Complementary Speckle Patterns: Deterministic Interchange of Intrinsic Vortices and Maxima through Scattering Media.

PubMed

Gateau, Jérôme; Rigneault, Hervé; Guillon, Marc

2017-01-27

Intensity maxima and zeros of speckle patterns obtained behind a diffuser are experimentally interchanged by applying a spiral phase delay of charge ±1 to the impinging coherent beam. This transform arises from the expectation that tightly focused beams, which have a planar wave front around the focus, are so changed into vortex beams and vice versa. The statistics of extrema locations and the intensity distribution of the so-generated "complementary" patterns are characterized by numerical simulations. It is demonstrated experimentally that the incoherent superposition of the three "complementary speckle patterns" yield a synthetic speckle grain size enlarged by a factor of sqrt[3]. A cyclic permutation of optical vortices and intensity maxima is unexpectedly observed and discussed.

A first-principles investigation on the effects of magnetism on the Bain transformation of α-phase FeNi systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Gul; Gee Kim, In; Bhadeshia, H. K. D. H.

2012-03-01

The effects of magnetism on the Bain transformation of α-phase FeNi systems are investigated by using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method based on the generalized gradient approximation. We found that Ni impurity in bcc Fe increases the lattice constant in the ferromagnetic (FM) states, but not in the nonmagnetic (NM) states. The shear modulus, G, and Young's modulus, E, of bcc Fe are also increased by raising the concentration of nickel. All the compositions considered show high shear anisotropy, and the ratio of the bulk to shear modulus is greater than 1.75, implying ductility. The mean sound velocities in the [100] directions are greater than in the [110] directions. The Bain transformation, which is a component of martensitic transformation, has also been studied to reveal that NixFe1-x alloys are elastically unstable in the NM states, but not so in the FM states. The electronic structures explain these results in terms of the density of states at the Fermi level. It is evident that magnetism cannot be neglected when dealing with the Bain transformation in iron and its alloys.

Correlation Among the Variant Group, Effective Grain Size, and Elastic Strain Energy During the Phase Transformation in 9Ni Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terasaki, Hidenori; Moriguchi, Koji; Tomio, Yusaku; Yamagishi, Hideki; Morito, Shigekazu

2017-12-01

The effect of carbon content on the density of variant-pair boundaries was investigated in 9Ni steel using an electron backscatter diffraction patterns method. The changes in the density of variant-pair boundaries were correlated with the nondestructive measured values of shear modulus of the austenite phase at the phase transformation point. Furthermore, the effective grain size was correlated with the shear modulus and the density of variant-pair boundaries. These relations are discussed from the viewpoint of self-accommodation of elastic strain energy and the nucleation event in the bainite and martensitic transformations.

Wavelet versus detrended fluctuation analysis of multifractal structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oświȩcimka, Paweł; Kwapień, Jarosław; Drożdż, Stanisław

2006-07-01

We perform a comparative study of applicability of the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) and the wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) method in proper detecting of monofractal and multifractal character of data. We quantify the performance of both methods by using different sorts of artificial signals generated according to a few well-known exactly soluble mathematical models: monofractal fractional Brownian motion, bifractal Lévy flights, and different sorts of multifractal binomial cascades. Our results show that in the majority of situations in which one does not know a priori the fractal properties of a process, choosing MFDFA should be recommended. In particular, WTMM gives biased outcomes for the fractional Brownian motion with different values of Hurst exponent, indicating spurious multifractality. In some cases WTMM can also give different results if one applies different wavelets. We do not exclude using WTMM in real data analysis, but it occurs that while one may apply MFDFA in a more automatic fashion, WTMM must be applied with care. In the second part of our work, we perform an analogous analysis on empirical data coming from the American and from the German stock market. For this data both methods detect rich multifractality in terms of broad f(α) , but MFDFA suggests that this multifractality is poorer than in the case of WTMM.

Precise Determination of the Absorption Maximum in Wide Bands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eriksson, Karl-Hugo; And Others

1977-01-01

A precise method of determining absorption maxima where Gaussian functions occur is described. The method is based on a logarithmic transformation of the Gaussian equation and is suited for a mini-computer. (MR)

Modulus D-term inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadota, Kenji; Kobayashi, Tatsuo; Saga, Ikumi; Sumita, Keigo

2018-04-01

We propose a new model of single-field D-term inflation in supergravity, where the inflation is driven by a single modulus field which transforms non-linearly under the U(1) gauge symmetry. One of the notable features of our modulus D-term inflation scenario is that the global U(1) remains unbroken in the vacuum and hence our model is not plagued by the cosmic string problem which can exclude most of the conventional D-term inflation models proposed so far due to the CMB observations.

Relationship between radial compressive modulus of elasticity and shear modulus of wood

Treesearch

Jen Y. Liu; Robert J. Ross

2005-01-01

Wood properties in transverse compression are difficult to determine because of such factors as anatomical complexity, specimen geometry, and loading conditions. The mechanical properties of wood, considered as an anisotropic or orthotropic material, are related by certain tensor transformation rules when the reference coordinate system changes its orientation. In this...

A fractional model with parallel fractional Maxwell elements for amorphous thermoplastics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Dong; Liang, Yingjie; Xiao, Rui

2018-01-01

We develop a fractional model to describe the thermomechanical behavior of amorphous thermoplastics. The fractional model is composed of two parallel fractional Maxwell elements. The first fractional Maxwell model is used to describe the glass transition, while the second component is aimed at describing the viscous flow. We further derive the analytical solutions for the stress relaxation modulus and complex modulus through Laplace transform. We then demonstrate the model is able to describe the master curves of the stress relaxation modulus, storage modulus and loss modulus, which all show two distinct transition regions. The obtained parameters show that the modulus of the two fractional Maxwell elements differs in 2-3 orders of magnitude, while the relaxation time differs in 7-9 orders of magnitude. Finally, we apply the model to describe the stress response of constant strain rate tests. The model, together with the parameters obtained from fitting the master curve of stress relaxation modulus, can accurately predict the temperature and strain rate dependent stress response.

Multifractals embedded in short time series: An unbiased estimation of probability moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Lu; Yang, Tianguang; Yin, Yanhua; Gu, Changgui; Yang, Huijie

2016-12-01

An exact estimation of probability moments is the base for several essential concepts, such as the multifractals, the Tsallis entropy, and the transfer entropy. By means of approximation theory we propose a new method called factorial-moment-based estimation of probability moments. Theoretical prediction and computational results show that it can provide us an unbiased estimation of the probability moments of continuous order. Calculations on probability redistribution model verify that it can extract exactly multifractal behaviors from several hundred recordings. Its powerfulness in monitoring evolution of scaling behaviors is exemplified by two empirical cases, i.e., the gait time series for fast, normal, and slow trials of a healthy volunteer, and the closing price series for Shanghai stock market. By using short time series with several hundred lengths, a comparison with the well-established tools displays significant advantages of its performance over the other methods. The factorial-moment-based estimation can evaluate correctly the scaling behaviors in a scale range about three generations wider than the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis and the basic estimation. The estimation of partition function given by the wavelet transform modulus maxima has unacceptable fluctuations. Besides the scaling invariance focused in the present paper, the proposed factorial moment of continuous order can find its various uses, such as finding nonextensive behaviors of a complex system and reconstructing the causality relationship network between elements of a complex system.

Geometry for Pie Lovers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, William

1982-01-01

An approach to the instruction of maxima and minima problems that works with tools of geometry and algebra is presented. The focus is on a classic pie-cutting problem, which is viewed as an interesting and instructive task that is an excellent application of transformation geometry. (MP)

One-way transformation of information

DOEpatents

Cooper, James A.

1989-01-01

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

Improved technique for one-way transformation of information

DOEpatents

Cooper, J.A.

1987-05-11

Method and apparatus are provided for one-way transformation of data according to multiplication and/or exponentiation modulo a prime number. An implementation of the invention permits the one way residue transformation, useful in encryption and similar applications, to be implemented by n-bit computers substantially with no increase in difficulty or complexity over a natural transformation thereby, using a modulus which is a power of two. 9 figs.

Ion conduction and relaxation in PEO-LiTFSI-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} polymer nanocomposite electrolytes

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

Das, S.; Ghosh, A., E-mail: sspag@iacs.res.in

2015-05-07

Ion conduction and relaxation in PEO-LiTFSI-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} polymer nanocomposite electrolytes have been studied for different concentrations of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetric studies show that the maximum amorphous phase of PEO is observed for PEO-LiTFSI embedded with 5 wt. % Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The maximum ionic conductivity ∼3.3 × 10{sup −4} S cm{sup −1} has been obtained for this composition. The transmission electron microscopic image shows a distribution of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles in all compositions with size of <50 nm. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity follows Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher nature, indicating a strong coupling between ionic and polymermore » chain segmental motions. The scaling of the ac conductivity implies that relaxation dynamics follows a common mechanism for different temperatures and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} concentrations. The imaginary modulus spectra are asymmetric and skewed toward the high frequency sides of the maxima and analyzed using Havriliak-Negami formalism. The temperature dependence of the relaxation time obtained from modulus spectra also exhibits Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher nature. The values of the stretched exponent obtained from Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts fit to the modulus data are fairly low, suggesting highly non-exponential relaxation for all concentrations of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} in these electrolytes.« less

Transformation between divacancy defects induced by an energy pulse in graphene.

PubMed

Xia, Jun; Liu, XiaoYi; Zhou, Wei; Wang, FengChao; Wu, HengAn

2016-07-08

The mutual transformations among the four typical divacancy defects induced by a high-energy pulse were studied via molecular dynamics simulation. Our study revealed all six possible mutual transformations and found that defects transformed by absorbing energy to overcome the energy barrier with bonding, debonding, and bond rotations. The reversibility of defect transformations was also investigated by potential energy analysis. The energy difference was found to greatly influence the transformation reversibility. The direct transformation path was irreversible if the energy difference was too large. We also studied the correlation between the transformation probability and the input energy. It was found that the transformation probability had a local maxima at an optimal input energy. The introduction of defects and their structural evolutions are important for tailoring the exceptional properties and thereby performances of graphene-based devices, such as nanoporous membranes for the filtration and desalination of water.

[Influence Additional Cognitive Tasks on EEG Beta Rhythm Parameters during Forming and Testing Set to Perception of the Facial Expression].

PubMed

Yakovenko, I A; Cheremushkin, E A; Kozlov, M K

2015-01-01

The research of changes of a beta rhythm parameters on condition of working memory loading by extension of a interstimuli interval between the target and triggering stimuli to 16 sec is investigated on 70 healthy adults in two series of experiments with set to a facial expression. In the second series at the middle of this interval for strengthening of the load was entered the additional cognitive task in the form of conditioning stimuli like Go/NoGo--circles of blue or green color. Data analysis of the research was carried out by means of continuous wavelet-transformation on the basis of "mather" complex Morlet-wavelet in the range of 1-35 Hz. Beta rhythm power was characterized by the mean level, maxima of wavelet-transformation coefficient (WLC) and latent periods of maxima. Introduction of additional cognitive task to pause between the target and triggering stimuli led to essential increase in absolute values of the mean level of beta rhythm WLC and relative sizes of maxima of beta rhythm WLC. In the series of experiments without conditioning stimulus subjects with large number of mistakes (from 6 to 40), i.e. rigid set, in comparison with subjects with small number of mistakes (to 5), i.e. plastic set, at the forming stage were characterized by higher values of the mean level of beta rhythm WLC. Introduction of the conditioning stimuli led to smoothing of intergroup distinctions throughout the experiment.

Effect of different surface treatments on the hydrothermal degradation of a 3Y-TZP ceramic for dental implants.

PubMed

Cattani-Lorente, M; Scherrer, S S; Durual, S; Sanon, C; Douillard, T; Gremillard, L; Chevalier, J; Wiskott, A

2014-10-01

Implant surface modifications are intended to enhance bone integration. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of different surface treatments on the resistance to hydrothermal degradation, hardness and elastic modulus of a 3Y-TZP ceramic used for dental implants. Samples grouped according to their surface morphologies (AS, as-sintered; C, coated; P, dry-polished; R, roughened; PA, polished and annealed; RA, roughened and annealed) were subjected to accelerated hydrothermal degradation (LTD) by exposure to water steam (134°C, 2bars) for 100h. The t-m phase transformation was quantified by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXDR) and by combined focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). Elastic modulus and hardness before- and after prolonged aging (100h) were assessed by nanoindentation. AS and C specimens presented a better resistance to hydrothermal degradation than P and R samples. After prolonged aging, the depth of the monoclinic transformed layer ranged from 11μm to 14μm. Hydrothermal degradation led to a significant decrease of elastic modulus and hardness. Surface treatments affected the resistance to hydrothermal degradation of the 3Y-TZP ceramic. Dry mechanical surface modifications should be avoided since a high t-m transformation rate associated to the initial monoclinic content was observed. Annealing was useful to reverse the initial t-m transformation, but did not improve the resistance to hydrothermal degradation. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of based on improved wavelet algorithm in fiber temperature sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Hui; Tang, Wenjuan

2018-03-01

It is crucial point that accurate temperature in distributed optical fiber temperature sensor. In order to solve the problem of temperature measurement error due to weak Raman scattering signal and strong noise in system, a new based on improved wavelet algorithm is presented. On the basis of the traditional modulus maxima wavelet algorithm, signal correlation is considered to improve the ability to capture signals and noise, meanwhile, combined with wavelet decomposition scale adaptive method to eliminate signal loss or noise not filtered due to mismatch scale. Superiority of algorithm filtering is compared with others by Matlab. At last, the 3km distributed optical fiber temperature sensing system is used for verification. Experimental results show that accuracy of temperature generally increased by 0.5233.

Modulated amplitude waves in collisionally inhomogeneous Bose Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, Mason A.; Kevrekidis, P. G.; Malomed, Boris A.; Frantzeskakis, D. J.

2007-05-01

We investigate the dynamics of an effectively one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with scattering length a subjected to a spatially periodic modulation, a=a(x)=a(x+L). This “collisionally inhomogeneous” BEC is described by a Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation whose nonlinearity coefficient is a periodic function of x. We transform this equation into a GP equation with a constant coefficient and an additional effective potential and study a class of extended wave solutions of the transformed equation. For weak underlying inhomogeneity, the effective potential takes a form resembling a superlattice, and the amplitude dynamics of the solutions of the constant-coefficient GP equation obey a nonlinear generalization of the Ince equation. In the small-amplitude limit, we use averaging to construct analytical solutions for modulated amplitude waves (MAWs), whose stability we subsequently examine using both numerical simulations of the original GP equation and fixed-point computations with the MAWs as numerically exact solutions. We show that “on-site” solutions, whose maxima correspond to maxima of a(x), are more robust and likely to be observed than their “off-site” counterparts.

Element analysis: a wavelet-based method for analysing time-localized events in noisy time series.

PubMed

Lilly, Jonathan M

2017-04-01

A method is derived for the quantitative analysis of signals that are composed of superpositions of isolated, time-localized 'events'. Here, these events are taken to be well represented as rescaled and phase-rotated versions of generalized Morse wavelets, a broad family of continuous analytic functions. Analysing a signal composed of replicates of such a function using another Morse wavelet allows one to directly estimate the properties of events from the values of the wavelet transform at its own maxima. The distribution of events in general power-law noise is determined in order to establish significance based on an expected false detection rate. Finally, an expression for an event's 'region of influence' within the wavelet transform permits the formation of a criterion for rejecting spurious maxima due to numerical artefacts or other unsuitable events. Signals can then be reconstructed based on a small number of isolated points on the time/scale plane. This method, termed element analysis , is applied to the identification of long-lived eddy structures in ocean currents as observed by along-track measurements of sea surface elevation from satellite altimetry.

Logo recognition in video by line profile classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

den Hollander, Richard J. M.; Hanjalic, Alan

2003-12-01

We present an extension to earlier work on recognizing logos in video stills. The logo instances considered here are rigid planar objects observed at a distance in the scene, so the possible perspective transformation can be approximated by an affine transformation. For this reason we can classify the logos by matching (invariant) line profiles. We enhance our previous method by considering multiple line profiles instead of a single profile of the logo. The positions of the lines are based on maxima in the Hough transform space of the segmented logo foreground image. Experiments are performed on MPEG1 sport video sequences to show the performance of the proposed method.

In-situ investigation of stress-induced martensitic transformation in Ti–Nb binary alloys with low Young's modulus [In-situ high-energy X-ray diffraction investigation on stress-induced martensitic transformation in Ti-Nb binary alloys

DOE PAGES

Chang, L. L.; Wang, Y. D.; Ren, Y.

2015-11-04

Microstructure evolution, mechanical behaviors of cold rolled Ti-Nb alloys with different Nb contents subjected to different heat treatments were investigated. Here, optical microstructure and phase compositions of Ti-Nb alloys were characterized using optical microscopy and X-ray diffractometre, while mechanical behaviors of Ti-Nb alloys were examined by using tension tests. Stress-induced martensitic transformation in a Ti-30. at%Nb binary alloy was in-situ explored by synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD). The results obtained suggested that mechanical behavior of Ti-Nb alloys, especially Young's modulus was directly dependent on chemical compositions and heat treatment process. According to the results of HE-XRD, α"-V1 martensite generated priormore » to the formation of α"-V2 during loading and a partial reversible transformation from α"-V1 to β phase was detected while α"-V2 tranformed to β completely during unloading.« less

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using Citrus maxima peel extract and their catalytic/antibacterial activities.

PubMed

Yuan, Chun-Gang; Huo, Can; Gui, Bing; Cao, Wei-Ping

2017-08-01

The peel of Citrus maxima ( C. maxima ) is the primary byproducts during the process of fruit or juice in food industries, and it was always considered as biomass waste for further treatments. In this study, the authors reported a simple and eco-friendly method to synthesise gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using C. maxima peel extract as reducing and capping agents. The synthesised AuNPs were characterised by UV-visible spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The UV-visible spectrum of the AuNPs colloid showed a characteristic peak at 540 nm. The peaks of XRD analysis at (2 θ ) 38.30°, 44.28°, 64.62°, 77.57° and 81.75° were assigned to (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) planes of the face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice of gold. The TEM images showed that AuNPs were nearly spherical in shape with the size of 8-25 nm. The FTIR spectrum revealed that some bioactive compounds capped the surface of synthesised AuNPs. The biosynthesised AuNPs performed strong catalytic activity in degradation of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol and good antibacterial activity against both gram negative ( Escherichia coli ) and gram positive ( Staphylococcus aureus ) bacterium. The synthesis procedure was proved simple, cost effective and environment friendly.

Improving impact resistance of ceramic materials by energy absorbing surface layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirchner, H. P.; Seretsky, J.

1974-01-01

Energy absorbing surface layers were used to improve the impact resistance of silicon nitride and silicon carbide ceramics. Low elastic modulus materials were used. In some cases, the low elastic modulus was achieved using materials that form localized microcracks as a result of thermal expansion anisotropy, thermal expansion differences between phases, or phase transformations. In other cases, semi-vitreous or vitreous materials were used. Substantial improvements in impact resistance were observed at room and elevated temperatures.

Wavelet-based 3D reconstruction of microcalcification clusters from two mammographic views: new evidence that fractal tumors are malignant and Euclidean tumors are benign.

PubMed

Batchelder, Kendra A; Tanenbaum, Aaron B; Albert, Seth; Guimond, Lyne; Kestener, Pierre; Arneodo, Alain; Khalil, Andre

2014-01-01

The 2D Wavelet-Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) method was used to detect microcalcifications (MC) in human breast tissue seen in mammograms and to characterize the fractal geometry of benign and malignant MC clusters. This was done in the context of a preliminary analysis of a small dataset, via a novel way to partition the wavelet-transform space-scale skeleton. For the first time, the estimated 3D fractal structure of a breast lesion was inferred by pairing the information from two separate 2D projected mammographic views of the same breast, i.e. the cranial-caudal (CC) and mediolateral-oblique (MLO) views. As a novelty, we define the "CC-MLO fractal dimension plot", where a "fractal zone" and "Euclidean zones" (non-fractal) are defined. 118 images (59 cases, 25 malignant and 34 benign) obtained from a digital databank of mammograms with known radiologist diagnostics were analyzed to determine which cases would be plotted in the fractal zone and which cases would fall in the Euclidean zones. 92% of malignant breast lesions studied (23 out of 25 cases) were in the fractal zone while 88% of the benign lesions were in the Euclidean zones (30 out of 34 cases). Furthermore, a Bayesian statistical analysis shows that, with 95% credibility, the probability that fractal breast lesions are malignant is between 74% and 98%. Alternatively, with 95% credibility, the probability that Euclidean breast lesions are benign is between 76% and 96%. These results support the notion that the fractal structure of malignant tumors is more likely to be associated with an invasive behavior into the surrounding tissue compared to the less invasive, Euclidean structure of benign tumors. Finally, based on indirect 3D reconstructions from the 2D views, we conjecture that all breast tumors considered in this study, benign and malignant, fractal or Euclidean, restrict their growth to 2-dimensional manifolds within the breast tissue.

The short time Fourier transform and local signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okumura, Shuhei

In this thesis, I examine the theoretical properties of the short time discrete Fourier transform (STFT). The STFT is obtained by applying the Fourier transform by a fixed-sized, moving window to input series. We move the window by one time point at a time, so we have overlapping windows. I present several theoretical properties of the STFT, applied to various types of complex-valued, univariate time series inputs, and their outputs in closed forms. In particular, just like the discrete Fourier transform, the STFT's modulus time series takes large positive values when the input is a periodic signal. One main point is that a white noise time series input results in the STFT output being a complex-valued stationary time series and we can derive the time and time-frequency dependency structure such as the cross-covariance functions. Our primary focus is the detection of local periodic signals. I present a method to detect local signals by computing the probability that the squared modulus STFT time series has consecutive large values exceeding some threshold after one exceeding observation following one observation less than the threshold. We discuss a method to reduce the computation of such probabilities by the Box-Cox transformation and the delta method, and show that it works well in comparison to the Monte Carlo simulation method.

A Modified Empirical Wavelet Transform for Acoustic Emission Signal Decomposition in Structural Health Monitoring.

PubMed

Dong, Shaopeng; Yuan, Mei; Wang, Qiusheng; Liang, Zhiling

2018-05-21

The acoustic emission (AE) method is useful for structural health monitoring (SHM) of composite structures due to its high sensitivity and real-time capability. The main challenge, however, is how to classify the AE data into different failure mechanisms because the detected signals are affected by various factors. Empirical wavelet transform (EWT) is a solution for analyzing the multi-component signals and has been used to process the AE data. In order to solve the spectrum separation problem of the AE signals, this paper proposes a novel modified separation method based on local window maxima (LWM) algorithm. It searches the local maxima of the Fourier spectrum in a proper window, and automatically determines the boundaries of spectrum segmentations, which helps to eliminate the impact of noise interference or frequency dispersion in the detected signal and obtain the meaningful empirical modes that are more related to the damage characteristics. Additionally, both simulation signal and AE signal from the composite structures are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the experimental results indicate that the proposed method performs better than the original EWT method in identifying different damage mechanisms of composite structures.

Element analysis: a wavelet-based method for analysing time-localized events in noisy time series

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

A method is derived for the quantitative analysis of signals that are composed of superpositions of isolated, time-localized ‘events’. Here, these events are taken to be well represented as rescaled and phase-rotated versions of generalized Morse wavelets, a broad family of continuous analytic functions. Analysing a signal composed of replicates of such a function using another Morse wavelet allows one to directly estimate the properties of events from the values of the wavelet transform at its own maxima. The distribution of events in general power-law noise is determined in order to establish significance based on an expected false detection rate. Finally, an expression for an event’s ‘region of influence’ within the wavelet transform permits the formation of a criterion for rejecting spurious maxima due to numerical artefacts or other unsuitable events. Signals can then be reconstructed based on a small number of isolated points on the time/scale plane. This method, termed element analysis, is applied to the identification of long-lived eddy structures in ocean currents as observed by along-track measurements of sea surface elevation from satellite altimetry. PMID:28484325

A Modified Empirical Wavelet Transform for Acoustic Emission Signal Decomposition in Structural Health Monitoring

PubMed Central

Dong, Shaopeng; Yuan, Mei; Wang, Qiusheng; Liang, Zhiling

2018-01-01

The acoustic emission (AE) method is useful for structural health monitoring (SHM) of composite structures due to its high sensitivity and real-time capability. The main challenge, however, is how to classify the AE data into different failure mechanisms because the detected signals are affected by various factors. Empirical wavelet transform (EWT) is a solution for analyzing the multi-component signals and has been used to process the AE data. In order to solve the spectrum separation problem of the AE signals, this paper proposes a novel modified separation method based on local window maxima (LWM) algorithm. It searches the local maxima of the Fourier spectrum in a proper window, and automatically determines the boundaries of spectrum segmentations, which helps to eliminate the impact of noise interference or frequency dispersion in the detected signal and obtain the meaningful empirical modes that are more related to the damage characteristics. Additionally, both simulation signal and AE signal from the composite structures are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the experimental results indicate that the proposed method performs better than the original EWT method in identifying different damage mechanisms of composite structures. PMID:29883411

Hypercomplex Fourier transforms of color images.

PubMed

Ell, Todd A; Sangwine, Stephen J

2007-01-01

Fourier transforms are a fundamental tool in signal and image processing, yet, until recently, there was no definition of a Fourier transform applicable to color images in a holistic manner. In this paper, hypercomplex numbers, specifically quaternions, are used to define a Fourier transform applicable to color images. The properties of the transform are developed, and it is shown that the transform may be computed using two standard complex fast Fourier transforms. The resulting spectrum is explained in terms of familiar phase and modulus concepts, and a new concept of hypercomplex axis. A method for visualizing the spectrum using color graphics is also presented. Finally, a convolution operational formula in the spectral domain is discussed.

Prediction of Indentation Behavior of Superelastic TiNi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neupane, Rabin; Farhat, Zoheir

2014-09-01

Superelastic TiNi shape memory alloys have been extensively used in various applications. The great interest in TiNi alloys is due to its unique shape memory and superelastic effects, along with its superior wear and dent resistance. Assessment of mechanical properties and dent resistance of superelastic TiNi is commonly performed using indentation techniques. However, the coupling of deformation and reversible martensitic transformation of TiNi under indentation conditions makes the interpretation of results challenging. An attempt is made to enhance current interpretation of indentation data. A load-depth curve is predicted that takes into consideration the reversible martensitic transformation. The predicted curve is in good agreement with experimental results. It is found in this study that the elastic modulus is a function of indentation depth. At shallow depths, the elastic modulus is high due to austenite dominance, while at high depths, the elastic modulus drops as the depth increases due to austenite to martensite transition, i.e., martensite dominance. It is also found that TiNi exhibits superior dent resistance compared to AISI 304 steel. There is two orders of magnitude improvement in dent resistance of TiNi in comparison to AISI 304 steel.

Temperature dependences of internal friction and shear modulus in glass-textolites irradiated with electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaikin, Yu. A.; Kozhamkulov, B. A.; Koztaeva, U. P.

1997-07-01

A study is made of mechanical relaxation mechanisms and the correlation between parameters characterizing the temperature dependence of internal friction and shear modulus when the mechanical and electrical properties of glass-textolites of grades ST-11 and ST-ETF are altered by exposure to different doses of high-energy electrons. High-temperature α- and α'- transformation are observed, these transformations being due to the unfreezing of segmental mobility in the polymer matrix and the boundary layers at the surfaces of the glass fibers under the influence of the radiation. A discussion is presented of features of radiation-induced degradation processes in the polymer binder and at points where it contacts the filler. The data that is obtained shows that glass-texolites ST-ETF and ST-11 are highly resistant to radiation.

High-order nonuniformly correlated beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Dan; Wang, Fei; Cai, Yangjian

2018-02-01

We have introduced a class of partially coherent beams with spatially varying correlations named high-order nonuniformly correlated (HNUC) beams, as an extension of conventional nonuniformly correlated (NUC) beams. Such beams bring a new parameter (mode order) which is used to tailor the spatial coherence properties. The behavior of the spectral density of the HNUC beams on propagation has been investigated through numerical examples with the help of discrete model decomposition and fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm. Our results reveal that by selecting the mode order appropriately, the more sharpened intensity maxima can be achieved at a certain propagation distance compared to that of the NUC beams, and the lateral shift of the intensity maxima on propagation is closed related to the mode order. Furthermore, analytical expressions for the r.m.s width and the propagation factor of the HNUC beams on free-space propagation are derived by means of Wigner distribution function. The influence of initial beam parameters on the evolution of the r.m.s width and the propagation factor, and the relation between the r.m.s width and the occurring of the sharpened intensity maxima on propagation have been studied and discussed in detail.

Natural selection on thermal preference, critical thermal maxima and locomotor performance.

PubMed

Gilbert, Anthony L; Miles, Donald B

2017-08-16

Climate change is resulting in a radical transformation of the thermal quality of habitats across the globe. Whereas species have altered their distributions to cope with changing environments, the evidence for adaptation in response to rising temperatures is limited. However, to determine the potential of adaptation in response to thermal variation, we need estimates of the magnitude and direction of natural selection on traits that are assumed to increase persistence in warmer environments. Most inferences regarding physiological adaptation are based on interspecific analyses, and those of selection on thermal traits are scarce. Here, we estimate natural selection on major thermal traits used to assess the vulnerability of ectothermic organisms to altered thermal niches. We detected significant directional selection favouring lizards with higher thermal preferences and faster sprint performance at their optimal temperature. Our analyses also revealed correlational selection between thermal preference and critical thermal maxima, where individuals that preferred warmer body temperatures with cooler critical thermal maxima were favoured by selection. Recent published estimates of heritability for thermal traits suggest that, in concert with the strong selective pressures we demonstrate here, evolutionary adaptation may promote long-term persistence of ectotherms in altered thermal environments. © 2017 The Author(s).

Rouleaux red blood cells splitting in microscopic thin blood smear images via local maxima, circles drawing, and mapping with original RBCs.

PubMed

Rehman, Amjad; Abbas, Naveed; Saba, Tanzila; Mahmood, Toqeer; Kolivand, Hoshang

2018-04-10

Splitting the rouleaux RBCs from single RBCs and its further subdivision is a challenging area in computer-assisted diagnosis of blood. This phenomenon is applied in complete blood count, anemia, leukemia, and malaria tests. Several automated techniques are reported in the state of art for this task but face either under or over splitting problems. The current research presents a novel approach to split Rouleaux red blood cells (chains of RBCs) precisely, which are frequently observed in the thin blood smear images. Accordingly, this research address the rouleaux splitting problem in a realistic, efficient and automated way by considering the distance transform and local maxima of the rouleaux RBCs. Rouleaux RBCs are splitted by taking their local maxima as the centres to draw circles by mid-point circle algorithm. The resulting circles are further mapped with single RBC in Rouleaux to preserve its original shape. The results of the proposed approach on standard data set are presented and analyzed statistically by achieving an average recall of 0.059, an average precision of 0.067 and F-measure 0.063 are achieved through ground truth with visual inspection. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multifractal analysis of a GCM climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carl, P.

2003-04-01

Multifractal analysis using the Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) approach is being applied to the climate of a Mintz--Arakawa type, coarse resolution, two--layer AGCM. The model shows a backwards running period multiplication scenario throughout the northern summer, subsequent to a 'hard', subcritical Hopf bifurcation late in spring. This 'route out of chaos' (seen in cross sections of a toroidal phase space structure) is born in the planetary monsoon system which inflates the seasonal 'cycle' into these higher order structures and is blamed for the pronounced intraseasonal--to--centennial model climate variability. Previous analyses of the latter using advanced modal decompositions showed regularity based patterns in the time--frequency plane which are qualitatively similar to those obtained from the real world. The closer look here at the singularity structures, as a fundamental diagnostic supplement, aims at both more complete understanding (and quantification) of the model's qualitative dynamics and search for further tools of model intercomparison and verification in this respect. Analysing wavelet is the 10th derivative of the Gaussian which might suffice to suppress regular patterns in the data. Intraseasonal attractors, studied in time series of model precipitation over Central India, show shifting and braodening singularity spectra towards both more violent extreme events (premonsoon--monsoon transition) and weaker events (late summer to postmonsoon transition). Hints at a fractal basin boundary are found close to transition from period--2 to period--1 in the monsoon activity cycle. Interannual analyses are provided for runs with varied solar constants. To address the (in--)stationarity issue, first results are presented with a windowed multifractal analysis of longer--term runs ("singularity spectrogram").

Stress Modulus of Cancer Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonin, Keith; Guthold, Martin; Guo, Xinyi; Sigley, Justin

2012-02-01

Our main goal is to study the different physical and mechanical properties of cells as they advance through different stages of neoplastic transformation from normal to the metastatic state. Since recent reports indicate there is significant ambiguity about how these properties change for different cancer cells, we plan to measure these properties for a single line of cells, and to determine whether the changes vary for different cellular components: i.e. whether the change in physical properties is due to a change in the cytoskeleton, the cell membrane, the cytoplasm, or a combination of these elements. Here we expect to present data on the stress modulus of cancer cells at different stages: normal, mortal cancerous, immortal cancerous, and tumorigenic. The cells are Weinberg cell line Human Mammary Epithelial (HME) cells. Atomic force microscope (AFM) probes with different diameters are used to push on the cell membrane to measure the local, regional and global cell stress modulus. Preliminary results on normal HME cells suggests a stress modulus of 1.5 ± 0.8 kPa when pushing with 7 μm spherical probes. We anticipate reporting an improved value for the modulus as well as results for some of the Weinberg cancer cells.

Model and prediction of stress relaxation of polyurethane fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Gexin; Wang, Chunyan; Mei, Shuqin; Yang, Bo; Zhou, Xiuwen

2018-03-01

In this study, the effect of small strain (less than 10%) on hydrogen bond (H-bond) and crystallinity of dry-spun polyurethane fiber was investigated with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffractometer, respectively. The results showed that the H-bond of hard segments hardly broke and its degree of crystallinity scarcely varied below strain of 10%. The fiber stress relaxation behavior at 25 °C under small strain was researched using dynamic mechanical analyzer. The stress relaxation modulus constitutive equation was obtained by transforming the non-linear relationship between stress and time into the linear relationship between stress and strain. The stress relaxation modulus master curve at 25 °C was established in terms of short-term stress relaxation tests at elevated temperatures (35 °C, 45 °C, 65 °C and 75 °C) according to time-temperature superposition principle (TTS) to predict long-term behavior within 353 year.

Two-dimensional wavelet transform for reliability-guided phase unwrapping in optical fringe pattern analysis.

PubMed

Li, Sikun; Wang, Xiangzhao; Su, Xianyu; Tang, Feng

2012-04-20

This paper theoretically discusses modulus of two-dimensional (2D) wavelet transform (WT) coefficients, calculated by using two frequently used 2D daughter wavelet definitions, in an optical fringe pattern analysis. The discussion shows that neither is good enough to represent the reliability of the phase data. The differences between the two frequently used 2D daughter wavelet definitions in the performance of 2D WT also are discussed. We propose a new 2D daughter wavelet definition for reliability-guided phase unwrapping of optical fringe pattern. The modulus of the advanced 2D WT coefficients, obtained by using a daughter wavelet under this new daughter wavelet definition, includes not only modulation information but also local frequency information of the deformed fringe pattern. Therefore, it can be treated as a good parameter that represents the reliability of the retrieved phase data. Computer simulation and experimentation show the validity of the proposed method.

Measurement of elastic and thermal properties of composite materials using digital speckle pattern interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Manoj; Khan, Gufran S.; Shakher, Chandra

2015-08-01

In the present work, application of digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI) was applied for the measurement of mechanical/elastic and thermal properties of fibre reinforced plastics (FRP). Digital speckle pattern interferometric technique was used to characterize the material constants (Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus) of the composite material. Poisson ratio based on plate bending and Young's modulus based on plate vibration of material are measured by using DSPI. In addition to this, the coefficient of thermal expansion of composite material is also measured. To study the thermal strain analysis, a single DSPI fringe pattern is used to extract the phase information by using Riesz transform and the monogenic signal. The phase extraction from a single DSPI fringe pattern by using Riesz transform does not require a phase-shifting system or spatial carrier. The elastic and thermal parameters obtained from DSPI are in close agreement with the theoretical predictions available in literature.

Ion irradiation induced structural modifications and increase in elastic modulus of silica based thin films

PubMed Central

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; Mehner, A.; Lucca, D. A.

2017-01-01

Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. In this study, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. The results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. It was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. A combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films. PMID:28071696

Ion irradiation induced structural modifications and increase in elastic modulus of silica based thin films

DOE PAGES

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.; ...

2017-01-10

Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. Here, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. Our results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. Itmore » was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp 2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. Finally, a combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films.« less

Wavelet maxima curves of surface latent heat flux associated with two recent Greek earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cervone, G.; Kafatos, M.; Napoletani, D.; Singh, R. P.

2004-05-01

Multi sensor data available through remote sensing satellites provide information about changes in the state of the oceans, land and atmosphere. Recent studies have shown anomalous changes in oceans, land, atmospheric and ionospheric parameters prior to earthquakes events. This paper introduces an innovative data mining technique to identify precursory signals associated with earthquakes. The proposed methodology is a multi strategy approach which employs one dimensional wavelet transformations to identify singularities in the data, and an analysis of the continuity of the wavelet maxima in time and space to identify the singularities associated with earthquakes. The proposed methodology has been employed using Surface Latent Heat Flux (SLHF) data to study the earthquakes which occurred on 14 August 2003 and on 1 March 2004 in Greece. A single prominent SLHF anomaly has been found about two weeks prior to each of the earthquakes.

Estimation of the Young's modulus of the human pars tensa using in-situ pressurization and inverse finite-element analysis.

PubMed

Rohani, S Alireza; Ghomashchi, Soroush; Agrawal, Sumit K; Ladak, Hanif M

2017-03-01

Finite-element models of the tympanic membrane are sensitive to the Young's modulus of the pars tensa. The aim of this work is to estimate the Young's modulus under a different experimental paradigm than currently used on the human tympanic membrane. These additional values could potentially be used by the auditory biomechanics community for building consensus. The Young's modulus of the human pars tensa was estimated through inverse finite-element modelling of an in-situ pressurization experiment. The experiments were performed on three specimens with a custom-built pressurization unit at a quasi-static pressure of 500 Pa. The shape of each tympanic membrane before and after pressurization was recorded using a Fourier transform profilometer. The samples were also imaged using micro-computed tomography to create sample-specific finite-element models. For each sample, the Young's modulus was then estimated by numerically optimizing its value in the finite-element model so simulated pressurized shapes matched experimental data. The estimated Young's modulus values were 2.2 MPa, 2.4 MPa and 2.0 MPa, and are similar to estimates obtained using in-situ single-point indentation testing. The estimates were obtained under the assumptions that the pars tensa is linearly elastic, uniform, isotropic with a thickness of 110 μm, and the estimates are limited to quasi-static loading. Estimates of pars tensa Young's modulus are sensitive to its thickness and inclusion of the manubrial fold. However, they do not appear to be sensitive to optimization initialization, height measurement error, pars flaccida Young's modulus, and tympanic membrane element type (shell versus solid). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variations of the Photospheric Magnetic Field Following the Eruptive Event on June 7, 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fainshtein, V. G.; Egorov, Ya. I.; Rudenko, G. V.

2017-12-01

Field variations in the region of the eruptive event on June 7, 2011 are studied based on vector measurements of the photospheric magnetic field by the SDO/HMI instrument. Variations of the modulus ( B), the radial ( B r) and the transverse ( B t) components of the magnetic induction, and the inclination angle (α) of the field lines to the radial direction from the center of the Sun are analyzed. It is found that, in the part of the flare region near the polarity inversion line (PIL) after the onset of the flare, the magnitude and the transverse component of the magnetic induction as well as the angles α abruptly increase. During the slow rise of filament near its channel, the inclination angles of the field lines decrease. It is shown that diverging flare ribbons are above the regions of the photosphere with local maxima of the field modulus and with deep minima of the inclination angles of the field lines at all stages of their existence over their entire length with the exception of small areas. It is established that the azimuth decreases after the onset of the flare near the PIL of the photospheric magnetic field, which means an increase in the shear. On the contrary, at a distance from the PIL there is a slight decrease in the shear.

Conductivity and dielectric behaviour of PEO-based solid nanocomposite polymer electrolytes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Suriani; Mohd Yasin, Siti Mariah; Nee, Ng Meng; Ahmad, Roslina; Johan, Mohd Rafie

2012-03-01

In this research, thin films of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend with lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF) salt and ethylene carbonate (EC) as plasticiser and carbon nanotube (CNT) as filler, are prepared using solution casting method. The conductivity and dielectric response of the nanocomposite polymer electrolyte systems are studied within the broad frequency range of 5 Hz-5 MHz and within a temperature range of 298-373 K. The conductivity-temperature plots are observed to be of Arrhenius nature. The dielectric behaviour is analysed using the dielectric permittivity (ɛr and ɛi), loss tangent (tanδ) and electric modulus (Mi and Mr) of the samples. It is observed that the dielectric permittivity rises sharply towards low frequencies due to electrode polarisation effects. The maxima of the loss tangent (tanδ) shifts towards higher frequencies and the height of the peak increases with increasing temperature.

High Temperature Elastic Properties of Reduced Activation Ferritic-Martensitic (RAFM) Steel Using Impulse Excitation Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathy, Haraprasanna; Raju, Subramanian; Hajra, Raj Narayan; Saibaba, Saroja

2018-03-01

The polycrystalline elastic constants of an indigenous variant of 9Cr-1W-based reduced activation ferritic-martensitic (RAFM) steel have been determined as a function of temperature from 298 K to 1323 K (25 °C to 1000 °C), using impulse excitation technique (IET). The three elastic constants namely, Young's modulus E, shear modulus G, and bulk modulus B, exhibited significant softening with increasing temperature, in a pronounced non-linear fashion. In addition, clearly marked discontinuities in their temperature variations are noticed in the region, where ferrite + carbides → austenite phase transformation occurred upon heating. Further, the incidence of austenite → martensite transformation upon cooling has also been marked by a step-like jump in both elastic E and shear moduli G. The martensite start M s and M f finish temperatures estimated from this study are, M s = 652 K (379 °C) and M f =580 K (307 °C). Similarly, the measured ferrite + carbide → austenite transformation onset ( Ac 1) and completion ( Ac 3) temperatures are found to be 1126 K and 1143 K (853 °C and 870 °C), respectively. The Poisson ratio μ exhibited distinct discontinuities at phase transformation temperatures; but however, is found to vary in the range 0.27 to 0.29. The room temperature estimates of E, G, and μ for normalized and tempered microstructure are found to be 219 GPa, 86.65 GPa, and 0.27, respectively. For the metastable austenite phase, the corresponding values are: 197 GPa, 76.5 GPa, and 0.29, respectively. The measured elastic properties as well as their temperature dependencies are found to be in good accord with reported estimates for other 9Cr-based ferritic-martensitic steel grades. Estimates of θ D el , the elastic Debye temperature and γ G, the thermal Grüneisen parameter obtained from measured bulk elastic properties are found to be θ D el = 465 K (192 °C) and γ G = 1.57.

Design of Strain-Limiting Substrate Materials for Stretchable and Flexible Electronics

PubMed Central

Ma, Yinji; Jang, Kyung-In; Wang, Liang; Jung, Han Na; Kwak, Jean Won; Xue, Yeguang; Chen, Hang; Yang, Yiyuan; Shi, Dawei; Feng, Xue

2017-01-01

Recently developed classes of electronics for biomedical applications exploit substrates that offer low elastic modulus and high stretchability, to allow intimate, mechanically biocompatible integration with soft biological tissues. A challenge is that such substrates do not generally offer protection of the electronics from high peak strains that can occur upon large-scale deformation, thereby creating a potential for device failure. The results presented here establish a simple route to compliant substrates with strain-limiting mechanics based on approaches that complement those of recently described alternatives. Here, a thin film or mesh of a high modulus material transferred onto a prestrained compliant substrate transforms into wrinkled geometry upon release of the prestrain. The structure formed by this process offers a low elastic modulus at small strain due to the small effective stiffness of the wrinkled film or mesh; it has a high tangent modulus (e.g., >1000 times the elastic modulus) at large strain, as the wrinkles disappear and the film/mesh returns to a flat geometry. This bilinear stress–strain behavior has an extremely sharp transition point, defined by the magnitude of the prestrain. A theoretical model yields analytical expressions for the elastic and tangent moduli and the transition strain of the bilinear stress–strain relation, with quantitative correspondence to finite element analysis and experiments. PMID:29033714

Design of Strain-Limiting Substrate Materials for Stretchable and Flexible Electronics.

PubMed

Ma, Yinji; Jang, Kyung-In; Wang, Liang; Jung, Han Na; Kwak, Jean Won; Xue, Yeguang; Chen, Hang; Yang, Yiyuan; Shi, Dawei; Feng, Xue; Rogers, John A; Huang, Yonggang

2016-08-02

Recently developed classes of electronics for biomedical applications exploit substrates that offer low elastic modulus and high stretchability, to allow intimate, mechanically biocompatible integration with soft biological tissues. A challenge is that such substrates do not generally offer protection of the electronics from high peak strains that can occur upon large-scale deformation, thereby creating a potential for device failure. The results presented here establish a simple route to compliant substrates with strain-limiting mechanics based on approaches that complement those of recently described alternatives. Here, a thin film or mesh of a high modulus material transferred onto a prestrained compliant substrate transforms into wrinkled geometry upon release of the prestrain. The structure formed by this process offers a low elastic modulus at small strain due to the small effective stiffness of the wrinkled film or mesh; it has a high tangent modulus (e.g., >1000 times the elastic modulus) at large strain, as the wrinkles disappear and the film/mesh returns to a flat geometry. This bilinear stress-strain behavior has an extremely sharp transition point, defined by the magnitude of the prestrain. A theoretical model yields analytical expressions for the elastic and tangent moduli and the transition strain of the bilinear stress-strain relation, with quantitative correspondence to finite element analysis and experiments.

Influence of Ce addition on biomedical porous Ti-51 atomic percentage (at. %) Ni shape memory alloy fabricated by microwave sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Mustafa K.; Hamzah, E.; Saud, Safaa N.; Nazim, E. M.; Bahador, A.

2017-12-01

Ti-Ni and Ti-Ni-Ce shape memory alloys (SMAs) were successfully fabricated by microwave sintering. The improvement of the mechanical properties especially the elastic modulus is the most important criterion in this research. The high elastic modulus problems are the most critical issues frequently encountered in hard tissue replacement applications. The effect of Ce addition with four atomic percentages (0 %, 0.19 %, 0.385 % and, 1.165 %) on the microstructure, phase composition, transformation temperatures and mechanical properties was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), and compression test. The microstructure shows plates-like with needles-like inside the titanium-rich region. The compression strain was improved, but reduces the compression strength. The addition of cerium improved the properties by reducing the elastic modulus to be very close to the natural human bone, also the microwave sintering gives TiNi SMAs with low elastic modulus comparing with other methods. Based on the results, the 0.385 at. % Ce exhibited a remarkable highest compressive strain and lower elastic modulus compared with the other percentages. In conclusion, the present results indicate that Ti-Ni-Ce SMAs could be a potential alternative to improve Ti-51 at %Ni SMAs for certain biomedical applications.

Nonlinear QR code based optical image encryption using spiral phase transform, equal modulus decomposition and singular value decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ravi; Bhaduri, Basanta; Nishchal, Naveen K.

2018-01-01

In this study, we propose a quick response (QR) code based nonlinear optical image encryption technique using spiral phase transform (SPT), equal modulus decomposition (EMD) and singular value decomposition (SVD). First, the primary image is converted into a QR code and then multiplied with a spiral phase mask (SPM). Next, the product is spiral phase transformed with particular spiral phase function, and further, the EMD is performed on the output of SPT, which results into two complex images, Z 1 and Z 2. Among these, Z 1 is further Fresnel propagated with distance d, and Z 2 is reserved as a decryption key. Afterwards, SVD is performed on Fresnel propagated output to get three decomposed matrices i.e. one diagonal matrix and two unitary matrices. The two unitary matrices are modulated with two different SPMs and then, the inverse SVD is performed using the diagonal matrix and modulated unitary matrices to get the final encrypted image. Numerical simulation results confirm the validity and effectiveness of the proposed technique. The proposed technique is robust against noise attack, specific attack, and brutal force attack. Simulation results are presented in support of the proposed idea.

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

Li, Shuanglei; Kim, Eun-soo; Kim, Yeon-wook

Highlights: • The B2-R-B19′ transformation occurred in 49Ti-50.3Ni-0.7Ag alloy fibers. • Annealing treated alloy fibers showed superelastic recovery ratio of 93%. • Ageing treated scaffold had an elastic modulus of 0.67 GPa. • Ageing treated scaffold exhibited good superelasticity at human body temperature. - Abstract: Ti-Ni-Ag scaffolds were prepared by sintering rapidly solidified alloy fibers. Microstructures and transformation behaviors of alloy fibers and scaffolds were investigated by means of electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The B2-R-B19′ transformation occurs in alloy fibers. The alloy fibers have good superelasticity with superelastic recovery ratio of 93%more » after annealing heat treatment. The as-sintered Ti-Ni-Ag scaffolds possess three-dimensional and interconnected pores and have the porosity level of 80%. The heat treated Ti-Ni-Ag scaffolds not only have an elastic modulus of 0.67 GPa, which match well with that of cancellous bone, but also show excellent superelasticity at human body temperature. In terms of the mechanical properties, the Ti-Ni-Ag scaffolds in this study can meet the main requirements of bone scaffold for the purpose of bone replacement applications.« less

Synthesis of Road Networks by Data Conflation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

Transform requires basic trigonometric properties. Suppose we have a line oriented as shown in Figure 9 then by defining the parameters, ρ, and θ we...location. Rather than searching for the remaining three parameters, the major and minor axes and the orientation angle, the axes ratio is utilized to...axes ratio and orientation angle are searched on a coarse quantization level and then the local maxima are obtained and a finer resolution area is

First-principles predictions of structural, mechanical and electronic properties of βTiNb under high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z. P.; Fang, Q. H.; Li, J.; Liu, B.

2018-04-01

Structural, mechanical and electronic properties of βTiNb alloy under high pressure have been investigated based on the density functional theory (DFT). The dependences of dimensionless volume ratio, elastic constants, bulk modulus, Young's modulus, shear modulus, ductile/brittle, anisotropy and Poisson's ratio on applied pressure are all calculated successfully. The results reveal that βTiNb alloy is mechanically stable under pressure below 23.45 GPa, and the pressure-induced phase transformation could occur beyond this critical value. Meanwhile, the applied pressure can effectively promote the mechanical properties of βTiNb alloy, including the resistances to volume change, elastic deformation and shear deformation, as well as the material ductility and metallicity. Furthermore, the calculated electronic structures testify that βTiNb alloy performs the metallicity and the higher pressure reduces the structural stability of unit cell.

Biochemical Mechanisms for Geographical Adaptations to Novel Toxin Exposures in Butterflyfish

PubMed Central

Knuston, Sean; Slattery, Marc; Ankisetty, Sridevi; Goldstone, Jared V.; Watanabe, Kayo; Hoh, Eunha; Gadepalli, Rama S.; Rimoldi, John M.; Ostrander, Gary K.

2016-01-01

Some species of butterflyfish have had preyed upon corals for millions of years, yet the mechanism of butterflyfish specialized coral feeding strategy remains poorly understood. Certain butterflyfish have the ability to feed on allelochemically rich soft corals, e.g. Sinularia maxima. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is the predominant enzyme system responsible for the detoxification of dietary allelochemicals. CYP2-like and CYP3A-like content have been associated with butterflyfish that preferentially consumes allelochemically rich soft corals. To investigate the role of butterflyfish CYP2 and CYP3A enzymes in dietary preference, we conducted oral feeding experiments using homogenates of S. maxima and a toxin isolated from the coral in four species of butterflyfish with different feeding strategies. After oral exposure to the S. maxima toxin 5-episinulaptolide (5ESL), which is not normally encountered in the Hawaiian butterflyfish diet, an endemic specialist, Chaetodon multicinctus experienced 100% mortality compared to a generalist, Chaetodon auriga, which had significantly more (3–6 fold higher) CYP3A-like basal content and catalytic activity. The specialist, Chaetodon unimaculatus, which preferentially feed on S. maxima in Guam, but not in Hawaii, had 100% survival, a significant induction of 8–12 fold CYP3A-like content, and an increased ability (2-fold) to metabolize 5ESL over other species. Computer modeling data of CYP3A4 with 5ESL were consistent with microsomal transformation of 5ESL to a C15-16 epoxide from livers of C. unimaculatus. Epoxide formation correlated with CYP3A-like content, catalytic activity, induction, and NADPH-dependent metabolism of 5ESL. These results suggest a potentially important role for the CYP3A family in butterflyfish-coral diet selection through allelochemical detoxification. PMID:27136924

Co-infection of chickens with Eimeria praecox and Eimeria maxima does not prevent development of immunity to Eimeria maxima.

PubMed

Jenkins, M; Fetterer, R; Miska, K

2009-05-12

Previous studies revealed an ameliorating effect of Eimeria praecox on concurrent E. maxima infection, such that weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and intestinal lesions were nearly identical to uninfected or E. praecox-infected controls. The purpose of the present study was to determine if protective immunity against E. maxima challenge infection developed in chickens infected with both E. praecox and E. maxima. Day-old chickens were infected with 10(3)E. praecox, 10(3)E. maxima, or a mixture of 10(3)E. praecox and 10(3)E. maxima oocysts. Chickens were then challenged at 4 weeks of age with 5x10(4)E. praecox or 5x10(3)E. maxima oocysts and clinical signs of coccidiosis were assessed 7 days post-challenge. Relative to non-challenged controls, naïve chickens or chickens immunized with E. praecox displayed a 32-34% weight gain depression after challenge with 5x10(3)E. maxima oocysts. In contrast, chickens immunized with either E. maxima oocysts alone or a combination of E. praecox and E. maxima oocysts displayed complete protection against lower weight gain associated with E. maxima challenge. Also, protection against decreased feed conversion ratio and intestinal lesions was observed in single E. maxima- or dual E. maxima+E. praecox-immunized chickens. These findings indicate that co-infection of chickens with E. maxima and E. praecox does not prevent development of immunity against E. maxima or E. praecox challenge.

Structure and bulk modulus of Ln-doped UO2 (Ln = La, Nd) at high pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rittman, Dylan R.; Park, Sulgiye; Tracy, Cameron L.; Zhang, Lei; Palomares, Raul I.; Lang, Maik; Navrotsky, Alexandra; Mao, Wendy L.; Ewing, Rodney C.

2017-07-01

The structure of lanthanide-doped uranium dioxide, LnxU1-xO2-0.5x+y (Ln = La, Nd), was investigated at pressures up to ∼50-55 GPa. Samples were synthesized with different lanthanides at different concentrations (x ∼ 0.2 and 0.5), and all were slightly hyperstoichiometric (y ∼ 0.25-0.4). In situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction was used to investigate their high-pressure phase behavior and determine their bulk moduli. All samples underwent a fluorite-to-cotunnite phase transformation with increasing pressure. The pressure of the phase transformation increased with increasing hyperstoichiometry, which is consistent with results from previous computational simulations. Bulk moduli are inversely proportional to both the ionic radius of the lanthanide and its concentration, as quantified using a weighted cationic radius ratio. This trend was found to be consistent with the behavior of other elastic properties measured for Ln-doped UO2, such as Young's modulus.

Microstructure and Texture Evolutions of Biomedical Ti-13Nb-13Zr Alloy Processed by Hydrostatic Extrusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozaltin, K.; Panigrahi, A.; Chrominski, W.; Bulutsuz, A. G.; Kulczyk, M.; Zehetbauer, M. J.; Lewandowska, M.

2017-11-01

A biomedical β-type Ti-13Nb-13Zr (TNZ) (wt pct) ternary alloy was subjected to severe plastic deformation by means of hydrostatic extrusion (HE) at room temperature without intermediate annealing. Its effect on microstructure, mechanical properties, phase transformations, and texture was investigated by light and electron microscopy, mechanical tests (Vickers microhardness and tensile tests), and XRD analysis. Microstructural investigations by light microscope and transmission electron microscope showed that, after HE, significant grain refinement took place, also reaching high dislocation densities. Increases in strength up to 50 pct occurred, although the elongation to fracture left after HE was almost 9 pct. Furthermore, Young's modulus of HE-processed samples showed slightly lower values than the initial state due to texture. Such mechanical properties combined with lower Young's modulus are favorable for medical applications. Phase transformation analyses demonstrated that both initial and extruded samples consist of α' and β phases but that the phase fraction of α' was slightly higher after two stages of HE.

Exploration of phase transition in ThS under pressure: An ab-initio investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, B. D.; Mukherjee, D.; Joshi, K. D.; Kaushik, T. C.

2018-04-01

The ab-initio total energy calculations have been performed in thorium sulphide (ThS) to explore its high pressure phase stability. Our calculations predict a phase transformation from ambient rocksalt type structure (B1 phase) to a rhombohedral structure (R-3m phase) at ˜ 15 GPa and subsequently R-3m phase transforms to CsCl type structure (B2 phase) at ˜ 45 GPa. The first phase transition has been identified as second order type; whereas, the second transition is of first order type with volume discontinuity of 6.5%. The predicted high pressure R-3m phase is analogous to the experimentally observed hexagonal (distorted fcc) phase (Benedict et al., J. Less-Common Met., 1984) above 20 GPa. Further, using these calculations we have derived the equation of state which has been utilized to determine various physical quantities such as zero pressure equilibrium volume, bulk modulus, and pressure derivative of bulk modulus at ambient conditions.

Structure and bulk modulus of Ln-doped UO 2 (Ln = La, Nd) at high pressure

DOE PAGES

Rittman, Dylan R.; Park, Sulgiye; Tracy, Cameron L.; ...

2017-04-10

The structure of lanthanide-doped uranium dioxide, Ln xU 1-xO 2-0.5x+y (Ln = La, Nd), was investigated at pressures up to ~50–55 GPa. Samples were synthesized with different lanthanides at different concentrations (x ~ 0.2 and 0.5), and all were slightly hyperstoichiometric (y ~ 0.25–0.4). In situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction was used to investigate their high-pressure phase behavior and determine their bulk moduli. All samples underwent a fluorite-to-cotunnite phase transformation with increasing pressure. The pressure of the phase transformation increased with increasing hyperstoichiometry, which is consistent with results from previous computational simulations. Bulk moduli are inversely proportional to both themore » ionic radius of the lanthanide and its concentration, as quantified using a weighted cationic radius ratio. As a result, this trend was found to be consistent with the behavior of other elastic properties measured for Ln-doped UO 2, such as Young's modulus.« less

Dynamic mechanical properties of straight titanium alloy arch wires.

PubMed

Kusy, R P; Wilson, T W

1990-10-01

Eight straight-wire materials were studied: an orthodontic titanium-molybdenum (Ti-Mo) product, TMA; three orthodontic nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) products, Nitinol, Titanal, and Orthonol; three prototype alloys, a martensitic, an austenitic, and a biphasic alloy; and a hybrid shape-memory-effect product, Biometal. Each wire was prepared with a length-to-cross-sectional area of at least 3600 cm-1. With an Autovibron Model DDV-II-C used in the tensile mode, each sample was scanned from -120 to +200 degrees C at 2 degrees C/min. From the data base, plots of the log storage modulus, log tan delta, and percent change in length vs. temperature were generated. Results showed that the dynamic mechanical properties of the alloys within this TI system are quite different. The Ti-Mo alloy, TMA, was invariant with temperature, having a modulus of 7.30 x 10(11) dyne/cm2 (10.6 x 10(6) psi). The three cold-worked alloys--Nitinol, Titanal, and Orthonol--appeared to be similar, having a modulus of 5.74 x 10(11) dyne/cm2 (8.32 x 10(6) psi). The biphasic shape-memory alloy displayed a phase transformation near ambient temperature; whereas the hybrid shape-memory product, Biometal, underwent a 3-5% change in length during its transformation between 95 and 125 degrees C. Among the Ni-Ti wires tested, several different types of alloys were represented by this intermetallic material.

Synthesis and mechanical properties of double cross-linked gelatin-graphene oxide hydrogels.

PubMed

Piao, Yongzhe; Chen, Biqiong

2017-08-01

Gelatin is an interesting biological macromolecule for biomedical applications. Here, double cross-linked gelatin nanocomposite hydrogels with incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized in one pot using glutaraldehyde (GTA) and GTA-grafted GO as double chemical cross-linkers. The nanocomposite hydrogels, in contrast to the neat gelatin hydrogel, exhibited significant increases in mechanical properties by up to 288% in compressive strength, 195% in compressive modulus, 267% in compressive fracture energy and 160% shear storage modulus with the optimal GO concentration. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and swelling tests were implemented to characterize the nanocomposite hydrogels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrokinetically induced alterations in dynamic response of viscoelastic fluids in narrow confinements.

PubMed

Bandopadhyay, Aditya; Chakraborty, Suman

2012-05-01

We investigate a dynamical interplay between interfacial electrokinetics and a combined dissipative and elastic behavior of flow through narrow confinements, in analogy with spatiotemporal hydrodynamics of porous media. In particular, we investigate the effects of streaming potential on the pertinent dynamic responses, by choosing a Maxwell fluid model for representing the consequent electro-hydrodynamic characteristics. We transform the pertinent governing equation to the frequency domain, so that a dynamic generalization of Darcy's law in the presence of streaming potential effects can be effectively realized. We show that the frequencies corresponding to local maxima in the dynamic permeability also correspond to local maxima in the induced streaming potential. We also bring out the effects of Stern layer conductivity on the dynamic permeability. Our analytical estimates do reveal that serious overestimations in the commonly portrayed notion of massive amplifications of dynamic permeability at resonating frequencies may be possible, if interactions between spontaneous electrochemical interfacial phenomena and pulsating pressure-gradient-driven viscoelastic transport are trivially ignored.

Electron Diffraction Evidence for the Ordering of Excess Nickel Atoms by Relation to Stoichiometry in Nickel-Rich Beta'-Nial Formation of a Nickel-Aluminum (Ni2al) Superlattices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reynaud, F.

1988-01-01

In electron diffraction patterns of nickel-rich beta-NiAl alloys, many anomalies are observed. One of these is the appearance of diffuse intensity maxima between the reflexions of the B2 structure. This is explained by the short-range ordering of the excess nickel atoms on the simple cubic sublattice occupied only by aluminum atoms in the stoichiometric, perfectly ordered NiAl alloy. After annealing Ni 37.5 atomic percent Al and Ni 37.75 atomic percent Al for 1 week at 300 and 400 C, the diffuse intensity maxima transformed into sharp superstructure reflexions. These reflexions are explained by the formation of the four possible variants of an ordered hexagonal superstructure corresponding to the Ni2Al composition. This structure is closely related to the Ni2Al3 structure (same space group) formed by the ordering of vacancies on the nickel sublattice in aluminum-rich beta-NiAl alloys.

Characterization of individual stacking faults in a wurtzite GaAs nanowire by nanobeam X-ray diffraction.

PubMed

Davtyan, Arman; Lehmann, Sebastian; Kriegner, Dominik; Zamani, Reza R; Dick, Kimberly A; Bahrami, Danial; Al-Hassan, Ali; Leake, Steven J; Pietsch, Ullrich; Holý, Václav

2017-09-01

Coherent X-ray diffraction was used to measure the type, quantity and the relative distances between stacking faults along the growth direction of two individual wurtzite GaAs nanowires grown by metalorganic vapour epitaxy. The presented approach is based on the general property of the Patterson function, which is the autocorrelation of the electron density as well as the Fourier transformation of the diffracted intensity distribution of an object. Partial Patterson functions were extracted from the diffracted intensity measured along the [000\\bar{1}] direction in the vicinity of the wurtzite 00\\bar{1}\\bar{5} Bragg peak. The maxima of the Patterson function encode both the distances between the fault planes and the type of the fault planes with the sensitivity of a single atomic bilayer. The positions of the fault planes are deduced from the positions and shapes of the maxima of the Patterson function and they are in excellent agreement with the positions found with transmission electron microscopy of the same nanowire.

Characterization of individual stacking faults in a wurtzite GaAs nanowire by nanobeam X-ray diffraction

PubMed Central

Davtyan, Arman; Lehmann, Sebastian; Zamani, Reza R.; Dick, Kimberly A.; Bahrami, Danial; Al-Hassan, Ali; Leake, Steven J.; Pietsch, Ullrich; Holý, Václav

2017-01-01

Coherent X-ray diffraction was used to measure the type, quantity and the relative distances between stacking faults along the growth direction of two individual wurtzite GaAs nanowires grown by metalorganic vapour epitaxy. The presented approach is based on the general property of the Patterson function, which is the autocorrelation of the electron density as well as the Fourier transformation of the diffracted intensity distribution of an object. Partial Patterson functions were extracted from the diffracted intensity measured along the direction in the vicinity of the wurtzite Bragg peak. The maxima of the Patterson function encode both the distances between the fault planes and the type of the fault planes with the sensitivity of a single atomic bilayer. The positions of the fault planes are deduced from the positions and shapes of the maxima of the Patterson function and they are in excellent agreement with the positions found with transmission electron microscopy of the same nanowire. PMID:28862620

The threshold strength of laminar ceramics utilizing molar volume changes and porosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pontin, Michael Gene

It has been shown that uniformly spaced thin compressive layers within a ceramic body can arrest the propagation of an otherwise catastrophic crack, producing a threshold strength: a strength below which the probability of failure is zero. Previous work has shown that the threshold strength increases with both the magnitude of the compressive stress and the fracture toughness of the thin layer material, and finite element analysis predicts that the threshold strength can be further increased when the elastic modulus of the compressive layer is much smaller than the thicker layer. The current work describes several new approaches to increase the threshold strength of a laminar ceramic system. The initial method utilized a molar volume expansion within the thin layers, produced by the tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation of unstabilized zirconia during cooling, in order to produce large compressive stresses within the thin layers. High threshold strengths were measured for this system, but they remained relatively constant as the zirconia content was increased. It was determined that microcracking produced during the transformation reduced the magnitude of the compressive stresses, but may also have served to reduce the modulus of the thin compressive layer, providing an additional strengthening mechanism. The second approach studied the addition of porosity to reduce the elastic modulus of the thin compressive layers. A new processing method was created and analyzed, in which thick layers of the laminate were fabricated by tape-casting, and then dip-coated into a slurry, containing rice starch, to create thin porous compressive layers upon densification. The effects of porosity on the residual compressive stress, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness of the thin layers were measured and calculated, and it was found that the elastic modulus mismatch between the thin and thick layers produced a large strengthening effect for volume fractions of porosity below a critical level. Specimens with greater volume fractions of porosity exhibited complete crack arrest, typically followed by non-catastrophic failure, as cracks initiating in adjacent thick layers coalesced by cracking or delamination along the thin porous layers.

Synchrotron SAXS/WAXD and rheological studies of clay suspensions in silicone fluid.

PubMed

Zhang, Li-Ming; Jahns, Christopher; Hsiao, Benjamin S; Chu, Benjamin

2003-10-15

Suspensions of two commercial smectite clays, montmorillonite KSF and montmorillonite K10, in a low-viscosity silicone oil (Dow Corning 245 Fluid) were studied by simultaneous synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS)/wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) techniques and rheological measurements. In the 0.5% (w/v) KSF clay suspension and two K10 clay suspensions (0.5% and 1.0%), WAXD profiles below 2theta=10.0 degrees did not display any characteristic reflection peaks associated with the chosen montmorillonite clays, while corresponding SAXS profiles exhibited distinct scattering maxima, indicating that both clays were delaminated by the silicone oil. In spite of the large increase in viscosity, the clay suspensions exhibited no gel characteristics. Dynamic rheological experiments indicated that the clay/silicone oil suspensions exhibited the behavior of viscoelasticity, which could be influenced by the type and the concentration of the clay. For the K10 clay suspensions, the frequency-dependent loss modulus (G") was greater in magnitude than the storage modulus (G') in the concentration range from 0.5 to 12.0%. The increase in the clay concentration shifted the crossover point between G' and G" into the accessible frequency range, indicating that the system became more elastic. In contrast, the KSF clay suspension exhibited lower G' and G" values, indicating a weaker viscoelastic response. The larger viscoelasticity response in the K10 clay suspension may be due to the acid treatment generating a higher concentration of silanol groups on the clay surface.

Enclosure Transform for Interest Point Detection From Speckle Imagery.

PubMed

Yongjian Yu; Jue Wang

2017-03-01

We present a fast enclosure transform (ET) to localize complex objects of interest from speckle imagery. This approach explores the spatial confinement on regional features from a sparse image feature representation. Unrelated, broken ridge features surrounding an object are organized collaboratively, giving rise to the enclosureness of the object. Three enclosure likelihood measures are constructed, consisting of the enclosure force, potential energy, and encloser count. In the transform domain, the local maxima manifest the locations of objects of interest, for which only the intrinsic dimension is known a priori. The discrete ET algorithm is computationally efficient, being on the order of O(MN) using N measuring distances across an image of M ridge pixels. It involves easy and few parameter settings. We demonstrate and assess the performance of ET on the automatic detection of the prostate locations from supra-pubic ultrasound images. ET yields superior results in terms of positive detection rate, accuracy and coverage.

Differences in fecundity of Eimeria maxima strains exhibiting different levels of pathogenicity in its avian host.

PubMed

Jenkins, Mark C; Dubey, J P; Miska, Katarzyna; Fetterer, Raymond

2017-03-15

Eimeria maxima is one of the most pathogenic species of avian coccidia, yet it is unknown why different E. maxima strains differ in the pathogenic effects they cause in chickens. The purpose of this study was to determine if a more pathogenic E. maxima strain (APU1) was also more fecund than a less pathogenic E. maxima strain (APU2). At identical doses, E. maxima APU1 always produces greater intestinal lesions and lower weight gain compared to E. maxima APU2. Using a dose response study, median and mean intestinal lesion scores in E. maxima APU1-infected chickens were greater by a score of 1-1.5 compared to chickens infected with E. maxima APU2. Likewise, weight gain depression in E. maxima APU1-infected chickens was 20-25% greater (equivalent to 110-130g body weight) than in E. maxima APU2-infected chickens. In order to understand the underlying cause of these observed clinical effects, 120 broiler chicks (5 oocyst levels, 6 replicates/level) were inoculated with various doses of E. maxima APU1 or APU2 oocysts. The dynamics of oocyst shedding was investigated by collecting fecal material every 12h from 114 to 210h post-inoculation (p.i.) and every 24h thereafter from 210 to 306h, and then processed for measuring E. maxima oocyst output. Oocysts were first observed at 138h p.i., and time of peak oocyst production was nearly identical for both E. maxima APU1 and APU2 around 150-162h. Total oocyst production was 1.1-2.6 fold higher at all dose levels for E. maxima APU1 compared to E. maxima APU2, being significantly higher (P<0.05) at the log 1.5 dose level. Other groups of chickens were infected with higher doses of E. maxima APU1 or APU2 oocysts, and intestinal lesions were assessed by histology at 72, 96, 120, and 144h p.i. Although schizonts, gamonts, and oocysts were observed at expected time-points, no obvious differences were noted in lesions induced by the two E. maxima strains. This study showed that the greater fecundity of E. maxima APU1 compared to E. maxima APU2 explains in part the observed differences in pathogenicity of the two E. maxima strains, but that other factors may contribute to differences in observed clinical effects. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Distribution trends and influence of 4d transition metal elements (Ru, Rh and Pd) doping on mechanical properties and martensitic transformation temperature of B2-ZrCu phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Fuda; Zhan, Yongzhong

2017-12-01

The prediction for distribution trends and effect of three 4d transition metal elements (Ru, Rh and Pd) on mechanical properties and martensitic transformation temperature of B2-ZrCu phase were investigated by first-principles calculations. The convex surface of formation energy suggests that the alloying elements prefer to occupy the Cu sites in B2-ZrCu phase and the dopants studied in present are able to strengthen the phase stability. The calculated results of substitutional formation energy suggest that the distribution trend of dopants in B2-ZrCu phase is Ru > Rh > Pd below the dopant concentration 9 at. %, and the distribution trend is Rh > Pd > Ru from 9 at. % to 12.5 at. %. The elastic constants and mechanical properties including bulk modulus and shear modulus were calculated and discussed. The brittleness/ductility characteristic was investigated using the B/G ratio, Poisson's ratio v and Cauchy pressure Cp. The martensitic transformation temperature (Ms) and melting point (Tm) were predicted by using two cubic elastic moduli (C‧ and C44). The prediction results suggest that only the Ms of Zr8Cu7Pd is higher than the parent. The martensitic transformation temperatures of other compounds decrease with the addition of 4d transition metal dopants. Finally, the electronic structures and electron density different were discussed to reveal the bonding characteristics.

Nanocantilevers with Adjustable Static Deflection and Significantly Tunable Spectrum Resonant Frequencies for Applications in Nanomechanical Mass Sensors

PubMed Central

Stachiv, Ivo; Sittner, Petr

2018-01-01

Nanocantilevers have become key components of nanomechanical sensors that exploit changes in their resonant frequencies or static deflection in response to the environment. It is necessary that they can operate at a given, but adjustable, resonant frequency and/or static deflection ranges. Here we propose a new class of nanocantilevers with a significantly tunable spectrum of the resonant frequencies and changeable static deflection utilizing the unique properties of a phase-transforming NiTi film sputtered on the usual nanotechnology cantilever materials. The reversible frequency tuning and the adjustable static deflection are obtained by intentionally changing the Young’s modulus and the interlayer stress of the NiTi film during its phase transformation, while the usual cantilever elastic materials guarantee a high frequency actuation (up to tens of MHz). By incorporating the NiTi phase transformation characteristic into the classical continuum mechanics theory we present theoretical models that account for the nanocantilever frequency shift and variation in static deflection caused by a phase transformation of NiTi film. Due to the practical importance in nanomechanical sensors, we carry out a complete theoretical analysis and evaluate the impact of NiTi film on the cantilever Young’s modulus, static deflection, and the resonant frequencies. Moreover, the importance of proposed NiTi nanocantilever is illustrated on the nanomechanical based mass sensors. Our findings will be of value in the development of advanced nanotechnology sensors with intentionally-changeable physical and mechanical properties. PMID:29462996

Cell model and elastic moduli of disordered solids - Low temperature limit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peng, S. T. J.; Landel, R. F.; Moacanin, J.; Simha, Robert; Papazoglou, Elisabeth

1987-01-01

The cell theory has been previously employed to compute the equation of state of a disordered condensed system. It is now generalized to include anisotropic stresses. The condition of affine deformation is adopted, transforming an orginally spherical into an ellipsoidal cell. With a Lennard-Jones n-m potential between nonbonded centers, the formal expression for the deformational free energy is derived. It is to be evaluated in the limit of the linear elastic range. Since the bulk modulus in this limit is already known, it is convenient to consider a uniaxial deformation. To begin with, restrictions are made to the low-temperature limit in the absence of entropy contributions. Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio then follow.

Phase-only asymmetric optical cryptosystem based on random modulus decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hongfeng; Xu, Wenhui; Wang, Shuaihua; Wu, Shaofan

2018-06-01

We propose a phase-only asymmetric optical cryptosystem based on random modulus decomposition (RMD). The cryptosystem is presented for effectively improving the capacity to resist various attacks, including the attack of iterative algorithms. On the one hand, RMD and phase encoding are combined to remove the constraints that can be used in the attacking process. On the other hand, the security keys (geometrical parameters) introduced by Fresnel transform can increase the key variety and enlarge the key space simultaneously. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the strong feasibility, security and robustness of the proposed cryptosystem. This cryptosystem will open up many new opportunities in the application fields of optical encryption and authentication.

Mechanical properties and cytocompatibility of oxygen-modified β-type Ti-Cr alloys for spinal fixation devices.

PubMed

Liu, Huihong; Niinomi, Mitsuo; Nakai, Masaaki; Cho, Ken; Narita, Kengo; Şen, Mustafa; Shiku, Hitoshi; Matsue, Tomokazu

2015-01-01

In this study, various amounts of oxygen were added to Ti-10Cr (mass%) alloys. It is expected that a large changeable Young's modulus, caused by a deformation-induced ω-phase transformation, can be achieved in Ti-10Cr-O alloys by the appropriate oxygen addition. This "changeable Young's modulus" property can satisfy the otherwise conflicting requirements for use in spinal implant rods: high and low moduli are preferred by surgeons and patients, respectively. The influence of oxygen on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the alloys was examined, as well as the bending springback and cytocompatibility of the optimized alloy. Among the Ti-10Cr-O alloys, Ti-10Cr-0.2O (mass%) alloy shows the largest changeable Young's modulus following cold rolling for a constant reduction ratio. This is the result of two competing factors: increased apparent β-lattice stability and decreased amounts of athermal ω phase, both of which are caused by oxygen addition. The most favorable balance of these factors for the deformation-induced ω-phase transformation occurred at an oxygen concentration of 0.2mass%. Ti-10Cr-0.2O alloy not only exhibits high tensile strength and acceptable elongation, but also possesses a good combination of high bending strength, acceptable bending springback and great cytocompatibility. Therefore, Ti-10Cr-0.2O alloy is a potential material for use in spinal fixture devices. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Carboxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene Liquid Rubber Modified Epoxy Resin with Enhanced Toughness and Excellent Electrical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Lina; Zhou, Wenying; Sui, Xuezhen; Wang, Zijun; Cai, Huiwu; Wu, Peng; Zuo, Jing; Liu, Xiangrong

2016-07-01

The modification of epoxy (EP) resin with carboxyl-terminated polybutadiene (CTPB) liquid rubber was carried out in this work. The chemical reaction between the oxirane ring of EP and the carboxyl group of CTPB and kinetic parameters were investigated by Fourier transform infrared and differential scanning calorimetry. The resulting pre-polymers were cured with methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride. Scanning electron microscopic observations indicate that the micro-sized CTPB particles dispersed uniformly in the EP matrix formed a two-phase morphology, mainly contributing to the improved toughness of the modified network. The best overall mechanical performance was achieved with 20 phr CTPB; above it, a fall in the strength and modulus was observed. The storage modulus and loss declined with the CTPB concentration due to its lower modulus and plasticizing effect from dynamic mechanical analysis measurements. Moreover, due to the weak polarity and excellent electrical insulation of CTPB, the CTPB-modified EP presented higher electrical resistivities and breakdown strength, and low dielectric permittivity and loss compared with neat EP.

High pressure phase transformation in uranium carbide: A first principle study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, B. D.; Joshi, K. D.; Gupta, Satish C.

2013-02-01

First principles calculations have been carried out to analyze structural, elastic and dynamic stability, of UC under hydrostatic compression. The comparison of enthalpies of rocksalt type (B1) and body centered orthorhombic (bco) structures as a function of pressure suggests the B1 →bco transition at ˜ 23 GPa, in good agreement with experimental value of 27 GPa. From the lattice dynamic calculations we have determined the phonon dispersion relations for B1 phase at various compressions. It is found that TA phonon branch along Γ-X direction becomes imaginary around the transition pressure. Further, the phonon instability so caused is of long wavelength nature as it occurs near the Brillouin zone centre. This long wavelength phonon instability at the transition point indicates that the B1 →bco transition is driven by elastic failure (the vanishing of C44 modulus). Various physical quantities such as equilibrium volume, bulk modulus, pressure derivative of bulk modulus and elastic constants have been determined at zero pressure and compared with data available in literature.

Magnetostriction and magnetoelastic quantum oscillations in P-type lead telluride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, T. E.; Aron, P. R.; Chandrasekhar, B. S.; Langenberg, D. N.

1972-01-01

A detailed experimental and theoretical study of quantum oscillations in the magnetostriction and Young's modulus of p-PbTe is presented. The valance band of PbTe is approximated by a spheroidal, nonparabolic model in which the effects of strain on the valance band parameters are described by a deformation potential model. Using appropriate thermodynamic derivatives of the modified Lifshitz-Kosevich expression for the oscillatory parts of the electronic free energy, it is shown that both types of oscillations arise mainly from relative shifts of the valance band maxima due to shear strains, accompanied by intervalley charge transfer. Band parameters derived from the periods, phases, and spin splitting of the oscillations are in generally good agreement with values reported by other workers. A detailed comparison is made of the experimentally observed oscillation amplitudes with those predicted by theory, and satisfactory agreement is found. The ratio of the amplitudes of the two effects yields a value of the valance band deformation potential in good agreement with a value found from piezoresistance experiments by Burke.

Phase retrieval by constrained power inflation and signum flipping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laganà, A. R.; Morabito, A. F.; Isernia, T.

2016-12-01

In this paper we consider the problem of retrieving a signal from the modulus of its Fourier transform (or other suitable transformations) and some additional information, which is also known as "Phase Retrieval" problem. The problem arises in many areas of applied Sciences such as optics, electron microscopy, antennas, and crystallography. In particular, we introduce a new approach, based on power inflation and tunneling, allowing an increased robustness with respect to the possible occurrence of false solutions. Preliminary results are presented for the simple yet relevant case of one-dimensional arrays and noisy data.

Impact of grain size and structural changes on magnetic, dielectric, electrical, impedance and modulus spectroscopic characteristics of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles synthesized by honey mediated sol-gel combustion method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh Yadav, Raghvendra; Kuřitka, Ivo; Vilcakova, Jarmila; Havlica, Jaromir; Masilko, Jiri; Kalina, Lukas; Tkacz, Jakub; Švec, Jiří; Enev, Vojtěch; Hajdúchová, Miroslava

2017-12-01

In this work CoFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by honey mediated sol-gel combustion method and further annealed at higher temperature 500 °C, 700 °C, 900 °C and 1100 °C. The synthesized spinel ferrite nanoparticles is investigated by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC), field emission scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer. The x-ray diffraction study reveals face-centered cubic spinel cobalt ferrite crystal phase formation. The crystallite size and lattice parameter are increased with annealing temperature. Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra also confirm spinel ferrite crystal structure of synthesized nanoparticles. The existence of cation at octahedral and tetrahedral site in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles is confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Magnetic measurement shows increased saturation magnetization 74.4 emu g-1 at higher annealing temperature 1100 °C, high coercivity 1347.3 Oe at lower annealing temperature 500 °C, and high remanent magnetization 32.3 emu g-1 at 900 °C annealing temperature. The magnetic properties of synthesized ferrite nanoparticles can be tuned by adjusting sizes through annealing temperature. Furthermore, the dielectric constant and ac conductivity shows variation with frequency (1-107 Hz), grain size and cation redistribution. The modulus spectroscopy study reveals the role of bulk grain and grain boundary towards the resistance and capacitance. The cole-cole plots in modulus formalism also well support the electrical response of nanoparticles originated from both grain and grain boundaries. The dielectric, electrical, magnetic, impedance and modulus spectroscopic characteristics of synthesized CoFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles demonstrate the applicability of these nanoparticles for magnetic recording, memory devices and for microwave applications.

Rheological principles of development hetero-modulus and hetero-viscous complex materials with extreme dynamic strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gömze, L. A.; Gömze, L. N.

2017-02-01

Materials with different crystalline and morphological compositions have different chemical, physical, mechanical and rheological properties, including wear protection, melting temperature, module of elasticity and viscosity. Examining the material structures and behaviors of differentceramic bodies and CMCs under high speed collisions in several years the authors have understood the advantages of hetero-modulus and hetero-viscous complex material systems to absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of objects during high speed collisions. Applying the rheo-mechanical principles the authors successfully developed a new family of hetero-modulus and hetero-viscous alumina matrix composite materials with extreme mechanical properties including dynamic strength. These new corundum-matrix composite materials reinforced with Si2ON 2, Si3N4 , SiAlON and AlN submicron and nanoparticles have excellent dynamic strength during collisions with high density metallic bodies with speeds about 1000 m/sec or more. At the same time in the alumina matrix composites can be observed a phase transformation of submicron and nanoparticles of alpha and beta silicone-nitride crystals into cubicc-Si3N4 diamond-like particles can be observed, when the high speed collision processes are taken place in vacuum or oxygen-free atmosphere. Using the rheological principles and the energy engorgement by fractures, heating and melting of components the authors successfully developed several new hetero-modulus, hetero-viscous and hetero-plastic complex materials. These materials generally are based on ceramic matrixes and components having different melting temperatures and modules of elasticity from low values like carbon and light metals (Mg, Al, Ti, Si) up to very high values like boride, nitride and carbide ceramics. Analytical methods applied in this research were scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractions and energy dispersive spectrometry. Digital image analysis was applied to microscopy results to enhance the results of transformations.

Alteration of Dentin-Enamel Mechanical Properties Due to Dental Whitening Treatments

PubMed Central

Zimmerman, B.; Datko, L.; Cupelli, M.; Alapati, S.; Dean, D.; Kennedy, M.

2010-01-01

The mechanical properties of dentin and enamel affect the reliability and wear properties of a tooth. This study investigated the influence of clinical dental treatments and procedures, such as whitening treatments or etching prior to restorative procedures. Both autoclaved and non-autoclaved teeth were studied in order to allow for both comparison with published values and improved clinical relevance. Nanoindentation analysis with the Oliver-Pharr model provided elastic modulus and hardness across the dentin-enamel junction (DEJ). Large increases were observed in the elastic modulus of enamel in teeth that had been autoclaved (52.0GPa versus 113.4GPa), while smaller increases were observed in the dentin (17.9GPa versus 27.9GPa). Likewise, there was an increase in the hardness of enamel (2.0GPa versus 4.3GPa) and dentin (0.5GPa versus 0.7GPa) with autoclaving. These changes suggested that the range of elastic modulus and hardness values previously reported in literature may be partially due to the sterilization procedures. Treatment of the exterior of non-autoclaved teeth with Crest Whitestrips™, Opalescence™ or UltraEtch™ caused changes in the mechanical properties of both the enamel and dentin. Those treated with Crest Whitestrips™ showed a reduction in the elastic modulus of enamel (55.3GPa to 32.7GPa) and increase in the elastic modulus of dentin (17.2GPa to 24.3GPa). Opalescence™ treatments did not significantly affect the enamel properties, but did result in a decrease in modulus of dentin (18.5GPa to 15.1GPa). Additionally, as expected, UltraEtch™ treatment decreased the modulus and hardness of enamel (48.7GPa to 38.0GPa and 1.9GPa to 1.5GPa, respectively) and dentin (21.4GPa to 15.0GPa and 1.9GPa to 1.5GPa, respectively). Changes in the mechanical properties were linked to altered protein concentration within the tooth, as evidenced by fluorescence microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. PMID:20346902

In Vivo Estimation of Perineal Body Properties Using Ultrasound Quasistatic Elastography in Nulliparous Women

PubMed Central

Chen, Luyun; Low, Lisa Kane; DeLancey, John OL; Ashton-Miller, James A

2015-01-01

Objective The perineal body must undergo a remarkable transformation during pregnancy to accommodate an estimated stretch ratio of over 3.3 in order to permit vaginal delivery of the fetal head. Yet measurements of perineal body elastic properties are lacking in vivo, whether in the pregnant or non-pregnant state. The objective of this study, therefore, was to develop a method for measuring perineal body elastic modulus and to test its feasibility in young nulliparous women. Methods An UltraSONIX RP500 ultrasound system was equipped with elastography software. Approximately 1 Hz free-hand sinusoidal compression loading of the perineum was used to measure the relative stiffness of the perineal body compared to that of a custom reference standoff pad with a modulus of 36.7 kPa. Measurements were made in 20 healthy nulliparous women. Four subjects were invited back for second and third visits to evaluate within- and between-visit repeatability using the coefficient of variation. Results The mean± SD elastic compression modulus of the perineal body was 28.9 ± 4.7 kPa. Within- and between-visit repeatability averaged 3.4% and 8.3%, respectively. Conclusion Ultrasound elastography using a standoff pad reference provides a valid method for evaluating the elastic modulus of the perineal body in living women. PMID:25801422

Effect of sintering temperatures on the in vitro bioactivity, molecular structure and mechanical properties of titanium/carbonated hydroxyapatite nanobiocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youness, Rasha A.; Taha, Mohammed A.; Ibrahim, Medhat A.

2017-12-01

Titanium-containing carbonated hydroxyapatite (Ti-CHA) nanocomposite powders, with different CHA contents, have been prepared using high-energy ball milling method. The effect of sintering temperatures, 900, 1100 and 1300 °C on molecular structure and microstructure of these samples were examined by XRD; Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Furthermore, their mechanical properties including hardness, longitudinal modulus, Young's modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus and Poisson's ratio were measured by ultrasonic non-destructive technique. Moreover, bioactivity of sintered samples at different firing temperatures was assessed by immersing them in simulated body fluid at 37 ± 0.5 °C for 7 days and then, analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy. The results pointed out that increasing sintering temperature up to 1100 °C caused significant increases in densities and mechanical properties of these nanocomposite samples. However, further increase of firing temperature to 1300 °C was responsible for complete CHA decomposition and the resultant α-tricalcium (α-TCP) phase greatly affected these properties. On the contrary, better bioactivity was observed for sintered samples at 900 °C only. However, increase of sintering temperature of these samples up to 1300 °C led to severe decrease in their bioactivity due to the formation of highly soluble α-TCP phase.

Persistent Nature of Secondary Diurnal Modes of Precipitation over Oceanic and Continental Regimes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, S.; Kuo, K.-S.; Smith, E.

2007-01-01

This investigation seeks a better understanding of the assorted mechanisms controlling the global distribution of precipitation diurnal variability based on the use of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) microwave radiometer and radar data. The horizontal distributions of precipitation's diurnal cycle are derived from eight years of TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) measurements involving three TRMM standard rain rate retrieval algorithms -- the resultant distributions analyzed at various spatiotemporal scales. The results reveal the prominent and expected late-evening to early-morning (LE-EM) precipitation maxima over oceans and the counterpart prominent and expected mid- to late-afternoon (MLA) maxima over continents. Moreover, and not generally recognized, the results reveal a widespread distribution of secondary maxima occurring over both oceans and continents -- maxima which generally mirror their counterpart regime's behavior. That is, many ocean regions exhibit clearcut secondary MLA precipitation maxima while many continental regions exhibit just as evident secondary LE-EM maxima. This investigation is the first comprehensive study of these globally prevalent secondary maxima and their widespread nature, a type of study only made possible when the analysis procedure is applied to a high-quality global-scale precipitation dataset. The characteristics of the secondary maxima are mapped and described on global grids using an innovative clock-face format, while a current study to be published at a later date provides physically-based explanations of the seasonal-regional distributions of the secondary maxima. In addition to an "explicit" maxima identification scheme, a "Fourier decomposition" maxima identification scheme is used to examine the amplitude and phase properties of the primary and secondary maxima -- as well as tertiary and quaternary maxima. Accordingly, the advantages, ambiguities, and pitfalls resulting from use of Fourier harmonic analysis are explained.

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

Lopes, E.S.N.; Cremasco, A.; Afonso, C.R.M.

Aging heat treatment can be a good way to optimize mechanical properties, changing the microstructure, and hence, the mechanical behavior of Ti alloys. The effects of aging heat treatments on {beta}-type Ti-30Nb alloy were investigated to evaluate the kinetics of {alpha}'' {yields} {alpha} + {beta} transformation. The results obtained from differential scanning calorimetry and high-temperature X-ray diffraction experiments indicated the complete decomposition of orthorhombic {alpha}'' phase at close to 300 deg. C, followed by {alpha} phase precipitation at 470 deg. C. The aging heat treatments also enabled us to observe a transformation sequence {alpha}'' {yields} {beta} + {omega} {yields} {beta}more » + {omega} + {alpha}, indicating martensite decomposition and {omega} phase precipitation at 260 deg. C after 2 h, followed by {alpha} phase nucleation after heating at 400 deg. C for 1 h. The elastic modulus and Vickers hardness of Ti-30Nb alloy were found to be very sensitive to the microstructural changes caused by heat treatment. - Highlights: {yields} DSC and XRD shed light on the {alpha}'' decomposition and nucleation of {omega} and {alpha} phases. {yields} Aging allows for {alpha}''{yields}{beta} transformation and nucleation of {omega} dispersed in the {beta} matrix. {yields} During aging, {alpha}'' interplanar distances are reduced to enable {beta} phase nucleation. {yields} Mechanical behavior is dependent on the microstructure and the phases in the alloy. {yields} It is not possible to obtain high strength and low elastic modulus by applying aging.« less

Effect of increasing concentration of Na2O on structural, elastic and optical properties of (90  -  x)GeO2-xNa2O-10PbO glass system in the germanate anomaly region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainudin, C. N.; Hisam, R.; Yusof, M. I. M.; Yahya, A. K.; Halimah, M. K.

2017-10-01

Ternary germanate glasses (90  -  x)GeO2-xNa2O-10PbO (x  =  10-30 mol%) have been prepared by the melt-quenching method. Density, ρ increased with Na2O content up to maxima at 20 mol% while molar volume, V a showed an opposite trend to the density, with a minima at 20 mol% of Na2O content indicating the presence of the germanate anomaly. Ultrasonic velocity measurements showed both longitudinal, v l and shear, v s velocities increased up to 20 mol% before decreasing with further addition of Na2O. Independent longitudinal, L and shear, G moduli along with Young’s modulus, Y, mean sound velocity, v m, Debye temperature, θ D, and hardness, H recorded maximum values at 20 mol% of Na2O content which were suggested to be related to the germanate anomaly. Structural modification occurring due to conversion of six-membered GeO4 rings to three-membered rings of GeO4 changed bond density and compactness of the glass systems and caused the increase in rigidity and stiffness of the glasses. Beyond 20 mol% of Na2O, the decrease in the elastic moduli was due to depolymerization of the glass network. Meanwhile, optical energy gap, E opt exhibited a minima at 20 mol% whereas Urbach energy, E U and refractive index, n showed a maxima at the same concentration, thereby indicating variation in polarizability due to changes in concentration of bridging and non-bridging oxygen.

A comparative analysis of restorative materials used in abfraction lesions in tooth with and without occlusal restoration: Three-dimensional finite element analysis

PubMed Central

Srirekha, A; Bashetty, Kusum

2013-01-01

Objectives: The present comparative analysis aimed at evaluating the mechanical behavior of various restorative materials in abfraction lesion in the presence and absence of occlusal restoration. Materials and Methods: A three-dimensional finite-element analysis was performed. Six experimental models of mandibular first premolar were generated and divided into two groups (groups A and B) of three each. All the groups had cervical abfraction lesion restored with materials and in addition group A had class I occlusal restoration. A load of 90 N, 200 N, and 400 N were applied at 45° loading angle on the buccal inclines of buccal cusp and Von Mises stresses was chosen for analysis. Results: In all the models, the values of stress recorded at the cervical margin of the restorations were at their maxima. Irrespective of the occlusal restoration, all the materials performed well at 90 N and 200 N. At 400 N, only low-shrink composite showed stresses lesser than its tensile strength indicating its success even at higher load. Conclusion: Irrespective of occlusal restoration, restorative materials with low modulus of elasticity are successful in abfraction lesions at moderate tensile stresses; whereas materials with higher modulus of elasticity and mechanical properties can support higher loads and resist wear. Significance: The model allows comparison of different restorative materials for restoration of abfraction lesions in the presence and absence of occlusal restoration. The model can be used to validate more sophisticated computational models as well as to conduct various optimization studies. PMID:23716970

Plantago maxima leaves extract inhibits adipogenic action of a high-fat diet in female Wistar rats.

PubMed

Tinkov, Alexey A; Nemereshina, Olga N; Popova, Elizaveta V; Polyakova, Valentina S; Gritsenko, Viktor A; Nikonorov, Alexandr A

2014-04-01

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the content of biologically active compounds producing an antioxidant effect in Plantago maxima and their influence on main mechanisms of dietary obesity development. Biologically active compounds in P. maxima were tested using paper chromatography. In in vivo experiment, high-fat-fed Wistar rats obtained P. maxima water extract for 3 months. Morphometric parameters, weight gain, serum adipokines, and cytokines, as well as oxidative stress biomarkers in rats’ tissues were evaluated. Gut microflora was also examined. Plantago maxima leaves used in the experiment contained significant amount of flavonoids, iridoids, phenol carboxylic acids, and tannins and ascorbic acid. Our in vivo experiment data demonstrate that P. maxima water extract prevents excessive adiposity in a diet-induced model. P. maxima consumption reduced serum leptin (twofold), macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (sevenfold), tumornecrosis factor-α (25%), and interleukine-6 (26%) levels. P. maxima water extract decreased adipose tissue oxidative stress biomarkers in rats fed a high-fat diet. In addition, increased bacterial growth in the diet-induced obesity model was reversed by the P. maxima extract treatment. Plantago maxima water extract possessed antiadipogenic, antidiabetic, antiinflammatory, antioxidant activity, and normalized gut microflora in a rat model of diet-induced excessive adiposity due to a high content of biologically active compounds.

Macroscopic and Microstructural Aspects of the Transformation Behavior in a Polycrystalline NiTi Shape Memory Alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benafan, Othmane; Noebe, Ronald D.; Padula, Santo A., II; Lerch, Bradley A.; Bigelow, Glen S.; Gaydosh, Darrell J.; Garg, Anita; An, Ke; Vaidyanathan, Raj

2013-01-01

The mechanical and microstructural behavior of a polycrystalline Ni(49.9)Ti(50.1) (at.%) shape memory alloy was investigated as a function of temperature around the transformation regime. The bulk macroscopic responses, measured using ex situ tensile deformation and impulse excitation tests, were compared to the microstructural evolution captured using in situ neutron diffraction. The onset stress for inelastic deformation and dynamic Young's modulus were found to decrease with temperature, in the martensite regime, reaching a significant minimum at approximately 80 C followed by an increase in both properties, attributed to the martensite to austenite transformation. The initial decrease in material compliance during heating affected the ease with which martensite reorientation and detwinning could occur, ultimately impacting the stress for inelastic deformation prior to the start of the reverse transformation.

Characterization of the Eimeria maxima sporozoite surface protein IMP1

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The purpose of this study was to characterize Eimeria maxima immunoprotective protein IMP1 that is hypothesized to play a role in eliciting protective immunity against E. maxima infection in chickens. RT-PCR analysis of RNA from unsporulated and sporulating E. maxima oocysts revealed highest transc...

Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy of Porous Silicas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guiton, Theresa Anne

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) specular reflectance spectroscopy was used to examine the fundamental phonon behavior of a series of porous silicas including porous Vycor, xerogels, aerogels, and colloidal solids. The spectra were deconvoluted using Kramers-Kronig analysis techniques, and the corresponding optical constants were determined via the Fresnel equations. The resulting spectra represent the first compilation of such data for low density silicas. The porous silicas revealed unique resonance modes for the imaginary dielectric function and energy loss function. A key distinction amongst the spectra was the change in the band shape of the antisymmetric Si-O-Si stretching modes. For instance, as the porosity level of the particulate systems increased, the peak maxima of the imaginary dielectric functions shifted to higher frequencies while the peak maxima of the associated energy loss function shifted to lower frequencies. In essence, with increasing porosity, the peak maxima of the imaginary dielectric functions and the energy loss functions were converging towards frequencies intermediate to the transverse optical and longitudinal optical modes of fused silica. A similar trend was not observed for the semi-continuous silica matrices. Maxwell Garnett effective medium modeling verified that these modes were a function of the porous microstructure and can be attributed to surface phonon modes. The effect of surface phonon modes was also evident in the absorption coefficient data. However, contrary to the traditional view that changes in the absorption spectra of porous silicas are strictly due to molecular structure, this study has demonstrated that variations can be attributed--both qualitatively and quantitatively--to electrostatic screening effects of finite particles.

Elastic and microplastic properties of titanium in different structural states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kardashev, B. K.; Betekhtin, V. I.; Kadomtsev, A. G.; Narykova, M. V.; Kolobov, Yu. R.

2017-09-01

The behavior of elastic (Young's modulus) and microplastic properties of titanium depending on the initial structure and subsequent severe plastic deformation that transforms the material (concerning the grain size) into the submicrocrystalline structural state has been studied. It has been shown that, to a great extent, different initial structures of the metal predetermine its elastic properties after deformation.

X-ray-diffraction study of californium metal to 16 GPa

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

Peterson, J.R.; Benedict, U.; Dufour, C.

1983-01-01

The first series of measurements to determine the structural behavior of californium (Cf) metal under pressure has been carried out. The initial dhcp structure transformed sluggishly with increasing pressure to a fcc structure. A bulk modulus of 50(5) GPa was derived for dhcp Cf metal from the relative volume (V/V/sub 0/) data to 10 GPa.

Ultrasonic backscatter imaging by shear-wave-induced echo phase encoding of target locations.

PubMed

McAleavey, Stephen

2011-01-01

We present a novel method for ultrasound backscatter image formation wherein lateral resolution of the target is obtained by using traveling shear waves to encode the lateral position of targets in the phase of the received echo. We demonstrate that the phase modulation as a function of shear wavenumber can be expressed in terms of a Fourier transform of the lateral component of the target echogenicity. The inverse transform, obtained by measurements of the phase modulation over a range of shear wave spatial frequencies, yields the lateral scatterer distribution. Range data are recovered from time of flight as in conventional ultrasound, yielding a B-mode-like image. In contrast to conventional ultrasound imaging, where mechanical or electronic focusing is used and lateral resolution is determined by aperture size and wavelength, we demonstrate that lateral resolution using the proposed method is independent of the properties of the aperture. Lateral resolution of the target is achieved using a stationary, unfocused, single-element transducer. We present simulated images of targets of uniform and non-uniform shear modulus. Compounding for speckle reduction is demonstrated. Finally, we demonstrate image formation with an unfocused transducer in gelatin phantoms of uniform shear modulus.

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

Shojaee, S. A.; Qi, Y.; Wang, Y. Q.

Ion irradiation is an alternative to heat treatment for transforming organic-inorganic thin films to a ceramic state. One major shortcoming in previous studies of ion-irradiated films is the assumption that constituent phases in ion-irradiated and heat-treated films are identical and that the ion irradiation effect is limited to changes in composition. Here, we investigate the effects of ion irradiation on both the composition and structure of constituent phases and use the results to explain the measured elastic modulus of the films. Our results indicated that the microstructure of the irradiated films consisted of carbon clusters within a silica matrix. Itmore » was found that carbon was present in a non-graphitic sp 2-bonded configuration. It was also observed that ion irradiation caused a decrease in the Si-O-Si bond angle of silica, similar to the effects of applied pressure. A phase transformation from tetrahedrally bonded to octahedrally bonded silica was also observed. The results indicated the incorporation of carbon within the silica network. Finally, a combination of the decrease in Si-O-Si bond angle and an increase in the carbon incorporation within the silica network was found to be responsible for the increase in the elastic modulus of the films.« less

Development of Biodegradable and Injectable Macromers Based on Poly(Ethylene Glycol) and Diacid Monomers

PubMed Central

Kim, Jinku; Yaszemski, Michael J.; Lu, Lichun

2010-01-01

Novel biodegradable injectable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based macromers were synthesized by reacting low molecular weight PEG (MW: 200) and dicarboxylic acids such as sebacic acid or terephthalic acid. Chemical structures of the resulting polymers were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy characterizations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that these polymers were completely amorphous above room temperature. After photopolymerization, dynamic elastic shear modulus of the crosslinked polymers was up to 1.5 MPa and compressive modulus was up to 2.2 MPa depending on the polymer composition. The in vitro degradation study showed that mass losses of these polymers were gradually decreased over 23 weeks of period in simulated body fluid. By incorporating up to 30 wt% of 2-hydroxyethyl methylmethacrylate (HEMA) into the crosslinking network, the dynamic elastic modulus and compressive modulus was significantly increased up to 7.2 MPa and 3.2 MPa, respectively. HEMA incorporation also accelerated degradation as indicated by significantly higher mass loss of up to 27% after 20 weeks of incubation. Cytocompatability studies using osteoblasts and neural cells revealed that cell metabolic activity on these polymers with or without HEMA was close to the control tissue culture polystyrene. The PEG based macromers developed in this study may be useful as scaffolds or cell carriers for tissue engineering applications. PMID:18655146

Dielectric relaxation and electronic structure of double perovskite Sr{sub 2}FeSbO{sub 6}

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

Dutta, Alo; Sinha, T. P.; Shannigrahi, Santiranjan

2008-09-15

The dielectric property and the electronic structure of a double perovskite, Sr{sub 2}FeSbO{sub 6} (SFS) synthesized by solid state reaction technique are investigated. The x-ray diffraction of the sample taken at room temperature shows cubic phase. The scanning electron micrograph of the sample also confirms the formation of the single phase of the material. We have measured the capacitance and conductance of SFS in a frequency range from 50 Hz to 1 MHz and in a temperature range from 163 to 463 K. A relaxation is observed in the entire temperature range as a gradual decrease in {epsilon}{sup '}({omega}) andmore » as a broad peak in {epsilon}{sup ''}({omega}). The frequency dependent electrical data are analyzed in the framework of conductivity and electric modulus formalisms. The frequencies corresponding to the maxima of the imaginary electric modulus at various temperatures are found to obey an Arrhenius law with an activation energy of 0.74 eV. The Cole-Cole model is used to study the dielectric relaxation of SFS. The scaling behavior of imaginary part of electric modulus suggests that the relaxation describes the same mechanism at various temperatures. The frequency dependent conductivity spectra follow the universal power law. The electronic structure of the SFS is studied by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). Its valence band consists mainly of the oxygen 2p-states hybridized with the Fe 3d-states. The XPS spectra are investigated by the first principles full potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The angular momentum projected total and partial density of states obtained from first principles calculation are used to analyze the XPS results of the sample. The calculated electronic structures of SFS are qualitatively similar to those of the XPS spectra in terms of spectral features, energy positions, and relative intensities. The electronic structure calculation reveals that the electrical properties of SFS are dominated by the interaction between transition-metal and oxygen ions.« less

Sensitive and specific identification by polymerase chain reaction of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima, important protozoan pathogens in laboratory avian facilities.

PubMed

Lee, Hyun-A; Hong, Sunhwa; Chung, Yungho; Kim, Okjin

2011-09-01

Eimeria tenella and Eimeria maxima are important pathogens causing intracellular protozoa infections in laboratory avian animals and are known to affect experimental results obtained from contaminated animals. This study aimed to find a fast, sensitive, and efficient protocol for the molecular identification of E. tenella and E. maxima in experimental samples using chickens as laboratory avian animals. DNA was extracted from fecal samples collected from chickens and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis was employed to detect E. tenella and E. maxima from the extracted DNA. The target nucleic acid fragments were specifically amplified by PCR. Feces secreting E. tenella and E. maxima were detected by a positive PCR reaction. In this study, we were able to successfully detect E. tenella and E. maxima using the molecular diagnostic method of PCR. As such, we recommended PCR for monitoring E. tenella and E. maxima in laboratory avian facilities.

Characterization of the Eimeria maxima sporozoite surface protein IMP1.

PubMed

Jenkins, M C; Fetterer, R; Miska, K; Tuo, W; Kwok, O; Dubey, J P

2015-07-30

The purpose of this study was to characterize Eimeria maxima immune-mapped protein 1 (IMP1) that is hypothesized to play a role in eliciting protective immunity against E. maxima infection in chickens. RT-PCR analysis of RNA from unsporulated and sporulating E. maxima oocysts revealed highest transcription levels at 6-12h of sporulation with a considerable downregulation thereafter. Alignment of IMP1 coding sequence from Houghton, Weybridge, and APU-1 strains of E. maxima revealed single nucleotide polymorphisms that in some instances led to amino acid changes in the encoded protein sequence. The E. maxima (APU-1) IMP1 cDNA sequence was cloned and expressed in 2 different polyHis Escherichia coli expression vectors. Regardless of expression vector, recombinant E. maxima IMP1 (rEmaxIMP1) was fairly unstable in non-denaturing buffer, which is consistent with stability analysis of the primary amino acid sequence. Antisera specific for rEmaxIMP1 identified a single 72 kDa protein or a 61 kDa protein by non-reducing or reducing SDS-PAGE/immunoblotting. Immunofluorescence staining with anti-rEmaxIMP1, revealed intense surface staining of E. maxima sporozoites, with negligible staining of merozoite stages. Immuno-histochemical staining of E. maxima-infected chicken intestinal tissue revealed staining of E. maxima developmental stages in the lamnia propia and crypts at both 24 and 48 h post-infection, and negligible staining thereafter. The expression of IMP1 during early stages of in vivo development and its location on the sporozoite surface may explain in part the immunoprotective effect of this protein against E. maxima infection. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effect of intra-oral aging on t→m phase transformation, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Y-TZP dental ceramics.

PubMed

Miragaya, Luciana Meireles; Guimarães, Renato Bastos; Souza, Rodrigo Othávio de Assunção E; Santos Botelho, Glauco Dos; Antunes Guimarães, José Guilherme; da Silva, Eduardo Moreira

2017-08-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of intra-oral aging on the tetragonal-to-monoclinic (t→m) phase transformation of two Y-TZP dental ceramics - Lava Frame (Frame) and Lava Plus (Plus) - and determine the impact of this response on their microstructures and mechanical properties: flexural strength, Young's modulus, microhardness and fracture toughness. Standardized ceramic specimens were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). After the baseline analysis, the specimens were attached to personalized intra-oral resin appliances and exposed to the oral cavity of 20 subjects for 60 days and then analyzed again. Specimens produced for mechanical properties evaluation were also analyzed before and after the 60-day intra-oral aging. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey HSD's post hoc test (α=0.05). Weibull analysis was used to evaluate the strength reliability. Both Y-TZP ceramics suffered t→m phase transformation after 60-day intra-oral aging (Plus=4.7%/Frame=7.7%). SEM and AFM analyses showed dislodgement of ZrO 2 grains and a significant increase in roughness after intra-oral aging for both ceramics. Both Y-TZP ceramics suffered a decrease on flexural strength, Young's modulus and fracture toughness after intra-oral aging (p<0.05). Only Plus presented a decrease of microhardness after intra-oral aging (p<0.05). Intra-oral aging for 60 days produced t→m phase transformation, changed the microstructure and decreased the mechanical properties of two Y-TZP dental ceramics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alteration of dentin-enamel mechanical properties due to dental whitening treatments.

PubMed

Zimmerman, B; Datko, L; Cupelli, M; Alapati, S; Dean, D; Kennedy, M

2010-05-01

The mechanical properties of dentin and enamel affect the reliability and wear properties of a tooth. This study investigated the influence of clinical dental treatments and procedures, such as whitening treatments or etching prior to restorative procedures. Both autoclaved and non-autoclaved teeth were studied in order to allow for both comparison with published values and improved clinical relevance. Nanoindentation analysis with the Oliver-Pharr model provided elastic modulus and hardness across the dentin-enamel junction (DEJ). Large increases were observed in the elastic modulus of enamel in teeth that had been autoclaved (52.0 GPa versus 113.4 GPa), while smaller increases were observed in the dentin (17.9 GPa versus 27.9 GPa). Likewise, there was an increase in the hardness of enamel (2.0 GPa versus 4.3 GPa) and dentin (0.5 GPa versus 0.7 GPa) with autoclaving. These changes suggested that the range of elastic modulus and hardness values previously reported in the literature may be partially due to the sterilization procedures. Treatment of the exterior of non-autoclaved teeth with Crest Whitestrips, Opalescence or UltraEtch caused changes in the mechanical properties of both the enamel and dentin. Those treated with Crest Whitestrips showed a reduction in the elastic modulus of enamel (55.3 GPa to 32.7 GPa) and increase in the elastic modulus of dentin (17.2 GPa to 24.3 GPa). Opalescence treatments did not significantly affect the enamel properties, but did result in a decrease in the modulus of dentin (18.5 GPa to 15.1 GPa). Additionally, as expected, UltraEtch treatment decreased the modulus and hardness of enamel (48.7 GPa to 38.0 GPa and 1.9 GPa to 1.5 GPa, respectively) and dentin (21.4 GPa to 15.0 GPa and 1.9 GPa to 1.5 GPa, respectively). Changes in the mechanical properties were linked to altered protein concentration within the tooth, as evidenced by fluorescence microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Phase Retrieval from Modulus Using Homeomorphic Signal Processing and the Complex Cepstrum: An Algorithm for Lightning Protection Systems

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

Clark, G A

2004-06-08

In general, the Phase Retrieval from Modulus problem is very difficult. In this report, we solve the difficult, but somewhat more tractable case in which we constrain the solution to a minimum phase reconstruction. We exploit the real-and imaginary part sufficiency properties of the Fourier and Hilbert Transforms of causal sequences to develop an algorithm for reconstructing spectral phase given only spectral modulus. The algorithm uses homeomorphic signal processing methods with the complex cepstrum. The formal problem of interest is: Given measurements of only the modulus {vert_bar}H(k){vert_bar} (no phase) of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) of a real, finite-length, stable,more » causal time domain signal h(n), compute a minimum phase reconstruction {cflx h}(n) of the signal. Then compute the phase of {cflx h}(n) using a DFT, and exploit the result as an estimate of the phase of h(n). The development of the algorithm is quite involved, but the final algorithm and its implementation are very simple. This work was motivated by a Phase Retrieval from Modulus Problem that arose in LLNL Defense Sciences Engineering Division (DSED) projects in lightning protection for buildings. The measurements are limited to modulus-only spectra from a spectrum analyzer. However, it is desired to perform system identification on the building to compute impulse responses and transfer functions that describe the amount of lightning energy that will be transferred from the outside of the building to the inside. This calculation requires knowledge of the entire signals (both modulus and phase). The algorithm and software described in this report are proposed as an approach to phase retrieval that can be used for programmatic needs. This report presents a brief tutorial description of the mathematical problem and the derivation of the phase retrieval algorithm. The efficacy of the theory is demonstrated using simulated signals that meet the assumptions of the algorithm. We see that for the noiseless case, the reconstructions are extremely accurate. When moderate to heavy simulated white Gaussian noise was added, the algorithm performance remained reasonably robust, especially in the low frequency part of the spectrum, which is the part of most interest for lightning protection. Limitations of the algorithm include the following: (1) It does not account for noise in the given spectral modulus. Fortunately, the lightning protection signals of interest generally have a reasonably high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). (2) The DFT length N must be even and larger than the length of the nonzero part of the measured signals. These constraints are simple to meet in practice. (3) Regardless of the properties of the actual signal h(n), the phase retrieval results are constrained to have the minimum phase property. In most problems of practical interest, these assumptions are very reasonable and probably valid. They are reasonable assumptions for Lightning Protection applications. Proposed future work includes (a) Evaluating the efficacy of the algorithm with real Lightning Protection signals from programmatic applications, (b) Performing a more rigorous analysis of noise effects, (c) Using the algorithm along with advanced system identification algorithms to estimate impulse responses and transfer functions, (d) Developing algorithms to deal with measured partial (truncated) spectral moduli, and (e) R & D of phase retrieval algorithms that specifically deal with general (not necessarily minimum phase) signals, and noisy spectral moduli.« less

Isotropic scalar image visualization of vector differential image data using the inverse Riesz transform.

PubMed

Larkin, Kieran G; Fletcher, Peter A

2014-03-01

X-ray Talbot moiré interferometers can now simultaneously generate two differential phase images of a specimen. The conventional approach to integrating differential phase is unstable and often leads to images with loss of visible detail. We propose a new reconstruction method based on the inverse Riesz transform. The Riesz approach is stable and the final image retains visibility of high resolution detail without directional bias. The outline Riesz theory is developed and an experimentally acquired X-ray differential phase data set is presented for qualitative visual appraisal. The inverse Riesz phase image is compared with two alternatives: the integrated (quantitative) phase and the modulus of the gradient of the phase. The inverse Riesz transform has the computational advantages of a unitary linear operator, and is implemented directly as a complex multiplication in the Fourier domain also known as the spiral phase transform.

Isotropic scalar image visualization of vector differential image data using the inverse Riesz transform

PubMed Central

Larkin, Kieran G.; Fletcher, Peter A.

2014-01-01

X-ray Talbot moiré interferometers can now simultaneously generate two differential phase images of a specimen. The conventional approach to integrating differential phase is unstable and often leads to images with loss of visible detail. We propose a new reconstruction method based on the inverse Riesz transform. The Riesz approach is stable and the final image retains visibility of high resolution detail without directional bias. The outline Riesz theory is developed and an experimentally acquired X-ray differential phase data set is presented for qualitative visual appraisal. The inverse Riesz phase image is compared with two alternatives: the integrated (quantitative) phase and the modulus of the gradient of the phase. The inverse Riesz transform has the computational advantages of a unitary linear operator, and is implemented directly as a complex multiplication in the Fourier domain also known as the spiral phase transform. PMID:24688823

Theory of the amplitude-phase retrieval in any linear-transform system and its applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Guozhen; Gu, Ben-Yuan; Dong, Bi-Zhen

1992-12-01

This paper is a summary of the theory of the amplitude-phase retrieval problem in any linear transform system and its applications based on our previous works in the past decade. We describe the general statement on the amplitude-phase retrieval problem in an imaging system and derive a set of equations governing the amplitude-phase distribution in terms of the rigorous mathematical derivation. We then show that, by using these equations and an iterative algorithm, a variety of amplitude-phase problems can be successfully handled. We carry out the systematic investigations and comprehensive numerical calculations to demonstrate the utilization of this new algorithm in various transform systems. For instance, we have achieved the phase retrieval from two intensity measurements in an imaging system with diffraction loss (non-unitary transform), both theoretically and experimentally, and the recovery of model real image from its Hartley-transform modulus only in one and two dimensional cases. We discuss the achievement of the phase retrieval problem from a single intensity only based on the sampling theorem and our algorithm. We also apply this algorithm to provide an optimal design of the phase-adjusted plate for a phase-adjustment focusing laser accelerator and a design approach of single phase-only element for implementing optical interconnect. In order to closely simulate the really measured data, we examine the reconstruction of image from its spectral modulus corrupted by a random noise in detail. The results show that the convergent solution can always be obtained and the quality of the recovered image is satisfactory. We also indicated the relationship and distinction between our algorithm and the original Gerchberg- Saxton algorithm. From these studies, we conclude that our algorithm shows great capability to deal with the comprehensive phase-retrieval problems in the imaging system and the inverse problem in solid state physics. It may open a new way to solve important inverse source problems extensively appearing in physics.

Incorporation of a recombinant Eimeria maxima IMP1 antigen into nanoparticles confers protective immunity against E. maxima challenge infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The purpose of this study was to determine if incorporating a recombinant Eimeria maxima protein, namely rEmaxIMP1, into gold nanoparticles (NP) could improve the level of protective immunity against E. maxima challenge infection. Recombinant EmaxIMP1 was expressed in Escherchia coli as a poly-His f...

High-precision measurements of the compressibility of chalcogenide glasses at a hydrostatic pressure up to 9 GPa

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

Brazhkin, V. V., E-mail: brazhkin@hppi.troitsk.ru; Bychkov, E.; Tsiok, O. B.

2016-08-15

The volumes of glassy germanium chalcogenides GeSe{sub 2}, GeS{sub 2}, Ge{sub 17}Se{sub 83}, and Ge{sub 8}Se{sub 92} are precisely measured at a hydrostatic pressure up to 8.5 GPa. The stoichiometric GeSe{sub 2} and GeS{sub 2} glasses exhibit elastic behavior in the pressure range up to 3 GPa, and their bulk modulus decreases at pressures higher than 2–2.5 GPa. At higher pressures, inelastic relaxation processes begin and their intensity is proportional to the logarithm of time. The relaxation rate for the GeSe{sub 2} glasses has a pronounced maximum at 3.5–4.5 GPa, which indicates the existence of several parallel structural transformation mechanisms.more » The nonstoichiometric glasses exhibit a diffuse transformation and inelastic behavior at pressures above 1–2 GPa. The maximum relaxation rate in these glasses is significantly lower than that in the stoichiometric GeSe{sub 2} glasses. All glasses are characterized by the “loss of memory” of history: after relaxation at a fixed pressure, the further increase in the pressure returns the volume to the compression curve obtained without a stop for relaxation. After pressure release, the residual densification in the stoichiometric glasses is about 7% and that in the Ge{sub 17}Se{sub 83} glasses is 1.5%. The volume of the Ge{sub 8}Se{sub 92} glass returns to its initial value within the limits of experimental error. As the pressure decreases, the effective bulk moduli of the Ge{sub 17}Se{sub 83} and Ge{sub 8}Se{sub 92} glasses coincide with the moduli after isobaric relaxation at the stage of increasing pressure, and the bulk modulus of the stoichiometric GeSe{sub 2} glass upon decreasing pressure noticeably exceeds the bulk modulus after isobaric relaxation at the stage of increasing pressure. Along with the reported data, our results can be used to draw conclusions regarding the diffuse transformations in glassy germanium chalcogenides during compression.« less

Computational study of electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of X3PbO (X = Ca, Sr, Ba) anti-perovskites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, M.; Arshad, I.; Mahmood, Q.

2017-11-01

We report the structural, electronic, optical and thermoelectric (TE) properties of X3PbO (X = Ca, Sr, Ba) anti-perovskites as a function of X cations belonging to the group IIA. The computations are done by using the most recently introduced modified Becke-Johnson potential. It has been observed that the cubic lattice constant increases as the cations change from Ca to Ba, consequently, the bulk modulus reduces. The bottom of conduction band shows strong hybridization between Pb-6p, O-2p and X-s states, in contrast, valence band maxima are mainly manufactured by Pb-6p states. The anti-perovskites exhibit narrow direct band gap that show an inverse relation to the static real dielectric constants that verifies Penn’s model. In addition, the X cations induced tuning of the absorption edge in the visible and the ultraviolet energy suggest optical device applications. The computed TE parameters have been found sensitive to the X cations and have been demonstrated to be best suited for the TE devices operating at high temperatures.

High pressure effects on U L 3 x-ray absorption in partial fluorescence yield mode and single crystal x-ray diffraction in the heavy fermion compound UCd 11

DOE PAGES

Nasreen, Farzana; Antonio, Daniel; VanGennep, Derrick; ...

2016-02-15

© 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd. We report a study of high pressure x-ray absorption (XAS) performed in the partial fluorescence yield mode (PFY) at the U L 3 edge (0-28.2 GPa) and single crystal x-ray diffraction (SXD) (0-20 GPa) on the UCd 11 heavy fermion compound at room temperature. Under compression, the PFY-XAS results show that the white line is shifted by +4.1(3) eV at the highest applied pressure of 28.2 GPa indicating delocalization of the 5f electrons. The increase in full width at half maxima and decrease in relative amplitude of the white line with respect to the edgemore » jump point towards 6d band broadening under high pressure. A bulk modulus of K 0 = 62(1) GPa and its pressure derivative, = 4.9(2) was determined from high pressure SXD results. Both the PFY-XAS and diffraction results do not show any sign of a structural phase transition in the applied pressure range.« less

Network Formation in Piperidine-Cured Epoxy and Epoxy-Rubber Systems: Effects of Cure Time.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Oyen, Raquel M.; Carr, Stephen H.

1996-03-01

The system, piperidine-cured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) to which various amounts of carboxyl terminated acrylonitrile-butadiene (CTBN) have been added, is used as a model rubber modified thermoset. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of a low molecular weight (374 g/eq) epoxy, cured with piperidine at 120 degC, have been measured by differential scanning calorimetry in order to follow the curing process. The maximum Tg is found after curing for 16 hours. Systems that have been modified with varied concentrations of an adducted CTBN, also show Tg maxima at this time. Addition of 5-20in long-time T_gs, indicating complete segregation of the rubber. The T_gs of the CTBN modified systems at short times are higher than in the unmodified epoxy. This acceleration of the initial stage of cure indicates that the CTBN acts as a diluent, increasing the initial rate of reaction by changing the mobility of the reactive sites. The mechanical properties--toughness, yield and modulus--are related to the CTBN content and to the degree of cure of the system.

PML solution of longitudinal wave propagation in heterogeneous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farzanian, M.; Arbabi, Freydoon; Pak, Ronald

2016-06-01

This paper describes the development of a model for unbounded heterogeneous domains with radiation damping produced by an unphysical wave absorbing layer. The Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) approach is used along with a displacement-based finite element. The heterogeneous model is validated using the closed-form solution of a benchmark problem: a free rod with two-part modulus subjected to a specified time history. Both elastically supported and unsupported semi-infinite rods with different degrees of inhomogeneity and loading are considered. Numerical results illustrate the effects of inhomogeneity on the response and are compared with those for equivalent homogeneous domains. The effects of characteristic features of the inhomogeneous problem, presence of local maxima and cut-off frequency are determined. A degenerate case of a homogeneous semi-infinite rod on elastic foundations is produced by tending the magnitude of the foundation stiffness to zero. The response of the latter is compared with that of a free rod. The importance of proper selection of the PML parameters to highly accurate and efficient results is demonstrated by example problems.

Enhancement of thermal and mechanical properties of poly(MMA-co-BA)/Cloisite 30B nanocomposites by ultrasound-assisted in-situ emulsion polymerization.

PubMed

Sharma, Sachin; Kumar Poddar, Maneesh; Moholkar, Vijayanand S

2017-05-01

This study reports synthesis and characterization of poly(MMA-co-BA)/Cloisite 30B (organo-modified montmorillonite clay) nanocomposites by ultrasound-assisted in-situ emulsion polymerization. Copolymers have been synthesized with MMA:BA monomer ratio of 4:1, and varying clay loading (1-5wt% monomer). The poly(MMA-co-BA)/Cloisite 30B nanocomposites have been characterized for their thermal and mechanical properties. Ultrasonically synthesized nanocomposites have been revealed to possess higher thermal degradation resistance and mechanical strength than the nanocomposites synthesized using conventional techniques. These properties, however, show an optimum (or maxima) with clay loading. The maximum values of thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites with optimum clay loading are as follows. Thermal degradation temperatures: T 10% =320°C (4wt%), T 50 =373°C (4wt%), maximum degradation temperature=384°C (4wt%); glass transition temperature=64.8°C (4wt%); tensile strength=20MPa (2wt%), Young's modulus=1.31GPa (2wt%), Percentage elongation=17.5% (1wt%). Enhanced properties of poly(MMA-co-BA)/Cloisite 30B nanocomposites are attributed to effective exfoliation and dispersion of clay nanoparticles in copolymer matrix due to intense micro-convection induced by ultrasound and cavitation. Clay platelets help in effective heat absorption with maximum surface interaction/adhesion that results in increased thermal resistivity of nanocomposites. Hindered motion of the copolymer chains due to clay platelets results in enhancement of tensile strength and Young's modulus of nanocomposite. Rheological (liquid) study of the nanocomposites reveals that nanocomposites have higher yield stress and infinite shear viscosity than neat copolymer. Nonetheless, nanocomposites still display shear thinning behavior - which is typical of the neat copolymer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interpretation of the 'Trans European Suture Zone' by a multiscale aeromagnetic dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milano, Maurizio; Fedi, Maurizio

2015-04-01

One of the main goals in crustal geomagnetic prospecting is to obtain information about the sources of magnetic anomalies in order to model the geological structure of the Earth's crust. A "multiscale approach" is very useful to analyze, concurrently, the effects of sources placed at different depths, observing the potential field at various altitudes from the Earth's surface. The aim of this work is the study of the main geological structure of Central Europe, the "Trans European Suture Zone", using high-resolution aeromagnetic data. The 'TESZ' is the most prominent geological boundary in Europe, oriented NW-SE from the North Sea to the Black Sea and separating The Paleozoic platform in the south and west from the Precambrian East European craton. At high altitudes the European magnetic field is characterized by a large and extended magnetic low, which is related to the deep TESZ structure. The study of this anomaly field began by detecting the position of the anomaly sources using the properties of the Analytical Signal modulus (AS). The AS map presents anomalies in which the dipolar behavior of the magnetic anomaly field is substantially removed and the maxima are placed directly above the anomaly sources. The multiridge method has been applied to the Analytical Signal modulus in order to have information about the sources' depths in the TESZ region. Many profiles were tracked transversely to the fault line in order to map at depth the main magnetic discontinuities. Cause of the low heat flow of the Central Europe, we were able to get information also in the lower crust and to map the deep Moho discontinuity. Available geological sections based on seismic data show consistent results with our interpretation.

Insight into the Effects of Reinforcement Shape on Achieving Continuous Martensite Transformation in Phase Transforming Matrix Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xudong; Ren, Junqiang; Wang, Xiaofei; Zong, Hongxiang; Cui, Lishan; Ding, Xiangdong

2017-12-01

A continuous martensite transformation is indispensable for achieving large linear superelasticity and low modulus in phase transforming metal-based composites. However, determining how to accurately condition the residual martensite in a shape memory alloy matrix though the reinforcement shape to achieve continuous martensite transformation has been a challenge. Here, we take the finite element method to perform a comparative study of the effects of nanoinclusion shape on the interaction and martensite phase transformation in this new composite. Two typical samples are compared: one reinforced by metallic nanowires and the other by nanoparticles. We find that the residual martensite within the shape memory alloy matrix after a pretreatment can be tailored by the reinforcement shape. In particular, our results show that the shape memory alloy matrix can retain enough residual martensite phases to achieve continuous martensite transformation in the subsequent loading when the aspect ratio of nanoreinforcement is larger than 20. In contrast, the composites reinforced with spherical or low aspect ratio reinforcement show a typical nonlinear superelasticity as a result of a low stress transfer-induced discontinuous martensite transformation within the shape memory alloy matrix.

Maxwell: A semi-analytic 4D code for earthquake cycle modeling of transform fault systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandwell, David; Smith-Konter, Bridget

2018-05-01

We have developed a semi-analytic approach (and computational code) for rapidly calculating 3D time-dependent deformation and stress caused by screw dislocations imbedded within an elastic layer overlying a Maxwell viscoelastic half-space. The maxwell model is developed in the Fourier domain to exploit the computational advantages of the convolution theorem, hence substantially reducing the computational burden associated with an arbitrarily complex distribution of force couples necessary for fault modeling. The new aspect of this development is the ability to model lateral variations in shear modulus. Ten benchmark examples are provided for testing and verification of the algorithms and code. One final example simulates interseismic deformation along the San Andreas Fault System where lateral variations in shear modulus are included to simulate lateral variations in lithospheric structure.

Liquid-liquid phase transformations and the shape of the melting curve.

PubMed

Makov, G; Yahel, E

2011-05-28

The phase diagram of elemental liquids has been found to be surprisingly rich, including variations in the melting curve and transitions in the liquid phase. The effect of these transitions in the liquid state on the shape of the melting curve is analyzed. First-order phase transitions intersecting the melting curve imply piecewise continuous melting curves, with solid-solid transitions generating upward kinks or minima and liquid-liquid transitions generating downward kinks or maxima. For liquid-liquid phase transitions proposed for carbon, phosphorous selenium, and possibly nitrogen, we find that the melting curve exhibits a kink. Continuous transitions imply smooth extrema in the melting curve, the curvature of which is described by an exact thermodynamic relation. This expression indicates that a minimum in the melting curve requires the solid compressibility to be greater than that of the liquid, a very unusual situation. This relation is employed to predict the loci of smooth maxima at negative pressures for liquids with anomalous melting curves. The relation between the location of the melting curve maximum and the two-state model of continuous liquid-liquid transitions is discussed and illustrated by the case of tellurium. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Improved 2D/3D registration robustness using local spatial information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Momi, Elena; Eckman, Kort; Jaramaz, Branislav; DiGioia, Anthony, III

2006-03-01

Xalign is a tool designed to measure implant orientation after joint arthroplasty by co-registering a projection of an implant model and a digitally reconstructed radiograph of the patient's anatomy with a post operative x-ray. A mutual information based registration method is used to automate alignment. When using basic mutual information, the presence of local maxima can result in misregistration. To increase robustness of registration, our research is aimed at improving the similarity function by modifying the information measure and incorporating local spatial information. A test dataset with known groundtruth parameters was created to evaluate the performance of this measure. A synthetic radiograph was generated first from a preoperative pelvic CT scan to act as the gold standard. The voxel weights used to generate the image were then modified and new images were generated with the CT rigidly transformed. The roll, pitch and yaw angles span a range of -10/+10 degrees, while x, y and z translations range from -10mm to +10mm. These images were compared with the reference image. The proposed cost function correctly identified the correct pose in all tests and did not exhibit any local maxima which would slow or prevent locating the global maximum.

Comparative impacts of iron oxide nanoparticles and ferric ions on the growth of Citrus maxima.

PubMed

Hu, Jing; Guo, Huiyuan; Li, Junli; Gan, Qiuliang; Wang, Yunqiang; Xing, Baoshan

2017-02-01

The impacts of iron oxide nanoparticles (γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs) and ferric ions (Fe 3+ ) on plant growth and molecular responses associated with the transformation and transport of Fe 2+ were poorly understood. This study comprehensively compared and evaluated the physiological and molecular changes of Citrus maxima plants as affected by different levels of γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ . We found that γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs could enter plant roots but no translocation from roots to shoots was observed. 20 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs had no impact on plant growth. 50 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs significantly enhanced chlorophyll content by 23.2% and root activity by 23.8% as compared with control. However, 100 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs notably increased MDA formation, decreased chlorophyll content and root activity. Although Fe 3+ ions could be used by plants and promoted the synthesis of chlorophyll, they appeared to be more toxic than γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs, especially for 100 mg/L Fe 3+ . The impacts caused by γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ were concentration-dependent. Physiological results showed that γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs at proper concentrations had the potential to be an effective iron nanofertilizer for plant growth. RT-PCR analysis showed that γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs had no impact on AHA gene expression. 50 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ significantly increased expression levels of FRO2 gene and correspondingly had a higher ferric reductase activity compared to both control and Fe(II)-EDTA exposure, thus promoting the iron transformation and enhancing the tolerance of plants to iron deficiency. Relative levels of Nramp3 gene expression exposed to γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ were significantly lower than control, indicating that all γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ treatments could supply iron to C. maxima seedlings. Overall, plants can modify the speciation and transport of γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs or Fe 3+ for self-protection and development by activating many physiological and molecular processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The stress relaxation of cement clinkers under high temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiufang; Bao, Yiwang; Liu, Xiaogen; Qiu, Yan

2015-12-01

The energy consumption of crushing is directly affected by the mechanical properties of cement materials. This research provides a theoretical proof for the mechanism of the stress relaxation of cement clinkers under high temperature. Compression stress relaxation under various high temperatures is discussed using a specially developed load cell, which can measure stress and displacement under high temperatures inside an autoclave. The cell shows that stress relaxation dramatically increases and that the remaining stress rapidly decreases with an increase in temperature. Mechanical experiments are conducted under various temperatures during the cooling process to study the changes in the grinding resistance of the cement clinker with temperature. The effects of high temperature on the load-displacement curve, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of cement clinkers are systematically studied. Results show that the hardening phenomenon of the clinker becomes apparent with a decrease in temperature and that post-peak behaviors manifest characteristics of the transformation from plasticity to brittleness. The elastic modulus and compressive strength of cement clinkers increase with a decrease in temperature. The elastic modulus increases greatly when the temperature is lower than 1000 °C. The compressive strength of clinkers increases by 73.4% when the temperature drops from 1100 to 800 °C.

Weibull Modulus Estimated by the Non-linear Least Squares Method: A Solution to Deviation Occurring in Traditional Weibull Estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, T.; Griffiths, W. D.; Chen, J.

2017-11-01

The Maximum Likelihood method and the Linear Least Squares (LLS) method have been widely used to estimate Weibull parameters for reliability of brittle and metal materials. In the last 30 years, many researchers focused on the bias of Weibull modulus estimation, and some improvements have been achieved, especially in the case of the LLS method. However, there is a shortcoming in these methods for a specific type of data, where the lower tail deviates dramatically from the well-known linear fit in a classic LLS Weibull analysis. This deviation can be commonly found from the measured properties of materials, and previous applications of the LLS method on this kind of dataset present an unreliable linear regression. This deviation was previously thought to be due to physical flaws ( i.e., defects) contained in materials. However, this paper demonstrates that this deviation can also be caused by the linear transformation of the Weibull function, occurring in the traditional LLS method. Accordingly, it may not be appropriate to carry out a Weibull analysis according to the linearized Weibull function, and the Non-linear Least Squares method (Non-LS) is instead recommended for the Weibull modulus estimation of casting properties.

Infrared spectroscopy, nano-mechanical properties, and scratch resistance of esthetic orthodontic coated archwires.

PubMed

da Silva, Dayanne Lopes; Santos, Emanuel; Camargo, Sérgio de Souza; Ruellas, Antônio Carlos de Oliveira

2015-09-01

To evaluate the material composition, mechanical properties (hardness and elastic modulus), and scratch resistance of the coating of four commercialized esthetic orthodontic archwires. The coating composition of esthetic archwires was assessed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Coating hardness and elastic modulus were analyzed with instrumented nano-indentation tests. Scratch resistance of coatings was evaluated by scratch test. Coating micromorphologic characteristics after scratch tests were observed in a scanning electron microscope. Statistical differences were investigated using analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test. The FTIR results indicate that all analyzed coatings were markedly characterized by the benzene peak at about 1500 cm(-1). The coating hardness and elastic modulus average values ranged from 0.17 to 0.23 GPa and from 5.0 to 7.6 GPa, respectively. Scratch test showed a high coating elasticity after load removal with elastic recoveries >60%, but different failure features could be observed along the scratches. The coatings of esthetic archwires evaluated are probably a composite of polyester and polytetrafluoroethylene. Delamination, crack propagation, and debris generation could be observed along the coating scratches and could influence its durability in the oral environment.

Correlated multielectron dynamics in mid-infrared laser pulse interactions with neon atoms.

PubMed

Tang, Qingbin; Huang, Cheng; Zhou, Yueming; Lu, Peixiang

2013-09-09

The multielectron dynamics in nonsequential triple ionization (NSTI) of neon atoms driven by mid-infrared (MIR) laser pulses is investigated with the three-dimensional classical ensemble model. In consistent with the experimental result, our numerical result shows that in the MIR regime, the triply charged ion longitudinal momentum spectrum exhibits a pronounced double-hump structure at low laser intensity. Back analysis reveals that as the intensity increases, the responsible triple ionization channels transform from direct (e, 3e) channel to the various mixed channels. This transformation of the NSTI channels leads to the results that the shape of ion momentum spectra becomes narrow and the distinct maxima shift towards low momenta with the increase of the laser intensity. By tracing the triply ionized trajectories, the various ionization channels at different laser intensities are clearly identified and these results provide an insight into the complex dynamics of the correlated three electrons in NSTI.

Impacts of climate change on precipitation and discharge extremes through the use of statistical downscaling approaches in a Mediterranean basin.

PubMed

Piras, Monica; Mascaro, Giuseppe; Deidda, Roberto; Vivoni, Enrique R

2016-02-01

Mediterranean region is characterized by high precipitation variability often enhanced by orography, with strong seasonality and large inter-annual fluctuations, and by high heterogeneity of terrain and land surface properties. As a consequence, catchments in this area are often prone to the occurrence of hydrometeorological extremes, including storms, floods and flash-floods. A number of climate studies focused in the Mediterranean region predict that extreme events will occur with higher intensity and frequency, thus requiring further analyses to assess their effect at the land surface, particularly in small- and medium-sized watersheds. In this study, climate and hydrologic simulations produced within the Climate Induced Changes on the Hydrology of Mediterranean Basins (CLIMB) EU FP7 research project were used to analyze how precipitation extremes propagate into discharge extremes in the Rio Mannu basin (472.5km(2)), located in Sardinia, Italy. The basin hydrologic response to climate forcings in a reference (1971-2000) and a future (2041-2070) period was simulated through the combined use of a set of global and regional climate models, statistical downscaling techniques, and a process based distributed hydrologic model. We analyzed and compared the distribution of annual maxima extracted from hourly and daily precipitation and peak discharge time series, simulated by the hydrologic model under climate forcing. For this aim, yearly maxima were fit by the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution using a regional approach. Next, we discussed commonality and contrasting behaviors of precipitation and discharge maxima distributions to better understand how hydrological transformations impact propagation of extremes. Finally, we show how rainfall statistical downscaling algorithms produce more reliable forcings for hydrological models than coarse climate model outputs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new titanium based alloy Ti-27Nb-13Zr produced by powder metallurgy with biomimetic coating for use as a biomaterial.

PubMed

Mendes, Marcio W D; Ágreda, Carola G; Bressiani, Ana H A; Bressiani, José C

2016-06-01

Titanium alloys are widely used in biomedical applications due to their excellent properties such as high strength, good corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Titanium alloys with alloying elements such as Nb and Zr are biocompatible and have Young's modulus close to that of human bone. To increase the bioactivity of titanium alloy surfaces is used chemical treatment with NaOH followed by immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF). The purpose of this study was to produce the alloy Ti-27Nb-13Zr with low Young's modulus by powder metallurgy using powders produced by the HDH process. The formation of biomimetic coatings on samples immersed in SBF for 3, 7, 11 and 15 days was evaluated. Characterization of the coating was performed by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and scanning electron microscope. The microstructure and composition of the alloy were determined using SEM and XRD, while the mechanical properties were evaluated by determining the elastic modulus and the Vickers microhardness. The sintered alloys were composed of α and β phases, equiaxed grains and with density around 97.8% of its theoretical density. The Vickers microhardness and elasticity modulus of the alloy were determined and their values indicate that this alloy can be used as a biomaterial. Analysis of the coating revealed the presence of calcium phosphate layers on samples immersed for >3 days in the SBF solution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A single scan skeletonization algorithm: application to medical imaging of trabecular bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arlicot, Aurore; Amouriq, Yves; Evenou, Pierre; Normand, Nicolas; Guédon, Jean-Pierre

2010-03-01

Shape description is an important step in image analysis. The skeleton is used as a simple, compact representation of a shape. A skeleton represents the line centered in the shape and must be homotopic and one point wide. Current skeletonization algorithms compute the skeleton over several image scans, using either thinning algorithms or distance transforms. The principle of thinning is to delete points as one goes along, preserving the topology of the shape. On the other hand, the maxima of the local distance transform identifies the skeleton and is an equivalent way to calculate the medial axis. However, with this method, the skeleton obtained is disconnected so it is required to connect all the points of the medial axis to produce the skeleton. In this study we introduce a translated distance transform and adapt an existing distance driven homotopic algorithm to perform skeletonization with a single scan and thus allow the processing of unbounded images. This method is applied, in our study, on micro scanner images of trabecular bones. We wish to characterize the bone micro architecture in order to quantify bone integrity.

Conservation of proteins involved in oocyst wall formation in Eimeria maxima, Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina

PubMed Central

Belli, Sabina I.; Ferguson, David J.P.; Katrib, Marilyn; Slapetova, Iveta; Mai, Kelly; Slapeta, Jan; Flowers, Sarah A.; Miska, Kate B.; Tomley, Fiona M.; Shirley, Martin W.; Wallach, Michael G.; Smith, Nicholas C.

2009-01-01

Vaccination with proteins from gametocytes of Eimeria maxima protects chickens, via transfer of maternal antibodies, against infection with several species of Eimeria. Antibodies to E. maxima gametocyte proteins recognise proteins in the wall forming bodies of macrogametocytes and oocyst walls of E. maxima, Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina. Homologous genes for two major gametocyte proteins – GAM56 and GAM82 – were found in E. maxima, E. tenella and E. acervulina. Alignment of the predicted protein sequences of these genes reveals that, as well as sharing regions of tyrosine richness, strong homology exists in their amino-terminal regions, where protective antibodies bind. This study confirms the conservation of the roles of GAM56 and GAM82 in oocyst wall formation and shows that antibodies to gametocyte antigens of E. maxima cross-react with homologous proteins in other species, helping to explain cross-species maternal immunity. PMID:19477178

Variance analysis of forecasted streamflow maxima in a wet temperate climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Aamery, Nabil; Fox, James F.; Snyder, Mark; Chandramouli, Chandra V.

2018-05-01

Coupling global climate models, hydrologic models and extreme value analysis provides a method to forecast streamflow maxima, however the elusive variance structure of the results hinders confidence in application. Directly correcting the bias of forecasts using the relative change between forecast and control simulations has been shown to marginalize hydrologic uncertainty, reduce model bias, and remove systematic variance when predicting mean monthly and mean annual streamflow, prompting our investigation for maxima streamflow. We assess the variance structure of streamflow maxima using realizations of emission scenario, global climate model type and project phase, downscaling methods, bias correction, extreme value methods, and hydrologic model inputs and parameterization. Results show that the relative change of streamflow maxima was not dependent on systematic variance from the annual maxima versus peak over threshold method applied, albeit we stress that researchers strictly adhere to rules from extreme value theory when applying the peak over threshold method. Regardless of which method is applied, extreme value model fitting does add variance to the projection, and the variance is an increasing function of the return period. Unlike the relative change of mean streamflow, results show that the variance of the maxima's relative change was dependent on all climate model factors tested as well as hydrologic model inputs and calibration. Ensemble projections forecast an increase of streamflow maxima for 2050 with pronounced forecast standard error, including an increase of +30(±21), +38(±34) and +51(±85)% for 2, 20 and 100 year streamflow events for the wet temperate region studied. The variance of maxima projections was dominated by climate model factors and extreme value analyses.

Sparsity guided empirical wavelet transform for fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dong; Zhao, Yang; Yi, Cai; Tsui, Kwok-Leung; Lin, Jianhui

2018-02-01

Rolling element bearings are widely used in various industrial machines, such as electric motors, generators, pumps, gearboxes, railway axles, turbines, and helicopter transmissions. Fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings is beneficial to preventing any unexpected accident and reducing economic loss. In the past years, many bearing fault detection methods have been developed. Recently, a new adaptive signal processing method called empirical wavelet transform attracts much attention from readers and engineers and its applications to bearing fault diagnosis have been reported. The main problem of empirical wavelet transform is that Fourier segments required in empirical wavelet transform are strongly dependent on the local maxima of the amplitudes of the Fourier spectrum of a signal, which connotes that Fourier segments are not always reliable and effective if the Fourier spectrum of the signal is complicated and overwhelmed by heavy noises and other strong vibration components. In this paper, sparsity guided empirical wavelet transform is proposed to automatically establish Fourier segments required in empirical wavelet transform for fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings. Industrial bearing fault signals caused by single and multiple railway axle bearing defects are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed sparsity guided empirical wavelet transform. Results show that the proposed method can automatically discover Fourier segments required in empirical wavelet transform and reveal single and multiple railway axle bearing defects. Besides, some comparisons with three popular signal processing methods including ensemble empirical mode decomposition, the fast kurtogram and the fast spectral correlation are conducted to highlight the superiority of the proposed method.

Nonlinear softening of unconsolidated granular earth materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lieou, Charles K. C.; Daub, Eric G.; Guyer, Robert A.; Johnson, Paul A.

2017-09-01

Unconsolidated granular earth materials exhibit softening behavior due to external perturbations such as seismic waves, namely, the wave speed and elastic modulus decrease upon increasing the strain amplitude above dynamics strains of about 10-6 under near-surface conditions. In this letter, we describe a theoretical model for such behavior. The model is based on the idea that shear transformation zones—clusters of grains that are loose and susceptible to contact changes, particle displacement, and rearrangement—are responsible for plastic deformation and softening of the material. We apply the theory to experiments on simulated fault gouge composed of glass beads and demonstrate that the theory predicts nonlinear resonance shifts, reduction of the P wave modulus, and attenuation, in agreement with experiments. The theory thus offers insights on the nature of nonlinear elastic properties of a granular medium and potentially into phenomena such as triggering on earthquake faults.

Free energies of stable and metastable pores in lipid membranes under tension.

PubMed

den Otter, Wouter K

2009-11-28

The free energy profile of pore formation in a lipid membrane, covering the entire range from a density fluctuation in an intact bilayer to a large tension-stabilized pore, has been calculated by molecular dynamics simulations with a coarse-grained lipid model. Several fixed elongations are used to obtain the Helmholtz free energy as a function of pore size for thermodynamically stable, metastable, and unstable pores, and the system-size dependence of these elongations is discussed. A link to the Gibbs free energy at constant tension, commonly known as the Litster model, is established by a Legendre transformation. The change of genus upon pore formation is exploited to estimate the saddle-splay modulus or Gaussian curvature modulus of the membrane leaflets. Details are provided of the simulation approach, which combines the potential of mean constraint force method with a reaction coordinate based on the local lipid density.

Asymmetric optical image encryption using Kolmogorov phase screens and equal modulus decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ravi; Bhaduri, Basanta; Quan, Chenggen

2017-11-01

An asymmetric technique for optical image encryption is proposed using Kolmogorov phase screens (KPSs) and equal modulus decomposition (EMD). The KPSs are generated using the power spectral density of Kolmogorov turbulence. The input image is first randomized and then Fresnel propagated with distance d. Further, the output in the Fresnel domain is modulated with a random phase mask, and the gyrator transform (GT) of the modulated image is obtained with an angle α. The EMD is operated on the GT spectrum to get the complex images, Z1 and Z2. Among these, Z2 is reserved as a private key for decryption and Z1 is propagated through a medium consisting of four KPSs, located at specified distances, to get the final encrypted image. The proposed technique provides a large set of security keys and is robust against various potential attacks. Numerical simulation results validate the effectiveness and security of the proposed technique.

Exploration of phase transition in Th2C under pressure: An Ab-initio investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, B. D.; Joshi, K. D.; Kaushik, T. C.

2018-05-01

With the motivation of searching for new compounds in the Th-C system, we have performed ab initio evolutionary searches for all the stable compounds in this binary system in the pressure range of 0-100 GPa. We have found previously unknown, thermodynamically stable, composition Th2C along with experimentally known ThC, ThC2 and Th2C3 phases at 0 GPa. Interestingly at pressure of 13 GPa the predicted ground state orthorhombic (SG no. 59, Pmmn) phase of Th2C transforms to trigonal (SG no. 164, P-3m1) phase. We also find the mechanical and dynamical stability of both the phases. Further, the theoretically determined equation of state has been utilized to derive various physical quantities such as zero pressure equilibrium volume, bulk modulus, and pressure derivative of bulk modulus of Pmmn phase at ambient conditions.

Strain distribution of confined Ge/GeO2 core/shell nanoparticles engineered by growth environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Wenyan; Yuan, Cailei; Luo, Xingfang; Yu, Ting; Wang, Gongping

2016-02-01

The strain distributions of Ge/GeO2 core/shell nanoparticles confined in different host matrix grown by surface oxidation are investigated. The simulated results by finite element method demonstrated that the strains of the Ge core and the GeO2 shell strongly depend on the growth environments of the nanoparticles. Moreover, it can be found that there is a transformation of the strain on Ge core from tensile to compressive strain during the growth of Ge/GeO2 core/shell nanoparticles. And, the transformation of the strain is closely related with the Young's modulus of surrounding materials of Ge/GeO2 core/shell nanoparticles.

Dynamics of the Smooth Positons of the Wadati-Konno-Ichikawa Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Gai-Hua; Zhang, Yong-Shuai; He, Jing-Song

2018-03-01

We discuss a modified Wadati-Konno-Ichikawa (mWKI) equation, which is equivalent to the WKI equation by a hodograph transformation. The explicit formula of degenerated solution of mWKI equation is provided by using degenerate Darboux transformation with respect to the eigenvalues, which yields two kinds of smooth solutions possessing the vanishing and nonvanishing boundary conditions respectively. In particular, a method for the decomposition of modulus square is operated to the positon solution, and the approximate orbits before and after collision of positon solutions are displayed explicitly. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 11671219, the K. C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University

Proteomic analysis of protein interactions between Eimeria maxima sporozoites and chicken jejunal epithelial cells by shotgun LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Huang, Jingwei; Liu, Tingqi; Li, Ke; Song, Xiaokai; Yan, Ruofeng; Xu, Lixin; Li, Xiangrui

2018-04-04

Eimeria maxima initiates infection by invading the jejunal epithelial cells of chicken. However, the proteins involved in invasion remain unknown. The research of the molecules that participate in the interactions between E. maxima sporozoites and host target cells will fill a gap in our understanding of the invasion system of this parasitic pathogen. In the present study, chicken jejunal epithelial cells were isolated and cultured in vitro. Western blot was employed to analyze the soluble proteins of E. maxima sporozoites that bound to chicken jejunal epithelial cells. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay was used to separate the E. maxima proteins that bound to chicken jejunal epithelial cells. Shotgun LC-MS/MS technique was used for proteomics identification and Gene Ontology was employed for the bioinformatics analysis. The results of Western blot analysis showed that four proteins bands from jejunal epithelial cells co-cultured with soluble proteins of E. maxima sporozoites were recognized by the positive sera, with molecular weights of 70, 90, 95 and 130 kDa. The co-IP dilutions were analyzed by shotgun LC-MS/MS. A total of 204 proteins were identified in the E. maxima protein database using the MASCOT search engine. Thirty-five proteins including microneme protein 3 and 7 had more than two unique peptide counts and were annotated using Gene Ontology for molecular function, biological process and cellular localization. The results revealed that of the 35 annotated peptides, 22 (62.86%) were associated with binding activity and 15 (42.86%) were involved in catalytic activity. Our findings provide an insight into the interaction between E. maxima and the corresponding host cells and it is important for the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying E. maxima invasion.

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

Herfort, Lydie; Peterson, Tawnya D.; McCue, Lee Ann

The Columbia River estuary is traditionally considered a detritus-based ecosystem fueled in summer by organic matter (OM) from expired freshwater diatoms. Since Estuarine Turbidity Maxima (ETM) are sites of accumulation and transformation of this phytoplankton-derived OM, to further characterize the ETM protist assemblage, we collected in August 2007 bottom waters throughout an ETM event, as well as surface water during the peak of bottom turbidity, and performed biogeochemical, microscopic and molecular (18S rRNA gene clone libraries) analyses. These data confirmed that the majority of the particulate OM in ETMs is derived from chlorophyll a-poor particulate organic carbon tagged by DNAmore » too damaged to be detected by molecular analysis.« less

ODF Maxima Extraction in Spherical Harmonic Representation via Analytical Search Space Reduction

PubMed Central

Aganj, Iman; Lenglet, Christophe; Sapiro, Guillermo

2015-01-01

By revealing complex fiber structure through the orientation distribution function (ODF), q-ball imaging has recently become a popular reconstruction technique in diffusion-weighted MRI. In this paper, we propose an analytical dimension reduction approach to ODF maxima extraction. We show that by expressing the ODF, or any antipodally symmetric spherical function, in the common fourth order real and symmetric spherical harmonic basis, the maxima of the two-dimensional ODF lie on an analytically derived one-dimensional space, from which we can detect the ODF maxima. This method reduces the computational complexity of the maxima detection, without compromising the accuracy. We demonstrate the performance of our technique on both artificial and human brain data. PMID:20879302

Developing a Hierarchical Model for the Spatial Analysis of PM10 Pollution Extremes in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

PubMed

Aguirre-Salado, Alejandro Ivan; Vaquera-Huerta, Humberto; Aguirre-Salado, Carlos Arturo; Reyes-Mora, Silvia; Olvera-Cervantes, Ana Delia; Lancho-Romero, Guillermo Arturo; Soubervielle-Montalvo, Carlos

2017-07-06

We implemented a spatial model for analysing PM 10 maxima across the Mexico City metropolitan area during the period 1995-2016. We assumed that these maxima follow a non-identical generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution and modeled the trend by introducing multivariate smoothing spline functions into the probability GEV distribution. A flexible, three-stage hierarchical Bayesian approach was developed to analyse the distribution of the PM 10 maxima in space and time. We evaluated the statistical model's performance by using a simulation study. The results showed strong evidence of a positive correlation between the PM 10 maxima and the longitude and latitude. The relationship between time and the PM 10 maxima was negative, indicating a decreasing trend over time. Finally, a high risk of PM 10 maxima presenting levels above 1000 μ g/m 3 (return period: 25 yr) was observed in the northwestern region of the study area.

Developing a Hierarchical Model for the Spatial Analysis of PM10 Pollution Extremes in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area

PubMed Central

Aguirre-Salado, Alejandro Ivan; Vaquera-Huerta, Humberto; Aguirre-Salado, Carlos Arturo; Reyes-Mora, Silvia; Olvera-Cervantes, Ana Delia; Lancho-Romero, Guillermo Arturo; Soubervielle-Montalvo, Carlos

2017-01-01

We implemented a spatial model for analysing PM10 maxima across the Mexico City metropolitan area during the period 1995–2016. We assumed that these maxima follow a non-identical generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution and modeled the trend by introducing multivariate smoothing spline functions into the probability GEV distribution. A flexible, three-stage hierarchical Bayesian approach was developed to analyse the distribution of the PM10 maxima in space and time. We evaluated the statistical model’s performance by using a simulation study. The results showed strong evidence of a positive correlation between the PM10 maxima and the longitude and latitude. The relationship between time and the PM10 maxima was negative, indicating a decreasing trend over time. Finally, a high risk of PM10 maxima presenting levels above 1000 μg/m3 (return period: 25 yr) was observed in the northwestern region of the study area. PMID:28684720

Spirulina maxima Protects Liver From Isoniazid and Rifampicin Drug Toxicity.

PubMed

Jatav, Santosh Kumar; Kulshrestha, Archana; Zacharia, Anish; Singh, Nita; Tejovathi, G; Bisen, P S; Prasad, G B K S

2014-07-01

Hepatotoxicity associated with isoniazid and rifampicin is one of the major impediments in antituberculosis therapy. The present study explored the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacies of Spirulina maxima in isoniazid and rifampicin induced hepatic damage in a rat model. Hepatic damage induced in Wistar rats by isoniazid and rifampicin resulted in significant alterations in biomarkers of liver function, namely, bilirubin, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and oxidative stress markers such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Co-administration of Spirulina maxima along with antituberculosis drugs protected liver from hepatotoxicity due to isoniazid and rifampicin. Administration of Spirulina maxima consecutively for 2 weeks to hepatodamaged animals resulted in restoration of hepatic function as evident from normalization of serum markers of liver function. Thus, the present study revealed remarkable prophylactic and therapeutic potential of Spirulina maxima. Co-administration of Spirulina maxima and antituberculosis drugs is advantageous as it provides extra nutritional benefit. © The Author(s) 2014.

Wave propagation, input impedance, and wall mechanics of the calf trachea from 16 to 1,600 Hz.

PubMed

Suki, B; Habib, R H; Jackson, A C

1993-12-01

Propagation of waves in the airways is important in flow limitation as well as in oscillation mechanics. In five excised calf tracheae, we measured phase propagation velocity (c) and input impedance with open (Zop) or closed end (Zcl) for frequencies (f) between 16 and 1,600 Hz at two axial tensions [nonstretched (TN) and stretched (TS); TS > TN]. From 16 to 64 Hz, c slightly increased because of the viscoelastic properties of the wall tissues. Between 64 and 200 Hz, c was relatively constant and less than the free-field speed of sound (c0 = 340 m/s), with values smaller at TS (140 +/- 39 m/s) than at TN (172 +/- 35 m/s). Above 200 Hz, c exceeded c0 and displayed two maxima at approximately 300 and approximately 700 Hz, with values of approximately 360 and approximately 550 m/s, respectively. For f > 1,400 Hz, c approached c0. We provide evidence that the two maxima in c were the result of the two-compartment behavior of the wall tissues, i.e., the separate cartilaginous and soft tissues. A nonrigid tube model with its wall impedance composed of two series resistance, compliance, and inertance pathways in parallel simultaneously fits c, Zop, and Zcl well and hence provides a link among these data. By use of the relationship between volumetric wall parameters and the tracheal geometry, separate material properties such as viscosity and Young's modulus of both the soft tissue (approximately 1 cmH2O.s and approximately 0.26 x 10(4) cmH2O, respectively) and the cartilage (approximately 3.7 cmH2O.s and approximately 2 x 10(4) cmH2O, respectively) were estimated. These results indicate that measures of c and Zop or Zcl data over these frequencies provide information about the dynamic mechanical properties of both the soft tissue and cartilage in the airway walls.

Sensitivity analysis of pars-tensa young's modulus estimation using inverse finite-element modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohani, S. Alireza; Elfarnawany, Mai; Agrawal, Sumit K.; Ladak, Hanif M.

2018-05-01

Accurate estimates of the pars-tensa (PT) Young's modulus (EPT) are required in finite-element (FE) modeling studies of the middle ear. Previously, we introduced an in-situ EPT estimation technique by optimizing a sample-specific FE model to match experimental eardrum pressurization data. This optimization process requires choosing some modeling assumptions such as PT thickness and boundary conditions. These assumptions are reported with a wide range of variation in the literature, hence affecting the reliability of the models. In addition, the sensitivity of the estimated EPT to FE modeling assumptions has not been studied. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the most influential modeling assumption on EPT estimates. The middle-ear cavity extracted from a cadaveric temporal bone was pressurized to 500 Pa. The deformed shape of the eardrum after pressurization was measured using a Fourier transform profilometer (FTP). A base-line FE model of the unpressurized middle ear was created. The EPT was estimated using golden section optimization method, which minimizes the cost function comparing the deformed FE model shape to the measured shape after pressurization. The effect of varying the modeling assumptions on EPT estimates were investigated. This included the change in PT thickness, pars flaccida Young's modulus and possible FTP measurement error. The most influential parameter on EPT estimation was PT thickness and the least influential parameter was pars flaccida Young's modulus. The results of this study provide insight into how different parameters affect the results of EPT optimization and which parameters' uncertainties require further investigation to develop robust estimation techniques.

Studies on Electrical and Magnetic Properties of Mg-Substituted Nickel Ferrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavan, Pradeep; Naik, L. R.; Belavi, P. B.; Chavan, Geeta; Ramesha, C. K.; Kotnala, R. K.

2017-01-01

The semiconducting polycrystalline ferrite materials with the general formula Ni1- x Mg x Fe2O4 were synthesized by using the solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrographs, and atomic force microscopy techniques were utilized to study the structural parameters. XRD confirms the formation of single phase cubic spinel structure of the ferrites. The crystallite sizes of ferrites determined using the Debye-Scherer formula ranges from 0.963 μm to 1.069 μm. The cation distribution of ferrite shows that Mg2+ ions occupy a tetrahedral site ( A-site) and the Ni2+ ion occupy an octahedral site ( B-site) whereas Fe3+ ions occupies an octahedral as well as a tetrahedral site. The study of elastic parameters such as the longitudinal modulus, rigidity modulus, Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and Debye temperature were estimated using the FTIR technique. The decrease of direct current (DC) resistivity with increase in temperature indicates the semiconducting nature of ferrites. The dielectric constant as well as loss tangent decreases with increase in frequency, and at still higher frequencies, they are almost constant. This shows usual dielectric dispersion behavior attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner type of interfacial polarization and is in accordance with Koop's phenomenological theory. The linear increase of alternating current conductivity with increase of frequency shows the small polaron hopping type of conduction mechanism in all the ferrites. The magnetic properties such as saturation magnetization ( M s ), magnetic moment, coercivity, remnant magnetization ( M r ), and the ratio of M r /M s was estimated using the M-H loop.

Maxima and O-C Diagrams for 489 Mira Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlsson, T.

2013-11-01

Maxima for 489 Mira stars have been compiled. They were computed with data from AAVSO, AFOEV, VSOLJ, and BAA-VSS and collected from published maxima. The result is presented in a mysql database and on web pages with O-C diagrams, periods and some statistical information for each star.

Critical thermal maxima of two geographic strains of channel and hybrid catfish

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Critical thermal maxima have been used extensively to provide physiologically and ecologically valuable reference points that identify early signs of thermal stress. In catfish pond culture, daily temperature maxima up to 36'C and daily fluctuations of as much as 6'Care observed. These extreme condi...

Stability at Potential Maxima: The L-4 and L-5 Points of the Restricted Three-Body Problem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Richard; Davis, Donald R.

1978-01-01

Describes a dynamical system which is stable at potential maxima. The maxima, called L-4 and L-5, are stable locations of the restricted three-body problem. Energy loss from the system will tend to drive it away from stability. (GA)

Effect of quenching medium on the microstructure of hot rolled Ti-6Al-6Nb alloy for medical application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutowo, Cahya; Alhamidi, A. Ali; Basir, Muh. Idrus Abdul; Rokhmanto, Fendy

2018-05-01

The Ti-6Al-6Nb alloy has been used as bone plate in biomedical application. But, its modulus elasticity still lies above its cortical-bone, which causes stress shielding. An alternative process for reduce modulus of elasticity by means of treatment solutions with heating β-transus temperature follows with rapid cooling for obtaining high % intensity of β-phase fractions. In this study the Ti-6Al-6Nb as-cast alloys were homogenized at 1050 °C for 12 hours, then hot-rolled with a reduction 60% (from 10mm to 4 mm thickness) at 1000 °C and then dissolved at 1100 °C for 2 hours and then cooled by water, oil and air. The microstructural observations were performed with OM and SEM-EDS. The phase analyzes were observed by XRD test and mechanical properties observed by Ultrasonic test. The observation result shows the elasticity modulus value in alloys which being ST with cooling is 106,71 GPa. This is consistent with the observation of the microstructure that the presence of β-transformed and it is also in accordance with the XRD analysis and the intensity of the phase fraction, where the peak and% intensity of the β (35%) phase fraction increase in alloys which ST and oil quench.

Protective effects of Spirulina maxima on hyperlipidemia and oxidative-stress induced by lead acetate in the liver and kidney

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Oxidative damage has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in lead toxicity, specially affecting the liver and kidney. Previous studies have shown the antioxidant effect of Spirulina maxima in several experimental models of oxidative stress. The current study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Spirulina maxima against lead acetate-induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative damage in the liver and kidney of male rats. Control animals were fed on a standard diet and did not receive lead acetate (Control group). Experimental animals were fed on a standard laboratory diet with or without Spirulina maxima 5% in the standard laboratory diet and treated with three doses of lead acetate (25 mg each/weekly, intraperitoneal injection) (lead acetate with Spirulina, and lead acetate without Spirulina groups). Results The results showed that Spirulina maxima prevented the lead acetate-induced significant changes on plasma and liver lipid levels and on the antioxidant status of the liver and kidney. On the other hand, Spirulina maxima succeeded to improve the biochemical parameters of the liver and kidney towards the normal values of the Control group. Conclusions It was concluded that Spirulina maxima has protective effects on lead acetate-induced damage, and that the effects are associated with the antioxidant effect of Spirulina. PMID:20353607

Supplementation of Citrus maxima Peel Powder Prevented Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, and Hepatic Damage in Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) Treated Rats

PubMed Central

Chowdhury, Mohammed Riaz Hasan; Sagor, Md Abu Taher; Tabassum, Nabila; Potol, Md Abdullah

2015-01-01

Citrus maxima peel is rich in natural phenolic compounds and has a long use in the traditional medicine. HPLC-DAD analysis on Citrus maxima peel powder exhibited the presence of various phenolic compounds such as caffeic acid and (−)-epicatechin. To determine the plausible hepatoprotective activity of Citrus maxima peel powder, we used carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treated rat model. Liver damage in rats was confirmed by measuring the AST, ALT, and ALP enzyme activities. In addition, lipid peroxidation products (MDA), nitric oxide, advanced protein oxidation products level (APOP), and catalase activities were also analyzed along with the histological profiling for the inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen, and iron deposition in liver. Dietary supplementation of Citrus maxima peel powder exhibited significant reduction of serum AST, ALT, and ALP activities in carbon tetrachloride treated rats. Moreover, Citrus maxima peel powder also showed a significant reduction of the oxidative stress markers (MDA, NO, and APOP level) and restored the catalase activity in CCl4 treated rats. Histological examination of the liver section revealed reduced inflammatory cells infiltration, collagen, and iron deposition in CCl4 treated rats. The results from this study demonstrated that Citrus maxima peel powder produced significant hepatoprotective action in CCl4 administered rats. PMID:26106435

Protective effects of Spirulina maxima on hyperlipidemia and oxidative-stress induced by lead acetate in the liver and kidney.

PubMed

Ponce-Canchihuamán, Johny C; Pérez-Méndez, Oscar; Hernández-Muñoz, Rolando; Torres-Durán, Patricia V; Juárez-Oropeza, Marco A

2010-03-31

Oxidative damage has been proposed as a possible mechanism involved in lead toxicity, specially affecting the liver and kidney. Previous studies have shown the antioxidant effect of Spirulina maxima in several experimental models of oxidative stress. The current study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Spirulina maxima against lead acetate-induced hyperlipidemia and oxidative damage in the liver and kidney of male rats. Control animals were fed on a standard diet and did not receive lead acetate (Control group). Experimental animals were fed on a standard laboratory diet with or without Spirulina maxima 5% in the standard laboratory diet and treated with three doses of lead acetate (25 mg each/weekly, intraperitoneal injection) (lead acetate with Spirulina, and lead acetate without Spirulina groups). The results showed that Spirulina maxima prevented the lead acetate-induced significant changes on plasma and liver lipid levels and on the antioxidant status of the liver and kidney. On the other hand, Spirulina maxima succeeded to improve the biochemical parameters of the liver and kidney towards the normal values of the Control group. It was concluded that Spirulina maxima has protective effects on lead acetate-induced damage, and that the effects are associated with the antioxidant effect of Spirulina.

Supplementation of Citrus maxima Peel Powder Prevented Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, and Hepatic Damage in Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4) Treated Rats.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Mohammed Riaz Hasan; Sagor, Md Abu Taher; Tabassum, Nabila; Potol, Md Abdullah; Hossain, Hemayet; Alam, Md Ashraful

2015-01-01

Citrus maxima peel is rich in natural phenolic compounds and has a long use in the traditional medicine. HPLC-DAD analysis on Citrus maxima peel powder exhibited the presence of various phenolic compounds such as caffeic acid and (-)-epicatechin. To determine the plausible hepatoprotective activity of Citrus maxima peel powder, we used carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) treated rat model. Liver damage in rats was confirmed by measuring the AST, ALT, and ALP enzyme activities. In addition, lipid peroxidation products (MDA), nitric oxide, advanced protein oxidation products level (APOP), and catalase activities were also analyzed along with the histological profiling for the inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen, and iron deposition in liver. Dietary supplementation of Citrus maxima peel powder exhibited significant reduction of serum AST, ALT, and ALP activities in carbon tetrachloride treated rats. Moreover, Citrus maxima peel powder also showed a significant reduction of the oxidative stress markers (MDA, NO, and APOP level) and restored the catalase activity in CCl4 treated rats. Histological examination of the liver section revealed reduced inflammatory cells infiltration, collagen, and iron deposition in CCl4 treated rats. The results from this study demonstrated that Citrus maxima peel powder produced significant hepatoprotective action in CCl4 administered rats.

Identification of immune protective genes of Eimeria maxima through cDNA expression library screening.

PubMed

Yang, XinChao; Li, MengHui; Liu, JianHua; Ji, YiHong; Li, XiangRui; Xu, LiXin; Yan, RuoFeng; Song, XiaoKai

2017-02-16

Eimeria maxima is one of the most prevalent Eimeria species causing avian coccidiosis, and results in huge economic loss to the global poultry industry. Current control strategies, such as anti-coccidial medication and live vaccines have been limited because of their drawbacks. The third generation anticoccidial vaccines including the recombinant vaccines as well as DNA vaccines have been suggested as a promising alternative strategy. To date, only a few protective antigens of E. maxima have been reported. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify novel protective antigens of E. maxima for the development of neotype anticoccidial vaccines. With the aim of identifying novel protective genes of E. maxima, a cDNA expression library of E. maxima sporozoites was constructed using Gateway technology. Subsequently, the cDNA expression library was divided into 15 sub-libraries for cDNA expression library immunization (cDELI) using parasite challenged model in chickens. Protective sub-libraries were selected for the next round of screening until individual protective clones were obtained, which were further sequenced and analyzed. Adopting the Gateway technology, a high-quality entry library was constructed, containing 9.2 × 10 6 clones with an average inserted fragments length of 1.63 kb. The expression library capacity was 2.32 × 10 7 colony-forming units (cfu) with an average inserted fragments length of 1.64 Kb. The expression library was screened using parasite challenged model in chickens. The screening yielded 6 immune protective genes including four novel protective genes of EmJS-1, EmRP, EmHP-1 and EmHP-2, and two known protective genes of EmSAG and EmCKRS. EmJS-1 is the selR domain-containing protein of E. maxima whose function is unknown. EmHP-1 and EmHP-2 are the hypothetical proteins of E. maxima. EmRP and EmSAG are rhomboid-like protein and surface antigen glycoproteins of E. maxima respectively, and involved in invasion of the parasite. Our results provide a cDNA expression library for further screening of T cell stimulating or inhibiting antigens of E. maxima. Moreover, our results provide six candidate protective antigens for developing new vaccines against E. maxima.

Effect of thermal cycling on the R-phase and martensitic transformations in a Ti-rich NiTi alloy

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

Pelosin, V.; Riviere, A.

1998-04-01

The effect of thermal cycling on transformation temperature was studied on a Ti-rich NiTi alloy. The study was carried out by determining the electrical resistance, the internal friction, and the elastic modulus vs temperature. This study shows that the martensite microstructure is modified by the successive cycling transformation. In addition, the authors established that both the martensite internal friction and the transition peak are sensitive to the transient effect (the vibration frequency lies around 300 Hz). But the major results concern the behavior associated with the R phase occurrence and its evolution. They have stated that the premartensitic phase becomesmore » stable following the diminishment of the beginning of the martensite formation (M{sub s}). Interrupted cooling has also shown that, contrary to the martensite, the R phase exhibits no hysteretic behavior.« less

Support vector machine based decision for mechanical fault condition monitoring in induction motor using an advanced Hilbert-Park transform.

PubMed

Ben Salem, Samira; Bacha, Khmais; Chaari, Abdelkader

2012-09-01

In this work we suggest an original fault signature based on an improved combination of Hilbert and Park transforms. Starting from this combination we can create two fault signatures: Hilbert modulus current space vector (HMCSV) and Hilbert phase current space vector (HPCSV). These two fault signatures are subsequently analysed using the classical fast Fourier transform (FFT). The effects of mechanical faults on the HMCSV and HPCSV spectrums are described, and the related frequencies are determined. The magnitudes of spectral components, relative to the studied faults (air-gap eccentricity and outer raceway ball bearing defect), are extracted in order to develop the input vector necessary for learning and testing the support vector machine with an aim of classifying automatically the various states of the induction motor. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-temperature ultrasonic characterization of the mechanical and microstructural behavior of a fibrous composite with a magnesium lithium aluminum silicate glass-ceramic matrix

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

Cutard, T.; Huger, M.; Fargeot, D.

The mechanical behavior and the microstructural modifications of a SiC-fiber-reinforced magnesium lithium aluminum silicate glass-ceramic (SiC/MASL) have been characterized by ultrasonic measurement of uniaxial Young`s modulus at high temperature. Under vacuum, long isothermal agings in the 750--1,000 C temperature range have shown matrix modifications in terms of crystallization of residual glassy phases, and of phase transformations in the Li{sub 2}O-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SiO{sub 2} system. In air, long isothermal agings performed under the same conditions have led to the same matrix transformations but in competition with oxidation mechanisms of the carbon fiber-matrix interphase. All of these matrix and/or interface transformations havemore » been confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, scanning acoustic microscopy, and microindentation tests.« less

Acoustic attenuation due to transformation twins in CaCl2: Analogue behaviour for stishovite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhiying; Schranz, Wilfried; Carpenter, Michael A.

2012-09-01

CaCl2 undergoes a tetragonal (P42/mnm) to orthorhombic (Pnnm) transition as a function of temperature which is essentially the same as occurs in stishovite at high pressures. It can therefore be used as a convenient analogue material for experimental studies. In order to investigate variations in elastic properties associated with the transition and possible anelastic loss behaviour related to the mobility of ferroelastic twin walls in the orthorhombic phase, the transition in polycrystalline CaCl2 has been examined using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) at high frequencies (0.1-1.5 MHz) in the temperature interval 7-626 K, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) at low frequencies (0.1-50 Hz) in the temperature interval 378-771 K. RUS data show steep softening of the shear modulus as the transition temperature is approached from above and substantial acoustic dissipation in the stability field of the orthorhombic structure. DMA data show softening of the storage modulus, which continues through to a minimum ˜20 K below the transition point and is followed by stiffening with further lowering of temperature. There is no obvious acoustic dissipation associated with the transition, as measured by tan δ, however. The elastic softening and stiffening matches the pattern expected for a pseudoproper ferroelastic transition as predicted elsewhere. Acoustic loss behaviour at high frequencies fits with the pattern of behaviour expected for a twin wall loss mechanism but with relaxation times in the vicinity of ˜10-6 s. With such short relaxation times, the shear modulus of CaCl2 at frequencies corresponding to seismic frequencies would include relaxations of the twin walls and is therefore likely to be significantly lower than the intrinsic shear modulus. If these characteristics apply also to twin wall mobility in stishovite, the seismic signature of the orthorhombic phase should be an unusually soft shear modulus but with no increase in attenuation.

Interaction of γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with Citrus maxima leaves and the corresponding physiological effects via foliar application.

PubMed

Hu, Jing; Guo, Huiyuan; Li, Junli; Wang, Yunqiang; Xiao, Lian; Xing, Baoshan

2017-07-11

Nutrient-containing nanomaterials have been developed as fertilizers to foster plant growth and agricultural yield through root applications. However, if applied through leaves, how these nanomaterials, e.g. γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs), influence the plant growth and health are largely unknown. This study is aimed to assess the effects of foliar-applied γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and their ionic counterparts on plant physiology of Citrus maxima and the associated mechanisms. No significant changes of chlorophyll content and root activity were observed upon the exposure of 20-100 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ . In C. maxima roots, no oxidative stress occurred under all Fe treatments. In the shoots, 20 and 50 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs did not induce oxidative stress while 100 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs did. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the dosages of γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ and iron accumulation in shoots. However, the accumulated iron in shoots was not translocated down to roots. We observed down-regulation of ferric-chelate reductase (FRO2) gene expression exposed to γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ treatments. The gene expression of a Fe 2+ transporter, Nramp3, was down regulated as well under γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs exposure. Although 100 mg/L γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and 20-100 mg/L Fe 3+ led to higher wax content, genes associated with wax formation (WIN1) and transport (ABCG12) were downregulated or unchanged compared to the control. Our results showed that both γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ exposure via foliar spray had an inconsequential effect on plant growth, but γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs can reduce nutrient loss due to their the strong adsorption ability. C. maxima plants exposed to γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs and Fe 3+ were in iron-replete status. Moreover, the biosynthesis and transport of wax is a collaborative and multigene controlled process. This study compared the various effects of γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs, Fe 3+ and Fe chelate and exhibited the advantages of NPs as a foliar fertilizer, laying the foundation for the future applications of nutrient-containing nanomaterials in agriculture and horticulture. Graphical abstract γ-Fe 2 O 3 NPs exposed on plants via foliar spray and genes associated with the absorption and transformation of iron, as well as wax synthesis and secretion in Citrus maxima leaves.

Electrophysiology of pumpkin seeds: Memristors in vivo.

PubMed

Volkov, Alexander G; Nyasani, Eunice K; Tuckett, Clayton; Greeman, Esther A; Markin, Vladislav S

2016-01-01

Leon Chua, the discoverer of a memristor, theoretically predicted that voltage gated ion channels can be memristors. We recently found memristors in different plants such as the Venus flytrap, Mimosa pudica, Aloe vera, apple fruits, and in potato tubers. There are no publications in literature about the existence of memristors in seeds. The goal of this work was to discover if pumpkin seeds might have memristors. We selected Cucurbita pepo L., cv. Cinderella, Cucurbita maxima L. cv Warty Goblin, and Cucurbita maxima L., cv. Jarrahdale seeds for this analysis. In these seeds, we found the presence of resistors with memory. The analysis was based on cyclic voltammetry where a memristor should manifest itself as a nonlinear two-terminal electrical element, which exhibits a pinched hysteresis loop on a current-voltage plane for any bipolar cyclic voltage input signal. Dry dormant pumpkin seeds have very high electrical resistance without memristive properties. The electrostimulation by bipolar sinusoidal or triangular periodic waves induces electrical responses in imbibed pumpkin seeds with fingerprints of memristors. Tetraethylammonium chloride, an inhibitor of voltage gated K(+) channels, transforms a memristor to a resistor in pumpkin seeds. NPPB (5-Nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid) inhibits the memristive properties of imbibed pumpkin seeds. The discovery of memristors in pumpkin seeds creates a new direction in the understanding of electrophysiological phenomena in seeds.

Orientation and size dependence of the elastic properties of zinc oxide nanobelts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, A. J.; Zhou, M.; Ke, F. J.

2005-12-01

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to characterize the response of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanobelts to tensile loading. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and Young's modulus are obtained as functions of size and growth orientation. Nanobelts in three growth orientations are generated by assembling the unit wurtzite cell along the [0001], [01\\bar {1} 0] , and [2\\bar {1} \\bar {1}0] crystalline axes. Following the geometric construction, dynamic relaxation is carried out to yield free-standing nanobelts at 300 K. Two distinct configurations are observed in the [0001] and [01\\bar {1} 0] orientations. When the lateral dimensions are above 10 Å, nanobelts with rectangular cross-sections are seen. Below this critical size, tubular structures involving two concentric shells similar to double-walled carbon nanotubes are obtained. Quasi-static deformations of belts with [2\\bar {1} \\bar {1} 0] and [01\\bar {1} 0] orientations consist of three stages, including initial elastic stretching, wurtzite-ZnO to graphitic-ZnO structural transformation, and cleavage fracture. On the other hand, [0001] belts do not undergo any structural transformation and fail through cleavage along (0001) planes. Calculations show that the UTS and Young's modulus of the belts are size dependent and are higher than the corresponding values for bulk ZnO. Specifically, as the lateral dimensions increase from 10 to 40 Å, decreases between 38-76% and 24-63% are observed for the UTS and Young's modulus, respectively. This effect is attributed to the size-dependent compressive stress induced by tensile surface stress in the nanobelts. [01\\bar {1} 0] and [2\\bar {1} \\bar {1} 0] nanobelts with multi-walled tubular structures are seen to have higher values of elastic moduli (~340 GPa) and UTS (~36 GPa) compared to their wurtzite counterparts, echoing a similar trend in multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

Alleviation of metabolic abnormalities induced by excessive fructose administration in Wistar rats by Spirulina maxima.

PubMed

Jarouliya, Urmila; Zacharia, J Anish; Kumar, Pravin; Bisen, P S; Prasad, G B K S

2012-03-01

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia. Several natural products have been isolated and identified to restore the complications of diabetes. Spirulina maxima is naturally occurring fresh water cyanobacterium, enriched with proteins and essential nutrients. The aim of the study was to determine whether S. maxima could serve as a therapeutic agent to correct metabolic abnormalities induced by excessive fructose administration in Wistar rats. Oral administration of 10 per cent fructose solution to Wistar rats (n = 5 in each group) for 30 days resulted in hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia. Aqueous suspension of S. maxima (5 or 10%) was also administered orally once daily for 30 days. The therapeutic potential of the preparation with reference to metformin (500 mg/kg) was assessed by monitoring various biochemical parameters at 10 day intervals during the course of therapy and at the end of 30 days S. maxima administration. Significant (P<0.001) reductions in blood glucose, lipid profile (triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL, VLDL) and liver function markers (SGPT and SGOT) were recorded along with elevated level of HDL-C at the end of 30 days therapy of 5 or 10 per cent S. maxima aquous extract. Co-administration of S. maxima extract (5 or 10% aqueous) with 10 per cent fructose solution offered a significant protection against fructose induced metabolic abnormalities in Wistar rats. The present findings showed that S. maxima exhibited anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-hyperlipidaemic and hepatoprotective activity in rats fed with fructose. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms.

Accumulation of alkaline earth metals by the green macroalga Bryopsis maxima.

PubMed

Takahashi, Shigekazu; Aizawa, Kyoko; Nakamura, Saki; Nakayama, Katsumi; Fujisaki, Shingo; Watanabe, Soichiro; Satoh, Hiroyuki

2015-04-01

Twenty-five days after the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, we collected samples of the green macroalga Bryopsis maxima from the Pacific coast of Japan. Bryopsis maxima is a unicellular, multinuclear, siphonous green macroalga. Radiation analysis revealed that B. maxima emitted remarkably high gamma radiation of (131)I, (134)Cs, (137)Cs, and (140)Ba as fission products of (235)U. Interestingly, B. maxima contained naturally occurring radionuclides derived from (226)Ra and (228)Ra. Analysis of element content revealed that B. maxima accumulates many ocean elements, especially high quantities of the alkaline earth metals Sr (15.9 g per dry-kg) and Ba (3.79 g per dry-kg), whereas Ca content (12.5 g per dry-kg) was lower than that of Sr and only 61 % of the mean content of 70 Japanese seaweed species. Time-course analysis determined the rate of radioactive (85)Sr incorporation into thalli to be approximately 0.13 g Sr per dry-kg of thallus per day. Subcellular fractionation of B. maxima cells showed that most of the (85)Sr was localized in the soluble fraction, predominantly in the vacuole or cytosol. Given that (85)Sr radioactivity was permeable through a dialysis membrane, the (85)Sr was considered to be a form of inorganic ion and/or bound with a small molecule. Precipitation analysis with sodium sulfate showed that more than 70% of the Sr did not precipitate as SrSO4, indicating that a proportion of the Sr may bind with small molecules in B. maxima.

Alleviation of metabolic abnormalities induced by excessive fructose administration in Wistar rats by Spirulina maxima

PubMed Central

Jarouliya, Urmila; Anish, Zacharia J.; Kumar, Pravin; Bisen, P.S.; Prasad, G.B.K.S.

2012-01-01

Background & objectives: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia. Several natural products have been isolated and identified to restore the complications of diabetes. Spirulina maxima is naturally occurring fresh water cyanobacterium, enriched with proteins and essential nutrients. The aim of the study was to determine whether S. maxima could serve as a therapeutic agent to correct metabolic abnormalities induced by excessive fructose administration in Wistar rats. Methods: Oral administration of 10 per cent fructose solution to Wistar rats (n=5 in each group) for 30 days resulted in hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia. Aqueous suspension of S. maxima (5 or 10%) was also administered orally once daily for 30 days. The therapeutic potential of the preparation with reference to metformin (500 mg/kg) was assessed by monitoring various biochemical parameters at 10 day intervals during the course of therapy and at the end of 30 days S. maxima administration. Results: Significant (P<0.001) reductions in blood glucose, lipid profile (triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL, VLDL) and liver function markers (SGPT and SGOT) were recorded along with elevated level of HDL-C at the end of 30 days therapy of 5 or 10 per cent S. maxima aquous extract. Co-administration of S. maxima extract (5 or 10% aqueous) with 10 per cent fructose solution offered a significant protection against fructose induced metabolic abnormalities in Wistar rats. Interpretation & Conclusions: The present findings showed that S. maxima exhibited anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-hyperlipidaemic and hepatoprotective activity in rats fed with fructose. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms. PMID:22561632

Differences in fecundity of Eimeria maxima strains exhibiting different levels of pathogenicity in its avian host

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The purpose of this study was to determine the underlying cause of differences in pathogenicity of two Eimeria maxima strains (APU1 and APU2) observed during coccidiosis infection. At identical challenge doses, E. maxima APU1 always produces greater intestinal lesions and lower weight gain compared...

Properties of a Ni(sub 19.5)Pd(sub 30)Ti(sub 50.5) high-temperature shape memory alloy in tension and compression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noebe, Ronald; Padula, Santo, II; Bigelow, Glen; Rios, Orlando; Garg, Anita; Lerch, Brad

2006-01-01

Potential applications involving high-temperature shape memory alloys have been growing in recent years. Even in those cases where promising new alloys have been identified, the knowledge base for such materials contains gaps crucial to their maturation and implementation in actuator and other applications. We begin to address this issue by characterizing the mechanical behavior of a Ni19.5Pd30Ti50.5 high-temperature shape memory alloy in both uniaxial tension and compression at various temperatures. Differences in the isothermal uniaxial deformation behavior were most notable at test temperatures below the martensite finish temperature. The elastic modulus of the material was very dependent on strain level; therefore, dynamic Young#s Modulus was determined as a function of temperature by an impulse excitation technique. More importantly, the performance of a thermally activated actuator material is dependent on the work output of the alloy. Consequently, the strain-temperature response of the Ni19.5Pd30Ti50.5 alloy under various loads was determined in both tension and compression and the specific work output calculated and compared in both loading conditions. It was found that the transformation strain and thus, the specific work output were similar regardless of the loading condition. Also, in both tension and compression, the strain-temperature loops determined under constant load conditions did not close due to the fact that the transformation strain during cooling was always larger than the transformation strain during heating. This was apparently the result of permanent plastic deformation of the martensite phase with each cycle. Consequently, before this alloy can be used under cyclic actuation conditions, modification of the microstructure or composition would be required to increase the resistance of the alloy to plastic deformation by slip.

A FAST POLYNOMIAL TRANSFORM PROGRAM WITH A MODULARIZED STRUCTURE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Truong, T. K.

1994-01-01

This program utilizes a fast polynomial transformation (FPT) algorithm applicable to two-dimensional mathematical convolutions. Two-dimensional convolution has many applications, particularly in image processing. Two-dimensional cyclic convolutions can be converted to a one-dimensional convolution in a polynomial ring. Traditional FPT methods decompose the one-dimensional cyclic polynomial into polynomial convolutions of different lengths. This program will decompose a cyclic polynomial into polynomial convolutions of the same length. Thus, only FPTs and Fast Fourier Transforms of the same length are required. This modular approach can save computational resources. To further enhance its appeal, the program is written in the transportable 'C' language. The steps in the algorithm are: 1) formulate the modulus reduction equations, 2) calculate the polynomial transforms, 3) multiply the transforms using a generalized fast Fourier transformation, 4) compute the inverse polynomial transforms, and 5) reconstruct the final matrices using the Chinese remainder theorem. Input to this program is comprised of the row and column dimensions and the initial two matrices. The matrices are printed out at all steps, ending with the final reconstruction. This program is written in 'C' for batch execution and has been implemented on the IBM PC series of computers under DOS with a central memory requirement of approximately 18K of 8 bit bytes. This program was developed in 1986.

Uncloaking the thermodynamics of the studtite to metastudtite shear-induced transformation

DOE PAGES

Weck, Philippe F.; Kim, Eunja

2016-07-11

The interplay between thermodynamics and mechanical properties in the transformation of studtite, (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2·2H 2O, into metastudtite, (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2, two important corrosion phases observed on the surface of uranium dioxide exposed to water, is revealed using density functional perturbation theory. Phonon calculations within the quasi-harmonic approximation predict that the standard entropy change for the (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2·2H 2O → (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2 + 2H 2O reaction is ΔS 0 = +80 J·mol –1·K –1 for the production of water in the liquid state and +389 J·mol–1·K–1 for water vapor. Similarmore » to bulk H 2O(l), the bulk modulus of (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2·2H 2O increases with temperature, contrasting with (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2 which features the typical Anderson–Gruneisen temperature dependence of oxide solids. Upon removal of interstitial H 2O in studtite, the most important changes in the shear modulus, the parameter limiting the mechanical stability, arise in the planes normal to chain propagation directions. Lastly, the present findings have important implications for the dehydration of other hygroscopic materials.« less

Uncloaking the thermodynamics of the studtite to metastudtite shear-induced transformation

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

Weck, Philippe F.; Kim, Eunja

The interplay between thermodynamics and mechanical properties in the transformation of studtite, (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2·2H 2O, into metastudtite, (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2, two important corrosion phases observed on the surface of uranium dioxide exposed to water, is revealed using density functional perturbation theory. Phonon calculations within the quasi-harmonic approximation predict that the standard entropy change for the (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2·2H 2O → (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2 + 2H 2O reaction is ΔS 0 = +80 J·mol –1·K –1 for the production of water in the liquid state and +389 J·mol–1·K–1 for water vapor. Similarmore » to bulk H 2O(l), the bulk modulus of (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2·2H 2O increases with temperature, contrasting with (UO 2)(O 2)(H 2O) 2 which features the typical Anderson–Gruneisen temperature dependence of oxide solids. Upon removal of interstitial H 2O in studtite, the most important changes in the shear modulus, the parameter limiting the mechanical stability, arise in the planes normal to chain propagation directions. Lastly, the present findings have important implications for the dehydration of other hygroscopic materials.« less

An improved method to characterise the modulation of small-scale turbulent by large-scale structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agostini, Lionel; Leschziner, Michael; Gaitonde, Datta

2015-11-01

A key aspect of turbulent boundary layer dynamics is ``modulation,'' which refers to degree to which the intensity of coherent large-scale structures (LS) cause an amplification or attenuation of the intensity of the small-scale structures (SS) through large-scale-linkage. In order to identify the variation of the amplitude of the SS motion, the envelope of the fluctuations needs to be determined. Mathis et al. (2009) proposed to define this latter by low-pass filtering the modulus of the analytic signal built from the Hilbert transform of SS. The validity of this definition, as a basis for quantifying the modulated SS signal, is re-examined on the basis of DNS data for a channel flow. The analysis shows that the modulus of the analytic signal is very sensitive to the skewness of its PDF, which is dependent, in turn, on the sign of the LS fluctuation and thus of whether these fluctuations are associated with sweeps or ejections. The conclusion is that generating an envelope by use of a low-pass filtering step leads to an important loss of information associated with the effects of the local skewness of the PDF of the SS on the modulation process. An improved Hilbert-transform-based method is proposed to characterize the modulation of SS turbulence by LS structures

Thermal equation of state of NaMg0.5Si2.5O6 and new data on the compressibility of clinopyroxenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dymshits, A. M.; Sharygin, I. S.; Podborodnikov, I. V.; Litasov, K. D.; Shatskiy, A. F.; Otani, E.; Pushcharovskii, D. Yu.

2015-03-01

The results of studies of the P-V-T equations of state (EOS) of Na-pyroxene using the multi-anvil technique and synchrotron radiation at pressures up to 15.3 GPa and temperatures up to 1673 K are presented. By fitting the Birch-Murnaghan EOS, the following parameters were determined: V 0 = 407.2 (5) Å3, the space group P2/ n, K T0 = 103 (2) GPa, K T0 = 6.2 (7), ∂ K T /∂ T = -0.018 (7), α = 3.38(13) + 0.65(62) T. Thus, despite the small volume of the cell, Na-pyroxene has a sufficiently high bulk modulus. This can be caused by the appearance of antipathetic bonds in Na-polyhedron, Si-tetrahedra rotation, and the ordering of Mg and Si cations in the M1 position. Thus, it is substantiated that the phase transformations in the minerals accompanied by the presence of Si in octahedral coordination are characterized by a significant change in the physical characteristics, such as density (ρ) and bulk modulus ( K T ). Such transformations occurring in the minerals and deep Earth can lead to significant jumps in the seismic wave velocities. Therefore, the presence of phases with silicon in sixfold coordination, such as Na-Ca majoritic garnet is of fundamental importance for understanding the Earth's upper mantle.

Reconfigurable Polymer Networks for Improved Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ninh, Chi Suze Q.

Endovascular embolization of intracranial aneurysms is a minimally invasive treatment in which an implanted material forms a clot to isolate the weakened vessel. Current strategy suffers from long-term potential failure modes. These potential failure modes include (1) enzymatic degradation of the fibrin clot that leads to compaction of the embolic agent, (2) incomplete filling of the aneurysm sac by embolic agent, and (3) challenging geometry of wide neck aneurysms. In the case of wide neck aneurysms, usually an assisting metal stent is used to help open the artery. However, metal stents with much higher modulus in comparison to the soft blood vessel can cause biocompatibilities issues in the long term such as infection and scarring. Motivated to solve these challenges associated with endovascular embolization, strategies to synthesize and engineer reconfigurable and biodegradable polymers as alternative therapies are evaluated in this thesis. (1) Reconfiguration of fibrin gel's modulus was achieved through crosslinking with genipin released from a biodegradable polymer matrix. (2) Reconfigurability can also be achieved by transforming triblock co-polymer hydrogel into photoresponsive material through incorporation of melanin nanoparticles as efficient photosensitizers. (3) Finally, reconfigurability can be conferred on biodegradable polyester networks via Diels-Alder coupling of furan pendant groups and dimaleimide crosslinking agent. Taken all together, this thesis describes strategies to transform a broad class of polymer networks into reconfigurable materials for improved treatment of intracranial aneurysms as well as for other biomedical applications.

Structure and Properties of Titanium Tantalum Alloys for Biocompatibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, Daniel E.

In this thesis, the phase stability and elastic modulus of Ti-Ta simple binary alloys as well as alloys with small additions of ternary elements have been studied. The binary alloy from a nominal 8 to 28 wt.% Ta was first explored using a combinatorial approach. This approach included Laser Engineered Net Shape (LENSTM) processing of materials and subsequent characterization by instrumented indentation and site specific Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The composition range of 15 to 75 wt.% Ta was further explored by more traditional methods that included vacuum arc melting high purity elements, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and modulus measurements made by ultrasonic methods. Beyond the simple binary, alloys with low levels of ternary elements, oxygen, aluminum, zirconium and small additions of rare earth oxides were investigated. The crystal structure with space group Cmcm was chosen for it applicability with P63/mmc and Im-3¯m sub group / super group symmetry. This provides a consistent crystal structure framework for the purpose of studying the alpha to beta transformation pathway and associated alpha' and alpha'' martensitic phases. In this case, the pathway is defined by both the lattice parameters and the value of the parameter "y", where the parameter "y" describes the atomic positions of the [002]alpha plane. It was found that the lattice parameter changes in the Ti-Ta binary alloys are similar to structures reported for compositions in the Ti-Nb system of similar atomic percentages. Although samples produced by the LENSTM; process and characterized by instrumented indentation demonstrated the correct trends in modulus behavior, absolute agreement was not seen with modulus values published in literature. Alloys of the binary Ti-Ta system produced from high purity materials do indeed show close agreement with literature where there exist two minima of modulus near the compositions of Ti-28Ta wt.% and Ti-68Ta wt.%. These two minima occur at the discreet boundary between alpha' / alpha'' and alpha'' / beta respectively. The role of oxygen as an alloying addition was studied as it relates to the stability of alpha' and alpha'' martensite, here it was found that oxygen will stabilize alpha' yet cause an increase in the Young's modulus. Rare earth additions to getter interstitial oxygen in the high purity materials show no further reduction in modulus. Conversely, additions of another alpha stabilizer, Al, proved to lower the alpha' stability, with one composition exhibiting a modulus as low as 53 GPa. Zirconium being a neutral element regarding alpha and beta stability slightly changed the structure and lattice parameter, while making a little or no difference in the observed modulus. Observations by TEM of quenched specimens indicate the rise in modulus observed between the two minima is not caused the appearance of o. Rather weak o reflections were observed in Ti-65Ta wt.% in the as arc-melted condition and on annealing for 450°C for 24 hours. Precipitates of o were not clearly identified by dark-field TEM imaging. High Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRSTEM) of the aged specimen indicated that o might exist as 3-5nm particles.

Protective Effect of Water Extracted Spirulina maxima on Glutamate-induced Neuronal Cell Death in Mouse Hippocampal HT22 Cell.

PubMed

Lee, Hyeon Yong; Ryu, Ga Hee; Choi, Woon Yong; Yang, Woo Seung; Lee, Hyeon Woo; Ma, Choong Je

2018-01-01

Spirulina maxima was used as important nutritional source in the Aztec civilization because it is rich in proteins and vitamins. It contains various antioxidants such as phycocyanin and flavonoids. Based on abundant antioxidants, S. maxima is known to possess anti-inflammatory effect, especially on neuronal cells. S. maxima was extracted in water and contain of phycocyanin was identified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Cell viability test was performed with treatment of S. maxima extract. After, oxidative stress-related mechanisms were evaluated by detecting the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca 2+ influx, and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level. Then, the glutathione (GSH) related assays were conducted. The water extracted S. maxima exerted the neuroprotective activity by attenuating the ROS and Ca 2+ formation, maintaining the MMP level, and protecting the activity of the antioxidant enzymes by increasing reduced GSH against oxidative stress compared to control. The results suggested that water extracted S. maxima showed powerful neuroprotective effect through the mechanism related to antioxidant activity, able to preventing the radical-mediated cell death. Water extracted Spirulina maxima contains C-phycocyaninWater extracted Spirulina maxima exerts neuroprotective effect on HT22 cellTo investigate the protective mechanisms, reactive oxygen species, Ca 2+ , mitochondrial membrane potential, Glutathione-related assays were performed. Abbreviations used: ROS: Reactive oxygen species; MMP: Mitochondrial membrane potential; GSH: Glutathione; GSSG: Glutathione disulfide, oxidized glutathione; GPx: Glutathione peroxidase; GR: Glutathione reductase; DMEM: Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; FBS: Fetal bovine serum; DCF-DA: 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate; PBS: Phosphate buffered serum; Rho 123: Rhodamine 123; NADPH: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; DTNB: 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid, Ellman's reagent; GSSG-R: Glutathione disulfide reductase; MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide; HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography.

Protective Effect of Water Extracted Spirulina maxima on Glutamate-induced Neuronal Cell Death in Mouse Hippocampal HT22 Cell

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyeon Yong; Ryu, Ga Hee; Choi, Woon Yong; Yang, Woo Seung; Lee, Hyeon Woo; Ma, Choong Je

2018-01-01

Introduction: Spirulina maxima was used as important nutritional source in the Aztec civilization because it is rich in proteins and vitamins. It contains various antioxidants such as phycocyanin and flavonoids. Based on abundant antioxidants, S. maxima is known to possess anti-inflammatory effect, especially on neuronal cells. Materials and Methods: S. maxima was extracted in water and contain of phycocyanin was identified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Cell viability test was performed with treatment of S. maxima extract. After, oxidative stress-related mechanisms were evaluated by detecting the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+ influx, and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) level. Then, the glutathione (GSH) related assays were conducted. Results: The water extracted S. maxima exerted the neuroprotective activity by attenuating the ROS and Ca2+ formation, maintaining the MMP level, and protecting the activity of the antioxidant enzymes by increasing reduced GSH against oxidative stress compared to control. Conclusion: The results suggested that water extracted S. maxima showed powerful neuroprotective effect through the mechanism related to antioxidant activity, able to preventing the radical-mediated cell death. SUMMARY Water extracted Spirulina maxima contains C-phycocyaninWater extracted Spirulina maxima exerts neuroprotective effect on HT22 cellTo investigate the protective mechanisms, reactive oxygen species, Ca2+, mitochondrial membrane potential, Glutathione-related assays were performed. Abbreviations used: ROS: Reactive oxygen species; MMP: Mitochondrial membrane potential; GSH: Glutathione; GSSG: Glutathione disulfide, oxidized glutathione; GPx: Glutathione peroxidase; GR: Glutathione reductase; DMEM: Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; FBS: Fetal bovine serum; DCF-DA: 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate; PBS: Phosphate buffered serum; Rho 123: Rhodamine 123; NADPH: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate; DTNB: 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid, Ellman's reagent; GSSG-R: Glutathione disulfide reductase; MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide; HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography. PMID:29720839

Multiscale modeling of porous ceramics using movable cellular automaton method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolin, Alexey Yu.; Smolin, Igor Yu.; Smolina, Irina Yu.

2017-10-01

The paper presents a multiscale model for porous ceramics based on movable cellular automaton method, which is a particle method in novel computational mechanics of solid. The initial scale of the proposed approach corresponds to the characteristic size of the smallest pores in the ceramics. At this scale, we model uniaxial compression of several representative samples with an explicit account of pores of the same size but with the unique position in space. As a result, we get the average values of Young's modulus and strength, as well as the parameters of the Weibull distribution of these properties at the current scale level. These data allow us to describe the material behavior at the next scale level were only the larger pores are considered explicitly, while the influence of small pores is included via effective properties determined earliar. If the pore size distribution function of the material has N maxima we need to perform computations for N-1 levels in order to get the properties step by step from the lowest scale up to the macroscale. The proposed approach was applied to modeling zirconia ceramics with bimodal pore size distribution. The obtained results show correct behavior of the model sample at the macroscale.

Phase retrieval of images using Gaussian radial bases.

PubMed

Trahan, Russell; Hyland, David

2013-12-20

Here, the possibility of a noniterative solution to the phase retrieval problem is explored. A new look is taken at the phase retrieval problem that reveals that knowledge of a diffraction pattern's frequency components is enough to recover the image without projective iterations. This occurs when the image is formed using Gaussian bases that give the convenience of a continuous Fourier transform existing in a compact form where square pixels do not. The Gaussian bases are appropriate when circular apertures are used to detect the diffraction pattern because of their optical transfer functions, as discussed briefly. An algorithm is derived that is capable of recovering an image formed by Gaussian bases from only the Fourier transform's modulus, without background constraints. A practical example is shown.

Clathrin-Mediated Auxin Efflux and Maxima Regulate Hypocotyl Hook Formation and Light-Stimulated Hook Opening in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Yu, Qinqin; Zhang, Ying; Wang, Juan; Yan, Xu; Wang, Chao; Xu, Jian; Pan, Jianwei

2016-01-04

The establishment of auxin maxima by PIN-FORMED 3 (PIN3)- and AUXIN RESISTANT 1/LIKE AUX1 (LAX) 3 (AUX1/LAX3)-mediated auxin transport is essential for hook formation in Arabidopsis hypocotyls. Until now, however, the underlying regulatory mechanism has remained poorly understood. Here, we show that loss of function of clathrin light chain CLC2 and CLC3 genes enhanced auxin maxima and thereby hook curvature, alleviated the inhibitory effect of auxin overproduction on auxin maxima and hook curvature, and delayed blue light-stimulated auxin maxima reduction and hook opening. Moreover, pharmacological experiments revealed that auxin maxima formation and hook curvature in clc2 clc3 were sensitive to auxin efflux inhibitors 1-naphthylphthalamic acid and 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid but not to the auxin influx inhibitor 1-naphthoxyacetic acid. Live-cell imaging analysis further uncovered that loss of CLC2 and CLC3 function impaired PIN3 endocytosis and promoted its lateralization in the cortical cells but did not affect AUX1 localization. Taken together, these results suggest that clathrin regulates auxin maxima and thereby hook formation through modulating PIN3 localization and auxin efflux, providing a novel mechanism that integrates developmental signals and environmental cues to regulate plant skotomorphogenesis and photomorphogenesis. Copyright © 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differing susceptibilities of Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, and Eimeria tenella oocysts to desiccation.

PubMed

Jenkins, Mark C; Parker, Carolyn; O'Brien, Celia; Miska, Katarzyna; Fetterer, Raymond

2013-10-01

Outbreaks of avian coccidiosis may occur when susceptible chickens are raised on litter containing viable Eimeria oocysts. The purpose of this study was to compare the relative sensitivities of Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria maxima, and Eimeria tenella oocysts to dessication. Sporulated E. acervulina, E. maxima, or E. tenella oocysts were incorporated into gelatin beads and incubated at 32 C for 0, 1, 2, or 3 days. In vitro oocyst excystation rates were measured for each combination of Eimeria species and incubation time. Day-old broiler chicks were allowed to ingest the oocysts-containing beads, and total oocyst production was measured from days 5-8 post-inoculation. Although no effect on excystation was observed, E. maxima oocysts displayed greater resistance to drying compared to E. acervulina and E. tenella oocysts. Eimeria acervulina oocyst production decreased 100-fold after 1-2 days incubation. Eimeria tenella oocysts were slightly more resistant to drying in that a 100-fold decrease in oocyst production was delayed until 2 days. For both E. acervulina and E. tenella , very few oocysts were observed after 3 days incubation. Eimeria maxima oocyst production remained high at all time points. Subsequent studies revealed E. maxima oocyst production was ablated only after 5 days incubation. These findings may explain in part the observed prevalence of E. maxima in litter from commercial poultry operations.

ANTIBODIES TO EIMERIA MAXIMA GAMETOCYTE ANTIGENS CROSS-REACT WITH EIMERIA TENELLA AND E. ACERVULINA: IMPLICATIONS FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It has been shown previously that vaccination with gamete specific molecules in Eimeria maxima offers protection via transfer of maternal antibodies (anti-EmAPGA), not just against infection with E. maxima, but also against E. tenella and E. acervulina. Antibodies to the gamete proteins recognise t...

Using Maxima in the Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fedriani, Eugenio M.; Moyano, Rafael

2011-01-01

Coming from the Macsyma system and adapted to the Common Lisp standard, Maxima can be regarded as a tool for a frequent use in the mathematics classroom. The main aim of this work is to show some possibilities of Maxima and its graphical interface through our experience as Mathematics teachers in Business degrees, although it can be easily spread…

Re-evaluation of the life cycle of Eimeria maxima Tyzzer, 1929 in chickens (Gallus domesticus)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is uncertainty concerning the developmental stages of the poultry coccidium, Eimeria maxima. To resolve this, broiler chickens were inoculated orally with 5 million E. maxima oocysts and were necropsied 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96 or120 h p.i. Small intestine tissue sections and smears were exa...

Classification of pumpkin seed oils according to their species and genetic variety by attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Saucedo-Hernández, Yanelis; Lerma-García, María Jesús; Herrero-Martínez, José Manuel; Ramis-Ramos, Guillermo; Jorge-Rodríguez, Elisa; Simí-Alfonso, Ernesto F

2011-04-27

Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), followed by multivariate treatment of the spectral data, was used to classify seed oils of the genus Cucurbita (pumpkins) according to their species as C. maxima, C. pepo, and C. moschata. Also, C. moschata seed oils were classified according to their genetic variety as RG, Inivit C-88, and Inivit C-2000. Up to 23 wavelength regions were selected on the spectra, each region corresponding to a peak or shoulder. The normalized absorbance peak areas within these regions were used as predictors. Using linear discriminant analysis (LDA), an excellent resolution among all categories concerning both Cucurbita species and C. moschata varieties was achieved. The proposed method was straightforward and quick and can be easily implemented. Quality control of pumpkin seed oils is important because Cucurbita species and genetic variety are both related to the pharmaceutical properties of the oils.

Exactly solved mixed spin-(1,1/2) Ising-Heisenberg diamond chain with a single-ion anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisnyi, Bohdan; Strečka, Jozef

2015-03-01

The mixed spin-(1,1/2) Ising-Heisenberg diamond chain with a single-ion anisotropy is exactly solved through the generalized decoration-iteration transformation and the transfer-matrix method. The decoration-iteration transformation is first used for establishing a rigorous mapping equivalence with the corresponding spin-1 Blume-Emery-Griffiths chain, which is subsequently exactly treated within the transfer-matrix technique. Apart from three classical ground states the model exhibits three striking quantum ground states in which a singlet-dimer state of the interstitial Heisenberg spins is accompanied either with a frustrated state or a polarized state or a non-magnetic state of the nodal Ising spins. It is evidenced that two magnetization plateaus at zero and/or one-half of the saturation magnetization may appear in low-temperature magnetization curves. The specific heat may display remarkable temperature dependences with up to three and four distinct round maxima in a zero and non-zero magnetic field, respectively.

Pumpkin Seed Oil Extracted From Cucurbita maxima Improves Urinary Disorder in Human Overactive Bladder

PubMed Central

Nishimura, Mie; Ohkawara, Tatsuya; Sato, Hiroji; Takeda, Hiroshi; Nishihira, Jun

2014-01-01

The pumpkin seed oil obtained from Cucurbita pepo has been shown to be useful for the treatment of nocturia in patients with urinal disorders in several western countries. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the pumpkin seed oil from Cucurbita maxima on urinary dysfunction in human overactive bladder (OAB). Forty-five subjects were enrolled in this study. An extract of pumpkin seed oil from C. maxima (10 g of oil/day) was orally administrated for 12 weeks. After 6 and 12 weeks, urinary function was evaluated using Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). Pumpkin seed oil from C. maxima significantly reduced the degree of OABSS in the subjects. The results from our study suggest that pumpkin seed oil extracts from C. maxima as well as from C. pepo are effective for urinary disorders such as OAB in humans. PMID:24872936

Pumpkin Seed Oil Extracted From Cucurbita maxima Improves Urinary Disorder in Human Overactive Bladder.

PubMed

Nishimura, Mie; Ohkawara, Tatsuya; Sato, Hiroji; Takeda, Hiroshi; Nishihira, Jun

2014-01-01

The pumpkin seed oil obtained from Cucurbita pepo has been shown to be useful for the treatment of nocturia in patients with urinal disorders in several western countries. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the pumpkin seed oil from Cucurbita maxima on urinary dysfunction in human overactive bladder (OAB). Forty-five subjects were enrolled in this study. An extract of pumpkin seed oil from C. maxima (10 g of oil/day) was orally administrated for 12 weeks. After 6 and 12 weeks, urinary function was evaluated using Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). Pumpkin seed oil from C. maxima significantly reduced the degree of OABSS in the subjects. The results from our study suggest that pumpkin seed oil extracts from C. maxima as well as from C. pepo are effective for urinary disorders such as OAB in humans.

Depth Distribution Of The Maxima Of Extensive Air Shower

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, J. H.; Howell, L. W.

2003-01-01

Observations of the extensive air showers from space can be free from interference by low altitude clouds and aerosols if the showers develop at a sufficiently high altitude. In this paper we explore the altitude distribution of shower maxima to determine the fraction of all showers that will reach their maxima at sufficient altitudes to avoid interference from these lower atmosphere phenomena. Typically the aerosols are confined within a planetary boundary layer that extends from only 2-3 km above the Earth's surface. Cloud top altitudes extend above 15 km but most are below 4 km. The results reported here show that more than 75% of the showers that will be observed by EUSO have maxima above the planetary boundary layer. The results also show that more than 50% of the showers that occur on cloudy days have their maxima above the cloud tops.

Inducing articular cartilage phenotype in costochondral cells

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Costochondral cells may be isolated with minimal donor site morbidity and are unaffected by pathologies of the diarthrodial joints. Identification of optimal exogenous stimuli will allow abundant and robust hyaline articular cartilage to be formed from this cell source. Methods In a three factor, two level full factorial design, the effects of hydrostatic pressure (HP), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and chondroitinase ABC (C-ABC), and all resulting combinations, were assessed in third passage expanded, redifferentiated costochondral cells. After 4 wks, the new cartilage was assessed for matrix content, superficial zone protein (SZP), and mechanical properties. Results Hyaline articular cartilage was generated, demonstrating the presence of type II collagen and SZP, and the absence of type I collagen. TGF-β1 upregulated collagen synthesis by 175% and glycosaminoglycan synthesis by 75%, resulting in a nearly 200% increase in tensile and compressive moduli. C-ABC significantly increased collagen content, and fibril density and diameter, leading to a 125% increase in tensile modulus. Hydrostatic pressure increased fibril diameter by 30% and tensile modulus by 45%. Combining TGF-β1 with C-ABC synergistically increased collagen content by 300% and tensile strength by 320%, over control. No significant differences were observed between C-ABC/TGF-β1 dual treatment and HP/C-ABC/TGF-β1. Conclusions Employing biochemical, biophysical, and mechanical stimuli generated robust hyaline articular cartilage with a tensile modulus of 2 MPa and a compressive instantaneous modulus of 650 kPa. Using expanded, redifferentiated costochondral cells in the self-assembling process allows for recapitulation of robust mechanical properties, and induced SZP expression, key characteristics of functional articular cartilage. PMID:24330640

Segmentation of singularity maps in the context of soil porosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin-Sotoca, Juan J.; Saa-Requejo, Antonio; Grau, Juan; Tarquis, Ana M.

2016-04-01

Geochemical exploration have found with increasingly interests and benefits of using fractal (power-law) models to characterize geochemical distribution, including concentration-area (C-A) model (Cheng et al., 1994; Cheng, 2012) and concentration-volume (C-V) model (Afzal et al., 2011) just to name a few examples. These methods are based on the singularity maps of a measure that at each point define areas with self-similar properties that are shown in power-law relationships in Concentration-Area plots (C-A method). The C-A method together with the singularity map ("Singularity-CA" method) define thresholds that can be applied to segment the map. Recently, the "Singularity-CA" method has been applied to binarize 2D grayscale Computed Tomography (CT) soil images (Martin-Sotoca et al, 2015). Unlike image segmentation based on global thresholding methods, the "Singularity-CA" method allows to quantify the local scaling property of the grayscale value map in the space domain and determinate the intensity of local singularities. It can be used as a high-pass-filter technique to enhance high frequency patterns usually regarded as anomalies when applied to maps. In this work we will put special attention on how to select the singularity thresholds in the C-A plot to segment the image. We will compare two methods: 1) cross point of linear regressions and 2) Wavelets Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) singularity function detection. REFERENCES Cheng, Q., Agterberg, F. P. and Ballantyne, S. B. (1994). The separation of geochemical anomalies from background by fractal methods. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 51, 109-130. Cheng, Q. (2012). Singularity theory and methods for mapping geochemical anomalies caused by buried sources and for predicting undiscovered mineral deposits in covered areas. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 122, 55-70. Afzal, P., Fadakar Alghalandis, Y., Khakzad, A., Moarefvand, P. and Rashidnejad Omran, N. (2011) Delineation of mineralization zones in porphyry Cu deposits by fractal concentration-volume modeling. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 108, 220-232. Martín-Sotoca, J. J., Tarquis, A. M., Saa-Requejo, A. and Grau, J. B. (2015). Pore detection in Computed Tomography (CT) soil images through singularity map analysis. Oral Presentation in PedoFract VIII Congress (June, La Coruña - Spain).

Multifractal Desynchronization of the Cardiac Excitable Cell Network During Atrial Fibrillation. I. Multifractal Analysis of Clinical Data.

PubMed

Attuel, Guillaume; Gerasimova-Chechkina, Evgeniya; Argoul, Francoise; Yahia, Hussein; Arneodo, Alain

2017-01-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia characterized by rapid and irregular atrial electrical activity with a high clinical impact on stroke incidence. Best available therapeutic strategies combine pharmacological and surgical means. But when successful, they do not always prevent long-term relapses. Initial success becomes all the more tricky to achieve as the arrhythmia maintains itself and the pathology evolves into sustained or chronic AF. This raises the open crucial issue of deciphering the mechanisms that govern the onset of AF as well as its perpetuation. In this study, we develop a wavelet-based multi-scale strategy to analyze the electrical activity of human hearts recorded by catheter electrodes, positioned in the coronary sinus (CS), during episodes of AF. We compute the so-called multifractal spectra using two variants of the wavelet transform modulus maxima method, the moment (partition function) method and the magnitude cumulant method. Application of these methods to long time series recorded in a patient with chronic AF provides quantitative evidence of the multifractal intermittent nature of the electric energy of passing cardiac impulses at low frequencies, i.e., for times (≳0.5 s) longer than the mean interbeat (≃ 10 -1 s). We also report the results of a two-point magnitude correlation analysis which infers the absence of a multiplicative time-scale structure underlying multifractal scaling. The electric energy dynamics looks like a "multifractal white noise" with quadratic (log-normal) multifractal spectra. These observations challenge concepts of functional reentrant circuits in mechanistic theories of AF, still leaving open the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). A transition is indeed observed in the computed multifractal spectra which group according to two distinct areas, consistently with the anatomical substrate binding to the CS, namely the left atrial posterior wall, and the ligament of Marshall which is innervated by the ANS. In a companion paper (II. Modeling), we propose a mathematical model of a denervated heart where the kinetics of gap junction conductance alone induces a desynchronization of the myocardial excitable cells, accounting for the multifractal spectra found experimentally in the left atrial posterior wall area.

Mammographic evidence of microenvironment changes in tumorous breasts.

PubMed

Marin, Zach; Batchelder, Kendra A; Toner, Brian C; Guimond, Lyne; Gerasimova-Chechkina, Evgeniya; Harrow, Amy R; Arneodo, Alain; Khalil, Andre

2017-04-01

The microenvironment of breast tumors plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. As long as the structural integrity of the microenvironment is upheld, the tumor is suppressed. If tissue structure is lost through disruptions in the normal cell cycle, the microenvironment may act as a tumor promoter. Therefore, the properties that distinguish between healthy and tumorous tissues may not be solely in the tumor characteristics but rather in surrounding non-tumor tissue. The goal of this paper was to show preliminary evidence that tissue disruption and loss of homeostasis in breast tissue microenvironment and breast bilateral asymmetry can be quantitatively and objectively assessed from mammography via a localized, wavelet-based analysis of the whole breast. A wavelet-based multifractal formalism called the 2D Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima (WTMM) method was used to quantitate density fluctuations from mammographic breast tissue via the Hurst exponent (H). Each entire mammogram was cut in hundreds of 360 × 360 pixel subregions in a gridding scheme of overlapping sliding windows, with each window boundary separated by 32 pixels. The 2D WTMM method was applied to each subregion individually. A data mining approach was set up to determine which metrics best discriminated between normal vs. cancer cases. These same metrics were then used, without modification, to discriminate between normal vs. benign and benign vs. cancer cases. The density fluctuations in healthy mammographic breast tissue are either monofractal anti-correlated (H < 1/2) for fatty tissue or monofractal long-range correlated (H>1/2) for dense tissue. However, tissue regions with H~1/2, as well as left vs. right breast asymetries, were found preferably in tumorous (benign or cancer) breasts vs. normal breasts, as quantified via a combination metric yielding a P-value ~ 0.0006. No metric considered showed significant differences between cancer vs. benign breasts. Since mammographic tissue regions associated with uncorrelated (H~1/2) density fluctuations were predominantly in tumorous breasts, and since the underlying physical processes associated with a H~1/2 signature are those of randomness, lack of spatial correlation, and free diffusion, it is hypothesized that this signature is also associated with tissue disruption and loss of tissue homeostasis. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

(Multi)fractality of Earthquakes by use of Wavelet Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enescu, B.; Ito, K.; Struzik, Z. R.

2002-12-01

The fractal character of earthquakes' occurrence, in time, space or energy, has by now been established beyond doubt and is in agreement with modern models of seismicity. Moreover, the cascade-like generation process of earthquakes -with one "main" shock followed by many aftershocks, having their own aftershocks- may well be described through multifractal analysis, well suited for dealing with such multiplicative processes. The (multi)fractal character of seismicity has been analysed so far by using traditional techniques, like the box-counting and correlation function algorithms. This work introduces a new approach for characterising the multifractal patterns of seismicity. The use of wavelet analysis, in particular of the wavelet transform modulus maxima, to multifractal analysis was pioneered by Arneodo et al. (1991, 1995) and applied successfully in diverse fields, such as the study of turbulence, the DNA sequences or the heart rate dynamics. The wavelets act like a microscope, revealing details about the analysed data at different times and scales. We introduce and perform such an analysis on the occurrence time of earthquakes and show its advantages. In particular, we analyse shallow seismicity, characterised by a high aftershock "productivity", as well as intermediate and deep seismic activity, known for its scarcity of aftershocks. We examine as well declustered (aftershocks removed) versions of seismic catalogues. Our preliminary results show some degree of multifractality for the undeclustered, shallow seismicity. On the other hand, at large scales, we detect a monofractal scaling behaviour, clearly put in evidence for the declustered, shallow seismic activity. Moreover, some of the declustered sequences show a long-range dependent (LRD) behaviour, characterised by a Hurst exponent, H > 0.5, in contrast with the memory-less, Poissonian model. We demonstrate that the LRD is a genuine characteristic and is not an effect of the time series probability distribution function. One of the most attractive features of wavelet analysis is its ability to determine a local Hurst exponent. We show that this feature together with the possibility of extending the analysis to spatial patterns may constitute a valuable approach to search for anomalous (precursory?) patterns of seismic activity.

Multifractal Desynchronization of the Cardiac Excitable Cell Network During Atrial Fibrillation. I. Multifractal Analysis of Clinical Data

PubMed Central

Attuel, Guillaume; Gerasimova-Chechkina, Evgeniya; Argoul, Francoise; Yahia, Hussein; Arneodo, Alain

2018-01-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiac arrhythmia characterized by rapid and irregular atrial electrical activity with a high clinical impact on stroke incidence. Best available therapeutic strategies combine pharmacological and surgical means. But when successful, they do not always prevent long-term relapses. Initial success becomes all the more tricky to achieve as the arrhythmia maintains itself and the pathology evolves into sustained or chronic AF. This raises the open crucial issue of deciphering the mechanisms that govern the onset of AF as well as its perpetuation. In this study, we develop a wavelet-based multi-scale strategy to analyze the electrical activity of human hearts recorded by catheter electrodes, positioned in the coronary sinus (CS), during episodes of AF. We compute the so-called multifractal spectra using two variants of the wavelet transform modulus maxima method, the moment (partition function) method and the magnitude cumulant method. Application of these methods to long time series recorded in a patient with chronic AF provides quantitative evidence of the multifractal intermittent nature of the electric energy of passing cardiac impulses at low frequencies, i.e., for times (≳0.5 s) longer than the mean interbeat (≃ 10−1 s). We also report the results of a two-point magnitude correlation analysis which infers the absence of a multiplicative time-scale structure underlying multifractal scaling. The electric energy dynamics looks like a “multifractal white noise” with quadratic (log-normal) multifractal spectra. These observations challenge concepts of functional reentrant circuits in mechanistic theories of AF, still leaving open the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). A transition is indeed observed in the computed multifractal spectra which group according to two distinct areas, consistently with the anatomical substrate binding to the CS, namely the left atrial posterior wall, and the ligament of Marshall which is innervated by the ANS. In a companion paper (II. Modeling), we propose a mathematical model of a denervated heart where the kinetics of gap junction conductance alone induces a desynchronization of the myocardial excitable cells, accounting for the multifractal spectra found experimentally in the left atrial posterior wall area. PMID:29632492

Slow kinetics of Brownian maxima.

PubMed

Ben-Naim, E; Krapivsky, P L

2014-07-18

We study extreme-value statistics of Brownian trajectories in one dimension. We define the maximum as the largest position to date and compare maxima of two particles undergoing independent Brownian motion. We focus on the probability P(t) that the two maxima remain ordered up to time t and find the algebraic decay P ∼ t(-β) with exponent β = 1/4. When the two particles have diffusion constants D(1) and D(2), the exponent depends on the mobilities, β = (1/π) arctan sqrt[D(2)/D(1)]. We also use numerical simulations to investigate maxima of multiple particles in one dimension and the largest extension of particles in higher dimensions.

MAXIMA-1: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy on Angular Scales of 10' to 5 degrees

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Ade, P.; Balbi, A.; Bock, J.; Borrill, J.; Boscaleri, A.; de Bernardis, P.; Ferreira, P. G.; Hanany, S.; Hristov, V. V.; Jaffe, A. H.; Lange, A. E.; Lee, A. T.; Mauskopf, P. D.; Netterfield, C. B.; Oh, S.; Pascale, E.; Rabii, B.; Richards, P. L.; Smoot, G. F.; Stompor, R.; Winant,C. D.; Wu, J. H. P.

2005-06-04

We present a map and an angular power spectrum of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) from the first flight of MAXIMA. MAXIMA is a balloon-borne experiment with an array of 16 bolometric photometers operated at 100 mK. MAXIMA observed a 124 deg{sup 2} region of the sky with 10' resolution at frequencies of 150, 240 and 410 GHz. The data were calibrated using in-flight measurements of the CMB dipole anisotropy. A map of the CMB anisotropy was produced from three 150 and one 240 GHz photometer without need for foreground subtractions.

Non-stationary Return Levels of CMIP5 Multi-model Temperature Extremes

DOE PAGES

Cheng, L.; Phillips, T. J.; AghaKouchak, A.

2015-05-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate to what extent the CMIP5 climate model simulations of the climate of the twentieth century can represent observed warm monthly temperature extremes under a changing environment. The biases and spatial patterns of 2-, 10-, 25-, 50- and 100-year return levels of the annual maxima of monthly mean temperature (hereafter, annual temperature maxima) from CMIP5 simulations are compared with those of Climatic Research Unit (CRU) observational data considered under a non-stationary assumption. The results show that CMIP5 climate models collectively underestimate the mean annual maxima over arid and semi-arid regions that are mostmore » subject to severe heat waves and droughts. Furthermore, the results indicate that most climate models tend to underestimate the historical annual temperature maxima over the United States and Greenland, while generally disagreeing in their simulations over cold regions. Return level analysis shows that with respect to the spatial patterns of the annual temperature maxima, there are good agreements between the CRU observations and most CMIP5 simulations. However, the magnitudes of the simulated annual temperature maxima differ substantially across individual models. Discrepancies are generally larger over higher latitudes and cold regions.« less

Compositions of the volatile oils of Citrus macroptera and C. maxima.

PubMed

Rana, Virendra S; Blazquez, Maria A

2012-10-01

The essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the fresh peels of Citrus macroptera Montr. and C. maxima (Burm.) Merr. were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The yields of oil ranged from 0.53% in C. macroptera to 0.13% in C. maxima cultivar (white). Forty-seven compounds were identified in the oils with limonene (55.3-80.0%), dodecyl acrylate (2.2-8.0%), geranial (0.4-3.5%), trans-linalool oxide (1.0-2.8%), alpha-terpineol (0.7-2.3%), linalool (0.7-1.5%) and cis-linalool oxide (0.5-1.4%) identified as major compounds. The oil ofC. macroptera contained limonene (55.3%), beta-caryophyllene (4.7%) and geranial (3.5%) as main compounds. Similarly, oils from two C. maxima (pink and white) cultivars were rich in limonene (72.0-80.0%), dodecyl acrylate (8.0-7.2%) and nootkatone (1.6-2.5%). C. maxima (pink and white) cultivars were found to contain higher amount of limonene (72.0 and 80.0%) as compared with C. macroptera (55.3%). The chemical compositions of the oils were found to be similar, but nootkatone (1.6-2.5%) was identified only in C. maxima cultivars.

Fast Fourier Tranformation Algorithms: Experiments with Microcomputers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

is, functions a with a known, discrete Fourier transform A Such functions are given fn [I]. The functions, TF1 , TF2, and TF3, were used and are...the IBM PC, all with TF1 (Eq. 1). ’The compilers provided options to improve performance, as noted, for which a penalty in compiling time has to be...BASIC only. Series I In this series the procedures were as follows: (i) Calculate the input values for TF1 of ar and the modulus Iar (which is

Performance Improvement of Raman Distributed Temperature System by Using Noise Suppression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian; Li, Yunting; Zhang, Mingjiang; Liu, Yi; Zhang, Jianzhong; Yan, Baoqiang; Wang, Dong; Jin, Baoquan

2018-06-01

In Raman distributed temperature system, the key factor for performance improvement is noise suppression, which seriously affects the sensing distance and temperature accuracy. Therefore, we propose and experimentally demonstrate dynamic noise difference algorithm and wavelet transform modulus maximum (WTMM) to de-noising Raman anti-Stokes signal. Experimental results show that the sensing distance can increase from 3 km to 11.5 km and the temperature accuracy increases to 1.58 °C at the sensing distance of 10.4 km.

Flexible Epoxy Resin Formed Upon Blending with a Triblock Copolymer through Reaction-Induced Microphase Separation

PubMed Central

Chu, Wei-Cheng; Lin, Wei-Sheng; Kuo, Shiao-Wei

2016-01-01

In this study, we used diglycidyl ether bisphenol A (DGEBA) as a matrix, the ABA block copolymer poly(ethylene oxide–b–propylene oxide–b–ethylene oxide) (Pluronic F127) as an additive, and diphenyl diaminosulfone (DDS) as a curing agent to prepare flexible epoxy resins through reaction-induced microphase separation (RIMPS). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the existence of hydrogen bonding between the poly(ethylene oxide) segment of F127 and the OH groups of the DGEBA resin. Small-angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy all revealed evidence for the microphase separation of F127 within the epoxy resin. Glass transition temperature (Tg) phenomena and mechanical properties (modulus) were determined through differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis, respectively, of samples at various blend compositions. The modulus data provided evidence for the formation of wormlike micelle structures, through a RIMPS mechanism, in the flexible epoxy resin upon blending with the F127 triblock copolymer. PMID:28773571

Effects of Surface Treatments on Mechanical Properties and Water Resistance of Kenaf Fiber-Reinforced Unsaturated Polyester Composites

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

Ren, Xiaofeng; Qui, Renhui; Fifield, Leonard S.

2012-05-17

Effects of surface treatments on the strength and water resistance of kenaf fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPE) composites were investigated. A new coupling agent that consists of 1,6-diisocyanato-hexane (DIH) and 2-hydroxylethyl acrylate (HEA) was investigated for surface treatments of kenaf fibers. The surface treatments were found to significantly enhance the tensile strength, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity, and water resistance of the resulting kenaf UPE composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed that DIH-HEA was covalently bonded onto kenaf fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the composites revealed that chemical treatment of kenaf fibers with a combination of DIHmore » and HEA improved the interfacial adhesion between kenaf fibers and UPE resin in the DIHHEA-treated kenafUPE composites. The mechanisms by which the chemical treatment of kenaf fiber surfaces improved strength and water resistance of the resulting kenaf UPE composites were discussed.« less

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

Lieou, Charles Ka Cheong; Daub, Eric G.; Ecke, Robert E.

Rock materials often display long-time relaxation, commonly termed aging or “slow dynamics”, after the cessation of acoustic perturbations. In this paper, we focus on unconsolidated rock materials and propose to explain such nonlinear relaxation through the Shear-Transformation-Zone (STZ) theory of granular media, adapted for small stresses and strains. The theory attributes the observed relaxation to the slow, irreversible change of positions of constituent grains, and posits that the aging process can be described in three stages: fast recovery before some characteristic time associated with the subset of local plastic events or grain rearrangements with a short time scale, log-linear recoverymore » of the elastic modulus at intermediate times, and gradual turnover to equilibrium steady-state behavior at long times. Here we demonstrate good agreement with experiments on aging in granular materials such as simulated fault gouge after an external disturbance. These results may provide insights into observed modulus recovery after strong shaking in the near surface region of earthquake zones.« less

Slow dynamics and strength recovery in unconsolidated granular earth materials: a mechanistic theory

DOE PAGES

Lieou, Charles Ka Cheong; Daub, Eric G.; Ecke, Robert E.; ...

2017-09-08

Rock materials often display long-time relaxation, commonly termed aging or “slow dynamics”, after the cessation of acoustic perturbations. In this paper, we focus on unconsolidated rock materials and propose to explain such nonlinear relaxation through the Shear-Transformation-Zone (STZ) theory of granular media, adapted for small stresses and strains. The theory attributes the observed relaxation to the slow, irreversible change of positions of constituent grains, and posits that the aging process can be described in three stages: fast recovery before some characteristic time associated with the subset of local plastic events or grain rearrangements with a short time scale, log-linear recoverymore » of the elastic modulus at intermediate times, and gradual turnover to equilibrium steady-state behavior at long times. Here we demonstrate good agreement with experiments on aging in granular materials such as simulated fault gouge after an external disturbance. These results may provide insights into observed modulus recovery after strong shaking in the near surface region of earthquake zones.« less

Characterization of the bioactive and mechanical behavior of dental ceramic/sol-gel derived bioactive glass mixtures.

PubMed

Abbasi, Zahra; Bahrololoum, Mohammad E; Bagheri, Rafat; Shariat, Mohammad H

2016-02-01

Dental ceramics can be modified by bioactive glasses in order to develop apatite layer on their surface. One of the benefits of such modification is to prolong the lifetime of the fixed dental prosthesis by preventing the formation of secondary caries. Dental ceramic/sol-gel derived bioactive glass mixture is one of the options for this modification. In the current study, mixtures of dental ceramic/bioactive glass with different compositions were successfully produced. To evaluate their bioactive behavior, prepared samples were immersed in a simulated body fluid at various time intervals. The prepared and soaked specimens were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. Since bioactive glasses have deleterious effects on the mechanical properties of dental ceramics, 3-point bending tests were used to evaluate the flexural strength, flexural strain, tangent modulus of elasticity and Weibull modulus of the specimens in order to find the optimal relationship between mechanical and bioactive properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Slow Dynamics and Strength Recovery in Unconsolidated Granular Earth Materials: A Mechanistic Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lieou, Charles K. C.; Daub, Eric G.; Ecke, Robert E.; Johnson, Paul A.

2017-10-01

Rock materials often display long-time relaxation, commonly termed aging or "slow dynamics," after the cessation of acoustic perturbations. In this paper, we focus on unconsolidated rock materials and propose to explain such nonlinear relaxation through the shear-transformation-zone theory of granular media, adapted for small stresses and strains. The theory attributes the observed relaxation to the slow, irreversible change of positions of constituent grains and posits that the aging process can be described in three stages: fast recovery before some characteristic time associated with the subset of local plastic events or grain rearrangements with a short time scale, log linear recovery of the elastic modulus at intermediate times, and gradual turnover to equilibrium steady state behavior at long times. We demonstrate good agreement with experiments on aging in granular materials such as simulated fault gouge after an external disturbance. These results may provide insights into observed modulus recovery after strong shaking in the near surface region of earthquake zones.

Continuous relaxation and retardation spectrum method for viscoelastic characterization of asphalt concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharjee, Sudip; Swamy, Aravind Krishna; Daniel, Jo S.

2012-08-01

This paper presents a simple and practical approach to obtain the continuous relaxation and retardation spectra of asphalt concrete directly from the complex (dynamic) modulus test data. The spectra thus obtained are continuous functions of relaxation and retardation time. The major advantage of this method is that the continuous form is directly obtained from the master curves which are readily available from the standard characterization tests of linearly viscoelastic behavior of asphalt concrete. The continuous spectrum method offers efficient alternative to the numerical computation of discrete spectra and can be easily used for modeling viscoelastic behavior. In this research, asphalt concrete specimens have been tested for linearly viscoelastic characterization. The linearly viscoelastic test data have been used to develop storage modulus and storage compliance master curves. The continuous spectra are obtained from the fitted sigmoid function of the master curves via the inverse integral transform. The continuous spectra are shown to be the limiting case of the discrete distributions. The continuous spectra and the time-domain viscoelastic functions (relaxation modulus and creep compliance) computed from the spectra matched very well with the approximate solutions. It is observed that the shape of the spectra is dependent on the master curve parameters. The continuous spectra thus obtained can easily be implemented in material mix design process. Prony-series coefficients can be easily obtained from the continuous spectra and used in numerical analysis such as finite element analysis.

Stimuli-responsive cement-reinforced rubber.

PubMed

Musso, Simone; Robisson, Agathe; Maheshwar, Sudeep; Ulm, Franz-Josef

2014-05-14

In this work, we report the successful development of a cement-rubber reactive composite with reversible mechanical properties. Initially, the composite behaves like rubber containing inert filler, but when exposed to water, it increases in volume and reaches a stiffness that is intermediate between that of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) and hydrated cement, while maintaining a relatively large ductility characteristic of rubber. After drying, the modulus increases even further up to 400 MPa. Wet/drying cycles prove that the elastic modulus can reversibly change between 150 and 400 MPa. Utilizing attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), we demonstrate that the high pH produced by the hydration of cement triggers the hydrolysis of the rubber nitrile groups into carboxylate anions. Thus, the salt bridges, generated between the carboxylate anions of the elastomer and the cations of the filler, are responsible for the reversible variations in volume and elastic modulus of the composite as a consequence of environmental moisture exposure. These results reveal that cement nanoparticles can successfully be used to accomplish a twofold task: (a) achieve an original postpolymerization modification that allows one to work with carboxylate HNBR (HXNBR) not obtained by direct copolymerization of carboxylate monomers with butadiene, and (b) synthesize a stimuli-responsive polymeric composite. This new type of material, having an ideal behavior for sealing application, could be used as an alternative to cement for oil field zonal isolation applications.

Influence of hot isostatic pressing on ZrO2-CaO dental ceramics properties.

PubMed

Gionea, Alin; Andronescu, Ecaterina; Voicu, Georgeta; Bleotu, Coralia; Surdu, Vasile-Adrian

2016-08-30

Different hot isostatic pressing conditions were used to obtain zirconia ceramics, in order to assess the influence of HIP on phase transformation, compressive strength, Young's modulus and density. First, CaO stabilized zirconia powder was synthesized through sol-gel method, using zirconium propoxide, calcium isopropoxide and 2-metoxiethanol as precursors, then HIP treatment was applied to obtain final dense ceramics. Ceramics were morphologically and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Density measurements, compressive strength and Young's modulus tests were also performed in order to evaluate the effect of HIP treatment. The zirconia powders heat treated at 500°C for 2h showed a pure cubic phase with average particle dimension about 70nm. The samples that were hot isostatic pressed presented a mixture of monoclinic-tetragonal or monoclinic-cubic phases, while for pre-sintered samples, cubic zirconia was the single crystalline form. Final dense ceramics were obtained after HIP treatment, with relative density values higher than 94%. ZrO2-CaO ceramics presented high compressive strength, with values in the range of 500-708.9MPa and elastic behavior with Young's modulus between 1739MPa and 4372MPa. Finally zirconia ceramics were tested for biocompatibility allowing the normal development of MG63 cells in vitro. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Load distribution of articular cartilage from MR-images by neural nets.

PubMed

Seidel, Peter; Hanke, Göran; Gründer, Wilfried

2005-01-01

Artificial neural nets were used to determine the Young's modulus and spatial load distribution in articular cartilage by means of T2-weighted MR imaging. MR images were obtained in vitro (ex vivo?) from the joints of sheep of different ages (3 months, 9 months, 15 months, 1.5 years, 5 years, 5.5 years) and pigs (4 and 6 months) with a Bruker AMX 300 (7 T) spectrometer equipped with a micro-imaging unit. The knee of a 29-year-old male volunteer was studied in vivo under mechanical load using a clinical Siemens Vision MRT (1.5 T). The load of the cartilage is understood as a non-linear image transformation of loaded versus unloaded images. The artificial neural net was used to recognize given reference pixels of the unloaded cartilage within the image of the loaded cartilage. The Young's modulus was calculated from the local strain and the external pressure using the Hooke's law. With this method, the average Young's modulus was obtained in relationship to the biological age of the cartilage. The investigated age interval showed a progressive increase of 0.5 +/- 0.3 MPa per year. These results are consistent with published results. As shown in this pilot study, the method of neural nets allows the visualization of the spatial load distribution within the articular cartilage.

Cloning and sequencing of the allophycocyanin genes from Spirulina maxima (Cyanophyta)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Song; Hiroyuki, Kojima; Yoshikazu, Kawata; Shin-Ichi, Yano; Zeng, Cheng-Kui

1998-03-01

The genes coding for the α-and β-subunit of allophycocyanin ( apcA and apcB) from the cyanophyte Spirulina maxima were cloned and sequenced. The results revealed 44.4% of nucleotide sequence similarity and 30.4% of similarity of deduced amino acid sequence between them. The amino acid sequence identities between S. maxima and S. platensis are 99.4% for α subunit and 100% for β subunit.

Sequence analysis of the PIP5K locus in Eimeria maxima provides further evidence for eimerian genome plasticity and segmental organization.

PubMed

Song, B K; Pan, M Z; Lau, Y L; Wan, K L

2014-07-29

Commercial flocks infected by Eimeria species parasites, including Eimeria maxima, have an increased risk of developing clinical or subclinical coccidiosis; an intestinal enteritis associated with increased mortality rates in poultry. Currently, infection control is largely based on chemotherapy or live vaccines; however, drug resistance is common and vaccines are relatively expensive. The development of new cost-effective intervention measures will benefit from unraveling the complex genetic mechanisms that underlie host-parasite interactions, including the identification and characterization of genes encoding proteins such as phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP5K). We previously identified a PIP5K coding sequence within the E. maxima genome. In this study, we analyzed two bacterial artificial chromosome clones presenting a ~145-kb E. maxima (Weybridge strain) genomic region spanning the PIP5K gene locus. Sequence analysis revealed that ~95% of the simple sequence repeats detected were located within regions comparable to the previously described feature-rich segments of the Eimeria tenella genome. Comparative sequence analysis with the orthologous E. maxima (Houghton strain) region revealed a moderate level of conserved synteny. Unique segmental organizations and telomere-like repeats were also observed in both genomes. A number of incomplete transposable elements were detected and further scrutiny of these elements in both orthologous segments revealed interesting nesting events, which may play a role in facilitating genome plasticity in E. maxima. The current analysis provides more detailed information about the genome organization of E. maxima and may help to reveal genotypic differences that are important for expression of traits related to pathogenicity and virulence.

The reduction of summer sulfate and switch from summertime to wintertime PM2.5 concentration maxima in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Elizabeth A. W.; Gantt, Brett; McDow, Stephen

2018-02-01

Exposure to particulate matter air pollution with a nominal mean aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) has been associated with health effects including cardiovascular disease and death. Here, we add to the understanding of urban and rural PM2.5 concentrations over large spatial and temporal scales in recent years. We used high-quality, publicly-available air quality monitoring data to evaluate PM2.5 concentration patterns and changes during the years 2000-2015. Compiling and averaging measurements collected across the U.S. revealed that PM2.5 concentrations from urban sites experienced seasonal maxima in both winter and summer. Within each year from 2000 to 2008, the maxima of urban summer peaks were greater than winter peaks. However, from 2012 to 2015, the maxima of urban summertime PM2.5 peaks were smaller than the urban wintertime PM2.5 maxima, due to a decrease in the magnitude of summertime maxima with no corresponding decrease in the magnitude of winter maxima. PM2.5 measurements at rural sites displayed summer peaks with magnitudes relatively similar to those of urban sites, and negligible to no winter peaks through the time period analyzed. Seasonal variations of urban and rural PM2.5 sulfate, PM2.5 nitrate, and PM2.5 organic carbon (OC) were also assessed. Summer peaks in PM2.5 sulfate decreased dramatically between 2000 and 2015, whereas seasonal PM2.5 OC and winter PM2.5 nitrate concentration maxima remained fairly consistent. These findings demonstrate that PM2.5 concentrations, especially those occurring in the summertime, have declined in the U.S. from 2000 to 2015. In addition, reduction strategies targeting sulfate have been successful and the decrease in PM2.5 sulfate contributed to the decline in total PM2.5.

Incorporation of a recombinant Eimeria maxima IMP1 antigen into nanoparticles confers protective immunity against E. Maxima challenge infection.

PubMed

Jenkins, Mark C; Stevens, Laura; O'Brien, Celia; Parker, Carolyn; Miska, Katrzyna; Konjufca, Vjollca

2018-02-14

The purpose of this study was to determine if conjugating a recombinant Eimeria maxima protein, namely EmaxIMP1, into 20 nm polystyrene nanoparticles (NP) could improve the level of protective immunity against E. maxima challenge infection. Recombinant EmaxIMP1 was expressed in Escherichia coli as a poly-His fusion protein, purified by NiNTA chromatography, and conjugated to 20 nm polystyrene NP (NP-EmaxIMP1). NP-EMaxIMP1 or control non-recombinant (NP-NR) protein were delivered per os to newly-hatched broiler chicks with subsequent booster immunizations at 3 and 21 days of age. In battery cage studies (n = 4), chickens immunized with NP-EMaxIMP1 displayed complete protection as measured by weight gain (WG) against E. maxima challenge compared to chickens immunized with NP-NR. WG in the NP-EMaxIMP1-immunized groups was identical to WG in chickens that were not infected with E. maxima infected chickens. In floor pen studies (n = 2), chickens immunized with NP-EMaxIMP1 displayed partial protection as measured by WG against E. maxima challenge compared to chickens immunized with NP-NR. In order to understand the basis for immune stimulation, newly-hatched chicks were inoculated per os with NP-EMaxIMP1 or NP-NR protein, and the small intestine, bursa, and spleen, were examined for NP localization at 1 h and 6 h post-inoculation. Within 1 h, both NP-EMaxIMP1 and NP-NR were observed in all 3 tissues. An increase was observed in the level of NP-EmaxIMP1 and NP-NR in all tissues at 6 h post-inoculation. These data indicate that 20 nm NP-EmaxIMP1 or NP-NR reached deeper tissues within hours of oral inoculation and elicited complete to partial immunity against E. maxima challenge infection. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex Isolates from Cucurbita maxima in China

PubMed Central

She, Xiaoman; Yu, Lin; Lan, Guobing; Tang, Yafei; He, Zifu

2017-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex is a devastating phytopathogen with an unusually wide host range, and new host plants are continuously being discovered. In June 2016, a new bacterial wilt on Cucurbita maxima was observed in Guangdong province, China. Initially, in the adult plant stage, several leaves of each plant withered suddenly and drooped; the plant then wilted completely, and the color of their vasculature changed to dark brown, ultimately causing the entire plant to die. Creamy-whitish bacterial masses were observed to ooze from crosscut stems of these diseased plants. To develop control strategies for C. maxima bacterial wilt, the causative pathogenic isolates were identified and characterized. Twenty-four bacterial isolates were obtained from diseased C. maxima plants, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing and pathogenicity analysis results indicated that the pathogen of C. maxima bacterial wilt was Ralstonia solanacearum. The results from DNA-based analysis, host range determination and bacteriological identification confirmed that the 24 isolates belonged to R. solanacearum phylotype I, race 1, and eight of these isolates belonged to biovar 3, while 16 belonged to biovar 4. Based on the results of partial egl gene sequence analysis, the 24 isolates clustered into three egl- sequence type groups, sequevars 17, 45, and 56. Sequevar 56 is a new sequevar which is described for the first time in this paper. An assessment of the resistance of 21 pumpkin cultivars revealed that C. moschata cv. Xiangyu1 is resistant to strain RS378, C. moschata cv. Xiangmi is moderately resistant to strain RS378, and 19 other pumpkin cultivars, including four C. maxima cultivars and 15 C. moschata cultivars, are susceptible to strain RS378. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. maxima bacterial wilt caused by R. solanacearum race 1 in the world. Our results provide valuable information for the further development of control strategies for C. maxima wilt disease. PMID:29093727

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex Isolates from Cucurbita maxima in China.

PubMed

She, Xiaoman; Yu, Lin; Lan, Guobing; Tang, Yafei; He, Zifu

2017-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex is a devastating phytopathogen with an unusually wide host range, and new host plants are continuously being discovered. In June 2016, a new bacterial wilt on Cucurbita maxima was observed in Guangdong province, China. Initially, in the adult plant stage, several leaves of each plant withered suddenly and drooped; the plant then wilted completely, and the color of their vasculature changed to dark brown, ultimately causing the entire plant to die. Creamy-whitish bacterial masses were observed to ooze from crosscut stems of these diseased plants. To develop control strategies for C. maxima bacterial wilt, the causative pathogenic isolates were identified and characterized. Twenty-four bacterial isolates were obtained from diseased C. maxima plants, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing and pathogenicity analysis results indicated that the pathogen of C. maxima bacterial wilt was Ralstonia solanacearum . The results from DNA-based analysis, host range determination and bacteriological identification confirmed that the 24 isolates belonged to R. solanacearum phylotype I, race 1, and eight of these isolates belonged to biovar 3, while 16 belonged to biovar 4. Based on the results of partial egl gene sequence analysis, the 24 isolates clustered into three egl- sequence type groups, sequevars 17, 45, and 56. Sequevar 56 is a new sequevar which is described for the first time in this paper. An assessment of the resistance of 21 pumpkin cultivars revealed that C. moschata cv. Xiangyu1 is resistant to strain RS378, C. moschata cv. Xiangmi is moderately resistant to strain RS378, and 19 other pumpkin cultivars, including four C. maxima cultivars and 15 C. moschata cultivars, are susceptible to strain RS378. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. maxima bacterial wilt caused by R. solanacearum race 1 in the world. Our results provide valuable information for the further development of control strategies for C. maxima wilt disease.

Effect of silver on the shape of palladium nanoparticles

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

Gupta, Dikshita, E-mail: dgmonugupta@gmail.com; Barman, P. B.; Hazra, S. K.

We report a facile route to prepare palladium-silver nanoparticles at considerably low temperature. First the controlled synthesis of palladium nanoparticles was performed via reduction of sodium tetrachloropalladate (II) in ethylene glycol in the presence of PVP(polyvinylpyrrolidone) as capping agent. The reaction was carried out at three different temperatures-80°C, 100°C and 120°C for one hour. Short reaction time and low synthesis temperature adds advantage to this method over others. Formed palladium nanoparticles were nearly spherical with the average particle size of 7.5±0.5 nm, 9.5±0.5 nm and 10.5±0.5 nm at 80°C, 100°C and 120°C respectively. Secondly, the palladium-silver nanoparticles were prepared bymore » the simultaneous reduction of palladium and silver from their respective precursors in ethylene glycol at 100°C (optimized temperature). The shape and size distribution was studied by TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy). The role of silver in transforming the shape of palladium nanoparticles from spherical to triangular has been discussed. Spherical symmetry of palladium nanoparticles is disturbed by the interaction of silver ions on the crystal facets of palladium nanoparticles. From UV-vis spectra, the absorption maxima of palladium nanoparticles at 205 nm and absorption maxima of palladium-silver nanoparticles at 272 nm revealed the partial evidence of their formation.« less

Biologically synthesised silver nanoparticles from three diverse family of plant extracts and their anticancer activity against epidermoid A431 carcinoma.

PubMed

Nayak, Debasis; Pradhan, Sonali; Ashe, Sarbani; Rauta, Pradipta Ranjan; Nayak, Bismita

2015-11-01

Biological synthesis of silver nanoparticles is a cost effective natural process where the phytochemicals specifically phenols, flavonoids and terpenoids present in the plant extracts act as capping and reducing agent. Due to their nano size regime the silver nanoparticles may directly bind to the DNA of the pathogenic bacterial strains leading to higher antimicrobial activity. In the current study silver nanoparticles were synthesised using plant extracts from different origin Cucurbita maxima (petals), Moringa oleifera (leaves) and Acorus calamus (rhizome). The synthesised nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (Fe-SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Highly crystalline, roughly spherical and cuboidal silver nanoparticles of 30-70 nm in size were synthesised. The nanoparticles provided strong antimicrobial activity against pathogenic strains. The effect of the synthesised nanoparticles against A431 skin cancer cell line was tested for their toxicity by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) dye. The IC50 values of 82.39±3.1, 83.57±3.9 and 78.58±2.7 μg/ml were calculated for silver nanoparticles synthesised by C. maxima, M. oleifera and A. calamus respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrophysiology of pumpkin seeds: Memristors in vivo

PubMed Central

Volkov, Alexander G.; Nyasani, Eunice K.; Tuckett, Clayton; Greeman, Esther A.; Markin, Vladislav S.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Leon Chua, the discoverer of a memristor, theoretically predicted that voltage gated ion channels can be memristors. We recently found memristors in different plants such as the Venus flytrap, Mimosa pudica, Aloe vera, apple fruits, and in potato tubers. There are no publications in literature about the existence of memristors in seeds. The goal of this work was to discover if pumpkin seeds might have memristors. We selected Cucurbita pepo L., cv. Cinderella, Cucurbita maxima L. cv Warty Goblin, and Cucurbita maxima L., cv. Jarrahdale seeds for this analysis. In these seeds, we found the presence of resistors with memory. The analysis was based on cyclic voltammetry where a memristor should manifest itself as a nonlinear two-terminal electrical element, which exhibits a pinched hysteresis loop on a current-voltage plane for any bipolar cyclic voltage input signal. Dry dormant pumpkin seeds have very high electrical resistance without memristive properties. The electrostimulation by bipolar sinusoidal or triangular periodic waves induces electrical responses in imbibed pumpkin seeds with fingerprints of memristors. Tetraethylammonium chloride, an inhibitor of voltage gated K+ channels, transforms a memristor to a resistor in pumpkin seeds. NPPB (5-Nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid) inhibits the memristive properties of imbibed pumpkin seeds. The discovery of memristors in pumpkin seeds creates a new direction in the understanding of electrophysiological phenomena in seeds. PMID:26926652

Mechanical Properties of β-Ti-35Nb-2.5Sn Alloy Synthesized by Mechanical Alloying and Pulsed Current Activated Sintering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omran, Abdel-Nasser; Woo, Kee-Do; Lee, Hyun Bom

2012-12-01

A developed Ti-35 pct Nb-2.5 pct Sn (wt pct) alloy was synthesized by mechanical alloying using high-energy ball-milled powders, and the powder consolidation was done by pulsed current activated sintering (PCAS). The starting powder materials were mixed for 24 hours and then milled by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) for 1, 4, and 12 hours. The bulk solid samples were fabricated by PCAS at 1073 K to 1373 K (800 °C to 1100 °C) for a short time, followed by rapid cooling to 773 K (500 °C). The relative density of the sintered samples was about 93 pct. The Ti was completely transformed from α to β-Ti phase after milling for 12 hours in powder state, and the specimen sintered at 1546 K (1273 °C) was almost transformed to β-Ti phase. The homogeneity of the sintered specimen increased with increasing milling time and sintering temperature, as did its hardness, reaching 400 HV after 12 hours of milling. The Young's modulus was almost constant for all sintered Ti-35 pct Nb-2.5 pct Sn specimens at different milling times. The Young's modulus was low (63.55 to 65.3 GPa) compared to that of the standard alloy of Ti-6Al-4V (100 GPa). The wear resistance of the sintered specimen increased with increasing milling time. The 12-hour milled powder exhibited the best wear resistance.

The pressure-induced structural response of rare earth hafnate and stannate pyrochlore from 0.1-50 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, K. M.; Rittman, D.; Heymach, R.; Turner, M.; Tracy, C.; Mao, W. L.; Ewing, R. C.

2017-12-01

Complex oxides with the pyrochlore (A2B2O7) and defect-fluorite ((A,B)4O7) structure-types undergo structural transformations under high-pressure. These compounds are under consideration for applications including as a proposed waste-form for actinides generated in the nuclear fuel cycle. High-pressure transformations in rare earth hafnates (A2Hf2O7, A=Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Y, Yb) and stannates (A2Sn2O7, A=Nd, Gd, Er) were investigated to 50 GPa by in situ Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD). Rare-earth hafnates form the pyrochlore structure for A=La-Tb and the defect-fluorite structure for A=Dy-Lu. Lanthanide stannates form the pyrochlore structure. Raman spectra revealed that at ambient pressure all compositions have pyrochlore-type short-range order. Stannate compositions show a larger degree of pyrochlore-type short-range ordering relative to hafnates. In situ high-pressure synchrotron XRD showed that rare earth hafnates and stannates underwent a pressure-induced phase transition to a cotunnite-like (Pnma) structure that begins between 18-25 GPa in hafnates and between 30-33 GPa in stannates. The phase transition is not complete at 50 GPa, and upon decompression, XRD indicates that all compositions transform to defect-fluorite with an amorphous component. In situ Raman spectroscopy showed that disordering in stannates and hafnates occurs gradually upon compression. Pyrochlore-structured hafnates retain short-range order to a higher pressure (30 GPa vs. <10 GPa) than defect-fluorite-structured hafnates. Hafnates and stannates decompressed from 50 GPa show Raman spectra consistent with weberite-type structures, also reported in irradiated stannates. The second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state fit gives a bulk modulus of 250 GPa for hafnate compositions with the pyrochlore structure, and 400 GPa for hafnate compositions with the defect-fluorite structure. Stannates have a lower bulk modulus relative to hafnates (between 80-150 GPa). Stannate and hafnate pyrochlore compositions taken to high pressure show structural transformations consistent with irradiated pyrochlore, and compositionally disordered pyrochlore: a long-range structure best described by defect-fluorite, and a short-range structure best described by weberite.

Fractional-order Fourier analysis for ultrashort pulse characterization.

PubMed

Brunel, Marc; Coetmellec, Sébastien; Lelek, Mickael; Louradour, Frédéric

2007-06-01

We report what we believe to be the first experimental demonstration of ultrashort pulse characterization using fractional-order Fourier analysis. The analysis is applied to the interpretation of spectral interferometry resolved in time (SPIRIT) traces [which are spectral phase interferometry for direct electric field reconstruction (SPIDER)-like interferograms]. First, the fractional-order Fourier transformation is shown to naturally allow the determination of the cubic spectral phase coefficient of pulses to be analyzed. A simultaneous determination of both cubic and quadratic spectral phase coefficients of the pulses using the fractional-order Fourier series expansion is further demonstrated. This latter technique consists of localizing relative maxima in a 2D cartography representing decomposition coefficients. It is further used to reconstruct or filter SPIRIT traces.

Synthesis and characterization of a new photoluminescent material, tris-[1-10 phenanthroline] aluminium

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

Kumar, Rahul, E-mail: id-kumarrahul003@gmail.com; Bhargava, Parag; Dvivedi, Avanish

A new photoluminescent material namely tris-[1-10 Phenanthroline] Aluminium Al(Phen){sub 3} has been synthesized and characterized. This material was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),mass spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA),ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy(UV) and photoluminescence (PL). This material shows thermal stability up to 300°C. This material showed absorption maxima at 352nm which may be attributed to the moderate energy (π–π{sup *}) transition. Photoluminescence spectra for this material showed the most intense peak at 423 nm and the time resolved photoluminescence spectra showed two life time components. The decay times of the first and second component were 1.4ns and 4.8 ns respectively.

Spectral composition of inhomogeneities of intensity of laser beam translucent the supersonic jet near the nozzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marakasov, Dmitri A.; Melnikov, Nikolai G.; Sazanovich, Valentina M.; Tsvyk, Ruvim Sh.; Shesternin, Andrei N.

2014-11-01

The analysis of results of experiments on laser transillumination of the flooded supersonic jet on the wind tunnel of Institute of theoretical and applied mechanics SB RAS is fulfilled. The time spectra of fluctuations of the received power at different values of pressure in the chamber as well as the transformation of the spectra for the initial part of the jet with increasing distance from the nozzle are discussed. The change in the slope of the high-frequency part of the spectrum when lifting beam above the nozzle is demonstrated. Local maxima of the spectral density at frequencies corresponding to the discrete frequencies of acoustic tones generated by the stream are found.

The Pearson walk with shrinking steps in two dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serino, C. A.; Redner, S.

2010-01-01

We study the shrinking Pearson random walk in two dimensions and greater, in which the direction of the Nth step is random and its length equals λN-1, with λ<1. As λ increases past a critical value λc, the endpoint distribution in two dimensions, P(r), changes from having a global maximum away from the origin to being peaked at the origin. The probability distribution for a single coordinate, P(x), undergoes a similar transition, but exhibits multiple maxima on a fine length scale for λ close to λc. We numerically determine P(r) and P(x) by applying a known algorithm that accurately inverts the exact Bessel function product form of the Fourier transform for the probability distributions.

Effects of solar activity and galactic cosmic ray cycles on the modulation of the annual average temperature at two sites in southern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frigo, Everton; Antonelli, Francesco; da Silva, Djeniffer S. S.; Lima, Pedro C. M.; Pacca, Igor I. G.; Bageston, José V.

2018-04-01

Quasi-periodic variations in solar activity and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) on decadal and bidecadal timescales have been suggested as a climate forcing mechanism for many regions on Earth. One of these regions is southern Brazil, where the lowest values during the last century were observed for the total geomagnetic field intensity at the Earth's surface. These low values are due to the passage of the center of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA), which crosses the Brazilian territory from east to west following a latitude of ˜ 26°. In areas with low geomagnetic intensity, such as the SAMA, the incidence of GCRs is increased. Consequently, possible climatic effects related to the GCRs tend to be maximized in this region. In this work, we investigate the relationship between the ˜ 11-year and ˜ 22-year cycles that are related to solar activity and GCRs and the annual average temperature recorded between 1936 and 2014 at two weather stations, both located near a latitude of 26° S but at different longitudes. The first of these stations (Torres - TOR) is located in the coastal region, and the other (Iraí - IRA) is located in the interior, around 450 km from the Atlantic Ocean. Sunspot data and the solar modulation potential for cosmic rays were used as proxies for the solar activity and the GCRs, respectively. Our investigation of the influence of decadal and bidecadal cycles in temperature data was carried out using the wavelet transform coherence (WTC) spectrum. The results indicate that periodicities of 11 years may have continuously modulated the climate at TOR via a nonlinear mechanism, while at IRA, the effects of this 11-year modulation period were intermittent. Four temperature maxima, separated by around 20 years, were detected in the same years at both weather stations. These temperature maxima are almost coincident with the maxima of the odd solar cycles. Furthermore, these maxima occur after transitions from even to odd solar cycles, that is, after some years of intense GCR flux. The obtained results offer indirect mathematical evidence that solar activity and GCR variations contributed to climatic changes in southern Brazil during the last century. A comparison of the results obtained for the two weather stations indicates that the SAMA also contributes indirectly to these temperature variations. The contribution of other mechanisms also related to solar activity cannot be excluded.

Establishment, characterization and immortalization of a fibroblast cell line from the Chinese red belly toad Bombina maxima skin.

PubMed

Xiang, Yang; Gao, Qian; Su, Weiting; Zeng, Lin; Wang, Jinhuan; Hu, Yi; Nie, Wenhui; Ma, Xutong; Zhang, Yong; Lee, Wenhui; Zhang, Yun

2012-01-01

The skin of the amphibian Bombina maxima is rich in biologically active proteins and peptides, most of which have mammalian analogues. The physiological functions of most of the mammalian analogues are still unknown. Thus, Bombina maxima skin may be a promising model to reveal the physiological role of these proteins and peptides because of their large capacity for secretion. To investigate the physiological role of these proteins and peptides in vitro, a fibroblast cell line was successfully established from Bombina maxima tadpole skin. The cell line grew to form a monolayer with cells of a uniform shape and abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum, which are typical characteristics of fibroblasts. Further identification at a molecular level revealed that they strongly expressed the fibroblast marker protein vimentin. The chromosome number of these cells is 2n = 28, and most of them were diploid. Growth property analysis showed that they grew well for 14 passages. However, cells showed decreased proliferative ability after passage 15. Thus, we tried to immortalize the cells through the overexpression of SV40 T antigen. After selecting by G418, cells stably expressed SV40 large T antigen and showed enhanced proliferative ability and increased telomerase activity. Signal transduction analysis revealed functional p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in immortalized Bombina maxima dermal fibroblasts. Primary fibroblast cells and the immortalized fibroblast cells from Bombina maxima cultured in the present study can be used to investigate the physiological role of Bombina maxima skin-secreted proteins and peptides. In addition, the methods for primary cell culturing and cell immortalization will be useful for culturing and immortalizing cells from other types of amphibians.

From the Macro to the Micro: Gel Mapping to Differentiate between Sporozoites of Two Immunologically Distinct Strains of Eimeria maxima (Strains M6 and Guelph)

PubMed Central

Liu, Hongbin; Al Nasr, Ibrahim; Liu, Xianyong; Suo, Xun; Barta, John

2015-01-01

Two immunologically distinct strains of E. maxima were examined in this study: the M6 strain and the Guelph strain. The differential expression between the sporozoites of the two strains of E. maxima was determined by image analysis of 100 μg of protein from each strain separated by standard one- and conventional two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition to differences in both molecular weight and the electrophoretic mobility, differences in the intensity of polypeptide bands for example, GS 136.4 and M6 169 were explored. Pooled gels were prepared from each strain. A representative 2D-PAGE gel spanning a non-linear pH range of 3–10 of E. maxima strain M6 consisted of approximately 694 polypeptide spots with about 67 (9.6%) of the polypeptide spots being unique relative to the other strain. E. maxima strain GS had about 696 discernable polypeptide spots with 69 spots (9.9%) that differed from those of the M6 strain. In-depth characterization of the variable polypeptide spots; unique polypeptide spots (absence or presence) and shared polypeptide spots with modifications may lead to novel vaccine target in the form of multi-component, multi-stage, multi-immunovariant strains, multi-species subunit vaccine, and diagnostic probe for E. maxima. PMID:26641262

From the Macro to the Micro: Gel Mapping to Differentiate between Sporozoites of Two Immunologically Distinct Strains of Eimeria maxima (Strains M6 and Guelph).

PubMed

El-Ashram, Saeed; Yin, Qing; Liu, Hongbin; Al Nasr, Ibrahim; Liu, Xianyong; Suo, Xun; Barta, John

2015-01-01

Two immunologically distinct strains of E. maxima were examined in this study: the M6 strain and the Guelph strain. The differential expression between the sporozoites of the two strains of E. maxima was determined by image analysis of 100 μg of protein from each strain separated by standard one- and conventional two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition to differences in both molecular weight and the electrophoretic mobility, differences in the intensity of polypeptide bands for example, GS 136.4 and M6 169 were explored. Pooled gels were prepared from each strain. A representative 2D-PAGE gel spanning a non-linear pH range of 3-10 of E. maxima strain M6 consisted of approximately 694 polypeptide spots with about 67 (9.6%) of the polypeptide spots being unique relative to the other strain. E. maxima strain GS had about 696 discernable polypeptide spots with 69 spots (9.9%) that differed from those of the M6 strain. In-depth characterization of the variable polypeptide spots; unique polypeptide spots (absence or presence) and shared polypeptide spots with modifications may lead to novel vaccine target in the form of multi-component, multi-stage, multi-immunovariant strains, multi-species subunit vaccine, and diagnostic probe for E. maxima.

Multijunction solar cell design revisited: disruption of current matching by atmospheric absorption bands: Disruption of current matching by atmospheric absorption bands

DOE PAGES

McMahon, William E.; Friedman, Daniel J.; Geisz, John F.

2017-05-23

This paper re-examines the impact of atmospheric absorption bands on series-connected multijunction cell design, motivated by the numerous local efficiency maxima that appear as the number of junctions is increased. Some of the local maxima are related to the bottom subcell bandgap and are already well understood: As the bottom subcell bandgap is varied, a local efficiency maximum is produced wherever the bottom cell bandgap crosses an atmospheric absorption band. The optimal cell designs at these local maxima are generally current matched, such that all subcells have nearly the same short-circuit current. We systematically describe additional local maxima that occurmore » wherever an upper subcell bandgap encounters an atmospheric absorption band. Moreover, these local maxima are not current matched and become more prevalent as the number of junctions increases, complicating the solution space for five-junction and six-junction designs. A systematic framework for describing this complexity is developed, and implications for numerical convergence are discussed.« less

The effect of dietary betaine on intestinal and plasma levels of betaine in uninfected and coccidia-infected broiler chicks.

PubMed

Fetterer, R H; Augustine, P C; Allen, P C; Barfield, R C

2003-07-01

Chicks fed betaine supplemented diets and infected with Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima had markedly higher levels of betaine in the duodenum and mid-gut than unsupplemented, infected chicks. Uninfected chicks fed betaine exhibited almost twice the levels of betaine in the gut as infected chicks. Plasma betaine levels were lower in E. maxima-infected chicks than in E. acervulina-or Eimeria tenella-infected chicks. Betaine supplementation reversed the decrease in weight gain in E. maxima- infected chicks but had no effect on the decrease in weight gains in E acervulina- and E. tenella-infected chicks. Coccidia-infected birds on normal diets regularly exhibit increases in plasma NO(2)(+)NO(3). This increase was abolished in E.tenella-infected birds on betaine supplement. Betaine feeding did not alter this effect in E. acervulina- and E. maxima-infected birds. Results indicate that betaine supplementation has a positive effect on gut betaine levels in birds infected with E. acervulina and E. maxima. In all treatment groups, infection lowered the levels of betaine.

Multijunction solar cell design revisited: disruption of current matching by atmospheric absorption bands: Disruption of current matching by atmospheric absorption bands

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

McMahon, William E.; Friedman, Daniel J.; Geisz, John F.

This paper re-examines the impact of atmospheric absorption bands on series-connected multijunction cell design, motivated by the numerous local efficiency maxima that appear as the number of junctions is increased. Some of the local maxima are related to the bottom subcell bandgap and are already well understood: As the bottom subcell bandgap is varied, a local efficiency maximum is produced wherever the bottom cell bandgap crosses an atmospheric absorption band. The optimal cell designs at these local maxima are generally current matched, such that all subcells have nearly the same short-circuit current. We systematically describe additional local maxima that occurmore » wherever an upper subcell bandgap encounters an atmospheric absorption band. Moreover, these local maxima are not current matched and become more prevalent as the number of junctions increases, complicating the solution space for five-junction and six-junction designs. A systematic framework for describing this complexity is developed, and implications for numerical convergence are discussed.« less

Pressure induced phase transformations in NaZr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} studied by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy

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

Kamali, K.; Ravindran, T.R., E-mail: trr@igcar.gov.in; Chandra Shekar, N.V.

2015-01-15

Raman spectroscopic and x-ray diffraction measurements on NaZr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} were carried out up to 30 GPa at close intervals of pressure, revealing two structural phase transformations around 5 and 6.6 GPa. The second phase at 5.4 GPa is indexed to R3 space group similar to that of RbTi{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}. Bulk modulus decreases abruptly from 53 GPa (B′=4) to 36 GPa (B′=4) in the second phase above 5 GPa. The structure of the phase III at 8.2 GPa is indexed as orthorhombic similar to the case of high temperature phase of monoclinic LiZr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}. Bulkmore » modulus of this phase III is found to be 65 GPa (B′=4), which is higher than that of the ambient phase. In high pressure Raman studies, modes corresponding to 72 and 112 cm{sup −1} soften in the ambient phase whereas around 5 GPa, the ones at 60, 105, 125 and 190 cm{sup −1} soften with pressure contributing negatively to overall thermal expansion. - Graphical abstract: High pressure study of NaZr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} shows a reversible phase transition from R-3c to R3 structure at 5 GPa accompanied by an increase in compressibility signaling a polyhedral tilt transition. - Highlights: • NaZr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} undergoes two reversible phase transitions at 5 and 6.7 GPa. • The transition at 5 is from rhombohedral R-3c to R3 structure. • Bulk modulus of NaZr{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3} is lower than that for the isostructural RbTi{sub 2}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3.} • Compressibility increases with substitution of a smaller cation (Na). • Zr-translational and PO{sub 4} librational modes contribute to phase transition.« less

Exploring phase stability, electronic and mechanical properties of Ce–Pb intermetallic compounds using first-principles calculations

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

Tao, Xiaoma; Computational Alloy Design Group, IMDEA Materials Institute, Getafe, Madrid 28906; Wang, Ziru

2016-05-15

The phase stability, electronic and mechanical properties of Ce–Pb intermetallics have been investigated by using first-principles calculations. Five stable and four metastable phases of Ce–Pb intermetallics were verified. Among them, CePb{sub 2} has been confirmed as HfGa{sub 2}-type structure. For Ce{sub 5}Pb{sub 3}, the high pressure phase transformation from D8{sub m} to D8{sub 8} with trivalent Ce has been predicted to occur at P=1.2 GPa and a high temperature phase transformation has been predicted from D8{sub m} to D8{sub 8} with tetravalent Ce at 531.5 K. The calculated lattice constants of the five stable phases are in good agreement withmore » experimental values. The electronic density of states, charge density and electron localization function of Ce{sub 3}Pb have been calculated, which indicated that the Ce and Pb show ionic behavior. The polycrystalline bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio are also estimated from the calculated single crystalline elastic constants. All of the calculated elastic constants satisfy mechanical stability criteria. The microhardness and mechanical anisotropy are predicted. The anisotropic nature of the Ce–Pb intermetallic compounds are demonstrated by the three-dimensional orientation dependent surfaces of Young's moduli and linear compressibility are also demonstrated. The longitudinal, transverse and average sound velocities and the Debye temperatures are also obtained in this work. The Ce{sub 3}Pb has the largest Debye temperature of 192.6 K, which means the Ce{sub 3}Pb has a highest melting point and high thermal conductivity than other compounds. - Graphical abstract: The convex hull plots of the enthalpies of formation for Ce–Pb binary systems calculated at 0 K. - Highlights: • The five stable and four metastable phases in the Ce–Pb binary system were predicted. • The crystal structure of CePb{sub 2} has been confirmed as HfGa{sub 2}-type.« less

Scale Sizes of High-Latitude Neutral Mass Density Perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, C. Y.; Huang, Y.; Su, Y. J.; Huang, T.; Sutton, E. K.

2017-12-01

In a statistical study of neutral mass density maxima, we found for a select interval, that 57% of the maxima have correlated field-aligned current (FAC) signatures, indicative of localized Ohmic heating. However the remaining 43% do not, and we suggested that these maxima may be due to gravity waves generated by neutral heating. We follow up on this study by an investigation into the spatial scale sizes of the mass density maxima using high-resolution neutral density and FAC data from CHAMP, when the satellite is in conjunction with DMSP, which provides the corresponding ion drift velocity, particle precipitation and Poynting flux. The study shows the average scale sizes of the perturbations due to J x B heating, as well as the sizes of the waves generated by Joule heating.

Damage evolution during actuation fatigue in shape memory alloys (SPIE Best Student Paper Award)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Francis R.; Wheeler, Robert; Lagoudas, Dimitris C.

2018-03-01

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are unique materials able to undergo a thermomechanically induced, reversible phase transformation. Additionally, SMA are subject to two types of fatigue, that is structural fatigue due to cyclic loading as experienced by most materials, as well as actuation fatigue due to repeated thermally induced phase transformation. The evolution of multiple material characteristics is presented over the actuation fatigue lifetime of NiTiHf actuators, including the accumulation of irrecoverable strain, the evolution of internal voids, and the evolution of the effective modulus of the actuator. The results indicate that all three of these material characteristics are clearly interconnected and careful analysis of each of these characteristics can help to understand the evolution of the others, as well as help to understand how actuation fatigue leads to ultimate failure of the actuator.

Multiscale Simulation of Porous Ceramics Based on Movable Cellular Automaton Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolin, A.; Smolin, I.; Eremina, G.; Smolina, I.

2017-10-01

The paper presents a model for simulating mechanical behaviour of multiscale porous ceramics based on movable cellular automaton method, which is a novel particle method in computational mechanics of solid. The initial scale of the proposed approach corresponds to the characteristic size of the smallest pores in the ceramics. At this scale, we model uniaxial compression of several representative samples with an explicit account of pores of the same size but with the random unique position in space. As a result, we get the average values of Young’s modulus and strength, as well as the parameters of the Weibull distribution of these properties at the current scale level. These data allow us to describe the material behaviour at the next scale level were only the larger pores are considered explicitly, while the influence of small pores is included via the effective properties determined at the previous scale level. If the pore size distribution function of the material has N maxima we need to perform computations for N - 1 levels in order to get the properties from the lowest scale up to the macroscale step by step. The proposed approach was applied to modelling zirconia ceramics with bimodal pore size distribution. The obtained results show correct behaviour of the model sample at the macroscale.

Effect of dilution in the cobalt subsystem on phase transitions in rare-earth cobaltites RBaCo4- x M x O7 (R = Dy-Er, Yb, Y; M = Al, Zn)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazei, Z. A.; Snegirev, V. V.; Kozeeva, L. P.; Kameneva, M. Yu.

2016-01-01

We have experimentally studied the structural and elastic characteristics of rare-earth cobaltites RBaCo4- x M x O7 (R = Dy-Er, Yb, Y), in which cobalt ions are partly substituted by diamagnetic Al or Zn ions. It was found that small substitution of Co3+ ions by Al3+ ions in the YbRBaCo4- x M x O7 system ( x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.5) leads to a rapid decrease and smearing of Δ E( T) /E 0 anomalies of the Young's modulus in the region of the structural phase transition, which is accompanied by increasing hysteresis. Pure rare-earth cobaltites RBaCo4O7 (R = Dy-Er, Y) exhibit a correlation between the room-temperature structure distortion and hysteresis on the Δ E( T)/ E 0 curve in a temperature interval of 80-280 K. In Zn-substituted cobaltites RBaCoZn3O7, both the hysteresis and Δ E( T)/ E 0 anomalies disappear, as do low-temperature sound absorption maxima. This behavior is evidence of the suppression of structural and magnetic phase transitions and the retention of only short-range correlations of the order parameter in Zn-substituted samples.

Analysis of Gravitational Signals from Core-Collapse Supernovae (CCSNe) using MatLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frere, Noah; Mezzacappa, Anthony; Yakunin, Konstantin

2017-01-01

When a massive star runs out of fuel, it collapses under its own weight and rebounds in a powerful supernova explosion, sending, among other things, ripples through space-time, known as gravitational waves (GWs). GWs can be detected by earth-based observatories, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). Observers must compare the data from GW detectors with theoretical waveforms in order to confirm that the detection of a GW signal from a particular source has occurred. GW predictions for core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) rely on computer simulations. The UTK/ORNL astrophysics group has performed such simulations. Here, I analyze the resulting waveforms, using Matlab, to generate their Fourier transforms, short-time Fourier transforms, energy spectra, evolution of frequencies, and frequency maxima. One product will be a Matlab interface for analyzing and comparing GW predictions based on data from future simulations. This interface will make it easier to analyze waveforms and to share the results with the GW astrophysics community. Funding provided by Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1200, USA.

Chemical evolution of Macondo crude oil during laboratory degradation as characterized by fluorescence EEMs and hydrocarbon composition.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhengzhen; Liu, Zhanfei; Guo, Laodong

2013-01-15

The fluorescence EEM technique, PARAFAC modeling, and hydrocarbon composition were used to characterize oil components and to examine the chemical evolution and degradation pathways of Macondo crude oil under controlled laboratory conditions. Three major fluorescent oil components were identified, with Ex/Em maxima at 226/328, 262/315, and 244/366 nm, respectively. An average degradation half-life of ∼20 d was determined for the oil components based on fluorescence EEM and hydrocarbon composition measurements, showing a dynamic chemical evolution and transformation of the oil during degradation. Dispersants appeared to change the chemical characteristics of oil, to shift the fluorescence EEM spectra, and to enhance the degradation of low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons. Photochemical degradation played a dominant role in the transformation of oil components, likely an effective degradation pathway of oil in the water column. Results from laboratory experiments should facilitate the interpretation of field-data and provide insights for understanding the fate and transport of oil components in the Gulf of Mexico. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A detection method for X-ray images based on wavelet transforms: the case of the ROSAT PSPC.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damiani, F.; Maggio, A.; Micela, G.; Sciortino, S.

1996-02-01

The authors have developed a method based on wavelet transforms (WT) to detect efficiently sources in PSPC X-ray images. The multiscale approach typical of WT can be used to detect sources with a large range of sizes, and to estimate their size and count rate. Significance thresholds for candidate detections (found as local WT maxima) have been derived from a detailed study of the probability distribution of the WT of a locally uniform background. The use of the exposure map allows good detection efficiency to be retained even near PSPC ribs and edges. The algorithm may also be used to get upper limits to the count rate of undetected objects. Simulations of realistic PSPC images containing either pure background or background+sources were used to test the overall algorithm performances, and to assess the frequency of spurious detections (vs. detection threshold) and the algorithm sensitivity. Actual PSPC images of galaxies and star clusters show the algorithm to have good performance even in cases of extended sources and crowded fields.

Viscoelasticity and pattern formations in stock market indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gündüz, Güngör; Gündüz, Aydın

2017-06-01

The viscoelastic and thermodynamic properties of four stock indices, namely, DJI, Nasdaq-100, Nasdaq-Composite, and S&P were analyzed for a period of 30 years from 1986 to 2015. The asset values (or index) can be placed into Aristotelian `potentiality-actuality' framework by using scattering diagram. Thus, the index values can be transformed into vectorial forms in a scattering diagram, and each vector can be split into its horizontal and vertical components. According to viscoelastic theory, the horizontal component represents the conservative, and the vertical component represents the dissipative behavior. The related storage and the loss modulus of these components are determined and then work-like and heat-like terms are calculated. It is found that the change of storage and loss modulus with Wiener noise (W) exhibit interesting patterns. The loss modulus shows a featherlike pattern, whereas the storage modulus shows figurative man-like pattern. These patterns are formed due to branchings in the system and imply that stock indices do have a kind of `fine-order' which can be detected when the change of modulus values are plotted with respect to Wiener noise. In theoretical calculations it is shown that the tips of the featherlike patterns stay at negative W values, but get closer to W = 0 as the drift in the system increases. The shift of the tip point from W = 0 indicates that the price change involves higher number of positive Wiener number corrections than the negative Wiener. The work-like and heat-like terms also exhibit patterns but with different appearance than modulus patterns. The decisional changes of people are reflected as the arrows in the scattering diagram and the propagation path of these vectors resemble the path of crack propagation. The distribution of the angle between two subsequent vectors shows a peak at 90°, indicating that the path mostly obeys the crack path occurring in hard objects. Entropy mimics the Wiener noise in the evolution of stock index value although they describe different properties. Entropy fluctuates at fast increase and fast fall of index value, and fluctuation becomes very high at minimum values of the index. The curvature of a circle passing from the two ends of the vector and the point of intersection of its horizontal and vertical components designates the reactivity involved in the market and the radius of circle behaves somehow similar to entropy and Wiener noise. The change of entropy and Wiener noise with radius exhibits patterns with four branches.

Short Communication: Genetic linkage map of Cucurbita maxima with molecular and morphological markers.

PubMed

Ge, Y; Li, X; Yang, X X; Cui, C S; Qu, S P

2015-05-22

Cucurbita maxima is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables in China and exhibits distinct morphological characteristics. In this study, genetic linkage analysis with 57 simple-sequence repeats, 21 amplified fragment length polymorphisms, 3 random-amplified polymorphic DNA, and one morphological marker revealed 20 genetic linkage groups of C. maxima covering a genetic distance of 991.5 cM with an average of 12.1 cM between adjacent markers. Genetic linkage analysis identified the simple-sequence repeat marker 'PU078072' 5.9 cM away from the locus 'Rc', which controls rind color. The genetic map in the present study will be useful for better mapping, tagging, and cloning of quantitative trait loci/gene(s) affecting economically important traits and for breeding new varieties of C. maxima through marker-assisted selection.

On the origin of temperature dependence of the emission maxima of Eu2+and Ce3+- activated phosphors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Shirun

2018-05-01

In this paper, temperature dependence of the emission maxima of Eu2+ and Ce3+-activated phosphors and various explanations for the thermal red-shift or blue-shift proposed by different authors are reviewed. Depending on the host lattice, doping concentration of Eu2+ or Ce3+, or the temperature range at which the PL spectrum was monitored, both the way and magnitude of emission spectrum shifting were quite different. Various explanations for the thermal shifts of the emission maxima were proposed. Nonetheless, a close inspection of a collection of the data indicates that some popular explanations seemingly plausible for the thermal red/blue-shifts of the emission maxima of Eu2+ and Ce3+-activated phosphors are highly questionable, because they either misused the Varshni equation or discussed the energy of the 5d-4f transitions of Eu2+ and Ce3+ in isolation without considering simultaneous change of the host lattice. An explanation of lattice dynamic induced thermal shifts of the emission maxima of Eu2+ and Ce3+-activated phosphors is proposed in this paper. By considering the dominant contribution to the energy of the 5d-4f transitions either from a lattice dilatation or from the interactions between the 5d electrons and phonons, the complex temperature dependences of the emission maxima of various Eu2+ and Ce3+-activated phosphors experimentally observed in literature could be explained reasonably.

Synthesis of Hf 8O 7, a new binary hafnium oxide, at high pressures and high temperatures

DOE PAGES

Bayarjargal, L.; Morgenroth, W.; Schrodt, N.; ...

2017-01-23

In this paper, two binary phases in the system Hf-O have been synthesized at pressures between 12 and 34 GPa and at temperatures up to 3000 K by reacting Hf with HfO 2 using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. In situ X-ray diffraction in conjunction with density functional theory calculations has been employed to characterize a previously unreported tetragonal Hf 8O 7 phase. This phase has a structure which is based on an fcc Hf packing with oxygen atoms occupying octahedral interstitial positions. Its predicted bulk modulus is 223(1) GPa. The second phase has a composition close to Hf 6O,more » where oxygen atoms occupy octahedral interstitial sites in an hcp Hf packing. Its experimentally determined bulk modulus is 128(30) GPa. Finally, the phase diagram of Hf metal was further constrained at high pressures and temperatures, where we show that α-Hf transforms to β-Hf around 2160(150) K and 18.2 GPa and β-Hf remains stable up to at least 2800 K at this pressure.« less

Improved properties of recycled polypropylene by introducing the long chain branched structure through reactive extrusion.

PubMed

Li, Yingchun; Jia, Shuai; Du, Shuanli; Wang, Yafei; Lv, Lida; Zhang, Jianbin

2018-06-01

An approach originated from preparing long chain branched polypropylene (PP) was applied to modify the properties of recycled PP that involved reactive extrusion to introduce a branched chain structure onto recycled PP under the assistance of chemical reaction between maleic anhydride (MAH) monomer and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) grafts. The results from Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the reaction took place during melt mixing, and the intensity of ester increased with increasing amount of MAH. Several rheological plots including complex viscosity, storage modulus, loss modulus, loss tangent and Cole-Cole plot were used to investigate the rheological properties of recycled PP and modified PP with MAH, which indicated an additional longer relaxation time that was not shown in recycled PP. The effects of branched structure on melting and crystallization behaviors were also investigated, demonstrating the branched chains acted as nucleating agent. Moreover, the branched structure of modified samples gave rise to enhance mechanical properties, especially, the higher impact strength compared with recycled PP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental determination of pore shapes using phase retrieval from q -space NMR diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demberg, Kerstin; Laun, Frederik Bernd; Bertleff, Marco; Bachert, Peter; Kuder, Tristan Anselm

2018-05-01

This paper presents an approach to solving the phase problem in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusion pore imaging, a method that allows imaging the shape of arbitrary closed pores filled with an NMR-detectable medium for investigation of the microstructure of biological tissue and porous materials. Classical q -space imaging composed of two short diffusion-encoding gradient pulses yields, analogously to diffraction experiments, the modulus squared of the Fourier transform of the pore image which entails an inversion problem: An unambiguous reconstruction of the pore image requires both magnitude and phase. Here the phase information is recovered from the Fourier modulus by applying a phase retrieval algorithm. This allows omitting experimentally challenging phase measurements using specialized temporal gradient profiles. A combination of the hybrid input-output algorithm and the error reduction algorithm was used with dynamically adapting support (shrinkwrap extension). No a priori knowledge on the pore shape was fed to the algorithm except for a finite pore extent. The phase retrieval approach proved successful for simulated data with and without noise and was validated in phantom experiments with well-defined pores using hyperpolarized xenon gas.

Experimental determination of pore shapes using phase retrieval from q-space NMR diffraction.

PubMed

Demberg, Kerstin; Laun, Frederik Bernd; Bertleff, Marco; Bachert, Peter; Kuder, Tristan Anselm

2018-05-01

This paper presents an approach to solving the phase problem in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusion pore imaging, a method that allows imaging the shape of arbitrary closed pores filled with an NMR-detectable medium for investigation of the microstructure of biological tissue and porous materials. Classical q-space imaging composed of two short diffusion-encoding gradient pulses yields, analogously to diffraction experiments, the modulus squared of the Fourier transform of the pore image which entails an inversion problem: An unambiguous reconstruction of the pore image requires both magnitude and phase. Here the phase information is recovered from the Fourier modulus by applying a phase retrieval algorithm. This allows omitting experimentally challenging phase measurements using specialized temporal gradient profiles. A combination of the hybrid input-output algorithm and the error reduction algorithm was used with dynamically adapting support (shrinkwrap extension). No a priori knowledge on the pore shape was fed to the algorithm except for a finite pore extent. The phase retrieval approach proved successful for simulated data with and without noise and was validated in phantom experiments with well-defined pores using hyperpolarized xenon gas.

Model-based elastography: a survey of approaches to the inverse elasticity problem

PubMed Central

Doyley, M M

2012-01-01

Elastography is emerging as an imaging modality that can distinguish normal versus diseased tissues via their biomechanical properties. This article reviews current approaches to elastography in three areas — quasi-static, harmonic, and transient — and describes inversion schemes for each elastographic imaging approach. Approaches include: first-order approximation methods; direct and iterative inversion schemes for linear elastic; isotropic materials; and advanced reconstruction methods for recovering parameters that characterize complex mechanical behavior. The paper’s objective is to document efforts to develop elastography within the framework of solving an inverse problem, so that elastography may provide reliable estimates of shear modulus and other mechanical parameters. We discuss issues that must be addressed if model-based elastography is to become the prevailing approach to quasi-static, harmonic, and transient elastography: (1) developing practical techniques to transform the ill-posed problem with a well-posed one; (2) devising better forward models to capture the transient behavior of soft tissue; and (3) developing better test procedures to evaluate the performance of modulus elastograms. PMID:22222839

Pressure-induced transformations of multiferroic relaxor PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Abhisek; Ahart, Muhtar; Holtgrewe, Nicholas; Lin, Chuanlong; Hemley, Russell J.

2018-02-01

The effects of hydrostatic pressure at ambient temperature on the structural and dielectric properties of PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3 (PFN) were investigated using second harmonic generation (SHG) and powder x-ray diffraction measurements to 31 GPa. The results demonstrate that PFN undergoes a pressure-induced structural transition from the R3m ferroelectric to the R 3 ¯ m paraelectric phase. SHG measurements showed a continuous decrease in the signal with pressure and complete disappearance at 7.1 GPa. Effective nonlinear optical coefficients were determined from the SHG data, and their pressure behavior was used to infer the nature of the transition. The loss of the SHG signal is accompanied by drastic changes in line widths of Bragg reflections, but no discontinuous change in volume was observed. The pressure-volume data were fit to various equations of state, and a bulk modulus K0 = 136 (±2) GPa, bulk modulus pressure derivative K0' = 4.0 (±0.2), and initial volume V0 = 64.5 (±0.1) Å3 were obtained.

Nondestructive determination of the modulus of elasticity of Fraxinus mandschurica using near-infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Huiling; Liang, Hao; Lin, Xue; Zhang, Yizhuo

2018-04-01

A nondestructive methodology is proposed to determine the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of Fraxinus mandschurica samples by using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. The test data consisted of 150 NIR absorption spectra of the wood samples obtained using an NIR spectrometer, with the wavelength range of 900 to 1900 nm. To eliminate the high-frequency noise and the systematic variations on the baseline, Savitzky-Golay convolution combined with standard normal variate and detrending transformation was applied as data pretreated methods. The uninformative variable elimination (UVE), improved by the evolutionary Monte Carlo (EMC) algorithm and successive projections algorithm (SPA) selected three characteristic variables from full 117 variables. The predictive ability of the models was evaluated concerning the root-mean-square error of prediction (RMSEP) and coefficient of determination (Rp2) in the prediction set. In comparison with the predicted results of all the models established in the experiments, UVE-EMC-SPA-LS-SVM presented the best results with the smallest RMSEP of 0.652 and the highest Rp2 of 0.887. Thus, it is feasible to determine the MOE of F. mandschurica using NIR spectroscopy accurately.

Temperature dependence of the biaxial modulus, intrinsic stress and composition of plasma deposited silicon oxynitride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, David R.; Ogbuji, Linus U. T.; Freeman, Mathieu J.

1995-01-01

Silicon oxynitride films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition. The elemental composition was varied between silicon nitride and silicon dioxide: SiO(0.3)N(1.0), SiO(0.7)N(1.6), SiO(0.7)N(1.1), and SiO(1.7)N(0.%). These films were annealed in air, at temperatures of 40-240 C above the deposition temperature (260 C), to determine the stability and behavior or each composition. the biaxial modulus, biaxial intrinsic stress, and elemental composition were measured at discrete intervals within the annealing cycle. Films deposited from primarily ammonia possessed considerable hydrogen (up to 38 at.%) and lost nitrogen and hydrogen at anneal temperatures (260-300 C) only marginally higher than the deposition temperature. As the initial oxygen content increased a different mechanism controlled the behavior or the film: The temperature threshold for change rose to approximately equal to 350 C and the loss of nitrogen was compensated by an equivalent rise in the oxygen content. The transformation from silicon oxynitride to silica was completed after 50 h at 400 C. The initial biaxial modulus of all compositions was 21-3- GPa and the intrinsic stress was -30 to 85 MPa. Increasing the oxygen content raised the temperature threshold where cracking first occurred; the two film compositions with the highest initial oxygen content did not crack, even at the highest temperature (450 C) investigated. At 450 C the biaxial modulus increased to approximately equal to 100 GPa and the intrinsic stress was approximately equal to 200 MPa. These increases could be correlated with the observed change in the film's composition. When nitrogen was replaced by oxygen, the induced stress remained lower than the biaxial strength of the material, but, when nitrogen and hydrogen were lost, stress-relieving microcracking occurred.

Dynamic mechanical analysis of storage modulus development in light-activated polymer matrix composites.

PubMed

Sakaguchi, Ronald L; Shah, Nilam C; Lim, Bum Soon; Ferracane, Jack L; Borgersen, Svenn E

2002-05-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential for using dynamic mechanical analysis of tubular geometry in a three-point flexure fixture for monitoring the storage modulus development of a light-activated polymer matrix composite. Composite samples were inserted into PTFE tubes and tested in a three-point bend fixture in a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) at 200 Hz with 20 microm amplitude. Samples were light activated for 60s (385 mW/cm(2) at the composite surface) and storage modulus (E') was measured continuously for the seven light-activated composites studied (one microfill, four hybrids and two unfilled resins). Cores of composite were removed from the PTFE sheath after 13.5 min and evaluated with the same parameters in the DMA. A finite element model of the test configuration was created and used to estimate operating parameters for the DMA. Degree of conversion (DC) was measured using micro-Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for the microfilled composite samples and one hybrid 13.5 and 60 min after light activation. The E' for a generic hybrid and microfilled composite was 13,400+/-1100 and 5900+/-200 MPa, respectively, when cured within the tube and then removed and tested in the DMA. DC was 54.6% for the hybrid and 60.6% for the microfill. A linear regression of E' for the sheath and core vs core alone (r(2)=0.986) indicated a linear scaling of the sheath and core values for E' enabling a correction for estimated E' values of the composite core. This method estimates the storage modulus growth during light-activated polymerization of highly filled dimethacrylates. Although the approach is phenomenological in that quantitative measurements of E' are not made directly from the DMA, estimates of early polymerization kinetics appear to be validated by three different approaches.

Potential antiradical and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from Ecklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss.

PubMed

Rengasamy, Kannan R R; Aderogba, Mutalib A; Amoo, Stephen O; Stirk, Wendy A; Van Staden, Johannes

2013-11-15

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors play a potential role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes by delaying glucose absorption in the small intestine. Ecklonia maxima, a brown alga which grows abundantly on the west coast of South Africa, is used to produce alginate, animal feed, nutritional supplements and fertilizer. The crude aqueous methanol extract, four solvent fractions and three phlorotannins: 1,3,5-trihydroxybenezene (phloroglucinol) (1), dibenzo [1,4] dioxine-2,4,7,9-tetraol (2) and hexahydroxyphenoxydibenzo [1,4] dioxine (eckol) (3) isolated from E. maxima were evaluated for antiradical and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities. All the phlorotannins tested had strong antioxidant activities on DPPH free radicals with EC50 values ranging from 0.008 to 0.128μM. Compounds 2 and 3 demonstrated stronger antioxidant activity and an alpha-glucosidase inhibitory property than positive controls. These results suggest that E. maxima could be a natural source of potent antioxidants and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. This study could facilitate effective utilization of E. maxima as an oral antidiabetic drug or functional food ingredient with a promising role in the formulation of medicines and nutrition supplements. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Sperm Spawn-Inducing Pheromone in the Silver Lip Pearl Oyster (Pinctada maxima).

PubMed

Taylor, A; Mills, D; Wang, T; Ntalamagka, N; Cummins, S F; Elizur, A

2018-04-28

Pheromones are considered to play an important role in broadcast spawning in aquatic animals, facilitating synchronous release of gametes. In oysters, the sperm has been implicated as a carrier for the spawn-inducing pheromone (SIP). In hatchery conditions, male pearl oysters (Pinctata maxima) can be stimulated to spawn through a variety of approaches (e.g. rapid temperature change), while females can only be induced to spawn through exposure to conspecific sperm, thus limiting development of targeted pairing, required for genetic research and management. The capacity for commercial production and improvement of genetic lines of pearl oysters could be greatly improved with access to a SIP. In this study, we prepared and sequenced crude and semi-purified P. maxima sperm extracts that were used in bioassays to localise the female SIP. We report that the P. maxima SIP is proteinaceous and extrinsically associated with the sperm membrane. Bioactivity from pooled RP-HPLC fractions, but not individual fractions, suggests that the SIP is multi-component. We conclude that crude sperm preparations, as described in this study, can be used as a sperm-free inducer of female P. maxima spawning, which enables for a more efficient approach to genetic breeding.

Structural analysis of HyFlex EDM instruments.

PubMed

Iacono, F; Pirani, C; Generali, L; Bolelli, G; Sassatelli, P; Lusvarghi, L; Gandolfi, M G; Giorgini, L; Prati, C

2017-03-01

To compare the phase transformation behaviour, the microstructure, the nano-hardness and the surface chemistry of electro-discharge machined HyFlex EDM instruments with conventionally manufactured HyFlex CM. New and laboratory used HyFlex EDM were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Nano-hardness and modulus of elasticity were also investigated using a maximum load of 20 mN with a minimum of 40 significant indentations for each sample. Raman spectroscopy and field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) were used to assess the surface chemistry of HyFlex EDM. HyFlex CM were subjected to the same investigations and used as a comparison. Nano-indentation data were statistically analysed using the Student's t-test. XRD analysis on HyFlex EDM revealed the presence of martensite and rhombohedral R-phase, while a mixture of martensite and austenite structure was identified in HyFlex CM. DSC analysis also disclosed higher austenite finish (Af) temperatures for electro-discharge machining (EDM) instruments. Significant differences in nano-hardness and modulus of elasticity were found between EDM and CM files (P < 0.05). FE-SEM and EDS analyses confirmed that both new EDM and CM files were covered by an oxide layer. Micro-Raman spectroscopy assessed the presence of rutile-TiO 2 . HyFlex EDM revealed peculiar structural properties, such as increased phase transformation temperatures and hardness. Present results corroborated previous findings and shed light on the enhanced mechanical behaviour of these instruments. © 2016 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Basics of SAR Polarimetry II

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

on the Poincare sphere are considered, which reduces to 3K ε for the mono-static reciprocal case. It plays an essential role in Czyz’s alternate...from above derivations that the co-pol-null minima ’ 1cn ρ and ’ 2cn ρ lie in a plane spanned by the co-pol-maxima (cross-pol-minima) and the ...maxima ( 2211 , xncmxncm ρρρρ == ) and the pair ( S1, S2 ) of cross-pol maxima ( ’ 2,1xm ρ ) lie in one main cross-sectional plane of the

Genotyping by sequencing reveals the interspecific C. maxima / C. reticulata admixture along the genomes of modern citrus varieties of mandarins, tangors, tangelos, orangelos and grapefruits.

PubMed

Oueslati, Amel; Salhi-Hannachi, Amel; Luro, François; Vignes, Hélène; Mournet, Pierre; Ollitrault, Patrick

2017-01-01

The mandarin horticultural group is an important component of world citrus production for the fresh fruit market. This group formerly classified as C. reticulata is highly polymorphic and recent molecular studies have suggested that numerous cultivated mandarins were introgressed by C. maxima (the pummelos). C. maxima and C. reticulata are also the ancestors of sweet and sour oranges, grapefruit, and therefore of all the "small citrus" modern varieties (mandarins, tangors, tangelos) derived from sexual hybridization between these horticultural groups. Recently, NGS technologies have greatly modified how plant evolution and genomic structure are analyzed, moving from phylogenetics to phylogenomics. The objective of this work was to develop a workflow for phylogenomic inference from Genotyping By Sequencing (GBS) data and to analyze the interspecific admixture along the nine citrus chromosomes for horticultural groups and recent varieties resulting from the combination of the C. reticulata and C. maxima gene pools. A GBS library was established from 55 citrus varieties, using the ApekI restriction enzyme and selective PCR to improve the read depth. Diagnostic polymorphisms (DPs) of C. reticulata/C. maxima differentiation were identified and used to decipher the phylogenomic structure of the 55 varieties. The GBS approach was powerful and revealed 30,289 SNPs and 8,794 Indels with 12.6% of missing data. 11,133 DPs were selected covering the nine chromosomes with a higher density in genic regions. GBS combined with the detection of DPs was powerful for deciphering the "phylogenomic karyotypes" of cultivars derived from admixture of the two ancestral species after a limited number of interspecific recombinations. All the mandarins, mandarin hybrids, tangelos and tangors analyzed displayed introgression of C. maxima in different parts of the genome. C. reticulata/C. maxima admixture should be a major component of the high phenotypic variability of this germplasm opening up the way for association studies based on phylogenomics.

Genotyping by sequencing reveals the interspecific C. maxima / C. reticulata admixture along the genomes of modern citrus varieties of mandarins, tangors, tangelos, orangelos and grapefruits

PubMed Central

Oueslati, Amel; Salhi-Hannachi, Amel; Luro, François; Vignes, Hélène; Mournet, Pierre

2017-01-01

The mandarin horticultural group is an important component of world citrus production for the fresh fruit market. This group formerly classified as C. reticulata is highly polymorphic and recent molecular studies have suggested that numerous cultivated mandarins were introgressed by C. maxima (the pummelos). C. maxima and C. reticulata are also the ancestors of sweet and sour oranges, grapefruit, and therefore of all the “small citrus” modern varieties (mandarins, tangors, tangelos) derived from sexual hybridization between these horticultural groups. Recently, NGS technologies have greatly modified how plant evolution and genomic structure are analyzed, moving from phylogenetics to phylogenomics. The objective of this work was to develop a workflow for phylogenomic inference from Genotyping By Sequencing (GBS) data and to analyze the interspecific admixture along the nine citrus chromosomes for horticultural groups and recent varieties resulting from the combination of the C. reticulata and C. maxima gene pools. A GBS library was established from 55 citrus varieties, using the ApekI restriction enzyme and selective PCR to improve the read depth. Diagnostic polymorphisms (DPs) of C. reticulata/C. maxima differentiation were identified and used to decipher the phylogenomic structure of the 55 varieties. The GBS approach was powerful and revealed 30,289 SNPs and 8,794 Indels with 12.6% of missing data. 11,133 DPs were selected covering the nine chromosomes with a higher density in genic regions. GBS combined with the detection of DPs was powerful for deciphering the “phylogenomic karyotypes” of cultivars derived from admixture of the two ancestral species after a limited number of interspecific recombinations. All the mandarins, mandarin hybrids, tangelos and tangors analyzed displayed introgression of C. maxima in different parts of the genome. C. reticulata/C. maxima admixture should be a major component of the high phenotypic variability of this germplasm opening up the way for association studies based on phylogenomics. PMID:28982157

The novel role of fungal intracellular laccase: used to screen hybrids between Hypsizigus marmoreus and Clitocybe maxima by protoplasmic fusion.

PubMed

Xu, Jianzhong; Zhang, Junlan; Zhang, Weiguo; Hu, Kaihui

2012-08-01

Laccase has been proved important in decolorization of Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR), oxidation of 2, 2'-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt, lignin degradation and fruiting-body formation. The decolorization of RBBR by laccase was firstly used to screen protoplast fusants. Fusants were obtained by protoplast fusion between the strains of Hypsizigus marmoreus and Clitocybe maxima, and two fusants (IM1 and IIIM5) were screened on PDA medium containing RBBR. These fusants were significant higher in laccase activity than H. marmoreus, nearly 413 and 395 times, respectively. Their hyphal growth rates were also remarkable higher than H. marmoreus, nearly 1.5 and 1.4 times, respectively. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis showed these fusants contained the laccase, and the molecular mass of the laccase was consistent with the laccase of C. maxima, nearly 62 kDa. The pileus color of the IM1 and IIIM5 also showed partial recombined characteristics comparing to the parental strains, while biological efficiency ratios were prominent higher than that of H. marmoreus, up to 14.58 and 10.87 %, respectively. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA bands of fusants not only were similar to parental bands, but presented new non-parental bands. Using the Unweighted pair-group method together with mathematic averages method to gain a dendrogram, in which the fusants showed intra-cluster variations. Significantly, H. marmoreus was the dominant parent, while C. maxima were distant from the fusants. The differences among IM1, IIIM5 and H. marmoreus, and the similarities among IM1, IIIM5 and C. maxima indicated IM1 and IIIM5 were somatic hybrids of H. marmoreus and C. maxima. Accordingly, it is feasible to use laccase to screen fusants of H. marmoreus and C. maxima.

Modification of fluorescence and optical properties of Rhodamine B dye doped PVA/Chitosan polymer blend films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padmakumari, R.; Ravindrachary, V.; Mahantesha, B. K.; Sagar, Rohan N.; Sahanakumari, R.; Bhajantri, R. F.

2018-05-01

Pure and Rhodamine B doped Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan composite films are prepared using solution casting method. Fourier transforms infrared spectra (FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), fluorescence studies were used to characterize the prepared polymer films. The FT-IR results show that the appearance of new peaks along with shift in peak positions indicates the interaction of Rhodamine B with PVA-CS blend. Optical absorption edge, band gap and activation energy were determined from UV-Visible studies. The optical absorption edge increases, band gap decreases and activation energy increases with dopant concentration respectively. The corresponding emission spectra were studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. From the fluorescence study the quenching phenomena are observed in emission wavelength range of 607nm-613nm upon excitation with absorption maxima 443nm.

A non-orthogonal decomposition of flows into discrete events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boxx, Isaac; Lewalle, Jacques

1998-11-01

This work is based on the formula for the inverse Hermitian wavelet transform. A signal can be interpreted as a (non-unique) superposition of near-singular, partially overlapping events arising from Dirac functions and/or its derivatives combined with diffusion.( No dynamics implied: dimensionless diffusion is related to the definition of the analyzing wavelets.) These events correspond to local maxima of spectral energy density. We successfully fitted model events of various orders on a succession of fields, ranging from elementary signals to one-dimensional hot-wire traces. We document edge effects, event overlap and its implications on the algorithm. The interpretation of the discrete singularities as flow events (such as coherent structures) and the fundamental non-uniqueness of the decomposition are discussed. The dynamics of these events will be examined in the companion paper.

4Pi microscopy deconvolution with a variable point-spread function.

PubMed

Baddeley, David; Carl, Christian; Cremer, Christoph

2006-09-20

To remove the axial sidelobes from 4Pi images, deconvolution forms an integral part of 4Pi microscopy. As a result of its high axial resolution, the 4Pi point spread function (PSF) is particularly susceptible to imperfect optical conditions within the sample. This is typically observed as a shift in the position of the maxima under the PSF envelope. A significantly varying phase shift renders deconvolution procedures based on a spatially invariant PSF essentially useless. We present a technique for computing the forward transformation in the case of a varying phase at a computational expense of the same order of magnitude as that of the shift invariant case, a method for the estimation of PSF phase from an acquired image, and a deconvolution procedure built on these techniques.

Evaluation of Antidepressant-like Effect of Citrus Maxima Leaves in Animal Models of Depression.

PubMed

Potdar, Vikram H; Kibile, Swati J

2011-09-01

This study planned to assess antidepressant like activity of aqueous extract from leaves of Citrus maxima Merr. (Rutaceae). Boiling was used for aqueous extraction. Acute toxicity study was performed in mice. Antidepressant activity was studied using locomotor activity test, modified forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST). Three doses 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg of aqueous extract of leaves were selected for testing. Fluoxetine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) and imipramine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) were used as the standard drugs. Aqueous extract of Citrus maxima leaves significantly reduced immobility time in both TST and FST. In locomotor activity testing it showed psychostimulant effect. Extract increased the climbing behavior in FST, which is similar to effect observed with imipramine. The results of this study suggest that antidepressant like effect of Citrus maxima seems to be mediated by an increase in norepinephrine level in synapses.

Use of extracts from oyster shell and soil for cultivation of Spirulina maxima.

PubMed

Jung, Joo-Young; Kim, Sunmin; Lee, Hansol; Kim, Kyochan; Kim, Woong; Park, Min S; Kwon, Jong-Hee; Yang, Ji-Won

2014-12-01

Calcium ion and trace metals play important roles in various metabolisms of photosynthetic organisms. In this study, simple methods were developed to extract calcium ion and micronutrients from oyster shell and common soil, and the prepared extracts were tested as a replacement of the corresponding chemicals that are essential for growth of microalgae. The oyster shell and soil were treated with 0.1 M sodium hydroxide or with 10 % hydrogen peroxide, respectively. The potential application of these natural sources to cultivation was investigated with Spirulina maxima. When compared to standard Zarrouk medium, the Spirulina maxima cultivated in a modified Zarrouk media with elements from oyster shell and soil extract exhibited increases in biomass, chlorophyll, and phycocyanin by 17, 16, and 64 %, respectively. These results indicate that the extracts of oyster shell and soil provide sufficient amounts of calcium and trace metals for successful cultivation of Spirulina maxima.

Determination of the Mechanical Properties of Plasma-Sprayed Hydroxyapatite Coatings Using the Knoop Indentation Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Md. Fahad; Wang, James; Berndt, Christopher

2015-06-01

The microhardness and elastic modulus of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings were evaluated using Knoop indentation on the cross section and on the top surface. The effects of indentation angle, testing direction, measurement location and applied load on the microhardness and elastic modulus were investigated. The variability and distribution of the microhardness and elastic modulus data were statistically analysed using the Weibull modulus distribution. The results indicate that the dependence of microhardness and elastic modulus on the indentation angle exhibits a parabolic shape. Dependence of the microhardness values on the indentation angle follows Pythagoras's theorem. The microhardness, Weibull modulus of microhardness and Weibull modulus of elastic modulus reach their maximum at the central position (175 µm) on the cross section of the coatings. The Weibull modulus of microhardness revealed similar values throughout the thickness, and the Weibull modulus of elastic modulus shows higher values on the top surface compared to the cross section.

New intrinsic mechanism on gum-like superelasticity of multifunctional alloys

PubMed Central

Liu, Jia-Peng; Wang, Yan-Dong; Hao, Yu-Lin; Wang, Yunzhi; Nie, Zhi-Hua; Wang, Dong; Ren, Yang; Lu, Zhao-Ping; Wang, Jinguo; Wang, Haoliang; Hui, Xidong; Lu, Ning; Kim, Moon J.; Yang, Rui

2013-01-01

Ti-Nb-based Gum Metals exhibit extraordinary superelasticity with ultralow elastic modulus, superior strength and ductility, and a peculiar dislocation-free deformation behavior, most of which challenge existing theories of crystal strength. Additionally, this kind of alloys actually displays even more anomalous mechanical properties, such as the non-linear superelastic behavior, accompanied by a pronounced tension-to-compression asymmetry, and large ductility with a low Poisson's ratio. Two main contradictory arguments exist concerning the deformation mechanisms of those alloys, i.e., formation of reversible nanodisturbance and reversible martensitic transformation. Herein we used the in-situ synchrotron high-energy X-ray scattering technique to reveal the novel intrinsic physical origin of all anomalous mechanical properties of the Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn-0.10O alloy, a typical gum-like metal. Our experiments provide direct evidence on two different kinds of interesting, stress-induced, reversible nanoscale martensitic transitions, i.e., the austenitic regions with B2 structure transform to α″ martensite and those with BCC structure transform to δ martensite. PMID:23831664

Extreme rainfall events: Learning from raingauge time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boni, G.; Parodi, A.; Rudari, R.

2006-08-01

SummaryThis study analyzes the historical records of annual rainfall maxima recorded in Northern Italy, cumulated over time windows (durations) of 1 and 24 h and considered paradigmatic descriptions of storms of both short and long duration. Three large areas are studied: Liguria, Piedmont and Triveneto (Triveneto includes the Regions of Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia). A regional frequency analysis of annual rainfall maxima is carried out through the Two Components Extreme Value (TCEV) distribution. A hierarchical approach is used to define statistically homogeneous areas so that the definition of a regional distribution becomes possible. Thanks to the peculiar nature of the TCEV distribution, a frequency-based threshold criterion is proposed. Such criterion allows to distinguish the observed ordinary values from the observed extra-ordinary values of annual rainfall maxima. A second step of this study focuses on the analysis of the probability of occurrence of extra-ordinary events over a period of one year. Results show the existence of a four month dominant season that maximizes the number of occurrences of annual rainfall maxima. Such results also show how the seasonality of extra-ordinary events changes whenever a different duration of events is considered. The joint probability of occurrence of extreme storms of short and long duration is also analyzed. Such analysis demonstrates how the joint probability of occurrence significantly changes when all rainfall maxima or only extra-ordinary maxima are used. All results undergo a critical discussion. Such discussion seems to lead to the point that the identified statistical characteristics might represent the landmark of those mechanisms causing heavy precipitation in the analyzed regions.

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

Chang, L. L.; Wang, Y. D.; Ren, Y.

Microstructure evolution, mechanical behaviors of cold rolled Ti-Nb alloys with different Nb contents subjected to different heat treatments were investigated. Here, optical microstructure and phase compositions of Ti-Nb alloys were characterized using optical microscopy and X-ray diffractometre, while mechanical behaviors of Ti-Nb alloys were examined by using tension tests. Stress-induced martensitic transformation in a Ti-30. at%Nb binary alloy was in-situ explored by synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD). The results obtained suggested that mechanical behavior of Ti-Nb alloys, especially Young's modulus was directly dependent on chemical compositions and heat treatment process. According to the results of HE-XRD, α"-V1 martensite generated priormore » to the formation of α"-V2 during loading and a partial reversible transformation from α"-V1 to β phase was detected while α"-V2 tranformed to β completely during unloading.« less

Design of a broadband ultra-large area acoustic cloak based on a fluid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jian; Chen, Tianning; Liang, Qingxuan; Wang, Xiaopeng; Jiang, Ping

2014-10-01

A broadband ultra-large area acoustic cloak based on fluid medium was designed and numerically implemented with homogeneous metamaterials according to the transformation acoustics. In the present work, fluid medium as the body of the inclusion could be tuned by changing the fluid to satisfy the variant acoustic parameters instead of redesign the whole cloak. The effective density and bulk modulus of the composite materials were designed to agree with the parameters calculated from the coordinate transformation methodology by using the effective medium theory. Numerical simulation results showed that the sound propagation and scattering signature could be controlled in the broadband ultra-large area acoustic invisibility cloak, and good cloaking performance has been achieved and physically realized with homogeneous materials. The broadband ultra-large area acoustic cloaking properties have demonstrated great potentials in the promotion of the practical applications of acoustic cloak.

Wavelet Applications for Flight Flutter Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lind, Rick; Brenner, Marty; Freudinger, Lawrence C.

1999-01-01

Wavelets present a method for signal processing that may be useful for analyzing responses of dynamical systems. This paper describes several wavelet-based tools that have been developed to improve the efficiency of flight flutter testing. One of the tools uses correlation filtering to identify properties of several modes throughout a flight test for envelope expansion. Another tool uses features in time-frequency representations of responses to characterize nonlinearities in the system dynamics. A third tool uses modulus and phase information from a wavelet transform to estimate modal parameters that can be used to update a linear model and reduce conservatism in robust stability margins.

Initial Reactions in the Biodegradation of 1-Chloro-4-Nitrobenzene by a Newly Isolated Bacterium, Strain LW1

PubMed Central

Katsivela, Eleftheria; Wray, Victor; Pieper, Dietmar H.; Wittich, Rolf-Michael

1999-01-01

Bacterial strain LW1, which belongs to the family Comamonadaceae, utilizes 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene (1C4NB) as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. Suspensions of 1C4NB-grown cells removed 1C4NB from culture fluids, and there was a concomitant release of ammonia and chloride. Under anaerobic conditions LW1 transformed 1C4NB into a product which was identified as 2-amino-5-chlorophenol by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. This transformation indicated that there was partial reduction of the nitro group to the hydroxylamino substituent, followed by Bamberger rearrangement. In the presence of oxygen but in the absence of NAD, fast transformation of 2-amino-5-chlorophenol into a transiently stable yellow product was observed with resting cells and cell extracts. This compound exhibited an absorption maximum at 395 nm and was further converted to a dead-end product with maxima at 226 and 272 nm. The compound formed was subsequently identified by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry as 5-chloropicolinic acid. In contrast, when NAD was added in the presence of oxygen, only minor amounts of 5-chloropicolinic acid were formed, and a new product, which exhibited an absorption maximum at 306 nm, accumulated. PMID:10103229

Buckling failure of square ice-nanotube arrays constrained in graphene nanocapillaries.

PubMed

Zhu, YinBo; Wang, FengChao; Wu, HengAn

2016-08-07

Graphene confinement provides a new physical and mechanical environment with ultrahigh van der Waals pressure, resulting in new quasi-two-dimensional phases of few-layer ice. Polymorphic transition can occur in bilayer constrained water/ice system. Here, we perform a comprehensive study of the phase transition of AA-stacked bilayer water constrained within a graphene nanocapillary. The compression-limit and superheating-limit (phase) diagrams are obtained, based on the extensive molecular-dynamics simulations at numerous thermodynamic states. Liquid-to-solid, solid-to-solid, and solid-to-liquid-to-solid phase transitions are observed in the compression and superheating of bilayer water. Interestingly, there is a temperature threshold (∼275 K) in the compression-limit diagram, which indicates that the first-order and continuous-like phase transitions of bilayer water depend on the temperature. Two obviously different physical processes, compression and superheating, display similar structural evolution; that is, square ice-nanotube arrays (BL-VHDI) will bend first and then transform into bilayer triangular AA stacking ice (BL-AAI). The superheating limit of BL-VHDI exhibits local maxima, while that of BL-AAI increases monotonically. More importantly, from a mechanics point of view, we propose a novel mechanism of the transformation from BL-VHDI to BL-AAI, both for the compression and superheating limits. This structural transformation can be regarded as the "buckling failure" of the square-ice-nanotube columns, which is dominated by the lateral pressure.

Visual Times of Maxima for Short Period Pulsating Stars II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samolyk, G.

2017-12-01

This compilation contains 631 times of maxima of 8 short period pulsating stars (primarily RR Lyrae). These were reduced from a portion of the visual observations made from 1966 to 2014 that are included in the AAVSO International Database.

Estimate of the cosmological bispectrum from the MAXIMA-1 cosmic microwave background map.

PubMed

Santos, M G; Balbi, A; Borrill, J; Ferreira, P G; Hanany, S; Jaffe, A H; Lee, A T; Magueijo, J; Rabii, B; Richards, P L; Smoot, G F; Stompor, R; Winant, C D; Wu, J H P

2002-06-17

We use the measurement of the cosmic microwave background taken during the MAXIMA-1 flight to estimate the bispectrum of cosmological perturbations. We propose an estimator for the bispectrum that is appropriate in the flat sky approximation, apply it to the MAXIMA-1 data, and evaluate errors using bootstrap methods. We compare the estimated value with what would be expected if the sky signal were Gaussian and find that it is indeed consistent, with a chi(2) per degree of freedom of approximately unity. This measurement places constraints on models of inflation.

Antioxidant Effect of Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima on Chronic Inflammation Induced by Freund's Complete Adjuvant in Rats

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez-Rebolledo, Gabriel Alfonso; Galar-Martínez, Marcela; García-Rodríguez, Rosa Virginia; Chamorro-Cevallos, Germán A.; Hernández-Reyes, Ana Gabriela

2015-01-01

Abstract One of the major mechanisms in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation is the excessive production of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species, and therefore, oxidative stress. Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima has marked antioxidant activity in vivo and in vitro, as well as anti-inflammatory activity in certain experimental models, the latter activity being mediated probably by the antioxidant activity of this cyanobacterium. In the present study, chronic inflammation was induced through injection of Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA) in rats treated daily with Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima for 2 weeks beginning on day 14. Joint diameter, body temperature, and motor capacity were assessed each week. On days 0 and 28, total and differential leukocyte counts and serum oxidative damage were determined, the latter by assessing lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl content. At the end of the study, oxidative damage to joints was likewise evaluated. Results show that S. maxima favors increased mobility, as well as body temperature regulation, and a number of circulating leukocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes in specimens with CFA-induced chronic inflammation and also protects against oxidative damage in joint tissue as well as serum. In conclusion, the protection afforded by S. maxima against development of chronic inflammation is due to its antioxidant activity. PMID:25599112

Antioxidant Effect of Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima on Chronic Inflammation Induced by Freund's Complete Adjuvant in Rats.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Rebolledo, Gabriel Alfonso; Galar-Martínez, Marcela; García-Rodríguez, Rosa Virginia; Chamorro-Cevallos, Germán A; Hernández-Reyes, Ana Gabriela; Martínez-Galero, Elizdath

2015-08-01

One of the major mechanisms in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation is the excessive production of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species, and therefore, oxidative stress. Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima has marked antioxidant activity in vivo and in vitro, as well as anti-inflammatory activity in certain experimental models, the latter activity being mediated probably by the antioxidant activity of this cyanobacterium. In the present study, chronic inflammation was induced through injection of Freund's complete adjuvant (CFA) in rats treated daily with Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima for 2 weeks beginning on day 14. Joint diameter, body temperature, and motor capacity were assessed each week. On days 0 and 28, total and differential leukocyte counts and serum oxidative damage were determined, the latter by assessing lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl content. At the end of the study, oxidative damage to joints was likewise evaluated. Results show that S. maxima favors increased mobility, as well as body temperature regulation, and a number of circulating leukocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes in specimens with CFA-induced chronic inflammation and also protects against oxidative damage in joint tissue as well as serum. In conclusion, the protection afforded by S. maxima against development of chronic inflammation is due to its antioxidant activity.

Mycoextraction by Clitocybe maxima combined with metal immobilization by biochar and activated carbon in an aged soil.

PubMed

Wu, Bin; Cheng, Guanglei; Jiao, Kai; Shi, Wenjin; Wang, Can; Xu, Heng

2016-08-15

To develop an eco-friendly and efficient route to remediate soil highly polluted with heavy metals, the idea of mycoextraction combined with metal immobilization by carbonaceous sorbents (biochar and activated carbon) was investigated in this study. Results showed that the application of carbonaceous amendments decreased acid soluble Cd and Cu by 5.13-14.06% and 26.86-49.58%, respectively, whereas the reducible and oxidizable fractions increased significantly as the amount of carbonaceous amendments added increased. The biological activities (microbial biomass, soil enzyme activities) for treatments with carbonaceous sorbents were higher than those of samples without carbonaceous amendments. Clitocybe maxima (C. maxima) simultaneously increased soil enzyme activities and the total number of microbes. Biochar and activated carbon both showed a positive effect on C. maxima growth and metal accumulation. The mycoextraction efficiency of Cd and Cu in treatments with carbonaceous amendments enhanced by 25.64-153.85% and 15.18-107.22%, respectively, in response to that in non-treated soil, which showed positive correlation to the augment of biochar and activated carbon in soil. Therefore, this work suggested the effectiveness of mycoextraction by C. maxima combined the application of biochar and activated carbon in immobilising heavy metal in contaminated soil. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The mechanical heterogeneity of the hard callus influences local tissue strains during bone healing: a finite element study based on sheep experiments.

PubMed

Vetter, A; Liu, Y; Witt, F; Manjubala, I; Sander, O; Epari, D R; Fratzl, P; Duda, G N; Weinkamer, R

2011-02-03

During secondary fracture healing, various tissue types including new bone are formed. The local mechanical strains play an important role in tissue proliferation and differentiation. To further our mechanobiological understanding of fracture healing, a precise assessment of local strains is mandatory. Until now, static analyses using Finite Elements (FE) have assumed homogenous material properties. With the recent quantification of both the spatial tissue patterns (Vetter et al., 2010) and the development of elastic modulus of newly formed bone during healing (Manjubala et al., 2009), it is now possible to incorporate this heterogeneity. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of this heterogeneity on the strain patterns at six successive healing stages. The input data of the present work stemmed from a comprehensive cross-sectional study of sheep with a tibial osteotomy (Epari et al., 2006). In our FE model, each element containing bone was described by a bulk elastic modulus, which depended on both the local area fraction and the local elastic modulus of the bone material. The obtained strains were compared with the results of hypothetical FE models assuming homogeneous material properties. The differences in the spatial distributions of the strains between the heterogeneous and homogeneous FE models were interpreted using a current mechanobiological theory (Isakson et al., 2006). This interpretation showed that considering the heterogeneity of the hard callus is most important at the intermediate stages of healing, when cartilage transforms to bone via endochondral ossification. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multifunctional zirconium oxide doped chitosan based hybrid nanocomposites as bone tissue engineering materials.

PubMed

Bhowmick, Arundhati; Jana, Piyali; Pramanik, Nilkamal; Mitra, Tapas; Banerjee, Sovan Lal; Gnanamani, Arumugam; Das, Manas; Kundu, Patit Paban

2016-10-20

This paper reports the development of multifunctional zirconium oxide (ZrO2) doped nancomposites having chitosan (CTS), organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) and nano-hydroxyapatite (HAP). Formation of these nanocomposites was confirmed by various characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed uniform distribution of OMMT and nano-HAP-ZrO2 into CTS matrix. Powder XRD study and TEM study revealed that OMMT has partially exfoliated into the polymer matrix. Enhanced mechanical properties in comparison to the reported literature were obtained after the addition of ZrO2 nanoparticle into the nanocomposites. In rheological measurements, CMZH I-III exhibited greater storage modulus (G') than loss modulus (G″). TGA results showed that these nanocomposites are thermally more stable compare to pure CTS film. Strong antibacterial zone of inhibition and the lowest minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) value of these nanocomposites against bacterial strains proved that these materials have the ability to prevent bacterial infection in orthopedic implants. Compatibility of these nanocomposites with pH and blood of human body was established. It was observed from the swelling study that the swelling percentage was increased with decreasing the hydrophobic OMMT content. Human osteoblastic MG-63 cell proliferations were observed on the nanocomposites and cytocompatibility of these nanocomposites was also established. Moreover, addition of 5wt% OMMT and 5wt% nano-HAP-ZrO2 into 90wt% CTS matrix provides maximum tensile strength, storage modulus, aqueous swelling and cytocompatibility along with strong antibacterial effect, pH and erythrocyte compatibility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Novel Analysis Of The Connection Between Indian Monsoon Rainfall And Solar Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, S.; Narasimha, R.

2005-12-01

The existence of possible correlations between the solar cycle period as extracted from the yearly means of sunspot numbers and any periodicities that may be present in the Indian monsoon rainfall has been addressed using wavelet analysis. The wavelet transform coefficient maps of sunspot-number time series and those of the homogeneous Indian monsoon rainfall annual time series data reveal striking similarities, especially around the 11-year period. A novel method to analyse and quantify this similarity devising statistical schemes is suggested in this paper. The wavelet transform coefficient maxima at the 11-year period for the sunspot numbers and the monsoon rainfall have each been modelled as a point process in time and a statistical scheme for identifying a trend or dependence between the two processes has been devised. A regression analysis of parameters in these processes reveals a nearly linear trend with small but systematic deviations from the regressed line. Suitable function models for these deviations have been obtained through an unconstrained error minimisation scheme. These models provide an excellent fit to the time series of the given wavelet transform coefficient maxima obtained from actual data. Statistical significance tests on these deviations suggest with 99% confidence that the deviations are sample fluctuations obtained from normal distributions. In fact our earlier studies (see, Bhattacharyya and Narasimha, 2005, Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol. 32, No. 5) revealed that average rainfall is higher during periods of greater solar activity for all cases, at confidence levels varying from 75% to 99%, being 95% or greater in 3 out of 7 of them. Analysis using standard wavelet techniques reveals higher power in the 8--16 y band during the higher solar activity period, in 6 of the 7 rainfall time series, at confidence levels exceeding 99.99%. Furthermore, a comparison between the wavelet cross spectra of solar activity with rainfall and noise (including those simulating the rainfall spectrum and probability distribution) revealed that over the two test-periods respectively of high and low solar activity, the average cross power of the solar activity index with rainfall exceeds that with the noise at z-test confidence levels exceeding 99.99% over period-bands covering the 11.6 y sunspot cycle (see, Bhattacharyya and Narasimha, SORCE 2005 14-16th September, at Durango, Colorado USA). These results provide strong evidence for connections between Indian rainfall and solar activity. The present study reveals in addition the presence of subharmonics of the solar cycle period in the monsoon rainfall time series together with information on their phase relationships.

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

Liu, J. P.; Wang, Y. D.; Hao, Y. L.

Two main explanations exist for the deformation mechanisms in Ti-Nb-based gum metals, i.e. the formation of reversible nanodisturbance and reversible stress-induced martensitic transformation. In this work, we used the in situ synchrotron-based high-energy X-ray diffuse-scattering technique to reveal the existence of a specific deformation mechanism, i.e. deformation-induced spatially confined martensitic transformations, in Ti-24Nb-4Zr-8Sn-0.10O single crystals with cubic 13 parent phase, which explains well some anomalous mechanical properties of the alloy such as low elastic modulus and nonlinear superelasticity. Two kinds of nanosized martensites with different crystal structures were found during uniaxial tensile loading along the [11 0](beta) axis at roommore » temperature and 190 K, respectively. The detailed changes in the martensitic phase transformation characteristics and the transformation kinetics were experimentally observed at different temperatures. The domain switch from non-modulated martensite to a modulated one occurred at 190 K, with its physical origin attributed to the heterogeneity of local phonon softening depending on temperature and inhomogeneous composition in the parent phase. An in-depth understanding of the formation of stress-induced spatially confined nanosized martensites with a large gradient in chemical composition may benefit designs of high-strength and high-ductility alloys. (C) 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.« less

Identification of common immunodominant antigens of Eimeria tenella, Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima by immunoproteomic analysis

PubMed Central

Liu, Jianhua; Li, Wenyu; Ji, Yihong; Tian, Di; Tian, Lu; Yang, Xinchao; Xu, Lixin; Yan, Ruofeng; Li, Xiangrui; Song, Xiaokai

2017-01-01

Clinical chicken coccidiosis is mostly caused by simultaneous infection of several Eimeria species, and host immunity against Eimeria is species-specific. It is urgent to identify common immunodominant antigen of Eimeria for developing multivalent anticoccidial vaccines. In this study, sporozoite proteins of Eimeria tenella, Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). Western bot analysis was performed on the yielded 2DE gel using antisera of E. tenella E. acervulina and E. maxima respectively. Next, the detected immunodominant spots were identified by comparing the data from MALDI-TOF-MS/MS with available databases. Finally, Eimeria common antigens were identified by comparing amino acid sequence between the three Eimeria species. The results showed that analysis by 2DE of sporozoite proteins detected 629, 626 and 632 protein spots from E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. maxima respectively. Western bot analysis revealed 50 (E. tenella), 64 (E. acervulina) and 57 (E. maxima) immunodominant spots from the sporozoite 2DE gels of the three Eimeria species. The immunodominant spots were identified as 33, 27 and 25 immunodominant antigens of E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. maxima respectively. Fifty-four immunodominant proteins were identified as 18 ortholog proteins among the three Eimeria species. Finally, 5 of the 18 ortholog proteins were identified as common immunodominant antigens including elongation factor 2 (EF-2), 14-3-3 protein, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme domain-containing protein (UCE) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). In conclusion, our results not only provide Eimeria sporozoite immunodominant antigen map and additional immunodominant antigens, but also common immunodominant antigens for developing multivalent anticoccidial vaccines. PMID:28432276

Identification of common immunodominant antigens of Eimeria tenella, Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima by immunoproteomic analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Lianrui; Huang, Xinmei; Liu, Jianhua; Li, Wenyu; Ji, Yihong; Tian, Di; Tian, Lu; Yang, Xinchao; Xu, Lixin; Yan, Ruofeng; Li, Xiangrui; Song, Xiaokai

2017-05-23

Clinical chicken coccidiosis is mostly caused by simultaneous infection of several Eimeria species, and host immunity against Eimeria is species-specific. It is urgent to identify common immunodominant antigen of Eimeria for developing multivalent anticoccidial vaccines. In this study, sporozoite proteins of Eimeria tenella, Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima were analyzed by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). Western bot analysis was performed on the yielded 2DE gel using antisera of E. tenella E. acervulina and E. maxima respectively. Next, the detected immunodominant spots were identified by comparing the data from MALDI-TOF-MS/MS with available databases. Finally, Eimeria common antigens were identified by comparing amino acid sequence between the three Eimeria species. The results showed that analysis by 2DE of sporozoite proteins detected 629, 626 and 632 protein spots from E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. maxima respectively. Western bot analysis revealed 50 (E. tenella), 64 (E. acervulina) and 57 (E. maxima) immunodominant spots from the sporozoite 2DE gels of the three Eimeria species. The immunodominant spots were identified as 33, 27 and 25 immunodominant antigens of E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. maxima respectively. Fifty-four immunodominant proteins were identified as 18 ortholog proteins among the three Eimeria species. Finally, 5 of the 18 ortholog proteins were identified as common immunodominant antigens including elongation factor 2 (EF-2), 14-3-3 protein, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme domain-containing protein (UCE) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). In conclusion, our results not only provide Eimeria sporozoite immunodominant antigen map and additional immunodominant antigens, but also common immunodominant antigens for developing multivalent anticoccidial vaccines.

Induction of protective immunity against Eimeria tenella, Eimeria necatrix, Eimeria maxima and Eimeria acervulina infections using multivalent epitope DNA vaccines.

PubMed

Song, Xiaokai; Ren, Zhe; Yan, Ruofeng; Xu, Lixin; Li, Xiangrui

2015-06-04

Avian coccidiosis is mostly caused by mixed infection of several Eimeria species under natural conditions and immunity to avian coccidiosis is largely dependent on T-cell immune response. In this study, 14 T-cell epitope fragments from eight antigens of Eimeria tenella (E. tenella), Eimeria necatrix (E. necatrix), Eimeria maxima (E. maxima) and Eimeria acervulina (E. acervulina) were ligated with pVAX1 producing 14 monovalent DNA vaccines, respectively. Protective immunity of the monovalent DNA vaccines was assessed by in vivo challenge experiments and then four most protective fragments of each species were chosen to construct multivalent epitope DNA vaccines with or without chicken IL-2 as genetic adjuvant. Protective efficacies of the epitope DNA vaccines on chickens against E. tenella, E. necatrix, E. maxima and E. acervulina were evaluated. The results showed that the constructed multivalent epitope DNA vaccines significantly increased body weight gain, alleviated enteric lesions and reduced oocyst output of the infected birds. Especially, the multivalent epitope DNA vaccines of pVAX1-NA4-1-TA4-1-LDH-2-EMCDPK-1 and pVAX1-NA4-1-TA4-1-LDH-2-EMCDPK-1-IL-2 not only significantly increased body weight gain, alleviated enteric lesions and reduced oocyst output of the infected birds, but also resulted in anti-coccidial index (ACI) more than 170 against E. tenella, E. necatrix, E. maxima and E. acervulina, which indicated they could induce protective immunity against E. tenella, E. necatrix, E. maxima and E. acervulina. Our findings suggest the constructed multivalent epitope DNA vaccines are the potential candidate multivalent vaccines against mixed infection of Eimeria. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant effect of Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima in a neurotoxic model caused by 6-OHDA in the rat striatum.

PubMed

Tobón-Velasco, J C; Palafox-Sánchez, Victoria; Mendieta, Liliana; García, E; Santamaría, A; Chamorro-Cevallos, G; Limón, I Daniel

2013-08-01

There is evidence to support that an impaired energy metabolism and the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to brain injury in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD), whereas diets enriched in foods with an antioxidant action may modulate its progression. Several studies have proved that the antioxidant components produced by Spirulina, a microscopic blue-green alga, might prevent cell death by decreasing free radicals, inhibiting lipoperoxidation and upregulating the antioxidant enzyme systems. In our study, we investigated the protective effect of the Spirulina maxima (S. maxima) against the 6-OHDA-caused toxicity in the rat striatum. The S. maxima (700 mg/kg/day, vo) was administered for 40 days before and 20 days after a single injection of 6-OHDA (16 μg/2 μL) into the dorsal striatum. At 20-day postsurgery, the brain was removed and the striatum was obtained to evaluate the indicators of toxicity, such as nitric oxide levels, ROS formation, lipoperoxidation, and mitochondrial activity. These variables were found significantly stimulated in 6-OHDA-treated rats and were accompanied by declines in dopamine levels and motor activity. In contrast, the animals that received the chronic treatment with S. maxima had a restored locomotor activity, which is associated with the decreased levels of nitric oxide, ROS, and lipoperoxidation in the striatum, although mitochondrial functions and dopamine levels remained preserved. These findings suggest that supplementation with antioxidant phytochemicals (such as contained in S. maxima) represents an effective neuroprotective strategy against 6-OHDA-caused neurotoxicity vía free radical production to preserve striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission in vivo.

Nutrient, phytochemical, and antinutrient composition of Citrus maxima fruit juice and peel extract.

PubMed

Ani, Peace Nwanneka; Abel, Happiness Chiamaka

2018-05-01

Nutrient, phytochemical, and antinutrient composition of Citrus maxima fruit juice and peel extract were determined. The fruit was procured from a garden in Trans-Ekulu, Enugu East Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. Mature undamaged Citrus maxima fruits were thoroughly washed with distilled water to remove contamination, dirt, and air-dried. The peel was separated from the pulp. The pulp (100 g) was blended and filtered through a muslin cloth to obtain a clear juice. The peel (50 g) was macerated with 200 ml of ethanol for 20 min. The peel extract was filtered through filter paper. The supernatant was concentrated by rotary evaporation. The peel extract was weighed and stored in a plastic container until needed. Proximate, mineral, vitamins, antinutrient, and phytochemical composition of the juice and peel extract were determined using standard procedures. Citrus maxima peel extract contains significantly ( p  < .05) higher crude fiber (2.58%), fat (9.74%), ash (2.49%), and carbohydrate (71.57%) compared with Citrus maxima juice. Alkaloid, phenolics, and flavonoids were also significantly ( p  < .05) higher in the peel extract. The mineral composition revealed the order Ca > Na > Ph > Fe > Mg > K in the juice and Ca > Ph > Na > Fe > K > Mg in the peel extract. Vitamin C content of the juice and peel extract were 26.36 mg/100 g and 19.34 mg/100 g, respectively. Citrus maxima peel is highly nutritive and rich in phytochemicals, further research is recommended to investigate its therapeutic effect.

Eimeria maxima microneme protein 2 delivered as DNA vaccine and recombinant protein induces immunity against experimental homogenous challenge.

PubMed

Huang, Jingwei; Zhang, Zhenchao; Li, Menghui; Song, Xiaokai; Yan, Ruofeng; Xu, Lixin; Li, Xiangrui

2015-10-01

E. maxima is one of the seven species of Eimeria that infects chicken. Until now, only a few antigenic genes of E. maxima have been reported. In the present study, the immune protective effects against E. maxima challenge of recombinant protein and DNA vaccine encoding EmMIC2 were evaluated. Two-week-old chickens were randomly divided into five groups. The experimental group of chickens was immunized with 100 μg DNA vaccine pVAX1-MIC2 or 200 μg rEmMIC2 protein while the control group of chickens was injected with pVAX1 plasmid or sterile PBS. The results showed that the anti-EmMIC2 antibody titers of both rEmMIC2 protein and pVAX1-MIC2 groups were significantly higher as compared to PBS and pVAX1 control (P<0.05). The splenocytes from both vaccinated groups of chickens displayed significantly greater proliferation compared with the controls (P<0.05). Serum from chickens immunized with pVAX1-MIC2 and rEmMIC2 protein displayed significantly high levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-17, TGF-β and IL-4 (P<0.05) compared to those of negative controls. The challenge experiment results showed that both the recombinant protein and the DNA vaccine could obviously alleviate jejunum lesions, body weight loss, increase oocyst, decrease ratio and provide ACIs of more than 165. All the above results suggested that immunization with EmMIC2 was effective in imparting partial protection against E. maxima challenge and it could be an effective antigen candidate for the development of new vaccines against E. maxima. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A genetic linkage map for the apicomplexan protozoan parasite Eimeria maxima and comparison with Eimeria tenella.

PubMed

Blake, Damer P; Oakes, Richard; Smith, Adrian L

2011-02-01

Eimeria maxima is one of the seven Eimeria spp. that infect the chicken and cause the disease coccidiosis. The well characterised immunogenicity and genetic diversity associated with E. maxima promote its use in genetics-led studies on avian coccidiosis. The development of a genetic map for E. maxima, presented here based upon 647 amplified fragment length polymorphism markers typed from 22 clonal hybrid lines and assembled into 13 major linkage groups, is a major new resource for work with this parasite. Comparison with genetic maps produced for other coccidial parasites indicates relatively high levels of genetic recombination. Conversion of ∼14% of the markers representing the major linkage groups to sequence characterised amplified region markers can provide a scaffold for the assembly of future genomic sequences as well as providing a foundation for more detailed genetic maps. Comparison with the Eimeria tenella genetic map produced 10years ago has revealed a less biased marker distribution, with no more than nine markers mapped within any unresolved heritable unit. Nonetheless, preliminary bioinformatic characterisation of the three largest publicly available genomic E. maxima sequences suggest that the feature-poor/feature-rich structure which has previously been found to define the first sequenced E. tenella chromosome also defines the E. maxima genome. The significance of such a segmented genome and the apparent potential for variation in genetic recombination will be relevant to haplotype stability and the longevity of future anticoccidial strategies based upon multiple loci targeted by novel chemotherapeutic drugs or recombinant subunit vaccines. Copyright © 2010 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and characterization of novel thermoplastic elastomers employing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane physical crosslinks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seurer, Bradley

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) are molecularly precise isotropic particles with average diameters of 1-2 nm. A typical T 8 POSS nanoparticle has an inorganic Si8O12 core surrounded by eight aliphatic or aromatic groups attached to the silicon vertices of the polyhedron promoting solubility in conventional solvents. Previously, efficient synthetic methods have been developed whereby one of the aliphatic groups on the periphery is substituted by a functional group capable of undergoing either homo- or copolymerization. In the current investigations, preparative methods for the chemical incorporation of POSS macromonomers in a series elastomers have been developed. Analysis of the copolymers using WAXD reveals that pendant POSS groups off the polymer backbones aggregate, and can crystallize as nanocrystals. From both line-broadening of the diffraction maxima, and also the oriented diffraction in a drawn material, the individual POSS sub-units are crystallizing as anisotropically shaped crystallites. The formation of POSS particle aggregation is strongly dependent on the nature of the polymeric matrix and the POSS peripheral group. X-ray studies show aggregation of POSS in ethylene-propylene elastomers occurred only with a phenyl periphery, whereas POSS particles with isobutyl and ethyl peripheries disperse within the polymer matrix. By altering the polymer matrix to one containing chain repulsive fluorine units, aggregation is observed with both the phenyl and isobutyl peripheries. Altering the polymer chain to poly(dimethylcyclooctadiene), POSS aggregates with isobutyl, ethyl, cyclopentyl, and phenyl peripheries. The formation of POSS nanocrystals increases the mechanical properties of these novel thermoplastic elastomers, including an increase in the tensile storage modulus and formation of a rubbery plateau region. Tensile tests of these elastomers show an increase in elastic modulus with increasing POSS loading. The elongation at break was as high as 720%. Cyclic tensile test show some hysteresis of the elastomers. However, the curves show Mullins effect behavior, commonly seen in elastomers. Elastomers with POSS dispersion, however, show poor mechanical properties. These results demonstrate the novel material property gains by the incorporation and aggregation of POSS in thermoplastic elastomers, as well as the influence of the POSS periphery.

Maxima and Minima Without Calculus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birnbaum, Ian

1982-01-01

Approaches to extrema that do not require calculus are presented to help free maxima/minima problems from the confines of calculus. Many students falsely suppose that these types of problems can only be dealt with through calculus, since few, if any, noncalculus examples are usually presented. (MP)

The statistics of peaks of Gaussian random fields. [cosmological density fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bardeen, J. M.; Bond, J. R.; Kaiser, N.; Szalay, A. S.

1986-01-01

A set of new mathematical results on the theory of Gaussian random fields is presented, and the application of such calculations in cosmology to treat questions of structure formation from small-amplitude initial density fluctuations is addressed. The point process equation is discussed, giving the general formula for the average number density of peaks. The problem of the proper conditional probability constraints appropriate to maxima are examined using a one-dimensional illustration. The average density of maxima of a general three-dimensional Gaussian field is calculated as a function of heights of the maxima, and the average density of 'upcrossing' points on density contour surfaces is computed. The number density of peaks subject to the constraint that the large-scale density field be fixed is determined and used to discuss the segregation of high peaks from the underlying mass distribution. The machinery to calculate n-point peak-peak correlation functions is determined, as are the shapes of the profiles about maxima.

Study on the prediction of visible absorption maxima of azobenzene compounds

PubMed Central

Liu, Jun-na; Chen, Zhi-rong; Yuan, Shen-feng

2005-01-01

The geometries of azobenzene compounds are optimized with B3LYP/6-311G* method, and analyzed with nature bond orbital, then their visible absorption maxima are calculated with TD-DFT method and ZINDO/S method respectively. The results agree well with the observed values. It was found that for the calculation of visible absorption using ZINDO/S method could rapidly yield better results by adjusting OWFπ-π (the relationship between π-π overlap weighting factor) value than by the TD-DFT method. The method of regression showing the linear relationship between OWFπ-π and BLN-N (nitrogen-nitrogen bond lengths) as OWF π-π=−8.1537+6.5638BL N-N, can be explained in terms of quantum theory, and also be used for prediction of visible absorption maxima of other azobenzne dyes in the same series. This study on molecules’ orbital geometry indicates that their visible absorption maxima correspond to the electron transition from HOMO (the highest occupied molecular orbital) to LUMO (the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital). PMID:15909349

On the Prediction of α-Martensite Temperatures in Medium Manganese Steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, Daniel M.; Baker, Daniel S.; Van Aken, David C.

2017-05-01

A new composition-based method for calculating the α-martensite start temperature in medium manganese steel is presented and uses a regular solution model to accurately calculate the chemical driving force for α-martensite formation, Δ G_{{Chem}}^{γ \\to α } . In addition, a compositional relationship for the strain energy contribution during martensitic transformation was developed using measured Young's moduli ( E) reported in literature and measured values for steels produced during this investigation. An empirical relationship was developed to calculate Young's modulus using alloy composition and was used where dilatometry literature did not report Young's moduli. A comparison of the Δ G_{{Chem}}^{γ \\to α } normalized by dividing by the product of Young's modulus, unconstrained lattice misfit squared ( δ 2), and molar volume ( Ω) with respect to the measured α-martensite start temperatures, M_{{S}}^{α } , produced a single linear relationship for 42 alloys exhibiting either lath or plate martensite. A temperature-dependent strain energy term was then formulated as Δ G_{{str}}^{γ \\to α } ( {{{J}}/{{mol}}} ) = EΩ δ2 (14.8 - 0.013T) , which opposed the chemical driving force for α-martensite formation. M_{{S}}^{α } was determined at a temperature where Δ G_{{Chem}}^{γ \\to α } + Δ G_{{str}}^{γ \\to α } = 0 . The proposed M_{{S}}^{α } model shows an extended temperature range of prediction from 170 K to 820 K (-103 °C to 547 °C). The model is then shown to corroborate alloy chemistries that exhibit two-stage athermal martensitic transformations and two-stage TRIP behavior in three previously reported medium manganese steels. In addition, the model can be used to predict the retained γ-austenite in twelve alloys, containing ɛ-martensite, using the difference between the calculated M_{{S}}^{ɛ} and M_{{S}}^{α }.

Effects of small-grit grinding and glazing on mechanical behaviors and ageing resistance of a super-translucent dental zirconia.

PubMed

Lai, Xuan; Si, Wenjie; Jiang, Danyu; Sun, Ting; Shao, Longquan; Deng, Bin

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the effects of small-grit grinding on the mechanical behaviors and ageing resistance of a super-translucent dental zirconia and to investigate the necessity of glazing for the small-grit ground zirconia. Small-grit grinding was performed using two kinds of silicon carbide abrasive papers. The control group received no grinding. The unground surfaces and the ground surfaces were glazed by an experienced dental technician. Finally, the zirconia materials were thermally aged in water at 134°C for 5h. After aforementioned treatments, we observed the surface topography and the microstructures, and measured the extent of monoclinic phase, the nano-hardness and nano-modulus of the possible transformed zone and the flexural strength. Small-grit grinding changed the surface topography. The zirconia microstructure did not change obviously after surface treatments and thermal ageing; however, the glaze in contact with zirconia showed cracks after thermal ageing. Small-grit grinding did not induce a phase transformation but improved the flexural strength and ageing resistance. Glazing prevented zirconia from thermal ageing but severely diminished the flexural strength. The nano-hardness and nano-modulus of the surface layer were increased by ultrafine grinding. The results suggest that small-grit grinding is beneficial to the strength and ageing resistance of the super-translucent dental zirconia; however, glazing is not necessary and even impairs the strength for the super-translucent dental zirconia. This study is helpful to the researches about dental grinding tools and maybe useful for dentists to choose reasonable zirconia surface treatments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigation of the strength and failure behavior of layered sandstone under uniaxial compression and Brazilian testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Peng-Fei; Yang, Sheng-Qi

2018-05-01

As a typical inherently anisotropic rock, layered sandstones can differ from each other in several aspects, including grain size, type of material, type of cementation, and degree of compaction. An experimental study is essential to obtain and convictive evidence to characterize the mechanical behavior of such rock. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of a layered sandstone from Xuzhou, China, is investigated under uniaxial compression and Brazilian test conditions. The loading tests are conducted on 7 sets of bedding inclinations, which are defined as the angle between the bedding plane and horizontal direction. The uniaxial compression strength (UCS) and elastic modulus values show an undulatory variation when the bedding inclination increases. The overall trend of the UCS and elastic modulus values with bedding inclination is decreasing. The BTS value decreases with respect to the bedding inclination and the overall trend of it is approximating a linear variation. The 3D digital high-speed camera images reveal that the failure and fracture of a specimen are related to the surface deformation. Layered sandstone tested under uniaxial compression does not show a typical failure mode, although shear slip along the bedding plane occurs at high bedding inclinations. Strain gauge readings during the Brazilian tests indicate that the normal stress on the bedding plane transforms from compression to tension as the bedding inclination increases. The stress parallel to the bedding plane in a rock material transforms from tension to compression and agrees well with the fracture patterns; "central fractures" occur at bedding inclinations of 0°-75°, "layer activation" occurs at high bedding inclinations of 75°-90°, and a combination of the two occurs at 75°.

Maxima of |Ψ|2: a connection between quantum mechanics and Lewis structures.

PubMed

Lüchow, Arne

2014-04-30

The maxima of squared electronic wave functions |Ψ|2 are analyzed for a number of small molecules. They are in principle observables and show considerable chemical insight from first principles. The maxima contain substantial information about the relative electron positions in a molecule, such as the pairing of opposite spin electrons and the Pauli repulsion which are lost in the electron density. Single bond and double bond as well as polar bond pairs and lone pairs are obtained from the maximum analysis. In many cases, we find a correspondence to the electron arrangements in molecules as assumed by Lewis in 1916. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Correlation of DIAL Ozone Observations with Lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, Harold; Kuang, Shi; Koshak, William; Newchurch, Michael

2014-01-01

The purpose of this project is to see whether ozone maxima measured by the DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) instrument in Huntsville, AL may be traced back to lightning events occurring 24-48 hours beforehand. The methodology is to start with lidar measurements of ozone from DIAL. The HYbrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model is then used to determine the origin of these ozone maxima 24-48 hours prior. Data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) are used to examine the presence/absence of lightning along the trajectory. This type of analysis suggests that lightning-produced NOx may be responsible for some of the ozone maxima over Huntsville.

MAXIMA IN RATE-CONCENTRATION CURVES AND THEIR RELATION TO THE STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF CELLULAR METABOLISM

PubMed Central

Spiegelman, S.; Reiner, J. M.

1945-01-01

1. Reproducible maxima are exhibited in the rate-concentration curves obtained by studying the effects of ethyl- and phenylurethanes on regeneration rates of hydranths in Tubularia. 2. The general problem of maxima in rate-concentration curves is analyzed in terms of reaction kinetics of relatively simple systems. 3. Certain systems were shown to exhibit this phenomenon. A comparison is made of these with similar ones which fail to do so. 4. The possible rôle in this phenomenon of cellular structure and its attendant geometrical constraints is discussed in terms of the above comparison. PMID:19873428

A proposal for adopting a standard coordinate system for defining atmospheric nomenclature for the giant planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beebe, R.

1986-01-01

Although the albedo of specific belts and zones varies as a function of time, there is evidence that wind maxima may be fixed in latitude. Before considering a standard notation for wind jets, it is necessary to establish a coordinate system within which the nomenclature would be defined. Traditionally, the BAA has used planetographic latitudes; however, this system is based not only on an accurate determination of the polar diameter but also on the assumption that the equipotential surfaces can be represented by biaxial ellipsoids. The International Astronomical Union strives to adopt unambiguous nomenclature that will be universally acceptable. It is proposed that planetocentric coordinates be utilized and that a standardized value of the ratio of the polar diameter to the equatorial diameter be established for each planet to facilitate transformation into planetographic coordinates.

Dual beam photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy of solids using an external cavity quantum cascade laser.

PubMed

Dehghany, M; Michaelian, K H

2012-06-01

Quantum cascade laser-based instrumentation for dual beam photoacoustic (PA) spectroscopy is described in this article. Experimental equipment includes a 4.55 μm (2141-2265 cm(-1)) continuous wave external cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL), two gas-microphone PA cells, and two lock-in amplifiers. Correction for the time and wavenumber dependence of the laser output is effected through real-time division of the PA signals derived from the sample and reference channels. Source-compensated mid-infrared absorption spectra of carbon black powder and aromatic hydrocarbon solids were obtained to confirm the reliability of the method. Absorption maxima in the EC-QCL PA spectra of hydrocarbons are better defined than those in Fourier transform infrared spectra acquired under similar conditions, enabling the detection of several previously unknown bands.

Brainstem Encoding of Aided Speech in Hearing Aid Users with Cochlear Dead Region(s).

PubMed

Hassaan, Mohammad Ramadan; Ibraheem, Ola Abdallah; Galhom, Dalia Helal

2016-07-01

Neural encoding of speech begins with the analysis of the signal as a whole broken down into its sinusoidal components in the cochlea, which has to be conserved up to the higher auditory centers. Some of these components target the dead regions of the cochlea causing little or no excitation. Measuring aided speech-evoked auditory brainstem response elicited by speech stimuli with different spectral maxima can give insight into the brainstem encoding of aided speech with spectral maxima at these dead regions. This research aims to study the impact of dead regions of the cochlea on speech processing at the brainstem level after a long period of hearing aid use. This study comprised 30 ears without dead regions and 46 ears with dead regions at low, mid, or high frequencies. For all ears, we measured the aided speech-evoked auditory brainstem response using speech stimuli of low, mid, and high spectral maxima. Aided speech-evoked auditory brainstem response was producible in all subjects. Responses evoked by stimuli with spectral maxima at dead regions had longer latencies and smaller amplitudes when compared with the control group or the responses of other stimuli. The presence of cochlear dead regions affects brainstem encoding of speech with spectral maxima perpendicular to these regions. Brainstem neuroplasticity and the extrinsic redundancy of speech can minimize the impact of dead regions in chronic hearing aid users.

Atrazine degradation by fungal co-culture enzyme extracts under different soil conditions.

PubMed

Chan-Cupul, Wilberth; Heredia-Abarca, Gabriela; Rodríguez-Vázquez, Refugio

2016-01-01

This investigation was undertaken to determine the atrazine degradation by fungal enzyme extracts (FEEs) in a clay-loam soil microcosm contaminated at field application rate (5 μg g(-1)) and to study the influence of different soil microcosm conditions, including the effect of soil sterilization, water holding capacity, soil pH and type of FEEs used in atrazine degradation through a 2(4) factorial experimental design. The Trametes maxima-Paecilomyces carneus co-culture extract contained more laccase activity and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content (laccase = 18956.0 U mg protein(-1), H2O2 = 6.2 mg L(-1)) than the T. maxima monoculture extract (laccase = 12866.7 U mg protein(-1), H2O2 = 4.0 mg L(-1)). Both extracts were able to degrade atrazine at 100%; however, the T. maxima monoculture extract (0.32 h) achieved a lower half-degradation time than its co-culture with P. carneus (1.2 h). The FEE type (p = 0.03) and soil pH (p = 0.01) significantly affected atrazine degradation. The best degradation rate was achieved by the T. maxima monoculture extract in an acid soil (pH = 4.86). This study demonstrated that both the monoculture extracts of the native strain T. maxima and its co-culture with P. carneus can efficiently and quickly degrade atrazine in clay-loam soils.

Precipitation areal-reduction factor estimation using an annual-maxima centered approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asquith, W. H.; Famiglietti, J. S.

2000-04-01

The adjustment of precipitation depth of a point storm to an effective (mean) depth over a watershed is important for characterizing rainfall-runoff relations and for cost-effective designs of hydraulic structures when design storms are considered. A design storm is the precipitation point depth having a specified duration and frequency (recurrence interval). Effective depths are often computed by multiplying point depths by areal-reduction factors (ARF). ARF range from 0 to 1, vary according to storm characteristics, such as recurrence interval; and are a function of watershed characteristics, such as watershed size, shape, and geographic location. This paper presents a new approach for estimating ARF and includes applications for the 1-day design storm in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas. The approach, termed "annual-maxima centered," specifically considers the distribution of concurrent precipitation surrounding an annual-precipitation maxima, which is a feature not seen in other approaches. The approach does not require the prior spatial averaging of precipitation, explicit determination of spatial correlation coefficients, nor explicit definition of a representative area of a particular storm in the analysis. The annual-maxima centered approach was designed to exploit the wide availability of dense precipitation gauge data in many regions of the world. The approach produces ARF that decrease more rapidly than those from TP-29. Furthermore, the ARF from the approach decay rapidly with increasing recurrence interval of the annual-precipitation maxima.

A Novel Vaccine Delivery Model of the Apicomplexan Eimeria tenella Expressing Eimeria maxima Antigen Protects Chickens against Infection of the Two Parasites

PubMed Central

Tang, Xinming; Liu, Xianyong; Yin, Guangwen; Suo, Jingxia; Tao, Geru; Zhang, Sixin; Suo, Xun

2018-01-01

Vaccine delivery is critical in antigen discovery and vaccine efficacy and safety. The diversity of infectious diseases in humans and livestock has required the development of varied delivery vehicles to target different pathogens. In livestock animals, previous strategies for the development of coccidiosis vaccines have encountered several hurdles, limiting the development of multiple species vaccine formulations. Here, we describe a novel vaccine delivery system using transgenic Eimeria tenella expressing immunodominant antigens of Eimeria maxima. In this delivery system, the immune mapped protein 1 of E. maxima (EmIMP1) was delivered by the closely related species of E. tenella to the host immune system during the whole endogenous life cycle. The overexpression of the exogenous antigen did not interfere with the reproduction and immunogenicity of transgenic Eimeria. After immunization with the transgenic parasite, we detected EmIMP1’s and E. maxima oocyst antigens’ specific humoral and cellular immune responses. In particular, we observed partial protection of chickens immunized with transgenic E. tenella against subsequent E. maxima infections. Our results demonstrate that the transgenic Eimeria parasite is an ideal coccidia antigen delivery vehicle and represents a new type of coccidiosis vaccines. In addition, this model could potentially be used in the development of malaria live sporozoite vaccines, in which antigens from different strains can be expressed in the vaccine strain. PMID:29375584

First characterisation of flavonoid- and diarylheptanoid-type antioxidant phenolics in Corylus maxima by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS.

PubMed

Riethmüller, Eszter; Tóth, Gergő; Alberti, Ágnes; Végh, Krisztina; Burlini, Ilaria; Könczöl, Árpád; Balogh, György Tibor; Kéry, Ágnes

2015-03-25

Corylus maxima Mill. (Betulaceae) leaves have been used in traditional medicine both internally and externally, nevertheless phytochemical exploration of the plant remains incomplete. In this study, the in vitro antioxidant activity and polyphenolic composition of the ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts of C. maxima leaves and bark are reported for the first time. The radical scavenging activities of the extracts were investigated by the ABTS and DPPH assays. All the extracts of C. maxima possessed notable antioxidant activity. By mean of a HPLC-DAD-ESI-TOF and a HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS method, altogether twenty-two phenolics were tentatively characterised: one flavan derivative (1), seven flavonol derivatives (4, 6, 12, 13, 16, 20 and 21) and fourteen diarylheptanoids (2, 3, 5, 7-11, 14, 15, 17-19 and 22). The amount of the two main flavonoids - myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside (6) and quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside (13) - and two diarylheptanoids - oregonin (3) and hirsutenone (15) - in the extracts were determined by a validated HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Our results showed that C. maxima could be considered as a valuable source of pharmacologically important natural products that might contribute to the revaluation of the phytotherapeutical potential of the plant. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bioremediation of soils co-contaminated with heavy metals and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol by fruiting body of Clitocybe maxima.

PubMed

Liu, Hongying; Guo, Shanshan; Jiao, Kai; Hou, Junjun; Xie, Han; Xu, Heng

2015-08-30

Pot experiments were performed to investigate the single effect of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (TCP) or heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Cu+Cd) and the combined effects of metals-TCP on the growth of Clitocybe maxima together with the accumulation of heavy metals as well as dissipation of TCP. Results showed a negative effect of contaminations on fruiting time and biomass of the mushroom. TCP decreased significantly in soils accounting for 70.66-96.24% of the initial extractable concentration in planted soil and 66.47-91.42% in unplanted soil, which showed that the dissipation of TCP was enhanced with mushroom planting. Higher biological activities (bacterial counts, soil respiration and laccase activity) were detected in planted soils relative to unplanted controls, and the enhanced dissipation of TCP in planted soils might be derived from the increased biological activities. The metals accumulation in mushroom increased with the augment of metal load, and the proportion of acetic acid (HOAc) extractable metal in soils with C. maxima was larger than that in unplanted soils, which may be an explanation of metal uptake by C. maxima. These results suggested that the presence of C. maxima was effective in promoting the bioremediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals and TCP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CDR3 analysis of TCR Vβ repertoire of CD8⁺ T cells from chickens infected with Eimeria maxima.

PubMed

Ren, Chao; Yin, Guangwen; Qin, Mei; Suo, Jingxia; Lv, Qiyao; Xie, Li; Wang, Yunzhou; Huang, Xiaoxi; Chen, Yuchen; Liu, Xianyong; Suo, Xun

2014-08-01

CD8(+) T cells play a major role in the immune protection of host against the reinfection of Eimeria maxima, the most immunogenic species of eimerian parasites in chickens. To explore the dominant complementarity-determining regions 3 (CDR3) of CD8(+) T cell populations induced by the infection of this parasite, sequence analysis was performed in this study for CDR3 of CD8(+) T cells from E. maxima infected chickens. After 5 days post the third or forth infection, intraepithelial lymphocytes were isolated from the jejunum of bird. CD3(+)CD8(+) T cells were sorted and subjected to total RNA isolation and cDNA preparation. PCR amplification and cloning of the loci between Vβ1 and Cβ was conducted for the subsequent sequencing of CDR3 of T cell receptor (TCR). After the forth infection, 2 birds exhibited two same frequent TCR CDR3 sequences, i.e., AKQDWGTGGYSNMI and AGRVLNIQY; while the third bird showed two different frequent TCR CDR3 sequences, AKQGARGHTPLN and AKQDIEVRGPNTPLN. No frequent CDR3 sequence was detected from uninfected birds, though AGRVLNIQY was also found in two uninfected birds. Our result preliminarily demonstrates that frequent CDR3 sequences may exist in E. maxima immunized chickens, encouraging the mining of the immunodominant CD8(+) T cells against E. maxima infection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Novel Vaccine Delivery Model of the Apicomplexan Eimeria tenella Expressing Eimeria maxima Antigen Protects Chickens against Infection of the Two Parasites.

PubMed

Tang, Xinming; Liu, Xianyong; Yin, Guangwen; Suo, Jingxia; Tao, Geru; Zhang, Sixin; Suo, Xun

2017-01-01

Vaccine delivery is critical in antigen discovery and vaccine efficacy and safety. The diversity of infectious diseases in humans and livestock has required the development of varied delivery vehicles to target different pathogens. In livestock animals, previous strategies for the development of coccidiosis vaccines have encountered several hurdles, limiting the development of multiple species vaccine formulations. Here, we describe a novel vaccine delivery system using transgenic Eimeria tenella expressing immunodominant antigens of Eimeria maxima . In this delivery system, the immune mapped protein 1 of E. maxima (EmIMP1) was delivered by the closely related species of E. tenella to the host immune system during the whole endogenous life cycle. The overexpression of the exogenous antigen did not interfere with the reproduction and immunogenicity of transgenic Eimeria . After immunization with the transgenic parasite, we detected EmIMP1's and E. maxima oocyst antigens' specific humoral and cellular immune responses. In particular, we observed partial protection of chickens immunized with transgenic E. tenella against subsequent E. maxima infections. Our results demonstrate that the transgenic Eimeria parasite is an ideal coccidia antigen delivery vehicle and represents a new type of coccidiosis vaccines. In addition, this model could potentially be used in the development of malaria live sporozoite vaccines, in which antigens from different strains can be expressed in the vaccine strain.

Rheological properties of kuzu starch pastes with galactomannans.

PubMed

Jóźwiak, Bertrand; Orczykowska, Magdalena; Dziubiński, Marek

2018-04-01

The paper describes the effects of galactomannans on viscoelastic properties of commercial Japanese white kuzu starch pastes. The study included morphological, thermal and rheological analyses of the biopolymer. The results obtained in the form of storage modulus G '( ω ) and loss modulus G ″( ω ) were described by the modified fractional Kelvin-Voigt model with two springpot-type elements, created on the basis of differential calculus of fractional order and Fourier transform. It allowed to determine 17 material parameters providing a lot of additional information about structure and viscoelastic properties of the biopolymer in comparison to the classical analysis of oscillatory and creep tests. The study led to the conclusion that commercial Japanese white kuzu starch was so-called type II starch with a high pasting temperature of 75 °C and an average granule diameter equal to 10.9 μm. Rheological properties of the pastes depended on the galactose-to-mannose ratio in galactomannan molecule. The larger substitution degree, the higher viscosity, characteristic relaxation times, polydispersity index, gel stiffness, and the lower cross-linking density and average molecular weights. The presence of galactose side groups favored the hydration and immobilization of water molecules.

Synthesis of a New Titanate Coupling Agent for the Modification of Calcium Sulfate Whisker in Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Composite

PubMed Central

Yuan, Wenjin; Lu, Yunhua; Xu, Shiai

2016-01-01

A new titanate coupling agent synthesized from polyethylene glycol (PEG), isooctyl alcohol, and phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) was used for the modification of calcium sulfate whiskers (CSWs) and the preparation of high-performance CSW/poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) composites. The titanate coupling agent (sTi) and the modified CSWs (sTi–CSW) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the mechanical, dynamic mechanical, and heat resistant properties and thermostability of sTi–CSW/PVC and CSW/PVC composites were compared. The results show that sTi–CSW/PVC composite with 10 wt. % whisker content has the best performance, and its tensile strength, Young’s modulus, elongation at break, break strength, and impact strength are 67.2 MPa, 1926 MPa, 233%, 51.1 MPa, and 12.75 KJ·m−2, with an increase of 20.9%, 11.5%, 145.3%, 24.6%, and 65.4% compared to that of CSW/PVC composite at the same whisker content. As the whisker content increases, the storage modulus increases, the Vicat softening temperature decreases slightly, and the glass transition temperature increases at first and then decreases. PMID:28773748

Analysis of Hansen's Inferior and Superior Partial Anomalies and the Division of the Elliptic Orbit into Two Segments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharaf, M. A.; Saad, A. S.

2017-10-01

In this paper, a novel analysis was established to prove how Hansen's inferior and superior partial anomalies k and k_1 can divide the elliptic orbit into two segments. The analysis depends on the departures of r (for k) and 1/r (for k1) from their minima. By these departures, we can find: (i) Transformations relating the eccentric anomaly to k and the true anomaly to k1. (ii) Expressions for k and k_1 in terms of the orbital elements. (iii) The interpretation and the intervals of definition of two moduli (X, S) related to k and k_1. (iv) The extreme values of r and the elliptic equations in terms of k and k1. (v) For r' and r'', the modulus X as a measure of the asymmetry of r' (or r'') from r'' (or r'), and the modulus S12 as a measure of the asymmetry of r' and r'' from the minimum value of r. (vi) A description of the segments represented by k and k1. (vii) The relative position of the radius vector at k0° and k1=180°.

Microstructural characterization of PAN based carbon fiber reinforced nylon 6 polymer composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munirathnamma, L. M.; Ningaraju, S.; Kumar, K. V. Aneesh; Ravikumar, H. B.

2018-04-01

Microstructural characterization of nylon 6/polyacrolonitrile based carbon fibers (PAN-CFs) of 10 to 40 wt% has been performed by positron lifetime technique (PLT). The positron lifetime parameters viz., o-Ps lifetime (τ3), o-Ps intensity (I3) and fractional free volume (Fv) of nylon 6/PAN-CF composites are correlated with the mechanical properties viz., Tensile strength and Young's modulus. The Fv show negative deviation with the reinforcement of 10 to 40 wt% of PAN-CF from the linear additivity relation. The negative deviation in nylon 6/PAN-CF composite suggests the induced molecular packing due to the chemical interaction between the polymeric chains of nylon 6 and PAN-CF. This is evident from Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) studies. The FTIR results suggests that observed negative deviation in PALS results of nylon 6/PAN-CF reinforced polymer composites is due to the induced chemical interaction at N-H-O sites. The improved tensile strength (TS) and Young's modulus (YM) in nylon 6/PAN-CF reinforced polymer composites is due to AS4C (surface treated and epoxy coated) PAN-CF has shown highest adhesion level due to better stress transfer between nylon 6 and PAN-CF.

Gaussian curvature elasticity determined from global shape transformations and local stress distributions: a comparative study using the MARTINI model.

PubMed

Hu, Mingyang; de Jong, Djurre H; Marrink, Siewert J; Deserno, Markus

2013-01-01

We calculate the Gaussian curvature modulus kappa of a systematically coarse-grained (CG) one-component lipid membrane by applying the method recently proposed by Hu et al. [Biophys. J., 2012, 102, 1403] to the MARTINI representation of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC). We find the value kappa/kappa = -1.04 +/- 0.03 for the elastic ratio between the Gaussian and the mean curvature modulus and deduce kappa(m)/kappa(m) = -0.98 +/- 0.09 for the monolayer elastic ratio, where the latter is based on plausible assumptions for the distance z0 of the monolayer neutral surface from the bilayer midplane and the spontaneous lipid curvature K(0m). By also analyzing the lateral stress profile sigma0(z) of our system, two other lipid types and pertinent data from the literature, we show that determining K(0m) and kappa through the first and second moment of sigma0(z) gives rise to physically implausible values for these observables. This discrepancy, which we previously observed for a much simpler CG model, suggests that the moment conditions derived from simple continuum assumptions miss the effect of physically important correlations in the lipid bilayer.

Focus measure method based on the modulus of the gradient of the color planes for digital microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtado-Pérez, Román; Toxqui-Quitl, Carina; Padilla-Vivanco, Alfonso; Aguilar-Valdez, J. Félix; Ortega-Mendoza, Gabriel

2018-02-01

The modulus of the gradient of the color planes (MGC) is implemented to transform multichannel information to a grayscale image. This digital technique is used in two applications: (a) focus measurements during autofocusing (AF) process and (b) extending the depth of field (EDoF) by means of multifocus image fusion. In the first case, the MGC procedure is based on an edge detection technique and is implemented in over 15 focus metrics that are typically handled in digital microscopy. The MGC approach is tested on color images of histological sections for the selection of in-focus images. An appealing attribute of all the AF metrics working in the MGC space is their monotonic behavior even up to a magnification of 100×. An advantage of the MGC method is its computational simplicity and inherent parallelism. In the second application, a multifocus image fusion algorithm based on the MGC approach has been implemented on graphics processing units (GPUs). The resulting fused images are evaluated using a nonreference image quality metric. The proposed fusion method reveals a high-quality image independently of faulty illumination during the image acquisition. Finally, the three-dimensional visualization of the in-focus image is shown.

Improved Strength and Toughness of Carbon Woven Fabric Composites with Functionalized MWCNTs

PubMed Central

Soliman, Eslam; Kandil, Usama; Reda Taha, Mahmoud

2014-01-01

This investigation examines the role of carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MWCNTs) in the on- and off-axis flexure and the shear responses of thin carbon woven fabric composite plates. The chemically functionalized COOH-MWCNTs were used to fabricate epoxy nanocomposites and, subsequently, carbon woven fabric plates to be tested on flexure and shear. In addition to the neat epoxy, three loadings of COOH-MWCNTs were examined: 0.5 wt%, 1.0 wt% and 1.5 wt% of epoxy. While no significant statistical difference in the flexure response of the on-axis specimens was observed, significant increases in the flexure strength, modulus and toughness of the off-axis specimens were observed. The average increase in flexure strength and flexure modulus with the addition of 1.5 wt% COOH-MWCNTs improved by 28% and 19%, respectively. Finite element modeling is used to demonstrate fiber domination in on-axis flexure behavior and matrix domination in off-axis flexure behavior. Furthermore, the 1.5 wt% COOH-MWCNTs increased the toughness of carbon woven composites tested on shear by 33%. Microstructural investigation using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) proves the existence of chemical bonds between the COOH-MWCNTs and the epoxy matrix. PMID:28788698

Determination of the elastic modulus of fly ash-based stabilizer applied in the trackbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lojda, Vít; Lidmila, Martin; Pýcha, Marek

2017-09-01

This paper describes a unique application of a fly ash-based stabilizer in the trackbed of a railway main line. The key goals of the stabilizer application are to protect the subgrade against the ingress of rain water, to increase the frost resistance and to remediate the natural ground constituted of weathered rock. The stabilizer was designed as a mixture of fly ash, generated as a waste material from coal plants, gypsum, calcium oxide and water. The mixture recipe was developed in a laboratory over several years. In 2005, a trial section of a railway line with subgrade consisting of clay limestone (weathered marlite) was built in the municipality of Smiřice. Since then, periodical measurements including collection of samples for laboratory evaluation of the fly ash-based stabilizer have taken place. Over the time span of the measurements, changes in mineral composition and development of fly ash transforming structures leading to the formation of C-A-S-H gel were detected. This paper describes the experimental laboratory investigation of the influence of dynamic loading on the elastic modulus of fly ash stabilizer samples and the development of permanent deformation of the samples with increasing number of loading cycles.

Precipitation areal-reduction factor estimation using an annual-maxima centered approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asquith, W.H.; Famiglietti, J.S.

2000-01-01

The adjustment of precipitation depth of a point storm to an effective (mean) depth over a watershed is important for characterizing rainfall-runoff relations and for cost-effective designs of hydraulic structures when design storms are considered. A design storm is the precipitation point depth having a specified duration and frequency (recurrence interval). Effective depths are often computed by multiplying point depths by areal-reduction factors (ARF). ARF range from 0 to 1, vary according to storm characteristics, such as recurrence interval; and are a function of watershed characteristics, such as watershed size, shape, and geographic location. This paper presents a new approach for estimating ARF and includes applications for the 1-day design storm in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas. The approach, termed 'annual-maxima centered,' specifically considers the distribution of concurrent precipitation surrounding an annual-precipitation maxima, which is a feature not seen in other approaches. The approach does not require the prior spatial averaging of precipitation, explicit determination of spatial correlation coefficients, nor explicit definition of a representative area of a particular storm in the analysis. The annual-maxima centered approach was designed to exploit the wide availability of dense precipitation gauge data in many regions of the world. The approach produces ARF that decrease more rapidly than those from TP-29. Furthermore, the ARF from the approach decay rapidly with increasing recurrence interval of the annual-precipitation maxima. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.The adjustment of precipitation depth of a point storm to an effective (mean) depth over a watershed is important for characterizing rainfall-runoff relations and for cost-effective designs of hydraulic structures when design storms are considered. A design storm is the precipitation point depth having a specified duration and frequency (recurrence interval). Effective depths are often computed by multiplying point depths by areal-reduction factors (ARF). ARF range from 0 to 1, vary according to storm characteristics, such as recurrence interval; and are a function of watershed characteristics, such as watershed size, shape, and geographic location. This paper presents a new approach for estimating ARF and includes applications for the 1-day design storm in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas. The approach, termed 'annual-maxima centered,' specifically considers the distribution of concurrent precipitation surrounding an annual-precipitation maxima, which is a feature not seen in other approaches. The approach does not require the prior spatial averaging of precipitation, explicit determination of spatial correlation coefficients, nor explicit definition of a representative area of a particular storm in the analysis. The annual-maxima centered approach was designed to exploit the wide availability of dense precipitation gauge data in many regions of the world. The approach produces ARF that decrease more rapidly than those from TP-29. Furthermore, the ARF from the approach decay rapidly with increasing recurrence interval of the annual-precipitation maxima.

Spatial Intensity Duration Frequency Relationships Using Hierarchical Bayesian Analysis for Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rupa, Chandra; Mujumdar, Pradeep

2016-04-01

In urban areas, quantification of extreme precipitation is important in the design of storm water drains and other infrastructure. Intensity Duration Frequency (IDF) relationships are generally used to obtain design return level for a given duration and return period. Due to lack of availability of extreme precipitation data for sufficiently large number of years, estimating the probability of extreme events is difficult. Typically, a single station data is used to obtain the design return levels for various durations and return periods, which are used in the design of urban infrastructure for the entire city. In an urban setting, the spatial variation of precipitation can be high; the precipitation amounts and patterns often vary within short distances of less than 5 km. Therefore it is crucial to study the uncertainties in the spatial variation of return levels for various durations. In this work, the extreme precipitation is modeled spatially using the Bayesian hierarchical analysis and the spatial variation of return levels is studied. The analysis is carried out with Block Maxima approach for defining the extreme precipitation, using Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution for Bangalore city, Karnataka state, India. Daily data for nineteen stations in and around Bangalore city is considered in the study. The analysis is carried out for summer maxima (March - May), monsoon maxima (June - September) and the annual maxima rainfall. In the hierarchical analysis, the statistical model is specified in three layers. The data layer models the block maxima, pooling the extreme precipitation from all the stations. In the process layer, the latent spatial process characterized by geographical and climatological covariates (lat-lon, elevation, mean temperature etc.) which drives the extreme precipitation is modeled and in the prior level, the prior distributions that govern the latent process are modeled. Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm (Metropolis Hastings algorithm within a Gibbs sampler) is used to obtain the samples of parameters from the posterior distribution of parameters. The spatial maps of return levels for specified return periods, along with the associated uncertainties, are obtained for the summer, monsoon and annual maxima rainfall. Considering various covariates, the best fit model is selected using Deviance Information Criteria. It is observed that the geographical covariates outweigh the climatological covariates for the monsoon maxima rainfall (latitude and longitude). The best covariates for summer maxima and annual maxima rainfall are mean summer precipitation and mean monsoon precipitation respectively, including elevation for both the cases. The scale invariance theory, which states that statistical properties of a process observed at various scales are governed by the same relationship, is used to disaggregate the daily rainfall to hourly scales. The spatial maps of the scale are obtained for the study area. The spatial maps of IDF relationships thus generated are useful in storm water designs, adequacy analysis and identifying the vulnerable flooding areas.

Synthesis and investigation of various properties of a novel series of nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores bearing dicyanovinyl (DCV) moiety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seferoğlu, Nurgul; Bayrak, Yasmina; Yalçın, Ergin; Seferoğlu, Zeynel

2017-12-01

A series of new nonlinear optic (NLO) chromophores containing a dimethine (vinyl) as π-bridge and electron acceptor dicyanomethine and different electron-donating groups and heterocyclic rings were synthesized. The structures of synthesized dyes were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (1H/13C NMR) and mass spectrometry. Their electronic absorption spectra were evaluated in MeOH, THF and DCM. The absorption maxima exhibited little bathochromic shifts for each dye with the increasing dielectric constants of the solvents. The synthesized dyes can absorb in the range of 354-506 nm. The analysis of the electronic spectra showed that the dyes having electron-donating groups or heterocyclic rings showed significant changes relative to the model dye which has no substituent on the phenyl ring. In addition, the absorption maxima moved to the longest wavelength for dye containing N,N-dibutylamino substituent. Experimental absorption wavelengths for the compounds were found to be in good agreement with those predicted using the Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) [B3LYP/6-311 + g(d,p)]. Furthermore, the second order NLO responses of the dyes were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The study reveals that the synthesized chromophores have large first hyperpolarizability (β) values, hence they may have potential applications in the development of NLO materials. For determination of the thermal behaviors of the compounds, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were done. The result showed that all the chromophores exhibited good thermal stabilities with the decomposition temperatures (Td) greater than 260 °C.

The two photocycles of photoactive yellow protein from Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

PubMed

Haker, Andrea; Hendriks, Johnny; van Stokkum, Ivo H M; Heberle, Joachim; Hellingwerf, Klaas J; Crielaard, Wim; Gensch, Thomas

2003-03-07

The absorption spectrum of the photoactive yellow protein from Rhodobacter sphaeroides (R-PYP) shows two maxima, absorbing at 360 nm (R-PYP(360)) and 446 nm (R-PYP(446)), respectively. Both forms are photoactive and part of a temperature- and pH-dependent equilibrium (Haker, A., Hendriks, J., Gensch, T., Hellingwerf, K. J., and Crielaard, W. (2000) FEBS Lett. 486, 52-56). At 20 degrees C, for PYP characteristic, the 446-nm absorbance band displays a photocycle, in which the depletion of the 446-nm ground state absorption occurs in at least three phases, with time constants of <30 ns, 0.5 micros, and 17 micros. Intermediates with both blue- and red-shifted absorption maxima are transiently formed, before a blue-shifted intermediate (pB(360), lambda(max) = 360 nm) is established. The photocycle is completed with a monophasic recovery of the ground state with a time constant of 2.5 ms. At 7 degrees C these photocycle transitions are slowed down 2- to 3-fold. Upon excitation of R-PYP(360) with a UV-flash (330 +/- 50 nm) a species with a difference absorption maximum at approximately 435 nm is observed that returns to R-PYP(360) on a minute time scale. Recovery can be accelerated by a blue light flash (450 nm). R-PYP(360) and R-PYP(446) differ in their overall protein conformation, as well as in the isomerization and protonation state of the chromophore, as determined with the fluorescent polarity probe Nile Red and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, respectively.

Calcium Montmorillonite-based dietary supplement attenuates Necrotic Enteritis induced by Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens in broilers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We provide the first description of Dietary Supplement of sorbent minerals attenuates Necrotic Enteritis Induced by Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens in Broilers. Necrotic enteritis (NE) is a poultry disease caused by Clostridium perfringens and characterized by severe intestinal necrosis....

Beyond Polymaxenolide: Cembrane-Africanane Terpenoids from the Hybrid Soft Coral Sinularia maxima x S. polydactyla

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effects of natural hybridization on secondary metabolite production and diversification have only recently been studied in plants and have essentially been overlooked in marine organisms. Chemical investigation of the hybrid soft coral Sinularia maxima × S. polydactyla resulted in the isolation ...

Expression of nutrient transporters in duodenum, jejunum and ileum of Eimeria maxima- infected broiler chickens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The intracellular parasite, Eimeria maxima, invades epithelial cells of the intestine causing malabsorption, diarrhea, and decreased feed conversion resulting in significant economic losses to poultry producers. The uptake of amino acids is mediated by active transporters located on the basal and br...

Some new retarded nonlinear Volterra-Fredholm type integral inequalities with maxima in two variables and their applications.

PubMed

Xu, Run; Ma, Xiangting

2017-01-01

In this paper, we establish some new retarded nonlinear Volterra-Fredholm type integral inequalities with maxima in two independent variables, and we present the applications to research the boundedness of solutions to retarded nonlinear Volterra-Fredholm type integral equations.

Site of maxima of conductivity, temperatures, density of the current and specific capacity of the thermal emission in the HFI-discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerasimov, A.; Kirpichnikov, A.; Sabirova, F.; Gainullin, R.

2017-11-01

On the basis of theoretical analysis of distributions of the conductivity, current density and specific power of heat release in the high-frequency induction discharge, a law of crowding of maxima of these values has been established.

Dietary Curcuma longa enhances resistance against Eimeria maxima and Eimeria tenella infections in chickens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effects of dietary supplementation with an organic extract of Curcuma longa on systemic and local immune responses to experimental Eimeria maxima and E. tenella infections were evaluated in commercial broiler chickens. Infected chickens given the C. longa-containing diet had increased body weig...

A simple model for constant storage modulus of poly (lactic acid)/poly (ethylene oxide)/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites at low frequencies assuming the properties of interphase regions and networks.

PubMed

Zare, Yasser; Rhim, Sungsoo; Garmabi, Hamid; Rhee, Kyong Yop

2018-04-01

The networks of nanoparticles in nanocomposites cause solid-like behavior demonstrating a constant storage modulus at low frequencies. This study examines the storage modulus of poly (lactic acid)/poly (ethylene oxide)/carbon nanotubes (CNT) nanocomposites. The experimental data of the storage modulus in the plateau regions are obtained by a frequency sweep test. In addition, a simple model is developed to predict the constant storage modulus assuming the properties of the interphase regions and the CNT networks. The model calculations are compared with the experimental results, and the parametric analyses are applied to validate the predictability of the developed model. The calculations properly agree with the experimental data at all polymer and CNT concentrations. Moreover, all parameters acceptably modulate the constant storage modulus. The percentage of the networked CNT, the modulus of networks, and the thickness and modulus of the interphase regions directly govern the storage modulus of nanocomposites. The outputs reveal the important roles of the interphase properties in the storage modulus. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pressure-induced structural modifications of rare-earth hafnate pyrochlore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, Katlyn M.; Rittman, Dylan R.; Heymach, Rachel A.; Tracy, Cameron L.; Turner, Madison L.; Fuentes, Antonio F.; Mao, Wendy L.; Ewing, Rodney C.

2017-06-01

Complex oxides with the pyrochlore (A2B2O7) and defect-fluorite ((A,B)4O7) structure-types undergo structural transformations under high-pressure. Rare-earth hafnates (A2Hf2O7) form the pyrochlore structure for A  =  La-Tb and the defect-fluorite structure for A  =  Dy-Lu. High-pressure transformations in A2Hf2O7 pyrochlore (A  =  Sm, Eu, Gd) and defect-fluorite (A  =  Dy, Y, Yb) were investigated up to ~50 GPa and characterized by in situ Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman spectra at ambient pressure revealed that all compositions, including the defect-fluorites, have some pyrochlore-type short-range order. In situ high-pressure synchrotron XRD showed that all of the rare earth hafnates investigated undergo a pressure-induced phase transition to a cotunnite-like (orthorhombic) structure that begins between 18 and 25 GPa. The phase transition to the cotunnite-like structure is not complete at 50 GPa, and upon release of pressure, the hafnates transform to defect-fluorite with an amorphous component. For all compositions, in situ Raman spectroscopy showed that disordering occurs gradually with increasing pressure. Pyrochlore-structured hafnates retain their short-range order to a higher pressure (30 GPa vs.  <10 GPa) than defect-fluorite-structured hafnates. Rare earth hafnates quenched from 50 GPa show Raman spectra consistent with weberite-type structures, as also reported for irradiated rare-earth stannates. The second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state fit gives a bulk modulus of ~250 GPa for hafnates with the pyrochlore structure, and ~400 GPa for hafnates with the defect-fluorite structure. Dy2Hf2O7 is intermediate in its response, with some pyrochlore-type ordering, based on Raman spectroscopy and the equation of state, with a bulk modulus of ~300 GPa. As predicted based on the similar ionic radius of Zr4+ and Hf4+, rare-earth hafnates show similar behavior to that reported for rare earth zirconates at high pressure.

Pressure-induced structural modifications of rare-earth hafnate pyrochlore.

PubMed

Turner, Katlyn M; Rittman, Dylan R; Heymach, Rachel A; Tracy, Cameron L; Turner, Madison L; Fuentes, Antonio F; Mao, Wendy L; Ewing, Rodney C

2017-06-28

Complex oxides with the pyrochlore (A 2 B 2 O 7 ) and defect-fluorite ((A,B) 4 O 7 ) structure-types undergo structural transformations under high-pressure. Rare-earth hafnates (A 2 Hf 2 O 7 ) form the pyrochlore structure for A  =  La-Tb and the defect-fluorite structure for A  =  Dy-Lu. High-pressure transformations in A 2 Hf 2 O 7 pyrochlore (A  =  Sm, Eu, Gd) and defect-fluorite (A  =  Dy, Y, Yb) were investigated up to ~50 GPa and characterized by in situ Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman spectra at ambient pressure revealed that all compositions, including the defect-fluorites, have some pyrochlore-type short-range order. In situ high-pressure synchrotron XRD showed that all of the rare earth hafnates investigated undergo a pressure-induced phase transition to a cotunnite-like (orthorhombic) structure that begins between 18 and 25 GPa. The phase transition to the cotunnite-like structure is not complete at 50 GPa, and upon release of pressure, the hafnates transform to defect-fluorite with an amorphous component. For all compositions, in situ Raman spectroscopy showed that disordering occurs gradually with increasing pressure. Pyrochlore-structured hafnates retain their short-range order to a higher pressure (30 GPa vs.  <10 GPa) than defect-fluorite-structured hafnates. Rare earth hafnates quenched from 50 GPa show Raman spectra consistent with weberite-type structures, as also reported for irradiated rare-earth stannates. The second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state fit gives a bulk modulus of ~250 GPa for hafnates with the pyrochlore structure, and ~400 GPa for hafnates with the defect-fluorite structure. Dy 2 Hf 2 O 7 is intermediate in its response, with some pyrochlore-type ordering, based on Raman spectroscopy and the equation of state, with a bulk modulus of ~300 GPa. As predicted based on the similar ionic radius of Zr 4+ and Hf 4+ , rare-earth hafnates show similar behavior to that reported for rare earth zirconates at high pressure.

The computation of pi to 29,360,000 decimal digits using Borweins' quartically convergent algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, David H.

1988-01-01

The quartically convergent numerical algorithm developed by Borwein and Borwein (1987) for 1/pi is implemented via a prime-modulus-transform multiprecision technique on the NASA Ames Cray-2 supercomputer to compute the first 2.936 x 10 to the 7th digits of the decimal expansion of pi. The history of pi computations is briefly recalled; the most recent algorithms are characterized; the implementation procedures are described; and samples of the output listing are presented. Statistical analyses show that the present decimal expansion is completely random, with only acceptable numbers of long repeating strings and single-digit runs.

Non-linear properties of metallic cellular materials with a negative Poisson's ratio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, J. B.; Lakes, R. S.

1992-01-01

Negative Poisson's ratio copper foam was prepared and characterized experimentally. The transformation into re-entrant foam was accomplished by applying sequential permanent compressions above the yield point to achieve a triaxial compression. The Poisson's ratio of the re-entrant foam depended on strain and attained a relative minimum at strains near zero. Poisson's ratio as small as -0.8 was achieved. The strain dependence of properties occurred over a narrower range of strain than in the polymer foams studied earlier. Annealing of the foam resulted in a slightly greater magnitude of negative Poisson's ratio and greater toughness at the expense of a decrease in the Young's modulus.

Correlation of DIAL Ozone Observations with Lightning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, Harold; Kuang, Shi; Koshak, William; Newchurch, Michael

2013-01-01

The purpose of this project is to see whether ozone maxima measured by the DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) instrument in Huntsville, AL may be traced back to lightning events occurring 24- 48 hours beforehand. The methodology is to start with lidar measurements of ozone from DIAL as well as ozonesonde measurements. The HYbrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model is then used to determine the origin of these ozone maxima 24-48 hours prior. Data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) are used to examine the presence/absence of lightning along the trajectory. This type of analysis suggests that lightning-produced NOx may be responsible for some of the ozone maxima over Huntsville.

Nanoindentation of silicon implanted with hydrogen: effect of implantation dose on silicon’s mechanical properties and nanoindentation-induced phase transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jelenković, Emil V.; To, Suet; Goncharova, Lyudmila V.; Wong, Sing Fai

2017-07-01

Implantation of hydrogen in single-crystal silicon (c-Si) is known to affect its machining. However, very little is reported on the material and mechanical properties of hydrogen-implanted silicon (Si). In this article, near-surface regions (~0-500 nm) of lightly doped (1 0 0) Si were modified by varying the hydrogen concentration using ion implantation. The maximum hydrogen concentration was varied from ~4  ×  1020 to ~3.2  ×  1021 cm-3. The implanted Si was investigated by nanoindentation. From the dynamic nanoindentation test, it was found that in hydrogen-implanted Si hardness is increased significantly, while the elastic modulus is reduced. The nanoindentation-induced Si phase transformation was studied under different load/unload rates and loads. Raman spectroscopy revealed that the hydrogen implantation tends to suppress Si-XII and Si-III phases and facilitates amorphous Si formation during the unloading stage of nanoindentation. Both the mechanical properties and phase transformations were qualitatively related not only to the hydrogen concentration, but also to the implantation-generated defects and strain.

Time-distance domain transformation for Acoustic Emission source localization in thin metallic plates.

PubMed

Grabowski, Krzysztof; Gawronski, Mateusz; Baran, Ireneusz; Spychalski, Wojciech; Staszewski, Wieslaw J; Uhl, Tadeusz; Kundu, Tribikram; Packo, Pawel

2016-05-01

Acoustic Emission used in Non-Destructive Testing is focused on analysis of elastic waves propagating in mechanical structures. Then any information carried by generated acoustic waves, further recorded by a set of transducers, allow to determine integrity of these structures. It is clear that material properties and geometry strongly impacts the result. In this paper a method for Acoustic Emission source localization in thin plates is presented. The approach is based on the Time-Distance Domain Transform, that is a wavenumber-frequency mapping technique for precise event localization. The major advantage of the technique is dispersion compensation through a phase-shifting of investigated waveforms in order to acquire the most accurate output, allowing for source-sensor distance estimation using a single transducer. The accuracy and robustness of the above process are also investigated. This includes the study of Young's modulus value and numerical parameters influence on damage detection. By merging the Time-Distance Domain Transform with an optimal distance selection technique, an identification-localization algorithm is achieved. The method is investigated analytically, numerically and experimentally. The latter involves both laboratory and large scale industrial tests. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis, characterization and bioactivity of a calcium-phosphate glass-ceramics obtained by the sol-gel processing method.

PubMed

Jmal, Nouha; Bouaziz, Jamel

2017-02-01

In this work, a calcium-phosphate glass-ceramics was successfully obtained by heat treatment of a mixture of 26.52 in wt.% of fluorapatite (Fap) and 73.48 in wt.% of 77S (77 SiO 2 14 CaO9 P 2 O 5 in wt.%) gel. The calcium phosphate-glass-ceramics was prepared by sol-gel process with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), triethyl phosphate (TEP), calcium nitrate and fluorapatite. The synthesized powders were characterized by some commonly used tools such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 31 P magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and thin-film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD). The obtained results seemed to confirm the nucleation and growth of hydroxyapatite (Hap) nano-phase in the glass. Moreover, an in-vitro evaluation of the glass-ceramic was performed. In addition, to assess its bioactive capacity, it was soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) at different time intervals. The SEM, EDS and TF-XRD analyses showed the deposition of hydroxyapatite on the surface of the specimens after three days of immersion in SBF solution. The mechanical properties of the obtained material such as rupture strength, Vickers hardness and elastic modulus were measured. In addition, the friction coefficient of calcium phosphate-glass-ceramics was tested. The values of the composite of rupture strength (24MPa), Vickers hardness (214Hv), Young's modulus (52.3GPa), shear modulus (19GPa) and friction coefficient (0.327) were obtained. This glass-ceramics can have useful applications in dental prostheses. Indeed, this material may have promising applications for implants because of its content of fluorine, the effective protector against dental caries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tunable green graphene-silk biomaterials: Mechanism of protein-based nanocomposites.

PubMed

Wang, Fang; Jyothirmayee Aravind, S S; Wu, Hao; Forys, Joseph; Venkataraman, Venkat; Ramanujachary, Kandalam; Hu, Xiao

2017-10-01

Green graphene materials prepared by photoreduction of graphite oxide were first time blended with aqueous-based silk fibroin proteins to improve the mechanical and thermal properties of silk biomaterials, and their nanocomposite interaction mechanism was illustrated. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the complete exfoliation of graphite oxide to graphene in presence of focused pulses of solar radiation. By varying the concentration of graphene (0.1wt% to 10wt%), a series of free standing graphene-silk films were prepared and were systematically characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation measurements. The homogeneity of graphene in silk as well as the thermal stability of the composite films was demonstrated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). Surprisingly, silk composite film containing only 0.5wt% of graphene gives the highest Young's modulus of 1.65GPa (about 5.8 times higher than the pure silk's modulus), indicating a nano-composite to micro-composite transition of silk-graphene structure occurred around this mixing ratio. This finding provided an easy approach to improve the elastic modulus and other physical properties of silk materials by adding a tiny amount of graphene sheets. Fibroblast cells studies also proved that these graphene-silk materials can significantly improve cell adhesion, growth and proliferation. This protein nanocomposite study provided a useful model to understand how to manipulate the hydrophobic-hydrophobic and polar-polar interactions between high-surface-area inorganic nanomaterials and amphiphilic protein materials, which has many emerging applications in the material science and engineering, such as bio-device fabrication, drug storage and release, and tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative in situ X-ray Diffraction Study of San Carlos Olivine: Influence of Water on the 410 km Seismic Velocity Jump in Earth’s Mantle

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

J Chen; H Liu; J Girard

2011-12-31

A comparative study of the equation of states of hydrous (0.4 wt% H{sub 2}O) and anhydrous San Carlos olivine (<30 ppm H2O) was conducted using synchrotron X-rays up to 11 GPa in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) at ambient temperature. Both samples were loaded in the same high-pressure chamber of the DAC to eliminate the possible pressure difference in different experiments. The obtained compression data were fitted to the third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, yielding a bulk modulus K{sub 0} = 123(3) GPa for hydrous olivine and K{sub 0} = 130(4) GPa for anhydrous olivine as K{sub 0}' is fixedmore » at 4.6. Therefore, 0.4 wt% H{sub 2}2O in olivine results in a 5% reduction in bulk modulus. Previous studies reported bulk modulus reduction by water in olivine's high-pressure polymorph (wadsleyite), to which the transformation from olivine gives rise to the seismic discontinuity at 410 km depth. The new data results in a reduction in the magnitude of the discontinuity by 50% in v{sub P} and 30% in v{sub S} (for 1:5 water partitioning between olivine and wadsleyite) with respect to anhydrous mantle. Previous knowledge of the influence of water on this phase transition has been in opposition to a large amount of water [e.g., 200 ppm by Wood (1995)] existing at 410 km depth. Calculation of the seismic velocities based on newly available elasticity data of the hydrous phases indicates that the presence of water is favorable for the mineral composition model (pyrolite) and seismic observations in terms of the magnitude of the 410 km discontinuity.« less

Laboratory Investigation on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Granite After Heating and Water-Cooling Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Fan; Zhao, Jianjian; Hu, Dawei; Skoczylas, Frederic; Shao, Jianfu

2018-03-01

High-temperature treatment may cause changes in physical and mechanical properties of rocks. Temperature changing rate (heating, cooling and both of them) plays an important role in those changes. Thermal conductivity tests, ultrasonic pulse velocity tests, gas permeability tests and triaxial compression tests are performed on granite samples after a heating and rapid cooling treatment in order to characterize the changes in physical and mechanical properties. Seven levels of temperature (from 25 to 900 °C) are used. It is found that the physical and mechanical properties of granite are significantly deteriorated by the thermal treatment. The porosity shows a significant increase from 1.19% at the initial state to 6.13% for samples heated to 900 °C. The increase in porosity is mainly due to three factors: (1) a large number of microcracks caused by the rapid cooling rate; (2) the mineral transformation of granite through high-temperature heating and water-cooling process; (3) the rapid cooling process causes the mineral particles to weaken. As the temperature of treatment increases, the thermal conductivity and P-wave velocity decrease while the gas permeability increases. Below 200 °C, the elastic modulus and cohesion increase with temperature increasing. Between 200 and 500 °C, the elastic modulus and cohesion have no obvious change with temperature. Beyond 500 °C, as the temperature increases, the elastic modulus and cohesion obviously decrease and the decreasing rate becomes slower with the increase in confining pressure. Poisson's ratio and internal frictional coefficient have no obvious change as the temperature increases. Moreover, there is a transition from a brittle to ductile behavior when the temperature becomes high. At 900 °C, the granite shows an obvious elastic-plastic behavior.

Engineering an in vitro model of a functional ligament from bone to bone.

PubMed

Paxton, Jennifer Z; Grover, Liam M; Baar, Keith

2010-11-01

For musculoskeletal tissues that transmit loads during movement, the interfaces between tissues are essential to minimizing injury. Therefore, the reproduction of functional interfaces within engineered musculoskeletal tissues is critical to the successful transfer of the technology to the clinic. The goal of this work was to rapidly engineer ligament equivalents in vitro that contained both the soft tissue sinew and a hard tissue bone mimetic. This goal was achieved using cast brushite (CaHPO(4)·2H(2)O) anchors to mimic bone and a fibrin gel embedded with fibroblasts to create the sinew. The constructs formed within 7 days. Fourteen days after seeding, the interface between the brushite and sinew could withstand a stress of 9.51 ± 1.7  kPa before failure and the sinew reached a Young's modulus value of 0.16 ± 0.03  MPa. Treatment with ascorbic acid and proline increased the collagen content of the sinew (from 1.34% ± 0.2% to 8.34% ± 0.37%), strength of the interface (29.24 ± 6  kPa), and modulus of the sinew (2.69 ± 0.25  MPa). Adding transforming growth factor-β resulted in a further increase in collagen (11.25% ± 0.39%), interface strength (42 ± 8  kPa), and sinew modulus (5.46 ± 0.68  MPa). Both scanning electron and Raman microscopy suggested that the interface between the brushite and sinew mimics the in vivo tidemark at the enthesis. This work describes a major step toward the development of tissue-engineered ligaments for the repair of ligament ruptures in humans.

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

Moraes, Paulo E.L., E-mail: pauloeduardo.leitedemoraes@gmail.com; Contieri, Rodrigo J., E-mail: contieri@fem.unicamp.br; Lopes, Eder S.N., E-mail: ederlopes@fem.unicamp.br

Ti and Ti alloys are widely used in restorative surgery because of their good biocompatibility, enhanced mechanical behavior and high corrosion resistance in physiological media. The corrosion resistance of Ti-based materials is due to the spontaneous formation of the TiO{sub 2} oxide film on their surface, which exhibits elevated stability in biological fluids. Ti–Nb alloys, depending on the composition and the processing routes to which the alloys are subjected, have high mechanical strength combined with low elastic modulus. The addition of Sn to Ti–Nb alloys allows the phase transformations to be controlled, particularly the precipitation of ω phase. The aimmore » of this study is to discuss the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of cast Ti–Nb alloys to which Sn has been added. Samples were centrifugally cast in a copper mold, and the microstructure was characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Mechanical behavior evaluation was performed using Berkovich nanoindentation, Vickers hardness and compression tests. The corrosion behavior was evaluated in Ringer's solution at room temperature using electrochemical techniques. The results obtained suggested that the physical, mechanical and chemical behaviors of the Ti–Nb–Sn alloys are directly dependent on the Sn content. - Graphical abstract: Effects of Sn addition to the Ti–30Nb alloy on the elastic modulus. - Highlights: • Sn addition causes reduction of the ω phase precipitation. • Minimum Vickers hardness and elastic modulus occurred for 6 wt.% Sn content. • Addition of 6 wt.% Sn resulted in maximum ductility and minimum compression strength. • All Ti–30Nb–XSn (X = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10%) alloys are passive in Ringer's solution. • Highest corrosion resistance was observed for 6 wt.% Sn content.« less

Silver nanoparticles with planar twinned defects: effect of halides for precise tuning of plasmon resonance maxima from 400 to >900 nm.

PubMed

Cathcart, Nicole; Frank, Andrew J; Kitaev, Vladimir

2009-12-14

We studied effects of halides on morphology of planar twinned silver nanoparticles and demonstrated application of these effects to precisely tune silver surface plasmon resonance maxima in a broad vis-NIR range using a reliable two-stage modification protocol.

Coccidian Merozoite Transcriptome Analysis From Eimeria Maxima In Comparison To Eimeria Tenella And Eimeria Acervulina

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using the Eimeria spp. population that infect chickens as a model for coccidian biology, we aimed to survey the transcriptome of E. maxima and contrast it to the two other Eimeria spp. for which transcriptome data are available, E. tenella and E. acervulina. Examining specifically the asexual intra...

Scilab and Maxima Environment: Towards Free Software in Numerical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mora, Angel; Galan, Jose Luis; Aguilera, Gabriel; Fernandez, Alvaro; Merida, Enrique; Rodriguez, Pedro

2010-01-01

In this work we will present the ScilabUMA environment we have developed as an alternative to Matlab. This environment connects Scilab (for numerical analysis) and Maxima (for symbolic computations). Furthermore, the developed interface is, in our opinion at least, as powerful as the interface of Matlab. (Contains 3 figures.)

Eimeria maxima recombinant Gam82 gametocyte antigen vaccine protects against coccidiosis and augments humoral and cell-mediated immunity.

PubMed

Jang, Seung I; Lillehoj, Hyun S; Lee, Sung Hyen; Lee, Kyung Woo; Park, Myeong Seon; Cha, Sung-Rok; Lillehoj, Erik P; Subramanian, B Mohana; Sriraman, R; Srinivasan, V A

2010-04-09

Intestinal infection with Eimeria, the etiologic agent of avian coccidiosis, stimulates protective immunity to subsequent colonization by the homologous parasite, while cross-protection against heterologous species is poor. As a first step toward the development of a broad specificity Eimeria vaccine, this study was designed to assess a purified recombinant protein from Eimeria maxima gametocytes (Gam82) in stimulating immunity against experimental infection with live parasites. Following Gam82 intramuscular immunization and oral parasite challenge, body weight gain, fecal oocyst output, lesion scores, serum antibody response, and cytokine production were assessed to evaluate vaccination efficacy. Animals vaccinated with Gam82 and challenged with E. maxima showed lower oocyst shedding and reduced intestinal pathology compared with non-vaccinated and parasite-challenged animals. Gam82 vaccination also stimulated the production of antigen-specific serum antibodies and induced greater levels of IL-2 and IL-15 mRNAs compared with non-vaccinated controls. These results demonstrate that the Gam82 recombinant protein protects against E. maxima and augments humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Buckling failure of square ice-nanotube arrays constrained in graphene nanocapillaries

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

Zhu, YinBo; Wang, FengChao, E-mail: wangfc@ustc.edu.cn; Wu, HengAn

Graphene confinement provides a new physical and mechanical environment with ultrahigh van der Waals pressure, resulting in new quasi-two-dimensional phases of few-layer ice. Polymorphic transition can occur in bilayer constrained water/ice system. Here, we perform a comprehensive study of the phase transition of AA-stacked bilayer water constrained within a graphene nanocapillary. The compression-limit and superheating-limit (phase) diagrams are obtained, based on the extensive molecular-dynamics simulations at numerous thermodynamic states. Liquid-to-solid, solid-to-solid, and solid-to-liquid-to-solid phase transitions are observed in the compression and superheating of bilayer water. Interestingly, there is a temperature threshold (∼275 K) in the compression-limit diagram, which indicates thatmore » the first-order and continuous-like phase transitions of bilayer water depend on the temperature. Two obviously different physical processes, compression and superheating, display similar structural evolution; that is, square ice-nanotube arrays (BL-VHDI) will bend first and then transform into bilayer triangular AA stacking ice (BL-AAI). The superheating limit of BL-VHDI exhibits local maxima, while that of BL-AAI increases monotonically. More importantly, from a mechanics point of view, we propose a novel mechanism of the transformation from BL-VHDI to BL-AAI, both for the compression and superheating limits. This structural transformation can be regarded as the “buckling failure” of the square-ice-nanotube columns, which is dominated by the lateral pressure.« less

Brainstem Encoding of Aided Speech in Hearing Aid Users with Cochlear Dead Region(s)

PubMed Central

Hassaan, Mohammad Ramadan; Ibraheem, Ola Abdallah; Galhom, Dalia Helal

2016-01-01

Introduction  Neural encoding of speech begins with the analysis of the signal as a whole broken down into its sinusoidal components in the cochlea, which has to be conserved up to the higher auditory centers. Some of these components target the dead regions of the cochlea causing little or no excitation. Measuring aided speech-evoked auditory brainstem response elicited by speech stimuli with different spectral maxima can give insight into the brainstem encoding of aided speech with spectral maxima at these dead regions. Objective  This research aims to study the impact of dead regions of the cochlea on speech processing at the brainstem level after a long period of hearing aid use. Methods  This study comprised 30 ears without dead regions and 46 ears with dead regions at low, mid, or high frequencies. For all ears, we measured the aided speech-evoked auditory brainstem response using speech stimuli of low, mid, and high spectral maxima. Results  Aided speech-evoked auditory brainstem response was producible in all subjects. Responses evoked by stimuli with spectral maxima at dead regions had longer latencies and smaller amplitudes when compared with the control group or the responses of other stimuli. Conclusion  The presence of cochlear dead regions affects brainstem encoding of speech with spectral maxima perpendicular to these regions. Brainstem neuroplasticity and the extrinsic redundancy of speech can minimize the impact of dead regions in chronic hearing aid users. PMID:27413404

Extreme Value Theory and the New Sunspot Number Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acero, F. J.; Carrasco, V. M. S.; Gallego, M. C.; García, J. A.; Vaquero, J. M.

2017-04-01

Extreme value theory was employed to study solar activity using the new sunspot number index. The block maxima approach was used at yearly (1700-2015), monthly (1749-2016), and daily (1818-2016) scales, selecting the maximum sunspot number value for each solar cycle, and the peaks-over-threshold (POT) technique was used after a declustering process only for the daily data. Both techniques led to negative values for the shape parameters. This implies that the extreme sunspot number value distribution has an upper bound. The return level (RL) values obtained from the POT approach were greater than when using the block maxima technique. Regarding the POT approach, the 110 year (550 and 1100 year) RLs were lower (higher) than the daily maximum observed sunspot number value of 528. Furthermore, according to the block maxima approach, the 10-cycle RL lay within the block maxima daily sunspot number range, as expected, but it was striking that the 50- and 100-cycle RLs were also within that range. Thus, it would seem that the RL is reaching a plateau, and, although one must be cautious, it would be difficult to attain sunspot number values greater than 550. The extreme value trends from the four series (yearly, monthly, and daily maxima per solar cycle, and POT after declustering the daily data) were analyzed with the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s method. Only the negative trend of the daily data with the POT technique was statistically significant.

Hepatoprotective effects of Spirulina maxima in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a case series

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Introduction Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases range from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The "two hits" hypothesis is widely accepted for its pathogenesis: the first hit is an increased fat flux to the liver, which predisposes our patient to a second hit where increasing free fatty acid oxidation into the mitochondria leads to oxidative stress, lipoperoxidation and a chain reaction with increased ROS. Clinical indications include abdominal cramps, meteorism and fatigue. Most patients, however, are asymptomatic, and diagnosis is based on aminotransferase elevation and ultrasonography (or "brilliant liver"). Spirulina maxima has been experimentally proven to possess in vivo and in vitro hepatoprotective properties by maintaining the liver lipid profile. This case report evaluates the hepatoprotective effects of orally supplied Spirulina maxima. Case presentation Three Hispanic Mexican patients (a 43-year-old man, a 77-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman) underwent ultrasonography and were treated with 4.5 g/day of Spirulina maxima for three months. Their blood samples before and after the treatment determined triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The results were assessed using ultrasound. Conclusion Treatment had therapeutic effects as evidenced by ultrasonography and the aminotransferase data. Hypolipidemic effects were also shown. We conclude that Spirulina maxima may be considered an alternative treatment for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases and dyslipidemic disorder. PMID:20370930

Macro- and microelement distribution in organs of Glyceria maxima and biomonitoring applications.

PubMed

Klink, Agnieszka; Stankiewicz, Andrzej; Wisłocka, Magdalena; Polechońska, Ludmiła

2014-07-01

The content of nutrients (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) and of trace metals (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cd, Co and Ni) in water, bottom sediments and various organs of Glyceria maxima from 19 study sites selected in the Jeziorka River was determined. In general, the concentrations of nutrients recorded in the plant material decreased in the following order: leaf>root>rhizome>stem, while the concentrations of the trace elements showed the following accumulation scheme: root>rhizome>leaf>stem. The bioaccumulation and transfer factors for nutrients were significantly higher than for trace metals. G. maxima from agricultural fields was characterised by the highest P and K concentrations in leaves, and plants from forested land contained high Zn and Ni amounts. However, the manna grass from small localities showed high accumulation of Ca, Mg and Mn. Positive significant correlations between Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, Co and Ni concentrations in water or sediments and their concentrations in plant indicate that G. maxima may be employed as a biomonitor of trace element contamination. Moreover, a high degree of similarity was noted between self-organizing feature map (SOFM)-grouped sites of comparable quantities of elements in the water and sediments and sites where G. maxima had a corresponding content of the same elements in its leaves. Therefore, SOFM could be recommended in analysing ecological conditions of the environment from the perspective of nutrients and trace element content in different plant species and their surroundings.

Spatio-Temporal Variability of the Phase of Total Ozone Quasi-Decennial Oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Visheratin, K. N.

2017-12-01

The SBUV/SBUV2 (65° S-65° N) and Bodeker Scientific (90° S-90° N) satellite databases have been used for composite and cross-wavelet analyses of the spatio-temporal variability of phase relations between a 11-year cycle of solar activity (SA) and quasi-decennial oscillations (QDOs) of total ozone content (TOC). For globally average TOC values, the QDO maxima coincide in phase with the solar-activity maxima, and amplitude variations of TOC correlate with those of the 11-year solar cycle. According to the analysis of amplitude and phase of QDOs for the zonal average TOC fields, a QDO amplitude is about 6-7 Dobson Units (DU) in the high northern and southern latitudes, and it does not exceed 2-3 DU in the tropic regions. The latitudinal TOC variations are distinguished by a delay of the quasi-decennial oscillation phase in the southern latitudes in comparison with the northern latitudes. The TOC maxima phase coincides with the SA maxima phase in the tropic regions; the TOC variations go ahead of the SA variations, on average, in moderate and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere; the TOC variations are behind the SA variations in the Southern Hemisphere. The phase delay between TOC QDO maxima in the northern and southern latitudes appears to increase in the course of time, and the TOC quasi-decennial variations in the Arctic and Antarctic subpolar regions occur approximately in an antiphase over the last two decades.

Glyceria maxima as new test species for the EU risk assessment for herbicides: a microcosm study.

PubMed

Mohr, S; Schott, J; Hoenemann, L; Feibicke, M

2015-03-01

In its recent guidance document on tiered risk assessment for plant protection products for aquatic organisms, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) proposed to use Glyceria maxima as monocotyledonous grass species for the testing of special herbicide groups. However, published toxicity data for this species is very limited and there is no test guideline for Glyceria sp. For this reason a microcosm study was conducted in order to gain experience on the degree of sensitivity of G. maxima to the herbicidal substances clodinafop-propargyl (grass herbicide) and fluroxypyr (auxin) in comparison to the already established test organism water milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum and the duckweed species Landoltia punctata. Five concentrations without replicates were tested for each test substance using 10 microcosms and three microcosms served as controls. The experiment was run for 8 weeks. Morphological endpoints were used to determine growth and EC50 values. The results show that M. spicatum was most sensitive to fluroxypyr (37 days EC50 for roots: 62 µg/L) and G. maxima most sensitive to clodinafop-propargyl (22 days EC50 for total shoot length: 48 µg/L) whereas the duckweed species was considerable less sensitive. Hence, G. maxima turns out to be a good candidate for testing grass specific herbicides, supporting its inclusion as an additional macrophyte test for the risk assessment of herbicides as proposed by the EFSA.

Double-blind randomised controlled trial of the independent and synergistic effect of Spirulina maxima with exercise (ISESE) on general fitness, lipid profile and redox status in overweight and obese subjects: study protocol

PubMed Central

Hernández-Lepe, Marco Antonio; López-Díaz, José Alberto; de la Rosa, Laura Alejandra; Hernández-Torres, Rosa Patricia; Wall-Medrano, Abraham; Juarez-Oropeza, Marco Antonio; Pedraza-Chaverri, José; Urquidez-Romero, Rene; Ramos-Jiménez, Arnulfo

2017-01-01

Introduction In order to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors, a healthy diet must include dietary antioxidants from different sources (eg, Spirulina maxima) and regular practice of exercise should be promoted. There is some evidence from animal studies that S. maxima and exercise decrease cardiovascular disease risks factors. However, very few studies have proved the independent or synergistic effect of S. maxima plus exercise in humans. This study attempts to address the independent and synergistic effects in overweight and obese subjects participating in a systematic physical exercise programme at moderate intensity on general fitness, plasma lipid profile and antioxidant capacity. Methods and analysis Using a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover study design, 80 healthy overweight and obese subjects will be evaluated during a 12-week isoenergetic diet accompanied by 4.5 g/day S. maxima intake and/or a physical systematic exercise programme at moderate intensity. Body composition, oxygen uptake, heart rate, capillary blood lactate, plasma concentrations of triacylglycerols, total, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, antioxidant status, lipid oxidation, protein carbonyls, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and paraoxonase will be assessed. Ethics and dissemination This study and all the procedures have been approved by the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez Bioethics Committee. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02837666. PMID:28645949

Relaxation of the bulk modulus in partially molten dunite?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cline, C. J.; Jackson, I.

2016-11-01

To address the possibility of melt-related bulk modulus relaxation, a forced oscillation experiment was conducted at seismic frequencies on a partially molten synthetic dunite specimen (melt fraction = 0.026) utilizing the enhanced capacity of the Australian National University attenuation apparatus to operate in both torsional and flexural oscillation modes. Shear modulus and dissipation data are consistent with those for melt-bearing olivine specimens previously tested in torsion, with a pronounced dissipation peak superimposed on high-temperature background. Flexural data exhibit a monotonic decrease in complex Young's modulus with increasing temperature under transsolidus temperatures. The observed variation of Young's modulus is well described by the relationship 1/E 1/3G, without requiring relaxation of the bulk modulus. At high homologous temperatures, when shear modulus is low, extensional and flexural oscillation measurements have little resolution of bulk modulus, and thus, only pressure oscillation measurements can definitively constrain bulk properties at these conditions.

Centennial eolian cyclicity in the Great Plains, USA: A dominant pattern of wind transport over the past 4000 years?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwalb, Antje; Dean, Walter E.; Fritz, C. Sherilyn; Geiss, Christoph E.; Kromer, Bernd

2010-01-01

Proxy evidence at decadal resolution from Late Holocene sediments from Pickerel Lake, northeastern South Dakota, shows distinct centennial cycles (400-700 years) in magnetic susceptibility; contents of carbonate, organic carbon, and major elements; abundance in ostracodes; and delta18O and delta13C values in calcite. Proxies indicate cyclic changes in eolian input, productivity, and temperature. Maxima in magnetic susceptibility are accompanied by maxima in aluminum and iron mass accumulation rates (MARs), and in abundances of the ostracode Fabaeformiscandona rawsoni. This indicates variable windy, and dry conditions with westerly wind dominance, including during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Maxima in carbonates, organic carbon, phosphorous, and high delta13C values of endogenic calcite indicate moister and less windy periods with increased lake productivity, including during the Little Ice Age, and alternate with maxima of eolian transport. Times of the Maunder, Sporer and Wolf sunspot minima are characterized by maxima in delta18O values and aluminum MARs, and minima in delta13C values and organic carbon content. We interpret these lake conditions during sunspot minima to indicate decreases in lake surface water temperatures of up to 4-5 degrees C associated with decreases in epilimnetic productivity during summer. We propose that the centennial cycles are triggered by solar activity, originate in the tropical Pacific, and their onset during the Late Holocene is associated with insolation conditions driven by precession. The cyclic pattern is transmitted from the tropical Pacific into the atmosphere and transported by westerly winds into the North Atlantic realm where they strengthen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during periods of northern Great Plains wind maxima. This consequently leads to moister climates in Central and Northern Europe. Thus, Pickerel Lake provides evidence for mechanisms of teleconnections including an atmospheric link bridging between the different climate regimes from the tropical Pacific to the North Atlantic and onto the European continent.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray study of the fungal laccase from Cerrena maxima

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

Lyashenko, Andrey V.; Zhukhlistova, Nadegda E.; Gabdoulkhakov, Azat G.

2006-10-01

The crystallization and preliminary X-ray structure at 1.9 Å resolution of the fungal laccase from C. maxima are presented. Laccases are members of the blue multi-copper oxidase family that oxidize substrate molecules by accepting electrons at a mononuclear copper centre and transferring them to a trinuclear centre. Dioxygen binds to the trinuclear centre and, following the transfer of four electrons, is reduced to two molecules of water. Crystals of the laccase from Cerrena maxima have been obtained and X-ray data were collected to 1.9 Å resolution using synchrotron radiation. A preliminary analysis shows that the enzyme has the typical laccasemore » structure and several carbohydrate sites have been identified. The carbohydrate chains appear to be involved in stabilization of the intermolecular contacts in the crystal structure, thus promoting the formation of well ordered crystals of the enzyme. Here, the results of an X-ray crystallographic study on the laccase from the fungus Cerrena maxima are reported. Crystals that diffract well to a resolution of at least 1.9 Å (R factor = 18.953%; R{sub free} = 23.835; r.m.s.d. bond lengths, 0.06 Å; r.m.s.d. bond angles, 1.07°) have been obtained despite the presence of glycan moieties. The overall spatial organization of C. maxima laccase and the structure of its copper-containing active centre have been determined by the molecular-replacement method using the laccase from Trametes versicolor (Piontek et al., 2002 ▶) as a structural template. In addition, four glycan-binding sites were identified and the 1.9 Å X-ray data were used to determine the previously unknown primary structure of this protein. The identity (calculated from sequence alignment) between the C. maxima laccase and the T. versicolor laccase is about 87%. Tyr196 and Tyr372 show significant extra density at the ortho positions and this has been interpreted in terms of NO{sub 2} substituents.« less

Interaction of dietary vitamin E with Eimeria maxima infections in chickens.

PubMed

Allen, P C; Fetterer, R H

2002-01-01

In two trials, broiler chickens, processed similarly to those placed in commercial operation, were fed, from 1 d of age, a range (13 to 200 ppm) of DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate (VE-AC) levels, and the effects on the pathology of Eimeria maxima infections were assessed at 6 d postinoculation (PI). In Trial 1, dietary levels of VE-AC had little significant effect on variables characterizing pathology except for the number of oocysts shed, which was significantly increased in chicks treated with higher VE-AC levels. The infection was judged to be mild based on moderate lesion scores (2.2+/-0.2), lack of significant effects on weight gain (7+/-1.6% decrease), moderate reduction in plasma carotenoids (21+/-2%) and small increases in plasma NO2-+NO3- (141+/-12%). In uninfected and infected chickens, plasma alpha-tocopherol (AT) increased with dietary levels of VE-AC; however, E. maxima infection caused a fairly constant decrease in AT of 35.3+/-3.2% across these levels. Plasma gamma-tocopherol (GT) levels were unaffected by dietary VE-AC or E. maxima infection. In Trial 2, pathology, again, was relatively unaffected by dietary VE-AC level. The infection was judged to be severe based on lesion scores (3.5+/-0.1), reduction in weight gain (30.7+/-3%), plasma carotenoids (72.4+/-1.5%), uric acid (16.3+/-3.4), albumin (37.8+/-2.8%), large increases (261+/-8%) in plasma NO2-+NO3-, and high numbers of oocysts shed per chick (4.12+/-0.4 x 10(7)). Plasma AT again increased with increasing dietary VE-AC levels in uninfected and infected chicks, but the mean decrease across VE-AC levels caused by E. maxima infection was 73.14+/-3.3%. GT levels were erratic and unrelated to dietary VEAC or infection. Thus, in processed broiler chickens, high dietary VE-AC did not prevent or lessen the pathology caused by mild or severe infections with E. maxima. The main effect of E. maxima infection appeared to be reduction in plasma AT levels. We postulate that this reduction may be due to malabsorption of AT, which results from physical damage to the absorptive mucosa, reduction in esterases required to hydrolyze the VE-AC, and a generalized lipid malabsorption, preventing movement of the free AT to circulating blood and infected tissues.

Wavelet Transform Analysis of the Power Spectrum of Centre of Pressure Signals to Detect the Critical Point Interval of Postural Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Neeraj Kumar; Snoussi, Hichem; Hewson, David; Duchêne, Jacques

The aim of this study was to develop a method to detecting the critical point interval (CPI) when sensory feedback is used as part of a closed-loop postural control strategy. Postural balance was evaluated using centre of pressure (COP) displacements from a force plate for 17 control and 10 elderly subjects under eyes open, eyes closed, and vibration conditions. A modified local-maximum-modulus wavelet transform analysis using the power spectrum of COP signals was used to calculate CPI. Lower CPI values indicate increased closed-loop postural control with a quicker response to sensory input. Such a strategy requires greater energy expenditure due to the repeated muscular interventions to remain stable. The CPI for elderly occurred significantly quicker than for controls, indicating tighter control of posture. Similar results were observed for eyes closed and vibration conditions. The CPI parameter can be used to detect differences in postural control due to ageing.

Transformation toughened ceramics for the heavy duty diesel engine technology program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musikant, S.; Feingold, E.; Rauch, H.; Samanta, S.

1984-01-01

The objective of this program is to develop an advanced high temperature oxide structural ceramic for application to the heavy duty diesel engine. The approach is to employ transformation toughening by additions of ZrO.5HfO.5O2 solid solution to the oxide ceramics, mullite (2Al2O3S2SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3). The study is planned for three phases, each 12 months in duration. This report covers Phase 1. During this period, processing techniques were developed to incorporate the ZrO.5HfO.5O2 solid solution in the matrices while retaining the necessary metastable tetragonal phase. Modulus of rupture and of elasticity, coefficient of thermal expansion, fracture toughness by indent technique and thermal diffusivity of representative specimens were measured. In Phase 2, the process will be improved to provide higher mechanical strength and to define the techniques for scale up to component size. In Phase 3, full scale component prototypes will be fabri-]cated.

Pressure-Driven Spin Crossover Involving Polyhedral Transformation in Layered Perovskite Cobalt Oxyfluoride

PubMed Central

Tsujimoto, Yoshihiro; Nakano, Satoshi; Ishimatsu, Naoki; Mizumaki, Masaichiro; Kawamura, Naomi; Kawakami, Takateru; Matsushita, Yoshitaka; Yamaura, Kazunari

2016-01-01

We report a novel pressure-driven spin crossover in layered cobalt oxyfluoride Sr2CoO3F with a distorted CoO5 square pyramid loosely bound with a fluoride ion. Upon increasing pressure, the spin state of the Co(III) cation gradually changes from a high spin state (S = 2) to a low spin state (S = 0) accompanied by a anomalously large volume contraction (bulk modulus, 76.8(5) GPa). The spin state change occurs on the CoO5 pyramid in a wide pressure range, but the concomitant gradual shrinkage of the Co–F bond length with pressure gives rise to a polyhedral transformation to the CoO5F octahedron without a structural phase transition, leading to the full conversion to the LS state at 12 GPa. The present results provide new effective strategy to fine-tune electronic properties of mixed anion systems by controlling the covalency in metal-ligand bonds under pressure. PMID:27805031

Transformation toughened ceramics for the heavy duty diesel engine technology program, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musikant, S.; Samanta, S. C.; Architetto, P.; Feingold, E.

1985-01-01

The objective of this program is to develop an insulating structural ceramic for application in a heavy duty adiabatic diesel engine. The approach is to employ transformation toughening (TT) by additions of zirconia-hafnia solid solution (ZHSS). The feasibility of using ZHSS as a toughening agent in mullite and alumina has been demonstrated in Phase 1 of this work. Based on Phase 1 results, a decision was made to concentrate the Phase 2 effort on process optimization of the TT mullite. A strong factor in that decision was the low thermal conductivity and high thermal shock resistance of the mullite. Results of the Phase 2 effort indicate that optimum toughening of mullite by additions of ZHSS is difficult to achieve due to apparent sensitivity to morphology. The 48 ksi room temperature modulus-of-rupture (MOR) achieved in selected specimens is approximately 50% of the original strength target. The MOR deteriorated to 34 ksi at 800 C.

Combining the Hanning windowed interpolated FFT in both directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kui Fu; Li, Yan Feng

2008-06-01

The interpolated fast Fourier transform (IFFT) has been proposed as a way to eliminate the picket fence effect (PFE) of the fast Fourier transform. The modulus based IFFT, cited in most relevant references, makes use of only the 1st and 2nd highest spectral lines. An approach using three principal spectral lines is proposed. This new approach combines both directions of the complex spectrum based IFFT with the Hanning window. The optimal weight to minimize the estimation variance is established on the first order Taylor series expansion of noise interference. A numerical simulation is carried out, and the results are compared with the Cramer-Rao bound. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach has a lower estimation variance than the two-spectral-line approach. The improvement depends on the extent of sampling deviating from the coherent condition, and the best is decreasing variance by 2/7. However, it is also shown that the estimation variance of the windowed IFFT with the Hanning is significantly higher than that of without windowing.

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

Rittman, Dylan R.; Turner, Katlyn M.; Park, Sulgiye

Strain engineering is a promising method for next-generation materials processing techniques. Here, we use mechanical milling and annealing followed by compression in diamond anvil cell to tailor the intrinsic and extrinsic strain in pyrochlore, Dy 2Ti 2O 7 and Dy 2Zr 2O 7. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray pair distribution function analysis, and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize atomic order over short-, medium-, and long-range spatial scales, respectively, under ambient conditions. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were further employed to interrogate the material in situ at high pressure. High-pressure behavior is found to depend on the species and concentration of defectsmore » in the sample at ambient conditions. Overall, we show that defects can be engineered to lower the phase transformation onset pressure by ~50% in the ordered pyrochlore Dy 2Ti 2O 7, and lower the phase transformation completion pressure by ~20% in the disordered pyrochlore Dy 2Zr 2O 7. Lastly, these improvements are achieved without significantly sacrificing mechanical integrity, as characterized by bulk modulus.« less

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

Rittman, Dylan R.; Turner, Katlyn M.; Park, Sulgiye

Strain engineering is a promising method for next-generation materials processing techniques. Here, we use mechanical milling and annealing followed by compression in diamond anvil cell to tailor the intrinsic and extrinsic strain in pyrochlore, Dy 2Ti 2O 7 and Dy 2Zr 2O 7. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray pair distribution function analysis, and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize atomic order over short-, medium-, and long-range spatial scales, respectively, under ambient conditions. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were further employed to interrogate the material in situ at high pressure. High-pressure behavior is found to depend on the species and concentration of defectsmore » in the sample at ambient conditions. Overall, we show that defects can be engineered to lower the phase transformation onset pressure by ~50% in the ordered pyrochlore Dy 2Zr 2O 7, and lower the phase transformation completion pressure by ~20% in the disordered pyrochlore Dy 2Zr 2O 7. These improvements are achieved without significantly sacrificing mechanical integrity, as characterized by bulk modulus.« less

Application of image recognition algorithms for statistical description of nano- and microstructured surfaces

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

Mărăscu, V.; Dinescu, G.; Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest, 405 Atomistilor Street, Bucharest-Magurele

In this paper we propose a statistical approach for describing the self-assembling of sub-micronic polystyrene beads on silicon surfaces, as well as the evolution of surface topography due to plasma treatments. Algorithms for image recognition are used in conjunction with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging of surfaces. In a first step, greyscale images of the surface covered by the polystyrene beads are obtained. Further, an adaptive thresholding method was applied for obtaining binary images. The next step consisted in automatic identification of polystyrene beads dimensions, by using Hough transform algorithm, according to beads radius. In order to analyze the uniformitymore » of the self–assembled polystyrene beads, the squared modulus of 2-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (2- D FFT) was applied. By combining these algorithms we obtain a powerful and fast statistical tool for analysis of micro and nanomaterials with aspect features regularly distributed on surface upon SEM examination.« less

Nano-deformation behavior of silicon (100) film studied by depth sensing indentation and nanoscratch technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geetha, D.; Pratyank, R.; Kiran, P.

2018-04-01

Silicon being the most important material applied in microelectronic and photovoltaic technology, repeated investigation of the mechanical properties becomes essential. The nanoscale elastic-plastic deformation characteristics of Si (100) film were analyzed using nanoindentation and nanoscratch techniques. The hardness and elastic modulus values of the film obtained from nanoindentation tests were found to be consistent with the reported values. The load-displacement curves showed discontinuities and kinks which confirms the plastic behaviour of Si. The indentation induced plastic deformations were the consequences of the phase transformations. The critical shear stress, tensile strength and plastic zone size, of the Si film when subjected to nanoindentation were determined. The nanoscratch tests were performed to understand the tribological properties of the film. The SPM images of both the nanoindentation and nanoscratch profiles were useful in revealing the plastic character in terms of the piling up of matter in the vicinity of the dents. Conclusions were drawn in quantifying the plastic deformations and phase transformations.

A 1D thermomechanical network transition constitutive model coupled with multiple structural relaxation for shape memory polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Hao; Xie, Zhimin; Gu, Jianping; Sun, Huiyu

2018-03-01

A new thermomechanical network transition constitutive model is proposed in the study to describe the viscoelastic behavior of shape memory polymers (SMPs). Based on the microstructure of semi-crystalline SMPs, a new simplified transformation equation is proposed to describe the transform of transient networks. And the generalized fractional Maxwell model is introduced in the paper to estimate the temperature-dependent storage modulus. In addition, a neo-KAHR theory with multiple discrete relaxation processes is put forward to study the structural relaxation of the nonlinear thermal strain in cooling/heating processes. The evolution equations of the time- and temperature-dependent stress and strain response are developed. In the model, the thermodynamical and mechanical characteristics of SMPs in the typical thermomechanical cycle are described clearly and the irreversible deformation is studied in detail. Finally, the typical thermomechanical cycles are simulated using the present constitutive model, and the simulation results agree well with the experimental results.

Constraints on moduli cosmology from the production of dark matter and baryon isocurvature fluctuations

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

Lemoine, Martin; Martin, Jerome; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2009-12-15

We set constraints on moduli cosmology from the production of dark matter - radiation and baryon -radiation isocurvature fluctuations through modulus decay, assuming the modulus remains light during inflation. We find that the moduli problem becomes worse at the perturbative level as a significant part of the parameter space m{sub {sigma}} (modulus mass) - {sigma}{sub inf} (modulus vacuum expectation value at the end of inflation) is constrained by the nonobservation of significant isocurvature fluctuations. We discuss in detail the evolution of the modulus vacuum expectation value and perturbations, in particular, the consequences of Hubble scale corrections to the modulus potential,more » and the stochastic motion of the modulus during inflation. We show, in particular, that a high modulus mass scale m{sub {sigma}} > or approx. 100 TeV, which allows the modulus to evade big bang nucleosynthesis constraints is strongly constrained at the perturbative level. We find that generically, solving the moduli problem requires the inflationary scale to be much smaller than 10{sup 13} GeV.« less

Microstructure and transformation behavior of Ni{sub 24.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25} high temperature shape-memory alloy with Sc micro-addition

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

Ramaiah, K.V., E-mail: kvramaiah@nal.res.in; Saikrishna, C.N.; Gouthama

2015-08-15

NiTiPd shape-memory alloys (SMAs) are potential functional materials for use as solid-state actuators in the temperature range 100–250 °C. The present study investigates the effect of 1.0 at.% Sc micro-addition to Ni{sub 24.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25} alloy, Sc replacing either Ti or Ni. Results show that all the three alloys studied have stable transformation behavior on stress-free thermal cycling and hence, are suitable for cyclic actuation applications. However, the addition of Sc to NiTiPd alloy leads to decrease of transformation temperatures, the magnitude of decrease being greater for the alloy with Sc replacing Ni. The martensite finish (M{sub f}) temperature ofmore » 181 °C for the NiTiPd alloy decreased to 139 °C for Sc replacing Ti and 83 °C for Sc replacing Ni. Also, the indentation modulus of NiTiPdSc (Sc replacing Ni) alloy is found to be significantly low compared to the other alloys. Analysis indicates that the observed differences in the alloy properties are related to the solubility of Sc in the NiTiPd matrix. While the quaternary NiTiPdSc alloy, Sc replacing Ti, has a single phase microstructure, the alloy with Sc replacing Ni shows the presence of Sc-rich and TiPd-type second phases in the microstructure. TEM examination revealed that the TiPd-type phase has a distinct rod-like morphology (30–50 nm) arranged in a grid-like structure. The transformation and indentation behavior of the alloys is elucidated using thermodynamic calculations of frictional energy and an electronic structure based analysis. - Highlights: • TEM of Ni{sub 23.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25}Sc{sub 1} showed distinct grid of TiPd-type phase nanorods < 50 nm. • Stress-free thermal cycling of all the three alloys showed stable transformation behavior. • Ni{sub 24.7}Ti{sub 49.3}Pd{sub 25}Sc{sub 1} and Ni{sub 23.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25}Sc{sub 1} showed single and multiphase structures. • Sc micro-addition (1 at.%) to Ni{sub 24.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25} alloy decreased TTs significantly. • Ni{sub 23.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25}Sc{sub 1} exhibited lower modulus of 67 GPa to 85 GPa of Ni{sub 24.7}Ti{sub 50.3}Pd{sub 25}.« less

Double plasma resonance instability as a source of solar zebra emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benáček, J.; Karlický, M.

2018-03-01

Context. The double plasma resonance (DPR) instability plays a basic role in the generation of solar radio zebras. In the plasma, consisting of the loss-cone type distribution of hot electrons and much denser and colder background plasma, this instability generates the upper-hybrid waves, which are then transformed into the electromagnetic waves and observed as radio zebras. Aims: In the present paper we numerically study the double plasma resonance instability from the point of view of the zebra interpretation. Methods: We use a 3-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell (3D PIC) relativistic model. We use this model in two versions: (a) a spatially extended "multi-mode" model and (b) a spatially limited "specific-mode" model. While the multi-mode model is used for detailed computations and verifications of the results obtained by the "specific-mode" model, the specific-mode model is used for computations in a broad range of model parameters, which considerably save computational time. For an analysis of the computational results, we developed software tools in Python. Results: First using the multi-mode model, we study details of the double plasma resonance instability. We show how the distribution function of hot electrons changes during this instability. Then we show that there is a very good agreement between results obtained by the multi-mode and specific-mode models, which is caused by a dominance of the wave with the maximal growth rate. Therefore, for computations in a broad range of model parameters, we use the specific-mode model. We compute the maximal growth rates of the double plasma resonance instability with a dependence on the ratio between the upper-hybrid ωUH and electron-cyclotron ωce frequency. We vary temperatures of both the hot and background plasma components and study their effects on the resulting growth rates. The results are compared with the analytical ones. We find a very good agreement between numerical and analytical growth rates. We also compute saturation energies of the upper-hybrid waves in a very broad range of parameters. We find that the saturation energies of the upper-hybrid waves show maxima and minima at almost the same values of ωUH/ωce as the growth rates, but with a higher contrast between them than the growth rate maxima and minima. The contrast between saturation energy maxima and minima increases when the temperature of hot electrons increases. Furthermore, we find that the saturation energy of the upper-hybrid waves is proportional to the density of hot electrons. The maximum saturated energy can be up to one percent of the kinetic energy of hot electrons. Finally we find that the saturation energy maxima in the interval of ωUH/ωce = 3-18 decrease according to the exponential function. All these findings can be used in the interpretation of solar radio zebras.

Maximizing the Semi-Major Axis for a Freely Coning Solar Sailcraft.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

than ten degrees seem to be veil behaved and predictable in that there are no other local maxima within a 10’ radius of any given maxima. Convergence...and Mcdi. V.J.. " Analitical Evaluation of Solar Radiation Induced Orbital Perturbation of Space Structures" Journal of AstronaMUCIca Sincs Vol. XXV. No

A review of the genus Megapulvinaria Young (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Coccidae) from China, with a description of a new species

PubMed Central

Wang, Fang; Feng, Ji-Nian

2012-01-01

Abstract Prior to this study, only Megapulvinaria maxima (Green) was known from China. However, a new species Megapulvinaria beihaiensis Wang & Feng, sp. n. is described below and Megapulvinaria maxima is redescribed. A key is provided for the five species now placed in this genus. PMID:23166471

Estimation of Return Values of Wave Height: Consequences of Missing Observations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryden, Jesper

2008-01-01

Extreme-value statistics is often used to estimate so-called return values (actually related to quantiles) for environmental quantities like wind speed or wave height. A basic method for estimation is the method of block maxima which consists in partitioning observations in blocks, where maxima from each block could be considered independent.…

Investigation of Transmission Resonances with Specific Properties in Rectangular Semiconductor Quantum Wells

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niketic, Nemanja; Milanovic, Vitomir; Radovanovic, Jelena

2012-01-01

In this paper we provide a detailed analysis of the energy position and type of transmission maxima in rectangular quantum wells (QWs), taking into consideration the difference of electron effective masses in the barrier and well layers. Particular attention is given to transmission maxima that are less than unity and the implications of effective…

Evaluation of ionophore sensitivity of Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria maxima isolated from the Algerian Jijel province poultry farms

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The present study represents the first description of ionophore resistance in Eimeria recovered from commercial Algerian (Jijel-Algeria) broiler farms. Microscopy and ITS1 PCR revealed only 2 Eimeria species present in litter from these farms- namely E. acervulina and E. maxima. A pool of these is...

Atlas of depth-duration frequency of precipitation annual maxima for Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asquith, William H.; Roussel, Meghan C.

2004-01-01

Ninety-six maps depicting the spatial variation of the depth-duration frequency of precipitation annual maxima for Texas are presented. The recurrence intervals represented are 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 years. The storm durations represented are 15 and 30 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 hours; and 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days. The maps were derived using geographically referenced parameter maps of probability distributions used in previously published research by the U.S. Geological Survey to model the magnitude and frequency of precipitation annual maxima for Texas. The maps in this report apply that research and update depth-duration frequency of precipitation maps available in earlier studies done by the National Weather Service.

Microdistribution of oxygen in silicon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murgai, A.; Chi, J. Y.; Gatos, H. C.

1980-01-01

The microdistribution of oxygen in Czochralskii-grown, p-type silicon crystals was determined by using the SEM in the EBIC mode in conjunction with spreading resistance measurements. When the conductivity remained p-type, bands of contrast were observed in the EBIC image which corresponded to maxima in resistivity. When at the oxygen concentration maxima the oxygen donor concentration exceeded the p-type dopant concentration, an inversion of the conductivity occurred. It resulted in the formation of p-n junctions in a striated configuration and the local inversion of the EBIC image contrast. By heat-treating silicon at 1000 C prior to the activation of oxygen donors, some silicon-oxygen micro-precipitates were observed in the EBIC image within the striated oxygen concentration maxima.

Explanation of the photocurrent generation of Cu2O quantum dots (QDs) sensitized p-CuSCN stable photoelectrochemical cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karunarathna, P. G. D. C. K.; Samarakoon, S. P. A. U. K.; Fernando, C. A. N.

2018-01-01

Fabrication of Cu2O quantum dots (QDs) sensitized p-CuSCN photoelectrode provides a significant photocurrent enhancement in photoelectrochemical medium for the first time. The variation of photocurrent quantum efficiency (Ф%) with Cu2O amount formed on p-CuSCN was presented. Here, two maxima of photocurrent could be observed in Cu/p-CuSCN/Cu2O photoelectrodes. The first photocurrent peak was due to the Cu2O QDs sensitization on p-CuSCN layer, and the second photocurrent peak was due to the formation of p-n junction. Time development of the photocurrent for Cu/p-CuSCN/n-Cu2O photoelectrodes and material characterization from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were done in this study in detailed.

Dynamic rheology of food protein networks

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Small amplitude oscillatory shear analyses of samples containing protein are useful for determining the nature of the protein matrix without damaging it. Elastic modulus, viscous modulus, and loss tangent (the ratio of viscous modulus to elastic modulus) give information on the strength of the netw...

Interconversion of dynamic modulus to creep compliance and relaxation modulus : numerical modeling and laboratory validation - final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-09-01

Viscoelastic material functions such as time domain functions, such as, relaxation modulus and creep compliance, : or frequency domain function, such as, complex modulus can be used to characterize the linear viscoelastic behavior : of asphalt concre...

Variation of Spirulina maxima biomass production in different depths of urea-used culture medium

PubMed Central

Affan, Md-Abu; Lee, Dae-Won; Al-Harbi, Salim Marzoog; Kim, Han-Jun; Abdulwassi, Najah Ibrahim; Heo, Soo-Jin; Oh, Chulhong; Park, Heung-Sik; Ma, Chae Woo; Lee, Hyeon-Yong; Kang, Do-Hyung

2015-01-01

Fewer studies have assessed the outdoor cultivation of Spirulina maxima compared with S. platensis, although the protein content of S. maxima is higher than S. platensis. Spirulina growth medium requires an increased amount of NaHCO3, Na2CO3, and NaNO3, which increases the production cost. Therefore, the current study used a low-cost but high-efficiency biomass production medium (Medium M-19) after testing 33 different media. The medium depth of 25 cm (group A) was sub-divided into A1 (50% cover with a black curtain (PolyMax, 12 oz ultra-blackout), A2 (25% cover), and A3 (no cover). Similarly the medium depths of 30 and 35 cm were categorized as groups B (B1, B2, and B3) and C (C1, C2, and C3), respectively, and the effects of depth and surface light availability on growth and biomass production were assessed. The highest biomass production was 2.05 g L-1 in group A2, which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in all other groups and sub-groups. Spirulina maxima died in B1 and C1 on the fifth day of culture. The biochemical composition of the biomass obtained from A2 cultures, including protein, carbohydrate, lipid, moisture, and ash, was 56.59%, 14.42%, 0.94%, 5.03%, and 23.02%, respectively. Therefore, S. maxima could be grown outdoors with the highest efficiency in urea-enriched medium at a 25-cm medium depth with 25% surface cover or uncovered. PMID:26691456

The kinetics of oocyst shedding and sporulation in two immunologically distinct strains of Eimeria maxima, GS and M6.

PubMed

Al-Badri, Riadh; Barta, John Robert

2012-11-01

The kinetics of oocyst shedding and sporulation of two immunologically distinct strains of Eimeria maxima (GS and M6) were compared. Both strains had a prepatent period of approximately 120 h followed by peak oocyst shedding at 144-150 h post inoculation. Mean total oocyst output determined for each strain demonstrated that the fecundity of the M6 strain (12.8 × 10(3) ± 1.95) of E. maxima was roughly twice that of the GS strain (6.9 × 10(3) ± 3.33) when inoculated at the rate of 1,000 infective oocysts per bird. The process of oocyst sporulation was followed by repetitive sampling of sporulating oocysts at 26 °C with aeration over a 138 hour period. Sporulation was divided into five morphologically distinguishable stages whose abundance peaked at the following times during sporulation: unsporulated oocysts at 0 h; sporoblast anlagen at 18 h; sporoblasts without sporocyst walls at 22 h; and sporocysts without mature sporozoites at 38 h. The time to 50 % sporulation of E. maxima oocysts observed in the present study was approximately 53 h for both strains and all viable oocysts had completed sporulation by 60 h. In the present study, the prepatent periods, duration of oocyst shedding, and the relative kinetics of sporulation of the GS and M6 strains of E. maxima were found to be virtually identical despite the immunological distinctiveness of these two parasite strains.

Variation of Spirulina maxima biomass production in different depths of urea-used culture medium.

PubMed

Affan, Md-Abu; Lee, Dae-Won; Al-Harbi, Salim Marzoog; Kim, Han-Jun; Abdulwassi, Najah Ibrahim; Heo, Soo-Jin; Oh, Chulhong; Park, Heung-Sik; Ma, Chae Woo; Lee, Hyeon-Yong; Kang, Do-Hyung

2015-01-01

Fewer studies have assessed the outdoor cultivation of Spirulina maxima compared with S. platensis, although the protein content of S. maxima is higher than S. platensis. Spirulina growth medium requires an increased amount of NaHCO3, Na2CO3, and NaNO3, which increases the production cost. Therefore, the current study used a low-cost but high-efficiency biomass production medium (Medium M-19) after testing 33 different media. The medium depth of 25 cm (group A) was sub-divided into A1 (50% cover with a black curtain (PolyMax, 12 oz ultra-blackout), A2 (25% cover), and A3 (no cover). Similarly the medium depths of 30 and 35 cm were categorized as groups B (B1, B2, and B3) and C (C1, C2, and C3), respectively, and the effects of depth and surface light availability on growth and biomass production were assessed. The highest biomass production was 2.05 g L-1 in group A2, which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in all other groups and sub-groups. Spirulina maxima died in B1 and C1 on the fifth day of culture. The biochemical composition of the biomass obtained from A2 cultures, including protein, carbohydrate, lipid, moisture, and ash, was 56.59%, 14.42%, 0.94%, 5.03%, and 23.02%, respectively. Therefore, S. maxima could be grown outdoors with the highest efficiency in urea-enriched medium at a 25-cm medium depth with 25% surface cover or uncovered.

A constrained modulus reconstruction technique for breast cancer assessment.

PubMed

Samani, A; Bishop, J; Plewes, D B

2001-09-01

A reconstruction technique for breast tissue elasticity modulus is described. This technique assumes that the geometry of normal and suspicious tissues is available from a contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance image. Furthermore, it is assumed that the modulus is constant throughout each tissue volume. The technique, which uses quasi-static strain data, is iterative where each iteration involves modulus updating followed by stress calculation. Breast mechanical stimulation is assumed to be done by two compressional rigid plates. As a result, stress is calculated using the finite element method based on the well-controlled boundary conditions of the compression plates. Using the calculated stress and the measured strain, modulus updating is done element-by-element based on Hooke's law. Breast tissue modulus reconstruction using simulated data and phantom modulus reconstruction using experimental data indicate that the technique is robust.

Leonid predictions for the period 2001-2100

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maslov, Mikhail

2007-02-01

This article provides a set of summaries of what to expect from the Leonid meteor shower for each year of the period 2001-2100. Each summary contains the moments of maximum/maxima, their expected intensity and some comments about average meteor brightness during them. Special attention was paid to background (traditional) maxima, which are characterized with their expected times and intensities.

Visual Times of Maxima for Short Period Pulsating Stars III

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samolyk, G.

2018-06-01

Abstract This compilation contains 524 times of maxima of 9 short period pulsating stars (primarily RR Lyrae stars; RW Cnc, TT Cnc, VZ Cnc, RR Cet, XZ Cyg, DM Cyg, RW Dra, XZ Dra, RR Gem). These were reduced from a portion of the visual observations made from 1966 to 2014 that are included in the AAVSO International Database.

Speech Recognition with the Advanced Combination Encoder and Transient Emphasis Spectral Maxima Strategies in Nucleus 24 Recipients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, Laura K.; Vandali, Andrew E.; Skinner, Margaret W.; Fourakis, Marios S.; Holden, Timothy A.

2005-01-01

One of the difficulties faced by cochlear implant (CI) recipients is perception of low-intensity speech cues. A. E. Vandali (2001) has developed the transient emphasis spectral maxima (TESM) strategy to amplify short-duration, low-level sounds. The aim of the present study was to determine whether speech scores would be significantly higher with…

[Preclinical studies of cucurbita maxima (pumpkin seeds) a traditional intestinal antiparasitic in rural urban areas].

PubMed

Díaz Obregón, Daysi; Lloja Lozano, Luis; Carbajal Zúñiga, Victor

2004-01-01

Experimental research was carried out at the Parasitology and Chemistry laboratories of the Jorge Basadre Grohmann National University, in Tacna. The process involved two phases: (1) determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Cucurbita Maxima as an antiparasitic agent using canine tapeworms with an intestinal isolation of 5 to 6 hours, and (2) determination of the side-effects of Curbita Maxima on exposed albino rats. It was found that the MIC of 23 gr. of pumpkin seed in 100 ml. of distilled water can produce an antihelminthic effect. This concentration is equivalent to +/- 73 pumpkin seeds (x2 = 5.6, p<0.01). Macroscopically, alterations in helminthic motility are present at a dose of > 23 gr. There is a protheolithic effect with an average survival time of 38.4 minutes. Microscopically the mature proglottids present a destruction of the tegument involving the basal membrane. In the gravid proglottids there is egg destruction. These findings are accentuated when experimenting with Cucurbita Maxima in a concentration of 30 and 32 gr. Superficial non-erosive gastritis was found in weys rats after 4 hours of administering 9 gr/kg.

Origin of two maxima in specific heat in enthalpy relaxation under thermal history composed of cooling, annealing, and heating.

PubMed

Sakatsuji, Waki; Konishi, Takashi; Miyamoto, Yoshihisa

2016-12-01

The origin of two maxima in specific heat observed at the higher and the lower temperatures in the glass-transition region in the heating process has been studied for polymethyl methacrylate and polyvinyl chloride using differential scanning calorimetry, and the calculation was done using the phenomenological model equation under a thermal history of the typical annealing experiment composed of cooling, annealing, and heating. The higher maximum is observed above the glass-transition temperature, and it remains almost unchanged independent of annealing time t_{a}, while the lower one is observed above an annealing temperature T_{a} and shifts toward the higher one, increasing its magnitude with t_{a}. The analysis by the phenomenological model equation proposed in order to interpret the memory effect in the glassy state clarifies that under a typical annealing history, two maxima in specific heat essentially appear. The shift of the lower maximum toward higher temperatures from above T_{a} is caused by an increase in the amount of relaxation during annealing with t_{a}. The annealing temperature and the amount of relaxation during annealing play a major role in the determination of the number of maxima in the specific heat.

Enhancement of yield, nutritional and nutraceutical properties of two common bean cultivars following the application of seaweed extract (Ecklonia maxima).

PubMed

Kocira, Anna; Świeca, Michał; Kocira, Sławomir; Złotek, Urszula; Jakubczyk, Anna

2018-03-01

In the present study, application of Ecklonia maxima extract (Kelpak SL - a water soluble concentrate) was optimized and its impact on yield, nutraceutical and nutritional potential of Phaseolus vulgaris L. (var. Aura and Toska) was measured. The study was carried out in 2012 and 2013 in Poland. During the growing season, 0.2% and 0.4% solution of Kelpak SL was applied by single and double spraying of plants. These four treatments with Kelpak SL were compared with the control, where no biostimulator was applied. Kelpak SL treatments stimulated the yield of both cultivars studied. The application of E. maxima extract had no effect on the content of starch, free sugars or proteins in seeds of either of the tested cultivars. The highest level of phenolics was found for double sprayed Toska plants. All the tested variants of Kelpak SL application significantly increased the content of anthocyanins in the seeds. Also, both the reducing power and antiradical ability of Aura seeds were elevated in all the studied treatments. E. maxima extract is a natural, environmentally friendly and safe preparation increasing the yield and nutraceutical quality of beans without any negative effect on their nutritional quality.

Nondestructive Measurement of Dynamic Modulus for Cellulose Nanofibril Films

Treesearch

Yan Qing; Robert J. Ross; Zhiyong Cai; Yiqiang Wu

2013-01-01

Nondestructive evaluation of cellulose nanofibril (CNF) films was performed using cantilever beam vibration (CBV) and acoustic methods to measure dynamic modulus. Static modulus was tested using tensile tension method. Correlation analysis shows the data measured by CBV has little linear relationship with static modulus, possessing a correlation coefficient (R

Transit time of optical pulses propagating through a finite length medium.

PubMed

Bloemer, Mark; Myneni, Krishna; Centini, Marco; Scalora, Michael; D'Aguanno, Giuseppe

2002-05-01

We present experimental and theoretical results on the transit time of optical pulses propagating through bulk media of finite length, specifically GaAs and silica. The transit time of the peak of the pulse varies with the central wavelength due to the étalon effects caused by the reflectivity at the air/medium boundaries. For transform limited optical pulses, the transit time as a function of wavelength follows the transmittance spectrum, that is, the longest transit time occurs at the transmittance maxima where the cavity dwell time is the longest and the shortest transit time occurs at the transmittance minima. The results are dramatically different for chirped pulses obtained by modulating the injection current of a diode laser. The range in the transit times for chirped pulses is a factor of four times larger compared with transform limited pulses. In addition, the transit time for chirped pulses propagating through the GaAs sample is negative at certain wavelengths. Also, the transmitted pulse is not distorted. Although modulating the injection current of a diode laser is the most common method for generating optical pulses, to our knowledge this is the first reported observation of the transit time of these chirped optical pulses propagating through a simple étalon structure.

Diffractive centrosymmetric 3D-transmission phase gratings positioned at the image plane of optical systems transform lightlike 4D-WORLD as tunable resonators into spectral metrics...

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauinger, Norbert

1999-08-01

Diffractive 3D phase gratings of spherical scatterers dense in hexagonal packing geometry represent adaptively tunable 4D-spatiotemporal filters with trichromatic resonance in visible spectrum. They are described in the (lambda) - chromatic and the reciprocal (nu) -aspects by reciprocal geometric translations of the lightlike Pythagoras theorem, and by the direction cosine for double cones. The most elementary resonance condition in the lightlike Pythagoras theorem is given by the transformation of the grating constants gx, gy, gz of the hexagonal 3D grating to (lambda) h1h2h3 equals (lambda) 111 with cos (alpha) equals 0.5. Through normalization of the chromaticity in the von Laue-interferences to (lambda) 111, the (nu) (lambda) equals (lambda) h1h2h3/(lambda) 111-factor of phase velocity becomes the crucial resonance factor, the 'regulating device' of the spatiotemporal interaction between 3D grating and light, space and time. In the reciprocal space equal/unequal weights and times in spectral metrics result at positions of interference maxima defined by hyperbolas and circles. A database becomes built up by optical interference for trichromatic image preprocessing, motion detection in vector space, multiple range data analysis, patchwide multiple correlations in the spatial frequency spectrum, etc.

A New Method for Nonlinear and Nonstationary Time Series Analysis and Its Application to the Earthquake and Building Response Records

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, Norden E.

1999-01-01

A new method for analyzing nonlinear and nonstationary data has been developed. The key part of the method is the Empirical Mode Decomposition method with which any complicated data set can be decomposed into a finite and often small number of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF). An IMF is defined as any function having the same numbers of zero-crossing and extrema, and also having symmetric envelopes defined by the local maxima and minima respectively. The IMF also admits well-behaved Hilbert transform. This decomposition method is adaptive, and, therefore, highly efficient. Since the decomposition is based on the local characteristic time scale of the data, it is applicable to nonlinear and nonstationary processes. With the Hilbert transform, the Intrinsic Mode Functions yield instantaneous frequencies as functions of time that give sharp identifications of imbedded structures. The final presentation of the results is an energy-frequency-time distribution, designated as the Hilbert Spectrum, Example of application of this method to earthquake and building response will be given. The results indicate those low frequency components, totally missed by the Fourier analysis, are clearly identified by the new method. Comparisons with Wavelet and window Fourier analysis show the new method offers much better temporal and frequency resolutions.

The Influence of Sizings on the Durability of High-Temperature Polymer Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allred, Ronald E.; Wesson, Sheldon P.; Shin, E. Eugene; Inghram, Linda; McCorkle, Linda; Papadopoulos, Demetrios; Wheeler, Donald; Sutter, James K.

2004-01-01

To increase performance and durability of high-temperature composites for potential rocket engine components, it is necessary to optimize wetting and interfacial bonding between high modulus carbon fibers and high-temperature polyimide resins. Sizings commercially supplied on most carbon fibers are not compatible with polyimides. In this study, the chemistry of sizings on two high-modulus carbon fibers (M40J and M60J, Toray) was characterized as was the chemistry of PMR-II-50 fluorinated polyimide resin. The carbon fibers were characterized using single filament wetting, scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements. The polyimide matrix resins were coated onto glass filaments for characterization by wetting measurements. Surface energy components were obtained by wetting with nondispersive (methylene iodide), acidic (ethylene glycol), and basic (formamide) probes. A continuous desizing system that uses an environmentally friendly chemical-mechanical process was developed for tow level fiber. Composites were fabricated with fibers containing the manufacturer's sizing, desized, and further treated with a reactive finish. Results of room-temperature tests after thermal aging show that the reactive finish produces a higher strength and more durable interface compared to the manufacturer's sizing. When exposed to moisture blistering tests, however, the better bonded composite displayed a tendency to delaminate, presumably due to trapping of volatiles.

A composite viscoelastic model for incorporating grain boundary sliding and transient diffusion creep; correlating creep and attenuation responses for materials with a fine grain size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundberg, Marshall; Cooper, Reid F.

2010-07-01

A new viscoelastic creep function that incorporates both the effects of elastically-accommodated grain boundary sliding (GBS) and transient diffusion creep is proposed. It is demonstrated that this model can simultaneously describe both the transient microcreep curves and the shear attenuation/modulus dispersion in a fine-grained (d ∼ 5 µm) peridotite (olivine + 39 vol. % orthopyroxene) specimen. Low-frequency shear attenuation, ? , and modulus dispersion, G(ω), spectra were measured in a one-atmosphere reciprocating torsion apparatus at temperatures of 1200 ≤ T ≤ 1300°C and frequencies of 10-2.25 ≤ f ≤ 100 Hz. Reciprocating tests were complemented by a series of small stress (τ ∼ 90 kPa) microcreep experiments at the same temperatures. In contrast to previous models where the parameters of viscoelastic models are derived by fitting the Laplace transform of the creep function to measured attenuation spectra, the parameters are derived solely from the fit of the creep function to the experimental microcreep curves using different published expressions for the relaxation strength of elastically-accommodated GBS. This approach may allow future studies to better link the large dataset of steady-state creep response to the dynamic attenuation behavior.

Dental glass ionomer cement reinforced by cellulose microfibers and cellulose nanocrystals.

PubMed

Silva, Rafael M; Pereira, Fabiano V; Mota, Felipe A P; Watanabe, Evandro; Soares, Suelleng M C S; Santos, Maria Helena

2016-01-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate if the addition of cellulose microfibers (CmF) or cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) would improve the mechanical properties of a commercial dental glass ionomer cement (GIC). Different amounts of CmF and CNC were previously prepared and then added to reinforce the GIC matrix while it was being manipulated. Test specimens with various concentrations of CmF or CNC in their total masses were fabricated and submitted to mechanical tests (to evaluate their compressive and diametral tensile strength,modulus, surface microhardness and wear resistance) and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The incorporation of CmF in the GIC matrix did not greatly improve the mechanical properties of GIC. However, the addition of a small amount of CNC in the GIC led to significant improvements in all of the mechanical properties evaluated: compressive strength (increased up to 110% compared with the control group), elastic modulus increased by 161%, diametral tensile strength increased by 53%, and the mass loss decreased from 10.95 to 3.87%. Because the composites presented a considerable increase in mechanical properties, the modification of the conventional GIC with CNC can represent a new and promising dental restorative material.

Carbon Nanomembranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angelova, Polina; Gölzhäuser, Armin

2017-03-01

This chapter describes the formation and properties of one nanometer thick carbon nanomembranes (CNMs), made by electron induced cross-linking of aromatic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The cross-linked SAMs are robust enough to be released from the surface and placed on solid support or over holes as free-standing membranes. Annealing at 1000K transforms CNMs into graphene accompanied by a change of mechanical stiffness and electrical resistance. The developed fabrication approach is scalable and provides molecular level control over thickness and homogeneity of the produced CNMs. The mechanisms of electron-induced cross-linking process are discussed in details. A variety of polyaromatic thiols: oligophenyls as well as small and extended condensed polycyclic hydrocarbons have been successfully employed, demonstrating that the structural and functional properties of the resulting nanomembranes are strongly determined by the structure of molecular monolayers. The mechanical properties of CNMs (Young's modulus, tensile strength and prestress) are characterized by bulge testing. The interpretation of the bulge test data relates the Young's modulus to the properties of single molecules and to the structure of the pristine SAMs. The gas transport through the CNM is measured onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) - thin film composite membrane. The established relationship of permeance and molecular size determines the molecular sieving mechanism of permeation through this ultrathin sheet.

[Sesquiterpenoids of Coniogramme maxima].

PubMed

Chen, Yunfei; Liu, Shoujin; Wang, Fei

2012-04-01

To study sesquiterpenoids of Coniogramme maxima. Chemical constituents were separated by chromatography and their structures were identified according to physicochemical property and spectrum data. Fifteen compounds were separated by chromatography technique. Their structures were determined by spectral data, including 10 sesquiterpenoids as (3S)-pteroside D (1), epi-pterosin L (2), pterosin D (3), onitin (4), pterosin Z (5), onitisin (6), onitisin-glucopyranoside (7), onitin-15-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), (2S,3R)-pterosin-L-2'-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9) and (3R)-peterosin D-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10). The other compounds were uracil (11), 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (12), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxaldehyde (13), beta-sitosterol (14) and daucosterol (15). The above 15 compounds are separated from C. maxima for the first time, including 9 compounds being first separated from genus Coniogramme.

Timing of Multiple Stages of Granitic Magmatisms: Constraints on Shearing along the Ailao Shan-Red River Shear Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W.; Liu, J.; Fan, W.; Feng, J.; DAO, H.; Yan, J.

2017-12-01

The Ailao Shan-Red River (ASRR) shear zone is a large scale shear zone resulted from collision between India and Euro-Asia Plates in Cenozoic. Magmatisms related to the shear zone evolution took place before, during or after shearing process that contributes to pre-, syn- and post- granitic emplacement. Combined structure, fabric and geochronology analyses of granitic rocks within sheared Proterozoic country rocks along the ASRR shear zone offer important clues on timing of shearing activity and constraining on transformation of types of the shearing. Zircon U-Pb dating results indicate that the granitic intrusions within the ASRR shear zone are broadly grouped into two stages: Permo-Triassic (256.0±6.0 Ma, 244.0±7.6 Ma and 234.0±9.3 Ma) and Cenozoic (27.1±1.5 Ma, 26.34±0.62 Ma and 25.10±0.61 Ma). The Permo-Triassic intrusions show evidences for intensive mylonitization. The older Cenozoic granitic rocks were also strongly sheared, but the younger Cenozoic granites were weakly sheared and they cut across early intrusions (e.g. the Permo-Triassic and older Cenozoic intrusions). Petrographic microscope observations suggest that the Permo-Triassic granitic intrusions show prominent superimposition of high temperature mylonization by low temperature mylonization. Quartz c-axis fabrics of the granites demonstrate that there are multiple maxima due to the superimposition. The older Cenozoic granitic intrusion of 27.1±1.5 Ma shows weak mylonization and possess four symmetrical point maxima in their quartz c-axis fabrics. The EBSD data indicate that the intrusion experienced pure shearing. Intrusions of 26.34±0.62 Ma and 25.10±0.61 Ma show evidences for very weak mylonization. The quartz c-axis patterns of the rocks dominantly resulted from low temperature deformation by simple shearing. It is concluded, in summary, that: (1) Permo-Triassic granitic intrusions experienced superimposed shearing of high and low temperatures; (2) Evidences for both early pure shearing and late simple shearing are well-preserved in the sheared Cenozoic granitic intrusions. The transformation of the two types of strain changed at ca. 27Ma; (3) Cessation of ductile shearing along the ASRR shear zone is perhaps from 26 to 25Ma.

Antifungal activity of fluconazole-loaded natural rubber latex against Candida albicans.

PubMed

Yonashiro Marcelino, Mônica; Azevedo Borges, Felipe; Martins Costa, Ana Flávia; de Lacorte Singulani, Junya; Ribeiro, Nathan Vinícius; Barcelos Costa-Orlandi, Caroline; Garms, Bruna Cambraia; Soares Mendes-Giannini, Maria José; Herculano, Rondinelli Donizetti; Fusco-Almeida, Ana Marisa

2018-03-01

This work aimed to produce a membrane based on fluconazole-loaded natural rubber latex (NRL), and study their interaction, drug release and antifungal susceptibility against Candida albicans. Fluconazole-loaded NRL membrane was obtained by casting method. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy showed no modifications either in NRL or fluconazole after the incorporation. Mechanical test presented low Young's modulus and high strain, indicating the membranes have sufficient elasticity for biomedical application. The bio-membrane was able to release the drug and inhibit the growth of C. albicans as demonstrated by disk diffusion and macrodilution assays. The biomembrane was able to release fluconazole and inhibit the growth of C. albicans, representing a promising biomaterial for skin application.

Deformation Mechanisms and Biocompatibility of the Superelastic Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.5N Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castany, P.; Gordin, D. M.; Drob, S. I.; Vasilescu, C.; Mitran, V.; Cimpean, A.; Gloriant, T.

2016-03-01

In this study, we have synthesized a new Ti-23Nb-0.7Ta-2Zr-0.5N alloy composition with the aim to obtain useful mechanical properties to be used in medicine such as high strength, good superelastic property, low modulus, and large ductility. Thus, mechanical properties including superelasticity and plasticity were investigated in relation with the different deformation mechanisms observed (stress-induced martensitic transformation, twinning and dislocation slip). On the other hand, the corrosion resistance in simulated body fluid (Ringer solution) and the in vitro cell behavior (MG63 human osteoblasts) of such biomedical alloy were also evaluated in order to assess its biocompatibility.

A new family of carbon materials with exceptional mechanical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, Jiajia; Lin, Kunpeng; Yang, Haotian; Li, Jianlin; Wang, Lianjun; Jiang, Wan

2018-03-01

A new family of carbon materials with ultrahigh-strength and nano-onion grains has been successfully produced from nano-diamond particles by spark plasma sintering. It is believed that the spark plasma and applied pressure help overcome the difficulties in densification. Also diamond has a much greater density than that of graphite, leading to the volume expansion when nano-diamond particles transform to graphite onions during heating, facilitating the consolidation. The as-prepared bulk graphite with a density of 1.84 g/cm3 has ultrahigh bending strength, modulus and microhardness, 150 MPa, 31.3 GPa and 2.6 GPa, respectively, due to the unique microstructure of nano-graphite onions.

Effects of Reorientation of Graphene Platelets (GPLs) on Young's Modulus of Polymer Composites under Bi-Axial Stretching.

PubMed

Feng, Chuang; Wang, Yu; Yang, Jie

2018-01-07

Effects of bi-axial stretching induced reorientation of graphene platelets (GPLs) on the Young's modulus of GPL/polymer composites is studied by Mori-Tanaka micromechanics model. The dispersion state of the GPLs in polymer matrix is captured by an orientation distribution function (ODF), in which two Euler angles are used to identify the orientation of the GPLs. Compared to uni-axial stretching, the increase of the stretching strain in the second direction enhances the re-alignment of GPL fillers in this direction while it deteriorates the re-alignment of the fillers in the other two directions. Comprehensive parametric study on the effects of the out-of-plane Young's modulus, stretching strain, strain ratio, Poisson's ratio and weight fraction and GPL dimension on the effective Young's moduli of the composites in the three directions are conducted. It is found that the out-of-plane Young's modulus has limited effects on the overall Young's modulus of the composites. The second stretching enhances the Young's modulus in this direction while it decreases the Young's modulus in the other two directions. The results demonstrate the increase of Poisson's ratio is favorable in increasing the Young's modulus of the composites. GPLs with larger diameter-to-thickness ratio have better reinforcing effect on the Young's modulus of GPL/polymer nanocomposites.

Resilient modulus characteristics of soil subgrade with geopolymer additive in peat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zain, Nasuhi; Hadiwardoyo, Sigit Pranowo; Rahayu, Wiwik

2017-06-01

Resilient modulus characteristics of peat soil are generally very low with high potential of deformation and low bearing capacity. The efforts to improve the peat subgrade resilient modulus characteristics is required, one among them is by adding the geopolymer additive. Geopolymer was made as an alternative to replace portland cement binder in the concrete mix in order to promote environmentally friendly, low shrinkage value, low creep value, and fire resistant material. The use of geopolymer to improve the mechanical properties of peat as a road construction subgrade, hence it becomes important to identify the effect of geopolymer addition on the resilient modulus characteristics of peat soil. This study investigated the addition of 0% - 20% geopolymer content on peat soil derived from Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatera Province. Resilient modulus measurement was performed by using cyclic triaxial test to determine the resilience modulus model as a function of deviator stresses and radial stresses. The test results showed that an increase in radial stresses did not necessarily lead to an increase in modulus resilient, and on the contrary, an increase in deviator stresses led to a decrease in modulus resilient. The addition of geopolymer in peat soil provided an insignificant effect on the increase of resilient modulus value.

Compression-sensitive magnetic resonance elastography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, Sebastian; Beyer, Frauke; Guo, Jing; Papazoglou, Sebastian; Tzschaetzsch, Heiko; Braun, Juergen; Sack, Ingolf

2013-08-01

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) quantifies the shear modulus of biological tissue to detect disease. Complementary to the shear elastic properties of tissue, the compression modulus may be a clinically useful biomarker because it is sensitive to tissue pressure and poromechanical interactions. In this work, we analyze the capability of MRE to measure volumetric strain and the dynamic bulk modulus (P-wave modulus) at a harmonic drive frequency commonly used in shear-wave-based MRE. Gel phantoms with various densities were created by introducing CO2-filled cavities to establish a compressible effective medium. The dependence of the effective medium's bulk modulus on phantom density was investigated via static compression tests, which confirmed theoretical predictions. The P-wave modulus of three compressible phantoms was calculated from volumetric strain measured by 3D wave-field MRE at 50 Hz drive frequency. The results demonstrate the MRE-derived volumetric strain and P-wave modulus to be sensitive to the compression properties of effective media. Since the reconstruction of the P-wave modulus requires third-order derivatives, noise remains critical, and P-wave moduli are systematically underestimated. Focusing on relative changes in the effective bulk modulus of tissue, compression-sensitive MRE may be useful for the noninvasive detection of diseases involving pathological pressure alterations such as hepatic hypertension or hydrocephalus.

The Effect of Microstructure and Pre-strain on the Change in Apparent Young's Modulus of a Dual-Phase Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kupke, A.; Hodgson, P. D.; Weiss, M.

2017-07-01

The elastic recovery in dual-phase (DP) steels is not a linear process and changes with plastic deformation. The level of change in the apparent Young's modulus has been reported to depend on material composition and microstructure, but most previous experimental studies were limited to industrial DP steels and led to contradicting results. This work represents a first fundamental study that investigates the separate and combined effect of phase volume fraction and hardness on the change in apparent Young's modulus in DP steel. A common automotive DP steel (DP780) is heat treated to obtain seven different combinations of martensite and ferrite volume fraction and hardness while keeping the chemical composition as well as the shape of the martensite and ferrite phases unchanged. Loading-unloading tests were performed to analyze the chord modulus at various levels of pre-strain. The results suggest that the point of saturation of the chord modulus with pre-strain depends on the morphology of the microstructure, occurring earlier for microstructures consisting of ferrite grains surrounded by martensite laths. It is further revealed that the reduction of the apparent Young's modulus, which is the difference between the material's initial Young's modulus and the chord modulus, increases with martensite hardness if the martensite volume fraction is kept constant. A higher martensite volume fraction initially elevates the reduction of the apparent Young's modulus. After a critical volume fraction of martensite phase of 35%, a decrease in apparent Young's modulus reduction was observed. A comparison of the plastic unloading strain suggests that the mechanisms leading to a reduction in apparent Young's modulus are strongest for the microstructure consisting of 35% martensite volume fraction.

Structural and transport properties of double perovskite Dy{sub 2}NiMnO{sub 6}

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

Chanda, Sadhan, E-mail: sadhan.physics@gmail.com; Saha, Sujoy; Dutta, Alo

2015-02-15

Highlights: • Sol–gel citrate method is used to prepare the double perovskite Dy{sub 2}NiMnO{sub 6}. • Structure and dielectric relaxation of the sample are studied for nano and bulk phases. • The relaxation mechanism of the sample is modeled by Cole–Cole equation. • With increasing sintering temperature conductivity increases. • Electronic structures and magnetic properties have been studied by DFT calculations. - Abstract: The double perovskite oxide Dy{sub 2}NiMnO{sub 6} (DNMO) is synthesized in nano and bulk phase by the sol–gel citrate method. The Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction pattern of the sample at room temperature shows the monoclinic P2{submore » 1}/n phase. Dielectric relaxation of the sample is investigated in the impedance and electric modulus formalisms in the frequency range from 50 Hz to 1 MHz and in the temperature range from 253 to 415 K. The Cole–Cole model is used to explain the relaxation mechanism in DNMO. The frequency-dependent maxima in the imaginary part of impedance are found to obey an Arrhenius law with activation energy of 0.346 and 0.344 eV for nano and bulk DNMO, respectively. A significant increase in conductivity of bulk DNMO has been observed than that of the nanoceramic. Electronic structures and magnetic properties of DNMO have been studied by performing first principles calculation based on density functional theory.« less

Bile salts at the air-water interface: adsorption and desorption.

PubMed

Maldonado-Valderrama, J; Muros-Cobos, J L; Holgado-Terriza, J A; Cabrerizo-Vílchez, M A

2014-08-01

Bile salts (BS) are bio-surfactants which constitute a vital component in the process of fat digestion. Despite the importance of the interfacial properties in their biological role, these have been scarcely studied in the literature. In this work, we present the adsorption-desorption profiles of two BS (NaTC and NaGDC) including dilatational rheology. Findings from this study reveal very different surface properties of NaTC and NaGDC which originate from different complexation properties relevant to the digestion process. Dynamic adsorption curves show higher adsorption rates for NaTC and suggest the existence of various conformational regimes in contrast to NaGDC which presents only one conformational regime. This is corroborated by analysis of the adsorption isotherms and more in detail by the rheological behaviour. Accordingly, the dilatational response at 1Hz displays two maxima of the dilatational modulus for NaTC as a function of bulk concentration, in contrast to NaGDC which displays only one maximum. The desorption profiles reveal that NaTC adopts an irreversibly adsorbed form at high surface coverage whereas NaGDC fully desorbs from the surface within the whole range of concentrations used. Analysis of the adsorption-desorption profiles provides new insight into the surface properties of BS, suggesting a surface complexation of NaTC. This knowledge can be useful since through interfacial engineering we might control the extent of lipolysis providing the basis for the rational design of food products with tailored digestibility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Singularity detection by wavelet approach: application to electrocardiogram signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalil, Bushra; Beya, Ouadi; Fauvet, Eric; Laligant, Olivier

2010-01-01

In signal processing, the region of abrupt changes contains the most of the useful information about the nature of the signal. The region or the points where these changes occurred are often termed as singular point or singular region. The singularity is considered to be an important character of the signal, as it refers to the discontinuity and interruption present in the signal and the main purpose of the detection of such singular point is to identify the existence, location and size of those singularities. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is used to analyze the cardiovascular activity in the human body. However the presence of noise due to several reasons limits the doctor's decision and prevents accurate identification of different pathologies. In this work we attempt to analyze the ECG signal with energy based approach and some heuristic methods to segment and identify different signatures inside the signal. ECG signal has been initially denoised by empirical wavelet shrinkage approach based on Steins Unbiased Risk Estimate (SURE). At the second stage, the ECG signal has been analyzed by Mallat approach based on modulus maximas and Lipschitz exponent computation. The results from both approaches has been discussed and important aspects has been highlighted. In order to evaluate the algorithm, the analysis has been done on MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database; a set of ECG data records sampled at a rate of 360 Hz with 11 bit resolution over a 10mv range. The results have been examined and approved by medical doctors.

An Example of Competence-Based Learning: Use of Maxima in Linear Algebra for Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Ana; Garcia, Alfonsa; de la Villa, Agustin

2011-01-01

This paper analyses the role of Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) in a model of learning based on competences. The proposal is an e-learning model Linear Algebra course for Engineering, which includes the use of a CAS (Maxima) and focuses on problem solving. A reference model has been taken from the Spanish Open University. The proper use of CAS is…

Relationship Between Broiler Body Weights, Eimeria maxima Gross Lesion Scores, and Microscores in Three Anticoccidial Sensitivity Tests.

PubMed

Barrios, Miguel A; Da Costa, Manuel; Kimminau, Emily; Fuller, Lorraine; Clark, Steven; Pesti, Gene; Beckstead, Robert

2017-06-01

Anticoccidial sensitivity tests (ASTs) serve to determine the efficacy of anticoccidial drugs against Eimeria field isolates in a controlled laboratory setting. The most commonly measured parameters are body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, gross intestinal lesion scores, and mortality. Due to the difficulty in reliably scoring gross lesion scores of Eimeria maxima , microscopic analysis of intestinal scrapings (microscores) can be used in the field to indicate the presence of this particular Eimeria. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between E. maxima microscores and broiler body weights and gross E. maxima lesion scores in three ASTs. Day-old broiler chicks were raised for 12 days on a standard corn-soy diet. On Day 12, chicks were placed in Petersime batteries and treatment diets were provided. There were six birds per pen, four pens per treatment, and 12 treatments, for a total of 288 chicks per AST. The treatments were as follows: 1) nonmedicated, noninfected; 2) nonmedicated, infected; 3) lasalocid, infected; 4) salinomycin, infected; 5) diclazuril, infected; 6) monensin, infected; 7) decoquinate, infected; 8) narasin + nicarbazin, infected; 9) narasin, infected; 10) nicarbazin, infected; 11) robenidine, infected; and 12) zoalene, infected. On Day 14, chicks were challenged with an Eimeria field isolate by oral gavage. On Day 20, broilers were weighed, and gross lesion scores and microscores were classified from 0 to 4 depending on the severity of the gross lesion scores and E. maxima microscores. Data from three trials using different field isolates were statistically analyzed using a logarithmic regression model. There was no relationship (P = 0.1224) between microscores and body weight gain. There was a positive relationship between microscores and gross lesion scores (P = 0.004). However, there was also an interaction between isolate and treatment (P < 0.0001). Lastly, the interaction between isolate and gross lesion scores (P = 0.0041) demonstrates that the significance of the relationship between microscores and gross lesion scores may be dependent on pathogenicity of the challenge Eimeria or the amount of E. maxima in the inoculum.

Molecular characterisation and the protective immunity evaluation of Eimeria maxima surface antigen gene.

PubMed

Liu, Tingqi; Huang, Jingwei; Li, Yanlin; Ehsan, Muhammad; Wang, Shuai; Zhou, Zhouyang; Song, Xiaokai; Yan, Ruofeng; Xu, Lixin; Li, Xiangrui

2018-05-30

Coccidiosis is recognised as a major parasitic disease in chickens. Eimeria maxima is considered as a highly immunoprotective species within the Eimeria spp. family that infects chickens. In the present research, the surface antigen gene of E. maxima (EmSAG) was cloned, and the ability of EmSAG to stimulate protection against E. maxima was evaluated. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic plasmids expressing EmSAG were constructed. The EmSAG transcription and expression in vivo was performed based on the RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis. The expression of EmSAG in sporozoites and merozoites was detected through immunofluorescence analyses. The immune protection was assessed based on challenge experiments. Flow cytometry assays were used to determine the T cell subpopulations. The serum antibody and cytokine levels were evaluated by ELISA. The open reading frame (ORF) of EmSAG gene contained 645 bp encoding 214 amino acid residues. The immunoblot and RT-PCR analyses indicated that the EmSAG gene were transcribed and expressed in vivo. The EmSAG proteins were expressed in sporozoite and merozoite stages of E. maxima by the immunofluorescence assay. Challenge experiments showed that both pVAX1-SAG and the recombinant EmSAG (rEmSAG) proteins were successful in alleviating jejunal lesions, decreasing loss of body weight and the oocyst ratio. Additionally, these experiments possessed anticoccidial indices (ACI) of more than 170. Higher percentages of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells were detected in both EmSAG-inoculated birds than those of the negative control groups (P < 0.05). The EmSAG-specific antibody concentrations of both the rEmSAG and pVAX1-EmSAG groups were much higher than those of the negative controls (P < 0.05). Higher concentrations of IL-4, IFN-γ, TGF-β1 and IL-17 were observed more in both the rEmSAG protein and pVAX1-SAG inoculated groups than those of negative controls (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that EmSAG is capable of eliciting a moderate immune protection and could be used as an effective vaccine candidate against E. maxima.

Correlating off-axis tension tests to shear modulus of wood-based panels

Treesearch

Edmond P. Saliklis; Robert H. Falk

2000-01-01

The weakness of existing relationships correlating off-axis modulus of elasticity E q to shear modulus G 12 for wood composite panels is demonstrated through presentation of extensive experimental data. A new relationship is proposed that performs better than existing equations found in the literature. This relationship can be manipulated to calculate the shear modulus...

Physical property measurements of doped cesium iodide crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Synder, R. S.; Clotfelter, W. N.

1974-01-01

Mechanical and thermal property values are reported for crystalline cesium iodide doped with sodium and thallium. Young's modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio were obtained from ultrasonic measurements. Young's modulus and the samples' elastic and plastic behavior were also measured under tension and compression. Thermal expansion and thermal conductivity were the temperature dependent measurements that were made.

Method for resonant measurement

DOEpatents

Rhodes, George W.; Migliori, Albert; Dixon, Raymond D.

1996-01-01

A method of measurement of objects to determine object flaws, Poisson's ratio (.sigma.) and shear modulus (.mu.) is shown and described. First, the frequency for expected degenerate responses is determined for one or more input frequencies and then splitting of degenerate resonant modes are observed to identify the presence of flaws in the object. Poisson's ratio and the shear modulus can be determined by identification of resonances dependent only on the shear modulus, and then using that shear modulus to find Poisson's ratio using other modes dependent on both the shear modulus and Poisson's ratio.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianhua; Yang, Yanxi

2018-05-01

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

Non-singular acoustic cloak derived by the ray tracing method with rotationally symmetric transformations

PubMed Central

Wu, Linzhi

2016-01-01

Recently, the ray tracing method has been used to derive the non-singular cylindrical invisibility cloaks for out-of-plane shear waves, which is impossible via the transformation method directly owing to the singular push-forward mapping. In this paper, the method is adopted to design a kind of non-singular acoustic cloak. Based on Hamilton's equations of motion, eikonal equation and pre-designed ray equations, we derive several constraint equations for bulk modulus and density tensor. On the premise that the perfect matching conditions are satisfied, a series of non-singular physical profiles can be obtained by arranging the singular terms reasonably. The physical profiles derived by the ray tracing method will degenerate to the transformation-based solutions when taking the transport equation into consideration. This illuminates the essence of the newly designed cloaks that they are actually the so-called eikonal cloaks that can accurately control the paths of energy flux but with small disturbance in energy distribution along the paths. The near-perfect invisible performance has been demonstrated by the numerical ray tracing results and the pressure distribution snapshots. Finally, a kind of reduced cloak is conceived, and the good invisible performance has been measured quantitatively by the normalized scattering width. PMID:27118884

P300 and LORETA: comparison of normal subjects and schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Winterer, G; Mulert, C; Mientus, S; Gallinat, J; Schlattmann, P; Dorn, H; Herrmann, W M

2001-01-01

It was the aim of the present study 1) to investigate how many cortical activity maxima of scalp-recorded P300 are detected by Low Resolution Electromagentic Tomography (LORETA) when analyses are performed with high time-resolution, 2) to see if the resulting LORETA-solution is in accordance with intracortical recordings as reported by others and 3) to compare the given pattern of cortical activation maxima in the P300-timeframe between schizophrenic patients and normal controls. Current density analysis was performed in 3-D Talairach space with high time resolution i.e. in 6 ms steps. This was done during an auditory choice reaction paradigm separately for normal subjects and schizophrenic patients with subsequent group comparisons. In normal subjects, a sequence of at least seven cortical activation maxima was found between 240-420ms poststimulus: the prefrontal cortex, anterior or medial cingulum, posterior cingulum, parietal cortex, temporal lobe, prefrontal cortex, medial or anterior cingulum. Within the given limits of spatial resolution, this sequential maxima distribution largely met the expectations from reports on intracranial recordings and functional neuroimaging studies. However, localization accuracy was higher near the central midline than at lateral aspects of the brain. Schizophrenic patients less activated their cortex in a widespread area mainly in the left hemisphere including the prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulum and the temporal lobe. From these analyses and comparsions with intracranial recordings as reported by others, it is concluded that LORETA correctly localizes P300-related cortical activity maxima on the basis of 19 electrodes except for lateral cortical aspects which is most likely an edge-phenomenon. The data further suggest that the P300-deficit in schizophrenics involves an extended cortical network of the left hemisphere at several steps in time during the information processing stream.

Effects of shifting growth stage and regulating temperature on seasonal variation of CH4 emission from rice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Akira; Yamada, Hiromi; Kimura, Makoto

2001-09-01

Seasonal variations in CH4 emission rates from rice paddies have been reported to have one or more maxima during the middle and late periods of rice growth. The factor affecting an appearance of CH4 emission maxima was examined in three types of pot experiments. In the experiment 1, four rice cultivars with difference in length of the period from transplanting to heading were transplanted on the same days. For the experiment 2, a cultivar was transplanted 4 times with interval of two weeks. In these experiments, the heading differed about a month between the earliest and latest treatments, respectively. However, shifting growth stage of rice plants did not shift the CH4 emission maxima, and the CH4 emission maxima often matched the maxima of daily mean air temperature. The effect of variation in temperature on CH4 emission rate was further investigated in the experiment 3 by placing the rice-planted pots under regulated temperature. Besides the first emission peak of CH4 attributable to rice straw (RS) carbon, three emission peaks corresponding to the peaks of air temperature were detected for the RS-applied pots placed outdoors. These three peaks were not observed or much less conspicuous for the RS-applied pots in a phytotron at 30°C. Temporal decreases in CH4 emission were detected both for the pots placed in the phytotron and outdoors just after the topdressing of (NH4)2SO4, which was considered to be a major cause of irregular disagreement between the variations in CH4 emission rates and in air temperature during the middle period of rice growth.

The Eastern Pacific ITCZ during the Boreal Spring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gu, Guojun; Adler, Robert F.; Sobel, Adam H.

2004-01-01

The 6-year (1998-2003) rainfall products from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) are used to quantify the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in the eastern Pacific (defined by longitudinal averages over 90 degrees W-130 degrees W) during boreal spring (March-April). The double ITCZ phenomenon, represented by the occurrence of two maxima with respect to latitude in monthly mean rainfall, is observed in most but not all of the years studied. The relative spatial locations of maxima in sea surface temperature (SST), rainfall, and surface pressure are examined. Interannual and weekly variability are characterized in SST, rainfall, surface convergence, total column water vapor, and cloud water. There appears to be a competition for rainfall between the two hemispheres during this season. When one of the two rainfall maxima is particularly strong, the other tends to be weak, with the total rainfall integrated over the two varying less than does the difference between the rainfall integrated over each separately. There is some evidence for a similar competition between the SST maxima in the two hemispheres, but this is more ambiguous, and there is evidence that some variations in the relative strengths of the two rainfall maxima may be independent of SST. Using a 25-year (1979-2003) monthly rainfall dataset from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), four distinct ITCZ types during March-April are defined, based on the relative strengths of rainfall peaks north and south of, and right over the equator. Composite meridional profiles and spatial distributions of rainfall and SST are documented for each type. Consistent with previous studies, an equatorial cold tongue is essential to the existence of the double ITCZs. However, too strong a cold tongue may dampen either the southern or northern rainfall maximum, depending on the magnitude of SST north of the equator.

Double-blind randomised controlled trial of the independent and synergistic effect of Spirulina maxima with exercise (ISESE) on general fitness, lipid profile and redox status in overweight and obese subjects: study protocol.

PubMed

Hernández-Lepe, Marco Antonio; López-Díaz, José Alberto; Rosa, Laura Alejandra de la; Hernández-Torres, Rosa Patricia; Wall-Medrano, Abraham; Juarez-Oropeza, Marco Antonio; Pedraza-Chaverri, José; Urquidez-Romero, Rene; Ramos-Jiménez, Arnulfo

2017-06-23

In order to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors, a healthy diet must include dietary antioxidants from different sources (eg, Spirulina maxima ) and regular practice of exercise should be promoted. There is some evidence from animal studies that S. maxima and exercise decrease cardiovascular disease risks factors. However, very few studies have proved the independent or synergistic effect of S. maxima plus exercise in humans. This study attempts to address the independent and synergistic effects in overweight and obese subjects participating in a systematic physical exercise programme at moderate intensity on general fitness, plasma lipid profile and antioxidant capacity. Using a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced crossover study design, 80 healthy overweight and obese subjects will be evaluated during a 12-week isoenergetic diet accompanied by 4.5 g/day S. maxima intake and/or a physical systematic exercise programme at moderate intensity. Body composition, oxygen uptake, heart rate, capillary blood lactate, plasma concentrations of triacylglycerols, total, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, antioxidant status, lipid oxidation, protein carbonyls, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and paraoxonase will be assessed. This study and all the procedures have been approved by the Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez Bioethics Committee. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02837666. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Effects of Reorientation of Graphene Platelets (GPLs) on Young’s Modulus of Polymer Composites under Bi-Axial Stretching

PubMed Central

Yang, Jie

2018-01-01

Effects of bi-axial stretching induced reorientation of graphene platelets (GPLs) on the Young’s modulus of GPL/polymer composites is studied by Mori-Tanaka micromechanics model. The dispersion state of the GPLs in polymer matrix is captured by an orientation distribution function (ODF), in which two Euler angles are used to identify the orientation of the GPLs. Compared to uni-axial stretching, the increase of the stretching strain in the second direction enhances the re-alignment of GPL fillers in this direction while it deteriorates the re-alignment of the fillers in the other two directions. Comprehensive parametric study on the effects of the out-of-plane Young’s modulus, stretching strain, strain ratio, Poisson’s ratio and weight fraction and GPL dimension on the effective Young’s moduli of the composites in the three directions are conducted. It is found that the out-of-plane Young’s modulus has limited effects on the overall Young’s modulus of the composites. The second stretching enhances the Young’s modulus in this direction while it decreases the Young’s modulus in the other two directions. The results demonstrate the increase of Poisson’s ratio is favorable in increasing the Young’s modulus of the composites. GPLs with larger diameter-to-thickness ratio have better reinforcing effect on the Young’s modulus of GPL/polymer nanocomposites. PMID:29316669

Physical and mechanical properties of a thermomechanically treated NiTi wire used in the manufacture of rotary endodontic instruments.

PubMed

Pereira, E S J; Peixoto, I F C; Viana, A C D; Oliveira, I I; Gonzalez, B M; Buono, V T L; Bahia, M G A

2012-05-01

To compare physical and mechanical properties of one conventional and one thermomechanically treated nickel-titanium (NiTi) wire used to manufacture rotary endodontic instruments. Two NiTi wires 1.0 mm in diameter were characterized; one of them, C-wire (CW), was processed in the conventional manner, and the other, termed M-Wire (MW), received an additional heat treatment according to the manufacturer. Chemical composition was determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, phase constitution by XRD and the transformation temperatures by DSC. Tensile loading/unloading tests and Vickers microhardness measurements were performed to assess the mechanical behaviour. Data were analysed using analysis of variance (α = 0.05). The two wires showed approximately the same chemical composition, close to the 1 : 1 atomic ratio, and the β-phase was the predominant phase present. B19' martensite and the R-phase were found in MW, in agreement with the higher transformation temperatures found in this wire compared with CW, whose transformation temperatures were below room temperature. Average Vickers microhardness values were similar for MW and CW (P = 0.91). The stress at the transformation plateau in the tensile load-unload curves was lower and more uniform in the M-Wire, which also showed the smallest stress hysteresis and apparent elastic modulus. The M-Wire had physical and mechanical properties that can render endodontic instruments more flexible and fatigue resistant than those made with conventionally processed NiTi wires. © 2011 International Endodontic Journal.

Ultrahigh Elastic Strain Energy Storage in Metal-Oxide-Infiltrated Patterned Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites

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

Dusoe, Keith J.; Ye, Xinyi; Kisslinger, Kim

Modulus of resilience, the measure of a material’s capacity to store and release elastic strain energy, is critical for realizing advanced mechanical actuation technologies in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. In general, engineering the modulus of resilience is difficult because it requires asymmetrically increasing yield strength and Young’s modulus against their mutual scaling behavior. This task becomes further challenging if it needs to be carried out at the nanometer scale. Here, we demonstrate organic–inorganic hybrid composite nanopillars with one of the highest modulus of resilience per density by utilizing vapor-phase aluminum oxide infiltration in lithographically patterned negative photoresist SU-8. In situ nanomechanical measurementsmore » reveal a metal-like high yield strength (~500 MPa) with an unusually low, foam-like Young’s modulus (~7 GPa), a unique pairing that yields ultrahigh modulus of resilience, reaching up to ~24 MJ/m 3 as well as exceptional modulus of resilience per density of ~13.4 kJ/kg, surpassing those of most engineering materials. The hybrid polymer nanocomposite features lightweight, ultrahigh tunable modulus of resilience and versatile nanoscale lithographic patternability with potential for application as nanomechanical components which require ultrahigh mechanical resilience and strength.« less

Ultrahigh Elastic Strain Energy Storage in Metal-Oxide-Infiltrated Patterned Hybrid Polymer Nanocomposites

DOE PAGES

Dusoe, Keith J.; Ye, Xinyi; Kisslinger, Kim; ...

2017-10-19

Modulus of resilience, the measure of a material’s capacity to store and release elastic strain energy, is critical for realizing advanced mechanical actuation technologies in micro/nanoelectromechanical systems. In general, engineering the modulus of resilience is difficult because it requires asymmetrically increasing yield strength and Young’s modulus against their mutual scaling behavior. This task becomes further challenging if it needs to be carried out at the nanometer scale. Here, we demonstrate organic–inorganic hybrid composite nanopillars with one of the highest modulus of resilience per density by utilizing vapor-phase aluminum oxide infiltration in lithographically patterned negative photoresist SU-8. In situ nanomechanical measurementsmore » reveal a metal-like high yield strength (~500 MPa) with an unusually low, foam-like Young’s modulus (~7 GPa), a unique pairing that yields ultrahigh modulus of resilience, reaching up to ~24 MJ/m 3 as well as exceptional modulus of resilience per density of ~13.4 kJ/kg, surpassing those of most engineering materials. The hybrid polymer nanocomposite features lightweight, ultrahigh tunable modulus of resilience and versatile nanoscale lithographic patternability with potential for application as nanomechanical components which require ultrahigh mechanical resilience and strength.« less

Enhancement of wear and corrosion resistance of low modulus β-type Zr-20Nb-xTi (x=0, 3) dental alloys through thermal oxidation treatment.

PubMed

Zhang, Jianfeng; Gan, Xiaxia; Tang, Hongqun; Zhan, Yongzhong

2017-07-01

In order to obtain material with low elastic modulus, good abrasion resistance and high corrosion stability as screw for dental implant, the biomedical Zr-20Nb and Zr-20Nb-3Ti alloy with low elastic modulus were thermal oxidized respectively at 700°C for 1h and 600°C for 1.25h to obtain the compact oxidized layer to improve its wear resistance and corrosion resistance. The results show that smooth compact oxidized layer (composed of monoclinic ZrO 2 , tetragonal ZrO 2 and 6ZrO 2 -Nb 2 O 5 ) with 22.6μm-43.5μm thickness and 1252-1306HV hardness can be in-situ formed on the surface of the Zr-20Nb-xTi (x=0, 3). The adhesion of oxidized layers to the substrates is determined to be 58.35-66.25N. The oxidized Zr-20Nb-xTi alloys reveal great improvement of the pitting corrosion resistance in comparison with the un-oxidized alloys. In addition, the oxidized Zr-20Nb-3Ti exhibits sharply reduction of the corrosion rates and the oxidized Zr-20Nb shows higher corrosion rates than un-oxidized alloys, which is relevant with the content of the t-ZrO 2 . Wear test in artificial saliva demonstrates that the wear losses of the oxidized Zr-20Nb-xTi (x=0, 3) are superior to pure Ti. All of the un-oxidized Zr-20Nb-xTi (x=0, 3) alloys suffer from serious adhesive wear due to its high plasticity. Because of the protection from compact oxide layer with high adhesion and high hardness, the coefficients of friction and wear losses of the oxidized Zr-20Nb-xTi (x=0, 3) alloys decrease 50% and 95%, respectively. The defects on the oxidized Zr-20Nb have a negative effect on the friction and wear properties. In addition, after the thermal oxidation, compression test show that elastic modulus and strength of Zr-20Nb-xTi (x=0, 3) increase slightly with plastic deformation after 40% of transformation. Furthermore, stripping of the oxidized layer from the alloy matrix did not occur during the whole experiments. As the surface oxidized Zr-20Nb-3Ti alloy has a combination of excellent performance such as high chemical stability, good wear resistance performance and low elastic modulus, moderate strength, it is considered an alternative material as dental implant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time and temperature dependent modulus of pyrrone and polyimide moldings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lander, L. L.

1972-01-01

A method is presented by which the modulus obtained from a stress relaxation test can be used to estimate the modulus which would be obtained from a sonic vibration test. The method was applied to stress relaxation, sonic vibration, and high speed stress-strain data which was obtained on a flexible epoxy. The modulus as measured by the three test methods was identical for identical test times, and a change of test temperature was equivalent to a shift in the logarithmic time scale. An estimate was then made of the dynamic modulus of moldings of two Pyrrones and two polyimides, using stress relaxation data and the method of analysis which was developed for the epoxy. Over the common temperature range (350 to 500 K) in which data from both types of tests were available, the estimated dynamic modulus value differed by only a few percent from the measured value. As a result, it is concluded that, over the 500 to 700 K temperature range, the estimated dynamic modulus values are accurate.

Non-toxic invert analog glass compositions of high modulus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacon, J. F. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

Glass compositions having a Young's modulus of at least 15 million psi are described. They and a specific modulus of at least 110 million inches consist essentially of, in mols, 15 to 40% SiO2, 6 to 15% Li2O, 24 to 45% of at least two bivalent oxides selected from the group consisting of Ca, NzO, MgO and CuO; 13 to 39% of at least two trivalent oxides selected from the group consisting of Al2O3, Fe2O3, B2O3, La2O3, and Y2O3 and up to 15% of one or more tetravelent oxides selected from the group consisting of ZrO2, TiO2 and CeO2. The high modulus, low density glass compositions contain no toxic elements. The composition, glass density, Young's modulus, and specific modulus for 28 representative glasses are presented. The fiber modulus of five glasses are given.

An improved method for predicting brittleness of rocks via well logs in tight oil reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenlin; Sun, Ting; Feng, Cheng; Wang, Wei; Han, Chuang

2018-06-01

There can be no industrial oil production in tight oil reservoirs until fracturing is undertaken. Under such conditions, the brittleness of the rocks is a very important factor. However, it has so far been difficult to predict. In this paper, the selected study area is the tight oil reservoirs in Lucaogou formation, Permian, Jimusaer sag, Junggar basin. According to the transformation of dynamic and static rock mechanics parameters and the correction of confining pressure, an improved method is proposed for quantitatively predicting the brittleness of rocks via well logs in tight oil reservoirs. First, 19 typical tight oil core samples are selected in the study area. Their static Young’s modulus, static Poisson’s ratio and petrophysical parameters are measured. In addition, the static brittleness indices of four other tight oil cores are measured under different confining pressure conditions. Second, the dynamic Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio and brittleness index are calculated using the compressional and shear wave velocity. With combination of the measured and calculated results, the transformation model of dynamic and static brittleness index is built based on the influence of porosity and clay content. The comparison of the predicted brittleness indices and measured results shows that the model has high accuracy. Third, on the basis of the experimental data under different confining pressure conditions, the amplifying factor of brittleness index is proposed to correct for the influence of confining pressure on the brittleness index. Finally, the above improved models are applied to formation evaluation via well logs. Compared with the results before correction, the results of the improved models agree better with the experimental data, which indicates that the improved models have better application effects. The brittleness index prediction method of tight oil reservoirs is improved in this research. It is of great importance in the optimization of fracturing layer and fracturing construction schemes and the improvement of oil recovery.

Assessment of Characteristic Function Modulus of Vibroacoustic Signal Given a Limit State Parameter of Diagnosed Equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostyukov, V. N.; Naumenko, A. P.; Kudryavtseva, I. S.

2018-01-01

Improvement of distinguishing criteria, determining defects of machinery and mechanisms, by vibroacoustic signals is a recent problem for technical diagnostics. The work objective is assessment of instantaneous values by methods of statistical decision making theory and risk of regulatory values of characteristic function modulus. The modulus of the characteristic function is determined given a fixed parameter of the characteristic function. It is possible to determine the limits of the modulus, which correspond to different machine’s condition. The data of the modulus values are used as diagnostic features in the vibration diagnostics and monitoring systems. Using such static decision-making methods as: minimum number of wrong decisions, maximum likelihood, minimax, Neumann-Pearson characteristic function modulus limits are determined, separating conditions of a diagnosed object.

Measurement of Young's modulus in the in vivo human vocal folds.

PubMed

Tran, Q T; Berke, G S; Gerratt, B R; Kreiman, J

1993-08-01

Currently, surgeons have no objective means to evaluate and optimize results of phonosurgery intraoperatively. Instead, they usually judge the vocal folds subjectively by visual inspection or by listening to the voice. This paper describes a new device that measures Young's (elastic) modulus values for the human vocal fold intraoperatively. Physiologically, the modulus of the vocal fold may be important in determining the nature of vocal fold vibration in normal and pathologic states. This study also reports the effect of recurrent laryngeal nerve stimulation on Young's modulus of the human vocal folds, measured by means of transcutaneous nerve stimulation techniques. Young's modulus increased with increases in current stimulation to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Ultimately, Young's modulus values may assist surgeons in optimizing the results of various phonosurgeries.

Temperature maxima in stable two-dimensional shock waves

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

Kum, O.; Hoover, W.G.; Hoover, C.G.

1997-07-01

We use molecular dynamics to study the structure of moderately strong shock waves in dense two-dimensional fluids, using Lucy{close_quote}s pair potential. The stationary profiles show relatively broad temperature maxima, for both the longitudinal and the average kinetic temperatures, just as does Mott-Smith{close_quote}s model for strong shock waves in dilute three-dimensional gases. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

Expression of nutrient transporters in duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of Eimeria maxima-infected broiler chickens.

PubMed

Fetterer, Raymond H; Miska, Katarzyna B; Jenkins, Mark C; Wong, Eric A

2014-10-01

The uptake of amino acids is mediated by active transporters located on the basolateral and brush border membranes of intestinal epithelial cells. The current study investigated the expression of amino acid transporters (AAT) and other genes in the intestine of chicks infected with Eimeria maxima. At 7-day postinfection (PI), tissue from each intestinal segment (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) was taken from birds inoculated with 3 × 10(3) oocysts/bird and processed to recover RNA. Analysis of gene expression was performed using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results were given as relative expression using β₂-microglobulin as an endogenous control. All the genes studied were expressed in three segments of the intestines, and expression of the genes was altered by infection with E. maxima. Even though the jejunum is considered the parasite's primary predilection site, there was no segment-related difference in expression of most of the genes studied. The antimicrobial peptide (LEAP2) was downregulated in all three segments of the intestine. The results also demonstrate that transporters associated with brush border membranes were downregulated while transporters associated with the basolateral membranes were upregulated and that E. maxima alters the expression of AAT and LEAP2 throughout the small intestine.

High-Latitude Neutral Mass Density Maxima

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, C. Y.; Huang, Y.; Su, Y.-J.; Huang, T.; Sutton, E. K.

2017-10-01

Recent studies have reported that thermospheric effects due to solar wind driving can be observed poleward of auroral latitudes. In these papers, the measured neutral mass density perturbations appear as narrow, localized maxima in the cusp and polar cap. They conclude that Joule heating below the spacecraft is the cause of the mass density increases, which are sometimes associated with local field-aligned current structures, but not always. In this paper we investigate neutral mass densities measured by accelerometers on the CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) spacecraft from launch until years 2010 (CHAMP) and 2012 (GRACE), approximately 10 years of observations from each satellite. We extract local maxima in neutral mass densities over the background using a smoothing window with size of one quarter of the orbit. The maxima have been analyzed for each year and also for the duration of each set of satellite observations. We show where they occur, under what solar wind conditions, and their relation to magnetic activity. The region with the highest frequency of occurrence coincides approximately with the cusp and mantle, with little direct evidence of an auroral zone source. Our conclusions agree with the "hot polar cap" observations that have been reported and studied in the past.

Protective effects of Aloe vera-based diets in Eimeria maxima-infected broiler chickens.

PubMed

Yim, Dongjean; Kang, Sang S; Kim, Dong W; Kim, Sang H; Lillehoj, Hyun S; Min, Wongi

2011-01-01

Aloes have been widely used for a broad range of pharmacological activities, including parasitic problems. Avian coccidiosis is the most costly and wide-spread parasitic disease in the poultry industry, and has been mainly controlled by the use of chemotherapeutic agents. Due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, alternative control strategies are needed. In this study, the protective effects of Aloe vera-based diets were assessed in broiler chickens following oral infection with Eimeria maxima. Chickens were fed a regular diet supplemented with ground Aloe vera throughout the duration of the experiment beginning 2 days prior to infection with 1 × 10(4) sporulated oocysts of E. maxima. No significant differences were found in body weight gain or loss between the Aloe vera-supplemented and unsupplemented groups with or without E. maxima infections. Fecal oocyst shedding decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in all of the treatment groups that were supplemented with Aloe vera as compared to the unsupplemented group. Furthermore, the Aloe vera-supplemented group showed significantly fewer intestinal lesions (p < 0.05) than the unsupplemented group following infection. The findings of this study suggest that Aloe vera could be used an alternative treatment for controlling avian coccidiosis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experimental Infection with Sporulated Oocysts of Eimeria maxima (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) in Broiler

PubMed Central

Brito, Luciana da S.; Pereira, Elder N.; da Silva, Augusta A.; Bentivóglio Costa Silva, Vinícius; Freitas, Fagner L. da C.

2014-01-01

Through this study we assessed the metabolic and pathological changes in broilers experimentally infected with oocysts of Eimeria maxima. To perform the experiment, we used 150 broiler strain cooB males, with ten days of age, were randomized according to weight and randomly assigned to two experimental groups: the control group was inoculated with 0.5 mL of distilled water; the infected group inoculated with 0.5 mL of solution containing 5 × 104 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria maxima. The live performance was evaluated on day 0 (day of inoculation), 5°, 10°, 15°, 25°, and 35° dpi, being slaughtered by cervical dislocation, fifteen birds/group. Although the sum in meat production was higher in the control group, the weight of the heart and gizzard of the experimental animals showed no significant difference, while the liver had difference on day 5°, 15°, and 35° dpi. The pathologic evaluation showed congested mucosa and presence of large amounts of mucus at 6 dpi. Therefore, it is concluded that the dose of 5 × 104  E. maxima inoculated in the experimental group was enough to cause harm to the animal organism. PMID:26464925

Mutagenic potential of Cordia ecalyculata alone and in association with Spirulina maxima for their evaluation as candidate anti-obesity drugs.

PubMed

Araldi, R P; Rechiutti, B M; Mendes, T B; Ito, E T; Souza, E B

2014-07-07

Obesity is one of the most important nutritional disorders, and can be currently considered as an epidemic. Although there are few weight reduction drugs available on the market, some new drug candidates have been proposed, including Cordia ecalyculata, a Brazilian plant with anorectic properties, and Spirulina maxima, a cyanobacterium with antioxidant and anti-genotoxic activity. In this study, we evaluated the mutagenic potential of C. ecalyculata at doses of 150, 300, and 500 mg/kg alone and in association with S. maxima at doses of 75, 150, and 250 mg/kg, respectively, through an in vivo micronucleus test, using mice of both sexes, and an in vitro micronucleus test and comet assay, using human peripheral blood. For all tests, cyclophosphamide was used as a positive control. The results showed that treatment of 300 mg/kg C. ecalyculata and the combination treatment of 500 mg/kg C. ecalyculata with 250 mg/kg S. maxima resulted in anorectic effects. The mutagenic tests did not reveal any clastogenic or genotoxic activity for any treatment, indicating that these candidates could be marketed as weight-reduction drugs. Moreover, the drugs contain chemo-preventive substances that can protect against tumorigenesis, which has been associated with obesity.

Evaluation of anaerobic digestates from different feedstocks as growth media for Tetradesmus obliquus, Botryococcus braunii, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Arthrospira maxima.

PubMed

Massa, Marina; Buono, Silvia; Langellotti, Antonio Luca; Castaldo, Luigi; Martello, Anna; Paduano, Antonello; Sacchi, Raffaele; Fogliano, Vincenzo

2017-05-25

In this paper, two freshwater microalgae (Tetradesmus obliquus and Botryococcus braunii), a marine diatom (Phaeodactylum tricornutum) and a photosynthetic cyanobacterium (Arthrospira maxima) were investigated for their ability to grow on liquid digestates (LDs). Three LDs were obtained from anaerobic digestion of different organic wastes: zootechnical (ZW LD), vegetable biomass (VW LD) and the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MW LD). All the strains showed the same growth performance on VW LD as on the respective standard media (SM), while ZW LD was efficient only for growth of T. obliquus and B. braunii. MW LD was the poorest growth medium for all the strains. Data on nutrient removal efficiency showed that A. maxima and T. obliquus made the best use of NH 4 + -N with removal values ranging between 98.9-99.8%, while P. tricornutum and B. braunii showed values of 79.0 and 88.5% respectively. Applying repeated batch cultivation in photobioreactors, the biochemical composition of A. maxima and T. obliquus biomass grown on ZW LD and VW LD, showed an increase of lipid, carbohydrates and ash in both microalgae. Biomass biochemical profiles suggest possible applications in feed, chemicals and energy sectors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Volatile compounds in cryptic species of the Aneura pinguis complex and Aneura maxima (Marchantiophyta, Metzgeriidae).

PubMed

Wawrzyniak, Rafał; Wasiak, Wiesław; Bączkiewicz, Alina; Buczkowska, Katarzyna

2014-09-01

Aneura pinguis is one of the liverwort species complexes that consist of several cryptic species. Ten samples collected from different regions in Poland are in the focus of our research. Eight of the A. pinguis complex belonging to four cryptic species (A, B, C, E) and two samples of closely related species Aneura maxima were tested for the composition of volatile compounds. The HS-SPME technique coupled to GC/FID and GC/MS analysis has been applied. The fiber coated with DVB/CAR/PDMS has been used. The results of the present study, revealed the qualitative and quantitative differences in the composition of the volatile compounds between the studied species. Mainly they are from the group of sesquiterpenoids, oxygenated sesquiterpenoids and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The statistical methods (CA and PCA) showed that detected volatile compounds allow to distinguish cryptic species of A. pinguis. All examined cryptic species of the A. pinguis complex differ from A. maxima. Species A and E of A. pinguis, in CA and PCA, form separate clusters remote from two remaining cryptic species of A. pinguis (B and C) and A. maxima. Relationship between the cryptic species appeared from the chemical studies are in accordance with that revealed on the basis of DNA sequences. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomass of Spirulina maxima enriched by biosorption process as a new feed supplement for swine.

PubMed

Saeid, A; Chojnacka, K; Korczyński, M; Korniewicz, D; Dobrzański, Z

2013-04-01

This paper deals with the new mineral feed additives with Cu produced in a biosorption process from a semi-technical scale. The natural biomass of edible microalga Spirulina sp. was enriched with Cu(II) and then used as a mineral supplement in feeding experiments on swine to assess its nutrition properties. A total of 24 piglets divided into two groups (control and experimental) were used to determine the bioavailability of a new generation of mineral feed additives based on Spirulina maxima . The control group was feed using traditional inorganic supplements of microelements, while the experimental group was fed with the feed containing the biomass of S. maxima enriched with Cu by biosorption. The apparent absorption was 30 % ( P  < 0.05) higher in the experimental group. No effect on the production results (average daily feed intake, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio) was detected. It was found that copper concentration in feces in the experimental group was 60 % ( P  < 0.05) lower than in the control group. The new preparation-a dietary supplement with microelements produced by biosorption based on biomass of microalgae S. maxima -is a promising alternative to currently used inorganic salts as the source of nutritionally important microelements.

Metabolic alterations in broiler chickens experimentally infected with sporulated oocysts of Eimeria maxima.

PubMed

Freitas, Fagner Luiz da Costa

2014-01-01

Metabolic and morphometric alterations of the duodenal villi caused by parasitism of chickens by Eimeria maxima were evaluated, using 100 male Cobb birds, randomly distributed into two groups (control and infected). The infected group was inoculated with 0.5 ml of a solution containing 5 × 10³ sporulated oocysts of Eimeria maxima. Ten birds per sample were sacrificed on the 6th, 11th, 22nd and 41st days post-infection (dpi). In order to evaluate the alterations, samples of duodenum, jejunum and ileum fragments were collected after necropsy for histological analysis. Villus biometry was determined by means of a slide graduated in microns that was attached to a binocular microscope. To evaluate the biochemical data, 5 ml of blood were sampled from the birds before sacrifice. The statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad 5 statistical software for Windows. Tukey's multiple comparison test (p <0.05) was performed for the different dpi's and the unpaired t test for the difference between the groups. Infection by E. maxima causes both qualitative and quantitative alterations to the structure of the intestinal villi, thereby interfering with the absorption of nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, protein and lipids, with consequent reductions in the birds' weights.

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

Stan, Camelia V.; Dutta, Rajkrishna; White, Claire E.

Lead fluoride, PbF 2, was investigated experimentally in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell by x-ray diffraction to pressures of 75 GPa at room temperature and to 64.5 GPa and 2430 K, as well as through first-principles density functional theory calculations up to 70 GPa. During room temperature compression, no discontinuous changes in the x-ray diffraction pattern or volume were observed, but the lattice parameters displayed highly anomalous trends between 10-22 GPa with enhanced compressibility along the a direction and reduced or even negative compressibility along b and c. Theoretical calculations of valence electron densities at 22 GPa showed that α-PbFmore » 2 underwent a pressure-induced isosymmetric phase transition to a postcotunnite Co 2Si structure and also revealed the detailed atomic rearrangements associated with the development of an extra Pb-F bond in the high-pressure phase. Our x-ray results and theoretical calculations are consistent with an isosymmetric phase transition smoothly occurring over 10-22 GPa rather than abruptly as previously suggested. The characteristic values for the cell constants a/c and (a+c)/b, which are used to distinguish among cotunnite-, Co 2Si-, and Ni 2In-type phases, require modification based on our results. An equation of state fit yields a bulk modulus, K 0, of 72(3) GPa for the cotunnite-type, and an ambient-pressure volume, V 0, of 182(2)Å 3, and K 0=81(4)GPa for the Co 2Si-type phase when fixing the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus, K 0'=4. Upon heating above 1200 K at pressures at or above 25.9 GPa, PbF 2 partially transformed to the hexagonal Ni 2In-type phase but wholly or partially reverted back to Co 2Si-type phase upon temperature quench. From 43-65 GPa, nearly complete transformation to the Ni 2In-type PbF 2 was observed at high temperature, but the material partially transformed back to the orthorhombic phase upon temperature quench. Our results show that high-pressure behavior of PbF 2 is distinct from that of the alkaline earth fluorides with similar ionic radii. These results also have relevance to understanding the behavior of lanthanide and actinide dioxides, which have been predicted theoretically to exhibit similar isosymmetric transitions at Mbar pressures.« less

High-pressure polymorphism of Pb F 2 to 75 GPa

DOE PAGES

Stan, Camelia V.; Dutta, Rajkrishna; White, Claire E.; ...

2016-07-06

Lead fluoride, PbF 2, was investigated experimentally in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell by x-ray diffraction to pressures of 75 GPa at room temperature and to 64.5 GPa and 2430 K, as well as through first-principles density functional theory calculations up to 70 GPa. During room temperature compression, no discontinuous changes in the x-ray diffraction pattern or volume were observed, but the lattice parameters displayed highly anomalous trends between 10-22 GPa with enhanced compressibility along the a direction and reduced or even negative compressibility along b and c. Theoretical calculations of valence electron densities at 22 GPa showed that α-PbFmore » 2 underwent a pressure-induced isosymmetric phase transition to a postcotunnite Co 2Si structure and also revealed the detailed atomic rearrangements associated with the development of an extra Pb-F bond in the high-pressure phase. Our x-ray results and theoretical calculations are consistent with an isosymmetric phase transition smoothly occurring over 10-22 GPa rather than abruptly as previously suggested. The characteristic values for the cell constants a/c and (a+c)/b, which are used to distinguish among cotunnite-, Co 2Si-, and Ni 2In-type phases, require modification based on our results. An equation of state fit yields a bulk modulus, K 0, of 72(3) GPa for the cotunnite-type, and an ambient-pressure volume, V 0, of 182(2)Å 3, and K 0=81(4)GPa for the Co 2Si-type phase when fixing the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus, K 0'=4. Upon heating above 1200 K at pressures at or above 25.9 GPa, PbF 2 partially transformed to the hexagonal Ni 2In-type phase but wholly or partially reverted back to Co 2Si-type phase upon temperature quench. From 43-65 GPa, nearly complete transformation to the Ni 2In-type PbF 2 was observed at high temperature, but the material partially transformed back to the orthorhombic phase upon temperature quench. Our results show that high-pressure behavior of PbF 2 is distinct from that of the alkaline earth fluorides with similar ionic radii. These results also have relevance to understanding the behavior of lanthanide and actinide dioxides, which have been predicted theoretically to exhibit similar isosymmetric transitions at Mbar pressures.« less

High-pressure polymorphism of Pb F2 to 75 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stan, Camelia V.; Dutta, Rajkrishna; White, Claire E.; Prakapenka, Vitali; Duffy, Thomas S.

2016-07-01

Lead fluoride, Pb F2 , was investigated experimentally in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell by x-ray diffraction to pressures of 75 GPa at room temperature and to 64.5 GPa and 2430 K, as well as through first-principles density functional theory calculations up to 70 GPa. During room temperature compression, no discontinuous changes in the x-ray diffraction pattern or volume were observed, but the lattice parameters displayed highly anomalous trends between 10-22 GPa with enhanced compressibility along the a direction and reduced or even negative compressibility along b and c . Theoretical calculations of valence electron densities at 22 GPa showed that α -Pb F2 underwent a pressure-induced isosymmetric phase transition to a postcotunnite C o2Si structure and also revealed the detailed atomic rearrangements associated with the development of an extra Pb-F bond in the high-pressure phase. Our x-ray results and theoretical calculations are consistent with an isosymmetric phase transition smoothly occurring over 10-22 GPa rather than abruptly as previously suggested. The characteristic values for the cell constants a /c and (a +c )/b , which are used to distinguish among cotunnite-, C o2Si -, and N i2In -type phases, require modification based on our results. An equation of state fit yields a bulk modulus, K0, of 72(3) GPa for the cotunnite-type, and an ambient-pressure volume, V0, of 182 (2 ) Å3 , and K0=81 (4 ) GPa for the C o2Si -type phase when fixing the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus, K0 '=4 . Upon heating above 1200 K at pressures at or above 25.9 GPa, Pb F2 partially transformed to the hexagonal N i2In -type phase but wholly or partially reverted back to C o2Si -type phase upon temperature quench. From 43-65 GPa, nearly complete transformation to the N i2In -type Pb F2 was observed at high temperature, but the material partially transformed back to the orthorhombic phase upon temperature quench. Our results show that high-pressure behavior of Pb F2 is distinct from that of the alkaline earth fluorides with similar ionic radii. Our results also have relevance to understanding the behavior of lanthanide and actinide dioxides, which have been predicted theoretically to exhibit similar isosymmetric transitions at Mbar pressures.

Thermal and mechanical characteristics of stainless steel, titanium-molybdenum, and nickel-titanium archwires.

PubMed

Kusy, Robert P; Whitley, John Q

2007-02-01

In recent years, nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) archwires have been developed that undergo thermal transitions. Before the practitioner can fully utilize these products, the effect of those transitions within the clinical application must be understood. The transitional temperatures and mechanical stiffnesses of 3 archwire alloys--stainless steel, beta-titanium, and Ni-Ti--were investigated were for 7 products. Among the nickel-titanium alloys, 2 were thought to represent classic Ni-Ti products and 3 copper (Cu)-Ni-Ti products. By using 2 techniques, differential scanning calorimetry to measure heat flow and dynamic mechanical analysis to measure storage modulus, transition temperatures were evaluated from -30 degrees C to +80 degrees C. With regard to the first technique, no transitions were observed for the stainless steel alloy, the beta-titanium alloy, and 1 of the 2 classic Ni-Ti products. For the other classic Ni-Ti product, however, a martensitic-austenitic transition was suggested on heating, and a reverse transformation was suggested on cooling. As expected, the Cu-Ni-Ti 27, 35, and 40 products manifested austenitic finish temperatures of 29.3 degrees C, 31.4 degrees C, and 37.3 degrees C, respectively, as the enthalpy increased from 2.47 to 3.18 calories per gram. With regard to the second technique, the storage modulus at a low frequency of 0.1 Hz paralleled static mechanical tests for the stainless steel alloy (183 gigapascal [GPa]), the beta-titanium alloy (64 GPa), and the Nitinol Classic (3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) product that represented a stable martensitic phase (41 GPa). The remaining 4 Ni-Ti products generally varied from 20 to 35 GPa when the low-temperature or martensitic phase was present and from 60 to 70 GPa after the high-temperature or austenitic phase had formed. From the clinical viewpoint, the Orthonol (Rocky Mountain Orthodontics, Denver, Colo), Cu-Ni-Ti 27, Cu-Ni-Ti 35, and Cu-Ni-Ti 40 (SDS/Ormco, Glendora, Calif) products increased at least twofold in stiffness as temperature increased, best emulating the stiffness of Nitinol Classic below the transformational temperature and the stiffness of TMA (SDS/Ormco, Glendora, Calif) above the transformational temperature. Of the 3 Cu-Ni-Ti products, the least differences were found between Cu-Ni-Ti 27 and Cu-Ni-Ti 35, thereby questioning the justification for 3 similar products.

The Modulus of Rupture from a Mathematical Point of View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintela, P.; Sánchez, M. T.

2007-04-01

The goal of this work is to present a complete mathematical study about the three-point bending experiments and the modulus of rupture of brittle materials. We will present the mathematical model associated to three-point bending experiments and we will use the asymptotic expansion method to obtain a new formula to calculate the modulus of rupture. We will compare the modulus of rupture of porcelain obtained with the previous formula with that obtained by using the classic theoretical formula. Finally, we will also present one and three-dimensional numerical simulations to compute the modulus of rupture.

Method for resonant measurement

DOEpatents

Rhodes, G.W.; Migliori, A.; Dixon, R.D.

1996-03-05

A method of measurement of objects to determine object flaws, Poisson`s ratio ({sigma}) and shear modulus ({mu}) is shown and described. First, the frequency for expected degenerate responses is determined for one or more input frequencies and then splitting of degenerate resonant modes are observed to identify the presence of flaws in the object. Poisson`s ratio and the shear modulus can be determined by identification of resonances dependent only on the shear modulus, and then using that shear modulus to find Poisson`s ratio using other modes dependent on both the shear modulus and Poisson`s ratio. 1 fig.

The study of stiffness modulus values for AC-WC pavement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubis, AS; Muis, Z. A.; Iskandar, T. D.

2018-02-01

One of the parameters of the asphalt mixture in order for the strength and durability to be achieved as required is the stress-and-strain showing the stiffness of a material. Stiffness modulus is a very necessary factor that will affect the performance of asphalt pavements. If the stiffness modulus value decreases there will be a cause of aging asphalt pavement crack easily when receiving a heavy load. The high stiffness modulus asphalt concrete causes more stiff and resistant to bending. The stiffness modulus value of an asphalt mixture material can be obtained from the theoretical (indirect methods) and laboratory test results (direct methods). For the indirect methods used Brown & Brunton method, and Shell Bitumen method; while for the direct methods used the UMATTA tool. This study aims to determine stiffness modulus values for AC-WC pavement. The tests were conducted in laboratory that used 3 methods, i.e. Brown & Brunton Method, Shell Bitumen Method and Marshall Test as a substitute tool for the UMATTA tool. Hotmix asphalt made from type AC-WC with pen 60/70 using a mixture of optimum bitumen content was 5.84% with a standard temperature variation was 60°C and several variations of temperature that were 30, 40, 50, 70 and 80°C. The stiffness modulus value results obtained from Brown & Brunton Method, Shell Bitumen Method and Marshall Test which were 1374,93 Mpa, 235,45 Mpa dan 254,96 Mpa. The stiffness modulus value decreases with increasing temperature of the concrete asphalt. The stiffness modulus value from the Bitumen Shell method and the Marshall Test has a relatively similar value.The stiffness modulus value from the Brown & Brunton method is greater than the Bitumen Shell method and the Marshall Test, but can not measure the stiffness modulus value at temperature above 80°C.

Computational modeling of the effective Young's modulus values of fullerene molecules: a combined molecular dynamics simulation and continuum shell model.

PubMed

Ghavanloo, Esmaeal; Izadi, Razie; Nayebi, Ali

2018-02-28

Estimating the Young's modulus of a structure in the nanometer size range is a difficult task. The reliable determination of this parameter is, however, important in both basic and applied research. In this study, by combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and continuum shell theory, we designed a new approach to determining the Young's modulus values of different spherical fullerenes. The results indicate that the Young's modulus values of fullerene molecules decrease nonlinearly with increasing molecule size and understandably tend to the Young's modulus of an ideal flat graphene sheet at large molecular radii. To the best of our knowledge, this is first time that a combined atomistic-continuum method which can predict the Young's modulus values of fullerene molecules with high precision has been reported.

Considering the filler network as a third phase in polymer/CNT nanocomposites to predict the tensile modulus using Hashin-Hansen model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sanghoon; Jamalzadeh, Navid; Zare, Yasser; Hui, David; Rhee, Kyong Yop

2018-07-01

In this paper, a conventional Hashin-Hansen model is developed to analyze the tensile modulus of polymer/CNT nanocomposites above the percolation threshold. This model for composites containing dispersed particles utilizes the aspect ratio of the nanofiller (α), the number of nanotubes per unit area (N), the percolation threshold (φp) and the modulus of the filler network (EN), assuming that the filler network constitutes a third phase in the nanocomposites. The experimental results and the predictions agree well, verifying the proposed relations between the modulus and the other parameters in the Hashin-Hansen model. Moreover, large values of "α", "N" and "EN" result in an improved modulus of the polymer/CNT nanocomposites, while a low percolation threshold results in a high modulus.

Estimation of static parameters based on dynamical and physical properties in limestone rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghafoori, Mohammad; Rastegarnia, Ahmad; Lashkaripour, Gholam Reza

2018-01-01

Due to the importance of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), static Young's modulus (ES) and shear wave velocity, it is always worth to predict these parameters from empirical relations that suggested for other formations with same lithology. This paper studies the physical, mechanical and dynamical properties of limestone rocks using the results of laboratory tests which carried out on 60 the Jahrum and the Asmari formations core specimens. The core specimens were obtained from the Bazoft dam site, hydroelectric supply and double-curvature arch dam in Iran. The Dynamic Young's modulus (Ed) and dynamic Poisson ratio were calculated using the existing relations. Some empirical relations were presented to estimate uniaxial compressive strength, as well as static Young's modulus and shear wave velocity (Vs). Results showed the static parameters such as uniaxial compressive strength and static Young's modulus represented low correlation with water absorption. It is also found that the uniaxial compressive strength and static Young's modulus had high correlation with compressional wave velocity and dynamic Young's modulus, respectively. Dynamic Young's modulus was 5 times larger than static Young's modulus. Further, the dynamic Poisson ratio was 1.3 times larger than static Poisson ratio. The relationship between shear wave velocity (Vs) and compressional wave velocity (Vp) was power and positive with high correlation coefficient. Prediction of uniaxial compressive strength based on Vp was better than that based on Vs . Generally, both UCS and static Young's modulus (ES) had good correlation with Ed.

Implications of an Absolute Simultaneity Theory for Cosmology and Universe Acceleration

PubMed Central

Kipreos, Edward T.

2014-01-01

An alternate Lorentz transformation, Absolute Lorentz Transformation (ALT), has similar kinematics to special relativity yet maintains absolute simultaneity in the context of a preferred reference frame. In this study, it is shown that ALT is compatible with current experiments to test Lorentz invariance only if the proposed preferred reference frame is locally equivalent to the Earth-centered non-rotating inertial reference frame, with the inference that in an ALT framework, preferred reference frames are associated with centers of gravitational mass. Applying this theoretical framework to cosmological data produces a scenario of universal time contraction in the past. In this scenario, past time contraction would be associated with increased levels of blueshifted light emissions from cosmological objects when viewed from our current perspective. The observation that distant Type Ia supernovae are dimmer than predicted by linear Hubble expansion currently provides the most direct evidence for an accelerating universe. Adjusting for the effects of time contraction on a redshift–distance modulus diagram produces a linear distribution of supernovae over the full redshift spectrum that is consistent with a non-accelerating universe. PMID:25536116

Strain engineered pyrochlore at high pressure

DOE PAGES

Rittman, Dylan R.; Turner, Katlyn M.; Park, Sulgiye; ...

2017-05-22

Strain engineering is a promising method for next-generation materials processing techniques. Here, we use mechanical milling and annealing followed by compression in diamond anvil cell to tailor the intrinsic and extrinsic strain in pyrochlore, Dy 2Ti 2O 7 and Dy 2Zr 2O 7. Raman spectroscopy, X-ray pair distribution function analysis, and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize atomic order over short-, medium-, and long-range spatial scales, respectively, under ambient conditions. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were further employed to interrogate the material in situ at high pressure. High-pressure behavior is found to depend on the species and concentration of defectsmore » in the sample at ambient conditions. Overall, we show that defects can be engineered to lower the phase transformation onset pressure by ~50% in the ordered pyrochlore Dy 2Ti 2O 7, and lower the phase transformation completion pressure by ~20% in the disordered pyrochlore Dy 2Zr 2O 7. Lastly, these improvements are achieved without significantly sacrificing mechanical integrity, as characterized by bulk modulus.« less

Novel Method for Vessel Cross-Sectional Shear Wave Imaging.

PubMed

He, Qiong; Li, Guo-Yang; Lee, Fu-Feng; Zhang, Qihao; Cao, Yanping; Luo, Jianwen

2017-07-01

Many studies have investigated the applications of shear wave imaging (SWI) to vascular elastography, mainly on the longitudinal section of vessels. It is important to investigate SWI in the arterial cross section when evaluating anisotropy of the vessel wall or complete plaque composition. Here, we proposed a novel method based on the coordinate transformation and directional filter in the polar coordinate system to achieve vessel cross-sectional shear wave imaging. In particular, ultrasound radiofrequency data were transformed from the Cartesian to the polar coordinate system; the radial displacements were then estimated directly. Directional filtering was performed along the circumferential direction to filter out the reflected waves. The feasibility of the proposed vessel cross-sectional shear wave imaging method was investigated through phantom experiments and ex vivo and in vivo studies. Our results indicated that the dispersion relation of the shear wave (i.e., the guided circumferential wave) within the vessel can be measured via the present method, and the elastic modulus of the vessel can be determined. Copyright © 2017 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implications of an absolute simultaneity theory for cosmology and universe acceleration.

PubMed

Kipreos, Edward T

2014-01-01

An alternate Lorentz transformation, Absolute Lorentz Transformation (ALT), has similar kinematics to special relativity yet maintains absolute simultaneity in the context of a preferred reference frame. In this study, it is shown that ALT is compatible with current experiments to test Lorentz invariance only if the proposed preferred reference frame is locally equivalent to the Earth-centered non-rotating inertial reference frame, with the inference that in an ALT framework, preferred reference frames are associated with centers of gravitational mass. Applying this theoretical framework to cosmological data produces a scenario of universal time contraction in the past. In this scenario, past time contraction would be associated with increased levels of blueshifted light emissions from cosmological objects when viewed from our current perspective. The observation that distant Type Ia supernovae are dimmer than predicted by linear Hubble expansion currently provides the most direct evidence for an accelerating universe. Adjusting for the effects of time contraction on a redshift-distance modulus diagram produces a linear distribution of supernovae over the full redshift spectrum that is consistent with a non-accelerating universe.

Metamaterials beyond electromagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadic, Muamer; Bückmann, Tiemo; Schittny, Robert; Wegener, Martin

2013-12-01

Metamaterials are rationally designed man-made structures composed of functional building blocks that are densely packed into an effective (crystalline) material. While metamaterials are mostly associated with negative refractive indices and invisibility cloaking in electromagnetism or optics, the deceptively simple metamaterial concept also applies to rather different areas such as thermodynamics, classical mechanics (including elastostatics, acoustics, fluid dynamics and elastodynamics), and, in principle, also to quantum mechanics. We review the basic concepts, analogies and differences to electromagnetism, and give an overview on the current state of the art regarding theory and experiment—all from the viewpoint of an experimentalist. This review includes homogeneous metamaterials as well as intentionally inhomogeneous metamaterial architectures designed by coordinate-transformation-based approaches analogous to transformation optics. Examples are laminates, transient thermal cloaks, thermal concentrators and inverters, ‘space-coiling’ metamaterials, anisotropic acoustic metamaterials, acoustic free-space and carpet cloaks, cloaks for gravitational surface waves, auxetic mechanical metamaterials, pentamode metamaterials (‘meta-liquids’), mechanical metamaterials with negative dynamic mass density, negative dynamic bulk modulus, or negative phase velocity, seismic metamaterials, cloaks for flexural waves in thin plates and three-dimensional elastostatic cloaks.

Elastic modulus of phases in Ti–Mo alloys

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

Zhang, Wei-dong; Liu, Yong, E-mail: yonliu11@aliyun.com; Wu, Hong

2015-08-15

In this work, a series of binary Ti–Mo alloys with the Mo contents ranging from 3.2 to 12 at.% were prepared using non-consumable arc melting. The microstructures were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope, and the elastic modulus was evaluated by nanoindentation testing technique. The evolution of the volume fractions of ω phase was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the phase constitution and elastic modulus of the Ti–Mo alloys are sensitive to the Mo content. Ti–3.2Mo and Ti–8Mo alloys containing only α and β phases, respectively, have a low elastic modulus. In contrast, Ti–4.5Mo,more » Ti–6Mo, Ti–7Mo alloys, with different contents of ω phase, have a high elastic modulus. A simple micromechanical model was used to calculate the elastic modulus of ω phase (E{sub ω}), which was determined to be 174.354 GPa. - Highlights: • Ti–Mo alloys with the Mo contents ranging from 3.2 to 12 at.% were investigated. • XPS was used to investigate the volume fractions of ω phase. • The elastic modulus of Ti–Mo alloys is sensitive to the Mo content. • The elastic modulus of ω phase was determined to be 174.354 GPa.« less

The effect of Eimeria maxima infection on the expression of amino acid and sugar transporters aminopeptidase, as well as the di- and tri-peptide transporter PepT1, is not solely due to decreased feed intake

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria in poultry is endemic to poultry operations and results in decreased feed intake, diarrhea, and decreased weight gain. The goal was to determine the effect infection Eimeria maxima on the expression of genes that encode peptide and amino acid transporters (AATs), and al...

Critical heat flux maxima during boiling crisis on textured surfaces

PubMed Central

Dhillon, Navdeep Singh; Buongiorno, Jacopo; Varanasi, Kripa K.

2015-01-01

Enhancing the critical heat flux (CHF) of industrial boilers by surface texturing can lead to substantial energy savings and global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but fundamentally this phenomenon is not well understood. Prior studies on boiling crisis indicate that CHF monotonically increases with increasing texture density. Here we report on the existence of maxima in CHF enhancement at intermediate texture density using measurements on parametrically designed plain and nano-textured micropillar surfaces. Using high-speed optical and infrared imaging, we study the dynamics of dry spot heating and rewetting phenomena and reveal that the dry spot heating timescale is of the same order as that of the gravity and liquid imbibition-induced dry spot rewetting timescale. Based on these insights, we develop a coupled thermal-hydraulic model that relates CHF enhancement to rewetting of a hot dry spot on the boiling surface, thereby revealing the mechanism governing the hitherto unknown CHF enhancement maxima. PMID:26346098

Complex, non-monotonic dose-response curves with multiple maxima: Do we (ever) sample densely enough?

PubMed

Cvrčková, Fatima; Luštinec, Jiří; Žárský, Viktor

2015-01-01

We usually expect the dose-response curves of biological responses to quantifiable stimuli to be simple, either monotonic or exhibiting a single maximum or minimum. Deviations are often viewed as experimental noise. However, detailed measurements in plant primary tissue cultures (stem pith explants of kale and tobacco) exposed to varying doses of sucrose, cytokinins (BA or kinetin) or auxins (IAA or NAA) revealed that growth and several biochemical parameters exhibit multiple reproducible, statistically significant maxima over a wide range of exogenous substance concentrations. This results in complex, non-monotonic dose-response curves, reminiscent of previous reports of analogous observations in both metazoan and plant systems responding to diverse pharmacological treatments. These findings suggest the existence of a hitherto neglected class of biological phenomena resulting in dose-response curves exhibiting periodic patterns of maxima and minima, whose causes remain so far uncharacterized, partly due to insufficient sampling frequency used in many studies.

Operating the Portable Seismic Pavement Analyzer

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

8 Thickness versus modulus...amplitude versus time waveforms....................................................................... 9 Figure 10. A thickness versus Young’s modulus plot...modulus of portland cement concrete (PCC) and asphalt concrete (AC) pavements. Additional strength parameters necessary for structural pavement

Apparent elastic modulus and hysteresis of skeletal muscle cells throughout differentiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collinsworth, Amy M.; Zhang, Sarah; Kraus, William E.; Truskey, George A.

2002-01-01

The effect of differentiation on the transverse mechanical properties of mammalian myocytes was determined by using atomic force microscopy. The apparent elastic modulus increased from 11.5 +/- 1.3 kPa for undifferentiated myoblasts to 45.3 +/- 4.0 kPa after 8 days of differentiation (P < 0.05). The relative contribution of viscosity, as determined from the normalized hysteresis area, ranged from 0.13 +/- 0.02 to 0.21 +/- 0.03 and did not change throughout differentiation. Myosin expression correlated with the apparent elastic modulus, but neither myosin nor beta-tubulin were associated with hysteresis. Microtubules did not affect mechanical properties because treatment with colchicine did not alter the apparent elastic modulus or hysteresis. Treatment with cytochalasin D or 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime led to a significant reduction in the apparent elastic modulus but no change in hysteresis. In summary, skeletal muscle cells exhibited viscoelastic behavior that changed during differentiation, yielding an increase in the transverse elastic modulus. Major contributors to changes in the transverse elastic modulus during differentiation were actin and myosin.

Development of novel dental nanocomposites reinforced with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS).

PubMed

Wu, Xiaorong; Sun, Yi; Xie, Weili; Liu, Yanju; Song, Xueyu

2010-05-01

It has been the focus to develop low shrinkage dental composite resins in recent ten years. A major difficulty in developing low shrinkage dental materials is that their deficiency in mechanical properties cannot satisfy the clinical purpose. The aim of this study is to develop novel dental nanocomposites incorporated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS). It is especially interesting to evaluate the volumetric shrinkage and mechanical properties, improve the shrinkage, working performances and service life of dental composite resins. The effect of added POSS on the composites' mechanical properties has been evaluated. The weight percentages of added POSS are 0, 2, 5, 10 and 15wt% respectively. Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize their microstructures. Physico-mechanical properties that were investigated included volumetric shrinkage, flexural strength, flexural modulus, compressive strength, compressive modulus, Viker's hardness and fracture energy. Furthermore, the possible reinforced mechanism has been discussed. The shrinkage of novel nanocomposites decreased from 3.53% to 2.18%. The nanocomposites incorporated with POSS showed greatly improved mechanical properties, for example, with only 2wt% POSS added, the nanocompsite's flexural strength increased 15%, compressive strength increased 12%, hardness increased 15% and uncommonly, even the toughness of resins was obviously increased. With 5wt% POSS polymerized, compressive strength increased from 192MPa to 251MPa and compressive modulus increased from 3.93GPa to 6.62GPa, but flexure strength began to decline from 87MPa to 75MPa. This finding indicated that the reinforcing mechanism of flexure state maybe different from that of compressive state. The mechanical properties and volumetric shrinkage of dental composite resins polymerized with POSS can be improved significantly. In current study, the nanocomposite with 2wt% POSS incorporated is observed to achieve the best improved effects. 2010 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rogue periodic waves of the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jinbing; Pelinovsky, Dmitry E.

2018-02-01

Rogue periodic waves stand for rogue waves on a periodic background. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the focusing case admits two families of periodic wave solutions expressed by the Jacobian elliptic functions dn and cn. Both periodic waves are modulationally unstable with respect to long-wave perturbations. Exact solutions for the rogue periodic waves are constructed by using the explicit expressions for the periodic eigenfunctions of the Zakharov-Shabat spectral problem and the Darboux transformations. These exact solutions generalize the classical rogue wave (the so-called Peregrine's breather). The magnification factor of the rogue periodic waves is computed as a function of the elliptic modulus. Rogue periodic waves constructed here are compared with the rogue wave patterns obtained numerically in recent publications.

Rogue periodic waves of the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

PubMed

Chen, Jinbing; Pelinovsky, Dmitry E

2018-02-01

Rogue periodic waves stand for rogue waves on a periodic background. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the focusing case admits two families of periodic wave solutions expressed by the Jacobian elliptic functions dn and cn . Both periodic waves are modulationally unstable with respect to long-wave perturbations. Exact solutions for the rogue periodic waves are constructed by using the explicit expressions for the periodic eigenfunctions of the Zakharov-Shabat spectral problem and the Darboux transformations. These exact solutions generalize the classical rogue wave (the so-called Peregrine's breather). The magnification factor of the rogue periodic waves is computed as a function of the elliptic modulus. Rogue periodic waves constructed here are compared with the rogue wave patterns obtained numerically in recent publications.

Numerical results on the transcendence of constants involving pi, e, and Euler's constant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, David H.

1988-01-01

The existence of simple polynomial equations (integer relations) for the constants e/pi, e + pi, log pi, gamma (Euler's constant), e exp gamma, gamma/e, gamma/pi, and log gamma is investigated by means of numerical computations. The recursive form of the Ferguson-Fourcade algorithm (Ferguson and Fourcade, 1979; Ferguson, 1986 and 1987) is implemented on the Cray-2 supercomputer at NASA Ames, applying multiprecision techniques similar to those described by Bailey (1988) except that FFTs are used instead of dual-prime-modulus transforms for multiplication. It is shown that none of the constants has an integer relation of degree eight or less with coefficients of Euclidean norm 10 to the 9th or less.

Preparation and characterizations of EGDE crosslinked chitosan electrospun membranes.

PubMed

Aqil, A; Tchemtchoua, V T; Colige, A; Atanasova, G; Poumay, Y; Jérôme, C

2015-01-01

Composite Crosslinked nanofibrous membranes of chitosan, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) and polyethylene oxide was successfully prepared with bead free morphology via electrospinning technique followed by heat mediated chemical crosslinking. Architectural stability of nanofiber mat in aqueous medium was achieved by chemical crosslinking of only 1% EGDE, and tensile strength tests revealed that increasing EGDE content has considerably enhance the elastic modulus of nanofibers. The structure, morphology and mechanical properties of nanofibers were characterized by Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Instron machine, respectively. Skin fibroblasts and endothelial cells showed good attachment, proliferation and viability on crosslinked electrospun membranes. The results indicate a good biocompatibility and non-toxic nature of the resulted membrane.

Stability of Nanocrystalline Spark Plasma Sintered 3Y-TZP

PubMed Central

Chintapalli, Ravikiran; Mestra, Alvaro; García Marro, Fernando; Yan, Haixue; Reece, Michael; Anglada, Marc

2010-01-01

Spark plasma sintered 3Y-TZP has been investigated with respect to hydrothermal ageing and grinding. The sintering was performed between the temperatures of 1,100 and 1,600 °C for a soaking time of 5 minutes and the resulting materials were obtained with grain sizes between 65 to 800 nm and relative densities between 88.5 to 98.8%. Experiments on hydrothermal ageing in water vapour at 131 °C, 2 bars during 60 hours shows that phase stability is retained, elastic modulus and hardness of near surface region measured by nanoindentation does not change in fine grain (<200 nm) materials, in spite of porosity. In ground specimens, very small amount of transformation was found for all grain sizes studied.

Myths and Truths of Nitinol Mechanics: Elasticity and Tension-Compression Asymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucsek, Ashley N.; Paranjape, Harshad M.; Stebner, Aaron P.

2016-09-01

Two prevalent myths of Nitinol mechanics are examined: (1) Martensite is more compliant than austenite; (2) Texture-free Nitinol polycrystals do not exhibit tension-compression asymmetry. By reviewing existing literature, the following truths are revealed: (1) Martensite crystals may be more compliant, equally stiff, or stiffer than austenite crystals, depending on the orientation of the applied load. The Young's Modulus of polycrystalline Nitinol is not a fixed number—it changes with both processing and in operando deformations. Nitinol martensite prefers to behave stiffer under compressive loads and more compliant under tensile loads. (2) Inelastic Nitinol martensite deformation in and of itself is asymmetric, even for texture-free polycrystals. Texture-free Nitinol polycrystals also exhibit tension-compression transformation asymmetry.

Babinet’s principle for scalar complex objects in the far field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez-Zurita, G.; Rickenstorff, C.; Pastrana-Sánchez, R.; Vázquez-Castillo, J. F.; Robledo-Sanchez, C.; Meneses-Fabian, C.; Toto-Arellano, N. I.

2014-10-01

Babinet’s principle is briefly reviewed, especially regarding the zeroth diffraction order of the far field diffraction pattern associated with a given aperture. The pattern is basically described by the squared modulus of the Fourier transform of its amplitude distribution (scalar case). In this paper, complementary objects are defined with respect to complex values and not only with respect to unity in order to include phase objects and phase modulation. It is shown that the difference in complementary patterns can be sometimes a bright spot at the zero order location as is widely known, but also, it can be a gray spot or even a dark one. Conditions of occurrence for each case are given as well as some numerical and experimental examples.

Standardizing lightweight deflectometer modulus measurements for compaction quality assurance : research summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-01

The mechanistic-empirical pavement design method requires the elastic resilient modulus as the key input for characterization of geomaterials. Current density-based QA procedures do not measure resilient modulus. Additionally, the density-based metho...

Asphalt mix characterization using dynamic modulus and APA testing.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-11-01

final report summarizes two research efforts related to asphalt mix characterization: dynamic modulus and Asphalt Pavement Analyzer testing. One phase of the research consisted of a laboratory-based evaluation of dynamic modulus of Oregon dense-grade...

The influence of low temperatures on dynamic mechanical properties of animal bone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mardas, Marcin; Kubisz, Leszek; Mielcarek, Slawomir; Biskupski, Piotr

2009-01-01

Different preservation methods are currently used in bone banks, even though their effects on allograft quality are not fully understood. Freezing is one of the most popular methods of preservation in tissue banking. Yet, there is not a lot of data on dynamic mechanical properties of frozen bone. Material used in this study was femoral bones from adult bovine that were machine cut and frozen to the temperature 140°C. Both elastic modulus and loss modulus were measured at 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 Hz in the temperature range of 30-200°C. Differences between frozen and control samples were observed. The frequency increase always led to the increase in elastic modulus values and decrease in loss modulus values. Freezing reduced the elastic modulus values of about 25% and the loss modulus values of about 45% when measured at 20°C.

Non-free gas of dipoles of non-singular screw dislocations and the shear modulus near the melting

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

Malyshev, Cyril, E-mail: malyshev@pdmi.ras.ru

2014-12-15

The behavior of the shear modulus caused by proliferation of dipoles of non-singular screw dislocations with finite-sized core is considered. The representation of two-dimensional Coulomb gas with smoothed-out coupling is used, and the stress–stress correlation function is calculated. A convolution integral expressed in terms of the modified Bessel function K{sub 0} is derived in order to obtain the shear modulus in approximation of interacting dipoles. Implications are demonstrated for the shear modulus near the melting transition which are due to the singularityless character of the dislocations. - Highlights: • Thermodynamics of dipoles of non-singular screw dislocations is studied below themore » melting. • The renormalization of the shear modulus is obtained for interacting dipoles. • Dependence of the shear modulus on the system scales is presented near the melting.« less

Microbial Ecological Niche Partitioning Affects N2 gas Production in the Largest Marine Oxygen Minimum Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchsman, C. A.; Penn, J. L.; Devol, A.; Palevsky, H. I.; Deutsch, C. A.; Keil, R.; Ward, B. B.; Rocap, G.

2016-02-01

Up to half of oceanic N2 production occurs in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). In the Eastern Tropical North Pacific OMZ in April 2012, we measured a nine station coast to open ocean transect of N2 gas in the heart of the ETNP OMZ. Depth profiles of excess N2 gas had dual maxima located at the top of the OMZ and at 300m. An ecosystem biogeochemical model of the ETNP was also found to produce dual maxima at stations with a shallow OMZ. The model indicated that high N2 production rates caused the upper N2 maxima while long water residence time caused the deeper maxima. At a low productivity open ocean station where dual N2 maxima were observed, we obtained a depth profile of metagenomic sequences from both free living and >30 μm fractions to determine which N2 producing microbes were living in these three ecological niches. We use a phylogenetically-aware approach to identify metagenomic sequences by placing them on reference trees, which allows us to utilize them in a semi-quantitative manner. Overall, genes for denitrification (napA, nirS, nirK, qnor, nosZ) were enriched on particles while anammox was free-living. However, separation of genes into phylotypes indicated that the system is more complicated. For example, 4 out of 5 N2O reductase denitrifier phylotypes were actually free-living, while the fifth, most abundant phylotype was particle-attached. In the water column, denitrifier and anammox genes were spatially separated with depth with denitrifiers focused on the top section of the OMZ and with anammox becoming abundant slightly deeper and being more dominant at the deep N2 maxima. Interestingly, different phylotypes of denitrifiers have different depth profiles, implying individual adaptations and niches. The presence of measurable ammonia (>200 nM) at the top 20m of the OMZ along with the very low numbers of anammox bacteria is consistent with recent shoaling of the OMZ at the time of sampling. Thus the spatial separation of denitrifiers and anammox at the top of the OMZ may be a transient event due to differences in growth rate and response time. Additionally, assembly of metagenomic reads and clustering of the resulting contigs by tetranucleotide frequency was used to identify denitrifying bacteria and link together gene phylotypes.

Genome-wide association study and biological pathway analysis of the Eimeria maxima response in broilers.

PubMed

Hamzić, Edin; Buitenhuis, Bart; Hérault, Frédéric; Hawken, Rachel; Abrahamsen, Mitchel S; Servin, Bertrand; Elsen, Jean-Michel; Pinard-van der Laan, Marie-Hélène; Bed'Hom, Bertrand

2015-11-25

Coccidiosis is the most common and costly disease in the poultry industry and is caused by protozoans of the Eimeria genus. The current control of coccidiosis, based on the use of anticoccidial drugs and vaccination, faces serious obstacles such as drug resistance and the high costs for the development of efficient vaccines, respectively. Therefore, the current control programs must be expanded with complementary approaches such as the use of genetics to improve the host response to Eimeria infections. Recently, we have performed a large-scale challenge study on Cobb500 broilers using E. maxima for which we investigated variability among animals in response to the challenge. As a follow-up to this challenge study, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genomic regions underlying variability of the measured traits in the response to Eimeria maxima in broilers. Furthermore, we conducted a post-GWAS functional analysis to increase our biological understanding of the underlying response to Eimeria maxima challenge. In total, we identified 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with q value <0.1 distributed across five chromosomes. The highly significant SNPs were associated with body weight gain (three SNPs on GGA5, one SNP on GGA1 and one SNP on GGA3), plasma coloration measured as optical density at wavelengths in the range 465-510 nm (10 SNPs and all on GGA10) and the percentage of β2-globulin in blood plasma (15 SNPs on GGA1 and one SNP on GGA2). Biological pathways related to metabolic processes, cell proliferation, and primary innate immune processes were among the most frequent significantly enriched biological pathways. Furthermore, the network-based analysis produced two networks of high confidence, with one centered on large tumor suppressor kinase 1 (LATS1) and 2 (LATS2) and the second involving the myosin heavy chain 6 (MYH6). We identified several strong candidate genes and genomic regions associated with traits measured in response to Eimeria maxima in broilers. Furthermore, the post-GWAS functional analysis indicates that biological pathways and networks involved in tissue proliferation and repair along with the primary innate immune response may play the most important role during the early stage of Eimeria maxima infection in broilers.

Muscle shear elastic modulus is linearly related to muscle torque over the entire range of isometric contraction intensity.

PubMed

Ateş, Filiz; Hug, François; Bouillard, Killian; Jubeau, Marc; Frappart, Thomas; Couade, Mathieu; Bercoff, Jeremy; Nordez, Antoine

2015-08-01

Muscle shear elastic modulus is linearly related to muscle torque during low-level contractions (<60% of Maximal Voluntary Contraction, MVC). This measurement can therefore be used to estimate changes in individual muscle force. However, it is not known if this relationship remains valid for higher intensities. The aim of this study was to determine: (i) the relationship between muscle shear elastic modulus and muscle torque over the entire range of isometric contraction and (ii) the influence of the size of the region of interest (ROI) used to average the shear modulus value. Ten healthy males performed two incremental isometric little finger abductions. The joint torque produced by Abductor Digiti Minimi was considered as an index of muscle torque and elastic modulus. A high coefficient of determination (R(2)) (range: 0.86-0.98) indicated that the relationship between elastic modulus and torque can be accurately modeled by a linear regression over the entire range (0% to 100% of MVC). The changes in shear elastic modulus as a function of torque were highly repeatable. Lower R(2) values (0.89±0.13 for 1/16 of ROI) and significantly increased absolute errors were observed when the shear elastic modulus was averaged over smaller ROI, half, 1/4 and 1/16 of the full ROI) than the full ROI (mean size: 1.18±0.24cm(2)). It suggests that the ROI should be as large as possible for accurate measurement of muscle shear modulus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of resilient modulus values for typical plastic soils in Wisconsin.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

"The objectives of this research are to establish a resilient modulus test results database and to develop : correlations for estimating the resilient modulus of Wisconsin fine-grained soils from basic soil properties. A : laboratory testing program ...

Base course resilient modulus for the mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-11-01

The Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guidelines (MEPDG) recommend use of modulus in lieu of structural number for base layer thickness design. Modulus is nonlinear with respect to effective confinement stress, loading strain, and moisture. For d...

Repeatability of testing procedures for resilient modulus and fatigue : appendices.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-04-01

The article is the appendices of "Repeatability of testing procedures for resilient modulus and fatigue". : Extensive use of diametral resilient modulus and fatigue testing is made by the Oregon State Highway Division to evaluate asphaltic concrete m...

Resilient modulus of compacted crushed stone aggregate bases.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-11-07

The main goal of this study was to establish a simple and efficient means of predicting the resilient modulus of different types of Kentucky crushed stone aggregate bases. To accomplish this purpose, resilient modulus of different tests were performe...

Fabrication of Compositionally and Topographically Complex Robust Tissue Forms by 3D-Electrochemical Compaction of Collagen

PubMed Central

Younesi, Mousa; Islam, Anowarul; Kishore, Vipuil; Panit, Stefi; Akkus, Ozan

2015-01-01

Collagen solutions are phase-transformed to mechanically robust shell structures with curviplanar topographies using electrochemically induced pH gradients. The process enables rapid layer-by-layer deposition of collagen-rich mixtures over the entire field simultaneously to obtain compositionally diverse multilayered structures. In-plane tensile strength and modulus of the electrocompacted collagen sheet samples were 5200 -fold and 2300 -fold greater than that of uncompacted collagen samples. Out of plane compression tests showed 27 -fold and fold increase in compressive stress and 46 -fold increase in compressive modulus compared to uncompacted collagen sheets. Cells proliferated 4.9 times faster, and cellular area spread was 2.7 times greater on compacted collagen sheets. Electrocompaction also resulted in 2.9 times greater focal adhesion area than on regular collagen hydrogel. The reported improvements in the cell-matrix interactions with electrocompaction would serve to expedite the population of electrocompacted collagen scaffolds by cells. The capacity of the method to fabricate nonlinear curved topographies with compositional heterogeneous layers is demonstrated by sequential deposition of collagenhydroxyapatite layer over a collagen layer. The complex curved topography of the nasal structure is replicated by the electrochemical compaction method. The presented electrochemical compaction process is an enabling modality which holds significant promise for reconstruction of a wide spectrum of topographically complex systems such as joint surfaces, craniofacial defects, ears, nose or urogenital forms. PMID:26069162