precipitation changes in summer diverge among the three models, especially over eastern China, with a general increase in HadGEM, little change in RegCM at 50 km, and a mix of increase and decrease in RegCM at 25 km resolution. Changes of temperature-related extremes (annual total number of daily maximum temperature > 25 °C, the maximum value of daily maximum temperature, the minimum value of daily minimum temperature in the three simulations especially in the two RegCM simulations are very similar to each other; so are the precipitation-related extremes (maximum consecutive dry days, maximum consecutive 5-day precipitation and extremely wet days' total amount). Overall, results from this study indicate a very low sensitivity of projected changes in this region to model resolution. While fine resolution is critical for capturing the spatial variability of the control climate, it may not be as important for capturing the climate response to homogeneous forcing (in this case greenhouse gas concentration changes).

Maximum value of the pulse energy of a passively Q-switched laser as a function of the pump power.

PubMed

Li, Jianlang; Ueda, Ken-ichi; Dong, Jun; Musha, Mitsuru; Shirakawa, Akira

2006-07-20

The finite recovery time Ts of the bleached absorber is presented as one of the possible mechanisms accounting for the increase-maximum-decrease in pulse energy E with the pumping rate Wp in cw-pumped passively Q-switched solid-state lasers, by analytically evaluating the sign of the derivative partial differentialE/ partial differentialWP. The results show that, in the low pump regime (T>Ts, T is the interpulse period), the initial population density ni remains constant, the final population density nf decreases with Wp, and this results in a monotonic increase of E with Wp. In the high pump regime (T

Classification of change detection and change blindness from near-infrared spectroscopy signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Hirokazu; Katura, Takusige

2011-08-01

Using a machine-learning classification algorithm applied to near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) signals, we classify a success (change detection) or a failure (change blindness) in detecting visual changes for a change-detection task. Five subjects perform a change-detection task, and their brain activities are continuously monitored. A support-vector-machine algorithm is applied to classify the change-detection and change-blindness trials, and correct classification probability of 70-90% is obtained for four subjects. Two types of temporal shapes in classification probabilities are found: one exhibiting a maximum value after the task is completed (postdictive type), and another exhibiting a maximum value during the task (predictive type). As for the postdictive type, the classification probability begins to increase immediately after the task completion and reaches its maximum in about the time scale of neuronal hemodynamic response, reflecting a subjective report of change detection. As for the predictive type, the classification probability shows an increase at the task initiation and is maximal while subjects are performing the task, predicting the task performance in detecting a change. We conclude that decoding change detection and change blindness from NIRS signal is possible and argue some future applications toward brain-machine interfaces.

Estimating distribution parameters of annual maximum streamflows in Johor, Malaysia using TL-moments approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat Jan, Nur Amalina; Shabri, Ani

2017-01-01

TL-moments approach has been used in an analysis to identify the best-fitting distributions to represent the annual series of maximum streamflow data over seven stations in Johor, Malaysia. The TL-moments with different trimming values are used to estimate the parameter of the selected distributions namely: Three-parameter lognormal (LN3) and Pearson Type III (P3) distribution. The main objective of this study is to derive the TL-moments ( t 1,0), t 1 = 1,2,3,4 methods for LN3 and P3 distributions. The performance of TL-moments ( t 1,0), t 1 = 1,2,3,4 was compared with L-moments through Monte Carlo simulation and streamflow data over a station in Johor, Malaysia. The absolute error is used to test the influence of TL-moments methods on estimated probability distribution functions. From the cases in this study, the results show that TL-moments with four trimmed smallest values from the conceptual sample (TL-moments [4, 0]) of LN3 distribution was the most appropriate in most of the stations of the annual maximum streamflow series in Johor, Malaysia.

Modeling an exhumed basin: A method for estimating eroded overburden

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poelchau, H.S.

2001-01-01

The Alberta Deep Basin in western Canada has undergone a large amount of erosion following deep burial in the Eocene. Basin modeling and simulation of burial and temperature history require estimates of maximum overburden for each gridpoint in the basin model. Erosion can be estimated using shale compaction trends. For instance, the widely used Magara method attempts to establish a sonic log gradient for shales and uses the extrapolation to a theoretical uncompacted shale value as a first indication of overcompaction and estimation of the amount of erosion. Because such gradients are difficult to establish in many wells, an extension of this method was devised to help map erosion over a large area. Sonic A; values of one suitable shale formation are calibrated with maximum depth of burial estimates from sonic log extrapolation for several wells. This resulting regression equation then can be used to estimate and map maximum depth of burial or amount of erosion for all wells in which this formation has been logged. The example from the Alberta Deep Basin shows that the magnitude of erosion calculated by this method is conservative and comparable to independent estimates using vitrinite reflectance gradient methods. ?? 2001 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

Bolus-dependent dosimetric effect of positioning errors for tangential scalp radiotherapy with helical tomotherapy

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

Lobb, Eric, E-mail: eclobb2@gmail.com

2014-04-01

The dosimetric effect of errors in patient position is studied on-phantom as a function of simulated bolus thickness to assess the need for bolus utilization in scalp radiotherapy with tomotherapy. A treatment plan is generated on a cylindrical phantom, mimicking a radiotherapy technique for the scalp utilizing primarily tangential beamlets. A planning target volume with embedded scalplike clinical target volumes (CTVs) is planned to a uniform dose of 200 cGy. Translational errors in phantom position are introduced in 1-mm increments and dose is recomputed from the original sinogram. For each error the maximum dose, minimum dose, clinical target dose homogeneitymore » index (HI), and dose-volume histogram (DVH) are presented for simulated bolus thicknesses from 0 to 10 mm. Baseline HI values for all bolus thicknesses were in the 5.5 to 7.0 range, increasing to a maximum of 18.0 to 30.5 for the largest positioning errors when 0 to 2 mm of bolus is used. Utilizing 5 mm of bolus resulted in a maximum HI value of 9.5 for the largest positioning errors. Using 0 to 2 mm of bolus resulted in minimum and maximum dose values of 85% to 94% and 118% to 125% of the prescription dose, respectively. When using 5 mm of bolus these values were 98.5% and 109.5%. DVHs showed minimal changes in CTV dose coverage when using 5 mm of bolus, even for the largest positioning errors. CTV dose homogeneity becomes increasingly sensitive to errors in patient position as bolus thickness decreases when treating the scalp with primarily tangential beamlets. Performing a radial expansion of the scalp CTV into 5 mm of bolus material minimizes dosimetric sensitivity to errors in patient position as large as 5 mm and is therefore recommended.« less

[Foliar water use efficiency of Platycladus orientalis sapling under different soil water contents].

PubMed

Zhang, Yong E; Yu, Xin Xiao; Chen, Li Hua; Jia, Guo Dong; Zhao, Na; Li, Han Zhi; Chang, Xiao Min

2017-07-18

The determination of plant foliar water use efficiency will be of great value to improve our understanding about mechanism of plant water consumption and provide important basis of regional forest ecosystem management and maintenance, thus, laboratory controlled experiments were carried out to obtain Platycladus orientalis sapling foliar water use efficiency under five different soil water contents, including instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE gs ) derived from gas exchange and short-term water use efficiency (WUE cp ) caculated using carbon isotope model. The results showed that, controlled by stomatal conductance (g s ), foliar net photosynthesis rate (P n ) and transpiration rate (T r ) increased as soil water content increased, which both reached maximum va-lues at soil water content of 70%-80% field capacity (FC), while WUE gs reached a maximum of 7.26 mmol·m -2 ·s -1 at the lowest soil water content (35%-45% FC). Both δ 13 C of water-soluble leaf and twig phloem material achieved maximum values at the lowest soil water content (35%-45% FC). Besides, δ 13 C values of leaf water-soluble compounds were significantly greater than that of phloem exudates, indicating that there was depletion in 13 C in twig phloem compared with leaf water-soluble compounds and no obvious fractionation in the process of water-soluble material transportation from leaf to twig. Foliar WUE cp also reached a maximum of 7.26 mmol·m -2 ·s -1 at the lowest soil water content (35%-45% FC). There was some difference between foliar WUE gs and WUE cp under the same condition, and the average difference was 0.52 mmol·m -2 ·s -1 . The WUE gs had great space-time variability, by contrast, WUE cp was more representative. It was concluded that P. orientalis sapling adapted to drought condition by increasing water use efficiency and decreasing physiological activity.

Improved design of support for large aperture space lightweight mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chao; Ruan, Ping; Liu, Qimin

2013-08-01

In order to design a kind of rational large aperture space mirror which can adapt to the space gravity and thermal environment, by taking the choice of material, the lightweight of the mirror and the design of support into account in detail, a double-deck structure with traditional flexible hinge was designed, then the analytical mathematical model of the mirror system was established. The design adopts six supports on back. in order to avoid the constraints, mirror is connected to three middle transition pieces through six flexible hinges, and then the three transition pieces are connected to support plate through another three flexible hinges. However, the initial structure is unable to reach the expected design target and needs to be made further adjustments. By improving and optimizing the original structure, a new type of flexible hinge in the shape of the letter A is designed finally. Compared with the traditional flexible hinge structure, the new structure is simpler and has less influence on the surface figure accuracy of mirror. By using the finite element analysis method, the static and dynamic characteristics as well as the thermal characteristics of the mirror system are analyzed. Analysis results show that the maximum PV value is 37 nm and the maximum RMS value is 10.4 nm when gravity load is applied. Furthermore, the maximum PV value is 46 nm and the maximum RMS value is 10.5 nm under the load case of gravity coupled with 4℃ uniform temperature rise. The results satisfy the index of optical design. The first order natural frequency of the mirror component is 130 Hz according to the conclusion obtained by modal analytical solution, so the mirror structure has high enough fundamental frequency. And, the structural strength can meet the demand under the overload and the random vibration environment respectively. It indicates that the mirror component structure has enough dynamic, static stiffness and thermal stability, meeting the design requirements.

Anaerobic biodegradability and treatment of grey water in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor.

PubMed

Elmitwalli, Tarek A; Otterpohl, Ralf

2007-03-01

Feasibility of grey water treatment in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor operated at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 16, 10 and 6h and controlled temperature of 30 degrees C was investigated. Moreover, the maximum anaerobic biodegradability without inoculum addition and maximum removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractions in grey water were determined in batch experiments. High values of maximum anaerobic biodegradability (76%) and maximum COD removal in the UASB reactor (84%) were achieved. The results showed that the colloidal COD had the highest maximum anaerobic biodegradability (86%) and the suspended and dissolved COD had similar maximum anaerobic biodegradability of 70%. Furthermore, the results of the UASB reactor demonstrated that a total COD removal of 52-64% was obtained at HRT between 6 and 16 h. The UASB reactor removed 22-30% and 15-21% of total nitrogen and total phosphorous in the grey water, respectively, mainly due to the removal of particulate nutrients. The characteristics of the sludge in the UASB reactor confirmed that the reactor had a stable performance. The minimum sludge residence time and the maximum specific methanogenic activity of the sludge ranged between 27 and 93 days and 0.18 and 0.28 kg COD/(kg VS d).

Minimizing the Maximum Expected Sample Size in Two-Stage Phase II Clinical Trials with Continuous Outcomes

PubMed Central

Wason, James M. S.; Mander, Adrian P.

2012-01-01

Two-stage designs are commonly used for Phase II trials. Optimal two-stage designs have the lowest expected sample size for a specific treatment effect, for example, the null value, but can perform poorly if the true treatment effect differs. Here we introduce a design for continuous treatment responses that minimizes the maximum expected sample size across all possible treatment effects. The proposed design performs well for a wider range of treatment effects and so is useful for Phase II trials. We compare the design to a previously used optimal design and show it has superior expected sample size properties. PMID:22651118

30 CFR 75.601-3 - Short circuit protection; dual element fuses; current ratings; maximum values.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Trailing Cables § 75.601-3 Short circuit protection; dual element fuses; current ratings; maximum values... circuit protection of trailing cables as provided in § 75.601, however, the current ratings of such...

Enhanced oil recovery using flash-driven steamflooding

DOEpatents

Roark, Steven D.

1990-01-01

The present invention is directed to a novel steamflooding process which utilizes three specific stages of steam injection for enhanced oil recovery. The three stages are as follows: As steam is being injected into an oil-bearing reservoir through an injection well, the production rate of a production well located at a distance from the injection well is gradually restricted to a point that the pressure in the reservoir increases at a predetermined rate to a predetermined maximum value. After the maximum pressure has been reached, the production rate is increased to a value such that the predetermined maximum pressure value is maintained. Production at maximum pressure is continued for a length of time that will be unique for each individual reservoir. In some cases, this step of the steamflooding process of the invention may be omitted entirely. In the third stage of the steamflooding process of the invention, production rates at the producing well are increased gradually to allow the pressure to decrease down from the maximum pressure value to the original pressure value at the producing well. The rate of pressure reduction will be unique for each reservoir. After completing stage three, the three stages can be repeated or the steamflood may be terminated as considered desirable.

Kinematic Modeling of Normal Voluntary Mandibular Opening and Closing Velocity-Initial Study.

PubMed

Gawriołek, Krzysztof; Gawriołek, Maria; Komosa, Marek; Piotrowski, Paweł R; Azer, Shereen S

2015-06-01

Determination and quantification of voluntary mandibular velocity movement has not been a thoroughly studied parameter of masticatory movement. This study attempted to objectively define kinematics of mandibular movement based on numerical (digital) analysis of the relations and interactions of velocity diagram records in healthy female individuals. Using a computerized mandibular scanner (K7 Evaluation Software), 72 diagrams of voluntary mandibular velocity movements (36 for opening, 36 for closing) for women with clinically normal motor and functional activities of the masticatory system were recorded. Multiple measurements were analyzed focusing on the curve for maximum velocity records. For each movement, the loop of temporary velocities was determined. The diagram was then entered into AutoCad calculation software where movement analysis was performed. The real maximum velocity values on opening (Vmax ), closing (V0 ), and average velocity values (Vav ) as well as movement accelerations (a) were recorded. Additionally, functional (A1-A2) and geometric (P1-P4) analysis of loop constituent phases were performed, and the relations between the obtained areas were defined. Velocity means and correlation coefficient values for various velocity phases were calculated. The Wilcoxon test produced the following maximum and average velocity results: Vmax = 394 ± 102, Vav = 222 ± 61 for opening, and Vmax = 409 ± 94, Vav = 225 ± 55 mm/s for closing. Both mandibular movement range and velocity change showed significant variability achieving the highest velocity in P2 phase. Voluntary mandibular velocity presents significant variations between healthy individuals. Maximum velocity is obtained when incisal separation is between 12.8 and 13.5 mm. An improved understanding of the patterns of normal mandibular movements may provide an invaluable diagnostic aid to pathological changes within the masticatory system. © 2014 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Effect of occlusal splint therapy on maximum bite force in individuals with moderate to severe attrition of teeth.

PubMed

Jain, Veena; Mathur, Vijay Prakash; Abhishek, Kumar; Kothari, Mohit

2012-10-01

The purpose of the pilot study was to determine the effect of restoring lost occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) due to attrition on maximum bite force in humans. A total of 124 subjects in age range of 25-40 years, with moderate to severe attrition, having full complement of teeth were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. After consent, occlusal vertical dimension was assessed by employing mechanical and physiological methods in the experimental group and a maxillary canine guided hard splint was fabricated for each subjects fulfilling inclusion criteria and with positive consent (78). Bite force in experimental group was measured before, immediately after delivery of splint and subsequently at an interval of four, eight, and twelve weeks. Due loss during follow up, only 50 subjects could be available for bite force recording till 12 weeks. Bite force of age, gender, height and weight matched controls with no signs of attrition was also measured for comparison. Bite force of the experimental group was found to be significantly less than the matched controls (P=0.000) initially. After delivery of splint, bite force values increased progressively till twelve weeks. However comparison of bite force values of experimental group with control group showed no significant difference at end of eight (P=0.008) and twelve weeks (P=0.162). It was concluded that maximum bite force increases with restoration of lost vertical using splint therapy. A time period of 8-12 weeks is required to restore the maximum bite force value approximately similar to matched controls. Copyright © 2012 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anomalous Capacitance Maximum of the Glassy Carbon-Ionic Liquid Interface through Dilution with Organic Solvents.

PubMed

Bozym, David J; Uralcan, Betül; Limmer, David T; Pope, Michael A; Szamreta, Nicholas J; Debenedetti, Pablo G; Aksay, Ilhan A

2015-07-02

We use electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to measure the effect of diluting a hydrophobic room temperature ionic liquid with miscible organic solvents on the differential capacitance of the glassy carbon-electrolyte interface. We show that the minimum differential capacitance increases with dilution and reaches a maximum value at ionic liquid contents near 5-10 mol% (i.e., ∼1 M). We provide evidence that mixtures with 1,2-dichloroethane, a low-dielectric constant solvent, yield the largest gains in capacitance near the open circuit potential when compared against two traditional solvents, acetonitrile and propylene carbonate. To provide a fundamental basis for these observations, we use a coarse-grained model to relate structural variations at the double layer to the occurrence of the maximum. Our results reveal the potential for the enhancement of double-layer capacitance through dilution.

Effect of current on the maximum possible reward.

PubMed

Gallistel, C R; Leon, M; Waraczynski, M; Hanau, M S

1991-12-01

Using a 2-lever choice paradigm with concurrent variable interval schedules of reward, it was found that when pulse frequency is increased, the preference-determining rewarding effect of 0.5-s trains of brief cathodal pulses delivered to the medial forebrain bundle of the rat saturates (stops increasing) at values ranging from 200 to 631 pulses/s (pps). Raising the current lowered the saturation frequency, which confirms earlier, more extensive findings showing that the rewarding effect of short trains saturates at pulse frequencies that vary from less than 100 pps to more than 800 pps, depending on the current. It was also found that the maximum possible reward--the magnitude of the reward at or beyond the saturation pulse frequency--increases with increasing current. Thus, increasing the current reduces the saturation frequency but increases the subjective magnitude of the maximum possible reward.

Analysis of ionospheric irregularities during total solar eclipse 2016 based on GNSS observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husin, A.; Jiyo; Anggarani, S.; Ekawati, S.; Dear, V.

2016-11-01

A total solar eclipse occurred over Indonesia in the morning hours on 9 March 2016. Ionisations in the ionosphere which is associated with the solar radiation during the total eclipse provided a good opportunity to study the ionospheric irregularities. Using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data taken from dual-frequency receivers in Manado, we investigated and analysed the total electron content (TEC) perturbations with a time resolution of 60 s to reveal ionospheric irregularities during total eclipse. Result showed that TEC conditions based on IPP were decreased during solar eclipse on March 9, comparing with the neighbour day. The maximum percentage deviation (DTEC) from the average value during eclipse period, 00:00 - 02:40 UT reach -41.5%. The duration of maximum decrement in TEC occurs were around 2-30 minutes after the maximum obscuration.

A Study of Airplane Maneuvers with Special Reference to Angular Velocities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reid, J E

1923-01-01

This investigation was undertaken by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics for the purpose of increasing our knowledge on the behavior of the airplane during various maneuvers and to obtain values of the maximum angular velocities and accelerations in flight. The method consisted in flying a JN4H airplane through various maneuvers while records were being taken of the control position, the air speed, the angular velocity and the acceleration along the Z axis. The results showed that the maximum angular velocity about the X axis of radians per second in a barrel roll. The maximum angular acceleration about the X axis of -2.10 radians per (second) to the 2nd power occurred in a spin, while the maximum about the Y axis was 1.40 radians per (second) to the 2nd power when pulling suddenly out of a dive. These results have direct application to the design of airplane parts, such as propeller shaft and instruments.

Application of laser in seam welding of dissimilar steel to aluminium joints for thick structural components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meco, S.; Pardal, G.; Ganguly, S.; Williams, S.; McPherson, N.

2015-04-01

Laser welding-brazing technique, using a continuous wave (CW) fibre laser with 8000 W of maximum power, was applied in conduction mode to join 2 mm thick steel (XF350) to 6 mm thick aluminium (AA5083-H22), in a lap joint configuration with steel on the top. The steel surface was irradiated by the laser and the heat was conducted through the steel plate to the steel-aluminium interface, where the aluminium melts and wets the steel surface. The welded samples were defect free and the weld micrographs revealed presence of a brittle intermetallic compounds (IMC) layer resulting from reaction of Fe and Al atoms. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis indicated the stoichiometry of the IMC as Fe2Al5 and FeAl3, the former with maximum microhardness measured of 1145 HV 0.025/10. The IMC layer thickness varied between 4 to 21 μm depending upon the laser processing parameters. The IMC layer showed an exponential growth pattern with the applied specific point energy (Esp) at a constant power density (PD). Higher PD values accelerate the IMC layer growth. The mechanical shear strength showed a narrow band of variation in all the samples (with the maximum value registered at 31.3 kN), with a marginal increase in the applied Esp. This could be explained by the fact that increasing the Esp results into an increase in the wetting and thereby the bonded area in the steel-aluminium interface.

Magnetic and mineralogical properties of salt rocks from the Zechstein of the Northern German Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinrich, Frances C.; Schmidt, Volkmar; Schramm, Michael; Mertineit, Michael

2017-03-01

Magnetic properties of rocks are often studied to characterize composition and fabric of rocks. For salt rocks, the basic relationships between their magnetic properties and composition, which are necessary to interpret rock magnetic data, are not yet established. Therefore, we studied different types of natural salt rock and pure salt minerals. We measured their magnetic properties (magnetic susceptibility, isothermal remanent magnetization acquisition curves, first-order reversal curve diagrams and temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility) and used analytical methods such as microscopy, X-ray diffraction and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy to understand the relationship between magnetic properties and mineralogy. Salt rocks mainly consist of the diamagnetic minerals halite, carnallite, sylvine and anhydrite with negative magnetic susceptibilities. The magnetic susceptibilities of pure synthetic NaCl and KCl single crystals, show values of -14.5 × 10-6 and -13.5 × 10-6 SI, respectively. In contrast, in natural salt rocks higher magnetic susceptibility values were measured. The magnetic susceptibility of the samples investigated in this study shows a general increase from light rock salt (maximum -10 × 10-6 SI) over carnallitite (maximum 134 × 10-6 SI) to red sylvinite (maximum 270 × 10-6 SI). Whole rock analyses suggest that increased magnetic susceptibility can be attributed to paramagnetic and ferromagnetic minerals that are contained within the insoluble residue. The magnetic susceptibility is mainly controlled by magnetite and phyllosilicates. Its measurement can therefore be used to detect subtle changes in the content of these minerals.

Elasticity of α-Cristobalite: A Silicon Dioxide with a Negative Poisson's Ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeganeh-Haeri, Amir; Weidner, Donald J.; Parise, John B.

1992-07-01

Laser Brillouin spectroscopy was used to determine the adiabatic single-crystal elastic stiffness coefficients of silicon dioxide (SiO_2) in the α-cristobalite structure. This SiO_2 polymorph, unlike other silicas and silicates, exhibits a negative Poisson's ratio; α-cristobalite contracts laterally when compressed and expands laterally when stretched. Tensorial analysis of the elastic coefficients shows that Poisson's ratio reaches a maximum value of -0.5 in some directions, whereas averaged values for the single-phased aggregate yield a Poisson's ratio of -0.16.

Linear and nonlinear genetic relationships between type traits and productive life in US dairy goats.

PubMed

Castañeda-Bustos, V J; Montaldo, H H; Valencia-Posadas, M; Shepard, L; Pérez-Elizalde, S; Hernández-Mendo, O; Torres-Hernández, G

2017-02-01

Linear or nonlinear genetic relationships between productive life and functional productive life at 72 mo, with final score (SCO), stature, strength, dairyness (DAI), teat diameter, rear legs (side view), rump angle, rump width (RUW), fore udder attachment (FUA), rear udder height, rear udder arch, udder depth (UDD), suspensory ligament (SUS), and teat placement, as well as heritabilities and correlations were estimated from multibreed US dairy goat records. Productive life was defined as the total days in production until 72 mo of age (PL72) for goats having the opportunity to express the trait. Functional productive life (FPL72) was analyzed by incorporating first lactation milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, and SCO in the statistical model. Heritabilities and correlations were estimated using linear mixed models with pedigree additive genetic relationships and ASReml software. Nonlinearity of genetic relationships was assessed based on second-degree polynomial (quadratic) regression models, with the breeding values of PL72 or FPL72 as responses and the breeding values for each type trait (linear and quadratic) as predictor variables. Heritability estimates were 0.19, 0.14, 0.18, 0.20, 0.14, 0.07, 0.28, 0.20, 0.15, 0.13, 0.25, 0.18, 0.20, 0.21, 0.21, and 0.32 for PL72, FPL72, SCO, stature, strength, DAI, teat diameter, rear legs, rump angle, RUW, FUA, rear udder height, rear udder arch, UDD, SUS, and teat placement, respectively. The type traits SCO, RUW, and FUA were the most correlated with PL72 and FPL72, so these may be used as selection criteria to increase longevity in dairy goats. An increase in the coefficient of determination >1% for the second degree, compared with that for the linear model for either PL72 or FPL72, was taken as evidence of a nonlinear genetic relationship. Using this criterion, PL72 showed maximum values at intermediate scores in DAI, UDD, and RUW, and maximum values at extreme scores in FUA and SUS, whereas FPL72 showed maximum values at intermediate scores in DAI and UDD, and maximum values at extreme scores in FUA, RUW, and SUS. Selecting for increased SCO, RUW, and FUA will lead to an increase of FPL72 in goats. Consideration of nonlinear relationships between DAI, FUA, RUW, SUS, and UDD may help in the design of more efficient breeding programs for dairy goats using conformation traits. The Authors. Published by the Federation of Animal Science Societies and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Comparison of Oogenesis and Sex Steroid Profiles between Twice and Once Annually Spawning of Rainbow Trout Females (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

PubMed Central

Estay, Francisco; Colihueque, Nelson; Araneda, Cristian

2012-01-01

This study compares the gonadosomatic index (GSI), oocyte growth (OG), gonadal histology, and plasma level concentrations of sex hormones (estradiol-17β (E2) and vitellogenin (V)) of twice-spawning (T-SP) and once-spawning (O-SP) females of rainbow trout throughout the additional and the normal reproductive cycle, respectively. In T-SP, the GSI values rapidly increase from May to November, in contrast to O-SP, which showed low and constant GSI values (1.19 to 14.5 and 1.19 to 0.63, resp.). T-SP exhibited a marked increase of OG in the same period, reaching a maximum diameter of 4,900 ± 141.42 μm, in contrast to O-SP, which presented a slow OG. The gonadal histology of T-SP agreed with the general pattern of ovogenesis observed for O-SP (vitellogenesis, ovulation, and recrudescence); however, this process was nonsynchronous between the two breeder groups. Plasma steroid levels showed significant variation during oogenesis, which agreed with the GSI, OG, and gonadal histology patterns. The level of E2 increased to a maximum value of 26.2 ng/mL and 36.0 ng/mL in O-SP and T-SP, respectively, one or two months before the spawning event where vitellogenesis was fully active. The V concentrations followed a pattern similar to those of E2. PMID:23213308

Heavy rain prediction using deterministic and probabilistic models - the flash flood cases of 11-13 October 2005 in Catalonia (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrera, A.; Altava-Ortiz, V.; Llasat, M. C.; Barnolas, M.

2007-09-01

Between the 11 and 13 October 2005 several flash floods were produced along the coast of Catalonia (NE Spain) due to a significant heavy rainfall event. Maximum rainfall achieved values up to 250 mm in 24 h. The total amount recorded during the event in some places was close to 350 mm. Barcelona city was also in the affected area where high rainfall intensities were registered, but just a few small floods occurred, thanks to the efficient urban drainage system of the city. Two forecasting methods have been applied in order to evaluate their capability of prediction regarding extreme events: the deterministic MM5 model and a probabilistic model based on the analogous method. The MM5 simulation allows analysing accurately the main meteorological features with a high spatial resolution (2 km), like the formation of some convergence lines over the region that partially explains the maximum precipitation location during the event. On the other hand, the analogous technique shows a good agreement among highest probability values and real affected areas, although a larger pluviometric rainfall database would be needed to improve the results. The comparison between the observed precipitation and from both QPF (quantitative precipitation forecast) methods shows that the analogous technique tends to underestimate the rainfall values and the MM5 simulation tends to overestimate them.

Shot noise and Fano factor in tunneling in three-band pseudospin-1 Dirac-Weyl systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Rui; Hui, Pak Ming

2017-06-01

Tunneling through a potential barrier of height V0 in a two-dimensional system with a band structure consisting of three bands with a flat band intersecting the touching apices of two Dirac cones is studied. Results of the transmission coefficient at various incident angles, conductivity, shot noise, and Fano factor in this pseudospin-1 Dirac-Weyl system are presented and contrasted with those in graphene which is typical of a pseudospin-1/2 system. The pseudospin-1 system is found to show a higher transmission and suppressed shot noise in general. Significant differences in the shot noise and Fano factor due to the super Klein tunneling effect that allows perfect transmission at all incident angles under certain conditions are illustrated. For Fermi energy EF =V0 / 2, super Klein tunneling leads to a noiseless conductivity that takes on the maximum value 2e2 DkF / (πh) for 0 ≤EF ≤V0. This gives rise to a minimum Fano factor, in sharp contrast with that of a local maximum in graphene. For EF =V0, the band structure of pseudospin-1 system no longer leads to a quantized value of the conductivity as in graphene. Both the conductivity and the shot noise show a minimum with the Fano factor approaching 1/4, which is different from the value of 1/3 in graphene.

Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of Curcumin Analogues Bearing a Heterocyclic Nucleus.

PubMed

Ahsan, Mohamed Jawed; Ahsan, Mohamed Jawed

2016-01-01

We report herein an in vitro anticancer evaluation of a series of seven curcumin analogues (3a-g). The National Cancer Institute (NCI US) Protocol was followed and all the compounds were evaluated for their anticancer activity on nine different panels (leukemia, non small cell lung cancer, colon cancer, CNS cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer) represented by 60 NCI human cancer cell lines. All the compounds showed significant anticancer activity in one dose assay (drug concentration 10 μM) and hence were evaluated further in five dose assays (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μM) and three dose related parameters GI50, TGI and LC50 were calculated for each (3a-g) in micro molar drug concentrations (μM). The compound 3d (NSC 757927) showed maximum mean percent growth inhibition (PGI) of 112.2%, while compound 3g (NSC 763374) showed less mean PGI of 40.1% in the one dose assay. The maximum anticancer activity was observed with the SR (leukemia) cell line with a GI50 of 0.03 μM. The calculated average sensitivity of all cell lines of a particular subpanel toward the test agent showed that all the curcumin analogues showed maximum activity on leukemia cell lines with GI50 values between 0.23 and 2.67 μM.

Production of biosolid fuels from municipal sewage sludge: Technical and economic optimisation.

PubMed

Wzorek, Małgorzata; Tańczuk, Mariusz

2015-08-01

The article presents the technical and economic analysis of the production of fuels from municipal sewage sludge. The analysis involved the production of two types of fuel compositions: sewage sludge with sawdust (PBT fuel) and sewage sludge with meat and bone meal (PBM fuel). The technology of the production line of these sewage fuels was proposed and analysed. The main objective of the study is to find the optimal production capacity. The optimisation analysis was performed for the adopted technical and economic parameters under Polish conditions. The objective function was set as a maximum of the net present value index and the optimisation procedure was carried out for the fuel production line input capacity from 0.5 to 3 t h(-1), using the search step 0.5 t h(-1). On the basis of technical and economic assumptions, economic efficiency indexes of the investment were determined for the case of optimal line productivity. The results of the optimisation analysis show that under appropriate conditions, such as prices of components and prices of produced fuels, the production of fuels from sewage sludge can be profitable. In the case of PBT fuel, calculated economic indexes show the best profitability for the capacity of a plant over 1.5 t h(-1) output, while production of PBM fuel is beneficial for a plant with the maximum of searched capacities: 3.0 t h(-1). Sensitivity analyses carried out during the investigation show that influence of both technical and economic assessments on the location of maximum of objective function (net present value) is significant. © The Author(s) 2015.

Unsteady Navier-Stokes computations over airfoils using both fixed and dynamic meshes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rumsey, Christopher L.; Anderson, W. Kyle

1989-01-01

A finite volume implicit approximate factorization method which solves the thin layer Navier-Stokes equations was used to predict unsteady turbulent flow airfoil behavior. At a constant angle of attack of 16 deg, the NACA 0012 airfoil exhibits an unsteady periodic flow field with the lift coefficient oscillating between 0.89 and 1.60. The Strouhal number is 0.028. Results are similar at 18 deg, with a Strouhal number of 0.033. A leading edge vortex is shed periodically near maximum lift. Dynamic mesh solutions for unstalled airfoil flows show general agreement with experimental pressure coefficients. However, moment coefficients and the maximum lift value are underpredicted. The deep stall case shows some agreement with experiment for increasing angle of attack, but is only qualitatively comparable past stall and for decreasing angle of attack.

Information flow in layered networks of non-monotonic units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schittler Neves, Fabio; Martim Schubert, Benno; Erichsen, Rubem, Jr.

2015-07-01

Layered neural networks are feedforward structures that yield robust parallel and distributed pattern recognition. Even though much attention has been paid to pattern retrieval properties in such systems, many aspects of their dynamics are not yet well characterized or understood. In this work we study, at different temperatures, the memory activity and information flows through layered networks in which the elements are the simplest binary odd non-monotonic function. Our results show that, considering a standard Hebbian learning approach, the network information content has its maximum always at the monotonic limit, even though the maximum memory capacity can be found at non-monotonic values for small enough temperatures. Furthermore, we show that such systems exhibit rich macroscopic dynamics, including not only fixed point solutions of its iterative map, but also cyclic and chaotic attractors that also carry information.

Can technical characteristics predict clinical performance in PET/CT imaging? A correlation study for thyroid cancer diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kallergi, Maria; Menychtas, Dimitrios; Georgakopoulos, Alexandros; Pianou, Nikoletta; Metaxas, Marinos; Chatziioannou, Sofia

2013-03-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether image characteristics could be used to predict the outcome of ROC studies in PET/CT imaging. Patients suspected for recurrent thyroid cancer underwent a standard whole body (WB) examination and an additional high-resolution head-and-neck (HN) F18-FDG PET/CT scan. The value of the latter was determined with an ROC study, the results of which showed that the WB+HN combination was better than WB alone for thyroid cancer detection and diagnosis. Following the ROC experiment, the WB and HN images of confirmed benign or malignant thyroid disease were analyzed and first and second order textural features were determined. Features included minimum, mean, and maximum intensity, as well as contrast in regions of interest encircling the thyroid lesions. Lesion size and standard uptake values (SUV) were also determined. Bivariate analysis was applied to determine relationships between WB and HN features and between observer ROC responses and the various feature values. The two sets showed significant associations in the values of SUV, contrast, and lesion size. They were completely different when the intensities were considered; no relationship was found between the WB minimum, maximum, and mean ROI values and their HN counterparts. SUV and contrast were the strongest predictors of ROC performance on PET/CT examinations of thyroid cancer. The high resolution HN images seem to enhance these relationships but without a single dramatic effect as was projected from the ROC results. A combination of features from both WB and HN datasets may possibly be a more robust predictor of ROC performance.

Fire retardancy assessment of polypropylene composite filed with nano clay prepared from Iraqi bentonite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kareem Salih, Watheq

2018-05-01

Fire retardants have an extraordinary importance because of their role in saving the people, property and reducing the damages and minimizing the dangers resulting from fires and burning of polymeric composites which are used in different civil and industrial fields. The work in this paper can be divided into two main stages. In first one nano-clay was manufactured from Iraqi bentonite and it was characterized using AFM, XRD, XRF, SEM, and BET. The AFM test showed the particle size of prepared nano clay was about 99.25 nm. In the second stage, polypropylene/nano clay composites at three low loading percents (0%,2%,4%,6%) were formulated via twin screw extruder. The fire retardancy tests included burning rate according to ASTM:D-635 and maximum flame height of flame according to ASTM:D-3014. Besides, the mechanical tests and thermal behavior of prepared samples were investigated. The results showed that (4%) of nano-clay had the maximum fire retardancy and while at (2%) loading, the maximum value of tensile strength and Yong modulus were obtained. The maximum heat of fusion was recorded for 6% nano clay sample. The final results assessment confirmed on the possibility of using low loadings of prepared nano clay to improve the fire retardancy, mechanical and thermal properties successfully.

Variation of nanostructures, molecular interactions, and anisotropic elastic moduli of lignocellulosic cell walls with moisture

Treesearch

S. Youssefian; J. E. Jakes; N. Rahbar

2017-01-01

A combination of experimental, theoretical and numerical studies is used to investigate the variation of elastic moduli of lignocellulosic (bamboo) fiber cell walls with moisture content (MC). Our Nanoindentation results show that the longitudinal elastic modulus initially increased to a maximum value at about 3% MC and then decreased linearly with increasing MC. In...

Enhancement of mechanical properties of epoxy/graphene nanocomposite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berhanuddin, N. I. C.; Zaman, I.; Rozlan, S. A. M.; Karim, M. A. A.; Manshoor, B.; Khalid, A.; Chan, S. W.; Meng, Q.

2017-10-01

Graphene is a novel class of nanofillers possessing outstanding characteristics including most compatible with most polymers, high absolute strength, high aspect ratio and cost effectiveness. In this study, graphene was used to reinforce epoxy as a matrix, to enhance its mechanical properties. Two types of epoxy composite were developed which are epoxy/graphene nanocomposite and epoxy/modified graphene nanocomposite. The fabrication of graphene was going through thermal expansion and sonication process. Chemical modification was only done for modified graphene where 4,4’-Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) is used. The mechanical properties of both nanocomposite, such as Young’s modulus and maximum stress were investigated. Three weight percentage were used for this study which are 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt% and 1.5 wt%. At 0.5 wt%, modified and unmodified shows the highest value compared to neat epoxy, where the value were 8 GPa, 6 GPa and 0.675 GPa, respectively. For maximum stress, neat epoxy showed the best result compared to both nanocomposite due to the changes of material properties when adding the filler into the matrix. Therefore, both nanocomposite increase the mechanical properties of the epoxy, however modification surface of graphene gives better improvement.

Multiple time scale analysis of sediment and runoff changes in the Lower Yellow River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, Kaige; Gang, Zhao; Pang, Bo; Huang, Ziqian

2018-06-01

Sediment and runoff changes of seven hydrological stations along the Lower Yellow River (LYR) (Huayuankou Station, Jiahetan Station, Gaocun Station, Sunkou Station, Ai Shan Station, Qikou Station and Lijin Station) from 1980 to 2003 were alanyzed at multiple time scale. The maximum value of monthly, daily and hourly sediment load and runoff conservations were also analyzed with the annually mean value. Mann-Kendall non-parametric mathematics correlation test and Hurst coefficient method were adopted in the study. Research results indicate that (1) the runoff of seven hydrological stations was significantly reduced in the study period at different time scales. However, the trends of sediment load in these stations were not obvious. The sediment load of Huayuankou, Jiahetan and Aishan stations even slightly increased with the runoff decrease. (2) The trends of the sediment load with different time scale showed differences at Luokou and Lijin stations. Although the annually and monthly sediment load were broadly flat, the maximum hourly sediment load showed decrease trend. (3) According to the Hurst coefficients, the trend of sediment and runoff will be continue without taking measures, which proved the necessary of runoff-sediment regulation scheme.

30 CFR 75.601-3 - Short circuit protection; dual element fuses; current ratings; maximum values.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... devices shall not exceed the maximum values specified in this section: Conductor size (AWG or MGM) Single conductor cable Ampacity Max. fuse rating Two conductor cable Ampacity Max. fuse rating 14 15 15 12 20 20 10...

Cortical bone stress distribution in mandibles with different configurations restored with prefabricated bar-prosthesis protocol: a three-dimensional finite-element analysis.

PubMed

de Almeida, Erika Oliveira; Rocha, Eduardo Passos; Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Júnior, Amílcar Chagas Freitas; Anchieta, Rodolfo Bruniera

2011-01-01

To evaluate stress distribution in different horizontal mandibular arch formats restored by protocol-type prostheses using three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D-FEA). A representative model (M) of a completely edentulous mandible restored with a prefabricated bar using four interforaminal implants was created using SolidWorks 2010 software (Inovart, São Paulo, Brazil) and analyzed by Ansys Workbench 10.0 (Swanson Analysis Inc., Houston, PA) to obtain the stress fields. Three mandibular arch sizes were considered for analysis, regular (M), small (MS), and large (ML). Three unilateral posterior loads (L) (150 N) were used: perpendicular to the prefabricated bar (L1); 30° oblique in a buccolingual direction (L2); 30° oblique in a lingual-buccal direction (L3). The maximum and minimum principal stresses (σ(max), σ(min)), the equivalent von Mises (σ(vM)), and the maximum principal strain (σ(max) ) were obtained for type I (M.I) and type II (M.II) cortical bones. Tensile stress was more evident than compression stress in type I and II bone; however, type II bone showed lower stress values. The L2 condition showed highest values for all parameters (σ(vM), σ(max), σ(min), ɛ(max)). The σ(vM) was highest for the large and small mandibular arches. The large arch model had a higher influence on σ(max) values than did the other formats, mainly for type I bone. Vertical and buccolingual loads showed considerable influence on both σ(max) and σ(min) stresses. © 2010 by The American College of Prosthodontists.

A figure of merit for AMTEC electrodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Underwood, M. L.; Williams, R. M.; Jeffries-Nakamura, B.; Ryan, M. A.

1991-01-01

As a method to compare the results of alkali metal thermoelectric converter (AMTEC) electrode performance measured under different conditions, an AMTEC figure of merit called ZA is proposed. This figure of merit is the ratio of the experimental maximum power for an electrode to a calculated maximum power density as determined from a recently published electrode performance model. The calculation of a maximum power density assumes that certain loss terms in the electrode can be reduced to essentially zero by improved cell design and construction, and that the electrochemical exchange current is determined from a standard value. Other losses in the electrode are considered inherent to the electrode performance. Thus, these terms remain in the determination of the calculated maximum power. A value of ZA near one, then, indicates an electrode performance near the maximum possible performance. The primary limitation of this calculation is that the small electrode effect cannot be included. This effect leads to anomalously high values of ZA. Thus, the electrode area should be reported along with the figure of merit.

Assessment of climate change downscaling and non-stationarity on the spatial pattern of a mangrove ecosystem in an arid coastal region of southern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Etemadi, Halimeh; Samadi, S. Zahra; Sharifikia, Mohammad; Smoak, Joseph M.

2016-10-01

Mangrove wetlands exist in the transition zone between terrestrial and marine environments and have remarkable ecological and socio-economic value. This study uses climate change downscaling to address the question of non-stationarity influences on mangrove variations (expansion and contraction) within an arid coastal region. Our two-step approach includes downscaling models and uncertainty assessment, followed by a non-stationary and trend procedure using the Extreme Value Analysis (extRemes code). The Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG) model along with two different general circulation model (GCMs) (MIRH and HadCM3) were used to downscale climatic variables during current (1968-2011) and future (2011-2030, 2045-2065, and 2080-2099) periods. Parametric and non-parametric bootstrapping uncertainty tests demonstrated that the LARS-WGS model skillfully downscaled climatic variables at the 95 % significance level. Downscaling results using MIHR model show that minimum and maximum temperatures will increase in the future (2011-2030, 2045-2065, and 2080-2099) during winter and summer in a range of +4.21 and +4.7 °C, and +3.62 and +3.55 °C, respectively. HadCM3 analysis also revealed an increase in minimum (˜+3.03 °C) and maximum (˜+3.3 °C) temperatures during wet and dry seasons. In addition, we examined how much mangrove area has changed during the past decades and, thus, if climate change non-stationarity impacts mangrove ecosystems. Our results using remote sensing techniques and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney two-sample test indicated a sharp decline in mangrove area during 1972,1987, and 1997 periods ( p value = 0.002). Non-stationary assessment using the generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions by including mangrove area as a covariate further indicated that the null hypothesis of the stationary climate (no trend) should be rejected due to the very low p values for precipitation ( p value = 0.0027), minimum ( p value = 0.000000029) and maximum ( p value = 0.00016) temperatures. Based on non-stationary analysis and an upward trend in downscaled temperature extremes, climate change may control mangrove development in the future.

Numerical Modeling of Solidification in Space With MEPHISTO-4. Part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, James E.; Yoa, Minwu; deGroh, Henry C., III; Garimella, V. Suresh

1998-01-01

A pre-flight analysis of the directional solidification of BiSn with MEPHISTO-4 is presented. Simplified Bridgman growth under microgravity conditions is simulated using a two dimensional finite element model. This numerical model is a single domain, pseudo-steady state model, and includes the effects of both thermal and solutal convection. The results show that for all orientations of the applied steady state gravity vector, of magnitude 1 micro-g, the directional solidification process remains diffusion controlled. The maximum convective velocity was found to be 4.424 x 10(exp -5) cm/s for the horizontal Bridgman growth configuration. This value is an order of magnitude lower than the growth velocity. The maximum and minimum values or solute concentration in the liquid at the crystal-melt interface were 13.867 at.% and 13.722 at.%, respectively. This gives a radial segregation value of xi = 1.046% at the interface. A secondary objective of this work was to compare the results obtained to those that consider thermal convection only (no solutal convection). It was found that the convective flow patterns in simulations which included solutal convection were significantly different from those which ignored solutal convection. The level of radial segregation predicted by the current simulations is an order of magnitude lower than that found in simulations which ignore solutal convection. The final aim was to investigate the effect of g-jitter on the crystal growth process. A simulation was performed to calculate the system response to a 1 second, 100 micro-g gravity impulse acting normal to the direction of growth. This pulse is consistent with that induced by Orbiter thruster firings. The results obtained indicate that such a gravity pulse causes an increase in the level of radial solute segregation at the interface from the steady state values. The maximum value of solute concentration in the liquid was found to be 13.888 at.%, the minimum value calculated was 13.706 at.%, yielding a radial segregation value of xi = 1.31% at the interface. These values occurred 126 seconds after the pulse terminated. Thus it is anticipated that the process will remain diffusion controlled even when subjected to such g-jitter.

Transient kinetic studies of pH-dependent hydrolyses by exo-type carboxypeptidase P on a 27-MHz quartz crystal microbalance.

PubMed

Furusawa, Hiroyuki; Takano, Hiroki; Okahata, Yoshio

2008-02-15

pH-Dependent kinetic parameters (k(on), k(off), and k(cat)) of protein (myoglobin) hydrolyses catalyzed by exo-enzyme (carboxypeptidase P, CPP) were obtained by using a protein-immobilized quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in acidic aqueous solutions. The formation of the enzyme-substrate (ES) complex (k(on)), the decay of the ES complex (k(off)), and the formation of the product (k(cat)) could be analyzed by transient kinetics as mass changes on the QCM plate. The Kd (k(off)/k(on)) value was different from the Michaelis constant Km calculated from (k(off) + k(cat))/k(on) due to k(cat) > k(off). The rate-determining step was the binding step (k(on), and the catalytic rate k(cat) was faster than other k(on) and k(off) values. In the range of pH 2.5-5.0, values of k(on) gradually increased with decreasing pH showing a maximum at pH 3.7, values of k(off) were independent of pH, and k(cat) increased gradually with decreasing pH. As a result, the apparent rate constant (k(cat)/Km) showed a maximum at pH 3.7 and gradually increased with decreasing pH. The optimum pH at 3.7 of k(on) is explained by the optimum binding ability of CPP to the COOH terminus of the substrate with hydrogen bonds. The increase of k(cat) at the lower pH correlated with the decrease of alpha-helix contents of the myoglobin substrate on the QCM.

Wake Flow About the Mars Pathfinder Entry Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitcheltree, R. A.; Gnoffo, P. A.

1995-01-01

A computational approach is used to describe the aerothermodynamics of the Mars Pathfinder vehicle entering the Mars atmosphere at the maximum heating and maximum deceleration points in its trajectory. Ablating and nonablating boundary conditions are developed which produce maximum recombination of CO2 on the surface. For the maximum heating trajectory point, an axisymmetric, nonablating calculation predicts a stagnation-point value for the convective heating of 115 W/cm(exp 2). Radiative heating estimates predict an additional 5-12 W/cm(exp 2) at the stagnation point. Peak convective heating on the afterbody occurs on the vehicle's flat stern with a value of 5.9% of the stagnation value. The forebody flow exhibits chemical nonequilibrium behavior, and the flow is frozen in the near wake. Including ablation injection on the forebody lowers the stagnation-point convective heating 18%.

Analysis of WBV on standing and seated passengers during off-peak operation in KL monorail

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasnan, K.; Bakhsh, Q.; Ahmed, A.; Ali, D.; Jamali, A. R.

2018-03-01

In this study, the Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) was analyzed on the standing and seated passenger during off-peak operating hours when train was on the track. The experiments were conducted on two car train at one constant location (bogie-1, which is near to driver’s cabin) during downward direction from KL sentral station towards Titiwangsa station. The aim of this study was to analyze that, in which posture of passenger’s exposures the maximum level of WBV. Since, one passenger was performed the whole journey in standing posture whereas, the other passenger was in seated posture. The result obtained from experiments for the RMS accelerations (Arms), maximum acceleration (Amax) and minimum acceleration (Amin) during the trip. As per standard ISO 2631-1, the daily vibration exposure (A8), Vibration Dose value (VDV) and Crest Factor (CF) of this trip for both standing and sitting orientations were calculated. Results shows that the seated passenger was exposed to longer periods of continuous vibration as compared to the standing passenger. Whereas, the Vibration Dose value (VDV) value was greater than the action value as per ISO 2631-1 and within the limit values. The study concluded that whole body vibration transmitted towards both passengers either standing or seated during their journey. But in overall results comparison of both orientations, the seated passengers gained higher vibration than the standing one.

The stability of clay using mount Sinabung ash with unconfined compression test (uct) value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puji Hastuty, Ika; Roesyanto; Hutauruk, Ronny; Simanjuntak, Oberlyn

2018-03-01

The soil has a important role as a highway’s embankment material (sub grade). Soil conditions are very different in each location because the scientifically soil is a very complex and varied material and the located on the field is very loose or very soft, so it is not suitable for construction, then the soil should be stabilized. The additive material commonly used for soil stabilization includes cement, lime, fly ash, rice husk ash, and others. This experiment is using the addition of volcanic ash. The purpose of this study was to determine the Index Properties and Compressive Strength maximum value with Unconfined Compression Test due to the addition of volcanic ash as a stabilizing agent along with optimum levels of the addition. The result showed that the original soil sample has Water Content of 14.52%; the Specific Weight of 2.64%; Liquid limit of 48.64% and Plasticity Index of 29.82%. Then, the Compressive Strength value is 1.40 kg/cm2. According to USCS classification, the soil samples categorized as the (CL) type while based on AASHTO classification, the soil samples are including as the type of A-7-6. After the soil is stabilized with a variety of volcanic ash, can be concluded that the maximum value occurs at mixture variation of 11% Volcanic Ash with Unconfined Compressive Strength value of 2.32 kg/cm2.

Electrodialytic Transport Properties of Anion-Exchange Membranes Prepared from Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride).

PubMed

Jikihara, Atsushi; Ohashi, Reina; Kakihana, Yuriko; Higa, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Kenichi

2013-01-02

Random-type anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) have been prepared by blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and the random copolymer-type polycation, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) at various molar percentages of anion-exchange groups to vinyl alcohol groups, Cpc, and by cross-linking the PVA chains with glutaraldehyde (GA) solution at various GA concentrations, CGA. The characteristics of the random-type AEMs were compared with blend-type AEMs prepared in our previous study. At equal molar percentages of the anion exchange groups, the water content of the random-type AEMs was lower than that of the blend-type AEMs. The effective charge density of the random-type AEMs increased with increasing Cpc and reached a maximum value. Further, the maximum value of the effective charge density increased with increasing CGA. The maximum value of the effective charge density, 0.42 mol/dm3, was obtained for the random-type AEM with Cpc = 4.2 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol %. A comparison of the random-type and blend-type AEMs with almost the same Cpc showed that the random-type AEMs had lower membrane resistance than the blend-type ones. The membrane resistance and dynamic transport number of the random-type AEM with Cpc = 6.0 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol % were 4.8 Ω cm2 and 0.83, respectively.

Electrodialytic Transport Properties of Anion-Exchange Membranes Prepared from Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride)

PubMed Central

Jikihara, Atsushi; Ohashi, Reina; Kakihana, Yuriko; Higa, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Kenichi

2012-01-01

Random-type anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) have been prepared by blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and the random copolymer-type polycation, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) at various molar percentages of anion-exchange groups to vinyl alcohol groups, Cpc, and by cross-linking the PVA chains with glutaraldehyde (GA) solution at various GA concentrations, CGA. The characteristics of the random-type AEMs were compared with blend-type AEMs prepared in our previous study. At equal molar percentages of the anion exchange groups, the water content of the random-type AEMs was lower than that of the blend-type AEMs. The effective charge density of the random-type AEMs increased with increasing Cpc and reached a maximum value. Further, the maximum value of the effective charge density increased with increasing CGA. The maximum value of the effective charge density, 0.42 mol/dm3, was obtained for the random-type AEM with Cpc = 4.2 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol %. A comparison of the random-type and blend-type AEMs with almost the same Cpc showed that the random-type AEMs had lower membrane resistance than the blend-type ones. The membrane resistance and dynamic transport number of the random-type AEM with Cpc = 6.0 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol % were 4.8 Ω cm2 and 0.83, respectively. PMID:24958543

Aroma types of flue-cured tobacco in China: spatial distribution and association with climatic factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Chao; Wu, Wei; Wu, Shu-Cheng; Liu, Hong-Bin; Peng, Qing

2014-02-01

Aroma types of flue-cured tobacco (FCT) are classified into light, medium, and heavy in China. However, the spatial distribution of FCT aroma types and the relationships among aroma types, chemical parameters, and climatic variables were still unknown at national scale. In the current study, multi-year averaged chemical parameters (total sugars, reducing sugars, nicotine, total nitrogen, chloride, and K2O) of FCT samples with grade of C3F and climatic variables (mean, minimum and maximum temperatures, rainfall, relative humidity, and sunshine hours) during the growth periods were collected from main planting areas across China. Significant relationships were found between chemical parameters and climatic variables ( p < 0.05). A spatial distribution map of FCT aroma types were produced using support vector machine algorithms and chemical parameters. Significant differences in chemical parameters and climatic variables were observed among the three aroma types based on one-way analysis of variance ( p < 0.05). Areas with light aroma type had significantly lower values of mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures than regions with medium and heavy aroma types ( p < 0.05). Areas with heavy aroma type had significantly lower values of rainfall and relative humidity and higher values of sunshine hours than regions with light and medium aroma types ( p < 0.05). The output produced by classification and regression trees showed that sunshine hours, rainfall, and maximum temperature were the most important factors affecting FCT aroma types at national scale.

A wavelet ridge extraction method employing a novel cost function in two-dimensional wavelet transform profilometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianhua; Yang, Yanxi

2018-05-01

We present a new wavelet ridge extraction method employing a novel cost function in two-dimensional wavelet transform profilometry (2-D WTP). First of all, the maximum value point is extracted from two-dimensional wavelet transform coefficient modulus, and the local extreme value points over 90% of maximum value are also obtained, they both constitute wavelet ridge candidates. Then, the gradient of rotate factor is introduced into the Abid's cost function, and the logarithmic Logistic model is used to adjust and improve the cost function weights so as to obtain more reasonable value estimation. At last, the dynamic programming method is used to accurately find the optimal wavelet ridge, and the wrapped phase can be obtained by extracting the phase at the ridge. Its advantage is that, the fringe pattern with low signal-to-noise ratio can be demodulated accurately, and its noise immunity will be better. Meanwhile, only one fringe pattern is needed to projected to measured object, so dynamic three-dimensional (3-D) measurement in harsh environment can be realized. Computer simulation and experimental results show that, for the fringe pattern with noise pollution, the 3-D surface recovery accuracy by the proposed algorithm is increased. In addition, the demodulation phase accuracy of Morlet, Fan and Cauchy mother wavelets are compared.

Blood count and C-reactive protein evolution in gastric cancer patients with total gastrectomy surgery

PubMed Central

CSENDES J., Attila; MUÑOZ Ch., Andrea; BURGOS L., Ana María

2014-01-01

Background The complete blood count (CBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are useful inflammatory parameters for ruling out acute postoperative inflammatory complications. Aim To determine their changes in gastric cancer patients submitted to total gastrectomy. Methods This is a prospective study, with 36 patients with gastric cancer who were submitted to elective total gastrectomy. On the first, third and fifth postoperative day (POD), blood count and CRP changes were assessed. Patients with postoperative complications were excluded. Results Twenty-one (58%) were men and 15 (42%) women. The mean age was 65 years. The leukocytes peaked on the 1st POD with a mean of 13,826 u/mm³, and decreased to 8,266 u/mm³ by the 5th POD. The bacilliforms peaked on the 1st POD with a maximum value of 1.48%. CRP reached its maximum level on the 3rd POD with a mean of 144.64 mg/l±44.84. Preoperative hematocrit (HCT) was 35% and 33.67% by the 5th POD. Hemoglobin, showed similar values. Conclusions Leukocytes increased during the 1st POD but reached normal values by the 5th POD. CRP peaked on the 3rd POD but did not reach normal values by the 5th POD. PMID:25626929

Calibration of mass transfer-based models to predict reference crop evapotranspiration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valipour, Mohammad

2017-05-01

The present study aims to compare mass transfer-based models to determine the best model under different weather conditions. The results showed that the Penman model estimates reference crop evapotranspiration better than other models in most provinces of Iran (15 provinces). However, the values of R 2 were less than 0.90 for 24 provinces of Iran. Therefore, the models were calibrated, and precision of estimation was increased (the values of R 2 were less than 0.90 for only ten provinces in the modified models). The mass transfer-based models estimated reference crop evapotranspiration in the northern (near the Caspian Sea) and southern (near the Persian Gulf) Iran (annual relative humidity more than 65 %) better than other provinces. The best values of R 2 were 0.96 and 0.98 for the Trabert and Rohwer models in Ardabil (AR) and Mazandaran (MZ) provinces before and after calibration, respectively. Finally, a list of the best performances of each model was presented to use other regions and next studies according to values of mean, maximum, and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. The best weather conditions to use mass transfer-based equations are 8-18 °C (with the exception of Ivanov), <25.5 °C, <15 °C, >55 % for mean, maximum, and minimum temperature, and relative humidity, respectively.

Noise level in a neonatal intensive care unit in Santa Marta - Colombia.

PubMed

Garrido Galindo, Angélica Patricia; Camargo Caicedo, Yiniva; Velez-Pereira, Andres M

2017-09-30

The environment of neonatal intensive care units is influenced by numerous sources of noise emission, which contribute to raise the noise levels, and may cause hearing impairment and other physiological and psychological changes on the newborn, as well as problems with care staff. To evaluate the level and sources of noise in the neonatal intensive care unit. Sampled for 20 consecutive days every 60 seconds in A-weighting curves and fast mode with a Type I sound level meter. Recorded the average, maximum and minimum, and the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles. The values are integrated into hours and work shift, and studied by analysis of variance. The sources were characterized in thirds of octaves. The average level was 64.00 ±3.62 dB(A), with maximum of 76.04 ±5.73 dB(A), minimum of 54.84 ±2.61dB(A), and background noise of 57.95 ±2.83 dB(A). We found four sources with levels between 16.8-63.3 dB(A). Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the hours and work shift, with higher values in the early hours of the day. The values presented exceed the standards suggested by several organizations. The sources identified and measured recorded high values in low frequencies.

SEP events and wake region lunar dust charging with grain radii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, S. B. Rakesh; Rajesh, S. R.; Abraham, A.; Renuka, G.; Venugopal, Chandu

2017-01-01

Our lunar surface is exposed to all kinds of radiations from the Sun, since it lacks a global magnetic field. Like lunar surface, dust particles are also exposed to plasmas and UV radiation and, consequently they carry electrostatic charges. During Solar Energetic Particle events (SEPs) secondary electron emission plays a vital role in charging of lunar dusts. To study the lunar dust charging during SEPs on lunar wake region, we derived an expression for lunar dust potential and analysed how it varies with different electron temperatures and grain radii. Because of high energetic solar fluxes, secondary yield (δ) values reach up to 2.3 for 0.5 μm dust grain. We got maximum yield at an energy of 550 eV which is in well agreement with lunar sample experimental observation (Anderegg et al., 1972). It is observed that yield value increases with electron energy, reaches to a maximum value and then decreases. During SEPs heavier dust grains show larger yield values because of the geometry of the grains. On the wake region, the dust potential reaches up to -497 V for 0.5 μm dust grain. The electric field of these grains could present a significant threat to manned and unmanned missions to the Moon.

Maximum Mass of Hybrid Stars in the Quark Bag Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaverdyan, G. B.; Vartanyan, Yu. L.

2017-12-01

The effect of model parameters in the equation of state for quark matter on the magnitude of the maximum mass of hybrid stars is examined. Quark matter is described in terms of the extended MIT bag model including corrections for one-gluon exchange. For nucleon matter in the range of densities corresponding to the phase transition, a relativistic equation of state is used that is calculated with two-particle correlations taken into account based on using the Bonn meson-exchange potential. The Maxwell construction is used to calculate the characteristics of the first order phase transition and it is shown that for a fixed value of the strong interaction constant αs, the baryon concentrations of the coexisting phases grow monotonically as the bag constant B increases. It is shown that for a fixed value of the strong interaction constant αs, the maximum mass of a hybrid star increases as the bag constant B decreases. For a given value of the bag parameter B, the maximum mass rises as the strong interaction constant αs increases. It is shown that the configurations of hybrid stars with maximum masses equal to or exceeding the mass of the currently known most massive pulsar are possible for values of the strong interaction constant αs > 0.6 and sufficiently low values of the bag constant.

A study comparing precision of the maximum multipoint heterogeneity LOD statistic to three model-free multipoint linkage methods.

PubMed

Finch, S J; Chen, C H; Gordon, D; Mendell, N R

2001-12-01

This study compared the performance of the maximum lod (MLOD), maximum heterogeneity lod (MHLOD), maximum non-parametric linkage score (MNPL), maximum Kong and Cox linear extension (MKC(lin)) of NPL, and maximum Kong and Cox exponential extension (MKC(exp)) of NPL as calculated in Genehunter 1.2 and Genehunter-Plus. Our performance measure was the distance between the marker with maximum value for each linkage statistic and the trait locus. We performed a simulation study considering: 1) four modes of transmission, 2) 100 replicates for each model, 3) 58 pedigrees (with 592 subjects) per replicate, 4) three linked marker loci each having three equally frequent alleles, and 5) either 0% unlinked families (linkage homogeneity) or 50% unlinked families (linkage heterogeneity). For each replicate, we obtained the Haldane map position of the location at which each of the five statistics is maximized. The MLOD and MHLOD were obtained by maximizing over penetrances, phenocopy rate, and risk-allele frequencies. For the models simulated, MHLOD appeared to be the best statistic both in terms of identifying a marker locus having the smallest mean distance from the trait locus and in terms of the strongest negative correlation between maximum linkage statistic and distance of the identified position and the trait locus. The marker loci with maximum value of the Kong and Cox extensions of the NPL statistic also were closer to the trait locus than the marker locus with maximum value of the NPL statistic. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Influence of bronchial diameter change on the airflow dynamics based on a pressure-controlled ventilation system.

PubMed

Ren, Shuai; Cai, Maolin; Shi, Yan; Xu, Weiqing; Zhang, Xiaohua Douglas

2018-03-01

Bronchial diameter is a key parameter that affects the respiratory treatment of mechanically ventilated patients. In this paper, to reveal the influence of bronchial diameter on the airflow dynamics of pressure-controlled mechanically ventilated patients, a new respiratory system model is presented that combines multigeneration airways with lungs. Furthermore, experiments and simulation studies to verify the model are performed. Finally, through the simulation study, it can be determined that in airway generations 2 to 7, when the diameter is reduced to half of the original value, the maximum air pressure (maximum air pressure in lungs) decreases by nearly 16%, the maximum flow decreases by nearly 30%, and the total airway pressure loss (sum of each generation pressure drop) is more than 5 times the original value. Moreover, in airway generations 8 to 16, with increasing diameter, the maximum air pressure, maximum flow, and total airway pressure loss remain almost constant. When the diameter is reduced to half of the original value, the maximum air pressure decreases by 3%, the maximum flow decreases by nearly 5%, and the total airway pressure loss increases by 200%. The study creates a foundation for improvement in respiratory disease diagnosis and treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SU-E-T-98: An Analysis of TG-51 Electron Beam Calibration Correction Factor Uncertainty

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

Lee, P; Alvarez, P; Taylor, P

Purpose: To analyze the uncertainty of the TG-51 electron beam calibration correction factors for farmer type ion chambers currently used by institutions visited by IROC Houston. Methods: TG-51 calibration data were collected from 181 institutions visited by IROC Houston physicists for 1174 and 197 distinct electron beams from modern Varian and Elekta accelerators, respectively. Data collected and analyzed included ion chamber make and model, nominal energy, N{sub D,w}, I{sub 50}, R{sub 50}, k’R{sub 50}, d{sub ref}, P{sub gr} and pdd(d{sub ref}). k’R{sub 50} data for parallel plate chambers were excluded from the analysis. Results: Unlike photon beams, electron nominal energymore » is a poor indicator of the actual energy as evidenced by the range of R{sub 50} values for each electron beam energy (6–22MeV). The large range in R{sub 50} values resulted k’R{sub 50} values with a small standard deviation but large range between maximum value used and minimum value (0.001–0.029) used for a specific Varian nominal energy. Varian data showed more variability in k’R{sub 50} values than the Elekta data (0.001–0.014). Using the observed range of R{sub 50} values, the maximum spread in k’R{sub 50} values was determined by IROC Houston and compared to the spread of k’R{sub 50} values used in the community. For Elekta linacs the spreads were equivalent, but for Varian energies of 6 to 16MeV, the community spread was 2 to 6 times larger. Community P{sub gr} values had a much larger range of values for 6 and 9 MeV values than predicted. The range in Varian pdd(d{sub ref} ) used by the community for low energies was large, (1.4–4.9 percent), when it should have been very close to unity. Exradin, PTW Roos and PTW farmer chambers N{sub D,w} values showed the largest spread, ≥11 percent. Conclusion: While the vast majority of electron beam calibration correction factors used are accurate, there is a surprising spread in some of the values used.« less

A classification scheme for the morphology of lava flow fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, L.; Pinkerton, H.; Head, James W.; Roberts, K. Magee

1993-01-01

Analysis of the processes controlling the advance of lava flows shows that, if no other factors intervene, thermal constraints will act to limit the maximum length of a flow being fed at a given volume or mass effusion rate from a vent. These constraints can be characterized through the Gratz number, which takes on a large value at the vent and decreases down flow. Early application of this principle showed that, despite the many subtleties of modes of heat loss from flows, motion apparently ceases when the Gratz number has decreased to a value close to 300. Recent analyses of flow units from the 1983-86 Pu'u 'O'o eruption of Kilauea and of other, more silicic lava flow units confirm this finding.

Enhancement of electrical properties in polycrystalline BiFeO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Kwi Young; Ricinschi, Dan; Kanashima, Takeshi; Okuyama, Masanori

2006-11-01

Ferroelectric BiFeO3 thin films were grown on Pt /TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. From the x-ray diffraction analysis, the BiFeO3 thin films consist of perovskite single phase, and the crystal structure shows the tetragonal structure with a space group P4mm. The BiFeO3 thin films show enhanced electrical properties with low leakage current density value of ˜10-4A /cm2 at a maximum applied voltage of 31V. This enhanced electrical resistivity allowed the authors to obtain giant ferroelectric polarization values such as saturation polarizations of 110 and 166μC/cm2 at room temperature and 80K, respectively.

Failure modes in electroactive polymer thin films with elastic electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Tommasi, D.; Puglisi, G.; Zurlo, G.

2014-02-01

Based on an energy minimization approach, we analyse the elastic deformations of a thin electroactive polymer (EAP) film sandwiched by two elastic electrodes with non-negligible stiffness. We analytically show the existence of a critical value of the electrode voltage for which non-homogeneous solutions bifurcate from the homogeneous equilibrium state, leading to the pull-in phenomenon. This threshold strongly decreases the limit value proposed in the literature considering only homogeneous deformations. We explicitly discuss the influence of geometric and material parameters together with boundary conditions in the attainment of the different failure modes observed in EAP devices. In particular, we obtain the optimum values of these parameters leading to the maximum activation performances of the device.

Quality assurance of proton beams using a multilayer ionization chamber system

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

Dhanesar, Sandeep; Sahoo, Narayan; Kerr, Matthew

2013-09-15

Purpose: The measurement of percentage depth-dose (PDD) distributions for the quality assurance of clinical proton beams is most commonly performed with a computerized water tank dosimetry system with ionization chamber, commonly referred to as water tank. Although the accuracy and reproducibility of this method is well established, it can be time-consuming if a large number of measurements are required. In this work the authors evaluate the linearity, reproducibility, sensitivity to field size, accuracy, and time-savings of another system: the Zebra, a multilayer ionization chamber system.Methods: The Zebra, consisting of 180 parallel-plate ionization chambers with 2 mm resolution, was used tomore » measure depth-dose distributions. The measurements were performed for scattered and scanned proton pencil beams of multiple energies delivered by the Hitachi PROBEAT synchrotron-based delivery system. For scattered beams, the Zebra-measured depth-dose distributions were compared with those measured with the water tank. The principal descriptors extracted for comparisons were: range, the depth of the distal 90% dose; spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) length, the region between the proximal 95% and distal 90% dose; and distal-dose fall off (DDF), the region between the distal 80% and 20% dose. For scanned beams, the Zebra-measured ranges were compared with those acquired using a Bragg peak chamber during commissioning.Results: The Zebra demonstrated better than 1% reproducibility and monitor unit linearity. The response of the Zebra was found to be sensitive to radiation field sizes greater than 12.5 × 12.5 cm; hence, the measurements used to determine accuracy were performed using a field size of 10 × 10 cm. For the scattered proton beams, PDD distributions showed 1.5% agreement within the SOBP, and 3.8% outside. Range values agreed within −0.1 ± 0.4 mm, with a maximum deviation of 1.2 mm. SOBP length values agreed within 0 ± 2 mm, with a maximum deviation of 6 mm. DDF values agreed within 0.3 ± 0.1 mm, with a maximum deviation of 0.6 mm. For the scanned proton pencil beams, Zebra and Bragg peak chamber range values demonstrated agreement of 0.0 ± 0.3 mm with a maximum deviation of 1.3 mm. The setup and measurement time for all Zebra measurements was 3 and 20 times less, respectively, compared to the water tank measurements.Conclusions: Our investigation shows that the Zebra can be useful not only for fast but also for accurate measurements of the depth-dose distributions of both scattered and scanned proton beams. The analysis of a large set of measurements shows that the commonly assessed beam quality parameters obtained with the Zebra are within the acceptable variations specified by the manufacturer for our delivery system.« less

Optimization Research on Ampacity of Underground High Voltage Cable Based on Interior Point Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Feng; Li, Jing

2017-12-01

The conservative operation method which takes unified current-carrying capacity as maximum load current can’t make full use of the overall power transmission capacity of the cable. It’s not the optimal operation state for the cable cluster. In order to improve the transmission capacity of underground cables in cluster, this paper regards the maximum overall load current as the objective function and the temperature of any cables lower than maximum permissible temperature as constraint condition. The interior point method which is very effective for nonlinear problem is put forward to solve the extreme value of the problem and determine the optimal operating current of each loop. The results show that the optimal solutions obtained with the purposed method is able to increase the total load current about 5%. It greatly improves the economic performance of the cable cluster.

An improved wavelet neural network medical image segmentation algorithm with combined maximum entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiaoqian; Tao, Jinxu; Ye, Zhongfu; Qiu, Bensheng; Xu, Jinzhang

2018-05-01

In order to solve the problem of medical image segmentation, a wavelet neural network medical image segmentation algorithm based on combined maximum entropy criterion is proposed. Firstly, we use bee colony algorithm to optimize the network parameters of wavelet neural network, get the parameters of network structure, initial weights and threshold values, and so on, we can quickly converge to higher precision when training, and avoid to falling into relative extremum; then the optimal number of iterations is obtained by calculating the maximum entropy of the segmented image, so as to achieve the automatic and accurate segmentation effect. Medical image segmentation experiments show that the proposed algorithm can reduce sample training time effectively and improve convergence precision, and segmentation effect is more accurate and effective than traditional BP neural network (back propagation neural network : a multilayer feed forward neural network which trained according to the error backward propagation algorithm.

Review of Seismic Hazard Issues Associated with Auburn Dam Project, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, D.P.; Joyner, W.B.; Stein, R.S.; Brown, R.D.; McGarr, A.F.; Hickman, S.H.; Bakun, W.H.

1996-01-01

Summary -- The U.S. Geological Survey was requested by the U.S. Department of the Interior to review the design values and the issue of reservoir-induced seismicity for a concrete gravity dam near the site of the previously-proposed Auburn Dam in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, central California. The dam is being planned as a flood-control-only dam with the possibility of conversion to a permanent water-storage facility. As a basis for planning studies the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is using the same design values approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 1979 for the original Auburn Dam. These values were a maximum displacement of 9 inches on a fault intersecting the dam foundation, a maximum earthquake at the site of magnitude 6.5, a peak horizontal acceleration of 0.64 g, and a peak vertical acceleration of 0.39 g. In light of geological and seismological investigations conducted in the western Sierran foothills since 1979 and advances in the understanding of how earthquakes are caused and how faults behave, we have developed the following conclusions and recommendations: Maximum Displacement. Neither the pre-1979 nor the recent observations of faults in the Sierran foothills precisely define the maximum displacement per event on a fault intersecting the dam foundation. Available field data and our current understanding of surface faulting indicate a range of values for the maximum displacement. This may require the consideration of a design value larger than 9 inches. We recommend reevaluation of the design displacement using current seismic hazard methods that incorporate uncertainty into the estimate of this design value. Maximum Earthquake Magnitude. There are no data to indicate that a significant change is necessary in the use of an M 6.5 maximum earthquake to estimate design ground motions at the dam site. However, there is a basis for estimating a range of maximum magnitudes using recent field information and new statistical fault relations. We recommend reevaluating the maximum earthquake magnitude using current seismic hazard methodology. Design Ground Motions. A large number of strong-motion records have been acquired and significant advances in understanding of ground motion have been achieved since the original evaluations. The design value for peak horizontal acceleration (0.64 g) is larger than the median of one recent study and smaller than the median value of another. The value for peak vertical acceleration (0.39 g) is somewhat smaller than median values of two recent studies. We recommend a reevaluation of the design ground motions that takes into account new ground motion data with particular attention to rock sites at small source distances. Reservoir-Induced Seismicity. The potential for reservoir-induced seismicity must be considered for the Auburn Darn project. A reservoir-induced earthquake is not expected to be larger than the maximum naturally occurring earthquake. However, the probability of an earthquake may be enhanced by reservoir impoundment. A flood-control-only project may involve a lower probability of significant induced seismicity than a multipurpose water-storage dam. There is a need to better understand and quantify the likelihood of this hazard. A methodology should be developed to quantify the potential for reservoir induced seismicity using seismicity data from the Sierran foothills, new worldwide observations of induced and triggered seismicity, and current understanding of the earthquake process. Reevaluation of Design Parameters. The reevaluation of the maximum displacement, maximum magnitude earthquake, and design ground motions can be made using available field observations from the Sierran foothills, updated statistical relations for faulting and ground motions, and current computational seismic hazard methodologies that incorporate uncertainty into the analysis. The reevaluation does not require significant new geological field studies.

Extreme values and the level-crossing problem: An application to the Feller process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masoliver, Jaume

2014-04-01

We review the question of the extreme values attained by a random process. We relate it to level crossings to one boundary (first-passage problems) as well as to two boundaries (escape problems). The extremes studied are the maximum, the minimum, the maximum absolute value, and the range or span. We specialize in diffusion processes and present detailed results for the Wiener and Feller processes.

Improving a maximum horizontal gradient algorithm to determine geological body boundaries and fault systems based on gravity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Kha, Tran; Van Vuong, Hoang; Thanh, Do Duc; Hung, Duong Quoc; Anh, Le Duc

2018-05-01

The maximum horizontal gradient method was first proposed by Blakely and Simpson (1986) for determining the boundaries between geological bodies with different densities. The method involves the comparison of a center point with its eight nearest neighbors in four directions within each 3 × 3 calculation grid. The horizontal location and magnitude of the maximum values are found by interpolating a second-order polynomial through the trio of points provided that the magnitude of the middle point is greater than its two nearest neighbors in one direction. In theoretical models of multiple sources, however, the above condition does not allow the maximum horizontal locations to be fully located, and it could be difficult to correlate the edges of complicated sources. In this paper, the authors propose an additional condition to identify more maximum horizontal locations within the calculation grid. This additional condition will improve the method algorithm for interpreting the boundaries of magnetic and/or gravity sources. The improved algorithm was tested on gravity models and applied to gravity data for the Phu Khanh basin on the continental shelf of the East Vietnam Sea. The results show that the additional locations of the maximum horizontal gradient could be helpful for connecting the edges of complicated source bodies.

A Maximum Likelihood Approach to Determine Sensor Radiometric Response Coefficients for NPP VIIRS Reflective Solar Bands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lei, Ning; Chiang, Kwo-Fu; Oudrari, Hassan; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

2011-01-01

Optical sensors aboard Earth orbiting satellites such as the next generation Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) assume that the sensors radiometric response in the Reflective Solar Bands (RSB) is described by a quadratic polynomial, in relating the aperture spectral radiance to the sensor Digital Number (DN) readout. For VIIRS Flight Unit 1, the coefficients are to be determined before launch by an attenuation method, although the linear coefficient will be further determined on-orbit through observing the Solar Diffuser. In determining the quadratic polynomial coefficients by the attenuation method, a Maximum Likelihood approach is applied in carrying out the least-squares procedure. Crucial to the Maximum Likelihood least-squares procedure is the computation of the weight. The weight not only has a contribution from the noise of the sensor s digital count, with an important contribution from digitization error, but also is affected heavily by the mathematical expression used to predict the value of the dependent variable, because both the independent and the dependent variables contain random noise. In addition, model errors have a major impact on the uncertainties of the coefficients. The Maximum Likelihood approach demonstrates the inadequacy of the attenuation method model with a quadratic polynomial for the retrieved spectral radiance. We show that using the inadequate model dramatically increases the uncertainties of the coefficients. We compute the coefficient values and their uncertainties, considering both measurement and model errors.

Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of Zanthoxylum armatum against diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella.

PubMed

Kumar, Vishal; Reddy, S G Eswara; Chauhan, Urvashi; Kumar, Neeraj; Singh, Bikram

2016-01-01

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) is the most serious pest of cruciferous crops grown in the world causing economic yield loss. Several synthetic insecticides have been used against P. xylostella but satisfactory control was not achieved due to development of resistance to insecticides. Therefore, the present study was carried out to screen different fractions of Zanthoxylum armatum for their insecticidal activities against second instar larvae of P. xylostella. Results indicate, all the fractions showed activity to P. xylostella. However, n-hexane fraction of Z. armatum showed maximum larvicidal activity with minimum LC50 value of 2988.6 ppm followed by ethanol (LC50 = 12779.7 ppm) and methanol fraction (LC50 = 12908.8 ppm) whereas chloroform fraction was least toxic (LC50 = 16750.6 ppm). The GC-MS analysis of n-hexane fraction of leaf extract showed maximum larvicidal activity, which may be due to two major compounds i.e. 2-undecanone (19.75%) and 2-tridecanone (11.76%).

Temperature, stress, and corrosive sensing apparatus utilizing harmonic response of magnetically soft sensor element (s)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grimes, Craig A. (Inventor); Ong, Keat Ghee (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A temperature sensing apparatus including a sensor element made of a magnetically soft material operatively arranged within a first and second time-varying interrogation magnetic field, the first time-varying magnetic field being generated at a frequency higher than that for the second magnetic field. A receiver, remote from the sensor element, is engaged to measure intensity of electromagnetic emissions from the sensor element to identify a relative maximum amplitude value for each of a plurality of higher-order harmonic frequency amplitudes so measured. A unit then determines a value for temperature (or other parameter of interst) using the relative maximum harmonic amplitude values identified. In other aspects of the invention, the focus is on an apparatus and technique for determining a value for of stress condition of a solid analyte and for determining a value for corrosion, using the relative maximum harmonic amplitude values identified. A magnetically hard element supporting a biasing field adjacent the magnetically soft sensor element can be included.

Crystallization to polycrystalline silicon thin film and simultaneous inactivation of electrical defects by underwater laser annealing

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

Machida, Emi; Research Fellowships of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 1-8 Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-8472; Horita, Masahiro

2012-12-17

We propose a low-temperature laser annealing method of a underwater laser annealing (WLA) for polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films. We performed crystallization to poly-Si films by laser irradiation in flowing deionized-water where KrF excimer laser was used for annealing. We demonstrated that the maximum value of maximum grain size of WLA samples was 1.5 {mu}m, and that of the average grain size was 2.8 times larger than that of conventional laser annealing in air (LA) samples. Moreover, WLA forms poly-Si films which show lower conductivity and larger carrier life time attributed to fewer electrical defects as compared to LA poly-Si films.

Effects on skylight at South Pole Station, Antarctica, by ice crystal precipitation in the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitch, B. W.; Coulson, K. L.

1983-01-01

Measurements of the radiance and polarization of the skylight at South Pole Station, Antarctica, were made for clear cloud-free skies and cloudless skies with ice crystal precipitation. The measurements were made at six narrowband wavelengths from 321 to 872 nm in the principal plane. The data show that scattering by ice crystals increases the radiance in the backscatter plane, decreases it in the solar plane, and shifts the radiance minimum to a point closer to the sun. The crystals decrease the maximum value of linear polarization and shift the position of the maximum away from the sun. The influence of ice crystal scattering is greatest at the longer wavelengths.

Effects on skylight at South Pole Station, Antarctica, by ice crystal precipitation in the atmosphere.

PubMed

Fitch, B W; Coulson, K L

1983-01-01

Measurements of the radiance and polarization of the skylight at South Pole Station, Antarctica, were made for clear cloud-free skies and cloudless skies with ice crystal precipitation. The measurements were made at six narrowband wavelengths from 321 to 872 nm in the principal plane. The data show that scattering by ice crystals increases the radiance in the backscatter plane, decreases it in the solar plane, and shifts the radiance minimum to a point closer to the sun. The crystals decrease the maximum value of linear polarization and shift the position of the maximum away from the sun. The influence of ice crystal scattering is greatest at the longer wavelengths.

Interior volume of (1 + D)-dimensional Schwarzschild black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaumik, Nilanjandev; Majhi, Bibhas Ranjan

2018-01-01

We calculate the maximum interior volume, enclosed by the event horizon, of a (1 + D)-dimensional Schwarzschild black hole. Taking into account the mass change due to Hawking radiation, we show that the volume increases towards the end of the evaporation. This fact is not new as it has been observed earlier for four-dimensional case. The interesting point we observe is that this increase rate decreases towards the higher value of space dimensions D; i.e. it is a decelerated expansion of volume with the increase of spatial dimensions. This implies that for a sufficiently large D, the maximum interior volume does not change. The possible implications of these results are also discussed.

Remarks on the maximum luminosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardoso, Vitor; Ikeda, Taishi; Moore, Christopher J.; Yoo, Chul-Moon

2018-04-01

The quest for fundamental limitations on physical processes is old and venerable. Here, we investigate the maximum possible power, or luminosity, that any event can produce. We show, via full nonlinear simulations of Einstein's equations, that there exist initial conditions which give rise to arbitrarily large luminosities. However, the requirement that there is no past horizon in the spacetime seems to limit the luminosity to below the Planck value, LP=c5/G . Numerical relativity simulations of critical collapse yield the largest luminosities observed to date, ≈ 0.2 LP . We also present an analytic solution to the Einstein equations which seems to give an unboundedly large luminosity; this will guide future numerical efforts to investigate super-Planckian luminosities.

Power requirement of rotating rods in airflow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barna, P. S.; Crossman, G. R.

1974-01-01

Experiments were performed to determine the power required for rotating a rotor disc fitted with a number of radially arranged rods placed into a ducted airflow. An array of stationary rods, also radially arranged, were placed upstream close to the rotor with a small gap between the rods to cause wake interference. The results show that power increased with increasing airflow and the rate of increase varied considerably. At lower values of airflow the rate of increase was larger than at higher airflow and definite power peaks occurred at certain airflow rates, where the power attained a maximum within the test airflow range. During the test a maximum blade passage frequency of 2037 Hz was attained.

Estimating the Value-at-Risk for some stocks at the capital market in Indonesia based on ARMA-FIGARCH models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukono; Lesmana, E.; Susanti, D.; Napitupulu, H.; Hidayat, Y.

2017-11-01

Value-at-Risk has already become a standard measurement that must be carried out by the financial institution for both internal interest and regulatory. In this paper, the estimation of Value-at-Risk of some stocks with econometric models approach is analyzed. In this research, we assume that the stock return follows the time series model. To do the estimation of mean value we are using ARMA models, while to estimate the variance value we are using FIGARCH models. Furthermore, the mean value estimator and the variance are used to estimate the Value-at-Risk. The result of the analysis shows that from five stock PRUF, BBRI, MPPA, BMRI, and INDF, the Value-at-Risk obtained are 0.01791, 0.06037, 0.02550, 0.06030, and 0.02585 respectively. Since Value-at-Risk represents the maximum risk size of each stock at a 95% level of significance, then it can be taken into consideration in determining the investment policy on stocks.

A comparison between internal and surface temperature measurement techniques during phacoemulsification cataract surgery: thermocamera versus thermocouple.

PubMed

Innocenti, B; Diciotti, S; Bocchi, L; Mencucci, R; Corvi, A

2008-01-01

Corneal and scleral burns, one of the main complications that can occur during a cataract operation, are produced by overheating due to the use of the phacoemulsifier. The temperature of the anterior chamber of the eye can be measured both invasively using thermocouples and non-invasively, but only superficially, using a thermocamera. To compare the measures obtained from both techniques an in vitro experimental analysis was conducted on pigs' eyes. During a simulated phacoemulsification cataract operation both the surface temperature with a thermocamera and the temperature inside the anterior chamber with a thermocouple were recorded. For each procedure, the maximum temperature values measured by each technique were compared. The results of this research show that the difference between the maximum values measured with the two techniques is on average 0.5 degrees C. It is possible to employ a thermocamera technique instead of a thermocouple technique to provide an indication of the temperature inside the anterior chamber.

Maximum entropy formalism for the analytic continuation of matrix-valued Green's functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraberger, Gernot J.; Triebl, Robert; Zingl, Manuel; Aichhorn, Markus

2017-10-01

We present a generalization of the maximum entropy method to the analytic continuation of matrix-valued Green's functions. To treat off-diagonal elements correctly based on Bayesian probability theory, the entropy term has to be extended for spectral functions that are possibly negative in some frequency ranges. In that way, all matrix elements of the Green's function matrix can be analytically continued; we introduce a computationally cheap element-wise method for this purpose. However, this method cannot ensure important constraints on the mathematical properties of the resulting spectral functions, namely positive semidefiniteness and Hermiticity. To improve on this, we present a full matrix formalism, where all matrix elements are treated simultaneously. We show the capabilities of these methods using insulating and metallic dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) Green's functions as test cases. Finally, we apply the methods to realistic material calculations for LaTiO3, where off-diagonal matrix elements in the Green's function appear due to the distorted crystal structure.

Spatial distribution pattern of termite in Endau Rompin Plantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalaludin, Nur-Atiqah; Rahim, Faszly

2015-09-01

We censused 18 field blocks approximately 190 ha with total of 28,604 palms in a grid of 2×4 palms from July 2011 to March 2013. The field blocks comprise of rows of palm trees, harvesting paths, field drains and stacking rows with maximum of 30 palms per row, planted about 9 m apart, alternately in maximum of 80 rows. SADIE analysis generating index of aggregation, Ia, local clustering value, Vi and local gap value, Vj is adopted to estimate spatial pattern. The patterns were then presented in contour map using Surfer 12 software. The patterns produced associated with factors i.e. habitat disturbance, habitat fragmentation and resources affecting nesting and foraging activities. Result shows that field blocks with great habitat disturbance recorded highest dead palms and termites hits. Blocks located far from the main access road recorded less than 2% palms with termite hits. This research may provide ecological data on termite spatial pattern in oil palm ecosystem.

Stable isotopes of fossil teeth corroborate key general circulation model predictions for the Last Glacial Maximum in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohn, Matthew J.; McKay, Moriah

2010-11-01

Oxygen isotope data provide a key test of general circulation models (GCMs) for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in North America, which have otherwise proved difficult to validate. High δ18O pedogenic carbonates in central Wyoming have been interpreted to indicate increased summer precipitation sourced from the Gulf of Mexico. Here we show that tooth enamel δ18O of large mammals, which is strongly correlated with local water and precipitation δ18O, is lower during the LGM in Wyoming, not higher. Similar data from Texas, California, Florida and Arizona indicate higher δ18O values than in the Holocene, which is also predicted by GCMs. Tooth enamel data closely validate some recent models of atmospheric circulation and precipitation δ18O, including an increase in the proportion of winter precipitation for central North America, and summer precipitation in the southern US, but suggest aridity can bias pedogenic carbonate δ18O values significantly.

Nanosized amorphous (Co‚ Fe) oxide particles decorated PANI-CNT: facile synthesis‚ characterization‚ magnetic‚ electromagnetic properties and their application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heydari, Farhood; Afghahi, Seyyed Salman Seyyed; Manteghian, Mehrdad; Taghizadeh, Mohammad Javad

2017-11-01

In this research (PANI/CNT) core/shell nanocomposite were synthesized via in situ chemical oxidative seeding polymerization‚ the results of SEM indicated the structure of synthesized nanocomposite. TEM‚ FTIR‚ UV-Vis‚ XRD analyses of samples showed that this nanocomposite is decorated with (Fe‚ Co) oxide nanoparticles. The VSM test of as prepared and annealed nanocomposite exhibited the saturated magnetization of 1.1 and 3.86 emu/g, respectively; the coercivity values were also - 350 and - 110 Oe, respectively. The reflection loss characteristics of (Fe‚ Co) oxide-Pani-CNT core/shell nanocomposite were also investigated with a vector network analyzer‚ in the 8.2-12.4 GHz range (X band). The maximum absorption increases with enhancement of the dispersed nanoparticles percent in polyurethane matrix from 1 to 10%. The value of the maximum reflection loss in the absorption samples with 1 and 10% of nanoparticles is - 2.14 dB at 9.33 GHz and - 7.32 dB at 11.97 GHZ, respectively.

Supplementation of adjuvants for increasing the nutritive value and cell viability of probiotic fermented milk beverage.

PubMed

Shobharani, P; Agrawal, Renu

2009-01-01

Probiotic are microorganisms that, upon ingestion in adequate amounts, exert a beneficial effect on the host. In the present work, the potent probiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroides was used as a starter culture in the preparation of fermented milk beverage. The product was analyzed for protein, titrable acidity, fat, total sugar, fatty acids and minerals. The viability of culture and nutrition in the product was further enhanced with supplementation of adjuvants like tryptone, casein hydrolysate, cysteine hydrochloride and ascorbic acid. After 5 days, maximum viability was observed on supplementation of tryptone (100 mg/l). The protein content was enhanced by 1.1-fold in the presence of tryptone (100 mg/l) as compared with control after 5 days of storage. Fermented milk supplemented with tryptone (100 mg/l) showed maximum bioavailability of the minerals like iron (92.05%), zinc (95.02%) and magnesium (92.04%) as compared with control. The increase in the composition of beneficial fatty acids on supplementation of adjuvants supports the therapeutic value of the product.

Novel Downhole Electromagnetic Flowmeter for Oil-Water Two-Phase Flow in High-Water-Cut Oil-Producing Wells.

PubMed

Wang, Yanjun; Li, Haoyu; Liu, Xingbin; Zhang, Yuhui; Xie, Ronghua; Huang, Chunhui; Hu, Jinhai; Deng, Gang

2016-10-14

First, the measuring principle, the weight function, and the magnetic field of the novel downhole inserted electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) are described. Second, the basic design of the EMF is described. Third, the dynamic experiments of two EMFs in oil-water two-phase flow are carried out. The experimental errors are analyzed in detail. The experimental results show that the maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 5%, the total flowrate is 5-60 m³/d, and the water-cut is higher than 60%. The maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 7%, the total flowrate is 2-60 m³/d, and the water-cut is higher than 70%. Finally, onsite experiments in high-water-cut oil-producing wells are conducted, and the possible reasons for the errors in the onsite experiments are analyzed. It is found that the EMF can provide an effective technology for measuring downhole oil-water two-phase flow.

Novel Downhole Electromagnetic Flowmeter for Oil-Water Two-Phase Flow in High-Water-Cut Oil-Producing Wells

PubMed Central

Wang, Yanjun; Li, Haoyu; Liu, Xingbin; Zhang, Yuhui; Xie, Ronghua; Huang, Chunhui; Hu, Jinhai; Deng, Gang

2016-01-01

First, the measuring principle, the weight function, and the magnetic field of the novel downhole inserted electromagnetic flowmeter (EMF) are described. Second, the basic design of the EMF is described. Third, the dynamic experiments of two EMFs in oil-water two-phase flow are carried out. The experimental errors are analyzed in detail. The experimental results show that the maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 5%, the total flowrate is 5–60 m3/d, and the water-cut is higher than 60%. The maximum absolute value of the full-scale errors is better than 7%, the total flowrate is 2–60 m3/d, and the water-cut is higher than 70%. Finally, onsite experiments in high-water-cut oil-producing wells are conducted, and the possible reasons for the errors in the onsite experiments are analyzed. It is found that the EMF can provide an effective technology for measuring downhole oil-water two-phase flow. PMID:27754412

Effects of nanoscale vacuum gap on photon-enhanced thermionic emission devices

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

Wang, Yuan; Liao, Tianjun; Zhang, Yanchao

2016-01-28

A new model of the photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) device with a nanoscale vacuum gap is established by introducing the quantum tunneling effect and the image force correction. Analytic expressions for both the thermionic emission and tunneling currents are derived. The electron concentration and the temperature of the cathode are determined by the particle conservation and energy balance equations. The effects of the operating voltage on the maximum potential barrier, cathode temperature, electron concentration and equilibrium electron concentration of the conduction band, and efficiency of the PETE device are discussed in detail for different given values of the vacuum gapmore » length. The influence of the band gap of the cathode and flux concentration on the efficiency is further analyzed. The maximum efficiency of the PETE and the corresponding optimum values of the band gap and the operating voltage are determined. The results obtained here show that the efficiency of the PETE device can be significantly improved by employing a nanoscale vacuum gap.« less

Development of sustainable dye adsorption system using nutraceutical industrial fennel seed spent-studies using Congo red dye.

PubMed

Taqui, Syed Noeman; Yahya, Rosiyah; Hassan, Aziz; Nayak, Nayan; Syed, Akheel Ahmed

2017-07-03

Fennel seed spent (FSS)-an inexpensive nutraceutical industrial spent has been used as an efficient biosorbent for the removal of Congo red (CR) from aqueous media. Results show that the conditions for maximum adsorption would be pH 2-4 and 30°C were ideal for maximum adsorption. Based on regression fitting of the data, it was determined that the Sips isotherm (R 2 = 0.994, χ 2 = 0.5) adequately described the mechanism of adsorption, suggesting that the adsorption occurs homogeneously with favorable interaction between layers with favorable interaction between layers. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the adsorption is favorable (negative values for ΔG°) and endothermic (ΔH° = 12-20 kJ mol -1 ) for initial dye concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 ppm. The low ΔH° value indicates that the adsorption is a physical process involving weak chemical interactions like hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions. The kinetics revealed that the adsorption process showed pseudo-second-order tendencies with the equal influence of intraparticle as well as film diffusion. The scanning electron microscopy images of FSS show a highly fibrous matrix with a hierarchical porous structure. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the spent confirmed the presence of cellulosic and lignocellulosic matter, giving it both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The investigations indicate that FSS is a cost-effective and efficient biosorbent for the remediation of toxic CR dye.

Temperature changes in dental implants following exposure to hot substances in an ex vivo model.

PubMed

Feuerstein, Osnat; Zeichner, Kobi; Imbari, Chen; Ormianer, Zeev; Samet, Nachum; Weiss, Ervin I

2008-06-01

The habitual consumption of extremely hot foods and beverages may affect implant treatment modality. Our objectives were to: (i) establish the maximum temperature produced intra-orally while consuming very hot substances and (ii) use these values in an ex vivo model to assess the temperature changes along the implant-bone interface. Temperatures were measured using thermocouples linked to a computer. The thermocouple electrodes were attached to the tooth-gum interface of the interproximal areas in 14 volunteers during consumption of extremely hot foods and beverages. The in vivo measured temperature values obtained were used in an ex vivo model of a bovine mandible block with an implant and with an assembled abutment. Temperatures were measured by thermocouple electrodes attached to five locations, three of them along the implant-bone interface. During consumption of a hot beverage, a maximum temperature of up to 76.3 degrees C was recorded, and a calculated extreme intra-oral temperature of 61.4 degrees C was established. The ex vivo model showed a high correlation between the temperature measured at the abutment and that measured at the abutment-implant interface and inside the implant, reaching maximum temperatures close to 60 degrees C. At the mid-implant-bone and apical implant-bone interfaces, the maximum temperatures measured were 43.3 and 42 degrees C, respectively. The maximum temperatures measured at the implant-bone interfaces reached the temperature threshold of transient changes in bone (42 degrees C). The results of this study support the notion that intra-oral temperatures, developed during the consumption of very hot substances, may be capable of damaging peri-implant tissues.

Comparing maximum autonomic activity of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and epileptic seizures using heart rate variability.

PubMed

Jeppesen, Jesper; Beniczky, Sándor; Johansen, Peter; Sidenius, Per; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, Anders

2016-04-01

The semiology of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) can resemble epileptic seizures, and differentiation between epileptic seizures with no EEG-correlate and PNES can be challenging even for trained experts. Therefore, there has been a search for a quantitative measure, other than EEG and semiology that could distinguish PNES from epileptic seizures. We used ECG to measure heart rate variability (HRV) in order to compare maximum autonomic activity of epileptic seizures and PNES. These comparisons could potentially serve as biomarkers for distinguishing these types of clinical episodes. Forty-nine epileptic seizures from 17 patients and 24 PNES from 7 patients with analyzable ECG were recorded during long-term video-EEG monitoring. Moving windows of 100 R-R intervals throughout each seizure were used to find maximum values of Cardiac Sympathetic Index (CSI) (sympathetic tonus) and minimum values of Cardiac Vagal Index (CVI), Root-Mean-Square-of-Successive-Differences (RMSSD) and HF-power (parasympathetic tonus). In addition, non-seizure recordings of each patient were used to compare HRV-parameters between the groups. The maximum CSI for epilepsy seizures were higher than PNES (P=0.015). The minimum CVI, minimum RMSSD and HF-power did not show significant difference between epileptic seizures and PNES (P=0.762; P=0.152; P=0.818). There were no statistical difference of non-seizure HRV-parameters between the PNES and epilepsy patients. We found the maximum sympathetic activity accompanying the epileptic seizures to be higher, than that during the PNES. However, the great variation of autonomic response within both groups makes it difficult to use these HRV-measures as a sole measurement in distinguishing epileptic seizures from PNES. Copyright © 2016 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Effect of stock abundance and environmental factors on the recruitment success of small yellow croaker in the East China Sea].

PubMed

Liu, Zun-lei; Yuan, Xing-wei; Yang, Lin-lin; Yan, Li-ping; Zhang, Hui; Cheng, Jia-hua

2015-02-01

Multiple hypotheses are available to explain recruitment rate. Model selection methods can be used to identify the best model that supports a particular hypothesis. However, using a single model for estimating recruitment success is often inadequate for overexploited population because of high model uncertainty. In this study, stock-recruitment data of small yellow croaker in the East China Sea collected from fishery dependent and independent surveys between 1992 and 2012 were used to examine density-dependent effects on recruitment success. Model selection methods based on frequentist (AIC, maximum adjusted R2 and P-values) and Bayesian (Bayesian model averaging, BMA) methods were applied to identify the relationship between recruitment and environment conditions. Interannual variability of the East China Sea environment was indicated by sea surface temperature ( SST) , meridional wind stress (MWS), zonal wind stress (ZWS), sea surface pressure (SPP) and runoff of Changjiang River ( RCR). Mean absolute error, mean squared predictive error and continuous ranked probability score were calculated to evaluate the predictive performance of recruitment success. The results showed that models structures were not consistent based on three kinds of model selection methods, predictive variables of models were spawning abundance and MWS by AIC, spawning abundance by P-values, spawning abundance, MWS and RCR by maximum adjusted R2. The recruitment success decreased linearly with stock abundance (P < 0.01), suggesting overcompensation effect in the recruitment success might be due to cannibalism or food competition. Meridional wind intensity showed marginally significant and positive effects on the recruitment success (P = 0.06), while runoff of Changjiang River showed a marginally negative effect (P = 0.07). Based on mean absolute error and continuous ranked probability score, predictive error associated with models obtained from BMA was the smallest amongst different approaches, while that from models selected based on the P-value of the independent variables was the highest. However, mean squared predictive error from models selected based on the maximum adjusted R2 was highest. We found that BMA method could improve the prediction of recruitment success, derive more accurate prediction interval and quantitatively evaluate model uncertainty.

Cytotoxic potential of few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay on HepG2 cells

PubMed Central

Garg, Munish; Lata, Kusum; Satija, Saurabh

2016-01-01

Objective: To investigate in vitro anticancer activity of a few Indian fruit peels through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against HepG2 cells. Materials and Methods: Hydroalcoholic extracts were prepared of five fruit peels, i.e., banana, lemon, guava, orange, and papaya by maceration and thereafter subjected for MTT assay to evaluate anticancer potential on HepG2 cells. Plant extract showed best activity was further fractionated with petroleum ether, chloroform, and ethyl acetate successively and screened again. Phytochemical analysis was then carried out to find out responsible components for the observed activity. Results: Out of the 40 samples from five fruit peel extracts with rich folklore usage, papaya extract showed maximum activity with least inhibitory concentration50 (IC50) value of 18.5 μg/ml. Further analysis after fractionation of the papaya peel extract, aqueous fraction showed the maximum inhibitory activity with least IC50 value of 17.3 μg/ml. Phytochemical analysis of the aqueous fraction of papaya peel extract revealed the presence of flavonoids and glycosides. Total flavonoid content found to be 72.25 mg/g. Conclusion: Papaya fruit extract demonstrated the best activity against MTT assay which may be due to the presence of flavonoids. PMID:26997725

The Influence of Post System Design and Material on the Biomechanical Behavior of Teeth with Little Remaining Coronal Structure.

PubMed

Pinto, Cristiano Lazzari; Bhering, Claudia Lopes Brilhante; de Oliveira, Gabriel Rodrigues; Maroli, Angélica; Reginato, Vagner Flávio; Caldas, Ricardo Armini; Bacchi, Atais

2018-05-14

To evaluate the influence of different post systems on the biomechanical behavior of teeth with a severe loss of remaining coronal structure. Fifty standardized bovine teeth (n = 10 per group) were restored with: cast post-and-core (CPC), prefabricated metallic post (PFM), parallel glass-fiber post (P-FP), conical glass-fiber post (C-FP), or composite core (no post, CC). The survival rate during thermomechanical challenging (TC), the fracture strength (FS), and failure patterns (FP) were evaluated. Finite element models evaluated the stress distribution after the application of 100 N. All specimens survived TC. Similar FS was observed among post-containing groups. Groups P-FP and CC presented 100% repairable fractures. The von Mises analysis showed the maximum stresses into the root canal in groups restored with metallic posts. Glass-fiber posts and CC presented the maximum stresses at the load contact point. Glass-fiber groups showed lower stresses in the analysis of maximal contact pressure; CPC led to the highest values of contact pressure. The modified von Mises (mvM) stress in dentin did not show differences among groups. Moreover, mvM values did not reach the dentin fracture limit for any group. The type of intracanal post had a relevant influence on the biomechanical behavior of teeth with little remaining coronal structure. © 2018 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Investigations on the Aerodynamic Characteristics and Blade Excitations of the Radial Turbine with Pulsating Inlet Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yixiong; Yang, Ce; Yang, Dengfeng; Zhang, Rui

2016-04-01

The aerodynamic performance, detailed unsteady flow and time-based excitations acting on blade surfaces of a radial flow turbine have been investigated with pulsation flow condition. The results show that the turbine instantaneous performance under pulsation flow condition deviates from the quasi-steady value significantly and forms obvious hysteretic loops around the quasi-steady conditions. The detailed analysis of unsteady flow shows that the characteristic of pulsation flow field in radial turbine is highly influenced by the pulsation inlet condition. The blade torque, power and loading fluctuate with the inlet pulsation wave in a pulse period. For the blade excitations, the maximum and the minimum blade excitations conform to the wave crest and wave trough of the inlet pulsation, respectively, in time-based scale. And toward blade chord direction, the maximum loading distributes along the blade leading edge until 20% chord position and decreases from the leading to trailing edge.

Superposed Epoch Studies of the Response of the High-Latitude Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System to Solar Wind High-Speed Stream Driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grandin, M.; Aikio, A. T.; Kozlovsky, A.; Ulich, T.; Raita, T.

2016-12-01

During the declining phase of the solar cycle, the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system is mainly disturbed by solar wind high-speed streams (HSSs). Their ionospheric response, especially at high latitudes, is not fully understood yet. The perturbations in the ionosphere last for several days. We have examined the effect of HSS in two studies, which apply the superposed epoch method to data to reveal the statistical response in the ionospheric F, E and D regions to such perturbations. We use ionosonde, geomagnetic and cosmic noise absorption data obtained from Finnish stations during 95 high-speed stream events detected between 2006 and 2008. Results show a long-lasting decrease in the F layer critical frequency foF2 between 12 and 23 MLT in summer and equinox. This depletion of the F layer is interpreted as a result of enhanced electric fields inducing ion-neutral frictional heating in the auroral and subauroral regions. The response near noon is different, since foF2 is increased shortly upon arrival of the co-rotating stream interaction region (CIR), possibly because of precipitation of particles from the dayside plasma sheet provoked by the associated solar wind pressure pulse. In the morning sector, both foF2 and foEs show increases for several days, indicating particle precipitation having a soft component. In the study of cosmic noise absorption (CNA), we observe a different response depending on the L-value of the station. Within the auroral oval (L=5-6), CNA gets maximum values in the morning sector 0-12 MLT during the first and second day following the zero epoch. Values are greater during events with longer-lasting high solar wind speed. The CNA maximum shifts to later MLT at lower L values, and in JYV (L=3.8), the maximum takes place at 14 MLT during day 4. Substorm energization events dominate during the first days at 00-01 MLT. We also address the role of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations observed in association with CNA events. These results may contribute to improve nowcasting and forecasting of space weather activity during high-speed stream events.

Conventional and catalytic pyrolysis of pinyon juniper biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yathavan, Bhuvanesh Kumar

Pinyon and juniper are invasive woody species in Western United States that occupy over 47 million acres of land. The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has embarked on harvesting these woody species to make room for range grasses for grazing. The major application of harvested pinyon-juniper (PJ) is low value firewood. Thus, there is a need to develop new high value products from this woody biomass to reduce the cost of harvesting. In this research PJ biomass was processed through pyrolysis technology to produce value added products. The first part of the thesis demonstrates the effect of PJ wood, bark and mixture biomass and temperature on the product yield and on the quality of the bio-oil produced. The second part focuses on the optimization of process parameters for maximum yield and the third part focuses on upgrading the bio-oil with an industrial catalyst (HZSM5) and an industrial waste product (red mud). The results obtained from the first part showed that PJ wood produced maximum bio-oil yield, followed by PJ mixture and bark. The bio-oil yield from PJ wood had low viscosity when compared to PJ mixture and PJ bark. The second part focused on studying the effect of process parameters (temperature, feed rate and the gas flow rate) on the total liquid, organic, water, char and gas yield. The results show that each response is affected by different factor level combinations, and maximum yield for each response was obtained at different factors level. The third part focused on catalytic pyrolysis of PJ biomass using both HZSM-5 catalyst and red mud. The mechanisms of catalysis by the two catalysts were quite different. Whereas the HZSM-5 rejected oxygen mostly as carbon monoxide and water and produced lower amounts of carbon dioxide, on the contrary the red mud produced more carbon dioxide and water and less carbon monoxide. The higher heating value of the red mud catalyzed oil (29.46 MJ/kg) was slightly higher than that catalyzed by HZSM-5 (28.55 MJ/kg). Thus, red mud can be used to achieve similar catalytic pyrolysis results as HZSM-5 catalysts.

Modelling coupled turbulence - dissolved oxygen dynamics near the sediment-water interface under wind waves and sea swell.

PubMed

Chatelain, Mathieu; Guizien, Katell

2010-03-01

A one-dimensional vertical unsteady numerical model for diffusion-consumption of dissolved oxygen (DO) above and below the sediment-water interface was developed to investigate DO profile dynamics under wind waves and sea swell (high-frequency oscillatory flows with periods ranging from 2 to 30s). We tested a new approach to modelling DO profiles that coupled an oscillatory turbulent bottom boundary layer model with a Michaelis-Menten based consumption model. The flow regime controls both the mean value and the fluctuations of the oxygen mass transfer efficiency during a wave cycle, as expressed by the non-dimensional Sherwood number defined with the maximum shear velocity (Sh). The Sherwood number was found to be non-dependent on the sediment biogeochemical activity (mu). In the laminar regime, both cycle-averaged and variance of the Sherwood number are very low (Sh <0.05, VAR(Sh)<0.1%). In the turbulent regime, the cycle-averaged Sherwood number is larger (Sh approximately 0.2). The Sherwood number also has intra-wave cycle fluctuations that increase with the wave Reynolds number (VAR(Sh) up to 30%). Our computations show that DO mass transfer efficiency under high-frequency oscillatory flows in the turbulent regime are water-side controlled by: (a) the diffusion time across the diffusive boundary layer and (b) diffusive boundary layer dynamics during a wave cycle. As a result of these two processes, when the wave period decreases, the Sh minimum increases and the Sh maximum decreases. Sh values vary little, ranging from 0.17 to 0.23. For periods up to 30s, oxygen penetration depth into the sediment did not show any intra-wave fluctuations. Values for the laminar regime are small (

Parameter optimisation for a better representation of drought by LSMs: inverse modelling vs. sequential data assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewaele, Hélène; Munier, Simon; Albergel, Clément; Planque, Carole; Laanaia, Nabil; Carrer, Dominique; Calvet, Jean-Christophe

2017-09-01

Soil maximum available water content (MaxAWC) is a key parameter in land surface models (LSMs). However, being difficult to measure, this parameter is usually uncertain. This study assesses the feasibility of using a 15-year (1999-2013) time series of satellite-derived low-resolution observations of leaf area index (LAI) to estimate MaxAWC for rainfed croplands over France. LAI interannual variability is simulated using the CO2-responsive version of the Interactions between Soil, Biosphere and Atmosphere (ISBA) LSM for various values of MaxAWC. Optimal value is then selected by using (1) a simple inverse modelling technique, comparing simulated and observed LAI and (2) a more complex method consisting in integrating observed LAI in ISBA through a land data assimilation system (LDAS) and minimising LAI analysis increments. The evaluation of the MaxAWC estimates from both methods is done using simulated annual maximum above-ground biomass (Bag) and straw cereal grain yield (GY) values from the Agreste French agricultural statistics portal, for 45 administrative units presenting a high proportion of straw cereals. Significant correlations (p value < 0.01) between Bag and GY are found for up to 36 and 53 % of the administrative units for the inverse modelling and LDAS tuning methods, respectively. It is found that the LDAS tuning experiment gives more realistic values of MaxAWC and maximum Bag than the inverse modelling experiment. Using undisaggregated LAI observations leads to an underestimation of MaxAWC and maximum Bag in both experiments. Median annual maximum values of disaggregated LAI observations are found to correlate very well with MaxAWC.

An acoustic emission study of plastic deformation in polycrystalline aluminium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bill, R. C.; Frederick, J. R.; Felbeck, D. K.

1979-01-01

Acoustic emission experiments were performed on polycrystalline and single crystal 99.99% aluminum while undergoing tensile deformation. It was found that acoustic emission counts as a function of grain size showed a maximum value at a particular grain size. Furthermore, the slip area associated with this particular grain size corresponded to the threshold level of detectability of single dislocation slip events. The rate of decline in acoustic emission activity as grain size is increased beyond the peak value suggests that grain boundary associated dislocation sources are giving rise to the bulk of the detected acoustic emissions.

Earthquake hazard analysis for the different regions in and around Aǧrı

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayrak, Erdem; Yilmaz, Şeyda; Bayrak, Yusuf

2016-04-01

We investigated earthquake hazard parameters for Eastern part of Turkey by determining the a and b parameters in a Gutenberg-Richter magnitude-frequency relationship. For this purpose, study area is divided into seven different source zones based on their tectonic and seismotectonic regimes. The database used in this work was taken from different sources and catalogues such as TURKNET, International Seismological Centre (ISC), Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for instrumental period. We calculated the a value, b value, which is the slope of the frequency-magnitude Gutenberg-Richter relationship, from the maximum likelihood method (ML). Also, we estimated the mean return periods, the most probable maximum magnitude in the time period of t-years and the probability for an earthquake occurrence for an earthquake magnitude ≥ M during a time span of t-years. We used Zmap software to calculate these parameters. The lowest b value was calculated in Region 1 covered Cobandede Fault Zone. We obtain the highest a value in Region 2 covered Kagizman Fault Zone. This conclusion is strongly supported from the probability value, which shows the largest value (87%) for an earthquake with magnitude greater than or equal to 6.0. The mean return period for such a magnitude is the lowest in this region (49-years). The most probable magnitude in the next 100 years was calculated and we determined the highest value around Cobandede Fault Zone. According to these parameters, Region 1 covered the Cobandede Fault Zone and is the most dangerous area around the Eastern part of Turkey.

The effect of net charge on the solubility, activity, and stability of ribonuclease Sa.

PubMed

Shaw, K L; Grimsley, G R; Yakovlev, G I; Makarov, A A; Pace, C N

2001-06-01

The net charge and isoelectric pH (pI) of a protein depend on the content of ionizable groups and their pK values. Ribonuclease Sa (RNase Sa) is an acidic protein with a pI = 3.5 that contains no Lys residues. By replacing Asp and Glu residues on the surface of RNase Sa with Lys residues, we have created a 3K variant (D1K, D17K, E41K) with a pI = 6.4 and a 5K variant (3K + D25K, E74K) with a pI = 10.2. We show that pI values estimated using pK values based on model compound data can be in error by >1 pH unit, and suggest how the estimation can be improved. For RNase Sa and the 3K and 5K variants, the solubility, activity, and stability have been measured as a function of pH. We find that the pH of minimum solubility varies with the pI of the protein, but that the pH of maximum activity and the pH of maximum stability do not.

Heterotrophic Potential for Amino Acid Uptake in a Naturally Eutrophic Lake1

PubMed Central

Burnison, B. Kent; Morita, Richard Y.

1974-01-01

The uptake of sixteen 14C-labeled amino acids by the indigenous heterotrophic microflora of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, was measured using the kinetic approach. The year-long study showed a seasonal variation in the maximum uptake velocity, Vmax, of all the amino acids which was proportional to temperature. The maximum total flux of amino acids by the heterotrophic microflora ranged from 1.2 to 11.9 μmol of C per liter per day (spring to summer). Glutamate, asparagine, aspartate, and serine had the highest Vmax values and were respired to the greatest extent. The percentages of the gross (net + respired) uptake of the amino acids which were respired to CO2 ranged from 2% for leucine to 63% for glutamate. Serine, lysine, and glycine were the most abundant amino acids found in Upper Klamath Lake surface water; at intermediate concentrations were alanine, aspartate, and threonine; and the remaining amino acids were always below 7.5 × 10-8 M (10 μg/liter). The amino acid concentrations determined chemically appear to be the sum of free and adsorbed amino acids, since the values obtained were usually greater than the (Kt + Sn) values obtained by the heterotrophic uptake experiments. PMID:4207581

Self-focusing and defocusing of Gaussian laser beams in collisional inhomogeneous plasmas with linear density and temperature ramps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashemzadeh, M.

2018-01-01

Self-focusing and defocusing of Gaussian laser beams in collisional inhomogeneous plasmas are investigated in the presence of various laser intensities and linear density and temperature ramps. Considering the ponderomotive force and using the momentum transfer and energy equations, the nonlinear electron density is derived. Taking into account the paraxial approximation and nonlinear electron density, a nonlinear differential equation, governing the focusing and defocusing of the laser beam, is obtained. Results show that in the absence of ramps the laser beam is focused between a minimum and a maximum value of laser intensity. For a certain value of laser intensity and initial electron density, the self-focusing process occurs in a temperature range which reaches its maximum at turning point temperature. However, the laser beam is converged in a narrow range for various amounts of initial electron density. It is indicated that the σ2 parameter and its sign can affect the self-focusing process for different values of laser intensity, initial temperature, and initial density. Finally, it is found that although the electron density ramp-down diverges the laser beam, electron density ramp-up improves the self-focusing process.

Acute Effects of Partial-Body Cryotherapy on Isometric Strength: Maximum Handgrip Strength Evaluation.

PubMed

De Nardi, Massimo; Pizzigalli, Luisa; Benis, Roberto; Caffaro, Federica; Micheletti Cremasco, Margherita

2017-12-01

De Nardi, M, Pizzigalli, L, Benis, R, Caffaro, F, and Cremasco, MM. Acute effects of partial-body cryotherapy on isometric strength: maximum handgrip strength evaluation. J Strength Cond Res 31(12): 3497-3502, 2017-The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of a single partial-body cryotherapy (PBC) session on the maximum handgrip strength (JAMAR Hydraulic Hand dynamometer). Two hundred healthy adults were randomized into a PBC group and a control group (50 men and 50 women in each group). After the initial handgrip strength test (T0), the experimental group performed a 150-second session of PBC (temperature range between -130 and -160° C), whereas the control group stayed in a thermo neutral room (22.0 ± 0.5° C). Immediately after, both groups performed another handgrip strength test (T1). Data underlined that both groups showed an increase in handgrip strength values, especially the experimental group (Control: T0 = 39.48 kg, T1 = 40.01 kg; PBC: T0 = 39.61 kg, T1 = 41.34 kg). The analysis also reported a statistical effect related to gender (F = 491.99, P ≤ 0.05), with women showing lower handgrip strength values compared with men (women = 30.43 kg, men = 52.27 kg). Findings provide the first evidence that a single session of PBC leads to the improvement of muscle strength in healthy people. The results of the study imply that PBC could be performed also before a training session or a sport competition, to increase hand isometric strength.

Relativistic model for anisotropic strange stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deb, Debabrata; Chowdhury, Sourav Roy; Ray, Saibal; Rahaman, Farook; Guha, B. K.

2017-12-01

In this article, we attempt to find a singularity free solution of Einstein's field equations for compact stellar objects, precisely strange (quark) stars, considering Schwarzschild metric as the exterior spacetime. To this end, we consider that the stellar object is spherically symmetric, static and anisotropic in nature and follows the density profile given by Mak and Harko (2002) , which satisfies all the physical conditions. To investigate different properties of the ultra-dense strange stars we have employed the MIT bag model for the quark matter. Our investigation displays an interesting feature that the anisotropy of compact stars increases with the radial coordinate and attains its maximum value at the surface which seems an inherent property for the singularity free anisotropic compact stellar objects. In this connection we also perform several tests for physical features of the proposed model and show that these are reasonably acceptable within certain range. Further, we find that the model is consistent with the energy conditions and the compact stellar structure is stable with the validity of the TOV equation and Herrera cracking concept. For the masses below the maximum mass point in mass vs radius curve the typical behavior achieved within the framework of general relativity. We have calculated the maximum mass and radius of the strange stars for the three finite values of bag constant Bg.

Developing the fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm based on maximum entropy for multitarget tracking in a cluttered environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiao; Li, Yaan; Yu, Jing; Li, Yuxing

2018-01-01

For fast and more effective implementation of tracking multiple targets in a cluttered environment, we propose a multiple targets tracking (MTT) algorithm called maximum entropy fuzzy c-means clustering joint probabilistic data association that combines fuzzy c-means clustering and the joint probabilistic data association (PDA) algorithm. The algorithm uses the membership value to express the probability of the target originating from measurement. The membership value is obtained through fuzzy c-means clustering objective function optimized by the maximum entropy principle. When considering the effect of the public measurement, we use a correction factor to adjust the association probability matrix to estimate the state of the target. As this algorithm avoids confirmation matrix splitting, it can solve the high computational load problem of the joint PDA algorithm. The results of simulations and analysis conducted for tracking neighbor parallel targets and cross targets in a different density cluttered environment show that the proposed algorithm can realize MTT quickly and efficiently in a cluttered environment. Further, the performance of the proposed algorithm remains constant with increasing process noise variance. The proposed algorithm has the advantages of efficiency and low computational load, which can ensure optimum performance when tracking multiple targets in a dense cluttered environment.

Universal inverse power-law distribution for temperature and rainfall in the UK region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvam, A. M.

2014-06-01

Meteorological parameters, such as temperature, rainfall, pressure, etc., exhibit selfsimilar space-time fractal fluctuations generic to dynamical systems in nature such as fluid flows, spread of forest fires, earthquakes, etc. The power spectra of fractal fluctuations display inverse power-law form signifying long-range correlations. A general systems theory model predicts universal inverse power-law form incorporating the golden mean for the fractal fluctuations. The model predicted distribution was compared with observed distribution of fractal fluctuations of all size scales (small, large and extreme values) in the historic month-wise temperature (maximum and minimum) and total rainfall for the four stations Oxford, Armagh, Durham and Stornoway in the UK region, for data periods ranging from 92 years to 160 years. For each parameter, the two cumulative probability distributions, namely cmax and cmin starting from respectively maximum and minimum data value were used. The results of the study show that (i) temperature distributions (maximum and minimum) follow model predicted distribution except for Stornowy, minimum temperature cmin. (ii) Rainfall distribution for cmin follow model predicted distribution for all the four stations. (iii) Rainfall distribution for cmax follows model predicted distribution for the two stations Armagh and Stornoway. The present study suggests that fractal fluctuations result from the superimposition of eddy continuum fluctuations.

Predicting Power Output of Upper Body using the OMNI-RES Scale.

PubMed

Bautista, Iker J; Chirosa, Ignacio J; Tamayo, Ignacio Martín; González, Andrés; Robinson, Joseph E; Chirosa, Luis J; Robertson, Robert J

2014-12-09

The main aim of this study was to determine the optimal training zone for maximum power output. This was to be achieved through estimating mean bar velocity of the concentric phase of a bench press using a prediction equation. The values for the prediction equation would be obtained using OMNI-RES scale values of different loads of the bench press exercise. Sixty males (age 23.61 2.81 year; body height 176.29 6.73 cm; body mass 73.28 4.75 kg) voluntarily participated in the study and were tested using an incremental protocol on a Smith machine to determine one repetition maximum (1RM) in the bench press exercise. A linear regression analysis produced a strong correlation (r = -0.94) between rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and mean bar velocity (Velmean). The Pearson correlation analysis between real power output (PotReal) and estimated power (PotEst) showed a strong correlation coefficient of r = 0.77, significant at a level of p = 0.01. Therefore, the OMNI-RES scale can be used to predict Velmean in the bench press exercise to control the intensity of the exercise. The positive relationship between PotReal and PotEst allowed for the identification of a maximum power-training zone.

Predicting Power Output of Upper Body using the OMNI-RES Scale

PubMed Central

Bautista, Iker J.; Chirosa, Ignacio J.; Tamayo, Ignacio Martín; González, Andrés; Robinson, Joseph E.; Chirosa, Luis J.; Robertson, Robert J.

2014-01-01

The main aim of this study was to determine the optimal training zone for maximum power output. This was to be achieved through estimating mean bar velocity of the concentric phase of a bench press using a prediction equation. The values for the prediction equation would be obtained using OMNI–RES scale values of different loads of the bench press exercise. Sixty males (age 23.61 2.81 year; body height 176.29 6.73 cm; body mass 73.28 4.75 kg) voluntarily participated in the study and were tested using an incremental protocol on a Smith machine to determine one repetition maximum (1RM) in the bench press exercise. A linear regression analysis produced a strong correlation (r = −0.94) between rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and mean bar velocity (Velmean). The Pearson correlation analysis between real power output (PotReal) and estimated power (PotEst) showed a strong correlation coefficient of r = 0.77, significant at a level of p = 0.01. Therefore, the OMNI–RES scale can be used to predict Velmean in the bench press exercise to control the intensity of the exercise. The positive relationship between PotReal and PotEst allowed for the identification of a maximum power-training zone. PMID:25713677

A Maximum Muscle Strength Prediction Formula Using Theoretical Grade 3 Muscle Strength Value in Daniels et al.'s Manual Muscle Test, in Consideration of Age: An Investigation of Hip and Knee Joint Flexion and Extension.

PubMed

Usa, Hideyuki; Matsumura, Masashi; Ichikawa, Kazuna; Takei, Hitoshi

2017-01-01

This study attempted to develop a formula for predicting maximum muscle strength value for young, middle-aged, and elderly adults using theoretical Grade 3 muscle strength value (moment fair: M f )-the static muscular moment to support a limb segment against gravity-from the manual muscle test by Daniels et al. A total of 130 healthy Japanese individuals divided by age group performed isometric muscle contractions at maximum effort for various movements of hip joint flexion and extension and knee joint flexion and extension, and the accompanying resisting force was measured and maximum muscle strength value (moment max, M m ) was calculated. Body weight and limb segment length (thigh and lower leg length) were measured, and M f was calculated using anthropometric measures and theoretical calculation. There was a linear correlation between M f and M m in each of the four movement types in all groups, excepting knee flexion in elderly. However, the formula for predicting maximum muscle strength was not sufficiently compatible in middle-aged and elderly adults, suggesting that the formula obtained in this study is applicable in young adults only.

A Maximum Muscle Strength Prediction Formula Using Theoretical Grade 3 Muscle Strength Value in Daniels et al.'s Manual Muscle Test, in Consideration of Age: An Investigation of Hip and Knee Joint Flexion and Extension

PubMed Central

Matsumura, Masashi; Ichikawa, Kazuna; Takei, Hitoshi

2017-01-01

This study attempted to develop a formula for predicting maximum muscle strength value for young, middle-aged, and elderly adults using theoretical Grade 3 muscle strength value (moment fair: Mf)—the static muscular moment to support a limb segment against gravity—from the manual muscle test by Daniels et al. A total of 130 healthy Japanese individuals divided by age group performed isometric muscle contractions at maximum effort for various movements of hip joint flexion and extension and knee joint flexion and extension, and the accompanying resisting force was measured and maximum muscle strength value (moment max, Mm) was calculated. Body weight and limb segment length (thigh and lower leg length) were measured, and Mf was calculated using anthropometric measures and theoretical calculation. There was a linear correlation between Mf and Mm in each of the four movement types in all groups, excepting knee flexion in elderly. However, the formula for predicting maximum muscle strength was not sufficiently compatible in middle-aged and elderly adults, suggesting that the formula obtained in this study is applicable in young adults only. PMID:28133549

[Investigation of the age-dependent development of brachygnathia inferior in the East Friesian milk sheep].

PubMed

Pielmeier, Ricarda; Kerkmann, Andrea; Distl, Ottmar

2012-01-01

Shortness of the lower jaw (brachygnathia inferior, underbite) is a common anomaly in sheep. In order to study the age-dependent development of brachygnathia inferior, data of 73 East Friesian milk sheep from a breeding experiment over six generations were analysed. Data were recorded in regular intervals of four weeks from birth up to an age of at least 25 weeks. Brachygnathia inferior was determined by the distance between the edge of the central incisor of the lower jaw and the anterior surrounding of the upper jaw (DIFF-UK) using a measuring tape. Four main types of brachygnathia inferior were distinguished using means, standard deviations and maximum values of the individual animals.The thresholds were a maximum and mean DIFF-UK of 0.5 cm and a standard deviation of 0.266 cm. A total of 14 sheep (main types 3 and 4) showed an obvious brachygnathia inferior with mean DIFF-UK larger than 0.5 cm whereof ten animals showed a large variation of DIFF-UK values (standard deviation > 0.226 cm). Mean DIFF-UK values of 59 sheep were smaller than 0.5 cm (main types 1 and 2). One of these 59 animals had during the first four weeks of life DIFF-UK values of 1 cm and than decreasing values reaching zero within the next nine months (main type 2). Five of the 58 animals with main type 1 had a perfect occlusion of jaws, all with DIFF-UK values at zero during the whole recording period. Parents with severe or mild brachygnathia inferior had severely affected progeny. Selection of sheep for breeding with a perfect occlusion of jaws decreases the risk to pass on the hereditary disposition for brachygnathia inferior. An early inspection of potential breeding animals is advisable to detect all cases of brachygnathia inferior even if the underbite decreases in the first year of life.

The Influence of pH on Prokaryotic Cell Size and Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundararajan, D.; Gutierrez, F.; Heim, N. A.; Payne, J.

2015-12-01

The pH of a habitat is essential to an organism's growth and success in its environment. Although most organisms maintain a neutral internal pH, their environmental pH can vary greatly. However, little research has been done concerning an organism's environmental pH across a wide range of taxa. We studied pH tolerance in prokaryotes and its relationship with biovolume, taxonomic classification, and ideal temperature. We had three hypotheses: pH and temperature are not correlated; pH tolerance is similar within taxonomic groups; and extremophiles have small cell sizes. To test these hypotheses, we used pH, size, and taxonomic data from The Prokaryotes. We found that the mean optimum external pH was neutral for prokaryotes as a whole and when divided by domain, phylum, and class. Using ANOVA to test for pH within and among group variances, we found that variation of pH in domains, phyla, classes, and families was greater than between them. pH and size did not show much of a correlation, except that the largest and smallest sized prokaryotes had nearly neutral pH. This seems significant because extremophiles need to divert more of their energy from growth to maintain a neutral internal pH. Acidophiles showed a larger range of optimum pH values than alkaliphiles. A similar result was seen with the minimum and maximum pH values of acidophiles and alkaliphiles. While acidophiles were spread out and had some alkaline maximum values, alkaliphiles had smaller ranges, and unlike some acidophiles that had pH minimums close to zero, alkaliphile pH maximums did not go beyond a pH of 12. No statistically significant differences were found between sizes of acidophiles and alkaliphiles. However, optimum temperatures of acidophiles and alkaliphiles did have a statistically significant difference. pH and temperature had a negative correlation. Therefore, pH seems to have a correlation with cell size, temperature, and taxonomy to some extent.

Insecticidal compounds from Rhizophoraceae mangrove plants for the management of dengue vector Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Ali, M Syed; Ravikumar, S; Beula, J Margaret; Anuradha, V; Yogananth, N

2014-06-01

Mosquito control is facing a threat due to the emergence of resistance to synthetic insecticides. Insecticides of botanical origin could serve as potential alternatives in future. Larvicidal efficacies of different parts of mangrove plants belonging to Rhizophoraceae family were tested against the late IV instar larvae of dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. Different plant parts (leaf, bark, root, stilt root, hypocotyl and flower) of Rhizophoraceae family mangrove plants (Bruguiera cylindrica, Ceriops decandra, Rhizophora mucronata and R. apiculata) were collected from Karangadu southeast coast of India. The larval mortality was observed after 24 h exposure. Repellency bioassays were carried out in a 10 Χ 10 Χ 3 m room at 27- 35°C and 60- 80% RH. The bark (A3 and E1) and stilt root (A3 and E4) fractions of R. mucronata with different concentrations (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1, 2 and 4 mg/cm) were applied on one arm. The stilt root crude extract of R. mucronata showed maximum larvicidal activity (LC50 value 0.0275 ± 0.0066 μg/ml and LC90 = 0.0695 ± 0.156 μg/ml) followed by the bark extract (LC50 value of 0.03 ± 0.0076 μg/ml and LC90 = 0.0915 ± 0.156 μg/ml). Column chromatographic fractions of R. mucronata bark extracts (E1) showed maximum larvicidal activity (LC50 = 0.0496 ± 0.0085 μg/ml and LC90 = 0.1264 ± 0.052 μg/ml) followed by the acetone extract (LC50 = 0.0564 ± 0.0069 μg/ml and LC90 = 0.1187 ± 0.05 μg/ml). Ethanolic fraction (E4) of R. mucronata stilt root extracts showed maximum larvicidal activity (LC50 = 0.0484 ± 0.0078 μg/ml and LC90 = 0.1191 ± 0.025 μg/ml) followed by acetone fraction (A3) (LC50 = 0.0419 ± 0.0059 μg/ml and LC90 = 0.0955 ± 0.069 μg/ml). Repellent activity of R. mucronata stilt root and bark extracts (A3) showed maximum percentage of protection (97.5%) with 9.1 h protection time at 4 mg concentration of the stilt root extract. Moreover, ethanolic fraction of the stilt root (E4) extract showed maximum percentage of protection (100%) with 10 h protection time at 4 mg concentration. GC-MS analysis revealed that R. mucronata possesses variety of biopesticidal compounds. The results as well as the significance of this preliminary investigation highlight the importance of R. mucronata as a novel source for natural insecticidal products.

77 FR 60089 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Delaware, New Jersey, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-02

... quarter substitution test. ``Collocated'' indicates that the collocated data was substituted for missing... 24-hour standard design value is greater than the level of the standard. EPA addresses missing data... substituted for the missing data. In the maximum quarter test, maximum recorded values are substituted for the...

Benchmarking for maximum value.

PubMed

Baldwin, Ed

2009-03-01

Speaking at the most recent Healthcare Estates conference, Ed Baldwin, of international built asset consultancy EC Harris LLP, examined the role of benchmarking and market-testing--two of the key methods used to evaluate the quality and cost-effectiveness of hard and soft FM services provided under PFI healthcare schemes to ensure they are offering maximum value for money.

Removal Efficiency of the Heavy Metals Zn(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by Saprolegnia delica and Trichoderma viride at Different pH Values and Temperature Degrees

PubMed Central

Hashem, Mohamed

2007-01-01

The removal efficiency of the heavy metals Zn, Pb and Cd by the zoosporic fungal species Saprolegnia delica and the terrestrial fungus Trichoderma viride, isolated from polluted water drainages in the Delta of Nile in Egypt, as affected by various ranges of pH values and different temperature degrees,was extensively investigated. The maximum removal efficiency of S. delica for Zn(II) and Cd(II) was obtained at pH 8 and for Pb(II) was at pH 6 whilst the removal efficiency of T. viride was found to be optimum at pH 6 for the three applied heavy metals. Regardless the median lethal doses of the three heavy metals, Zn recorded the highest bioaccumulation potency by S. delica at all pH values except at pH 4, followed by Pb whereas Cd showed the lowest removal potency by the fungal species and vice versa in case of T. viride. The optimum biomass dry weight production by S. delica was found when the fungus was grown in the medium treated with the heavy metal Pb at pH 6, followed by Zn at pH 8 and Cd at pH 8. The optimum biomass dry weight yield by T. viride amended with Zn,Pb and Cd was obtained at pH 6 for the three heavy metals with the maximum value at Zn. The highest yield of biomass dry weight was found when T. viride treated with Cd at all different pH values followed by Pb whilst Zn output was the lowest and this result was reversed in case of S. delica. The maximum removal efficiency and the biomass dry weight production for the three tested heavy metals was obtained at the incubation temperature 20℃ in case of S. delica while it was 25℃ for T. viride. Incubation of T. viride at higher temperatures (30℃ and 35℃) enhanced the removal efficiency of Pb and Cd than low temperatures (15℃ and 20℃) and vice versa in case of Zn removal. At all tested incubation temperatures, the maximum yield of biomass dry weight was attained at Zn treatment by the two tested fungal species. The bioaccumulation potency of S. delica for Zn was higher than that for Pb at all temperature degrees of incubation and Cd bioaccumulation was the lowest whereas T. viride showed the highest removal efficiency for Pb followed by Cd and Zn was the minor of the heavy metals. PMID:24015084

Irreducible structure, symmetry and average of Eshelby's tensor fields in isotropic elasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Q.-S.; Zhao, Z.-H.; Du, D.-X.

2006-02-01

The strain field ɛ(x) in an infinitely large, homogenous, and isotropic elastic medium induced by a uniform eigenstrain ɛ0 in a domain ω depends linearly upon ɛ0 : ɛij(x)=Sijklω(x)ɛkl0. It has been a long-standing conjecture that the Eshelby's tensor field Sω(x) is uniform inside ω if and only if ω is ellipsoidally shaped. Because of the minor index symmetry Sijklω=Sjiklω=Sijlkω, Sω might have a maximum of 36 or nine independent components in three or two dimensions, respectively. In this paper, using the irreducible decomposition of Sω, we show that the isotropic part S of Sω vanishes outside ω and is uniform inside ω with the same value as the Eshelby's tensor S0 for 3D spherical or 2D circular domains. We further show that the anisotropic part Aω=Sω-S of Sω is characterized by a second- and a fourth-order deviatoric tensors and therefore have at maximum 14 or four independent components as characteristics of ω's geometry. Remarkably, the above irreducible structure of Sω is independent of ω's geometry (e.g., shape, orientation, connectedness, convexity, boundary smoothness, etc.). Interesting consequences have implication for a number of recently findings that, for example, both the values of Sω at the center of a 2D Cn(n⩾3,n≠4)-symmetric or 3D icosahedral ω and the average value of Sω over such a ω are equal to S0.

Traction cytometry: regularization in the Fourier approach and comparisons with finite element method.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Ankur H; Ghosh, Prasenjit; Seetharaman, Ashwin; Kondaiah, Paturu; Gundiah, Namrata

2018-05-09

Traction forces exerted by adherent cells are quantified using displacements of embedded markers on polyacrylamide substrates due to cell contractility. Fourier Transform Traction Cytometry (FTTC) is widely used to calculate tractions but has inherent limitations due to errors in the displacement fields; these are mitigated through a regularization parameter (γ) in the Reg-FTTC method. An alternate finite element (FE) approach computes tractions on a domain using known boundary conditions. Robust verification and recovery studies are lacking but essential in assessing the accuracy and noise sensitivity of the traction solutions from the different methods. We implemented the L2 regularization method and defined a maximum curvature point in the traction with γ plot as the optimal regularization parameter (γ*) in the Reg-FTTC approach. Traction reconstructions using γ* yield accurate values of low and maximum tractions (Tmax) in the presence of up to 5% noise. Reg-FTTC is hence a clear improvement over the FTTC method but is inadequate to reconstruct low stresses such as those at nascent focal adhesions. FE, implemented using a node-by-node comparison, showed an intermediate reconstruction compared to Reg-FTTC. We performed experiments using mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) and compared results between these approaches. Tractions from FTTC and FE showed differences of ∼92% and 22% as compared to Reg-FTTC. Selection of an optimum value of γ for each cell reduced variability in the computed tractions as compared to using a single value of γ for all the MEF cells in this study.

The characteristics of phosphorus adsorption and desorption in gray desert soil of Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, B.; Sun, J. S.; Liu, H.; Ma, Y. B.

2017-07-01

The characteristics of phosphorus (P) adsorption and desorption in Xinjiang gray desert soil (0 - 200 mm) of China in the long-term fertilization condition is affected by the level of soil P content which studied through an isothermal adsorption and desorption experiments of P. The results stated that within the experimental concentration range, with the increase of the amount of outer-source phosphorus, P adsorption, desorption and desorption rate increased and adsorption rate decreased gradually in different Olsen-P levels of gray desert soil in Xinjiang, China. Olsen-P content is significantly correlated with the P adsorption saturation (DPS) of gray desert soil. The maximum adsorption capacity (Xm ) of the treatments followed an extremely significant decreasing order of CK>NPK≈NPKM>PK≈NPKS. The maximum buffer capacity (MBC) and adsorption constant (K) of the NPK treatment was much higher than NPKM, NPKS, PK and CK treatments. And, MBC value of CK treatment was extremely higher than NPKS and PK, however, the differences between NPKM and CK, NPKS and PK were not significant. The comparison between NPKM, NPKS, PK and CK treatments showed no significant difference in K value, but these four showed significantly lower than NPK treatments. The value of soil easy desorption P (RDP) of NPKS and NPKM was significantly higher than NPK and PK, and the chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer was a best way to release the phosphorus for Xinjiang agricultural production, China.

Collinear Latent Variables in Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis: A Comparison of Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Estimations.

PubMed

Can, Seda; van de Schoot, Rens; Hox, Joop

2015-06-01

Because variables may be correlated in the social and behavioral sciences, multicollinearity might be problematic. This study investigates the effect of collinearity manipulated in within and between levels of a two-level confirmatory factor analysis by Monte Carlo simulation. Furthermore, the influence of the size of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and estimation method; maximum likelihood estimation with robust chi-squares and standard errors and Bayesian estimation, on the convergence rate are investigated. The other variables of interest were rate of inadmissible solutions and the relative parameter and standard error bias on the between level. The results showed that inadmissible solutions were obtained when there was between level collinearity and the estimation method was maximum likelihood. In the within level multicollinearity condition, all of the solutions were admissible but the bias values were higher compared with the between level collinearity condition. Bayesian estimation appeared to be robust in obtaining admissible parameters but the relative bias was higher than for maximum likelihood estimation. Finally, as expected, high ICC produced less biased results compared to medium ICC conditions.

Pilot-scale verification of maximum tolerable hydrodynamic stress for mammalian cell culture.

PubMed

Neunstoecklin, Benjamin; Villiger, Thomas K; Lucas, Eric; Stettler, Matthieu; Broly, Hervé; Morbidelli, Massimo; Soos, Miroslav

2016-04-01

Although several scaling bioreactor models of mammalian cell cultures are suggested and described in the literature, they mostly lack a significant validation at pilot or manufacturing scale. The aim of this study is to validate an oscillating hydrodynamic stress loop system developed earlier by our group for the evaluation of the maximum operating range for stirring, based on a maximum tolerable hydrodynamic stress. A 300-L pilot-scale bioreactor for cultivation of a Sp2/0 cell line was used for this purpose. Prior to cultivations, a stress-sensitive particulate system was applied to determine the stress values generated by stirring and sparging. Pilot-scale data, collected from 7- to 28-Pa maximum stress conditions, were compared with data from classical 3-L cultivations and cultivations from the oscillating stress loop system. Results for the growth behavior, analyzed metabolites, productivity, and product quality showed a dependency on the different environmental stress conditions but not on reactor size. Pilot-scale conditions were very similar to those generated in the oscillating stress loop model confirming its predictive capability, including conditions at the edge of failure.

Nonparametric evaluation of quantitative traits in population-based association studies when the genetic model is unknown.

PubMed

Konietschke, Frank; Libiger, Ondrej; Hothorn, Ludwig A

2012-01-01

Statistical association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype and a quantitative trait in genome-wide association studies is usually assessed using a linear regression model, or, in the case of non-normally distributed trait values, using the Kruskal-Wallis test. While linear regression models assume an additive mode of inheritance via equi-distant genotype scores, Kruskal-Wallis test merely tests global differences in trait values associated with the three genotype groups. Both approaches thus exhibit suboptimal power when the underlying inheritance mode is dominant or recessive. Furthermore, these tests do not perform well in the common situations when only a few trait values are available in a rare genotype category (disbalance), or when the values associated with the three genotype categories exhibit unequal variance (variance heterogeneity). We propose a maximum test based on Marcus-type multiple contrast test for relative effect sizes. This test allows model-specific testing of either dominant, additive or recessive mode of inheritance, and it is robust against variance heterogeneity. We show how to obtain mode-specific simultaneous confidence intervals for the relative effect sizes to aid in interpreting the biological relevance of the results. Further, we discuss the use of a related all-pairwise comparisons contrast test with range preserving confidence intervals as an alternative to Kruskal-Wallis heterogeneity test. We applied the proposed maximum test to the Bogalusa Heart Study dataset, and gained a remarkable increase in the power to detect association, particularly for rare genotypes. Our simulation study also demonstrated that the proposed non-parametric tests control family-wise error rate in the presence of non-normality and variance heterogeneity contrary to the standard parametric approaches. We provide a publicly available R library nparcomp that can be used to estimate simultaneous confidence intervals or compatible multiplicity-adjusted p-values associated with the proposed maximum test.

Flood frequency analysis for nonstationary annual peak records in an urban drainage basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Villarini, G.; Smith, J.A.; Serinaldi, F.; Bales, J.; Bates, P.D.; Krajewski, W.F.

2009-01-01

Flood frequency analysis in urban watersheds is complicated by nonstationarities of annual peak records associated with land use change and evolving urban stormwater infrastructure. In this study, a framework for flood frequency analysis is developed based on the Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape parameters (GAMLSS), a tool for modeling time series under nonstationary conditions. GAMLSS is applied to annual maximum peak discharge records for Little Sugar Creek, a highly urbanized watershed which drains the urban core of Charlotte, North Carolina. It is shown that GAMLSS is able to describe the variability in the mean and variance of the annual maximum peak discharge by modeling the parameters of the selected parametric distribution as a smooth function of time via cubic splines. Flood frequency analyses for Little Sugar Creek (at a drainage area of 110 km2) show that the maximum flow with a 0.01-annual probability (corresponding to 100-year flood peak under stationary conditions) over the 83-year record has ranged from a minimum unit discharge of 2.1 m3 s- 1 km- 2 to a maximum of 5.1 m3 s- 1 km- 2. An alternative characterization can be made by examining the estimated return interval of the peak discharge that would have an annual exceedance probability of 0.01 under the assumption of stationarity (3.2 m3 s- 1 km- 2). Under nonstationary conditions, alternative definitions of return period should be adapted. Under the GAMLSS model, the return interval of an annual peak discharge of 3.2 m3 s- 1 km- 2 ranges from a maximum value of more than 5000 years in 1957 to a minimum value of almost 8 years for the present time (2007). The GAMLSS framework is also used to examine the links between population trends and flood frequency, as well as trends in annual maximum rainfall. These analyses are used to examine evolving flood frequency over future decades. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Occupational exposure to electric fields and induced currents associated with 400 kV substation tasks from different service platforms.

PubMed

Korpinen, Leena H; Elovaara, Jarmo A; Kuisti, Harri A

2011-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the occupational exposure to electric fields, average current densities, and average total contact currents at 400 kV substation tasks from different service platforms (main transformer inspection, maintenance of operating device of disconnector, maintenance of operating device of circuit breaker). The average values are calculated over measured periods (about 2.5 min). In many work tasks, the maximum electric field strengths exceeded the action values proposed in the EU Directive 2004/40/EC, but the average electric fields (0.2-24.5 kV/m) were at least 40% lower than the maximum values. The average current densities were 0.1-2.3 mA/m² and the average total contact currents 2.0-143.2 µA, that is, clearly less than the limit values of the EU Directive. The average values of the currents in head and contact currents were 16-68% lower than the maximum values when we compared the average value from all cases in the same substation. In the future it is important to pay attention to the fact that the action and limit values of the EU Directive differ significantly. It is also important to take into account that generally, the workers' exposure to the electric fields, current densities, and total contact currents are obviously lower if we use the average values from a certain measured time period (e.g., 2.5 min) than in the case where exposure is defined with only the help of the maximum values. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Blowing Snow Sublimation and Transport over Antarctica from 11 Years of CALIPSO Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palm, Stephen P.; Kayetha, Vinay; Yang, Yuekui; Pauly, Rebecca

2017-01-01

Blowing snow processes commonly occur over the earth's ice sheets when the 10 mile wind speed exceeds a threshold value. These processes play a key role in the sublimation and redistribution of snow thereby influencing the surface mass balance. Prior field studies and modeling results have shown the importance of blowing snow sublimation and transport on the surface mass budget and hydrological cycle of high-latitude regions. For the first time, we present continent-wide estimates of blowing snow sublimation and transport over Antarctica for the period 2006-2016 based on direct observation of blowing snow events. We use an improved version of the blowing snow detection algorithm developed for previous work that uses atmospheric backscatter measurements obtained from the CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) lidar aboard the CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) satellite. The blowing snow events identified by CALIPSO and meteorological fields from MERRA-2 are used to compute the blowing snow sublimation and transport rates. Our results show that maximum sublimation occurs along and slightly inland of the coastline. This is contrary to the observed maximum blowing snow frequency which occurs over the interior. The associated temperature and moisture reanalysis fields likely contribute to the spatial distribution of the maximum sublimation values. However, the spatial pattern of the sublimation rate over Antarctica is consistent with modeling studies and precipitation estimates. Overall, our results show that the 2006-2016 Antarctica average integrated blowing snow sublimation is about 393 +/- 196 Gt yr(exp -1), which is considerably larger than previous model-derived estimates. We find maximum blowing snow transport amount of 5 Mt km-1 yr(exp -1) over parts of East Antarctica and estimate that the average snow transport from continent to ocean is about 3.7 Gt yr(exp -1). These continent-wide estimates are the first of their kind and can be used to help model and constrain the surface mass budget over Antarctica.

Vertical Structure of Ice Cloud Layers From CloudSat and CALIPSO Measurements and Comparison to NICAM Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ham, Seung-Hee; Sohn, Byung-Ju; Kato, Seiji; Satoh, Masaki

2013-01-01

The shape of the vertical profile of ice cloud layers is examined using 4 months of CloudSat and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) global measurements taken on January, April, July, and October 2007. Ice clouds are selected using temperature profiles when the cloud base is located above the 253K temperature level. The obtained ice water content (IWC), effective radius, or extinction coefficient profiles are normalized by their layer mean values and are expressed in the normalized vertical coordinate, which is defined as 0 and 1 at the cloud base and top heights, respectively. Both CloudSat and CALIPSO observations show that the maximum in the IWC and extinction profiles shifts toward the cloud bottom, as the cloud depth increases. In addition, clouds with a base reaching the surface in a high-latitude region show that the maximum peak of the IWC and extinction profiles occurs near the surface, which is presumably due to snow precipitation. CloudSat measurements show that the seasonal difference in normalized cloud vertical profiles is not significant, whereas the normalized cloud vertical profile significantly varies depending on the cloud type and the presence of precipitation. It is further examined if the 7 day Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) simulation results from 25 December 2006 to 1 January 2007 generate similar cloud profile shapes. NICAM IWC profiles also show maximum peaks near the cloud bottom for thick cloud layers and maximum peaks at the cloud bottom for low-level clouds near the surface. It is inferred that oversized snow particles in the NICAM cloud scheme produce a more vertically inhomogeneous IWC profile than observations due to quick sedimentation.

Paraboloid Structured Silicon Surface for Enhanced Light Absorption: Experimental and Simulative Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Firoz; Baek, Seong-Ho; Kaur, Jasmeet; Fareed, Imran; Mobin, Abdul; Kim, Jae Hyun

2015-09-01

In this paper, we present an optical model that simulates the light trapping and scattering effects of a paraboloid texture surface first time. This model was experimentally verified by measuring the reflectance values of the periodically textured silicon (Si) surface with the shape of a paraboloid under different conditions. A paraboloid texture surface was obtained by electrochemical etching Si in the solution of hydrofluoric acid, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and deionized (DI) water. The paraboloid texture surface has the advantage of giving a lower reflectance value than the hemispherical, random pyramidal, and regular pyramidal texture surfaces. In the case of parabola, the light can be concentrated in the direction of the Si surface compared to the hemispherical, random pyramidal, and regular pyramidal textured surfaces. Furthermore, in a paraboloid textured surface, there can be a maximum value of 4 or even more by anisotropic etching duration compared to the hemispherical or pyramidal textured surfaces which have a maximum h/ D (depth and diameter of the texture) value of 0.5. The reflectance values were found to be strongly dependent on the h/ D ratio of the texture surface. The measured reflectance values were well matched with the simulated ones. The minimum reflectance value of ~4 % was obtained at a wavelength of 600 nm for an h/ D ratio of 3.75. The simulation results showed that the reflectance value for the h/ D ratio can be reduced to ~0.5 % by reducing the separations among the textures. This periodic paraboloidal structure can be applied to the surface texturing technique by substituting with a conventional pyramid textured surface or moth-eye antireflection coating.

Vestibulo-ocular reflex gain values in the suppression head impulse test of healthy subjects.

PubMed

Rey-Martinez, Jorge; Thomas-Arrizabalaga, Izaskun; Espinosa-Sanchez, Juan Manuel; Batuecas-Caletrio, Angel; Trinidad-Ruiz, Gabriel; Matiño-Soler, Eusebi; Perez-Fernandez, Nicolas

2018-02-15

To assess whether there are differences in vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain for suppression head impulse (SHIMP) and head impulse (HIMP) video head impulse test paradigms, and if so, what are their causes. Prospective multicenter observational double-blind nonrandomized clinical study was performed by collecting 80 healthy subjects from four reference hospitals. SHIMP data was postprocessed to eliminate impulses in which early SHIMP saccades were detected. Differences between HIMP and SHIMP VOR gain values were statistically evaluated. Head impulse maximum velocity, gender, age, direction of impulse, and hospital center were considered as possible influential factors. A small significant statistical difference between HIMP and SHIMP VOR gain values was found on repeated measures analysis of variance (-0.05 ± 0.006, P < 0.001). Optimized linear model showed a significant influence of age variable on the observed differences for HIMP and SHIMP gain values and did not find influence between gain values differences and maximum head impulse velocity. Both HIMP and SHIMP VOR gain values were significant lower (-0.09, P < 0.001) when the impulses were performed to the left side. We had observed a difference in SHIMP and HIMP gain values not adequately explained by known gain modification factors. The persistence of this slight but significant difference indicates that there are more factors causing lower SHIMP VOR gain values. This difference must to be considered in further studies as well as in the clinical SHIMP testing protocols. We hypothesized that VOR phasic response inhibition could be the underlying cause of this difference. IIb. Laryngoscope, 2018. © 2018 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

18F Fluorocholine Dynamic Time-of-Flight PET/MR Imaging in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Intermediate- to High-Risk Prostate Cancer: Initial Clinical-Pathologic Comparisons.

PubMed

Choi, Joon Young; Yang, Jaewon; Noworolski, Susan M; Behr, Spencer; Chang, Albert J; Simko, Jeffry P; Nguyen, Hao G; Carroll, Peter R; Kurhanewicz, John; Seo, Youngho

2017-02-01

Purpose To investigate the initial clinical value of fluorine 18 ( 18 F) fluorocholine (FCH) dynamic positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging by comparing its parameters with clinical-pathologic findings in patients with newly diagnosed intermediate- to high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) who plan to undergo radical prostatectomy. Materials and Methods The institutional review board approved the study protocol, and informed written consent was obtained from all subjects for this HIPAA-compliant study. Twelve men (mean age ± standard deviation, 61.7 years ± 8.4; range, 46-74 years) with untreated intermediate- to high-risk PCa characterized according to Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment (CAPRA) underwent preoperative FCH dynamic PET/MR imaging followed by radical prostatectomy between April and November 2015. PET/MR imaging parameters including average and maximum K1 (delivery rate constant) and standardized uptake values (SUVs) and Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) version 2 scores were measured and compared with clinical-pathologic characteristics. For statistical analysis, the Spearman rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed. Results Of the PET parameters, maximum SUV of primary tumors showed significant correlations with several clinical-pathologic parameters including serum prostate-specific antigen level (ρ = 0.71, P = .01), pathologic stage (ρ = 0.59, P = .043), and postsurgical CAPRA score (ρ = 0.72, P = .008). The overall PI-RADS score showed significant correlations with pathologic tumor volume (ρ = 0.81, P < .001), percentage of tumor cells with Gleason scores greater than 3 (ρ = 0.59, P = .02), and postsurgical CAPRA score (ρ = 0.58, P = .046). The high-risk postsurgical CAPRA score patient group had a significantly higher maximum SUV than did the intermediate-risk group. Combined PET and MR imaging showed improved sensitivity (88%) for prediction of pathologic extraprostatic extension compared with that with MR imaging (50%) and PET (75%) performed separately. Conclusion Maximum SUVs and PI-RADS scores from FCH PET/MR imaging show good correlation with clinical-pathologic characteristics, such as postsurgical CAPRA score, which are related to prognosis in patients with newly diagnosed intermediate- to high-risk PCa. © RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Effect of power history on the shape and the thermal stress of a large sapphire crystal during the Kyropoulos process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Tran Phu; Chuang, Hsiao-Tsun; Chen, Jyh-Chen; Hu, Chieh

2018-02-01

In this study, the effect of the power history on the shape of a sapphire crystal and the thermal stress during the Kyropoulos process are numerically investigated. The simulation results show that the thermal stress is strongly dependent on the power history. The thermal stress distributions in the crystal for all growth stages produced with different power histories are also studied. The results show that high von Mises stress regions are found close to the seed of the crystal, the highly curved crystal surface and the crystal-melt interface. The maximum thermal stress, which occurs at the crystal-melt interface, increases significantly in value as the crystal expands at the crown. After this, there is reduction in the maximum thermal stress as the crystal lengthens. There is a remarkable enhancement in the maximum von Mises stress when the crystal-melt interface is close to the bottom of the crucible. There are two obvious peaks in the maximum Von Mises stress, at the end of the crown stage and in the final stage, when cracking defects can form. To alleviate this problem, different power histories are considered in order to optimize the process to produce the lowest thermal stress in the crystal. The optimal power history is found to produce a significant reduction in the thermal stress in the crown stage.

An Assessment of SeaWiFS and MODIS Ocean Coverage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodward, Robert H.; Gregg, Watson W.

1998-01-01

Ocean coverages of SeaWiFS and MODIS were assessed for three seasons by considering monthly mean values of surface winds speeds and cloud cover. Mean and maximum coverages combined SeaWiFS and MODIS by considering combined coverages for ten-degree increments of the MODIS orbital mean anomaly. From this analysis the mean and maximum combined coverages for SeaWiFS and MODIS were determined for one and four-day periods for spring, summer, and winter seasons. Loss of coverage due to Sun glint and cloud cover were identified for both the individual and combined cases. Our analyses indicate that MODIS will enhance ocean coverage for all three seasons examined. ne combined SeaWiFS/MODIS show an increase of coverage of 42.2% to 48.7% over SeaWiFS alone for the three seasons studied; the increase in maximum one day coverage ranges from 47.5% to 52.0%. The increase in four-day coverage for the combined case ranged from 31.0% to 35.8% for mean coverage and 33.1 % to 39.2% for maximum coverage. We computed meridional distributions of coverages by binning the data into five-degree latitude bands. Our analysis shows a strong seasonal dependence of coverage. In general the meridional analysis indicates that increase in coverages for SeaWiFS/MODIS over SeaWiFS alone are greatest near the solar declination.

Athletes at altitude

PubMed Central

Pugh, L. G. C. E.

1967-01-01

1. Six international middle-distance runners were investigated during 4 weeks in England and during a similar period in Mexico City (2270 m (7450 ft.)) 2. In 3-mile (4828 m) time trials at 2270 m the increase in time taken by four subjects compared with sea level was 8·5% on the 4th day and 5·7% on the 29th day. There was thus a gain of 2·8% or 20 sec in time associated with acclimatization. 3. In 1-mile (1609 m) time trials the times were increased by 3·6% in the first week at altitude and by 1·5% in the 4th week. The improvement amounted to 2·1%, or 4·9 sec. 4. In 5 min maximum exercise on the ergometer maximum O2 intake for six subjects at altitude was reduced by 14·6% on the 2nd day and 9·5% on the 27th. Only one subject showed no change in maximum oxygen intake (V̇O2, max) with time spent at altitude. 5. Although V̇O2, max was persistently reduced at altitude work rates finally exceeded sea-level values, owing to increased over-all efficiency. 6. Forty-minute recovery O2 intakes after 5 min maximum exercise averaged 17·35 l. at sea level and 17·53 l. at altitude. Mean values from 40th to 50th min were within ± 7% of pre-exercise values. 7. Serial tests at increasing loads yielded a straight-line relation between O2 intake and work rate over a wide range of work rates at sea level and at altitude. Heart rate and ventilation for given work intensity were maximal in the first 2-10 days at altitude and thereafter declined. 8. Capillary HbO2 saturation fell from 93% at rest to 87% in maximum exercise. The corresponding alveolar gas tensions were PA, O2 89 mm Hg, PA, CO2 24 mm Hg. About half the total unsaturation in maximum exercise was explained by the Bohr effect. 9. In six of eight pairs of determinations V̇O2, max measured on the ergometer was within ± 0·15 l./min of V̇O2, max measured on the running track. Nevertheless, it was not possible to predict running performance from ergometer measurements. PMID:6058997

Hole-dominated transport in InSb nanowires grown on high-quality InSb films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algarni, Zaina; George, David; Singh, Abhay; Lin, Yuankun; Philipose, U.

2016-12-01

We have developed an effective strategy for synthesizing p-type indium antimonide (InSb) nanowires on a thin film of InSb grown on glass substrate. The InSb films were grown by a chemical reaction between S b 2 S 3 and I n and were characterized by structural, compositional, and optical studies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies reveal that the surface of the substrate is covered with a polycrystalline InSb film comprised of sub-micron sized InSb islands. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) results show that the film is stoichiometric InSb. The optical constants of the InSb film, characterized using a variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometer (VASE) shows a maximum value for refractive index at 3.7 near 1.8 eV, and the extinction coefficient (k) shows a maximum value 3.3 near 4.1 eV. InSb nanowires were subsequently grown on the InSb film with 20 nm sized Au nanoparticles functioning as the metal catalyst initiating nanowire growth. The InSb nanowires with diameters in the range of 40-60 nm exhibit good crystallinity and were found to be rich in Sb. High concentrations of anions in binary semiconductors are known to introduce acceptor levels within the band gap. This un-intentional doping of the InSb nanowire resulting in hole-dominated transport in the nanowires is demonstrated by the fabrication of a p-channel nanowire field effect transistor. The hole concentration and field effect mobility are estimated to be ≈1.3 × 1017 cm-3 and 1000 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively, at room temperature, values that are particularly attractive for the technological implications of utilizing p-InSb nanowires in CMOS electronics.

Design and development of multipurpose Kundt’s tube as physics learning media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nursulistiyo, E.

2018-03-01

Research had been conducted to develop Multipurpose Kundt's tube as a physics learning media. Research background was the absence of sound waves visualization to improve the understanding of learners. The purposes of this research were to develop Multipurpose Kundt’s tube as physics learning media and to test its feasibility. The developed tool was tested to find the speed of sound in the air, showing the double slit interference phenomenon of the sound, and show the temperature changes in the cold and heat reservoirs in the thermoacoustic process. The development step that had been used was Preliminary Study, Development, Field Test, and Dissemination or known as PDFD Model. On the implementation, the dissemination process was not done. The test was done by the experts, peers, and college students to find out the media feasibility level. The speed of sound in the air which was measured using Multipurpose Kundt’s tube obtained v ± Δv = 263 ± 24 m/s with the closeness value of 76.63% closer to the theoretical value. Also, it was founded a calibration factor of 1.32. The tool was able to show sound waves on the open-end tube. The value of the distance between minimum and maximum interferences between the experimental results compared to theory was almost the same, so it was concluded that the phenomenon of double-slit interference of the sound could be shown by the tool. The thermoacoustic phenomenon could be observed and gave maximum temperature 31.4°C in the hot reservoir, and minimum temperature 24°C in the cold reservoir at the frequency of 119 Hz. Temperature differences obtained 7.4°C. The result of the feasibility test obtained the average result of 88.23 in a “Very Good” category.

Local magnitude determinations for intermountain seismic belt earthquakes from broadband digital data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pechmann, J.C.; Nava, S.J.; Terra, F.M.; Bernier, J.C.

2007-01-01

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS) earthquake catalogs for the Utah and Yellowstone National Park regions contain two types of size measurements: local magnitude (ML) and coda magnitude (MC), which is calibrated against ML. From 1962 through 1993, UUSS calculated ML values for southern and central Intermountain Seismic Belt earthquakes using maximum peak-to-peak (p-p) amplitudes on paper records from one to five Wood-Anderson (W-A) seismographs in Utah. For ML determinations of earthquakes since 1994, UUSS has utilized synthetic W-A seismograms from U.S. National Seismic Network and UUSS broadband digital telemetry stations in the region, which numbered 23 by the end of our study period on 30 June 2002. This change has greatly increased the percentage of earthquakes for which ML can be determined. It is now possible to determine ML for all M ???3 earthquakes in the Utah and Yellowstone regions and earthquakes as small as M <1 in some areas. To maintain continuity in the magnitudes in the UUSS earthquake catalogs, we determined empirical ML station corrections that minimize differences between MLs calculated from paper and synthetic W-A records. Application of these station corrections, in combination with distance corrections from Richter (1958) which have been in use at UUSS since 1962, produces ML values that do not show any significant distance dependence. ML determinations for the Utah and Yellowstone regions for 1981-2002 using our station corrections and Richter's distance corrections have provided a reliable data set for recalibrating the MC scales for these regions. Our revised ML values are consistent with available moment magnitude determinations for Intermountain Seismic Belt earthquakes. To facilitate automatic ML measurements, we analyzed the distribution of the times of maximum p-p amplitudes in synthetic W-A records. A 30-sec time window for maximum amplitudes, beginning 5 sec before the predicted Sg time, encompasses 95% of the maximum p-p amplitudes. In our judgment, this time window represents a good compromise between maximizing the chances of capturing the maximum amplitude and minimizing the risk of including other seismic events.

[Influence of trabecular microstructure modeling on finite element analysis of dental implant].

PubMed

Shen, M J; Wang, G G; Zhu, X H; Ding, X

2016-09-01

To analyze the influence of trabecular microstructure modeling on the biomechanical distribution of implant-bone interface with a three-dimensional finite element mandible model of trabecular structure. Dental implants were embeded in the mandibles of a beagle dog. After three months of the implant installation, the mandibles with dental implants were harvested and scaned by micro-CT and cone-beam CT. Two three-dimensional finite element mandible models, trabecular microstructure(precise model) and macrostructure(simplified model), were built. The values of stress and strain of implant-bone interface were calculated using the software of Ansys 14.0. Compared with the simplified model, the precise models' average values of the implant bone interface stress increased obviously and its maximum values did not change greatly. The maximum values of quivalent stress of the precise models were 80% and 110% of the simplified model and the average values were 170% and 290% of simplified model. The maximum and average values of equivalent strain of precise models were obviously decreased, and the maximum values of the equivalent effect strain were 17% and 26% of simplified model and the average ones were 21% and 16% of simplified model respectively. Stress and strain concentrations at implant-bone interface were obvious in the simplified model. However, the distributions of stress and strain were uniform in the precise model. The precise model has significant effect on the distribution of stress and strain at implant-bone interface.

Densification of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Accompanied by Droplet Formation When Passing the Widom Line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pipich, Vitaliy; Schwahn, Dietmar

2018-04-01

Thermal density fluctuations of supercritical CO2 were explored using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), whose amplitude (susceptibility) and correlation length show the expected maximum at the Widom line. At low pressure, the susceptibility is in excellent agreement with the evaluated values on the basis of mass density measurements. At about 20 bar beyond the Widom line, SANS shows the formation of droplets accompanied by an enhanced number density of the supercritical fluid. The corresponding borderline is interpreted as a Frenkel line separating gas- and liquidlike regimes.

Densification of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Accompanied by Droplet Formation When Passing the Widom Line.

PubMed

Pipich, Vitaliy; Schwahn, Dietmar

2018-04-06

Thermal density fluctuations of supercritical CO_{2} were explored using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), whose amplitude (susceptibility) and correlation length show the expected maximum at the Widom line. At low pressure, the susceptibility is in excellent agreement with the evaluated values on the basis of mass density measurements. At about 20 bar beyond the Widom line, SANS shows the formation of droplets accompanied by an enhanced number density of the supercritical fluid. The corresponding borderline is interpreted as a Frenkel line separating gas- and liquidlike regimes.

Dispersion durations of P-wave and QT interval in children treated with a ketogenic diet.

PubMed

Doksöz, Önder; Güzel, Orkide; Yılmaz, Ünsal; Işgüder, Rana; Çeleğen, Kübra; Meşe, Timur

2014-04-01

Limited data are available on the effects of a ketogenic diet on dispersion duration of P-wave and QT-interval measures in children. We searched for the changes in these measures with serial electrocardiograms in patients treated with a ketogenic diet. Twenty-five drug-resistant patients with epilepsy treated with a ketogenic diet were enrolled in this study. Electrocardiography was performed in all patients before the beginning and at the sixth month after implementation of the ketogenic diet. Heart rate, maximum and minimum P-wave duration, P-wave dispersion, and maximum and minimum corrected QT interval and QT dispersion were manually measured from the 12-lead surface electrocardiogram. Minimum and maximum corrected QT and QT dispersion measurements showed nonsignificant increase at month 6 compared with baseline values. Other previously mentioned electrocardiogram parameters also showed no significant changes. A ketogenic diet of 6 months' duration has no significant effect on electrocardiogram parameters in children. Further studies with larger samples and longer duration of follow-up are needed to clarify the effects of ketogenic diet on P-wave dispersion and corrected QT and QT dispersion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ocean Domains and Maximum Degree of Spherical Harmonic and Orthonormal Expansions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, R.

1999-01-01

Ocean domains used for the orthonormal (ON) systems are studied to determine the maximum degree of spherical harmonic and orthonormal expansions that can be constructed. Although it was shown that one domain was restricted to degree 24, others were shown could be constructed to determine expansions to at least degree 36. Since 1991 the maximum degree expansion used for several Ohio State studies has been 24. In this report it is shown that the maximum degree for the ocean domain used by Wang and Rapp [1994] was 32 and 29 for the domain used by Rapp, Zhang, Yi [1996]. A modification of the former domain was developed (D1e) that enabled a solution to degree 36 to be determined. A modification of the Rapp, Zhang, Yi domain (D7d) enabled a degree 30 solution to be made. Combination coefficients were developed for domain D1e, to degree 36, and to degree 30 for domain D7d. The degree 30 spherical harmonic expansion provided by Pavlis [1998] of the POCM_4B dynamic ocean topography (DOT), and the degree 30 part of the degree 360 expansion [Rapp. 1998] of the POCM_4B model was converted to an ON expansion valid for the D7d domain. The degree 36 part of the degree 360 expansion was converted to the ON expansion for the D1e domain. The square root of the degree variances of the various solutions were compared. The root mean square value of DOT from the Pai,lis expansion, after conversion to the ON system, was + or - 66.52 cm (D7d domain). The value from the degree 30 part of the 360 expansion was + or - 66.65 cm. The value based on the actual POCM-4B data, in the D7d domain, was + or - 66.74 cm showing excellent agreement with the ON results. If the spherical harmonic coefficients had been used the implied root mean square value was + or - 60.76 cm [Pavlis] and + or -59.70 cm [Rapp].

Reconstruction of reflectance data using an interpolation technique.

PubMed

Abed, Farhad Moghareh; Amirshahi, Seyed Hossein; Abed, Mohammad Reza Moghareh

2009-03-01

A linear interpolation method is applied for reconstruction of reflectance spectra of Munsell as well as ColorChecker SG color chips from the corresponding colorimetric values under a given set of viewing conditions. Hence, different types of lookup tables (LUTs) have been created to connect the colorimetric and spectrophotometeric data as the source and destination spaces in this approach. To optimize the algorithm, different color spaces and light sources have been used to build different types of LUTs. The effects of applied color datasets as well as employed color spaces are investigated. Results of recovery are evaluated by the mean and the maximum color difference values under other sets of standard light sources. The mean and the maximum values of root mean square (RMS) error between the reconstructed and the actual spectra are also calculated. Since the speed of reflectance reconstruction is a key point in the LUT algorithm, the processing time spent for interpolation of spectral data has also been measured for each model. Finally, the performance of the suggested interpolation technique is compared with that of the common principal component analysis method. According to the results, using the CIEXYZ tristimulus values as a source space shows priority over the CIELAB color space. Besides, the colorimetric position of a desired sample is a key point that indicates the success of the approach. In fact, because of the nature of the interpolation technique, the colorimetric position of the desired samples should be located inside the color gamut of available samples in the dataset. The resultant spectra that have been reconstructed by this technique show considerable improvement in terms of RMS error between the actual and the reconstructed reflectance spectra as well as CIELAB color differences under the other light source in comparison with those obtained from the standard PCA technique.

VLF modal interference distance and nighttime D region VLF reflection height for west-east and east-west propagation paths to Fiji

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chand, Atishnal Elvin; Kumar, Sushil

2017-08-01

Very low frequency (VLF) signals from navigational transmitters propagate through the Earth-ionosphere waveguide formed by the Earth and the lower conducting ionosphere and show the pronounced minima during solar terminator transition between transmitter and receiver. Pronounced amplitude minima observed on 19.8 kHz (NWC transmitter) and 24.8 kHz (NLK transmitter) signals recorded at Suva (18.149°S, 178.446°E), Fiji, during 2013-2014, have been used to estimate the VLF modal interference distance (DMS) and nighttime D region VLF reflection height (hN). The NWC transmitter signal propagates mostly in west-east direction, and the NLK transmitter follows a transequatorial path propagating significantly in the east-west direction. The values of DMS calculated using midpath terminator speed are 2103 ± 172 km and 2507 ± 373 km for these paths having west-east and east-west components of VLF subionospheric propagation, respectively, which agree with previously published results and within 10% with theoretical values. We have also compared the DMS estimated using a terminator time method with that calculated using terminator speed for a particular day and found both the values to be consistent. The hN values were found to be maximum during winter of Southern Hemisphere for NWC signal and winter of Northern Hemisphere for NLK signal VLF propagation paths to Suva. The hN also shows significant day-to-day and seasonal variabilities with a maximum of about 10 km and 23 km for NWC and NLK signal propagation paths, respectively, which could be due to the atmospheric gravity waves associated with solar terminator transition, as well as meteorological factors such as strong lightnings.

The importance of bulk density determination in gravity data processing for structure interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wildan, D.; Akbar, A. M.; Novranza, K. M. S.; Sobirin, R.; Permadi, A. N.; Supriyanto

2017-07-01

Gravity method use rock density variation for determining subsurface lithology and geological structure. In the "green area" where measurement of rock density has not been done, an attemp to find density is usually performed by calculating using Parasnis method, or by using using the average of rock density in the earth's crust (2,67 gr/cm3) or by using theoritical value of dominant rock density in the survey area (2,90 gr/cm3). Those three values of densities are applied to gravity data analysis in the hilly "X" area. And we have compared all together in order to observed which value has represented the structure better. The result showed that the higher value of rock density, the more obvious structure in the Bouguer anomaly profile. It is due to the contrast of maximum and minimum value of Bouguer anomaly that will affect the exageration in distance vs Bouguer anomaly graphic.

Irrigational impact of untreated and treated brewery-distillery effluent on seed germination of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.).

PubMed

Sharma, Anuradha; Malaviya, Piyush

2016-01-01

Current study presents the effect of irrigation with different concentrations (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%) of untreated and treated brewery-distillery effluent on germination behaviour of marigold (Tagetes erecta L. var. Pusa Basanti). The 100% untreated effluent showed acidic pH (4.80) and higher values of BOD (1500.00 mg l(-1)), COD (4000.00 mg l(-1)), chloride (1742.20 mg l(-1)), TSS (900.00 mg l(-1)) as compared to that of treated effluent. Tagetes seeds were exposed to different concentrations of effluent and the results revealed maximum values of germination parameters viz., percent germination, peak value, germination value, germination index, speed of germination and vigour index at 20% untreated and 60% treated effluent concentrations, whereas the values for negative germination parameters viz., delay index, germination period and percent inhibition were minimum at 20% untreated and 60% treated effluent concentrations.

Production of biodiesel from bioethanol and Brassica carinata oil: oxidation stability study.

PubMed

Bouaid, Abderrahim; Martinez, Mercedes; Aracil, Jose

2009-04-01

In the present work the synthesis from bioethanol and Brassica carinata, as alternative vegetable oil, using KOH as catalyst, has been developed and optimized by application of the factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM). Temperature and catalyst concentration were found to have significant influence on conversion. A second-order model was obtained to predict conversions as a function of temperature and catalyst concentration. The maximum yield of ester (98.04%) was obtained working with an initial concentration of catalyst (1.5%) and an operation temperature of (35 degrees C). Results show that the acid value, peroxide value, and viscosity, increased while the iodine value decreased with increasing storage time of the biodiesel sample. Fatty acid ethyl esters (biodiesel) from B. carinata oil were very stable because they did not demonstrate rapid increase in peroxide value, acid value, and viscosity with increasing storage time to a period of 12 months.

An improved method for LCD displays colorimetric characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tong; Xie, Kai; Wang, Qiaojie; He, Nannan; Ye, Yushan

2018-03-01

The colorimetric characterization of the display can achieve the purpose of precisely controlling the color of the monitor. This paper describes an improved method for estimating the gamma value of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) without using a measurement device was described by Xiao et al. It relies on observer's luminance matching by presenting eight half-tone patterns with luminance from 1/9 to 8/9 of the maximum value of each color channel. Since the previous method lacked partial low frequency information, we partially replaced the half-tone patterns. A large number of experiments show that the color difference is reduced from 3.726 to 2.835, and our half-tone pattern can better estimate the visual gamma value of LCDs.

Chest wall mobility is related to respiratory muscle strength and lung volumes in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Lanza, Fernanda de Cordoba; de Camargo, Anderson Alves; Archija, Lilian Rocha Ferraz; Selman, Jessyca Pachi Rodrigues; Malaguti, Carla; Dal Corso, Simone

2013-12-01

Chest wall mobility is often measured in clinical practice, but the correlations between chest wall mobility and respiratory muscle strength and lung volumes are unknown. We investigate the associations between chest wall mobility, axillary and thoracic cirtometry values, respiratory muscle strength (maximum inspiratory pressure and maximum expiratory pressure), and lung volumes (expiratory reserve volume, FEV(1), inspiratory capacity, FEV(1)/FVC), and the determinants of chest mobility in healthy subjects. In 64 healthy subjects we measured inspiratory capacity, FVC, FEV(1), expiratory reserve volume, maximum inspiratory pressure, and maximum expiratory pressure, and chest wall mobility via axillary and thoracic cirtometry. We used linear regression to evaluate the influence of the measured variables on chest wall mobility. The subjects' mean ± SD values were: age 24 ± 3 years, axillary cirtometry 6.3 ± 2.0 cm, thoracic cirtometry 7.5 ± 2.3 cm; maximum inspiratory pressure 90.4 ± 10.6% of predicted, maximum expiratory pressure 92.8 ± 13.5% of predicted, inspiratory capacity 99.7 ± 8.6% of predicted, FVC 101.9 ± 10.6% of predicted, FEV(1) 98.2 ± 10.3% of predicted, expiratory reserve volume 90.9 ± 19.9% of predicted. There were significant correlations between axillary cirtometry and FVC (r = 0.32), FEV(1) (r = 0.30), maximum inspiratory pressure (r = 0.48), maximum expiratory pressure (r = 0.25), and inspiratory capacity (r = 0.24), and between thoracic cirtometry and FVC (r = 0.50), FEV(1) (r = 0.48), maximum inspiratory pressure (r = 0.46), maximum expiratory pressure (r = 0.37), inspiratory capacity (r = 0.39), and expiratory reserve volume (r = 0.47). In multiple regression analysis the variable that best explained the axillary cirtometry variation was maximum inspiratory pressure (R(2) 0.23), and for thoracic cirtometry it was FVC and maximum inspiratory pressure (R(2) 0.32). Chest mobility in healthy subjects is related to respiratory muscle strength and lung function; the higher the axillary cirtometry and thoracic cirtometry values, the greater the maximum inspiratory pressure, maximum expiratory pressure, and lung volumes in healthy subjects.

Ram-Jet off Design Performances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andriani, Roberto; Ghezzi, Umberto

2002-01-01

In this work it is intended to study the off-design performances of a ram jet engine. To this purpouse it has been analyzed in a first time the behaviour of an ideal engine, that means to not consider the losses in the various components, or, under a thermodynamic point of view, to consider the fluid transformation through the air intake and exhaust nozzle, remembering that in a ram jet there are not rotating components as compressor and turbine, isentropic. Referring to the ram-jet scheme of fig.1. we can say, neglecting the fuel introduced, that the air mass flow rate throughout the engine is constant. If we consider the two control sections 4 and 8, respectively the throat section of the converging-diverging supersonic inlet and the throat section of the discharge nozzle, the condition of constant mass flow leads to the relation: m4 =f (M 4 ) m8 = m 4 = m8 We can imaging that the throat section # 4 is always choked for any value of the flight Mach number M0. This means that the throat section 4 is adjusted at any value of M0 so that the flow Mach number in 4 is equal to unity. In this it follows: R. Andriani, U. Ghezzi1 Since in an ideal case T t8 The relation [1] allows to determine the T8 temperature, that represent the maximum cycle temperature, for different operating conditions, as flight Mach number and altitude. We then have two cases: the first is A8 (nozzle throat section) fixed, and the second is A8 variable. In the first case the maximum temperature T8 is univocally determined by the operating condition. In the second case A8 can be varied so to maintain T8 at a chosen value. The graphic of fig.2 shows the first case. In particular it has been considered as design point an altitude of 15000 meters and a flight Mach number equal to 2. In this condition it has been evaluated the section A8 for unity mass flow rate. At the same altitude, varying the flight Mach number, with the section A4 always choked, the graphic shows the variation of the maximum cycle temperature according to the equation *. We notice as the temperature raises to unacceptable levels as we accelerate from the design point. For instance we can see as if we move to flight Mach number 2.2 the maximum temperature raises from 1800 Kelvin degrees (design point) to more than 2900 [K], a value practically unreachable. This shows as the ramjet with fixed discharge nozzle allows very little variation of the operating conditions around the design point. If we consider instead the possibility to vary the nozzle section A8 we can imagine to adjust it so to maintain constant the temperature T8, according to the relation *. The graphics of fig.3 show the area variation required to the section A8 to maintain constant the temperature T8 at the same altitude for different values of the flight Mach number. Considering a circular section, on the same R. Andriani, U. Ghezzi2 picture is reported the corresponding variation of the diameter. On the Y-axis it is reported the ratio between the entity (section and diameter) at the considered condition and at the design point. For the case of A8 section variable it has also been evaluated the behavior of the specific fuel consumption, the mass flow rate and the thrust. In fig.4 they are reported the behavior TSFC and Fuel/air ratio at different flight Mach numbers, and the ratio between them and the design value. In fig .5 it is reported the ratio between the thrust and mass flow rate at different flight conditions and their value at design point. R. Andriani, U. Ghezzi3

Hand digit control in children: motor overflow in multi-finger pressing force vector space during maximum voluntary force production.

PubMed

Shim, Jae Kun; Karol, Sohit; Hsu, Jeffrey; de Oliveira, Marcio Alves

2008-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the contralateral motor overflow in children during single-finger and multi-finger maximum force production tasks. Forty-five right handed children, 5-11 years of age produced maximum isometric pressing force in flexion or extension with single fingers or all four fingers of their right hand. The forces produced by individual fingers of the right and left hands were recorded and analyzed in four-dimensional finger force vector space. The results showed that increases in task (right) hand finger forces were linearly associated with non-task (left) hand finger forces. The ratio of the non-task hand finger force magnitude to the corresponding task hand finger force magnitude, termed motor overflow magnitude (MOM), was greater in extension than flexion. The index finger flexion task showed the smallest MOM values. The similarity between the directions of task hand and non-task hand finger force vectors in four-dimensional finger force vector space, termed motor overflow direction (MOD), was the greatest for index and smallest for little finger tasks. MOM of a four-finger task was greater than the sum of MOMs of single-finger tasks, and this phenomenon was termed motor overflow surplus. Contrary to previous studies, no single-finger or four-finger tasks showed significant changes of MOM or MOD with the age of children. We conclude that the contralateral motor overflow in children during finger maximum force production tasks is dependent upon the task fingers and the magnitude and direction of task finger forces.

[Revised maximum admissible intensity (MAI) values for infrasonic noise in work environment].

PubMed

Pawlaczyk-Łuszczyńska, M; Augustyńska, D; Kaczmarska-Kozłowska, A; Sliwińska-Kowalska, M; Kameduła, M

2001-01-01

A short review of infrasound sources is presented. The measuring methods and occupational exposure limits for infrasonic noise (infrasound) are described. The amended Polish regulations on maximum admissible intensity (MAI) values for infrasonic noise in work environment and proposals of exposure limits for workers at particular risk (i.e. pregnant women and juveniles) are discussed.

The use of a numerical method to justify the criteria for the maximum settlement of the tank foundation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasenko, Alexander; Chepur, Petr; Gruchenkova, Alesya

2017-11-01

The article examines the problem of assessing the permissible values of uneven settlement for a vertical steel tank base and foundation. A numerical experiment was performed using a finite element model of the tank. The model took into account the geometric shape of the structure and its additional stiffening elements that affect the stress-strain state of the tank. An equation was obtained that allowed determining the maximum possible deformation of the bottom outer contour during uneven settlement. Depending on the length of the uneven settlement zone, the values of the permissible settlement of the tank base were determined. The article proposes new values of the maximum permissible tank settlement with additional stiffening elements.

Repeated combined endovascular therapy with milrinone and nimodipine for the treatment of severe vasospasm: preliminary results.

PubMed

Sherif, Camillo; Wambacher, Bernhard; Loyoddin, Michel; Karaic, Radenko; Krafft, Peter; Valentin, Andreas; Tscholakoff, Dimiter; Kleinpeter, Guenther

2015-01-01

Delayed vasospasm (VSP) following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remains a major source of morbidity. Milrinone was recently suggested as an invasive VSP treatment option. It is a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor with vasodilating and additional positive inotrope and anti-inflammatory effects. In this preliminary series, we included patients with severe VSP and unsuccessful maximum conservative therapy. Inclusion criteria were (1) transcranial Doppler (TCD) mean >180 cm/s; (2) increase of >50 % of TCD mean values within 6 h to values >150 cm/s; and/or (3) neurological deterioration (after exclusion of hemorrhage, hydrocephalus, and other systemic reasons). Patients received endovascular therapy with nimodipine 2 mg followed by milrinone 4-8 mg. Reinterventions were indicated aggressively in cases of persistent neurological deficits or persistent high mean TCD >180 cm/s. Of 121 consecutive aSAH patients, 16 (13.2 %) received endovascular VSP therapy. Of these, 11 patients (68.5 %) received ≥ 3 interventions (median 4; maximum 9); 14 (87.5 %) showed postinterventional angiographic improvement of vessel diameters; and 11 (68.5 %) showed improvement of their neurological deficits after a mean follow-up time of 4.5 months. No cardiovascular adverse events attributed to milrinone were observed. Milrinone may be a useful supplementary substance for endovascular VSP therapy. Aggressive reintervention indications did not cause additional adverse events.

Formation of reversed austenite during tempering of 14Cr-7Ni-0.3Nb-0.7Mo-0.03C super martensitic stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Eun Seo; Yoo, Dae Kyoung; Sung, Jee Hyun; Kang, Chang Yong; Lee, Jun Hee; Sung, Jang Hyun

2004-12-01

Reversed austenite transformation and existence of retained austenite during tempering of the super martensitic stainless steel of Fe-14Cr-7Ni-0.3Nb-0.7Mo-0.03C were studied by means of experiments on microstructure and X-ray diffraction, and tensile and hardness tests. Acicular type retained austenite at the lath boundary of martensite with the interior appeared after solution annealing. This retained austenite still existed, and reversed austenite was not formed, with tempering up to 24h at 450°C. The reversed austenite began to form above 550°C, and the volume fraction of reversed austenite decreased with increasing tempering temperature after showing a maximum value of 19.2% at 650°C. This maximum volume fraction of reversed austenite was responsible for the lowest value of strength and hardness. The Ni contents of plate type reversed austenite and the surrounding matrix increased and decreased respectively, implying that the reversed austenite was formed as a result of nickel diffusion. The orientation relationships between reversed austenite and the surrounding matrix showed a K-S relationship of(bar 11bar 1)_γ //(01bar 1)_m and[011]_γ //[bar 111]_m.

Body size, swimming speed, or thermal sensitivity? Predator-imposed selection on amphibian larvae.

PubMed

Gvoždík, Lumír; Smolinský, Radovan

2015-11-02

Many animals rely on their escape performance during predator encounters. Because of its dependence on body size and temperature, escape velocity is fully characterized by three measures, absolute value, size-corrected value, and its response to temperature (thermal sensitivity). The primary target of the selection imposed by predators is poorly understood. We examined predator (dragonfly larva)-imposed selection on prey (newt larvae) body size and characteristics of escape velocity using replicated and controlled predation experiments under seminatural conditions. Specifically, because these species experience a wide range of temperatures throughout their larval phases, we predict that larvae achieving high swimming velocities across temperatures will have a selective advantage over more thermally sensitive individuals. Nonzero selection differentials indicated that predators selected for prey body size and both absolute and size-corrected maximum swimming velocity. Comparison of selection differentials with control confirmed selection only on body size, i.e., dragonfly larvae preferably preyed on small newt larvae. Maximum swimming velocity and its thermal sensitivity showed low group repeatability, which contributed to non-detectable selection on both characteristics of escape performance. In the newt-dragonfly larvae interaction, body size plays a more important role than maximum values and thermal sensitivity of swimming velocity during predator escape. This corroborates the general importance of body size in predator-prey interactions. The absence of an appropriate control in predation experiments may lead to potentially misleading conclusions about the primary target of predator-imposed selection. Insights from predation experiments contribute to our understanding of the link between performance and fitness, and further improve mechanistic models of predator-prey interactions and food web dynamics.

[Some Features of Sound Signal Envelope by the Frog's Cochlear Nucleus Neurons].

PubMed

Bibikov, N G

2015-01-01

The responses of single neurons in the medullar auditory center of the grass frog were recorded extracellularly under the action of long tonal signals of the characteristic frequency modulated by repeating fragments of low-frequency (0-15 Hz, 0-50 Hz or 0-150 Hz) noise. Correlation method was used for evaluating the efficacy of different envelope fragments to ensure generation of a neuron pulse discharge. Carrying out these evaluations at different time intervals between a signal and a response the maximum delays were assessed. Two important envelope fragments were revealed. In majority of units the most effective was the time interval of the amplitude rise from mean value to maximum, and the fragment where the amplitude fall from maximum to mean value was the second by the efficacy. This type of response was observed in the vast majority of cells in the range of the envelope frequency bands 0-150 and 0-50 Hz. These cells performed half-wave rectification of such type of the envelope. However, in some neurons we observed more strong preference toward a time interval with growing amplitude, including even those where the amplitude value was smaller than the mean one. These properties were observed mainly for low-frequency (0-15 Hz) modulated signals at high modulation depth. The data show that even in medulla oblongata specialization of neural elements of the auditory pathway occurs with respect to time interval features of sound stimulus. This diversity is most evident for signals with a relatively slowly varying amplitude.

Shear-wave elastographic features of breast cancers: comparison with mechanical elasticity and histopathologic characteristics.

PubMed

Lee, Su Hyun; Moon, Woo Kyung; Cho, Nariya; Chang, Jung Min; Moon, Hyeong-Gon; Han, Wonshik; Noh, Dong-Young; Lee, Jung Chan; Kim, Hee Chan; Lee, Kyoung-Bun; Park, In-Ae

2014-03-01

The objective of this study was to compare the quantitative and qualitative shear-wave elastographic (SWE) features of breast cancers with mechanical elasticity and histopathologic characteristics. This prospective study was conducted with institutional review board approval, and written informed consent was obtained. Shear-wave elastography was performed for 30 invasive breast cancers in 30 women before surgery. The mechanical elasticity of a fresh breast tissue section, correlated with the ultrasound image, was measured using an indentation system. Quantitative (maximum, mean, minimum, and standard deviation of elasticity in kilopascals) and qualitative (color heterogeneity and presence of signal void areas in the mass) SWE features were compared with mechanical elasticity and histopathologic characteristics using the Pearson correlation coefficient and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Maximum SWE values showed a moderate correlation with maximum mechanical elasticity (r = 0.530, P = 0.003). There were no significant differences between SWE values and mechanical elasticity in histologic grade I or II cancers (P = 0.268). However, SWE values were significantly higher than mechanical elasticity in histologic grade III cancers (P < 0.001), which have low amounts of fibrosis, high tumor cellularity, and intratumoral necrosis. In addition, color heterogeneity was correlated with intratumoral heterogeneity of mechanical elasticity (r = 0.469, P = 0.009). Signal void areas in the masses were present in 43% of breast cancers (13 of 30) and were correlated with dense collagen depositions (n = 11) or intratumoral necrosis (n = 2). Quantitative and qualitative SWE features reflect both the mechanical elasticity and histopathologic characteristics of breast cancers.

Global Analysis of Empirical Relationships Between Annual Climate and Seasonality of NDVI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, C. S.

1997-01-01

This study describes the use of satellite data to calibrate a new climate-vegetation greenness function for global change studies. We examined statistical relationships between annual climate indexes (temperature, precipitation, and surface radiation) and seasonal attributes of the AVHRR Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series for the mid-1980s in order to refine our empirical understanding of intraannual patterns and global abiotic controls on natural vegetation dynamics. Multiple linear regression results using global l(sup o) gridded data sets suggest that three climate indexes: growing degree days, annual precipitation total, and an annual moisture index together can account to 70-80 percent of the variation in the NDVI seasonal extremes (maximum and minimum values) for the calibration year 1984. Inclusion of the same climate index values from the previous year explained no significant additional portion of the global scale variation in NDVI seasonal extremes. The monthly timing of NDVI extremes was closely associated with seasonal patterns in maximum and minimum temperature and rainfall, with lag times of 1 to 2 months. We separated well-drained areas from l(sup o) grid cells mapped as greater than 25 percent inundated coverage for estimation of both the magnitude and timing of seasonal NDVI maximum values. Predicted monthly NDVI, derived from our climate-based regression equations and Fourier smoothing algorithms, shows good agreement with observed NDVI at a series of ecosystem test locations from around the globe. Regions in which NDVI seasonal extremes were not accurately predicted are mainly high latitude ecosystems and other remote locations where climate station data are sparse.

Using Confidence Intervals and Recurrence Intervals to Determine Precipitation Delivery Mechanisms Responsible for Mass Wasting Events.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulizio, T. P.; Bilbrey, C.; Stoyanoff, N.; Dixon, J. L.

2015-12-01

Mass wasting events are geologic hazards that impact human life and property across a variety of landscapes. These movements can be triggered by tectonic activity, anomalous precipitation events, or both; acting to decrease the factor of safety ratio on a hillslope to the point of failure. There exists an active hazard landscape in the West Boulder River drainage of Park Co., MT in which the mechanisms of slope failure are unknown. It is known that region has not seen significant tectonic activity within the last decade, leaving anomalous precipitation events as the likely trigger for slope failures in the landscape. Precipitation can be delivered to a landscape via rainfall or snow; it was the aim of this study to determine the precipitation delivery mechanism most likely responsible for movements in the West Boulder drainage following the Jungle Wildfire of 2006. Data was compiled from four SNOTEL sites in the surrounding area, spanning 33 years, focusing on, but not limited to; maximum snow water equivalent (SWE) values in a water year, median SWE values on the date which maximum SWE was recorded in a water year, the total precipitation accumulated in a water year, etc. Means were computed and 99% confidence intervals were constructed around these means. Recurrence intervals and exceedance probabilities were computed for maximum SWE values and total precipitation accumulated in a water year to determine water years with anomalous precipitation. It was determined that the water year 2010-2011 received an anomalously high amount of SWE, and snow melt in the spring of this water year likely triggered recent mass waste movements. This data is further supported by Google Earth imagery, showing movements between 2009 and 2011. Return intervals for the maximum SWE value in 2010-11 for the Placer Basin SNOTEL site was 34 years, while return intervals for the Box Canyon and Monument Peak SNOTEL sites were 17.5 and 17 years respectively. Max SWE values lie outside the upper bound of the 99% confidence interval at all SNOTEL sites while precipitation accumulated in the form of rain is within the expected average, indicating an anomalously snow year and average amounts of rainfall during the same water year. This information can be used to better predict circumstances leading to slope failures in northern latitude alpine landscapes.

Optical waveguide device with an adiabatically-varying width

DOEpatents

Watts,; Michael R. , Nielson; Gregory, N [Albuquerque, NM

2011-05-10

Optical waveguide devices are disclosed which utilize an optical waveguide having a waveguide bend therein with a width that varies adiabatically between a minimum value and a maximum value of the width. One or more connecting members can be attached to the waveguide bend near the maximum value of the width thereof to support the waveguide bend or to supply electrical power to an impurity-doped region located within the waveguide bend near the maximum value of the width. The impurity-doped region can form an electrical heater or a semiconductor junction which can be activated with a voltage to provide a variable optical path length in the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide devices can be used to form a tunable interferometer (e.g. a Mach-Zehnder interferometer) which can be used for optical modulation or switching. The optical waveguide devices can also be used to form an optical delay line.

Variable frequency iteration MPPT for resonant power converters

DOEpatents

Zhang, Qian; Bataresh, Issa; Chen, Lin

2015-06-30

A method of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) uses an MPPT algorithm to determine a switching frequency for a resonant power converter, including initializing by setting an initial boundary frequency range that is divided into initial frequency sub-ranges bounded by initial frequencies including an initial center frequency and first and second initial bounding frequencies. A first iteration includes measuring initial powers at the initial frequencies to determine a maximum power initial frequency that is used to set a first reduced frequency search range centered or bounded by the maximum power initial frequency including at least a first additional bounding frequency. A second iteration includes calculating first and second center frequencies by averaging adjacent frequent values in the first reduced frequency search range and measuring second power values at the first and second center frequencies. The switching frequency is determined from measured power values including the second power values.

Implications of the pion-decay gamma emission and neutron observations with CORONAS-F/SONG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurt, V.; Yushkov, B.; Kudela, K.

2013-05-01

We analyzed the high-energy gamma and neutron emissions observed by the SONG instrument onboard the CORONAS-F satellite during August 25, 2001, October 28, 2003, November 4, 2003, and January 20, 2005 solar flares. These flares produced neutrons and/or protons recorded near Earth. The SONG response was consistent with detection of the pion-decay gamma emission and neutrons in these events. We compared time profiles of various electromagnetic emissions and showed that the maximum of the pion-decay-emission coincided in time best of all with the soft X-ray derivative, dISXR/dt, maximum. We evaluated the energy of accelerated ions and compared it with the energy deposited by accelerated electrons. The ion energy becomes comparable or even higher than the electron energy from a certain step of flare development. So the time profile of dISXR/dt is a superposition of energy deposited by both fractions of accelerated particles. This result allowed us to use a time profile of dISXR/dt as a real proxy of time behavior of the energy release at least during major flare analysis. In particular the time interval when the dISXR/dt value exceeds 0.9 of its maximum can be used as a unified reference point for the calculations of time delay between the high-energy proton acceleration and GLE onset. Analysis of the total set of pion-decay emission observations shows that such temporal closeness of pion-decay emission maximum and the soft X-ray derivative maximum is typical but not obligatory.

Noise level in a neonatal intensive care unit in Santa Marta - Colombia.

PubMed Central

Garrido Galindo, Angélica Patricia; Velez-Pereira, Andres M

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction: The environment of neonatal intensive care units is influenced by numerous sources of noise emission, which contribute to raise the noise levels, and may cause hearing impairment and other physiological and psychological changes on the newborn, as well as problems with care staff. Objective: To evaluate the level and sources of noise in the neonatal intensive care unit. Methods: Sampled for 20 consecutive days every 60 seconds in A-weighting curves and fast mode with a Type I sound level meter. Recorded the average, maximum and minimum, and the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles. The values are integrated into hours and work shift, and studied by analysis of variance. The sources were characterized in thirds of octaves. Results: The average level was 64.00 ±3.62 dB(A), with maximum of 76.04 ±5.73 dB(A), minimum of 54.84 ±2.61dB(A), and background noise of 57.95 ±2.83 dB(A). We found four sources with levels between 16.8-63.3 dB(A). Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the hours and work shift, with higher values in the early hours of the day. Conclusion: The values presented exceed the standards suggested by several organizations. The sources identified and measured recorded high values in low frequencies. PMID:29213154

Increased resistance to oxidative stress in normal and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient hemolysates in the presence of enzyme substrates.

PubMed

Yücel, G; Yeşilkaya, A; Aksu, T A; Yeğin, A; Alicigüzel, Y

1997-01-01

Erythrocytes and hemolysates from 10 normal and 10 glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient individuals were incubated with cumene hydroperoxide, and free radical-induced lipid peroxidation was monitored by chemiluminescence. Chemiluminescence intensities in erythrocytes of normal and deficient subjects were similar in the presence or absence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase substrates. Hemolysates of normal and deficient subjects also showed similar chemiluminescence in the absence of substrates. However, with the addition of substrates to the incubation medium, deficient hemolysates reached maximum chemiluminescence intensity within a shorter period, and maximum values were higher than in normal hemolysates. We believe this offers a new means of detection of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient patients.

Apollo 17 traverse gravimeter experiment /Preliminary results/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Talwani, M.; Kahle, H.-G.

1976-01-01

Preliminary results of the traverse gravimeter experiment successfully performed during the Apollo 17 mission are discussed. An earth-moon gravity tie was established. On the basis of several readings, a gravity value of 162,695 + or - 5 mgal was obtained at the lunar-module landing site in the Taurus-Littrow valley. Free-air and Bouguer corrections were applied to the gravity data. The resultant Bouguer anomaly, analyzed with a two-dimensional approximation, shows a relative gravity maximum of about 25 to 30 mgal over the Taurus-Littrow valley. This maximum is interpreted in terms of a 1-km-thick block of basalt flow with a positive density contrast of 0.8 g/cu cm relative to the highland material on either side.

Inerting of magnesium dust cloud with Ar, N2 and CO2.

PubMed

Li, G; Yuan, C M; Fu, Y; Zhong, Y P; Chen, B Z

2009-10-15

Experiments were conducted on the inerting of magnesium dust with N(2), CO(2), and Ar. Comparing the maximum explosion pressure, maximum rate of pressure rise, and limiting oxygen concentration with different inertants, it was determined that Ar is not the best inert gas under all conditions as commonly believed. N(2) was more effective than Ar as an inertant. CO(2) provided more inerting effect than either Ar and N(2) in low magnesium dust concentrations, although explosibility was increased at higher dust concentrations. Both N(2) and CO(2) as inerting agents showed higher LOC values than Ar. These results indicated that N(2) is a more economical inerting gas than Ar for the tested coarse magnesium dust.

STS-3/OSS-1 Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) measurements of Orbiter transmitter and subsystem electromagnetic interference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shawhan, S. D.; Murphy, G.

1983-01-01

The plasma diagnostics package receiver system is described to identify the various antennas and to characterize the complement of receivers which cover the frequency range of 30 Hz to 800 Hz and S-band at 2200 + or - 300 MHz. Sample results are presented to show the variability of electromagnetic effects associated with the orbiter and the time variability of these effects. The electric field and magnetic field maximum and minimum field strength spectra observed during the mission at the pallet location are plotted. Values are also derived for the maximum UHF transmitter and S-band transmitter field strengths. Calibration data to convert from the survey plots to actual narrowband and broadband field strengths are listed.

Error threshold inference from Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite rainfall data and interpolated ground-based rainfall measurements in Metro Manila

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ampil, L. J. Y.; Yao, J. G.; Lagrosas, N.; Lorenzo, G. R. H.; Simpas, J.

2017-12-01

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is a group of satellites that provides global observations of precipitation. Satellite-based observations act as an alternative if ground-based measurements are inadequate or unavailable. Data provided by satellites however must be validated for this data to be reliable and used effectively. In this study, the Integrated Multisatellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) Final Run v3 half-hourly product is validated by comparing against interpolated ground measurements derived from sixteen ground stations in Metro Manila. The area considered in this study is the region 14.4° - 14.8° latitude and 120.9° - 121.2° longitude, subdivided into twelve 0.1° x 0.1° grid squares. Satellite data from June 1 - August 31, 2014 with the data aggregated to 1-day temporal resolution are used in this study. The satellite data is directly compared to measurements from individual ground stations to determine the effect of the interpolation by contrast against the comparison of satellite data and interpolated measurements. The comparisons are calculated by taking a fractional root-mean-square error (F-RMSE) between two datasets. The results show that interpolation improves errors compared to using raw station data except during days with very small amounts of rainfall. F-RMSE reaches extreme values of up to 654 without a rainfall threshold. A rainfall threshold is inferred to remove extreme error values and make the distribution of F-RMSE more consistent. Results show that the rainfall threshold varies slightly per month. The threshold for June is inferred to be 0.5 mm, reducing the maximum F-RMSE to 9.78, while the threshold for July and August is inferred to be 0.1 mm, reducing the maximum F-RMSE to 4.8 and 10.7, respectively. The maximum F-RMSE is reduced further as the threshold is increased. Maximum F-RMSE is reduced to 3.06 when a rainfall threshold of 10 mm is applied over the entire duration of JJA. These results indicate that IMERG performs well for moderate to high intensity rainfall and that the interpolation remains effective only when rainfall exceeds a certain threshold value. Over Metro Manila, an F-RMSE threshold of 0.5 mm indicated better correspondence between ground measured and satellite measured rainfall.

Dynamic Torque and Vertical Force Analysis during Nickel-titanium Rotary Root Canal Preparation with Different Modes of Reciprocal Rotation.

PubMed

Tokita, Daisuke; Ebihara, Arata; Nishijo, Miki; Miyara, Kana; Okiji, Takashi

2017-10-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare 2 modes of reciprocal movement (torque-sensitive and time-dependent reciprocal rotation) with continuous rotation in terms of torque and apical force generation during nickel-titanium rotary root canal instrumentation. A custom-made automated root canal instrumentation and torque/force analyzing device was used to prepare simulated canals in resin blocks and monitor the torque and apical force generated in the blocks during preparation. Experimental groups (n = 7, each) consisted of (1) torque-sensitive reciprocal rotation with torque-sensitive vertical movement (group TqR), (2) time-dependent reciprocal rotation with time-dependent vertical movement (group TmR), and (3) continuous rotation with time-dependent vertical movement (group CR). The canals were instrumented with TF Adaptive SM1 and SM2 rotary files (SybronEndo, Orange, CA), and the torque and apical force were measured during instrumentation with SM2. The mean and maximum torque and apical force values were statistically analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey test (α = 0.05). The recordings showed intermittent increases of upward apical force and clockwise torque, indicating the generation and release of screw-in forces. The maximum upward apical force values in group TmR were significantly smaller than those in group CR (P < .05). The maximum torque values in clockwise and counterclockwise directions in groups TqR and TmR were significantly smaller than those in group CR (P < .05). Under the present experimental conditions using TF Adaptive instruments, both torque-sensitive and time-dependent reciprocal rotation generated significantly lower maximum torque and may have advantages in reducing stress generation caused by screw-in forces when compared with continuous rotation. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Research on maximum level noise contaminated of remote reference magnetotelluric measurements using synthesized data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gang, Zhang; Fansong, Meng; Jianzhong, Wang; Mingtao, Ding

2018-02-01

Determining magnetotelluric impedance precisely and accurately is fundamental to valid inversion and geological interpretation. This study aims to determine the minimum value of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) which maintains the effectiveness of remote reference technique. Results of standard time series simulation, addition of different Gaussian noises to obtain the different SNR time series, and analysis of the intermediate data, such as polarization direction, correlation coefficient, and impedance tensor, show that when the SNR value is larger than 23.5743, the polarization direction disorder at morphology and a smooth and accurate sounding carve value can be obtained. At this condition, the correlation coefficient value of nearly complete segments between the base and remote station is larger than 0.9, and impedance tensor Zxy presents only one aggregation, which meet the natural magnetotelluric signal characteristic.

The Staircase and Related Structures in Integer Programming.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

objective value of the incumbent x; 38 zk(i) = optimal objective value of the LP relaxation of node i (descended from subproblem k); GPk (i) = maximum...following fathoming conditions holds at the current node i: (a) the LP relaxation of node i is infeasible. (b) cumobj + FLOOR(Zk(i) + GPk (i)) + maxc(k...zk(i) + GPk (i), where (as before) GPk (i) is the maximum Gomory penalty associated with node i of subproblem k, and zk(i) is the objective value of the

[Left ventricular volume determination by first-pass radionuclide angiocardiography using a semi-geometric count-based method].

PubMed

Kinoshita, S; Suzuki, T; Yamashita, S; Muramatsu, T; Ide, M; Dohi, Y; Nishimura, K; Miyamae, T; Yamamoto, I

1992-01-01

A new radionuclide technique for the calculation of left ventricular (LV) volume by the first-pass (FP) method was developed and examined. Using a semi-geometric count-based method, the LV volume can be measured by the following equation: CV = CM/(L/d). V = (CT/CV) x d3 = (CT/CM) x L x d2. (V = LV volume, CV = voxel count, CM = the maximum LV count, CT = the total LV count, L = LV depth where the maximum count was obtained, and d = pixel size.) This theorem was applied to FP LV images obtained in the 30-degree right anterior oblique position. Frame-mode acquisition was performed and the LV end-diastolic maximum count and total count were obtained. The maximum LV depth was obtained as the maximum width of the LV on the FP end-diastolic image, using the assumption that the LV cross-section is circular. These values were substituted in the above equation and the LV end-diastolic volume (FP-EDV) was calculated. A routine equilibrium (EQ) study was done, and the end-diastolic maximum count and total count were obtained. The LV maximum depth was measured on the FP end-diastolic frame, as the maximum length of the LV image. Using these values, the EQ-EDV was calculated and the FP-EDV was compared to the EQ-EDV. The correlation coefficient for these two values was r = 0.96 (n = 23, p less than 0.001), and the standard error of the estimated volume was 10 ml.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An exploration of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young multiethnic Muslim-majority society in Malaysia in relation to reproductive and premarital sexual practices

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The increasing trend of premarital sexual experience and unintended pregnancies in Malaysia warrants sustained and serious attention. The sensitivities of sex-related issues in a Muslim-majority country create various types of barriers to sexual and reproductive health information, support and practices. This study aims to gain understanding of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young women in Malaysia concerning reproductive, contraception and premarital sexual practices. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed, using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire carried out among 1695 female university students in a public university in Malaysia. Results Respondents had low scores for knowledge of reproduction and pregnancy (median=4, of maximum score 10), contraceptive uses (median=6, of maximum score 16) and contraceptive availability (median=3, of maximum score 13). The majority of women surveyed do not have liberal values in relation to premarital sexual behaviour (median=37, of maximum 40); higher scores on this scale corresponded to opposing premarital sex. The multivariate analyses showed that ethnic group was the strongest correlate of knowledge and attitude scores; being of Malay Muslim ethnicity was associated significantly with lower knowledge scores and premarital sex permissiveness. Other significant correlates were year of study, maternal occupational groups, level of religious faith, dating status and urban–rural localities. Level of premarital sex permissiveness was inversely correlated with reproduction and pregnancy knowledge score, and contraceptive knowledge scores. Conclusion Reproductive health knowledge and attitudes were intricately linked to religious values and cultural norms differences surrounding sexual issues. PMID:23057505

An exploration of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young multiethnic Muslim-majority society in Malaysia in relation to reproductive and premarital sexual practices.

PubMed

Wong, Li Ping

2012-10-11

The increasing trend of premarital sexual experience and unintended pregnancies in Malaysia warrants sustained and serious attention. The sensitivities of sex-related issues in a Muslim-majority country create various types of barriers to sexual and reproductive health information, support and practices. This study aims to gain understanding of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of young women in Malaysia concerning reproductive, contraception and premarital sexual practices. A cross-sectional study was performed, using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire carried out among 1695 female university students in a public university in Malaysia. Respondents had low scores for knowledge of reproduction and pregnancy (median=4, of maximum score 10), contraceptive uses (median=6, of maximum score 16) and contraceptive availability (median=3, of maximum score 13). The majority of women surveyed do not have liberal values in relation to premarital sexual behaviour (median=37, of maximum 40); higher scores on this scale corresponded to opposing premarital sex. The multivariate analyses showed that ethnic group was the strongest correlate of knowledge and attitude scores; being of Malay Muslim ethnicity was associated significantly with lower knowledge scores and premarital sex permissiveness. Other significant correlates were year of study, maternal occupational groups, level of religious faith, dating status and urban-rural localities. Level of premarital sex permissiveness was inversely correlated with reproduction and pregnancy knowledge score, and contraceptive knowledge scores. Reproductive health knowledge and attitudes were intricately linked to religious values and cultural norms differences surrounding sexual issues.

Influence of nitromethane concentration on ignition energy and explosion parameters in gaseous nitromethane/air mixtures.

PubMed

Zhang, Qi; Li, Wei; Lin, Da-Chao; He, Ning; Duan, Yun

2011-01-30

The aim of this paper is to provide new experimental data of the minimum ignition energy (MIE) of gaseous nitromethane/air mixtures to discuss the explosion pressure and the flame temperature as a function of nitromethane concentration. Observations on the influence of nitromethane concentration on combustion pressure and temperature through the pressure and temperature measure system show that peak temperature (the peak of combustion temperature wave) is always behind peak pressure (the peak of the combustion pressure wave) in arrival time, the peak combustion pressure of nitromethane increases in the range of its volume fraction 10-40% as the concentration of nitromethane increases, and it slightly decreases in the range of 40-50%. The maximum peak pressure is equal to 0.94 MPa and the minimum peak pressure 0.58 MPa. Somewhat similar to the peak pressure, the peak combustion temperature increases with the volume fraction of nitromethane in the range of 10-40%, and slightly decreases in 40-50%. The maximum peak temperature is 1340 °C and the minimum 860 °C. The combustion temperature rise rate increases with the concentration of nitromethane in 10-30%, while decreases in 30-50% and its maximum value of combustion temperature rise rate in 10-50% is 4200 °C/s at the volume fraction of 30%. Influence of the concentration of nitromethane on the combustion pressure rise rate is relatively complicated, and the maximum value of rise rate of combustion pressure wave in 10-50% is 11 MPa/s at the concentration 20%. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Equatorial temperature anomaly during solar minimum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suhasini, R.; Raghavarao, R.; Mayr, H. G.; Hoegy, W. R.; Wharton, L. E.

2001-11-01

We show evidence for the occurrence of the equatorial temperature anomaly (ETA) during solar minimum by analyzing the temperature and total ion density data from the Neutral Atmosphere Temperature Experiment (NATE) and the Cylindrical Electrostatic Probe (CEP), respectively, on board the Atmospheric Explorer-E satellite. The chosen data refer to a height of ~254 km in the African and Asian longitude sector (340.1°E-200°E) during a summer season in the Southern Hemisphere. As during the solar maximum period, the spatial characteristics of the ETA are similar to those of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). A minimum in the gas temperature is collocated with the minimum in the ion density at the dip equator, and a temperature maximum on the south side of the equator is collocated with the density maximum of the EIA. The daytime behavior of ETA formation is about the same as that of EIA as both of them are clearly present at around 1300 and 1400 local solar time (LST) only. At 1400 LST the difference between the temperatures at the crest and the trough (ETA strength) reaches a maximum value of about 100°K which is ~14% of the temperature at the trough. Like the EIA, the ETA also suddenly disappears after 1400 LST. Thus the EIA appears to be a prerequisite for the ETA formation. During the premidnight time (2200 LST), however, while the EIA is nonexistent, the temperature distribution forms a pattern opposite to that at 1400 LST in the daytime. It shows a maximum around the dip equator and a broad minimum at the daytime crest region where the postsunset cooling also is faster and occurs earlier than at the dip equator. This nighttime maximum appears to be related to the signature of the midnight temperature maximum (MTM). Mass Spectrometer Incoherent Scatter (MSIS) model temperatures, in general, are higher than the observed average temperatures for the summer season and in particular for the region around the dip equator around noon hours.

Nonparametric functional data estimation applied to ozone data: prediction and extreme value analysis.

PubMed

Quintela-del-Río, Alejandro; Francisco-Fernández, Mario

2011-02-01

The study of extreme values and prediction of ozone data is an important topic of research when dealing with environmental problems. Classical extreme value theory is usually used in air-pollution studies. It consists in fitting a parametric generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution to a data set of extreme values, and using the estimated distribution to compute return levels and other quantities of interest. Here, we propose to estimate these values using nonparametric functional data methods. Functional data analysis is a relatively new statistical methodology that generally deals with data consisting of curves or multi-dimensional variables. In this paper, we use this technique, jointly with nonparametric curve estimation, to provide alternatives to the usual parametric statistical tools. The nonparametric estimators are applied to real samples of maximum ozone values obtained from several monitoring stations belonging to the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) in the UK. The results show that nonparametric estimators work satisfactorily, outperforming the behaviour of classical parametric estimators. Functional data analysis is also used to predict stratospheric ozone concentrations. We show an application, using the data set of mean monthly ozone concentrations in Arosa, Switzerland, and the results are compared with those obtained by classical time series (ARIMA) analysis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forced expirations and maximum expiratory flow-volume curves during sustained microgravity on SLS-1.

PubMed

Elliott, A R; Prisk, G K; Guy, H J; Kosonen, J M; West, J B

1996-07-01

Gravity is known to influence the mechanical behavior of the lung and chest wall. However, the effect of sustained microgravity (microG) on forced expirations has not previously been reported. Tests were carried out by four subjects in both the standing and supine postures during each of seven preflight and four postflight data-collection sessions and four times during the 9 days of microG exposure on Spacelab Life Sciences-1. Compared with preflight standing values, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was significantly reduced by 12.5% on flight day 2 (FD2), 11.6% on FD4, and 5.0% on FD5 but returned to standing values by FD9. The supine posture caused a 9% reduction in PEFR. Forced vital capacity and forced expired volume in 1 s were slightly reduced (approximately 3-4%) on FD2 but returned to preflight standing values on FD4 and FD5, and by FD9 both values were slightly but significantly greater than standing values. Forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s were both reduced in the supine posture (approximately 8-10%). Forced expiratory flows at 50% and between 25 and 75% of vital capacity did not change during microG but were reduced in the supine posture. Analysis of the maximum expiratory flow-volume curve showed that microG caused no consistent change in the curve configuration when individual in-flight days were compared with preflight standing curves, although two subjects did show a slight reduction in flows at low lung volumes from FD2 to FD9. The interpretation of the lack of change in curve configuration must be made cautiously because the lung volumes varied from day to day in flight. Therefore, the flows at absolute lung volumes in microG and preflight standing are not being compared. The supine curves showed a subtle but consistent reduction in flows at low lung volumes. The mechanism responsible for the reduction in PEFR is not clear. It could be due to a lack of physical stabilization when performing the maneuver in the absence of gravity or a transient reduction in respiratory muscle strength.

Fractal analysis of polyferric chloride-humic acid (PFC-HA) flocs in different topological spaces.

PubMed

Wang, Yili; Lu, Jia; Baiyu, Du; Shi, Baoyou; Wang, Dongsheng

2009-01-01

The fractal dimensions in different topological spaces of polyferric chloride-humic acid (PFC-HA) flocs, formed in flocculating different kinds of humic acids (HA) water at different initial pH (9.0, 7.0, 5.0) and PFC dosages, were calculated by effective density-maximum diameter, image analysis, and N2 absorption-desorption methods, respectively. The mass fractal dimensions (Df) of PFC-HA flocs were calculated by bi-logarithm relation of effective density with maximum diameter and Logan empirical equation. The Df value was more than 2.0 at initial pH of 7.0, which was 11% and 13% higher than those at pH 9.0 and 5.0, respectively, indicating the most compact flocs formed in flocculated HA water at initial pH of 7.0. The image analysis for those flocs indicates that after flocculating the HA water at initial pH greater than 7.0 with PFC flocculant, the fractal dimensions of D2 (logA vs. logdL) and D3 (logVsphere VS. logdL) of PFC-HA flocs decreased with the increase of PFC dosages, and PFC-HA flocs showed a gradually looser structure. At the optimum dosage of PFC, the D2 (logA vs. logdL) values of the flocs show 14%-43% difference with their corresponding Df, and they even had different tendency with the change of initial pH values. However, the D2 values of the flocs formed at three different initial pH in HA solution had a same tendency with the corresponding Dr. Based on fractal Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) adsorption and desorption equations, the pore surface fractal dimensions (Ds) for dried powders of PFC-HA flocs formed in HA water with initial pH 9.0 and 7.0 were all close to 2.9421, and the Ds values of flocs formed at initial pH 5.0 were less than 2.3746. It indicated that the pore surface fractal dimensions of PFC-HA flocs dried powder mainly show the irregularity from the mesopore-size distribution and marcopore-size distribution.

Laboratory Study of Topographic Effects on the Near-surface Tornado Flow Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razavi, Alireza; Sarkar, Partha P.

2018-03-01

To study topographic effects on the near-surface tornado flow field, the Iowa State University tornado simulator was used to simulate a translating tornado passing over three different two-dimensional topographies: a ridge, an escarpment and a valley. The effect of the translation speed on maximum horizontal wind speeds is observed for translation speeds of 0.15 and 0.50 m s^{-1} , with the lower value resulting in a larger maximum horizontal wind speed. The tornado translation over the three topographies with respect to flat terrain is assessed for changes in: (a) the maximum horizontal wind speeds in terms of the flow-amplification factor; (b) the maximum aerodynamic drag in terms of the tornado speed-up ratio; (c) the maximum duration of exposure at any location to high wind speeds of a specific range in terms of the exposure amplification factor. Results show that both the maximum wind amplification factor of 14%, as well as the maximum speed-up ratio of 14%, occur on the ridge. For all topographies, the increase in aerodynamic drag is observed to be maximized for low-rise buildings, which illustrates the importance of the vertical profiles of the horizontal wind speed near the ground. The maximum exposure amplification factors, estimated for the range of wind speeds corresponding to the EF2 (50-60 m s^{-1} ) and EF3 (61-75 m s^{-1}) scales, are 86 and 110% for the ridge, 4 and 60% for the escarpment and - 6 and 47% for the valley, respectively.

An extended heterogeneous car-following model accounting for anticipation driving behavior and mixed maximum speeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Fengxin; Wang, Jufeng; Cheng, Rongjun; Ge, Hongxia

2018-02-01

The optimal driving speeds of the different vehicles may be different for the same headway. In the optimal velocity function of the optimal velocity (OV) model, the maximum speed vmax is an important parameter determining the optimal driving speed. A vehicle with higher maximum speed is more willing to drive faster than that with lower maximum speed in similar situation. By incorporating the anticipation driving behavior of relative velocity and mixed maximum speeds of different percentages into optimal velocity function, an extended heterogeneous car-following model is presented in this paper. The analytical linear stable condition for this extended heterogeneous traffic model is obtained by using linear stability theory. Numerical simulations are carried out to explore the complex phenomenon resulted from the cooperation between anticipation driving behavior and heterogeneous maximum speeds in the optimal velocity function. The analytical and numerical results all demonstrate that strengthening driver's anticipation effect can improve the stability of heterogeneous traffic flow, and increasing the lowest value in the mixed maximum speeds will result in more instability, but increasing the value or proportion of the part already having higher maximum speed will cause different stabilities at high or low traffic densities.

Earthquake hazard analysis for the different regions in and around Ağrı

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

Bayrak, Erdem, E-mail: erdmbyrk@gmail.com; Yilmaz, Şeyda, E-mail: seydayilmaz@ktu.edu.tr; Bayrak, Yusuf, E-mail: bayrak@ktu.edu.tr

We investigated earthquake hazard parameters for Eastern part of Turkey by determining the a and b parameters in a Gutenberg–Richter magnitude–frequency relationship. For this purpose, study area is divided into seven different source zones based on their tectonic and seismotectonic regimes. The database used in this work was taken from different sources and catalogues such as TURKNET, International Seismological Centre (ISC), Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for instrumental period. We calculated the a value, b value, which is the slope of the frequency–magnitude Gutenberg–Richter relationship, from the maximum likelihoodmore » method (ML). Also, we estimated the mean return periods, the most probable maximum magnitude in the time period of t-years and the probability for an earthquake occurrence for an earthquake magnitude ≥ M during a time span of t-years. We used Zmap software to calculate these parameters. The lowest b value was calculated in Region 1 covered Cobandede Fault Zone. We obtain the highest a value in Region 2 covered Kagizman Fault Zone. This conclusion is strongly supported from the probability value, which shows the largest value (87%) for an earthquake with magnitude greater than or equal to 6.0. The mean return period for such a magnitude is the lowest in this region (49-years). The most probable magnitude in the next 100 years was calculated and we determined the highest value around Cobandede Fault Zone. According to these parameters, Region 1 covered the Cobandede Fault Zone and is the most dangerous area around the Eastern part of Turkey.« less

Assessment of professional baseball players aerobic exercise performance depending on their positions.

PubMed

Yang, Seung-Won

2014-11-01

This study reports the average and SD of professional baseball players' cardiorespiratory endurance, maximum oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption during anaerobic threshold, maximum oxygen consumption of anaerobic threshold %, maximum heart rate, and heart rate of anaerobic threshold. We also report the comparison between pitchers and fielders. Considering the total number of results, percentile was used and results were classified into 5 grades. One professional baseball players' organization with more than 14 years of experience participated in this study. First, we observed that the average pitchers' V[Combining Dot Above]O2max was 53.64 ml·kg·min, whereas the average fielders' was 52.30 ml·kg·min. These values were lower than other sports players. Second, in case of the V[Combining Dot Above]O2AT, pitchers showed 39.35 ml·kg·min and fielders showed 39.96 ml·kg·min. %V[Combining Dot Above]O2AT showed a significant difference of 71.13% between pitchers and fielders-pitchers, whereas fielders showed 73.89% (p < 0.01). Third, maximal heart rates were measured at 188.69 b·min (pitchers) and 187.79 b·min (fielders). These were lower than college baseball players and higher than other sports players. In conclusion, both professional baseball pitchers and fielders should be aware of the necessity of systematic cardiorespiratory endurance data analysis. Moreover, baseball teams, athletic trainers, and coaches should also be aware of the importance of cardiorespiratory endurance.

Tendencies of extreme values on rainfall and temperature and its relationship with teleconnection patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taboada, J. J.; Cabrejo, A.; Guarin, D.; Ramos, A. M.

2009-04-01

It is now very well established that yearly averaged temperatures are increasing due to anthropogenic climate change. In the area of Galicia (NW Spain) this trend has also been determined. Rainfall does not show a clear tendency in its yearly accumulated values. The aim of this work is to study different extreme indices of rainfall and temperatures analysing variability and possible trends associated to climate change. Station data for the study was provided by the CLIMA database of the regional government of Galicia (NW Spain). The definition of the extreme indices was taken from the joint CCl/CLIVAR/JCOMM Expert Team (ET) on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) This group has defined a set of standard extreme values to simplify intercomparison of data from different regions of the world. For the temperatures in the period 1960-2006, results show a significant increase of the number of days with maximum temperatures above the 90th percentile. Furthermore, a significant decrease of the days with maximum temperatures below the 10th percentile has been found. The tendencies of minimum temperatures are reverse: fewer nights with minimum temperatures below 10th percentile, and more with minimum temperatures above 90th percentile. Those tendencies can be observed all over the year, but are more pronounced in summer. This trend is expected to continue in the next decades because of anthropogenic climate change. We have also calculated the relationship between the above mentioned extreme values and different teleconnection patterns appearing in the North Atlantic area. Results show that local tendencies are associated with trends of EA (Eastern Atlantic) and SCA (Scandinavian) patterns. NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) has also some relationship with these tendencies, but only related with cold days and nights in winter. Rainfall index do not show any clear tendency on the annual scale. Nevertheless, the count of days when precipitation is greater than 20mm (R20mm) and the total precipitation when rainfall is greater than 95th percentile (R95pTOT) diminishes in winter and spring, but increases in autumn. This trend is related with NAO in winter and spring and with SCA in autumn.

Influence of hyperbaric oxygen on biomechanics and structural bone matrix in type 1 diabetes mellitus rats.

PubMed

Limirio, Pedro Henrique Justino Oliveira; da Rocha Junior, Huberth Alexandre; Morais, Richarlisson Borges de; Hiraki, Karen Renata Nakamura; Balbi, Ana Paula Coelho; Soares, Priscilla Barbosa Ferreira; Dechichi, Paula

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomechanics and structural bone matrix in diabetic rats subjected to hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO). Twenty-four male rats were divided into the following groups: Control; Control + HBO; Diabetic, and Diabetic + HBO. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) in the diabetic Groups. After 30 days, HBO was performed every 48h in HBO groups and all animals were euthanized 60 days after diabetic induction. The femur was submitted to a biomechanical (maximum strength, energy-to-failure and stiffness) and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) analyses (crosslink ratio, crystallinity index, matrix-to-mineral ratio: Amide I + II/Hydroxyapatite (M:MI) and Amide III + Collagen/HA (M:MIII)). In biomechanical analysis, diabetic animals showed lower values of maximum strength, energy and stiffness than non-diabetic animals. However, structural strength and stiffness were increased in groups with HBO compared with non-HBO. ATR-FTIR analysis showed decreased collagen maturity in the ratio of crosslink peaks in diabetic compared with the other groups. The bone from the diabetic groups showed decreased crystallinity compared with non-diabetic groups. M:MI showed no statistical difference between groups. However, M:MIII showed an increased matrix mineral ratio in diabetic+HBO and control+HBO compared with control and diabetic groups. Correlations between mechanical and ATR-FTIR analyses showed significant positive correlation between collagen maturity and stiffness. Diabetes decreased collagen maturation and the mineral deposition process, thus reducing biomechanical properties. Moreover, the study showed that HBO improved crosslink maturation and increased maximum strength and stiffness in the femur of T1DM animals.

Volumetric velocity measurements in restricted geometries using spiral sampling: a phantom study.

PubMed

Nilsson, Anders; Revstedt, Johan; Heiberg, Einar; Ståhlberg, Freddy; Bloch, Karin Markenroth

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of maximum velocity measurements using volumetric phase-contrast imaging with spiral readouts in a stenotic flow phantom. In a phantom model, maximum velocity, flow, pressure gradient, and streamline visualizations were evaluated using volumetric phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with velocity encoding in one (extending on current clinical practice) and three directions (for characterization of the flow field) using spiral readouts. Results of maximum velocity and pressure drop were compared to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, as well as corresponding low-echo-time (TE) Cartesian data. Flow was compared to 2D through-plane phase contrast (PC) upstream from the restriction. Results obtained with 3D through-plane PC as well as 4D PC at shortest TE using a spiral readout showed excellent agreements with the maximum velocity values obtained with CFD (<1 % for both methods), while larger deviations were seen using Cartesian readouts (-2.3 and 13 %, respectively). Peak pressure drop calculations from 3D through-plane PC and 4D PC spiral sequences were respectively 14 and 13 % overestimated compared to CFD. Identification of the maximum velocity location, as well as the accurate velocity quantification can be obtained in stenotic regions using short-TE spiral volumetric PC imaging.

Maximum striking velocities in strikes with steel rods-the influence of rod length, rod mass and volunteer parameters.

PubMed

Trinh, T X; Heinke, S; Rode, C; Schenkl, S; Hubig, M; Mall, G; Muggenthaler, Holger

2018-03-01

In blunt force trauma to the head caused by attacks with blunt instruments, contact forces can be estimated based on the conservation of momentum if impact velocities are known. The aims of this work were to measure maximum striking velocities and to examine the influence of rod parameters such as rod mass and length as well as volunteer parameters such as sex, age, body height, body mass, body mass index and the average amount of physical exercise. Steel rods with masses of 500, 1000 and 1500 g as well as lengths of 40, 65 and 90 cm were exemplarily tested as blunt instruments. Twenty-nine men and 22 women participated in this study. Each volunteer performed several vertical strikes with the steel rods onto a passive immobile target. Maximum striking velocities were measured by means of a Qualisys motion capture system using high-speed cameras and infrared light. Male volunteers achieved maximum striking velocities between 14.0 and 35.5 m/s whereas female volunteers achieved values between 10.4 and 28.3 m/s. Results show that maximum striking velocities increased with smaller rod masses and less consistently with higher rod lengths. Statistically significant influences were found in the volunteers' sex and average amount of physical exercise.

Nanohardness and Residual Stress in TiN Coatings.

PubMed

Hernández, Luis Carlos; Ponce, Luis; Fundora, Abel; López, Enrique; Pérez, Eduardo

2011-05-17

TiN films were prepared by the Cathodic arc evaporation deposition method under different negative substrate bias. AFM image analyses show that the growth mode of biased coatings changes from 3D island to lateral when the negative bias potential is increased. Nanohardness of the thin films was measured by nanoindentation, and residual stress was determined using Grazing incidence X ray diffraction. The maximum value of residual stress is reached at -100 V substrate bias coinciding with the biggest values of adhesion and nanohardness. Nanoindentation measurement proves that the force-depth curve shifts due to residual stress. The experimental results demonstrate that nanohardness is seriously affected by the residual stress.

Improved Taxation Rate for Bin Packing Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, Walter; Qiu, Xian

A cooperative bin packing game is a N-person game, where the player set N consists of k bins of capacity 1 each and n items of sizes a 1, ⋯ ,a n . The value of a coalition of players is defined to be the maximum total size of items in the coalition that can be packed into the bins of the coalition. We present an alternative proof for the non-emptiness of the 1/3-core for all bin packing games and show how to improve this bound ɛ= 1/3 (slightly). We conjecture that the true best possible value is ɛ= 1/7.

Static vs stochastic optimization: A case study of FTSE Bursa Malaysia sectorial indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamat, Nur Jumaadzan Zaleha; Jaaman, Saiful Hafizah; Ahmad, Rokiah@Rozita

2014-06-01

Traditional portfolio optimization methods in the likes of Markowitz' mean-variance model and semi-variance model utilize static expected return and volatility risk from historical data to generate an optimal portfolio. The optimal portfolio may not truly be optimal in reality due to the fact that maximum and minimum values from the data may largely influence the expected return and volatility risk values. This paper considers distributions of assets' return and volatility risk to determine a more realistic optimized portfolio. For illustration purposes, the sectorial indices data in FTSE Bursa Malaysia is employed. The results show that stochastic optimization provides more stable information ratio.

The role of angiography in the congruence of cardiovascular measurements between autopsy and postmortem imaging.

PubMed

Troxler, Renaud; Minoiu, Costin; Vaucher, Paul; Michaud, Katarzyna; Doenz, Francesco; Ducrot, Kewin; Grabherr, Silke

2018-01-01

Postmortem CT angiography is the method of choice for the postmortem imaging investigations of the cardiovascular (CV) system. However, autopsy still remains the gold standard for CV measurement. Nevertheless, there are not any studies on CV measurements on the multi-phase postmortem angiography (MPMCTA) which includes comparisons with autopsy. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare CV measurements between the native CT scan and the three phases of the MPMCTA to find out which of these modalities correlate the best with autopsy measurements. For this study, we selected retrospectively 50 postmortem cases that underwent both MPMCTA and autopsy. A comparison was carried out between the CV measurements obtained with imaging (aorta; heart cavities and cardiac wall thicknesses; maximum cardiac diameter and cardiothoracic ratio) and at the autopsy (aorta; cardiac valves, ventricular thicknesses, and weight). Our results show that the dynamic phase displays an advantage for the measurement of the aortas. However, the MPMCTA is not accurate to measure the cardiac wall thicknesses. The measurements of the heart cavities show no correlation with the heart valves. The cardiothoracic ratio measured by the MPMCTA shows no correlation with the heart weight. Nevertheless, the maximum cardiac diameter exhibits a correlation with the latter on the venous and dynamic phase. These results show that only few CV parameters measured with imaging correlate with measurement obtained at the autopsy. These results indicate that in order to better estimate values obtained at the autopsy, we need to define new reference values for the CV measurement on MPMCTA.

The adsorption kinetics of metal ions onto different microalgae and siliceous earth.

PubMed

Schmitt, D; Müller, A; Csögör, Z; Frimmel, F H; Posten, C

2001-03-01

In the present work the adsorption kinetics of the six metal ions aluminum, zinc, mercury, lead, copper, and cadmium onto living microalgae were measured. The freshwater green microalga Scenedesmus subspicatus, the brackish water diatom Cyclotella cryptica, the seawater diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the seawater red alga Porphyridium purpureum were the subject of investigation. In most cases the adsorption rate of the metals could be well described by using the equation of the Langmuir adsorption rate expression. Inverse parameter estimation allowed the determination of the rate constants of the adsorption process and the maximum metal content of the algae. The highest values for the rate constant were obtained for Porphyridium purpureum followed by Phaeodactylum tricornutum. High values for the maximum content were obtained for Cyclotella cryptica and Scenedesmus subspicatus. The maximum rate constant was 24.21 h-1 for the adsorption of Hg to Porphyridium purpureum whereas the maximum metal content (0.243 g g-1) was obtained for Zn on Cyclotella cryptica. A comparison of these values with those obtained for the mineral siliceous earth exhibiting low maximum content and high adsorption rates reveals that the mechanism of adsorption onto the algae is a mixture of adsorption and accumulation.

Antihypertensive Properties of a Pea Protein Hydrolysate during Short- and Long-Term Oral Administration to Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

PubMed

Girgih, Abraham T; Nwachukwu, Ifeanyi D; Onuh, John O; Malomo, Sunday A; Aluko, Rotimi E

2016-05-01

This study investigated short-term (24 h) and long-term (5 wk) systolic blood pressure (SBP)-lowering effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) of a 5 kDa membrane pea protein hydrolysate permeate (PPH-5) produced through thermoase hydrolysis of pea protein isolate (PPI). Amino acid analysis showed that the PPH-5 had lower contents of sulfur-containing amino acids than the PPI. Size-exclusion chromatography indicated mainly low molecular weight (<10 kDa) peptides in PPH-5 but not in the PPI. The PPH-5 had renin and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition IC50 values of 0.57 and 0.10 mg/mL (P < 0.05), respectively, and consisted mainly of peptides with 2 to 6 amino acids. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed mainly hydrophilic tetrapeptide sequences. After a single oral administration (100 mg/kg body weight) to SHR, the unheated PPI showed weakest (P < 0.05) SBP-lowering effect with a -4 mm Hg maximum when compared to -25 mm Hg for heat-treated PPI and -36 mm Hg for PPH-5. Incorporation of the PPH-5 as 0.5% or 1% (w/w) casein substitute in the SHR diet produced maximum SBP reductions of -22 or -26 mm Hg (P < 0.05), respectively after 3 wk. In comparison, the unhydrolyzed PPI produced a maximum SBP reduction of -17 mm Hg also after 3 wk. Potency of the pea products decreased in the 4th and 5th wk, though SBP values of the treated rats were still lower than the untreated control. We conclude that the antihypertensive potency of PPH-5 may have been due to the presence of easily absorbed hydrophilic peptides. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Ultrasound-guided thoracenthesis: the V-point as a site for optimal drainage positioning.

PubMed

Zanforlin, A; Gavelli, G; Oboldi, D; Galletti, S

2013-01-01

In the latest years the use of lung ultrasound is increasing in the evaluation of pleural effusions, because it makes follow-up easier and drainage more efficient by providing guidance on the most appropriate sampling site. However, no standardized approach for ultrasound-guided thoracenthesis is actually available. To evaluate our usual ultrasonographic landmark as a possible standard site to perform thoracenthesis by assessing its value in terms of safety and efficiency (success at first attempt, drainage as complete as possible). Hospitalized patients with non organized pleural effusion underwent thoracenthesis after ultrasound evaluation. The point showing on ultrasound the maximum thickness of the effusion ("V-point") was chosen for drainage. 45 ultrasound guided thoracenthesis were performed in 12 months. In 22 cases there were no complications; 16 cases of cough, 2 cases of mild dyspnea without desaturation, 4 cases of mild pain; 2 cases of complications requiring medical intervention occurred. No case of pneumothorax related to the procedure was detected. In all cases drainage was successful on the first attempt. The collected values of maximum thickness at V-point (min 3.4 cm - max 15.3 cm) and drained fluid volume (min 70 ml - max 2000 ml) showed a significative correlation (p < 0.0001). When the thickness was greater or equal to 9.9 cm, drained volume was always more than 1000 ml. The measure of the maximum thickness at V-point provides high efficiency to ultrasound guided thoracentesis and allows to estimate the amount of fluid in the pleural cavity. It is also an easy parameter that makes the proposed method quick to learn and apply.  

[Evaluation of the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis in dairy cattle using ultrasound].

PubMed

Lenz, Mirjam; Drillich, Marc; Heuwieser, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine signs of subclinical endometritis found by ultrasound that are associated with reduced fertility in dairy cows. The maximum diameter of the uterine lumen was determined by ultrasound in 324 cows without clinical signs of endometritis after evaluation of the genital tract 21 to 27 days postpartum. Cows were classified into healthy or with subclinical endometritis by three threshold values for the maximum uterine lumen diameter of 0.2 cm, 0.5 cm or 0.8 cm. Examinations by rectal palpation and ultrasound as well as classifications were repeated 14 days later. In addition, ovaries were scanned by ultrasound to determine the stage of the estrous cycle. In a subgroup of 103 cows the echotexture of the uterus and its contents was evaluated. In these cows the diagnosis of subclinical endometritis was performed by a scoring system. The diameter of the uterine lumen was significantly affected by stage of the estrous cycle at the time of examination. However, no effects were found for the stage of the cycle at the time of examination on subsequent reproductive performance. A uterine lumen with a maximum diameter of more than 0.2 cm showed a significant negative association with conception rate and proportion of cows pregnant. Classification based on higher threshold values did not reveal an association with reproductive performance. Echogenic content in the uterus also decreased reproductive performance. A classification based on the echotexture of the uterus and its contents revealed significant differences between healthy cows and cows with subclinical endometritis regarding the proportion of cows inseminated and pregnant. The results of this study showed that the diagnostic of bovine endometritis should be broadend by ultrasonography. The definition of subclinical endometritis diagnosed by means of ultrasonography has to be evaluated in further studies.

Biogeochemical control of marine productivity in the Mediterranean Sea during the last 50 years

PubMed Central

Macias, Diego; Garcia-Gorriz, Elisa; Piroddi, Chiara; Stips, Adolf

2014-01-01

The temporal dynamics of biogeochemical variables derived from a coupled 3-D model of the Mediterranean Sea are evaluated for the last 50 years (1960–2010) against independent data on fisheries catch per unit effort (CPUE) for the same time period. Concordant patterns are found in the time series of all of the biological variables (from the model and from fisheries statistics), with low values at the beginning of the series, a later increase, with maximum levels reached at the end of the 1990s, and a posterior stabilization. Spectral analysis of the annual biological time series reveals coincident low-frequency signals in all of them. The first, more energetic signal peaks around the year 2000, while the second, less energetic signal peaks near 1982. Almost identical low-frequency signals are found in the nutrient loads of the rivers and in the integrated nutrient levels in the surface marine ecosystem. Nitrate concentration shows a maximum level in 1998, with a later stabilization to present-day values, coincident with the first low-frequency signal found in the biological series. Phosphate shows maximum concentrations around 1982 and a posterior sharp decline, in concordance with the second low-frequency signal observed in the biological series. That result seems to indicate that the control of marine productivity (plankton to fish) in the Mediterranean is principally mediated through bottom-up processes that could be traced back to the characteristics of riverine discharges. The high sensitivity of CPUE time series to environmental conditions might be another indicator of the overexploitation of this marine ecosystem. Key Points Biogeochemical evolution of the Mediterranean over the past 50 years River nutrient loads drive primary and secondary productions Strong link between low trophic levels and fisheries PMID:26180286

Bio sorption of strontium from aqueous solution by New Strain Bacillus sp. GTG-83

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

Tajer Mohammad Ghazvini, P.; Ghorbanzadeh Mashkani, S.; Ghafourian, H.

Attempt was made to isolate bacterial strains capable of removing Sr biologically. In this study we collected ten different water samples from naturally radioactive spring Neydasht in Iran and bacterial strains samples isolated. Initial screening of a total of 50 bacterial isolates resulted in selection of one strain. The strain showed maximum adsorption capacity with 55 mg Sr/g dry wt. It was tentatively identified as Bacillus sp. according to morphological and biochemical properties and called strain GTG-83. Studies indicated that Bacillus sp. GTG-83 was able to grow aerobically in the presence of 50 mM SrCl{sub 2} but showed severe growthmore » inhibition at levels above that concentration. The bio-sorption capacity of Bacillus sp. GTG-83 strongly depends on solution pH, and the maximum Sr sorption capacity of Bacillus sp. GTG-83 were obtained at pH 10 independent of the absence or the presence of increasing concentrations of salt (MgCl{sub 2}). Sr-salt bio-sorption studies were also performed at this pH values. Equilibrium uptakes of Sr increased with increasing Sr concentrations up to 250 mg/l for Bacillus sp. GTG-83. Maximum bio-sorption of Sr was obtained at temperatures in the range of 30-35 deg. C. Bacillus sp. GTG-83 bio-sorbed 97 mg Sr/g dry wt at 100 mg/l initial Sr concentration without salt medium (MgCl{sub 2}). When salt concentration (MgCl{sub 2}) increased to 15% (w/v), these values dropped to 23.6 mg Sr/g dry wt at the same conditions. Uptake of Sr within 5 min of incubation was relatively rapid and the absorption continued slowly thereafter. (authors)« less

Differences in energy capacities between tennis players and runners.

PubMed

Novak, Dario; Vucetić, Vlatko; Zugaj, Sanja

2013-05-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine differences between elite athletes and tennis players in order to provide a clearer picture regarding the energy demands in modern tennis. Forty-eight (48) athletes and 24 tennis players from Croatian national leagues were compared in morphological and physiological parameters of an all-out incremental treadmill test with gas exchange measurements. Tennis players' HRmax (192.96+/-7.75 bpm) shows values that are most different to 400-meters sprinters (200.13+/-6.95 bpm). Maximum running speed of tennis players on the treadmill (vmax) is no different with the speed achieved by sprinters, while there are significant differences among other athletes. Values in running speed at anaerobic threshold (vAnT) show no statistically significant difference with the values for athlete sprinters and 400-m sprinters. Values of RvO2max for tennis players indicate significant similarities with athlete sprinters and 400-m sprinters while the values of RvO2AnT are nearly identical with the values for sprinters and show no statistically significant differences (p<0.05). The results indicate that values achieved by tennis players approximate most different those of the middle and long distance runners. This singles out the possible importance of the anaerobic capacity and the high level of sprint endurance in tennis players. Knowing these characteristics is the basis for planning and implementing training systems that will enable the increase and optimal usage of energy capacities of tennis players in possibly improving sports results.

SAGE aerosol measurements. Volume 3: January 1, 1981 to November 18, 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccormick, M. Patrick

1987-01-01

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) satellite system, launched February 18, 1979, obtained profiles of aerosol extinction at 1.00 micron and 0.45 micron ozone concentration, and nitrogen dioxide concentration. Data taken during sunset events are presented in the form of zonal and seasonal averages of aerosol extinction of 1.00 micron and 0.45 micron, ratios of aerosol extinction to molecular extinction at 1.00 micron and ratios of aerosol extinction at 0.45 micron to aerosol extinction at 1.00 micron. Averages for 1981 are shown in tables, and in profile and contour plots (as a function of altitude and latitude). In addition, temperature data provided by NOAA for the time and location of each SAGE measurement are averaged and shown in a similar format. The stratospheric aerosol distribution for 1981 shows effects of volcanically injected material from eruptions of Ulawun, Alaid, and Pagan. Peak values of aerosol extinction at 0.45 micron and 1.00 micron were 2 to 4 times higher than typical peak values observed during near background conditions. Stratospheric aerosol optical depth values at 1.00 microns increased by a factor of about 2 from near background levels in regions of volcanic activity. During the year, these values ranged from between 0.001 and 0.006. The largest were near the location of a recent eruption. The distribution of the ratio of aerosol to molecular extinction at 1.00 microns also showed that maximum values are found in the vicinity of an eruption. These maximums varied in altitude, but remained below a height of about 25 km. No attempt has been made to give detailed explanations or interpretations of these data. The intent is to provide, in a ready-to-use visual format, representative zonal and seasonal averages of aerosol extinction data for the third calendar year of the SAGE data set to facilitate atmospheric and climatic studies.

Spatiotemporal assessment of CO2 emissions and its satellite remote sensing over Pakistan and neighboring regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ul-Haq, Zia; Tariq, Salman; Ali, Muhammad

2017-01-01

For the first time, anthropogenic CO2 emissions and spatiotemporal variability of mid-tropospheric CO2 has been discussed using EDGAR database and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard Aqua satellite observations. The EDGAR data indicate an increase of 147% in anthropogenic CO2 emissions from 66,101 to 163,737 Gg for Pakistan during the period of 1990-2008. Dera Ghazi Khan (Pakistan) is found with the highest increase of 260% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions followed by Delhi (India) 153%, Karachi (Pakistan) 66% and Lahore (Pakistan) 59% whereas a decreasing trend of -53% is observed for Kabul (Afghanistan) during 1990-2008. Industrial activities, road transportation, open field crop-waste burning, and energy production have been identified as major anthropogenic emission sources of CO2 in the studied region. AIRS CO2 retrievals over Pakistan and adjoining areas of India and Afghanistan show an averaged CO2 to be 383±5 ppm with a positive trend of 5.05% during December 2002 to February 2012. An elevated value of CO2 has been observed over northern mountainous and high human settlement regions. The seasonal analysis shows a spring maximum 385±5 ppm with a secondary peak in late autumn, and the highest increasing trend of 5.5% associated with winter. May and August showed maximum and minimum mean monthly values of 385±5 ppm and 382±5 ppm respectively. HYSPLIT trajectories of air masses movement have been drawn to track CO2 transport.

The Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Signature Transformation /MLEST/ algorithm. [for affine transformation of crop inventory data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thadani, S. G.

1977-01-01

The Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Signature Transformation (MLEST) algorithm is used to obtain maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) of affine transformation. The algorithm has been evaluated for three sets of data: simulated (training and recognition segment pairs), consecutive-day (data gathered from Landsat images), and geographical-extension (large-area crop inventory experiment) data sets. For each set, MLEST signature extension runs were made to determine MLE values and the affine-transformed training segment signatures were used to classify the recognition segments. The classification results were used to estimate wheat proportions at 0 and 1% threshold values.

Scaling exponents for ordered maxima

DOE PAGES

Ben-Naim, E.; Krapivsky, P. L.; Lemons, N. W.

2015-12-22

We study extreme value statistics of multiple sequences of random variables. For each sequence with N variables, independently drawn from the same distribution, the running maximum is defined as the largest variable to date. We compare the running maxima of m independent sequences and investigate the probability S N that the maxima are perfectly ordered, that is, the running maximum of the first sequence is always larger than that of the second sequence, which is always larger than the running maximum of the third sequence, and so on. The probability S N is universal: it does not depend on themore » distribution from which the random variables are drawn. For two sequences, S N~N –1/2, and in general, the decay is algebraic, S N~N –σm, for large N. We analytically obtain the exponent σ 3≅1.302931 as root of a transcendental equation. Moreover, the exponents σ m grow with m, and we show that σ m~m for large m.« less

Theoretical evaluation of maximum electric field approximation of direct band-to-band tunneling Kane model for low bandgap semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang Chien, Nguyen; Shih, Chun-Hsing; Hoa, Phu Chi; Minh, Nguyen Hong; Thi Thanh Hien, Duong; Nhung, Le Hong

2016-06-01

The two-band Kane model has been popularly used to calculate the band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) current in tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) which is currently considered as a promising candidate for low power applications. This study theoretically clarifies the maximum electric field approximation (MEFA) of direct BTBT Kane model and evaluates its appropriateness for low bandgap semiconductors. By analysing the physical origin of each electric field term in the Kane model, it has been elucidated in the MEFA that the local electric field term must be remained while the nonlocal electric field terms are assigned by the maximum value of electric field at the tunnel junction. Mathematical investigations have showed that the MEFA is more appropriate for low bandgap semiconductors compared to high bandgap materials because of enhanced tunneling probability in low field regions. The appropriateness of the MEFA is very useful for practical uses in quickly estimating the direct BTBT current in low bandgap TFET devices.

The influence of age, sex, bulb position, visual feedback, and the order of testing on maximum anterior and posterior tongue strength and endurance in healthy belgian adults.

PubMed

Vanderwegen, Jan; Guns, Cindy; Van Nuffelen, Gwen; Elen, Rik; De Bodt, Marc

2013-06-01

This study collected data on the maximum anterior and posterior tongue strength and endurance in 420 healthy Belgians across the adult life span to explore the influence of age, sex, bulb position, visual feedback, and order of testing. Measures were obtained using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI). Older participants (more than 70 years old) demonstrated significantly lower strength than younger persons at the anterior and the posterior tongue. Endurance remains stable throughout the major part of life. Gender influence remains significant but minor throughout life, with males showing higher pressures and longer endurance. The anterior part of the tongue has both higher strength and longer endurance than the posterior part. Mean maximum tongue pressures in this European population seem to be lower than American values and are closer to Asian results. The normative data can be used for objective assessment of tongue weakness and subsequent therapy planning of dysphagic patients.

Wind tunnel test of musi VI bridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Permata, Robby; Andika, Matza Gusto; Syariefatunnisa, Risdhiawan, Eri; Hermawan, Budi; Noordiana, Indra

2017-11-01

Musi VI Bridge is planned to cross the Musi River in Palembang City, South Sumatera Province, Indonesia. The main span is a steel arch type with 200 m length and side span length is 75 m. Finite element analysis results showed that the bridge has frequency ratio for torsional and heaving mode (torsional frequency/heaving frequency)=1.14. This close to unity value rises concern about aerodynamic behaviour and stability of the bridge deck under wind loading. Sectional static and free vibration wind tunnel test were performed to clarify this phenomena in B2TA3 facility in Serpong, Indonesia. The test followed the draft of Guide of Wind Tunnel Test for Bridges developed by Indonesian Ministry of Public Works. Results from wind tunnel testing show that the bridge is safe from flutter instability and no coupled motion vibration observed. Therefore, low value of frequency ratio has no effect to aerodynamic behaviour of the bridge deck. Vortex-induced vibration in heaving mode occurred in relatively low wind velocity with permissible maximum amplitude value.

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

Ottar, B.

Results of the LRTAP program and other European studies are discussed which show that considerable long-range transport of air pollutants from the UK and central Europe to Scandinavia occurs. Data are examined which reveal that the sulfate deposition pattern in Scandinavia is largely governed by precipitation and wind direction and that sulfates deposition reaches maximum values of 3 to 5 metric tons/sq km in southern Scandinavia. The contribution from precipitation is found to outweigh the dry deposition, particularly in southern Norway.

Electron and donor-impurity-related Raman scattering and Raman gain in triangular quantum dots under an applied electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiutiunnyk, Anton; Akimov, Volodymyr; Tulupenko, Viktor; Mora-Ramos, Miguel E.; Kasapoglu, Esin; Morales, Alvaro L.; Duque, Carlos Alberto

2016-04-01

The differential cross-section of electron Raman scattering and the Raman gain are calculated and analysed in the case of prismatic quantum dots with equilateral triangle base shape. The study takes into account their dependencies on the size of the triangle, the influence of externally applied electric field as well as the presence of an ionized donor center located at the triangle's orthocenter. The calculations are made within the effective mass and parabolic band approximations, with a diagonalization scheme being applied to obtain the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the x- y Hamiltonian. The incident and secondary (scattered) radiation have been considered linearly-polarized along the y-direction, coinciding with the direction of the applied electric field. For the case with an impurity center, Raman scattering with the intermediate state energy below the initial state one has been found to show maximum differential cross-section more than by an order of magnitude bigger than that resulting from the scheme with lower intermediate state energy. The Raman gain has maximum magnitude around 35 nm dot size and electric field of 40 kV/cm for the case without impurity and at maximum considered values of the input parameters for the case with impurity. Values of Raman gain of the order of up to 104cm-1 are predicted in both cases.

Kinetic measurement of 2-aminopurine X cytosine and 2-aminopurine X thymine base pairs as a test of DNA polymerase fidelity mechanisms.

PubMed Central

Watanabe, S M; Goodman, M F

1982-01-01

Enzyme kinetic measurements are presented showing that Km rather than maximum velocity (Vmax) discrimination governs the frequency of forming 2-aminopurine X cytosine base mispairs by DNA polymerase alpha. An in vitro system is used in which incorporation of dTMP or dCMP occurs opposite a template 2-aminopurine, and values for Km and Vmax are obtained. Results from a previous study in which dTTP and dCTP were competing simultaneously for insertion opposite 2-aminopurine indicated that dTMP is inserted 22 times more frequently than dCMP. We now report that the ratio of Km values KCm/KTm = 25 +/- 6, which agrees quantitatively with the dTMP/dCMP incorporation ratio obtained previously. We also report that VCmax is indistinguishable from VTmax. These Km and Vmax data are consistent with predictions from a model, the Km discrimination model, in which replication fidelity is determined by free energy differences between matched and mismatched base pairs. Central to this model is the prediction that the ratio of Km values for insertion of correct and incorrect nucleotides specifies the insertion fidelity, and the maximum velocities of insertion are the same for both nucleotides. PMID:6959128

Prediction of pKa Values for Neutral and Basic Drugs based on Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Methods.

PubMed

Li, Mengshan; Zhang, Huaijing; Chen, Bingsheng; Wu, Yan; Guan, Lixin

2018-03-05

The pKa value of drugs is an important parameter in drug design and pharmacology. In this paper, an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm was proposed based on the population entropy diversity. In the improved algorithm, when the population entropy was higher than the set maximum threshold, the convergence strategy was adopted; when the population entropy was lower than the set minimum threshold the divergence strategy was adopted; when the population entropy was between the maximum and minimum threshold, the self-adaptive adjustment strategy was maintained. The improved PSO algorithm was applied in the training of radial basis function artificial neural network (RBF ANN) model and the selection of molecular descriptors. A quantitative structure-activity relationship model based on RBF ANN trained by the improved PSO algorithm was proposed to predict the pKa values of 74 kinds of neutral and basic drugs and then validated by another database containing 20 molecules. The validation results showed that the model had a good prediction performance. The absolute average relative error, root mean square error, and squared correlation coefficient were 0.3105, 0.0411, and 0.9685, respectively. The model can be used as a reference for exploring other quantitative structure-activity relationships.

Pancreatic lipase inhibitory constituents from Morus alba leaves and optimization for extraction conditions.

PubMed

Jeong, Ji Yeon; Jo, Yang Hee; Kim, Seon Beom; Liu, Qing; Lee, Jin Woo; Mo, Eun Jin; Lee, Ki Yong; Hwang, Bang Yeon; Lee, Mi Kyeong

2015-06-01

The leaves of Morus alba (Moraceae) have been traditionally used for the treatment of metabolic diseases including diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Thus, inhibitory effect of M. alba leaves on pancreatic lipase and their active constituents were investigated in this study. Twenty phenolic compounds including ten flavonoids, eight benzofurans, one stilbene and one chalcones were isolated from the leaves of M. alba. Among the isolated compounds, morachalcone A (20) exerted strong pancreatic lipase inhibition with IC50 value of 6.2 μM. Other phenolic compounds containing a prenyl group showed moderate pancreatic lipase inhibition with IC50 value of <50 μM. Next, extraction conditions with maximum pancreatic lipase inhibition and phenolic content were optimized using response surface methodology with three-level-three-factor Box-Behnken design. Our results suggested the optimized extraction condition for maximum pancreatic lipase inhibition and phenolic content as ethanol concentration of 74.9%; temperature 57.4 °C and sample/solvent ratio, 1/10. The pancreatic lipase inhibition and total phenolic content under optimized condition were found to be 58.5% and 26.2 μg GAE (gallic acid equivalent)/mg extract, respectively, which were well matched with the predicted value. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bayesian maximum entropy integration of ozone observations and model predictions: an application for attainment demonstration in North Carolina.

PubMed

de Nazelle, Audrey; Arunachalam, Saravanan; Serre, Marc L

2010-08-01

States in the USA are required to demonstrate future compliance of criteria air pollutant standards by using both air quality monitors and model outputs. In the case of ozone, the demonstration tests aim at relying heavily on measured values, due to their perceived objectivity and enforceable quality. Weight given to numerical models is diminished by integrating them in the calculations only in a relative sense. For unmonitored locations, the EPA has suggested the use of a spatial interpolation technique to assign current values. We demonstrate that this approach may lead to erroneous assignments of nonattainment and may make it difficult for States to establish future compliance. We propose a method that combines different sources of information to map air pollution, using the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) Framework. The approach gives precedence to measured values and integrates modeled data as a function of model performance. We demonstrate this approach in North Carolina, using the State's ozone monitoring network in combination with outputs from the Multiscale Air Quality Simulation Platform (MAQSIP) modeling system. We show that the BME data integration approach, compared to a spatial interpolation of measured data, improves the accuracy and the precision of ozone estimations across the state.

Assessment of the maximum voluntary arm muscle contraction in sign language for the deaf.

PubMed

Regalo, S C H; Teixeira, V R; Vitti, M; Chaves, T C; Hallak, J E C; Bevilaqua-Grossi, D; Siriani de Oliveira, A

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of upper member muscles' activation of deaf individuals, who use the Brazilian sign language - LIBRAS, comparing these findings to volunteers with no postural deviations and normal hearing Forty eight volunteers divided into two groups comprising healthy and deaf subjects (24 volunteers for each group). The signs of rest were obtained with the volunteer maintaining the upper member in an anatomical position, but with the forearm flexed and sustained by the lower member. Maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) of the biceps, triceps, deltoid, and trapezius muscles were performed in the position of muscular function testing. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS-10.0. Continuous data with normal distribution were analyzed by ANOVA with the significance level of p < 0.01. The normalized electromyographic muscle data obtained in muscular rest do not show statistically significant differences among the studies muscles, in both groups. In the comparison of normalized RMS values obtained in MVIC, the mean values for the trapezius muscle of deaf group were statistically lower than control group. This study's results indicate there are no differences between the levels of muscular activation for arm biceps, arm triceps, and the anterior portion of the deltoid muscle between the mean normalized RMS values of deaf and healthy individuals.

Fabrication, mechanical characterization of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) reinforced vinylester hybrid composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yogesh, M.; Rao, A. N. Hari

2018-04-01

Natural fibre based composites are under intensive study due to their eco friendly nature and peculiar properties. The advantage of natural fibres is their continuous supply, easy and safe handling, and biodegradable nature. Although natural fibres exhibit admirable physical and mechanical properties, it varies with the plant source, species, geography, and so forth. Pineapple leave fibre (PALF) is one of the abundantly available waste materials in India and has not been studied yet. The work has been carried out to fabrication and study the mechanical characterization of Pineapple Leaf fiber reinforced Vinylester composites filled with different particulate fillers. These results are compared with those of a similar set of glass fiber reinforced Vinylester composites filled with same particulate fillers. It is evident that the density values for Pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) - Vinylester composites increase with the particulate filler content and void fractions in these composites also increase. The test results show that with the presence of particulate fillers, micro hardness of the PALF-Vinylester composites has improved. Among all the composites under this investigation, the maximum hardness value is recorded for PALF-Vinylester composite filled with 20 wt% alumina. In this investigation the maximum value of ILSS has been recorded for the PALF-Vinylester composite with 20 wt% of Flyash.

40 CFR 141.719 - Additional filtration toolbox components.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... establish a quality control release value (QCRV) for a non-destructive performance test that demonstrates... Detection Limit) (5) Challenge testing must be conducted at the maximum design flow rate for the filter as... representative hydraulic conditions at the maximum design flux and maximum design process recovery specified by...

40 CFR 141.719 - Additional filtration toolbox components.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... establish a quality control release value (QCRV) for a non-destructive performance test that demonstrates... Detection Limit) (5) Challenge testing must be conducted at the maximum design flow rate for the filter as... representative hydraulic conditions at the maximum design flux and maximum design process recovery specified by...

21 CFR 1050.10 - Ultrasonic therapy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... greater than 5 percent of the spatial-maximum intensity in that plane. (4) Beam nonuniformity ratio means..., operation controls, and a cabinet to house these components. (17) Maximum beam nonuniformity ratio means the maximum value of the beam nonuniformity ratio characteristic of a model of an ultrasonic therapy product...

21 CFR 1050.10 - Ultrasonic therapy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... greater than 5 percent of the spatial-maximum intensity in that plane. (4) Beam nonuniformity ratio means..., operation controls, and a cabinet to house these components. (17) Maximum beam nonuniformity ratio means the maximum value of the beam nonuniformity ratio characteristic of a model of an ultrasonic therapy product...

21 CFR 1050.10 - Ultrasonic therapy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... greater than 5 percent of the spatial-maximum intensity in that plane. (4) Beam nonuniformity ratio means..., operation controls, and a cabinet to house these components. (17) Maximum beam nonuniformity ratio means the maximum value of the beam nonuniformity ratio characteristic of a model of an ultrasonic therapy product...

21 CFR 1050.10 - Ultrasonic therapy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... greater than 5 percent of the spatial-maximum intensity in that plane. (4) Beam nonuniformity ratio means..., operation controls, and a cabinet to house these components. (17) Maximum beam nonuniformity ratio means the maximum value of the beam nonuniformity ratio characteristic of a model of an ultrasonic therapy product...

21 CFR 1050.10 - Ultrasonic therapy products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... greater than 5 percent of the spatial-maximum intensity in that plane. (4) Beam nonuniformity ratio means..., operation controls, and a cabinet to house these components. (17) Maximum beam nonuniformity ratio means the maximum value of the beam nonuniformity ratio characteristic of a model of an ultrasonic therapy product...

7 CFR 457.124 - Raisin crop insurance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... maximum dollar amount. The value per ton established by FCIC and shown in the actuarial documents... insured tonnage by the reference maximum dollar amount, by the coverage level percentage you elect, and by... maximum dollar amount, except if your damaged production undergoes a USDA inspection and is stored by your...

7 CFR 457.124 - Raisin crop insurance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... maximum dollar amount. The value per ton established by FCIC and shown in the actuarial documents... insured tonnage by the reference maximum dollar amount, by the coverage level percentage you elect, and by... maximum dollar amount, except if your damaged production undergoes a USDA inspection and is stored by your...

7 CFR 457.124 - Raisin crop insurance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... maximum dollar amount. The value per ton established by FCIC and shown in the actuarial documents... insured tonnage by the reference maximum dollar amount, by the coverage level percentage you elect, and by... maximum dollar amount, except if your damaged production undergoes a USDA inspection and is stored by your...

7 CFR 457.124 - Raisin crop insurance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... maximum dollar amount—The value per ton established by FCIC and shown in the actuarial documents... insured tonnage by the reference maximum dollar amount, by the coverage level percentage you elect, and by... maximum dollar amount, except if your damaged production undergoes a USDA inspection and is stored by your...

Hydrogen peroxide and methylhydroperoxide variations in Houston urban air during May 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golovko, J.; Rappenglueck, B.; Jobson, B. T.

2010-12-01

Formation and destruction of peroxides along with OH and ozone cycles plays a significant role in the oxidizing capacity of the troposphere. Measurements of hydrogen peroxide and methylhydroperoxide (MHP) were carried out as a part of the Study of Houston Atmospheric Radical Precursors (SHARP) campaign during late spring 2009. The purpose of this study was to investigate peroxides variations in Houston urban atmosphere and factors controlling their distribution. Diurnal variation of hydrogen peroxide show typical pattern with the broad maximum in the afternoon for the whole period of time, with an exception on May 19th when the second maximum was determined after the sunrise. Less abundant in the atmosphere and possibly originating from different sources methylhydroperoxide demonstrated similar diurnal pattern of elevated mixing ratios in the afternoon. Elevated values of hydrogen peroxide in Houston area are associated with warm, moderately humid air, while southerly winds from the Gulf of Mexico result in H2O2 mixing ratio decrease. Some selected VOCs were analyzed in order to evaluate possible sources for both peroxides. Meteorological conditions significantly control H2O2 mixing ratios, showing elevated values primarily related to easterly and to a lesser extent to southeasterly winds. Similar pattern with the significant role of the easterly winds was observed for VOCs and was more pronounced during nighttime, pointing into industrial sector (Houston Ship Channel) influence. Increased values of H2O2/MHP ratio are mostly associated with drier northerly and northeasterly air masses, pointing out different solubility and origin of H2O2 and MHP.

Evaluation of a Revised Interplanetary Shock Prediction Model: 1D CESE-HD-2 Solar-Wind Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Du, A. M.; Du, D.; Sun, W.

2014-08-01

We modified the one-dimensional conservation element and solution element (CESE) hydrodynamic (HD) model into a new version [ 1D CESE-HD-2], by considering the direction of the shock propagation. The real-time performance of the 1D CESE-HD-2 model during Solar Cycle 23 (February 1997 - December 2006) is investigated and compared with those of the Shock Time of Arrival Model ( STOA), the Interplanetary-Shock-Propagation Model ( ISPM), and the Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry version 2 ( HAFv.2). Of the total of 584 flare events, 173 occurred during the rising phase, 166 events during the maximum phase, and 245 events during the declining phase. The statistical results show that the success rates of the predictions by the 1D CESE-HD-2 model for the rising, maximum, declining, and composite periods are 64 %, 62 %, 57 %, and 61 %, respectively, with a hit window of ± 24 hours. The results demonstrate that the 1D CESE-HD-2 model shows the highest success rates when the background solar-wind speed is relatively fast. Thus, when the background solar-wind speed at the time of shock initiation is enhanced, the forecasts will provide potential values to the customers. A high value (27.08) of χ 2 and low p-value (< 0.0001) for the 1D CESE-HD-2 model give considerable confidence for real-time forecasts by using this new model. Furthermore, the effects of various shock characteristics (initial speed, shock duration, background solar wind, longitude, etc.) and background solar wind on the forecast are also investigated statistically.

Thermal stress analysis of ceramic gas-path seal components for aircraft turbines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, F. E.; Bill, R. C.

1979-01-01

Stress and temperature distributions were evaluated numerically for a blade-tip seal system proposed for gas turbine applications. The seal consists of an abradable ceramic layer on metallic backing with intermediate layers between the ceramic layer and metal substrate. The most severe stresses in the seal, as far as failure is concerned, are tensile stresses at the top of the ceramic layer and shear and normal stresses at the layer interfaces. All these stresses reach their maximum values during the deceleration phase of a test engine cycle. A parametric study was carried out to evaluate the influence of various design parameters on these critical stress values. The influences of material properties and geometric parameters of the ceramic, intermediate, and backing layers were investigated. After the parametric study was completed, a seal system was designed which incorporated materials with beneficial elastic and thermal properties in each layer of the seal. An analysis of the proposed seal design shows an appreciable decrease in the magnitude of the maximum critical stresses over those obtained with earlier configurations.

Analysis and design of a genetic circuit for dynamic metabolic engineering.

PubMed

Anesiadis, Nikolaos; Kobayashi, Hideki; Cluett, William R; Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan

2013-08-16

Recent advances in synthetic biology have equipped us with new tools for bioprocess optimization at the genetic level. Previously, we have presented an integrated in silico design for the dynamic control of gene expression based on a density-sensing unit and a genetic toggle switch. In the present paper, analysis of a serine-producing Escherichia coli mutant shows that an instantaneous ON-OFF switch leads to a maximum theoretical productivity improvement of 29.6% compared to the mutant. To further the design, global sensitivity analysis is applied here to a mathematical model of serine production in E. coli coupled with a genetic circuit. The model of the quorum sensing and the toggle switch involves 13 parameters of which 3 are identified as having a significant effect on serine concentration. Simulations conducted in this reduced parameter space further identified the optimal ranges for these 3 key parameters to achieve productivity values close to the maximum theoretical values. This analysis can now be used to guide the experimental implementation of a dynamic metabolic engineering strategy and reduce the time required to design the genetic circuit components.

Effects of environmental ozone on the lung function of senior citizens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höppe, Peter; Lindner, Jutta; Praml, Georg; Brönner, Norman

1995-09-01

Measurements with a body plethysmograph of lung function parameters and reports of unusual complaints or irritations were taken from 41 senior citizens in the situations where they usually spend their daytime hours. The subjects belonged to a group commonly assumed to be at risk from ozone. Each subject was examined on 8 days both in the morning and in the afternoon. The object was to obtain for every subject an equal distribution of measuring days between those with elevated ozone concentrations (maximum 0.5 h mean values between 1.00 and 4.00 p.m. of at least 0.050 ppm) and those with low ozone concentrations (maximum 0.5 h mean values between 1.00 and 4.00 p.m. of at most 0.040 ppm). The results showed no relevant ozone related effects on the lung function parameters or the subjective reports of irritations. Thus there was no indication that senior citizens represent a group at particular risk with respect to moderately elevated concentrations of environmental ozone, as occur in central Europe.

Control Performance of General Electric Fuel and Torque Regulator Operating on T31-3 Turbine-Propeller Engine in Sea-Level Test Stand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oppenheimer, Frank L.; Lazar, James

1951-01-01

A .General Electric fuel and torque regulator was tested in conjunction with a T31-3 turbine-propeller engine in the sea-level static test stand at the NACA Lewis laboratory. The engine and control were operated over the entire speed range: 11,000 rpm, nominal flight idle, to 13,000 rpm, full power. Steady-state and transient data were recorded and are presented with a description of the four control loops being used in the system. Results of this investigation indicated that single-lever control operation was satisfactory under conditions of test. Transient data presented showed that turbine-outlet temperature did overshoot maximum operating value on acceleration but that the time duration of overshoot did not exceed approximately 1 second. This temperature limiting resulted from a control on fuel flow as a function of engine speed. Speed and torque first reached their desired values 0.4 second from the time of change in power-setting lever position. Maximum speed overshoot was 3 percent.

An experimental study on pseudoelasticity of a NiTi-based damper for civil applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nespoli, Adelaide; Bassani, Enrico; Della Torre, Davide; Donnini, Riccardo; Villa, Elena; Passaretti, Francesca

2017-10-01

In this work, a pseudoelastic damper composed by NiTi wires is tested at 0.5, 1 and 2 Hz for 1000 mechanical cycles. The damping performances were evaluated by three key parameters: the damping capacity, the dissipated energy per cycle and the maximum force. During testing, the temperature of the pseudoelastic elements was registered as well. Results show that the damper assures a bi-directional motion throughout the 1000 cycles together with the maintenance of the recentering. It was observed a stabilization process in the first 50 mechanical cycles, where the key parameters reach stable values; in particular it was found that the damping capacity and the dissipated energy both decrease with frequency. Besides, the mean temperature of the pseudoleastic elements reaches a stable value during tests and confirms the different response of the pseudoelastic wires accordingly with the specific length and stain. Finally, interesting thermal effects were observed at 1 and 2 Hz: at these frequencies and at high strains, the maximum force increases but the temperature of the NiTi wire decreases being in contraddiction with the Clausius-Clapeyron law.

Response surface methodology for cadmium biosorption on Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

PubMed

Ahmady-Asbchin, Salman

2016-01-01

In this research the effects of various physicochemical factors on Cd(2+) biosorption such as initial metal concentration, pH and contact exposure time were studied. This study has shown a Cd(2+) biosorption, equilibrium time of about 5 min for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the adsorption equilibrium data were well described by Langmuir equation. The maximum capacity for biosorption has been extrapolated to 0.56 mmol.g(-1) for P. aeruginosa. The thermodynamic properties ΔG(0), ΔH(0), and ΔS(0) of Cd(2+) for biosorption were analyzed by the equilibrium constant value obtained from experimented data at different temperatures. The results show that biosorption of Cd(2+) by P. aeruginosa are endothermic and spontaneous with ΔH value of 36.35 J.mol(-1). By response surface methodology, the quadratic model has adequately described the experimental data based on the adjusted determination coefficient (R(2) = 0.98). The optimum conditions for maximum uptake onto the biosorbent were established at 0.5 g.l(-1) biosorbent concentration, pH 6 for the aqueous solution, and a temperature of 30 °C.

Shortened Mean Transit Time in CT Perfusion With Singular Value Decomposition Analysis in Acute Cerebral Infarction: Quantitative Evaluation and Comparison With Various CT Perfusion Parameters.

PubMed

Murayama, Kazuhiro; Katada, Kazuhiro; Hayakawa, Motoharu; Toyama, Hiroshi

We aimed to clarify the cause of shortened mean transit time (MTT) in acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease and examined its relationship with reperfusion. Twenty-three patients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease underwent whole-brain computed tomography perfusion (CTP). The maximum MTT (MTTmax), minimum MTT (MTTmin), ratio of maximum and minimum MTT (MTTmin/max), and minimum cerebral blood volume (CBV) (CBVmin) were measured by automatic region of interest analysis. Diffusion weighted image was performed to calculate infarction volume. We compared these CTP parameters between reperfusion and nonreperfusion groups and calculated correlation coefficients between the infarction core volume and CTP parameters. Significant differences were observed between reperfusion and nonreperfusion groups (MTTmin/max: P = 0.014; CBVmin ratio: P = 0.038). Regression analysis of CTP and high-intensity volume on diffusion weighted image showed negative correlation (CBVmin ratio: r = -0.41; MTTmin/max: r = -0.30; MTTmin ratio: r = -0.27). A region of shortened MTT indicated obstructed blood flow, which was attributed to the singular value decomposition method error.

Metals sorption from aqueous solutions by Kluyveromyces marxianus: process optimization, equilibrium modeling and chemical characterization.

PubMed

Pal, Rama; Tewari, Saumyata; Rai, Jai P N

2009-10-01

The dead Kluyveromyces marxianus biomass, a fermentation industry waste, was used to explore its sorption potential for lead, mercury, arsenic, cobalt, and cadmium as a function of pH, biosorbent dosage, contact time, agitation speed, and initial metal concentration. The equilibrium data fitted the Langmuir model better for cobalt and cadmium, but Freundlich isotherm for all metals tested. At equilibrium, the maximum uptake capacity (Qmax) was highest for lead followed by mercury, arsenic, cobalt, and cadmium. The RL values ranged between 0-1, indicating favorable sorption of all test metals by the biosorbent. The maximum Kf value of Pb showed its efficient removal from the solution. However, multi-metal analysis depicted that sorption of all metals decreased except Pb. The potentiometric titration of biosorbent revealed the presence of functional groups viz. amines, carboxylic acids, phosphates, and sulfhydryl group involved in heavy metal sorption. The extent of contribution of functional groups and lipids to biosorption was in the order: carboxylic>lipids>amines>phosphates. Blocking of sulfhydryl group did not have any significant effect on metal sorption.