The role of community structure on the nature of explosive synchronization.

PubMed

Lotfi, Nastaran; Rodrigues, Francisco A; Darooneh, Amir Hossein

2018-03-01

In this paper, we analyze explosive synchronization in networks with a community structure. The results of our study indicate that the mesoscopic structure of the networks could affect the synchronization of coupled oscillators. With the variation of three parameters, the degree probability distribution exponent, the community size probability distribution exponent, and the mixing parameter, we could have a fast or slow phase transition. Besides, in some cases, we could have communities which are synchronized inside but not with other communities and vice versa. We also show that there is a limit in these mesoscopic structures which suppresses the transition from the second-order phase transition and results in explosive synchronization. This could be considered as a tuning parameter changing the transition of the system from the second order to the first order.

Parametric and experimental analysis using a power flow approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuschieri, J. M.

1990-01-01

A structural power flow approach for the analysis of structure-borne transmission of vibrations is used to analyze the influence of structural parameters on transmitted power. The parametric analysis is also performed using the Statistical Energy Analysis approach and the results are compared with those obtained using the power flow approach. The advantages of structural power flow analysis are demonstrated by comparing the type of results that are obtained by the two analytical methods. Also, to demonstrate that the power flow results represent a direct physical parameter that can be measured on a typical structure, an experimental study of structural power flow is presented. This experimental study presents results for an L shaped beam for which an available solution was already obtained. Various methods to measure vibrational power flow are compared to study their advantages and disadvantages.

Compatible topologies and parameters for NMR structure determination of carbohydrates by simulated annealing.

PubMed

Feng, Yingang

2017-01-01

The use of NMR methods to determine the three-dimensional structures of carbohydrates and glycoproteins is still challenging, in part because of the lack of standard protocols. In order to increase the convenience of structure determination, the topology and parameter files for carbohydrates in the program Crystallography & NMR System (CNS) were investigated and new files were developed to be compatible with the standard simulated annealing protocols for proteins and nucleic acids. Recalculating the published structures of protein-carbohydrate complexes and glycosylated proteins demonstrates that the results are comparable to the published structures which employed more complex procedures for structure calculation. Integrating the new carbohydrate parameters into the standard structure calculation protocol will facilitate three-dimensional structural study of carbohydrates and glycosylated proteins by NMR spectroscopy.

Compatible topologies and parameters for NMR structure determination of carbohydrates by simulated annealing

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The use of NMR methods to determine the three-dimensional structures of carbohydrates and glycoproteins is still challenging, in part because of the lack of standard protocols. In order to increase the convenience of structure determination, the topology and parameter files for carbohydrates in the program Crystallography & NMR System (CNS) were investigated and new files were developed to be compatible with the standard simulated annealing protocols for proteins and nucleic acids. Recalculating the published structures of protein-carbohydrate complexes and glycosylated proteins demonstrates that the results are comparable to the published structures which employed more complex procedures for structure calculation. Integrating the new carbohydrate parameters into the standard structure calculation protocol will facilitate three-dimensional structural study of carbohydrates and glycosylated proteins by NMR spectroscopy. PMID:29232406

Precision and Accuracy Parameters in Structured Light 3-D Scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eiríksson, E. R.; Wilm, J.; Pedersen, D. B.; Aanæs, H.

2016-04-01

Structured light systems are popular in part because they can be constructed from off-the-shelf low cost components. In this paper we quantitatively show how common design parameters affect precision and accuracy in such systems, supplying a much needed guide for practitioners. Our quantitative measure is the established VDI/VDE 2634 (Part 2) guideline using precision made calibration artifacts. Experiments are performed on our own structured light setup, consisting of two cameras and a projector. We place our focus on the influence of calibration design parameters, the calibration procedure and encoding strategy and present our findings. Finally, we compare our setup to a state of the art metrology grade commercial scanner. Our results show that comparable, and in some cases better, results can be obtained using the parameter settings determined in this study.

Motor Task Variation Induces Structural Learning

PubMed Central

Braun, Daniel A.; Aertsen, Ad; Wolpert, Daniel M.; Mehring, Carsten

2009-01-01

Summary When we have learned a motor skill, such as cycling or ice-skating, we can rapidly generalize to novel tasks, such as motorcycling or rollerblading [1–8]. Such facilitation of learning could arise through two distinct mechanisms by which the motor system might adjust its control parameters. First, fast learning could simply be a consequence of the proximity of the original and final settings of the control parameters. Second, by structural learning [9–14], the motor system could constrain the parameter adjustments to conform to the control parameters' covariance structure. Thus, facilitation of learning would rely on the novel task parameters' lying on the structure of a lower-dimensional subspace that can be explored more efficiently. To test between these two hypotheses, we exposed subjects to randomly varying visuomotor tasks of fixed structure. Although such randomly varying tasks are thought to prevent learning, we show that when subsequently presented with novel tasks, subjects exhibit three key features of structural learning: facilitated learning of tasks with the same structure, strong reduction in interference normally observed when switching between tasks that require opposite control strategies, and preferential exploration along the learned structure. These results suggest that skill generalization relies on task variation and structural learning. PMID:19217296

Motor task variation induces structural learning.

PubMed

Braun, Daniel A; Aertsen, Ad; Wolpert, Daniel M; Mehring, Carsten

2009-02-24

When we have learned a motor skill, such as cycling or ice-skating, we can rapidly generalize to novel tasks, such as motorcycling or rollerblading [1-8]. Such facilitation of learning could arise through two distinct mechanisms by which the motor system might adjust its control parameters. First, fast learning could simply be a consequence of the proximity of the original and final settings of the control parameters. Second, by structural learning [9-14], the motor system could constrain the parameter adjustments to conform to the control parameters' covariance structure. Thus, facilitation of learning would rely on the novel task parameters' lying on the structure of a lower-dimensional subspace that can be explored more efficiently. To test between these two hypotheses, we exposed subjects to randomly varying visuomotor tasks of fixed structure. Although such randomly varying tasks are thought to prevent learning, we show that when subsequently presented with novel tasks, subjects exhibit three key features of structural learning: facilitated learning of tasks with the same structure, strong reduction in interference normally observed when switching between tasks that require opposite control strategies, and preferential exploration along the learned structure. These results suggest that skill generalization relies on task variation and structural learning.

Characterizing the Response of Composite Panels to a Pyroshock Induced Environment Using Design of Experiments Methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parsons, David S.; Ordway, David; Johnson, Kenneth

2013-01-01

This experimental study seeks to quantify the impact various composite parameters have on the structural response of a composite structure in a pyroshock environment. The prediction of an aerospace structure's response to pyroshock induced loading is largely dependent on empirical databases created from collections of development and flight test data. While there is significant structural response data due to pyroshock induced loading for metallic structures, there is much less data available for composite structures. One challenge of developing a composite pyroshock response database as well as empirical prediction methods for composite structures is the large number of parameters associated with composite materials. This experimental study uses data from a test series planned using design of experiments (DOE) methods. Statistical analysis methods are then used to identify which composite material parameters most greatly influence a flat composite panel's structural response to pyroshock induced loading. The parameters considered are panel thickness, type of ply, ply orientation, and pyroshock level induced into the panel. The results of this test will aid in future large scale testing by eliminating insignificant parameters as well as aid in the development of empirical scaling methods for composite structures' response to pyroshock induced loading.

Characterizing the Response of Composite Panels to a Pyroshock Induced Environment using Design of Experiments Methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parsons, David S.; Ordway, David O.; Johnson, Kenneth L.

2013-01-01

This experimental study seeks to quantify the impact various composite parameters have on the structural response of a composite structure in a pyroshock environment. The prediction of an aerospace structure's response to pyroshock induced loading is largely dependent on empirical databases created from collections of development and flight test data. While there is significant structural response data due to pyroshock induced loading for metallic structures, there is much less data available for composite structures. One challenge of developing a composite pyroshock response database as well as empirical prediction methods for composite structures is the large number of parameters associated with composite materials. This experimental study uses data from a test series planned using design of experiments (DOE) methods. Statistical analysis methods are then used to identify which composite material parameters most greatly influence a flat composite panel's structural response to pyroshock induced loading. The parameters considered are panel thickness, type of ply, ply orientation, and pyroshock level induced into the panel. The results of this test will aid in future large scale testing by eliminating insignificant parameters as well as aid in the development of empirical scaling methods for composite structures' response to pyroshock induced loading.

Optimization of processing parameters of UAV integral structural components based on yield response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yunsheng

2018-05-01

In order to improve the overall strength of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), it is necessary to optimize the processing parameters of UAV structural components, which is affected by initial residual stress in the process of UAV structural components processing. Because machining errors are easy to occur, an optimization model for machining parameters of UAV integral structural components based on yield response is proposed. The finite element method is used to simulate the machining parameters of UAV integral structural components. The prediction model of workpiece surface machining error is established, and the influence of the path of walking knife on residual stress of UAV integral structure is studied, according to the stress of UAV integral component. The yield response of the time-varying stiffness is analyzed, and the yield response and the stress evolution mechanism of the UAV integral structure are analyzed. The simulation results show that this method is used to optimize the machining parameters of UAV integral structural components and improve the precision of UAV milling processing. The machining error is reduced, and the deformation prediction and error compensation of UAV integral structural parts are realized, thus improving the quality of machining.

An improved wavelet-Galerkin method for dynamic response reconstruction and parameter identification of shear-type frames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, Haifeng; Wang, Dansheng; Zhou, Pin; Zhu, Hongping

2018-04-01

An improved wavelet-Galerkin (IWG) method based on the Daubechies wavelet is proposed for reconstructing the dynamic responses of shear structures. The proposed method flexibly manages wavelet resolution level according to excitation, thereby avoiding the weakness of the wavelet-Galerkin multiresolution analysis (WGMA) method in terms of resolution and the requirement of external excitation. IWG is implemented by this work in certain case studies, involving single- and n-degree-of-freedom frame structures subjected to a determined discrete excitation. Results demonstrate that IWG performs better than WGMA in terms of accuracy and computation efficiency. Furthermore, a new method for parameter identification based on IWG and an optimization algorithm are also developed for shear frame structures, and a simultaneous identification of structural parameters and excitation is implemented. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed identification method is effective for shear frame structures.

Mapping local anisotropy axis for scattering media using backscattering Mueller matrix imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Honghui; Sun, Minghao; Zeng, Nan; Du, E.; Guo, Yihong; He, Yonghong; Ma, Hui

2014-03-01

Mueller matrix imaging techniques can be used to detect the micro-structure variations of superficial biological tissues, including the sizes and shapes of cells, the structures in cells, and the densities of the organelles. Many tissues contain anisotropic fibrous micro-structures, such as collagen fibers, elastin fibers, and muscle fibers. Changes of these fibrous structures are potentially good indicators for some pathological variations. In this paper, we propose a quantitative analysis technique based on Mueller matrix for mapping local anisotropy axis of scattering media. By conducting both experiments on silk sample and Monte Carlo simulation based on the sphere-cylinder scattering model (SCSM), we extract anisotropy axis parameters from different backscattering Mueller matrix elements. Moreover, we testify the possible applications of these parameters for biological tissues. The preliminary experimental results of human cancerous samples show that, these parameters are capable to map the local axis of fibers. Since many pathological changes including early stage cancers affect the well aligned structures for tissues, the experimental results indicate that these parameters can be used as potential tools in clinical applications for biomedical diagnosis purposes.

Coulomb double helical structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamimura, Tetsuo; Ishihara, Osamu

2012-01-01

Structures of Coulomb clusters formed by dust particles in a plasma are studied by numerical simulation. Our study reveals the presence of various types of self-organized structures of a cluster confined in a prolate spheroidal electrostatic potential. The stable configurations depend on a prolateness parameter for the confining potential as well as on the number of dust particles in a cluster. One-dimensional string, two-dimensional zigzag structure and three-dimensional double helical structure are found as a result of the transition controlled by the prolateness parameter. The formation of stable double helical structures resulted from the transition associated with the instability of angular perturbations on double strings. Analytical perturbation study supports the findings of numerical simulations.

The Singularity Mystery Associated with a Radially Continuous Maxwell Viscoelastic Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fang, Ming; Hager, Bradford H.

1995-01-01

The singularity problem associated with a radially continuous Maxwell viscoclastic structure is investigated. A special tool called the isolation function is developed. Results calculated using the isolation function show that the discrete model assumption is no longer valid when the viscoelastic parameter becomes a continuous function of radius. Continuous variations in the upper mantle viscoelastic parameter are especially powerful in destroying the mode-like structures. The contribution to the load Love numbers of the singularities is sensitive to the convexity of the viscoelastic parameter models. The difference between the vertical response and the horizontal response found in layered viscoelastic parameter models remains with continuous models.

Yes, one can obtain better quality structures from routine X-ray data collection.

PubMed

Sanjuan-Szklarz, W Fabiola; Hoser, Anna A; Gutmann, Matthias; Madsen, Anders Østergaard; Woźniak, Krzysztof

2016-01-01

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction structural results for benzidine dihydrochloride, hydrated and protonated N,N,N,N-peri(dimethylamino)naphthalene chloride, triptycene, dichlorodimethyltriptycene and decamethylferrocene have been analysed. A critical discussion of the dependence of structural and thermal parameters on resolution for these compounds is presented. Results of refinements against X-ray data, cut off to different resolutions from the high-resolution data files, are compared to structural models derived from neutron diffraction experiments. The Independent Atom Model (IAM) and the Transferable Aspherical Atom Model (TAAM) are tested. The average differences between the X-ray and neutron structural parameters (with the exception of valence angles defined by H atoms) decrease with the increasing 2θmax angle. The scale of differences between X-ray and neutron geometrical parameters can be significantly reduced when data are collected to the higher, than commonly used, 2θmax diffraction angles (for Mo Kα 2θmax > 65°). The final structural and thermal parameters obtained for the studied compounds using TAAM refinement are in better agreement with the neutron values than the IAM results for all resolutions and all compounds. By using TAAM, it is still possible to obtain accurate results even from low-resolution X-ray data. This is particularly important as TAAM is easy to apply and can routinely be used to improve the quality of structural investigations [Dominiak (2015 ▸). LSDB from UBDB. University of Buffalo, USA]. We can recommend that, in order to obtain more adequate (more accurate and precise) structural and displacement parameters during the IAM model refinement, data should be collected up to the larger diffraction angles, at least, for Mo Kα radiation to 2θmax = 65° (sin θmax/λ < 0.75 Å(-1)). The TAAM approach is a very good option to obtain more adequate results even using data collected to the lower 2θmax angles. Also the results of translation-libration-screw (TLS) analysis and vibrational entropy values are more reliable for 2θmax > 65°.

qPIPSA: Relating enzymatic kinetic parameters and interaction fields

PubMed Central

Gabdoulline, Razif R; Stein, Matthias; Wade, Rebecca C

2007-01-01

Background The simulation of metabolic networks in quantitative systems biology requires the assignment of enzymatic kinetic parameters. Experimentally determined values are often not available and therefore computational methods to estimate these parameters are needed. It is possible to use the three-dimensional structure of an enzyme to perform simulations of a reaction and derive kinetic parameters. However, this is computationally demanding and requires detailed knowledge of the enzyme mechanism. We have therefore sought to develop a general, simple and computationally efficient procedure to relate protein structural information to enzymatic kinetic parameters that allows consistency between the kinetic and structural information to be checked and estimation of kinetic constants for structurally and mechanistically similar enzymes. Results We describe qPIPSA: quantitative Protein Interaction Property Similarity Analysis. In this analysis, molecular interaction fields, for example, electrostatic potentials, are computed from the enzyme structures. Differences in molecular interaction fields between enzymes are then related to the ratios of their kinetic parameters. This procedure can be used to estimate unknown kinetic parameters when enzyme structural information is available and kinetic parameters have been measured for related enzymes or were obtained under different conditions. The detailed interaction of the enzyme with substrate or cofactors is not modeled and is assumed to be similar for all the proteins compared. The protein structure modeling protocol employed ensures that differences between models reflect genuine differences between the protein sequences, rather than random fluctuations in protein structure. Conclusion Provided that the experimental conditions and the protein structural models refer to the same protein state or conformation, correlations between interaction fields and kinetic parameters can be established for sets of related enzymes. Outliers may arise due to variation in the importance of different contributions to the kinetic parameters, such as protein stability and conformational changes. The qPIPSA approach can assist in the validation as well as estimation of kinetic parameters, and provide insights into enzyme mechanism. PMID:17919319

Matching experimental and three dimensional numerical models for structural vibration problems with uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langer, P.; Sepahvand, K.; Guist, C.; Bär, J.; Peplow, A.; Marburg, S.

2018-03-01

The simulation model which examines the dynamic behavior of real structures needs to address the impact of uncertainty in both geometry and material parameters. This article investigates three-dimensional finite element models for structural dynamics problems with respect to both model and parameter uncertainties. The parameter uncertainties are determined via laboratory measurements on several beam-like samples. The parameters are then considered as random variables to the finite element model for exploring the uncertainty effects on the quality of the model outputs, i.e. natural frequencies. The accuracy of the output predictions from the model is compared with the experimental results. To this end, the non-contact experimental modal analysis is conducted to identify the natural frequency of the samples. The results show a good agreement compared with experimental data. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that geometrical uncertainties have more influence on the natural frequencies compared to material parameters and material uncertainties are about two times higher than geometrical uncertainties. This gives valuable insights for improving the finite element model due to various parameter ranges required in a modeling process involving uncertainty.

Quantifying model-structure- and parameter-driven uncertainties in spring wheat phenology prediction with Bayesian analysis

DOE PAGES

Alderman, Phillip D.; Stanfill, Bryan

2016-10-06

Recent international efforts have brought renewed emphasis on the comparison of different agricultural systems models. Thus far, analysis of model-ensemble simulated results has not clearly differentiated between ensemble prediction uncertainties due to model structural differences per se and those due to parameter value uncertainties. Additionally, despite increasing use of Bayesian parameter estimation approaches with field-scale crop models, inadequate attention has been given to the full posterior distributions for estimated parameters. The objectives of this study were to quantify the impact of parameter value uncertainty on prediction uncertainty for modeling spring wheat phenology using Bayesian analysis and to assess the relativemore » contributions of model-structure-driven and parameter-value-driven uncertainty to overall prediction uncertainty. This study used a random walk Metropolis algorithm to estimate parameters for 30 spring wheat genotypes using nine phenology models based on multi-location trial data for days to heading and days to maturity. Across all cases, parameter-driven uncertainty accounted for between 19 and 52% of predictive uncertainty, while model-structure-driven uncertainty accounted for between 12 and 64%. Here, this study demonstrated the importance of quantifying both model-structure- and parameter-value-driven uncertainty when assessing overall prediction uncertainty in modeling spring wheat phenology. More generally, Bayesian parameter estimation provided a useful framework for quantifying and analyzing sources of prediction uncertainty.« less

Development of uncertainty-based work injury model using Bayesian structural equation modelling.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Snehamoy

2014-01-01

This paper proposed a Bayesian method-based structural equation model (SEM) of miners' work injury for an underground coal mine in India. The environmental and behavioural variables for work injury were identified and causal relationships were developed. For Bayesian modelling, prior distributions of SEM parameters are necessary to develop the model. In this paper, two approaches were adopted to obtain prior distribution for factor loading parameters and structural parameters of SEM. In the first approach, the prior distributions were considered as a fixed distribution function with specific parameter values, whereas, in the second approach, prior distributions of the parameters were generated from experts' opinions. The posterior distributions of these parameters were obtained by applying Bayesian rule. The Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling in the form Gibbs sampling was applied for sampling from the posterior distribution. The results revealed that all coefficients of structural and measurement model parameters are statistically significant in experts' opinion-based priors, whereas, two coefficients are not statistically significant when fixed prior-based distributions are applied. The error statistics reveals that Bayesian structural model provides reasonably good fit of work injury with high coefficient of determination (0.91) and less mean squared error as compared to traditional SEM.

Theoretical studies of the EPR parameters and local structures for Cu2+-doped cobalt ammonium phosphate hexahydrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chao-Ying; Liu, Shi-Fei; Fu, Jin-Xian

2015-11-01

High-order perturbation formulas for a 3d9 ion in rhombically elongated octahedral was applied to calculate the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) parameters (the g factors, gi, and the hyperfine structure constants Ai, i = x, y, z) of the rhombic Cu2+ center in CoNH4PO4.6H2O. In the calculations, the required crystal-field parameters are estimated from the superposition model which enables correlation of the crystal-field parameters and hence the EPR parameters with the local structure of the rhombic Cu2+ center. Based on the calculations, the ligand octahedral (i.e. [Cu(H2O)6]2+ cluster) are found to experience the local bond length variations ΔZ (≈0.213 Å) and δr (≈0.132 Å) along axial and perpendicular directions due to the Jahn-Teller effect. Theoretical EPR parameters based on the above local structure are in good agreement with the observed values; the results are discussed.

Optimization of output power and transmission efficiency of magnetically coupled resonance wireless power transfer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Rongge; Guo, Xiaoting; Cao, Shaoqing; Zhang, Changgeng

2018-05-01

Magnetically coupled resonance (MCR) wireless power transfer (WPT) system is a promising technology in electric energy transmission. But, if its system parameters are designed unreasonably, output power and transmission efficiency will be low. Therefore, optimized parameters design of MCR WPT has important research value. In the MCR WPT system with designated coil structure, the main parameters affecting output power and transmission efficiency are the distance between the coils, the resonance frequency and the resistance of the load. Based on the established mathematical model and the differential evolution algorithm, the change of output power and transmission efficiency with parameters can be simulated. From the simulation results, it can be seen that output power and transmission efficiency of the two-coil MCR WPT system and four-coil one with designated coil structure are improved. The simulation results confirm the validity of the optimization method for MCR WPT system with designated coil structure.

Methods for the identification of material parameters in distributed models for flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, H. T.; Crowley, J. M.; Rosen, I. G.

1986-01-01

Theoretical and numerical results are presented for inverse problems involving estimation of spatially varying parameters such as stiffness and damping in distributed models for elastic structures such as Euler-Bernoulli beams. An outline of algorithms used and a summary of computational experiences are presented.

The structure and dynamics of tornado-like vortices

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

Nolan, D.S.; Farrell, B.F.

The structure and dynamics of axisymmetric tornado-like vortices are explored with a numerical model of axisymmetric incompressible flow based on recently developed numerical methods. The model is first shown to compare favorably with previous results and is then used to study the effects of varying the major parameters controlling the vortex: the strength of the convective forcing, the strength of the rotational forcing, and the magnitude of the model eddy viscosity. Dimensional analysis of the model problem indicates that the results must depend on only two dimensionless parameters. The natural choices for these two parameters are a convective Reynolds numbermore » (based on the velocity scale associated with the convective forcing) and a parameter analogous to the swirl ratio in laboratory models. However, by examining sets of simulations with different model parameters it is found that a dimensionless parameter known as the vortex Reynolds number, which is the ratio of the far-field circulation to the eddy viscosity, is more effective than the convention swirl ratio for predicting the structure of the vortex. The parameter space defined by the choices for model parameters is further explored with large sets of numerical simulations. For much of this parameter space it is confirmed that the vortex structure and time-dependent behavior depend strongly on the vortex Reynolds number and only weakly on the convective Reynolds number. The authors also find that for higher convective Reynolds numbers, the maximum possible wind speed increases, and the rotational forcing necessary to achieve that wind speed decreases. Physical reasoning is used to explain this behavior, and implications for tornado dynamics are discussed.« less

Load Diffusion in Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horgan, Cornelius O.; Simmonds, J. G.

2000-01-01

This research has been concerned with load diffusion in composite structures. Fundamental solid mechanics studies were carried out to provide a basis for assessing the complicated modeling necessary for large scale structures used by NASA. An understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of load diffusion in composite subcomponents is essential in developing primary composite structures. Analytical models of load diffusion behavior are extremely valuable in building an intuitive base for developing refined modeling strategies and assessing results from finite element analyses. The decay behavior of stresses and other field quantities provides a significant aid towards this process. The results are also amendable to parameter study with a large parameter space and should be useful in structural tailoring studies.

Integrated Controls-Structures Design Methodology for Flexible Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maghami, P. G.; Joshi, S. M.; Price, D. B.

1995-01-01

This paper proposes an approach for the design of flexible spacecraft, wherein the structural design and the control system design are performed simultaneously. The integrated design problem is posed as an optimization problem in which both the structural parameters and the control system parameters constitute the design variables, which are used to optimize a common objective function, thereby resulting in an optimal overall design. The approach is demonstrated by application to the integrated design of a geostationary platform, and to a ground-based flexible structure experiment. The numerical results obtained indicate that the integrated design approach generally yields spacecraft designs that are substantially superior to the conventional approach, wherein the structural design and control design are performed sequentially.

Fractal structures in centrifugal flywheel governor system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Xiao-Bo; Chu, Yan-Dong; Lu-Xu; Chang, Ying-Xiang; Zhang, Jian-Gang

2017-09-01

The global structure of nonlinear response of mechanical centrifugal governor, forming in two-dimensional parameter space, is studied in this paper. By using three kinds of phases, we describe how responses of periodicity, quasi-periodicity and chaos organize some self-similarity structures with parameters varying. For several parameter combinations, the regular vibration shows fractal characteristic, that is, the comb-shaped self-similarity structure is generated by alternating periodic response with intermittent chaos, and Arnold's tongues embedded in quasi-periodic response are organized according to Stern-Brocot tree. In particular, a new type of mixed-mode oscillations (MMOs) is found in the periodic response. These unique structures reveal the natural connection of various responses between part and part, part and the whole in parameter space based on self-similarity of fractal. Meanwhile, the remarkable and unexpected results are to contribute a valid dynamic reference for practical applications with respect to mechanical centrifugal governor.

Structure modification and functionality of whey proteins: quantitative structure-activity relationship approach.

PubMed

Nakai, S; Li-Chan, E

1985-10-01

According to the original idea of quantitative structure-activity relationship, electric, hydrophobic, and structural parameters should be taken into consideration for elucidating functionality. Changes in these parameters are reflected in the property of protein solubility upon modification of whey proteins by heating. Although solubility is itself a functional property, it has been utilized to explain other functionalities of proteins. However, better correlations were obtained when hydrophobic parameters of the proteins were used in conjunction with solubility. Various treatments reported in the literature were applied to whey protein concentrate in an attempt to obtain whipping and gelling properties similar to those of egg white. Mapping simplex optimization was used to search for the best results. Improvement in whipping properties by pepsin hydrolysis may have been due to higher protein solubility, and good gelling properties resulting from polyphosphate treatment may have been due to an increase in exposable hydrophobicity. However, the results of angel food cake making were still unsatisfactory.

Structure, properties, and possible mechanisms of formation of diamond-like phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belenkov, E. A.; Greshnyakov, V. A.

2016-10-01

An analysis was performed for relations between the structural parameters and the properties of 36 carbon diamond-like phases consisting of atoms occupying crystallographically equivalent positions. It was found that the crystal lattices of these phases were in stressed states with respect to the cubic diamond lattice. The density of diamond-like phases, their sublimation energies, bulk moduli, hardnesses, and band gaps depend on the deformation parameters Def and Str. The most stable phases must be phases with minimal parameters Def and Str and also with ring parameter Rng that is most close to the corresponding parameter of cubic diamond. The structures and energy characteristics of fullerites, nanotube bundles, and graphene layers of which diamond-like phases can be obtained as a result of polymerization at high pressures have been calculated.

Parametric and experimental analysis using a power flow approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuschieri, J. M.

1988-01-01

Having defined and developed a structural power flow approach for the analysis of structure-borne transmission of structural vibrations, the technique is used to perform an analysis of the influence of structural parameters on the transmitted energy. As a base for comparison, the parametric analysis is first performed using a Statistical Energy Analysis approach and the results compared with those obtained using the power flow approach. The advantages of using structural power flow are thus demonstrated by comparing the type of results obtained by the two methods. Additionally, to demonstrate the advantages of using the power flow method and to show that the power flow results represent a direct physical parameter that can be measured on a typical structure, an experimental investigation of structural power flow is also presented. Results are presented for an L-shaped beam for which an analytical solution has already been obtained. Furthermore, the various methods available to measure vibrational power flow are compared to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Analysis of the connection of the timber-fiber concrete composite structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holý, Milan; Vráblík, Lukáš; Petřík, Vojtěch

2017-09-01

This paper deals with an implementation of the material parameters of the connection to complex models for analysis of the timber-fiber concrete composite structures. The aim of this article is to present a possible way of idealization of the continuous contact model that approximates the actual behavior of timber-fiber reinforced concrete structures. The presented model of the connection was derived from push-out shear tests. It was approved by use of the nonlinear numerical analysis, that it can be achieved a very good compliance between results of numerical simulations and results of the experiments by a suitable choice of the material parameters of the continuous contact. Finally, an application for an analytical calculation of timber-fiber concrete composite structures is developed for the practical use in engineering praxis. The input material parameters for the analytical model was received using data from experiments.

Localized states in the conserved Swift-Hohenberg equation with cubic nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiele, Uwe; Archer, Andrew J.; Robbins, Mark J.; Gomez, Hector; Knobloch, Edgar

2013-04-01

The conserved Swift-Hohenberg equation with cubic nonlinearity provides the simplest microscopic description of the thermodynamic transition from a fluid state to a crystalline state. The resulting phase field crystal model describes a variety of spatially localized structures, in addition to different spatially extended periodic structures. The location of these structures in the temperature versus mean order parameter plane is determined using a combination of numerical continuation in one dimension and direct numerical simulation in two and three dimensions. Localized states are found in the region of thermodynamic coexistence between the homogeneous and structured phases, and may lie outside of the binodal for these states. The results are related to the phenomenon of slanted snaking but take the form of standard homoclinic snaking when the mean order parameter is plotted as a function of the chemical potential, and are expected to carry over to related models with a conserved order parameter.

Investigation of selected structural parameters in Fe 95Si 5 amorphous alloy during crystallization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fronczyk, Adam

2007-04-01

In this study, we report on a crystallization behavior of the Fe 95Si 5 metallic glasses using a differential scanning cabrimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction. The paper presents the results of experimental investigation of Fe 95Si 5 amorphous alloy, subjected to the crystallizing process by the isothermal annealing. The objective of the experiment was to determine changes in the structural parameters during crystallization process of the examined alloy. Crystalline diameter and the lattice constant of the crystallizing phase were used as parameters to evaluate structural changes in material.

Robust control synthesis for uncertain dynamical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byun, Kuk-Whan; Wie, Bong; Sunkel, John

1989-01-01

This paper presents robust control synthesis techniques for uncertain dynamical systems subject to structured parameter perturbation. Both QFT (quantitative feedback theory) and H-infinity control synthesis techniques are investigated. Although most H-infinity-related control techniques are not concerned with the structured parameter perturbation, a new way of incorporating the parameter uncertainty in the robust H-infinity control design is presented. A generic model of uncertain dynamical systems is used to illustrate the design methodologies investigated in this paper. It is shown that, for a certain noncolocated structural control problem, use of both techniques results in nonminimum phase compensation.

Identification and feedback control in structures with piezoceramic actuators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, H. T.; Ito, K.; Wang, Y.

1992-01-01

In this lecture we give fundamental well-posedness results for a variational formulation of a class of damped second order partial differential equations with unbounded input or control coefficients. Included as special cases in this class are structures with piezoceramic actuators. We consider approximation techniques leading to computational methods in the context of both parameter estimation and feedback control problems for these systems. Rigorous convergence results for parameter estimates and feedback gains are discussed.

Attitude error response of structures to actuator/sensor noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balakrishnan, A. V.

1991-01-01

Explicit closed-form formulas are presented for the RMS attitude-error response to sensor and actuator noise for co-located actuators/sensors as a function of both control-gain parameters and structure parameters. The main point of departure is the use of continuum models. In particular the anisotropic Timoshenko model is used for lattice trusses typified by the NASA EPS Structure Model and the Evolutionary Model. One conclusion is that the maximum attainable improvement in the attitude error varying either structure parameters or control gains is 3 dB for the axial and torsion modes, the bending being essentially insensitive. The results are similar whether the Bernoulli model or the anisotropic Timoshenko model is used.

Thermodynamic modeling of transcription: sensitivity analysis differentiates biological mechanism from mathematical model-induced effects.

PubMed

Dresch, Jacqueline M; Liu, Xiaozhou; Arnosti, David N; Ay, Ahmet

2010-10-24

Quantitative models of gene expression generate parameter values that can shed light on biological features such as transcription factor activity, cooperativity, and local effects of repressors. An important element in such investigations is sensitivity analysis, which determines how strongly a model's output reacts to variations in parameter values. Parameters of low sensitivity may not be accurately estimated, leading to unwarranted conclusions. Low sensitivity may reflect the nature of the biological data, or it may be a result of the model structure. Here, we focus on the analysis of thermodynamic models, which have been used extensively to analyze gene transcription. Extracted parameter values have been interpreted biologically, but until now little attention has been given to parameter sensitivity in this context. We apply local and global sensitivity analyses to two recent transcriptional models to determine the sensitivity of individual parameters. We show that in one case, values for repressor efficiencies are very sensitive, while values for protein cooperativities are not, and provide insights on why these differential sensitivities stem from both biological effects and the structure of the applied models. In a second case, we demonstrate that parameters that were thought to prove the system's dependence on activator-activator cooperativity are relatively insensitive. We show that there are numerous parameter sets that do not satisfy the relationships proferred as the optimal solutions, indicating that structural differences between the two types of transcriptional enhancers analyzed may not be as simple as altered activator cooperativity. Our results emphasize the need for sensitivity analysis to examine model construction and forms of biological data used for modeling transcriptional processes, in order to determine the significance of estimated parameter values for thermodynamic models. Knowledge of parameter sensitivities can provide the necessary context to determine how modeling results should be interpreted in biological systems.

Sensitivity and Specificity of Eustachian Tube Function Tests in Adults

PubMed Central

Doyle, William J.; Swarts, J. Douglas; Banks, Julianne; Casselbrant, Margaretha L; Mandel, Ellen M; Alper, Cuneyt M.

2013-01-01

Objective Determine if Eustachian Tube (ET) function (ETF) tests can identify ears with physician-diagnosed ET dysfunction (ETD) in a mixed population at high sensitivity and specificity and define the inter-relatedness of ETF test parameters. Methods ETF was evaluated using the Forced-Response, Inflation-Deflation, Valsalva and Sniffing tests in 15 control ears of adult subjects after unilateral myringotomy (Group I) and in 23 ears of 19 adult subjects with ventilation tubes inserted for ETD (Group II). Data were analyzed using logistic regression including each parameter independently and then a step-down Discriminant Analysis including all ETF test parameters to predict group assignment. Factor Analysis operating over all parameters was used to explore relatedness. Results The Discriminant Analysis identified 4 ETF test parameters (Valsalva, ET opening pressure, dilatory efficiency and % positive pressure equilibrated) that together correctly assigned ears to Group II at a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 83%. Individual parameters representing the efficiency of ET opening during swallowing showed moderately accurate assignments of ears to their respective groups. Three factors captured approximately 98% of the variance among parameters, the first had negative loadings of the ETF structural parameters, the second had positive loadings of the muscle-assisted ET opening parameters and the third had negative loadings of the muscle-assisted ET opening parameters and positive loadings of the structural parameters. Discussion These results show that ETF tests can correctly assign individual ears to physician-diagnosed ETD with high sensitivity and specificity and that ETF test parameters can be grouped into structural-functional categories. PMID:23868429

Structural characterization of vanadium oxide catalysts supported on nanostructured silica SBA-15 using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

The local structure of vanadium oxide supported on nanostructured SiO2 (VxOy/SBA-15) was investigated by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Because the number of potential parameters in XAS data analysis often exceeds the number of "independent" parameters, evaluating the reliability and significance of a particular fitting procedure is mandatory. The number of independent parameters (Nyquist) may not be sufficient. Hence, in addition to the number of independent parameters, a novel approach to evaluate the significance of structural fitting parameters in XAS data analysis is introduced. Three samples with different V loadings (i.e. 2.7 wt %, 5.4 wt %, and 10.8 wt %) were employed. Thermal treatment in air at 623 K resulted in characteristic structural changes of the V oxide species. Independent of the V loading, the local structure around V centers in dehydrated VxOy/SBA-15 corresponded to an ordered arrangement of adjacent V2O7 units. Moreover, the V2O7 units were found to persist under selective oxidation reaction conditions. PMID:20181222

Structural characterization of vanadium oxide catalysts supported on nanostructured silica SBA-15 using X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

PubMed

Walter, Anke; Herbert, Rita; Hess, Christian; Ressler, Thorsten

2010-02-11

The local structure of vanadium oxide supported on nanostructured SiO2 (VxOy/SBA-15) was investigated by in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Because the number of potential parameters in XAS data analysis often exceeds the number of "independent" parameters, evaluating the reliability and significance of a particular fitting procedure is mandatory. The number of independent parameters (Nyquist) may not be sufficient. Hence, in addition to the number of independent parameters, a novel approach to evaluate the significance of structural fitting parameters in XAS data analysis is introduced. Three samples with different V loadings (i.e. 2.7 wt %, 5.4 wt %, and 10.8 wt %) were employed. Thermal treatment in air at 623 K resulted in characteristic structural changes of the V oxide species. Independent of the V loading, the local structure around V centers in dehydrated VxOy/SBA-15 corresponded to an ordered arrangement of adjacent V2O7 units. Moreover, the V2O7 units were found to persist under selective oxidation reaction conditions.

Improving RNA nearest neighbor parameters for helices by going beyond the two-state model.

PubMed

Spasic, Aleksandar; Berger, Kyle D; Chen, Jonathan L; Seetin, Matthew G; Turner, Douglas H; Mathews, David H

2018-06-01

RNA folding free energy change nearest neighbor parameters are widely used to predict folding stabilities of secondary structures. They were determined by linear regression to datasets of optical melting experiments on small model systems. Traditionally, the optical melting experiments are analyzed assuming a two-state model, i.e. a structure is either complete or denatured. Experimental evidence, however, shows that structures exist in an ensemble of conformations. Partition functions calculated with existing nearest neighbor parameters predict that secondary structures can be partially denatured, which also directly conflicts with the two-state model. Here, a new approach for determining RNA nearest neighbor parameters is presented. Available optical melting data for 34 Watson-Crick helices were fit directly to a partition function model that allows an ensemble of conformations. Fitting parameters were the enthalpy and entropy changes for helix initiation, terminal AU pairs, stacks of Watson-Crick pairs and disordered internal loops. The resulting set of nearest neighbor parameters shows a 38.5% improvement in the sum of residuals in fitting the experimental melting curves compared to the current literature set.

On robust parameter estimation in brain-computer interfacing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samek, Wojciech; Nakajima, Shinichi; Kawanabe, Motoaki; Müller, Klaus-Robert

2017-12-01

Objective. The reliable estimation of parameters such as mean or covariance matrix from noisy and high-dimensional observations is a prerequisite for successful application of signal processing and machine learning algorithms in brain-computer interfacing (BCI). This challenging task becomes significantly more difficult if the data set contains outliers, e.g. due to subject movements, eye blinks or loose electrodes, as they may heavily bias the estimation and the subsequent statistical analysis. Although various robust estimators have been developed to tackle the outlier problem, they ignore important structural information in the data and thus may not be optimal. Typical structural elements in BCI data are the trials consisting of a few hundred EEG samples and indicating the start and end of a task. Approach. This work discusses the parameter estimation problem in BCI and introduces a novel hierarchical view on robustness which naturally comprises different types of outlierness occurring in structured data. Furthermore, the class of minimum divergence estimators is reviewed and a robust mean and covariance estimator for structured data is derived and evaluated with simulations and on a benchmark data set. Main results. The results show that state-of-the-art BCI algorithms benefit from robustly estimated parameters. Significance. Since parameter estimation is an integral part of various machine learning algorithms, the presented techniques are applicable to many problems beyond BCI.

The numerical simulation and experiment on extrusion roller embossing of light diffusion plate with micro-structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Gongzheng; Fu, Zhihong; Zhang, Lei; Wan, Yue

2018-01-01

Extrusion roller embossing process has demonstrated the ability to produce polymer film with micro-structure. However the influence of various parameters on the forming quality has not been understood clearly. In this paper, a light diffusion plate with semi cylindrical micro-structure array as the research object, the influence of the main processing parameters such as roller speed, pressuring distance and polymer film temperature to the rolling quality was investigated in detail by simulation and experimental methods. The results show that the thickness of the light diffusion plate and the micro-structure fitting diameter increases with the increasing of the roll speed and the polymer film temperature, and decreases with the increasing of the pressing distance. Besides, the simulation results conformed well to the experimental results.

A meta-analysis of the mechanical properties of ice-templated ceramics and metals

PubMed Central

Deville, Sylvain; Meille, Sylvain; Seuba, Jordi

2015-01-01

Ice templating, also known as freeze casting, is a popular shaping route for macroporous materials. Over the past 15 years, it has been widely applied to various classes of materials, and in particular ceramics. Many formulation and process parameters, often interdependent, affect the outcome. It is thus difficult to understand the various relationships between these parameters from isolated studies where only a few of these parameters have been investigated. We report here the results of a meta analysis of the structural and mechanical properties of ice templated materials from an exhaustive collection of records. We use these results to identify which parameters are the most critical to control the structure and properties, and to derive guidelines for optimizing the mechanical response of ice templated materials. We hope these results will be a helpful guide to anyone interested in such materials. PMID:27877817

A meta-analysis of the mechanical properties of ice-templated ceramics and metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deville, Sylvain; Meille, Sylvain; Seuba, Jordi

2015-08-01

Ice templating, also known as freeze casting, is a popular shaping route for macroporous materials. Over the past 15 years, it has been widely applied to various classes of materials, and in particular ceramics. Many formulation and process parameters, often interdependent, affect the outcome. It is thus difficult to understand the various relationships between these parameters from isolated studies where only a few of these parameters have been investigated. We report here the results of a meta analysis of the structural and mechanical properties of ice templated materials from an exhaustive collection of records. We use these results to identify which parameters are the most critical to control the structure and properties, and to derive guidelines for optimizing the mechanical response of ice templated materials. We hope these results will be a helpful guide to anyone interested in such materials.

Relationships and redundancies of selected hemodynamic and structural parameters for characterizing virtual treatment of cerebral aneurysms with flow diverter devices.

PubMed

Karmonik, C; Anderson, J R; Beilner, J; Ge, J J; Partovi, S; Klucznik, R P; Diaz, O; Zhang, Y J; Britz, G W; Grossman, R G; Lv, N; Huang, Q

2016-07-26

To quantify the relationship and to demonstrate redundancies between hemodynamic and structural parameters before and after virtual treatment with a flow diverter device (FDD) in cerebral aneurysms. Steady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed for 10 cerebral aneurysms where FDD treatment with the SILK device was simulated by virtually reducing the porosity at the aneurysm ostium. Velocity and pressure values proximal and distal to and at the aneurysm ostium as well as inside the aneurysm were quantified. In addition, dome-to-neck ratios and size ratios were determined. Multiple correlation analysis (MCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were conducted to demonstrate dependencies between both structural and hemodynamic parameters. Velocities in the aneurysm were reduced by 0.14m/s on average and correlated significantly (p<0.05) with velocity values in the parent artery (average correlation coefficient: 0.70). Pressure changes in the aneurysm correlated significantly with pressure values in the parent artery and aneurysm (average correlation coefficient: 0.87). MCA found statistically significant correlations between velocity values and between pressure values, respectively. HCA sorted velocity parameters, pressure parameters and structural parameters into different hierarchical clusters. HCA of aneurysms based on the parameter values yielded similar results by either including all (n=22) or only non-redundant parameters (n=2, 3 and 4). Hemodynamic and structural parameters before and after virtual FDD treatment show strong inter-correlations. Redundancy of parameters was demonstrated with hierarchical cluster analysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modal parameters of space structures in 1 G and 0 G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bicos, Andrew S.; Crawley, Edward F.; Barlow, Mark S.; Van Schoor, Marthinus C.; Masters, Brett

1993-01-01

Analytic and experimental results are presented from a study of the changes in the modal parameters of space structural test articles from one- to zero-gravity. Deployable, erectable, and rotary modules was assembled to form three one- and two-dimensional structures, in which variations in bracing wire and rotary joint preload could be introduced. The structures were modeled as if hanging from a suspension system in one gravity, and unconstrained, as if free floating in zero-gravity. The analysis is compared with ground experimental measurements, which were made on a spring-wire suspension system with a nominal plunge frequency of one Hertz, and with measurements made on the Shuttle middeck. The degree of change in linear modal parameters as well as the change in nonlinear nature of the response is examined. Trends in modal parameters are presented as a function of force amplitude, joint preload, reassembly, shipset, suspension, and ambient gravity level.

Analysis and Sizing for Transient Thermal Heating of Insulated Aerospace Vehicle Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blosser, Max L.

2012-01-01

An analytical solution was derived for the transient response of an insulated structure subjected to a simplified heat pulse. The solution is solely a function of two nondimensional parameters. Simpler functions of these two parameters were developed to approximate the maximum structural temperature over a wide range of parameter values. Techniques were developed to choose constant, effective thermal properties to represent the relevant temperature and pressure-dependent properties for the insulator and structure. A technique was also developed to map a time-varying surface temperature history to an equivalent square heat pulse. Equations were also developed for the minimum mass required to maintain the inner, unheated surface below a specified temperature. In the course of the derivation, two figures of merit were identified. Required insulation masses calculated using the approximate equation were shown to typically agree with finite element results within 10%-20% over the relevant range of parameters studied.

Experimental study of evaluation of mechanical parameters of heterogeneous porous structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerasimov, O.; Koroleva, E.; Sachenkov, O.

2017-06-01

The paper deals with the problem of determining the mechanical macroparameters of the porous material in case of knowing the information about it’s structure. Fabric tensor and porosity was used to describe structure of the material. Experimental study presented. In research two-component liquid polyurethane plastics of cold curing Lasilcast (Lc-12) was used. Then samples was scanned on computer tomography. Resulting data was analyzed. Regular subvolume was cut out after analyses. Then mechanical tests was performed. As a result we get information about fabric tensor, porosity, Young’s modulus and Poisson ratio of the sample. In the abstract presented results for some samples. Taking into account the law of porosity variation, we considered the problem of evaluating the mechanical macro parameters depending on the nature of the porous structure. To evaluate the macroparameters, we built the dependence of the Young’s modules and Poisson ratio of the material on the rotation angle α and the pore ellipticity parameter λ. The sensitivity of the deformations to the elastic constants was also estimated.

Identification and calibration of the structural model of historical masonry building damaged during the 2016 Italian earthquakes: The case study of Palazzo del Podestà in Montelupone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catinari, Federico; Pierdicca, Alessio; Clementi, Francesco; Lenci, Stefano

2017-11-01

The results of an ambient-vibration based investigation conducted on the "Palazzo del Podesta" in Montelupone (Italy) is presented. The case study was damaged during the 20I6 Italian earthquakes that stroke the central part of the Italy. The assessment procedure includes full-scale ambient vibration testing, modal identification from ambient vibration responses, finite element modeling and dynamic-based identification of the uncertain structural parameters of the model. A very good match between theoretical and experimental modal parameters was reached and the model updating has been performed identifying some structural parameters.

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations with fragment molecular orbital (FMO) based effective parameters for 1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidyl choline (POPC) membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doi, Hideo; Okuwaki, Koji; Mochizuki, Yuji; Ozawa, Taku; Yasuoka, Kenji

2017-09-01

In dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations, it is necessary to use the so-called χ parameter set that express the effective interactions between particles. Recently, we have developed a new scheme to evaluate the χ parameters in a non-empirical way through a series of fragment molecular orbital (FMO) calculations. As a challenging test, we have performed the DPD simulations using the FMO-based χ parameters for a mixture of 1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl phosphatidyl choline (POPC) and water. The structures of both membrane and vesicle were formed successfully. The calculated structural parameters of membrane were in good agreement with experimental results.

Influence of eye biometrics and corneal micro-structure on noncontact tonometry

PubMed Central

Majewska, Małgorzata; Krzyżanowska-Berkowska, Patrycja; Iskander, D. Robert

2017-01-01

Purpose Tonometry is widely used as the main screening tool supporting glaucoma diagnosis. Still, its accuracy could be improved if full knowledge about the variation of the corneal biomechanical properties was available. In this study, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) speckle statistics are used to infer the organisation of the corneal micro-structure and hence, to analyse its influence on intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements. Methods Fifty-six subjects were recruited for this prospective study. Macro and micro-structural corneal parameters as well as subject age were considered. Macro-structural analysis included the parameters that are associated with the ocular anatomy, such as central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal radius, axial length, anterior chamber depth and white-to-white corneal diameter. Micro-structural parameters which included OCT speckle statistics were related to the internal organisation of the corneal tissue and its physiological changes during lifetime. The corneal speckle obtained from OCT was modelled with the Generalised Gamma (GG) distribution that is characterised with a scale parameter and two shape parameters. Results In macro-structure analysis, only CCT showed a statistically significant correlation with IOP (R2 = 0.25, p<0.001). The scale parameter and the ratio of the shape parameters of GG distribution showed statistically significant correlation with IOP (R2 = 0.19, p<0.001 and R2 = 0.17, p<0.001, respectively). For the studied group, a weak, although significant correlation was found between age and IOP (R2 = 0.053, p = 0.04). Forward stepwise regression showed that CCT and the scale parameter of the Generalised Gamma distribution can be combined in a regression model (R2 = 0.39, p<0.001) to study the role of the corneal structure on IOP. Conclusions We show, for the first time, that corneal micro-structure influences the IOP measurements obtained from noncontact tonometry. OCT speckle statistics can be employed to learn about the corneal micro-structure and hence, to further calibrate the IOP measurements. PMID:28472178

A novel method for finding the initial structure parameters of optical systems via a genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, LIU; Huang, Wei; Hongjie, Fan

2016-02-01

A novel method for finding the initial structure parameters of an optical system via the genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed in this research. Usually, optical designers start their designs from the commonly used structures from a patent database; however, it is time consuming to modify the patented structures to meet the specification. A high-performance design result largely depends on the choice of the starting point. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to be able to calculate the initial structure parameters automatically. In this paper, a method that combines a genetic algorithm and aberration analysis is used to determine an appropriate initial structure of an optical system. We use a three-mirror system as an example to demonstrate the validity and reliability of this method. On-axis and off-axis telecentric three-mirror systems are obtained based on this method.

Effects of 3D Earth structure on W-phase CMT parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Catalina; Duputel, Zacharie; Rivera, Luis; Kanamori, Hiroo

2017-04-01

The source inversion of the W-phase has demonstrated a great potential to provide fast and reliable estimates of the centroid moment tensor (CMT) for moderate to large earthquakes. It has since been implemented in different operational environments (NEIC-USGS, PTWC, etc.) with the aim of providing rapid CMT solutions. These solutions are in particular useful for tsunami warning purposes. Computationally, W-phase waveforms are usually synthetized by summation of normal modes at long period (100 - 1000 s) for a spherical Earth model (e.g., PREM). Although the energy of these modes mainly stays in the mantle where lateral structural variations are relatively small, the impact of 3D heterogeneities on W-phase solutions have not yet been quantified. In this study, we investigate possible bias in W-phase source parameters due to unmodeled lateral structural heterogeneities. We generate a simulated dataset consisting of synthetic seismograms of large past earthquakes that accounts for the Earth's 3D structure. The W-phase algorithm is then used to invert the synthetic dataset for earthquake CMT parameters with and without added noise. Results show that the impact of 3D heterogeneities is generally larger for surface-waves than for W-phase waveforms. However, some discrepancies are noted between inverted W-phase parameters and target values. Particular attention is paid to the possible bias induced by the unmodeled 3D structure into the location of the W-phase centroid. Preliminary results indicate that the parameter that is most susceptible to 3D Earth structure seems to be the centroid depth.

Influence of Choice of Null Network on Small-World Parameters of Structural Correlation Networks

PubMed Central

Hosseini, S. M. Hadi; Kesler, Shelli R.

2013-01-01

In recent years, coordinated variations in brain morphology (e.g., volume, thickness) have been employed as a measure of structural association between brain regions to infer large-scale structural correlation networks. Recent evidence suggests that brain networks constructed in this manner are inherently more clustered than random networks of the same size and degree. Thus, null networks constructed by randomizing topology are not a good choice for benchmarking small-world parameters of these networks. In the present report, we investigated the influence of choice of null networks on small-world parameters of gray matter correlation networks in healthy individuals and survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Three types of null networks were studied: 1) networks constructed by topology randomization (TOP), 2) networks matched to the distributional properties of the observed covariance matrix (HQS), and 3) networks generated from correlation of randomized input data (COR). The results revealed that the choice of null network not only influences the estimated small-world parameters, it also influences the results of between-group differences in small-world parameters. In addition, at higher network densities, the choice of null network influences the direction of group differences in network measures. Our data suggest that the choice of null network is quite crucial for interpretation of group differences in small-world parameters of structural correlation networks. We argue that none of the available null models is perfect for estimation of small-world parameters for correlation networks and the relative strengths and weaknesses of the selected model should be carefully considered with respect to obtained network measures. PMID:23840672

Stiffness analysis of glued connection of the timber-concrete structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daňková, Jana; Mec, Pavel; Majstríková, Tereza

2016-01-01

This paper presents results of experimental and mathematical analysis of stiffness characteristics of a composite timber-concrete structure. The composite timberconcrete structure presented herein is non-typical compared to similar types of building structures. The interaction between the timber and concrete part of the composite cross-section is not based on metal connecting elements, but it is ensured by a glued-in perforated mesh made of plywood. The paper presents results of experimental and mathematical analysis for material alternatives of the solution of the glued joint. The slip modulus values were determined experimentally. Data obtained from the experiment evaluated by means of regression analysis. Test results were also used as input data for the compilation of a 3D model of a composite structure by means of the 3D finite element model. On the basis of result evaluation, it can be stated that the stress-deformation behaviour at shear loading of this specific timber-concrete composite structure can be affected by the type of glue used. Parameters of the 3D model of both alternative of the structure represent well the behaviour of the composite structure and the model can be used for predicting design parameters of a building structure.

Monitoring early hydration of reinforced concrete structures using structural parameters identified by piezo sensors via electromechanical impedance technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talakokula, Visalakshi; Bhalla, Suresh; Gupta, Ashok

2018-01-01

Concrete is the most widely used material in civil engineering construction. Its life begins when the hydration process is activated after mixing the cement granulates with water. In this paper, a non-dimensional hydration parameter, obtained from piezoelectric ceramic (PZT) patches bonded to rebars embedded inside concrete, is employed to monitor the early age hydration of concrete. The non-dimensional hydration parameter is derived from the equivalent stiffness determined from the piezo-impedance transducers using the electro-mechanical impedance (EMI) technique. The focus of the study is to monitor the hydration process of cementitious materials commencing from the early hours and continue till 28 days using single non-dimensional parameter. The experimental results show that the proposed piezo-based non-dimensional hydration parameter is very effective in monitoring the early age hydration, as it has been derived from the refined structural impedance parameters, obtained by eliminating the PZT contribution, and using both the real and imaginary components of the admittance signature.

Preliminary Structural Design Considerations and Mass Efficiencies for Lunar Surface Manipulator Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorsey, John T.; Mikulas, Martin M.; Doggett, William R.

2008-01-01

The mass and sizing characteristics of manipulators for Lunar and Mars planetary surface applications are investigated by analyzing three structural configurations: a simple cantilevered boom with a square tubular cross-section; a hybrid cable/boom configuration with a square tubular cross-section support structure; and a hybrid cable/boom configuration with a square truss cross-section support structure. Design procedures are developed for the three configurations and numerical examples are given. A new set of performance parameters are developed that relate the mass of manipulators and cranes to a loading parameter. These parameters enable the masses of different manipulator configurations to be compared over a wide range of design loads and reach envelopes (radii). The use of these parameters is demonstrated in the form of a structural efficiency chart using the newly considered manipulator configurations. To understand the performance of Lunar and Mars manipulators, the design procedures were exercised on the three manipulator configurations assuming graphite/epoxy materials for the tubes and trusses. It is also assumed that the actuators are electric motor, gear reduction systems. Numerical results for manipulator masses and sizes are presented for a variety of manipulator reach and payload mass capabilities. Results are presented that demonstrate the sensitivity of manipulator mass to operational radius, tip force, and actuator efficiency. The effect of the value of gravitational force on the ratio of manipulator-mass to payload-mass is also shown. Finally, results are presented to demonstrate the relative mass reduction for the use of graphite/epoxy compared to aluminum for the support structure.

Bayesian nonlinear structural FE model and seismic input identification for damage assessment of civil structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astroza, Rodrigo; Ebrahimian, Hamed; Li, Yong; Conte, Joel P.

2017-09-01

A methodology is proposed to update mechanics-based nonlinear finite element (FE) models of civil structures subjected to unknown input excitation. The approach allows to jointly estimate unknown time-invariant model parameters of a nonlinear FE model of the structure and the unknown time histories of input excitations using spatially-sparse output response measurements recorded during an earthquake event. The unscented Kalman filter, which circumvents the computation of FE response sensitivities with respect to the unknown model parameters and unknown input excitations by using a deterministic sampling approach, is employed as the estimation tool. The use of measurement data obtained from arrays of heterogeneous sensors, including accelerometers, displacement sensors, and strain gauges is investigated. Based on the estimated FE model parameters and input excitations, the updated nonlinear FE model can be interrogated to detect, localize, classify, and assess damage in the structure. Numerically simulated response data of a three-dimensional 4-story 2-by-1 bay steel frame structure with six unknown model parameters subjected to unknown bi-directional horizontal seismic excitation, and a three-dimensional 5-story 2-by-1 bay reinforced concrete frame structure with nine unknown model parameters subjected to unknown bi-directional horizontal seismic excitation are used to illustrate and validate the proposed methodology. The results of the validation studies show the excellent performance and robustness of the proposed algorithm to jointly estimate unknown FE model parameters and unknown input excitations.

Investigation of the Surface Stress in SiC and Diamond Nanocrystals by In-situ High Pressure Powder Diffraction Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palosz, B.; Stelmakh, S.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Zhao, Y.; Palosz, W.

2003-01-01

The real atomic structure of nanocrystals determines key properties of the materials. For such materials the serious experimental problem lies in obtaining sufficiently accurate measurements of the structural parameters of the crystals, since very small crystals constitute rather a two-phase than a uniform crystallographic phase system. As a result, elastic properties of nanograins may be expected to reflect a dual nature of their structure, with a corresponding set of different elastic property parameters. We studied those properties by in-situ high-pressure powder diffraction technique. For nanocrystalline, even one-phase materials such measurements are particularly difficult to make since determination of the lattice parameters of very small crystals presents a challenge due to inherent limitations of standard elaboration of powder diffractograms. In this investigation we used our methodology of the structural analysis, the 'apparent lattice parameter' (alp) concept. The methodology allowed us to avoid the traps (if applied to nanocrystals) of standard powder diffraction evaluation techniques. The experiments were performed for nanocrystalline Sic and GaN powders using synchrotron sources. We applied both hydrostatic and isostatic pressures in the range of up to 40 GPa. Elastic properties of the samples were examined based on the measurements of a change of the lattice parameters with pressure. The results show a dual nature of the mechanical properties (compressibilities) of the materials, indicating a complex, core-shell structure of the grains.

Improving Measurement of Forest Structural Parameters by Co-Registering of High Resolution Aerial Imagery and Low Density LiDAR Data

PubMed Central

Huang, Huabing; Gong, Peng; Cheng, Xiao; Clinton, Nick; Li, Zengyuan

2009-01-01

Forest structural parameters, such as tree height and crown width, are indispensable for evaluating forest biomass or forest volume. LiDAR is a revolutionary technology for measurement of forest structural parameters, however, the accuracy of crown width extraction is not satisfactory when using a low density LiDAR, especially in high canopy cover forest. We used high resolution aerial imagery with a low density LiDAR system to overcome this shortcoming. A morphological filtering was used to generate a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) and a CHM (Canopy Height Model) from LiDAR data. The LiDAR camera image is matched to the aerial image with an automated keypoints search algorithm. As a result, a high registration accuracy of 0.5 pixels was obtained. A local maximum filter, watershed segmentation, and object-oriented image segmentation are used to obtain tree height and crown width. Results indicate that the camera data collected by the integrated LiDAR system plays an important role in registration with aerial imagery. The synthesis with aerial imagery increases the accuracy of forest structural parameter extraction when compared to only using the low density LiDAR data. PMID:22573971

Combined control-structure optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salama, M.; Milman, M.; Bruno, R.; Scheid, R.; Gibson, S.

1989-01-01

An approach for combined control-structure optimization keyed to enhancing early design trade-offs is outlined and illustrated by numerical examples. The approach employs a homotopic strategy and appears to be effective for generating families of designs that can be used in these early trade studies. Analytical results were obtained for classes of structure/control objectives with linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) and linear quadratic regulator (LQR) costs. For these, researchers demonstrated that global optima can be computed for small values of the homotopy parameter. Conditions for local optima along the homotopy path were also given. Details of two numerical examples employing the LQR control cost were given showing variations of the optimal design variables along the homotopy path. The results of the second example suggest that introducing a second homotopy parameter relating the two parts of the control index in the LQG/LQR formulation might serve to enlarge the family of Pareto optima, but its effect on modifying the optimal structural shapes may be analogous to the original parameter lambda.

NMReDATA, a standard to report the NMR assignment and parameters of organic compounds.

PubMed

Pupier, Marion; Nuzillard, Jean-Marc; Wist, Julien; Schlörer, Nils E; Kuhn, Stefan; Erdelyi, Mate; Steinbeck, Christoph; Williams, Antony J; Butts, Craig; Claridge, Tim D W; Mikhova, Bozhana; Robien, Wolfgang; Dashti, Hesam; Eghbalnia, Hamid R; Farès, Christophe; Adam, Christian; Kessler, Pavel; Moriaud, Fabrice; Elyashberg, Mikhail; Argyropoulos, Dimitris; Pérez, Manuel; Giraudeau, Patrick; Gil, Roberto R; Trevorrow, Paul; Jeannerat, Damien

2018-04-14

Even though NMR has found countless applications in the field of small molecule characterization, there is no standard file format available for the NMR data relevant to structure characterization of small molecules. A new format is therefore introduced to associate the NMR parameters extracted from 1D and 2D spectra of organic compounds to the proposed chemical structure. These NMR parameters, which we shall call NMReDATA (for nuclear magnetic resonance extracted data), include chemical shift values, signal integrals, intensities, multiplicities, scalar coupling constants, lists of 2D correlations, relaxation times, and diffusion rates. The file format is an extension of the existing Structure Data Format, which is compatible with the commonly used MOL format. The association of an NMReDATA file with the raw and spectral data from which it originates constitutes an NMR record. This format is easily readable by humans and computers and provides a simple and efficient way for disseminating results of structural chemistry investigations, allowing automatic verification of published results, and for assisting the constitution of highly needed open-source structural databases. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of the influence of acquisition parameters of microtomography in image quality applied by carbonate rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, T. M. P.; Machado, A. S.; Araújo, O. M. O.; Ferreira, C. G.; Lopes, R. T.

2018-03-01

X-ray computed microtomography is a powerful nondestructive technique for 2D and 3D structure analysis. However, parameters used in acquisition promote directs influence in qualitative and quantitative results in characterization of samples, due image resolution. The aim of this study is value the influence of theses parameters in results through of tests changing these parameters in different situations and system characterization. Results demonstrate those pixel size and detector matrixes are the main parameters that influence in resolution and image quality. Microtomography was considered an excellent technique for characterization using the best image resolution possible.

Correlation strength, Lifshitz transition, and the emergence of a two-dimensional to three-dimensional crossover in FeSe under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skornyakov, S. L.; Anisimov, V. I.; Vollhardt, D.; Leonov, I.

2018-03-01

We report a detailed theoretical study of the electronic structure, spectral properties, and lattice parameters of bulk FeSe under pressure using a fully charge self-consistent implementation of the density functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory method (DFT+DMFT). In particular, we perform a structural optimization and compute the evolution of the lattice parameters (volume, c /a ratio, and the internal z position of Se) and the electronic structure of the tetragonal (space group P 4 /n m m ) unit cell of paramagnetic FeSe. Our results for the lattice parameters obtained by structural optimization using DFT+DMFT are in good quantitative agreement with experiment, implying a crucial importance of electron correlations in determining the correct lattice properties of FeSe. Most importantly, upon compression to 10 GPa our results reveal a topological change in the Fermi surface (Lifshitz transition) which is accompanied by a two- to three-dimensional crossover and a small reduction of the quasiparticle mass renormalization compared to ambient pressure. The behavior of the momentum-resolved magnetic susceptibility χ (q ) shows no topological changes of magnetic correlations under pressure but demonstrates a reduction of the degree of the in-plane (π ,π ) stripe-type nesting. Our results for the electronic structure and lattice parameters of FeSe are in good qualitative agreement with recent experiments on its isoelectronic counterpart FeSe1 -xSx .

Modelling of resonant MEMS magnetic field sensor with electromagnetic induction sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Song; Xu, Huaying; Xu, Dehui; Xiong, Bin

2017-06-01

This paper presents an analytical model of resonant MEMS magnetic field sensor with electromagnetic induction sensing. The resonant structure vibrates in square extensional (SE) mode. By analyzing the vibration amplitude and quality factor of the resonant structure, the magnetic field sensitivity as a function of device structure parameters and encapsulation pressure is established. The developed analytical model has been verified by comparing calculated results with experiment results and the deviation between them is only 10.25%, which shows the feasibility of the proposed device model. The model can provide theoretical guidance for further design optimization of the sensor. Moreover, a quantitative study of the magnetic field sensitivity is conducted with respect to the structure parameters and encapsulation pressure based on the proposed model.

Model selection and Bayesian inference for high-resolution seabed reflection inversion.

PubMed

Dettmer, Jan; Dosso, Stan E; Holland, Charles W

2009-02-01

This paper applies Bayesian inference, including model selection and posterior parameter inference, to inversion of seabed reflection data to resolve sediment structure at a spatial scale below the pulse length of the acoustic source. A practical approach to model selection is used, employing the Bayesian information criterion to decide on the number of sediment layers needed to sufficiently fit the data while satisfying parsimony to avoid overparametrization. Posterior parameter inference is carried out using an efficient Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for high-dimensional models, and results are presented as marginal-probability depth distributions for sound velocity, density, and attenuation. The approach is applied to plane-wave reflection-coefficient inversion of single-bounce data collected on the Malta Plateau, Mediterranean Sea, which indicate complex fine structure close to the water-sediment interface. This fine structure is resolved in the geoacoustic inversion results in terms of four layers within the upper meter of sediments. The inversion results are in good agreement with parameter estimates from a gravity core taken at the experiment site.

DEM modeling of flexible structures against granular material avalanches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, Stéphane; Albaba, Adel; Nicot, François; Chareyre, Bruno

2016-04-01

This article presents the numerical modeling of flexible structures intended to contain avalanches of granular and coarse material (e.g. rock slide, a debris slide). The numerical model is based on a discrete element method (YADE-Dem). The DEM modeling of both the flowing granular material and the flexible structure are detailed before presenting some results. The flowing material consists of a dry polydisperse granular material accounting for the non-sphericity of real materials. The flexible structure consists in a metallic net hanged on main cables, connected to the ground via anchors, on both sides of the channel, including dissipators. All these components were modeled as flexible beams or wires, with mechanical parameters defined from literature data. The simulation results are presented with the aim of investigating the variability of the structure response depending on different parameters related to the structure (inclination of the fence, with/without brakes, mesh size opening), but also to the channel (inclination). Results are then compared with existing recommendations in similar fields.

PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) for Interpretation of Magnetic Anomalies Caused by Simple Geometrical Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essa, Khalid S.; Elhussein, Mahmoud

2018-04-01

A new efficient approach to estimate parameters that controlled the source dimensions from magnetic anomaly profile data in light of PSO algorithm (particle swarm optimization) has been presented. The PSO algorithm has been connected in interpreting the magnetic anomaly profiles data onto a new formula for isolated sources embedded in the subsurface. The model parameters deciphered here are the depth of the body, the amplitude coefficient, the angle of effective magnetization, the shape factor and the horizontal coordinates of the source. The model parameters evaluated by the present technique, generally the depth of the covered structures were observed to be in astounding concurrence with the real parameters. The root mean square (RMS) error is considered as a criterion in estimating the misfit between the observed and computed anomalies. Inversion of noise-free synthetic data, noisy synthetic data which contains different levels of random noise (5, 10, 15 and 20%) as well as multiple structures and in additional two real-field data from USA and Egypt exhibits the viability of the approach. Thus, the final results of the different parameters are matched with those given in the published literature and from geologic results.

Correlation between soil physicochemical properties and vegetation parameters in secondary tropical forest in Sabal, Sarawak, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karyati, K.; Ipor, I. B.; Jusoh, I.; Wasli, M. E.

2018-04-01

The tree growth is influenced by soil morphological and physicochemical properties in the site. The purpose of this study was to describe correlation between soil properties under various stage secondary forests and vegetation parameters, such as floristic structure parameters and floristic diversity indices. The vegetation surveys were conducted in 5, 10, and 20 years old at secondary tropical forests in Sarawak, Malaysia. Nine sub plots sized 20 m × 20 m were established within each study site. The Pearson analysis showed that soil physicochemical properties were significantly correlated to floristic structure parameters and floristic diversity indices. The result of PCA clarified the correlation among most important soil properties, floristic structure parameters, and floristic diversity indices. The PC1 represented cation retention capacity and soil texture which were little affected by the fallow age and its also were correlated by floristic structure and diversity. The PC2 was linked to the levels of soil acidity. This property reflected the remnant effects of ash addition and fallow duration, and the significant correlation were showed among pH (H2O), floristic structure and diversity. The PC3 represented the soil compactness. The soil hardness could be influenced by fallow period and it was also correlated by floristic structure.

Structure-activity relationships of pyrethroid insecticides. Part 2. The use of molecular dynamics for conformation searching and average parameter calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, Brian D.; George, Ashley R.; Ford, Martyn G.; Livingstone, David J.

1992-04-01

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on a number of conformationally flexible pyrethroid insecticides. The results indicate that molecular dynamics is a suitable tool for conformational searching of small molecules given suitable simulation parameters. The structures derived from the simulations are compared with the static conformation used in a previous study. Various physicochemical parameters have been calculated for a set of conformations selected from the simulations using multivariate analysis. The averaged values of the parameters over the selected set (and the factors derived from them) are compared with the single conformation values used in the previous study.

Simulation of dynamics of beam structures with bolted joints using adjusted Iwan beam elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Hartwigsen, C. J.; McFarland, D. M.; Vakakis, A. F.; Bergman, L. A.

2004-05-01

Mechanical joints often affect structural response, causing localized non-linear stiffness and damping changes. As many structures are assemblies, incorporating the effects of joints is necessary to produce predictive finite element models. In this paper, we present an adjusted Iwan beam element (AIBE) for dynamic response analysis of beam structures containing joints. The adjusted Iwan model consists of a combination of springs and frictional sliders that exhibits non-linear behavior due to the stick-slip characteristic of the latter. The beam element developed is two-dimensional and consists of two adjusted Iwan models and maintains the usual complement of degrees of freedom: transverse displacement and rotation at each of the two nodes. The resulting element includes six parameters, which must be determined. To circumvent the difficulty arising from the non-linear nature of the inverse problem, a multi-layer feed-forward neural network (MLFF) is employed to extract joint parameters from measured structural acceleration responses. A parameter identification procedure is implemented on a beam structure with a bolted joint. In this procedure, acceleration responses at one location on the beam structure due to one known impulsive forcing function are simulated for sets of combinations of varying joint parameters. A MLFF is developed and trained using the patterns of envelope data corresponding to these acceleration histories. The joint parameters are identified through the trained MLFF applied to the measured acceleration response. Then, using the identified joint parameters, acceleration responses of the jointed beam due to a different impulsive forcing function are predicted. The validity of the identified joint parameters is assessed by comparing simulated acceleration responses with experimental measurements. The capability of the AIBE to capture the effects of bolted joints on the dynamic responses of beam structures, and the efficacy of the MLFF parameter identification procedure, are demonstrated.

Weight optimization of an aerobrake structural concept for a lunar transfer vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bush, Lance B.; Unal, Resit; Rowell, Lawrence F.; Rehder, John J.

1992-01-01

An aerobrake structural concept for a lunar transfer vehicle was weight optimized through the use of the Taguchi design method, finite element analyses, and element sizing routines. Six design parameters were chosen to represent the aerobrake structural configuration. The design parameters included honeycomb core thickness, diameter-depth ratio, shape, material, number of concentric ring frames, and number of radial frames. Each parameter was assigned three levels. The aerobrake structural configuration with the minimum weight was 44 percent less than the average weight of all the remaining satisfactory experimental configurations. In addition, the results of this study have served to bolster the advocacy of the Taguchi method for aerospace vehicle design. Both reduced analysis time and an optimized design demonstrated the applicability of the Taguchi method to aerospace vehicle design.

Modeling and characteristic of the SMT Board Plug connector in high speed optical communication system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Haoran; Dong, Zhenzhen; Wang, Tanglin; Zhao, Heng; Feng, Junbo; Cui, Naidi; Teng, Jie; Guo, Jin

2015-04-01

Modeling and characteristic of the SMT Board Plug connector, which is used to connect micro optical transceiver to the main board, are proposed and analyzed in this paper. When the high speed signal transfers from the PCB of transceiver to main board through SMT Board Plug connector, the structure and material discontinuity of the connector causes insertion losses and impedance mismatches. This makes the performance of high speed digital system exacerbated. So it is essential to analyze the signal transfer characteristics of the connector and find out what factors affected the signal quality at the design stage of the digital system. To solve this problem, Ansoft's High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS), based on the finite element method, was employed to build accurate 3D models, analyze the effects of various structure parameters, and obtain the full-wave characteristics of the SMT Board Plug connectors in this paper. Then an equivalent circuit model was developed. The circuit parameters were extracted precisely in the frequency range of interests by using the curve fitting method in ADS software, and the result was in good agreement with HFSS simulations up to 8GHz with different structure parameters. At last, the measurement results of S-parameter and eye diagram were given and the S-parameters showed good coincidence between the measurement and HFSS simulation up to 4GHz.

Roto-flexoelectric coupling impact on the phase diagrams and pyroelectricity of thin SrTiO 3 films

DOE PAGES

Morozovska, Anna N.; Eliseev, Eugene A.; Bravina, Svetlana L.; ...

2012-09-20

The influence of the flexoelectric and rotostriction coupling on the phase diagrams of ferroelastic-quantum paraelectric SrTiO 3 films was studied using Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) theory. We calculated the phase diagrams in coordinates temperature - film thickness for different epitaxial misfit strains. Tensile misfit strains stimulate appearance of the spontaneous out-of-plane structural order parameter (displacement vector of an appropriate oxygen atom from its cubic position) in the structural phase. For compressive misfit strains are stimulated because of the spontaneous in-plane structural order parameter. Furthermore, gradients of the structural order parameter components, which inevitably exist in the vicinity of film surfaces due tomore » the termination and symmetry breaking, induce improper polarization and pyroelectric response via the flexoelectric and rotostriction coupling mechanism. Flexoelectric and rotostriction coupling results in the roto-flexoelectric field that is antisymmetric inside the film, small in the central part of the film, where the gradients of the structural parameter are small, and maximal near the surfaces, where the gradients of the structural parameter are highest. The field induces improper polarization and pyroelectric response. Penetration depths of the improper phases (both polar and structural) can reach several nm from the film surfaces. An improper pyroelectric response of thin films is high enough to be registered with planar-type electrode configurations by conventional pyroelectric methods.« less

Use of Bayesian Inference in Crystallographic Structure Refinement via Full Diffraction Profile Analysis

PubMed Central

Fancher, Chris M.; Han, Zhen; Levin, Igor; Page, Katharine; Reich, Brian J.; Smith, Ralph C.; Wilson, Alyson G.; Jones, Jacob L.

2016-01-01

A Bayesian inference method for refining crystallographic structures is presented. The distribution of model parameters is stochastically sampled using Markov chain Monte Carlo. Posterior probability distributions are constructed for all model parameters to properly quantify uncertainty by appropriately modeling the heteroskedasticity and correlation of the error structure. The proposed method is demonstrated by analyzing a National Institute of Standards and Technology silicon standard reference material. The results obtained by Bayesian inference are compared with those determined by Rietveld refinement. Posterior probability distributions of model parameters provide both estimates and uncertainties. The new method better estimates the true uncertainties in the model as compared to the Rietveld method. PMID:27550221

Static shape control for flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, G.; Scheid, R. E., Jr.

1986-01-01

An integrated methodology is described for defining static shape control laws for large flexible structures. The techniques include modeling, identifying and estimating the control laws of distributed systems characterized in terms of infinite dimensional state and parameter spaces. The models are expressed as interconnected elliptic partial differential equations governing a range of static loads, with the capability of analyzing electromagnetic fields around antenna systems. A second-order analysis is carried out for statistical errors, and model parameters are determined by maximizing an appropriate defined likelihood functional which adjusts the model to observational data. The parameter estimates are derived from the conditional mean of the observational data, resulting in a least squares superposition of shape functions obtained from the structural model.

Summary of typical parameters that affect sound transmission through general aviation aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosveld, F.; Navaneethan, R.; Roskam, J.

1981-01-01

This paper presents results of a systematic experimental investigation of parameters which affect sound transmission through general aviation structures. Parameters studied include angle of sound incidence, panel curvature, panel stresses, and edge conditions for bare panels; pane thickness, spacing, inclination of window panes, and depressurization for dual pane windows; densities of hard foam and sound absorption materials, air gaps, and trim panel thickness for multilayered panels. Based on the study, some promising methods for reducing interior noise in general aviation airplanes are discussed.

A finite element analysis of a 3D auxetic textile structure for composite reinforcement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Zhaoyang; Hu, Hong; Liu, Yanping

2013-08-01

This paper reports the finite element analysis of an innovative 3D auxetic textile structure consisting of three yarn systems (weft, warp and stitch yarns). Different from conventional 3D textile structures, the proposed structure exhibits an auxetic behaviour under compression and can be used as a reinforcement to manufacture auxetic composites. The geometry of the structure is first described. Then a 3D finite element model is established using ANSYS software and validated by the experimental results. The deformation process of the structure at different compression strains is demonstrated, and the validated finite element model is finally used to simulate the auxetic behaviour of the structure with different structural parameters and yarn properties. The results show that the auxetic behaviour of the proposed structure increases with increasing compression strain, and all the structural parameters and yarn properties have significant effects on the auxetic behaviour of the structure. It is expected that the study could provide a better understanding of 3D auxetic textile structures and could promote their application in auxetic composites.

Repair welding of gamma titanium aluminide castings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, T. J.

This paper examines the GTA repair welding of cast Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb gamma titanium aluminide. Pre-weld heat treatment, preheat and welding parameters are evaluated and discussed. A wide range of GTAW parameters is demonstrated for use with this alloy and the resulting weld structure is examined. The effects of postweld heat treatment on the structure of the weld deposit is also determined.

Uncertainty quantification and propagation in dynamic models using ambient vibration measurements, application to a 10-story building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behmanesh, Iman; Yousefianmoghadam, Seyedsina; Nozari, Amin; Moaveni, Babak; Stavridis, Andreas

2018-07-01

This paper investigates the application of Hierarchical Bayesian model updating for uncertainty quantification and response prediction of civil structures. In this updating framework, structural parameters of an initial finite element (FE) model (e.g., stiffness or mass) are calibrated by minimizing error functions between the identified modal parameters and the corresponding parameters of the model. These error functions are assumed to have Gaussian probability distributions with unknown parameters to be determined. The estimated parameters of error functions represent the uncertainty of the calibrated model in predicting building's response (modal parameters here). The focus of this paper is to answer whether the quantified model uncertainties using dynamic measurement at building's reference/calibration state can be used to improve the model prediction accuracies at a different structural state, e.g., damaged structure. Also, the effects of prediction error bias on the uncertainty of the predicted values is studied. The test structure considered here is a ten-story concrete building located in Utica, NY. The modal parameters of the building at its reference state are identified from ambient vibration data and used to calibrate parameters of the initial FE model as well as the error functions. Before demolishing the building, six of its exterior walls were removed and ambient vibration measurements were also collected from the structure after the wall removal. These data are not used to calibrate the model; they are only used to assess the predicted results. The model updating framework proposed in this paper is applied to estimate the modal parameters of the building at its reference state as well as two damaged states: moderate damage (removal of four walls) and severe damage (removal of six walls). Good agreement is observed between the model-predicted modal parameters and those identified from vibration tests. Moreover, it is shown that including prediction error bias in the updating process instead of commonly-used zero-mean error function can significantly reduce the prediction uncertainties.

Total-energy Assisted Tight-binding Method Based on Local Density Approximation of Density Functional Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujiwara, Takeo; Nishino, Shinya; Yamamoto, Susumu; Suzuki, Takashi; Ikeda, Minoru; Ohtani, Yasuaki

2018-06-01

A novel tight-binding method is developed, based on the extended Hückel approximation and charge self-consistency, with referring the band structure and the total energy of the local density approximation of the density functional theory. The parameters are so adjusted by computer that the result reproduces the band structure and the total energy, and the algorithm for determining parameters is established. The set of determined parameters is applicable to a variety of crystalline compounds and change of lattice constants, and, in other words, it is transferable. Examples are demonstrated for Si crystals of several crystalline structures varying lattice constants. Since the set of parameters is transferable, the present tight-binding method may be applicable also to molecular dynamics simulations of large-scale systems and long-time dynamical processes.

Foot Type Biomechanics Part 2: Are structure and anthropometrics related to function?

PubMed Central

Mootanah, Rajshree; Song, Jinsup; Lenhoff, Mark W.; Hafer, Jocelyn F.; Backus, Sherry I.; Gagnon, David; Deland, Jonathan T.; Hillstrom, Howard J.

2013-01-01

Background Many foot pathologies are associated with specific foot types. If foot structure and function are related, measurement of either could assist with differential diagnosis of pedal pathologies. Hypothesis Biomechanical measures of foot structure and function are related in asymptomatic healthy individuals. Methods Sixty-one healthy subjects' left feet were stratified into cavus (n = 12), rectus (n = 27) and planus (n = 22) foot types. Foot structure was assessed by malleolar valgus index, arch height index, and arch height flexibility. Anthropometrics (height and weight), age, and walking speed were measured. Foot function was assessed by center of pressure excursion index, peak plantar pressure, maximum force, and gait pattern parameters. Foot structure and anthropometric variables were entered into stepwise linear regression models to identify predictors of function. Results Measures of foot structure and anthropometrics explained 10–37% of the model variance (adjusted R2) for gait pattern parameters. When walking speed was included, the adjusted R2 increased to 45–77% but foot structure was no longer a factor. Foot structure and anthropometrics predicted 7–47% of the model variance for plantar pressure and 16–64% for maximum force parameters. All multivariate models were significant (p < 0.05), supporting acceptance of the hypothesis. Discussion and conclusion Foot structure and function are related in asymptomatic healthy individuals. The structural parameters employed are basic measurements that do not require ionizing radiation and could be used in a clinical setting. Further research is needed to identify additional predictive parameters (plantar soft tissue characteristics, skeletal alignment, and neuromuscular control) and to include individuals with pathology. PMID:23107624

CHARMM Force-Fields with Modified Polyphosphate Parameters Allow Stable Simulation of the ATP-Bound Structure of Ca(2+)-ATPase.

PubMed

Komuro, Yasuaki; Re, Suyong; Kobayashi, Chigusa; Muneyuki, Eiro; Sugita, Yuji

2014-09-09

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an indispensable energy source in cells. In a wide variety of biological phenomena like glycolysis, muscle contraction/relaxation, and active ion transport, chemical energy released from ATP hydrolysis is converted to mechanical forces to bring about large-scale conformational changes in proteins. Investigation of structure-function relationships in these proteins by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations requires modeling of ATP in solution and ATP bound to proteins with accurate force-field parameters. In this study, we derived new force-field parameters for the triphosphate moiety of ATP based on the high-precision quantum calculations of methyl triphosphate. We tested our new parameters on membrane-embedded sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase and four soluble proteins. The ATP-bound structure of Ca(2+)-ATPase remains stable during MD simulations, contrary to the outcome in shorter simulations using original parameters. Similar results were obtained with the four ATP-bound soluble proteins. The new force-field parameters were also tested by investigating the range of conformations sampled during replica-exchange MD simulations of ATP in explicit water. Modified parameters allowed a much wider range of conformational sampling compared with the bias toward extended forms with original parameters. A diverse range of structures agrees with the broad distribution of ATP conformations in proteins deposited in the Protein Data Bank. These simulations suggest that the modified parameters will be useful in studies of ATP in solution and of the many ATP-utilizing proteins.

Application of Differential Evolutionary Optimization Methodology for Parameter Structure Identification in Groundwater Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Y.; Nishikawa, T.

2013-12-01

With the increasing complexity of parameter-structure identification (PSI) in groundwater modeling, there is a need for robust, fast, and accurate optimizers in the groundwater-hydrology field. For this work, PSI is defined as identifying parameter dimension, structure, and value. In this study, Voronoi tessellation and differential evolution (DE) are used to solve the optimal PSI problem. Voronoi tessellation is used for automatic parameterization, whereby stepwise regression and the error covariance matrix are used to determine the optimal parameter dimension. DE is a novel global optimizer that can be used to solve nonlinear, nondifferentiable, and multimodal optimization problems. It can be viewed as an improved version of genetic algorithms and employs a simple cycle of mutation, crossover, and selection operations. DE is used to estimate the optimal parameter structure and its associated values. A synthetic numerical experiment of continuous hydraulic conductivity distribution was conducted to demonstrate the proposed methodology. The results indicate that DE can identify the global optimum effectively and efficiently. A sensitivity analysis of the control parameters (i.e., the population size, mutation scaling factor, crossover rate, and mutation schemes) was performed to examine their influence on the objective function. The proposed DE was then applied to solve a complex parameter-estimation problem for a small desert groundwater basin in Southern California. Hydraulic conductivity, specific yield, specific storage, fault conductance, and recharge components were estimated simultaneously. Comparison of DE and a traditional gradient-based approach (PEST) shows DE to be more robust and efficient. The results of this work not only provide an alternative for PSI in groundwater models, but also extend DE applications towards solving complex, regional-scale water management optimization problems.

A covariance correction that accounts for correlation estimation to improve finite-sample inference with generalized estimating equations: A study on its applicability with structured correlation matrices

PubMed Central

Westgate, Philip M.

2016-01-01

When generalized estimating equations (GEE) incorporate an unstructured working correlation matrix, the variances of regression parameter estimates can inflate due to the estimation of the correlation parameters. In previous work, an approximation for this inflation that results in a corrected version of the sandwich formula for the covariance matrix of regression parameter estimates was derived. Use of this correction for correlation structure selection also reduces the over-selection of the unstructured working correlation matrix. In this manuscript, we conduct a simulation study to demonstrate that an increase in variances of regression parameter estimates can occur when GEE incorporates structured working correlation matrices as well. Correspondingly, we show the ability of the corrected version of the sandwich formula to improve the validity of inference and correlation structure selection. We also study the relative influences of two popular corrections to a different source of bias in the empirical sandwich covariance estimator. PMID:27818539

A covariance correction that accounts for correlation estimation to improve finite-sample inference with generalized estimating equations: A study on its applicability with structured correlation matrices.

PubMed

Westgate, Philip M

2016-01-01

When generalized estimating equations (GEE) incorporate an unstructured working correlation matrix, the variances of regression parameter estimates can inflate due to the estimation of the correlation parameters. In previous work, an approximation for this inflation that results in a corrected version of the sandwich formula for the covariance matrix of regression parameter estimates was derived. Use of this correction for correlation structure selection also reduces the over-selection of the unstructured working correlation matrix. In this manuscript, we conduct a simulation study to demonstrate that an increase in variances of regression parameter estimates can occur when GEE incorporates structured working correlation matrices as well. Correspondingly, we show the ability of the corrected version of the sandwich formula to improve the validity of inference and correlation structure selection. We also study the relative influences of two popular corrections to a different source of bias in the empirical sandwich covariance estimator.

Structural and functional changes during epileptogenesis in the mouse model of medial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Dietrich, Yvan; Eliat, Pierre-Antoine; Dieuset, Gabriel; Saint-Jalmes, Herve; Pineau, Charles; Wendling, Fabrice; Martin, Benoit

2016-08-01

An important issue in epilepsy research is to understand the structural and functional modifications leading to chronic epilepsy, characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures, after initial brain insult. To address this issue, we recorded and analyzed electroencephalography (EEG) and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data during epileptogenesis in the in vivo mouse model of Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (MTLE, kainate). Besides, this model of epilepsy is a particular form of drug-resistant epilepsy. The results indicate that high-field (4.7T) MRI parameters (T2-weighted; T2-quantitative) allow to detect the gradual neuro-anatomical changes that occur during epileptogenesis while electrophysiological parameters (number and duration of Hippocampal Paroxysmal Discharges) allow to assess the dysfunctional changes through the quantification of epileptiform activity. We found a strong correlation between EEG-based markers (invasive recording) and MRI-based parameters (non-invasive) periodically computed over the `latent period' that spans over two weeks, on average. These results indicated that both structural and functional changes occur in the considered epilepsy model and are considered as biomarkers of the installation of epilepsy. Additionally, such structural and functional changes can also be observed in human temporal lobe epilepsy. Interestingly, MRI imaging parameters could be used to track early (day-7) structural changes (gliosis, cell loss) in the lesioned brain and to quantify the evolution of epileptogenesis after traumatic brain injury.

Processing of AlGaAs/GaAs quantum-cascade structures for terahertz laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szerling, Anna; Kosiel, Kamil; Szymański, Michał; Wasilewski, Zbig; Gołaszewska, Krystyna; Łaszcz, Adam; Płuska, Mariusz; Trajnerowicz, Artur; Sakowicz, Maciej; Walczakowski, Michał; Pałka, Norbert; Jakieła, Rafał; Piotrowska, Anna

2015-01-01

We report research results with regard to AlGaAs/GaAs structure processing for THz quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs). We focus on the processes of Ti/Au cladding fabrication for metal-metal waveguides and wafer bonding with indium solder. Particular emphasis is placed on optimization of technological parameters for the said processes that result in working devices. A wide range of technological parameters was studied using test structures and the analysis of their electrical, optical, chemical, and mechanical properties performed by electron microscopic techniques, energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and circular transmission line method. On that basis, a set of technological parameters was selected for the fabrication of devices lasing at a maximum temperature of 130 K from AlGaAs/GaAs structures grown by means of molecular beam epitaxy. Their resulting threshold-current densities were on a level of 1.5 kA/cm2. Furthermore, initial stage research regarding fabrication of Cu-based claddings is reported as these are theoretically more promising than the Au-based ones with regard to low-loss waveguide fabrication for THz QCLs.

Calculation of metamorphic two-dimensional quantum energy system: Application to wetting layer states in InAs/InGaAs metamorphic quantum dot nanostructures

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

Seravalli, L.; Trevisi, G.; Frigeri, P.

In this work, we calculate the two-dimensional quantum energy system of the In(Ga)As wetting layer that arises in InAs/InGaAs/GaAs metamorphic quantum dot structures. Model calculations were carried on the basis of realistic material parameters taking in consideration their dependence on the strain relaxation of the metamorphic buffer; results of the calculations were validated against available literature data. Model results confirmed previous hypothesis on the extrinsic nature of the disappearance of wetting layer emission in metamorphic structures with high In composition. We also show how, by adjusting InGaAs metamorphic buffer parameters, it could be possible: (i) to spatially separate carriers confinedmore » in quantum dots from wetting layer carriers, (ii) to create an hybrid 0D-2D system, by tuning quantum dot and wetting layer levels. These results are interesting not only for the engineering of quantum dot structures but also for other applications of metamorphic structures, as the two design parameters of the metamorphic InGaAs buffer (thickness and composition) provide additional degrees of freedom to control properties of interest.« less

Complex structures of different CaFe2As2 samples

PubMed Central

Saparov, Bayrammurad; Cantoni, Claudia; Pan, Minghu; Hogan, Thomas C.; II, William Ratcliff; Wilson, Stephen D.; Fritsch, Katharina; Gaulin, Bruce D.; Sefat, Athena S.

2014-01-01

The interplay between magnetism and crystal structures in three CaFe2As2 samples is studied. For the nonmagnetic quenched crystals, different crystalline domains with varying lattice parameters are found, and three phases (orthorhombic, tetragonal, and collapsed tetragonal) coexist between TS = 95 K and 45 K. Annealing of the quenched crystals at 350°C leads to a strain relief through a large (~1.3%) expansion of the c-parameter and a small (~0.2%) contraction of the a-parameter, and to local ~0.2 Å displacements at the atomic-level. This annealing procedure results in the most homogeneous crystals for which the antiferromagnetic and orthorhombic phase transitions occur at TN/TS = 168(1) K. In the 700°C-annealed crystal, an intermediate strain regime takes place, with tetragonal and orthorhombic structural phases coexisting between 80 to 120 K. The origin of such strong shifts in the transition temperatures are tied to structural parameters. Importantly, with annealing, an increase in the Fe-As length leads to more localized Fe electrons and higher local magnetic moments on Fe ions. Synergistic contribution of other structural parameters, including a decrease in the Fe-Fe distance, and a dramatic increase of the c-parameter, which enhances the Fermi surface nesting in CaFe2As2, are also discussed. PMID:24844399

Machine-Thermal Coupling Stresses Analysis of the Fin-Type Structural Thermoelectric Generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zheng; Yue, Hao; Chen, Dongbo; Qin, Delei; Chen, Zijian

2017-05-01

The design structure and heat-transfer mechanism of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) determine its body temperature state. Thermal stress and thermal deformation generated by the temperature variation directly affect the stress state of thermoelectric modules (TEMs). Therefore, the rated temperature and pressing force of TEMs are important parameters in TEG design. Here, the relationships between structural of a fin-type TEG (FTEG) and these parameters are studied by modeling and "machine-thermal" coupling simulation. An indirect calculation method is adopted in the coupling simulation. First, numerical heat transfer calculations of a three-dimensional FTEG model are conducted according to an orthogonal simulation table. The influences of structural parameters for heat transfer in the channel and outer fin temperature distribution are analyzed. The optimal structural parameters are obtained and used to simulate temperature field of the outer fins. Second, taking the thermal calculation results as the initial condition, the thermal-solid coupling calculation is adopted. The thermal stresses of outer fin, mechanical force of spring-angle pressing mechanism, and clamping force on a TEM are analyzed. The simulation results show that the heat transfer area of the inner fin and the physical parameters of the metal materials are the keys to determining the FTEG temperature field. The pressing mechanism's mechanical force can be reduced by reducing the outer fin angle. In addition, a corrugated cooling water pipe, which has cooling and spring functionality, is conducive to establishing an adaptable clamping force to avoid the TEMs being crushed by the thermal stresses in the body.

Lattice parameters and structural phase transition of lanthanum titanate perovskite, La0.68(Ti0.95,Al0.05)O3.

PubMed

Ali, Roushown; Yashima, Masatomo

2003-05-01

Lattice parameters and the structural phase transition of La(0.68)(Ti(0.95),Al(0.05))O(3) have been investigated in situ in the temperature range 301-689 K by the synchrotron radiation powder diffraction (SR-PD) technique. High-angular-resolution SR-PD is confirmed to be a powerful technique for determining precise lattice parameters around a phase-transition temperature. The title compound exhibits a reversible phase transition between orthorhombic and tetragonal phases at 622.3 +/- 0.6 K. The following results were obtained: (i) the lattice parameters increased continuously with temperature, while the b/a ratio decreased continuously with temperature and became unity at the orthorhombic-tetragonal transition point; (ii) no hysteresis was observed between the lattice-parameter values measured on heating and on cooling. Results (i) and (ii) indicate that the orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transition is continuous and reversible. The b/a ratio is found to exhibit a more continuous temperature evolution than does the order parameter for a typical second-order phase transition based on Landau theory.

Power flow analysis of two coupled plates with arbitrary characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuschieri, J. M.

1990-01-01

In the last progress report (Feb. 1988) some results were presented for a parametric analysis on the vibrational power flow between two coupled plate structures using the mobility power flow approach. The results reported then were for changes in the structural parameters of the two plates, but with the two plates identical in their structural characteristics. Herein, limitation is removed. The vibrational power input and output are evaluated for different values of the structural damping loss factor for the source and receiver plates. In performing this parametric analysis, the source plate characteristics are kept constant. The purpose of this parametric analysis is to determine the most critical parameters that influence the flow of vibrational power from the source plate to the receiver plate. In the case of the structural damping parametric analysis, the influence of changes in the source plate damping is also investigated. The results obtained from the mobility power flow approach are compared to results obtained using a statistical energy analysis (SEA) approach. The significance of the power flow results are discussed together with a discussion and a comparison between the SEA results and the mobility power flow results. Furthermore, the benefits derived from using the mobility power flow approach are examined.

Sensitivity and specificity of eustachian tube function tests in adults.

PubMed

Doyle, William J; Swarts, J Douglas; Banks, Julianne; Casselbrant, Margaretha L; Mandel, Ellen M; Alper, Cuneyt M

2013-07-01

The study demonstrates the utility of eustachian tube (ET) function (ETF) test results for accurately assigning ears to disease state. To determine if ETF tests can identify ears with physician-diagnosed ET dysfunction (ETD) in a mixed population at high sensitivity and specificity and to define the interrelatedness of ETF test parameters. Through use of the forced-response, inflation-deflation, Valsalva, and sniffing tests, ETF was evaluated in 15 control ears of adult subjects after unilateral myringotomy (group 1) and in 23 ears of 19 adult subjects with ventilation tubes inserted for ETD (group 2). Data were analyzed using logistic regression including each parameter independently and then a step-down discriminant analysis including all ETF test parameters to predict group assignment. Factor analysis operating over all parameters was used to explore relatedness. ETF testing. ETF parameters for the forced response, inflation-deflation, Valsalva, and sniffing tests measured in 15 control ears of adult subjects after unilateral myringotomy (group 1) and in 23 ears of 19 adult subjects with ventilation tubes inserted for ETD (group 2). The discriminant analysis identified 4 ETF test parameters (Valsalva, ET opening pressure, dilatory efficiency, and percentage of positive pressure equilibrated) that together correctly assigned ears to group 2 at a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 83%. Individual parameters representing the efficiency of ET opening during swallowing showed moderately accurate assignments of ears to their respective groups. Three factors captured approximately 98% of the variance among parameters: the first had negative loadings of the ETF structural parameters; the second had positive loadings of the muscle-assisted ET opening parameters; and the third had negative loadings of the muscle-assisted ET opening parameters and positive loadings of the structural parameters. These results show that ETF tests can correctly assign individual ears to physician-diagnosed ETD with high sensitivity and specificity and that ETF test parameters can be grouped into structural-functional categories.

The strength study of the rotating device driver indexing spatial mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharenkov, N. V.; Kvasov, I. N.

2018-04-01

The indexing spatial mechanisms are widely used in automatic machines. The mechanisms maximum load-bearing capacity measurement is possible based on both the physical and numerical models tests results. The paper deals with the driven disk indexing spatial cam mechanism numerical model at the constant angular cam velocity. The presented mechanism kinematics and geometry parameters and finite element model are analyzed in the SolidWorks design environment. The calculation initial data and missing parameters having been found from the structure analysis were identified. The structure and kinematics analysis revealed the mechanism failures possible reasons. The numerical calculations results showing the structure performance at the contact and bending stresses are represented.

Structural properties of liquid lanthanides using charge hard sphere reference system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thakora, P. B.; Sonvane, Y. A.; Patel, H. P.; Gajjar, P. N.; Jani, A. R.

2012-06-01

In the present paper Charge Hard Sphere (CHS) system is employed to investigate the structural properties like long wavelength limit S(0), isothermal compressibility (χT) and coordination number n for some liquid lanthanides viz.: La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb and Lu. Our well established parameter free model potential is used to describe the electron-ion interaction alongwith sarkar et al. dielectric function. From the present results, it is seen that good agreement between present results and available experimental data have been achieved. At last, we establish the applicability of our parameter free model potential and CHS method to account such structural properties.

Model parameter extraction of lateral propagating surface acoustic waves with coupling on SiO2/grating/LiNbO3 structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Benfeng; Han, Tao; Li, Xinyi; Huang, Yulin; Omori, Tatsuya; Hashimoto, Ken-ya

2018-07-01

This paper investigates how lateral propagation of Rayleigh and shear horizontal (SH) surface acoustic waves (SAWs) changes with rotation angle θ and SiO2 and electrode thicknesses, h SiO2 and h Cu, respectively. The extended thin plate model is used for purpose. First, the extraction method is presented for determining parameters appearing in the extended thin plate model. Then, the model parameters are expressed in polynomials in terms of h SiO2, h Cu, and θ. Finally, a piston mode structure without phase shifters is designed using the extracted parameters. The possible piston mode structures can be searched automatically by use of the polynomial expression. The resonance characteristics are analyzed by both the extended thin plate model and three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM). Agreement between the results of both methods confirms validity and effectiveness of the parameter extraction process and the design technique.

Automatic classification of protein structures using physicochemical parameters.

PubMed

Mohan, Abhilash; Rao, M Divya; Sunderrajan, Shruthi; Pennathur, Gautam

2014-09-01

Protein classification is the first step to functional annotation; SCOP and Pfam databases are currently the most relevant protein classification schemes. However, the disproportion in the number of three dimensional (3D) protein structures generated versus their classification into relevant superfamilies/families emphasizes the need for automated classification schemes. Predicting function of novel proteins based on sequence information alone has proven to be a major challenge. The present study focuses on the use of physicochemical parameters in conjunction with machine learning algorithms (Naive Bayes, Decision Trees, Random Forest and Support Vector Machines) to classify proteins into their respective SCOP superfamily/Pfam family, using sequence derived information. Spectrophores™, a 1D descriptor of the 3D molecular field surrounding a structure was used as a benchmark to compare the performance of the physicochemical parameters. The machine learning algorithms were modified to select features based on information gain for each SCOP superfamily/Pfam family. The effect of combining physicochemical parameters and spectrophores on classification accuracy (CA) was studied. Machine learning algorithms trained with the physicochemical parameters consistently classified SCOP superfamilies and Pfam families with a classification accuracy above 90%, while spectrophores performed with a CA of around 85%. Feature selection improved classification accuracy for both physicochemical parameters and spectrophores based machine learning algorithms. Combining both attributes resulted in a marginal loss of performance. Physicochemical parameters were able to classify proteins from both schemes with classification accuracy ranging from 90-96%. These results suggest the usefulness of this method in classifying proteins from amino acid sequences.

Sustainability of transport structures - some aspects of the nonlinear reliability assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pukl, Radomír; Sajdlová, Tereza; Strauss, Alfred; Lehký, David; Novák, Drahomír

2017-09-01

Efficient techniques for both nonlinear numerical analysis of concrete structures and advanced stochastic simulation methods have been combined in order to offer an advanced tool for assessment of realistic behaviour, failure and safety assessment of transport structures. The utilized approach is based on randomization of the non-linear finite element analysis of the structural models. Degradation aspects such as carbonation of concrete can be accounted in order predict durability of the investigated structure and its sustainability. Results can serve as a rational basis for the performance and sustainability assessment based on advanced nonlinear computer analysis of the structures of transport infrastructure such as bridges or tunnels. In the stochastic simulation the input material parameters obtained from material tests including their randomness and uncertainty are represented as random variables or fields. Appropriate identification of material parameters is crucial for the virtual failure modelling of structures and structural elements. Inverse analysis using artificial neural networks and virtual stochastic simulations approach is applied to determine the fracture mechanical parameters of the structural material and its numerical model. Structural response, reliability and sustainability have been investigated on different types of transport structures made from various materials using the above mentioned methodology and tools.

Rotational Parameters from Vibronic Eigenfunctions of Jahn-Teller Active Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garner, Scott M.; Miller, Terry A.

2017-06-01

The structure in rotational spectra of many free radical molecules is complicated by Jahn-Teller distortions. Understanding the magnitudes of these distortions is vital to determining the equilibrium geometric structure and details of potential energy surfaces predicted from electronic structure calculations. For example, in the recently studied {\\widetilde{A}^2E^{''} } state of the NO_3 radical, the magnitudes of distortions are yet to be well understood as results from experimental spectroscopic studies of its vibrational and rotational structure disagree with results from electronic structure calculations of the potential energy surface. By fitting either vibrationally resolved spectra or vibronic levels determined by a calculated potential energy surface, we obtain vibronic eigenfunctions for the system as linear combinations of basis functions from products of harmonic oscillators and the degenerate components of the electronic state. Using these vibronic eigenfunctions we are able to predict parameters in the rotational Hamiltonian such as the Watson Jahn-Teller distortion term, h_1, and compare with the results from the analysis of rotational experiments.

Analysis of the Defect Structure of B2 Feal Alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bozzolo, Guillermo; Ferrante, John; Noebe, Ronald D.; Amador, Carlos

1995-01-01

The Bozzolo, Ferrante and Smith (BFS) method for alloys is applied to the study of the defect structure of B2 FeAI alloys. First-principles Linear Muffin Tin Orbital calculations are used to determine the input parameters to the BFS method used in this work. The calculations successfully determine the phase field of the B2 structure, as well as the dependence with composition of the lattice parameter. Finally, the method is used to perform 'static' simulations where instead of determining the ground state configuration of the alloy with a certain concentration of vacancies, a large number of candidate ordered structures are studied and compared, in order to determine not only the lowest energy configurations but other possible metastable states as well. The results provide a description of the defect structure consistent with available experimental data. The simplicity of the BFS method also allows for a simple explanation of some of the essential features found in the concentration dependence of the heat of formation, lattice parameter and the defect structure.

Influence of processing parameters on pore structure of 3D porous chitosan-alginate polyelectrolyte complex scaffolds.

PubMed

Florczyk, Stephen J; Kim, Dae-Joon; Wood, David L; Zhang, Miqin

2011-09-15

Fabrication of porous polymeric scaffolds with controlled structure can be challenging. In this study, we investigated the influence of key experimental parameters on the structures and mechanical properties of resultant porous chitosan-alginate (CA) polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) scaffolds, and on proliferation of MG-63 osteoblast-like cells, targeted at bone tissue engineering. We demonstrated that the porous structure is largely affected by the solution viscosity, which can be regulated by the acetic acid and alginate concentrations. We found that the CA PEC solutions with viscosity below 300 Pa.s yielded scaffolds of uniform pore structure and that more neutral pH promoted more complete complexation of chitosan and alginate, yielding stiffer scaffolds. CA PEC scaffolds produced from solutions with viscosities below 300 Pa.s also showed enhanced cell proliferation compared with other samples. By controlling the key experimental parameters identified in this study, CA PEC scaffolds of different structures can be made to suit various tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Design and experimentally measure a high performance metamaterial filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Ya-wen; Xu, Jing-cheng

2018-03-01

Metamaterial filter is a kind of expecting optoelectronic device. In this paper, a metal/dielectric/metal (M/D/M) structure metamaterial filter is simulated and measured. Simulated results indicate that the perfect impedance matching condition between the metamaterial filter and the free space leads to the transmission band. Measured results show that the proposed metamaterial filter achieves high performance transmission on TM and TE polarization directions. Moreover, the high transmission rate is also can be obtained when the incident angle reaches to 45°. Further measured results show that the transmission band can be expanded through optimizing structural parameters. The central frequency of the transmission band is also can be adjusted through optimizing structural parameters. The physical mechanism behind the central frequency shifted is solved through establishing an equivalent resonant circuit model.

Variable structure control of spacecraft reorientation maneuvers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sira-Ramirez, H.; Dwyer, T. A. W., III

1986-01-01

A Variable Structure Control (VSC) approach is presented for multi-axial spacecraft reorientation maneuvers. A nonlinear sliding surface is proposed which results in an asymptotically stable, ideal linear sliding motion of Cayley-Rodriques attitude parameters. By imposing a desired equivalent dynamics on the attitude parameters, the approach is devoid of optimal control considerations. The single axis case provides a design scheme for the multiple axes design problem. Illustrative examples are presented.

The structural identifiability and parameter estimation of a multispecies model for the transmission of mastitis in dairy cows with postmilking teat disinfection.

PubMed

White, L J; Evans, N D; Lam, T J G M; Schukken, Y H; Medley, G F; Godfrey, K R; Chappell, M J

2002-01-01

A mathematical model for the transmission of two interacting classes of mastitis causing bacterial pathogens in a herd of dairy cows is presented and applied to a specific data set. The data were derived from a field trial of a specific measure used in the control of these pathogens, where half the individuals were subjected to the control and in the others the treatment was discontinued. The resultant mathematical model (eight non-linear simultaneous ordinary differential equations) therefore incorporates heterogeneity in the host as well as the infectious agent and consequently the effects of control are intrinsic in the model structure. A structural identifiability analysis of the model is presented demonstrating that the scope of the novel method used allows application to high order non-linear systems. The results of a simultaneous estimation of six unknown system parameters are presented. Previous work has only estimated a subset of these either simultaneously or individually. Therefore not only are new estimates provided for the parameters relating to the transmission and control of the classes of pathogens under study, but also information about the relationships between them. We exploit the close link between mathematical modelling, structural identifiability analysis, and parameter estimation to obtain biological insights into the system modelled.

SU-F-T-227: A Comprehensive Patient Specific, Structure Specific, Pre-Treatment 3D QA Protocol for IMRT, SBRT and VMAT - Clinical Experience

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

Gueorguiev, G; Cotter, C; Young, M

2016-06-15

Purpose: To present a 3D QA method and clinical results for 550 patients. Methods: Five hundred and fifty patient treatment deliveries (400 IMRT, 75 SBRT and 75 VMAT) from various treatment sites, planned on Raystation treatment planning system (TPS), were measured on three beam-matched Elekta linear accelerators using IBA’s COMPASS system. The difference between TPS computed and delivered dose was evaluated in 3D by applying three statistical parameters to each structure of interest: absolute average dose difference (AADD, 6% allowed difference), absolute dose difference greater than 6% (ADD6, 4% structure volume allowed to fail) and 3D gamma test (3%/3mm DTA,more » 4% structure volume allowed to fail). If the allowed value was not met for a given structure, manual review was performed. The review consisted of overlaying dose difference or gamma results with the patient CT, scrolling through the slices. For QA to pass, areas of high dose difference or gamma must be small and not on consecutive slices. For AADD to manually pass QA, the average dose difference in cGy must be less than 50cGy. The QA protocol also includes DVH analysis based on QUANTEC and TG-101 recommended dose constraints. Results: Figures 1–3 show the results for the three parameters per treatment modality. Manual review was performed on 67 deliveries (27 IMRT, 22 SBRT and 18 VMAT), for which all passed QA. Results show that statistical parameter AADD may be overly sensitive for structures receiving low dose, especially for the SBRT deliveries (Fig.1). The TPS computed and measured DVH values were in excellent agreement and with minimum difference. Conclusion: Applying DVH analysis and different statistical parameters to any structure of interest, as part of the 3D QA protocol, provides a comprehensive treatment plan evaluation. Author G. Gueorguiev discloses receiving travel and research funding from IBA for unrelated to this project work. Author B. Crawford discloses receiving travel funding from IBA for unrelated to this project work.« less

Structural dynamic analysis of the Space Shuttle Main Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, L. P.; Jamison, G. T.; Mccutcheon, W. A.; Price, J. M.

1981-01-01

This structural dynamic analysis supports development of the SSME by evaluating components subjected to critical dynamic loads, identifying significant parameters, and evaluating solution methods. Engine operating parameters at both rated and full power levels are considered. Detailed structural dynamic analyses of operationally critical and life limited components support the assessment of engine design modifications and environmental changes. Engine system test results are utilized to verify analytic model simulations. The SSME main chamber injector assembly is an assembly of 600 injector elements which are called LOX posts. The overall LOX post analysis procedure is shown.

Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Wei; Ma, Hua; Feng, Mingde; Yan, Leilei; Wang, Jiafu; Wang, Jun; Qu, Shaobo

2016-08-01

An origami-based building block of mechanical metamaterials is proposed and explained by introducing a mechanism model based on its geometry. According to our model, this origami mechanism supports response to uniaxial tension that depends on structure parameters. Hence, its mechanical properties can be tunable by adjusting the structure parameters. Experiments for poly lactic acid (PLA) samples were carried out, and the results are in good agreement with those of finite element analysis (FEA). This work may be useful for designing building blocks of mechanical metamaterials or other complex mechanical structures.

Study on the frame body structure of micro-electric vehicle based on frontal crash safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yaoquan; Zhang, Sanchuan

2017-08-01

In order to research the safety of skeleton type body of micro-electric vehicles in the frontal collision, the method of finite element modeling and simulation are used to analyze frame body that is fitted with the energy absorption structure, the simulation results show that On the basis of absorbing the most energy and the least of body acceleration, the absorbent structure parameters can be optimized, the optimized parameters are length 180 mm, wall thickness 3 mm and materials Q460.

Plasmon and exciton superconductivity mechanisms in layered structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabovich, A. M.; Pashitskiy, E. A.; Uvarova, S. K.

1977-01-01

Plasmon and exciton superconductivity mechanisms are discussed. Superconductivity in a three layer metal semiconductor metal and insulator semimetal insulator sandwich structure was described in terms of the temperature dependent Green function of the longitudinal (Coulomb) field. The dependences of the superconducting transition temperature on structure parameters were obtained. In a semiconducting film, as a result of interactions of degenerate free carriers with excitons, superconductivity exists only in a certain range of parameter values, and the corresponding critical temperature is much lower than in the plasmon mechanism of superconductivity.

Bridges for Pedestrians with Random Parameters using the Stochastic Finite Elements Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szafran, J.; Kamiński, M.

2017-02-01

The main aim of this paper is to present a Stochastic Finite Element Method analysis with reference to principal design parameters of bridges for pedestrians: eigenfrequency and deflection of bridge span. They are considered with respect to random thickness of plates in boxed-section bridge platform, Young modulus of structural steel and static load resulting from crowd of pedestrians. The influence of the quality of the numerical model in the context of traditional FEM is shown also on the example of a simple steel shield. Steel structures with random parameters are discretized in exactly the same way as for the needs of traditional Finite Element Method. Its probabilistic version is provided thanks to the Response Function Method, where several numerical tests with random parameter values varying around its mean value enable the determination of the structural response and, thanks to the Least Squares Method, its final probabilistic moments.

Extended Czjzek model applied to NMR parameter distributions in sodium metaphosphate glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasconcelos, Filipe; Cristol, Sylvain; Paul, Jean-François; Delevoye, Laurent; Mauri, Francesco; Charpentier, Thibault; Le Caër, Gérard

2013-06-01

The extended Czjzek model (ECM) is applied to the distribution of NMR parameters of a simple glass model (sodium metaphosphate, NaPO3) obtained by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Accurate NMR tensors, electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) are calculated from density functional theory (DFT) within the well-established PAW/GIPAW framework. The theoretical results are compared to experimental high-resolution solid-state NMR data and are used to validate the considered structural model. The distributions of the calculated coupling constant CQ ∝ |Vzz| and the asymmetry parameter ηQ that characterize the quadrupolar interaction are discussed in terms of structural considerations with the help of a simple point charge model. Finally, the ECM analysis is shown to be relevant for studying the distribution of CSA tensor parameters and gives new insight into the structural characterization of disordered systems by solid-state NMR.

Extended Czjzek model applied to NMR parameter distributions in sodium metaphosphate glass.

PubMed

Vasconcelos, Filipe; Cristol, Sylvain; Paul, Jean-François; Delevoye, Laurent; Mauri, Francesco; Charpentier, Thibault; Le Caër, Gérard

2013-06-26

The extended Czjzek model (ECM) is applied to the distribution of NMR parameters of a simple glass model (sodium metaphosphate, NaPO3) obtained by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Accurate NMR tensors, electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) are calculated from density functional theory (DFT) within the well-established PAW/GIPAW framework. The theoretical results are compared to experimental high-resolution solid-state NMR data and are used to validate the considered structural model. The distributions of the calculated coupling constant C(Q) is proportional to |V(zz)| and the asymmetry parameter η(Q) that characterize the quadrupolar interaction are discussed in terms of structural considerations with the help of a simple point charge model. Finally, the ECM analysis is shown to be relevant for studying the distribution of CSA tensor parameters and gives new insight into the structural characterization of disordered systems by solid-state NMR.

Optical properties of the Tietz-Hua quantum well under the applied external fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasapoglu, E.; Sakiroglu, S.; Ungan, F.; Yesilgul, U.; Duque, C. A.; Sökmen, I.

2017-12-01

In this study, the effects of the electric and magnetic fields as well as structure parameter- γ on the total absorption coefficient, including linear and third order nonlinear absorption coefficients for the optical transitions between any two subband in the Tietz-Hua quantum well have been investigated. The optical transitions were investigated by using the density matrix formalism and the perturbation expansion method. The Tietz-Hua quantum well becomes narrower (wider) when the γ - structure parameter increases (decreases) and so the energies of the bound states will be functions of this parameter. Therefore, we can provide the red or blue shift in the peak position of the absorption coefficient by changing the strength of the electric and magnetic fields as well as the structure parameters and these results can be used to adjust and control the optical properties of the Tietz-Hua quantum well.

Prediction of binding hot spot residues by using structural and evolutionary parameters.

PubMed

Higa, Roberto Hiroshi; Tozzi, Clésio Luis

2009-07-01

In this work, we present a method for predicting hot spot residues by using a set of structural and evolutionary parameters. Unlike previous studies, we use a set of parameters which do not depend on the structure of the protein in complex, so that the predictor can also be used when the interface region is unknown. Despite the fact that no information concerning proteins in complex is used for prediction, the application of the method to a compiled dataset described in the literature achieved a performance of 60.4%, as measured by F-Measure, corresponding to a recall of 78.1% and a precision of 49.5%. This result is higher than those reported by previous studies using the same data set.

High resolution magnetic resonance imaging of the calcaneus: age-related changes in trabecular structure and comparison with dual X-ray absorptiometry measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ouyang, X.; Selby, K.; Lang, P.; Engelke, K.; Klifa, C.; Fan, B.; Zucconi, F.; Hottya, G.; Chen, M.; Majumdar, S.;

XRD and XAS structural study of CuAlO2 under high pressure.

PubMed

Pellicer-Porres, J; Segura, A; Ferrer-Roca, Ch; Polian, A; Munsch, P; Kim, D

2013-03-20

We present the results of x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments in CuAlO(2) under high pressure. We discuss the polarization dependence of the x-ray absorption near-edge structure at the Cu K-edge. XRD under high pressure evidences anisotropic compression, the a-axis being more compressible than the c-axis. EXAFS yields the copper-oxygen bond length, from which the only internal parameter of the delafossite structure is deduced. The combination of anisotropic compression and the internal parameter decrease results in a regularization of the AlO(6) octahedra. The anisotropic compression is related to the chemical trends observed in the lattice parameters when Al is substituted by other trivalent cations. Both experiments evidence the existence of an irreversible phase transition that clearly manifests at 35 ± 2 GPa. The structure of the high-pressure polymorph could not be determined, but it implies a change of the Cu environment, which remains anisotropic. Precursor effects are observed from the lowest pressures, which are possibly related to crystal breaking at a submicroscopic scale with partial reorientation of the crystallites.

XRD and XAS structural study of CuAlO2 under high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellicer-Porres, J.; Segura, A.; Ferrer-Roca, Ch; Polian, A.; Munsch, P.; Kim, D.

2013-03-01

We present the results of x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments in CuAlO2 under high pressure. We discuss the polarization dependence of the x-ray absorption near-edge structure at the Cu K-edge. XRD under high pressure evidences anisotropic compression, the a-axis being more compressible than the c-axis. EXAFS yields the copper-oxygen bond length, from which the only internal parameter of the delafossite structure is deduced. The combination of anisotropic compression and the internal parameter decrease results in a regularization of the AlO6 octahedra. The anisotropic compression is related to the chemical trends observed in the lattice parameters when Al is substituted by other trivalent cations. Both experiments evidence the existence of an irreversible phase transition that clearly manifests at 35 ± 2 GPa. The structure of the high-pressure polymorph could not be determined, but it implies a change of the Cu environment, which remains anisotropic. Precursor effects are observed from the lowest pressures, which are possibly related to crystal breaking at a submicroscopic scale with partial reorientation of the crystallites.

Analytic semigroups: Applications to inverse problems for flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, H. T.; Rebnord, D. A.

1990-01-01

Convergence and stability results for least squares inverse problems involving systems described by analytic semigroups are presented. The practical importance of these results is demonstrated by application to several examples from problems of estimation of material parameters in flexible structures using accelerometer data.

Numerical Convergence in the Dark Matter Halos Properties Using Cosmological Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosquera-Escobar, X. E.; Muñoz-Cuartas, J. C.

2017-07-01

Nowadays, the accepted cosmological model is the so called -Cold Dark Matter (CDM). In such model, the universe is considered to be homogeneous and isotropic, composed of diverse components as the dark matter and dark energy, where the latter is the most abundant one. Dark matter plays an important role because it is responsible for the generation of gravitational potential wells, commonly called dark matter halos. At the end, dark matter halos are characterized by a set of parameters (mass, radius, concentration, spin parameter), these parameters provide valuable information for different studies, such as galaxy formation, gravitational lensing, etc. In this work we use the publicly available code Gadget2 to perform cosmological simulations to find to what extent the numerical parameters of the simu- lations, such as gravitational softening, integration time step and force calculation accuracy affect the physical properties of the dark matter halos. We ran a suite of simulations where these parameters were varied in a systematic way in order to explore accurately their impact on the structural parameters of dark matter halos. We show that the variations on the numerical parameters affect the structural pa- rameters of dark matter halos, such as concentration, virial radius, and concentration. We show that these modifications emerged when structures become non- linear (at redshift 2) for the scale of our simulations, such that these variations affected the formation and evolution structure of halos mainly at later cosmic times. As a quantitative result, we propose which would be the most appropriate values for the numerical parameters of the simulations, such that they do not affect the halo properties that are formed. For force calculation accuracy we suggest values smaller or equal to 0.0001, integration time step smaller o equal to 0.005 and for gravitational softening we propose equal to 1/60th of the mean interparticle distance, these values, correspond to the smaller values in the numerical parameters variations. This is an important numerical exercise, since for instance, it is believed that galaxy structural parameters are strongly dependent on dark matter halo structural parameters.

Mesoscopic structure conditions the emergence of cooperation on social networks

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

Lozano, S.; Arenas, A.; Sanchez, A.

We study the evolutionary Prisoner's Dilemma on two social networks substrates obtained from actual relational data. We find very different cooperation levels on each of them that cannot be easily understood in terms of global statistical properties of both networks. We claim that the result can be understood at the mesoscopic scale, by studying the community structure of the networks. We explain the dependence of the cooperation level on the temptation parameter in terms of the internal structure of the communities and their interconnections. We then test our results on community-structured, specifically designed artificial networks, finding a good agreement withmore » the observations in both real substrates. Our results support the conclusion that studies of evolutionary games on model networks and their interpretation in terms of global properties may not be sufficient to study specific, real social systems. Further, the study allows us to define new quantitative parameters that summarize the mesoscopic structure of any network. In addition, the community perspective may be helpful to interpret the origin and behavior of existing networks as well as to design structures that show resilient cooperative behavior.« less

A semi-empirical model relating micro structure to acoustic properties of bimodal porous material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosanenzadeh, Shahrzad Ghaffari; Doutres, Olivier; Naguib, Hani E.; Park, Chul B.; Atalla, Noureddine

2015-01-01

Complex morphology of open cell porous media makes it difficult to link microstructural parameters and acoustic behavior of these materials. While morphology determines the overall sound absorption and noise damping effectiveness of a porous structure, little is known on the influence of microstructural configuration on the macroscopic properties. In the present research, a novel bimodal porous structure was designed and developed solely for modeling purposes. For the developed porous structure, it is possible to have direct control on morphological parameters and avoid complications raised by intricate pore geometries. A semi-empirical model is developed to relate microstructural parameters to macroscopic characteristics of porous material using precise characterization results based on the designed bimodal porous structures. This model specifically links macroscopic parameters including static airflow resistivity ( σ ) , thermal characteristic length ( Λ ' ) , viscous characteristic length ( Λ ) , and dynamic tortuosity ( α ∞ ) to microstructural factors such as cell wall thickness ( 2 t ) and reticulation rate ( R w ) . The developed model makes it possible to design the morphology of porous media to achieve optimum sound absorption performance based on the application in hand. This study makes the base for understanding the role of microstructural geometry and morphological factors on the overall macroscopic parameters of porous materials specifically for acoustic capabilities. The next step is to include other microstructural parameters as well to generalize the developed model. In the present paper, pore size was kept constant for eight categories of bimodal foams to study the effect of secondary porous structure on macroscopic properties and overall acoustic behavior of porous media.

Correlation between thermal parameters, structures, dendritic spacing and corrosion behavior of Zn Al alloys with columnar to equiaxed transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ares, A. E.; Gassa, L. M.; Gueijman, S. F.; Schvezov, C. E.

2008-04-01

The columnar to equiaxed transition (CET) has been examined for many years and the significance of CET has been treated in several articles. Experimental observations in different alloy systems have shown that the position of the transition is dependent on parameters like cooling rate, velocity of the liquidus and solidus fronts, local solidification time, temperature gradients and recalescence. The dendritic structure in alloys results in microsegregation of solute species which affects significantly the mechanical properties of the material. The main parameters characterizing the microstructure and the length range of microsegregation is the spacing which is classified as primary, secondary and tertiary. Properties like mechanical resistance and ductility are influenced by the dimensions and continuity of the primary branches, while the secondary and tertiary branches permit the isolation of interdendritic phases which can deteriorate the mechanical behavior of the material. Since the morphology and dimensions of the dendritic structure is related to the solidification parameters mentioned above, for each type of alloy it is essential to correlate dimensions and solidification conditions in order to control the structure. The objective of the present research consists on studying the influence of solidification thermal parameters with the type of structure (columnar, equiaxial or with the CET); and with grain size and dendritic spacing (primary and secondary) in Zn-Al (ZA) alloys (Zn—4 wt%Al, Zn—16 wt%Al and Zn—27 wt%Al, weight percent). Also, correlate the thermal parameters, type of structure, grain size and dendritic spacing with the corrosion resistance of these alloys.

Incorporation of nonlinear thermorheological complexity into the phenomenologies of structural relaxation.

PubMed

Hodge, Ian M

2005-09-22

A distribution of activation energies is introduced into the nonlinear Adam-Gibbs ("Hodge-Scherer") phenomenology for structural relaxation. The resulting dependencies of the stretched exponential beta parameter on thermodynamic temperature and fictive temperature (nonlinear thermorheological complexity) are derived. No additional adjustable parameters are introduced, and contact is made with the predictions of the random first-order transition theory of aging of Lubchenko and Wolynes [J. Chem. Physics121, 2852 (2004)].

Parametric Study of an Ablative TPS and Hot Structure Heatshield for a Mars Entry Capsule Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Langston, Sarah L.; Lang, Christapher G.; Samareh, Jamshid A.

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is planning to send humans to Mars. As part of the Evolvable Mars Campaign, different en- try vehicle configurations are being designed and considered for delivering larger payloads than have been previously sent to the surface of Mars. Mass and packing volume are driving factors in the vehicle design, and the thermal protection for planetary entry is an area in which advances in technology can offer potential mass and volume savings. The feasibility and potential benefits of a carbon-carbon hot structure concept for a Mars entry vehicle is explored in this paper. The windward heat shield of a capsule design is assessed for the hot structure concept as well as an ablative thermal protection system (TPS) attached to a honeycomb sandwich structure. Independent thermal and structural analyses are performed to determine the minimum mass design. The analyses are repeated for a range of design parameters, which include the trajectory, vehicle size, and payload. Polynomial response functions are created from the analysis results to study the capsule mass with respect to the design parameters. Results from the polynomial response functions created from the thermal and structural analyses indicate that the mass of the capsule was higher for the hot structure concept as compared to the ablative TPS for the parameter space considered in this study.

Analytical investigations of seismic responses for reinforced concrete bridge columns subjected to strong near-fault ground motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Chin-Kuo; Sung, Yu-Chi; Chang, Shuenn-Yih; Huang, Chao-Hsun

2007-09-01

Strong near-fault ground motion, usually caused by the fault-rupture and characterized by a pulse-like velocity-wave form, often causes dramatic instantaneous seismic energy (Jadhav and Jangid 2006). Some reinforced concrete (RC) bridge columns, even those built according to ductile design principles, were damaged in the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. Thus, it is very important to evaluate the seismic response of a RC bridge column to improve its seismic design and prevent future damage. Nonlinear time history analysis using step-by-step integration is capable of tracing the dynamic response of a structure during the entire vibration period and is able to accommodate the pulsing wave form. However, the accuracy of the numerical results is very sensitive to the modeling of the nonlinear load-deformation relationship of the structural member. FEMA 273 and ATC-40 provide the modeling parameters for structural nonlinear analyses of RC beams and RC columns. They use three parameters to define the plastic rotation angles and a residual strength ratio to describe the nonlinear load-deformation relationship of an RC member. Structural nonlinear analyses are performed based on these parameters. This method provides a convenient way to obtain the nonlinear seismic responses of RC structures. However, the accuracy of the numerical solutions might be further improved. For this purpose, results from a previous study on modeling of the static pushover analyses for RC bridge columns (Sung et al. 2005) is adopted for the nonlinear time history analysis presented herein to evaluate the structural responses excited by a near-fault ground motion. To ensure the reliability of this approach, the numerical results were compared to experimental results. The results confirm that the proposed approach is valid.

Buckling analysis of planar compression micro-springs

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

Zhang, Jing; Sui, Li; Shi, Gengchen

2015-04-15

Large compression deformation causes micro-springs buckling and loss of load capacity. We analyzed the impact of structural parameters and boundary conditions for planar micro-springs, and obtained the change rules for the two factors that affect buckling. A formula for critical buckling deformation of micro-springs under compressive load was derived based on elastic thin plate theory. Results from this formula were compared with finite element analysis results but these did not always correlate. Therefore, finite element analysis is necessary for micro-spring buckling analysis. We studied the variation of micro-spring critical buckling deformation caused by four structural parameters using ANSYS software undermore » two constraint conditions. The simulation results show that when an x-direction constraint is added, the critical buckling deformation increases by 32.3-297.9%. The critical buckling deformation decreases with increase in micro-spring arc radius or section width and increases with increase in micro-spring thickness or straight beam width. We conducted experiments to confirm the simulation results, and the experimental and simulation trends were found to agree. Buckling analysis of the micro-spring establishes a theoretical foundation for optimizing micro-spring structural parameters and constraint conditions to maximize the critical buckling load.« less

A confidence building exercise in data and identifiability: Modeling cancer chemotherapy as a case study.

PubMed

Eisenberg, Marisa C; Jain, Harsh V

2017-10-27

Mathematical modeling has a long history in the field of cancer therapeutics, and there is increasing recognition that it can help uncover the mechanisms that underlie tumor response to treatment. However, making quantitative predictions with such models often requires parameter estimation from data, raising questions of parameter identifiability and estimability. Even in the case of structural (theoretical) identifiability, imperfect data and the resulting practical unidentifiability of model parameters can make it difficult to infer the desired information, and in some cases, to yield biologically correct inferences and predictions. Here, we examine parameter identifiability and estimability using a case study of two compartmental, ordinary differential equation models of cancer treatment with drugs that are cell cycle-specific (taxol) as well as non-specific (oxaliplatin). We proceed through model building, structural identifiability analysis, parameter estimation, practical identifiability analysis and its biological implications, as well as alternative data collection protocols and experimental designs that render the model identifiable. We use the differential algebra/input-output relationship approach for structural identifiability, and primarily the profile likelihood approach for practical identifiability. Despite the models being structurally identifiable, we show that without consideration of practical identifiability, incorrect cell cycle distributions can be inferred, that would result in suboptimal therapeutic choices. We illustrate the usefulness of estimating practically identifiable combinations (in addition to the more typically considered structurally identifiable combinations) in generating biologically meaningful insights. We also use simulated data to evaluate how the practical identifiability of the model would change under alternative experimental designs. These results highlight the importance of understanding the underlying mechanisms rather than purely using parsimony or information criteria/goodness-of-fit to decide model selection questions. The overall roadmap for identifiability testing laid out here can be used to help provide mechanistic insight into complex biological phenomena, reduce experimental costs, and optimize model-driven experimentation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Theoretical study of local structure for Ni2+ ions at tetragonal sites in K2ZnF4:Ni2+ system.

PubMed

Wang, Su-Juan; Kuang, Xiao-Yu; Lu, Cheng

2008-12-15

A theoretical method for studying the local lattice structure of Ni2+ ions in (NiF6)(4-) coordination complex is presented. Using the ligand-field model, the formulas relating the microscopic spin Hamiltonian parameters with the crystal structure parameters are derived. Based on the theoretical formulas, the 45 x 45 complete energy matrices for d8 (d2) configuration ions in a tetragonal ligand-field are constructed. By diagonalizing the complete energy matrices, the local distortion structure parameters (R perpendicular and R || ) of Ni2+ ions in K2ZnF4:Ni2+ system have been investigated. The theoretical results are accorded well with the experimental values. Moreover, to understand the detailed physical and chemical properties of the fluoroperovskite crystals, the theoretical values of the g factor of K2ZnF4:Ni2+ system at 78 and 290 K are reported first.

Theoretical study of local structure for Ni 2+ ions at tetragonal sites in K 2ZnF 4:Ni 2+ system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Su-Juan; Kuang, Xiao-Yu; Lu, Cheng

2008-12-01

A theoretical method for studying the local lattice structure of Ni 2+ ions in (NiF 6) 4- coordination complex is presented. Using the ligand-field model, the formulas relating the microscopic spin Hamiltonian parameters with the crystal structure parameters are derived. Based on the theoretical formulas, the 45 × 45 complete energy matrices for d8 ( d2) configuration ions in a tetragonal ligand-field are constructed. By diagonalizing the complete energy matrices, the local distortion structure parameters ( R⊥ and R||) of Ni 2+ ions in K 2ZnF 4:Ni 2+ system have been investigated. The theoretical results are accorded well with the experimental values. Moreover, to understand the detailed physical and chemical properties of the fluoroperovskite crystals, the theoretical values of the g factor of K 2ZnF 4:Ni 2+ system at 78 and 290 K are reported first.

Basic electronic properties of iron selenide under variation of structural parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guterding, Daniel; Jeschke, Harald O.; Valentí, Roser

2017-09-01

Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the thin-film FeSe /SrTiO3 system, iron selenide and its derivates have been intensively scrutinized. Using ab initio density functional theory calculations we review the electronic structures that could be realized in iron selenide if the structural parameters could be tuned at liberty. We calculate the momentum dependence of the susceptibility and investigate the symmetry of electron pairing within the random phase approximation. Both the susceptibility and the symmetry of electron pairing depend on the structural parameters in a nontrivial way. These results are consistent with the known experimental behavior of binary iron chalcogenides and, at the same time, reveal two promising ways of tuning superconducting transition temperatures in these materials: on one hand by expanding the iron lattice of FeSe at constant iron-selenium distance and, on the other hand, by increasing the iron-selenium distance with unchanged iron lattice.

Using discharge data to reduce structural deficits in a hydrological model with a Bayesian inference approach and the implications for the prediction of critical source areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, M. P.; Stamm, C.; Schneider, M. K.; Reichert, P.

2011-12-01

A distributed hydrological model was used to simulate the distribution of fast runoff formation as a proxy for critical source areas for herbicide pollution in a small agricultural catchment in Switzerland. We tested to what degree predictions based on prior knowledge without local measurements could be improved upon relying on observed discharge. This learning process consisted of five steps: For the prior prediction (step 1), knowledge of the model parameters was coarse and predictions were fairly uncertain. In the second step, discharge data were used to update the prior parameter distribution. Effects of uncertainty in input data and model structure were accounted for by an autoregressive error model. This step decreased the width of the marginal distributions of parameters describing the lower boundary (percolation rates) but hardly affected soil hydraulic parameters. Residual analysis (step 3) revealed model structure deficits. We modified the model, and in the subsequent Bayesian updating (step 4) the widths of the posterior marginal distributions were reduced for most parameters compared to those of the prior. This incremental procedure led to a strong reduction in the uncertainty of the spatial prediction. Thus, despite only using spatially integrated data (discharge), the spatially distributed effect of the improved model structure can be expected to improve the spatially distributed predictions also. The fifth step consisted of a test with independent spatial data on herbicide losses and revealed ambiguous results. The comparison depended critically on the ratio of event to preevent water that was discharged. This ratio cannot be estimated from hydrological data only. The results demonstrate that the value of local data is strongly dependent on a correct model structure. An iterative procedure of Bayesian updating, model testing, and model modification is suggested.

Association between smoking status and the parameters of vascular structure and function in adults: results from the EVIDENT study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The present study analyses the relation between smoking status and the parameters used to assess vascular structure and function. Methods This cross-sectional, multi-centre study involved a random sample of 1553 participants from the EVIDENT study. Measurements: The smoking status, peripheral augmentation index and ankle-brachial index were measured in all participants. In a small subset of the main population (265 participants), the carotid intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity were also measured. Results After controlling for the effect of age, sex and other risk factors, present smokers have higher values of carotid intima-media thickness (p = 0.011). Along the same lines, current smokers have higher values of pulse wave velocity and lower mean values of ankle-brachial index but without statistical significance in both cases. Conclusions Among the parameters of vascular structure and function analysed, only the IMT shows association with the smoking status, after adjusting for confounders. PMID:24289208

Structural control and health monitoring of building structures with unknown ground excitations: Experimental investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Jia; Xu, You-Lin; Zhan, Sheng; Huang, Qin

2017-03-01

When health monitoring system and vibration control system both are required for a building structure, it will be beneficial and cost-effective to integrate these two systems together for creating a smart building structure. Recently, on the basis of extended Kalman filter (EKF), a time-domain integrated approach was proposed for the identification of structural parameters of the controlled buildings with unknown ground excitations. The identified physical parameters and structural state vectors were then utilized to determine the control force for vibration suppression. In this paper, the possibility of establishing such a smart building structure with the function of simultaneous damage detection and vibration suppression was explored experimentally. A five-story shear building structure equipped with three magneto-rheological (MR) dampers was built. Four additional columns were added to the building model, and several damage scenarios were then simulated by symmetrically cutting off these columns in certain stories. Two sets of earthquakes, i.e. Kobe earthquake and Northridge earthquake, were considered as seismic input and assumed to be unknown during the tests. The structural parameters and the unknown ground excitations were identified during the tests by using the proposed identification method with the measured control forces. Based on the identified structural parameters and system states, a switching control law was employed to adjust the current applied to the MR dampers for the purpose of vibration attenuation. The experimental results show that the presented approach is capable of satisfactorily identifying structural damages and unknown excitations on one hand and significantly mitigating the structural vibration on the other hand.

Structural, electronic and magnetic properties of metal thiophosphate InPS4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajpoot, Priyanka; Nayak, Vikas; Kumari, Meena; Yadav, Priya; Nautiyal, Shashank; Verma, U. P.

2017-05-01

The non-centrosymmetric crystal, InPS4, has been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT). In this paper we have calculated the structural parameters, electronic band structures, density of states plot and magnetic properties using full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The exchange correlation has been solved employing the generalised gradient approximation due to Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof. The calculations are performed both without spin as well as spin polarized. The results show that InPS4 is an indirect band gap semiconductor with (N-Г) energy gap of 2.32eV (without spin) and 1.86eV in spin up and down channels.The obtained lattice parameters and energy gap agree well with the experimental results. Our reported magnetic moment results show that the property of InPS4is nonmagnetic.

On a fast calculation of structure factors at a subatomic resolution.

PubMed

Afonine, P V; Urzhumtsev, A

2004-01-01

In the last decade, the progress of protein crystallography allowed several protein structures to be solved at a resolution higher than 0.9 A. Such studies provide researchers with important new information reflecting very fine structural details. The signal from these details is very weak with respect to that corresponding to the whole structure. Its analysis requires high-quality data, which previously were available only for crystals of small molecules, and a high accuracy of calculations. The calculation of structure factors using direct formulae, traditional for 'small-molecule' crystallography, allows a relatively simple accuracy control. For macromolecular crystals, diffraction data sets at a subatomic resolution contain hundreds of thousands of reflections, and the number of parameters used to describe the corresponding models may reach the same order. Therefore, the direct way of calculating structure factors becomes very time expensive when applied to large molecules. These problems of high accuracy and computational efficiency require a re-examination of computer tools and algorithms. The calculation of model structure factors through an intermediate generation of an electron density [Sayre (1951). Acta Cryst. 4, 362-367; Ten Eyck (1977). Acta Cryst. A33, 486-492] may be much more computationally efficient, but contains some parameters (grid step, 'effective' atom radii etc.) whose influence on the accuracy of the calculation is not straightforward. At the same time, the choice of parameters within safety margins that largely ensure a sufficient accuracy may result in a significant loss of the CPU time, making it close to the time for the direct-formulae calculations. The impact of the different parameters on the computer efficiency of structure-factor calculation is studied. It is shown that an appropriate choice of these parameters allows the structure factors to be obtained with a high accuracy and in a significantly shorter time than that required when using the direct formulae. Practical algorithms for the optimal choice of the parameters are suggested.

Systematic development of technical textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, M.; Schrank, V.; Gloy, Y.-S.; Gries, T.

2016-07-01

Technical textiles are used in various fields of applications, ranging from small scale (e.g. medical applications) to large scale products (e.g. aerospace applications). The development of new products is often complex and time consuming, due to multiple interacting parameters. These interacting parameters are production process related and also a result of the textile structure and used material. A huge number of iteration steps are necessary to adjust the process parameter to finalize the new fabric structure. A design method is developed to support the systematic development of technical textiles and to reduce iteration steps. The design method is subdivided into six steps, starting from the identification of the requirements. The fabric characteristics vary depending on the field of application. If possible, benchmarks are tested. A suitable fabric production technology needs to be selected. The aim of the method is to support a development team within the technology selection without restricting the textile developer. After a suitable technology is selected, the transformation and correlation between input and output parameters follows. This generates the information for the production of the structure. Afterwards, the first prototype can be produced and tested. The resulting characteristics are compared with the initial product requirements.

Energy structure of MHD flow coupling with outer resistance circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Z. Y.; Liu, Y. J.; Chen, Y. Q.; Peng, Z. L.

2015-08-01

Energy structure of MHD flow coupling with outer resistance circuit is studied to illuminate qualitatively and quantitatively the energy relation of this basic MHD flow system with energy input and output. Energy structure are analytically derived based on the Navier-Stocks equations for two-dimensional fully-developed flow and generalized Ohm's Law. The influences of applied magnetic field, Hall parameter and conductivity on energy structure are discussed based on the analytical results. Associated energies in MHD flow are deduced and validated by energy conservation. These results reveal that energy structure consists of two sub structures: electrical energy structure and internal energy structure. Energy structure and its sub structures provide an integrated theoretical energy path of the MHD system. Applied magnetic field and conductivity decrease the input energy, dissipation by fluid viscosity and internal energy but increase the ratio of electrical energy to input energy, while Hall parameter has the opposite effects. These are caused by their different effects on Bulk velocity, velocity profiles, voltage and current in outer circuit. Understanding energy structure helps MHD application designers to actively adjust the allocation of different parts of energy so that it is more reasonable and desirable.

Study on voids of epoxy matrix composites sandwich structure parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Simin; Wen, Youyi; Yu, Wenjun; Liu, Hong; Yue, Cheng; Bao, Jing

2017-03-01

Void is the most common tiny defect of composite materials. Porosity is closely related to composite structure property. The voids forming behaviour in the composites sandwich structural parts with the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin skins was researched by adjusting the manufacturing process parameters. The composites laminate with different porosities were prepared with the different process parameter. The ultrasonic non-destructive measurement method for the porosity was developed and verified through microscopic examination. The analysis results show that compaction pressure during the manufacturing process had influence on the porosity in the laminate area. Increasing the compaction pressure and compaction time will reduce the porosity of the laminates. The bond-line between honeycomb core and carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin skins were also analyzed through microscopic examination. The mechanical properties of sandwich structure composites were studied. The optimization process parameters and porosity ultrasonic measurement method for composites sandwich structure have been applied to the production of the composite parts.

Theoretical Studies of the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Parameters and Local Structure for VO2+ in Oxyfluoroborate Glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Huaming; Yu, Xiaopeng; Xiao, Wenbo

2017-12-01

The electron paramagnetic resonance parameters (g factors g ‖, g ⊥ and hyperfine structure constants A ‖, A ⊥) of a tetragonal V4+ center in oxyfluoroborate glasses (20Li2O-10Li2F2-70B2O3) are theoretically investigated by using the perturbation formulas for a 3d1 ion in tetragonally compressed octahedra. The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data. Local structure parameters of [VO6]8- clusters are obtained from the calculation (i.e., R‖ ≈ 1.74 Å and R⊥ ≈ 1.985 Å for the metal-ligand distances parallel and perpendicular to the C4 axis, respectively). It is shown that the local structure around the V4+ ion possesses a compressed tetragonal distortion along C 4 axis. The signs of the hyperfine structure constants A‖ and A ⊥ for V4+ centers in oxyfluoroborate glasses were also suggested in the discussion.

Valence electronic structure of cobalt phthalocyanine from an optimally tuned range-separated hybrid functional.

PubMed

Brumboiu, Iulia Emilia; Prokopiou, Georgia; Kronik, Leeor; Brena, Barbara

2017-07-28

We analyse the valence electronic structure of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) by means of optimally tuning a range-separated hybrid functional. The tuning is performed by modifying both the amount of short-range exact exchange (α) included in the hybrid functional and the range-separation parameter (γ), with two strategies employed for finding the optimal γ for each α. The influence of these two parameters on the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of CoPc is thoroughly investigated. The electronic structure is found to be very sensitive to the amount and range in which the exact exchange is included. The electronic structure obtained using the optimal parameters is compared to gas-phase photo-electron data and GW calculations, with the unoccupied states additionally compared with inverse photo-electron spectroscopy measurements. The calculated spectrum with tuned γ, determined for the optimal value of α = 0.1, yields a very good agreement with both experimental results and with GW calculations that well-reproduce the experimental data.

Experimentally fitted biodynamic models for pedestrian-structure interaction in walking situations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toso, Marcelo André; Gomes, Herbert Martins; da Silva, Felipe Tavares; Pimentel, Roberto Leal

2016-05-01

The interaction between moving humans and structures usually occurs in slender structures in which the level of vibration is potentially high. Furthermore, there is the addition of mass to the structural system due to the presence of people and an increase in damping due to the human body´s ability to absorb vibrational energy. In this paper, a test campaign is presented to obtain parameters for a single degree of freedom (SDOF) biodynamic model that represents the action of a walking pedestrian in the vertical direction. The parameters of this model are the mass (m), damping (c) and stiffness (k). The measurements were performed on a force platform, and the inputs were the spectral acceleration amplitudes of the first three harmonics at the waist level of the test subjects and the corresponding amplitudes of the first three harmonics of the vertical ground reaction force. This leads to a system of nonlinear equations that is solved using a gradient-based optimization algorithm. A set of individuals took part in the tests to ensure inter-subject variability, and, regression expressions and an artificial neural network (ANN) were used to relate the biodynamic parameters to the pacing rate and the body mass of the pedestrians. The results showed some scatter in damping and stiffness that could not be precisely correlated with the masses and pacing rates of the subjects. The use of the ANN resulted in significant improvements in the parameter expressions with a low uncertainty. Finally, the measured vertical accelerations on a prototype footbridge show the adequacy of the numerical model for the representation of the effects of walking pedestrians on a structure. The results are consistent for many crowd densities.

Two-dimensional joint inversion of Magnetotelluric and local earthquake data: Discussion on the contribution to the solution of deep subsurface structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demirci, İsmail; Dikmen, Ünal; Candansayar, M. Emin

2018-02-01

Joint inversion of data sets collected by using several geophysical exploration methods has gained importance and associated algorithms have been developed. To explore the deep subsurface structures, Magnetotelluric and local earthquake tomography algorithms are generally used individually. Due to the usage of natural resources in both methods, it is not possible to increase data quality and resolution of model parameters. For this reason, the solution of the deep structures with the individual usage of the methods cannot be fully attained. In this paper, we firstly focused on the effects of both Magnetotelluric and local earthquake data sets on the solution of deep structures and discussed the results on the basis of the resolving power of the methods. The presence of deep-focus seismic sources increase the resolution of deep structures. Moreover, conductivity distribution of relatively shallow structures can be solved with high resolution by using MT algorithm. Therefore, we developed a new joint inversion algorithm based on the cross gradient function in order to jointly invert Magnetotelluric and local earthquake data sets. In the study, we added a new regularization parameter into the second term of the parameter correction vector of Gallardo and Meju (2003). The new regularization parameter is enhancing the stability of the algorithm and controls the contribution of the cross gradient term in the solution. The results show that even in cases where resistivity and velocity boundaries are different, both methods influence each other positively. In addition, the region of common structural boundaries of the models are clearly mapped compared with original models. Furthermore, deep structures are identified satisfactorily even with using the minimum number of seismic sources. In this paper, in order to understand the future studies, we discussed joint inversion of Magnetotelluric and local earthquake data sets only in two-dimensional space. In the light of these results and by means of the acceleration on the three-dimensional modelling and inversion algorithms, it is thought that it may be easier to identify underground structures with high resolution.

Research of carbon composite material for nonlinear finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jung Ho; Garg, Mohit; Kim, Ji Hoon

2012-04-01

Works on the absorption of collision energy in the structural members are carried out widely with various material and cross-sections. And, with ever increasing safety concerns, they are presently applied in various fields including railroad trains, air crafts and automobiles. In addition to this, problem of lighting structural members became important subject by control of exhaust gas emission, fuel economy and energy efficiency. CFRP(Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics) usually is applying the two primary structural members because of different result each design parameter as like stacking thickness, stacking angle, moisture absorption ect. We have to secure the data for applying primary structural members. But it always happens to test design parameters each for securing the data. So, it has much more money and time. We can reduce the money and the time, if can ensure the CFRP material properties each design parameters. In this study, we experiment the coupon test each tension, compression and shear using CFRP prepreg sheet and simulate non-linear analyze at the sources - test result, Caron longitudinal modulus and matrix poisson's ratio using GENOAMQC is specialized at Composite analysis. And then we predict the result that specimen manufacture changing stacking angle and experiment in such a way of test method using GENOA-MCQ.

Optimization-Based Inverse Identification of the Parameters of a Concrete Cap Material Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Král, Petr; Hokeš, Filip; Hušek, Martin; Kala, Jiří; Hradil, Petr

2017-10-01

Issues concerning the advanced numerical analysis of concrete building structures in sophisticated computing systems currently require the involvement of nonlinear mechanics tools. The efforts to design safer, more durable and mainly more economically efficient concrete structures are supported via the use of advanced nonlinear concrete material models and the geometrically nonlinear approach. The application of nonlinear mechanics tools undoubtedly presents another step towards the approximation of the real behaviour of concrete building structures within the framework of computer numerical simulations. However, the success rate of this application depends on having a perfect understanding of the behaviour of the concrete material models used and having a perfect understanding of the used material model parameters meaning. The effective application of nonlinear concrete material models within computer simulations often becomes very problematic because these material models very often contain parameters (material constants) whose values are difficult to obtain. However, getting of the correct values of material parameters is very important to ensure proper function of a concrete material model used. Today, one possibility, which permits successful solution of the mentioned problem, is the use of optimization algorithms for the purpose of the optimization-based inverse material parameter identification. Parameter identification goes hand in hand with experimental investigation while it trying to find parameter values of the used material model so that the resulting data obtained from the computer simulation will best approximate the experimental data. This paper is focused on the optimization-based inverse identification of the parameters of a concrete cap material model which is known under the name the Continuous Surface Cap Model. Within this paper, material parameters of the model are identified on the basis of interaction between nonlinear computer simulations, gradient based and nature inspired optimization algorithms and experimental data, the latter of which take the form of a load-extension curve obtained from the evaluation of uniaxial tensile test results. The aim of this research was to obtain material model parameters corresponding to the quasi-static tensile loading which may be further used for the research involving dynamic and high-speed tensile loading. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that the set goal has been reached.

Integral projection models for finite populations in a stochastic environment.

PubMed

Vindenes, Yngvild; Engen, Steinar; Saether, Bernt-Erik

2011-05-01

Continuous types of population structure occur when continuous variables such as body size or habitat quality affect the vital parameters of individuals. These structures can give rise to complex population dynamics and interact with environmental conditions. Here we present a model for continuously structured populations with finite size, including both demographic and environmental stochasticity in the dynamics. Using recent methods developed for discrete age-structured models we derive the demographic and environmental variance of the population growth as functions of a continuous state variable. These two parameters, together with the expected population growth rate, are used to define a one-dimensional diffusion approximation of the population dynamics. Thus, a substantial reduction in complexity is achieved as the dynamics of the complex structured model can be described by only three population parameters. We provide methods for numerical calculation of the model parameters and demonstrate the accuracy of the diffusion approximation by computer simulation of specific examples. The general modeling framework makes it possible to analyze and predict future dynamics and extinction risk of populations with various types of structure, and to explore consequences of changes in demography caused by, e.g., climate change or different management decisions. Our results are especially relevant for small populations that are often of conservation concern.

Explicitly integrating parameter, input, and structure uncertainties into Bayesian Neural Networks for probabilistic hydrologic forecasting

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

Zhang, Xuesong; Liang, Faming; Yu, Beibei

2011-11-09

Estimating uncertainty of hydrologic forecasting is valuable to water resources and other relevant decision making processes. Recently, Bayesian Neural Networks (BNNs) have been proved powerful tools for quantifying uncertainty of streamflow forecasting. In this study, we propose a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) framework to incorporate the uncertainties associated with input, model structure, and parameter into BNNs. This framework allows the structure of the neural networks to change by removing or adding connections between neurons and enables scaling of input data by using rainfall multipliers. The results show that the new BNNs outperform the BNNs that only consider uncertainties associatedmore » with parameter and model structure. Critical evaluation of posterior distribution of neural network weights, number of effective connections, rainfall multipliers, and hyper-parameters show that the assumptions held in our BNNs are not well supported. Further understanding of characteristics of different uncertainty sources and including output error into the MCMC framework are expected to enhance the application of neural networks for uncertainty analysis of hydrologic forecasting.« less

Prediction of binding hot spot residues by using structural and evolutionary parameters

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

In this work, we present a method for predicting hot spot residues by using a set of structural and evolutionary parameters. Unlike previous studies, we use a set of parameters which do not depend on the structure of the protein in complex, so that the predictor can also be used when the interface region is unknown. Despite the fact that no information concerning proteins in complex is used for prediction, the application of the method to a compiled dataset described in the literature achieved a performance of 60.4%, as measured by F-Measure, corresponding to a recall of 78.1% and a precision of 49.5%. This result is higher than those reported by previous studies using the same data set. PMID:21637529

Improving fault image by determination of optimum seismic survey parameters using ray-based modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saffarzadeh, Sadegh; Javaherian, Abdolrahim; Hasani, Hossein; Talebi, Mohammad Ali

2018-06-01

In complex structures such as faults, salt domes and reefs, specifying the survey parameters is more challenging and critical owing to the complicated wave field behavior involved in such structures. In the petroleum industry, detecting faults has become crucial for reservoir potential where faults can act as traps for hydrocarbon. In this regard, seismic survey modeling is employed to construct a model close to the real structure, and obtain very realistic synthetic seismic data. Seismic modeling software, the velocity model and parameters pre-determined by conventional methods enable a seismic survey designer to run a shot-by-shot virtual survey operation. A reliable velocity model of structures can be constructed by integrating the 2D seismic data, geological reports and the well information. The effects of various survey designs can be investigated by the analysis of illumination maps and flower plots. Also, seismic processing of the synthetic data output can describe the target image using different survey parameters. Therefore, seismic modeling is one of the most economical ways to establish and test the optimum acquisition parameters to obtain the best image when dealing with complex geological structures. The primary objective of this study is to design a proper 3D seismic survey orientation to achieve fault zone structures through ray-tracing seismic modeling. The results prove that a seismic survey designer can enhance the image of fault planes in a seismic section by utilizing the proposed modeling and processing approach.

Structure factor and radial distribution function of some liquid lanthanides using charged hard sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, H. P.; Sonvane, Y. A.; Thakor, P. B.

2017-05-01

The structure factor S(q) and radial distribution function g(r) play vital role to study the various structural properties like electronic, dynamic, magnetic etc. The present paper deals with the structural studies of foresaid properties using our newly constructed parameter free model potential with the Charged Hard Sphere (CHS) approximation. The local field correction due to Sarkar et al. is used to incorporate exchange and correlation among the conduction electrons in dielectric screening. Here we report the S(q) and g(r) for some liquid lanthanides viz: La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Eu. Present computed results are compared with the available experimental data. Lastly we found that our parameter free model potential successfully explains the structural propertiesof4fliquidlanthanides.

An overview of STRUCTURE: applications, parameter settings, and supporting software

PubMed Central

Porras-Hurtado, Liliana; Ruiz, Yarimar; Santos, Carla; Phillips, Christopher; Carracedo, Ángel; Lareu, Maria V.

2013-01-01

Objectives: We present an up-to-date review of STRUCTURE software: one of the most widely used population analysis tools that allows researchers to assess patterns of genetic structure in a set of samples. STRUCTURE can identify subsets of the whole sample by detecting allele frequency differences within the data and can assign individuals to those sub-populations based on analysis of likelihoods. The review covers STRUCTURE's most commonly used ancestry and frequency models, plus an overview of the main applications of the software in human genetics including case-control association studies (CCAS), population genetics, and forensic analysis. The review is accompanied by supplementary material providing a step-by-step guide to running STRUCTURE. Methods: With reference to a worked example, we explore the effects of changing the principal analysis parameters on STRUCTURE results when analyzing a uniform set of human genetic data. Use of the supporting software: CLUMPP and distruct is detailed and we provide an overview and worked example of STRAT software, applicable to CCAS. Conclusion: The guide offers a simplified view of how STRUCTURE, CLUMPP, distruct, and STRAT can be applied to provide researchers with an informed choice of parameter settings and supporting software when analyzing their own genetic data. PMID:23755071

Two Strain Dengue Model with Temporary Cross Immunity and Seasonality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguiar, Maíra; Ballesteros, Sebastien; Stollenwerk, Nico

2010-09-01

Models on dengue fever epidemiology have previously shown critical fluctuations with power law distributions and also deterministic chaos in some parameter regions due to the multi-strain structure of the disease pathogen. In our first model including well known biological features, we found a rich dynamical structure including limit cycles, symmetry breaking bifurcations, torus bifurcations, coexisting attractors including isola solutions and deterministic chaos (as indicated by positive Lyapunov exponents) in a much larger parameter region, which is also biologically more plausible than the previous results of other researches. Based on these findings we will investigate the model structures further including seasonality.

Two Strain Dengue Model with Temporary Cross Immunity and Seasonality

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

Aguiar, Maira; Ballesteros, Sebastien; Stollenwerk, Nico

Models on dengue fever epidemiology have previously shown critical fluctuations with power law distributions and also deterministic chaos in some parameter regions due to the multi-strain structure of the disease pathogen. In our first model including well known biological features, we found a rich dynamical structure including limit cycles, symmetry breaking bifurcations, torus bifurcations, coexisting attractors including isola solutions and deterministic chaos (as indicated by positive Lyapunov exponents) in a much larger parameter region, which is also biologically more plausible than the previous results of other researches. Based on these findings we will investigate the model structures further including seasonality.

PURY: a database of geometric restraints of hetero compounds for refinement in complexes with macromolecular structures.

PubMed

Andrejasic, Miha; Praaenikar, Jure; Turk, Dusan

2008-11-01

The number and variety of macromolecular structures in complex with ;hetero' ligands is growing. The need for rapid delivery of correct geometric parameters for their refinement, which is often crucial for understanding the biological relevance of the structure, is growing correspondingly. The current standard for describing protein structures is the Engh-Huber parameter set. It is an expert data set resulting from selection and analysis of the crystal structures gathered in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). Clearly, such a manual approach cannot be applied to the vast and ever-growing number of chemical compounds. Therefore, a database, named PURY, of geometric parameters of chemical compounds has been developed, together with a server that accesses it. PURY is a compilation of the whole CSD. It contains lists of atom classes and bonds connecting them, as well as angle, chirality, planarity and conformation parameters. The current compilation is based on CSD 5.28 and contains 1978 atom classes and 32,702 bonding, 237,068 angle, 201,860 dihedral and 64,193 improper geometric restraints. Analysis has confirmed that the restraints from the PURY database are suitable for use in macromolecular crystal structure refinement and should be of value to the crystallographic community. The database can be accessed through the web server http://pury.ijs.si/, which creates topology and parameter files from deposited coordinates in suitable forms for the refinement programs MAIN, CNS and REFMAC. In the near future, the server will move to the CSD website http://pury.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/.

Residual Strength Characterization of Unitized Structures Fabricated Using Different Manufacturing Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seshadri, B. R.; Smith, S. W.; Johnston, W. M.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes residual strength analysis of integral structures fabricated using different manufacturing procedures. The topics include: 1) Built-up and Integral Structures; 2) Development of Prediction Methodology for Integral Structures Fabricated using different Manufacturing Procedures; 3) Testing Facility; 4) Fracture Parameters Definition; 5) Crack Branching in Integral Structures; 6) Results and Discussion; and 7) Concluding Remarks.

Thermal optimum design for tracking primary mirror of Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Hai-jun; Ruan, Ping; Li, Fu; Wang, Hong-Wei

2011-08-01

In the conventional method, the structural parameters of primary mirror are usually optimized just by the requirement of mechanical performance. Because the influences of structural parameters on thermal stability are not taken fully into account in this simple method, the lightweight optimum design of primary mirror usually brings the bad thermal stability, especially in the complex environment. In order to obtain better thermal stability, a new method about structure-thermal optimum design of tracking primary mirror is discussed. During the optimum process, both the lightweight ratio and thermal stability will be taken into account. The structure-thermal optimum is introduced into the analysis process and commenced after lightweight design as the secondary optimum. Using the engineering analysis of software ANSYS, a parameter finite element analysis (FEA) model of mirror is built. On the premise of appropriate lightweight ratio, the RMS of structure-thermal deformation of mirror surface and lightweight ratio are assigned to be state variables, and the maximal RMS of temperature gradient load to be object variable. The results show that certain structural parameters of tracking primary mirror have different influences on mechanical performance and thermal stability, even they are opposite. By structure-thermal optimizing, the optimized mirror model discussed in this paper has better thermal stability than the old one under the same thermal loads, which can drastically reduce difficulty in thermal control.

Identification of damage in composite structures using Gaussian mixture model-processed Lamb waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qiang; Ma, Shuxian; Yue, Dong

2018-04-01

Composite materials have comprehensively better properties than traditional materials, and therefore have been more and more widely used, especially because of its higher strength-weight ratio. However, the damage of composite structures is usually varied and complicated. In order to ensure the security of these structures, it is necessary to monitor and distinguish the structural damage in a timely manner. Lamb wave-based structural health monitoring (SHM) has been proved to be effective in online structural damage detection and evaluation; furthermore, the characteristic parameters of the multi-mode Lamb wave varies in response to different types of damage in the composite material. This paper studies the damage identification approach for composite structures using the Lamb wave and the Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The algorithm and principle of the GMM, and the parameter estimation, is introduced. Multi-statistical characteristic parameters of the excited Lamb waves are extracted, and the parameter space with reduced dimensions is adopted by principal component analysis (PCA). The damage identification system using the GMM is then established through training. Experiments on a glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composite laminate plate are conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach in terms of damage classification. The experimental results show that different types of damage can be identified according to the value of the likelihood function of the GMM.

Spatiotemporal dynamics in excitable homogeneous random networks composed of periodically self-sustained oscillation.

PubMed

Qian, Yu; Liu, Fei; Yang, Keli; Zhang, Ge; Yao, Chenggui; Ma, Jun

2017-09-19

The collective behaviors of networks are often dependent on the network connections and bifurcation parameters, also the local kinetics plays an important role in contributing the consensus of coupled oscillators. In this paper, we systematically investigate the influence of network structures and system parameters on the spatiotemporal dynamics in excitable homogeneous random networks (EHRNs) composed of periodically self-sustained oscillation (PSO). By using the dominant phase-advanced driving (DPAD) method, the one-dimensional (1D) Winfree loop is exposed as the oscillation source supporting the PSO, and the accurate wave propagation pathways from the oscillation source to the whole network are uncovered. Then, an order parameter is introduced to quantitatively study the influence of network structures and system parameters on the spatiotemporal dynamics of PSO in EHRNs. Distinct results induced by the network structures and the system parameters are observed. Importantly, the corresponding mechanisms are revealed. PSO influenced by the network structures are induced not only by the change of average path length (APL) of network, but also by the invasion of 1D Winfree loop from the outside linking nodes. Moreover, PSO influenced by the system parameters are determined by the excitation threshold and the minimum 1D Winfree loop. Finally, we confirmed that the excitation threshold and the minimum 1D Winfree loop determined PSO will degenerate as the system size is expanded.

A framework for scalable parameter estimation of gene circuit models using structural information.

PubMed

Kuwahara, Hiroyuki; Fan, Ming; Wang, Suojin; Gao, Xin

2013-07-01

Systematic and scalable parameter estimation is a key to construct complex gene regulatory models and to ultimately facilitate an integrative systems biology approach to quantitatively understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning gene regulation. Here, we report a novel framework for efficient and scalable parameter estimation that focuses specifically on modeling of gene circuits. Exploiting the structure commonly found in gene circuit models, this framework decomposes a system of coupled rate equations into individual ones and efficiently integrates them separately to reconstruct the mean time evolution of the gene products. The accuracy of the parameter estimates is refined by iteratively increasing the accuracy of numerical integration using the model structure. As a case study, we applied our framework to four gene circuit models with complex dynamics based on three synthetic datasets and one time series microarray data set. We compared our framework to three state-of-the-art parameter estimation methods and found that our approach consistently generated higher quality parameter solutions efficiently. Although many general-purpose parameter estimation methods have been applied for modeling of gene circuits, our results suggest that the use of more tailored approaches to use domain-specific information may be a key to reverse engineering of complex biological systems. http://sfb.kaust.edu.sa/Pages/Software.aspx. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

An harmonic smile resulted from the use of ceramic prosthesis with zirconia structure: a case report.

PubMed

Tavarez, Rudys Rodolfo de Jesus; Goncalves, Leticia Machado; Dias, Ana Paula; Dias, Anna Claudia Pereira; Malheiros, Adriana Santos; Silva, Alice Carvalho; Bandeca, Matheus Coelho

2014-06-01

The rehabilitation of patients requiring an esthetic smile demands a multidisciplinary approach. This clinical report describes a treatment plan for recovery aesthetics' smile of anterior teeth using ceramic prosthesis with zirconia structure. Initially, a review of aesthetic parameters, diagnostic waxing, mock-up and provisional restorations was performed. A contextual assessment of aesthetic, proportion and shape of teeth was done to recreate a natural looking for teeth in consonance with the smile line. Subsequently, based on these parameters, fixed prostheses of the upper anterior teeth using ceramic restorations with zirconia infrastructures were performed. The use of ceramic restorations with zirconia structures associated with a careful treatment plan allows the professional to integrate esthetic and function for satisfactory clinical results. How to cite the article: Tavarez RR, Gonçalves LM, Dias AP, Dias AC, Malheiros AS, Silva AC, Bandeca MC. An harmonic smile resulted from the use of ceramic prosthesis with zirconia structure: A case report. J Int Oral Health 2014;6(3):90-2.

Optimization for minimum sensitivity to uncertain parameters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pritchard, Jocelyn I.; Adelman, Howard M.; Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, Jaroslaw

1994-01-01

A procedure to design a structure for minimum sensitivity to uncertainties in problem parameters is described. The approach is to minimize directly the sensitivity derivatives of the optimum design with respect to fixed design parameters using a nested optimization procedure. The procedure is demonstrated for the design of a bimetallic beam for minimum weight with insensitivity to uncertainties in structural properties. The beam is modeled with finite elements based on two dimensional beam analysis. A sequential quadratic programming procedure used as the optimizer supplies the Lagrange multipliers that are used to calculate the optimum sensitivity derivatives. The method was perceived to be successful from comparisons of the optimization results with parametric studies.

Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle Power System Optimization Based on Genetic Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Tianjun; Li, Bin; Zong, Changfu; Wu, Yang

2017-09-01

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), compared with conventional vehicles, have complex structures and more component parameters. If variables optimization designs are carried on all these parameters, it will increase the difficulty and the convergence of algorithm program, so this paper chooses the parameters which has a major influence on the vehicle fuel consumption to make it all work at maximum efficiency. First, HEV powertrain components modelling are built. Second, taking a tandem hybrid structure as an example, genetic algorithm is used in this paper to optimize fuel consumption and emissions. Simulation results in ADVISOR verify the feasibility of the proposed genetic optimization algorithm.

Least-squares sequential parameter and state estimation for large space structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thau, F. E.; Eliazov, T.; Montgomery, R. C.

1982-01-01

This paper presents the formulation of simultaneous state and parameter estimation problems for flexible structures in terms of least-squares minimization problems. The approach combines an on-line order determination algorithm, with least-squares algorithms for finding estimates of modal approximation functions, modal amplitudes, and modal parameters. The approach combines previous results on separable nonlinear least squares estimation with a regression analysis formulation of the state estimation problem. The technique makes use of sequential Householder transformations. This allows for sequential accumulation of matrices required during the identification process. The technique is used to identify the modal prameters of a flexible beam.

End Effects and Load Diffusion in Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horgan, Cornelius O.; Ambur, D. (Technical Monitor); Nemeth, M. P. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The research carried out here builds on our previous NASA supported research on the general topic of edge effects and load diffusion in composite structures. Further fundamental solid mechanics studies were carried out to provide a basis for assessing the complicated modeling necessary for large scale structures used by NASA. An understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of load diffusion in composite subcomponents is essential in developing primary composite structures. Specific problems recently considered were focussed on end effects in sandwich structures and for functionally graded materials. Both linear and nonlinear (geometric and material) problems have been addressed. Our goal is the development of readily applicable design formulas for the decay lengths in terms of non-dimensional material and geometric parameters. Analytical models of load diffusion behavior are extremely valuable in building an intuitive base for developing refined modeling strategies and assessing results from finite element analyses. The decay behavior of stresses and other field quantities provides a significant aid towards this process. The analysis is also amenable to parameter study with a large parameter space and should be useful in structural tailoring studies.

Vibration isolation by exploring bio-inspired structural nonlinearity.

PubMed

Wu, Zhijing; Jing, Xingjian; Bian, Jing; Li, Fengming; Allen, Robert

2015-10-08

Inspired by the limb structures of animals/insects in motion vibration control, a bio-inspired limb-like structure (LLS) is systematically studied for understanding and exploring its advantageous nonlinear function in passive vibration isolation. The bio-inspired system consists of asymmetric articulations (of different rod lengths) with inside vertical and horizontal springs (as animal muscle) of different linear stiffness. Mathematical modeling and analysis of the proposed LLS reveal that, (a) the system has very beneficial nonlinear stiffness which can provide flexible quasi-zero, zero and/or negative stiffness, and these nonlinear stiffness properties are adjustable or designable with structure parameters; (b) the asymmetric rod-length ratio and spring-stiffness ratio present very beneficial factors for tuning system equivalent stiffness; (c) the system loading capacity is also adjustable with the structure parameters which presents another flexible benefit in application. Experiments and comparisons with existing quasi-zero-stiffness isolators validate the advantageous features above, and some discussions are also given about how to select structural parameters for practical applications. The results would provide an innovative bio-inspired solution to passive vibration control in various engineering practice.

Parameter optimization of an inerter-based isolator for passive vibration control of Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siami, A.; Karimi, H. R.; Cigada, A.; Zappa, E.; Sabbioni, E.

2018-01-01

Preserving cultural heritage against earthquake and ambient vibrations can be an attractive topic in the field of vibration control. This paper proposes a passive vibration isolator methodology based on inerters for improving the performance of the isolation system of the famous statue of Michelangelo Buonarroti Pietà Rondanini. More specifically, a five-degree-of-freedom (5DOF) model of the statue and the anti-seismic and anti-vibration base is presented and experimentally validated. The parameters of this model are tuned according to the experimental tests performed on the assembly of the isolator and the structure. Then, the developed model is used to investigate the impact of actuation devices such as tuned mass-damper (TMD) and tuned mass-damper-inerter (TMDI) in vibration reduction of the structure. The effect of implementation of TMDI on the 5DOF model is shown based on physical limitations of the system parameters. Simulation results are provided to illustrate effectiveness of the passive element of TMDI in reduction of the vibration transmitted to the statue in vertical direction. Moreover, the optimal design parameters of the passive system such as frequency and damping coefficient will be calculated using two different performance indexes. The obtained optimal parameters have been evaluated by using two different optimization algorithms: the sequential quadratic programming method and the Firefly algorithm. The results prove significant reduction in the transmitted vibration to the structure in the presence of the proposed tuned TMDI, without imposing a large amount of mass or modification to the structure of the isolator.

Black Hole Mergers as Probes of Structure Formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alicea-Munoz, E.; Miller, M. Coleman

2008-01-01

Intense structure formation and reionization occur at high redshift, yet there is currently little observational information about this very important epoch. Observations of gravitational waves from massive black hole (MBH) mergers can provide us with important clues about the formation of structures in the early universe. Past efforts have been limited to calculating merger rates using different models in which many assumptions are made about the specific values of physical parameters of the mergers, resulting in merger rate estimates that span a very wide range (0.1 - 104 mergers/year). Here we develop a semi-analytical, phenomenological model of MBH mergers that includes plausible combinations of several physical parameters, which we then turn around to determine how well observations with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be able to enhance our understanding of the universe during the critical z 5 - 30 structure formation era. We do this by generating synthetic LISA observable data (total BH mass, BH mass ratio, redshift, merger rates), which are then analyzed using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method. This allows us to constrain the physical parameters of the mergers. We find that our methodology works well at estimating merger parameters, consistently giving results within 1- of the input parameter values. We also discover that the number of merger events is a key discriminant among models. This helps our method be robust against observational uncertainties. Our approach, which at this stage constitutes a proof of principle, can be readily extended to physical models and to more general problems in cosmology and gravitational wave astrophysics.

LIBP-Pred: web server for lipid binding proteins using structural network parameters; PDB mining of human cancer biomarkers and drug targets in parasites and bacteria.

PubMed

González-Díaz, Humberto; Munteanu, Cristian R; Postelnicu, Lucian; Prado-Prado, Francisco; Gestal, Marcos; Pazos, Alejandro

2012-03-01

Lipid-Binding Proteins (LIBPs) or Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins (FABPs) play an important role in many diseases such as different types of cancer, kidney injury, atherosclerosis, diabetes, intestinal ischemia and parasitic infections. Thus, the computational methods that can predict LIBPs based on 3D structure parameters became a goal of major importance for drug-target discovery, vaccine design and biomarker selection. In addition, the Protein Data Bank (PDB) contains 3000+ protein 3D structures with unknown function. This list, as well as new experimental outcomes in proteomics research, is a very interesting source to discover relevant proteins, including LIBPs. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no general models to predict new LIBPs based on 3D structures. We developed new Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models based on 3D electrostatic parameters of 1801 different proteins, including 801 LIBPs. We calculated these electrostatic parameters with the MARCH-INSIDE software and they correspond to the entire protein or to specific protein regions named core, inner, middle, and surface. We used these parameters as inputs to develop a simple Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classifier to discriminate 3D structure of LIBPs from other proteins. We implemented this predictor in the web server named LIBP-Pred, freely available at , along with other important web servers of the Bio-AIMS portal. The users can carry out an automatic retrieval of protein structures from PDB or upload their custom protein structural models from their disk created with LOMETS server. We demonstrated the PDB mining option performing a predictive study of 2000+ proteins with unknown function. Interesting results regarding the discovery of new Cancer Biomarkers in humans or drug targets in parasites have been discussed here in this sense.

Sensitivity and Limitations of Structures from X-ray and Neutron-Based Diffraction Analyses of Transition Metal Oxide Lithium-Battery Electrodes

DOE PAGES

Liu, Hao; Liu, Haodong; Lapidus, Saul H.; ...

2017-06-21

Lithium transition metal oxides are an important class of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Binary or ternary (transition) metal doping brings about new opportunities to improve the electrode’s performance and often leads to more complex stoichiometries and atomic structures than the archetypal LiCoO 2. Rietveld structural analyses of X-ray and neutron diffraction data is a widely-used approach for structural characterization of crystalline materials. But, different structural models and refinement approaches can lead to differing results, and some parameters can be difficult to quantify due to the inherent limitations of the data. Here, through the example of LiNi 0.8Co 0.15Al 0.05Omore » 2 (NCA), we demonstrated the sensitivity of various structural parameters in Rietveld structural analysis to different refinement approaches and structural models, and proposed an approach to reduce refinement uncertainties due to the inexact X-ray scattering factors of the constituent atoms within the lattice. Furthermore, this refinement approach was implemented for electrochemically-cycled NCA samples and yielded accurate structural parameters using only X-ray diffraction data. The present work provides the best practices for performing structural refinement of lithium transition metal oxides.« less

Sensitivity and Limitations of Structures from X-ray and Neutron-Based Diffraction Analyses of Transition Metal Oxide Lithium-Battery Electrodes

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

Liu, Hao; Liu, Haodong; Lapidus, Saul H.

Lithium transition metal oxides are an important class of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Binary or ternary (transition) metal doping brings about new opportunities to improve the electrode’s performance and often leads to more complex stoichiometries and atomic structures than the archetypal LiCoO 2. Rietveld structural analyses of X-ray and neutron diffraction data is a widely-used approach for structural characterization of crystalline materials. But, different structural models and refinement approaches can lead to differing results, and some parameters can be difficult to quantify due to the inherent limitations of the data. Here, through the example of LiNi 0.8Co 0.15Al 0.05Omore » 2 (NCA), we demonstrated the sensitivity of various structural parameters in Rietveld structural analysis to different refinement approaches and structural models, and proposed an approach to reduce refinement uncertainties due to the inexact X-ray scattering factors of the constituent atoms within the lattice. Furthermore, this refinement approach was implemented for electrochemically-cycled NCA samples and yielded accurate structural parameters using only X-ray diffraction data. The present work provides the best practices for performing structural refinement of lithium transition metal oxides.« less

Multi-objective shape optimization of plate structure under stress criteria based on sub-structured mixed FEM and genetic algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garambois, Pierre; Besset, Sebastien; Jézéquel, Louis

2015-07-01

This paper presents a methodology for the multi-objective (MO) shape optimization of plate structure under stress criteria, based on a mixed Finite Element Model (FEM) enhanced with a sub-structuring method. The optimization is performed with a classical Genetic Algorithm (GA) method based on Pareto-optimal solutions and considers thickness distributions parameters and antagonist objectives among them stress criteria. We implement a displacement-stress Dynamic Mixed FEM (DM-FEM) for plate structure vibrations analysis. Such a model gives a privileged access to the stress within the plate structure compared to primal classical FEM, and features a linear dependence to the thickness parameters. A sub-structuring reduction method is also computed in order to reduce the size of the mixed FEM and split the given structure into smaller ones with their own thickness parameters. Those methods combined enable a fast and stress-wise efficient structure analysis, and improve the performance of the repetitive GA. A few cases of minimizing the mass and the maximum Von Mises stress within a plate structure under a dynamic load put forward the relevance of our method with promising results. It is able to satisfy multiple damage criteria with different thickness distributions, and use a smaller FEM.

ATM observations - X-ray results. [solar coronal structure from Skylab experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vaiana, G. S.; Zombeck, M.; Krieger, A. S.; Timothy, A. F.

1976-01-01

Preliminary results of the solar X-ray observations from Skylab are reviewed which indicate a highly structured nature for the corona, with closed magnetic-loop structures over a wide range of size scales. A description of the S-054 experiments is provided, and values are given for the parameters - including size, density, and temperature - describing a variety of typical coronal features. The structure and evolution of active regions, coronal holes, and bright points are discussed.

Uncertainty in dual permeability model parameters for structured soils.

PubMed

Arora, B; Mohanty, B P; McGuire, J T

2012-01-01

Successful application of dual permeability models (DPM) to predict contaminant transport is contingent upon measured or inversely estimated soil hydraulic and solute transport parameters. The difficulty in unique identification of parameters for the additional macropore- and matrix-macropore interface regions, and knowledge about requisite experimental data for DPM has not been resolved to date. Therefore, this study quantifies uncertainty in dual permeability model parameters of experimental soil columns with different macropore distributions (single macropore, and low- and high-density multiple macropores). Uncertainty evaluation is conducted using adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (AMCMC) and conventional Metropolis-Hastings (MH) algorithms while assuming 10 out of 17 parameters to be uncertain or random. Results indicate that AMCMC resolves parameter correlations and exhibits fast convergence for all DPM parameters while MH displays large posterior correlations for various parameters. This study demonstrates that the choice of parameter sampling algorithms is paramount in obtaining unique DPM parameters when information on covariance structure is lacking, or else additional information on parameter correlations must be supplied to resolve the problem of equifinality of DPM parameters. This study also highlights the placement and significance of matrix-macropore interface in flow experiments of soil columns with different macropore densities. Histograms for certain soil hydraulic parameters display tri-modal characteristics implying that macropores are drained first followed by the interface region and then by pores of the matrix domain in drainage experiments. Results indicate that hydraulic properties and behavior of the matrix-macropore interface is not only a function of saturated hydraulic conductivity of the macroporematrix interface ( K sa ) and macropore tortuosity ( l f ) but also of other parameters of the matrix and macropore domains.

Uncertainty in dual permeability model parameters for structured soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arora, B.; Mohanty, B. P.; McGuire, J. T.

2012-01-01

Successful application of dual permeability models (DPM) to predict contaminant transport is contingent upon measured or inversely estimated soil hydraulic and solute transport parameters. The difficulty in unique identification of parameters for the additional macropore- and matrix-macropore interface regions, and knowledge about requisite experimental data for DPM has not been resolved to date. Therefore, this study quantifies uncertainty in dual permeability model parameters of experimental soil columns with different macropore distributions (single macropore, and low- and high-density multiple macropores). Uncertainty evaluation is conducted using adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (AMCMC) and conventional Metropolis-Hastings (MH) algorithms while assuming 10 out of 17 parameters to be uncertain or random. Results indicate that AMCMC resolves parameter correlations and exhibits fast convergence for all DPM parameters while MH displays large posterior correlations for various parameters. This study demonstrates that the choice of parameter sampling algorithms is paramount in obtaining unique DPM parameters when information on covariance structure is lacking, or else additional information on parameter correlations must be supplied to resolve the problem of equifinality of DPM parameters. This study also highlights the placement and significance of matrix-macropore interface in flow experiments of soil columns with different macropore densities. Histograms for certain soil hydraulic parameters display tri-modal characteristics implying that macropores are drained first followed by the interface region and then by pores of the matrix domain in drainage experiments. Results indicate that hydraulic properties and behavior of the matrix-macropore interface is not only a function of saturated hydraulic conductivity of the macroporematrix interface (Ksa) and macropore tortuosity (lf) but also of other parameters of the matrix and macropore domains.

Interfacial layer thickness dependent electrical characteristics of Au/(Zn-doped PVA)/n-4H-SiC (MPS) structures at room temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapa, Havva Elif; Kökce, Ali; Al-Dharob, Mohammed; Orak, İkram; Özdemir, Ahmet Faruk; Altındal, Semsettin

2017-10-01

Au/(Zn-doped PVA)/n-4H-SiC metal/polymer/semiconductor (MPS) structures with different interfacial layer thickness values (50, 150, 500 nm) were fabricated and their electrical characteristics were compared. Their electrical parameters (i.e. reverse-bias saturation current (Io), ideality factor (n), zero-bias barrier height (BH) (Φbo), series and shunt resistances (Rs, Rsh)) were calculated from the forward bias current-voltage (IF-VF) data whereas other parameters (i.e. Fermi energy level (EF), BH (Vb) and donor concentration (Nd)) were calculated from the linear part of C-2-V characteristics at room temperature. Obtained results confirmed that the values of n, Φbo, Rs and Rsh increase with increasing interlayer thickness, and linear correlation between n and Φbo was observed. The high values of n for three structures can be ascribed to the presence of an interlayer, surface states (Nss) and barrier inhomogeneities. The energy density distribution profile of Nss was obtained from the IF-VF data by taking into account voltage-dependent effective BH (Ve) and n for each structure. The Ri vs V plot for these structures was obtained using both Ohm's law and Nicollian-Brews method. All these experimental results show that the interfacial layer and its thickness play an important role in main electric parameters of these structures.

SAW parameters on Y-cut langasite structured materials.

PubMed

Puccio, Derek; Malocha, Donald C; Saldanha, Nancy; da Cunha, Mauricio Pereira

2007-09-01

This paper presents results and investigations of several new, man-made piezoelectric single crystal, Czochralski-grown substrate materials for surface acoustic waves (SAW) applications. These materials, langanite (LGN), langatate (LGT), Sr3TaGa3Si2O14 (STGS), Sr3NbGa3Si2O14 (SNGS), Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 (CTGS), and Ca3NbGa3Si2O14 (CNGS), have the same structure as langasite (LGS) and are of the same crystal class as quartz. These compounds are denser than quartz, resulting in lower phase velocities. They also have higher coupling. Unlike quartz and lithium niobate, there is no degradation of material properties below the material melting points resulting in the possibility of extreme high-temperature operation (> 1000 degrees C). This paper gives a summary of extracted SAW material parameters for various propagation angles on Y-cut substrates of the six materials. Parameters included are electromechanical coupling, phase velocity, transducer capacitance, metal strip reflectivity, and temperature coefficient of frequency. Using previously published fundamental material constants, extracted parameters are compared with predictions for LGT and LGN. In addition, power flow angle and fractional frequency curvature data are reported for propagation angles on CTGS and CNGS Y-cut substrates that exhibit temperature compensation near room temperature. Detailed descriptions of the SAW parameter extraction techniques are given. A discussion of the results is provided, including a comparison of extracted parameters and an overview of possible SAW applications.

Applicability of superelastic materials in seismic protection systems: a parametric study of performance in isolation of structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soul, H.; Yawny, A.

2017-08-01

The dynamic response to different seismic inputs of an isolated structure disposed on a sliding layer and connected to the ground with a superelastic NiTi device was analyzed. The device allows wires of NiTi to be mechanically cycled by supporting externally applied tension/compression forces exploiting both dissipative and self-centering capabilities associated with superelasticity. Simulations were carried out modifying the wires length and the structural mass. Both parameters were varied over two orders of magnitude with the aim of evaluating the type of response, the mitigation level that can be accomplished and the combination of parameters resulting in an optimal response. Results indicate that the proposed device is suitable for seismic protection of isolated structures and it is demonstrated that the protective action is more related with the restraining and self-centering properties of the NiTi superelastic wires than with its damping capacity.

Optical analysis of AlGaInP laser diodes with real refractive index guided self-aligned structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yun; Zhu, Xiaopeng; Ye, Xiaojun; Kang, Xiangning; Cao, Qing; Guo, Liang; Chen, Lianghui

2004-05-01

Optical modes of AlGaInP laser diodes with real refractive index guided self-aligned (RISA) structure were analyzed theoretically on the basis of two-dimension semivectorial finite-difference methods (SV-FDMs) and the computed simulation results were presented. The eigenvalue and eigenfunction of this two-dimension waveguide were obtained and the dependence of the confinement factor and beam divergence angles in the direction of parallel and perpendicular to the pn junction on the structure parameters such as the number of quantum wells, the Al composition of the cladding layers, the ridge width, the waveguide thickness and the residual thickness of the upper P-cladding layer were investigated. The results can provide optimized structure parameters and help us design and fabricate high performance AlGaInP laser diodes with a low beam aspect ratio required for optical storage applications.

How Sensitive Are Transdermal Transport Predictions by Microscopic Stratum Corneum Models to Geometric and Transport Parameter Input?

PubMed

Wen, Jessica; Koo, Soh Myoung; Lape, Nancy

2018-02-01

While predictive models of transdermal transport have the potential to reduce human and animal testing, microscopic stratum corneum (SC) model output is highly dependent on idealized SC geometry, transport pathway (transcellular vs. intercellular), and penetrant transport parameters (e.g., compound diffusivity in lipids). Most microscopic models are limited to a simple rectangular brick-and-mortar SC geometry and do not account for variability across delivery sites, hydration levels, and populations. In addition, these models rely on transport parameters obtained from pure theory, parameter fitting to match in vivo experiments, and time-intensive diffusion experiments for each compound. In this work, we develop a microscopic finite element model that allows us to probe model sensitivity to variations in geometry, transport pathway, and hydration level. Given the dearth of experimentally-validated transport data and the wide range in theoretically-predicted transport parameters, we examine the model's response to a variety of transport parameters reported in the literature. Results show that model predictions are strongly dependent on all aforementioned variations, resulting in order-of-magnitude differences in lag times and permeabilities for distinct structure, hydration, and parameter combinations. This work demonstrates that universally predictive models cannot fully succeed without employing experimentally verified transport parameters and individualized SC structures. Copyright © 2018 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progressive fracture of polymer matrix composite structures: A new approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.; Murthy, P. L. N.; Minnetyan, L.

1992-01-01

A new approach independent of stress intensity factors and fracture toughness parameters has been developed and is described for the computational simulation of progressive fracture of polymer matrix composite structures. The damage stages are quantified based on physics via composite mechanics while the degradation of the structural behavior is quantified via the finite element method. The approach account for all types of composite behavior, structures, load conditions, and fracture processes starting from damage initiation, to unstable propagation and to global structural collapse. Results of structural fracture in composite beams, panels, plates, and shells are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and versatility of this new approach. Parameters and guidelines are identified which can be used as criteria for structural fracture, inspection intervals, and retirement for cause. Generalization to structures made of monolithic metallic materials are outlined and lessons learned in undertaking the development of new approaches, in general, are summarized.

Effect of gamma irradiation on the structural, mechanical and optical properties of polytetrafluoroethylene sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadian-Kohol, M.; Asgari, M.; Shakur, H. R.

2018-04-01

In this study, the effects of gamma radiation on the chemical structure, mechanical and optical properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet were investigated with various doses up to 12 kGy. The chemical changes in the structure were studied by FTIR spectroscopy. Also, effects of radiation on the different mechanical parameters such as Young's modulus, toughness, strain, and stress were studied at the maximum tolerable force and the fracture points. Furthermore, changing the various optical parameters such as absorption coefficient, Urbach energy, optical band gaps, refractive index, optical dispersion parameters and plasma resonance frequency were studied by UV-visible spectroscopy. Formation of a band at 1594 cm-1, which was belonged to double carbon bonds, indicated that chain-scission was occurred at 12 kGy gamma irradiation dose. As well, the mechanical results showed an increase in the elastic behavior of PTFE sheets and a decrease in the plastic behavior of it with absorbed dose increasing. Moreover, the results showed that gamma irradiation can effectively change the various optical properties of PTFE sheets due to different phenomena such as degradation of the main chains, occurring chain-scission, formation of free radicals and cross-linking in the polymer structure.

A hybrid system identification methodology for wireless structural health monitoring systems based on dynamic substructuring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dragos, Kosmas; Smarsly, Kay

2016-04-01

System identification has been employed in numerous structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Traditional system identification methods usually rely on centralized processing of structural response data to extract information on structural parameters. However, in wireless SHM systems the centralized processing of structural response data introduces a significant communication bottleneck. Exploiting the merits of decentralization and on-board processing power of wireless SHM systems, many system identification methods have been successfully implemented in wireless sensor networks. While several system identification approaches for wireless SHM systems have been proposed, little attention has been paid to obtaining information on the physical parameters (e.g. stiffness, damping) of the monitored structure. This paper presents a hybrid system identification methodology suitable for wireless sensor networks based on the principles of component mode synthesis (dynamic substructuring). A numerical model of the monitored structure is embedded into the wireless sensor nodes in a distributed manner, i.e. the entire model is segmented into sub-models, each embedded into one sensor node corresponding to the substructure the sensor node is assigned to. The parameters of each sub-model are estimated by extracting local mode shapes and by applying the equations of the Craig-Bampton method on dynamic substructuring. The proposed methodology is validated in a laboratory test conducted on a four-story frame structure to demonstrate the ability of the methodology to yield accurate estimates of stiffness parameters. Finally, the test results are discussed and an outlook on future research directions is provided.

Analysis of a piezoelectric bimorph plate with a central-attached mass as an energy harvester.

PubMed

Jiang, Shunong; Hu, Yuantai

2007-07-01

This article analyzes the performance of a piezoelectric energy harvester in the flexural mode for scavenging ambient vibration energy. The energy harvester consists of a piezoelectric bimorph plate with a central-attached mass. The linear piezoelectricity theory is applied to evaluate the performance dependence upon the physical and geometrical parameters of the model bimorph plate. The analytical solution for the flexural motion of the piezoelectric bimorph plate energy harvester shows that the output power density increases initially, reaches a maximum, then decreases monotonically with the increasing load impedance, which is normalized by a parameter that is a simple combination of the physical and geometrical parameters of the scavenging structure, the bimorph plate, and the frequency of the ambient vibration, underscoring the importance for the load circuit to have the impedance desirable by the scavenging structure. The numerical results illustrate the considerably enhanced performances by adjusting the physical and geometrical parameters of the scavenging structure.

The Influence of Interactions and Minor Mergers on the Structure of Galactic Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarzkopf, U.

1999-07-01

A detailed statistical study is presented focused on the effects of minor mergers and tidal interactions on the radial and vertical structure of galactic disks. The fundamental disk parameters of 112 highly-inclined/edge-on galaxies are studied in optical and in near-infrared passbands. This sample consists of two subsamples of 65 non-interacting and 47 interacting/merging galaxies. Additionally, 41 of these galaxies were observed in the near-infrared. A 3-dimensional disk modelling and -fitting procedure was applied in order to analyze and to compare characteristic disk parameters of all sample galaxies. Furthermore, n-body simulations were performed in order to study the influence of minor mergers in the mass range Msat/Mdisk 0.1 on the vertical structure of disks in spiral galaxies. In particular, the dependence of vertical, tidally-triggered disk thickening on initial disk parameters is investigated. The quantitative results of both simulation and observation are compared in order to find similarities in the distribution of characteristic disk parameters.

Structure and magnetic properties of mechanically alloyed Co and Co-Ni

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guessasma, S.; Fenineche, N.

The influence of milling process on magnetic properties of Co and Co-Ni materials is studied. Coercivity, squareness ratio and crystallite size of mechanically alloyed Co-Ni material were related to milling time. For Co material, coercivity, cubic phase ratio and crystallite size were related to milling energy considering the vial and plateau rotation velocities. An artificial neural network (ANN) combining the parameters for both materials is used to predict magnetic and structure results versus milling conditions. Predicted results showed that milling energy is mostly dependent on the ratio vial to plateau rotation velocities and that milling times larger than 40 h do not add significant change to both structure and magnetic responses. Magnetic parameters were correlated to crystallite size and the D 6 law was only valid for small sizes.

Characterization of compression behaviors of fully covered biodegradable polydioxanone biliary stent for human body: A numerical approach by finite element model.

PubMed

Liu, Yanhui; Zhang, Peihua

2016-09-01

This paper presents a study of the compression behaviors of fully covered biodegradable polydioxanone biliary stents (FCBPBs) developed for human body by finite element method. To investigate the relationship between the compression force and structure parameter (monofilament diameter and braid-pin number), nine numerical models based on actual biliary stent were established, the simulation and experimental results are in good agreement with each other when calculating the compression force derived from both experiment and simulation results, indicating that the simulation results can be provided a useful reference to the investigation of biliary stents. The stress distribution on FCBPBSs was studied to optimize the structure of FCBPBSs. In addition, the plastic dissipation analysis and plastic strain of FCBPBSs were obtained via the compression simulation, revealing the structure parameter effect on the tolerance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermodynamic properties and static structure factor for a Yukawa fluid in the mean spherical approximation.

PubMed

Montes-Perez, J; Cruz-Vera, A; Herrera, J N

2011-12-01

This work presents the full analytic expressions for the thermodynamic properties and the static structure factor for a hard sphere plus 1-Yukawa fluid within the mean spherical approximation. To obtain these properties of the fluid type Yukawa analytically it was necessary to solve an equation of fourth order for the scaling parameter on a large scale. The physical root of this equation was determined by imposing physical conditions. The results of this work are obtained from seminal papers of Blum and Høye. We show that is not necessary the use the series expansion to solve the equation for the scaling parameter. We applied our theoretical result to find the thermodynamic and the static structure factor for krypton. Our results are in good agreement with those obtained in an experimental form or by simulation using the Monte Carlo method.

Parameter Estimation in Atmospheric Data Sets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenig, Mark; Colarco, Peter

2004-01-01

In this study the structure tensor technique is used to estimate dynamical parameters in atmospheric data sets. The structure tensor is a common tool for estimating motion in image sequences. This technique can be extended to estimate other dynamical parameters such as diffusion constants or exponential decay rates. A general mathematical framework was developed for the direct estimation of the physical parameters that govern the underlying processes from image sequences. This estimation technique can be adapted to the specific physical problem under investigation, so it can be used in a variety of applications in trace gas, aerosol, and cloud remote sensing. As a test scenario this technique will be applied to modeled dust data. In this case vertically integrated dust concentrations were used to derive wind information. Those results can be compared to the wind vector fields which served as input to the model. Based on this analysis, a method to compute atmospheric data parameter fields will be presented. .

Discovering Hidden Controlling Parameters using Data Analytics and Dimensional Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Rosario, Zachary; Lee, Minyong; Iaccarino, Gianluca

2017-11-01

Dimensional Analysis is a powerful tool, one which takes a priori information and produces important simplifications. However, if this a priori information - the list of relevant parameters - is missing a relevant quantity, then the conclusions from Dimensional Analysis will be incorrect. In this work, we present novel conclusions in Dimensional Analysis, which provide a means to detect this failure mode of missing or hidden parameters. These results are based on a restated form of the Buckingham Pi theorem that reveals a ridge function structure underlying all dimensionless physical laws. We leverage this structure by constructing a hypothesis test based on sufficient dimension reduction, allowing for an experimental data-driven detection of hidden parameters. Both theory and examples will be presented, using classical turbulent pipe flow as the working example. Keywords: experimental techniques, dimensional analysis, lurking variables, hidden parameters, buckingham pi, data analysis. First author supported by the NSF GRFP under Grant Number DGE-114747.

Quantifying changes in the bone microarchitecture using Minkowski-functionals and scaling vectors: a comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raeth, Christoph W.; Mueller, Dirk; Link, Thomas M.; Boehm, Holger; Monetti, Roberto

2006-03-01

Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease leading to de-mineralization and increased risk of fracture. The two major factors that determine the biomechanical competence of bone are the degree of mineralization and the micro-architectural integrity. Today, modern imaging modalities exist that allow to depict structural details of trabecular bone tissue. Recently, non-linear techniques in 2D and 3D based on the scaling vector method (SVM) and the Minkowski functionals (MF) have been introduced, which show excellent performance in predicting bone strength and fracture risk. However, little is known about the performance of the various parameters with respect to monitoring structural changes due to progression of osteoporosis or as a result of medical treatment. We test and compare the two methodologies using realistic two-dimensional simulations of bone structures, which model the effect of osteoblasts and osteoclasts on the local change of relative bone density. Different realizations with slightly varying control parameters are considered. Our results show that even small changes in the trabecular structures, which are induced by variation of a control parameter of the system, become discernible by applying both the MF and the locally adapted scaling vector method. The results obtained with SVM are superior to those obtained with the Minkowski functionals. An additive combination of both measures drastically increases the sensitivity to slight changes in bone structures. These findings may be especially important for monitoring the treatment of patients, where the early recognition of (drug-induced) changes in the trabecular structure is crucial.

Spacecraft structural system identification by modal test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, J.-C.; Peretti, L. F.; Garba, J. A.

1984-01-01

A structural parameter estimation procedure using the measured natural frequencies and kinetic energy distribution as observers is proposed. The theoretical derivation of the estimation procedure is described and its constraints and limitations are explained. This procedure is applied to a large complex spacecraft structural system to identify the inertia matrix using modal test results. The inertia matrix is chosen after the stiffness matrix has been updated by the static test results.

A Fast Surrogate-facilitated Data-driven Bayesian Approach to Uncertainty Quantification of a Regional Groundwater Flow Model with Structural Error

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, T.; Valocchi, A. J.; Ye, M.; Liang, F.

2016-12-01

Due to simplification and/or misrepresentation of the real aquifer system, numerical groundwater flow and solute transport models are usually subject to model structural error. During model calibration, the hydrogeological parameters may be overly adjusted to compensate for unknown structural error. This may result in biased predictions when models are used to forecast aquifer response to new forcing. In this study, we extend a fully Bayesian method [Xu and Valocchi, 2015] to calibrate a real-world, regional groundwater flow model. The method uses a data-driven error model to describe model structural error and jointly infers model parameters and structural error. In this study, Bayesian inference is facilitated using high performance computing and fast surrogate models. The surrogate models are constructed using machine learning techniques to emulate the response simulated by the computationally expensive groundwater model. We demonstrate in the real-world case study that explicitly accounting for model structural error yields parameter posterior distributions that are substantially different from those derived by the classical Bayesian calibration that does not account for model structural error. In addition, the Bayesian with error model method gives significantly more accurate prediction along with reasonable credible intervals.

Density functional calculations of the Mössbauer parameters in hexagonal ferrite SrFe12O19

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeno, Hidekazu

2018-03-01

Mössbauer parameters in a magnetoplumbite-type hexagonal ferrite, SrFe12O19, are computed using the all-electron band structure calculation based on the density functional theory. The theoretical isomer shift and quadrupole splitting are consistent with experimentally obtained values. The absolute values of hyperfine splitting parameters are found to be underestimated, but the relative scale can be reproduced. The present results validate the site-dependence of Mössbauer parameters obtained by analyzing experimental spectra of hexagonal ferrites. The results also show the usefulness of theoretical calculations for increasing the reliability of interpretation of the Mössbauer spectra.

A comprehensive study of g-factors, elastic, structural and electronic properties of III-V semiconductors using hybrid-density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastos, Carlos M. O.; Sabino, Fernando P.; Sipahi, Guilherme M.; Da Silva, Juarez L. F.

2018-02-01

Despite the large number of theoretical III-V semiconductor studies reported every year, our atomistic understanding is still limited. The limitations of the theoretical approaches to yield accurate structural and electronic properties on an equal footing, is due to the unphysical self-interaction problem that mainly affects the band gap and spin-orbit splitting (SOC) in semiconductors and, in particular, III-V systems with similar magnitude of the band gap and SOC. In this work, we report a consistent study of the structural and electronic properties of the III-V semiconductors by using the screening hybrid-density functional theory framework, by fitting the α parameters for 12 different III-V compounds, namely, AlN, AlP, AlAs, AlSb, GaN, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, InN, InP, InAs, and InSb, to minimize the deviation between the theoretical and experimental values of the band gap and SOC. Structural relaxation effects were also included. Except for AlP, whose α = 0.127, we obtained α values that ranged from 0.209 to 0.343, which deviate by less than 0.1 from the universal value of 0.25. Our results for the lattice parameter and elastic constants indicate that the fitting of α does not affect those structural parameters when compared with the HSE06 functional, where α = 0.25. Our analysis of the band structure based on the k ṡ p method shows that the effective masses are in agreement with the experimental values, which can be attributed to the simultaneous fitting of the band gap and SOC. Also, we estimate the values of g-factors, extracted directly from the band structure, which are close to experimental results, which indicate that the obtained band structure produced a realistic set of k ṡ p parameters.

AB INITIO Molecular Dynamics Simulations on Local Structure and Electronic Properties in Liquid MgxBi1-x Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Qing-Hai; You, Yu-Wei; Kong, Xiang-Shan; Liu, C. S.

2013-03-01

The microscopic structure and dynamics of liquid MgxBi1-x(x = 0.5, 0.6, 0.7) alloys together with pure liquid Mg and Bi metals were investigated by means of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. We present results of structure properties including pair correlation function, structural factor, bond-angle distribution function and bond order parameter, and their composition dependence. The dynamical and electronic properties have also been studied. The structure factor and pair correlation function are in agreement with the available experimental data. The calculated bond-angle distribution function and bond order parameter suggest that the stoichiometric composition Mg3Bi2 exhibits a different local structure order compared with other concentrations, which help us understand the appearance of the minimum electronic conductivity at this composition observed in previous experiments.

The Description of Shale Reservoir Pore Structure Based on Method of Moments Estimation

PubMed Central

Li, Wenjie; Wang, Changcheng; Shi, Zejin; Wei, Yi; Zhou, Huailai; Deng, Kun

2016-01-01

Shale has been considered as good gas reservoir due to its abundant interior nanoscale pores. Thus, the study of the pore structure of shale is of great significance for the evaluation and development of shale oil and gas. To date, the most widely used approaches for studying the shale pore structure include image analysis, radiation and fluid invasion methods. The detailed pore structures can be studied intuitively by image analysis and radiation methods, but the results obtained are quite sensitive to sample preparation, equipment performance and experimental operation. In contrast, the fluid invasion method can be used to obtain information on pore size distribution and pore structure, but the relative simple parameters derived cannot be used to evaluate the pore structure of shale comprehensively and quantitatively. To characterize the nanoscale pore structure of shale reservoir more effectively and expand the current research techniques, we proposed a new method based on gas adsorption experimental data and the method of moments to describe the pore structure parameters of shale reservoir. Combined with the geological mixture empirical distribution and the method of moments estimation principle, the new method calculates the characteristic parameters of shale, including the mean pore size (x¯), standard deviation (σ), skewness (Sk) and variation coefficient (c). These values are found by reconstructing the grouping intervals of observation values and optimizing algorithms for eigenvalues. This approach assures a more effective description of the characteristics of nanoscale pore structures. Finally, the new method has been applied to analyze the Yanchang shale in the Ordos Basin (China) and Longmaxi shale from the Sichuan Basin (China). The results obtained well reveal the pore characteristics of shale, indicating the feasibility of this new method in the study of the pore structure of shale reservoir. PMID:26992168

The Description of Shale Reservoir Pore Structure Based on Method of Moments Estimation.

PubMed

Li, Wenjie; Wang, Changcheng; Shi, Zejin; Wei, Yi; Zhou, Huailai; Deng, Kun

2016-01-01

Shale has been considered as good gas reservoir due to its abundant interior nanoscale pores. Thus, the study of the pore structure of shale is of great significance for the evaluation and development of shale oil and gas. To date, the most widely used approaches for studying the shale pore structure include image analysis, radiation and fluid invasion methods. The detailed pore structures can be studied intuitively by image analysis and radiation methods, but the results obtained are quite sensitive to sample preparation, equipment performance and experimental operation. In contrast, the fluid invasion method can be used to obtain information on pore size distribution and pore structure, but the relative simple parameters derived cannot be used to evaluate the pore structure of shale comprehensively and quantitatively. To characterize the nanoscale pore structure of shale reservoir more effectively and expand the current research techniques, we proposed a new method based on gas adsorption experimental data and the method of moments to describe the pore structure parameters of shale reservoir. Combined with the geological mixture empirical distribution and the method of moments estimation principle, the new method calculates the characteristic parameters of shale, including the mean pore size (mean), standard deviation (σ), skewness (Sk) and variation coefficient (c). These values are found by reconstructing the grouping intervals of observation values and optimizing algorithms for eigenvalues. This approach assures a more effective description of the characteristics of nanoscale pore structures. Finally, the new method has been applied to analyze the Yanchang shale in the Ordos Basin (China) and Longmaxi shale from the Sichuan Basin (China). The results obtained well reveal the pore characteristics of shale, indicating the feasibility of this new method in the study of the pore structure of shale reservoir.

Large-eddy simulations of surface roughness parameter sensitivity to canopy-structure characteristics

DOE PAGES

Maurer, K. D.; Bohrer, G.; Kenny, W. T.; ...

2015-04-30

Surface roughness parameters, namely the roughness length and displacement height, are an integral input used to model surface fluxes. However, most models assume these parameters to be a fixed property of plant functional type and disregard the governing structural heterogeneity and dynamics. In this study, we use large-eddy simulations to explore, in silico, the effects of canopy-structure characteristics on surface roughness parameters. We performed a virtual experiment to test the sensitivity of resolved surface roughness to four axes of canopy structure: (1) leaf area index, (2) the vertical profile of leaf density, (3) canopy height, and (4) canopy gap fraction.more » We found roughness parameters to be highly variable, but uncovered positive relationships between displacement height and maximum canopy height, aerodynamic canopy height and maximum canopy height and leaf area index, and eddy-penetration depth and gap fraction. We also found negative relationships between aerodynamic canopy height and gap fraction, as well as between eddy-penetration depth and maximum canopy height and leaf area index. We generalized our model results into a virtual "biometric" parameterization that relates roughness length and displacement height to canopy height, leaf area index, and gap fraction. Using a decade of wind and canopy-structure observations in a site in Michigan, we tested the effectiveness of our model-driven biometric parameterization approach in predicting the friction velocity over heterogeneous and disturbed canopies. We compared the accuracy of these predictions with the friction-velocity predictions obtained from the common simple approximation related to canopy height, the values calculated with large-eddy simulations of the explicit canopy structure as measured by airborne and ground-based lidar, two other parameterization approaches that utilize varying canopy-structure inputs, and the annual and decadal means of the surface roughness parameters at the site from meteorological observations. We found that the classical representation of constant roughness parameters (in space and time) as a fraction of canopy height performed relatively well. Nonetheless, of the approaches we tested, most of the empirical approaches that incorporate seasonal and interannual variation of roughness length and displacement height as a function of the dynamics of canopy structure produced more precise and less biased estimates for friction velocity than models with temporally invariable parameters.« less

Large-eddy simulations of surface roughness parameter sensitivity to canopy-structure characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, K. D.; Bohrer, G.; Kenny, W. T.; Ivanov, V. Y.

2015-04-01

Surface roughness parameters, namely the roughness length and displacement height, are an integral input used to model surface fluxes. However, most models assume these parameters to be a fixed property of plant functional type and disregard the governing structural heterogeneity and dynamics. In this study, we use large-eddy simulations to explore, in silico, the effects of canopy-structure characteristics on surface roughness parameters. We performed a virtual experiment to test the sensitivity of resolved surface roughness to four axes of canopy structure: (1) leaf area index, (2) the vertical profile of leaf density, (3) canopy height, and (4) canopy gap fraction. We found roughness parameters to be highly variable, but uncovered positive relationships between displacement height and maximum canopy height, aerodynamic canopy height and maximum canopy height and leaf area index, and eddy-penetration depth and gap fraction. We also found negative relationships between aerodynamic canopy height and gap fraction, as well as between eddy-penetration depth and maximum canopy height and leaf area index. We generalized our model results into a virtual "biometric" parameterization that relates roughness length and displacement height to canopy height, leaf area index, and gap fraction. Using a decade of wind and canopy-structure observations in a site in Michigan, we tested the effectiveness of our model-driven biometric parameterization approach in predicting the friction velocity over heterogeneous and disturbed canopies. We compared the accuracy of these predictions with the friction-velocity predictions obtained from the common simple approximation related to canopy height, the values calculated with large-eddy simulations of the explicit canopy structure as measured by airborne and ground-based lidar, two other parameterization approaches that utilize varying canopy-structure inputs, and the annual and decadal means of the surface roughness parameters at the site from meteorological observations. We found that the classical representation of constant roughness parameters (in space and time) as a fraction of canopy height performed relatively well. Nonetheless, of the approaches we tested, most of the empirical approaches that incorporate seasonal and interannual variation of roughness length and displacement height as a function of the dynamics of canopy structure produced more precise and less biased estimates for friction velocity than models with temporally invariable parameters.

Improving substructure identification accuracy of shear structures using virtual control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dongyu; Yang, Yang; Wang, Tingqiang; Li, Hui

2018-02-01

Substructure identification is a powerful tool to identify the parameters of a complex structure. Previously, the authors developed an inductive substructure identification method for shear structures. The identification error analysis showed that the identification accuracy of this method is significantly influenced by the magnitudes of two key structural responses near a certain frequency; if these responses are unfavorable, the method cannot provide accurate estimation results. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to improve the substructure identification accuracy by introducing a virtual control system (VCS) into the structure. A virtual control system is a self-balanced system, which consists of some control devices and a set of self-balanced forces. The self-balanced forces counterbalance the forces that the control devices apply on the structure. The control devices are combined with the structure to form a controlled structure used to replace the original structure in the substructure identification; and the self-balance forces are treated as known external excitations to the controlled structure. By optimally tuning the VCS’s parameters, the dynamic characteristics of the controlled structure can be changed such that the original structural responses become more favorable for the substructure identification and, thus, the identification accuracy is improved. A numerical example of 6-story shear structure is utilized to verify the effectiveness of the VCS based controlled substructure identification method. Finally, shake table tests are conducted on a 3-story structural model to verify the efficacy of the VCS to enhance the identification accuracy of the structural parameters.

Some issues related to the novel spectral acceleration method for the fast computation of radiation/scattering from one-dimensional extremely large scale quasi-planar structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torrungrueng, Danai; Johnson, Joel T.; Chou, Hsi-Tseng

2002-03-01

The novel spectral acceleration (NSA) algorithm has been shown to produce an $[\\mathcal{O}]$(Ntot) efficient iterative method of moments for the computation of radiation/scattering from both one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional large-scale quasi-planar structures, where Ntot is the total number of unknowns to be solved. This method accelerates the matrix-vector multiplication in an iterative method of moments solution and divides contributions between points into ``strong'' (exact matrix elements) and ``weak'' (NSA algorithm) regions. The NSA method is based on a spectral representation of the electromagnetic Green's function and appropriate contour deformation, resulting in a fast multipole-like formulation in which contributions from large numbers of points to a single point are evaluated simultaneously. In the standard NSA algorithm the NSA parameters are derived on the basis of the assumption that the outermost possible saddle point, φs,max, along the real axis in the complex angular domain is small. For given height variations of quasi-planar structures, this assumption can be satisfied by adjusting the size of the strong region Ls. However, for quasi-planar structures with large height variations, the adjusted size of the strong region is typically large, resulting in significant increases in computational time for the computation of the strong-region contribution and degrading overall efficiency of the NSA algorithm. In addition, for the case of extremely large scale structures, studies based on the physical optics approximation and a flat surface assumption show that the given NSA parameters in the standard NSA algorithm may yield inaccurate results. In this paper, analytical formulas associated with the NSA parameters for an arbitrary value of φs,max are presented, resulting in more flexibility in selecting Ls to compromise between the computation of the contributions of the strong and weak regions. In addition, a ``multilevel'' algorithm, decomposing 1-D extremely large scale quasi-planar structures into more than one weak region and appropriately choosing the NSA parameters for each weak region, is incorporated into the original NSA method to improve its accuracy.

Testing the Visual Soil Assessment tool on Estonian farm fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reintam, Endla; Are, Mihkel; Selge, Are

2017-04-01

Soil quality estimation plays important role in decision making on farm as well on policy level. Sustaining the production ability and good health of the soil the chemical, physical and biological indicators should be taken into account. The system to use soil chemical parameters is usually quite well established in most European counties, including Estonia. However, measuring soil physical properties, such bulk density, porosity, penetration resistance, structural stability ect is time consuming, needs special tools and is highly weather dependent. In that reason these parameters are excluded from controllable quality parameters in policy in Estonia. Within the project "Interactive Soil Quality Assessment in Europe and China for Agricultural Productivity and Environmental Resilience" (iSQAPER) the visual soil assessment (VSA) tool was developed for easy detection of soil quality as well the different soil friendly agricultural management practices (AMP) were detected. The aim of current study was to test the VSA tool on Estonian farm fields under different management practices and compare the results with laboratory measurements. The main focus was set on soil physical parameters. Next to the VSA, the undisturbed soil samples were collected from the depth of 5-10 cm and 25-30 cm. The study revealed that results of a visually assessed soil physical parameters, such a soil structure, soil structural stability, soil porosity, presence of tillage pan, were confirmed by laboratory measurements in most cases. Soil water stable structure measurement on field (on 1 cm2 net in one 1 l box with 4-6 cm air dry clods for 5-10 min) underestimated very well structured soil on grassland and overestimated the structure aggregates stability of compacted soil. The slightly better soil quality was detected under no-tillage compared to ploughed soils. However, the ploughed soil got higher quality points compared with minimum tillage. The slurry application (organic manuring) had controversial impact - it increased the number of earthworms but decreased soil structural stability. Even the manuring with slurry increases organic matter amount in the soil, the compaction due to the use of heavy machinery during the application, especially on wet soil, reduces the positive effect of slurry.

Creating Masterpieces: How Course Structures and Routines Enable Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Kathy Lund; Fornaciari, Charles J.

2014-01-01

Over a five-year period, we made a persistent observation: Course structures and routines, such as assignment parameters, student group process rules, and grading schemes were being consistently ignored. As a result, we got distracted by correcting these structural issues and were spending less time on student assignment performance. In this…

Dynamic modeling, property investigation, and adaptive controller design of serial robotic manipulators modeled with structural compliance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tesar, Delbert; Tosunoglu, Sabri; Lin, Shyng-Her

1990-01-01

Research results on general serial robotic manipulators modeled with structural compliances are presented. Two compliant manipulator modeling approaches, distributed and lumped parameter models, are used in this study. System dynamic equations for both compliant models are derived by using the first and second order influence coefficients. Also, the properties of compliant manipulator system dynamics are investigated. One of the properties, which is defined as inaccessibility of vibratory modes, is shown to display a distinct character associated with compliant manipulators. This property indicates the impact of robot geometry on the control of structural oscillations. Example studies are provided to illustrate the physical interpretation of inaccessibility of vibratory modes. Two types of controllers are designed for compliant manipulators modeled by either lumped or distributed parameter techniques. In order to maintain the generality of the results, neither linearization is introduced. Example simulations are given to demonstrate the controller performance. The second type controller is also built for general serial robot arms and is adaptive in nature which can estimate uncertain payload parameters on-line and simultaneously maintain trajectory tracking properties. The relation between manipulator motion tracking capability and convergence of parameter estimation properties is discussed through example case studies. The effect of control input update delays on adaptive controller performance is also studied.

Residual Stress Measurement and Calibration for A7N01 Aluminum Alloy Welded Joints by Using Longitudinal Critically Refracted ( LCR) Wave Transmission Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qimeng; Chen, Jia; Gou, Guoqing; Chen, Hui; Li, Peng; Gao, W.

2016-10-01

Residual stress measurement and control are highly important for the safety of structures of high-speed trains, which is critical for the structure design. The longitudinal critically refracted wave technology is the most widely used method in measuring residual stress with ultrasonic method, but its accuracy is strongly related to the test parameters, namely the flight time at the free-stress condition ( t 0), stress coefficient ( K), and initial stress (σ0) of the measured materials. The difference of microstructure in the weld zone, heat affected zone, and base metal (BM) results in the divergence of experimental parameters. However, the majority of researchers use the BM parameters to determine the residual stress in other zones and ignore the initial stress (σ0) in calibration samples. Therefore, the measured residual stress in different zones is often high in errors and may result in the miscalculation of the safe design of important structures. A serious problem in the ultrasonic estimation of residual stresses requires separation between the microstructure and the acoustoelastic effects. In this paper, the effects of initial stress and microstructure on stress coefficient K and flight time t 0 at free-stress conditions have been studied. The residual stress with or without different corrections was investigated. The results indicated that the residual stresses obtained with correction are more accurate for structure design.

Optimization of Silicon parameters as a betavoltaic battery: Comparison of Si p-n and Ni/Si Schottky barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmani, Faezeh; Khosravinia, Hossein

2016-08-01

Theoretical studies on the optimization of Silicon (Si) parameters as the base of betavoltaic battery have been presented using Monte Carlo simulations and the state equations in semiconductor to obtain maximum power. Si with active area of 1 cm2 has been considered in p-n junction and Schottky barrier structure to collect the radiation induced-charge from 10 mCi cm-2 of Nickle-63 (63Ni) Source. The results show that the betavoltaic conversion efficiency in the Si p-n structure is about 2.7 times higher than that in the Ni/Si Schottky barrier structure.

Variations in the fine-structure constant constraining gravity theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezerra, V. B.; Cunha, M. S.; Muniz, C. R.; Tahim, M. O.; Vieira, H. S.

2016-08-01

In this paper, we investigate how the fine-structure constant, α, locally varies in the presence of a static and spherically symmetric gravitational source. The procedure consists in calculating the solution and the energy eigenvalues of a massive scalar field around that source, considering the weak-field regime. From this result, we obtain expressions for a spatially variable fine-structure constant by considering suitable modifications in the involved parameters admitting some scenarios of semi-classical and quantum gravities. Constraints on free parameters of the approached theories are calculated from astrophysical observations of the emission spectra of a white dwarf. Such constraints are finally compared with those obtained in the literature.

Linear laser diode arrays for improvement in optical disk recording for space stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alphonse, G. A.; Carlin, D. B.; Connolly, J. C.

1990-01-01

The design and fabrication of individually addressable laser diode arrays for high performance magneto-optic recording systems are presented. Ten diode arrays with 30 mW cW light output, linear light vs. current characteristics and single longitudinal mode spectrum were fabricated using channel substrate planar (CSP) structures. Preliminary results on the inverse CSP structure, whose fabrication is less critically dependent on device parameters than the CSP, are also presented. The impact of systems parameters and requirements, in particular, the effect of feedback on laser design is assessed, and techniques to reduce feedback or minimize its effect on systems performance, including mode-stabilized structures, are evaluated.

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

Bernal, José Luis; Cuesta, Antonio J.; Verde, Licia, E-mail: joseluis.bernal@icc.ub.edu, E-mail: liciaverde@icc.ub.edu, E-mail: ajcuesta@icc.ub.edu

We perform an empirical consistency test of General Relativity/dark energy by disentangling expansion history and growth of structure constraints. We replace each late-universe parameter that describes the behavior of dark energy with two meta-parameters: one describing geometrical information in cosmological probes, and the other controlling the growth of structure. If the underlying model (a standard wCDM cosmology with General Relativity) is correct, that is under the null hypothesis, the two meta-parameters coincide. If they do not, it could indicate a failure of the model or systematics in the data. We present a global analysis using state-of-the-art cosmological data sets whichmore » points in the direction that cosmic structures prefer a weaker growth than that inferred by background probes. This result could signify inconsistencies of the model, the necessity of extensions to it or the presence of systematic errors in the data. We examine all these possibilities. The fact that the result is mostly driven by a specific sub-set of galaxy clusters abundance data, points to the need of a better understanding of this probe.« less

Anomalous anisotropic compression behavior of superconducting CrAs under high pressure

PubMed Central

Yu, Zhenhai; Wu, Wei; Hu, Qingyang; Zhao, Jinggeng; Li, Chunyu; Yang, Ke; Cheng, Jinguang; Luo, Jianlin; Wang, Lin; Mao, Ho-kwang

2015-01-01

CrAs was observed to possess the bulk superconductivity under high-pressure conditions. To understand the superconducting mechanism and explore the correlation between the structure and superconductivity, the high-pressure structural evolution of CrAs was investigated using the angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The structure of CrAs remains stable up to 1.8 GPa, whereas the lattice parameters exhibit anomalous compression behaviors. With increasing pressure, the lattice parameters a and c both demonstrate a nonmonotonic change, and the lattice parameter b undergoes a rapid contraction at ∼0.18−0.35 GPa, which suggests that a pressure-induced isostructural phase transition occurs in CrAs. Above the phase transition pressure, the axial compressibilities of CrAs present remarkable anisotropy. A schematic band model was used to address the anomalous compression behavior of CrAs. The present results shed light on the structural and related electronic responses to high pressure, which play a key role toward understanding the superconductivity of CrAs. PMID:26627230

Relationship between bacterial diversity and environmental parameters during composting of different raw materials.

PubMed

Wang, Xueqin; Cui, Hongyang; Shi, Jianhong; Zhao, Xinyu; Zhao, Yue; Wei, Zimin

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to compare the bacterial structure of seven different composts. The primary environmental factors affecting bacterial species were identified, and a strategy to enhance the abundance of uncultured bacteria through controlling relevant environmental parameters was proposed. The results showed that the physical-chemical parameters of each different pile changed in its own manner during composting, which affected the structure and succession of bacteria in different ways. DGGE profiles showed that there were 10 prominent species during composting. Among them, four species existed in all compost types, two species existed in several piles and four species were detected in a single material. Redundancy analysis results showed that bacterial species compositions were significantly influenced by C/N and moisture (p<0.05). The optimal range of C/N was 14-27. Based on these results, the primary environmental factors affecting a certain species were further identified as a potential control of bacterial diversity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermal characterization of TiCxOy thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, A. C.; Vaz, F.; Gören, A.; Junge, K. H.; Gibkes, J.; Bein, B. K.; Macedo, F.

2008-01-01

Thermal wave characterization of thin films used in industrial applications can be a useful tool, not just to get information on the films' thermal properties, but to get information on structural-physical parameters, e.g. crystalline structure and surface roughness, and on the film deposition conditions, since the thermal film properties are directly related to the structural-physical parameters and to the deposition conditions. Different sets of TiCXOY thin films, deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on steel, have been prepared, changing only one deposition parameter at a time. Here, the effect of the oxygen flow on the thermal film properties is studied. The thermal waves have been measured by modulated IR radiometry, and the phase lag data have been interpreted using an Extremum method by which the thermal coating parameters are directly related to the values and modulation frequencies of the relative extrema of the inverse calibrated thermal wave phases. Structural/morphological characterization has been done using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The characterization of the films also includes thickness, hardness, and electric resistivity measurements. The results obtained so far indicate strong correlations between the thermal diffusivity and conductivity, on the one hand, and the oxygen flow on the other hand.

Effect of the cation model on the equilibrium structure of poly-L-glutamate in aqueous sodium chloride solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchand, Gabriel; Soetens, Jean-Christophe; Jacquemin, Denis; Bopp, Philippe A.

2015-12-01

We demonstrate that different sets of Lennard-Jones parameters proposed for the Na+ ion, in conjunction with the empirical combining rules routinely used in simulation packages, can lead to essentially different equilibrium structures for a deprotonated poly-L-glutamic acid molecule (poly-L-glutamate) dissolved in a 0.3M aqueous NaCl solution. It is, however, difficult to discriminate a priori between these model potentials; when investigating the structure of the Na+-solvation shell in bulk NaCl solution, all parameter sets lead to radial distribution functions and solvation numbers in broad agreement with the available experimental data. We do not find any such dependency of the equilibrium structure on the parameters associated with the Cl- ion. This work does not aim at recommending a particular set of parameters for any particular purpose. Instead, it stresses the model dependence of simulation results for complex systems such as biomolecules in solution and thus the difficulties if simulations are to be used for unbiased predictions, or to discriminate between contradictory experiments. However, this opens the possibility of validating a model specifically in view of analyzing experimental data believed to be reliable.

Approximation techniques for parameter estimation and feedback control for distributed models of large flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, H. T.; Rosen, I. G.

1984-01-01

Approximation ideas are discussed that can be used in parameter estimation and feedback control for Euler-Bernoulli models of elastic systems. Focusing on parameter estimation problems, ways by which one can obtain convergence results for cubic spline based schemes for hybrid models involving an elastic cantilevered beam with tip mass and base acceleration are outlined. Sample numerical findings are also presented.

Theory of structure formation in snowfields motivated by penitentes, suncups, and dirt cones.

PubMed

Betterton, M D

2001-05-01

Penitentes and suncups are structures formed as snow melts, typically high in the mountains. When the snow is dirty, dirt cones and other structures can form instead. Building on previous field observations and experiments, this paper presents a theory of ablation morphologies, and the role of surface dirt in determining the structures formed. The glaciological literature indicates that sunlight, heating from air, and dirt all play a role in the formation of structure on an ablating snow surface. The present paper formulates a minimal model for the formation of ablation morphologies as a function of measurable parameters and considers the linear stability of this model. The dependence of ablation morphologies on weather conditions and initial dirt thickness is studied, focusing on the initial growth of perturbations away from a flat surface. We derive a single-parameter expression for the melting rate as a function of dirt thickness, which agrees well with a set of measurements by Driedger. An interesting result is the prediction of a dirt-induced traveling instability for a range of parameters.

Numerical study on characteristic of two-dimensional metal/dielectric photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zong, Yi-Xin; Xia, Jian-Bai; Wu, Hai-Bin

2017-04-01

An improved plan-wave expansion method is adopted to theoretically study the photonic band diagrams of two-dimensional (2D) metal/dielectric photonic crystals. Based on the photonic band structures, the dependence of flat bands and photonic bandgaps on two parameters (dielectric constant and filling factor) are investigated for two types of 2D metal/dielectric (M/D) photonic crystals, hole and cylinder photonic crystals. The simulation results show that band structures are affected greatly by these two parameters. Flat bands and bandgaps can be easily obtained by tuning these parameters and the bandgap width may reach to the maximum at certain parameters. It is worth noting that the hole-type photonic crystals show more bandgaps than the corresponding cylinder ones, and the frequency ranges of bandgaps also depend strongly on these parameters. Besides, the photonic crystals containing metallic medium can obtain more modulation of photonic bands, band gaps, and large effective refractive index, etc. than the dielectric/dielectric ones. According to the numerical results, the needs of optical devices for flat bands and bandgaps can be met by selecting the suitable geometry and material parameters. Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2011CB922200) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 605210010).

A pharmacometric case study regarding the sensitivity of structural model parameter estimation to error in patient reported dosing times.

PubMed

Knights, Jonathan; Rohatagi, Shashank

2015-12-01

Although there is a body of literature focused on minimizing the effect of dosing inaccuracies on pharmacokinetic (PK) parameter estimation, most of the work centers on missing doses. No attempt has been made to specifically characterize the effect of error in reported dosing times. Additionally, existing work has largely dealt with cases in which the compound of interest is dosed at an interval no less than its terminal half-life. This work provides a case study investigating how error in patient reported dosing times might affect the accuracy of structural model parameter estimation under sparse sampling conditions when the dosing interval is less than the terminal half-life of the compound, and the underlying kinetics are monoexponential. Additional effects due to noncompliance with dosing events are not explored and it is assumed that the structural model and reasonable initial estimates of the model parameters are known. Under the conditions of our simulations, with structural model CV % ranging from ~20 to 60 %, parameter estimation inaccuracy derived from error in reported dosing times was largely controlled around 10 % on average. Given that no observed dosing was included in the design and sparse sampling was utilized, we believe these error results represent a practical ceiling given the variability and parameter estimates for the one-compartment model. The findings suggest additional investigations may be of interest and are noteworthy given the inability of current PK software platforms to accommodate error in dosing times.

Tree Colors: Color Schemes for Tree-Structured Data.

PubMed

Tennekes, Martijn; de Jonge, Edwin

2014-12-01

We present a method to map tree structures to colors from the Hue-Chroma-Luminance color model, which is known for its well balanced perceptual properties. The Tree Colors method can be tuned with several parameters, whose effect on the resulting color schemes is discussed in detail. We provide a free and open source implementation with sensible parameter defaults. Categorical data are very common in statistical graphics, and often these categories form a classification tree. We evaluate applying Tree Colors to tree structured data with a survey on a large group of users from a national statistical institute. Our user study suggests that Tree Colors are useful, not only for improving node-link diagrams, but also for unveiling tree structure in non-hierarchical visualizations.

Process optimization for ultrasonic vibration assisted polishing of micro-structured surfaces on super hard material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhiyuan; Guo, Bing; Rao, Zhimin; Zhao, Qingliang

2014-08-01

In consideration of the excellent property of SiC, the ground micro-structured surface quality is hard to meet the requirement - consequently the ultrasonic vibration assisted polishing (UVAP) of micro-structures of molds is proposed in this paper. Through the orthogonal experiment, the parameters of UVAP of micro-structures were optimized. The experimental results show that, abrasive polishing process, the effect of the workpiece feed rate on the surface roughness (Ra), groove tip radius (R) and material removal rate (MRR) of micro-structures is significant. While, the UVAP, the most significant effect factor for Ra, R and MRR is the ultrasonic amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration. In addition, within the scope of the polishing process parameters selected by preliminary experiments, ultrasonic amplitude of 2.5μm, polishing force of 0.5N, workpiece feed rate of 5 mm·min-1, polishing wheel rotational speed of 50rpm, polishing time of 35min, abrasive size of 100nm and the polishing liquid concentration of 15% is the best technology of UVAP of micro-structures. Under the optimal parameters, the ground traces on the micro-structured surface were removed efficiently and the integrity of the edges of the micro-structure after grinding was maintained efficiently.

The structure and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 thin films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, W. J.; Hsu, C. Y.; Liu, Y. W.; Hsu, R. Q.; Lu, T. W.; Hu, C. C.

2012-12-01

This paper seeks to determine the optimal settings for the deposition parameters, for TiO2 thin film, prepared on non-alkali glass substrates, by direct current (dc) sputtering, using a ceramic TiO2 target in an argon gas environment. An orthogonal array, the signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance are used to analyze the effect of the deposition parameters. Using the Taguchi method for design of a robust experiment, the interactions between factors are also investigated. The main deposition parameters, such as dc power (W), sputtering pressure (Pa), substrate temperature (°C) and deposition time (min), were optimized, with reference to the structure and photocatalytic characteristics of TiO2. The results of this study show that substrate temperature and deposition time have the most significant effect on photocatalytic performance. For the optimal combination of deposition parameters, the (1 1 0) and (2 0 0) peaks of the rutile structure and the (2 0 0) peak of the anatase structure were observed, at 2θ ˜ 27.4°, 39.2° and 48°, respectively. The experimental results illustrate that the Taguchi method allowed a suitable solution to the problem, with the minimum number of trials, compared to a full factorial design. The adhesion of the coatings was also measured and evaluated, via a scratch test. Superior wear behavior was observed, for the TiO2 film, because of the increased strength of the interface of micro-blasted tools.

Evaluation of Sentinel-1A Data For Above Ground Biomass Estimation in Different Forests in India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vadrevu, Krishna Prasad

2017-01-01

Use of remote sensing data for mapping and monitoring of forest biomass across large spatial scales can aid in addressing uncertainties in carbon cycle. Earlier, several researchers reported on the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for characterizing forest structural parameters and the above ground biomass estimation. However, these studies cannot be generalized and the algorithms cannot be applied to all types of forests without additional information on the forest physiognomy, stand structure and biomass characteristics. The radar backscatter signal also saturates as forest parameters such as biomass and the tree height increase. It is also not clear how different polarizations (VV versus VH) impact the backscatter retrievals in different forested regions. Thus, it is important to evaluate the potential of SAR data in different landscapes for characterizing forest structural parameters. In this study, the SAR data from Sentinel-1A has been used to characterize forest structural parameters including the above ground biomass from tropical forests of India. Ground based data on tree density, basal area and above ground biomass data from thirty-eight different forested sites has been collected to relate to SAR data. After the pre-processing of Sentinel 1-A data for radiometric calibration, geo-correction, terrain correction and speckle filtering, the variability in the backscatter signal in relation tree density, basal area and above biomass density has been investigated. Results from the curve fitting approach suggested exponential model between the Sentinel-1A backscatter versus tree density and above ground biomass whereas the relationship was almost linear with the basal area in the VV polarization mode. Of the different parameters, tree density could explain most of the variations in backscatter. Both VV and VH backscatter signals could explain only thirty and thirty three percent of variation in above biomass in different forest sites of India. Results also suggested saturation of the Sentinel-1A backscatter signal around hundred tonnes per hectare for VV polarization and one hundred and forty five tonnes per hectare for VH polarization. The presentation will highlight the above results in addition to potentials and limitations of Sentinel-1A data for retrieving forest structural parameters. Also, background information on different forest types of India, biomass variations and forest type mapping efforts in the region will be presented.

Set-base dynamical parameter estimation and model invalidation for biochemical reaction networks

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Mathematical modeling and analysis have become, for the study of biological and cellular processes, an important complement to experimental research. However, the structural and quantitative knowledge available for such processes is frequently limited, and measurements are often subject to inherent and possibly large uncertainties. This results in competing model hypotheses, whose kinetic parameters may not be experimentally determinable. Discriminating among these alternatives and estimating their kinetic parameters is crucial to improve the understanding of the considered process, and to benefit from the analytical tools at hand. Results In this work we present a set-based framework that allows to discriminate between competing model hypotheses and to provide guaranteed outer estimates on the model parameters that are consistent with the (possibly sparse and uncertain) experimental measurements. This is obtained by means of exact proofs of model invalidity that exploit the polynomial/rational structure of biochemical reaction networks, and by making use of an efficient strategy to balance solution accuracy and computational effort. Conclusions The practicability of our approach is illustrated with two case studies. The first study shows that our approach allows to conclusively rule out wrong model hypotheses. The second study focuses on parameter estimation, and shows that the proposed method allows to evaluate the global influence of measurement sparsity, uncertainty, and prior knowledge on the parameter estimates. This can help in designing further experiments leading to improved parameter estimates. PMID:20500862

Physico-chemical characterization of products from vacuum oil under delayed coking process by infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meléndez, L. V.; Cabanzo, R.; Mejía-Ospino, E.; Guzmán, A.

2016-02-01

Eight vacuum residues and their delayed coking liquids products from Colombian crude were study by infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and principal component analysis (PCA). For the samples the structural parameters of aromaticity factor (fa), alifaticity (A2500-3100cm-1), aromatic condensation degree (GCA), length of aliphatic chains (LCA) and aliphatic chain length associated with aromatic (LACAR) were determined through the development of a methodology, which includes the previous processing of spectroscopy data, identifying the regions in the IR spectra of greatest variance using PCA and molecules patterns. The parameters were compared with the results obtained from proton magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and 13C-NMR. The results showed the influence and correlation of structural parameters with some physicochemical properties such as API gravity, weight percent sulphur (% S) and Conradson carbon content (% CCR)

Positron Annihilation Measurements of High Temperature Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Kang

1995-01-01

The temperature dependence of positron annihilation parameters has been measured for basic YBCO, Dy-doped, and Pr-doped superconducting compounds. The physical properties, such as crystal structure, electrical resistance, and critical temperature, have been studied for all samples. In the basic YBCO and Dy-doped samples, the defect -related lifetime component tau_{2 } was approximately constant from room temperature to above the critical temperature and then showed a step -like decrease in the temperature range 90K { ~} 40K. No significant temperature dependence was found in the short- and long-lifetime components, tau_{1} and tau_{3}. The x-ray diffraction data showed that the crystal structure of these two samples was almost the same. These results indicated that the electronic structure changed below the critical temperature. No transition was observed in the Pr-doped YBCO sample. The advanced computer program "PFPOSFIT" for positron lifetime analysis was modified to run on the UNIX system of the University of Utah. The destruction of superconductivity with Pr doping may be due to mechanisms such as hole filling or hole localization of the charge carriers and may be related to the valence state of the Pr ion. One-parameter analyses like the positron mean lifetime parameter and the Doppler line shape parameter S also have been studied. It was found that a transition in Doppler line shape parameter S was associated with the superconducting transition temperature in basic YBCO, Dy -doped, and 0.5 Pr-doped samples, whereas no transition was observed in the nonsuperconducting Pr-doped sample. The Doppler results indicate that the average electron momentum at the annihilation sites increases as temperature is lowered across the superconducting transition range and that electronic structure change plays an important role in high temperature superconductivity.

Measuring the X-shaped structures in edge-on galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savchenko, S. S.; Sotnikova, N. Ya.; Mosenkov, A. V.; Reshetnikov, V. P.; Bizyaev, D. V.

2017-11-01

We present a detailed photometric study of a sample of 22 edge-on galaxies with clearly visible X-shaped structures. We propose a novel method to derive geometrical parameters of these features, along with the parameters of their host galaxies based on the multi-component photometric decomposition of galactic images. To include the X-shaped structure into our photometric model, we use the imfit package, in which we implement a new component describing the X-shaped structure. This method is applied for a sample of galaxies with available Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Spitzer IRAC 3.6 μm observations. In order to explain our results, we perform realistic N-body simulations of a Milky Way-type galaxy and compare the observed and the model X-shaped structures. Our main conclusions are as follows: (1) galaxies with strong X-shaped structures reside in approximately the same local environments as field galaxies; (2) the characteristic size of the X-shaped structures is about 2/3 of the bar size; (3) there is a correlation between the X-shaped structure size and its observed flatness: the larger structures are more flattened; (4) our N-body simulations qualitatively confirm the observational results and support the bar-driven scenario for the X-shaped structure formation.

Fluid flow in porous media using image-based modelling to parametrize Richards' equation.

PubMed

Cooper, L J; Daly, K R; Hallett, P D; Naveed, M; Koebernick, N; Bengough, A G; George, T S; Roose, T

2017-11-01

The parameters in Richards' equation are usually calculated from experimentally measured values of the soil-water characteristic curve and saturated hydraulic conductivity. The complex pore structures that often occur in porous media complicate such parametrization due to hysteresis between wetting and drying and the effects of tortuosity. Rather than estimate the parameters in Richards' equation from these indirect measurements, image-based modelling is used to investigate the relationship between the pore structure and the parameters. A three-dimensional, X-ray computed tomography image stack of a soil sample with voxel resolution of 6 μm has been used to create a computational mesh. The Cahn-Hilliard-Stokes equations for two-fluid flow, in this case water and air, were applied to this mesh and solved using the finite-element method in COMSOL Multiphysics. The upscaled parameters in Richards' equation are then obtained via homogenization. The effect on the soil-water retention curve due to three different contact angles, 0°, 20° and 60°, was also investigated. The results show that the pore structure affects the properties of the flow on the large scale, and different contact angles can change the parameters for Richards' equation.

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

Maurer, K. D.; Bohrer, G.; Kenny, W. T.

Surface roughness parameters, namely the roughness length and displacement height, are an integral input used to model surface fluxes. However, most models assume these parameters to be a fixed property of plant functional type and disregard the governing structural heterogeneity and dynamics. In this study, we use large-eddy simulations to explore, in silico, the effects of canopy-structure characteristics on surface roughness parameters. We performed a virtual experiment to test the sensitivity of resolved surface roughness to four axes of canopy structure: (1) leaf area index, (2) the vertical profile of leaf density, (3) canopy height, and (4) canopy gap fraction.more » We found roughness parameters to be highly variable, but uncovered positive relationships between displacement height and maximum canopy height, aerodynamic canopy height and maximum canopy height and leaf area index, and eddy-penetration depth and gap fraction. We also found negative relationships between aerodynamic canopy height and gap fraction, as well as between eddy-penetration depth and maximum canopy height and leaf area index. We generalized our model results into a virtual "biometric" parameterization that relates roughness length and displacement height to canopy height, leaf area index, and gap fraction. Using a decade of wind and canopy-structure observations in a site in Michigan, we tested the effectiveness of our model-driven biometric parameterization approach in predicting the friction velocity over heterogeneous and disturbed canopies. We compared the accuracy of these predictions with the friction-velocity predictions obtained from the common simple approximation related to canopy height, the values calculated with large-eddy simulations of the explicit canopy structure as measured by airborne and ground-based lidar, two other parameterization approaches that utilize varying canopy-structure inputs, and the annual and decadal means of the surface roughness parameters at the site from meteorological observations. We found that the classical representation of constant roughness parameters (in space and time) as a fraction of canopy height performed relatively well. Nonetheless, of the approaches we tested, most of the empirical approaches that incorporate seasonal and interannual variation of roughness length and displacement height as a function of the dynamics of canopy structure produced more precise and less biased estimates for friction velocity than models with temporally invariable parameters.« less

Theoretical investigations of the local distortion and spectral properties for VO2+ in SiO2 Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Mu-Neng; Zhang, Zhi-Hong; Wu, Shao-Yi

2017-11-01

The local distortions and the spin Hamiltonian parameters g factors g∥, g⊥ and the hyperfine structure constants A∥ and A⊥ for isolated vanadyl ions VO2+ doped in SiO2 glass at 700°C are theoretically investigated from the perturbation formulas of these parameters for a 3d1 ion in tetragonally compressed octahedra. In these formulas, the relationships between local structure of VO2+ ions center and the tetragonal crystal field parameters are established. As a result, the distortion of the ligand octahedron is attributed to the strong axial crystal-fields associated with the short V4+-O2- bond due to the strong V=O bonding in the silica matrix. The theoretical spin Hamiltonian parameters obtained in this work show reasonable agreement with the experimental data.

Reconstruction of biofilm images: combining local and global structural parameters

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

Resat, Haluk; Renslow, Ryan S.; Beyenal, Haluk

2014-10-20

Digitized images can be used for quantitative comparison of biofilms grown under different conditions. Using biofilm image reconstruction, it was previously found that biofilms with a completely different look can have nearly identical structural parameters and that the most commonly utilized global structural parameters were not sufficient to uniquely define these biofilms. Here, additional local and global parameters are introduced to show that these parameters considerably increase the reliability of the image reconstruction process. Assessment using human evaluators indicated that the correct identification rate of the reconstructed images increased from 50% to 72% with the introduction of the new parametersmore » into the reconstruction procedure. An expanded set of parameters especially improved the identification of biofilm structures with internal orientational features and of structures in which colony sizes and spatial locations varied. Hence, the newly introduced structural parameter sets helped to better classify the biofilms by incorporating finer local structural details into the reconstruction process.« less

Uniscale multi-view registration using double dog-leg method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chao-I.; Sargent, Dusty; Tsai, Chang-Ming; Wang, Yuan-Fang; Koppel, Dan

2009-02-01

3D computer models of body anatomy can have many uses in medical research and clinical practices. This paper describes a robust method that uses videos of body anatomy to construct multiple, partial 3D structures and then fuse them to form a larger, more complete computer model using the structure-from-motion framework. We employ the Double Dog-Leg (DDL) method, a trust-region based nonlinear optimization method, to jointly optimize the camera motion parameters (rotation and translation) and determine a global scale that all partial 3D structures should agree upon. These optimized motion parameters are used for constructing local structures, and the global scale is essential for multi-view registration after all these partial structures are built. In order to provide a good initial guess of the camera movement parameters and outlier free 2D point correspondences for DDL, we also propose a two-stage scheme where multi-RANSAC with a normalized eight-point algorithm is first performed and then a few iterations of an over-determined five-point algorithm is used to polish the results. Our experimental results using colonoscopy video show that the proposed scheme always produces more accurate outputs than the standard RANSAC scheme. Furthermore, since we have obtained many reliable point correspondences, time-consuming and error-prone registration methods like the iterative closest points (ICP) based algorithms can be replaced by a simple rigid-body transformation solver when merging partial structures into a larger model.

Assessment of technical condition of concrete pavement by the example of district road

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linek, M.; Nita, P.; Żebrowski, W.; Wolka, P.

2018-05-01

The article presents the comprehensive assessment of concrete pavement condition. Analyses included the district road located in the swietokrzyskie province, used for 11 years. Comparative analyses were conducted twice. The first analysis was carried out after 9 years of pavement operation, in 2015. In order to assess the extent of pavement degradation, the tests were repeated in 2017. Within the scope of field research, the traffic intensity within the analysed road section was determined. Visual assessment of pavement condition was conducted, according to the guidelines included in SOSN-B. Visual assessment can be extended by ground-penetrating radar measurements which allow to provide comprehensive assessment of the occurred structure changes within its entire thickness and length. The assessment included also performance parameters, i.e. pavement regularity, surface roughness and texture. Extension of test results by the assessment of changes in internal structure of concrete composite and structure observations by means of Scanning Electron Microscope allow for the assessment of parameters of internal structure of hardened concrete. Supplementing the observations of internal structure by means of computed tomography scan provides comprehensive information of possible discontinuities and composite structure. According to the analysis of the obtained results, conclusions concerning the analysed pavement condition were reached. It was determined that the pavement is distinguished by high performance parameters, its condition is good and it does not require any repairs. Maintenance treatment was suggested in order to extend the period of proper operation of the analysed pavement.

A statistical evaluation and comparison of VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jedlovec, G. J.

1984-01-01

In order to account for the temporal and spatial discrepancies between the VAS and rawinsonde soundings, the rawinsonde data were adjusted to a common hour of release where the new observation time corresponded to the satellite scan time. Both the satellite and rawinsonde observations of the basic atmospheric parameters (T Td, and Z) were objectively analyzed to a uniform grid maintaining the same mesoscale structure in each data set. The performance of each retrieval algorithm in producing accurate and representative soundings was evaluated using statistical parameters such as the mean, standard deviation, and root mean square of the difference fields for each parameter and grid level. Horizontal structure was also qualitatively evaluated by examining atmospheric features on constant pressure surfaces. An analysis of the vertical structure of the atmosphere were also performed by looking at colocated and grid mean vertical profiles of both the satellite and rawinsonde data sets. Highlights of these results are presented.

Mathematical Model Relating Uniaxial Compressive Behavior of Manufactured Sand Mortar to MIP-Derived Pore Structure Parameters

PubMed Central

Tian, Zhenghong; Bu, Jingwu

2014-01-01

The uniaxial compression response of manufactured sand mortars proportioned using different water-cement ratio and sand-cement ratio is examined. Pore structure parameters such as porosity, threshold diameter, mean diameter, and total amounts of macropores, as well as shape and size of micropores are quantified by using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) technique. Test results indicate that strains at peak stress and compressive strength decreased with the increasing sand-cement ratio due to insufficient binders to wrap up entire sand. A compression stress-strain model of normal concrete extending to predict the stress-strain relationships of manufactured sand mortar is verified and agreed well with experimental data. Furthermore, the stress-strain model constant is found to be influenced by threshold diameter, mean diameter, shape, and size of micropores. A mathematical model relating stress-strain model constants to the relevant pore structure parameters of manufactured sand mortar is developed. PMID:25133257

Characteristics of middle and upper tropospheric clouds as deduced from rawinsonde data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starr, D. D. O.; Cox, S. K.

1982-01-01

The static environment of middle and upper tropospheric clouds is characterized. Computed relative humidity with respect to ice is used to diagnose the presence of cloud layer. The deduced seasonal mean cloud cover estimates based on this technique are shown to be reasonable. The cases are stratified by season and pressure thickness, and the dry static stability, vertical wind speed shear, and Richardson number are computed for three layers for each case. Mean values for each parameter are presented for each stratification and layer. The relative frequency of occurrence of various structures is presented for each stratification. The observed values of each parameter and the observed structure of each parameter are quite variable. Structures corresponding to any of a number of different conceptual models may be found. Moist adiabatic conditions are not commonly observed and the stratification based on thickness yields substantially different results for each group.

Beyond Description in Interpersonal Construct Validation: Methodological Advances in the Circumplex Structural Summary Approach.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Johannes; Wright, Aidan G C

2017-01-01

The interpersonal circumplex is a well-established structural model that organizes interpersonal functioning within the two-dimensional space marked by dominance and affiliation. The structural summary method (SSM) was developed to evaluate the interpersonal nature of other constructs and measures outside the interpersonal circumplex. To date, this method has been primarily descriptive, providing no way to draw inferences when comparing SSM parameters across constructs or groups. We describe a newly developed resampling-based method for deriving confidence intervals, which allows for SSM parameter comparisons. In a series of five studies, we evaluated the accuracy of the approach across a wide range of possible sample sizes and parameter values, and demonstrated its utility for posing theoretical questions on the interpersonal nature of relevant constructs (e.g., personality disorders) using real-world data. As a result, the SSM is strengthened for its intended purpose of construct evaluation and theory building. © The Author(s) 2015.

Optimization research of structural parameters in non-pillar sublevel caving method with large structural parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Wencheng; Zhou, Renjie; Liu, Xianfeng; Sun, Dongdong

2018-03-01

The non-pillar sublevel caving method with large structural parameters used in Mao Gong Iron Mine is of high rate of dilution and loss, and the ore recovery rate is less than 50%. Aiming at this problem, this paper analyzes the influence mechanism of the caving step on the mining index by means of the matching relationship between the shape of caved ore body and the drawn-out ore body, then through the physical simulation experiment in laboratory, the mining index such as the volume of pure ore drawing, ore recovery ratio and rock mixing ratio are studied under different caving step. The results show that the mining index under caving step of two row of blast hole is better than that under caving step of one row of blast hole. The research has guided significance for production of the mine.

Model selection and parameter estimation in structural dynamics using approximate Bayesian computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Abdessalem, Anis; Dervilis, Nikolaos; Wagg, David; Worden, Keith

2018-01-01

This paper will introduce the use of the approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) algorithm for model selection and parameter estimation in structural dynamics. ABC is a likelihood-free method typically used when the likelihood function is either intractable or cannot be approached in a closed form. To circumvent the evaluation of the likelihood function, simulation from a forward model is at the core of the ABC algorithm. The algorithm offers the possibility to use different metrics and summary statistics representative of the data to carry out Bayesian inference. The efficacy of the algorithm in structural dynamics is demonstrated through three different illustrative examples of nonlinear system identification: cubic and cubic-quintic models, the Bouc-Wen model and the Duffing oscillator. The obtained results suggest that ABC is a promising alternative to deal with model selection and parameter estimation issues, specifically for systems with complex behaviours.

[Optimization of the parameters of microcirculatory structural adaptation model based on improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm].

PubMed

Pan, Qing; Yao, Jialiang; Wang, Ruofan; Cao, Ping; Ning, Gangmin; Fang, Luping

2017-08-01

The vessels in the microcirculation keep adjusting their structure to meet the functional requirements of the different tissues. A previously developed theoretical model can reproduce the process of vascular structural adaptation to help the study of the microcirculatory physiology. However, until now, such model lacks the appropriate methods for its parameter settings with subsequent limitation of further applications. This study proposed an improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (QPSO) algorithm for setting the parameter values in this model. The optimization was performed on a real mesenteric microvascular network of rat. The results showed that the improved QPSO was superior to the standard particle swarm optimization, the standard QPSO and the previously reported Downhill algorithm. We conclude that the improved QPSO leads to a better agreement between mathematical simulation and animal experiment, rendering the model more reliable in future physiological studies.

Binding energy of donor impurity states and optical absorption in the Tietz-Hua quantum well under an applied electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al, E. B.; Kasapoglu, E.; Sakiroglu, S.; Duque, C. A.; Sökmen, I.

2018-04-01

For a quantum well which has the Tietz-Hua potential, the ground and some excited donor impurity binding energies and the total absorption coefficients, including linear and third order nonlinear terms for the transitions between the related impurity states with respect to the structure parameters and the impurity position as well as the electric field strength are investigated. The binding energies were obtained using the effective-mass approximation within a variational scheme and the optical transitions between any two impurity states were calculated by using the density matrix formalism and the perturbation expansion method. Our results show that the effects of the electric field and the structure parameters on the optical transitions are more pronounced. So we can adjust the red or blue shift in the peak position of the absorption coefficient by changing the strength of the electric field as well as the structure parameters.

Mathematical model relating uniaxial compressive behavior of manufactured sand mortar to MIP-derived pore structure parameters.

PubMed

Tian, Zhenghong; Bu, Jingwu

2014-01-01

The uniaxial compression response of manufactured sand mortars proportioned using different water-cement ratio and sand-cement ratio is examined. Pore structure parameters such as porosity, threshold diameter, mean diameter, and total amounts of macropores, as well as shape and size of micropores are quantified by using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) technique. Test results indicate that strains at peak stress and compressive strength decreased with the increasing sand-cement ratio due to insufficient binders to wrap up entire sand. A compression stress-strain model of normal concrete extending to predict the stress-strain relationships of manufactured sand mortar is verified and agreed well with experimental data. Furthermore, the stress-strain model constant is found to be influenced by threshold diameter, mean diameter, shape, and size of micropores. A mathematical model relating stress-strain model constants to the relevant pore structure parameters of manufactured sand mortar is developed.

Reducing the orientation influence of Mueller matrix measurements for anisotropic scattering media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Minghao; He, Honghui; Zeng, Nan; Du, E.; He, Yonghong; Ma, Hui

2014-09-01

Mueller matrix polarimetry techniques contain rich micro-structural information of samples, such as the sizes and refractive indices of scatterers. Recently, Mueller matrix imaging methods have shown great potentials as powerful tools for biomedical diagnosis. However, the orientations of anisotropic fibrous structures in tissues have prominent influence on Mueller matrix measurements, resulting in difficulties for extracting micro-structural information effectively. In this paper, we apply the backscattering Mueller matrix imaging technique to biological samples with different microstructures, such as chicken heart muscle, bovine skeletal muscle, porcine liver and fat tissues. Experimental results show that the directions of the muscle fibers have prominent influence on the Mueller matrix elements. In order to reduce the orientation influence, we adopt the rotation-independent MMT and RLPI parameters, which were proposed in our previous studies, to the tissue samples. Preliminary results in this paper show that the orientation-independent parameters and their statistic features are helpful for analyzing the tissues to obtain their micro-structural properties. Since the micro-structure variations are often related to the pathological changes, the method can be applied to microscope imaging techniques and used to detect abnormal tissues such as cancer and other lesions for diagnosis purposes.

SoMIR framework for designing high-NDBP photonic crystal waveguides.

PubMed

Mirjalili, Seyed Mohammad

2014-06-20

This work proposes a modularized framework for designing the structure of photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) and reducing human involvement during the design process. The proposed framework consists of three main modules: parameters module, constraints module, and optimizer module. The first module is responsible for defining the structural parameters of a given PCW. The second module defines various limitations in order to achieve desirable optimum designs. The third module is the optimizer, in which a numerical optimization method is employed to perform optimization. As case studies, two new structures called Ellipse PCW (EPCW) and Hypoellipse PCW (HPCW) with different shape of holes in each row are proposed and optimized by the framework. The calculation results show that the proposed framework is able to successfully optimize the structures of the new EPCW and HPCW. In addition, the results demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework for optimizing different PCWs. The results of the comparative study show that the optimized EPCW and HPCW provide 18% and 9% significant improvements in normalized delay-bandwidth product (NDBP), respectively, compared to the ring-shape-hole PCW, which has the highest NDBP in the literature. Finally, the simulations of pulse propagation confirm the manufacturing feasibility of both optimized structures.

Evaluation of Ultrasonic Fiber Structure Extraction Technique Using Autopsy Specimens of Liver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Tadashi; Hirai, Kazuki; Yamada, Hiroyuki; Ebara, Masaaki; Hachiya, Hiroyuki

2005-06-01

It is very important to diagnose liver cirrhosis noninvasively and correctly. In our previous studies, we proposed a processing technique to detect changes in liver tissue in vivo. In this paper, we propose the evaluation of the relationship between liver disease and echo information using autopsy specimens of a human liver in vitro. It is possible to verify the function of a processing parameter clearly and to compare the processing result and the actual human liver tissue structure by in vitro experiment. In the results of our processing technique, information that did not obey a Rayleigh distribution from the echo signal of the autopsy liver specimens was extracted depending on changes in a particular processing parameter. The fiber tissue structure of the same specimen was extracted from a number of histological images of stained tissue. We constructed 3D structures using the information extracted from the echo signal and the fiber structure of the stained tissue and compared the two. By comparing the 3D structures, it is possible to evaluate the relationship between the information that does not obey a Rayleigh distribution of the echo signal and the fibrosis structure.

Metrology of deep trench etched memory structures using 3D scatterometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinig, Peter; Dost, Rene; Moert, Manfred; Hingst, Thomas; Mantz, Ulrich; Moffitt, Jasen; Shakya, Sushil; Raymond, Christopher J.; Littau, Mike

2005-05-01

Scatterometry is receiving considerable attention as an emerging optical metrology in the silicon industry. One area of progress in deploying these powerful measurements in process control is performing measurements on real device structures, as opposed to limiting scatterometry measurements to periodic structures, such as line-space gratings, placed in the wafer scribe. In this work we will discuss applications of 3D scatterometry to the measurement of advanced trench memory devices. This is a challenging and complex scatterometry application that requires exceptionally high-performance computational abilities. In order to represent the physical device, the relatively tall structures require a high number of slices in the rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) theoretical model. This is complicated further by the presence of an amorphous silicon hard mask on the surface, which is highly sensitive to reflectance scattering and therefore needs to be modeled in detail. The overall structure is comprised of several layers, with the trenches presenting a complex bow-shape sidewall that must be measured. Finally, the double periodicity in the structures demands significantly greater computational capabilities. Our results demonstrate that angular scatterometry is sensitive to the key parameters of interest. The influence of further model parameters and parameter cross correlations have to be carefully taken into account. Profile results obtained by non-library optimization methods compare favorably with cross-section SEM images. Generating a model library suitable for process control, which is preferred for precision, presents numerical throughput challenges. Details will be discussed regarding library generation approaches and strategies for reducing the numerical overhead. Scatterometry and SEM results will be compared, leading to conclusions about the feasibility of this advanced application.

Global search in photoelectron diffraction structure determination using genetic algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viana, M. L.; Díez Muiño, R.; Soares, E. A.; Van Hove, M. A.; de Carvalho, V. E.

2007-11-01

Photoelectron diffraction (PED) is an experimental technique widely used to perform structural determinations of solid surfaces. Similarly to low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), structural determination by PED requires a fitting procedure between the experimental intensities and theoretical results obtained through simulations. Multiple scattering has been shown to be an effective approach for making such simulations. The quality of the fit can be quantified through the so-called R-factor. Therefore, the fitting procedure is, indeed, an R-factor minimization problem. However, the topography of the R-factor as a function of the structural and non-structural surface parameters to be determined is complex, and the task of finding the global minimum becomes tough, particularly for complex structures in which many parameters have to be adjusted. In this work we investigate the applicability of the genetic algorithm (GA) global optimization method to this problem. The GA is based on the evolution of species, and makes use of concepts such as crossover, elitism and mutation to perform the search. We show results of its application in the structural determination of three different systems: the Cu(111) surface through the use of energy-scanned experimental curves; the Ag(110)-c(2 × 2)-Sb system, in which a theory-theory fit was performed; and the Ag(111) surface for which angle-scanned experimental curves were used. We conclude that the GA is a highly efficient method to search for global minima in the optimization of the parameters that best fit the experimental photoelectron diffraction intensities to the theoretical ones.

Nonplanar core structure of the screw dislocations in tantalum from the improved Peierls-Nabarro theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiangsheng; Wang, Shaofeng

2018-02-01

The extended structure of ? screw dislocation in Ta has been studied theoretically using the improved Peierls-Nabarro model combined with the first principles calculation. An instructive way to derive the fundamental equation for dislocations with the nonplanar structure is presented. The full ?-surface of ? plane in tantalum is evaluated from the first principles. In order to compare the energy of the screw dislocation with different structures, the structure parameter is introduced to describe the core configuration. Each kind of screw dislocation is described by an overall-shape component and a core component. Far from the dislocation centre, the asymptotic behaviour of dislocation is uniquely controlled by the overall-shape component. Near the dislocation centre, the structure detail is described by the core component. The dislocation energy is explicitly plotted as a function of the core parameter for the nonplanar dislocation as well as for the planar dislocation. It is found that in the physical regime of the core parameter, the sixfold nonplanar structure always has the lowest energy. Our result clearly confirms that the sixfold nonplanar structure is the most stable. Furthermore, the pressure effect on the dislocation structure is explored up to 100 GPa. The stability of the sixfold nonplanar structure is not changed by the applied pressure. The equilibrium structure and the related stress field are calculated, and a possible mechanism of the dislocation movement is discussed briefly based on the structure deformation caused by the external stress.

Parameter identification of civil engineering structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juang, J. N.; Sun, C. T.

1980-01-01

This paper concerns the development of an identification method required in determining structural parameter variations for systems subjected to an extended exposure to the environment. The concept of structural identifiability of a large scale structural system in the absence of damping is presented. Three criteria are established indicating that a large number of system parameters (the coefficient parameters of the differential equations) can be identified by a few actuators and sensors. An eight-bay-fifteen-story frame structure is used as example. A simple model is employed for analyzing the dynamic response of the frame structure.

An analysis of burn-off impact on the structure microporous of activated carbons formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatkowski, Mirosław; Kopac, Türkan

2017-12-01

The paper presents the results on the application of the LBET numerical method as a tool for analysis of the microporous structure of activated carbons obtained from a bituminous coal. The LBET method was employed particularly to evaluate the impact of the burn-off on the obtained microporous structure parameters of activated carbons.

Estimation of Gravity Parameters Related to Simple Geometrical Structures by Developing an Approach Based on Deconvolution and Linear Optimization Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asfahani, J.; Tlas, M.

2015-10-01

An easy and practical method for interpreting residual gravity anomalies due to simple geometrically shaped models such as cylinders and spheres has been proposed in this paper. This proposed method is based on both the deconvolution technique and the simplex algorithm for linear optimization to most effectively estimate the model parameters, e.g., the depth from the surface to the center of a buried structure (sphere or horizontal cylinder) or the depth from the surface to the top of a buried object (vertical cylinder), and the amplitude coefficient from the residual gravity anomaly profile. The method was tested on synthetic data sets corrupted by different white Gaussian random noise levels to demonstrate the capability and reliability of the method. The results acquired show that the estimated parameter values derived by this proposed method are close to the assumed true parameter values. The validity of this method is also demonstrated using real field residual gravity anomalies from Cuba and Sweden. Comparable and acceptable agreement is shown between the results derived by this method and those derived from real field data.

Systematic study of the effect of HSE functional internal parameters on the electronic structure and band gap of a representative set of metal oxides.

PubMed

Viñes, Francesc; Lamiel-García, Oriol; Chul Ko, Kyoung; Yong Lee, Jin; Illas, Francesc

2017-04-30

The effect of the amount of Hartree-Fock mixing parameter (α) and of the screening parameter (w) defining the range separated HSE type hybrid functional is systematically studied for a series of seven metal oxides: TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , CuO 2 , ZnO, MgO, SnO 2 , and SrTiO 3 . First, reliable band gap values were determined by comparing the optimal α reproducing the experiment with the inverse of the experimental dielectric constant. Then, the effect of the w in the HSE functional on the calculated band gap was explored in detail. Results evidence the existence of a virtually infinite number of combinations of the two parameters which are able to reproduce the experimental band gap, without a unique pair able to describe the full studied set of materials. Nevertheless, the results point out the possibility of describing the electronic structure of these materials through a functional including a screened HF exchange and an appropriate correlation contribution. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structural damage identification using an enhanced thermal exchange optimization algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaveh, A.; Dadras, A.

2018-03-01

The recently developed optimization algorithm-the so-called thermal exchange optimization (TEO) algorithm-is enhanced and applied to a damage detection problem. An offline parameter tuning approach is utilized to set the internal parameters of the TEO, resulting in the enhanced heat transfer optimization (ETEO) algorithm. The damage detection problem is defined as an inverse problem, and ETEO is applied to a wide range of structures. Several scenarios with noise and noise-free modal data are tested and the locations and extents of damages are identified with good accuracy.

Revealing Hidden Structural Order Controlling Both Fast and Slow Glassy Dynamics in Supercooled Liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Hua; Tanaka, Hajime

2018-01-01

The dynamics of a supercooled liquid near the glass transition is characterized by two-step relaxation, fast β and slow α relaxations. Because of the apparently disordered nature of glassy structures, there have been long debates over whether the origin of drastic slowing-down of the α relaxation accompanied by heterogeneous dynamics is thermodynamic or dynamic. Furthermore, it has been elusive whether there is any deep connection between fast β and slow α modes. To settle these issues, here we introduce a set of new structural order parameters characterizing sterically favored structures with high local packing capability, and then access structure-dynamics correlation by a novel nonlocal approach. We find that the particle mobility is under control of the static order parameter field. The fast β process is controlled by the instantaneous order parameter field locally, resulting in short-time particle-scale dynamics. Then the mobility field progressively develops with time t , following the initial order parameter field from disorder to more ordered regions. As is well known, the heterogeneity in the mobility field (dynamic heterogeneity) is maximized with a characteristic length ξ4, when t reaches the relaxation time τα. We discover that this mobility pattern can be predicted solely by a spatial coarse graining of the initial order parameter field at t =0 over a length ξ without any dynamical information. Furthermore, we find a relation ξ ˜ξ4, indicating that the static length ξ grows coherently with the dynamic one ξ4 upon cooling. This further suggests an intrinsic link between τα and ξ : the growth of the static length ξ is the origin of dynamical slowing-down. These we confirm for the first time in binary glass formers both in two and three spatial dimensions. Thus, a static structure has two intrinsic characteristic lengths, particle size and ξ , which control dynamics in local and nonlocal manners, resulting in the emergence of the two key relaxation modes, fast β and slow α processes, respectively. Because the two processes share a common structural origin, we can even predict a dynamic propensity pattern at long timescale from the fast β pattern. The presence of such intrinsic structure-dynamics correlation strongly indicates a thermodynamic nature of glass transition.

Optimization of structures undergoing harmonic or stochastic excitation. Ph.D. Thesis; [atmospheric turbulence and white noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, E. H.

1975-01-01

The optimal design was investigated of simple structures subjected to dynamic loads, with constraints on the structures' responses. Optimal designs were examined for one dimensional structures excited by harmonically oscillating loads, similar structures excited by white noise, and a wing in the presence of continuous atmospheric turbulence. The first has constraints on the maximum allowable stress while the last two place bounds on the probability of failure of the structure. Approximations were made to replace the time parameter with a frequency parameter. For the first problem, this involved the steady state response, and in the remaining cases, power spectral techniques were employed to find the root mean square values of the responses. Optimal solutions were found by using computer algorithms which combined finite elements methods with optimization techniques based on mathematical programming. It was found that the inertial loads for these dynamic problems result in optimal structures that are radically different from those obtained for structures loaded statically by forces of comparable magnitude.

Additive-manufactured sandwich lattice structures: A numerical and experimental investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergani, Omar; Tronvoll, Sigmund; Brøtan, Vegard; Welo, Torgeir; Sørby, Knut

2017-10-01

The utilization of additive-manufactured lattice structures in engineered products is becoming more and more common as the competitiveness of AM as a production technology has increased during the past several years. Lattice structures may enable important weight reductions as well as open opportunities to build products with customized functional properties, thanks to the flexibility of AM for producing complex geometrical configurations. One of the most critical aspects related to taking AM into new application areas—such as safety critical products—is currently the limited understanding of the mechanical behavior of sandwich-based lattice structure mechanical under static and dynamic loading. In this study, we evaluate manufacturability of lattice structures and the impact of AM processing parameters on the structural behavior of this type of sandwich structures. For this purpose, we conducted static compression testing for a variety of geometry and manufacturing parameters. Further, the study discusses a numerical model capable of predicting the behavior of different lattice structure. A reasonably good correlation between the experimental and numerical results was observed.

Comment on ``Symmetry and structure of quantized vortices in superfluid 3'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauls, J. A.; Serene, J. W.

1985-10-01

Recent theoretical attempts to explain the observed vortex-core phase transition in superfluid 3B yield conflicting results. Variational calculations by Fetter and Theodrakis, based on realistic strong-coupling parameters, yield a phase transition in the Ginzburg-Landau region that is in qualitative agreement with the phase diagram. Numerically precise calculations by Salomaa and Volivil (SV), based on the Brinkman-Serene-Anderson (BSA) parameters, do not yield a phase transition between axially symmetric vortices. The ambiguity of these results is in part due to the large differences between the β parameters, which are inputs to the vortex free-energy functional. We comment on the relative merits of the β parameters based on recent improvements in the quasiparticle scattering amplitude and the BSA parameters used by SV.

Generalized Structured Component Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Heungsun; Takane, Yoshio

2004-01-01

We propose an alternative method to partial least squares for path analysis with components, called generalized structured component analysis. The proposed method replaces factors by exact linear combinations of observed variables. It employs a well-defined least squares criterion to estimate model parameters. As a result, the proposed method…

Effects of Pulse Parameters on Weld Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Extra Pulse Current Aided Laser Welded 2219 Aluminum Alloy Joints.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinge; Li, Liqun; Chen, Yanbin; Yang, Zhaojun; Chen, Yanli; Guo, Xinjian

2017-09-15

In order to expand the application range of laser welding and improve weld quality, an extra pulse current was used to aid laser-welded 2219 aluminum alloy, and the effects of pulse current parameters on the weld microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The effect mechanisms of the pulse current interactions with the weld pool were evaluated. The results indicated that the coarse dendritic structure in the weld zone changed to a fine equiaxed structure using an extra pulse current, and the pulse parameters, including medium peak current, relatively high pulse frequency, and low pulse duty ratio benefited to improving the weld structure. The effect mechanisms of the pulse current were mainly ascribed to the magnetic pinch effect, thermal effect, and electromigration effect caused by the pulse current. The effect of the pulse parameters on the mechanical properties of welded joints were consistent with that of the weld microstructure. The tensile strength and elongation of the optimal pulse current-aided laser-welded joint increased by 16.4% and 105%, respectively, compared with autogenous laser welding.

Effects of Pulse Parameters on Weld Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Extra Pulse Current Aided Laser Welded 2219 Aluminum Alloy Joints

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xinge; Li, Liqun; Chen, Yanbin; Yang, Zhaojun; Chen, Yanli; Guo, Xinjian

2017-01-01

In order to expand the application range of laser welding and improve weld quality, an extra pulse current was used to aid laser-welded 2219 aluminum alloy, and the effects of pulse current parameters on the weld microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The effect mechanisms of the pulse current interactions with the weld pool were evaluated. The results indicated that the coarse dendritic structure in the weld zone changed to a fine equiaxed structure using an extra pulse current, and the pulse parameters, including medium peak current, relatively high pulse frequency, and low pulse duty ratio benefited to improving the weld structure. The effect mechanisms of the pulse current were mainly ascribed to the magnetic pinch effect, thermal effect, and electromigration effect caused by the pulse current. The effect of the pulse parameters on the mechanical properties of welded joints were consistent with that of the weld microstructure. The tensile strength and elongation of the optimal pulse current-aided laser-welded joint increased by 16.4% and 105%, respectively, compared with autogenous laser welding. PMID:28914825

A statistical analysis of RNA folding algorithms through thermodynamic parameter perturbation.

PubMed

Layton, D M; Bundschuh, R

2005-01-01

Computational RNA secondary structure prediction is rather well established. However, such prediction algorithms always depend on a large number of experimentally measured parameters. Here, we study how sensitive structure prediction algorithms are to changes in these parameters. We found already that for changes corresponding to the actual experimental error to which these parameters have been determined, 30% of the structure are falsely predicted whereas the ground state structure is preserved under parameter perturbation in only 5% of all the cases. We establish that base-pairing probabilities calculated in a thermal ensemble are viable although not a perfect measure for the reliability of the prediction of individual structure elements. Here, a new measure of stability using parameter perturbation is proposed, and its limitations are discussed.

Characterizing Woody Vegetation Spectral and Structural Parameters with a 3-D Scene Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, W.; Yang, L.

2004-05-01

Quantification of structural and biophysical parameters of woody vegetation is of great significance in understanding vegetation condition, dynamics and functionality. Such information over a landscape scale is crucial for global and regional land cover characterization, global carbon-cycle research, forest resource inventories, and fire fuel estimation. While great efforts and progress have been made in mapping general land cover types over large area, at present, the ability to quantify regional woody vegetation structural and biophysical parameters is limited. One approach to address this research issue is through an integration of physically based 3-D scene model with multiangle and multispectral remote sensing data and in-situ measurements. The first step of this work is to model woody vegetation structure and its radiation regime using a physically based 3-D scene model and field data, before a robust operational algorithm can be developed for retrieval of important woody vegetation structural/biophysical parameters. In this study, we use an advanced 3-D scene model recently developed by Qin and Gerstl (2000), based on L-systems and radiosity theories. This 3-D scene model has been successfully applied to semi-arid shrubland to study structure and radiation regime at a regional scale. We apply this 3-D scene model to a more complicated and heterogeneous forest environment dominated by deciduous and coniferous trees. The data used in this study are from a field campaign conducted by NASA in a portion of the Superior National Forest (SNF) near Ely, Minnesota during the summers of 1983 and 1984, and supplement data collected during our revisit to the same area of SNF in summer of 2003. The model is first validated with reflectance measurements at different scales (ground observations, helicopter, aircraft, and satellite). Then its ability to characterize the structural and spectral parameters of the forest scene is evaluated. Based on the results from this study and the current multi-spectral and multi-angular satellite data (MODIS, MISR), a robust retrieval system to estimate woody vegetation structural/biophysical parameters is proposed.

Water absorption characteristics and structural properties of rice for sake brewing.

PubMed

Mizuma, Tomochika; Kiyokawa, Yoshifumi; Wakai, Yoshinori

2008-09-01

This study investigated the water absorption curve characteristics and structural properties of rice used for sake brewing. The parameter values in the water absorption rate equation were calculated using experimental data. Differences between sample parameters for rice used for sake brewing and typical rice were confirmed. The water absorption curve for rice suitable for sake brewing showed a quantitatively sharper turn in the S-shaped water absorption curve than that of typical rice. Structural characteristics, including specific volume, grain density, and powdered density of polished rice, were measured by a liquid substitution method using a Gay-Lussac pycnometer. In addition, we calculated internal porosity from whole grain and powdered grain densities. These results showed that a decrease in internal porosity resulted from invasion of water into the rice grain, and that a decrease in the grain density affected expansion during the water absorption process. A characteristic S-shape water absorption curve for rice suitable for sake brewing was related to the existence of an invisible Shinpaku-like structure.

The Box-Cox power transformation on nursing sensitive indicators: Does it matter if structural effects are omitted during the estimation of the transformation parameter?

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Many nursing and health related research studies have continuous outcome measures that are inherently non-normal in distribution. The Box-Cox transformation provides a powerful tool for developing a parsimonious model for data representation and interpretation when the distribution of the dependent variable, or outcome measure, of interest deviates from the normal distribution. The objectives of this study was to contrast the effect of obtaining the Box-Cox power transformation parameter and subsequent analysis of variance with or without a priori knowledge of predictor variables under the classic linear or linear mixed model settings. Methods Simulation data from a 3 × 4 factorial treatments design, along with the Patient Falls and Patient Injury Falls from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI®) for the 3rd quarter of 2007 from a convenience sample of over one thousand US hospitals were analyzed. The effect of the nonlinear monotonic transformation was contrasted in two ways: a) estimating the transformation parameter along with factors with potential structural effects, and b) estimating the transformation parameter first and then conducting analysis of variance for the structural effect. Results Linear model ANOVA with Monte Carlo simulation and mixed models with correlated error terms with NDNQI examples showed no substantial differences on statistical tests for structural effects if the factors with structural effects were omitted during the estimation of the transformation parameter. Conclusions The Box-Cox power transformation can still be an effective tool for validating statistical inferences with large observational, cross-sectional, and hierarchical or repeated measure studies under the linear or the mixed model settings without prior knowledge of all the factors with potential structural effects. PMID:21854614

Composite laminate failure parameter optimization through four-point flexure experimentation and analysis

DOE PAGES

Nelson, Stacy; English, Shawn; Briggs, Timothy

2016-05-06

Fiber-reinforced composite materials offer light-weight solutions to many structural challenges. In the development of high-performance composite structures, a thorough understanding is required of the composite materials themselves as well as methods for the analysis and failure prediction of the relevant composite structures. However, the mechanical properties required for the complete constitutive definition of a composite material can be difficult to determine through experimentation. Therefore, efficient methods are necessary that can be used to determine which properties are relevant to the analysis of a specific structure and to establish a structure's response to a material parameter that can only be definedmore » through estimation. The objectives of this paper deal with demonstrating the potential value of sensitivity and uncertainty quantification techniques during the failure analysis of loaded composite structures; and the proposed methods are applied to the simulation of the four-point flexural characterization of a carbon fiber composite material. Utilizing a recently implemented, phenomenological orthotropic material model that is capable of predicting progressive composite damage and failure, a sensitivity analysis is completed to establish which material parameters are truly relevant to a simulation's outcome. Then, a parameter study is completed to determine the effect of the relevant material properties' expected variations on the simulated four-point flexural behavior as well as to determine the value of an unknown material property. This process demonstrates the ability to formulate accurate predictions in the absence of a rigorous material characterization effort. Finally, the presented results indicate that a sensitivity analysis and parameter study can be used to streamline the material definition process as the described flexural characterization was used for model validation.« less

Understanding the quadrupolar structures of UPd3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McEwen, K. A.; Walker, H. C.; Le, M. D.; McMorrow, D. F.; Colineau, E.; Wastin, F.; Wilkins, S. B.; Park, J.-G.; Bewley, R. I.; Fort, D.

2007-03-01

UPd3 exhibits four phase transitions below T0=7.8 K, attributed to a succession of antiferroquadrupolar (AFQ) orderings of the 5f2 uranium ions localised on the quasi-cubic sites of the dhcp crystal structure. From earlier polarised neutron diffraction measurements in a magnetic field, we proposed that the order parameter of the phase below T0 is Q and a model for the order parameters of the four phases was subsequently developed. This model has now been tested experimentally with measurements of the azimuthal dependence of the intensities of the quadrupolar reflections in the different phases, by means of X-ray resonant scattering (XRS) studies at ESRF. The results indicate that the order parameter, in zero field, of the phase below T0 is Qzx. Our model provides an explanation for these apparently contradictory results. New measurements of the heat capacity of UPd3 at low temperatures have revealed the entropy changes at each of the four transitions. We find that the entropy changes ( ΔS) at T0 and T+1=6.9 K are minimal, whereas ΔS is large at T-1=6.7 K. From this information together with the new XRS results, we have extended our model to provide an explanation of the AFQ structures of UPd3.

A Novel Coupled Resonator Photonic Crystal Design in Lithium Niobate for Electrooptic Applications

DOE PAGES

Ozturk, Birol; Yavuzcetin, Ozgur; Sridhar, Srinivas

2015-01-01

High-aspect-ratio photonic crystal air-hole fabrication on bulk Lithium Niobate (LN) substrates is extremely difficult due to its inherent resistance to etching, resulting in conical structures and high insertion losses. Here, we propose a novel coupled resonator photonic crystal (CRPC) design, combining a coupled resonator approach with that of Bragg gratings. CRPC design parameters were optimized by analytical calculations and FDTD simulations. CRPC structures with optimized parameters were fabricated and electrooptically tested on bulk LN annealed proton exchange waveguides. Low insertion loss and large electrooptic effect were observed with the fabricated devices, making the CRPC design a promising structure for electroopticmore » device applications.« less

A comparative assessment of different frequency based damage detection in unidirectional composite plates using MFC sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Medeiros, Ricardo; Sartorato, Murilo; Vandepitte, Dirk; Tita, Volnei

2016-11-01

The basic concept of the vibration based damage identification methods is that the dynamic behaviour of a structure can change if damage occurs. Damage in a structure can alter the structural integrity, and therefore, the physical properties like stiffness, mass and/or damping may change. The dynamic behaviour of a structure is a function of these physical properties and will, therefore, directly be affected by the damage. The dynamic behaviour can be described in terms of time, frequency and modal domain parameters. The changes in these parameters (or properties derived from these parameters) are used as indicators of damage. Hence, this work has two main objectives. The first one is to provide an overview of the structural vibration based damage identification methods. For this purpose, a fundamental description of the structural vibration based damage identification problem is given, followed by a short literature overview of the damage features, which are commonly addressed. The second objective is to create a damage identification method for detection of the damage in composite structures. To aid in this process, two basic principles are discussed, namely the effect of the potential damage case on the dynamic behaviour, and the consequences involved with the information reduction in the signal processing. Modal properties from the structural dynamic output response are obtained. In addition, experimental and computational results are presented for the application of modal analysis techniques applied to composite specimens with and without damage. The excitation of the structures is performed using an impact hammer and, for measuring the output data, accelerometers as well as piezoelectric sensors. Finite element models are developed by shell elements, and numerical results are compared to experimental data, showing good correlation for the response of the specimens in some specific frequency range. Finally, FRFs are analysed using suitable metrics, including a new one, which are compared in terms of their capability for damage identification. The experimental and numerical results show that the vibration-based damage methods combined to the metrics can be used in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems to identify the damage in the structure.

Structure and phase composition of welded joints modified by different welding techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, Aleksander; Popova, Natalya; Nikonenko, Elena; Ozhiganov, Eugeniy; Ababkov, Nikolay; Koneva, Nina

2017-12-01

The paper presents the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) during the study of structure and phase composition of heat-affected zone (HAZ) of welded joints modified via four welding techniques, namely: electrode welding and electropercussive welding both with and without artificial flaws. The artificial flows represent aluminum pieces. TEM studies are carried out within the heat-affected zone, i.e. between the deposited and base metal, at 0.5 mm distance to the former. The 0.09C-2Mn-1Si-Fe steel type is used for welding. It is shown how the type of welding affects steel morphology, phase composition, defect structure and its parameters. The type of carbide phase is detected as well as the shape and location of particles. Volume fractions are estimated for the structural steel components, alongside with such parameters as the size of α-phase fragments, scalar and excess dislocation densities, and bending-torsion amplitude of the crystal lattice. Based on these results, we determine the welding technique and the structural component thus launching a mechanism of microcrack nucleation.

Interactions between vortex tubes and magnetic-flux rings at high kinetic and magnetic Reynolds numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kivotides, Demosthenes

2018-03-01

The interactions between vortex tubes and magnetic-flux rings in incompressible magnetohydrodynamics are investigated at high kinetic and magnetic Reynolds numbers, and over a wide range of the interaction parameter. The latter is a measure of the turnover time of the large-scale fluid motions in units of the magnetic damping time, or of the strength of the Lorentz force in units of the inertial force. The small interaction parameter results, which are related to kinematic turbulent dynamo studies, indicate the evolution of magnetic rings into flattened spirals wrapped around the vortex tubes. This process is also observed at intermediate interaction parameter values, only now the Lorentz force creates new vortical structures at the magnetic spiral edges, which have a striking solenoid vortex-line structure, and endow the flattened magnetic-spiral surfaces with a curvature. At high interaction parameter values, the decisive physical factor is Lorentz force effects. The latter create two (adjacent to the magnetic ring) vortex rings that reconnect with the vortex tube by forming an intriguing, serpentinelike, vortex-line structure, and generate, in turn, two new magnetic rings, adjacent to the initial one. In this regime, the morphologies of the vorticity and magnetic field structures are similar. The effects of these structures on kinetic and magnetic energy spectra, as well as on the direction of energy transfer between flow and magnetic fields, are also indicated.

Structural Identifiability of Dynamic Systems Biology Models

PubMed Central

Villaverde, Alejandro F.

2016-01-01

A powerful way of gaining insight into biological systems is by creating a nonlinear differential equation model, which usually contains many unknown parameters. Such a model is called structurally identifiable if it is possible to determine the values of its parameters from measurements of the model outputs. Structural identifiability is a prerequisite for parameter estimation, and should be assessed before exploiting a model. However, this analysis is seldom performed due to the high computational cost involved in the necessary symbolic calculations, which quickly becomes prohibitive as the problem size increases. In this paper we show how to analyse the structural identifiability of a very general class of nonlinear models by extending methods originally developed for studying observability. We present results about models whose identifiability had not been previously determined, report unidentifiabilities that had not been found before, and show how to modify those unidentifiable models to make them identifiable. This method helps prevent problems caused by lack of identifiability analysis, which can compromise the success of tasks such as experiment design, parameter estimation, and model-based optimization. The procedure is called STRIKE-GOLDD (STRuctural Identifiability taKen as Extended-Generalized Observability with Lie Derivatives and Decomposition), and it is implemented in a MATLAB toolbox which is available as open source software. The broad applicability of this approach facilitates the analysis of the increasingly complex models used in systems biology and other areas. PMID:27792726

A comparative structural study of wet and dried ettringite

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

Renaudin, G.; CNRS, UMR 6002, LMI, F-63177 Aubiere; Filinchuk, Y.

2010-03-15

Two different techniques were used to compare structural characteristics of 'wet' ettringite (stored in the synthesis mother liquid) and 'dried' ettringite (dried to 35% relative humidity over saturated CaCl{sub 2} solution). Lattice parameters and the water content in the channel region of the structure (site occupancy factor of the water molecule not bonded to cations) as well as microstructure parameters (size and strain) were determined from a Rietveld refinement on synchrotron powder diffraction data. Local environment of sulphate anions and of the hydrogen bonding network was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Both techniques led to the same conclusion: the 'wet' ettringitemore » sample immersed in the mother solution from the synthesis presents similar structural features as ettringite dried to 35% relative humidity. An increase of the a lattice parameter combined with a decrease of the c lattice parameter occurs on drying. The amount of structural water, the point symmetry of sulphate and the hydrogen bond network are unchanged when passing from the wet to the dried ettringite powder. Ettringite does not form a high-hydrate polymorph in equilibrium with alkaline solution, in contrast to the AFm phases that lose water molecules on drying. According to these results we conclude that ettringite precipitated in aqueous solution at the early hydration stages is of the same chemical composition as ettringite present in the hardening concrete.« less

FTIR of binary lead borate glass: Structural investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othman, H. A.; Elkholy, H. S.; Hager, I. Z.

2016-02-01

The glass samples were prepared according to the following formula: (100-x) B2O3 - x PbO, where x = 20-80 mol% by melt quenching method. The density of the prepared samples was measured and molar volume was calculated. IR spectra were measured for the prepared samples to investigate the glass structure. The IR spectra were deconvoluted using curves of Gaussian shape at approximately the same frequencies. The deconvoluted data were used to study the effect of PbO content on all the structural borate groups. Some structural parameters such as density, packing density, bond length and bond force constant were theoretically calculated and were compared to the obtained experimental results. Deviation between the experimental and theoretically calculated parameters reflects the dual role of PbO content on the network of borate glass.

An easily implemented static condensation method for structural sensitivity analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gangadharan, S. N.; Haftka, R. T.; Nikolaidis, E.

1990-01-01

A black-box approach to static condensation for sensitivity analysis is presented with illustrative examples of a cube and a car structure. The sensitivity of the structural response with respect to joint stiffness parameter is calculated using the direct method, forward-difference, and central-difference schemes. The efficiency of the various methods for identifying joint stiffness parameters from measured static deflections of these structures is compared. The results indicate that the use of static condensation can reduce computation times significantly and the black-box approach is only slightly less efficient than the standard implementation of static condensation. The ease of implementation of the black-box approach recommends it for use with general-purpose finite element codes that do not have a built-in facility for static condensation.

Bayesian calibration of the Community Land Model using surrogates

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

Ray, Jaideep; Hou, Zhangshuan; Huang, Maoyi

2014-02-01

We present results from the Bayesian calibration of hydrological parameters of the Community Land Model (CLM), which is often used in climate simulations and Earth system models. A statistical inverse problem is formulated for three hydrological parameters, conditional on observations of latent heat surface fluxes over 48 months. Our calibration method uses polynomial and Gaussian process surrogates of the CLM, and solves the parameter estimation problem using a Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler. Posterior probability densities for the parameters are developed for two sites with different soil and vegetation covers. Our method also allows us to examine the structural errormore » in CLM under two error models. We find that surrogate models can be created for CLM in most cases. The posterior distributions are more predictive than the default parameter values in CLM. Climatologically averaging the observations does not modify the parameters' distributions significantly. The structural error model reveals a correlation time-scale which can be used to identify the physical process that could be contributing to it. While the calibrated CLM has a higher predictive skill, the calibration is under-dispersive.« less

Adaptive firefly algorithm: parameter analysis and its application.

PubMed

Cheung, Ngaam J; Ding, Xue-Ming; Shen, Hong-Bin

2014-01-01

As a nature-inspired search algorithm, firefly algorithm (FA) has several control parameters, which may have great effects on its performance. In this study, we investigate the parameter selection and adaptation strategies in a modified firefly algorithm - adaptive firefly algorithm (AdaFa). There are three strategies in AdaFa including (1) a distance-based light absorption coefficient; (2) a gray coefficient enhancing fireflies to share difference information from attractive ones efficiently; and (3) five different dynamic strategies for the randomization parameter. Promising selections of parameters in the strategies are analyzed to guarantee the efficient performance of AdaFa. AdaFa is validated over widely used benchmark functions, and the numerical experiments and statistical tests yield useful conclusions on the strategies and the parameter selections affecting the performance of AdaFa. When applied to the real-world problem - protein tertiary structure prediction, the results demonstrated improved variants can rebuild the tertiary structure with the average root mean square deviation less than 0.4Å and 1.5Å from the native constrains with noise free and 10% Gaussian white noise.

Adaptive Firefly Algorithm: Parameter Analysis and its Application

PubMed Central

Shen, Hong-Bin

2014-01-01

As a nature-inspired search algorithm, firefly algorithm (FA) has several control parameters, which may have great effects on its performance. In this study, we investigate the parameter selection and adaptation strategies in a modified firefly algorithm — adaptive firefly algorithm (AdaFa). There are three strategies in AdaFa including (1) a distance-based light absorption coefficient; (2) a gray coefficient enhancing fireflies to share difference information from attractive ones efficiently; and (3) five different dynamic strategies for the randomization parameter. Promising selections of parameters in the strategies are analyzed to guarantee the efficient performance of AdaFa. AdaFa is validated over widely used benchmark functions, and the numerical experiments and statistical tests yield useful conclusions on the strategies and the parameter selections affecting the performance of AdaFa. When applied to the real-world problem — protein tertiary structure prediction, the results demonstrated improved variants can rebuild the tertiary structure with the average root mean square deviation less than 0.4Å and 1.5Å from the native constrains with noise free and 10% Gaussian white noise. PMID:25397812

Investigation of the structural, electronic, elastic and thermodynamic properties of Curium Monopnictides: An ab initio study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baaziz, H.; Guendouz, Dj.; Charifi, Z.; Akbudak, S.; Uğur, G.; Uğur, Ş.; Boudiaf, K.

2017-12-01

The structural, electronic, elastic and thermodynamic properties of Curium Monopnictides CmX (X = N, P, As, Sb and Bi) are investigated using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) and full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method under ambient condition and high pressure. The exchange-correlation term is treated using two approximations spin-polarized local density approximation (LSDA) and spin-polarized generalized gradient approximation generalized (GGA). The structural parameters such as the equilibrium lattice parameters, bulk modulus and the total energies are calculated in two phases: namely NaCl (B1) and CsCl (B2). The obtained results are compared with the previous theoretical and experimental results. A structural phase transition from B1 phase to B2 phase for Curium pnictides has been obtained. The highest transition pressure is 122 GPa for CmN and the lowest one is 10.0 GPa for CmBi compound. The electronic properties show that these materials exhibit half-metallic behavior in both phases. The magnetic moment is found to be around 7.0 μB. The mechanical properties of CmX (X = N, P, As, Sb and Bi) are predicted from the calculated elastic constants. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the theoretical results in literature. The effect of pressure and temperature on the thermodynamic properties like the cell volume, bulk modulus and the specific heats C𝜗 and CP, the entropy 𝒮 and the Grüneisen parameter γ have been foreseen at expanded pressure and temperature ranges.

Advances in parameter estimation techniques applied to flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maben, Egbert; Zimmerman, David C.

1994-01-01

In this work, various parameter estimation techniques are investigated in the context of structural system identification utilizing distributed parameter models and 'measured' time-domain data. Distributed parameter models are formulated using the PDEMOD software developed by Taylor. Enhancements made to PDEMOD for this work include the following: (1) a Wittrick-Williams based root solving algorithm; (2) a time simulation capability; and (3) various parameter estimation algorithms. The parameter estimations schemes will be contrasted using the NASA Mini-Mast as the focus structure.

Optimum Parameters of a Tuned Liquid Column Damper in a Wind Turbine Subject to Stochastic Load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkmim, M. H.; de Morais, M. V. G.; Fabro, A. T.

2017-12-01

Parameter optimization for tuned liquid column dampers (TLCD), a class of passive structural control, have been previously proposed in the literature for reducing vibration in wind turbines, and several other applications. However, most of the available work consider the wind excitation as either a deterministic harmonic load or random load with white noise spectra. In this paper, a global direct search optimization algorithm to reduce vibration of a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD), a class of passive structural control device, is presented. The objective is to find optimized parameters for the TLCD under stochastic load from different wind power spectral density. A verification is made considering the analytical solution of undamped primary system under white noise excitation by comparing with result from the literature. Finally, it is shown that different wind profiles can significantly affect the optimum TLCD parameters.

Quantifying the impact of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient parameter uncertainty on the physical transport processes in rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camacho Suarez, V. V.; Shucksmith, J.; Schellart, A.

2016-12-01

Analytical and numerical models can be used to represent the advection-dispersion processes governing the transport of pollutants in rivers (Fan et al., 2015; Van Genuchten et al., 2013). Simplifications, assumptions and parameter estimations in these models result in various uncertainties within the modelling process and estimations of pollutant concentrations. In this study, we explore both: 1) the structural uncertainty due to the one dimensional simplification of the Advection Dispersion Equation (ADE) and 2) the parameter uncertainty due to the semi empirical estimation of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient. The relative significance of these uncertainties has not previously been examined. By analysing both the relative structural uncertainty of analytical solutions of the ADE, and the parameter uncertainty due to the longitudinal dispersion coefficient via a Monte Carlo analysis, an evaluation of the dominant uncertainties for a case study in the river Chillan, Chile is presented over a range of spatial scales.

Thermodynamic and kinetic studies of As2O3 toxicological effects on human insulin in generation diabetes mellitus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohsennia, Mohsen; Motaharinejad, Atieh; Rafiee-Pour, Hossain-Ali; Torabbeigi, Marzieh

2017-12-01

The interaction of arsenic trioxide with human insulin was investigated by circular dichroism (CD), cyclic voltammetry and electrophoresis techniques. The interfacial behavior of insulin in presence of As2O3 onto the Ag electrode surface was studied at 310 K in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). According to Far-UV CD spectroscopy results, As2O3 caused to decrease in structural compactness and variety of alpha helix into beta structures. Near-UV CD indicated that As2O3 dissociates disulfide linkage in insulin structure. The kinetic parameters, including charge-transfer coefficient and apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant were also determined. The thermodynamic parameters of insulin denaturation in presence of arsenic trioxide were calculated and reported. The obtained results indicated strong adsorption of insulin in presence of arsenic trioxide onto the Ag surface via chemisorptions.

A lightweight low-frequency sound insulation membrane-type acoustic metamaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Kuan; Wu, Jiu Hui; Guan, Dong; Gao, Nansha; Jing, Li

2016-02-01

A novel membrane-type acoustic metamaterial with a high sound transmission loss (STL) at low frequencies (⩽500Hz) was designed and the mechanisms were investigated by using negative mass density theory. This metamaterial's structure is like a sandwich with a thin (thickness=0.25mm) lightweight flexible rubber material within two layers of honeycomb cell plates. Negative mass density was demonstrated at frequencies below the first natural frequency, which results in the excellent low-frequency sound insulation. The effects of different structural parameters of the membrane on the sound-proofed performance at low frequencies were investigated by using finite element method (FEM). The numerical results show that, the STL can be modulated to higher value by changing the structural parameters, such as the membrane surface density, the unite cell film shape, and the membrane tension. The acoustic metamaterial proposed in this study could provide a potential application in the low-frequency noise insulation.

Distributed control of large space antennas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, J. M.; Hamidi, M.; Lin, Y. H.; Wang, S. J.

1983-01-01

A systematic way to choose control design parameters and to evaluate performance for large space antennas is presented. The structural dynamics and control properties for a Hoop and Column Antenna and a Wrap-Rib Antenna are characterized. Some results of the effects of model parameter uncertainties to the stability, surface accuracy, and pointing errors are presented. Critical dynamics and control problems for these antenna configurations are identified and potential solutions are discussed. It was concluded that structural uncertainties and model error can cause serious performance deterioration and can even destabilize the controllers. For the hoop and column antenna, large hoop and long meat and the lack of stiffness between the two substructures result in low structural frequencies. Performance can be improved if this design can be strengthened. The two-site control system is more robust than either single-site control systems for the hoop and column antenna.

Effects of service condition on rolling contact fatigue failure mechanism and lifetime of thermal spray coatings—A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Huawei; Cui, Xiufang; Wang, Haidou; Xing, Zhiguo; Jin, Guo

2015-01-01

The service condition determines the Rolling Contact Fatigue(RCF) failure mechanism and lifetime under ascertain material structure integrity parameter of thermal spray coating. The available literature on the RCF testing of thermal spray coatings under various condition services is considerable; it is generally difficult to synthesize all of the result to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the parameters which has a great effect on a thermal spray coating's resistance of RCF. The effects of service conditions(lubrication states, contact stresses, revolve speed, and slip ratio) on the changing of thermal spray coatings' contact fatigue lifetime is introduced systematically. The effects of different service condition on RCF failure mechanism of thermal spray coating from the change of material structure integrity are also summarized. Moreover, In order to enhance the RCF performance, the parameter optimal design formula of service condition and material structure integrity is proposed based on the effect of service condition on thermal spray coatings' contact fatigue lifetime and RCF failure mechanism. The shortage of available literature and the forecast focus in future researches are discussed based on available research. The explicit result of RCF lifetime law and parameter optimal design formula in term of lubrication states, contact stresses, revolve speed, and slip ratio, is significant to improve the RCF performance on the engineering application.

Reverse engineering of logic-based differential equation models using a mixed-integer dynamic optimization approach

PubMed Central

Henriques, David; Rocha, Miguel; Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; Banga, Julio R.

2015-01-01

Motivation: Systems biology models can be used to test new hypotheses formulated on the basis of previous knowledge or new experimental data, contradictory with a previously existing model. New hypotheses often come in the shape of a set of possible regulatory mechanisms. This search is usually not limited to finding a single regulation link, but rather a combination of links subject to great uncertainty or no information about the kinetic parameters. Results: In this work, we combine a logic-based formalism, to describe all the possible regulatory structures for a given dynamic model of a pathway, with mixed-integer dynamic optimization (MIDO). This framework aims to simultaneously identify the regulatory structure (represented by binary parameters) and the real-valued parameters that are consistent with the available experimental data, resulting in a logic-based differential equation model. The alternative to this would be to perform real-valued parameter estimation for each possible model structure, which is not tractable for models of the size presented in this work. The performance of the method presented here is illustrated with several case studies: a synthetic pathway problem of signaling regulation, a two-component signal transduction pathway in bacterial homeostasis, and a signaling network in liver cancer cells. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. Contact: julio@iim.csic.es or saezrodriguez@ebi.ac.uk PMID:26002881

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

Rohrbaugh, Wayne Joseph

Results are reported from an investigation of correlations between molecular structural parameters of selected organophosphorus insecticides and their corresponding toxic effectiveness. The crystal and molecular structures of azinphos-methyl, emidithion, and tetrachlorvinphos were determined via three-dimensional x-ray analysis. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in nerve cells was identified as the target for organophosphorus insecticides.

Development of a copula-based particle filter (CopPF) approach for hydrologic data assimilation under consideration of parameter interdependence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Y. R.; Huang, G. H.; Baetz, B. W.; Li, Y. P.; Huang, K.

2017-06-01

In this study, a copula-based particle filter (CopPF) approach was developed for sequential hydrological data assimilation by considering parameter correlation structures. In CopPF, multivariate copulas are proposed to reflect parameter interdependence before the resampling procedure with new particles then being sampled from the obtained copulas. Such a process can overcome both particle degeneration and sample impoverishment. The applicability of CopPF is illustrated with three case studies using a two-parameter simplified model and two conceptual hydrologic models. The results for the simplified model indicate that model parameters are highly correlated in the data assimilation process, suggesting a demand for full description of their dependence structure. Synthetic experiments on hydrologic data assimilation indicate that CopPF can rejuvenate particle evolution in large spaces and thus achieve good performances with low sample size scenarios. The applicability of CopPF is further illustrated through two real-case studies. It is shown that, compared with traditional particle filter (PF) and particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) approaches, the proposed method can provide more accurate results for both deterministic and probabilistic prediction with a sample size of 100. Furthermore, the sample size would not significantly influence the performance of CopPF. Also, the copula resampling approach dominates parameter evolution in CopPF, with more than 50% of particles sampled by copulas in most sample size scenarios.

A Bayesian approach to the modelling of α Cen A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazot, M.; Bourguignon, S.; Christensen-Dalsgaard, J.

2012-12-01

Determining the physical characteristics of a star is an inverse problem consisting of estimating the parameters of models for the stellar structure and evolution, and knowing certain observable quantities. We use a Bayesian approach to solve this problem for α Cen A, which allows us to incorporate prior information on the parameters to be estimated, in order to better constrain the problem. Our strategy is based on the use of a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to estimate the posterior probability densities of the stellar parameters: mass, age, initial chemical composition, etc. We use the stellar evolutionary code ASTEC to model the star. To constrain this model both seismic and non-seismic observations were considered. Several different strategies were tested to fit these values, using either two free parameters or five free parameters in ASTEC. We are thus able to show evidence that MCMC methods become efficient with respect to more classical grid-based strategies when the number of parameters increases. The results of our MCMC algorithm allow us to derive estimates for the stellar parameters and robust uncertainties thanks to the statistical analysis of the posterior probability densities. We are also able to compute odds for the presence of a convective core in α Cen A. When using core-sensitive seismic observational constraints, these can rise above ˜40 per cent. The comparison of results to previous studies also indicates that these seismic constraints are of critical importance for our knowledge of the structure of this star.

Evaluation of the Molecular Structural Parameters of Normal Rice Starch and Their Relationships with Its Thermal and Digestion Properties.

PubMed

Lin, Lingshang; Zhang, Qing; Zhang, Long; Wei, Cunxu

2017-09-12

The molecular structural parameters of six normal rice starches with different amylose contents were investigated through their iodine absorption spectra and gel permeation chromatography of fully branched and debranched starches. The thermal and digestion properties of starches were also determined and their relationships with molecular structural parameters were analyzed. Results showed that the molecular structural parameters of maximum absorption wavelength, blue value (BV), optical density 620 nm/550 nm (OD 620/550), amylose, intermediate component, and amylopectin, including its short branch-chains, long branch-chains, and branching degree, had high correlation in different determining methods. The intermediate component of starch was significantly positively related to amylose and negatively related to amylopectin, and the amylopectin branching degree was significantly positively related to amylopectin content and negatively related to amylose content. The gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy of native starch were significantly positively related to BV, OD 620/550, and amylose content and negatively related to amylopectin short branch-chains. The gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy of retrograded starch were significantly negatively related to amylopectin branching degree. The digestions of gelatinized and retrograded starches were significantly negatively related to the BV, OD 620/550, amylose, and intermediate component and positively related to amylopectin and its short branch-chains and branching degree.

Simulation and Experimental Studies on Grain Selection and Structure Design of the Spiral Selector for Casting Single Crystal Ni-Based Superalloy.

PubMed

Zhang, Hang; Xu, Qingyan

2017-10-27

Grain selection is an important process in single crystal turbine blades manufacturing. Selector structure is a control factor of grain selection, as well as directional solidification (DS). In this study, the grain selection and structure design of the spiral selector were investigated through experimentation and simulation. A heat transfer model and a 3D microstructure growth model were established based on the Cellular automaton-Finite difference (CA-FD) method for the grain selector. Consequently, the temperature field, the microstructure and the grain orientation distribution were simulated and further verified. The average error of the temperature result was less than 1.5%. The grain selection mechanisms were further analyzed and validated through simulations. The structural design specifications of the selector were suggested based on the two grain selection effects. The structural parameters of the spiral selector, namely, the spiral tunnel diameter ( d w ), the spiral pitch ( h b ) and the spiral diameter ( h s ), were studied and the design criteria of these parameters were proposed. The experimental and simulation results demonstrated that the improved selector could accurately and efficiently produce a single crystal structure.

Simulation and Experimental Studies on Grain Selection and Structure Design of the Spiral Selector for Casting Single Crystal Ni-Based Superalloy

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hang; Xu, Qingyan

2017-01-01

Grain selection is an important process in single crystal turbine blades manufacturing. Selector structure is a control factor of grain selection, as well as directional solidification (DS). In this study, the grain selection and structure design of the spiral selector were investigated through experimentation and simulation. A heat transfer model and a 3D microstructure growth model were established based on the Cellular automaton-Finite difference (CA-FD) method for the grain selector. Consequently, the temperature field, the microstructure and the grain orientation distribution were simulated and further verified. The average error of the temperature result was less than 1.5%. The grain selection mechanisms were further analyzed and validated through simulations. The structural design specifications of the selector were suggested based on the two grain selection effects. The structural parameters of the spiral selector, namely, the spiral tunnel diameter (dw), the spiral pitch (hb) and the spiral diameter (hs), were studied and the design criteria of these parameters were proposed. The experimental and simulation results demonstrated that the improved selector could accurately and efficiently produce a single crystal structure. PMID:29077067

Research on the printability of hydrogels in 3D bioprinting

PubMed Central

He, Yong; Yang, FeiFei; Zhao, HaiMing; Gao, Qing; Xia, Bing; Fu, JianZhong

2016-01-01

As the biocompatible materials, hydrogels have been widely used in three- dimensional (3D) bioprinting/organ printing to load cell for tissue engineering. It is important to precisely control hydrogels deposition during printing the mimic organ structures. However, the printability of hydrogels about printing parameters is seldom addressed. In this paper, we systemically investigated the printability of hydrogels from printing lines (one dimensional, 1D structures) to printing lattices/films (two dimensional, 2D structures) and printing 3D structures with a special attention to the accurate printing. After a series of experiments, we discovered the relationships between the important factors such as air pressure, feedrate, or even printing distance and the printing quality of the expected structures. Dumbbell shape was observed in the lattice structures printing due to the hydrogel diffuses at the intersection. Collapses and fusion of adjacent layer would result in the error accumulation at Z direction which was an important fact that could cause printing failure. Finally, we successfully demonstrated a 3D printing hydrogel scaffold through harmonize with all the parameters. The cell viability after printing was compared with the casting and the results showed that our bioprinting method almost had no extra damage to the cells. PMID:27436509

Research on the printability of hydrogels in 3D bioprinting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yong; Yang, Feifei; Zhao, Haiming; Gao, Qing; Xia, Bing; Fu, Jianzhong

2016-07-01

As the biocompatible materials, hydrogels have been widely used in three- dimensional (3D) bioprinting/organ printing to load cell for tissue engineering. It is important to precisely control hydrogels deposition during printing the mimic organ structures. However, the printability of hydrogels about printing parameters is seldom addressed. In this paper, we systemically investigated the printability of hydrogels from printing lines (one dimensional, 1D structures) to printing lattices/films (two dimensional, 2D structures) and printing 3D structures with a special attention to the accurate printing. After a series of experiments, we discovered the relationships between the important factors such as air pressure, feedrate, or even printing distance and the printing quality of the expected structures. Dumbbell shape was observed in the lattice structures printing due to the hydrogel diffuses at the intersection. Collapses and fusion of adjacent layer would result in the error accumulation at Z direction which was an important fact that could cause printing failure. Finally, we successfully demonstrated a 3D printing hydrogel scaffold through harmonize with all the parameters. The cell viability after printing was compared with the casting and the results showed that our bioprinting method almost had no extra damage to the cells.

Planar doped barrier devices for subharmonic mixers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, T. H.; East, J. R.; Haddad, G. I.

1991-01-01

An overview is given of planar doped barrier (PDB) devices for subharmonic mixer applications. A simplified description is given of PDB characteristics along with a more complete numerical analysis of the current versus voltage characteristics of typical structures. The analysis points out the tradeoffs between the device structure and the resulting characteristics that are important for mixer performance. Preliminary low-frequency characterization results are given for the device structures, and a computer analysis of subharmonic mixer parameters and performance is presented.

Structural characterization of graphene layers in various Indian coals by X-Ray Diffraction technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoj, B.; Kunjomana, A. G.

2015-02-01

The results of the structural investigation of three Indian coals showed that, the structural parameters like fa & Lc increased where as interlayer spacing d002 decreased with increase in carbon content, aromaticity and coal rank. These structural parameters change just opposite with increase in volatile matter content. Considering the 'turbostratic' structure for coals, the minimum separation between aromatic lamellae was found to vary between 3.34 to 3.61 A° for these coals. As the aromaticity increased, the interlayer spacing decreased an indication of more graphitization of the sample. Volatile matter and carbon content had a strong influence on the aromaticity, interlayer spacing and stacking height on the sample. The average number of carbon atoms per aromatic lamellae and number of layers in the lamellae was found to be 16-21 and 7-8 for all the samples.

Diffusion and Interface Effects during Preparation of All-Solid Microstructured Fibers

PubMed Central

Jens, Kobelke; Jörg, Bierlich; Katrin, Wondraczek; Claudia, Aichele; Zhiwen, Pan; Sonja, Unger; Kay, Schuster; Hartmut, Bartelt

2014-01-01

All-solid microstructured optical fibers (MOF) allow the realization of very flexible optical waveguide designs. They are prepared by stacking of doped silica rods or canes in complex arrangements. Typical dopants in silica matrices are germanium and phosphorus to increase the refractive index (RI), or boron and fluorine to decrease the RI. However, the direct interface contact of stacking elements often causes interrelated chemical reactions or evaporation during thermal processing. The obtained fiber structures after the final drawing step thus tend to deviate from the targeted structure risking degrading their favored optical functionality. Dopant profiles and design parameters (e.g., the RI homogeneity of the cladding) are controlled by the combination of diffusion and equilibrium conditions of evaporation reactions. We show simulation results of diffusion and thermal dissociation in germanium and fluorine doped silica rod arrangements according to the monitored geometrical disturbances in stretched canes or drawn fibers. The paper indicates geometrical limits of dopant structures in sub-µm-level depending on the dopant concentration and the thermal conditions during the drawing process. The presented results thus enable an optimized planning of the preform parameters avoiding unwanted alterations in dopant concentration profiles or in design parameters encountered during the drawing process. PMID:28788219

Diffusion and Interface Effects during Preparation of All-Solid Microstructured Fibers.

PubMed

Jens, Kobelke; Jörg, Bierlich; Katrin, Wondraczek; Claudia, Aichele; Zhiwen, Pan; Sonja, Unger; Kay, Schuster; Hartmut, Bartelt

2014-09-25

All-solid microstructured optical fibers (MOF) allow the realization of very flexible optical waveguide designs. They are prepared by stacking of doped silica rods or canes in complex arrangements. Typical dopants in silica matrices are germanium and phosphorus to increase the refractive index (RI), or boron and fluorine to decrease the RI. However, the direct interface contact of stacking elements often causes interrelated chemical reactions or evaporation during thermal processing. The obtained fiber structures after the final drawing step thus tend to deviate from the targeted structure risking degrading their favored optical functionality. Dopant profiles and design parameters (e.g., the RI homogeneity of the cladding) are controlled by the combination of diffusion and equilibrium conditions of evaporation reactions. We show simulation results of diffusion and thermal dissociation in germanium and fluorine doped silica rod arrangements according to the monitored geometrical disturbances in stretched canes or drawn fibers. The paper indicates geometrical limits of dopant structures in sub-µm-level depending on the dopant concentration and the thermal conditions during the drawing process. The presented results thus enable an optimized planning of the preform parameters avoiding unwanted alterations in dopant concentration profiles or in design parameters encountered during the drawing process.

Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties and Porosity of Organic Microcapsules Based Self-Healing Cementitious Composite.

PubMed

Wang, Xianfeng; Sun, Peipei; Han, Ningxu; Xing, Feng

2017-01-01

Encapsulation of healing agents embedded in a material matrix has become one of the major approaches for achieving self-healing function in cementitious materials in recent years. A novel type of microcapsules based self-healing cementitious composite was developed in Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Durability for Marine Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University. In this study, both macro performance and the microstructure of the composite are investigated. The macro performance was evaluated by employing the compressive strength and the dynamic modulus, whereas the microstructure was represented by the pore structure parameters such as porosity, cumulative-pore volume, and average-pore diameter, which are significantly correlated to the pore-size distribution and the compressive strength. The results showed that both the compressive strength and the dynamic modulus, as well as the pore structure parameters such as porosity, cumulative-pore volume, and average-pore diameter of the specimen decrease to some extent with the amount of microcapsules. However, the self-healing rate and the recovery rate of the specimen performance and the pore-structure parameters increase with the amount of microcapsules. The results should confirm the self-healing function of microcapsules in the cementitious composite from macroscopic and microscopic viewpoints.

Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties and Porosity of Organic Microcapsules Based Self-Healing Cementitious Composite

PubMed Central

Wang, Xianfeng; Sun, Peipei; Han, Ningxu; Xing, Feng

2017-01-01

Encapsulation of healing agents embedded in a material matrix has become one of the major approaches for achieving self-healing function in cementitious materials in recent years. A novel type of microcapsules based self-healing cementitious composite was developed in Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Durability for Marine Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University. In this study, both macro performance and the microstructure of the composite are investigated. The macro performance was evaluated by employing the compressive strength and the dynamic modulus, whereas the microstructure was represented by the pore structure parameters such as porosity, cumulative-pore volume, and average-pore diameter, which are significantly correlated to the pore-size distribution and the compressive strength. The results showed that both the compressive strength and the dynamic modulus, as well as the pore structure parameters such as porosity, cumulative-pore volume, and average-pore diameter of the specimen decrease to some extent with the amount of microcapsules. However, the self-healing rate and the recovery rate of the specimen performance and the pore-structure parameters increase with the amount of microcapsules. The results should confirm the self-healing function of microcapsules in the cementitious composite from macroscopic and microscopic viewpoints. PMID:28772382

Some Calculated Research Results of the Working Process Parameters of the Low Thrust Rocket Engine Operating on Gaseous Oxygen-Hydrogen Fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryzhkov, V.; Morozov, I.

2018-01-01

The paper presents the calculating results of the combustion products parameters in the tract of the low thrust rocket engine with thrust P ∼ 100 N. The article contains the following data: streamlines, distribution of total temperature parameter in the longitudinal section of the engine chamber, static temperature distribution in the cross section of the engine chamber, velocity distribution of the combustion products in the outlet section of the engine nozzle, static temperature near the inner wall of the engine. The presented parameters allow to estimate the efficiency of the mixture formation processes, flow of combustion products in the engine chamber and to estimate the thermal state of the structure.

The special features of the crystal structure and properties of oxides with mixed conductivity based on lanthanum gallate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Politova, E. D.; Ivanov, S. A.; Kaleva, G. M.; Mosunov, A. V.; Rusakov, V. S.

2008-10-01

The paper presents a review of works on the synthesis, structural composition effects, phase transitions, and electrical conductivity properties of multicomponent solid solutions based on heterosubstituted lanthanum gallate (La,A)(Ga,M)O3 - y . High-temperature phase transitions and structural and charge ordering effects were studied. The presence of iron cations in different valence states was proved; the relative contents of these cations depended on the x parameter and nonstoichiometry parameter y of the base composition. For M = Fe, antiferromagnetic ordering was observed; its temperature interval was determined by the concentration of iron cations in the high-spin state. The total conductivity was found to increase as the concentration of transition metal cations grew because of an increase in the electronic conductivity component. The data on structural parameters and dc and ac conductivity substantiated the conclusion that the highest ionic conductivity and permeability to oxygen were characteristic of iron-containing oxides. The results obtained are evidence that crystal chemical factors play a determining role in the formation of the ion-conducting properties of anion-deficient perovskite-like oxides.

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) as a characterization technique for nanostructured self-assembled amphiphile systems.

PubMed

Dong, Aurelia W; Pascual-Izarra, Carlos; Pas, Steven J; Hill, Anita J; Boyd, Ben J; Drummond, Calum J

2009-01-08

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) has potential as a novel rapid characterization method for self-assembly amphiphile systems; however, a lack of systematic correlation of PALS parameters with structural attributes has limited its more widespread application. In this study, using the well-characterized phytantriol/water and the phytantriol/vitamin E acetate/water self-assembly amphiphile systems, the impact of systematic structural changes controlled by changes in composition and temperature on PALS parameters has been studied. The PALS parameters (orthopositronium (oPs) lifetime and intensity signatures) were shown to be sensitive to the molecular packing and mobility of the self-assembled lipid molecules in various lyotropic liquid crystalline phases, enabling differentiation between liquid crystalline structures. The oPs lifetime, related to the molecular packing and mobility, is correlated with rheological properties of the individual mesophases. The oPs lifetime links the lipid chain packing and mobility in the various mesophases to resultant macroscopic properties, such as permeability, which is critical for the use of these mesophase structures as diffusion-controlled release matrices for active liposoluble compounds.

Surface Irregularity Factor as a Parameter to Evaluate the Fatigue Damage State of CFRP

PubMed Central

Zuluaga-Ramírez, Pablo; Frövel, Malte; Belenguer, Tomás; Salazar, Félix

2015-01-01

This work presents an optical non-contact technique to evaluate the fatigue damage state of CFRP structures measuring the irregularity factor of the surface. This factor includes information about surface topology and can be measured easily on field, by techniques such as optical perfilometers. The surface irregularity factor has been correlated with stiffness degradation, which is a well-accepted parameter for the evaluation of the fatigue damage state of composite materials. Constant amplitude fatigue loads (CAL) and realistic variable amplitude loads (VAL), representative of real in- flight conditions, have been applied to “dog bone” shaped tensile specimens. It has been shown that the measurement of the surface irregularity parameters can be applied to evaluate the damage state of a structure, and that it is independent of the type of fatigue load that has caused the damage. As a result, this measurement technique is applicable for a wide range of inspections of composite material structures, from pressurized tanks with constant amplitude loads, to variable amplitude loaded aeronautical structures such as wings and empennages, up to automotive and other industrial applications. PMID:28793655

Bayesian inference of uncertainties in precipitation-streamflow modeling in a snow affected catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koskela, J. J.; Croke, B. W. F.; Koivusalo, H.; Jakeman, A. J.; Kokkonen, T.

2012-11-01

Bayesian inference is used to study the effect of precipitation and model structural uncertainty on estimates of model parameters and confidence limits of predictive variables in a conceptual rainfall-runoff model in the snow-fed Rudbäck catchment (142 ha) in southern Finland. The IHACRES model is coupled with a simple degree day model to account for snow accumulation and melt. The posterior probability distribution of the model parameters is sampled by using the Differential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM(ZS)) algorithm and the generalized likelihood function. Precipitation uncertainty is taken into account by introducing additional latent variables that were used as multipliers for individual storm events. Results suggest that occasional snow water equivalent (SWE) observations together with daily streamflow observations do not contain enough information to simultaneously identify model parameters, precipitation uncertainty and model structural uncertainty in the Rudbäck catchment. The addition of an autoregressive component to account for model structure error and latent variables having uniform priors to account for input uncertainty lead to dubious posterior distributions of model parameters. Thus our hypothesis that informative priors for latent variables could be replaced by additional SWE data could not be confirmed. The model was found to work adequately in 1-day-ahead simulation mode, but the results were poor in the simulation batch mode. This was caused by the interaction of parameters that were used to describe different sources of uncertainty. The findings may have lessons for other cases where parameterizations are similarly high in relation to available prior information.

Feathering instability of spiral arms. II. Parameter study

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

Lee, Wing-Kit, E-mail: wklee@asiaa.sinica.edu.tw; Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan

2014-09-10

We report the results of a parameter study of the feathering stability in the galactic spiral arms. A two-dimensional, razor-thin magnetized self-gravitating gas disk with an imposed two-armed stellar spiral structure is considered. Using the formulation developed previously by Lee and Shu, a linear stability analysis of the spiral shock is performed in a localized Cartesian geometry. Results of the parameter study of the base state with a spiral shock are also presented. The single-mode feathering instability that leads to growing perturbations may explain the feathering phenomenon found in nearby spiral galaxies. The self-gravity of the gas, characterized by itsmore » average surface density, is an important parameter that (1) shifts the spiral shock farther downstream and (2) increases the growth rate and decreases the characteristic spacing of the feathering structure due to the instability. On the other hand, while the magnetic field suppresses the velocity fluctuation associated with the feathers, it does not strongly affect their growth rate. Using a set of typical parameters of the grand-design spiral galaxy M51 at 2 kpc from the center, the spacing of the feathers with the maximum growth rate is found to be 530 pc, which agrees with the previous observational studies.« less

The methods of optical physics as a mean of the objects’ molecular structure identification (on the base of the research of dophamine and adrenaline molecules)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkin, M. D.; Alykova, O. M.; Smirnov, V. V.; Stefanova, G. P.

2017-01-01

Structural and dynamic models of dopamine and adrenaline are proposed on the basis of ab initio quantum calculations of the geometric and electronic structure. The parameters of the adiabatic potential are determined, a vibrational states interpretation of the test compound is proposed in this work. The analysis of the molecules conformational structure of the substance is made. A method for calculating the shifts of vibrational excitation frequencies in 1,2,4-threesubstituted of benzole is presented. It is based on second order perturbation theory. A choice of method and basis for calculation of a fundamental vibrations frequencies and intensities of the bands in the IR and Raman spectra is justified. The technique for evaluation of anharmonicity with cubic and quartic force constants is described. The paper presents the results of numerical experiments, geometric parameters of molecules, such as the valence bond lengths and angles between them. We obtain the frequency of the vibrational states and values of their integrated intensities. The interpretation of vibration of conformers is given. The results are in good agreement with experimental values. Proposed frequency can be used to identify the compounds of the vibrational spectra of molecules. The calculation was performed quantum density functional method DFT/B3LYP. It is shown that this method can be used to modeling the geometrical parameters molecular and electronic structure of various substituted of benzole. It allows us to construct the structural-dynamic models of this class of compounds by numerical calculations.

Approximate Bayesian computation in large-scale structure: constraining the galaxy-halo connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, ChangHoon; Vakili, Mohammadjavad; Walsh, Kilian; Hearin, Andrew P.; Hogg, David W.; Campbell, Duncan

2017-08-01

Standard approaches to Bayesian parameter inference in large-scale structure assume a Gaussian functional form (chi-squared form) for the likelihood. This assumption, in detail, cannot be correct. Likelihood free inferences such as approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) relax these restrictions and make inference possible without making any assumptions on the likelihood. Instead ABC relies on a forward generative model of the data and a metric for measuring the distance between the model and data. In this work, we demonstrate that ABC is feasible for LSS parameter inference by using it to constrain parameters of the halo occupation distribution (HOD) model for populating dark matter haloes with galaxies. Using specific implementation of ABC supplemented with population Monte Carlo importance sampling, a generative forward model using HOD and a distance metric based on galaxy number density, two-point correlation function and galaxy group multiplicity function, we constrain the HOD parameters of mock observation generated from selected 'true' HOD parameters. The parameter constraints we obtain from ABC are consistent with the 'true' HOD parameters, demonstrating that ABC can be reliably used for parameter inference in LSS. Furthermore, we compare our ABC constraints to constraints we obtain using a pseudo-likelihood function of Gaussian form with MCMC and find consistent HOD parameter constraints. Ultimately, our results suggest that ABC can and should be applied in parameter inference for LSS analyses.

Optoelectronic transport properties in amorphous/crystalline silicon solar cell heterojunctions measured by frequency-domain photocarrier radiometry: multi-parameter measurement reliability and precision studies.

PubMed

Zhang, Y; Melnikov, A; Mandelis, A; Halliop, B; Kherani, N P; Zhu, R

2015-03-01

A theoretical one-dimensional two-layer linear photocarrier radiometry (PCR) model including the presence of effective interface carrier traps was used to evaluate the transport parameters of p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) passivated by an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-layer) nanolayer. Several crystalline Si heterojunction structures were examined to investigate the influence of the i-layer thickness and the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer. The experimental data of a series of heterojunction structures with intrinsic thin layers were fitted to PCR theory to gain insight into the transport properties of these devices. The quantitative multi-parameter results were studied with regard to measurement reliability (uniqueness) and precision using two independent computational best-fit programs. The considerable influence on the transport properties of the entire structure of two key parameters that can limit the performance of amorphous thin film solar cells, namely, the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer and the i-layer thickness was demonstrated. It was shown that PCR can be applied to the non-destructive characterization of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells yielding reliable measurements of the key parameters.

Optoelectronic transport properties in amorphous/crystalline silicon solar cell heterojunctions measured by frequency-domain photocarrier radiometry: Multi-parameter measurement reliability and precision studies

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

Zhang, Y.; Institute of Electronic Engineering and Optoelectronic Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094; Melnikov, A.

2015-03-15

A theoretical one-dimensional two-layer linear photocarrier radiometry (PCR) model including the presence of effective interface carrier traps was used to evaluate the transport parameters of p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) passivated by an intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-layer) nanolayer. Several crystalline Si heterojunction structures were examined to investigate the influence of the i-layer thickness and the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer. The experimental data of a series of heterojunction structures with intrinsic thin layers were fitted to PCR theory to gain insight into the transport properties of these devices. The quantitative multi-parameter results weremore » studied with regard to measurement reliability (uniqueness) and precision using two independent computational best-fit programs. The considerable influence on the transport properties of the entire structure of two key parameters that can limit the performance of amorphous thin film solar cells, namely, the doping concentration of the a-Si:H layer and the i-layer thickness was demonstrated. It was shown that PCR can be applied to the non-destructive characterization of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells yielding reliable measurements of the key parameters.« less

3D Forest: An application for descriptions of three-dimensional forest structures using terrestrial LiDAR

PubMed Central

Krůček, Martin; Vrška, Tomáš; Král, Kamil

2017-01-01

Terrestrial laser scanning is a powerful technology for capturing the three-dimensional structure of forests with a high level of detail and accuracy. Over the last decade, many algorithms have been developed to extract various tree parameters from terrestrial laser scanning data. Here we present 3D Forest, an open-source non-platform-specific software application with an easy-to-use graphical user interface with the compilation of algorithms focused on the forest environment and extraction of tree parameters. The current version (0.42) extracts important parameters of forest structure from the terrestrial laser scanning data, such as stem positions (X, Y, Z), tree heights, diameters at breast height (DBH), as well as more advanced parameters such as tree planar projections, stem profiles or detailed crown parameters including convex and concave crown surface and volume. Moreover, 3D Forest provides quantitative measures of between-crown interactions and their real arrangement in 3D space. 3D Forest also includes an original algorithm of automatic tree segmentation and crown segmentation. Comparison with field data measurements showed no significant difference in measuring DBH or tree height using 3D Forest, although for DBH only the Randomized Hough Transform algorithm proved to be sufficiently resistant to noise and provided results comparable to traditional field measurements. PMID:28472167

Thermal transport properties of bulk and monolayer MoS2: an ab-initio approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bano, Amreen; Khare, Preeti; Gaur, N. K.

2017-05-01

The transport properties of semiconductors are key to the performance of many solid-state devices (transistors, data storage, thermoelectric cooling and power generation devices, etc). In recent years simulation tools based on first-principles calculations have been greatly improved, being able to obtain the fundamental ground-state properties of materials accurately. The quasi harmonic thermal properties of bulk and monolayer of MoS2 has been computed with ab initio periodic simulations based of density functional theory (DFT). The temperature dependence of bulk modulus, specific heat, thermal expansion and gruneisen parameter have been calculated in our work within the temperature range of 0K to 900K with projected augmented wave (PAW) method using generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Our results show that the optimized lattice parameters are in good agreement with the earlier reported works and also for thermoelastic parameter, i.e. isothermal bulk modulus (B) at 0K indicates that monolayer MoS2 (48.5 GPa)is more compressible than the bulk structure (159.23 GPa). The thermal expansion of monolayer structure is slightly less than the bulk. Similarly, other parameters like heat capacity and gruneisen parameter shows different nature which is due to the confinement of 3 dimensional structure to 2 dimension (2D) for improving its transport characteristics.

Electrostatic properties of the pyrimethamine-2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid cocrystal in methanol studied using transferred electron-density parameters.

PubMed

Faroque, Muhammad Umer; Noureen, Sajida; Ahmed, Maqsood; Tahir, Muhammad Nawaz

2018-01-01

The crystal structure of the cocrystal salt form of the antimalarial drug pyrimethamine with 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid in methanol [systematic name: 2,4-diamino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-6-ethylpyrimidin-1-ium 2,4-dihydroxybenzoate methanol monosolvate, C 12 H 14 ClN 4 + ·C 7 H 5 O 4 - ·CH 3 OH] has been studied using X-ray diffraction data collected at room temperature. The crystal structure was refined using the classical Independent Atom Model (IAM) and the Multipolar Atom Model by transferring electron-density parameters from the ELMAM2 database. The Cl atom was refined anharmonically. The results of both refinement methods have been compared. The intermolecular interactions have been characterized on the basis of Hirshfeld surface analysis and topological analysis using Bader's theory of Atoms in Molecules. The results show that the molecular assembly is built primarily on the basis of charge transfer between 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and pyrimethamine, which results in strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds. This fact is further validated by the calculation of the electrostatic potential based on transferred electron-density parameters.

Probabilistic assessment of the dynamic interaction between multiple pedestrians and vertical vibrations of footbridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tubino, Federica

2018-03-01

The effect of human-structure interaction in the vertical direction for footbridges is studied based on a probabilistic approach. The bridge is modeled as a continuous dynamic system, while pedestrians are schematized as moving single-degree-of-freedom systems with random dynamic properties. The non-dimensional form of the equations of motion allows us to obtain results that can be applied in a very wide set of cases. An extensive Monte Carlo simulation campaign is performed, varying the main non-dimensional parameters identified, and the mean values and coefficients of variation of the damping ratio and of the non-dimensional natural frequency of the coupled system are reported. The results obtained can be interpreted from two different points of view. If the characterization of pedestrians' equivalent dynamic parameters is assumed as uncertain, as revealed from a current literature review, then the paper provides a range of possible variations of the coupled system damping ratio and natural frequency as a function of pedestrians' parameters. Assuming that a reliable characterization of pedestrians' dynamic parameters is available (which is not the case at present, but could be in the future), the results presented can be adopted to estimate the damping ratio and natural frequency of the coupled footbridge-pedestrian system for a very wide range of real structures.

Interpretation of plasma diagnostics package results in terms of large space structure plasma interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurth, William S.

1991-01-01

The Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) is a spacecraft which was designed and built at The University of Iowa and which contained several scientific instruments. These instruments were used for measuring Space Shuttle Orbiter environmental parameters and plasma parameters. The PDP flew on two Space Shuttle flights. The first flight of the PDP was on Space Shuttle Mission STS-3 and was a part of the NASA/Office of Space Science payload (OSS-1). The second flight of the PDP was on Space Shuttle Mission STS/51F and was a part of Spacelab 2. The interpretation of both the OSS-1 and Spacelab 2 PDP results in terms of large space structure plasma interactions is emphasized.

Modelling the growth of porous alumina matrix for creating hyperbolic media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryslanova, E. M.; Alfimov, A. V.; Chivilikhin, S. A.

2016-08-01

Porous aluminum oxide is a regular self-assembled structure. During anodization it is possible to control nano-parameters of the structure using macroscopic parameters of anodization. Porous alumina films can be used as a template for the creation of hyperbolic media. In this work we consider the anodization process, our model takes into account the influence of layers of aluminum and electrolyte on the rate of growth of aluminum oxide, as well as the effect of surface diffusion. As a result of our model we obtain the minimum distance between centers of alumina pores in the beginning of anodizing process. We also present the results obtained by numerical modelling of hyperbolic media based on porous alumina film.

New Equations for Calculating Principal and Fine-Structure Atomic Spectra for Single and Multi-Electron Atoms

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

Surdoval, Wayne A.; Berry, David A.; Shultz, Travis R.

A set of equations are presented for calculating atomic principal spectral lines and fine-structure energy splits for single and multi-electron atoms. Calculated results are presented and compared to the National Institute of Science and Technology database demonstrating very good accuracy. The equations do not require fitted parameters. The only experimental parameter required is the Ionization energy for the electron of interest. The equations have comparable accuracy and broader applicability than the single electron Dirac equation. Three Appendices discuss the origin of the new equations and present calculated results. New insights into the special relativistic nature of the Dirac equation andmore » its relationship to the new equations are presented.« less

"Horseshoe" Structures in the Debris Disks of Planet-Hosting Binary Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demidova, T. V.

2018-03-01

The formation of a planetary system from the protoplanetary disk leads to destruction of the latter; however, a debris disk can remain in the form of asteroids and cometary material. The motion of planets can cause the formation of coorbital structures from the debris disk matter. Previous calculations have shown that such a ring-like structure is more stable if there is a binary star in the center of the system, as opposed to a single star. To analyze the properties of the coorbital structure, we have calculated a grid of models of binary star systems with a circumbinary planet moving in a planetesimal disk. The calculations are performed considering circular orbits of the stars and the planet; the mass and position of the planet, as well as the mass ratio of the stars, are varied. The analysis of the models shows that the width of the coorbital ring and its stability significantly depend on the initial parameters of the problem. Additionally, the empirical dependences of the width of the coorbital structure on the parameters of the system have been obtained, and the parameters of the models with the most stable coorbital structures have been determined. The results of the present study can be used for the search of planets around binary stars with debris disks.

Topological methods for the comparison of structures using LDR-brachytherapy of the prostate as an example.

PubMed

Schiefer, H; von Toggenburg, F; Seelentag, W W; Plasswilm, L; Ries, G; Schmid, H-P; Leippold, T; Krusche, B; Roth, J; Engeler, D

2009-08-21

The dose coverage of low dose rate (LDR)-brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer is monitored 4-6 weeks after intervention by contouring the prostate on computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging sets. Dose parameters for the prostate (V100, D90 and D80) provide information on the treatment quality. Those depend strongly on the delineation of the prostate contours. We therefore systematically investigated the contouring process for 21 patients with five examiners. The prostate structures were compared with one another using topological procedures based on Boolean algebra. The coincidence number C(V) measures the agreement between a set of structures. The mutual coincidence C(i, j) measures the agreement between two structures i and j, and the mean coincidence C(i) compares a selected structure i with the remaining structures in a set. All coincidence parameters have a value of 1 for complete coincidence of contouring and 0 for complete absence. The five patients with the lowest C(V) values were discussed, and rules for contouring the prostate have been formulated. The contouring and assessment were repeated after 3 months for the same five patients. All coincidence parameters have been improved after instruction. This shows objectively that training resulted in more consistent contouring across examiners.

ESR paper on structured reporting in radiology.

PubMed

2018-02-01

Structured reporting is emerging as a key element of optimising radiology's contribution to patient outcomes and ensuring the value of radiologists' work. It is being developed and supported by many national and international radiology societies, based on the recognised need to use uniform language and structure to accurately describe radiology findings. Standardisation of report structures ensures that all relevant areas are addressed. Standardisation of terminology prevents ambiguity in reports and facilitates comparability of reports. The use of key data elements and quantified parameters in structured reports ("radiomics") permits automatic functions (e.g. TNM staging), potential integration with other clinical parameters (e.g. laboratory results), data sharing (e.g. registries, biobanks) and data mining for research, teaching and other purposes. This article outlines the requirements for a successful structured reporting strategy (definition of content and structure, standard terminologies, tools and protocols). A potential implementation strategy is outlined. Moving from conventional prose reports to structured reporting is endorsed as a positive development, and must be an international effort, with international design and adoption of structured reporting templates that can be translated and adapted in local environments as needed. Industry involvement is key to success, based on international data standards and guidelines. • Standardisation of radiology report structure ensures completeness and comparability of reports. • Use of standardised language in reports minimises ambiguity. • Structured reporting facilitates automatic functions, integration with other clinical parameters and data sharing. • International and inter-society cooperation is key to developing successful structured report templates. • Integration with industry providers of radiology-reporting software is also crucial.

A theoretical DFT study on the structural parameters and azide-tetrazole equilibrium in substituted azidothiazole systems.

PubMed

Abu-Eittah, Rafie H; El-Kelany, Khaled E

2012-12-01

Azido-tetrazole equilibrium is sensitive to: substitution, solvent, temperature and phase. In this work, the effects of the type and position of substitution on the thiazole ring of azidothiazoles on its structural parameters and on the azido-tetrazole equilibrium have been theoretically investigated using the density functional procedures at the B3LYP/6-311G(∗∗) level of theory. This study includes the investigation of the equilibrium geometry, the transformation of the trans-conformer to the cis one then the ring closure to the tetrazole isomer. The transition states of the two steps were located, confirmed and the structural parameters were calculated. In all the steps of calculations, geometry optimization was considered. The results obtained indicate that substitution by: -NO(2) and -CN group shifts the equilibrium to the azide side and in some cases the tetrazole isomer is not obtained. On the other hand, substitution by: -NH(2) and -OH groups shifts the equilibrium to the tetrazole side and in some cases the azide isomer is not obtained and if formed changes spontaneously to the tetrazole isomer. The decisive parameters which determine the position of the equilibrium are: charge density on atoms N3 and N8, rearrangement of bond length and bond angles during the process of cyclization and variation of dipole moment as a result of cyclization. Results of this work indicate that substitution on C5 is more efficient than substitution on C4 of the thiazole ring. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Load Diffusion in Composite and Smart Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horgan, C. O.

2003-01-01

The research carried out here builds on our previous NASA supported research on the general topic of edge effects and load diffusion in composite structures. Further fundamental solid mechanics studies were carried out to provide a basis for assessing the complicated modeling necessary for the multi-functional large scale structures used by NASA. An understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of load diffusion in composite subcomponents is essential in developing primary composite structures. Some specific problems recently considered were those of end effects in smart materials and structures, study of the stress response of pressurized linear piezoelectric cylinders for both static and steady rotating configurations, an analysis of the effect of pre-stressing and pre-polarization on the decay of end effects in piezoelectric solids and investigation of constitutive models for hardening rubber-like materials. Our goal in the study of load diffusion is the development of readily applicable results for the decay lengths in terms of non-dimensional material and geometric parameters. Analytical models of load diffusion behavior are extremely valuable in building an intuitive base for developing refined modeling strategies and assessing results from finite element analyses. The decay behavior of stresses and other field quantities provides a significant aid towards this process. The analysis is also amenable to parameter study with a large parameter space and should be useful in structural tailoring studies. Special purpose analytical models of load diffusion behavior are extremely valuable in building an intuitive base for developing refined modeling strategies and in assessing results from general purpose finite element analyses. For example, a rational basis is needed in choosing where to use three-dimensional to two-dimensional transition finite elements in analyzing stiffened plates and shells. The decay behavior of stresses and other field quantities furnished by this research provides a significant aid towards this element transition issue. A priori knowledge of the extent of boundary-layers induced by edge effects is also useful in determination of the instrumentation location in structural verification tests or in material characterization tests.

The diagram of phase-field crystal structures: an influence of model parameters in a two-mode approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ankudinov, V.; Galenko, P. K.

2017-04-01

Effect of phase-field crystal model (PFC-model) parameters on the structure diagram is analyzed. The PFC-model is taken in a two-mode approximation and the construction of structure diagram follows from the free energy minimization and Maxwell thermodynamic rule. The diagram of structure’s coexistence for three dimensional crystal structures [Body-Centered-Cubic (BCC), Face-Centered-Cubic (FCC) and homogeneous structures] are constructed. An influence of the model parameters, including the stability parameters, are discussed. A question about the structure diagram construction using the two-mode PFC-model with the application to real materials is established.

Solid Modeling of Crew Exploration Vehicle Structure Concepts for Mass Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukhopadhyay, Vivek

2006-01-01

Parametric solid and surface models of the crew exploration vehicle (CEV) command module (CM) structure concepts are developed for rapid finite element analyses, structural sizing and estimation of optimal structural mass. The effects of the structural configuration and critical design parameters on the stress distribution are visualized, examined to arrive at an efficient design. The CM structural components consisted of the outer heat shield, inner pressurized crew cabin, ring bulkhead and spars. For this study only the internal cabin pressure load case is considered. Component stress, deflection, margins of safety and mass are used as design goodness criteria. The design scenario is explored by changing the component thickness parameters and materials until an acceptable design is achieved. Aluminum alloy, titanium alloy and an advanced composite material properties are considered for the stress analysis and the results are compared as a part of lessons learned and to build up a structural component sizing knowledge base for the future CEV technology support. This independent structural analysis and the design scenario based optimization process may also facilitate better CM structural definition and rapid prototyping.

Comparison of diagnostic capability of macular ganglion cell complex and retinal nerve fiber layer among primary open angle glaucoma, ocular hypertension, and normal population using Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography and determining their functional correlation in Indian population

PubMed Central

Barua, Nabanita; Sitaraman, Chitra; Goel, Sonu; Chakraborti, Chandana; Mukherjee, Sonai; Parashar, Hemandra

2016-01-01

Context: Analysis of diagnostic ability of macular ganglionic cell complex and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in glaucoma. Aim: To correlate functional and structural parameters and comparing predictive value of each of the structural parameters using Fourier-domain (FD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) among primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension (OHT) versus normal population. Setting and Design: Single centric, cross-sectional study done in 234 eyes. Materials and Methods: Patients were enrolled in three groups: POAG, ocular hypertensive and normal (40 patients in each group). After comprehensive ophthalmological examination, patients underwent standard automated perimetry and FD-OCT scan in optic nerve head and ganglion cell mode. The relationship was assessed by correlating ganglion cell complex (GCC) parameters with mean deviation. Results were compared with RNFL parameters. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed with SPSS, analysis of variance, t-test, Pearson's coefficient, and receiver operating curve. Results: All parameters showed strong correlation with visual field (P < 0.001). Inferior GCC had highest area under curve (AUC) for detecting glaucoma (0.827) in POAG from normal population. However, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.5) when compared with other parameters. None of the parameters showed significant diagnostic capability to detect OHT from normal population. In diagnosing early glaucoma from OHT and normal population, only inferior GCC had statistically significant AUC value (0.715). Conclusion: In this study, GCC and RNFL parameters showed equal predictive capability in perimetric versus normal group. In early stage, inferior GCC was the best parameter. In OHT population, single day cross-sectional imaging was not valuable. PMID:27221682

Item response theory analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S) using a sample of Japanese university and college students majoring medical science, nursing, and natural science.

PubMed

Tsubakita, Takashi; Shimazaki, Kazuyo; Ito, Hiroshi; Kawazoe, Nobuo

2017-10-30

The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students has been used internationally to assess students' academic engagement, but it has not been analyzed via item response theory. The purpose of this study was to conduct an item response theory analysis of the Japanese version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students translated by authors. Using a two-parameter model and Samejima's graded response model, difficulty and discrimination parameters were estimated after confirming the factor structure of the scale. The 14 items on the scale were analyzed with a sample of 3214 university and college students majoring medical science, nursing, or natural science in Japan. The preliminary parameter estimation was conducted with the two parameter model, and indicated that three items should be removed because there were outlier parameters. Final parameter estimation was conducted using the survived 11 items, and indicated that all difficulty and discrimination parameters were acceptable. The test information curve suggested that the scale better assesses higher engagement than average engagement. The estimated parameters provide a basis for future comparative studies. The results also suggested that a 7-point Likert scale is too broad; thus, the scaling should be modified to fewer graded scaling structure.

Significance of modeling internal damping in the control of structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, H. T.; Inman, D. J.

1992-01-01

Several simple systems are examined to illustrate the importance of the estimation of damping parameters in closed-loop system performance and stability. The negative effects of unmodeled damping are particularly pronounced in systems that do not use collocated sensors and actuators. An example is considered for which even the actuators (a tip jet nozzle and flexible hose) for a simple beam produce significant damping which, if ignored, results in a model that cannot yield a reasonable time response using physically meaningful parameter values. It is concluded that correct damping modeling is essential in structure control.

Calibration under uncertainty for finite element models of masonry monuments

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

Atamturktur, Sezer,; Hemez, Francois,; Unal, Cetin

2010-02-01

Historical unreinforced masonry buildings often include features such as load bearing unreinforced masonry vaults and their supporting framework of piers, fill, buttresses, and walls. The masonry vaults of such buildings are among the most vulnerable structural components and certainly among the most challenging to analyze. The versatility of finite element (FE) analyses in incorporating various constitutive laws, as well as practically all geometric configurations, has resulted in the widespread use of the FE method for the analysis of complex unreinforced masonry structures over the last three decades. However, an FE model is only as accurate as its input parameters, andmore » there are two fundamental challenges while defining FE model input parameters: (1) material properties and (2) support conditions. The difficulties in defining these two aspects of the FE model arise from the lack of knowledge in the common engineering understanding of masonry behavior. As a result, engineers are unable to define these FE model input parameters with certainty, and, inevitably, uncertainties are introduced to the FE model.« less

Effective Parameters in Axial Injection Suspension Plasma Spray Process of Alumina-Zirconia Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasi, F.; Medraj, M.; Dolatabadi, A.; Oberste-Berghaus, J.; Moreau, C.

2008-12-01

Suspension plasma spray (SPS) is a novel process for producing nano-structured coatings with metastable phases using significantly smaller particles as compared to conventional thermal spraying. Considering the complexity of the system there is an extensive need to better understand the relationship between plasma spray conditions and resulting coating microstructure and defects. In this study, an alumina/8 wt.% yttria-stabilized zirconia was deposited by axial injection SPS process. The effects of principal deposition parameters on the microstructural features are evaluated using the Taguchi design of experiment. The microstructural features include microcracks, porosities, and deposition rate. To better understand the role of the spray parameters, in-flight particle characteristics, i.e., temperature and velocity were also measured. The role of the porosity in this multicomponent structure is studied as well. The results indicate that thermal diffusivity of the coatings, an important property for potential thermal barrier applications, is barely affected by the changes in porosity content.

A study of small impact parameter ion channeling effects in thin crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motapothula, Mallikarjuna Rao; Breese, Mark B. H.

2018-03-01

We have recorded channeling patterns produced by 1-2 MeV protons aligned with ⟨1 1 1⟩ axes in 55 nm thick silicon crystals which exhibit characteristic angular structure for deflection angles up to and beyond the axial critical angle, ψ a . Such large angular deflections are produced by ions incident on atomic strings with small impact parameters, resulting in trajectories which pass through several radial rings of atomic strings before exiting the thin crystal. Each ring may focus, steer or scatter the channeled ions in the transverse direction and the resulting characteristic angular structure beyond 0.6 ψ a at different depths can be related to peaks and troughs in the nuclear encounter probability. Such "radial focusing" underlies other axial channeling phenomena in thin crystals including planar channeling of small impact parameter trajectories, peaks around the azimuthal distribution at small tilts and large shoulders in the nuclear encounter probability at tilts beyond ψ a .

Wing optimization for space shuttle orbiter vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Surber, T. E.; Bornemann, W. E.; Miller, W. D.

1972-01-01

The results were presented of a parametric study performed to determine the optimum wing geometry for a proposed space shuttle orbiter. The results of the study establish the minimum weight wing for a series of wing-fuselage combinations subject to constraints on aerodynamic heating, wing trailing edge sweep, and wing over-hang. The study consists of a generalized design evaluation which has the flexibility of arbitrarily varying those wing parameters which influence the vehicle system design and its performance. The study is structured to allow inputs of aerodynamic, weight, aerothermal, structural and material data in a general form so that the influence of these parameters on the design optimization process can be isolated and identified. This procedure displays the sensitivity of the system design of variations in wing geometry. The parameters of interest are varied in a prescribed fashion on a selected fuselage and the effect on the total vehicle weight is determined. The primary variables investigated are: wing loading, aspect ratio, leading edge sweep, thickness ratio, and taper ratio.

Numerical examination of like-honeycomb structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Małgorzata; John, Antoni; Skarka, Wojciech

2018-01-01

In the paper based on the analogy with the biological tissue of bones, it was decided to examine more homogenous structure and also a heterogeneous structure too. Here, a new approach is proposed based on results from literature obtained using topology optimization 2D and 3D structures like beam, girder and cantilever. Proposed model of structure is similar to spatial trusses with honeycomb-shape porous. Parameters varied not only uniformly throughout the volume of the sample, but also be modified depending on various factors. They underwent a change in cell dimensions, among other things, the thickness of the wall. The obtained results were compared with those obtained previously for homogeneous samples.

Constructive systems, load-bearing and enclosing structures of high-rise buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anatol'evna Korol', Elena; Olegovna Kustikova, Yuliya

2018-03-01

As the height of the building increases, loads on load-carrying structures increase dramatically, and as a result of the development of high-rise construction, several structural systems of such buildings have been developed: frame, frame-frame, cross-wall, barrel, box-type, box-to-wall ("pipe in pipe", "Trumpet in the farm"), etc. In turn, the barrel systems have their own versions: cantilever support of the ceilings on the trunk, suspension of the outer part of the overlap to the upper carrying console "hanging house" or its support by means of the walls on the lower bearing cantilever, intermediate position of the supporting cantilevers in height to the floor, from a part of floors. The object of the study are the structural solutions of high-rise buildings. The subject of the study is the layout of structural schemes of high-rise buildings, taking into account the main parameters - altitude (height), natural climatic conditions of construction, materials of structural elements and their physical and mechanical characteristics. The purpose of the study is to identify the features and systematization of structural systems of high-rise buildings and the corresponding structural elements. The results of the research make it possible, at the stage of making design decisions, to establish rational parameters for the correspondence between the structural systems of high-rise buildings and their individual elements.

Predictive control of thermal state of blast furnace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbasova, T. A.; Filimonova, A. A.

2018-05-01

The work describes the structure of the model for predictive control of the thermal state of a blast furnace. The proposed model contains the following input parameters: coke rate; theoretical combustion temperature, comprising: natural gas consumption, blasting temperature, humidity, oxygen, blast furnace cooling water; blast furnace gas utilization rate. The output parameter is the cast iron temperature. The results for determining the cast iron temperature were obtained following the identification using the Hammerstein-Wiener model. The result of solving the cast iron temperature stabilization problem was provided for the calculated values of process parameters of the target area of the respective blast furnace operation mode.

Global asymptotic stability of density dependent integral population projection models.

PubMed

Rebarber, Richard; Tenhumberg, Brigitte; Townley, Stuart

2012-02-01

Many stage-structured density dependent populations with a continuum of stages can be naturally modeled using nonlinear integral projection models. In this paper, we study a trichotomy of global stability result for a class of density dependent systems which include a Platte thistle model. Specifically, we identify those systems parameters for which zero is globally asymptotically stable, parameters for which there is a positive asymptotically stable equilibrium, and parameters for which there is no asymptotically stable equilibrium. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Turbulence study in the vicinity of piano key weir: relevance, instrumentation, parameters and methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Harinarayan; Sharma, Nayan

2017-05-01

This research paper focuses on the need of turbulence, instruments reliable to capture turbulence, different turbulence parameters and some advance methodology which can decompose various turbulence structures at different levels near hydraulic structures. Small-scale turbulence research has valid prospects in open channel flow. The relevance of the study is amplified as we introduce any hydraulic structure in the channel which disturbs the natural flow and creates discontinuity. To recover this discontinuity, the piano key weir (PKW) might be used with sloped keys. Constraints of empirical results in the vicinity of PKW necessitate extensive laboratory experiments with fair and reliable instrumentation techniques. Acoustic Doppler velocimeter was established to be best suited within range of some limitations using principal component analysis. Wavelet analysis is proposed to decompose the underlying turbulence structure in a better way.

EPR investigation of local structure for [Mn(H 2O) 6] 2+ cluster in [M(H 2O) 6]XCl 6:Mn 2+ (M = Zn, Mg, Cd, Ca; X = Pt, Sn) systems at different temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Wen-Yan; Kuang, Xiao-Yu; Li, Hui-Fang; Li, Yan-Fang; Ying-Li

2009-01-01

A theoretical method for studying the inter-relation between the local structure and EPR spectra is established by diagonalizing the complete energy matrices. For [M(H 2O) 6]XCl 6:Mn 2+ (M = Zn, Mg, Cd, Ca; X = Pt, Sn) systems, the calculated results demonstrate that the local structures around the octahedral Mn 2+ centers in the doped systems are very similar despite of the host crystals being different. Furthermore, it is shown that the EPR zero-field parameter D depends simultaneously on the local structure parameters R and θ while ( a - F) depends mainly on R, whether the doped systems are at liquid-nitrogen temperature or room temperature.

Analysis of Modeling Parameters on Threaded Screws.

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

Vigil, Miquela S.; Brake, Matthew Robert; Vangoethem, Douglas

2015-06-01

Assembled mechanical systems often contain a large number of bolted connections. These bolted connections (joints) are integral aspects of the load path for structural dynamics, and, consequently, are paramount for calculating a structure's stiffness and energy dissipation prop- erties. However, analysts have not found the optimal method to model appropriately these bolted joints. The complexity of the screw geometry cause issues when generating a mesh of the model. This paper will explore different approaches to model a screw-substrate connec- tion. Model parameters such as mesh continuity, node alignment, wedge angles, and thread to body element size ratios are examined. Themore » results of this study will give analysts a better understanding of the influences of these parameters and will aide in finding the optimal method to model bolted connections.« less

Clustering fossils in solid inflation

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

Akhshik, Mohammad, E-mail: m.akhshik@ipm.ir

In solid inflation the single field non-Gaussianity consistency condition is violated. As a result, the long tenor perturbation induces observable clustering fossils in the form of quadrupole anisotropy in large scale structure power spectrum. In this work we revisit the bispectrum analysis for the scalar-scalar-scalar and tensor-scalar-scalar bispectrum for the general parameter space of solid. We consider the parameter space of the model in which the level of non-Gaussianity generated is consistent with the Planck constraints. Specializing to this allowed range of model parameter we calculate the quadrupole anisotropy induced from the long tensor perturbations on the power spectrum ofmore » the scalar perturbations. We argue that the imprints of clustering fossil from primordial gravitational waves on large scale structures can be detected from the future galaxy surveys.« less

Preliminary results of the calculated and experimental studies of the basic aerothermodynamic parameters of the ExoMars landing module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finchenko, V. S.; Ivankov, A. A.; Shmatov, S. I.; Mordvinkin, A. S.

2015-12-01

The article presents the initial data for the ExoMars landing module aerothermodynamic calculations, used calculation methods, the calculation results of aerodynamic characteristics of the landing module shape and structural parameters of thermal protection selected during the conceptual design phase. Also, the test results of the destruction of the thermal protection material and comparison of the basic characteristics of the landing module with a front shield in the form of a cone and a spherical segment are presented.

Validation and upgrading of physically based mathematical models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duval, Ronald

1992-01-01

The validation of the results of physically-based mathematical models against experimental results was discussed. Systematic techniques are used for: (1) isolating subsets of the simulator mathematical model and comparing the response of each subset to its experimental response for the same input conditions; (2) evaluating the response error to determine whether it is the result of incorrect parameter values, incorrect structure of the model subset, or unmodeled external effects of cross coupling; and (3) modifying and upgrading the model and its parameter values to determine the most physically appropriate combination of changes.

Conformational analysis of bis(methylthio)methane and diethyl sulfide molecules in the liquid phase: reverse Monte Carlo studies using classical interatomic potential functions.

PubMed

Gereben, Orsolya; Pusztai, László

2013-11-13

Series of flexible molecule reverse Monte Carlo calculations, using bonding and non-bonding interatomic potential functions (FMP-RMC), were performed starting from previous molecular dynamics results that had applied the OPLS-AA and EncadS force fields. During RMC modeling, the experimental x-ray total scattering structure factor was approached. The discrepancy between experimental and calculated structure factors, in comparison with the molecular dynamics results, decreased substantially in each case. The room temperature liquid structure of bis(methylthio)methane is excellently described by the FMP-RMC simulation that applied the EncadS force field parameters. The main conformer was found to be AG with 55.2%, followed by 37.2% of G(+)G(+) (G(-)G(-)) and 7.6% of AA; the stability of the G(+)G(+) (G(-)G(-)) conformer is most probably caused by the anomer effect. The liquid structure of diethyl sulfide can be best described by applying the OPLS-AA force field parameters during FMP-RMC simulation, although in this case the force field parameters were found to be not fully compatible with experimental data. Here, the two main conformers are AG (50.6%) and the AA (40%). In addition to findings on the actual real systems, a fairly detailed comparison between traditional and FMP-RMC methodology is provided.

Impact of influent data frequency and model structure on the quality of WWTP model calibration and uncertainty.

PubMed

Cierkens, Katrijn; Plano, Salvatore; Benedetti, Lorenzo; Weijers, Stefan; de Jonge, Jarno; Nopens, Ingmar

2012-01-01

Application of activated sludge models (ASMs) to full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is still hampered by the problem of model calibration of these over-parameterised models. This either requires expert knowledge or global methods that explore a large parameter space. However, a better balance in structure between the submodels (ASM, hydraulic, aeration, etc.) and improved quality of influent data result in much smaller calibration efforts. In this contribution, a methodology is proposed that links data frequency and model structure to calibration quality and output uncertainty. It is composed of defining the model structure, the input data, an automated calibration, confidence interval computation and uncertainty propagation to the model output. Apart from the last step, the methodology is applied to an existing WWTP using three models differing only in the aeration submodel. A sensitivity analysis was performed on all models, allowing the ranking of the most important parameters to select in the subsequent calibration step. The aeration submodel proved very important to get good NH(4) predictions. Finally, the impact of data frequency was explored. Lowering the frequency resulted in larger deviations of parameter estimates from their default values and larger confidence intervals. Autocorrelation due to high frequency calibration data has an opposite effect on the confidence intervals. The proposed methodology opens doors to facilitate and improve calibration efforts and to design measurement campaigns.

Experimental Study of the Structure of a Wingtip Vortex

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Elgin A.; Wright, Christopher T.

2000-01-01

A complete look at the near-field development and subsequent role-up of a wingtip vortex from a NACA 0015 wing section is investigated. Two separate but equally important surveys of the vortex structure in the region adjacent to the wingtip and approximately one chord length downstream of the trailing edge are performed. The two surveys provide qualitative flow-visualization an quantitative velocity measurement data. The near-field development and subsequent role-up of the vortex structures is strongly influenced by the angle-of-attack and the end-cap treatment of the wing section. The velocity field near the wingtip of the NACA 0015 wing section was measured with a triple-sensor hot wire probe and compared to flow visualization images produced with titanium tetrachloride smoke injection and laser illumination. The flat end-cap results indicate the formation of multiple, relatively strong vortex structures as opposed to the formation of a single vortex produced with the round end-cap. The multiple vortices generated by the flat end-cap are seen to rotate around a common ce te in a helical pattern until they eventually merge into a single vortex. Compared to a non-dimensional loading parameter, the results of the velocity and flow visualization data shows a "jetlike" axial velocity profile for loading parameter values on the order of 0.1 and a "wakelike" profile for much lower loading parameter values.

Comparative impact analysis of laser radiation on steel grades 1045 and 5140

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

Lobankova, Olga V., E-mail: lobankovaov@gmail.com, E-mail: zilyu@yandex.ru; Zykov, Ilya Y., E-mail: lobankovaov@gmail.com, E-mail: zilyu@yandex.ru; Melnikov, Alexander G., E-mail: melnikov-ag@tpu.ru

2014-11-14

There are results of experiments with deep engraving steel grades 1045 and 5140. The deep engraving was made by laser system equipped with a pulsed ytterbium fiber laser. The objectives of the work is to evaluate the change in the structure and properties of the material in the laser exposure area. Microsections of materials have been investigated and microhardness was measured for this purpose. The optimal parameters of laser material removal were considered. It is shown that various changes occur in the metal structure, which depends on the composition of the steel. In particular, when processing with identical laser parameters,more » tempered steel 1045 remelts and its hardness changes, while steel 5140 does not change its structure.« less

Parametric representation of weld fillets using shell finite elements—a proposal based on minimum stiffness and inertia errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echer, L.; Marczak, R. J.

2018-02-01

The objective of the present work is to introduce a methodology capable of modelling welded components for structural stress analysis. The modelling technique was based on the recommendations of the International Institute of Welding; however, some geometrical features of the weld fillet were used as design parameters in an optimization problem. Namely, the weld leg length and thickness of the shell elements representing the weld fillet were optimized in such a way that the first natural frequencies were not changed significantly when compared to a reference result. Sequential linear programming was performed for T-joint structures corresponding to two different structural details: with and without full penetration weld fillets. Both structural details were tested in scenarios of various plate thicknesses and depths. Once the optimal parameters were found, a modelling procedure was proposed for T-shaped components. Furthermore, the proposed modelling technique was extended for overlapped welded joints. The results obtained were compared to well-established methodologies presented in standards and in the literature. The comparisons included results for natural frequencies, total mass and structural stress. By these comparisons, it was observed that some established practices produce significant errors in the overall stiffness and inertia. The methodology proposed herein does not share this issue and can be easily extended to other types of structure.

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

Nelson, Stacy; English, Shawn; Briggs, Timothy

Fiber-reinforced composite materials offer light-weight solutions to many structural challenges. In the development of high-performance composite structures, a thorough understanding is required of the composite materials themselves as well as methods for the analysis and failure prediction of the relevant composite structures. However, the mechanical properties required for the complete constitutive definition of a composite material can be difficult to determine through experimentation. Therefore, efficient methods are necessary that can be used to determine which properties are relevant to the analysis of a specific structure and to establish a structure's response to a material parameter that can only be definedmore » through estimation. The objectives of this paper deal with demonstrating the potential value of sensitivity and uncertainty quantification techniques during the failure analysis of loaded composite structures; and the proposed methods are applied to the simulation of the four-point flexural characterization of a carbon fiber composite material. Utilizing a recently implemented, phenomenological orthotropic material model that is capable of predicting progressive composite damage and failure, a sensitivity analysis is completed to establish which material parameters are truly relevant to a simulation's outcome. Then, a parameter study is completed to determine the effect of the relevant material properties' expected variations on the simulated four-point flexural behavior as well as to determine the value of an unknown material property. This process demonstrates the ability to formulate accurate predictions in the absence of a rigorous material characterization effort. Finally, the presented results indicate that a sensitivity analysis and parameter study can be used to streamline the material definition process as the described flexural characterization was used for model validation.« less

Investigation of the effects of melt electrospinning parameters on the direct-writing fiber size using orthogonal design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Feng-Li; He, Jin; Deng, Xudong; Li, Da-Wei; Ahmad, Fiaz; Liu, Yang-Yang; Liu, Ya-Li; Ye, Ya-Jing; Zhang, Chen-Yan; Yin, Da-Chuan

2017-10-01

Melt electrospinning is a complex process, and many of the processing parameters can impact the result of fiber formation. In this paper, we conducted a systematic investigation on the impacts of the melt electrospinning parameters (including temperature, needle gauge, flow rate and collector speed) on the fiber diameter via an orthogonal design experiment. The straight single fibers were fabricated using melt electrospinning in a direct-writing way with a diameter varied from 9.68  ±  0.93 µm to 48.55  ±  3.72 µm. The results showed that the fiber diameter changed differently against different parameters: when the temperature or needle gauge increased, the fiber diameter increased first and then decreased; when the flow rate increased, the fiber diameter decreased first and then increased; when the collector speed increased, the fiber diameter decreased monotonously. We also found that the collector speed was the most influential factor while the needle gauge was least important in determining the diameter of the fiber. Moreover, the feasibility of melt electrospinning in a direct-writing way as a novel 3D printing technology had been demonstrated by fabricating both uniform and controllable structures with high accuracy, based on the optimal parameters from the orthogonal experiments. The promising results indicated that melt electrospinning can be developed as a powerful technique for fabricating miniatured parts with high resolution and controllable structures for versatile potential applications.

A multi-mode real-time terrain parameter estimation method for wheeled motion control of mobile robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuankai; Ding, Liang; Zheng, Zhizhong; Yang, Qizhi; Zhao, Xingang; Liu, Guangjun

2018-05-01

For motion control of wheeled planetary rovers traversing on deformable terrain, real-time terrain parameter estimation is critical in modeling the wheel-terrain interaction and compensating the effect of wheel slipping. A multi-mode real-time estimation method is proposed in this paper to achieve accurate terrain parameter estimation. The proposed method is composed of an inner layer for real-time filtering and an outer layer for online update. In the inner layer, sinkage exponent and internal frictional angle, which have higher sensitivity than that of the other terrain parameters to wheel-terrain interaction forces, are estimated in real time by using an adaptive robust extended Kalman filter (AREKF), whereas the other parameters are fixed with nominal values. The inner layer result can help synthesize the current wheel-terrain contact forces with adequate precision, but has limited prediction capability for time-variable wheel slipping. To improve estimation accuracy of the result from the inner layer, an outer layer based on recursive Gauss-Newton (RGN) algorithm is introduced to refine the result of real-time filtering according to the innovation contained in the history data. With the two-layer structure, the proposed method can work in three fundamental estimation modes: EKF, REKF and RGN, making the method applicable for flat, rough and non-uniform terrains. Simulations have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method under three terrain types, showing the advantages of introducing the two-layer structure.

Parametric analysis and temperature effect of deployable hinged shells using shape memory polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Ran; Yang, Qing-Sheng; He, Xiao-Qiao; Liew, Kim-Meow

2016-11-01

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a class of intelligent materials, which are defined by their capacity to store a temporary shape and recover an original shape. In this work, the shape memory effect of SMP deployable hinged shell is simulated by using compiled user defined material subroutine (UMAT) subroutine of ABAQUS. Variations of bending moment and strain energy of the hinged shells with different temperatures and structural parameters in the loading process are given. The effects of the parameters and temperature on the nonlinear deformation process are emphasized. The entire thermodynamic cycle of SMP deployable hinged shell includes loading at high temperature, load carrying with cooling, unloading at low temperature and recovering the original shape with heating. The results show that the complicated thermo-mechanical deformation and shape memory effect of SMP deployable hinge are influenced by the structural parameters and temperature. The design ability of SMP smart hinged structures in practical application is prospected.

Association between smoking status and the parameters of vascular structure and function in adults: results from the EVIDENT study.

PubMed

Recio-Rodriguez, Jose I; Gomez-Marcos, Manuel A; Patino Alonso, Maria C; Martin-Cantera, Carlos; Ibañez-Jalon, Elisa; Melguizo-Bejar, Amor; Garcia-Ortiz, Luis

2013-12-01

The present study analyses the relation between smoking status and the parameters used to assess vascular structure and function. This cross-sectional, multi-centre study involved a random sample of 1553 participants from the EVIDENT study. The smoking status, peripheral augmentation index and ankle-brachial index were measured in all participants. In a small subset of the main population (265 participants), the carotid intima-media thickness and pulse wave velocity were also measured. After controlling for the effect of age, sex and other risk factors, present smokers have higher values of carotid intima-media thickness (p = 0.011). Along the same lines, current smokers have higher values of pulse wave velocity and lower mean values of ankle-brachial index but without statistical significance in both cases. Among the parameters of vascular structure and function analysed, only the IMT shows association with the smoking status, after adjusting for confounders.

Laser Cladding of Ti-6Al-4 V Powder on Ti-6Al-4 V Substrate: Effect of Laser Cladding Parameters on Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottam, Ryan; Brandt, Milan

The laser cladding of Ti-6Al-4 V powder on Ti-6Al-4 V substrate has been investigated to determine laser parameters that could be used as a repair technology for Ti-6Al-4 V components. The parameters chosen for the investigation were developed by an analytical laser cladding model. Holding clad height and melt pool depth constant, the traversing speed was varied between 300 mm/min and 1500 mm/min, an associated power for the given speed was calculated by the model. Two different melt pool depths were used in the calculation of laser power for a given process velocity. The resulting microstructures in the clad zone varied from a relatively thin martensitic structure to a dendritic/thick martensitic structure. The heat affected zone (HAZ) showed a refinement of the Widmanstatten microstructure with a decreasing laser traversing speed and a coarser martensitic structure for the sample prepared with a deeper melt pool.

Thermal and athermal three-dimensional swarms of self-propelled particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Nguyen H. P.; Jankowski, Eric; Glotzer, Sharon C.

2012-07-01

Swarms of self-propelled particles exhibit complex behavior that can arise from simple models, with large changes in swarm behavior resulting from small changes in model parameters. We investigate the steady-state swarms formed by self-propelled Morse particles in three dimensions using molecular dynamics simulations optimized for graphics processing units. We find a variety of swarms of different overall shape assemble spontaneously and that for certain Morse potential parameters at most two competing structures are observed. We report a rich “phase diagram” of athermal swarm structures observed across a broad range of interaction parameters. Unlike the structures formed in equilibrium self-assembly, we find that the probability of forming a self-propelled swarm can be biased by the choice of initial conditions. We investigate how thermal noise influences swarm formation and demonstrate ways it can be exploited to reconfigure one swarm into another. Our findings validate and extend previous observations of self-propelled Morse swarms and highlight open questions for predictive theories of nonequilibrium self-assembly.

Statistical Analysis of Large-Scale Structure of Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tugay, A. V.

While galaxy cluster catalogs were compiled many decades ago, other structural elements of cosmic web are detected at definite level only in the newest works. For example, extragalactic filaments were described by velocity field and SDSS galaxy distribution during the last years. Large-scale structure of the Universe could be also mapped in the future using ATHENA observations in X-rays and SKA in radio band. Until detailed observations are not available for the most volume of Universe, some integral statistical parameters can be used for its description. Such methods as galaxy correlation function, power spectrum, statistical moments and peak statistics are commonly used with this aim. The parameters of power spectrum and other statistics are important for constraining the models of dark matter, dark energy, inflation and brane cosmology. In the present work we describe the growth of large-scale density fluctuations in one- and three-dimensional case with Fourier harmonics of hydrodynamical parameters. In result we get power-law relation for the matter power spectrum.

Boron-doped few-walled carbon nanotubes: novel synthesis and properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, Colin; Song, Da; Taillon, Josh; Cumings, John; Hu, Liangbing

2016-11-01

Few-walled carbon nanotubes offer a unique marriage of graphitic quality and robustness to ink-processing; however, doping procedures that may alter the band structure of these few-walled nanotubes are still lacking. This report introduces a novel solution-injected chemical vapor deposition growth process to fabricate the first boron-doped few-walled carbon nanotubes (B-FWNTs) reported in literature, which may have extensive applications in battery devices. A comprehensive characterization of the as-grown B-FWNTs confirms successful boron substitution in the graphitic lattice, and reveals varying growth parameters impact the structural properties of B-FWNT yield. An investigation into the optimal growth purification parameters and ink-making procedures was also conducted. This study introduces the first process technique to successfully grow intrinsically p-doped FWNTs, and provides the first investigation into the impact factors of the growth parameters, purification steps, and ink-making processes on the structural properties of the B-FWNTs and the electrical properties of the resulting spray-coated thin-film electrodes.

Effect of synthesis parameters on polymethacrylic acid xerogel structures and equilibrium swelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panić, V.; Jovanović, J.; Adnadjević, B.; Velicković, S.

2009-09-01

Hydrogels based on crosslinked polymethacrylic acid were synthesized via free-radical polymerization in aqueous solution, using N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinking agent and 2,2'-azobis-[2-(2-imidazolin-2-yl)propane] dihydrochloride as an initiator. The influence of the reaction parameters (the neutralization degree of methacrylic acid and the initial monomer concentration) on the equilibrium swelling degree, the swelling kinetic parameters and the basic structural properties of xerogels was investigated. The change of synthesis parameters leads to the change of the basic structural parameters of xerogel, as well as the equilibrium swelling degree and the initial swelling rate of the hydrogels. It is found that there are power form relationships between the equilibrium swelling degree, the initial swelling rate and the structural xerogel’s properties and the change of the neutralization degree of monomer, i.e. the monomer concentration. The examined correlations proved that the crosslinking density is the crucial parameter which determines all the other investigated structural and swelling parameters.

Actuator with built-in viscous damping for isolation and structural control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyde, T. Tupper; Anderson, Eric H.

1994-05-01

This paper describes the development and experimental application of an actuator with built-in viscous damping. An existing passive damper was modified for use as a novel actuation device for isolation and structural control. The device functions by using the same fluid for viscous damping and as a hydraulic lever for a voice coil actuator. Applications for such an actuator include structural control and active isolation. Lumped parameter models capturing structural and fluid effects are presented. Component tests of free stroke, blocked force, and passive complex stiffness are used to update the assumed model parameters. The structural damping effectiveness of the new actuator is shown to be that of a regular D-strut passively and that of a piezoelectric strut with load cell feedback actively in a complex testbed structure. Open and closed loop results are presented for a force isolation application showing an 8 dB passive and 20 dB active improvement over an undamped mount. An optimized design for a future experimental testbed is developed.

Study on sensing property of one-dimensional ring mirror-defect photonic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ying; Luo, Pei; Cao, Huiying; Zhao, Zhiyong; Zhu, Qiguang

2018-02-01

Based on the photon localization and the photonic bandgap characteristics of photonic crystals (PCs), one-dimensional (1D) ring mirror-defect photonic crystal structure is proposed. Due to the introduction of mirror structure, a defect cavity is formed in the center of the photonic crystal, and then the resonant transmission peak can be obtained in the bandgap of transmission spectrum. The transfer matrix method is used to establish the relationship model between the resonant transmission peak and the structure parameters of the photonic crystals. Using the rectangular air gate photonic crystal structure, the dynamic monitoring of the detected gas sample parameters can be achieved from the shift of the resonant transmission peak. The simulation results show that the Q-value can attain to 1739.48 and the sensitivity can attain to 1642 nm ṡ RIU-1, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the sensing structure. The structure can provide certain theoretical reference for air pollution monitoring and gas component analysis.

Effect of two imidazolium derivatives of ionic liquids on the structure and activity of adenosine deaminase.

PubMed

Ajloo, Davood; Sangian, Masoomeh; Ghadamgahi, Maryam; Evini, Mina; Saboury, Ali Akbar

2013-04-01

The effect of two ionic liquids, 1-allyl 3-methyl-imidazolium (IL1) and 1-octhyl 3-methyl-imidozolium chlorides (IL2), on the structure and activity of adenosine deaminase (ADA) were described by UV-vis and fluorescence spectrophotometry in phosphate buffer and results were compared with docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies. All results showed that inhibition of activity and reduction of enzyme tertiary structure are more for octhyl than allyl derivative due to the more hydrophobic property of it. Finally structure parameters obtained from MD simulation showed that ionic liquid reduces intermolecular hydrogen bond and unfold enzyme structure. Calculation results are in good agreement with spectrophotometric studies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bayesian estimation of the transmissivity spatial structure from pumping test data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demir, Mehmet Taner; Copty, Nadim K.; Trinchero, Paolo; Sanchez-Vila, Xavier

2017-06-01

Estimating the statistical parameters (mean, variance, and integral scale) that define the spatial structure of the transmissivity or hydraulic conductivity fields is a fundamental step for the accurate prediction of subsurface flow and contaminant transport. In practice, the determination of the spatial structure is a challenge because of spatial heterogeneity and data scarcity. In this paper, we describe a novel approach that uses time drawdown data from multiple pumping tests to determine the transmissivity statistical spatial structure. The method builds on the pumping test interpretation procedure of Copty et al. (2011) (Continuous Derivation method, CD), which uses the time-drawdown data and its time derivative to estimate apparent transmissivity values as a function of radial distance from the pumping well. A Bayesian approach is then used to infer the statistical parameters of the transmissivity field by combining prior information about the parameters and the likelihood function expressed in terms of radially-dependent apparent transmissivities determined from pumping tests. A major advantage of the proposed Bayesian approach is that the likelihood function is readily determined from randomly generated multiple realizations of the transmissivity field, without the need to solve the groundwater flow equation. Applying the method to synthetically-generated pumping test data, we demonstrate that, through a relatively simple procedure, information on the spatial structure of the transmissivity may be inferred from pumping tests data. It is also shown that the prior parameter distribution has a significant influence on the estimation procedure, given the non-uniqueness of the estimation procedure. Results also indicate that the reliability of the estimated transmissivity statistical parameters increases with the number of available pumping tests.

Atomistic modeling of metallic thin films by modified embedded atom method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Huali; Lau, Denvid

2017-11-01

Molecular dynamics simulation is applied to investigate the deposition process of metallic thin films. Eight metals, titanium, vanadium, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, tungsten, and gold, are chosen to be deposited on the aluminum substrate. The second nearest-neighbor modified embedded atom method potential is adopted to predict their thermal and mechanical properties. When quantifying the screening parameters of the potential, the error for Young's modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion between the simulated results and the experimental measurements is less than 15%, demonstrating the reliability of the potential to predict metallic behaviors related to thermal and mechanical properties. A set of potential parameters which governs the interactions between aluminum and other metals in a binary system is also generated from ab initio calculation. The details of interfacial structures between the chosen films and substrate are successfully simulated with the help of these parameters. Our results indicate that the preferred orientation of film growth depends on the film crystal structure, and the inter-diffusion at the interface is correlated the cohesive energy parameter of potential for the binary system. Such finding provides an important basis to further understand the interfacial science, which contributes to the improvement of the mechanical properties, reliability and durability of films.

Assessment of Wind Parameter Sensitivity on Ultimate and Fatigue Wind Turbine Loads: Preprint

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

Robertson, Amy N; Sethuraman, Latha; Jonkman, Jason

Wind turbines are designed using a set of simulations to ascertain the structural loads that the turbine could encounter. While mean hub-height wind speed is considered to vary, other wind parameters such as turbulence spectra, sheer, veer, spatial coherence, and component correlation are fixed or conditional values that, in reality, could have different characteristics at different sites and have a significant effect on the resulting loads. This paper therefore seeks to assess the sensitivity of different wind parameters on the resulting ultimate and fatigue loads on the turbine during normal operational conditions. Eighteen different wind parameters are screened using anmore » Elementary Effects approach with radial points. As expected, the results show a high sensitivity of the loads to the turbulence standard deviation in the primary wind direction, but the sensitivity to wind shear is often much greater. To a lesser extent, other wind parameters that drive loads include the coherence in the primary wind direction and veer.« less

Assessment of Wind Parameter Sensitivity on Extreme and Fatigue Wind Turbine Loads

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

Robertson, Amy N; Sethuraman, Latha; Jonkman, Jason

Wind turbines are designed using a set of simulations to ascertain the structural loads that the turbine could encounter. While mean hub-height wind speed is considered to vary, other wind parameters such as turbulence spectra, sheer, veer, spatial coherence, and component correlation are fixed or conditional values that, in reality, could have different characteristics at different sites and have a significant effect on the resulting loads. This paper therefore seeks to assess the sensitivity of different wind parameters on the resulting ultimate and fatigue loads on the turbine during normal operational conditions. Eighteen different wind parameters are screened using anmore » Elementary Effects approach with radial points. As expected, the results show a high sensitivity of the loads to the turbulence standard deviation in the primary wind direction, but the sensitivity to wind shear is often much greater. To a lesser extent, other wind parameters that drive loads include the coherence in the primary wind direction and veer.« less

Mechanical behavior and shape optimization of lining structure for subsea tunnel excavated in weathered slot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Peng-fei; Zhou, Xiao-jun

2015-12-01

Subsea tunnel lining structures should be designed to sustain the loads transmitted from surrounding ground and groundwater during excavation. Extremely high pore-water pressure reduces the effective strength of the country rock that surrounds a tunnel, thereby lowering the arching effect and stratum stability of the structure. In this paper, the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure for the Xiang'an tunnel excavated in weathered slots are examined. Eight cross sections with different geometric parameters are adopted to study the mechanical behavior and shape optimization of the lining structure. The hyperstatic reaction method is used through finite element analysis software ANSYS. The mechanical behavior of the lining structure is evidently affected by the geometric parameters of crosssectional shape. The minimum safety factor of the lining structure elements is set to be the objective function. The efficient tunnel shape to maximize the minimum safety factor is identified. The minimum safety factor increases significantly after optimization. The optimized cross section significantly improves the mechanical characteristics of the lining structure and effectively reduces its deformation. Force analyses of optimization process and program are conducted parametrically so that the method can be applied to the optimization design of other similar structures. The results obtained from this study enhance our understanding of the mechanical behavior of the lining structure for subsea tunnels. These results are also beneficial to the optimal design of lining structures in general.

The use of impact force as a scale parameter for the impact response of composite laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Wade C.; Poe, C. C., Jr.

1992-01-01

The building block approach is currently used to design composite structures. With this approach, the data from coupon tests is scaled up to determine the design of a structure. Current standard impact tests and methods of relating test data to other structures are not generally understood and are often used improperly. A methodology is outlined for using impact force as a scale parameter for delamination damage for impacts of simple plates. Dynamic analyses were used to define ranges of plate parameters and impact parameters where quasi-static analyses are valid. These ranges include most low velocity impacts where the mass of the impacter is large and the size of the specimen is small. For large mass impacts of moderately thick (0.35 to 0.70 cm) laminates, the maximum extent of delamination damage increased with increasing impact force and decreasing specimen thickness. For large mass impact tests at a given kinetic energy, impact force and hence delamination size depends on specimen size, specimen thickness, boundary conditions, and indenter size and shape. If damage is reported in terms of impact force instead of kinetic energy, large mass test results can be applied directly to other plates of the same size.

The use of impact force as a scale parameter for the impact response of composite laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Wade C.; Poe, C. C., Jr.

1992-01-01

The building block approach is currently used to design composite structures. With this approach, the data from coupon tests are scaled up to determine the design of a structure. Current standard impact tests and methods of relating test data to other structures are not generally understood and are often used improperly. A methodology is outlined for using impact force as a scale parameter for delamination damage for impacts of simple plates. Dynamic analyses were used to define ranges of plate parameters and impact parameters where quasi-static analyses are valid. These ranges include most low-velocity impacts where the mass of the impacter is large, and the size of the specimen is small. For large-mass impacts of moderately thick (0.35-0.70 cm) laminates, the maximum extent of delamination damage increased with increasing impact force and decreasing specimen thickness. For large-mass impact tests at a given kinetic energy, impact force and hence delamination size depends on specimen size, specimen thickness, boundary conditions, and indenter size and shape. If damage is reported in terms of impact force instead of kinetic energy, large-mass test results can be applied directly to other plates of the same thickness.

Morphology, stoichiometry, and crystal structure control via post-annealing for Pt-ZnO nanograin Schottky barrier interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Yuet Ching; Yu, Jerry; Ho, Derek

2018-06-01

Nanointerfaces have attracted intensive research effort for advanced electronics due to their unique and tunable semiconducting properties made possible by metal-contacted oxide structures at the nanoscale. Although much work has been on the adjustment of fabrication parameters to achieve high-quality interfaces, little work has experimentally obtained the various correlations between material parameters and Schottky barrier electronic properties to accurately probe the underlying phenomenon. In this work, we investigate the control of Pt-ZnO nanograin interfaces properties by thermal annealing. Specifically, we quantitatively analyze the correlation between material parameters (such as surface morphology, crystallographic structure, and stoichiometry) and Schottky diode parameters (Schottky barrier height, ideality factor, and contact resistance). Results revealed strong dependencies of Schottky barrier characteristics on oxygen vacancies, surface roughness, grain density, d-spacing, and crystallite size. I-V-T data shows that annealing at 600 °C produces a nanograin based interface with the most rectifying diode characteristics. These dependencies, which have not been previously reported holistically, highlight the close relationship between material properties and Schottky barrier characteristics, and are instrumental for the performance optimization of nanostructured metal-semiconductor interfaces in advanced electronic devices.

Differentiating Dark Triad Traits Within and Across Interpersonal Circumplex Surfaces.

PubMed

Dowgwillo, Emily A; Pincus, Aaron L

2017-01-01

Recent discussions surrounding the Dark Triad (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) have centered on areas of distinctiveness and overlap. Given that interpersonal dysfunction is a core feature of Dark Triad traits, the current study uses self-report data from 562 undergraduate students to examine the interpersonal characteristics associated with narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism on four interpersonal circumplex (IPC) surfaces. The distinctiveness of these characteristics was examined using a novel bootstrapping methodology for computing confidence intervals around circumplex structural summary method parameters. Results suggest that Dark Triad traits exhibit distinct structural summary method parameters with narcissism characterized by high dominance, psychopathy characterized by a blend of high dominance and low affiliation, and Machiavellianism characterized by low affiliation on the problems, values, and efficacies IPC surfaces. Additionally, there was some heterogeneity in findings for different measures of psychopathy. Gender differences in structural summary parameters were examined, finding similar parameter values despite mean-level differences in Dark Triad traits. Finally, interpersonal information was integrated across different IPC surfaces to create profiles associated with each Dark Triad trait and to provide a more in-depth portrait of associated interpersonal dynamics. © The Author(s) 2016.

The effect of axial ion parameters on the properties of glow discharge polymer in T2B/H2 plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ai, Xing; He, Xiao-Shan; Huang, Jing-Lin; He, Zhi-Bing; Du, Kai; Chen, Guo

2018-03-01

Glow discharge polymer (GDP) films were fabricated using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The main purpose of this work was to explore the correlations of plasma parameters with the surface morphology and chemical structure of GDP films. The intensities of main positive ions and ion energy as functions of axial distances in T2B/H2 plasma were diagnosed using energy-resolved mass spectrometry. The surface morphology and chemical structure were characterized as functions of axial distances using a scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. As the axial distance increases, both the intensities of positive ions and high energy ions decreases, and dissociation weakens while polymerization enhances. This leads to the weakening of the cross-linking structure of GDP films and the formation of dome defects on films. Additionally, high energy ions could introduce a strong etching effect to form etching pits. Therefore, an axial distance of about 20 mm was found to be the optimal plasma parameter to prepare the defect-free GDP films. These results could help one to find the optimal plasma parameters for GDP film deposition.

Study of parameter identification using hybrid neural-genetic algorithm in electro-hydraulic servo system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Byung-Young

2005-12-01

The hybrid neural-genetic multi-model parameter estimation algorithm was demonstrated. This method can be applied to structured system identification of electro-hydraulic servo system. This algorithms consist of a recurrent incremental credit assignment(ICRA) neural network and a genetic algorithm. The ICRA neural network evaluates each member of a generation of model and genetic algorithm produces new generation of model. To evaluate the proposed method, electro-hydraulic servo system was designed and manufactured. The experiment was carried out to figure out the hybrid neural-genetic multi-model parameter estimation algorithm. As a result, the dynamic characteristics were obtained such as the parameters(mass, damping coefficient, bulk modulus, spring coefficient), which minimize total square error. The result of this study can be applied to hydraulic systems in industrial fields.

Parasitic Parameters Extraction for InP DHBT Based on EM Method and Validation up to H-Band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Oupeng; Zhang, Yong; Wang, Lei; Xu, Ruimin; Cheng, Wei; Wang, Yuan; Lu, Haiyan

2017-05-01

This paper presents a small-signal model for InGaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT). Parasitic parameters of access via and electrode finger are extracted by 3-D electromagnetic (EM) simulation. By analyzing the equivalent circuit of seven special structures and using the EM simulation results, the parasitic parameters are extracted systematically. Compared with multi-port s-parameter EM model, the equivalent circuit model has clear physical intension and avoids the complex internal ports setting. The model is validated on a 0.5 × 7 μm2 InP DHBT up to 325 GHz. The model provides a good fitting result between measured and simulated multi-bias s-parameters in full band. At last, an H-band amplifier is designed and fabricated for further verification. The measured amplifier performance is highly agreed with the model prediction, which indicates the model has good accuracy in submillimeterwave band.

An iterative hyperelastic parameters reconstruction for breast cancer assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehrabian, Hatef; Samani, Abbas

2008-03-01

In breast elastography, breast tissues usually undergo large compressions resulting in significant geometric and structural changes, and consequently nonlinear mechanical behavior. In this study, an elastography technique is presented where parameters characterizing tissue nonlinear behavior is reconstructed. Such parameters can be used for tumor tissue classification. To model the nonlinear behavior, tissues are treated as hyperelastic materials. The proposed technique uses a constrained iterative inversion method to reconstruct the tissue hyperelastic parameters. The reconstruction technique uses a nonlinear finite element (FE) model for solving the forward problem. In this research, we applied Yeoh and Polynomial models to model the tissue hyperelasticity. To mimic the breast geometry, we used a computational phantom, which comprises of a hemisphere connected to a cylinder. This phantom consists of two types of soft tissue to mimic adipose and fibroglandular tissues and a tumor. Simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed method in reconstructing the hyperelastic parameters of the tumor tissue.

Structuring of Functional Spider Silk Wires, Coatings, and Sheets by Self-Assembly on Superhydrophobic Pillar Surfaces.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Linnea; Jansson, Ronnie; Hedhammar, My; van der Wijngaart, Wouter

2018-01-01

Spider silk has recently become a material of high interest for a large number of biomedical applications. Previous work on structuring of silk has resulted in particles (0D), fibers (1D), films (2D), and foams, gels, capsules, or microspheres (3D). However, the manufacturing process of these structures is complex and involves posttreatment of chemicals unsuitable for biological applications. In this work, the self-assembly of recombinant spider silk on micropatterned superhydrophobic surfaces is studied. For the first time, structuring of recombinant spider silk is achieved using superhydrophobic surfaces under conditions that retain the bioactivity of the functionalized silk. By tuning the superhydrophobic surface geometry and the silk solution handling parameters, this approach allows controlled generation of silk coatings, nanowires, and sheets. The underlying mechanisms and governing parameters are discussed. It is believed that the results of this work pave the way for fabrication of silk formations for applications including vehicles for drug delivery, optical sensing, antimicrobial coatings, and cell culture scaffolds. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The structural basis for enhanced silver reflectance in Koi fish scale and skin.

PubMed

Gur, Dvir; Leshem, Ben; Oron, Dan; Weiner, Steve; Addadi, Lia

2014-12-10

Fish have evolved biogenic multilayer reflectors composed of stacks of intracellular anhydrous guanine crystals separated by cytoplasm, to produce the silvery luster of their skin and scales. Here we compare two different variants of the Japanese Koi fish; one of them with enhanced reflectivity. Our aim is to determine how biology modulates reflectivity, and from this to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the structure and properties governing the intensity of silver reflectance. We measured the reflectance of individual scales with a custom-made microscope, and then for each individual scale we characterized the structure of the guanine crystal/cytoplasm layers using high-resolution cryo-SEM. The measured reflectance and the structural-geometrical parameters were used to calculate the reflectance of each scale, and the results were compared to the experimental measurements. We show that enhanced reflectivity is obtained with the same basic guanine crystal/cytoplasm stacks, but the structural arrangement between the stack, inside the stacks, and relative to the scale surface is varied when reflectivity is enhanced. Finally, we propose a model that incorporates the basic building block parameters, the crystal orientation inside the tissue, and the resulting reflectance and explains the mechanistic basis for reflectance enhancement.

Formation of porous networks on polymeric surfaces by femtosecond laser micromachining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assaf, Youssef; Kietzig, Anne-Marie

2017-02-01

In this study, porous network structures were successfully created on various polymer surfaces by femtosecond laser micromachining. Six different polymers (poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), high density poly(ethylene) (HDPE), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(carbonate) (PC), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)) were machined at different fluences and pulse numbers, and the resulting structures were identified and compared by lacunarity analysis. At low fluence and pulse numbers, porous networks were confirmed to form on all materials except PLA. Furthermore, all networks except for PMMA were shown to bundle up at high fluence and pulse numbers. In the case of PC, a complete breakdown of the structure at such conditions was observed. Operation slightly above threshold fluence and at low pulse numbers is therefore recommended for porous network formation. Finally, the thickness over which these structures formed was measured and compared to two intrinsic material dependent parameters: the single pulse threshold fluence and the incubation coefficient. Results indicate that a lower threshold fluence at operating conditions favors material removal over structure formation and is hence detrimental to porous network formation. Favorable machining conditions and material-dependent parameters for the formation of porous networks on polymer surfaces have thus been identified.

Optimal apparent damping as a function of the bandwidth of an array of vibration absorbers.

PubMed

Vignola, Joseph; Glean, Aldo; Judge, John; Ryan, Teresa

2013-08-01

The transient response of a resonant structure can be altered by the attachment of one or more substantially smaller resonators. Considered here is a coupled array of damped harmonic oscillators whose resonant frequencies are distributed across a frequency band that encompasses the natural frequency of the primary structure. Vibration energy introduced to the primary structure, which has little to no intrinsic damping, is transferred into and trapped by the attached array. It is shown that, when the properties of the array are optimized to reduce the settling time of the primary structure's transient response, the apparent damping is approximately proportional to the bandwidth of the array (the span of resonant frequencies of the attached oscillators). Numerical simulations were conducted using an unconstrained nonlinear minimization algorithm to find system parameters that result in the fastest settling time. This minimization was conducted for a range of system characteristics including the overall bandwidth of the array, the ratio of the total array mass to that of the primary structure, and the distributions of mass, stiffness, and damping among the array elements. This paper reports optimal values of these parameters and demonstrates that the resulting minimum settling time decreases with increasing bandwidth.

Genomic data assimilation for estimating hybrid functional Petri net from time-course gene expression data.

PubMed

Nagasaki, Masao; Yamaguchi, Rui; Yoshida, Ryo; Imoto, Seiya; Doi, Atsushi; Tamada, Yoshinori; Matsuno, Hiroshi; Miyano, Satoru; Higuchi, Tomoyuki

2006-01-01

We propose an automatic construction method of the hybrid functional Petri net as a simulation model of biological pathways. The problems we consider are how we choose the values of parameters and how we set the network structure. Usually, we tune these unknown factors empirically so that the simulation results are consistent with biological knowledge. Obviously, this approach has the limitation in the size of network of interest. To extend the capability of the simulation model, we propose the use of data assimilation approach that was originally established in the field of geophysical simulation science. We provide genomic data assimilation framework that establishes a link between our simulation model and observed data like microarray gene expression data by using a nonlinear state space model. A key idea of our genomic data assimilation is that the unknown parameters in simulation model are converted as the parameter of the state space model and the estimates are obtained as the maximum a posteriori estimators. In the parameter estimation process, the simulation model is used to generate the system model in the state space model. Such a formulation enables us to handle both the model construction and the parameter tuning within a framework of the Bayesian statistical inferences. In particular, the Bayesian approach provides us a way of controlling overfitting during the parameter estimations that is essential for constructing a reliable biological pathway. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach using synthetic data. As a result, parameter estimation using genomic data assimilation works very well and the network structure is suitably selected.

Intrinsic thermodynamics of ethoxzolamide inhibitor binding to human carbonic anhydrase XIII

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Human carbonic anhydrases (CAs) play crucial role in various physiological processes including carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon transport, acid homeostasis, biosynthetic reactions, and various pathological processes, especially tumor progression. Therefore, CAs are interesting targets for pharmaceutical research. The structure-activity relationships (SAR) of designed inhibitors require detailed thermodynamic and structural characterization of the binding reaction. Unfortunately, most publications list only the observed thermodynamic parameters that are significantly different from the intrinsic parameters. However, only intrinsic parameters could be used in the rational design and SAR of the novel compounds. Results Intrinsic binding parameters for several inhibitors, including ethoxzolamide, trifluoromethanesulfonamide, and acetazolamide, binding to recombinant human CA XIII isozyme were determined. The parameters were the intrinsic Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and the heat capacity. They were determined by titration calorimetry and thermal shift assay in a wide pH and temperature range to dissect all linked protonation reaction contributions. Conclusions Precise determination of the inhibitor binding thermodynamics enabled correct intrinsic affinity and enthalpy ranking of the compounds and provided the means for SAR analysis of other rationally designed CA inhibitors. PMID:22676044

Effect of UV light on different structural and transport parameters of cellophane membranes

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

Benavente, J.; Vazquez, M.I.; De Abajo, J.

1996-01-01

A comparative study of UV light influence on structural and transport parameters of cellophane membranes was made. Changes in the chemical structure and electrical behavior of cellophane membranes were considered by determining the hydraulic permeability, salt diffusion coefficient, and resistance values, as well as some geometrical parameters, for an untreated membrane and two differently UV-treated cellophane membranes. Differences in the characteristic parameters for the three samples showed that radiation mainly affected the membrane structure, while only small changes in membrane electrical behavior were determined.

Effects of the soil pore network architecture on the soil's physical functionalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smet, Sarah; Beckers, Eléonore; Léonard, Angélique; Degré, Aurore

2017-04-01

The soil fluid movement's prediction is of major interest within an agricultural or environmental scope because many processes depend ultimately on the soil fluids dynamic. It is common knowledge that the soil microscopic pore network structure governs the inner-soil convective fluids flow. There isn't, however, a general methodthat consider the pore network structure as a variable in the prediction of thecore scale soil's physical functionalities. There are various possible representations of the microscopic pore network: sample scale averaged structural parameters, extrapolation of theoretic pore network, or use of all the information available by modeling within the observed pore network. Different representations implydifferent analyzing methodologies. To our knowledge, few studies have compared the micro-and macroscopic soil's characteristics for the same soil core sample. The objective of our study is to explore the relationship between macroscopic physical properties and microscopic pore network structure. The saturated hydraulic conductivity, the air permeability, the retention curve, and others classical physical parameters were measured for ten soil samples from an agricultural field. The pore network characteristics were quantified through the analyses of X-ray micro-computed tomographic images(micro-CT system Skyscan-1172) with a voxel size of 22 µm3. Some of the first results confirmed what others studies had reported. Then, the comparison between macroscopic properties and microscopic parameters suggested that the air movements depended mostly on the pore connectivity and tortuosity than on the total porosity volume. We have also found that the fractal dimension calculated from the X-ray images and the fractal dimension calculated from the retention curve were significantly different. Our communication will detailthose results and discuss the methodology: would the results be similar with a different voxel size? What are the calculated and measured parameters uncertainties? Sarah Smet, as a research fellow, acknowledges the support of the National Fund for Scientific Research (Brussels, Belgium).

Forecasting impact injuries of unrestrained occupants in railway vehicle passenger compartments.

PubMed

Xie, Suchao; Zhou, Hui

2014-01-01

In order to predict the injury parameters of the occupants corresponding to different experimental parameters and to determine impact injury indices conveniently and efficiently, a model forecasting occupant impact injury was established in this work. The work was based on finite experimental observation values obtained by numerical simulation. First, the various factors influencing the impact injuries caused by the interaction between unrestrained occupants and the compartment's internal structures were collated and the most vulnerable regions of the occupant's body were analyzed. Then, the forecast model was set up based on a genetic algorithm-back propagation (GA-BP) hybrid algorithm, which unified the individual characteristics of the back propagation-artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model and the genetic algorithm (GA). The model was well suited to studies of occupant impact injuries and allowed multiple-parameter forecasts of the occupant impact injuries to be realized assuming values for various influencing factors. Finally, the forecast results for three types of secondary collision were analyzed using forecasting accuracy evaluation methods. All of the results showed the ideal accuracy of the forecast model. When an occupant faced a table, the relative errors between the predicted and experimental values of the respective injury parameters were kept within ± 6.0 percent and the average relative error (ARE) values did not exceed 3.0 percent. When an occupant faced a seat, the relative errors between the predicted and experimental values of the respective injury parameters were kept within ± 5.2 percent and the ARE values did not exceed 3.1 percent. When the occupant faced another occupant, the relative errors between the predicted and experimental values of the respective injury parameters were kept within ± 6.3 percent and the ARE values did not exceed 3.8 percent. The injury forecast model established in this article reduced repeat experiment times and improved the design efficiency of the internal compartment's structure parameters, and it provided a new way for assessing the safety performance of the interior structural parameters in existing, and newly designed, railway vehicle compartments.

Shigaraki UAV-Radar Experiment (ShUREX): overview of the campaign with some preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kantha, Lakshmi; Lawrence, Dale; Luce, Hubert; Hashiguchi, Hiroyuki; Tsuda, Toshitaka; Wilson, Richard; Mixa, Tyler; Yabuki, Masanori

2017-12-01

The Shigaraki unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-Radar Experiment (ShUREX) is an international (USA-Japan-France) observational campaign, whose overarching goal is to demonstrate the utility of small, lightweight, inexpensive, autonomous UAVs in probing and monitoring the lower troposphere and to promote synergistic use of UAVs and very high frequency (VHF) radars. The 2-week campaign lasting from June 1 to June 14, 2015, was carried out at the Middle and Upper Atmosphere (MU) Observatory in Shigaraki, Japan. During the campaign, the DataHawk UAV, developed at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and equipped with high-frequency response cold wire and pitot tube sensors (as well as an iMET radiosonde), was flown near and over the VHF-band MU radar. Measurements in the atmospheric column in the immediate vicinity of the radar were obtained. Simultaneous and continuous operation of the radar in range imaging mode enabled fine-scale structures in the atmosphere to be visualized by the radar. It also permitted the UAV to be commanded to sample interesting structures, guided in near real time by the radar images. This overview provides a description of the ShUREX campaign and some interesting but preliminary results of the very first simultaneous and intensive probing of turbulent structures by UAVs and the MU radar. The campaign demonstrated the validity and utility of the radar range imaging technique in obtaining very high vertical resolution ( 20 m) images of echo power in the atmospheric column, which display evolving fine-scale atmospheric structures in unprecedented detail. The campaign also permitted for the very first time the evaluation of the consistency of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates in turbulent structures inferred from the spectral broadening of the backscattered radar signal and direct, in situ measurements by the high-frequency response velocity sensor on the UAV. The data also enabled other turbulence parameters such as the temperature structure function parameter {C}_T^2 and refractive index structure function parameter {C}_n^2 to be measured by sensors on the UAV, along with radar-inferred refractive index structure function parameter {C}_{n,radar}^2 . The comprehensive dataset collected during the campaign (from the radar, the UAV, the boundary layer lidar, the ceilometer, and radiosondes) is expected to help obtain a better understanding of turbulent atmospheric structures, as well as arrive at a better interpretation of the radar data.

Simultaneous response of NmF2 and GPS-TEC to storm events at Ilorin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshua, B. W.; Adeniyi, J. O.; Oladipo, O. A.; Doherty, P. H.; Adimula, I. A.; Olawepo, A. O.; Adebiyi, S. J.

2018-06-01

A comparative study of both TEC and NmF2 variations during quiet and disturbed conditions has been investigated using simultaneous measurements from dual frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and a DPS-4 Digisonde co-located at Ilorin (Geog. Lat. 8.50°N, Long. 4.50°E, dip. - 7.9°). The results of the quiet time variations of the two parameters show some similarities as well as differences in their structures. The values of both parameters generally increase during the sunrise period attaining a peak around the noon and then decaying towards the night time. The onset time of the sunrise growth is observed to be earlier in TEC than in NmF2. The rate of decay of TEC was observed to be faster than that of the NmF2 in most cases. Also, the noon 'bite-outs', leading to the formation of pre-noon and post-noon peaks, are prominent in the NmF2 structure and was hardly noticed in TEC. Results of the variations of both TEC and NmF2 during the 5 April, 10 May and 3 August 2010 geomagnetic storm events showed a simultaneous deviations of both parameters from the quiet time behavior. The magnitude of the deviations is however most pronounced in NmF2 structure than in TEC. We also found that the enhancement observed in the two parameters during the storm events generally corresponds to decrease in hmF2.

Identification of Arbitrary Zonation in Groundwater Parameters using the Level Set Method and a Parallel Genetic Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, H.; Lu, Z.; Vesselinov, V. V.; Ye, M.

2017-12-01

Simultaneous identification of both the zonation structure of aquifer heterogeneity and the hydrogeological parameters associated with these zones is challenging, especially for complex subsurface heterogeneity fields. In this study, a new approach, based on the combination of the level set method and a parallel genetic algorithm is proposed. Starting with an initial guess for the zonation field (including both zonation structure and the hydraulic properties of each zone), the level set method ensures that material interfaces are evolved through the inverse process such that the total residual between the simulated and observed state variables (hydraulic head) always decreases, which means that the inversion result depends on the initial guess field and the minimization process might fail if it encounters a local minimum. To find the global minimum, the genetic algorithm (GA) is utilized to explore the parameters that define initial guess fields, and the minimal total residual corresponding to each initial guess field is considered as the fitness function value in the GA. Due to the expensive evaluation of the fitness function, a parallel GA is adapted in combination with a simulated annealing algorithm. The new approach has been applied to several synthetic cases in both steady-state and transient flow fields, including a case with real flow conditions at the chromium contaminant site at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The results show that this approach is capable of identifying the arbitrary zonation structures of aquifer heterogeneity and the hydrogeological parameters associated with these zones effectively.

Spatial localization in heterogeneous systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Hsien-Ching; Beaume, Cédric; Knobloch, Edgar

2014-01-01

We study spatial localization in the generalized Swift-Hohenberg equation with either quadratic-cubic or cubic-quintic nonlinearity subject to spatially heterogeneous forcing. Different types of forcing (sinusoidal or Gaussian) with different spatial scales are considered and the corresponding localized snaking structures are computed. The results indicate that spatial heterogeneity exerts a significant influence on the location of spatially localized structures in both parameter space and physical space, and on their stability properties. The results are expected to assist in the interpretation of experiments on localized structures where departures from spatial homogeneity are generally unavoidable.

Accurate Nanoscale Crystallography in Real-Space Using Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Dycus, J Houston; Harris, Joshua S; Sang, Xiahan; Fancher, Chris M; Findlay, Scott D; Oni, Adedapo A; Chan, Tsung-Ta E; Koch, Carl C; Jones, Jacob L; Allen, Leslie J; Irving, Douglas L; LeBeau, James M

2015-08-01

Here, we report reproducible and accurate measurement of crystallographic parameters using scanning transmission electron microscopy. This is made possible by removing drift and residual scan distortion. We demonstrate real-space lattice parameter measurements with <0.1% error for complex-layered chalcogenides Bi2Te3, Bi2Se3, and a Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 nanostructured alloy. Pairing the technique with atomic resolution spectroscopy, we connect local structure with chemistry and bonding. Combining these results with density functional theory, we show that the incorporation of Se into Bi2Te3 causes charge redistribution that anomalously increases the van der Waals gap between building blocks of the layered structure. The results show that atomic resolution imaging with electrons can accurately and robustly quantify crystallography at the nanoscale.

DBH Prediction Using Allometry Described by Bivariate Copula Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Q.; Hou, Z.; Li, B.; Greenberg, J. A.

2017-12-01

Forest biomass mapping based on single tree detection from the airborne laser scanning (ALS) usually depends on an allometric equation that relates diameter at breast height (DBH) with per-tree aboveground biomass. The incapability of the ALS technology in directly measuring DBH leads to the need to predict DBH with other ALS-measured tree-level structural parameters. A copula-based method is proposed in the study to predict DBH with the ALS-measured tree height and crown diameter using a dataset measured in the Lassen National Forest in California. Instead of exploring an explicit mathematical equation that explains the underlying relationship between DBH and other structural parameters, the copula-based prediction method utilizes the dependency between cumulative distributions of these variables, and solves the DBH based on an assumption that for a single tree, the cumulative probability of each structural parameter is identical. Results show that compared with the bench-marking least-square linear regression and the k-MSN imputation, the copula-based method obtains better accuracy in the DBH for the Lassen National Forest. To assess the generalization of the proposed method, prediction uncertainty is quantified using bootstrapping techniques that examine the variability of the RMSE of the predicted DBH. We find that the copula distribution is reliable in describing the allometric relationship between tree-level structural parameters, and it contributes to the reduction of prediction uncertainty.

Calibration of a flexible measurement system based on industrial articulated robot and structured light sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, Nan; Wang, Kun; Xie, Zexiao; Ren, Ping

2017-05-01

To realize online rapid measurement for complex workpieces, a flexible measurement system based on an articulated industrial robot with a structured light sensor mounted on the end-effector is developed. A method for calibrating the system parameters is proposed in which the hand-eye transformation parameters and the robot kinematic parameters are synthesized in the calibration process. An initial hand-eye calibration is first performed using a standard sphere as the calibration target. By applying the modified complete and parametrically continuous method, we establish a synthesized kinematic model that combines the initial hand-eye transformation and distal link parameters as a whole with the sensor coordinate system as the tool frame. According to the synthesized kinematic model, an error model is constructed based on spheres' center-to-center distance errors. Consequently, the error model parameters can be identified in a calibration experiment using a three-standard-sphere target. Furthermore, the redundancy of error model parameters is eliminated to ensure the accuracy and robustness of the parameter identification. Calibration and measurement experiments are carried out based on an ER3A-C60 robot. The experimental results show that the proposed calibration method enjoys high measurement accuracy, and this efficient and flexible system is suitable for online measurement in industrial scenes.

Structural Relaxation of Vit4Amorphous Alloy by the Enthalpy Relaxation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Reilly, James; Hammond, Vincent

2002-03-01

The structural relaxation of an amorphous alloy designated Vit4 has been investigated as a function of thermal history using differential scanning calorimetry. Results indicate that the width of the glass transition region is approximately 30 °C, which is broader than molecular or polymeric glasses but similar to inorganic glasses. The broad transition implies a large distribution of relaxation times, a low activation energy, or a combination of these effects. The Tool-Narayanaswamy model for structural relaxation has been used to analyze the change in fictive temperature that occurs for a series of cooling rates. The activation energy calculated from these data the is 187 kJ/mol, a value that is low compared to other glasses. Using optimization programs, the other relaxation parameters, the characteristic relaxation time, the non-linearity parameter, x, and the fractional exponent of distribution of relaxation times, b, were determined from the experimental specific heat curves. Although the parameters were in good agreement with values typical of other glassy materials, there appears to be less correlation between them than is observed in molecular and polymeric glasses. The results obtained in this study indicate that the structural relaxation of Vit 4 is similar to other glasses except for a low activation energy with high glass transition. This could be due to a low free volume or configurational entropy. The width of the glass transition could result from a large distribution of relaxation times or a low activation energy. The exponent of the distribution of relaxation times, b, is 0.45±0.1 and the non-linearity parameter, x =0.5±0.2. The structural relaxation of Vit 4 is dominated by a low activation energy which is related to the atomic jump motion of hard spheres. The DCp at Tg should be 11.7 J/mol. deg per bead according to Wunderlich’s rule. This means that the change in Cp at Tg in Vit4 can be accounted for by one bead although there are five metal components in the glass. More detailed comparisons with other glass formers will be presented.

Derivation of force field parameters for SnO2-H2O surface systems from plane-wave density functional theory calculations.

PubMed

Bandura, A V; Sofo, J O; Kubicki, J D

2006-04-27

Plane-wave density functional theory (DFT-PW) calculations were performed on bulk SnO2 (cassiterite) and the (100), (110), (001), and (101) surfaces with and without H2O present. A classical interatomic force field has been developed to describe bulk SnO2 and SnO2-H2O surface interactions. Periodic density functional theory calculations using the program VASP (Kresse et al., 1996) and molecular cluster calculations using Gaussian 03 (Frisch et al., 2003) were used to derive the parametrization of the force field. The program GULP (Gale, 1997) was used to optimize parameters to reproduce experimental and ab initio results. The experimental crystal structure and elastic constants of SnO2 are reproduced reasonably well with the force field. Furthermore, surface atom relaxations and structures of adsorbed H2O molecules agree well between the ab initio and force field predictions. H2O addition above that required to form a monolayer results in consistent structures between the DFT-PW and classical force field results as well.

Investigation on the effect of geometrical and geotechnical parameters on elongated offshore piles using fuzzy inference systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aminfar, Ali; Mojtahedi, Alireza; Ahmadi, Hamid; Aminfar, Mohammad Hossain

2017-06-01

Among numerous offshore structures used in oil extraction, jacket platforms are still the most favorable ones in shallow waters. In such structures, log piles are used to pin the substructure of the platform to the seabed. The pile's geometrical and geotechnical properties are considered as the main parameters in designing these structures. In this study, ANSYS was used as the FE modeling software to study the geometrical and geotechnical properties of the offshore piles and their effects on supporting jacket platforms. For this purpose, the FE analysis has been done to provide the preliminary data for the fuzzy-logic post-process. The resulting data were implemented to create Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) classifications. The resultant data of the sensitivity analysis suggested that the orientation degree is the main factor in the pile's geometrical behavior because piles which had the optimal operational degree of about 5° are more sustained. Finally, the results showed that the related fuzzified data supported the FE model and provided an insight for extended offshore pile designs.

Coupling of electromagnetics and structural/fluid dynamics - application to the dual coolant blanket subjected to plasma disruptions

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

Jordan, T.

Some aspects concerning the coupling of quasi-stationary electromagnetics and the dynamics of structure and fluid are investigated. The necessary equations are given in a dimensionless form. The dimensionless parameters in these equations are used to evaluate the importance of the different coupling effects. A finite element formulation of the eddy-current damping in solid structures is developed. With this formulation, an existing finite element method (FEM) structural dynamics code is extended and coupled to an FEM eddy-current code. With this program system, the influence of the eddy-current damping on the dynamic loading of the dual coolant blanket during a centered plasmamore » disruption is determined. The analysis proves that only in loosely fixed or soft structures will eddy-current damping considerably reduce the resulting stresses. Additionally, the dynamic behavior of the liquid metal in the blankets` poloidal channels is described with a simple two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic approach. The analysis of the dimensionless parameters shows that for small-scale experiments, which are designed to model the coupled electromagnetic and structural/fluid dynamic effects in such a blanket, the same magnetic fields must be applied as in the real fusion device. This will be the easiest way to design experiments that produce transferable results. 10 refs., 7 figs.« less

An AI-based approach to structural damage identification by modal analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glass, B. J.; Hanagud, S.

1990-01-01

Flexible-structure damage is presently addressed by a combined model- and parameter-identification approach which employs the AI methodologies of classification, heuristic search, and object-oriented model knowledge representation. The conditions for model-space search convergence to the best model are discussed in terms of search-tree organization and initial model parameter error. In the illustrative example of a truss structure presented, the use of both model and parameter identification is shown to lead to smaller parameter corrections than would be required by parameter identification alone.

Development of process parameters for 22 nm PMOS using 2-D analytical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheran, A. H. Afifah; Menon, P. S.; Ahmad, I.; Shaari, S.; Faizah, Z. A. Noor

2015-04-01

The complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (CMOSFET) has become major challenge to scaling and integration. Innovation in transistor structures and integration of novel materials are necessary to sustain this performance trend. CMOS variability in the scaling technology becoming very important concern due to limitation of process control; over statistically variability related to the fundamental discreteness and materials. Minimizing the transistor variation through technology optimization and ensuring robust product functionality and performance is the major issue.In this article, the continuation study on process parameters variations is extended and delivered thoroughly in order to achieve a minimum leakage current (ILEAK) on PMOS planar transistor at 22 nm gate length. Several device parameters are varies significantly using Taguchi method to predict the optimum combination of process parameters fabrication. A combination of high permittivity material (high-k) and metal gate are utilized accordingly as gate structure where the materials include titanium dioxide (TiO2) and tungsten silicide (WSix). Then the L9 of the Taguchi Orthogonal array is used to analyze the device simulation where the results of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of Smaller-the-Better (STB) scheme are studied through the percentage influences of the process parameters. This is to achieve a minimum ILEAK where the maximum predicted ILEAK value by International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) 2011 is said to should not above 100 nA/µm. Final results shows that the compensation implantation dose acts as the dominant factor with 68.49% contribution in lowering the device's leakage current. The absolute process parameters combination results in ILEAK mean value of 3.96821 nA/µm where is far lower than the predicted value.

Development of process parameters for 22 nm PMOS using 2-D analytical modeling

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

Maheran, A. H. Afifah; Menon, P. S.; Shaari, S.

2015-04-24

The complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (CMOSFET) has become major challenge to scaling and integration. Innovation in transistor structures and integration of novel materials are necessary to sustain this performance trend. CMOS variability in the scaling technology becoming very important concern due to limitation of process control; over statistically variability related to the fundamental discreteness and materials. Minimizing the transistor variation through technology optimization and ensuring robust product functionality and performance is the major issue.In this article, the continuation study on process parameters variations is extended and delivered thoroughly in order to achieve a minimum leakage current (I{sub LEAK}) onmore » PMOS planar transistor at 22 nm gate length. Several device parameters are varies significantly using Taguchi method to predict the optimum combination of process parameters fabrication. A combination of high permittivity material (high-k) and metal gate are utilized accordingly as gate structure where the materials include titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) and tungsten silicide (WSi{sub x}). Then the L9 of the Taguchi Orthogonal array is used to analyze the device simulation where the results of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of Smaller-the-Better (STB) scheme are studied through the percentage influences of the process parameters. This is to achieve a minimum I{sub LEAK} where the maximum predicted I{sub LEAK} value by International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) 2011 is said to should not above 100 nA/µm. Final results shows that the compensation implantation dose acts as the dominant factor with 68.49% contribution in lowering the device’s leakage current. The absolute process parameters combination results in I{sub LEAK} mean value of 3.96821 nA/µm where is far lower than the predicted value.« less

Particle agglomerated 3-d nanostructures for photon absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivayoganathan, Mugunthan

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the photon absorption properties of particle agglomerated 3-D structures that are synthesized through femtosecond laser ablation of solids. The size and morphology of these particle agglomerated 3-D structures, which can be tailored through adjusting laser parameters, determine the photon absorption property. A systematic theoretical and experimental study was performed to identify the effect of lasers on the size of the formed particles. The literature survey showed that the amount of supersaturation influences the growth rate as well as the nucleation rate of vapour condensed nanoparticles. Based on this theory, a mechanism was formed to explain the control of laser parameters over the size of formed particles. Further, a theoretical explanation was proposed from the experimental results for the transition of particle size distribution modals. These proposed mechanisms and explanations show the variation in particle size in the particle agglomerated 3-D nanostructures with laser parameters. The effect of laser parameters on the formed ring size was studied. Based on the previous studies, a mechanism was proposed for the formation of ring nanoclusters. The laser pulse intensity dependent ponderomotive force was the key force to define the formation of ring nanoclusters. Then the effect of laser parameters on ring size was studied. Structures fabricated on several materials such as graphite, aluminosilicate ceramic, zinc ingot, gold, and titanium were analyzed to show the influence of material properties, laser parameters, and the environmental conditions on the size of ring formed. The studies performed on the structures showed a minimum absorption of 0.75 A.U. in the bandwidth from UV to IR. The absorption spectrum is much wider compared to existing nanomaterials, such as silicon nanostructures and titanium dioxide nanostructures. To the best of the author's knowledge, it is a very competitive absorption rate when compared with the previous nanostructures used in photovoltaic conversion. Several features of nanostructures contribute to the enhancement of this light absorption. The special feature of the structure is that ease to fabricate and modify the properties by varying the laser parameters could make it competitive among other nanostructures available for solar cells.

Effect of textiles structural parameters on surgical healing; a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marwa, A. Ali

2017-10-01

Medical Textiles is one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the technical textile market. The huge growth of medical textiles applications was over the last 12 years. “Biomedical Textiles” is a subcategory of medical textiles that narrows the field down to those applications that are intended for active tissue contact, tissue regeneration or surgical implantation. Since the mid-1960s, the current wave of usage is coming as a result of new fibers and new technologies for textile materials construction. “Biotextiles” term include structures composed of textile fibers designed for use in specific biological environments. Medical Textile field was utilizing different materials, textile techniques and structures to provide new medical products with high functionality in the markets. There are other processes that are associated with textiles in terms of the various treatments and finishing. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the medical field in each of Vitro and Vivo trend, and its relation with textile structural parameters, with regard to the fiber material, production techniques, and fabric structures. Also, it is focusing on some cases studies which were applied in our research which produced with different textile parameters. Finally; an overview is presented about modern and innovative applications of the medical textiles.

Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations and GIPAW NMR Calculations of a Lithium Borate Glass Melt.

PubMed

Ohkubo, Takahiro; Tsuchida, Eiji; Takahashi, Takafumi; Iwadate, Yasuhiko

2016-04-14

The atomic structure of a molten 0.3Li2O-0.7B2O3 glass at 1250 K was investigated using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. The gauge including projector augmented wave (GIPAW) method was then employed for computing the chemical shift and quadrupolar coupling constant of (11)B, (17)O, and (7)Li from 764 AIMD derived structures. The chemical shift and quadrupolar coupling constant distributions were directly estimated from the dynamical structure of the molten glass. (11)B NMR parameters of well-known structural units such as the three-coordinated ring, nonring, and four-coordinated tetrahedron were found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. In this study, more detailed classification of B units was presented based on the number of O species bonded to the B atoms. This highlights the limitations of (11)B NMR sensitivity for resolving (11)B local environment using the experimentally obtained spectra only. The (17)O NMR parameter distributions can theoretically resolve the bridging and nonbridging O atoms with different structural units such as nonring, single boroxol ring, and double boroxol ring. Slight but clear differences in the number of bridging O atoms surrounding Li that have not been reported experimentally were observed in the theoretically obtained (7)Li NMR parameters.

Cirripede Cypris Antennules: How Much Structural Variation Exists Among Balanomorphan Species from Hard-Bottom Habitats?

PubMed

Chan, Benny K K; Sari, Alireza; Høeg, Jens T

2017-10-01

Barnacle cypris antennules are important for substratum attachment during settlement and on through metamorphosis from the larval stage to sessile adult. Studies on the morphology of cirripede cyprids are mostly qualitative, based on descriptions from images obtained using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). To our knowledge, our study is the first to use scanning electron microscopy to quantify overall structural diversity in cypris antennules by measuring 26 morphological parameters, including the structure of sensory organs. We analyzed cyprids from seven species of balanomorphan barnacles inhabiting rocky shore communities; for comparison, we also included a sponge-inhabiting balanomorphan and a verrucomorphan species. Multivariate analysis of the structural parameters resulted in two distinct clusters of species. From nonmetric multidimensional scaling plots, the sponge-inhabiting Balanus spongicola and Verruca stroemia formed one cluster, while the other balanomorphan species, all from hard bottoms, grouped together in the other cluster. The shape of the attachment disk on segment 3 is the key parameter responsible for the separation into two clusters. The present results show that species from a coastal hard-bottom habitat may share a nearly identical antennular structure that is distinct from barnacles from other habitats, and this finding supports the fact that such species also have rather similar reactions to substratum cues during settlement. Any differences that may be found in settlement biology among such species must therefore be due either to differences in the properties of their adhesive mechanisms or to the way that sensory stimuli are detected by virtually identical setae and processed into settlement behavior by the cyprid.

Effects of behavioral patterns and network topology structures on Parrondo’s paradox

PubMed Central

Ye, Ye; Cheong, Kang Hao; Cen, Yu-wan; Xie, Neng-gang

2016-01-01

A multi-agent Parrondo’s model based on complex networks is used in the current study. For Parrondo’s game A, the individual interaction can be categorized into five types of behavioral patterns: the Matthew effect, harmony, cooperation, poor-competition-rich-cooperation and a random mode. The parameter space of Parrondo’s paradox pertaining to each behavioral pattern, and the gradual change of the parameter space from a two-dimensional lattice to a random network and from a random network to a scale-free network was analyzed. The simulation results suggest that the size of the region of the parameter space that elicits Parrondo’s paradox is positively correlated with the heterogeneity of the degree distribution of the network. For two distinct sets of probability parameters, the microcosmic reasons underlying the occurrence of the paradox under the scale-free network are elaborated. Common interaction mechanisms of the asymmetric structure of game B, behavioral patterns and network topology are also revealed. PMID:27845430

Beam wander and M2-factor of partially coherent electromagnetic hollow Gaussian beam propagating through non-Kolmogorov turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yonggen; Tian, Huanhuan; Dan, Youquan; Feng, Hao; Wang, Shijian

2017-04-01

Propagation formulae for M2-factor and beam wander of partially coherent electromagnetic hollow Gaussian (PCEHG) beam in non-Kolmogorov turbulence are derived based on the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle and the second-order moments of the Wigner distribution function. Our results indicate that the normalized M2-factors of PCEHG beam with larger beam order, waist width, inner scale of turbulence, the generalized exponent parameter, and smaller transverse coherent widths, outer scale of turbulence, the generalized structure parameter are less affected by the turbulence. The root mean square beam wander and relative beam wander are more obvious for PCEHG beam with smaller beam order, larger inner and outer scales of turbulence, exponent parameter, transverse coherent widths, and the generalized structure parameter. What is more, the beam wander properties of PCEHG beam in non-Kolmogorov turbulence are very different from M2-factor and spreading properties of beam in turbulence.

Effects of behavioral patterns and network topology structures on Parrondo’s paradox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Ye; Cheong, Kang Hao; Cen, Yu-Wan; Xie, Neng-Gang

2016-11-01

A multi-agent Parrondo’s model based on complex networks is used in the current study. For Parrondo’s game A, the individual interaction can be categorized into five types of behavioral patterns: the Matthew effect, harmony, cooperation, poor-competition-rich-cooperation and a random mode. The parameter space of Parrondo’s paradox pertaining to each behavioral pattern, and the gradual change of the parameter space from a two-dimensional lattice to a random network and from a random network to a scale-free network was analyzed. The simulation results suggest that the size of the region of the parameter space that elicits Parrondo’s paradox is positively correlated with the heterogeneity of the degree distribution of the network. For two distinct sets of probability parameters, the microcosmic reasons underlying the occurrence of the paradox under the scale-free network are elaborated. Common interaction mechanisms of the asymmetric structure of game B, behavioral patterns and network topology are also revealed.

Biomimetic plasmonic color generated by the single-layer coaxial honeycomb nanostructure arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jiancun; Gao, Bo; Li, Haoyong; Yu, Xiaochang; Yang, Xiaoming; Yu, Yiting

2017-07-01

We proposed a periodic coaxial honeycomb nanostructure array patterned in a silver film to realize the plasmonic structural color, which was inspired from natural honeybee hives. The spectral characteristics of the structure with variant geometrical parameters are investigated by employing a finite-difference time-domain method, and the corresponding colors are thus derived by calculating XYZ tristimulus values corresponding with the transmission spectra. The study demonstrates that the suggested structure with only a single layer has high transmission, narrow full-width at half-maximum, and wide color tunability by changing geometrical parameters. Therefore, the plasmonic colors realized possess a high color brightness, saturation, as well as a wide color gamut. In addition, the strong polarization independence makes it more attractive for practical applications. These results indicate that the recommended color-generating plasmonic structure has various potential applications in highly integrated optoelectronic devices, such as color filters and high-definition displays.

Ab initio predictions of structural and elastic properties of struvite: contribution to urinary stone research.

PubMed

Piechota, Jacek; Prywer, Jolanta; Torzewska, Agnieszka

2012-01-01

In the present work, we carried out density functional calculations of struvite--the main component of the so-called infectious urinary stones--to study its structural and elastic properties. Using a local density approximation and a generalised gradient approximation, we calculated the equilibrium structural parameters and elastic constants C(ijkl). At present, there is no experimental data for these elastic constants C (ijkl) for comparison. Besides the elastic constants, we also present the calculated macroscopic mechanical parameters, namely the bulk modulus (K), the shear modulus (G) and Young's modulus (E). The values of these moduli are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. Our results imply that the mechanical stability of struvite is limited by the shear modulus, G. The study also explores the energy-band structure to understand the obtained values of the elastic constants.

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

Tyson, T. A.; Gao, W.; Chen, Y. -S.

Solar cells based on hybrid perovskites have shown high efficiency while possessing simple processing methods. To gain a fundamental understanding of their properties on an atomic level, we investigate single crystals of CH 3NH 3PbI 3 with a narrow transition (~5 K) near 327 K. Temperature dependent structural measurements reveal a persistent tetragonal structure with smooth changes in the atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) on crossing T*. We show that the ADPs for I ions yield extended flat regions in the potential wells consistent with the measured large thermal expansion parameter. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that this material exhibits significant asymmetriesmore » in the Pb-I pair distribution functions. We also show that the intrinsically enhanced freedom of motion of the iodine atoms enables large deformations. This flexibility (softness) of the atomic structure results in highly localized atomic relaxation about defects and hence accounts for both the high carrier mobility as well as the structural instability.« less

High intersubband absorption in long-wave quantum well infrared photodetector based on waveguide resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yuanliao; Chen, Pingping; Ding, Jiayi; Yang, Heming; Nie, Xiaofei; Zhou, Xiaohao; Chen, Xiaoshuang; Lu, Wei

2018-06-01

A hybrid structure consisting of periodic gold stripes and an overlaying gold film has been proposed as the optical coupler of a long-wave quantum well infrared photodetector. Absorption spectra and field distributions of the structure at back-side normal incidence are calculated by the finite difference time-domain method. The results indicate that the intersubband absorption can be greatly enhanced based on the waveguide resonance as well as the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode. With the optimized structural parameters of the periodic gold stripes, the maximal intersubband absorption can exceed 80%, which is much higher than the SPP-enhanced intersubband absorption (<50%) and about 6 times the one of the standard device. The relationship between the structural parameters and the waveguide resonant wavelength is derived. Other advantages of the efficient optical coupling based on waveguide resonance are also discussed.

DFT investigations on mechanical stability, electronic structure and magnetism in Co2TaZ (Z = Al, Ga, In) heusler alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khandy, Shakeel Ahmad; Gupta, Dinesh C.

2017-12-01

Ferromagnetic Heusler compounds have vast and imminent applications for novel devices, smart materials thanks to density functional theory (DFT) based simulations, which have scored out a new approach to study these materials. We forecast the structural stability of Co2TaZ alloys on the basis of total energy calculations and mechanical stability criteria. The elastic constants, robust spin-polarized ferromagnetism and electron densities in these half-metallic alloys are also discussed. The observed structural aspects calculated to predict the stability and equilibrium lattice parameters agree well with the experimental results. The elastic parameters like elastic constants, bulk, Young’s and shear moduli, poison’s and Pugh ratios, melting temperatures, etc have been put together to establish their mechanical properties. The elaborated electronic band structures along with indirect band gaps and spin polarization favour the application of these materials in spintronics and memory device technology.

Tunable acoustic metamaterial based on piezoelectric ceramic transducer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiaohui; Qiao, Jing; Zhang, Guangyu; Zhou, Qiang; Wu, Yingdan; Li, Longqiu

2017-04-01

In this paper, a tunable metamaterial consisting of periodic layers of steel, polyurea and piezoelectric ceramic transducer (PZT) was presented. The PZT layer in this structure was connected to an inductor L. Transfer matrix method was used to calculate the band structure of the sample. It was observed that an extremely narrow stop band was induced by the PZT layer with inductor L. This narrow stop band was attributed to the resonance circuit constituted by the piezoelectric layer, for the piezoelectric layer with electrodes could be seen as a capacitor. Further, homogenization was used to calculate the effective elastic constants of the sample. Results showed that the effective parameters of this structure behaved negative in the narrow stop band. The location of the narrow stop band was in the charge of inductor L, which could be used to design acoustic filters or noise insulators by changing the parameters of structure.

An automatic scaling method for obtaining the trace and parameters from oblique ionogram based on hybrid genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Huan; Hu, Yaogai; Jiang, Chunhua; Zhou, Chen; Zhao, Zhengyu; Zou, Xianjian

2016-12-01

Scaling oblique ionogram plays an important role in obtaining ionospheric structure at the midpoint of oblique sounding path. The paper proposed an automatic scaling method to extract the trace and parameters of oblique ionogram based on hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA). The extracted 10 parameters come from F2 layer and Es layer, such as maximum observation frequency, critical frequency, and virtual height. The method adopts quasi-parabolic (QP) model to describe F2 layer's electron density profile that is used to synthesize trace. And it utilizes secant theorem, Martyn's equivalent path theorem, image processing technology, and echoes' characteristics to determine seven parameters' best fit values, and three parameter's initial values in QP model to set up their searching spaces which are the needed input data of HGA. Then HGA searches the three parameters' best fit values from their searching spaces based on the fitness between the synthesized trace and the real trace. In order to verify the performance of the method, 240 oblique ionograms are scaled and their results are compared with manual scaling results and the inversion results of the corresponding vertical ionograms. The comparison results show that the scaling results are accurate or at least adequate 60-90% of the time.

MO-D-213-06: Quantitative Image Quality Metrics Are for Physicists, Not Radiologists: How to Communicate to Your Radiologists Using Their Language

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

Szczykutowicz, T; Rubert, N; Ranallo, F

Purpose: A framework for explaining differences in image quality to non-technical audiences in medial imaging is needed. Currently, this task is something that is learned “on the job.” The lack of a formal methodology for communicating optimal acquisition parameters into the clinic effectively mitigates many technological advances. As a community, medical physicists need to be held responsible for not only advancing image science, but also for ensuring its proper use in the clinic. This work outlines a framework that bridges the gap between the results from quantitative image quality metrics like detectability, MTF, and NPS and their effect on specificmore » anatomical structures present in diagnostic imaging tasks. Methods: Specific structures of clinical importance were identified for a body, an extremity, a chest, and a temporal bone protocol. Using these structures, quantitative metrics were used to identify the parameter space that should yield optimal image quality constrained within the confines of clinical logistics and dose considerations. The reading room workflow for presenting the proposed changes for imaging each of these structures is presented. The workflow consists of displaying images for physician review consisting of different combinations of acquisition parameters guided by quantitative metrics. Examples of using detectability index, MTF, NPS, noise and noise non-uniformity are provided. During review, the physician was forced to judge the image quality solely on those features they need for diagnosis, not on the overall “look” of the image. Results: We found that in many cases, use of this framework settled mis-agreements between physicians. Once forced to judge images on the ability to detect specific structures inter reader agreement was obtained. Conclusion: This framework will provide consulting, research/industrial, or in-house physicists with clinically relevant imaging tasks to guide reading room image review. This framework avoids use of the overall “look” or “feel” to dictate acquisition parameter selection. Equipment grants GE Healthcare.« less

The relationship between dental implant stability and trabecular bone structure using cone-beam computed tomography

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between primary implant stability as measured by impact response frequency and the structural parameters of trabecular bone using cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT), excluding the effect of cortical bone thickness. Methods We measured the impact response of a dental implant placed into swine bone specimens composed of only trabecular bone without the cortical bone layer using an inductive sensor. The peak frequency of the impact response spectrum was determined as an implant stability criterion (SPF). The 3D microstructural parameters were calculated from CT images of the bone specimens obtained using both micro-CT and CBCT. Results SPF had significant positive correlations with trabecular bone structural parameters (BV/TV, BV, BS, BSD, Tb.Th, Tb.N, FD, and BS/BV) (P<0.01) while SPF demonstrated significant negative correlations with other microstructural parameters (Tb.Sp, Tb.Pf, and SMI) using micro-CT and CBCT (P<0.01). Conclusions There was an increase in implant stability prediction by combining BV/TV and SMI in the stepwise forward regression analysis. Bone with high volume density and low surface density shows high implant stability. Well-connected thick bone with small marrow spaces also shows high implant stability. The combination of bone density and architectural parameters measured using CBCT can predict the implant stability more accurately than the density alone in clinical diagnoses. PMID:27127692

A search for optimal parameters of resonance circuits ensuring damping of electroelastic structure vibrations based on the solution of natural vibration problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oshmarin, D.; Sevodina, N.; Iurlov, M.; Iurlova, N.

2017-06-01

In this paper, with the aim of providing passive control of structure vibrations a new approach has been proposed for selecting optimal parameters of external electric shunt circuits connected to piezoelectric elements located on the surface of the structure. The approach is based on the mathematical formulation of the natural vibration problem. The results of solution of this problem are the complex eigenfrequencies, the real part of which represents the vibration frequency and the imaginary part corresponds to the damping ratio, characterizing the rate of damping. A criterion of search for optimal parameters of the external passive shunt circuits, which can provide the system with desired dissipative properties, has been derived based on the analysis of responses of the real and imaginary parts of different complex eigenfrequencies to changes in the values of the parameters of the electric circuit. The efficiency of this approach has been verified in the context of natural vibration problem of rigidly clamped plate and semi-cylindrical shell, which is solved for series-connected and parallel -connected external resonance (consisting of resistive and inductive elements) R-L circuits. It has been shown that at lower (more energy-intensive) frequencies, a series-connected external circuit has the advantage of providing lower values of the circuit parameters, which renders it more attractive in terms of practical applications.

A review of parameters and heuristics for guiding metabolic pathfinding.

PubMed

Kim, Sarah M; Peña, Matthew I; Moll, Mark; Bennett, George N; Kavraki, Lydia E

2017-09-15

Recent developments in metabolic engineering have led to the successful biosynthesis of valuable products, such as the precursor of the antimalarial compound, artemisinin, and opioid precursor, thebaine. Synthesizing these traditionally plant-derived compounds in genetically modified yeast cells introduces the possibility of significantly reducing the total time and resources required for their production, and in turn, allows these valuable compounds to become cheaper and more readily available. Most biosynthesis pathways used in metabolic engineering applications have been discovered manually, requiring a tedious search of existing literature and metabolic databases. However, the recent rapid development of available metabolic information has enabled the development of automated approaches for identifying novel pathways. Computer-assisted pathfinding has the potential to save biochemists time in the initial discovery steps of metabolic engineering. In this paper, we review the parameters and heuristics used to guide the search in recent pathfinding algorithms. These parameters and heuristics capture information on the metabolic network structure, compound structures, reaction features, and organism-specificity of pathways. No one metabolic pathfinding algorithm or search parameter stands out as the best to use broadly for solving the pathfinding problem, as each method and parameter has its own strengths and shortcomings. As assisted pathfinding approaches continue to become more sophisticated, the development of better methods for visualizing pathway results and integrating these results into existing metabolic engineering practices is also important for encouraging wider use of these pathfinding methods.

Method of manufacturing flexible metallic photonic band gap structures, and structures resulting therefrom

DOEpatents

Gupta, Sandhya; Tuttle, Gary L.; Sigalas, Mihail; McCalmont, Jonathan S.; Ho, Kai-Ming

2001-08-14

A method of manufacturing a flexible metallic photonic band gap structure operable in the infrared region, comprises the steps of spinning on a first layer of dielectric on a GaAs substrate, imidizing this first layer of dielectric, forming a first metal pattern on this first layer of dielectric, spinning on and imidizing a second layer of dielectric, and then removing the GaAs substrate. This method results in a flexible metallic photonic band gap structure operable with various filter characteristics in the infrared region. This method may be used to construct multi-layer flexible metallic photonic band gap structures. Metal grid defects and dielectric separation layer thicknesses are adjusted to control filter parameters.

Probabilistic assessment of smart composite structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.; Shiao, Michael C.

1994-01-01

A composite wing with spars and bulkheads is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of probabilistic assessment of smart composite structures to control uncertainties in distortions and stresses. Results show that a smart composite wing can be controlled to minimize distortions and to have specified stress levels in the presence of defects. Structural responses such as changes in angle of attack, vertical displacements, and stress in the control and controlled plies are probabilistically assessed to quantify their respective uncertainties. Sensitivity factors are evaluated to identify those parameters that have the greatest influence on a specific structural response. Results show that smart composite structures can be configured to control both distortions and ply stresses to satisfy specified design requirements.

Coplanar waveguide discontinuities for P-I-N diode switches and filter applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dib, N. I.; Katehi, P. B.; Ponchak, George E.; Simons, Rainee N.

1990-01-01

A full wave space domain integral equation (SDIE) analysis of coplanar waveguide (CPW) two port discontinuities is presented. An experimental setup to measure the S-parameters of such discontinuities is described. Experimental and theoretical results for CPW realizations of pass-band and stop-band filters are presented. The S-parameters of such structures are plotted in the frequency range 5 to 25 GHz.

Spectral embedding finds meaningful (relevant) structure in image and microarray data

PubMed Central

Higgs, Brandon W; Weller, Jennifer; Solka, Jeffrey L

2006-01-01

Background Accurate methods for extraction of meaningful patterns in high dimensional data have become increasingly important with the recent generation of data types containing measurements across thousands of variables. Principal components analysis (PCA) is a linear dimensionality reduction (DR) method that is unsupervised in that it relies only on the data; projections are calculated in Euclidean or a similar linear space and do not use tuning parameters for optimizing the fit to the data. However, relationships within sets of nonlinear data types, such as biological networks or images, are frequently mis-rendered into a low dimensional space by linear methods. Nonlinear methods, in contrast, attempt to model important aspects of the underlying data structure, often requiring parameter(s) fitting to the data type of interest. In many cases, the optimal parameter values vary when different classification algorithms are applied on the same rendered subspace, making the results of such methods highly dependent upon the type of classifier implemented. Results We present the results of applying the spectral method of Lafon, a nonlinear DR method based on the weighted graph Laplacian, that minimizes the requirements for such parameter optimization for two biological data types. We demonstrate that it is successful in determining implicit ordering of brain slice image data and in classifying separate species in microarray data, as compared to two conventional linear methods and three nonlinear methods (one of which is an alternative spectral method). This spectral implementation is shown to provide more meaningful information, by preserving important relationships, than the methods of DR presented for comparison. Tuning parameter fitting is simple and is a general, rather than data type or experiment specific approach, for the two datasets analyzed here. Tuning parameter optimization is minimized in the DR step to each subsequent classification method, enabling the possibility of valid cross-experiment comparisons. Conclusion Results from the spectral method presented here exhibit the desirable properties of preserving meaningful nonlinear relationships in lower dimensional space and requiring minimal parameter fitting, providing a useful algorithm for purposes of visualization and classification across diverse datasets, a common challenge in systems biology. PMID:16483359

Three-dimensional biofilm structure quantification.

PubMed

Beyenal, Haluk; Donovan, Conrad; Lewandowski, Zbigniew; Harkin, Gary

2004-12-01

Quantitative parameters describing biofilm physical structure have been extracted from three-dimensional confocal laser scanning microscopy images and used to compare biofilm structures, monitor biofilm development, and quantify environmental factors affecting biofilm structure. Researchers have previously used biovolume, volume to surface ratio, roughness coefficient, and mean and maximum thicknesses to compare biofilm structures. The selection of these parameters is dependent on the availability of software to perform calculations. We believe it is necessary to develop more comprehensive parameters to describe heterogeneous biofilm morphology in three dimensions. This research presents parameters describing three-dimensional biofilm heterogeneity, size, and morphology of biomass calculated from confocal laser scanning microscopy images. This study extends previous work which extracted quantitative parameters regarding morphological features from two-dimensional biofilm images to three-dimensional biofilm images. We describe two types of parameters: (1) textural parameters showing microscale heterogeneity of biofilms and (2) volumetric parameters describing size and morphology of biomass. The three-dimensional features presented are average (ADD) and maximum diffusion distances (MDD), fractal dimension, average run lengths (in X, Y and Z directions), aspect ratio, textural entropy, energy and homogeneity. We discuss the meaning of each parameter and present the calculations in detail. The developed algorithms, including automatic thresholding, are implemented in software as MATLAB programs which will be available at site prior to publication of the paper.

Electronic Characterization of Au/DNA/ITO Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Diode and Its Application as a Radiation Sensor.

PubMed

Al-Ta'ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber; Periasamy, Vengadesh; Amin, Yusoff Mohd

2016-01-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA molecules expressed as double-stranded (DSS) negatively charged polymer plays a significant role in electronic states of metal/silicon semiconductor structures. Electrical parameters of an Au/DNA/ITO device prepared using self-assembly method was studied by using current-voltage (I-V) characteristic measurements under alpha bombardment at room temperature. The results were analyzed using conventional thermionic emission model, Cheung and Cheung's method and Norde's technique to estimate the barrier height, ideality factor, series resistance and Richardson constant of the Au/DNA/ITO structure. Besides demonstrating a strongly rectifying (diode) characteristic, it was also observed that orderly fluctuations occur in various electrical parameters of the Schottky structure. Increasing alpha radiation effectively influences the series resistance, while the barrier height, ideality factor and interface state density parameters respond linearly. Barrier height determined from I-V measurements were calculated at 0.7284 eV for non-radiated, increasing to about 0.7883 eV in 0.036 Gy showing an increase for all doses. We also demonstrate the hypersensitivity phenomena effect by studying the relationship between the series resistance for the three methods, the ideality factor and low-dose radiation. Based on the results, sensitive alpha particle detectors can be realized using Au/DNA/ITO Schottky junction sensor.

The effects of surfactant on the structure of ZnCr2O4 dendrimer like nanostructures used in degradation of Eriochrome Black T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabet, Mohammad; Jahangiri, Hasan

2018-01-01

In this experimental work, we synthesized ZnCr2O4 nano dendrimer-like structures via a simple hydrothermal method. Different parameters such as the reaction time and temperature and the surfactant kind were changed to obtain different particle sizes and morphologies. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized to obtain the products morphologies. The results showed the product is mainly composed of dendrimer-like structures. Also, it was found the mentioned parameters had significant effects on the product sizes and morphologies. Furthermore, it was found key parameters that determine the morphology of the product is surfactant type and each surfactant creates a unique morphology. The crystallinity and crystallite size were studied by x-ray diffraction pattern. Also, the composition of the product was determined by energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was used to the investigation of the optical properties of the product. The results obtained from DRS spectra showed the product has about 3.3 eV band gap. The photocatalytic activity of the product showed that ZnCr2O4 has a significant photocatalytic activity and it can decompose Eriochrome Black T about 91% under ultra violet radiation.

Electronic Characterization of Au/DNA/ITO Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Diode and Its Application as a Radiation Sensor

PubMed Central

Al-Ta’ii, Hassan Maktuff Jaber; Periasamy, Vengadesh; Amin, Yusoff Mohd

2016-01-01

Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA molecules expressed as double-stranded (DSS) negatively charged polymer plays a significant role in electronic states of metal/silicon semiconductor structures. Electrical parameters of an Au/DNA/ITO device prepared using self-assembly method was studied by using current–voltage (I-V) characteristic measurements under alpha bombardment at room temperature. The results were analyzed using conventional thermionic emission model, Cheung and Cheung’s method and Norde’s technique to estimate the barrier height, ideality factor, series resistance and Richardson constant of the Au/DNA/ITO structure. Besides demonstrating a strongly rectifying (diode) characteristic, it was also observed that orderly fluctuations occur in various electrical parameters of the Schottky structure. Increasing alpha radiation effectively influences the series resistance, while the barrier height, ideality factor and interface state density parameters respond linearly. Barrier height determined from I–V measurements were calculated at 0.7284 eV for non-radiated, increasing to about 0.7883 eV in 0.036 Gy showing an increase for all doses. We also demonstrate the hypersensitivity phenomena effect by studying the relationship between the series resistance for the three methods, the ideality factor and low-dose radiation. Based on the results, sensitive alpha particle detectors can be realized using Au/DNA/ITO Schottky junction sensor. PMID:26799703

Toward Understanding Drug Incorporation and Delivery from Biocompatible Metal-Organic Frameworks in View of Cutaneous Administration.

PubMed

Rojas, Sara; Colinet, Isabel; Cunha, Denise; Hidalgo, Tania; Salles, Fabrice; Serre, Christian; Guillou, Nathalie; Horcajada, Patricia

2018-03-31

Although metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have widely demonstrated their convenient performances as drug-delivery systems, there is still work to do to fully understand the drug incorporation/delivery processes from these materials. In this work, a combined experimental and computational investigation of the main structural and physicochemical parameters driving drug adsorption/desorption kinetics was carried out. Two model drugs (aspirin and ibuprofen) and three water-stable, biocompatible MOFs (MIL-100(Fe), UiO-66(Zr), and MIL-127(Fe)) have been selected to obtain a variety of drug-matrix couples with different structural and physicochemical characteristics. This study evidenced that the drug-loading and drug-delivery processes are mainly governed by structural parameters (accessibility of the framework and drug volume) as well as the MOF/drug hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance. As a result, the delivery of the drug under simulated cutaneous conditions (aqueous media at 37 °C) demonstrated that these systems fulfill the requirements to be used as topical drug-delivery systems, such as released payload between 1 and 7 days. These results highlight the importance of the rational selection of MOFs, evidencing the effect of geometrical and chemical parameters of both the MOF and the drug on the drug adsorption and release.

Toward Understanding Drug Incorporation and Delivery from Biocompatible Metal–Organic Frameworks in View of Cutaneous Administration

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Although metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have widely demonstrated their convenient performances as drug-delivery systems, there is still work to do to fully understand the drug incorporation/delivery processes from these materials. In this work, a combined experimental and computational investigation of the main structural and physicochemical parameters driving drug adsorption/desorption kinetics was carried out. Two model drugs (aspirin and ibuprofen) and three water-stable, biocompatible MOFs (MIL-100(Fe), UiO-66(Zr), and MIL-127(Fe)) have been selected to obtain a variety of drug–matrix couples with different structural and physicochemical characteristics. This study evidenced that the drug-loading and drug-delivery processes are mainly governed by structural parameters (accessibility of the framework and drug volume) as well as the MOF/drug hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance. As a result, the delivery of the drug under simulated cutaneous conditions (aqueous media at 37 °C) demonstrated that these systems fulfill the requirements to be used as topical drug-delivery systems, such as released payload between 1 and 7 days. These results highlight the importance of the rational selection of MOFs, evidencing the effect of geometrical and chemical parameters of both the MOF and the drug on the drug adsorption and release. PMID:29623304

Characterizations of additive manufactured porous titanium implants.

PubMed

Basalah, Ahmad; Shanjani, Yaser; Esmaeili, Shahrzad; Toyserkani, Ehsan

2012-10-01

This article describes physical, chemical, and mechanical characterizations of porous titanium implants made by an additive manufacturing method to gain insight into the correlation of process parameters and final physical properties of implants used in orthopedics. For the manufacturing chain, the powder metallurgy technology was combined with the additive manufacturing to fabricate the porous structure from the pure tanium powder. A 3D printing machine was employed in this study to produce porous bar samples. A number of physical parameters such as titanium powder size, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) amount, sintering temperature and time were investigated to control the mechanical properties and porosity of the structures. The produced samples were characterized through porosity and shrinkage measurements, mechanical compression test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed a level of porosity in the samples in the range of 31-43%, which is within the range of the porosity of the cancelluous bone and approaches the range of the porosity of the cortical bone. The results of the mechanical test showed that the compressive strength is in the wide range of 56-509 MPa implying the effect of the process parameters on the mechanical strengths. This technique of manufacturing of Ti porous structures demonstrated a low level of shrinkage with the shrinkage percentage ranging from 1.5 to 5%. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Design on the wide band absorber with low density based on the particle distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dianliang; Liu, Ting; Liu, Longbin; Xu, Yonggang

2018-04-01

In order to widen the absorbing band, an equivalent gradient structure absorber was designed based on the particle distribution. Firstly, the electromagnetic parameter of the absorbent with uniform dispersion was tested using the vector network analyzer in 8-18 GHz. Three different equivalent materials of the spherical, square and hexagon empty shape were designed. The scattering parameters and the monostatic reflection loss (RL) of the periodic structural materials were simulated in the commercial software. Then the effective permittivity and the permeability was derived by the Nicolson-Ross-Weir algorithm and fitted by Maxwell-Garnett mixing rule. The results showed that the simulated reflectance and transmission parameters of equivalent composites with the different shapes were very close. The derived effective permittivity and permeability of the composite with different absorbent content was also close, and the average deviation was about 0.52 + j0.15 and 0.15 + j0.01 respectively. Finally, the wide band absorbing material was designed using the genetic algorithm. The optimized RL result showed that the absorbing composites with thickness 3 mm had an excellent absorbing property (RL <-10 dB) in 8-18 GHz, the equivalent absorber density could be decreased 30.7% compared with the uniform structure.

Nonlocal Gravity and Structure in the Universe

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

Dodelson, Scott; Park, Sohyun

2014-08-26

The observed acceleration of the Universe can be explained by modifying general relativity. One such attempt is the nonlocal model of Deser and Woodard. Here we fix the background cosmology using results from the Planck satellite and examine the predictions of nonlocal gravity for the evolution of structure in the universe, confronting the model with three tests: gravitational lensing, redshift space distortions, and the estimator of gravitymore » $$E_G$$. Current data favor general relativity (GR) over nonlocal gravity: fixing primordial cosmology with the best fit parameters from Planck leads to weak lensing results favoring GR by 5.9 sigma; redshift space distortions measurements of the growth rate preferring GR by 7.8 sigma; and the single measurement of $$E_G$$ favoring GR, but by less than 1-sigma. The significance holds up even after the parameters are allowed to vary within Planck limits. The larger lesson is that a successful modified gravity model will likely have to suppress the growth of structure compared to general relativity.« less

Manufacturing error sensitivity analysis and optimal design method of cable-network antenna structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zong, Yali; Hu, Naigang; Duan, Baoyan; Yang, Guigeng; Cao, Hongjun; Xu, Wanye

2016-03-01

Inevitable manufacturing errors and inconsistency between assumed and actual boundary conditions can affect the shape precision and cable tensions of a cable-network antenna, and even result in failure of the structure in service. In this paper, an analytical sensitivity analysis method of the shape precision and cable tensions with respect to the parameters carrying uncertainty was studied. Based on the sensitivity analysis, an optimal design procedure was proposed to alleviate the effects of the parameters that carry uncertainty. The validity of the calculated sensitivities is examined by those computed by a finite difference method. Comparison with a traditional design method shows that the presented design procedure can remarkably reduce the influence of the uncertainties on the antenna performance. Moreover, the results suggest that especially slender front net cables, thick tension ties, relatively slender boundary cables and high tension level can improve the ability of cable-network antenna structures to resist the effects of the uncertainties on the antenna performance.

Experimental identification of closely spaced modes using NExT-ERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini Kordkheili, S. A.; Momeni Massouleh, S. H.; Hajirezayi, S.; Bahai, H.

2018-01-01

This article presents a study on the capability of the time domain OMA method, NExT-ERA, to identify closely spaced structural dynamic modes. A survey in the literature reveals that few experimental studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of the NExT-ERA methodology in case of closely spaced modes specifically. In this paper we present the formulation for NExT-ERA. This formulation is then implemented in an algorithm and a code, developed in house to identify the modal parameters of different systems using their generated time history data. Some numerical models are firstly investigated to validate the code. Two different case studies involving a plate with closely spaced modes and a pulley ring with greater extent of closeness in repeated modes are presented. Both structures are excited by random impulses under the laboratory condition. The resulting time response acceleration data are then used as input in the developed code to extract modal parameters of the structures. The accuracy of the results is checked against those obtained from experimental tests.

Band structures in two-dimensional phononic crystals with periodic Jerusalem cross slot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yinggang; Chen, Tianning; Wang, Xiaopeng; Yu, Kunpeng; Song, Ruifang

2015-01-01

In this paper, a novel two-dimensional phononic crystal composed of periodic Jerusalem cross slot in air matrix with a square lattice is presented. The dispersion relations and the transmission coefficient spectra are calculated by using the finite element method based on the Bloch theorem. The formation mechanisms of the band gaps are analyzed based on the acoustic mode analysis. Numerical results show that the proposed phononic crystal structure can yield large band gaps in the low-frequency range. The formation mechanism of opening the acoustic band gaps is mainly attributed to the resonance modes of the cavities inside the Jerusalem cross slot structure. Furthermore, the effects of the geometrical parameters on the band gaps are further explored numerically. Results show that the band gaps can be modulated in an extremely large frequency range by the geometry parameters such as the slot length and width. These properties of acoustic waves in the proposed phononic crystals can potentially be applied to optimize band gaps and generate low-frequency filters and waveguides.

Estimation of parameters in rational reaction rates of molecular biological systems via weighted least squares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Fang-Xiang; Mu, Lei; Shi, Zhong-Ke

2010-01-01

The models of gene regulatory networks are often derived from statistical thermodynamics principle or Michaelis-Menten kinetics equation. As a result, the models contain rational reaction rates which are nonlinear in both parameters and states. It is challenging to estimate parameters nonlinear in a model although there have been many traditional nonlinear parameter estimation methods such as Gauss-Newton iteration method and its variants. In this article, we develop a two-step method to estimate the parameters in rational reaction rates of gene regulatory networks via weighted linear least squares. This method takes the special structure of rational reaction rates into consideration. That is, in the rational reaction rates, the numerator and the denominator are linear in parameters. By designing a special weight matrix for the linear least squares, parameters in the numerator and the denominator can be estimated by solving two linear least squares problems. The main advantage of the developed method is that it can produce the analytical solutions to the estimation of parameters in rational reaction rates which originally is nonlinear parameter estimation problem. The developed method is applied to a couple of gene regulatory networks. The simulation results show the superior performance over Gauss-Newton method.

Optimization of the parameters for obtaining zirconia-alumina coatings, made by flame spraying from results of numerical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrer, M.; Vargas, F.; Peña, G.

2017-12-01

The K-Sommerfeld values (K) and the melting percentage (% F) obtained by numerical simulation using the Jets et Poudres software were used to find the projection parameters of zirconia-alumina coatings by thermal spraying flame, in order to obtain coatings with good morphological and structural properties to be used as thermal insulation. The experimental results show the relationship between the Sommerfeld parameter and the porosity of the zirconia-alumina coatings. It is found that the lowest porosity is obtained when the K-Sommerfeld value is close to 45 with an oxidant flame, on the contrary, when superoxidant flames are used K values are close 52, which improve wear resistance.

Intelligent method for diagnosing structural faults of rotating machinery using ant colony optimization.

PubMed

Li, Ke; Chen, Peng

2011-01-01

Structural faults, such as unbalance, misalignment and looseness, etc., often occur in the shafts of rotating machinery. These faults may cause serious machine accidents and lead to great production losses. This paper proposes an intelligent method for diagnosing structural faults of rotating machinery using ant colony optimization (ACO) and relative ratio symptom parameters (RRSPs) in order to detect faults and distinguish fault types at an early stage. New symptom parameters called "relative ratio symptom parameters" are defined for reflecting the features of vibration signals measured in each state. Synthetic detection index (SDI) using statistical theory has also been defined to evaluate the applicability of the RRSPs. The SDI can be used to indicate the fitness of a RRSP for ACO. Lastly, this paper also compares the proposed method with the conventional neural networks (NN) method. Practical examples of fault diagnosis for a centrifugal fan are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The verification results show that the structural faults often occurring in the centrifugal fan, such as unbalance, misalignment and looseness states are effectively identified by the proposed method, while these faults are difficult to detect using conventional neural networks.

Technological parameters influence on the non-autoclaved foam concrete characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartenjeva, Ekaterina; Mashkin, Nikolay

2017-01-01

Foam concretes are used as effective heat-insulating materials. The porous structure of foam concrete provides good insulating and strength properties that make them possible to be used as heat-insulating structural materials. Optimal structure of non-autoclaved foam concrete depends on both technological factors and properties of technical foam. In this connection, the possibility to manufacture heat-insulation structural foam concrete on a high-speed cavity plant with the usage of protein and synthetic foamers was estimated. This experiment was carried out using mathematical planning method, and in this case mathematical models were developed that demonstrated the dependence of operating performance of foam concrete on foaming and rotation speed of laboratory plant. The following material properties were selected for the investigation: average density, compressive strength, bending strength and thermal conductivity. The influence of laboratory equipment technological parameters on technical foam strength and foam stability coefficient in the cement paste was investigated, physical and mechanical properties of non-autoclaved foam concrete were defined based on investigated foam. As a result of investigation, foam concrete samples were developed with performance parameters ensuring their use in production. The mathematical data gathered demonstrated the dependence of foam concrete performance on the technological regime.

A Probabilistic Design Method Applied to Smart Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiao, Michael C.; Chamis, Christos C.

1995-01-01

A probabilistic design method is described and demonstrated using a smart composite wing. Probabilistic structural design incorporates naturally occurring uncertainties including those in constituent (fiber/matrix) material properties, fabrication variables, structure geometry and control-related parameters. Probabilistic sensitivity factors are computed to identify those parameters that have a great influence on a specific structural reliability. Two performance criteria are used to demonstrate this design methodology. The first criterion requires that the actuated angle at the wing tip be bounded by upper and lower limits at a specified reliability. The second criterion requires that the probability of ply damage due to random impact load be smaller than an assigned value. When the relationship between reliability improvement and the sensitivity factors is assessed, the results show that a reduction in the scatter of the random variable with the largest sensitivity factor (absolute value) provides the lowest failure probability. An increase in the mean of the random variable with a negative sensitivity factor will reduce the failure probability. Therefore, the design can be improved by controlling or selecting distribution parameters associated with random variables. This can be implemented during the manufacturing process to obtain maximum benefit with minimum alterations.

The structure of the plasma sheet-lobe boundary in the Earth's magnetotail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orsini, S.; Candidi, M.; Formisano, V.; Balsiger, H.; Ghielmetti, A.; Ogilvie, K. W.

1982-01-01

The structure of the magnetotail plasma sheet-plasma lobe boundary was studied by observing the properties of tailward flowing O+ ion beams, detected by the ISEE 2 plasma experiment inside the boundary during three time periods. The computed value of the north-south electric field component as well as the O+ parameters are shown to change at the boundary. The results are related to other observations made in this region. The O+ parameters and the Ez component behavior are shown to be consistent with that expected from the topology of the electric field lines in the tail as mapped from the ionosphere.

Study of relation between Pc 3 micropulsations and magnetosheath fluctuations, and multisatellite investigation of earth's bow shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenstadt, E. W.

1975-01-01

The validity is investigated of a suggested model according to which Pc 3 and/or Pc 4 micropulsations are excited by magnetosheath field (and plasma) fluctuations arising in the quasi-parallel structure of the subsolar bow shock. The influence of solar wind plasma parameters on local shock structure and on the configuration of the entire bow shock system is included. Simultaneous data from two or more spacecraft and from multiple diagnostics is used to evaluate the geometrical factor, field-to-shock normal angle, or its B-X equivalent, and the principal plasma parameters. Results are presented and discussed.

The statistics of primordial density fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrow, John D.; Coles, Peter

1990-05-01

The statistical properties of the density fluctuations produced by power-law inflation are investigated. It is found that, even the fluctuations present in the scalar field driving the inflation are Gaussian, the resulting density perturbations need not be, due to stochastic variations in the Hubble parameter. All the moments of the density fluctuations are calculated, and is is argued that, for realistic parameter choices, the departures from Gaussian statistics are small and would have a negligible effect on the large-scale structure produced in the model. On the other hand, the model predicts a power spectrum with n not equal to 1, and this could be good news for large-scale structure.

Simulation of Structural Transformations in Heating of Alloy Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurkin, A. S.; Makarov, E. L.; Kurkin, A. B.; Rubtsov, D. E.; Rubtsov, M. E.

2017-07-01

Amathematical model for computer simulation of structural transformations in an alloy steel under the conditions of the thermal cycle of multipass welding is presented. The austenitic transformation under the heating and the processes of decomposition of bainite and martensite under repeated heating are considered. Amethod for determining the necessary temperature-time parameters of the model from the chemical composition of the steel is described. Published data are processed and the results used to derive regression models of the temperature ranges and parameters of transformation kinetics of alloy steels. The method developed is used in computer simulation of the process of multipass welding of pipes by the finite-element method.

Dependence of atmospheric refractive index structure parameter (Cn2) on the residence time and vertical distribution of aerosols.

PubMed

Anand, N; Satheesh, S K; Krishna Moorthy, K

2017-07-15

Effects of absorbing atmospheric aerosols in modulating the tropospheric refractive index structure parameter (Cn2) are estimated using high resolution radiosonde and multi-satellite data along with a radiative transfer model. We report the influence of variations in residence time and vertical distribution of aerosols in modulating Cn2 and why the aerosol induced atmospheric heating needs to be considered while estimating a free space optical communication link budget. The results show that performance of the link is seriously affected if large concentrations of absorbing aerosols reside for a long time in the atmospheric path.

Theoretical explanation of spin-Hamiltonian parameters and local structure for the orthorhombic MnO2 -4 clusters in K2CrO4 : Mn6 + crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ning; Xie, Linhua

2017-12-01

In this paper, the spin-Hamiltonian parameters (g factors gx, gy, gz and hyperfine structure constants A Ax, Ay, Az) and the absorption spectrum of K2CrO4 : Mn6 + crystal are theoretically explained by using the high-order perturbation theory, the double-spin-orbit-coupling model theory and the double-mechanism theory (the crystal field mechanism and the charge-transfer (CT) mechanism). The calculation results show that the contribution of the CT mechanism cannot be neglected for Mn6 + ions in orthorhombic clusters with the ground state ?.

Process parameter-growth environment-film property relationships for reactive sputter deposited metal (V, Nb, Zr, Y, Au) oxide, nitride, and oxynitride films. Final report, 1 January 1989-30 June 1993

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

Aita, C.R.

1993-09-30

The research developed process parameter-growth environment-film property relations (phase maps) for model sputter-deposited transition metal oxides, nitrides, and oxynitrides grown by reactive sputter deposition at low temperature. Optical emission spectrometry was used for plasma diagnostics. The results summarized here include the role of sputtered metal-oxygen molecular flux in oxide film growth; structural differences in highest valence oxides including conditions for amorphous growth; and using fundamental optical absorption edge features to probe short range structural disorder. Eight appendices containing sixteen journal articles are included.

Integrating motion, illumination, and structure in video sequences with applications in illumination-invariant tracking.

PubMed

Xu, Yilei; Roy-Chowdhury, Amit K

2007-05-01

In this paper, we present a theory for combining the effects of motion, illumination, 3D structure, albedo, and camera parameters in a sequence of images obtained by a perspective camera. We show that the set of all Lambertian reflectance functions of a moving object, at any position, illuminated by arbitrarily distant light sources, lies "close" to a bilinear subspace consisting of nine illumination variables and six motion variables. This result implies that, given an arbitrary video sequence, it is possible to recover the 3D structure, motion, and illumination conditions simultaneously using the bilinear subspace formulation. The derivation builds upon existing work on linear subspace representations of reflectance by generalizing it to moving objects. Lighting can change slowly or suddenly, locally or globally, and can originate from a combination of point and extended sources. We experimentally compare the results of our theory with ground truth data and also provide results on real data by using video sequences of a 3D face and the entire human body with various combinations of motion and illumination directions. We also show results of our theory in estimating 3D motion and illumination model parameters from a video sequence.

Evidence of a Love wave bandgap in a quartz substrate coated with a phononic thin layer

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

Liu, Ting-Wei; Wu, Tsung-Tsong, E-mail: wutt@ntu.edu.tw; Lin, Yu-Ching

This paper presents a numerical and experimental study of Love wave propagation in a micro-fabricated phononic crystal (PC) structure consisting of a 2D, periodically etched silica film deposited on a quartz substrate. The dispersion characteristics of Love waves in such a phononic structure were analyzed with various geometric parameters by using complex band structure calculations. For the experiment, we adopted reactive-ion etching with electron-beam lithography to fabricate a submicrometer phononic structure. The measured results exhibited consistency with the numerical prediction. The results of this study may serve as a basis for developing PC-based Love wave devices.

The auxetic behavior of an expanded periodic cellular structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciolan, Mihaela A.; Lache, Simona; Velea, Marian N.

2018-02-01

Within nowadays research, when it comes to lightweight sandwich panels, periodic cellular structures are considered real trendsetters. One of the most used type of core in producing sandwich panels is the honeycomb. However, due to its relatively high manufacturing cost, this structure has limited applications; therefore, research has been carried out in order to develop alternative solutions. An example in this sense is the ExpaAsym cellular structure, developed at the Transilvania University of Braşov; it represents a periodic cellular structure manufactured through a mechanically expansion process of a previously cut and perforated sheet material. The relative density of the structure was proven to be significantly lower than the one of the honeycomb. This gives a great advantage to the structure, due to the fact that when the internal angle A of the unit cell is 60°, after the mechanical expansion it results a hexagonal structure. The main objective of this paper is to estimate the in-plane Poisson ratios of the structure, in terms of its geometrical parameters. It is therefore analytically shown that for certain values of the geometric parameters, the in-plane Poisson ratios have negative values when the internal angle exceeds 90°, which determines its auxetic behavior.

Optical-fiber strain sensors with asymmetric etched structures.

PubMed

Vaziri, M; Chen, C L

1993-11-01

Optical-fiber strain gauges with asymmetric etched structures have been analyzed, fabricated, and tested. These sensors are very sensitive with a gauge factor as high as 170 and a flat frequency response to at least 2.7 kHz. The gauge factor depends on the asymmetry of the etched structures and the number of etched sections. To understand the physical principles involved, researchers have used structural analysis programs based on a finite-element method to analyze fibers with asymmetric etched structures under tensile stress. The results show that lateral bends are induced on the etched fibers when they are stretched axially. To relate the lateral bending to the optical attenuation, we have also employed a ray-tracing technique to investigate the dependence of the attenuation on the structural deformation. Based on the structural analysis and the ray-tracing study parameters affecting the sensitivity have been studied. These results agree with the results of experimental investigations.

Hierarchical mixture of experts and diagnostic modeling approach to reduce hydrologic model structural uncertainty: STRUCTURAL UNCERTAINTY DIAGNOSTICS

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

Moges, Edom; Demissie, Yonas; Li, Hong-Yi

2016-04-01

In most water resources applications, a single model structure might be inadequate to capture the dynamic multi-scale interactions among different hydrological processes. Calibrating single models for dynamic catchments, where multiple dominant processes exist, can result in displacement of errors from structure to parameters, which in turn leads to over-correction and biased predictions. An alternative to a single model structure is to develop local expert structures that are effective in representing the dominant components of the hydrologic process and adaptively integrate them based on an indicator variable. In this study, the Hierarchical Mixture of Experts (HME) framework is applied to integratemore » expert model structures representing the different components of the hydrologic process. Various signature diagnostic analyses are used to assess the presence of multiple dominant processes and the adequacy of a single model, as well as to identify the structures of the expert models. The approaches are applied for two distinct catchments, the Guadalupe River (Texas) and the French Broad River (North Carolina) from the Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX), using different structures of the HBV model. The results show that the HME approach has a better performance over the single model for the Guadalupe catchment, where multiple dominant processes are witnessed through diagnostic measures. Whereas, the diagnostics and aggregated performance measures prove that French Broad has a homogeneous catchment response, making the single model adequate to capture the response.« less

Electrostatic and structural similarity of classical and non-classical lactam compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coll, Miguel; Frau, Juan; Vilanova, Bartolomé; Donoso, Josefa; Muñoz, Francisco

2001-09-01

Various electrostatic and structural parameters for a series of classical and non-classical β-lactams were determined and compared in order to ascertain whether some specific β-lactams possess antibacterial or β-lactamase inhibitory properties. The electrostatic parameters obtained, based on the Distributed Multipole Analysis (DMA) of high-quality wavefunctions for the studied structures, suggest that some non-classical β-lactams effectively inhibit the action of β-lactamases. As shown in this work, such electrostatic parameters provide much more reliable information about the antibacterial and inhibitory properties of β-lactams than do structural parameters.

Parametrization consequences of constraining soil organic matter models by total carbon and radiocarbon using long-term field data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menichetti, Lorenzo; Kätterer, Thomas; Leifeld, Jens

2016-05-01

Soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics result from different interacting processes and controls on spatial scales from sub-aggregate to pedon to the whole ecosystem. These complex dynamics are translated into models as abundant degrees of freedom. This high number of not directly measurable variables and, on the other hand, very limited data at disposal result in equifinality and parameter uncertainty. Carbon radioisotope measurements are a proxy for SOC age both at annual to decadal (bomb peak based) and centennial to millennial timescales (radio decay based), and thus can be used in addition to total organic C for constraining SOC models. By considering this additional information, uncertainties in model structure and parameters may be reduced. To test this hypothesis we studied SOC dynamics and their defining kinetic parameters in the Zürich Organic Fertilization Experiment (ZOFE) experiment, a > 60-year-old controlled cropland experiment in Switzerland, by utilizing SOC and SO14C time series. To represent different processes we applied five model structures, all stemming from a simple mother model (Introductory Carbon Balance Model - ICBM): (I) two decomposing pools, (II) an inert pool added, (III) three decomposing pools, (IV) two decomposing pools with a substrate control feedback on decomposition, (V) as IV but with also an inert pool. These structures were extended to explicitly represent total SOC and 14C pools. The use of different model structures allowed us to explore model structural uncertainty and the impact of 14C on kinetic parameters. We considered parameter uncertainty by calibrating in a formal Bayesian framework. By varying the relative importance of total SOC and SO14C data in the calibration, we could quantify the effect of the information from these two data streams on estimated model parameters. The weighing of the two data streams was crucial for determining model outcomes, and we suggest including it in future modeling efforts whenever SO14C data are available. The measurements and all model structures indicated a dramatic decline in SOC in the ZOFE experiment after an initial land use change in 1949 from grass- to cropland, followed by a constant but smaller decline. According to all structures, the three treatments (control, mineral fertilizer, farmyard manure) we considered were still far from equilibrium. The estimates of mean residence time (MRT) of the C pools defined by our models were sensitive to the consideration of the SO14C data stream. Model structure had a smaller effect on estimated MRT, which ranged between 5.9 ± 0.1 and 4.2 ± 0.1 years and 78.9 ± 0.1 and 98.9 ± 0.1 years for young and old pools, respectively, for structures without substrate interactions. The simplest model structure performed the best according to information criteria, validating the idea that we still lack data for mechanistic SOC models. Although we could not exclude any of the considered processes possibly involved in SOC decomposition, it was not possible to discriminate their relative importance.

Spin current and spin transfer torque in ferromagnet/superconductor spin valves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moen, Evan; Valls, Oriol T.

2018-05-01

Using fully self-consistent methods, we study spin transport in fabricable spin valve systems consisting of two magnetic layers, a superconducting layer, and a spacer normal layer between the ferromagnets. Our methods ensure that the proper relations between spin current gradients and spin transfer torques are satisfied. We present results as a function of geometrical parameters, interfacial barrier values, misalignment angle between the ferromagnets, and bias voltage. Our main results are for the spin current and spin accumulation as functions of position within the spin valve structure. We see precession of the spin current about the exchange fields within the ferromagnets, and penetration of the spin current into the superconductor for biases greater than the critical bias, defined in the text. The spin accumulation exhibits oscillating behavior in the normal metal, with a strong dependence on the physical parameters both as to the structure and formation of the peaks. We also study the bias dependence of the spatially averaged spin transfer torque and spin accumulation. We examine the critical-bias effect of these quantities, and their dependence on the physical parameters. Our results are predictive of the outcome of future experiments, as they take into account imperfect interfaces and a realistic geometry.

Effects of land cover, topography, and built structure on seasonal water quality at multiple spatial scales.

PubMed

Pratt, Bethany; Chang, Heejun

2012-03-30

The relationship among land cover, topography, built structure and stream water quality in the Portland Metro region of Oregon and Clark County, Washington areas, USA, is analyzed using ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted (GWR) multiple regression models. Two scales of analysis, a sectional watershed and a buffer, offered a local and a global investigation of the sources of stream pollutants. Model accuracy, measured by R(2) values, fluctuated according to the scale, season, and regression method used. While most wet season water quality parameters are associated with urban land covers, most dry season water quality parameters are related topographic features such as elevation and slope. GWR models, which take into consideration local relations of spatial autocorrelation, had stronger results than OLS regression models. In the multiple regression models, sectioned watershed results were consistently better than the sectioned buffer results, except for dry season pH and stream temperature parameters. This suggests that while riparian land cover does have an effect on water quality, a wider contributing area needs to be included in order to account for distant sources of pollutants. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Infrared spectra and other properties predictions of 5-amino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarbohydrazide with electric field simulation using CPC model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regiec, Andrzej; Wojciechowski, Piotr; Pietraszko, Adam; Mączyński, Marcin

2018-06-01

Here, the Conductor-like Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM) was used as a less demanding substitute of Periodic Boundary Conditions (PBC) method to attempt to reliably simulate infrared spectra and some structural parameters of solid compound - 5-amino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarbohydrazide (HIX). The measured relative electric permittivity of HIX was used as a simplified equivalent of electric intensity generating by other molecules of 5-amino-3-methyl-4-isoxazolecarbohydrazide in crystal structure. The application of CPCM has resulted in better conformity of calculated molecular parameters with experimentally found. Theoretical geometry was compared with data obtained with X-ray crystallography. Comparison of harmonic approximation with anharmonic one, based on the six selected characteristic vibrations, shows that non-scaled harmonic wavenumbers, calculated with CPCM, well correspond to experimental spectra. Additionally, the results point out that anharmonic approximation appeared to be strong sensitive for input geometry and calculation parameters used, so the results are sometimes unreliable, especially for low wavenumbers. Also, the new feasible ways of the synthesis of the titled compound is presented, one of which is particularly easy and highly efficient.

A Bayesian approach to modelling the impact of hydrodynamic shear stress on biofilm deformation

PubMed Central

Wilkinson, Darren J.; Jayathilake, Pahala Gedara; Rushton, Steve P.; Bridgens, Ben; Li, Bowen; Zuliani, Paolo

2018-01-01

We investigate the feasibility of using a surrogate-based method to emulate the deformation and detachment behaviour of a biofilm in response to hydrodynamic shear stress. The influence of shear force, growth rate and viscoelastic parameters on the patterns of growth, structure and resulting shape of microbial biofilms was examined. We develop a statistical modelling approach to this problem, using combination of Bayesian Poisson regression and dynamic linear models for the emulation. We observe that the hydrodynamic shear force affects biofilm deformation in line with some literature. Sensitivity results also showed that the expected number of shear events, shear flow, yield coefficient for heterotrophic bacteria and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) stiffness per unit EPS mass are the four principal mechanisms governing the bacteria detachment in this study. The sensitivity of the model parameters is temporally dynamic, emphasising the significance of conducting the sensitivity analysis across multiple time points. The surrogate models are shown to perform well, and produced ≈ 480 fold increase in computational efficiency. We conclude that a surrogate-based approach is effective, and resulting biofilm structure is determined primarily by a balance between bacteria growth, viscoelastic parameters and applied shear stress. PMID:29649240

Probing microstructural information of anisotropic scattering media using rotation-independent polarization parameters.

PubMed

Sun, Minghao; He, Honghui; Zeng, Nan; Du, E; Guo, Yihong; Peng, Cheng; He, Yonghong; Ma, Hui

2014-05-10

Polarization parameters contain rich information on the micro- and macro-structure of scattering media. However, many of these parameters are sensitive to the spatial orientation of anisotropic media, and may not effectively reveal the microstructural information. In this paper, we take polarization images of different textile samples at different azimuth angles. The results demonstrate that the rotation insensitive polarization parameters from rotating linear polarization imaging and Mueller matrix transformation methods can be used to distinguish the characteristic features of different textile samples. Further examinations using both experiments and Monte Carlo simulations reveal that the residue rotation dependence in these polarization parameters is due to the oblique incidence illumination. This study shows that such rotation independent parameters are potentially capable of quantitatively classifying anisotropic samples, such as textiles or biological tissues.

Application of Powder Diffraction Methods to the Analysis of the Atomic Structure of Nanocrystals: The Concept of the Apparent Lattice Parameter (ALP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palosz, B.; Grzanka, E.; Gierlotka, S.; Stelmakh, S.; Pielaszek, R.; Bismayer, U.; Weber, H.-P.; Palosz, W.; Curreri, Peter A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The applicability of standard methods of elaboration of powder diffraction data for determination of the structure of nano-size crystallites is analysed. Based on our theoretical calculations of powder diffraction data we show, that the assumption of the infinite crystal lattice for nanocrystals smaller than 20 nm in size is not justified. Application of conventional tools developed for elaboration of powder diffraction data, like the Rietveld method, may lead to erroneous interpretation of the experimental results. An alternate evaluation of diffraction data of nanoparticles, based on the so-called 'apparent lattice parameter' (alp) is introduced. We assume a model of nanocrystal having a grain core with well-defined crystal structure, surrounded by a surface shell with the atomic structure similar to that of the core but being under a strain (compressive or tensile). The two structural components, the core and the shell, form essentially a composite crystal with interfering, inseparable diffraction properties. Because the structure of such a nanocrystal is not uniform, it defies the basic definitions of an unambiguous crystallographic phase. Consequently, a set of lattice parameters used for characterization of simple crystal phases is insufficient for a proper description of the complex structure of nanocrystals. We developed a method of evaluation of powder diffraction data of nanocrystals, which refers to a core-shell model and is based on the 'apparent lattice parameter' methodology. For a given diffraction pattem, the alp values are calculated for every individual Bragg reflection. For nanocrystals the alp values depend on the diffraction vector Q. By modeling different a0tomic structures of nanocrystals and calculating theoretically corresponding diffraction patterns using the Debye functions we showed, that alp-Q plots show characteristic shapes which can be used for evaluation of the atomic structure of the core-shell system. We show, that using a simple model of a nanocrystal with spherical shape and centro-symmetric strain at the surface shell we obtain theoretical alp-Q values which match very well the alp-Q plots determined experimentally for Sic, GaN, and diamond nanopowders. The theoretical models are defined by the lattice parameter of the grain core, thickness of the surface shell, and the magnitude and distribution of the strain field in the surface shell. According to our calculations, the part of the diffraction pattern measured at relatively low diffraction vectors Q (below 10/angstrom) provides information on the surface strain, whle determination of the lattice parameters in the grain core requires measurements at large Q-values (above 15 - 20/angstrom).

A spatial analysis of hierarchical waste transport structures under growing demand.

PubMed

Tanguy, Audrey; Glaus, Mathias; Laforest, Valérie; Villot, Jonathan; Hausler, Robert

2016-10-01

The design of waste management systems rarely accounts for the spatio-temporal evolution of the demand. However, recent studies suggest that this evolution affects the planning of waste management activities like the choice and location of treatment facilities. As a result, the transport structure could also be affected by these changes. The objective of this paper is to study the influence of the spatio-temporal evolution of the demand on the strategic planning of a waste transport structure. More particularly this study aims at evaluating the effect of varying spatial parameters on the economic performance of hierarchical structures (with one transfer station). To this end, three consecutive generations of three different spatial distributions were tested for hierarchical and non-hierarchical transport structures based on costs minimization. Results showed that a hierarchical structure is economically viable for large and clustered spatial distributions. The distance parameter was decisive but the loading ratio of trucks and the formation of clusters of sources also impacted the attractiveness of the transfer station. Thus the territories' morphology should influence strategies as regards to the installation of transfer stations. The use of spatial-explicit tools such as the transport model presented in this work that take into account the territory's evolution are needed to help waste managers in the strategic planning of waste transport structures. © The Author(s) 2016.

Identification of walking human model using agent-based modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahabpoor, Erfan; Pavic, Aleksandar; Racic, Vitomir

2018-03-01

The interaction of walking people with large vibrating structures, such as footbridges and floors, in the vertical direction is an important yet challenging phenomenon to describe mathematically. Several different models have been proposed in the literature to simulate interaction of stationary people with vibrating structures. However, the research on moving (walking) human models, explicitly identified for vibration serviceability assessment of civil structures, is still sparse. In this study, the results of a comprehensive set of FRF-based modal tests were used, in which, over a hundred test subjects walked in different group sizes and walking patterns on a test structure. An agent-based model was used to simulate discrete traffic-structure interactions. The occupied structure modal parameters found in tests were used to identify the parameters of the walking individual's single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) mass-spring-damper model using 'reverse engineering' methodology. The analysis of the results suggested that the normal distribution with the average of μ = 2.85Hz and standard deviation of σ = 0.34Hz can describe human SDOF model natural frequency. Similarly, the normal distribution with μ = 0.295 and σ = 0.047 can describe the human model damping ratio. Compared to the previous studies, the agent-based modelling methodology proposed in this paper offers significant flexibility in simulating multi-pedestrian walking traffics, external forces and simulating different mechanisms of human-structure and human-environment interaction at the same time.

Economic evaluation in chronic pain: a systematic review and de novo flexible economic model.

PubMed

Sullivan, W; Hirst, M; Beard, S; Gladwell, D; Fagnani, F; López Bastida, J; Phillips, C; Dunlop, W C N

2016-07-01

There is unmet need in patients suffering from chronic pain, yet innovation may be impeded by the difficulty of justifying economic value in a field beset by data limitations and methodological variability. A systematic review was conducted to identify and summarise the key areas of variability and limitations in modelling approaches in the economic evaluation of treatments for chronic pain. The results of the literature review were then used to support the development of a fully flexible open-source economic model structure, designed to test structural and data assumptions and act as a reference for future modelling practice. The key model design themes identified from the systematic review included: time horizon; titration and stabilisation; number of treatment lines; choice/ordering of treatment; and the impact of parameter uncertainty (given reliance on expert opinion). Exploratory analyses using the model to compare a hypothetical novel therapy versus morphine as first-line treatments showed cost-effectiveness results to be sensitive to structural and data assumptions. Assumptions about the treatment pathway and choice of time horizon were key model drivers. Our results suggest structural model design and data assumptions may have driven previous cost-effectiveness results and ultimately decisions based on economic value. We therefore conclude that it is vital that future economic models in chronic pain are designed to be fully transparent and hope our open-source code is useful in order to aspire to a common approach to modelling pain that includes robust sensitivity analyses to test structural and parameter uncertainty.

Energy behavior on side structure in event of ship collision subjected to external parameters.

PubMed

Prabowo, Aditya Rio; Bae, Dong Myung; Sohn, Jung Min; Cao, Bo

2016-11-01

The safety of ships in regards to collisions and groundings, as well as the navigational and structural aspects of ships, has been improved and developed up to this day by technical, administrative and nautical parties. The damage resulting from collisions could be reduced through several techniques such as designing appropriate hull structures, ensuring tightness of cargo tanks as well as observation and review on structural behaviors, whilst accounting for all involved parameters. The position during a collision can be influenced by the collisions' location and angle as these parts are included in the external dynamics of ship collisions. In this paper, the results of several collision analyses using the finite element method were used and reviewed regarding the effect of location and angle on energy characteristic. Firstly, the capabilities of the structure and its ability to resist destruction in a collision process were presented and comparisons were made to other collision cases. Three types of collisions were identified based on the relative location of contact points to each other. From the results, it was found that the estimation of internal energy by the damaged ships differed in range from 12%-24%. In the second stage, the results showed that a collision between 30 to 60 degrees produced higher level energy than a collision in the perpendicular position. Furthermore, it was concluded that striking and struck objects in collision contributed to energy and damage shape.

Evaluating the Spatio-Temporal Factors that Structure Network Parameters of Plant-Herbivore Interactions

PubMed Central

López-Carretero, Antonio; Díaz-Castelazo, Cecilia; Boege, Karina; Rico-Gray, Víctor

2014-01-01

Despite the dynamic nature of ecological interactions, most studies on species networks offer static representations of their structure, constraining our understanding of the ecological mechanisms involved in their spatio-temporal stability. This is the first study to evaluate plant-herbivore interaction networks on a small spatio-temporal scale. Specifically, we simultaneously assessed the effect of host plant availability, habitat complexity and seasonality on the structure of plant-herbivore networks in a coastal tropical ecosystem. Our results revealed that changes in the host plant community resulting from seasonality and habitat structure are reflected not only in the herbivore community, but also in the emergent properties (network parameters) of the plant-herbivore interaction network such as connectance, selectiveness and modularity. Habitat conditions and periods that are most stressful favored the presence of less selective and susceptible herbivore species, resulting in increased connectance within networks. In contrast, the high degree of selectivennes (i.e. interaction specialization) and modularity of the networks under less stressful conditions was promoted by the diversification in resource use by herbivores. By analyzing networks at a small spatio-temporal scale we identified the ecological factors structuring this network such as habitat complexity and seasonality. Our research offers new evidence on the role of abiotic and biotic factors in the variation of the properties of species interaction networks. PMID:25340790

Diffusion-advection within dynamic biological gaps driven by structural motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asaro, Robert J.; Zhu, Qiang; Lin, Kuanpo

2018-04-01

To study the significance of advection in the transport of solutes, or particles, within thin biological gaps (channels), we examine theoretically the process driven by stochastic fluid flow caused by random thermal structural motion, and we compare it with transport via diffusion. The model geometry chosen resembles the synaptic cleft; this choice is motivated by the cleft's readily modeled structure, which allows for well-defined mechanical and physical features that control the advection process. Our analysis defines a Péclet-like number, AD, that quantifies the ratio of time scales of advection versus diffusion. Another parameter, AM, is also defined by the analysis that quantifies the full potential extent of advection in the absence of diffusion. These parameters provide a clear and compact description of the interplay among the well-defined structural, geometric, and physical properties vis-a ̀-vis the advection versus diffusion process. For example, it is found that AD˜1 /R2 , where R is the cleft diameter and hence diffusion distance. This curious, and perhaps unexpected, result follows from the dependence of structural motion that drives fluid flow on R . AM, on the other hand, is directly related (essentially proportional to) the energetic input into structural motion, and thereby to fluid flow, as well as to the mechanical stiffness of the cleftlike structure. Our model analysis thus provides unambiguous insight into the prospect of competition of advection versus diffusion within biological gaplike structures. The importance of the random, versus a regular, nature of structural motion and of the resulting transient nature of advection under random motion is made clear in our analysis. Further, by quantifying the effects of geometric and physical properties on the competition between advection and diffusion, our results clearly demonstrate the important role that metabolic energy (ATP) plays in this competitive process.

Electronic structure of ruthenium-doped iron chalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winiarski, M. J.; Samsel-Czekała, M.; Ciechan, A.

2014-12-01

The structural and electronic properties of hypothetical RuxFe1-xSe and RuxFe1-xTe systems have been investigated from first principles within the density functional theory (DFT). Reasonable values of lattice parameters and chalcogen atomic positions in the tetragonal unit cell of iron chalcogenides have been obtained with the use of norm-conserving pseudopotentials. The well known discrepancies between experimental data and DFT-calculated results for structural parameters of iron chalcogenides are related to the semicore atomic states which were frozen in the used here approach. Such an approach yields valid results of the electronic structures of the investigated compounds. The Ru-based chalcogenides exhibit the same topology of the Fermi surface (FS) as that of FeSe, differing only in subtle FS nesting features. Our calculations predict that the ground states of RuSe and RuTe are nonmagnetic, whereas those of the solid solutions RuxFe1-xSe and RuxFe1-xTe become the single- and double-stripe antiferromagnetic, respectively. However, the calculated stabilization energy values are comparable for each system. The phase transitions between these magnetic arrangements may be induced by slight changes of the chalcogen atom positions and the lattice parameters a in the unit cell of iron selenides and tellurides. Since the superconductivity in iron chalcogenides is believed to be mediated by the spin fluctuations in single-stripe magnetic phase, the RuxFe1-xSe and RuxFe1-xTe systems are good candidates for new superconducting iron-based materials.

Assessment of compressive failure process of cortical bone materials using damage-based model.

PubMed

Ng, Theng Pin; R Koloor, S S; Djuansjah, J R P; Abdul Kadir, M R

2017-02-01

The main failure factors of cortical bone are aging or osteoporosis, accident and high energy trauma or physiological activities. However, the mechanism of damage evolution coupled with yield criterion is considered as one of the unclear subjects in failure analysis of cortical bone materials. Therefore, this study attempts to assess the structural response and progressive failure process of cortical bone using a brittle damaged plasticity model. For this reason, several compressive tests are performed on cortical bone specimens made of bovine femur, in order to obtain the structural response and mechanical properties of the material. Complementary finite element (FE) model of the sample and test is prepared to simulate the elastic-to-damage behavior of the cortical bone using the brittle damaged plasticity model. The FE model is validated in a comparative method using the predicted and measured structural response as load-compressive displacement through simulation and experiment. FE results indicated that the compressive damage initiated and propagated at central region where maximum equivalent plastic strain is computed, which coincided with the degradation of structural compressive stiffness followed by a vast amount of strain energy dissipation. The parameter of compressive damage rate, which is a function dependent on damage parameter and the plastic strain is examined for different rates. Results show that considering a similar rate to the initial slope of the damage parameter in the experiment would give a better sense for prediction of compressive failure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modal characterization of the ASCIE segmented optics testbed: New algorithms and experimental results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrier, Alain C.; Aubrun, Jean-Noel

1993-01-01

New frequency response measurement procedures, on-line modal tuning techniques, and off-line modal identification algorithms are developed and applied to the modal identification of the Advanced Structures/Controls Integrated Experiment (ASCIE), a generic segmented optics telescope test-bed representative of future complex space structures. The frequency response measurement procedure uses all the actuators simultaneously to excite the structure and all the sensors to measure the structural response so that all the transfer functions are measured simultaneously. Structural responses to sinusoidal excitations are measured and analyzed to calculate spectral responses. The spectral responses in turn are analyzed as the spectral data become available and, which is new, the results are used to maintain high quality measurements. Data acquisition, processing, and checking procedures are fully automated. As the acquisition of the frequency response progresses, an on-line algorithm keeps track of the actuator force distribution that maximizes the structural response to automatically tune to a structural mode when approaching a resonant frequency. This tuning is insensitive to delays, ill-conditioning, and nonproportional damping. Experimental results show that is useful for modal surveys even in high modal density regions. For thorough modeling, a constructive procedure is proposed to identify the dynamics of a complex system from its frequency response with the minimization of a least-squares cost function as a desirable objective. This procedure relies on off-line modal separation algorithms to extract modal information and on least-squares parameter subset optimization to combine the modal results and globally fit the modal parameters to the measured data. The modal separation algorithms resolved modal density of 5 modes/Hz in the ASCIE experiment. They promise to be useful in many challenging applications.

Light-extraction enhancement for light-emitting diodes: a firefly-inspired structure refined by the genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bay, Annick; Mayer, Alexandre

2014-09-01

The efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LED) has increased significantly over the past few years, but the overall efficiency is still limited by total internal reflections due to the high dielectric-constant contrast between the incident and emergent media. The bioluminescent organ of fireflies gave incentive for light-extraction enhance-ment studies. A specific factory-roof shaped structure was shown, by means of light-propagation simulations and measurements, to enhance light extraction significantly. In order to achieve a similar effect for light-emitting diodes, the structure needs to be adapted to the specific set-up of LEDs. In this context simulations were carried out to determine the best geometrical parameters. In the present work, the search for a geometry that maximizes the extraction of light has been conducted by using a genetic algorithm. The idealized structure considered previously was generalized to a broader variety of shapes. The genetic algorithm makes it possible to search simultaneously over a wider range of parameters. It is also significantly less time-consuming than the previous approach that was based on a systematic scan on parameters. The results of the genetic algorithm show that (1) the calculations can be performed in a smaller amount of time and (2) the light extraction can be enhanced even more significantly by using optimal parameters determined by the genetic algorithm for the generalized structure. The combination of the genetic algorithm with the Rigorous Coupled Waves Analysis method constitutes a strong simulation tool, which provides us with adapted designs for enhancing light extraction from light-emitting diodes.

Computational study of the melting-freezing transition in the quantum hard-sphere system for intermediate densities. II. Structural features.

PubMed

Sesé, Luis M; Bailey, Lorna E

2007-04-28

The structural features of the quantum hard-sphere system in the region of the fluid-face-centered-cubic-solid transition, for reduced number densities 0.45

Preoperative Mapping of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Using Spatial Frequency Domain and Ultrasound Imaging

PubMed Central

Rohrbach, Daniel J.; Muffoletto, Daniel; Huihui, Jonathan; Saager, Rolf; Keymel, Kenneth; Paquette, Anne; Morgan, Janet; Zeitouni, Nathalie; Sunar, Ulas

2014-01-01

Rationale and Objectives The treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is usually by surgical excision or Mohs micrographic surgery and alternatively may include photodynamic therapy (PDT). To guide surgery and to optimize PDT, information about the tumor structure, optical parameters, and vasculature is desired. Materials and Methods Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) can map optical absorption, scattering, and fluorescence parameters that can enhance tumor contrast and quantify light and photosensitizer dose. High frequency ultrasound (HFUS) imaging can provide high-resolution tumor structure and depth, which is useful for both surgery and PDT planning. Results Here, we present preliminary results from our recently developed clinical instrument for patients with NMSC. We quantified optical absorption and scattering, blood oxygen saturation (StO2), and total hemoglobin concentration (THC) with SFDI and lesion thickness with ultrasound. These results were compared to histological thickness of excised tumor sections. Conclusions SFDI quantified optical parameters with high precision, and multiwavelength analysis enabled 2D mappings of tissue StO2 and THC. HFUS quantified tumor thickness that correlated well with histology. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the instrument for noninvasive mapping of optical, physiological, and ultrasound contrasts in human skin tumors for surgery guidance and therapy planning. PMID:24439339

Effects of urea induced protein conformational changes on ion exchange chromatographic behavior.

PubMed

Hou, Ying; Hansen, Thomas B; Staby, Arne; Cramer, Steven M

2010-11-19

Urea is widely employed to facilitate protein separations in ion exchange chromatography at various scales. In this work, five model proteins were used to examine the chromatographic effects of protein conformational changes induced by urea in ion exchange chromatography. Linear gradient experiments were carried out at various urea concentrations and the protein secondary and tertiary structures were evaluated by far UV CD and fluorescence measurements, respectively. The results indicated that chromatographic retention times were well correlated with structural changes and that they were more sensitive to tertiary structural change. Steric Mass Action (SMA) isotherm parameters were also examined and the results indicated that urea induced protein conformational changes could affect both the characteristic charge and equilibrium constants in these systems. Dynamic light scattering analysis of changes in protein size due to urea-induced unfolding indicated that the size of the protein was not correlated with SMA parameter changes. These results indicate that while urea-induced structural changes can have a marked effect on protein chromatographic behavior in IEX, this behavior can be quite complicated and protein specific. These differences in protein behavior may provide insight into how these partially unfolded proteins are interacting with the resin material. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How the ownership structures cause epidemics in financial markets: A network-based simulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dastkhan, Hossein; Gharneh, Naser Shams

2018-02-01

Analysis of systemic risks and contagions is one of the main challenges of policy makers and researchers in the recent years. Network theory is introduced as a main approach in the modeling and simulation of financial and economic systems. In this paper, a simulation model is introduced based on the ownership network to analyze the contagion and systemic risk events. For this purpose, different network structures with different values for parameters are considered to investigate the stability of the financial system in the presence of different kinds of idiosyncratic and aggregate shocks. The considered network structures include Erdos-Renyi, core-periphery, segregated and power-law networks. Moreover, the results of the proposed model are also calculated for a real ownership network. The results show that the network structure has a significant effect on the probability and the extent of contagion in the financial systems. For each network structure, various values for the parameters results in remarkable differences in the systemic risk measures. The results of real case show that the proposed model is appropriate in the analysis of systemic risk and contagion in financial markets, identification of systemically important firms and estimation of market loss when the initial failures occur. This paper suggests a new direction in the modeling of contagion in the financial markets, in particular that the effects of new kinds of financial exposure are clarified. This paper's idea and analytical results may also be useful for the financial policy makers, portfolio managers and the firms to conduct their investment in the right direction.

Supercritical flow characteristics at abrupt expansion structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Jia Jun; Puay, How Tion; Zakaria, Nor Azazi

2017-10-01

When dealing with the design of a hydraulic structure, lateral expansion is often necessary for flow emerging at high velocity served as a cross-sectional transition. If the abrupt expansion structure is made to diverge rapidly, it will cause the major part of the flow fail to follow the boundaries. If the transition is too gradual, it will result in a waste of structural material. A preliminary study on the flow structure near the expansion and its relationship with flow parameter is carried out in this study. A two-dimensional depth-averaged model is developed to simulate the supercritical flow at the abrupt expansion structure. Constrained Interpolation Profile (CIP) scheme (which is of third order accuracy) is adopted in the numerical model. Results show that the flow structure and flow characteristics at the abrupt expansion can be reproduced numerically. The validation of numerical result is done against analytical studies. The result from numerical simulation showed good agreement with the analytical solution.

Chemical trend of acceptor levels of Be, Mg, Zn, and Cd in GaAs, GaP, InP and GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hao; Chen, An-Ban

2000-03-01

We are investigating the “shallow” acceptor levels in the III-nitride semiconductors theoretically. The k·p Hamiltonians and a model central-cell impurity potential have been used to evaluate the ordering of the ionization energies of impurities Be, Mg, Zn, and Cd in GaN. The impurity potential parameters were obtained from studying the same set of impurities in GaAs. These parameters were then transferred to the calculation for other hosts, leaving only one adjustable screening parameter for each host. This procedure was tested in GaP and InP and remarkably good results were obtained. When applied to GaN, this procedure produced a consistent set of acceptor levels with different k·p Hamiltonians. The calculated ionization energies for Be, Mg, Zn and Cd acceptors in GaN are respectively145, 156, 192, and 312 meV for the zincblende structure, and 229, 250, 320, and 510 meV for the wurtzite structure. These and other results will be discussed.

Fermi-Surface Topological Phase Transition and Horizontal Order-Parameter Nodes in CaFe2As2 Under Pressure

PubMed Central

Gonnelli, R. S.; Daghero, D.; Tortello, M.; Ummarino, G. A.; Bukowski, Z.; Karpinski, J.; Reuvekamp, P. G.; Kremer, R. K.; Profeta, G.; Suzuki, K.; Kuroki, K.

2016-01-01

Iron-based compounds (IBS) display a surprising variety of superconducting properties that seems to arise from the strong sensitivity of these systems to tiny details of the lattice structure. In this respect, systems that become superconducting under pressure, like CaFe2As2, are of particular interest. Here we report on the first directional point-contact Andreev-reflection spectroscopy (PCARS) measurements on CaFe2As2 crystals under quasi-hydrostatic pressure, and on the interpretation of the results using a 3D model for Andreev reflection combined with ab-initio calculations of the Fermi surface (within the density functional theory) and of the order parameter symmetry (within a random-phase-approximation approach in a ten-orbital model). The almost perfect agreement between PCARS results at different pressures and theoretical predictions highlights the intimate connection between the changes in the lattice structure, a topological transition in the holelike Fermi surface sheet, and the emergence on the same sheet of an order parameter with a horizontal node line. PMID:27216477

Application of controller partitioning optimization procedure to integrated flight/propulsion control design for a STOVL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garg, Sanjay; Schmidt, Phillip H.

1993-01-01

A parameter optimization framework has earlier been developed to solve the problem of partitioning a centralized controller into a decentralized, hierarchical structure suitable for integrated flight/propulsion control implementation. This paper presents results from the application of the controller partitioning optimization procedure to IFPC design for a Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft in transition flight. The controller partitioning problem and the parameter optimization algorithm are briefly described. Insight is provided into choosing various 'user' selected parameters in the optimization cost function such that the resulting optimized subcontrollers will meet the characteristics of the centralized controller that are crucial to achieving the desired closed-loop performance and robustness, while maintaining the desired subcontroller structure constraints that are crucial for IFPC implementation. The optimization procedure is shown to improve upon the initial partitioned subcontrollers and lead to performance comparable to that achieved with the centralized controller. This application also provides insight into the issues that should be addressed at the centralized control design level in order to obtain implementable partitioned subcontrollers.

Fermi-Surface Topological Phase Transition and Horizontal Order-Parameter Nodes in CaFe2As2 Under Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonnelli, R. S.; Daghero, D.; Tortello, M.; Ummarino, G. A.; Bukowski, Z.; Karpinski, J.; Reuvekamp, P. G.; Kremer, R. K.; Profeta, G.; Suzuki, K.; Kuroki, K.

2016-05-01

Iron-based compounds (IBS) display a surprising variety of superconducting properties that seems to arise from the strong sensitivity of these systems to tiny details of the lattice structure. In this respect, systems that become superconducting under pressure, like CaFe2As2, are of particular interest. Here we report on the first directional point-contact Andreev-reflection spectroscopy (PCARS) measurements on CaFe2As2 crystals under quasi-hydrostatic pressure, and on the interpretation of the results using a 3D model for Andreev reflection combined with ab-initio calculations of the Fermi surface (within the density functional theory) and of the order parameter symmetry (within a random-phase-approximation approach in a ten-orbital model). The almost perfect agreement between PCARS results at different pressures and theoretical predictions highlights the intimate connection between the changes in the lattice structure, a topological transition in the holelike Fermi surface sheet, and the emergence on the same sheet of an order parameter with a horizontal node line.

Experimental aspect of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies of biomaterials such as bones.

PubMed

Singh, Chandan; Rai, Ratan Kumar; Sinha, Neeraj

2013-01-01

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy is increasingly becoming a popular technique to probe micro-structural details of biomaterial such as bone with pico-meter resolution. Due to high-resolution structural details probed by SSNMR methods, handling of bone samples and experimental protocol are very crucial aspects of study. We present here first report of the effect of various experimental protocols and handling methods of bone samples on measured SSNMR parameters. Various popular SSNMR experiments were performed on intact cortical bone sample collected from fresh animal, immediately after removal from animal systems, and results were compared with bone samples preserved in different conditions. We find that the best experimental conditions for SSNMR parameters of bones correspond to preservation at -20 °C and in 70% ethanol solution. Various other SSNMR parameters were compared corresponding to different experimental conditions. Our study has helped in finding best experimental protocol for SSNMR studies of bone. This study will be of further help in the application of SSNMR studies on large bone disease related animal model systems for statistically significant results. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimation of Unsteady Aerodynamic Models from Dynamic Wind Tunnel Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Patrick; Klein, Vladislav

2011-01-01

Demanding aerodynamic modelling requirements for military and civilian aircraft have motivated researchers to improve computational and experimental techniques and to pursue closer collaboration in these areas. Model identification and validation techniques are key components for this research. This paper presents mathematical model structures and identification techniques that have been used successfully to model more general aerodynamic behaviours in single-degree-of-freedom dynamic testing. Model parameters, characterizing aerodynamic properties, are estimated using linear and nonlinear regression methods in both time and frequency domains. Steps in identification including model structure determination, parameter estimation, and model validation, are addressed in this paper with examples using data from one-degree-of-freedom dynamic wind tunnel and water tunnel experiments. These techniques offer a methodology for expanding the utility of computational methods in application to flight dynamics, stability, and control problems. Since flight test is not always an option for early model validation, time history comparisons are commonly made between computational and experimental results and model adequacy is inferred by corroborating results. An extension is offered to this conventional approach where more general model parameter estimates and their standard errors are compared.

Nonlinear Analysis and Scaling Laws for Noncircular Composite Structures Subjected to Combined Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilburger, Mark W.; Rose, Cheryl A.; Starnes, James H., Jr.

2001-01-01

Results from an analytical study of the response of a built-up, multi-cell noncircular composite structure subjected to combined internal pressure and mechanical loads are presented. Nondimensional parameters and scaling laws based on a first-order shear-deformation plate theory are derived for this noncircular composite structure. The scaling laws are used to design sub-scale structural models for predicting the structural response of a full-scale structure representative of a portion of a blended-wing-body transport aircraft. Because of the complexity of the full-scale structure, some of the similitude conditions are relaxed for the sub-scale structural models. Results from a systematic parametric study are used to determine the effects of relaxing selected similitude conditions on the sensitivity of the effectiveness of using the sub-scale structural model response characteristics for predicting the full-scale structure response characteristics.

Polarized neutron scattering study of the multiple order parameter system NdB 4 [Polarized neutron scattering study on multiple order parameter system NdB 4

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

Metoki, Naoto; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Matsuda, Masaaki

Neutron polarization analysis has been carried out in order to clarify the magnetic structures of multiple order parameter f-electron system NdB 4. We confirmed the noncollinear “all-in all-out” structure (Γ 4) of the in-plane moment, which is in good agreement with our previous neutron powder diffraction study. We found that the magnetic moment along the c-axis m c showed diagonally antiferromagnetic structure (Γ 10), inconsistent with previously reported “vortex” structure (Γ 2). The microscopic mixture of these two structures with →q 0=(0,0,0) appears in phase II and remains stable in phases III and IV, where an incommensurate modulation coexists. Themore » unusual magnetic ordering is phenomenologically understood via Landau theory with the primary order parameter Γ 4 coupled with higher-order secondary order parameter Γ 10. The magnetic moments were estimated to be 1.8 ± 0.2 and 0.2 ± 0.05μ B at T = 7.5K for Γ 4 and Γ 10, respectively. We also found a long-period incommensurate modulation of the →q 1=(0,0,1/2) antiferromagnetic structure of mc with the propagation →q s1=(0.14,0.14,0.1) and →q s2=(0.2,0,0.1) in phase III and IV, respectively. The amplitude of sinusoidal modulation was about m c=1.0 ± 0.2μ B at T=1.5 K. The local (0,0,1/2) structure consists of in-plane ferromagnetic and out-of-plane antiferromagnetic coupling of m c, opposite to the coexisting Γ 10. The mc of Γ 10 is significantly enhanced up to 0.6μ B at T=1.5 K, which is accompanied by the incommensurate modulations. As a result, the Landau phenomenological approach indicates that the higher-order magnetic and/or multipole interactions based on the pseudoquartet f-electron state play important roles.« less

Polarized neutron scattering study of the multiple order parameter system NdB 4 [Polarized neutron scattering study on multiple order parameter system NdB 4

DOE PAGES

Metoki, Naoto; Yamauchi, Hiroki; Matsuda, Masaaki; ...

2018-05-17

Neutron polarization analysis has been carried out in order to clarify the magnetic structures of multiple order parameter f-electron system NdB 4. We confirmed the noncollinear “all-in all-out” structure (Γ 4) of the in-plane moment, which is in good agreement with our previous neutron powder diffraction study. We found that the magnetic moment along the c-axis m c showed diagonally antiferromagnetic structure (Γ 10), inconsistent with previously reported “vortex” structure (Γ 2). The microscopic mixture of these two structures with →q 0=(0,0,0) appears in phase II and remains stable in phases III and IV, where an incommensurate modulation coexists. Themore » unusual magnetic ordering is phenomenologically understood via Landau theory with the primary order parameter Γ 4 coupled with higher-order secondary order parameter Γ 10. The magnetic moments were estimated to be 1.8 ± 0.2 and 0.2 ± 0.05μ B at T = 7.5K for Γ 4 and Γ 10, respectively. We also found a long-period incommensurate modulation of the →q 1=(0,0,1/2) antiferromagnetic structure of mc with the propagation →q s1=(0.14,0.14,0.1) and →q s2=(0.2,0,0.1) in phase III and IV, respectively. The amplitude of sinusoidal modulation was about m c=1.0 ± 0.2μ B at T=1.5 K. The local (0,0,1/2) structure consists of in-plane ferromagnetic and out-of-plane antiferromagnetic coupling of m c, opposite to the coexisting Γ 10. The mc of Γ 10 is significantly enhanced up to 0.6μ B at T=1.5 K, which is accompanied by the incommensurate modulations. As a result, the Landau phenomenological approach indicates that the higher-order magnetic and/or multipole interactions based on the pseudoquartet f-electron state play important roles.« less

Wavelet analysis of myocardium polarization images in problems of diagnostic of necrotic changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ushenko, Yu. O.; Vanchuliak, O.; Bodnar, G. B.; Ushenko, V. O.; Pavlyukovich, N.; Pavlyukovich, O. V.; Antonyuk, O.

2017-08-01

The paper presents the results of polarization manifestations of small - and Large-scale phase anisotropy of dead in consequence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and acute coronary insufficiency (ACI) people myocardial tissue structures to differentiate information, the wavelet analysis method is used. The resulting maps of the of the polarizationcorrelation parameters distributions (the phase of the two-point first and second parameters of the Stokes vector) are analyzed in the framework of statistical approach. On this basis, the criteria for differential diagnosis of IHD and ACI cases have been determined.

Conceptural Study of Gyroscopic Damping Systems for Structural Indentification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furuya, H.; Senba, A.

2002-01-01

System identification of the adaptive gyroscopic damper system (AGDS) is treated in this paper. The adaptive gyroscopic damper system was proposed as the extension of the conventional gyroscopic damper under the concept of intelligent adaptive structure systems [1]. The conventional gyroscopic damper has passive characteristics similar to a tuned mass damper (TMD). Because the conventional gyroscopic damper has one natural frequency, several applications to the ground structures have been studied to suppress the fundamental vibration mode (e.g. [2]). On the other hand, as the AGDS has a property of adjusting the natural frequency of the gimbal to that of the structural system by controlling the moment of inertia around its gimbal axis, the performance for suppressing the vibration of one-DOF system was improved. In addition, by extending this property, suppression of multiple modes vibration by quasi-static control for the AGDS was demonstrated [3]. To realize the high performance for suppressing the structural vibration, the identification of characteristics of the structural system with AGDS is significant, because the adaptability of the AGDS to the natural frequency of the system reflects to the performance. By using a capability of AGDS as changing its moment of inertia around its gimbals axis by controlling appendage mass, the system identification is also possible. A sensitivity analysis for the change of the response amplitude and the natural frequency with modal parameters is applied to the method. The errors included in the identification results of modal parameters for cantilevered beam model is examined. The numerical demonstrations were performed to investigate the identification errors of system parameters by the response amplitude and the natural frequency with modal parameters, respectively. The results show that the technique used in the study can identify the structural system and the identification errors occur for near the natural frequency of the system by using the response amplitude, and for the optimum momentum inertia by using the natural frequency. References [1] Hiroshi FURUYA, Masanori TAKAHASHI, and Tatsuo OHMACHI: Concept of Adaptive Gyroscopic Damper and Vibration Suppression of Flexible Structures, 8th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Wakayama, Oct. 29-31, 1997, eds. Y. Murotsu, C.A. Rogers, P. Santini, and H. Okubo, Technomic Publishing, pp.247-254, 1998. [2] Hiroshi FURUYA, Masanori TAKAHASHI, and Tatsuo OHMACHI: Pseudo Feedback Control of Adaptive Gyroscopic Damper for Vibration Suppression, 39th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Material Conference, AIAA 98-1796, Long Beach, CA, April 20-23, pp.830-834, 1998. [3] Hiroshi FURUYA and Atsuo KOBORI: Suppression of Multiple Modes Vibration of Flexible Structures with Adaptive Gyroscopic Damper System, 10th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Paris, Oct. 13-15, 1999, eds. R. Ohayon, and M. Bernadou, Technomic Publishing, pp. 127-134, 1999.

Observations and Measurements of Wing Parameters of the Selected Beetle Species and the Design of a Mechanism Structure Implementing a Complex Wing Movement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geisler, T.

2016-12-01

Beetle wings perform a flapping movement, consisting of the rotation relative to the two axes. This paper presents the results of observations and measurements of wings operating parameters in different planes of some beetle species. High speed photos and videos were used. The concept of the mechanism performing a complex wing movement was proposed and developed.

Results of an integrated structure/control law design sensitivity analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, Michael G.

1989-01-01

A design sensitivity analysis method for Linear Quadratic Cost, Gaussian (LQG) optimal control laws, which predicts change in the optimal control law due to changes in fixed problem parameters using analytical sensitivity equations is discussed. Numerical results of a design sensitivity analysis for a realistic aeroservoelastic aircraft example are presented. In this example, the sensitivity of the optimally controlled aircraft's response to various problem formulation and physical aircraft parameters is determined. These results are used to predict the aircraft's new optimally controlled response if the parameter was to have some other nominal value during the control law design process. The sensitivity results are validated by recomputing the optimal control law for discrete variations in parameters, computing the new actual aircraft response, and comparing with the predicted response. These results show an improvement in sensitivity accuracy for integrated design purposes over methods which do not include changes in the optimal control law. Use of the analytical LQG sensitivity expressions is also shown to be more efficient than finite difference methods for the computation of the equivalent sensitivity information.